General Population Study (general + population_study)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Developmental Trajectories of Sex-Typed Behavior in Boys and Girls: A Longitudinal General Population Study of Children Aged 2.5,8 Years

CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2008
Susan Golombok
The stability of sex-typed behavior from the preschool to the middle school years was examined. The Preschool Activities Inventory, a measure of within-sex variation in sex-typed behavior, was completed by the primary caregiver when the child was 2.5, 3.5, and 5 years, and a modified version, the Child Activities Inventory, was completed by the child at age 8. The investigation involved a general population sample of 2,726 boys and 2,775 girls. Sex-typed behavior increased through the preschool years, and those children who were the most sex typed at age 2.5 were still the most sex typed at age 5, with those children who showed the highest levels of sex-typed behavior during the preschool years continuing to do so at age 8. [source]


How many cases of Type 2 diabetes mellitus are due to being overweight in middle age?

DIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 1 2007
Evidence from the Midspan prospective cohort studies using mention of diabetes mellitus on hospital discharge or death records
Abstract Aims To relate body mass index (BMI) in middle age to development of diabetes mellitus. Methods Participants were 6927 men and 8227 women from the Renfrew/Paisley general population study and 3993 men from the Collaborative occupational study. They were aged 45,64 years and did not have reported diabetes mellitus. Cases who developed diabetes mellitus, identified from acute hospital discharge data and from death certificates in the period from screening in 1970,1976 to 31 March 2004, were related to BMI at screening. Results Of Renfrew/Paisley study men 5.4%, 4.8% of women and 5% of Collaborative study men developed diabetes mellitus. Odds ratios for diabetes mellitus were higher in the overweight group (BMI 25 to < 30 kg/m2) than in the normal weight group (BMI 18.5 to < 25 kg/m2) and highest in the obese group (BMI , 30 kg/m2). Compared with the normal weight group, age-adjusted odds ratios for overweight and obese Renfrew/Paisley men were 2.73 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.05, 3.64] and 7.26 (95% CI 5.26, 10.04), respectively. Further subdividing the normal, overweight and obese groups showed increasing odds ratios with increasing BMI, even at the higher normal level. Assuming a causal relation, around 60% of cases of diabetes could have been prevented if everyone had been of normal weight. Conclusions Overweight and obesity account for a major proportion of diabetes mellitus, as identified from hospital discharge and death records. With recent increases in the prevalence of overweight, the burden of disease related to diabetes mellitus is likely to increase markedly. Primordial prevention of obesity would be a major strategy for reducing the incidence of diabetes mellitus in populations. [source]


Childhood negative experiences and subclinical psychosis in adolescence: a longitudinal general population study

EARLY INTERVENTION IN PSYCHIATRY, Issue 2 2007
Ellen De Loore
Abstract Background:, Accumulating evidence suggests that experiences of trauma and victimization during childhood are associated with an increased risk to develop clinical and subclinical psychosis in adulthood. A recent cross-sectional study showed a significant association between trauma and psychotic experiences in adolescents. The current study aimed to extend these findings by investigating the longitudinal effects of negative life experiences on the risk for subclinical psychotic symptoms 2 years later in an adolescent general community sample. Methods:, Data were derived from the standard health screenings of the Youth Health Care Divisions of the Public Health Services, in the South of the Netherlands. A total of 1129 adolescents filled out a self-report questionnaire at age 13/14 years and 2 years later (15/16 years), assessing psychotic experiences, as well as experiences of being bullied, sexual trauma, and negative life events. Results:, Logistic regression analyses revealed that sexual trauma increased the risk for psychotic symptoms 2 years later. Life events contributed to the risk for psychosis over time and psychosis in turn gave rise to new life events. No significant association with bullying was found after controlling for confounders. Conclusion:, The results provide further evidence for an association between childhood environment and psychosis in the crucial developmental period of early adolescence. Early and later psychological stress, if severe, may impact on the risk for psychosis in adolescence through mechanisms of person,environment interaction and correlation. [source]


Predicting life-time and regular cannabis use during adolescence; the roles of temperament and peer substance use: the TRAILS study

ADDICTION, Issue 4 2010
Hanneke E. Creemers
ABSTRACT Aims The aim of the present study was to determine the mediating role of affiliation with cannabis-using peers in the pathways from various dimensions of temperament to life-time cannabis use, and to determine if these associations also contributed to the development of regular cannabis use. Methods Objectives were studied using data from 1300 participants of the Tracking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS), a large, general population study of Dutch adolescents. We used parent-reports on the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire to assess the dimensions of high-intensity pleasure, shyness, fearfulness, frustration and effortful control at age 10,12 years. By means of self-reports, life-time and regular cannabis use were determined at age 15,18 years, and proportion of substance-using peers was determined at ages 12,15 and 15,18 years. Models were adjusted for age, sex, intelligence and parental cannabis use. Results High-intensity pleasure [odds ratio (OR) = 1.09, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.05,1.13] and effortful control (OR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.89,0.96) affected the risk for life-time cannabis use through their influence on affiliation with cannabis-using peers. Shyness affected this risk independently from peer cannabis use. Only the pathway from effortful control was associated additionally with the development of regular cannabis use (OR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.89,0.98). Conclusions Peer cannabis use and, to a lesser extent, certain temperamental characteristics affect an adolescent's risk of cannabis use, and should be considered in prevention programmes. We recommend future research to focus upon factors that potentially modify the association between temperament, affiliation with cannabis-using peers and cannabis use. [source]


Measuring well-being rather than the absence of distress symptoms: a comparison of the SF-36 Mental Health subscale and the WHO-Five well-being scale

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF METHODS IN PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH, Issue 2 2003
Per Bech
Abstract The health status questionnaire Short-Form 36 (SF-36) includes subscales measuring both physical health and mental health. Psychometrically, the mental health subscale contains a mixture of mental symptoms and psychological well-being items, among other things, to prevent a ceiling effect when used in general population studies. Three of the mental health well-being items are also included in the WHO-Five well-being scale. In a Danish general population study, the mental health subscale was compared psychometrically with the WHO-Five in order to evaluate the ceiling effect. Tests for unidimensionality were used in the psychometric analyses, and the sensitivity of the scales in differentiating between changes in self-reported health over the past year has been tested. The results of the study on 9,542 respondents showed that, although the WHO-Five and the mental health subscale were found to be unidimensional, the WHO-Five had a significantly lower ceiling effect than the mental health subscale. The analysis identified the three depression symptoms in the mental health subscale as responsible for the ceiling effect. The WHO-Five was also found to be significantly superior to the mental health subscale in terms of its sensitivity in differentiating between those persons whose health had deteriorated over the past year and those whose health had not. In conclusion, the WHO-Five, which measures psychological well-being, reflects aspects other than just the absence of depressive symptoms. Copyright © 2003 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source]


Reasons for terminating psychotherapy: a general population study

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 9 2010
Robin Westmacott
Abstract Clients' (N=693) reasons for ending psychotherapy and their associations with demographics, mental disorder caseness, and type of mental health care service provider were examined. The most frequently reported reason for termination was feeling better, however, a substantial minority of individuals reported terminating because of treatment dissatisfaction or wanting to solve problems independently. Lower income was associated with lower odds of termination because of feeling better and higher odds of termination because of a perception that therapy was not helping. Meeting criteria for an anxiety disorder, a mood disorder, or substance dependence decreased the odds of termination because of feeling better. These findings provide important information on the challenges to the successful completion of psychotherapy. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol: 66:1,13, 2010. [source]


Filaggrin null mutations increase the risk and persistence of hand eczema in subjects with atopic dermatitis: results from a general population study

BRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2010
J.P. Thyssen
Summary Background, Hand eczema is prevalent in the general population. It remains unclear whether or not filaggrin gene (FLG) null mutations increase the overall risk of hand eczema or only increase the risk of hand eczema in subjects with atopic dermatitis. Objectives, To investigate the association between FLG null mutations and hand eczema. Methods, A random sample of 3335 adults from the general population in Denmark was patch tested, FLG genotyped for R501X and 2282del4 null mutations and questioned about hand eczema. Results, Participants with combined presence of atopic dermatitis and FLG null mutation status had a significantly higher prevalence of hand eczema, an earlier onset of hand eczema and a higher persistence of hand eczema compared with subjects with normal FLG status and absence of atopic dermatitis. Logistic regression analyses revealed positive associations between hand eczema within the past 12 months and FLG null mutation status in participants with a history of atopic dermatitis [odds ratio (OR) 2·98; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·27,7·01], but not in subjects without atopic dermatitis (OR 0·82; 95% CI 0·41,1·67). Conclusions,FLG null mutations were significantly associated with hand eczema (< 12 months) in subjects with atopic dermatitis. Combined atopic dermatitis and filaggrin null mutation status was strongly associated with early onset of hand eczema and hand eczema persistence. [source]


Mutual Influence of Marital Conflict and Children's Behavior Problems: Shared and Nonshared Family Risks

CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2005
Jennifer Jenkins
This within-family, longitudinal study including biological and stepfamilies investigated mutual influences between marital conflict and children's behavior problems. Children (4 to 17 years; N=296) residing in 127 families drawn from a general population study were investigated at Time 1 and again 2 years later. These nested data were analyzed using multilevel modeling, controlling for previous child behavior or marital conflict. Marital conflict about children predicted change in children's behavior. Children's behavior also predicted an increase in marital conflict, particularly in stepfamilies. Differences between siblings in exposure to conflict and the extent to which siblings were a source of argument increased more in stepfamilies than in biological families. Boys were exposed to more conflict over time than were girls. [source]