Family patterns of perfectionism: an examination of college students and their parents.

We examined patterns of perfectionism among college students and their biological parents in a sample of 188 undergraduates from intact families. Ratings (self vs. other) showed the greatest degree of convergence when daughters were either the target or the rater. Levels of self-oriented perfectionism in students were positively associated with the levels characterizing the same-sex parent, but unrelated (father-daughter) or negatively related (mother-son) to the levels characterizing the opposite-sex parent. Finally, parents' other-oriented perfectionism was not significantly related to students' socially prescribed perfectionism.

Two-year stability of borderline personality measures.

Two-year stability coefficients were computed for several measures of borderline personality disorder within a nonclinical sample (n = 65) that included individuals with significant borderline features. Overall, the stability coefficients were modest (r ranging from .28 to .62; intraclass correlations ranging from .26 to .62). Stability values for each of the self-report measures under study were higher than those for the interview-based measure of BPD features, and, in some cases, these values varied as a function of the prototypicality of the subsamples examined. Analyses conducted to identify moderator effects provided no evidence that the stability of BPD scores was moderated by change in personal distress level; however, changes in BPD self-report scores were related to changes in level of negative affectivity.

Disease and family contributors to adaptation in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: Research in the areas of pediatric rheumatology and pediatric chronic illness has emphasized comprehensive models of adaptation involving risk and resistance factors. This study examined adaptation, within this framework, among a large sample of children with chronic illness and children without chronic illness. METHODS: A comprehensive battery of adaptation measures was administered to a sample of 107 children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, 114 children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and 88 healthy controls. RESULTS: Medical diagnosis was associated with mothers' depression and a composite measure of parental (mother and father) distress and passive coping. Children's emotional and behavioral functioning was not related to medical diagnosis, but mothers' depression and parental distress were associated with child behavior problems. CONCLUSION: Because parental distress was associated with child functioning, interventions to ameliorate parental distress may have beneficial effects on the children's behavior and on parents' reactions to their children.

Trajectories of adaptation in pediatric chronic illness: the importance of the individual.

This study used individual growth modeling to examine individual difference and group difference models of adaptation. The adaptation of 27 children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) and 40 children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) was tracked for 18 months from diagnosis. A control group of 62 healthy children was followed over the same time period. Clustering procedures indicated that child and family adaptation could be described by a number of distinct adaptation trajectories, independent of diagnostic group membership. In contrast, parental adaptation trajectory was associated with diagnostic group membership and control over disease activity for the JRA group and with diagnostic group membership for healthy controls. The observation of common patterns across trajectory sets, as well as the finding that trajectories were differentially related to a number of variables of interest, support the use of trajectories to represent adaptation to chronic disease.

Extent of intellectual, cognitive, and academic decline in adolescent traumatic brain injury.

Pre-injury cognitive data are rarely available for review for individuals suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI). Although pre-injury intelligence and academic scores may be available, particularly if an individual is learning-disabled (LD), data on specific cognitive abilities are unlikely to exist. We present neuropsychological data for a 15-year-old Caucasian female with a learning disability who was administered IQ testing 2 weeks prior to a significant TBI, as well as other measures of specific cognitive abilities (e.g. memory and perceptual-motor skills) throughout her education. Comparison of pre- and post-TBI data showed: (1) global and generally consistent decline in all cognitive areas and (2) relatively stable performance on tests of academic ability, supporting the validity of such test scores as estimates of premorbid intelligence.

Effective treatment of neuropsychological deficits in Sjögren's syndrome.

Primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disorder that can manifest as central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction and include neuropsychological deficits. Given the limited information published on the cognitive deficits associated with SS, a case of SS is reported here. The primary CNS manifestations were dissociative episodes, and objectively measured neuropsychological dysfunction which was most notable in visual-spatial abilities (as measured by the WAIS-R PIQ, WMS-R Visual Memory Index, and Rey Complex Figure) and in left-sided coordination (as assessed by the Lafayette Grooved Pegboard). Clinical symptomatology and cognition improved following therapy with high-dose corticosteroids.