The factors associated with geriatric depression in rural China: stratified by household structure

Depressive symptoms and empty nest phenomenon of rural elderly people are both important public health issues, which should not be ignored. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms and related factors of the empty nest elderly in rural China. We recruited 3182 eligible subjects and gathered data by face-to-face interview. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to explore the related factors of depressive symptoms. The present study showed that the prevalence of depressive symptoms significantly differed between empty nest old adults and non-empty nesters (24.1% vs. 19.0%). The elderly living alone had highest OR of depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms of empty nest elderly was associated with sleep quality, economic status, pain, social support and ADL. While it was associated with gender, economic status, pain and PSMS in non-empty nest group. Number of chronic disease showed significant associations with depressive symptoms in the elderly living alone. Subjective support, support utilization and pain were positively associated with depressive symptoms in the elderly living with spouse. Sleep quality, economic status and ADL were common factors. Depressive symptoms obviously prevail among empty nest elderly than non-empty nesters. It reminded us that complementary social support from family and society is essential.     

Sensitive performance-based assessment of everyday action in older and younger adults

Everyday function is compromised by mild cognitive changes in aging. These changes predict risk for future decline and dementia but remain poorly characterized, largely due to a scarcity of sensitive, objective measures.Twenty-seven younger adults and 25 non-demented older adults completed the Naturalistic Action Test (NAT), a performance-based measure of everyday action involving simple and complex tasks. Performance was coded for overt errors and subtle inefficiencies. Participants also completed self-report functional measures and cognitive tests. Mixed ANOVAs revealed that older adults made more subtle NAT errors with high task demands; groups did not differ in overt errors. Correlations did not reveal significant relations between self-report and NAT errors, but NAT performance was correlated with learning and recall.The NAT provides a promising tool for detecting subtle age-related changes and examining decline across levels of impairment. Self-report may lack sensitivity to subtle changes, and episodic memory changes underlie early functional disruption.     

Borderline personality disorder level predicts change in depressiveness after short‐term group psychotherapy: A study in a daily psychiatric clinic

The project examined the comorbidity between depression symptoms and the level of borderline personality organisation among patients admitted for group psychotherapy (Study 1). It also aimed to analyse how the level of borderline personality organisation relates to the reduction in depression symptoms after short‐term psychotherapy (Study 2). The study was conducted in a day clinic where patients were receiving psychotherapy for emotional problems affecting their functioning (N = 57). The study used the Borderline Personality Inventory (BPI) and the Patient Health Questionnaire. The analysis showed that BPI was positively related to depression symptoms. The higher borderline personality organisation patients presented when entering group psychotherapy, the greater was the decrease in depression symptoms after 3 months of psychotherapy. We discuss the results in relation to the notion that the presence of depression could be a positive prognostic indicator for patients with borderline personality.     

Self-Report Versus Performance-Based Activities of Daily Living Capacity Among Heart Transplant Candidates and Their Caregivers

Transplant candidates completed the Every Day Problems test (EPT), a performance-based measure of instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and the Katz self-report scale of IADL functioning. Caregivers estimated the candidate's IADL capacity using the Katz scale. A healthy community group and patients with cardiac disease not undergoing transplant evaluation and their caregivers served as controls. Discrepancies between the EPT and Katz scales were generated. Results showed that the total number of discrepancies was significantly higher among the two patient groups as compared to controls. Three or more discrepancies (a total of 7 IADL domains were assessed) occurred in 40–52% of the participants and their caregivers in the two patient groups. Similarly, the total number of discrepancies between the Katz scale of the participant and their caregiver was significantly higher among the two patient groups as compared to controls, with only 33–44% showing perfect agreement in the patient groups as compared to 97% among controls. Despite a high prevalence of discrepancies in both patient groups, results did not support the hypothesis that transplant candidates tend systematically to overestimate their ability level on self-report IADL measures.     

Situational approach to assessment of guilt: Development and validation of a self-report measure

The present research developed and evaluated a self-report measure of guilt that encompassed diverse, typical guilt experiences. Behavior-analytic procedures were employed to construct the Situational Guilt Scale (SGS), in which 22 items assessed anticipated guilt feelings for a wide range of naturally occurring specific situations. The SGS was administered to young-adult college students (mean age, 24 years), along with measures of guilt in traditional moral contexts, depressive tendencies, and socially desirable responding. A test-retest study of the SGS was separately conducted. Results indicated that SGS scores had statisfactory internal consistencies and considerable stability. Correlational findings and comparisons of SGS scores in a typology of depressive experience showed relationships of SGS guilt scores with dependent and self-critical tendencies and support the validity of the measure. The findings and utility of the SGS are discussed.Grant 13487 from the PSC-CUNY Research Award Program of the City University of New York provided support for this project. The Committee on Research Computing of the City University of New York funded the use of computer facilities.     

Effects of daily probing on acquisition of instructive feedback responses

This study evaluated the effects of daily probes of instructive feedback stimuli on students' acquisition of two types of instructive feedback responses. Four students, two with disabilities, participated and were taught four sets of behaviors, two sets received daily probes and two sets did not. A modification of the multiple probe design across behaviors was used. The findings indicate that students acquired their target behaviors rapidly and maintained correct responding during subsequent probe conditions. Students also acquired both types of instructive feedback and maintained it across subsequent probe conditions. The daily probes of the instructive feedback stimuli did not appear to enhance acquisition or maintenance of the instructive feedback responses, but students appeared to acquire the instructive feedback responses while learning their target behaviors. The implications of this study for understanding how students learn instructive feedback responses and for practice are discussed.     

Gender differences in coping and daily stress in conduct-disordered and non-conduct-disordered adolescents

Research shows that conduct disorder (CD) manifests differently in boys and girls, yet little is known about specific characteristics of girls with CD. This study examined gender differences in stress and coping in both CD (n = 69) and non-conduct-disordered (NCD) adolescents (n = 64). Results indicated similar patterns of gender differences in stress and coping, although CD adolescents reported a higher frequency of stress and maladaptive coping strategies than NCDs. Girls reported more daily stress and greater use of coping associated with both social relationships and emotional venting. A significant interaction effect distinguished girls with CD from other groups by their higher level of daily stress, more frequent use of self-injurious behavior and emotion-focused coping, and deficits in active coping.     

An experimental analysis of electricity conservation procedures

Daily electricity consumption of four families was recorded for 106 days. A reversal design, consisting of various experimental conditions interspersed between repeated baseline conditions, was used. During experimental conditions, daily prompts (written conservation slogans attached to front doors) and/or daily feedback (daily kilowatts consumed and daily cost information) were in effect. Maximum consumption occurred during the initial baseline; minimum consumption occurred during different experimental conditions for different families. The mean decrease from the maximum to the minimum for all families was 35%. Reversals in consumption were demonstrated in three families, although successive baselines tended to decrease. No clear differences in effectiveness between prompting and feedback conditions were apparent. The procedures used resulted in considerable dollar savings for the families.     

Convergent and concurrent validation of four measures of assertion

This study examined the relationship among the College Self-Expression Scale (CSES), the Dominance Scale of the California Psychological Inventory (Do), role-play assessment, and peer ratings of assertion. Peer ratings served as the criterion measure. Fifty-three members of a college sorority completed the CSES and the Do Scale, role played eight scenes requiring an assertive response, and rated each other on a five-point scale of assertion. Peer ratings were significantly correlated with the Do Scale and the CSES. A significant correlation was also obtained between the CSES and the Do. Role-play ratings were not significantly related to any measure. Results are discussed in terms of convergent and concurrent validity for the Do and CSES as measures of assertion. A precautionary note is presented regarding the use of role-play assessment for measuring assertion and as a behavioral validation procedure.