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General Distress (general + distress)
Selected AbstractsParsing the general and specific components of depression and anxiety with bifactor modeling,DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, Issue 7 2008Leonard J. Simms Ph.D. Abstract Recent hierarchical models suggest that both general and specific components are needed to fully represent the variation observed among mood and anxiety disorders. However, little is known about the relative size, severity, and psychological meaning of these components. We studied these features through bifactor modeling of the symptoms from the Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms [IDAS; Watson et al., 2007] in 362 community adults, 353 psychiatric patients, and 673 undergraduates. Results revealed that although all IDAS symptom types loaded prominently both on a general factor as well as specific factors, some symptom groups,such as dysphoria, generalized anxiety, and irritability,were influenced more strongly by the general factor, whereas others,e.g., appetite gain, appetite loss, and low well-being,contained a larger specific component. Second, certain symptom groups,e.g., Suicidality, Panic, Appetite Loss, and Ill Temper,reflected higher severity than other symptom groups. Finally, general factor scores correlated strongly with markers of general distress and negative emotionality. These findings support a hierarchical structure among mood and anxiety symptoms and have important implications for how such disorders are described, assessed, and studied. Depression and Anxiety 0:1,13, 2007. Published 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Does subtle screening for substance abuse work?ADDICTION, Issue 1 2007A review of the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI) ABSTRACT Aim Through a complex combination of direct (face-valid) and indirect (subtle) subscales, the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI) is purported to detect substance use disorders with a high degree of validity regardless of respondent honesty or motivation. This review evaluates empirical evidence regarding the reliability and validity of this widely used screening instrument. Methods Source documents were 36 peer-reviewed reports yielding data regarding the SASSI's internal consistency, test,retest reliability, psychometric structure, convergent and divergent validity and criterion (predictive) validity. Results The total N of the studies reviewed equaled 22 110. Internal consistency is high for the overall SASSI and for its direct but not its indirect (subtle) subscales, suggesting that the instrument taps a single face-valid construct. SASSI classifications converged with those from other direct screening instruments, and were also correlated with ethnicity, general distress and social deviance. Studies found test,retest reliability lower than that reported in the test manuals. Sensitivity was found to be similar to that for public domain screening instruments, but on specificity the SASSI appears to yield a high rate of false positives. Conclusion No empirical evidence was found for the SASSI's claimed unique advantage in detecting substance use disorders through its indirect (subtle) scales to circumvent respondent denial or dishonesty. Recommendations for screening and for future research with the SASSI are offered. [source] Hope, Defense Mechanisms, and Adjustment: Implications for False Hope and Defensive HopelessnessJOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 2 2002Paul Kwon ABSTRACT Two studies replicated and expanded an earlier finding that defense style plays a crucial role in the relation between hope and dysphoria (Kwon, 2000). Lower hope and higher defense style immaturity were each associated with greater dysphoria, depression proneness, and maladjustment. Individuals with low hope and low defense immaturity did not have poor outcomes, supporting the existence of a subtype of low hope (defensive hopelessness) that may have adaptive value. The combination of high hope and high defense immaturity was not associated with maladaptive outcomes, arguing against the false hope construct. Additionally, the findings remained after controlling for levels of anxiety. Thus, it appears that the results are not attributable to general distress or negative affectivity. Finally, domain-specific hope was shown to correlate most strongly with matching areas of adjustment, providing evidence for the validity of the construct. [source] An evaluation of stress symptoms associated with academic sexual harassmentJOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 3 2000Jennifer Fine McDermut Abstract It is clear that sexual assault can precipitate posttraumatic stress disorder. Some theorists have suggested that less severe sexually harassing behaviors may also have trauma-like sequelae. In a study evaluating this hypothesis, 69 female participants completed self-report measures of instances of sexual harassment, basic beliefs, psychological distress/symptoms, and PTSD symptoms. Participants watched videotapes depicting sexual harassment, emotional arousal (not sexual in nature), and a neutral interaction while their heart rate was monitored, and they were interviewed using the SCID for PTSD. Results revealed that those who had been sexually harassed reported more negative basic beliefs, more general distress, and more negative state mood after watching the sexual harassment video, relative to those who had not been harassed. The severity of sexual harassing behaviors experienced was positively correlated with PTSD symptoms. Heart rate reactivity to the videotapes did not differ across groups defined by sexual harassment status. [source] The Contributions of Political Life Events to Psychological Distress Among South AfricanPOLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2000Michelle Slone The psychological consequences of adverse political experiences among South African youth were studied in a sample of 540 black and white adolescents from two age groups, evenly divided by gender. Three questionnaires were administered, measuring exposure to political life events, the presence of symptoms of psychopathology, and stressful personal life events during the previous 5 years. The first hypothesis, predicting a substantial contribution of stressful political experiences to psychopathology, was strongly supported; when stressful personal life events were partialed out, a significant effect for political life events remained both on general distress and symptomatology indices. The second hypothesis of a linear relation between exposure to political life events and severity of distress was also confirmed. The findings underscore the enduring impact on children's mental health of past apartheid policies in South Africa specifically, and adverse political environments in general. [source] Self-Efficacy Mediates Effects of Exposure, Loss of Resources, and Life Stress on Posttraumatic Distress among Trauma SurvivorsAPPLIED PSYCHOLOGY: HEALTH AND WELL-BEING, Issue 1 2009Aleksandra Luszczynska Trauma exposure, loss of resources, and stressful life events are usually listed among key predictors of posttraumatic adaptation. Our studies investigated if self-efficacy (i.e. beliefs about ability to deal with posttraumatic adversities) mediates the relationships between these peri- and post-traumatic risk factors and mental health. Study 1 investigated these relationships among 50 Hurricane Katrina survivors infected with HIV. Specifically, it was hypothesised that the effects of exposure and loss of resources (measured 1 year after the disaster) on posttraumatic symptoms and general distress (measured 2 years after disaster) would be mediated by self-efficacy (assessed 1 year after trauma). Study 2, enrolling 70 survivors of motor vehicle accidents, tested the mediating effect of self-efficacy in the relationship between stressful life events (reported at approximately 7 days after the trauma) and PTSD symptom severity and number (measured 90 days later). Results of both studies confirmed the mediating effects of beliefs about the ability to deal with posttraumatic adversities, whereas the direct effects of trauma exposure, number of stressors, and losses on mental health were negligible. Our findings indicate that although self-efficacy beliefs are affected by trauma and stressful life events (in particular, balance of negative and positive events), they should facilitate posttraumatic adaptation. [source] | |||||||||||||