33756647
Individual differences in electrodermal responsivity to predictable aversive stimuli and substance dependence.
To determine if the inability to take advantage of the predictability of an aversive stimulus to diminish its psychological impact reflects a deficit in inhibitory control related to the development of substance dependence, we recorded skin conductance responses (SCRs), heart rate (HR), and anticipatory electrodermal nonspecific fluctuations (NSFs) from 175 16-18-year-old boys when a white noise blast was either unpredictable or temporally predictable. Compared with boys who had moderately reduced or augmented SCRs to predictable blasts (moderate and poor modulators, respectively), boys whose SCRs were greatly reduced (good modulators) had fewer symptoms of alcohol and nicotine dependence and more anticipatory NSFs. HR appeared to index an active coping response for good and moderate modulators. The autonomic response pattern evident for good modulators may index an inhibitory control mechanism protecting them from developing substance dependence.
24035579
Substance Use Disorders and Cluster B Personality Disorders: Physiological, Cognitive, and Environmental Correlates in a College Sample
Substance use disorders (SUDs) and Cluster B personality disorders (PDs) are both marked by impulsivity and poor behavioral control and may result in part from shared neurobiological or executive cognitive functioning deficits. To examine the potential utility of such models in explaining variance in SUDs and PDs at the lower end of symptom expression and impairment, 123 (73 female) volunteer college students were administered 2 measures of executive cognitive functioning; a task assessing autonomic reactivity to aversive noise blasts; a life events and a peer substance use measure; and structured clinical interviews to assess symptoms of substance abuse/dependence and antisocial, borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic PDs. As expected, symptoms of SUDs and PDs were significantly positively correlated. Antisocial PD, alcohol and cannabis use disorder symptoms were significantly positively related to proportion of friends who use alcohol and drugs regularly and drug use among romantic partners. Number of negative life events was positively related to PD symptoms and to alcohol use disorder symptoms. Executive cognitive functioning was not related to SUD and PD symptoms in the expected direction. Findings suggest that, among higher functioning young adults, environmental factors may be particularly relevant to our understanding of SUDs and certain PDs.
22385130
An update on the Florida State Twin Registry.
The Florida State Twin Registry began in 2002 through a pilot study of personality disorders and executive cognitive functioning in adult twins. Since 2006, the registry has grown substantially as part of the Learning Disability Research Center at Florida State University that recently began its second funding cycle through the National Institute of Child Health and Development. An update on the Florida State Twin Registry sample, focus, and measures is provided, as well as future directions.
23196089
Antisocial behavior, substance use, and somatization in families of adolescent drug abusers and adolescent controls.
Symptoms of conduct disorder (CD), antisocial personality disorder (ASP), alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and somatization were tabulated for the families of 35 delinquent, substance-abusing (multiple-problem) adolescent male probands and 35 age-matched control males. Alcohol abuse, CD/ASP, and somatization were assessed with either the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) (for participants aged 18 and up) or the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents (DICA) (for participants aged 12 to 17). Drug abuse for all participants was assessed with the Substance Abuse Module (SAM) of the Comprehensive Interview for Diagnostic Evaluation (CIDE). As expected, proband groups had significantly more (p < .0001) CD/ASP, alcohol abuse, and drug abuse symptoms than control groups. A significant (p < .01) positive correlation among CD/ASP, alcohol abuse, and drug abuse was found for each group. Somatization was not differentially associated with proband status. It was concluded that identifying male multiple-problem youths also identifies families with a high incidence of similar problems.
3707230
Personality trait differences in boys and girls with clinical or sub-clinical diagnoses of conduct disorder versus antisocial personality disorder.
This study tested differences in personality traits measured by the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ) in a community sample of adolescents with definite or probable conduct disorder (CD) diagnoses that did not progress to a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) by early adulthood (n=43), those with definite or probable ASPD that persisted into early adulthood (n=68), or controls with neither a CD nor an ASPD diagnosis (n=716) to examine whether antisocial behaviour disorders that differed in course were associated with differences in personality traits. As expected, boys and girls with ASPD were significantly different from controls on constraint, and those with ASPD were significantly lower on constraint than those with only CD. The results suggest that individual differences in certain personality traits may contribute to differences in the type of antisocial behaviour disorder that emerges and thereby to the course of antisocial behaviour.
45640355
A behavioral genetic analysis of the relationship between the socialization scale and self-reported delinquency.
This investigation examined the genetic (A), and shared (C) and nonshared (E) environmental variance contributions to the relationship of self-reported delinquency (as measured by the "Delinquent Behavior Inventory" [DBI; Gibson, 1967]) to the Socialization (So) scale of the California Psychological Inventory using univariate and bivariate structural equation models. The scales were administered to 222 male (145 monozygotic; 77 dizygotic) and 159 female (107 monozygotic; 52 dizygotic) 16- to 18-year-old same-sex twin pairs. Principal components analysis with varimax rotation revealed three interpretable So factors representing family/home environment, self-concept, and behavioral control. Univariate modeling suggested sex differences in etiological influences associated with individual differences in most scales. The bivariate ACE model fit the data, suggesting that the covariance between the So scale and self-reported delinquency owes in part to shared etiological factors.
23498587
Determining the focus of driving fears.
Fear of driving has been recognized as a complex diagnostic entity. Studies on flying phobia have drawn similar conclusions, although increasing clarity has been gained through research that indicates that there may be subtypes of flying phobia based on the focus of fear. However, it is unclear if similar subtypes exist for fear of driving. The aim of the present study was to conduct a preliminary investigation of driving fear subtypes and to clarify further whether there were differences between driving-fearful respondents who had been in a motor vehicle accident (MVA) and those who had not. Eighty-five driving-fearful, media-recruited respondents completed a questionnaire that assessed anxiety, avoidance, and concerns related to their driving fears. The sample had high expectations of negative events while driving. There were no significant differences between those who had experienced an MVA and those who had not on various measures of fear severity. Cluster analysis revealed two main foci of fear, one characterized by danger expectancies and the other based on anxiety expectancies and unpleasant driving situations. This emphasizes the importance of assessing both internal and external foci of fear. Although this finding is consistent with the results obtained for flying phobia, more research is required to replicate and extend these results and to develop and evaluate differential treatment programs.
36044044
What does the Driving and Riding Avoidance Scale (DRAS) measure?
Driving anxiety can have a significant impact on everyday functioning and usually results in some kind of avoidance behaviour. The Driving and Riding Avoidance Scale (DRAS; Stewart, A. E., & St. Peter, C. C. (2004). Driving and riding avoidance following motor vehicle crashes in a non-clinical sample: psychometric properties of a new measure. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 42, 859-879) shows promise in the self-report assessment of the degree of such avoidance. The present study investigated the psychometric properties of the DRAS in a sample of 301 university students. Internal consistency for the DRAS was 0.89 and temporal stability over two months was 0.71. The factor structure of the DRAS supported the use of the general and traffic avoidance subscales but not the weather and riding avoidance subscales in the present non-clinical sample. However, a significant limitation of the DRAS is that it does not assess the reasons for driving avoidance, and is therefore not a measure of avoidance that is due to driving anxiety. Some items may be rated highly for practical reasons, such as avoidance because of increasing fuel and other costs associated with driving. Modified instructions for the DRAS should ensure that it measures anxiety-related avoidance behaviour.
42563847
Driving fear and driving skills: comparison between fearful and control samples using standardised on-road assessment.
The present study explores driving skills in a group of 50 media-recruited driving-fearful and 50 control drivers, all of whom were women. Participants completed an on-road practical driving assessment with a professional driving instructor. Diagnostic as well as pre-post self-report and instructor driving assessments were conducted. Fearful drivers made more errors on the driving assessment than controls. However, the pattern of errors was identical for both groups, indicating that fear and anxiety may be associated with the number rather than the type of driving errors made. These differences remained when factors such as driving history, current driving frequency, and diagnosis were controlled using case selection. More research is needed to replicate the findings in more diverse samples. Additional work should also aim to clarify the specific role of driving skills in driving fear, which will facilitate treatment planning for exposure-based treatments and help identify cases where driving skills assessment may be appropriate.
207725461
Results of a National Survey on Over-The-Counter Medicines, Part 1: Pharmacist Opinion on Current Scheduling Status
Background: OTC medicines make up an important part of the community pharmacy world. As with most aspects of practice, however, hurdles exist that prevent an optimal level of care. Objective: To gauge pharmacist agreement on the scheduling status of various OTC medicines. Methods: Pharmacists across Canada were surveyed by mail. Results: Of the 5037 surveys mailed, 2403 were returned, with 2305 being usable for analysis (response rate of 49.4%). Across 25 agents, pharmacists tended to support existing control for pharmacies (such as Nix crème rinse and minoxidil topical solution) and returning control to pharmacies for unscheduled agents (such as ranitidine 75 mg tablets and nicotine patches). Conclusions: Pharmacists generally favour tighter control of OTC agents, especially those that are unscheduled. This hopefully reflects pharmacist desire to ensure their proper selection and use.
33871069
Kafirin microparticle encapsulation of catechin and sorghum condensed tannins.
To exploit the porous nature of previously developed kafirin microparticles, encapsulation of the bioactive polyphenols, catechin and sorghum condensed tannins, was investigated. The antioxidant release profiles of the encapsulated substances were studied under simulated gastric conditions. Kafirin microparticles encapsulating catechin or sorghum condensed tannins were similar in size to control kafirin microparticles (5-6 mum). TEM showed that kafirin microparticles encapsulating catechin had a rough porous surface. Microparticles encapsulating sorghum condensed tannins were irregular in shape, some apparently joined together, with a mixture of rough and smooth surfaces. Over a period of 4 h, catechin and sorghum condensed tannin encapsulated kafirin microparticles showed virtually no protein digestion but released approximately 70 and 50%, respectively, of total antioxidant activity. Thus, the use of kafirin microparticles to encapsulate catechin and sorghum condensed tannins has potential as an effective method of controlled release of dietary antioxidants.