ABSTRACT
Utility of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-Expanded Form to discriminate among areas of adaptive behavior was substantiated by comparing profiles of scores obtained by three groups of individuals with mental retardation and either a communication, social behavior, or motor abilities disorder with those of matched individuals with mental retardation but no other disorder. Individuals with social behavior disorders obtained lower scores only in the Socialization domain; those with motor disorders, in the Motor domain and in the Personal and Domestic subscales that require motor competencies; and those with communication disorders, lower scores in the Communication domain and in the Community and Interpersonal Relationships subscales requiring expressive competencies. The utility of the Vineland Scales in obtaining an ecological evaluation of individuals with mental retardation is discussed.
Subject(s)
Intellectual Disability/complications , Intellectual Disability/diagnosis , Language Disorders/diagnosis , Language Disorders/etiology , Psychological Tests , Adult , Child , Communication , Discriminant Analysis , Female , Humans , Interpersonal Relations , Male , Reproducibility of ResultsABSTRACT
Whether the Psychopathology Inventory for Mentally Retarded Adults (PIMRA) could detect specific psychopathological disorders was investigated in 652 subjects with different levels of mental retardation living in the community or in residential facilities. An exploratory factor analysis was carried out to check the scale organization of PIMRA. The Anxiety, Adjustment Disorder, Somatoform Disorder, and Soundness Scales were confirmed by 4 corresponding factors; the Psychosexual Disorder Scale was replaced by a factor specific to gender identity problems, and the Schizophrenia Scale by two factors concerning isolation and bizarre behaviors, respectively. The items of the Depression Scale were distributed over the three factors concerning anxiety, adjustment, and psychosomatic disorders, while the items of the Personality Disorder Scale were scattered over almost all the factors. Moreover, 55 subjects with anxiety disorders and 49 with depression were compared to 50 control subjects of the same age, intelligence level, and gender ratio but without dual diagnosis and obtained significantly higher factorial scores both on the overall scale and on the factors specifically related to their disorders. PIMRA has been found to show good construct validity. These results could be considered particularly valid as they were obtained from a large sample comprising different levels of mental retardation and thus showing all possible psychopathological behaviors.
Subject(s)
Intellectual Disability/psychology , Mental Disorders/psychology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry) , Disabled Persons/classification , Female , Humans , Intellectual Disability/classification , Male , Mental Disorders/classification , Middle Aged , Psychometrics , Sensitivity and SpecificityABSTRACT
The aim of the present study was to show differences between culture-bound stress levels in two samples of elementary and junior high school teachers in Italy (N = 299) and in France (N = 217), using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI; Maslach & Jackson, 1981) as a questionnaire. The results confirmed the influence of sociocultural background on stress levels in both samples in relation to age. Personal accomplishment was the most discriminating indicator in the two groups.
