Duncan Watson

Bio: Duncan Watson is an academic researcher from University of Notre Dame. The author has contributed to research in topics: Alternative five model of personality & Big Five personality traits and culture. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 2 publications receiving 29 citations.

Clinical and personality traits in emotional disorders: Evidence of a common framework.

Abstract: Certain clinical traits (e.g., ruminative response style, self-criticism, perfectionism, anxiety sensitivity, fear of negative evaluation, and thought suppression) increase the risk for and chronicity of emotional disorders. Similar to traditional personality traits, they are considered dispositional and typically show high temporal stability. Because the personality and clinical-traits literatures evolved largely independently, connections between them are not fully understood. We sought to map the interface between a widely studied set of clinical and personality traits. Two samples (N = 385 undergraduates; N = 188 psychiatric outpatients) completed measures of personality traits, clinical traits, and an interview-based assessment of emotional-disorder symptoms. First, the joint factor structure of these traits was examined in each sample. Second, structural equation modeling was used to clarify the effects of clinical traits in the prediction of clinical symptoms beyond negative temperament. Third, the incremental validity of clinical traits beyond a more comprehensive set of higher-order and lower-order personality traits was examined using hierarchical regression. Clinical and personality traits were highly correlated and jointly defined a 3-factor structure-Negative Temperament, Positive Temperament, and Disinhibition-in both samples, with all clinical traits loading on the Negative Temperament factor. Clinical traits showed modest but significant incremental validity in explaining symptoms after accounting for personality traits. These data indicate that clinical traits relevant to emotional disorders fit well within the traditional personality framework and offer some unique contributions to the prediction of psychopathology, but it is important to distinguish their effects from negative temperament/neuroticism. (PsycINFO Database Record

Assessing behavioural manifestations prior to clinical diagnosis of Huntington disease: "anger and irritability" and "obsessions and compulsions"

Abstract: The Functional Rating Scale Taskforce for pre-Huntington Disease (FuRST-pHD) is a multinational, multidisciplinary initiative with the goal of developing a data-driven, comprehensive, psychometrically sound, rating scale for assessing symptoms and functional ability in prodromal and early Huntington disease (HD) gene expansion carriers. The process involves input from numerous sources to identify relevant symptom domains, including HD individuals, caregivers, and experts from a variety of fields, as well as knowledge gained from the analysis of data from ongoing large-scale studies in HD using existing clinical scales. This is an iterative process in which an ongoing series of field tests in prodromal (prHD) and early HD individuals provides the team with data on which to make decisions regarding which questions should undergo further development or testing and which should be excluded. We report here the development and assessment of the first iteration of interview questions aimed to assess "Anger and Irritability" and "Obsessions and Compulsions" in prHD individuals.

Cognitive Impairment in Huntington Disease: Diagnosis and Treatment

Abstract: Cognition has been well characterized in the various stages of Huntington disease (HD) as well as in the prodrome before the motor diagnosis is given. Although the clinical diagnosis of HD relies on the manifestation of motor abnormalities, the associated impairments have been growing in prominence for several reasons. First, research to understand the most debilitating aspects of HD has suggested that cognitive and behavioral changes place the greatest burden on families, are most highly associated with functional decline, and can be predictive of institutionalization. Second, cognitive impairments are evident at least 15 years prior to the time at which motor diagnosis is given. Finally, cognitive decline is associated with biological markers such as brain atrophy, circulating levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factors, and insulin-like growth factor 1. Efforts are now underway to develop valid and reliable measures of cognition in the prodrome as well as in all stages of HD so that clinical trials can be conducted using cognitive outcomes.

Neuroticism and health as individuals age.

Abstract: Neuroticism and conscientiousness have emerged as key concepts in understanding health and thriving as individuals age, but various conceptual misunderstandings and methodological deficiencies have impaired progress. Personality traits are not analogous to health threats such as infectious microbes or dangerous behaviors or environmental toxins; rather, they can capture biopsychosocial processes across time. This article examines how healthy neuroticism and unhealthy neuroticism play out in differing environments and how these concepts can help clarify and explain the important variability in health and longevity that emerges in middle age. Progress in utilizing personality to improve public health ultimately will depend on the precise study and full specification of causal models, including pathways across time and clear description of unambiguous outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Multidimensional Perfectionism and the Big Five Personality Traits: A Meta‐analysis

Abstract: Multidimensional perfectionism includes the dimensions perfectionistic concerns and perfectionistic strivings. Many studies have investigated the nomological network of multidimensional perfectioni...

A transdiagnostic approach to examining the incremental predictive power of emotion regulation and basic personality dimensions.

Abstract: Although personality and emotion regulation abilities appear to overlap considerably, few studies have adopted an integrative approach by examining personality and emotion regulation together. Therefore, it is unclear how much incremental power emotion regulation demonstrates in predicting psychopathology beyond personality traits, and vice versa. Results from a community sample characterized by high levels of psychopathology (N = 299) indicated that personality and emotion regulation represent strongly related but distinguishable constructs, with both showing incremental power beyond the other in many cases in predicting self-reported and interview-rated psychopathology. More specifically, difficulties in responding adaptively to negative emotional experiences displayed predictive power beyond neuroticism and other personality traits in predicting internalizing psychopathology and psychoticism. Conversely, neuroticism displayed substantial incremental predictive power beyond emotion regulation and other five-factor model traits, especially for anxiety and other internalizing psychopathology. Other five-factor model traits also showed incremental predictive power in specific cases (e.g., agreeableness and conscientiousness showed specificity in predicting antagonism and disinhibition, respectively). These data provide a starting point for developing a finer-grained understanding of how emotion dysregulation and personality traits are implicated in a range of psychopathology, highlighting the value of adopting an integrative approach of examining emotion regulation and personality traits concurrently. (PsycINFO Database Record