ABSTRACT
The relationships between reminiscence functions and attachment styles; reminiscence and personality factors; and attachment and personality were examined in forty patients attending a geropsychiatric outpatient clinic. They were administered the Reminiscence Functions Scale, NEO-FFI, and the Relationship Questionnaire. Compared with insecurely attached older patients, securely attached older patients score higher on the teach/inform reminiscence function. Consistent with prior research, relationships were found between the extraversion personality factor and conversation reminiscence; and between the openness personality factor and both identity and problem-solving reminiscence functions.
Subject(s)
Aged, 80 and over/psychology , Aged/psychology , Object Attachment , Personality Assessment , Adaptation, Psychological , Ambulatory Care Facilities , Humans , Life Change Events , Middle AgedABSTRACT
This cross-sectional study explored age-related differences in the frequency of diagnosis of personality disorder (PD) among 790 veterans admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit across three age groups: 20-39, 40-59, and 60+. Older adults obtained a lower frequency (55.4%) of PD diagnosis than middle-aged adults (69.0%), who in turn obtained a lower frequency of PD diagnosis than young adults (75.9%). Older adults and middle-aged adults were less likely to receive a diagnosis of Borderline PD than young adults. Older adults were also less likely to receive a diagnosis of Mixed PD than young adults, but received significantly more diagnoses of Narcissistic PD than young adults. Patients diagnosed with PD had higher rates of psychiatric hospitalization than those with no diagnosis of PD. Older adults and middle-aged adults with PD had significantly fewer psychiatric hospitalizations than young adults with PD, whereas there were no age-related differences in the frequency of medical hospitalizations. These findings are consistent with research suggesting an overall softening of PD features with age, particularly those characteristic of the 'dramatic-erratic', Cluster B types.
Subject(s)
Personality Disorders/psychology , Adult , Age Factors , Age of Onset , Aged , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Inpatients , Male , Middle Aged , Severity of Illness Index , VeteransABSTRACT
A case formulation content coding method is described and applied to the formulation section of 56 intake evaluations randomly selected from an outpatient psychiatric clinic. The coding manual showed good reliability (mean kappa = 0.86) across content and quality categories. Although 95% of the formulations included descriptive information, only 37% addressed hypothesized predisposing life events accounting for the individual's presenting problems, and 16% included a precipitating stressor. Only 43% inferred a psychological mechanism, 2% inferred a biological mechanism, and 2% mentioned sociocultural factors. Formulations were more descriptive than inferential, more simple than complex, and moderately precise in use of language. In sum, clinicians used the formulation primarily to summarize descriptive information rather than to integrate it into a hypothesis about the causes, precipitants, and maintaining influences of an individual's problems.
