Cigarette smoking in a student sample: Neurocognitive and clinical correlates

Why do adolescents begin to smoke in the face of profound health risks and aggressive antismoking campaigns? The present study tested predictions based on two theoretical models of tobacco use in young adults: (1) the self-medication model; and (2) the orbitofrontal/disinhibition model. Investigators speculated that a significant number of smokers were self-medicating since nicotine possesses mood-elevating and hedonic properties. The self-medication model predicts that smokers will demonstrate increased rates of psychopathology relative to nonsmokers. Similarly, researchers have suggested that individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) employ nicotine to enhance cognitive function. The ADHD/self-medication model predicts that smokers will perform poorly on tests of executive function and report a greater number of ADHD symptoms. A considerable body of research indicates that tobacco use is associated with several related personality traits including extraversion, impulsivity, risk taking, sensation seeking, novelty seeking, and antisocial personality features. Antisocial behavior and related personality traits as well as tobacco use may reflect, in part, a failure to effectively employ reward and punishment cues to guide behavior. This failure may reflect orbitofrontal dysfunction. The orbitoftontal/disinhibition model predicts that smokers will perform poorly on neurocognitive tasks considered sensitive to orbitofrontal dysfunction and will obtain significantly higher scores on measures of behavioral disinhibition and antisocial personality relative to nonsmokers. To test these predictions, we administered a battery of neuropsychological tests, clinical scales, and personality questionnaires to university student smokers and nonsmokers. Results did not support the self-medication model or the ADHD/self-medication model; however, findings were consistent with the orbitofrontal/disinhibition model. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Validation of Turkish and English versions of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-B

We present normative data for a Turkish translation of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-B (SPQ-B). The SPQ-B is a brief, self-report-screening instrument developed by Raine and Benishay (1995) and is used to evaluate respondents for the presence of schizotypal personality features. We describe the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the Turkish instrument and report intercorrelations among subfactors and total SPQ-B score. For comparison purposes, we present normative data for the SPQ-B (English version) from two studies examining schizotypy among nonclinical student samples in the United States. We report a coefficients and assess the convergent validity of the SPQ-B by examining the relationship between scores on the SPQ-B and performance on two existing measures of schizotypy and schizophrenic-spectrum personality disorders. Central tendency, distribution of scores; factor structure; and intercorrelations in both Turkish and US samples were similar; suggesting that our Turkish translation of the SPQ-B is a culturally valid instrument

Patterns of Axis-II comorbidity in a Turkish OCD sample

Objective: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients frequently present with Axis-II disorders, particularly Cluster C (anxiety spectrum) and Cluster A (schizophrenic spectrum) personality disorders. The present study examined patterns of Axis-II comorbidity in a Turkish OCD sample. In addition, we explored the impact of personality disorder symptoms on OCD-symptom severity and symptom profile

Assessing adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A Turkish version of the current symptoms scale

We report normative data for a Turkish translation of the Current Symptoms Scale (CSS), a screening measure of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The CSS yields 3 scores reflecting diagnostic criteria for: (1) ADHD, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type; (2) ADHD, predominantly inattentive type, and (3) ADHD, combined type. For comparison purposes, we also present normative data from a community sample in the United States. Central tendency, variability, and correlation patterns among Turkish subjects (n = 181) were similar to patterns demonstrated by respondents in the United States (n = 114). Mann-Whitney U tests revealed that the Turkish and US groups did not differ significantly on the subscales assessing inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive symptoms. Both versions demonstrated acceptable levels of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranged from 0.65 to 0.78 for the Turkish version, and from 0.63 to 0.75 for the English version). The Turkish version of the CSS demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability. The test-retest coefficient for the CSS (total score) was 0.82. The inattentive type subscale also showed good test-retest reliability, with r = 0.78. The test-retest coefficient for the hyperactive-impulsive type subscale was appreciably lower, with r = 0.68; albeit, in the acceptable range. Investigators have determined that many adults, initially diagnosed with ADHD as children, continue to demonstrate clinically significant symptoms. Since adult ADHD is associated with a number of comorbid psychiatric conditions and treatment of the underlying attentional, executive, and impulse control difficulties is associated with a reduction in comorbid psychiatric symptoms, the routine screening for adult ADHD in psychiatric and mental health settings may be warranted. Copyright (C) 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel

Neuropsychological function in obsessive-compulsive disorder: effects of comorbid conditions on task performance

Background. - Neuropsychological testing reveals a pattern of impairment among patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) which implicates the orbitofrontal region. Studies of neuropsychological function in OCD differ regarding performance deficits on classical tests of frontal executive function. In some studies, OCD patients did not demonstrate impaired performance on tests of executive function. However, other researchers have documented performance deficits among OCD patients on measures of executive function. Patients with OCD also exhibit performance deficits on tests of visual/spatial memory and verbal memory. Again, in some studies, OCD patients did not demonstrate impaired performance on tests of memory function. How can we account for the conflicting findings? One possibility is that performance deficits on tests of cognitive function are associated with comorbid conditions. In prior work, we observed that OCD patients who did poorly on executive function tasks obtained high scores on a measure of schizotypal personality. A second possibility is that executive function deficits among patients with OCD are associated with comorbid depressive symptoms

Positive and negative schizotypy in a student sample: neurocognitive and clinical correlates

Positive and negative schizotypy may represent discrete factors or dimensions. To determine if distinct neurocognitive profiles are associated with these dimensions or factors, we classified university students on the basis of positive and negative schizotypal symptoms and conducted separate analyses. Following prior work in the neuropsychiatric literature, we predicted that subtle prefrontal deficits would be selectively associated with negative schizotypal personality features in a nonclinical student sample, We also investigated the relationship between positive/negative schizotypy and associated clinical states or personality dimensions including antisocial personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive personality traits, generalized and social anxiety, empathy, and impulsivity. Classification of subjects into positive and negative schizotypy groups revealed distinct neurocognitive and clinical profiles. We observed a positive relation between measures of temporolimbic dysfunction, impulsivity, antisocial behavior, and positive schizotypal phenomena. Negative schizotypy was associated with subtle performance deficits on measures of frontal executive function, increased social anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive phenomena. Findings are consistent with the contention that positive and negative schizotypy represent discrete factors. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

Neurocognitive function in borderline personality disorder

A battery of neuropsychological measures considered sensitive to dysfunction in prefrontal or temporal cortices was administered to patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and healthy controls. BPD patients exhibited striking deficits on measures of nonverbal executive function and nonverbal memory but were unimpaired on tests of alternation learning, response inhibition, divergent thinking, verbal fluency, and verbal working memory. A second study found that university students obtaining high scores on a self-report measure of BPD symptoms exhibited a similar pattern of neuropsychological impairment, although performance deficits were much less pronounced in the student sample. Taken together, these studies suggest that dysfunction of a right hemisphere frontotemporal regions may be associated with borderline personality. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Differences across generations and stability of values in the turbulence of social change in Turkey

This chapter explores culture specific dynamics of intergenerational value transmission and its potential effects on youth self-sufficiency in the Turkish context. Due to rapid socio-economic changes and massive internal migration to urban areas in the last five decades, Turkey is experiencing a major transformation in the family structure, parenting values, and expectations from a young person. We propose that Kagitcibasi’s (2005) family model of “emotional interdependence” characterizing the dominant family system in Turkey as well as in the majority of the developing world provides a comprehensive framework for understanding how intergeneration differences in values would influence the motivation for economic self-sufficiency among youth. Our findings using semi-structured biographical interviews with 3 generations and 10 families from various cities suggest that wide social support system with strong family bonds and placing a high value on education are the common characteristics across generations and parenting styles. Findings suggest emotional interdependence found in families in Turkey allows a blend of authoritative, permissive and overprotective traits to varying degrees. Regardless of the dominant parental trait, higher education and secure jobs are seen as a fundamental path to economic self-sufficiency especially during the economic hardship and social turmoil. Although older generations and families in rural regions focus more on traditional values, such as obedience and appropriate conduct or nurture (“terbiye” in Turkish), and traditional gender roles, younger generations and families in urban areas report higher gender equality and autonomy in a relational family context and. Findings in the chapter suggest that formal and informal education as well as training programs targeting unemployed youth should prioritize self-sufficiency and entrepreneurship and pay special attention to gender equality. Emotional interdependence of families in Turkey, with its strong emphasis on social support and investment in education, might be assistive in these efforts as well