The authors argue for a significant shift in how clinical psychology researchers conduct construct validation and theory validation tests. They argue that sound theory and validation tests can best be conducted on measures of unidimensional or homogeneous constructs. Hierarchical organizations of such constructs are useful descriptively and…

Reported rates of mental illness and substance abuse in homeless populations vary widely and are usually based on clinical impressions. In this report structured interviews and objective measures of pathology were used to survey demographics, psychopathology, and substance abuse in a homeless population. Subjects (N=107), who were recruited from a…

This editorial introduces two articles on Munchausen by Proxy syndrome (the induction of an appearance or state of physical ill health in a child, by the caretaker, and the child's subsequent presentation to health professionals for diagnosis and/or treatment). The severity of the caretaker's psychological disturbance and the serious effects on…

This article notes a current de-emphasis on genetic syndromes in published articles concerning mental retardation despite major deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) advances in determining mental retardation causes. The article calls for incorporation of these genetic advances into behavioral research of mental retardation, especially as reflected in the…

Analysis of questionnaire responses of 280 women found that 28.2% were objectively defined as abused as children though only 11.4% subjectively defined themselves as abused. Depression was highest (83%) among those who defined themselves as abused, intermediate (56%) among those only objectively defined as abused, and least (35%) among those not…

Young women (n=102) with bulimia nervosa were compared with 204 control subjects without an eating disorder and with 102 subjects with other psychiatric disorders. Results suggest that sexual and physical abuse are both risk factors for psychiatric disorders in general, including bulimia nervosa, but are not specific risk factors for bulimia. (DB)

This article examines three motives for research into Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy child abuse, which are to enhance treatment, to understand the psychopathology of perpetrators, and to find interventions to prevent its occurrence. It argues that only the first justification is valid and proposes that research energy be directed toward…

This study performed a factor analysis of the Developmental Behavior Checklist (DBC) with 531 children and adolescents with mental retardation. The DBC is intended to assess psychopathology in youth with mental retardation. Findings indicated substantial overlap with the factor analyses of the scale's developers and high levels of internal…

The symptomatology of 93 psychiatric inpatients with mild mental retardation was compared with that of a matched sample of inpatients without mental retardation. Patients with retardation displayed more outwardly directed and less inwardly directed symptoms; more symptoms involving action than thought; and psychotic symptom pictures which more…

The validity of the schizophrenia subscale of the Psychopathology Instrument for Mentally Retarded Adults (PIMRA) was evaluated with 65 adults having mild to moderate mental retardation as well as either schizophrenia, depression, or no psychopathology. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted, as were interrater reliability analyses.…

This study found that the schizophrenia subscale of the Psychopathology Instrument for Mentally Retarded Adults was a valid quantitative measure of schizophrenia if one item was removed from the scale. Comparison with a nonretarded population indicated that mentally retarded patients had less delusions and more incoherence and flat affect. They…

Parental communication, particularly in the areas of cognitive clarity and affect, has been implicated in the etiology of psychiatric disorders in children. This paper reports a method for studying Healthy Features in parental communication, aspects of verbal style that counteract a child's exposure to genetic and social environmental risk…

Analysis of 65 high-risk adolescents admitted to psychiatric inpatient units found that social support was a protective factor in cases of family violence experienced as either a victim or witness. However, social support did not appear to buffer the maladaptive effects of community violence, although there was a generally insignificant…