A study of Ghiselli's hobo syndrome

This study attempts to clarify conceptual and operational inconsistencies in the literature around “Ghiselli's hobo syndrome.” I propose that defining characteristics of hobo syndrome should include both the exhibition of frequent job movement behavior and positive attitudes about such behavior. This definition effectively differentiates the construct from other similar phenomena associated with frequent job movement (e.g., job/career mobility, protean careers). Using latent class cluster analysis of a diverse sample of 944 U.S. workers, it was empirically validated that a small number of individuals resembling the proposed characteristics of hobos did emerge as a distinct group (N = 42), providing person-centered evidence for the construct validity of hobo syndrome. The dispositional roots of hobo syndrome and work-related outcomes were also explored. It was found that individuals with high levels of openness to experience were likely to exhibit hobo syndrome, whereas impulsivity was not related to such tendency. Also, workers who were more likely to be categorized as hobos tended to report less positive views about their current jobs. Based on these findings, implications for research and practice are discussed.     

Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats: Possible Animal Model of Sleep-Related Movement Disorders

Clinical experience suggests that restless legs syndrome (RLS), periodic leg movement (PLM), and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may co-occur in both children and adults. The purpose of the present study was to provide an electrocorticography and electromyography evaluation of the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) to investigate the potential of this rat strain as an animal model of RLS–PLM. Initial work focused on evaluating sleep patterns and limb movements during sleep in SHR, having normotensive Wistar rats (NWR) as control, followed by comparison of two treatments (pharmacological–dopaminergic agonist treatment and nonpharmacological–chronic physical exercise), known to be clinically beneficial for sleep-related movement disorders. The captured data strengthen the association between SHR and RLS–PLM, revealing a significant reduction on sleep efficiency and slow wave sleep and an increase on wakefulness and limb movements for the SHR group during the dark period, as compared to the NWR group, effects that have characteristics that are strikingly consistent with RLS–PLM. The pharmacological and nonpharmacological manipulations validated these results. The present findings suggest that the SHR may be a useful putative animal model to study sleep-related movement disorders mechanisms.     

Developmental course of the temporal relationship between gaze direction and vocal production in typical and Down's syndrome infants

This study was aimed at examining the temporal relationship between gaze and vocal production behaviour among typically developing infants, infants with Down's syndrome, and their mothers. If gaze–voice timing behaviour is an organizing principle of communicative interaction in typical population, then studying it should provide insight into how children with Down's syndrome and their mothers use this temporal relationship to structure their exchanges. Forty-four mother–infant dyads (22 dyads with a Down's syndrome child and 22 with a typical child) were observed. The developmental course of timing pattern was not different between DS and typically developing infants from 4 to 19 months (DA). Insofar as the timing patterns differed between DS and typical infants at 20 months, this could be explained by their differing level of language acquisition. With the use of language, the timing patterns will reappear equal in the both populations. Results suggest that (i) the children's behaviours could be partially explained by the behaviours of their mothers. The mother–child dyad would be the mould that shapes the child's future sociolinguistic skills, and (ii) for the two populations, the timing-pattern changes could be explained by the emergence of language.     

Causal attributions in premenstrual syndrome

Abstract

The relationship between causal attributions and symptoms was investigated with self-report inventories in patients with premenstrual syndrome (n=38) and controls (n=26) during the premenstrual as well as the intermenstrual phase of the cycle. Patients with prospectively confirmed premenstrual exacerbations of physical and psychological symptoms more frequently attributed their complaints during premenstruum to the cycle than was the case during the intermenstrual period. Controls showed no differences in types of explanations for complaints in either phase of the cycle. It appeared that patients used not only the menstrual cycle, but also psychological distress and physical exertion, more often then controls as an explanation for complaints during both phases of the cycle. Implications of the finding that patients used medical as well as non-medical explanations for complaints during the cycle are discussed with regard to treatment strategies for PMS.     

Self-reported health and cortisol awakening response in parents of people with asperger syndrome: The role of trait anger and anxiety,coping and burden

Caring for offspring with autism spectrum disorders entails high levels of stress for a long period of time and is associated with several types of health complaints. Few studies have focused on specific effects of particular disorders in the spectrum. This study was carried out with the aim of evaluating the global health of parents of people with Asperger syndrome (N?=?53) compared to those of typically developing children (N?=?54) through self-reported measures (medication consumption and somatic symptoms) and biological markers (cortisol awakening response [CAR]). Additionally, we analysed various psychological variables as potential predictors of caregiver health. We found that caregivers take more medication and have worse self-reported health than controls, but there were no significant differences in CAR between the groups. However, after controlling for negative affect, differences between groups in CAR reached significance. With regards to predictor variables, anxiety trait, cognitive-coping style, burden and anger temperament were significantly associated with caregiver’s self-reported health. These findings underline the need to develop interventions that foster improvements in the health of caregivers, reduce their burden and enhance their quality of life.     

Executive and Attention Functioning Among Children in the PANDAS Subgroup

Evidence from past studies indicates that adults and children with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Tourette syndrome (TS) experience subtle neuropsychological deficits. Less is known about neuropsychological functioning of children and adolescents with a symptom course consistent with the PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infection) subgroup of OCD and tics. To provide such information, we administered three tests of attention control and two of executive function to 67 children and adolescents (ages 5–16) diagnosed with OCD and/or tics and a symptom course consistent with the PANDAS subgroup and 98 healthy volunteers (HV) matched by age, sex, and IQ. In a paired comparison of the two groups, the PANDAS subjects were less accurate than HV in a test of response suppression. Further, in a two-step linear regression analysis of the PANDAS group in which clinical variables were added stepwise into the model and in the second step matching variables (age, sex, and IQ) were added, IQ emerged as a predictor of performance on this task. In the same analysis, ADHD diagnosis and age emerged as predictors of response time in a continuous performance task. Subdividing the PANDAS group by primary psychiatric diagnosis revealed that subjects with TS or OCD with tics exhibited a longer response time compared to controls than subjects with OCD only, replicating previous findings within TS and OCD. This study demonstrates that children with PANDAS exhibit neuropsychological profiles similar to those of their primary psychiatric diagnosis.     

阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停低通气综合征对心血管系统的影响

阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停低通气综合征(OSAHS)是常见却又不被广泛认识的疾病,可以导致多种器官和系统的损害,特别是心血管系统的损害.随着肥胖人群的增加,OSAHS的患病率有可能继续升高,这已经是一个重要的公共卫生问题,本文就OSAHS导致心血管疾病的发病机制,对常见心血管疾病的影响进行探讨.     

Sexist Treatment in the Mental Health System

No abstract available for this article.     

Similarities Between the Psychological Profiles of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and Conversion Disorder Patients

The psychological profile of 17 Complex Regional Pain Syndrome type I (CRPS) and 20 Conversion Disorder (CD) patients were compared, using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and standardized, semistructured psychological interviews. Both groups presented abnormally high somatization scores. Low anxiety scores in both groups indicate that somatization may have served as a defense mechanism to bind anxiety. Depression was apparent in both groups, indicating that psychological distress accompany these syndromes. About one third of the participants in both groups presented comorbid Axis I disorders, mostly depression and PTSD. CRPS patients have traditionally been looked upon as suffering from mainly organic symptoms, whereas CD patients have been labeled as psychiatric patients. These results may indicate the need to reexamine the traditional classifications in respect to disorders that involve body and mind.