Screening for major depressive disorders in adolescent psychiatric inpatients with the mood modules from the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders and the Patient Health Questionnaire.

The mood modules from the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders (PRIME-MD) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) were administered to 17 (52%) female and 16 (48%) male adolescent (13-17 years old) psychiatric inpatients. The internal consistencies of both were good (KR-20 for PRIME-MD=.80, Cronbach coefficient alpha for Patient Health Questionnaire=.85). The correlation between the PRIME-MD and Patient Health Questionnaire total scores was .87 (p<.001), and the point-biserial correlation of both questionnaires' total scores with being diagnosed with a Major Depressive Disorder was .54 (p<.001). Both mood modules appeared to be equally effective in screening for a Major Depressive Disorder.     

Cognitive-behavioral stress management increases free testosterone and decreases psychological distress in HIV-seropositive men.

The effects of a 10-week group-based cognitive-behavioral stress management (CBSM) intervention on psychological distress and plasma free testosterone in symptomatic, HIV-seropositive men were examined. Participants were randomized to either CBSM (n = 42) or a wait-list control group (n = 23). Men in the CBSM intervention showed significant increases in testosterone, whereas control participants showed significant decreases. Those participating in CBSM had significant distress reductions, whereas controls showed no such change. Alterations in free testosterone were inversely related to changes in distress states over time, independent of any changes in cortisol. These findings demonstrate that a short-term CBSM intervention increases free testosterone levels among symptomatic, HIV-seropositive men, and alterations in free testosterone are associated with changes in psychological distress observed during CBSM.     

Cognitive functioning,personality variables and academic achievement of hemophilic and normal children: A comparative study

The present study was conceptualized in the context of the psychosocial needs of Hemophilic children and adolescents of Kolkata. Twenty four Hemophilic children and adolescents were compared with a matched group of normal controls to find out any specific difference in terms of visuomotor gestalt functioning, intellectual level, academic achievement and personality dimensions. Academic achievement was assessed by averaging the results of the last three consecutive school examinations. Intellectual functioning was assessed by Progressive Matrices by Raven, and personality dimensions were assessed by Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Chi square tests and ANOVA were conducted to determine whether the Hemophilic children differed significantly from the normal controls across age levels. Findings revealed that there was little difference between the two groups in terms of intellectual level, and most dimensions of personality, although the Hemophilics fared worse than normals in neuropsychological, social and academic aspects. Implication for intervention is discussed.     

Assessing the impact of organizational communication on job satisfaction and job performance

The present paper analyses the impact of organizational communication on job satisfaction and job performance. Data were collected from 380 employees working at different managerial levels in various organizations in India by using Organizational Communication Scale (Roberts & O’Reilly, 1974), Job Satisfaction Survey scale (Spector, 1985), and Job Performance scale (Rodwell, Kienzle & Shadur, 1998). It was found that organizational communication had a significant effect on job satisfaction and job performance of the employees. The analysis further indicated that the employees at different levels perceived job satisfaction differently. Thus, it can be inferred that in Indian organizations, job satisfaction and performance are very much dependent on the communication behavior of the organization.     

16 PF Profile of Schizophrenics With and Without Criminal Record

This study examined the personality characteristics of sixty Schizophrenics with and without criminal record on inpatients of Ranchi Institute of Neuro-Psychiatry and Allied Sciences, Ranchi (RINPAS) India. A comparison of their personality profiles on 16 PF test revealed that Schizophrenics with criminal record were more assertive, less reserved, less conscientious, and more extraverted than Schizophrenics without criminal record. It indicates that Schizophrenics who commit offences may be differentiated from those who are not involved in criminal act on the basis of their personality characteristics.     

Asparagus recemosus enhances memory and protects against amnesia in rodent models

Asparagus Racemosus (AR) is an Ayurvedic rasayana possessing multiple neuropharmacological activities. The adpatogenic and antidepressant activity of AR is well documented. The present study was undertaken to assess nootropic and anti-amnesic activities of MAR in rats. The Morris water maze (MWM) and elevated plus maze (EPM) models were employed to evaluate learning and memory activity. Subsequently, the anti-amnestic activity was evaluated in scopolamine and sodium nitrite (NaNO₂)-induced amnestic models in rats. Rats pre-treated with MAR (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o) for 7 days showed significant decrease in escape latency in the MWM test indicating nootropic activity. MAR also significantly reversed scopolamine and sodium nitrite-induced increase in transfer latency on EPM indicating anti-amnesic activity. Further, MAR dose-dependently inhibited acetylcholinesterase enzyme in specific brain regions (prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and hypothalamus). Thus, MAR showed nootropic and anti-amnesic activities in the models tested and these effects may probably be mediated through augmentation of cholinergic system due to its anti-cholinesterase activity.     

Time course of visual attention across perceptual levels and objects

Theories of shifts of visual attention based on attentional blink or dwell time do not directly address shifts of attention across different levels (global or local) involving multiple objects. Two experiments were conducted employing the attentional dwell time paradigm to investigate the shifts of visual attention between objects selected at same or different levels. Participants were instructed to identify two successive compound stimuli at a pre-specified level (global or local) presented at two different locations with variable SOA. The initial pair of locations in which the stimulus was presented was fixed in Experiment 1 but not in Experiment 2. Experiment 1 results showed very little impairment for second target identification when both the targets were at the global level. Attentional shift was better with both targets at the same level compared to different levels. Experiment 2 results showed that local followed by global target identification is difficult at short SOAs compared to other conditions. The results indicate that scope of attention affects the time course of visual attention. Global processing could be performed with very little capacity limitation simultaneously with distributed attention. The default mode of attention might be distributed and attention becomes focused for target identification. Different mechanisms may underlie shifts in focused attention between different locations and changes in attentional set required by changes in perceptual levels.     

Income and neighbourhood‐level inequality predict self‐esteem and ethnic identity centrality through individual‐ and group‐based relative deprivation: A multilevel path analysis

Although income and inequality (objective measures of deprivation and the distribution of income within a defined area, respectively) predict people's self‐appraisals, the psychological mechanisms underlying these relationships are largely unknown. We address this oversight by predicting that feeling individually deprived (individual‐based relative deprivation [IRD])—a self‐focused appraisal—mediates the relationship between these two objective measures and self‐esteem. Conversely, believing that one's group is deprived (group‐based relative deprivation [GRD])—a group‐focused appraisal—mediates the relationship between these two objective measures and ethnic identity centrality. We examined these predictions in a national sample of New Zealand adults (N = 6349). As expected, income negatively correlated with IRD and GRD; in turn, IRD negatively correlated with self‐esteem, and GRD positively correlated with ethnic identity centrality. Moreover, after accounting for between‐level variability in income, neighbourhood‐level inequality had indirect effects on self‐esteem and ethnic identity centrality through IRD and GRD, respectively. Thus, income and inequality independently predicted self‐esteem and strength of ingroup identification through distinct mechanisms. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Psychosocial Correlates of Suicidal Ideation in Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatients

The Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSI) was administered to 121 inpatients between 12 and 17 years old who were diagnosed with mixed psychiatric disorders. Twelve background and clinical characteristics, previously found to be associated with adolescent suicidal ideation, were entered into a multiple regression to estimate the BSI scores, along with the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the revised Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), and the Youth Self-Report. The BHS and the BDI were the only two variables that contributed unique variance to the explanation of the BSI scores.