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Biomedical subjects

A J Finch

Publications and source records attributed to A J Finch.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Human figure drawings: validity in assessing intellectual level and academic achievement.

In a sample of 216 child and adolescent psychiatric inpatients, significant but low correlations were found between Goodenough-Harris (GH) drawing scores and both Full Scale IQs and academic achievement. The percentage of subjects correctly classified in appropriate IQ categories ranged from 35 to 44%; the percentage of misclassified subjects ranged from 56 to 65%. Consideration of visual-motor integration, using the Bender-Gestalt, did not improve the accuracy of G-H scores in predicting IQ scores in this sample. These results indicate that human figure drawings should not be substituted for other well-established intelligence and achievement tests nor used as an additional measure of these constructs when one is evaluating psychiatric patients.

Achievement↗
PubMed1992

Relations among self-reported depressive symptoms in clinic-referred children versus adolescents.

Although there is consensus regarding the existence of childhood depression, disagreement remains as to whether symptoms are developmentally isomorphic. Previous studies focused on developmental differences in symptom levels; analyses of relations among symptoms may be more appropriate, however. Here both approaches were used to compare the Children's Depression Inventory responses from 1,030 clinic-referred children and adolescents. Four of nine symptom categories showed significant developmental differences in their correlations with total score. Externalizing behavior and guilt were more strongly related to depression in children than adolescents; affective symptoms and concerns about the future showed the reverse pattern. Results illustrate the importance of considering relations among symptoms as well as differences in symptom levels when evaluating theoretical claims about developmental differences in the nature of clinical syndromes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Assessment of short-term visual memory in child and adolescent psychiatric inpatients.

This study provides normative data on 270 child and adolescent psychiatric inpatients using the Bender Recall technique as a measure of short-term visual memory. In addition, the authors present normative data on another immediate recall technique using the Coding section of the WISC-R. These findings are examined in light of age differences and IQ scores. Detailed instructions for administering the Coding Recall technique are presented.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Relation between differential emotions and depression in emotionally disturbed children and adolescents.

Differential emotions theory (Izard, 1972) provides a conceptual framework for the role of emotions in affective disorders. The present study investigated the relation of emotions to depression in a sample of child and adolescent psychiatric inpatients (N = 145). Findings indicate that shyness, anger, enjoyment, and shame explained 51.4% of the variance in depression scores. Furthermore, profiles of emotions experienced by youths with a depressive disorder differed significantly from emotion profiles of nondepressed youths on the following emotions: enjoyment, surprise, sadness, anger, shame, shyness, guilt, and self-directed hostility. Differential emotions also correctly classified 80.0% of depressed and nondepressed subjects into their respective groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Personality factors, family structure, and sex of drawn figure on the Draw-A-Person Test.

One hundred seventy-four youthful psychiatric inpatients were given the Draw-A-Person Test (DAP) as part of an assessment battery. Sex of person drawn was compared to subject's sex, Achenbach aggression and delinquency scores, and scores on Children's Inventory of Anger and Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale. The sex of the person drawn was also compared to family composition, specifically whether or not the child came from an intact family with both a male and female parent or role model. Results support drawing of a same-sexed individual as normative, regardless of age or sex. Adolescent girls and young boys were the only groups that differed significantly from this norm. Personality measures and family composition were not significantly related to the tendency to draw same versus opposite sex.

Adjustment Disorders↗
PubMed1990

Brief Rorschach records with children and adolescents.

In order to determine the frequency with which children and adolescents give brief Rorschach (R less than 14) records and to test the hypothesis that brief records represent a resistance to testing, the psychological evaluations of 439 admissions to an inpatient unit were reviewed. Of the records reviewed, 16.6% were found to contain less than 14 responses. When the complete test protocol of those subjects who provided brief records were compared with those of a matched group, it was found that the group with brief records failed to complete the other parts of the evaluation significantly more often than did those subjects who did not give brief records. There was no significant difference between the two groups on IQ scores or on self-report scores of depression, anxiety, and social desirability. Result are interpreted as supporting Exner's (1988) hypothesis that brief records represent a form of resistance to being tested.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

The Bender-Gestalt as a method of personality assessment with adolescents.

Normative data are presented for two Bender-Gestalt scoring systems with a sample of "normal" controls (n = 150), emotionally disturbed (n = 140), and mentally retarded/neurologically impaired (MR/NI) adolescents (n = 47), aged 12 to 17 years. The results failed to support the use of Hutt's (1985) Psychopathology Scale and Adolescent Configuration in differentiating the "normal" and emotionally disturbed groups, but did support their use in differentiating the MR/NI group from the other two. The Hutt scores also were found to be related inversely to age and IQ. By contrast, the Koppitz scores differentiated the three groups from each other and were not related significantly to IQ. The results supported limited use of Koppitz's (1975) Emotional Indicators as a "sign" approach to brief screening for emotional disturbance in adolescents.

Adjustment Disorders↗
PubMed1989

Assessment of depression in adolescents: objective and projective measures.

This study is a multimethod assessment of depressive features in a sample of 60 adolescent inpatients. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between self-report measures of depression and Rorschach variables commonly associated with depression. Patients represented a variety of diagnostic categories in order to determine whether information gathered through assessment instruments was related to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed. [DSM-III], American Psychiatric Association, 1980) diagnoses of depression. Findings indicated that this sample of adolescents was highly defensive and emotionally constricted. There were several significant relationships between self-report measures and Rorschach indicators of depression. However, in general, the Rorschach variables were not strongly related to depression. The self-report measures were more accurate than Rorschach variables in discriminating between depressed and nondepressed subjects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Rorschach Egocentricity Index and self-concept in children and adolescents.

In a sample of 65 child and adolescent psychiatric inpatients, the hypothesized relation between the Egocentricity Index from the Rorschach and standard self-report measures of self-concept was not supported. Although the sample as a group had a markedly low mean Egocentricity Index, self-reported self-concept was at a normative level. The validity of the Egocentricity Index and self-report measures of self-concept is discussed, and guidelines for their interpretation are presented.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Helping the child with cancer: what school personnel want to know.

As more children with cancer survive, the importance of facilitating school reintegration as a part of maximizing the quality of life has become evident. Workshops have been presented to school personnel to acquaint them with the issues facing cancer patients and their families, but there are gaps in our knowledge of what school personnel really need or want to know. In this study, 18 teachers of children with cancer and 15 teachers with no prior contact with students with cancer completed a questionnaire designed to assess needs, beliefs, and priorities with regard to working with cancer patients in the classroom. Significant findings included: (a) a consensus that a certain core of information about medical/psychological issues would be useful, and presentation of such information by psychologists and medical personnel working with such families would be optimal; (b) teachers having cancer patients as students were less likely to see the adaptation of siblings as an important issue; (c) teachers associated working with a student with cancer with less stress and demands on their time than predictable from previous studies; and (d) cancer patients as a whole were rated as having fewer behavioral, emotional, and learning problems than randomly selected students without a major illness, suggesting a "halo effect" or contradiction of some literature. Preliminary findings are detailed and implications are discussed for those attempting to help teachers facilitate students' adjustment to school following diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Child↗
PubMed1988

The Bender-Gestalt with adolescents: comparison of two scoring systems.

The present study was designed to evaluate the relative efficacy of two different scoring systems (Koppitz, 1975; Lacks, 1984) for use in evaluating Bender-Gestalt performance by adolescents. Normative data are presented for the two scoring systems with a sample of "normal" controls (N = 150), emotionally disturbed (N = 140), and mentally retarded/neurologically impaired adolescents (N = 47), aged 12-17. Results suggested that age and psychopathology were not related to the quality of the Bender-Gestalt reproductions of these subjects. An inverse relationship was found between cognitive ability and visual motor skills. Data obtained from these samples of adolescents showed a high degree of consistency between the scoring systems, which suggests that either scoring procedure is suitable for evaluating the Bender-Gestalt performance of adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Locus of control and achievement in child psychiatric inpatients.

The relationship between the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale for Children (Nowicki & Strickland, 1973) and academic achievement was examined in a sample of 66 child psychiatric inpatients. Previous studies had suggested that this measure correlated with achievement in normal samples (Nowicki & Strickland, 1973) but not in populations of male juvenile offenders (Little & Kendall, 1978). The product-moment correlation between the Nowicki-Strickland Scale and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test was significant. However, when the effect of IQ was controlled for in a partial correlation, there was no significant correlation. Discussion focuses on the relationship between these results and other findings in the area of locus of control, intelligence, and achievement.

Achievement↗