David W. Reid

The NINCDS‐ADRDA Work Group criteria for the clinical diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease A clinicopathologic study of 57 cases

Neuropathologic confirmation is required to validate the NINCDS-ADRDA Work Group criteria for the clinical diagnosis of Alzheimers disease (AD). Neuropathologic inclusion and exclusion criteria for AD, however, are not uniform. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the confirmation rate for the Work Group criteria against differing neuropathologic criteria for AD. The sample consisted of 57 cases, 22 of which had received a clinical diagnosis of AD. Nine neuropathologic criteria for AD were applied in a blind fashion to each of the 57 cases. Our results indicated that, depending on the neuropathologic criteria applied, the clinicopathologic agreement ranged from 64% to 86%. These findings demonstrate the need for universally accepted neuropathologic and clinical criteria for AD.

Measuring the psychosocial impact of urinary incontinence: the York Incontinence Perceptions Scale (YIPS).

OBJECTIVE: The York Incontinence Perceptions Scale (YIPS) was developed to measure the psychosocial aspects of urinary incontinence and its management.

WAIS-R Test-retest reliability in a normal elderly sample

We examined the 1-year test-retest reliability of WAIS-R Verbal, Performance, and Full-Scale IQs in a sample of 101 older normal individuals (mean age = 67.1). The respective Pearson rs were .86, .85, and .90. The median retest reliability coefficient for the WAIS-R subtests was .71. The test-retest reliability for the Verbal-Performance Discrepancy was .69. These data indicate that IQ scores are reliable in older normal individuals for this retest interval, but less confidence can be placed in the reliability of subtest scores and the Verbal-Performance Discrepancy.

Correlates of Changes in Desired Control Scores and in Life Satisfaction Scores among Elderly Persons

This report describes the correlates of Life Satisfaction and Desired Control among seventy-nine elderly residents, with an average age of seventy-eight, of a partial-support apartment complex. The residents were assessed at three points in time: shortly after moving into the building, six months later, and after a total of eighteen months. Both Life Satisfaction and Desired Control (a measure of the extent to which a person reports control over desired outcomes) are intercorrelated and related to other indices of psychological well-being at all three points in time. Cross-lag correlations also indicate an enduring relationship between Life Satisfaction, Desired Control, Activity, and Rated Vitality. A residual regression analysis employing hierarchical procedures for evaluating significance of added variance yielded only one predictor of changes in Life Satisfaction: an initial measure of psychomotor speed. The residual regression analysis yielded one predictor of changes-fin Desired Control — initial activity level.]

INTEGRATING CONSTRUCTIVIST AND SYSTEMIC METATHEORY IN FAMILY THERAPY

In this article, we critically review the epistemological transition from a modernist or first-order cybernetic approach in which subject-object dualism is implicitly assumed and enacted within the therapeutic relationship, to the current postmodern, second-order approach. Problems associated with both epistemological persuasions are examined. We propose a theoretical way out of the epistemological corner defined by a former naive realism, on the one hand, and the current potential for a nonfunctional relativism, on the other. This route is created through an integration of systemic and constructivist metatheory whereby therapist knowledge, as fallible as it may be, is afforded a rightful place within the therapy relationship. Moreover, participant-observation is considered a necessary extension to the postmodern emphasis on therapistreflexivitybecause it reinstates the importance of therapist knowledge (i.e., objectifications of family dynamics and experiences). It is suggested that the willingness to engage in the process of intersubjective meaning creation, guided by the therapist and the client, but driven by the clients own knowing and experiencing, is central to the success of therapy.

Locus of control and causal attribution for positive and negative outcomes on university examinations

Abstract One-hundred-five internal and external locus of control subjects attributed responsibility for their positive and negative outcomes on a university examination. Internal and positive outcome subjects attributed responsibility to internal causal factors while external and negative outcome subjects were more external in their causal attributions. Overall ratings of the four causal components ability, effort, task, and luck were not always in accord with the Weiner model two-dimensional classification.

Relationship Satisfaction among South Asian Canadians: The Role of ‘Complementary-Equality’ and Listening to Understand

This study explored the ways in which adherence to traditional marital expectations in ones marriage was related to styles of interpersonal listening and marital satisfaction among IndoPakistanis living in a Western country. Participants (n = 114) were recruited from a large metropolitan city in Canada, were married, and their ages ranged from 19 to 67 years. They completed measures of marital satisfaction, listening styles, and traditional orientation to marriage. Results indicated that greater adherence to traditional marital beliefs were correlated with lower levels of interpersonal listening and marital satisfaction. However, closer examination of the traditional orientation subscales revealed that expectation of traditional husband and wife roles did not result in lower empathic listening in one’s marriage or lower marital satisfaction, but the lower degree to which one believed in upholding equality in undertaking such traditional roles did. Furthermore, empathic listening mediated the relationship between belief in equality in one’s relationship and marital satisfaction. The implications of these results for enhancing relationship satisfaction for Indo-Pakistanis are discussed.

SYSTEMIC-CONSTRUCTIVIST COUPLE THERAPY (SCCT): DESCRIPTION OF APPROACH, THEORETICAL ADVANCES, AND PUBLISHED LONGITUDINAL EVIDENCE

The systemic-constructivist approach to studying and benefiting couples was derived from qualitative and quantitative research on distressed couples over the past 10 years. Systemic-constructivist couple therapy (SCCT) is the clinical intervention that accompanies the approach. SCCT guides the therapist to work with both the intrapersonal and the interpersonal aspects of marriage while also integrating the social-environmental context of the couple. The theory that underlies SCCT is explained, including concepts such as we-ness and interpersonal processing. The primary components of the therapy are described. Findings described previously in an inaugural monograph containing extensive research demonstrating the long-term utility of SCCT are reviewed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

Identification with the Relationship as Essential to Marital Resilience: Theory, Application, and Evidence

The secret to marital longevity is good maintenance of the essence of a marriage. That essence is a complex process at the core of the relationship that allows for continuing adaptation to the vicissitudes of life the partners experience. Findings from a 15-year research program with guided participation of married partners examining their marital dynamics, finds that enhancing their sense of “we-ness” at a personal level is crucial for enhancing the essence of the marriage, with marital satisfaction being the result. The enhanced “we-ness” likely feeds the improvement of an implicit meta-cognitive relational awareness of being a dynamic close relationship with which the couple can navigate, cope and remain resilient. The multi-modal Systemic-Constructivist Couple Therapy (SCCT), derived from the longitudinal in-depth marital research, is used to map onto any couple’s relational dynamics as a means to investigate and enhance marital functioning. That enhancement accompanies each partner’s gaining a greater sense of “we-ness.” Theoretical explanation with clinically derived examples and research findings are provided.

An abilities assessment instrument for elderly persons with cognitive impairment: psychometric properties and clinical utility.

In this article the psychometric properties of an Abilities Assessment Instrument (AAI), developed to assess the self-care, social, interactional and interpretive abilities of older people with cognitive impairment (CI) related to dementia, are described. The sample consisted of 112 institutionalized older men with CI and 60 institutionalized older men without CI. The psychometric evaluation of the AAI indicated that: (a) it is reliable in terms of test-retest (Pearson’s r range .93-.99), interrater (Pearson’s r range .95-.99), and internal consistency evaluations (Cronbach’s alpha .90-.98), as well as through confirmatory factor analysis; and (b) that it is valid with respect to content validity (CVI 87.3%), concurrent validity (Pearson’s r correlations ranging from -.67-.80 on the London Psychogeriatric Rating Scale [LPRS], and from -.76-.85 on the Functional Assessment Stages Scale [FAST]), and construct validity with significant differences between subjects with and without CI (t values ranging from 5.13 -9.30). The AAI is a reliable and valid instrument that can be used to provide assessment data.