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Social Dysfunction (social + dysfunction)
Selected AbstractsThe Liverpool Violence Assessment: an investigator-based measure of serious violenceCRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 2 2003Rajan Nathan Background Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) identifies adults with persistent offending behaviour and social dysfunction. However, it lacks discrimination within high-risk and criminal populations and gives little indication of an individual's history of violence. Existing measures of violence have significant limitations. The Liverpool Violence Assessment (LiVA) is an investigator-based standardized interview for measuring patterns of violence. Method A total of 61 male prisoners who had been sentenced for serious violent offences were interviewed using the LiVA and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM IV antisocial personality disorder and alcohol and drug dependence. Official records of offending were examined. Results The inter-rater reliability for the LiVA was high. There were significant correlations between histories of violence assessed by the LiVA and official records, but the frequency of self-reported violence was much higher than in the official records. Antisocial personality disorder was associated with increased violence. However, analyses revealed marked variability of the levels of violence among those with antisocial personality disorder and contrasting patterns of association of violence with antisocial personality disorder depending on the context. Conclusion The LiVA is a reliable and valid measure of the patterns and characteristics of violence. The findings suggest that the causes of violence should be studied in their own right and not only as a feature of ASPD. Copyright © 2003 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] Inter-rater reliability of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and the Groningen Social Disabilities Schedule in a European multi-site randomized controlled trial on the effectiveness of acute psychiatric day hospitalsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF METHODS IN PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH, Issue 4 2003Dr Matthias Schützwohl Abstract The objectives of this study were to report the inter-rater reliability of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS 4.0) and the Groningen Social Disabilities Schedule (GSDS-II) as assessed in a randomized controlled trial on the effectiveness of psychiatric day hospitals spanning five sites in countries of Central and Western Europe. Following brief training sessions, videotaped BPRS-interviews and written GSDS-vignettes were rated by clinically experienced researchers from all participating sites. Inter-rater reliability often proved to be poor for items assessing the severity of both psychopathology and social dysfunction, but findings suggest that both instruments allow for the assessment of the presence or absence of specific psychopathological symptoms or social disabilities. Inter-rater reliability at subscale level proved to be good for both instruments. Results indicate that, with a brief training session and proper use of the instruments, psychopathology and social disabilities can be reliably assessed within cross-national research studies. The results are of particular interest given that the need to conduct cross-national multi-site studies including countries with different cultural backgrounds increases. Copyright © 2003 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] The Psychological Impact of Domestic Violence on Spanish Women,JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 11 2005M. Pilar Matud This study examined the psychological impact of partner violence on 240 Spanish women who were identified as abused, comparing them to a control group of 240 non-abused women. The abused women suffered more long-lasting anxiety and insomnia, severe depression, and somatic symptomatology, and also had lower self-esteem than did the non-abused women. The severity of the psychological abuse was correlated positively with the severity of the physical abuse, while the number of years of abuse endured correlated with the women's age and number of children. The most relevant variable for predicting severe depression, social dysfunction, anxiety and insomnia, and somatic symptoms was low self-esteem. [source] Cognitive-behavior therapy for Japanese patients with panic disorder: Acute phase and one-year follow-up resultsPSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES, Issue 3 2008Yumi Nakano md Aim:, The aim of this paper is to report the outcomes and follow-up data of our cognitive behavioral therapy program for Japanese patients with panic disorder and to examine the baseline predictors of their outcomes. Methods:, Seventy outpatients with panic disorder with or without agoraphobia were treated with manualized group cognitive behavioral therapy. Results:, Fourteen patients (20%) did not complete the program. Among the completers, the average Panic Disorder Severity Scale score fell from 12.8 at baseline to 7.1 post-therapy (44.7% reduction). This effectiveness was sustained for 1 year. While controlling for the baseline severity, the duration of illness and the baseline social dysfunction emerged as significant predictors of the outcome. Conclusions:, Our data suggest that group cognitive behavioral therapy for panic disorder can bring about as much symptom reduction among Japanese patients with panic disorder as among Western patients. [source] | |||||||||||||