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indicate elevated risk for later psychosis. Parental age is an established risk factor for schizophrenia, however few studies have attempted to replicate these findings with psychotic-like symptoms. The goal of this study is to examine the relationship between parental age and risk of psychotic like symptoms in the general population. Methods: Data come from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R), a nationally representative cross-sectional survey. Both maternal age and paternal age at birth were assessed by self-report and were analyzed as three-level categorical variables based on their distributions: young (b20 years for mothers, b25 years for fathers), middle (20–29 years for mothers, 25–34 years for fathers) and older (≥30 years for mothers, ≥35 years for fathers). Lifetime occurrence of six psychotic-like symptoms was assessed: 1) ever see a vision others couldn't see, 2) ever hear voices others couldn't hear, 3) ever have a mind control experience, 4) ever feel your mind taken over by strange forces, 5) ever experience communication attempts from strange voices, and 6) ever experience an unjust plot to harm you or have people follow you. These symptoms were examined as a binary (any vs. none) variable using logistic regression. Models were adjusted for age, sex, race, education, household income, marital status, and birth order. Point estimates and standard errors were analyzed using survey procedures in SAS to account for the complex sampling design. Results: Of 924 respondents with complete data, 11% (n = 103) reported experiencing one or more psychotic-like symptoms. In fully-adjusted logistic regression models paternal age was significantly associated with reporting any psychotic-like symptoms (χ 2 = 6.56, P b 0.05). Compared to the youngest fathers, respondents with fathers aged 25–34 years at time of birth were less likely to experience psychotic-like symptoms (OR: 0.75, CI: 0.31–1.82), but those with older fathers were more likely to experience these symptoms (OR: 1.62, CI: 0.53–5.01). There was no significant relationship between maternal age and psychotic-like symptoms in the offspring (χ2 = 0.22, P = .89). Discussion: Older paternal age at birth, but not older maternal age, is associated with offspring report of experiencing one or more psychotic-like symptoms. Our findings are broadly consistent with epidemiologic work on paternal age and risk of schizophrenia, although more research is needed to identify the mechanisms linking paternal age with non-pathological psychotic-like symptoms. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2014.08.010
What does the term “specialist” really mean? Glazier Kimberly Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, New York, NY, USA Background: In the mental health field, the term “specialist” is ambiguous and unregulated. However, the term specialist is commonly utilized by mental health professionals. Objective: To determine the average number of areas of specialty and theoretical orientations endorsed by mental health providers. Method: A random sample of 146 clinicians' profiles listed under Psychology Today's “therapist finder” function was reviewed. Profiles were selected from the three most populous and three least populous U.S. cities, listed on the 2009 United States Census Bureau's 1000 most populous cities. Information regarding the professionals' gender, title, degree, location, number/types of areas of specialty and number/types of theoretical orientations was obtained. Results: The average numbers of self-reported areas of specialty and theoretical orientations among the 146 mental health professionals' profiles reviewed were 19.8 (SD = 9.4) and 4.9 (SD = 2.4), respectively. No significant correlations between the mental health providers' demographic information and number of areas or specialties or theoretical orientations were found. Conclusion: The preliminary data suggest that mental health providers identify as specializing in numerous clinical areas and base their practice on multiple theoretical orientations. The term specialist needs to be more concretely defined and certification programs to ensure expertise in self-reported areas of specialty and orientations should be mandated. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2014.08.011
Mental health antecedents of midlife insomnia: Evidence from a four-decade longitudinal study Goldman-Mellor Sidra J a,b,c,d, Gregory Alice e, Caspi Avshalom b,c,d,f, Harrington HonaLee b,c,d, Parsons Michael g, Poulton Richie h, Moffitt Terrie E b,c,d,f a Center for Developmental Science, University of NC at Chapel Hill, USA b Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Duke University, USA c Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy, Duke University, USA d Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, USA e Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, United Kingdom f Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London, United Kingdom g MRC Harwell, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom h Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand Study objectives: Insomnia is a highly prevalent condition that constitutes a major public health and economic burden. However, little is known about the developmental etiology of adulthood insomnia. Design: We examined whether indicators of psychological vulnerability across multiple developmental periods (psychiatric diagnoses in young adulthood and adolescence, childhood behavioral problems, and familial psychiatric history) predicted subsequent insomnia in adulthood. Setting and participants: We used data from the ongoing Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, a population-representative birth cohort study of 1037 children in New Zealand who were followed prospectively from birth (1972–1973) through their fourth decade of life with a 95% retention rate. Measurements: Insomnia was diagnosed at age 38 according to DSM-IV criteria. Psychiatric diagnoses, behavioral problems, and family psychiatric histories were assessed between ages 5 and 38. Results: In cross-sectional analyses, insomnia was highly comorbid with multiple psychiatric disorders. After controlling for this concurrent comorbidity, our results showed that individuals who have family histories of depression or anxiety, and who manifest lifelong depression and anxiety beginning in childhood, are at uniquely high risk of age-38 insomnia. Other disorders did not predict adulthood insomnia. Conclusions: The link between lifelong depression and anxiety symptoms and adulthood insomnia calls for further studies to clarify the neurophysiological systems or behavioral conditioning processes that may underlie this association. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2014.08.012
A new measure of social hedonic capacity: The ACIPS Gooding DC, Pflum MJ, Siggelkow CL University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA Background: Social hypohedonia, the reduced capacity to enjoy social interactions and interpersonal relationships, is observed in individuals at heightened risk for the later development of schizophrenia, as well as individuals experiencing depression and schizophrenia. Thus, there is increasing interest in assessing social hedonic capacity in the general population and in various diverse patient populations. The study objective was to highlight the psychometric advantages of the Anticipatory and Consummatory Interpersonal Pleasure Scale (ACIPS; Gooding & Pflum, 2014, Psychiatry Research), by demonstrating its relationship with extant measures. Methods: The association between trait hedonic capacity and schizotypal personality was examined in two independent nonclinical samples. In both investigations, hedonic capacity was measured using the 17-item Anticipatory and Consummatory Interpersonal Pleasure Scale (ACIPS). In Study One, we explored the association between the ACIPS and the Schizotypal
Abstracts / Comprehensive Psychiatry 50 (2014) e45–e59 Personality Questionnaire (SPQ; Raine, 1991, Schizophrenia Bulletin), a well-established measure used to identify individuals at heightened risk for schizotypal personality disorder. Study participants (n = 1345) completed the SPQ, which was adapted to a 5-point Likert scale. In Study Two, low schizotypy (n =37) and high schizotypy individuals (n =38), identified based on their scores on the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire Brief-Revised (Cohen et al., 2010, Journal of Personality Disorders), were compared in terms of their ACIPS responses. Results: Results from Study One revealed that total scores on the ACIPS are inversely correlated with total scores on Raine's SPQ measure. High scores on the ACIPS are significantly associated with low scores on the No Close Friends (r = -0.30, p b 0.002) and the Constricted Affect (r = -0.23, p b 0.001) subscales. In Study Two, the high schizotypy individuals had significantly lower mean ACIPS scores than those with low schizotypy, t (73) = 4.03, p b 0.001. The high schizotypy group reported a significantly lower overall capacity for social and interpersonal pleasure. Conclusion: Both studies, one based upon a dimensional approach and one based upon an extreme groups design, suggest that hedonic capacity for social-interpersonal pleasure, as measured by the ACIPS, is associated with variations in schizotypal personality traits. In particular, both investigations indicated a significant association between the No Close Friends subscale of the SPQ and the ACIPS total score. Overall, these findings provide further evidence for the criterion validity of the ACIPS. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2014.08.013
Epigenetic findings for PTSD and lower respiratory symptoms in male WTC responders Gonzalez Adam a, Guffanti Guia b, Ratanatharathorn Andrew c, Kotov Roman a, Bromet Evelyn a, Koenen Karestan c, Galea Sandro c, Luft Benjamin J d a Department of Psychiatry, Stony Book University, Stony Brook, NY b Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY c Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University, New York, NY d Department of Medicine, Stony Brook University After the World Trade Center (WTC) attack on 9/11/2001, the CDC established a consortium of clinics (WTC-Health Programs) in the NY-metropolitan area to detect, monitor and treat WTC-related health problems occurring among responders to the disaster. More than 25% of these responders (~30,000) have WTC-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and lower respiratory symptoms. These two conditions are often co-morbid (OR = 2.5). Longitudinal findings indicate that WTC-PTSD is associated with an increased risk of new-onset respiratory disease (but not vice versa). One explanation for this finding is that PTSD can result in a chronic stress response, including immunologic dysregulation. Epigenetics is a promising approach to elucidating biological processes underlying the PTSD-lower respiratory symptoms link. To further our understanding of the association among responders, the current study investigated DNA methylation patterns in peripheral blood of WTC responders and examined associations between methylation, PTSD symptom severity (PTSD Checklist [PCL]), and lower respiratory symptoms. Participants were 224 male (mean/ SD age = 49.6/8.1), primarily Caucasian (78%) responders enrolled in the WTC Health Program. Methylation was assessed with HumanMethylation450 BeadChip. As expected, no CpG site reached genome-wide significance (lowest p-value: 10 −6). However, a network-based approach revealed that PTSD symptoms are correlated with reduced methylation in CpG sites that belong to a cluster of highly interacting genes involved in regulation of NF-κB transcription factor activity (fdr b2 × 10−2). NF-κB is a protein complex that plays a significant role in regulating the immune response. The observed effect was driven primarily by sites within immunoregulatory genes TLR9, DAB2IP, TAOK3, and TRAF3, with the strongest effect on cg16302310 in the promoter region of TLR9. This site correlated significantly both with PTSD symptoms (r = −0.29, p = 3.91 × 10−5) and lower respiratory symptoms (r = −0.18, p = 0.01), indicating that demethylation of TLR9 is associated with greater symptom severity. The association between PTSD symptoms and
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lower respiratory symptoms was reduced when controlling for cg16302310 (p =0.04), which suggests that methylation mediates the PTSD-lower respiratory symptoms link. These results are a promising step in understanding the biological mechanisms underlying PTSD, lower respiratory symptoms, and their comorbidity. Specifically, our data build upon previous work that has implicated NF-κB and TLR9 in PTSD and highlights a potential pathway from PTSD to lower respiratory symptoms. Future work is needed to assess the observed relations longitudinally to evaluate directionality and to investigate the downstream effects of these epigenetic differences. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2014.08.014
Patterns of recent alcohol consumption by race among a sample of urban men who have sex with men Greene Emily a,b, Frye Victoria a,b, Cerdá Magdalena b, Ompad Danielle C c, Nandi Vijay a, Hoover Don d, Koblin Beryl a a New York Blood Center, New York, NY, USA b Columbia University, New York, NY, USA c New York University, New York, NY, USA d Rutgers University, Piscataway Township, NJ, USA Introduction: Research in the general population consistently finds that non-Hispanic blacks report lower levels of alcohol use, hazardous use, and are at lower risk of alcohol use disorder than non-Hispanic whites. However, racial/ethnic patterns of hazardous alcohol use may differ among men who have sex with men (MSM). There is a gap in our knowledge about racial differences in patterns of alcohol use, hazardous drinking, and alcohol-related problems among MSM. Aim: The aim of this study is to characterize patterns of drinking, hazardous alcohol use, and alcohol-related problems by race among a sample of urban MSM. Methods: We examined patterns in alcohol use frequency (never/less than monthly/weekly/more than weekly), quantity (any; heavy drinking (3+ drinks/drinking session); binge drinking (5+ drinks/drinking session)), meeting criteria for hazardous use (score of 4+ on the AUDIT-C) and symptoms of problematic drinking (needing a drink to get going in the morning; failed to live up to expectations due to drinking; inability to stop drinking once begun) among 848 non-Hispanic black and white MSM living in New York City and recruited via modified time-space, venue- and Internet-based sampling during 2010–13. Results: In the three months prior to interview, non-Hispanic blacks were less likely to report frequent drinking (4+ times/week) than non-Hispanic whites (10% vs. 22%, p b 0.001), were less likely to drink heavily (56% vs. 64%, p = 0.028), but there was no difference in binge drinking (22% vs. 26%, p = 0.147). Non-Hispanic blacks were less likely to meet criteria for hazardous drinking (45% vs. 65%, p b 0.001). Non-Hispanic blacks were less likely to report problematic drinking, as defined by endorsing at least one symptom on the AUDIT subscale (21% vs. 33%, p b 0.001). Conclusions: This analysis suggests that among MSM, non-Hispanic blacks report less alcohol use, less hazardous drinking, and fewer problems related to alcohol use. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2014.08.015
Sleep disturbance as a mediator of the relationship between smoking and major depressive disorder Grinberg Alice a, Finkbiner Carl a, Taha Farah a, Goodwin Renee D a,b a Department of Psychology, Queens College and The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY), Flushing, NY, United States b Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States Background: A compelling body of evidence links cigarette smoking with major depression, though the pathways explaining this association remain