Validation of the parenting stress index among Chinese mothers in Hong Kong

This paper presents the validation results of the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) as applied to a sample of Chinese mothers in Hong Kong. A cross-sectional research survey was launched employing a purposive sample of 248 Hong Kong Chinese mothers. The PSI was found to have a reliability coefficient of .93. The concurrent validity of the instrument was established by correlations of the PSI with various measurements for stress. Moreover, results from discriminant analysis indicated that using PSI scores, “high-stress” respondents could be discriminated from “low-stress” respondents with 93% overall accuracy. Finally, results of the study replicated the major factorial structure of the original scale. The present study indicates that the PSI represents an appropriate tool for measuring parenting stress with Hong Kong Chinese mothers. Findings from the study will facilitate practitioners and administrators in early screening of parenting stress, individual diagnostic assessment, pre-post measures of intervention effectiveness, and future research in parenting stress.     

5·12地震后急性应激反应筛查表因素分析

目的 分析创伤后应激反应筛查表(PTSS20)的因素构成及影响因素,了解创伤后急性应激障碍的症状群特征.方法 203名5·12地震灾民完成PTSS20有效测验,以PTSS20总分低、中、高分3组做条目分析、因素分析及信度、效度检验.结果 PTSS20因子分析得到8个因子构成:焦虑/警觉性增高、情绪不稳、迟钝/麻木、创伤...     

Correlates of the michigan alcoholism screening test (MAST) among DWI offenders

Examined the relationship between scores on the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST), Psychological Screening Inventory (PSI) and Locus of Control Scale (LOC) in a selected sample of 156 apprehended drunken drivers. About 90% were identified as problem drinkers on the MAST, and 15% were screened by the PSI as requiring more intensive psychological assessment. Scores on the MAST were independent of LOC, but positively related to results on PSI scales that assess antisocial acting-out and neurotic anxiety and also to general maladjustment (mean scale elevation). A weighted composite of three PSI scales was related significantly to MAST scores, but explained only a modest proportion of variance in them. The MAST and PSI can be used to supplement one another in screening DWI offenders.     

Parenting stress in families of children with Prader–Willi syndrome

Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by multiple endocrine, metabolic, respiratory, cognitive, and behavioral/psychiatric symptoms that may lead to severe emotional strain in their caregivers. In this study, we evaluated parenting stress by the Parenting Stress Index‐short form (PSI/SF) and parent‐reported behavioral symptoms by the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/6–18) in families of children with PWS. Sixty‐seven home‐resident PWS patients and their families were recruited in this study. The patients' mean age was 14.9 ± 8.3 years, and 33 (50.8%) were male. High parenting stress was reported by 41.5% families, as determined by high total stress scores of PSI/SF. The patients in high stress families were significantly older than those in low stress families (18.2 ± 8.0 vs. 12.6 ± 7.8 years, p = .007). CBCL/6–18 was used to evaluate the somatic and neuropsychiatric symptoms of PWS patients aged between 6 and 18 in the subgroup of the 35 families. In this subgroup, 37.1% of families reported high parenting stress. High stress families reported a higher T‐score in anxiety/depression, withdrawn behavior, somatic complaints, thought problems, attention problems, and delinquent and aggressive behavior of their children with PWS. After multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis, the T‐score of somatic complaints was the only factor related to high parenting stress, with an odds ratio of 1.279. Our data demonstrated the high care burden of families with PWS and highlighted the importance of having dedicated medical care for both somatic and neuropsychiatric symptoms.     

Parenting stress and psychosocial well-being among parents with twins conceived naturally or by reproductive technology

This study compared parenting stress and psychosocial well-being among parents with 1 year old twins conceived in three different ways: (i) spontaneously without any medical assistance (54 families), (ii) spontaneously following hormonal treatment (25 families) and (iii) following in-vitro fertilization (IVF) or artificial insemination (AI) with the semen of the social father (24 families). The investigation included the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30). Since the presence of older children differed significantly between the three groups, this factor was included in the statistical analysis. Overall, no significant differences were found between the three study groups, either for the mothers or for the fathers. Nevertheless, we found a main effect of the presence of older children and an interaction effect of the presence of older children and the conception mode on some of the scales for the mothers: first-time mothers showed significantly higher stress related to parental competence, health and the partner relationship compared with mothers who had older children. First-time mothers with a history of infertility obtained significantly higher stress scores for parental competence and health and showed lower psychosocial well-being compared with naturally conceiving first-time mothers and mothers with a history of infertility who already had children.     

问题解决问卷(PSI)中文版在大学生中使用的信效度研究

目的:评估问题解决问卷(PSI)中文版在大学生中使用的信度和效度。方法:按班级整群抽取长沙市某大学387名大学生,运用PSI中文版、一般自我效能感量表(GSES)、Beck抑郁自评问卷(BDI)进行调查;随机抽取43人2周后应用PSI中文版进行重测。结果:量表的Cronbach’sα系数为0.810,重测相关系数为0.788,与GSES相关系数为-0.549,以BDI区分有、无抑郁症状组,不同组间PSI评分差异有统计学意义。结论:问题解决问卷中文版具有较好的信度和效度,可应用于大学生问题解决测评。     

Predictors of postpartum depressive symptoms in Icelandic women

Summary Objective: The aim of the survey was to investigate the prevalence of postpartum depressive symptoms among Icelandic women and the predictive capacity of parental stress and infant difficulty. Method: A sample of women (n = 734), 2–3 months after giving birth was studied by mailed questionnaires that included the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS); Parent Stress Index/Short Form (PSI/SF) and the Infant Difficulty Index (IDI). Demographic questions were also included. Results: The mean for depressive symptoms was 6.5, with 14% of the women experiencing frequent symptoms. Maternal stress and worries about health of the infant predicted depressive symptoms best. These variables explained 34% of the variance and social variables did not add to prediction. Conclusion: Maternal stress and worries about infant health are suggested as powerful predictors of postpartum depressive symptoms and are useful indicators for planning health care of mothers with young infants.     

癌症康复评价系统简表中文版的信度和效度

目的考察癌症患者生命质量评定工具“癌症康复评价简表”(CARES-SF)中文版的信度和效度。方法采用“WHO-QOL跨文化生命质量研究问卷翻译法”对CARES-SF进行系统翻译和评价,并应用中文版CARES-SF对146名恶性肿瘤患者的生命质量进行调查,并在6个月后对其中的107名患者进行生命质量随访。结果CARES-SF中文版重测信度为0.81,内部一致性为0.66-0.93,与症状困扰程度、焦虑、抑郁评分之间的相关系数分别为0.46,0.43,0.49(P<0.01);因素分析得到9个因素,各条目负载大于0.4,该9个因素共解释了66.82%的方差,基本证实了其结构效度;该量表能区分出不同类型的癌症患者生命质量之间的差异,以及同一患者生命质量在6个月中的纵向变化。结论CARES-SF中文版是一份具有较好信度和效度的癌症患者生命质量评定量表,可应用与肿瘤临床和科研。     

Mortality of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Korea: Assessed with the Pneumonia Severity Index and the CURB-65 Score

The pneumonia severity index (PSI) and CURB-65 are widely used tools for the prediction of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). This study was conducted to evaluate validation of severity scoring system including the PSI and CURB-65 scores of Korean CAP patients. In the prospective CAP cohort (participated in by 14 hospitals in Korea from January 2009 to September 2011), 883 patients aged over 18 yr were studied. The 30-day mortalities of all patients were calculated with their PSI index classes and CURB scores. The overall mortality rate was 4.5% (40/883). The mortality rates per CURB-65 score were as follows: score 0, 2.3% (6/260); score 1, 4.0% (12/300); score 2, 6.0% (13/216); score 3, 5.7% (5/88); score 4, 23.5% (4/17); and score 5, 0% (0/2). Mortality rate with PSI risk class were as follows: I, 2.3% (4/174); II, 2.7% (5/182); III, 2.3% (5/213); IV, 4.5% (11/245); and V, 21.7% (15/69). The subgroup mortality rate of Korean CAP patients varies based on the severity scores and CURB-65 is more valid for the lower scores, and PSI, for the higher scores. Thus, these variations must be considered when using PSI and CURB-65 for CAP in Korean patients.     

MMPI dependency scale norms for alcoholics and psychiatric inpatients

The MMPI Dependency (DY) Scale has a significant number of items that do not fall within the MMPI Form R format. The present study provides norms for the DY based on Form R responses from 1,505 male and female hospitalized psychiatric patients and alcoholics. While females had higher DY scores than males, alcoholics and psychiatric patients did not differ. It was found that T scores for a Form R version of the DY scale can be obtained easily from previously published DY norm tables.     

Maternal Stress and Depressive Symptoms and Infant Development at Six Months: the Mothers and Children's Environmental Health (MOCEH) Prospective Study

Our objective is to evaluate the relationships between prenatal maternal stress and depressive symptoms, respectively, and infant neurodevelopment at 6 months, adjusted for heavy metals and oxidative stress. This research is a part of a multi-center birth cohort study in South Korea. Information on stress and depressive symptoms was collected during the first trimester using Psychosocial Well-Being Index Short Form (PWI-SF) and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The Korean Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II assessment (BSID-II), which includes the standardized mental development index (MDI) and psychomotor developmental index (PDI), and Korean Ages & Stages Questionnaires (K-ASQ) were applied to infants at six months of age. A higher index score indicates better development. Among 641 babies, 320 were female (50%). Maternal PWI ≥ 29 (vs. PWI ≤ 18) during early pregnancy was associated with a decrease in MDI scores of 5.37 points (P = 0.02) after adjusting for socioeconomic factors. Maternal CES-D ≥ 26 (vs. CES-D ≤ 10) during early pregnancy was associated with a decrease in MDI scores of 8.18 points (P = 0.01). The associations remained significant even after adjustment for lead, cadmium, and MDA levels (P < 0.05). However, no association was found between maternal PWI/CES-D and PDI score. No interaction was observed between stress and lead exposure. We found an inverse association between prenatal maternal stress and depressive symptoms, and MDI scores in 6-month-old infants after adjustment for prenatal lead exposure, which is known to affect cognitive function negatively.     

Childhood illness-related parenting stress: the pediatric inventory for parents

OBJECTIVE: To develop a measure of parenting stress related to caring for a child with an illness and to evaluate its psychometric properties with a group of parents of children with cancer. METHODS: One hundred twenty-six parents (105 mothers, 21 fathers) of children (65 boys and 61 girls, M: age: 12.75 years) being followed by an oncology service were assessed using the 42-item self-report Pediatric Inventory for Parents (PIP). Internal consistency was assessed and construct validity was investigated with standardized, general self-report measures of anxiety and parenting stress. RESULTS: Internal consistency reliability for the PIP was high (Cronbach alpha range:80-.96). PIP scores were significantly correlated with a measure of state anxiety and also with parenting stress, demonstrating construct validity. After we controlled for demographic variables and general parenting stress, PIP scores showed strong independent associations with state anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary data indicate that the PIP is a reliable and valid tool to assess parenting stress in pediatric oncology populations. As a measure of illness-related parenting stress, the PIP may be used to provide information about parent well-being that extends beyond that obtained from general measures.     

Construction and factorial validation of a short form of the Self-Compassion Scale

The objective of the present study was to construct and validate a short-form version of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS). Two Dutch samples were used to construct and cross-validate the factorial structure of a 12-item Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form (SCS-SF). The SCS-SF was then validated in a third, English sample. The SCS-SF demonstrated adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha ≥ 0.86 in all samples) and a near-perfect correlation with the long form SCS (r ≥ 0.97 all samples). Confirmatory factor analysis on the SCS-SF supported the same six-factor structure as found in the long form, as well as a single higher-order factor of self-compassion. The SCS-SF thus represents a reliable and valid alternative to the long-form SCS, especially when looking at overall self-compassion scores.     

Sex differences in interleukin‐6 stress responses in people with Type 2 diabetes

People with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) show dysregulated inflammatory responses to acute stress, but the effect of sex on inflammatory responses in T2D remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in interleukin (IL)‐6 stress responses between older men and women with T2D. One hundred and twenty‐one people (76 men; mean age = 64.09, SD = 7.35, 45 women; mean age = 63.20, SD = 6.70) with doctor‐verified T2D took part in this laboratory‐based stress testing study. Participants carried out acute mental stress tasks, and blood was sampled at baseline, immediately poststress, 45 min poststress, and 75 min poststress to detect plasma IL‐6 concentrations. IL‐6 change scores were computed as the difference between the baseline measurement and the three time points poststress. Main effects and interactions were tested using mixed model analysis of covariance. We found a significant main effect of time on IL‐6 levels, and a significant Sex × Time interaction. In adjusted analyses including the three change scores and all the covariates, the significant Sex × Time interaction was maintained; IL‐6 responses were greater in women at 45 and 75 min poststress compared with men, adjusting for age, body mass index, smoking, household income, glycated hemoglobin, oral antidiabetic medication, insulin/other injectable antidiabetic medication, depressive symptoms, and time of day of testing. Different inflammatory stress response pathways are present in men and women with T2D, with women producing larger IL‐6 increases. The long‐term implications of these differences need to be elucidated in future studies.     

Test-retest reliability of a new form of the auditory verbal learning test (AVLT).

The equivalence between the original form (Form 1) of the Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT), and a new form (Form 4) was examined in 51 normal adult subjects (20-67 years) of average estimated intelligence who were assessed in two separate sessions. Performance on the new form was equivalent to that on the original and most measures on the two tests showed significant positive correlations. Test-retest reliability of AVLT scores between sessions was also assessed, both globally and separately for Form 1 followed by Form 4 and for the reverse order. The most reliable measures on the AVLT were the total number of words learned over the five learning trials, (r =.77), and performance on the retention trial of the learning list following the presentation and performance of the distractor list (r =.70). These measures are sufficiently robust for use in clinical serial assessments.     

A structured interview for medical school admission, Phase 1: initial procedures and results.

PURPOSE: Despite their widespread use, medical school admission interviews often are unstructured and lack reliability. This report describes the development of a structured admission interview designed to eliminate bias and provide valid information for selecting medical students, with preliminary information about the interview's reliability and validity. METHOD: After screening applications, 490 applicants to a public medical school residency program were interviewed by two faculty members using a structured interview format. Interview scores were compiled and correlated with undergraduate grade-point averages (GPAs); Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores; Iowa Evaluation Form (IEF) scores, an in-house evaluation of applicants' noncognitive abilities; and eventual admissions status. RESULTS: Interrater agreement was good; the percentages of rater pairs whose scores differed by one point or less ranged from 87% to 98%. Scores on the structured interview revealed low to moderate correlations with other admission criteria: 10 (p < 0.05) for cumulative GPA, 0.18 (p < 0.01) for MCAT Biological Science, 0.08 (p > 0.05) MCAT Physical Science, and 0.10 (p < 0.05) MCAT Verbal Reasoning. None of the correlations between the overall interview scores and the IEF scores reached statistical significance (p = 0.05). Higher overall scores on the structured interview did predict a greater likelihood of being accepted into the medical school and the interview score accounted for 20% of the incremental variance in admission status beyond GPA, MCAT, and IEF scores. CONCLUSIONS: The moderate-to-low correlations with other admission criteria suggest that the interview provided information about candidate credentials not obtained from other sources and accounted for a substantial proportion of the variance in admission status. This finding supports the considerable time and resources required to develop a structured interview for medical student admissions. Final judgment on the validity and utility of this interview should be made after follow-up performance data have been obtained and analyzed.     

Health-related quality of life in Marfan syndrome: A cross-sectional study of Short Form 36 in 84 adults with a verified diagnosis

PurposeTo explore health-related quality of life as measured with Short Form 36 in adults with verified Marfan syndrome and to compare with the general population, other groups with chronic problems and studies on Marfan syndrome. Furthermore, to study potential correlations between the scores on the subscales of Short Form 36 and the presence of biomedical criteria and symptoms of Marfan syndrome.MethodCross-sectional study. Short Form 36 was investigated in 84 adults with verified Marfan syndrome.ResultsThe study group had reduced scores on all eight subscales of Short Form 36 compared with the general population, comparable with other groups with chronic diseases. Compared with earlier Short Form 36 results in Marfan syndrome, we found lower scores for social function, vitality, general health, bodily pain, and role physical. No correlations of substantial explanatory values were found between the Short Form 36 subscales and gender, body mass index, ascending aortic surgery, use of β-blockers, visual acuity, joint hypermobility, fulfillment of the five major Ghent criteria, and number of major criteria fulfilled. Potential explanations are discussed.ConclusionPersons with Marfan syndrome have reduced scores for health-related quality of life as measured with Short Form 36, comparable with those in other chronic disorders and disabilities. The reduction does not seem to be related to biomedical criteria or symptoms of Marfan syndrome.     

Chronic systemic treatment with a high-dose proteasome inhibitor in mice produces akinesia unrelated to nigrostriatal degeneration

Supporting the hypothesis that proteasome dysfunction is involved in Parkinson's disease (PD), McNaught et al. (2004) reported that the systemic administration of the proteasome inhibitor Z-Ile-Glu(OtBu)-Ala-Leu-aldehyde (PSI) in rats led to the degeneration of the nigrostriatal pathway. However, several groups could not reproduce this finding. We herein attempted to improve the reliability of the PSI model by chronically delivering the inhibitor using osmotic minipumps in aged mice. We also tested whether PSI co-administered with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) could act synergistically to induce toxicity. We found that PSI produced a significant reduction in locomotor activity that was mildly exacerbated by MPTP. However, PSI alone produced no sign of degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway and did not exacerbate MPTP toxicity. To conclude, PSI administration does not provide a reliable phenotypic model of PD.     

Perceived stress, depression and food consumption frequency in the college students of China Seven Cities

The aim of the study was to explore the association between perceived stress, depression and food consumption frequency. A self-administered questionnaire that included the perceived stress scale, the depression scale and dietary intake was used in the baseline survey of a cohort study of 2579 local college students over 7 cities in China. Gender and city differences were found in perceived stress scores and depression scores. There were also significant differences among diverse smoking levels and among perceived weight categories in perceived stress and depression scores. Stepwise logistic regression models found that frequency of consumption of fresh fruit, ready-to-eat food and snack food had apparently independent effects on perceived stress, whereas the intake level of fresh fruit, ready-to-eat food and fast food was significantly associated with depression. The link between food consumption frequency, perceived stress and depression suggests that diet intervention may be considered a mediate strategy integrated in psychology prevention program among normal population of the college.     

A novel social fear conditioning procedure alters social behavior and mTOR signaling in differentially housed adolescent rats

Vulnerabilities to fear‐related disorders can be enhanced following early life adversity. This study sought to determine whether post‐weaning social isolation (PSI), an animal model of early life adversity, alters the development of social fear in an innovative model of conditioned social fear. Male and female Sprague‐Dawley rats underwent either social rearing (SR) or PSI for 4 weeks following weaning. Rats were then assigned to groups consisting of either Footshock only, Social conditioned stimulus (CS) only, or Paired footshock with a social CS. Social behavior was assessed the next day. We observed a novel behavioral response in PSI rats, running in circles, that was rarely observed in SR rats; moreover, this behavior was augmented after Paired treatment in PSI rats. Other social behaviors were altered by both PSI and Paired footshock and social CS. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway was assessed using immunohistochemistry for phosphorylated ribosomal protein S6 (pS6) in subregions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and amygdala. Paired treatment produced opposite effects in the PFC and amygdala in males, but no differences were observed in females. Conditioned social fear produced alterations in social behavior and the mTOR pathway that are dependent upon rearing condition and sex.