Aims and Scope
Recent Articles
A Self-administered Version of the Functioning Assessment Short Test for Use in Population-based Studies: A Pilot Study
Christoph Riegler, Silke Wiedmann, Viktoria Rücker, Henning Teismann, Klaus Berger, Stefan Störk, Eduard Vieta, Hermann Faller, Bernhard T Baune, Peter U HeuschmannBackground:
The Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST) is an interviewer-administered scale assessing functional impairment originally developed for psychiatric patients.
Objectives:
To adapt the FAST for the general population, we developed a self-administered version of the scale and assessed its properties in a pilot study.
Methods:
The original FAST scale was translated into German via forward and backward translation. Afterwards, we adjusted the scale for self-administered application and inquired participants from two ongoing studies in Germany, ‘STAAB’ (Würzburg) and ‘BiDirect’ (Münster), both recruiting subjects from the general population across a wide age range (STAAB: 30-79 years, BiDirect: 35-65 years). To assess reliability, agreement of self-assessment with proxy-assessment by partners was measured via intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) over the FAST score. Construct validity was estimated by conducting correlations with validated scales of depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), and health-related quality of life (SF-12) and regression analyses using these scales besides potentially disabling comorbidities (e.g. Chronic Back Pain (CBP)).
Results:
Participants (n=54) had a median age of 57.0 years (quartiles: 49.8, 65.3), 46.3% were female. Reliability was moderate: ICC 0.50 (95% CI 0.46-0.54). The FAST score significantly correlated with PHQ-9, GAD-7, and the mental sub-scale of SF-12. In univariable linear regression, all three scales and chronic back pain explained variance of the FAST score. In multivariable analysis, only CBP and the SF-12 remained significant predictors.
Conclusion:
The German self-administered version of the FAST yielded moderate psychometric properties in this pilot study, indicating its applicability to assess functional impairment in the general population.
September 25, 2020
Articles
- July 30, 2020
Arabic Version of the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5 (PID-5) in a Community Sample of United Arab Emirates Nationals
July 30, 2020PTSD and Burnout are Related to Lifetime Mood Spectrum in Emergency Healthcare Operator
June 29, 2020New Model for Couple Therapy for Patients with Chronic Pain and their Caregivers: An Attempt to Improve Quality of Life and Reduce Pain
May 20, 2020Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Prisoners’ Offspring: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
April 16, 2020Prevalence and Correlates of Mental Health Status Among Pre-Hospital Healthcare Staff
March 13, 2020Exergames for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Overview
Editor's Choice
Attachment in Patients with Bipolar and Unipolar Depression: A Comparison with Clinical and Non-clinical Controls
Angelo Picardi, Mauro Pallagrosi, Laura Fonzi, Giovanni Martinotti, Emanuele Caroppo, Giulio Nicolò Meldolesi, Giancarlo Di Gennaro, Marco De Risi, Massimo Biondi
Background:
A link between depression and insecure attachment has long been postulated. Although many studies examined the relationship between depressive symptoms and attachment, relatively few studies were performed on patients diagnosed with depression. Also, research on patients with bipolar disorder is scarce.
Objective:
We aimed at testing the association between attachment insecurity and unipolar and bipolar depression.
Methods:
We studied 21 patients with bipolar disorder, current episode depressed, and three age- and sex-matched groups, each consisting of 21 individuals: patients with major depressive disorder, recurrent episode; patients with epilepsy; non-clinical participants. The Experience in Close Relationships questionnaire was used to assess adult attachment style.
Results:
Patients with both bipolar and unipolar depression displayed significantly higher scores on attachment-related avoidance as compared with patients with epilepsy and non-clinical participants. Also, patients with bipolar depression scored significantly higher on attachment-related anxiety than all other groups. In both psychiatric groups, attachment dimensions were not significantly correlated with global clinical severity or severity of depression.
Conclusion:
Despite some study limitations, our results are consistent with some previous studies and provide support to Bowlby's seminal hypothesis that attachment insecurity may predispose to depression. Attachment theory may provide a valuable theoretical framework for future research and for guiding treatment.
December 31, 2019
Other Post
- February 28, 2019
Impairment of Quality of Life Associated With Lifetime Diagnosis of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Women - A National Survey in Italy
May 23, 2018Domestic Violence as a Risk Factor for Postpartum Depression Among Ethiopian Women: Facility Based Study
February 27, 2018Takotsubo Syndrome is Associated with Mood Disorders and Antidepressants Use, not with Anxiety and Impairment of Quality of Life Due to the Psychiatric Disorder
November 30, 2017The Sardinian Puzzle: Concentration of Major Psychoses and Suicide in the Same Sub-Regions Across One Century
November 24, 2017The Effects of “VelaMente?!” Project on Social Functioning of People With Severe Psychosocial Disabilities
November 13, 2017“VelaMente?!” - Sailin in a Crew to Improve Self-Efficacy in People with Psychosocial Disabilities: A Randomized Controlled Trial