David M. Romney

Parents' differential socialization of boys and girls: A meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis of 172 studies attempted to resolve the conflict between previous narrative reviews on whether parents make systematic differences in their rearing of boys and girls. Most effect sizes were found to be nonsignificant and small. In North American studies, the only socialization area o

Insight in schizophrenia: a meta-analysis

There has been an increase in the study of insight in schizophrenia in the last 20 years. Insight is operationally defined according to five dimensions which include: the patients awareness of mental disorder, awareness of the social consequences of disorder, awareness of the need for treatment, awareness of symptoms and attribution of symptoms to disorder. Despite the development of psychometrically sound measurement tools, the results from previous studies have been inconclusive regarding the nature of the relationship between insight and symptomatology. A meta-analysis of 40 published English-language studies was conducted to determine the magnitude and direction of the relationship, or effect size, between insight and symptom domains in schizophrenia and to determine moderator variables that were associated with the variations in effect sizes across studies. Results indicated that there was a small negative relationship between insight and global, positive and negative symptoms. There was also a small positive relationship between insight and depressive symptoms in schizophrenia. Acute patient status and mean age of onset of the disorder moderated the relationship between insight and symptom clusters. The possible reasons for the effect sizes being modest, the examination of the role of moderator variables and directions for future research are provided.

Cognitive factors contributing to adolescent depression

The purpose of this study was to investigate cognitive processes, which have been found in depressed adults, that may contribute to depression in adolescents. To this end, a modified version of Kellys Role Construct Repertory Test was administered to 15 clinically depressed adolescents, 15 somewhat depressed adolescents, and 15 nondepressed adolescents, whose ages ranged from 13 to 16 years with the majority (75%) being female. Compared to the other groups, the clinically depressed group demonstrated lower self-esteem, greater pessimism about the future, more frequent polarized construing, increased interpersonal isolation, and a more external locus of control. Results are discussed in relation to findings from previous studies and recommendations are made for future research.

Randomized study of the application of single motor unit biofeedback training to chronic low back pain

The application of single motor unit biofeedback training (SMUBT) techniques was compared to traditional therapies in treating chronic low back pain (CLBP). Thirty-six volunteers (who experienced daily pain for 7 years in the T8 to S1 area) were randomly assigned to one of three treatments; SMUBT, relaxation training, or an educational program. The pain level and electromyographic activity of all subjects were assessed by a person blind to the treatment; before, immediately after, and 90 days after treatment. The SMUBT group reported immediately decreased pain which was maintained at 90 days, the relaxation group showed no changes, while the education group reported decreased pain at 90 days. The EMG results showed decreased amplitude and bilateral differences for the SMUBT and education groups. A 4-year follow-up revealed the SMUBT group remained symptom free. Implications and discussion of the results concludes the paper.

A Structural Analysis of Health-Related Quality of Life Dimensions

Of critical importance in the applications of quality of life theory and measurement to clinical situations is the need to know how the different components of quality of life relate to each other and what these relationships mean. To answer this question, the present study reanalyzes data collected 6 months after surgery on 469 patients with cardiovascular problems. The data were factor analyzed and five factors were extracted, namely, Symptoms of Illness, Neurological Dysfunction, Interpersonal Relationships, Morale, and Socioeconomic Status. Because the factor scores derived from these five factors intercorrelated, we were able to hypothesize causal models suggesting how the factors might affect each other. Two competing models were tested against the data using LISREL. A crucial difference between the two models was that in one, Symptoms lowered Morale whereas in the other, low Morale aggravated Symptoms, i.e., a psychosomatic effect. The first model fitted the data very well in contrast to the second model which did not fit the data at all. The authors consider the implications of the first model for improving quality of life in cardiac patients.

Anhedonia in Depression and Schizophrenia: A Reexamination

The purpose of this study was to utilize factor analysis to help determine whether anhedonia is a symptom of both depression and schizophrenia. Measures of depression, positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia, and anhedonia were administered to a group of schizophrenic patients (N = 54) and to a group of patients with major depressive disorder (N = 27). The correlation matrix among the various scales was subjected to an oblique exploratory factor analysis. Three factors were extracted, accounting for three quarters of the variance. The first measured depression, the second measured positive symptoms, and the third measured negative symptoms. Anhedonia loaded significantly on the first factor but not on the third, suggesting that it is a symptom of depression rather than schizophrenia. These results were corroborated by means of confirmatory factor analysis. We conclude that anhedonia is a symptom of depression and that it only appears to be a symptom of schizophrenia because it is a component of emotional blunting which is indeed a negative symptom of schizophrenia.

Dimensions of political and related facets of identity in late adolescence

This study focuses on young peoples political identity, investigating its dimensionality and relationships to other facets of personality and attitudes in late adolescence. The data used to operationalize the concepts are derived from a large-scale study of British youth carried out in the late 1980s. Analysis of data from this study isolated 16 dimensions underlying aspects of young peoples self-concepts, social attitudes and political involvement. These constituted the variables included in a set of further analyses, including confirmatory factor analyses. In line with conclusions from more specifically targeted studies, it was possible to establish three dimensions relating to political identity and aligned with those found in adult samples (political engagement, tolerance, political conservatism), and two further social attitude dimensions of particular salience for young people (moral conservatism and environmentalism). A dimension interpreted as generalized self-efficacy proved to be distinct from the political and attitudinal dimensions. Comparison of mean factor scores across groups defined by age gender, educational attainment and family social class gave good evidence of their discriminant validity.

Cross-validating a causal model relating attributional style, self-esteem, and depression: an heuristic study.

Pillow, West, and Reich, using path analysis in 1991, were unable to confirm the causal model predicted from the reformulated learned helplessness theory of Abramson, Seligman, and Teasdale which links the dimensions of attributional style with self-esteem and depression. Because their failure to confirm the model may have been due to their using normal subjects instead of psychiatric patients, the model was retested in the present study on psychiatric patients, many of whom had been diagnosed as depressed. Although the Abramson, et al. model was once again not confirmed, neither was the alternative model proposed by Pillow, et al. The model that fitted the data best in this study differed from both of these models and indicated that all three attributional dimensions affect depression solely through the mediation of self-esteem.

Depression in paranoid and nonparanoid schizophrenic patients compared with major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND Depression occurring in schizophrenia is a common problem; however, investigators have typically not studied it with the paranoid/nonparanoid dichotomy in mind. This study examines the quality as well as the severity of depression in three psychiatric groups: paranoid schizophrenia patients, nonparanoid schizophrenia patients, and nonpsychotic major depression patients. METHOD Clinical and sociodemographic data were collected on 27 paranoid and 27 nonparanoid schizophrenia patients during their postpsychotic phase while they were at least mildly depressed, and a comparison group of 27 nonpsychotic patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder. The three groups were then assessed on various psychometric scales for severity of depression, profile of symptoms, suicidal risk, and anhedonia. RESULTS The paranoid schizophrenia patients were more depressed and more at risk for suicide than the nonparanoid schizophrenia patients, yet their depressive profiles and levels of anhedonia were similar. CONCLUSIONS Depressed mood and anhedonia constitute serious problems for schizophrenia patients, but particularly for paranoid schizophrenia patients during the postpsychotic phase of their illnesses. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Schizophrenia patients, especially those with the paranoid features, should be routinely evaluated and monitored for depression. Apart from treatment with drugs, cognitive therapy may be considered a viable option, particularly for paranoid schizophrenia patients. LIMITATIONS Gender was not matched for the two schizophrenia groups and extrapyramidal side effects were not measured.

Comparison of self-instruction and relaxation training in reducing impulsive and inattentive behavior of learning disabled children on cognitive tasks.

30 learning disabled children aged 8.0 to 12.5 yr. were assigned at random to one of three groups: a self-instruction group, a progressive muscle relaxation group, or a no-treatment group. Both treatment groups were given 10 half-hour sessions over four weeks. All three groups were assessed before and after the treatment period on cognitive tasks requiring deliberation (Porteus Mazes and Matching Familiar Figures) and concentration (Coding and Digit Span). Only the two treated groups showed a significant over-all improvement in performance on the tasks. Neither form of intervention was superior to the other when a direct comparison between the two was made.