Matt L. Riggs

The Reliability and Validity of the English and Spanish Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD and Normal Behavior Rating Scales in a Preschool Sample: Continuum Measures of Hyperactivity and Inattention

Objective: To evaluate the reliability and validity of the English and Spanish versions of the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD-symptom and Normal-behavior (SWAN) rating scale. Method: Parents of preschoolers completed both a SWAN and the well-established Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) on two separate occasions over a span of 3 months; instruments were in the primary language of the family (English or Spanish). Results: Psychometric properties for the English and Spanish versions of the SWAN were adequate, with high internal consistency and moderate test–retest reliability. Skewness and kurtosis statistics for the SWAN were within the range expected for a normally distributed population. The SWAN also demonstrated adequate convergent and discriminant validity in correlations with the various subscales of the SDQ. Conclusion: Psychometric properties of both the English and Spanish versions of the SWAN indicate that it is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring child attention and hyperactivity. The stability of ratings over time in this preschool sample was moderate, which may reflect the relative instability of these characteristics in preschool children.

The Effect of Prenatal Cocaine Exposure on Neurobehavioral Outcome: A Meta-Analysis

A meta-analysis was performed of the research published from 1985 to 1998 examining the effect of in utero exposure to cocaine on infant neurobehavioral outcome. The initial search for articles to include in the meta-analysis identified 18 studies with potentially meta-analytic variables. Of the studies originally retrieved, 13 failed to meet all of the inclusion criteria and were excluded from the meta-analysis. A total of 14 meta-analyses were performed comparing cocaine-exposed infants to nonexposed infants on NBAS cluster scales at birth and at 3-4 weeks of age. While the meta-analytic combination of studies produced a large enough sample size to drive statistical significance in a small majority of the tests of difference between the cocaine-exposed and nonexposed infants both at birth and soon after, the magnitude of all effects was small. The largest reliable differences appeared for the motor performance and abnormal reflexes clusters. Both also demonstrated a slight trend for increasing standard differences from birth to measures obtained at 3-4 weeks. The orientation and autonomic regulation clusters produced small, significant effects at both time periods, but the trend was for reduced effect sizes over time. All other effects appear truly negligible.

Personality and Self-Perceptions of Creativity across Domains

The current study evaluated the structure of a revised (shortened) version of the Creativity Domain Questionnaire (CDQ), examined its relationship with five personality factors, and analyzed potential differences in creativity domains based upon gender and occupational status. One hundred eighty-two students and 60 warehouse employees completed the Revised Creativity Domain Questionnaire (CDQ-R) and the Big Five Factor Markers. Consistent with an exploratory factor analysis of pilot data, a subsequent confirmatory factor analysis of these data supported a four-factor structure for the CDQ-R. Correlations between these four creativity domains and the Big Five personality factors generally were consistent with theoretical expectations. Effects for gender also were consistent with theory. Women perceived themselves as more creative in the Arts general domain while men perceived themselves significantly more creative in Math/Science. There were no effects for occupational status. Creativity takes place in diverse contexts, and we cannot expect the personalities of people who create in different domains to be the same, or to differ in the same ways from comparison subjects. (Helson, 1996, p. 303)

Using Relational Stories to Predict the Trajectory Toward Marital Dissolution: The Oral History Interview and Spousal Feelings of Flooding, Loneliness, and Depression

This study examines the ability of relational history narratives collected through the Oral History Interview (OHI) to predict the trajectory of feeling flooded by a spouses negative emotions, loneliness, depressive symptoms, and marital satisfaction across a three-year period, as the trajectory patterns of these marital factors are associated with divorce. Participants scoring highest on marital bond (a score ascertained from marital storytelling behaviors and representing positive perceptions of ones spouse and relationship) reported the highest levels of satisfaction and lowest levels of loneliness, flooding, and depression over time. There were significant differences between men and women on flooding, but for each of the other outcome variables, the couples with the lowest marital bond scores exhibited different gender patterns than the couples with higher marital bond scores. The identification of these precursors to divorce suggests therapeutic applications for relational history narratives.

Pain experience in children with advanced cancer.

Background: It is important for health care professionals to understand the pain experience in children with advanced cancer. There has been increased attention to this topic, but systematic studies are limited. Objective: To examine pain symptoms and management in children with advanced cancer using child self-report and nurse documentation. Methods: A prospective, longitudinal method was used to collect data from 62 children over a 5-month period. Children were English and Spanish speaking, ages 6 to 17 years, with advanced cancer. Nurses also provided data. Results: Across all interviews, pain was reported 56% of the time by all children. Nurses documented pain only 23% of the time. Children most frequently reported head pain (31%), followed by abdomen, lower back, leg, and feet pain (20% to 30%). Children consistently reported more intense pain compared with nurses. Nonopioids were used more frequently (45%) than opioids (32%), and nurses’ perception of pain intensity was more highly correlated with administration of opioids (r = .72, P < .001). Children who died during their participation in this study received more opioids over time. Pain intensity was relatively stable over time. Nurses noted ethnicity related differences with higher pain levels for Caucasian children, who received analgesics more frequently. Discussion: The children consistently reported pain. Child self-report and nurse documentation of pain differed, as did pain management among children who died compared with those who did not. Ethnicity differences in the identification and management of pain by nurses begs further study. Overall, nurses were aware of and responsive to pain and pain management.

Childhood sexual abuse severity reconsidered: a factor structure of CSA characteristics.

To address the lack of empirically grounded measures of childhood sexual abuse severity, a survey of self-report items was developed following a thorough review of the childhood sexual abuse literature. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted using data collected from a convenience sample of college students that included 275 females and males with a history of childhood sexual abuse. The solution produced seven factors interpreted as the following: (a) less intrusive forms of childhood sexual abuse (e.g., sexual invitations, kissing), (b) more intrusive forms of childhood sexual abuse (e.g., oral sex, intercourse), (c) humiliation/fear, (d) childhood sexual abuse involving photography, (e) familiarity with the perpetrator, (f) physical force/rape, and (g) active digital penetration. Correlations among these factors further suggested the existence of two relatively independent second-order factors, one based on the levels of physical intrusiveness and the other composed of the psychological/emotional factors. While arguably the most common measurement of severity, physical intrusiveness had little association with critical factors such as humiliation, fear, and association with the perpetrator. Consequently, physical intrusiveness appears to be an inadequate stand-alone measure of childhood sexual abuse severity. These results are proposed to lay the groundwork for an improved, more comprehensive measure of childhood sexual abuse severity.

Gender Variation in Partner Abuse: Findings From a Conservative Christian Denomination

This study examines three areas of intimate partner violence in a conservative Christian denomination, noting gender differences in patterns of abuse among men and women. Specifically investigating patterns of victimization, the study identifies women as targets of intimate terrorism. Women who experienced escalating violence and sexual violence also reported emotional abuse, controlling behaviors, and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that are typical of intimate terrorism. Women who endured potentially lethal violence had the added associated action of calling the police or 911. Although factors that are associated with male victimization also feature controlling behaviors, the control is not associated with PTSD or associated fear behaviors that are typical of intimate terrorism.

REDUCING BIAS IN PERSONNEL SELECTION DECISIONS: POSITIVE EFFECTS OF ATTENTION TO IRRELEVANT INFORMATION

173 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to 4 groups. Group 1 (n = 43) received a description of general objective criteria for the job of police officer. Group 2 (n = 43) received additional information describing variables relevant to the valid prediction of job performance and were instructed to pay attention to those variables. Group 3 (n = 46) received additional information describing those variables not valid for job selection and were instructed to attend to those. Group 4 (n = 41) received the descriptions of and instructions to focus on both relevant and irrelevant variables. All subjects then rated 4 fictitious job applicants on the basis of application materials that were manipulated in reference to both their relevant/valid qualifications and their irrelevant/stereotypical fit to the job. Analysis indicated that subjects attending to irrelevant information rated applicants more objectively. Assuming these results generalize to cognitive processes that occur among actual personnel managers, findings suggest that training raters to attend to rather than ignore irrelevant information may help reduce bias in personnel selection.

Friendship chemistry: An examination of underlying factors(☆).

Abstract Interpersonal chemistry refers to a connection between two individuals that exists upon first meeting. The goal of the current study is to identify beliefs about the underlying components of friendship chemistry. Individuals respond to an online Friendship Chemistry Questionnaire containing items that are derived from interdependence theory and the friendship formation literature. Participants are randomly divided into two subsamples. A principal axis factor analysis with promax rotation is performed on subsample 1 and produces five factors: reciprocal candor, mutual interest, personableness, similarity, and physical attraction. A confirmatory factor analysis is conducted using subsample 2 and provides support for the 5-factor model. Participants with agreeable, open, and conscientious personalities more commonly report experiencing friendship chemistry, as do those who are female, young, and European/white. Responses from participants who have never experienced chemistry are qualitatively analyzed. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.