Adolescent Type A Characteristics and Socially Problematic Behaviors1

Researchers have increasingly advocated social and developmental psychology perspectives to studying Type A behavior to increase understanding of how it emerges and of how Type A individuals’ entry into different naturalistic social situations may exacerbate their stress reactions. As an initial step in these directions, we tested structural equation models relating components of Type A behavior in adolescents to childhood and adolescent socially problematic behaviors. Results from two high-school district cohorts (Ns = approximately 300 and 700) showed that impatience, hostility, and leadership all were related to childhood problems, but that only impatience predicted an adolescent problem (conflict with friends).     

Inhibition of the LH Surge by Restraint Stress in Cyclic Rats: Studies on the Role of GABAA and GABAB Receptors

There is evidence that stress can alter the activity in the brain of gamma-aminobutyricacid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that has been implicated in the regulation of LH secretion. In the present study the role of GABA in the restraint stress-induced inhibition of the LH surge was investigated in the intact cyclic rat. Intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of the GABAA receptor agonist muscimol (0.1, 0.5 or 1 μg) 5 min before the presumed onset of the pro-oestrous LH surge (at 0900 h) caused a dose dependent suppression of the surge. A single dose of the GABAB receptor agonist baclofen (1 μg; icv) injected at 0855 h postponed the onset of the LH surge, and repeated injections at 0855 and 1130 h suppressed the surge. These data indicate that GABA-ergic activity in the brain can inhibit the LH surge in the cyclic rat via GABAA and GABAB receptors. Pro-oestrous rats were subjected to 5 hrs of restraint starting at 0855 h. Pretreatment with the GABAA receptor antagonist bicuculine (1 μg; icv) at 0840, 0940 and 1040 h or pretreatment with the GABAB receptor antagonist phaclofen (10 μg; icv) at 0840 h were ineffective in preventing the restraint-induced inhibition of the LH surge. The results suggest that GABAA and GABAB receptors are not involved in the inhibitory effect of restraint stress on the LH surge.     

Emotional Desensitization to Violence Contributes to Adolescents’ Violent Behavior

Many adolescents are exposed to violence in their schools, communities and homes. Exposure to violence at high levels or across multiple contexts has been linked with emotional desensitization, indicated by low levels of internalizing symptoms. However, the long-term consequences of such desensitization are unknown. This study examined emotional desensitization to violence, together with externalizing problems, as mediators of the relationship between exposure to violence in pre-adolescence and violent behavior in late adolescence. A community sample of youth (N?=?704; 48 % female; 76 % African American, 22 % Caucasian) reported on their exposure to violence in multiple settings at ages 11, 13 and 18. Internalizing and externalizing problems were assessed at ages 11 and 13; violent behavior was measured at age 18. Structural Equation Modeling showed that exposure to high levels of violence at age 11 was associated with lower levels of internalizing problems (quadratic effect) at age 13, as was exposure to violence across multiple contexts (linear effect). In turn, fewer internalizing problems and more externalizing problems at age 13 predicted more violent behavior at age 18. The results suggest that emotional desensitization to violence in early adolescence contributes to serious violence in late adolescence.     

Eating disorders from parent to child: Mothers’ perceptions of transgenerational effect

Primary prevention focuses on the reduction of risk factors. Children of mothers with an eating disorder are a proven “at risk” group, because children internalise their experiences. Prevention in the field of eating disorders has as yet only addressed children of seven or eight upwards and only in school‐based programs which did not incorporate mothers. This project targeted mothers with an eating disorder who had children under the age of thirteen. The hypothesis is that if these mothers can be encouraged to change damaging behaviour that their children are likely to model, we can attempt to break the cycle of dysfunction. This is a qualitative and quantitive research project, carried out with standardised measures and semi‐structured interviews before and after a nineteen week therapy group, with six and twelve month follow ups. The group consisted of eight mothers. This paper describes the group and provides a case study of one participant. The initial analysis suggests that the support of a therapeutic group allowed this mother enough space for reflection. She became aware of her dysfunctional behaviour and was able to begin to understand the underlying reasons behind it. This led to an improvement in her own Eating Disorder (ED) and she was subsequently able to make change in her responses to her children's needs.     

Measuring Context-Specific and Cross-Contextual Components of Hierarchical Constructs

Rating scales are often used to measure behavioral constructs. Yet, different informants’ ratings may not necessarily agree. The situational specificity (SS) perspective postulates that discrepancies between ratings by different informants are primarily attributable to contextual behavior of the people being rated. The multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) perspective, however, attributes discrepancies between informants to rater bias, i.e., each informant provides a systematically distorted picture of the person being rated. Similarly, the Attribution-Bias-Context (ABC) perspective also attributes informant discrepancies to systematic biases. Within the context of measuring hierarchical constructs, we proposed a hybrid perspective that takes account of variance attributable to the behavior of the person being rated in a particular context from the perspective of a specific informant. We then provided a parametric representation of this perspective and analyses of mother, teacher, and self-ratings of Rule-Breaking and Aggressive Behavior to illustrate features of the model. Strengths and limitations of the SS, MTMM, and hybrid perspectives are discussed.     

Bidirectional Influences of Violence Exposure and Adjustment in Early Adolescence: Externalizing Behaviors and School Connectedness

This study utilized cross-lagged longitudinal models to examine prospective, bidirectional relationships between witnessing violence and victimization and three adjustment variables—delinquency, conduct problems, and school connectedness. Participants included 603 early adolescent boys and girls (78% African American, 20% Caucasian). Witnessing violence was related to subsequent lower levels of school connectedness and more conduct problems. For Caucasian but not African American adolescents, witnessing violence also predicted later delinquency. Victimization was linked with lower school connectedness over time, and for boys but not girls also with more conduct problems. Only adolescent delinquency was associated with subsequent witnessing violence and victimization. This research was partially supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Grant No. R49–CCR418569.     

A longitudinal study of antisocial behaviors in early adolescence as predictors of late adolescent substance use: gender and ethnic group differences

Data from the National Longitudinal Youth Survey (NLSY) were analyzed to study interrelationships between antisocial behaviors in early adolescence (ages 14-15) and late adolescent alcohol and drug use 4 years later (when adolescents were 18-19). Correlations between classes of antisocial behaviors in early adolescence and substance use in late adolescence were of higher magnitude and more uniform for men than for women; for women, property offenses (e.g., vandalism) in early adolescence were more highly associated with alcohol use, alcohol-related problems, and illicit drug use in late adolescence than with either status offenses or transgressions against persons. Multiple regression analyses indicated that early-adolescent substance involvement was a significant predictor of late-adolescent alcohol and drug use. Additional significant predictors included early adolescent general delinquency, male gender, and non-Black ethnicity.     

CROSS-CULTURAL COMPARABILITY OF TEMPERAMENT AMONG JAPANESE AND AMERICAN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

The generalizability of temperament, as measured by the Revised Dimensions of Temperament Survey (DOTS-R) (Windle and Lerner 1986), was investigated through a series of data analytic procedures comparing the item responses of Japanese and American preschool children. Consistent with the results of an American preschool sample, a nine-factor model emerged for the sample of Japanese preschool children. Configurational similarity of salient and non-salient factor loadings for the nine temperament constructs across the two cultural groups was supported via congruence coefficients which ranged from 0.73 to 0.98 (Mdn = 0.91). Restricted (confirmatory) simultaneous group models for each of the nine temperament constructs indicated that the factor loading patterns were invariant across the two preschool samples, thus supporting the equality of scale metrics or units of measurement across groups. Statistical tests of differences in factor means between the two cultural samples suggested that the primary caregivers of Japanese preschoolers, relative to the primary caregivers of American preschoolers, rated their children as higher in Activity Level - Sleep and lower in Approach - Withdrawal, Flexibility - Rigidity, Quality of Mood, and Rhythmicity-Sleep; no statistically significant differences in mean levels were reported for Activity Level - General, Task Orientation, Rhythmicity-Eating and Rhythmicity-Daily Habits.     

Causal models of adolescent substance use: an examination of gender differences using distribution-free estimators

On the basis of previous literature (Hays, Widaman, DiMatteo, & Stacey, 1987; Huba, Wingard, & Bentler, 1981), four alternative causal models of substance use were specified, estimated, and evaluated for adequacy of statistical fit for samples of White male (N = 9,164) and female (N = 8,421) adolescents. Results supported the adequacy of a four-variable simplex model, in which alcohol use predicted marijuana use, and marijuana use predicted enhancer and dampener hard drug use. The four-variable simplex model was robust across the male and female adolescent samples. In addition, we found comparisons of maximum likelihood and asymptotically distribution-free estimators to be relatively robust across the causal models specified with respect to the magnitude of the parameter estimates, and with respect to the significance levels of the critical ratios, although chi-square model fit statistics for the maximum likelihood estimates were highly inflated.