bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Estimating Premorbid Intelligence in Schizophrenia Patients: Demographically Based Approach
Authors: Dragovic Milan , Waters Flavie A.V. , Jablensky Assen 
Published: December 2009

Objective: The aim of the present study was to provide a useful and quick estimate of premorbid intelligence that can be used in the population of schizophrenia patients. Method: Regression analysis (stepwise procedure) was used to identify which of five demographic variables significantly predicted National Adult Reading Test (NART) scores in schizophrenia patients. The new regression equation was subsequently assessed in an independent patient sample. The results were compared with scores obtained for an equation developed in healthy populations. Results: Age, occupation, and education contributed significantly to the equation, which accurately predicted NART scores in the patient sample. The equation developed in healthy people, however, consistently underestimated NART scores. Conclusions: Equations developed in healthy people are not accurate predictors of NART scores. By contrast, the new equation acknowledges the educational and occupational characteristics typical of individuals with schizophrenia. The equation should be used cautiously, but can be used as a rapid estimate when it is not possible to conduct a cognitive assessment using more traditional approaches.
Harm Associated With Stalking Victimization
Authors: Thomas Stuart D. M. , Purcell Rosemary , Pathé Michele , Mullen Paul E. 
Published: December 2009

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to determine the frequency at which assault and attempted assault occur as outcomes among stalking victims, and to explore the common characteristics of those cases in which the victims report these harmful outcomes as a result of the stalking behaviour. Method: A sample of 3700 men and women randomly selected from the electoral roll were sent a postal questionnaire to determine the prevalence and nature of their experiences of stalking behaviours. Those who self-reported that they had been stalked were divided according to whether their pursuer had, or had not, attacked them. Results: Of the 432 who reported having been stalked, 75 (17.4%) had been attacked. A number of victim and perpetrator factors differentiated those who reported attacks. A combination of the victim being threatened, being an ex-intimate, and being younger at the time of the stalking incident were predictive of attack. A multivariate model containing these factors correctly classified 82% of the sample and achieved an AUC of 0.87. Conclusions: Stalking is an all too common problem behaviour that can result in a range of harmful outcomes for victims. Threats made by ex-intimates are a particular cause for concern. The generalizability of these findings should be tested using robust prospective methodologies in diverse populations.
Impact of Psychosocial Interventions on Children With Disruptive and Emotional Disorders Treated in a Health Camp
Authors: Gibbs Allen , Moor Stephanie , Frampton Christopher , Watkins William 
Published: December 2009

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of a health camp psychosocial intervention on children with behavioural and emotional problems and the impact of a parenting programme for their parents. The practical utility of introducing two outcome measures was also evaluated. Method: A total of 157 consecutively referred children, with a range of emotional and behavioural problems, were rated by parents and teachers, before and after their residential stay, using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Concurrent change in parenting attitudes was assessed using the Adult Adolescent Parenting Inventory-2. One hundred parents participated in a parenting programme. Both child and parent outcomes for these parents were contrasted with those of the 57 non-participating parents. Results: The whole group showed significant improvements in SDQ rated Emotional, Conduct, Hyperactive and Total problems. These were of moderate effect size. The parenting programme had minimal impact on parenting attitudes and no adjunctive value was demonstrated. Conclusions: The Health Camp intervention appeared moderately beneficial for a range of common childhood emotional and behavioural problems. In contrast, there was no demonstrable effect from the parenting programme on either parenting attitudes or child outcomes. The SDQ appeared to have clinical utility as an outcome measure.
Links Between Ethnic Identification, Cannabis Use and Dependence, and Life Outcomes in a New Zealand Birth Cohort
Authors: Marie Dannette , Fergusson David M. , Boden Joseph M. 
Published: December 2009

Objective: To examine the role of ethnic identity in cannabis use, and links between ethnic identity, cannabis use and life outcomes, in a birth cohort of >1000 young people studied to age 25. Methods: Data were gathered on cultural identification, cannabis use, socioeconomic factors, childhood adversity, and a range of life outcomes as part of a longitudinal study of a New Zealand birth cohort (Christchurch Health and Development Study). Results: Those reporting Māori identity had rates of cannabis use and dependence that were significantly higher (p<0.05) than rates for non-Māori. Regression analysis suggested that the elevated rates of cannabis use among Māori were largely explained by their higher exposure to socioeconomic disadvantage and childhood adversity. Further analyses examined the role of cannabis use in the links between ethnicity and a range of life outcomes, including education, income and employment, mental health, criminal offending, and intimate partner violence. These analyses showed that cannabis use made a small but detectable contribution to rates of Māori disadvantage in life outcomes, with this contribution being most evident in the areas of crime, education, and unemployment. Conclusions: Māori ethnic identification was associated with increased risks of cannabis use and dependence. The higher rate of cannabis use by Māori could be largely attributed to a combination of socioeconomic factors and greater exposure to environmental factors known to influence risk of cannabis use. The higher rates of cannabis use by Māori made a small contribution to higher rates of early school leaving, crime, and unemployment among Māori.
Impact of State Anxiety on the Jumping to Conclusions Delusion Bias
Authors: Ho-wai So Suzanne , Freeman Daniel , Garety Philippa 
Published: December 2009

Objective: This is the first study to investigate the relationship between the level of state anxiety and the jumping to conclusions (JTC) reasoning bias in patients with first-episode psychosis using an experimental manipulation procedure. Method: Thirty patients with psychotic delusions and 30 non-clinical controls, from Hong Kong, were randomized into an anxiety induction or an anxiety reduction imagery condition. Questionnaires were used to measure trait emotions, psychotic symptoms and delusional thinking at baseline. After the anxiety manipulation, participants completed two versions of an assessment of the JTC reasoning bias, the beads task. Results: Both the patients and the non-clinical controls were responsive to the anxiety reduction imagery, but only the non-clinical controls responded to the anxiety induction imagery. The JTC reasoning bias was, as hypothesized, more common in patients than in controls, but was not significantly different between the anxiety manipulation conditions. Both patients and controls had higher rates of JTC than in previous studies. Conclusions: Patients with psychotic delusions have a marked JTC cognitive bias. This is the first JTC study in a Chinese sample, and the results suggest that the bias applies cross-culturally. The results indicate that state anxiety does not influence JTC. Limitations of the study include an inadequate anxiety state manipulation effect in psychotic patients using brief imagery, and unusually high rates of JTC in both patients and controls.
Ethnic Comparisons of Antipsychotic Use in Schizophrenia
Authors: Wheeler Amanda , Humberstone Verity , Robinson Elizabeth 
Published: December 2009

Objective: The aim of the present study was to compare ethnic groups for antipsychotic prescribing in schizophrenia over 4.5 years. Methods: All clinical files in three mental health services caring for outpatients in Auckland, New Zealand were reviewed at two time points (T1 =31 March 2000, T2 =31 October 2004). Data were collected (patient characteristics, diagnosis, antipsychotic treatment) and analysed at each time point. Adjustments were made for age and sex in the comparisons. After the first audit, feedback was provided to all three services. Results: Differences in baseline prescribing were found between ethnic groups; rates of antipsychotic polypharmacy, second-generation antipsychotic (SGA) use, depot antipsychotic use, clozapine use and total antipsychotic dose. Overall five of the six prescribing outcome variables changed over the 4.5 years; only mean antipsychotic daily dose remained the same. Monotherapy rates increased in all ethnic groups with no difference found between them at T2 (85–86%). Similarly the prescribing variables of oral SGA use increased (83–87%), depots decreased (T2 =14–19%) and oral first-generation antipsychotics (FGAs) decreased (T2 =5–8%), all with no difference found between ethnic groups at T2. While clozapine use increased in all ethnic groups, a significant difference remained at T2; European, NZ Māori and Pacific all increased to 33–39%, but rates for Asian subjects increased only to 20%. The difference in mean daily antipsychotic dose between ethnic groups (122 mg day−1 chlorpromazine equivalent (CPZe) at T1; 86 mg day−1 CPZe at T2) reached statistical significance at both time points but overall the average dose (total mg day−1) for each group was within the usual clinical range. Adjustment for age and sex did not change the significance of any of the comparisons between ethnic groups. Conclusions: Most baseline differences in antipsychotic prescribing between ethnic groups resolved over time, with equal access for patients to recommended best practice with antipsychotic treatment in schizophrenia. Further work is required to look at differences in access to clozapine for Asian people.
Impact of Substance-Induced and General Medical Condition Exclusion Criteria on the Prevalence of Common Mental Disorders as Defined by the CIDI
Authors: Sunderland Matthew , Slade Tim , Anderson Tracy M. , Peters Lorna 
Published: December 2009

Objectives: It has been previously argued that the methodology used by the Composite International Diagnostic Interview version 2.1 to assess the substance-induced and general medical condition exclusion criteria are inadequate. As a result prevalence estimates generated from epidemiological studies using this interview may be underestimated. The purpose of the current study was to examine the substance-induced and general medical condition exclusion criteria in the Australian National Survey for Mental Health and Well-being and determine the impact that they have on prevalence estimates of the common mental disorders. Method: Data from the 1997 Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Well-being were analysed. Frequencies were generated as an indication of how many respondents believed that their psychiatric symptoms were always due to a substance or general medical condition. New DSM-IV prevalence estimates were calculated ignoring the application of the substance-induced and general medical condition exclusion criteria and compared to standard DSM-IV prevalence estimates. Results: The effect of the substance-induced and general medical condition exclusion criteria on final prevalence rates were minimal, with approximately a 0.1% increase when the exclusions were ignored. This equates to a relative difference ranging from no difference for generalized anxiety disorder to an increase of 12% of the base prevalence estimate for agoraphobia. Conclusions: In surveys that use the Composite International Diagnostic Interview version 2.1 the substance-induced and general medical condition exclusion criteria have a minor impact on determining final case definition in the majority of mental disorders.
Is this D Vitamin to Worry About? Vitamin D Insufficiency in an Inpatient Sample
Authors: Berk Michael , Jacka Felice N. , Williams Lana J. , Ng Felicity , Dodd Seetal , Pasco Julie A. 
Published: December 2009

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between reduced serum vitamin D levels and psychiatric illness. Method: This study was an audit of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) levels measured routinely in a sample of 53 inpatients in a private psychiatric clinic. These levels were compared with those of controls without psychiatric illness. Results: The median levels of serum 25-OHD were 43.0 nmol L−1 (range 20–102 nmol L−1) in the patient population, 46.0 nmol L−1 (range 20–102 nmol L−1) in female patients (n =33) and 41.5 nmol L−1 (range 22–97 nmol L−1) in male patients (n =20). The proportion of vitamin D insufficiency (serum 25-OHD ≤50 nmol L−1) in this patient population was 58%. Furthermore, 11% had moderate deficiency (serum 25-OHD ≤25 nmol L−1). There was a 29% difference between mean levels in the patient population and control sample (geometric mean age- and season-adjusted levels: 46.4 nmol L−1 (95% confidence interval (CI) =38.6–54.9 nmol L−1) vs 65.3 nmol L−1 (95%CI =63.2–67.4 nmol L−1), p <0.001). Conclusion: Low levels of serum 25-OHD were found in this patient population. These data add to the literature suggesting an association between vitamin D insufficiency and psychiatric illness, and suggest that routine monitoring of vitamin D levels may be of benefit given the high yield of clinically relevant findings.
Profile of Young People Attending Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services in Aotearoa, New Zealand: Clinical File Search
Authors: Schroder Ria , Sellman Doug , Frampton Chris , Deering Daryle 
Published: December 2009

Objective: The aim of the present study was to provide a profile of young people attending alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment services in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Method: Data were gathered from a clinical file search of 184 randomly selected young people aged 13–19 years who had attended one of eight youth AOD treatment services in New Zealand during 2003 or 2004. These services represented eight of the 11 youth-specific AOD services available to youth in New Zealand. Results: Young people who attend youth-specific AOD services in New Zealand present with a range of complex needs including substance use and mental health issues, criminality, family conflict and disengagement from school. A total of 62.0% were male, 56.4% had criminal convictions, 40.6% had spent some time in Child, Youth and Family Services care and 53.8% were reported to have a coexisting substance use and mental health disorder. Low rates of reporting of substance use and mental health diagnoses in treatment files suggest that substance use and mental health disorders among this population are likely to be higher than those reported. Conclusions: This paper provides a unique profile of young people attending youth-specific AOD treatments in New Zealand. Such information is useful in informing treatment planning and funding and ensuring that service development occurs to specifically meet the complex needs of this patient group.
Estimating the Prevalence of Schizophrenia Among New Zealand Māori: A Capture–Recapture Approach
Authors: Kake Tai R. , Arnold Richard , Ellis Pete 
Published: December 2009

Objective: The aim of the present study was to estimate the 12 month prevalence of schizophrenia in the Māori population of New Zealand. Method: Mental health data from two national sources were obtained for the period 2000–2003. A simple count of unique individuals with schizophrenia was used to estimate contact prevalence and a four-list capture–recapture procedure to estimate population prevalence. Results: Contact prevalence was significantly lower than the estimated population prevalence for both groups. The estimated 12 month prevalence of schizophrenia for Māori (0.97%) was significantly higher than for non-Māori (0.32%), even after adjustment for age, case under-ascertainment, and socioeconomic deprivation. Conclusions: The prevalence of schizophrenia among Māori appears to be elevated, although limitations in diagnostic reliability and recording of ethnicity must be considered. This adds further evidence of worldwide variation in the prevalence of schizophrenia. Capture–recapture provides a reliable cost-effective alternative to epidemiological surveys for estimating the prevalence of low-prevalence disorders such as schizophrenia.
Prevalence and correlates of suicidality among Indian women with post-partum psychosis in an inpatient setting
Authors: Babu Girish N. , Subbakrishna Dodbalapur K. , Chandra Prabha S. 
Published: December 2009

Objective: The aims of the present study were twofold: first, to determine the prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among women inpatients with post-partum-onset psychosis; and second, to describe the clinical, childbirth-related and demographic correlates of suicidal ideation in this group. Method: A total of 82 post-partum women consecutively admitted to the psychiatric unit of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, India during 18 months were assessed using the Comprehensive Psychopathology Rating Scale (CPRS) for psychopathology and suicidality. Results: Thirty-one women (38%) reported suicidal ideation, of whom 15 (18%) had attempted suicide in the current episode. Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts were more frequent in women with depression, an insidious onset of the current illness and those with higher scores on the depressive dimension. On logistic regression analysis, however, only higher scores on the depressive symptom dimension of CPRS, irrespective of diagnosis, emerged as significant (p<0.001). Suicidal ideation was also significantly associated with ideas of harm to the infant (p<0.05). Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in this group of patients. Depressive symptoms in post-partum psychosis appear to be the most important risk factor predicting suicidal ideation and attempts.
Targeted Clinical Education for Staff Attitudes Towards Deliberate Self-Harm in Borderline Personality Disorder: Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Commons Treloar Amanda J. , Lewis Andrew J. 
Published: December 2009

Objective: The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of attending targeted clinical education on borderline personality disorder on the attitudes of health clinicians towards working with deliberate self-harm behaviours commonly exhibited by patients diagnosed with this complex disorder. Comparisons of clinicians across service settings, occupational fields, and other demographic areas were also made. Method: A purpose-designed demographic questionnaire and the Attitudes Towards Deliberate Self-Harm Questionnaire were used to collect the demographic information and assess the attitudes of 99 mental health and emergency medicine practitioners across two Australian health services and a New Zealand health service, both before and after education attendance. Results: Statistically significant improvements in attitude ratings were found for both emergency medicine clinicians and mental health clinicians in working with deliberate self-harm behaviours in borderline personality disorder, following attendance at the education program with a medium affect size (t(32)=−3.45, p=0.002, d=0.43 and t(65)=−5.12, p=0.000, d=0.42, respectively). Clinicians across occupational areas of nursing, allied health, and medical fields demonstrated equivocal levels of improvement in their attitude ratings. Conclusions: Results are discussed in terms of the necessity of providing regular access to targeted clinical education for health professionals working with patients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.
Mood Stabilizer Loading Versus Titration in Acute Mania: Audit of Clinical Practice
Authors: Wheeler Amanda , Robinson Gail , Fraser Allen 
Published: December 2009

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the use of a loading strategy with lithium or valproate followed recommended practice and second, whether this had any impact on indicators of outcome in acutely manic inpatients. Method: A 12 month retrospective review of admissions to two adult psychiatric units in Auckland, New Zealand, was conducted. Demographic, legal status, psychiatric admissions, outcome indicators (length of stay, intensive care and seclusion use) and medication data were collected for all patients with a diagnosis of acute bipolar mania who started mood stabilizer treatment within 3 days of admission (n=93). Serum levels and adverse effects were also recorded. Results: In 46.2% of admissions a loading strategy was prescribed, and lithium was the treatment choice in two-thirds of admissions. Serum levels were taken inconsistently, particularly for valproate. No difference was found between loading and titrating for the assessed outcomes in routine practice; average length of stay was 30.2 days; most patients (71.0%) spent time in intensive care (average 8.4 days) and 33.3% spent time in seclusion. More adverse effects occurred with loading (51.2%) compared to titrating (36.0%), particularly with lithium. Conclusion: The literature supports a strong link between rapidly attained high serum levels and positive outcomes. The present study found inconsistent and infrequent measurement of levels, which was not in accord with recommended practice. Frequent monitoring of serum levels to support dosing decisions is important to inform better clinical decision making, especially when a loading strategy is used. This may explain the less than optimal outcomes (with respect to rapid resolution of mania and hospital discharge) that were found, irrespective of dosing strategy.