The CBCL-JBD profile and CBCL-PTSP scale overlap to a remarkable degree, and may be best described as measures of a single syndrome. This syndrome appears to be related to severe psychopathology, but may not conform to traditional DSM-IV classification. These results contribute to the ongoing debate about the utility of the CBCL-JBD and CBCL-PTSP profiles, and offer promising methods of empirically based measurement of disordered self-regulation in youth.

This study examined hostility and harsh discipline of both mothers and fathers as potential mechanisms explaining the association between a maternal maltreatment history and her offspring's internalizing and externalizing problems. Prospective data from fetal life to age 6 were collected from a total of 4,438 families participating in the Generation R Study. Maternal maltreatment was assessed during pregnancy using a self-administered questionnaire. Mothers and fathers each reported on their psychological distress and harsh discipline when the child was 3 years. Children's internalizing and externalizing problems were assessed by parental reports and child interview at age 6. Findings from structural equation modeling showed that the association between a maternal maltreatment history and her offspring's externalizing problems was explained by maternal hostility and harsh discipline and, at least partially, also by paternal hostility and harsh discipline. Child interview data provided support for both these indirect paths, with associations largely similar to those observed for parent reports.

The Dysregulation Profile (DP) of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) (previously called the CBCL-Juvenile Bipolar Disorder or CBCL-JBD profile) characterized by elevated scores on CBCL attention problems, aggressive behavior, and anxious/depressed scales is associated with severe psychopathology and suicidal behavior. The stability of this profile across informants has not been established. In this study, agreement across parent, teacher, and self-reports was examined for the Dysregulation Profile phenotype derived using latent class analysis of a national probability sample of 2031 children aged 6-18. The Dysregulation Profile latent class was found for each informant and accounted for 6-7% of the sample. There was mild to fair agreement on the Dysregulation Profile latent class between parents and youth (Kappa=0.22-0.25), parents and teachers (Kappa=0.14-0.24) and youth and teachers (Kappa=0.19-0.28). When parents and youth reports both placed children into the Dysregulation Profile latent class, 42% of boys and 67% of girls reported suicidal thoughts or behavior. We conclude that the Dysregulation Profile latent class is identified across informants although agreement of specific individuals is mild. Children in this class as identified by parental and youth reports have a very high risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

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It is crucial to characterize self-regulation in children. We compared the temperamental profiles of children with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) Dysregulation Profile (CBCL-DP) to profiles associated with other CBCL-derived syndromes. 382 children (204 boys; aged 5–18) from a large family study were examined. Temperamental profiles were based on the Juvenile Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI). . Children with the CBCL-DP had a temperamental profile characterized by high Novelty Seeking (NS), high Harm Avoidance (HA), low Reward Dependence (RD) and low Persistence (P). Linear mixed models and regression-based models demonstrated that the CBCL-DP was associated with a “disengaged” temperamental profile. This profile is similar to the profile seen in adult disorders of self-regulation, including cluster B personality disorders. These results support the hypothesis that the CBCL-DP measures poor self-regulation.

Background Research on the relation of stress to alcohol consumption is inconsistent regarding the direction of effects, and this association has been shown to vary by sex and type of stress. We sought to build upon the stress-drinking literature by examining the direction of the stress-drinking association over time as well as sex and stressor differences using daily data. Method 246 heavy drinking adults (67% men) ages 21 to 82 reported daily stress levels and alcohol consumption over 180 days using Interactive Voice Response (IVR). Baseline daily hassles were examined as an alternative measure of stress. Generalized estimating equations (GEEs) were conducted to test the stress-drinking association accounting for alcohol dependency at baseline and sex and stressor type as moderators. Results IVR daily stress predicted increased alcohol consumption the following day, whereas baseline level of daily hassles did not. Examining the opposite direction of effects, IVR ratings of daily alcohol consumption predicted decreased next-day stress. Stress predicted higher alcohol consumption the next day for men but there was no significant association for women. For both sexes, drinking predicted decreased stress the next day, but this effect was stronger for women. Conclusions This study generally supported the drinking to cope and self-medication hypotheses, with findings that increased stress led to increased drinking. The time-varying relation between stress and alcohol appears to be sex- and measure- specific, however. Therefore, interventions targeted at stress management found to be effective for one sex should not be presumed to be applicable to the other.

A four-factor structure of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been proposed for DSM-V based on empirical evidence that it is superior to the three-factor DSM-IV structure. However, most studies reveal multiple structures fit the data well in adolescent samples, and high factor correlations have been reported. Within two national samples of adolescents, we tested eight PTSD factor structures, which have never been compared in a single study. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) of PTSD symptoms were conducted in two national samples of adolescents: the National Survey of Adolescents (NSA; N=4,023) and the NSA-Replication (NSA-R; N=3,614). CFA revealed that all models provided very good fit to both samples (RMSEAs = .021-.039), though the one-factor model can be rejected, and correlations between factors were high (rs = .80-1.0). Potential interpretations of these findings include: (1) the indicators (i.e., symptoms) need refinement; or (2) relevant symptoms have yet to be identified.

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