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Brief Version (brief + version)
Selected AbstractsQuality of life in Chinese elderly people with depressionINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 4 2006Sally W. C. Chan Abstract Background Depression is the most prevalent functional mental disorder of later life. It is estimated that about 5% of the elderly population of Hong Kong are suffering from depression. Aim To investigate the self-rated quality of life of community-dwelling elderly people diagnosed with depression, and to examine the relationships between quality of life and mental, physical health, functional status and social support. Methods and results A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted in psychiatric outpatient clinics. A convenience sample of 80 Chinese elderly people with a diagnosis of depressive disorder was recruited. Perception of quality of life was measured by the Hong Kong Chinese World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale,Brief Version. Participants' mental status, functional abilities, physical health condition, and social support status were assessed. Sixty-one (76.3%) participants were female. They were least satisfied with ,meaningfulness of life', ,life enjoyment', ,concentration and thinking', ,energy' and ,work capacity'. Functional abilities had a positive association with participants' perceived quality of life, level of depression and number of physical health conditions had a negative association. Participants had low ratings of quality of life when compared with healthy persons and persons with chronic physical problems. Findings are discussed in light of the socio-cultural environment in Hong Kong. Conclusion Comprehensive treatment and better control of depression, including different modes of medical and psychosocial intervention, could help to improve participants' perception of quality of life. A longitudinal study with a larger sample with various levels of depression and socio-demographic characteristics is recommended. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Social support buffers the impact of functional impairments on caregiver psychological well-being in the context of brain tumor and other cancersPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 10 2010Tamara Ownsworth Abstract Objective: This study investigated the association between functional impairments of individuals with cancer and caregiver psychological well-being, and examined the moderating effect of social support. Methods: Sixty-three caregivers (71% female) of individuals with brain tumor (n=27) and other cancers (n=36) were recruited from community services. Caregivers rated their psychological well-being on the World Health Organisation Quality of Life measure Brief version, social support on a brief version of the Social Support Questionnaire, and the individuals' functional impairments on the Patient Competency Rating Scale. Results: For caregivers of individuals with brain tumor, better psychological well-being was associated with lower functional impairment in all domains (rs=0.33,38, p<0.05), except for cognitive difficulties. For caregivers of individuals with other cancers, better psychological well-being was associated with lower functional impairment in all domains (rs=0.30,0.49, p<0.05), with the exception of activities of daily living. For the total caregiver sample, better psychological well-being was significantly correlated with overall functional impairment (r=0.34, p<0.005) and satisfaction with support (r=0.40, p<0.005). Caregivers supporting individuals with greater functional impairment had better psychological well-being if they were highly satisfied with their social support. Conclusions: Effective social support is particularly important for caregivers who support individuals with poorer functional status, and this study highlights the need to evaluate caregiver social support interventions in the context of cancer. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Measurements in the Addictions for Triage and Evaluation (MATE): an instrument based on the World Health Organization family of international classificationsADDICTION, Issue 5 2010Gerard M. Schippers ABSTRACT Aims To present and evaluate a measurement tool for assessing characteristics of people with drug and/or alcohol problems for triage and evaluation in treatment. Measurements in the Addictions for Triage and Evaluation (MATE) is composed of 10 modules, selected on the basis of a detailed set of specifications. Conceptually, the MATE was constructed according to the ICD and International Classification of Functioning (ICF) in the World Health Organization (WHO) classification system. Two of the ICF-related modules were newly designed. Design Monitoring feasibility and field-testing in a treatment-seeking population with researcher and clinician-administered test,retest interviews, construct validation with related instruments and evaluation of the dimensional structure of the ICF-related modules. Setting The research was conducted in a large, regional substance abuse treatment centre in the Netherlands and at the Municipal Health Service of Amsterdam. Participants A total of 945 treatment-seeking patients were recruited during routine intakes, 159 of whom were interviewed twice; 32 problem drug users were also recruited from the Amsterdam cohort studies among problem drug users. Findings Completion time was reasonably short, and there were relatively few missing data. The factor structure of the ICF-related modules revealed a three-factor model with an acceptable fit. Inter-rater reliability ranged between 0.75 and 0.92 and was satisfactory, but interviewer reliability ranged between 0.34 and 0.73, indicating that some of subscales need to be improved. Concurrent validity was indicated by significant correlations (>0.50) between the ICF-related modules and the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS II) and WHO Quality of Life brief version (WHOQOL-BREF). Conclusions The MATE can be used to allocate patients to substance abuse treatment. Because it is a comprehensive but flexible measurement tool that is also practical to use, the MATE is well suited for use in a heterogeneous population. [source] A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Fall Prevention Programs and Quality of Life in Older FallersJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 4 2007Mau-Roung Lin PhD OBJECTIVES: To compare the effects of three fall-prevention programs (education (ED), home safety assessment and modification (HSAM), and exercise training (ET)) on quality of life (QOL), functional balance and gait, activities of daily living (ADLs), fear of falling, and depression in adults aged 65 and older. DESIGN: A 4-month randomized trial. SETTING: Randomized, controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred fifty participants who had experienced a recent fall. MEASUREMENTS: QOL was assessed according to the brief version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life instrument (WHOQOL-BREF), functional balance and gait according to functional reach and Tinetti balance and gait, ADLs according to the Older Americans Resources and Services questionnaire, fear of falling according to a visual analog scale, and depression level according to the Geriatric Depression Scale. RESULTS: The score changes for the ET group were 2.1 points greater on the physical domain (95% confidence interval (CI)=,1.2,5.3), 3.8 points greater on the psychological domain (95% CI=0.7,7.0), and for the WHOQOL-BREF, 3.4 points greater on the social domain (95% CI=0.7,6.1) and 3.2 points greater on the environmental domain (95% CI=0.6,5.7) than for the ED group. The score change for each domain of the WHOQOL-BREF for the HSAM group was greater than that for the ED group, although these results were not statistically significant. The ET group also had greater improvements in functional reach, Tinetti balance and gait, and fear of falling than the ED group. CONCLUSION: The QOL outcome supports the superiority of ET over the other two interventions in older people who have recently fallen. This finding also parallels those gathered from the functional measures. [source] Nordic guidelines for neuraxial blocks in disturbed haemostasis from the Scandinavian Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care MedicineACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 1 2010H. BREIVIK Background: Central neuraxial blocks (CNBs) for surgery and analgesia are an important part of anaesthesia practice in the Nordic countries. More active thromboprophylaxis with potent antihaemostatic drugs has increased the risk of bleeding into the spinal canal. National guidelines for minimizing this risk in patients who benefit from such blocks vary in their recommendations for safe practice. Methods: The Scandinavian Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine (SSAI) appointed a task force of experts to establish a Nordic consensus on recommendations for best clinical practice in providing effective and safe CNBs in patients with an increased risk of bleeding. We performed a literature search and expert evaluation of evidence for (1) the possible benefits of CNBs on the outcome of anaesthesia and surgery, for (2) risks of spinal bleeding from hereditary and acquired bleeding disorders and antihaemostatic drugs used in surgical patients for thromboprophylaxis, for (3) risk evaluation in published case reports, and for (4) recommendations in published national guidelines. Proposals from the taskforce were available for feedback on the SSAI web-page during the summer of 2008. Results: Neuraxial blocks can improve comfort and reduce morbidity (strong evidence) and mortality (moderate evidence) after surgical procedures. Haemostatic disorders, antihaemostatic drugs, anatomical abnormalities of the spine and spinal blood vessels, elderly patients, and renal and hepatic impairment are risk factors for spinal bleeding (strong evidence). Published national guidelines are mainly based on experts' opinions (weak evidence). The task force reached a consensus on Nordic guidelines, mainly based on our experts' opinions, but we acknowledge different practices in heparinization during vascular surgery and peri-operative administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs during neuraxial blocks. Conclusions: Experts from the five Nordic countries offer consensus recommendations for safe clinical practice of neuraxial blocks and how to minimize the risks of serious complications from spinal bleeding. A brief version of the recommendations is available on http://www.ssai.info. [source] Accuracy of brief and full forms of the child mania rating scaleJOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 4 2008David B. Henry Abstract This study assesses the sensitivity of full and brief forms of a parent-rated mania scale to variations in diagnoses. Parents of a sample of 150 subjects either diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or healthy controls (HC), completed the full Child Mania Rating Scale and other measures. We used single-parameter item-response theory models to produce a brief parent mania rating scale from the full version. The 10-item, brief Child Mania Rating Scale,Parent (CMRS-P) version correlated .93 with 11 items from the full CMRS-P that were not used in constructing the brief version, and showed accuracy comparable to the full scale in differentiating BD from ADHD, and in discriminating among bipolar subtypes. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 64:1,14, 2008. [source] Expanding the Utility of the Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale (BAES) and Initial Psychometric Support for the Brief-BAES (B-BAES)ALCOHOLISM, Issue 5 2009Sandra Y. Rueger Background:, The utility of one of the most widely used subjective alcohol assessment tools, the Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale (BAES) has been somewhat limited based on lack of psychometric studies in large and diverse samples, a range of alcohol doses, the length of the measure, and the original instructional set which precluded baseline measurement and disclosed to subjects that they received alcohol. Methods:, The current study investigated the factor structure of the BAES with a modified instructional set at pre-drink baseline and after consumption of various doses of alcohol, in a sample of 190 men and women, heavy and light social drinkers. This study tested the psychometric properties of a brief version of the BAES (Brief-BAES or B-BAES). Results:, Results demonstrated robust support of the stimulant and sedative constructs across all conditions, and demonstrated strong psychometric support for the 6-item B-BAES. Discussion:, This is the first comprehensive study to expand the utility of the BAES by instructional set, baseline measurement, at various alcohol doses, and by drinking history and sex. In addition, the introduction of the B-BAES may further increase the utility of this scale, particularly in paradigms with repeated measurement or time constraints. [source] Social support buffers the impact of functional impairments on caregiver psychological well-being in the context of brain tumor and other cancersPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 10 2010Tamara Ownsworth Abstract Objective: This study investigated the association between functional impairments of individuals with cancer and caregiver psychological well-being, and examined the moderating effect of social support. Methods: Sixty-three caregivers (71% female) of individuals with brain tumor (n=27) and other cancers (n=36) were recruited from community services. Caregivers rated their psychological well-being on the World Health Organisation Quality of Life measure Brief version, social support on a brief version of the Social Support Questionnaire, and the individuals' functional impairments on the Patient Competency Rating Scale. Results: For caregivers of individuals with brain tumor, better psychological well-being was associated with lower functional impairment in all domains (rs=0.33,38, p<0.05), except for cognitive difficulties. For caregivers of individuals with other cancers, better psychological well-being was associated with lower functional impairment in all domains (rs=0.30,0.49, p<0.05), with the exception of activities of daily living. For the total caregiver sample, better psychological well-being was significantly correlated with overall functional impairment (r=0.34, p<0.005) and satisfaction with support (r=0.40, p<0.005). Caregivers supporting individuals with greater functional impairment had better psychological well-being if they were highly satisfied with their social support. Conclusions: Effective social support is particularly important for caregivers who support individuals with poorer functional status, and this study highlights the need to evaluate caregiver social support interventions in the context of cancer. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Algebra of Geometric Impossibility: Descartes and Montucla on the Impossibility of the Duplication of the Cube and the Trisection of the AngleCENTAURUS, Issue 1 2010Jesper Lützen Today we credit Pierre Wantzel with the first proof (1837) of the impossibility of doubling a cube and trisecting an arbitrary angle by ruler and compass. However two centuries earlier Descartes had put forward what probably counts as the first proof of these impossibilities. In this paper I analyze this proof, as well as the later related proof given by Montucla (1754) and the brief version of this proof published by Condorcet (1775). I discuss the many novelties of these early arguments and highlight the problematic points addressed by Gauss (1801) and Wantzel. In particular I show that although Descartes developed many of the algebraic techniques used in later proofs he failed to provide an algebraic impossibility proof and resorted to a geometric argument. Montucla and Condorcet turned this proof into an algebraic one. I situate the analysis of the early proof of the impossibility of the two classical problems in the general context of early modern mathematics where mathematics was primarily viewed as a problem solving activity. Within such a paradigm of mathematics impossibility results arguably do not play the role of proper mathematical results, but rather the role of meta-results limiting the problem solving activity. [source] | ||||||||||