Orazio Siciliani

Social factors associated with the use of psychotropic drugs: Alcohol abuse and minor psychiatric morbidity in the community

ABSTRACT— The association of socio‐demographic factors and life events with psychotropic drug consumption, alcohol abuse and minor psychiatric morbidity was investigated in a representative community sample of 181 respondents. The statistical model used was a logistic multiple regression analysis. Psychotropic drug use was best predicted by family size and employment status; alcohol abuse by sex, family size and “exit” events; and minor psychiatric morbidity by sex, marital status and undesirable life events.

A community survey of psychotropic drug consumption in South Verona: prevalence and associated variables

SummaryA cross-sectional community survey was undertaken to investigate the pattern of psychotropic drug consumption in 453 community residents of South Verona. Overall, 15.0% of the subjects were taking psychotropics (benzodiazepines 13.5%, antidepressants 2.2%, neuroleptics 1.1%). Prevalence was higher in females (20.0%), in those over 45 years (25%), in high General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) scorers (26.2%), and in subjects with physical ill-health (27.0%), with social problems (20.0%), with distressing events (22.0%) and with alcohol abuse (32.3%). Logistic regression analysis showed that age, sex, GHQ score, physical ill-health and life events were all significantly and independently associated with psychotropic drug consumption.

Inter-observer and test-retest reliability of the Italian version of the Karolinska Psychodynamic Profile in two groups of psychiatric patients

Turrina C, Siani R, Regini C, Campana A, Bologna R, Siciliani O. lnter‐observer and test‐retest reliability of the Italian version of the Karolinska Psychodynamic Profile in two groups of psychiatric patients.

Partial syndromes in eating disorders: a prevalence study on a sample of Italian adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: Exploring the spectrum of eating disorders (ED) and its sociodemographic correlates in a population of adolescents. METHOD: The sample included 788 adolescent students (384 females and 404 males, 12–14 years old) from Verona, Northern Italy. A two-stage sampling procedure was adopted. Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2), Body Image Satisfaction Questionnaire (BISQ) and a socio-demographic questionnaire were applied to the sample in the first stage. The sample was then partitioned in two strata, “below-cutoff” and “above-cutoff”, using the threshold DT≥14 for the Drive for Thinness (DT) subscale. A second sample of 59+58 subjects was selected from the two strata. The structural interview of the second stage consisted of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders and the Symptom Checklist of EDI-2. RESULTS: Partial syndromes of ED were diagnosed in 9.4% of the interviewed sample with a sex ratio F/M=6. The following factors resulted to be related to partial syndrome of ED: dieting to be thin, body mass index, mother’s occupation and being a menstruating girl. CONCLUSION: This study represents one of the few prevalence and association studies about ED in young Italian adolescents. It evidences that partial syndromes of ED, in particular the partial syndrome of binge eating disorder, are the most frequent syndromes in early adolescence. Some social and parental factors resulted to be significantly related to these syndromes.

Family factors associated with the use of psychotropic drugs, alcohol abuse, and minor psychiatric morbidity in the community

The association of family health and family structure factors with psychotropic drug consumption, alcohol abuse, and minor psychiatric morbidity was investigated in a representative community sample of 151 respondents by means of a logistic multiple regression analysis. A General Health Questionnaire GHQ score of 5 or above was best predicted by undesirable events, sex, the number of generations, marital status, and the number of family members with a high GHQ score. Psychotropic drug consumption was best predicted by the number of family members with distress manifestations, while alcohol abuse in men was predicted best by events of the exit type.

Social support, adversities and emotional distress in an Italian community sample

The association of social support with emotional distress in relation to adversities such as social problems, physical health and undesirable life events was assessed in an Italian community sample of 222 men and 224 women. Univariate comparisons and logistic regression analyses showed that neither the quality of a confiding core relationship nor social support from kin confidants was related to adversities. In women only, social support from friend confidants exerted a statistically significant independent main effect together with social problems and undesirable life events in producing a greater probability of emotional distress. The implications of these findings are discussed considering the socio-cultural characteristics of Italian families and individual coping strategies.

Anxiety and Depression in 100 Female Geriatric Inpatients

50 anxious and 50 depressed female geriatric inpatients aged 70 and above were assessed with a semistructured interview focusing on the patient’s experience of her illness and hospital admission and o

Reported prevalence of alcohol dependence in South-Verona: A case register study

Abstract In this study all patients who received from 1979 to 1982 the diagnosis of “alcohol dependence” have been selected from the South-Verona Psychiatric Case Register. The register area coincides with the health care area of a well-integrated community psychiatric Service, set up in 1978 under the new Italian Mental Health Act. The reported prevalence rates of alcoholic patients decreased in this 4-year period, this decrease being due mainly to the diminuition of male patients contacting a psychiatric agency. Age- and sex-specific prevalence rates are reported, as are patterns of inpatient and out-patient care and 1-year inception rates. Within the overall reported prevalence the ratio between patients who received community care only and those who had also or only inpatient care shows that about half of alcoholic patients contacting a psychiatric agency receive out-patient care only.