Inventory of interpersonal problems: a three-dimensional balanced and scalable 48-item version.

Interpersonal relating has been a focus of attention in psychiatry for decades. To address this domain, a self-rating scale, the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP; Horowitz, Rosenberg, Baer, Ureño, & Villaseñor, 1988), was developed. Analysis of the psychometric properties of IIP presented in this article was performed by principal component analysis (PCA) for the purpose of obtaining subscales with a balanced, bipolar dimensionality. The model was validated by the resulting dimensions' ability to discriminate among different categories of personality disorders (PDs). The problem of a General Complaint factor affecting PCAs of questionnaires such as the IIP is discussed thoroughly, and ways of avoiding the problem are outlined. We present a three-dimensional structure of the IIP with both theoretically appealing and statistically robust dimensions of Assertiveness, Sociability, and Interpersonal Sensitivity based on 48 (out of 127) items. Balanced, additive indexes using the subset of 48 items appeared psychometrically sound by showing much lower correlations internally and less confounding from the General Complaint factor than extant indexes derived from the IIP. External validity seemed to be bolstered by all subscales' discriminating significantly between different PDs versus no PDs, on both cluster and single diagnosis levels. Our analysis seemed to substantiate the reliability (scalability) of three dimensions of the IIP tapping different areas of the interpersonal relational field.

[Belief]. / Tro.

Religion is a system of thoughts and behaviour that is common for a group or society, and which gives the individual a frame of orientation, and something to adore and pray to. The religious person believes in something named God or gods. The adult person's image of God is partly formed by the child's experiences of its own parents. The religious orientation itself seems more important than the contents of the religious beliefs or moral attitudes for the person's personality and mental health. The religious person may have his religion as the goal and meaning for his life, may use his religion to get relief, trust, and social acceptance, and may compromise with his religion for economic and social advantages, or he may be doubting and seeking in his religious orientation. Neither orthodox nor liberal beliefs, neither a strict conservative Christian nor a more lenient, humanistic morality seem to have importance for mental health or psychiatric symptom load. Religious belief may be conducive to mental illness, but may also function therapeutically. Some vignettes show this. Religious beliefs and a religious community may change the personality and affect the mental health of the religious believer. On the other side, character and life events may affect religious orientation, beliefs and moral attitudes.

The empirical relationships between standardized measures of religiosity and personality/mental health.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between standardized, factor-based measures of religiosity and personality/mental health. In a sample of 471 self-identified Christian subjects, 303 females and 168 males, 79 non-psychotic psychiatric in-patients and 392 non-patients, personal extrinsicness was partially positively correlated with the BCI Obsessive score. In multiple regression analyses some of the factor-based religious orientation indices related differently to the BCI Oral, Obsessive and Hysterical Scales and the SCL-90 Global Symptom Index as dependent variables. The religious orientations explained 8.8% of the variance of the BCI Oral Score, 4.2% of the BCI Obsessive score, 3.3% of the BCI Hysterical score, and 12.3% of the SCL-90 Global Symptom Index score. Of the doctrinal belief and morality indices only with Moral conservatism was significantly related to the BCI Hysterical score, and then negatively.

The empirical relationships of the religious orientations to personality.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between the religious orientations and the psychoanalytic character types, as assessed by the Basic Character Inventory (BCI). A person with an intrinsic religious orientation is sincere and integrated in his religiousness. A person with an extrinsic religious orientation uses his religion to promote his personal, social and economic goals. A person with a quest religious orientation is seeking, doubting and changeable in his religiousness. In a sample of 471 subjects, 168 men and 303 women, the level of intrinsic religious orientation was not related to the BCI scores. The levels of extrinsic and quest religious orientations were positively related to the BCI Oral score. Since the oral persons are dependent and craving, it seems likely that they may be extrinsically oriented. And as they also may be insecure, vague and indecisive, it is not unexpected that they also are quest oriented. The changeable quest orientation was also positively related to the changeable BCI Hysterical character.

[Mental disorders among physicians hospitalized in a psychiatric clinic]. / Psykiske lidelser hos leger innlagt i en psykiatrisk klinikk.

149 physicians were hospitalized in a psychiatric clinic, Modum Bads Nerve Sanatorium, during the period 1958-89. 122 of the physicians were men and 27 were women. The material is selected but is representative of non-psychotic voluntarily hospitalized physicians. More than 1/3 of the physicians had abuse problems, mainly drug abuse. The average age of the physicians was 46, and they had been practising for an average of 17 years at the time of hospitalization. 60% of them worked outside institutions. About 1/3 of them were specialists.

[Funeral rituals, mourning and mental health]. / Gravferdsritualer, sorgarbeid og mental helse.

11 informants who were mourning relatives or friends who had died during the last five years were interviewed by a priest, who asked about their relationship to the deceased, their participation in funeral rituals and their experience of their own mourning process. The respondents endorsed the following scales: SCL-90 Depression subscale, Intrinsic, Extrinsic and Quest Scales, Doctrinal Orthodoxy Scale, Liberal Belief Scale, Moral Conservatism Index and Humanistic Mortality Scale. Each respondent was evaluated hermeneutically in a pastoral-clinical way, and the whole material was treated statistically. The extrinsic person uses his religion to attain comfort, security, and social acceptance, and it is not deeply integrated in his personality. The extrinsic religious orientation correlated positively with a prolonged mourning process and depression. It can be tentatively concluded that extensive participation in funeral rituals seems to prevent a prolonged mourning process and resulting depression.

Interaction of indomethacin and acetylsalicylic acid as shown by the serum concentrations of indomethacin and salicylate.

A clinical-pharmacological study was performed to determine the effect of acetylsalicylic acid upon the serum concentration of indomethacin. 14 rheumatic patients were given indomethacin orally (25 mg X 4 for 4 days) and concurrently acetylsalicylic acid 3.7 g orally (0.9 g X 3 and 1.0 g X 1 daily), and 21 rheumatic patients were given indomethacin rectally in the morning (100 mg X 1) and concurrently acetylsalicylic acid 3.7 g orally (0.9 g X 3 and 1.0 g X 1 daily). On comparison with treatment with oral or rectal indomethacin alone, it was found that peak serum concentrations of indomethacin were significantly reduced (1% level), the times of the peaks were not shifted, and the areas beneath the serum concentration curves of indomethacin were smaller, but significantly so only if compared with rectal administration. In 12 rheumatic patients given indomethacin by rectum in the evening (100 mg X 1) and concurrently acetylsalicylic acid 3.7 g (0.9 g X 3 and 1.0 g X 1 daily), the serum level of indomethacin on the following morning (after 11 h) did not differ from that found after rectal treatment. A statistically but not biologically significant difference was observed between the mean serum half-lives of indomethacin given orally and rectally. For unknown reasons, concurrent doses of acetylsalicylic acid and indomethacin made the mean serum half-life of indomethacin longer than after its oral administration, but shorter than when the same dose of indomethacin was given rectally. There was no difference between serum levels of salicylate after oral administration of acetylsalicylic acid alone or after a concurrent oral or rectal dose of indomethacin. The results have been related to those reported previously, with respect to the interaction between indomethacin and acetylsalicylic acid, the serum levels of indomethacin after oral and rectal dosing, and the serum half-life of indomethacin based upon a one- or two-compartment model. The clinical relevance of the study is discussed.