Age-related differences in spontaneous trait judgments from facial appearance.

We tested whether there are age-related declines in detecting cues to trustworthiness, a skill that has been demonstrated to be rapid and automatic in younger adults. Young (M age = 21.2 years) and older (M age = 70.15 years) adults made criminal appearance judgments to unfamiliar faces, which were presented at a duration of 100, 500 or 1,000 ms. Participants' response times and judgment confidence were recorded. Older were poorer than young adults at judging trustworthiness at 100 ms, and were slower overall in making their judgments. Further, the cues (i.e. perceptions of anger, trustworthiness and happiness) underlying criminality judgments were the same across age groups. Judgment confidence increased with increasing exposure duration for both age groups, while older adults were less confident in their judgments overall than their young counterparts. The implications are discussed.

[Psychometric Evaluation of an Arabic Version of the PHQ-4 Based on a Representative Survey of Syrian Refugees]. / Psychometrische Prüfung einer Hocharabischen Übersetzung des PHQ-4 anhand einer repräsentativen Befragung syrischer Geflüchteter.

Background: This study addresses the need for methodologically sound, brief screening procedures (e. g., the PHQ-4) which need to be validated for refugees in their native languages. Method: A cohort of Syrian refugees in the state of Lower Saxony was investigated with the PHQ-4 translated into Standard Arabic language by a professional translation bureau. Based on representative data, the prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders was estimated among refugees. N=864 persons of mainly male sex (68%) answered with a mean age of M=31.5 (SD=9.3 years, ranging from 16 to 93 years). Results: Internal consistency was good (PHQ-2, respectively GAD-2: α=0.76/0.83; women α=0.76/0.83; men: α=0.76/0.83). Confirmatory factor analyses revealed good to excellent fit: RMSEA=0,068 [95%-KI: 0.028, 0.117], TLI=0.971, CFI=0.995. Measurement invariance was demonstrated for sex. The prevalence of depression was 20%, which corresponds to results reported for the German population; generalized anxiety was moderately higher in the Syrian sample (19.3 vs. 15.2%). Discussion: The Arabic version of the PHQ-4 is an ultra-short and valid screening procedure suitable for refugees from Arabic countries. The finding that the prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms was moderate may be due to the sample composition, which comprised predominantly young men. Given the often traumatic circumstances of their flight, additional symptoms beyond the scope of this study (esp. PTSD) can be expected.

Selecting fillers on emotional appearance improves lineup identification accuracy.

Mock witnesses sometimes report using criminal stereotypes to identify a face from a lineup, a tendency known as criminal face bias. Faces are perceived as criminal-looking if they appear angry. We tested whether matching the emotional appearance of the fillers to an angry suspect can reduce criminal face bias. In Study 1, mock witnesses (n = 226) viewed lineups in which the suspect had an angry, happy, or neutral expression, and we varied whether the fillers matched the expression. An additional group of participants (n = 59) rated the faces on criminal and emotional appearance. As predicted, mock witnesses tended to identify suspects who appeared angrier and more criminal-looking than the fillers. This tendency was reduced when the lineup fillers matched the emotional appearance of the suspect. Study 2 extended the results, testing whether the emotional appearance of the suspect and fillers affects recognition memory. Participants (n = 1,983) studied faces and took a lineup test in which the emotional appearance of the target and fillers was varied between subjects. Discrimination accuracy was enhanced when the fillers matched an angry target's emotional appearance. We conclude that lineup member emotional appearance plays a critical role in the psychology of lineup identification. The fillers should match an angry suspect's emotional appearance to improve lineup identification accuracy.

Identifying Predictors of Inpatient Verbal Aggression in a Forensic Psychiatric Setting Using a Tree-based Modeling Approach.

Inpatient violence poses a great risk to the health and well-being of other patients and members of staff. Previous research has shown that prevalence rates of violent behavior are particularly high in forensic psychiatric settings. Thus, the reliable identification of forensic inpatients who are particularly at risk for violent behavior is an important aspect of risk management. In the present study, we analyzed clinicians' assessments of N = 504 male and female inpatients of German forensic mental health institutions in order to identify risk factors for verbal institutional violence. Using a tree-based modeling approach, we found the following variables to be predictors of verbal aggression: gender, insight into the illness, number of prior admissions to psychiatric hospitals, and insight into the iniquity of the offence. A high number of prior admissions to psychiatric hospitals seems to be a risk factor for verbal aggression amongst men whereas it showed the opposite effect amongst women. Our results highlight the importance of dynamic risk factors, such as poor insight into the own illness, in the prediction of violent incidents. With regard to future research, we argue for a stronger emphasis on nonparametric models as well as on potential interaction effects of risk and protective factors.

Dimensional Latent Structure of Callous-Unemotional Traits in German Adolescents: Results from Taxometric Analyses.

A large amount of research has addressed the issue of the latent status of psychiatric disorders and related phenomena. We used a new taxometric approach developed by Ruscio to examine the latent status of callous-unemotional (CU) traits in a large representative study of German ninth graders (N = 3,878). Rather than estimating a putative taxon base rate and using that estimate to generate the taxon comparative data, we estimated CCFI profiles with each base rate estimate between 2.5% and 97.5% in increments of 2.5%. Results of different indicator sets clearly suggested a dimensional solution. This finding is consistent with different studies showing the dimensionality of psychopathy in adolescents. In summary, the results of this study point to the need for critical reflection in defining a high-risk-group in the context of CU traits. However, further studies are necessary to substantiate this result in different samples using different measurement approaches.

The Influence of Harsh Parenting and Parental Warmth During Childhood on Later Involvement in Prison Misconduct.

Research has shown that childhood victimization is associated with later involvement in delinquency. Prevalence rates of childhood victimization also tend to be higher among prison inmates compared with the general population. However, it has rarely been examined if childhood experiences-both negative and positive-have an effect on prison misconduct. We analyzed self-report data from more than 4,800 male and female adult prisoners in Germany to examine if childhood experiences of harsh parenting and parental warmth are associated with physical inmate-on-inmate violence. We also assessed the inmates' attitude toward violence and examined if violence approval mediates the relationship between childhood experiences and violent misconduct. The results of the structural equation models show that both harsh parenting and positive, caring parental behavior have a small, but significant effect on violent prison misconduct, which is completely mediated by the inmates' attitude toward violence. Furthermore, the results suggest that the same model holds for both male and female inmates, indicating that childhood victimization is not a gender-responsive need. The strength of the direct association between violence approval and violent misconduct underscores the need to assess the inmates' attitude toward violence to identify those most at risk of engaging in violence during incarceration.

Brief assessment of subjective health complaints: Development, validation and population norms of a brief form of the Giessen Subjective Complaints List (GBB-8).

OBJECTIVE: Although there is no causal relationship to medical morbidity, routine clinical assessment of somatic symptoms aids medical diagnosis and assessment of treatment effectiveness. Regardless of their causes, somatic symptoms indicate suffering, distress, and help-seeking behavior. The aim of the present study was to develop and validate a brief self-report questionnaire to assess somatic symptom strain. METHODS: A brief form of the Giessen Subjective Complaints List (GBB-8) was developed and validated in a large population sample representative of the Federal Republic of Germany (N=2008). Psychometric analyses included confirmation of factor structure, classical item analysis, and measurement invariance tests. The sample furthermore served as a norm group. As indicators of construct validity, correlations with measures of anxiety, depression, alexithymia, and primary care contact were computed. RESULTS: Psychometric analyses yielded excellent scale properties regarding item characteristics, factor structure, and measurement invariance tests (Cronbach's alpha=0.88; CFI=0.980, TLI=0.965, RMSEA=0.049) for the second-order four-factor model; strict invariance was confirmed for gender, depression status, and physician contacts; strong invariance was confirmed regarding age and age×gender. CONCLUSIONS: The GBB-8 with its four subscales exhaustion, gastrointestinal complaints, musculoskeletal complaints, and cardiovascular complaints proves to be an economic measure of subjective symptom strain. Psychometric analyses deem it suitable for epidemiological research. The availability of norms makes it a potential everyday tool for general practitioners and psychosomatic clinics.

Rationalising predictors of child sexual exploitation and sex-trading.

Although there is evidence for specific risk factors leading to child sexual exploitation and prostitution, these influences overlap and have rarely been examined concurrently. The present study examined case files for 175 young persons who attended a voluntary organization in Leicester, United Kingdom, which supports people who are sexually exploited or at risk of sexual exploitation. Based on the case files, the presence or absence of known risk factors for becoming a sex worker was coded. Data were analyzed using t-test, logistic regression, and smallest space analysis. Users of the voluntary organization's services who had been sexually exploited exhibited a significantly greater number of risk factors than service users who had not been victims of sexual exploitation. The logistic regression produced a significant model fit. However, of the 14 potential predictors--many of which were associated with each other--only four variables significantly predicted actual sexual exploitation: running away, poverty, drug and/or alcohol use, and having friends or family members in prostitution. Surprisingly, running away was found to significantly decrease the odds of becoming involved in sexual exploitation. Smallest space analysis of the data revealed 5 clusters of risk factors. Two of the clusters, which reflected a desperation and need construct and immature or out-of-control lifestyles, were significantly associated with sexual exploitation. Our research suggests that some risk factors (e.g. physical and emotional abuse, early delinquency, and homelessness) for becoming involved in sexual exploitation are common but are part of the problematic milieu of the individuals affected and not directly associated with sex trading itself. Our results also indicate that it is important to engage with the families and associates of young persons at risk of becoming (or remaining) a sex worker if one wants to reduce the numbers of persons who engage in this activity.