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Further understanding of the associations between personality traits and allostatic load (AL) may be important for predicting, addressing, and optimizing health outcomes. This review synthesized the existing literature reporting the association between the Big Five personality traits and AL in adults to identify the generalizability and robustness of relationships, potential mechanisms underlying the associations, and study characteristics that may be contributing to inconsistencies in the field. Published and unpublished empirical reports were included if at least one of the Big Five traits was examined and an AL index was constructed using at least two biomarkers in a sample of adults. The methodological plan and standardized coding guide were pre-registered and reported (https://osf.io/rxw5a). Based on 11 studies that met eligibility, meta-analysis of correlation coefficients indicated a small but significant positive association between neuroticism and AL, and small but significant inverse associations between both conscientiousness and openness with AL. This review identifies strengths and limitations within the field, as well as several avenues for future research.

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13C MRI of hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate metabolism has been used in oncology to detect disease, investigate disease progression, and monitor response to treatment with a view to guiding treatment in individual patients. This technique has translated to the clinic with initial studies in prostate cancer. Here, we use the technique to investigate its potential uses in patients with glioblastoma (GB). We assessed the metabolism of hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate in an orthotopically implanted cell line model (U87) of GB and in patient-derived tumors, where these were produced by orthotopic implantation of cells derived from different patients. Lactate labeling was higher in the U87 tumor when compared with patient-derived tumors, which displayed intertumoral heterogeneity, reflecting the intra- and intertumoral heterogeneity in the patients' tumors from which they were derived. Labeling in some patient-derived tumors could be observed before their appearance in morphologic images, whereas in other tumors it was not significantly greater than the surrounding brain. Increased lactate labeling in tumors correlated with c-Myc–driven expression of hexokinase 2, lactate dehydrogenase A, and the monocarboxylate transporters and was accompanied by increased radioresistance. Because c-Myc expression correlates with glioma grade, this study demonstrates that imaging with hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate could be used clinically with patients with GB to determine disease prognosis, to detect early responses to drugs that modulate c-Myc expression, and to select tumors, and regions of tumors for increased radiotherapy dose.Significance: Metabolic imaging with hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate detects low levels of c-Myc–driven glycolysis in patient-derived glioblastoma models, which, when translated to the clinic, could be used to detect occult disease, determine disease prognosis, and target radiotherapy. Cancer Res; 78(18); 5408–18. ©2018 AACR.

Most of the literature on the attractiveness of Dark Triad traits has focused on female mate choice and low versus high trait levels. This study assessed how people with male and female sexual preferences evaluate potential romantic partners who display either low, medium, or high levels of Dark Triad traits for short-term and long-term relationships. Nine fictitious persons in the form of vignettes (with facial images) were presented to every participant. The faces were selected from an existing image bank and matched for physical attractiveness. Study 1 (n = 478) used a fixed composition for face and trait description, while the composition for Study 2 (n = 793) was randomized. Mixed-effects modelling was implemented for both studies. Study 1 demonstrated people with a male preference perceived medium levels of all traits as the most attractive for short-term relationships. Low levels of Narcissism were perceived as the most attractive for long-term relationships by both groups. For Study 2, the low levels were perceived as the most attractive for both types of relationships by both groups. Findings from Study 1 were consistent across previous Dark Triad attractiveness literature, while findings from Study 2 contradicted them. Differences between the two studies are discussed.

Reading has been proposed to be a protective factor in mental health; however, testing this is made challenging by the vulnerability of the reading-mental health association to confounding. In this study, we used two complementary approaches to address this: propensity score matching and random intercepts cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPM) in a large longitudinal study: the Zurich Project on Social Development from Childhood to Adulthood (z-proso). For the counterfactual analyses, mental health outcomes of anxiety, depression, and psychosis-like symptoms were measured at ages 17 and 20 and reading engagement was measured at ages 15 and 17. Matching variables included a wide range of factors potentially related to reading and mental health outcomes and when matched with respect to these covariates, there was no consistent effect of reading for pleasure on anxiety, depression, and psychosis. Similarly, using an RI-CLPM to account for between-person stable confounding factors suggested no evidence for a positive effect of reading on later mental health across ages 13,15,17 and 20. The only significant effects were detrimental effects of reading on anxiety and psychosis at age 20 when using non-bi-partite matching. Future research over shorter time lags is recommended to explore whether reading has shorter term benefits for mental health.

The history of the British Isles and Ireland is characterized by multiple periods of major cultural change, including the influential transformation after the end of Roman rule, which precipitated shifts in language, settlement patterns and material culture1. The extent to which migration from continental Europe mediated these transitions is a matter of long-standing debate2–4. Here we study genome-wide ancient DNA from 460 medieval northwestern Europeans—including 278 individuals from England—alongside archaeological data, to infer contemporary population dynamics. We identify a substantial increase of continental northern European ancestry in early medieval England, which is closely related to the early medieval and present-day inhabitants of Germany and Denmark, implying large-scale substantial migration across the North Sea into Britain during the Early Middle Ages. As a result, the individuals who we analysed from eastern England derived up to 76% of their ancestry from the continental North Sea zone, albeit with substantial regional variation and heterogeneity within sites. We show that women with immigrant ancestry were more often furnished with grave goods than women with local ancestry, whereas men with weapons were as likely not to be of immigrant ancestry. A comparison with present-day Britain indicates that subsequent demographic events reduced the fraction of continental northern European ancestry while introducing further ancestry components into the English gene pool, including substantial southwestern European ancestry most closely related to that seen in Iron Age France

Most Five-Factor Model questionnaire items contain unique variance that 1) is heritable, stable, and observable; 2) demonstrates consistent associations with age and sex, and 3) is predictive of life outcomes over and above higher-order factors. This is consistent with items indexing a unique level of the personality trait hierarchy—nuances. Extending these findings to the six-trait HEXACO model, we meta-analyzed cross-rater agreement, heritability, and two-year stability using samples from Canada, Croatia, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Analyses were conducted on both raw item scores and their unique variance, and estimates were corrected for short-term test-retest reliability. Median cross-rater agreement, heritability and stability estimates were, respectively, .30,.30 and .57 for raw items and .10,.16 and .39 for item residuals. After reliability correction, the respective medians rose to .46 and .25 for cross-rater agreement, .46 and .39 for heritability, and .87 and 1.00 for stability. These results are strikingly consistent with FFM-based findings, providing further evidence that personality nuances constitute a unique personality hierarchy level with trait properties comparable to those of higher-order traits.

Background Whether in the context of monitoring disease progression or in assessing the effects of interventions, a major challenge in dementia research is determining when an individual has undergone meaningful change in symptoms and other relevant outcomes such as cognitive test performance. The challenge lies in differentiating genuine improvement or deterioration from change in scores due to random and systematic error. Body In this review, we discuss the advantages and limitations of available methods for assessing individual-level change in the context of key challenges, including imperfect and differential reliability of scores, and practice effects. We discuss indices of reliable change and the use of composite and item response theory (IRT) scores. Conclusion We conclude that IRT-based approaches hold particular promise because they have the flexibility to accommodate solutions to a wide range of issues that influence the accuracy of judgements of meaningful change. We close by discussing the practical implications of adopting IRT-based approaches.

Funder: Jacobs Foundation; FundRef: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100003986, Funder: Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung; FundRef: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100001711, Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) holds significant potential within aggression research. It affords researchers the possibility of collecting data in ecological context, in near real time. However, there is a lack of measures of aggression that have been developed and validated for use in EMA contexts. In this study, we report on the validation of a measure specifically designed to address this need: the Aggression-ES-A. Building on a previous pilot study, we evaluate the within- and between-person reliability, nomological net and associations with a validated trait measure of aggression of the Aggression-ES-A in a sample of N = 255 emerging adults from the Zurich Project on Social Development from Childhood to Adulthood (z-proso). Using multilevel confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, we found support for the factorial validity, reliability, and concurrent validity of the Aggression-ES-A scores. Results support the use of the Aggression-ES-A in EMA studies utilizing community-ascertained samples.

As the world navigates unchartered territories and witnesses the overwhelming impact of COVID-19, investigators face important challenges to ensure continuity of research studies in a scientifically sound manner. Given the susceptibility of the older population to COVID-19, research in the field of ageing and dementia may be more severely impacted than other areas. With in-person testing halted, researchers are considering remote testing to collect data on questionnaires and functioning, including cognitive functioning. This is not without challenges. Here, we discuss psychometric properties of the scales that need to be considered and evaluated when implementing remote testing to ensure the quality of the studies is preserved. We encourage the community to join efforts to improve practice sharing and facilitating access to item level data.

It has been argued that the sex segregation of the labor market reflects personality sex differences. So far, few studies have used actual occupational titles. This study aims to tackle these limitations as well as to expand previous research by operationalizing occupations as occupational field (i.e. STEM vs. Non-STEM) and as occupational orientation (i.e. Prediger’s people-things dimension). We replicated our analyses in three independent samples (Estonia, China, and UK) and, although there was no evidence that personality sex differences mirrored personality differences between occupational fields or between occupational orientations, results suggested that personality could be more relevant when choosing occupational orientation rather than occupational field.

Previous research has suggested that aggression is associated with ADHD symptoms and that this may partly reflect problems with emotional regulation. However, previous tests of this hypothesis have yielded inconsistent results and have focused on childhood. In this study we examined the role of emotional dysregulation in the association between ADHD symptoms and aggression in adulthood using experience-sampling derived measures of emotional dysregulation as it occurs in the context of daily life. Data came from the D2M study, a sub-study of the longitudinal z-proso study. Using structural equation modelling, we found that ADHD symptoms were associated with both emotional lability and aggression, but emotional lability did not mediate the ADHD-aggression association. Results suggest that other factors, such as those specifically related to behavioural dysregulation, may be more important for explaining the elevated levels of aggression in ADHD.

When the National Health Service (NHS) acquired a statutory duty of care for quality in 1998, clinical governance became a mandatory and intrinsic part of modern medicine. Defined as “a framework through which NHS organisations are accountable for continuously improving the quality of their services and safe-guarding high standards of care by creating an environment in which excellence in clinical care will flourish”,1 the vehicle for NHS consultants to enact clinical governance was supporting professional activity (SPA). All activities that underpin direct clinical care (DCC) are encouraged during SPA time, including professional development, research, audit, teaching, clinical management, appraisal, and job planning.2,3 Adequate time for SPAs alongside DCC is therefore crucial for NHS consultants to maintain excellence in clinical care.3 The recently published Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) Survey on Radiologists’ SPA4 has demonstrated three recurring themes, which are widely recognised to be growing concerns for our specialty.

Purpose Experiences of reported trauma are common and are associated with a range of mental health problems. Sex differences in how reported traumas are experienced over the life course in relation to mental health require further exploration. Methods 157,358 participants contributed data for the UK Biobank Mental Health Questionnaire (MHQ). Stratified Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was used to analyse combinations of reported traumatic experiences in males and females separately, and associations with mental health. Results In females, five trauma classes were identified: a low-risk class (58.6%), a childhood trauma class (13.5%), an intimate partner violence class (12.9%), a sexual violence class (9.1%), and a high-risk class (5.9%). In males, a three-class solution was preferred: a low-risk class (72.6%), a physical and emotional trauma class (21.9%), and a sexual violence class (5.5%). In comparison to the low-risk class in each sex, all trauma classes were associated with increased odds of current depression, anxiety, and hazardous/harmful alcohol use after adjustment for covariates. The high-risk class in females and the sexual violence class in males produced significantly increased odds for recent psychotic experiences. Conclusion There are sex differences in how reported traumatic experiences co-occur across a lifespan, with females at the greatest risk. However, reporting either sexual violence or multiple types of trauma was associated with increased odds of mental health problems for both males and females. Findings emphasise the public mental health importance of identifying and responding to both men and women’s experiences of trauma, including sexual violence.

Despite the widespread use of the HEXACO model as a descriptive taxonomy of personality traits, there remains limited information on the test-retest reliability of commonly-used inventories to measure its traits. Studies typically report internal consistency estimates, such as alpha or omega, as measures of reliability, but there are good reasons to believe that these do not accurately assess reliability. Therefore, we report 12-day test-retest correlations of the 100- and 60-item English HEXACO-Personality Inventory-Revised (HEXACO-100 and HEXACO-60) domains, facets, and items. In order to test the validity of test-retest reliability, we then compare these estimates to correlations between self- and informant- reports (also known as cross-rater agreement), a widely-used validity criterion, as well as to domain and facet internal consistencies. Median estimates of test-retest reliability were .88, .81, and .65 (N = 416) for domains, facets, and items, respectively. Facets' and items' test-retest reliabilities were highly correlated with their cross-rater agreement estimates, whereas alphas were not. Overall, the HEXACO-Personality Inventory-Revised demonstrates test-retest reliability similar to other contemporary measures. We recommend that short-term retest reliability should be routinely calculated to assess reliability.

Abstract. In pursuit of a more systematic and comprehensive framework for personality assessment, we introduce procedures for assessing personality traits at the lowest level: nuances. We argue that constructing a personality taxonomy from the bottom up addresses some of the limitations of extant top-down assessment frameworks (e.g., the Big Five), including the opportunity to resolve confusion about the breadth and scope of traits at different levels of the organization, evaluate unique and reliable trait variance at the item level, and clarify jingle/jangle issues in personality assessment. With a focus on applications in survey methodology and transparent documentation, our procedures contain six steps: (1) identification of a highly inclusive pool of candidate items, (2) programmatic evaluation and documentation of item characteristics, (3) test-retest analyses of items with adequate qualitative and quantitative properties, (4) analysis of cross-ratings from multiple raters for items with adequate retest reliability, (5) aggregation of ratings across diverse samples to evaluate generalizability across populations, (6) evaluations of predictive utility in various contexts. We hope these recommendations are the first step in a collaborative effort to identify a comprehensive pool of personality nuances at the lowest level, enabling subsequent construction of a robust hierarchy – from the bottom up.

Background Landscape genetics is an interdisciplinary field that combines tools and techniques from population genetics with the spatially explicit principles from landscape ecology. Spatial variation in genotypes is used to test hypotheses about how landscape pattern affects dispersal in a wide range of taxa. Lichens, symbiotic associations between mycobionts and photobionts, are an entity for which little is known about their dispersal mechanism. Our objective was to infer the dispersal mechanism in the semi-aquatic lichen Dermatocarpon luridum using spatial models and the spatial variation of the photobiont, Diplosphaera chodatii. We sequenced the ITS rDNA and the β-actin gene regions of the photobiont and mapped the haplotype spatial distribution in Payuk Lake. We subdivided Payuk Lake into subpopulations and applied four spatial models based on the topography and hydrology to infer the dispersal mechanism. Results Genetic variation corresponded with the topography of the lake and the net flow of water through the waterbody. A lack of isolation-by-distance suggests high gene flow or dispersal within the lake. We infer the dispersal mechanism in D. luridum could either be by wind and/or water based on the haplotype spatial distribution of its photobiont using the ITS rDNA and β-actin markers. Conclusions We inferred that the dispersal mechanism could be either wind and/or water dispersed due to the conflicting interpretations of our landscape hypotheses. This is the first study to use spatial modelling to infer dispersal in semi-aquatic lichens. The results of this study may help to understand lichen dispersal within aquatic landscapes, which can have implications in the conservation of rare or threatened lichens.

Early investigations of the neuroticism by conscientiousness interaction with regards to health have been promising, but to date, there have been no systematic investigations of this interaction that account for the various personality measurement instruments, varying populations, or aspects of health. The current study – the second of three – uses a coordinated analysis approach to test the impact of the neuroticism by conscientiousness interaction on the prevalence and incidence of chronic conditions. Using 15 pre-existing longitudinal studies (N > 49,375), we found that conscientiousness did not moderate the relationship between neuroticism and having hypertension (OR = 1.00,95%CI[0.98,1.02]), diabetes (OR = 1.02[0.99,1.04]), or heart disease (OR = 0.99[0.97,1.01]). Similarly, we found that conscientiousness did not moderate the prospective relationship between neuroticism and onset of hypertension (OR = 0.98[0.95,1.01]), diabetes (OR = 0.99[0.94,1.05]), or heart disease (OR = 0.98[0.94,1.03]). Heterogeneity of effect sizes was largely nonsignificant, with one exception, indicating that the effects are consistent between datasets. Overall, we conclude that there is no evidence that healthy neuroticism, operationalized as the conscientiousness by neuroticism interaction, buffers against chronic conditions.

Individual differences in the Big Five personality traits have emerged as predictors of health and longevity. Although there are robust protective effects for higher levels of conscientiousness, results are mixed for other personality traits. In particular, higher levels of neuroticism have significantly predicted an increased risk of mortality, no-risk at all, and even a reduced risk of dying. The current study hypothesizes that one potential reason for the discrepancy in these findings for neuroticism is that interactions among neuroticism and other key personality traits have largely been ignored. Thus, in the current study we focus on testing whether the personality traits neuroticism and conscientiousness interact to predict mortality. Specifically, we borrow from recent evidence of “healthy neuroticism” to explore whether higher levels of neuroticism are only a risk factor for increased mortality risk when conscientiousness levels are low. We conducted a pre-registered integrative data analysis using 12 different cohort studies (total N = 44,702). Although a consistent pattern emerged of higher levels of conscientiousness predicting a reduced hazard of dying, neuroticism did not show a consistent pattern of prediction. Moreover, no study provided statistical evidence of a neuroticism by conscientiousness interaction. The current findings do not support the idea that the combination of high conscientiousness and high neuroticism can be protective for longevity. Future work is needed to explore different protective factors that may buffer the negative effects of higher levels of neuroticism on health, as well as other behaviors and outcomes that may support the construct of healthy neuroticism.

Experiences of reported trauma are common and are associated with a range of mental health problems. Sex differences in how reported traumas are experienced over the life course in relation to mental health require further exploration.157,358 participants contributed data for the UK Biobank Mental Health Questionnaire (MHQ). Stratified Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was used to analyse combinations of reported traumatic experiences in males and females separately, and associations with mental health.In females, five trauma classes were identified: a low-risk class (58.6%), a childhood trauma class (13.5%), an intimate partner violence class (12.9%), a sexual violence class (9.1%), and a high-risk class (5.9%). In males, a three-class solution was preferred: a low-risk class (72.6%), a physical and emotional trauma class (21.9%), and a sexual violence class (5.5%). In comparison to the low-risk class in each sex, all trauma classes were associated with increased odds of current depression, anxiety, and hazardous/harmful alcohol use after adjustment for covariates. The high-risk class in females and the sexual violence class in males produced significantly increased odds for recent psychotic experiences.There are sex differences in how reported traumatic experiences co-occur across a lifespan, with females at the greatest risk. However, reporting either sexual violence or multiple types of trauma was associated with increased odds of mental health problems for both males and females. Findings emphasise the public mental health importance of identifying and responding to both men and women's experiences of trauma, including sexual violence.

This study assessed change in self–reported Big Five personality traits. We conducted a coordinated integrative data analysis using data from 16 longitudinal samples, comprising a total sample of over 60 000 participants. We coordinated models across multiple datasets and fit identical multi–level growth models to assess and compare the extent of trait change over time. Quadratic change was assessed in a subset of samples with four or more measurement occasions. Across studies, the linear trajectory models revealed declines in conscientiousness, extraversion, and openness. Non–linear models suggested late–life increases in neuroticism. Meta–analytic summaries indicated that the fixed effects of personality change are somewhat heterogeneous and that the variability in trait change is partially explained by sample age, country of origin, and personality measurement method. We also found mixed evidence for predictors of change, specifically for sex and baseline age. This study demonstrates the importance of coordinated conceptual replications for accelerating the accumulation of robust and reliable findings in the lifespan developmental psychological sciences. © 2020 European Association of Personality Psychology

Current literature suggests that neuroticism is positively associated with maladaptive life choices, likelihood of disease, and mortality. However, recent research has identified circumstances under which neuroticism is associated with positive outcomes. The current project examined whether “healthy neuroticism”, defined as the interaction of neuroticism and conscientiousness, was associated with the following health behaviors: smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity. Using a pre-registered multi-study coordinated integrative data analysis (IDA) approach, we investigated whether “healthy neuroticism” predicted the odds of engaging in each of the aforementioned activities. Each study estimated identical models, using the same covariates and data transformations, enabling optimal comparability of results. These results were then meta-analyzed in order to estimate an average (N-weighted) effect and to ascertain the extent of heterogeneity in the effects. Overall, these results suggest that neuroticism alone was not related to health behaviors, while individuals higher in conscientiousness were less likely to be smokers or drinkers, and more likely to engage in physical activity. In terms of the healthy neuroticism interaction of neuroticism and conscientiousness, significant interactions for smoking and physical activity suggest that the association between neuroticism and health behaviors was smaller among those high in conscientiousness. These findings lend credence to the idea that healthy neuroticism may be linked to certain health behaviors and that these effects are generalizable across several heterogeneous samples.

The International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) five-factor model inventories are widely used for personality research and have been translated into multiple languages. However, the extent of the psychometric assessment of translated scales is variable, often minimal. The lack of psychometric scrutiny is particularly problematic because translation is an inherently complex process. Here, we present a structural analysis of one Spanish translation of the 50-item IPIP five-factor inventory in a sample of Peruvian, non-university educated, working adults (n = 778). A global confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) model of the a priori five factors failed to fit. So too did single factor models for four of the five factors, the exception being Neuroticism. Fit was improved via use of an exploratory structural equation measurement model, but the resultant solution showed very poor theoretical coherence. So, we explored the data for systematic measurement artefacts and sought to model them to improve the psychometric properties of the scale. Specifically, the pattern of factor loadings suggested that the lack of coherence might be due to the effects of the valence of item wording (i.e., positively or negatively worded items). CFA models including five substantive factors and a series of method factors modelling shared covariance based on item wording, improved fit and coherence. This investigation suggests that unless method factors are explicitly modelled the tested Spanish translation may not be suitable for use in certain Spanish-speaking countries or samples composed of non-university educated participants. More broadly, the study has implications for many translated scales, especially when used without thorough psychometric evaluation.

OBJECTIVE: Substantial individual variation exists in the age of onset and course of ADHD symptoms over development. We evaluated whether, within this variation, meaningful developmental subtypes can be defined. METHOD: Using growth mixture modeling in a community-based sample (N = 1,571), we analyzed ADHD symptom trajectories based on measures taken at ages 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, and 15 years. We evaluated whether those showing developmental trajectories characterized by later onsets versus early onsets differed in terms of mental health and behavioral outcomes in late adolescence (age 17 years). RESULT: The late onset category was best conceptualized as a milder subtype than early onset. The former was, however, more similar in outcomes to the latter than to the unaffected category, suggesting that later onsets are still associated with impairment. CONCLUSION: Considering diagnoses for those affected by ADHD symptoms but who do not meet current age of onset criteria may be important for ensuring that they receive appropriate support. (J. of Att. Dis. 2020; 24(1) 113-125)

Many lichen secondary metabolites have functions related to the environmental conditions of lichen habitats but few studies have compared soil characteristics with lichen species composition or their secondary products. The goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between soil characteristics with lichen species composition and secondary metabolites. Five locations were chosen in Manitoba, each with five sites (transects), and each transect with five quadrats (1 m × 1 m). All species were collected from each of the quadrats, presence of secondary metabolites was determined by thin layer chromatography, and soil characteristics were examined. The results revealed that rounded sand grains were significantly higher in southeastern Manitoba than in other locations, corresponding to a distinct species composition. Angular grains were significantly higher in northern locations, corresponding to a different group of species. Some of the significant relationships between soil characteristics and secondary metabolites include correlations of atranorin with pH, organic matter, and sand content; fumarprotocetraric acid with organic matter and sand content; and usnic acid with pH and organic matter. A better understanding of the role of lichens with respect to soil characteristics will be important for improving soil stabilization in land reclamation.

School-based psychosocial interventions are a widely used approach to preventing or reducing externalising behaviour. However, evaluating the effects of such interventions is complicated by the fact that the interventions may not only change the target behaviour, but also the way that informants report on that behaviour. For example, teachers may become more aware of bullying behaviour after delivering lessons on the topic, resulting in increased teacher reports of the behaviour. In this study, we used multi-group confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate whether teachers exposed to the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) intervention changed the way they reported on child externalising behaviour. Using data from the z-proso study (802 participants; 51% male; 69 teachers), teacher reports of aggressive behaviour, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and non-aggressive conduct disorder symptoms were compared pre- and post- intervention and across the intervention and control conditions. There was no evidence that teacher reporting was affected by exposure to the intervention. This helps bolster the interpretation of intervention effects as reflecting changes in child behaviour, rather than in the manner of informant reporting.

Background and Objectives Impairment in financial management abilities, which we label “Acreemagnosia”, is an early symptom of older people experiencing cognitive decline. This article describes the development and psychometric evaluation of The Acreemagnosia Measurement (TAM) which assesses everyday financial abilities and could be applied to older people who are healthy, experiencing MCI, or affected by dementia. TAM is a multi-item scale combining subjective, objective and performance-based measures that assess abilities and awareness across a wide range of financial functions and tasks. Methods Item Response theory (IRT) was applied to examine the structure and item performance, as well as to determine scale reliability. Results Analysis suggests that TAM is measuring most reliably at low to average levels of financial ability which is appropriate for testing elderly retired people, experiencing MCI, or affected by dementia. All the items in TAM show a good discrimination capacity. Differential Item Functioning (DIF) analysis did not show any gender or age bias. Discussion TAM is a useful tool for the measurement of everyday financial abilities in older people.

Objective: Sex differences in personality are a matter of continuing debate. In a study on the US standardization sample of Cattell’s 16PF (fifth edition), Del Giudice and colleagues (2012; PLoS ONE, 7, e29265) estimated global sex differences in personality with multigroup covariance and mean structure analysis (MG-CMSA). The study found a surprisingly large multivariate effect, D = 2.71. Here we replicated the original analysis with an open online dataset employing an equivalent version of the 16PF. Method: We closely replicated the original MG-MCSA analysis on N = 21,567 US participants (63% females, age 16-90); for robustness, we also analyzed N = 31,637 participants across English-speaking countries (61% females, age 16-90). Results: The size of global sex differences was D = 2.06 in the US and D = 2.10 across English speaking countries. Parcel-allocation variability analysis showed that results were robust to changes in parceling (US: median D = 2.09, IQR [1.89, 2.37]; English-speaking countries: median D = 2.17, IQR [1.98, 2.47]). Conclusions: Our results corroborate the original study (with a comparable if somewhat smaller effect size) and provide new information on the impact of parcel allocation. We discuss the implications of these and similar findings for the psychology of sex differences.

Objective Mean speed of responding is the most commonly used measure in the assessment of reaction time (RT). An alternative measure is intraindividual variability (IIV): the inconsistency of responding across multiple trials of a test. IIV has been suggested as an important indicator of central nervous system functioning, and as such, there has been increasing interest in the associations between IIV and brain imaging metrics. Results however, have been inconsistent. The present seeks to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the associations between a variety of measures of brain white matter integrity and individual differences in choice RT (CRT) IIV. Method MRI brain scans of members of the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 were assessed to obtain measures of the volume and severity of white matter hyperintensities, and the integrity of brain white matter tracts. CRT was assessed with a 4 CRT task on a separate occasion. Data were analyzed using multiple regression (N range = 358-670). Results Greater volume of hyperintensities and more severe hyperintensities in frontal regions were associated with higher CRT IIV. White matter tract integrity, as assessed by both fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity, showed the smallest effect sizes in associations with CRT IIV. Associations with hyperintensities were attenuated and no longer significant after controlling for M CRT. Conclusions Taken together, the results of the present study suggested that IIV was not incrementally predictive of white matter integrity over mean speed. This is in contrast to previous reports, and highlights the need for further study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Background: Previous studies have hinted at sex differences in developmental trajectories in ADHD symptoms; however, little is known about the nature or cause of these differences and their implications for clinical practice.Method: We used growth mixture modelling in a community-ascertained cohort of n=1571 participants to study sex differences in ADHD symptom developmental trajectories across the elementary and secondary school years. Participants were measured at ages 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 15.Results: We found that females were more likely to show large symptom increases in early adolescence while males were more likely to show elevated symptoms from childhood. For both males and females, early adolescence represented a period of vulnerability characterised by relatively sudden symptom increases. Conclusions: Females affected by hyperactivity/impulsivity may be more likely to be excluded from diagnosis due to current age of onset criteria. More attention should be paid to early adolescence as a period of risk for hyperactivity/impulsivity symptom onset or worsening.

Diagnostic bias is a concern in autism spectrum conditions (ASC) where prevalence and presentation differ by sex. To ensure that females with ASC are not under-identified, it is important that ASC screening tools do not systematically underestimate autistic traits in females relative to males. We evaluated whether the AQ-10, a brief screen for ASC recommended by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence in cases of suspected ASC, exhibits such a bias. Using an item response theory approach, we evaluated differential item functioning and differential test functioning. We found that although individual items showed some sex bias, these biases at times favored males and at other times favored females. Thus, at the level of test scores the item-level biases cancelled out to give an unbiased overall score. Results support the continued use of the AQ-10 sum score in its current form; however, suggest that caution should be exercised when interpreting responses to individual items. The nature of the item level biases could serve as a guide for future research into how ASC affects males and females differently. Autism Res 2017, 10: 790-800. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.