Relative Effects of Sexual Assault and Temperament Traits on Cognitive Characteristics of Histrionic Personality Disorder

Histrionic personality disorder (HPD) is a common and problematic form of personality pathology involving excessive attention-seeking, often through overly sexualized means. Much of the research on HPD has involved the association between HPD characteristics and basic temperament traits. Given the sometimes hypersexualized presentation of HPD, another potential influence on HPD characteristics may be exposure to sexual assault. However, there is little research on the association between sexual assault and HPD in general or with respect to temperament traits in particular. In this study, we examine the relative associations of sexual assault and temperament traits with the cognitive characteristics of HPD in a large sample of college students (N = 965) using a Bayesian approach to the analysis of covariance. Results suggest that sexual assault is associated with HPD cognitive characteristics over and above the robust influence of temperament traits. The study findings have implications for future research on and clinical intervention with people with HPD.

Validity of a Novel Touch Screen Tablet-Based Assessment for Mild Cognitive Impairment and Probable AD in Older Adults

This study aimed to develop a psychometrically valid touch screen tablet-based cognitive test battery to identify early cognitive impairment due to dementia in older adults. The battery includes eight tests with 13 subscores, evaluating visual attention, auditory attention, information processing speed, visual memory, motor control, and visuospatial perception. Among the participants, 43 had been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 36 with probable Alzheimer’s disease (AD); 41 had no cognitive impairment. The average time to administer the tablet-based tests was 10 minutes. Significant correlations with the Mini-Mental State Examination were found in 9 out of 13 subscores. Patients with probable AD scored significantly lower than controls in 8 out of 13 subscores, whereas those with MCI scored significantly lower in 4 out of 13 subscores. Confirmatory factor analysis using Promax rotation showed that four factors caused lower subscores in the MCI group compared with the controls: information processing speed, memory, visuospatial perception, and motor control. All four factors significantly discriminated the controls from the MCI and probable AD groups, and in the expected direction. The touch screen tablet-based cognitive test battery is psychometrically valid for evaluating cognition in older adults.