Low Correlations (low + correlation)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Psychology


Selected Abstracts


Genetic variation in COL17A1 and the development of bullous pemphigoid

EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2004
Samantha Winsey
Background: Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune blistering disease of the skin characterized by autoantibody attack on collagen XVII. Objectives: To characterize the genetic complexity of COL17A1, the gene which encodes for the autoantigen collagen XVII. The data will be used to determine whether there is an association between polymorphisms and haplotypes of COL17A1 and genetic susceptibility to development of BP. Methods: The genetic complexity in COL17A1 was deduced by screening and then sequencing the gene. Haplotypes were constructed from the resulting polymorphisms using the statistical programme PHASE. The linkage disequilibrium (D,) between the polymorphisms was deduced from haplotypic data using the statistical programme GOLD. Association of the polymorphisms and haplotypes was tested for, in a cohort of BP patients and controls. Results: Screening of COL17A1 for genetic variation was carried out in 29 individuals of North European caucasoid origin, and it revealed 19 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in approximately 14.7 kb of sequence. These variants resulted in 60 different haplotypes in 191 individuals, of which 13 occurred above 1% in the population. D, between the variants was found to be extensive, have a low correlation with physical distance and to extend over 33.8 kb. No association was found with any of the polymorphisms or haplotypes and development of BP, when tested for, in a cohort of patients and controls. Conclusion: This study provides an extensive description of the genetic variation in COL17A1 and shows no association of the genetic variants with susceptibility to BP. [source]


Intra-seasonal rainfall characteristics and their importance to the seasonal prediction problem

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 9 2002
Warren J. Tennant
Abstract Daily station rainfall data in South Africa from 1936 to 1999 are combined into homogeneous rainfall regions using Ward's clustering method. Various rainfall characteristics are calculated for the summer season, defined as December to February. These include seasonal rainfall total, region-average number of station rain days exceeding 1 and 20 mm, region-average of periods between rain days at stations >1 and >20 mm, region-average of wet spell length (sequential days of station rainfall >1 and >20 mm), correlation of daily station rainfall within a region and correlation of seasonal station rainfall anomalies within a region. Rank-ordered rainfall characteristic data generally form an s-shaped curve, and significance testing of discontinuities in these curves suggests that normal rainfall conditions in South Africa consist of a combined middle three quintiles separated from the outer quintiles, rather than the traditional middle tercile. The relationships between the various rainfall characteristics show that seasons with a high total rainfall generally have a higher number of heavy rain days (>20 mm) and not necessarily an increase in light rain days. The length of the period between rain days has a low correlation to season totals, demonstrating that seasons with a high total rainfall may still contain prolonged dry periods. These additional rainfall characteristics are important to end-users, and the analysis undertaken here offers a valuable starting point for seeking physical relationships between rainfall characteristics and the general circulation. Preliminary studies show that the vertical mean wind is related to rainfall characteristics in South Africa. Given that general circulation models capture this part of the circulation adequately, seasonal forecasts of rainfall characteristics become plausible. Copyright © 2002 Royal Meteorological Society. [source]


Testing the assumptions of the ideal despotic distribution with an unpredictable food supply: experiments in juvenile salmon

JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2005
AMANDA MACLEAN
Summary 1Models linking the behaviours of individual animals, their positions within socially complex groups and spatio-temporal variation in resource distribution offer a promising base for predicting population responses to changing environments. The ideal free and despotic distributions and their derivatives are particularly influential in this regard. 2Due to the difficulties of conducting work in the wild, for some groups of animals such models are often based on observations of animals in small-scale systems under conditions that are well controlled, but unnaturally simple. 3Using an experimental system based on field observations of home range size and variation in food availability, the present study tested whether models derived using small-scale laboratory observations are valid for juvenile Atlantic salmon in more natural conditions. 4Contrary to predictions, we found no differences in behaviour between the control fish (which experienced consistently rich feeding patches) and the experimental fish (which experienced unpredictable 10-fold changes in patch quality). 5Also contrary to predictions, in the variable condition, salmon used high quality patches (which were an order of magnitude better than low quality patches) only marginally (5%) more than would be expected if they were to forage at random. There was significant variation in foraging strategies between individual fish, with 28% of the population making non-random use of foraging patches. 6The only apparent systematic relationship between social rank and use of foraging patches was that fish that were both dominant and made many moves between feeding locations tended to leave rich patches less frequently than they left poor patches. 7Despite the low correlation between patch quality and movement, there was substantial movement of fish among patches. Forty-four per cent of moves followed aggressive interactions and most others were spontaneous, with no obvious motivating factor apparent. 8The study exposes a discrepancy between expectations derived from the basic concepts of patch choice theory and the behaviour of Atlantic salmon in the conditions pertaining in the present study. 9It is suggested that this discrepancy may arise both from the fact that applicability of patch choice models may be very sensitive to the stability of differences in patch quality and from uncertainties about the costs of habitat sampling. [source]


Monitoring critical dimensions of bidimensional gratings by spectroscopic ellipsometry and Mueller polarimetry

PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (A) APPLICATIONS AND MATERIALS SCIENCE, Issue 4 2008
M. Foldyna
Abstract In this work we characterized two bidimensional gratings consisting each of a square array of square holes etched in a photoresist layer deposited on silicon. Data were taken on both samples with a spectroscopic UV,VIS ellipsometer (SE) operated at 70° incidence and zero azimuth (with the incidence plane parallel to the lines of holes) and a VIS Mueller matrix polarimeter (MMP) at various incidence and azimuthal angles. The robustness of the parameters derived from the MMP data was evaluated from the stability of the values provided by regression the spectra taken at different angles. The optimal measurement geometries, featuring high sensitivity and low correlation of the fitting parameters, were determined theoretically, and validated experimentally with the sample featuring wider holes (500 × 500 nm), for which 45° incidence provided better results than the usual 70° value. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


Evaluation of Adhesion and Wear Resistance of DLC Films Deposited by Various Methods

PLASMA PROCESSES AND POLYMERS, Issue 6-7 2009
Takahiro Horiuchi
Abstract Diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings are currently being used in a wide variety of industrial fields because of their outstanding properties, such as high hardness and low friction coefficient, among others. DLC coatings have various characteristics depending on the deposition method used. However, they have a problem regarding adhesion with the base material, which is a major factor hindering their expanded application in other fields. The adhesion of DLC coatings is generally evaluated using Rockwell indentation tests and scratch tests. These test methods induce damage in the specimen with the application of a single load. Accordingly, there is a problem of low correlation between such test results and evaluations of the adhesion of coatings on actual components that undergo repeated sliding cycles. With the aim of resolving that problem, this study evaluated the damage condition of three types of DLC coatings having different physical properties using newly devised cyclic sliding test methods involving the application of a continuously increasing load. The evaluation results obtained with these new methods differed from the results of Rockwell tests and scratch tests. These new test methods are more able to reproduce the damage done to DLC coatings in actual sliding cycles. This paper describes the test procedures and the evaluation results obtained. [source]


Yet Another View on Why a Home Is One's Castle

REAL ESTATE ECONOMICS, Issue 1 2009
Fuad Hasanov
We compute equity-based real after-tax rates of return for homeowners and landlords in the United States for 1952,2005. The study confirms that a combined aggregate for residential housing provides a high average net return and low volatility, has low correlation with financial assets and can provide hedge against inflation. The efficient frontier analysis shows that the optimal portfolio for a household with a coefficient of relative risk aversion of four to five is one which contains a bit larger amount of housing than stocks, close to what one observes in the real world. [source]


The Ex,Dividend Pricing of REITs

REAL ESTATE ECONOMICS, Issue 4 2002
William G. Hardin III
Past studies have shown that ex,dividend stock prices are not fully reflective of dividend payments. A tax,induced clientele effect and micromarket limitations in stock pricing have been used to explain this pricing anomaly. This study focuses on the ex,dividend behavior of real estate investment trusts (REITs). Due to a low correlation between dividend size and dividend yield, REITs permit a cleaner examination of a tax,induced clientele effect. The results indicate that tick constraints in pricing ex,dividend stocks create the appearance of a tax,induced clientele effect in REITs when none should exist. [source]


Correlation between vision- and health-related quality of life scores

ACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 3 2009
Brighu N. Swamy
Abstract. Purpose:, To examine the correlation between health-related quality of life (HRQOL) scores [assessed using the generic Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire] and vision-related quality of life (VRQOL) scores [assessed using the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ25)]. Methods:, Cross-sectional analytic study. All surviving participants of the Blue Mountains Eye Study (n = 1952, aged 60 years and older) were invited to attend comprehensive eye examinations 10 years after baseline examinations and were asked to complete both questionnaires. Results:, Complete data were available for 1436 participants. After controlling for age, sex and the presence of either unilateral or bilateral visual impairment, the number of hospital admissions, chronic medical conditions and disabilities, we found that the composite NEI-VFQ score was significantly associated with the two main domains of the SF-36 survey: the summary physical component score (P < 0.001) and the mental component score (P < 0.001). There was relatively low correlation (r < 0.3) between the NEI-VFQ25 subscales and SF-36 subscales including the physical and mental composite scores. Conclusion:, VRQOL is influenced by both general health and HRQOL. However, there is a relatively low correlation between the individual subscales of these two quality of life questionnaires. [source]


Are two informants better than one?

EUROPEAN EATING DISORDERS REVIEW, Issue 6 2007
Parent, child agreement on the eating styles of children who are overweight
Abstract Aim It is currently unknown to what extent the view of a child with overweight on its' own eating behaviour converges with parental perception regarding this behaviour and how parent,child agreement is influenced by overweight status and age. Method Youngsters (N,=,498; range 7,15 years; 37% boys) referred for weight treatment to an outpatient University centre filled in the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire,child version (DEBQ-child version; Van Strien & Braet, unpublished work), prior to treatment, while their parents reported on their child's eating behaviour by completing the DEBQ-parent version (Braet & Van Strien, 1997). Results Parents scored significantly higher when reporting on the emotional eating and external eating behaviour of their child, while they scored lower for restrained eating (all p,<,0.001). Comparisons between the subscales of the DEBQ-parent version and the DEBQ-child version revealed significant positive correlations of r,=,0.45 for emotional eating, r,=,0.35 for external eating and r,=,0.36 for restrained eating (all p,<,0.01); convergence is lowest for the age group younger than 10 (p,<,0.05). Both versions of the DEBQ displayed low correlations with the degree of overweight of the child. Discussion Parents and children displayed moderate to good agreement with regard to emotional eating, external eating and restrained eating. However when only one perspective can be assessed, possible biases must be taken into account. In that case, the use of appropriate age-specific norms is indicated. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association. [source]


Avoidance motivation, risk perception and emotional processing

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 2 2009
Sointu Leikas
The present studies examined the moderating role of state motivation on the associations between trait avoidance motivation, risk perception and emotional processing. In Studies 1 and 2, avoidance or approach states were evoked in participants who then completed a risk perception task and a trait avoidance motivation measure. Both studies showed that trait avoidance only correlated with risk perceptions among individuals in approach state. In Study 3, emotional interpretation was measured. State and trait avoidance motivation did not interact in predicting emotional interpretation. The results showed that the effect of state motivation can explain the low correlations found between trait avoidance and risk perceptions, and suggested that the avoidance system may operate on an on,off principle rather than synergistically. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Three method factors explaining the low correlations between assessment center dimension ratings and scores on personality inventories,

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 2 2004
Nanja J. Kolk
In general, correlations between assessment centre (AC) ratings and personality inventories are low. In this paper, we examine three method factors that may be responsible for these low correlations: differences in (i) rating source (other versus self), (ii) rating domain (general versus specific), and (iii) rating format (multi- versus single item). This study tests whether these three factors diminish correlations between AC exercise ratings and external indicators of similar dimensions. Ratings of personality and performance were combined in an analytical framework following a 2,×,2,×,2 (source, domain, format) completely crossed, within subjects design. Results showed partial support for the influence of each of the three method factors. Implications for future research are discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Recharge, upflux and water table response for shallow water table conditions in southwest Florida

HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 9 2006
Fouad H. Jaber
Abstract A disproportionate increase or decrease in water table in response to minor water input or drainage is observed in shallow water table conditions inside drainage lysimeters. This increase happens because the capillary fringe of the shallow water table reaches up to or near the surface (Wieringermeer effect). The correlations between water table level changes and rainfall, seepage irrigation, drip irrigation, and drainage were analysed. Correlations with rainfall, seepage irrigation, and drainage were high (R2 ranged from 0·46 to 0·97). Drip irrigation had low correlations due to the low rates of application (R2 ranged from 0·26 to 0·44). Conventional methods of calculating recharge, such as multiplying the specific yield with the water table fluctuations, cannot be used for Wieringermeer effect situations. A method using water balance data and soil moisture at different depths in the lysimeters was developed to estimate recharge and upflux. The recharge results were used to develop the apparent specific yield Sya, which could be used to calculate consequent recharge events from water table fluctuation data. Combining the water table fluctuation relationships developed with the Sya value will allow the prediction of recharge from rainfall and irrigation events without the need for soil moisture equipment. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


The comovements of stock markets in Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FINANCE & ECONOMICS, Issue 1 2001
Martin Scheicher
C53; G15 Abstract In this paper, we study the regional and global integration of stock markets in Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic. We estimate a vector autoregression with a multivariate GARCH component and perform a variety of diagnostic tests. Our main empirical result is the existence of limited interaction: in returns we identify both regional and global shocks, but innovations to volatility have a primarily regional character. We document low correlations to international markets and discuss the economic significance of the inter-market dynamics. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Concurrent validity of the Yale,Brown Obsessive,Compulsive Scale,Symptom checklist,

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 12 2008
Michael L. Sulkowski
Abstract Despite the frequent use of the Yale,Brown Obsessive,Compulsive Scale,Symptom Checklist (Y-BOCS-SC; Goodman et al., 1989a) and the Obsessive,Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R; Foa et al., 2002), there are limited data on the psychometric properties of the two instruments. In the present research, clinician ratings on the Y-BOCS-SC for 112 patients with obsessive,compulsive disorder (OCD) were compared to their self-report ratings on the OCI-R. In addition, Y-BOCS-SC and OCI-R scores were compared to measures of OCD symptom severity and self-report measures of anxiety (State,Trait Anxiety Inventory,Trait Subscale [STAI-T]; Spielberger, Gorusch, & Lushene, 1970) and depression (Beck Depression Inventory-II [BDI-II]; Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996). The six symptom scales of the OCI-R had good internal consistency reliabilities (,s). For the Y-BOCS-SC, three of five scales had good reliabilities (,s >.80), but ,s for symmetry/ordering and sexual/religious symptom scales were inadequate. Total scores for the two instruments were strongly correlated with their corresponding "checking" scales, but no individual symptoms scales were identified as indices of overall OCD symptom presence. Scales assessing washing/contamination, symmetry/ordering, and hoarding from the two OCD instruments correlated well, but lower correlations for the other scales suggested differences in symptom coverage by the two instruments. Most symptom scales from the Y-BOCS-SC and OCI-R had low correlations with the BDI-II and STAI-T, but the OCI-R obsessing scale was well correlated (r=.54) with the STAI-T. These findings reveal some of the strengths and weaknesses of these two OCD instruments, and the results provide guidance for selecting scales that are suitable for measuring OCD symptoms. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 64:1,14, 2008. [source]


Escape behaviour and ultimate causes of specific induced defences in an anuran tadpole

JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2005
C. Teplitsky
Abstract Induced defences, such as the predator avoidance morphologies in amphibians, result from spatial or temporal variability in predation risk. One important component of this variability should be the difference in hunting strategies between predators. However, little is known about how specific and effective induced defences are to different types of predators. We analysed the impact of both pursuing (fish, Gasterosteus aculeatus) and sit-and-wait (dragonfly, Aeshna cyanea) predators on tadpole (Rana dalmatina) morphology and performance (viz locomotive performance and growth rate). We also investigated the potential benefits of the predator-induced phenotype in the presence of fish predators. Both predators induced deeper tail fins in tadpoles exposed to threat of predation, and stickleback presence also induced longer tails and deeper tail muscles. Morphological and behavioural differences resulted in better escape ability of stickleback-induced tadpoles, leading to improved survival in the face of stickleback predation. These results clearly indicate that specific morphological responses to different types of predators have evolved in R. dalmatina. The specific morphologies suggest low correlations between the traits involved in the defence. Independence of traits allows prey species to fine-tune their response according to current predation risk, so that the benefit of the defence can be maximal. [source]


Spiritual But Not Religious?

JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 5 2006
Evidence for Two Independent Dispositions
ABSTRACT Some psychologists treat religious/spiritual beliefs as a unitary aspect of individual differences. But a distinction between mysticism and orthodox religion has been recognized by scholars as well as laypersons, and empirical studies of "ism" variables and of "spirituality" measures have yielded factors reflecting this distinction. Using a large sample of American adults, analyses demonstrate that subjective spirituality and tradition-oriented religiousness are empirically highly independent and have distinctly different correlates in the personality domain, suggesting that individuals with different dispositions tend toward different styles of religious/spiritual beliefs. These dimensions have low correlations with the lexical Big Five but high correlations with scales (e.g., Absorption, Traditionalism) on some omnibus personality inventories, indicating their relevance for studies of personality. [source]


Urquhart's and Garfield's Laws: The British controversy over their validity

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 9 2001
Stephen J. Bensman
The British controversy over the validity of Urquhart's and Garfield's Laws during the 1970s constitutes an important episode in the formulation of the probability structure of human knowledge. This controversy took place within the historical context of the convergence of two scientific revolutions,the bibliometric and the biometric,that had been launched in Britain. The preceding decades had witnessed major breakthroughs in understanding the probability distributions underlying the use of human knowledge. Two of the most important of these breakthroughs were the laws posited by Donald J. Urquhart and Eugene Garfield, who played major roles in establishing the institutional bases of the bibliometric revolution. For his part, Urquhart began his realization of S. C. Bradford's concept of a national science library by analyzing the borrowing of journals on interlibrary loan from the Science Museum Library in 1956. He found that 10% of the journals accounted for 80% of the loans and formulated Urquhart's Law, by which the interlibrary use of a journal is a measure of its total use. This law underlay the operations of the National Lending Library for Science and Technology (NLLST), which Urquhart founded. The NLLST became the British Library Lending Division (BLLD) and ultimately the British Library Document Supply Centre (BLDSC). In contrast, Garfield did a study of 1969 journal citations as part of the process of creating the Science Citation Index (SCI), formulating his Law of Concentration, by which the bulk of the information needs in science can be satisfied by a relatively small, multidisciplinary core of journals. This law became the operational principle of the Institute for Scientific Information created by Garfield. A study at the BLLD under Urquhart's successor, Maurice B. Line, found low correlations of NLLST use with SCI citations, and publication of this study started a major controversy, during which both laws were called into question. The study was based on the faulty use of the Spearman rank-correlation coefficient, and the controversy over it was instrumental in causing B. C. Brookes to investigate bibliometric laws as probabilistic phenomena and begin to link the bibliometric with the biometric revolution. This paper concludes with a resolution of the controversy by means of a statistical technique that incorporates Brookes' criticism of the Spearman rank-correlation method and demonstrates the mutual supportiveness of the two laws. [source]


The correlation of voiding variables between non-instrumented uroflowmetery and pressure-flow studies in women with pelvic organ prolapse

NEUROUROLOGY AND URODYNAMICS, Issue 6 2008
Elizabeth Mueller
Abstract Aims To (1) correlate peak and maximum flow rates from non-instrumented flow (NIF) and pressure-flow studies (PFS) in women with pelvic organ prolapse (POP); (2) measure the impact of voided volume and degree of prolapse on correlations. Methods We compared four groups of women with stages II,IV POP. Groups 1 and 2 were symptomatically stress continent women participating in the colpopexy and urinary reduction efforts (CARE) trial; during prolapse reduction before sacrocolpopexy, Group 1 (n,=,67) did not have and Group 2 (n,=,84) had urodynamic stress incontinence (USI). Group 3 (n,=,74) and Group 4 participants (n,=,73), recruited specifically for this study, had stress urinary incontinence (SUI) symptoms. Group 3 planned sacrocolpopexy. Group 4 planned a different treatment option. Participants completed standardized uroflowmetry and pressure voiding studies. Results Subjects' median age was 61 years; median parity 3% and 80% had stage III or IV POP. Based on the Blaivas,Groutz nomogram, 49% of all women were obstructed. NIF and PFS peak and average flow rates had low correlations with one another (0.31, P,<,0.001 and 0.35, P,<,0.001, respectively). When NIF and PFS voided volumes were within 25% of each other, the peak and average flow rate correlations improved (0.52, P,<,0.001 and 0.57, P,<,0.001, respectively). As vaginal prolapse increased, correlations between NIF and PFS peak and average flow rates decreased. Conclusion Peak and average flow rates are highly dependent on voided volume in women with prolapse. As the prolapse stage increases, correlations between NIF and PFS variables decrease. Neurourol. Urodynam. 27:515,521, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Methodological considerations of measuring disability in bipolar disorder: validity of the Multidimensional Scale of Independent Functioning

BIPOLAR DISORDERS, Issue 1-2 2007
Stefanie Berns
Objective:, Recent studies have highlighted the prevalence, severity and persistence of the disability associated with bipolar disorder (BPD). Reliable instruments are needed to support research into the factors associated with disability and treatment response. Contextual factors (e.g., availability of supported employment programs) can affect functionality, posing a challenge to such investigations. We present preliminary findings regarding the validity of the Multidimensional Scale of Independent Functioning (MSIF) in BPD. The MSIF provides discrete ratings of support separate from both role responsibility and performance quality in work, residential and educational environments. These distinctions allow the ,correction' for variability explained by contextual factors that allows the comparison of studies conducted in different environments and time. Methods:, Participants with BPD were administered the MSIF, the Social Adjustment Scale II (SAS-II) and an interview recording objective data regarding work, school and residential activities as part of an ongoing longitudinal study of BPD disability. Results:, Construct validity estimated using standardized Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.76 (n = 58). MSIF global ratings were significantly lower (reflecting higher functionality) for subjects engaged in productive activity compared with participants who were not active (t = ,3.6, p = 0.001) demonstrating external validity. Inter-rater reliability estimates ranged from 0.86 to 0.99 (n = 49). Significant, high correlations were demonstrated between comparable MSIF and SAS-II global ratings (criterion validity = 0.70,0.79) and low correlations were found between non-comparable ratings (discriminant validity = ,0.07 to ,0.35) (n = 14). Conclusion:, We conclude that the MSIF is a valid and reliable instrument optimally designed for studying determinants of disability and treatment response in BPD. [source]


Deficits in Psychological Well-Being and Quality-of-Life in Minor Depression: Implications for DSM-V

CNS: NEUROSCIENCE AND THERAPEUTICS, Issue 4 2010
Andrew A. Nierenberg
Objective: To examine deficits in psychological well-being (PWB) and quality-of-life (QOL) in minor depressive disorder (Min D). Method: Ninety-three subjects entering a treatment study for Min D were assessed using the QOL, Enjoyment and satisfaction questionnaire (Q-LES-Q), and the Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWBS). Scores were compared with major depressive disorder (MDD) and normative community samples. Results: Even though subjects had mild depressive severity, Q-LES-Q total scores for the Min D sample averaged nearly two standard deviations below the community norm. Almost 40% of Min D cases had Q-LES-Q scores in the lowest 1% of the population. Responses to most Q-LES-Q items were closer to subjects with MDD than to community norms. Mean standardized PWB scores were extremely low for subscales of Environmental Mastery and Self-Acceptance, low for Purpose in Life and Positive Relations with others, but within the normal range for Personal Growth and Autonomy. QOL and PWB measures had low correlations with depressive symptom severity, and scores were similar in the presence or absence of a prior history of MDD. Conclusions: Mild depressive symptoms with Min D are associated with major deficits in QOL and PWB measures of environmental mastery and poor self-acceptance. Our findings suggest that diminished QOL and PWB may be intrinsic cognitive aspects of Min D with or without a history of MDD. It may be unnecessary in the DSM IV-TR to exclude the diagnosis of Min D if a subject has had a past episode of MDD. ,,Minor depression exists along a continuum of depression. ,,Deficits in psychological well-being and quality-of-life in minor depression are severe. ,,No difference in these measures if minor depression existed with or without a history of major depression. [source]