1,721,020 research outputs found
Attitudes toward medication and the clinical variables in schizophrenia: Structural equation models
No full textObjective: Our study uses data from a large clinical trial to further dissect the contributors attitude toward antipsychotic medication measured with the Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI) in schizophrenia. Method: A total of 227 consecutive outpatients (140 males, 87 females) with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder according to DSM-IV criteria were evaluated. Structural equation models (SEM) were used to examine the relationship between attitudes toward medication as measured with the DAI and clinical variables assessed by Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). Results: Among four models, the data better fit a model in which attitudes toward medication (DAI-30) was predicted by PANSS Positive and Insight measures, and GAF (goodnessof- fit = 0.99). Conclusion: The data best fit a model where the most complex interaction of insight measures and positive symptoms does predict attitudes toward medication. © 2009 Rossi et al, publisher and licensee Dove Medical Press Ltd
Emotional dysregulation, affective status and personality traits in a sample of migraine patients
Full text linkBackground: Several studies hypothesize emotional dysregulation in subjects with migraine related to a generalized hyperexcitability both to sensory and emotional stimuli, involving the cortical-limbic system. The aim of the study was to investigate Emotional Reactivity by means of the International Affective Picture System (IAPS), in a sample of migraineurs in order to evaluate differences between the patients and a healthy reference group and the relationships with clinical evaluations: personality traits, psychopathological symptoms, empathy, affective status, coping and resilience strategy and with the severity of the headache disorder. Methods Twenty patients with migraine (14 females, 6 males) and fifteen healthy subjects (9 females, 6 males) matched for age and gender were recruited. Emotional Reactivity was tested using International Affective Picture System (IAPS); Clinical Global Impression evaluated behavioral disturbances. Clinical evaluation, by using the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory II, the Empathy Quotient, the brief TEMPS-M temperament questionnaire, the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory III, the Symptom Check List 90, the Brief Cope, the Resilience Scale 14 and the Migraine Disability Assessment, was performed. Results: The mean arousal ratings of the clinical group were significantly higher than those of the control group for unpleasant and socially unpleasant pictures. The arousal scores of socially unpleasant pictures showed numerous significant correlations with psychometric scores, since higher arousal is associated with higher migraine disability. Valence to unpleasant images was similarly related to migraine disability, while arousal was inversely related to the Brief Cope score. Conclusions: The association between personality traits and emotional dysregulation in migraine patients is worth of attention because it could represent the cause of an increased susceptibility to many negative stimuli, may worsen the course and prognosis of the headache disorder and may amplify the vulnerability to psychopathology
Maladaptive behaviours after catastrophic events: the contribute of a "spectrum" approach to post traumatic stress disorder.
No full textGli effetti sulla salute del sisma dell'Aquila del 2009
No full textBACKGROUND: an earthquake of 6.3 magnitude struck the town and province of L'Aquila on 6thApril 2009. About 100,000 buildings were damaged, 1,600 people remained injured and 309 deceased; 66,000 people were left homeless by the disaster. The studies performed on the consequences of this seismic event have been numerous, more than those published on the occasion of similar events in Italy. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: an electronic bibliographic research was conducted through Embase, MedLine, Current Contents, Web of Science, PsycINFO during a reference period from April 2009 to August 2015. All articles fulfilling keywords criteria of «L'Aquila» and/or «earthquake» were eventually selected. A further search was conducted on Google and Google Scholar and authors were contacted if necessary to obtain article copies. Finally, 56 papers were identified and grouped in areas of interest: studies in general population, clinical studies on psychiatric sample, studies on medical conditions, studies on suicidal behaviours, and studies human and animal behaviours. RESULTS: Twenty-three studies were conducted on general populations, 9 of whom on adolescent samples. All studies were done in convenience samples. Thirteen clinical studies were conducted in psychiatric samples and 16 in medical or paraphysiological conditions. Three studies were conducted in suicidal ideations and behaviours. One article is about human and animal behaviours. These studies show that different population groups were characterized by specific kinds of response to the trauma with different possible interactions of risk and protective factors. CONCLUSIONS: from such observations it can be conceived that research on the evaluation and identification of the interventions have to change across years in order to meet the needs of the different subgroups of survivors
The Italian validation study of the resilience scale for adults (RSA)
No full textResearch on resilience showed its substantive role as buffer against mental differing but the difficulty to find a valid and reliable measurement instrument represents a limit for the improvement of the knowledge on this topic. In this study we examined the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA). RSA is a 33 item instrument devoted to measure six factors of resilience. Construct and criterion validity have been investigated. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the adequacy of the measurement model to the data showing good fit indexes, all factors but one (Structured Style) showed good reliability indexes. The correlations with life satisfaction, social connectedness, hopelessness and a general index of psychological distress confirmed the criterion validity. Results confirm the construct and criterion validity of the scale. Relations between RSA factors and some indicators of psychosocial well-being and distress are discussed. Suggestions for further validity studies of RSA on the Italian context and on clinical and social relevance of this multidimensional construct are posed
Community Mental Health Service Utilization After the L’Aquila Earthquake
No full textThis study investigated the use of the facilities for the mental health by the population affected by the L’Aquila (Italy) 2009 earthquake. The data about the activities of the Mental Health Centre of L’Aquila during the years from 2008 to 2010 were obtained by the service Information System. In the months following the event the percentage of referrals was reduced. Failure to use specialized facilities after disasters should not be seen as reassuring. It is conceivable that a relevant rate of frank or sub-threshold psychopathology is present that the traditional mental health facilities may not be able to intercept
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Post-traumatic stress spectrum in young versus middle-aged L’Aquila 2009 earthquake survivors.
No full textObjective
The aim of this study was to investigate full blown and partial
post-traumatic-stress disorder (PTSD), besides post-traumatic
stress symptoms, in a selected group of young and middle-age
subjects who survived to the 2009 L’Aquila (Italy) earthquake,
with a particular focus on the impact of age, gender and of their
possible interaction.
Method
Nine-hundred and thirty-nine subjects (468 women and 471
men, recruited amongst high-school students and their parents/
relatives who volunteered for the study, were included. All subjects
were assessed by the Trauma and Loss spectrum-self report
(TALS-SR) and the Impact of Event Scale (IES).
Results
Three hundred and seventy-two (41.3%) subjects reported full
PTSD, and 294 (32.5%) partial PTSD. Women reported significantly
higher PTSD rates and partial symptoms than men who,
in turn, showed significantly higher maladaptive copying behaviours,
such as higher suicidal intention and attempts. Interestingly,
younger men were more prone than women towards alcohol,
drug or substance abuse and risk-taking activities. More mature
subjects of both sexes reported significantly higher re-experiencing
and arousal symptoms than younger ones.
Conclusions
High rates of full and partial PTSD and post-traumatic stress
symptoms were detected in a group of Italian earthquake survivors,
especially among women. On the contrary, men reacted
to trauma with more maladaptive copying behaviours, particularly
evident in the younger ones. Our results would indicate the
need to carefully take into consideration age and gender impact
on post-traumatic stress symptoms in subjects exposed to earthquakes,
in order to identify rapidly high-risk subjects and possibly
prevent maladaptive behaviours
Post-traumatic stress spectrum in the DSM-5 era: What we learned from the L'Aquila experience
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