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Background: The long-term symptom profile of chronic out-patients was studied.Method: 242 out-patients receiving neuroleptic medications (109 with schizophrenia and 133 non-schizophrenics), were studied for positive (SAPS) and negative (SANS) symptoms at baseline and at 24 months to investigate whether these symptom groups changed over outpatient maintenance treatment.Results: Overall and within groups, negative symptoms decreased and positive symptoms increased. While the sums of the SANS scores for the schizophrenic patients were initially higher, their mean SANS score dropped more over time (P < 0.001), to show no difference from non-schizophrenics at follow-up. Positive symptoms increased in both groups, although schizophrenics were higher at both times; sub-scales within the SANS showed different patterns of change.Conclusion: Support is found for a multidimensional view of both positive and negative symptoms and for a reconsideration of the notion of 'progressive downward course' in schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insight is a construct carried out into different theoretical orientations with increasing application out of the boundaries of clinical psychology. Recent studies have investigated insight also as a promising variable for organizational outcomes. Given the relevance of Insight in promoting change, this paper aimed at describing the psychometric analysis of one of the shortest, most agile, and most versatile tool for measuring some of the characteristics of insight, the Insight Orientation Scale (IOS), using Item Response Theory. To achieve this goal, we applied a Mixed Rash Model to the IOS. Data from 1,445 individuals were analyzed by the means of WIN-MIRA and Multilog. Based on the likelihood statistics (CAIC) we assumed a three-class solution for the IOS. Results also indicated that the greater part of items had good discrimination and threshold parameters. These findings confirmed psychometric stability of the IOS highlighting its measurement precision, supporting its utility in both research and practice., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Gori, Topino, Svicher, Schuldberg and Di Fabio.)

A pair of quantitative case studies is presented to demonstrate how different approaches to quantifying temporal variability in ratings of traits and affect can provide rich information for personality researchers. Data are presented and analyzed from two college students who completed an Ecological Momentary Assessment protocol sampling ratings of affect and traits up to 24 times daily for one week. Both classical and nonlinear data analytic techniques were applied to the data to summarize and examine the temporal dynamics of both traits and affect. For the purposes of exposition, one Big Five trait rating, extraversion, and the PANAS positive and negative affects, are discussed. The results support previous research demonstrating a high degree of variability in ratings of both traits and affect over time. Analyses using nonlinear and complexity expand on these findings and suggest temporal patterning as well as disorder; implications of phase portraits for understanding variability are discussed. The findings are discussed in light of a processing dynamics approach to resolving the role of variability in understanding personality.

Background: The relationship between substance use disorders and criminal activity is strong, and one that is not easily resolved in the criminal justice system. A better understanding of personality traits among substance misusers who commit offences could support better treatment efforts., Aims: The aim of this study is to explore associations between the psychopathology of people addicted to substances who have also committed crimes., Methods: We recruited 263 substance-dependent individuals (80% male, 20% female) from a cohort of people attending regional community services in Italy. They all completed an extensive evaluation of their current mental health and personality traits. Their official criminal records were obtained, and the psychopathology of those who had a criminal record compared with those who did not., Results: The criminal group was more likely to perceive the external world as hostile and to consider others as responsible for their own problems and difficulties; in addition, substance-dependent individuals with criminal records showed more personality traits within the psychopathy range and fewer in the dependent personality range than the substance abusers who had never committed crimes., Conclusions: These findings allow us to hypothesise that substance abusers who also have criminal convictions may have a specific personality profile. If further research were to confirm this, then it could have important implications for identifying people for particular treatment pathways and developing more effective treatments. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., (Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

The impact of cumulative occupational exposure to traumatic events (TEs), posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms, and work environment stress on personality traits over time was examined in 38 police officers from an urban agency. California Psychological Inventory (CPI) personality trait scores from prehire evaluations were compared with follow-up CPI scores to test whether exposure to traumatic events was correlated with changes in traits from baseline to 5-10 years later. Measures of occupational TEs, PTS symptoms, and police work environment stress were administered. Mean trait scores declined on all CPI traits analyzed in the study. Trait change was evaluated using the Reliable Change Index; change in participants' scores unlikely to occur by chance ranged from 11% to 63% in the traits examined. All participants reported substantial TE exposure. PTS symptoms were correlated with steeper decline in 4 of 5 traits, with effect sizes ranging from r =  -.47 to r = -.67. Scores on measures of job-related TEs were negatively correlated with only one CPI trait (empathy) at T2 (r = -.31), and were unrelated to slope of trait change. Work environment stress was significantly related to gender, with female officers reporting higher levels of operational (r = .45) and organizational (r = .54) stress., (Copyright © 2016 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.)

Ecological momentary assessment includes continuous, real-time gathering of self-report data in a participant's natural environment. The current study evaluated the possible impact of this assessment strategy on severity of posttraumatic stress (PTS) in a sample of participants who reported experiencing a past traumatic event. Participants with clinically elevated PTS symptoms reported symptom severity at three time-points: during an initial screening, following an unmonitored period, and following two weeks of monitoring. During the monitoring period, participants carried an Android device which prompted them to report PTS symptoms and negative emotions six times daily. PTS severity scores were then compared across these three time-points. Results indicated that participating in the ecological momentary assessment protocol was associated with a significant reduction in PTS severity, whereas significant changes were not noted over the unmonitored control condition. The authors conclude that ecological momentary assessment may have therapeutic value even when not combined with formal intervention, and it may be a useful tool for improving the efficiency of a stepped-care approach to treating PTS symptoms., (Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.)

Introduction: Given the centrality of insight in promoting change, the relevance of measures for assessing this construct has become increasingly clear. This paper describes a new self-report measure for assessing some of the characteristics of insight, the insight orientation scale (IOS)., Aims: In study 1, we evaluated the factor structure and the reliability of the scale. In study 2, we analyzed the concurrent and discriminant validity of the scale in patients with different clinical diagnoses., Methods: In study 1 participants were 600 individuals (41.1% male, 58.9% female) with a mean age of 33.95 years (SD = 13.04). In study 2 participants were 136 individuals divided into the following groups: 1) schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders (n = 26); 2) substance-related disorders (n = 55); 3) depressive disorders (n = 27); and 4) personality disorders (n = 28)., Instruments: Instruments are the insight orientation scale (IOS) and the Beck cognitive insight scale., Results: The goodness-of-fit indices showed a satisfactory fit of a one factor model. We found also a good internal consistency (α = .77)., Conclusions: These findings support the dimensionality of the IOS and suggest that it may be useful as an assessment tool for use in guiding psychotherapy., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Guastello (2015a) opened the call for articles for this issue with Goldberger (1991) and colleagues' findings of chaotic variability in healthy heart rate, noting, 'the principle of healthy variability has extended to other biomedical and psychological phenomena.' He suggests a dialectical underpinning for optimal variability involving 'a combination of the minimum entropy or free energy principle that pushes in a downward direction, and Ashby's Law of Requisite Variety that pushes in an upward direction.' Each of the papers in this issue addresses optimal variability across a variety of health-related areas. The present article surveys these seven papers in relation to five conceptual questions about optimal variability: (a) Is variability a positive or a negative, and how are positive things related to health? (b) How shall we define and measure variability? (c) What constitutes an optimum, and how do we locate one? (d) What is the relationship between optimum variability and health? Finally, it touches on (e) What are underlying principles and phenomena behind healthy variability, and can they inform our vocabulary for health? The paper concludes by discussing practical approaches to dealing with optimization.

Introduction: In recent research, scientists have begun to suspect that birth control pill use could interfere with key mechanisms that play a role when women choose a sexual partner. Many studies have shown that women, particularly during the most fertile days of their menstrual cycle, look for specific physical, psychological, and behavioral characteristics indicative of genetic quality in a short-term partner., Aims: Analysis of the psychometric properties of the Partner's Masculinity Index (PMI) scale. The scale was built to assess the degree of masculinity in hypothetical short-term partners., Methods: A total of 395 female Italian volunteers from Central Italy (M = 32.9 years old, SD = 8.58, range = 18-50 years) completed the study. The psychometric properties of PMI were then evaluated., Main Outcome Measures: We administered the following self-report questionnaires: (i) PMI; (ii) Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Masculinity/Femininity scale; and (iii) Demographic Questionnaire., Results: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis showed a four-factor structure for the PMI. Internal consistency of the measure, evaluated with the Cronbach's alpha, was satisfactory. Factorial ANOVA results showed that the group of nonpill users obtained higher scores on the PMI scale than the group of pill users (considering the fertile phase of the cycle)., Conclusions: From an evolutionary point of view, changes in preference for indicators of genetic quality in a sexual partner are considered to be functional and adaptive. Pill use may have implications for both current and future generations. Directions for future research are discussed., (© 2014 International Society for Sexual Medicine.)

This study investigated whether specific peritraumatic emotions differentially predict PTSD symptom clusters in individuals who have experienced stressful life events. Hypotheses were developed based on the SPAARS model of PTSD. It was predicted that the peritraumatic emotions of anger, disgust, guilt, and fear would significantly predict re-experiencing and avoidance symptoms, while only fear would predict hyperarousal. Undergraduate students (N = 144) participated in this study by completing a packet of self-report questionnaires. Multiple regression analyses were conducted with PCL-S symptom cluster scores as dependent variables and peritraumatic fear, guilt, anger, shame, and disgust as predictor variables. As hypothesized, peritraumatic anger, guilt, and fear all significantly predicted re-experiencing. However, only fear predicted avoidance, and anger significantly predicted hyperarousal. Results are discussed in relation to the theoretical role of emotions in the etiology of PTSD following the experience of a stressful life event.

It is important to consider ways in which nurses can be protected from experiencing the effects of burnout. This study examined the relationships between leadership style of psychiatric nurse supervisors, work role autonomy, and psychological distress in relation to psychiatric nurse burnout. Eighty-nine psychiatric nurses from Montana and New York hospitals completed an online survey that assessed their work-related experiences. Overall, results of this study indicate that the participants were experiencing high levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization when compared to a normative sample of mental health workers. Results also showed that leadership style and work role autonomy are likely to be environmental factors that protect against burnout in nurses. Finally, it was shown that the relationship between depressive symptoms and the burnout component of personal accomplishment may be influenced by nurses' perceptions of the leadership style in their work environment. These findings are important because nurse supervisor leadership styles and amount of autonomy are characteristics of the work environment that may be amenable to change through training and intervention., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To explore factors influencing compliance with campus tobacco policies and strategies to increase compliance., Participants: Sixty tobacco smokers (April 2012)., Methods: A 22-item intercept-interview with closed- and open-ended questions was conducted with smokers in adjacent compliant and noncompliant areas at 1 university with a 100% tobacco ban. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis., Results: Most reported that the smoking policy was not enforced. Noncompliant smokers had less knowledge of locations where tobacco use was permitted and were more likely to identify their smoking location as compliant and had knowingly violated the policy. Choice of location to smoke was related to convenience and a desire to follow the policy. Smokers recommended consequences for noncompliance and structures that accommodated smoking to increase adherence to the tobacco ban., Conclusions: Additional education, environmental, and contingency strategies are needed to increase compliance with the policy banning tobacco use on this campus.

Health psychology has studied the cross-sectional, stationary relationships linking stress, social support, and health. Levels of stress-related illness are generally modeled by including a nonlinear multiplicative or 'buffering' effect, corresponding to the interaction of stressor levels with social support from family and friends. The motivation of the present research is to extend an iterative, dynamic model of this well-investigated psychological process using a dynamical systems model expressed as a set of continuous, nonlinear differential equations similar to those of the 'Oregonator,' a model of a nonlinear dynamic chemical system. This model of the behavior of an individual is amenable to numerical investigation of its stationary-state stability properties, temporal evolution, and cause-effect relationships. The continuous variables in this new approach refer to varying states of an individual; they are Perceived stress (X), Symptoms (Y), and Social support (Z). It is expected that poor health in this model, represented by Symptoms (Y), is directly related to Perceived stress, as well as being tied in more complicated ways to Social support. A number of such models may be envisioned, some including a multiplicative, 'buffering' (- X x Z) effect of social support dependent on stress levels. We explore the behavior of this model over ranges of parameter values and initial conditions and relate these results to how an individual reacts to environmental challenges at various levels of stressors and social-support recruitment. Data generated by the model are in turn analyzed with a traditional cross-sectional statistical technique. Similarities and differences between chemical and psychological systems are discussed.

This study measured self-reported quality of life at two time points for 50 diagnostically heterogeneous patients in a state-funded psychiatric hospital and evaluated the Quality of Life Inventory for assessing changes over inpatient treatment. Participants completed the Quality of Life Inventory after admission and before discharge. Improvement occurred in overall scores during participants' hospital stays. Analysis of domains showed improvements in satisfaction with health and self-esteem. The inventory appears a useful tool for evaluating outcomes of psychiatric inpatient treatment from a patient perspective.

This study examines a pilot school-based treatment program for American Indian adolescents residing on a reservation who presented with symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and symptoms of depression. This is the first study directed at treating American Indian children with trauma; seven case studies demonstrate our findings that a manualized cognitive behavior therapy intervention delivered in group format for 10 weeks has potential for helping some children who experience PTSD symptoms and depression. The findings generally replicate previous research conducted with groups of non-Indian adolescents in urban settings. PTSD and depressive symptoms decreased for three of the four students who completed treatment. Directions for future research include the need to understand and control attrition and to address cultural influences, including making adaptations in the cognitive behavioral formulations and techniques regarding feelings as operant behaviors. Results contribute to knowledge of feasibility and acceptability of cultural adaptations of CBT for trauma in an under-served population.

Pearson correlations for scores on scales of the 1975 version of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire with measures of schizotypy, hypomania, and creative traits are reported for 625 undergraduates. The Psychoticism scores are correlated .30 with Hypomanic traits, .25 with Perceptual Aberration, and .20 with the How Do You Think, a test of attitudes and activities related to creativity. Extraversion is also related to creativity-relevant scores. Results support a broad and nonspecific role for the Psychoticism scale in relation to both creativity and subclinical symptomatology.

Studying the relationships among clinical symptoms and adjustment can clarify prognostic factors in severe mental disorders, highlight syndromes that may be the focus of different treatments, and illuminate causal relationships connecting premorbid, 'acute', and long-term psychopathological features. This article examines the relationship between positive and negative symptoms and community adjustment in 398 community mental health center outpatients maintained on neuroleptic medication. Outcome measures include psychiatric hospitalization, employment, and social involvement. Affective symptomatology, premorbid social competence, and three neuropsychological measures are additional independent variables. Positive and negative symptoms are significantly correlated with separate aspects of contemporaneous adjustment, as well as with subsequent hospitalization. Negative symptoms are predominantly related to prior hospitalization, employment, and social interactions; positive symptoms are primarily related to subsequent hospitalization. Disordered attention is most related to global neuropsychological impairment; avolition is mainly associated with degree of employment. Findings are separable from the effects of schizophrenic vs. non-schizophrenic diagnosis. Special attention is paid to a central group of negative symptoms, to separating negative symptoms from neuropsychological deficits, and to distinguishing premorbid from current social functioning.

This study examines the relationship of nonverbal social perception to other areas of social functioning in schizophrenia. One model of interpersonal problem-solving skills presents a sequence of receiving, processing, and sending skills. Social perception skills best fit the first stage in this model: receiving skills. As expected, schizophrenic subjects (N = 29) were less skillful than normal subjects (N = 15) on measures of social problem solving, understanding of social sequences, and social judgment. In addition, performance on these tasks was significantly related to nonverbal social perception, but only for the schizophrenic group. Thus, deficits in nonverbal social perception are related to other measures of social functioning in schizophrenia. Implications of these findings for understanding and treating social deficits in schizophrenia are discussed.

This paper examined stress processes in hypothetically psychosis-prone individuals. Subjects scoring high on Perceptual Aberration/Magical Ideation (Per-Mag subjects), Anhedonia, and low-scoring control subjects were compared for scores on Hassles and Uplifts, cognitive appraisal, coping strategies, emotions in two stressful situations, and on perceived social support. The groups differed in their experiences of minor life events and Secondary Appraisal but not in Primary Appraisal or emotions. There were notable differences in coping patterns and perceptions of social support. Per-Mag subjects contrasted with controls in using more coping by Escape-avoidance and Accepting responsibility, and reported less social support. Anhedonic subjects differed in their experience of minor life events and coped less through Positive reappraisal and Seeking social support. Per-Mag subjects are mainly distinguished by their coping processes. Anhedonic subjects are also sensitive to the incidence of minor life events. The results indicate that risk factors, stress, and coping interact in the absence of mental disorder.

This study evaluated the accuracy and expressiveness of emotional communication by college students identified as anhedonic or control (ns = 24), based on their scores on the Physical Anhedonia Scale, using an emotional communication task and self-report indices of emotional expressiveness and self-monitoring. As expected, the anhedonic group reported significantly less emotional expressiveness in real-life social situations. However, contrary to the hypotheses, they did not differ from controls on measures from a laboratory communication task or on self-monitoring.

This paper discusses theoretical and measurement issues involved in attaining a differentiated picture of the distribution of outcomes in subjects selected for their elevated risk for psychosis; these outcomes include positive adaptations as well as subtle expressions of psychopathology. Many at-risk subjects either do not break down or actually "prosper" in the face of risk factors, a problem that persists even when risk groups are defined with increasing selectivity. Although this phenomenon is often referred to as the problem of "false positives" in risk research, its implications are more far-reaching than simply defining a problem of low yield in prospective studies.

This study evaluated the equivalence of the original MMPI and the shortened MMPI-2 versions of the Barron (1953) Ego-strength scale, an important research scale. Three hundred fifty-five subjects took the MMPI-2 and the 16 MMPI-1 items dropped from the original scale. The omitted items appear to contribute little to the original scale. The revised version compares favorably with the old in terms of internal consistency, and the two versions are highly intercorrelated. Confirmatory Factor Analysis indicates that four of Stein and Chu's (1967) five groupings of the original items provide a reasonably good fit for the MMPI-2 as well. Compared to the original, the new version was slightly more correlated with other paper-and-pencil measures of psychological health and well-being.

Proverb interpretations of subjects who scored high on the Perceptual Aberration-Magical Ideation Scale (Chapman & Chapman, 1985) were compared with those of low-scoring controls. Responses to 10 familiar and 3 unfamiliar proverbs were scored for Bizarre-idiosyncratic thinking (Marengo, Harrow, Lanin-Kettering, & Wilson, 1986) and literalness (Hertler, Chapman, & Chapman, 1978). A Group by Type of Proverb (familiar versus unfamiliar) interaction was found for bizarre-idiosyncratic scores; (Per-Mags) scored higher than controls on unfamiliar, but not familiar proverbs. The Group X Familiarity interaction for bizarre-idiosyncratic scores indicates that the Per-Mag group displayed a subclinical, positive-thought disorder that is affected by the familiarity of the proverbs.