Affective Neuroscience Personality Scale (ANPS) and clinical implications: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Affective neuroscience (AN) theory assumes the existence of seven basic emotional systems (i.e., SEEKING, ANGER, FEAR, CARE, LUST, SADNESS, PLAY) that are common to all mammals and evolutionarily determined to be tools for survival and, in general, for fitness. Based on the AN approach, the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS) questionnaire was developed to examine individual differences in the defined basic emotional systems. The current systematic review aims to examine the use of ANPS in clinical contexts attempting to define those behavioral elements associated with underlying stable personality traits.

METHODS

The systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA statements. PubMed and PsycInfo were used for research literature from March 2003 to November 2021.

RESULTS

Forty-four studies including ANPS were identified from 1763 studies reviewed. Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria.

LIMITATIONS

The review comprised some papers with incomplete psychological assessments (e.g., lack of other measures in addition to the ANPS) and missing information (e.g., on the [sub]samples), which may affect the generalizability of findings.

CONCLUSION

Specific endophenotypes and/or patterns of emotional/motivational systems were found for several mental disorders. Specifically, endophenotypes emerged for the Depressive and Autism Spectrum Disorders, Borderline and Avoidant Personality Disorders, type I and II Bipolar Disorders, and the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. The endophenotypes can provide useful reflective elements for both psychodiagnosis and intervention. Overall, the current study may represent an attempt to contribute to the understanding of the basic emotional systems involved in the psychopathological manifestations identified by AN.

Primary emotions as predictors for fear of COVID-19 in former inpatients with Major Depressive Disorder and healthy control participants

INTRODUCTION

There are reports of an increase in depressive symptoms and fear during the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular in patients with depression. This study investigates factors related to fear of COVID-19 in former inpatients suffering from depression and healthy controls by assessing variables typically associated with depression and anxiety disorders, i.e. stressful life events (SLEs), the primary emotions SADNESS, PLAY and SEEKING as well as dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies with respect to suppression and reappraisal.

METHODS

Data of n = 44 former inpatients suffering from depression and n = 49 healthy controls were collected. The study had a longitudinal design with two measurement points. Before the pandemic, SLEs, primary emotions, emotion regulation and depression severity were assessed. During the pandemic, COVID-19 associated stressors and life events, emotion regulation, depression severity and fear of COVID-19 were assessed.

RESULTS

Fear of COVID-19 and depression severity during the pandemic were significantly higher in former inpatients than in healthy controls. Depression diagnosis, SLEs and depression severity before the pandemic were significant positive predictors of fear of COVID-19. The primary emotion PLAY was a significant negative predictor of fear of COVID-19. Depression severity did not change significantly in healthy controls.

CONCLUSION

The results show that risk factors for depression might be risk factors for high fear of COVID-19. In addition, a playful personality could help preventing mental stress in pandemic situations. Thus, positivity based interventions could counteract elevated fear scores during a pandemic.

Longitudinal and Gender Measurement Invariance of the Gratitude Questionnaire in Chinese Adolescents

The 5-item Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ-5) is one of the most commonly used instruments to measure dispositional gratitude in adolescents. The purpose of this study was to verify the longitudinal measurement invariance (LMI) and gender measurement invariance (GMI) of the GQ-5 that was administered to an adolescent sample twice over the course of 18 months (N = 669). Single-group confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was adopted to examine the LMI and multiple-group CFA was conducted to assess the GMI. The results showed that the GQ-5 had strong invariance (i.e., equality of factor patterns, loadings, and intercepts) across time and gender. Validation of latent factor mean differences showed that females had higher gratitude scores than males. In addition, the GQ-5 exhibited good internal consistency indices across time and a moderate stability coefficient was also found across an 18-month time interval in adolescents. In summary, our study showed that LMI and GMI of the GQ-5 are satisfactory and the GQ-5 is a reliable instrument for measuring gratitude in adolescents.

A comprehensive review of studies using the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales in the psychological and psychiatric sciences

Jaak Panksepp's Affective Neuroscience Theory (ANT) belongs to the most prominent emotion theories in the psychological and psychiatric sciences. ANT proposes the existence of seven primary emotional systems deeply anchored in the mammalian brain. These emotional/motivational systems have been shaped by evolutionary processes and function as tools for survival in mammalian species. The systems are called SEEKING, LUST, CARE, and PLAY, as well as ANGER, FEAR, and SADNESS. Panksepp carved out these emotional systems via means of deep brain stimulation, brain lesion and pharmacological manipulation studies. Davis et al. (2003) designed the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS) against the background of findings from ANT. This self-report inventory is meant to enable researchers to assess individual differences in primary emotional systems. Seventeen years have passed since the first version of the ANPS has been published. Therefore, we now provide a comprehensive overview on studies using the ANPS including work from personality science, psychiatry and the neurosciences.

Evaluating maternal psychopathology biases in reports of child temperament: An investigation of measurement invariance

Parent reports of child temperament, especially those of mothers', are frequently used in research and clinical practice, but there are concerns that maternal characteristics, including a history of psychopathology, might bias reports on these measures. However, whether maternal reports of youth temperament show structural differences based on mothers' psychiatric history is unclear. We therefore conducted tests of measurement invariance to examine whether maternal psychopathology was associated with structural aspects of child temperament as a means of evaluating potential biases related to mothers' mental disorder history. From 2 community-based studies of child temperament, 935 mothers completed the Child Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ) and semistructured diagnostic interviews that assessed their own lifetime history of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and substance use disorders. Mothers also completed a measure of depressive symptoms concurrent to their completion of the CBQ. We found little evidence that mothers' current depressive symptoms or history of depressive symptoms, anxiety, or substance use disorders were associated with the structure of their reports of child temperament. Thus, there is little empirical support for systematic biases in reports of youth temperament as indexed by psychometric modeling. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Blood oxytocin levels are not associated with ADHD tendencies and emotionality in healthy adults

Oxytocin (OT) regulates social and emotional behaviour. Core symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) include social and emotional dysfunctions potentially associated with lower endogenous OT levels. A dimensional approach was employed to examine relationships between plasma OT levels, ADHD tendencies, and emotionality in a healthy adult sample. Moreover, we aimed at replication of results regarding ADHD tendencies and emotionality from our previous work. Subjects were N = 110 healthy Chinese males (M_age: 22.01 ± 2.02 years). Variables of interest were plasma OT levels, individual variations in ADHD tendencies assessed via the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale Symptom Checklist (ASRS), and positive and negative emotionality assessed via primary emotional traits of the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS). Hypotheses were tested by means of (partial) Spearman and Pearson correlations. Plasma OT levels were neither related to ADHD tendencies, nor to primary emotional traits. ADHD tendencies were significantly related to higher negative emotionality (correlation coefficients: r= .35 to r = .47) and lower positive emotionality (correlation coefficients: r= -.42 to r = -.36). The absence of associations between plasma OT levels and ADHD tendencies, primary emotional traits, and emotionality might be explained by the lack of robust associations between peripheral and central OT levels. Results regarding ADHD tendencies and emotionality replicate previous findings, emphasizing that (sub-clinically) elevated ADHD tendencies associate with dysregulated emotionality. Future studies examining the role of endogenous OT in ADHD should explore the generalizability of the present findings to women and patients with ADHD.

Psychometric Properties of the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale for Chinese Special Education Teachers

Teacher self-efficacy plays an important role in special education; yet, the literature on the measurement of teacher self-efficacy in this field is limited. This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale with a sample of Chinese special education teachers ( N = 401, 24.19% male). Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the Chinese special educational version of the Teacher's Sense of Efficacy Scale (CS-TSES), modified from the Asian model by Ruan, J., Nie, Y., Hong, J., Monobe, G., Zheng, G., Kambara, H., & You, S. (2015). Cross-cultural validation of teachers’ sense of efficacy scale in three Asian countries. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 33(8), 769-779, showed an excellent fit. Additionally, correlations were observed between the results of the CS-TSES and both the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and the Satisfaction with Life Scale, providing criterion-related validity. In sum, the findings indicated that the TSES is applicable to special education teachers in the Chinese context.

Evaluating a scale of excessive mind wandering among males and females with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder from a population sample

Recent studies highlight the role of excessive mind wandering in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and its association with impairment. We believe assessing mind wandering could be especially relevant to individuals, including many females, who present with less externalising manifestations of ADHD. Using a new measure based on ADHD patient reports, the Mind Excessively Wandering Scale (MEWS), we previously found adults with ADHD had elevated levels of mind wandering that contributed to impairment independently of core ADHD symptoms. Using data from an online general population survey, the current study assessed the factor-structure, reliability, validity and measurement invariance of the MEWS. We also investigated sex differences in mind wandering, as well as ADHD symptoms, impairment and wellbeing in those with and without ADHD. The MEWS had a unidimensional structure, was invariant across sex, age and ADHD status, and accounted for unique variance in impairment and wellbeing beyond core ADHD symptoms. Among those with ADHD, we found no evidence for sex differences in mind wandering and among those without ADHD males had higher scores. We also found similar levels of hyperactivity/impulsivity, emotional lability, and impairment in males and females with ADHD, but males reported greater inattention and lower wellbeing. Results suggest the MEWS is a reliable and valid instrument measuring the same construct across sex, age and ADHD status, which could aid diagnosis and monitoring of outcomes.

Exploratory Factor Analysis of Observational Parent-Child Interaction Data

The majority of studies using observational coding systems for family interaction data derive scales describing family members' behaviors based on rational/theoretical approaches. This study explored an empirical approach to identifying the component structure of parent-child observational data that incorporated the affective context of the interaction. Dyads of 155 typically developing 8-year-olds and their mothers completed questionnaires and two interaction tasks, one each designed to illicit positive and negative interactions. Behaviors were coded based on a modified version of the Family Interaction Macro-coding System. Multiple factor analysis identified four-component solutions for the maternal and child data. For both, two of the components included negative behaviors, one positive behavior, and one communicative behavior. Evidence for the validity of the maternal and child components was demonstrated by associations with child depression and anxiety symptoms and behavioral problems. Preliminary evidence supports an empirical approach to identify context-specific components in parent-child observational data.

Harsh parenting practices mediate the association between parent affective profiles and child adjustment outcomes: Differential associations for mothers and fathers

Children’s early emotional environment strongly influences their later behavioural development. Yet, besides maternal depression, limited knowledge exists about the effect of other emotions and the role of fathers. Using 290 triads (mother/father/child), we investigated how positive (SEEKING, CARING, PLAYFULNESS) and negative (FEAR, ANGER, SADNESS) dimensions of mothers’ and fathers’ affectivity relate to their offspring’s externalizing and internalizing behaviours directly as well as indirectly via parenting practices. Parental variables were measured when children were 4 years old and children’s behaviours were measured at 8 years of age. Latent Profile Analysis identified three parental affective profiles: low negative emotions, balanced, and high emotional. Structural equation models showed that, for boys, mothers’ low negative emotions and high emotional profiles predicted later internalizing behaviours (direct effect; β = −0.21 and β = 0.23), while fathers’ low negative emotions profile predicted externalizing behaviours indirectly (β = −0.10). For girls, mothers’ profiles ( low negative emotions and high emotional) predicted both internalizing (β = −0.04 and β = 0.07) and externalizing (β = −0.05 and β = 0.09) behaviours indirectly, but no effects of fathers’ profiles were found. Mothers’ and fathers’ affective profiles contributed to the behavioural development of their offspring in different ways, according to the type of behaviour (internalizing or externalizing) and the child’s sex. These findings may help in tailoring existing parenting interventions on affective profiles, thus enhancing their efficacy.

Identifying affective personality profiles: A latent profile analysis of the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales

Based on evolutionary theory, a recent model in affective neuroscience delineated six emotional brain systems at the core of human personality: SEEKING, CARING, PLAYFULNESS, FEAR, ANGER, SADNESS. The Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS) assess their functioning. Using a person-centred approach of the ANPS, this study: (i) examined the existence of latent personality profiles, (ii) studied their gender invariance, (iii) assessed their longitudinal (4 years) stability, and (iv) explored how they relate to several intrapersonal, interpersonal, and emotion regulation skills. Latent Profile Analysis in 2 samples (Canadian, longitudinal, N = 520; French, cross-sectional, N = 830) found that, qualitatively, 3 profiles characterized both populations and genders, with one distinction for the second profile where the French women endorsed slightly higher and lower scores for, respectively, the negative and positive emotions. Whilst not being quantitatively similar across genders, the personality profiles remained consistent across time in the longitudinal sample. Associations between profiles and intrapersonal (e.g. depression), interpersonal (e.g. empathy), and emotion regulation skills measures (e.g. emotional intelligence) offered concurrent validity evidence. This person centred approach to ANPS offers a holistic and parsimonious way to study affective personality dimensions. It opens promising avenues for future studies on the predictive value of ANPS profiles, and for personality-targeted interventions.

An Affective Neuroscience Framework for the Molecular Study of Internet Addiction

Internet addiction represents an emerging global health issue. Increasing efforts have been made to characterize risk factors for the development of Internet addiction and consequences of excessive Internet use. During the last years, classic research approaches from psychology considering personality variables as vulnerability factor, especially in conjunction with neuroscience approaches such as brain imaging, have led to coherent theoretical conceptualizations of Internet addiction. Although such conceptualizations can be valuable aid, the research field is currently lacking a comprehensive framework for determining brain-based and neurochemical markers of Internet addiction. The present work aims at providing a framework on the molecular level as a basis for future research on the neural and behavioral level, in order to facilitate a comprehensive neurobiological model of Internet addiction and its clinical symptomatology. To help establish such a molecular framework for the study of Internet addiction, we investigated in N = 680 participants associations between individual differences in tendencies toward Internet addiction measured by the Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale-2 (GPIUS-2) and individual differences in primary emotional systems as assessed by the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS). Regression analysis revealed that the ANPS scales FEAR and SADNESS were the ANPS scales most robustly positively linked to several (sub)scales of the GPIUS-2. Also the scales SEEKING, CARE and PLAY explain variance in some of the GPIUS-2 subscales. As such, these scales are negatively linked to the GPIUS-2 subscales. As the ANPS has been constructed on substantial available brain data including an extensive molecular body with respect to evolutionary highly conserved emotional circuitry in the ancient mammalian brain, the present study gives first ideas on putative molecular mechanisms underlying different facets of Internet addiction as derived from associations between tendencies toward Internet addiction and individual differences in primary emotional systems. For example, as SADNESS is linked to the overall GPIUS-2 score, and the neuropeptide oxytocin is known to downregulate SADNESS, it is conceivable that the neuropeptide might play a role in Internet addition on the molecular level. Our findings provide a theoretical framework potentially illuminating the molecular underpinnings of Internet addiction. Finally, we also present data on the ANPS and smartphone addiction at the end of the paper. Similar to the reported associations between the ANPS and the GPIUS-2, these correlations might provide an initial outline for a framework guiding future studies that aim to address the molecular basis of smartphone addiction.