Is the Assessment of Personality Comparable in Persons Who Have and Have Not Experienced Depressive, Anxiety, and Substance Use Disorders? An Examination of Measurement Invariance.

Numerous studies have focused on characterizing personality differences between individuals with and without psychopathology. For drawing valid conclusions for these comparisons, the personality instruments used must demonstrate psychometric equivalence. However, we are unaware of any studies that examine measurement invariance in personality across individuals with and without psychopathology. This study conducted tests of measurement invariance for positive emotionality, negative emotionality, and disinhibition across individuals with and without histories of depressive, anxiety, and substance use disorders. We found consistent evidence that positive emotionality, negative emotionality, and disinhibition were assessed equivalently across all comparisons with each demonstrating strict invariance. Overall, results suggest that comparisons of personality measures between diagnostic groups satisfy the assumption of measurement invariance and these scales represent the same psychological constructs. Thus, mean-level comparisons across these groups are valid tests.

Comparisons across depression assessment instruments in adolescence and young adulthood: an item response theory study using two linking methods.

Item response theory (IRT) methods allow for comparing the utility of instruments based on the range and precision of severity assessed by each instrument. As adolescents and young adults can display rapid increases in depressive symptoms, there is a crucial need to sensitively assess mild elevations of symptoms (as an index of initial risk) and moderate-severe symptoms (as an indicator of treatment disposition). We compare the information assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to the newly developed Patient Reported Outcome Measurement Information System - Depression measure (PROMIS-Depression), and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies - Depression (CES-D) scale. The present work is based on data from two fully independent samples of community adolescents and young adults. One sample completed the BDI and CES-D (n = 1,482) and the second sample (n = 673) completed the PROMIS-Depression measure and the CES-D. Using two different IRT-based linking methods, (1) equating based on common items and (2) concurrent calibration methods, analyses revealed that the PROMIS-Depression measure assessed information over the widest range of depressive severity with greatest measurement precision relative to the other instruments. This was true for both the 28-item and 8-item versions of the PROMIS-Depression measure. Findings suggest that the PROMIS-Depression measure assessed depression severity with greatest precision and over the widest severity range of the assessed instruments. However, future work is necessary to demonstrate that the PROMIS-Depression measure has reliable associations with external criteria and is sensitive to treatment response.

Psychosocial impairment in offspring of depressed parents.

BACKGROUND: Offspring of depressed parents experience impairment in a number of domains of functioning. Few studies have examined the impact of both maternal and paternal depression and co-morbid psychopathology on offspring functioning. METHOD: Oregon Adolescent Depression Project participants were administered diagnostic interviews and completed measures of psychosocial functioning during adolescence (mean = 16.6, S.D. = 1.19) and again during young adulthood (mean = 24.5, S.D. = 0.51). Diagnostic interviews were also conducted with the mothers and fathers of the target individual. RESULTS: After controlling for relevant demographic characteristics, parental co-morbid psychopathology, and offspring psychopathology, maternal depression was associated with higher levels of physical symptoms (beta = 0.14, S.E. = 0.07) during adolescence, and higher levels of minor stressors (beta = 2.52, S.E. = 1.07) and a greater risk for using mental health services (OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.14-3.03) in young adulthood. Paternal depression was associated with offspring experiencing more major stressors (beta = 0.27, S.E. = 0.07), having lower perceived social competence (beta = -0.17, S.E. = 0.08), and being more likely to attempt suicide (OR 2.65, 95% CI 1.19-5.92) during adolescence, as well as lower perceived social competence (beta = -1.21, S.E. = 0.49) in young adulthood.Conclusions. Offspring of depressed parents demonstrate impairment in a variety of domains, even after controlling for the effects of their own psychopathology. Further research on the mechanisms that lead to these impairments, as well as the role of these impairments in the subsequent development of psychopathology, is warranted.

Comparability of self-report checklist and interview data in the assessment of stressful life events in young adults.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incremental value of conducting an interview to assess stressful life events over the self-report questionnaire approach, first by examining the degree to which life events reported on a questionnaire met inclusion criteria in a detailed stress interview, and second, by comparing the magnitude of prospective associations with depression symptoms for the two different assessment procedures. Data from the Oregon Adolescent Depression Project were examined, in which 191 community-residing young adults (55% female; M age=23.6, SD=0.6) completed a mailed questionnaire assessing the frequency with which 33 life events had occurred to them or to other important people in their lives prior to the diagnostic and stress interviews. An average of 67.5% of events occurring to self met criteria for classification as a life event on the stress interview, as did 19.7% of the events occurring to others. Events having a large effect on the participant had a greater likelihood of meeting inclusion criteria on the stress interview. Contrary to expectation, stress scores from the interview assessment did not result in stronger associations with depression. Recommendations for assessment of stressful life events are offered.

Development and natural history of mood disorders.

To expand and accelerate research on mood disorders, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) developed a project to formulate a strategic research plan for mood disorder research. One of the areas selected for review concerns the development and natural history of these disorders. The NIMH convened a multidisciplinary Workgroup of scientists to review the field and the NIMH portfolio and to generate specific recommendations. To encourage a balanced and creative set of proposals, experts were included within and outside this area of research, as well as public stakeholders. The Workgroup identified the need for expanded knowledge of mood disorders in children and adolescents, noting important gaps in understanding the onset, course, and recurrence of early-onset unipolar and bipolar disorder. Recommendations included the need for a multidisciplinary research initiative on the pathogenesis of unipolar depression encompassing genetic and environmental risk and protective factors. Specifically, we encourage the NIMH to convene a panel of experts and advocates to review the findings concerning children at high risk for unipolar depression. Joint analyses of existing data sets should examine specific risk factors to refine models of pathogenesis in preparation for the next era of multidisciplinary research. Other priority areas include the need to assess the long-term impact of successful treatment of juvenile depression and known precursors of depression, in particular, childhood anxiety disorders. Expanded knowledge of pediatric-onset bipolar disorder was identified as a particularly pressing issue because of the severity of the disorder, the controversies surrounding its diagnosis and treatment, and the possibility that widespread use of psychotropic medications in vulnerable children may precipitate the condition. The Workgroup recommends that the NIMH establish a collaborative multisite multidisciplinary Network of Research Programs on Pediatric-Onset Bipolar Disorder to achieve a better understanding of its causes, course, treatment, and prevention. The NIMH should develop a capacity-building plan to ensure the availability of trained investigators in the child and adolescent field. Mood disorders are among the most prevalent, recurrent, and disabling of all illnesses. They are often disorders of early onset. Although the NIMH has made important strides in mood disorders research, more data, beginning with at-risk infants, children, and adolescents, are needed concerning the etiology and developmental course of these disorders. A diverse program of multidisciplinary research is recommended to reduce the burden on children and families affected with these conditions.