Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde : Abuse of potent benzodiazepines, exemplified by flunitrazepam, in mentally disordered male offenders

Flunitrazepam (FZ) is an example of a sedative-hypnotic benzodiazepine whose pharmacokinetic properties include a rapid onset of action and an intermediate duration of action. It has a high affinity to central benzodiazepine receptors and affects them profoundly. These properties, and its profile of activity, increase the probability of abuse by those who have access to it. Known side effects of FZ are abuse and amnesia. FZ is widely abused and it has become a drug of choice among opioid abusers, as a club drug, and as a classic "date-rape" drug. FZ is often involved in fatal intoxication. It is therefore expected that FZ abuse is common in serious offenders. 1 have studied the reasons for FZ abuse and mapped the prevalence of the abuse, with the objective of studying the personalities and the background factors of the abusers, and of drawing some conclusions about assessment procedures of FZ abuse and the position of FZ in society. The participants in the studies summarised here were fifty-six juvenile delinquents from Swedish youth correctional institutions, aged 14-20 years, and sixty non-psychotic male offenders referred for a forensic psychiatric evaluation (FPE), aged 16-35 years. The participants answered questions regarding their abuse, and this enabled us to understand why they abused just FZ (and not another substance). The participants also completed a number of self-reported inventories, which enabled us to obtain measures of personality traits. They were also rated for psychopathy. Five forensic psychiatric cases of FZ abusers were studied in more detail. Furthermore, the forensic psychiatric participants' psychiatric diagnoses, and both groups' crime-related measures, were obtained from their files. About 40% of the juvenile delinquents and 30% of the offenders referred for a forensic psychiatric evaluation abused FZ. The main reason for the FZ abuse was to change a perception of reality and to obtain an increased feeling of power and self-esteem, a feeling that everything was possible. Both samples of offenders differed from the normal population in many personality traits, suggesting that the participants possessed a high level of vulnerability for developing mental disorders, but only a few differences in personality traits were found between FZ abusers and non-FZ abusers. The juvenile delinquent FZ abusers had higher scores than non-FZ abusers in the verbal aggression and sensationseeking boredom susceptibility scales. In the juvenile sample, FZ abuse was associated with the abuse of amphetamines and/or cocaine, cannabis, and opiates, and with childhood psychological/psychiatrical contact, with living in a metropolitan housing area, and with recidivism into crimes leading to care in a juvenile correctional institution. In this sample, FZ abuse was also associated with weapons offences and narcotics-related crimes. In the forensic psychiatric sample, FZ abuse was significantly associated with previous admission to an FPE, and convictions for robbery, for weapons-related offences, for narcoticsrelated offences and for theft. The results show that FZ is more common in offenders who score high on Facet 4 (Antisocial) in the Hare psychopathy model, and that FZ abuse has high correlation with Item 20 (Criminal versatility). All of the FZ abusers reported side effects from FZ that resulted in the brutality of their violent acts and anterograde amnesia. FZ abusers, when intoxicated with FZ, had a reduced capacity for both empathy and anticipatory anxiety, in contrast to their "daily" behaviour and "ordinary" (i.e., without the influence of the FZ) personality characteristics. They were not characterised by classic characteristics of psychopathy, such as lack of empathy. This may indicate that FZ induces psychopathiclike statedependant (FZ intoxication) traits, and temporary dissociate states ("Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde"?). In conclusion, FZ abuse is common in the population of young offenders with mental disorders, and FZ is often used for nonmedical purposes. The practical implications of these conclusions are that clinicians and those who develop or manage therapeutic programs should be aware of FZ abuse when choosing the most effective treatment for male offenders. General practitioners who prescribe potent sedative compounds should be aware of their possible adverse effects. The availability of FZ should be limited further, because FZ is frequently abused in vulnerable male offenders, and because FZ has serious adverse mental health-related effects and is related to robbery and weapons-related crimes

Positive affectivity and the relationship between venturesomeness, impulsiveness and self-efficacy

Background: Recent research has demonstrated a relationship between personality, affectivity and performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effect of basic and general positive affectivity on personality traits (venturesomeness and impulsiveness) and self- -efficacy. Methods: The correlational design was used. 175 students filled in the Impulsiveness – Venturesomeness – Empathy Inventory (Eysenck et al., 1985), PANAS (Watson, Clark, 1994 – basic and general positive affectivity) and General Self-Efficacy, GESE (Schwarzer et al., 2008). Findings: Impulsiveness did not matter to the strength of self-efficacy, and was independent of positive affectivity. The results obtained indicated a significant mediating effect of basic positive affectivity, self-assurance and joviality, on the link between venturesomeness and general self-efficacy, and a direct impact of general positive affectivity on self-efficacy.Udostępnienie publikacji Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego finansowane w ramach projektu „Doskonałość naukowa kluczem do doskonałości kształcenia”. Projekt realizowany jest ze środków Europejskiego Funduszu Społecznego w ramach Programu Operacyjnego Wiedza Edukacja Rozwój; nr umowy: POWER.03.05.00-00-Z092/17-00

Relationship between emotional intelligence, personality and work performance : A cross-sectional study

The background of this study is the observation that people with high emotional intelligence (EI) perform well at work. The aim of this study was to further validate the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short Form (TEIQue-SF) by (1) investigating its relationships with the Mini International Personality Item Pool-6 Inventory (Mini-IPIP6), the Short Dark Triad Assessment (SD3), and the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ), (2) identifying which personality traits best explain variations in trait EI, and (3) investigating whether trait EI can predict variations in each dimension (Task Performance, Contextual Performance, and Counterproductive Work Behavior, CWB) of self-perceived work performance. A cross-sectional study was done with 228 Swedish participants (M = 34 years, SD = 12.6, range 16-71 years, 66% women) with an average work experience of 14 years (SD = 11.5). One expected result was that all dimensions of trait EI correlated negatively with Neuroticism and Machiavellianism, and positively with Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Openness to Experience, and Narcissism. Self-control and Sociability had, however, almost zero correlation with Machiavellianism. A positive correlation was found between all dimensions of EI and Task Performance and Contextual Performance. Standard regression analyses showed that 26% to 46% of the variation in the different dimensions of EI was explained by the “Big Six” personality traits. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that trait EI accounted for a significant proportion of the variation in Contextual Performance that was not explained by any of the “Big Six” personality traits, and that trait EI did not explain any variation in CWB above Neuroticism and Honesty-Humility. In addition, trait EI explained an additional 6% of the variation in Task Performance when controlling for gender, age, Neuroticism and Conscientiousness. It is concluded that the Swedish version of the TEIQue-SF has shown reasonable theoretically and empirically grounded relationships with relevant variables for the workplace.Emotional IntelligenceWork Performanc

Conceptualizing the Structure of FFM Personality Disorders with Empathy

The new section III in DSM-5 suggests pathological personality traits and impairments in personality functioning such as empathy to be used for identifying personality disorders (PDs). Previous research has also theoretically and empirically advocated that psychopathology is related to the general Five Factor Model (FFM) of personality traits. The objective of the present study was to investigate the hierarchical structure of the 10 DSM PD categories using the FFM count technique (Miller et al., 2008), and to conceptualize PDs with empathy dimensions. We measured PDs and 4 dimensions of empathy (emphatic concern, perspective-taking, fantasy, and distress) in a medium-sized community sample. The results showed that higher order factors such as externalizing and internalizing could be applied to PDs based on FFM scores. PD could furthermore be conceptualized using two of the empathy dimensions, low emphatic concern and high distress, and specific PD categories could be conceptualized by using distinct dimensions of empathy (e.g., histrionic PD with high fantasy, or dependent PD with high distress). The discussion concludes that PDs based on self-reported FFM show conceptual validity, and that the presence of symptoms of PDs potentially may be screened in the community population by using empathy measures.  

Exploring the Relationship Between Honesty-Humility, the Big Five, and Liberal Values in Swedish Students

Previous research on the Five-Factor model (Big Five) reports a relationship between personality traits and liberal values, and the trait  Agreeableness has demonstrated the strongest relationship. The HEXACO model offers a complement to the Five-factor model with an additional sixth trait of Honesty-Humility. Previous research on the Honesty-Humility trait has reported mixed results with liberal values, and this study set out to resolve this. The work presented here explored the relationship between the Honesty-Humility trait on facet-level (Sincerity, Fairness, Greed-avoidance and Modesty) and liberal values (equality for women, minorities, and socio-economical groups). Data from Swedish students (N = 202), known for their individualistic and liberal mindset, were sampled. There was an overall positive correlation between Honesty-Humility and the strength of liberal values (r = .36), and Honesty-Humility predicted liberal values beyond Agreeableness. We discuss these results in terms of the significance of traits and values in a culture that promotes both individualism and equality

Leadership Intelligence Before and After Participation in UGL Leadership Training

The aim of this study was to examine whether there was a difference in three types of leadership intelligence (spiritual intelligence, emotional intelligence, and rational intelligence) before and after participation in a specific leadership training course. Leadership intelligence was assessed with the aid of the Leadership Intelligence Questionnaire (LIQ; Dåderman, Ronthy, Ekegren, & Mårdberg, 2013). The study included 125 participants (M = 38 years, SD = 8), 82 of whom were women. The participants achieved significantly higher mean scores in the three types of leadership intelligence after participation in leadership training, than their mean scores before the training. This professional development program may have contributed to the increase in leaders’ mean scores in leadership intelligence, hopefully leading to a higher quality of leadership

An item response theory analysis of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short-Form (TEIQue-SF) in the workplace

Trait emotional intelligence (EI) predicts important outcomes in the workplace. This study is the first one that reports item and scale functioning in the workplace using item response theory (IRT) analysis of the global 30-item Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short-Form (TEIQue-SF). Past IRT research, performed mostly on undergraduate English-speaking students, showed that several items in TEIQue-SF were poorly informative. Data collected in Sweden from 972 employed persons were analyzed. IRT with a graded response model was utilized to analyze items of the global TEIQue-SF scale. As was found in past research, the lowest response category in all items had extreme difficulty threshold parameter values, and only low and moderate levels of latent trait EI were adequately captured, but most items had good values of the discrimination parameters, indicating adequate item informativeness. Four items, which in past research have also shown weak psychometric properties, were poorly informative. To effectively measure trait EI in today’s organizations, there is an advantage in using the most informative items to best represent this construct.The study was supported by Kommunakademin Väst Fyrbodal (Community College West), and by a research environment at University West LINA (Learning In and For the New Working Life).The data collection among managers was performed 2017–2018 within the project “Det medmänskliga ledarskapet” [Human/Charitable Leadership], KAV project no 100127, and the preparation of this article was performed within the project “Emotionell intelligens för ett hållbart arbetsliv i förändring“ [Emotional intelligence for a sustainable working life in transition], LINA project no 100314. We thank Susanna Fred, Angela Hallberg, Annica Hjalmarsson, Anna Kling, Melina Läckberg, Sandra Skoog, and Melanie Toresson for sharing their data from their validation studies on the TEIQue-SF; anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments; Åke Hellström for performing the MAP test, valuable comments on the initial analyses, reading of the final version of the manuscript, and giving valuable comments; and the participants for answering our questions.</p

Psychometric properties of the Bern illegitimate tasks scale using classical test and item response theories

Abstract Combining a classical test theory and an item response theory (IRT), this study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Bern Illegitimate Tasks Scale (BITS) by measuring two conceptually separate dimensions capturing unnecessary tasks (perceived by employees as pointless) and unreasonable tasks (perceived as unfairly or inappropriately assigned). Data collected among Polish employees in two samples (N = 965 and N = 803) were analysed. Results from the classical test theory (parallel analysis, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses) indicated two correlated factors with four items each, confirming the theory of illegitimate tasks. This study is the first to report item and scale functioning using IRT analysis of each of the two dimensions of BITS. All items on each dimension had acceptable discrimination and difficulty parameters. Moreover, items had measurement invariance between men and women. All levels of unnecessary and unreasonable tasks were reliably captured by BITS items. Convergent and discriminant validities of both dimensions of BITS were confirmed in relation to work overload, work performance and occupational wellbeing. We conclude that BITS, in the case of the Polish version, is psychometrically suitable to use with the working population

Workplace bullies, not their victims, score high on the Dark Triad and Extraversion, and low on Agreeableness and Honesty-Humility

Most past research has focused mainly on the personality of the victims of bullying and not on the personality of workplace bullies. Some researchers have suggested that bullies and their victims may share bully-typifying personality traits. The aims of this study were to find out what characterizes the personalities of workplace bullies and their victims, and to investigate the relationship between the Dark Triad, HEXACO and workplace bullying. We tested three hypotheses. H1: Machiavellianism and Psychopathy, but not Narcissism, predict the use of bullying tactics (i.e., bullying perpetration). H2: (Low) Honesty-Humility, (low) Agreeableness and (high) Extraversion predict the use of bullying tactics. H3: Honesty-Humility moderates the association between Machiavellianism and the use of bullying tactics. Employees in southwestern Sweden (N = 172; 99 women) across various occupations and organizations were surveyed. Negative Acts Questionnaire-Perpetrators (NAQ-P) and Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R) were used to assess the use of bullying tactics and victimization. NAQ-P was correlated with NAQ-R (r = .27), indicating some overlap between the use of bullying tactics and victimization. NAQ-P was correlated with Machiavellianism (.60), Psychopathy (.58), Narcissism (.54), Agreeableness (-.34), Honesty-Humility (-.29) and Extraversion (.28). The results of linear regressions confirmed H1, but only partially confirmed H2: Machiavellianism, Psychopathy, (low) Agreeableness and (high) Extraversion explained 32%, 25%, 27% and 19%, respectively, of the variation in the NAQ-P. Replicating past research, NAQ-R was correlated with Neuroticism (.27), Extraversion (-.22), Openness (-.19) and Conscientiousness (-.16). Neuroticism explained 25% and (low) Extraversion 17% of the variation in the NAQ-R. Confirming H3, Honesty-Humility moderated the relationship between the NAQ-P and Machiavellianism. We conclude that bullies, but not their victims, are callous, manipulative, extravert and disagreeable, and that dishonest Machiavellians are the biggest bullies of all. In practice, the victims of workplace bullying need strong and supportive leadership to protect them from bullies with exploitative and manipulative personality profiles