Cornelia Albani

Teststatistische Prüfung und Normierung der deutschen Versionen des EUROHIS-QOL Lebensqualität-Index und des WHO-5 Wohlbefindens-Index

Zusammenfassung. Der Beitrag berichtet uber die teststatistische Prufung und Normierung der deutschen Versionen des EUROHIS-QOL 8 Item Index (EUROHIS-QOL) zur Erfassung der generischen Lebensqualitat und des Wohlbefindens-Index der WHO (WHO-5) zur Erfassung der Wohlbefindens aus Sicht der Befragten. Datengrundlage bildet eine reprasentative Stichprobe der bundesdeutschen Bevolkerung aus dem Jahr 2004. Die teststatistische Prufung verweist auf gute psychometrische Eigenschaften des EUROHIS-QOL Index. Obgleich Modifikationsmoglichkeiten bestehen, wird die Selektion von Items ausgeschlossen, weil dies den komzeptuellen Vorgaben der Indexkonstruktion widersprechen wurde. Die Ergebnisse der teststatistischen Prufung des WHO-5 sind hinsichtlich der psychometrischen Eigenschaften als ausgezeichnet einzuschatzen. Erstmals werden geschlechts- und altersgruppenspezifische Normwerte fur die deutschsprachigen Versionen der beiden Instrumente vorgelegt. Schlusselworter: EUROHIS, WHO-5, Lebensqualitat, Wohlbefinden, Index Testing and standardization of the German version of the EUROHIS-QOL and WHO-5 quality-of life-indices

Bevölkerungsrepräsentative Normierung der Skala zur Allgemeinen Selbstwirksamkeitserwartung

Zusammenfassung. Fur die Skala zur Allgemeinen Selbstwirksamkeitserwartung von Jerusalem und Schwarzer steht eine Normierung anhand einer reprasentativen deutschen Bevolkerungsstichprobe bisher aus. Im Jahr 2001 wurde eine bevolkerungsreprasentative Erhebung (N = 2019; Alter: 16-95 Jahre) durchgefuhrt, bei welcher neben der Skala zur Allgemeinen Selbstwirksamkeitserwartung auch andere Fragebogen eingesetzt wurden: Giesener Beschwerdebogen, Systems of Belief Inventory, Portraits Values Questionnaire und Resilience Scale. Die eindimensionale Struktur der Skala zur Allgemeinen Selbstwirksamkeitserwartung wurde bestatigt. Manner und jungere Personen haben hohere Mittelwerte als Frauen und altere Personen. Unter Validierungsgesichtspunkten ist die Nahe zur Resilienzskala (r = .68) hervorzuheben. Es werden Normwerte in Form von T-Werten und Prozentrangen mitgeteilt.

Stereotypical Relationship patterns and psychopathology

Background: We explored the relationship between the consistency of relationship patterns and the severity of psychopathology. Method: Relationship patterns were assessed by means of Relationship Anecdote Paradigm interviews rated according to the Core Conflictual Relationship Theme (CCRT) method. The repetition of the same type of CCRT components across relationship narratives indicated stereotypical patterns. Results: Subjects treated in an inpatient setting (n = 25) told narratives with more consistent patterns than subjects in an outpatient setting (n = 32). Relationship episodes of normal adults (n = 23) were more flexible compared with the two clinical groups. Especially repetitions of the wish component were closely associated with the severity of psychopathology assessed by SCL-90R. Conclusions: The consistency of relationship patterns seems to be connected with the severity of psychopathology.

Investigating the Circumplex Structure of the Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ)

The Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ) comprises 10 basic values that guide behavior. The Schwartz model postulates that these 10 values build a circumplex structure. We examined the PVQ with respect to its dimensional structure using a representative sample (N = 1896) of the German population. The results of three widely used analyses were compared: multidi- mensional scaling, factorial analysis (with varimax rotation) of raw scores, and factorial analysis with ipsative values. Further- more, rank correlations between the theoretically assumed circular distances and the empirical data were calculated. The analyses confirmed that the 10 dimensions of the PVQ can be depicted in a two-dimensional plane. However, the statistical techniques chosen yielded different arrangements of the 10 values in the plane. All statistical methods failed to confirm the circumplex structure postulated by Schwartz. Nevertheless, dimensions of higher order that condense the 10 dimensions can be derived for applications of the PVQ.

Fatigue Assessment Questionnaire: Standardization of a Cancer-Specific Instrument Based on the General Population

Objectives: Fatigue has become a major issue of concern in the care of cancer patients, as it has been shown to compromise their quality of life in a significant and lasting way. However, there is a lack of economic and specific measures. The Fatigue Assessment Questionnaire (FAQ) has been developed based on thorough interviews and tested on a large mixed sample of cancer patients. The purposes of this paper are to test the psychometric properties of the FAQ and to provide norms for the German population. Methods: The FAQ was administered to a representative sample of the German population (1,340 female and 1,101 male participants) along with standardized scales of depression, mood and life satisfaction. Results: We could confirm that fatigue is multidimensional and can be measured by the scales of physical, affective and cognitive fatigue with good reliability and validity. The dependency of fatigue on sex and age makes it useful to have standard fatigue scores for oncological research as provided in this paper. Conclusion: The FAQ is a promising, differentiated, yet economic instrument for further use in oncological research.

Reformulation of the Core Conflictual Relationship Theme (CCRT) categories: The CCRT-LU Category System.

The Core Conflictual Relationship Theme (CCRT) method, developed by Lester Luborsky, is regarded as an established technique for assessing central relationship patterns in psychotherapy research. Numerous studies have investigated associated research areas and clinical applications. Many of these studies have reported problems with the CCRT method attributable to the underlying construct of the CCRT categories. This study describes the development of alternative German CCRT categories, the CCRT-LU categories, in which LU stands for the place of development (Leipzig/Ulm) and for the ‘logically unified’ aspect of the system. For the 1st time, the CCRT-LU categories are assigned to a sample of clinical intake interviews with 32 female patients.

The German specimen case, amalia x: Empirical studies

The authors provide a perspective on how psychoanalytic process research can be implemented. This is based on a process research model described elsewhere and summarizes the kinds of studies that can be situated on the four levels of the model. The authors summarize multiple empirical studies that were performed in a completely tape-recorded psychoanalytic therapy and have been published. These studies demonstrate the many modalities empirical process research has available to objectively study psychoanalytic process phenomena and their implication for outcome.

The Role of Self-Compassion in Buffering Symptoms of Depression in the General Population

Self-compassion, typically operationalized as the total score of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS; Neff, 2003b), has been shown to be related to increased psychological well-being and lower depression in students of the social sciences, users of psychology websites and psychotherapy patients. The current study builds on the existing literature by examining the link between self-compassion and depressive symptomatology in a sample representative of the German general population (n = 2,404). The SCS subscales of self-judgment, isolation, and over-identification, and the “self-coldness”, composite score, which encompass these three negative subscales, consistently differed between subsamples of individuals without any depressive symptoms, with any depressive syndromes, and with major depressive disorder. The contribution of the positive SCS subscales of self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness to the variance in depressive symptomatology was almost negligible. However, when combined to a “self-compassion composite”, the positive SCS subscales significantly moderated the relationship between “self-coldness” and depressive symptoms in the general population. This speaks for self-compassion having the potential to buffer self-coldness related to depression—providing an argument for interventions that foster self-caring, kind, and forgiving attitudes towards oneself.

Die subjektive Gesundheit älterer Menschen im Spiegel des SF-36

ZusammenfassungIm Rahmen einer bevölkerungsrepräsentativen Erhebung im Jahre 2002 wurde unter anderem der SF-36 (Short-Form-36-Questionnaire) in der deutschsprachigen Version von Bullinger und Kirchberger (1998) zur Erfassung der gesundheitsbezogenen Lebensqualität eingesetzt. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden Daten für Personen aus der deutschen Allgemeinbevölkerung berichtet, die zum Zeitpunkt der Datenerhebung 60 Jahre oder älter waren (N=690 Personen; 57% weiblich). Im Einzelnen werden die internen Konsistenzen der Skalen (Cronbach’s Alpha), die Skalen-Interkorrelationen, Skalen-Mittelwerte differenziert nach Geschlecht, Altersgruppen (60–64 Jahre, 65–69 Jahre, 70–74 Jahre, 75–79 Jahre, 80 Jahre und älter) und Wohnsitz (Ost-/Westdeutschland) sowie Prozentrang-Normen für die gesamte Stichprobe dargestellt.SummaryThis paper presents data regarding the German version of the SF-36 (Short Form 36 Questionnaire; Bullinger and Kirchberger, 1998) that were obtained from a large communitybased sample of the German population. Results are reported for the elderly at the age of 60 and older from the German general population (N=690; 57% female). Presented are the internal consistencies of the scales (Cronbach’s Alpha), the intercorrelations of the scales, mean values of the scales separated by sex, age group (60–64 years, 65–69 years, 70–74 years, 75–79 years, 80 years and older) and residence (Eastern and Western Germany) as well as percentile ranks for the whole sample.

Domains of disgust sensitivity: revisited factor structure of the questionnaire for the assessment of disgust sensitivity (QADS) in a cross-sectional, representative German survey.

BackgroundDisgust sensitivity is defined as a predisposition to experiencing disgust, which can be measured on the basis of the Disgust Scale and its German version, the Questionnaire for the Assessment of Disgust Sensitivity (QADS). In various studies, different factor structures were reported for either instrument. The differences may most likely be due to the selected factor analysis estimation methods and the small non-representative samples. Consequently, the aims of this study were to explore and confirm a theory-driven and statistically coherent QADS factor structure in a large representative sample and to present its standard values.MethodsThe QADS was answered by N = 2473 healthy subjects. The respective households and participants were selected using the random-route sampling method. Afterwards, the collected sample was compared to the information from the Federal Statistical Office to ensure that it was representative for the German residential population. With these data, an exploratory Promax-rotated Principal Axis Factor Analysis as well as comparative confirmatory factor analyses with robust Maximum Likelihood estimations were computed. Any possible socio-demographic influences were quantified as effect sizes.ResultsThe data-driven and theoretically sound solution with the three highly interrelated factors Animal Reminder Disgust, Core Disgust, and Contamination Disgust led to a moderate model fit. All QADS scales had very good reliabilities (Cronbachs alpha) from .90 to .95. There were no age-differences found among the participants, however, the female participants showed remarkably higher disgust ratings.ConclusionsBased on the representative sample, the QADS factor structure was revised. Gender-specific standard percentages permit a population-based assessment of individual disgust sensitivity. The differences of the original QADS, the new solution, and the Disgust Scale - Revised will be discussed.