Personality and mental health: Arabic Scale of Mental Health, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, and Neo Five Factor Inventory.

The aim of this research was to explore associations of mental health and personality factors through two studies. Two separate convenience samples of volunteer Kuwaiti college students took part in the study (n1 = 193, n2 = 128). Their ages ranged between 18 and 32 years. They responded, in small group sessions, to the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and to Costa and McCrae's Five Personality Factors in their Arabic forms. In addition, both samples responded to the Arabic Scale of Mental Health (ASMH). In the first study, scorers on the ASMH were significantly correlated (r) with Neuroticism (-.63), Extraversion (.57), and Lie (.22) scores. Two orthogonal components were retained and labeled "Mental health and Extraversion versus Neuroticism," and "Psychoticism versus Lie." In Study 2, mental health scores were significantly positively correlated with Conscientiousness (.62), Extraversion (.59), Agreeableness (.34), and Openness (.26) scores, and negatively with Neuroticism (-.62) scores. Two orthogonal components were retained and labeled "Mental health, Agreeableness, Extraversion versus Neuroticism," and "Openness, Conscientiousness, and Mental health." It was concluded that the salient associations of the ASMH were with positive traits and scores on Extraversion, Conscientiousness (positive), and with Neuroticism (negative), indicating good construct validity of the ASMH.

Mixed-sided individuals with neuroticism sustain more unintentional injuries in India.

Previous research has shown a positive association between unintentional injury liability and non-right-handedness (especially mixed-handedness). Research has also shown neuroticism to be one of the main predictors of unintentional injuries. In the present study we investigated the relationship of the three variables--frequency of unintentional injuries, side bias, and neuroticism. Further, the study aimed at extending the findings of previous studies establishing a relationship between non-right-handedness and unintentional injuries to a similar pattern in other domains of side bias--footedness, eyedness, and earedness. Data were collected from a large sample (N = 3474) using the side bias questionnaire, the shorter version of Maudsley's Personality Inventory, and an unintentional injury checklist. Results revealed positive correlations between the frequency of unintentional injuries and mixed-sidedness, followed by left-sidedness and right-sidedness in each of the four domains of side bias. Furthermore, an increase in the frequency of unintentional injuries was observed for mixed-sided and left-sided individuals with higher levels of neuroticism.

The relationship between neuroticism, major depressive disorder and comorbid disorders in Chinese women.

OBJECTIVE: The personality trait of neuroticism is a risk factor for major depressive disorder (MDD), but this relationship has not been demonstrated in clinical samples from Asia. METHODS: We examined a large-scale clinical study of Chinese Han women with recurrent major depression and community-acquired controls. RESULTS: Elevated levels of neuroticism increased the risk for lifetime MDD (with an odds ratio of 1.37 per SD), contributed to the comorbidity of MDD with anxiety disorders, and predicted the onset and severity of MDD. Our findings largely replicate those obtained in clinical populations in Europe and US but differ in two ways: we did not find a relationship between melancholia and neuroticism; we found lower mean scores for neuroticism (3.6 in our community control sample). LIMITATIONS: Our findings do not apply to MDD in community-acquired samples and may be limited to Han Chinese women. It is not possible to determine whether the association between neuroticism and MDD reflects a causal relationship. CONCLUSIONS: Neuroticism acts as a risk factor for MDD in Chinese women, as it does in the West and may particularly predispose to comorbidity with anxiety disorders. Cultural factors may have an important effect on its measurement.

Mysteries of nature.

This article examines a group photograph of the Psychiatry and Neurology section of the 66th Meeting of the Society of German Natural Scientists and Doctors in Vienna, 24-30 September 1894 which Sigmund Freud attended. The society's origins in Naturphilosophie are indicated and a number of the participants are identified on the photo. They and the events at the conference are related to Sigmund Freud's work at the time and to his gradual abandonment of anatomy and of heredity and degeneration as significant aetiological factors in the neuroses. Philosophical problems, such as how phenomena should be described and how 'nature' is conceptualized, are also considered in the light of their implications for Freud's life and thought at that period.

Patterns of psychiatric hospitalization among ethiopian and former soviet union immigrants and persons born in Israel.

OBJECTIVE: This study compared the prevalence and patterns of psychiatric hospitalization for persons who immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia and the Former Soviet Union (FSU) and the Israel-born population. METHODS: Data were extracted from the Israel Psychiatric Case Register for six population groups: Operation Moses 1980s immigrants, who emigrated from Ethiopia, January 1, 1980-August 31, 1985 (178 had at least one psychiatric hospitalization within five years of immigration); Operation Moses immigrants in the 1990s, the same group ten years later (194 were hospitalized ten to 14 years after immigration); Operation Solomon 1990s immigrants, who emigrated from Ethiopia in 1990-1991 (184 had at least one hospitalization within five years of immigration); FSU 1990s immigrants, who emigrated from the FSU in 1990-1991 (2,082 had at least one hospitalization within five years of immigration); Israel born 1980s (10,120 had at least one psychiatric hospitalization between January 1, 1980, and August 31, 1985); and Israel born 1990s (11,241 had at least one psychiatric hospitalization in 1990-1994). RESULTS: Operation Moses 1980s immigrants differed from the other groups; they had higher rates of hospitalization, less severe diagnoses, and shorter lengths of stay, compared with Israel born 1980s. Ten years later, this group's rates of hospitalization were lower and similar to those of non-Ethiopian populations, and the individuals in this group were more likely to have a diagnosis of schizophrenia or other psychosis, compared with the other groups. The hospitalization pattern for Operation Solomon 1990s immigrants fell between that of Operation Moses 1980s immigrants and Operation Moses immigrants in the 1990s. For immigrants from the FSU, the hospitalization rate was similar to that of Israel born 1990s and Operation Moses immigrants in the 1990s and much lower than that of Operation Solomon 1990s immigrants. CONCLUSIONS: Marked sociocultural differences between immigrants and the host society and the understanding of these differences by mental health professionals may influence rates and patterns of psychiatric hospitalization more than the immigration experience itself.

Construction and validation of the Factorial Arabic Neuroticism Scale.

The present aim was to construct and validate the Factorial Arabic Neuroticism Scale. Based on the scales developed by Eysenck, Cattell, and Guilford, the item pool consisted of 226 nonrepeated items. Five Ph.D. referees shortened the pool to 84 items. Then, the item-remainder correlation, the exclusion of the items with significant correlation with scores on Extraversion, and several cycles of factor analyses yielded 20 items representing the final version. The principal components analysis yielded two high-loaded factors of General Neuroticism and Sleep problems and tension. Reliability coefficients alpha ranged from .89 to .94 and between .81 and .91 for test-retest, indicating good internal consistency and temporal stability, respectively. Criterion-related validity ranged between .75 and .79 against scores on the Neuroticism subscale of the NEO-PI-R. Females obtained significantly higher mean scores than males for three of six comparisons (by age) among school and university students (N = 2,783). An English version is available. The scale may be recommended for use in research, especially on cross-cultural comparisons and for assessing the efficacy of cognitive behavior therapy.

A culturally sensitive study of premenstrual and menstrual symptoms among Chinese women.

This is a two-part study of perimenstrual symptomatology in Chinese women. We developed and validated the Chinese Questionnaire of Perimenstrual Symptoms (CQ-PERI-MS), which was adapted from the Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire, and used this instrument to assess the prevalence and nature of perimenstrual symptoms among Chinese women in Hong Kong. The initial CQ-PERI-MS was first administered to a sample of 538 menstruating Chinese women in Hong Kong together with measures of anxiety, depression and neuroticism. Psychometric analyses rendered a 32-item CQ-PERI-MS which demonstrated good reliability, convergent and discriminant validity, and factorial validity. Four factors were yielded, namely, Dysphoria, Somatic distress, Cognitive problems and Arousal. The CQ-PERI-MS was then administered to a separate sample of 339 menstruating Chinese women in Hong Kong for further examination of validity as well as pattern of perimenstrual symptoms. It was found that perimenstrual symptoms were common, with 18.6% and 34.2% of the participants reporting 10 or more premenstrual and menstrual symptoms, respectively. Both premenstrual and menstrual distress were characterised by a combination of emotional and somatic symptoms. Contrary to previous preconceptions, perimenstrual symptoms are commonly experienced by Chinese women, with both overlapping and distinct features when compared with patterns in the West.

Forty meals for a drop of blood ...

Increasing migration flow to Western countries poses formidable challenges from the epidemiological, clinical, and cultural standpoints. A case of Dhat syndrome is presented in a young Pakistani male migrant living in Italy, which required integrated medical and cultural approach to be solved after a through diagnostic workout that did not yield any result.

Evaluating the invariance of the factor structure of the EPQ-R-N among adolescents.

We examined the factor structure of the Neuroticism scale of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ-R-N; S. B. G. Eysenck, Eysenck & Barrett, 1985) and its factor invariance across sex and racial/ethnic groups in a sample of 1,979 adolescents. Using confirmatory factor analyses, we compared a hierarchical model to previous models of the EPQ-R-N and to single-factor and 3-factor structures. The hierarchical factor structure in which a general factor coexists with 3 group factors (depression, social concerns, and worry) was superior to alternative models. The general factor accounted for more than 60% of the variance in EPQ-R-N total scores and was invariant across sex and ethnicity. The 3 group factors varied across ethnicity and sex. We discuss the implications of these findings for conceptualization and assessment of neuroticism using the EPQ-R-N.

A neurose obsessiva feminina: a importância do diagnóstico diferencial / The feminine obsessive neurosis: the importance of the distinguishing diagnosis

A proposta deste artigo é tratar de questão necessária no que tange à estrutura neurótica obsessiva em mulheres e a clínica diferencial. Apesar de ser freqüente a prevalência do diagnóstico de neurose obsessiva em homens e de histeria nas mulheres, este fator não deve servir para sustentar equívocos que levam muitos profissionais a diagnosticar histéricas indiscriminadamente ou simplesmente confundir histeria e feminilidade. Deste modo, advém uma questão recorrente: afinal, existem mulheres obsessivas? (AU)

A neurose obsessiva feminina: a importância do diagnóstico diferencial / The feminine obsessive neurosis: the importance of the distinguishing diagnosis

A proposta deste artigo é tratar de questão necessária no que tange à estrutura neurótica obsessiva em mulheres e a clínica diferencial. Apesar de ser freqüente a prevalência do diagnóstico de neurose obsessiva em homens e de histeria nas mulheres, este fator não deve servir para sustentar equívocos que levam muitos profissionais a diagnosticar histéricas indiscriminadamente ou simplesmente confundir histeria e feminilidade. Deste modo, advém uma questão recorrente: afinal, existem mulheres obsessivas?

Influence of neuroticism, ethnicity, familism, and social support on perceived burden in dementia caregivers: pilot test of the transactional stress and social support model.

In this study we assessed the new transactional stress and social support model, postulating the role of neuroticism, ethnicity, familism, and social support in perceived burden in dementia caregivers. We used a convenience sample (N=77) of African American and White dementia caregivers. Results substantiated interrelationships among social support variables, and the influence of perceived positive social support on burden. Neuroticism was related to the perception of positive social support and burden. Results corroborated the model, focusing on neuroticism and quality of social support in modeling perceived burden in family caregivers. Findings call attention to the role of presumably long-standing individual differences in neuroticism that influence caregiver appraisals of stress and social support.

Are ataques de nervios in Puerto Rican children associated with psychiatric disorder?

OBJECTIVE: To provide the first empirical analysis of a cultural syndrome in children by examining the prevalence and psychiatric correlates of ataques de nervios in an epidemiological study of the mental health of children in Puerto Rico. METHOD: Probability samples of caretakers of children 4-17 years old in the community (N = 1,892; response rate: 90%) and in clinical services (N = 761; response rate 72%) were administered structured interviews to assess the presence and correlates of ataques de nervios. RESULTS: Nine percent of children in the community sample and 26% of children in the clinical sample had a reported history of an ataque de nervios. In contrast to the overall community and clinical samples, which had more boys in them, the ataque de nervios groups in both samples had more girls in them. Family history of ataques de nervios was associated with ataques de nervios in children in both samples. Across a wide range of depression, anxiety, and disruptive disorders, children who reported an ataque de nervios were more likely to meet research criteria for psychiatric disorder in both samples. CONCLUSIONS: Ataques de nervios are a frequently reported cultural syndrome among children in Puerto Rico. Adolescent girls are more likely to report this experience. Ataques de nervios have a significant relationship with psychiatric disorder and impairment in Puerto Rican children.

Risk factors and the prevalence of neurosis and psychosis in ethnic groups in Great Britain.

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to examine whether variations in the prevalence of neurosis and psychosis between ethnic minorities throughout Great Britain are explained by social disadvantage. METHOD: A total of 10,108 adult householders throughout Great Britain were assessed in a two-stage survey with the Revised Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R) and Psychosis Screening Questionnaire (PSQ). Respondents with a positive PSQ or who received a diagnosis of, or treatment for, psychosis were examined by a psychiatrist using the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN). Data on respondents' preferred ethnic group were collapsed into four groups: Whites, African-Caribbean or Africans, south Asians and other. RESULTS: Ethnic grouping was strongly associated with: unemployment; lone parent status; lower social class; low perceived social support; poverty (indicated by lack of car ownership) and having a primary social support group of less than three close others. All these associations applied to the group Africans and Afro-Caribbeans, but only some applied to the other groups. No ethnic group had significantly increased rates of neurosis. Only the African-Caribbean group were at significantly increased risk of a psychotic disorder (odds ratio 4.55; 95% CI: 1.13, 18.30). After adjustment for risk factors, the odds of psychosis were lower (odds ratio 2.97; 95% CI: 0.66, 13.36). CONCLUSIONS: The excess of psychosis in Africans and Afro-Caribbeans in Great Britain appears to be partly explained by socio-economic disadvantage, but larger studies are needed to confirm this.

Characteristics of patients and patterns of psychiatric service use in ethnic minorities.

BACKGROUND: The differential uptake of psychiatric services by ethnic minorities has been widely reported. Less attention has been given to comparisons of these patients and variations in the types of interventions they receive. AIMS: To assess whether for people accessing psychiatric services in the UK, differences exist across ethnic groups both in their sociodemographic characteristics and patterns of mental health care utilisation. METHODS: All adults resident in an inner city health district and using psychiatric services during a six-month period were identified. Demographic, clinical and service use data were collected from staff and records. These were compared across black Caribbean, Indian, Pakistani, Irish and white ethnic groups for two broad diagnostic categories: psychotic/bipolar and depressive/neurotic disorders. RESULTS: There were significant differences between ethnic groups on most demographic variables in each of the diagnostic categories. There were variations in the level of contact with different mental health professionals. The only significant difference in the use of specific services was for those with psychotic/bipolar disorders, black Caribbean patients being more likely to be detained in hospital compulsorily. CONCLUSIONS: Ethnic diversity both in the characteristics of patients and their patterns of psychiatric care should be addressed when planning and developing services.

Predictors of loneliness among students and nuns in Angola and Portugal.

The authors conducted 2 studies to examine the relationship between loneliness and psychosocial variables among people from Angola and Portugal. In the 1st study, the participants were 129 college students from Angola and 122 from Portugal, and in the 2nd study participants were 105 nuns from Angola and 74 from Portugal. The following instruments were administered to all participants in both studies: the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale (D. Russell, L. Peplau, & C. Cutrona, 1980), the Neuroticism Scale (J. Barros, 1999), the Optimism Scale (J. Barros, 1998), and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (E. Diener, R. Emmons, R. Larsen, & S. Griffin, 1985). Ethnic differences were found in loneliness. The Angolan participants recorded higher scores for loneliness than did the Portuguese participants. For both samples the most prominent predictors of loneliness were neuroticism and dissatisfaction with life.

Death, neurosis, and normalcy: on the ubiquity of personal and social delusions.

In this article Freudian theory is invoked to illustrate the connections among repression, the fear of death, and delusional phantasies. Civilization is a structure invented to protect individuals from death, but the sacrifices imposed by that social structure are psychologically injurious and terrifying because society threatens individuals with punishment and death for having illicit desires. Annihilation anxiety may be abated by social structures, but the psychological sacrifice and threat amplify annihilation anxiety. I further argue that immersion in personal or social phantasies quells the conscious fear of death. Individuals vary in terms of reactions to death anxiety and how the complex matrix of fear and terror is nourished or abated in the developmental process. A Freudian reading of the developmental process implicates the inherently traumatic nature of nurture and the necessity of self-deceptive illusions. These phantasies do subdue conscious fear, but conscious feelings of security do not dispel unconscious tremors. Underneath these phantasies, dread and terror impel rigid adherence to whatever phantasy system provides subjective feelings of safety and salvation.

La razón nosográfica en psiquiatría / The nosography reason in psychiatry

Se da el nombre de "la razón nosográfica", a la actitud teórica del psiquiatra que ordena, recorta y clasifica el sufrimiento psíquico y el malestar vital de los sujetos; del mismo modo como se clasifica enfermedad por enfermedad a los desórdenes somáticos. La nosografía, esta "distribución metódica en el que las enfermedades mentales se agrupan por clase, orden, género y especies", que estableciera solidamente Kraepelin, es en la actualidad una forma que se puede discutir y debatir en la psiquiatría. En efecto, la tendencia en el psiquiatra que aún se mantiene viva, es a asimilar al hombre enfermo psíquico con las cosas (según un criterio científico-natural); y a fijar, en un ordenamiento material, riguroso y racional, la irrupción de la enfermedad mental. Aquí se cuestiona esta tendencia, y no un sistema nosográfico determinado, absolutamente contingente.(AU)

La razón nosográfica en psiquiatría / The nosography reason in psychiatry

Se da el nombre de "la razón nosográfica", a la actitud teórica del psiquiatra que ordena, recorta y clasifica el sufrimiento psíquico y el malestar vital de los sujetos; del mismo modo como se clasifica enfermedad por enfermedad a los desórdenes somáticos. La nosografía, esta "distribución metódica en el que las enfermedades mentales se agrupan por clase, orden, género y especies", que estableciera solidamente Kraepelin, es en la actualidad una forma que se puede discutir y debatir en la psiquiatría. En efecto, la tendencia en el psiquiatra que aún se mantiene viva, es a asimilar al hombre enfermo psíquico con las cosas (según un criterio científico-natural); y a fijar, en un ordenamiento material, riguroso y racional, la irrupción de la enfermedad mental. Aquí se cuestiona esta tendencia, y no un sistema nosográfico determinado, absolutamente contingente.