Big Five Personality Traits, Pathological Personality Traits, and Psychological Dysregulation: Predicting Aggression and Antisocial Behaviors in Detained Adolescents

This study tested the utility of three different models of personality, namely the social and personality model, the pathological personality traits model, and the psychological dysregulation model, in predicting overt aggression, relational aggression, and delinquency in a sample of detained boys (ages 12 to 18; M age = 15.31; SD = 1.16). Results indicated that the three personality approaches demonstrated different unique associations with aggression and delinquency. The psychological dysregulation approach, composed of behavioral dysregulation, emotional dysregulation, and cognitive dysregulation, emerged as the overall best predictor of overt aggression, relational aggression, and delinquency. After controlling for the Big Five personality traits, psychological dysregulation accounted for significant variance in overt aggression and delinquency, but not relational aggression. After controlling for callous-unemotional traits and narcissistic traits, psychological dysregulation also accounted for significant variance in overt aggression, relational aggression, and delinquency. Psychological dysregulation did not account for significant variance in aggression or delinquency after controlling for borderline traits. The pathological personality traits approach, comprised of callous-unemotional traits, narcissistic traits, and borderline traits performed second best. In particular, within this approach borderline traits accounted for the most unique variance, followed by narcissistic traits, then callous-unemotional traits. Borderline traits accounted for significant variance in overt aggression, relational aggression, and delinquency when controlling for the Big Five traits, but not after controlling for psychological dysregulation. Narcissistic traits only accounted for significant variance in overt aggression and relational aggression after controlling for the Big Five personality traits, but not after controlling for psychological dysregulation. CU traits only accounted for significant variance in overt aggression after controlling for the Big Five personality traits, but not after controlling for psychological dysregulation. The social and personality model, represented by the Big Five personality traits accounted for the least amount of variance in the prediction of aggression and delinquency, on its own, and when pitted against the other two personality approaches. The exception was that the Big Five personality traits accounted for significant variance in relational aggression beyond narcissistic traits, as well as psychological dysregulation. These findings have implications for assessment and intervention with aggressive and antisocial youth

Big Five Personality Traits, Pathological Personality Traits, and Psychological Dysregulation: Predicting Aggression and Antisocial Behaviors in Detained Adolescents

This study tested the utility of three different models of personality, namely the social and personality model, the pathological personality traits model, and the psychological dysregulation model, in predicting overt aggression, relational aggression, and delinquency in a sample of detained boys (ages 12 to 18; M age = 15.31; SD = 1.16). Results indicated that the three personality approaches demonstrated different unique associations with aggression and delinquency. The psychological dysregulation approach, composed of behavioral dysregulation, emotional dysregulation, and cognitive dysregulation, emerged as the overall best predictor of overt aggression, relational aggression, and delinquency. After controlling for the Big Five personality traits, psychological dysregulation accounted for significant variance in overt aggression and delinquency, but not relational aggression. After controlling for callous-unemotional traits and narcissistic traits, psychological dysregulation also accounted for significant variance in overt aggression, relational aggression, and delinquency. Psychological dysregulation did not account for significant variance in aggression or delinquency after controlling for borderline traits. The pathological personality traits approach, comprised of callous-unemotional traits, narcissistic traits, and borderline traits performed second best. In particular, within this approach borderline traits accounted for the most unique variance, followed by narcissistic traits, then callous-unemotional traits. Borderline traits accounted for significant variance in overt aggression, relational aggression, and delinquency when controlling for the Big Five traits, but not after controlling for psychological dysregulation. Narcissistic traits only accounted for significant variance in overt aggression and relational aggression after controlling for the Big Five personality traits, but not after controlling for psychological dysregulation. CU traits only accounted for significant variance in overt aggression after controlling for the Big Five personality traits, but not after controlling for psychological dysregulation. The social and personality model, represented by the Big Five personality traits accounted for the least amount of variance in the prediction of aggression and delinquency, on its own, and when pitted against the other two personality approaches. The exception was that the Big Five personality traits accounted for significant variance in relational aggression beyond narcissistic traits, as well as psychological dysregulation. These findings have implications for assessment and intervention with aggressive and antisocial youth

Exploring Narcissism, Psychopathy, and Machiavellianism in Youth: An Examination of Associations with Antisocial Behavior and Aggression

This study sought to explore the differential associations of CU traits, narcissistic traits, and Machiavellian traits with overt aggression, relational aggression, delinquency, behavioral dysregulation, and emotional dysregulation in a community sample of boys and girls (ages 11-17). Results indicated that the three personality traits were significantly correlated with each other, yet distinct. CU traits, narcissistic traits, and Machiavellian traits demonstrated different unique associations with behavior problems. Specifically, narcissistic traits showed the strongest unique associations with overt aggression, relational aggression, behavioral dysregulation, and emotional dysregulation. CU traits showed the second strongest unique associations with overt aggression, delinquency and behavioral dysregulation, but were not associated with relational aggression or emotional dysregulation. Lastly, Machiavellian traits showed a strong unique association with emotional dysregulation, but were not uniquely associated with externalizing behavior problems. These findings have implications for intervention with aggressive and antisocial youth

Detained Adolescents: Mental Health Needs, Treatment Use, and Recidivism

Objective: Although approximately 60%-70% of detained adolescents meet criteria for a mental disorder, few receive treatment upon community reentry. Given that mental health treatment can potentially reduce recidivism, the study examined detained adolescents’ mental health needs and their post-detention mental health treatment and recidivism. Method: Altogether, 1574 adolescents (<18 years) completed a mental health screener at a detention center. Scores on the screener, mental health treatment utilization (60-days post-detention), and recidivism (6-months post-detention) were measured. Results: About 82.2% of adolescents earned elevated scores on the mental health screener, but only 16.4% utilized treatment and 37.2% recidivated. Logistic regression models revealed adolescents with insurance and higher Angry-Irritable scores were significantly more likely to obtain treatment, whereas males, Black adolescents, older adolescents, and adolescents endorsing a trauma history were less likely. Black adolescents, insured adolescents, and adolescents with higher Alcohol/Drug Use scores were significantly more likely to recidivate. Mental health treatment increased the likelihood of recidivism. Discussion: The prevalence of mental health needs among DAs was high, but treatment utilization was low, with notable treatment disparities across race, gender, and age. The use of mental health treatment predicted recidivism, suggesting treatment may act as a proxy measure of mental health problems. Future research should assess the impact of timely and continuous mental health services on recidivism

Motivating compliance: Juvenile probation officer strategies and skills

Juvenile probation officers aim to improve youth compliance with probation conditions, but questions remain about how officers motivate youth. The study’s purpose was to determine which officer-reported probation strategies (client-centered vs. confrontational) were associated with their use of evidence-based motivational interviewing skills. Officers (N = 221) from 18 Indiana counties demonstrated motivational interviewing skills by responding to scenarios depicting issues common to youth probationers. Results of a hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that, while officer endorsement of client-centered strategies was not associated with differential use of motivational interviewing skills, officers endorsing confrontational strategies were less likely to demonstrate motivational interviewing skills

Mortality of Youth Offenders Along a Continuum of Justice System Involvement

Introduction Black male youth are at high risk of homicide and criminal justice involvement. This study aimed to determine how early mortality among youth offenders varies based on race; gender; and the continuum of justice system involvement: arrest, detention, incarceration, and transfer to adult courts. Methods Criminal and death records of 49,479 youth offenders (ages 10–18 years at first arrest) in Marion County, Indiana, from January 1, 1999, to December 31, 2011, were examined. Statistical analyses were completed in November 2014. Results From 1999 to 2011 (aggregate exposure, 386,709 person-years), 518 youth offender deaths occurred. The most common cause of death was homicide (48.2%). The mortality rate of youth offenders was nearly 1.5 times greater than that among community youth (standardized mortality ratio, 1.48). The youth offender mortality rate varied depending on the severity of justice system involvement. Arrested youth had the lowest rate of mortality (90/100,000), followed by detained youth (165/100,000); incarcerated youth (216/100,000); and youth transferred to adult court (313/100,000). A proportional hazards model demonstrated that older age, male gender, and more severe justice system involvement 5 years post-arrest predicted shorter time to mortality. Conclusions Youth offenders face greater risk for early death than community youth. Among these, black male youth face higher risk of early mortality than their white male counterparts. However, regardless of race/ethnicity, mortality rates for youth offenders increase as youth involvement in the justice system becomes more protracted and severe. Thus, justice system involvement is a significant factor to target for intervention

Examining the Influence of Ethnic/Racial Socialization on Aggressive Behaviors Among Juvenile Offenders

Risk assessment instruments are commonly used within the juvenile justice system to estimate a juvenile's likelihood of reoffending or engaging in aggressive or violent behavior. Although such instruments assess a broad range of factors, the influence of culture is often excluded. The current study examines the unique effect of ethnic/racial socialization on recent aggressive behaviors above and beyond three well-established risk and protective factors: delinquency history, moral disengagement, and social support. Participants were 95 juveniles who were either on probation or in detention centers in three Midwestern counties and who completed structured surveys related to personal experiences within and outside of the juvenile justice system. The findings provided partial support for our hypotheses: Consistent with previous findings, delinquency history and moral disengagement were significant predictors of recent aggressive behavior. Furthermore, when ethnic/racial socialization was added to the model, promotion of mistrust provided additional predictive validity for aggressive behavior above and beyond the other factors assessed. Based on these findings, the inclusion of education on culture may prove to be an important supplement to established intervention tools for juvenile offenders

MsFLASH Participants’ Priorities for Alleviating Menopausal Symptoms

Objective To describe self-reported menopausal symptom priorities and their association with demographics and other symptoms among participants in an intervention trial for vasomotor symptoms (VMS). Methods Cross-sectional study embedded in the MsFLASH 02 trial, a three-by-two factorial design of yoga vs. exercise vs. usual activity and omega-3-fatty acid vs. placebo. At baseline, women (n = 354) completed hot flush diaries, a card sort task to prioritize symptoms they would most like to alleviate, and standardized questionnaires. Results The most common symptom priorities were: VMS (n = 322), sleep (n = 191), concentration (n = 140), and fatigue (n = 116). In multivariate models, women who chose VMS as their top priority symptom (n = 210) reported significantly greater VMS severity (p = 0.004) and never smoking (p = 0.012), and women who chose sleep as their top priority symptom (n = 100) were more educated (p ≤ 0.001) and had worse sleep quality (p < 0.001). ROC curves identified sleep scale scores that were highly predictive of ranking sleep as a top priority symptom. Conclusions Among women entering an intervention trial for VMS and with relatively low prevalence of depression and anxiety, VMS was the priority symptom for treatment. A card sort may be a valid tool for quickly assessing symptom priorities in clinical practice and research

Female Sexual Function Index Short Version: A MsFLASH Item Response Analysis

The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) is a psychometrically sound and popular 19-item self-report measure, but its length may preclude its use in studies with multiple outcome measures, especially when sexual function is not a primary endpoint. Only one attempt has been made to create a shorter scale, resulting in the Italian FSFI-6, later translated into Spanish and Korean without further psychometric analysis. Our study evaluated whether a subset of items on the 19-item English-language FSFI would perform as well as the full-length FSFI in peri- and post-menopausal women. We used baseline data from 898 peri- and post-menopausal women recruited from multiple communities, ages 42–62 years, and enrolled in randomized controlled trials for vasomotor symptom management. Goals were to (1) create a psychometrically sound, shorter version of the FSFI for use in peri- and post-menopausal women as a continuous measure and (2) compare it to the Italian FSFI-6. Results indicated that a 9-item scale provided more information than the FSFI-6 across a spectrum of sexual functioning, was able to capture sample variability, and showed sufficient range without floor or ceiling effects. All but one of the items from the Italian 6-item version were included in the 9-item version. Most omitted FSFI items focused on frequency of events or experiences. When assessment of sexual function is a secondary endpoint and subject burden related to questionnaire length is a priority, the 9-item FSFI may provide important information about sexual function in English-speaking peri- and post-menopausal women

Cardiovascular Risk Factors Are Associated With Future Cancer

BACKGROUND The extent to which co-occurrence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer is due to shared risk factors or other mechanisms is unknown. OBJECTIVES This study investigated the association of standard CVD risk factors, CVD biomarkers, pre-existing CVD, and ideal cardiovascular (CV) health metrics with the development of future cancer. METHODS This study prospectively followed Framingham Heart Study and PREVEND (Prevention of Renal and Vascular End-Stage Disease) study participants free of cancer at baseline and ascertained histology-proven cancer. This study assessed the association of baseline CV risk factors, 10-year atherosclerotic (ASCVD) risk score, established CVD biomarkers, prevalent CVD, and the American Heart Association (AHA) Life's Simple 7 CV health score with incident cancer using multivariable Cox models. Analyses of interim CVD events with incident cancer used time-dependent covariates. RESULTS Among 20,305 participants (mean age 50 +/- 14 years; 54% women), 2,548 incident cancer cases occurred over a median follow-up of 15.0 years (quartile 1 to 3: 13.3 to 15.0 years). Traditional CVD risk factors, including age, sex, and smoking status, were independently associated with cancer (p < 0.001 for all). Estimated 10-year ASCVD risk was also associated with future cancer (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.16 per 5% increase in risk; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14 to 1.17; p < 0.001). The study found that natriuretic peptides (tertile 3 vs. tertite 1; HR: 1.40; 95% 0:1.03 to 1.91; p 0.035) were associated with incident cancer but not high-sensitivity troponin (p 0.47). Prevalent CVD and the development of interim CV events were not associated with higher risk of subsequent cancer. However, ideal CV health was associated with tower future cancer risk (HR: 0.95 per 1-point increase in the AHA health score; 95% CI: 0.92 to 0.99; p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS CVD risk, as captured by traditional CVD risk factors, 10-year ASCVD risk score, and natriuretic peptide concentrations are associated with increased risk of future cancer. Conversely, a heart healthy lifestyle is associated with a lower risk of future cancer. These data suggest that the association between CVD and future cancer is attributable to shared risk factors. (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier on behalf of the American College of Cardiology Foundation