Normative data and a short form of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale

The accelerator, the brake, and the terrain: associations of reward-related eating, self-regulation, and the home food environment with diet quality during pregnancy and postpartum in the pregnancy eating attributes study (PEAS) cohort

Background

Neurobehavioral factors, including reward-related eating and self-regulation, in conjunction with the food environment, may influence dietary behaviors. However, these constructs have not been examined in pregnancy and postpartum, a time of changing appetite and eating behaviors, and when dietary intake has implications for maternal and child health. This study examined associations of reward-related eating, self-regulation, and the home food environment with pregnancy and postpartum diet quality.

Methods

Participants in the Pregnancy Eating Attributes Study observational cohort were enrolled at ≤12 weeks gestation and followed through one-year postpartum. Pregnancy and postpartum Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-total), and adequacy and moderation scores, respectively, were calculated by pooling 24-h diet recalls administered each trimester and during 2, 6, and 12 months postpartum. Participants completed four measures of reward-related eating – Modified Yale Food Addiction Scale (mYFAS), Power of Food Scale (PFS), Multiple Choice Procedure (MCP), and Reinforcing Value of Food Questionnaire (RVFQ); two measures of self-regulation – Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS) and Delay of Gratification Inventory (DGI); and a Home Food Inventory (HFI), yielding obesogenic (OBES) and fruit/vegetables (FV) scores. Linear regression analyses estimated associations of reward-related eating, self-regulation, and home food environment with diet quality during pregnancy and postpartum, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics.

Results

Pregnancy HEI-total was inversely associated with PFS (β = − 0.14 ± 0.05, p = 0.009), mYFAS(β = − 0.14 ± 0.06, p = 0.02), 2 of the 5 RVFQ indices, MCP (β = − 0.14 ± 0.05, p = 0.01), and DGI food subscale (β = 0.23 ± 0.05, p < 0.001), but associations of postpartum HEI-total with reward-related eating measures and self-regulation were small and not statistically significant. Pregnancy and postpartum HEI-total were associated inversely with HFI-OBES (β = − 0.17 ± 0.06, p = 0.004 and β = − 0.19 ± 0.07, p = 0.006, respectively), and positively with HFI-FV (β = 0.21 ± 0.05, p < 0.001 and β = 0.17 ± 0.06, p = 0.009, respectively).

Conclusions

Associations of poorer diet quality with greater reward-related eating during pregnancy but not postpartum suggests the need to better understand differences in the determinants of eating behaviors and approaches to circumvent or moderate reward-related eating to facilitate more optimal diet quality across this critical period.

Trial registration

Clinicaltrials.gov. URL – Registration ID – NCT02217462. Date of registration – August 13, 2014.

Predicting boundary violation propensity among mental health professionals

Despite its clear importance, there have been very few empirical investigations of boundary violation propensity among mental health professionals. The present study explored the relationships between self-reported propensity for boundary violations and predictors theorized to increase their likelihood. Australian mental health professionals (N = 275) completed an online questionnaire battery including demographics, the Sexual Boundary Violation Index, Boundaries In Practice Scale, Boundary Violations Propensity Questionnaire, Marlow-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, Circumplex of Interpersonal Problems, Brief Inventory of Pathological Narcissism, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale Brief Version, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire, Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire, and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. Regression analysis was used to identify unique predictors. Boundary violation propensity was associated with nurturant interpersonal styles in females and dominant interpersonal styles in males. In regression analysis, unique predictors for male boundary violation propensity were grandiose narcissism, vulnerable narcissism, self-centred interpersonal traits, and low levels of empathic concern. For females, unique predictors were impulsivity, childhood adversity, self-sacrificing interpersonal traits, and vulnerable narcissism. In addition to informing theory about those at risk of perpetrating boundary violations, the identified predictors can inform those involved in selection for training programmes and staff appointments and serve as markers for providing closer supervision.

Pregnant Women Consume a Similar Proportion of Highly vs Minimally Processed Foods in the Absence of Hunger, Leading to Large Differences in Energy Intake

BACKGROUND

The eating in the absence of hunger (EAH) experimental paradigm measures intake of highly palatable, highly processed foods when sated. However, no studies have examined EAH in pregnant women.

OBJECTIVE

The objectives were to investigate whether EAH in pregnant women differs by level of food processing and to examine relationships of EAH with hedonic hunger, addictive-like eating, and impulsivity.

DESIGN

EAH was assessed in a counterbalanced crossover feeding substudy in which participants completed two free-access eating occasions following a standardized meal during their second pregnancy trimester. Hedonic hunger (Power of Food Scale), addictive-like eating (modified Yale Food Addiction Scale), and impulsivity (Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-15) were assessed by self-report during early pregnancy.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Data were collected from March 2015 through September 2016 from a subsample of participants (n = 46) enrolled at ≤12 weeks gestation in an observational, prospective cohort study (the Pregnancy Eating Attributes Study) in North Carolina.

INTERVENTION

Participants were presented with highly processed and minimally processed foods in two separate assessments.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Energy intake (EAH-kcal) and percent consumed (EAH-%) (calculated as 100 × [amount consumed (g) / amount served (g)]) was measured overall and separately for sweet and savory foods.

STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED

Linear mixed models estimated the effect of condition on EAH. Hedonic hunger, addictive-like eating, impulsivity and their interaction were examined separately.

RESULTS

EAH-% was similar across conditions (16.3% ± 1.1% highly processed vs 17.9% ± 1.2% minimally processed; P = 0.76), resulting in 338.5 ± 34.2 kcal greater energy intake in the highly processed vs minimally processed condition (P < 0.001). Hedonic hunger was not significantly associated with EAH; reward-related eating was positively associated with EAH-kcal and EAH-% of savory foods, and Barratt Impulsivity was positively associated with EAH-kcal and EAH-% overall, and with EAH-% of sweet foods (P < 0.05). There was little evidence of an interaction of Barratt Impulsivity with hedonic hunger or reward-related eating.

CONCLUSIONS

EAH in pregnant women occurs for both highly processed and minimally processed foods and correlates positively with self-reported addictive-like eating, but not hedonic hunger. Impulsivity did not modify associations of addictive-like eating with EAH in this sample.

The AGE Effect on Protective Behaviors During the COVID-19 Outbreak: Sociodemographic, Perceptions and Psychological Accounts

COVID-19 outbreak is a sudden and devastating global pandemic in which the control of the spread is highly dependent on individual reactions, until the development of a vaccine and adequate treatments. Considering that older adults are at high risk for COVID-related medical complications and mortality, the present study focuses on the age-related differences on the adoption of protective behaviors during the initial stages of this outbreak, while accounting for the role of sociodemographic, COVID-related, perceived risk, and psychosocial variables (i.e., anxiety, optimism, fear of death, and social isolation) in this relation. The study sample included 1696 participants, aged between 18 and 85 years old, who completed an online survey during the initial stages of the first COVID-19 outbreak in Portugal. Overall, results reveal that the engagement in protective behaviors declines with advancing age and that older adults show a pattern toward lower perceived risk compared with middle-aged adults. Multicategorical mediation analyses show that anxiety, optimism, fear of death, and social isolation significantly mediate age effects on protective behaviors. Specifically, both anxiety and fear of death increase protective behaviors via higher perceived risk in the middle-aged and in the younger groups, respectively. Optimism directly predicts protective behaviors in the middle-aged groups, while social isolation reduces protective behaviors in the younger and older-aged groups. Results are discussed in terms of its implications for public health policies.

Changes in visual attention towards food cues after obesity surgery: An eye-tracking study

Research documented the effectiveness of obesity surgery (OS) for long-term weight loss and improvements in medical and psychosocial sequelae, and general cognitive functioning. However, there is only preliminary evidence for changes in attentional processing of food cues after OS. This study longitudinally investigated visual attention towards food cues from pre- to 1-year post-surgery. Using eye tracking (ET) and a Visual Search Task (VST), attentional processing of food versus non-food cues was assessed in n = 32 patients with OS and n = 31 matched controls without weight-loss treatment at baseline and 1-year follow-up. Associations with experimentally assessed impulsivity and eating disorder psychopathology and the predictive value of changes in visual attention towards food cues for weight loss and eating behaviors were determined. During ET, both groups showed significant gaze duration biases to non-food cues without differences and changes over time. No attentional biases over group and time were found by the VST. Correlations between attentional data and clinical variables were sparse and not robust over time. Changes in visual attention did not predict weight loss and eating disorder psychopathology after OS. The present study provides support for a top-down regulation of visual attention to non-food cues in individuals with severe obesity. No changes in attentional processing of food cues were detected 1-year post-surgery. Further studies are needed with comparable methodology and longer follow-ups to clarify the role of biased visual attention towards food cues for long-term weight outcomes and eating behaviors after OS.

Reward-related eating, self-regulation, and weight change in pregnancy and postpartum: the Pregnancy Eating Attributes Study (PEAS)

Background/Objectives.

Reward-related eating is hypothesized to underlie risk for weight gain in obesogenic environments, but its role is unknown during pregnancy and postpartum when weight change is normative, but excess weight gain and weight retention are common. This study examined associations of self-reported reward-related eating, self-regulation, and the home food environment with excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) and postpartum weight change.

Subjects/Methods.

Participants in the Pregnancy Eating Attributes Study observational cohort were enrolled at ≤12 weeks pregnancy and followed through one-year postpartum (458 recruited; 367 retained through delivery). Participants completed four measures of reward-related eating – Modified Yale Food Addiction Scale, Power of Food Scale, Multiple Choice Procedure, and a Reinforcing Value of Food Questionnaire; two measures of self-regulation – Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and Delay of Gratification Inventory; and a Home Food Inventory. Measured weight and skinfolds were obtained. Multinomial logistic and multiple linear regression analyses estimated associations of reward-related eating, self-regulation, and home food environment with excessive GWG, gestational fat gain, postpartum weight change, and percent of GWG retained.

Results.

Excessive GWG was associated with food reinforcement intensity, but not with any other measure of reward-related eating, self-regulation, or home food environment. Greater gestational fat gain was associated only with higher Multiple Choice Procedure. Postpartum weight change and percent of GWG retained were associated with greater Delay of Gratification and obesogenic home food environment, but not with any measure of reward-related eating or with impulsivity.

Conclusions.

Findings do not support the hypothesis that self-reported reward-related eating is associated with weight outcomes in pregnancy and postpartum but indicate a relation of Delay of Gratification with postpartum weight retention. Further research using both surveys and objective measures of reward-related eating is needed to advance our understanding of the relation of reward-related eating with weight changes during this critical period of a woman’s life.

Correlations between mobile phone addiction and anxiety, depression, impulsivity, and poor sleep quality among college students: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Mobile phone addiction (MPA) is frequently reported to be correlated with anxiety, depression, stress, impulsivity, and sleep quality among college students. However, to date, there is no consensus on the extent to which those factors are correlated with MPA among college students. We thus performed a meta-analysis to quantitatively synthesize the previous findings.

METHODS

A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted by searching PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Wanfang, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), and Chinese Biological Medicine (CBM) databases from inception to August 1, 2020. Pooled Pearson's correlation coefficients between MPA and anxiety, depression, impulsivity, and sleep quality were calculated by R software using random effects model.

RESULTS

Forty studies involving a total of 33, 650 college students were identified. Weak-to-moderate positive correlations were found between MPA and anxiety, depression, impulsivity and sleep quality (anxiety: summary r = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.34-0.45, P < 0.001, I2 = 84.9%; depression: summary r = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.32-0.40, P < 0.001, I2 = 84.2%; impulsivity: summary r = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.28-0.47, P < 0.001, I2 = 94.7%; sleep quality: summary r = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.22-0.33, P < 0.001, I2 = 85.6%). The pooled correlations revealed some discrepancies when stratified by some moderators. The robustness of our findings was further confirmed by sensitivity analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

The current meta-analysis provided solid evidence that MPA was positively correlated with anxiety, depression, impulsivity, and sleep quality. This indicated that college students with MPA were more likely to develop high levels of anxiety, depression, and impulsivity and suffer from poor sleep quality. More studies, especially large prospective studies, are warranted to verify our findings.

Effect of the mobile phone-related background on inhibitory control of problematic mobile phone use: An event-related potentials study

The present study aims to provide electrophysiological evidence for deficient inhibitory control in problematic mobile phone use and to investigate whether reduced inhibition is more pronounced during exposure to a mobile phone related background cue. A screen scale of smartphone addiction was completed by 227 college students, and finally an experimental group and a control group consisting of 20 problematic mobile phone users and 19 controls were included in the study. Event-related potentials were recorded during a backgrounded Go/NoGo task performed by those two groups, in which either a frequent Go signal (letter "M") or a rare NoGo signal (letter "W") was superimposed on three different background cues: neutral, mobile phone application-related and mobile phone using-related pictures. Results showed that problematic mobile phone users performed more commission errors than controls following mobile phone application background. Furthermore, problematic mobile phone users displayed a weaker NoGo P3 amplitude than controls on the mobile phone application background. The result might suggest that there is no general impairment of inhibitory control in problematic mobile phone use. The deficient inhibitory control on behavioral and psychophysiological level appeared merely in the mobile phone-related background. Such deficient stimuli-specific inhibitory control appears at the late stage of inhibitory control. Prevention programs should be designed to curtail exposure to the mobile phone-related stimulus and enhance cognitive control of potential problematic mobile phone users.

The Forensic Symptoms Inventory-Youth Version-Revised: Development and Age Invariance Testing of a Broad-Spectrum Questionnaire for Forensic Assessment

Covering both individual and neuropsychological factors, the Forensic Symptom Inventory-Youth Version-Revised (FSI-YV-R) is the first broad spectrum questionnaire for adolescents in forensic care, measuring several deficits, such as executive dysfunctions, anger, and inadequate coping to enhance treatment goals and evaluate interventions. In this study, both the factor structure and the measurement and structural invariance of the FSI-YV-R were investigated. The sample consisted of 159 forensic juvenile outpatients (79.9% males and 20.1% females) aged 12 to 19 with a mean age of 16.07 (SD = 1.57). Multi-Group Confirmatory Factor Analyses identified a second-order model (measuring executive functioning) and proved measurement and structural invariant across age groups (younger adolescents, 12-15 years and older adolescents, 16-18 years). Contrary to the expectations none of the FSI-YV-R subscales differentiated between younger adolescents (N = 74) and older adolescents (N = 85). These results and implications for both theory and practice are discussed.

BOLD activity during emotion reappraisal positively correlates with dietary self-control success

We combined established emotion regulation and dietary choice tasks with fMRI to investigate behavioral and neural associations in self-regulation across the two domains in human participants. We found that increased BOLD activity during the successful reappraisal of positive and negative emotional stimuli was associated with dietary self-control success. This cross-task correlation was present in medial and lateral prefrontal cortex as well as the striatum. In contrast, BOLD activity during the food choice task was not associated with self-reported emotion regulation efficacy. These results suggest that neural processes utilized during the reappraisal of emotional stimuli may also facilitate dietary choices that override palatability in favor of healthfulness. In summary, our findings indicate that the neural systems supporting emotion reappraisal can generalize to other behavioral contexts that require reevaluation of rewarding stimuli and outcomes to promote choices that conform with the current goal.

Tilt in Online Poker: Loss of Control and Gambling Disorder

Online poker is a form of gambling where an element of skill may influence the outcome of the game. 'Tilt' in poker describes an episode during which the player can no longer control their game by rational decisions. It leads to a loss of control over the game, a loss of emotional regulation, higher cognitive distortion, and a loss of money. This phenomenon, experienced by most players, could be the gateway to excessive gambling. The aim of this study was to assess the links between the frequency of tilt episodes, cognitive distortion, anxiety, depression, sensation seeking and excessive online poker gambling. Our sample is composed of 291 online poker players, with a mean age of 33.8 years (SD = 10.6). Participants completed an online self-assessment questionnaire, measuring the frequency of tilt episodes, cognitive distortion, anxiety, depression and impulsivity. The findings indicated that the frequency of tilt episodes and cognitive distortion were the only significant predictors of excessive online gambling (respectively, r = 0.49 and r = 0.20). Tilt frequency and cognitive distortion were strongly correlated (GRCS, r = 0.60), moderate to low correlations were found for tilt and anxiety (HADS, r = 0.40), and positive and negative urgency (UPPS, r = 0.27). To date, tilt has seldom been studied, and could improve our understanding of online poker gamblers. It could be a new means of identifying at risk gamblers, and thus facilitating preventive measures specifically adapted to this population.

A mother-child intervention program for adolescent mothers: Results from a randomized controlled trial (the TeeMo study)

Children of adolescent mothers are a high-risk group for negative child development. Previous findings suggest that early interventions may enhance child development by improving mother-child interaction. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate a mother-child intervention (STEEP-b) program in high-risk adolescent mother-infant dyads (N = 56) within a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Mother-child interaction was assessed at baseline (T1), postintervention (T2), and follow-up (T3). The primary outcome was the change in maternal sensitivity and child responsiveness from T1 to T2 that was measured by blinded ratings of videotaped mother-child-interaction with the Emotional Availability Scales. A modified intention-to-treat analysis was performed to examine the data. No intervention effect was found for maternal sensitivity, 95% CI [-0.59-0.60], p = .99, and child responsiveness, 95% CI [-0.51-0.62], p = .84. Maternal sensitivity and child responsiveness did not change over time in both groups (all ps > .05). A statistically nonsignificant, but potentially clinically meaningful difference emerged between rates of serious adverse events, SC: 4 (14.8%), STEEP-b: 1 (3.4%), possibly driven by different intensity of surveillance of dyads in the treatment groups. The current findings question the effectiveness of STEEP-b for high-risk adolescent mothers and do not justify the broad implementation of this approach.

Do Feelings of Defeat and Entrapment Change over Time? An Investigation of the Integrated Motivational-Volitional Model of Suicidal Behaviour Using Ecological Momentary Assessments

(1) Background. Defeat and entrapment have been highlighted as major risk factors of suicidal ideation and behavior. Nevertheless, little is known about their short-term variability and their longitudinal association in real-time. Therefore, this study aims to investigate whether defeat and entrapment change over time and whether defeat predicts entrapment as stated by the integrated motivational-volitional model of suicidal behavior. (2) Methods. Healthy participants (n = 61) underwent a 7-day smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) on suicidal ideation/behavior and relevant risk factors, including defeat and entrapment and a comprehensive baseline (T0) and post (T2) assessment. (3) Results. Mean squared successive differences (MSSD) and intraclass correlations (ICC) support the temporal instability as well as within-person variability of defeat and entrapment. Multilevel analyses revealed that during EMA, defeat was positively associated with entrapment at the same measurement. However, defeat could not predict entrapment to the next measurement (approximately two hours later). (4) Conclusion. This study provides evidence on the short-term variability of defeat and entrapment highlighting that repeated measurement of defeat and entrapment-preferably in real time-is necessary in order to adequately capture the actual empirical relations of these variables and not to overlook significant within-person variability. Further research-especially within clinical samples-seems warranted.

The 21-item Barratt Impulsiveness Scale Revised (BIS-R-21): An alternative three-factor model

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Due to its important role in both healthy groups and those with physical, mental and behavioral disorders, impulsivity is a widely researched construct. Among various self-report questionnaires of impulsivity, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale is arguably the most frequently used measure. Despite its international use, inconsistencies in the suggested factor structure of its latest version, the BIS-11, have been observed repeatedly in different samples. The goal of the present study was therefore to test the factor structure of the BIS-11 in several samples.

METHODS

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on two representative samples of Hungarian adults (N = 2,457; N = 2,040) and a college sample (N = 765).

RESULTS

Analyses did not confirm the original model of the measure in any of the samples. Based on explorative factor analyses, an alternative three-factor model (cognitive impulsivity; behavioral impulsivity; and impatience/restlessness) of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale is suggested. The pattern of the associations between the three factors and aggression, exercise, smoking, alcohol use, and psychological distress supports the construct validity of this new model.

DISCUSSION

The new measurement model of impulsivity was confirmed in two independent samples. However, it requires further cross-cultural validation to clarify the content of self-reported impulsivity in both clinical and nonclinical samples.

Reducing cardiometabolic risk in adults with a low socioeconomic position: protocol of the Supreme Nudge parallel cluster-randomised controlled supermarket trial

Background

Unhealthy lifestyle behaviours such as unhealthy dietary intake and insufficient physical activity (PA) tend to cluster in adults with a low socioeconomic position (SEP), putting them at high cardiometabolic disease risk. Educational approaches aiming to improve lifestyle behaviours show limited effect in this population. Using environmental and context-specific interventions may create opportunities for sustainable behaviour change. In this study protocol, we describe the design of a real-life supermarket trial combining nudging, pricing and a mobile PA app with the aim to improve lifestyle behaviours and lower cardiometabolic disease risk in adults with a low SEP.

Methods

The Supreme Nudge trial includes nudging and pricing strategies cluster-randomised on the supermarket level, with: i) control group receiving no intervention; ii) group 1 receiving healthy food nudges (e.g., product placement or promotion); iii) group 2 receiving nudges and pricing strategies (taxing of unhealthy foods and subsidizing healthy foods). In collaboration with a Dutch supermarket chain we will select nine stores located in low SEP neighbourhoods, with the nearest competitor store at > 1 km distance and managed by a committed store manager. Across the clusters, a personalized mobile coaching app targeting walking behaviour will be randomised at the individual level, with: i) control group; ii) a group receiving the mobile PA app. All participants (target n = 1485) should be Dutch-speaking, aged 45–75 years with a low SEP and purchase more than half of their household grocery shopping at the selected supermarkets. Participants will be recruited via advertisements and mail-invitations followed by community-outreach methods. Primary outcomes are changes in systolic blood pressure, LDL-cholesterol, HbA1c and dietary intake after 12 months follow-up. Secondary outcomes are changes in diastolic blood pressure, blood lipid markers, waist circumference, steps per day, and behavioural factors including healthy food purchasing, food decision style, social cognitive factors related to nudges and to walking behaviours and customer satisfaction after 12 months follow-up. The trial will be reflexively monitored to support current and future implementation.

Discussion

The findings can guide future research and public health policies on reducing lifestyle-related health inequalities, and contribute to a supermarket-based health promotion intervention implementation roadmap.

Trial registration

Dutch Trial Register ID NL7064, 30th of May, 2018

Hot and Cool Executive Function in Elite- and Amateur- Adolescent Athletes From Open and Closed Skills Sports

BACKGROUND

Executive functions (EFs) not only play an important role in shaping adolescent's goal-directed, future-oriented cognitive skills under relatively abstract, non-affective conditions (Cool EF), but also under motivationally significant, affective conditions (Hot EF). Empirical evidence suggest a link between EF, exercise and physical activity, specifically elite adult athletes appear to outperform amateur athletes in Cool EF; however, no previous studies have examined the relationship between Hot and Cool EFs and impulsivity during the developmentally sensitive period of adolescence comparing different types of sport (open- vs. closed-skills), and levels (elite athletes vs. amateurs).

METHODS

A total 86 boys and girls between 13 and 15 years of age (mean: 14.0, SD: 0.79) from different sports (track-and-field; team handball) were recruited. Participants were further divided into two groups: (a) 40 elite, and (b) 46 amateur athletes. They completed four Cool EF tasks including Trail-Making Test, Trail-Walking-Test, Flanker task, n-back-task, and one Hot EF task on Game of Dice task. Data on subjective impulsivity (UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale; Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-15) was also collected.

RESULTS

There was a significant overall effect for expertise in favor of elite athletes (Wilks' Lambda = 0.61, F(14,69) = 3.19, p = 0.001, η p 2 = 0.393), but no overall main effect for type of sport or an interaction for expertise by type of sport. Specifically, elite athletes showed significantly better performances on dual tasks. For Hot EF, there were no main effects for type of sport, expertise level, training experience or training duration. We also found positive correlations among Cool EF and impulsivity measures, and between Hot EF and Impulsivity, but no significant relationship between Cool and Hot EF.

CONCLUSION

The current understanding of the decisive cognitive abilities does not correspond to sporting reality, so that the tests frequently used are not sensitive enough to distinguish between elite and amateur athletes or different sports. However, it should also be remembered that the factors underlying complex sporting performance are multidimensional and are obviously difficult to trace back to selected partial aspects. Without being able to answer this question conclusively, we proposed a 4-D classification of experimental paradigms, in which we differentiate between tasks of different specificity, between Cool and Hot EF, and between task complexity, and type of sport.

A functional SNP in MIR124-1, a brain expressed miRNA gene, is associated with aggressiveness in a Colombian sample

Background:

Interpersonal violence and suicide are among the main causes of mortality and morbidity around the world. In several developing countries, such as Colombia, they are among the first five entities of public health concern. Aggressiveness is an important endophenotype for aggression and suicidal behavior, having a heritability of around 50%. Exploration of classical candidate genes, involved in serotoninergic and dopaminergic neurotransmission, has identified few consistent risk factors for aggressiveness. miRNAs are a novel class of molecules with a growing role in normal neural function and neuropsychiatric disorders; of special interest, miR-124 is a brain-specific miRNA that is key for neuronal plasticity. We evaluated the hypothesis that a functional polymorphism in MIR124-1 gene might be associated with aggressiveness in a Colombian sample.

Methods:

The Spanish adaptation of the refined version of the Aggression Questionnaire and the abbreviated Barratt Impulsiveness Scale were applied to 170 young subjects. The functional SNP in MIR124-1 (rs531564) was genotyped by a TaqMan assay.

Results:

We found a significant association between the MIR124-1 and aggressiveness in our sample, with G/G carriers having lower scores (P = 0.01). This association seemed to be specific for aggressiveness, as it was not significant for impulsiveness.

Conclusions:

We showed for the first time the association of a functional polymorphism in MIR124-1 and aggressiveness. Known targets of miR-124 (such as BDNF and DRD4 genes) could explain the effect of this miRNA on behavior. A future analysis of additional novel functional polymorphisms in other brain expressed miRNAs could be useful for a deeper understanding of aggression in humans.

Investigating the relationship between reward sensitivity, impulsivity, and food addiction: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the current research was to identify the extent to which reward sensitivity and impulsivity were related to food addiction.

METHOD

Forty-five studies, published from 2009 to June 2019, investigating reward sensitivity and/or impulsivity with food addiction as measured by the Yale Food Addiction Scale were reviewed.

RESULTS

Reward sensitivity, as measured by the Sensitivity to Reward (SR) scale, was positively associated with food addiction in two studies, but failed to yield consistent results in other studies when measured with the Behavioral Inhibition/Behavioral Activation Scales. Self-report impulsivity, as measured by the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), was consistently associated with food addiction, with attentional impulsivity and motor impulsivity the most consistent subscales. Similarly, food addiction was also consistently associated with Negative Urgency, Positive Urgency, and Lack of Perseverance as measured by the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale. Food addiction was inconsistently associated with disinhibition, as measured by behavioral tasks, indicating food addiction appears more aligned with self-report measures of impulsivity.

CONCLUSIONS

Research in this field is dominated by university student, overweight and obese samples. Additional research is required to further tease out these relationships.

Enhanced Go and NoGo Learning in Individuals With Obesity

Overeating in individuals with obesity is hypothesized to be partly caused by automatic action tendencies to food cues that have the potential to override goal-directed dietary restriction. Individuals with obesity are often characterized by alterations in the processing of such rewarding food, but also of non-food stimuli, and previous research has suggested a stronger impact on the execution of goal-directed actions in obesity. Here, we investigated whether Pavlovian cues can also corrupt the learning of new approach or withdrawal behavior in individuals with obesity. We employed a probabilistic Pavlovian-instrumental learning paradigm in which participants (29 normal-weight and 29 obese) learned to actively respond (Go learning) or withhold a response (NoGo learning) in order to gain monetary rewards or avoid losses. Participants were better at learning active approach responses (Go) in the light of anticipated rewards and at learning to withhold a response (NoGo) in the light of imminent punishments. Importantly, there was no evidence for a stronger corruption of instrumental learning in individuals with obesity. Instead, they showed better learning across conditions than normal-weight participants. Using a computational reinforcement learning model, we additionally found an increased learning rate in individuals with obesity. Previous studies have mostly reported a lower reinforcement learning performance in individuals with obesity. Our results contradict this and suggest that their performance is not universally impaired: Instead, while previous studies found reduced stimulus-value learning, individuals with obesity may show better action-value learning. Our findings highlight the need for a broader investigation of behavioral adaptation in obesity across different task designs and types of reinforcement learning.

Interactions of impulsivity, general executive functions, and specific inhibitory control explain symptoms of social-networks-use disorder: An experimental study

While the use of social media and online-communication applications has become an integral part of everyday life, some individuals suffer from an excessive, uncontrolled use of social media despite experiencing negative consequences. In accordance with neuropsychological models of addiction, we assume the tendency of a social-networks-use disorder to be related to an interplay of predisposing personality traits (e.g., impulsivity), and reductions in cognitive functions (e.g., executive functions, inhibitory control). The current study makes first strides towards examining this interplay. In addition to a newly developed social-networks-specific auditory Go-NoGo paradigm, other neuropsychological paradigms were used. Impulsivity and social-networks-use-disorder symptoms were assessed by standardized questionnaires. The results show that the symptom severity of a social-networks-use disorder is mainly associated with attentional impulsivity. General executive functions and specific inhibitory control of social-networks-related cues have no direct effect on symptom severity. However, moderated regression analyses emphasize that increased symptom severity is associated with higher attentional impulsivity, especially if there are additionally reductions in executive functions or specific inhibitory control. The results complement previous findings and inform future research on social-networks-use disorder. The findings support the applicability of theoretical models of addictive behaviors to the social-networks-use disorder and point to social-networks-related specificities regarding attention-related facets.

Decision-making and risk in bipolar disorder: A quantitative study using fuzzy trace theory

OBJECTIVES

This study characterizes risk-taking behaviours in a group of people with a self-reported diagnosis of BD using fuzzy trace theory (FTT). FTT hypothesizes that risk-taking is a 'reasoned' (but sometimes faulty) action, rather than an impulsive act associated with mood fluctuations.

DESIGN

We tested whether measures of FTT (verbatim and gist-based thinking) were predictive of risk-taking intentions in BD, after controlling for mood and impulsivity. We hypothesized that FTT scales would be significant predictors of risk-taking intentions even after accounting for mood and impulsivity.

METHODS

Fifty-eight participants with BD (age range 21-78, 68% female) completed a series of online questionnaires assessing risk intentions, mood, impulsivity, and FTT.

RESULTS

Fuzzy trace theory scales significantly predicted risk-taking intentions (medium effect sizes), after controlling for mood and impulsivity consistent with FTT (part range .26 to .49). Participants with BD did not show any statistically significant tendency towards verbatim-based thinking.

CONCLUSIONS

Fuzzy trace theory gist and verbatim representations were both independent predictors of risk-taking intentions, even after controlling for mood and impulsivity. The results offer an innovative conceptualization of the mechanisms behind risk-taking in BD.

PRACTITIONER POINTS

Risk-taking behaviour in bipolar disorder is not just a consequence of impulsivity. Measures of fuzzy trace theory help to understand risk-taking in bipolar disorder. FTT measures predict risk-taking intentions, after controlling for mood and impulsivity.

A functional SNP in the synaptic SNAP25 gene is associated with impulsivity in a Colombian sample

The aim of the current study was to test the hypothesis that a functional polymorphism in the synaptosome associated protein 25 (SNAP25) gene could be associated with impulsivity scores in a sample of young Colombian subjects. Impulsivity has been postulated as an endophenotype for several psychiatric disorders of high epidemiological relevance. There is a need for the study of additional candidate genes for impulsivity. One hundred seventy-five young Colombian subjects completed the Spanish version of the short form of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-15S). A TaqMan assay was used to genotype a functional polymorphism (rs3746544) in the SNAP25 gene. A significant association was found between the functional polymorphism in the SNAP25 gene and impulsivity in the Colombian sample, with subjects carrying T/T and G/G genotypes showing lower mean scores in the non-planning subfactor (p = 0.02). This is the first report of an association of a functional polymorphism in the SNAP25 gene and a subfactor of the BIS-15S scale of impulsivity. In addition, this the first genetic study of impulsivity scores in a Latin American sample. Future studies should explore additional variants in brain-expressed miRNAs and in their binding sites as candidates for impulsivity in different populations.

Differential associations of neurobehavioral traits and cognitive ability to academic achievement in higher education

BACKGROUND

People vary between each other on several neurobehavioral traits, which may have implications for understanding academic achievement.

METHODS

University-level Psychology or Engineering students were assessed for neurobehavioral traits, intelligence, and current psychological distress. Scores were compared with their grade point average (GPA) data.

RESULTS

Factors associated with higher GPA differed markedly between groups. For Engineers, intelligence, but not neurobehavioral traits or psychological distress, was a strong correlate of grades. For Psychologists, grades were not correlated with intelligence but they were with the neurobehavioral traits of executive dysfunction, disinhibition, apathy, and positive schizotypy. However, only the latter two were associated independently of psychological distress. Additionally, higher mixed-handedness was associated with higher GPA in the combined sample.

CONCLUSIONS

Neurological factors (i.e., neurobehavioral traits and intelligence), are differentially associated with university-level grades, depending on the major studied. However, mixed-handedness may prove to be a better general predictor of academic performance across disciplines.

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-short form (BIS-15) in patients with mental disorders

Impulsivity is a major component of various mental disorders. A short form of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-the BIS-15-assesses three facets of impulsivity: non-planning, motor, and attentional. A confirmatory factor analysis tested its factor structure composed of three first-order latent factors and a second-order impulsivity factor in 453 patients with mental disorders (64% female). Model fit was acceptable as were internal reliabilities of the subscales and the total scale. The BIS-15 has sound psychometric properties in patients with mental disorders and, thus, can be used for assessing impulsivity and its subcomponents in this population.

Predicting tendencies towards the disordered use of Facebook's social media platforms: On the role of personality, impulsivity, and social anxiety

The present study aimed at investigating personality underpinnings of Social Networks Use Disorder. Instead of focusing on social media in broad or on a single platform, specifically, it was focused on various social media platforms, namely, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, each offering different functions to their users. N = 494 (n = 358 males) participants filled in questionnaires on the Big Five of personality, impulsivity, and social anxiety. Additionally, participants who endorsed using Facebook, and/or WhatsApp, and/or Instagram also completed scales assessing tendencies towards Facebook, and/or WhatsApp, and/or Instagram Use Disorder. Generalized linear models revealed that impulsivity and especially extraversion were positively associated with Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram Use Disorder scores. Conscientiousness (negatively) and particularly neuroticism (positively) were only significantly related to Facebook Use Disorder scores. However, the non-significant associations of WhatsApp and Instagram Use Disorder scores with neuroticism were most likely due to neuroticism's overlap with impulsivity and social anxiety. In conclusion, the present study provides insights into potential common and distinct predisposing factors for the development of Use Disorders of various social media platforms providing different content and functions to their users. Future studies should aim at causally investigating why different platforms are addictive to people with distinct personality profiles.

Healthy Subjects With Extreme Patterns of Performance Differ in Functional Network Topology and Benefits From Nicotine

Do subjects with atypical patterns in attentional and executive behaviour show different brain network topology and react differently towards nicotine administration? The efficacy of pro-cognitive drugs like nicotine considerably varies between subjects and previous theoretical and empirical evidence suggest stronger behavioural nicotine effects in subjects with low performance. One problem is, however, how to best define low performance, especially if several cognitive functions are assessed for subject characterisation. We here present a method that used a multivariate, robust outlier detection algorithm to identify subjects with suspicious patterns of performance in attentional and executive functioning. In contrast to univariate approaches, this method is sensitive towards extreme positions within the multidimensional space that do not have to be extreme values in the individual behavioural distributions. The method was applied to a dataset of healthy, non-smoking subjects (n = 34) who were behaviorally characterised by an attention and executive function test on which N = 12 volunteers were classified as outliers. All subjects then underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan to characterise brain network topology and an experimental behavioural paradigm under placebo and nicotine (7 mg patch) that gauged aspects of attention and executive function. Our results indicate that subjects with an atypical multivariate pattern in attention and executive functioning showed significant differences in nodal brain network integration in visual association and pre-motor brain regions during resting state. These differences in brain network topology significantly predicted larger individual nicotine effects on attentional processing. In summary, the current approach successfully identified a subgroup of healthy volunteers with low behavioural performance who differ in brain network topology and attentional benefit from nicotine.

The Cards and Lottery Task: Validation of a New Paradigm Assessing Decision Making Under Risk in Individuals With Severe Obesity

BACKGROUND

A growing body of research demonstrated impaired executive functions in individuals with severe obesity, including increased sensitivity to reward and impulsive decision making under risk conditions. For the assessment of decision making in patients with severe obesity, studies widely used the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) or the Delay Discounting Task (DDT), which cover short-term or long-term consequences of decisions only. A further development originating from the field of addiction research is the Cards and Lottery Task (CLT), in which each decision made has conflicting immediate and long-term consequences at the same time. The present study aimed to validate the CLT in individuals with severe obesity.

METHODS

Patients with severe obesity (N = 78, 67% women, 42.9 ± 10.4 years old, body mass index of 48.1 ± 8.3 kg/m²) were included. Convergent validity was evaluated using the computerized Delay Discounting Task and well-established self-report questionnaires assessing different aspects of impulsivity. For discriminant validity, CLT performance was compared between symptom groups characterized by high versus low impulsivity. The task's clinical validity was evaluated based on associations with general and eating disorder psychopathology, and body mass index. Test-retest reliability was determined by administering the CLT in n = 31 participants without weight-loss treatment one year later. The task's sensitivity to change due to weight loss was evaluated by retesting n = 32 patients one year after receiving obesity surgery.

RESULTS

The number of advantageous decisions in the CLT was significantly positively associated with delay discounting and effortful control, and significantly negatively correlated with behavioral impulsivity. CLT performance differed significantly between individuals with and without symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and between samples with severe obesity and healthy controls. Clinically, CLT performance was significantly associated with general, but not eating disorder psychopathology. The CLT showed moderate test-retest reliability after one year in weight-stable individuals and was sensitive to change in those undergoing obesity surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

This study identified the CLT to be a highly promising, new complex measure of short- and long-term decision making with good reliability and validity in individuals with severe obesity. Future studies should assess its association with the IGT and predictive value for real-life health behavior.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over vmPFC modulates interactions between reward and emotion in delay discounting

Delay discounting requires computing trade-offs between immediate-small rewards and later-larger rewards. Negative and positive emotions shift decisions towards more or less impulsive responses, respectively. Models have conceptualized this trade-off by describing an interplay between “emotional” and “rational” processes, with the former involved during immediate choices and relying on the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), and the latter involved in long-term choices and relying on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). Whether stimulation of the vmPFC modulates emotion-induced delay discounting remains unclear. We applied tDCS over the vmPFC in 20 healthy individuals during a delay discounting task following an emotional (positive, negative) or neutral induction. Our results showed that cathodal tDCS increased impulsivity after positive emotions in high impulsivity trials. For low impulsivity trials, anodal tDCS decreased impulsivity following neutral induction compared with emotional induction. Our findings demonstrate that the vmPFC integrates reward and emotion most prominently in situations of increased impulsivity, whereas when higher cognitive control is required the vmPFC appears to be less engaged, possibly due to recruitment of the dlPFC. Understanding how stimulation and emotion influence decision-making at the behavioural and neural levels holds promise to develop interventions to reduce impulsivity.

Personality and Behavioral Predictors of Cyclist Involvement in Crash-Related Conditions

In recent years, the increasing rate of road crashes involving cyclists with a disproportionate overrepresentation in injury statistics has become a major concern in road safety and public health. However, much remains unknown about factors contributing to cyclists’ high crash rates, especially those related to personal characteristics. This study aims to explore the influence of cyclist personality traits and cycling behaviors on their road safety outcomes using a mediated model combining these constructs. A total of 628 cyclists completed an online questionnaire consisting of questions related to cycling anger, impulsiveness, normlessness, sensation seeking, risky cycling behaviors, and involvement in crash-related conditions in the past year. After the psychometric properties of the employed scales were examined, the relationships among the tested constructs were investigated using structural equation modeling. The results showed that cyclists’ crash risks were directly predicted by risky cycling behaviors and cycling anger, and the effects of cycling anger, impulsiveness, as well as normlessness on crash risks, were mediated by cycling behaviors. The current findings provide insight into the importance of personality traits in impacting cycling safety and could facilitate the development of evidence-based prevention and promotion strategies targeting cyclists in China.

Genetic Influences on Social Relationships: Sex Differences in the Mediating Role of Personality and Social Cognition

Objectives

In humans (and primates more generally), evolutionary fitness arises by two separate routes: conventional reproduction build around dyadic relationships and, reflecting the processes of group augmentation selection, how well individuals are embedded in their community. These processes are facilitated by a suite of genetically inherited neuroendocrines and neurotransmitters. It is not, however, known whether these effects are directly due to genetic factors or are mediated by aspects of personality, or whether there are sex differences in the way this is organised.

Methods

We examine whether dispositional factors related to the processing of social information, such as personality (Big 5 and Impulsivity), attachment style (Anxious and Avoidant dimensions) and sociocognitive capacity (emotion recognition) mediate associations between variation in receptor genes for oxytocin, vasopressin, beta-endorphin, dopamine, serotonin, testosterone and two core social relationship indices (the Sociosexual Orientation Index [SOI] and Support Network size).

Results

In men, variation in dopamine genes indirectly influences SOI through its effect on Impulsivity. In contrast, in women, variation in endorphin and vasopressin genes independently affect Openness to Experience, which mediates indirect effects of these genes on SOI. Moreover, endorphin gene variation also impacts on Network Size in women (but not men), via Extraversion.

Conclusions

These findings reveal that dispositional aspects of personality mediate some genetic effects on behaviour, thereby extending our understanding of how genetic and dispositional variation interact to determine individual differences in human sexual and social cognition and behaviour. The differences between the sexes seem to reflect differences in the two sexes’ social strategies.

The interplay of type 1 diabetes and weight management: A qualitative study exploring thematic progression from adolescence to young adulthood

BACKGROUND

The impact of weight management in persons with type 1 diabetes (T1D) from childhood into adulthood has not been well described. The purpose of the study was to explore qualitative themes presented by young adults with T1D with respect to the dual management of weight and T1D.

METHODS

We analyzed focus group data from 17 young adults with T1D (65% female, age 21.7 ± 2.1 years, HbA1c 8.1% ± 1.5) via inductive qualitative analysis methods. Major themes were compared to themes presented by youth with T1D ages 13-16 years in previously published study in order to categorize thematic progression from early adolescence through adulthood.

RESULTS

Themes from young adults with T1D, when compared to those from youth were categorized as: (a) persistent and unchanged themes, (b) evolving themes, and (c) newly reported themes. Hypoglycemia and a sense of futility around exercise was an unchanged theme. Importance of insulin usage and a healthy relationship with T1D evolved to gather greater conviction. Newly reported themes are unique to integration of adulthood into T1D, such as family planning and managing T1D with work obligations. Young adults also reported negative experiences with providers in their younger years and desire for more supportive provider relationships.

CONCLUSIONS

Issues identified by youth regarding the dual management of T1D and weight rarely resolve, but rather, persist or evolve to integrate other aspects of young adulthood. Individualized and age-appropriate clinical support and practice guidelines are warranted to facilitate the dual management of weight and T1D in persons with T1D.

Measuring delay discounting in a crowdsourced sample: An exploratory study

Delay discounting is a measure of preferences for smaller immediate rewards over larger delayed rewards. Discounting has been assessed in many ways; these methods have variably and inconsistently involved measures of different lengths (single vs. multiple items), forced-choice methods, self-report methods, online and laboratory assessments, monetary and non-monetary compensation. The majority of these studies have been conducted in laboratory settings. However, over the past 20 years, behavioral data collection has increasingly shifted online. Usually, these experiments involve completing short tasks for small amounts of money, and are thus qualitatively different than experiments in the lab, which are typically more involved and in a strongly controlled environment. The present study aimed to determine how to best measure future discounting in a crowdsourced sample using three discounting measures (a single shot measure, the 27-item Kirby Monetary Choice Questionnaire, and a one-time Matching Task). We examined associations of these measures with theoretically related variables, and assessed influence of payment on responding. Results indicated that correlations between the discounting tasks and conceptually related measures were smaller than in prior laboratory experiments. Moreover, our results suggest providing monetary compensation may attenuate correlations between discounting measures and related variables. These findings suggest that incentivizing discounting measures changes the nature of measurement in these tasks.

Generalization of appetitive conditioned responses

A stimulus (conditioned stimulus, CS) associated with an appetitive unconditioned stimulus (US) acquires positive properties and elicits appetitive conditioned responses (CR). Such associative learning has been examined extensively in animals with food as the US, and results are used to explain psychopathologies (e.g., substance-related disorders or obesity). Human studies on appetitive conditioning exist, too, but we still know little about generalization processes. Understanding these processes may explain why stimuli not associated with a drug, for instance, can elicit craving. Forty-seven hungry participants underwent an appetitive conditioning protocol during which one of two circles with different diameters (CS+) became associated with an appetitive US (chocolate or salty pretzel, according to participants' preference) but never the other circle (CS-). During generalization, US were delivered twice and the two CS were presented again plus four circles (generalization stimuli, GS) with gradually increasing diameters from CS- to CS+. We found successful appetitive conditioning as reflected in appetitive subjective ratings (positive valence, higher contingency) and physiological responses (startle attenuation and larger skin conductance responses) to CS+ versus CS-, and, importantly, both measures confirmed generalization as indicated by generalization gradients. Small changes in CS-US contingency during generalization may have weakened generalization processes on the physiological level. Considering that appetitive conditioned responses can be generalized to non-US-associated stimuli, a next important step would be to investigate risk factors that mediate overgeneralization.

Opposing effects of impulsivity and mindset on sources of science self-efficacy and STEM interest in adolescents

Impulsivity has been linked to academic performance in the context of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, though its influence on a wider spectrum of students remains largely unexplored, particularly in the context of STEM learning (i.e. science, technology, engineering, and math). STEM learning was hypothesized to be more challenging for impulsive students, since it requires the practice and repetition of tasks as well as concerted attention to task performance. Impulsivity was assessed in a cross-sectional sample of 2,476 students in grades 6-12. Results show impulsivity affects a larger population of students, not limited to students with learning disabilities. Impulsivity was associated with lower sources of self-efficacy for science (SSSE), interest in most STEM domains (particularly math), and self-reported STEM skills. The large negative effect size observed for impulsivity was opposed by higher mindset, which describes a student's belief in the importance of effort when learning is difficult. Mindset had a large positive effect size associated with greater SSSE, STEM interest, and STEM skills. When modeled together, results offer that mindset interventions may benefit impulsive students who struggle with STEM. Together, these data suggest important interconnected roles for impulsivity and mindset that can influence secondary students' STEM trajectories.

Delayed gratification and adherence to exercise among patients with claudication

Few studies have explicitly identified factors that explain an individual's willingness to engage in community-based exercise for claudication. Identifying the unique characteristics of those inclined toward physical activity would inform interventions that encourage walking. We examined the utility of behavioral economics-related concepts in understanding walking among Veterans with claudication. Patients who received care at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Houston, Texas, were surveyed on symptom severity, behavioral economics, stress, and depression. The primary outcome was a binary variable measuring current walking for exercise and defined as walking for at least 30 minutes every day. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify variables, both clinically and statistically significant, at a p-value < 0.05. Between April 2017 and March 2018, we received 148 (30%) responses. A total of 35% (n = 51) of respondents indicated that they walked recreationally for exercise compared to 65% (n = 94) who did not. Characteristics that were significantly associated with walking included regularly saving money (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 10.7, p = 0.001), seeking complex problem-solving (aOR = 0.12, p = 0.002), and severe symptoms (aOR = 0.24, p = 0.017). Individuals describing a preference for the future rather than immediate benefit also reported currently walking for exercise. Defining the characteristics of those who exercise may help inform strategies designed to increase walking among those who do not adhere to recommendations.

Integration of spatio-temporal dynamics in emotion-cognition interactions: A simultaneous fMRI-ERP investigation using the emotional oddball task

Although a large corpus of evidence has identified brain regions and networks involved in emotion-cognition interactions, it remains unclear how spatial and temporal dynamics of the mechanisms by which emotion interfaces with cognition are integrated. Capitalizing on multi-modal brain imaging approaches, we used simultaneous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and event-related potential (ERP) recordings, to investigate the link between spatial and temporal aspects of processing in an emotional oddball task, and in relation to personality measures reflecting basic affective responses and emotion control. First, fMRI captured expected dorso-ventral dissociations, with greater response to targets in regions of dorsal brain networks (e.g., dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) and to emotional distracters in regions of ventral networks (e.g., ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, vlPFC). Also, ERP responses to targets were associated with a prominent P300, and responses to distracters with the late positive potential (LPP). Second, providing evidence for spatio-temporal integration of brain signals, ERP-informed fMRI analyses showed a link between LPP amplitude at parietal electrodes and the fMRI signal in the vlPFC, to emotional distraction. Third, regarding the link to personality measures, increased emotional arousability and attentional impulsiveness was associated with greater LPP differences between negative distracters and targets and enhanced response to negative distracters in the amygdala, respectively. Furthermore, we identified opposing relations between responses to emotional distraction and individual scores for cognitive reappraisal and self-control impulsiveness in posterior vlPFC. This suggests a greater engagement of this region in participants with reduced tendencies to employ reappraisal as a coping strategy and those with reduced ability to control impulsive responses during emotional distraction. Together, supporting the feasibility of integrating multi-dimensional approaches to clarify neural mechanisms of emotion-cognition interactions, these results point to convergence and complementarity between measures that differentially capture spatio-temporal dynamics of brain activity, and their associations with measures of individual differences in affective responses and control.

Construct Validity of the McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder in Two Singaporean Samples

This study examined the construct validity of the McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD) in a consecutive sample of adult psychiatric patients (n = 128) and a separate sample of undergraduate students (n = 289) in Singapore. Participants were administered the MSI-BPD and other measures assessing related symptoms of BPD. Patients were also administered a semistructured interview by interviewers blind to their MSI-BPD scores. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed a unique three-factor solution, consisting of affect dysregulation, self-disturbances, and behavioral and interpersonal dysregulation. In both samples, the MSI-BPD demonstrated good internal consistency and convergent validity. The measure also showed good discriminant validity and predictive accuracy (AUC = .82), with an optimal cut-off score of 7.5. Overall, the findings suggest that BPD is a valid and coherent clinical construct in Singapore, and point to the need to further clarify the presentation and etiology of BPD in this cultural context.

Correlation of Cognitive Resilience, Cognitive Flexibility and Impulsivity in Attempted Suicide

CONTEXT

Impaired cognitive flexibility and resilience and increased impulsivity are presumed to underlie an attempt of suicide. There is, however, a paucity of research examining their relationship in those who attempted suicide.

AIMS

To know the correlation of cognitive flexibility and resilience and impulsivity in attempted suicide.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two hundred seventy subjects with suicide attempt (s) were assessed with sociodemographic and clinical proforma, cognitive flexibility scale (CFS), cognitive resilience scale (CRS), and Barratt impulsiveness scale (BIS-15).

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED

Descriptive statistics, linear regression model.

RESULTS

Mean scores on CFS, CRS, and BIS-15 were 44.93 (SD ± 2.50), 4.49 (SD ± 0.25), and 36.13(SD ± 2.13), respectively. On linear regression analysis, BIS-15 nonplanning had statistically significant negative correlation with CFS and CRS scores, and BIS-15 attention had a positive correlation with CFS and CRS scores. CFS and CRS scores were positively correlated.

CONCLUSIONS

In attempted suicide, cognitive flexibility and resilience are interrelated positively and inversely associated with impulsivity (nonplanning and inattention).

Reconsideration of the factorial structure of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11): Assessment of impulsivity in a large population of euthymic bipolar patients

BACKGROUND

Impulsivity is commonly assessed using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11). Some studies challenged the reliability of its three dimensional structure and proposed a bi-dimensional structure.

METHODS

The psychometric reliability of the BIS-11 scale was studied in a sample of 580 euthymic bipolar patients. An alternative structure of the scale was conceived, using confirmatory factorial analysis (CFA) in the first half (N = 290) and cross-validated in the second half of our sample. Associations between the newly defined shortened scale and predefined clinical variables were computed.

RESULTS

The original three dimensional structure did not fit in our sample according to statistical criteria in CFA. A 12 items Impulsivity Scale (IS-12) was designed with strong indices of fitting in the first half of our sample and replicated in the second half of our sample. The IS-12 evidences two dimensions: "behavioral impulsivity" and "cognitive impulsivity". Associations between "behavioral impulsivity" and both presence of past suicide attempts and number of suicide attempts were observed. Substance misuse was strongly associated with both subscores of the new scale.

LIMITATIONS

The rating of the items assessing the two dimensions of the IS-12 is reversed. The population is restricted to euthymic bipolar patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The Impulsivity Scale assesses two distinct dimensions named behavioral and cognitive impulsivity. It was reliable and valid in our sample and associated with the existence of suicidal behavior and with substance misuse (alcohol and cannabis). Further studies are needed to demonstrate its predictive validity.

Personality Associations With Smartphone and Internet Use Disorder: A Comparison Study Including Links to Impulsivity and Social Anxiety

The present work aims to replicate findings linking specific personality traits with Internet and Smartphone Use Disorder (IUD/SUD). Specifically, earlier research demonstrated that tendencies toward IUD and SUD are associated with high Neuroticism and both low Conscientiousness and low Agreeableness, while IUD (but not SUD) tendencies are negatively related to Extraversion and SUD (but not IUD) tendencies are negatively associated with Openness (1). In the aftermath of the replication crisis in psychology and related disciplines, it has become increasingly important to replicate findings in psychological research. Therefore, we revisited this earlier study by investigating (i) a sample from different countries and (ii) using different questionnaires to assess IUD, SUD and the Five Factor Model of Personality than the earlier work by Lachmann et al. (1). By applying such a design, we believe that replicating results from this earlier study hints toward generalizable associations being (largely) independent from that sample's specific cultural background and instrumentation. Importantly (iii) we used a larger sample consisting of N = 773 in the present study to have higher statistical power to observe the initially reported associations. Additionally, we investigated the role of impulsivity and social anxiety on IUD/SUD, further illuminating the nature of these potential new disorders. Indeed, we were able to reaffirm the aforementioned correlation patterns between personality and IUD/SUD in the present work to a large extent, with low Conscientiousness and high Neuroticism being most robustly associated with higher IUD/SUD. Furthermore, social anxiety and impulsivity showed positive correlations with IUD and SUD, as expected.

Potential Therapeutic Targets in People with Emotional Dependency

Objective:

To examine the relationship between the components of emotional dependency (ED) with anxious, depressive, and impulsive symptomatology.

Method:

98 university students (68% women, age M = 20.2 years, ED = 2.19) responded to the ED Questionnaire (EDQ) (Lemos & Londoño, 2006), the Beck Depression Inventory II (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 2011), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (Beck & Steer, 2011), and the short version of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale BIS-15S (Spinella, 2007).

Results:

The structural model indicated that a fear of being alone is associated with separation anxiety, which in turn gives rise to plan modification (PM), search for emotional expression (SEE) and attention-seeking (AS). We found that PM was associated with depression, SEE with anxiety, and that impulsivity could lead to AS.

Conclusion:

These results identify potential therapeutic targets in people with ED.

Exploring the links between dispositions, romantic relationships, support networks and community inclusion in men and women

Most studies of social cognition have focused on dyadic relationships, and rather few have looked at how we engage with individuals in the wider social world into which we are embedded. Here we use principle component analysis (PCA) and path analysis to explore how different aspects of human sociality interact. We demonstrate two distinct clusters in both sexes relating to (i) romantic relationships and (ii) wider social engagement, such as that with the local community. These two domains of relationship were associated with different dispositional traits: individual variation in impulsivity in the former, and in empathy and avoidant attachment in the latter. Although these clusters were broadly similar across both sexes, clearer differentiation is evident in males. In females only, support network size was positively related to the anxious dimension of attachment and, unlike in males, was not related to feelings of inclusion in the local community. This suggests that support networks may play different roles in the two sexes, indicating a productive line of future research. These findings have important practical applications: loneliness interventions that target the specific type of relationship that is felt to be lacking and the associated dispositional traits are likely to be more effective than more generic approaches.

Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial of ImpulsePal: Smartphone App-Based Weight Management Intervention to Reduce Impulsive Eating in Overweight Adults

Background

ImpulsePal is a theory-driven (dual-process), evidence-informed, and person-centered smartphone app intervention designed to help people manage impulsive processes that prompt unhealthy eating to facilitate dietary change and weight loss.

Objective

The aims of this study were to (1) assess the feasibility of trial procedures for evaluation of the ImpulsePal intervention, (2) estimate standard deviations of outcomes, and (3) assess usability of, and satisfaction with, ImpulsePal.

Methods

We conducted an individually randomized parallel two-arm nonblinded feasibility trial. The eligibility criteria included being aged ≥16 years, having a body mass index of ≥25 kg/m², and having access to an Android-based device. Weight was measured (as the proposed primary outcome for a full-scale trial) at baseline, 1 month, and 3 months of follow-up. Participants were randomized in a 2:1 allocation ratio to the ImpulsePal intervention or a waiting list control group. A nested action-research study allowed for data-driven refinement of the intervention across 2 cycles of feedback.

Results

We screened 179 participants for eligibility, and 58 were randomized to the intervention group and 30 to the control group. Data were available for 74 (84%, 74/88) participants at 1 month and 67 (76%, 67/88) participants at 3 months. The intervention group (n=43) lost 1.03 kg (95% CI 0.33 to 1.74) more than controls (n=26) at 1 month and 1.01 kg (95% CI −0.45 to 2.47) more than controls (n=43 and n=24, respectively) at 3 months. Feedback suggested changes to intervention design were required to (1) improve receipt and understanding of instructions and (2) facilitate further engagement with the app and its strategies.

Conclusions

The evaluation methods and delivery of the ImpulsePal app intervention are feasible, and the trial procedures, measures, and intervention are acceptable and satisfactory to the participants.

Trial Registration

International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN): 14886370; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN14886370 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/76WcEpZ51)