The relationship between the EPI extraversion score and impulsiveness on a perceptual-motor task

This paper describes an investigation of the relationship between extraversion and impulsiveness. These two traits were measured respectively by the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) and the IES Arrow-Dot test. The subjects were 50 males and 50 females matched for age. Arrow-Dot impulsiveness was found to correlate significantly with extraversion in both samples. In the female sample Arrow-Dot impulsiveness correlated only significantly with the ‘impulsiveness’ component of extraversion. In the male sample both the ‘impulsiveness’ and ‘sociability’ components of the extraversion factor contributed about equally to its variance.     

IES Arrow-Dot longitudinal comparisons of personality development in preschool children.

19 preschool children were administered the IES Arrow-Dot test at the beginning and end of the school year and results compared with those based on a similar sample gathered the previous year. Trends for declining Impulsivity and Superego development were corroborated. Baselines for Impulsivity and Superego showed variation. Baselines and trends of rising Ego scores were supported. Results suggested suport for developmental trends of personality integration in preschool children.     

The Family Assessment Device: An Update

The current study set out to describe family functioning scores of a contemporary community sample, using the Family Assessment Device (FAD), and to compare this to a currently help‐seeking sample. The community sample consisted of 151 families who completed the FAD. The help‐seeking sample consisted of 46 families who completed the FAD at their first family therapy appointment as part of their standard care at an outpatient family therapy clinic at an urban hospital. Findings suggest that FAD means from the contemporary community sample indicate satisfaction with family functioning, while FAD scores from the help‐seeking sample indicate dissatisfaction with family functioning. In addition, the General Functioning scale of the FAD continues to correlate highly with all other FAD scales, except Behavior Control. The cut‐off scores for the FAD indicating satisfaction or dissatisfaction by family members with their family functioning continue to be relevant and the FAD continues to be a useful tool to assess family functioning in both clinical and research contexts.     

Mentalisierung und chronische Depression

Mentalization has mainly been studied in borderline patients but in this study the capacity for mentalization was investigated in patients suffering from chronic depression. Mentalization was measured with the reflective functioning scale (RFS) in patients with chronic depression (n=20) who started long-term psychoanalytic treatment and the results were compared to healthy controls. The results showed that global RF scores did not differ significantly between patients and controls. However, depressed patients had a lower RF score for depression relevant topics in comparison to the initial individual values. Furthermore, RF appears to be related to general psychological competence but unrelated to clinical parameters [Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and symptom check list (SCL-90)]. Therapeutic outcome as measured with BDI and SCL-90 was not moderated by RF scores at baseline. Correlations between RF and the helping alliance questionnaire (HAQ) indicate that patients with higher RF scores establish a therapeutic alliance more easily than patients with lower RF scores.     

Parallel-form reliability of the Wechsler Memory Scale in a geriatric population with suspected dementia

The present study examined parallel-form reliability of the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) in a population where such forms are particularly useful, that is, among patients who are suspected of having some type of dementing illness. Comparative analyses were made for total raw scores. Memory Quotient (MQ) scores, and individual subtest scores. Thirty geriatric patients originally referred for neuropsychological testing because of suspected dementia were given both Forms 1 and 2 of the WMS. The results yielded high overall reliability coefficients for MQ and total raw scores. Individual subtest scores also yielded rather high coefficients, and only one subtest (Associate Learning) had a significant mean difference. Apparently, the two forms have sufficient parallel-form reliability to be considered clinically interchangeable. Thus, the WMS may be a useful tool for repeat evaluations of memory functioning in a demented population.     

Functional deterioration in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum personality symptoms.

Although previous studies have noted functional deterioration in patients with severe schizotypal symptoms who meet criteria for schizotypal personality disorder, we are not aware of any study which examines level of functioning in nonpatients who experience mild schizophrenia spectrum personality (SSP) symptoms. With this issue in mind, occupational functioning was examined in non-patient subjects with mild SSP symptoms. Patients were recruited from the community by newspaper advertisements or from the first-degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia. Individuals with no DSM-IIIR Axis I diagnosis and with SSP symptoms (n = 60) and without symptoms (n = 75) participated in the study. The two groups had similar mean age and years of education. Occupational function was evaluated using the Level of Function Scale. The SSP patients with mild symptoms had significantly lower occupational scores (5.62 + 2.50) than the non-SSP patients (7.76 + 0.69; p < 0.001). A total of 39% of SSP patients, compared with 3% of non-SSP patients showed poor occupational functioning (chi 2 = 31, df = 1, p < 0.001). There was a significant deterioration in the socioeconomic status in SSP patients compared with their parents' status. Patients with mild SSP symptoms who were otherwise healthy showed severe difficulties with occupational function. Further research is needed to identify subtle deficits underlying functional deterioration and to develop targets for treatment strategies.     

The development of relational competence among young high-risk fathers across the transition to parenthood

This study examined relationship factors associated with paternal functioning among young, high-risk fathers, with an emphasis on the role of a young mother's relational competence on her partner's paternal functioning. Participants included 60 young fathers and their coparenting partners, who were identified before childbirth and followed over 2 years. Fathers were identified as being at high risk for paternal failure based on a history of school dropout, psychopathology, and/or serial fatherhood. It was hypothesized that young men who were more relationally competent before childbirth would function more adequately as fathers, despite their high-risk status. Based on principles of family systems theory, it was also predicted that young men with more relationally competent partners would become more relationally competent, and therefore learn to function more positively as fathers. Relational competence was assessed using interview data collected before and 2 years post child birth, and coded with the Relational Competence Index. Paternal functioning was based on a composite score consisting of self-reported and observed parenting. Path analysis indicated that (1) high-risk fathers with relationally competent partners had higher relational competence scores over time, and (2) higher relational competence scores were associated with more positive paternal functioning scores.     

Measuring improvement or decline on the WAIS-R in inpatient psychiatry.

Psychologists in inpatient psychiatric settings sometimes are asked to assess whether patients improve or decline in intellectual functioning. The impetus for this referral question may be a perceived change in psychiatric status, an acute neuropathological event, e.g., a head injury, or a suspicion of an early dementing process. For this study, data from 100 inpatients who completed the WAIS-R on two separate admissions were used to calculate confidence bands for measurement error surrounding test-retest difference scores. The analysis indicated that, if the retest interval is three months or less, significant practice effects must be factored into the interpretation of difference scores. A table for the interpretation of difference scores at different testing intervals is provided     

Quality of life and family functioning in schizophrenia patients

Quality of life and family functioning of patients with schizophrenia are described. A sample of 49 schizophrenic patients and their 70 relatives, treated at the Mental Health Services of Arica, Chile, were included in the study. The Quality of Life Questionnaire of Sevilla (CSCV), the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and the Family Function Questionnaire (APGAR) were used to assess the patients, the last one also administered to their caregivers. Contrary to the results found in researches done in developed countries, the patients of this sample indicated suitable levels of quality of life, to a great extent, related to the perception of their family functioning. This confirms the importance of the family as social network of emotional support. Nevertheless, perceived family functioning is different in patients and their caregivers. Higher scores were obtained in caregivers who participated in a family psychoeducational program. The conclusion reached was that there are differences in the levels of quality of life perceived by patients of developed countries and those of developing countries, being higher in the latter ones, despite limitations in economic, sanitary and community resources. Future research should study why the variables that explain these levels of quality of life differ.     

Cognitive plasticity in Alzheimer's disease patients receiving cognitive stimulation programs

The main purpose of this article is to examine whether cognitive plasticity increases after cognitive training in Alzheimer's disease patients. Twenty six patients participated in this study, all of them diagnosed with mild Alzheimer's disease, 17 of them received a cognitive training program during 6 months, and the other 9 were assigned to the control group. Participants were assigned to experimental or control conditions for clinical reasons. In order to assess cognitive plasticity, all patients were assessed before and after treatment with three subtests from the "Bateria de Evaluación de Potencial de Aprendizaje en Demencias" [Assessment Battery of Learning Potential in Dementia] (BEPAD). After treatment, Alzheimer's disease patients improved their performance in all the tasks assessing cognitive plasticity: viso-spatial memory, audio-verbal memory and verbal fluency. However, the cognitive plasticity scores of the patients in the control group decreased. In conclusion, this study showed that cognitive stimulation programs can improve cognitive functioning in mildly demented patients, and patients who do not receive any cognitive interventions may reduce their cognitive functioning.     

Family Functioning and Social Support in Men and Women Diagnosed with Depression in China

Previous research has demonstrated the association between family functioning and depression. This study evaluated family functioning and perceived social support in men and women in Shanghai who had received a diagnosis of a major depressive disorder (N = 100), including sixty-six women and thirty-four men. The relationship between family functioning and social support of outpatients with major depressive disorders was explored using the Chinese Family Assessment Device and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. The scores from all dimensions of family functioning for both men and women indicated that depressed men and women all reported experiencing unhealthy family functioning. The clinical implications of these findings for the developing practice of family therapy in China are discussed.     

Independent effects of bilingualism and socioeconomic status on language ability and executive functioning

One hundred and seventy-five children who were 6-years old were assigned to one of four groups that differed in socioeconomic status (SES; working class or middle class) and language background (monolingual or bilingual). The children completed tests of nonverbal intelligence, language tests assessing receptive vocabulary and attention based on picture naming, and two tests of executive functioning. All children performed equivalently on the basic intelligence tests, but performance on the language and executive functioning tasks was influenced by both SES and bilingualism. Middle-class children outperformed working-class children on all measures, and bilingual children obtained lower scores than monolingual children on language tests but higher scores than monolingual children on the executive functioning tasks. There were no interactions with either group factors or task factors. Thus, each of SES and bilingualism contribute significantly and independently to children’s development irrespective of the child’s level on the other factor.     

History of Religious Delusions and Psychosocial Functioning Among Mexican Patients with Paranoid Schizophrenia

The association between global functionality and religiosity among patients from developing and predominantly Catholic countries warrants attention. To compare religiosity and psychosocial functioning in Mexican schizophrenia patients with and without a history of religious delusions, seventy-four patients with paranoid schizophrenia were recruited. Patients with a history of religious delusions had more psychiatric hospitalizations and poorer psychosocial functioning compared with those without a history of religious delusions. No differences emerged between groups in the total scores of religiosity scales. A history of religious delusions rather than religiosity itself may have an influence on psychosocial functioning among Mexican patients with schizophrenia.     

Depression at 3 Months Poststroke in the Elderly: Predictors and Indicators of Prevalence

The prevalence and determinants of depression in 79 elderly patients were assessed at 3 months poststroke. Predictor variables included gender, age, history of previous stroke, and hemispheric location of stroke. Indicator variables included two measures of physical functioning and seven aspects of cognitive functioning. Results indicated that 56% of patients had impairment in activities of daily living, and 39% reported clinically significant levels of depression. Prevalence of cognitive impairment ranged from 31% on a measure of basic cognitive functioning, through to 89% on a measure of complex attention. The results from a hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that the combination of predictor and indicator variables explained 53% of the variance in depression scores. The three individual variables of history of previous stroke, physical functioning, and simple attention all made significant unique contributions to the variance in depression scores. The contribution of these findings to the ongoing debate concerning lesion location and poststroke depression is discussed.     

Changes in Sexual Functioning and Mood Among Women Treated for Gynecological Cancer Who Receive Group Therapy: A Pilot Study

This study examined changes in sexual functioning and mood disturbance among women who have been treated for gynecological cancer and who participated in a 12-week group intervention for psychosexual problems. The Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (CSFQ) assessed the sexual functioning, and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) assessed the mood disturbance of 19 women at baseline who completed follow-ups conducted posttreatment and three-month posttreatment. The results showed that the women improved significantly in their CSFQ total scores after being provided with the group therapy intervention at the posttreatment assessment (p < .01), and a statistical trend (p < .10) suggested continued improvement in CSFQ total scores at the three months posttreatment follow-up. Women's POMS total mood disturbance scores improved significantly at the posttreatment assessment (p = .01), but did not show significant improvement at the 3-month posttreatment follow-up. These results suggest that this group intervention achieved its main goal in treating sexual dysfunction as well as mood disturbance, but these improvements dissipated over time and may require further intervention in order to be maintained.     

Copying strategies and memory on the Complex Figure Test in psychiatric patients

We assessed three copying strategies on the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test among 50 psychiatric patients. The strategies were featural (detail-focused), contextual (framework-focused), and mixed. Reliable classification of each patient's copying strategy showed 7 patients used a featural and 7 patients used a contextual strategy. The remaining 36 used a mixed strategy involving both elements. Analysis indicated that patients who met DSM-III-R criteria for schizophrenia tended to use a mixed strategy. Nonschizophrenic patients also favoured the mixed approach. Moreover, when subjects were divided into groups based on their strategies, there were no differences in copying accuracy. However, the groups differed on immediate and delayed recall of the Complex Figure Test. Patients who adopted a featural strategy on the copy trial had the lowest recall scores. "Process" variables may be important in understanding neurocognitive functioning in schizophrenia; however, there is little evidence that schizophrenic patients use copying strategies consistent with lateralized impairment of brain function.     

The MMPI‐2 in chronic psychiatric illness

While previous studies on the MMPI‐2 in patients with schizophrenia and depression have used mixed samples of both early stage and chronic psychiatric patients. Here, it is investigated whether chronicity itself might have a differential effect on the MMPI‐2 profiles of these patients and whether demoralization ‘associated with long‐term illness’ affects the scales of the MMPI‐2. Thirty long‐term patients with schizophrenia, 30 long‐term patients with depression, and 30 healthy participants completed the MMPI‐2. Groups were compared on Clinical Scales and on the Restructured Clinical (RC) Scales. Patients with schizophrenia differed from patients with depression on 14 MMPI‐2 scales and from healthy controls on 10 scales, generally showing mean UT‐scores < 65, indicating a subjective experience of (near) normal functioning. Patients with depression differed from healthy controls on 17 scales mostly with UT‐scores > 65, indicating impaired functioning. Demoralization was higher in patients with depression than in patients with schizophrenia and both psychiatric groups differed from the healthy control group. It is concluded that long‐term patients with depression show impaired functioning and high demoralization, while long‐term patients with schizophrenia surprisingly show near normal functioning and less demoralization.     

Anomalies in Measuring Health-Related Quality of Life: Using the PedsQL 4.0™ with Children Who Have Peanut Allergy and Their Parents

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between health-related quality of life, using the PedsQL? 4.0, and peanut allergy in children. As part of a larger study, 51 parents completed a demographics questionnaire, a Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory? (PedsQL 4.0), and a series of questions regarding their child’s peanut allergy. 48 child participants, ages 6 to 12, completed a PedsQL? 4.0, and some specific questions regarding their peanut allergy. Parents of children with peanut allergy reported higher scores for their children for physical functioning (t (50)?=?3.6, p?<?.001) and lower scores for emotional functioning (t (50)?=??4.88, p?<?.001) compared to published norms for healthy controls. Further analysis, as explored in this paper, showed differences in functioning based on school placement. Children who were homeschooled reported lower physical functioning scores. These reports appear anomalous given that peanut allergy should not affect physical strength or stamina and may be tapping into another reason that these children are homeschooled. The anomalous results of the current study, in the area of physical functioning for children with peanut allergy, support the current trend of more disease-specific health-related quality of life measures for children.     

Dementia and mental retardation markers on the Rey 15-item Visual Memory Test

This study examined the qualitative errors of repetitions and confabulations on the Rey 15-item Visual Memory Test among 500 psychiatric patients who were divided into groups with (1) low IQ scores, (2) a diagnosis of dementia, and (3) other psychiatric diagnoses. These groups were compared on the presence of confabulated figures and repetitions on the Rey. The low IQ patients had the highest rate for both confabulations (48.2%) and repetitions (43.6%). Demented patients had the next highest rate of confabulations (39.8%) and repetitions (39.8%). The general psychiatric patients had the lowest rates on confabulations (16.2%) and repetitions (26.8%). Chi squared analysis showed that both confabulations and repetitions significantly differentiated these patients of low IQ and demented patients from general psychiatric patients. These results suggest that clinicians who use the Rey 15-item Visual Memory Test and find either confabulated or repeated figures should further explore the possibility that the patient might have low intellectual functioning or dementia.     

The Effect of Sensory Deprivation and Ego Strength on a Measure of Autistic Thinking

In an experiment designed to test aspects of the psychoanalytic theory of ego functioning, 18 male and 18 female subjects were assigned in equal numbers to a 3%-hr period of either sensory deprivation (SD), social isolation (SI) or social participation (SP). Their level of autistic thinking was assessed by a word-association measure administered immediately before and immediately after the treatment condition to which each subject had been assigned. Results showed that subjects assigned to SD showed an increase in autistic thinking scores from pretreatment to posttreatment, whereas subjects assigned to the two control conditions (SI and SP) showed a decrease. Although Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) ego strength (Es) scores correlated negatively with the initial level of autistic thinking in all subjects, the experimental and control conditions had their greatest impact on subjects who scored low in Es. Results were interpreted as supporting the hypothesis that consensual functioning (particularly for subjects who scored low on Es) depends on continuing contact with reality.