Over the past 2 decades Bayesian methods have been gaining popularity in many scientific disciplines. However, to this date, they are rarely part of formal graduate statistical training in clinical science. Although Bayesian methods can be an attractive alternative to classical methods for answering certain research questions, they involve a heavy "overhead" (e.g., advanced mathematical methods, complex computations), which pose significant barriers to researchers interested in adding Bayesian methods to their statistical toolbox. To increase the accessibility of Bayesian methods for psychopathology researchers, this article presents a gentle introduction of the Bayesian inference framework and a tutorial on implementation. We first provide a primer on the key concepts of Bayesian inference and major implementation considerations related to Bayesian estimation. We then demonstrate how to apply hierarchical Bayesian modeling (HBM) to experimental psychopathology data. Using a real dataset collected from two clinical groups (schizophrenia and bipolar disorder) and a healthy comparison sample on a psychophysical gaze perception task, we illustrate how to model individual responses and group differences with probability functions respectful of the presumed underlying data-generating process and the hierarchical nature of the data. We provide the code with explanations and the data used to generate and visualize the results to facilitate learning. Finally, we discuss interpretation of the results in terms of posterior probabilities and compare the results with those obtained using a traditional method. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Hierarchical dimensional models of psychopathology derived for adult and child community populations offer more informative and efficient methods for assessing and treating symptoms of mental ill health than traditional diagnostic approaches. It is not yet clear how many dimensions should be included in models for youth with neurodevelopmental conditions. The aim of this study was to delineate the hierarchical dimensional structure of psychopathology in a transdiagnostic sample of children and adolescents with learning-related problems, and to test the concurrent predictive value of the model for clinically, socially, and educationally relevant outcomes. A sample of N = 403 participants from the Centre for Attention Learning and Memory (CALM) cohort were included. Hierarchical factor analysis delineated dimensions of psychopathology from ratings on the Conner's Parent Rating Short Form, the Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. A hierarchical structure with a general p factor at the apex, broad internalizing and broad externalizing spectra below, and three more specific factors (specific internalizing, social maladjustment, and neurodevelopmental) emerged. The p factor predicted all concurrently measured social, clinical, and educational outcomes, but the other dimensions provided incremental predictive value. The neurodevelopmental dimension, which captured symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and executive function and emerged from the higher-order externalizing factor, was the strongest predictor of learning. This suggests that in struggling learners, cognitive and affective behaviors may interact to influence learning outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Substance use and addiction are prominent global health concerns and are associated with abnormalities in reward sensitivity. Reward sensitivity and approach motivation are supported by a fronto-striatal neural circuit including the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), ventral striatum (VS), and dorsal striatum (DS). Although research highlights abnormalities in reward neural circuitry among individuals with problematic substance use, questions remain about whether such use arises from excessively high, or excessively low, reward sensitivity. This study examined whether reward-related brain function predicted subsequent substance use course. Participants were 79 right-handed individuals (Mage = 21.52, SD = 2.19 years), who completed a monetary incentive delay (MID) fMRI task, and follow-up measures assessing substance use frequency and impairment. The average duration of the follow-up period was 9.1 months. Regions-of-interest analyses focused on the reward anticipation phase of the MID. Decreased activation in the VS during reward anticipation predicted increased substance use frequency at follow-up. Decreased DS activation during reward anticipation predicted increased substance use frequency at follow-up, but this finding did not pass correction for multiple comparisons. Analyses adjusted for relevant covariates, including baseline substance use and the presence or absence of a lifetime substance use disorder prior to MRI scanning. Results support the reward hyposensitivity theory, suggesting that decreased reward-related brain function is a risk factor for increased substance use. Results have implications for understanding the pathophysiology of problematic substance use and highlight the importance of the fronto-striatal reward circuit in the development and maintenance of addiction. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Emerging evidence suggests socioeconomic disadvantage may increase risk for eating disorders (EDs). However, there are very few studies on the association between disadvantage and EDs, and all have focused on individual-level risk factors (e.g., family income). Neighborhood disadvantage (i.e., elevated poverty and reduced resources in one's neighborhood) is associated with increased risk for anxiety/depression and poor physical health. To date, no studies have examined phenotypic associations between neighborhood disadvantage and disordered eating, or how any form of disadvantage may interact with genetic individual differences in risk for EDs. We examined phenotypic and etiologic associations between neighborhood disadvantage and disordered eating in 2,922 girls ages 8-17 from same-sex twin pairs recruited through the Michigan State University Twin Registry. Parents rated the twins on nine items assessing core disordered eating symptoms (e.g., weight preoccupation, binge eating), and neighborhood disadvantage was calculated from 17 indicators of contextual disadvantage (e.g., median home value, neighborhood unemployment). Puberty was measured using the Pubertal Development Scale to examine whether associations were consistent across development. At a phenotypic level, greater neighborhood disadvantage was associated with significantly greater disordered eating symptoms in girls at all stages of puberty (β = .07). Moreover, Genotype × Environment models showed that girls living in more disadvantaged neighborhoods exhibited stronger and earlier (i.e., during pre/early puberty) activation of genetic influences on disordered eating. Results highlight the critical importance of considering contextual disadvantage in research on etiology and risk for disordered eating, and the need for increased screening and treatment for EDs in disadvantaged youth. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Individuals with bulimia nervosa (BN) cycle between periods of binge-eating and compensatory behavior and periods of dietary restraint, suggesting extremes of under and overcontrol that may be metabolic-state related. This study examined the influence of hunger and satiety on impulsivity and neural responding during decision-making. Twenty-three women remitted from BN (RBN) and 20 healthy comparison women (CW) performed a delay discounting task after a 16-hr fast and following a standardized meal during functional neuroimaging. A dual-systems approach examined reward valuation (decision trials where the early reward option was available immediately) and cognitive control (all decision trials). Interactions of Group × Visit (Hungry, Fed) for immediate reward revealed that CW had greater activation when hungry versus fed in the ventral striatum and dorsal caudate, whereas RBN had greater response when fed versus hungry in the dorsal caudate. Compared to CW, RBN showed decreased response when hungry within the left dorsal caudate and ventral striatum and increased response when fed in bilateral dorsal caudate. No differences were found within cognitive control regions or with choice behavior. Reward sensitivity is normally increased when hungry and decreased when fed; our findings in CW provide further support of hunger-based reward sensitivity within the striatum. However, RBN showed no differences for hunger and satiety in the ventral striatum and greater activation in the dorsal caudate when fed compared to hungry. This suggests RBN may be less sensitive to reward when hungry but do not devalue reward when satiated, indicating altered metabolic modulation of self-regulatory control. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) researchers have increasingly used psychological network models to investigate PTSD symptom interactions, as well as to identify central driver symptoms. It is unclear, however, how generalizable such results are. We have developed a meta-analytic framework for aggregating network studies while taking between-study heterogeneity into account and applied this framework in the first-ever meta-analytic study of PTSD symptom networks. We analyzed the correlational structures of 52 different samples with a total sample size of n = 29,561 and estimated a single pooled network model underlying the data sets, investigated the scope of between-study heterogeneity, and assessed the performance of network models estimated from single studies. Our main findings are that: (a) We identified large between-study heterogeneity, indicating that it should be expected for networks of single studies to not perfectly align with one-another, and meta-analytic approaches are vital for the study of PTSD networks. (b) While several clear symptom-links, interpretable clusters, and significant differences between strength of edges and centrality of nodes can be identified in the network, no single or small set of nodes that clearly played a more central role than other nodes could be pinpointed, except for the symptom "amnesia" that was clearly the least central symptom. (c) Despite large between-study heterogeneity, we found that network models estimated from single samples can lead to similar network structures as the pooled network model. We discuss the implications of these findings for both the PTSD literature as well as methodological literature on network psychometrics. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Emotion-based impulsivity has emerged as an important transdiagnostic risk factor for both internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. However, it is unclear how this dynamic process unfolds within individuals. We measured urgency within-persons as the momentary association between impulsivity and contemporaneous negative and positive affect in 4 ecological momentary assessment samples (N = 233[16,202 observations]; N = 302[11,360]; N = 311[17,517]; N = 291[20,297]) that span clinical, community, and student populations. Based on reflexive responding to emotion (RRE) and urgency frameworks, we hypothesized a) that significant individual differences in the dynamic association between affect and impulsivity would emerge, and b) that individual differences in positive and negative urgency pathways would be associated with externalizing and internalizing psychopathology. Within-person associations between negative affect and impulsivity consistently emerged; however, the association between positive affect and impulsivity was inconsistent across samples. Although average effects were small, significant individual differences existed in both urgency pathways. Consistent with prior studies, within-person urgency pathways were unassociated with global or dispositional measures of impulsivity. Contrary to expectation, within-person urgency was also unassociated with between-person measures of either internalizing or externalizing psychopathology. Yet, robust associations were seen between the same measures and average levels of momentary impulsivity and negative affect. We discuss results in terms of their relevance to both urgency and RRE frameworks and propose future directions to help disentangle emotion-based impulsivity and psychopathology in the moment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Prospection refers to the ability to mentally construct future events, which is closely related to motivation and anhedonia. The neural underpinning of impaired prospection in psychiatric populations remains unclear. We recruited 34 individuals with autistic traits (AT), 27 individuals with schizotypal traits (ST), 31 individuals with depressive symptoms (DS), and 35 controls. Participants completed a prospection task while undergoing functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). We found that regions of the "default mode network" including the medial frontal gyrus, the posterior cingulate cortex, the precuneus and the parahippocampus were activated; and regions of the "task-positive network" including the inferior parietal lobe, the inferior frontal gyrus and the precentral gyrus were deactivated during prospection in controls. Compared with controls, AT, ST, and DS showed comparable behavioral performance on prospection. However, reduced activation in anterior cingulate cortex and frontal gyrus was found in AT individuals relative to controls during prospection. ST individuals showed hyperactivation in the caudate relative to controls when processing positive emotion, while DS individuals and controls showed similar neural responses during prospection. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychotic disorders have been associated with visual deficits and deviant semantic processing, making it unclear whether object detection abnormalities in psychosis originate from low-level or higher-order visual processes. The current study investigated how high-level visual processing is affected in psychosis by presenting object stimuli with equivalent low-level visual features. Outpatients with affective and nonaffective psychotic disorders, first-degree biological relatives, and psychiatrically unaffected individuals (N = 130) completed the Fragmented Ambiguous Object Task (FAOT) to assess recognition of objects in ambiguous stimuli. During the task, we recorded electroencephalography, quantified event-related potential (ERP) components (P1, N1, negative closure [NCL], N400), and derived four spatiotemporal event-related potential factors using principal components analysis (PCA). In addition to traditional diagnoses, psychosis was characterized using a dimensional measure of individual differences in self-reported sensory experiences (perceptual absorption) calculated from scales that tap the psychotic domain of the hierarchical structure of psychopathology. Rates of detecting objects within fragmented stimuli failed to differ across diagnostic groups or significantly predict perceptual absorption (p = .057). PCA factors that reflected smaller N1 and larger NCL amplitudes were associated with detecting objects. Exploratory analyses revealed that higher perceptual absorption was associated with reductions in the N400 and a late positive PCA factor. Although early and midlatency brain responses modulate during object detection, late brain responses tied to semantic appraisal of objects are related to perceptual aberrations often reported by individuals with severe psychopathology. Dimensional measures of personality appear sensitive to variation in biological systems relevant to psychotic symptomatology and object perception. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

It has been proposed that agency disorders found in schizophrenia rely on aberrant processing of prediction error. Overreactivity to nonpertinent prediction errors may lead to the attribution of one's own actions to an external source. When applied to perception, this could explain hallucinations. However, experiments in motor control or perception have mainly suggested deficient prediction errors. Using a novel approach based on the manipulation of temporal delays, 23 patients with schizophrenia, 18 patients with bipolar disorder, and 22 healthy participants performed a pointing task with a haptic device that provided haptic feedback without or with delays, which were processed consciously (65 ms) or unconsciously (15 ms). The processing of prediction errors was measured via the adaptation of the hand trajectory, that is, the deceleration in anticipation of the surface, and its modulation as a function of recent history (stable or unstable sensory feedback). Agency was evaluated by measuring the participants' feeling of controlling the device. Only patients with schizophrenia reported a decrease in the feeling of control following subliminally delayed haptic feedback and adapted deceleration durations following subliminally delayed haptic feedback. This effect was correlated with positive symptoms. The overreactivity to subliminal delays was present only when delays occurred repeatedly in an unpredictable way, that is, with a volatile distribution. The results suggest that small temporal uncertainties that should be held as negligible, trigger an aberrant overreactivity which could account for hallucinations and alterations of the patients' conscious feeling of control. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Restrictive eating is common and associated with negative psychological outcomes across the life span and eating disorder (ED) severity levels. Little is known about functional processes that maintain restriction, especially outside of narrow diagnostic categories (e.g., anorexia nervosa). Here, we extend research on operant four-function models (identifying automatic negative, automatic positive, social negative, and social positive reinforcement functions) that have previously been applied to nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), binge eating, and purging to restricting. We assessed restrictive eating functions in three samples: clinically heterogeneous adolescents (Study 1: N = 457), transdiagnostic adults (Study 2: N = 145), and adults with acute or recently weight-restored anorexia nervosa (Study 3: N = 45). Study 1 indicated the four-function model was a good fit for restricting (root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = .06, Tucker-Lewis index [TLI] = .88). This factor structure replicated in Study 2 (comparative fit index [CFI] = .97, RMSEA = .07, TLI = .97, standardized root mean square residual [SRMR] = .09). Unlike NSSI, binge eating, and purging, which have been found to primarily serve automatic negative reinforcement functions, all three present studies found automatic positive reinforcement was most highly endorsed (by up to 85% of participants). In Studies 1 and 3, automatic functions were associated with poorer emotion regulation (ps < .05). In Study 1, social functions were associated with less social support (ps < .001). Across studies, automatic functions were associated with greater restriction ps < .05). Functions varied slightly by ED diagnosis. Across ED presentation, severity, and developmental stage, restrictive eating may be largely maintained by automatic positive reinforcement, with some variability across presentations. Continued examination of restrictive eating functions will establish processes that maintain restriction, allowing more precise treatment targeting for these problematic behaviors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is characterized by a relentless pursuit of thinness, despite serious implications for health and social relations. In a previous study wielding the power of computational psychiatry, we found alterations in learning from negative feedback and in neural activity in the posterior medial frontal cortex (pMFC) in young acutely underweight AN patients (acAN). Here we ask whether these abnormalities are merely a state-related consequence of the illness or whether they might constitute a trait marker predisposing individuals to AN. To address this question, we employed the same reinforcement learning paradigm during fMRI with 31 female former AN patients after complete weight-recovery (recAN) and 31 age-matched healthy volunteers (15-28 years). Participants performed a decision task that required adaptation to changing reward contingencies. Data were analyzed within a hierarchical Gaussian filter model, which captures interindividual variability in feedback learning and decision-making under uncertainty. Similar to acute patients, individuals recovered from AN appear to emphasize negative over positive feedback when updating expectations regarding changing reward-punishment contingencies (difference in learning rate between punished and rewarded trials was increased in recAN: p = .006, d = .70. This behavioral pattern was mirrored in hyperactivation of the pMFC following negative feedback (FWE p < .001). Because the previously observed alterations in acANs are also evident after recovery and do not correlate with state variables like weight, altered feedback learning might be a trait marker of AN. The neural underpinnings of these alterations may lie in the pMFC. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Sexual minority men are at greater risk of depression and suicidality than heterosexuals. Stigma, the most frequently hypothesized risk factor for this disparity, operates across socioecological levels-structural (e.g., laws), interpersonal (e.g., discrimination), and individual (e.g., self-stigma). Although the literature on stigma and mental health has focused on interpersonal and individual forms of stigma, emerging research has shown that structural stigma is also associated with adverse mental health outcomes. However, there is limited data on whether changes in structural stigma, such as when a stigmatized person moves to a lower stigma context, affect mental health, and on the mechanisms underlying this association. To address these questions, we use data from the 2017/18 European Men-who-have-sex-with-men Internet Survey (n = 123,428), which assessed mental health (i.e., Patient Health Questionnaire) and psychosocial mediators (i.e., sexual orientation concealment, internalized homonegativity, and social isolation). We linked these data to an objective indicator of structural stigma related to sexual orientation-including 15 laws and policies as well as aggregated social attitudes-in respondents' countries of origin (N = 178) and receiving countries (N = 48). Among respondents who still live in their country of birth (N = 106,883), structural stigma was related to depression and suicidality via internalized homonegativity and social isolation. Among respondents who moved from higher-to-lower structural stigma countries (n = 11,831), longer exposure to the lower structural stigma environments of their receiving countries was associated with a significantly: 1) lower risk of depression and suicidality; 2) lower odds of concealment, internalized homonegativity, and social isolation; and 3) smaller indirect effect of structural stigma on mental health through these mediators. This study provides additional evidence that stigma is a sociocultural determinant of mental health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Cytokine theory of depression proposes that increased baseline inflammatory activity may accumulate over time and lead to future major depressive disorder (MDD). However, most research conducted on this topic has been cross-sectional and examined between- (vs. within-) persons and symptom severity (vs. diagnosis). Therefore, we tested if elevated inflammatory activity at Time 1 (T1) would predict future within-person 9-year change in MDD diagnosis. Community-dwelling adults (n = 945) participated in the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) study. T1 and Time 2 (T2) MDD status was assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview-Short Form, and markers of inflammatory activity at T1 were measured (e.g., levels of serum interleukin-6 [IL-6], C-reactive protein [CRP], fibrinogen). Latent change score modeling was conducted. Higher T1 IL-6, CRP, and fibrinogen levels of inflammatory activity predicted T1-T2 development/relapse of MDD within persons. This effect occurred more strongly among women (vs. men; d = .149 vs. .042), younger (vs. older) adults (d = .137 vs. .119), persons with more (vs. less) chronic health issues (d = .133 vs. .065), low- (vs. middle- or high-) income earners (d = .161 vs. .050), and persons with more (vs. less) frequent childhood trauma (d = .156 vs. .017). Findings aligned with expanded cytokine theories, which posit that the impact of increased T1 inflammatory activity on future change in MDD status will be larger for subgroups vulnerable to increased stress exposure. Cognitive-behavioral or pharmacological approaches to reduce markers of inflammatory activity may prevent development/relapse of MDD. General Scientific Summary: Increased C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels predicted 9-year major depressive disorder (MDD) diagnostic status change more strongly in younger than older adults, women but not men, those with low (vs. high) income, as well as persons with high (vs. low) childhood trauma frequency and number of chronic illnesses. Findings aligned with expanded cytokine theories (e.g., social signal transduction theory of depression), which posit that markers of inflammatory activity predict future change in MDD status especially for populations vulnerable to heightened, chronic, and long-term exposure to environmental stressors. Continued efforts to empirically test expanded cytokine theories of depression may improve delineation of patterns of health disparities and facilitate effective measures to prevent the onset or recurrence of MDD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) are at risk for social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) maladjustment throughout development, though it is unclear if poor language proficiency per se can account for this risk as associations between language and SEB appear more variable among typical-language children. This study investigated whether the relationship between language and SEB problems is stronger at very low levels of language and considered confounders including socioeconomic status, sex, and nonverbal intelligence. These were examined using a population-based survey design, including children with a wide range of language and cognitive profiles, and assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and six standardized language measures (n = 363, weighted n = 6,451). Structural equation models adjusted for prior levels of SEB revealed that the relationship of language at age 5-6 years to SEB at 7-9 years was nonlinear. Language more strongly predicted all clusters of SEB at disordered language levels relative to typical language levels, with standardized betas of -.25 versus .03 for behavioral, -.31 versus -.04 for peer, and .27 versus .03 for prosocial problems. Wald tests between these pairs of betas yielded p values from .049 to .014. Sex moderated the nonlinear association between language and emotional symptoms. These findings indicate a clinical need to support language development in order to mitigate against problems of SEB and to carefully monitor the mental health needs of children with DLD, particularly in the context of multiple, and potentially sex-specific, risks. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).