College Student Mental Health: An Evaluation of the DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure

© 2018 American Psychological Association. The DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure was developed to aid in clinical decision-making for clients seeking psychiatric services and to facilitate empirical investigation of the dimensional nature of mental health issues. Preliminary evidence supports its utility with clinical samples. However, the brief, yet comprehensive structure of the DSM-5 Level 1 measure may benefit a high-risk population that is less likely to seek treatment. College students have high rates of hazardous substance use and co-occurring mental health symptoms, yet rarely seek treatment. Therefore, the current study evaluated the psychometric properties (i.e., construct and criterion-related validity) of the DSM-5 Level 1 measure with a large, diverse sample of non-treatment-seeking college/university students. Data from 7,217 college students recruited from 10 universities in 10 different states across the United States evidenced psychometric validation of the DSM-5 Level 1 measure. Specifically, we found acceptable internal consistency across multi-item DSM-5 domains and moderate to strong correlations among domains (internal validity). Further, several DSM-5 domains were positively associated with longer, validated measures of the same mental health construct and had similar strengths of associations with substance use outcomes compared to longer measures of the same construct (convergent validity). Finally, all DSM-5 domains were negatively associated with self-esteem and positively associated with other theoretically relevant constructs, such as posttraumatic stress (criterion-related validity). Taken together, the DSM-5 Level 1 measure appears to be a viable tool for evaluating psychopathology in college students. Several opportunities for clinical application and empirical investigation of the DSM-5 Level 1 measure are discussed

The prospective memory deficit theory of compulsive checking

Checking compulsions are the most common manifestation of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), yet the mechanisms which contribute to them are not well understood. According to one prominent theory — the memory deficit theory — individuals’ compulsions to check are fueled by a deficit in memory which makes it difficult for them to remember performing a previous action (e.g., locking a door). The main goal of this dissertation is to examine the link between memory deficits and checking compulsions. This examination in carried out in the context of two domains of memory: retrospective memory and prospective memory. A review of the literature on memory in OCD shows that previous research on the memory deficit theory has focused almost exclusively on the domain of retrospective memory, the ability to remember previously learned information and events. More importantly, the review demonstrates that deficits in this domain of memory are not unique to checkers and therefore do not hold the power to explain the compulsion to check. The review further examines the memory deficit theory in the domain of prospective memory, the ability to remember to carry out actions (e.g., lock a door). It reviews two of the studies presented in the dissertation which demonstrate deficits in sub-clinical checkers’ prospective memory and it provides some supplementary analyses which show that deficits in prospective memory are unique to checkers and therefore may hold the power to explain the compulsion to check. Three empirical studies demonstrating that sub-clinical checking compulsions are associated with subjective and objective deficits in prospective memory comprise the body of the dissertation. Two of the studies show that the link between checking compulsions and objective deficits in prospective memory is direct and independent from elevations in depression, anxiety and distractibility associated with checking compulsions. The results are used as initial support for the theory that checking compulsions may develop in part as a compensatory reaction to deficits in prospective memory. If individuals frequently forget to perform tasks they may develop intrusive doubts about whether they performed important tasks and when the perceived consequences of a failure are serious these doubts may lead to checking.Arts, Faculty ofPsychology, Department ofGraduat

The influence of personality and demands of the environment of prospective memory performance

Prospective memory is memory for recollecting intentions, plans, promises, and agreements. Individuals' performance on tasks requiring prospective memory varies a great deal. We explored whether some of this variability stems from individual differences in personality and demands of the environment. As a secondary objective we explored whether the age-related changes in prospective memory performance that have previously been attributed to declining cognitive resources can also be explained by age-related differences in personality and demands of the environment. Participants were community-dwelling healthy individuals (n = 141) between 18 and 81 years of age. Participants completed three different prospective memory tasks. Two of these tasks were lab-based - the intention had to be executed in the laboratory, while the third was field-based - the intention had to be executed in the context of the participants' daily life and activities. Participants also completed various indicators of personality, demands of the environment, and cognitive ability. The results indicated that personality and demands of the environment reliably predicted who will succeed and who will fail on all three prospective memory tasks. However, the best predictors of performance varied across the three prospective memory tasks. Specifically, conscientiousness predicted performance on the field task and one of the lab tasks while socially prescribed perfectionism and neuroticism each predicted performance on one of the lab tasks. Accordingly, the influence of personality and demands of the environment on the relationship between age and prospective memory performance also varied across the three tasks. On some prospective memory tasks age-related differences in personality and demands of the environment compounded with older adults' declining cognitive resources to impair prospective memory performance while on other tasks they acted as a partial or a complete buffer against these declining cognitive resources.Arts, Faculty ofPsychology, Department ofGraduat

Open to Open? An Exploration of Textbook Preferences and Strategies to Offset Textbook Costs for Online Versus On-Campus Students

As open textbook initiatives are on the rise, a burgeoning literature has begun exploring student perceptions of openly licensed textbooks used in higher education. Most of this research has lacked consideration of potential differences in the perceptions of online and on-campus students and has failed to include a control group of students using traditional textbooks. Therefore, the authors employed a 2 x 2 design to directly compare perceptions of online students with on-campus students assigned either open or traditional textbooks. Students (N = 925) enrolled in multiple sections of psychology courses at a midsized R1 institution completed a survey on their perceptions of their particular book’s format and features, as well as strategies they typically employ to offset the cost of expensive course materials. The results revealed that online and on-campus students report disparate strategies for offsetting the high costs of textbooks, different preferences in textbook formats (print versus digital versus both) when cost is not a factor, and differences in their ratings of the importance of various textbook features. Moreover, the results indicate that the use of open textbooks may increase preference for free digital textbooks over paid printed textbooks. Based on these results, the authors suggest that campuses might consider providing customized support to different student populations as open textbook initiatives gain in popularity on university campuses. Additionally, they suggest that prior exposure to open textbooks may increase students’ willingness to use openly licensed materials in future courses. They recommend future research on this question, using a longitudinal within-subjects designs

Measuring cannabis consumption: Psychometric properties of the Daily Sessions, Frequency, Age of Onset, and Quantity of Cannabis Use Inventory (DFAQ-CU)

We created the Daily Sessions, Frequency, Age of Onset, and Quantity of Cannabis Use Inventory (DFAQ-CU) because the current lack of psychometrically sound inventories for measuring these dimensions of cannabis use has impeded research on the effects of cannabis in humans. A sample of 2,062 cannabis users completed the DFAQ-CU and was used to assess the DFAQ-CU's factor structure and reliability. To assess validity, a subsample of 645 participants completed additional measures of cannabis dependence and problems (Marijuana Smoking History Questionnaire [MSHQ], Timeline Followback [TLFB], Cannabis Abuse Screening Test [CAST], Cannabis Use Disorders Identification Test Revised [CUDIT-R], Cannabis Use Problems Identification Test [CUPIT], and Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test [AUDIT]). A six-factor structure was revealed, with factors measuring: daily sessions, frequency, age of onset, marijuana quantity, cannabis concentrate quantity, and edibles quantity. The factors were reliable, with Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranging from .69 (daily sessions) to .95 (frequency). Results further provided evidence for the factors' convergent (MSHQ, TLFB), predictive (CAST, CUDIT-R, CUPIT), and discriminant validity (AUDIT). The DFAQ-CU is the first psychometrically sound inventory for measuring frequency, age of onset, and quantity of cannabis use. It contains pictures of marijuana to facilitate the measurement of quantity of marijuana used, as well as questions to assess the use of different forms of cannabis (e.g., concentrates, edibles), methods of administering cannabis (e.g., joints, hand pipes, vaporizers), and typical THC levels. As such, the DFAQ-CU should help facilitate research on frequency, quantity, and age of onset of cannabis use

Correlations between the factors of the DFAQ-CU.

<p>Correlations between the factors of the DFAQ-CU.</p

Factors loadings for the 24 core items of the DFAQ-CU.

<p>Factors loadings for the 24 core items of the DFAQ-CU.</p