Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-71). / vii, 71 leaves, bound 29 cm

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University, 1997. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 111-119).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1996. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-95). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1996. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-95). Also available on the Internet.

No description available.

The treatment of Depressive Disorders in patients with chronic comorbid disease states warrants careful consideration of the risk-benefit ratio pertaining to the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics of the antidepressant being considered, against the physiological susceptibilities of the patient; potential drug-drug interactions and depressive symptoms. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between Depressive Disorders and the most frequently diagnosed chronic comorbid disease states in a depressed South African study population; and to comment on the appropriateness of antidepressants prescribed to these patients. This retrospective drug utilisation study consisted of two parts: the first part focused on the prevalence of the most frequently diagnosed chronic comorbidities in a depressed South African population (N = 21 171). The three most prevalent chronic comorbid disease states were Hypertension (52.87 percent), Lipid Disorders (20.40 percent) and Arthritis (16.70 percent). The second part of the study included an assessment of the antidepressants prescribed to depressed patients in 2004 (N = 6 150). Emphasis was placed on the suitability of antidepressants selected for depressed adult patients (18 years of age and older) with comorbid Hypertension, Lipid Disorders or Arthritis. SSRIs were prescribed most frequently to the depressed patients during 2004 (59.67 percent). SSRIs are the suggested first-line treatments for depressed patients with multiple chronic comorbid disease states. However, of the SSRIs, fluoxetine has the least favourable pharmacokinetic profile and was found to be the antidepressant prescribed most often. Amitriptyline, which was the TCA prescribed most frequently, produces the greatest degree of anticholinergic, sedative and hypotensive effects, relative to other agents in the same antidepressant class. Thus, it is not recommended as a first-line antidepressant, especially in depressed patients with comorbidities. This study identifies potential areas of intervention regarding antidepressant prescribing in depressed individuals with chronic comorbid disease states and offers recommendations to promote the selection of optimal, individualised drug treatment strategies for these patients.

No description available.

In spite of the high prevalence of internalizing and externalizing disorders in children, little research has been conducted to directly assess risk factors associated with the development of these disorders. Among other influences, it has been suggested that the expression of childhood psychopathology may be related to family socialization practices. This study uses Olson's circumplex model of marital and family systems to test the relationship between family environment and the internalizing and externalizing domains of childhood psychopathology. It was hypothesized that children with internalizing behavior problems come from families that are high in cohesion (i.e., enmeshed) and low in flexibility (i.e., rigid and structured). Furthermore, it was predicted that these families are low in level of expressed conflict and have poor communication levels within the family. Families o(children with externalizing behavior problems, on the other hand, were hypothesized to be low in cohesion (i.e., disengaged), and to be either high or low in flexibility (i.e., rigid or chaotic). They were predicted to openly express high levels of conflict within the family, but generally have poor communication skills. These hypotheses were tested using Achenbach's Child Behavior Checklist to assign children between the ages of 7 and 11 to internalizing (n = 9) and externalizing (n = 10) groups and using an objective observational measure and several self-report measures to evaluate the families along the dimensions of the circumplex model. Results failed to confirm these hypotheses, however, they were suggestive of a link between family environment and nature and severity of childhood behavior problems. / Master of Science

This thesis examined the developmental differences in inhibition and theory-of-mind of 4-8 year olds as a function of the suggested presence of a supernatural agent. All children played four games designed to assess their current level of inhibition and theory-of-mind performance; Children in the experimental condition, only, were also introduced to an invisible Princess Alice and were told that she was watching during the games. Following these measures, all children engaged in a resistance-to-temptation task to determine any differences in inhibition resulting from Princess Alice's suggested presence. I found that children exhibiting a well-developed theory-of-mind were more likely to express belief in Princess Alice than were children lacking this cognitive ability. This research provided support that cognitive maturity, rather than immaturity, may be necessary for children to express belief in novel supernatural agents, and highlighted the importance of context as a mediating factor in children's behavioral inhibition. / by Ashley King. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is comorbid with a range of other disorders in clinical and community samples, including anxiety disorders. The outcomes of the Multimodal Treatment Studies of ADHD (MTA Cooperative Group, 1999) highlight the importance of this comorbidity, as children with anxiety responded differently to treatments than did children with ADHD only. At present there are few tested theoretical explanations of the etiological processes and developmental trajectories associated with their co-occurrence. The aim of this research was to put forward and examine different explanations for the comorbidity of these two disorders in children according to the framework provided by Lilienfeld (2003). This was achieved by examining the covariation of ADHD symptoms and anxiety symptoms in a community sample of 499 children aged 8-13. Dimensional assessments of psychopathology were conducted via self-report questionnaires given to children, parents and teachers. The results were analysed via structural equation modelling approaches using AMOS (Arbuckle, 2003). Consistent with the hypotheses, positive associations at Time 1 between ADHD and anxiety symptoms were linked with inattention symptoms and were particularly pronounced for girls. The concurrent positive associations observed at each time period could not be completely accounted for by overlapping symptoms across measures or by method covariance explanations. The link between ADHD and anxiety symptoms could be explained by a common factor in reporting whereby ADHD and anxiety symptoms were both associated with noncompliance and negative affect for parents' reports, and negative affect for children???s' reports. Despite the concurrent associations, there was no support for the hypothesis that ADHD symptoms predicted the development of anxiety symptoms over time, nor the alternative hypothesis that anxiety symptoms predicted the development of ADHD symptoms over time, when the stability of symptoms across time was taken into account. It was concluded that ADHD symptoms (particularly inattention) and anxiety symptoms are covarying phenomena that are linked with common features of an irritable temperament and disruptive behaviour. Future research should investigate the role of these common factors in treatment outcome and cognitive research, which has previously found differences between ADHD children with and without anxiety.