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The Empathy Quotient (EQ) and Systemizing Quotient (SQ) are employed across countries to assess empathizing and systemizing abilities, however limited research on EQ and SQ has been conducted in China. To this end, the current study investigated psychometric properties of these two questionnaires in Chinese university students (n = 1564). Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) indicated that previous structures of EQ and SQ did not fit this sample adequately. Exploratory Factor Analysis and CFA were then conducted to produce a 22-item three-factor EQ and a shortened 12-item one-factor SQ; both questionnaires were reliable and valid. In comparison to previous research, gender differences of the EQ were small in effect size, whereas that of the SQ were medium in effect size. Moreover, EQ scores were negatively correlated with traits of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), consistent with the hypothesis of Extreme Male Brain of ASD, but SQ scores were negatively correlated with traits of ASD, inconsistent with the Extreme Male Brain hypothesis., Author(s): Ningning Zhou [sup.1] , Danni Wang [sup.1] , Gregory S. Chasson [sup.2] , Xin Xu [sup.1] , Jianping Wang [sup.1] [sup.3] , Maria Izabel Lockwood [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) [...]

Services for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families have evolved with the advent of the Medicaid waiver, leading to more family-based coordination of care. Evaluating family involvement, the current investigation compared 230 families of children with ASD receiving Medicaid waiver services to a propensity-score matched group of 230 families who were waiting for such services (i.e., registry families). Compared to the registry, waiver families reported more involvement in service planning tasks, but not activities related to future-planning, managing crisis situations, or searching for and securing funding. Additional analyses characterize waiver families as engaging in high levels of coordinating and delivering behavioral interventions for their child. Implications for family burden and future programming for waiver programs are discussed.

The association between obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptomatology and smoking is poorly understood, particularly in African Americans-a group subject to smoking- and OC-related health disparities. In a non-clinical sample of 253 African American smokers, we tested the negative reinforcement model of OC-smoking comorbidity, purporting that smokers with higher OC symptoms experience greater negative affect (NA) and urge to smoke for NA suppression upon acute tobacco abstinence. Following a baseline visit involving OC assessment, participants completed two counterbalanced experimental visits (non-abstinent vs. 16-h tobacco abstinence) involving affect, smoking urge, and nicotine withdrawal assessment. OC symptom severity predicted larger abstinence-provoked increases in overall NA, anger, anxiety, depression, fatigue, urge to smoke to suppress NA, and composite nicotine withdrawal symptom index. African American smokers with elevated OC symptoms appear to be vulnerable to negative reinforcement-mediated smoking motivation and may benefit from cessation treatments that diminish NA or the urge to quell NA via smoking.

Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waivers provide support and services to families with a child/youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Research indicates HCBS Waivers are positively related to family quality of life (FQoL) and Child Progress. This study replicated and expanded prior research using propensity score matching of 460 families. Results support prior findings that HCBS waivers have a positive impact on FQoL and aspects of child progress. This study also found that having choices in the selection of services and service providers, as well as control over day-to-day provision of services, strengthened both the child and family impacts of the Waiver services. In addition, the study provides preliminary evidence for psychometric properties of a quick and inexpensive parent-report of ASD severity.

State-specific 1915(c) Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services waiver programs have become central in the provision of services specifically tailored to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Using propensity score matching, 130 families receiving waiver services for a child with ASD were matched with and compared to 130 families waiting on the registry (i.e., control group). Results indicate that participants in the waiver group reported more improvement in independent living skills and family quality of life over the last year compared to those on the registry. More frequent intensive individual support services and therapeutic integration were statistically predictive of improvement in a variety of domains. The results suggest that the waiver program may be promising for improving child and family functioning.

Disease from nicotine dependency continues to be a leading cause of preventable death worldwide, and therefore research that elucidates potential correlates of tobacco use may facilitate the advancement of research, clinical practice, and policy in this area to target this public health challenge. One potential tobacco use correlate is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) phenomena. The growing research evidence on the association between tobacco use and OCD phenomena is mixed, making it difficult to synthesize extant findings into meaningful conclusions. Indeed, there has never been a systematic review or meta-analysis of this area of research. To this end, a systematic review was carried out with studies between 1988 and 2021, and from this review, 71 independent estimations (n = 10,475; Females = 51.95%; mean age = 37.29, SD = 13.78) were extracted for meta-analysis. We found that about three in ten participants with OCD are likely to use tobacco, which is higher than the general population. The prevalence was the same among OCD participants at all levels (those with symptomology but no confirmed diagnosis, those surpassing a clinical cutoff for OCD but no confirmed diagnosis, and those with a confirmed OCD diagnosis). The results also indicated considerable variability across study results and a wide confidence interval associated with the tobacco use prevalence rate among those with OCD phenomena. The findings provide support for continued study of this comorbidity, perhaps with longitudinal and experimental designs to test for reciprocal associations between tobacco use and OCD phenomena in the service of targeting nicotine dependence as a substantial global public health concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The financial implications of the increased prevalence of autism, though rarely discussed, will be extremely important to society. We compared the costs associated with 18 years of special education to the costs associated with the implementation of an average of 3 years of Discrete Trial Training as an Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) in an effort to minimize the need for special education. Our results indicate that the state of Texas would save $208,500 per child across eighteen years of education with EIBI. When applied to the conservative estimate of 10,000 children with autism in Texas, the State would save a total of $2.09 billion with EIBI. Implications for taxpayers, policymakers, and treatment are discussed.

The current study examined indices of trauma-related symptom severity as predictors of dropout from exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapy in a sample of 99 child and adolescent trauma victims. The investigation incorporated measures of symptom severity at two time points: pretreatment and just before termination. The results indicated that a model with symptom severity measured just before termination was significantly associated with the number of attended sessions; however, a model with the symptom-severity indices measured at pretreatment was nonsignificant. In addition, a significant main effect indicated that increased avoidance behavior measured just before termination was related to fewer treatment sessions. Further analyses also suggested that higher severity of intrusion and depression measured just before termination was correlated with fewer treatment sessions. The results support the idea that more immediate distress may be related to treatment dropout. Implications for the research and practice of exposure therapy for child trauma are discussed. Keywords: treatment dropouts; child psychotherapy; trauma; exposure therapy

The present study evaluated and compared the psychometric properties of three self-report scales: the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS; R. P. Snaith, M. Hamilton, S. Morley, & A. Humayan, 1995), Fawcett-Clark Pleasure Capacity Scale (FCPS; J. Fawcett, D. C. CLark, W. A. Scheftner, & R. D. Gibbons, 1983), and the Revised Chapman Physical Anhedonia Scale (CPAS; L. J. Chapman, J. P. Chapman, & M. L. Raulin, 1976). These scales, designed to assess hedonic responsiveness, were administered to 157 college students. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a Hedonic Capacity factor that was largely defined by the SHAPS but also had a substantial loading from the FCPS. Hedonic Capacity was minimally correlated with constructs of Depression and Anxiety, which were assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory-II and the Beck Anxiety Inventory. The CPAS (anhedonia) was not significantly related to Hedonic Capacity or Anxiety, but it did have a small positive loading on Depression. These findings suggest that further research is needed to clarify the meaning of and relationships among scales that are putative indicators of hedonic capacity and anhedonia. Keywords: anhedonia; depression; hedonic capacity; confirmatory factor analysis