Scandinavian Sample Research Articles

Emophilia: psychometric properties of the emotional promiscuity scale and its association with personality traits, unfaithfulness, and romantic relationships in a Scandinavian sample.

Emophilia is a suggested stable phenomenon referring to how often and easily an individual falls in love (Jones, 2011). The current study investigated the psychometric properties of the Emotional Promiscuity Scale (EPS, i.e., a measure of emophilia) and its association with personality traits, romantic relationships, and unfaithfulness in a Scandinavian sample. The sample consisted of 2,607 participants, who were recruited through Norwegian and Swedish newspapers. Descriptive analyses of the EPS and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to verify the previously obtained two-factor structure were conducted. Correlations between emophilia and the Big Five and Dark Triad traits were calculated to investigate the discriminative validity of the EPS. Lastly, negative binomial regression analyses were run in which emophilia comprised the independent variable and the number of romantic relationships and number of times being unfaithful constituted the dependent variables. The EPS had satisfactory internal reliability and the responses to the items were normally distributed. The CFA indicated a two-factor structure, although the two factors correlated highly, justifying collapsing them into one dimension. Emophilia showed satisfactory discriminant validity (r < 00.40) against the personality traits included. Lastly, emophilia was positively associated with the number of romantic relationships and times being unfaithful. Future research should aim to improve our understanding of the psychological and behavioral aspects of emophilia.

Family Accommodation in Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Investigating Prevalence and Clinical Correlates in the NordLOTS Study.

Family accommodation (FA) involves the actions taken by family members, particularly parents, to accommodate a child´s obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms, reducing distress or impairment. This behavior may maintain compulsive and avoidant behavior, preventing corrective learning or habituation. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and factors influencing FA in a large Scandinavian sample of children with OCD. We assessed 238 children using standardized diagnostic interviews, OCD symptom severity assessments and questionnaires evaluating functional impairment and internalizing and externalizing symptoms. FA was measured using the Family Accommodation Scale, a 12-item clinician-rated interview. Our results confirmed a high frequency of accommodation, with approximately 70% of primary caregivers reporting some accommodation daily and 98% at least once per week. FA was associated with increased OCD symptom severity, contamination/cleaning symptoms, internalizing and externalizing behavior, and functional impairment. Linear regression analysis showed that high levels of FA are specifically associated with lower age, higher OCD symptom severity, parent-reported impairment, internalizing, and externalizing symptoms. A path analysis revealed that FA partially mediated the relationship between OCD severity, externalizing symptoms, and child's age, highlighting the role of FA in the progression of OCD and related symptoms. The findings emphasize the importance of evaluating FA before initiating treatment and specifically addressing it during the therapeutic process.

Gender differences in emotional reminiscing in a Scandinavian sample.

Emotional reminiscing is a context where children learn culture-specific ways of understanding past emotional experiences through parentally scaffolded conversations, and learn how to connect these disparate experiences into their developing autobiographical memory. The goal of the present investigation was to explore possible gender differences in emotional reminiscing in an egalitarian cultural context (Denmark). Mothers and fathers from families (N = 88) reminisced about a happy and a sad past event with their 4.5-year-old children. Parents' and children's contributions were coded for emotion words, emotion attributions, and explanations. The emotional content did not differ as a function of parent or child gender. However, Danish children talked more about emotions overall with their mothers compared to their fathers. The results are discussed in light of the socio-cultural practices.

Gender and parental involvement in parent‐child reminiscing in a Scandinavian sample

Despite the extensive bulk of literature on maternal reminiscing style, only a handful of reminiscing studies have investigated gender differences in parental reminiscing style, with none of these studies having explored the possible relationship between parental involvement level and parental reminiscing style. The current study investigated gender differences in parental reminiscing style across positive and negative event types in an egalitarian Scandinavian context while exploring the potential relationship between parental reminiscing style and parental involvement level. Mothers and fathers from N=88 families reminisced about shared happy and sad events, respectively, with their 4-year-old children. Overall, parental involvement level was not related to parental reminiscing style. However, mothers' elaborations and positive evaluations were associated with their level of involvement level in the sad event conversations. Although mothers and fathers did not differ in their reminiscing style overall, gender differences appeared in the consistency of parental reminiscing style across event types.

Demographically adjusted trail making test norms in a Scandinavian sample from 41 to 84 years

Objective The trail making test (TMT) is one of the most widely used neuropsychological tests. TMT-A provides measures of visual scanning/visuomotor speed and TMT-B involves additional demands on executive functions. Derived scores TMT B-A and TMT B/A enhance measures of executive functioning. However, simple B-A subtraction may lead to false estimates of executive dysfunction in clinical samples. Norms for TMT have been published in several countries but are currently lacking for Scandinavia. Methods A total of 292 healthy controls between age 41 and 84 years were included from the Norwegian “Dementia Disease Initiation” (DDI) study (n = 170) and the Gothenburg Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) study (n = 122). We used a regression-based procedure to develop demographically adjusted norms for basic (TMT-A and TMT-B) and derived measures (TMT B-A and B/A). We also propose a regression-based alternative to the TMT B-A measure named “TMT-β”. The proposed norms were compared to norms from Heaton et al. and Tombaugh. Results Due to differences in the estimated normative effects of demographics on performance, the proposed norms for TMT were better suited in the Scandinavian sample compared with published non-Scandinavian norms. The proposed TMT-β measure was highly correlated to TMT B-A (r = 0.969, p < 0.001). Conclusion We here propose demographically adjusted norms for the TMT for ages 41 through 84 years based on a Scandinavian sample. We also present the regression-based derived measure TMT-β which may resolve issues with the conventional TMT B-A measure.

Responsibility for Psychological Sense of Community and Well-Being in Old Age: A Qualitative Study of Urban Older Adults in Norway

The purpose of the present study is to explore older adults’ understanding and conceptualizations of the concept “psychological sense of community” (PSOC) as experiences of belonging and being part of seem to be important in old age. Twelve older informants from Oslo (the capital of Norway) were interviewed. A thematic and discourse analytical approach was used to identify and depict the most central themes in the older adults’ meaning of PSOC in-depth and in relation to context. The findings show that there are important parts of Norwegian older adults’ meanings of PSOC that goes beyond dimensions included in the predominant conceptualization of PSOC. “Individual responsibility for PSOC in old age”, identified as the most salient theme, reflects core Norwegian cultural values and provides new insight to premises of PSOC and well-being in old age. Furthermore, the findings in this Scandinavian sample extend the understanding of older adults’ efforts to maintain their PSOC and well-being through life-changing transitions.

Walking the fine line: Self-reported reasons for substance use in persons with severe mental illness

Many theoretical models have been proposed to explain the relationship between severe mental illness (SMI) and substance use. Because many of these are contradictory quantitative American studies, a qualitative, exploratory study of a Scandinavian sample may offer a new perspective. The aim of the study is to explore reasons for substance use through analysis of the participants’ experiences. A qualitative study with semistructured interviews was used. Purposeful sampling (N=11) of patients with substance use disorder (SUD) and SMI, who were included in assertive community treatment teams, was completed. Inclusion criteria are increased quality of life or increased general functioning, and decreased substance use, after a minimum of 12 months in treatment. Reasons given for using substances were categorized as (a) controlling the symptoms of mental illness, (b) counteracting medication side effects, or (c) balancing the ambiguity. The conclusion is that the study findings mainly support secondary substance use models in explaining the comorbidity of SMI and substance use. However, there is some support for the traditional self-medication hypothesis (SMH), iatrogenic vulnerability, and the supersensitivity model. This may be because the majority of the study participants reported having a mental illness with subsequent substance use. The expressed ambivalence to substance use also lends some support to bidirectional models.

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T and A1298C polymorphisms and age of onset in schizophrenia: A combined analysis of independent samples

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is involved in the one-carbon cycle, which is of importance for nucleotide synthesis and methylation of DNA, membranes, proteins and lipids. The MTHFR gene includes two common polymorphisms (rs1801133 or C677T; rs1801131 or A1298C) which both alter enzyme activity. The T-allele of the C677T polymorphism has recently been associated with earlier age at onset of schizophrenia. In the present study we examined the association between the MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms and age at onset of schizophrenia in twelve samples consisting of 3,213 unrelated schizophrenia patients, including the original Scandinavian sample. There was no consistent relationship between MTHFR C677T, A1298C or combined 677T/1298C carriers and age of onset in schizophrenia when the results of each study were combined using meta-analysis. The present results suggest that the investigated MTHFR polymorphisms do not influence age of onset in schizophrenia.

Association analysis of PALB2 and BRCA2 in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in a scandinavian case–control sample

A recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) found significant association between the PALB2 SNP rs420259 and bipolar disorder (BD). The intracellular functions of the expressed proteins from the breast cancer risk genes PALB2 and BRCA2 are closely related. Therefore, we investigated the relation between genetic variants in PALB2 and BRCA2 and BD. Due to increasing evidence of genetic overlap between BD and schizophrenia (SCZ), we also investigated association with SCZ. In a Scandinavian case-control sample (n = 686/2,538) we found the BRCA2 SNP rs9567552 to be significantly associated with BD (Nominal P = 0.00043). Additionally, we replicated the association between PALB2 SNP rs420259 and BD (Nominal P = 0.025). We then combined our sample with another Nordic case-control sample (n = 435/11,491) from Iceland, and added results from the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium (WTCCC) (n = 1,868/2,938) and the STEP-UCL/ED-DUB-STEP2 study (n = 2,558/3,274) in a meta-analysis which revealed a P-value of 1.2 × 10(-5) for association between PALB2 SNP rs420259 and BD (n = 5,547/20,241). Neither the PALB2 SNP rs420259 nor the BRCA2 SNP rs9567552 were nominally significantly associated with the SCZ phenotype in our Scandinavian sample (n = 781/2,839). Our findings support PALB2 and BRCA2 as risk genes specifically for BD, and suggest that altered DNA repair related to neurogenesis may be involved in BD pathophysiology. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Association between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism and age of onset in schizophrenia

Different lines of evidence indicate that methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) functional gene polymorphisms, causative in aberrant folate-homocysteine metabolism, are associated with increased vulnerability to several heritable developmental disorders. Opposing views are expressed considering the possible association between MTHFR and susceptibility for schizophrenia. In order to evaluate if age of onset could explain some of this discrepancy we investigated the relationship between two functional MTHFR gene polymorphisms and age at onset in this disorder. Scandinavian patients (n = 820) diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophreniform disorder were investigated. Two functional MTHFR single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; rs1801131 and rs1801133) were genotyped and the effect of MTHFR polymorphisms on the age of onset was examined with survival analysis. In an attempt to replicate the findings from the Scandinavian sample, the association between rs1801133 and age at onset was also analyzed in Chinese high-risk families, with two or more affected siblings (n = 243). Among the Scandinavian patients the functional MTHFR SNP rs1801133 (C677T) significantly affected age at onset of schizophrenia in a dose-dependent manner (P = 0.0015), with lower age of onset with increasing numbers of the mutant T-allele. There was no evidence of rs1801131 (A1298C) affecting age of onset in schizophrenia. Within the Chinese high-risk families carriers of the MTHFR 677T allele showed earlier age at onset than siblings being homozygous for the wild-type allele (P = 0.008). The MTHFR C677T polymorphism may play a role as a modifying factor for age of onset in schizophrenia.

No association between DGKH and bipolar disorder in a Scandinavian case–control sample

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in diacylglycerol kinase eta (DGKH) have recently been shown to be associated with bipolar disorder (BD). To replicate this finding, we carried out a gene-wide genotyping of 36 tagSNPs in DGKH and performed a population-based association study on two Scandinavian samples, with successful genotyping of 594 BD cases and 1421 healthy controls. We found no significant association after multiple-testing correction between any of these SNPs and BD in our sample. Thus, it is unlikely that these genetic variations confer susceptibility to BD in this large Scandinavian sample.

The impact of HLA‐A and ‐DRB1 on age at onset, disease course and severity in Scandinavian multiple sclerosis patients

The human leucocyte antigen (HLA) class II haplotype DRB1*15-DQB1*06 (DR15-DQ6) is associated with susceptibility to multiple sclerosis (MS), and HLA class I associations in MS have also been reported. However, the influence of HLA class I and II alleles on clinical phenotypes in MS has not yet been completely studied. This study aimed at evaluating the impact of HLA-A and -DRB1 alleles on clinical variables in Scandinavian MS patients. The correlation between HLA-A or -DRB1 alleles and age at onset, disease course and Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score (MSSS) were studied in 1457 Norwegian and Swedish MS patients by regression analyses and Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test. Presence of HLA-DRB1*15 was correlated with younger age at onset of disease (corrected P = 0.009). No correlation was found between HLA-A and the variables studied. This study analysed the effect of HLA-A on clinical variables in a large Scandinavian sample set, but could not identify any significant contribution from HLA-A on the clinical phenotype in MS. However, associations between HLA-DRB1*15 and age at onset of MS were reproduced in this extended Scandinavian MS cohort.

The short/long polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene promoter is not associated with panic disorder in a Scandinavian sample

Several studies have reported an association between thes allele of the 5-HTT gene and anxiety-related person-ality traits in healthy individuals (Lesch et al., 1996;Mazzanti et al., 1998; Greenberg et al., 2000). In a case–control study, we selected 104 panic disorder researchparticipants (28 males and 76 females) from patients atthe Psychiatric Unit of Copenhagen University Hospital(Rigshospitalet). Diagnoses of panic anxiety disorderwere made according to the DSM-IV. All patients wereunrelated Scandinavians with a Caucasian genetic back-ground. The control group consisted of 108 healthy,unrelated individuals (30 men and 78 women). Compar-ison of the s and l allele frequencies between panicdisorder patients and controls revealed no differences.There were 86 s alleles (41%) and 122 l alleles (59%) inthe cases and 89 s alleles (41%) and 127 l alleles (59%) inthe controls. The genotype distribution revealed aslightly higher frequency of heterozygous panic disorderpatients than controls, but the difference was notsignificant. Stratification of the patient population intogender also failed to suggest any predominance of thes allele in either male or female panic disorder patients.We further examined whether the age-of-onset of panicdisorder was correlated to the genotype. To do so, wecalculated the mean age of the first episode of panicdisorder, but found no differences between homozygouss/s (27 years), homozygous l/l (28 years), or heterozygousl/s patients (27 years). The panic disorder groupcomprised patients with only panic disorder as well aspatients with comorbidity of phobia, either agoraphobia orsocial phobia. Patients with phobia had a trend towardsheterozygity. Allele frequencies revealed no differencesbetween either of the panic disorder subgroups and thecontrol group. Approximately half of the patients in thisstudy had a family history of either panic disorder orunipolar depression. This subgroup had a skeweddistribution of genotypes or alleles, but we failed todetect any significant differences between panic disorderpatients with or without a family history.

Maternal child-rearing attitudes, IQ, and socioeconomic status as related to cognitive abilities of five-year-old children.

The effects of maternal child-rearing attitudes, as measured by the Child Rearing Practices Report, on 5-yr.-old children's Verbal IQ and Performance IQ were investigated in a Scandinavian sample of 108 boys and 126 girls. The maternal child-rearing attitude of Restrictiveness, as defined by scores on the Report, showed negative relations to the cognitive measures. However, the significant negative relation between Restrictiveness and Verbal IQ, obtained for both sexes, disappeared when the effects of maternal IQ and socioeconomic status were controlled. The maternal child-rearing attitude of Nurturance, as defined by scores on the Report, was significantly related to Verbal IQ and Performance IQ for boys only. Significant relationships between scores on Nurturance and cognitive abilities of boys remained when the effects of maternal IQ and socioeconomic status were controlled.