Retrospective Self-report Measures Research Articles

Using Continuous Response and Self‐Report Measures to Understand Spokesperson Evaluation Processes During Water Crises

AbstractThis study investigated how perceptions of news conference sources varied from measures taken in real‐time to those taken retrospectively after exposure to news conference footage. A 4 (source type) X 4 (message replication) mixed design experiment was conducted in which participants viewed four organizational spokespersons responding to water crises involving organizations. Participants evaluated spokespersons using a handheld dial during stimulus exposure, and then, retrospectively, using self‐report measures. Evaluation of source trustworthiness tended to increase over time, regardless of the type of source. However, retrospective self‐report measures demonstrated that public relations practitioner credibility suffered in comparison to that of other sources. Implications are discussed for public relations practice and future research in source credibility.

Dissociation fully mediates the relationship between childhood sexual and emotional abuse and DSM-5 PTSD in a sample of treatment-seeking adults

IntroductionChild abuse and neglect are associated with increased risk of adult PTSD and dissociation. Recent research suggests that dissociation mediates the relationship between child maltreatment and PTSD, however, there is a lack of clarity regarding the mediating role of dissociation for different types of child abuse. ObjectiveThe aim of the current study was to investigate dissociation as a mediator between 5 typologies of child maltreatment and posttraumatic stress severity. MethodIn a sample of highly symptomatic, treatment-seeking females (n=99), structural equation modelling was used to test 3 different models of mediation: direct effect, indirect effect, and direct and indirect effect. ResultsThe 5 typologies of child maltreatment were significantly related to dissociation and posttraumatic stress. Dissociation mediated the effect of childhood sexual abuse and childhood emotional abuse on posttraumatic stress severity. The indirect effect model fit the data best. ConclusionDissociation fully mediated the relationship between childhood sexual and emotional abuse and posttraumatic stress severity. The results are limited by the use of retrospective self-report measures and a small sample size.

Construct validation of the hybrid model of posttraumatic stress disorder: Distinctiveness of the new symptom clusters

Despite the factor analytic support for the seven-factor hybrid model (Armour et al., 2015) of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), little research has examined the degree to which newly established symptom clusters (i.e., negative affect, anhedonia, dysphoric arousal, anxious arousal, externalizing behavior) functionally and meaningfully differ in their associations with other clinical phenomena. The aim of the current study was to examine the degree to which newly established PTSD symptom clusters differentially relate to co-occurring psychopathology and related clinical phenomena through Wald testing using latent variable modeling. Participants were 535 trauma-exposed undergraduates who completed the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5; Weathers et al., 2013) and Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991). As expected and in line with results from previous studies, significant heterogeneity emerged for dysphoric arousal, anxious arousal, and externalizing behavior. However, there was less evidence for the distinctiveness of negative affect and anhedonia. Results indicate that only some of the newly established symptom clusters significantly differ in their associations with related clinical phenomena and that the hybrid model might not provide a meaningful framework for understanding which PTSD symptoms relate to associated features. Limitations include a non-clinical sample and reliance on retrospective self-report assessment measures.

Relation Between Aggression Exposure During Youth and Later Resting Skin Conductance Levels

ABSTRACTRecent research efforts have focused on examining the relationship between environmental and physiological factors to better understand the effect that childhood chronic stress might have on adult health outcomes. This study examines the relation between childhood parental aggression exposure and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), as measured by resting skin conductance levels (SCLs). Participants (N = 155) completed retrospective self-report measures of childhood exposure to interparental aggression and physically aggressive parenting. The 2-way interaction between exposure to physically aggressive parenting and interparental aggression accounted for unique variance in adulthood SCL. Sex differences emerged in this relationship. Results suggest that the type of aggression exposure might play an important role in the relationship between stressors in youth and resting SNS activity in adulthood. Future research areas are identified, including the need to examine plasticity in the SNS depending on the age of experienced aggression and the age of intervention.

Relation between aggression exposure in adolescence and adult posttraumatic stress symptoms: Moderating role of the parasympathetic nervous system

The present study examines the impact of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), as measured by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), on the link between family aggression experienced during adolescence and posttraumatic stress symptoms during young adulthood. Participants completed retrospective self-report measures of interparental aggression and harsh parenting exposure during adolescence and measures of current posttraumatic stress symptoms. RSA indexed PNS activity. Among females, the three-way interaction between harsh parenting, interparental aggression, and resting RSA was significant in accounting for young adulthood PTSD symptoms. At higher values of resting RSA and higher levels of interparental aggression exposure, harsh parenting experienced during adolescence was positively associated with adulthood PTSD symptoms. Among males, adolescent aggression exposure and resting RSA did not significantly account for variation in adulthood PTSD symptoms. Thus, this study suggests that resting PNS activity may play an important role in the relationship between stressors during adolescence and later PTSD in females.

Predicting dyscontrolled drinking with implicit and explicit measures of alcohol attitude

BackgroundA defining feature of alcohol addiction is dyscontrol – drinking despite intentions to restrain use. Given that dyscontrolled drinking involves an automatic (nonvolitional) element and that implicit measures are designed to assess automatic processes, it follows that implicit measures may be particularly useful for predicting dyscontrolled alcohol use. Although there is accumulating evidence for the benefit of using implicit measures to predict nonvolitional behaviors, relatively little research has examined such predictive validity for alcohol dyscontrol. The current study was designed to examine whether an implicit measure of alcohol attitude would predict variance of dyscontrol above that explained by typical drinking behavior and an explicit measure of alcohol attitude. MethodsA sample of 62 undergraduate students completed implicit and explicit measures of alcohol-positive (relative to alcohol-negative) valence associations and retrospective self-report measures of typical drinking behavior and difficulty in controlling alcohol consumption. ResultsBoth the implicit and explicit measures predicted alcohol dyscontrol. The implicit measure continued to predict dyscontrol when controlling for the explicit measure and typical drinking behavior. ConclusionsThese findings indicate that assessing the automaticity of alcohol-positive associations may be beneficial for predicting clinically relevant behaviors such as post-treatment outcome.

The relationship between ADHD symptomatology and self-harm, suicidal ideation, and suicidal behaviours in adults: a pilot study.

The aim of this study was to explore whether individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at risk of harm over the lifespan due to increased rates of self-harm, suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviour, and whether this association is mediated by psychosocial factors. Sixty-six adults (43 men, 23 women; 18-65 years) participated in this study involving clinical interview and retrospective self-report measures of ADHD symptoms, self-harm/suicidal behaviour, mental health disorders, and coping style measures. Significant associations were found between ADHD symptom severity and self-reported histories of self-harm behaviour, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts (all p values<.05). These relationships between self-destructive behaviours and ADHD symptom severity were found to be significantly and differentially mediated by psychosocial variables (all p values<.05) including comorbidity (mood, anxiety, drug, and alcohol abuse disorders) and emotion-focussed coping style. This study suggests that linkages between self-injurious behaviour and ADHD symptomatology may be due primarily to comorbid mental health disorders and emotion-focussed coping. The identification of these mediating factors and processes may potential pathways for intervention in reducing suicide and self-harm risk amongst those with ADHD symptoms.

Positive Beliefs about Rumination Are Associated with Ruminative Thinking and Affect in Daily Life: Evidence for a Metacognitive View on Depression

Self-regulatory executive function theory (Wells and Matthews, 1994; Wells, 2008) stresses the role of metacognitions in the development of emotional disorders. Within this metacognitive model, positive beliefs about ruminative thinking are thought to be a risk factor for engaging in rumination and subsequently for depression. However, most of the existing research relies on retrospective self-report trait measures. The aim of the present study was to examine the theory's predictions with an Ecological Momentary Assessment approach capturing rumination as it occurs in daily life. Non-clinical participants (N = 93) were equipped with electronic diaries and completed four signal-contingent momentary self-reports per day for 4 weeks. A multilevel mediation model was computed to examine associations between positive beliefs about rumination and ruminative thinking and negative affect in daily life. Positive beliefs about rumination were significantly associated with ruminative thinking as it occurs in daily life. We further found evidence for a negative association with positive affect that was completely mediated via ruminative thinking in daily life occurring in response to negative emotions. Our results add ecologically valid corroborating evidence for the metacognitive model of emotional disorders within the framework of self-regulatory executive function theory.

Ecological Momentary Assessment of social functioning in schizophrenia: Impact of performance appraisals and affect on social interactions

Research concerning the complex interplay between factors that contribute to poor social functioning in schizophrenia has been hampered by limitations of traditional measures, most notably the ecological validity and accuracy of retrospective self-report and interview measures. Computerized Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMAc) permits the real-time assessment of relationships between daily life experiences, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. In the current study, EMAc was used to record daily social interactions, subjective performance appraisals of these interactions (e.g., “I succeeded/failed”; “I was liked/rejected”), and affect in 145 individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Participants completed electronic questionnaires on a personal digital assistant (PDA) four times per day for one week. Time-lagged multilevel modeling of the data revealed that more positive interaction appraisals at any point in a day were associated with greater positive affect which, in turn, was a strong predictor of more social interactions over subsequent hours. Social functioning, therefore, was linked to positive performance beliefs about social interactions that were associated with greater positive affect. The findings suggest a useful treatment target for cognitive behavioral therapy and other psychosocial interventions that can be used to challenge defeatist beliefs and increase positive affect to enhance social functioning in schizophrenia.

Self-Reported Age of Onset and Telescoping for Cigarettes, Alcohol, and Marijuana: Across Eight Years of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth

Smoking, drinking, and illicit drug use are leading causes of morbidity and mortality, both during adolescence as well as later in life. The determination of how well national and local policy and intervention efforts address teen substance use depends largely on the collection of valid and accurate data. Assessments of substance use rely heavily on retrospective self-report measures, but the reliability and validity, however, may be limited by various sources of measurement error. This study utilizes four waves of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth spanning eight years. Results from multiple linear regression analyses showed that the single most consistent variable associated with telescoping was the number of years since the substance was first reported. Time since first report was the single consistent variable and was strongly associated with telescoping in each wave-to-wave comparison for all three substances under study. Implications for policy and research are discussed.

Emotional but not physical maltreatment is independently related to psychopathology in subjects with various degrees of social anxiety: a web-based internet survey

BackgroundPrevious studies reported that social phobia is associated with a history of child maltreatment. However, most of these studies focused on physical and sexual maltreatment whilst little is known about the specific impact of emotional abuse and neglect on social anxiety. We examined the association between emotional maltreatment, including parental emotional maltreatment as well as emotional peer victimization, and social anxiety symptoms in subjects with various degrees of social anxiety.MethodsThe study was conducted as a web-based Internet survey of participants (N = 995) who had social anxiety symptoms falling within the high range, and including many respondents who had scores in the clinical range. The assessment included measures of child maltreatment, emotional peer victimization, social anxiety symptoms and general psychopathology.ResultsRegression and mediation analyses revealed that parental emotional maltreatment and emotional peer victimization were independently related to social anxiety and mediated the impact of physical and sexual maltreatment. Subjects with a history of childhood emotional maltreatment showed higher rates of psychopathology than subjects with a history of physical maltreatment.ConclusionsAlthough our findings are limited by the use of an Internet survey and retrospective self-report measures, data indicated that social anxiety symptoms are mainly predicted by emotional rather than physical or sexual types of victimization.

The Role of Descriptive Norm within the Theory of Planned Behavior in Predicting Korean Americans' Exercise Behavior

There are few studies investigating psychosocial mechanisms in Korean Americans' exercise behavior. The present study tested the usefulness of the theory of planned behavior in predicting Korean American's exercise behavior and whether the descriptive norm (i.e., perceptions of what others do) improved the predictive validity of the theory of planned behavior. Using a retrospective design and self-report measures, web-survey responses from 198 Korean-American adults were analyzed using hierarchical regression analyses. The theory of planned behavior constructs accounted for 31% of exercise behavior and 43% of exercise intention. Intention and perceived behavioral control were significant predictors of exercise behavior. Although the descriptive norm did not augment the theory of planned behavior, all original constructs--attitude, injunctive norm (a narrow definition of subjective norm), and perceived behavioral control--statistically significantly predicted leisure-time physical activity intention. Future studies should consider random sampling, prospective design, and objective measures of physical activity.

Ecological momentary assessment of recommended postoperative eating and activity behaviors

Background Successful weight loss after bariatric surgery depends on the patient's adherence to prescribed eating and physical activity behaviors. However, few studies have assessed patients' adherence to the behavioral recommendations and most have used retrospective self-report measures. The present study is the first to use ecological momentary assessment (EMA) via a palmtop computer to assess bariatric surgery patients' eating and activity behaviors in real-time in the natural environment. The study was conducted at Miriam Hospital (Providence, RI). Methods A total of 21 patients (14 laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding and 7 Roux-en- Y; 81% women; mean age 48.5 yr) were studied 6.1 ± 2.1 months postoperatively. The participants used a palmtop computer for 6 days to report on all eating and physical activity episodes as they occurred in the natural environment. Results All participants demonstrated good compliance with the EMA, using the device on ≥5 full days. Most participants (94.8%) adhered to the recommendation to not drink while eating, and most took their vitamin supplements and medication as prescribed (85.7% and 90.5%, respectively). Few (4.8%) participants ate the recommended ≥5 meals daily, most participants exceeded the recommended portion sizes during meals and snacks (100% and 72.0% of the participants, respectively), and 47.6% of the participants consumed ≥5 servings of fruit and vegetables daily. Only 15.8% regularly consumed adequate liquids. Only 23.8% of participants engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity for ≥30 minutes daily, as recommended. Conclusion The EMA results suggested that adherence to the recommended behaviors varied considerably, depending on the behavior, with greater adherence to simple versus complex behaviors. EMA might eventually be a useful tool to help optimize the outcomes of bariatric surgery by identifying behavioral targets for additional monitoring and intervention.

A comparison of retrospective self-report versus ecological momentary assessment measures of affective lability in the examination of its relationship with bulimic symptomatology

Affective lability has been linked to several maladaptive behaviors (Anestis et al., 2009; Coccaro, 1991). Methodology for measuring affective lability varies and includes retrospective self-report and ecological momentary assessment (EMA). In this study, we sought to test these methodologies by examining which better predicted binge eating episodes and general eating disorder symptoms in a sample (n = 131) of women diagnosed with bulimia nervosa (BN). We hypothesized that, while the two forms of measurement would be correlated with one another and predict binge eating episodes, EMA affective lability would be the stronger predictor. Results supported several hypotheses. Specifically, both EMA affective lability and retrospective self-report affective lability significantly predicted global eating disorder symptoms, even when controlling for depression, age, body mass index, and level of education, EMA affective lability exhibited a significantly stronger correlation with binge eating episodes than did retrospective self-report affective lability, and EMA affective lability predicted number of binge eating episodes on any given day controlling for the same list of covariates. Limitations include the use of a clinical sample that may limit the generalizability of our findings. Findings highlight the importance of affect in such behavior.

The Validity of Prospective and Retrospective Global Change Criterion Measures

Schmitt J, Di Fabio RP. The validity of prospective and retrospective global change criterion measures. Objective To assess the validity of retrospective versus prospective criterions of change. Design Single cohort pretest-posttest design. Setting Physical or occupational therapy outpatient clinics. Participants Volunteer sample of 211 patients with upper-extremity musculoskeletal problems. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire, the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index, the Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation, the Medical Outcomes Study 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey; global disability rating (GDR), retrospective global rating of change (GRC), and patient satisfaction. Results Correlations were calculated among the baseline, 3-month follow-up, and change scores for each outcome measure with the change criterion instruments. Retrospective GRC and patient satisfaction ratings showed moderate correlations with the 3-month follow-up scores, but nonsignificant correlations with baseline scores. By contrast, the prospective GDR criterion showed significant correlations with both baseline and 3-month follow-up scores ranging between 0.3 and 0.4 (absolute value). Conclusions Retrospective self-report measures of change do not accurately reflect true change over time. The retrospective GRC and patient satisfaction were heavily influenced by current (posttreatment) status whereas the prospective global change measure reflected both baseline and posttreatment status equally and thus appeared to be a more valid measure of change over time. This study demonstrates the need for an alternative criterion for establishing true individual change.

Childhood attachment, childhood sexual abuse, and onset of masturbation among adult sexual offenders.

Written autobiographies of 48 incarcerated adult male sexual offenders (22 rapists, 13 intrafamilial child molesters, and 13 extrafamilial child molesters) were used to generate retrospective self-report measures of their childhood maternal and paternal attachment, childhood sexual abuse experiences, and onset of masturbation. Contrary to expectation, the offenders as a combined group more often reported secure than they did insecure childhood maternal and paternal attachment. There were no differences between the three offender subgroups with respect to maternal attachment; however the rapists and the intrafamilial child molesters were more likely to report insecure paternal attachment than were the extrafamilial child molesters. There were no differences between these offender subgroups in the frequency with which childhood sexual abuse was reported. However, offenders with insecure paternal attachment were more likely to report having been sexually abused than were those with secure paternal attachment. Sexually abused offenders in turn reported earlier onset of masturbation than did those who were not sexually abused. These results are consistent with contemporary attachment models linking insecure childhood attachment to childhood sexual abuse, and with traditional conditioning models linking childhood sexual abuse, early masturbation, and sexual offending.

Psychosocial Factors and Prognosis in Established Coronary Artery Disease

The report by Frasure-Smith et al¹in the current issue ofThe Journal, showing a fivefold higher mortality rate among depressed myocardial infarction survivors, should signal, we believe, a turning point in how we think about the role of psychosocial factors in the prognosis of coronary heart disease (CHD). The new findings indicate that rather than conducting additional studies to document yet again the adverse effects of psychosocial factors on prognosis, it is now time to develop and evaluate interventions aimed at ameliorating the harmful effects of these risk factors. A considerable body of evidence already clearly documents a strong adverse impact of social isolation on prognosis in CHD patients, independently of the severity of the underlying cardiac disease.^2-4Several other studies, most using retrospective designs and self-report measures of depression, have also found increased cardiac event rates in CHD patients who are depressed. In their current report

A Psychometric Assessment of Measures of Scripts in Consumer Memory

This study examines the psychometric qualities of two measures of scripts for a consumer event. A laboratory experiment in which the measures' reliability and validity were evaluated produced some questions about the stability of retrospective self-report measures. However, the results were generally encouraging for the psychometric properties of an alternative measure employing a recognition task. We suggest further development of this measure to facilitate large-scale investigations of script-based processing in the consumer context.

Development of a self-report measure of depression-proneness.

Two retrospective self-report measures of depression-proneness were constructed and their psychometric properties investigated. A sample of 75 female students, selected to provide a wide range of depression-proneness scores, completed the two depression-proneness self-reports along with a measure of current severity of depression. A second session (retest) was conducted 4 mo. later. Subjects were then rated for degree of depression-proneness by two or more close friends and family members. Test-retest and coefficient alpha estimates of reliability were sufficiently high to recommend both depression-proneness measures as research instruments. Both self-report measures correlated significantly; rs = .38 and .41 with friends' and families' ratings of depression-proneness, which provides evidence for the validity of the depression-proneness measures. Little or no evidence was found for the discriminant validity of these measures. The advantages of retrospective self-reports over alternative approaches for identifying depression-prone individuals are discussed.