Psychological testing in outpatient mental health facilities: A national study.

Surveyed psychological testing trends in outpatient mental health centers, clinics, and services in the US. The sample was obtained from the National Directory of Mental Health and the National Registry of Community Mental Health Services. Of 900 facilities with a psychologist on staff, 413 (46%) returned questionnaires. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and the Wechsler scales were the instruments most frequently used, closely followed in usage frequency by the major projective techniques. The Wide Range Achievement Test, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), the Peabody, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Wechsler Memory Scale were also quite popular. Apparently, clinicians rely on traditional tests despite the proliferation of new assessment instruments in the clinical literature. Implications for graduate training are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Etomidate in urological outpatient anaesthesia. A clinical evaluation

Induction of anaesthesia with the new short acting agent etomidate has been studied in 200 patients undergoing urological outpatient procedures. These patients exhibited a similar pattern of recovery to those receiving 7 mg/kg propanidid but had greater cardiac and respiratory stability. However, there was a 25% incidence of pain which was reduced to 13-9% by increasing the rate of injection from 30 to 15 seconds. The incidence of involuntary movements was 29-7% which was reduced to 15% by the faster rate of injection. The omission of atropine premedication did not affect cardiac stability. Etomidate appears to have many desirable features as an induction agent except for a high incidence of pain on injection which is reduced by rapid injection.     

Residues of DDT and DDE in livers of waterfowl, northeastern Louisiana--1970-71

A study was conducted to determine the levels of DDT and DDE in the livers of 10 species of waterfowl collected in Louisiana from 1970 to 1971. Livers of 48 of 50 specimens contained detectable levels of DDT and/or DDE. DDT residues ranged from 0.01 to 10.90 ppm; DDE levels ranged from 0.02 to 38.69 ppm.     

Officers, boards, committees, and representatives of the American Psychological Association: 1970-71.

Presents a listing of officers, boards, committees, and representatives of the American Psychological Association, 1970-1971. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of paid work on the perceived health state in women

BACKGROUND: Several studies show that paid work has a positive effect on women's health, although few studies have shown this relationship in Southern-European countries. The aim of this paper was to analyze the self-perceived health status of women of Barcelona, Spain according to their type of work (homemaker or worker). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cross sectional study using the 1992 Barcelona Health Interview Survey data. Subjects: 1194 women aged 25 to 64 years old. Bivariate analysis of women's perceived health status by all other variables. A logistic regression model was performed with the dependent variable being women's self-perceived health status and the independent variables: type of work (homemaker or worker), age, number of chronic diseases, medical care visits, children under 12 years and elderly over 65 years living at home and social class based on occupation. RESULTS: 15.8% of workers and 31.4% of homemakers reported poor self-perceived health status (p < 0.05). This same distribution was maintained when adjusting for all independent variables. Social class had an important relationship with health, with women from lower social classes reporting poorer self-perceived health status than homemakers from upper social classes. CONCLUSIONS: The 1992 Barcelona Health Interview Survey analysis confirms that in Barcelona as well, paid work has a positive relationship on women's self-perceived health status.     

Incremental validity of the MMPI-2 content scales in an outpatient mental health setting.

The incremental validity of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—2 Content Scales (MMPI—2; J. N. Butcher, J. R. Graham, C. L. Williams, & Y. S. Ben-Porath, 1990) was examined using clinical and content scale scores to predict conceptually relevant symptoms and personality characteristics of 274 male and 425 female mental health center outpatients. Regression analyses were performed to determine if the content scales contributed significantly beyond the conceptually relevant clinical scales in predicting therapists' ratings. Of the 10 content scales analyzed, incremental validity was demonstrated for 7 scales for men and 3 scales for women. A 2nd set of analyses indicated that incremental validity was demonstrated for 4 clinical scales for men and 6 clinical scales for women. The findings provide further evidence that the content scales aid interpretation of MMPI—2 scores by contributing additional information beyond the clinical scales. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Human problem solving: The state of the theory in 1970.

Summarizes research of the past 15 yr. directed toward discovering and explicating the organization of information processes that underlies human problem solving. The basic characteristics of the human information processing system (IPS) serial processing, small short-term memory, infinite long-term memory with fast retrieval but slow storage impose strong conditions on the ways in which the system can seek solutions to problems in large problem spaces. The current theory is described in 4 broad propositions: (a) a few gross characteristics of the human IPS are invariant over task and problem solver; (b) these characteristics determine that a task environment is represented (in the IPS) as a problem space, and that problem solving takes place in a problem space; (c) the structure of the task environment determines the possible structures of the problem space; and (d) the structure of the problem space determines the possible programs that can be used for problem solving. These propositions and their relation to the known characteristics of the IPS are developed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of radiotherapy on long-term relapse in clinically non-secreting pituitary adenomas. A retrospective study (1970-1988)

OBJECTIVE: We wished to evaluate the influence of postoperative radiotherapy on the incidence of tumour regrowth in non-secreting pituitary adenomas. METHODS: The cases of 57 patients with clinically non-secreting pituitary adenomas were retained for a retrospective study of long-term disease-free survival out of a series of 66 patients treated between 1970 and 1988. Thirty-three patients were treated by surgery only (Group A), and twenty-four by surgery followed by external radiotherapy (Group B). Disease-free survival curves were calculated according to the Kaplan-Meyer method and compared by the Logrank test. The impact of some supposed prognostic parameters--such as tumoural volume, macroscopic features of invasiveness and quality of surgical resection--on the disease-free survival was analyzed according to the Logrank adjusted test. RESULTS: The mean follow-up duration was 7.1 +/- 6.2 years, and eleven patients relapsed: nine in group A (27.0%) and two in group B (8.3%), with respective free intervals of 6.1 +/- 5.0 years and 9.6 +/- 2.4 years. Statistical analysis of the disease-free survival curves confirmed that this difference was significant (p < 0.01). Further analysis of putative risk factors (the importance of extrasellar extension and the estimated quality of surgical resection) was attempted, but it did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Radiotherapy is effective in preventing post-operative regrowth of non-secreting pituitary adenomas. Whether it should be systematically proposed or reserved to selected cases remains to be evaluated.     

Using the MMPI-2 to detect substance abuse in an outpatient mental health setting.

This study examined the utility of the MMPI–2 in detecting substance-abuse problems in an outpatient mental health setting. Specifically, the utility of the Addiction Acknowledgment Scale (AAS; N. C. Weed, J. N. Butcher, T. McKenna, & Y. S. Ben-Porath, 1992), the Addiction Potential Scale (APS; N. C. Weed et al., 1992), and the MacAndrew Alcoholism Scale—Revised (MAC—R; J. N. Butcher, W. G. Dahlstrom, J. R. Graham, A. Tellegan, & B. Kaemmer, 1989) in the prediction of substance abuse was evaluated. In addition, the incremental validity of the AAS and the APS in comparison to the MAC—R scale was evaluated. The sample consisted of 500 women and 333 men from a large community mental health center in Northeastern Ohio. Results indicated that the MAC—R scale, the AAS, and the APS were related to interviewer ratings of substance abuse in this outpatient treatment setting. Specifically, the results pointed to the superiority of AAS over APS in substance-abuse identification and the significant contribution of AAS to the information available from the MAC—R scale alone. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of inpatient and outpatient women with eating disorders

The purpose of this study was to compare two groups of women with eating disorders, one inpatient and one outpatient, on selected variables. The study was undertaken to clarify differences in the two samples about (1) current standards/criteria for hospitalization of individuals with eating disorders, (2) the criteria for inpatient/outpatient treatment selection, and (3) definition of severity of illness. Six hypotheses were developed and tested by using t-test, chi(2), and discriminant function analysis. The findings supported the current standards for practice. Compared with the outpatient group the inpatient group had significantly more reported physical signs and symptoms, were more anxious and depressed, had more somatization, and had more prior hospitalizations. Prior hospitalization and physical signs, along with the eating disorder dimension, ineffectiveness, were the best predictors of hospitalization. Implications for practice that focus on more comprehensive assessments and early detection of eating disorders are presented.     

A prospective study of age differences in consequences of emotional control in women referred to clinical mammography.

Age differences in emotional control and their consequences were examined in women referred to mammography on the suspicion of breast cancer but with benign results of the examination. Under natural experimental conditions, the levels of emotional control and distress were measured 1 week prior to the examination as well as 4 and 12 weeks after the examination in 717 younger women (ages 19–39), middle-aged women (ages 40–59), and older women (ages 60–85). A higher level of emotional control was found in the older women; this indicates that, in these birth cohorts, emotion-focused coping is more prevalent in old age than in young adulthood, even when similar stressors are experienced. The analyses revealed an interaction between age and emotional control; higher levels of control were related to a reduction in distress during the course of the study in older women, whereas emotional control was unrelated to changes in distress in younger and middle-aged women. The findings support the life span theory of control, which suggests that secondary control strategies are more adaptive in old age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A study on menopausal symptoms and health needs among middle aged women

During the middle age of a woman's life cycle, several health changes and problems occur. Therefore, middle aged women must manage their health and maintain quality life by coping with bodily changes. However, today there is not enough research and health programs for middle aged women. Data from the study will be used for health promotion program development of middle aged women. Data was collected from January 21 to 24, 1995 by telephone interview. Four hundred middle aged women between 40 and 59 years old and living in Chon Ju City were interviewed. The results of this study were as follow: 1. Frequency rate of menopausal symptoms was 38.4%. The most serious menopausal symptom was psychosomatic symptom. Mean score orders of experienced symptoms were back pain, joint pain (1.80), nervousness (1.80), general weakness (1.67). 2. The most important problems as perceived by the clients were children (45.8%), health (24.0%) and economics (7.8%). The most serious health problems were concerning the muscle-skeletal system (45%) such as arthritis, spinal disk problems and osteoporosis. Adult diseases (14.5%) such as hypertension and diabetes were also health concerns. Health management activities reported were exercise (22.5%), social activity (12%) and inactivity (53%). 33% of clients were interested in health groups and they wanted a program of health education, exercise and social activity to be provided. 3. General characteristic variables were significantly related to the level of menopausal symptoms as follows: age (t = -2.06, p = 0.040), status of marriage (t = -3.56, p = 0.000), educational level (F = 4.35, p = 0.05) and menopausal status (t = 4.37, p = 0.000).     

A model of outpatient satisfaction in rehabilitation.

Examined satisfaction with outpatient rehabilitation services among a population of Ss (mean age 49.45 yrs) who had been treated at a rehabilitation hospital for stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, and other disabling conditions. 113 patients and 38 household members were interviewed by telephone, using a stratified sampling procedure in which two-thirds of patients had terminated service and one-third were still receiving treatment. The interview made inquiries about scheduling, transportation, treatment, therapists, treatment progress, and funding. Overall satisfaction and comparison with other medical services was also queried. A high degree of satisfaction was reported. However, one-third wanted more treatment than they received; one-fifth were dissatisfied with treatment progress. A causal model is proposed to explain those factors contributing most heavily to satisfaction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predictors of outpatient mental health service use by American youth.

Among American children and adolescents aged 1 to 17 years, the 12- to 17-year-olds represent the largest users of outpatient mental health services. This study utilizes a nationally representative sample of this age group from the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health to illuminate predictors of services use from three treatment settings: day treatment programs, mental health clinics/centers, and private/in-home settings. Univariate analyses were used to calculate the percentages of the study sample that used mental health services in these settings. In bivariate analyses, the authors estimated the strength of the associations between available predisposing, need, and enabling factors and the outcomes. Multiple logistic regressions estimated the independent effects of each covariate on the outcomes. Lifetime depression, lifetime general anxiety, delinquent behaviors, drug dependence, and Medicaid were consistent predictors of services use in the three treatment settings. Several other factors were associated with services use in bivariate analyses but lost most of their statistical significance when the authors adjusted for other confounders. Interpreted in light of its potential limitations, this study has important research and policy significance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Health status and the use of outpatient mental health services.

Investigated the effects of mental health status—self-reported psychological distress and psychological well-being—on the use of outpatient mental health services, based on mental health data from the Rand Corporation's Health Insurance Survey. Results reveal that probability of mental health care and intensity of treatment provided by mental health specialists increase significantly with increases in psychological distress, independent of insurance plan, physical health, and sociodemographic variables. Results support the validity of self-report mental health surveys. (42 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A retrospective study of the clinical presentation and outcome of herpes zoster in a tertiary dermatology outpatient referral clinic

BACKGROUND: This is a retrospective study of the epidemiology and morbidity of herpes zoster and the risk factors for herpes zoster morbidity in Singapore. RESULTS: The mean age of 164 patients with herpes zoster seen at our dermatology clinic between January 1994 and December 1995 was 48.8 years, with a sex ratio of 1:1. The common presenting symptoms were pain (90%), feelings of helplessness and depression (20%), and flu-like symptoms (12%). The commonest prodromes were pain (41%), itching (27%), and paresthesia (12%). Prodromal pain was more frequently experienced by patients aged more than 50 years (42%) than by patients aged less than 30 years (25%). The thoracic (45%) and cervical (23%) dermatomes were the most commonly affected in all age groups. There was no statistically significant difference in the frequency of dermatomal distribution among the different age groups and between the sexes. Pain was experienced by almost all (95%) patients during the course of their disease. It tended to be more severe in older patients. Burning (26%), stabbing (15%), and shooting (15%) pain were the most common types experienced. Post-herpetic neuralgia was significantly more common in older patients. The prevalence of post-herpetic neuralgia decreased over time in all age groups. A higher proportion of older patients (more than 50 years of age) (20%) suffered from post-herpetic neuralgia compared with younger patients (less than 30 years of age) (7%) (not significant). Patients in all age groups considered acute pain (46%) and persistent pain (25%) to be their most unbearable symptoms during the course of herpes zoster. The most significant problems caused by herpes zoster pain were insomnia (25%), misery (feeling helpless and depressed) (20%), limitation of movement (9%), and inability to continue work (8%). Insomnia was significantly more commonly experienced by patients more than 50 years of age (36%) than those less than 30 years of age (P = 0.026). Few patients (9%) consulted their general practitioner (GP) during the prodrome or on the day of appearance of skin eruptions. Most patients (45%) consulted their GP within the first 3 days of the onset of skin eruptions; 33% sought treatment more than 3 days after the appearance of zoster symptoms. Only 30% of patients were willing to pay more than S$200 for antiviral therapy. Most (43%) were only prepared to pay for antiviral treatment if it cost less than S$200. The most important features the patients wished to derive from antiviral therapy were a shortening of the duration of skin lesions (55%) and a reduction in the severity of pain (acute and chronic) (30%). CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicated that older patients (aged more than 50 years) were at a higher risk of developing post-herpetic neuralgia. They were also more likely to suffer morbidity, e.g. insomnia. There is a need to educate patients at risk to identify the prodrome and skin eruptions of herpes zoster so that early antiviral therapy can be considered.