Age trends in early behavioral predictors of serious antisocial behaviors

A risk group of disruptive boys (N=65) identified in kindergarten was assessed using the same procedures at ages 6–7, 8–9, and 10–11. Criteria used to define the predictors and criterion variable were the same at all assessment times. Severity was addressed by comparing different forms of behaviors, considering the extent of harmful consequences to others (aggressiveness was considered as most harmful, whereas inattention was considered as least harmful), manifestation in multiple settings, and extreme scores (manipulation of cutoff scores). Different assessment strategies (direct observations, ratings) and different informants (trained observers, mothers and teachers) were used. Aggressiveness as rated by mothers was highly stable from age 6 to age 11. Inattention as rated by teachers was stable only from age 6 to age 9, whereas no stability was found for observations of task inappropriate behaviors. Taskinappropriate behaviors observed in mother-child interactions and in multiple settings at age 6–7 were significant predictors of self-reported antisocial behaviors at age 12, but this prediction was not repeated at ages 8–9 and 10–11. Teacher ratings of inattention at ages 6–7 and 8–9 were also significant predictors of self-reported antisocial behaviors at age 12. The predictive power was much lower when mothers' ratings of aggressiveness were used. Findings from the present study support the hypothesis that some antisocial behavior precursors are age dependent, in that they are more characteristic of certain age groups than of others. Implications for the selection of assessment screening procedures are discussed.     

Development of Adolescent Problem Behavior

The developmental model of adolescent antisocial behavior advanced by Patterson and colleagues (e.g., Patterson, Reid, & Dishion, 1992) appears to generalize the development of a diverse set of problem behaviors. Structural equation modeling methods were applied to 18-month longitudinal data from 523 adolescents. The problem behavior construct included substance use, antisocial behavior, academic failure, and risky sexual behavior. Families with high levels of conflict were less likely to have high levels of parent–child involvement. Such family conditions resulted in less adequate parental monitoring of adolescent behavior, making associations with deviant peers more likely. Poor parental monitoring and associations with deviant peers were strong predictors of engagement in problem behavior. These constructs accounted for 46% of the variance in problem behavior. Although association with deviant peers was the most proximal social influence on problem behavior, parental monitoring and family factors (conflict and involvement) were key parenting practices that influenced this developmental process.     

The Family Environment in Chronic Pain Patients: Comparison to Controls and Relationship to Patient Functioning

Operant and cognitive-behavioral models of chronic pain have called attention to the importance of examining the marital and family environments of chronic pain patients. In this study, 50 chronic pain patients and their spouses and 33 control participants and their spouses completed measures of the family environment, marital satisfaction, and patient physical and psychological functioning. Patients' overt pain behaviors were coded from videotapes of patient–spouse interactions. Compared to controls, pain patients and their spouses rated their family environments as lower in cohesion and higher in control, and there was a trend for spouses to report more marital dissatisfaction. Chronic pain patient depression was associated negatively with patient-rated family cohesion and expressiveness and spouse-rated family organization and positively with patient-rated family conflict. Overt patient pain behaviors and spouse-rated patient disability were related negatively to spouse-rated family cohesion. Spouse marital satisfaction was associated negatively with patient depression and with spouse ratings of patient disability and pain behaviors.     

Sexual Risk-Taking Behaviors Among Adolescents with Severe Emotional Disturbance

We investigated the sexual risk-taking behaviors of adolescents with severe emotional disturbance (SED). Subjects (N = 70) were clients of the South Carolina Continuum of Care. Information on sexual intercourse, sexual risk-taking, aggressive behaviors, substance use, and suicidal behavior was gathered using a modified version of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention self-report Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Forty-two percent of each race-gender group reported first intercourse before age 13, except for African American females at 63%. Seventy-five to 79% of all race-gender groups reported first sexual intercourse by age 18. Drinking alcohol before age 13 and carrying a weapon in the past 30 days were associated with first intercourse before age 13. Youth reporting first intercourse between ages 13 and 18 were about 12 times more likely to report suicide ideation than those youth who reported never having sexual intercourse. Youth with SED reporting first intercourse before age 13 appear to have an increased risk for unintended pregnancy and for contracting a sexually transmitted disease compared to youth with SED reporting first intercourse after age 13.     

Mental Health, Social Environment and Sexual Risk Behaviors of Adolescent Service Users: A Gender Comparison

We examined individual mental health problems (depression, conduct disorder, and substance abuse) and social environment (family, peer, and neighborhood) factors associated with the sexual risk behaviors of male and female adolescents. Interviews with 778 adolescents, aged 14 to 18, showed that both mental health problems and social environment were related to adolescents' involvement in sexual risk behaviors. Conduct disorder symptoms, substance abuse or dependence symptoms, and the interaction between peer misbehavior and neighborhood problems were significantly associated with risky sexual behaviors. Peer misbehavior was a particularly strong factor related to sexual risk behaviors for youths who lived in neighborhoods with multiple problems. The only gender differences were found in age, with older males more likely to report engaging in high risk sexual behaviors. This study suggests the utility of multidimensional intervention strategies to deal with various adolescent problem behaviors, including risky sexual behaviors, within the context of their social environment.     

处于不支持行为压力下的下岗人员的心理中介研究

本研究以 3 2 4名下岗人员为被试 ,考察不支持行为、应付方式、控制感与心理健康之间的关系。结果表明 ,情感不支持 ( β =0 .46)可以直接影响心理健康 ,同时情感不支持 ( β=0 .2 6)又通过自责 ( β =0 .3 1 )和发泄 ( β =0 .1 4 )两种应付方式和人际关系控制感 ( β=-0 .1 0 )而间接影响心理健康 ,下岗人员的应付方式和控制感在不支持行为和心理健康之间起重要中介作用。     

幼儿的情绪表现规则知识发展及其与家庭情绪表露、社会行为的相关研究

通过幼儿情绪表现规则知识的访谈、家庭情绪表露问卷和幼儿社会行为评估问卷调查,考察了112名3～6岁幼儿情绪表现规则知识的发展及其与家庭情绪表露、社会行为的关系。结果表明:(1)幼儿的表情调节知识存在显著的年龄差异,大班幼儿比小班幼儿具有更高的表情调节知识、更倾向于掩饰消极情绪;(2)幼儿的表情调节知识与情绪表达的人际支持、工具支持的结果期望存在显著正相关,即幼儿掩饰消极情绪是因为预期情绪表达不会得到他人理解和帮助;(3)幼儿报告面对父母同伴教师不同在场者时具有不同的情绪体验,且幼儿的人际支持结果预期存在年龄和在场者的交互作用;(4)家庭情绪表露与幼儿的人际支持的结果预期存在显著正相关、与工具支持的结果预期存在显著负相关;(5)倾向于掩饰消极情绪的幼儿表现出更多的亲社会行为,认为表达消极情绪会带来不良结果的幼儿表现出更多的害羞退缩行为。     

慢性应激诱导的抑郁大鼠纹状体par-4基因的表达

为研究慢性温和应激诱导的抑郁大鼠纹状体内前列腺凋亡反应蛋白(prostate apoptosis response-4, par-4)的表达, 及甲基化是否参与par-4基因表达的调控, 将10周龄大鼠随机分为实验组和对照组, 实验组接受慢性温和应激, 对照组不接受实验性处理。于大鼠13周龄时, 采用强迫游泳、糖水偏爱测验测定大鼠的抑郁水平, 以实时定量PCR检测纹状体par-4及多巴胺D2受体(Dopamine receptor D2, DRD2) mRNA表达水平, 免疫印迹法检测纹状体par-4蛋白质表达水平, 用亚硫酸盐测序法检测par-4基因启动子区甲基化水平。结果发现, 与对照组大鼠相比, 实验组大鼠漂浮时间延长, 糖水偏爱率降低, 脑纹状体par-4、DRD2 mRNA及par-4蛋白质表达水平均降低, par-4基因启动子区甲基化水平两组差异不显著。提示慢性温和应激诱导大鼠产生了抑郁样行为, 并能抑制纹状体par-4基因的表达, 而基因甲基化可能并不参与其调控机制。     

An investigation of aspects of the cry of pain model of suicide risk: the role of defeat in impairing memory

AIM: Feelings of defeat and deficits in autobiographical memory are thought to be central to the formation of suicidal thoughts and behaviours. However, no work has established the role of defeat, specifically, in directly leading to memory problems. This study sought to assess whether a defeating event and associated defeated mood impaired memory for a story. METHOD: Participants were from a student population. Those in the experimental condition (n=37) experienced an event which was designed to induce defeat prior to both the encoding and verbal retrieval of a story. Participants in control condition (n=37) experienced no such defeating event. Visual analogue scales of five mood states were taken at baseline, prior to encoding and prior to retrieval. RESULTS: Participants in the experimental condition reported increased feelings of defeat following baseline, and recalled fewer story units relative to the control condition. DISCUSSION: These results show that appraising an event as defeating increased subsequent defeated mood and led to impaired episodic memory, independently of low mood in general, thus suggesting a causal role of a specific negative mood state on impaired memory. Implications for clinical research are discussed.     

Approaching math increases math = me and math = pleasant

In two studies, we examined the effect of extensive practice in approaching math on implicit identification with math, implicit math attitudes, and behavior during a math test. The results from Study 1 demonstrated that women trained to approach math showed more identification with and positive implicit attitudes toward math than women trained to avoid math. Notably, this latter pattern of findings was only evident for women low in initial identification with this field. The results from Study 2 replicated these findings by showing that women who were initially low in math identification and trained to approach math showed more implicit identification with math and attempted more items on a math test than women trained to respond to math in a neutral way. The implications of these findings for current theorizing on the gender gap in women’s representation in math related careers are discussed.