Inventory of Interpersonal Problems Personality Disorder scales: operating characteristics and confirmatory factor analysis in nonclinical samples.

Research involving clinical samples has demonstrated the utility of a 28-item personality disorder (PD) screening measure (Inventory of Interpersonal Problems--Personality Disorder scale [IIP-PD]) culled from the IIP in the prediction of the presence or absence of a PD (Pilkonis, Kim, Proietti, & Barkham, 1996). This article extends these diagnostic efficiency findings to nonclinical samples and presents additional data regarding the factor structure of the 28 IIP-PD items. Diagnostic efficiency statistics for the IIP-PD scale, calculated using both interview and self-report methods, support the utility of the IIP-PD scale as a screening tool for the presence or absence of a PD. High specificity estimates indicate that individuals who do not exceed Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) symptom thresholds rarely exceed the IIP-PD cutoff. Furthermore, a high negative predictive power (NPP) estimate derived using an interview-based diagnostic standard suggests that the IIP-PD scale accurately screens out individuals who do not have a PD. Finally, cross-validated confirmatory factor-analytic results involving items composing the 5 IIP PD subscales identified in previous research (Kim, Pilkonis, & Barkham, 1997) suggest that a measurement model with a single second-order factor (general PD) and 5 first-order factors (one representing each PD subscale) provided the best fit to the observed data compared to 2 other competing models.

Family processes and child risk for injury.

Although injuries are the leading health threat to children, behavioral interventions within the family to prevent injuries remain relatively unexplored. In this paper, the parenting literature relevant to maltreatment injuries is reviewed in order to offer a broader picture of the potential influence of the family on all kinds of injuries. Factors that influence parental supervision of risky child behavior, relationship issues that may potentiate risky behavior, and the role of behavioral rules in reducing risky responding are considered. Suggestions for future research on family processes in injury socialization and intervention options are advanced.

Assessment and diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in pediatric general practice.

Thorough assessment is a critical first step in the treatment of any psychiatric disorder. The need for rigorous assessment procedures is underscored for those disorders, such as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) of childhood, that have a high comorbidity with other common psychiatric disorders, including childhood depression and anxiety. Extensive research regarding diagnostic procedures for ADHD has demonstrated the importance of obtaining assessment data from multiple informants and in multiple modalities as a way of confirming ADHD diagnoses. This article describes how a physician in general pediatric practice might execute a thorough initial and follow-up assessment of a child's ADHD symptomology.