Psychology

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    Adolescent Friendships in the Context of Dual Risk: The Roles of Low Adolescent Distress Tolerance and Harsh Parental Response to Adolescent Distress
    (American Psychological Association, 2013-10) Ehrlich, Katherine B.; Cassidy, Jude; Gorka, Stephanie M.; Lejuez, C. W.; Daughters, Stacey B.
    Given extensive evidence about the importance of relationships with friends during development, a large body of research has examined the correlates of these significant social experiences. Most of this research, however, has examined either individual characteristics (e.g., behavior, personality) or contextual factors (e.g., family), and most of the work has studied relationships during childhood. The present study extended previous research by examining how both an individual factor (adolescent distress tolerance) and a contextual factor (parental response to adolescent distress) are linked to adolescents’ friendships. Adolescents (N = 161) completed two behavioral measures of distress tolerance, and parents reported about their responses to adolescent distress. Although distress tolerance and parental responses to distress were not directly associated with adolescents’ positive or negative friendship experiences, for adolescents with low distress tolerance, harsh parental responses were negatively associated with adolescents’ positive friendship quality. Further, for adolescents whose parents used harsh responses to distress, distress tolerance was negatively associated with adolescents’ positive friendship quality. Results highlight the importance of studying both individual and familial factors related to adolescents’ social functioning. (APA PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
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    A Longitudinal Examination of the Relationship between Childhood Emotional Abuse and Anxiety among Youth: Distress Tolerance as a Mediating and Moderating Factor
    (2014) Banducci, Anne Nicole; Lejuez, Carl; MacPherson, Laura; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Background: Anxiety is the most common psychological problem experienced by youth. A number of factors are associated with the emergence of anxiety, including individual and environmental factors. Two such factors include childhood emotional abuse (CEA) and low distress tolerance (DT). The current study aimed to understand how more severe CEA and lower DT impacted anxiety symptoms among community youth. Specifically, we examined low DT both as a moderator and mediator in the relationship between CEA and anxiety. Methods: Participants were two cohorts of community youth. Cohort 1 included 244 youth (54% male, 50% White, 35% Black, 3% Hispanic, 11% mixed/other) with a mean baseline age of 12.01 years (SD = 0.82) assessed annually over five years. Cohort 2 included 109 youth (60% male, 11% White, 79% Black, 10% mixed/other) with a mean baseline age of 10.87 years (SD = 1.28) assessed annually over three years. Measures included the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and Behavioral Indicator of Resiliency to Distress. Results: In cohort 1, more severe CEA was associated with higher anxiety at baseline and with sharper decreases in anxiety over time. Lower DT was associated with higher anxiety at baseline, but did not predict changes in anxiety over time. Distress tolerance significantly moderated the relationship between CEA and anxiety, such that youth with both low DT and more severe CEA had the highest anxiety across all five assessments. Results using data from cohort 2 were not significant. Conclusions: These findings suggest lower DT amplifies the relationship between CEA and anxiety, such that youth with lower DT, who have been abused, are less likely to experience normalization in anxiety symptoms over time compared to youth with higher DT. These findings are in line with diathesis-stress models common to developmental psychopathology.
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    EMOTION REGULATION MEDIATES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ADHD AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN YOUTH
    (2010) Seymour, Karen E.; Chronis-Tuscano, Andrea M.; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    A significant body of longitudinal research suggests increased rates of mood disorders as well as depressive symptoms in youth diagnosed with attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in contrast to non-ADHD comparison youth. Furthermore, individuals with co-occurring ADHD and mood disorders experience more serious impairments and worse outcomes than those with either disorder alone. However, few studies have examined the underlying mechanisms which may better elucidate the relationship between ADHD and depression in youth. The present study examined emotion regulation as a mediator in the relationship between ADHD and depressive symptoms in youth. Moreover, effortful control was examined as a mediator in the relationship between ADHD and emotion regulation. Participants included 69 youth between the ages of 10 and 14 with (n = 37) and without (n = 32) DSM-IV ADHD. Parent and youth ratings of depressive symptoms and emotion regulation were collected, and youth completed computerized measures of effortful control. Results demonstrated significant differences between youth with and without ADHD on depressive symptoms and emotion regulation ability, but not effortful control. Furthermore, emotion regulation fully mediated the relationship between ADHD and depressive symptoms. Clinical implications and limitations are discussed.
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    Biobehavioral Mechanisms Underlying Emotionality in Antisocial Personality Disorder and the Role of Psychopathic Traits
    (2008-07-15) Sargeant, Marsha Nneka; Daughters, Stacey B; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    As one possible mechanism for behaviors associated with Antisocial Personality Disorder, the DSM-IV indicates that individuals with ASPD have low tolerance for frustration. A study investigating the relationship between ASPD and distress tolerance (DT) indicated that ASPD was related to low DT, indexed as low persistence on laboratory stressor tasks. The interpretation of this finding is clouded by the co-occurrence of psychopathy and ASPD. We examined whether psychopathic traits are related to higher DT and low biological stress response in the form of cortisol reactivity to a stressor. Results lent support to the relation of ASPD and psychopathic traits to DT; however, cortisol reactivity was not significantly related to ASPD or psychopathic traits. Nevertheless, discrepant patterns of stress reactivity emerged for individuals with ASPD and high levels of psychopathic traits. These findings suggest unique contributions of ASPD and psychopathic traits to emotionality across behavioral and biological domains.
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    DISTRESS TOLERANCE TREATMENT FOR INNER-CITY DRUG USERS: A PRELIMINARY TRIAL
    (2008-04-15) Bornovalova, Marina Alexa; Lejuez, Carl; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Despite advances in preventing treatment failure, a large percentage of substance-using individuals drop out of treatment. Current work indicates that one's threshold for tolerating psychological distress (i.e., distress tolerance) is a key factor in treatment dropout. Following from this work, we developed a treatment for prevention of treatment drop-out in a residential treatment setting. Specifically 66 individuals who were a) receiving residential substance use treatment and b) evidenced deficits in distress tolerance at a baseline assessment were assigned to receive either the novel treatment (Skills for Improving Distress Intolerance, SIDI), supportive counseling (SC) treatment, or no-treatment control (NTC). We hypothesized that compared to individuals in the SC and NTC, individuals in the SIDI would show greater improvements in levels of distress tolerance, greater improvement on measures theoretically related to distress tolerance (i.e., levels of negative affect, disengagement coping, emotion regulation, self-efficacy in high-risk situations, and self-efficacy of mood regulation), and higher rates of treatment completion. Results indicated that those in SIDI evidenced greater improvement in distress tolerance, compared to SC and NTC. However, there were no significant differences in improvement in the secondary measures, except for affect regulation self-efficacy (approaching significance). It should be noted, however, that the percentage of individuals reaching clinically significant improvement showed that more individuals in SIDI, compared to SC and NTC, reached such improvement. Comparison of 30-day treatment completion showed that there were no dropouts in either SIDI or SC; all dropouts occurred in NTC. When considering dropout throughout the entire residential treatment contract (ranging from 30 to 180 days), the least dropouts occurred in SIDI, followed by SC and NTC (in this order); however, this difference was not significant. The current results suggest that SIDI is effective in increasing distress tolerance in inner-city drug users. Additionally, the variable rates of dropout that were, nevertheless, nonsiginficant suggest a need for larger-scale studies to test the effect of SIDI on dropout.
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    DISTRESS TOLERANCE AS A PREDICTOR OF EARLY TREATMENT DROPOUT IN A RESIDENTIAL SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT FACILITY
    (2005-03-15) Daughters, Stacey Brooke; Lejuez, Carl W; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    A large percentage of individuals entering residential treatment for substance abuse dropout of treatment early, often leading to subsequent relapse. Although a number of studies have investigated the predictors of treatment dropout, the particular characteristics that affect one's ability to cope with the initial stages of treatment and abstinence have not been addressed. As one line of research, the concept of distress tolerance, defined as one's ability to tolerate either psychological or physical distress, has been shown to be related to early lapse in abstinence attempts in illicit drug users, smokers, and gamblers. Although clearly applicable, the relationship between distress tolerance and early treatment dropout has yet to be examined. Thus, in the current study it was hypothesized that levels of distress tolerance would predict whether individuals dropout of treatment within 30 days. Specifically, 122 individuals entering a residential substance abuse treatment facility completed a battery of selfreport measures assessing characteristics previously demonstrating a relationship with residential substance abuse treatment dropout, namely demographic variables, mood variables, levels of psychopathology, substance-use severity, social support, and treatment readiness. Additionally, participants completed behavioral measures of psychological and physical distress tolerance. As hypothesized, logistic regression analyses indicated that psychological distress tolerance predicted early treatment dropout above and beyond relevant self-report variables. There was no relationship between physical distress tolerance and early treatment dropout. Implications for future studies and treatment development/modification are discussed.