Biomedical subjects

Cor van Dijkum

Publications and source records attributed to Cor van Dijkum.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Post-Institutional Autistic Syndrome in Romanian adoptees.

Romanian adoptees have a background of severe neglect. International research has shown that this can give rise to symptoms of autistic behavior. Rutter et al. (1999, Journal of Child Psychology Psychiatry, 40(4), 537-549.) refers to "quasi-autistic patterns", and Federici (1998, Help for the hopelss child: A guide for families. Alexandria: Federici & Assocoates.) to Post-Institutional Autistic Syndrome (PIAS). Eighty Romanian adoptees, averaging 8 years of age, who had resided in the Netherlands for 5 years were studied. Parent interviews and the Auti-R scale showed the extent to which the children exhibited PIAS. In one third of these children we observed (in addition to other behavioral problems) stereotypic behaviors and communication and language disorders. Our findings resembled the Rutter et al. (1999, Journal of Child Psychology Psychiatry, 40(4), 537-549). data. Six of the children were classified within the autistic spectrum pursuant to the Auti-R, and seven within the so-called intermediate group. No difference was found between the girls and the boys. Children who had been in their adoptive families for 5 years or more showed fewer behavior problems than children who had been in their adoptive families for four or less years.

Adoption↗

PubMed2004

Autobiographical memory from a life span perspective.

This comparative study (i.e., three age groups, three measures) explores the distribution of retrospective and prospective autobiographical memory data across the lifespan, in particular the bump pattern of disproportionally higher recall of memories from the ages 10 to 30, as generally observed in older age groups, in conjunction with the well-known recency effect. The memory data patterns of the Life-line Interview Method (LIM, the measure of this study, were compared to the published data patterns of two other memory measures (i.e., the Time Line and Life event sorting task). The results of this comparative study confirm the universality of the bump for older adults, as well as the recency effect. From the LIM data patterns it is hypothesized that both bump and recency effects play a part not only in middle-aged and older adults but also in younger people. In search for an explanation of these patterns, a theoretical outline is presented for the study of autobiographical memory as a dynamic system of both retrospective and prospective memory, subject to continuous changes across the lifespan.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

The self-regulation of fatigue and associated complaints: an exploratory simulation.

A computer simulation has been developed that reflects the microdynamics of dealing with fatigue and associated complaints. The theoretical base was derived from Leventhal, Nerenz and Steele's self-regulation model; the empirical base from a large-scale diary study carried out over a period of 3 weeks. The simulation results demonstrate that the process of self-regulation is non-linear. Consequently, some patient education assumptions are challenged: that individuals suffering from fatigue and associated complaints are likely to follow a similar trajectory, that interventions should not be started until after a 6 weeks delay, and that an intervention always produces the same results. These insights may be generalised to other health complaints that have no medical explanation.

Adaptation, Psychological↗