Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment最新文献

Objective: There is support for altered parasympathetic (PNS) and sympathetic (SNS) functioning among children with disruptive behavior disorders (DBD) which may underlie impairments in both emotion regulation (ER) and executive functioning (EF). This study examined the extent to which cardiac autonomic balance (CAB), a composite index that integrates the relative influences of the PNS and SNS on the heart, differentiates young typically developing (TD) children and those with a DBD.

Method: Participants included 245 young children (72% boys, M _age = 5.44 years; 82% Latinx; 50% TD). Indexes of PNS (i.e., respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA]) and sympathetic (i.e., pre-ejection period [PEP]) reactivity were collected during a baseline task along with six other lab tasks measuring ER and EF. CAB was computed using the following formula: $\text{CAB}=\text{RSAz}-(-\text{PEPz})$ with higher positive scores reflective of greater reliance on PNS input.

Results: No difference in resting/baseline CAB was found among the groups. On the other hand, children with DBDs had lower and negative CAB reactivity scores across 4 out of the 6 tasks relative to the TD group which had positive CAB reactivity scores (Cohen's d range = -0.27 to -0.38).

Conclusions: Children with DBDs' negative CAB values indicate a physiological profile of greater SNS reactivity while children in the TD group's positive CAB values indicate a physiological profile of greater PNS reactivity. A lower and negative CAB reactivity profile may be a physiological indicator that contributes to underlying impairments in both EF and ER among children with DBD.

Though often conflated with face validity, ecological validity refers to the degree that a test or measure predicts real-world behavior/functioning. The current study leveraged two independent samples to provide a critical evaluation of the extent to which clinic-based actigraphy demonstrates ecological validity evidence relative to parent- and teacher-reported hyperactivity ratings. Further, across both samples we evaluated the extent to which the ecological validity evidence for these mechanical measures of hyperactivity varies as a function of the task children are completing while their movement is assessed objectively (low vs. high cognitive demands). Across two independent samples comprising clinically-evaluated children with and without ADHD (Ns=88, 184; M _ages =9.2, 10.4; 6%, 33% girls; 68%, 70% White Non-Hispanic), latent path models indicated that clinic-based actigraphy during visuospatial working memory testing (high cognitive demands) demonstrated significant associations with both parent- and teacher-rated hyperactivity that were indistinguishable (p>.05) from parent and teacher ratings's associations with each other in both sample 1 (r=.57) and sample 2 (r=.35; all p<.001). Actigraphy during baseline (low cognitive demand) conditions also uniquely predicted hyperactivity at home and school in both samples (all p<.001), albeit with a less consistent yet robust pattern relative to parent/teacher associations. In both samples, actigraphy showed strong test-retest reliability over 2-4 weeks across clinic-based tasks with high cognitive demands (r=.61-.93) and high concurrent validity across tasks with high vs. low cognitive demands (r=.35-.61; all p<.007). This pattern supports the ecological validity of clinic-based actigraphy during working memory testing, which predicts real-world behavior at home and school just as well as parent perceptions of hyperactivity at home predict teacher perceptions of hyperactivity at school (and vice versa).

Self-criticism, or negative self-evaluation characterized by often unrealistic personal standards and a harsh self-view, is a relevant transdiagnostic construct for mental health. Yet, the psychometric properties of scales assessing self-criticism have not been examined in military veterans, a population with a high burden of psychiatric symptoms. The present study tested the factor structure of the full and short-form versions of the Forms of Self-Criticizing/Attacking & Self-Reassuring Scale (FSCRS and FSCRS-SF), a measure of self-criticism, in a sample of 1,161 United States veterans who completed this and other measures as part of a larger study. Measurement invariance across men and women and associations with mental health symptoms, disordered eating, substance abuse, and self-directed violence were also examined. We found adequate support for two- and three-factor models and improved model fit with correlated residuals. Given theoretical and model fit considerations, measurement invariance was tested with the three-factor model. Both the FSCRS and FSCRS-SF were invariant across men and women. Women scored higher than men on the Hated Self (HS) and Inadequate Self (IS) subscales. HS and IS subscales scores were positively correlated with mental health constructs, whereas Reassured Self (RS) subscale scores were negatively correlated with these constructs. Overall, both the FSCRS and FSCRS-SF, when a briefer scale is preferred, appear appropriate for use in veterans. There are important gender differences in self-criticism that warrant further investigation; however, scores on this measure can be meaningfully compared across men and women. Validation of the FSCRS in veterans may encourage additional research on self-criticism in this population.

Emotion regulation involves behavioral modulation of emotional expression across contexts and is highly relevant to the experience of psychopathology. Maladaptive personality traits may be particularly relevant individual differences for understanding problems with emotion regulation, or dysregulation. Similarly, momentary variability in negative affect, which can be captured with greater precision via ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methods, may also be relevant for mapping how individual differences influence emotion dysregulation in real time. The present study investigated how emotion dysregulation is affected by maladaptive personality and negative affect among college students. Data were collected between September 2019 and September 2021, as part of a larger study on emotional functioning and social media use. Of the full baseline sample (N = 406), 154 students (M _age=18.7, 72.7% female, 80.5% White) completed 28 EMA surveys over seven days. Path analysis revealed that all maladaptive personality traits, except antagonism, uniquely predicted multiple dimensions of dysregulation, with negative affectivity observed as the strongest trait predictor. Multilevel models demonstrated that both increased between- and within-person variability in negative affect were associated with increased overall levels of momentary dysregulation. Further, increased fluctuations in negative affect were associated with greater fluctuations in momentary dysregulation. These associations were significantly moderated by higher mean-levels of negative affect but not by any of the maladaptive traits. This study's findings highlight notable differences in state and trait level predictors of dysregulation and contribute to the understanding of how such antecedents could be used in the development of real-time interventions.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10862-025-10243-7.

Objective: This study examined the relationship between psychopathy and subtypes of aggression and firearm violence among a high-risk, community-based sample of adults. Specifically, it assessed whether the four-facet model of psychopathy (interpersonal, affective, lifestyle, and antisocial) was differentially associated with reactive and proactive aggression and reactive and proactive gun violence. Additionally, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to evaluate the factor structure of the Self-Report Psychopathy Short Form (SRP-SF) in this population.

Method: A total of 458 violently injured adults (M_age = 32.8, SD = 12.8, 72% Male) were included in this study. A CFA assessed the SRP-SF facet structure. Regressions were conducted to determine if psychopathy total and facets scores were associated with reactive and proactive aggression and gun violence.

Results: Total psychopathy was associated with reactive and proactive forms of aggression and gun violence. The four-facet model had a good fit. Regressions showed that the affective and lifestyle facets were related to reactive aggression, and the interpersonal and antisocial facets were related to proactive aggression. Higher affective facet scores were associated with increased odds of reactive gun violence, while higher antisocial facet scores were associated with increased odds of proactive gun violence.

Conclusion: The findings support the four-facet structure of psychopathy among a high-risk community sample and demonstrate its utility for differentiating violence subtypes. These results highlight the importance of considering psychopathy's multidimensional nature in understanding specific risks for firearm-related violence, providing valuable insights for targeted violence prevention and intervention strategies within healthcare and community settings.

Appraisal refers to a cognitive process through which individuals perceive and interpret a given event. This study evaluated the factorial structure of the 22-item Adversity Appraisal Questionnaire (AAQ) developed to assess the appraisal styles of an adversity exposed, community sample in response to their experiences with potentially stressful life events. Given that current assessment tools for appraisal are limited by scope and range of appraisal elements, the AAQ was developed as an amalgam of all currently available appraisal measures and includes questions about how adults think and feel about potentially adverse events in their lives. The measure also asks why a given event was or was not impactful or important for the respondent. Exploratory factor analyses (EFA) reliably identified a three-factor solution indicating three broad dimensions of appraisal: Emotional Distress, Perceived Controllability, and Perceived Threat. Internal consistency estimates for subscales were evaluated using Cronbach's α (Emotional Distress: α = 0.94, Perceived Controllability: α = 0.79, Perceived Threat: α = 0.75). Findings suggested that the AAQ is a psychometrically reliable instrument for assessing adults' appraisal styles and may be useful in studies requiring a comprehensive measurement of adversity appraisal. To document how the new three appraisal factors might be related to other important mental health cognitive processes, the study also examined the relation to hostile attribution biases as an example. The findings indicated that emotional distress appraisals are associated with hostile attribution biases. Recommendations for future research are provided.

Psychomotor retardation (PmR) is a clinically important but understudied feature of depression. Available studies of PmR in depression have also been limited by the reliance on self-report and observation. Instrumental measures, which have been used to assess motor symptoms in neurological disorders, exhibit greater precision and sensitivity than self-report measures and can provide vital information in the clinical presentation. Hence, the present study sought to examine (a) whether depression (diagnosis and/or symptoms) is abnormally associated with an instrumental-based indictaor of PmR, velocity scaling (VS), a behavioral metric that reflects the ability to increase rate of movement across longer versus shorter distances, and (b) the reliability (internal consistency) of VS. A large sample of healthy controls (n = 85) and those with lifetime MDD (n = 146), completed a handwriting task on a tablet. VS was quantified as a slope of change in velocity from 1 to 4 cm hand-drawn loops, with steeper slopes indicating less PmR. Whereas VS did not differ between groups, lower VS was significantly negatively related to greater anhedonia across participants, even after covarying for overall depression severity. VS scores also exhibited excellent internal consistency. The handwriting task is a reliable and brief measure that can be completed in only a few minutes and could be a feasible way to assess for PmR in clinical settings. Future studies are needed to determine the temporal relation between VS and anhedonia.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10862-025-10249-1.

We have historically ignored sex/gender and conducted sex- and gender-neutral psychopathology research. There is a clear need to analyze potential differences and similarities between individuals with various sexes, genders, and sexual orientations in psychopathology research. Specifically, we need to stop ignoring sex, gender, and sexual orientation, conduct analyses that go beyond the binary, and analyze these important variables for generalizability even when the primary research question is not about sex, gender, and sexual orientation. In the current study we examined ADHD and internalizing symptoms in a community sample to compare different ways to analyze data and better understand differences and similarities across groups. We predicted that a richer understanding of sex/gender differences would emerge when we compared sex and gender minority (SGM) participants to cisgender heterosexual women (CHW) and men (CHM) rather than conducting binary analyses. Emerging adults (N = 2,938; ages 18-29 years) completed an online survey, responding to demographic items, as well as ADHD and internalizing symptoms. Binary analyses using biological sex and gender identity yielded no differences in ADHD symptoms, and the expected female preponderance in internalizing symptoms. However, when analyzed across three groups, individuals in the SGM group reported higher levels of ADHD and internalizing symptoms compared with the other two groups. Notably, no differences emerged for internalizing symptoms across CHW and CHM when the SGM group was included. This is compelling evidence that analyzing sex, gender, and sexual orientation more systematically and precisely in psychopathology research is warranted.

Behavioural assessments offer clinically relevant insights into anxious symptomatology, complementing self-report questionnaires in monitoring treatment effects. However, as a behavioural test is a form of brief exposure, it might not solely measure distress, but also influence it. In this study, we investigated whether measuring spider avoidance behaviour changes spider-related distress. Seventy-five individuals with a broad range of spider fear provided self-reported fear and disgust ratings, using the Spider Distress Scale, before and after engaging in a tarantula and in a house spider behavioural approach task (BAT). We found that self-reported fear, but not disgust, decreased after engaging in the behavioural assessments. A subsequent exploration within low- and high-fear subgroups showed that this pattern was driven by low-fear individuals, as in high-fear individuals spider fear and disgust remained unaffected by the behavioural assessments. Spider fear did not decrease on two exploratory questionnaires. In principle, these findings are promising for the validity of behavioural assessments in translational research where sub-clinical samples are typically targeted. However, they emphasise the need to carefully translate laboratory findings to (sub-)clinical populations, not only due to varying fear levels, but also because behavioural assessments may be experienced differently in the context of a treatment study.

Harmonizing the scores obtained by different instruments that measure the same construct enable researchers to combine them in one analysis. An important step in harmonization is checking whether there is measurement invariance across populations. This study aimed to examine whether the harmonized scores for anxiety/depression and ADHD obtained by two different instruments (the Child Behaviour Check List (CBCL) and the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)) are measurement invariant across other countries, languages, and age groups. We used cohorts from Australia (1330 children aged 10-11.5 years), the Netherlands (943 children aged 11-13.5 years) and the United Kingdom (4504 children aged 14-19). We used the Bayesian method for modeling measurement non-invariance proposed by Verhagen and Fox, 2013a that we adapted for using on polytomous items and in a relatively small number of groups (cohorts). Results showed that there is hardly any differential functioning of harmonized anxiety/depression and ADHD scores obtained by CBCL and SDQ across cohorts. The same model that harmonizes measures in Australian 10-year-old children can also be used in cohorts from the UK and the Netherlands.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10862-025-10204-0.