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Biomedical subjects

D Reiss

Publications and source records attributed to D Reiss.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Genetic questions for environmental studies. Differential parenting and psychopathology in adolescence.

BACKGROUND: Recent genetic evidence suggests that the most important environmental influences on normal and pathologic development are those that are not shared by siblings in the same family. We sought to determine the relationship between differences in parenting styles and depressive symptoms and antisocial behavior in adolescence, and to compare the influence of these nonshared experiences with genetic influences. METHODS: We studied 708 families with at least two same-sexed adolescent siblings who were monozygotic twins (93 families), dizygotic twins (99 families), ordinary siblings (95 families), full siblings in step families (181 families), half siblings in step families (110 families), and genetically unrelated siblings in step families (130 families). Data on parenting style were collected by questionnaire and by video recording of interaction between parents and children. RESULTS: Almost 60% of variance in adolescent antisocial behavior and 37% of variance in depressive symptoms could be accounted for by conflictual and negative parental behavior directed specifically at the adolescent. In contrast, when a parent directed harsh, aggressive, explosive, and inconsistent parenting toward the sibling, we found less psychopathologic outcome in the adolescent. CONCLUSIONS: Parenting behavior directed specifically at each child in the family is a major correlate of symptoms in adolescents. Furthermore, harsh parental behavior directed at a sibling may have protective effects for adolescents, a phenomenon we call the "siblin barricade."

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Bulimia nervosa: 5-year social outcome and relationship to eating pathology.

From an original sample of 50 patients, 32 female patients with bulimia nervosa were followed up for a minimum length of 5 years. Standardized interviews were employed to assess eating attitudes and behavior as well as social status both at entry and at completion of the follow-up period. All participants completed the Social Problem Questionnaire at follow-up. Social outcome was found to parallel eating disorder outcome. Being in a satisfactory stable relationship was associated with good eating disorder outcome. Being in a stable relationship was not related to eating disorder outcome. Good outcome was also associated with higher occupational social class, and having a fulfilling social life and job.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Parent ratings of EAS temperaments in twins, full siblings, half siblings, and step siblings.

A twin/family design was used to explore genetic contributions to personality; to evaluate whether twins and nontwins yield different genetic results; and to test for the presence of contrast effects, the tendency of a rater to contrast one sibling with the other, thereby magnifying existing behavioral differences. The sample consisted of 708 adolescent same-sex sibling pairs from 10 to 18 years of age. Pairs included identical (monozygotic; MZ) and fraternal (dizygotic; DZ) twins, and full siblings in nondivorced families; and full, half, and unrelated siblings in stepfamilies. Mothers and fathers rated the temperament of their children on the EAS Temperament Survey (A. H. Buss & R. Plomin, 1984). Model-fitting analyses revealed significant genetic influences on each of the four EAS dimensions; however, for some dimensions, heritability estimates were significantly greater for twins than for nontwins. Overall, the data were best described by a sibling interaction model, which indicated significant contrast effects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Personal therapy: a disorder-relevant psychotherapy for schizophrenia.

While the long-term care of ambulatory schizophrenia patients requires highly effective interpersonal treatment skills among clinicians, there is little evidence to support an empirically validated individual psychotherapy of schizophrenia. Personal therapy (PT) attempts to address the apparent limitations of traditional psychotherapy by modifying the "model of the person" to accommodate an underlying pathophysiology, minimizing potential iatrogenic effects of maintenance antipsychotic medication, controlling sources of environmental provocation, and extending therapy to a time when crisis management has lessened and stabilization is better ensured. By means of graduated, internal coping strategies, PT attempts to provide a growing awareness of personal vulnerability, including the "internal cues" of affect dysregulation. The goals are to increase foresight through the accurate appraisal of emotional states, their appropriate expression, and assessment of the reciprocal response of others. The strategies are supplemented by phase-specific psychoeducation and behavior therapy techniques. Practical issues in the application of this new intervention are discussed. Preliminary observations from two samples of patients, one living with and the other living independent of family, suggest differential improvement over time among PT recipients.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1995

Debriefing the family: is research an intervention?

The primary focus of this article is to examine the general assumption that families are left largely unchanged by their participation in research, and to question whether family research can have unintended positive or negative effects on participants. The present article reports feedback from families participating in the Nonshared Environment and Adolescent Development project, a longitudinal study of family process and adolescent development. Families differed in their perceptions about whether the research experience was positive, detrimental, or inconsequential. This feedback underscores the researcher's ethical responsibility to detect and remove deleterious effects of participation. Suggestions are made for providing adequate debriefing to subjects and for using debriefing as a research tool to study the interaction between researcher and families.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

A twin-sibling study of observed parent-adolescent interactions.

Numerous behavioral genetic studies call attention to the strong and pervasive genetic influence on developmental characteristics. However, this research has been criticized for its use of poor environmental measures and a failure to examine the complex processes that are a hallmark of research in child development. This study addresses this criticism by examining the genetic and environmental components of parent-child interactions. Mother, father, and 2 adolescent siblings (10-18 years) from each of 675 families were observed interacting in 10-min dyadic problem-solving sessions. 6 groups of siblings that differed in genetic relatedness were examined (MZ and DZ twins, full siblings in nondivorced families; full, half, and unrelated siblings in stepfamilies). Results suggest a greater genetic component to adolescent behavior than to parent behavior. Both adolescent and parent behavior showed strong effects of nonshared environment, even after error of measurement was removed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Genetic and environmental influences on perceptions of self-worth and competence in adolescence: a study of twins, full siblings, and step-siblings.

Although it is generally assumed that the origins of adolescents' perceptions of self-competence lie in shared family environmental influences, the contributions of nonshared environmental or genetic influences have not been explored. We investigated sibling resemblance for perceived competence and self-worth in 720 adolescent pairs aged 10 to 18 years, using a twin, full sibling, and step-sibling design. Our goals were to assess the magnitude of shared and nonshared environmental influences and to disentangle resemblance due to shared genetic heritage from that due to shared environmental experiences. Shared environment was not significant for any of the scales. 4 of the subscales showed significant genetic influence: scholastic, social, physical, and athletic competence. We also explored possible sources of genetic influences on perceived competence. Bivariate models revealed common genetic variance between scholastic competence and vocabulary and social competence and sociability. These measures, however, did not account for all of the genetic variance in perceived social and scholastic competence.

Achievement↗
PubMed1993

Spontaneous vocal mimicry and production by bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): evidence for vocal learning.

Two female bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and their 2 male offspring were presented with an underwater keyboard to observe how the dolphins would use such a system to obtain specific objects and activities. When a dolphin pressed visual forms on the keyboard, whistles were generated underwater, and the dolphin was given a specific object or activity. Both vocal and nonvocal behaviors were recorded. Only the males used the keyboard. In the 1st year spontaneous vocal mimicry and productive use of facsimiles of the computer-generated whistles were recorded. In the 2nd year productive use increased significantly over mimicry, and apparent combinations of discreet whistle facsimiles in behaviorally appropriate contexts were observed. The patterns of vocal mimicry and production suggest a new model for analyzing dolphin vocalizations and vocal development with respect to signal structure and organization.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

The long reach of violence and aggression.

The immediately preceding issue of psychiatry focused on the effects of violence on children. Of particular concern was the immediate impact of violence in the community on psychiatric symptoms in young children. Also of concern was the relationship of community violence to violence and abuse of children in the home, and the short-term impact of violence on many facets of child development. A group of five papers in the current issue focuses on the long-term impact of violence, aggression, and trauma; its impact on development into late adolescence and on severe character pathology in adulthood. Also of concern in this section are some of the origins of violence and abusive behavior toward children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Adolescent adjustment to chronic physical disorders--I. Comparing neurological and non-neurological conditions.

Early research on child adjustment to chronic illness assumed that each condition had a unique impact. Recently researchers have suggested that all chronic conditions influence adjustment in similar ways. To compare these models, data were collected on 165 adolescents having chronic conditions with and without brain involvement, and 49 healthy controls. Adolescents with brain-based conditions had more behaviour problems, less autonomous functioning and poorer school achievement. Children with conditions having no brain involvement differed from controls only in reporting less work experience and having lower math achievement scores. These findings support a modified perspective that involves both general factors and effects specific to brain-based conditions.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1993

Genetic and environmental influences on depressive symptomatology in adolescence: individual differences and extreme scores.

The purpose of the current investigation was to compare the genetic and environmental influences on individual differences in depressive symptomatology (as assessed using the Children's Depression Inventory) to such influences on extreme scores in an unselected sample of adolescents. The sample included 707 pairs of siblings (average ages 14.5 and 12.9 years, respectively) participating in a combined twin- and step-family study. Moderate genetic influence was found for the full range of individual differences in depression; in contrast, there was nonsignificant genetic influence, and significant shared environmental influence, on extreme scores. The results were interpreted using a risk model in which familial influences specific to the high end of the distribution contribute to depressive symptomatology in adolescence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Bulimia nervosa: a 5-year follow-up study.

Fifty patients with bulimia nervosa were followed up for a minimum length of 5 years. Standardized interviews, observer-rated instruments and self-rated questionnaires were employed both at entry and at completion of the follow-up period. After tracing, the positive response rate was 72%; one patient had died. At the time of follow-up 31% of those traced had made a complete recovery and 25% still fulfilled diagnostic criteria for bulimia nervosa. Judged on behavioural symptoms 47.2% of responders had a 'good' outcome. Good outcome was associated with fewer social problems, higher social class, and a significant improvement in eating attitudes at follow-up. All outcome groups reported a reduction of interference by symptoms in other areas of life, and an improvement in mood state. No factors, including those described in previous studies, were identified which predicted outcome.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

The family's conception of accountability and competence: a new approach to the conceptualization and assessment of family stress.

Clinicians and researchers have a strong interest in understanding how families respond to stress. Often, they begin their analyses by attempts to estimate the seriousness or magnitude of the stressful events impinging on the families they observe. Until now, they have relied on two strategies. First, they attempt to develop objective or external indicators of the magnitude of the stress of the events. The problem here is that the family's own perceptions and experiences are not properly weighted. The second strategy depends heavily or exclusively on the family's perceptions of the events. However, these perceptions are often a product of the family's efforts to cope with the stress since the organization and perception of meaning in events is a fundamental part of family coping. Thus, this approach cannot disentangle the stress inherent in the events from the family's efforts to cope with it. This article explores a third alternative. The social community in which the family lives often provides a coherent frame of meanings for most events. It not only defines the magnitude of the event but it also defines how accountable the family is for producing the event in the first place. A method for assessing these community frameworks is presented. Initial results suggest that there is not only a coherent community framework attributing magnitude and family accountability to a large number of stressful events impinging the family but, also, that these community attributions are embedded in a community concept of family development.

Attitude to Health↗