Effects of individual differences, society, and culture on youth-rated problems and strengths in 38 societies.

BACKGROUND: Clinicians increasingly serve youths from societal/cultural backgrounds different from their own. This raises questions about how to interpret what such youths report. Rescorla et al. (2019, European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 28, 1107) found that much more variance in 72,493 parents' ratings of their offspring's mental health problems was accounted for by individual differences than by societal or cultural differences. Although parents' reports are essential for clinical assessment of their offspring, they reflect parents' perceptions of the offspring. Consequently, clinical assessment also requires self-reports from the offspring themselves. To test effects of individual differences, society, and culture on youths' self-ratings of their problems and strengths, we analyzed Youth Self-Report (YSR) scores for 39,849 11-17 year olds in 38 societies. METHODS: Indigenous researchers obtained YSR self-ratings from population samples of youths in 38 societies representing 10 culture cluster identified in the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavioral Effectiveness study. Hierarchical linear modeling of scores on 17 problem scales and one strengths scale estimated the percent of variance accounted for by individual differences (including measurement error), society, and culture cluster. ANOVAs tested age and gender effects. RESULTS: Averaged across the 17 problem scales, individual differences accounted for 92.5% of variance, societal differences 6.0%, and cultural differences 1.5%. For strengths, individual differences accounted for 83.4% of variance, societal differences 10.1%, and cultural differences 6.5%. Age and gender had very small effects. CONCLUSIONS: Like parents' ratings, youths' self-ratings of problems were affected much more by individual differences than societal/cultural differences. Most variance in self-rated strengths also reflected individual differences, but societal/cultural effects were larger than for problems, suggesting greater influence of social desirability. The clinical significance of individual differences in youths' self-reports should thus not be minimized by societal/cultural differences, which-while important-can be taken into account with appropriate norms, as can gender and age differences.

Facing Interpersonal Violence: Identifying the Coping Profile of Poly-Victimized Resilient Adolescents.

Coping strategies are factors that mediate the relationship between interpersonal victimizations and psychological maladjustment. The objectives are as follows: (a) to establish the coping profile of adolescents according to the number of reported interpersonal victimizations; (b) to identify the most victimized adolescents (poly-victims), detecting those with psychological symptoms (nonresilient poly-victims) and those without psychological symptoms (resilient poly-victims), and then to examine any differences in coping strategies between the two groups; (c) to determine the accumulative effect of victimizations on mental health; and (d) to test the mediating role of both approach and avoidance coping between lifetime interpersonal victimizations and symptoms. Participants were 918 community Spanish adolescents (62.7% girls) aged between 14 and 18 years. Measures used were Youth Self-Report, Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire, and Adolescent Coping Orientation for Problem Experiences. The following results were reported: (a) The most victimized adolescents used to a greater degree avoidance coping strategies than nonvictimized adolescents. (b) Resilient poly-victimized adolescents were more likely to seek family support and tended to use more positive reappraisal than nonresilient poly-victimized adolescents. (c) A clear cumulative effect of victimizations on mental health was observed: 45% of the most victimized adolescents (poly-victims) reached clinical range on Youth Self-Report in front of 2% of nonvictimized adolescents. (d) Avoidance coping and more specifically Escaping and Venting feelings strategies played a mediating role between interpersonal victimizations and psychological symptoms. Approach coping had no mediating role, except for Positive reappraisal in girls. In conclusion, the possibility of identifying the coping profile of victimized adolescents may have clinical implications in terms of both prevention and intervention.

Testing Syndromes of Psychopathology in Parent and Youth Ratings Across Societies.

As societies become increasingly diverse, mental health professionals need instruments for assessing emotional, behavioral, and social problems in terms of constructs that are supported within and across societies. Building on decades of research findings, multisample alignment confirmatory factor analyses tested an empirically based 8-syndrome model on parent ratings across 30 societies and youth self-ratings across 19 societies. The Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 6-18 and Youth Self-Report for Ages 11-18 were used to measure syndromes descriptively designated as Anxious/Depressed, Withdrawn/Depressed, Somatic Complaints, Social Problems, Thought Problems, Attention Problems, Rule-Breaking Behavior, and Aggressive Behavior. For both parent ratings (N = 61,703) and self-ratings (N = 29,486), results supported aggregation of problem items into 8 first-order syndromes for all societies (configural invariance), plus the invariance of item loadings (metric invariance) across the majority of societies. Supported across many societies in both parent and self-ratings, the 8 syndromes offer a parsimonious phenotypic taxonomy with clearly operationalized assessment criteria. Mental health professionals in many societies can use the 8 syndromes to assess children and youths for clinical, training, and scientific purposes.

Adolescents' Daily Perception of Internalizing Emotional States by Means of Smartphone-based Ecological Momentary Assessment.

This study uses ecological momentary assessment (EMA) with smartphone devices to examine community adolescents' perceptions regarding both the intensity of and variability in their daily sadness/depression, anxiety, and somatic problems over the period of one week. Participants were 90 high-school students (M age = 14.61, SD = 1.64; range 12-18). The sample was divided according to gender (61.1% girls), migratory status (68.5% Spanish nationals and 31.5% Latin American immigrants), and level of psychological symptoms (17% risk group). Sadness/depression, anxiety, and somatic problems were examined using a smartphone app, five times per day, semi-randomly, for seven days (35 possible moments). A high proportion of adolescents did not report feelings of sadness (80.0%) or worry (79.3%) or physical symptoms on a daily basis (84.9%). Girls and the risk group reported greater intensity levels for the three analyzed problems than did boys and the normal group, respectively (p .05 in all cases). Day-to-day fluctuations in mood during the week were statistically significant but not meaningful (b = 0.0004, 95% CI [0.0001, 0.0008], p = .001).

Adolescents' daily perception of internalizing emotional states by means of smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment

This study uses ecological momentary assessment (EMA) with smartphone devices to examine community adolescents’ perceptions regarding both the intensity of and variability in their daily sadness/depression, anxiety, and somatic problems over the period of one week. Participants were 90 high-school students (Mage = 14.61, SD = 1.64; range 12-18). The sample was divided according to gender (61.1% girls), migratory status (68.5% Spanish nationals and 31.5% Latin American immigrants), and level of psychological symptoms (17% risk group). Sadness/depression, anxiety, and somatic problems were examined using a smartphone app, five times per day, semi-randomly, for seven days (35 possible moments). A high proportion of adolescents did not report feelings of sadness (80.0%) or worry (79.3%) or physical symptoms on a daily basis (84.9%). Girls and the risk group reported greater intensity levels for the three analyzed problems than did boys and the normal group, respectively (p < .001 in all cases). Migratory status was not associated with any significant differences in the analyzed problems over the one-week period (p > .05 in all cases). Day-to-day fluctuations in mood during the week were statistically significant but not meaningful (b = 0.0004, 95% CI [0.0001, 0.0008], p = .001) (AU)

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Personality psychopathology, drug use and psychological symptoms in adolescents with substance use disorders and community controls.

Substance use is a risk behavior that tends to increase during adolescence, a time when part of the personality is still in development. Traditionally, personality psychopathology has been measured in terms of categories, although dimensional models have demonstrated better consistency. This study aimed to analyze differences in personality profiles between adolescents with substance use disorders (SUD n = 74) and matched community controls (MCC n = 74) using the Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY-5) dimensional model. Additionally, we compared age at first drug use, level of drug use and internalizing and externalizing symptoms between the groups. In this study, the PSY-5 model has proved to be useful for differentiating specific personality disturbances in adolescents with SUD and community adolescents. The Disconstraint scale was particularly useful for discriminating adolescents with substance use problems and the Delinquent Attitudes facet offered the best differentiation.

Relationship between particular areas of victimization and mental health in the context of multiple victimizations in Spanish adolescents.

The main objective of this paper is to study the relationship between different areas of victimization (e.g., sexual victimization) and psychological symptoms taking into account the full range of victimizations adolescents suffer. The final aim is to contribute further evidence regarding the bias that those studies which focus on just one area of victimization may be introducing into our psychological knowledge. A total of 923 adolescents (62.4% girls) between 14 and 18 years old were recruited from seven secondary schools in Catalonia, Spain. The Youth Self-report and the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire were employed to assess psychological problems (internalizing and externalizing symptoms) and victimization, respectively. The large majority of adolescents reported having experienced more than one area of victimization. However, Conventional Crime area was the one that was more reported in isolation. Overall, the explicative power of a particular area of victimization was greatly reduced or even lost its significance when the other areas were taken into account. However, some areas remained significant and were different by gender. Clinicians and researchers should take into account the whole range of victimizations adolescents suffer when intending to understand the psychological aftermaths of victimization. Some areas of victimization appear to be more important at explaining particular psychological symptoms, those being Peer and Sibling Victimization in the case of boys, and both Conventional Crime and Internet Victimization in the case of girls.

Post-traumatic stress problems among poly-victimized Spanish youth: time effect of past vs. recent interpersonal victimizations.

The cumulative effect of lifetime interpersonal victimization experiences (e.g., child maltreatment, sexual victimizations, conventional crime, witnessing indirect victimization, peer and sibling victimizations) on posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms is an important topic in the scientific literature. The objectives of the present study were: (a) to analyze the relationship between lifetime interpersonal victimizations and PTS symptoms, (b) to determine the most prevalent specific PTS symptoms among poly-victimized adolescents, and (c) to establish the time-based effect of interpersonal victimization experiences that occurred in the last year versus those that occurred years before on current level of PTS symptoms. Gender differences were taken into account for each of these objectives. Participants were 823 Spanish adolescents (63% girls and 37% boys) between 14 and 18 years of age recruited from May 2010 to November 2011 from schools in Barcelona, Spain. The majority (87.6%) was of Spanish nationality. The results highlighted the cumulative effect of interpersonal victimizations on PTS symptoms. Among poly-victims adolescents, the most prevalent PTS symptom was intrusive thoughts, but some differences were observed according to gender. The time-based effect of interpersonal victimizations showed a different pattern for girls and boys. For girls, the victimizing events occurring in past years had more explanatory power of the current PTS symptoms than those that occurred more recently. In boys, the interpersonal victimizing events occurring in the last year had the greater explanatory power. These results may have clinical and therapeutic value.

Neither too much, nor too little. The dilemma of identifying personality disorders in adolescents patients with self-reports.

The study aimed to compare methods of identification of Personality Disorders (PD) in adolescent patients with psychiatric disorders. A sample of 120 Spanish adolescents with clinical disorders was assessed using the International Personality Disorder Examination (IPDE) interview, its Screening Questionnaires (IPDE-SQ) comprising the ICD-10 and DSM-IV modules, and also the Temperament Character Inventory (TCI) to identify risk of PD. The IPDE-SQ identified a risk of PD around 92-97% of the sample; 61.7% when adjusting the stricter cut-off points. The TCI showed a PD risk of 20%, whereas the prevalence of PD identified by the IPDE clinical interview was around 36-38%. The differences between the IPDE, IPDE-SQ and TCI were significant, and a low agreement among instruments was obtained. Large discrepancy between self-report instruments in identifying PD with regard to the clinical interview raises several questions concerning the use of these instruments in clinical settings on adolescents with psychiatric disorders.

Prevalence and severity of categorical and dimensional personality disorders in adolescents with eating disorders.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to explore and compare the prevalence of categorical and dimensional personality disorders (PDs) and their severity in Spanish adolescents with Eating Disorders (EDs). METHOD: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition and International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision-10 modules of the International Personality Disorder Examination were administered to a sample of 100 female adolescents with EDs (mean age=15.8 years, SD=0.9). RESULTS: 'Thirty-three per cent of the sample had at least one PD, in most cases a simple PD. The rate of PDs was 64-76% in bulimia patients, 22-28% in anorexia and 25% in EDs not otherwise specified. The highest dimensional scores were observed in bulimia, [corrected] mainly in borderline and histrionic PDs, and higher scores for anankastic PD in anorexia than in the other ED diagnoses. Overall, purging type EDs had higher cluster B personality pathology scores than restrictive type.' [corrected] The Publisher would like to apologize for this error and any confusion it may have caused. [corrected]. DISCUSSION: Adolescent female patients with ED have a risk of presenting a comorbid PD, especially patients with bulimia and purging type EDs.

Polyvictimization and risk for suicidal phenomena in a community sample of Spanish adolescents.

This study aims to provide data regarding the association between reported degree of victimization and suicidal phenomena, with special emphasis on gender differences. There were 923 adolescents recruited from eight secondary schools in Catalonia, Spain. The Youth Self-Report (YSR) and the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ) were used to assess suicidal phenomena and victimization, respectively. Participants were divided into three groups (nonvictim, victim, and polyvictim groups) according to the total number of different kinds of victimization reported. Results showed that the polyvictim group reported significantly more suicidal phenomena than did the victim and nonvictim groups in both boys and girls. Furthermore, although no gender differences in reported suicidal phenomena were found in the nonvictim group, girls reported significantly more suicidal phenomena in both the victim and the polyvictim groups. In conclusion, the results suggest that victimization may play an important role in generating gender differences with respect to reported suicidal phenomena. In addition, this study highlights the importance of taking into account the whole range of victimizations suffered by adolescents when seeking to design suicide prevention and intervention policies.

Factor structure of the adolescent coping orientation for problem experiences in Spanish adolescents.

The present study aimed to identify the best structure of the Adolescent Coping Orientation for Problem Experiences when applied to Spanish adolescents. A confirmatory factor analysis of five previous factor structures was conducted. As the data did not fit previous factor models, two exploratory factor analyses (first- and second-order) were carried out to identify the structure for Spanish adolescents and to analyse its criterion validity in relation to mental health, which was assessed by means of the Youth Self-Report. A first-wave sample of 1,152 secondary education pupils (645 boys, 56%; 507 girls, 44%; M age = 14.4 yr., SD = 1.4) was involved in the confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses. A second-wave sample of = 374 secondary education pupils (188 boys, 50.5%; 186 girls, 49.5%; M age = 15.4 yr., SD = 1.1) was used to assess criterion validity. The results yielded eight first-order factors with Cronbach's alpha ranging from .63 to .79, and two second-order factors that replicated the Approach and Avoidance focus of coping. The paper discusses both the content of the extracted factors and mental health issues.

Impact of poly-victimization on mental health: the mediator and/or moderator role of self-esteem.

The current study examines the relationship between the total kinds of victimization (TKV) experienced, self-esteem, and internalizing symptoms (IS) and externalizing symptoms (ES). It also explores the mediator and/or moderator role of two self-esteem facets: self-liking (SL) and self-competence (SC). The sample comprised 736 adolescents recruited from eight secondary schools in Catalonia, Spain. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Youth Self Report, and the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire were used to assess self-esteem facets (SL and SC), psychological distress (IS and ES), and the TKV suffered. This article has several innovative features. On one hand, it considers that self-esteem is comprised of two different but related factors: SL and SC. On the other hand, it is the first study to provide evidence for the mediator/moderator role of SL and SC between victimization and psychological symptoms, taking account of the TKV experienced. Results suggest that SL is more relevant to mental health than SC. A low sense of being a worthy social being (SL) is more closely related to both victimization and poor mental health than a low sense of personal efficacy (SC). Moreover, SL seems to partially mediate the relationship between TKV and both IS and ES, whereas SC only acts as a partial mediator for the TKV-IS relationship in girls. At the same time, SL acts as a partial moderator of the TKV-IS relationship in boys. These findings support the importance of self-esteem in buffering the impact of victimization on mental health and may indicate that proper prevention and treatment policies should focus on adolescents' sense of being a good person, according to their own criteria of worth.

Prevalencia de acontecimientos potencialmente traumáticos en universitarios españoles / Prevalence of potentially traumatic events in Spanish university stu-dents

Objetivos: La prevalencia de acontecimientos potencialmente traumáticos en todas las sociedades y contextos es más alta de lo que podría suponerse. El objetivo de este trabajo es describir aquellos acontecimientos potencialmente traumáticos experimentados por una muestra de jóvenes universitarios españoles. Métodos: Se aplicó el Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire a 1033 estudiantes universitarios (M = 21.71 años; DT = 2.63) de la Universidad de Barcelona. Resultados: Un 92.3% de los estudiantes (93.4% de los varones y 91.8% de las mujeres) manifestaron haber experimentado al menos un acontecimiento potencialmente traumático a lo largo de su vida. La media de acontecimientos distintos vivenciados fue de 3.58 (DT = 2.47). Se observaron diferencias significativas en el número de acontecimientos experimentados por varones (M = 3.86; DT = 2.60) y mujeres (M = 3.45; DT = 2.40). Conclusiones: La prevalencia de acontecimientos potencialmente traumáticos en población universitaria española es más elevada que la encontrada en estudios publicados previamente. Las diferencias en los acontecimientos que experimentan ambos sexos deberían tenerse en cuenta al evaluar e intervenir en este tipo de situaciones. La importancia de la valoración personal del encuestado respecto a la vivencia de acontecimientos potencialmente traumáticos debe considerarse (AU)

Aims: The high prevalence of traumatic events among different populations has been shown in several studies. The aim of the present study is to establish the prevalence of potentially traumatic events among Spanish university students. Methods: The sample comprised 1033 under-graduates (M = 21.71 years; SD = 2.63). Data were obtained using the Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire (TLEQ) (Kubany y Haynes, 2001). Results: Ninety-two per cent of subjects (93.4% males and 91.8% females) had been exposed to at least one potentially traumatic event. Males experienced a greater mean number of events than females (males = 3.86, SD = 2.60; females = 3.45, SD = 2.40). Sex differences were also found in the appraisal of events as being traumatic and causing major distress. Conclusions: Frequency of exposure to potentially traumatic events was higher in this sample of university students than in previous studies with similar samples. The results suggest the need for trauma screening and intervention, taking into consideration the substantial gender variation. Also the individual’s appraisal for considering an event traumatic underlines the importance of taking the individual’s perception into account (AU)

Sobre el artículo «Aprendiendo a buscar en la Web of Science: réplica al estudio de Aluja, Becoña, Botella, Colom, Echeburúa, Forns, Pérez y Vila (2011)», de José Alonso Olivas-Ávila y Bertha Musi-Lechuga (Psicothema 2012. Vol. 24, nº 4, pp. 594-602) / Learning to search on the Web of Science: a reply to the Aluja, Becoña, Botella, Colom, Echeburúa, Forns, Pérez and Vila (2011) study

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Usefulness of the International Personality Disorder Examination Screening Questionnaire for borderline and impulsive personality pathology in adolescents.

UNLABELLED: The aim of this study was to analyze the usefulness of the International Personality Disorder Examination Screening Questionnaire (IPDE-SQ) for identifying DSM-IV and ICD-10 Borderline and Impulsive personality disorders (PD) in Spanish adolescents. METHOD: The DSM-IV and ICD-10 IPDE-SQ screeners were used and compared with the diagnoses obtained with the IPDE semistructured interview in a sample of 125 adolescents treated in a psychiatric department. RESULTS: For primary screening, the cutoff point with the best combination of sensitivity and specificity for ICD-10 impulsive and borderline PDs was obtained with three positive items, whereas for DSM-IV borderline the best PD cut-off was five positive items. For secondary screening, the best option would be one item above the cut-off points proposed for primary screening. CONCLUSION: The 3-item cut-off point in the IPDE-SQ produces a high proportion of false positives on impulsive and borderline PDs in clinical adolescents. We propose several cut-off points, depending on whether the study is designed to perform primary or secondary screening.

Effects of poly-victimization on self-esteem and post-traumatic stress symptoms in Spanish adolescents.

This study aims to provide evidence concerning the effects of experiencing multiple forms of victimization (poly-victimization) on self-esteem and post-traumatic stress symptoms in Spanish adolescents. A total of 722 adolescents were recruited from seven secondary schools in Catalonia, Spain. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Youth Self Report and the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire were employed to assess self-esteem, post-traumatic stress symptoms and victimization, respectively. Participants were divided into three groups (non-victim, victim and poly-victim groups) according to the total number of different kinds of victimization experienced. Results showed that 88.4 % of adolescents had been exposed to at least one kind of victimization. Poly-victimization was associated with a higher number of post-traumatic stress symptoms in both boys and girls. Also, self-liking was significantly lower in the poly-victim group, whereas self-competence was equivalent across the three victimization groups. Girls were approximately twice as likely to report child maltreatment (OR = 1.92) and sexual victimization (OR = 2.41) as boys. In conclusion, the present study adds evidence on the importance of taking account of the full burden of victimizations suffered when studying victimization correlates. Also, it highlights the importance of prevention policies to focus particularly on preserving adolescents' sense of social worth.

Subtipos de adolescentes con trastornos por uso de sustancias y comorbilidad psiquiátrica utilizando los análisis de cluster y discriminante de perfiles MMPI-A / Subtypes of adolescents with substance use disorders and psychiatric comorbidity using cluster and discriminant analysis of MMPI-A profiles

El objetivo principal de este estudio fue replicar y ampliar los resultados de estudios previos sobre subtipos de adolescentes con trastorno por uso de sustancias (TUS), de acuerdo con sus perfiles de personalidad en el Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory for adolescents (MMPI-A). Sesenta pacientes con TUS y comorbilidad psiquiátrica (41.7% hombres, edad media = 15.9 años) completaron el MMPI-A, el Teen Addiction Severity Index (T-ASI), el Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), y entrevistas para obtener diagnósticos DSM-IV y medidas del nivel de uso de sustancias. El perfil general de personalidad MMPI-A mostró elevaciones moderadas en las escalas de Desviación Psicopática, Depresión e Histeria. El análisis de cluster jerárquico reveló cuatro perfiles (acting-out, 35% de la muestra; disorganized-conflictive, 15%; normative-impulsive, 15%; y deceptive-concealed, 35%). Se encontraron asociaciones entre el cluster 1, la sintomatología externalizante a nivel clínico del CBCL y los trastornos de conducta, así como entre el cluster 2 y un nivel clínico de síntomas internalizantes y externalizantes del CBCL. El análisis discriminante mostró que las escalas del MMPI-A Depresión, Desviación Psicopática y Psicastenia, clasificaron correctamente el 90% de los pacientes dentro de los subgrupos obtenidos (AU)

The main aim of this study was to replicate and extend previous results on subtypes of adolescents with substance use disorders (SUD), according to their Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory for adolescents (MMPI-A) profiles. Sixty patients with SUD and psychiatric comorbidity (41.7% male, mean age = 15.9 years old) completed the MMPI-A, the Teen Addiction Severity Index (T-ASI), the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), and were interviewed in order to determine DSMIV diagnoses and level of substance use. Mean MMPI-A personality profile showed moderate peaks in Psychopathic Deviate, Depression and Hysteria scales. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed four profiles (acting-out, 35% of the sample; disorganized-conflictive, 15%; normative-impulsive, 15%; and deceptive-concealed, 35%). External correlates were found between cluster 1, CBCL externalizing symptoms at a clinical level and conduct disorders, and between cluster 2 and mixed CBCL internalized/externalized symptoms at a clinical level. Discriminant analysis showed that Depression, Psychopathic Deviate and Psychasthenia MMPI-A scales correctly classified 90% of the patients into the clusters obtained (AU)