The role of parenting and goal selection in positive youth development: a person-centered approach

Using a person-centered approach, we examined the relations between goal selection, various indicators of parenting, and positive development among 510 Grades 9 to 11 participants (68% female) in the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development (PYD), a longitudinal study involving U.S. adolescents. Goal selection was operationalized by the "Selection" (S) subscale of the Selection, Optimization, and Compensation intentional self-regulation measure. Using Configural Frequency Analysis, we assessed the association between Selection, parenting (warmth, monitoring, and school involvement), and PYD. Results indicated that, while having the combination of consistently high Selection and above-median levels of the parenting variables was the most common path to PYD, having consistently low levels of Selection across grades was also related to positive development at Grade 11, regardless of parenting factors. We interpret these findings based in relation to the PYD and the identity development literatures and discuss implications for applied programs.     

Engagement in adolescent career preparation: Social support, personality and the development of choice decidedness and congruence

This longitudinal panel study investigated predictors and outcomes of active engagement in career preparation among 349 Swiss adolescents from the beginning to the end of eighth grade. Latent variable structural equation modeling was applied. The results showed that engagement in terms of self- and environmental-exploration and active career planning related positively to interindividual increases in career decidedness and choice congruence. More perceived social support, early goal decidedness, and particular personality traits predicted more engagement. Support and personality impacted outcomes only mediated through engagement. Early decidedness and congruence were significant predictors of their respective later levels. Implications for practice are presented.     

北京市城区中学生人格障碍倾向的分布特点

目的了解北京市中学生人格障碍倾向的检出率及其年龄、性别分布。方法以现况调查整群抽样的方法,采用人格诊断问卷（PDQ－R）调查北京市海淀区1148名中学生。结果IDQ－R总分为23．94±7．42,总分大于均值1信标准差的问卷占14．3％,年龄和性别对PDQ-R总分有交互作用;表演型与反社会型人格障碍倾向阳性率分别为最高（25．4％）和最低（4％）。结论北京市城区中学生人格障碍倾向的检出率较高,年龄和性别对其有交互作用。对青少年出现的人格障碍倾向应引起重视。     

Developmental trajectories of intentional self regulation in adolescence: the role of parenting and implications for positive and problematic outcomes among diverse youth

This study assessed 1574 Grades 5 to 11 youth (63.6% female) from the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development (PYD), a longitudinal study involving U.S. adolescents, to assess if patterns of intentional self regulation (ISR) existed; whether these trajectories differed in relation to several Grade 5 parenting characteristics; and whether ISR trajectories were linked to positive and negative developmental outcomes at Grade 11. Growth mixture modeling identified a four-group solution of ISR trajectories: Steady Decline, Elevated, Late Onset, and Pronounced Decline. Most adolescents reported an incremental decrease in ISR from Grades 5 to 11 (Steady Decline). Lower levels of parental warmth, monitoring, and school involvement at Grade 5 predicted Late-Onset ISR development while Pronounced Decline adolescents reported lower levels of PYD and Contribution at Grade 11. We discuss the finding that youth at initially similar levels of ISR diverged over adolescence, while youth at initially disparate levels converged.     

The role of childhood maltreatment in the altered trait and global expression of personality in cocaine addiction

Background and aimsDrug addictions are debilitating disorders that are highly associated with personality abnormalities. Early life stress (ELS) is a common risk factor for addiction and personality disturbances, but the relationships between ELS, addiction, and personality are poorly understood.MethodsNinety-five research participants were assessed for and grouped by ELS history and cocaine dependence. NEO-FFI personality measures were compared between the groups to define ELS− and addiction-related differences in personality traits. ELS and cocaine dependence were then examined as predictors of personality trait scores. Finally, k-means clustering was used to uncover clusters of personality trait configurations within the sample. Odds of cluster membership across subject groups was then determined.ResultsTrait expression differed significantly across subject groups. Cocaine-dependent subjects with a history of ELS (cocaine+/ELS+) displayed the greatest deviations in normative personality. Cocaine dependence significantly predicted four traits, while ELS predicted neuroticism and agreeableness; there was no interaction effect between ELS and cocaine dependence. The cluster analysis identified four distinct personality profiles: Open, Gregarious, Dysphoric, and Closed. Distribution of these profiles across subject groups differed significantly. Inclusion in cocaine+/ELS+, cocaine-/ELS+, and cocaine-/ELS− groups significantly increased the odds of expressing the Dysphoric, Open and Gregarious profiles, respectively.ConclusionsCocaine dependence and early life stress were significantly and differentially associated with altered expression of individual personality traits and their aggregation as personality profiles, suggesting that individuals who are at-risk for developing addictions due to ELS exposure may benefit from personality centered approaches as an early intervention and prevention.     

Alexithymia in parents of daughters with eating disorders: its relationships with psychopathological and personality variables

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this research was to investigate alexithymia among parents of a daughter with eating disorders (EDs) and to relate alexithymia to personality and psychopathology characteristics. METHODS: Parents of 73 women with ED (20 with anorexia nervosa, restrictive subtype (ANR), 23 with anorexia nervosa, bulimic subtype (ANB) and 30 with bulimia nervosa (BN)) and parents of 72 normal women were evaluated with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale. RESULTS: The parents of daughters with ED show higher scores in the TAS-20 and its factors than the controls. TAS-20 scores of parents are associated with neuroticism, anxiety and depression. CONCLUSIONS: Alexithymia in parents of daughters with an ED could be a trait of personality, but it could also be a state due to distress. Alexithymia should be taken into account in order to help these parents express emotions.     

The role of parental psychopathology and personality in adolescent non-suicidal self-injury

Adolescent non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), a significant risk factor for suicidal behavior, is strongly associated with adolescent psychopathology and personality traits, particularly those characterized by poor self-regulation. Some parental psychopathology and personality traits have also been identified as risk factors for adolescent NSSI, but specific parental characteristics and mechanisms involved in this association have not been systematically examined. The current study comprehensively investigated the contribution of parental psychopathology and personality to adolescent NSSI using data from the baseline wave of the Adolescent Development of Emotion and Personality Traits (ADEPT) study of 550 adolescent girls (mean age = 14.39 years, SD = 0.63) and their biological parents. We first investigated whether parental lifetime psychiatric diagnoses, and personality and clinical (rumination, self-criticism, emotional reliance) traits were associated with adolescent NSSI. We also tested whether adolescent history of psychiatric illness, personality, and clinical traits mediated the associations between parental characteristics and adolescent NSSI. Parental substance use disorder, adult-ADHD symptoms, self-criticism, and lower agreeableness and conscientiousness were associated with offspring's NSSI. These associations were mediated through adolescent characteristics. In contrast, parental mood and anxiety disorders and neuroticism were unrelated to adolescent NSSI. The results suggest that parental traits and disorders characterized by self-regulatory difficulties and lack of support constitute risk factors for self-injury in adolescent girls, acting via adolescent traits. This demonstrates that parental influences play a significant role in the etiology of adolescent NSSI.     

The externalizing spectrum in youth: Incorporating personality pathology

Although personality disorder characteristics are often grouped with externalizing problems in adults, little is known about the extent to which they define the externalizing spectrum in youth. We examined the extent to which personality pathology traits in youth reflected common and specific variance in externalizing problems and explored differentiation of these connections by age. Parents reported on physical aggression, rule-breaking, relational aggression, and personality pathology traits for 1080 youth (48.8% male) ages 6–18 years. Disagreeableness and emotional instability traits were correlated with a general externalizing factor as well as with specific behavioral subfactors. The magnitude of these correlations varied across age, with the highest magnitude evidenced during the developmental periods of greatest prevalence for the specific externalizing behavior subtype. Taken together, these findings suggest that personality pathology is tightly connected with externalizing problems in youth, especially during developmental periods when externalizing problems are common.     

Rates of Apparently Abnormal MMPI-2 Profiles in the Normal Population

MMPI-2 standardization data were re-sampled using Monte Carlo simulations to estimate the base rate of apparently abnormal scores expected by chance in the normal population when multiple scales are interpreted. 36.8% of normal adults are likely to obtain a score that would otherwise be considered clinically significant at 65T on one or more of the 10 Clinical scales. The normal incidence of at least one apparently abnormal score was 38.3% on the Content and 55.1% on the Supplementary scales. When the Clinical, Supplementary, and Content scales and subscales are interpreted together, at least three seemingly meaningful scores will be found in 47.4% of perfectly normal individuals, and five or more scales that appear to be clinically significant can be expected in 30.1% of cases that are actually unremarkable. These results imply that the number of MMPI-2 scales that can be meaningfully interpreted in clinical practice is limited, and that high T-scores are necessary for an adequate level of confidence even when interpretation is appropriately limited to the Clinical scales.     

Pre-adolescent chumship as a buffer against psychopathology in adolescents with weak family support and weak parental bonding

This study examines the degree to which the existence of a pre-adolescent “chum” interacts with family and social environments to buffer mental distress in adolescents. 831 high school students participated in this study, (male: 355; female: 476; mean age 16.7+/−1.0). Subjects were administered questionnaires assessing psychopathology and support systems. A pathway analyses model was used to investigate pathways and their interrelationships from chum to psychopathology and from social and family support to psychopathology. Only when adolescents experience weak parental bonding does chumship have a role in buffering distress.     

Ruminative exploration and reconsideration of commitment as risk factors for suboptimal identity development in adolescence and emerging adulthood

Rather than looking at quantitative differences in exploration and commitment as indicators of (un)healthy identity formation, this study focuses on two qualitatively different forms of exploration using cross-sectional data of 4259 Belgian adolescents and emerging adults (aged 14–30 years; 64% female). First, ruminative exploration or brooding and worrying without being able to decide what you want in life, emerged as a risk factor for weak commitments and maladjustment. Its strong relationship with maladjustment was only slightly buffered by healthy forms of exploration. Second, reconsideration of commitment or feeling uncertain about current commitments and start looking for new commitments, showed similar negative relationships with commitment making and identification. Moreover, reconsideration of commitment rendered healthy forms of exploration ineffective (i.e., not predicting strong commitments or identifications with life choices). By focusing on the exact meaning and role of these two risk factors, this study sheds light on the dark side of identity formation and might be relevant for counselors working with youth that struggle with identity formation.     

A dual-system,machine-learning approach reveals how daily pubertal hormones relate to psychological well-being in everyday life

The two studies presented in this paper seek to resolve mixed findings in research linking activity of pubertal hormones to daily adolescent outcomes. In study 1 we used a series of Confirmatory Factor Analyses to compare the fit of one and two-factor models of seven steroid hormones (n = 994 participants, 8084 samples) of the HPA and HPG axes, using data from a field study (https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/web/ICPSR/studies/38180) collected over ten consecutive weekdays in a representative sample of teens starting high school. In study 2, we fit a Bayesian model to our large dataset to explore how hormone activity was related to outcomes that have been demonstrated to be linked to mental health and wellbeing (self-reports of daily affect and stress coping). Results reveal, first that a two-factor solution of adolescent hormones showed good fit to our data, and second, that HPG activity, rather than the more often examined HPA activity, was associated with improved daily affect ratios and stress coping. These findings suggest that field research, when it is combined with powerful statistical techniques, may help to improve our understanding of the relationship between adolescent hormones and daily measures of well-being.     

Mutual long-term effects of school bullying,victimization, and justice sensitivity in adolescents

In the present study, we investigate long-term relations between experiences of aggression at school and the development of justice sensitivity as a personality disposition in adolescents. We assessed justice sensitivity (from the victim, observer, and perpetrator perspective), bullying, and victimization among 565 German 12- to 18-year-olds in a one-year longitudinal study with two measurement points. Latent path analyses revealed gender differences in long-term effects of bullying and victimization on observer sensitivity and victim sensitivity. Experiences of victimization at T1 predicted an increase in victim sensitivity among girls and a decrease in victim sensitivity among boys. Bullying behavior at T1 predicted an increase in victim sensitivity among boys and a decrease in observer sensitivity among girls. We did not find long-term effects of justice sensitivity on bullying and victimization. Our findings indicate that experiences of bullying and victimization have gender-specific influences on the development of moral personality dispositions in adolescents.     

Psychopathological Aspects of Cryptorchidism in Children and Adolescents

In the male sexual and aggressive drives are mostly centered on the penis, whose real or fantasied features strongly affect the way children and adolescents build up their own personal and gender identity. In some clinical conditions a shift of genital centrality from penis to testicles is evident. The most frequent is abnormality in the descent of testicles, especially cryptorchidism, characterized by an arrested descent of one or two testicles that remain in the abdomen. The aim of this paper is to define mechanisms by which cryptorchidism increases psychological vulnerability. Time of diagnosis and treatment, restoration of genital integrity, personality stability and familial interactions are considered as elements affecting psychopathological outcome. Behavioral and psychological features in children and adolescents with cryptorchidism are reviewed. A case report of an adolescent with unilateral cryptorchidism is reported and discussed, as an example of pubertal distortion in bodily and gender identity.     

The Prevalence and Incremental Validity of Identity Problem Symptoms in a High School Sample

This paper examines the expression, prevalence, and incremental validity of identity problem symptoms in adolescence. A sample of high school students (N = 140) aged 15–18 completed measures of identity problem symptoms, identity status, and psychological symptom severity. Findings suggested that 14.3% would meet DSM IV criteria for identity problem. Identity problem symptoms predicted psychological symptom scores beyond identity status, and identity status accounted for substantially less variance in psychological symptom severity when controlling for identity problem symptoms. Additional research on the relationship between identity problems and psychological adjustment is needed and greater attention to the role of identity issues in clinical practice is warranted.     

The role of gender and race in the relation between adolescent distress tolerance and externalizing and internalizing psychopathology

Distress tolerance (DT) is an established construct contributing to the onset and maintenance of psychopathology in adulthood; however, few studies have examined the role of DT in older adolescent psychopathology. Emerging data suggest that gender and race may influence this relation. Therefore, the current study examined the relation between gender, race, and DT on parent-reported internalizing and externalizing DSM-oriented symptoms among a community sample of 128, 14–18 year old adolescents. Results indicated a moderating effect of gender on affective problems, such that females with low DT, but not males, displayed significantly greater affective problems. Findings also indicated a significant moderating effect of race, such that Caucasians with low DT, but not African Americans, displayed significantly higher somatic, oppositional defiant, and conduct problems. These findings suggest that DT is an important clinical variable in older adolescence, particularly among Caucasians and females.     

288名罪犯中人格问题的初步调查

目的 了解在押罪犯中人格异常的情况以，利于针对性地实施管理和改造。方法 使用“人格诊断问卷”等工具对某监狱在押犯进行调查，并设置对照组进行研究。结果 研究组中的偏执型、分裂型、反社会、边缘型、表演型、自恋型、回避型、被动攻击型和抑郁型人格的分值显著高于对照组。暴力型罪犯的分裂型、反社会型、表演型及被动攻击型人格分值高于财产型罪犯。而财产型罪犯的强迫型分值高于暴力型罪犯。结论 相对于一般的群体而言，由于家庭、成长背景、社会因素的影响，罪犯中的人格偏离较为显著。     

Screening in early childhood for risk of later mental health problems: a longitudinal study

Depression in childhood or adolescence is associated with increased rates of depression in adulthood. Does this justify efforts to detect (and treat) those with symptoms of depression in early childhood or adolescence? The aim of this study was to determine how well symptoms of anxiety/depression (A-D) in early childhood and adolescence predict adult mental health. The study sample is taken from a population-based prospective birth cohort study. Of the 8556 mothers initially approached to participate 8458 agreed, of whom 7223 mothers gave birth to a live singleton baby. Children were screened using modified Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) scales for internalizing and total problems (T-P) at age 5 and the CBCL and Youth Self Report (YSR) A-D subscale and T-P scale at age 14. At age 21, a sub-sample of 2563 young adults in this cohort were administered the CIDI-Auto. Results indicated that screening at age 5 would detect few later cases of significant mental ill-health. Using a cut-point of 20% for internalizing at child age 5 years the CBCL had sensitivities of only 25% and 18% for major depression and anxiety disorders at 21 years, respectively. At age 14, the YSR generally performed a little better than the CBCL as a screening instrument, but neither performed at a satisfactory level. Of the children who were categorised as having YSR A-D at 14 years 30% and 37% met DSM-IV criteria for major depression and anxiety disorders, respectively, at age 21. Our findings challenge an existing movement encouraging the detection and treatment of those with symptoms of mental illness in early childhood.     

Epilepsy in Adolescence: Implications for the Development of Personality

Sixteen adolescent children with onset of epilepsy between the ages of 1 and 12 years and 16 control children were investigated by interview, self-esteem scales, and the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT). Children with epilepsy had a significantly larger discrepancy between the self-image and the ideal self-image than did the control children. TAT indicated the body and self-image is poorer, the unknown and the risk of acting out more threatening, the sex identity less stable, and the defense not as adaptive as the control group. Persons suffering from epilepsy are often stigmatized. One explanation could be the influence of epilepsy on the development during adolescence of the basic trust of their bodies and of themselves.     

Variants of premorbid personality and personality disorder: a taxonomic model of their relationships

From a biographical analysis of approximately 500 case records of patients with various kinds of mental state (in particular mood, anxiety and schizophrenic) disorders, a typology of premorbid personality variants was derived. It comprises three “affective types” dominating in patients with major affective disorders and three “neurotoid types” prevailing in other, above all anxity and schizophrenic, disorders. These types were operationalized so that they could be assessed by means of diagnostically “blind”rating of biographical case reports or of interview protocols concerning the premorbid development of clinically remitted patients. The material for the present analysis consisted of ratings regarding 120 subjects (100 patients and 20 healthy controls) who had been interviewed within a project primarily aiming at the development of a novel assessment tool, the Biographical Personality Interview (BPI). This data was used for constructing a comprehensive taxonomic model of premorbid personality variants and their relationships to personality disorders. The intercorrelation of type-scores representing the six premorbid personality types suggests a circular order of these types, opposing the “neurotoid types” on one side to the “affective types” on the other side of the circle (circumplex) along a dimension of mental abnormality vs. normality. Two types, the (“neurotoid”) nervous, tense type, and the (“affective”) manic type are contrasted with the (“affective”) melancholic and the (“neurotoid”) anxious, insecure types along an orthogonal dimension of rather changeable vs. rather constant habitual behaviour. This order is confirmed by the correlation of type-scores with factor scores of the two main dimensions ob BPI-item scores. It is also concordant with the correlation of type-scores and scores on questionnaire scales of personality. Personality disorders as maladapted extreme variants of personality can be located outside the circle according to their similarity or dissimilarity with the six premorbid personality types. They are necessarily distributed almost exclusively along the “neurotoid” side of the circumplex. This two-dimensional model of variants of premorbid personality and personality disorders is in basic agreement with models derived from dimensions of personality in mentally healthy subjects and with findings concerning the comorbidity among personality disorders. Further empirical studies are required for choosing or developing the most appropriate model of the relationships between personality variants and personality disorders. Received: 8 March 2000 / Accepted: 31 May 2000