A crisis in college student mental health? Self-ratings of psychopathology before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of college students was investigated in a cross-sectional design using the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991, 2007). Three large samples of college students were recruited for research purposes and given standard instructions: 825 students from two universities assessed in the 2021-2022 academic year (postpandemic), 558 students from three universities assessed between 2016 and 2019 (prepandemic), and 1,051 students from seven universities assessed in 1989 and 1990 (college norms). Comparisons of PAI scores with the prepandemic cohort revealed several significantly higher scores in the postpandemic cohort, especially for scales related to anxiety and depression. Comparisons with the college norms revealed significantly higher scores on several PAI scales in the prepandemic cohort, and these differences were largest for scales related to anxiety, depression, and somatic symptoms. PAI scales related to impulsivity, alcohol use, and other behavior problems showed no changes or decline from earlier to later cohorts. Taken together, the findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified problems with anxiety and depression that existed before the pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Validation of the DSM-5 Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure in a Community Sample.

The shift toward transdiagnostic and dimensional approaches to diagnosing mental disorders has created a need for assessment tools that efficiently measure a range of mental health symptoms and their severity. The present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties and diagnostic utility of the DSM-5 Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure (CCSM), developed by the American Psychiatric Association as a brief transdiagnostic measure of mental health symptoms, in community-dwelling adults. Participants (N = 482) completed symptom measures corresponding to CCSM domains and self-reported diagnostic criteria were used to establish DSM-5 diagnoses. The results showed CCSM domains had significant validity correlations with longer measures of the same or similar mental health constructs and overall symptom severity was associated with functional impairments and current treatment status. Several domains demonstrated moderate diagnostic efficiency for corresponding DSM-5 diagnoses. The recommended thresholds for depression, anxiety, and substance use domains showed strong sensitivity (≥ 0.83) but low specificity (range = 0.60-.73), whereas the personality functioning threshold showed low sensitivity (0.51) and excellent specificity (0.92). These results suggest CCSM domains are internally consistent and valid measures of psychopathology. Further, these findings indicate the CCSM shows promise as a screening tool for specific DSM-5 disorders in community samples.

Further Validation of the Response Inconsistency Scale for the Personality Inventory for DSM-5.

Assessment of protocol validity is essential for structured personality tests used in clinical decision making. Measures of inconsistent responding allow researchers and clinicians to identify random or careless response patterns that compromise an accurate interpretation of test results. Keeley and colleagues (2016) developed an Inconsistency scale (INC) for the widely used Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5; Krueger, Derringer, Markon, Watson, & Skodol. 2012. Initial construction of a maladaptive personality trait model and inventory for DSM-5. Psychological Medicine, 42(9), 1879-1890.). The INC produced highly promising results in initial validation studies, and the current study provides a series of additional tests of the adaptability of the INC item pairs across different populations, translations, and versions of the PID-5. Study 1 examines the diagnostic utility of a shortened version of the original INC scale (INC-S) that can be used with the 100-item version of the PID-5; optimum cut scores are identified for this short form adaptation. Study 2 cross-validates the INC-S and compares diagnostic utility to the INC in a sample that completed the full PID-5. Study 3 examines the diagnostic utility of the INC and INC-S using a German translation of the PID-5 with undergraduates and clinical patients. Overall, these validation studies provide robust support for the INC and INC-S scales to discriminate random-generated versus real PID-5 protocols.

Efficacy of Narrative Writing as an Intervention for PTSD: Does the Evidence Support Its Use?

Although a number of effective psychotherapies for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are available, there is a need to develop alternative treatments for those who may not respond optimally to these treatments or who may not have access to clinicians who can competently deliver them. Narrative writing, which involves repeated recounting about a traumatic event in writing, is one treatment that deserves further examination as a potential alternative. In this paper, we describe the most commonly used narrative writing treatment protocols for those with either a diagnosis of PTSD or probable PTSD and discuss the available efficacy data for each of these protocols. We conclude with recommendations for using narrative writing to treat those with PTSD and offer recommendations for future work in this area.

PTSD and reasons for living: associations with depressive symptoms and alcohol use.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with suicidal ideation and behavior, and is found to frequently co-occur with other conditions that exacerbate the risk for suicidal behavior. Despite these findings, few individuals with PTSD engage in suicidal acts, and there has been little research to examine those factors that protect against such behaviors. The current study used path analysis to examine the association among PTSD, depression, hazardous alcohol consumption, and beliefs about suicide (i.e., reasons for living) in a community sample with motor vehicle accident related-PTSD (N=50). Reasons for living were inversely associated with PTSD, depression, and alcohol use. Further, depression symptom severity accounted for the association between PTSD symptom severity and reasons for living. In contrast, hazardous alcohol consumption only demonstrated a trend for accounting for the association between PTSD and reasons for living. Our findings highlight the importance of clinicians assessing co-occurring depression symptoms and suggest the potential use of interventions that promote adaptive cognitions about suicide among people with PTSD.

Predicting law enforcement officer job performance with the Personality Assessment Inventory.

This study examined the descriptive and predictive characteristics of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991) in a sample of 85 law enforcement officer candidates. Descriptive results indicate that mean PAI full-scale and subscale scores are consistently lower than normative community sample scores, with some exceptions noted typically associated with defensive responding. Predictive validity was examined by relating PAI full-scale and subscale scores to supervisor ratings in the areas of job performance, integrity problems, and abuse of disability status. Modest correlations were observed for all domains; however, predictive validity was moderated by defensive response style, with greater predictive validity observed among less defensive responders. These results suggest that the PAI's full scales and subscales are able to predict law enforcement officers' performance, but their utility is appreciably improved when taken in the context of indicators of defensive responding.

Personality Assessment Inventory profiles of deployed combat troops: an empirical investigation of normative performance.

The present study examined the normative scores and psychometric properties of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991) within a non-treatment-seeking sample of soldiers deployed to combat zones in Iraq, compared with a sample of community adults matched with respect to age and gender. Results indicate the scores and properties of the PAI scales were generally quite similar in the Iraq and community samples, with modest differences emerging on only 3 subscales addressing antisocial behavior, issues with close relationships, and interpersonal vigilance. These results suggest that standard normative interpretation of PAI scales is appropriate even when the instrument is administered in a combat zone. In comparison with prior research, the results may suggest that documented mental health issues among combat veterans, when present, may be particularly likely to emerge postdeployment.

Structure, reliability, and predictive validity of the Texas Christian University Correctional Residential Self-Rating Form at Intake in a residential substance abuse treatment facility.

This study examined the structure and predictive validity of the Texas Christian University Correctional Residential Self-Rating Form at Intake in a court mandated inpatient substance abuse treatment facility (N = 729). Client characteristics such as treatment motivation and psychological and social functioning were examined as predictors of prospective behavioral outcomes including compliance with treatment program rules and guidelines as well as completion of the treatment program. Results suggest that a broad indicator of individuals' pretreatment motivation predicted their ability to complete the program. Treatment noncompliance, as measured by the number of rule infractions committed during the inpatient treatment, was significantly predicted by individuals' propensity to externalize their symptoms. Implications for the effective use of the CR SRF-Intake as a screener for potential treatment problems are discussed as well as possible targets for interventions in substance abuse populations.

A pilot study of Manual-Assisted Cognitive Therapy with a Therapeutic Assessment augmentation for Borderline Personality Disorder.

This study examined the efficacy of Manual Assisted Cognitive Therapy (MACT) as a stand-alone treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) with suicidal ideation, and piloted a Therapeutic Assessment (TA) intervention among 16 patients randomly assigned to MACT or MACT+TA. Although MACT was associated with significant reductions in BPD features and suicidal ideation, less than half of the sample completed the treatment. The TA augmentation did not improve treatment retention but it was associated with somewhat greater clinical improvement. Although findings associate MACT with symptom reduction among persisting patients, attrition rate was problematically high in the overall sample.