Alcohol expectancies mediate and moderate the associations between Big Five personality traits and adolescent alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems

Personality and expectancies are relevant psychological factors for the development of adolescent alcohol use and misuse. The present study examined their direct, mediated and moderated effects on different drinking behaviors in adolescence. Personality domains of the Five-Factor Model, positive and negative alcohol expectancies, alcohol use during the week and the weekend, and alcohol-related problems were assessed in a sample of 361 adolescents. Different personality dimensions were directly associated with specific alcohol outcomes: Extraversion, low Conscientiousness and low Openness were associated with weekend alcohol use; low Agreeableness was related to weekday use; whereas low Agreeableness, low Conscientiousness and Extraversion were associated with alcohol related problems. In addition, positive alcohol expectancies mediated the relationship between Extraversion and alcohol use, whereas both positive and negative expectancies mediated the association between Neuroticism and alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems. Finally, both types of expectancies interacted with Extraversion to predict alcohol problems. Our results highlight the importance of examining the complex interplay of comprehensive personality models and alcohol expectancies to gain a better understanding of the development of different alcohol use and misuse patterns in adolescence

Assessing the five factors of personality in adolescents. the junior version of the Spanish NEO-PI-R

This article presents the development of a Junior version of the Spanish (Castilian) NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (JS NEO) suitable for adolescents aged 12-18 years. The psychometric properties of the new JS NEO were investigated using two samples of 2,733 and 983 adolescents in Spain. The results showed that the adult NEO-PI-R factor structure was replicated with the junior version of the inventory and that the reliabilities of the scales were adequate. The cross-form correlations between the junior and the adult versions of the questionnaires indicated good equivalence indices. Furthermore, a joint factor analysis of the JS NEO and the Big Five Questionnaire-Children (BFQ-C) provided additional evidence for the construct validity of the JS NE

Adaptación para adolescentes de la versión española del NEO PI-R (JS NEO)

Este artículo presenta los primeros datos del desarrollo de la versión española para adolescentes, entre 12 y 17 años, del NEO PI-R (JS NEO). Noventa y dos de los 240 ítems fueron modificados con el fin de adaptar el vocabulario de los mismos a este grupo de edad. Las propiedades psicométricas del JS NEO han sido investigadas en una muestra de 2.505 adolescentes. Los resultados muestran cómo la estructura factorial encontrada con el NEO PI-R para adultos se replica en la versión junior. Las fiabilidades de consistencia interna y estabilidad temporal de las escalas fueron adecuadas en la mayor parte de los casos. Además, la correlación entre las escalas de las versiones para adultos (NEO PI-R) y adolescentes (JS NEO) muestran que la versión para adolescentes presenta una validez de constructo adecuada

Spanish adaptation of the Expectancy Questionnaire (EQ) about alcohol effects in adolescents

Background: Alcohol-related expectancies are especially relevant in relation to alcohol consumption during adolescence. The main aim of this study was to adapt and translate into Spanish (Castilian) the Expectancy Questionnaire (EQ), and to study its psychometric properties in adolescents. Method: The sample was composed of 514 adolescents (57.20% female, mean age = 15.21; SD = .63) who completed the EQ and the alcohol consumption questionnaire AIS-UJI. Results: Confi rmatory factor analysis indicated that an eight-factor model, grouped into two general factors of positive and negative expectancies, had acceptable fi t indices. Cronbach’s alphas ranged from .75 to .96. Finally, the structural equation model showed that positive expectancies were positively related to alcohol use, whereas negative expectancies were negatively related to drinking. Conclusions: Results showed that the Spanish version of the EQ for adolescents is a valid and reliable questionnaire to measure expectancies about alcohol effects

Psychometric properties of Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised (DMQ-R) in Spanish adolescentes

The Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised (DMQ-R; Cooper, 1994) is the most widely used questionnaire to assess drinking motives. This research aimed to adapt and study the validity and reliability of the Spanish DMQ-R and its short form in a sample of adolescents. We assessed 504 drinkers at Time 1 (T1, Mage = 14.15, SD = 0.60, 52.38% female), of whom 238 participated in a 1-year follow-up (T2, Mage = 15.05, SD = 0.54, 58.82% female). They completed the DMQ-R at T1, the alcohol use measure at T1 and T2, and the alcohol-related problems questionnaire at T2. We performed Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFAs) to test the structure validity of the questionnaire, Cronbach's alphas to test the internal consistencies of the scales, and path analyses to test the concurrent and predictive validity of motives on alcohol outcomes. CFA indicated that the short form of the 4-factor model best fitted the data. Cronbach's alphas were .70 or higher. Direct effects of the path analysis showed that social motives cross-sectionally predicted alcohol use, while coping motives prospectively predicted alcohol-related problems. Indirect effects showed that social motives prospectively predicted alcohol use and problems. To conclude, the DMQ-R short form appears to be reliable and valid to assess drinking motives among Spanish adolescents

Versión corta de la adaptación española para adolescentes del NEO-PI-R (JS NEO-S)

Este artículo instrumental presenta los primeros datos sobre el desarrollo de la versión corta de la adaptación española para adolescentes, entre 12 y 18 años, del NEO-PI-R (JS NEO-S). Este cuestionario de 150 ítems evalúa las cinco dimensiones y las treinta facetas del Modelo de los Cinco Factores. Las propiedades psicométricas del JS NEO-S fueron investigadas en una muestra de 2.546 adolescentes. Los resultados replicaron la estructura factorial de la versión extensa (JS NEO). Las fiabilidades de consistencia interna y estabilidad temporal de las escalas, en intervalos de un mes y un año, fueron adecuadas. Además, la correlación entre las escalas de la versión corta para adolescentes y la versión para adultos, NEO-PI-R, indicaban un alto grado de equivalencia entre las dos formas. Asimismo, se estudió la asociación del JS NEO con el BFQ-NA que evalúa los cinco factores a nivel de las dimensiones, ya que no tiene subescalas para las facetas. Las correlaciones entre estos cuestionarios aportaron más evidencia sobre la validez de constructo de JS NEO-SThis instrumental article presents the preliminary data about the development of a short form of the Junior Spanish version, between 12 and 18 years, of the NEO-PI-R (JS NEO-S). This 150-item questionnaire assesses the five broad domains and thirty more specific facets of the Five-Factor Model. The psychometric properties of the JS NEO-S were investigated in a sample of 2,546 adolescents. Results showed that the factor structure of the long version (JS NEO) was replicated with the short form. Internal consistency and temporal stability, after one month and one year, reliabilities of the scales were adequate. Furthermore, the cross-form correlations between the junior short version and the adult NEO PI-R scales indicated a high degree of equivalence between the two forms. In addition, we studied the the association of the JS NEO with the BFQ-NA that assesses the five factors at the dimension level, as it has not got subscales for the facets. The correlations between these questionnaires increased the construct validity of the JS NEO-

Childhood abuse in the etiological continuum underlying psychosis from first-episode psychosis to psychotic experiences

GOAL: The present study aimed to examine the prevalence of child abuse across the continuum of psychosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The sample consisted of 198 individuals divided in three groups: (1) 48 FEP patients, (2) 77 individuals scoring high in Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE), classified as 'High CAPE' group and (3) 73 individuals scoring low, classified as 'Low CAPE' group. Childhood abuse was assessed using self-report instruments. Chi(2) tests and logistic regression models controlling by sex, age and cannabis were used to perform three comparisons: (i) FEP vs. Low CAPE; (ii) FEP vs. High CAPE and (iii) High CAPE vs. Low CAPE. RESULTS: The frequency of individuals exposed to childhood abuse for FEP, High CAPE and Low CAPE groups were 52.1%, 41.6% and 11%, respectively. FEP and High CAPE group presented significantly higher rates of childhood abuse compared to Low CAPE group, however, no significant differences were found between FEP and High CAPE groups regarding the frequency of childhood abuse. CONCLUSION: There is an increasing frequency of childhood abuse from low subclinical psychosis to FEP patients. However, childhood abuse is equally common in FEP and at risk individuals

Psychosis-inducing effects of cannabis are related to both childhood abuse and COMT genotypes.

Evidence suggests that childhood trauma and cannabis use sinergistically impact on psychosis risk, although a non-replication of this environment-environment interaction was recently published. Gene-environment interaction mechanisms may partially account for this discrepancy. The aim of the current study was to test whether the association between childhood abuse, cannabis use and psychotic experiences (PEs) was moderated by the COMT gene. PEs, childhood abuse, cannabis use and COMT Val158Met genotypes were assessed in 533 individuals from the general population. Childhood abuse was shown to have a significant main effect on PEs (B=.08; SE=.04; p=.047). Furthermore, a significant three-way interaction among childhood abuse, cannabis use and the COMT gene was found (B=-.23; SE=.11; p=.006). This indicates that COMT genotypes and cannabis use only influenced PE scores among individuals exposed to childhood abuse. Exposure to childhood abuse and cannabis use increased PE scores in Val carriers. However, in individuals exposed to childhood abuse but who do not use cannabis, PEs increased as a function of the Met allele copies of the COMT gene. Our findings suggest that the psychosis-inducing effects of childhood abuse and cannabis use are moderated by the Val158Met polymorphism of the COMT gene, which supports a gene-environment-environment interaction. Cannabis use after exposure to childhood abuse may have opposite effects on the risk of PEs, depending on the COMT genotypes. Val carriers are vulnerable to the psychosis-inducing effects of cannabis