First data and translation of the Child Attachment Interview en Español.

The Child Attachment Interview (CAI) was designed to assess attachment representation in middle childhood-filling a gap between behavioral paradigms and adult interviews-and has demonstrated adequate psychometric properties in middle childhood and adolescence. To date, the CAI has not been available in Spanish, given the absence of an accepted translation and psychometric data. Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world, and assessment of attachment in an individual's native language is critical given differences in emotional processing, memory, and disclosure in first versus second languages. We translated the CAI (with consultation from its creator) utilizing standardized translation and back-translation procedures and examined its psychometric properties in a sample of Spanish-speaking high school students. In this study, we report on that process and data gathered from N = 94 Spanish-speaking adolescents in grades 9-12; 20% were double-coded and interrater reliability was acceptable. Findings support the single factor "Security-Dismissal" model, and relations between classifications and subscales were consistent with previous findings. Support for convergent and discriminant validity was provided for both classifications and subscales; however, concurrent validity varied across classifications and subscales. In sum, our translation demonstrates psychometric promise for the assessment of internal working models of attachment in Spanish-speaking high school students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Clinical diversity in a randomized trial that explicitly sought racial/ethnic diversity in its sample: Baseline comparisons in a treatment of youth substance use and posttraumatic stress.

OBJECTIVE: For more than two decades, federal agencies have sought to address a persistent lack of inclusion of Black, Latinx, Asian, and indigenous peoples in randomized controlled trials (RCTs), often with an underlying hypothesis that such efforts will increase diversity across clinically-relevant dimensions. We examined racial/ethnic and clinical diversity, including racial/ethnic differences in prior service access and symptom dimensions, in an RCT focusing on trauma-related mental health and substance use among adolescents. METHOD: Participants were 140 adolescents in an RCT of Reducing Risk through Family Therapy. Recruitment followed several recommendations for enhancing diversity. Structured interviews examined trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms, substance use, service utilization, and demographics. RESULTS: Non-Latinx (NL) Black youth were more likely to receive mental health services for the first time and have greater trauma exposure, but less likely to report symptoms of depression (ps < .05) relative to NL White youth. Relevant caregiver differences included that NL Black caregivers were more likely to be unemployed and looking for work (p < .05) despite having similar levels of education relative to NL White caregivers (p > .05). CONCLUSION: Results suggest that efforts to expand racial/ethnic diversity in an RCT of combined substance use and trauma-focused mental health may also expand other clinical dimensions. Many of these differences reflect multiple dimensions of racism experienced by NL Black families that clinicians must attend to. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

A strong contender for mental health screening in Latinx immigrant youth: Psychometric properties of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.

Latinx youth seeking asylum in the U.S. experience mental health disparity due to exposure to trauma and adversity. Health systems and schools in the U.S. are unprepared to screen for psychopathology in this population, much of which is mono-lingual Spanish-speaking, due to the absence of psychometrically-vetted instruments. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) has strong empirical support as a mental health screener in other demographics. However, there has been no psychometric research in Spanish-speaking immigrant youth and, therefore, the utility in this population remains unknown. The aims of the current study were to examine the SDQ's (a) internal structure, (b) factor structure, (c) test-retest reliability, and (d) concurrent validity. Results are based on N = 110 recently immigrated high school students (60% male, Mage = 19) who completed the SDQ in Spanish. Findings provided support for the Total Score, which displayed evidence of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and concurrent validity with the Child Behavior Checklist. However, support for the use of the SDQ's subscale scores was limited. In sum, the SDQ Total Score holds promise as a screening instrument for recently immigrated Latinx youth in clinical, health, and educational settings, and use of the subscales requires future research and refinement.

Reverse-Coded Items Do Not Work in Spanish: Data From Four Samples Using Established Measures.

The potential for suboptimal psychometric performance of reverse-coded items may be particularly pronounced when scales are translated and administered in Spanish with these problems exacerbated in youth respondents. This is a significant concern, given the rapid rise in Hispanic-American and Spanish-speaking individuals in the US and their rightful, growing representation in psychological research and clinical care. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric performance of reverse-coded items across four Spanish-speaking samples spanning developmental stages including youth, college students, and parents (N = 1,084; Adolescents n = 107; M = 19.79; SD = 2.09; 41.1% female; Caregivers n = 58; M = 40.79; SD = 7.94; 60.3% female; Spanish-speaking adults in the US n = 157; M = 33.4; SD = 9.5; 68.8% female; and College students living in Latin America n = 783; M = 21.04; SD = 3.13; 69.2% female) and four scales (Big Five Inventory; Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale; Beck Hopelessness Scale); we expected reverse-coded items would demonstrate inadequate item-total correlations and their inclusion would compromise scale internal consistency. Hypotheses were supported with evidence of poor psychometric performance for at least two reverse-coded items on each instrument, such that un-reversing the items improved their item-total correlations. Across every instrument, alpha was either improved by excluding reverse-coded items or by including them in an un-reversed fashion and, overall, there was a moderate, negative effect of reverse-coded items on scale alphas. In growing consensus with previous authors, we recommend that reverse-coded items not be included in Spanish scales.

Familismo neutralizes the effects of discrimination on suicide-related thoughts and behaviors in Latinx young adults.

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in rates of suicide-related thoughts and behaviors among Latinx young adults. Given Latinx young adults are one of the fastest growing subgroups in the United States, this raises significant public health concern. Perceived discrimination has consistently been identified as a risk factor and has been positively associated with depressive symptoms, further exacerbating risk for the development of suicide-related thoughts and behaviors. Critical to understanding Latinx mental health is familismo, a core cultural value that entails connectedness, dedication, commitment, and loyalty to family. Moreover, it involves seeking family for advice and support. The current study sought to examine depressive symptoms as mediator for the relation between perceived discrimination and suicide-related thoughts and behaviors while investigating familismo as a moderator in attenuating these relations within a college aged Latinx sample (N = 1037, 75.3% female, Mage = 21, SD = 4.49). Across models, depressive symptoms explained the relation between perceived discrimination and suicide-related thoughts and behaviors (p ≤0.001-0.024) with familismo significantly acting as moderator (p = .009). In exploring the protective effects of an important Latinx cultural value on a growing public health disparity, the current study provides novel insight that may be used to tailor and adapt current intervention and prevention efforts for Latinx young adults at risk for suicide-related thoughts and behaviors.

Does coding internal working models of attachment have to be so hard?

The Child Attachment Interview (CAI) has demonstrated promise in youth, yet widespread use is thwarted by the need for interview transcription, face-to-face training, and reliability certification. The present study sought to examine the empirical basis for these barriers. Thirty-five archival CAIs were re-coded by: (1) expert coders (i.e., trained and reliable) without access to transcripts, (2) trained coders who had not completed reliability training, and (3) novice coders who had no formal training. Agreement with consensus classifications was computed with the expectation of moderate agreement. Results supported coding by experts without transcription of the interview. Near-moderate agreement preliminarily supported the use of trained coders who have not attempted reliability certification with appropriate caveats. While moderate agreement was not achieved for novice raters, findings suggest that self-paced training options for the CAI may hold future promise. These contributions erode a number of significant barriers to the current use of the CAI.

Caregivers' and Young Children's Emotional Health Needs After Pediatric Traumatic Injury.

Pediatric traumatic injury (PTI) is associated with emotional health difficulties, but most US trauma centers do not adequately address emotional recovery needs. This study aimed to assess families' emotional health needs following PTI and determine how technology could be used to inform early interventions. Individual semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted with caregivers of children admitted to a Level I trauma center in the Southeastern United States to understand families' experiences in-hospital and post-discharge. Participants included 20 caregivers of PTI patients under age 12 (M = 6.4 years; 70% male, 45% motor vehicle collision). Thematic analysis was used to analyze data from interviews that were conducted until saturation. Caregivers reported varying emotional needs in hospital and difficulties adjusting after discharge. Families responded enthusiastically to the potential of a technology-enhanced resource for families affected by PTI. A cost-effective, scalable intervention is needed to promote recovery and has potential for widespread pediatric hospital uptake.

Testing the role of inflammation in the relation of childhood maltreatment and suicidal ideation among young adults.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the prevalence of suicidal ideation among young adults has been on the rise, with childhood maltreatment thought to partially explain this disparity. Systemic inflammation-a product of over-activation of the body's stress response system-has been hypothesized to play a predictive role in the development of suicidal ideation. Enduring childhood maltreatment can lead to systemic inflammation, possibly accounting for suicidal ideation's increased prevalence among young adults who have a history of childhood maltreatment. METHODS: The current study sought to investigate the importance of childhood maltreatment as a static risk factor for downstream suicidal ideation in young adulthood with the immunological response (i.e., systemic inflammation) to childhood maltreatment serving as a mediating factor. RESULTS: Systemic inflammation was found to be positively associated with suicidal ideation, supporting the unique role systemic inflammation may play in the pathogenesis of suicidal ideation, though hypotheses regarding childhood maltreatment were not supported. CONCLUSION: This study provides novel insight into a potential immunobiological model for suicidal ideation development in young adult populations.

Americans Misperceive Racial Disparities in Economic Mobility.

What do people know about racial disparities in "The American Dream"? Across six studies (N = 1,761), we find that American participants consistently underestimate the Black-White disparity in economic mobility, believing that poor Black Americans are significantly more likely to move up the economic ladder than they actually are. We find that misperceptions about economic mobility are common among both White and Black respondents, and that this undue optimism about the prospect of mobility for Black Americans results from a narrow focus on the progress toward equality that has already been made. Consequently, making economic racial disparities salient, or merely reflecting on the unique hardships that Black Americans face in the United States, calibrates beliefs about economic mobility. We discuss the importance of these findings for understanding lay beliefs about the socioeconomic system, the denial of systemic racism in society, and support for policies aimed at reducing racial economic disparities.

People are more tolerant of inequality when it is expressed in terms of individuals rather than groups at the top.

Despite the ever-growing economic gap between the very wealthy and the rest of the population, support for redistributive policies tends to be low. This research tested whether people's tolerance of inequality differs when it is represented in terms of a successful individual versus a group of people at the top of the economic ladder. We propose that drawing people's attention to wealthy individuals undermines support for redistribution by leading people to believe that the rich person's wealth is well deserved. Across eight studies (n = 2,800), survey participants rated unequal distributions of resources as more fair when presented with an individual, rather than a group, at the top of the distribution. Participants also expressed lower support for redistributive policies after considering inequality represented by successful individuals compared to groups. This effect was driven by people's different attributions for individual versus group success. Participants thought that individuals at the top were more deserving of their successes and, in turn, were less likely to support redistribution when inequality was represented by individual success. These findings suggest that support for inequality, and policies to reduce it, may depend on who people are led to consider when they think about the top of the economic distribution.

Epigenome-Wide Study of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Severity in a Treatment-Seeking Adolescent Sample.

Emerging research has demonstrated that psychosocial trauma exposure may elicit epigenetic changes, with downstream effects on the transcriptional regulation of genes. Epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) offer an agnostic approach to examine DNA methylation (DNAm) associations and are a valuable tool to aid in the identification of biological pathways involved in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study represents the first EWAS of PTSD in an adolescent sample, an important group given the significance of this developmental period regarding both DNAm changes and PTSD risk. The sample (n = 39, M age = 15.41 years, SD = 1.27, 84.6% female) comprised adolescents who experienced interpersonal trauma and were enrolled in a treatment study. Participants were assessed using the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index for DSM-IV-Adolescent Version and provided a blood sample at baseline. Genomic DNA was isolated from whole blood and assayed using the Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip. The primary analysis estimated the associations among individual CpG sites and PTSD symptom scores. Of the 793,575 screened probes tested, two were significant at a false discovery rate (FDR) < 10%. Hypomethylation of both sites was associated with increased PTSD symptom scores. Analysis of differentially methylated regions (DMR) identified a DMR associated with PTSD symptom scores at an FDR < 10%. Results from follow-up models are also discussed. Findings from this preliminary investigation suggest the importance of further research conducted in adolescent samples. The analytic pipeline and results are documented for use in future meta-analytic work as more such samples become available.

Who is Taking Care of Central American Immigrant Youth? Preliminary Data on Caregiving Arrangements and Emotional-Behavioral Symptoms Post-Migration.

Migrant youth are at increased risk for mental health problems. Given increases in families migrating to the U.S. and family separations at the U.S.-Mexico border, understanding migrant youth home environments and impacts of family disruption are growing concerns. This study assessed caregiver arrangements and reports of youth emotional and behavioral symptoms from recently immigrated adolescents (N = 111) and respective caregivers (n = 64). 47.7% of youth indicated living with their mother, father, or both; 24.3% another relative, 2.7% a non-relative, and 25.2% reported no caregiver. 25% indicated caretaking responsibilities of their own. Caregiving arrangements were related to emotional and behavioral symptoms. Caregiver documentation status was related to caregiver-reported conduct problems, prosocial behavior, and total symptoms. The migration process is disruptive for youth and home environments. Many youth experience disrupted caregiving post-migration and caregiver features are significant to youth emotional and behavioral symptoms-which were elevated in this sample. The study provides novel insight into effects of family disruption on migrant youth post-migration.

Predictors of substance use in a clinical sample of youth seeking treatment for Trauma-related mental health problems.

Child maltreatment and traumatic events are well established risk factors for adolescent substance use problems, but little is known about the unique contributions of etiological factors on trauma-exposed youths' pre-treatment substance use in clinical settings. This study examined associations between substance use and risk and protective factors measured across multiple ecological levels among a unique sample of youth seeking treatment for trauma-related mental health problems in child advocacy centers. Participants were adolescents (N = 135; 85% female; 60% white, 31% black) aged 13-17 years (M = 15.4) with ≥ 1 experience of child maltreatment or other interpersonal violence, current substance use, and ≥5 PTSD symptoms. Youth and caregivers completed validated questionnaires and clinical interviews at a pre-treatment assessment in a randomized controlled trial of a treatment for co-occurring traumatic stress and substance use. Negative binomial regression models identified different patterns of risk and protective factors for alcohol and cannabis. Clinical implications of these results are discussed, including the potential targets for integrated psychotherapies that address co-occurring substance use and traumatic stress in youth.

The streaking star effect: Why people want superior performance by individuals to continue more than identical performance by groups.

We present evidence in 9 studies (n = 2,625) for the Streaking Star Effect-people's greater desire to see runs of successful performance by individuals continue more than identical runs of success by groups. We find this bias in an obscure Italian sport (Study 1), a British trivia competition (Study 2), and a tennis competition in which the number of individual versus team competitors is held constant (Study 3). This effect appears to result from individual streaks of success inspiring more awe than group streaks-and that people enjoying being awe-inspired. In Studies 4 and 5, we found that the experience of awe inspired by an individual streak drives the effect, a result that is itself driven by the greater dispositional attributions people make for the success of individuals as opposed to groups (Study 6). We demonstrate in Studies 7a and 7b that this effect is not an artifact of identifiability. Finally, Study 8 illustrates how the Streaking Star Effect impacts people's beliefs about the appropriate market share for companies run by a successful individual versus a successful management team. We close by discussing implications of this effect for consumer behavior, and for how people react to economic inequality reflected in the success of individuals versus groups. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Safety and Efficacy of Exposure-Based Risk Reduction Through Family Therapy for Co-occurring Substance Use Problems and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Among Adolescents: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: No empirically supported treatments have been evaluated to address co-occurring substance use problems (SUP) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among adolescents in an integrative fashion. This lack is partially owing to untested clinical lore suggesting that delivery of exposure-based PTSD treatments to youth with SUP might be iatrogenic. Objective: To determine whether an exposure-based, integrative intervention for adolescents with SUP and PTSD symptoms-risk reduction through family therapy (RRFT)-resulted in improved outcomes relative to a treatment-as-usual (TAU) control condition consisting primarily of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy. Design, Setting, and Participants: This randomized clinical trial enrolled 124 participants who were recruited from November 1, 2012, through January 30, 2017. Adolescents (aged 13-18 years) who engaged in nontobacco substance use at least once during the past 90 days, experienced at least 1 interpersonal traumatic event, and reported 5 or more PTSD symptoms were enrolled. Blinded assessments were collected at baseline and at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months after baseline. Recruitment and treatment took place in community-based child advocacy centers in the Southeastern United States. Data were analyzed from August 2 through October 4, 2018, and were based on intention to treat. Interventions: Participants were randomized to receive RRFT (n = 61) or TAU (n = 63). Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes focused on number of nontobacco substance-using days measured with the timeline follow-back method and PTSD symptom severity using the UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) PTSD Reaction Index for DSM-IV completed by adolescents and caregivers. Secondary outcomes focused on marijuana, alcohol, and polysubstance use and PTSD criterion standard (re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal) symptom severity. Results: In all, 124 adolescents (mean [SD] age, 15.4 [1.3] years; 108 female [87.1%]) were randomized. For primary outcomes relative to TAU, RRFT yielded significantly greater reductions in substance-using days from baseline to month 12 (event rate [ER], 0.28; 95% CI, 0.12-0.65) and month 18 (ER, 0.10; 95% CI, 0.04-0.24). Significant reductions in PTSD symptoms were observed within groups for RRFT from baseline to months 3 (ß = -9.25; 95% CI, -12.95 to -5.55), 6 (ß = -16.63; 95% CI = -20.40 to -12.87), 12 (ß = -17.51; 95% CI, -21.62 to -13.40), and 18 (ß = -19.02; 95% CI, -23.07 to -14.96) and for TAU from baseline to months 3 (ß = -9.62; 95% CI, -13.16 to -6.08), 6 (ß = -13.73; 95% CI, -17.43 to -10.03), 12 (ß = -15.53; 95% CI, -19.52 to -11.55), and 18 (ß = -13.88; 95% CI, -17.69 to -10.09); however, between-group differences were not observed. Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, RRFT and TAU demonstrated within-group improvements in SUP and PTSD symptoms, with greater improvement for substance use and PTSD avoidance and hyperarousal symptoms among adolescents randomized to RRFT compared with TAU. No evidence of the worsening of SUP was observed in either condition. These results suggest that this exposure-based treatment is safe, feasibly delivered by community-based clinicians, and offers an effective approach to inform clinical practice. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01751035.

Pilot Evaluation of a Tablet-Based Application to Improve Quality of Care in Child Mental Health Treatment.

Mental health systems need scalable solutions that can reduce the efficacy-effectiveness gap and improve mental health outcomes in community mental health service settings. Two major challenges to delivery of high-quality care are providers' fidelity to evidence-based treatment models and children's and caregivers' engagement in the treatment process. We developed a novel, tablet-based application designed to enhance via technology the quality of delivery of trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT). We piloted its use in four community mental health service organizations using a blocked randomized controlled trial to examine the feasibility of implementing tablet-facilitated TF-CBT versus standard TF-CBT with 13 providers and 27 families. Provider fidelity and child engagement in treatment were observationally measured via session audio recording. Parent and child perceptions of the tablet application were assessed using structured interviews and mixed-method analyses. Providers actively and appropriately used tablet TF-CBT to facilitate treatment activities. Providers and families expressed high satisfaction with its use, demonstrating acceptability of this approach. Youth and caregivers in both conditions reported high alliance with their providers. Overall, we found that tablet-facilitated treatment is accepted by providers and families and may be integrated into mental health treatment with minimal training. Further study is needed to examine the extent to which technology-based applications may enhance the reach, quality, and clinical outcomes of mental health treatment delivered to children and families.

Impulsivity and Comorbid PTSD and Binge Drinking.

OBJECTIVE: Trauma exposure is common, with estimates of 28% to 90% of adults reporting at least one traumatic event over their lifetime. Those exposed to traumatic events are at risk for alcohol misuse (i.e., binge drinking), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or both. A potential underlying mechanism for this comorbidity is increased impulsivity-the tendency to act rashly. Little work to date has examined the impact of different impulsogenic traits on this comorbidity. METHODS: This study (n = 162) investigated trauma-exposed young adults (aged 21-30) who had endorsed a lifetime interpersonal trauma. In addition, three impulsogenic traits (motor, nonplanning, and attentional) were measured. RESULTS: Over and above the covariates for age, gender, race, and traumatic events, greater attentional impulsivity was associated with greater likelihood of meeting criteria for PTSD and binge drinking, compared to meeting criteria for PTSD, binge drinking, or neither. Neither nonplanning impulsivity nor motor impulsivity exerted unique effects. CONCLUSIONS: Young adults who report difficulty attending to immediate stimuli within their environment may be unable to think about and/or process the traumatic event, potentially increasing risk for PTSD and maladaptive coping skills to manage this distress (e.g., alcohol misuse, binge drinking).

Sudden-death aversion: Avoiding superior options because they feel riskier.

We present evidence of sudden-death aversion (SDA)-the tendency to avoid "fast" strategies that provide a greater chance of success, but include the possibility of immediate defeat, in favor of "slow" strategies that reduce the possibility of losing quickly, but have lower odds of ultimate success. Using a combination of archival analyses and controlled experiments, we explore the psychology behind SDA. First, we provide evidence for SDA and its cost to decision makers by tabulating how often NFL teams send games into overtime by kicking an extra point rather than going for the 2-point conversion (Study 1) and how often NBA teams attempt potentially game-tying 2-point shots rather than potentially game-winning 3-pointers (Study 2). To confirm that SDA is not limited to sports, we demonstrate SDA in a military scenario (Study 3). We then explore two mechanisms that contribute to SDA: myopic loss aversion and concerns about "tempting fate." Studies 4 and 5 show that SDA is due, in part, to myopic loss aversion, such that decision makers narrow the decision frame, paying attention to the prospect of immediate loss with the "fast" strategy, but not the downstream consequences of the "slow" strategy. Study 6 finds that people are more pessimistic about a risky strategy that needn't be pursued (opting for sudden death) than the same strategy that must be pursued. We end by discussing how these twin mechanisms lead to differential expectations of blame from the self and others, and how SDA influences decisions in several different walks of life. (PsycINFO Database Record

A Comparative Study of Sample Preparation for Staining and Immunodetection of Plant Cell Walls by Light Microscopy.

Staining and immunodetection by light microscopy are methods widely used to investigate plant cell walls. The two techniques have been crucial to study the cell wall architecture in planta, its deconstruction by chemicals or cell wall-degrading enzymes. They have been instrumental in detecting the presence of cell types, in deciphering plant cell wall evolution and in characterizing plant mutants and transformants. The success of immunolabeling relies on how plant materials are embedded and sectioned. Agarose coating, wax and resin embedding are, respectively, associated with vibratome, microtome and ultramicrotome sectioning. Here, we have systematically carried out a comparative analysis of these three methods of sample preparation when they are applied for cell wall staining and cell wall immunomicroscopy. In order to help the plant community in understanding and selecting adequate methods of embedding and sectioning for cell wall immunodetection, we review in this article the advantages and limitations of these three methods. Moreover, we offer detailed protocols of embedding for studying plant materials through microscopy.

Substituted Diarylnorbornadienes and Quadricyclanes: Synthesis, Photochemical Properties, and Effect of Substituent on the Kinetic Stability of Quadricyclanes.

In this Article, we present a new method for the synthesis of diarylnorbornadiene derivatives. Through the use of a two-step procedure consisting of a tandem alkene insertion-Suzuki coupling reaction followed by a DDQ dehydrogenation, we have been able to synthesize derivatives with a wide variety of substituents. We also present the results of UV-visible spectroscopy studies and kinetics experiments that show the effect of substituent on light absorption properties of the norbornadienes as well as the kinetic stability of the quadricyclanes that result from their photochemical conversion. While substitution on the aromatic rings had comparatively little effect on quadricyclane lability, substitution at a bridgehead position with a methyl group produced a quadricyclane that thermally reverted to the norbornadiene at a rate that was significantly slower than that for the quadricyclane without the methyl substituent. From the results of the kinetics experiments, we determined that the reversion of the quadricyclanes occurs via a free radical mechanism with very little contribution from polar effects. This observation led us to speculate as to whether our data may form the basis for a free radical substituent constant, σQ•, analogous to the traditional Hammett σ parameter.