Spiritual well-being and health.

Data on empirical associations between religious variables and health outcomes are needed to clarify the complex interplay between religion and mental health. The aim of this study was to determine whether associations with health variables are primarily attributable to explicitly religious aspects of spiritual well-being (SWB) or to "existential" aspects that primarily reflect a sense of satisfaction or purpose in life. Three hundred forty-five pairs of twins from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry completed a diagnostic interview and questionnaires containing the 2-factor SWB Scale and general health items.

Meta-analytic evidence of systematic bias in estimates of neuroleptic malignant syndrome incidence.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine published reports for sources of excessive variance in neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) incidence estimates.

Data Sources: An unrestricted computerized MEDLINE search was conducted with a comprehensive search logic and supplemented by secondary references and a manual search of an extensive personal library.

Study Selection: Studies were analyzed if they presented original data and provided at least 2 of the following: number of NMS cases, number of patients at risk, or ratio of cases to patients at risk.

A twin registry study of familial and individual risk factors for trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder.

This study examines the association of individual and familial risk factors with exposure to trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in male twins (N = 6744) from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry. Independent reports of familial psychopathology from co-twins were used to avoid the potential biases of the family history method. Risk for exposure to traumatic events was increased by service in Southeast Asia, preexisting conduct disorder, preexisting substance dependence, and a family history of mood disorders whose effects appear to be partly genetic.

Pilot study of spirituality and mental health in twins.

Objective: The goal of this study was to investigate associations between empirically defined dimensions of spirituality, personality variables, and psychiatric disorders in Vietnam era veterans.

Method: One hundred pairs of male twins from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry were administered the self-report Spiritual Well-Being Scale and a pilot Index of Spiritual Involvement. Correlation analyses were supplemented with regression analyses that examined the relative influence of genetic and environmental factors on aspects of spirituality.