Given the inconsistent associations of cortisol with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), analysis of basal functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in subjects frequently exposed to trauma and critical incidents with a range of PTSD symptomatology, may be valuable. In an epidemiological sample of 1880 police officers and firefighters, associations of salivary cortisol with PTSD, negative life events (NLE) and exposure to a major air disaster more than 8 years earlier, was explored. Probable PTSD was unrelated to cortisol level while past (>8 years earlier) and more recently experienced NLE were associated with lower cortisol levels even after adjustment for confounders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: This study examined whether MS patients and proxy respondents agreed on change in disease impact, which was induced by treatment. This may be of interest in situations when patients suffer from limitations that interfere with reliable self-assessment, such as cognitive impairment.
Methods: MS patients and proxies completed the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-29) before and after intravenous steroid treatment.
Background: The use of self-report measurements in clinical settings is increasing. However, in patients with limitations that interfere with reliable self-assessment such as cognitive impairment or mood disturbances, as may be the case in multiple sclerosis (MS), data collection might be problematic. In these situations, information obtained from proxy respondents (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFConsistent scientific evidence on the possible relationship between psychologic variables and breast cancer development is lacking. In 1996, our group first reported on the present prospective, longitudinal study. We found a weak association between a high score on the antiemotionality scale (indicating an absence of emotional behavior or a lack of trust in one's own feelings) and the development of breast cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study examined specific and general psychological distress 8.5 years following the 1992 cargo aircraft crash in Amsterdam. Participants included 334 occupationally exposed fire fighters and 834 occupationally exposed police officers compared with reference groups of 194 fire fighters and 634 police officers who were exposed to duty-related stressors other than the disaster.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe evaluated the course of neurocognitive functioning in newly diagnosed high-grade glioma patients and specifically the effect of tumor recurrence. Following baseline assessment (after surgery and before radiotherapy), neurocognitive functioning was evaluated at 8 and 16 months. Neurocognitive summary measures were calculated to detect possible deficits in the domains of (1) information processing, (2) psychomotor function, (3) attention, (4) verbal memory, (5) working memory, and (6) executive functioning.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Although asylum seekers have been coming to The Netherlands since the 1980s, very few epidemiological studies have focused on this group of inhabitants, or on the refugees who have resettled in this country. The objective of this study is to estimate the use of health care services by refugees and asylum seekers and to identify determinants for this utilisation.
Methods: A population-based study was conducted in The Netherlands from June 2003 to April 2004 among adult refugees and asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Iran, and Somalia.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci
May 2006
Objectives: Gerotranscendence has been conceptualized as a potential development accompanying normal aging. Gerotranscendence is defined as a shift in metaperspective from a materialistic and pragmatic world view to a more cosmic and transcendent one. In the past decade, population-based studies have tested Tornstam's Gerotranscendence Scale.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLittle is known about the effects of cumulative trauma and whether traumatized individuals are more vulnerable. In 2000, a fireworks disaster created the possibility to examine this issue among World War II survivors who were part of an ongoing longitudinal study. Between 1998 and 2000 posttraumatic stress increased in disaster exposed respondents as opposed to the control group.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFConfirmatory factor analyses were done to assess the dimensionality of the stress response in a sample of police officers and fire fighters (n = 1,168) involved in the 1992 air disaster in Amsterdam. The confirmatory factor analyses were applied to the responses on two psychometrically different instruments, i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: Worldwide, the number of refugees and asylum seekers is estimated to be about 11.5 million plus a much larger number of former refugees who have obtained a residence permit in a new country. Although asylum seekers have been coming to the Netherlands since the 1980s, very few epidemiological studies have focused on this group of inhabitants or on the refugees who have resettled in this country.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study assesses the optimal cut-off point for the Impact of Event Scale and compares its screening properties with those of the Self-rating Inventory for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among war-related trauma victims. 74 patients with war-related trauma were administered the Impact of Event Scale and the Self-rating Inventory for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, followed 1 wk. later by the Clinician-administered PTSD Scale.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To determine the level of diabetes-related symptom distress and its association with negative mood in subjects participating in a targeted population-screening program, comparing those identified as having type 2 diabetes vs. those who did not.
Research Design And Methods: This study was conducted within the framework of a targeted screening project for type 2 diabetes in a general Dutch population (age 50-75 years).
This study examines secondary traumatization among 708 partners and 332 parents of Dutch peacekeepers (i.e., personnel who participated in military actions implemented by international organizations such as the United Nations).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In 1992, a cargo aircraft crashed into apartment buildings in Amsterdam, killing 43 victims and destroying 266 apartments. In the aftermath there were speculations about the cause of the crash, potential exposures to hazardous materials due to the disaster and the health consequences. Starting in 2000, the Epidemiological Study Air Disaster in Amsterdam (ESADA) aimed to assess the long-term health effects of occupational exposure to this disaster on professional assistance workers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFApproximately a quarter of adults with type 1 diabetes do not succeed in achieving satisfactory glycaemic control, partly due to problems with the demanding self-management regimen. To improve glycaemic control, interventions with a cognitive behavioural approach, aimed at modifying dysfunctional beliefs, reducing negative emotions and enhancing self-care practices are a potentially successful tool. Little is known about the reach of such an approach.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA substantial group of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) has difficulty coping with their disease. Cognitive behavioral group interventions may help these patients cope more effectively with MS. We developed an 8-session group intervention programme for patients recently diagnosed with MS to help them cope more effectively with MS and to overcome negative thoughts and beliefs about the disease to improve health-related quality of life.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: This article discusses the design of a study on the prevalence of health problems (both physical and mental) and the utilisation of health care services among asylum seekers and refugees in the Netherlands, including factors that may be related to their health and their utilisation of these services.
Methods/design: The study will include random samples of adult asylum seekers and refugees from Afghanistan, Iran and Somali (total planned sample of 600), as these are among the largest groups within the reception centres and municipalities in the Netherlands. The questionnaire that will be used will include questions on physical health (chronic and acute diseases and somatization), mental health (Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-25 and Harvard Trauma Questionnaire), utilisation of health care services, pre- and post-migratory traumatic experiences, life-style, acculturation, social support and socio-demographic background.
Low-grade gliomas frequently are associated with epilepsy. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of epilepsy and antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment on cognitive functioning and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in these patients. One hundred fifty-six patients without clinical or radiological signs of tumor recurrence for at least 1 year after histological diagnosis and with an epilepsy burden (based on seizure frequency and AED use) ranging from none to severe were compared with healthy controls.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To investigate the feasibility and acceptability of different modes of offering preconceptional carrier screening for cystic fibrosis (CF) in the absence of established preconceptional care services.
Methods: Individuals aged 20-35 years were invited by mail, either by the Municipal Health Services (MHS) or by their own general practitioner (GP) to participate in a screening program with their partner. Pretest education was provided either during a group educational session or during a GP consultation.
Objective: To examine psychometric properties of the Confidence in Diabetes Self-Care (CIDS) scale, a newly developed instrument assessing diabetes-specific self-efficacy in Dutch and U.S. patients with type 1 diabetes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs a group, patients with epilepsy have reduced neuropsychological functioning and health-related quality of life (HRQOL), but the status of these factors is uncertain in seizure-free patients with seizure onset in adulthood on monotherapy. Nevertheless, some of these patients report neuropsychological problems. We hypothesized that subtle impairments in neuropsychological functioning and HRQOL may be underdiagnosed and related to these problems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrevious reviews about psychological interventions focused on refractory epilepsy patients and were inconclusive; this review investigates what the contribution of the psychologist can be for the large group of patients with relatively well-controlled epilepsy. This review was restricted to the literature reporting on adult patients with relatively well-controlled epilepsy. A literature search on the effect of psychological interventions was conducted using Medline and PsychInfo, including those studies published through March 2002.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Cognitive deficits are one of the major limiting factors in the everyday life functioning of patients with focal seizures. Although cognitive rehabilitation methods have been successfully applied to patients with other central nervous system (CNS) lesions, these methods have not yet been evaluated in cognitively impaired patients with epilepsy. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of two commonly used methods for attention deficits: (a) the Retraining Method, aimed at retraining impaired cognitive functions; and (b) the Compensation Method, aimed at teaching compensatory strategies while taking neuronal loss for granted.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo investigate the extent and nature of the objective and subjective cognitive deficits and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in adult outpatients with relatively well-controlled partial epilepsy without symptomatic aetiology, who were on carbamazepine (CBZ) monotherapy. Furthermore, we studied the influence of the epilepsy history and medication on various cognitive functions and the HRQOL. 56 outpatients (29 male, 27 female, mean age 41.
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