Thesis (Ph. D.)--Washington State University, August 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 46-55).

Previous studies have showed an association between emotional distress and decreased physical functioning in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH); however, none controlled for demographic and disease characteristics. This study investigates the independent association of depressive symptoms with physical functioning after controlling for both demographic and disease characteristics. Fifty-two patients, mean age 61 (SD = 14) years, undergoing cardiac catheterization, completed self-report questionnaires of depressive symptoms and physical functioning. Results showed that depressive symptoms (beta = -.28, p < .05) accounted for a statistically significant 8% of incremental variance in physical functioning over and above the variance explained by demographic and disease characteristics. The direction of effects cannot be determined because of the cross-sectional design. As such, the association of depressive symptoms with physical functioning in PH patients indicates the need for longitudinal research regarding the possible effect of depression on disease outcomes in this population.

No description available.

No description available.

Background: There is currently very little research on recovery from the perspective ofindividuals with recent-onset of psychotic disorders. Forming a better understanding ofthesubjective meaning ofrecovery and recovery experiences during this early phase ofrecovery caninform effective and meaningful service design and practices.Method: Thirty individuals recovering from psychosis and receiving specialized earlyinterventiontreatment were interviewed regarding the meaning and experience of recovery frompsychosis during the early phase (2-5 years) ofthe illness course.Results: Recovery was described as a multidimensional experience that included aspects of"illness recovery," "psychological recovery," and "social recovery." Seven common earlyrecovery experiences were identified. Individual variations in the magnitude ofdescribeddisruption of self and social functioning, duration ofthe illness-acceptance process and theprocess treatment negotiation greatly influenced the experience ofrecovery.Conclusion: Differences in illness acceptance and social recovery trajectories have importantimplications for understanding individual responses to the experience ofpsychosis, its diagnosisand treatment. These differences emphasize the importance of assisting individuals with theconstruction of meaning and the reengagement in social roles following the initial illnessexperience. / Contexte: Il y a actuellement peu de recherche sur la rétablissement du point de vue d'individusaprès un premier épisode de psychose. La formation d'une meilleure compréhension de senssubjectif des expériences de rétablissement pendant cette première phase de rétablissement peutinformer le design efficace et expressif des services et des pratiques.Méthode: Trente individus se rétablissement de la psychose et recevant un traitement depremière intervention spécialisé ont été interviewés à propos du sens et de l'expérience derétablissement de la psychose pendant la première phase (2-5 ans) du cours de maladie.Résultats: La rétablissement a été décrite comme une expérience multidimensionnelle qui ainclus des aspects de "la rétablissement de maladie," "la rétablissement psychologique," et "larétablissement sociale." Identifiées ont été sept premières expériences de rétablissementcommunes. Les variations individuelles dans l'étendue de perturbation décrite de soi et defonctionnement social, la durée du processus d'acceptation de maladie et de la négociation duprocessus de traitement ont beaucoup influencé l'expérience de rétablissement.Conclusions : Les différences dans les trajectoires d'acceptation de maladie et de rétablissementsociale ont des implications importantes pour comprendre les réponses individuelles àl'expérience de psychose, sa diagnose et traitement. Ces différences accentuent l'importanced'assister les individus avec la construction de sens et avec le réengagement dans les rôlessociaux après l'expérience de maladie initiale.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Canterbury, 2006. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 62-72). Also available via the World Wide Web.

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether the Amblyopia and Strabismus Questionnaire (A&SQ) is a suitable instrument for the assessment of vision-related quality-of life (VR-QoL) in individuals with strabismus and/or amblyopia. METHODS: The A&SQ was completed by 102 individuals, all of whom had amblyopia, strabismus, or both. Rasch analysis was used to evaluate the usefulness of individual questionnaire items (i.e., questions); the response-scale performance; how well the items targeted VR-QoL; whether individual items showed response bias, depending on factors such as whether strabismus was present; and dimensionality. RESULTS: Items relating to concerns about the appearance of the eyes were applicable only to those with strabismus, and many items showed large ceiling effects. The response scale showed disordered responses and underused response options, which improved after the number of response options was reduced from five to three. This change improved the discriminative ability of the questionnaire (person separation index increased from 1.98 to 2.11). Significant bias was found between strabismic and nonstrabismic respondents. Separate Rasch analyses conducted for subjects with and without strabismus indicated that all A&SQ items seemed appropriate for individuals with strabismus (Rasch infit values between 0.60 and 1.40), but several items fitted the model poorly in amblyopes without strabismus. The AS&Q was not found to be unidimensional. CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight the limitations of the A&SQ instrument in the assessment of VR-QoL in subjects with strabismus and especially in those with amblyopia alone. The results suggest that separate instruments are needed to quantify VR-QoL in amblyopes with and without strabismus.

INTRODUÇÃO: A Psicodinâmica é o estudo da interação das forças psíquicas que subsidiam o funcionamento mental. A dinâmica mental interfere na qualidade de vida de um indivíduo, na medida em que modifica a percepção que ele tem da própria existência. O papel da psicodinâmica sobre a qualidade de vida ainda é pouco estudado. OBJETIVOS: Estudar, de forma transversal, a relação entre psicodinâmica e qualidade de vida na população de médicos de Botucatu, para testar a hipótese de que quanto melhor a psicodinâmica do médico melhor a sua qualidade de vida. MÉTODOS: Foram enviados questionários, com carta-resposta, para 602 médicos (população referenciada). As variáveis independentes (Psicodinâmica) foram obtidas por meio de duas escalas: a) Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40), que avalia e classifica os mecanismos de defesa do ego em maduros, neuróticos e imaturos; b) Bell Object Relations and Reality Test Inventory (BORRTI - Forma O), que avalia e classifica as relações objetais (alienação, egocentrismo, vinculação insegura e incapacidade social) em normais e patológicas. As variáveis dependentes (qualidade de vida) foram avaliadas pelo World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-Abreviado), que fornece escores para os quatro domínios: físico, psicológico, relações sociais e meio ambiente. As variáveis moderadoras foram obtidas por meio de um questionário sóciodemográfico. A análise estatística foi feita por meio dos seguintes testes: Shapiro-Wilk, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Mann-Whitney, Coeficiente de Spearman e modelos de regressão linear com resposta Gamma. Foram utilizados os softwares SPSS versão 17, R versão 2.11.0 e Graph Pad versão 5.0. RESULTADOS: Foram respondidos 198 (33%) questionários válidos. Os seguintes resultados foram obtidos: a média (± desvio padrão) de idade foi de 47,6 (± 11,12) anos e o sexo masculino foi de 53,5%. A presença de perfil patológico nas relações objetais do tipo alienação, egocentrismo e vinculação insegura reduziu os escores dos domínios psicológico (p < 0,001) e relações sociais (p < 0,001), da qualidade de vida. A presença do fator imaturo das defesas do ego reduziu os escores dos domínios físico (p < 0,0001) e meio ambiente (p < 0,0001), da qualidade de vida. DISCUSSÃO: Defesas imaturas do ego dificultam a adaptação do indivíduo à vida profissional e conjugal, enquanto que a presença do perfil patológico das relações objetais leva à dificuldade em manter relacionamentos estáveis e à tendência a manipular as pessoas, apresentando-se socialmente inapto. Ou seja, médicos com esse perfil (de defesas e de relações objetais) devem enfrentar dificuldades para conviver com outras pessoas, inclusive com pacientes. Sua qualidade de vida é pior do que a de médicos com defesas maduras do ego e perfil normal de relações objetais. CONCLUSÕES: A psicodinâmica e a qualidade de vida do médico estão significativamente relacionadas. Os escores da qualidade de vida caem à medida que aumentam os escores das defesas imaturas do ego. Médicos com perfil patológico nas relações objetais apresentam menores escores de qualidade de vida, em relação àqueles com perfil normal / INTRODUCTION: Psychodynamics is the study of the psychological forces that underlie mental action. Ego defense mechanisms and object relations are psychodynamic aspects that affect quality of life as they alter people\'s perceptions of their own life. OBJECTIVES: To assess the influence of ego defense mechanisms and object relations on quality of life in a population of physicians, and thus test our hypothesis that mature ego defenses and normal object relations are associated with better physician quality of life. METHODS: In this cross- sectional study, questionnaires and pre-stamped return envelopes were sent to the population of physicians (602 individuals) living in the city of Botucatu, São Paulo. Psychodynamics was evaluated using the following instruments: a) Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40), which assesses and classifies ego defense mechanisms as mature, neurotic, or immature; b) Bell Object Relations and Reality Test Inventory (BORRTI - Forma O), which assesses and classifies object relations (alienation, egocentricity, insecure attachment, and social incompetence) as either normal or pathological. Quality of life was assessed by the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) that was developed in the context of four domains of quality of life: physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment. Demographic data were obtained via a specific questionnaire. Statistical analyses were performed using the tests of Shapiro-Wilk, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Mann-Whitney, Spearman\'s coefficient, and Gamma linear regression models with SPSS v. 17, R v. 2.11.0 and Graph Pad v. 5.0 software. RESULTS: A total of 198 questionnaires (33%) with valid responses were obtained. Among respondents, mean age was 47.6 ± 11 years, and the rate of males was 53.5%. High BORRTI scores (pathology) on the alienation, egocentricity and insecure attachment subscales were associated with reduced WHOQOL-BREF scores for the psychological health (p < 0,001) and social relationships (p < 0,001) domains. Immature ego defense mechanisms were associated with lower WHOQOL-BREF scores for the physical health (p < 0,0001) and environment (p < 0,0001) domains. DISCUSSION: Immature ego defenses impair adjustment to professional and marital life, while pathological object relations lead to difficulty in sustaining stable relationships and tendency to manipulate others, hence social ineptitude. Physicians with immature defenses and pathological object relations are, therefore, likely to find it hard to relate with other people, including patients. Their quality of life is worse in comparison with that of physicians with mature ego defenses and normal object relations. In the study population, both immature ego defenses and pathological object relations were associated with lower quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Among physicians, quality of life is influenced by its psychodynamics, herein assessed through ego defense mechanisms and object relations

INTRODUÇÃO: A Psicodinâmica é o estudo da interação das forças psíquicas que subsidiam o funcionamento mental. A dinâmica mental interfere na qualidade de vida de um indivíduo, na medida em que modifica a percepção que ele tem da própria existência. O papel da psicodinâmica sobre a qualidade de vida ainda é pouco estudado. OBJETIVOS: Estudar, de forma transversal, a relação entre psicodinâmica e qualidade de vida na população de médicos de Botucatu, para testar a hipótese de que quanto melhor a psicodinâmica do médico melhor a sua qualidade de vida. MÉTODOS: Foram enviados questionários, com carta-resposta, para 602 médicos (população referenciada). As variáveis independentes (Psicodinâmica) foram obtidas por meio de duas escalas: a) Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40), que avalia e classifica os mecanismos de defesa do ego em maduros, neuróticos e imaturos; b) Bell Object Relations and Reality Test Inventory (BORRTI - Forma O), que avalia e classifica as relações objetais (alienação, egocentrismo, vinculação insegura e incapacidade social) em normais e patológicas. As variáveis dependentes (qualidade de vida) foram avaliadas pelo World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-Abreviado), que fornece escores para os quatro domínios: físico, psicológico, relações sociais e meio ambiente. As variáveis moderadoras foram obtidas por meio de um questionário sóciodemográfico. A análise estatística foi feita por meio dos seguintes testes: Shapiro-Wilk, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Mann-Whitney, Coeficiente de Spearman e modelos de regressão linear com resposta Gamma. Foram utilizados os softwares SPSS versão 17, R versão 2.11.0 e Graph Pad versão 5.0. RESULTADOS: Foram respondidos 198 (33%) questionários válidos. Os seguintes resultados foram obtidos: a média (± desvio padrão) de idade foi de 47,6 (± 11,12) anos e o sexo masculino foi de 53,5%. A presença de perfil patológico nas relações objetais do tipo alienação, egocentrismo e vinculação insegura reduziu os escores dos domínios psicológico (p < 0,001) e relações sociais (p < 0,001), da qualidade de vida. A presença do fator imaturo das defesas do ego reduziu os escores dos domínios físico (p < 0,0001) e meio ambiente (p < 0,0001), da qualidade de vida. DISCUSSÃO: Defesas imaturas do ego dificultam a adaptação do indivíduo à vida profissional e conjugal, enquanto que a presença do perfil patológico das relações objetais leva à dificuldade em manter relacionamentos estáveis e à tendência a manipular as pessoas, apresentando-se socialmente inapto. Ou seja, médicos com esse perfil (de defesas e de relações objetais) devem enfrentar dificuldades para conviver com outras pessoas, inclusive com pacientes. Sua qualidade de vida é pior do que a de médicos com defesas maduras do ego e perfil normal de relações objetais. CONCLUSÕES: A psicodinâmica e a qualidade de vida do médico estão significativamente relacionadas. Os escores da qualidade de vida caem à medida que aumentam os escores das defesas imaturas do ego. Médicos com perfil patológico nas relações objetais apresentam menores escores de qualidade de vida, em relação àqueles com perfil normal / INTRODUCTION: Psychodynamics is the study of the psychological forces that underlie mental action. Ego defense mechanisms and object relations are psychodynamic aspects that affect quality of life as they alter people\'s perceptions of their own life. OBJECTIVES: To assess the influence of ego defense mechanisms and object relations on quality of life in a population of physicians, and thus test our hypothesis that mature ego defenses and normal object relations are associated with better physician quality of life. METHODS: In this cross- sectional study, questionnaires and pre-stamped return envelopes were sent to the population of physicians (602 individuals) living in the city of Botucatu, São Paulo. Psychodynamics was evaluated using the following instruments: a) Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40), which assesses and classifies ego defense mechanisms as mature, neurotic, or immature; b) Bell Object Relations and Reality Test Inventory (BORRTI - Forma O), which assesses and classifies object relations (alienation, egocentricity, insecure attachment, and social incompetence) as either normal or pathological. Quality of life was assessed by the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) that was developed in the context of four domains of quality of life: physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment. Demographic data were obtained via a specific questionnaire. Statistical analyses were performed using the tests of Shapiro-Wilk, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Mann-Whitney, Spearman\'s coefficient, and Gamma linear regression models with SPSS v. 17, R v. 2.11.0 and Graph Pad v. 5.0 software. RESULTS: A total of 198 questionnaires (33%) with valid responses were obtained. Among respondents, mean age was 47.6 ± 11 years, and the rate of males was 53.5%. High BORRTI scores (pathology) on the alienation, egocentricity and insecure attachment subscales were associated with reduced WHOQOL-BREF scores for the psychological health (p < 0,001) and social relationships (p < 0,001) domains. Immature ego defense mechanisms were associated with lower WHOQOL-BREF scores for the physical health (p < 0,0001) and environment (p < 0,0001) domains. DISCUSSION: Immature ego defenses impair adjustment to professional and marital life, while pathological object relations lead to difficulty in sustaining stable relationships and tendency to manipulate others, hence social ineptitude. Physicians with immature defenses and pathological object relations are, therefore, likely to find it hard to relate with other people, including patients. Their quality of life is worse in comparison with that of physicians with mature ego defenses and normal object relations. In the study population, both immature ego defenses and pathological object relations were associated with lower quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Among physicians, quality of life is influenced by its psychodynamics, herein assessed through ego defense mechanisms and object relations