Partialing alters interpersonal correlates of negative affective symptoms and traits: A circumplex illustration.

INTRODUCTION: Negative affective symptoms (e.g., anxiety, depression, and anger) are correlated and have parallel associations with outcomes, as do related personality traits (i.e., facets of neuroticism), often prompting statistical control (i.e., partialing) to determine independent effects. However, such adjustments among predictor variables can alter their construct validity. In three studies, the interpersonal circumplex (IPC) and a related analytic approach (i.e., Structural Summary Method) were used to evaluate changes in interpersonal correlates of negative affective characteristics resulting from partialing. METHODS: Samples of undergraduates (Sample 1 n = 3283; Sample 2 = 688) and married couples (n = 300 couples) completed self-report (three samples) and partner rating (sample 3) measures of anxiety, depression and anger, and IPC measures of interpersonal style. RESULTS: Anxiety, depression, and anger had expected interpersonal correlates across samples. Partialing depression eliminated interpersonal correlates of anxiety. When anxiety was controlled, depression measures were more strongly associated with submissiveness and less closely associated with low warmth. Adjustments involving anger magnified differences in dominance versus submissiveness associated with the negative affects. DISCUSSION: Removal of overlap among negative affective measures via partialing alters their interpersonal correlates, potentially complicating interpretation of adjusted associations.

Nonsuicidal self-injury, sleep quality, and shame response to a laboratory stress task.

OBJECTIVE: Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) frequently functions to regulate shame-based emotions and cognitions in the context of interpersonal stress. The present study sought to examine how sleep quality (SQ) may influence this process in a laboratory setting. METHODS: Participants included 72 adults (Mage = 24.28; 36 with a lifetime history of NSSI) who completed a self-report measure of prior month SQ and engaged in a modified Trier social stress task (TSST). State shame ratings were collected immediately before and following the TSST, as well as 5 min post-TSST, to allow for the measurement of shame reactivity and recovery. RESULTS: No significant results emerged for NSSI history and SQ as statistical predictors of shame reactivity. However, NSSI history was significantly associated with heightened shame intensity during the recovery period of the task, and this was moderated by SQ. Simple slopes analyses revealed a conditional effect whereby poorer SQ (1SD above the mean) was associated with greater intensity of shame during recovery, but only for those with a history of NSSI. CONCLUSION: Poor SQ may contribute to worrisome emotional responses to daytime stressors in those at risk for NSSI.

The role of pre-sleep arousal in the connection between insomnia and suicide risk.

Insomnia is a risk factor for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The present study examined the role of pre-sleep arousal in this association. Seventy-eight adults (Mage = 24.28, 56% had recent history of suicidal thoughts and behaviors) attended two lab visits over four consecutive days. We tested if generally experienced self-reported pre-sleep arousal explained the association between self-report insomnia symptoms experienced over the past two weeks and past week-suicidal ideation. Results indicated full mediation for pre-sleep cognitive arousal, but not somatic arousal. Pre-sleep cognitive arousal could be a key variable linking insomnia symptoms to suicide risk.

Moving Toward, Moving Against, and Moving Away: An Interpersonal Approach to Construct Validation of the Horney-Coolidge Type Inventory.

Karen Horney's interpersonal theory of adjustment defined three different neurotic trends involving characteristic social behavior and motives: compliant (moving toward people), aggressive (moving against people), and detached (moving away from people). The Horney-Coolidge Type Inventory (HCTI) was developed to assess these trends, but has not been validated using standard methods in the interpersonal perspective. The studies reported here refined the structure of the HCTI, and utilized the structural summary method (SSM) to identify relationships of the three shortened HCTI trend scales with the interpersonal circumplex (IPC) in single university (n = 514) and multisite university (n = 3,283) samples. Results across both studies confirmed predicted interpersonal characteristics of each trend: Compliance was associated with warm submissiveness, aggression was associated with hostile dominance, and detachment was associated with hostile or cold submissiveness. However, analyses of facets within the three HCTI trend domains revealed significant differences. Results are discussed as a potential guide to further refinement of assessments of the Horney maladaptive trends, and support inclusion of Horney's model in current interpersonal theory.

The interpersonal needs questionnaire with a shortened response scale for oral administration with older adults.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this paper is to examine the psychometric properties and construct validity of the interpersonal needs questionnaire (INQ) using a modified three-point response scale for oral administration with older adults. METHODS: In-home interviews were conducted with 269 participants aged 60 and older who were completing an eligibility interview for a randomized control trial. The INQ was administered orally, as were measures of social support, death and suicide ideation, and meaning in life. RESULTS: A confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated acceptable fit, with all of the items loading significantly onto the associated latent variable of thwarted belongingness or perceived burdensomeness. Construct validity of the measure was supported through an examination of discriminant validity using constructs hypothesized by the interpersonal theory of suicide to be related to the measured constructs, including social support and social integration for thwarted belongingness, social worth and death ideation for perceived burdensomeness, and meaning in life and suicide ideation for both. CONCLUSION: The INQ yields reliable and valid scores of thwarted belongingness and burdensomeness when administered orally using a shortened response scale with older adults. These results help establish the measure as a valuable and practical tool for use in the field of late-life suicide prevention.

Experiences of Kratom Users: A Qualitative Analysis.

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is a psychoactive plant that has been used since at least 1836 in folk medicine in Southeast Asian countries. More recently, kratom has become widely available in the West and is used for both recreational and medicinal purposes. There has, however, been little scientific research into the short- and long-term effects of kratom in humans, and much of the information available is anecdotal. To supplement the increasing scientific understanding of kratom's pharmacology and research into its effects in animals, we report the results of a qualitative analysis of first-hand descriptions of human kratom use that were submitted to, and published by, a psychoactive substance information website (Erowid.org). Themes that emerged from these experience reports indicate that kratom may be useful for analgesia, mood elevation, anxiety reduction, and may aid opioid withdrawal management. Negative response themes also emerged, indicating potential problems and unfavorable "side" effects, especially stomach upset and vomiting. Based on our analyses, we present preliminary hypotheses for future examination in controlled, quantitative studies of kratom.

Social network subtypes among socially disconnected older adults at risk for suicide: A latent class analysis.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to characterize the social networks of older adults who report feeling lonely or like a burden on others, psychological states that are associated with risk for suicide according to the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide. METHODS: We used a latent class analysis to identify distinct groups of older adults based on social network characteristics and perceptions of their networks within a sample of older adults endorsing loneliness and/or feeling like a burden. We examined associations between class membership and mental health outcomes. RESULTS: Four network types were identified: small, cohabitating networks with daily contact; moderate-sized family-oriented networks with multiple contacts weekly; moderate-sized friend-oriented networks with weekly contact; and average-sized mixed networks with weekly contact. The friend-oriented class reported the greatest loneliness, perceived burden, and lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempts. CONCLUSIONS: Social network composition may be more explanatory of loneliness and perceived burden than number of members alone. Profile differences in outcomes suggest utilizing tailored social connectedness interventions. Individuals with small-to-moderate networks may benefit most from interventions designed to build friendships. Individuals with many close confidants may benefit most from psychotherapy. Individuals reporting moderately frequent contact with moderately-sized networks may benefit from both intervention types.