The Significance Level of Meta-Regression's Standard Hypothesis Test

Meta-regression is routinely used in the context of meta-analysis to assess the potential impact of covariates on the treatment effect. The limitations and pitfalls of this type of analysis have been documented, however, in particular, it has been claimed that the actual significance levels of the resulting tests can be higher than nominal levels. In order to examine the validity of this claim analytically, the distribution of meta-regression's standard test statistic, in the simplified scenario where the studies are the same size, is derived. The resulting significance levels can be used to give an indication of these more generally and it is found that relatively large numbers of studies are needed to provide actual significance levels that are sufficiently similar to the corresponding nominal levels. These findings can be used to inform those performing standard meta-regression hypothesis tests, so that they can avoid adopting the usual procedure in situations where this is likely to be inappropriate.     

Domestic violence in veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder who seek couples therapy

Domestic violence rates among veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are higher than those of the general population. Individuals who have been diagnosed with PTSD who seek couples therapy with their partners constitute an understudied population. Self-report measures of domestic violence, relationship satisfaction, and intimacy were administered at intake to 179 couples seeking relationship therapy at a Veterans Affairs clinic. Couples in which the veteran was diagnosed with combat-related PTSD were compared with two other groups based on the veteran's primary diagnosis (depression, adjustment disorder/V-code). Both the PTSD- and depression-diagnosed veterans perpetrated more violence than did those with adjustment/V-code diagnoses. Domestic violence rates among depressed and PTSD-diagnosed veterans were much higher than those found in previous research. Implications for assessment and treatment are discussed.     

Broadening gender self-categorization development to include transgender identities

Research on gender in psychology has increasingly affirmed diversity in gender, with recognition of binary and nonbinary transgender experiences. However, gender has been presumed to be cisgender (congruent with sex) and binary (either male or female) in classical developmental theories. In response, this review engages in a critical analysis of classical gender development theory informed by findings about gender from research on transgender identities. Under analysis was the concept of gender self-categorization in classical theories of gender development including cognitive developmental theory, developmental gender schema theory, and social cognitive theory. Novel theoretical approaches are then outlined to situate recent advancements alongside classical theory. Conclusions are then drawn with brief recommendations for research methods that aim to include binary and nonbinary transgender participants. Drawing on the findings of this review it has been shown that gender self-categorization is often implicitly presumed to be cisgender identification. To overcome this bias, it is suggested that greater attention to specific gender self-categorization mechanisms are needed to open opportunities to include transgender experiences.     

Assessing the language of 2 year-olds: From theory to practice

Early screening for language problems is a priority given the importance of language for success in school and interpersonal relationships. The paucity of reliable behavioral instruments for this age group prompted the development of a new touchscreen language screener for 2-year-olds that relies on language comprehension. Developmental literature guided selection of age-appropriate markers of language disorder risk that are culturally and dialectally neutral and could be reliably assessed. Items extend beyond products of linguistic knowledge (vocabulary and syntax) and tap the process by which children learn language, also known as fast mapping. After piloting an extensive set of items (139), two phases of testing with over 500 children aged 2; 0–2; 11 were conducted to choose the final 40-item set. Rasch analysis was used to select the best fitting and least redundant items. Norms were created based on 270 children. Sufficient test-retest reliability, Cronbach's alpha, and convergent validity with the MB-CDI and PPVT are reported. This quick behavioral measure of language capabilities could support research studies and facilitate the early detection of language problems.