In trying to better understand why individuals begin and continue to smoke despite the obvious health consequences, researchers have become interested in identifying relevant personality variables, such as risk taking. In this study, the authors compared the ability of 2 behavioral measures of risk taking, the Bechara Gambling Task (BGT) and the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), to differentiate smokers and nonsmokers. Self-report measures of impulsivity and sensation seeking were taken for comparison with the 2 behavioral risk-taking tasks. Results indicate that behavior on the BART, and not the BGT, was related to smoking status. Further, when considered in a logistic regression analysis, only the Sensation Seeking total score and the BART score contributed uniquely to the differentiation of smokers and nonsmokers.

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at risk for adverse outcomes such as substance abuse and criminality, particularly if they develop conduct problems. Little is known about early predictors of the developmental course of conduct problems among children with ADHD, however. Parental psychopathology and parenting were assessed in 108 children who first met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) criteria for ADHD at 4-7 years old. When demographic variables and baseline ADHD and conduct problems were controlled, maternal depression predicted conduct problems 2-8 years following the initial assessment, whereas positive parenting during the structured parent- child interaction task predicted fewer future conduct problems. These findings suggest that maternal depression is a risk factor, whereas early positive parenting is a protective factor, for the developmental course of conduct problems among children with ADHD.

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Lahey and Waldman (2003;2005) proposed a developmental propensity model in which three dimensions of children's emotional dispositions are hypothesized to transact with the environment to influence risk for conduct disorder, heterogeneity in conduct disorder, and comorbidity with other disorders. To prepare for future tests of this model, a new measure of these dispositions was tested. Exploratory factor analysis of potential items was conducted in a sample of 1,358 4-17 year olds. Confirmatory factor analyses then confirmed the three dispositional dimensions in a second sample of 2,063 pairs of 6-17 year old twins. Caretaker ratings of the dispositional dimensions were associated as predicted with symptoms of conduct disorder and other psychopathology. In a third sample, caretaker ratings of each disposition correlated uniquely with relevant observational measures of child behavior and unintentional injuries. These findings provide initial support for the new dispositional measure. Waldman (2003, 2005) proposed a developmental propensity model of conduct disorder (CD) in which children's dispositions to respond emotionally to the environment are posited to be key factors in the development of CD. The model states that three relatively enduring emotional dispositions-sympathetic response to other people, negative emotional response to threat and frustration, and positive response to novel and risky situationsinfluence children's propensity to develop CD through transactions with the environment. These three dispositional dimensions are based conceptually on previously identified dispositional constructs, but the model integrates them in a broad etiologic framework. In particular, the model asserts that the three dispositional dimensions are relatively uncorrelated, but jointly influence risk for CD. The model also offers testable hypotheses regarding the roles of the three dispositions in fostering CD through transactions with the environment and posits NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript that the three dispositions provide an organizing framework for understanding the role of genetic and environmental influences on CD.The dispositional dimension of prosociality is defined by sympathetic concern for others, helping and sharing, respect for social rules, and guilt over misdeeds. Thus, it is very similar to Goodman's prosocial strengths dimension (Goodman, Ford, Simmons, Gatward, & Meltzer, 2003) and Eisenberg's construct of dispositional sympathy (Eisenberg et al., 1989), which are both inversely related to CD. Some items in the five-factor model construct of agreeableness related to sympathy (Costa & McCrae, 1987) also overlap with prosociality. The difference between prosociality and these constructs is that respect for rules and guilt over misdeeds are not included in these previous constructs, but are hypothesized to be an integral part of prosociality.In addition, many of the items that define prosociality can be viewed as the opposite of most of the "callous...

This study examined the extent to which maternal attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms predict improvement in child behavior following brief behavioral parent training. Change in parenting was examined as a potential mediator of the negative relationship between maternal ADHD symptoms and improvement in child behavior. Seventy mothers of 6–10 year old children with ADHD underwent a comprehensive assessment of adult ADHD prior to participating in an abbreviated parent training program. Before and after treatment, parenting was assessed via maternal reports and observations and child disruptive behavior was measured via maternal report. Controlling for pre-treatment levels, maternal ADHD symptomatology predicted post-treatment child disruptive behavior problems. The relation between maternal ADHD symptomatology and improvement in child behavior was mediated by change in observed maternal negative parenting. This study replicated findings linking maternal ADHD symptoms with attenuated child improvement following parent training, and is the first to demonstrate that negative parenting at least partially explains this relationship. Innovative approaches combining evidence-based treatment for adult ADHD with parent training may therefore be necessary for families in which both the mother and child have ADHD. Larger-scale studies using a full evidence-based parent training program are needed to replicate these findings.