Levels Of General Psychological Distress Research Articles

Resource loss and relocation: A follow-up study of adolescents two years after Hurricane Katrina.

The long-term psychological impact of Hurricane Katrina was assessed among students (N 636) at two high schools in southeastern Louisiana. Displaced students from the greater New Orleans area were compared with nondisplaced students on several factors. Displaced students reported higher levels of general psychological distress (GPD) and posttraumatic stress (PTS). Age, resource loss, relocation time, relocation distance, self-esteem, optimism, storm exposure, and gender were then assessed in separate regression models predicting GPD and PTS. Both hierarchical regression models were significantly predictive. Self-esteem, relocation distance, optimism, resource loss, and storm exposure were significant predictors of GPD. Resource loss, relocation time, storm exposure, and self-esteem were significant predictors of PTS. As expected, gender did not make significant contributions to either model.

Predictors of persistent neck pain after whiplash injury

Objective: To establish the aetiological influences of persistent neck pain following a motor vehicle collision and to construct a model for use in the emergency department for identifying patients at...

Assessing quality of life in eating disorder patients

To examine quality of life among subgroups of eating disorder patients. Self-report questionnaires which included two quality of life measures were completed by 87 individuals referred for treatment to the Australian Capital Territory Eating Disorders Day Program. Health-related quality of life, as measured by the Medical Outcomes Study 12-item Short Form Mental Component Summary scale, and subjective quality of life, as measured by subscales of the World Health Organization Brief Quality of Life Assessment Scale (WHOQOL-BREF), were compared among individuals who received the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa purging subtype (n = 15), anorexia nervosa restricting subtype (n = 19), bulimia nervosa (n = 40) and binge eating disorder (n = 10), and among a general population sample of young adult women employed as a control group (n = 495). Eating disorder patients, when considered together, showed marked impairment in both health-related and subjective quality of life relative to normal control subjects. However, in both domains, restricting anorexia nervosa patients reported significantly better quality of life than other patient groups, after controlling for levels of general psychological distress. Scores on the Social Relationships subscale of the WHOQOL-BREF among individuals in this subgroup were similar to those of normal control subjects. Reliance on any one instrument is likely to be misleading in assessing the quality of life of eating disorder patients. Careful consideration needs to be given to the assessment of restricting anorexia nervosa patients in particular.

Anorexia nervosa subtypes and the big five personality factors

AbstractObjectiveThis study investigated the relationship between the Big Five personality factors and anorexia nervosa and its subtypes.Method71 patients with anorexia nervosa, restricting subtype (AN‐R) and 29 patients with anorexia nervosa, binge‐eating/purging subtype (AN‐BP) filled in the NEO‐Five Factor Inventory. The results of the two AN groups were compared with each other, and with those of an historical control group (N = 1390).ResultsCompared to AN‐BP, AN‐R had significantly higher scores on the factors Conscientiousness and Agreeableness. While levels of Neuroticism were similar in AN‐R and AN‐BP, both had significantly higher scores on Neuroticism compared to the normal controls.DiscussionThe present results confirm that AN‐R and AN‐BP can be meaningfully distinguished, not only on basis of eating disorder symptoms, but also on basic personality variables. The high levels of general psychological distress and emotional instability in both subtypes of AN compared to normal controls, strongly suggest that the focus of treatment of AN should not be limited to disordered eating behaviours and cognitions. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Validation of a screening instrument for identifying risk behaviour related to eating disorders

AbstractObjective:To validate a screening instrument (RiBED‐8) aimed at identifying risk behaviour related to eating disorders among Danish adolescents in a two‐stage study in 1996 and a follow‐up study 2.75 years later.Methods:2094 pupils, aged 14–21 years, responded to a 49‐item self‐report questionnaire. Risk behaviour related to eating disorders was defined. The psychometric validation procedure was performed with Rasch Item analysis, testing the internal and external homogeneity, local independence and uni‐dimensionality. Furthermore, 91 semi‐structured clinical interviews were conducted to create a gold standard and to test the content, criterion and construct related validity of risk behaviour. Eight items comprised the final scale, called RiBED‐8. Furthermore, the criterion‐related validity, the stability and the predictive validity of RiBED‐8 was tested using the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI‐2) in the follow‐up study in 1998, where 508 pupils responded. In a cross‐sectional design in 1998, the concurrent general psychopathology was analysed using Hopkins Symptoms CheckList (SCL‐90‐R). Lastly, the time‐related reliability of the instrument was tested by test–retest analysis in 1998.Results:The scale was a uni‐dimensional screening instrument with local independence, internal consistency and external homogeneity towards age groups. However, the instrument did not measure less severe risk behaviour for boys. RiBED‐8 had sufficiently good psychometric properties (construct, criterion and predictive validity and test–retest reliability), and identified persons with a high level of general psychological distress and of eating pathology. Risk behaviour related to eating disorders was stable and indicated a 5.6‐times greater relative risk of having eating disorders over 2.75 years. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Predictors of PTSD in mothers of children undergoing bone marrow transplantation: the role of cognitive and social processes.

To investigate the role of cognitive and social processing in posttraumatic stress symptoms and disorder (PTSD) among mothers of children undergoing bone marrow and hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (BMT/SCT). Questionnaires assessing emotional distress, BMT-related fears, and negative responses of family and friends were completed by 90 mothers at the time of the BMT infusion and 3 and 6 months post-BMT. PTSD symptoms were measured 6 months post-BMT by both paper-and-pencil and structured interview methods. Emotional distress, BMT-related fears, and negative responses of family and friends assessed at the time of BMT hospitalization were predictive of later PTSD symptoms. None of these variables prospectively predicted a PTSD diagnosis as measured by the structured interview. Higher levels of general psychological distress, cognitive interpretations of the threat of the BMT for the child's future functioning, and negative responses of family and friends may place mothers at risk for post-BMT posttraumatic stress symptomatology.

Women in a prenatal care/substance abuse treatment program: links between domestic violence and mental health.

This study examines the prevalence of violence experienced by patients enrolled in the Step by Step program, a combined prenatal care/substance abuse treatment program at the Wake County Health Department in North Carolina. In addition, potential associations between violence and sociodemographic characteristics, substance use, and mental health are investigated. All prenatal care/substance abuse treatment patients who met study eligibility criteria (N = 84) were assessed by health care providers. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses were used to compare victims of violence and nonvictims on a wide range of variables. Multiple linear regression analysis estimated the impact of the women's experiences of violence on their levels of mental health symptoms while controlling for confounding factors. Forty-two percent of patients had been victims of both sexual and physical violence, and 30% had been victims of physical violence alone. The combination of sexual and physical violence was significantly less common among African-American women compared with other women. No other significant differences were found between victims and nonvictims in terms of sociodemographics or substance use. Compared with nonvictims, victims of the combination of sexual and physical violence had significantly elevated levels of general psychological distress as well as elevated levels of hostility, depression, anxiety, interpersonal sensitivity, and somatization. However, no significant differences in levels of mental health symptoms were observed among women who had experienced physical violence in the absence of sexual violence. Questions concerning experiences of violence, including sexual victimization, should be incorporated into the clinical history-taking procedures of professionals working within prenatal care/substance abuse treatment programs so that effective interventions that take experiences of violence into account can be put into place for these high-risk women.

Prediction and course of grief four years after perinatal loss due to congenital anomalies: a follow-up study.

The emotional reactions of women (N = 29) after perinatal loss were evaluated over a four-year period by means of standardized questionnaires and a semi-structured interview. Eleven women (38 per cent) displayed a level of general psychological distress which is clinically significant. Grief reactions declined significantly during this period, except for difficulties with coping and despair concerning the loss, and a quarter of the women still showed a clinically significant high level of distress for intrusive images. The disposition for feelings of inadequacy (i.e. feeling anxious, insufficient, depressed and having low self-esteem) was strongly and positively related to the intensity of stress, grief and general psychological distress after four years. Our findings emphasize the importance of psychosocial screening of those women identified as showing signs of inadequacy in the face of (threatened) pregnancy loss with the objective to offer them additional psychological support.

Psychological Response to HIV Positivity in Hemophilia

To compare the psychological and family adaptation of children and adolescents with hemophilia who were seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) with an HIV-negative group of comparable age, demographic characteristics, and disease severity in a multi-site study. Cross-sectional, controlled study. Thirty-three hemophilia treatment centers throughout the United States. Ninety-one children and adolescents with hemophilia who were seropositive for HIV and 92 children and adolescents with hemophilia who were seronegative and of comparable age, demographic characteristics, and disease severity. HIV-seropositive children and adolescents reported less positive affect [(lower well being) (P < .05)], and more frequent hemophilia-related school absences were identified among HIV-infected patients (P < .005). However, the two groups demonstrated surprisingly comparable levels of psychological, social, hemophilia-related adjustment, general family relations, and hemophilia-related family adaptation, as reported by patients and parents. However, mothers of HIV-seropositive children and adolescents reported higher levels of general psychological distress (P < .008) and higher levels of distress related to hemophilia (P < .0002) than parents of HIV-negative children. Seropositive children and adolescents with hemophilia demonstrate psychological resilience and levels of psychological adjustment that were comparable to seronegative counterparts. However, mothers of seropositive children were more distressed than mothers of HIV-negative children. Practitioners should ensure that stressed mothers obtain necessary psychological support.

Long-term correlates of child sexual abuse: Theory and review of the empirical literature

Since Browne and Finkelhor's (1986) seminal review of the impact of child sexual abuse, there has been a dramatic increase in the child sexual abuse literature. Because of this tremendous growth in the literature, a more current review is warranted. The focus of this paper is a review of the long-term correlates of child sexual abuse published since 1987. Sexually abused subjects report higher levels of general psychological distress and higher rates of both major psychological disorders and personality disorders than nonabused subjects. In addition, child sexual abuse survivors report higher rates of substance abuse, binge eating, somatization, and suicidal behaviors than nonabused subjects. Adult survivors of child sexual abuse report poorer social and interpersonal relationship functioning, greater sexual dissatisfaction, dysfunction and maladjustment including high-risk sexual behavior, and a greater tendency toward revictimization through adult sexual assault and physical partner violence. The long-term correlates of child sexual abuse are conceptualized within a theoretical framework based on a theory of emotional avoidance. Although more recent empirical findings have demonstrated improved designs and methodology, these studies continue to be limited in their generalizability. Recommendations for future research are discussed.

Risk and Resistance Factors in the Adaptation of Mothers of Children with Cystic Fibrosis

Examined 35 mothers of children with cystic fibrosis (CF) to assess the relationship of risk and resistance factors to level of psychological adjustment. Dimensions of maternal adaptation, disease severity, family adaptability and cohesion, family life stress, and intrapersonal coping style were assessed. As a group, mothers evidenced significant levels of general psychological distress, and appear to constitute an at-risk population. Multiple regression analyses indicated higher levels of maternal distress were associated with increased levels of stressful family life events and an escape-avoidance coping style. Disease severity, family financial resources, and family adaptability and cohesion did not significantly contribute to the regression model.