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The intercorrelations among the 15 scales of the 30-item Core version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire suggest that one may combine (1) the physical functioning and role functioning scales, (2) the emotional functioning and cognitive functioning scales, and (3) the nine symptom scales. Together with the global health/quality of life scale and the social functioning scale, five measures remain. Principal component analysis of those five measures, using data from Japanese and Dutch breast and lung cancer patients, yielded two dimensions: (1) generalized health related quality of life and (2) health-independent psychological well-being. The correlations of these dimensions with the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire and Karnofsky performance substantiated this interpretation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Sternocostoclavicular hyperostosis (SCCH) is a rare, debilitating, chronic inflammatory disorder of the anterior chest wall due to a chronic sterile osteomyelitis of unknown origin. SCCH is largely underdiagnosed and often misdiagnosed. In individual cases it can remain unrecognized for years. The purpose of this study is twofold. Firstly, to evaluate the psychological condition of SCCH patients, both in the sometimes quite extended prediagnostic period between first manifestations and confirmed diagnosis of the disease, and in the current situation. Secondly, to investigate the relationships between the pre-diagnostic and the current psychological conditions of confirmed SCCH patients. Methods: Structured interviews were held with 52 confirmed SCCH patients. Questionnaires were included to assess posttraumatic stress symptoms, social support, aspects of pain, illness perceptions, self-reported health status, and quality of life. Results: SCCH patients reported stronger posttraumatic stress symptoms, more unfavorable illness perceptions, lower health status, and poorer quality of life than healthy individuals and patients with other diseases or traumatic experiences. Psychological distress in the pre-diagnostic period was associated with unfavorable conditions in the current situation. Conclusion: SCCH is an illness with serious psychological consequences. Psychological monitoring of patients with unexplained complaints is recommended as long as a diagnosis has not been reached. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Factor structures obtained by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) often turn out to fit poorly in confirmative follow-up studies. In the present study, the authors assessed the extent to which results obtained in EFA studies can be replicated by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in the same sample. More specifically, the authors used CFA to test three different factor models on several correlation matrices of exploratively obtained factor structures that were reported in the literature. The factor models varied with respect to the role of the smaller factor pattern coefficients. Results showed that confirmatory factor models in which all low EFA pattern coefficients were fixed to zero fitted especially poorly. The authors conclude that it may be justified to use a less constrained model when testing a factor model by allowing some correlation among the factors and some of the lower factor pattern coefficients to differ from zero. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the implicit structure of influence strategies and research on the implicit structure of relationships were combined. Forty respondents rated how (un)common each of 26 influence strategies was in each of 24 relationships. By means of multiple correspondence analysis the implicit structure of relationships and the implicit structure of influence strategies were established simultaneously. A three-dimensional structure was found with the dimensions of cooperation versus competition, more powerful versus less powerful, and social-emotional versus task-oriented. It is concluded that relationships and influence strategies are aspects of the same cognitive schema of social influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five groups of 19 subjects made ratings on 11 personality trait scales of overlapping subsets of 59 artificial stimulus persons who were described by one to five personality trait adjectives. The data were analyzed per group of subjects (blockwise) and per type of stimulus person (questionnaire-wise) by means of three-mode principal component analyses. This yielded highly similar structures for the scales, and in the blockwise analyses, for the stimulus persons. This similarity was substantiated by external three-mode analyses, which showed that all stimulus persons can be mapped into one overall configuration. In all analyses it was found that differences between subjects consisted of differences in extremity of judgment, which suggests the operation of response style. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data produced by 60 subjects rating 31 artificial persons on 11 personality trait scales were analyzed by three-mode principal component analysis. The subjects shared a circular configuration of stimuli and scales. Individuals tended to depart from this pattern in extremity of judgement rather than configuration, suggesting the operation of a response style. The advantages of including "artificial subjects," and of partitioning the residual sums of squares are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dissimilarity measures (D) derived from sortings of stimuli can be submitted to multidimensional scaling (MDS) either directly, or after transforming them to profile distances (Δ) computed on the rows of the D matrix. The latter procedure was criticized by Drasgow and Jones (1979) who performed two simulation studies, which are criticized here in turn. In the present article two sets of real sorting data were used for comparing the results of MDS on D and Δ, both with each other and with the results of two other procedures: multiple correspondence analysis (by means of HOMALS) on the raw sorting data, and MDS on the pairwise similarity ratings of the same stimuli by the same subjects. The three procedures were compared both with respect to the final configurations and with regard to the fit of the corresponding distances to the data. These comparisons suggested that MDS on D is slightly superior to MDS on Δ. The latter analysis, however, yields results that are similar to those of the much more efficient HOMALS program. The differences, however, are on the average very small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Aim: The new budget system for Dutch hospitals makes use of patient groups that are highly homogeneous in terms of diagnosis and treatment combinations (diagnose behandeling combinaties (DBC)). These DBCs are the Dutch DRG variants. The DBC mainly concerns medical care; nursing care is almost regarded as a constant factor. In this study the DBC is linked to the nursing minimum data set for The Netherlands (NMDSN), to explore the degree of homogeneity in terms of nursing care for patient groups that are homogeneous in terms of the DBC. Method: In nine Dutch hospitals, patient information was collected by means of the NMDSN. To answer the question, we performed a secondary data analysis on the NMDSN. First, groups were formed in terms of medical diagnoses as defined in the DBC. Next, explorative statistical analyses were used to form homogeneous groups in terms of nursing diagnoses. These groups were compared in terms of the nursing care interventions and in terms of medical diagnoses. Finding: Some medical diagnoses seem to be homogeneous, others more heterogeneous in terms of nursing care. Discussion and conclusion: Limitations in the study design hinder a firm conclusion. However, the results discourage the use of the medical DBC for nursing care. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Knowledge on cross-cultural quality of life (QOL) and illness perceptions may help women with breast cancer cope more effectively. The self regulation model (SRM) guided the current exploratory longitudinal pilot-study. Central to SRM is the perception of health threats and their effects on QOL. Illness perceptions and QOL were assessed in 22 Dutch and 21 Japanese patients with breast cancer who filled out questionnaires before, 1 week, and 8 weeks after the first chemotherapy course. The questionnaires assessed QOL and illness perceptions. Patients’ scores were compared with groups of patients with other chronic somatic illnesses (asthma, diabetes). Patients in both samples reported major impact of chemotherapy on global health status, physical functioning, role functioning, emotional functioning, constipation and diarrhea. Differences between Japanese and Dutch patients were limited to social functioning and financial problems. Japanese patients expressed stronger concerns about their illness than Dutch patients. Results of the Japanese and Dutch patients with breast cancer differed from data in patients with asthma on consequences, timeline, concern and emotional response. Results of Japanese patients differed from patients with type 2 diabetes on timeline and concern, whereas Dutch patients differed on timeline and consequences. Japanese and Dutch breast cancer patients have—overall—similar illness perceptions and QOL responses and are aware of the typical characteristics of their disease. The results support the feasibility of cross-cultural psychosocial research in oncology and offer implications for clinical interventions which impact on self-efficacy to empower patients with breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: This study examined quality of life (QOL) and illness perceptions in Dutch and Japanese patients with non-small-cell lung cancer, thereby extending the body of knowledge on cultural differences and psychosocial aspects of this illness. 24 Dutch and 22 Japanese patients with non-small-cell lung cancer filled out questionnaires on three occasions: immediately before chemotherapy, 1 week later, and 8 weeks after the initial chemotherapy. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) assessed QOL, and the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ) illness perceptions. Scores on several QOL measures indicated (a) major impact of first chemotherapy sessions, and (b) some tendency to returning to baseline measures at 8 weeks. Differences between Japanese and Dutch samples were found on five EORTC QLQ-C30 dimensions: global health status, emotional functioning, social functioning, constipation, and financial difficulties, with the Dutch patients reporting more favorable scores. Regarding illness perceptions, Japanese patients had higher means on perceived treatment control and personal control, expressing a higher sense of belief in the success of medical treatment than Dutch patients. In both Japanese and Dutch patients, impact of chemotherapy on QOL was evident. Some differences in illness perceptions and QOL between the two samples were observed, with implications for integral medical management. Both samples reported illness perceptions that reflect the major consequences of non-small-cell lung cancer. Incorporating symptom reports, illness perceptions, and QOL into medical management may have positive consequences for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) induces depressive symptoms in 50-60% of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) treated, recovered depressed patients. However, no reliable predictors of mood response to ATD have been established. In the present study, individual subject data of six ATD studies were pooled (‘mega-analysis’) in order to investigate the mediating role of clinical, demographic and biochemical characteristics in the mood response to ATD. A procedure was developed to make different versions of the Hamilton scale comparable. Recurrent depressive episodes, female gender, prior exposure to SSRI antidepressant treatment and previous serious suicidal thoughts/attempts all appear to be independent predictors of mood response to ATD. Chronicity of illness is the most powerful predictor. Residual symptoms of depression were not found to predict response to ATD. ATD may be useful to study the mechanism of action of SSRI antidepressants and individual biological vulnerability of the serotonin system. Whether the effects of ATD represent a reversal of the action of SSRI antidepressants or individual vulnerability probably depends upon the timing of the procedure in the course of remission of a depressive episode. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Sternocostoclavicular hyperostosis (SCCH) is a rare, debilitating, chronic inflammatory disorder of the anterior chest wall due to a chronic sterile osteomyelitis of unknown origin. SCCH is largely underdiagnosed and often misdiagnosed. In individual cases it can remain unrecognized for years. The purpose of this study is twofold. Firstly, to evaluate the psychological condition of SCCH patients, both in the sometimes quite extended pre-diagnostic period between first manifestations and confirmed diagnosis of the disease, and in the current situation. Secondly, to investigate the relationships between the pre-diagnostic and the current psychological conditions of confirmed SCCH patients.Methods: Structured interviews were held with 52 confirmed SCCH patients. Questionnaires were included to assess posttraumatic stress symptoms, social support, aspects of pain, illness perceptions, self-reported health status, and quality of life.Results: SCCH patients reported stronger posttraumatic stress symptoms, more unfavorable illness perceptions, lower health status, and poorer quality of life than healthy individuals and patients with other diseases or traumatic experiences. Psychological distress in the pre-diagnostic period was associated with unfavorable conditions in the current situation.Conclusion: SCCH is an illness with serious psychological consequences. Psychological monitoring of patients with unexplained complaints is recommended as long as a diagnosis has not been reached. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]