The HK/MBD questionnaire: replication and validation of distinct factors in a nonclinical sample

The role of antisocial, affective, and childhood behavioral characteristics in alcoholics' neuropsychological performance

Chronic alcoholics demonstrate cognitive deficits when compared with nonalcoholics. These deficits are typically attributed to the direct effects of ethanol and its metabolites on the central nervous system (CNS). There are other factors, however, that differentiate alcoholics from controls, such as personality or behavioral characteristics. These factors may affect neuropsychological performance and thus alter the interpretation of alcoholic cognitive deficits as resulting solely from alcohol's toxic effects. To investigate this question, male and female alcoholics and peer nonalcoholic controls were compared on personality, behavioral, and cognitive measures. Alcoholics had greater numbers of antisocial behaviors, childhood behavioral disorder symptoms (CBD), and affective symptomatology, and had poorer neuropsychological performance than controls. The three personality and behavioral factors were positively intercorrelated with each other, and were negatively related to cognitive performance. The CBD factor proved to be the most consistent predictor of neuropsychological performance for both alcoholics and controls, and males and females. While the behavioral factors differentiated alcoholics from controls and predicted performance, significant differences between the groups in cognitive performance still remained when these factors were taken into account.

The HK/MBD questionnaire: factor structure and discriminant validity with an adolescent sample

A somewhat revised four-factor structure emerged for the HK/MBD questionnaire with a sample of nonclinical adolescents. The three factors of hyperactivity/impulsivity, antisocial/oppositional behaviors, and learning problems largely retained their factor integrity, but a distinct peer dysfunction factor replaced attentional/socialization problems with the adolescent sample. Acceptable levels of internal consistency were found for three of the factors (excluding learning problems), and interrater reliability between adolescents and their primary caregivers was significant for all four factors. High factor intercorrelations were reported for hyperactivity/impulsivity and antisocial/oppositional behaviors. Differential predictive relations were found between the four factors and adolescent problem behaviors. Specifically, hyperactivity/impulsivity and antisocial/oppositional behaviors were most highly correlated with externalizing symptoms such as alcohol problems, delinquency, illicit drug use, and poor school performance. Peer dysfunction was most highly correlated with internalizing, depressive symptoms. Learning problems correlated most highly with poor school performance, and moderately with alcohol problems and depressive symptoms. There were no statistically significant differences in the strength of the interrelations between the factors of the HK/MBD questionnaire and adolescent problem behaviors for males and females.

Heavy drinking and its correlates in young men

This study examined the drinking behavior of a sample of 98 college men and the relationship to drinking of a variety of subject variables. The subjects reported drinking an average of nearly eight days a month, about five drinks each time, and were intoxicated more than three times monthly. Nearly half reported having experienced two or more drinking-related adverse consequences within the past year and over a third were intoxicated four or more times monthly. Forty percent of the subjects could be described as problem drinkers. Illicit drug use and the disinhibition factor of the sensation seeking scale were the most consistent correlates of drinking behavior and its adverse consequences, although belonging to a fraternity, consuming alcohol/drugs before age 15, the Macandrew Alcoholism Scale score, and a family member having received alcoholism treatment were also found to be consistently associated with drinking in the subjects. Sociodemographic characteristics, physical health, mental health treatment, childhood behavior problems, adolescent antisocial behavior, and familial alcoholism were by and large not found to be related to drinking behavior. A stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that five variables accounted for 51% of the total variance in drinking behavior. The significant predictors included a heavy drug use factor, a smoking factor, fraternity membership, drug/alcohol use before age 15, and having a family member who had received alcoholism treatment. Thus, four of the five significant predictor variables were reflective of drug use in the subject or his family. The findings underline the need for further prospective longitudinal research to understand the origins of problem drinking and its relationship to alcoholism.