Scale for the assessment of reality testing: Reliability, validity, and factorial invariance.

Factor analysis of a reality testing inventory designed by M. Bell et al (unpublished) produced 3 subscales (Reality Distortion, Uncertainty of Perception, and Hallucinations and Delusions) interpreted as dimensions of the reality-testing ego function. Subscales were assessed for internal consistency and for age, gender, and social desirability biases, using 7 criterion groups of schizophrenic, schizoaffective, and borderline individuals. Schizophrenics, schizoaffectives, and borderlines were most pathological on Reality Distortion and Hallucinations and Delusions subscales, while Borderlines were highest on Uncertainty of Perception. Discriminant analysis differentiated inpatient schizophrenics from inpatient schizoaffectives with 92% accuracy. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Suspension "hypokinesia/hypodynamia" may decrease bone mass by stimulating osteoclast production in ovariectomized mice

The factorial structure of the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS; A. T. Beck, A. Weissman, D. Lester, & L. Trexler, 1974) was examined in a nonclinical sample (N = 154) in Japan, and the relationships between dimensions of hopelessness and psychosocial variables were analyzed. A semistructured interview was used, as well as a questionnaire consisting of the BHS, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ; H. J. Eysenck & S. B. Eysenck, 1975), and the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI; G. Parker, H. Tupling, & L. B. Brown, 1979). A factor analysis with principal components solution after oblimin rotation yielded 2 factors--Doubt About a Hopeful Future (Factor 1) and Belief About a Hopeless Future (Factor 2). Significant, positive correlations were found between Factor 2 and (a) the number of emotional symptoms of depression in a 4-day depressive episode and (b) scores on the Neuroticism subscale of the EPQ. The Factor 1 score was significantly and negatively correlated with the Extraversion subscale of the EPQ and the Paternal Care subscale of the PBI.     

Congruence of depressive symptom appraisal between persons with stroke and their caregivers.

Objectives: To determine congruence of depressive symptom appraisal between persons with stroke and their caregivers and the influence of caregiver and clinical characteristics of stroke recovery on the congruence of symptom appraisal. Design: Cross-sectional using baseline data from a multisite caregiving study. Participants: 130 caregiver-person with stroke dyads. Main Outcome Measures: Five items from the Stroke Impact Mood subscale (= .72) and 6 items from caregivers' appraisals of depressive symptoms of persons with stroke on the Memory and Behavior Problems Checklist (= .61) were used to compare caregiver and person with stroke depressive symptom appraisal. Results: Most dyads were incongruent in their appraisals of depressive symptoms in the person with stroke. Dyads were congruent primarily when they perceived that the person with stroke had an absence of depressive symptoms. Caregiver gender, caregiver depressive symptoms, person with stroke antidepressant use, and time since stroke were important factors influencing congruence. Conclusion: Specific information regarding depressive symptoms after stroke should be targeted to both persons with stroke and their family caregivers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Further validation of the Iowa Sleep Disturbances Inventory.

This study examined the reliability and validity of an expanded version of the Iowa Sleep Disturbances Inventory (ISDI; Koffel & Watson, 2010) in 2 samples (219 college students and 200 psychiatric patients). The expanded ISDI includes the scales Sleep Paralysis and Sleep Hallucinations. These scales, along with the Nightmares scale, help define a higher order factor entitled Unusual Sleep Experiences. This factor was distinct from the Insomnia and Lassitude factors that were reported previously. The expanded ISDI showed strong evidence of convergent and discriminant validity with the corresponding interview ratings on a clinician rating version of the ISDI. Mean convergent correlations were .68 in students and .70 in patients. Convergent correlations were significantly higher than discriminant correlations in 99.8% of the 624 comparisons. This study also reports the associations of higher order sleep factors with questionnaire and interview measures of pathological symptoms (e.g., depression, anxiety, dissociation, and schizotypy). The Lassitude factor was specific to dysphoria, whereas the Unusual Sleep Experiences factor was specific to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dissociation. Finally, several ISDI scales showed strong evidence of specificity in relation to pathological symptoms; in particular, there were strong associations between (a) ISDI Fatigue and measures of dysphoria, (b) ISDI Nightmares and measures of PTSD, and (c) ISDI Sleep Hallucinations and measures of dissociation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Operative results of composite aortic root replacement by a Svensson''s method

The present article endeavours an outline of depressive delusions, their symptomatology and their various topics. Their relations to depressive feelings of guilt and anxiety are discussed and differentiated. Delusions of guilt, poverty or disease including their preliminary states are by no means rare but regularly occurring symptoms which substantiate the diagnosis of major depressive disorder/endogenous depression/melancholia. Preliminary states like hypochondriatic fears of guilt and poverty are likewise characteristic clinical signs which may be differentiated with high validity from the kind of anxiety associated to neurotic depression/dysthmia. Delusional depression did not prove to be a nosological entity but as a concept may bear considerable heuristic value concerning therapeutic considerations. This particularly serious form of depression requires specific therapeutic procedures.     

Intentional inhibition in memory and hallucinations: Directed forgetting and updating.

Hallucinations have been recently associated with inhibitory deficits in memory. In this study, the authors investigated whether hallucinations were related to difficulties to inhibit irrelevant information from episodic memory (Experiment 1) and working memory (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, a directed forgetting task was used. This task measures participants' ability to intentionally forget some recently learned material, when instructions indicate that it is no longer relevant. In Experiment 2, an updating task was used. This task requires participants to intentionally suppress irrelevant information from working memory. Results showed that patients with schizophrenia with hallucinations presented inhibitory deficits in the directed forgetting task and an increase in the number of intrusions in the updating task, compared to patients without hallucinations and healthy controls. No correlations were found between indices of inhibition and other general, negative or positive symptoms. These findings support the existence of an association between intentional inhibition in memory and hallucinations, and they suggest that problems to suppress memory representations can underlie hallucinations in schizophrenia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationships over time between mental health symptoms and transmission risk among persons living with HIV.

Relationships between mental health symptoms (anxiety and depression) or a positive state of mind and behavior associated with HIV transmission (substance use and risky sexual behavior) were explored in a longitudinal study of persons living with HIV (PLH; N = 936) who were participants in a transmission-prevention trial. Bivariate longitudinal regressions were used to estimate the correlations between mental health symptoms and HIV-related transmission acts for 3 time frames: at the baseline interview, over 25 months, and from assessment to assessment. At baseline, mental health symptoms were associated with transmission acts. Elevated levels of mental health symptoms at baseline were associated with decreasing alcohol or marijuana use over 25 months. Over 25 months, an increasingly positive state of mind was associated with decreasing alcohol or marijuana use; an increasingly positive state of mind in the immediate intervention condition and increasing depressive symptoms in the lagged condition were related to increasing risky sexual behavior. Our findings suggest that mental health symptoms precede a decrease in substance use and challenge self-medication theories. Changes in mental health symptoms and sexual behavior occur more in tandem. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Aspects of dysphoria and symptoms of schizophrenia

BACKGROUND: In the past it has been postulated that dysphoric emotions may be related to positive and/or negative symptoms in schizophrenia. The results of several recent studies have suggested that composite dysphoria indices are more strongly related to positive than negative symptoms. In the current study we use part correlation techniques to examine the possible unique contributions of two aspects of dysphoria--depression and anxiety--to three syndromes of symptoms (reality distortion, disorganization and psychomotor poverty) within schizophrenia. METHODS: Data were obtained from 60 patients with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of schizophrenia. Symptoms of schizophrenia were assessed using the SAPS and SANS and dysphoria was assessed using both self-report (BDI and BAI) and observer ratings (HRSD and HARS). Assessment of schizophrenia symptoms and ratings of depression and anxiety were completed by different observers. In addition, drug induced extrapyramidal side effects were rated. RESULTS: Part correlations showed that unique aspects of anxiety (particularly physiological arousal) were correlated with reality distortion while unique aspects of depression (including psychomotor slowing and loss of social interest) were related to psychomotor poverty. At least part of the latter relationship may be due to extrapyramidal side effects of neuroleptic medication. CONCLUSIONS: Although there is considerable overlap between anxiety and depression, it appears that the unique arousing or activating aspects of anxiety are related to the experience of reality distortion symptoms in schizophrenia and the unique slowing and withdrawal aspects of depression are particularly related to psychomotor poverty. Possible reasons for these relationships are discussed.     

Concordance of self- and informant ratings of adults' current and childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms.

Self-informant rating concordance for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms was assessed in 281 adults at the subscale (Inattention, Hyperactivity-Impulsivity) and individual symptom levels. Potential demographic, diagnostic, and informant identity moderators were also investigated. Concordance levels were similar for current and childhood symptoms. Although moderate positive correlations were found between self- and informant ratings on both subscales, informants endorsed more significant inattentive symptom severity. Kappa coefficients were variable, suggesting low concordance for certain symptoms. Sex and ADHD diagnosis moderated concordance, although effect sizes were small. These results have implications for the use of behavior rating scales in diagnosing ADHD, raise questions about the validity of self- and informant ratings, and support the need to investigate individual differences variables that may impact concordance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relation between catastrophizing and depression in chronic pain patients.

The relation between catastrophizing, depression, and pain was examined in 125 chronic pain patients. The Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ) developed by A. K. Rosenstiel and F. J. Keefe (see record 1984-18170-001) assessed patients' use of cognitive and behavioral strategies to cope with chronic pain. A significant association between catastrophizing and depression was found. In order to address questions of measurement redundancy, 6 clinical psychologists rated the degree to which items on the CSQ reflected depressive symptomatology. All items contained in the Catastrophizing subscale were rated by all psychologists as being reflective of symptoms of depression and were removed from the CSQ. When this subscale was excluded, none of the remaining CSQ subscales were significantly related to depression. The discussion addresses the interpretive difficulties that arise from hypothesizing mediating relations between variables that are conceptually and operationally confounded. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship functioning moderates the association between depressive symptoms and life stressors.

Data from 172 newlywed couples were collected over the first 4 years of marriage to test how behaviors demonstrated during marital interactions moderate associations between depressive symptoms and subsequent life stressors. Depressive symptoms and behaviors coded from problem-solving and social support interactions were analyzed as predictors of nonmarital stressors that were interpersonal and dependent on the participant's actions. Behavioral codes were found to moderate 3 of 16 symptom-to-life event associations for husbands. Husbands' reports of more depressive symptoms predicted greater levels of stress when husbands' positive affect and hard negative affect during problem-solving were relatively infrequent and when wives made frequent displays of positive behaviors during husbands' support topics. These effects remained after controlling for marital satisfaction. For wives, behavioral moderators did not interact with depressive symptoms to predict changes in stress, but marital satisfaction consistently interacted with depressive symptoms to predict future stressors beyond interpersonal behaviors. Specifically, for wives, stress generation was more evident when relationship satisfaction was low than when it was high. Our results, though different for men and women, suggest that relationship functioning can alter associations between depressive symptoms and life stress in the early years of marriage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the use of the Causal Dimension Scale in a field setting: A test with confirmatory factor analysis in success and failure situations.

We tested the reliability and validity of the Causal Dimension Scale (CDS) within success and failure conditions in a real-life achievement situation. A total of 260 undergraduate students who had just received their marks on a midterm exam were asked to fill out a questionnaire that included questions dealing with their perceptions of success and failure on the exam and on the CDS. Confirmatory factor and internal consistency analyses were performed on the overall sample, as well as on the data from the success and failure conditions. Results showed that internal consistency was found to be adequate for the Locus and Stability subscales but not for the Control subscale. Results of the confirmatory factor analyses provided partial support for the validity of the CDS factor structure in that three-factor solutions were obtained in all three conditions. However, further analyses revealed that an acceptable fit for the data was obtained only when obliqueness, involving the Locus factor with those of Stability and Control, and cross loadings were incorporated in the factor structures. Of particular interest were the findings of a multigroup confirmatory factor analysis that revealed that solutions for the success and failure conditions were significantly different. The present set of findings provide some support for the reliability and validity of the CDS. However, we suggested that more work be conducted on the scale—especially the Control subscale—before the CDS can be used with full confidence in research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depressive symptoms in maltreated children from mother, teacher, and child perspectives

When mother, teacher, and child ratings of depressive symptoms in maltreated and non-maltreated children were compared, agreements between raters were generally low, with the highest correlations between mother and teacher ratings for maltreated boys and girls. Maltreated children were more likely than nonmaltreated children to be rated in the clinical range by mothers and teachers, but not by children themselves. Findings underscore the importance of multiple perspectives in evaluating children's depressive symptoms. Maternal depressive symptomatology is an important factor to consider when using maternal ratings of children's adjustment.     

Importance of shared genes and shared environments for symptoms of depression in older adults.

The Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale was administered to 68 identical and 161 fraternal twin pairs reared apart and 114 identical and 138 fraternal pairs reared together to ascertain relative genetic and environmental contributions to individual differences in self-reported depressive symptoms. Intraclass correlations and model fitting indicated that genetic influences explained 16% of the variance in the total depression scores and 19% for the Psychomotor Retardation and Somatic Complaints subscale, but heritability was minimal for the Depressed Mood and Well-Being subscales. Influence of family rearing context played a substantial role in explaining twin similarity, whereas unique life experiences accounted for the greatest proportion of variance. Significant age group differences were observed, with heritability greater in twins of 60 years of age or older than in twins under 60, especially for Psychomotor Retardation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Shyness and low social support as interactive diatheses, with loneliness as mediator: Testing an interpersonal-personality view of vulnerability to depressive symptoms.

Interpersonal approaches to depression are surveyed; it is suggested that interpersonal inhibition, as opposed to interpersonal excess, has been underemphasized as an antecedent of depression. It is proposed that shyness is a vulnerability factor for depressive symptoms in the absence but not in the presence of social support and that loneliness mediates the relation between shyness and depressive symptom increases. Undergraduates (N?=?172) reported on their levels of shyness, social support, loneliness, positive and negative affect, and depressive symptoms, and returned 5 weeks later to complete a similar set of assessments. Results supported hypotheses. Participants who were shy and unsupported were likely to experience increases in depressive symptoms and decreases in positive affect, whereas other students were not. This effect was partially mediated by increases in loneliness and was specific to depressive symptoms and low positive affect; it did not apply to negative affect. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relation of social and academic competence to depressive symptoms in childhood.

Relation of depressive symptoms to social and academic competence was examined in 750 4th-grade students. Self-report, peer-nomination, and teacher-rating measures of all 3 constructs were obtained. The multitrait-multimethod data were examined with confirmatory factor analysis and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Stronger correlations than have previously been reported were found between depressive symptoms and both kinds of competence. Social and academic incompetence had an additive effect on depressive symptoms. Children who were both socially and academically less competent had more symptoms of depression than children who had only 1 problem area. Children with only 1 problem area had more symptoms of depression than did children who were neither socially nor academically less competent. Gender differences in other-rated measures of competence were also evident. Implications for a competency-based model of depression are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Are psychotic psychopathology and neurocognition orthogonal? A systematic review of their associations.

A systematic review (58 studies, 5,009 individuals) is presented of associations between psychopathological dimensions of psychosis and measures of neurocognitive impairment in subjects with a lifetime history of nonaffective psychosis. Results showed that negative and disorganized dimensions were significantly but modestly associated with cognitive deficits (correlations from -.29 to -.12). In contrast, positive and depressive dimensions of psychopathology were not associated with neurocognitive measures. The patterns of association for the 4 psychosis dimensions were stable across neurocognitive domains and were independent of age, gender, and chronicity of illness. In addition, significantly higher correlations were found for the negative dimension in relation to verbal fluency (p = .005) and for the disorganized dimension in relation to reasoning and problem solving (p = .004) and to attention/vigilance (p = .03). Psychotic psychopathology and neurocognition are not entirely orthogonal, as heterogeneity in nonaffective psychosis is weakly but meaningfully associated with measures of neurocognition. This association suggests that differential latent cerebral mechanisms underlie the cluster of disorganized and negative symptoms versus that of positive and affective symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attributions for positive life events predict recovery from depression among psychiatric inpatients: An investigation of the Needles and Abramson model of recovery from depression.

The authors investigated whether attributions for positive life events predict decreases in hopelessness and depressive symptoms among clinically depressed adults. Measures of attributional style, attributions for recent events, depressive symptoms, dysfunctional attitudes, hopelessness, and life events were administered to 52 depressed psychiatric inpatients treated with antidepressant medication; the measures were readministered 12 and 24 days later. Results indicated that (a) internal, stable, global attributions for recent positive events mediated a significant association between attributional style for positive life events and decreased hopelessness; (b) decreases in hopelessness mediated a significant association between internal, stable, global attributions for recent positive events and decreases in depressive symptom levels; and (c) depressotypic cognitions were not associated with decreases in either hopelessness or depressive symptom levels. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-esteem as a mediator between spousal support and depressive symptoms: A comparison of healthy individuals and individuals coping with arthritis.

This study examined whether self-esteem mediated the effects of both self-reported positive and negative marital interactions on depressive symptoms and whether the relationships among marital interactions, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms were stronger for individuals (n?=?90) coping with arthritis compared with individuals (n?=?90) not coping with a chronic illness. Data were drawn from the 1986 Americans' Changing Lives national survey. The results of multigroup structural equation analysis suggest that mediation depends on the type of marital interaction being considered and the group being examined. For the arthritis group, self-esteem mediated the relationship between negative marital interactions and depressive symptoms, whereas for the healthy group self-esteem played no role in mediating the relationship between marital interactions and depressive symptoms. Findings underscore the importance of testing moderated-mediation models of social support. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Longitudinal associations between emotion regulation and depression in preadolescent girls: Moderation by the caregiving environment.

Identifying childhood precursors for depression has been challenging and yet important for understanding the rapid increase in the rate of depression among adolescent girls. This study examined the prospective relations of preadolescent girls’ emotion regulation and parenting style with depressive symptoms. Participants were 225 children and their biological mothers recruited from a larger longitudinal community study. Girls’ observed positive and negative emotion during a conflict resolution task with mothers, their ability to regulate sadness and anger, and their perception of parental acceptance and psychological control were assessed at age 9. Depressive symptoms were assessed by self-report at ages 9 and 10. The results indicated interactions between child emotion characteristics and parenting in predicting later depression. Specifically, low levels of positive emotion expression predicted higher levels of depressive symptoms in the context of moderate to high parental psychological control. Low levels of sadness regulation were predictive of high levels of depressive symptoms in the context of low to moderate parental acceptance. Findings from this study support the hypothesis that the prospective association between vulnerabilities in emotion regulation and depression are moderated by the caregiving environment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)