Factor structure and psychometric properties of the german version chronic uncertainty scale (CU-20).

Background: The experience of uncertainty is ubiquitous and universal across the globe. Many available tools measuring uncertainty are focused on one aspect of uncertainty, e.g.

Mental health disparities between German lesbian and bisexual women and a population-based sample.

Lesbians are at greater risk of mental health problems than heterosexual women, and bisexual individuals are even more likely to report mental health problems. No study has yet tested whether there are any mental health differences between German lesbians, bisexual women, and female controls. We tested for mental health differences between matched groups of 161 lesbian and bisexual women and 161 women in the general population, as well as between matched groups of 79 lesbians and 79 bisexual women.

Identifying Patterns of Self-Reported Nonadherence Using Network Analysis in a Mixed German Cohort.

Purpose: Nonadherence is a complex behaviour that contributes to poor health outcomes; therefore, it is necessary to understand its underlying structure. Network analysis is a novel approach to explore the relationship between multiple variables.

Patients And Methods: Patients from four different studies (N = 1.

A New Routine for Analyzing Brief Symptom Inventory Profiles in Chronic Pain Patients to Evaluate Psychological Comorbidity.

Comorbidity, i.e., additional psychological distress in patients already suffering from chronic somatic diseases (e.

Medication Adherence and Coping with Disease in Patients from a Neurological Clinic: An Observational Study.

Purpose: Medication non-adherence is a huge concern for the medical community. For chronic, especially neurological diseases, taking medication is a central pillar of treatment. To improve adherence to these oftentimes complex medication regimens, the construct needs to be understood in more depth.

Clusters of non-adherence to medication in neurological patients.

Background: Non-adherence to medication is a common and serious problem in health care. To develop more effective interventions to improve adherence, there is a need for a better understanding of the individual types of non-adherence.

Objective: To determine clusters of non-adherence in neurological patients using a complex adherence questionnaire.

Comparison of anonymous versus nonanonymous responses to a medication adherence questionnaire in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Purpose: Adherence to medication can be assessed by various self-report questionnaires. One could hypothesize that survey respondents tend to answer questions in a manner that will be viewed favorably by others. We aimed to answer if anonymous and nonanonymous responses to a questionnaire on medication adherence differ.

Norm values and psychometric properties of the brief symptom inventory-18 regarding individuals between the ages of 60 and 95.

Objective: The SCL-90 and the SCL-90-R are the most applied measures regarding psychological distress. To reduce and prevent an overload to of the individuals, the Brief Symptom Inventory with 18 items (BSI-18) was developed based on the SCL-90. Since psychological disorders more frequently occur at an older age, there is a growing need for efficient instruments to measure distress in the elderly.

Psychometric Properties of the German Version of the Health Regulatory Focus Scale.

The Health Regulatory Focus Scale (HRFS) is a short scale which measures an individual's prevention and promotion focus in a health-specific context. The main objective of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the newly translated German version of the HRFS. Reliability and item characteristics were found to be satisfactory.

Development of OSTQOL: A Measure of Quality of Life for Patients in Opioid Substitution Treatment.

Background: Quality of life (QOL) of patients in opioid substitution treatment (OST) is increasingly being addressed in research. However, no disease- or treatment-specific instrument is available to assess the QOL of this target population. The purpose of this project was to develop the first QOL instrument for OST patients.

[Healthy Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. A Mixed-methods Pilot Study].

Healthy Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. A Mixed-methods Pilot Study Healthy siblings of chronically ill and/or disabled children may have an increased risk of developing behavioral problems; this is particularly given for siblings of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Quality of life and distress of five siblings (12-15 years) of children with ASD were examined using self- and parent-proxy-reports.

Mental health differences between German gay and bisexual men and population-based controls.

Background: International studies have revealed that gay and bisexual men present more mental health problems than the general male population. Furthermore, there is evidence that minority stress predicts mental health problems in gay and bisexual men. The aim of the present study is to provide initial data on mental health differences in Germany and to analyze the effect of minority stress.

Psychometric analysis of the brief symptom inventory 18 (BSI-18) in a representative German sample.

Background: The BSI-18 contains the three six-item scales somatization, depression, and anxiety as well as the Global Severity Index (GSI), including all 18 items. The BSI-18 is the latest and shortest of the multidimensional versions of the Symptom-Checklist 90-R, but its psychometric properties have not been sufficiently clarified yet.

Methods: Based on a representative sample of N = 2516 participants (aged 14-94 years), detailed psychometric analyses were carried out.

Mental distress in patients with cerebral visual injury assessed with the german brief symptom inventory.

Background: While there are reports on vision-related quality of life in patients with vision impairment caused by both ophthalmic and brain diseases, little is known about mental distress. In fact, mental distress after cerebral visual injury has been widely ignored.

Methods: Mental health symptoms were assessed in 122 participants with visual field defects after brain damage (72 male, mean age 58.

[Review Model for the Assessment of Psychometric Instruments--Recommendations of the German College of Psychosomatic Medicine (DKPM)].

Objectives: Psychometric instruments are commonly applied in psychotherapeutic research and care for the baseline assessment of symptoms, the planning of therapeutic interventions, the assessment of the longitudinal course of symptoms and outcomes of therapeutic interventions as well as quality management of care. Psychometric properties as well as economic aspects should be considered in the selection of specific instruments. It is assumed that users of psychometric instruments face a great variety of instruments and related information.

Assessment of vision-related quality of life in patients with central retinal artery occlusion.

Background: Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) is a major cause for severe visual impairment. Its effect on vision-related quality of life has not yet been determined. The purpose of the present study was thus to assess vision-related quality of life in patients with CRAO using the 39-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire.

Psychological distress is associated with vision-related but not with generic quality of life in patients with visual field defects after cerebral lesions.

Considerably diminished quality of life (QoL) is observed in patients with visual field defects after lesions affecting the visual pathway. But little is known to what extent vision-and health-related QoL impairments are associated with psychological distress. In 24 patients with chronic visual field defects (mean age=56.

[The usefulness of the Brief Symptom Inventory 18 (BSI-18) in psychotherapeutic patients].

The BSI-18, an abridged version of the Brief Symptom Inventory of Derogatis, contains the 3 six items scales Somatization, Depression, Anxiety, and the Global Score (GSI). In a sample of N=638 psychotherapeutic patients, reliability and validity were proven. Reliability of the 3 scales was good: Somatization α=0.

Vision-related quality of life in first stroke patients with homonymous visual field defects.

Background: To evaluate vision-related and health-related quality of life (VRQoL, HRQoL) in first stroke patients with homonymous visual field defects (VFD) with respect to the extent of the lesion. Since VFD occur in approximately 10% of stroke patients the main purpose of the study was to investigate the additional impact of VFD in stroke patients hypothesizing that VFD causes diminished VRQoL.

Methods: In 177 first stroke patients with persisting VFD 2.

Parafoveal vision impairments and their influence on reading performance and self-evaluated reading abilities.

Background And Purpose: Patients with homonymous hemianopic field defects (HFD) after postchiasmatic cerebral brain injuries often complain about impairments in daily life activities, particularly problems in reading, and show considerable reductions of vision-related quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to assess the relation of "objective" reading performance and self-reported "subjective" reading abilities; it was further investigated whether parafoveal HFD characteristics have an impact on both parameters.

Methods: In postchiasmatic-lesioned subjects with HFD (n = 43), "objective" reading performance was measured with Radner-Reading-Charts (reading speed, reading acuity).

Vision- and health-related quality of life in patients with visual field loss after postchiasmatic lesions.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to assess vision-related quality of life (QoL) in patients with visual field loss (VFL) after lesions of the postchiasmatic visual pathway and to investigate the influence of VFL and reduced visual acuity (VA) on vision-related QoL.

Methods: In 312 patients with postchiasmatic damage, VFL was measured by automated computer campimetry, and vision-related QoL was assessed by the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ). Health-related QoL was obtained by the SF-36 Health Survey in 272 patients.

Vision- and health-related quality of life before and after vision restoration training in cerebrally damaged patients.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to examine if improvements of stimulus detection performance in visual field tests after intensive visual training of the visual field border zone in patients with visual field defects are associated with changes in self-reported vision- and health-related quality of life (QoL).

Methods: We studied a clinical sample of 85 patients suffering from visual field loss after brain damage that underwent repetitive, daily light stimulation (vision restoration training, VRT) of the visual field border and the blind visual field for up to 75 hrs (N=16) or 150 hrs (N=69). Stimulus detection was quantified in the central visual field with a campimetric method before and after intervention.

Alexithymia and outcome in psychotherapy.

Background: About 25% of all patients seeking psychotherapeutic treatment are considered to be alexithymic. Alexithymia has been assumed to be negatively associated with therapeutic outcome. On the other hand, it is unclear to which extent alexithymia itself may be modified by psychotherapeutic interventions.

The impact of living-related kidney transplantation on the donor's life.

Background: Living-donation kidney transplantation (LDKT) is increasingly performed for treatment of chronic renal failure. Recently, risks for the donor and problems in decision-making have been stressed. This study was conducted to illuminate the decision making-process and consequences of LDKT on family life, the financial and occupational situation.