Reliability and validity of the brief multidimensional measure of religiousness/spirituality among adolescents.

PubMed

Harris, Sion Kim; Sherritt, Lon R; Holder, David W; Kulig, John; Shrier, Lydia A; Knight, John R

2008-12-01

Developed for use in health research, the Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality (BMMRS) consists of brief measures of a broad range of religiousness and spirituality (R/S) dimensions. It has established psychometric properties among adults, but little is known about its appropriateness for use with adolescents. We assessed the psychometric properties of the BMMRS among adolescents. We recruited a racially diverse (85% non-White) sample of 305 adolescents aged 12-18 years (median 16 yrs, IQR 14-17) from 3 urban medical clinics; 93 completed a retest 1 week later. We assessed internal consistency and test-retest reliability. We assessed construct validity by examining how well the measures discriminated groups expected to differ based on self-reported religious preference, and how they related to a hypothesized correlate, depressive symptoms. Religious preference was categorized into "No religion/Atheist" (11%), "Don't know/Confused" (9%), or "Named a religion" (80%). Responses to multi-item measures were generally internally consistent (alpha > or = 0.70 for 12/16 measures) and stable over 1 week (intraclass correlation coefficients > or = 0.70 for 14/16). Forgiveness, Negative R/S Coping, and Commitment items showed lower internal cohesiveness. Scores on most measures were higher (p < 0.05) among those who "Named a religion" compared to the "No religion/Atheist" group. Forgiveness, Commitment, and Anticipated Support from members of one's congregation were inversely correlated with depressive symptoms, while BMMRS measures assessing negative R/S experiences (Negative R/S Coping, Negative Interactions with others in congregation, Loss in Faith) were positively correlated with depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that most BMMRS measures are reliable and valid for use among adolescents.

EFFECTS OF MEDICAL DISPUTES ON INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS OF NEGATIVE EMOTIONS AND NEGATIVE ONLINE WORD-OF-MOUTH.

PubMed

Lee, Yi-Chih; Wu, Wei-Li

2015-08-01

Emotions play an important role in human behavior. Negative emotions resulting from medical disputes are problems for medical personnel to solve but also have a significant impact on a hospital's reputation and people's trust in the hospital. One medical dispute case was chosen from an Internet news source to assess the correlation between people's negative emotions and negative online word-of-mouth. Convenience sampling was used in school faculties and university students who had shared their medical treatment experiences online were the research participants. A total of 221 Taiwanese participants volunteered (158 women, 63 men; ages: 26.7% under 19, 22.6% 20-29, 30.8% 30-39,19.9% over 40). Four negative emotions were measured using rating scales: uncertainty, anger, disappointment, and sadness. Four negative online word-of-mouth measures were: venting, advice search, helping receiver, and revenge. A modeled relationship was assessed by partial least square method (PLS). Then, people's positive emotions were further analyzed to assess changes after spreading negative word-of-mouth. The results showed that uncertainty had a positive effect on venting and advice search. People who felt anger or regret spread word-of-mouth in order to help the receiver. Disappointment may trigger the revenge behavior of negative word-of-mouth. Negative emotions could be relieved after engaging in the behavior of helping the receiver.

The 4-Item Negative Symptom Assessment (NSA-4) Instrument: A Simple Tool for Evaluating Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia Following Brief Training.

PubMed

Alphs, Larry; Morlock, Robert; Coon, Cheryl; van Willigenburg, Arjen; Panagides, John

2010-07-01

Objective. To assess the ability of mental health professionals to use the 4-item Negative Symptom Assessment instrument, derived from the Negative Symptom Assessment-16, to rapidly determine the severity of negative symptoms of schizophrenia.Design. Open participation.Setting. Medical education conferences.Participants. Attendees at two international psychiatry conferences.Measurements. Participants read a brief set of the 4-item Negative Symptom Assessment instructions and viewed a videotape of a patient with schizophrenia. Using the 1 to 6 4-item Negative Symptom Assessment severity rating scale, they rated four negative symptom items and the overall global negative symptoms. These ratings were compared with a consensus rating determination using frequency distributions and Chi-square tests for the proportion of participant ratings that were within one point of the expert rating.Results. More than 400 medical professionals (293 physicians, 50% with a European practice, and 55% who reported past utilization of schizophrenia ratings scales) participated. Between 82.1 and 91.1 percent of the 4-items and the global rating determinations by the participants were within one rating point of the consensus expert ratings. The differences between the percentage of participant rating scores that were within one point versus the percentage that were greater than one point different from those by the consensus experts was significant (p<0.0001). Participants rating of negative symptoms using the 4-item Negative Symptom Assessment did not generally differ among the geographic regions of practice, the professional credentialing, or their familiarity with the use of schizophrenia symptom rating instruments.Conclusion. These findings suggest that clinicians from a variety of geographic practices can, after brief training, use the 4-item Negative Symptom Assessment effectively to rapidly assess negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia.

Measuring alcohol-related consequences and motives among students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

PubMed

Messina, Bryan G; Tseng, Andy; Correia, Christopher J

2015-07-01

College student drinkers have the propensity to engage in heavy alcohol consumption. These consumption patterns can be problematic given the well-established relationship between heavy drinking and negative consequences of alcohol consumption. Though the research on college student drinking is abundant, much of the work conducted has been with Caucasian samples and less so with African American samples or at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The current paper assessed the internal reliability and concurrent validity of two popular measures of alcohol related negative consequences (CAPS-r and YAACQ) and a measure of drinking motives (DMQ-R) within a HBCU sample. Total scores for the CAPS-r and YAACQ and all five subscales of the DMQ-R were internally reliable as determined by Cronbach's alpha. Correlations and regressions established concurrent validity for both measures of negative consequences as well as the subscales for the DMQ-R. Findings support the use of these measures in the assessment of negative consequences and motivations for alcohol consumption within a HBCU population. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using SMS Text Messaging to Assess Moderators of Smoking Reduction: Validating a New Tool for Ecological Measurement of Health Behaviors

PubMed Central

Berkman, Elliot T.; Dickenson, Janna; Falk, Emily B.; Lieberman, Matthew D.

2011-01-01

Objective Understanding the psychological processes that contribute to smoking reduction will yield population health benefits. Negative mood may moderate smoking lapse during cessation, but this relationship has been difficult to measure in ongoing daily experience. We used a novel form of ecological momentary assessment to test a self-control model of negative mood and craving leading to smoking lapse. Design We validated short message service (SMS) text as a user-friendly and low-cost option for ecologically measuring real-time health behaviors. We sent text messages to cigarette smokers attempting to quit eight times daily for the first 21 days of cessation (N-obs = 3,811). Main outcome measures Approximately every two hours, we assessed cigarette count, mood, and cravings, and examined between- and within-day patterns and time-lagged relationships among these variables. Exhaled carbon monoxide was assessed pre- and posttreatment. Results Negative mood and craving predicted smoking two hours later, but craving mediated the mood–smoking relationship. Also, this mediation relationship predicted smoking over the next two, but not four, hours. Conclusion Results clarify conflicting previous findings on the relation between affect and smoking, validate a new low-cost and user-friendly method for collecting fine-grained health behavior assessments, and emphasize the importance of rapid, real-time measurement of smoking moderators. PMID:21401252

PERCEIVED RACISM AND NEGATIVE AFFECT: ANALYSES OF TRAIT AND STATE MEASURES OF AFFECT IN A COMMUNITY SAMPLE

PubMed Central

BRONDOLO, ELIZABETH; BRADY, NISHA; THOMPSON, SHOLA; TOBIN, JONATHAN N.; CASSELLS, ANDREA; SWEENEY, MONICA; MCFARLANE, DELANO; CONTRADA, RICHARD J.

2008-01-01

Racism is a significant psychosocial stressor that is hypothesized to have negative psychological and physical health consequences. The Reserve Capacity Model (Gallo & Matthews, 2003) suggests that low socioeconomic status may influence health through its effects on negative affect. We extend this model to study the effects of racism, examining the association of lifetime perceived racism to trait and daily negative affect. A multiethnic sample of 362 American–born Black and Latino adults completed the Perceived Ethnic Discrimination Questionnaire–Community Version (PEDQ–CV). Trait negative affect was assessed with the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), and state negative affect was measured using ecological momentary assessments (EMA), in the form of an electronic diary. Analyses revealed a significant relationship of lifetime perceived racism to both daily negative affect and trait negative affect, even when controlling for trait hostility and socioeconomic status. The relationship of perceived racism to negative affect was moderated by education, such that the relationships were strongest for those with less than a high school education. The findings support aspects of the Reserve Capacity Model and identify pathways through which perceived racism may affect health status. PMID:19079772

Examining Relationships between Measures of Positive Behaviors and Negative Functioning for Elementary School Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Earhart, James, Jr.; Jimerson, Shane R.; Eklund, Katie; Hart, Shelley R.; Jones, Camille N.; Dowdy, Erin; Renshaw, Tyler L.

2009-01-01

The positive psychology movement seeks to understand student strengths that may facilitate success or promote resilience. However, a positive psychology view is not intended to completely ignore negative factors that may be affecting children, so traditional assessments of mental illness remain important. As methods of assessment improve and…

The Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire in Patients with Persecutory Delusions.

PubMed

Černis, Emma; Dunn, Graham; Startup, Helen; Kingdon, David; Wingham, Gail; Evans, Nicole; Lister, Rachel; Pugh, Katherine; Cordwell, Jacinta; Mander, Helen; Freeman, Daniel

2016-07-01

Ruminative negative thinking has typically been considered as a factor maintaining common emotional disorders and has recently been shown to maintain persecutory delusions in psychosis. The Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ) (Ehring et al., 2011) is a transdiagnostic measure of ruminative negative thinking that shows promise as a "content-free" measure of ruminative negative thinking. The PTQ has not previously been studied in a psychosis patient group. In this study we report for the first time on the psychometric properties of Ehring et al.'s PTQ in such a group. The PTQ was completed by 142 patients with current persecutory delusions and 273 non-clinical participants. Participants also completed measures of worry and paranoia. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed on the clinical group's PTQ responses to assess the factor structure of the measure. Differences between groups were used to assess criterion reliability. A three lower-order factor structure of the PTQ (core characteristics of ruminative negative thinking, perceived unproductiveness, and capturing mental capacity) was replicated in the clinical sample. Patients with persecutory delusions were shown to experience significantly higher levels of ruminative negative thinking on the PTQ than the general population sample. The PTQ demonstrated high internal reliability. This study did not include test-retest data, and did not compare the PTQ against a measure of depressive rumination but, nevertheless, lends support for the validity of the PTQ as a measure of negative ruminative thinking in patients with psychosis.

Computerized Measurement of Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Cohen, Alex S.; Alpert, Murray; Nienow, Tasha M.; Dinzeo, Thomas J.; Docherty, Nancy M.

2008-01-01

Accurate measurement of negative symptoms is crucial for understanding and treating schizophrenia. However, current measurement strategies are reliant on subjective symptom rating scales which often have psychometric and practical limitations. Computerized analysis of patients’ speech offers a sophisticated and objective means of evaluating negative symptoms. The present study examined the feasibility and validity of using widely-available acoustic and lexical-analytic software to measure flat affect, alogia and anhedonia (via positive emotion). These measures were examined in their relationships to clinically-rated negative symptoms and social functioning. Natural speech samples were collected and analyzed for 14 patients with clinically-rated flat affect, 46 patients without flat affect and 19 healthy controls. The computer-based inflection and speech rate measures significantly discriminated patients with flat affect from controls, and the computer-based measure of alogia and negative emotion significantly discriminated the flat and non-flat patients. Both the computer and clinical measures of positive emotion/anhedonia corresponded to functioning impairments. The computerized method of assessing negative symptoms offered a number of advantages over the symptom scale-based approach. PMID:17920078

Confirming the structure of negative beliefs about psychosis and bipolar disorder: A confirmatory factor analysis study of the Personal Beliefs about Experience Questionnaire and Personal Beliefs about Illness Questionnaire.

PubMed

Taylor, Peter J; Pyle, Melissa; Schwannauer, Matthias; Hutton, Paul; Morrison, Anthony

2015-11-01

Negative beliefs about psychosis and other mental health difficulties may contribute to depression and distress in individuals with these experiences. The Personal Beliefs about Experience Questionnaire (PBEQ) and Personal Beliefs about Illness Questionnaire (PBIllQ) are two widely used measures of these beliefs. It is currently uncertain how the items on these measures map onto different underlying factors. This study therefore aimed to test the factor structure of these two measures. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test three alternative, pre-specified, factor structures for the PBIllQ and PBEQ in a sample of individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder (n = 202) and a sample of individuals with experien-ces of psychosis (n = 362). Associations with depressive symptoms were also examined. A three-factor structure was supported for both measures, which included Negative Expectations/Appraisals (NEA), Internal Shame/Defectiveness (ISD) and External Shame (ES) factors. The NEA and ISD subscales also had consistent independent associations with depressive symptoms. The results suggest that the PBIllQ and PBEQ may capture three distinct sets of negative beliefs in individuals with psychosis or bipolar disorder and that these beliefs may have important consequences for subsequent difficulties in these populations such as depression. Both measures may be helpful in supporting assessment and formulation in clinical practice and in evaluating belief change in intervention trials. However, when used in these settings, the three subscales identified in this study may be the most valid way of calculating scores on these measures. Negative personal beliefs about the causes, meaning and consequences of psychosis and bipolar disorder are associated with greater distress and depression. Two related measures, the PBIllQ and PBEQ, have been developed to assess these beliefs. Our analyses suggest that scores on these questionnaires are best broken down into three subscales which capture perceptions of internal shame or defectiveness, general negative appraisals and perceptions of external shame. These subscales may capture key underlying sets of negative beliefs within individuals with psychosis or bipolar disorder, which in turn impact upon well-being, such as being associated with greater depression. These subscales can be used to aid assessment and formulation within clinical practice but may also provide a valuable means of assessing changes in negative beliefs following interventions. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

Dose reduction of risperidone and olanzapine can improve cognitive function and negative symptoms in stable schizophrenic patients: A single-blinded, 52-week, randomized controlled study.

PubMed

Zhou, Yanling; Li, Guannan; Li, Dan; Cui, Hongmei; Ning, Yuping

2018-05-01

The long-term effects of dose reduction of atypical antipsychotics on cognitive function and symptomatology in stable patients with schizophrenia remain unclear. We sought to determine the change in cognitive function and symptomatology after reducing risperidone or olanzapine dosage in stable schizophrenic patients. Seventy-five stabilized schizophrenic patients prescribed risperidone (≥4 mg/day) or olanzapine (≥10 mg/day) were randomly divided into a dose-reduction group ( n=37) and a maintenance group ( n=38). For the dose-reduction group, the dose of antipsychotics was reduced by 50%; for the maintenance group, the dose remained unchanged throughout the whole study. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Negative Symptom Assessment-16, Rating Scale for Extrapyramidal Side Effects, and Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) Consensus Cognitive Battery were measured at baseline, 12, 28, and 52 weeks. Linear mixed models were performed to compare the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Negative Symptom Assessment-16, Rating Scale for Extrapyramidal Side Effects and MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery scores between groups. The linear mixed model showed significant time by group interactions on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale negative symptoms, Negative Symptom Assessment-16, Rating Scale for Extrapyramidal Side Effects, speed of processing, attention/vigilance, working memory and total score of MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (all p<0.05). Post hoc analyses showed significant improvement in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale negative subscale, Negative Symptom Assessment-16, Rating Scale for Extrapyramidal Side Effects, speed of processing, working memory and total score of MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery for the dose reduction group compared with those for the maintenance group (all p<0.05). This study indicated that a risperidone or olanzapine dose reduction of 50% may not lead to more severe symptomatology but can improve speed of processing, working memory and negative symptoms in patients with stabilized schizophrenia.

Dissociation between implicit and explicit expectancies of cannabis use in adolescence.

PubMed

Schmits, Emilie; Maurage, Pierre; Thirion, Romain; Quertemont, Etienne

2015-12-30

Cannabis is one of the most commonly drugs used by teenagers. Expectancies about its effects play a crucial role in cannabis consumption. Various tools have been used to assess expectancies, mainly self-report questionnaires measuring explicit expectancies, but implicit measures based on experimental tasks have also been developed, measuring implicit expectancies. The aim of this study was to simultaneously assess implicit/explicit expectancies related to cannabis among adolescent users and non-users. 130 teenagers attending school (55 girls) were enrolled (Age: M=16.40 years); 43.84% had never used cannabis ("non-users") and 56.16% had used cannabis ("users"). They completed self-report questionnaires evaluating cannabis use, cannabis-related problems, effect expectancies (explicit expectancies), alcohol use, social and trait anxiety, depression, as well as three Implicit Association Tests (IAT) assessing implicit expectancies. Adolescents manifested more implicit affective associations (relaxation, excitation, negative) than neutral ones regarding cannabis. These were not related to explicit expectancies. Cannabis users reported more implicit relaxation expectancies and less negative explicit expectancies than non-users. The frequency of use and related problems were positively associated with the explicit expectancies regarding relaxation and enhancement, and were negatively associated with negative explicit expectancies and negative implicit expectancies. Findings indicate that implicit and explicit expectancies play different roles in cannabis use by adolescents. The implications for experimentation and prevention are discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Amotivation in schizophrenia: integrated assessment with behavioral, clinical, and imaging measures.

PubMed

Wolf, Daniel H; Satterthwaite, Theodore D; Kantrowitz, Jacob J; Katchmar, Natalie; Vandekar, Lillie; Elliott, Mark A; Ruparel, Kosha

2014-11-01

Motivational deficits play a central role in disability caused by schizophrenia and constitute a major unmet therapeutic need. Negative symptoms have previously been linked to hypofunction in ventral striatum (VS), a core component of brain motivation circuitry. However, it remains unclear to what extent this relationship holds for specific negative symptoms such as amotivation, and this question has not been addressed with integrated behavioral, clinical, and imaging measures. Here, 41 individuals with schizophrenia and 37 controls performed a brief, computerized progressive ratio task (PRT) that quantifies effort exerted in pursuit of monetary reward. Clinical amotivation was assessed using the recently validated Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS). VS function was probed during functional magnetic resonance imaging using a monetary guessing paradigm. We found that individuals with schizophrenia had diminished motivation as measured by the PRT, which significantly and selectively related to clinical amotivation as measured by the CAINS. Critically, lower PRT motivation in schizophrenia was also dimensionally related to VS hypofunction. Our results demonstrate robust dimensional associations between behavioral amotivation, clinical amotivation, and VS hypofunction in schizophrenia. Integrating behavioral measures such as the PRT will facilitate translational efforts to identify biomarkers of amotivation and to assess response to novel therapeutic interventions. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Assessing Decoding Ability: The Role of Speed and Accuracy and a New Composite Indicator to Measure Decoding Skill in Elementary Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morlini, Isabella; Stella, Giacomo; Scorza, Maristella

2015-01-01

Tools for assessing decoding skill in students attending elementary grades are of fundamental importance for guaranteeing an early identification of reading disabled students and reducing both the primary negative effects (on learning) and the secondary negative effects (on the development of the personality) of this disability. This article…

Assessing Maladaptive Responses to the Stress of Being At-Risk of HIV Infection among HIV-Negative Gay Men in New York City

PubMed Central

Yi, Huso; Shidlo, Ariel; Sandfort, Theo

2009-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties and preliminary validity of a newly developed 16-item measure to assess maladaptive responses to the stress of being at risk for HIV infection among HIV-negative gay men. The measure consisted of three factors: (1) fatalistic beliefs about maintaining an HIV-negative serostatus; (2) reduced perceived severity of HIV infection due to advances in medical treatment of HIV/AIDS; and (3) negative affective states associated with the risk of HIV infection. A total of 285 HIV-negative gay men at a counseling program in New York City participated in the study. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the three-factor model as an acceptable model fit: NNFI = .91, CFI = .92, GFI = .90, RMSEA = .07. The measure and its subscales obtained in this sample achieved adequate internal consistency coefficients. Construct validity was supported by significant positive associations with internalized homophobia, depression, self-justifications for the last unprotected anal intercourse (UAI), and actual UAI with casual sex partners. Understanding the dynamics of maladaptive responses to the epidemic and intense anxieties elicited by HIV risk among HIV-negative gay men living in a place of high seroprevalence provides useful information to guide psychosocial interventions in the population. PMID:20043254

Prenatal Maternal Anxiety and Depression Predict Negative Behavioral Reactivity in Infancy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Elysia Poggi; Snidman, Nancy; Wadhwa, Pathik D.; Glynn, Laura M.; Schetter, Chris Dunkel; Sandman, Curt A.

2004-01-01

The effects of maternal antenatal and postnatal anxiety and depression on infant negative behavioral reactivity were examined in a sample of 22 mother-infant pairs. Maternal anxiety and depression were assessed by standardized measures during the third trimester of pregnancy and postpartum. Infant negative behavioral responses to novelty were…

Late-Preterm Birth, Maternal Symptomatology, and Infant Negativity

PubMed Central

Voegtline, Kristin M.; Stifter, Cynthia A.

2010-01-01

The present study examined infant negativity and maternal symptomatology by term status in a predominately low-income, rural sample of 132 infants (66 late-preterm) and their mothers. Late-preterm and term infants were group-matched by race, income, and maternal age. Maternal depression and anxiety symptoms were measured with the Brief Symptom Inventory 18 (BSI-18) when infants were 2 and 6 months of age. Also at 6 months, infant negativity was assessed by global observer ratings, maternal ratings, and microanalytic behavioral coding of fear and frustration. Results indicate that after controlling for infant age, late-preterm status predicted higher ratings of infant negativity by mothers, but not by global observers or microanalytic coding, despite a positive association in negativity across the three measures. Further, mothers of late-preterm infants reported more elevated and chronic co-morbid symptoms of depression and anxiety, which in turn, was related to concurrent maternal ratings of their infant’s negativity. Mothers response to late-preterm birth and partiality in the assessment of their infant’s temperament is discussed. PMID:20732715

A positive take on schizophrenia negative symptom scales: Converting scores between the SANS, NSA and SDS.

PubMed

Preda, Adrian; Nguyen, Dana D; Bustillo, Juan R; Belger, Aysenil; O'Leary, Daniel S; McEwen, Sarah; Ling, Shichun; Faziola, Lawrence; Mathalon, Daniel H; Ford, Judith M; Potkin, Steven G; van Erp, Theo G M

2018-06-20

To provide quantitative conversions between commonly used scales for the assessment of negative symptoms in schizophrenia. Linear regression analyses generated conversion equations between symptom scores from the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), the Schedule for the Deficit Syndrome (SDS), the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), or the Negative Symptoms Assessment (NSA) based on a cross sectional sample of 176 individuals with schizophrenia. Intraclass correlations assessed the rating conversion accuracy based on a separate sub-sample of 29 patients who took part in the initial study as well as an independent sample of 28 additional subjects with schizophrenia. Between-scale negative symptom ratings were moderately to highly correlated (r = 0.73-0.91). Intraclass correlations between the original negative symptom rating scores and those obtained via using the conversion equations were in the range of 0.61-0.79. While there is a degree of non-overlap, several negative symptoms scores reflect measures of similar constructs and may be reliably converted between some scales. The conversion equations are provided at http://www.converteasy.org and may be used for meta- and mega-analyses that examine negative symptoms. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

SA30. Self-Assessment of Amotivation and Insight into Patients With Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Papsuev, Oleg; Movina, Larisa; Minyaycheva, Maria; Luther, Lauren

2017-01-01

Abstract Background: Schizophrenia is a disabling disorder characterized by negative and cognitive symptoms. The negative symptom domain of low motivation has recently been found to be an important determinant of functioning. Currently, motivation is frequently assessed with either self-rated or clinician-rated motivation measures. However, little is known about the overlap between self-rated and clinician-rated motivation and whether these two assessment types are differentially related to clinical variables. Therefore, this study investigated (1) the association between self-rated and clinician-rated motivation, (2) the clinical correlates of both motivation assessment types, and (3) the correlates of the discrepancy between the motivation assessments types. Methods: Fifty patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders were assessed by trained clinicians using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Calgary Depression Scale (CDSS), and both the clinician-rated (C) and self-rated (S) versions of the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES). Neurocognition was assessed with the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS). Social cognition was assessed with the Hinting Task, the Relationships Across Domains measure, and the Ekman-60 emotion recognition task. Results: The AES-C and AES-S were positively correlated (r = .43; P < .05). Further, moderate, positive correlations were established between the AES-C and most of the PANSS amotivation subscale items (N2 (r = .51), N4 (r = .45)). However, a significant correlation between the AES-C and the G16 item of the PANSS amotivation subscale was not observed. The AES-S was not significantly correlated with any of the PANSS amotivation items. The AES-C did not correlate with the PANSS depression item or the CDSS total score, while moderate correlations with the AES-S were observed with both (r = .38 and r = .45, respectively). The AES-C/AES-S discrepancy score was positively correlated with the PANSS insight item (r = 0.39) and the presence of a paranoid schizophrenia diagnosis (r = .32). No significant correlations were observed between the discrepancy score and the BACS, social cognition measures, or additional demographic variables. Conclusion: While the clinician-rated AES is regarded as a sensitive instrument for the assessment of apathetic/amotivation schizophrenia symptoms, our results suggest that scores from the self-rated AES need to be interpreted carefully. Our findings also indicate that patients with schizophrenia might be less aware of primary negative (i.e., amotivation) symptoms, and when asked to self-rate negative symptoms, they rate secondary negative symptoms caused by depression. Results also suggest that reduced insight might be driving part of the discrepancy between self-rated and clinician-rated motivation. Findings should be considered when choosing motivation measures.

Alexithymia Components Are Differentially Related to Explicit Negative Affect But Not Associated with Explicit Positive Affect or Implicit Affectivity.

PubMed

Suslow, Thomas; Donges, Uta-Susan

2017-01-01

Alexithymia represents a multifaceted personality construct defined by difficulties in recognizing and verbalizing emotions and externally oriented thinking. According to clinical observations, experience of negative affects is exacerbated and experience of positive affects is decreased in alexithymia. Findings from research based on self-report indicate that all alexithymia facets are negatively associated with the experience of positive affects, whereas difficulties identifying and describing feelings are related to heightened negative affect. Implicit affectivity, which can be measured using indirect assessment methods, relates to processes of the impulsive system. The aim of the present study was to examine, for the first time, the relations between alexithymia components and implicit and explicit positive and negative affectivity in healthy adults. The 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Implicit Positive and Negative Affect Test and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) were administered to two hundred and forty-one healthy individuals along with measures of depression and trait anxiety. Difficulties identifying feelings were correlated with explicit negative trait affect, depressive mood and trait anxiety. Difficulties describing feelings showed smaller but also significant correlations with depressive mood and trait anxiety but were not correlated with explicit state or trait affect as assessed by the PANAS. Externally oriented thinking was not significantly correlated with any of the implicit and explicit affect measures. According to our findings, an externally oriented, concrete way of thinking appears to be generally unrelated to dispositions to develop positive or negative affects. Difficulties identifying feelings seem to be associated with increased conscious negative affects but not with a heightened disposition to develop negative affects at an automatic response level.

Improving the Sensitivity of Needs Assessment for Substance Abuse Prevention Planning: The Measurement of Differential Severity of Consequences for Individual Substance Types

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shamblen, Stephen R.; Springer, J. Fred

2007-01-01

There is an absence of systematic, comparative research examining the negative consequences that are experienced as a result of using specific substances. Further, techniques typically used for needs assessment (i.e., prevalence proportions) do not take into account the probability of experiencing a negative consequence as a result of using…

Assessing Women’s Negative Sanitation Experiences and Concerns: The Development of a Novel Sanitation Insecurity Measure

PubMed Central

Caruso, Bethany A.; Clasen, Thomas; Yount, Kathryn M.; Cooper, Hannah L. F.; Hadley, Craig; Haardörfer, Regine

2017-01-01

Lack of access to acceptable sanitation facilities can expose individuals, particularly women, to physical, social, and mental health risks. While some of the challenges have been documented, standard metrics are needed to determine the extent to which women have urination- and defecation-related concerns and negative experiences. Such metrics also are needed to assess the effectiveness of interventions to mitigate them. We developed a sanitation insecurity measure to capture the range and frequency of women’s sanitation-related concerns and negative experiences. Research was conducted in rural Odisha, India with women across various life course stages to reflect a range of perspectives. This paper documents the mixed data collection methods and the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses we employed to arrive at a final measure. The final sanitation insecurity measure includes 50 items across seven factors that reflect the physical environment, the social environment, and individual-level constraints. Most factor scores were significantly higher for unmarried women and for women who lacked access to functional latrines, indicating social and environmental influence on experiences. This measure will enable researchers to evaluate how sanitation insecurity affects health and to determine if and how sanitation interventions ameliorate women’s concerns and negative experiences associated with sanitation. PMID:28696405

Is Alcohol Consumption Associated with Poor Academic Achievement in University Students?

PubMed Central

El Ansari, Walid; Stock, Christiane; Mills, Claire

2013-01-01

Background: We assessed associations between educational achievement and alcohol consumption. Methods: We employed five alcohol consumption measures (length of time of and amount consumed during most recent drinking occasion, frequency of alcohol consumption, heavy episodic drinking, problem drinking); and three educational achievement indicators (students’ subjective importance of achieving good grades, students’ appraisal of their academic performance in comparison with peers, students’ actual module mark). Results: Males were positively associated with all five alcohol consumption measures. Age was negatively associated with three alcohol consumption measures. While students´ importance of good grades was negatively associated with three alcohol consumption measures, academic performance in comparison with peers was negatively associated with heavy episodic drinking. Actual module mark was not associated with any alcohol consumption measure. Conclusions: Alcohol consumption showed negative associations with motivation for and subjectively achieved academic performance. University alcohol prevention activities might have positive impact on students’ academic success. PMID:24319558

Parenting style as a mediator between children's negative emotionality and problematic behavior in early childhood.

PubMed

Paulussen-Hoogeboom, Marja C; Stams, Geert Jan J M; Hermanns, Jo M A; Peetsma, Thea T D; van den Wittenboer, Godfried L H

2008-09-01

Negative emotionality is considered to be the core of the difficult temperament concept (J. E. Bates, 1989; R. L. Shiner, 1998). In this correlational study, the authors examined whether the relations between children's negative emotionality and problematic behavior (internalizing and externalizing) were partially mediated by parenting style (authoritative and authoritarian) in a community sample of 196 3-year-old children and their mothers. The authors assessed maternal perception of child negative emotionality using the Children's Behavior Questionnaire (M. K. Rothbart, S. A. Ahadi, K. L. Hershey, & P. Fisher, 2001) and assessed problematic child behavior by means of maternal report using the Child Behavior Checklist (T. M. Achenbach, 1992). The results showed that the relations between child negative emotionality and internalizing and externalizing behaviors were partially mediated by mothers' authoritative parenting style. Moreover, when the authors used confirmatory factor analysis to decontaminate possible overlap in item content between measures assessing temperament and problematic behavior, the association between negative emotionality and internalizing behavior was fully mediated by authoritative parenting.

Using video-annotation software to identify interactions in group therapies for schizophrenia: assessing reliability and associations with outcomes.

PubMed

Orfanos, Stavros; Akther, Syeda Ferhana; Abdul-Basit, Muhammad; McCabe, Rosemarie; Priebe, Stefan

2017-02-10

Research has shown that interactions in group therapies for people with schizophrenia are associated with a reduction in negative symptoms. However, it is unclear which specific interactions in groups are linked with these improvements. The aims of this exploratory study were to i) develop and test the reliability of using video-annotation software to measure interactions in group therapies in schizophrenia and ii) explore the relationship between interactions in group therapies for schizophrenia with clinically relevant changes in negative symptoms. Video-annotation software was used to annotate interactions from participants selected across nine video-recorded out-patient therapy groups (N = 81). Using the Individual Group Member Interpersonal Process Scale, interactions were coded from participants who demonstrated either a clinically significant improvement (N = 9) or no change (N = 8) in negative symptoms at the end of therapy. Interactions were measured from the first and last sessions of attendance (>25 h of therapy). Inter-rater reliability between two independent raters was measured. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to explore the association between the frequency of interactive behaviors and changes in negative symptoms, assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Of the 1275 statements that were annotated using ELAN, 1191 (93%) had sufficient audio and visual quality to be coded using the Individual Group Member Interpersonal Process Scale. Rater-agreement was high across all interaction categories (>95% average agreement). A higher frequency of self-initiated statements measured in the first session was associated with improvements in negative symptoms. The frequency of questions and giving advice measured in the first session of attendance was associated with improvements in negative symptoms; although this was only a trend. Video-annotation software can be used to reliably identify interactive behaviors in groups for schizophrenia. The results suggest that proactive communicative gestures, as assessed by the video-analysis, predict outcomes. Future research should use this novel method in larger and clinically different samples to explore which aspects of therapy facilitate such proactive communication early on in therapy.

Validation of a 4-item Negative Symptom Assessment (NSA-4): a short, practical clinical tool for the assessment of negative symptoms in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Alphs, Larry; Morlock, Robert; Coon, Cheryl; Cazorla, Pilar; Szegedi, Armin; Panagides, John

2011-06-01

The 16-item Negative Symptom Assessment (NSA-16) scale is a validated tool for evaluating negative symptoms of schizophrenia. The psychometric properties and predictive power of a four-item version (NSA-4) were compared with the NSA-16. Baseline data from 561 patients with predominant negative symptoms of schizophrenia who participated in two identically designed clinical trials were evaluated. Ordered logistic regression analysis of ratings using NSA-4 and NSA-16 were compared with ratings using several other standard tools to determine predictive validity and construct validity. Internal consistency and test--retest reliability were also analyzed. NSA-16 and NSA-4 scores were both predictive of scores on the NSA global rating (odds ratio = 0.83-0.86) and the Clinical Global Impressions--Severity scale (odds ratio = 0.91-0.93). NSA-16 and NSA-4 showed high correlation with each other (Pearson r = 0.85), similar high correlation with other measures of negative symptoms (demonstrating convergent validity), and lesser correlations with measures of other forms of psychopathology (demonstrating divergent validity). NSA-16 and NSA-4 both showed acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach α, 0.85 and 0.64, respectively) and test--retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.87 and 0.82). This study demonstrates that NSA-4 offers accuracy comparable to the NSA-16 in rating negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A Psychometric Comparison of the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms and the Brief Negative Symptom Scale.

PubMed

Strauss, Gregory P; Gold, James M

2016-11-01

In 2005, the National Institute of Mental Health held a consensus development conference on negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Among the important conclusions of this meeting were that there are at least 5 commonly accepted domains of negative symptoms (blunted affect, alogia, avolition, anhedonia, asociality) and that new rating scales were needed to adequately assess these constructs. Two next-generation negative symptom scales resulted from this meeting: the Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS) and Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS). Both measures are becoming widely used and studies have demonstrated good psychometric properties for each scale. The current study provides the first direct psychometric comparison of these scales. Participants included 65 outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who completed clinical interviews, questionnaires, and neuropsychological testing. Separate raters completed the BNSS and CAINS within the same week. Results indicated that both measures had good internal consistency, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. High correspondence was observed between CAINS and BNSS blunted affect and alogia items. Moderate convergence occurred for avolition and asociality items, and low convergence was seen among anhedonia items. Findings suggest that both scales have good psychometric properties, but that there are important distinctions among the items related to motivation and pleasure. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Long term impact of emotional, social and cognitive intelligence competencies and GMAT on career and life satisfaction and career success

PubMed Central

Amdurer, Emily; Boyatzis, Richard E.; Saatcioglu, Argun; Smith, Melvin L.; Taylor, Scott N.

2014-01-01

Career scholars have called for a broader definition of career success by inviting greater exploration of its antecedents. While success in various jobs has been predicted by intelligence and in other studies by competencies, especially in management, long term impact of having intelligence and using competencies has not been examined. Even in collegiate outcome studies, few have examined the longer term impact on graduates' careers or lives. This study assesses the impact of demonstrated emotional, social, and cognitive intelligence competencies assessed at graduation and g measured through GMAT at entry from an MBA program on career and life satisfaction, and career success assessed 5 to 19 years after graduation. Using behavioral measures of competencies (i.e., as assessed by others), we found that emotional intelligence competencies predict career satisfaction and success. Adaptability had a positive impact, but influence had the opposite effect on these career measures and life satisfaction. Life satisfaction was negatively affected by achievement orientation and positively affected by teamwork. Current salary, length of marriage, and being younger at time of graduation positively affect all three measures of life and career satisfaction and career success. GMAT (as a measure of g) predicted life satisfaction and career success to a slight but significant degree in the final model analyzed. Meanwhile, being female and number of children positively affected life satisfaction but cognitive intelligence competencies negatively affected it, and in particular demonstrated systems thinking was negative. PMID:25566128

Long term impact of emotional, social and cognitive intelligence competencies and GMAT on career and life satisfaction and career success.

PubMed

Amdurer, Emily; Boyatzis, Richard E; Saatcioglu, Argun; Smith, Melvin L; Taylor, Scott N

2014-01-01

Career scholars have called for a broader definition of career success by inviting greater exploration of its antecedents. While success in various jobs has been predicted by intelligence and in other studies by competencies, especially in management, long term impact of having intelligence and using competencies has not been examined. Even in collegiate outcome studies, few have examined the longer term impact on graduates' careers or lives. This study assesses the impact of demonstrated emotional, social, and cognitive intelligence competencies assessed at graduation and g measured through GMAT at entry from an MBA program on career and life satisfaction, and career success assessed 5 to 19 years after graduation. Using behavioral measures of competencies (i.e., as assessed by others), we found that emotional intelligence competencies predict career satisfaction and success. Adaptability had a positive impact, but influence had the opposite effect on these career measures and life satisfaction. Life satisfaction was negatively affected by achievement orientation and positively affected by teamwork. Current salary, length of marriage, and being younger at time of graduation positively affect all three measures of life and career satisfaction and career success. GMAT (as a measure of g) predicted life satisfaction and career success to a slight but significant degree in the final model analyzed. Meanwhile, being female and number of children positively affected life satisfaction but cognitive intelligence competencies negatively affected it, and in particular demonstrated systems thinking was negative.

Emotional reactivity and emotion regulation among adults with a history of self-harm: laboratory self-report and functional MRI evidence.

PubMed

Davis, Tchiki S; Mauss, Iris B; Lumian, Daniel; Troy, Allison S; Shallcross, Amanda J; Zarolia, Paree; Ford, Brett Q; McRae, Kateri

2014-08-01

Intentionally hurting one's body (deliberate self-harm; DSH) is theorized to be associated with high negative emotional reactivity and poor emotion regulation ability. However, little research has assessed the relationship between these potential risk factors and DSH using laboratory measures. Therefore, we conducted 2 studies using laboratory measures of negative emotional reactivity and emotion regulation ability. Study 1 assessed self-reported negative emotions during a sad film clip (reactivity) and during a sad film clip for which participants were instructed to use reappraisal (regulation). Those with a history of DSH were compared with 2 control groups without a history of DSH matched on key demographics: 1 healthy group low in depression and anxiety symptoms and 1 group matched to the DSH group on depression and anxiety symptoms. Study 2 extended Study 1 by assessing neural responding to negative images (reactivity) and negative images for which participants were instructed to use reappraisal (regulation). Those with a history of DSH were compared with a control group matched to the DSH group on demographics, depression, and anxiety symptoms. Compared with control groups, participants with a history of DSH did not exhibit greater negative emotional reactivity but did exhibit lower ability to regulate emotion with reappraisal (greater self-reported negative emotions in Study 1 and greater amygdala activation in Study 2 during regulation). These results suggest that poor emotion regulation ability, but not necessarily greater negative emotional reactivity, is a correlate of and may be a risk factor for DSH, even when controlling for mood disorder symptoms. (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Emotional Reactivity and Emotion Regulation among Adults with a History of Self-Harm: Laboratory Self-Report and fMRI Evidence

PubMed Central

Davis, Tchiki S.; Mauss, Iris B.; Lumian, Daniel; Troy, Allison S.; Shallcross, Amanda J.; Zarolia, Paree; Ford, Brett Q.; McRae, Kateri

2014-01-01

Intentionally hurting one’s own body (deliberate self-harm; DSH) is theorized to be associated with high negative emotional reactivity and poor emotion regulation ability. However, little research has assessed the relationship between these potential risk factors and DSH using laboratory measures. Therefore, we conducted two studies using laboratory measures of negative emotional reactivity and emotion regulation ability. Study 1 assessed self-reported negative emotions during a sad film clip (Reactivity) and during a sad film clip for which participants were instructed to use reappraisal (Regulation). Those with a history of DSH were compared to two control groups without a history of DSH matched on key demographics: one healthy group low in depression and anxiety symptoms and one group matched to the DSH group on depression and anxiety symptoms. Study 2 extended Study 1 by assessing neural responding to negative images (Reactivity) and negative images for which participants were instructed to use reappraisal (Regulation). Those with a history of DSH were compared to a control group matched to the DSH group on demographics, depression, and anxiety symptoms. Compared to control groups, participants with a history of DSH did not exhibit greater negative emotional reactivity but did exhibit lower ability to regulate emotion with reappraisal (greater self-reported negative emotions in Study 1 and greater amygdala activation in Study 2 during regulation). These results suggest that poor emotion regulation ability, but not necessarily greater negative emotional reactivity, is a correlate of and may be a risk factor for DSH, even when controlling for mood disorder symptoms. PMID:24865373

Are employment-interview skills a correlate of subtypes of schizophrenia?

PubMed

Charisiou, J; Jackson, H J; Boyle, G J; Burgess, P; Minas, I H; Joshua, S D

1989-12-01

46 inpatients with a DSM-III diagnosis of schizophrenia were assessed in the week prior to discharge from hospital on measures of positive and negative symptoms and on 12 measures of employment interview skills (i.e., eye contact, facial gestures, body posture, verbal content, voice volume, length of speech, motivation, self-confidence, ability to communicate, manifest adjustment, manifest intelligence, over-all interview skill), and a global measure of employability. A cluster analysis based on the total positive and negative symptom scores produced two groups. The group with the lower mean negative symptom score exhibited better employment-interview skills and higher ratings on employability.

Multidimensional Assessment of Spirituality/Religion in Patients with HIV: Conceptual Framework and Empirical Refinement

PubMed Central

Kudel, Ian; Cotton, Sian; Leonard, Anthony C.; Tsevat, Joel; Ritchey, P. Neal

2011-01-01

A decade ago, an expert panel developed a framework for measuring spirituality/religion in health research (Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality), but empirical testing of this framework has been limited. The purpose of this study was to determine whether responses to items across multiple measures assessing spirituality/religion by 450 patients with HIV replicate this model. We hypothesized a six-factor model underlying a collective of 56 items, but results of confirmatory factor analyses suggested eight dimensions: Meaning/Peace, Tangible Connection to the Divine, Positive Religious Coping, Love/Appreciation, Negative Religious Coping, Positive Congregational Support, Negative Congregational Support, and Cultural Practices. This study corroborates parts of the factor structure underlying the Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality and some recent refinements of the original framework. PMID:21136166

Multidimensional assessment of spirituality/religion in patients with HIV: conceptual framework and empirical refinement.

PubMed

Szaflarski, Magdalena; Kudel, Ian; Cotton, Sian; Leonard, Anthony C; Tsevat, Joel; Ritchey, P Neal

2012-12-01

A decade ago, an expert panel developed a framework for measuring spirituality/religion in health research (Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality), but empirical testing of this framework has been limited. The purpose of this study was to determine whether responses to items across multiple measures assessing spirituality/religion by 450 patients with HIV replicate this model. We hypothesized a six-factor model underlying a collective of 56 items, but results of confirmatory factor analyses suggested eight dimensions: Meaning/Peace, Tangible Connection to the Divine, Positive Religious Coping, Love/Appreciation, Negative Religious Coping, Positive Congregational Support, Negative Congregational Support, and Cultural Practices. This study corroborates parts of the factor structure underlying the Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality and some recent refinements of the original framework.

Agreement, the F-Measure, and Reliability in Information Retrieval

PubMed Central

Hripcsak, George; Rothschild, Adam S.

2005-01-01

Information retrieval studies that involve searching the Internet or marking phrases usually lack a well-defined number of negative cases. This prevents the use of traditional interrater reliability metrics like the κ statistic to assess the quality of expert-generated gold standards. Such studies often quantify system performance as precision, recall, and F-measure, or as agreement. It can be shown that the average F-measure among pairs of experts is numerically identical to the average positive specific agreement among experts and that κ approaches these measures as the number of negative cases grows large. Positive specific agreement—or the equivalent F-measure—may be an appropriate way to quantify interrater reliability and therefore to assess the reliability of a gold standard in these studies. PMID:15684123

Modeling Deficits from Early Auditory Information Processing to Psychosocial Functioning in Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Thomas, Michael L.; Green, Michael F.; Hellemann, Gerhard; Sugar, Catherine A.; Tarasenko, Melissa; Calkins, Monica E.; Greenwood, Tiffany A.; Gur, Raquel E.; Gur, Ruben C.; Lazzeroni, Laura C.; Nuechterlein, Keith H.; Radant, Allen D.; Seidman, Larry J.; Shiluk, Alexandra L.; Siever, Larry J.; Silverman, Jeremy M.; Sprock, Joyce; Stone, William S.; Swerdlow, Neal R.; Tsuang, Debby W.; Tsuang, Ming T.; Turetsky, Bruce I.; Braff, David L.; Light, Gregory A.

2017-01-01

Importance Neurophysiological measures of early auditory information processing (EAP) are used as endophenotypes in genomic studies and biomarkers in clinical intervention studies. Research in schizophrenia has established correlations among measures of EAP, cognition, clinical symptoms, and functional outcome. Clarifying these relationships by determining the pathways through which deficits in EAP affect functioning would suggest when and where to therapeutically intervene. Objective We sought to characterize the pathways from EAP to outcome and to estimate the extent to which enhancement of basic information processing might improve both cognition and psychosocial functioning in schizophrenia. Design Cross-sectional data were analyzed using structural equation modeling to examine the associations between EAP, cognition, negative symptoms, and functional outcome. Setting Participants were recruited from the community at five geographically distributed laboratories as part of the Consortium on the Genetics of Schizophrenia-2 (COGS-2). Participants This well-characterized cohort of schizophrenia patients (N = 1,415) underwent EAP and cognitive testing as well as thorough clinical and functional assessment. Main Outcome and Measures EAP was measured by mismatch negativity, P3a, and reorienting negativity. Cognition was measured by the Letter Number Span test and scales from the California Verbal Learning Test - Second Edition, the Wechsler Memory Scale Third Edition, and the Penn Computerized Neurocognitive Battery. Negative symptoms were measured by the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms. Functional outcome was measured by the Role Functioning Scale. Results EAP had a direct effect on cognition (β = 0.37, p < .001), cognition had a direct effect on negative symptoms (β = −0.16, p < .001), and both cognition (β = 0.26, p < .001) and experiential negative symptoms (β = −0.75, p < .001) had direct effects on functional outcome. Overall, EAP had a fully mediated effect on functional outcome, engaging general rather than modality-specific cognition, with separate pathways that either involved or bypassed negative symptoms. Conclusions and Relevance The data support a model where EAP deficits lead to poor functional outcome via impaired cognition and increased negative symptoms. Results can be used to help guide mechanistically informed, personalized treatments, and support the strategy of using EAP measures as surrogate endpoints in early stage pro-cognitive intervention studies. PMID:27926742

Positive and negative reinforcement underlying risk behavior in early adolescents.

PubMed

MacPherson, Laura; Reynolds, Elizabeth K; Daughters, Stacey B; Wang, Frances; Cassidy, Jude; Mayes, Linda C; Lejuez, C W

2010-09-01

The goal of the current study was to examine the combined influence of positive reinforcement processes using a behavioral task measuring risk taking propensity (RTP) and negative reinforcement processes using a behavioral task measuring deficits in distress tolerance (DT) on a range of risk taking behaviors among early adolescents. Participants included a community sample of 230 early adolescents (aged 9-13) who completed two behavioral tasks assessing reinforcement processes as well as reported on past year risk behavior involvement as assessed by items from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System at a baseline and a 1-year follow-up assessment. Data indicated that at the Wave 2 assessment, RTP was positively related to number of risk-taking behaviors in the past year but only for those with low DT, with this finding persisting after controlling for the significant influence of male gender and higher sensation seeking. Results of the present study highlight the importance of considering both positive and negative reinforcement processes in combination when investigating vulnerability factors for early risk behavior engagement in youth.

Validation of the German version of the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS).

PubMed

Engel, Maike; Fritzsche, Anja; Lincoln, Tania Marie

2014-12-15

Validated assessment instruments could contribute to a better understanding and assessment of negative symptoms and advance treatment research. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a German version of the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS). In- and outpatients (N=53) with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were assessed with standardized interviews and questionnaires on negative and positive symptoms and general psychopathology in schizophrenia, depression, the ability to experience anticipatory and consummatory pleasure, and global functioning. The results indicated good psychometric properties, high internal consistency and promising inter-rater agreement for the German version of the CAINS. The two-factor solution of the original version of the CAINS was confirmed, indicating good construct validity. Convergent validity was supported by significant correlations between the CAINS subscales with the negative symptom scale of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, and with consummatory pleasure. The CAINS also exhibited discriminant validity indicated by its non-significant correlations with positive symptoms, general psychopathology and depression that are in line with the findings for the original version of the CAINS. In addition, the CAINS correlated moderately with global functioning. The German version of the CAINS appears to be a valid and suitable diagnostic tool for measuring negative symptoms in schizophrenia. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Affect and Subsequent Physical Activity: An Ambulatory Assessment Study Examining the Affect-Activity Association in a Real-Life Context.

PubMed

Niermann, Christina Y N; Herrmann, Christian; von Haaren, Birte; van Kann, Dave; Woll, Alexander

2016-01-01

Traditionally, cognitive, motivational, and volitional determinants have been used to explain and predict health behaviors such as physical activity. Recently, the role of affect in influencing and regulating health behaviors received more attention. Affects as internal cues may automatically activate unconscious processes of behavior regulation. The aim of our study was to examine the association between affect and physical activity in daily life. In addition, we studied the influence of the habit of being physically active on this relationship. An ambulatory assessment study in 89 persons (33.7% male, 25 to 65 years, M = 45.2, SD = 8.1) was conducted. Affect was assessed in the afternoon on 5 weekdays using smartphones. Physical activity was measured continuously objectively using accelerometers and subjectively using smartphones in the evening. Habit strength was assessed at the beginning of the diary period. The outcomes were objectively and subjectively measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) performed after work. Multilevel regression models were used to analyze the association between affect and after work MVPA. In addition, the cross-level interaction of habit strength and affect on after work MVPA was tested. Positive affect was positively related to objectively measured and self-reported after work MVPA: the greater the positive affect the more time persons subsequently spent on MVPA. An inverse relationship was found for negative affect: the greater the negative affect the less time persons spent on MVPA. The cross-level interaction effect was significant only for objectively measured MVPA. A strong habit seems to strengthen both the positive influence of positive affect and the negative influence of negative affect. The results of this study confirm previous results and indicate that affect plays an important role for the regulation of physical activity behavior in daily life. The results for positive affect were consistent. However, in contrast to previous reports of no or an inverse association, negative affect decreased subsequent MVPA. These inconsistencies may be-in part-explained by the different measurements of affect in our and other studies. Therefore, further research is warranted to gain more insight into the association between affect and physical activity.

Is the MARS questionnaire a reliable measure of medication adherence in childhood asthma?

PubMed

Garcia-Marcos, Patricia W; Brand, Paul L P; Kaptein, Adrian A; Klok, Ted

2016-12-01

To assess the reliability of the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS-5) for assessing adherence in clinical practice and research. Prospective cohort study following electronically measured inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) adherence for 1 year in 2-13-year-old children with persistent asthma. The relationship between electronically measured adherence and MARS-5 scores (ranging from 5 to 25) was assessed by Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. A ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve was performed testing MARS-5 against electronically measured adherence. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios of the closest MARS-5 cut-off values to the top left-hand corner of the ROC curve were calculated. High MARS scores were obtained (median 24, interquartile range 22-24). Despite a statistically significant correlation between MARS-5 and electronically assessed adherence (Spearman's rho = 0.47; p < 0.0001), there was considerable variation of adherence rates at every MARS-5 score. The area under the ROC curve was 0.7188. A MARS-5 score ≥23 had the best predictive ability for electronically assessed adherence, but positive and negative likelihood ratios were too small to be useful (1.65 and 0.27, respectively). Self-report using MARS-5 is too inaccurate to be a useful measure of adherence in children with asthma, both in clinical practice and in research.

Is the Assessment of Personality Comparable in Persons Who Have and Have Not Experienced Depressive, Anxiety, and Substance Use Disorders? An Examination of Measurement Invariance.

PubMed

Olino, Thomas M; Benini, Laura; Icenogle, Grace; Wilson, Sylia; Klein, Daniel N; Seeley, John R; Lewinsohn, Peter M

2017-08-01

Numerous studies have focused on characterizing personality differences between individuals with and without psychopathology. For drawing valid conclusions for these comparisons, the personality instruments used must demonstrate psychometric equivalence. However, we are unaware of any studies that examine measurement invariance in personality across individuals with and without psychopathology. This study conducted tests of measurement invariance for positive emotionality, negative emotionality, and disinhibition across individuals with and without histories of depressive, anxiety, and substance use disorders. We found consistent evidence that positive emotionality, negative emotionality, and disinhibition were assessed equivalently across all comparisons with each demonstrating strict invariance. Overall, results suggest that comparisons of personality measures between diagnostic groups satisfy the assumption of measurement invariance and these scales represent the same psychological constructs. Thus, mean-level comparisons across these groups are valid tests.

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of body psychotherapy in the treatment of negative symptoms of schizophrenia--a multi-centre randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Priebe, Stefan; Savill, Mark; Reininghaus, Ulrich; Wykes, Til; Bentall, Richard; Lauber, Christoph; McCrone, Paul; Röhricht, Frank; Eldridge, Sandra

2013-01-14

Negative symptoms of schizophrenia are frequently associated with poor long term outcomes. Established interventions have little, if any, positive effects on negative symptoms. Arts Therapies such as Body Psychotherapy (BPT) have been suggested to reduce negative symptoms, but the existing evidence is limited. In a small exploratory trial a manualised form of group BPT led to significantly lower negative symptom levels both at the end of treatment and at 4 months follow-up as compared to supportive counseling. We designed a large multi-site trial to assess the effectiveness of a manualised BPT intervention in reducing negative symptoms, compared to an active control. In a randomised controlled trial, 256 schizophrenic outpatients with negative symptoms will be randomly allocated either to BPT or Pilates groups. In both conditions, patients will be offered two 90 minutes sessions per week in groups of about 8 patients over a period of 10 weeks. Outcomes are assessed at the end of treatment and at six months follow-up. The primary outcome is severity of negative symptoms, as measured by the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS), whilst a range of secondary outcome measures include general psychopathology, social contacts, and quality of life. We will also assess the cost-effectiveness of the intervention. The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a promising form of group therapy which may help alleviate negative symptoms that are associated with unfavourable long-term outcomes and have so far been difficult to treat. If the trial is successful, it will add a new and effective option in the treatment of negative symptoms. Group BPT is manualised, might be attractive to many patients because of its unusual approach, and could potentially be rolled out to services at relatively little additional cost. Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN84216587.

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of body psychotherapy in the treatment of negative symptoms of schizophrenia – a multi-centre randomised controlled trial

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Negative symptoms of schizophrenia are frequently associated with poor long term outcomes. Established interventions have little, if any, positive effects on negative symptoms. Arts Therapies such as Body Psychotherapy (BPT) have been suggested to reduce negative symptoms, but the existing evidence is limited. In a small exploratory trial a manualised form of group BPT led to significantly lower negative symptom levels both at the end of treatment and at 4 months follow-up as compared to supportive counseling. We designed a large multi-site trial to assess the effectiveness of a manualised BPT intervention in reducing negative symptoms, compared to an active control. Methods/Design In a randomised controlled trial, 256 schizophrenic outpatients with negative symptoms will be randomly allocated either to BPT or Pilates groups. In both conditions, patients will be offered two 90 minutes sessions per week in groups of about 8 patients over a period of 10 weeks. Outcomes are assessed at the end of treatment and at six months follow-up. The primary outcome is severity of negative symptoms, as measured by the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS), whilst a range of secondary outcome measures include general psychopathology, social contacts, and quality of life. We will also assess the cost-effectiveness of the intervention. Discussion The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a promising form of group therapy which may help alleviate negative symptoms that are associated with unfavourable long-term outcomes and have so far been difficult to treat. If the trial is successful, it will add a new and effective option in the treatment of negative symptoms. Group BPT is manualised, might be attractive to many patients because of its unusual approach, and could potentially be rolled out to services at relatively little additional cost. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN84216587 PMID:23317474

The current conceptualization of negative symptoms in schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Marder, Stephen R.; Galderisi, Silvana

2017-01-01

Negative symptoms have long been conceptualized as a core aspect of schizophrenia. They play a key role in the functional outcome of the disorder, and their management represents a significant unmet need. Improvements in definition, characterization, assessment instruments and experimental models are needed in order to foster research aimed at developing effective interventions. A consensus has recently been reached on the following aspects: a) five constructs should be considered as negative symptoms, i.e. blunted affect, alogia, anhedonia, asociality and avolition; b) for each construct, symptoms due to identifiable factors, such as medication effects, psychotic symptoms or depression, should be distinguished from those regarded as primary; c) the five constructs cluster in two factors, one including blunted affect and alogia and the other consisting of anhedonia, avolition and asociality. In this paper, for each construct, we report the current definition; highlight differences among the main assessment instruments; illustrate quantitative measures, if available, and their relationship with the evaluations based on rating scales; and describe correlates as well as experimental models. We conclude that: a) the assessment of the negative symptom dimension has recently improved, but even current expert consensus‐based instruments diverge on several aspects; b) the use of objective measures might contribute to overcome uncertainties about the reliability of rating scales, but these measures require further investigation and validation; c) the boundaries with other illness components, in particular neurocognition and social cognition, are not well defined; and d) without further reducing the heterogeneity within the negative symptom dimension, attempts to develop successful interventions are likely to lead to great efforts paid back by small rewards. PMID:28127915

Preliminary evidence that negative symptom severity relates to multilocus genetic profile for dopamine signaling capacity and D2 receptor binding in healthy controls and in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Eisenstein, Sarah A; Bogdan, Ryan; Chen, Ling; Moerlein, Stephen M; Black, Kevin J; Perlmutter, Joel S; Hershey, Tamara; Barch, Deanna M

2017-03-01

Deficits in central, subcortical dopamine (DA) signaling may underlie negative symptom severity, particularly anhedonia, in healthy individuals and in schizophrenia. To investigate these relationships, we assessed negative symptoms with the Schedule for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms and the Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS) and self-reported anhedonia with the Scales for Physical and Social Anhedonia (SPSA), Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale, and Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale in 36 healthy controls (HC), 27 siblings (SIB) of individuals with schizophrenia, and 66 individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (SCZ). A subset of participants (N = 124) were genotyped for DA-related polymorphisms in genes for DRD4, DRD2/ANKK1, DAT1, and COMT, which were used to construct biologically-informed multi-locus genetic profile (MGP) scores reflective of subcortical dopaminergic signaling. DA receptor type 2 (D2R) binding was assessed among a second subset of participants (N = 23) using PET scans with the D2R-selective, non-displaceable radioligand (N-[ 11 C]methyl)benperidol. Higher MGP scores, reflecting elevated subcortical dopaminergic signaling capacity, were associated with less negative symptom severity, as measured by the BNSS, across all participants. In addition, higher striatal D2R binding was associated with less physical and social anhedonia, as measured by the SPSA, across HC, SIB, and SCZ. The current preliminary findings support the hypothesis that subcortical DA function may contribute to negative symptom severity and self-reported anhedonia, independent of diagnostic status. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preliminary Evidence that Negative Symptom Severity Relates to Multilocus Genetic Profile for Dopamine Signaling Capacity and D2 Receptor Binding in Healthy Controls and in Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Eisenstein, Sarah A.; Bogdan, Ryan; Chen, Ling; Moerlein, Stephen M.; Black, Kevin J.; Perlmutter, Joel S.; Hershey, Tamara; Barch, Deanna M.

2017-01-01

Deficits in central, subcortical dopamine (DA) signaling may underlie negative symptom severity, particularly anhedonia, in healthy individuals and in schizophrenia. To investigate these relationships, we assessed negative symptoms with the Schedule for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms and the Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS) and self-reported anhedonia with the Scales for Physical and Social Anhedonia (SPSA), Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale, and Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale in 36 healthy controls (HC), 27 siblings (SIB) of individuals with schizophrenia, and 66 individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (SCZ). A subset of participants (N = 124) were genotyped for DA-related polymorphisms in genes for DRD4, DRD2/ANKK1, DAT1, and COMT, which were used to construct biologically-informed multi-locus genetic profile (MGP) scores reflective of subcortical dopaminergic signaling. DA receptor type 2 (D2R) binding was assessed among a second subset of participants (N = 23) using PET scans with the D2R-selective, non-displaceable radioligand (N-[11C]methyl)benperidol. Higher MGP scores, reflecting elevated subcortical dopaminergic signaling capacity, were associated with less negative symptom severity, as measured by the BNSS, across all participants. In addition, higher striatal D2R binding was associated with less physical and social anhedonia, as measured by the SPSA, across HC, SIB, and SCZ. The current preliminary findings support the hypothesis that subcortical DA function may contribute to negative symptom severity and self-reported anhedonia, independent of diagnostic status. PMID:27886638

Implicit affectivity in patients with borderline personality disorder.

PubMed

Dukalski, Bibiana; Quirin, Markus; Kersting, Anette; Suslow, Thomas; Donges, Uta-Susan

2017-01-01

It has been argued that borderline personality disorder (BPD) is related to an enhanced affective reactivity. According to findings from research based on self-report, individuals with BPD develop and feel more negative and less positive affect than healthy individuals. Implicit affectivity, which can be measured using indirect assessment methods, relates to processes of the impulsive, intuitive system. In the present study, implicit and explicit affectivity was examined in patients suffering from BPD compared to healthy persons. Thirty-five women with BPD and 35 healthy women participated in the study. Implicit affectivity was assessed using the Implicit Positive and Negative Affect Test (IPANAT). Measures of explicit state and trait affectivity were also administered. BPD women had lower explicit positive state and trait affect scores and higher negative state and trait affect scores than healthy women. They had also lower implicit positive affect but they did not differ from healthy women regarding implicit negative affect. Total number of comorbid disorders was correlated with both implicit positive and implicit negative affect. According to our data, BPD patients exhibit reduced implicit positive affect as well as reduced explicit positive affect compared to healthy persons. According to our IPANAT data, BPD patients are characterized by a normal disposition to develop negative affective reactions which is in line with a number of findings from psycho-physiological research on BPD. Self-reports of negative affectivity in BPD could be biased by negative distortion.

Introducing the GASP scale: a new measure of guilt and shame proneness.

PubMed

Cohen, Taya R; Wolf, Scott T; Panter, A T; Insko, Chester A

2011-05-01

Although scholars agree that moral emotions are critical for deterring unethical and antisocial behavior, there is disagreement about how 2 prototypical moral emotions--guilt and shame--should be defined, differentiated, and measured. We addressed these issues by developing a new assessment--the Guilt and Shame Proneness scale (GASP)--that measures individual differences in the propensity to experience guilt and shame across a range of personal transgressions. The GASP contains 2 guilt subscales that assess negative behavior-evaluations and repair action tendencies following private transgressions and 2 shame subscales that assess negative self-evaluations (NSEs) and withdrawal action tendencies following publically exposed transgressions. Both guilt subscales were highly correlated with one another and negatively correlated with unethical decision making. Although both shame subscales were associated with relatively poor psychological functioning (e.g., neuroticism, personal distress, low self-esteem), they were only weakly correlated with one another, and their relationships with unethical decision making diverged. Whereas shame-NSE constrained unethical decision making, shame-withdraw did not. Our findings suggest that differentiating the tendency to make NSEs following publically exposed transgressions from the tendency to hide or withdraw from public view is critically important for understanding and measuring dispositional shame proneness. The GASP's ability to distinguish these 2 classes of responses represents an important advantage of the scale over existing assessments. Although further validation research is required, the present studies are promising in that they suggest the GASP has the potential to be an important measurement tool for detecting individuals susceptible to corruption and unethical behavior. (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved.

From Memory to Attitude: The Neurocognitive Process beyond Euthanasia Acceptance.

PubMed

Enke, Martin; Meyer, Patric; Flor, Herta

2016-01-01

Numerous questionnaire studies on attitudes towards euthanasia produced conflicting results, precluding any general conclusion. This might be due to the fact that human behavior can be influenced by automatically triggered attitudes, which represent ingrained associations in memory and cannot be assessed by standard questionnaires, but require indirect measures such as reaction times (RT) or electroencephalographic recording (EEG). Event related potentials (ERPs) of the EEG and RT during an affective priming task were assessed to investigate the impact of automatically triggered attitudes and were compared to results of an explicit questionnaire. Explicit attitudes were ambivalent. Reaction time data showed neither positive nor negative associations towards euthanasia. ERP analyses revealed an N400 priming effect with lower mean amplitudes when euthanasia was associated with negative words. The euthanasia-related modulation of the N400 component shows an integration of the euthanasia object in negatively valenced associative neural networks. The integration of all measures suggests a bottom-up process of attitude activation, where automatically triggered negative euthanasia-relevant associations can become more ambiguous with increasing time in order to regulate the bias arising from automatic processes. These data suggest that implicit measures may make an important contribution to the understanding of euthanasia-related attitudes.

From Memory to Attitude: The Neurocognitive Process beyond Euthanasia Acceptance

PubMed Central

Enke, Martin; Meyer, Patric; Flor, Herta

2016-01-01

Numerous questionnaire studies on attitudes towards euthanasia produced conflicting results, precluding any general conclusion. This might be due to the fact that human behavior can be influenced by automatically triggered attitudes, which represent ingrained associations in memory and cannot be assessed by standard questionnaires, but require indirect measures such as reaction times (RT) or electroencephalographic recording (EEG). Event related potentials (ERPs) of the EEG and RT during an affective priming task were assessed to investigate the impact of automatically triggered attitudes and were compared to results of an explicit questionnaire. Explicit attitudes were ambivalent. Reaction time data showed neither positive nor negative associations towards euthanasia. ERP analyses revealed an N400 priming effect with lower mean amplitudes when euthanasia was associated with negative words. The euthanasia-related modulation of the N400 component shows an integration of the euthanasia object in negatively valenced associative neural networks. The integration of all measures suggests a bottom-up process of attitude activation, where automatically triggered negative euthanasia-relevant associations can become more ambiguous with increasing time in order to regulate the bias arising from automatic processes. These data suggest that implicit measures may make an important contribution to the understanding of euthanasia-related attitudes. PMID:27088244

A Paradigm to Assess Implicit Attitudes towards God: The Positive/Negative God Associations Task.

PubMed

Pirutinsky, Steven; Carp, Sean; Rosmarin, David H

2017-02-01

Psychological research on the relationship between spirituality/religion and mental health has grown considerably over the past several decades and now constitutes a sizable body of scholarship. Among dimensions of S/R, positive beliefs about God have been significantly related to better mental health outcomes, and conversely negative beliefs about God are generally associated with more distress. However, prior research on this topic has relied heavily upon self-report Likert-type scales, which are vulnerable to self-report biases and measure only explicit cognitive processes. In this study, we developed and validated an implicit social cognition task, the Positive/Negative God Go/No-go Association Task (PNG-GNAT), for use in psychological research on spirituality and religion (S/R). Preliminary evidence in a large sample (N = 381) suggests that the PNG-GNAT demonstrates internal consistency, test-retest and split-half reliability, and concurrent evidence of validity. Further, our results suggest that PNG-GNAT scores represent different underlying dimensions of S/R than explicit self-report measures, and incrementally predict mental health above and beyond self-report assessment. The PNG-GNAT appears to be an effective tool for measuring implicit positive/negative beliefs about God.

Men's Reactions to Participating in Interpersonal Violence Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Katie M.; Gidycz, Christine A.; Desai, Angeli D.

2012-01-01

This study assessed college men's reactions immediately following and 2 months after completing self-report measures of interpersonal violence. Results showed that 4.3% of men experienced immediate negative emotional reactions. Greater immediate negative reactions were related to personal benefits to research participation, anticipation of future…

Measuring Negative Consequences of College Student Substance Use: A Psychometric Evaluation of the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martens, Matthew P.; Brown, Natashia T.; Donovan, Brooke M.; Dude, Kim

2005-01-01

A commonly used instrument to assess negative consequences of substance use among college students is the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey (CADS; C. A. Presley, P. W. Meilman, & J. S. Leichliter, 1998; C. A. Presley, P. W. Meilman, & R. Lyerla, 1993). Results from 2 studies suggest that a subset of CADS negative consequences items can be…

Changes in Negative Cognitions Mediate PTSD Symptom Reductions During Client-Centered Therapy and Prolonged Exposure for Adolescents

PubMed Central

McLean, Carmen P.; Yeh, Rebecca; Rosenfield, David; Foa, Edna B.

2015-01-01

Objective To assess whether changes in negative trauma-related cognitions play an important role in reducing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression during prolonged exposure therapy for adolescents (PE-A). Method Secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial comparing PE-A with client-centered therapy (CCT) for PTSD. Participants were 61 adolescent female sexual assault survivors ages 13–18 who received 8–14 weekly sessions of PE-A or CCT at a community rape crisis center. PTSD severity was assessed at baseline, mid-treatment, post-treatment, and 3-months post-treatment. Participants also completed self-report measures of negative posttraumatic cognitions and depressive symptoms at the same assessment points. Results Cross lag panel mediation analyses showed that change in negative trauma-related cognitions mediated change in PTSD symptoms and depressive symptoms whereas change in PTSD and depressive symptoms did not mediate change in negative cognitions. Conclusion Our findings support EPT and suggest that change in negative trauma-related cognitions is a mechanism of both PE-A and CCT. PMID:25812826

Assessing the stability of human locomotion: a review of current measures

PubMed Central

Bruijn, S. M.; Meijer, O. G.; Beek, P. J.; van Dieën, J. H.

2013-01-01

Falling poses a major threat to the steadily growing population of the elderly in modern-day society. A major challenge in the prevention of falls is the identification of individuals who are at risk of falling owing to an unstable gait. At present, several methods are available for estimating gait stability, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. In this paper, we review the currently available measures: the maximum Lyapunov exponent (λS and λL), the maximum Floquet multiplier, variability measures, long-range correlations, extrapolated centre of mass, stabilizing and destabilizing forces, foot placement estimator, gait sensitivity norm and maximum allowable perturbation. We explain what these measures represent and how they are calculated, and we assess their validity, divided up into construct validity, predictive validity in simple models, convergent validity in experimental studies, and predictive validity in observational studies. We conclude that (i) the validity of variability measures and λS is best supported across all levels, (ii) the maximum Floquet multiplier and λL have good construct validity, but negative predictive validity in models, negative convergent validity and (for λL) negative predictive validity in observational studies, (iii) long-range correlations lack construct validity and predictive validity in models and have negative convergent validity, and (iv) measures derived from perturbation experiments have good construct validity, but data are lacking on convergent validity in experimental studies and predictive validity in observational studies. In closing, directions for future research on dynamic gait stability are discussed. PMID:23516062

A Test of the Integration of the Hopelessness and Response Styles Theories of Depression in Middle Adolescence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abela, John R. Z.; Parkinson, Carolyn; Stolow, Darren; Starrs, Claire

2009-01-01

The current study examined several theories of depression in a sample of middle adolescents. At Time 1, 367 ninth graders completed measures assessing depressogenic inferential styles, the tendency to ruminate in response to depressed mood, and depressive symptoms. Six weeks later, participants completed measures assessing negative events and…

Interference and negative priming effects in adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Pritchard, Verena E; Neumann, Ewald; Rucklidge, Julia J

2007-01-01

Three visual selective attention tasks were used to measure potential differences in susceptibility to interference and inhibitory cognitive control processes in 16 adolescents diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 45 similar-aged controls. Susceptibility to interference was assessed using the Stroop color and word naming test. Efficiency of distractor inhibition was assessed in two conceptual negative priming tasks. The majority of studies in this area indicate that people with ADHD demonstrate higher levels of interference and lower negative priming effects in comparison with age-matched peers. However, we found that although the ADHD group was consistently slower to name target stimuli than the control group, there were no differences in interference or negative priming between the two groups.

Momentary assessment of contextual influences on affective response during physical activity.

PubMed

Dunton, Genevieve Fridlund; Liao, Yue; Intille, Stephen; Huh, Jimi; Leventhal, Adam

2015-12-01

Higher positive and lower negative affective response during physical activity may reinforce motivation to engage in future activity. However, affective response during physical activity is typically examined under controlled laboratory conditions. This research used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to examine social and physical contextual influences on momentary affective response during physical activity in naturalistic settings. Participants included 116 adults (mean age = 40.3 years, 73% female) who completed 8 randomly prompted EMA surveys per day for 4 days across 3 semiannual waves. EMA surveys measured current activity level, social context, and physical context. Participants also rated their current positive and negative affect. Multilevel models assessed whether momentary physical activity level moderated differences in affective response across contexts controlling for day of the week, time of day, and activity intensity (measured by accelerometer). The Activity Level × Alone interaction was significant for predicting positive affect (β = -0.302, SE = 0.133, p = .024). Greater positive affect during physical activity was reported when with other people (vs. alone). The Activity Level × Outdoors interaction was significant for predicting negative affect (β = -0.206, SE = 0.097, p = .034). Lower negative affect during physical activity was reported outdoors (vs. indoors). Being with other people may enhance positive affective response during physical activity, and being outdoors may dampen negative affective response during physical activity. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Comparison of 3 Methods to Assess Urine Specific Gravity in Collegiate Wrestlers.

PubMed

Stuempfle, Kristin J.; Drury, Daniel G.

2003-12-01

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the reliability and validity of refractometry, hydrometry, and reagent strips in assessing urine specific gravity in collegiate wrestlers. DESIGN AND SETTING: We assessed the reliability of refractometry, hydrometry, and reagent strips between 2 trials and among 4 testers. The validity of hydrometry and reagent strips was assessed by comparison with refractometry, the criterion measure for urine specific gravity. SUBJECTS: Twenty-one National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III collegiate wrestlers provided fresh urine samples. MEASUREMENTS: Four testers measured the specific gravity of each urine sample 6 times: twice by refractometry, twice by hydrometry, and twice by reagent strips. RESULTS: Refractometer measurements were consistent between trials (R =.998) and among testers; hydrometer measurements were consistent between trials (R =.987) but not among testers; and reagent-strip measurements were not consistent between trials or among testers. Hydrometer (1.018 +/- 0.006) and reagent-strip (1.017 +/- 0.007) measurements were significantly higher than refractometer (1.015 +/- 0.006) measurements. Intraclass correlation coefficients were moderate between refractometry and hydrometry (R =.869) and low between refractometry and reagent strips (R =.573). The hydrometer produced 28% false positives and 2% false negatives, and reagent strips produced 15% false positives and 9% false negatives. CONCLUSIONS: Only the refractometer should be used to determine urine specific gravity in collegiate wrestlers during the weight-certification process.

Comparison of 3 Methods to Assess Urine Specific Gravity in Collegiate Wrestlers

PubMed Central

Drury, Daniel G.

2003-01-01

Objective: To investigate the reliability and validity of refractometry, hydrometry, and reagent strips in assessing urine specific gravity in collegiate wrestlers. Design and Setting: We assessed the reliability of refractometry, hydrometry, and reagent strips between 2 trials and among 4 testers. The validity of hydrometry and reagent strips was assessed by comparison with refractometry, the criterion measure for urine specific gravity. Subjects: Twenty-one National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III collegiate wrestlers provided fresh urine samples. Measurements: Four testers measured the specific gravity of each urine sample 6 times: twice by refractometry, twice by hydrometry, and twice by reagent strips. Results: Refractometer measurements were consistent between trials (R = .998) and among testers; hydrometer measurements were consistent between trials (R = .987) but not among testers; and reagent-strip measurements were not consistent between trials or among testers. Hydrometer (1.018 ± 0.006) and reagent-strip (1.017 ± 0.007) measurements were significantly higher than refractometer (1.015 ± 0.006) measurements. Intraclass correlation coefficients were moderate between refractometry and hydrometry (R = .869) and low between refractometry and reagent strips (R = .573). The hydrometer produced 28% false positives and 2% false negatives, and reagent strips produced 15% false positives and 9% false negatives. Conclusions: Only the refractometer should be used to determine urine specific gravity in collegiate wrestlers during the weight-certification process. PMID:14737213

The impact of stress on depressive symptoms is moderated by social support in Chinese adolescents with subthreshold depression: a multi-wave longitudinal study.

PubMed

Yang, Juan; Yao, Shuqiao; Zhu, Xiongzhao; Zhang, Chenchen; Ling, Yu; Abela, John R Z; Esseling, Petra G; McWhinnie, Chad

2010-12-01

Most studies have shown that negative life events and social support are important factors in the development and outcome of depression. It is unknown if these factors are important in adolescents with subthreshold depression. Thus, the current study examined whether high levels of social support from peers buffer adolescents exhibiting subthreshold depressive symptoms against experiencing further increases in such symptoms following the occurrence of negative events. Participants included 143 adolescents (aged 14 to 18; M=16.07, SD=.66) in Hunan Province China who were selected because they were exhibiting subthreshold depressive symptoms at the time of initial assessment. During an initial assessment, participants completed measures assessing social support from peers and depressive symptoms. Participants subsequently completed measures assessing depressive symptoms and the occurrence of negative events once every three months for the subsequent fifteen months. The prevalence of lifetime subthreshold depression in Hunan was 22.9% (n=143). The results of hierarchical linear modeling analyses indicated that lower levels of social support from peers was associated with greater increases in depressive symptoms following the occurrence of negative events. The results suggested that the association between the occurrence of negative events and increased depressive symptoms is moderated by social support from peers in adolescents with subthreshold depression in mainland China, in line with the buffering hypothesis. The adolescent sample used in the current study was from Hunan, China, which could limit the generalizability of our results to other populations. In addition, given that it is possible that cultural context shapes symptom manifestation, future research should assess a broader array of symptom outcomes. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An Action Assembly Approach to Predicting Emotional Responses to Frightening Mass Media.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sparks, Glenn G.

1986-01-01

Assesses the validity of a 20-item scale that purportedly measures long term memory records--in this case, frightening mass media. Evidence for validity emerged in that subjects' scale scores were related to negative emotion, negative cognitions, and skin conductance during film clips of scary movies. (NKA)

Are Facebook "Friends" Helpful? Development of a Facebook-Based Measure of Social Support and Examination of Relationships Among Depression, Quality of Life, and Social Support.

PubMed

McCloskey, Wilfred; Iwanicki, Sierra; Lauterbach, Dean; Giammittorio, David M; Maxwell, Kendal

2015-09-01

Greater social support is predictive of lower depression and higher quality of life (QOL). However, the way in which social support is provided has changed greatly with the expanding role of social networking sites (e.g., Facebook). While there are numerous anecdotal accounts of the benefits of Facebook-based social support, little empirical evidence exists to support these assertions, and there are no empirically validated measures designed to assess social support provided via this unique social networking medium. This study sought to develop an empirically sound measure of Facebook-based social support (Facebook Measure of Social Support [FMSS]) and to assess how this new measure relates to previously established measures of support and two outcome variables: depression and QOL. Following exploratory factor analysis, the FMSS was determined to assess four factors of social support on Facebook (Perceived, Emotional, Negative, Received/Instrumental). The Negative Support factor on the FMSS was most strongly related to both depression and QOL with magnitudes (and direction of relationships) comparable to a traditional measure of perceived social support. However, two FMSS factors (Received/Instrumental and Perceived) were unrelated to both mental health outcomes. Contrary to expectations, elevations in one FMSS factor (Emotional) was associated with worse symptoms of depression and poorer psychological QOL. When taken together, only the absence of negative social support on Facebook is significantly predictive of mental health functioning. Consequently, those hoping to use Facebook as a medium for reducing depression or improving QOL are unlikely to realize significant therapeutic benefits.

[Effects of an implicit internal working model on attachment in information processing assessed using Go/No-Go Association Task].

PubMed

Fujii, Tsutomu; Uebuchi, Hisashi; Yamada, Kotono; Saito, Masahiro; Ito, Eriko; Tonegawa, Akiko; Uebuchi, Marie

2015-06-01

The purposes of the present study were (a) to use both a relational-anxiety Go/No-Go Association Task (GNAT) and an avoidance-of-intimacy GNAT in order to assess an implicit Internal Working Model (IWM) of attachment; (b) to verify the effects of both measured implicit relational anxiety and implicit avoidance of intimacy on information processing. The implicit IWM measured by GNAT differed from the explicit IWM measured by questionnaires in terms of the effects on information processing. In particular, in subliminal priming tasks involving with others, implicit avoidance of intimacy predicted accelerated response times with negative stimulus words about attachment. Moreover, after subliminally priming stimulus words about self, implicit relational anxiety predicted delayed response times with negative stimulus words about attachment.

Negative Experiences on Facebook and Depressive Symptoms Among Young Adults.

PubMed

Rosenthal, Samantha R; Buka, Stephen L; Marshall, Brandon D L; Carey, Kate B; Clark, Melissa A

2016-11-01

To examine whether negative Facebook (FB) experiences were independently associated with depressive symptoms among young adults in a longitudinal family cohort. Negative FB experiences were measured by type (e.g., bullying or meanness, unwanted contact, misunderstandings, or any), recency, number of experiences, and severity of upset. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Generalized estimating equations were used to account for sibling correlation; adjusted models were constructed for each negative FB experience measure accounting for sex, race/ethnicity, social support, adolescent depressive symptoms, parental psychological distress, average monthly income, educational attainment, and employment. In a sample of 264 young adults, all negative FB experience measures were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. There is a clear association between negative FB experience and depressive symptoms. Future work should examine: (1) whether negative FB experiences cause incident depression or exacerbate preexisting depression; and (2) who is most prone to being upset by negative FB experiences. With further research, recommendations for limiting or altering FB use among high-risk subpopulations could be useful in reducing depressive symptoms. Copyright © 2016 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Just How Bad Negative Affect is for Your Health Depends on Culture

PubMed Central

Curhan, Katherine B.; Sims, Tamara; Markus, Hazel Rose; Kitayama, Shinobu; Karasawa, Mayumi; Kawakami, Norito; Love, Gayle D.; Coe, Christopher L.; Miyamoto, Yuri; Ryff, Carol D.

2014-01-01

Pressman, Lopez and Gallagher (2013) conclude that across the globe negative emotions are bad for one’s health. Yet, just how bad negative emotions are for health depends on culture. In U.S. American contexts, negative feelings are construed as the individual’s responsibility and as harmful. In Japanese contexts, negative feelings are construed as rooted in relationships and as natural. Using six clinically-relevant measures and two representative samples, we tested the hypothesis that negative affect is more strongly associated with poor health in the U.S. (n = 1,741) than in Japan (n = 988). Negative affect more strongly predicted poor health in the U.S. than in Japan for multi-item assessments of physical health (chronic conditions, physical functioning) and mental health (psychological well-being, self-esteem). There were no differences for single-item health assessments (life satisfaction, global health). These findings underscore the need for further theoretically-driven investigations of how cultural construals shape the emotion-health link. PMID:25304884

Negative emotional reactivity as a marker of vulnerability in the development of borderline personality disorder symptoms

PubMed Central

Stepp, Stephanie D.; Scott, Lori N.; Jones, Neil P.; Whalen, Diana J.; Hipwell, Alison E.

2015-01-01

Negative emotionality is a distinguishing feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, this person-level characteristic has not been examined as a marker of vulnerability in the development of this disorder. The current study utilized a multi-method approach to examine the interplay between negative emotional reactivity and cumulative exposure to family adversity on the development of BPD symptoms across three years (ages 16–18) in a diverse, at-risk sample of adolescent girls (N=113). A latent variable of negative emotional reactivity was created from multiple assessments at age 16: (1) self-report, (2) emotion ratings to stressors from ecological assessments across one week, and (3) observer-rated negative affectivity during a mother-daughter conflict discussion task. Exposure to family adversity was measured cumulatively between ages 5 and 16 from annual assessments of family poverty, single parent household, and difficult life circumstances. Results from latent growth curve models demonstrated a significant interaction between negative emotional reactivity and family adversity, such that exposure to adversity strengthened the association between negative emotional reactivity and BPD symptoms. Additionally, family adversity predicted increasing BPD symptoms during late adolescence. These findings highlight negative emotional reactivity as a marker of vulnerability that ultimately increases risk for the development of BPD symptoms. PMID:25925083

Negative emotional reactivity as a marker of vulnerability in the development of borderline personality disorder symptoms.

PubMed

Stepp, Stephanie D; Scott, Lori N; Jones, Neil P; Whalen, Diana J; Hipwell, Alison E

2016-02-01

Negative emotionality is a distinguishing feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, this person-level characteristic has not been examined as a marker of vulnerability in the development of this disorder. The current study utilized a multimethod approach to examine the interplay between negative emotional reactivity and cumulative exposure to family adversity on the development of BPD symptoms across 3 years (ages 16-18) in a diverse, at-risk sample of adolescent girls (N = 113). A latent variable of negative emotional reactivity was created from multiple assessments at age 16: self-report, emotion ratings to stressors from ecological assessments across 1 week, and observer-rated negative affectivity during a mother-daughter conflict discussion task. Exposure to family adversity was measured cumulatively between ages 5 and 16 from annual assessments of family poverty, single parent household, and difficult life circumstances. The results from latent growth curve models demonstrated a significant interaction between negative emotional reactivity and family adversity, such that exposure to adversity strengthened the association between negative emotional reactivity and BPD symptoms. In addition, family adversity predicted increasing BPD symptoms during late adolescence. These findings highlight negative emotional reactivity as a marker of vulnerability that ultimately increases risk for the development of BPD symptoms.

Is it advisable to include negative attributes to assess the stereotype content? Yes, but only in the morality dimension.

PubMed

Sayans-Jiménez, Pablo; Rojas Tejada, Antonio José; Cuadrado Guirado, Isabel

2017-04-01

Competence, morality and sociability dimensions have shown to be essential to measure stereotypes. Theoretically, the attributes associated with the negative pole of morality are more reliable and have shown to have higher evaluative weight. However, the current research usually employs only positive attributes to measure each dimension. Since the advantages of the inclusion of negative morality are clear it would be interesting to know about the effects of the inclusion of such type of attributes (i.e., it is good or bad for the measurement). The purpose of this study is to examine if the addition of negative items makes possible to improve the stereotype content measures. This study compares the differences between scales with various compositions of positive and negative items of stereotypes to predict three related variables: anger, fear and a semantic differential of evaluation. The study was carried out with a sample of 550 Spaniards. The data found highlights the importance of using attributes of the negative pole of morality in studying stereotypes. Their use was able to explain the intergroup emotional responses and the semantic differential more efficiently. © 2017 Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Efficacy and Safety of MIN-101: A 12-Week Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of a New Drug in Development for the Treatment of Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia.

PubMed

Davidson, Michael; Saoud, Jay; Staner, Corinne; Noel, Nadine; Luthringer, Elisabeth; Werner, Sandra; Reilly, Joseph; Schaffhauser, Jean-Yves; Rabinowitz, Jonathan; Weiser, Mark; Luthringer, Remy

2017-12-01

The authors assessed the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of MIN-101, a compound with affinities for sigma-2 and 5-HT 2A receptors and no direct dopamine affinities, in comparison with placebo in treating negative symptoms in stabilized patients with schizophrenia. The trial enrolled 244 patients who had been symptomatically stable for at least 3 months and had scores of at least 20 on the negative subscale of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). After at least 5 days' withdrawal from all antipsychotic medication, patients were randomly assigned to receive placebo or 32 mg/day or 64 mg/day of MIN-101 for 12 weeks. The primary outcome measure was the PANSS negative factor score (pentagonal structure model). Secondary outcome measures were PANSS total score and scores on the Clinical Global Impressions Scale (CGI), the Brief Negative Symptom Scale, the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia, and the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia. A statistically significant difference in PANSS negative factor score was observed, with lower scores for the MIN-101 32 mg/day and 64 mg/day groups compared with the placebo group (effect sizes, d=0.45 and d=0.57, respectively). Supporting these findings were similar effects on several of the secondary outcome measures, such as the PANSS negative symptom, total, and activation factor scores, the CGI severity item, and the Brief Negative Symptom Scale. There were no statistically significant differences in PANSS positive scale score between the MIN-101 and placebo groups. No clinically significant changes were observed in vital signs, routine laboratory values, weight, metabolic indices, and Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale score. MIN-101 demonstrated statistically significant efficacy in reducing negative symptoms and good tolerability in stable schizophrenia patients.

Physician performance assessment using a composite quality index.

PubMed

Liu, Kaibo; Jain, Shabnam; Shi, Jianjun

2013-07-10

Assessing physician performance is important for the purposes of measuring and improving quality of service and reducing healthcare delivery costs. In recent years, physician performance scorecards have been used to provide feedback on individual measures; however, one key challenge is how to develop a composite quality index that combines multiple measures for overall physician performance evaluation. A controversy arises over establishing appropriate weights to combine indicators in multiple dimensions, and cannot be easily resolved. In this study, we proposed a generic unsupervised learning approach to develop a single composite index for physician performance assessment by using non-negative principal component analysis. We developed a new algorithm named iterative quadratic programming to solve the numerical issue in the non-negative principal component analysis approach. We conducted real case studies to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method. We provided interpretations from both statistical and clinical perspectives to evaluate the developed composite ranking score in practice. In addition, we implemented the root cause assessment techniques to explain physician performance for improvement purposes. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Phase 2 Trial of an Alpha-7 Nicotinic Receptor Agonist (TC-5619) in Negative and Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Walling, David; Marder, Stephen R.; Kane, John; Fleischhacker, W. Wolfgang; Keefe, Richard S. E.; Hosford, David A.; Dvergsten, Chris; Segreti, Anthony C.; Beaver, Jessica S.; Toler, Steven M.; Jett, John E.; Dunbar, Geoffrey C.

2016-01-01

Objectives: This trial was conducted to test the effects of an alpha7 nicotinic receptor full agonist, TC-5619, on negative and cognitive symptoms in subjects with schizophrenia. Methods: In 64 sites in the United States, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, and Serbia, 477 outpatients (18–65 years; male 62%; 55% tobacco users) with schizophrenia, treated with a new-generation antipsychotic, were randomized to 24 weeks of placebo (n = 235), TC-5619, 5mg (n = 121), or TC-5619, 50mg (n = 121), administered orally once daily. The primary efficacy measure was the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) composite score. Key secondary measures were the Cogstate Schizophrenia Battery (CSB) composite score and the University of California San Diego Performance-Based Skills Assessment-Brief Version (UPSA-B) total score. Secondary measures included: Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale in Schizophrenia (PANSS) total and subscale scores, SANS domain scores, CSB item scores, Clinical Global Impression-Global Improvement (CGI-I) score, CGI-Severity (CGI-S) score, and Subject Global Impression-Cognition (SGI-Cog) total score. Results: SANS score showed no statistical benefit for TC-5619 vs placebo at week 24 (5mg, 2-tailed P = .159; 50mg, P = .689). Likewise, no scores of CSB, UPSA-B, PANSS, CGI-I, CGI-S, or SGI-Cog favored TC-5619 (P > .05). Sporadic statistical benefit favoring TC-5619 in some of these outcome measures were observed in tobacco users, but these benefits did not show concordance by dose, country, gender, or other relevant measures. TC-5619 was generally well tolerated. Conclusion: These results do not support a benefit of TC-5619 for negative or cognitive symptoms in schizophrenia. PMID:26071208

A randomized pilot study of MOtiVation and Enhancement training (MOVE) for negative symptoms in schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Velligan, Dawn I.; Roberts, David; Mintz, Jim; Maples, Natalie; Li, Xueying; Medellin, Elisa; Brown, Matt

2015-01-01

Introduction Among individuals with schizophrenia, those who have persistent and clinically significant negative symptoms (PNS) have the poorest functional outcomes and quality of life. The NIMH-MATRICS Consensus Statement indicated that these symptoms represent an unmet therapeutic need for large numbers of individuals with schizophrenia. No psychosocial treatment model addresses the entire constellation of PNS. Method 51 patients with PNS were randomized into one of two groups for a period of 9 months: 1) MOtiVation and Engagement (MOVE) or 2) Treatment as usual. MOVE is a home based, manual-driven, multi-modal treatment that employs a number of cognitive and behavioral principles to address the broad range of factors contributing to PNS and their functional consequences. Components of MOVE include: Environmental supports to prompt initiation and persistence, in-vivo skills training to ameliorate deficits and encourage interaction, cognitive behavioral techniques to address self-defeating attitudes, in-vivo training in emotional processing to address affective blunting and problems in identifying emotions, and specific techniques to address the deficits in anticipatory pleasure. Patients were assessed at baseline and each 3 months with multiple measures of negative symptoms. Results Repeated measures analyses of variance for mixed models indicated significant Group by Time effects for the Negative Symptom Assessment (NSA; p<.02) and the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS p<.04). Group differences were not significant until 9 months of treatment and were not significant for the Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS). Conclusion Further investigation of a comprehensive treatment for PNS, such as MOVE, is warranted. PMID:25937461

A randomized pilot study of MOtiVation and Enhancement (MOVE) Training for negative symptoms in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Velligan, Dawn I; Roberts, David; Mintz, Jim; Maples, Natalie; Li, Xueying; Medellin, Elisa; Brown, Matt

2015-07-01

Among individuals with schizophrenia, those who have persistent and clinically significant negative symptoms (PNS) have the poorest functional outcomes and quality of life. The NIMH-MATRICS Consensus Statement indicated that these symptoms represent an unmet therapeutic need for large numbers of individuals with schizophrenia. No psychosocial treatment model addresses the entire constellation of PNS. 51 patients with PNS were randomized into one of two groups for a period of 9 months: 1) MOtiVation and Enhancement (MOVE) or 2) treatment as usual. MOVE is a home based, manual-driven, multi-modal treatment that employs a number of cognitive and behavioral principles to address the broad range of factors contributing to PNS and their functional consequences. The components of MOVE include: Environmental supports to prompt initiation and persistence, in-vivo skills training to ameliorate deficits and encourage interaction, cognitive behavioral techniques to address self-defeating attitudes, in-vivo training in emotional processing to address affective blunting and problems in identifying emotions, and specific techniques to address the deficits in anticipatory pleasure. Patients were assessed at baseline and each 3 months with multiple measures of negative symptoms. Repeated measures analyses of variance for mixed models indicated significant Group by Time effects for the Negative Symptom Assessment (NSA; p<.02) and the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS; p<.04). Group differences were not significant until 9 months of treatment and were not significant for the Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS). Further investigation of a comprehensive treatment for PNS, such as MOVE, is warranted. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The Development of a Scale To Measure Negative Affectivity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stokes, Joseph; Levin, Ira

Negative affectivity (NA) has been defined as a stable and pervasive individual difference characterized by a disposition to experience aversive emotional states (D. Watson and L. A. Clark, 1984). A brief self-report scale was developed to assess NA. The initial 28-item scale (which included seven items each representing nervousness/calmness,…

Beyond Grades in Online Learning: Adaptive Profiles of Academic Self-Regulation among Naval Academy Undergraduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Artino, Anthony R., Jr.; Stephens, Jason M.

2009-01-01

This study examined students' motivational beliefs, negative achievement emotions, and several measures of academic success in an online course. Naval Academy undergraduates (N = 481) completed a survey that assessed their motivational beliefs (self-efficacy and task value); negative achievement emotions (boredom and frustration); and a collection…

Cross-sectional and prospective associations between cognitive appraisals and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms following stroke.

PubMed

Field, Emma Louise; Norman, Paul; Barton, Jane

2008-01-01

This study examined cross-sectional and prospective associations between cognitive appraisals and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms following stroke. While in hospital, stroke patients (n=81) completed questionnaires assessing cognitive appraisals (i.e., negative cognitions about the self, negative cognitions about the world, and self-blame) and PTSD symptoms. PTSD symptoms were assessed again 3 months later when all patients had been discharged from hospital (n=70). Significant correlations were found between the time 1 measures of negative cognitions about the self and the world, but not self-blame, and the severity of PTSD symptoms measured at time 1 and at time 2. Regression analyses revealed that cognitive appraisals explained a significant amount of variance in the severity of PTSD symptoms at time 1, with negative cognitions about the self-emerging as a significant predictor. In contrast, time 1 cognitive appraisals were unable to explain additional variance in time 2 PTSD severity over and above that explained by time 1 PTSD severity. The findings therefore provide only weak support for Ehlers and Clark's cognitive model of PTSD.

Toward an objective measure of functional disability in dysferlinopathy.

PubMed

Woudt, Lisanne; Di Capua, Gabriella A; Krahn, Martin; Castiglioni, Claudia; Hughes, Ricardo; Campero, Mario; Trangulao, Alejandra; González-Hormazábal, Patricio; Godoy-Herrera, Raúl; Lévy, Nicolas; Urtizberea, Jon Andoni; Jara, Lilian; Bevilacqua, Jorge A

2016-01-01

Understanding the natural history of dysferlinopathy is essential to design and quantify novel therapeutic protocols. Our aim in this study was to assess, clinically and functionally, a cohort of patients with dysferlinopathy, using validated scales. Thirty-one patients with genetically confirmed dysferlinopathy were assessed using the motor function measure (MFM), Modified Rankin Scale (MRS), Muscle Research Council (MRC) scale, serum creatine kinase (CK) assessment, baseline spirometry data, and echocardiographic and electrophysiologic studies. MFM and MRC scores showed a significant negative correlation with disease duration and inverse correlation with MRS, but not with onset age, clinical phenotype, or CK levels. Percent forced vital capacity (%FVC) correlated negatively with disease duration and onset age. Eight known pathogenic mutations were identified recurrently, 4 of which accounted for 79% of the total. The results suggest that MFM is a reliable outcome measure that may be useful for longitudinal follow-up in dysferlinopathy. Recurrent mutations suggest a founder effect in the Chilean population. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Association of enjoyable leisure activities with psychological and physical well-being.

PubMed

Pressman, Sarah D; Matthews, Karen A; Cohen, Sheldon; Martire, Lynn M; Scheier, Michael; Baum, Andrew; Schulz, Richard

2009-09-01

To examine whether engaging in multiple enjoyable activities was associated with better psychological and physiological functioning. Few studies have examined the health benefits of the enjoyable activities that individuals participate in voluntarily in their free time. Participants from four different studies (n = 1399 total, 74% female, age = 19-89 years) completed a self-report measure (Pittsburgh Enjoyable Activities Test (PEAT)) assessing their participation in ten different types of leisure activities as well as measures assessing positive and negative psychosocial states. Resting blood pressure, cortisol (over 2 days), body mass index, waist circumference, and perceived physiological functioning were assessed. Higher PEAT scores were associated with lower blood pressure, total cortisol, waist circumference, and body mass index, and perceptions of better physical function. These associations withstood controlling for demographic measures. The PEAT was correlated with higher levels of positive psychosocial states and lower levels of depression and negative affect. Enjoyable leisure activities, taken in the aggregate, are associated with psychosocial and physical measures relevant for health and well-being. Future studies should determine the extent that these behaviors in the aggregate are useful predictors of disease and other health outcomes.

Implicit and explicit measures of sexual orientation attitudes: in group preferences and related behaviors and beliefs among gay and straight men.

PubMed

Jellison, William A; McConnell, Allen R; Gabriel, Shira

2004-05-01

The relations among implicit and explicit measures of sexual orientation attitudes and sexual-orientation-related behavior and beliefs among gay men (Study 1) and straight men (Studies 1 and 2) were explored. Study 1 found relations between implicit and explicit measures of sexual orientation attitudes, large differences between gay and straight men on both implicit and explicit measures, and that these measures predicted sexual-orientation-related behaviors among gay men. Also, only straight men exhibited a negative relation between their attitudes toward homosexuality and heterosexuality. Study 2 found that as straight men held more negative attitudes toward homosexuality, they more strongly endorsed the importance of heterosexual identity and of traditional masculine gender roles. These endorsements mediated the negative relation between their attitudes toward heterosexuality and homosexuality. Implications for assessing attitudes toward sexual orientation and their relations for sexual orientation identity are discussed.

Modeling Deficits From Early Auditory Information Processing to Psychosocial Functioning in Schizophrenia.

PubMed

Thomas, Michael L; Green, Michael F; Hellemann, Gerhard; Sugar, Catherine A; Tarasenko, Melissa; Calkins, Monica E; Greenwood, Tiffany A; Gur, Raquel E; Gur, Ruben C; Lazzeroni, Laura C; Nuechterlein, Keith H; Radant, Allen D; Seidman, Larry J; Shiluk, Alexandra L; Siever, Larry J; Silverman, Jeremy M; Sprock, Joyce; Stone, William S; Swerdlow, Neal R; Tsuang, Debby W; Tsuang, Ming T; Turetsky, Bruce I; Braff, David L; Light, Gregory A

2017-01-01

Neurophysiologic measures of early auditory information processing (EAP) are used as endophenotypes in genomic studies and biomarkers in clinical intervention studies. Research in schizophrenia has established correlations among measures of EAP, cognition, clinical symptoms, and functional outcome. Clarifying these associations by determining the pathways through which deficits in EAP affect functioning would suggest when and where to therapeutically intervene. To characterize the pathways from EAP to outcome and to estimate the extent to which enhancement of basic information processing might improve cognition and psychosocial functioning in schizophrenia. Cross-sectional data were analyzed using structural equation modeling to examine the associations among EAP, cognition, negative symptoms, and functional outcome. Participants were recruited from the community at 5 geographically distributed laboratories as part of the Consortium on the Genetics of Schizophrenia 2 from July 1, 2010, through January 31, 2014. This well-characterized cohort of 1415 patients with schizophrenia underwent EAP, cognitive, and thorough clinical and functional assessment. Mismatch negativity, P3a, and reorienting negativity were used to measure EAP. Cognition was measured by the Letter Number Span test and scales from the California Verbal Learning Test-Second Edition, the Wechsler Memory Scale-Third Edition, and the Penn Computerized Neurocognitive Battery. Negative symptoms were measured by the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms. Functional outcome was measured by the Role Functioning Scale. Participants included 1415 unrelated outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (mean [SD] age, 46 [11] years; 979 males [69.2%] and 619 white [43.7%]). Early auditory information processing had a direct effect on cognition (β = 0.37, P < .001), cognition had a direct effect on negative symptoms (β = -0.16, P < .001), and both cognition (β = 0.26, P < .001) and experiential negative symptoms (β = -0.75, P < .001) had direct effects on functional outcome. The indirect effect of EAP on functional outcome was significant as well (β = 0.14, P < .001). Overall, EAP had a fully mediated effect on functional outcome, engaging general rather than modality-specific cognition, with separate pathways that involved or bypassed negative symptoms. The data support a model in which EAP deficits lead to poor functional outcome via impaired cognition and increased negative symptoms. Results can be used to help guide mechanistically informed, personalized treatments and support the strategy of using EAP measures as surrogate end points in early-stage procognitive intervention studies.

Psychological, autonomic, and serotonergic correlates of parasuicide among adolescent girls.

PubMed

Crowell, Sheila E; Beauchaine, Theodore P; McCauley, Elizabeth; Smith, Cindy J; Stevens, Adrianne L; Sylvers, Patrick

2005-01-01

Although parasuicidal behavior in adolescence is poorly understood, evidence suggests that it may be a developmental precursor of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Current theories of both parasuicide and BPD suggest that emotion dysregulation is the primary precipitant of self-injury, which serves to dampen overwhelmingly negative affect. To date, however, no studies have assessed endophenotypic markers of emotional responding among parasuicidal adolescents. In the present study, we compare parasuicidal adolescent girls (n=23) with age-matched controls (n=23) on both psychological and physiological measures of emotion regulation and psychopathology. Adolescents, parents, and teachers completed questionnaires assessing internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, substance use, trait affectivity, and histories of parasuicide. Psychophysiological measures including electrodermal responding (EDR), respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and cardiac pre-ejection period (PEP) were collected at baseline, during negative mood induction, and during recovery. Compared with controls, parasuicidal adolescents exhibited reduced respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) at baseline, greater RSA reactivity during negative mood induction, and attenuated peripheral serotonin levels. No between-group differences on measures of PEP or EDR were found. These results lend further support to theories of emotion dysregulation and impulsivity in parasuicidal teenage girls.

Idiographic measurement of depressive thinking: development and preliminary validation of the Sentence Completion Test for Chronic Pain (SCP).

PubMed

Rusu, Adina C; Hallner, Dirk

2018-06-06

Depression is a common feature of chronic pain, but there is only limited research into the content and frequency of depressed cognitions in pain patients. This study describes the development of the Sentence Completion Test for Chronic Pain (SCP), an idiographic measure for assessing depressive thinking in chronic pain patients. The sentence completion task requires participants to finish incomplete sentences using their own words to a set of predefined stems that include negative, positive and neutral valenced self-referenced words. In addition, the stems include past, future and world stems, which reflect the theoretical negative triad typical to depression. Complete responses are coded by valence (negative, positive and neutral), pain and health-related content. A total of 89 participants were included in this study. Forty seven adult out-patients formed the depressed pain group and were compared to a non-clinical control sample of 42 healthy control participants. This study comprised several phases: (1) theory-driven generation of coding rules; (2) the development of a coding manual by a panel of experts (3) comparing reliability of coding by expert raters without the use of the coding manual and with the use of the coding manual; (4) preliminary analyses of the construct validity of the SCP. The internal consistency of the SCP was tested using the Kuder-Richardson coefficient (KR-20). Inter-rater agreement was assessed by intra-class correlations (ICC). The content and construct validity of the SCP was investigated by correlation coefficients between SCP negative completions, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) depression scores and the number of symptoms on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR (SCID). As predicted for content validity, the number of SCP negative statements was significantly greater in the depressed pain group and this group also produced significantly fewer positive statements, compared to the healthy control group. The number of negative pain completions and negative health completions was significantly greater in the depressed pain group. As expected, in the depressed pain group, the correlation between SCP negatives and the HADS Depression score was r=0.60 and the correlation between SCP negatives and the number of symptoms on the SCID was r=0.56. The SCP demonstrated good content validity, internal consistency and inter-rater reliability. Uses for this measure, such as complementing questionnaire measures by an idiographic assessment of depressive thinking and generating hypotheses about key problems within a cognitive-behavioural case-formulation, are suggested.

Validation and psychometric properties of the Alcohol Positive and Negative Affect Schedule: Are drinking emotions distinct from general emotions?

PubMed

Lac, Andrew; Donaldson, Candice D

2018-02-01

People vary in experiences of positive and negative emotions from consuming alcohol, but no validated measurement instrument exclusively devoted to assessing drinking emotions exists in the literature. The current research validated and evaluated the psychometric properties of an alcohol affect scale based on adjectives from the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and tested the extent that emotions incurred from drinking were distinct from general trait-based emotions. Three studies tested independent samples of adult alcohol users. In Study 1 (N = 494), exploratory factor analyses of the Alcohol PANAS revealed that both the 20-item model and the 9-parcel model (represented by similar mood content) supported the 2-factor dimensionality of alcohol positive and negative affect. In Study 2 (N = 302), confirmatory factor analyses corroborated the measurement structure of alcohol positive and negative affect, and both constructs evidenced statistical independence from general positive and negative affect. In Study 3 (N = 452), alcohol positive and negative affect exhibited discriminant, convergent, and criterion validity with established alcohol scales. Incremental validity tests demonstrated that alcohol positive and negative affect uniquely contributed (beyond general positive and negative affect) to alcohol expectancies, use, and problems. Findings support that alcohol emotions are conceptually distinct from trait emotions, and underscore the necessity of an assessment instrument tailored to the former to examine associations with alcohol beliefs and behaviors. The Alcohol PANAS confers theoretical and practical applications to understand the emotional consequences of drinking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Social anxiety and fear of negative evaluation: construct validity of the BFNE-II.

PubMed

Carleton, R Nicholas; Collimore, Kelsey C; Asmundson, Gordon J G

2007-01-01

The Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale [BFNE; Leary, M. R. (1983). A brief version of the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 9, 371-375] is a self-report measure designed to assess fear of negative evaluation, a characteristic feature of social anxiety disorders [Rapee, R. M., & Heimberg, R. G. (1997). A cognitive-behavioral model of anxiety in social phobia. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 35, 741-756]. Recent psychometric assessments have suggested that a 2-factor model is most appropriate, with the first factor comprising the straightforwardly worded items and the second factor comprising the reverse-worded items [Carleton, R. N., McCreary, D., Norton, P. J., & Asmundson, G. J. G. (in press-a). The Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale, Revised. Depression & Anxiety; Rodebaugh, T. L., Woods, C. M., Thissen, D. M., Heimberg, R. G., Chambless, D. L., & Rapee, R. M. (2004). More information from fewer questions: the factor structure and item properties of the original and brief fear of negative evaluation scale. Psychological Assessment, 2, 169-181; Weeks, J. W., Heimberg, R. G., Fresco, D. M., Hart, T. A., Turk, C. L., Schneier, F. R., et al. (2005). Empirical validation and psychometric evaluation of the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale in patients with social anxiety disorder. Psychological Assessment, 17, 179-190]. Some researchers recommend the reverse-worded items be removed from scoring [e.g., Rodebaugh, T. L., Woods, C. M., Thissen, D. M., Heimberg, R. G., Chambless, D. L., & Rapee, R. M. (2004). More information from fewer questions: the factor structure and item properties of the original and brief fear of negative evaluation scale. Psychological Assessment, 2, 169-181; Weeks, J. W., Heimberg, R. G., Fresco, D. M., Hart, T. A., Turk, C. L., Schneier, F. R., et al. (2005). Empirical validation and psychometric evaluation of the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale in patients with social anxiety disorder. Psychological Assessment, 17, 179-190]; however [Carleton, R. N., McCreary, D., Norton, P. J., & Asmundson, G. J. G. (in press-a). The Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale, Revised. Depression & Anxiety; Collins, K. A., Westra, H. A., Dozois, D. J. A., & Stewart, S. H. (2005). The validity of the brief version of the fear of negative evaluation scale. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 19, 345-359] recommend that these items be reworded to maintain scale sensitivity. The present study examined the reliability and validity of the BFNE-II, a version of the BFNE evaluating revisions of the reverse-worded items in a community sample. A unitary model of the BFNE-II resulted in excellent confirmatory factor analysis fit indices. Moderate convergent and discriminant validity were found when BFNE-II items were correlated with additional independent measures of social anxiety [i.e., Social Interaction Anxiety & Social Phobia Scales; Mattick, R. P., & Clarke, J. C. (1998). Development and validation of measures of social phobia scrutiny fear and social interaction anxiety. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36, 455-470], and fear [i.e., Anxiety Sensitivity Index; Reiss, S., & McNally, R. J. (1985). The expectancy model of fear. In S. Reiss, R. R. Bootzin (Eds.), Theoretical issues in behaviour therapy (pp. 107--121). New York: Academic Press. and the Illness/Injury Sensitivity Index; Carleton, R. N., Park, I., & Asmundson, G. J. G. (in press-b). The Illness/Injury Sensitivity Index: an examination of construct validity. Depression & Anxiety). These findings support the utility of the revised items and the validity of the BFNE-II as a measure of the fear of negative evaluation. Implications and future research directions are discussed.

Self-Criticism: A Measure of Uncompassionate Behaviors Toward the Self, Based on the Negative Components of the Self-Compassion Scale.

PubMed

Montero-Marín, Jesús; Gaete, Jorge; Demarzo, Marcelo; Rodero, Baltasar; Lopez, Luiz C Serrano; García-Campayo, Javier

2016-01-01

The use of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) as a single measure has been pointed out as problematic by many authors and its originally proposed structure has repeatedly been called into question. The negative facets of this construct are more strongly related to psychopathology than the positive indicators. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the different structures proposed for the SCS, including a new measure based only on the negative factors, and to assess the psychometric features of the more plausible solution. The study employed a cross-sectional and cross-cultural design. A sample of Brazilian (n = 406) and Spanish (n = 416) primary care professionals completed the SCS, and other questionnaires to measure psychological health-related variables. The SCS factor structure was estimated using confirmatory factor analysis by the maximum likelihood method. Internal consistency was assessed by squaring the correlation between the latent true variable and the observed variables. The relationships between the SCS and other constructs were analyzed using Spearman's r s . The structure with the best fit was comprised of the three negative first-order factors of "self-judgment", "isolation" and "over-identification", and one negative second-order factor, which has been named "self-criticism" [CFI = 0.92; RMSEA = 0.06 (90% CI = 0.05-0.07); SRMR = 0.05]. This solution was supported by both samples, presented partial metric invariance [CFI = 0.91; RMSEA = 0.06 (90% CI = 0.05-0.06); SRMR = 0.06], and showed significant correlations with other health-related psychological constructs. Reliability was adequate for all the dimensions (R ≥ 0.70). The original structure proposed for the SCS was not supported by the data. Self-criticism, comprising only the negative SCS factors, might be a measure of uncompassionate behaviors toward the self, with good psychometric properties and practical implications from a clinical point of view, reaching a stable structure and overcoming possible methodological artifacts.

The selective glycine uptake inhibitor org 25935 as an adjunctive treatment to atypical antipsychotics in predominant persistent negative symptoms of schizophrenia: results from the GIANT trial.

PubMed

Schoemaker, Joep H; Jansen, Wim T; Schipper, Jacques; Szegedi, Armin

2014-04-01

Using a selective glycine uptake inhibitor as adjunctive to second-generation antipsychotic (SGA) was hypothesized to ameliorate negative and/or cognitive symptoms in subjects with schizophrenia. Subjects with predominant persistent negative symptoms (previously stabilized ≥3 months on an SGA) were enrolled in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial to investigate adjunctive treatment with Org 25935, a selective inhibitor of type 1 glycine transporter, over 12 weeks in a flexible dose design. Org 25935 was tested at 4 to 8 mg twice daily and 12 to 16 mg twice daily versus placebo. Primary efficacy outcome was mean change from baseline in Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms composite score. Secondary efficacy end points were Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale total and subscale scores, depressive symptoms (Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia), global functioning (Global Assessment of Functioning scale), and cognitive measures using a computerized battery (Central Nervous System Vital Signs). Responder rates were assessed post hoc. A total of 215 subjects were randomized, of which 187 (87%) completed the trial. Both dose groups of Org 25935 did not differ significantly from placebo on Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (total or subscale scores), Global Assessment of Functioning, or the majority of tested cognitive domains. Org 25935 was generally well tolerated within the tested dose range, with no meaningful effects on extrapyramidal symptoms and some reports of reversible visual adverse effects. Org 25935 did not differ significantly from placebo in reducing negative symptoms or improving cognitive functioning when administered as adjunctive treatment to SGA. In our study population, Org 25935 appeared to be well tolerated in the tested dose ranges.

Validation of the Cannabis Expectancy Questionnaire (CEQ) in adult cannabis users in treatment.

PubMed

Connor, Jason P; Gullo, Matthew J; Feeney, Gerald F X; Young, Ross McD

2011-06-01

Outcome expectancies are a key cognitive construct in the etiology, assessment and treatment of Substance Use Disorders. There is a research and clinical need for a cannabis expectancy measure validated in a clinical sample of cannabis users. The Cannabis Expectancy Questionnaire (CEQ) was subjected to exploratory (n=501, mean age 27.45, 78% male) and confirmatory (n=505, mean age 27.69, 78% male) factor analysis in two separate samples of cannabis users attending an outpatient cannabis treatment program. Weekly cannabis consumption was clinically assessed and patients completed the Severity of Dependence Scale-Cannabis (SDS-C) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). Two factors representing Negative Cannabis Expectancies and Positive Cannabis Expectancies were identified. These provided a robust statistical and conceptual fit for the data. Internal reliabilities were high. Negative expectancies were associated with greater dependence severity (as measured by the SDS) and positive expectancies with higher consumption. The interaction of positive and negative expectancies was consistently significantly associated with self-reported functioning across all four GHQ-28 scales (Somatic Concerns, Anxiety, Social Dysfunction and Depression). Specifically, within the context of high positive cannabis expectancy, higher negative expectancy was predictive of more impaired functioning. By contrast, within the context of low positive cannabis expectancy, higher negative expectancy was predictive of better functioning. The CEQ is the first cannabis expectancy measure to be validated in a sample of cannabis users in treatment. Negative and positive cannabis expectancy domains were uniquely associated with consumption, dependence severity and self-reported mental health functioning. Crown Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prospective in-patient cohort study of moves between levels of therapeutic security: the DUNDRUM-1 triage security, DUNDRUM-3 programme completion and DUNDRUM-4 recovery scales and the HCR-20.

PubMed

Davoren, Mary; O'Dwyer, Sarah; Abidin, Zareena; Naughton, Leena; Gibbons, Olivia; Doyle, Elaine; McDonnell, Kim; Monks, Stephen; Kennedy, Harry G

2012-07-13

We examined whether new structured professional judgment instruments for assessing need for therapeutic security, treatment completion and recovery in forensic settings were related to moves from higher to lower levels of therapeutic security and added anything to assessment of risk. This was a prospective naturalistic twelve month observational study of a cohort of patients in a forensic hospital placed according to their need for therapeutic security along a pathway of moves from high to progressively less secure units in preparation for discharge. Patients were assessed using the DUNDRUM-1 triage security scale, the DUNDRUM-3 programme completion scale and the DUNDRUM-4 recovery scale and assessments of risk of violence, self harm and suicide, symptom severity and global function. Patients were subsequently observed for positive moves to less secure units and negative moves to more secure units. There were 86 male patients at baseline with mean follow-up 0.9 years, 11 positive and 9 negative moves. For positive moves, logistic regression indicated that along with location at baseline, the DUNDRUM-1, HCR-20 dynamic and PANSS general symptom scores were associated with subsequent positive moves. The receiver operating characteristic was significant for the DUNDRUM-1 while ANOVA co-varying for both location at baseline and HCR-20 dynamic score was significant for DUNDRUM-1. For negative moves, logistic regression showed DUNDRUM-1 and HCR-20 dynamic scores were associated with subsequent negative moves, along with DUNDRUM-3 and PANSS negative symptoms in some models. The receiver operating characteristic was significant for the DUNDRUM-4 recovery and HCR-20 dynamic scores with DUNDRUM-1, DUNDRUM-3, PANSS general and GAF marginal. ANOVA co-varying for both location at baseline and HCR-20 dynamic scores showed only DUNDRUM-1 and PANSS negative symptoms associated with subsequent negative moves. Clinicians appear to decide moves based on combinations of current and imminent (dynamic) risk measured by HCR-20 dynamic score and historical seriousness of risk as measured by need for therapeutic security (DUNDRUM-1) in keeping with Scott's formulation of risk and seriousness. The DUNDRUM-3 programme completion and DUNDRUM-4 recovery scales have utility as dynamic measures that can off-set perceived 'dangerousness'.

Prospective in-patient cohort study of moves between levels of therapeutic security: the DUNDRUM-1 triage security, DUNDRUM-3 programme completion and DUNDRUM-4 recovery scales and the HCR-20

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background We examined whether new structured professional judgment instruments for assessing need for therapeutic security, treatment completion and recovery in forensic settings were related to moves from higher to lower levels of therapeutic security and added anything to assessment of risk. Methods This was a prospective naturalistic twelve month observational study of a cohort of patients in a forensic hospital placed according to their need for therapeutic security along a pathway of moves from high to progressively less secure units in preparation for discharge. Patients were assessed using the DUNDRUM-1 triage security scale, the DUNDRUM-3 programme completion scale and the DUNDRUM-4 recovery scale and assessments of risk of violence, self harm and suicide, symptom severity and global function. Patients were subsequently observed for positive moves to less secure units and negative moves to more secure units. Results There were 86 male patients at baseline with mean follow-up 0.9 years, 11 positive and 9 negative moves. For positive moves, logistic regression indicated that along with location at baseline, the DUNDRUM-1, HCR-20 dynamic and PANSS general symptom scores were associated with subsequent positive moves. The receiver operating characteristic was significant for the DUNDRUM-1 while ANOVA co-varying for both location at baseline and HCR-20 dynamic score was significant for DUNDRUM-1. For negative moves, logistic regression showed DUNDRUM-1 and HCR-20 dynamic scores were associated with subsequent negative moves, along with DUNDRUM-3 and PANSS negative symptoms in some models. The receiver operating characteristic was significant for the DUNDRUM-4 recovery and HCR-20 dynamic scores with DUNDRUM-1, DUNDRUM-3, PANSS general and GAF marginal. ANOVA co-varying for both location at baseline and HCR-20 dynamic scores showed only DUNDRUM-1 and PANSS negative symptoms associated with subsequent negative moves. Conclusions Clinicians appear to decide moves based on combinations of current and imminent (dynamic) risk measured by HCR-20 dynamic score and historical seriousness of risk as measured by need for therapeutic security (DUNDRUM-1) in keeping with Scott's formulation of risk and seriousness. The DUNDRUM-3 programme completion and DUNDRUM-4 recovery scales have utility as dynamic measures that can off-set perceived 'dangerousness'. PMID:22794187

Adolescent internalizing symptoms and negative life events: the sensitizing effects of earlier life stress and cortisol.

PubMed

Ruttle, Paula L; Armstrong, Jeffrey M; Klein, Marjorie H; Essex, Marilyn J

2014-11-01

Although adolescence is marked by increased negative life events and internalizing problems, few studies investigate this association as an ongoing longitudinal process. Moreover, while there are considerable individual differences in the degree to which these phenomena are linked, little is known about the origins of these differences. The present study examines early life stress (ELS) exposure and early-adolescent longitudinal afternoon cortisol level as predictors of the covariation between internalizing symptoms and negative life events across high school. ELS was assessed by maternal report during infancy, and the measure of cortisol was derived from assessments at ages 11, 13, and 15 years. Life events and internalizing symptoms were assessed at ages 15, 17, and 18 years. A two-level hierarchical linear model revealed that ELS and cortisol were independent predictors of the covariation of internalizing symptoms and negative life events. Compared to those with lower levels of ELS, ELS-exposed adolescents displayed tighter covariation between internalizing symptoms and negative life events. Adolescents with lower longitudinal afternoon cortisol displayed tighter covariation between negative life events and internalizing symptoms, while those with higher cortisol demonstrated weaker covariation, partially due to increased levels of internalizing symptoms when faced with fewer negative life events.

Ecological momentary assessment of stressful events and negative affect in bulimia nervosa.

PubMed

Goldschmidt, Andrea B; Wonderlich, Stephen A; Crosby, Ross D; Engel, Scott G; Lavender, Jason M; Peterson, Carol B; Crow, Scott J; Cao, Li; Mitchell, James E

2014-02-01

Negative affect precedes binge eating and purging in bulimia nervosa (BN), but little is known about factors that precipitate negative affect in relation to these behaviors. We aimed to assess the temporal relation among stressful events, negative affect, and bulimic events in the natural environment using ecological momentary assessment. A total of 133 women with current BN recorded their mood, eating behavior, and the occurrence of stressful events every day for 2 weeks. Multilevel structural equation mediation models evaluated the relations among Time 1 stress measures (i.e., interpersonal stressors, work/environment stressors, general daily hassles, and stress appraisal), Time 2 negative affect, and Time 2 binge eating and purging, controlling for Time 1 negative affect. Increases in negative affect from Time 1 to Time 2 significantly mediated the relations between Time 1 interpersonal stressors, work/environment stressors, general daily hassles, and stress appraisal and Time 2 binge eating and purging. When modeled simultaneously, confidence intervals for interpersonal stressors, general daily hassles, and stress appraisal did not overlap, suggesting that each had a distinct impact on negative affect in relation to binge eating and purging. Our findings indicate that stress precedes the occurrence of bulimic behaviors and that increases in negative affect following stressful events mediate this relation. Results suggest that stress and subsequent negative affect may function as maintenance factors for bulimic behaviors and should be targeted in treatment. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Ecological momentary assessment of stressful events and negative affect in bulimia nervosa

PubMed Central

Goldschmidt, Andrea B.; Wonderlich, Stephen A.; Crosby, Ross D.; Engel, Scott G.; Lavender, Jason M.; Peterson, Carol B.; Crow, Scott J.; Cao, Li; Mitchell, James E.

2014-01-01

Objective Negative affect precedes binge eating and purging in bulimia nervosa (BN), but little is known about factors that precipitate negative affect in relation to these behaviors. We aimed to assess the temporal relation among stressful events, negative affect, and bulimic events in the natural environment using ecological momentary assessment. Method A total of 133 women with current BN recorded their mood, eating behavior, and the occurrence of stressful events every day for two weeks. Multi-level structural equation mediation models evaluated the relations among Time 1 stress measures (i.e., interpersonal stressors, work/environment stressors, general daily hassles, and stress appraisal), Time 2 negative affect, and Time 2 binge eating and purging, controlling for Time 1 negative affect. Results Increases in negative affect from Time 1 to Time 2 significantly mediated the relations between Time 1 interpersonal stressors, work/environment stressors, general daily hassles, and stress appraisal, and Time 2 binge eating and purging. When modeled simultaneously, confidence intervals for interpersonal stressors, general daily hassles, and stress appraisal did not overlap, suggesting that each had a distinct impact on negative affect in relation to binge eating or purging. Conclusions Our findings indicate that stress precedes the occurrence of bulimic behaviors and that increases in negative affect following stressful events mediate this relation. Results suggest that stress and subsequent negative affect may function as maintenance factors for bulimic behaviors and should be targeted in treatment. PMID:24219182

Spanish validation of the Negative Symptom Assessment-16 (NSA-16) in patients with schizophrenia.

PubMed

Garcia-Alvarez, Leticia; Garcia-Portilla, María Paz; Saiz, Pilar Alejandra; Fonseca-Pedrero, Eduardo; Bobes-Bascaran, María Teresa; Gomar, Jesús; Muñiz, José; Bobes, Julio

2018-04-05

Negative symptoms are prevalent in schizophrenia and associated with a poorer outcome. Validated newer psychometric instruments could contribute to better assessment and improved treatment of negative symptoms. The Negative Symptom Assessment-16 (NSA-16) has been shown to have strong psychometric properties, but there is a need for validation in non-English languages. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of a Spanish version of the NSA-16 (Sp-NSA-16). Observational, cross-sectional validation study in a sample of 123 outpatients with schizophrenia. NSA-16, PANSS, HDRS, CGI-SCH and PSP. The results indicate appropriate psychometric properties, high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.86), convergent validity (PANSS negative scale, PANSS Marder Negative Factor and CGI-negative symptoms r values between 0.81 and 0.94) and divergent validity (PANSS positive scale and the HDRS r values between 0.10 and 0.34). In addition, the NSA-16 also exhibited discriminant validity (ROC curve=0.97, 95% CI=0.94 to 1.00; 94.3% sensitivity and 83.3% specificity). The Sp-NSA-16 is reliable and valid for measuring negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. This provides Spanish clinicians with a new tool for clinical practice and research. However, it is necessary to provide further information about its inter-rater reliability. Copyright © 2018 SEP y SEPB. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Does Negative Mood Influence Self-Report Assessment of Individual and Relational Measures? An Experimental Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heene, Els; De Raedt, Rudi; Buysse, Ann; Van Oost, Paulette

2007-01-01

The present study was designed to test the influence of negative mood on the self-report of individual and relational correlates of depression and marital distress. The authors applied a combined experimental mood induction procedure, based on music, autobiographical recall, and environmental manipulation. Results showed that the mood manipulation…

Appraisals of negative events by preadolescent children of divorce.

PubMed

Sheets, V; Sandler, I; West, S G

1996-10-01

This study investigated the appraisals of the significance of negative events made by 256 preadolescent children of divorce. Appraisals were assessed by a 24-item self-report scale. Confirmatory factor analysis of this scale found support for a 3-dimensional model: negative self-appraisal, negative other-appraisal, and material loss. Differentiation between the dimensions of appraisal increased with age in both cross-sectional and over-time data. Evidence for convergent and discriminant validity of the self-report measure of appraisals was found with scores derived from children's open-ended descriptions of their appraisals. Cross-sectional structural equation models found significant paths between negative appraisal and psychological symptoms, over and above the direct effects of the traditional life event measure of stress. Structural equation modeling of longitudinal (5.5 months) data found a significant path from Time 1 appraisal to Time 2 anxiety for the older children.

Identification of and At-Risk Interventions for Pre-Deployment Psychophysiologic Predictors of PostDeployment Mental Health Outcomes

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-01

Bias Assessment Program – Serves as a non-self-report measure of negative cognitive bias. Use of this program will allow researchers to determine...participants who may be at high risk for trauma-related distress because of negative cognitive bias. • Cognitive Bias Training Program – Modification...of negative cognitive bias is the target of the Cognitive Training Program. By learning how to make positive attributions about events, one can

Developing the Pieta House Suicide Intervention Model: a quasi-experimental, repeated measures design.

PubMed

Surgenor, Paul Wg; Freeman, Joan; O'Connor, Cindy

2015-01-01

While most crisis intervention models adhere to a generalised theoretical framework, the lack of clarity around how these should be enacted has resulted in a proliferation of models, most of which have little to no empirical support. The primary aim of this research was to propose a suicide intervention model that would resolve the client's suicidal crisis by decreasing their suicidal ideation and improve their outlook through enhancing a range of protective factors. The secondary aim was to assess the impact of this model on negative and positive outlook. A quasi-experimental, pre-test post-test repeated measures design was employed. A questionnaire assessing self-esteem, depression, and positive and negative suicidal ideation was administered to the same participants pre- and post- therapy facilitating paired responses. Multiple analysis of variance and paired-samples t-tests were conducted to establish whether therapy using the PH-SIM had a significant effect on the clients' negative and positive outlook. Analyses revealed a statistically significant effect of therapy for depression, negative suicidal ideation, self-esteem, and positive suicidal ideation. Negative outlook was significantly lower after therapy and positive outlook significantly higher. The decreased negative outlook and increased positive outlook following therapy provide some support for the proposed model in fulfilling its role, though additional research is required to establish the precise role of the intervention model in achieving this.

Neuroclinical Framework for the Role of Stress in Addiction

PubMed Central

Kwako, Laura E.; Koob, George F.

2017-01-01

Addiction has been conceptualized as a three-stage cycle—binge/intoxication, withdrawal/negative affect, and preoccupation/anticipation—that worsens over time and involves allostatic changes in hedonic function via changes in the brain reward and stress systems. Using the withdrawal/negative affect stage and negative reinforcement as an important source of motivation for compulsive drug seeking, we outline the neurobiology of the stress component of the withdrawal/negative affect stage and relate it to a derivative of the Research Domain Criteria research construct for the study of psychiatric disease, known as the Addictions Neuroclinical Assessment. Using the Addictions Neuroclinical Assessment, we outline five subdomains of negative emotional states that can be operationally measured in human laboratory settings and paralleled by animal models. We hypothesize that a focus on negative emotionality and stress is closely related to the acute neurobiological alterations that are experienced in addiction and may serve as a bridge to a reformulation of the addiction nosology to better capture individual differences in patients for whom the withdrawal/negative affect stage drives compulsive drug taking. PMID:28653044

Negative Urgency, Distress Tolerance, and Substance Abuse Among College Students

PubMed Central

Kaiser, Alison J.; Milich, Richard; Lynam, Donald R.; Charnigo, Richard J.

2012-01-01

Objective Negative affect has been consistently linked with substance use/problems in prior research. The present study sought to build upon these findings by exploring how an individual’s characteristic responding to negative affect impacts substance abuse risk. Trait negative affect was examined in relation to substance abuse outcomes along with two variables tapping into response to negative affect: Distress Tolerance, an individual’s perceived ability to tolerate negative affect, and Negative Urgency, the tendency to act rashly while experiencing distress. Method Participants were 525 first-year college students (48.1% male, 81.1% Caucasian), who completed self-report measures assessing personality traits and alcohol-related problems, and a structured interview assessing past and current substance use. Relations were tested using Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial regression models, and each of the personality variables was tested in a model on its own, and in a model where all three traits were accounted for. Results Negative Urgency emerged as the best predictor, relating to every one of the substance use outcome variables even when trait negative affect and Distress Tolerance were accounted for. Conclusions These findings suggest that Negative Urgency is an important factor to consider in developing prevention and intervention efforts aimed at reducing substance use and problems. PMID:22698894

Do aggressive driving and negative emotional driving mediate the link between impulsiveness and risky driving among young Italian drivers?

PubMed

Smorti, Martina; Guarnieri, Silvia

2016-01-01

The present study examined the contribution of impulsiveness and aggressive and negative emotional driving to the prediction of traffic violations and accidents taking into account potential mediation effects. Three hundred and four young drivers completed self-report measures assessing impulsiveness, aggressive and negative emotional driving, driving violations, and accidents. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the direct and indirect effects of impulsiveness on violations and accidents among young drivers through aggressive and negative emotional driving. Impulsiveness only indirectly influenced drivers' violations on the road via both the behavioral and emotional states of the driver. On the contrary, impulsiveness was neither directly nor indirectly associated with traffic accidents. Therefore, impulsiveness modulates young drivers' behavioral and emotional states while driving, which in turn influences risky driving.

A study investigating the association between compulsive buying with measures of anxiety and obsessive-compulsive behavior among internet shoppers.

PubMed

Weinstein, A; Mezig, Hila; Mizrachi, S; Lejoyeux, M

2015-02-01

Compulsive buying is a chronic, repetitive behavior that becomes a primary response to negative events and feelings. Compulsive buyers are obsessed by buying and their behavior occurs in response to negative emotions and results in a decrease in the intensity of negative emotions. Euphoria or relief from negative emotions is the most common consequence of compulsive buying. A large number of studies have investigated the association between compulsive buying and anxiety, and some studies have used the Spielberger trait-state anxiety inventory. Compulsive buying, state and trait anxiety and general obsessive-compulsive measures were assessed among 120 habitual internet shoppers (2+ times a week, 70 men and 50 women). Results showed that Edwards Compulsive Buying scale measures were associated with Spielberger trait and not state anxiety measures. Spielberger Trait anxiety measures were also correlated with measures of Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive scale (Y-Bocs). Finally, there were no sex differences in this sample. The results of this study support existing evidence for an association between compulsive buying and anxiety and they will be discussed in view of current research on comorbidity of behavioural addiction. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Behavioral observations of positive and negative valence systems in early childhood predict physiological measures of emotional processing three years later.

PubMed

Kessel, Ellen M; Kujawa, Autumn; Goldstein, Brandon; Hajcak, Greg; Bufferd, Sara J; Dyson, Margaret; Klein, Daniel N

2017-07-01

The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) constructs of Positive Valence Systems (PVS) and Negative Valence Systems (NVS) are presumed to manifest behaviorally through early-emerging temperamental negative affectivity (NA) and positive affectivity (PA). The late positive potential (LPP) is a physiological measure of attention towards both negative and positive emotional stimuli; however, its associations with behavioral aspects of PVS and NVS have yet to be examined. In a community sample of children (N = 340), we examined longitudinal relationships between observational measures of temperamental PA and NA assessed at age 6, and the LPP to both pleasant and unpleasant images assessed at age 9. Lower PA at age 6 predicted reduced LPP amplitudes to pleasant, but not unpleasant, images. NA as a composite measure was not related to the LPP, but specific associations were observed with facets of NA: greater fear predicted an enhanced LPP to unpleasant images, whereas greater sadness predicted a reduced LPP to unpleasant images. We were unable to evaluate concurrent associations between behavioral observations of temperament and the LPP, and effect sizes were modest. Results support correspondence between behavioral and physiological measures of emotional processing across development, and provide evidence of discriminant validity in that PA was specifically related to the LPP to pleasant images, while facets of NA were specifically linked to the LPP to unpleasant images. Distinct associations of temperamental sadness and fear with the LPP highlight the importance of further evaluating subconstructs of NVS. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Assessment of Emotional Reactivity Across Negative and Positive Emotions: Development and Validation of the Perth Emotional Reactivity Scale (PERS).

PubMed

Becerra, Rodrigo; Preece, David; Campitelli, Guillermo; Scott-Pillow, Glen

2017-02-01

The Perth Emotional Reactivity Scale (PERS) is a newly developed 30-item self-report measure of emotional reactivity (affective style). The PERS measures the typical ease of activation, intensity, and duration of one's emotional responses, and importantly does so for negative and positive emotions separately. We examined the psychometric properties of the PERS in an adult community sample ( N = 183). Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses supported the capacity of the PERS to measure separate negative and positive reactivity factors, and to distinguish between the activation, intensity, and duration aspects of reactivity. All items of the PERS had strong loadings on their intended factor. Concurrent validity was supported via congruent correlations with other emotion measures, and internal reliability was good to excellent for all PERS scales and subscales. Overall, the PERS appears to have good psychometric properties, and thus has promising utility for research and clinical settings.

Handgrip Strength, Positive Affect, and Perceived Health Are Prospectively Associated with Fewer Functional Limitations among Centenarians

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Franke, Warren D.; Margrett, Jennifer A.; Heinz, Melinda; Martin, Peter

2012-01-01

This study assessed the association between perceived health, fatigue, positive and negative affect, handgrip strength, objectively measured physical activity, body mass index, and self-reported functional limitations, assessed 6 months later, among 11 centenarians (age = 102 plus or minus 1). Activities of daily living, assessed 6 months prior to…

The Brief Core Schema Scales (BCSS): psychometric properties and associations with paranoia and grandiosity in non-clinical and psychosis samples.

PubMed

Fowler, David; Freeman, Daniel; Smith, Ben; Kuipers, Elizabeth; Bebbington, Paul; Bashforth, Hannah; Coker, Sian; Hodgekins, Joanne; Gracie, Alison; Dunn, Graham; Garety, Philippa

2006-06-01

Traditional instruments that measure self-esteem may not relate directly to the schema construct as outlined in recent cognitive models. The Brief Core Schema Scales (BCSS) aim to provide a theoretically coherent self-report assessment of schemata concerning self and others in psychosis. The scales assess four dimensions of self and other evaluation: negative-self, positive-self, negative-other, positive-other. We analysed the psychometric properties of the BCSS using a sample of 754 students recruited by email and 252 people with psychosis recruited as part of a trial of cognitive therapy. We report the internal consistency, stability and the factor structure of the scale, and the association of the BCSS with measures of self-esteem and with symptoms of paranoia and grandiosity. The BCSS have good psychometric properties and have more independence from mood than the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Schedule. People with chronic psychosis reported extreme negative evaluations of both self and others on these scales, but their levels of self-esteem and positive evaluations of self and others were similar to the student sample. Extreme negative evaluations of self and others appear to be characteristic of the appraisals of people with chronic psychosis, and are associated with symptoms of grandiosity and paranoia in the non-clinical population. The BCSS may provide a more useful measure of schemata about self and others than traditional measures of self-esteem.

Trajectories of affective states in adolescent hockey players: turning point and motivational antecedents.

PubMed

Gaudreau, Patrick; Amiot, Catherine E; Vallerand, Robert J

2009-03-01

This study examined longitudinal trajectories of positive and negative affective states with a sample of 265 adolescent elite hockey players followed across 3 measurement points during the 1st 11 weeks of a season. Latent class growth modeling, incorporating a time-varying covariate and a series of predictors assessed at the onset of the season, was used to chart out distinct longitudinal trajectories of affective states. Results provided evidence for 3 trajectories of positive affect and 3 trajectories of negative affect. Two of these trajectories were deflected by team selection, a seasonal turning point occurring after the 1st measurement point. Furthermore, the trajectories of positive and negative affective states were predicted by theoretically driven predictors assessed at the start of the season (i.e., self-determination, need satisfaction, athletic identity, and school identity). These results contribute to a better understanding of the motivational, social, and identity-related processes associated with the distinct affective trajectories of athletes participating in elite sport during adolescence.

Negative Emotions and Suicidal Ideation During Psychosocial Treatments in Older Adults with Major Depression and Cognitive Impairment

PubMed Central

Kiosses, Dimitris N.; Gross, James J.; Banerjee, Samprit; Duberstein, Paul R.; Putrino, David; Alexopoulos, George S.

2017-01-01

Objectives To examine the relationship of negative emotions with suicidal ideation during 12-weeks of Problem Adaptation Therapy (PATH) vs. Supportive Therapy of Cognitively Impaired Older Adults (ST-CI). We hypothesize that: a) improved negative emotions are associated with reduced suicidal ideation; b) PATH improves negative emotions more than ST-CI; and c) improved negative emotions, rather than other depression symptoms, predict reduction in suicidal ideation. Design RCT of two home-delivered psychosocial interventions. Setting Weill-Cornell Institute of Geriatric Psychiatry; interventions and assessments were conducted at participants’ home. Participants 74 older participants (65–95 years old) with MDD and cognitive impairment were recruited in collaboration with community agencies. The sample reported less intense feelings than suicidal intention. Interventions PATH focuses on improving emotion regulation whereas ST-CI focuses on non-specific therapeutic factors, such as understanding and empathy. Measurements Improved negative emotions are measured as improvement in Montgomery Asberg’s Depression Rating Scales’ (MADRS) observer-ratings of sadness, anxiety, guilt, hopelessness and anhedonia. Suicidal ideation was assessed with the MADRS Suicide Item. Results MADRS Negative Emotions scores were significantly associated with suicidal ideation during the course of treatment (F[1, 165]=12.73, p=0.0005). PATH participants had significantly greater improvement in MADRS emotions than ST-CI participants (treatment group by time: F[1,63.2]=7.02, p=0.0102). Finally, improved negative emotions, between lagged and follow-up interview, significantly predicted reduction in suicidal ideation at follow-up interview (F[1, 96]=9.95, p=0.0022). Conclusions Our findings that improvement in negative emotions mediates reduction in suicidal ideation may guide the development of psychosocial interventions for reduction of suicidal ideation. PMID:28223082

Measurement of assertive behavior: construct and predictive validity of self-report, role-playing, and in-vivo measures.

PubMed

Burkhart, B R; Green, S B; Harrison, W H

1979-04-01

Examined the predictive validity and construct equivalence of the three major procedures used to measure assertive behavior: Self-report, behavioral role-playing, and in-vivo assessment. Seventy-five Ss, who spanned the range of assertiveness, completed two self-report measures of assertiveness, the Rathus Assertiveness Scale (RAS) and the College Self-Expression Scale (CSES); two scales from the Endler S-R Inventory of General Trait Anxiousness, the interpersonal and general anxiety scales; eight role-playing situations that involved the expression of positive and negative assertiveness; and a telephone in-vivo task. In general, the study revealed the following: (1) assertiveness measures are task-dependent in that there was more overlap within task than between tasks; (2) there is a moderate degree of correspondence between self-report and role-playing measures, although this was true only for negative assertion; (3) positive and negative assertion do not appear to have the same topography of responding; and (4) there appears to be no consistent relationship between the in-vivo measure and any other type of assertiveness measure.

Central Adiposity is Negatively Associated with Hippocampal-Dependent Relational Memory among Overweight and Obese Children

PubMed Central

Khan, Naiman A.; Baym, Carol L.; Monti, Jim M.; Raine, Lauren B.; Drollette, Eric S.; Scudder, Mark R.; Moore, R. Davis; Kramer, Arthur F.; Hillman, Charles H.; Cohen, Neal J.

2014-01-01

Objective To assess associations between adiposity and hippocampal-dependent and hippocampal-independent memory forms among prepubertal children. Study design Prepubertal children (7–9-year-olds, n = 126), classified as non-overweight (<85th %tile BMI-for-age [n = 73]) or overweight/obese (≥85th %tile BMI-for-age [n = 53]), completed relational (hippocampal-dependent) and item (hippocampal-independent) memory tasks, and performance was assessed with both direct (behavioral accuracy) and indirect (preferential disproportionate viewing [PDV]) measures. Adiposity (%whole body fat mass, subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue, visceral adipose tissue, and total abdominal adipose tissue) was assessed using DXA. Backward regressions identified significant (P <0.05) predictive models of memory performance. Covariates included age, sex, pubertal timing, socioeconomic status, IQ, oxygen consumption (VO2max), and body mass index (BMI) z-score. Results Among overweight/obese children, total abdominal adipose tissue was a significant negative predictor of relational memory behavioral accuracy, and pubertal timing together with socioeconomic status jointly predicted the PDV measure of relational memory. In contrast, among non-overweight children, male sex predicted item memory behavioral accuracy, and a model consisting of socioeconomic status and BMI z-score jointly predicted the PDV measure of relational memory. Conclusions Regional, and not whole body, fat deposition was selectively and negatively associated with hippocampal-dependent relational memory among overweight/obese prepubertal children. PMID:25454939

Central adiposity is negatively associated with hippocampal-dependent relational memory among overweight and obese children.

PubMed

Khan, Naiman A; Baym, Carol L; Monti, Jim M; Raine, Lauren B; Drollette, Eric S; Scudder, Mark R; Moore, R Davis; Kramer, Arthur F; Hillman, Charles H; Cohen, Neal J

2015-02-01

To assess associations between adiposity and hippocampal-dependent and hippocampal-independent memory forms among prepubertal children. Prepubertal children (age 7-9 years; n = 126), classified as non-overweight (<85th percentile body mass index [BMI]-for-age [n = 73]) or overweight/obese (≥85th percentile BMI-for-age [n = 53]), completed relational (hippocampal-dependent) and item (hippocampal-independent) memory tasks. Performance was assessed with both direct (behavioral accuracy) and indirect (preferential disproportionate viewing [PDV]) measures. Adiposity (ie, percent whole-body fat mass, subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue, visceral adipose tissue, and total abdominal adipose tissue) was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Backward regression identified significant (P < .05) predictive models of memory performance. Covariates included age, sex, pubertal timing, socioeconomic status (SES), IQ, oxygen consumption, and BMI z-score. Among overweight/obese children, total abdominal adipose tissue was a significant negative predictor of relational memory behavioral accuracy, and pubertal timing together with SES jointly predicted the PDV measure of relational memory. In contrast, among non-overweight children, male sex predicted item memory behavioral accuracy, and a model consisting of SES and BMI z-score jointly predicted the PDV measure of relational memory. Regional, but not whole-body, fat deposition was selectively and negatively associated with hippocampal-dependent relational memory among overweight/obese prepubertal children. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The power to resist: The relationship between power, stigma, and negative symptoms in schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Campellone, Timothy R.; Caponigro, Janelle M.; Kring, Ann M.

2014-01-01

Stigmatizing beliefs about mental illness can be a daily struggle for people with schizophrenia. While investigations into the impact of internalizing stigma on negative symptoms have yielded mixed results, resistance to stigmatizing beliefs has received little attention. In this study, we examined the linkage between internalized stigma, stigma resistance, negative symptoms, and social power, or perceived ability to influence others during social interactions among people with schizophrenia. Further, we sought to determine whether resistance to stigma would be bolstered by social power, with greater power in relationships with other possibly buffering against motivation/pleasure negative symptoms. Fifty-one people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder completed measures of social power, internalized stigma, and stigma resistance. Negative symptoms were assessed using the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS). Greater social power was associated with less internalized stigma and negative symptoms as well as more stigma resistance. Further, the relationship between social power and negative symptoms was partially mediated by stigma resistance. These findings provide evidence for the role of stigma resistance as a viable target for psychosocial interventions aimed at improving motivation and social power in people with schizophrenia. PMID:24326180

The power to resist: the relationship between power, stigma, and negative symptoms in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Campellone, Timothy R; Caponigro, Janelle M; Kring, Ann M

2014-02-28

Stigmatizing beliefs about mental illness can be a daily struggle for people with schizophrenia. While investigations into the impact of internalizing stigma on negative symptoms have yielded mixed results, resistance to stigmatizing beliefs has received little attention. In this study, we examined the linkage between internalized stigma, stigma resistance, negative symptoms, and social power, or perceived ability to influence others during social interactions among people with schizophrenia. Further, we sought to determine whether resistance to stigma would be bolstered by social power, with greater power in relationships with other possibly buffering against motivation/pleasure negative symptoms. Fifty-one people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder completed measures of social power, internalized stigma, and stigma resistance. Negative symptoms were assessed using the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS). Greater social power was associated with less internalized stigma and negative symptoms as well as more stigma resistance. Further, the relationship between social power and negative symptoms was partially mediated by stigma resistance. These findings provide evidence for the role of stigma resistance as a viable target for psychosocial interventions aimed at improving motivation and social power in people with schizophrenia. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Associations Between Infant Negative Affect and Parent Anxiety Symptoms are Bidirectional: Evidence from Mothers and Fathers

PubMed Central

Brooker, Rebecca J.; Neiderhiser, Jenae M.; Leve, Leslie D.; Shaw, Daniel S.; Scaramella, Laura V.; Reiss, David

2015-01-01

Little is known about child-based effects on parents’ anxiety symptoms early in life despite the possibility that child characteristics may contribute to the quality of the early environment and children’s own long-term risk for psychological disorder. We examined bidirectional effects between parent anxiety symptoms and infant negative affect using a prospective adoption design. Infant negative affect and adoptive parent anxiety symptoms were assessed at child ages 9, 18, and 27 months. Birth parent negative affect was assessed at child age 18 months. More anxiety symptoms in adoptive parents at child age 9 months predicted more negative affect in infants 9 months later. More infant negative affect at child age 9 months predicted more anxiety symptoms in adoptive parents 18 months later. Patterns of results did not differ for adoptive mothers and adoptive fathers. Birth parent negative affect was unrelated to infant or adoptive parent measures. Consistent with expectations, associations between infant negative affect and rearing parents’ anxiety symptoms appear to be bidirectional. In addition to traditional parent-to-child effects, our results suggest that infants’ characteristics may contribute to parent qualities that are known to impact childhood outcomes. PMID:26696939

Research in China on event-related potentials in patients with schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Wang, Jijun; Guo, Qian

2012-01-01

Abstract Event-related potentials (ERPs) are objective electrophysiological indicators that can be used to assess cognitive processes in the human brain. Psychiatric researchers in China have applied this method to study schizophrenia since the early 1980s. ERP measures used in the study of schizophrenia include contingent negative variation (CNV), P300, mismatch negativity (MMN), error-related negativity (ERN) and auditory P50 inhibition. This review summarizes the main findings of ERP research in patients with schizophrenia reported by Chinese investigators. PMID:25324605

Psychological Health and Overweight and Obesity Among High Stressed Work Environments

PubMed Central

Faghri, Pouran D; Mignano, Christina; Huedo- Medina, Tania B; Cherniack, Martin

2016-01-01

Correctional employees are recognized to underreport stress and stress symptoms and are known to have a culture that discourages appearing “weak” and seeking psychiatric help. This study assesses underreporting of stress and emotions. Additionally, it evaluates the relationships between stress and emotions on health behaviors. Correctional employees (n=317) completed physical assessments to measure body mass index (BMI), and surveys to assess perceived stress, emotions, and health behavior (diet, exercise, and sleep quality). Stress and emotion survey items were evaluated for under-reporting via skewness, kurtosis, and visual assessment of histograms. Structural equation modeling evaluated relationships between stress/emotion and health behaviors. Responses to stress and negatively worded emotions were non-normally distributed whereas responses to positively-worded emotions were normally distributed. Emotion predicted diet, exercise, and sleep quality whereas stress predicted only sleep quality. As stress was a poor predictor of health behaviors and responses to stress and negatively worded emotions were non-normally distributed it may suggests correctional employees are under-reporting stress and negative emotions. PMID:27547828

Psychological Health and Overweight and Obesity Among High Stressed Work Environments.

PubMed

Faghri, Pouran D; Mignano, Christina; Huedo-Medina, Tania B; Cherniack, Martin

2015-07-01

Correctional employees are recognized to underreport stress and stress symptoms and are known to have a culture that discourages appearing "weak" and seeking psychiatric help. This study assesses underreporting of stress and emotions. Additionally, it evaluates the relationships between stress and emotions on health behaviors. Correctional employees (n=317) completed physical assessments to measure body mass index (BMI), and surveys to assess perceived stress, emotions, and health behavior (diet, exercise, and sleep quality). Stress and emotion survey items were evaluated for under-reporting via skewness, kurtosis, and visual assessment of histograms. Structural equation modeling evaluated relationships between stress/emotion and health behaviors. Responses to stress and negatively worded emotions were non-normally distributed whereas responses to positively-worded emotions were normally distributed. Emotion predicted diet, exercise, and sleep quality whereas stress predicted only sleep quality. As stress was a poor predictor of health behaviors and responses to stress and negatively worded emotions were non-normally distributed it may suggests correctional employees are under-reporting stress and negative emotions.

Emotion regulation predicts marital satisfaction: more than a wives' tale.

PubMed

Bloch, Lian; Haase, Claudia M; Levenson, Robert W

2014-02-01

Emotion regulation is generally thought to be a critical ingredient for successful interpersonal relationships. Ironically, few studies have investigated the link between how well spouses regulate emotion and how satisfied they are with their marriages. We utilized data from a 13-year, 3-wave longitudinal study of middle-aged (40-50 years old) and older (60-70 years old) long-term married couples, focusing on the associations between downregulation of negative emotion (measured during discussions of an area of marital conflict at Wave 1) and marital satisfaction (measured at all 3 waves). Downregulation of negative emotion was assessed by determining how quickly spouses reduced signs of negative emotion (in emotional experience, emotional behavior, and physiological arousal) after negative emotion events. Data were analyzed using actor-partner interdependence modeling. Findings showed that (a) greater downregulation of wives' negative experience and behavior predicted greater marital satisfaction for wives and husbands concurrently and (b) greater downregulation of wives' negative behavior predicted increases in wives' marital satisfaction longitudinally. Wives' use of constructive communication (measured between Waves 1 and 2) mediated the longitudinal associations. These results show the benefits of wives' downregulation of negative emotion during conflict for marital satisfaction and point to wives' constructive communication as a mediating pathway. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Emotion regulation predicts marital satisfaction: More than a wives’ tale

PubMed Central

Bloch, Lian; Haase, Claudia M.; Levenson, Robert W.

2014-01-01

Emotion regulation is generally thought to be a critical ingredient for successful interpersonal relationships. Ironically, few studies have investigated the link between how well spouses regulate emotion and how satisfied they are with their marriages. We utilized data from a 13-year, 3-wave longitudinal study of middle-aged (40–50 years old) and older (60–70 years old) long-term married couples, focusing on the associations between downregulation of negative emotion (measured during discussions of an area of marital conflict at Wave 1) and marital satisfaction (measured at all three waves). Downregulation of negative emotion was assessed by determining how quickly spouses reduced signs of negative emotion (in emotional experience, emotional behavior, and physiological arousal) after negative emotion events. Data were analyzed using actor-partner interdependence modeling. Findings showed that (a) greater downregulation of wives’ negative experience and behavior predicted greater marital satisfaction for wives and husbands concurrently and (b) greater downregulation of wives’ negative behavior predicted increases in wives’ marital satisfaction longitudinally. Wives’ use of constructive communication (measured between Waves 1 and 2) mediated the longitudinal associations. These results show the benefits of wives’ downregulation of negative emotion during conflict for marital satisfaction and point to wives’ constructive communication as a mediating pathway. PMID:24188061

Components of Negative Affect as Moderators of the Relationship between Early Drinking Onset and Binge-Drinking Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNamara, Robert S.; Swaim, Randall C.; Rosen, Lee A.

2010-01-01

This study examines the moderating effects of negative affect on the relationship between early drinking onset and binge-drinking behavior. Six hundred and thirty-five eleventh- and twelfth-grade students completed the American Drug and Alcohol Survey and reported on a variety of measures, including items assessing anxiety, anger, depression, age…

Performance-based interpretation bias in clinically anxious youths: relationships with attention, anxiety, and negative cognition.

PubMed

Rozenman, Michelle; Amir, Nader; Weersing, V Robin

2014-09-01

This preliminary investigation sought to examine basic interpretive biases, as assessed via performance-based means, in the context of anxious symptomatology, attention, and negative cognition in children and adolescents. At a single assessment, 26 youths diagnosed with primary separation anxiety, social phobia, or generalized anxiety disorder completed performance-based assessments of interpretation and attention. Youths and parents also completed diagnostic interviews and youths completed a measure of negative self-statements. Components of interpretation (threat-valence judgments and speed of responding) were examined, and interpretation was explored as a correlate of youth anxiety, attention bias, and negative self-statements. Results found percentage of negative interpretations endorsed as the strongest predictor of anxiety symptoms; this index was also correlated with attention bias. Slower rejection of benign interpretations was also associated with youth-reported negative self-statements.This initial investigation provides support for a relationship between interpretation bias and anxiety and preliminary evidence for a relationship between attention and interpretation biases. Continued research dismantling the stages of basic cognition within the chain of information processing may provide a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying anxiety disorders in youths and lead to continued development and refinement of cognitive interventions. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Recommendations to improve the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) based on item response theory.

PubMed

Levine, Stephen Z; Rabinowitz, Jonathan; Rizopoulos, Dimitris

2011-08-15

The adequacy of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) items in measuring symptom severity in schizophrenia was examined using Item Response Theory (IRT). Baseline PANSS assessments were analyzed from two multi-center clinical trials of antipsychotic medication in chronic schizophrenia (n=1872). Generally, the results showed that the PANSS (a) item ratings discriminated symptom severity best for the negative symptoms; (b) has an excess of "Severe" and "Extremely severe" rating options; and (c) assessments are more reliable at medium than very low or high levels of symptom severity. Analysis also showed that the detection of statistically and non-statistically significant differences in treatment were highly similar for the original and IRT-modified PANSS. In clinical trials of chronic schizophrenia, the PANSS appears to require the following modifications: fewer rating options, adjustment of 'Lack of judgment and insight', and improved severe symptom assessment. 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Association of Enjoyable Leisure Activities With Psychological and Physical Well-Being

PubMed Central

Pressman, Sarah D.; Matthews, Karen A.; Cohen, Sheldon; Martire, Lynn M.; Scheier, Michael; Baum, Andrew; Schulz, Richard

2010-01-01

Objective To examine whether engaging in multiple enjoyable activities was associated with better psychological and physiological functioning. Few studies have examined the health benefits of the enjoyable activities that individuals participate in voluntarily in their free time. Method Participants from four different studies (n = 1399 total, 74% female, age = 19–89 years) completed a self-report measure (Pittsburgh Enjoyable Activities Test (PEAT)) assessing their participation in ten different types of leisure activities as well as measures assessing positive and negative psychosocial states. Resting blood pressure, cortisol (over 2 days), body mass index, waist circumference, and perceived physiological functioning were assessed. Results Higher PEAT scores were associated with lower blood pressure, total cortisol, waist circumference, and body mass index, and perceptions of better physical function. These associations withstood controlling for demographic measures. The PEAT was correlated with higher levels of positive psychosocial states and lower levels of depression and negative affect. Conclusion Enjoyable leisure activities, taken in the aggregate, are associated with psychosocial and physical measures relevant for health and well-being. Future studies should determine the extent that these behaviors in the aggregate are useful predictors of disease and other health outcomes. PMID:19592515

Validity of Teacher-Based Vision Screening and Factors Associated with the Accuracy of Vision Screening in Vietnamese Children.

PubMed

Paudel, Prakash; Kovai, Vilas; Naduvilath, Thomas; Phuong, Ha Thanh; Ho, Suit May; Giap, Nguyen Viet

2016-01-01

To assess validity of teacher-based vision screening and elicit factors associated with accuracy of vision screening in Vietnam. After brief training, teachers independently measured visual acuity (VA) in 555 children aged 12-15 years in Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province. Teacher VA measurements were compared to those of refractionists. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were calculated for uncorrected VA (UVA) and presenting VA (PVA) 20/40 or worse in either eye. Chi-square, Fisher's exact test and multivariate logistic regression were used to assess factors associated with accuracy of vision screening. Level of significance was set at 5%. Trained teachers in Vietnam demonstrated 86.7% sensitivity, 95.7% specificity, 86.7% positive predictive value and 95.7% negative predictive value in identifying children with visual impairment using the UVA measurement. PVA measurement revealed low accuracy for teachers, which was significantly associated with child's age, sex, spectacle wear and myopic status, but UVA measurement showed no such associations. Better accuracy was achieved in measurement of VA and identification of children with visual impairment using UVA measurement compared to PVA. UVA measurement is recommended for teacher-based vision screening programs.

Measuring policy and related effects of a health impact assessment related to connectivity.

PubMed

Bias, Thomas K; Abildso, Christiaan G

2017-02-01

Health Impact Assessments are an important tool to help policymakers perceive the potential positive and negative contributions of decisions to public health. While they have been increasingly used in the United States, studies have not examined intermediate effects. Using key stakeholder interviews, this manuscript examines policy outcomes and other related effects of the HIA 21months after completing a Health Impact Assessment Report around connectivity policy. Further, it reflects on the measurement of these effects as part of the monitoring and evaluation stage of the Health Impact Assessment process. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cognitive reappraisal and secondary control coping: associations with working memory, positive and negative affect, and symptoms of anxiety/depression.

PubMed

Andreotti, Charissa; Thigpen, Jennifer E; Dunn, Madeleine J; Watson, Kelly; Potts, Jennifer; Reising, Michelle M; Robinson, Kristen E; Rodriguez, Erin M; Roubinov, Danielle; Luecken, Linda; Compas, Bruce E

2013-01-01

The current study examined the relations of measures of cognitive reappraisal and secondary control coping with working memory abilities, positive and negative affect, and symptoms of anxiety and depression in young adults (N=124). Results indicate significant relations between working memory abilities and reports of secondary control coping and between reports of secondary control coping and cognitive reappraisal. Associations were also found between measures of secondary control coping and cognitive reappraisal and positive and negative affect and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Further, the findings suggest that reports of cognitive reappraisal may be more strongly predictive of positive affect whereas secondary control coping may be more strongly predictive of negative affect and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Overall, the results suggest that current measures of secondary control coping and cognitive reappraisal capture related but distinct constructs and suggest that the assessment of working memory may be more strongly related to secondary control coping in predicting individual differences in distress.

Predictors of caregiving burden: impact of subjective health, negative affect, and loneliness of octogenarians and centenarians.

PubMed

Lee, Kyuho; Martin, Peter; Poon, Leonard W

2017-11-01

This study aimed (1) to determine whether octogenarian and centenarian care recipients' self-report on physical, social, and emotional status are different from caregivers' reports, (2) to assess associations between octogenarian and centenarian care recipients' poor physical, social, and emotional status and caregiver burden, and (3) to determine which report, the care recipients' self-report or caregivers' report, about the participants' physical and emotional status predicted more accurately levels of caregiver burden. Self-ratings and caregiver informant ratings were obtained from 309 participants of the Georgia Centenarian Study. Care recipients' health, negative affect, and loneliness were reported by both the caregivers and care recipients for the analyses. Differences between care recipients' and caregivers' reports were assessed by t-test. Blockwise multiple regression analysis was computed to assess predictors of caregiver burden. Caregivers' reports on the three measures were significantly higher than self-reports. Caregivers' negative affect and loneliness, not physical health, reported by caregivers predicted higher caregiver burden. Care recipients' reports did not predict caregiver burden. Caregivers perceived care recipients' social and emotional status more negatively, and caregivers' negative perceptions on care recipients' well-being status were an important predictor of caregiver burden.

Burnout of teachers as related to influence tactics within the college classroom.

PubMed

Lamude, K G; Scudder, J

1994-10-01

Previous research has shown that burnout among college teachers is negatively associated with on-task learning and student-oriented concerns expressed as tactics on influence in class. Using data collected from 142 college teachers, this study examined this relationship. Burnout was measured on Cherniss's measure, and tactics of influence were assessed by the Behavior Alteration Message Technique. Analysis indicated burnout in teachers was positively related to pressure and position tactics on influence and negatively related to exchange of rewards, rational arguments, and feedback tactics of influence.

Mothers’ Negative Affectivity During Pregnancy and Food Choices for Their Infants

PubMed Central

Hampson, Sarah E.; Tonstad, Serena; Irgens, Lorentz M.; Meltzer, Helle Margrete; Vollrath, Margarete

2009-01-01

Objective To investigate whether maternal negative affectivity assessed in pregnancy is related to subsequent infant food choices. Design Cohort study. Subjects Mothers (N = 37, 919) and their infants participating in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study conducted by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Measurements Maternal negative affectivity assessed pre-partum (SCL-5 at week 17 and 30 of pregnancy), introduction of solid foods by month 3, and feeding of sweet drinks by month 6 (by mothers’ reports). Results Mothers with higher negative affectivity were 64% more likely (95% CI 1.5–1.8) to feed sweet drinks by month 6, and 79% more likely (95% CI 1.6–2.0) to introduce solid foods by month 3. These odds decreased to 41% and 30%, respectively, after adjusting for mother’s age, body mass index, and education. Conclusion The maternal trait of negative affectivity is an independent predictor of infant feeding practices that may be related to childhood weight gain, overweight, and obesity. PMID:19918247

Differential Predictability of Four Dimensions of Affect Intensity

PubMed Central

Rubin, David C.; Hoyle, Rick H.; Leary, Mark R.

2013-01-01

Individual differences in affect intensity are typically assessed with the Affect Intensity Measure (AIM). Previous factor analyses suggest that the AIM is comprised of four weakly correlated factors: Positive Affectivity, Negative Reactivity, Negative Intensity and Positive Intensity or Serenity. However, little data exist to show whether its four factors relate to other measures differently enough to preclude use of the total scale score. The present study replicated the four-factor solution and found that subscales derived from the four factors correlated differently with criterion variables that assess personality domains, affective dispositions, and cognitive patterns that are associated with emotional reactions. The results show that use of the total AIM score can obscure relationships between specific features of affect intensity and other variables and suggest that researchers should examine the individual AIM subscales. PMID:21707262

The Effects of Depressed Mood on Academic Performance in College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haines, Mary E.; And Others

1996-01-01

Assessed college students on measures of depression, concentration, and academic performance. Depression was negatively related to academic performance, although the relationship between depression and cognitive functioning was not detected on a brief measure of concentration. Suggests that isolated testing sessions may mask the detrimental…

A new technique based on current measurement for nanoscale ferroelectricity assessment: Nano-positive up negative down

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Simon; Baboux, Nicolas; Albertini, David; Gautier, Brice

2017-02-01

In this paper, we propose a new procedure which aims at measuring the polarisation switching current at the nanoscale on ferroelectric thin films with the atomic force microscope tip used as a top electrode. Our technique is an adaptation of the so-called positive up negative down method commonly operated on large electrodes. The main obstacle that must be overcome to implement such measurement is the enhancement of the signal to noise ratio, in a context where the stray capacitance of the sample/tip/lever/lever holder system generates a dielectric displacement current several orders of magnitude higher than the current to be measured. This problem is solved by the subtraction of the displacement current through a reference capacitance. For the first time, we show an example of nanoscale positive up negative down measurement of the polarisation charge on a PbZrTiO3 thin film and compare the measured value with paraelectric samples. From the comparison with macroscopic measurement, we deduce the effective area of contact between the tip and the sample.

Office and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure control by treatment in general practice: the 'Monitoraggio della pressione ARteriosa nella medicina TErritoriale' study.

PubMed

Zaninelli, Augusto; Parati, Gianfranco; Cricelli, Claudio; Bignamini, Angelo A; Modesti, Pietro A; Pamparana, Franco; Bilo, Grzegorz; Mancia, Giuseppe; Gensini, Gian F

2010-05-01

Guidelines recommend that blood pressure (BP) should be lowered in hypertensive patients to prevent cardiovascular accidents. Management of antihypertensive treatment by general practitioners is usually based on office measurements, which may not allow an assessment of BP control over 24 h, which requires ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) to be implemented. This is rarely done in general practice, and limited information is available on the consistency between the evaluations of the response to treatment provided by office measurement and by ABPM in this setting. To assess concordance between office BP measurements and ABPM-based estimates of hypertension control in a general practice setting. Prospective, comparative between techniques. General practice. Seventy-eight general practices, representative of all Italian regions, participated in this study by recruiting sequential hypertensive adults on stabilized treatment, who were subdivided into even groups with office BP, respectively, controlled or noncontrolled by treatment. In each individual, ABPM was applied by the general practitioner after appropriate training, and 24-h ABP values were defined as controlled or not according to current guidelines. Concordance between office and ABPM evaluation of BP control was assessed with kappa statistics. Positive and negative predictive values of office measurement versus ABPM were estimated. Between July 2005 and November 2006, 190 general practitioners recruited 2059 hypertensive patients based on office BP measurements; in 1728 patients, a 24-h ABPM was performed, yielding 1524 recordings considered as valid for further analysis. The agreement between the assessment of BP control by office measurement and by ABPM was poor (kappa = 0.120), with office measurements showing a satisfactory positive predictive value (0.842) and a poor negative predictive value (0.278); the situation was worse in patients with three or more among the following features: male sex, age of at least 65 years, alcohol consumption, diabetes, and obesity (negative predictive value = 0.149). In general practice, the agreement between assessment of BP control by treatment provided by office and ambulatory BP measurements is better in patients of 'uncontrolled' office BP than in 'controlled' office BP patients. This emphasizes the need for the larger use of out-of-office BP monitoring in a general practice setting, in particular, in patients considered as 'controlled' during consultation.

Fear of negative appearance evaluation: development and evaluation of a new construct for risk factor work in the field of eating disorders.

PubMed

Lundgren, Jennifer D; Anderson, Drew A; Thompson, Joel Kevin

2004-01-01

The psychometric properties and correlates of a measure designed to assess fear of negative appearance evaluation are presented. In Study 1, 165 college females completed the Fear of Negative Appearance Evaluation Scale [FNAES; Thomas, C.M., Keery, H., Williams, R., & Thompson, J. K. (1998, November). The Fear of Negative Appearance Evaluation Scale: Development and preliminary validation. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Washington, DC] along with measures of body image, eating disturbance, and depression. Results replicated previous analyses indicating the presence of a single factor, good internal consistency, and significant association with measures of body image and eating disturbance. Additionally, the FNAES accounted for unique variance beyond that explained by general fear of negative evaluation, and other measures of body image and eating disturbance, in the prediction of body shape dysphoria, dietary restraint, and trait anxiety. Study 2 further examined the validity of the FNAES, finding it to correlate significantly with measures of social physique anxiety, body image, eating attitude, and mood. The FNAES did not significantly correlate with body mass index (BMI). Regression analyses found the FNAES to predict levels of body image, eating attitude, and mood beyond variance explained by social physique anxiety. The FNAES appears to measure a conceptually unique aspect of body image that has not been indexed by previous measures and may serve a useful role in risk factor and preventive work.

Individual differences in cardiorespiratory measures of mental workload: An investigation of negative affectivity and cognitive avoidant coping in pilot candidates.

PubMed

Grassmann, Mariel; Vlemincx, Elke; von Leupoldt, Andreas; Van den Bergh, Omer

2017-03-01

Cardiorespiratory measures provide useful information in addition to well-established self-report measures when monitoring operator capacity. The purpose of our study was to refine the assessment of operator load by considering individual differences in personality and their associations with cardiorespiratory activation. Physiological and self-report measures were analyzed in 115 pilot candidates at rest and while performing a multiple task covering perceptual speed, spatial orientation, and working memory. In the total sample and particularly in individuals with a general tendency to worry a lot, a cognitive avoidant coping style was associated with a smaller task-related increase in heart rate. Negative affectivity was found to moderate the association between cardiac and self-reported arousal. Given that physiological and self-report measures of mental workload are usually combined when evaluating operator load (e.g., in pilot selection and training), our findings suggest that integrating individual differences may reduce unexplained variance and increase the validity of workload assessments. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Benefits of negative social exchanges for emotional closeness.

PubMed

Fung, Helene H; Yeung, Dannii Y; Li, Kin-Kit; Lang, Frieder R

2009-09-01

Negative exchanges in social relationships have traditionally been studied as having negative consequences. This study explored whether they might have positive effects for relationship closeness. The sample included 351 adults, aged between 18 and 91 years, residing in Hong Kong, China. Closeness of social partners to the participants was measured by the Social Convoy Questionnaire, and the levels of negative exchanges and social support from each social partner were assessed. Multilevel analyses revealed that more negative exchanges were associated with a more positive change in closeness over a 2-year period, even after statistically controlling for social support and sociostructural characteristics of the participant and the social partner. Findings extended our knowledge on the positive effects of negative exchanges and their moderating conditions.

Five-year change in morale is associated with negative life events in very old age.

PubMed

Näsman, Marina; Niklasson, Johan; Saarela, Jan; Nygård, Mikael; Olofsson, Birgitta; Conradsson, Mia; Lövheim, Hugo; Gustafson, Yngve; Nyqvist, Fredrica

2017-10-27

The objectives were to study changes in morale in individuals 85 years and older, and to assess the effect of negative life events on morale over a five-year follow-up period. The present study is based on longitudinal data from the Umeå85+/GERDA-study, including individuals 85 years and older at baseline (n = 204). Morale was measured with the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale (PGCMS). Negative life events were assessed using an index including 13 negative life events occurring during the follow-up period. Linear regression was used for the multivariate analyses. The majority of the sample (69.1%) had no significant changes in morale during the five-year follow-up. However, the accumulation of negative life events was significantly associated with a greater decrease in PGCMS. A higher baseline PGCMS score did not attenuate the adverse effect negative life events had on morale. Morale seemed to be mainly stable in a five-year follow-up of very old people. It seems, nonetheless, that individuals are affected by negative life events, regardless of level of morale. Preventing negative life events and supporting individuals who experience multiple negative life events could have important implications for the care of very old people.

When you see it coming: Stressor anticipation modulates stress effects on negative affect.

PubMed

Neubauer, Andreas B; Smyth, Joshua M; Sliwinski, Martin J

2018-04-01

Research on the effect of exposure to minor stressors in people's daily lives consistently reports negative effects on indicators of well-being, often coined stress reactivity. Recent advances in the intensity of data collection have brought about an increasing interest in within-day associations of stress exposure and indicators of well-being, including dynamic aspects of the stress response such as stress recovery. In the present work, we investigated the other end of the stress response: the anticipation of a stressor. We hypothesized that anticipation of an upcoming stressor would be accompanied by higher negative affect. Based on the anticipatory coping account, lower negative affect after occurrence of anticipated (vs. not anticipated) stressors was predicted. We approached this question with a measurement burst study that allowed us to disentangle variation in stress processes across different time scales. One-hundred and seventy-five participants (mean age = 50, range 20-79) completed up to 3 measurement bursts. Each burst consisted of an ecological momentary assessment with 5 assessments per day over 7 days. In line with our expectations, negative affect was significantly higher after stressor anticipation, especially on days with high levels of intrusive thoughts. However, negative affect was not lower after anticipated (vs. not anticipated) stressors. Findings point to the role of perseverative cognition in the effect of stressor anticipation. Directions for future research including the role of controllability and effects on stress recovery are outlined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Duration of active psychosis and first-episode psychosis negative symptoms.

PubMed

Lyne, John; Joober, Ridha; Schmitz, Norbert; Lepage, Martin; Malla, Ashok

2017-02-01

Duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) has been associated with negative symptoms in several studies; however, longitudinal findings have been inconsistent. No previous study has accounted for active psychosis after presentation, although this could impact on outcomes in a manner similar to DUP. We measured Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms at frequent intervals during the 12 months after initial presentation to determine the active psychosis duration for 230 individuals with first-episode psychosis. This duration was added to DUP prior to presentation to create a new variable, duration of active psychosis (DAP). Negative symptoms were divided into expressivity and motivation/pleasure domains as measured by Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS). The relationship of DUP and DAP with negative symptoms at 24-month follow up was determined and confounders controlled for using regression analysis. When DUP and DAP were compared as binary variables with long and short groups, 25.2% of individuals had differing category membership. DAP had a significant uncorrected association with both expressivity domain and motivation/pleasure domains at 24 months; however, relationship with DUP was not significant. DAP remained a significant predictor of 24-month expressivity domain after controlling for potential confounders. Active psychosis after presentation is substantial, which is a limitation of DUP studies if active psychosis is considered as the key factor within DUP. DAP is a better predictor of negative symptoms than DUP at 2-year follow up, which suggests this concept requires further research. © 2015 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Sherlock Holmes and child psychopathology assessment approaches: the case of the false-positive.

PubMed

Jensen, P S; Watanabe, H

1999-02-01

To explore the relative value of various methods of assessing childhood psychopathology, the authors compared 4 groups of children: those who met criteria for one or more DSM diagnoses and scored high on parent symptom checklists, those who met psychopathology criteria on either one of these two assessment approaches alone, and those who met no psychopathology assessment criterion. Parents of 201 children completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), after which children and parents were administered the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (version 2.1). Children and parents also completed other survey measures and symptom report inventories. The 4 groups of children were compared against "external validators" to examine the merits of "false-positive" and "false-negative" cases. True-positive cases (those that met DSM criteria and scored high on the CBCL) differed significantly from the true-negative cases on most external validators. "False-positive" and "false-negative" cases had intermediate levels of most risk factors and external validators. "False-positive" cases were not normal per se because they scored significantly above the true-negative group on a number of risk factors and external validators. A similar but less marked pattern was noted for "false-negatives." Findings call into question whether cases with high symptom checklist scores despite no formal diagnoses should be considered "false-positive." Pending the availability of robust markers for mental illness, researchers and clinicians must resist the tendency to reify diagnostic categories or to engage in arcane debates about the superiority of one assessment approach over another.

Phase 2 Trial of an Alpha-7 Nicotinic Receptor Agonist (TC-5619) in Negative and Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia.

PubMed

Walling, David; Marder, Stephen R; Kane, John; Fleischhacker, W Wolfgang; Keefe, Richard S E; Hosford, David A; Dvergsten, Chris; Segreti, Anthony C; Beaver, Jessica S; Toler, Steven M; Jett, John E; Dunbar, Geoffrey C

2016-03-01

This trial was conducted to test the effects of an alpha7 nicotinic receptor full agonist, TC-5619, on negative and cognitive symptoms in subjects with schizophrenia. In 64 sites in the United States, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, and Serbia, 477 outpatients (18-65 years; male 62%; 55% tobacco users) with schizophrenia, treated with a new-generation antipsychotic, were randomized to 24 weeks of placebo (n = 235), TC-5619, 5mg (n = 121), or TC-5619, 50 mg (n = 121), administered orally once daily. The primary efficacy measure was the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) composite score. Key secondary measures were the Cogstate Schizophrenia Battery (CSB) composite score and the University of California San Diego Performance-Based Skills Assessment-Brief Version (UPSA-B) total score. Secondary measures included: Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale in Schizophrenia (PANSS) total and subscale scores, SANS domain scores, CSB item scores, Clinical Global Impression-Global Improvement (CGI-I) score, CGI-Severity (CGI-S) score, and Subject Global Impression-Cognition (SGI-Cog) total score. SANS score showed no statistical benefit for TC-5619 vs placebo at week 24 (5 mg, 2-tailed P = .159; 50 mg, P = .689). Likewise, no scores of CSB, UPSA-B, PANSS, CGI-I, CGI-S, or SGI-Cog favored TC-5619 (P > .05). Sporadic statistical benefit favoring TC-5619 in some of these outcome measures were observed in tobacco users, but these benefits did not show concordance by dose, country, gender, or other relevant measures. TC-5619 was generally well tolerated. These results do not support a benefit of TC-5619 for negative or cognitive symptoms in schizophrenia. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Comment on Hall et al. (2017), "How to Choose Between Measures of Tinnitus Loudness for Clinical Research? A Report on the Reliability and Validity of an Investigator-Administered Test and a Patient-Reported Measure Using Baseline Data Collected in a Phase IIa Drug Trial".

PubMed

Sabour, Siamak

2018-03-08

The purpose of this letter, in response to Hall, Mehta, and Fackrell (2017), is to provide important knowledge about methodology and statistical issues in assessing the reliability and validity of an audiologist-administered tinnitus loudness matching test and a patient-reported tinnitus loudness rating. The author uses reference textbooks and published articles regarding scientific assessment of the validity and reliability of a clinical test to discuss the statistical test and the methodological approach in assessing validity and reliability in clinical research. Depending on the type of the variable (qualitative or quantitative), well-known statistical tests can be applied to assess reliability and validity. The qualitative variables of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, false positive and false negative rates, likelihood ratio positive and likelihood ratio negative, as well as odds ratio (i.e., ratio of true to false results), are the most appropriate estimates to evaluate validity of a test compared to a gold standard. In the case of quantitative variables, depending on distribution of the variable, Pearson r or Spearman rho can be applied. Diagnostic accuracy (validity) and diagnostic precision (reliability or agreement) are two completely different methodological issues. Depending on the type of the variable (qualitative or quantitative), well-known statistical tests can be applied to assess validity.

Pain and Pessimism: Dairy Calves Exhibit Negative Judgement Bias following Hot-Iron Disbudding

PubMed Central

Neave, Heather W.; Daros, Rolnei R.; Costa, João H. C.; von Keyserlingk, Marina A. G.; Weary, Daniel M.

2013-01-01

Pain is defined as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, but emotional states are difficult to directly assess in animals. Researchers have assessed pain using behavioural and physiological measures, but these approaches are limited to understanding the arousal rather than valence of the emotional experience. Cognitive bias tasks show that depressed humans judge ambiguous events negatively and this technique has been applied to assess emotional states in animals. However, limited research has examined how pain states affect cognitive processes in animals. Here we present the first evidence of cognitive bias in response to pain in any non-human species. In two experiments, dairy calves (n = 17) were trained to respond differentially to red and white video screens and then tested with unreinforced ambiguous colours in two or three test sessions before and two sessions after the routine practice of hot-iron disbudding. After disbudding calves were more likely to judge ambiguous colours as negative. This ‘pessimistic’ bias indicates that post-operative pain following hot-iron disbudding results in a negative change in emotional state. PMID:24324609

The amphetamine response moderates the relationship between negative emotionality and alcohol use.

PubMed

Allen, Kenneth J D; Gabbay, Frances H

2013-02-01

Considerable evidence suggests that sensitivity to the stimulant effects of alcohol and other drugs is a risk marker for heavy or problematic use of those substances. A separate body of research implicates negative emotionality. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the independent and interactive effects of the stimulant response, assessed with an amphetamine challenge, and negative emotionality on alcohol and drug use. Healthy young women and men completed the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ) and an inventory assessing alcohol and other drug use. Subsequently, the effects of 10-mg d-amphetamine were determined in the laboratory using the Stimulant scale of the Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale. Hierarchical regression analyses evaluated the effects of amphetamine response and the MPQ factor Negative Emotionality on measures of substance use. The amphetamine response moderated relationships between negative emotionality and alcohol use: in combination with a robust amphetamine response (i.e., enhanced stimulant effects as compared with baseline), negative emotionality predicted greater alcohol consumption, more episodes of binge drinking, and more frequent intoxication in regression models. A strong stimulant response independently predicted having used an illicit drug, and there was a trend for it to predict having used alcohol. Negative emotionality alone was not associated with any measure of alcohol or drug use. Consistent with the idea that emotion-based behavioral dysregulation promotes reward seeking, a high level of negative emotionality was associated with maladaptive alcohol use when it co-occurred with sensitivity to drug-based reward. The findings contribute to our understanding of how differences in personality may interact with those in drug response to affect alcohol use. Copyright © 2012 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

The amphetamine response moderates the relationship between negative emotionality and alcohol use

PubMed Central

Allen, Kenneth J. D.; Gabbay, Frances H.

2012-01-01

Background Considerable evidence suggests that sensitivity to the stimulant effects of alcohol and other drugs is a risk marker for heavy or problematic use of those substances. A separate body of research implicates negative emotionality. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the independent and interactive effects of the stimulant response, assessed with an amphetamine challenge, and negative emotionality on alcohol and drug use. Methods Healthy young women and men completed the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ) and an inventory assessing alcohol and other drug use. Subsequently, the effects of 10 mg d-amphetamine were determined in the laboratory using the Stimulant scale of the Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale. Hierarchical regression analyses evaluated the effects of amphetamine response and the MPQ factor Negative Emotionality on measures of substance use. Results The amphetamine response moderated relationships between negative emotionality and alcohol use: In combination with a robust amphetamine response (i.e., enhanced stimulant effects as compared to baseline), negative emotionality predicted greater alcohol consumption, more episodes of binge drinking, and more frequent intoxication in regression models. A strong stimulant response independently predicted having used an illicit drug, and there was a trend for it to predict having used alcohol. Negative emotionality alone was not associated with any measure of alcohol or drug use. Conclusions Consistent with the idea that emotion-based behavioral dysregulation promotes reward-seeking, a high level of negative emotionality was associated with maladaptive alcohol use when it co-occurred with sensitivity to drug-based reward. The findings contribute to our understanding of how differences in personality may interact with those in drug response to affect alcohol use. PMID:23240777

Reactivity to negative affect in smokers: the role of implicit associations and distress tolerance in smoking cessation.

PubMed

Cameron, Amy; Reed, Kathleen Palm; Ninnemann, Andrew

2013-12-01

Avoidance of negative affect is one motivational factor that explains smoking cessation relapse during cessation attempts. This negative reinforcement model of smoking cessation and relapse has demonstrated the importance of one's ability to tolerate nicotine withdrawal symptoms, particularly negative affect states, in remaining abstinent from smoking. Distress tolerance and implicit associations are two individual constructs that may influence the strength of this relationship. In this pilot study the authors examined implicit associations related to avoidance and negative affect using a modified Implicit Association Test (IAT), a measure designed to examine implicit associations related to negative affect and avoidance, and the relationship of these associations to distress tolerance and smoking relapse. In total, 40 participants were recruited through community flyers as part of a larger smoking cessation study. Participants completed a brief smoking history, behavioral distress tolerance assessments, and the modified IAT. Smoking status was assessed via phone 3days and 6days post-quit date. Results from a Cox proportional hazard model revealed that implicit associations between avoidance and negative affect were significantly negatively correlated with time to relapse after a smoking cessation attempt, whereas the behavioral distress tolerance assessments did not predict time to relapse. This study provides novel information about the cognitive associations that may underlie avoidant behavior in smokers, and may be important for understanding smoking relapse when negative affect states are particularly difficult to tolerate. Authors discuss the importance of implicit associations in understanding smoking relapse and how they can be targeted in treatment. © 2013.

Metacognitive awareness of cognitive problems in schizophrenia: exploring the role of symptoms and self-esteem.

PubMed

Cella, M; Swan, S; Medin, E; Reeder, C; Wykes, T

2014-02-01

People with a diagnosis of schizophrenia have limited metacognitive awareness of their symptoms. This is also evident for cognitive difficulties when neuropsychological assessments and self-reports are compared. Unlike for delusions and hallucinations, little attention has been given to factors that may influence the mismatch between objective and subjectively reported cognitive problems. Symptom severity, and also self-esteem and social functioning, can have an impact on cognitive problem perception and help to explain the gap between objective and subjective cognitive assessments in psychosis. One-hundred participants with a diagnosis of schizophrenia were recruited and assessed with a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, a measure of awareness of cognitive problems and measures of psychotic symptoms, social and behavioural functioning and self-esteem. Regression was used to investigate the influence of symptoms, social functioning and self-esteem, and patients with different levels of cognitive problem awareness were contrasted. Simple correlation analysis replicated the lack of association between objective cognitive measures and metacognitive awareness of cognitive problems. However, the results of the regression analyses highlight that self-esteem and negative symptoms predict metacognitive awareness. When significant predictors were controlled, individuals with better awareness had more impaired working memory but higher IQ. Poor self-esteem and high negative symptoms are negatively associated with metacognitive awareness in people with schizophrenia. Interventions that aim to improve cognition should consider that cognitive problem reporting in people with schizophrenia correlates poorly with objective measures and is biased not only by symptoms but also by self-esteem. Future studies should explore the causal pathways using longitudinal designs.

A Longitudinal Examination of the Hopelessness Theory of Depression in People Who Have Multiple Sclerosis

PubMed Central

Kneebone, I. I.; Guerrier, S.; Dunmore, E.; Jones, E.; Fife-Schaw, C.

2015-01-01

Purpose. Hopelessness theory predicts that negative attributional style will interact with negative life events over time to predict depression. The intention of this study was to test this in a population who are at greater risk of negative life events, people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Method. Data, including measures of attributional style, negative life events, and depressive symptoms, were collected via postal survey in 3 phases, each one a year apart. Results. Responses were received from over 380 participants at each study phase. Negative attributional style was consistently able to predict future depressive symptoms at low to moderate levels of association; however, this ability was not sustained when depressive symptoms at Phase 1 were controlled for. No substantial evidence to support the hypothesised interaction of negative attributional style and negative life events was found. Conclusions. Findings were not supportive of the causal interaction proposed by the hopelessness theory of depression. Further work considering other time frames, using methods to prime attributional style before assessment and specifically assessing the hopelessness subtype of depression, may prove to be more fruitful. Intervention directly to address attributional style should also be considered. PMID:26290622

Affect and psychiatric symptoms in a veteran polytrauma clinic.

PubMed

Kraal, A Zarina; Waldron-Perrine, Brigid; Pangilinan, Percival H; Bieliauskas, Linas A

2015-02-01

Although the relationship between negative affect and psychiatric symptoms has been well-demonstrated in research, less is known about positive affect relative to negative affect, and its relationship to psychiatric symptoms, especially among veterans. This study examined how levels of positive and negative affect are associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Data were collected in a veteran polytrauma clinic; analyses were conducted using data from 94 veterans (87 males) with and without a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) diagnosis. Results demonstrate that positive and negative affect were separate dimensions and that both were independently related to each symptom measure. After removing the contribution of negative affect from symptom reports, strong relationships remained between positive affect and psychiatric symptoms. Furthermore, the magnitude of the associations for positive affect and for negative affect with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD were not impacted by a mTBI diagnosis. Altogether, findings suggest that both positive and negative affect should be uniquely considered when conceptualizing, assessing, and treating returning service members; in addition, positive affect may be an appropriate target of assessment and interventions of persons who have experienced polytrauma. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

The Applicability of Nonlinear Systems Dynamics Chaos Measures to Cardiovascular Physiology Variables

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hooker, John C.

1991-01-01

Three measures of nonlinear chaos (fractal dimension, Approximate Entropy (ApEn), and Lyapunov exponents) were studied as potential measures of cardiovascular condition. It is suggested that these measures have potential in the assessment of cardiovascular condition in environments of normal cardiovascular stress (normal gravity on the Earth surface), cardiovascular deconditioning (microgravity of space), and increased cardiovascular stress (lower body negative pressure (LBNP) treatments).

Self-Criticism: A Measure of Uncompassionate Behaviors Toward the Self, Based on the Negative Components of the Self-Compassion Scale

PubMed Central

Montero-Marín, Jesús; Gaete, Jorge; Demarzo, Marcelo; Rodero, Baltasar; Lopez, Luiz C. Serrano; García-Campayo, Javier

2016-01-01

Background: The use of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) as a single measure has been pointed out as problematic by many authors and its originally proposed structure has repeatedly been called into question. The negative facets of this construct are more strongly related to psychopathology than the positive indicators. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the different structures proposed for the SCS, including a new measure based only on the negative factors, and to assess the psychometric features of the more plausible solution. Method: The study employed a cross-sectional and cross-cultural design. A sample of Brazilian (n = 406) and Spanish (n = 416) primary care professionals completed the SCS, and other questionnaires to measure psychological health-related variables. The SCS factor structure was estimated using confirmatory factor analysis by the maximum likelihood method. Internal consistency was assessed by squaring the correlation between the latent true variable and the observed variables. The relationships between the SCS and other constructs were analyzed using Spearman's rs. Results: The structure with the best fit was comprised of the three negative first-order factors of “self-judgment”, “isolation” and “over-identification”, and one negative second-order factor, which has been named “self-criticism” [CFI = 0.92; RMSEA = 0.06 (90% CI = 0.05–0.07); SRMR = 0.05]. This solution was supported by both samples, presented partial metric invariance [CFI = 0.91; RMSEA = 0.06 (90% CI = 0.05–0.06); SRMR = 0.06], and showed significant correlations with other health-related psychological constructs. Reliability was adequate for all the dimensions (R ≥ 0.70). Conclusions: The original structure proposed for the SCS was not supported by the data. Self-criticism, comprising only the negative SCS factors, might be a measure of uncompassionate behaviors toward the self, with good psychometric properties and practical implications from a clinical point of view, reaching a stable structure and overcoming possible methodological artifacts. PMID:27625618

The Discrepancy between Performance-Based Measures and Questionnaires when Assessing Clinical Outcomes and Quality of Life in Pediatric Patients with Neurological Disorders.

PubMed

Coutinho, V; Câmara-Costa, H; Kemlin, I; Billette de Villemeur, T; Rodriguez, D; Dellatolas, G

2017-01-01

In clinical outcome assessment, the relation between performance-based measures and questionnaire ratings of the same domain is weak, but correlations between questionnaires proposed for the evaluation of different domains are strong. The present study aims to illustrate these phenomena in a group of patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and to propose an explanatory hypothesis. A single neuropsychologist interviewed the parents about the child's situation and current difficulties and then assessed this parental view as overall positive or overall negative. The same assessor then administered the Wechsler Intelligence Scales and neuropsychological tests to 78 children and adolescents with NF1 (5-18 years). Parents then completed the Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL), the Conners' Parent Rating Scale, the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), as well as questionnaires assessing quality of life, impact of the medical disorder, and their own difficulties. All questionnaires were inter-correlated (r = 0.29 - 0.84) and associated with the overall positive or negative parental view of the child's progress (effect size = 0.41-1.46). Conversely, questionnaires were weakly or not significantly related to intelligence, cognitive measures, or clinical severity. In conclusion, the parental view of the child's progress was related to the answers to questionnaires assessing quality of life or strengths and difficulties of patients with a neurological disorder. This factor should be assessed independently and taken into account when assessing clinical outcome.

Negative relationship behavior is more important than positive: Correlates of outcomes during stressful life events.

PubMed

Rivers, Alannah Shelby; Sanford, Keith

2018-04-01

When people who are married or cohabiting face stressful life situations, their ability to cope may be associated with two separate dimensions of interpersonal behavior: positive and negative. These behaviors can be assessed with the Couple Resilience Inventory (CRI). It was expected that scales on this instrument would correlate with outcome variables regarding life well-being, stress, and relationship satisfaction. It was also expected that effects for negative behavior would be larger than effects for positive and that the effects might be curvilinear. Study 1 included 325 married or cohabiting people currently experiencing nonmedical major life stressors and Study 2 included 154 married or cohabiting people with current, serious medical conditions. All participants completed an online questionnaire including the CRI along with an alternate measure of couple behavior (to confirm scale validity), a measure of general coping style (to serve as a covariate), and measures of outcome variables regarding well-being, quality of life, perceived stress, and relationship satisfaction. The effects for negative behavior were larger than effects for positive in predicting most outcomes, and many effects were curvilinear. Notably, results remained significant after controlling for general coping style, and scales measuring positive and negative behavior demonstrated comparable levels of validity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

The Short Form Vaping Consequences Questionnaire: Psychometric Properties of a Measure of Vaping Expectancies for Use With Adult E-cigarette Users.

PubMed

Morean, Meghan E; L'Insalata, Alexa

2017-02-01

E-cigarettes are popular in the United States, but psychometrically sound measures of vaping beliefs and behaviors are lacking. We evaluated the psychometrics of the Short Form Vaping Consequences Questionnaire (S-VCQ), a modified version of the Short Form Smoking Consequences Questionnaire that assesses expectancies for negative consequences, positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and appetite/weight control associated with vaping. Adult, past-month e-cigarette users completed an anonymous survey in Fall 2015 (N = 522, 50.4% female; 71.5% white; 34.10 [SD = 9.66] years). Psychometric analyses included confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency, measurement invariance, t tests, correlations, and test-criterion relationships with vaping outcomes. The S-VCQ evidenced a four-factor latent structure (Bentler's Comparative Fit Index = .95, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = .05, Standardized Root Mean Square Residual = .06), and subscales evidenced internal consistency (mean α = 0.89). S-VCQ scores were scalar invariant for sex and smoking status; women reported stronger appetite/weight control than men and dual cigarette/e-cigarette users (n = 309) reported stronger negative vaping consequences and negative reinforcement than nonsmokers. Among dual users, vaping and smoking expectancies also were scalar invariant; dual users reported stronger positive reinforcement associated with vaping than smoking but stronger negative consequences, negative reinforcement, and appetite/weight control associated with smoking than vaping. Correlations indicated that vaping and smoking expectancies were related, yet distinct constructs. Univariate general linear models indicated that vaping frequency and dependence were associated with positive reinforcement (ηp2 = .02/.02), negative reinforcement (ηp2 = .02/.08), and appetite/weight control (ηp2 = .02/.02) from vaping. The S-VCQ evidences solid psychometrics as a measure of adult e-cigarette users' vaping expectancies. The current study provides evidence for the reliability and validity of the S-VCQ, the first measure of vaping expectancies that has been validated for use with adult e-cigarette users. Results indicated that the S-VCQ comprises four subscales that evidence internal consistency, scalar measurement invariance for important groups of interest, and test-criterion relationships with vaping outcomes. Researchers are encouraged to consider using this measure for assessing vaping expectancies in adult e-cigarette users. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Mastery of Negative Affect: A Hierarchical Model of Emotional Self-Efficacy Beliefs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caprara, Gian Vittorio; Di Giunta, Laura; Pastorelli, Concetta; Eisenberg, Nancy

2013-01-01

Building on previous studies that formulated measures for assessing self-efficacy beliefs regarding the management of anger/irritation and despondency/sadness, we developed 3 new scales to assess perceived self-efficacy in managing fear, shame/embarrassment, and guilt. In Study 1, the internal and construct validity of the 5 aforementioned…

Invited Commentary: Beware the Test-Negative Design.

PubMed

Westreich, Daniel; Hudgens, Michael G

2016-09-01

In this issue of the Journal, Sullivan et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2016;184(5):345-353) carefully examine the theoretical justification for use of the test-negative design, a common observational study design, in assessing the effectiveness of influenza vaccination. Using modern causal inference methods (in particular, directed acyclic graphs), they describe different threats to the validity of inferences drawn about the effect of vaccination from test-negative design studies. These threats include confounding, selection bias, and measurement error in either the exposure or the outcome. While confounding and measurement error are common in observational studies, the potential for selection bias inherent in the test-negative design brings into question the validity of inferences drawn from such studies. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Assessing Whether Students Seek Constructive Criticism: The Design of an Automated Feedback System for a Graphic Design Task

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cutumisu, Maria; Blair, Kristen P.; Chin, Doris B.; Schwartz, Daniel L.

2017-01-01

We introduce a choice-based assessment strategy that measures students' choices to seek constructive feedback and to revise their work. We present the feedback system of a game we designed to assess whether students choose positive or negative feedback and choose to revise their posters in the context of a poster design task, where they learn…

Rotavirus vaccine effectiveness in low-income settings: An evaluation of the test-negative design.

PubMed

Schwartz, Lauren M; Halloran, M Elizabeth; Rowhani-Rahbar, Ali; Neuzil, Kathleen M; Victor, John C

2017-01-03

The test-negative design (TND), an epidemiologic method currently used to measure rotavirus vaccine (RV) effectiveness, compares the vaccination status of rotavirus-positive cases and rotavirus-negative controls meeting a pre-defined case definition for acute gastroenteritis. Despite the use of this study design in low-income settings, the TND has not been evaluated to measure rotavirus vaccine effectiveness. This study builds upon prior methods to evaluate the use of the TND for influenza vaccine using a randomized controlled clinical trial database. Test-negative vaccine effectiveness (VE-TND) estimates were derived from three large randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) of monovalent (RV1) and pentavalent (RV5) rotavirus vaccines in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Derived VE-TND estimates were compared to the original RCT vaccine efficacy estimates (VE-RCTs). The core assumption of the TND (i.e., rotavirus vaccine has no effect on rotavirus-negative diarrhea) was also assessed. TND vaccine effectiveness estimates were nearly equivalent to original RCT vaccine efficacy estimates. Neither RV had a substantial effect on rotavirus-negative diarrhea. This study supports the TND as an appropriate epidemiologic study design to measure rotavirus vaccine effectiveness in low-income settings. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Predictors of response to pain management treatment. The role of family environment and changes in cognitive processes.

PubMed

Tota-Faucette, M E; Gil, K M; Williams, D A; Keefe, F J; Goli, V

1993-06-01

The purpose of the present study was to examine factors that influence individual differences in treatment response after multidisciplinary pain management. Pre-post assessment design. 119 chronic pain inpatients. Outcome measures included pain report from the McGill Pain Questionnaire, emotional distress from the Symptom Checklist-90 Revised, and activity discomfort from the Activity Discomfort Scale. Process measures included the Family Environment Scale, the Coping Strategies Questionnaire, and the Inventory of Negative Thoughts in Response to Pain. Results indicated that pretreatment family environment, cognitive coping strategies, and negative thinking accounted for small yet significant proportions of the variance in outcome. The proportion of variance accounted for by the changes in cognitive coping and negative thinking was somewhat higher. An increase in pain control and rational thinking was related to decreases in depression and anxiety, pain report, and activity discomfort. Decreases in negative social cognitions were related to decreased depression at posttreatment. Changes in coping strategies and negative thinking may be important mechanisms related to improvement, or lack of improvement, in a range of outcome measures. Patients from families who are controlling and disorganized, and patients high on negative thinking at pretreatment may represent high-risk groups in need of further individually tailored interventions.

More than Just Openness: Developing and Validating a Measure of Targeted Parent-Child Communication about Alcohol

PubMed Central

Miller-Day, Michelle; Kam, Jennifer A.

2010-01-01

Research addressing parent-child communication on the topic of alcohol use relies heavily on assessing frequency of discussions and general assessments of openness in parent-child communication, ignoring the complexity of this communication phenomenon. This study adds to the literature by articulating a conceptualization and developing a measurement of parent-child communication—targeted parent-child communication about alcohol—and comparing the efficacy of targeted parent-child communication about alcohol in predicting positive expectancies of alcohol use and recent alcohol use. The predictive power of general openness in parent-child communication and frequency of communication about alcohol also were assessed. Students in 5th and 6th grade (N = 1407) from 29 public schools completed surveys. Targeted parent-child communication about alcohol was negatively associated with both outcomes. Frequency and general openness were only negatively associated with positive expectancies regarding alcohol. Implications of these findings for the etiology and prevention of substance use are discussed. PMID:20512711

More than just openness: developing and validating a measure of targeted parent-child communication about alcohol.

PubMed

Miller-Day, Michelle; Kam, Jennifer A

2010-06-01

Research addressing parent-child communication on the topic of alcohol use relies heavily on assessing frequency of discussions and general assessments of openness in parent-child communication, ignoring the complexity of this communication phenomenon. This study adds to the literature by articulating a conceptualization and developing a measurement of parent-child communication-targeted parent-child communication about alcohol-and comparing the efficacy of targeted parent-child communication about alcohol in predicting positive expectancies of alcohol use and recent alcohol use. The predictive power of general openness in parent-child communication and frequency of communication about alcohol also were assessed. Students in fifth and sixth grade (N = 1,407) from 29 public schools completed surveys. Targeted parent-child communication about alcohol was negatively associated with both outcomes. Frequency and general openness were only negatively associated with positive expectancies regarding alcohol. Implications of these findings for the etiology and prevention of substance use are discussed.

Combined impact of negative lifestyle factors on cardiovascular risk in children: a randomized prospective study.

PubMed

Meyer, Ursina; Schindler, Christian; Bloesch, Tamara; Schmocker, Eliane; Zahner, Lukas; Puder, Jardena J; Kriemler, Susi

2014-12-01

Negative lifestyle factors are known to be associated with increased cardiovascular risk (CVR) in children, but research on their combined impact on a general population of children is sparse. Therefore, we aimed to quantify the combined impact of easily assessable negative lifestyle factors on the CVR scores of randomly selected children after 4 years. Of the 540 randomly selected 6- to 13-year-old children, 502 children participated in a baseline health assessment, and 64% were assessed again after 4 years. Measures included anthropometry, fasting blood samples, and a health assessment questionnaire. Participants scored one point for each negative lifestyle factor at baseline: overweight; physical inactivity; high media consumption; little outdoor time; skipping breakfast; and having a parent who has ever smoked, is inactive, or overweight. A CVR score at follow-up was constructed by averaging sex- and age-related z-scores of waist circumference, blood pressure, glucose, inverted high-density lipoprotein, and triglycerides. The age-, sex-, pubertal stage-, and social class-adjusted probabilities (95% confidence interval) for being in the highest CVR score tertile at follow-up for children who had at most one (n = 48), two (n = 64), three (n = 56), four (n = 41), or five or more (n = 14) risky lifestyle factors were 15.4% (8.9-25.3), 24.3% (17.4-32.8), 36.0% (28.6-44.2), 49.8% (38.6-61.0), and 63.5% (47.2-77.2), respectively. Even in childhood, an accumulation of negative lifestyle factors is associated with higher CVR scores after 4 years. These negative lifestyle factors are easy to assess in clinical practice and allow early detection and prevention of CVR in childhood. Copyright © 2014 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Negative Urgency Is Associated With Heightened Negative Affect and Urge During Tobacco Abstinence in Regular Smokers

PubMed Central

Park, Annie D.; Farrahi, Layla N.; Pang, Raina D.; Guillot, Casey R.; Aguirre, Claudia G.; Leventhal, Adam M.

2016-01-01

Objective: Negative urgency—the tendency to act rashly during negative affective states—is a risk factor for regular cigarette smoking. This human laboratory study tested a novel theoretical model of the underlying mechanisms linking negative urgency and smoking motivation, which purports that smokers with high negative urgency are at increased susceptibility to abstinence-induced increases in negative affect, which, in turn, provokes the urge to smoke to suppress negative affect. Method: Smokers (N = 180, >10 cigarettes/day) attended a baseline session at which they completed self-report measures of negative urgency and other co-factors and subsequently attended two counterbalanced within-subject experimental sessions (i.e., 16 hours of smoking abstinence or smoking as usual). At both experimental sessions, self-reported tobacco withdrawal symptoms, affect, and smoking urge were assessed. Results: Negative urgency was associated with larger abstinence-induced increases in tobacco withdrawal symptoms, negative affect, and urge to smoke to alleviate negative affect, both with and without controlling for anxiety, depression, tobacco dependence, and sensation seeking (βs > .18, ps < .05). The association between negative urgency and abstinence-induced increases in urge to smoke to alleviate negative affect was mediated by greater abstinence-induced increases in negative affect (βs > .062, ps = .01). Conclusions: These results provide initial support of this model by providing evidence that smokers with higher (vs. lower) negative urgency may be more prone to greater negative affect during withdrawal, which in turn may promote urge to smoke to suppress negative emotion. Research extending this model to other settings, measures, and methodological approaches may be fruitful. PMID:27588535

Negative Urgency Is Associated With Heightened Negative Affect and Urge During Tobacco Abstinence in Regular Smokers.

PubMed

Park, Annie D; Farrahi, Layla N; Pang, Raina D; Guillot, Casey R; Aguirre, Claudia G; Leventhal, Adam M

2016-09-01

Negative urgency-the tendency to act rashly during negative affective states-is a risk factor for regular cigarette smoking. This human laboratory study tested a novel theoretical model of the underlying mechanisms linking negative urgency and smoking motivation, which purports that smokers with high negative urgency are at increased susceptibility to abstinence-induced increases in negative affect, which, in turn, provokes the urge to smoke to suppress negative affect. Smokers (N = 180, >10 cigarettes/day) attended a baseline session at which they completed self-report measures of negative urgency and other co-factors and subsequently attended two counterbalanced within-subject experimental sessions (i.e., 16 hours of smoking abstinence or smoking as usual). At both experimental sessions, self-reported tobacco withdrawal symptoms, affect, and smoking urge were assessed. Negative urgency was associated with larger abstinence-induced increases in tobacco withdrawal symptoms, negative affect, and urge to smoke to alleviate negative affect, both with and without controlling for anxiety, depression, tobacco dependence, and sensation seeking (βs > .18, ps < .05). The association between negative urgency and abstinence-induced increases in urge to smoke to alleviate negative affect was mediated by greater abstinence-induced increases in negative affect (βs > .062, ps = .01). These results provide initial support of this model by providing evidence that smokers with higher (vs. lower) negative urgency may be more prone to greater negative affect during withdrawal, which in turn may promote urge to smoke to suppress negative emotion. Research extending this model to other settings, measures, and methodological approaches may be fruitful.

Promoting walking in older adults: Perceived neighborhood walkability influences the effectiveness of motivational messages

PubMed Central

Notthoff, Nanna; Carstensen, Laura L.

2015-01-01

Positively-framed messages seem to promote walking in older adults better than negatively-framed messages. This study targeted elderly people in communities unfavorable to walking. Walking was measured with pedometers during baseline (one week) and intervention (four weeks). Participants (n = 74) were either informed about the benefits of walking or the negative consequences of not walking. Perceived neighborhood walkability was assessed with a modified version of the Neighborhood Walkability Scale. When perceived walkability was high positively-framed messages were more effective than negatively-framed messages in promoting walking; when perceived walkability was low negatively-framed messages were comparably effective to positively-framed messages. PMID:26604128

Frailty screening and assessment tools: a review of characteristics and use in Public Health.

PubMed

Gilardi, F; Capanna, A; Ferraro, M; Scarcella, P; Marazzi, M C; Palombi, L; Liotta, G

2018-01-01

Frailty screening and assessment are a fundamental issue in Public Health in order to plan prevention programs and services. By a narrative review of the literature employing the International Narrative Systematic Assessment tool, the authors aims to develop an updated framework for the main procedures and measurement tools to assess frailty in older adults, paying attention to the use in the primary care setting. The study selected 10 reviews published between January 2010 and December 2016 that define some characteristics of the main tools used to measure the frailty. Within the selected reviews only one of the described tools met all the criteria (multidimensionality, quick and easy administration, accurate risk prediction of negative outcomes and high sensitivity and specificity) necessary for a screening tool. Accurate risk prediction of negative outcomes could be the appropriate and sufficient criteria to assess a tool aimed to detect frailty in the community-dwelling elderly population. A two-step process (a first short questionnaire to detect frailty and a second longer questionnaire to define the care demand at individual level) could represent the appropriate pathway for planning care services at community level.

Feelings about culture scales: development, factor structure, reliability, and validity.

PubMed

Maffini, Cara S; Wong, Y Joel

2015-04-01

Although measures of cultural identity, values, and behavior exist in the multicultural psychological literature, there is currently no measure that explicitly assesses ethnic minority individuals' positive and negative affect toward culture. Therefore, we developed 2 new measures called the Feelings About Culture Scale--Ethnic Culture and Feelings About Culture Scale--Mainstream American Culture and tested their psychometric properties. In 6 studies, we piloted the measures, conducted factor analyses to clarify their factor structure, and examined reliability and validity. The factor structure revealed 2 dimensions reflecting positive and negative affect for each measure. Results provided evidence for convergent, discriminant, criterion-related, and incremental validity as well as the reliability of the scales. The Feelings About Culture Scales are the first known measures to examine both positive and negative affect toward an individual's ethnic culture and mainstream American culture. The focus on affect captures dimensions of psychological experiences that differ from cognitive and behavioral constructs often used to measure cultural orientation. These measures can serve as a valuable contribution to both research and counseling by providing insight into the nuanced affective experiences ethnic minority individuals have toward culture. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Effects of various factors on Doppler ultrasonographic measurements of radial and coccygeal arterial blood pressure in privately owned, conscious cats.

PubMed

Whittemore, Jacqueline C; Nystrom, Michael R; Mawby, Dianne I

2017-04-01

OBJECTIVE To assess the effects of age, body condition score (BCS), and muscle condition score (MCS) on radial and coccygeal systolic arterial blood pressure (SAP) in cats. DESIGN Prospective randomized trial. ANIMALS 66 privately owned cats enrolled between May and December 2010. PROCEDURES BCS and MCS of cats were assessed by 2 investigators; SAP was measured via Doppler ultrasonic flow detector, with cats positioned in right lateral or sternal recumbency for measurements at the radial or coccygeal artery, respectively, with order of site randomized. Associations among variables were assessed through correlation coefficients, partial correlation coefficients, and ANCOVA. RESULTS Interrater reliability for BCS and MCS assessment was high (correlation coefficients, 0.95 and 0.83, respectively). No significant effect was identified for order of SAP measurement sites. Coccygeal and radial SAP were positively correlated (ρ = 0.45). The median difference in coccygeal versus radial SAP was 19 mm Hg, but differences were not consistently positive or negative. Radial SAP was positively correlated with age (ρ = 0.48) and negatively correlated with MCS (ρ = -0.30). On the basis of the correlation analysis, the association between radial SAP and MCS reflected the confounding influence of age. Coccygeal SAP was not significantly correlated with age, BCS, or MCS. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Use of the coccygeal artery is recommended to reduce the confounding effects of age and sarcopenia on Doppler ultrasonographic SAP measurements in cats. Additionally, monitoring for changes in MCS is recommended for cats undergoing serial SAP measurement.

Attribution-Based Nocebo Effects. Perceived Effects of a Placebo Pill and a Sham Magnetic Field on Cognitive Performance and Somatic Symptoms.

PubMed

Szemerszky, Renáta; Dömötör, Zsuzsanna; Berkes, Tímea; Köteles, Ferenc

2016-04-01

Negative non-specific (nocebo-like) effects of medications and electromagnetic fields are often described as results of mistaken attribution. The current study aimed to find empirical evidence supporting this theory. Participants completed questionnaires assessing modern health worries, health anxiety, and somatosensory amplification, were assigned to one of three conditions (placebo pill with sedative information, sham magnetic field, or control), and completed a 14-min vigilance task. Changes in physiological arousal (heart rate, heart rate variability, and skin conductance) and reported symptoms were also measured. Finally, causal attributions concerning cognitive performance and reported symptoms were assessed. No increase in symptom reports and physiological arousal was measured in the two intervention groups. A perceived negative effect on cognitive performance was attributed to both sham conditions, and attributions were connected to modern health worries. A proportion of reported symptoms was ascribed to the placebo pill but not to the sham magnetic field. Symptom attributions were not related to any assessed psychological variables. An aroused physiological state is not necessary for the automatic causal attribution process. Negative effects attributed to medication and environmental factors can be regarded as unavoidable side effects of human cognitive-emotional functioning; they might be alleviated, but cannot be completely eradicated.

Personality predispositions to depression in children of affectively-ill parents: the buffering role of self-esteem.

PubMed

Abela, John R Z; Fishman, Michael B; Cohen, Joseph R; Young, Jami F

2012-01-01

A major theory of personality predispositions to depression posits that individuals who possess high levels of self-criticism and/or dependency are vulnerable to developing depression following negative life events. The goal of the current study was to test this theory of personality predispositions and the self-esteem buffering hypothesis in a sample of youth using an idiographic approach, a high-risk sample, and a multiwave longitudinal design. One hundred forty children aged 6 to 14 completed measures of dependency, self-criticism, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms. Over the course of the following year, 8 follow-up assessments were conducted 6 weeks apart during which all children were administered measures assessing depressive symptoms and the occurrence of negative events. Results of hierarchical linear modeling analyses indicated that higher levels of dependency were associated with greater increases in depressive symptoms following negative events among children possessing low, but not high, self-esteem. In contrast, self-criticism was not associated with changes in depressive symptoms over time regardless of children's levels of stress and/or self-esteem.

Macrolevel Stressors, Terrorism, and Mental Health Outcomes: Broadening the Stress Paradigm

PubMed Central

Richman, Judith A.; Cloninger, Lea; Rospenda, Kathleen M.

2008-01-01

Objectives. We examined the extent to which the stress paradigm linking psychosocial stressors to mental health status has focused disproportionate attention on microlevel social stressors to the detriment of macrolevel stressors. Also, we assessed the effects of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, on subsequent mental health among participants in a Midwestern cohort study. Methods. Respondents in a 6-wave longitudinal mail survey completed questionnaires before September 11, 2001, and again in 2003 and 2005. Regression analyses focused on measures of negative terrorism-related beliefs and fears, as well as psychological distress and deleterious alcohol use outcomes measured both before and after September 11. Results. Negative terrorism-related beliefs and fears assessed in 2003 predicted distress and drinking outcomes in 2005 after control for sociodemographic characteristics and pre–September 11 distress and drinking. Conclusions. The events of September 11 continue to negatively affect the mental health of the American population. Our results support the utility of according greater attention to the effects of such macrolevel social stressors in population studies embracing the stress paradigm. PMID:18687593

Macrolevel Stressors, Terrorism, and Mental Health Outcomes: Broadening the Stress Paradigm

PubMed Central

Richman, Judith A.; Cloninger, Lea; Rospenda, Kathleen M.

2008-01-01

Objectives. We examined the extent to which the stress paradigm linking psychosocial stressors to mental health status has focused disproportionate attention on microlevel social stressors to the detriment of macrolevel stressors. Also, we assessed the effects of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, on subsequent mental health among participants in a Midwestern cohort study. Methods. Respondents in a 6-wave longitudinal mail survey completed questionnaires before September 11, 2001, and again in 2003 and 2005. Regression analyses focused on measures of negative terrorism-related beliefs and fears, as well as psychological distress and deleterious alcohol use outcomes measured both before and after September 11. Results. Negative terrorism-related beliefs and fears assessed in 2003 predicted distress and drinking outcomes in 2005 after control for sociodemographic characteristics and pre–September 11 distress and drinking. Conclusions. The events of September 11 continue to negatively affect the mental health of the American population. Our results support the utility of according greater attention to the effects of such macrolevel social stressors in population studies embracing the stress paradigm. PMID:18172139

Emotional intelligence and recovering from induced negative emotional state

PubMed Central

Limonero, Joaquín T.; Fernández-Castro, Jordi; Soler-Oritja, Jordi; Álvarez-Moleiro, María

2015-01-01

The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and recovering from negative emotions induction, using a performance test to measure EI. Sixty seven undergraduates participated in the procedure, which lasted 75 min and was divided into three stages. At Time 1, subjects answered the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)-S, Profile of Mood States (POMS)-A, and EI was assessed by Mayer–Salovey–Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). At Time 2, negative emotions were induced by nine pictures taken from the International Affective Picture System and participants were asked to complete a second STAI-S and POMS-B questionnaires. At Time 3 participants were allowed to rest doing a distracting task and participants were asked to complete a third STAI-S and POMS-A questionnaires. Results showed that the branches of the MSCEIT emotional facilitation and emotional understanding are related to previous mood states and mood recovery, but not to mood reactivity. This finding contrasts nicely with studies on which emotional recovery was assessed in relation to EI self-reported measures, highlighting the perception and emotional regulation. PMID:26150794

The Etiology of Observed Negative Emotionality from 14 to 24 Months

PubMed Central

Rhee, Soo Hyun; Corley, Robin P.; Friedman, Naomi P.; Hewitt, John K.; Hink, Laura K.; Johnson, Daniel P.; Robinson, JoAnn; Smith, Ashley K.; Young, Susan E.

2011-01-01

We examined the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences on observed negative emotionality at age 14, 20, and 24 months. Participants were 403 same-sex twin pairs recruited from the Longitudinal Twin Study whose emotional responses to four different situations were coded by independent raters. Negative emotionality showed significant consistency across settings, and there was evidence of a latent underlying negative emotionality construct. Heritability decreased, and the magnitude of shared environmental influences increased, for the latent negative emotionality construct from age 14 to 24 months. There were significant correlations between negative emotionality assessed at age 14, 20, and 24 months, and results suggested common genetic and shared environmental influences affecting negative emotionality across age, and that age-specific influences are limited to non-shared environmental influences, which include measurement error. PMID:22303413

The etiology of observed negative emotionality from 14 to 24 months.

PubMed

Rhee, Soo Hyun; Corley, Robin P; Friedman, Naomi P; Hewitt, John K; Hink, Laura K; Johnson, Daniel P; Robinson, Joann; Smith, Ashley K; Young, Susan E

2012-01-01

We examined the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences on observed negative emotionality at age 14, 20, and 24 months. Participants were 403 same-sex twin pairs recruited from the Longitudinal Twin Study whose emotional responses to four different situations were coded by independent raters. Negative emotionality showed significant consistency across settings, and there was evidence of a latent underlying negative emotionality construct. Heritability decreased, and the magnitude of shared environmental influences increased, for the latent negative emotionality construct from age 14 to 24 months. There were significant correlations between negative emotionality assessed at age 14, 20, and 24 months, and results suggested common genetic and shared environmental influences affecting negative emotionality across age, and that age-specific influences are limited to non-shared environmental influences, which include measurement error.

Does Assessing Suicidality Frequently and Repeatedly Cause Harm? A Randomized Control Study

PubMed Central

Law, Mary Kate; Furr, R. Michael; Arnold, Elizabeth Mayfield; Mneimne, Malek; Jaquett, Caroline; Fleeson, William

2015-01-01

Assessing suicidality is common in mental health practice and is fundamental to suicide research. Although necessary, there is significant concern that such assessments have unintended harmful consequences. Using a longitudinal randomized control design, we evaluated whether repeated and frequent assessments of suicide-related thoughts and behaviors negatively affected individuals, including those at-risk for suicide-related outcomes. Adults (N = 282), including many diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), were recruited through psychiatric outpatient clinics and from the community at large, and were randomly assigned to assessment groups. A Control Assessment group responded to questions regarding negative psychological experiences several times each day during a 2-week Main Observation phase. During the same observation period, an Intensive Suicide Assessment group responded to the same questions, along with questions regarding suicidal behavior and ideation. Negative psychological outcomes were measured during the Main Observation phase (for BPD symptoms unrelated to suicide and for BPD-relevant emotions) and/or at the end of each week during the Main Observation phase and monthly for 6 months thereafter (for all outcomes, including suicidal ideation and behavior). Results revealed little evidence that intensive suicide assessment triggered negative outcomes, including suicidal ideation or behavior, even among people with BPD. A handful of effects did reach or approach significance, though these were temporary and non-robust. However, given the seriousness of some outcomes, we recommend that researchers or clinicians who implement experience sampling methods including suicide-related items carefully consider the benefits of asking about suicide and to inform participants about possible risks. PMID:25894705

Does assessing suicidality frequently and repeatedly cause harm? A randomized control study.

PubMed

Law, Mary Kate; Furr, R Michael; Arnold, Elizabeth Mayfield; Mneimne, Malek; Jaquett, Caroline; Fleeson, William

2015-12-01

Assessing suicidality is common in mental health practice and is fundamental to suicide research. Although necessary, there is significant concern that such assessments have unintended harmful consequences. Using a longitudinal randomized control design, the authors evaluated whether repeated and frequent assessments of suicide-related thoughts and behaviors negatively affected individuals, including those at-risk for suicide-related outcomes. Adults (N = 282), including many diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD), were recruited through psychiatric outpatient clinics and from the community at large, and were randomly assigned to assessment groups. A control assessment group responded to questions regarding negative psychological experiences several times each day during a 2-week main observation phase. During the same observation period, an intensive suicide assessment group responded to the same questions, along with questions regarding suicidal behavior and ideation. Negative psychological outcomes were measured during the main observation phase (for BPD symptoms unrelated to suicide and for BPD-relevant emotions) and/or at the end of each week during the main observation phase and monthly for 6 months thereafter (for all outcomes, including suicidal ideation and behavior). Results revealed little evidence that intensive suicide assessment triggered negative outcomes, including suicidal ideation or behavior, even among people with BPD. A handful of effects did reach or approach significance, though these were temporary and nonrobust. However, given the seriousness of some outcomes, the authors recommend that researchers or clinicians who implement experience sampling methods including suicide-related items carefully consider the benefits of asking about suicide and to inform participants about possible risks. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Self-Verification Strivings in Children Holding Negative Self-Views: The Mitigating Effects of a Preceding Success Experience

PubMed Central

Thomaes, Sander; Kamphuis, Jan Henk; de Castro, Bram Orobio; Telch, Michael J.

2010-01-01

Research among adults has consistently shown that people holding negative self-views prefer negative over positive feedback. The present study tested the hypothesis that this preference is less robust among pre-adolescents, such that it will be mitigated by a preceding positive event. Pre-adolescents (n = 75) holding positive or negative global self-esteem were randomized to a favorable or unfavorable peer evaluation outcome. Next, preferences for positive versus negative feedback were assessed using an unobtrusive behavioral viewing time measure. As expected, results showed that after being faced with the success outcome children holding negative self-views were as likely as their peers holding positive self-views to display a significant preference for positive feedback. In contrast, children holding negative self-views displayed a stronger preference for negative feedback after being faced with the unfavorable outcome that matched their pre-existing self-views. PMID:21151482

Self-Verification Strivings in Children Holding Negative Self-Views: The Mitigating Effects of a Preceding Success Experience.

PubMed

Reijntjes, Albert; Thomaes, Sander; Kamphuis, Jan Henk; de Castro, Bram Orobio; Telch, Michael J

2010-12-01

Research among adults has consistently shown that people holding negative self-views prefer negative over positive feedback. The present study tested the hypothesis that this preference is less robust among pre-adolescents, such that it will be mitigated by a preceding positive event. Pre-adolescents (n = 75) holding positive or negative global self-esteem were randomized to a favorable or unfavorable peer evaluation outcome. Next, preferences for positive versus negative feedback were assessed using an unobtrusive behavioral viewing time measure. As expected, results showed that after being faced with the success outcome children holding negative self-views were as likely as their peers holding positive self-views to display a significant preference for positive feedback. In contrast, children holding negative self-views displayed a stronger preference for negative feedback after being faced with the unfavorable outcome that matched their pre-existing self-views.

The Emergence of Parent-Child Coercive Processes in Toddlerhood

PubMed Central

Chang, Hyein; Shaw, Daniel S.

2015-01-01

Parent-child coercion typically emerges in toddlerhood with the child’s first acts of willful defiance and the parent’s first disciplinary attempts. We explored how parents and children may contribute to this process by examining bidirectional and interactive effects between child and maternal negative behavior in 310 low-income, ethnically diverse boys. Using multiple informants and methods, child negative emotionality and maternal negative control were assessed at 18 months and child disruptive behavior and maternal negative control were measured at 24 months. Indicative of parent effects, maternal negative control at 18 months amplified the relation between children’s negative emotionality at 18 months and disruptive behavior at 24 months. Child effects were found in an unexpected direction such that children’s negative emotionality at 18 months predicted decreases in mothers’ negative control at 24 months. Findings are discussed within a transactional framework that emphasizes mutual influence of children and parents over the course of development. PMID:26068801

Positive psychology outcome measures for family caregivers of people living with dementia: a systematic review.

PubMed

Stansfeld, Jacki; Stoner, Charlotte R; Wenborn, Jennifer; Vernooij-Dassen, Myrra; Moniz-Cook, Esme; Orrell, Martin

2017-08-01

Family caregivers of people living with dementia can have both positive and negative experiences of caregiving. Despite this, existing outcome measures predominately focus on negative aspects of caregiving such as burden and depression. This review aimed to evaluate the development and psychometric properties of existing positive psychology measures for family caregivers of people living with dementia to determine their potential utility in research and practice. A systematic review of positive psychology outcome measures for family caregivers of people with dementia was conducted. The databases searched were as follows: PsychINFO, CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PubMed. Scale development papers were subject to a quality assessment to appraise psychometric properties. Twelve positive outcome measures and six validation papers of these scales were identified. The emerging constructs of self-efficacy, spirituality, resilience, rewards, gain, and meaning are in line with positive psychology theory. There are some robust positive measures in existence for family caregivers of people living with dementia. However, lack of reporting of the psychometric properties hindered the quality assessment of some outcome measures identified in this review. Future research should aim to include positive outcome measures in interventional research to facilitate a greater understanding of the positive aspects of caregiving and how these contribute to well-being.

Inverse relationship between stigma and quality of life in India: is epilepsy a disabling neurological condition?

PubMed

Nehra, Ashima; Singla, Sweta; Bajpai, Swati; Malviya, Shrividhya; Padma, Vasantha; Tripathi, Manjari

2014-10-01

Stigma associated with epilepsy has negative effects on psychosocial outcomes, affecting quality of life (QOL) and increasing disease burden in persons with epilepsy (PWEs). The aim of our study was to measure the impact of stigma on the QOL of PWEs and the prevalence of neurological disability due to stigmatized epilepsy. A prospective observational study with a sample of 208 PWEs was conducted. Neuropsychological Tests used were the Indian Disability Evaluation Assessment Scale (IDEAS) to measure disability, the Dysfunctional Analysis Questionnaire (DAQ) to measure QOL, and the Stigma Scale for Epilepsy (SSE) to assess stigma. Spearman correlation was calculated, and stigma (SSE) was highly significant with QOL (DAQ) (0.019) and disability due to stigmatized epilepsy (IDEAS) (0.011). The present study supports the global perception of stigma associated with epilepsy and its negative impact on their overall QOL and its contribution to the escalation of the disease burden. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Objectively Measured Daily Physical Activity and Postural Changes as Related to Positive and Negative Affect Using Ambulatory Monitoring Assessments.

PubMed

Aggio, Daniel; Wallace, Karen; Boreham, Nicola; Shankar, Aparna; Steptoe, Andrew; Hamer, Mark

2017-09-01

The aim of the study was to determine whether objectively measured daily physical activity and posture of sitting, standing, and sit-to-stand transitions are associated with daily assessments of affect. Participants (N = 51, 49% female) wore ActivPal accelerometers for 24 h/d for seven consecutive days. Time spent sitting, standing, and being physically active and sit-to-stand transitions were derived for each day. Participants also completed a mood inventory each evening. Multilevel models examined within- and between-person associations of daily physical activity with positive and negative affect, adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, education, and sleep duration. Within-person associations showed that a 1-hour increase in daily physical activity was associated with a decrease in negative affect over the same day (B = -0.11, 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.21 to -0.01). Between-person associations indicated a borderline significant association between higher average daily physical activity levels and higher positive affect (B = 1.85, 95% CI = -0.25 to 3.94). There were no between- or within-person associations between sitting, standing, and sit-to-stand transitions with affect. Promoting physical activity may be a potential intervention strategy to acutely suppress negative affective states.

Issues and developments related to assessing function in serious mental illness.

PubMed

Brown, Matt A; Velligan, Dawn I

2016-06-01

Serious mental illness (SMI) results in functional disability that imposes a significant burden on individuals, caregivers, and society. Development of novel treatments is under way in an effort to improve the illness domains of cognitive impairment and negative symptoms and subsequently to improve functional outcomes. The assessment of functional outcomes in SMI faces a number of challenges, including the proliferation of assessment instruments and the differential prioritization of functional goals among stakeholder groups. Functional assessments relying on self- and informant report present a number of limitations. Identifying alternative strategies to assess functioning that are reliable, valid, and sensitive to change is necessary for use in clinical trials. Measures of functional capacity have been proposed for clinical trials investigating compounds to treat cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. Alternative approaches employing effort-based decision making or daily activity recording using instruments such as the Daily Activity Report may be more appropriate for studies focused on improving negative symptoms.

Associations between Negative Affect and Binge/Purge Behaviors in Women with Anorexia Nervosa: Considering the Role of Negative Urgency

PubMed Central

Culbert, Kristen M.; Lavender, Jason M.; Crosby, Ross D.; Wonderlich, Stephen A.; Engel, Scott G.; Peterson, Carol B.; Mitchell, James E.; Crow, Scott J.; Grange, Daniel Le; Cao, Li; Fischer, Sarah

2016-01-01

Objective Evidence implicates negative affect in the occurrence of binge/purge behaviors, although the extent to which theoretically relevant individual difference variables may impact this association remains unclear. Negative urgency, the dispositional tendency to engage in rash action when experiencing negative affect, is a unique facet of impulsivity that may play a key role. Moreover, it was hypothesized that women with anorexia nervosa (AN) who are higher on measures of negative urgency, relative to those lower on negative urgency, would exhibit: 1) greater binge eating and purging frequencies on high negative affect days, and 2) a greater change in negative affect prior to and following binge eating and purging episodes. Method Women with AN (n = 82) completed a self-report measure of negative urgency and a 2-week ecological momentary assessment protocol in which they recorded binge eating, purging, and negative affect ratings. Results Women with higher levels of negative urgency exhibited a greater frequency of binge eating and purging; however, in comparison to women low on negative urgency, they: 1) were more likely to binge eat on days corresponding with low-to-moderate negative affect (similar rates of binge eating were observed on high negative affect days), and 2) displayed substantially elevated levels of negative affect across time, and thus, smaller degrees of change in negative affect prior to and following binge eating and purging episodes. Discussion Negative urgency underlies individual differences in the daily experience of negative affect. Women with AN who are high on negative urgency may have an increased propensity for binge eating and purging via a relatively persistent and heightened state of negative emotions. PMID:26995243

Associations between negative affect and binge/purge behaviors in women with anorexia nervosa: Considering the role of negative urgency.

PubMed

Culbert, Kristen M; Lavender, Jason M; Crosby, Ross D; Wonderlich, Stephen A; Engel, Scott G; Peterson, Carol B; Mitchell, James E; Crow, Scott J; Le Grange, Daniel; Cao, Li; Fischer, Sarah

2016-04-01

Evidence implicates negative affect in the occurrence of binge/purge behaviors, although the extent to which theoretically relevant individual difference variables may impact this association remains unclear. Negative urgency, the dispositional tendency to engage in rash action when experiencing negative affect, is a unique facet of impulsivity that may play a key role. Moreover, it was hypothesized that women with anorexia nervosa (AN) who are higher on measures of negative urgency, relative to those lower on negative urgency, would exhibit: 1) greater binge eating and purging frequencies on high negative affect days, and 2) a greater change in negative affect prior to and following binge eating and purging episodes. Women with AN (n=82) completed a self-report measure of negative urgency and a 2-week ecological momentary assessment protocol in which they recorded binge eating, purging, and negative affect ratings. Women with higher levels of negative urgency exhibited a greater frequency of binge eating and purging; however, in comparison to women low on negative urgency, they: 1) were more likely to binge eat on days corresponding with low-to-moderate negative affect (similar rates of binge eating were observed on high negative affect days), and 2) displayed substantially elevated levels of negative affect across time, and thus, smaller degrees of change in negative affect prior to and following binge eating and purging episodes. Negative urgency underlies individual differences in the daily experience of negative affect. Women with AN who are high on negative urgency may have an increased propensity for binge eating and purging via a relatively persistent and heightened state of negative emotions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A multimodal assessment of balance in elderly and young adults.

PubMed

King, Gregory W; Abreu, Eduardo L; Cheng, An-Lin; Chertoff, Keyna K; Brotto, Leticia; Kelly, Patricia J; Brotto, Marco

2016-03-22

Falling is a significant health issue among elderly adults. Given the multifactorial nature of falls, effective balance and fall risk assessment must take into account factors from multiple sources. Here we investigate the relationship between fall risk and a diverse set of biochemical and biomechanical variables including: skeletal muscle-specific troponin T (sTnT), maximal strength measures derived from isometric grip and leg extension tasks, and postural sway captured from a force platform during a quiet stance task. These measures were performed in eight young and eleven elderly adults, along with estimates of fall risk derived from the Tinetti Balance Assessment. We observed age-related effects in all measurements, including a trend toward increased sTnT levels, increased postural sway, reduced upper and lower extremity strength, and reduced balance scores. We observed a negative correlation between balance scores and sTnT levels, suggesting its use as a biomarker for fall risk. We observed a significant positive correlation between balance scores and strength measures, adding support to the notion that muscle strength plays a significant role in postural control. We observed a significant negative correlation between balance scores and postural sway, suggesting that fall risk is associated with more loosely controlled center of mass regulation.

Reports on depressive symptoms in older adults with chronic conditions.

PubMed

Zauszniewski, Jaclene A; Morris, Diana L; Preechawong, Sunida; Chang, Hsiu-Ju

2004-01-01

Depression is the most common mental disorder among older adults in the United States and one of the most disabling conditions worldwide. Chronic conditions and related functional limitations are associated with late-life depression, but assessment of depression is complicated by the absence of measures that capture the range of depressive emotions older adults may express. This descriptive, correlational study of 314 older adults with chronic conditions examined three measures to assess depressive symptoms: the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the short form of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-10), and an Emotional Symptom Checklist (ESC). The measures were correlated with each other and with a number of chronic conditions and functional impairments. Men and women scored similarly on all measures, though correlations between depressive symptoms and negative emotions were stronger for men. About 12% of the older adults exceeded the CES-D criteria for severe depressive symptoms, with the greatest percentage among those aged 75 to 84. The most frequently reported negative emotions were sadness (by women and elders through age 84) and loneliness (by men and elders age 85 and over). The findings suggest the need for multiple assessment strategies to identify older adults at risk for late-life depression.

A multimodal assessment of balance in elderly and young adults

PubMed Central

King, Gregory W.; Abreu, Eduardo L.; Cheng, An-Lin; Chertoff, Keyna K.; Brotto, Leticia; Kelly, Patricia J.; Brotto, Marco

2016-01-01

Falling is a significant health issue among elderly adults. Given the multifactorial nature of falls, effective balance and fall risk assessment must take into account factors from multiple sources. Here we investigate the relationship between fall risk and a diverse set of biochemical and biomechanical variables including: skeletal muscle-specific troponin T (sTnT), maximal strength measures derived from isometric grip and leg extension tasks, and postural sway captured from a force platform during a quiet stance task. These measures were performed in eight young and eleven elderly adults, along with estimates of fall risk derived from the Tinetti Balance Assessment. We observed age-related effects in all measurements, including a trend toward increased sTnT levels, increased postural sway, reduced upper and lower extremity strength, and reduced balance scores. We observed a negative correlation between balance scores and sTnT levels, suggesting its use as a biomarker for fall risk. We observed a significant positive correlation between balance scores and strength measures, adding support to the notion that muscle strength plays a significant role in postural control. We observed a significant negative correlation between balance scores and postural sway, suggesting that fall risk is associated with more loosely controlled center of mass regulation. PMID:26934319

Psychological distress and treatment adherence among children on dialysis.

PubMed

Simoni, J M; Asarnow, J R; Munford, P R; Koprowski, C M; Belin, T R; Salusky, I B

1997-10-01

Among 23 pediatric renal dialysis patients, we obtained self-reported assessments of psychological adjustment and biochemical and subjective ratings of adherence. Findings indicate elevated levels of depressive symptoms and substantial nonadherence. Depressive symptoms were associated with higher levels of hopelessness, more negative self-perceptions, and more depressogenic attributional style. The psychological adjustment measures did not significantly correlate with adherence. Nonsignificant associations among different measures of adherence underscore its multifaceted nature. Implications for monitoring the adjustment of children on dialysis, assessing adherence, and future research are discussed.

Understanding Antipsychotic Drug Treatment Effects: A Novel Method to Reduce Pseudospecificity of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) Factors.

PubMed

Hopkins, Seth C; Ogirala, Ajay; Loebel, Antony; Koblan, Kenneth S

2017-12-01

The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) is the most widely used efficacy measure in acute treatment studies of schizophrenia. However, interpretation of the efficacy of antipsychotics in improving specific symptom domains is confounded by moderate-to-high correlations among standard (Marder) PANSS factors. The authors review the results of an uncorrelated PANSS score matrix (UPSM) transform designed to reduce pseudospecificity in assessment of symptom change in patients with schizophrenia. Based on a factor analysis of five pooled, placebo-controlled lurasidone clinical trials (N=1,710 patients), a UPSM transform was identified that generated PANSS factors with high face validity (good correlation with standard Marder PANSS factors), and high specificity/orthogonality (low levels of between-factor correlation measuring change during treatment). Between-factor correlations were low at baseline for both standard (Marder) PANSS factors and transformed PANSS factors. However, when measured change in symptom severity was measured during treatment (in a pooled 5-study analysis), there was a notable difference for standard PANSS factors, where changes across factors were found to be highly correlated (factors exhibited pseudospecificity), compared to transformed PANSS factors, where factor change scores exhibited the same low levels of between-factor correlation observed at baseline. At Week 6-endpoint, correlations among PANSS factor severity scores were moderate-to-high for standard factors (0.34-0.68), but continued to be low for the transformed factors (-0.22-0.20). As an additional validity check, we analyzed data from one of the original five pooled clinical trials that included other well-validated assessment scales (MADRS, Negative Symptom Assessment scale [NSA]). In this baseline analysis, UPSM-transformed PANSS factor severity scores (negative and depression factors) were found to correlate well with the MADRS and NSA. The availability of transformed PANSS factors with a high degree of orthogonality/specificity, but which retain a high degree of concurrent and face validity, can reduce pseudospecificity as a measurement confound, and should facilitate the drug development process, permitting a more accurate characterization of the efficacy of putative new agents in targeting specific symptom domains in patients with psychotic illness.

Cognitive indicators of social anxiety in youth: a structural equation analysis.

PubMed

Rudy, Brittany M; Davis, Thompson E; Matthews, Russell A

2014-01-01

Previous studies have demonstrated significant relationships among various cognitive variables such as negative cognition, self-efficacy, and social anxiety. Unfortunately, few studies focus on the role of cognition among youth, and researchers often fail to use domain-specific measures when examining cognitive variables. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine domain-specific cognitive variables (i.e., socially oriented negative self-referent cognition and social self-efficacy) and their relationships to social anxiety in children and adolescents using structural equation modeling techniques. A community sample of children and adolescents (n=245; 55.9% female; 83.3% Caucasian, 9.4% African American, 2% Asian, 2% Hispanic, 2% "other," and 1.2% not reported) completed questionnaires assessing social cognition and social anxiety symptomology. Three latent variables were created to examine the constructs of socially oriented negative self-referent cognition (as measured by the SONAS scale), social self-efficacy (as measured by the SEQSS-C), and social anxiety (as measured by the SPAI-C and the Brief SA). The resulting measurement model of latent variables fit the data well. Additionally, consistent with the study hypothesis, results indicated that social self-efficacy likely mediates the relationship between socially oriented negative self-referent cognition and social anxiety, and socially oriented negative self-referent cognition yields significant direct and indirect effects on social anxiety. These findings indicate that socially oriented negative cognitions are associated with youth's beliefs about social abilities and the experience of social anxiety. Future directions for research and study limitations, including use of cross-sectional data, are discussed. © 2013.

Cognitive Risk and Protective Factors for Suicidal Ideation: A Two Year Longitudinal Study in Adolescence

PubMed Central

Burke, Taylor A.; Connolly, Samantha L.; Hamilton, Jessica L.; Stange, Jonathan P.; Abramson, Lyn Y.; Alloy, Lauren B.

2015-01-01

Adolescence is a developmental period associated with heightened risk for both the onset and escalation of suicidal ideation (SI). Given that SI is a potent predictor of suicidal behavior, it is important to develop models of vulnerability for and protection against SI, particularly among young adolescents. This study examined the relative impact of several cognitive vulnerabilities, as well as protective factors, for SI among young adolescents over a 2-year interval encompassing their transition to mid-adolescence. At baseline, 324 adolescents (M=12.39 years; SD=0.63; 52.5 % female) completed measures of depressive symptoms, self-referent information processing biases, negative inferential style, and responses to negative affect. Further, the adolescents and their mothers were administered a diagnostic interview to assess current and past depressive disorders and SI. Over follow-up, adolescents and their mothers were administered the diagnostic interview every 12 months and adolescents completed a self-report measure inquiring about SI every 6 months to assess interviewer-rated and self-reported SI. Logistic regressions indicated that preferential endorsement of negative adjectives as self-referent (only among girls), rumination in response to negative affect, and a negative inferential style prospectively predicted SI. Additionally, young adolescents’ tendency to respond to negative affect with distraction and problem-solving buffered against their risk for exhibiting SI. When these factors were entered simultaneously, preferential endorsement of negative adjectives as self-referent and the use of distraction and problem-solving skills remained the only significant prospective predictors of SI. No previous studies have examined these variables as predictors of SI, thereby highlighting their potential utility in improving the predictive validity of extant models of suicide risk and resilience. PMID:26597963

PTSD symptoms lead to modification in the memory of the trauma: a prospective study of former prisoners of war.

PubMed

Dekel, Sharon; Solomon, Zahava; Ein-Dor, Tsachi

2016-03-01

With the growing interest in the role of trauma memory in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), this prospective study examined long-term changes in memory and the bidirectional relationship between symptoms of PTSD and trauma memory. A sample of Israeli former prisoners of the 1973 Yom Kippur War (N = 103) was assessed in 1991 and in 2008. Participants' PTSD symptom clusters, measured by the PTSD Inventory, and recollections of subjective and objective exposure during captivity, measured by a self-report questionnaire, were assessed at both times. Data on prewar and postwar negative life events and psychotherapy were also collected. Repeated-measures analysis revealed that participants' recollections were increasingly negative over time (P < .001). Applying an autoregressive cross-lagged modeling strategy showed that the PTSD symptoms of hyperarousal facilitated subsequent amplifications in their recollections (P < .01). These findings challenge the accuracy of reports of traumatic experiences and show that PTSD symptoms, in part, lead to the formation of more negative recollections over time. The findings suggest that the original memory is repeatedly updated under the influence of the individual's emotional state. The findings are discussed in the context of the reconsolidation theory of memory. © Copyright 2016 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

Bridging the Measurement Gap Between Research and Clinical Care in Schizophrenia: Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale-6 (PANSS-6) and Other Assessments Based on the Simplified Negative and Positive Symptoms Interview (SNAPSI).

PubMed

Østergaard, Søren D; Opler, Mark G A; Correll, Christoph U

2017-12-01

There is currently a "measurement gap" between research and clinical care in schizophrenia. The main reason behind this gap is that the most widely used rating scale in schizophrenia research, the 30-item Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), takes so long to administer that it is rarely used in clinical practice. This compromises the translation of research findings into clinical care and vice versa. The aim of this paper is to discuss how this measurement gap can be closed. Specifically, the main points of discussion are 1) the practical problems associated with using the full 30-item PANSS in clinical practice; 2) how the brief, six-item version of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS-6) was derived empirically from the full 30-item PANSS and what the initial results obtained with PANSS-6 entail; and 3) how PANSS-6 ratings, guided by the newly developed, 15-25-minute, stand-alone Simplified Negative and Positive Symptoms Interview (SNAPSI), might help bridge the measurement gap between research and clinical care in schizophrenia. The full 30-item PANSS is often used in research studies, but is too time consuming to allow for routine clinical use. Recent studies suggest that the much briefer PANSS-6 is a psychometrically valid measure of core positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia and that the scale is sensitive to symptom improvement following pharmacological treatment. SNAPSI is a brief interview that yields the information needed to rate PANSS-6 (and other brief rating scales). We believe that PANSS-6 ratings guided by SNAPSI will help bridge the measurement gap between research and clinical care in schizophrenia.

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Feeding Emotions Scale. A measure of parent emotions in the context of feeding.

PubMed

Frankel, Leslie; Fisher, Jennifer O; Power, Thomas G; Chen, Tzu-An; Cross, Matthew B; Hughes, Sheryl O

2015-08-01

Assessing parent affect is important because studies examining the parent-child dyad have shown that parent affect has a profound impact on parent-child interactions and related outcomes. Although some measures that assess general affect during daily lives exist, to date there are only few tools that assess parent affect in the context of feeding. The aim of this study was to develop an instrument to measure parent affect specific to the feeding context and determine its validity and reliability. A brief instrument consisting of 20 items was developed that specifically asks how parents feel during the feeding process. This brief instrument draws on the structure of a well-validated general affect measure. A total of 296 Hispanic and Black Head Start parents of preschoolers completed the Feeding Emotions Scale along with other parent-report measures as part of a larger study designed to better understand feeding interactions during the dinner meal. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a two-factor model with independent subscales of positive affect and negative affect (Cronbach's alphas of 0.85 and 0.84, respectively). Concurrent and convergent construct validity was evaluated by correlating the subscales of the Feeding Emotions Scale with positive emotionality and negative emotionality from the Differential Emotions Scale - a measure of general adult emotions. Concurrent and convergent criterion validity was evaluated by testing mean differences in affect across parent feeding styles using ANOVA. A significant difference was found across maternal weight status for positive feeding affect. The resulting validated measure can be used to assess parent affect in studies of feeding to better understand how interactions during feeding may impact the development of child eating behaviors and possibly weight status. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Negative affect and sleep disturbance may be associated with response to epidural steroid injections for spine-related pain.

PubMed

Karp, Jordan F; Yu, Lan; Friedly, Janna; Amtmann, Dagmar; Pilkonis, Paul A

2014-02-01

To describe whether negative affect and sleep impairment are associated with the clinical effect of epidural steroid injections (ESIs) for low back pain. Observational study; patients were evaluated before ESI and 1 and 3 months after ESI. Spine center and related treatment sites. Participants (N=158) seeking treatment for low back pain with or without radiculopathy. ESI for low back pain with or without radiculopathy. We assessed the dependent (global pain severity for back and leg pain, pain behavior, pain interference) and independent variables (depression, sleep disturbance, and covariates of back pain response) with the Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) and legacy measures. Outcome was assessed cross-sectionally using multiple regression and longitudinally with path analysis. After 1 month, sleep disturbance was the only predictor for the global ratings of improvement in back pain (R(2)=16.8%) and leg pain (R(2)=11.4%). The proportions of variance explained by sleep disturbance and negative affect for all dependent variables were greater at 3 months than 1 month. Mediation analysis was significant for negative affect for the 3-month outcomes on PROMIS pain behavior (β=.87, P<.01) and pain interference (β=.37, P<.01). There was no evidence of mediation by sleep disturbance for any outcome. Negative affect and sleep disturbance are associated with worse outcomes after ESI. Further research is needed to determine if treatment of negative affect and sleep disturbance prior to or concurrently with ESI will improve outcomes. Copyright © 2014 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Influence of negative affect on decision making in women with restrictive and binge-purge type anorexia nervosa.

PubMed

Danner, Unna N; Sternheim, Lot; Bijsterbosch, Jojanneke M; Dingemans, Alexandra E; Evers, Catharine; van Elburg, Annemarie A

2016-05-30

The present study aims to examine the influence of negative affect on decision making in women with anorexia nervosa (AN) compared to healthy control women and, secondly, to assess differences between the restrictive (ANR) and binge-purge (ANBP) subtypes. One hundred four women (32 with ANR, 32 with ANBP, and 40 healthy controls) participated. All women were asked to watch either a negative or a control film fragment, both followed by the Bechara Gambling Task (BGT). Before and after the fragments negative affect was measured. Additionally, relevant characteristics (e.g., overall depressive symptoms) were assessed. Differences in negative affect did not influence decision making performance. Independent of affective state, decision making was found to be impaired in women with ANBP (no learning effect on the BGT), but not in women with ANR. These findings highlight the importance of considering different AN subtypes when examining decision making processes. However, the role of negative affect on decision making remains uncertain. Since other affect related factors such as affect dysregulation may also play a role, future studies on decision making in AN should take the role of affect into account. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A study on negative and depressive symptom prevalence in individuals at ultra-high risk for psychosis.

PubMed

Azar, Marleine; Pruessner, Marita; Baer, Lawrence H; Iyer, Srividya; Malla, Ashok K; Lepage, Martin

2016-09-21

Negative symptoms are known to be present in the prodromal stage of psychotic disorders, yet little is known about their prevalence. Studies examining the presence of negative symptoms in ultra-high risk (UHR) populations have shown some limitations, notably failing to control depression. The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence of negative symptoms in the presence of significant levels of depression and in the absence of such symptoms (primary negative symptoms) over 1 year and to examine differences in negative symptoms in psychosis converters and non-converters. Participants were 123 individuals at UHR for the development of psychosis receiving follow-up for a period of 2 years. Negative symptoms and depression were measured using the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms and the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Scale at baseline, 6 and 12 months post-admission. At baseline, the prevalence of negative symptoms and primary negative symptoms was 76.4% and 32.7%, respectively. Whereas the prevalence of negative symptoms was significantly decreased at 6 months, the prevalence of primary negative symptoms was similar at all time points. Negative symptoms at baseline were not different between later converters and non-converters to psychosis. Our findings confirm the presence of secondary and primary negative symptoms in individuals at UHR, but suggest a differential trajectory of both measures over time. Future studies should include larger UHR groups and focus on the investigation of intra-individual changes in primary negative symptoms over time and further explore their potential role for psychosis conversion. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Looks can be deceiving: body image dissatisfaction relates to social anxiety through fear of negative evaluation.

PubMed

Pawijit, Yada; Likhitsuwan, Watcharaphon; Ludington, Jason; Pisitsungkagarn, Kullaya

2017-07-06

Introduction Emerging adults are particularly vulnerable to body image dissatisfaction and social anxiety. These bring about a host of negative outcomes, including compromised social adjustment and well-being. Fear of negative evaluation has been shown to be a core element of social anxiety, but it is rarely considered in studies of body image and its effects on social anxiety. This study aimed to bridge this gap by examining the role of fear of negative evaluation in the association between body image dissatisfaction and social anxiety. Methods A cross-sectional study using 80 Thai undergraduates (mean age of 21 years) was conducted by self-reported (questionnaire) measures. Body image dissatisfaction was measured with the short version of the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ-8C), fear of negative evaluation with the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale, and social anxiety with the Interaction Anxiousness Scale (IAS). Correlation and mediation analyses were conducted to assess how these constructs were related to one another. Results The key hypothesis was supported: positive associations were found among body image dissatisfaction, fear of negative evaluation and social anxiety, and the association between body image dissatisfaction and social anxiety was mediated by fear of negative evaluation. Discussion Generalizing from the current findings, ideas for possible amelioration of social anxiety are discussed.

Effect of Cage-Induced Stereotypies on Measures of Affective State and Recurrent Perseveration in CD-1 and C57BL/6 Mice

PubMed Central

Novak, Janja; Bailoo, Jeremy D.; Melotti, Luca; Würbel, Hanno

2016-01-01

Stereotypies are abnormal repetitive behaviour patterns that are highly prevalent in laboratory mice and are thought to reflect impaired welfare. Thus, they are associated with impaired behavioural inhibition and may also reflect negative affective states. However, in mice the relationship between stereotypies and behavioural inhibition is inconclusive, and reliable measures of affective valence are lacking. Here we used an exploration based task to assess cognitive bias as a measure of affective valence and a two-choice guessing task to assess recurrent perseveration as a measure of impaired behavioural inhibition to test mice with different forms and expression levels of stereotypic behaviour. We trained 44 CD-1 and 40 C57BL/6 female mice to discriminate between positively and negatively cued arms in a radial maze and tested their responses to previously inaccessible ambiguous arms. In CD-1 mice (i) mice with higher stereotypy levels displayed a negative cognitive bias and this was influenced by the form of stereotypy performed, (ii) negative cognitive bias was evident in back-flipping mice, and (iii) no such effect was found in mice displaying bar-mouthing or cage-top twirling. In C57BL/6 mice neither route-tracing nor bar-mouthing was associated with cognitive bias, indicating that in this strain these stereotypies may not reflect negative affective states. Conversely, while we found no relation of stereotypy to recurrent perseveration in CD-1 mice, C57BL/6 mice with higher levels of route-tracing, but not bar-mouthing, made more repetitive responses in the guessing task. Our findings confirm previous research indicating that the implications of stereotypies for animal welfare may strongly depend on the species and strain of animal as well as on the form and expression level of the stereotypy. Furthermore, they indicate that variation in stereotypic behaviour may represent an important source of variation in many animal experiments. PMID:27145080

Is suicide assessment harmful to participants? Findings from a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Harris, Keith M; Goh, Melissa Ting-Ting

2017-04-01

There is considerable debate on whether suicide assessment carries an iatrogenic risk for participants/patients. A double-blind randomized controlled trial (registration: R000022314) tested the emotional impact of suicide assessment on participants (n = 259) randomly assigned to experimental (n = 122) or control conditions (n = 137). The experimental condition included the Suicidal Affect-Behavior-Cognition Scale and intensive death-related questions, the control condition a quality of life scale. Both included measures of depression, social support and loneliness. Affective states were assessed immediately before and after testing, and research biases minimized. Post-test debriefing interviews collected qualitative reactions. Experimental participants ranged from nonsuicidal to highly suicidal. Between-groups ANCOVAs and repeated measures ANOVAs showed no differences by study condition, and no pre-post-test affect changes for either condition or suicidal participants (P > 0.10), supporting the null hypothesis of no iatrogenic effects. However, depressive participants in both conditions showed significant decreases in positive affect (P < 0.05). Smallest real difference (SRD) scores approximated clinically meaningful differences and showed 20% of participants had a significant positive survey reaction, 24% a negative reaction, with the rest neutral. Linear regressions revealed depressive symptoms and perceived family support, but not suicidality or other factors, predicted negative affect changes, which was supported by qualitative findings. Social desirability bias was also found in qualitative survey responses. No evidence of iatrogenic effects of suicide assessment were found. Recommendations are made to counter possible negative assessment effects on depressive participants/patients, and nurses and other caregivers are encouraged to talk to patients about suicidal symptoms. © 2016 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc.

Death qualification and prejudice: the effect of implicit racism, sexism, and homophobia on capital defendants' right to due process.

PubMed

Butler, Brooke

2007-01-01

Two hundred venirepersons from the 12th Judicial Circuit in Bradenton, Florida completed the following measures: (1) one question that measured their level of support for the death penalty; (2) one question that categorized their death-qualification status; (3) 23 questions that measured their attitudes toward the death penalty (ATDP); (4) 22 questions that assessed their attitudes toward women (ATW); (5) 25 questions that measured their level of homophobia (H); (6) seven questions that assessed their level of modern racism (MR); (7) eight questions that measured their level of modern sexism (MS); and (8) standard demographic questions. Results indicated that as death-penalty support increased participants exhibited more positive attitudes toward the death penalty, more negative attitudes toward women, and higher levels of homophobia, modern racism, and modern sexism. Findings also suggested that death-qualified venirepersons exhibited more positive attitudes toward the death penalty and higher levels of homophobia, modern racism, and modern sexism. Finally, more positive attitudes toward the death penalty were correlated with more negative attitudes toward women and higher levels of homophobia, modern racism, and modern sexism. Legal implications are discussed. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Does laboratory cue reactivity correlate with real-world craving and smoking responses to cues?

PubMed

Shiffman, Saul; Li, Xiaoxue; Dunbar, Michael S; Tindle, Hilary A; Scholl, Sarah M; Ferguson, Stuart G

2015-10-01

Laboratory cue reactivity (CR) assessments are used to assess smokers' responses to cues. Likewise, EMA recording is used to characterize real-world response to cues. Understanding the relationship between CR and EMA responses addresses the ecological validity of CR. In 190 daily smokers not currently quitting, craving and smoking responses to cues were assessed in laboratory CR and by real-world EMA recording. Separate CR sessions involved 5 smoking-relevant cues (smoking, alcohol, negative affect, positive affect, smoking prohibitions), and a neutral cue. Subjects used EMA to monitor smoking situations for 3 weeks, completing parallel situational assessments (presence of others smoking, alcohol consumption, negative affect, positive affect, and smoking prohibitions, plus current craving) in smoking and non-smoking occasions (averaging 70 and 60 occasions each). Analyses correlated CR craving and smoking cue responses with EMA craving and smoking correlations with similar cues. Although some cues did not show main effects on average craving or smoking, a wide range of individual differences in response to cues was apparent in both CR and EMA data, providing the necessary context to assess their relationship. Laboratory CR measures of cue response were not correlated with real-world cue responses assessed by EMA. The average correlation was 0.03; none exceeded 0.32. One of 40 correlations examined was significantly greater than 0. Laboratory CR measures do not correlate with EMA-assessed craving or smoking in response to cues, suggesting that CR measures are not accurate predictors of how smokers react to relevant stimuli in the real world. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Electrophysiological Investigation of Emotional Abnormalities in Groups at Risk for Schizophrenia-Spectrum Personality Disorders

PubMed Central

Martin, Elizabeth A.; Karcher, Nicole R.; Bartholow, Bruce D.; Siegle, Greg J.; Kerns, John G.

2017-01-01

Both extreme levels of social anhedonia (SocAnh) and perceptual aberration/magical ideation (PerMag) are associated with risk for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and with emotional abnormalities. Yet, the nature of any psychophysiological-measured affective abnormality, including the role of automatic/controlled processes, is unclear. We examined the late positive potential (LPP) during passive viewing (to assess automatic processing) and during cognitive reappraisal (to assess controlled processing) in three groups: SocAnh, PerMag, and controls. The SocAnh group exhibited an increased LPP when viewing negative images. Further, SocAnh exhibited greater reductions in the LPP for negative images when told to use strategies to alter negative emotion. Similar to SocAnh, PerMag exhibited an increased LPP when viewing negative images. However, PerMag also exhibited an increased LPP when viewing positive images as well as an atypical decreased LPP when increasing positive emotion. Overall, these results suggest that at-risk groups are associated with shared and unique automatic and controlled abnormalities. PMID:28174121

Motivation and Pleasure Scale-Self-Report (MAP-SR): Validation of the German version of a self-report measure for screening negative symptoms in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Engel, Maike; Lincoln, Tania Marie

2016-02-01

Validated self-report instruments could provide a time efficient screening method for negative symptoms in people with schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a German version of the Motivation and Pleasure Scale-Self-Report (MAP-SR) which is based on the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS). In- and outpatients (N=50) with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were assessed with standardized interviews and questionnaires on negative and positive symptoms and general psychopathology in schizophrenia, depression, and global functioning. The German version of the MAP-SR showed high internal consistency. Convergent validity was supported by significant correlations between the MAP-SR with the experience sub-scale of the CAINS and the negative symptom sub-scale of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. The MAP-SR also exhibited discriminant validity indicated by its non-significant correlations with positive symptoms and general psychopathology, which is in line with the findings for the original version of the MAP-SR. However, the MAP-SR correlated moderately with depression. The German MAP-SR appears to be a valid and suitable diagnostic tool for the identification of negative symptoms in schizophrenia. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Conflict-driven adaptive control is enhanced by integral negative emotion on a short time scale.

PubMed

Yang, Qian; Pourtois, Gilles

2018-02-05

Negative emotion influences cognitive control, and more specifically conflict adaptation. However, discrepant results have often been reported in the literature. In this study, we broke down negative emotion into integral and incidental components using a modern motivation-based framework, and assessed whether the former could change conflict adaptation. In the first experiment, we manipulated the duration of the inter-trial-interval (ITI) to assess the actual time-scale of this effect. Integral negative emotion was induced by using loss-related feedback contingent on task performance, and measured at the subjective and physiological levels. Results showed that conflict-driven adaptive control was enhanced when integral negative emotion was elicited, compared to a control condition without changes in defensive motivation. Importantly, this effect was only found when a short, as opposed to long ITI was used, suggesting that it had a short time scale. In the second experiment, we controlled for effects of feature repetition and contingency learning, and replicated an enhanced conflict adaptation effect when integral negative emotion was elicited and a short ITI was used. We interpret these new results against a standard cognitive control framework assuming that integral negative emotion amplifies specific control signals transiently, and in turn enhances conflict adaptation.

Developmental instability and schizotypy.

PubMed

Rosa, A; van Os, J; Fañanás, L; Barrantes, N; Caparrós, B; Gutiérrez, B; Obiols, J

2000-06-16

It has been suggested that evidence of developmental disturbance of cognition and lateralisation in schizophrenia can be best understood from the perspective of developmental stability (DS), an indicator of the extent to which an individual develops according to a specified ontogenic programme in the presence of environmental noise. Higher levels of fluctuating asymmetry (FA; the difference between right and left side of a quantitative morphological trait such as dermatoglyphics) are thought to reflect less DS. We examined this issue for dimensions of schizotypy. Associations between FA, measures of laterality and cognitive function on the one hand, and negative and positive dimensions of schizotypy on the other, were examined in a sample of 260 healthy adolescents aged 11.9-15.6years. FA was measured as a-b ridge count right-left differences. Neuropsychological measures yielded a general cognitive ability score and a frontal function score. Laterality was assessed with the Annett scale. Measures of psychosis proneness were normally distributed. Negative schizotypy was associated with more FA and lower general cognitive ability in a dose-response fashion. The association with FA was more apparent in boys. No associations existed with laterality or frontal function. The negative dimension of schizotypy may be associated with early developmental instability, resembling the pattern seen in the negative symptom dimension of schizophrenia. Measures of fluctuating asymmetry may be more sensitive with regard to the schizotypy phenotype than measures of laterality.

Cultural adaptation and psychometric assessment of Pain Catastrophizing Scale among young healthy Malay-speaking adults in military settings.

PubMed

Mohd Din, F H; Hoe, Victor C W; Chan, C K; Muslan, M A

2015-05-01

The Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) is designed to assess negative thoughts in response to pain. It is composed of three domains: helplessness, rumination, and magnification. We report on the translation, adaptation, and validation of scores on a Malay-speaking version of the PCS, the PCS-MY. Guidelines for the process of cross-cultural adaptations of assessment measures were implemented. A sample of 303 young military recruits participated in the study. Factor structure, reliability, and validity of scores on the PCS-MY were examined. Convergent validity was investigated with the Positive and Negative Affect Scale, Short-form 12 version 2, and Ryff's Psychological Well-being Scale. Most participants were men, ranging in age from 19 to 26. The reliability of the PCS-MY scores was adequate (α = 0.90; mean inter-item correlation = 0.43). Confirmatory factor analysis showed that a modified version of the PCS-MY provided best fit estimates to the sample data. The PCS-MY total score was negatively correlated with mental well-being and positively correlated with negative affect (all ps < 0.001). The PCS-MY was demonstrated to have adequate reliability and validity estimates in the study sample.

The Cognitive and Behavioural Impact of Alcohol Promoting and Alcohol Warning Advertisements: An Experimental Study

PubMed Central

Brown, Kyle G.; Stautz, Kaidy; Hollands, Gareth J.; Winpenny, Eleanor M.; Marteau, Theresa M.

2016-01-01

Aims To assess the immediate effect of alcohol promoting and alcohol warning advertisements on implicit and explicit attitudes towards alcohol and on alcohol seeking behaviour. Methods We conducted a between-participants online experiment in which participants were randomly assigned to view one of three sets of advertisements: (a) alcohol promoting, (b) alcohol warning, or (c) unrelated to alcohol. A total of 373 participants (59.5% female) aged 18–40 (M = 28.03) living in the UK were recruited online through a research agency. Positive and negative implicit attitudes and explicit attitudes towards alcohol were assessed before and after advertisements were viewed. Alcohol seeking behaviour was measured by participants' choice of either an alcohol-related or non-alcohol-related voucher offered ostensibly as a reward for participation. Self-reported past week alcohol consumption was also recorded. Results There were no main effects on any of the outcome measures. In heavier drinkers, viewing alcohol promoting advertisements increased positive implicit attitudes (standardized beta = 0.15, P = 0.04) and decreased negative implicit attitudes (standardized beta = −0.17, P = 0.02). In heavier drinkers, viewing alcohol warning advertisements decreased negative implicit attitudes (standardized beta = −0.19, P = 0.01). Conclusions Viewing alcohol promoting advertisements has a cognitive impact on heavier drinkers, increasing positive and reducing negative implicit attitudes towards alcohol. Viewing alcohol warning advertisements reduces negative implicit attitudes towards alcohol in heavier drinkers, suggestive of a reactance effect. PMID:26391367

The Cognitive and Behavioural Impact of Alcohol Promoting and Alcohol Warning Advertisements: An Experimental Study.

PubMed

Brown, Kyle G; Stautz, Kaidy; Hollands, Gareth J; Winpenny, Eleanor M; Marteau, Theresa M

2016-05-01

To assess the immediate effect of alcohol promoting and alcohol warning advertisements on implicit and explicit attitudes towards alcohol and on alcohol seeking behaviour. We conducted a between-participants online experiment in which participants were randomly assigned to view one of three sets of advertisements: (a) alcohol promoting, (b) alcohol warning, or (c) unrelated to alcohol. A total of 373 participants (59.5% female) aged 18-40 (M = 28.03) living in the UK were recruited online through a research agency. Positive and negative implicit attitudes and explicit attitudes towards alcohol were assessed before and after advertisements were viewed. Alcohol seeking behaviour was measured by participants' choice of either an alcohol-related or non-alcohol-related voucher offered ostensibly as a reward for participation. Self-reported past week alcohol consumption was also recorded. There were no main effects on any of the outcome measures. In heavier drinkers, viewing alcohol promoting advertisements increased positive implicit attitudes (standardized beta = 0.15, P = 0.04) and decreased negative implicit attitudes (standardized beta = -0.17, P = 0.02). In heavier drinkers, viewing alcohol warning advertisements decreased negative implicit attitudes (standardized beta = -0.19, P = 0.01). Viewing alcohol promoting advertisements has a cognitive impact on heavier drinkers, increasing positive and reducing negative implicit attitudes towards alcohol. Viewing alcohol warning advertisements reduces negative implicit attitudes towards alcohol in heavier drinkers, suggestive of a reactance effect. © The Author 2015. Medical Council on Alcohol and Oxford University Press.

Training for assessment of negative symptoms of schizophrenia across languages and cultures: comparison of the NSA-16 with the PANSS Negative Subscale and Negative Symptom factor.

PubMed

Daniel, David G; Alphs, Larry; Cazorla, Pilar; Bartko, John J; Panagides, John

2011-07-01

The 16-item Negative Symptom Assessment scale (NSA-16) has been validated in English-speaking raters. We analyzed the level of agreement achieved among raters of different nationalities using the NSA-16 and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) negative subscale and Marder negative factor. Raters participating in two international trials were trained in the use of each instrument through lectures and feedback on their ratings of at least one videotaped interview of a schizophrenic patient. Overall and regional (North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, South/Central America, and Australia and South Africa combined) kappa values were calculated and mean total scores were compared (1-way analysis of variance) by region for each instrument. In addition, within-scales variance was calculated by item to help identify negative symptoms that were particularly challenging to obtain agreement on across cultures. In the combined group of international raters, the kappa values for ratings of the NSA-16, PANSS negative subscale, and Marder negative factors were 0.89, 0.84, and 0.82, respectively. Kappa values calculated by geographic region ranged from 0.87 to 0.94 for the NSA-16 compared with 0.82 to 0.86 for the PANSS negative subscale and 0.79 to 0.87 for the PANSS Marder negative factor. Despite cultural and linguistic differences among raters, standardizing measurement of negative symptoms in international clinical trials is possible using available rating scales: NSA-16, PANSS negative subscale, and Marder negative subscale. Agreement among raters was at least as high using the NSA-16 as using the PANSS instruments.

Assessment of Biomarkers Associated with Joint Injury and Subsequent Post-Traumatic Arthritis

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-01

Studio, Research Triangle Park, NC). Changes in cartilage thickness between post -operative and 18-month follow-up images were quantified using an in...surface were measured, and defined as the distance to a test surface ( post -fx bone surface) that was either outside (positive) or inside (negative) of... test surface ( post -fx bone surface) that was either outside (positive) or inside (negative) of the reference surface (pre-fx bone surface). A

Promoting walking in older adults: Perceived neighborhood walkability influences the effectiveness of motivational messages.

PubMed

Notthoff, Nanna; Carstensen, Laura L

2017-06-01

Positively framed messages seem to promote walking in older adults better than negatively framed messages. This study targeted elderly people in communities unfavorable to walking. Walking was measured with pedometers during baseline (1 week) and intervention (4 weeks). Participants ( n = 74) were informed about either the benefits of walking or the negative consequences of not walking. Perceived neighborhood walkability was assessed with a modified version of the Neighborhood Walkability Scale. When perceived walkability was high, positively framed messages were more effective than negatively framed messages in promoting walking; when perceived walkability was low, negatively framed messages were comparably effective to positively framed messages.

Measuring the Wage Costs of Limited English: Issues with Using Interviewer versus Self-Reports in Determining Latino Wages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamilton, Darrick; Goldsmith, Arthur H.; Darity, William, Jr.

2008-01-01

Scholars have found that poor English proficiency is negatively associated with wages using self-reported measures. However, these estimates may suffer from misclassification bias. Interviewer ratings are likely to more accurately proxy employer assessment of worker language ability. Using self-reported and interviewer ratings from the Multi-City…

Inhibitory deficits for negative information in persons with major depressive disorder.

PubMed

Lau, Mark A; Christensen, Bruce K; Hawley, Lance L; Gemar, Michael S; Segal, Zindel V

2007-09-01

Within Beck's cognitive model of depression, little is known about the mechanism(s) by which activated self-schemas result in the production of negative thoughts. Recent research has demonstrated that inhibitory dysfunction is present in depression, and this deficit is likely valence-specific. However, whether valence-specific inhibitory deficits are associated with increased negative cognition and whether such deficits are specific to depression per se remains unexamined. The authors posit the theory that inhibitory dysfunction may influence the degree to which activated self-schemas result in the production of depressive cognition. Individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD, n=43) versus healthy (n=36) and non-depressed anxious (n=32) controls were assessed on the Prose Distraction Task (PDT), a measure of cognitive inhibition, and the Stop-Signal Task (SST), a measure of motor response inhibition. These two tasks were modified in order to present emotionally valenced semantic stimuli (i.e. negative, neutral, positive). Participants with MDD demonstrated performance impairments on the PDT, which were most pronounced for negatively valenced adjectives, relative to both control groups. Moreover, these impairments correlated with self-report measures of negative thinking and rumination. Conversely, the performance of the MDD participants did not differ from either control group on the SST. Implications of these findings for understanding the mechanisms underlying the development and maintenance of depressive cognition are discussed.

Negative affect and a fluctuating jumping to conclusions bias predict subsequent paranoia in daily life: An online experience sampling study.

PubMed

Lüdtke, Thies; Kriston, Levente; Schröder, Johanna; Lincoln, Tania M; Moritz, Steffen

2017-09-01

Negative affect and a tendency to "jump to conclusions" (JTC) are associated with paranoia. So far, only negative affect has been examined as a precursor of subsequent paranoia in daily life using experience sampling (ESM). We addressed this research gap and used ESM to test whether JTC fluctuates in daily life, whether it predicts subsequent paranoia, and whether it mediates the effect of negative affect on paranoia. Thirty-five participants with schizophrenia spectrum disorders repeatedly self-reported negative affect, JTC, and paranoia via online questionnaires on two consecutive days. We measured JTC with a paradigm consisting of ambiguous written scenarios. Multilevel linear models were conducted. Most participants showed JTC consistently on two days rather than only on one day. When time was used as a predictor of JTC, significant slope variance indicated that for a subgroup of participants JTC fluctuated over time. For 48% of participants, these fluctuations equaled changes of approximately ±1 point on the four-point JTC scale within one day. There was no mediation. However, negative affect and JTC both significantly predicted subsequent paranoia. The ESM assessment period was short and encompassed few assessments (8 in total). Our findings indicate that JTC is both stable (regarding its mere occurrence) and fluctuating simultaneously (regarding its magnitude). Although JTC was not a mediator linking negative affect and paranoia, it did predict paranoia. Further ESM studies on JTC are needed to confirm our findings in longer assessment periods and with other JTC paradigms. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

B-HT 920, a dopamine D2 agonist, in the treatment of negative symptoms of chronic schizophrenia.

PubMed

Ohmori, T; Koyama, T; Inoue, T; Matsubara, S; Yamashita, I

1993-05-15

A prospective, nonblind 8-week trial of talipexole dihydrochloride (B-HT 920), a dopamine D2 agonist, was conducted in 15 schizophrenic patients with predominantly negative symptoms. B-HT 920 was initiated at 0.15 mg/day and then adjusted at 0.15-2.4 mg/day on the basis of clinical response and side effects. Dosage of concurrent neuroleptics was fixed at least 3 weeks prior to the trial and was unchanged throughout the study period. In addition to clinical assessment, levels of plasma homovanillic acid (pHVA), a potential index of central dopamine turnover, were measured. There was a small but significant (p < 0.01, Wilcoxon test) reduction in total scores of the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms or in a cluster score of three negative items (Emotional Withdrawal, Blunted Affect, and Psychomotor Retardation) of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). No change was observed in cluster scores of positive items of BPRS. There was a weak negative correlation between pHVA levels and the cluster scores of negative items of BPRS both at weeks 0 and 8 of the trial. The clinical results suggest that activation of D2 receptors was related to partial amelioration of the negative symptoms. The clinical and biochemical findings are consistent with a hypothesis that decreased dopaminergic activity may be related to the etiology of negative symptoms of schizophrenia.

The relationships of coping, negative thinking, life satisfaction, social support, and selected demographics with anxiety of young adult college students.

PubMed

Mahmoud, Jihan S R; Staten, Ruth Topsy; Lennie, Terry A; Hall, Lynne A

2015-05-01

Understanding young adults' anxiety requires applying a multidimensional approach to assess the psychosocial, behavioral, and cognitive aspects of this phenomenon. A hypothesized model of the relationships among coping style, thinking style, life satisfaction, social support, and selected demographics and anxiety among college students was tested using path analysis. A total of 257 undergraduate students aged 18-24 years completed an online survey. The independent variables were measured using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Brief Students' Multidimensional Life Satisfaction Scale, the Brief COPE Inventory, the Positive Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire, and the Cognition Checklist-Anxiety. The outcome, anxiety, was measured using the Anxiety subscale of the 21-item Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale. Only negative thinking and maladaptive coping had a direct relationship with anxiety. Negative thinking was the strongest predictor of both maladaptive coping and anxiety. These findings suggest that helping undergraduates manage their anxiety by reducing their negative thinking is critical. Designing and testing interventions to decrease negative thinking in college students is recommended for future research. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Subtypes in bulimia nervosa: the role of eating disorder symptomatology, negative affect, and interpersonal functioning.

PubMed

Lunn, Susanne; Poulsen, Stig; Daniel, Sarah I F

2012-11-01

The aim of the study was to investigate whether patients with bulimia nervosa (BN) could be subdivided into clinically meaningful groups reflecting the complex patterns of eating disorder symptoms and personality characteristics that face the clinician. Seventy patients diagnosed with BN using the Eating Disorder Examination were assessed with measures of negative affect, attachment patterns, and interpersonal problems. An exploratory hierarchical cluster analysis was performed. The study found two main subtypes differing primarily in terms of symptom severity and level of negative affect, but these subtypes were further subdivided into four clinically relevant subtypes: A dietary restraint/negative affect/high symptomatic group, an emotionally overcontrolled group, a low dietary restraint/emotionally underregulated group, and a high functioning/securely attached group. The study indicates that cluster-analytic studies, including a broad range of instruments measuring eating disorder symptoms as well as negative affect, relational patterns, and other personality characteristics, may contribute to an integration of previously suggested models of subtypes in BN. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Raloxifene as an Adjunctive Treatment for Postmenopausal Women With Schizophrenia: A 24-Week Double-Blind, Randomized, Parallel, Placebo-Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Usall, Judith; Huerta-Ramos, Elena; Labad, Javier; Cobo, Jesús; Núñez, Christian; Creus, Marta; Parés, Gemma García; Cuadras, Daniel; Franco, José; Miquel, Eva; Reyes, Julio César; Roca, Mercedes

2016-01-01

The potential therapeutic utility of estrogens in schizophrenia is increasingly being recognized. Raloxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator, appears to act similarly to estrogens on dopamine and serotonin brain systems. One previous trial by our team found that raloxifene was useful to improve negative, positive, and general psychopathological symptoms, without having the negative side effects of estrogens. In this study, we assess the utility of raloxifene in treating negative and other psychotic symptoms in postmenopausal women with schizophrenia exhibiting prominent negative symptoms. This was a 24-week, randomized, parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Patients were recruited from the inpatient and outpatient departments of Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, Hospital Universitari Institut Pere Mata, and Corporació Sanitària Parc Taulí. Seventy postmenopausal women with schizophrenia (DSM-IV) were randomized to either adjunctive raloxifene (38 women) or adjunctive placebo (32 women). Psychopathological symptoms were assessed at baseline and at weeks 4, 12, and 24 with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS). The addition of raloxifene (60mg/d) to regular antipsychotic treatment significantly reduced negative (P = .027), general (P = .003), and total symptomatology (P = .005) measured with the PANSS during the 24-week trial, as compared to women receiving placebo. Also Alogia SANSS subscale improved more in the raloxifene (P = .048) than the placebo group. In conclusion, raloxifene improved negative and general psychopathological symptoms, compared with antipsychotic medication alone, in postmenopausal women with schizophrenia. These data replicate our previous results with a larger sample and a longer follow-up. Trial registration: NCT01573637. PMID:26591005

Effects of mood induction via music on cardiovascular measures of negative emotion during simulated driving.

PubMed

Fairclough, Stephen H; van der Zwaag, Marjolein; Spiridon, Elena; Westerink, Joyce

2014-04-22

A study was conducted to investigate the potential of mood induction via music to influence cardiovascular correlates of negative emotions experience during driving behaviour. One hundred participants were randomly assigned to one of five groups, four of whom experienced different categories of music: High activation/positive valence (HA/PV), high activation/negative valence (HA/NV), low activation/positive valence (LA/PV) and low activation/negative valence (LA/NV). Following exposure to their respective categories of music, participants were required to complete a simulated driving journey with a fixed time schedule. Negative emotion was induced via exposure to stationary traffic during the simulated route. Cardiovascular reactivity was measured via blood pressure, heart rate and cardiovascular impedance. Subjective self-assessment of anger and mood was also recorded. Results indicated that low activation music, regardless of valence, reduced systolic reactivity during the simulated journey relative to HA/NV music and the control (no music) condition. Self-reported data indicated that participants were not consciously aware of any influence of music on their subjective mood. It is concluded that cardiovascular reactivity to negative mood may be mediated by the emotional properties of music. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Negative Attachment Cognitions and Emotional Distress in mainland Chinese Adolescents: A Prospective Multi-Wave Test of Vulnerability-Stress and Stress Generation Models

PubMed Central

Cohen, Joseph R.; Hankin, Benjamin L.; Gibb, Brandon E.; Hammen, Constance; Hazel, Nicholas A.; Ma, Denise; Yao, Shuqiao; Zhu, Xiong Zhao; Abela, John R.Z.

2014-01-01

Objective The present study examined the relation between attachment cognitions, stressors, and emotional distress in a sample of Chinese adolescents. Specifically, it was examined whether negative attachment cognitions predicted depression and anxiety symptoms, and if a vulnerability-stress or stress generation model best explained the relation between negative attachment cognitions and internalizing symptoms. Method Participants included 558 adolescents (310 females and 248 males) from an urban school in Changsha, and 592 adolescents (287 females and 305 males) from a rural school in Liuyang, both in Hunan province located in mainland China. Participants completed self-report measures of negative attachment cognitions at baseline, and self-report measures of negative events, depression symptoms, and anxiety symptoms at baseline and at regular one month intervals for an overall 6-month follow-up (i.e., six follow-up assessments). Results Higher levels of negative attachment cognitions predicted prospective depression and anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, support was found for a stress generation model that partially mediated this longitudinal association. No support was found for a vulnerability-stress model. Conclusion Overall, these findings highlight new developmental pathways for development of depression and anxiety symptoms in mainland Chinese adolescents. PMID:23237030

A Nurse-Initiated Perioperative Pressure Injury Risk Assessment and Prevention Protocol.

PubMed

Meehan, Anita J; Beinlich, Nancy R; Hammonds, Tracy L

2016-12-01

Pressure injuries negatively affect patients physically, emotionally, and economically. Studies report that pressure injuries occur in 69% of inpatients who have undergone a surgical procedure while hospitalized. In 2012, we created a nurse-initiated, perioperative pressure injury risk assessment measure for our midwestern, urban, adult teaching hospital. We retrospectively applied the risk assessment to a random sample of 350 surgical patients which validated the measure. The prospective use of the risk assessment and prevention measures in 350 surgical patients resulted in a 60% reduction in pressure injuries compared with the retrospective group. Our findings support the use of a multipronged approach for the prevention of health care-associated pressure injuries in the surgical population, which includes assessment of risk, implementation of evidence-based prevention interventions for at-risk patients, and continuation of prevention beyond the perioperative setting to the nursing care unit. Copyright © 2016 AORN, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Attentional Bias to Negative Affect Moderates Negative Affect’s Relationship with Smoking Abstinence

PubMed Central

Etcheverry, Paul E.; Waters, Andrew J.; Lam, Cho; Correa-Fernandez, Virmarie; Vidrine, Jennifer Irvin; Cinciripini, Paul M.; Wetter, David W.

2016-01-01

Objective To examine whether initial orienting (IO) and inability to disengage attention (ITD) from negative affective stimuli moderate the association of negative affect with smoking abstinence during a quit attempt. Methods Data were from a longitudinal cohort study of smoking cessation (N=424). A negative affect modified Stroop was administered one week before and on quit day to measure IO and ITD. Ecological Momentary Assessments were used to create negative affect intercepts and linear slopes for the week before quitting and on quit day. Quit day and long-term abstinence measures were collected. Results Continuation ratio (CR) logit model analyses found significant interactions of pre-quit negative affect slope with pre-quit ITD [OR = .738(.57, .96), p= .02] and quit day negative affect intercept with quit day ITD [OR = .62(.41, 950), p= .03] predicting abstinence. The interaction of pre-quit negative affect intercept and pre-quit IO predicting quit day abstinence was significant [OR = 1.42(1.06, 1.90), p= .02], as was the interaction of quit day negative affect slope and quit day IO predicting long-term abstinence [OR = 1.45(1.02, 2.08), p= .04]. Conclusions The hypothesis that the association of negative affect with smoking abstinence would be moderated by ITD was generally supported. Among individuals with high ITD, negative affect was inversely related to abstinence, but unrelated to abstinence among individuals with lower levels of ITD. Unexpectedly, among individuals with low IO negative affect was inversely related to abstinence, but unrelated to abstinence among individuals with higher levels of ITD. PMID:27505211

Attentional bias to negative affect moderates negative affect's relationship with smoking abstinence.

PubMed

Etcheverry, Paul E; Waters, Andrew J; Lam, Cho; Correa-Fernandez, Virmarie; Vidrine, Jennifer Irvin; Cinciripini, Paul M; Wetter, David W

2016-08-01

To examine whether initial orienting (IO) and inability to disengage (ITD) attention from negative affective stimuli moderate the association of negative affect with smoking abstinence during a quit attempt. Data were from a longitudinal cohort study of smoking cessation (N = 424). A negative affect modified Stroop task was administered 1 week before and on quit day to measure IO and ITD. Ecological Momentary Assessments were used to create negative affect intercepts and linear slopes for the week before quitting and on quit day. Quit day and long-term abstinence measures were collected. Continuation ratio logit model analyses found significant interactions for prequit negative affect slope with prequit ITD, odds ratio (OR) = 0.738 (0.57, 0.96), p = .02, and for quit day negative affect intercept with quit day ITD, OR = 0.62 (0.41, 950), p = .03, predicting abstinence. The Prequit Negative Affect Intercept × Prequit IO interaction predicting quit day abstinence was significant, OR = 1.42 (1.06, 1.90), p = .02, as was the Quit Day Negative Affect Slope × Quit Day IO interaction predicting long-term abstinence, OR = 1.45 (1.02, 2.08), p = .04. The hypothesis that the association of negative affect with smoking abstinence would be moderated by ITD was generally supported. Among individuals with high ITD, negative affect was inversely related to abstinence, but unrelated to abstinence among individuals with lower levels of ITD. Unexpectedly, among individuals with low IO, negative affect was inversely related to abstinence, but unrelated to abstinence among individuals with higher levels of ITD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Are there meaningful individual differences in temporal inconsistency in self-reported personality?

PubMed

Soubelet, Andrea; Salthouse, Timothy A; Oishi, Shigehiro

2014-11-01

The current project had three goals. The first was to examine whether it is meaningful to refer to across-time variability in self-reported personality as an individual differences characteristic. The second was to investigate whether negative affect was associated with variability in self-reported personality, while controlling for mean levels, and correcting for measurement errors. The third goal was to examine whether variability in self-reported personality would be larger among young adults than among older adults, and whether the relation of variability with negative affect would be stronger at older ages than at younger ages. Two moderately large samples of participants completed the International Item Pool Personality questionnaire assessing the Big Five personality dimensions either twice or thrice, in addition to several measures of negative affect. Results were consistent with the hypothesis that within-person variability in self-reported personality is a meaningful individual difference characteristic. Some people exhibited greater across-time variability than others after removing measurement error, and people who showed temporal instability in one trait also exhibited temporal instability across the other four traits. However, temporal variability was not related to negative affect, and there was no evidence that either temporal variability or its association with negative affect varied with age.

The DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure as a Screening Tool.

PubMed

Bastiaens, Leo; Galus, James

2018-03-01

The DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure was developed to aid clinicians with a dimensional assessment of psychopathology; however, this measure resembles a screening tool for several symptomatic domains. The objective of the current study was to examine the basic parameters of sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive power of the measure as a screening tool. One hundred and fifty patients in a correctional community center filled out the measure prior to a psychiatric evaluation, including the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview screen. The above parameters were calculated for the domains of depression, mania, anxiety, and psychosis. The results showed that the sensitivity and positive predictive power of the studied domains was poor because of a high rate of false positive answers on the measure. However, when the lowest threshold on the Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure was used, the sensitivity of the anxiety and psychosis domains and the negative predictive values for mania, anxiety and psychosis were good. In conclusion, while it is foreseeable that some clinicians may use the DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure as a screening tool, it should not be relied on to identify positive findings. It functioned well in the negative prediction of mania, anxiety and psychosis symptoms.

Adherence of coagulase-negative staphylococci to plastic tissue culture plates: a quantitative model for the adherence of staphylococci to medical devices.

PubMed Central

Christensen, G D; Simpson, W A; Younger, J J; Baddour, L M; Barrett, F F; Melton, D M; Beachey, E H

1985-01-01

The adherence of coagulase-negative staphylococci to smooth surfaces was assayed by measuring the optical densities of stained bacterial films adherent to the floors of plastic tissue culture plates. The optical densities correlated with the weight of the adherent bacterial film (r = 0.906; P less than 0.01). The measurements also agreed with visual assessments of bacterial adherence to culture tubes, microtiter plates, and tissue culture plates. Selected clinical strains were passed through a mouse model for foreign body infections and a rat model for catheter-induced endocarditis. The adherence measurements of animal passed strains remained the same as those of the laboratory-maintained parent strain. Spectrophotometric classification of coagulase-negative staphylococci into nonadherent and adherent categories according to these measurements had a sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 90.6, 80.8, and 88.4%, respectively. We examined a previously described collection of 127 strains of coagulase-negative staphylococci isolated from an outbreak of intravascular catheter-associated sepsis; strains associated with sepsis were more adherent than blood culture contaminants and cutaneous strains (P less than 0.001). We also examined a collection of 84 strains isolated from pediatric patients with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunts; once again, pathogenic strains were more adherent than were CSF contaminants (P less than 0.01). Finally, we measured the adherence of seven endocarditis strains. As opposed to strains associated with intravascular catheters and CSF shunts, endocarditis strains were less adherent than were saprophytic strains of coagulase-negative staphylococci. The optical densities of bacterial films adherent to plastic tissue culture plates serve as a quantitative model for the study of the adherence of coagulase-negative staphylococci to medical devices, a process which may be important in the pathogenesis of foreign body infections. Images PMID:3905855

Negative Perceptions of Aging and Decline in Walking Speed: A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

PubMed Central

Robertson, Deirdre A.; Savva, George M.; King-Kallimanis, Bellinda L.; Kenny, Rose Anne

2015-01-01

Introduction Walking speed is a meaningful marker of physical function in the aging population. While it is a primarily physical measure, experimental studies have shown that merely priming older adults with negative stereotypes about aging results in immediate declines in objective walking speed. What is not clear is whether this is a temporary experimental effect or whether negative aging stereotypes have detrimental effects on long term objective health. We sought to explore the association between baseline negative perceptions of aging in the general population and objective walking speed 2 years later. Method 4,803 participations were assessed over 2 waves of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), a prospective, population representative study of adults aged 50+ in the Republic of Ireland. Wave 1 measures – which included the Aging Perceptions Questionnaire, walking speed and all covariates - were taken between 2009 and 2011. Wave 2 measures – which included a second measurement of walking speed and covariates - were collected 2 years later between March and December 2012. Walking speed was measured as the number of seconds to complete the Timed Up-And-Go (TUG) task. Participations with a history of stroke, Parkinson’s disease or an MMSE < 18 were excluded. Results After full adjustment for all covariates (age, gender, level of education, disability, chronic conditions, medications, global cognition and baseline TUG) negative perceptions of aging at baseline were associated with slower TUG speed 2 years later (B=.03, 95% CI = .01 to 05, p< .05). Conclusions Walking speed has previously been considered to be a consequence of physical decline but these results highlight the direct role of psychological state in predicting an objective aging outcome. Negative perceptions about aging are a potentially modifiable risk factor of some elements of physical decline in aging. PMID:25923334

Different forms of spirituality and heavy episodic drinking among college students.

PubMed

Klassen, Brian J; Grekin, Emily R

2017-01-01

The current study examined prospective, bidirectional relationships between 3 measures of spirituality (Daily Spiritual Experiences, Positive Religious Coping, and Negative Religious Coping) and frequency of heavy episodic drinking. Three hundred ninety-one students attending a large, public university in the Midwest. Electronic surveys assessing predictors of college alcohol use were sent to participants in the winter of their freshman and sophomore years. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze data. A latent factor comprised of Daily Spiritual Experiences and Positive Religious Coping (ie, "positive spirituality") was negatively related to future frequency of heavy episodic drinking. Negative Religious Coping was unrelated to heavy episodic drinking. Additionally, heavy episodic drinking did not prospectively predict any measures of spirituality. Data are supportive of continued efforts to integrate positive spirituality into interventions for collegiate heavy episodic drinking.

Physical and mental health consequences of Katrina on Vietnamese immigrants in New Orleans: a pre- and post-disaster assessment.

PubMed

Vu, Lung; Vanlandingham, Mark J

2012-06-01

We assessed the health impacts of a natural disaster upon a major immigrant community by comparing pre- and post-event measures for identical individuals. We collected standard health measures for a population-based sample of working-age Vietnamese-Americans living in New Orleans in 2005, just weeks before Katrina occurred. Near the first- and second-year anniversaries of the event, we located and re-assessed more than two-thirds of this original pre-Katrina cohort. We found statistically significant declines in health status for seven of the eight standard SF-36 subscales and for both the physical and mental health component summaries at the first anniversary of the disaster. By the second anniversary, recovery of the health dimensions assessed by these measures was substantial and significant. Most of the SF-36 mental and physical health subscales returned to their original pre-Katrina levels. Being in middle-age, being engaged in professional or self-employed occupations, being unmarried, being less acculturated, and having extensive post-Katrina property damage have statistically significant negative effects on post-Katrina health status, and several of these factors continued to impede recovery by the second anniversary. Hurricane Katrina had significant negative impacts on the mental and physical health of Vietnamese New Orleanians. Several factors present clear opportunities for targeted interventions.

Depression-related difficulties disengaging from negative faces are associated with sustained attention to negative feedback during social evaluation and predict stress recovery

PubMed Central

Romero, Nuria; De Raedt, Rudi

2017-01-01

The present study aimed to clarify: 1) the presence of depression-related attention bias related to a social stressor, 2) its association with depression-related attention biases as measured under standard conditions, and 3) their association with impaired stress recovery in depression. A sample of 39 participants reporting a broad range of depression levels completed a standard eye-tracking paradigm in which they had to engage/disengage their gaze with/from emotional faces. Participants then underwent a stress induction (i.e., giving a speech), in which their eye movements to false emotional feedback were measured, and stress reactivity and recovery were assessed. Depression level was associated with longer times to engage/disengage attention with/from negative faces under standard conditions and with sustained attention to negative feedback during the speech. These depression-related biases were associated and mediated the association between depression level and self-reported stress recovery, predicting lower recovery from stress after giving the speech. PMID:28362826

The dark side of creativity: biological vulnerability and negative emotions lead to greater artistic creativity.

PubMed

Akinola, Modupe; Mendes, Wendy Berry

2008-12-01

Historical and empirical data have linked artistic creativity to depression and other affective disorders. This study examined how vulnerability to experiencing negative affect, measured with biological products, and intense negative emotions influenced artistic creativity. The authors assessed participants' baseline levels of an adrenal steroid (dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate, or DHEAS), previously linked to depression, as a measure of affective vulnerability. They then manipulated emotional responses by randomly assigning participants to receive social rejection or social approval or to a nonsocial situation. Participants then completed artistic collages, which were later evaluated by artists. Results confirmed a person-by-situation interaction. Social rejection was associated with greater artistic creativity; however, the interaction between affective vulnerability (lower baseline DHEAS) and condition was significant, suggesting that situational triggers of negative affect were especially influential among those lower in DHEAS, which resulted in the most creative products. These data provide evidence of possible biological and social pathways to artistic creativity.

The Dark Side of Creativity: Biological Vulnerability and Negative Emotions Lead to Greater Artistic Creativity

PubMed Central

Akinola, Modupe; Mendes, Wendy Berry

2009-01-01

Historical and empirical data have linked artistic creativity to depression and other affective disorders. This study examined how vulnerability to experiencing negative affect, measured with biological products, and intense negative emotions influenced artistic creativity. The authors assessed participants' baseline levels of an adrenal steroid (dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate, or DHEAS), previously linked to depression, as a measure of affective vulnerability. They then manipulated emotional responses by randomly assigning participants to receive social rejection or social approval or to a nonsocial situation. Participants then completed artistic collages, which were later evaluated by artists. Results confirmed a person-by-situation interaction. Social rejection was associated with greater artistic creativity; however, the interaction between affective vulnerability (lower baseline DHEAS) and condition was significant, suggesting that situational triggers of negative affect were especially influential among those lower in DHEAS, which resulted in the most creative products. These data provide evidence of possible biological and social pathways to artistic creativity. PMID:18832338

Parsing cognitive and emotional empathy deficits for negative and positive stimuli in frontotemporal dementia.

PubMed

Oliver, Lindsay D; Mitchell, Derek G V; Dziobek, Isabel; MacKinley, Julia; Coleman, Kristy; Rankin, Katherine P; Finger, Elizabeth C

2015-01-01

Behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder characterized by frontal and temporal lobe atrophy primarily affecting social cognition and emotion, including loss of empathy. Many consider empathy to be a multidimensional construct, including cognitive empathy (the ability to adopt and understand another's perspective) and emotional empathy (the capacity to share another's emotional experience). Cognitive and emotional empathy deficits have been associated with bvFTD; however, little is known regarding the performance of patients with bvFTD on behavioural measures of emotional empathy, and whether empathic responses differ for negative versus positive stimuli. 24 patients with bvFTD and 24 healthy controls completed the Multifaceted Empathy Test (MET; Dziobek et al., 2008), a performance-based task that taps both cognitive and emotional facets of empathy, and allows for the discrimination of responses to negative versus positive realistic images. MET scores were also compared with caregiver ratings of patient behaviour on the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, which assesses patients' everyday demonstrations of perspective taking and empathic concern. Patients with bvFTD were less accurate than controls at inferring mental states for negative and positive stimuli. They also demonstrated lower levels of shared emotional experience, more positive emotional reactions, and diminished arousal to negative social stimuli relative to controls. Patients showed reduced emotional reactions to negative non-social stimuli as well. Lastly, the MET and IRI measures of emotional empathy were found to be significantly correlated within the bvFTD group. The results suggest that patients with bvFTD show a global deficit in cognitive empathy, and deficient emotional empathy for negative, but not positive, experiences. Further, a generalized emotional processing impairment for negative stimuli was observed, which could contribute to the emotional empathy deficit. This work highlights potential treatment targets and a means to assess the impact of novel therapies on socioemotional impairment in bvFTD. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing positive and negative experiences: validation of a new measure of well-being in an Italian population.

PubMed

Corno, Giulia; Molinari, Guadalupe; Baños, Rosa Maria

2016-01-01

The aim of this study is to explore the psychometric properties of an affect scale, the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE), in an Italian-speaking population. The results of this study demonstrate that the Italian version of the SPANE has psychometric properties similar to those shown by the original and previous versions, and it presents satisfactory reliability and factorial validity. The results of the Confirmatory Factor Analysis support the expected two-factor structure, positive and negative feeling, which characterized the previous versions. As expected, measures of negative affect, anxiety, negative future expectances, and depression correlated positively with the negative experiences SPANE subscale, and negatively with the positive experiences SPANE subscale. Results of this study demonstrate that the Italian version of the SPANE has psychometric properties similar to those shown by the original and previous versions, and it presents satisfactory reliability and factorial validity. The use of this instrument provides clinically useful information about a person’s overall emotional experience and it is an indicator of well-being. Although further studies are required to confirm the psychometric characteristics of the scale, the SPANE Italian version is expected to improve theoretical and empirical research on the well-being of the Italian population.

Do puzzle pieces and autism puzzle piece logos evoke negative associations?

PubMed

Gernsbacher, Morton Ann; Raimond, Adam R; Stevenson, Jennifer L; Boston, Jilana S; Harp, Bev

2018-02-01

Puzzle pieces have become ubiquitous symbols for autism. However, puzzle-piece imagery stirs debate between those who support and those who object to its use because they believe puzzle-piece imagery evokes negative associations. Our study empirically investigated whether puzzle pieces evoke negative associations in the general public. Participants' ( N = 400) implicit negative associations were measured with an Implicit Association Task, which is a speeded categorization task, and participants' explicit associations were measured with an Explicit Association Task, which is a standard task for assessing consumers' explicit associations with brands (and images of those brands). Puzzle pieces, both those used as autism logos and those used more generically, evoked negative implicit associations ( t(399) = -5.357, p < 0.001) and negative explicit associations ( z = 4.693, p < 0.001, d = 0.491). Participants explicitly associated puzzle pieces, even generic puzzle pieces, with incompleteness, imperfection, and oddity. Our results bear public policy implications. If an organization's intention for using puzzle-piece imagery is to evoke negative associations, our results suggest the organization's use of puzzle-piece imagery is apt. However, if the organization's intention is to evoke positive associations, our results suggest that puzzle-piece imagery should probably be avoided.

Associations between sociocultural home environmental factors and vegetable consumption among Norwegian 3-5-year olds: BRA-study.

PubMed

Kristiansen, Anne Lene; Bjelland, Mona; Himberg-Sundet, Anne; Lien, Nanna; Frost Andersen, Lene

2017-10-01

The home environment is the first environment to shape childhood dietary habits and food preferences, hence greater understanding of home environmental factors associated with vegetable consumption among young children is needed. The objective has been to examine questionnaire items developed to measure the sociocultural home environment of children focusing on vegetables and to assess the psychometric properties of the resulting factors. Further, to explore associations between the environmental factors and vegetable consumption among Norwegian 3-5 year olds. Parents (n 633) were invited to participate and filled in a questionnaire assessing the child's vegetable intake and factors potentially influencing this, along with a 24-h recall of their child's fruit and vegetable intake. Children's fruit and vegetable intakes at two meals in one day in the kindergarten were observed by researchers. Principal components analysis was used to examine items assessing the sociocultural home environment. Encouragement items resulted in factors labelled "reactive encouragement", "child involvement" and "reward". Modelling items resulted in the factors labelled "active role model" and "practical role model". Items assessing negative parental attitudes resulted in the factor labelled "negative parental attitudes" and items assessing family pressure/demand resulted in the factor labelled "family demand". The psychometric properties of the factors were for most satisfactory. Linear regression of the associations between vegetable intake and the factors showed, as expected, generally positive associations with "child involvement", "practical role model" and "family demand", and negative associations with "negative parental attitudes" and "reward". Unexpectedly, "reactive encouragement" was negatively associated with vegetable consumption. In conclusion, associations between sociocultural home environmental factors and children's vegetable consumption showed both expected and unexpected associations some of which differed by maternal education - pointing to a need for further comparable studies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clinical Course of Methamphetamine-Induced Psychotic Disorder in a 3-Month Follow-Up.

PubMed

Javadian, Sakineh; Shabani, Amir; Shariat, Seyed Vahid

2016-11-03

To assess the clinical course of patients with methamphetamine-induced psychotic disorder (MIPD) and any possible predictors of the clinical course in a 3-month follow-up. This prospective cohort study included 50 patients (7 female, 43 male) with MIPD and was performed from September 2014 to October 2015. Patients were assessed during hospitalization and in a follow-up visit 3 months later. Diagnoses were made using interviews based on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders. Positive, negative, manic, and depressive symptoms were the main outcome measures that were assessed using the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms, Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms, Young Mania Rating Scale, and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, respectively. Paired t test and regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Forty-six patients (92%) were reassessed at follow-up. More than half of the patients relapsed to methamphetamine use, did not adhere to treatment, and were functionally impaired. Positive, negative, and manic symptoms, but not depressive symptoms, improved in abstinent patients (P < .001, P = .001, P < .001, and P = .395, respectively). The best predictor of depressive and negative symptoms at follow-up was the patients' respective baseline scores; but positive and manic symptoms were best predicted by reuse of methamphetamine during follow-up. Various symptom categories do not always change in the same direction during the course of the disorder, especially depressive symptoms that do not improve with abstinence but aggravate with frequency of methamphetamine use. Negative symptoms at baseline also seem to have a possible role in prediction of methamphetamine reuse in patients with MIPD. Physicians should be advised to independently address all of the symptom categories of their patients with MIPD at each follow-up visit. © Copyright 2016 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

Future-directed thinking in first-episode psychosis.

PubMed

Goodby, Emmeline; MacLeod, Andrew K

2016-06-01

This study employed the Future Thinking Task (MacLeod et al., 2005, Br. J. Clin. Psychol., 44, 495) to investigate whether future-directed thinking in first-episode psychosis is significantly different from that of matched controls, and to identify its correlates in this patient group. Cross-sectional, mixed-model, case-control design. Participants were 30 patients with first-episode psychosis and 27 matched controls. The Future Thinking Task was used to assess future-directed thinking in both groups. Anxiety and depression were also measured as well as self-report measures of hopelessness, suicide ideation and a measure of negative symptoms. Individuals with psychosis were impaired in future-directed thinking in both positive and negative domains, particularly with respect to the coming year. Increased self-reported hopelessness was associated with reduced positive future thinking and increased negative future thinking. Increased positive future thinking was also associated with reduced severity of negative symptoms, whilst negative future thinking was associated with suicide ideation. Individuals with first-episode psychosis show a reduction in positive future thinking in line with that seen in other clinical groups, but this is accompanied by an unexpected reduction in negative future thinking. The findings suggest a general disengagement with the future in this group that may affect recovery and functioning. Individuals with first-episode psychosis may benefit from interventions to help them engage with their future, in particular in the mid-range, up to 1 year. The Future Thinking Task may be a helpful addition to the assessment of suicide risk in those with first-episode psychosis. Decreased positive future thinking was associated with increased severity of negative symptoms, indicating a potential new treatment angle for this resistant aspect of psychosis. The cross-sectional design of this study does not allow for conclusions about the causal relationship between psychosis and future-directed thinking. This study investigated future-directed thinking in individuals with a range of psychotic illnesses employing a trans-diagnostic approach; therefore, conclusions cannot be drawn about the nature of future-directed thinking in individual psychotic disorders. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

An assessment of the impact of climate adaptation measures to reduce flood risk on ecosystem services.

PubMed

Verburg, Peter H; Koomen, Eric; Hilferink, Maarten; Pérez-Soba, Marta; Lesschen, Jan Peter

Measures of climate change adaptation often involve modification of land use and land use planning practices. Such changes in land use affect the provision of various ecosystem goods and services. Therefore, it is likely that adaptation measures may result in synergies and trade-offs between a range of ecosystems goods and services. An integrative land use modelling approach is presented to assess such impacts for the European Union. A reference scenario accounts for current trends in global drivers and includes a number of important policy developments that correspond to on-going changes in European policies. The reference scenario is compared to a policy scenario in which a range of measures is implemented to regulate flood risk and protect soils under conditions of climate change. The impacts of the simulated land use dynamics are assessed for four key indicators of ecosystem service provision: flood risk, carbon sequestration, habitat connectivity and biodiversity. The results indicate a large spatial variation in the consequences of the adaptation measures on the provisioning of ecosystem services. Synergies are frequently observed at the location of the measures itself, whereas trade-offs are found at other locations. Reducing land use intensity in specific parts of the catchment may lead to increased pressure in other regions, resulting in trade-offs. Consequently, when aggregating the results to larger spatial scales the positive and negative impacts may be off-set, indicating the need for detailed spatial assessments. The modelled results indicate that for a careful planning and evaluation of adaptation measures it is needed to consider the trade-offs accounting for the negative effects of a measure at locations distant from the actual measure. Integrated land use modelling can help land use planning in such complex trade-off evaluation by providing evidence on synergies and trade-offs between ecosystem services, different policy fields and societal demands.

End-Systolic Elastance and Ventricular-Arterial Coupling Reserve Predict Cardiac Events in Patients with Negative Stress Echocardiography

PubMed Central

Bombardini, Tonino; Costantino, Marco Fabio; Sicari, Rosa; Ciampi, Quirino; Pratali, Lorenza; Picano, Eugenio

2013-01-01

Background. A maximal negative stress echo identifies a low-risk subset for coronary events. However, the potentially prognostically relevant information on cardiovascular hemodynamics for heart-failure-related events is unsettled. Aim of this study was to assess the prognostic value of stress-induced variation in cardiovascular hemodynamics in patients with negative stress echocardiography. Methods. We enrolled 891 patients (593 males mean age 63 ± 12, ejection fraction 48 ± 17%), with negative (exercise 172, dipyridamole 482, and dobutamine 237) stress echocardiography result. During stress we assessed left ventricular end-systolic elastance index (E LVI), ventricular arterial coupling (VAC) indexed by the ratio of the E LVI to arterial elastance index (E aI), systemic vascular resistance (SVR), and pressure-volume area (PVA). Changes from rest to peak stress (reserve) were tested as predictors of main outcome measures: combined death and heart failure hospitalization. Results. During a median followup of 19 months (interquartile range 8–36), 50 deaths and 84 hospitalization occurred. Receiver-operating-characteristic curves identified as best predictors E LVI reserve for exercise (AUC = 0.871) and dobutamine (AUC = 0.848) and VAC reserve (AUC = 0.696) for dipyridamole. Conclusions. Patients with negative stress echocardiography may experience an adverse outcome, which can be identified by assessment of E LVI reserve and VAC reserve during stress echo. PMID:24024185

Beyond the false negative rate: development of quality indicators for sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer.

PubMed

Quan, May Lynn; Wells, Bryan J; McCready, David; Wright, Frances C; Fraser, Novlette; Gagliardi, Anna R

2010-02-01

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNLB) has been adopted as the standard method of axillary staging for women with clinically node-negative early-stage breast cancer. The false negative rate as a quality indicator is impractical given the need for a completion axillary dissection to calculate. The objective of this study was to develop practical quality indicators for SLNB using an expert consensus method and to determine if they were feasible to measure. We used a modified Delphi consensus process to develop quality indicators for SLNB. A multidisciplinary expert panel reviewed potential indicators extracted from the medical literature to select quality indicators that were relevant and measurable. Feasibility was determined by abstracting the quality indicator variables from a retrospective chart review. The expert panel prioritized 11 quality indicators as benchmarks for assessing the quality of surgical care in SNLB. Nine of the indicators were measurable at the chart or institutional level. A systematic evidence- and consensus-based approach was used to develop measurable quality indicators that could be used by practicing surgeons and administrators to evaluate performance of SLNB in breast cancer.

Self-Efficacy and Functional Status in Schizophrenia: Relationship to Insight, Cognition and Negative Symptoms

PubMed Central

Kurtz, Matthew M.; Olfson, Rachel; Rose, Jennifer

2016-01-01

Self-efficacy, defined as the confidence one has in the ability to perform a behavior or specific task, has been introduced as a crucial motivational factor for successfully carrying out social and everyday living skills (Bandura, 1977, 1997). Few studies have assessed its role in functioning in schizophrenia. The current study was designed to investigate whether degree of illness insight determined whether self-efficacy was a mediator of the relationship between two key illness features, negative symptoms and cognition, and functional skills. Sixty-nine individuals with schizophrenia were administered measures of self-efficacy, cognition, symptoms, insight and performance-based measure of everyday living and social skill. Results revealed that self-efficacy was only linked to measures of functional skills when illness insight was intact. There was evidence of moderation of confounding effects such that when self-efficacy was controlled, the relationship between negative symptoms and measures of everyday life skills became non-significant, but only when illness insight was intact. These findings emphasize the importance of including illness insight in models of the role of self-efficacy in functioning in schizophrenia. PMID:23375941

How self-reflection and self-certainty are related to neurocognitive functioning: an examination of cognitive insight in bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Van Camp, L S C; Oldenburg, J F E; Sabbe, B G C

2016-01-01

The pattern of associations between clinical insight, cognitive insight, and neurocognitive functioning was assessed in bipolar disorder patients. Data from 42 bipolar disorder patients were examined. Cognitive insight was measured using the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale (BCIS). The BCIS is a 15-item self-report instrument consisting of two subscales, self-reflectiveness and self-certainty. Clinical insight was measured by the use of the item G12 of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Neurocognitive functioning was assessed using the International Society for Bipolar Disorders-Battery for Assessment of Neurocognition. Correlation analyses revealed significant positive associations between self-reflectiveness and speed of processing, attention, working memory, visual learning, and reasoning and problem solving. The subscale self-certainty was negatively correlated to working memory, however, this correlation disappeared when we controlled for confounding variables. No correlations between clinical insight and neurocognition were found. In addition, there was no association between cognitive insight and clinical insight. Better neurocognitive functioning was more related to higher levels of self-reflectiveness than to diminished self-certainty.

Cognitive bias modification for interpretation with and without prior repetitive negative thinking to reduce worry and rumination in generalised anxiety disorder and depression: protocol for a multisession experimental study with an active control condition

PubMed Central

Mathews, Andrew; Whyte, Jessica; Hirsch, Colette R

2016-01-01

Introduction Worry and rumination are two forms of repetitive thinking characterised by their negative content and apparently uncontrollable nature. Although worry and rumination share common features and have been conceptualised as part of a transdiagnostic repetitive negative thinking (RNT) process, it remains unclear whether they share the same underlying cognitive mechanisms. This multisession experimental study investigates the tendency to make negative interpretations regarding ambiguous information as a cognitive mechanism underlying RNT. We compare multisession cognitive bias modification for interpretations (CBM-I) with an active control condition to examine whether repeatedly training positive interpretations reduces worry and rumination in individuals with generalised anxiety disorder or depression, respectively. Further, we examine the potential modulatory effects of engaging in RNT immediately prior to CBM-I. Design, methods and analysis A community sample of individuals meeting diagnostic criteria for either generalised anxiety disorder (n=60) or current major depressive episode (n=60) will be randomly allocated to CBM-I with prior RNT, CBM-I without prior RNT (ie, standard CBM-I), or an active control (no resolution of ambiguity) condition. All conditions receive a 3-week internet-based intervention consisting of one initial session at the first study visit and nine home-based sessions of CBM-I training (or active control). We will assess and compare the effects of CBM-I with and without prior RNT on ‘near-transfer’ measures of interpretation bias closely related to the training as well as ‘far-transfer’ outcomes related to RNT and emotional distress. Impact on questionnaire measures will additionally be assessed at 1-month follow-up. Multigroup analyses will be conducted to assess the impact of CBM-I on near-transfer and far-transfer outcome measures. PMID:27986741

Evaluating and Mapping of Spatial Air Ion Quality Patterns in a Residential Garden Using a Geostatistic Method

PubMed Central

Wu, Chen-Fa; Lai, Chun-Hsien; Chu, Hone-Jay; Lin, Wen-Huang

2011-01-01

Negative air ions (NAI) produce biochemical reactions that increase the levels of the mood chemical serotonin in the environment. Moreover, they benefit both the psychological well being and the human body’s physiological condition. The aim of this research was to estimate and measure the spatial distributions of negative and positive air ions in a residential garden in central Taiwan. Negative and positive air ions were measured at thirty monitoring locations in the study garden from July 2009 to June 2010. Moreover, Kriging was applied to estimate the spatial distribution of negative and positive air ions, as well as the air ion index in the study area. The measurement results showed that the numbers of NAI and PAI differed greatly during the four seasons, the highest and the lowest negative and positive air ion concentrations were found in the summer and winter, respectively. Moreover, temperature was positively affected negative air ions concentration. No matter what temperature is, the ranges of variogram in NAI/PAI were similar during four seasons. It indicated that spatial patterns of NAI/PAI were independent of the seasons and depended on garden elements and configuration, thus the NAP/PAI was a good estimate of the air quality regarding air ions. Kriging maps depicted that the highest negative and positive air ion concentration was next to the waterfall, whereas the lowest air ions areas were next to the exits of the garden. The results reveal that waterscapes are a source of negative and positive air ions, and that plants and green space are a minor source of negative air ions in the study garden. Moreover, temperature and humidity are positively and negatively affected negative air ions concentration, respectively. The proposed monitoring and mapping approach provides a way to effectively assess the patterns of negative and positive air ions in future landscape design projects. PMID:21776231

Evaluating and mapping of spatial air ion quality patterns in a residential garden using a geostatistic method.

PubMed

Wu, Chen-Fa; Lai, Chun-Hsien; Chu, Hone-Jay; Lin, Wen-Huang

2011-06-01

Negative air ions (NAI) produce biochemical reactions that increase the levels of the mood chemical serotonin in the environment. Moreover, they benefit both the psychological well being and the human body's physiological condition. The aim of this research was to estimate and measure the spatial distributions of negative and positive air ions in a residential garden in central Taiwan. Negative and positive air ions were measured at thirty monitoring locations in the study garden from July 2009 to June 2010. Moreover, Kriging was applied to estimate the spatial distribution of negative and positive air ions, as well as the air ion index in the study area. The measurement results showed that the numbers of NAI and PAI differed greatly during the four seasons, the highest and the lowest negative and positive air ion concentrations were found in the summer and winter, respectively. Moreover, temperature was positively affected negative air ions concentration. No matter what temperature is, the ranges of variogram in NAI/PAI were similar during four seasons. It indicated that spatial patterns of NAI/PAI were independent of the seasons and depended on garden elements and configuration, thus the NAP/PAI was a good estimate of the air quality regarding air ions. Kriging maps depicted that the highest negative and positive air ion concentration was next to the waterfall, whereas the lowest air ions areas were next to the exits of the garden. The results reveal that waterscapes are a source of negative and positive air ions, and that plants and green space are a minor source of negative air ions in the study garden. Moreover, temperature and humidity are positively and negatively affected negative air ions concentration, respectively. The proposed monitoring and mapping approach provides a way to effectively assess the patterns of negative and positive air ions in future landscape design projects.

Physical activity measurement in older adults: relationships with mental health.

PubMed

Parker, Sarah J; Strath, Scott J; Swartz, Ann M

2008-10-01

This study examined the relationship between physical activity (PA) and mental health among older adults as measured by objective and subjective PA-assessment instruments. Pedometers (PED), accelerometers (ACC), and the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) were administered to measure 1 week of PA among 84 adults age 55-87 (mean = 71) years. General mental health was measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWL). Linear regressions revealed that PA estimated by PED significantly predicted 18.1%, 8.3%, and 12.3% of variance in SWL and positive and negative affect, respectively, whereas PA estimated by the PASE did not predict any mental health variables. Results from ACC data were mixed. Hotelling-William tests between correlation coefficients revealed that the relationship between PED and SWL was significantly stronger than the relationship between PASE and SWL. Relationships between PA and mental health might depend on the PA measure used.

Genetic toxicology assessment of HI-6 dichloride

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Putman, D.; San, R.H.; Bigger, C.A.

1996-08-01

The oxime HI-6 dichloride (1-(2 hydroxyiminomethyl- 1-pyridino)-3- (4-carbamoyl-1- pyridino)-2-oxapropane dichloride monohydrate) has shown to be a potent reactivator of cholinesterase activity and may have efficacy for the treatment of organo-phosphate intoxication (SIPRI, 1976; Schenk et al.; Arch Toxicol 36:71-81, 1976). As part of a pre-clinical safety assessment program, the genetic toxicology of HI-6 dichloride was evaluated in a series of assays designed to measure induction of gene mutations and chromosomal aberrations. HI-6 dichloride gave negative responses in the Salmonella mutagenicity assay and in the CHO/HGPRT gene mutation assay. Dose-dependent increases in the frequency of chromosomal aberrations when HI-6 dichloride wasmore » tested in cultured CHO cells and in cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes. The mouse lymphoma gene mutation assay, reputed to measure both gene mutations and chromosomal deletions, was negative in the absence of metabolic activation. Depending on the criteria employed, a negative or equivocal response was seen in the presence of rat liver-derived S-9 mix. An in vivo rat bone marrow metaphase assay performed to further investigate the in vitro clastogenic responses was negative. The results from these studies indicate that HI-6 dichloride does not induce gene mutations in vitro; however, it is clastogenic in vitro but does not appear to be clastogenic in vivo.« less

Trait mindfulness modulates neuroendocrine and affective responses to social evaluative threat.

PubMed

Brown, Kirk Warren; Weinstein, Netta; Creswell, J David

2012-12-01

Individual differences in mindfulness have been associated with numerous self-report indicators of stress, but research has not examined how mindfulness may buffer neuroendocrine and psychological stress responses under controlled laboratory conditions. The present study investigated the role of trait mindfulness in buffering cortisol and affective responses to a social evaluative stress challenge versus a control task. Participants completed measures of trait mindfulness, perceived stress, anxiety, and fear of negative evaluation before being randomized to complete the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST; Kirschbaum et al., 1993) or a control task. At points throughout the session, participants provided five saliva samples to assess cortisol response patterns, and completed four self-report measures of anxiety and negative affect to assess psychological responses. In accord with hypotheses, higher trait mindfulness predicted lower cortisol responses to the TSST, relative to the control task, as well as lower anxiety and negative affect. These relations remained significant when controlling for the role of other variables that predicted cortisol and affective responses. The findings suggest that trait mindfulness modulates cortisol and affective responses to an acute social stressor. Further research is needed to understand the neural pathways through which mindfulness impacts these responses. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Time-Varying Influences of Peer and Family Support on Adolescent Daily Positive and Negative Affect

PubMed Central

Weinstein, Sally M.; Mermelstein, Robin J.; Hedeker, Donald; Hankin, Benjamin L.; Flay, Brian R.

2008-01-01

The time-varying influences of peer and family support on adolescent daily mood were explored among youth transitioning from middle school to high school (8th to 9th grade, N = 268) as compared to youth transitioning from 10th to 11th grade (N = 240). Real-time measures of daily positive and negative affect (ecological momentary assessments) were collected via palmtop computers at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Participants rated 12 mood adjectives in response to 5 to 7 random prompts per day for 7 consecutive days. Perceived peer and family support were assessed via self-report. Mixed-effects regression analyses revealed significant grade by time by peer support interactions for positive and negative mood, with the younger cohort showing greater increases in the relation between peer support and affect over time than the older cohort. Family support did not interact with cohort or time. PMID:16836479

Problem solving and maternal distress at the time of a child's diagnosis of cancer in two-parent versus lone-parent households.

PubMed

Iobst, Emily A; Alderfer, Melissa A; Sahler, Olle Jane Z; Askins, Martha A; Fairclough, Diane L; Katz, Ernest R; Butler, Robert W; Dolgin, Michael J; Noll, Robert B

2009-09-01

To examine negative affectivity and problem-solving abilities for lone mothers and those who are married/partnered subsequent to a child's diagnosis with cancer. Negative affectivity and problem-solving strategies were assessed for 464 mothers (87 lone and 377 married/partnered) within 2-16 weeks of their child's diagnosis with cancer. The two groups of mothers did not differ significantly on measures of perceived posttraumatic stress or problem-solving; lone mothers reported significantly more symptoms of depression. This difference was no longer significant when maternal education was taken into account. Negative affectivity and problem-solving abilities were similar for lone mothers and those that are married/partnered shortly after their child has been diagnosed with cancer. Findings are discussed within the context of contemporary strategies to assess marital status as proxy variable for various underlying constructs.

Language Assessment With Children Who Speak Nonmainstream Dialects: Examining the Effects of Scoring Modifications in Norm-Referenced Assessment.

PubMed

Hendricks, Alison Eisel; Adlof, Suzanne M

2017-07-26

We compared outcomes from 2 measures of language ability in children who displayed a range of dialect variation: 1 using features that do not contrast between mainstream American English (MAE) and nonmainstream dialects (NMAE), and 1 using contrastive features. We investigated how modified scoring procedures affected the diagnostic accuracy of the measure with contrastive features. Second-grade students (N = 299; 167 White, 106 African American, 26 other) completed measures of language variation and ability (the Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation-Screening Test and the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Fourth Edition [CELF-4]). The CELF-4 was scored with and without the recommended scoring modifications for children who spoke African American English. Partial correlations controlling for socioeconomic status revealed small to moderate correlations between measures of language ability and the use of NMAE features. Modified scoring yielded higher scores for children who spoke African American English and a reduced association between the use of NMAE features and CELF-4 scores. Modified scoring also affected the diagnostic accuracy of the CELF-4, resulting in a lower positive likelihood ratio and a higher negative likelihood ratio. The decision to apply scoring modifications affects both the false positive and false negative rates. Implications for language assessment for children who speak NMAE dialects are discussed, including the need for further investigation.

Long-term effects of asenapine or olanzapine in patients with persistent negative symptoms of schizophrenia: a pooled analysis.

PubMed

Potkin, Steven G; Phiri, Phillip; Szegedi, Armin; Zhao, Jun; Alphs, Larry; Cazorla, Pilar

2013-11-01

A Phase 2 efficacy study suggested that asenapine (ASE) was superior to risperidone in decreasing negative symptoms in schizophrenia at 6 weeks, prompting design of two negative symptom studies. Two 26-week core studies with 26-week extensions compared asenapine (ASE: 5-10mg twice-daily] and olanzapine (OLA: 5-20mg once-daily) as monotherapies in reducing persistent negative symptoms (PNS). While neither study met the primary endpoint of superiority of ASE over OLA, ASE was statistically superior to OLA in one extension study. This prompted a pooled analysis of the treatment effects of both drugs. Data were pooled from two 26-week core studies and extensions. Efficacy endpoints: change in Negative Symptom Assessment scale-16 (NSA-16) total score at Week 26 (prespecified primary endpoint) and Week 52. Additional measures: change in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS)-total, Marder factors, negative subscale scores, Clinical Global Impression Severity of Illness score (CGI-S) assessments, NSA-16 factor domains, NSA global score, and individual items. Pooled data from the extension studies (n=502) showed no differences between ASE and OLA at Week 26. At Week 52, ASE showed superiority over OLA in NSA-16 total score, NSA global, PANSS Marder negative and PANSS negative subscales, some NSA-16 items, and four of five factor domains. In addition, pooled data for patients who entered the core trials (n=949) were analyzed over 52weeks (whether or not patients entered the extension). No significant differences between groups were observed in change in NSA-16 total score at 26-weeks. At Week 52, ASE was significantly superior over OLA in this measure, NSA global score and PANSS Marder negative factor. There were more early dropouts due to AEs, including worsening of the disease, in the ASE group. In this pooled analysis, ASE and OLA did not differ significantly over 26 weeks, but indicated a signal of superiority for ASE with continued treatment up to 52 weeks. © 2013.

Longitudinal validity and responsiveness of the Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire - Parent Form in children 0-12 years following positive and negative food challenges.

PubMed

DunnGalvin, A; Cullinane, C; Daly, D A; Flokstra-de Blok, B M J; Dubois, A E J; Hourihane, J O'B

2010-03-01

There are no published studies of longitudinal health-related quality of life (HRQL) assessments of food-allergic children using a disease-specific measure. This study assessed the longitudinal measurement properties of the Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire - Parent Form (FAQLQ-PF) in a sample of children undergoing food challenge. Parents of children 0-12 years completed the FAQLQ-PF and the Food Allergy Independent Measure (FAIM) pre-challenge and at 2 and 6 months post food challenge. In order to evaluate longitudinal validity, differences between Group A (positive challenge) and Group B (negative challenge) were expected over time. We computed correlation coefficients between change scores in the FAQLQ-PF and change scores in the FAIM. To determine the minimally important difference (MID), we used distributional criterion and effect size approaches. A logistic regression model profiled those children falling below this point. Eighty-two children underwent a challenge (42 positive; 40 negative). Domains and total score improved significantly at pos-challenge time-points for both groups (all P<0.05). Sensitivity was demonstrated by significant differences between positive and negative groups at 6 months [F(2, 59)=6.221, P<0.003] and by differing improvement on relevant subscales (P<0.05). MID was 0.45 on a seven-point response scale. Poorer quality of life at baseline increased the odds by over 2.0 of no improvement in HRQL scores 6-month time-point. General maternal health (OR 1.252), number of foods avoided (OR 1.369) and children >9 years (OR 1.173) were also predictors. The model correctly identified 84% of cases below MID. The FAQLQ-PF is sensitive to change, and has excellent longitudinal reliability and validity in a food-allergic patient population. The standard error of measurement value of 0.5 points as a threshold for meaningful change in HRQL questionnaires was confirmed. The FAQLQ-PF may be used to identify problems in children, to assess the effectiveness of clinical trials or interventions, and to guide the development of regulatory policies.

Combination with Anthropometric Measurements and MQSGA to Assess Nutritional Status in Chinese Hemodialysis Population

PubMed Central

Chen, Jie; Peng, Hongquan; Yuan, Zhimin; Zhang, Kun; Xiao, Long; Huang, Jialian; Wang, Jingfeng; Huang, Hui

2013-01-01

Aims: To assess the nutritional status, combination with anthropometric measurements and modified quantitative subjective global assessment (MQSGA) was used in multi-center hemodialysis population in South China. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive-analytic study was performed in 4 teaching hospitals in South China, dated from January 2010 to December 2011. Nutritional status was assessed with MQSGA and related anthropometric indexes. Serum albumin and transthyretin were also determined for nutritional assessment. Results: Eighty-two randomly selected hemodialysis patients participated in the nutritional assessment, of which 75 hemodialysis patients completed all assessments. The average age was 62.70 ± 14.21 years. The mean duration of hemodialysis was 3.29 ± 1.08 years. Of the included patients, 32% patients were well nourished, 60% were mild to moderately malnourished, and 8% were severely malnourished. Along with the malnutrition severity, the serum transthyretin significantly decreased. However, no obvious changes were found in serum albumin. The mean value (Mean ± SD; 25.78 ± 4.09 cm) of mid arm circumference (MAC) was negatively correlated with MQSGA (r = -0.365; P = 0.002). Body mass index (BMI) (Mean ± SD; 21.6 ± 3.1 kg/m2) was also significantly negatively correlated with MQSGA (r = -0.392; P = 0.001). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve were 0.664 and 0.726, respectively. Conclusions: Malnutrition is very common in South China hemodialysis population. Both BMI and MAC were effective markers for assessing nutritional status. PMID:23801883

Emotion and eating disorder symptoms in patients with anorexia nervosa: an experimental study.

PubMed

Wildes, Jennifer E; Marcus, Marsha D; Bright, Ashley C; Dapelo, Marcela Marin; Psychol, Magister Clin

2012-11-01

To evaluate the effect of negative emotion on self-reported eating disorder symptoms and objectively-measured eating behavior in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). Twenty-eight females with AN were randomized to a negative or neutral mood induction followed by a test meal. Participants completed assessments one week before the experimental session, before (pretest) and after (posttest) the mood induction, and after the test meal. Participants in the negative emotion condition had an increase in negative affect from pretest to posttest that was accompanied by significantly greater increases in self-reported eating disorder symptoms than were exhibited by participants in the neutral emotion condition, who had no increase in negative affect. There was no effect of emotion condition on eating behavior. Results suggest that negative emotions influence the expression of cognitive eating disorder symptoms in individuals with AN, which may have implications for the identification of treatment targets. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Suggestibility and negative priming: two replication studies.

PubMed

David, Daniel; Brown, Richard J

2002-07-01

Research suggests that inhibiting the effect of irrelevant stimuli on subsequent thought and action (cognitive inhibition) may be an important component of suggestibility. Two small correlation studies were conducted to address the relationship between different aspects of suggestibility and individual differences in cognitive inhibition, operationalized as the degree of negative priming generated by to-be-ignored stimuli in a semantic categorization task. The first study found significant positive correlations between negative priming, hypnotic suggestibility, and creative imagination; a significant negative correlation was obtained between negative priming and interrogative suggestibility, demonstrating the discriminant validity of the study results. The second study replicated the correlation between negative priming and hypnotic suggestibility, using a different suggestibility measurement procedure that assessed subjective experience and hypnotic involuntariness as well as objective responses to suggestions. These studies support the notion that the ability to engage in cognitive inhibition may be an important component of hypnotic responsivity and maybe of other forms of suggestibility.

Procalcitonin and albumin as prognostic biomarkers in elderly patients with a risk of bacterial infection.

PubMed

Higashikawa, Toshihiro; Okuro, Masashi; Ishigami, Keiichirou; Mae, Kunihiro; Sangen, Ryusho; Mizuno, Takurou; Usuda, Daisuke; Saito, Atushi; Kasamaki, Yuji; Fukuda, Akihiro; Saito, Hitoshi; Morimoto, Shigeto; Kanda, Tsugiyasu

2018-01-01

Aim This study was performed to investigate serum procalcitonin (PCT) and albumin (Alb) as prognostic biomarkers in elderly patients at risk of bacterial infection. Methods Serum PCT was measured in 270 hospitalized patients (mean age, 77.4 years) with suspected bacterial infection. The PCT-negative (<0.5 ng/mL) and PCT-positive (≥0.5 ng/mL) groups comprised 155 and 115 patients, respectively. Logistic regression analysis was performed with various clinical laboratory test values as independent variables and PCT positivity/negativity as the dependent variable. Results C-reactive protein (CRP) was the only independent variable significantly associated with PCT positivity/negativity. In the survival analysis, the 30-day in-hospital death rate was significantly higher in the PCT-positive than -negative group. Within the Alb-positive group (>2.5 g/dL), no significant difference in survival was observed between the PCT-positive and -negative groups. However, within the Alb-negative group (≤2.5 g/dL), the survival rate was significantly lower in the PCT-positive than -negative group. PCT was strongly associated with CRP and Alb, and having both PCT positivity and Alb negativity was a prognostic factor for elderly people at risk of bacterial infection. Conclusions Combined measurement of PCT with Alb is expected to be a valuable tool to assess prognosis in elderly people at risk of bacterial infection.

Autism Spectrum Disorders and Self-Reports: Testing Validity and Reliability Using the NEO-PI-R

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hesselmark, Eva; Eriksson, Jonna M.; Westerlund, Joakim; Bejerot, Susanne

2015-01-01

Although self-reported measures are frequently used to assess adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), the validity of self-reports is under-researched in ASD. The core symptoms of ASD may negatively affect the psychometric properties of self-reported measures. The aim of the present study was to test the validity and reliability of…

Antidepressant Controlled Trial For Negative Symptoms In Schizophrenia (ACTIONS): a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial.

PubMed

Barnes, Thomas R E; Leeson, Verity C; Paton, Carol; Costelloe, Céire; Simon, Judit; Kiss, Noemi; Osborn, David; Killaspy, Helen; Craig, Tom K J; Lewis, Shôn; Keown, Patrick; Ismail, Shajahan; Crawford, Mike; Baldwin, David; Lewis, Glyn; Geddes, John; Kumar, Manoj; Pathak, Rudresh; Taylor, Simon

2016-04-01

Negative symptoms of schizophrenia represent deficiencies in emotional responsiveness, motivation, socialisation, speech and movement. When persistent, they are held to account for much of the poor functional outcomes associated with schizophrenia. There are currently no approved pharmacological treatments. While the available evidence suggests that a combination of antipsychotic and antidepressant medication may be effective in treating negative symptoms, it is too limited to allow any firm conclusions. To establish the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of augmentation of antipsychotic medication with the antidepressant citalopram for the management of negative symptoms in schizophrenia. A multicentre, double-blind, individually randomised, placebo-controlled trial with 12-month follow-up. Adult psychiatric services, treating people with schizophrenia. Inpatients or outpatients with schizophrenia, on continuing, stable antipsychotic medication, with persistent negative symptoms at a criterion level of severity. Eligible participants were randomised 1 : 1 to treatment with either placebo (one capsule) or 20 mg of citalopram per day for 48 weeks, with the clinical option at 4 weeks to increase the daily dosage to 40 mg of citalopram or two placebo capsules for the remainder of the study. The primary outcomes were quality of life measured at 12 and 48 weeks assessed using the Heinrich's Quality of Life Scale, and negative symptoms at 12 weeks measured on the negative symptom subscale of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. No therapeutic benefit in terms of improvement in quality of life or negative symptoms was detected for citalopram over 12 weeks or at 48 weeks, but secondary analysis suggested modest improvement in the negative symptom domain, avolition/amotivation, at 12 weeks (mean difference -1.3, 95% confidence interval -2.5 to -0.09). There were no statistically significant differences between the two treatment arms over 48-week follow-up in either the health economics outcomes or costs, and no differences in the frequency or severity of adverse effects, including corrected QT interval prolongation. The trial under-recruited, partly because cardiac safety concerns about citalopram were raised, with the 62 participants recruited falling well short of the target recruitment of 358. Although this was the largest sample randomised to citalopram in a randomised controlled trial of antidepressant augmentation for negative symptoms of schizophrenia and had the longest follow-up, the power of statistical analysis to detect significant differences between the active and placebo groups was limited. Although adjunctive citalopram did not improve negative symptoms overall, there was evidence of some positive effect on avolition/amotivation, recognised as a critical barrier to psychosocial rehabilitation and achieving better social and community functional outcomes. Comprehensive assessment of side-effect burden did not identify any serious safety or tolerability issues. The addition of citalopram as a long-term prescribing strategy for the treatment of negative symptoms may merit further investigation in larger studies. Further studies of the viability of adjunctive antidepressant treatment for negative symptoms in schizophrenia should include appropriate safety monitoring and use rating scales that allow for evaluation of avolition/amotivation as a discrete negative symptom domain. Overcoming the barriers to recruiting an adequate sample size will remain a challenge. European Union Drug Regulating Authorities Clinical Trials (EudraCT) number 2009-009235-30 and Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN42305247. This project was funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 20, No. 29. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) to Define Different Domains of Negative Symptoms

PubMed Central

Khan, Anzalee; Keefe, Richard S. E.

2017-01-01

Background: Reduced emotional experience and expression are two domains of negative symptoms. The authors assessed these two domains of negative symptoms using previously developed Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) factors. Using an existing dataset, the authors predicted three different elements of everyday functioning (social, vocational, and everyday activities) with these two factors, as well as with performance on measures of functional capacity. Methods: A large (n=630) sample of people with schizophrenia was used as the data source of this study. Using regression analyses, the authors predicted the three different aspects of everyday functioning, first with just the two Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale factors and then with a global negative symptom factor. Finally, we added neurocognitive performance and functional capacity as predictors. Results: The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale reduced emotional experience factor accounted for 21 percent of the variance in everyday social functioning, while reduced emotional expression accounted for no variance. The total Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale negative symptom factor accounted for less variance (19%) than the reduced experience factor alone. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale expression factor accounted for, at most, one percent of the variance in any of the functional outcomes, with or without the addition of other predictors. Implications: Reduced emotional experience measured with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, often referred to as “avolition and anhedonia,” specifically predicted impairments in social outcomes. Further, reduced experience predicted social impairments better than emotional expression or the total Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale negative symptom factor. In this cross-sectional study, reduced emotional experience was specifically related with social outcomes, accounting for essentially no variance in work or everyday activities, and being the sole meaningful predictor of impairment in social outcomes. PMID:29410933

Subjective global assessment of nutritional status in children.

PubMed

Mahdavi, Aida Malek; Ostadrahimi, Alireza; Safaiyan, Abdolrasool

2010-10-01

This study was aimed to compare the subjective and objective nutritional assessments and to analyse the performance of subjective global assessment (SGA) of nutritional status in diagnosing undernutrition in paediatric patients. One hundred and forty children (aged 2-12 years) hospitalized consecutively in Tabriz Paediatric Hospital from June 2008 to August 2008 underwent subjective assessment using the SGA questionnaire and objective assessment, including anthropometric and biochemical measurements. Agreement between two assessment methods was analysed by the kappa (κ) statistic. Statistical indicators including (sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, error rates, accuracy, powers, likelihood ratios and odds ratio) between SGA and objective assessment method were determined. The overall prevalence of undernutrition according to the SGA (70.7%) was higher than that by objective assessment of nutritional status (48.5%). Agreement between the two evaluation methods was only fair to moderate (κ = 0.336, P < 0.001). The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of the SGA method for screening undernutrition in this population were 88.235%, 45.833%, 60.606% and 80.487%, respectively. Accuracy, positive and negative power of the SGA method were 66.428%, 56.074% and 41.25%, respectively. Likelihood ratio positive, likelihood ratio negative and odds ratio of the SGA method were 1.628, 0.256 and 6.359, respectively. Our findings indicated that in assessing nutritional status of children, there is not a good level of agreement between SGA and objective nutritional assessment. In addition, SGA is a highly sensitive tool for assessing nutritional status and could identify children at risk of developing undernutrition. © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Paradigms for Assessing Hedonic Processing and Motivation in Humans: Relevance to Understanding Negative Symptoms in Psychopathology.

PubMed

Barch, Deanna M; Gold, James M; Kring, Ann M

2017-07-01

Clinicians and researchers have long known that one of the debilitating aspects of psychotic disorders is the presence of "negative symptoms," which involve impairments in hedonic and motivational function, and/or alterations in expressive affect. We have a number of excellent clinical tools available for assessing the presence and severity of negative symptoms. However, to better understand the mechanisms that may give rise to negative symptoms, we need tools and methods that can help distinguish among different potential contributing causes, as a means to develop more targeted intervention pathways. Using such paradigms is particularly important if we wish to understand whether the causes are the same or different across disorders that may share surface features of negative symptoms. This approach is in line with the goals of the Research Diagnostic Criteria Initiative, which advocates understanding the nature of core dimensions of brain-behavior relationships transdiagnostically. Here we highlight some of the emerging measures and paradigms that may help us to parse the nature and causes of negative symptoms, illustrating both the research approaches from which they emerge and the types of constructs that they can help elucidate. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The use of ultrasound measurements in environmental epidemiological studies of air pollution and fetal growth

PubMed Central

Smarr, Melissa M.; Vadillo-Ortega, Felipe; Castillo-Castrejon, Marisol; O’Neill, Marie S.

2015-01-01

Purpose of review Recently, several international research groups have suggested that studies about environmental contaminants and adverse pregnancy outcomes should be designed to elucidate potential underlying biological mechanisms. The purpose of this review is to examine the epidemiological studies addressing maternal exposure to air pollutants and fetal growth during gestation as assessed by ultrasound measurements. Recent findings The six studies published to date found that exposure to certain ambient air pollutants during pregnancy is negatively associated with the growth rates and average attained size of fetal parameters belonging to the growth profile. Fetal parameters may respond to maternal air pollution exposures uniquely, and this response may vary by pollutant and timing of gestational exposure. Current literature suggests that mean changes in head circumference, abdominal circumference, femur length, and biparietal diameter are negatively associated with early-pregnancy exposures to ambient and vehicle-related air pollution. Summary The use of more longitudinal studies, employing ultrasound measures to assess fetal outcomes, may assist with the better understanding of mechanisms responsible for air pollution-related pregnancy outcomes. PMID:23399571

PRISM: Enmeshment of illness and self-schema.

PubMed

Denton, Fiona; Sharpe, Louise; Schrieber, Leslie

2004-01-01

The Pictorial Representation of Illness and Self Measure (PRISM) is a recently developed tool purported to assess burden of suffering due to illness. The nature of the PRISM task suggests a conceptual link to the illness self-schema construct hypothesised to be present in some individuals with chronic illness. This study investigates the relationship between PRISM and schema as measured by cognitive bias. 43 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) completed an information-processing task involving endorsement of positive and negative illness words as descriptors of themselves, followed by free recall of the words. The outcome measures were endorsement and recall bias for negative illness words. Patients also completed the PRISM task and were assessed on other physical and psychological variables. PRISM did not correlate significantly with age, depression, functional impairment or disease activity. In a multiple regression analysis, only recall bias made an independent contribution to PRISM. Illness self-schema appears to play a significant role in determining the way in which SLE patients complete the PRISM task. This is discussed in light of a schema enmeshment model recently proposed in the cognitive bias literature. Copyright 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel

Novel Assessment of Interstitial Lung Disease Using the "Computer-Aided Lung Informatics for Pathology Evaluation and Rating" (CALIPER) Software System in Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies.

PubMed

Ungprasert, Patompong; Wilton, Katelynn M; Ernste, Floranne C; Kalra, Sanjay; Crowson, Cynthia S; Rajagopalan, Srinivasan; Bartholmai, Brian J

2017-10-01

To evaluate the correlation between measurements from quantitative thoracic high-resolution CT (HRCT) analysis with "Computer-Aided Lung Informatics for Pathology Evaluation and Rating" (CALIPER) software and measurements from pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM)-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD). A cohort of patients with IIM-associated ILD seen at Mayo Clinic was identified from medical record review. Retrospective analysis of HRCT data and PFTs at baseline and 1 year was performed. The abnormalities in HRCT were quantified using CALIPER software. A total of 110 patients were identified. At baseline, total interstitial abnormalities as measured by CALIPER, both by absolute volume and by percentage of total lung volume, had a significant negative correlation with diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO), total lung capacity (TLC), and oxygen saturation. Analysis by subtype of interstitial abnormality revealed significant negative correlations between ground glass opacities (GGO) and reticular density (RD) with DLCO and TLC. At one year, changes of total interstitial abnormalities compared with baseline had a significant negative correlation with changes of TLC and oxygen saturation. A negative correlation between changes of total interstitial abnormalities and DLCO was also observed, but it was not statistically significant. Analysis by subtype of interstitial abnormality revealed negative correlations between changes of GGO and RD and changes of DLCO, TLC, and oxygen saturation, but most of the correlations did not achieve statistical significance. CALIPER measurements correlate well with functional measurements in patients with IIM-associated ILD.

Does Mind Wandering Mediate the Association Between Mindfulness and Negative Mood? A Preliminary Study.

PubMed

Wang, Yuzheng; Xu, Wei; Zhuang, Capella; Liu, Xinghua

2017-02-01

The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between trait mindfulness and mood and to examine whether the relationship is mediated by mind wandering. Eighty-two individuals ( M age = 24.27 years, SD = 5.64, 18 men, 22%) completed a series of measures including the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, the Profile of Mood States Questionnaire, and Meditation Breath Attention Exercise. Results showed that the level of mindfulness was significantly correlated with positive and negative mood, and the association between mindfulness and negative mood was mediated by mind wandering. This study indicated the important role of mind wandering in the relation between mindfulness and negative mood. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.

Internalized weight bias: ratings of the self, normal weight, and obese individuals and psychological maladjustment

PubMed Central

Burmeister, J.; Oehlhof, M. W.; Hinman, N.; LeRoy, M.; Bannon, E.; Koball, A.; Ashrafloun, L.

2012-01-01

Current measures of internalized weight bias assess factors such as responsibility for weight status, mistreatment because of weight, etc. A potential complementary approach for assessing internalized weight bias is to examine the correspondence between individuals’ ratings of obese people, normal weight people, and themselves on personality traits. This investigation examined the relationships among different measures of internalized weight bias, as well as the association between those measures and psychosocial maladjustment. Prior to the beginning of a weight loss intervention, 62 overweight/obese adults completed measures of explicit and internalized weight bias as well as body image, binge eating, and depression. Discrepancies between participants’ ratings of obese people in general and ratings of themselves on both positive and negative traits predicted unique variance in measures of maladjustment above a traditional assessment of internalized weight bias. This novel approach to measuring internalized weight bias provides information above and beyond traditional measures of internalized weight bias and begins to provide insights into social comparison processes involved in weight bias. PMID:22322909

Internalized weight bias: ratings of the self, normal weight, and obese individuals and psychological maladjustment.

PubMed

Carels, Robert A; Burmeister, J; Oehlhof, M W; Hinman, N; LeRoy, M; Bannon, E; Koball, A; Ashrafloun, L

2013-02-01

Current measures of internalized weight bias assess factors such as responsibility for weight status, mistreatment because of weight, etc. A potential complementary approach for assessing internalized weight bias is to examine the correspondence between individuals' ratings of obese people, normal weight people, and themselves on personality traits. This investigation examined the relationships among different measures of internalized weight bias, as well as the association between those measures and psychosocial maladjustment. Prior to the beginning of a weight loss intervention, 62 overweight/obese adults completed measures of explicit and internalized weight bias as well as body image, binge eating, and depression. Discrepancies between participants' ratings of obese people in general and ratings of themselves on both positive and negative traits predicted unique variance in measures of maladjustment above a traditional assessment of internalized weight bias. This novel approach to measuring internalized weight bias provides information above and beyond traditional measures of internalized weight bias and begins to provide insights into social comparison processes involved in weight bias.

The false-negative rate of sentinel node biopsy in patients with breast cancer: a meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Pesek, Sarah; Ashikaga, Taka; Krag, Lars Erik; Krag, David

2012-01-01

Background/Purpose In sentinel node surgery for breast cancer, procedural accuracy is assessed by calculating the false-negative rate. It is important to measure this since there are potential adverse outcomes from missing node metastases. We performed a meta-analysis of published data to assess which method has achieved the lowest false-negative rate. Methods We found 3588 articles concerning sentinel nodes and breast cancer published from 1993 through mid-2011; 183 articles met our inclusion criteria. The studies described in these 183 articles included a total of 9306 patients. We grouped the studies by injection material and injection location. The false-negative rates were analyzed according to these groupings and also by the year in which the articles were published. Results There was significant variation in the false-negative rate over time with a trend to higher rates over time. There was significant variation related to injection material. The use of blue dye alone was associated with the highest false-negative rate. Inclusion of a radioactive tracer along with blue dye resulted in a significantly lower false-negative rate. Although there were variations in the false-negative rate according to injection location, none were significant. This meta-analysis also indicates a significant change over time in the false-negative rate. Discussion/Conclusions The use of blue dye should be accompanied by a radioactive tracer to achieve a significantly lower false-negative rate. Location of injection did not have a significant impact on the false-negative rate. Given the limitations of acquiring appropriate data, the false-negative rate should not be used as a metric for training or quality control. PMID:22569745

Negative Affect Prior to and Following Overeating-Only, Loss of Control Eating-Only, and Binge Eating Episodes in Obese Adults

PubMed Central

Berg, Kelly C.; Crosby, Ross D.; Cao, Li; Crow, Scott J.; Engel, Scott G.; Wonderlich, Stephen A.; Peterson, Carol B.

2015-01-01

Objective The objective was to examine the trajectory of five types of negative affect (global negative affect, fear, guilt, hostility, sadness) prior to and following three types of eating episodes (overeating in the absence of loss of control [OE-only], loss of control eating in the absence of overeating [LOC-only], and binge eating) among obese adults using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Method Fifty obese adults (84% female) completed a two-week EMA protocol during which they were asked to record all eating episodes and rate each episode on continua of overeating and loss of control. Momentary measures of global negative affect, fear, guilt, hostility, and sadness were assessed using an abbreviated version of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Trajectories for each of the five types of negative affect were modeled prior to and following episodes of OE-only, LOC-only, and binge eating. Results Consistent with previous findings, global negative affect and Guilt increased prior to and decreased following binge eating episodes (all ps<.05). Guilt also decreased following OE-only episodes (p<.05). Discussion These results are consistent with the affect regulation model of binge eating and suggest that binge eating may function to regulate global negative affect, and more specifically, guilt among obese adults. These data suggest that the relationship between negative affect and binge eating may not be unique to individuals with clinical eating disorders and indicate that targeting negative affect may be an effective strategy for the treatment of binge eating in the context of obesity. PMID:25808854

Negative affect prior to and following overeating-only, loss of control eating-only, and binge eating episodes in obese adults.

PubMed

Berg, Kelly C; Crosby, Ross D; Cao, Li; Crow, Scott J; Engel, Scott G; Wonderlich, Stephen A; Peterson, Carol B

2015-09-01

The objective was to examine the trajectory of five types of negative affect (global negative affect, fear, guilt, hostility, sadness) prior to and following three types of eating episodes (overeating in the absence of loss of control [OE-only], loss of control eating in the absence of overeating [LOC-only], and binge eating) among obese adults using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Fifty obese adults (84% female) completed a two-week EMA protocol during which they were asked to record all eating episodes and rate each episode on continua of overeating and loss of control. Momentary measures of global negative affect, fear, guilt, hostility, and sadness were assessed using an abbreviated version of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Trajectories for each of the five types of negative affect were modeled prior to and following episodes of OE-only, LOC-only, and binge eating. Consistent with previous findings, global negative affect and Guilt increased prior to and decreased following binge eating episodes (all ps < .05). Guilt also decreased following OE-only episodes (p < .05). These results are consistent with the affect regulation model of binge eating and suggest that binge eating may function to regulate global negative affect, and more specifically, guilt among obese adults. These data suggest that the relationship between negative affect and binge eating may not be unique to individuals with clinical eating disorders and indicate that targeting negative affect may be an effective strategy for the treatment of binge eating in the context of obesity. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Patient-reported outcome instruments that evaluate adherence behaviours in adults with asthma: A systematic review of measurement properties.

PubMed

Gagné, Myriam; Boulet, Louis-Philippe; Pérez, Norma; Moisan, Jocelyne

2018-04-30

To systematically identify the measurement properties of patient-reported outcome instruments (PROs) that evaluate adherence to inhaled maintenance medication in adults with asthma. We conducted a systematic review of six databases. Two reviewers independently included studies on the measurement properties of PROs that evaluated adherence in asthmatic participants aged ≥18 years. Based on the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN), the reviewers (1) extracted data on internal consistency, reliability, measurement error, content validity, structural validity, hypotheses testing, cross-cultural validity, criterion validity, and responsiveness; (2) assessed the methodological quality of the included studies; (3) assessed the quality of the measurement properties (positive or negative); and (4) summarised the level of evidence (limited, moderate, or strong). We screened 6,068 records and included 15 studies (14 PROs). No studies evaluated measurement error or responsiveness. Based on methodological and measurement property quality assessments, we found limited positive evidence of: (a) internal consistency of the Adherence Questionnaire, Refined Medication Adherence Reason Scale (MAR-Scale), Medication Adherence Report Scale for Asthma (MARS-A), and Test of the Adherence to Inhalers (TAI); (b) reliability of the TAI; and (c) structural validity of the Adherence Questionnaire, MAR-Scale, MARS-A, and TAI. We also found limited negative evidence of: (d) hypotheses testing of Adherence Questionnaire; (e) reliability of the MARS-A; and (f) criterion validity of the MARS-A and TAI. Our results highlighted the need to conduct further high-quality studies that will positively evaluate the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the available PROs. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Negative Cognitive Styles Synergistically Predict Suicidal Ideation in Bipolar Spectrum Disorders: A Three-Year Prospective Study

PubMed Central

Stange, Jonathan P.; Hamilton, Jessica L.; Burke, Taylor A.; Kleiman, Evan M.; O’Garro-Moore, Jared K.; Seligman, Nicole D.; Abramson, Lyn Y.; Alloy, Lauren B.

2015-01-01

Rates of suicidal ideation and behavior are extremely high in Bipolar Spectrum Disorders (BSDs). However, relatively little work has evaluated potentially synergistic relationships between cognitive and emotion-regulatory processes proposed by theoretical models of suicidality in BSDs. The present study evaluated whether negative cognitive style and subtypes of rumination would exacerbate the impact of self-criticism on suicidal ideation in a prospective study of individuals with BSDs. Seventy-two young adults with BSDs (bipolar II, bipolar NOS, or cyclothymia) completed diagnostic interviews and trait measures of self-criticism, negative cognitive style, and brooding and reflective rumination at a baseline assessment. The occurrence of suicidal ideation was assessed as part of diagnostic interviews completed every four months for an average of three years of follow-up. Negative cognitive style and reflective rumination strengthened the association between self-criticism and the prospective occurrence of suicidal ideation across follow-up. Individuals with high levels of self-criticism in conjunction with negative cognitive style or reflective rumination were most likely to experience the onset of suicidal ideation. Self-criticism may work synergistically with negative cognitive style and rumination to confer risk for suicidal ideation in bipolar spectrum disorders. These results support theoretical models of suicidality in BSDs and indicate that evaluating and understanding negative cognitive styles may help to identify individuals who are at risk for suicide. PMID:25660736

Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms and Aggression: A Within-Person Process Model

PubMed Central

Scott, Lori N.; Wright, Aidan G. C.; Beeney, Joseph E.; Lazarus, Sophie A.; Pilkonis, Paul A.; Stepp, Stephanie D.

2017-01-01

Theoretical and empirical work suggests that aggression in those with borderline personality disorder (BPD) occurs primarily in the context of emotional reactivity, especially anger and shame, in response to perceived rejection. Using intensive repeated measures, we examined a within-person process model in which perceived rejection predicts increases in aggressive urges and behaviors via increases in negative affect (indirect effect) and in which BPD symptoms exacerbate this process (moderated mediation). Participants were 117 emerging adult women (ages 18–24) with recent histories of aggressive behavior who were recruited from a community-based longitudinal study of at-risk youth. Personality disorder symptoms were assessed by semi-structured clinical interview, and aggressive urges, threats, and behaviors were measured in daily life during a three-week ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol. Multilevel path models revealed that within-person increases in perceived rejection predicted increases in negative affect, especially in women with greater BPD symptoms. In turn, increases in negative affect predicted increased likelihood of aggressive urges or behaviors. Further analysis revealed that BPD symptoms predicted greater anger and shame reactivity to perceived rejection, but not to criticism or insult. Additionally, only anger was associated with increases in aggression after controlling for other negative emotions. Whereas BPD symptoms exacerbated the link between perceived rejection and aggression via increases in negative affect (particularly anger), this process was attenuated in women with greater antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) symptoms. These findings suggest that anger reactivity to perceived rejection is one unique pathway, distinct from ASPD, by which BPD symptoms increase risk for aggression. PMID:28383936

Metabolic and hormone influences on emotion processing during menopause.

PubMed

Berent-Spillson, Alison; Marsh, Courtney; Persad, Carol; Randolph, John; Zubieta, Jon-Kar; Smith, Yolanda

2017-02-01

Disturbances of emotion regulation and depressive symptoms are common during the menopause transition. Reproductive hormone levels are not directly correlated with depressive symptoms, and other factors may influence mood symptoms during menopause. In this study, we sought to determine the role of metabolic function in mood symptoms during menopause, hypothesizing an association with menopause status and long-term glucose load. We studied 54 women across three menopause transition stages (15 premenopause, 11 perimenopause, and 28 postmenopause), examining effects of age, hormones, and metabolism on mood and neural activation during emotional discrimination. We assessed participants using behavioral and functional MRI measures of negative emotion and emotion discrimination, and glycated hemoglobin A1c, to assess long-term glucose load. We found that emotionally unpleasant images activated emotion regulation (amygdala) and cognitive association brain regions (prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate, temporal-parietal-occipital (TPO) junction, hippocampus). Cognitive association region activity increased with menopause stage. Perimenopausal women had left TPO junction activation, and postmenopausal women had prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate, and TPO junction activation. Negative affect was associated with decreased amygdala activation, while depression symptoms and negative mood were associated with increased TPO junction activation. Hemoglobin A1c was associated with negative interpretation bias of neutral images and cognitive region recruitment during emotion discrimination. FSH levels, indicating menopause stage, were associated with negative mood. Age was not associated with any behavioral measures or activation patterns during the emotion task. Our results suggest that an interaction between metabolic and hormonal factors may influence emotion regulation, leading to increased risk for depression during menopause. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Role of Anger in Psychosocial Subgrouping for Patients with Low Back Pain

PubMed Central

Nisenzon, Anne N.; George, Steven Z.; Beneciuk, Jason M.; Wandner, Laura D.; Torres, Calia; Robinson, Michael E.

2014-01-01

Low back pain (LBP) is a common and costly condition that often becomes chronic if not properly addressed. Recent research has shown that psychosocial symptoms can complicate LBP, necessitating more comprehensive screening measures. The present study investigated the role of psychosocial factors, including anger regulation, in pain and disability using a screening measure designed for LBP treated with physical therapy. One-hundred and three LBP patients initiating physical therapy completed an established screening measure to assess risk for developing chronic pain, as well as psychosocial measures assessing anger, depression, anxiety, fear-avoidance, and pain-catastrophizing before and after four weeks of treatment. Dependent variables were pain intensity, physical impairment, and patient-reported disability. Risk subgrouping based on anger and other psychosocial measures was examined using established screening methods and through employing an empirical statistical approach. Analyses revealed that risk subgroups differed according to corresponding levels of negative affect, as opposed to anger alone. General psychosocial distress also predicted disability post-treatment, but, interestingly, did not have a strong relationship to pain. Subsequent hierarchical agglomerative clustering procedures divided patients into overall High and Low Distress groups, with follow-up analyses revealing that the High Distress group had higher baseline measures of pain, disability, and impairment. Findings suggest that anger may be part of generalized negative affect rather than a unique predictor when assessing risk for pain and disability in LBP treatment. Continued research in the area of screening for psychosocial prognostic indicators in LBP may ultimately guide treatment protocols in physical therapy for more comprehensive patient care. PMID:24281272

Revision, Criterion Validity, and Multi-group Assessment of the Reactions to Homosexuality Scale

PubMed Central

Smolenski, Derek J.; Diamond, Pamela M.; Ross, Michael W.; Simon Rosser, B. R.

2010-01-01

Internalized homonegativity encompasses negative attitudes toward one’s own sexual orientation, and is associated with negative mental and physical health outcomes. The Reactions to Homosexuality scale (Ross & Rosser, 1996), an instrument used to measure internalized homonegativity, has been criticized for including content irrelevant to the construct of internalized homonegativity. We revised the scale using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and identified a seven-item, three-factor reduced version that demonstrated measurement invariance across racial/ethnic categorizations and between English and Spanish versions. We also investigated criterion validity by estimating correlations with hypothesized outcomes associated with outness, relationship status, sexual orientation, and gay community affiliation. The evidence of measurement invariance suggests that this scale is appropriate for pluralistic treatment or study groups. PMID:20954058

Improving Our Ability to Assess Land Management and Disturbance by Linking Traditional Ecosystem Measurements with UAV Spectral Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sutter, L., Jr.; Barron-Gafford, G.; Smith, W. K.; Minor, R. L.; Raub, H.; Jimenez, J. R.; Wolsiffer, S. K.; Escobedo, E. B.; Smith, J.

2017-12-01

Drylands are dynamic landscapes of mixed plant functional types that vary in their response to abiotic and biotic drivers of change. Within these regions, woody plant-herbaceous relationships have generally been viewed as negative: woody plants within these ecosystems have been shown to negatively impact herbaceous growth by taking advantage of both deeper stored water and intercepting near surface moisture after precipitation events. There has been a long-invested effort to eliminate woody plants in many areas of the world, and analyzing and assessing land management decisions has historically required high monetary and time inputs. Unfortunately, both management practices and disturbances from fire can leave a very heterogeneous landscape, making assessment of their impacts difficult to assess. This study has attempted to address the effectiveness of two commonly used treatments within woody plant invaded areas, fire and herbicide application, by linking plant physiological measurements with the emerging technology of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spectral analysis. Taking advantage of a USDA-ARS sponsored herbicide treatment in 2016 and the accidental Sawmill Fire of 2017, both within the Santa Rita Experimental Range (SRER) of Southern Arizona, USA, we linked spectral data collected via UAV with ground-based photosynthetic measurements. Given the high repeatability, and both spatial and spectral resolution of low-flying UAV measurements, we found that there are a variety of spectral indices that can be derived and accurately linked with traditional ecological measurements. Results and techniques from this study can be immediately applied to land management plans as well as be improved for other ecological parameters, such as those obtained from long-term study sites containing eddy covariance towers.

Does the Social Functioning Scale reflect real-life social functioning? An experience sampling study in patients with a non-affective psychotic disorder and healthy control individuals.

PubMed

Schneider, M; Reininghaus, U; van Nierop, M; Janssens, M; Myin-Germeys, I

2017-12-01

The ecological validity of retrospective measures of social functioning is currently unknown in patients with schizophrenia. In the present study, patients with a diagnosis of non-affective psychosis were compared with controls on two measures of social functioning: the Social Functioning Scale (SFS) and daily-life measures collected with the Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM). The associations between both measures were examined in each group of participants to test for the ecological validity of the SFS. A total of 126 participants with a non-affective psychotic disorder and 109 controls completed the SFS and a 6-day momentary ESM protocol assessing various aspects of social functioning. Multiple linear and multilevel regression analyses were performed to test for group differences in social functioning level and examine associations between the two assessment techniques. Lower social functioning was observed in patients compared with controls on retrospective and momentary measures. The SFS interpersonal domain (social engagement/withdrawal and interpersonal behaviour dimensions) was associated with the percentage of time spent alone and negative appraisal of social interactions. The SFS activity domain (pro-social and recreational activities dimensions) was negatively associated with time spent in leisure activities. The SFS showed some degree of ecological validity at assessing broad aspects of social functioning. Low scores on the SFS social engagement/withdrawal and interpersonal behaviour dimensions captured social isolation and social avoidance in daily life, but not lack of interest in socializing. Ecological validity of the SFS activity domain was low. ESM offers a rich alternative to classical assessment techniques of social functioning.

Positive affect and psychosocial processes related to health.

PubMed

Steptoe, Andrew; O'Donnell, Katie; Marmot, Michael; Wardle, Jane

2008-05-01

Positive affect is associated with longevity and favourable physiological function. We tested the hypothesis that positive affect is related to health-protective psychosocial characteristics independently of negative affect and socio-economic status. Both positive and negative affect were measured by aggregating momentary samples collected repeatedly over 1 day, and health-related psychosocial factors were assessed by questionnaire in a sample of 716 men and women aged 58-72 years. Positive affect was associated with greater social connectedness, emotional and practical support, optimism and adaptive coping responses, and lower depression, independently of age, gender, household income, paid employment, smoking status, and negative affect. Negative affect was independently associated with negative relationships, greater exposure to chronic stress, depressed mood, pessimism, and avoidant coping. Positive affect may be beneficial for health outcomes in part because it is a component of a profile of protective psychosocial characteristics.

The impact of subjective memory complaints on quality of life in community-dwelling older adults.

PubMed

Maki, Yohko; Yamaguchi, Tomoharu; Yamagami, Tetsuya; Murai, Tatsuhiko; Hachisuka, Kenji; Miyamae, Fumiko; Ito, Kae; Awata, Shuichi; Ura, Chiaki; Takahashi, Ryutaro; Yamaguchi, Haruyasu

2014-09-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of memory complaints on quality of life (QOL) in elderly community dwellers with or without mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Participants included 120 normal controls (NC) and 37 with MCI aged 65 and over. QOL was measured using the Japanese version of Satisfaction in Daily Life, and memory complaints were measured using a questionnaire consisting of four items. The relevance of QOL was evaluated with psychological factors of personality traits, sense of self-efficacy, depressive mood, self-evaluation of daily functioning, range of social activities (Life-Space Assessment), social network size, and cognitive functions including memory. The predictors of QOL were analyzed by multiple linear regression analysis. QOL was not significantly different between the NC and MCI groups. In both groups, QOL was positively correlated with self-efficacy, daily functioning, social network size, Life-Space Assessment, and the personality traits of extraversion and agreeableness; QOL was negatively correlated with memory complaints, depressive mood, and the personality trait of neuroticism. In regression analysis, memory complaints were a negative predictor of QOL in the MCI group, but not in the NC group. The partial correlation coefficient between QOL and memory complaints was -0.623 (P < 0.05), after scores of depressive mood and self-efficacy were controlled. Depressive mood was a common negative predictor in both groups. Positive predictors were Life-Space Assessment in the NC group and sense of self-efficacy in the MCI group. Memory complaints exerted a negative impact on self-rated QOL in the MCI group, whereas a negative correlation was weak in the NC group. Memory training has been widely practised in individuals with MCI to prevent the development of dementia. However, such approaches inevitably identify their memory deficits and could aggravate their awareness of memory decline. Thus, it is critical to give sufficient consideration not to reduce QOL in the intervention for those with MCI. © 2014 The Authors. Psychogeriatrics © 2014 Japanese Psychogeriatric Society.

Longitudinal sex differences of externalising and internalising depression symptom trajectories: Implications for assessment of depression in men from an online study.

PubMed

Rice, Simon M; Fallon, Barry J; Aucote, Helen M; Möller-Leimkühler, AnneMaria; Treeby, Matt S; Amminger, G Paul

2015-05-01

Clinical reports indicate that men tend to engage in a range of externalising behaviours in response to negative emotional states. Such externalising behaviours have been theorised to reflect a male sub-type of depression that is inconsistent with current diagnostic criteria, resulting in impeded detection and treatment rates of depressed men. In addressing previous study design limitations, this article presents self-report longitudinal data for the multidimensional Male Depression Risk Scale (MDRS-22) against ratings of diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder as assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-Depression Module (PHQ-9). Longitudinal psychometric properties of the MDRS-22 are reported and symptom trajectories described. A sample of 233 adults (males = 125; 54%) completed measures of externalising and prototypic depression symptoms at Time 1, and again at Time 2 (15 weeks later). Psychometric properties were examined and within-subjects analyses undertaken. The MDRS-22 demonstrated stable internal consistency and test-retest correlations equivalent to those observed for the PHQ-9. Both prototypic and externalising depression symptoms increased with experiences of recent negative life events. Marked gender differences were observed. Males experiencing ≥ 2 stressful negative life events reported significantly higher MDRS-22 scores at both Time 1 and Time 2 relative to comparable females. Findings contribute to the validity of the MDRS-22 as a measure of externalising depression symptoms. Results suggest that while both males and females experience externalising depression symptoms, these symptoms may be particularly elevated for men following experiences of negative life events. Findings suggest that externalising symptoms may be a special feature of depression for men. Given the problematic nature of such externalising symptoms (e.g. excessive substance use, aggression, risk-taking), their clinical assessment appears warranted. © The Author(s) 2014.

Predicting functional remission in patients with schizophrenia: a cross-sectional study of symptomatic remission, psychosocial remission, functioning, and clinical outcome

PubMed Central

Valencia, Marcelo; Fresán, Ana; Barak, Yoram; Juárez, Francisco; Escamilla, Raul; Saracco, Ricardo

2015-01-01

Background New approaches to assess outcome in schizophrenia include multidimensional measures such as remission, cognition, psychosocial functioning, and quality of life. Clinical and psychosocial measures have been recently introduced to assess functional outcome. Objective The study presented here was designed to examine the rates of symptomatic remission, psychosocial remission, global functioning, and clinical global impressions in a sample of schizophrenia outpatients in order to assess functional remission and to identify predictive factors for functional remission. Methods A total of 168 consecutive Mexican outpatients receiving pharmacological treatment at the National Institute of Psychiatry in Mexico City were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Symptomatic remission was assessed according to the definition and criteria proposed by the Remission in Schizophrenia Working Group using the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale. Psychosocial remission was assessed according to Barak criteria using the Psychosocial Remission in Schizophrenia scale. Functioning was measured with the Global Assessment of Functioning, and clinical outcome with the Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) Scale. Results Findings showed that 45.2% of patients fulfilled the symptomatic remission criteria, 32.1% achieved psychosocial remission, and 53% reported adequate functioning. However, the combination of these three outcome criteria – symptomatic, psychosocial remission, and functioning – indicated that 14.9% of the patients achieved our predefined functional remission outcome. The logistic regression model included five predictive variables for functional remission: (1) being employed, (2) use of atypical antipsychotics, (3) lower number of medications, (4) lower negative symptom severity, and (5) lower excitement symptom severity. Conclusion The study demonstrated that symptomatic remission, psychosocial remission, and functioning could be achievable goals for a considerable number of patients. The outcome of functional remission was achieved by a minority of patients, less than 15%. New approaches should include multidimensional measures to assess functional outcome in schizophrenia research. PMID:26396518

Invisible Support: Effects on the Provider's Positive and Negative Affect.

PubMed

König, Claudia; Stadler, Gertraud; Knoll, Nina; Ochsner, Sibylle; Hornung, Rainer; Scholz, Urte

2016-07-01

Social support that goes unnoticed by receivers (i.e. invisible support) seems to be most beneficial for the receivers' well-being. The providers' well-being, however, has been neglected so far. This study examines how invisible support is related to the providers' well-being and whether this association is dependent on the providers' relationship satisfaction. Overall, 97 non-smoking partners of smokers who were about to quit smoking were examined. Invisible support was assessed dyadically: partners' reports on smoking-specific provided social support together with smokers' reports on received support were assessed at baseline. Partners' relationship satisfaction was also assessed at baseline. Partners' positive and negative affect were measured at baseline and six-week follow-up. No main effects of invisible instrumental or emotional support occurred. However, partners' relationship satisfaction moderated the association between invisible instrumental support and change in partners' negative and positive affect: For partners with lower relationship satisfaction more invisible instrumental support was related to increased negative affect and decreased positive affect, whereas for partners with higher relationship satisfaction the inverse effects occurred. The study's results emphasise that invisible instrumental support might have emotional costs for the providers. Relationship satisfaction seems to serve as a protective factor. © 2016 The International Association of Applied Psychology.

The brief negative symptom scale: validation of the German translation and convergent validity with self-rated anhedonia and observer-rated apathy.

PubMed

Bischof, Martin; Obermann, Caitriona; Hartmann, Matthias N; Hager, Oliver M; Kirschner, Matthias; Kluge, Agne; Strauss, Gregory P; Kaiser, Stefan

2016-11-22

Negative symptoms are considered core symptoms of schizophrenia. The Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS) was developed to measure this symptomatic dimension according to a current consensus definition. The present study examined the psychometric properties of the German version of the BNSS. To expand former findings on convergent validity, we employed the Temporal Experience Pleasure Scale (TEPS), a hedonic self-report that distinguishes between consummatory and anticipatory pleasure. Additionally, we addressed convergent validity with observer-rated assessment of apathy with the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES), which was completed by the patient's primary nurse. Data were collected from 75 in- and outpatients from the Psychiatric Hospital, University Zurich diagnosed with either schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. We assessed convergent and discriminant validity, internal consistency and inter-rater reliability. We largely replicated the findings of the original version showing good psychometric properties of the BNSS. In addition, the primary nurses evaluation correlated moderately with interview-based clinician rating. BNSS anhedonia items showed good convergent validity with the TEPS. Overall, the German BNSS shows good psychometric properties comparable to the original English version. Convergent validity extends beyond interview-based assessments of negative symptoms to self-rated anhedonia and observer-rated apathy.

Impulsivity Moderates the Effects of Movie Alcohol Portrayals on Adolescents’ Willingness to Drink

PubMed Central

Gibbons, Frederick X.; Kingsbury, John H.; Wills, Thomas A.; Finneran, Stephanie D.; Cin, Sonya Dal; Gerrard, Meg

2016-01-01

This study examined impulsivity as a moderator of adolescents’ reactions to positive vs. negative portrayals of drinking in American movie clips. Impulsivity, along with willingness and intentions to drink in the future, were assessed in a pretest session. In the experimental sessions, adolescents viewed a series of clips that showed drinking associated with either positive outcomes (e.g., social facilitation) or negative outcomes (fights, arguments). A third group viewed clips with similar positive or negative outcomes, but no alcohol consumption. All participants then responded to an implicit measure of attentional bias regarding alcohol (a dot probe), followed by explicit alcohol measures (self-reports of willingness and intentions to drink). Hypotheses, based on dual-processing theories, were: a) high-impulsive adolescents would respond more favorably than low-impulsive adolescents to the positive clips, but not the negative clips; and b) this difference in reactions to the positive clips would be larger on the willingness than the intention measures. Results supported the hypotheses: Adolescents high in impulsivity reported the highest willingness to drink in the positive-clip condition, but were slightly less willing than others in the negative-clip condition. In addition, results on the dot probe task indicated that reaction times to alcohol words were negatively correlated with changes in alcohol willingness, but not intention; i.e., the faster their response to the alcohol words, the more their willingness increased. The results highlight the utility of a dual-processing perspective on media influence. PMID:27099959

Single exposure to disclaimers on airbrushed thin ideal images increases negative thought accessibility.

PubMed

Selimbegović, Leila; Chatard, Armand

2015-01-01

Disclaimers on airbrushed thin ideal images can attract attention to the thin ideal standard promoted by the advertisements, which can be damaging rather than helpful. In this study, 48 female college students were exposed to a thin ideal image including a disclaimer, a neutral sentence, or nothing. Two weeks and two months after this, they were again exposed to the same image but with no accompanying text in any of the conditions. Negative thought accessibility was assessed three times, after each exposure to the thin-ideal image, using reaction time measures. Participants randomly assigned to the disclaimer condition systematically showed greater accessibility of negative thoughts than those in the other two conditions, irrespective of the time of measurement. These results suggest that disclaimers on airbrushed images may have some counter-productive effects by accentuating the problems that they precisely aim to address. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Training adaptation and heart rate variability in elite endurance athletes: opening the door to effective monitoring.

PubMed

Plews, Daniel J; Laursen, Paul B; Stanley, Jamie; Kilding, Andrew E; Buchheit, Martin

2013-09-01

The measurement of heart rate variability (HRV) is often considered a convenient non-invasive assessment tool for monitoring individual adaptation to training. Decreases and increases in vagal-derived indices of HRV have been suggested to indicate negative and positive adaptations, respectively, to endurance training regimens. However, much of the research in this area has involved recreational and well-trained athletes, with the small number of studies conducted in elite athletes revealing equivocal outcomes. For example, in elite athletes, studies have revealed both increases and decreases in HRV to be associated with negative adaptation. Additionally, signs of positive adaptation, such as increases in cardiorespiratory fitness, have been observed with atypical concomitant decreases in HRV. As such, practical ways by which HRV can be used to monitor training status in elites are yet to be established. This article addresses the current literature that has assessed changes in HRV in response to training loads and the likely positive and negative adaptations shown. We reveal limitations with respect to how the measurement of HRV has been interpreted to assess positive and negative adaptation to endurance training regimens and subsequent physical performance. We offer solutions to some of the methodological issues associated with using HRV as a day-to-day monitoring tool. These include the use of appropriate averaging techniques, and the use of specific HRV indices to overcome the issue of HRV saturation in elite athletes (i.e., reductions in HRV despite decreases in resting heart rate). Finally, we provide examples in Olympic and World Champion athletes showing how these indices can be practically applied to assess training status and readiness to perform in the period leading up to a pinnacle event. The paper reveals how longitudinal HRV monitoring in elites is required to understand their unique individual HRV fingerprint. For the first time, we demonstrate how increases and decreases in HRV relate to changes in fitness and freshness, respectively, in elite athletes.

Reduced Expression of Siglec-7, NKG2A, and CD57 on Terminally Differentiated CD56-CD16+ Natural Killer Cell Subset Is Associated with Natural Killer Cell Dysfunction in Chronic HIV-1 Clade C Infection.

PubMed

Zulu, Michael Z; Naidoo, Kewreshini K; Mncube, Zenele; Jaggernath, Manjeetha; Goulder, Philip J R; Ndung'u, Thumbi; Altfeld, Marcus; Thobakgale, Christina F

2017-12-01

HIV-1 viremia has been shown to induce several phenotypic and functional abnormalities in natural killer (NK) cells. To assess immune defects associated with HIV viremia, we examined NK cell function, differentiation status, and phenotypic alterations based on expression of inhibitory and activating receptors on NK cells in HIV-1 subtype C chronically infected participants from Durban, South Africa. NK cell phenotypic profiles were characterized by assessing sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin-7 (Siglec-7), NKG2A, and NKG2C markers on frozen peripheral blood mononuclear cells from viremic, antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naive HIV-1 chronically infected participants (n = 23), HIV-1 chronically infected participants who had been on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) for at least 12 months (n = 23) compared with healthy donors (n = 23). NK cell differentiation was assessed by measurement of killer immunoglobulin receptor (KIR) and NKG2A expression; CD57 and CD107a measurements were carried out in HIV viremic and healthy donors. All phenotypic and functional assessments were analyzed by using multicolor flow cytometry. HIV-1-infected participants displayed greater frequencies of the CD56 - CD16 + (CD56negative) NK cell subset compared with healthy donors (p < .0001). Downregulation of Siglec-7 and NKG2A and upregulation of NKG2C were more pronounced in the CD56negative NK cell subset of viremic participants. The CD56negative subset demonstrated a differentiated (KIR + NKG2A - ) phenotype with reduced CD57 expression and lower degranulation capacity in HIV-1-infected participants compared with healthy donors. HIV-1 infection induces the expansion of the CD56negative NK cell subset marked by altered receptor expression profiles that are indicative of impaired function and may explain the overall NK cell dysfunction observed in chronic HIV-1 infection.

Mid-life socioeconomic status, depressive symptomatology and general cognitive status among older adults: inter-relationships and temporal effects.

PubMed

Chiao, Chi; Weng, Li-Jen

2016-04-20

Few longitudinal studies have analyzed how socioeconomic status (SES) influences both depressive and cognitive development over an individual's life course. This study investigates the change trajectories of both depressive symptomatology and general cognitive status, as well as their associations over time, focusing on the effects of mid-life SES. Data were obtained from the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging (1993-2007), a nationally representative cohort study of older adults in Taiwan. The short form of the Center of Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale that measures depressive symptomatology in two domains (negative affect and lack of positive affect) was used. General cognitive status was assessed using the brief Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire scale. Assessments of the subjects' mid-life SES included measurement of the participant's education and occupation. Analyses were conducted by the parallel latent growth curve modeling. The participants' initial levels of depressive symptomatology and general cognitive status were significantly and negatively correlated; furthermore, any changes in these two outcomes were also correlated over time. The initial assessment of general cognitive status significantly contributed to any advancement towards more severe depressive symptomatology over time, particularly when this occurred in a negative manner. Furthermore, a mid-life SES advantage resulted in a significant reduction in late-life depressive symptomatology and also produced a slower decline in general cognitive status during later life. In contrast, lower mid-life SES exacerbated depressive symptomatology during old age, both at the initial assessment and in terms of the change over time. In addition, female gender was significantly associated with lower general cognitive status and more severe depressive symptomatology in negative affect. These findings suggest a complex and longitudinal association between depressive symptomatology and general cognitive status in later life and this complicated relationship seems to be affected by mid-life SES over time.

An electrophysiological investigation of emotional abnormalities in groups at risk for schizophrenia-spectrum personality disorders.

PubMed

Martin, Elizabeth A; Karcher, Nicole R; Bartholow, Bruce D; Siegle, Greg J; Kerns, John G

2017-03-01

Both extreme levels of social anhedonia (SocAnh) and perceptual aberration/magical ideation (PerMag) are associated with risk for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and with emotional abnormalities. Yet, the nature of any psychophysiological-measured affective abnormality, including the role of automatic/controlled processes, is unclear. We examined the late positive potential (LPP) during passive viewing (to assess automatic processing) and during cognitive reappraisal (to assess controlled processing) in three groups: SocAnh, PerMag, and controls. The SocAnh group exhibited an increased LPP when viewing negative images. Further, SocAnh exhibited greater reductions in the LPP for negative images when told to use strategies to alter negative emotion. Similar to SocAnh, PerMag exhibited an increased LPP when viewing negative images. However, PerMag also exhibited an increased LPP when viewing positive images as well as an atypical decreased LPP when increasing positive emotion. Overall, these results suggest that at-risk groups are associated with shared and unique automatic and controlled abnormalities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Measuring implicit attitudes: A positive framing bias flaw in the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP).

PubMed

O'Shea, Brian; Watson, Derrick G; Brown, Gordon D A

2016-02-01

How can implicit attitudes best be measured? The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP), unlike the Implicit Association Test (IAT), claims to measure absolute, not just relative, implicit attitudes. In the IRAP, participants make congruent (Fat Person-Active: false; Fat Person-Unhealthy: true) or incongruent (Fat Person-Active: true; Fat Person-Unhealthy: false) responses in different blocks of trials. IRAP experiments have reported positive or neutral implicit attitudes (e.g., neutral attitudes toward fat people) in cases in which negative attitudes are normally found on explicit or other implicit measures. It was hypothesized that these results might reflect a positive framing bias (PFB) that occurs when participants complete the IRAP. Implicit attitudes toward categories with varying prior associations (nonwords, social systems, flowers and insects, thin and fat people) were measured. Three conditions (standard, positive framing, and negative framing) were used to measure whether framing influenced estimates of implicit attitudes. It was found that IRAP scores were influenced by how the task was framed to the participants, that the framing effect was modulated by the strength of prior stimulus associations, and that a default PFB led to an overestimation of positive implicit attitudes when measured by the IRAP. Overall, the findings question the validity of the IRAP as a tool for the measurement of absolute implicit attitudes. A new tool (Simple Implicit Procedure:SIP) for measuring absolute, not just relative, implicit attitudes is proposed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Assessing Psychological Insulin Resistance in Type 2 Diabetes: a Critical Comparison of Measures.

PubMed

Holmes-Truscott, E; Pouwer, F; Speight, J

2017-07-01

This study aims to examine the operationalisation of 'psychological insulin resistance' (PIR) among people with type 2 diabetes and to identify and critique relevant measures. PIR has been operationalised as (1) the assessment of attitudes or beliefs about insulin therapy and (2) hypothetical or actual resistance, or unwillingness, to use to insulin. Five validated PIR questionnaires were identified. None was fully comprehensive of all aspects of PIR, and the rigour and reporting of questionnaire development and psychometric validation varied considerably between measures. Assessment of PIR should focus on the identification of negative and positive attitudes towards insulin use. Actual or hypothetical insulin refusal may be better conceptualised as a potential consequence of PIR, as its assessment overlooks the attitudes that may prevent insulin use. This paper provides guidance on the selection of questionnaires for clinical or research purpose and the development of new, or improvement of existing, questionnaires.

Brief Report: Relationship Between ADOS-2, Module 4 Calibrated Severity Scores (CSS) and Social and Non-Social Standardized Assessment Measures in Adult Males with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

PubMed

Morrier, Michael J; Ousley, Opal Y; Caceres-Gamundi, Gabriella A; Segall, Matthew J; Cubells, Joseph F; Young, Larry J; Andari, Elissar

2017-12-01

The ADOS-2 Modules 1-3 now include a standardized calibrated severity score (CSS) from 1 to 10 based on the overall total raw score. Subsequent research published CSS for Module 4 (Hus, Lord, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 44(8):1996-2012, 2014); however more research is needed to examine the psychometric properties of this CSS. Forty males with ASD completed an assessment battery consisting of ADOS-2 Module 4 and other clinical measures assessing core ASD symptomology and comorbidity. Pearson correlation analyses found that CSS did not correlate with measures that assessed core social deficits of ASD or general psychiatric co-morbidity, but CSS did correlate negatively with intellectual quotient. These findings provide information on the limitations and relevance of CSS to be taken into account in future clinical evaluations of ASD.

Perceived Stress Scale: confirmatory factor analysis of the PSS14 and PSS10 versions in two samples of pregnant women from the BRISA cohort.

PubMed

Yokokura, Ana Valéria Carvalho Pires; Silva, Antônio Augusto Moura da; Fernandes, Juliana de Kássia Braga; Del-Ben, Cristina Marta; Figueiredo, Felipe Pinheiro de; Barbieri, Marco Antonio; Bettiol, Heloisa

2017-12-18

This study aimed to assess the dimensional structure, reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and scalability of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The sample consisted of 1,447 pregnant women in São Luís (Maranhão State) and 1,400 in Ribeirão Preto (São Paulo State), Brazil. The 14 and 10-item versions of the scale were assessed using confirmatory factor analysis, using weighted least squares means and variance (WLSMV). In both cities, the two-factor models (positive factors, measuring resilience to stressful situations, and negative factors, measuring stressful situations) showed better fit than the single-factor models. The two-factor models for the complete (PSS14) and reduced scale (PSS10) showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha ≥ 0.70). All the factor loadings were ≥ 0.50, except for items 8 and 12 of the negative dimension and item 13 of the positive dimension. The correlations between both dimensions of stress and psychological violence showed the expected magnitude (0.46-0.59), providing evidence of an adequate convergent construct validity. The correlations between the scales' positive and negative dimensions were around 0.74-0.78, less than 0.85, which suggests adequate discriminant validity. Extracted mean variance and scalability were slightly higher for PSS10 than for PSS14. The results were consistent in both cities. In conclusion, the single-factor solution is not recommended for assessing stress in pregnant women. The reduced, 10-item two-factor scale appears to be more appropriate for measuring perceived stress in pregnant women.

The effect of spirituality and religious attendance on the relationship between psychological distress and negative life events

PubMed Central

Mancha, Brent E.; Brown, Qiana L.; Eaton, William W.

2014-01-01

Purpose The aim of this study was to assess the effect of religious attendance and spirituality on the relationship between negative life events and psychological distress. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of 1,071 community dwelling adults from East Baltimore, Maryland who participated in the fourth (2004–2005) wave of the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area study. The 20-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-20) was used to measure psychological distress. Multiple regression models were used to assess the association between negative life events and distress as well as to measure the effect of religious attendance and spirituality on the association between psychological distress and negative events while adjusting for demographic variables, past distress and social support from friends and relatives. Results In pooled analysis, negative events were significant predictors of distress, b = 1.00, β = 0.072, p < 0.05. Religious attendance and spirituality did not affect or modify the association between negative events and distress. However, religious attendance was inversely associated with distress with higher frequency of attendance associated with lower distress after controlling for demographic and social support factors, b = −2.10, β = −.110, p < 0.01 for attending 1–3 times a month; b = −2.39, β = −0.156, p < 0.01 for attending weekly; and b = −3.13, β = −0.160, p < 0.001 for attending more than once per week. In stratified analysis, negative events were associated with distress for those who were low on spirituality, b = 1.23, β = 0.092, p < .05, but not for those who were high on spirituality; the association between religious attendance and decreased distress was true only for those scoring high in spirituality. Social support accounted for some of the inverse association between religious and distress. Conclusion Religious attendance and spirituality may play a role in how people experience and deal with difficult life situations. PMID:23732707

Assessing climate impacts

PubMed Central

Wohl, Ellen E.; Pulwarty, Roger S.; Zhang, Jian Yun

2000-01-01

Assessing climate impacts involves identifying sources and characteristics of climate variability, and mitigating potential negative impacts of that variability. Associated research focuses on climate driving mechanisms, biosphere–hydrosphere responses and mediation, and human responses. Examples of climate impacts come from 1998 flooding in the Yangtze River Basin and hurricanes in the Caribbean and Central America. Although we have limited understanding of the fundamental driving-response interactions associated with climate variability, increasingly powerful measurement and modeling techniques make assessing climate impacts a rapidly developing frontier of science. PMID:11027321

Relationship of depression with cognitive insight and socio-occupational outcome in patients with schizophrenia.

PubMed

Grover, Sandeep; Sahoo, Swapnajeet; Nehra, Ritu; Chakrabarti, Subho; Avasthi, Ajit

2017-05-01

To evaluate the prevalence of depression using different measures in patients with schizophrenia and to study the relationship of depression in schizophrenia with cognitive insight and clinical insight, disability and socio-occupational functioning. A total of 136 patients with schizophrenia were evaluated for depression, cognitive insight and socio-occupational functioning. Of the 136 patients included in the study, one-fourth ( N = 34; 25%) were found to have depression as per the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). The prevalence of depression as assessed by Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS), Hamilton depression rating scale (HDRS) and Depressive Subscale of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS-D) was 23.5%, 19.9% and 91.9%, respectively. Among the different scales, CDSS has highest concordance with clinician's diagnosis. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for CDSS was also higher than that noted for HDRS and PANSS-D. When those with and without depression as per clinician's diagnosis were compared, those with depression were found to have significantly higher scores on Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) positive and general psychopathology subscales, PANSS total score, participation restriction as assessed by P-scale and had lower level of functioning as assessed by Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). No significant difference was noted on negative symptom subscale of PANSS, clinical insight as assessed on G-12 item of PANSS, disability as assessed by Indian Disability Evaluation and Assessment Scale (IDEAS) and socio-occupational functioning as assessed by Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFS). In terms of cognitive insight, those with depression had significantly higher score for both the subscales, that is, self-reflective and self-certainty subscales as well as the mean composite index score. Our results suggest that one-fourth of patients with schizophrenia have depression, compared to HDRS and PANSS-D, CDSS has highest concordance with clinician's diagnosis of depression and presence of depression is related to cognitive insight.

Construct Validity of the Relationship Profile Test: Links with measures of psychopathology and adult attachment

PubMed Central

Haggerty, Greg; Bornstein, Robert F.; Khalid, Mohammad; Sharma, Vishal; Riaz, Usman; Blanchard, Mark; Siefert, Caleb J; Sinclair, Samuel J.

2015-01-01

This study assessed the construct validity of the Relationship Profile Test (RPT; Bornstein & Languirand, 2003) with a substance abuse sample. One hundred-eight substance abuse patients completed the RPT, Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (ECR-SF; Wei, Russell, Mallinckrodt, & Vogel, 2007), Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991), and Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R: Derogatis 1983). Results suggest that the RPT has good construct validity when compared against theoretically related broadband measures of personality, psychopathology and adult attachment. Overall, health hependency was negatively related to measures of psychopathology and insecure attachment, and overdependence was positively related to measures of psychopathology and attachment anxiety. Many of the predictions regarding RPT detachment and the criterion measures were not supported. Implications of these findings are discussed. PMID:26620463

A method for developing outcome measures in the clinical laboratory.

PubMed

Jones, J

1996-01-01

Measuring and reporting outcomes in health care is becoming more important for quality assessment, utilization assessment, accreditation standards, and negotiating contracts in managed care. How does one develop an outcome measure for the laboratory to assess the value of the services? A method is described which outlines seven steps in developing outcome measures for a laboratory service or process. These steps include the following: 1. Identify the process or service to be monitored for performance and outcome assessment. 2. If necessary, form an multidisciplinary team of laboratory staff, other department staff, physicians, and pathologists. 3. State the purpose of the test or service including a review of published data for the clinical pathological correlation. 4. Prepare a process cause and effect diagram including steps critical to the outcome. 5. Identify key process variables that contribute to positive or negative outcomes. 6. Identify outcome measures that are not process measures. 7. Develop an operational definition, identify data sources, and collect data. Examples, including a process cause and effect diagram, process variables, and outcome measures, are given using the Therapeutic Drug Monitoring service (TDM). A summary of conclusions and precautions for outcome measurement is then provided.

Measuring upper limb function in children with hemiparesis with 3D inertial sensors.

PubMed

Newman, Christopher J; Bruchez, Roselyn; Roches, Sylvie; Jequier Gygax, Marine; Duc, Cyntia; Dadashi, Farzin; Massé, Fabien; Aminian, Kamiar

2017-12-01

Upper limb assessments in children with hemiparesis rely on clinical measurements, which despite standardization are prone to error. Recently, 3D movement analysis using optoelectronic setups has been used to measure upper limb movement, but generalization is hindered by time and cost. Body worn inertial sensors may provide a simple, cost-effective alternative. We instrumented a subset of 30 participants in a mirror therapy clinical trial at baseline, post-treatment, and follow-up clinical assessments, with wireless inertial sensors positioned on the arms and trunk to monitor motion during reaching tasks. Inertial sensor measurements distinguished paretic and non-paretic limbs with significant differences (P < 0.01) in movement duration, power, range of angular velocity, elevation, and smoothness (normalized jerk index and spectral arc length). Inertial sensor measurements correlated with functional clinical tests (Melbourne Assessment 2); movement duration and complexity (Higuchi fractal dimension) showed moderate to strong negative correlations with clinical measures of amplitude, accuracy, and fluency. Inertial sensor measurements reliably identify paresis and correlate with clinical measurements; they can therefore provide a complementary dimension of assessment in clinical practice and during clinical trials aimed at improving upper limb function.

Negative parenting behavior and childhood oppositional defiant disorder: differential moderation by positive and negative peer regard.

PubMed

Tung, Irene; Lee, Steve S

2014-01-01

Although negative parenting behavior and peer status are independently associated with childhood conduct problems (e.g., oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)), relatively little is known about their interplay, particularly in relation to differentiated measures of positive and negative peer regard. To improve the specificity of the association of negative parenting behavior and peer factors with ODD, we explored the potential interaction of parenting and peer status in a sample of 169 five-to ten-year-old ethnically diverse children with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessed using multiple measures (i.e., rating scales, interview) and informants (i.e., parents, teachers). Controlling for children's age, sex, number of ADHD symptoms, and parents' race-ethnicity, peer acceptance inversely predicted and inconsistent discipline, harsh punishment, and peer rejection were each positively associated with ODD symptom severity. Interactive influences were also evident such that inconsistent discipline and harsh punishment each predicted elevated ODD but only among children experiencing low peer acceptance or high peer rejection. These findings suggest that supportive environments, including peer acceptance, may protect children from negative outcomes associated with inconsistent discipline and harsh punishment. Findings are integrated with theories of social support, and we additionally consider implications for intervention and prevention. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Risk of non-fatal suicide ideation and behaviour in recent onset schizophrenia--the influence of clinical, social, self-esteem and demographic factors.

PubMed

Tarrier, Nicholas; Barrowclough, Christine; Andrews, Bernice; Gregg, Lynsey

2004-11-01

Suicide rates amongst schizophrenic patients are high. There are disadvantages in investigating successfully completed suicides which make suicidal ideation and previous attempts important proxy measures of suicidal risk. The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with these risk measures. Fifty-nine patients suffering recent onset schizophrenia were assessed for suicidal ideation and history, and a range of demographic, clinical, social (including relatives' Expressed Emotion) and self-esteem measures. Univariate comparisons were made between those with and without suicide ideation and previous attempts. Path analysis was conducted to identify factors directly or indirectly associated with a composite scale of risk (low, medium or high). Approximately 25% of the sample reported a current desire to kill themselves and 47% had made one or more previous attempts. There were numerous significant univariate differences between those with or without ideation or history. Path analysis indicated that greater hopelessness (OR 1.22) and longer duration of illness (OR 1.13) increased risk. Hopelessness was associated with higher negative self-evaluation and social isolation. Negative self-evaluation was associated with more relatives' criticism which was associated with more negative symptoms. Being a male, unmarried and unemployed were all significantly associated with an increase in negative symptoms. Social isolation was associated with being unemployed, older, more positive symptoms and longer illness duration. Duration of illness was not itself predicted by any other variables. Non-fatal suicide ideation and behaviour are significantly associated with an array of demographic, clinical, interpersonal and psychological factors. To reduce risk of suicide, these factors need to be assessed and methods developed to reduce their influence.

Defining ulnar variance in the adolescent wrist: measurement technique and interobserver reliability.

PubMed

Goldfarb, Charles A; Strauss, Nicole L; Wall, Lindley B; Calfee, Ryan P

2011-02-01

The measurement technique for ulnar variance in the adolescent population has not been well established. The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of a standard ulnar variance assessment in the adolescent population. Four orthopedic surgeons measured 138 adolescent wrist radiographs for ulnar variance using a standard technique. There were 62 male and 76 female radiographs obtained in a standardized fashion for subjects aged 12 to 18 years. Skeletal age was used for analysis. We determined mean variance and assessed for differences related to age and gender. We also determined the interrater reliability. The mean variance was -0.7 mm for boys and -0.4 mm for girls; there was no significant difference between the 2 groups overall. When subdivided by age and gender, the younger group (≤ 15 y of age) was significantly less negative for girls (boys, -0.8 mm and girls, -0.3 mm, p < .05). There was no significant difference between boys and girls in the older group. The greatest difference between any 2 raters was 1 mm; exact agreement was obtained in 72 subjects. Correlations between raters were high (r(p) 0.87-0.97 in boys and 0.82-0.96 for girls). Interrater reliability was excellent (Cronbach's alpha, 0.97-0.98). Standard assessment techniques for ulnar variance are reliable in the adolescent population. Open growth plates did not interfere with this assessment. Young adolescent boys demonstrated a greater degree of negative ulnar variance compared with young adolescent girls. Copyright © 2011 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Negative emotions in veterans relate to suicide risk through feelings of perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness.

PubMed

Rogers, Megan L; Kelliher-Rabon, Jessica; Hagan, Christopher R; Hirsch, Jameson K; Joiner, Thomas E

2017-01-15

Suicide rates among veterans are disproportionately high compared to rates among the general population. Veterans may experience a number of negative emotions (e.g., anger, self-directed hostility, shame, guilt) during periods of postwar adjustment and reintegration into civilian life that may uniquely confer risk for suicide. Mechanisms of these associations, however, are less well studied. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between negative emotions and suicide risk in veterans through the theoretical framework of the interpersonal theory of suicide. A large sample of veterans (N = 541) completed measures assessing their negative emotions, perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and suicide risk. Self-directed hostility and shame related indirectly to suicide risk through both perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness. Thwarted belongingness accounted for the association between anger and suicide risk, whereas perceived burdensomeness accounted for the relationship between guilt and suicide risk. This study had a cross-sectional design and relied solely on self-report measures. These findings provide evidence for the role of negative emotions in conferring risk for suicide in veterans. Clinical implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Social support and depression of adults with visual impairments.

PubMed

Papadopoulos, Konstantinos; Papakonstantinou, Doxa; Montgomery, Anthony; Solomou, Argyro

2014-07-01

Relatively little research exists with regard to the relationship between social support and depression among adults with visual impairments. Such a gap is noteworthy when one considers that individuals become more dependent on others as they enter middle and late adulthood. The present research will examine the association between social networks, social support and depression among adults with visual impairments. Seventy-seven adults with visual impairments participated in the study. Depression, social network and emotional/practical social support were measured with self-report measures. Additionally, the degree to which emotional/practical social support received were positive or negative and the ability of respondents to self-manage their daily living were assessed. Less than a third of respondents scored above the threshold for depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms were not related to gender or vision status. Depression was correlated with age, educational level, less positive practical support, more negative practical support and more negative emotional support, with lower perceptions of self-management representing the most robust predictor of depression. Age moderated the relationship between depression and self-management, and between depression and negative emotional support. Lower perceptions of self-management and negative emotional support were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Internet addiction assessment tools: dimensional structure and methodological status.

PubMed

Lortie, Catherine L; Guitton, Matthieu J

2013-07-01

Excessive internet use is becoming a concern, and some have proposed that it may involve addiction. We evaluated the dimensions assessed by, and psychometric properties of, a range of questionnaires purporting to assess internet addiction. Fourteen questionnaires were identified purporting to assess internet addiction among adolescents and adults published between January 1993 and October 2011. Their reported dimensional structure, construct, discriminant and convergent validity and reliability were assessed, as well as the methods used to derive these. Methods used to evaluate internet addiction questionnaires varied considerably. Three dimensions of addiction predominated: compulsive use (79%), negative outcomes (86%) and salience (71%). Less common were escapism (21%), withdrawal symptoms (36%) and other dimensions. Measures of validity and reliability were found to be within normally acceptable limits. There is a broad convergence of questionnaires purporting to assess internet addiction suggesting that compulsive use, negative outcome and salience should be covered and the questionnaires show adequate psychometric properties. However, the methods used to evaluate the questionnaires vary widely and possible factors contributing to excessive use such as social motivation do not appear to be covered. © 2013 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Development and preliminary validation of a behavioral task of negative reinforcement underlying risk taking and its relation to problem alcohol use in college freshmen

PubMed Central

MacPherson, Laura; Calvin, Nicholas T.; Richards, Jessica M.; Guller, Leila; Mayes, Linda C.; Crowley, Michael J.; Daughters, Stacey B.; Lejuez, C.W.

2011-01-01

Background A long line of theoretical and empirical evidence implicates negative reinforcement as a process underlying the etiology and maintenance of risky alcohol use behaviors from adolescence through emerging adulthood. However, the bulk of this literature has relied on self-report measures and there is a notable absence of behavioral modes of assessments of negative reinforcement-based alcohol-related risk-taking. To address this clear gap in the literature, the current study presents the first published data on the reliability and validity of the Maryland Resource for the Behavioral Utilization of the Reinforcement of Negative Stimuli (MRBURNS), which is a modified version of the positive reinforcement-based Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART). Methods Participants included a convenience sample of 116 college freshmen ever regular drinkers (aged 18–19) who completed both behavioral tasks; self-report measures of negative reinforcement/avoidance constructs and of positive reinforcement/appetitive constructs to examine convergent validity and discriminant validity, respectively; and self-report measures of alcohol use, problems, and motives to examine criterion validity. Results The MRBURNS evidenced sound experimental properties and reliability across task trials. In support of convergent validity, risk taking on the MRBURNS correlated significantly with negative urgency, difficulties in emotion regulation and depressive and anxiety-related symptoms. In support of discriminant validity, performance on the MRBURNS was unrelated to risk taking on the BART, sensation seeking, and trait impulsivity. Finally, pertaining to criterion validity, risk taking on the MRBURNS was related to alcohol-related problems but not heavy episodic alcohol use. Notably, risk taking on the MRBURNS was associated with negative reinforcement-based but not with positive reinforcement-based drinking motives. Conclusions Data from this initial investigation suggest the utility of the MRBURNS as a behavioral measure of negative-reinforcement based risk-taking that can provide a useful compliment to existing self-report measures to improve our understanding of the relationship between avoidant reinforcement processes and risky alcohol use. PMID:22309846

The Assessment of Protective Behavioral Strategies: Comparing the Absolute Frequency and Contingent Frequency Response Scales

PubMed Central

Kite, Benjamin A.; Pearson, Matthew R.; Henson, James M.

2016-01-01

The purpose of the present studies was to examine the effects of response scale on the observed relationships between protective behavioral strategies (PBS) measures and alcohol-related outcomes. We reasoned that an ‘absolute frequency’ scale (stem: “how many times…”; response scale: 0 times to 11+ times) conflates the frequency of using PBS with the frequency of consuming alcohol; thus, we hypothesized that the use of an absolute frequency response scale would result in positive relationships between types of PBS and alcohol-related outcomes. Alternatively, a ‘contingent frequency’ scale (stem: “When drinking…how often…”; response scale: never to always) does not conflate frequency of alcohol use with use of PBS; therefore, we hypothesized that use of a contingent frequency scale would result in negative relationships between use of PBS and alcohol-related outcomes. Two published measures of PBS were used across studies: the Protective Behavioral Strategies Survey (PBSS) and the Strategy Questionnaire (SQ). Across three studies, we demonstrate that when measured using a contingent frequency response scale, PBS measures relate negatively to alcohol-related outcomes in a theoretically consistent manner; however, when PBS measures were measured on an absolute frequency response scale, they were non-significantly or positively related to alcohol-related outcomes. We discuss the implications of these findings for the assessment of PBS. PMID:23438243

Psychometric analysis in support of shortening the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms.

PubMed

Levine, Stephen Z; Leucht, Stefan

2013-09-01

Despite recent emphasis on the measurement and treatment of negative symptoms, studies of the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) identify different symptom clusters, offer mixed support for its psychometric properties and suggest that it is shortened. The current study objective is to examine the psychometric properties of the SANS and the feasibility of a short research version of the SANS. Data were re-analyzed from three clinical trials that compared placebo and amisulpride to 60 days. Participants had chronic schizophrenia and predominantly negative symptoms (n=487). Baseline data were examined with exploratory factor analysis and Item Response Theory (IRT) to identify a short SANS. The short and original SANS were compared: with confirmatory factor analysis at endpoint; and on symptom response with mixed modeling to compare. Results showed that at baseline the SANS consisted of three factors labeled Affective-flattening, Asociality and Alogia-inattentiveness. IRT suggested a short SANS with 11 items and 3 response options. Comparisons of the original and short SANS showed: the short version was a better fit to the data based on confirmatory factor analysis at endpoint; similar significant (p<.001) correlations between the baseline and subsequent scores; similar reliability; and similar significance (p<.05) on response based on mixed modeling. It is concluded that a short SANS is feasible to assess predominantly negative symptoms in chronic schizophrenia in research settings. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Examining acute bi-directional relationships between affect, physical feeling states, and physical activity in free-living situations using electronic ecological momentary assessment.

PubMed

Liao, Yue; Chou, Chih-Ping; Huh, Jimi; Leventhal, Adam; Dunton, Genevieve

2017-06-01

Current knowledge about the relationship of physical activity with acute affective and physical feeling states is informed largely by lab-based studies, which have limited generalizability to the natural ecology. This study used ecological momentary assessment to assess subjective affective and physical feeling states in free-living settings across 4 days from 110 non-physically active adults (Age M = 40.4, SD = 9.7). Light physical activity (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were measured objectively by an accelerometer. Multilevel modeling was used to test the bi-directional associations between affective and physical feeling states and LPA/MVPA minutes. Higher positive affect, lower negative affect and fatigue were associated with more MVPA over the subsequent 15 min, while higher negative affect and energy were associated with more LPA over the subsequent 15 and 30 min. Additionally, more LPA and MVPA were associated with feeling more energetic over the subsequent 15 and 30 min, and more LPA was additionally associated with feeling more negative and less tired over the subsequent 15 and 30 min. Positive and negative affective states might serve as antecedents to but not consequences of MVPA in adults' daily lives. Changes in LPA may be predicted and followed by negative affective states. Physical feeling states appear to lead up to and follow changes in both LPA and MVPA.

Time Perspective, Mood Disturbance, and Suicide Liberation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lennings, C. J.

1994-01-01

Assessed 238 university students and 159 high school students on temporal and personality measures. Found that temporal extension, temporal attitude, and impulsivity had comparatively little effect on suicide ideation after controlling effects of mood disturbance. However, negative temporal attitudes appeared to have significant impact on suicide…

Affective Evaluations of Exercising: The Role of Automatic-Reflective Evaluation Discrepancy.

PubMed

Brand, Ralf; Antoniewicz, Franziska

2016-12-01

Sometimes our automatic evaluations do not correspond well with those we can reflect on and articulate. We present a novel approach to the assessment of automatic and reflective affective evaluations of exercising. Based on the assumptions of the associative-propositional processes in evaluation model, we measured participants' automatic evaluations of exercise and then shared this information with them, asked them to reflect on it and rate eventual discrepancy between their reflective evaluation and the assessment of their automatic evaluation. We found that mismatch between self-reported ideal exercise frequency and actual exercise frequency over the previous 14 weeks could be regressed on the discrepancy between a relatively negative automatic and a more positive reflective evaluation. This study illustrates the potential of a dual-process approach to the measurement of evaluative responses and suggests that mistrusting one's negative spontaneous reaction to exercise and asserting a very positive reflective evaluation instead leads to the adoption of inflated exercise goals.

Assessment of contamination and misclassification biases in a randomized controlled trial of a social network peer education intervention to reduce HIV risk behaviors among drug users and risk partners in Philadelphia, PA and Chiang Mai, Thailand.

PubMed

Simmons, Nicole; Donnell, Deborah; Ou, San-San; Celentano, David D; Aramrattana, Apinun; Davis-Vogel, Annet; Metzger, David; Latkin, Carl

2015-10-01

Controlled trials of HIV prevention and care interventions are susceptible to contamination. In a randomized controlled trial of a social network peer education intervention among people who inject drugs and their risk partners in Philadelphia, PA and Chiang Mai, Thailand, we tested a contamination measure based on recall of intervention terms. We assessed the recall of test, negative and positive control terms among intervention and control arm participants and compared the relative odds of recall of test versus negative control terms between study arms. The contamination measures showed good discriminant ability among participants in Chiang Mai. In Philadelphia there was no evidence of contamination and little evidence of diffusion. In Chiang Mai there was strong evidence of diffusion and contamination. Network structure and peer education in Chiang Mai likely led to contamination. Recall of intervention materials can be a useful method to detect contamination in experimental interventions.

Gender differences in responses to cues presented in the natural environment of cigarette smokers.

PubMed

Wray, Jennifer M; Gray, Kevin M; McClure, Erin A; Carpenter, Matthew J; Tiffany, Stephen T; Saladin, Michael E

2015-04-01

Although the evidence is mixed, female smokers appear to have more difficulty quitting smoking than male smokers. Craving, stress, and negative affect have been hypothesized as potential factors underlying gender differences in quit rates. In the current study, the cue-reactivity paradigm was used to assess craving, stress, and negative affect in response to cues presented in the natural environment of cigarette smokers using ecological momentary assessment. Seventy-six daily smokers (42% female) responded to photographs (smoking, stress, and neutral) presented 4 times per day on an iPhone over the course of 2 weeks. Both smoking and stress cues elicited stronger cigarette craving and stress responses compared to neutral cues. Compared with males, females reported higher levels of post-stress cue craving, stress, and negative affect, but response to smoking cues did not differ by gender. Findings from this project were largely consistent with results from laboratory-based research and extend previous work by measuring response to cues in the natural environment of cigarette smokers. This study extends previous cue reactivity ecological momentary assessment research by using a new platform and by measuring response to stress cues outside of the laboratory. Findings from this project highlight the importance of addressing coping in response to stress cues in clinical settings, especially when working with female smokers. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Production and novel quantification of haemolysins produced by coagulase-negative staphylococci isolated from subclinical mastitis in sheep.

PubMed

Kanellos, T S; Burriel, A R

2002-07-01

Coagulase-negative staphylococci producing cell-damaging toxins were isolated from the milk of sheep with subclinical mastitis. The haemolytic activity of Coagulase-negative staphylococcal strains was assessed on solid and liquid culture media. More than 61% and 76% of the tested strains on solid media produced evidence of alpha- and delta- haemolysins and more than 78% produced synergistic haemolysis. However almost all isolates producing haemolysin in liquid culture media produced only very few units of haemolysin compared to the positive control of five Coagulase-positive strains of staphylococci. It was concluded that solid media are better for classifying Coagulase-negative staphylococci as producers or not of haemolysins, and liquid media for measuring the size of this activity within the first few hours of intramammary infection.

Transdiagnostic assessment of repetitive negative thinking and responses to positive affect: Structure and predictive utility for depression, anxiety, and mania symptoms.

PubMed

McEvoy, Peter M; Hyett, Matthew P; Ehring, Thomas; Johnson, Sheri L; Samtani, Suraj; Anderson, Rebecca; Moulds, Michelle L

2018-05-01

Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) is a cognitive process that is repetitive, passive, relatively uncontrollable, and focused on negative content, and is elevated in emotional disorders including depression and anxiety disorders. Repetitive positive thinking is associated with bipolar disorder symptoms. The unique contributions of positive versus negative repetitive thinking to emotional symptoms are unknown. The first aim of this study was to use confirmatory factor analyses to evaluate the psychometrics of two transdiagnostic measures of RNT, the Repetitive Thinking Questionnaire (RTQ-10) and Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ), and a measure of repetitive positive thinking, the Responses to Positive Affect (RPA) Questionnaire. The second aim was to determine incremental predictive utility of these measures. All measures were administered to a sample of 2088 undergraduate students from the Netherlands (n = 992), Australia (n = 698), and America (n = 398). Unidimensional, bifactor, and three-factor models were supported for the RTQ-10, PTQ, and RPA, respectively. A common factor measured by all PTQ items explained most variance in PTQ scores suggesting that this measure is essentially unidimensional. The RNT factor of the RTQ-10 demonstrated the strongest predictive utility, although the PTQ was also uniquely although weakly associated with anxiety, depression, and mania symptoms. The RPA dampening factor uniquely predicted anxiety and depression symptoms, suggesting that this scale is a separable process to RNT as measured by the RTQ-10 and PTQ. Findings were cross-sectional and need to be replicated in clinical samples. Transdiagnostic measures of RNT are essentially unidimensional, whereas RPA is multidimensional. RNT and RPA have unique predictive utility. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Diurnal rhythm and concordance between objective and subjective hot flashes: the Hilo Women's Health Study.

PubMed

Sievert, Lynnette L; Reza, Angela; Mills, Phoebe; Morrison, Lynn; Rahberg, Nichole; Goodloe, Amber; Sutherland, Michael; Brown, Daniel E

2010-01-01

The aims of this study were to test for a diurnal pattern in hot flashes in a multiethnic population living in a hot, humid environment and to examine the rates of concordance between objective and subjective measures of hot flashes using ambulatory and laboratory measures. Study participants aged 45 to 55 years were recruited from the general population of Hilo, HI. Women wore a Biolog hot flash monitor (UFI, Morro Bay, CA), kept a diary for 24 hours, and also participated in 3-hour laboratory measures (n = 199). Diurnal patterns were assessed using polynomial regression. For each woman, objectively recorded hot flashes that matched subjective experience were treated as true-positive readings. Subjective hot flashes were considered the standard for computing false-positive and false-negative readings. True-positive, false-positive, and false-negative readings were compared across ethnic groups by chi analyses. Frequencies of sternal, nuchal, and subjective hot flashes peaked at 1500 +/- 1 hours with no difference by ethnicity. Laboratory results supported the pattern seen in ambulatory monitoring. Sternal and nuchal monitoring showed the same frequency of true-positive measures, but nonsternal electrodes picked up more false-positive readings. Laboratory monitoring showed very low frequencies of false negatives. There were no ethnic differences in the frequency of true-positive or false-positive measures. Women of European descent were more likely to report hot flashes that were not objectively demonstrated (false-negative measures). The diurnal pattern and peak in hot flash occurrence in the hot humid environment of Hilo were similar to results from more temperate environments. Lack of variation in sternal versus nonsternal measures and in true-positive measures across ethnicities suggests no appreciable effect of population variation in sweating patterns.

Diurnal rhythm and concordance between objective and subjective hot flashes: The Hilo Women’s Health Study

PubMed Central

Sievert, Lynnette L.; Reza, Angela; Mills, Phoebe; Morrison, Lynn; Rahberg, Nichole; Goodloe, Amber; Sutherland, Michael; Brown, Daniel E.

2010-01-01

Objective To test for a diurnal pattern in hot flashes in a multi-ethnic population living in a hot, humid environment. To examine rates of concordance between objective and subjective measures of hot flashes using ambulatory and laboratory measures. Methods Study participants aged 45–55 were recruited from the general population of Hilo, Hawaii. Women wore a Biolog hot flash monitor, kept a diary for 24-hours, and also participated in 3-hour laboratory measures (n=199). Diurnal patterns were assessed using polynomial regression. For each woman, objectively recorded hot flashes that matched subjective experience were treated as true positive readings. Subjective hot flashes were considered the standard for computing false positive and false negative readings. True positive, false positive, and false negative readings were compared across ethnic groups by chi-square analyses. Results Frequencies of sternal, nuchal and subjective hot flashes peaked at 15:00 ± 1 hour with no difference by ethnicity. Laboratory results supported the pattern seen in ambulatory monitoring. Sternal and nuchal monitoring showed the same frequency of true positive measures, but non-sternal electrodes picked up more false positive readings. Laboratory monitoring showed very low frequencies of false negatives. There were no ethnic differences in the frequency of true positive or false positive measures. Women of European descent were more likely to report hot flashes that were not objectively demonstrated (false negative measures). Conclusions The diurnal pattern and peak in hot flash occurrence in the hot humid environment of Hilo was similar to results from more temperate environments. Lack of variation in sternal vs. non-sternal measures, and in true positive measures across ethnicities suggests no appreciable effect of population variation in sweating patterns. PMID:20220538

Effect of Hippocampal and Amygdala Connectivity on the Relationship Between Preschool Poverty and School-Age Depression.

PubMed

Barch, Deanna; Pagliaccio, David; Belden, Andy; Harms, Michael P; Gaffrey, Michael; Sylvester, Chad M; Tillman, Rebecca; Luby, Joan

2016-06-01

In this study, the authors tested the hypothesis that poverty experienced in early childhood, as measured by income-to-needs ratio, has an impact on functional brain connectivity at school age, which in turn mediates influences on child negative mood/depression. Participants were from a prospective longitudinal study of emotion development. Preschoolers 3-5 years of age were originally ascertained from primary care and day care sites in the St. Louis area and then underwent annual behavioral assessments for up to 12 years. Healthy preschoolers and those with a history of depression symptoms underwent neuroimaging at school age. Using functional MRI, the authors examined whole brain resting-state functional connectivity with the left and right hippocampus and amygdala. Lower income-to-needs ratio at preschool age was associated with reduced connectivity between hippocampus and amygdala and a number of regions at school age, including the superior frontal cortex, lingual gyrus, posterior cingulate, and putamen. Lower income-to-needs ratio predicted greater negative mood/depression severity at school age, as did connectivity between the left hippocampus and the right superior frontal cortex and between the right amygdala and the right lingual gyrus. Connectivity mediated the relationship between income-to-needs ratio and negative mood/depression at the time of scanning. These findings suggest that poverty in early childhood, as assessed by at least one measure, may influence the development of hippocampal and amygdala connectivity in a manner leading to negative mood symptoms during later childhood.

Exploring relationships among social integration, social isolation, self-rated health, and demographics among Latino day laborers.

PubMed

Steel, Kenneth C; Fernandez-Esquer, Maria Eugenia; Atkinson, John S; Taylor, Wendell C

2018-05-01

Research indicates social integration and social isolation are related to health, and Latino day laborers (LDLs) tend to be socially isolated and, thus, at high risk for adverse health consequences. relationships among social isolation, social integration, self-rated health (SRH), and demographics were examined in a sample of LDLs to contribute to the literature on social networks and health in this and other migrant populations. We analyzed data from 324 LDLs who participated in Proyecto SHILOS (Salud del Hombre Inmigrante Latino), a Houston-based survey of Latino immigrant men's health. Based on the literature, we hypothesized SRH would be (1) positively associated with social integration and (2) negatively associated with social isolation. All proposed measures were first entered into a correlation matrix to identify significant bivariate relationships (p ≤ .05, two-tailed). Associations between variables that were directly correlated with SRH and variables that were, in turn, proximally associated with these variables were then used to develop a structural equation path model of SRH. Individual paths in the model were measured for significance, and goodness of fit was assessed by the model chi-square, the Comparative Fit Index, and the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation. Inconsistent with the first hypothesis, SRH was negatively associated with social integration, as measured by the number of trusted friends. Consistent with the second hypothesis, SRH was negatively associated with social isolation, as measured by needing someone to talk to. More frequent contact with family was also negatively associated with social isolation. Our findings suggest social integration may not always protect and promote health. Therefore, assessing the quality of LDLs' different relationships, not just the quantity, is vital. Future studies should further analyze the effects that social resources have on perceptions of social isolation and health in LDLs and other migrant populations.

Indirect effect of financial strain on daily cortisol output through daily negative to positive affect index in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study.

PubMed

Puterman, Eli; Haritatos, Jana; Adler, Nancy E; Sidney, Steve; Schwartz, Joseph E; Epel, Elissa S

2013-12-01

Daily affect is important to health and has been linked to cortisol. The combination of high negative affect and low positive affect may have a bigger impact on increasing HPA axis activity than either positive or negative affect alone. Financial strain may both dampen positive affect as well as increase negative affect, and thus provides an excellent context for understanding the associations between daily affect and cortisol. Using random effects mixed modeling with maximum likelihood estimation, we examined the relationship between self-reported financial strain and estimated mean daily cortisol level (latent cortisol variable), based on six salivary cortisol assessments throughout the day, and whether this relationship was mediated by greater daily negative to positive affect index measured concurrently in a sample of 776 Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study participants. The analysis revealed that while no total direct effect existed for financial strain on cortisol, there was a significant indirect effect of high negative affect to low positive affect, linking financial strain to elevated cortisol. In this sample, the effects of financial strain on cortisol through either positive affect or negative affect alone were not significant. A combined affect index may be a more sensitive and powerful measure than either negative or positive affect alone, tapping the burden of chronic financial strain, and its effects on biology. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Intensity of negative symptoms, working memory and executive functions disturbances in schizophrenic patients in partial remission period].

PubMed

Hintze, Beata; Borkowska, Alina

2011-01-01

The aim of the study was to assess the correlation between the level of working memory and executive functions impairment in schizophrenic subjects in their partial remission period and the intensity of psychopathological symptoms measured by PANSS scale. 45 patients with schizophrenia were included in the study (28 male and 17 female), aged 18-46 (mean 27 +/- 7) years during partial remission of psychopathological symptoms (PANSS < 70). The control group consisted in 35 age, gender and education matched healthy persons (13 male i 22 female), aged 21-49 (mean 30 +/- 8) years. To assess the intensity of psychopathological symptoms the PANSS scale was used, neuropsychological assessment included the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), N-back test and Stroop test from the Vienna Tests Battery. In schizophrenic patients in partial remission period, the significant dysfunctions of working memory and executive functions show association with negative (not positive) schizophrenic symptoms.

The Complex Interplay Between Depression/Anxiety and Executive Functioning: Insights From the ECAS in a Large ALS Population

PubMed Central

Solca, Federica; Faini, Andrea; Madotto, Fabiana; Lafronza, Annalisa; Monti, Alessia; Zago, Stefano; Doretti, Alberto; Ciammola, Andrea; Ticozzi, Nicola; Silani, Vincenzo; Poletti, Barbara

2018-01-01

Introduction: The observed association between depressive symptoms and cognitive performances has not been previously clarified in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (pALS). In fact, the use of cognitive measures often not accommodating for motor disability has led to heterogeneous and not conclusive findings about this issue. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between cognitive and depressive/anxiety symptoms by means of the recently developed Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioral ALS Screen (ECAS), a brief assessment specifically designed for pALS. Methods: Sample included 168 pALS (114 males, 54 females); they were administered two standard cognitive screening tools (FAB; MoCA) and the ECAS, assessing different cognitive domains, including ALS-specific (executive functions, verbal fluency, and language tests) and ALS non-specific subtests (memory and visuospatial tests). Two psychological questionnaires for depression and anxiety (BDI; STAI/Y) were also administered to patients. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to assess the degree of association between cognitive and psychological measures. Results: Depression assessment negatively correlated with the ECAS, more significantly with regard to the executive functions subdomain. In particular, Sentence Completion and Social Cognition subscores were negatively associated with depression levels measured by BDI total score and Somatic-Performance symptoms subscore. Conversely, no significant correlations were observed between depression level and cognitive functions as measured by traditional screening tools for frontal abilities (FAB) and global cognition (MoCA) assessment. Finally, no significant correlations were observed between state/trait anxiety and the ECAS. Discussion and conclusion: This represents the first study focusing on the relationship between cognitive and psychological components in pALS by means of the ECAS, the current gold standard for ALS cognitive-behavioral assessment. If confirmed by further investigations, the observed association between depression and executive functions suggests the need for a careful screening and treatment of depression, to avoid overestimation of cognitive involvement and possibly improve cognitive performances in ALS. PMID:29674987

Treatment Satisfaction Among Patients Taking Antidepressant Medication.

PubMed

López-Torres Hidalgo, Jesús; López Gallardo, Yolanda; Párraga Martínez, Ignacio; Del Campo Del Campo, José María; Villena Ferrer, Alejandro; Morena Rayo, Susana

2016-08-01

This study sought to assess treatment satisfaction among patients on antidepressants, ascertaining whether there might be an association with depressive symptomatology and other variables. Cross-sectional study conducted on 564 adult patients taking antidepressant medication. Satisfaction with antidepressant treatment was assessed using the Assessment of Satisfaction with Antidepressant Treatment Questionnaire (ESTA/Evaluación de la Satisfacción con el Tratamiento Antidepresivo). A moderate negative correlation was observed between satisfaction and intensity of depressive symptoms, as assessed with the Montgomery-Asberg scale. A weak negative correlation was observed between greater satisfaction and less favourable views about taking medication. Satisfaction scale scores were higher among those who took antidepressant medication for 1 year or more versus shorter periods. Most patients reported being satisfied with the antidepressant treatment but the level of satisfaction was higher among those who presented with less marked depressive symptoms, received longer-term treatment and viewed drug treatments favourably. Treatment satisfaction is one of the patient-reported outcome measures that can serve to complement clinical evaluation of depressive disorders.

A sympathetic nervous system evaluation of obesity stigma.

PubMed

Oliver, Michael D; Datta, Subimal; Baldwin, Debora R

2017-01-01

The portrayal of obesity in the media is often one of negativity. Consequently, it may generate an increase in stigma. Obesity stigma, a form of social discrimination, is responsible for many of the negative psychological and physiological effects on individual wellness. These effects not only impact individual health, but also affect the economy, and ultimately, societal wellness. In an attempt to examine the influence of the media on obesity stigma, this study tested the hypothesis that positive priming would lead to a reduction in obesity stigma. To further our understanding of this relationship, we: 1) examined the role of priming on physiological measures (e.g. salivary alpha amylase and skin conductance) in 70 college students by introducing positive and negative media images of individuals with obesity, and 2) assessed psychological measures (e.g. perceived stress, need to belong, and self-esteem, and Body Mass Index). After the priming manipulation, participants read a vignette depicting the discrimination of an individual with obesity and answered subsequent questions assessing participants' attributional blame of obesity. Results of this study revealed that priming affects physiological responding to obesity stigmatization. In conclusion, these findings suggest that incorporating positive media images of individuals with obesity may be an effective tool for reducing stigma and the various physiological consequences associated with it, which in turn, can enhance societal health and wellness.

Are habitual overgeneral recollection and prospection maladaptive?

PubMed

Robinaugh, Donald J; Lubin, Rebecca E; Babic, Luka; McNally, Richard J

2013-06-01

Individuals with depression exhibit difficulty retrieving specific memories and imagining specific future events when instructed to do so relative to non-clinical comparison groups. Instead of specific events, depressed individuals frequently retrieve or imagine "overgeneral" memories that span a long period of time or that denote a category of similar events. Recently, Raes, Hermans, Williams, and Eelen (2007) developed a sentence completion procedure (SCEPT) to assess the tendency to recall overgeneral autobiographical memories. They found that specificity on this measure was associated with depression and rumination. We aimed to replicate these findings and to examine the tendency to imagine overgeneral future events. We had 170 subjects complete past (SCEPT) and future-oriented (SCEFT) sentence completion tasks and measures of depression severity, PTSD severity, hopelessness, and repetitive negative thought. Although specificities of past and future events were correlated, neither SCEPT nor SCEFT specificity was negatively associated with depression severity, posttraumatic stress symptoms, repetitive negative thought (RNT), or hopelessness. Our data are cross-sectional, preventing any determination of causality and limiting our assessment of whether specificity is associated with psychological distress following a stressful life event. In addition, we observed poor internal consistency for both the SCEPT and SCEFT. These findings fail to support the hypothesis that overgeneral memory and prospection on these tasks are associated with psychological distress. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Self-regulatory mode (locomotion and assessment), well-being (subjective and psychological), and exercise behavior (frequency and intensity) in relation to high school pupils’ academic achievement

PubMed Central

Jimmefors, Alexander; Mousavi, Fariba; Adrianson, Lillemor; Rosenberg, Patricia; Archer, Trevor

2015-01-01

Background. Self-regulation is the procedure implemented by an individual striving to reach a goal and consists of two inter-related strategies: assessment and locomotion. Moreover, both subjective and psychological well-being along exercise behaviour might also play a role on adolescents academic achievement. Method. Participants were 160 Swedish high school pupils (111 boys and 49 girls) with an age mean of 17.74 (sd = 1.29). We used the Regulatory Mode Questionnaire to measure self-regulation strategies (i.e., locomotion and assessment). Well-being was measured using Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scales short version, the Temporal Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule. Exercise behaviour was self-reported using questions pertaining to frequency and intensity of exercise compliance. Academic achievement was operationalized through the pupils’ mean value of final grades in Swedish, Mathematics, English, and Physical Education. Both correlation and regressions analyses were conducted. Results. Academic achievement was positively related to assessment, well-being, and frequent/intensive exercise behaviour. Assessment was, however, negatively related to well-being. Locomotion on the other hand was positively associated to well-being and also to exercise behaviour. Conclusions. The results suggest a dual (in)direct model to increase pupils’ academic achievement and well-being—assessment being directly related to higher academic achievement, while locomotion is related to frequently exercising and well-being, which in turn, increase academic achievement. PMID:25861553

Development and validation of the Emotional Self-Awareness Questionnaire: a measure of emotional intelligence.

PubMed

Killian, Kyle D

2012-07-01

This study examined the psychometric characteristics of the Emotional Self-Awareness Questionnaire (ESQ), a self-report measure of emotional intelligence. The ESQ, Emotional Intelligence Scale, and measures of alexithymia, positive negative affect, personality, cognitive ability, life satisfaction, and leadership aspirations were administered to 1,406 undergraduate psychology students. The ESQ was reduced from 118 to 60 items via factor and reliability analyses, retaining 11 subscales and a normal score distribution with a reliability of .92. The ESQ had significant positive correlations with the Emotional Intelligence Test and positive affect, significant negative correlations with alexithymia and negative affect, and an insignificant correlation with cognitive ability. The ESQ accounted for 35% of the variance in life satisfaction over and above the Big Five, cognitive ability, and self-esteem, and demonstrated incremental validity in explaining GPA and leadership aspirations. The significance of emotional intelligence as a unique contributor to psychological well-being and performance, and applications for the ESQ in assessment and outcome research in couple and family therapy are discussed. © 2011 American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

Development and Validation of the Negative Attitudes towards CBT Scale.

PubMed

Parker, Zachary J; Waller, Glenn

2017-11-01

Clinicians commonly fail to use cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) adequately, but the reasons for such omissions are not well understood. The objective of this study was to create and validate a measure to assess clinicians' attitudes towards CBT - the Negative Attitudes towards CBT Scale (NACS). The participants were 204 clinicians from various mental healthcare fields. Each completed the NACS, measures of anxiety and self-esteem, and a measure of therapists' use of CBT and non-CBT techniques and their confidence in using those techniques. Exploratory factor analysis was used to determine the factor structure of the NACS, and scale internal consistency was tested. A single, 16-item scale emerged from the factor analysis of the NACS, and that scale had good internal consistency. Clinicians' negative attitudes and their anxiety had different patterns of association with the use of CBT and other therapeutic techniques. The findings suggest that clinicians' attitudes and emotions each need to be considered when understanding why many clinicians fail to deliver the optimum version of evidence-based CBT. They also suggest that training effective CBT clinicians might depend on understanding and targeting such internal states.

Raloxifene as an Adjunctive Treatment for Postmenopausal Women With Schizophrenia: A 24-Week Double-Blind, Randomized, Parallel, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Usall, Judith; Huerta-Ramos, Elena; Labad, Javier; Cobo, Jesús; Núñez, Christian; Creus, Marta; Parés, Gemma García; Cuadras, Daniel; Franco, José; Miquel, Eva; Reyes, Julio César; Roca, Mercedes

2016-03-01

The potential therapeutic utility of estrogens in schizophrenia is increasingly being recognized. Raloxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator, appears to act similarly to estrogens on dopamine and serotonin brain systems. One previous trial by our team found that raloxifene was useful to improve negative, positive, and general psychopathological symptoms, without having the negative side effects of estrogens. In this study, we assess the utility of raloxifene in treating negative and other psychotic symptoms in postmenopausal women with schizophrenia exhibiting prominent negative symptoms. This was a 24-week, randomized, parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Patients were recruited from the inpatient and outpatient departments of Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, Hospital Universitari Institut Pere Mata, and Corporació Sanitària Parc Taulí. Seventy postmenopausal women with schizophrenia (DSM-IV) were randomized to either adjunctive raloxifene (38 women) or adjunctive placebo (32 women). Psychopathological symptoms were assessed at baseline and at weeks 4, 12, and 24 with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS). The addition of raloxifene (60 mg/d) to regular antipsychotic treatment significantly reduced negative (P = .027), general (P = .003), and total symptomatology (P = .005) measured with the PANSS during the 24-week trial, as compared to women receiving placebo. Also Alogia SANSS subscale improved more in the raloxifene (P = .048) than the placebo group. In conclusion, raloxifene improved negative and general psychopathological symptoms, compared with antipsychotic medication alone, in postmenopausal women with schizophrenia. These data replicate our previous results with a larger sample and a longer follow-up. NCT01573637. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Daily emotional dynamics in depressed youth: a cell phone ecological momentary assessment study.

PubMed

Silk, Jennifer S; Forbes, Erika E; Whalen, Diana J; Jakubcak, Jennifer L; Thompson, Wesley K; Ryan, Neal D; Axelson, David A; Birmaher, Boris; Dahl, Ronald E

2011-10-01

This study used a new cell phone ecological momentary assessment approach to investigate daily emotional dynamics in 47 youths with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 32 no-psychopathology controls (CON) (ages 7-17 years). Information about emotional experience in the natural environment was obtained using answer-only cell phones, while MDD youths received an 8-week course of cognitive behavioral therapy and/or psychopharmacological treatment. Compared with CON youths, MDD youths reported more intense and labile global negative affect; greater sadness, anger, and nervousness; and a lower ratio of positive to negative affect. These differences increased with pubertal maturation. MDD youths spent more time alone and less time with their families than CON youths. Although differences in emotional experiences were found across social contexts, MDD youths were more negative than CON youths in all contexts examined. As the MDD participants progressed through treatment, diagnostic group differences in the intensity and lability of negative affect decreased, but there were no changes in the ratio of positive to negative affect or in measures of social context. We discuss methodological innovations and advantages of this approach, including improved ecological validity and access to information about variability in emotions, change in emotions over time, the balance of positive and negative emotions, and the social context of emotional experience. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Influence of AHI1 Variants on the Diagnosis and Treatment Outcome in Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Porcelli, Stefano; Pae, Chi-Un; Han, Changsu; Lee, Soo-Jung; Patkar, Ashwin A.; Masand, Prakash S.; Balzarro, Beatrice; Alberti, Siegfried; De Ronchi, Diana; Serretti, Alessandro

2015-01-01

The present study aimed to explore whether four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the AHI1 gene could be associated with schizophrenia (SCZ) and whether they could predict the clinical outcomes in SCZ patients treated with antipsychotics. Four hundred twenty-six (426) in-patients with SCZ and 345 controls were genotyped for four AHI1 SNPs (rs11154801, rs7750586, rs9647635 and rs9321501). Baseline and clinical measures for SCZ patients were assessed through the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Allelic and genotypic frequencies in SCZ subjects were compared with those of controls using the χ2 statistics. The repeated-measure ANOVA was used for the assessment of treatment outcomes measured by PANSS changes. The case-control analysis did not show any difference in the genotypic distribution of the SNPs, while in the allelic analysis, a weak association was found between the rs9647635 A allele and SCZ. Furthermore, in the haplotype analysis, three haplotypes resulted in being associated with SCZ. On the other hand, two SNPs (rs7750586 and rs9647635) were associated with clinical improvement of negative symptoms in the allelic analysis, although in the genotypic analysis, only trends of association were found for the same SNPs. Our findings suggest a possible influence of AHI1 variants on SCZ susceptibility and antipsychotic response, particularly concerning negative symptomatology. Subsequent well-designed studies would be mandatory to confirm our results due to the methodological shortcomings of the present study. PMID:25622261

Questionnaire Predictors of Atopy in a US Population Sample: Findings From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005–2006

PubMed Central

Hoppin, Jane A.; Jaramillo, Renee; Salo, Paivi; Sandler, Dale P.; London, Stephanie J.; Zeldin, Darryl C.

2011-01-01

Allergic conditions and biochemical measures are both used to characterize atopy. To assess questionnaires’ ability to predict biochemical measures of atopy, the authors used data on 5 allergic conditions (allergy, hay fever, eczema, rhinitis, and itchy rash) and serum-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels from the 2005–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Atopy was defined as 1 or more positive specific IgEs (≥0.35 kU/L). Questionnaire responses were assessed for sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for atopy. In this population-based US sample, 44% of participants were specific IgE-positive and 53% reported at least 1 allergic condition. Discordance between atopy and allergic conditions was considerable; 37% of persons with atopy reported no allergic condition, and 48% of persons who reported an allergic condition were not atopic. Thus, no combination of self-reported allergic conditions achieved both high sensitivity and high specificity for IgE. The positive predictive value of reported allergic conditions for atopy ranged from 50% for eczema to 72% for hay fever, while the negative predictive value ranged from 57% for eczema to 65% for any condition. Given the high proportion of asymptomatic participants who were specific IgE-positive and persons who reported allergic conditions but were specific IgE-negative, it is unlikely that questionnaires will ever capture the same participants as those found to be atopic by biochemical measures. PMID:21273397

Restless pillow, ruffled mind: sleep and affect coupling in interepisode bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Gershon, Anda; Thompson, Wesley K; Eidelman, Polina; McGlinchey, Eleanor L; Kaplan, Katherine A; Harvey, Allison G

2012-11-01

Disturbances in sleep and affect are prominent features of bipolar disorder, even during interepisode periods. Few longitudinal studies have prospectively examined the relationship between naturally occurring sleep and affect, and no studies to date have done so during interepisode periods of bipolar disorder and using the entire set of "gold standard" sleep parameters. Participants diagnosed with bipolar I disorder who were interepisode (n = 32) and healthy controls (n = 36) completed diagnostic and symptom severity interviews, and a daily sleep and affect diary, as well as an actigraphy sleep assessment, for eight weeks (M = 54 days, ± 8 days). Mutual information analysis was used to assess the degree of statistical dependence, or coupling, between time series data of sleep and affect. As measured by actigraphy, longer sleep onset latency was coupled with higher negative affect more strongly in the bipolar group than in the control group. As measured by sleep diary, longer wakefulness after sleep onset and lower sleep efficiency were coupled with higher negative affect significantly more strongly in the bipolar group than in the control group. By contrast, there were no significant differences between groups in the degree of coupling between any measures of sleep and positive affect. Findings support the coupling of sleep disturbance and negative affect during interepisode bipolar disorder. Ongoing monitoring of sleep-affect coupling may provide an important target for intervention in bipolar disorder. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).

Is it a Case of "Work-Anxiety" When Patients Report Bad Workplace Characteristics and Low Work Ability?

PubMed

Muschalla, Beate

2017-03-01

Aims Work-anxiety may produce overly negative views of the workplace that impair provider efforts to assess work ability from patient self-report. This study explores the empirical relationships between patient-reported workplace characteristics, work-anxiety, and subjective and objective work ability measures. Methods 125 patients in medical rehabilitation before vocational reintegration were interviewed concerning their vocational situation, and filled in a questionnaire on work-anxiety, subjective mental work ability and perceived workplace characteristics. Treating physicians gave independent socio-medical judgments concerning the patients' work ability and impairment, and need for supportive means for vocational reintegration. Results Patients with high work-anxiety reported more negative workplace characteristics. Low judgments of work ability were correlated with problematic workplace characteristics. When controlled for work-anxiety, subjective work ability remained related only with social workplace characteristics and with work achievement demands, but independent from situational or task characteristics. Sick leave duration and physicians' judgment of work ability were not significantly related to patient-reported workplace characteristics. Conclusions In socio-medical work ability assessments, patients with high work-anxiety may over-report negative workplace characteristics that can confound provider estimates of work ability. Assessing work-anxiety may be important to assess readiness for returning to work and initiating work-directed treatments.

Bulimia and Interpersonal Relationships: A Longitudinal Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thelen, Mark H.; And Others

1990-01-01

Assessed changes in bulimia in female college students (N=44) and in relation between bulimia and interpersonal relationships over time. Found (1) stable symptomology for normals and bulimics; (2) strong negative correlations between bulimia measures and interpersonal relationships with men; and (3) improvement in symptomology and relationships…

Pretend Play of Children with Cerebral Palsy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pfeifer, Luzia Iara; Pacciulio, Amanda Mota; dos Santos, Camila Abrao; dos Santos, Jair Licio; Stagnitti, Karen Ellen

2011-01-01

Background and Purpose: Evaluate self-initiated pretend play of children with cerebral palsy. Method: Twenty preschool children participated in the study. Pretend play ability was measured by using the child-initiated pretend play assessment culturally adapted to Brazil. Results: There were significant negative correlations between the children's…

Tolerance of negative emotion moderates the amplification of mental contamination following an evoking task: A randomized experimental study.

PubMed

Fergus, Thomas A

2018-06-01

Contamination is a near universal feeling, with mental contamination representing a contamination feeling in the absence of direct physical contact with a source. Extant research indicates that tolerance of negative emotion is important for understanding emotional reactions to images, thoughts, and memories, all of which are common sources of mental contamination. Extending research linking distress tolerance to mental contamination, this study examined if individual differences in the tolerance of negative emotion moderates the amplification of mental contamination following an evoking task. Unselected participants completed a self-report measure of tolerance of negative emotion during an online session. They later attended an in-person session and were randomized to an experimental scenario group: betrayal (n = 49) or control (n = 49). Participants imagined themselves in a scenario, with the betrayal scenario designed to evoke mental contamination. Mental contamination was assessed by self-report before and after the scenario. The betrayal, but not control, scenario caused an increase in mental contamination. Tolerance for negative emotion moderated the effect of group on mental contamination. Group differences in mental contamination evidenced at low, but not high, distress tolerance. A novel experimental manipulation and an unselected sample were used. Future research could assess tolerance of negative emotion using a behavioral task. These results indicate that tolerance of negative emotion may be important for understanding when individuals experience mental contamination. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relationships Between Stress, Negative Emotions, Resilience, and Smoking: Testing a Moderated Mediation Model.

PubMed

Wang, Yan; Chen, Xinguang; Gong, Jie; Yan, Yaqiong

2016-01-01

More effective tobacco prevention and cessation programs require in-depth understanding of the mechanism by which multiple factors interact with each other to affect smoking behaviors. Stress has long been recognized as a risk factor for smoking. However, the underlying mediation and moderation mechanisms are far from clear. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of negative emotions in mediating the link between stress and smoking and whether this indirect link was modified by resilience. Survey data were collected using audio computer-assisted self-interview (ACASI) from a large random sample of urban residents (n = 1249, mean age = 35.1, 45.3% male) in Wuhan, China. Perceived stress, negative emotions (anxiety, depression), resilience were measured with reliable instruments also validated in China. Self-reported smoking was validated with exhaled carbon monoxide. Mediation analysis indicated that two negative emotions fully mediated the link between stress and intensity of smoking (assessed by number of cigarettes smoked per day, effect =.082 for anxiety and.083 for depression) and nicotine dependence (assessed by DSM-IV standard, effect =.134 for anxiety and.207 for depression). Moderated mediation analysis demonstrated that the mediation effects of negative emotions were negatively associated with resilience. Results suggest resilience interacts with stress and negative emotions to affect the risk of tobacco use and nicotine dependence among Chinese adults. Further research with longitudinal data is needed to verify the findings of this study and to estimate the effect size of resilience in tobacco intervention and cessation programs.

Attitudes Toward Medications and the Relationship to Outcomes in Patients with Schizophrenia.

PubMed

Campbell, Angela H; Scalo, Julieta F; Crismon, M Lynn; Barner, Jamie C; Argo, Tami R; Lawson, Kenneth A; Miller, Alexander

The determinants of attitudes toward medication (ATM) are not well elucidated. In particular, literature remains equivocal regarding the influence of cognition, adverse events, and psychiatric symptomatology. This study evaluated relationships between those outcomes in schizophrenia and ATM. This is a retrospective analysis of data collected during the Texas Medication Algorithm Project (TMAP, n=307 with schizophrenia-related diagnoses), in outpatient clinics at baseline and every 3 months for ≥1 year (for cognition: 3rd and 9th month only). The Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI-30) measured ATM, and independent variables were: cognition (Trail Making Test [TMT], Verbal Fluency Test, Hopkins Verbal Learning Test), adverse events (Systematic Assessment for Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events, Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale), psychiatric symptomatology (Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms [SANS]), and medication adherence (Medication Compliance Scale). Analyses included binary logistic regression (cognition, psychiatric symptoms) and chi-square (adverse events, adherence) for baseline comparisons, and linear regression (cognition) or ANOVA (adverse events, adherence) for changes over time. Mean DAI-30 scores did not change over 12 months. Odds of positive ATM increased with higher TMT Part B scores (p=0.03) and lower SANS scores (p=0.02). Worsening of general psychopathology (p<0.001), positive symptoms (p<0.001), and negative symptoms (p=0.007) correlated with negative changes in DAI-30 scores. Relationships between cognition, negative symptoms, and ATM warrant further investigation. Studies evaluating therapies for cognitive deficits and negative symptoms should consider including ATM measures as endpoints. Patterns and inconsistencies in findings across studies raise questions about whether some factors thought to influence ATM have nonlinear relationships.

A comparison of skin prick tests, intradermal skin tests, and specific IgE in the diagnosis of mouse allergy.

PubMed

Sharma, Hemant P; Wood, Robert A; Bravo, Andrea R; Matsui, Elizabeth C

2008-04-01

Mouse sensitization is assessed by using skin testing and serum levels of mouse allergen-specific IgE (m-IgE). However, it is unknown whether a positive skin test response or m-IgE result accurately identifies those with clinically relevant mouse sensitization. We sought to compare skin testing and m-IgE measurement in the diagnosis of mouse allergy. Sixty-nine mouse laboratory workers underwent skin prick tests (SPTs), intradermal tests (IDTs), and serum IgE measurements to mouse allergen, followed by nasal challenge to increasing concentrations of mouse allergen. Challenge response was assessed by nasal symptom score. Thirty-eight women and 31 men with a mean age of 30 years were studied. Forty-nine workers reported mouse-related symptoms, of whom 10 had positive m-IgE results and 12 had positive SPT responses. Fifteen had negative SPT responses but positive IDT responses. Positive nasal challenges were observed in 70% of workers with positive m-IgE results, 83% of workers with positive SPT responses, 33% of workers with negative SPT responses/positive IDT responses, and 0% of workers with negative IDT responses. SPTs performed best, having the highest positive and negative predictive values. Among participants with a positive challenge result, those with a positive SPT response or m-IgE result had a significantly lower challenge threshold than those with a positive IDT response (P = .01). Workers with a positive challenge result were more likely to have an increase in nasal eosinophilia after the challenge compared with those with a negative challenge result (P = .03). SPTs perform best in discriminating patients with and without mouse allergy. Mouse-specific IgE and IDTs appear to be less useful than SPTs in the diagnosis of mouse allergy.

Solitary and combined negative influences of diabetes, obesity and hypertension on health-related quality of life of elderly individuals: A population-based cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Hajian-Tilaki, K; Heidari, B; Hajian-Tilaki, A

2016-01-01

The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a matter of concern in elderly people with chronic diseases. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of obesity, hypertension and diabetes on HRQoL among elderly. A population based cross sectional study was conducted with 750 representative sample of elderly people aged 60-90 years in Babol, the northern Iran. The demographic data and the measurement of blood pressure and other anthropometric measures were collected. The validated short form (SF-36) questionnaire was used to assess the HRQoL. A multiple linear regression model was applied to assess the impact of obesity, abdominal obesity, hypertension and diabetes on QoL. The mean age (SD) of participants was 68.0±7.6 and 67.7±7.9 years for men and women respectively. Diabetes exerted the most negative effect on QoL score (adjusted coefficient=-9.2, 95% CI: -11.7, -6.5 points) followed by abdominal obesity and hypertension. Whereas a combination of three conditions was associated with a greater significant reduction in QoL scores in both sexes(adjusted coefficient=-14.5, 95% CI: -19.0, -9.9 points). However, the negative influence of obesity and hypertension on QoL was significant only in women. Most components of the QoL is affected by diabetes, obesity and hypertension particularly in women. Diabetes alone or in combination with other conditions has a negative influence in both sexes with greater effect in women. These findings justify further professional support to compensate the negative influences chronic conditions on health-related QoL especially for older obese diabetic women. Copyright © 2016 Diabetes India. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clinical Significance of Mobile Health Assessed Sleep Duration and Variability in Bipolar Disorder

PubMed Central

Kaufmann, Christopher N.; Gershon, Anda; Eyler, Lisa T.; Depp, Colin A.

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVE Sleep disturbances are prevalent, persistent, and impairing features of bipolar disorder. However, the near-term and cumulative impact of the severity and variability of sleep disturbances on symptoms and functioning remains unclear. We examined self-reported daily sleep duration and variability in relation to mood symptoms, medication adherence, cognitive functioning, and concurrent daily affect. METHODS Forty-one outpatients diagnosed with bipolar disorder were asked to provide daily reports of sleep duration and affect collected via ecological momentary assessment with smartphones over eleven weeks. Measures of depressive and manic symptoms, medication adherence, and cognitive function were collected at baseline and concurrent assessment of affect were collected daily. Analyses examined whether sleep duration or variability were associated with baseline measures and changes in same-day or next-day affect. RESULTS Greater sleep duration variability (but not average sleep duration) was associated with greater depressive and manic symptom severity, and lower medication adherence at baseline, and with lower and more variable ratings of positive affect and higher ratings of negative affect. Sleep durations shorter than 7-8 hours were associated with lower same-day ratings of positive and higher same-day ratings of negative affect, however this did not extend to next-day affect. CONCLUSIONS Greater cumulative day-to-day sleep duration variability, but not average sleep duration, was related to more severe mood symptoms, lower self-reported medication adherence and higher levels of negative affect. Bouts of short- or long-duration sleep had transient impact on affect. Day-to-day sleep variability may be important to incorporate into clinical assessment of sleep disturbances in bipolar disorder. PMID:27451108

Randomized Controlled Trial of Motivational Enhancement Therapy with Non-treatment Seeking Adolescent Cannabis Users: A Further Test of the Teen Marijuana Check-Up

PubMed Central

Walker, Denise D.; Stephens, Robert; Roffman, Roger; DeMarce, Josephine; Lozano, Brian; Towe, Sheri; Berg, Belinda

2011-01-01

Aims Cannabis use adversely affects adolescents and interventions that are attractive to adolescents are needed. This trial compared the effects of a brief motivational intervention for cannabis use with a brief educational feedback control and a no-assessment control. Design Participants were randomized into one of three treatment conditions: Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET), Educational Feedback Control (EFC) or Delayed Feedback Control (DFC). Those assigned to MET and EFC were administered a computerized baseline assessment immediately following randomization and completed assessments at the 3- and 12-month follow-up periods. Participants in the DFC condition were not assessed until the 3-month follow-up. Following the completion of treatment sessions, all participants were offered up to 4 optional individual treatment sessions aimed at cessation of cannabis use. Setting High schools in Seattle, WA, USA. Participants 310 self-referred adolescents who smoked cannabis regularly. Measurements Main outcome measures included days of cannabis use, associated negative consequences, and engagement in additional treatment. Findings At the 3-month follow-up, participants in both the MET and EFC conditions reported significantly fewer days of cannabis use and negative consequences compared to DFC. Frequency of cannabis use was less in MET relative to EFC at 3 months, but did not translate to differences in negative consequences. Reduction in use and problems were sustained at 12-months but there were no differences between MET and EFC interventions. Engagement in additional treatment was minimal and not different by condition. Conclusions Brief interventions can attract and have positive impacts on adolescent cannabis users, but the mechanisms of the effects are yet to be identified. PMID:21688877

Clinical significance of mobile health assessed sleep duration and variability in bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Kaufmann, Christopher N; Gershon, Anda; Eyler, Lisa T; Depp, Colin A

2016-10-01

Sleep disturbances are prevalent, persistent, and impairing features of bipolar disorder. However, the near-term and cumulative impact of the severity and variability of sleep disturbances on symptoms and functioning remains unclear. We examined self-reported daily sleep duration and variability in relation to mood symptoms, medication adherence, cognitive functioning, and concurrent daily affect. Forty-one outpatients diagnosed with bipolar disorder were asked to provide daily reports of sleep duration and affect collected via ecological momentary assessment with smartphones over eleven weeks. Measures of depressive and manic symptoms, medication adherence, and cognitive function were collected at baseline and concurrent assessment of affect were collected daily. Analyses examined whether sleep duration or variability were associated with baseline measures and changes in same-day or next-day affect. Greater sleep duration variability (but not average sleep duration) was associated with greater depressive and manic symptom severity, and lower medication adherence at baseline, and with lower and more variable ratings of positive affect and higher ratings of negative affect. Sleep durations shorter than 7-8 h were associated with lower same-day ratings of positive and higher same-day ratings of negative affect, however this did not extend to next-day affect. Greater cumulative day-to-day sleep duration variability, but not average sleep duration, was related to more severe mood symptoms, lower self-reported medication adherence and higher levels of negative affect. Bouts of short- or long-duration sleep had transient impact on affect. Day-to-day sleep variability may be important to incorporate into clinical assessment of sleep disturbances in bipolar disorder. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic performance of serological assays for anti-HBs testing: Results from a quality assessment program.

PubMed

Raven, Stijn; Hautvast, Jeannine; Steenbergen, Jim van; Akkermans, Reinier; Weykamp, Cas; Smits, Francis; Hoebe, Christian; Vossen, Ann

2017-02-01

Post-vaccination testing after hepatitis B vaccination is indispensable to evaluate long-term immunological protection. Using a threshold level of antibodies against hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) to define serological protection, implies reproducible and valid measurements of different diagnostic assays. In this study we assess the performance of currently used anti-HBs assays. In 2013, 45 laboratories participated in an external quality assessment program using pooled anti-HBs serum samples around the cutoff values 10IU/l and 100IU/l. Laboratories used either Axsym (Abbott Laboratories), Architect (Abbott Laboratories), Access (Beckman-Coulter), ADVIA Centaur anti-HBs2 (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics), Elecsys, Modular or Cobas (Roche Diagnostics) or Vidas Total Quick (Biomerieux) for anti-HBs titre quantification. We analysed covariance using mixed-model repeated measures. To assess sensitivity/specificity and agreement, a true positive or true negative result was defined as an anti-HBs titre respectively above or below the cutoff value by ≥4 of 6 assays. Different anti-HBs assays were associated with statistically significant (P<0.05) differences in anti-HBs titres in all dilutions. Sensitivity and specificity ranged respectively from 64%-100% and 95%-100%. Agreement between assays around an anti-HBs titre cutoff value of 10IU/l ranged from 93%-100% and was 44% for a cutoff value of 100IU/l. Around a cutoff value of 10IU/l use of the Access assay may result in false-negative results. Concerning the cutoff value of 100IU/l, a sample being classified below or above this cutoff relied heavily on the specific assay used, with both the Architect and the Access resulting in false-negative results. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The construction and validation of the homopositivity scale: an instrument measuring endorsement of positive stereotypes about gay men.

PubMed

Morrison, Todd G; Bearden, Anomi G

2007-01-01

Social scientists appear to focus on negative beliefs about, and attitudes toward, gay men and lesbian women. This emphasis, though understandable in view of the widespread oppression of gay and lesbian individuals, is somewhat myopic because it ignores what might be referred to as the positive dimension of stereotypes. Although such a concept may appear oxymoronic, it is widely recognized that individuals may endorse a mixture of positive and negative stereotypes toward stigmatized groups such as African Americans and women. The purpose of the current series of studies (Study 1, N = 212; Study 2, N = 105) was to devise an instrument measuring endorsement of positive stereotypes about gay men (Homopositivity Scale; HPS). Two versions of the HPS (of varying length) were evaluated, with scale scores on both appearing to be internally consistent and factorially distinct from scales measuring negative stereotypes and prejudices about gay men. These studies also suggest that females are more likely than males to endorse positive stereotypes about gay men, and that such endorsement is negatively associated with need for uniqueness and need for cognition, and positively associated with media contact and benevolent sexism. The limitations of the two studies are outlined and the importance of assessing positive stereotypes about gay men in conjunction with oft-examined homonegativity is discussed.

Development and validation of two measures of emotional contrast avoidance: The contrast avoidance questionnaires.

PubMed

Llera, Sandra J; Newman, Michelle G

2017-06-01

The Contrast Avoidance (CA) model (Newman & Llera, 2011) proposed that individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) fear sharp emotional shifts (or contrasts), such as the shift from a pleasant or neutral state to one of sudden distress following a negative event. Further, the model suggests that chronic worry is employed by those with GAD to sustain negative emotionality as a means to avoid sudden shifts into negativity. The model has received empirical support; however, no validated measure exists to assess CA tendencies. In this paper we developed and tested two measures of CA: one focusing on worry, and another examining broader mechanisms of CA that could be used test whether CA is applicable to other disorders. In Study 1, Part 1, we used 3 samples of participants (each N=410) to perform item reduction, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis. In Study 1, Part 2, we performed tests of construct validity. In Study 2, we used a new sample (N=126) to determine test-retest reliability. All data point to the strong psychometric properties of the CA questionnaires and their relationship to GAD. Both measures distinguished between participants reporting clinical levels of GAD symptoms and nonanxious controls, demonstrating their utility as complementary measures of CA tendencies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The costly burden of an inauthentic self: insecure self-esteem predisposes to emotional exhaustion by increasing reactivity to negative events.

PubMed

Alessandri, Guido; Perinelli, Enrico; De Longis, Evelina; Rosa, Valentina; Theodorou, Annalisa; Borgogni, Laura

2017-11-01

A long research tradition has investigated the impact of stress on university students by assuming that individuals have a limited reservoir of resources, and that negative events and circumstances progressively drain resources thereby producing exhaustion. A recent research tradition, instead, has focused on the detrimental consequences of discrepant levels of implicit (ISE) and explicit (ESE) self-esteem on the development of stress-related symptoms. The present research attempted to merge the aforementioned approaches, with the aim of explaining significant predictors of stress. Within the framework of a Longitudinal Structural Equation Model, we followed a moderated-mediated approach. A sample of university students (N = 209; 66% females) completed a questionnaire battery including measures of ISE, ESE, perceptions of negative events, and emotional exhaustion. Participants were assessed once a week for eight consecutive weeks. ISE significantly moderated the relationship between ESE and negative events; in turn, the latter significantly predicted emotional exhaustion. Monte Carlo method for assessing mediation showed that negative events significantly mediated the relationship between incongruent self-esteem and emotional exhaustion. The detrimental role of incongruent self-esteem has been corroborated. Practical implications and suggestions for future research dealing with stress in a university setting were provided.

The Relationship between Symptom Severity and Low Vitamin D Levels in Patients with Schizophrenia.

PubMed

Doğan Bulut, Süheyla; Bulut, Serdar; Görkem Atalan, Dicle; Berkol, Tonguç; Gürçay, Eda; Türker, Türker; Aydemir, Çiğdem

2016-01-01

In recent years, the relationship between schizophrenia and environmental factors has come into prominence. This study investigated the relationship between vitamin D levels and the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia by comparing vitamin D levels between patients with schizophrenia and a healthy control group. The study included 80 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and 74 age- and sex-matched controls. The Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) and the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS) were used to evaluate symptom severity. The 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels of all subjects both patients and healthy controls were analyzed in relation to measurements of symptom severity. There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of age, sex, or physical activity. Their mean 25OHD levels were also similar (23.46±13.98ng/mL for the patient group and 23.69±9.61ng/mL for the control group). But when patients with schizophrenia were grouped based on their vitamin D levels, the results indicated a statistically significant differences between their vitamin D levels and their total SANS, affective flattening, and total SAPS, bizarre behavior and positive formal thought disorder scores (p = 0.019, p = 0.004, p = 0.015, p = 0.009 and p = 0.019, respectively). There is a negative correlation between 25OHD levels and SANS total points (r = -0.232, p = 0.038); a negative correlation for attention points (r = -0.227, p = 0.044) and negative correlation with positive formal thoughts (r = -0.257, p = 0.021). The results of this study show a relationship between lower levels of vitamin D and the occurrence of positive and negative symptoms, along with increased severity of symptoms at lower levels of vitamin D, suggesting that treatment for schizophrenia should include assessment of patients' vitamin D levels. We recommend that patients with schizophrenia should be assessed with regard to their vitamin D levels.

Is Having Low Motivation the Same as Not Having High Motivation? Comparing the CSAS-R and the SAAS-R

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCoach, Betsy; Newton, Sarah D.; Siegle, Del; Baslanti, Ugur; Picho, Katherine

2016-01-01

The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationships among the Challenges to Scholastic Achievement Scale-Revised (CSAS-R) and The School Attitude Assessment Survey-Revised (SAAS-R) items and factors to determine whether the negative scales on the CSAS-R seemed to be measuring the same constructs as those that are measured on the…

Racism, social resources and mental health for Aboriginal people living in Adelaide.

PubMed

Ziersch, Anna; Gallaher, Gilbert; Baum, Fran; Bentley, Michael

2011-06-01

This paper examines whether reported experience of racism by Aboriginal people living in Adelaide is negatively associated with mental health, and whether social resources ameliorate the mental health effects of racism. Face-to-face structured and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 153 Aboriginal people. Data on self-reported experiences of racism (average regularity of racism across a number of settings, regular racism in at least one setting), social resources (socialising, group membership, social support, talking/expressing self about racism), health behaviours (smoking, alcohol), socio-demographic (age, gender, education, financial situation) and mental health (SF-12 measure) are reported. Separate staged linear regression models assessed the association between the two measures of racism and mental health, after accounting for socio-demographic characteristics and health behaviours. Social resource variables were added to these models to see if they attenuated any relationship between racism and mental health. The two measures of racism were negatively associated with mental health after controlling for socioeconomic factors and health behaviours. These relationships remained after adding social resource measures. Non-smokers had better mental health, and mental health increased with positive assessments of financial situation. Reducing racism should be a central strategy in improving mental health for Aboriginal people. © 2011 The Authors. ANZJPH © 2011 Public Health Association of Australia.

Clinical characteristics and objective living conditions in relation to quality of life among community-based individuals of schizophrenia in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Yeung, Frederick Ka Ching; Chan, Sunny Ho Wan

2006-11-01

Quality of life (QOL) has gained importance as an outcome measure for people with schizophrenia living in the community following deinstitutionalization. This study aims at exploring the effects of clinical characteristics and objective living conditions on QOL. In this study, 201 community-based individuals with schizophrenia were recruited from five different types of objective living conditions comprising long stay care home, halfway house, supported hostel/housing, living with family, and living alone. Clinical characteristics including cognitive abilities, symptom levels, and community/social functioning were assessed by the Allen Cognitive Level Screen, the Scales for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms and Positive Symptoms, and the Chinese version of the Multnomah Community Ability Scale respectively. The outcome measure of QOL was measured by the Chinese version of the WHO Quality of Life Measure. Analysis of covariance showed significant differences in community/social functioning, cognitive abilities, and negative symptoms; but not in QOL under different objective living conditions. Further simultaneous multiple regressions found out that community/social functioning was the robust significant predictor of QOL. Yet caution should be noted in making the conclusion with the objective living condition of long stay care home, as it provides a protective element for the perseverance of QOL.

Objectively measured physical activity has a negative but weak association with academic performance in children and adolescents.

PubMed

Esteban-Cornejo, Irene; Tejero-González, Carlos M; Martinez-Gomez, David; Cabanas-Sánchez, Verónica; Fernández-Santos, Jorge R; Conde-Caveda, Julio; Sallis, James F; Veiga, Oscar L

2014-11-01

There is an emerging body of evidence on the potential effects of regular physical activity on academic performance. The aim of this study was to add to the debate, by examining the association between objectively measured physical activity and academic performance in a relatively large sample of children and adolescents. The Spanish UP & DOWN study is a 3-year longitudinal study designed to assess the impact, overtime, of physical activity and sedentary behaviours on health indicators. This present analysis was conducted with 1778 children and adolescents aged 6-18 years. Physical activity was objectively measured by accelerometry. Academic performance was assessed using school grades. Physical activity was inversely associated with all academic performance indicators after adjustment for potential confounders, including neonatal variables, fatness and fitness (all p < 0.05). This association became nonsignificant among quartiles of physical activity. There were only slight differences in academic performance between the lowest and the second quartile of physical activity, compared to the highest quartile, with very small effect size (d < 0.20). Objectively measured physical activity may influence academic performance during both childhood and adolescence, but this association was negative and very weak. Longitudinal and intervention studies are necessary to further our understanding. ©2014 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Implicit and Explicit Illusory Correlation as a Function of Political Ideology

PubMed Central

Carraro, Luciana; Negri, Paolo; Castelli, Luigi; Pastore, Massimiliano

2014-01-01

Research has demonstrated that people who embrace different ideological orientations often show differences at the level of basic cognitive processes. For instance, conservatives (vs. liberals) display an automatic selective attention for negative (vs. positive) stimuli, and tend to more easily form illusory correlations between negative information and minority groups. In the present work, we further explored this latter effect by examining whether it only involves the formation of explicit attitudes or it extends to implicit attitudes. To this end, following the typical illusory correlation paradigm, participants were presented with members of two numerically different groups (majority and minority) each performing either a positive or negative behaviour. Negative behaviors were relatively infrequent, and the proportion of positive and negative behaviors within each group was the same. Next, explicit and implicit (i.e., IAT-measured) attitudes were assessed. Results showed that conservatives (vs. liberals) displayed stronger explicit as well as implicit illusory correlations effects, forming more negative attitudes toward the minority (vs. majority) group at both the explicit and implicit level. PMID:24820311

Implicit and explicit illusory correlation as a function of political ideology.

PubMed

Carraro, Luciana; Negri, Paolo; Castelli, Luigi; Pastore, Massimiliano

2014-01-01

Research has demonstrated that people who embrace different ideological orientations often show differences at the level of basic cognitive processes. For instance, conservatives (vs. liberals) display an automatic selective attention for negative (vs. positive) stimuli, and tend to more easily form illusory correlations between negative information and minority groups. In the present work, we further explored this latter effect by examining whether it only involves the formation of explicit attitudes or it extends to implicit attitudes. To this end, following the typical illusory correlation paradigm, participants were presented with members of two numerically different groups (majority and minority) each performing either a positive or negative behaviour. Negative behaviors were relatively infrequent, and the proportion of positive and negative behaviors within each group was the same. Next, explicit and implicit (i.e., IAT-measured) attitudes were assessed. Results showed that conservatives (vs. liberals) displayed stronger explicit as well as implicit illusory correlations effects, forming more negative attitudes toward the minority (vs. majority) group at both the explicit and implicit level.

HIV point of care diagnosis: preventing misdiagnosis experience from a pilot of rapid test algorithm implementation in selected communes in Vietnam.

PubMed

Nguyen, Van Thi Thuy; Best, Susan; Pham, Hong Thang; Troung, Thi Xuan Lien; Hoang, Thi Thanh Ha; Wilson, Kim; Ngo, Thi Hong Hanh; Chien, Xuan; Lai, Kim Anh; Bui, Duc Duong; Kato, Masaya

2017-08-29

In Vietnam, HIV testing services had been available only at provincial and district health facilities, but not at the primary health facilities. Consequently, access to HIV testing services had been limited especially in rural areas. In 2012, Vietnam piloted decentralization and integration of HIV services at commune health stations (CHSs). As a part of this pilot, a three-rapid test algorithm was introduced at CHSs. The objective of this study was to assess the performance of a three-rapid test algorithm and the implementation of quality assurance measures to prevent misdiagnosis, at primary health facilities. The three-rapid test algorithm (Determine HIV-1/2, followed by ACON HIV 1/2 and DoubleCheckGold HIV 1&2 in parallel) was piloted at CHSs from August 2012 to December 2013. Commune health staff were trained to perform HIV testing. Specimens from CHSs were sent to the provincial confirmatory laboratory (PCL) for confirmatory and validation testing. Quality assurance measures were undertaken including training, competency assessment, field technical assistance, supervision and monitoring and external quality assessment (EQA). Data on HIV testing were collected from the testing logbooks at commune and provincial facilities. Descriptive analysis was conducted. Sensitivity and specificity of the rapid testing algorithm were calculated. A total of 1,373 people received HIV testing and counselling (HTC) at CHSs. Eighty people were diagnosed with HIV infection (5.8%). The 755/1244 specimens reported as HIV negative at the CHS were sent to PCL and confirmed as negative, and all 80 specimens reported as HIV positive at CHS were confirmed as positive at the PCL. Forty-nine specimens that were reactive with Determine but negative with ACON and DoubleCheckGold at the CHSs were confirmed negative at the PCL. The results show this rapid test algorithm to be 100% sensitive and 100% specific. Of 21 CHSs that received two rounds of EQA panels, 20 CHSs submitted accurate results. Decentralization of HIV confirmatory testing to CHS is feasible in Vietnam. The results obtained from this pilot provided strong evidence of the feasibility of HIV testing at primary health facilities. Quality assurance measures including training, competency assessment, regular monitoring and supervision and an EQA scheme are essential for prevention of misdiagnosis.

Impulsivity moderates the effects of movie alcohol portrayals on adolescents' willingness to drink.

PubMed

Gibbons, Frederick X; Kingsbury, John H; Wills, Thomas A; Finneran, Stephanie D; Dal Cin, Sonya; Gerrard, Meg

2016-05-01

This study examined impulsivity as a moderator of adolescents' reactions to positive versus negative portrayals of drinking in American movie clips. Impulsivity, along with willingness and intentions to drink in the future, were assessed in a pretest session. In the experimental sessions, adolescents viewed a series of clips that showed drinking associated with either positive outcomes (e.g., social facilitation) or negative outcomes (fights, arguments). A third group viewed clips with similar positive or negative outcomes, but no alcohol consumption. All participants then responded to an implicit measure of attentional bias regarding alcohol (a dot probe), followed by explicit alcohol measures (self-reports of willingness and intentions to drink). Hypotheses, based on dual-processing theories, were: (a) high-impulsive adolescents would respond more favorably than low-impulsive adolescents to the positive clips, but not the negative clips; and (b) this difference in reactions to the positive clips would be larger on the willingness than the intention measures. Results supported the hypotheses: Adolescents high in impulsivity reported the highest willingness to drink in the positive-clip condition, but were slightly less willing than others in the negative-clip condition. In addition, results on the dot probe task indicated that RTs to alcohol words were negatively correlated with changes in alcohol willingness, but not intention; that is, the faster their response to the alcohol words, the more their willingness increased. The results highlight the utility of a dual-processing perspective on media influence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Marital Conflict in the Context of Parental Depressive Symptoms: Implications for the Development of Children’s Adjustment Problems

PubMed Central

Keller, Peggy S.; Cummings, E. Mark; Peterson, Kristina M.; Davies, Patrick T.

2008-01-01

Relations among parental depressive symptoms, overt and covert marital conflict, and child internalizing and externalizing symptoms were examined in a community sample of 235 couples and their children. Families were assessed once yearly for three years, starting when children were in kindergarten. Parents completed measures of depressive symptoms and children’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Behavioral observations of marital conflict behaviors (insult, threat, pursuit, and defensiveness) and self-report of covert negativity (feeling worry, sorry, worthless, and helpless) were assessed based on problem solving interactions. Results indicated that fathers’ greater covert negativity and mothers’ overt destructive conflict behaviors served as intervening variables in the link between fathers’ depressive symptoms and child internalizing symptoms, with modest support for the pathway through fathers’ covert negativity found even after controlling for earlier levels of constructs. These findings support the role of marital conflict in the impact of fathers’ depressive symptoms on child internalizing symptoms. PMID:20161202

Effectiveness of UK provider financial incentives on quality of care: a systematic review.

PubMed

Mandavia, Rishi; Mehta, Nishchay; Schilder, Anne; Mossialos, Elias

2017-11-01

Provider financial incentives are being increasingly adopted to help improve standards of care while promoting efficiency. To review the UK evidence on whether provider financial incentives are an effective way of improving the quality of health care. Systematic review of UK evidence, undertaken in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations. MEDLINE and Embase databases were searched in August 2016. Original articles that assessed the relationship between UK provider financial incentives and a quantitative measure of quality of health care were included. Studies showing improvement for all measures of quality of care were defined as 'positive', those that were 'intermediate' showed improvement in some measures, and those classified as 'negative' showed a worsening of measures. Studies showing no effect were documented as such. Quality was assessed using the Downs and Black quality checklist. Of the 232 published articles identified by the systematic search, 28 were included. Of these, nine reported positive effects of incentives on quality of care, 16 reported intermediate effects, two reported no effect, and one reported a negative effect. Quality assessment scores for included articles ranged from 15 to 19, out of a maximum of 22 points. The effects of UK provider financial incentives on healthcare quality are unclear. Owing to this uncertainty and their significant costs, use of them may be counterproductive to their goal of improving healthcare quality and efficiency. UK policymakers should be cautious when implementing these incentives - if used, they should be subject to careful long-term monitoring and evaluation. Further research is needed to assess whether provider financial incentives represent a cost-effective intervention to improve the quality of care delivered in the UK. © British Journal of General Practice 2017.

Memory of childbirth in the second year: the long-term effect of a negative birth experience and its modulation by the perceived intranatal relationship with caregivers.

PubMed

Stadlmayr, W; Amsler, F; Lemola, S; Stein, S; Alt, M; Bürgin, D; Surbek, D; Bitzer, J

2006-12-01

To assess the memory of various subdimensions of the birth experience in the second year postpartum, and to identify women in the first weeks postpartum at risk of developing a long-term negative memory. DESIGN, METHOD, OUTCOME MEASURES: New mothers' birth experience (BE) was assessed 48-96 hours postpartum (T1) by means of the SIL-Ger and the BBCI (perception of intranatal relationships); early postnatal adjustment (week 3 pp: T1(bis)) was also assessed. Then, four subgroups of women were defined by means of a cluster-analysis, integrating the T1/T1(bis) variables. To evaluate the memory of the BE, the SIL-Ger was again applied in the second year after childbirth (T2). First, the ratings of the SIL-Ger dimensions of T1 were compared to those at T2 in the whole sample. Then, the four subgroups were compared with respect to their ratings of the birth experience at T2 (correlations, ANOVAs and t-tests). In general, fulfillment, emotional adaptation, physical discomfort, and anxiety improve spontaneously over the first year postpartum, whereas in negative emotional experience, control, and time-going-slowly no shift over time is observed. However, women with a negative overall birth experience and a low level of perceived intranatal relationship at T1 run a high risk of retaining a negative memory in all of the seven subdimensions of the birth experience. Women at risk of developing a negative long-term memory of the BE can be identified at the time of early postpartum, when the overall birth experience and the perceived intranatal relationship are taken into account.

A longitudinal analysis of chronic arm morbidity following breast cancer surgery.

PubMed

Boquiren, Virginia M; Hack, Thomas F; Thomas, Roanne L; Towers, Anna; Kwan, Winkle B; Tilley, Andrea; Quinlan, Elizabeth; Miedema, Baukje

2016-06-01

Arm morbidity (AM) arising from breast cancer (BC) treatment can detrimentally impact quality of life; often limiting a survivor's ability to participate in valued activities. The present study explored (a) the developmental time course of AM [restricted range of motion (ROM), pain, and arm volume changes], negative affect, and perceived disability in the immediate years post-surgery, and (b) the mediating role of perceived disability on the relationship between AM and negative affect over time. In this 5-year longitudinal study, BC survivors from four Canadian oncology clinics (n = 431) completed five annual clinical assessments, where differences in ROM (shoulder abduction, external rotation) and arm volume between the affected and non-affected arm were measured. The profile of mood states (POMS), disability of arm, shoulder, hand, and McGill Pain Questionnaire-Short form were completed. Results from general linear modeling showed that AM, negative affect, and perceived disability were greatest 1-year post-surgery, declined, and with the exception of arm volume changes, were significantly lower 5 years later. Negative affect was significantly associated with restrictions in shoulder abduction and external rotation (average r = -0.15; p < 0.05) and present arm pain (average r = 0.28, p < 0.01) at most assessments. The mediating role of perceived disability on the relationship between AM and negative affect was statistically significant in a majority of assessments. Perceived disability is the underlying factor driving the relationship between AM and mood disturbance over time. Rehabilitative therapy to improve survivors' functional well-being might mitigate the negative impacts of AM on emotional health.

Assessment of Biomarkers Associated with Joint Injury and Subsequent Post-Traumatic Arthritis

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-01

models of the patella and patellar cartilage (Geomagic Studio, Research Triangle Park, NC). Changes in cartilage thickness between post -operative... quantitative scales, and "Assessment of Biomarkers Associated with Joint Injury and Subsequent Post -Traumatic Arthritis" Start date: 9/30/2012 PIs...Geomagic®). Positive and negative deviations of the bone surface were measured, and defined as the distance to a test surface ( post -fx bone surface

A Systematic Review of the Psychometric Properties of Composite LGBT Prejudice and Discrimination Scales.

PubMed

Morrison, Melanie A; Bishop, C J; Morrison, Todd G

2018-01-08

Prejudice and discrimination against LGBT individuals is widespread and has been shown to have negative consequences for sexual and gender minority persons' physical and psychological wellbeing. A recent and problematic trend in the literature is to compositely measure prejudice toward and discrimination against LGBT persons. As such, a review of the psychometric properties of scales assessing, in a combinatory fashion, negative attitudes and/or behaviors toward LGBT persons is warranted. In the current study, 32 scales were identified, and their psychometric properties were evaluated. Most of the scales reviewed did not provide sufficient information regarding item development and refinement, scale dimensionality, scale score reliability, or validity. Properties of the reviewed scales are summarized, and recommendations for better measurement practice are articulated.

Validation of the Social Exercise and Anxiety Measure (SEAM): Assessing fears, avoidance, and importance of social exercise

PubMed Central

Levinson, Cheri A.; Rodebaugh, Thomas L.; Menatti, Andrew R.; Weeks, Justin W.

2012-01-01

In two studies (N = 416; N = 118) examining responses from undergraduates, we developed the Social Exercise and Anxiety Measure (SEAM) and tested its factorial, convergent, and divergent validity. Our results demonstrate that the SEAM exhibits an excellent three factor structure consisting of the following subscales: Social Exercise Self-efficacy, Gym Avoidance, and Exercise Importance. In both studies, Social Exercise Self-efficacy correlated negatively and Gym Avoidance correlated positively with social interaction anxiety, fear of scrutiny, and fear of negative evaluation. Exercise Importance correlated positively with frequency of exercise and frequency of public exercise. Implications for the mental and physical health of individuals with high levels of social anxiety are discussed. PMID:24244069

Global and Local Evaluations of Public Speaking Performance in Social Anxiety

PubMed Central

Cody, Meghan W.; Teachman, Bethany A.

2012-01-01

Differences in the relative use of global and local information (seeing the forest versus the trees) may explain why people with social anxiety often do not benefit from corrective feedback, even though they pay close attention to details in social situations. In the current study, participants high (n = 43) or low (n = 47) in social anxiety symptoms gave a series of brief speeches, and then self-rated their speaking performance on items reflecting global and local performance indicators (self assessment) and also received standardized performance feedback from an experimenter. Participants then completed a questionnaire asking how they thought the experimenter would rate their performance based on the feedback provided (experimenter assessment). Participants completed the self and experimenter assessments again after three days, in addition to a measure of post-event processing (repetitive negative thinking) about their speech performance. Results showed that, as hypothesized, the high social anxiety group rated their performance more negatively than the low social anxiety group did. Moreover, the high social anxiety group’s ratings of global aspects of their performance became relatively more negative over time, compared to their ratings of local aspects and the low social anxiety group’s ratings. As expected, post-event processing mediated the relationship between social anxiety group status and worsening global performance evaluations. These findings point to a pattern of progressively more negative global evaluations over time for persons high in social anxiety. PMID:22035989

Therapist-Aided Exposure for Women with Lifelong Vaginismus: Mediators of Treatment Outcome: A Randomized Waiting List Control Trial.

PubMed

Ter Kuile, Moniek M; Melles, Reinhilde J; Tuijnman-Raasveld, Charlotte C; de Groot, Helen E; van Lankveld, Jacques J D M

2015-08-01

Therapist-aided exposure seems an effective treatment for lifelong vaginismus, but mechanisms of action have not yet been established. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether treatment outcome of a therapist-aided exposure treatment was mediated by changes in positive and negative penetration beliefs or feelings of sexual disgust. Participants with lifelong vaginismus were allocated at random to a 3-month exposure (n = 35) or a waiting list control condition (n = 35). Full intercourse was assessed daily during 12 weeks. Secondary outcome measures (complaints about vaginismus and coital pain) were assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks. Possible mediators: penetration beliefs (catastrophic pain beliefs, genital incompatibility beliefs, perceived control beliefs) and feelings of sexual disgust were assessed at baseline and 6 weeks. Treatment outcome (coital frequency, symptoms of vaginismus, and coital pain) at 12 weeks was mediated by changes in negative and positive penetration beliefs at 6 weeks, in particular by more pronounced reduction of catastrophic pain penetration beliefs. No evidence was found that changes in feelings of sexual disgust mediated treatment outcome. The results strongly suggest that therapist-aided exposure affects negative penetration beliefs and that these changes in negative penetration beliefs mediate treatment outcome in women with lifelong vaginismus. Implications for treatment are discussed. © 2015 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Castellated tiles as the beam-facing components for the diagnostic calorimeter of the negative ion source SPIDER

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Peruzzo, S., E-mail: simone.peruzzo@igi.cnr.it; Cervaro, V.; Dalla Palma, M.

2016-02-15

This paper presents the results of numerical simulations and experimental tests carried out to assess the feasibility and suitability of graphite castellated tiles as beam-facing component in the diagnostic calorimeter of the negative ion source SPIDER (Source for Production of Ions of Deuterium Extracted from Radio frequency plasma). The results indicate that this concept could be a reliable, although less performing, alternative for the present design based on carbon fiber composite tiles, as it provides thermal measurements on the required spatial scale.

Castellated tiles as the beam-facing components for the diagnostic calorimeter of the negative ion source SPIDER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peruzzo, S.; Cervaro, V.; Dalla Palma, M.; Delogu, R.; De Muri, M.; Fasolo, D.; Franchin, L.; Pasqualotto, R.; Pimazzoni, A.; Rizzolo, A.; Tollin, M.; Zampieri, L.; Serianni, G.

2016-02-01

This paper presents the results of numerical simulations and experimental tests carried out to assess the feasibility and suitability of graphite castellated tiles as beam-facing component in the diagnostic calorimeter of the negative ion source SPIDER (Source for Production of Ions of Deuterium Extracted from Radio frequency plasma). The results indicate that this concept could be a reliable, although less performing, alternative for the present design based on carbon fiber composite tiles, as it provides thermal measurements on the required spatial scale.

Multimethod assessment of psychopathy in relation to factors of internalizing and externalizing from the Personality Assessment Inventory: the impact of method variance and suppressor effects.

PubMed

Blonigen, Daniel M; Patrick, Christopher J; Douglas, Kevin S; Poythress, Norman G; Skeem, Jennifer L; Lilienfeld, Scott O; Edens, John F; Krueger, Robert F

2010-03-01

Research to date has revealed divergent relations across factors of psychopathy measures with criteria of internalizing (INT; anxiety, depression) and externalizing (EXT; antisocial behavior, substance use). However, failure to account for method variance and suppressor effects has obscured the consistency of these findings across distinct measures of psychopathy. Using a large correctional sample, the current study employed a multimethod approach to psychopathy assessment (self-report, interview and file review) to explore convergent and discriminant relations between factors of psychopathy measures and latent criteria of INT and EXT derived from the Personality Assessment Inventory (Morey, 2007). Consistent with prediction, scores on the affective-interpersonal factor of psychopathy were negatively associated with INT and negligibly related to EXT, whereas scores on the social deviance factor exhibited positive associations (moderate and large, respectively) with both INT and EXT. Notably, associations were highly comparable across the psychopathy measures when accounting for method variance (in the case of EXT) and when assessing for suppressor effects (in the case of INT). Findings are discussed in terms of implications for clinical assessment and evaluation of the validity of interpretations drawn from scores on psychopathy measures. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved.

Multi-method Assessment of Psychopathy in Relation to Factors of Internalizing and Externalizing from the Personality Assessment Inventory: The Impact of Method Variance and Suppressor Effects

PubMed Central

Blonigen, Daniel M.; Patrick, Christopher J.; Douglas, Kevin S.; Poythress, Norman G.; Skeem, Jennifer L.; Lilienfeld, Scott O.; Edens, John F.; Krueger, Robert F.

2010-01-01

Research to date has revealed divergent relations across factors of psychopathy measures with criteria of internalizing (INT; anxiety, depression) and externalizing (EXT; antisocial behavior, substance use). However, failure to account for method variance and suppressor effects has obscured the consistency of these findings across distinct measures of psychopathy. Using a large correctional sample, the current study employed a multi-method approach to psychopathy assessment (self-report, interview/file review) to explore convergent and discriminant relations between factors of psychopathy measures and latent criteria of INT and EXT derived from the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; L. Morey, 2007). Consistent with prediction, scores on the affective-interpersonal factor of psychopathy were negatively associated with INT and negligibly related to EXT, whereas scores on the social deviance factor exhibited positive associations (moderate and large, respectively) with both INT and EXT. Notably, associations were highly comparable across the psychopathy measures when accounting for method variance (in the case of EXT) and when assessing for suppressor effects (in the case of INT). Findings are discussed in terms of implications for clinical assessment and evaluation of the validity of interpretations drawn from scores on psychopathy measures. PMID:20230156

Utility of proverb interpretation measures with cardiac transplant candidates.

PubMed

Dugbartey, A T

1998-12-01

To assess metaphorical understanding and proverb interpretation in cardiac transplant candidates, the neuropsychological assessment records of 22 adults with end-stage cardiac disease under consideration for transplantation were analyzed. Neuropsychological tests consisted of the Controlled Oral Word Association Test, Halstead Category Test, Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (Copy), Trial Making Test, and summed scores for the proverb items of the WAIS-R Comprehension subtest. Analysis showed that the group tended to interpret proverbs literally. Proverb scores were significantly associated with scores on the Similarities and Picture Arrangement subtests of the WAIS-R. There was a moderate negative association between number of reported heart attacks and Proverb scores. The need for brief yet robust assessments including measures of inferential thinking and conceptualization in transplant candidates are highlighted.

Sensible organizations: technology and methodology for automatically measuring organizational behavior.

PubMed

Olguin Olguin, Daniel; Waber, Benjamin N; Kim, Taemie; Mohan, Akshay; Ara, Koji; Pentland, Alex

2009-02-01

We present the design, implementation, and deployment of a wearable computing platform for measuring and analyzing human behavior in organizational settings. We propose the use of wearable electronic badges capable of automatically measuring the amount of face-to-face interaction, conversational time, physical proximity to other people, and physical activity levels in order to capture individual and collective patterns of behavior. Our goal is to be able to understand how patterns of behavior shape individuals and organizations. By using on-body sensors in large groups of people for extended periods of time in naturalistic settings, we have been able to identify, measure, and quantify social interactions, group behavior, and organizational dynamics. We deployed this wearable computing platform in a group of 22 employees working in a real organization over a period of one month. Using these automatic measurements, we were able to predict employees' self-assessments of job satisfaction and their own perceptions of group interaction quality by combining data collected with our platform and e-mail communication data. In particular, the total amount of communication was predictive of both of these assessments, and betweenness in the social network exhibited a high negative correlation with group interaction satisfaction. We also found that physical proximity and e-mail exchange had a negative correlation of r = -0.55 (p 0.01), which has far-reaching implications for past and future research on social networks.

Demographic Group Differences in Adolescents' Time Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andretta, James R.; Worrell, Frank C.; Mello, Zena R.; Dixson, Dante D.; Baik, Sharon H.

2013-01-01

In the present study, we examined demographic differences in time attitudes in a sample of 293 adolescents. Time attitudes were measured using the Adolescent Time Attitude Scale (Mello & Worrell, 2007; Worrell, Mello, & Buhl, 2011), which assesses positive and negative attitudes toward the past, the present, and the future. Generally, African…

The Luria-Nebraska Children's Battery: Is It Too Sensitive?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flagler, Sally; And Others

The relationship between children's cognitive developmental level, as assessed by Piagetian tasks, and their performance on measures of intellectual and neuropsychological functioning was studied. Eight female and 22 male children--ages 8 to 12 years (mean=10.3)--with negative electroencephalographs and neurologic screening and no history of brain…

75 FR 17940 - Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment for the Evaluation of the Grant Programs Directorate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-08

... and emergency preparedness grant programs that it administers. These programs provide grant funding to... effects of communication facilities construction or modification subject to review by the Federal... have or are likely to have a measurable negative effect on migratory bird populations. Avian mortality...

A Latent Class Analysis of Victimization among Middle and High School Students in California

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berkowitz, Ruth; De Pedro, Kris Tunac; Gilreath, Tamika D.

2015-01-01

School victimization is associated with negative social-emotional outcomes and risky behaviors. Most studies have provided definitions and measures of victimization, depicting a limited characterization of victimization in schools. More nuanced analyses of school victimization are needed to assess the heterogeneous pattern of victimization in…

Children's Perceptions of Tests: A Content Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bulgan, Gokce

2018-01-01

Anxiety that students experience during test taking negatively influences their academic achievement. Understanding how students perceive tests and how they feel during test taking could help in taking effective preventive measures. Hence, the current study focused on assessing children's perceptions of tests using content analysis. The sample…

A GRAPHICAL DIAGNOSTIC METHOD FOR ASSESSING THE ROTATION IN FACTOR ANALYTICAL MODELS OF ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION. (R831078)

EPA Science Inventory

Factor analytic tools such as principal component analysis (PCA) and positive matrix factorization (PMF), suffer from rotational ambiguity in the results: different solutions (factors) provide equally good fits to the measured data. The PMF model imposes non-negativity of both...

Electronic and School-Based Victimization: Unique Contexts for Adjustment Difficulties during Adolescence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fredstrom, Bridget K.; Adams, Ryan E.; Gilman, Rich

2011-01-01

Previous research suggests that school-based and electronic victimization have similar negative consequences, yet it is unclear whether these two contexts offer overlapping or unique associations with adolescents' adjustment. 802 ninth-graders (43% male, mean age = 15.84 years), majority being Caucasian (82%), completed measures assessing the…

Associations between Student Achievement and Student Learning: Implications for Value-Added School Accountability Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ready, Douglas David

2013-01-01

Accountability systems that measure student learning rather than student achievement have the potential to more accurately evaluate school quality. However, one methodological concern has remained surprisingly absent from discussions of value-added modeling. Standardized assessments that exhibit either positive or negative correlations between…

Driving Anger and Driving Behavior in Adults with ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richards, Tracy L.; Deffenbacher, Jerry L.; Rosen, Lee A.; Barkley, Russell A.; Rodricks, Trisha

2006-01-01

Objective: This study assesses whether anger in the context of driving is associated with the negative driving outcomes experienced by individuals with ADHD. Method: ADHD adults (n = 56) complete measures of driving anger, driving anger expression, angry thoughts behind the wheel, and aggressive, risky, and crash-related behavior. Results are…

Simultaneous Fluorescent Gram Staining and Activity Assessment of Activated Sludge Bacteria

PubMed Central

Forster, Scott; Snape, Jason R.; Lappin-Scott, Hilary M.; Porter, Jonathan

2002-01-01

Wastewater treatment is one of the most important commercial biotechnological processes, and yet the component bacterial populations and their associated metabolic activities are poorly understood. The novel fluorescent dye hexidium iodide allows assessment of Gram status by differential absorption through bacterial cell walls. Differentiation between gram-positive and gram-negative wastewater bacteria was achieved after flow cytometric analysis. This study shows that the relative proportions of gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial cells identified by traditional microscopy and hexidium iodide staining were not significantly different. Dual staining of cells for Gram status and activity proved effective in analyzing mixtures of cultured bacteria and wastewater populations. Levels of highly active organisms at two wastewater treatment plants, both gram positive and gram negative, ranged from 1.5% in activated sludge flocs to 16% in the activated sludge fluid. Gram-positive organisms comprised <5% of the total bacterial numbers but accounted for 19 and 55% of the highly active organisms within flocs at the two plants. Assessment of Gram status and activity within activated sludge samples over a 4-day period showed significant differences over time. This method provides a rapid, quantitative measure of Gram status linked with in situ activity within wastewater systems. PMID:12324319

BDNF serum levels in schizophrenic patients during treatment augmentation with sarcosine (results of the PULSAR study).

PubMed

Strzelecki, Dominik; Kałużyńska, Olga; Wysokiński, Adam

2016-08-30

Finding a relationship between schizophrenia symptoms severity and initial level of BDNF and its changes during augmentation of antipsychotic treatment with sarcosine. 57 individuals with schizophrenia with predominantly negative symptoms completed a 6-month RCT prospective study. The patients received 2g of sarcosine (n=27) or placebo (n=30) daily. At the beginning, after 6 weeks and 6 months BDNF levels were measured. Severity of symptoms was assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS). BDNF serum levels were stable after 6 weeks and 6 months in both groups. We noted improvement in negative symptoms, general psychopathology and total PANSS score in sarcosine group comparing to placebo, however there was no correlations between serum BDNF concentrations and PANSS scores in all assessments. Initial serum BDNF concentrations cannot be used as a predictor of the improvement resulting from adding sarcosine. Our results indicate that either BDNF is not involved in the NMDA-dependent mechanism of sarcosine action or global changes in BDNF concentrations induced by amino-acid cannot be detected in blood assessments. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous fluorescent gram staining and activity assessment of activated sludge bacteria.

PubMed

Forster, Scott; Snape, Jason R; Lappin-Scott, Hilary M; Porter, Jonathan

2002-10-01

Wastewater treatment is one of the most important commercial biotechnological processes, and yet the component bacterial populations and their associated metabolic activities are poorly understood. The novel fluorescent dye hexidium iodide allows assessment of Gram status by differential absorption through bacterial cell walls. Differentiation between gram-positive and gram-negative wastewater bacteria was achieved after flow cytometric analysis. This study shows that the relative proportions of gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial cells identified by traditional microscopy and hexidium iodide staining were not significantly different. Dual staining of cells for Gram status and activity proved effective in analyzing mixtures of cultured bacteria and wastewater populations. Levels of highly active organisms at two wastewater treatment plants, both gram positive and gram negative, ranged from 1.5% in activated sludge flocs to 16% in the activated sludge fluid. Gram-positive organisms comprised <5% of the total bacterial numbers but accounted for 19 and 55% of the highly active organisms within flocs at the two plants. Assessment of Gram status and activity within activated sludge samples over a 4-day period showed significant differences over time. This method provides a rapid, quantitative measure of Gram status linked with in situ activity within wastewater systems.

Negative Emotions and Suicidal Ideation during Psychosocial Treatments in Older Adults with Major Depression and Cognitive Impairment.

PubMed

Kiosses, Dimitris N; Gross, James J; Banerjee, Samprit; Duberstein, Paul R; Putrino, David; Alexopoulos, George S

2017-06-01

To examine the relationship of negative emotions with suicidal ideation during 12 weeks of Problem Adaptation Therapy (PATH) versus Supportive Therapy of Cognitively Impaired Older Adults (ST-CI), hypothesizing that improved negative emotions are associated with reduced suicidal ideation, PATH improves negative emotions more than ST-CI, and improved negative emotions, rather than other depression symptoms, predict reduction in suicidal ideation. In a randomized controlled trial of two home-delivered psychosocial interventions, 74 older participants (65-95 years old) with major depressive disorder and cognitive impairment were recruited in collaboration with community agencies. The sample reported less intense feelings than suicidal intention. Interventions and assessments were conducted in participants' homes. PATH focuses on improving emotion regulation, whereas ST-CI focuses on nonspecific therapeutic factors, such as understanding and empathy. Improved negative emotions were measured as improvement in Montgomery Asberg's Depression Rating Scales' (MADRS) observer ratings of sadness, anxiety, guilt, hopelessness, and anhedonia. Suicidal ideation was assessed with the MADRS Suicide Item. MADRS Negative Emotions scores were significantly associated with suicidal ideation during the course of treatment (F [1,165]  = 12.73, p = 0.0005). PATH participants had significantly greater improvement in MADRS emotions than ST-CI participants (treatment group by time: F [1,63.2]  = 7.02, p = 0.0102). Finally, improved negative emotions, between lagged and follow-up interview, significantly predicted reduction in suicidal ideation at follow-up interview (F [1, 96]  = 9.95, p = 0.0022). Findings thatimprovement in negative emotions mediates reduction in suicidal ideation may guide the development of psychosocial interventions for reduction of suicidal ideation (clinicaltrials.gov; NCT00368940). Copyright © 2017 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Association between physical pain and alcohol treatment outcomes: The mediating role of negative affect.

PubMed

Witkiewitz, Katie; McCallion, Elizabeth; Vowles, Kevin E; Kirouac, Megan; Frohe, Tessa; Maisto, Stephen A; Hodgson, Ray; Heather, Nick

2015-12-01

Physical pain and negative affect have been described as risk factors for alcohol use following alcohol treatment. The current study was a secondary analysis of 2 clinical trials for alcohol use disorder (AUD) to examine the associations between pain, negative affect and AUD treatment outcomes. Participants included 1,383 individuals from the COMBINE Study (COMBINE Pharmacotherapies and Behavioral Interventions for Alcohol Dependence; COMBINE Study Research Group, 2003; 31% female, 23% ethnic minorities, average age = 44.4 [SD = 10.2]), a multisite combination pharmacotherapy and behavioral intervention study for AUD in the United States, and 742 individuals from the United Kingdom Alcohol Treatment Trial (UKATT Research Team, 2001; 25.9% female, 4.4% ethnic minorities, average age = 41.6 [SD = 10.1]) a multisite behavioral intervention study for AUD in the United Kingdom. The Form-90 was used to collect alcohol use data, the Short Form Health Survey and Quality of Life measures were used to assess pain, and negative affect was assessed using the Brief Symptom Inventory (COMBINE) and the General Health Questionnaire (UKATT). Pain scores were significantly associated with drinking outcomes in both datasets. Greater pain scores were associated with greater negative affect and increases in pain were associated with increases in negative affect. Negative affect significantly mediated the association between pain and drinking outcomes and this effect was moderated by social behavior network therapy (SBNT) in the UKATT study, with SBNT attenuating the association between pain and drinking. Findings suggest pain and negative affect are associated among individuals in AUD treatment and that negative affect mediated pain may be a risk factor for alcohol relapse. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Smoking in Pregnancy and Fetal Growth: The Case for More Intensive Assessment.

PubMed

Shisler, Shannon; Eiden, Rina D; Molnar, Danielle S; Schuetze, Pamela; Huestis, Marilyn; Homish, Gregory

2017-05-01

Many studies on prenatal tobacco exposure (PTE) effects have relied on single item retrospective measures of PTE. However, it is unclear how these single item measures may relate to more intensive maternal self-reports and to biological markers of maternal use and/or fetal exposure. It is also unclear whether these measures may be more valid predictors of fetal growth (gestational age, birthweight, head circumference, and birth length). Data were obtained from 258 women during their pregnancy. PTE was assessed by four methods: a single item question, a calendar-based self-report measure from each trimester of pregnancy, maternal salivary cotinine assays, and nicotine and metabolites in infant meconium. We hypothesized that the more intensive measures and biological assays would account for additional variance in birth outcomes, above and beyond the single item measure. The single item self-report measure was not related to fetal growth. However, the more intensive calendar based self-report measure and the biological assays of PTE (ie, maternal salivary assays and infant meconium) were significant predictors of poor fetal growth, even with the single item measure in the model. The negative effects of PTE on important child outcomes may be greatly underestimated in the literature as many studies use single item self-report measures to ascertain PTE. Whereas more intensive self-report measures or biological assays may be cost prohibitive in large scale epidemiological studies, using a combination of measures when possible should be considered given their superiority both identifying prenatal smokers and predicting poor fetal growth. The present work underscores the importance of measurement issues when assessing associations between PTE and fetal growth. Results suggest that we may be greatly underestimating the negative effects of prenatal smoking on fetal growth and other important child outcomes if we rely solely on restricted single item self-report measures of prenatal smoking. Researchers should consider more intensive prospective self-report measures and biological assays as viable and superior alternatives to single item self-report measures. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) to Define Different Domains of Negative Symptoms: Prediction of Everyday Functioning by Impairments in Emotional Expression and Emotional Experience.

PubMed

Harvey, Philip D; Khan, Anzalee; Keefe, Richard S E

2017-12-01

Background: Reduced emotional experience and expression are two domains of negative symptoms. The authors assessed these two domains of negative symptoms using previously developed Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) factors. Using an existing dataset, the authors predicted three different elements of everyday functioning (social, vocational, and everyday activities) with these two factors, as well as with performance on measures of functional capacity. Methods: A large (n=630) sample of people with schizophrenia was used as the data source of this study. Using regression analyses, the authors predicted the three different aspects of everyday functioning, first with just the two Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale factors and then with a global negative symptom factor. Finally, we added neurocognitive performance and functional capacity as predictors. Results: The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale reduced emotional experience factor accounted for 21 percent of the variance in everyday social functioning, while reduced emotional expression accounted for no variance. The total Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale negative symptom factor accounted for less variance (19%) than the reduced experience factor alone. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale expression factor accounted for, at most, one percent of the variance in any of the functional outcomes, with or without the addition of other predictors. Implications: Reduced emotional experience measured with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, often referred to as "avolition and anhedonia," specifically predicted impairments in social outcomes. Further, reduced experience predicted social impairments better than emotional expression or the total Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale negative symptom factor. In this cross-sectional study, reduced emotional experience was specifically related with social outcomes, accounting for essentially no variance in work or everyday activities, and being the sole meaningful predictor of impairment in social outcomes.

The Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS): Independent validation in a large sample of Italian patients with schizophrenia.

PubMed

Mucci, A; Galderisi, S; Merlotti, E; Rossi, A; Rocca, P; Bucci, P; Piegari, G; Chieffi, M; Vignapiano, A; Maj, M

2015-07-01

The Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS) was developed to address the main limitations of the existing scales for the assessment of negative symptoms of schizophrenia. The initial validation of the scale by the group involved in its development demonstrated good convergent and discriminant validity, and a factor structure confirming the two domains of negative symptoms (reduced emotional/verbal expression and anhedonia/asociality/avolition). However, only relatively small samples of patients with schizophrenia were investigated. Further independent validation in large clinical samples might be instrumental to the broad diffusion of the scale in clinical research. The present study aimed to examine the BNSS inter-rater reliability, convergent/discriminant validity and factor structure in a large Italian sample of outpatients with schizophrenia. Our results confirmed the excellent inter-rater reliability of the BNSS (the intraclass correlation coefficient ranged from 0.81 to 0.98 for individual items and was 0.98 for the total score). The convergent validity measures had r values from 0.62 to 0.77, while the divergent validity measures had r values from 0.20 to 0.28 in the main sample (n=912) and in a subsample without clinically significant levels of depression and extrapyramidal symptoms (n=496). The BNSS factor structure was supported in both groups. The study confirms that the BNSS is a promising measure for quantifying negative symptoms of schizophrenia in large multicenter clinical studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

"A gift wrapped in barbed wire" positive and negative life changes after being diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease.

PubMed

Purc-Stephenson, Rebecca; Bowlby, Desirae; Qaqish, S T

2015-05-01

A growing interest in posttraumatic growth among individuals who have experienced a traumatic event has given rise to measures such as the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI; Tedeschi and Calhoun, 1996). However, such measures may not fully represent all dimensions of change among individuals diagnosed with a chronic disease and fail to highlight the negative changes that may also occur. This study explores the positive and negative changes patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have experienced since diagnosis. Three hundred and seventy-eight IBD patients provided answers to the qualitative question "Could you please describe the (positive/negative) effect(s) IBD has had on your life?" A grounded theory approach using NVivo was performed on participants' responses. Nearly 73 % of participants reported their disease positively affected their life in some way, and five themes related to positive changes emerged from the analysis: Interpersonal Relations, Personal Growth, Valuing Life, New Life Paths, and Spiritual Growth. However, almost 80 % of participants also reported their disease negatively affected their lives, with three themes emerging from the analysis: Freedom Restrictions, Psychological Side Effects, and Social Isolation. Our results support previous findings but also reveal that some dimensions related to the positive changes following adversity are not adequately assessed by the PTGI (e.g., appraising existing friendships, openness to try different forms of treatment or therapies, and psychological preparedness). The implications of these findings for future measurement and research of posttraumatic growth with IBD patients are discussed.

Predictors of positive and negative parenting behaviours: evidence from the ALSPAC cohort.

PubMed

Thomson, Rachel M; Allely, Clare S; Purves, David; Puckering, Christine; McConnachie, Alex; Johnson, Paul C D; Golding, Jean; Gillberg, Christopher; Wilson, Philip

2014-10-03

This study aimed to establish the predictors of positive and negative parenting behaviours in a United Kingdom population. The majority of previous research has focused on specific risk factors and has used a variety of outcome measures. This study used a single assessment of parenting behaviours and started with a wide range of potential pre- and post-natal variables; such an approach might be used to identify families who might benefit from parenting interventions. Using a case-control subsample of 160 subjects from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), regression analysis was undertaken to model parenting behaviours at 12 months as measured by the Mellow Parenting Observational System. Positive parenting increased with maternal age at delivery, levels of education and with prenatal anxiety. More negative interactions were observed among younger mothers, mothers with male infants, with prenatal non-smokers and among mothers who perceived they had a poor support structure. This study indicates two factors which may be important in identifying families most at risk of negative parenting: younger maternal age at delivery and lack of social support during pregnancy. Such factors could be taken into account when planning provision of services such as parenting interventions. We also established that male children were significantly more likely to be negatively parented, a novel finding which may suggest an area for future research. However the findings have to be accepted cautiously and have to be replicated, as the measures used do not have established psychometric validity and reliability data.

The biological roots of political extremism.

PubMed

Keene, Justin Robert; Shoenberger, Heather; Berke, Collin K; Bolls, Paul D

2017-01-01

Recent research has revealed the complex origins of political identification and the possible effects of this identification on social and political behavior. This article reports the results of a structural equation analysis of national survey data that attempts to replicate the finding that an individual's negativity bias predicts conservative ideology. The analysis employs the Motivational Activation Measure (MAM) as an index of an individual's positivity offset and negativity bias. In addition, information-seeking behavior is assessed in relation to traditional and interactive media sources of political information. Results show that although MAM does not consistently predict political identification, it can be used to predict extremeness of political views. Specifically, high negativity bias was associated with extreme conservatism, whereas low negativity bias was associated with extreme liberalism. In addition, political identification was found to moderate the relationship between motivational traits and information-seeking behavior.

Assessing Global Marine Biodiversity Status within a Coupled Socio-Ecological Perspective

PubMed Central

Selig, Elizabeth R.; Longo, Catherine; Halpern, Benjamin S.; Best, Benjamin D.; Hardy, Darren; Elfes, Cristiane T.; Scarborough, Courtney; Kleisner, Kristin M.; Katona, Steven K.

2013-01-01

People value the existence of a variety of marine species and habitats, many of which are negatively impacted by human activities. The Convention on Biological Diversity and other international and national policy agreements have set broad goals for reducing the rate of biodiversity loss. However, efforts to conserve biodiversity cannot be effective without comprehensive metrics both to assess progress towards meeting conservation goals and to account for measures that reduce pressures so that positive actions are encouraged. We developed an index based on a global assessment of the condition of marine biodiversity using publically available data to estimate the condition of species and habitats within 151 coastal countries. Our assessment also included data on social and ecological pressures on biodiversity as well as variables that indicate whether good governance is in place to reduce them. Thus, our index is a social as well as ecological measure of the current and likely future status of biodiversity. As part of our analyses, we set explicit reference points or targets that provide benchmarks for success and allow for comparative assessment of current conditions. Overall country-level scores ranged from 43 to 95 on a scale of 1 to 100, but countries that scored high for species did not necessarily score high for habitats. Although most current status scores were relatively high, likely future status scores for biodiversity were much lower in most countries due to negative trends for both species and habitats. We also found a strong positive relationship between the Human Development Index and resilience measures that could promote greater sustainability by reducing pressures. This relationship suggests that many developing countries lack effective governance, further jeopardizing their ability to maintain species and habitats in the future. PMID:23593188

Genetic and environmental correlations between subjective wellbeing and experience of life events in adolescence.

PubMed

Wootton, Robyn E; Davis, Oliver S P; Mottershaw, Abigail L; Wang, R Adele H; Haworth, Claire M A

2017-09-01

Some life events appear heritable due to the genetic influence on related behaviours. Shared genetic influence between negative behaviours and negative life events has previously been established. This study investigated whether subjective wellbeing and positive life events were genetically associated. Participants in the Twins Early Development Study (aged 16.32 ± .68 years) completed subjective wellbeing and life events assessments via two separate studies (overlapping N for wellbeing and life events measures ranged from 3527 to 9350). We conducted bivariate twin models between both positive and negative life events with subjective wellbeing and related positive psychological traits including subjective happiness, life satisfaction, optimism, hopefulness and gratitude measured at 16 years. Results suggested that the heritability of life events can partially be explained by shared genetic influences with the wellbeing indicators. Wellbeing traits were positively genetically correlated with positive life events and negatively correlated with negative life events (except curiosity where there was no correlation). Those positive traits that drive behaviour (grit and ambition) showed the highest genetic correlation with life events, whereas the reflective trait gratitude was less correlated. This suggests that gene-environment correlations might explain the observed genetic association between life events and wellbeing. Inheriting propensity for positive traits might cause you to seek environments that lead to positive life events and avoid environments which make negative life events more likely.

The challenge of change in acute mental health services: measuring staff perceptions of barriers to change and their relationship to job status and satisfaction using a new measure (VOCALISE).

PubMed

Laker, Caroline; Callard, Felicity; Flach, Clare; Williams, Paul; Sayer, Jane; Wykes, Til

2014-02-20

Health services are subject to frequent changes, yet there has been insufficient research to address how staff working within these services perceive the climate for implementation. Staff perceptions, particularly of barriers to change, may affect successful implementation and the resultant quality of care. This study measures staff perceptions of barriers to change in acute mental healthcare. We identify whether occupational status and job satisfaction are related to these perceptions, as this might indicate a target for intervention that could aid successful implementation. As there were no available instruments capturing staff perceptions of barriers to change, we created a new measure (VOCALISE) to assess this construct. All nursing staff from acute in-patient settings in one large London mental health trust were eligible. Using a participatory method, a nurse researcher interviewed 32 staff to explore perceptions of barriers to change. This generated a measure through thematic analyses and staff feedback (N = 6). Psychometric testing was undertaken according to standard guidelines for measure development (N = 40, 42, 275). Random effects models were used to explore the associations between VOCALISE, occupational status, and job satisfaction (N = 125). VOCALISE was easy to understand and complete, and showed acceptable reliability and validity. The factor analysis revealed three underlying constructs: 'confidence,' 'de-motivation' and 'powerlessness.' Staff with negative perceptions of barriers to change held more junior positions, and had poorer job satisfaction. Qualitatively, nursing assistants expressed a greater sense of organisational unfairness in response to change. VOCALISE can be used to explore staff perceptions of implementation climate and to assess how staff attitudes shape the successful outcomes of planned changes. Negative perceptions were linked with poor job satisfaction and to those occupying more junior roles, indicating a negative climate for implementation in those groups. Staff from these groups may therefore need special attention prior to implementing changes in mental health settings.

Beyond bipolar conceptualizations and measures: the case of attitudes and evaluative space.

PubMed

Cacioppo, J T; Gardner, W L; Berntson, G G

1997-01-01

All organisms must be capable of differentiating hostile from hospitable stimuli to survive. Typically, this evaluative discrimination is conceptualized as being bipolar (hostile-hospitable). This conceptualization is certainly evident in the area of attitudes, where the ubiquitous bipolar attitude measure, by gauging the net affective predisposition toward a stimulus, treats positive and negative evaluative processes as equivalent, reciprocally activated, and interchangeable. Contrary to conceptualizations of this evaluative process as bipolar, recent evidence suggests that distinguishable motivational systems underlie assessments of the positive and negative significance of a stimulus. Thus, a stimulus may vary in terms of the strength of positive evaluative activation and the strength of negative evaluative activation it evokes. Low activation of positive and negative evaluative processes by a stimulus reflects attitude neutrality or indifference, whereas high activation of positive and negative evaluative processes reflects attitude ambivalence. As such, attitudes can be represented more completely within a bivariate space than along a bipolar continuum. Evidence is reviewed showing that the positive and negative evaluative processes underlying many attitudes are distinguishable (stochastically and functionally independent), are characterized by distinct activation functions (positivity offset and negativity bias principles), are related differentially to attitude ambivalence (corollary of ambivalence asymmetries), have distinguishable antecedents (heteroscedacity principle), and tend to gravitate from a bivariate toward a bipolar structure when the underlying beliefs are the target of deliberation or a guide for behavior (principle of motivational certainty). The implications for society phenomena such as political elections and democratic structures are discussed.

Reducing, Maintaining, or Escalating Uncertainty? The Development and Validation of Four Uncertainty Preference Scales Related to Cancer Information Seeking and Avoidance.

PubMed

Carcioppolo, Nick; Yang, Fan; Yang, Qinghua

2016-09-01

Uncertainty is a central characteristic of many aspects of cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment. Brashers's (2001) uncertainty management theory details the multifaceted nature of uncertainty and describes situations in which uncertainty can both positively and negatively affect health outcomes. The current study extends theory on uncertainty management by developing four scale measures of uncertainty preferences in the context of cancer. Two national surveys were conducted to validate the scales and assess convergent and concurrent validity. Results support the factor structure of each measure and provide general support across multiple validity assessments. These scales can advance research on uncertainty and cancer communication by providing researchers with measures that address multiple aspects of uncertainty management.

The Role of Sexual Abuse and Dysfunctional Attitudes in Perceived Stress and Negative Mood in Pregnant Adolescents: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study

PubMed Central

Walsh, Kate; Basu, Archana; Monk, Catherine

2014-01-01

Study Objective Latinas have the highest rates of adolescent pregnancy in the US. Identifying means to improve the well-being among these young women is critical. The current study examined whether a history of child sexual abuse — itself a risk factor for adolescent pregnancy — was associated with more perceived stress and negative mood over the course of pregnancy and whether dysfunctional attitudes explained these associations. Design and Setting This mixed methods study involved lab-based assessments of perceived stress, sexual abuse history, and dysfunctional attitudes as well as Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMA) of mood states every 30 minutes during a 24-hour period once during each trimester of pregnancy. Participants Pregnant adolescents (n = 204, 85% Latina). Main Outcome Measures EMA mood states and lab-based retrospective self–reports of perceived stress. Results One in four pregnant adolescents had a history of sexual abuse. Sexually abused adolescents reported greater perceived stress during the first trimester relative to those without, though the groups did not differ on EMA negative mood ratings. Dysfunctional attitudes explained associations between sexual abuse and perceived stress. Sexual abuse was indirectly associated with the intercept and slope of negative mood through dysfunctional attitudes. Findings were circumscribed to sexual abuse and not other types of child abuse. Conclusions Identifying sexually abused pregnant adolescents and providing support and cognitive therapy to target dysfunctional beliefs may decrease stress during the first trimester as well as negative affect throughout pregnancy. PMID:26130137

Severity of psychosis syndrome and change of metabolic abnormality in chronic schizophrenia patients: severe negative syndrome may be related to a distinct lipid pathophysiology.

PubMed

Chen, S-F; Hu, T-M; Lan, T-H; Chiu, H-J; Sheen, L-Y; Loh, E-W

2014-03-01

Metabolic abnormality is common among schizophrenia patients. Some metabolic traits were found associated with subgroups of schizophrenia patients. We examined a possible relationship between metabolic abnormality and psychosis profile in schizophrenia patients. Three hundred and seventy-two chronic schizophrenia patients treated with antipsychotics for more than 2 years were assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. A set of metabolic traits was measured at scheduled checkpoints between October 2004 and September 2006. Multiple regressions adjusted for sex showed negative correlations between body mass index (BMI) and total score and all subscales; triglycerides (TG) was negatively correlated with total score and negative syndrome, while HDLC was positively correlated with negative syndrome. When sex interaction was concerned, total score was negatively correlated with BMI but not with others; negative syndrome was negatively correlated with BMI and positively with HDLC. No metabolic traits were correlated with positive syndrome or general psychopathology. Loss of body weight is a serious health problem in schizophrenia patients with severe psychosis syndrome, especially the negative syndrome. Schizophrenia patients with severe negative syndrome may have a distinct lipid pathophysiology in comparison with those who were less severe in the domain. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Relation between the Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Score and Muscle Strength in Post-Cardiac Surgery Patients.

PubMed

Izawa, Kazuhiro P; Kasahara, Yusuke; Hiraki, Koji; Hirano, Yasuyuki; Watanabe, Satoshi

2017-11-27

Background: The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire is a valid and reliable patient-reported outcome measure. DASH can be assessed by self-reported upper extremity disability and symptoms. We aimed to examine the relationship between the physiological outcome of muscle strength and the DASH score after cardiac surgery. Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed 50 consecutive cardiac patients that were undergoing cardiac surgery. Physiological outcomes of handgrip strength and knee extensor muscle strength and the DASH score were measured at one month after cardiac surgery and were assessed. Results were analyzed using Spearman correlation coefficients. Results: The final analysis comprised 43 patients (men: 32, women: 11; age: 62.1 ± 9.1 years; body mass index: 22.1 ± 4.7 kg/m²; left ventricular ejection fraction: 53.5 ± 13.7%). Respective handgrip strength, knee extensor muscle strength, and DASH score were 27.4 ± 8.3 kgf, 1.6 ± 0.4 Nm/kg, and 13.3 ± 12.3, respectively. The DASH score correlated negatively with handgrip strength ( r = -0.38, p = 0.01) and with knee extensor muscle strength ( r = -0.32, p = 0.04). Conclusion: Physiological outcomes of both handgrip strength and knee extensor muscle strength correlated negatively with the DASH score. The DASH score appears to be a valuable tool with which to assess cardiac patients with poor physiological outcomes, particularly handgrip strength as a measure of upper extremity function, which is probably easier to follow over time than lower extremity function after patients complete cardiac rehabilitation.

Development and Validation of a Scale Assessing Mental Health Clinicians' Experiences of Associative Stigma.

PubMed

Yanos, Philip T; Vayshenker, Beth; DeLuca, Joseph S; O'Connor, Lauren K

2017-10-01

Mental health professionals who work with people with serious mental illnesses are believed to experience associative stigma. Evidence suggests that associative stigma could play an important role in the erosion of empathy among professionals; however, no validated measure of the construct currently exists. This study examined the convergent and discriminant validity and factor structure of a new scale assessing the associative stigma experiences of clinicians working with people with serious mental illnesses. A total of 473 clinicians were recruited from professional associations in the United States and participated in an online study. Participants completed the Clinician Associative Stigma Scale (CASS) and measures of burnout, quality of care, expectations about recovery, and self-efficacy. Associative stigma experiences were commonly endorsed; eight items on the 18-item scale were endorsed as being experienced "sometimes" or "often" by over 50% of the sample. The new measure demonstrated a logical four-factor structure: "negative stereotypes about professional effectiveness," "discomfort with disclosure," "negative stereotypes about people with mental illness," and "stereotypes about professionals' mental health." The measure had good internal consistency. It was significantly related to measures of burnout and quality of care, but it was not related to measures of self-efficacy or expectations about recovery. Findings suggest that the CASS is internally consistent and shows evidence of convergent validity and that associative stigma is commonly experienced by mental health professionals who work with people with serious mental illnesses.

When do self-discrepancies predict negative emotions? Exploring formal operational thought and abstract reasoning skills as moderators.

PubMed

Stevens, Erin N; Holmberg, Nicole J; Lovejoy, M Christine; Pittman, Laura D

2014-01-01

Individual differences in higher-order cognitive abilities may be an important piece to understanding how and when self-discrepancies lead to negative emotions. In the current study, three measures of reasoning abilities were considered as potential moderators of the relationship between self-discrepancies and depression and anxiety symptoms. Participants (N = 162) completed measures assessing self-discrepancies, depression and anxiety symptoms, and were administered measures examining formal operational thought, and verbal and non-verbal abstract reasoning skills. Both formal operational thought and verbal abstract reasoning were significant moderators of the relationship between actual:ideal discrepancies and depressive symptoms. Discrepancies predicted depressive symptoms for individuals with higher levels of formal operational thought and verbal abstract reasoning skills, but not for those with lower levels. The discussion focuses on the need to consider advanced reasoning skills when examining self-discrepancies.

Assessing Attention Control in Goal Pursuit: A Component of Dispositional Self-Regulation

PubMed Central

Diehl, Manfred; Semegon, Angelenia B.; Schwarzer, Ralf

2008-01-01

We examined the psychometric properties of the Self-Regulation Scale (SRS; Schwarzer, Diehl, & Schmitz, 1999), a measure of attention control in goal pursuit, in 2 independent studies. Study 1 included young adults (N = 443), whereas Study 2 included young, middle-aged, and older adults (N = 330). In both studies, the SRS showed good internal consistency. In Study 1, the SRS also showed satisfactory test–retest reliability over a 6-week period. We found support for the criterion validity of the SRS in terms of positive correlations with measures of general and domain-specific self-efficacy, proactive coping, and positive affect and in terms of negative correlations with depressive symptoms and negative affect. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that attention control accounted for unique portions of variance in relevant outcome variables above and beyond measures of self-efficacy and proactive coping. PMID:16740114

The Role of BDNF Genotype, Parental Depression, and Relationship Discord in Predicting Early-Emerging Negative Emotionality

PubMed Central

Hayden, Elizabeth P.; Klein, Daniel N.; Dougherty, Lea R.; Olino, Thomas M.; Dyson, Margaret W.; Durbin, C. Emily; Sheikh, Haroon I.; Singh, Shiva M.

2012-01-01

The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene is a plausible candidate for early-emerging negative emotionality (NE), and evidence suggests that the effects of this gene may be especially salient in the context of familial risk for child maladjustment. We therefore examined whether the BDNF val66met polymorphism was associated with child NE in the context of parental depression and relationship discord. A sample of 413 three-year-old children was assessed for NE using standardized laboratory measures. Parents completed clinical interviews and a measure of marital satisfaction. Children with at least one BDNF met allele exhibited elevated NE when a parent had a history of depressive disorder, or when relationship discord was present. In contrast, this allele was associated with especially low NE when parent depression was absent, and when the parental relationship was not discordant. Findings suggest that the BDNF met allele confers increased child sensitivity to both positive and negative familial influences. PMID:20921572

Non-linear Heart Rate Variability as a Discriminator of Internalizing Psychopathology and Negative Affect in Children With Internalizing Problems and Healthy Controls

PubMed Central

Fiskum, Charlotte; Andersen, Tonje G.; Bornas, Xavier; Aslaksen, Per M.; Flaten, Magne A.; Jacobsen, Karl

2018-01-01

Background: Internalizing psychopathology and dysregulated negative affect are characterized by dysregulation in the autonomic nervous system and reduced heart rate variability (HRV) due to increases in sympathetic activity alongside reduced vagal tone. The neurovisceral system is however, a complex nonlinear system, and nonlinear indices related to psychopathology are so far less studied in children. Essential nonlinear properties of a system can be found in two main domains: the informational domain and the invariant domain. sample entropy (SampEn) is a much-used method from the informational domain, while detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) represents a widely-used method from the invariant domain. To see if nonlinear HRV can provide information beyond linear indices of autonomic activation, this study investigated SampEn and DFA as discriminators of internalizing psychopathology and negative affect alongside measures of vagally-mediated HRV and sympathetic activation. Material and Methods: Thirty-Two children with internalizing difficulties and 25 healthy controls (aged 9–13) were assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist and the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire, Revised, giving an estimate of internalizing psychopathology, negative affect and effortful control, a protective factor against psychopathology. Five minute electrocardiogram and impedance cardiography recordings were collected during a resting baseline, giving estimates of SampEn, DFA short-term scaling exponent α1, root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), and pre-ejection period (PEP). Between-group differences and correlations were assessed with parametric and non-parametric tests, and the relationships between cardiac variables, psychopathology and negative affect were assessed using generalized linear modeling. Results: SampEn and DFA were not significantly different between the groups. SampEn was weakly negatively related to heart rate (HR) in the controls, while DFA was moderately negatively related to RMSSD in both groups, and moderately positively related to HR in the clinical sample. SampEn was significantly associated with internalizing psychopathology and negative affect. DFA was significantly related to internalizing psychopathology. Conclusions: Higher invariant self-similarity was linked to less psychopathology. Higher informational entropy was related to less psychopathology and less negative affect, and may provide an index of the organizational flexibility of the neurovisceral system. PMID:29875679

Non-linear Heart Rate Variability as a Discriminator of Internalizing Psychopathology and Negative Affect in Children With Internalizing Problems and Healthy Controls.

PubMed

Fiskum, Charlotte; Andersen, Tonje G; Bornas, Xavier; Aslaksen, Per M; Flaten, Magne A; Jacobsen, Karl

2018-01-01

Background: Internalizing psychopathology and dysregulated negative affect are characterized by dysregulation in the autonomic nervous system and reduced heart rate variability (HRV) due to increases in sympathetic activity alongside reduced vagal tone. The neurovisceral system is however, a complex nonlinear system, and nonlinear indices related to psychopathology are so far less studied in children. Essential nonlinear properties of a system can be found in two main domains: the informational domain and the invariant domain. sample entropy (SampEn) is a much-used method from the informational domain, while detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) represents a widely-used method from the invariant domain. To see if nonlinear HRV can provide information beyond linear indices of autonomic activation, this study investigated SampEn and DFA as discriminators of internalizing psychopathology and negative affect alongside measures of vagally-mediated HRV and sympathetic activation. Material and Methods: Thirty-Two children with internalizing difficulties and 25 healthy controls (aged 9-13) were assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist and the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire, Revised, giving an estimate of internalizing psychopathology, negative affect and effortful control, a protective factor against psychopathology. Five minute electrocardiogram and impedance cardiography recordings were collected during a resting baseline, giving estimates of SampEn, DFA short-term scaling exponent α 1 , root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), and pre-ejection period (PEP). Between-group differences and correlations were assessed with parametric and non-parametric tests, and the relationships between cardiac variables, psychopathology and negative affect were assessed using generalized linear modeling. Results: SampEn and DFA were not significantly different between the groups. SampEn was weakly negatively related to heart rate (HR) in the controls, while DFA was moderately negatively related to RMSSD in both groups, and moderately positively related to HR in the clinical sample. SampEn was significantly associated with internalizing psychopathology and negative affect. DFA was significantly related to internalizing psychopathology. Conclusions: Higher invariant self-similarity was linked to less psychopathology. Higher informational entropy was related to less psychopathology and less negative affect, and may provide an index of the organizational flexibility of the neurovisceral system.

Introduction to the special issue on the personality assessment inventory.

PubMed

Kurtz, John E; Blais, Mark A

2007-02-01

This special issue of the Journal of Personality Assessment brings together 13 new research studies on the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991) that should inform users and stimulate future empirical activity with this measure. In 4 articles, authors evaluate the validity scales and indexes of the PAI using both analog and criterion designs and samples from a variety of clinical and forensic settings. In a 5th article, the authors describe a novel approach to profile interpretation using two PAI negative distortion measures. The authors present applications of the PAI to new populations and problems including a German translation of the PAI and profile information for male batterers and victims of head injury. The authors of 2 studies extend research on the validity of the PAI for the assessment of borderline personality disorder. In the final 3 studies, the authors evaluate the validity of PAI measures of violence and aggression to predict subsequent aggressive behavior and institutional misconduct. Finally, the authors offer several suggestions for future research with the PAI.

The association between automatic thoughts about eating, the actual-ideal weight discrepancies, and eating disorders symptoms: a longitudinal study in late adolescence.

PubMed

Zarychta, Karolina; Luszczynska, Aleksandra; Scholz, Urte

2014-06-01

This study tested the reciprocal relationships between automatic thoughts about eating and the actual-ideal weight discrepancies, and their role in the formation and maintenance of eating disorders (ED) symptoms in a non-clinical sample of adolescents. In particular, we investigated whether thoughts about eating mediated the effects of weight discrepancies on ED formation and whether weight discrepancies mediated the effects of thoughts about eating on ED formation were investigated. Data were collected three times, with a 2-month interval between Time 1 (T1) and Time 2 (T2), and a 9-month interval between T2 and Time 3 (T3). Adolescents (N = 55) aged 15-18 filled out the SCOFF Questionnaire, assessing eating disorders symptoms, and the Eating Disorder Thoughts Questionnaire, evaluating automatic thoughts. To assess weight discrepancies questions about actual (subjectively reported) and ideal body weight were asked followed by objective measurement of height and weight. Negative thoughts about eating (T2) mediated the relation between weight discrepancies (T1) and symptoms of anorexia and bulimia (T3). In addition, the association between negative thoughts (T1) and eating disorders symptoms (T3) was mediated by weight discrepancies (T2). The negative thoughts and the actual (both subjectively reported and objectively measured)-ideal weight discrepancies constitute a vicious cycle, related to higher ED symptoms. Prevention of eating disorders should be directed to adolescents who manifest large weight discrepancies or high levels of negative thoughts about eating, as they are at risk for developing eating disorder symptoms.

Concurrent validity and reliability of wireless instrumented insoles measuring postural balance and temporal gait parameters.

PubMed

Oerbekke, Michiel S; Stukstette, Mirelle J; Schütte, Kurt; de Bie, Rob A; Pisters, Martijn F; Vanwanseele, Benedicte

2017-01-01

The OpenGo seems promising to take gait analysis out of laboratory settings due to its capability of long-term measurements and mobility. However, the OpenGo's concurrent validity and reliability need to be assessed to determine if the instrument is suitable for validation in patient samples. Twenty healthy volunteers participated. Center of pressure data were collected under eyes open and closed conditions with participants performing unilateral stance trials on the gold standard (AMTI OR6-7 force plate) while wearing the OpenGo. Temporal gait data (stance time, gait cycle time, and cadence) were collected at a self-selected comfortable walking speed with participants performing test-retest trials on an instrumented treadmill while wearing the OpenGo. Validity was assessed using Bland-Altman plots. Reliability was assessed with Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (2,1) and smallest detectable changes were calculated. Negative means of differences were found in all measured parameters, illustrating lower scores for the OpenGo on average. The OpenGo showed negative upper limits of agreement in center of pressure parameters on the mediolateral axis. Temporal reliability ICCs ranged from 0.90-0.93. Smallest detectable changes for both stance times were 0.04 (left) and 0.05 (right) seconds, for gait cycle time 0.08s, and for cadence 4.5 steps per minute. The OpenGo is valid and reliable for the measurement of temporal gait parameters during walking. Measurements of center of pressure parameters during unilateral stance are not considered valid. The OpenGo seems a promising instrument for clinically screening and monitoring temporal gait parameters in patients, however validation in patient populations is needed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chronic stress experience and burnout syndrome have appreciable influence on health-related quality of life in patients with psoriasis.

PubMed

Breuer, K; Göldner, F M; Jäger, B; Werfel, T; Schmid-Ott, G

2015-10-01

Psoriasis has a negative impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and may favour mental comorbidity. To investigate the contribution of chronic stress and burnout experience to HRQoL and how mental health influences the efficacy of an inpatient rehabilitation measure in psoriasis patients. Eighty-four psoriasis patients taking part in a 3-week inpatient rehabilitation measure participated in the study. Severity of psoriasis was assessed with the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and by patients' self-evaluation at the beginning and end of treatment. The following aspects of mental health were explored using validated questionnaires. Symptoms of chronic stress and burnout experience: Trier Inventory for the Assessment of Chronic Stress (TICS) and Shirom Melamed Burnout Measure (SMBM). Symptoms of depression: depression scale of the Patient Health Questionnaire in the German version (PHQ-D). HRQoL: Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Short Form Health Survey-8 (SF-8). Linear regression analyses revealed that chronic stress, burnout experience and perceived symptom severity but not clinician-assessed severity of psoriasis had independent negative effects on HRQoL. Patients who achieved a PASI reduction of <75% at discharge from the rehabilitation measure had lower baseline QoL and showed more symptoms of depression, chronic stress and burnout than patients who achieved a PASI improvement of ≥75. Chronic stress and burnout have appreciable influence on HRQoL and may adversely affect treatment success in psoriasis patients. Our data underscore the importance of a multidimensional approach in the management of psoriasis. © 2015 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

Modus operandi and affect in Sweden: the Swedish version of the Regulatory Mode Questionnaire

PubMed Central

Nima, Ali Al; Mihailovic, Marko

2017-01-01

Background The Regulatory Mode Questionnaire (RMQ) is the most used and internationally well-known instrument for the measurement of individual differences in the two self-regulatory modes: locomotion (i.e., the aspect of self-regulation that is concerned with movement from state to state) and assessment (i.e., the comparative aspect of self-regulation). The aim of the present study was to verify the independence of the two regulatory modes, as postulated by the Regulatory Mode Theory (Kruglanski et al., 2000), and the psychometric properties of the RMQ in the Swedish context. Furthermore, we investigated the relationship between regulatory modes (locomotion and assessment) and affective well-being (i.e., positive affect and negative affect). Method A total of 655 university and high school students in the West of Sweden (males = 408 females = 242, and five participants who didn’t report their gender; agemean = 21.93 ± 6.51) responded to the RMQ and the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule. We conducted two confirmatory factor analyses using structural equation modeling (SEM). A third SEM was conducted to test the relationship between locomotion and assessment to positive affect and negative affect. Results The first analyses confirmed the unidimensional factor structure of locomotion and assessment and both scales showed good reliability. The assessment scale, however, was modified by dropping item 10 (“I don’t spend much time thinking about ways others could improve themselves”.) because it showed low loading (.07, p = .115). Furthermore, the effect of locomotion on positive affect was stronger than the effect of assessment on positive affect (Z = −15.16, p < .001), while the effect of assessment on negative affect was stronger than the effect of locomotion on negative affect (Z = 10.73, p < .001). Conclusion The factor structure of the Swedish version of the RMQ is, as Regulatory Mode Theory suggests, unidimensional and it showed good reliability. The scales discriminated between the two affective well-being dimensions. We suggest that the Swedish version of the RMQ, with only minor modifications, is a useful instrument to tap individual differences in locomotion and assessment. Hence, the present study contributes to the validation of the RMQ in the Swedish culture and adds support to the theoretical framework of self-regulatory mode. PMID:29181282

Cognitive correlates of anxious and depressive symptomatology: an examination of the Helplessness/Hopelessness model.

PubMed

Waikar, S V; Craske, M G

1997-01-01

Expectancies about future life events were assessed in anxious and depressed patients to test predictions of the Helplessness/Hopelessness model of anxiety and depression (Alloy, Kelly, Mineka, & Clements, 1990). In addition to expectancies for future events, patients from affective and anxiety treatment clinics completed anxiety and depression symptom ratings and positive and negative affects scales. Findings revealed partial support for the model. Negative outcome and helplessness expectancies were related specifically to depression. Cognitions regarding future positive events were interrelated and associated with symptom measures more strongly than were cognitions regarding negative events. Additionally, positive affects was more strongly related to depression than to anxiety symptom ratings. Implications and limitations of these findings are discussed.

Measuring intergroup ideologies: positive and negative aspects of emphasizing versus looking beyond group differences.

PubMed

Hahn, Adam; Banchefsky, Sarah; Park, Bernadette; Judd, Charles M

2015-12-01

Research on interethnic relations has focused on two ideologies, asking whether it is best to de-emphasize social-category differences (colorblind) or emphasize and celebrate differences (multicultural). We argue each of these can manifest with negative outgroup evaluations: Assimilationism demands that subordinate groups adopt dominant group norms to minimize group distinctions; segregationism holds that groups should occupy separate spheres. Parallel versions can be identified for intergender relations. Scales to measure all four ideologies are developed both for ethnicity (Studies 1 and 2) and gender (Studies 3 and 4). Results demonstrate that the ideologies can be reliably measured, that the hypothesized four-factor models are superior to alternative models with fewer factors, and that the ideologies relate as predicted to the importance ascribed to group distinctions, subordinate group evaluations, and solution preferences for intergroup conflict scenarios. We argue that this fourfold model can help clarify theory and measurement, allowing a more nuanced assessment of ideological attitudes. © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Network Compression as a Quality Measure for Protein Interaction Networks

PubMed Central

Royer, Loic; Reimann, Matthias; Stewart, A. Francis; Schroeder, Michael

2012-01-01

With the advent of large-scale protein interaction studies, there is much debate about data quality. Can different noise levels in the measurements be assessed by analyzing network structure? Because proteomic regulation is inherently co-operative, modular and redundant, it is inherently compressible when represented as a network. Here we propose that network compression can be used to compare false positive and false negative noise levels in protein interaction networks. We validate this hypothesis by first confirming the detrimental effect of false positives and false negatives. Second, we show that gold standard networks are more compressible. Third, we show that compressibility correlates with co-expression, co-localization, and shared function. Fourth, we also observe correlation with better protein tagging methods, physiological expression in contrast to over-expression of tagged proteins, and smart pooling approaches for yeast two-hybrid screens. Overall, this new measure is a proxy for both sensitivity and specificity and gives complementary information to standard measures such as average degree and clustering coefficients. PMID:22719828

Evaluating the Surface Topography of Pyrolytic Carbon Finger Prostheses through Measurement of Various Roughness Parameters

PubMed Central

Naylor, Andrew; Talwalkar, Sumedh C.; Trail, Ian A.; Joyce, Thomas J.

2016-01-01

The articulating surfaces of four different sizes of unused pyrolytic carbon proximal interphalangeal prostheses (PIP) were evaluated though measuring several topographical parameters using a white light interferometer: average roughness (Sa); root mean-square roughness (Sq); skewness (Ssk); and kurtosis (Sku). The radii of the articulating surfaces were measured using a coordinate measuring machine, and were found to be: 2.5, 3.3, 4.2 and 4.7 mm for proximal, and 4.0, 5.1, 5.6 and 6.3 mm for medial components. ANOVA was used to assess the relationship between the component radii and each roughness parameter. Sa, Sq and Ssk correlated negatively with radius (p = 0.001, 0.001, 0.023), whilst Sku correlated positively with radius (p = 0.03). Ergo, the surfaces with the largest radii possessed the better topographical characteristics: low roughness, negative skewness, high kurtosis. Conversely, the surfaces with the smallest radii had poorer topographical characteristics. PMID:27089375

An exploration of the role of subordinate affect in leader evaluations.

PubMed

Martinko, Mark J; Mackey, Jeremy D; Moss, Sherry E; Harvey, Paul; McAllister, Charn P; Brees, Jeremy R

2018-03-26

Leadership research has been encumbered by a proliferation of constructs and measures, despite little evidence that each is sufficiently conceptually and operationally distinct from the others. We draw from research on subordinates' implicit theories of leader behavior, behaviorally anchored rating scales, and decision making to argue that leader affect (i.e., the degree to which subordinates have positive and negative feelings about their supervisors) underlies the common variance shared by many leadership measures. To explore this possibility, we developed and validated measures of positive and negative leader affect (i.e., the Leader Affect Questionnaires; LAQs). We conducted 10 studies to develop the five-item positive and negative LAQs and to examine their convergent, discriminant, predictive, and criterion-related validity. We conclude that a) the LAQs provide highly reliable and valid tools for assessing subordinates' evaluations of their leaders; b) there is significant overlap between existing leadership measures, and a large proportion of this overlap is a function of the affect captured by the LAQs; c) when the LAQs are used as control variables, in most cases, they reduce the strength of relationships between leadership measures and other variables; d) the LAQs account for significant variance in outcomes beyond that explained by other leadership measures; and e) there is a considerable amount of unexplained variance between leadership measures that the LAQs do not capture. Research suggestions are provided and the implications of our results are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Relationships between stress, negative emotions, resilience, and smoking: Testing a moderated mediation model

PubMed Central

Wang, Yan; Chen, Xinguang; Gong, Jie; Yan, Yaqiong

2016-01-01

Objective More effective tobacco prevention and cessation programs require in-depth understanding of the mechanism by which multiple factors interact with each other to affect smoking behaviors. Stress has long been recognized as a risk factor for smoking. However, the underlying mediation and moderation mechanisms are far from clear. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of negative emotions in mediating the link between stress and smoking and whether this indirect link was modified by resilience. Methods Survey data were collected using audio computer assisted self-interview (ACASI) from a large random sample of urban residents (n=1249, mean age = 35.1, 45.3% male) in Wuhan, China. Perceived stress, negative emotions (anxiety, depression), resilience were measured with reliable instruments also validated in China. Self-reported smoking was validated with exhaled carbon monoxide. Results Mediation analysis indicated that two negative emotions fully mediated the link between stress and intensity of smoking (assessed by number of cigarettes smoked per day, effect = .082 for anxiety and .083 for depression) and nicotine dependence (assessed by DSM-IV standard, effect = .134 for anxiety and .207 for depression). Moderated mediation analysis demonstrated that the mediation effects of negative emotions were negatively associated with resilience. Conclusions Results suggest resilience interacts with stress and negative emotions to affect the risk of tobacco use and nicotine dependence among Chinese adults. Further research with longitudinal data is needed to verify the findings of this study and to estimate the effect size of resilience in tobacco intervention and cessation programs. PMID:26894428

Sleep Efficiency Modulates Associations Between Family Stress and Adolescent Depressive Symptoms and Negative Affect.

PubMed

Chiang, Jessica J; Kim, Joanna J; Almeida, David M; Bower, Julienne E; Dahl, Ronald E; Irwin, Michael R; McCreath, Heather; Fuligni, Andrew J

2017-10-01

The goal of this study was to determine whether sleep moderates the associations between family-related stress and depressive symptoms and negative affect outcomes during adolescence. We combined traditional survey measures of stress and depressive symptoms with daily assessments of stress and negative affect to examine whether sleep differentially impacts the link between chronic and acute experiences of stress and affect. Participants were 316 adolescents from ethnically diverse backgrounds. Primary caregivers and adolescents reported on stressful family events during the past 12 and 3 months, respectively. Adolescents also reported on their daily experiences of family demands for 15 days and wore actigraph watches for the assessment of sleep during the first eight nights. Regression analyses revealed that more stressful family events were related to more depressive symptoms. This relation was stronger among adolescents with lower sleep efficiency. The same pattern emerged for the relation between daily family demands and negative affect aggregated across the 15 days. Daily-level analyses indicated that daily negative affect was related to daily family demands when sleep efficiency was higher than usual, but only among European American adolescents. These findings suggest that chronic experiences of lower sleep efficiency, but not sleep duration, may render adolescents more vulnerable to the negative effects of family stress on emotional adjustment. A more complex picture emerged for the role of prior night's sleep in the day-to-day variation in negative affect reactivity to family stress. Copyright © 2017 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment of parental behavioral consistency: Associations with parental stress and child ADHD symptoms.

PubMed

Li, James J; Lansford, Jennifer E

2018-06-01

Inconsistent parental discipline is a robust correlate of child attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, but few studies have considered the role of inconsistent positive parenting on ADHD, as well as the effects of stress on negative and positive parental consistency. This study advanced a novel ecological momentary assessment (EMA) using participant smartphones to measure parental consistency, and examined its associations with family, social, and parenting-related dimensions of stress and child ADHD symptoms. Participants were 184 kindergartners with and without ADHD and their parents. Harsh and warm dimensions of parental behavior were assessed using questionnaires, observations, and an EMA administered through parents' smartphones, which measured parent-child behaviors every day for a period of 1 week. Family, social, and parenting-related stress were assessed from questionnaires, and child ADHD symptoms were assessed from a fully structured diagnostic interview with the parent. Child ADHD symptoms were associated with variability in warm parenting behaviors, and higher levels of parenting-related stress were related to greater variability in harsh parenting behaviors. No significant interactions were detected between parental stress and child ADHD on parental variability. These findings suggest that different factors influence the consistency in parenting behavior, depending on whether positive parenting or negative parenting is assessed. Parent-based treatment programs for children with ADHD should include a stronger focus on reducing stress from parenting (e.g., teaching coping skills for parents), as this may lead to greater consistency in parental behavior more generally, and presumably better child outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Factor structure of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) in adult women with fibromyalgia from Southern Spain: the al-Ándalus project.

PubMed

Estévez-López, Fernando; Pulido-Martos, Manuel; Armitage, Christopher J; Wearden, Alison; Álvarez-Gallardo, Inmaculada C; Arrayás-Grajera, Manuel Javier; Girela-Rejón, María J; Carbonell-Baeza, Ana; Aparicio, Virginia A; Geenen, Rinie; Delgado-Fernández, Manuel; Segura-Jiménez, Víctor

2016-01-01

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome characterized by the presence of widespread chronic pain. People with fibromyalgia report lower levels of Positive Affect and higher levels of Negative Affect than non-fibromyalgia peers. The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)-a widely used questionnaire to assess two core domains of affect; namely 'Positive Affect' and 'Negative Affect' -has a controversial factor structure varying across studies. The internal structure of a measurement instrument has an impact on the meaning and validity of its score. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the structural construct validity of the PANAS in adult women with fibromyalgia. This population-based cross-sectional study included 442 adult women with fibromyalgia (age: 51.3 ± 7.4 years old) from Andalusia (Southern Spain). Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to test the factor structure of the PANAS. A structure with two correlated factors (Positive Affect and Negative Affect) obtained the best fit; S-B χ(2) = 288.49, df = 155, p < .001; RMSEA = .04; 90% CI of RMSEA = (.036, .052); the best fit SRMR = .05; CFI = .96; CAIC = -810.66, respectively. The present study demonstrates that both Positive Affect and Negative Affect are core dimensions of affect in adult women with fibromyalgia. A structure with two correlated factors of the PANAS emerged from our sample of women with fibromyalgia from Andalusia (Southern Spain). In this model, the amount of variance shared by Positive Affect and Negative Affect was small. Therefore, our findings support to use and interpret the Positive Affect and Negative Affect subscales of the PANAS as separate factors that are associated but distinctive as well.

Eye tracking detects disconjugate eye movements associated with structural traumatic brain injury and concussion.

PubMed

Samadani, Uzma; Ritlop, Robert; Reyes, Marleen; Nehrbass, Elena; Li, Meng; Lamm, Elizabeth; Schneider, Julia; Shimunov, David; Sava, Maria; Kolecki, Radek; Burris, Paige; Altomare, Lindsey; Mehmood, Talha; Smith, Theodore; Huang, Jason H; McStay, Christopher; Todd, S Rob; Qian, Meng; Kondziolka, Douglas; Wall, Stephen; Huang, Paul

2015-04-15

Disconjugate eye movements have been associated with traumatic brain injury since ancient times. Ocular motility dysfunction may be present in up to 90% of patients with concussion or blast injury. We developed an algorithm for eye tracking in which the Cartesian coordinates of the right and left pupils are tracked over 200 sec and compared to each other as a subject watches a short film clip moving inside an aperture on a computer screen. We prospectively eye tracked 64 normal healthy noninjured control subjects and compared findings to 75 trauma subjects with either a positive head computed tomography (CT) scan (n=13), negative head CT (n=39), or nonhead injury (n=23) to determine whether eye tracking would reveal the disconjugate gaze associated with both structural brain injury and concussion. Tracking metrics were then correlated to the clinical concussion measure Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 3 (SCAT3) in trauma patients. Five out of five measures of horizontal disconjugacy were increased in positive and negative head CT patients relative to noninjured control subjects. Only one of five vertical disconjugacy measures was significantly increased in brain-injured patients relative to controls. Linear regression analysis of all 75 trauma patients demonstrated that three metrics for horizontal disconjugacy negatively correlated with SCAT3 symptom severity score and positively correlated with total Standardized Assessment of Concussion score. Abnormal eye-tracking metrics improved over time toward baseline in brain-injured subjects observed in follow-up. Eye tracking may help quantify the severity of ocular motility disruption associated with concussion and structural brain injury.

Eye Tracking Detects Disconjugate Eye Movements Associated with Structural Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion

PubMed Central

Ritlop, Robert; Reyes, Marleen; Nehrbass, Elena; Li, Meng; Lamm, Elizabeth; Schneider, Julia; Shimunov, David; Sava, Maria; Kolecki, Radek; Burris, Paige; Altomare, Lindsey; Mehmood, Talha; Smith, Theodore; Huang, Jason H.; McStay, Christopher; Todd, S. Rob; Qian, Meng; Kondziolka, Douglas; Wall, Stephen; Huang, Paul

2015-01-01

Abstract Disconjugate eye movements have been associated with traumatic brain injury since ancient times. Ocular motility dysfunction may be present in up to 90% of patients with concussion or blast injury. We developed an algorithm for eye tracking in which the Cartesian coordinates of the right and left pupils are tracked over 200 sec and compared to each other as a subject watches a short film clip moving inside an aperture on a computer screen. We prospectively eye tracked 64 normal healthy noninjured control subjects and compared findings to 75 trauma subjects with either a positive head computed tomography (CT) scan (n=13), negative head CT (n=39), or nonhead injury (n=23) to determine whether eye tracking would reveal the disconjugate gaze associated with both structural brain injury and concussion. Tracking metrics were then correlated to the clinical concussion measure Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 3 (SCAT3) in trauma patients. Five out of five measures of horizontal disconjugacy were increased in positive and negative head CT patients relative to noninjured control subjects. Only one of five vertical disconjugacy measures was significantly increased in brain-injured patients relative to controls. Linear regression analysis of all 75 trauma patients demonstrated that three metrics for horizontal disconjugacy negatively correlated with SCAT3 symptom severity score and positively correlated with total Standardized Assessment of Concussion score. Abnormal eye-tracking metrics improved over time toward baseline in brain-injured subjects observed in follow-up. Eye tracking may help quantify the severity of ocular motility disruption associated with concussion and structural brain injury. PMID:25582436

Impacts of social support on symptoms in Brazilian women with fibromyalgia.

PubMed

Freitas, Rodrigo Pegado de Abreu; Andrade, Sandra Cristina de; Spyrides, Maria Helena Constantino; Micussi, Maria Thereza Albuquerque Barbosa Cabral; Sousa, Maria Bernardete Cordeiro de

We aimed to assess the impact of social support on symptoms in Brazilian women with FM. An observational, descriptive study enrolling 66 women who met the 1990 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria. Social support was measured by the Social Support Survey (MOS-SSS), functionality was evaluated using the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), depression was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), anxiety was measured using the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAS), affectivity was measured by Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), and algometry was carried out to record pressure pain threshold (PPth) and tolerance (PPTo) at 18 points recommended by the ACR. Patients were divided into normal (NSS) or poor social support (PSS) groups with PSS defined as having a MOS-SSS score below the 25th percentile of the entire sample. Mann-Whitney or Unpaired t-test were used to compare intergroup variables and Fisher's for categorical variables. Analysis of covariance and Pearson correlation test were used. No differences in sociodemographic variables between PSS and NSS were found. Differences between NSS and PSS groups were observed for all four subcategories of social support and MOS-SSS total score. Significant differences between NSS and PSS on depression (p=0.007), negative affect (p=0.025) and PPTh (p=0.016) were found. Affectionate subcategory showed positive correlation between pain and positive affect in PSS. Positive social interaction subcategory showed a negative correlation between FIQ and depression state. Therefore social support appears to contribute to ameliorate mental and physical health in FM. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Emotional Arousal and Regulation: Further Evidence of the Validity of the "How I Feel" Questionnaire for Use With School-Age Children.

PubMed

Ciucci, Enrica; Baroncelli, Andrea; Grazzani, Ilaria; Ornaghi, Veronica; Caprin, Claudia

2016-03-01

The ability to understand and manage emotional experience is critical to children's health. This study confirmed the validity of the How I Feel (HIF) Questionnaire, a measure of children's emotional arousal and regulation, exploring its associations with measures of emotional and social functioning. The sample was comprised of 1379 Italian students (aged 8 to 12 years) who attended schools interested in the study aims. Participants completed the 30-item HIF scale, and measures of emotional self-efficacy and social desirability (SD). Factor structures were assessed using confirmatory factor analysis. Invariance by age and gender, internal consistency, temporal stability, and concurrent validity were also tested. A 3-factor model was identified: frequency and intensity of (1) positive emotion--PE (8 items, α = .82), (2) negative emotion--NE (12 items, α = .86), and (3) positive and negative emotion control--EC (10 items, α = .77). This factor structure was invariant across age and gender groups. The HIF displayed moderate longitudinal stability over a 15-month period and a low social desirability effect. Positive emotion was positively associated with social acceptance and visibility, and negatively with social withdrawal. The HIF is a reliable and valid measure for research and school intervention promoting students' emotional and mental health. © 2016, American School Health Association.

The relationship of depression, anxiety and stress with low bone mineral density in post-menopausal women.

PubMed

Erez, Hany Burstein; Weller, Aron; Vaisman, Nachum; Kreitler, Shulamith

2012-01-01

The goal of the present study was to examine the relationships of depression, anxiety and stress with bone mineral density (BMD). We hypothesized negative relations between those mood variables and BMD in three assessed areas. The study showed association between depression and decreased BMD. The hypothesis regarding anxiety and stress was partially confirmed. In the last decade, the relationship of osteoporosis to psychological variables has been increasingly studied. The accumulating evidence from these studies supports the conclusion that depression is related to decreased BMD. Nevertheless, several studies found no support for this relationship. Moreover, only a small number of studies examined the association between anxiety or stress and decreased BMD. The goal of the present study was to examine the relationships of depression, anxiety and stress with BMD by means of adequate measuring instruments, while controlling for background factors known to be related to BMD decrease (e.g., body mass index, family history). The study included 135 post-menopausal female participants, who arrived for BMD screening, between the years 2006 and 2009. Several days prior to the examination, participants completed a series of questionnaires assessing depression and anxiety. BMD was measured using DXA, in spine, right and left hip. The study showed negative associations between depression and BMD variables in the three assessed areas. There were negative correlations between anxiety, stress and spine BMD, as well as a tendency towards negative relations in the right and left hip BMD. Concurrent hierarchical regressions showed that the addition of the three psychological variables increased the explained variance by 6–8 %. In addition, depression was found to have a unique significant contribution to the explained variance in right and left hip BMD. The findings provide supporting evidence for the existence of associations between mood variables and decreased BMD. Further research is required for gaining deeper insight into these relationships.

Relationship between Erythrocyte Fatty Acid Composition and Psychopathology in the Vienna Omega-3 Study

PubMed Central

Kim, Sung-Wan; Jhon, Min; Kim, Jae-Min; Smesny, Stefan; Rice, Simon; Berk, Michael; Klier, Claudia M.; McGorry, Patrick D.; Schäfer, Miriam R.; Amminger, G. Paul

2016-01-01

This study investigated the relationship between erythrocyte membrane fatty acid (FA) levels and the severity of symptoms of individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis. Subjects of the present study consisted of 80 neuroleptic-naïve UHR patients. Partial correlation coefficients were calculated between baseline erythrocyte membrane FA levels, measured by gas chromatography, and scores on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Global Assessment of Functioning Scale, and Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) after controlling for age, sex, smoking and cannabis use. Subjects were divided into three groups according to the predominance of positive or negative symptoms based on PANSS subscale scores; membrane FA levels in the three groups were then compared. More severe negative symptoms measured by PANSS were negatively correlated with two saturated FAs (myristic and margaric acids), one ω-9 monounsaturated FA (MUFA; nervonic acid), and one ω-3 polyunsaturated FA (PUFA; docosapentaenoic acid), and were positively correlated with two ω-9 MUFAs (eicosenoic and erucic acids) and two ω-6 PUFAs (γ-linolenic and docosadienoic acids). More severe positive symptoms measured by PANSS were correlated only with nervonic acid. No associations were observed between FAs and MADRS scores. In subjects with predominant negative symptoms, the sum of the ω-9 MUFAs and the ω-6:ω-3 FA ratio were both significantly higher than in those with predominant positive symptoms, whereas the sum of ω-3 PUFAs was significantly lower. In conclusion, abnormalities in FA metabolism may contribute to the neurobiology of psychopathology in UHR individuals. In particular, membrane FA alterations may play a role in negative symptoms, which are primary psychopathological manifestations of schizophrenia-related disability. PMID:26963912

Institutions, Culture and Background: The School Performance of Immigrant Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murat, Marina; Frederic, Patrizio

2015-01-01

Programme for International Student Assessment data from 29 countries was used to measure immigrant school gaps (differences in scores between immigrants and natives) in relation to various potentially correlated factors. Results show that negative gaps are concentrated in the European Union; in the South, they are mainly correlated with school…

A Measure of Staff Burnout among Health Professionals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, John W.

Staff burnout among health professionals refers to a syndrome of physical and emotional exhaustion involving the development of negative job attitudes, a poor professional self-concept, and a loss of empathic concern for clients. The Staff Burnout Scale for Health Professionals (SBS-HP) is a 20-item inventory assessing cognitive, affective,…

Emerging Mental Health Diagnoses and School Disruption: An Examination among Clinically Referred Children and Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Shannon L.; Klassen, Janell; Hamza, Chloe

2016-01-01

Previous research linking school disruption with mental health problems has largely relied on assessments of academic achievement to measure school disruption. Early disruptive classroom behaviour (e.g., conflict with school staff, negative attitudes toward school), however, may precipitate poor academic performance and may stem from emerging…

Temperament Variation in Sensitivity to Parenting: Predicting Changes in Depression and Anxiety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kiff, Cara J.; Lengua, Liliana J.; Bush, Nicole R.

2011-01-01

Temperament was examined as a moderator of maternal parenting behaviors, including warmth, negativity, autonomy granting, and guidance. Observations of parenting and questionnaire measures of temperament and adjustment were obtained from a community sample (N = 214; ages 8-12). Trajectories of depression and anxiety were assessed across 3 years.…

Looking beyond Psychopathology: The Dual-Factor Model of Mental Health in Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suldo, Shannon M.; Shaffer, Emily J.

2008-01-01

In a dual-factor model of mental health (cf. Greenspoon & Saklofske, 2001), assessments of positive indicators of wellness (i.e., subjective well-being--SWB) are coupled with traditional negative indicators of illness (i.e., psychopathology) to comprehensively measure mental health. The current study examined the existence and utility of a…

The Couples Emotion Rating Form: Psychometric Properties and Theoretical Associations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanford, Keith

2007-01-01

The Couples Emotion Rating Form assesses 3 types of negative emotion that are salient during times of relationship conflict. Hard emotion includes feeling angry and aggravated, soft emotion includes feeling hurt and sad, and flat emotion includes feeling bored and indifferent. In Study 1, scales measuring hard and soft emotion were validated by…

Liking for Evaluators as a Function of Self-Esteem.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harper, Wesley E.

The effect of self-esteem on liking for evaluators was tested by first measuring the self-esteem of 64 junior college students; then giving them positive, ambiguous, or negative feedback in an interview concerning how they would handle group situations; and finally assessing their liking for the interviewer. Because subjects anticipated…

The Association between Scholastic Measures, Alcohol Outcome Expectancies and Alcohol Use: A Cross-Sectional Study in Northern Ireland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKay, Michael T.; Harvey, Séamus A.

2015-01-01

Alcohol use among adolescents is associated with both short-term (truancy, illness, trouble with police) and long-term (dependence, unemployment) negative consequences. Moreover, because of its developmental nature, adolescent drinking behaviour is difficult to accurately assess. Individual-level scholastic variables and alcohol outcome…

Depression in College Students: Student Experience Inventory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirkland, Angela G.; Redfield, Doris L.

To assess depression in college students, two inventories were compared: the Student Experience Inventory (SEI) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). SEI, a self-report questionnaire, contains 56 items that are designed to measure hopelessness and decreased energy levels, as well as five factors covered in BDI: (1) negative affect toward self,…

Development and Validation of a Measure of Interpersonal Strengths: The Inventory of Interpersonal Strengths

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hatcher, Robert L.; Rogers, Daniel T.

2009-01-01

An Inventory of Interpersonal Strengths (IIS) was developed and validated in a series of large college student samples. Based on interpersonal theory and associated methods, the IIS was designed to assess positive characteristics representing the full range of interpersonal domains, including those generally thought to have negative qualities…

Maternal depression and cortisol in pregnancy predict offspring emotional reactivity in the preschool period.

PubMed

Swales, Danielle A; Winiarski, Dominika A; Smith, Alicia K; Stowe, Zachary N; Newport, D Jeffrey; Brennan, Patricia A

2018-05-25

Prenatal exposures to higher levels of maternal cortisol and depression have been linked to a variety of adverse physiological, neurological, and behavioral outcomes, such as dysregulated cortisol production, structural and functional differences in limbic areas of the brain, and greater negative emotionality. This study investigated prospective associations between maternal prepartum depression/cortisol levels and offspring emotional reactivity in 163 mother-child pairs. Women were assessed repeatedly during pregnancy, and later participated in a laboratory visit with their preschool-aged children. Mothers self-reported on depressive symptomatology during pregnancy and provided saliva samples for cortisol assay. Offspring emotional reactivity was assessed through multiple measures, including caregiver reports, cortisol response following a stressor, and laboratory observations of behavior. The findings suggest potential prenatal timing effects, with depression and maternal cortisol measured in the first and second trimesters being more strongly associated with child emotional reactivity. Sex was found to moderate associations between maternal prepartum depression/cortisol and child emotional reactivity, with the general pattern reflecting positive associations in girls, and negative associations in boys. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Assessment of ecologic regression in the study of lung cancer and indoor radon.

PubMed

Stidley, C A; Samet, J M

1994-02-01

Ecologic regression studies conducted to assess the cancer risk of indoor radon to the general population are subject to methodological limitations, and they have given seemingly contradictory results. The authors use simulations to examine the effects of two major methodological problems that affect these studies: measurement error and misspecification of the risk model. In a simulation study of the effect of measurement error caused by the sampling process used to estimate radon exposure for a geographic unit, both the effect of radon and the standard error of the effect estimate were underestimated, with greater bias for smaller sample sizes. In another simulation study, which addressed the consequences of uncontrolled confounding by cigarette smoking, even small negative correlations between county geometric mean annual radon exposure and the proportion of smokers resulted in negative average estimates of the radon effect. A third study considered consequences of using simple linear ecologic models when the true underlying model relation between lung cancer and radon exposure is nonlinear. These examples quantify potential biases and demonstrate the limitations of estimating risks from ecologic studies of lung cancer and indoor radon.

Assessment of contamination and misclassification biases in a randomized controlled trial of a social network peer education intervention to reduce HIV risk behaviors among drug users and risk partners in Philadelphia, PA and Chiang Mai, Thailand

PubMed Central

Simmons, Nicole; Donnell, Deborah; Ou, San-san; Celentano, David D.; Aramrattana, Apinun; Davis-Vogel, Annet; Metzger, David; Latkin, Carl

2015-01-01

Context Controlled trials of educational interventions are susceptible to contamination. Objectives To test a contamination measure based on recall of terms. Main study A randomized controlled trial of a social network peer education intervention among 1,123 injection drug users and risk partners in Philadelphia, PA and Chiang Mai, Thailand. Methods We assessed the recall of test, negative and positive control terms by intervention and control arm participants and compared the relative odds (OR) of recall of test vs. negative control terms between study arms. Results The contamination measure showed good discriminant ability only among participants from Chiang Mai. In Philadelphia there was no evidence of contamination and little evidence of diffusion. In Chiang Mai there was evidence of diffusion and contamination of 4 of 5 terms tested. Conclusions Network structure and peer education in Chiang Mai likely led to contamination. Recall of intervention materials can be a useful method to detect contamination in trials of educational interventions. PMID:25935214

Temperament, Beliefs About Pain Control, and Pain Intensity in Endometriosis Patients.

PubMed

Bylinka, Joanna; Oniszczenko, Włodzimierz

2016-12-01

This correlational study investigated the relationships between temperament, beliefs about pain control, and pain intensity ratings in a group of 103 women diagnosed with endometriosis. Temperament traits were assessed using the Formal Characteristics of Behaviour-Temperament Inventory. Beliefs about pain control were measured using the Polish version of the Beliefs about Pain Control Questionnaire. The Numerical Rating Scale (NRS-11) was used to measure pain intensity. There was a high negative correlation between the temperament trait of endurance and pain intensity ratings. Moderate negative correlations with pain intensity were found for internal beliefs about pain control. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that the endurance trait and internal beliefs about pain control accounted for 33 % of the variance in pain intensity ratings in women with endometriosis.

The Association between Self-Reported Difficulties in Emotion Regulation and Heart Rate Variability: The Salient Role of Not Accepting Negative Emotions.

PubMed

Visted, Endre; Sørensen, Lin; Osnes, Berge; Svendsen, Julie L; Binder, Per-Einar; Schanche, Elisabeth

2017-01-01

Difficulties in emotion regulation are associated with development and maintenance of psychopathology. Typically, features of emotion regulation are assessed with self-report questionnaires. Heart rate variability (HRV) is an objective measure proposed as an index of emotional regulation capacity. A limited number of studies have shown that self-reported difficulties in emotion regulation are associated with HRV. However, results from prior studies are inconclusive, and an ecological validation of the association has not yet been tested. Therefore, further exploration of the relation between self-report questionnaires and psychophysiological measures of emotional regulation is needed. The present study investigated the contribution of self-reported emotion regulation difficulties on HRV in a student sample. We expected higher scores on emotion regulation difficulties to be associated with lower vagus-mediated HRV (vmHRV). Sixty-three participants filled out the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale and their resting HRV was assessed. In addition, a subsample of participants provided ambulatory 24-h HRV data, in order to ecologically validate the resting data. Correlation analyses indicated that self-reported difficulties in emotion regulation was negatively associated with vmHRV in both resting HRV and 24-h HRV. Specifically, when exploring the contribution of the different facets of emotion dysregulation, the inability to accept negative emotions showed the strongest association with HRV. The results are discussed and need for future research is described.

Implicit negative affect predicts attention to sad faces beyond self-reported depressive symptoms in healthy individuals: An eye-tracking study.

PubMed

Bodenschatz, Charlott Maria; Skopinceva, Marija; Kersting, Anette; Quirin, Markus; Suslow, Thomas

2018-04-04

Cognitive theories of depression assume biased attention towards mood-congruent information as a central vulnerability and maintaining factor. Among other symptoms, depression is characterized by excessive negative affect (NA). Yet, little is known about the impact of naturally occurring NA on the allocation of attention to emotional information. The study investigates how implicit and explicit NA as well as self-reported depressive symptoms predict attentional biases in a sample of healthy individuals (N = 104). Attentional biases were assessed using eye-tracking during a free viewing task in which images of sad, angry, happy and neutral faces were shown simultaneously. Participants' implicit affectivity was measured indirectly using the Implicit Positive and Negative Affect Test. Questionnaires were administered to assess actual and habitual explicit NA and presence of depressive symptoms. Higher levels of depressive symptoms were associated with sustained attention to sad faces and reduced attention to happy faces. Implicit but not explicit NA significantly predicted gaze behavior towards sad faces independently from depressive symptoms. The present study supports the idea that naturally occurring implicit NA is associated with attention allocation to dysphoric facial expression. The findings demonstrate the utility of implicit affectivity measures in studying individual differences in depression-relevant attentional biases and cognitive vulnerability. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Demonstration of Parent Training to Address Early Self-Injury in Young Children with Intellectual and Developmental Delays.

PubMed

Fodstad, Jill C; Kirsch, Alexandra; Faidley, Micah; Bauer, Nerissa

2018-06-20

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are at a high risk for engaging in self-injurious behavior (SIB). Prognosis is poor when SIB emerges early. Limited research exists on interventions teaching parents how to manage their young child's SIB. This investigation assessed the feasibility of adapting an applied behavior analytic parent training program with 11 parents of children 1-5 years of age with IDD and SIB. Quantitative and observational measures were used to assess outcomes; semi-structured interviews assessed caregiver satisfaction. Outcomes yielded preliminary data suggesting the adapted curriculum was feasible and acceptable to parents. Initial efficacy outcomes yielded decreases in SIB and observed negative parent-child interactions on pre- and post-measures. Qualitative data provided areas for further curriculum refinement.

Impact of negation salience and cognitive resources on negation during attitude formation.

PubMed

Boucher, Kathryn L; Rydell, Robert J

2012-10-01

Because of the increased cognitive resources required to process negations, past research has shown that explicit attitude measures are more sensitive to negations than implicit attitude measures. The current work demonstrated that the differential impact of negations on implicit and explicit attitude measures was moderated by (a) the extent to which the negation was made salient and (b) the amount of cognitive resources available during attitude formation. When negations were less visually salient, explicit but not implicit attitude measures reflected the intended valence of the negations. When negations were more visually salient, both explicit and implicit attitude measures reflected the intended valence of the negations, but only when perceivers had ample cognitive resources during encoding. Competing models of negation processing, schema-plus-tag and fusion, were examined to determine how negation salience impacts the processing of negations.

The Malleability of Age-Related Positive Gaze Preferences: Training to Change Gaze and Mood

PubMed Central

Isaacowitz, Derek M.; Choi, YoonSun

2010-01-01

Older adults show positive gaze preferences, but to what extent are these preferences malleable? Examining the plasticity of age-related gaze preferences may provide a window into their origins. We therefore designed an attentional training procedure to assess the degree to which we could shift gaze and gaze-related mood in both younger and older adults. Participants completed either a positive or negative dot-probe training. Before and after the attentional training, we obtained measures of fixations to negatively-valenced images along with concurrent mood ratings. We found differential malleability of gaze and mood by age: for young adults, negative training resulted in fewer post-training fixations to the most negative areas of the images, whereas positive training appeared more successful in changing older adults’ fixation patterns. Young adults did not differ in their moods as a function of training, whereas older adults in the train negative group had the worst moods after training. Implications for the etiology of age-related positive gaze preferences are considered. PMID:21401229

The mediational significance of negative/depressive affect in the relationship of childhood maltreatment and eating disorder features in adolescent psychiatric inpatients.

PubMed

Hopwood, C J; Ansell, E B; Fehon, D C; Grilo, C M

2011-03-01

Childhood maltreatment is a risk factor for eating disorder and negative/depressive affect appears to mediate this relation. However, the specific elements of eating- and body-related psychopathology that are influenced by various forms of childhood maltreatment remain unclear, and investigations among adolescents and men/boys have been limited. This study investigated the mediating role of negative affect/depression across multiple types of childhood maltreatment and eating disorder features in hospitalized adolescent boys and girls. Participants were 148 adolescent psychiatric inpatients who completed an assessment battery including measures of specific forms of childhood maltreatment (sexual, emotional, and physical abuse), negative/depressive affect, and eating disorder features (dietary restriction, binge eating, and body dissatisfaction). Findings suggest that for girls, negative/depressive affect significantly mediates the relationships between childhood maltreatment and eating disorder psychopathology, although effects varied somewhat across types of maltreatment and eating disorder features. Generalization of mediation effects to boys was limited.

Stress and puberty-related hormone reactivity, negative emotionality, and parent--adolescent relationships.

PubMed

Marceau, Kristine; Dorn, Lorah D; Susman, Elizabeth J

2012-08-01

Hormone reactivity to stressors and hormones that rapidly change at puberty are hypothesized to influence moods, which may in turn affect parent-child relationship quality. The present study investigated whether reactivity of testosterone, DHEA, and cortisol in a clinic setting (venipuncture paradigm) predicted negative emotionality and family problems at Time 1 (0 months), Time 2 (6 months), and Time 3 (12 months) in a sample of 56 boys (M = 12.72, SD = 1.32 years) and 52 girls (M = 11.99, SD = 1.55 years). Reactivity of each hormone, negative emotionality, and family problems were measured at each of three laboratory visits. Testosterone reactivity at the first assessment predicted family problems one year later. DHEA stress reactivity was related to concurrent negative emotionality at six and 12 months. Cortisol reactivity did not predict negative emotionality or family problems. Reactivity of different hormones that change at puberty may play an important role in adolescent moods and family processes during puberty. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The relationship between clinical insight and cognitive and affective empathy in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Atoui, Mia; El Jamil, Fatima; El Khoury, Joseph; Doumit, Mark; Syriani, Nathalie; Khani, Munir; Nahas, Ziad

2018-06-01

Schizophrenia is often associated with poor clinical insight (unawareness of mental illness and its symptoms) and deficits in empathy, which are important for social functioning. Cognitive empathy has been linked to clinical insight while affective empathy and its role in insight and pathology have received mixed evidence. Instruments assessing symptomatology (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale; PANSS), clinical insight (Scales to assess awareness of mental disorders; SUMD), and cognitive and affective empathy were administered to 22 participants with first episode and chronic schizophrenia and 21 healthy controls. Self-report, parent-report, and performance based measures were used to assess cognitive and affective empathy (The interpersonal reactivity index; IRI/Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test/Faux Pas) to reduce bias and parse shared variance. Age of onset, gender, and symptomatology emerged as significant predictors of poor clinical insight. Additionally, the fantasy subscale of the IRI as reported by parents emerged as a positive predictor while the personal distress (parent report) subscale emerged as a negative predictor of awareness into mental illness. There were significant differences on performance-based measures of empathy between the control and schizophrenia groups. Findings suggest that affective empathy is relatively intact across phases of illness whereas cognitive empathy abilities are compromised and could be targets for psychotherapy intervention.

Laboratory and Self-Report Methods to Assess Reappraisal and Distraction in Youth.

PubMed

Bettis, Alexandra H; Henry, Lauren; Prussien, Kemar V; Vreeland, Allison; Smith, Michele; Adery, Laura H; Compas, Bruce E

2018-06-07

Coping and emotion regulation are central features of risk and resilience in childhood and adolescence, but research on these constructs has relied on different methods of assessment. The current study aimed to bridge the gap between questionnaire and experimental methods of measuring secondary control coping strategies, specifically distraction and cognitive reappraisal, and examine associations with symptoms of anxiety and depression in youth. A community sample of 70 youth (ages 9-15) completed a novel experimental coping and emotion regulation paradigm and self-report measures of coping and emotion regulation and symptoms. Findings indicate that use of distraction and reappraisal during the laboratory paradigm was associated with lower levels of negative emotion during the task. Youth emotion ratings while implementing distraction, but not reappraisal, during the laboratory task were associated with youth self-reported use of secondary control coping in response to family stress. Youth symptoms of anxiety and depression were also significantly positively associated with negative emotion ratings during the laboratory task, and both laboratory task and self-reported coping and emotion regulation accounted for significant variance in symptoms in youth. Both questionnaire and laboratory methods to assess coping and emotion regulation in youth are important for understanding these processes as possible mechanisms of risk and resilience and continued integration of these methods is a priority for future research.

Primary prevention research: a preliminary review of program outcome studies.

PubMed

Schaps, E; Churgin, S; Palley, C S; Takata, B; Cohen, A Y

1980-07-01

This article reviews 35 drug abuse prevention program evaluations employing drug-specific outcome measures. Many of these evaluations assessed the effects of "new generation" prevention strategies: affective, peer-oriented, and multidimensional approaches. Only 14 studies evaluated purely informational programs. Evaluations were analyzed to ascertain (1) characteristics of the programs under study, (2) characteristics of the research designs, and (3) patterns among findings. This review provides some evidence that the newer prevention strategies may produce more positive and fewer negative outcomes than did older drug information approaches. Over 70% of the programs using the newer strategies produced some positive effects; only 29% showed negative effects. In contrast, 46% of informational programs showed positive effects; 46% showed negative effects. These findings must be approached with great caution, since the research was frequently scientifically inadequate, and since rigor of research was negatively correlated with intensity and duration of program services.

Belief in reciprocity in a Chinese sample.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhen; Zhang, Jianxin

2012-08-01

Belief in reciprocity refers to a personally internalized faith in the reciprocity norm: that people will return positive and negative interactions or favors in kind. The current study aims to examine the relationship between belief in reciprocity and altruism among a Chinese sample. The Personal Norm of Reciprocity Scale, Trait Forgiveness Scale, Prosocial Tendency Measure, and Altruism Scale were used to assess extent of belief in reciprocity, forgiveness, and prosocial motivation, respectively, among 204 Chinese undergraduates. The results indicated that belief in reciprocity was a partially negative, but not neutral, reciprocity norm for Chinese people. Specifically, belief in reciprocity was positively related to negative reciprocity, but not significantly related to positive reciprocity. Moreover, belief in reciprocity was negatively related to both prosocial tendency and altruistic motivation. The results also indicated that forgiveness largely mediated the effect of belief in reciprocity on altruism. Finally, the implications and limitations of the current study were discussed.

Individual differences in emotion lateralisation and the processing of emotional information arising from social interactions.

PubMed

Bourne, Victoria J; Watling, Dawn

2015-01-01

Previous research examining the possible association between emotion lateralisation and social anxiety has found conflicting results. In this paper two studies are presented to assess two aspects related to different features of social anxiety: fear of negative evaluation (FNE) and emotion regulation. Lateralisation for the processing of facial emotion was measured using the chimeric faces test. Individuals with greater FNE were more strongly lateralised to the right hemisphere for the processing of anger, happiness and sadness; and, for the processing of fearful faces the relationship was found for females only. Emotion regulation strategies were reduced to two factors: positive strategies and negative strategies. For males, but not females, greater reported use of negative emotion strategies is associated with stronger right hemisphere lateralisation for processing negative emotions. The implications for further understanding the neuropsychological processing of emotion in individuals with social anxiety are discussed.

Working memory span and motor and cognitive speed in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Brébion, Gildas; David, Anthony S; Jones, Hugh M; Pilowsky, Lyn S

2009-06-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the verbal working memory deficit and decrease of motor and cognitive speed in patients with schizophrenia, and to clarify their associations with negative and depressive symptomatology. Forty patients with schizophrenia and 41 healthy control individuals were administered the backward digit span to assess the working memory capacity, along with 3 tests of processing speed. Patients demonstrated reduced backward digit span, as well as decreased motor and cognitive speed. Regression analyses indicated that the backward digit span was associated with cognitive speed. It was not associated with either negative or depressive symptoms. Decreased processing speed was unrelated to negative symptoms, but the depression score was significantly associated with the cognitive speed measure. Working memory and processing speed seem to share a cognitive component. Depression, but not negative symptoms, affects processing speed, especially by decreasing cognitive speed.

Young drivers' responses to anti-speeding advertisements: Comparison of self-report and objective measures of persuasive processing and outcomes.

PubMed

Kaye, Sherrie-Anne; Lewis, Ioni; Algie, Jennifer; White, Melanie J

2016-05-18

Self-report measures are typically used to assess the effectiveness of road safety advertisements. However, psychophysiological measures of persuasive processing (i.e., skin conductance response [SCR]) and objective driving measures of persuasive outcomes (i.e., in-vehicle Global Positioning System [GPS] devices) may provide further insights into the effectiveness of these advertisements. This study aimed to explore the persuasive processing and outcomes of 2 anti-speeding advertisements by incorporating both self-report and objective measures of speeding behavior. In addition, this study aimed to compare the findings derived from these different measurement approaches. Young drivers (N = 20, M age = 21.01 years) viewed either a positive or negative emotion-based anti-speeding television advertisement. While viewing the advertisement, SCR activity was measured to assess ad-evoked arousal responses. The RoadScout GPS device was then installed in participants' vehicles for 1 week to measure on-road speed-related driving behavior. Self-report measures assessed persuasive processing (emotional and arousal responses) and actual driving behavior. There was general correspondence between the self-report measures of arousal and the SCR and between the self-report measure of actual driving behavior and the objective driving data (as assessed via the GPS devices). This study provides insights into how psychophysiological and GPS devices could be used as objective measures in conjunction with self-report measures to further understand the persuasive processes and outcomes of emotion-based anti-speeding advertisements.

Relationship Between State Malpractice Environment and Quality of Health Care in the United States.

PubMed

Bilimoria, Karl Y; Chung, Jeanette W; Minami, Christina A; Sohn, Min-Woong; Pavey, Emily S; Holl, Jane L; Mello, Michelle M

2017-05-01

One major intent of the medical malpractice system in the United States is to deter negligent care and to create incentives for delivering high-quality health care. A study was conducted to assess whether state-level measures of malpractice risk were associated with hospital quality and patient safety. In an observational study of short-term, acute-care general hospitals in the United States that publicly reported in the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services Hospital Compare in 2011, hierarchical regression models were used to estimate associations between state-specific malpractice environment measures (rates of paid claims, average Medicare Malpractice Geographic Practice Cost Index [MGPCI], absence of tort reform laws, and a composite measure) and measures of hospital quality (processes of care, imaging utilization, 30-day mortality and readmission, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety Indicators, and patient experience from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems [HCAHPS]). No consistent association between malpractice environment and hospital process-of-care measures was found. Hospitals in areas with a higher MGPCI were associated with lower adjusted odds of magnetic resonance imaging overutilization for lower back pain but greater adjusted odds of overutilization of cardiac stress testing and brain/sinus computed tomography (CT) scans. The MGPCI was negatively associated with 30-day mortality measures but positively associated with 30-day readmission measures. Measures of malpractice risk were also negatively associated with HCAHPS measures of patient experience. Overall, little evidence was found that greater malpractice risk improves adherence to recommended clinical standards of care, but some evidence was found that malpractice risk may encourage defensive medicine. Copyright © 2017 The Joint Commission. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Medical home characteristics and the pediatric patient experience.

PubMed

Burnet, Deborah; Gunter, Kathryn E; Nocon, Robert S; Gao, Yue; Jin, Janel; Fairchild, Paige; Chin, Marshall H

2014-11-01

The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) has roots in pediatrics, yet we know little about the experience of pediatric patients in PCMH settings. To examine the association between clinic PCMH characteristics and pediatric patient experience as reported by parents. We assessed the cross-sectional correlation between clinic PCMH characteristics and pediatric patient experience in 24 clinics randomly selected from the Safety Net Medical Home Initiative, a 5-state PCMH demonstration project. PCMH characteristics were measured with surveys of randomly selected providers and staff; surveys generated 0 (worst) to 100 (best) scores for 5 subscales, and a total score. Patient experience was measured through surveying parents of pediatric patients. Questions from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems-Clinician and Group instrument produced 4 patient experience measures: timeliness, physician communication, staff helpfulness, and overall rating. To investigate the relationship between PCMH characteristics and patient experience, we used generalized estimating equations with an exchangeable correlation structure. We included 440 parents and 214 providers and staff in the analysis. Total PCMH score was not associated with parents' assessment of patient experience; however, PCMH subscales were associated with patient experience in different directions. In particular, quality improvement activities undertaken by clinics were strongly associated with positive ratings of patient experience, whereas patient care management activities were associated with more negative reports of patient experience. Future work should bolster features of the PCMH that work well for patients while investigating which PCMH features negatively impact patient experience, to yield a better patient experience overall.

Psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Beck hopelessness scale (BHS): results from a German representative population sample.

PubMed

Kliem, Sören; Lohmann, Anna; Mößle, Thomas; Brähler, Elmar

2018-04-25

The Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) has been the most frequently used instrument for the measurement of hopelessness in the past 40 years. Only recently has it officially been translated into German. The psychometric properties and factor structure of the BHS have been cause for intensive debate in the past. Based on a representative sample of the German population (N = 2450) item analysis including item sensitivity, item-total correlation and item difficulty was performed. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) for several factor solutions from the literature were performed. Multiple group factor analysis was performed to assess measurement invariance. Construct validity was assessed via the replication of well-established correlations with concurrently assessed measures. Most items exhibited adequate properties. Items #4, #8 and #13 exhibited poor item characteristics- each of these items had previously received negative evaluations in international studies. A one-dimensional factor solution, favorable for the calculation and interpretation of a sum score, was regarded as adequate. A bi-factor model with one content factor and two method factors (defined by positive/negative item coding) resulted in an excellent model fit. Cronbach's alpha in the current sample was .87. Hopelessness, as measured by the BHS, significantly correlated in the expected direction with suicidal ideation (r = .36), depression (r = .53) and life satisfaction (r = -.53). Strict measurement invariance could be established regarding gender and depression status. Due to limited research regarding the interpretation of fit indices with dichotomous data, interpretation of CFA results needs to remain tentative. The BHS is a valid measure of hopelessness in various subgroups of the general population. Future research could aim at replicating these findings using item response theory and cross-cultural samples. A one-dimensional bi-factor model seems appropriate even in a non-clinical population.

Quality of maternity care and its determinants along the continuum in Kenya: A structural equation modeling analysis

PubMed Central

Mendez, Bomar Rojas

2017-01-01

Background Improving access to delivery services does not guarantee access to quality obstetric care and better survival, and therefore, concerns for quality of maternal and newborn care in low- and middle-income countries have been raised. Our study explored characteristics associated with the quality of initial assessment, intrapartum, and immediate postpartum and newborn care, and further assessed the relationships along the continuum of care. Methods The 2010 Service Provision Assessment data of Kenya for 627 routine deliveries of women aged 15–49 were used. Quality of care measures were assessed using recently validated quality of care measures during initial assessment, intrapartum, and postpartum periods. Data were analyzed with negative binomial regression and structural equation modeling technique. Results The negative binomial regression results identified a number of determinants of quality, such as the level of health facilities, managing authority, presence of delivery fee, central electricity supply and clinical guideline for maternal and neonatal care. Our structural equation modeling (SEM) further demonstrated that facility characteristics were important determinants of quality for initial assessment and postpartum care, while characteristics at the provider level became more important in shaping the quality of intrapartum care. Furthermore we also noted that quality of initial assessment had a positive association with quality of intrapartum care (β = 0.71, p < 0.001), which in turn was positively associated with the quality of newborn and immediate postpartum care (β = 1.29, p = 0.004). Conclusions A continued focus on quality of care along the continuum of maternity care is important not only to mothers but also their newborns. Policymakers should therefore ensure that required resources, as well as adequate supervision and emphasis on the quality of obstetric care, are available. PMID:28520771

Development and validation of the alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire Short Form (EQ-SF).

PubMed

Mezquita, Laura; Camacho, Laura; Suso-Ribera, Carlos; Ortet, Generós; Ibáñez, Manuel I

2018-01-15

Alcohol expectancies are proximal variables to alcohol use and misuse. In recent decades, different measures have been developed to assess this construct. One of the most frequently used and recommended instruments is the Expectancy Questionnaire (EQ; Leigh y Stacy, 1993). Our aim is to develop a short version of the EQ (EQ-SF) for suitable use in time-limited administrations. Two samples, adolescents (N = 514, 57.20% females) and adults (N = 548, 61.50% females), completed the EQ together with alcohol-use measures. Different item selection strategies were applied to select the 24 items. The EQ-SF structure was explored using confirmatory factor analysis, and measurement invariance was tested running a multi-group analysis comparing groups by sex and age. Reliability was tested using Cronbach's alpha and omega coefficients. Concurrent validity was investigated with regression analyses. The EQ-SF showed acceptable between-groups measurement invariance. Alphas and omegas ranged from .77 to .93. Positive expectancies predicted both alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. Negative expectancies predicted alcohol-related problems. Sex and age moderated these associations. Males with high positive alcohol expectancies showed higher alcohol consumption than females, while adults with high negative alcohol expectancies showed greater alcohol-related problems than adolescents. Different evidence on the validity and reliability of the EQ-SF suggest that it is a suitable instrument to assess alcohol expectancies in the Spanish population.

Assessment and Control of Spacecraft Charging Risks on the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koontz, Steve; Edeen, Marybeth; Spetch, William; Dalton, Penni; Keening, Thomas

2003-01-01

Electrical interactions between the F2 region ionospheric plasma and the 160V photovoltaic (PV) electrical power system on the International Space Station (ISS) can produce floating potentials (FP) on the ISS conducting structure of greater magnitude than are usually observed on spacecraft in low-Earth orbit. Flight through the geomagnetic field also causes magnetic induction charging of ISS conducting structure. Charging processes resulting from interaction of ISS with auroral electrons may also contribute to charging albeit rarely. The magnitude and frequency of occurrence of possibly hazardous charging events depends on the ISS assembly stage (six more 160V PV arrays will be added to ISS), ISS flight configuration, ISS position (latitude and longitude), and the natural variability in the ionospheric flight environment. At present, ISS is equipped with two plasma contactors designed to control ISS FP to within 40 volts of the ambient F2 plasma. The negative-polarity grounding scheme utilized in the ISS 160V power system leads, naturally, to negative values of ISS FP. A negative ISS structural FP leads to application of electrostatic fields across the dielectrics that separate conducting structure from the ambient F2 plasma, thereby enabling dielectric breakdown and arcing. Degradation of some thermal control coatings and noise in electrical systems can result. Continued review and evaluation of the putative charging hazards, as required by the ISS Program Office, revealed that ISS charging could produce a risk of electric shock to the ISS crew during extra vehicular activity. ISS charging risks are being evaluated in ongoing ISS charging measurements and analysis campaigns. The results of ISS charging measurements are combined with a recently developed detailed model of the ISS charging process and an extensive analysis of historical ionospheric variability data, to assess ISS charging risks using Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) methods. The PRA analysis (estimated frequency of occurrence and severity of the charging hazards) are then used to select the hazard control strategy that provides the best overall safety and mission success environment for ISS and the ISS crew. This paper presents: 1) a summary of ISS spacecraft charging analysis, measurements, observations made to date, 2) plans for future ISS spacecraft charging measurement campaigns, and 3) a detailed discussion of the PRA strategy used to assess ISS spacecraft charging risks and select charging hazard control strategies

Assessment and Control of International Space Station Spacecraft Charging Risks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koontz, S.; Edeen, M.; Spetch, W.; Dalton, P.; Keeping, T.; Minow, J.

2003-12-01

Electrical interactions between the F2 region ionospheric plasma and the 160V photovoltaic (PV) electrical power system on the International Space Station (ISS) can produce floating potentials (FP) on ISS conducting structure of greater magnitude than are usually observed on spacecraft in low-Earth orbit. Flight through the geomagnetic field also causes magnetic induction charging of ISS conducting structure. Charging processes resulting from interaction of ISS with auroral electrons may also contribute to charging, albeit rarely. The magnitude and frequency of occurrence of possibly hazardous charging events depends on the ISS assembly stage (six more 160V PV arrays will be added to ISS), ISS flight configuration, ISS position (latitude and longitude), and the natural variability in the ionospheric flight environment. At present, ISS is equipped with two plasma contactors designed to control ISS FP to within 40 volts of the ambient F2 plasma. The negative-polarity grounding scheme utilized in the ISS 160V power system leads, naturally, to negative values of ISS FP. A negative ISS structural FP leads to application of electrostatic fields across the dielectrics that separate conducting structure from the ambient F2 plasma, thereby enabling dielectric breakdown and arcing. Degradation of some thermal control coatings and noise in electrical systems can result. Continued review and evaluation of the putative charging hazards, as required by the ISS Program Office, revealed that ISS charging could produce a risk of electric shock to the ISS crew during extra vehicular activity. ISS charging risks are being evaluated in ongoing ISS charging measurements and analysis campaigns. The results of ISS charging measurements are combined with a recently developed detailed model of the ISS charging process and an extensive analysis of historical ionospheric variability data, to assess ISS charging risks using Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) methods. The PRA analysis (estimated frequency of occurrence and severity of the charging hazards) are then used to select the hazard control strategy that provides the best overall safety and mission success environment for ISS and the ISS crew. This paper presents: 1) a summary of ISS spacecraft charging analysis, measurements, observations made to date, 2) plans for future ISS spacecraft charging measurement campaigns, and 3) a detailed discussion of the PRA strategy used to assess ISS spacecraft charging risks and select charging hazard control strategies.

Add-on treatment of benzoate for schizophrenia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of D-amino acid oxidase inhibitor.

PubMed

Lane, Hsien-Yuan; Lin, Ching-Hua; Green, Michael F; Hellemann, Gerhard; Huang, Chih-Chia; Chen, Po-Wei; Tun, Rene; Chang, Yue-Cung; Tsai, Guochuan E

2013-12-01

In addition to dopaminergic hyperactivity, hypofunction of the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) has an important role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Enhancing NMDAR-mediated neurotransmission is considered a novel treatment approach. To date, several trials on adjuvant NMDA-enhancing agents have revealed beneficial, but limited, efficacy for positive and negative symptoms and cognition. Another method to enhance NMDA function is to raise the levels of d-amino acids by blocking their metabolism. Sodium benzoate is a d-amino acid oxidase inhibitor. To examine the clinical and cognitive efficacy and safety of add-on treatment of sodium benzoate for schizophrenia. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 2 major medical centers in Taiwan composed of 52 patients with chronic schizophrenia who had been stabilized with antipsychotic medications for 3 months or longer. Six weeks of add-on treatment of 1 g/d of sodium benzoate or placebo. The primary outcome measure was the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score. Clinical efficacy and adverse effects were assessed biweekly. Cognitive functions were measured before and after the add-on treatment. Benzoate produced a 21% improvement in PANSS total score and large effect sizes (range, 1.16-1.69) in the PANSS total and subscales, Scales for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms-20 items, Global Assessment of Function, Quality of Life Scale and Clinical Global Impression and improvement in the neurocognition subtests as recommended by the National Institute of Mental Health's Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia initiative, including the domains of processing speed and visual learning. Benzoate was well tolerated without significant adverse effects. Benzoate adjunctive therapy significantly improved a variety of symptom domains and neurocognition in patients with chronic schizophrenia. The preliminary results show promise for d-amino acid oxidase inhibition as a novel approach for new drug development for schizophrenia.

Alzheimer's aggression: influences on caregiver coping and resilience.

PubMed

Wilks, Scott E; Little, Kristina G; Gough, Heather R; Spurlock, Wanda J

2011-04-01

This study assessed impact of Alzheimer's patients' aggressive behavior (AD aggression) on caregiver coping strategies (task-, emotion-, and avoidance-focused) and caregiver resilience, and examined whether coping strategy moderated the AD aggression-caregiver resilience relationship. Informal caregivers across Louisiana (N = 419) completed surveys with measures of demographics, AD aggression, caregiver coping strategies, and caregiver resilience. Task-focused coping positively related to resilience. Aggression negatively predicted caregiver resilience. Emotion- and avoidance-focused coping strategies separately interacted with aggression and increased its negative relationship to caregiver resilience. Task-focused coping showed no moderation. Implications for social work professionals are discussed.

Validation of the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale: factor, convergent, and divergent validity.

PubMed

Levinson, Cheri A; Rodebaugh, Thomas L

2011-09-01

The Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS) was created to assess fear of overall appearance evaluation. Initial psychometric work indicated that the measure had a single-factor structure and exhibited excellent internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity. In the current study, the authors further examined the factor, convergent, and divergent validity of the SAAS in two samples of undergraduates. In Study 1 (N = 323), the authors tested the factor structure, convergent, and divergent validity of the SAAS with measures of the Big Five personality traits, negative affect, fear of negative evaluation, and social interaction anxiety. In Study 2 (N = 118), participants completed a body evaluation that included measurements of height, weight, and body fat content. The SAAS exhibited excellent convergent and divergent validity with self-report measures (i.e., self-esteem, trait anxiety, ethnic identity, and sympathy), predicted state anxiety experienced during the body evaluation, and predicted body fat content. In both studies, results confirmed a single-factor structure as the best fit to the data. These results lend additional support for the use of the SAAS as a valid measure of social appearance anxiety.

Tailored nutrition education: is it really effective?

PubMed

Eyles, Helen; Ni Mhurchu, Cliona

2012-03-01

There has been a growing interest in tailored nutrition education over the previous decade, with a number of literature reviews suggesting this intervention strategy holds considerable potential. Nevertheless, the majority of intervention trials undertaken to date have employed subjective self-report outcome measures (such as dietary recalls). The aim of the present review is to further consider the likely true effect of tailored nutrition education by assessing the findings of tailored nutrition education intervention trials where objective outcome measures (such as sales data) have been employed. Four trials of tailored nutrition education employing objective outcome measures were identified: one was undertaken in eight low-cost supermarkets in New Zealand (2010; n 1104); one was an online intervention trial in Australia (2006; n 497); and two were undertaken in US supermarkets (1997 and 2001; n 105 and 296, respectively). Findings from the high-quality New Zealand trial were negative. Findings from the US trials were also generally negative, although reporting was poor making it difficult to assess quality. Findings from the high-quality online trial were positive, although have limited generalisability for public health. Trials employing objective outcome measures strongly suggest tailored nutrition education is not effective as a stand-alone strategy. However, further large, high-quality trials employing objective outcome measures are needed to determine the true effectiveness of this popular nutrition intervention strategy. Regardless, education plays an important role in generating social understanding and acceptance of broader interventions to improve nutrition.

Asymmetric affective forecasting errors and their correlation with subjective well-being

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Aims Social scientists have postulated that the discrepancy between achievements and expectations affects individuals' subjective well-being. Still, little has been done to qualify and quantify such a psychological effect. Our empirical analysis assesses the consequences of positive and negative affective forecasting errors—the difference between realized and expected subjective well-being—on the subsequent level of subjective well-being. Data We use longitudinal data on a representative sample of 13,431 individuals from the German Socio-Economic Panel. In our sample, 52% of individuals are females, average age is 43 years, average years of education is 11.4 and 27% of our sample lives in East Germany. Subjective well-being (measured by self-reported life satisfaction) is assessed on a 0–10 discrete scale and its sample average is equal to 6.75 points. Methods We develop a simple theoretical framework to assess the consequences of positive and negative affective forecasting errors—the difference between realized and expected subjective well-being—on the subsequent level of subjective well-being, properly accounting for the endogenous adjustment of expectations to positive and negative affective forecasting errors, and use it to derive testable predictions. Given the theoretical framework, we estimate two panel-data equations, the first depicting the association between positive and negative affective forecasting errors and the successive level of subjective well-being and the second describing the correlation between subjective well-being expectations for the future and hedonic failures and successes. Our models control for individual fixed effects and a large battery of time-varying demographic characteristics, health and socio-economic status. Results and conclusions While surpassing expectations is uncorrelated with subjective well-being, failing to match expectations is negatively associated with subsequent realizations of subjective well-being. Expectations are positively (negatively) correlated to positive (negative) forecasting errors. We speculate that in the first case the positive adjustment in expectations is strong enough to cancel out the potential positive effects on subjective well-being of beaten expectations, while in the second case it is not, and individuals persistently bear the negative emotional consequences of not achieving expectations. PMID:29513685

Quality-assurance design applied to an assessment of agricultural pesticides in ground water from carbonate bedrock aquifers in the Great Valley of eastern Pennsylvania

USGS Publications Warehouse

Breen, Kevin J.

2000-01-01

Assessments to determine whether agricultural pesticides are present in ground water are performed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania under the aquifer monitoring provisions of the State Pesticides and Ground Water Strategy. Pennsylvania's Department of Agriculture conducts the monitoring and collects samples; the Department of Environmental Protection (PaDEP) Laboratory analyzes the samples to measure pesticide concentration. To evaluate the quality of the measurements of pesticide concentration for a groundwater assessment, a quality-assurance design was developed and applied to a selected assessment area in Pennsylvania. This report describes the quality-assurance design, describes how and where the design was applied, describes procedures used to collect and analyze samples and to evaluate the results, and summarizes the quality assurance results along with the assessment results.The design was applied in an agricultural area of the Delaware River Basin in Berks, Lebanon, Lehigh, and Northampton Counties to evaluate the bias and variability in laboratory results for pesticides. The design—with random spatial and temporal components—included four data-quality objectives for bias and variability. The spatial design was primary and represented an area comprising 30 sampling cells. A quality-assurance sampling frequency of 20 percent of cells was selected to ensure a sample number of five or more for analysis. Quality-control samples included blanks, spikes, and replicates of laboratory water and spikes, replicates, and 2-lab splits of groundwater. Two analytical laboratories, the PaDEP Laboratory and a U.S. Geological Survey Laboratory, were part of the design. Bias and variability were evaluated by use of data collected from October 1997 through January 1998 for alachlor, atrazine, cyanazine, metolachlor, simazine, pendimethalin, metribuzin, and chlorpyrifos.Results of analyses of field blanks indicate that collection, processing, transport, and laboratory analysis procedures did not contaminate the samples; there were no false-positive results. Pesticides were detected in water when pesticides were spiked into (added to) samples. There were no false negatives for the eight pesticides in all spiked samples. Negative bias was characteristic of analytical results for the eight pesticides, and bias was generally in excess of 10 percent from the ‘true’ or expected concentration (34 of 39 analyses, or 87 percent of the ground-water results) for pesticide concentrations ranging from 0.31 to 0.51 mg/L (micrograms per liter). The magnitude of the negative bias for the eight pesticides, with the exception of cyanazine, would result in reported concentrations commonly 75-80 percent of the expected concentration in the water sample. The bias for cyanazine was negative and within 10 percent of the expected concentration. A comparison of spiked pesticide-concentration recoveries in laboratory water and ground water indicated no effect of the ground-water matrix, and matrix interference was not a source of the negative bias. Results for the laboratory-water spikes submitted in triplicate showed large variability for recoveries of atrazine, cyanazine, and pendimethalin. The relative standard deviation (RSD) was used as a measure of method variability over the course of the study for laboratory waters at a concentration of 0.4 mg/L. An RSD of about 11 percent (or about ?0.05 mg/L)characterizes the method results for alachlor, chlorpyrifos, metolachlor, metribuzin, and simazine. Atrazine and pendimethalin have RSD values of about 17 and 23 percent, respectively. Cyanazine showed the largest RSD at nearly 51 percent. The pesticides with low variability in laboratory-water spikes also had low variability in ground water.The assessment results showed that atrazinewas the most commonly detected pesticide in ground water in the assessment area. Atrazine was detected in water from 22 of the 28 wells sampled, and recovery results for atrazine were some of the worst (largest negative bias). Concentrations of the eight pesticides in ground water from wells were generally less than 0.3 µg/L. Only six individual measurements of the concentrations in water from six of the wells were at or above 0.3 µg/L, five for atrazine and one for metolachlor. There were eight additional detections of metolachlor and simazine at concentrations less than 0.1 µg/L. No well water contained more than one pesticide at concentra-tions at or above 0.3 µg/L. Evidence exists, how-ever, for a pattern of co-occurrence of metolachlor and simazine at low concentrations with higher concentrations of atrazine.Large variability in replicate samples and negative bias for pesticide recovery from spiked samples indicate the need to use data for pesticide recovery in the interpretation of measured pesti-cide concentrations in ground water. Data from samples spiked with known amounts of pesticides were a critical component of a quality-assurance design for the monitoring component of the Pesti-cides and Ground Water Strategy.Trigger concentrations, the concentrations that require action under the Pesticides and Ground Water Strategy, should be considered maximums for action. This consideration is needed because of the magnitude of negative bias.

Group relationships in early and late sessions and improvement in interpersonal problems.

PubMed

Lo Coco, Gianluca; Gullo, Salvatore; Di Fratello, Carla; Giordano, Cecilia; Kivlighan, Dennis M

2016-07-01

Groups are more effective when positive bonds are established and interpersonal conflicts resolved in early sessions and work is accomplished in later sessions. Previous research has provided mixed support for this group development model. We performed a test of this theoretical perspective using group members' (actors) and aggregated group members' (partners) perceptions of positive bonding, positive working, and negative group relationships measured early and late in interpersonal growth groups. Participants were 325 Italian graduate students randomly (within semester) assigned to 1 of 16 interpersonal growth groups. Groups met for 9 weeks with experienced psychologists using Yalom and Leszcz's (2005) interpersonal process model. Outcome was assessed pre- and posttreatment using the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems, and group relationships were measured at Sessions 3 and 6 using the Group Questionnaire. As hypothesized, early measures of positive bonding and late measures of positive working, for both actors and partners, were positively related to improved interpersonal problems. Also as hypothesized, late measures of positive bonding and early measures of positive working, for both actors and partners, were negatively related to improved interpersonal problems. We also found that early actor and partner positive bonding and negative relationships interacted to predict changes in interpersonal problems. The findings are consistent with group development theory and suggest that group therapists focus on group-as-a-whole positive bonding relationships in early group sessions and on group-as-a-whole positive working relationships in later group sessions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Converting positive and negative symptom scores between PANSS and SAPS/SANS.

PubMed

van Erp, Theo G M; Preda, Adrian; Nguyen, Dana; Faziola, Lawrence; Turner, Jessica; Bustillo, Juan; Belger, Aysenil; Lim, Kelvin O; McEwen, Sarah; Voyvodic, James; Mathalon, Daniel H; Ford, Judith; Potkin, Steven G; Fbirn

2014-01-01

The Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS), the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale for Schizophrenia (PANSS) are the most widely used schizophrenia symptom rating scales, but despite their co-existence for 25 years no easily usable between-scale conversion mechanism exists. The aim of this study was to provide equations for between-scale symptom rating conversions. Two-hundred-and-five schizophrenia patients [mean age±SD=39.5±11.6, 156 males] were assessed with the SANS, SAPS, and PANSS. Pearson's correlations between symptom scores from each of the scales were computed. Linear regression analyses, on data from 176 randomly selected patients, were performed to derive equations for converting ratings between the scales. Intraclass correlations, on data from the remaining 29 patients, not part of the regression analyses, were performed to determine rating conversion accuracy. Between-scale positive and negative symptom ratings were highly correlated. Intraclass correlations between the original positive and negative symptom ratings and those obtained via conversion of alternative ratings using the conversion equations were moderate to high (ICCs=0.65 to 0.91). Regression-based equations may be useful for conversion between schizophrenia symptom severity as measured by the SANS/SAPS and PANSS, though additional validation is warranted. This study's conversion equations, implemented at http:/converteasy.org, may aid in the comparison of medication efficacy studies, in meta- and mega-analyses examining symptoms as moderator variables, and in retrospective combination of symptom data in multi-center data sharing projects that need to pool symptom rating data when such data are obtained using different scales. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Do psychosis patients with poor insight show implicit awareness on the emotional stroop task?

PubMed

Wiffen, Benjamin D R; O'Connor, Jennifer A; Russo, Manuela; Falcone, M Aurora; Joseph, Candice; Kolliakou, Anna; Di Forti, Marta; Murray, Robin M; David, Anthony S

2014-01-01

The insight into psychosis can be assessed reliably by clinicians from interviews with patients. However, patients may retain implicit awareness of illness while lacking explicit awareness. In a sample of first-episode psychosis patients, we used a test of processing of mental illness-related and other negative words as a measure of implicit awareness to see how this varied in relation to insight. An emotional-counting Stroop task tested reaction times to words of three types: psychosis-related (e.g. 'crazy'), general negative (e.g. 'cancer') and neutral (e.g. 'oyster'). Data were available from 43 patients and 23 healthy controls. Patients' insight was assessed using the Schedule for the Assessment of Insight (SAI-E). Patients reacted slower than controls to words across all conditions, and both patients and controls reacted slower to salient and negative words than neutral words. There was a near significant interaction between word type and group (Wilks' lambda = 0.53, p = 0.055); patients experienced greater interference from negative rather than psychosis-related words (p = 0.003), and controls experienced greater interference from salient rather than negative words (p = 0.01). Within the patient group, there was a correlation between insight and interference on salient words (r = 0.33, p = 0.05), such that those with less insight experienced less interference on psychosis-related words. Psychosis-related words were less threatening and less self-relevant to psychosis patients with less insight. This suggests that the lack of awareness such patients have of their illness is genuine and more likely to be mediated by lower-level information processing mechanisms than strategies such as conscious, motivated denial. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

The Mental Health Continuum–Short Form (MHC–SF) in the Argentinean Context: Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Measurement Invariance

PubMed Central

Lupano Perugini, María Laura; de la Iglesia, Guadalupe; Castro Solano, Alejandro; Keyes, Corey Lee M.

2017-01-01

The present research aimed at studying the psychometric properties of the Mental Health Continuum–Short Form (MHC–SF; Keyes, 2005) in a sample of 1,300 Argentinean adults (50% males; 50% females). Their mean age was 40.28 years old (SD = 13.59). The MHC–SF is a 14 item test that assesses three components (i.e., emotional, social, and psychological) of well-being. Convergent and divergent evidence of construct validity was assessed by conducting confirmatory factor analysis, cross-validation, factorial invariance, and correlations with external criteria. Internal consistency was studied using Cronbach’s alphas. Results indicated an adequate fit of a three-dimensional model. This structure was also confirmed, and was invariant throughout sex and age. The emotional well-being scores converged with life satisfaction and positive affect measures; the psychological well-being scale had a positive association with the presence of meaning in life; and the social well-being scores showed a positive and strong correlation with an external measure of well-being. Also, all scores were negatively associated with negative affect, search of meaning in life, and presence of depression symptoms. Internal consistency was .89 for the MHC–SF. Furthermore, the findings supported the two - continua model of mental health. PMID:28344677

Making Decisions under Ambiguity: Judgment Bias Tasks for Assessing Emotional State in Animals

PubMed Central

Roelofs, Sanne; Boleij, Hetty; Nordquist, Rebecca E.; van der Staay, Franz Josef

2016-01-01

Judgment bias tasks (JBTs) are considered as a family of promising tools in the assessment of emotional states of animals. JBTs provide a cognitive measure of optimism and/or pessimism by recording behavioral responses to ambiguous stimuli. For instance, a negative emotional state is expected to produce a negative or pessimistic judgment of an ambiguous stimulus, whereas a positive emotional state produces a positive or optimistic judgment of the same ambiguous stimulus. Measuring an animal’s emotional state or mood is relevant in both animal welfare research and biomedical research. This is reflected in the increasing use of JBTs in both research areas. We discuss the different implementations of JBTs with animals, with a focus on their potential as an accurate measure of emotional state. JBTs have been successfully applied to a very broad range of species, using many different types of testing equipment and experimental protocols. However, further validation of this test is deemed necessary. For example, the often extensive training period required for successful judgment bias testing remains a possible factor confounding results. Also, the issue of ambiguous stimuli losing their ambiguity with repeated testing requires additional attention. Possible improvements are suggested to further develop the JBTs in both animal welfare and biomedical research. PMID:27375454

Assessment of rates of recanting and hair testing as a biological measure of drug use in a general population sample of young people

PubMed Central

Sullivan, John; Ring, Susan M.; Macleod, John; Hickman, Matthew

2016-01-01

Abstract Aims We investigate the extent of and factors associated with denial of previously reported cannabis and other illicit drug use, and assess the potential of hair testing for measuring substance use in general population samples. Design Birth cohort study. Setting United Kingdom, 1991–present. Participants A total of 3643 participants who provided hair and self‐report measures of cannabis and other illicit drug use in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) at age 18 years. Measurements Denial of ever use of cannabis and other illicit drugs at age 18 following previously reported use. Positive hair drug tests for cannabis and other illicit drugs, and expected numbers of false positives and false negatives based on expected sensitivity and specificity. Findings Cannabis and other illicit drug use was reported by 1223 and 393 individuals, respectively, before age 18 years. Of these 176 (14.4%) and 99 (25.2%), respectively, denied use at age 18. Denial of cannabis use decreased with the reporting of other substances and antisocial behaviour. Cannabis and other illicit drug use at age 18 was reported by 547 (22.5%) and 203 (8.4%) individuals, respectively. Of these, 111 (20.3%) and 13 (6.4%) were hair‐positive for cannabis and other illicit drugs, respectively. Based on hair testing for cannabis use we expect 0 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0–169] false positives and 394 (95% CI = 323–449) false negatives compared to observed 362 potential false positives and 436 potential false negatives based on self‐report. In hair‐positive individuals, reporting the use of other substances and antisocial behaviour decreased the odds of a negative self‐report. Conclusions Hair analysis provides an unreliable marker of substance use in general population samples. People who report more frequent substance use before age 18 are less likely to later deny previous substance use at age 18 than people who report occasional use. PMID:27743424

Impact of sleep quality on amygdala reactivity, negative affect, and perceived stress.

PubMed

Prather, Aric A; Bogdan, Ryan; Hariri, Ahmad R

2013-05-01

Research demonstrates a negative impact of sleep disturbance on mood and affect; however, the biological mechanisms mediating these links are poorly understood. Amygdala reactivity to negative stimuli has emerged as one potential pathway. Here, we investigate the influence of self-reported sleep quality on associations between threat-related amygdala reactivity and measures of negative affect and perceived stress. Analyses on data from 299 participants (125 men, 50.5% white, mean [standard deviation] age = 19.6 [1.3] years) who completed the Duke Neurogenetics Study were conducted. Participants completed several self-report measures of negative affect and perceived stress. Threat-related (i.e., angry and fearful facial expressions) amygdala reactivity was assayed using blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging. Global sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Amygdala reactivity to fearful facial expressions predicted greater depressive symptoms and higher perceived stress in poor (β values = 0.18-1.86, p values < .05) but not good sleepers (β values = -0.13 to -0.01, p values > .05). In sex-specific analyses, men reporting poorer global sleep quality showed a significant association between amygdala reactivity and levels of depression and perceived stress (β values = 0.29-0.44, p values < .05). In contrast, no significant associations were observed in men reporting good global sleep quality or in women, irrespective of sleep quality. This study provides novel evidence that self-reported sleep quality moderates the relationships between amygdala reactivity, negative affect, and perceived stress, particularly among men.