-
Reports about excessive Internet use, possibly amounting to an addiction, have increased. Progress with research and treatment of this phenomenon requires valid standardized assessment instruments. A frequently used questionnaire is the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) by Kimberly Young. The 20-item questionnaire is well established in a number of languages, but a German validation was lacking so far. An online (ON) sample (n = 1,041, age 24.2 ± 7.2 years, 46.7 percent men) completed an Internet version of the IAT and a student sample (offline [OF] sample, n = 841, age: 23.5 ± 3.0 years, 46.8 percent men) filled in a paper/pencil version. The participants also answered questions regarding their Internet use habits. A further sample of 108 students (21.5 ± 2.0 years, 25.7 percent men) completed the questionnaire twice to determine the 14-day retest reliability. The internal consistencies were α = 0.91 (ON) and α = 0.89 (OF). Item-whole correlations ranged from r = 0.23 to r = 0.65 (ON) and from r = 0.30 to r = 0.64 (OF). Two-week retest reliability was rtt = 0.83. Factor analyses with Varimax rotation yielded the same two factors in both samples, which explained 46.7 percent (ON) and 42.0 percent (OF) of the variance. The IAT score correlated with the time spent in the Internet in a typical week (ON: r = 0.44; OF: r = 0.38). The German version of the IAT was shown to have good psychometric properties and a stable two-factorial structure. Correlations with online time were in line with those reported for the IAT in other languages. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
-
The Generalized Pathological Internet Use Scale (GPIUS2) assesses cognitive behavioral aspects of problematic Internet use. To date, the 15-item scale has only been available in English, and the aim of this study was to translate and validate a German version. An online sample (ON, n = 1,041, age 24.2 ± 7.2 years, 46.7\% men) completed an Internet version of the translated GPIUS2, and a student sample (OF, n = 841, age 23.5 ± 3.0 years, 46.8\% men) filled in a pencil and paper version. A third sample of 108 students (21.5 ± 2.0 years, 25.7\% men) completed the questionnaire twice to determine the 14-day retest reliability. Participants also answered questions regarding their Internet use habits (OF, ON) and depression, loneliness, and social anxiety (ON). The internal consistencies were α = 0.91 (ON) and α = 0.86 (OF). Item-whole correlations ranged from r = 0.53 to r = 0.69 (ON) and from r = 0.39 to r = 0.63 (OF). The 2 week retest reliability was rtt = 0.85. Confirmatory factor analyses found a satisfactory fit for the factorial model proposed by Caplan for the original version. The GPIUS2 score correlated moderately with time spent on the Internet for private purposes in a typical week (ON: r = 0.40; OF: r = 0.36). Loneliness, depression, and social anxiety explained 46\% of the variance in GPIUS2 scores. The German version of the GPIUS2 has good psychometric properties in a pencil and paper version as well as in a web-based format, and the observations regarding loneliness, depression, and social anxiety support the underlying model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
-
Objective: The Pain Catastrophizing Scale, adapted for children (PCS-C) by Crombez et al. (2003), was translated into German (SKS-D) and evaluated regarding its factorial structure, its reliability and validity. The association of catastrophizing with various pain characteristics and disability measures was examined as well as its association to neighboring constructs. Method: The paper-and-pencil version of the SKS-D was used in two different samples of children and adolescents. Analyses were conducted on a subgroup of participants from an epidemiological sample [n = 898; age: M = 12.9 (SD = 1.4)] who had experienced monthly headaches in the 6-months period before and a clinical sample [n = 60; age: M = 12.6 (SD = 0.8)] seeking treatment for recurrent headaches. Results: Exploratory factor analysis (PCA) suggested a one-factor model in contrast to the 3-factor model suggested by Crombez et al. (2003). The unidimensional scale showed distinct homogeneity and satisfying reliability. The clinical sample showed significantly higher scores than the epidemiological group. Also girls scored higher than boys. The catastrophizing explained a considerable amount of variance in pain and disability parameters in both samples thus underlining its validity. The psychological variables internalising, anxiety sensitivity and somatosensory amplification showed significant small to moderate associations with pain catastrophizing and also with pain and disability. After controlling for the above mentioned psychological variables, catastrophizing still yielded an independent contribution to the explanation of variance in pain and disability parameters. Conclusions: The PCS-C in its German form is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing catastrophizing in children with recurrent pain, in particular headache, in the age of 10–16 years. Pain catastrophizing is suggested to be assessed especially in pediatric pain patients as it is a significant moderator of pain and disability. In children with a distinct tendency to catastrophize cognitive restructuring should become a target of pediatric pain therapy, as a reduction of catastrophizing cognitions may indirectly help to ameliorate pain and disability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
-
Acute tinnitus can lead to substantial distress and eventually result in long-lasting impairment. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioural intervention (delivered as Internet self-management, bibliotherapy or group training) to the information-only control condition. Applicants suffered from subjective tinnitus for up to six months, were between 18 and 75 years old and received no other tinnitus-related psychological treatment. A total of 304 participants were randomly assigned to one of the four study arms. Tinnitus distress, depressive symptoms, psychosomatic discomfort and treatment satisfaction were assessed. At the post-assessment tinnitus distress was significantly lower in the Internet and the group training conditions compared to the control condition. Inter-group effect sizes were moderate to large. At follow-up, all active training conditions showed significantly reduced tinnitus distress compared to the control condition (intention-to-treat analysis). An additional completer analysis showed a significant reduction in tinnitus distress only for the group condition. All effect sizes were moderate. There were no differences regarding psychosomatic discomfort, but depressive symptoms were reduced in the group condition at the post-assessment (intention-to-treat analysis). Treatment satisfaction was significantly higher in the training conditions. The dropout rate was 39\%. The present study shows that distress can be reduced as early as the acute stadium and that minimal-contact interventions are a promising way to do this. In particular, the Internet and group conditions led to a large, immediate decrease in distress, and the participants were highly satisfied with the training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
-
Background: Several studies on experimental mechanical pain suggested a strong influence of sex demonstrating females to be more sensitive. We examined the hypothesis that not only sex but also gender role affects pain responsiveness and looked for mediators of this effect. Method: As indicators of pain the threshold the intensity and the un-pleasantness of pressure stimuli were measured, as well as sensory and affective quality of pain. The gender role of 74 students was assessed by the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI). Furthermore several psychological variables assumed to be potential mediators (catastrophising, fear of pain, depressive symptoms, pain coping) were obtained. Results: ANOVA revealed significant main effects of sex in all pain variables except affective quality of pain. Contrary to our hypothesis gender role had no influence on pain responses, neither was there an interaction of sex and gender. Fear of pain just missed the significance level identifying it as mediator of the sex effect on affective pain. Conclusions: In summary, our study corroborated previous findings that women are more responsive to mechanical pain stimuli with effect sizes being medium to large, whereas gender role did not predict any of the assessed pain parameters. No convincing evidence was found that the influence of sex is predominantly mediated by psychological characteristics of the individual. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
-
Neuroimaging studies have revealed partially shared neural substrates for both the actual experience of pain and empathy elicited by the pain of others. We examined whether prior pain exposure increased neural activity in the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC) and bilateral anterior insula (AI) as a correlate of empathy for pain. Participants (N = 64: 32 women, 32 men) viewed pictures displaying exposure to pressure pain (pain pictures) and pictures without any cue of pain (neutral pictures). Prior to the experiment, half of the participants were exposed to the same pain stimulus as the one seen in the pain pictures (pain exposure condition); the other half had no such experience (touch exposure condition). A balanced sex ratio was kept, to investigate possible sex differences. In the region-of-interest analyses, participants of the pain exposure condition showed decreased activity in the right AI and the aMCC relative to participants of the touch exposure condition. While in men, no differences were found in relation to their exposure condition, women with pain exposure showed decreased activity in the aMCC and additionally, in bilateral AI. Based on the entire sample, whole brain analyses revealed stronger activation in the retrosplenial cortex, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, and medial prefrontal cortex in the pain exposure condition. In conclusion, prior pain exposure did not increase, but decreased activity in regions regularly associated with empathy for pain. However, pain experience increased activity in regions associated with memory retrieval, perspective taking, and top-down emotion regulation, which might facilitate empathizing with others. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
-
The present study investigated the effects of two attributes of the experimenter (gender and professional status) on the report and tolerance of pain in male and female subjects. 160 non-psychology students (80 male and 80 female, aged 17-59 years) participated in a cold-pressor task. Subjects were assigned to one of 8 groups: male (M) and female (F) experimenters tested male (m) and female (f) students. In each combination (Mm, Mf, Fm, Ff), the cold-pressor task was conducted by either one of two faculty members (high professional) or one of two students (low professional). Subjects were asked to immerse their non-dominant hand as long as possible in cold water (-1°C). Dependent variables were pain threshold, pain tolerance, and pain intensity. Results indicated a significant main effect for professional status of the experimenter on pain tolerance. Subjects tolerated pain longer when they were tested by a professional experimenter. Further, a significant interaction of experimenter gender and subject gender on pain tolerance indicated that subjects also tolerated pain longer when they were tested by an experimenter of the opposite sex. Additionally, a significant main effect for experimenter gender showed higher pain intensities for subjects tested by female experimenters. The observation that pain responsivity is influenced by the professional status of the experimenter might have implications for the study of pain in general and should be addressed in more detail in future experiments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
-
Studied 32 adult asthmatics in a 2 × 2-factorial design to examine the effect of physical exercise due to an ergometer capacity test and induced expectations about the consequences of this task on broncho-constriction. Two sets of instructions were used to induce anticipations of harmful and non-harmful consequences. Dependent variables were registered: airways resistance, skin resistance, and visceral perception (rating of physiological changes). Only small effects of the different ergometer loads on physiological responding and no effects of the experimental variables on visceral perception were found using analysis of variance (ANOVA), whereas analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) demonstrated that the induced harmful anticipation significantly intensified the perception of visceral changes and had some influence on asthma-relevant physiological responding. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
-
Background: Schizophrenia is the collective term for an exclusively clinically diagnosed, heterogeneous group of mental disorders with still obscure biological roots. Based on the assumption that valuable information about relevant genetic and environmental disease mechanisms can be obtained by association studies on patient cohorts of ≥1000 patients, if performed on detailed clinical datasets and quantifiable biological readouts, we generated a new schizophrenia data base, the GRAS (Göttingen Research Association for Schizophrenia) data collection. GRAS is the necessary ground to study genetic causes of the schizophrenic phenotype in a ‘phenotype-based genetic association studyʼ (PGAS). This approach is different from and complementary to the genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on schizophrenia. Methods: For this purpose, 1085 patients were recruited between 2005 and 2010 by an invariable team of traveling investigators in a cross-sectional field study that comprised 23 German psychiatric hospitals. Additionally, chart records and discharge letters of all patients were collected. Results: The corresponding dataset extracted and presented in form of an overview here, comprises biographic information, disease history, medication including side effects, and results of comprehensive cross-sectional psychopathological, neuropsychological, and neurological examinations. With >3000 data points per schizophrenic subject, this data base of living patients, who are also accessible for follow-up studies, provides a wide-ranging and standardized phenotype characterization of as yet unprecedented detail. Conclusions: The GRAS data base will serve as prerequisite for PGAS, a novel approach to better understanding ‘the schizophreniasʼ through exploring the contribution of genetic variation to the schizophrenic phenotypes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)
-
-
Objective: The study aimed at the assessment of disability in children with headache (n = 1585, 11– 14 yrs) from a randomly drawn population based sample. We explored the suitability of the PedMIDAS in epidemiological research by various indicators of response quality. Furthermore, predictors of disability were examined, as well as its association with measures of health care behavior. Methods: The PedMIDAS measures functional interference in different domains of life by asking the children for the number of days that their headache partially or totally interfered with their activities. Results: The examination of response behavior revealed a marked attrition of responses (missing, invalid) in two items. As a consequence, the total score for disability could not be obtained for about 25\% of the children. Analysis of homogeneity of the PedMIDAS items revealed low item/total correlations in two items. The grading of disability resulted in 81.2\% of all children with headache showing no or low disability. Only 1.4\% was ‘‘severely' disabled. Disability was predicted by frequency, type and intensity of headache. From all psychological variables only dysfunctional stress coping was significantly associated with disability. Disability itself was significantly associated with medical consultation. Conclusions: Suitability of the PedMIDAS for epidemiological research was supported, however with a caveat and recommendations for item revision. Severe disability due to headache was rare in the studied unselected sample when defined by behavioral interference. It is suggested to explore the construct of disability by a multi-method approach, including further instruments assessing headache related distress, (respectively) quality of life. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
-
It is far from clear how comorbidity changes during alcoholism treatment. This study investigates: (1) the course of comorbid Axis I disorders in chronic alcoholics over 2 years of controlled abstinence in the outpatient long-term intensive therapy for alcoholics (OLITA) and (2) the effect of comorbid Axis I and II disorders in this group of patients on subsequent drinking outcome over a four-year follow-up. This prospective treatment study evaluates psychiatric variables of 89 severely affected chronic alcohol dependent patients on admission (t₁), month 6(t ₂), 12 (t₃) and 24 (t₄). Drinking outcomes have been analyzed from 1998 to 2002. On admission, 61.8\% of the patients met criteria for a comorbid Axis I disorder, 63.2\% for a comorbid personality disorder. Axis I disorders remit from t₁ (59.0\% ill), t₂ (38.5\%), t₃ (28.2\%) to t₄ (12.8\%) (p < 0.0001). Anxiety disorders remit more slowly from t, (43.6\%) to t₃ (20.5\%, p=0.0086), whereas mood disorders remit early between t₁ (23.1\%) and t₂ (5.1\%, p=0.0387) with a slight transient increase at t₃ (10.3\%). During the four-year follow-up, the cumulative probability of not having relapsed amounts to 0.59. Two predictors have a strong negative impact on abstinence probability: number of inpatient detoxifications (p=0.0013) and personality disorders (p=0.0106). The present study demonstrates a striking remission of comorbid Axis I disorders upon abstinence during comprehensive long-term outpatient alcoholism treatment. The presence of an Axis II rather than an Axis I disorder on admission strongly predicts drinking outcome over a four-year follow-up. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
-
Objective: The aim of the present study was to identify psychosocial risk factors for the incidence of recurrent headache (HA) in children/adolescents (8–15 years). Method: In 2003 (Wave 1) a representative, population-based sample of 8800 parents was mailed a questionnaire. Those who took part were asked to participate again one year later (Wave 2). Of the parents originally contacted, 47.3\% participated in both surveys. Potential risk factors concerning the areas ‘schoolʼ and ‘emotional and behavioural problemsʼ were collected in Wave 1. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed to assess their predictive value for HA in Wave 2. Results: Univariable regression analyses showed that for boys and girls most of the predictor variables influenced the incidence of recurrent HA, but only to a very low extent. When all variables were assessed jointly in a multivariable model, these factors lost their predictive power for boys. For girls, ‘academic problemsʼ and ‘dysfunctional stress copingʼ were shown to increase the chance for the incidence of recurrent HA. Discussion: In contrast to previous findings, school-related factors and emotional and behavioural problems failed to predict HA in boys, and only two factors appeared relevant with regard to girls. This might be due to the strict unidirectional design, which focussed exclusively on the incidence of HA. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
-
The aim of this study was to estimate prevalence rates of different types of primary headache in 9- to 14-year-old children in a population-based sample. Case definition was based on International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD) criteria. The possibility of implementing these criteria within a questionnaire format, which has been regarded as problematic by some authors, was the main focus of the study. A questionnaire was sent to children and adolescents in 6400 randomly drawn families in southern Lower Saxony. Valid questionnaires were returned by 61.1\% of the sample. The overall prevalence rate for tension-type headache (TTH) (criteria C and D) was 17.6\% and for migraine (criteria B, C and D) 13.1\%. Despite the use of abridged criteria for headache classification, 35.5\% of all children reported headache that could not be classified using the ICHD criteria. The response behaviour of these children indicated that they had difficulties reporting symptoms that were defining for migraine or TTH. The classifiability of headache does not seem to be dependent on age or frequency of headache, but rather on the number of ‘I don't knowʼ answers given regarding headache characteristics. It is likely that studies reporting prevalence rates that are limited to migraine and or TTH diagnoses underestimate the true prevalence of headache in children and adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
-
Theoretical background: Research initiated by Pennebaker and collegues on self-disclosure and the beneficial influence of emotional expression, when writing about past stressful events, forms the theoretical basis of the presented studies. According to Pennebaker, findings from a large number studies have demonstrated and confirmed the positive effect of disclosure, a brief and economical intervention, on long-term measures of health. Method: The aim of the first study was to replicate the Pennebaker and Beall (1986) study with the expectation of corroborating the effects described by the authors. In addition to the measures employed in the original study, a number of essay variables and personality characteristics, viewed as potentially possessing a moderator function for the outcome variables, were examined. In the second study the experimental condition was varied by implementing 'coping' and 'helping' instructions, in addition to the original disclosure condition, with the goal of achieving - via activation of resources - even more pronounced effects. Results: In neither the first nor the second study could the expected beneficial effects of disclosure on long-term health measures (e.g., medical visits) be corroborated. The additional measures, essay variables and personality characteristics, explain virtually null variance in the outcome variables. Changes in parameters for stress reactions (e. g., intrusions) were found. These changes were particularly pronounced under activation of pro-social motivation (helping condition). Conclusions: Repeated, albeit brief, writing about past stressful events in an emotionally expressive manner does not lead to long-term positive health consequences. It seems, however, to promote better processing of stressful experience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
-
Background: In order to enhance patients' active participation in increasingly standardized therapies, treatment goals of disorder-specific manuals need to be aligned with the goals of the targeted patients. Objective: To clarify whether different psychopathological disorders differ 1. with respect to typical treatment goals, 2. in the proportion of goals that focus explicitly on symptoms that are essential for the diagnoses and 3. in the strength of the association between pursuing these core-symptom-related treatment goals and subsequent improvement on the primary diagnose. Method: Primary treatment goals of 1253 inpatients undergoing cognitive behavioral therapy were compared according to presenting disorder. Treatment goals were assessed as they were formulated by the patient and classified according to the categories of the Bern Inventory of Treatment Goals (BIT-T, Grosse Holtforth & Grawe 2001, 2002). Results: Treatment goals of patients with affective disorders are significantly more heterogeneous than those of patients suffering from anxiety disorders; whose goals are more heterogeneous than those of patients suffering from chronic pain syndrome. The proportion of treatment goals that refer explicitly to depressive behavior, anxiety or chronic pain, respectively, increases constantly over these three groups. Focusing on these core-symptom related goals was significantly associated with higher therapist ratings of the improvement on the primary diagnoses for patients with anxiety disorders only. Conclusions: First, depending on the presenting disorder, standardized treatments should allow for a more or less flexible setting of treatment goals, and second for a more or less strict focus on disorder-specific core-symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
-
Background: 10\% to 30\% of all children worldwide suffer from headaches at least once a week, potentially constituting a serious health problem that may lead to impairment in multiple areas. Therefore, one aim of the epidemiological longitudinal study 'Children, Adolescents, and Headache' (KiJuKo) is the study of potential risk factors for the development of recurrent headaches. Methods: In the first survey (2003), questionnaires were sent to 8800 households with a child between 7 and 14 years of age. Three further surveys followed, one each year from 2004 to 2006. A number of predictors having to do with family characteristics and leisure activities were identified on the basis of the first survey and were then studied in the second survey (n = 2952) with respect to their influence on the new occurrence of headaches. Results: The risk of developing recurrent headaches between the first and the second survey was elevated by a factor of approximately 1.8 for boys who experienced quarrels in the family more than once per week, and by a factor of 2.1 for boys who only 'sometimes' had free time for themselves. The risk of developing recurrent headaches was 25\% higher in girls whose parentsʼ behavior towards the child positively or negatively reinforced the occurrence of headaches. Conclusions: These findings are in accordance with those of other studies showing that, for boys, the frequency of quarreling in the family and the extent of leisure time are major factors in the development of recurrent headaches. For girls, the manner in which the parents respond to the child's headache seems to be important. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
-
Aims: The hippocampus (HC) is characterized by high vulnerability to noxious influence, but also by a considerable regenerative potential. Although deficits in HC-related functions are among the most commonly reported cognitive sequelae in alcoholism, little and conflicting information is available concerning regeneration upon abstinence. The present study has been designed to evaluate (i) the frequency of measurable dysfunction in so called HC tests and (ii) its predictive value for risk to relapse in a cohort of 50 severely affected chronic alcoholic patients and (iii) to monitor recovery of HC-related functions upon strict abstention from alcohol. Methods: Patients underwent a 2-year neuropsychological follow-up including HC-associated tests (Verbal Learning Test, VLT; Nonverbal Learning Test, NVLT; 'City Map Test' of Learning and Memory Test, LGT-3), as well as tests of intelligence and attention in the framework of OLITA (Outpatient Long-Term Intensive Therapy for Alcoholics), a programme with careful abstinence monitoring. Results: At study entry, 30/50 (60\%) alcoholics had HC dysfunction which tended to predict a lower long-term abstinence probability (P = 0.058). Of the subgroup that could be followed under conditions of strictly monitored alcohol abstinence (n = 32; age 44.7 ± 6.2 years; 23 men, 9 women), 53\% (17/32) exhibited distinct HC dysfunction at inclusion which returned to normal after 2 years. Patients with initially normal HC function (9/32) and patients with additional brain damage of different aetiologies (6/32) failed to show improvement on HC-related tests. While the former displayed stably normal HC test performance, the latter remained on a performance level below normal. Conclusions: Demonstrating slow but remarkable regeneration of HC functions upon strict abstention from alcohol, our data strongly support abstinence-oriented long-term treatment of alcoholics. The absence of functional recovery in patients with additional causes of brain damage might be explained by the 'dual hit' exhausting the regenerative potential of the HC. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
-
Presents a study which aims to examine the effectiveness of a telephone-based peer support intervention to reduce depressive symptoms and improve social support in women with coronary heart disease (CHD). The study found no influence of telephone-based peer support on depressive symptoms and perceived social support in women with CHD. However, the study postulated that screening for psychological distress with feedback to patients by a professional might be helpful to initiate search for help and thus improves perceived social support. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
-
Examined whether a specific migraine-related psychophysiological response stereotype occurred under conditions of stress, recovery, and relaxation in 37 migraine sufferers (nonheadache state) and 44 normal controls. Two stressors were presented (industrial noise and a social discomfort situation), followed by a recovery period. Relaxation was induced by verbal instructions accompanied by soft music. Pulse volume amplitude (fronto-temporal and digital), skin temperature (fronto-temporal and digital), and skin resistance responses were assessed. Results showed no group differences in responses to the stressors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
