Ada Zohar - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Ada Zohar

Research paper thumbnail of Towards a typology of late adolescent suicide

Developmental Science and Psychoanalysis, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of A Model for the Formation of Maternal Authority Styles Starting from Attachment, and Mediated by Temperament and Character

International Journal of Psychology & Behavior Analysis, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of The Blatt and the Cloninger models of personality and their relationship with psychopathology

The Israel journal of psychiatry and related sciences, 2007

This paper presents in brief the Blatt and the Cloninger theories of personality and their relati... more This paper presents in brief the Blatt and the Cloninger theories of personality and their relationship to depression and to psychopathology. Each of the theories is described, the theoretical foundations of the theory are presented, the theory's view on personality stability, on the relationship between personality and psychopathology, the theory's efficacy at predicting depression from personality measures, the theory's explanation for sex differences in depression, the measures derived from the theories, and theory productivity. The paper concludes with an analysis of commonalities of, and points of disagreement between the two theories.

Research paper thumbnail of Personality matters: a special issue in honor of Sidney J. Blatt

The Israel journal of psychiatry and related sciences, 2007

This special issue in honor of Sidney J. Blatt includes a collection of articles written by his I... more This special issue in honor of Sidney J. Blatt includes a collection of articles written by his Israeli friends, colleages and former students. Blatt, a professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at Yale University, a senior psychoanalyst at the Western/New England Psychoanalytic Institute in New Haven, Connecticut, and a world-renowned clinician, theoretician, and investigator, has made an invaluable contribution to the understanding of personality processes in development, psychopathology, and the therapeutic process, as well as to Israeli clinical psychology and psychiatry. Articles in this special issue relate to Blatt's work to the author's findings regarding mental representations of self-and-others, suicide and self-destructive behavior, depressive personality, adolescent development, personality assessment, and evidence-based treatment. An interview with Blatt, and his response to the articles in his honor, conclude this special issue.

Research paper thumbnail of Behavioral addictions in euthymic patients with bipolar I disorder: a comparison to controls

International Journal of Bipolar Disorders, 2013

Background Bipolar disorder may be associated with a hypersensitive behavioral approach system an... more Background Bipolar disorder may be associated with a hypersensitive behavioral approach system and therefore to increased reward sensitivity. The objective of this study is to explore the interrelationships between bipolar disorder, behavioral addictions, and personality/temperament traits in a group of euthymic outpatients with bipolar I disorder and in a group of comparison subjects. Methods Fifty clinically stable patients and 50 comparison subjects matched for age, sex, and educational level were administered the Temperament and Character Inventory-140 and the Behavioral Addiction Scale. Results The patient group scored significantly higher than comparison subjects for two benign behavioral addictions (music, shopping) as well as for smoking. Comparison subjects scored higher on two harmful behavioral addictions (drugs, alcohol). Novelty Seeking was positively correlated with harmful addictions, and Cooperativeness was negatively correlated with harmful addictions, in both group...

Research paper thumbnail of The Military Life Scale: a measure of perceived stress and support in the Israeli Defense Force

The Israel journal of psychiatry and related sciences, 2004

The purpose of this study was to construct a reliable and valid measure of perceived stress and s... more The purpose of this study was to construct a reliable and valid measure of perceived stress and support by adolescents in the Israeli military, and to explore its structure and psychometric properties. A large stratified sample of soldiers, representing different types of units, different lengths of service in the Israel Defense Force, and different ranks, were administered the Military Life Scale. Principal component factor analysis with varimax rotation resulted in a 5-factor structure for the stress scale, and a 5-factor structure for the support scale. All factor-derived scales showed satisfactory scale reliability and discriminant validity. The Military Life Scale is useful for measuring the stress experienced by individuals and groups within the Israel Defense Force. In addition, the Military Life Scale may be of use in other military environments, and with minor revision, in non-military environments in which the normative passage from late adolescence into adulthood occurs, ...

Research paper thumbnail of Promotion of Well-Being in Person-Centered Mental Health Care

Research paper thumbnail of Association between a vasopressin receptorAVPR1A promoter region microsatellite and eating behavior measured by a self-report questionnaire (Eating Attitudes Test) in a family-based study of a nonclinical population

International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2004

Objectives: Considerable evidence including twin and family studies suggests that biologic determ... more Objectives: Considerable evidence including twin and family studies suggests that biologic determinants interact with cultural cues in the etiology of anorexia and bulimia nervosa. A gene that makes ''biologic sense'' in contributing susceptibility to these disorders, and to our knowledge not previously investigated for this phenotype, is the vasopressin receptor (AVPR1A), which we have tested for association with eating pathology. Methods: We genotyped 280 families with same-sex siblings for two microsatellites in the promoter region of the AVPR1A gene. Siblings completed the 26-item Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) and the Drive for Thinness (DT) and Body Dissatisfaction (BD) subscales of the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI). The Quantitative Transmission Disequilibrium Test program (QTDT), which employs flexible and powerful variance-components procedures, was used to test for an association between EAT scores and the two AVPR1A promoter region microsatellites, RS1 and RS3. Results: A significant association (p ¼ .036) was detected between the RS3 microsatellite and EAT scores. The strongest association was between RS3 and the Dieting subscale of the EAT (p ¼ .011). A significant association was also observed between the EDI-DT and the RS3 microsatellit (p ¼ .0450). Conclusions: We demonstrate for the first time an association between a microsatellite polymorphism in the AVPR1A promoter region and

Research paper thumbnail of Spouse similarities in personality traits for intra- and interethnic marriages in Israel

Personality and Individual Differences, 1988

Research paper thumbnail of Subscales Within the Dependency Factor of the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire

Journal of Personality Assessment, 1995

Recent theoretical formulations differentiate two types of depressive experiences: one focused on... more Recent theoretical formulations differentiate two types of depressive experiences: one focused on interpersonal issues, such as loss, abandonment, and loneliness; the other focused on issues of self-esteem, such as failure, guilt, and lack of self-worth and autonomy. The Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ; Blatt, D'Afflitti, & Quinlan, 1976, 1979) assesses these two types of depression. Symptom-based measures of depression (i.e., the Beck Depression Inventory, Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979) have highly significant correlations with the DEQ Self-Criticism factor but only marginally significant correlations with the DEQ Dependency (or interpersonal) factor. Through the use of facet theory and Smallest Space Analysis (Guttman, 1982a), two facets were identified within the DEQ Dependency factor that appear to assess two different levels of interpersonal relatedness. One facet, labelled dependence, includes items expressing feelings of helplessness; fears and apprehensions about separation and rejection; and intense, broad-ranging concerns about possible loss unrelated to a particular relationship. The second facet, labelled relatedness, includes items that consider feelings of loss and loneliness in reaction to disruption of a relationship with a particular person. The dependence facet had significantly higher correlations with measures of depression, whereas the relatedness facet had significantly higher correlations with measures of psychological well-being, especially in women. Thus, the DEQ Dependency factor appears to contain two facets that assess interpersonal relatedness at different developmental levels and correlate differentially with measures of depression and of psychological well-being.

Research paper thumbnail of Levels of Interpersonal Concerns and Social Functioning in Early Adolescent Boys and Girls

Journal of Personality Assessment, 2001

Previous research has shown that the Interpersonal Concerns factor of the Depressive Experiences ... more Previous research has shown that the Interpersonal Concerns factor of the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ; Blatt, D'Affliti, & Quinlan, 1976, 1979; Depressive Experiences Questionnaire for Adolescent [DEQ-A]; Blatt, Schaffer, Bers, & Quinlan, 1992) assesses 2 levels of interpersonal relatedness in young adults and older adolescents: neediness and relatedness. However, studies investigating the relation of the DEQ and DEQ-A with social functioning have not used the Neediness and Relatedness subscales of the Interpersonal Concerns factor. This study investigated (a) whether the Neediness and Relatedness subscales can be differentiated in a sample of early adolescents and (b) how the 2 subscales are differentially associated with indexes of social functioning. Results indicate that this differentiation of Neediness and Relatedness, and their associations with social functioning, emerges in early adolescence, especially for girls.

Research paper thumbnail of An Examination of Cognitive Versus Behavioral Components of Recovery From Anorexia Nervosa

Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease, 2006

Research paper thumbnail of The psychological costs and benefits of being highly persistent: Personality profiles distinguish mood disorders from anxiety disorders

Journal of Affective Disorders, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Self-Monitoring in Anorexia Nervosa

International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 2009

Background: A possible connection between Mark Snyder's concept of self-monitoring and anorex... more Background: A possible connection between Mark Snyder's concept of self-monitoring and anorexia nervosa (AN) has not previously been examined. Aims: We hypothesized that AN symptomatology correlates positively with the Other-Directedness aspect of Snyder's self-monitoring construct and negatively with its Extraversion aspect. Method: 194 women with a history of AN were classified as currently ill ( n = 17), partially recovered ( n = 106) and recovered ( n = 71).These women and 100 female controls with no history of an eating disorder completed Snyder's Self-Monitoring Scale (SMS) and the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26). `Other-Directedness' and `Acting and Extraversion'subscales were derived from an exploratory factor analysis of the Hebrew version of the SMS. Mean total and subscale scores were compared across groups, and correlations were calculated between EAT-26 scores and SMS total and subscale scores. Results: Both subscales of the SMS correlated signific...

Research paper thumbnail of Nothing gained: An explorative study of the long-term effects of perceived maternal feeding practices on women's and men's adult BMI, body image dissatisfaction, and disordered eating

International Journal of Psychology, 2013

Research paper thumbnail of The Psychometric Properties of the Revised Self-Monitoring Scale (RSMS) and the Concern for Appropriateness Scale (CAS) in Hebrew

European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 2009

We examined the factor structure, reliability, and construct validity of a Hebrew translation of ... more We examined the factor structure, reliability, and construct validity of a Hebrew translation of Lennox and Wolfe’s Revised Self-Monitoring Scale (RSMS) and Concern for Appropriateness Scale (CAS) in a large Israeli population sample. A total of 1,294 individuals (1,010 females and 284 males), divided into two samples, completed the RSMS, the CAS, the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire Harm Avoidance Scale, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. With the exception of RSMS Item 12, the total and subscale structure of the English versions of the scales was replicated in both samples. Internal consistencies compared very favorably with those of the original scales. The CAS and the RSMS were moderately correlated yet appeared to be distinct, correlating as expected in opposite directions with harm avoidance and self-esteem. Confirmatory factor analysis justified the use of the RSMS and the CAS as separate scales with two subscales in each. Whereas the fit of our data to the RSMS was...

Research paper thumbnail of The Psychometric Properties of the DS14 in Hebrew and the Prevalence of Type D Personality in Israeli Adults

European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 2011

Objectives: To examine the psychometric properties of the 14-item Type D Scale (DS14) in Hebrew, ... more Objectives: To examine the psychometric properties of the 14-item Type D Scale (DS14) in Hebrew, and to estimate the prevalence of Type D personality (high negative affectivity and social inhibition) in Israeli adults. Methods: 1,350 consecutive community volunteers were recruited and completed questionnaires that included the DS14, the 140-item Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-140), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20), the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), social support, well-being, assessment of smoking behavior, physical and sexual activity, known medical diagnoses, and family history of coronary heart disease (CHD). Results: The structural validity, as demonstrated by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and the internal reliability of the DS14 was acceptable. Overall prevalence of Type D was 24.1%; individuals of Type D versus non-D were significantly higher in self-reported rates of hypertension, CHD diagnosis, and first-degree relatives diagn...

Research paper thumbnail of Holocaust exposure and disordered eating: a study of multi-generational transmission

European Eating Disorders Review, 2006

Research paper thumbnail of The relationship between selflessness levels and the severity of anorexia nervosa symptomatology

European Eating Disorders Review, 2007

Research paper thumbnail of Perfectionism, narcissism, and depression in suicidal and nonsuicidal adolescent inpatients

Comprehensive Psychiatry, 2012

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between 2 psychological prof... more Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between 2 psychological profiles: (a) the intrapersonal profile, involving self-critical depression, self-oriented perfectionism, and narcissism, and (b) the interpersonal profile, involving dependent depression and socially prescribed perfectionism, and the association of these 2 profiles with suicidal behavior among adolescent inpatients. Methods: One hundred adolescents, admitted to a university-affiliated psychiatric adolescent inpatient unit in Israel, completed the Depressive Experience Questionnaire for Adolescents, the Child and Adolescent Perfectionism Scale, and the Narcissistic Personality Inventory. The Suicidal Potential Interview was used to evaluate suicidal behavior and separate them into low-risk and high-risk groups. Results: Dependent depression correlated positively and significantly with severity of suicidal behavior. Adolescent inpatients with high levels of suicidal behavior (n = 54) were more dependent in terms of depression and were more inclined to socially prescribed perfectionism compared with adolescent inpatients with low levels of suicidal behavior (n = 45). The components of the intrapersonal profile did not correlate with severity of suicidal behavior; however, low narcissism scores characterized the psychological function that strongly predicted severe suicidal behavior. Conclusions: The findings indicated that the conceptualization of 2 broad intrapersonal and interpersonal profiles in adolescent inpatients may have some validity in terms of the interpersonal dimension. The components of the interpersonal profile related to severe suicidal behavior and may be important in planning treatment strategy.

Research paper thumbnail of Towards a typology of late adolescent suicide

Developmental Science and Psychoanalysis, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of A Model for the Formation of Maternal Authority Styles Starting from Attachment, and Mediated by Temperament and Character

International Journal of Psychology & Behavior Analysis, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of The Blatt and the Cloninger models of personality and their relationship with psychopathology

The Israel journal of psychiatry and related sciences, 2007

This paper presents in brief the Blatt and the Cloninger theories of personality and their relati... more This paper presents in brief the Blatt and the Cloninger theories of personality and their relationship to depression and to psychopathology. Each of the theories is described, the theoretical foundations of the theory are presented, the theory's view on personality stability, on the relationship between personality and psychopathology, the theory's efficacy at predicting depression from personality measures, the theory's explanation for sex differences in depression, the measures derived from the theories, and theory productivity. The paper concludes with an analysis of commonalities of, and points of disagreement between the two theories.

Research paper thumbnail of Personality matters: a special issue in honor of Sidney J. Blatt

The Israel journal of psychiatry and related sciences, 2007

This special issue in honor of Sidney J. Blatt includes a collection of articles written by his I... more This special issue in honor of Sidney J. Blatt includes a collection of articles written by his Israeli friends, colleages and former students. Blatt, a professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at Yale University, a senior psychoanalyst at the Western/New England Psychoanalytic Institute in New Haven, Connecticut, and a world-renowned clinician, theoretician, and investigator, has made an invaluable contribution to the understanding of personality processes in development, psychopathology, and the therapeutic process, as well as to Israeli clinical psychology and psychiatry. Articles in this special issue relate to Blatt's work to the author's findings regarding mental representations of self-and-others, suicide and self-destructive behavior, depressive personality, adolescent development, personality assessment, and evidence-based treatment. An interview with Blatt, and his response to the articles in his honor, conclude this special issue.

Research paper thumbnail of Behavioral addictions in euthymic patients with bipolar I disorder: a comparison to controls

International Journal of Bipolar Disorders, 2013

Background Bipolar disorder may be associated with a hypersensitive behavioral approach system an... more Background Bipolar disorder may be associated with a hypersensitive behavioral approach system and therefore to increased reward sensitivity. The objective of this study is to explore the interrelationships between bipolar disorder, behavioral addictions, and personality/temperament traits in a group of euthymic outpatients with bipolar I disorder and in a group of comparison subjects. Methods Fifty clinically stable patients and 50 comparison subjects matched for age, sex, and educational level were administered the Temperament and Character Inventory-140 and the Behavioral Addiction Scale. Results The patient group scored significantly higher than comparison subjects for two benign behavioral addictions (music, shopping) as well as for smoking. Comparison subjects scored higher on two harmful behavioral addictions (drugs, alcohol). Novelty Seeking was positively correlated with harmful addictions, and Cooperativeness was negatively correlated with harmful addictions, in both group...

Research paper thumbnail of The Military Life Scale: a measure of perceived stress and support in the Israeli Defense Force

The Israel journal of psychiatry and related sciences, 2004

The purpose of this study was to construct a reliable and valid measure of perceived stress and s... more The purpose of this study was to construct a reliable and valid measure of perceived stress and support by adolescents in the Israeli military, and to explore its structure and psychometric properties. A large stratified sample of soldiers, representing different types of units, different lengths of service in the Israel Defense Force, and different ranks, were administered the Military Life Scale. Principal component factor analysis with varimax rotation resulted in a 5-factor structure for the stress scale, and a 5-factor structure for the support scale. All factor-derived scales showed satisfactory scale reliability and discriminant validity. The Military Life Scale is useful for measuring the stress experienced by individuals and groups within the Israel Defense Force. In addition, the Military Life Scale may be of use in other military environments, and with minor revision, in non-military environments in which the normative passage from late adolescence into adulthood occurs, ...

Research paper thumbnail of Promotion of Well-Being in Person-Centered Mental Health Care

Research paper thumbnail of Association between a vasopressin receptorAVPR1A promoter region microsatellite and eating behavior measured by a self-report questionnaire (Eating Attitudes Test) in a family-based study of a nonclinical population

International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2004

Objectives: Considerable evidence including twin and family studies suggests that biologic determ... more Objectives: Considerable evidence including twin and family studies suggests that biologic determinants interact with cultural cues in the etiology of anorexia and bulimia nervosa. A gene that makes ''biologic sense'' in contributing susceptibility to these disorders, and to our knowledge not previously investigated for this phenotype, is the vasopressin receptor (AVPR1A), which we have tested for association with eating pathology. Methods: We genotyped 280 families with same-sex siblings for two microsatellites in the promoter region of the AVPR1A gene. Siblings completed the 26-item Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) and the Drive for Thinness (DT) and Body Dissatisfaction (BD) subscales of the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI). The Quantitative Transmission Disequilibrium Test program (QTDT), which employs flexible and powerful variance-components procedures, was used to test for an association between EAT scores and the two AVPR1A promoter region microsatellites, RS1 and RS3. Results: A significant association (p ¼ .036) was detected between the RS3 microsatellite and EAT scores. The strongest association was between RS3 and the Dieting subscale of the EAT (p ¼ .011). A significant association was also observed between the EDI-DT and the RS3 microsatellit (p ¼ .0450). Conclusions: We demonstrate for the first time an association between a microsatellite polymorphism in the AVPR1A promoter region and

Research paper thumbnail of Spouse similarities in personality traits for intra- and interethnic marriages in Israel

Personality and Individual Differences, 1988

Research paper thumbnail of Subscales Within the Dependency Factor of the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire

Journal of Personality Assessment, 1995

Recent theoretical formulations differentiate two types of depressive experiences: one focused on... more Recent theoretical formulations differentiate two types of depressive experiences: one focused on interpersonal issues, such as loss, abandonment, and loneliness; the other focused on issues of self-esteem, such as failure, guilt, and lack of self-worth and autonomy. The Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ; Blatt, D'Afflitti, & Quinlan, 1976, 1979) assesses these two types of depression. Symptom-based measures of depression (i.e., the Beck Depression Inventory, Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979) have highly significant correlations with the DEQ Self-Criticism factor but only marginally significant correlations with the DEQ Dependency (or interpersonal) factor. Through the use of facet theory and Smallest Space Analysis (Guttman, 1982a), two facets were identified within the DEQ Dependency factor that appear to assess two different levels of interpersonal relatedness. One facet, labelled dependence, includes items expressing feelings of helplessness; fears and apprehensions about separation and rejection; and intense, broad-ranging concerns about possible loss unrelated to a particular relationship. The second facet, labelled relatedness, includes items that consider feelings of loss and loneliness in reaction to disruption of a relationship with a particular person. The dependence facet had significantly higher correlations with measures of depression, whereas the relatedness facet had significantly higher correlations with measures of psychological well-being, especially in women. Thus, the DEQ Dependency factor appears to contain two facets that assess interpersonal relatedness at different developmental levels and correlate differentially with measures of depression and of psychological well-being.

Research paper thumbnail of Levels of Interpersonal Concerns and Social Functioning in Early Adolescent Boys and Girls

Journal of Personality Assessment, 2001

Previous research has shown that the Interpersonal Concerns factor of the Depressive Experiences ... more Previous research has shown that the Interpersonal Concerns factor of the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ; Blatt, D'Affliti, & Quinlan, 1976, 1979; Depressive Experiences Questionnaire for Adolescent [DEQ-A]; Blatt, Schaffer, Bers, & Quinlan, 1992) assesses 2 levels of interpersonal relatedness in young adults and older adolescents: neediness and relatedness. However, studies investigating the relation of the DEQ and DEQ-A with social functioning have not used the Neediness and Relatedness subscales of the Interpersonal Concerns factor. This study investigated (a) whether the Neediness and Relatedness subscales can be differentiated in a sample of early adolescents and (b) how the 2 subscales are differentially associated with indexes of social functioning. Results indicate that this differentiation of Neediness and Relatedness, and their associations with social functioning, emerges in early adolescence, especially for girls.

Research paper thumbnail of An Examination of Cognitive Versus Behavioral Components of Recovery From Anorexia Nervosa

Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease, 2006

Research paper thumbnail of The psychological costs and benefits of being highly persistent: Personality profiles distinguish mood disorders from anxiety disorders

Journal of Affective Disorders, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Self-Monitoring in Anorexia Nervosa

International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 2009

Background: A possible connection between Mark Snyder's concept of self-monitoring and anorex... more Background: A possible connection between Mark Snyder's concept of self-monitoring and anorexia nervosa (AN) has not previously been examined. Aims: We hypothesized that AN symptomatology correlates positively with the Other-Directedness aspect of Snyder's self-monitoring construct and negatively with its Extraversion aspect. Method: 194 women with a history of AN were classified as currently ill ( n = 17), partially recovered ( n = 106) and recovered ( n = 71).These women and 100 female controls with no history of an eating disorder completed Snyder's Self-Monitoring Scale (SMS) and the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26). `Other-Directedness' and `Acting and Extraversion'subscales were derived from an exploratory factor analysis of the Hebrew version of the SMS. Mean total and subscale scores were compared across groups, and correlations were calculated between EAT-26 scores and SMS total and subscale scores. Results: Both subscales of the SMS correlated signific...

Research paper thumbnail of Nothing gained: An explorative study of the long-term effects of perceived maternal feeding practices on women's and men's adult BMI, body image dissatisfaction, and disordered eating

International Journal of Psychology, 2013

Research paper thumbnail of The Psychometric Properties of the Revised Self-Monitoring Scale (RSMS) and the Concern for Appropriateness Scale (CAS) in Hebrew

European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 2009

We examined the factor structure, reliability, and construct validity of a Hebrew translation of ... more We examined the factor structure, reliability, and construct validity of a Hebrew translation of Lennox and Wolfe’s Revised Self-Monitoring Scale (RSMS) and Concern for Appropriateness Scale (CAS) in a large Israeli population sample. A total of 1,294 individuals (1,010 females and 284 males), divided into two samples, completed the RSMS, the CAS, the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire Harm Avoidance Scale, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. With the exception of RSMS Item 12, the total and subscale structure of the English versions of the scales was replicated in both samples. Internal consistencies compared very favorably with those of the original scales. The CAS and the RSMS were moderately correlated yet appeared to be distinct, correlating as expected in opposite directions with harm avoidance and self-esteem. Confirmatory factor analysis justified the use of the RSMS and the CAS as separate scales with two subscales in each. Whereas the fit of our data to the RSMS was...

Research paper thumbnail of The Psychometric Properties of the DS14 in Hebrew and the Prevalence of Type D Personality in Israeli Adults

European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 2011

Objectives: To examine the psychometric properties of the 14-item Type D Scale (DS14) in Hebrew, ... more Objectives: To examine the psychometric properties of the 14-item Type D Scale (DS14) in Hebrew, and to estimate the prevalence of Type D personality (high negative affectivity and social inhibition) in Israeli adults. Methods: 1,350 consecutive community volunteers were recruited and completed questionnaires that included the DS14, the 140-item Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-140), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20), the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), social support, well-being, assessment of smoking behavior, physical and sexual activity, known medical diagnoses, and family history of coronary heart disease (CHD). Results: The structural validity, as demonstrated by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and the internal reliability of the DS14 was acceptable. Overall prevalence of Type D was 24.1%; individuals of Type D versus non-D were significantly higher in self-reported rates of hypertension, CHD diagnosis, and first-degree relatives diagn...

Research paper thumbnail of Holocaust exposure and disordered eating: a study of multi-generational transmission

European Eating Disorders Review, 2006

Research paper thumbnail of The relationship between selflessness levels and the severity of anorexia nervosa symptomatology

European Eating Disorders Review, 2007

Research paper thumbnail of Perfectionism, narcissism, and depression in suicidal and nonsuicidal adolescent inpatients

Comprehensive Psychiatry, 2012

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between 2 psychological prof... more Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between 2 psychological profiles: (a) the intrapersonal profile, involving self-critical depression, self-oriented perfectionism, and narcissism, and (b) the interpersonal profile, involving dependent depression and socially prescribed perfectionism, and the association of these 2 profiles with suicidal behavior among adolescent inpatients. Methods: One hundred adolescents, admitted to a university-affiliated psychiatric adolescent inpatient unit in Israel, completed the Depressive Experience Questionnaire for Adolescents, the Child and Adolescent Perfectionism Scale, and the Narcissistic Personality Inventory. The Suicidal Potential Interview was used to evaluate suicidal behavior and separate them into low-risk and high-risk groups. Results: Dependent depression correlated positively and significantly with severity of suicidal behavior. Adolescent inpatients with high levels of suicidal behavior (n = 54) were more dependent in terms of depression and were more inclined to socially prescribed perfectionism compared with adolescent inpatients with low levels of suicidal behavior (n = 45). The components of the intrapersonal profile did not correlate with severity of suicidal behavior; however, low narcissism scores characterized the psychological function that strongly predicted severe suicidal behavior. Conclusions: The findings indicated that the conceptualization of 2 broad intrapersonal and interpersonal profiles in adolescent inpatients may have some validity in terms of the interpersonal dimension. The components of the interpersonal profile related to severe suicidal behavior and may be important in planning treatment strategy.