Search

An existing scale of personal growth in caregivers of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) was expanded for use with an acquired brain injury (ABI) population, and was modified following additional psychometric analyses. A cross-sectional online survey was administered to 315 caregiving partners of persons with MS and 310 family caregivers of persons with ABI. Principal component analysis (PCA) performed on the original 32-item instrument yielded a 4-component, 17-item solution with correlated subscales with solid psychometric properties. Subscales were labelled Appreciation, Positivity, Adjustment, and Spirituality . Secondary PCA conducted revealed three subscales (five items each) correlated moderately while the fourth, Spirituality, remained distinct. The sum of the three five-item subscales may serve as a total score. Reliability analysis yielded acceptable-to-high internal consistency. Comparisons of the PGS with existing instruments demonstrated its discriminant/convergent validity. Two kinds of latent class analyses were conducted on the 15-item PGS to identify three latent classes that spanned the neurologic groups, revealing that measurement invariance was held for the instrument in this sample. An instrument with sound psychometric properties was established, designed to assess personal growth in caregivers of individuals with ABI or MS. Future work should explore its value in other populations and as a metric of changes over time.

This study investigated relations between a measure of early-stage visual function and self-reported visual anomalies in individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR-P). Eleven individuals at CHR identified via the Structured Interview for Psychosis-Risk Syndromes (SIPS) were recruited from a CHR-P research program in NYC. The sample was ~36% female, ranging from 16 to 33 years old ( M = 23.90, SD = 6.14). Participants completed a contrast sensitivity task on an iPad with five spatial frequencies (0.41-13 cycles/degree) and completed the self-report Audio-Visual Abnormalities Questionnaire. Higher contrast sensitivity (better performance) to low spatial frequencies was associated with higher perceptual ( r = 0.616, p = 0.044) and visual disturbances ( r = 0.667, p = 0.025); lower contrast sensitivity to a middle spatial frequency was also associated with higher perceptual ( r = -0.604, p = 0.049) and visual disturbances ( r = -0.606, p = 0.048). This relation between the questionnaire and contrast sensitivity to low spatial frequency may be indicative of a reduction in lateral inhibition and "flooding" of environmental stimuli. The association with middle spatial frequencies, which play a critical role in face processing, may result in a range of perceptual abnormalities. These findings demonstrate that self-reported perceptual anomalies occur in these individuals and are linked to performance on a measure of early visual processing.