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The presentation of neurogenetic disorders such as 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11.2DS) includes broad neuropsychiatric phenotypes that impact functioning and require assessment and treatment. Like in non-syndromal neuropsychiatric disorders, there is heterogeneity in symptom severity and illness course. The study of risk and resilience in the general population has benefited from measurement tools that parse heterogeneity and guide treatment. Suitability of such tools in neurogenetic disorders has not been examined and is essential to establish as prerequisite for examining whether similar processes modulate psychopathology in these populations. We applied the Risk & Resilience Battery assessing intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental domains, to 80 patients with 22q11.2DS, 30 from Philadelphia, USA and 50 from Tel-Aviv, Israel. We also evaluated global functioning and obtained self-reports of anxiety and depression. We examined the Risk & Resilience Battery reliability for each factor and used partial correlations to examine relations between the Risk & Resilience Battery factors and clinical measures. Across samples, items within each risk and resilience factor showed good to excellent internal consistency. Higher scores on peer victimization, emotion dysregulation, and hostile close relationships were related to reports of anxiety and depression. Higher levels of self-reliance related to lower anxiety while greater security in close relationships related to lower depression. The Risk & Resilience Battery can be applied to 22q11.2DS samples and advance Gene X Environment research and interventions. • Risk and Resilience factors in the general population are similarly prominent in a neurogenetic syndrome. • These Risk and Resilience factors modulate symptom severity and functioning in a neurogenetic syndrome. • The Risk and Resilience measures can be reliably applied across international sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted the well-being of vulnerable populations in the US, including Black people. The impact on pregnant women is of special concern for the intrauterine and post-natal development of their offspring. We evaluated in an online survey a sample of 913 pregnant women, 216 Black, 571 White, 126 Other, during a 2-week stay-at-home mandate in the Philadelphia region. We applied logistic regression models and analysis of covariance to examine general and pregnancy-specific worries and negative consequences arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and resilience. Black pregnant women reported greater likelihood of having their employment negatively impacted, more concerns about a lasting economic burden, and more worries about their prenatal care, birth experience, and post-natal needs. In the full sample, 11.1% of women met screening criteria for anxiety and 9.9% met criteria for depression. Black women were more likely to meet criteria for depression than White women, but this difference was not significant accounting for covariates. Resilience factors including self-reliance and emotion regulation were higher in Black women. Racial disparities related to COVID-19 in pregnant women can advance the understanding of pregnancy related stressors and improve early identification of mental health needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We combine twelve risk/resilience scales (212 items) and reduce them to a 46-item battery of seven sub-scales. • We used factor analysis and computerized adaptive test (CAT) simulation to ensure that the abbreviated battery maintained acceptable measurement precision. • Correlations of the full- versus short-form batteries with validity criteria revealed that almost all phenomena detected by the full 212-item battery were detected also by the abbreviated, 47-item form. • The abbreviated battery is publicly available, and the full-text items are published here. It is critical to understand the factors that increase risk for development of psychiatric disorders as well as promote resilience against disorders. The current study describes the development of a brief tool for risk/resilience assessment that takes a broad perspective of "risk" and "resilience" to characterize the phenomena, and assesses multiple factors that span intrapersonal, interpersonal, and wide-ranging external contexts. We administered twelve scales (212 items) to a diverse population comprising help-seeking and community participants (N = 298; 46% female) in the greater Philadelphia area. We used exploratory item-factor analysis to determine how items cluster across scales. After determining that a seven-factor solution was optimal, computerized adaptive testing (CAT) simulation was run to determine what would happen if the seven full-form factors were administered adaptively. These results were used to select items for short-form scales, producing seven final scales (items = 47). Validity was assessed by relating short-form scores to demographics, clinical diagnoses, scales, and criteria; these relationships were also compared to the relationships found with the original scales. Almost all effects detected by the twelve original scales were detected by the substantially abbreviated short-forms. The abbreviated battery shows promise for rapid assessment of multiple risk and resilience parameters, a necessity in large-scale studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]