bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Panic syndromes in a population-based sample of male and female twins
Authors: KENDLER K. S. , GARDNER C. O. , PRESCOTT C. A. 
Published: July 2002

Background. The risk for panic disorder (PD) is substantially increased in relatives of probands with PD. Prior literature provides only limited information about the degree to which this increase is due to genetic factors or family environment.Methods. In personal interviews with both members of 3194 twin pairs, we assessed the lifetime history of lifetime panic attacks and PD. Twin resemblance was assessed by tetrachoric correlation and single and multiple threshold biometrical model fitting.Results. As fully syndromal PD, by DSM-III-R criteria, was too rare to analyse usefully we examined four other dichotomous definitions of increasing stringency: panic probe and very broad, broad and intermediate PD. For all four definitions and for the multiple threshold analyses, the best-fit model indicated that twin resemblance was due solely to genetic factors with a moderate heritability (33–43%). For the broad and intermediate dichotomous definitions of PD, however, a model with twin resemblance due to familial–environmental factors fit nearly as well. No gender effects were seen on the genetic risk factors for these PD-like syndromes.Conclusion. Even with large epidemiological samples of twins, studying disorders as uncommon as PD is problematical. Despite these difficulties, our results suggest that: (i) narrowly and broadly defined PD are probably on the same continuum of liability; (ii) twin resemblance for these PD-like syndromes is likely due largely to genetic factors with a moderate level of heritability although a contribution of familial–environmental factors cannot be excluded; and, (iii) the same familial risk factors impact, to a similar degree, on the liability to PD in males and females.
Impairment, disability and handicap as risk factors for
depression in old age. The Gospel Oak Project V
Authors: PRINCE M. J. , HARWOOD R. H. , BLIZARD R. A. , THOMAS A. , MANN A. H. 
Published: July 2002

Background. An association between disablement and
late-life depression is often reported in cross-sectional studies.
However, many lack effect sizes, and do not control for confounding.
Therefore, it is difficult both to quantify the overall impact of poor
health on depression and to understand which aspects are most
salient.Methods. A catchment area survey of all over 65-year-old
residents of an electoral district in London, UK, using a population
register derived from a door-to-door census was undertaken. Depression
was measured using SHORT-CARE, and the consequences of disease
classified according to the WHO International Classification of
Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps.Results. Six hundred and fifty-four subjects were
interviewed out of an older population of 889. The prevalence of
SHORT-CARE pervasive depression was 17%. Impairment, disability and,
particularly, handicap were strongly associated with depression. The
adjusted odds ratio for depression in the most handicapped quartile
compared with the least was 24·2
(8·8–66·6). The population attributable fraction
(PAF) for depression attributable to handicap was 0·78. The
PAFs for recent life events and female gender were much lower.
Handicap explained most of the depression associated with individual
impairments and disabilities. Adjusting for handicap abolished or
weakened the associations between depression and social support,
income, older age, female gender and living alone.Conclusions. Even given some uncertainty in distinguishing
handicap and depression as constructs, and the impossibility of
deciding direction of causality, it seems likely that handicap is of
central significance to late-life depression. Handicap may be more
amenable to intervention than either impairment or
disability.
Lateral preference in post-traumatic stress disorder
Authors: SPIVAK B. , SEGAL M. , MESTER R. , WEIZMAN A. 
Published: July 2002

Background. We assessed lateral preference in 80 male

patients with combat-related post-traumatic

stress disorder (PTSD) and in 100 healthy age-matched male controls.Methods. Hand, foot, eye and ear preferences were examined,

using the Edinburgh Handedness

Inventory-Modified and the Coren Inventory of Lateral Preference.Results. Mixed lateral preference was noted in

significantly more PTSD patients than controls

(65 v. 43%, P<0·005).Conclusions. These results indicate a possible hemispheric

imbalance (less lateralization) in PTSD

patients, with the right hemisphere playing a more active role in

perceptual and cognitive processing

and in the regulation of biological responses in these patients.

This imbalance may be relevant to the pathophysiology of PTSD.
The effect of personality on withdrawal severity and
taper outcome in benzodiazepine dependent patients
Authors: SCHWEIZER E. , RICKELS K. , De MARTINIS N. , CASE G. , GARCÍA-ESPAÑA F. 
Published: July 2002

Background. Personality psychopathology exerts a significant

and independent effect on the course
of benzodiazepine (BZ) discontinuation, worsening the subjective
severity of withdrawal symptoms
and significantly increasing the occurrence of early taper failures.Method. One hundred and seventy-one patients participating
in
a BZ discontinuation programme
were administered several personality measures prior to taper. Patients

were stabilized for 3 weeks
at their baseline BZ dosage and then tapered off 25% per week over 4 weeks,
with the option to
extend up to 6 weeks if necessary.Results. High levels of passivity and dependency as
assessed by the MMPI Dependence subcluster,
and at a trend level high Eysenck Neuroticism and high TPQ Harm Avoidance
contributed
significantly to the prediction of benzodiazepine withdrawal severity.
Though there was a high
correlation between personality measures, psychopathology and adjusted
BZ dose, the effects of
personality on withdrawal severity was significant, particularly in
the initial phases of BZ taper,
when taper severity was still relatively mild.Conclusions. These findings indicate that clinical decisions

on how to manage BZ tapering should
be guided by personality assessments, in addition to the usual
considerations of BZ dosage, residual
psychopathology, duration of treatment, etc. The potential for difficulty
with discontinuation
related to personality traits should be one of the factors weighed
in the risk–benefit assessment made
in the planning of benzodiazepine treatment for patients with anxious symptomatology.
Why GHQ threshold varies from one place to another
Authors: GOLDBERG D. P. , OLDEHINKEL T. , ORMEL J. 
Published: July 2002

Background. No convincing explanation has been forthcoming

for the variation in best threshold
to adopt for the GHQ in different settings.Methods. Data dealing with the GHQ and the CIDI in 15 cities
from
a recent WHO study was subjected to further analysis.Results. The mean number of CIDI symptoms for those with single

diagnoses, or those with
multiple diagnoses, does not vary between cities. However, the best
threshold is found to be related
to the prevalence both of single and of multiple diagnoses in a
centre. Variations in the diagnoses
to be included in the ‘gold standard’ did not account
for the variation observed. There was a strong
relationship between area under the ROC curve (as a measure of the discriminatory
power of the
GHQ) and the best threshold, with higher thresholds being associated with
superior performance
of the GHQ. The items on the GHQ-12 that provided most discrimination between
cases and
non-cases varied from one centre to another.Conclusions. The GHQ threshold is partly determined by the

prevalence of multiple diagnoses, with
higher thresholds being associated by higher rates of both single
and multiple diagnosis. The mean
GHQ score for the whole population of respondents provides a rough
guide to the best threshold.
In those centres where the discriminatory power of the GHQ is
lowest, it is necessary to use a low
threshold as a way of ensuring that sensitivity is protected, but
the positive predictive value of the
GHQ is then lower. Some of the variation between centres is due
to variation in the discriminatory power of different items.
Are social supports in late midlife a cause or a result
of successful physical ageing?
Authors: VAILLANT G. E. , MEYER S. E. , MUKAMAL K. , SOLDZ S. 
Published: July 2002

Background. Many studies have noted a strong association

between poor social support and
premature mortality. A limitation of such studies has been their failure

to control adequately for
confounders that damage both social supports and physical health.Methods. A 50-year prospective multivariate study of 223 men

was used to examine the possible
causal relationships between social supports and health. Alcohol abuse,

prior physical health and
mental illness prior to age 50 were controlled. Relative social supports
were
quantified over the period from age 50 to 70.Results. Adequacy of social supports from age 50 to 70 was

powerfully correlated with physical
health at age 70 (P<0·001). However, such social
supports were also powerfully predicted by
alcohol abuse (P<0·001), smoking (P<0·001)

and indicators of major
depressive disorder (P<0·01) assessed at age 50. When
prior smoking,
depression and alcohol abuse were controlled, then
the association of physical health with social supports was very
much attenuated. Some facets of
social support like religion and confidantes were unassociated with
health even at a univariate level.
Surprisingly, in this sample friends seemed more important for sustained
physical health than
closeness to spouse and to children.Conclusions. While social supports undoubtedly play a significant

role in maintaining physical well-being in late life, much of the
association between poor social supports and mortality may be
mediated by alcoholism, smoking and pre-morbid psychopathology.
The impact of dementia on the detection of
depression in elderly subjects from the general
population
Authors: PAPASSOTIROPOULOS A. , HEUN R. , MAIER W. 
Published: July 2002

Background. The performance of the CES-D in a sample of
elderly community residents was
assessed. The influence of dementia on test performance and the necessity
for the use of four factor
scores instead of a single summary score of the CES-D were studied.Method. Two hundred and eighty-seven subjects out of the general
population aged 60–99 years
were personally interviewed with standardized diagnostic tools and completed
the CES-D. Best-estimate
diagnoses served as ‘gold standards’ for receiver operating
characteristics (ROC) analysis.Results. The CES-D discriminated well between depressive and
non-depressive subjects. Exclusion
of demented subjects from the sample did not markedly increase test performance.
Current
depressive illness and dementia led to high scores on the CES-D. Unlike
the factors ‘depressive
affect’, ‘somatic/vegetative complaints’, and ‘interpersonal
relations’, the factor ‘positive affect’ of
the CES-D discriminated well between demented and non-demented participants.Conclusions. The CES-D is a valid instrument for screening
for depression in a community sample
of elderly subjects. Its use can be recommended even if the presence of
dementia is likely. The use
of factor scores of the CES-D does not substantially contribute to an improvement
of overall test
performance, but, nevertheless, allows a more detailed insight and better
interpretation of test
results.
Increased automatic spreading activation in healthy
subjects with elevated scores in a scale assessing
schizophrenic language disturbances
Authors: MORITZ S. , ANDRESEN B. , DOMIN F. , MARTIN T. , PROBSTHEIN E. , KRETSCHMER G. , KRAUSZ M. , NABER D. , SPITZER M. 
Published: July 2002

Background. Previous studies on semantic priming have
suggested that schizophrenic patients with
language disturbances demonstrate enhanced semantic and indirect semantic
priming effects relative
to controls. However, the interpretation of semantic priming studies in
schizophrenic patients is
obscured by methological problems and several artefacts (such as length
of illness). We, therefore,
used a psychometric high-risk approach to test whether healthy subjects
reporting language
disturbances resembling those of schizophrenics (as measured by the Frankfurt
Complaint
Questionnaire subscale ‘language’) display increased priming
effects. In addition, the Schizotypal
Personality Questionnaire was used to cover symptoms of schizotypal personality.
Enhanced
priming was expected to occur under conditions favouring automatic processes.Methods. One hundred and sixty healthy subjects performed a
lexical decision semantic priming
task containing two different stimulus onset asynchronicities (200 ms and
700 ms) with two
experimental conditions (semantic priming and indirect semantic priming)
each.Results. Analyses of variance revealed that the Frankfurt Complaint
Questionnaire-‘language’ high
scorers significantly differed from low scorers in three of the four priming
conditions indicating
increased automatic spreading activation. No significant results were obtained
for the Schizotypal
Personality Questionnaire total and subscales scores.Conclusions. In line with Maher and Spitzer it is suggested
that increased automatic spreading
activation underlies schizophrenia-typical language disturbances which
in our study cannot be
attributed to confounding variables such as different reaction time baselines,
medication or length
of illness. Finally, results confirm that the psychometric high-risk approach
is an important tool for
investigating issues relevant to schizophrenia.
Marital status transitions and psychological distress:
longitudinal evidence from a national population sample
Authors: HOPE S. , RODGERS B. , POWER C. 
Published: July 2002

Background. Evidence is conflicting as to whether the
association between marital status and
psychological distress is due to selection (i.e. distress influences marital
status) or causation (marital
status influences distress). We investigate: (i) whether differences
in psychological distress pre-date
marital transitions; (ii) whether levels of distress change following
transitions;
and (iii) potential mediating and moderating factors.Methods. Data on psychological distress (indicated by the Malaise
Inventory) and marital status at
ages 23 and 33 were analysed for 4514 men and 4842 women from the 1958
birth cohort.Results. Higher levels of distress were found among the divorced
and lower levels among the single
and the married. Selection was seen in the lower initial mean symptoms
of those who married (1·69
for men; 2·84 for women) compared to those remaining single (2·41
for men; 3·26 for women).
Causation was indicated by the relative deterioration in distress of those
who divorced compared
to the continuously married (an increase of 0·31 and 0·03
respectively for men), especially in women
(a decrease of 0·18 versus 0·71). This was most
evident in women who were downwardly mobile and
those with children. Recently separated men and women showed especially
large increases in
distress.Conclusions. The relationship between marital status and psychological
distress involves selection
and causation. Findings failed to support ideas of marriage being protective
(through social
support), or detrimental (through family roles). Divorce increased distress,
with both acute and
longer-term components moderated by secondary factors such as childcare
and declining socio-economic status.
Impaired distractor inhibition on a selective attention
task in unmedicated, depressed subjects
Authors: MacQUEEN G. M. , TIPPER S. P. , YOUNG L. T. , JOFFE R. T. , LEVITT A. J. 
Published: July 2002

Background. Impaired distractor inhibition may contribute to the selective attention deficits
observed in depressed patients, but studies to date have not tested the distractor inhibition theory
against the possibility that processes such as transient memory review processes may account for the
observed deficits. A negative priming paradigm can dissociate inhibition from such a potentially
confounding process called object review. The negative priming task also isolates features of the
distractor such as colour and location for independent examination.Method. A computerized negative priming task was used in which colour, identification and
location features of a stimulus and distractor were systematically manipulated across successive
prime and probe trials. Thirty-two unmedicated subjects with DSM-IV diagnoses of non-psychotic
unipolar depression were compared with 32 age, sex and IQ matched controls.Results. Depressed subjects had reduced levels of negative priming for conditions where the colour
feature of the stimulus was repeated across prime and probe trials but not when identity or location
was the repeated feature. When both the colour and location feature were the repeated feature
across trials, facilitation in response was apparent.Conclusions. The pattern of results supports studies that found reduced distractor inhibition in
depressed subjects, and suggests that object review is intact in these subjects. Greater impairment
in negative priming for colour versus location suggests that subjects may have greater impairment
in the visual stream associated with processing colour features.
Prevention research in eating disorders: theory and new directions
Authors: AUSTIN S. BRYN 
Published: July 2002

Background. Over the past two decades, scores of articles and several books have been published
calling for more attention to the prevention of eating disorders, but less than two dozen prevention
intervention studies have been conducted to date.Methods. This paper reports the results of a systematic review of 20 empirical intervention studies
on eating disorders prevention, discussing the data accumulated on what has and has not been
effective. Beyond a description of study design and findings, this paper devotes special attention to
the theoretical orientations of the studies and their implied assumptions about preventive strategies.Results. Though there has been a compelling interest in social, political and economic factors
influencing the incidence of disordered eating, little of this interest has been carried over into the
prevention end of eating disorders research. Most studies reported thus far have been designed to
target and measure change principally on the individual level, to the exclusion of considering
leverage points for intervention in the larger social environment.Conclusions. This paper concludes with a recommendation for new attention to a model of
proactive primary prevention targeted at environmental change and cross-disciplinary collaboration
to achieve a reduction in the incidence of eating disorders.
A differential neural response in obsessive–compulsive disorder patients with washing compared with checking symptoms to disgust
Authors: PHILLIPS M. L. , MARKS I. M. , SENIOR C. , LYTHGOE D. , O'DWYER A.-M. , MEEHAN O. , WILLIAMS S. C. R. , BRAMMER M. J. , BULLMORE E. T. , McGUIRE P. K. 
Published: July 2002

Background. Patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) have symptoms that pre-dominantly concern washing (washers) or checking (checkers), or both. Functional neuroimaging has been used to identify the neural correlates of the urge to ritualize but has not distinguished between washing and checking symptoms in OCD. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to compare the neural response to emotive pictures in washers and checkers.Methods. In one of two 5-minute experiments, washers (N = 7), checkers (N = 7) and age-matched normal controls (N = 14) were scanned while viewing alternating blocks of normally disgusting (rated as disgusting by all subjects) and neutral pictures. In the other experiment, all patients and a normal subgroup (N = 8) viewed alternating blocks of washer-relevant (rated as more disgusting by washers than normal controls or checkers) and neutral pictures.Results. In all subjects, normally disgusting pictures activated visual regions implicated in perception of aversive stimuli and the insula, important in disgust perception. Only in washers were similar regions activated by washer-relevant pictures. In checkers, these pictures activated fronto-striatal regions associated with the urge to ritualize in OCD. Normal controls were more similar in neural response to checkers than washers to these pictures. Both normal controls and checkers had frontal regions activated significantly more by washer-relevant than normally disgusting pictures, and had these regions activated significantly more than washers by washer-relevant pictures.Conclusions. We demonstrate a differential neural response to washer-relevant disgust in washers and checkers: only washers demonstrate a neural response to washer-relevant disgust associated with emotion perception rather than attention to non-emotive visual detail.
Personality traits among currently eating disordered, recovered and never ill first-degree female relatives of bulimic and control women
Authors: LILENFELD L. R. R. , STEIN D. , BULIK C. M. , STROBER M. , PLOTNICOV K. , POLLICE C. , RAO R. , MERIKANGAS K. R. , NAGY L. , KAYE W. H. 
Published: July 2002

Background. A combined family study and recovered study design was utilized to examine several
hypothesized relationships between personality and bulimia nervosa (BN).Methods. We studied 47 women with a lifetime history of DSM-III-R BN (31 currently ill and 16
recovered), 44 matched control women (CW) with no history of an eating disorder (ED), and their
first-degree female relatives (N = 89 and N = 100, respectively), some of whom had current or
previous EDs.Results. BN probands' relatives with no ED history had significantly elevated levels of
perfectionism, ineffectiveness, and interpersonal distrust compared to CW probands' relatives with
no ED history. In contrast, diminished interoceptive awareness, heightened stress reactivity and
perfectionistic doubting of actions were found among the previously eating disordered relatives of
bulimic probands compared to their never ill relatives. Finally, a sense of alienation and emotional
responsivity to the environment were elevated among currently ill compared to recovered bulimic
probands.Conclusions. The fact that perfectionism, ineffectiveness and interpersonal distrust are transmitted
independently of an ED in relatives suggests that they may be of potential aetiological relevance for
BN. In contrast, diminished interoceptive awareness, heightened stress reactivity and perfectionistic
doubting of actions are more likely consequent to, or exacerbated by, previously having experienced
the illness. Finally, a sense of alienation and emotional responsivity to the environment are more
likely to be associated with currently having BN.