<p> The peripartum period is a potentially difficult time in a woman's life, a time when up to 70% of women experience transient mood symptoms and approximately 15% will suffer from a severe mood event which impacts not just her, but her family as well. The symptoms and clinical features of the mood symptoms are linked to Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Bipolar Disorder (BD). Appropriate diagnosis as early as possible has a critical impact on the immediate and long-term health of the peripartum woman, especially in those with a bipolar diathesis. While treatment for BD versus MDD may be markedly different, it can be difficult to distinguish between the two, especially during a depressed episode, with postpartum onset. To date, no study has evaluated the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) for its value as a screening measure for the differentiation of BD versus MDD in the postpartum period. </p><p> This study sought to: 1) to describe the demographic differences between women diagnosed with BD versus MDD seeking treatment for a major depressive episode, with postpartum onset; 2) to characterize the features of the major depressive episode; with postpartum onset in women diagnosed with BD versus MDD; and 3) to examine scale characteristics of the EPDS as a predictor of the diagnosis of BD versus MDD. </p><p> Results revealed that postpartum depressed women diagnosed with BD reported a) an earlier age of onset, b) a greater number of prior mood episodes, c) greater incidence of psychotic symptoms in the current depressive episode, and d) lower overall scores on the EPDS versus postpartum depressed women diagnosed with MDD. There were no reliable differences between the groups on family history of a) mood disorders; b) number of generations; c) weeks postpartum at symptom onset; d) scores on a 4-item subscale of the EPDS; e) suicidal/homicidal ideation; nor the incidence of symptoms of f) atypical depression, g) generalized anxiety disorder, or h) obsessive-compulsive disorder. The findings support the use of a thorough clinical and demographic history when evaluating postpartum depressed women and the use of a measure in place of or in addition to the EPDS to ensure the appropriate differentiation of BD versus MDD.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Fairleigh Dickinson University, 1999. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 60-07, Section: B, page: 3567. Chair: Cynthia Radnitz. Available also in print.

<p> The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of acculturative stress on body image dissatisfaction in Hispanic patients post &ndash; bariatric surgery. The conceptual foundation of this study was primarily derived from the social comparison theory (Festinger, 1954), which postulates that most people tend to engage in upward comparison to models seen as superior to them. Acculturative stress was conceptualized as a psychological reaction a person experiences after encountering stressors associated with the process of acculturation. Participants in this study included 160 patients of Hispanic origin from Doctors Hospital at Renaissance who were identified as post-operative between 12 to 24 months. Acculturative stress was assessed with the Multidimensional Acculturative Stress Inventory (MASI), which consists of four factors. Social comparison was assessed with the Comparison to Models Survey. The outcome variable was measured with Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ). As predicted, a positive correlation was found between acculturative stress and body image dissatisfaction for the overall sample. The strength of the relationship differed for each acculturative stress factor. The correlations between the different types of acculturative stress were generally stronger for the female participants than for the male participants, with the strongest factor being the pressure to acculturate. Although there was a strong relationship between social comparison tendency and body image dissatisfaction, there were no statistically significant gender differences between these two factors. </p><p> Lastly, the generational status did not yield any significant relationships with body image dissatisfaction. However, there were differences in the type of acculturative stress reported by the different generational status groups. An additional analysis also revealed that disordered eating tendencies played an important role in the body image dissatisfaction in this sample of bariatric patients, whereas depression did not seem to produce a significant change when added to the model.</p><p>