Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire Research Articles

Resilient, but for how long? The relationships between temperament, burnout, and mental health in healthcare workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dispositional traits of wellbeing and stress-reaction are strong predictors of mood symptoms following stressful life events, and the COVID-19 pandemic introduced many life stressors, especially for healthcare workers. We longitudinally investigated the relationships among positive and negative temperament group status (created according to wellbeing and stress-reaction personality measures), burnout (exhaustion, interpersonal disengagement), COVID concern (e.g., health, money worries), and moral injury (personal acts, others' acts) as predictors of generalized anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms in 435 healthcare workers. Participants were employees in healthcare settings in North Central Florida who completed online surveys monthly for 8 months starting in October/November 2020. Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire subscale scores for stress-reaction and wellbeing were subjected to K-means cluster analyses that identified two groups of individuals, those with high stress-reaction and low wellbeing (negative temperament) and those with the opposite pattern defined as positive temperament (low stress-reaction and high wellbeing). Repeated measures ANOVAs assessed all time points and ANCOVAs assessed the biggest change at timepoint 2 while controlling for baseline symptoms. The negative temperament group reported greater mood symptoms, burnout, and COVID concern, than positive temperament participants overall, and negative participants' scores decreased over time while positive participants' scores increased over time. Burnout appeared to most strongly mediate this group-by-time interaction, with the burnout exhaustion scale driving anxiety and depression symptoms. PTSD symptoms were also related to COVID-19 health worry and negative temperament. Overall, results suggest that individuals with higher stress-reactions and more negative outlooks on life were at risk for anxiety, depression, and PTSD early in the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas individuals with positive temperament traits became more exhausted and thus more symptomatic over time. Targeting interventions to reduce mood symptoms in negative temperament individuals and prevent burnout/exhaustion in positive temperament individuals early in an extended crisis may be an efficient and effective approach to reduce the mental health burden on essential workers.

Anger, agency, risk and action: a neurobehavioral model with proof-of-concept in healthy young adults.

Anger can engender action by individuals and groups. It is thus important to understand anger's behavioral phenotypes and their underlying neural substrates. Here, we introduce a construct we term agentic anger, a negatively valenced internal state that motivates action to achieve risky goals. We evaluate our neurobehavioral model via testable hypotheses in two proof-of-concept studies. Study 1 used the Incentive Balloon Analogue Risk Task in a within-subjects, repeated measures design in 39 healthy volunteers to evaluate: (a) impact of blockade of reward on agentic anger, assessed by self-reports of negative activation (NA), (b) impact of achievement of reward on exuberance, assessed by self-reports of positive activation (PA), (c) the interrelationship of these valenced states, and (d) their relationship with personality. Task-induced NA was positively correlated with task-induced PA, risk-taking on the task and trait Social Potency (SP), a measure of trait agency and reward sensitivity on the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire Brief-Form. Study 2 assessed functional MRI response to stakes for risk-taking in healthy volunteers receiving 20 mg d-amphetamine in a double-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover design (N = 10 males), providing preliminary information on ventral striatal response to risky rewards during catecholamine activation. Trait SP and task-induced PA were strongly positively related to catecholamine-facilitated BOLD response in the right nucleus accumbens, a brain region where DA prediction error signal shapes action value and selection. Participants' task-induced NA was strongly positively related with trait SP and task-induced PA, replicating the findings of Study 1. Together these results inform the phenomenology and neurobiology of agentic anger, which recruits incentive motivational circuitry and motivates personal action in response to goals that entail risk (defined as exposure to uncertainty, obstacles, potential harm, loss and/or financial, emotional, bodily, or moral peril). Neural mechanisms of agency, anger, exuberance, and risk-taking are discussed, with implications for personal and group action, decision-making, social justice, and behavior change.

Higher self-perceived stress reactivity is associated with increased chronic pain risk.

Experiencing stress can contribute to unfavorable pain experiences, but outcomes vary across individuals. Evidence suggests that a person's specific reactivity to stressful events may influence pain responses. Previous studies measuring physiological stress reactivity have found associations with pain both clinically and in the laboratory. However, the time and cost required for testing physiological stress reactivity may limit clinical application. Self-reported perception of one's own stress reactivity has been shown to correlate with physiological stress reactivity in relation to health outcomes and may represent a valuable tool in clinical pain assessment. Using data from the Midlife in the US survey, we selected participants who did not have chronic pain at baseline (n = 1512) and who had data at follow-up 9 years later. Stress reactivity was assessed using a subscale of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire. We conducted a binary logistic regression to determine the odds of developing chronic pain, controlling for demographics and other health-related variables. Results indicate that higher reported stress reactivity at baseline increased the odds of developing chronic pain at follow-up (odds ratio (OR) = 1.085, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.021, 1.153), P = 0.008), with the only other significant predictor being the number of chronic conditions (OR = 1.118, 95% CI (1.045, 1.197), P = 0.001). Findings provide evidence for the predictive criterion validity of self-reported stress reactivity in the context of chronic pain risk. More generally, with increased need for virtual assessment and care, self-reported stress reactivity may be a useful, time-efficient, and cost-efficient tool for predicting pain outcomes in research and clinical contexts.

Construct Validity of Triarchic Model Traits in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study Using the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire.

The triarchic model of psychopathy emphasizes the role of three phenotypic personality domains (boldness, meanness, and disinhibition) that have been operationalized using the well-established Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire. The present study sought to further validate the MPQ-Tri scales and examine their temporal stability and predictive validity across two time points (ages 18 and 26) from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, a population-representative and longitudinal sample (N = 1,037). This investigation necessitated modification of the MPQ-Tri scales to enable their use in a broader range of samples, including the Dunedin Study. The revised MPQ-Tri scales demonstrated good temporal stability, and correlation and multiple linear regression analyses predominantly revealed associations consistent with theoretical expectations. Overall, the findings provide support for the MPQ-Tri scales as reliable, stable, and valid measures of the triarchic constructs, which provide a unique opportunity to examine highly novel research questions concerning psychopathy in a wide variety of samples.

The mediating effect of stress reactivity in the 18-year bidirectional relationship between generalized anxiety and depression severity

BackgroundGeneralized anxiety disorder (GAD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) often precede and predict one another. Heightened stress reactivity may be a mediation mechanism underlying the long-term connections between GAD and MDD. However, cross-sectional studies on this topic have hindered directional inferences. MethodThe present study examined stress reactivity as a potential mediator of the sequential associations between GAD and MDD symptoms in a sample of 3,294 community-dwelling adults (M age = 45.6, range = 20–74). Participants completed three waves of measurement (T1, T2, and T3) spaced nine years apart. GAD and MDD symptom severity were assessed at T1, T2, and T3 (Composite International Diagnostic Interview-Short Form). Stress reactivity (Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire) was measured at T2. ResultsStructural equation mediation modeling demonstrated that higher T1 GAD symptoms positively predicted more severe T3 MDD symptoms via T2 stress reactivity, controlling for T1 MDD (d = 0.45–0.50). However, T2 stress reactivity was not a significant mediator in the relationship between T1 MDD severity and T3 GAD symptoms after controlling for T1 GAD. Direct effects indicated that T1 GAD positively predicted T3 MDD 18 years later and vice versa (d = 1.29–1.65). LimitationsStress reactivity was assessed using a self-report measure, limiting conclusions to perceived (vs. physiologically indexed) stress reactivity. ConclusionsThese findings indicate that stress reactivity may be one mechanism through which GAD leads to later MDD over prolonged durations. Overall, results suggest that targeting stress reactivity in treatments for GAD may reduce the risk of developing subsequent MDD.

Comparison of the effectiveness of two methods of treatment based on acceptance and commitment and Beck cognitive therapy on aggression and irresponsibility of students

Background and Aim: Young people, including students in any society, are considered the intellectual and spiritual assets of that society and are the builders of that society's future, so these people are the ones who must accept the responsibilities of that society in the future. Studying the specific issues of young people, successful education and ensuring their physical and mental health is one of the most important goals of government educational planners. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two methods of treatment based on acceptance and commitment and Beck cognitive therapy on aggression and irresponsibility of students of Islamic Azad University، Islamshahr Branch. Methods: The present study was a quasi-experimental study with pre-test and post-test design and follow-up with the control group and using the selection of subjects in the experimental and control groups. The statistical population of this study is students who referred to the Mental Health Counseling and Services Center of Islamic Azad University، Islamshahr Branch from April 2014 to September 2017. The sample size was 45 students who were selected by purposive sampling method from the statistical population and were randomly assigned to three groups of acceptance and commitment therapy experiments (n = 15)، cognitive therapy (n = 15) and control (n = 15). Both experimental groups were trained for 10 sessions of 90 minutes and no intervention was performed for the control group (third group). The content of the interventions in the ACT and CT experimental groups was presented in 10 sessions based on the training package. The research instrument included a Minnesota Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire 2- Reconstructed Form. In this research، the statistical model of repeated measures measurement has been used. Results: The results showed that both treatments significantly improved aggression and irresponsibility compared to the treatment group, in other words, these two treatments in the post-test and follow-up stages were able to significantly reduce the scores of aggression and irresponsibility towards the treatment group. Moreover, the results showed that "group therapy based on acceptance and commitment" is more effective on the variable "aggression" than "Beck cognitive therapy"؛ While the effect of "Beck cognitive therapy" is more effective than "group therapy based on acceptance and commitment" on the variable "irresponsibility. Conclusion: According to the findings، it is concluded that group therapy based on acceptance and commitment can be effective in improving students' aggression and Beck cognitive therapy in improving their irresponsibility.

Higher Self-perceived Stress Reactivity Is Associated with Increased Odds for the Development of Chronic Pain

Experiencing stress can contribute to unfavorable pain experiences, but outcomes vary across individuals. Evidence suggests that a person's specific reactivity to stressful events may influence pain responses, independent of the type of event. Previous studies measuring physiological markers of stress reactivity such as salivary cortisol and heart rate have found associations with pain both clinically (e.g. recurrent abdominal pain in adolescents, and increased odds of future musculoskeletal pain frequency and severity in young adults) and in the laboratory (i.e. decreased conditioned pain modulation). However, the time and cost required for testing physiological stress reactivity may limit clinical application and reduce external validity. Alternatively, self-reported perception of one's own stress reactivity has been shown to correlate with physiological stress reactivity in relation to health outcomes, and as such may be a valuable tool in predicting pain outcomes. Using data from the Midlife in the United States survey, we selected participants who did not have chronic pain at baseline (n=1512) and who had data at follow-up nine years later. Stress reactivity was assessed using a subscale of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire. We conducted a binary logistic regression to determine the odds of developing chronic pain, controlling for demographics and other health related variables (i.e. self-rated physical/mental health, depression, anxiety, BMI, other chronic conditions). Results indicate that higher reported stress reactivity at baseline increased the odds of developing chronic pain at follow-up, OR=1.085, 95% CI [1.021, 1.153], p=0.008, with the only other predictor being number of chronic conditions, OR=1.118, 95% CI [1.045, 1.197], p=.001. Findings provide evidence for the predictive criterion validity of self-reported stress reactivity in the context of chronic pain risk. More generally, with increased need for virtual assessment and care, self-reported stress reactivity may be a useful, time and cost-efficient tool for predicting pain outcomes in research and clinical contexts.

Understanding the Occupational Burnout Experience of Medical Specialists at the Time of Education and Career Launch: A Case Study of the Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University Students and Residents of the Alekseev Psychiatric Hospital N1

BACKGROUND: Occupational burnout in the most general terms is seen as a long-lasting stressful situation resulting from continuing occupational stress of moderate intensity. AIM: The objective of this article is to provide analysis of occupational burnout in psychiatrists and nurses of psychiatric hospitals, and the development of occupational burnout in students and residents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The level of occupational burnout was determined using the “Attitude to work and occupational burnout” test, Seashore Group Cohesion Index, Stolin’s Self-Concept Questionnaire, and the Freiburg Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (Freiburg Personality Inventory). The study proved the existence of patterns of occupational burnout in psychiatrists and nurses of psychiatric hospitals, as well as in students and residents. RESULTS: It has been revealed that the development of the burnout syndrome is influenced by personal qualities of psychiatrists and nurses (residents and students), and the managerial features of their activities, and that occupational burnout develops in psychiatrists and nurses over the course of their professional careers, but starts to emerge during their education. The score of the Integrative Burnout Index ranges from 48.99 in students of the [BLINDED] University to 23.52 in psychiatrists of the Alekseev Psychiatric Hospital N1. Occupational burnout syndrome is spread in medical students worldwide, with its level higher than in the overall population, in students of other specialties. CONCLUSIONS: Burnout at the stage of getting the education can hinder the professional development of students, expose patients to risk, and promote the development of various personality problems in future psychiatrists and nurses. The need of preventing professional burnout at the stage of obtaining a specialty has been substantiated.

Стандартизация методики «Личностный профиль субъектной активности»

The article presents the results of standardization of the "Personality’s Agency Activity Profile" methodology. This methodology is the author's multidimensional personality questionnaire, with confirmed validity and reliability, and is aimed at discovering the personality positioning system that determines the nature and orientation of the agent’s activity. The problems of standardization of personal psychological questionnaires are raised, in particular, the problems of the relativity of the norms obtained during standardization and the need for additional indicators to receive a correct psychodiagnostic interpretation. A step-by-step scheme for standardizing the methodology scales has been implemented on a sample of 958 people, including a test for the normality and homogeneity of empirical distributions. The need for differentiated standardization of the methodology depending on the gender and age of the respondents has been substantiated using the methods of mathematical statistics. For the middle-aged (25-42 years old) part of the sample, tables for converting raw test scores to stanines have been built up and presented.

Development of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire-55 abbreviated research scales.

The Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ) is a normal range inventory for assessing a variety of empirically derived primary traits. These trait scores can be differentially weighted to estimate higher-order broad dimensions such as Positive Emotionality (PEM), Negative Emotionality (NEM), and Constraint (CON). However, broad trait scores are estimated using proprietary regression equations and necessitate near complete administration of the inventory. We aimed to increase measurement efficiency by creating abbreviated item-based approximations of these weighted scores. To parsimoniously delineate and differentiate the broad traits, classical test theory and item response theory approaches were used to identify five items from each primary trait scale approximating the weighted estimates while also maintaining the breadth of MPQ content coverage. Initial scale development relied on the MPQ-276 (standard form) normative sample (n = 1,237), which was followed by cross-validation using two samples of twins and cotwins from the Minnesota Twin Family Study (n = 1,304, n = 1,305). Additional validation was conducted using a third sample of undergraduate students (n = 201).The resulting item-based scales (PEM-20, NEM-15, CON-15) demonstrated strong convergence with the established proprietary broad trait estimates. Furthermore, these abbreviated scales exhibited similar associations with the external measures of personality and psychopathology. Abbreviated item-based scales may have utility for efficient estimation of the same broadband personality dimensions assessed by longer forms of the MPQ. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Elaborating on the longitudinal measurement invariance and construct validity of the triarchic psychopathy scales from the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire.

Because the construct of psychopathy is of chief interest across different disciplines, spanning developmental, clinical, and forensic psychology, its assessment bears far-reaching implications. One prominent contemporary conceptualization of psychopathy, the Triarchic Model, posits that a psychopathic personality encompasses three phenotypic constructs: boldness, meanness, and disinhibition. Recently, triarchic scales have been derived based on items from the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ), and the psychometric characteristics of this approach (MPQ-triarchic [MPQ-Tri]) are promising. The present study examined the longitudinal measurement invariance and the construct validity of the MPQ-Tri scales in a large and diverse high-risk sample (N = 716) across four time points from age 16-25. First, we report and discuss implications of confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses of the MPQ-Tri scales. Next, we report evidence for longitudinal configural and partial scalar invariance. In addition, in line with previous studies, MPQ-Boldness showed relatively higher levels of rank-order and mean-level stability compared to MPQ-Meanness and Disinhibition. Finally, in terms of construct validity, the MPQ-Tri scales showed a pattern of association with external correlates across internalizing and externalizing domains that were largely in line with theoretical expectations. One partial exception concerned the limited discriminant validity of the MPQ-Meanness and Disinhibition scales. On balance, the present findings suggest that the MPQ-Tri scales fulfill their intended purpose, with some noted limitation, and provide grounds for the use of the MPQ-Tri scales in developmentally-informed studies on the etiology and consequences of psychopathy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Particularidades del desarrollo de la competencia de resolución de conflictos de los profesores en formación

The aim of the study is the theoretical and empirical analysis of the peculiar features of the development of conflict resolution competency of trainee teachers. Attention is drawn to the role of conflict resolution competency of trainee teachers in their future professional activities. The research methodology and its algorithm included a complex psychological and pedagogical experiment, consisting of indicative, formative and control stages. The study of the peculiarities of conflict resolution competency of trainee teachers was carried out on the basis of the Department of Pedagogy, Psychology, Law, History and Philosophy of the Mytischi Branch (MB) of Bauman Moscow State Technical University. In the course of the empirical research, a program for increasing the level of conflict resolution competency of trainee teachers was developed and implemented, with a total duration of five months. It was attended by 120 trainee teachers. The program participants passed the selection based on the multidimensional personality questionnaire “Adaptability”, which allowed us to filter out some applicants with low adaptability and lack of motivation to participate in the program. The results of the study proved the efficiency of the developed program. The study also revealed the trends of further research in line with the stated problem.

Incremental Validity of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire in the Preemployment Assessment of Police Officer Candidates

Guidelines for screening public safety personnel candidates, including law enforcement positions, incorporate the use of separate psychological tests for assessing normal and abnormal functioning. We evaluated the incremental validity of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ)—a measure of normal personality traits—beyond the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF), a measure of psychopathology, using a sample of 1,687 candidates for law enforcement positions. They were clinically rated on 10 psychological suitability dimensions. For a subset of those who were subsequently hired as police officers ( n = 397), we also had post-hire outcome data. Using hierarchical nonlinear regression analyses, we found that the MPQ scales incremented the MMPI-2-RF scales in the prediction of 17 of 19 variables in this study. Our results indicate that the MPQ, as a measure of normal personality, provides unique information about psychological suitability and predicts negative post-hire outcomes in police candidates.

Evaluation of Kyphosis in Mazandaran University of Science and Technology students and its relation to psychological factors

Nowadays a large and growing field of health psychology, researchers do point out, any logical reason for the establishment of a psychosomatic patient. This study examined the Evaluation of Kyphosis in Mazandaran University of Science and Technology students and its relation to psychological factors. The method used in this research is descriptive correlation method is implemented. Population study of boys and girls were 56 (31 boys and 25 girls) and who had kyphosis has voluntarily participated in this study. The spinal mouse was used to measure the kyphosis angle and for its assessment of the patient's spine-concept, depression and anxiety are better examples of MMPI-2RF questionnaire (Reconstruction form of Minnesota Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire) (α=0.84), test Beck Depression Inventory (α=0.85), and test anxiety or Spielberger's (α=0.87), were used. The results showed that using the Pearson correlation coefficient between self-concept (r=0.52; P=0.13), depression (r=0.54; P=0.41), and anxiety (r=0.34; P=0.28), and no significant correlation with kyphosis (p<0.05). The results showed that the student alone kyphosis indicative of anxiety, depression and self-concept is not sick but creates kyphosis is related to other social and environmental factor. The results showed that in patients with kyphosis alone is not an indication of mental disorders but should be considered in the treatment of patients with these abnormalities to psychological factors.

The neurobiology of wellness: 1H-MRS correlates of agency, flexibility and neuroaffective reserves in healthy young adults

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) is a noninvasive imaging technique that measures the concentration of metabolites in defined areas of the human brain in vivo. The underlying structure of natural metabolism-emotion relationships is unknown. Further, there is a wide range of between-person differences in metabolite concentration in healthy individuals, but the significance of this variation for understanding emotion in healthy humans is unclear. Here we investigated the relationship of two emotional constructs, agency and flexibility, with the metabolites glutamate and glutamine (Glx), N-acetylaspartate (tNAA), choline (Cho), creatine (tCr), and myo-inositol (Ins) in the right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) in medically and psychiatrically healthy volunteers (N = 20, 9 female; mean age = 22.8 years, SD = 3.40). The dACC was selected because this region is an integrative hub involved in multiple brain networks of emotion, cognition and behavior. Emotional traits were assessed using the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire Brief Form (MPQ-BF), an empirically derived self-report instrument with an orthogonal factor structure. Phenotypes evaluated were positive and negative agency (MPQ-BF Social Potency, Aggression), emotional and behavioral flexibility (MPQ-BF Absorption, Control-reversed), and positive and negative affect (MPQ-BF Social Closeness; Stress Reaction, Alienation). The resting concentration of tNAA in the dACC was robustly positively correlated with Absorption (r = +0.56, unadjusted p = .005), moderately positively correlated with Social Potency (r = +0.42, unadjusted p = .03), and robustly negatively correlated with Aggression (r = -0.59, unadjusted p = .003). Absorption and Aggression accounted for substantial variance in tNAA (R2 = 0.31, 0.35; combined R2 = 0.50), and survived correction for multiple comparisons (Holm-Bonferroni adjusted p = .032, 0.021, respectively). dACC Glx and Cho had modest relationships with behavioral flexibility and social affiliation that did not survive this multiple correction, providing effect sizes for future work. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed a three-factor orthogonal solution indicating specific relationships between: 1) Glx and behavioral engagement; 2) Cho and affiliative bonding; and 3) tNAA and a novel dimension that we term neuroaffective reserves. Our results inform the neurobiology of agency and flexibility and lay the groundwork for understanding mechanisms of natural emotion using 1H-MRS.

Psychological characteristics associated with ultra‐marathon running: An exploratory self‐report and psychophysiological study

ObjectiveUltra‐marathon running is an extremely demanding sport. Psychological factors that affect responses to stressors and may contribute to ultra‐runners' ability to engage in their sport include resilience, personality characteristics, and affective processing. This exploratory study investigated ultra‐runners' resilience, personality traits, emotion regulation abilities, and self‐report and physiological responses to emotionally negative stimuli.MethodTwenty ultra‐runners and 20 non‐running controls completed the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD‐RISC), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), and Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire–Brief Form (MPQ–BF). Participants also completed a computerised emotion regulation task in which they were instructed to down‐regulate their responses to emotionally negative images. They provided self‐report ratings of their responses to the images and their heart rate and skin conductance responses were also recorded.ResultsThe ultra‐runners scored higher than controls on the CD‐RISC (p = .014; d = 0.81) and Positive Reappraisal subscale of the CERQ (p = .034; d = 0.70). They also scored lower on the Social Closeness scale of the MPQ‐BF (p = .037; d = −0.68). In the emotion regulation task, they did not differ in their self‐report responses to negative images but displayed smaller cardiac and skin conductance responses to these images (both p = .04; ηp2 ≥ .11).ConclusionsCompared with non‐runners, ultra‐runners appear to be more resilient, more likely to engage in positive reappraisal, lower in affiliative extraversion, and less physiologically responsive to emotionally negative stimuli. They otherwise appear to be broadly similar to non‐runners with respect to their personality traits and emotion regulation processes.

Parental report of cognitive and social-emotionality traits in school-age children with autism and Williams syndrome

The majority of the research examining children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Williams Syndrome (WS) focus on the social domain while few have examined cognitive style and emotionality. Accordingly, this current study assessed the day-to-day cognitive and behavioral functioning of school-age children with ASD, WS, and neurotypical development (ND) through caregiver-report inventories to further delineate commonalities and disparities in cognitive and social-emotional traits. Two caregiver-report inventories, the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire and the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire were employed to assess the day-to-day functioning of children ages 7–14 years. Participants included 64 caregivers of children, of these, 25 were caregivers of children with high functioning autism (HFA), 14 with WS, and 25 with ND. Multivariate analysis of covariance was computed to assess between-group differences for each subscale within a questionnaire. Covariates included age and full-scale IQ. For cognitive traits, group differences were observed across two categories while seven were present within the social-emotional categories. The majority of the group effects reflected differences in social-emotional traits between ND and both neurodevelopmental groups, while limited distinctions were found between the two clinical groups. This brief report provides additional evidence that HFA and WS may show similarities in cognitive traits but more divergent social-emotional tendencies, despite controlling for age and intellect. This study highlights the large social-emotional differences that supports prior phenotypic descriptions of both neurodevelopmental groups. Future research in these domains are needed to determine focused interventions to address social impairment.

Personality traits in substance use disorders and obesity when compared to healthy controls.

Although personality traits are implicated in substance use disorders (SUDs) and obesity, differences and similarities between them have not been assessed. Our main aim was to compare personality traits between people with different SUDs, obese people and healthy controls. This was a secondary analysis of personality scores obtained from participants in neuroimaging studies from Brookhaven National Laboratory and the Laboratory of Neuroimaging, National Institutes of Health. United States. Individuals with obesity (OB) n=41, alcohol use disorder (AUD) n=39, marijuana use disorder (MUD) n=24, cocaine use disorder (CUD) n=100, and healthy controls (HC) n=117 (237 males and 84 females). The Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire, which characterizes positive emotionality (PEM), negative emotionality (NEM) and constraint (CON) traits. Adjusted covariates included cigarette smoking status, age, gender and body mass index (BMI). Multivariate analysis of covariance showed a main group effect (i.e. OB, AUD, MUD, CUD and HC) only on NEM (P<0.0001, η2 =0.17) and CON (P=0.005, η2 =0.12). Specifically, NEM was higher in AUD (P<0.0001, d=10.4), CUD (P<0.0001, d=8.2) and MUD (P=0.001, d=9.2), but not in OB (P>0.05, d=2.8) relative to HC. CUD showed lower CON (P=0.015, d=5.4) and PEM (P=0.018, d=4.8) than HC; however, these differences were not significant in the other groups. NEM and CON were negatively correlated for groups combined (r=-0.26, P<0.0001), and separately for OB (r=-0.49, P=0.001) and CUD (r=-0.22, P=0.03). Cigarette smoking status did not influence group differences in NEM, PEM or CON. Compared with healthy controls, people with substance use disorders appear to show higher negative emotionality, and people with cocaine use disorders appear to show lower positive emotionality and constraint traits. Similar findings were not found among people with obesity.

Internal and external validity of the brief version of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire: Exploratory structural equation modelling.

The present study used exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM) to examine the theorized dimension structure of the brief version of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ-BR) at the scale-level (i.e., 11 lower-order primary factors loading on four higher-order factors) and item-level (sets of 12 items loading on 11 lower-order primary factors). A total of 214 adults from the community addressed the MPQ-BR and the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS)/Behavioral Approach System (BAS) scales. The findings revealed poor fit and poorly defined factors at the item-level alongside adequate fit and well-defined factors at the scale-level. The higher-order factors in the latter model were supported for external validity in terms of demonstrating the expected theoretical and empirical correlations with the scales of the BIS/BAS scales. Result related implications for professional application, as well as potential revisions of the MPQ-BF are illustrated.

Interaction between serotonin and dopamine and impulsivity: A gene × gene - interaction approach

While large consensus exists concerning the relationship between low serotonin (5-HT) activity/functionality and high impulsivity, the kind of involvement of dopamine is less clear. We used a molecular genetic approach to demonstrate that 5-HT modulates the relationship between DA and impulsivity on the level of functional candidate genes coding both, the serotonin transporter (SERT, SLC6A4) and the dopamine transporter (DAT, SLC6A3). A number of 660 male and female students (Caucasians) were genotyped for the 5-HTTLPR and the DAT1-VNTR polymorphisms and completed the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ-BF). The results indicate that 5-HTTLPR and DAT1-VNTR, as well as the interaction between both of them, relate to the broader factor “constraint”. The main effect of 5- HTTLPR and the interaction with DAT1-VNTR can also be obtained for “control”. The combination of s-allele (5-HTTLPR) and homozygous 9R-allele (DAT) resulted in the highest impulsivity whereas carriers of the homozygous l-allele in combination with the homozygous 9R-allele exhibited the lowest levels. Neither main effects nor interaction-effects could be observed for the two subscales “traditionalism” and “harmavoidance”. Results are discussed concerning the usefulness of the candidate gene approach by the use of theory driven gene × gene interactions and the implication for impulsivity in health and disease.