Traduction et validation française du questionnaire de répression de Weinberger

In a cognitive perspective, repression is defined as a coping strategy whose objective is to extinguish awareness of subjective emotional experience, leading to restriction of subjective experience. It is characterized by avoidance of threatening and distressing information, minimization of negative affects and low tendency to anxiety. Several measures of repressive coping style have been developed and the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory (WAI) appears to be the most psychometrically sound measure of repression.

Objectives

The main aim of this study was to translate and validate a French version of the WAI in non-clinical individuals on general population. The secondary objectives were to investigate its relationship to independent measures of anxiety, depression and alexithymia.

Materials and methods

Subjects (n = 159) were asked to complete the WAI questionnaire. A principal component analysis was carried out. The internal consistency was measured by the Cronbach alpha coefficients, and discriminant validity was assessed by examining correlations between the scales of the WAI. Because there is no other French validated instrument assessing repression, convergent validity was studied with alexithymia (Bermond-Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire), anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale).

Results

Our factorial structure of the French WAI resembles the Weinberger's one. The “Consideration for Others” subscale does not belong to the Self-Restraint dimension: this is consistent with literature findings. The others results show solid metrological properties. Cronbach alpha reliabilities for principal and secondary factors were ranged from 0.80 to 0.93 (from 0.65 to 0.85 for the subscales) and the intercorrelations were low. Correlations were found between the WAI, the HAD and the Bvaq-b. Anxiety and Depression (HAD) are positively correlated to Distress and negatively correlated to Restraint, Defensiveness and Composite score. The repressive style, characterized by high scores on Defensiveness and Composite score, is positively correlated to affective component of alexithymia and negatively correlated to the cognitive score of alexithymia.

Conclusion

Globally, findings replicate earlier findings obtained in the Anglo-American context. The French version of the WAI thus appears to be valid and will help studying repression in France, especially in its complex relationships to alexithymia.     

The SCOFF-c: psychometric properties of the Catalan version in a Spanish adolescent sample

OBJECTIVE: Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is the fear of the physical symptoms of anxiety and related symptoms. Longitudinal studies support AS as a vulnerability factor for development of anxiety disorders. This study aimed to investigate AS as a vulnerability factor in the development of childhood posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following traumatic experiences. METHODS: The study included 81 children 8-15 years of age who experienced the 1999 earthquake in Bolu, Turkey. The earthquake survivors were compared to a randomized group of age- and sex-matched controls 5 years after the earthquake. Both the subject and control groups were administered the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI), State and Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAI-C), and Child Depression Inventory (CDI), while the PTSD symptoms of the subjects were assessed using the Child Posttraumatic Stress Reaction Index (CPTS-RI). RESULTS: Subjects and controls did not differ significantly in CASI, STAI-C, or CDI scores. Multiple regression analysis showed that both trait anxiety and CASI scores predicted CPTS-RI scores of the subjects; the prediction by CASI scores was over and above the effect of trait anxiety. CONCLUSION: The results of this study support the hypothesis that AS may be a constitutional factor, which might increase the risk of PTSD following traumatic experiences.     

Bénéfice d’un programme cognitivo-comportemental et pluridisciplinaire de prise en charge de la maladie d’Alzheimer sur l’anxiété du conjoint : étude française ELMMA

Introduction

Over the last decade, several programs have been developed for caregivers of Alzheimer disease patients. In France however, studies exploring their effects are still scarce. We conducted a study to compare two different interventions: a structured multidisciplinary program versus a classical intervention designed for Alzheimer disease patients and their spouses.

Methods

Sixteen couples (Alzheimer's disease patient and spouse) residing in our administrative district participated in this monocentric study. For at least two years, these couples participated in a multidisciplinary program (n = 8 couples) or received usual care (n = 8 couples). The multidisciplinary program involved biannual consultations with a neurologist, a neuropsychologist and a psychologist, in addition to an annual meeting, stratified on the patient's MMSE score, for spouses). Usual care involved biannual consultations with the neurologist. The multidisciplinary program included a psychological intervention based on cognitive behavioral theories and centered on psycho-education, problem solving, adaptation strategies and on prevention of depression and anxiety. The spouses and the patients evaluated the 2-year follow-up during clinical interviews, completed by questionnaires. Sociodemographic data were noted for the patients and their spouses. Levels of depression and anxiety (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Inventory, Montgomery and Asberg Depression Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale) and care burden (Zarit Burden Inventory) were evaluated in spouses. Levels of cognitive impairment (Mini Mental State Examination), autonomy (Instrumental Activities of Daily Living), psychological state (Montgomery and Asberg Depression Scale, Covi Anxiety Scale), and behavioral symptoms frequency (Neuropsychiatric Inventory) were assessed in patients.

Results

The main significant result showed that the spouses’ state of anxiety was lower among participants in the multidisciplinary program, compared with the classical neurological intervention. It also was found that the spouses and the patients who participated in this multidisciplinary program were less depressed.

Conclusion

This study shows that a multidisciplinary structured intervention, with only two annual consultations and one annual meeting for spouses, can contribute to decrease significantly the spouses’ state of anxiety. Further studies including a larger number of subjects should be conducted to confirm these findings.     

Traduction et validation de la version française de l’échelle d’impulsivité non conformité de Chapman

Introduction

Impulsive traits are key characteristics in a lot of psychiatric disorders and are part of the “normal” behaviour spectrum. Although impulsivity is a controversial concept, some questionnaires have focused on its “dysfunctional” aspect. The Barratt Impulsive Scale (BIS-10) is the scale the most used to explore impulsiveness, but it does not explore antisocial or nonconform behaviour. The Chapman Impulsive and Nonconformity Scale (INCS) is a questionnaire of 51 items that measures the impulsivity and nonconformism. The INCS reflects “failure to internalize societal norms, lack of empathy for the pain of others, and an unrestrained yielding to impulse and self-gratification” and was originally designed to assess psychosis proneness. It has been validated in the USA, but has not yet been validated in France. Interestingly, although it was not predictive of psychosis, high scorers on INCS exceeded controls on depression, and on rates of substance abuse. Furthermore, participants scoring high on hypomanic personality scale and INCS were found to have an especially heightened risk for bipolar disorders.

Objective

To translate and determine reliability and validity of the French version of the Chapman Impulsive and Nonconformity Scale in young adults by comparison with the BIS.

Method

Chapman Impulsive and Nonconformity Scale has been back-translated into French, and filled out by 237 students (males: 104; females: 133; mean age: 20.4 [range 19–25]). BIS-10 was used for convergent validity. Each participant completed the two scales. Reliability and validity of the French form of INCS were assessed with the internal consistency (coefficient alpha of Cronbach and the split half reliability) and the convergent validity.

Results

In the French version of the INCS, the 51 items have high internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.81 and split half reliability = 0.80). Concerning the BIS, internal reliability is good (Cronbach's alpha = 0.72 and split half reliability = 0.66).Moreover, Pearson's r of the INCS/BIS is statistically significant (0.65) and underlines the concomitant validity of the INCS with the BIS.

Conclusion

The psychometric properties of the French version of the INCS are very similar to those of the English version. Hence, the INCS could provide a way to explore the two related dimensions: impulsivity and nonconformism.     

Development and validation of a music performance anxiety inventory for gifted adolescent musicians

Music performance anxiety (MPA) is a distressing experience for musicians of all ages, yet the empirical investigation of MPA in adolescents has received little attention to date. No measures specifically targeting MPA in adolescents have been empirically validated. This article presents findings of an initial study into the psychometric properties and validation of the Music Performance Anxiety Inventory for Adolescents (MPAI-A), a new self-report measure of MPA for this group. Data from 381 elite young musicians aged 12-19 years was used to investigate the factor structure, internal reliability, construct and divergent validity of the MPAI-A. Cronbach's alpha for the full measure was .91. Factor analysis identified three factors, which together accounted for 53% of the variance. Construct validity was demonstrated by significant positive relationships with social phobia (measured using the Social Phobia Anxiety Inventory [Beidel, D. C., Turner, S. M., & Morris, T. L. (1995). A new inventory to assess childhood social anxiety and phobia: The Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children. Psychological Assessment, 7(1), 73-79; Beidel, D. C., Turner, S. M., & Morris, T. L. (1998). Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children (SPAI-C). North Tonawanda, NY: Multi-Health Systems Inc.]) and trait anxiety (measured using the State Trait Anxiety Inventory [Spielberger, C. D. (1983). State-Trait Anxiety Inventory STAI (Form Y). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc.]). The MPAI-A demonstrated convergent validity by a moderate to strong positive correlation with an adult measure of MPA. Discriminant validity was established by a weaker positive relationship with depression, and no relationship with externalizing behavior problems. It is hoped that the MPAI-A, as the first empirically validated measure of adolescent musicians' performance anxiety, will enhance and promote phenomenological and treatment research in this area.     

Appearance of frontal midline theta activity in patients with generalized anxiety disorder

The appearance of frontal midline theta activity (Fmθ), recognized as distinct EEG theta rhythm in the frontal midline area during performance of a mental task, reflects feelings of relief from anxiety in humans. In the present study, EEGs were recorded, and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety and the state anxiety scale of Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were evaluated once a week in 28 patients with generalized anxiety disorder. The Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale and the trait anxiety scale of Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were used to assess anxiety before and after the tests. The present results suggest that the appearance of Fmθ might be closely related to an improvement in the anxiety symptoms associated with generalized anxiety disorder.     

Fonctionnement cognitivo-émotionnel : le rôle de l’intensité émotionnelle chez les individus anxieux

Anxiety is an emotional disorder widespread in the general population and it seems to be linked to depression symptoms. The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis of relations between cognitivo-emotional functioning, anxiety and depressive symptoms. The study sample was formed from a group of 50 female subjects, aged from 18 to 65. Participants completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD), the Affect Intensity Measure (AIM), the Emotional Expressivity Scale (EES) and the Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale (LEAS). The results show that strong positive correlations between anxiety symptoms affect intensity, emotional expressivity and the level of emotional awareness. To conclude, these results point out the importance of emotional variables in the study and treatment of subjects suffering from anxiety symptoms.     

Intérêt d’un nouvel instrument dans l’évaluation cognitive dans la schizophrénie

Background

An increasing interest in the study of cognition in Schizophrenia has developed within the last few years although cognitive problems have been described in this disorder since the beginning of the 20th century. Presently, various data tend to assert that cognitive disorders are the core disturbance in schizophrenia and that their severity is predictive of the course of the disease. Indeed, studies have shown that the disturbances measured in cognitive tests are neither the consequences of positive or negative symptoms, nor related to motivation or global intellectual deficit, nor to anti-psychotic medication. It is also presently known that the severity of cognitive symptoms is a better indicator of social and functional outcome than the severity of the negative or positive symptoms. The patients who have the most severe cognitive deficits during the first episode of the disease are most likely to present a chronic and severe form later on. The aspects of cognition that are specifically impaired in schizophrenia are verbal memory, working memory, motor function, attention, executive functions, and verbal fluency. Cognitive disturbances are thus very important in several fields of research in schizophrenia such as: understanding the psychopathology, epidemiology (indicators of vulnerability), genetics (endophenotypes), neuro-imaging (including functional neuro-imaging), and psychopharmacology (they can be used as a parameter of evaluation in therapeutic trials with new molecules, or cognitive psychotherapy).

Limits of cognition assessments

However, there are some methodological limits to these cognitive evaluations. First, schizophrenia is a heterogeneous disease and there are no specificities of the different subgroups in terms of cognition. Secondly, the time chosen to evaluate the abilities of the patient is also a limiting factor. But most of all, the batteries of tests used in different studies are not standardized.

Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia

It is therefore of great interest to create an available and easily used battery of validated tests. This would enable one to measure the different cognitive deficits and to repeat the tests, and assess evolution through longitudinal follow up of the patients. The BACS is a new instrument developed by Keefe et al. in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Duke Medical Centre. It evaluates the cognitive dimensions specifically altered in schizophrenia and correlated with the evolution of the disease. This test is simple to use, requiring only paper, pencils and a stopwatch. It can be administered by different carers. The duration of the test session is approximately 35 min. This battery of tests was validated on a sample of 150 patients compared with a sample of 50 controls, matched for age, parent education and ethnic groups. This aim of this study is to create a French adaptation of the BACS (translation and back translation approved by the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Duke Medical Centre) and then to test its easiness of administration and its sensitivity, performing correlation analysis between the French Version of the BACS (version A) and a standard battery. Its adaptation and validation in French would at first be useful for the French-speaking areas and then would add some new data for the pertinence of using the BACS.

Methods

35 French stabilized schizophrenic patients were recruited from the inpatient and outpatient facilities at the Clermont-de-L’Oise Mental Health Hospital (Picardie area, France) in Dr Boitard‘s Psychiatric Department (FJ 5.) Patients were required to meet DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia or schizoaffective illness. The patients were tested on two separate days by two independent clinicians with less than two weeks between the two assessments. During the first test session, subjects received the French A version of the BACS and during the second session, they were administered the standard battery of cognitive tests including: the Rey Auditory-Verbal learning test, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, third edition, subtests (Digit inverse sequencing, Digit Symbol-Coding), the Trail-Making A, Verbal Fluency (Controlled Oral Word Association Test, Category Instances), and the Wisconsin Card Sort Test (128 card version). The factor structure of the French BACS A Version was determined by performing a principal components analysis with oblique rotation. The relationship between the French BACS sub-scores and the standard battery sub-scores was determined by calculating Pearson's correlations among the sub-scores, with a level of significance of α < 0.05.

Results

All the 35 patients completed the standard battery and each subtest of the French BACS A Version without interruption and with good understanding of the instructions. The average duration of the BACS test sessions was 36.51 min (S.D. = 12.14.) compared to the standard battery in which the sessions lasted more than one hour with more difficulty during the Wisconsin tests. The factor analysis conducted on the data collected from patients suggests that there is a single dimension, a factor of general cognitive performance, which accounted for the greatest amount of variance. The BACS thus permits an assessment of overall cognitive function as a global score, more than some individual specific cognitive domains. The sub-scores from the French BACS A Version were strongly correlated with the standard battery corresponding sub-scores. We observed significant correlations for all the subtests evaluating: verbal memory (Pearson = 0.83; p < 0.001; IC [0.69; 0.91]), working memory (Pearson = 0.67; p < 0.001; IC[0.43; 0.80]), verbal fluency (semantic: Pearson = 0.64; p < 0.001; IC[0.40; 0.80]), alphabetical (Pearson = 0.87; p < 0.001;IC[0.77; 0.93]), attention and speed of information processing (Pearson = 0.69; p < 0.001; IC[0.47; 0.83]), executive function (Pearson = 0.64; p < 0.001; IC[0.39; 0.80]). We almost found a significant correlation for motor speed (Pearson = −0. 32; p = 0.06; IC [−0.59; −0.014]).

Conclusion

The French adaptation of the BACS scale is easier to use in schizophrenic patients with French as mother tongue, with a completion rate equal to 1, and also with less than 35 min to complete and check. We obtained significant correlations for all domains except motor speed, which is almost significant. The BACS is as sensitive to cognitive impairment in patients with schizophrenia as a standard battery of tests that required over 2 h to complete. Moreover, these results demonstrate that the BACS, the global score of which may be the most powerful indicator of functional outcome, can also be a good neuropsychological instrument for assessing global cognition in patients with schizophrenia.     

Critères de prise de décision aux urgences de l’hospitalisation sans le consentement

In the current context of the new French bill on the rights and protection of persons under psychiatric care, clinical practice in the emergency setting requires that mental healthcare professionals better clarify the criteria they use for the decision of involuntary hospitalization. After defining the concept of consent for treatment and a brief literature review, this study examined the impact of clinical and contextual characteristics on the decision to admit patients whether involuntarily or voluntarily to inpatient psychiatric units. Data was collected from 442 successive patients admitted in hospital for care from five psychiatric emergency facilities in Paris and covered sociodemographic information, previous hospitalizations, recent treatment, clinical diagnosis, Global Assessment of Functioning scale (GAF) and insight measured by the Q8 Bourgeois questionnaire. Patients were also assessed based on criteria established by the French healthcare agency (HAS) for the severity of mental disorders and the necessity of emergency care. Using multivariable logistic regression, diagnosis does not affect the decision of hospitalization. Agitation, aggressiveness toward others, being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, being married or divorced as well as being referred by a doctor are all factors that increase the risk of involuntary hospitalization. Last, low Q8 and GAF scores are strong predictors for involuntary admission. This supports using insight and GAF evaluation in clinical practice for clarifying assessment and decision-making in emergency setting about involuntary hospitalization.     

Effets de l’exercice physique et de l’entraînement sur la neurochimie cérébrale. Conséquence comportementale

Physical exercises and training play on cerebral neurochemistry. Their action on mood is acute immediately after muscular exercises, or chronic for training. Physical training is significantly associated with a decrease in anxiety and its physiological indicators and can reduce the prevalence of depression on large populations. It was recently shown that it could improve cognitive functions and more particularly learning and memory. The neurochemical axes influenced by muscular exercising are the serotoninergical axis, the dopaminergical path and the GABA metabolism. The influence of muscular exercises on the biochemical path of neurogenesis has recently been underscored.     

Reliability and psychometric properties of the Greek translation of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory form Y: Preliminary data

Background  

The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory form Y is a brief self-rating scale for the assessment of state and trait anxiety. The aim of the current preliminary study was to assess the psychometric properties of its Greek translation.     

Conduites à risques et variation de l’estime de soi chez les adolescents : l’exemple du parkour

The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between general self-esteem, physical self-worth, sport competence, physical condition, an attractive body, physical strength and the involvement in a risk-taking sport: The parkour. This sport may be included in gymnastics and acrobatics but it is practised outside of the gymnasium. Indeed, serious parkouristes are tremendous athletes who practice their stunts in a controlled environment such as a gymnasium, with mats, pads and foam pits. Many of these participants have some gymnastics or martial arts training, and they are also fully aware of the risks involved in practicing this sport. It consists of finding new and potentially dangerous ways to traverse the city landscape. Parkour is said to be the art of moving fluidly from one part of the environment to another. It may also be known as: the art of movement, free running, urban-running or obstacle coursing. This activity is a way of using obstacles in one's path in order to jump and perform acrobatics. It involves the scaling of walls, roof-running and leaping from building to building. These multiple acrobatics are submitted to peers appreciation considering fluidity, aesthetics and originality. Self-perception is of great importance in the construction of self-esteem. This concept has been identified as a state which evolved depending on spatiotemporal factors of the environmental context. It can be measured with the Physical-Self Inventory (PSI). This is a six-item questionnaire especially developed for repeated measurements. It measures six dimensions hierarchically organized Global Self-Esteem (GSE), Physical Self-Worth (PSW), Physical Condition (PC), Sport Competence (SC), Attractive Body (AB), Physical Strength (PS). Seventy-six male participants were asked to take part in the study: Group 1: Parkour (n = 32, M_age = 15.07 years, E.t. = 1.98) and Group 2: acrobatics (n = 41, M_age = 14.96 years, E.t. = 2.01). The PSI-6 was taken at three different times: Time 1 (T1, pre-test before practicing parkour), Time 2 (T2, just after having stopped the parkour), Time 3 (T3, two hours after T2). As expected, and with the exception of PC and PS, the data confirmed the prediction that, compared to Group 2, Group 1 would score significantly higher on each subscale of the PSI, including GSE, PSW, SC, and AB. That is to say, skydiving could de used as a way to regulate self-esteem, this confirms our assumption. Self-esteem has recurrently been invoked as a contributing or explanatory factor for socially problematic behavioural outcomes (i.e., risk-taking behaviours such as restrictive or dysfunctional eating, substance abuse, aggression). In relation to our results, sports could bring an extra dimension to studies on risk-taking especially among adolescents. Indeed, risk-taking sports are usually perceived as an intrinsically gratifying practice that is socially adapted and accepted. However, benefits in self-esteem regulation derived from an engagement in a risk-taking sport must be put into perspective. Although the results indicated for Group 1: a lower level of self-esteem before practice and a higher level after, the retention test shows that these results do not last more than two hours. This finding suggests that, even if the emotion regulation produced by parkour is positive, one session is not enough for adolescents to experience positive rewards from their engagement in a risk-taking behavior. Thus, in order to recreate the positive emotional state they were in, they may possibly put themselves in another risk-taking situation. However, the link with addiction cannot be made directly as it implies several factors which have not been measured in this study. Future research should take this interesting point in account and use a longitudinal methodology. This will authorize authors to draw out our assumptions and emphasize the possible link between addiction and risk-taking sports.     

Apport des approches inspirées de la neuropsychologie au diagnostic d’autisme chez l’adulte : une étude de cas

Given that autism spectrum disorders are highly heterogeneous in their clinical presentation, diagnostic assessment in adults, whose symptoms may be complicated by the presence of various comorbidities and developmental trajectories, is not easily practiced in a clinical psychiatric setting. The present study aims at describing diagnostic assessments inspired by current research on cognition in autism. Core cognitive traits, such as theory of mind, executive function and weak central coherence, thought to be endophenotypic traits, are analyzed. Moreover, the utility of screening scales, constructed on the basis of these cognitive traits, is discussed. We describe the case of a 29-year-old French man, referred by his occupational physician, due to the onset of anxiety attacks in his workplace. During the first outpatient psychiatric assessment, he seemed inhibited, and revealed that social situations fueled his anxiety attacks. He was therefore diagnosed with personality avoidance disorder, depression and social anxiety. Although depression and anxiety decreased after Buspirone and Milnacipran were prescribed, some clinical symptoms, such as lack of interest in social situations, ritualized behavior, narrow specific interests (i.e., astronomy, history), and a very good memory for factual information, remained. According to the patient, these symptoms appeared during his infancy. These symptoms, consistent with Asperger Syndrome diagnosis, led to the administration of two screening scales: the Autism Quotient (AQ) and the Empathy Quotient (EQ). The results obtained in these scales were consistent with Asperger Syndrome diagnosis. They indicated the presence of qualitative difficulties in social interactions, a lack of spontaneous empathy and attention switching, among other behaviors. À comprehensive diagnostic assessment was then proposed. The Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication disorders (DISCO), a semi-structured interview with parents, was used in order to gather developmental and behavioral information. A neuropsychological assessment was conducted with the patient. Both assessments revealed developmental and neurocognitive particularities consistent with Asperger Syndrome diagnosis. Among these cognitive traits, (i) episodic memory peculiarities, such as idiosyncratic encoding and retrieval strategies and impaired encoding of complex visual stimuli (ii) absence of significant difference between the verbal and the performance scales of the WAIS III, but significant differences among subtests, (iii) executive dysfunction found in flexibility and generativity tasks, (iv) perceptive focalization on details, and most importantly (v) significant impairment on theory of mind tasks are worth noting In conclusion, numerous adults with Asperger Syndrome were not diagnosed during childhood. This is probably due to the relatively recent changes in nosography, and their cognitive development, which is not characterized by language delay, in opposition to high functioning autism. Therefore, screening for autism spectrum disorders in a clinical psychiatric setting is important. Screening can lead to a more comprehensive assessment pinpointing developmental history, cognitive profile, and comorbidities, given that these three factors are indispensable for an effective therapeutic follow-up.     

Le burn-out des médecins généralistes : influence de l’iniquité perçue et de l’orientation communautaire

Several studies suggest that general practitioners (GP) are among the professional groups particularly exposed to burnout. However, to date, only a few studies have investigated the causes of this psychological syndrome among GP. In the present study, we hypothesized that a perceived lack of reciprocity in relationships with patients impinges on GP's burnout. Indeed, some scholars have pointed out that establishing reciprocal relationships at work is essential for the individual's well being. According to equity theory, people pursue a balance between their investments in and the rewards gained from their work, such that their own investment/reward ratio is the same as that of similar others. Disturbance of this balance is expected to result in a variety of negative outcomes. Therefore, it was hypothesized that the lack of reciprocity in relationships with patients will be linked to burnout among GP. However, in situations of perceived inequity, the individual characteristic of communal orientation (i.e., a desire to give benefits in response to the perceived needs of others), has been found to buffer burnout. We therefore expected a moderating effect of communal orientation on burnout among GP who were high in communal orientation and who perceived their relationships with patients as inequitable. A sample of 259 GP (Response rate = 52%) completed a questionnaire designed to evaluate perceived inequity, communal orientation, and burnout. Perceived inequity was measured using Adam's formula. Communal orientation was measured using the French version of the scale elaborated by Clarks, Ouellette, Powell, & Milberg. Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Our results revealed a high prevalence of burnout in our sample. Furthermore, we observed that the majority of GP (52.4 %) felt underbenefited in their relationships with patients. And, as predicted, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) confirmed that when they perceived their relationships with patients as inequitable, in particular when they experienced feeling of being underbenefited, general practitioners were more vulnerable to burnout. We also observed, as expected, a moderating effect of communal orientation on burnout in situations of perceived inequity. Therefore, this study confirmed that equity enhances our understanding of the influence of relationships with patients on the burnout of GP.     

Adaptation française de l’échelle Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire

Objectives

This research proposes a French adaptation of the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire (PIUQ) (Démétrovics et al., 2008) for young adults.

Methods

The translation and adaptation followed the major steps recommended by Vallerand (1989), which mean a work of face validity with a back translation, a psychometric study with exploratory, confirmatory and fidelity analyses. This research included four studies with a total of 484 subjects.

Results

Component Principal Analysis (CPA) shows that the French adaptation of the PIUQ is composed of 12 items. Confirmatory factorial analysis in studies 3 and 4 shows a satisfactory indicator and confirms a structure of four dimensions. Correlations between the score of the PIUQ-F-12 and the anxiety, in one hand and the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), on the other hand, is meaningful and positive what reinforces the validity of this tool.

Conclusion

This questionnaire (PIUQ-F-12) will be able to assess the presence of the problematic use of the Internet in a population of teenagers or young adults. With its short number of items, it can be quickly used at intake to support the evaluation. It will be as interesting to test this tool for a Problematic Internet Use screening in a clinical setting.     

Anxiety and depression in children with epilepsy and their mothers

OBJECTIVE: Children with epilepsy have high rates of depression and anxiety. The majority of studies concentrate on the children with epilepsy, but the emotional impact of epilepsy on family members is of clinical concern. In this cross-sectional study we aimed to examine the association between epilepsy in childhood and adolescence, and anxiety and depression in these patients and their mothers. METHODS: We studied 35 children and adolescents with seizures (age range, 7-19 years), 35 gender-matched healthy controls (age range, 8-17) who did not have any chronic medical illness, and mothers of these individuals (n=70) in a cross-sectional analysis. We administered the Kovac Child Depression Inventory (CDI) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIc) to the children. We administered the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to the mothers of these children. Pearson correlations were used to analyze dependence between variables, and Student's t test was used to compare mean values between test scores. RESULTS: Patients with epilepsy had higher CDI scores (mean+/-SD, 12.48+/-6.35) than controls (9.31+/-5.11) (P<0.05), whereas the STAIc scores did not differ between cases (34.03+/-8.29) and controls (35.20+/-6.23) (P<0.05). Mothers of children with epilepsy did not have more depression or anxiety symptoms than mothers of children without epilepsy as measured by BDI and STAI scores (P>0.05). There was no correlation between mothers' scores and patients' or controls' scores. CONCLUSIONS: These results support findings from previous studies that children and adolescents with epilepsy have a higher frequency of depressive but not anxiety symptoms than the general population of healthy children and that this is independent of their mothers' symptoms.     

Spanish validation of the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factorial structure and psychometric properties of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS) in a sample of 1,708 Spanish children aged between 8 and 12 years. The SCAS was demonstrated to have satisfactory internal consistency with the Spanish sample, and factor analysis confirmed the six-factor original model. Convergent validity was supported by correlations with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children and the welfare dimension of the Child Health and Illness Profile-Children Edition. Low correlations between the SCAS and the Children’s Depression Inventory supported the divergent validity. Analysis suggested that anxiety scores decrease with age, and girls reported higher scores than boys. Overall, the SCAS was shown to have good psychometric properties for use with Spanish children by clinicians and researchers.     

Actualité de l’hystérie. Le féminin chez l’homme et la femme

What is hysteria today, since its paradigmatic definition that allowed S. Freud to conceptualize the psychoanalytic theory and method, until its withdrawal in current trends with the objective of rejecting sexual and sex differences? We illustrate the durability of hysteria neurosis with two case studies of both sexes that combine anxiety hysteria elements and conversion hysteria elements. The intrapsychic functioning has been explored with projective methods. Neurotic features and sexual representations are prevalent. They show that feminine within psychic bisexuality is a crucial problematic for these patients. The female patient is investing activity against passivity and seduction fantasies are lively in both active and passive positions. The male patient summons up his aggressive instinct and narcissist mechanisms of defence when confronted to passive position. For all that, can we say it is a refusal of feminine in both sexes?     

Preliminary construction and validation of an anxiety scale derived from the French version of the AMDP, the AMDP-AT

The authors have applied to 493 Belgian and French patients the French version of the AMDP Psychopathology and Somatic scales, made of 140 items from the original German version and of 22 items specific to its French adaptation, among others anxiety items. By applying a principal components factor analysis to this sample, a 17-items. Anxiety Scale was extracted from the 162-items complete scales. This new scale is characterized by a predominence of tension/irritability items over somatic items as compared to the Hamilton Anxiety Scale. On 116 cases, the correlation between both scales is .59 (p less than .0001). A cut-off score for anxiety and an inclusion score for drug trials are suggested on the basis of statistical data.     

Évaluation du tempérament de l’enfant d’âge scolaire : adaptation française du questionnaire des dimensions de tempérament révisé (DOTS-R), relations entre évaluateurs, entre instruments de mesure et liens avec la psychopathologie

The objectives of our study were to examine psychometric properties of the French version of the revised dimensions of temperament questionnaire (DOTS-R), correspondence between parent and children-ratings, relations between temperament constructs and affective and behavioral symptoms. A hundred and ninety-seven children aged 6 to 12 have participated in the study. Parents completed the Emotionality, Activity, Sociability questionnaire (EAS), the DOTS-R (parent version) and the Children Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Children completed EAS and DOTS-R, children-version. Confirmatory factor analyses showed moderate fit between the data and the hypothesized model. Internal consistency and exploratory factor analyses supported validity of a majority of the original temperament attributes except for rhythmicity-daily habits. A new dimension combining items from approach/withdrawal and mood was identified in parent rated DOTS-R. Correlations between parent and children ratings were low except for general activity level. Inter-inventory relations supported concurrent validity and links to psychopathology. Both individual and cultural factors influence interpretation of certain temperament characteristics and need to be carefully investigated in the cross-cultural adaptation of temperament assessment instruments.