Biomedical subjects

H Caci

Publications and source records attributed to H Caci.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Reliability of the Spanish version of the Composite Scale of Morningness.

AIM: The aim of this study was to examine the reliability of the Spanish version of Composite Scale of Morningness (CSM) and its ability to measure the circadian typology. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Voluntary and unpaid psychology students (N= 391; 132 men and 259 women), aged between 17 and 33, completed the questionnaire between the months of September and December. RESULTS: The total score was independent of age and gender, with a close to normal distribution and a non-significant negative skewness. The internal consistency was high (Cronbach's alpha= 0.87) and factor analysis extracted three factors labeled Time of Retiring (items 2 and 7), Activity Planning (items 8, 9, and 13) and Morning Affect (items 3-6, and 10-12). With the 10th and 90th percentiles as cut-off scores, scorers below 22 (N= 40; 10.2%) are classified as evening-types and scorers above 39 as morning-types (N= 28; 7.2%). CONCLUSION: The Spanish questionnaire shares most of the good psychometric properties of other versions of the CSM, and thus can be used for Spanish-speaking student samples. Nevertheless, further studies of normative data in workers and aged subjects are needed in order to validate CSM.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Functional and dysfunctional impulsivity: contribution to the construct validity.

OBJECTIVE: Impulsivity has been found to be an important trait of personality, whose consequences are not always negative although available questionnaires focused on its 'dysfunctional' aspect. METHOD: Dickman's Functional and Dysfunctional Impulsivity questionnaire has been translated into French, and filled out by students. The tetrachoric correlation matrices were factor analysed. RESULTS: The psychometric properties are very close to those of the English version, and we recovered both factors in males and females. The factor similarities between the genders (in our sample) and between the languages (English vs. French) are very good. The Dysfunctional scale is correlated with the Motor Impulsivity subscale of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, and both scales are grossly independent from Spielberger's Trait-Anxiety Inventory. CONCLUSION: Our results support a two-factor solution similar to the English one. Nevertheless, the validity of the functional factor remains to be investigated in further studies.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

The apathy inventory: assessment of apathy and awareness in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and mild cognitive impairment.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to establish the validity and reliability of the apathy inventory (IA), a rating scale for global assessment of apathy and separate assessment of emotional blunting, lack of initiative, and lack of interest. METHOD: Information for the IA can be obtained from the patient or from a caregiver. We evaluated 115 subjects using the IA, consisting of 19 healthy elderly subjects, 24 patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), 12 subjects with Parkinson's disease (PD) and 60 subjects with Alzheimer's disease (AD). RESULTS: Internal consistency, item reliability, and between-rater reliability were high. A test-retest reliability study demonstrated that caregiver responses to IA questions were stable over short intervals. A concurrent validity study showed that the IA assesses apathy as effectively as the Neuro Psychiatric Inventory apathy domain. In the caregiver-based evaluation, AD subjects had significantly higher scores than controls, both for global apathy score and for the lack of interest dimension. When the AD patients were subdivided according to diagnostic criteria for apathy, apathetic patients had significantly higher scores than non apathetic patients. With the patient-based evaluations, no differences were found among the AD, MCI and control groups. The scores in the patient-based evaluations were only higher for the PD group versus the control subjects. The results also indicated that AD patients had poor awareness of their emotional blunting and lack of initiative. CONCLUSIONS: The IA is a reliable method for assessing in demented and non-demented elderly subjects several dimensions of the apathetic syndrome, and also the subject's awareness of these symptoms.

Aged↗

PubMed2000

Relationship between impulsivity and platelet serotonin content in adolescents.

The relationship between impulsivity and serotonin function was explored in impulsive and non-depressed adolescents. Platelet serotonin content was chosen as a peripheral indicator of central serotonin function. Impulsivity was assessed with a questionnaire. All measures were performed once a week over a 6-week period for all subjects. Subjects comprised eight adolescent inpatients who were hospitalized as a result of their impulsive acts and eight healthy age- and sex-matched control subjects. Mean platelet serotonin concentration was significantly higher in the impulsive group than in the control group. Platelet serotonin concentration was positively correlated with the intensity of impulsivity in the patient group.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

The composite scale of morningness: further psychometric properties and temporal stability.

OBJECT: To assess the temporal stability of the French version of the Composite Scale of Morningness (CSM), and to replicate our previous findings in an independent sample in order to confirm the good internal properties of this instrument. METHOD: Sixty nursing students (11 males and 49 females) filled out the Composite Scale of Morningness on two occasions over a 13-month period. RESULTS: The scale's reliability is high: Cronbach's alpha = 0.874 in males and 0.904 in females. The CSM total scores are normally distributed and independent of gender. They do not differ between occasions, and are highly correlated: r = +0.885 in males and r = +0.930 in females. CONCLUSION: The French version of the CSM is stable over time and psychometrically reliable. These are the characteristics of a personality trait. Further studies should explore its personality, biological and genetic correlates.

Circadian Rhythm↗

PubMed2000

[Factor analysis of french translation of the Barratt impulsivity scale (BIS-10)].

Though the concept of impulsiveness is controversial, there are many attempts being made to measure this dimension. In this context, only psychometric measures are widely considered valid and are routinely in use. Barratt developed the first scale that specifically measured impulsiveness. Subsequently, various refinements have improved the validity of results. We have translated, without any significant problems, the tenth validated version of this scale (BIS 10) into French, and we have completed a factorial analysis. The scale was coupled with a self-administered questionnaire designed to assess anxiety. A sample of 280 subjects between the ages of 18 and 79 years (average age, 36.9) were recruited from the general population. Subject age was found to have a weak but nevertheless significant correlation with the impulsiveness rating. A principal component analysis (PCA) resulted in the first 9 factors explaining 55.6% of the variance. Another PCA of these factors allowed the identification of a second tier of 3 second order factors; these were closely related to Barratt's ranking. Our study confirms results from the scale's initial analysis--results which could not be subsequently reproduced. To our knowledge, this is the first French translation of an instrument that specifically measures impulsiveness and the first in which a factorial structure has been tested in the general population.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Psychometric properties of the French version of the composite scale of morningness in adults.

The objective of this study was to provide a reliable instrument to measure morningness for upcoming studies in French samples, using the Composite Scale of Morningness (CSM), which has been translated into French. Nursing students (n = 356) completed the questionnaire between February and March 1997. The total score obtained was independent of age and gender, and normally distributed. The reliability was high (Cronbach's alpha = 0.85), and factorial analysis confirmed the unidimensionality of the scale. Evening-type subjects are thought to score under 31, and morning-type subjects are thought to score above 44. As an external validation, morningness was associated, on weekdays and weekends, with early rising times and bedtimes and early peak times of physical and mental performance. In conclusion, we found that the English and the French versions of the Composite Scale of Morningness gave identical results. The scale is reliable and can be used for French-speaking adult samples. Nevertheless, normative data and other external validity criteria are needed.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Whole blood serotonin content, tryptophan concentrations, and impulsivity in anorexia nervosa.

BACKGROUND: We hypothesized that anorectics with or without bulimic features would differ on impulsivity and indices of central serotoninergic function (high impulsivity being correlated with reduced serotoninergic function). METHODS: For all patients impulsivity rating scales and questionnaires detailing severity of eating disorder were assessed, and whole blood serotonin concentration (5-HT), free and total tryptophan (TT) concentrations, and large neutral amino acids (LNAA) were assayed. RESULTS: Nineteen patients with anorexia nervosa were included, 10 presented associated bulimic features and nine did not. Twelve healthy matched controls were also included. Our hypothesis was not verified. However, tryptophan concentration and the ratio of tryptophan concentration to LNAA allow us to separate controls from anorectics, whereas 5-HT concentration does not. Two significant and positive correlations were found: between impulsivity and anxiety in the total anorectic population, and between anxiety and serotonin in the impulsive group. CONCLUSIONS: All measured peripheral biologic indices except 5-HT concentration may be of interest in this pathology. Impulsivity and anxiety seem to be two personality components involved in anorexia nervosa. This study lead us to the necessity of redefining impulsivity in anorexia nervosa.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Morningness-Eveningness for Children Scale: psychometric properties and month of birth effect].

There is strong evidence that individuals can be arranged on a continuum from Eveningness to Morningness reflecting their preferred time range for different activities. This preference, which mostly reflects the phase of the circadian pacemaker, is determined in part by mutations on the CLOCK gene, and by environmental factors such as the month of birth. It has been suggested that eveningness might be a susceptibility factor for depressive disorders. Two self-rated questionnaires are available (the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire, MEQ, and the Composite Scale for Morningness) and have been adapted for use with youngsters: the Junior-MEQ and the Morningness-Eveningness Scale for Children (MESC), respectively. Most studies concern adult samples, but it is accepted that puberty is associated with a phase delay in the circadian pacemaker die a shift towards eveningness) occuring around age 12 in both genders. In this study, we examined the psychometric properties of the French version of the MESC in 3 independent samples of adolescents (total n = 392) recruited in the community or during hospitalization in paediatric department, most of them after they attempted suicide. A three-way ANCOVA showed no gender or age effect but rather a strong group effect: hospitalized adolescents scored about 3 points below the community samples (ie towards an eveningness tendency). In each sample, the internal consistency for this 10-item measure was satisfactory (mean alpha = 0.76) and the same two-factor structure was found (Morningness and Planification) as shown by procrustes rotations. As expected, there was a negative correlation between the MESC scores and reported times of rising, of going to bed, of best intellectual and physical performances, but no correlation with the number of minutes of sleep needed. The test-retest stability was acceptable within a 8-month delay although the sample size was limited (n = 20). In line with literature data, we found a modest negative correlation about -0.20 in 2 of the samples with two depression measures (MADRS and CES-D). Finally, we assessed the effect of the month of birth on the MESC total score by a non-linear regression adjusted for age and gender that included a one-cycle cosinus function. We found that birth in March-April was associated with eveningness while birth in September-October was associated with morningness. The peak and nadir occur two months before those found in a large sample of young adults. However, this result could not be replicated in the sample of hospitalized adolescents suggesting that the effect might have been smoothed by a "pathological" factor. Reasons for this descrepancy and implications for developmental psychiatry are discussed. More precisely, we postulate a relationship between morningness and impulsivity-related personality traits. In conclusion, the MESC is a psychometrically sound instrument in need of further validity assessment.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[A new patient focused scale for measuring quality of life in schizophrenic patients: the Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale (SOL)].

UNLABELLED: RATIONALE/OBJECTIVE: Quality of Life (QOL) has been recognized as an important measure of the outcome of patients by clinicians and policy makers in Mental Health. The emerging consensus in the health field that personal values and the patient's preferences are important in monitoring the quality of medical care outcomes makes it even more important to assess the patient's perspectives. Unfortunately, there is little consensus about what constitutes QOL or how to measure it, particularly in psychotic patients. The objective of this study is to report the stages of development and validation of a QOL questionnaire based on issues pertinent to patients with schizophrenia. METHOD: During a first phase, identical pattern were identified among interviews (conducted by psychologists) of schizophrenic patients (DSM IV, n = 100), mental health staff (n = 20) and families (n = 20). The data gathered in the first phase were discussed and organized, by 25 experts, into a structure that made up the skeleton of the scale (133 items, 17 factors). Based on a prospective epidemiological study conducted with 337 French psychiatrists, a validation analysis of structural and psychometric proprieties was performed. Finally reliability of the scale was assessed by a second test/retest (D0, D7) study (n = 100). RESULTS: A total of 686 schizophrenic, schizophreniform or schizoaffective patients (DSM IV) were included. Internal consistency analysis identified 14 factors (74 items), all with a Cronbach's alpha of at least 0.75: professional life (0.95), affective and sexual life (0.92), illness knowledge (0.90), relationship (0.92), life satisfaction, (0.87), coping with drugs (0.79), drugs impact on the body (0.87), daily life (0.83), family relationship (0.81), future (0.88), security feeling (0.84), leisure (0.87), money management (0.76) and autonomy (0.75). Construct validity was confirmed (Pearson test) using established clinical (Brief Psychiatry Rating Scale and Clinical Global Improvement), social (Psychological Aptitude Rating Scale) and generic quality of life (Functional Status questionnaire) measures, correlation coefficient was significant for all factors but 2 in the BPRS (illness knowledge and coping with drugs) and 3 in the CGI (illness knowledge, coping with drugs and life satisfaction). Lastly, test/retest indicated high reliability for each factor (p < 0.001), the lower correlation coefficient (r) was 0.526. CONCLUSIONS: The Schizophrenia Quality Of Life-scale (SOL), based on a patient's point of view approach, is an efficient, multidimensional instrument designed for the measurement of the consequences of schizophrenia on individuals' lives.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Neurocognitive subtypes of schizophrenia according to performance at verbal fluency tasks].

UNLABELLED: There is a general agreement that schizophrenia is an heterogeneous disorder and cognitive performances could be an interesting feature in order to allow a better description of specific subtypes. The aim of this study was: 1) to describe clinical and neuropsychological performances of 45 DSM IV schizophrenic patients divided in two groups according to their performances in verbal fluency task; 2) to compare each group with the performances of healthy subjects matched for sex, age and education. METHOD: The differentiation criteria was the total number of words generated during 3 formal and 3 semantic fluency tasks. Data were analysed using a disjoint clustering procedure with Euclidean distance. A two cluster solution was considered optimal. Cluster S1 includes 21 schizophrenic subjects defined as low performer (range: 40-83, mean 66.7). Cluster S2 includes 24 schizophrenic subjects (range: 87-158, mean 102.8). All schizophrenic patients were clinically evaluated with SANS, SAPS and a psychosocial aptitude rating scale (PARS). Patients and controls were assessed with the following battery: verbal fluency, Trail making test A & B, Stroop test, Brown Peterson paradigm for evaluation of working memory. RESULTS: Patients with low verbal fluency had significantly higher scores at the SANS and PARS. Furthermore, the low performers (cluster S1) were differentiated from those with better performances (cluster S2) by significantly poorer results in all neuropsychological tests. Comparison with healthy subjects indicated that cluster S1 patients also had significantly poorer results in all neuropsychological tests. Relative to their 24 controls cluster S2 patients performances was lower in all measures excepted in one subscore of the Stroop test and in the number of cluster produced. This later result could indicate that some capacities for willed intention were preserved in this group and that the alteration in verbal fluency performances were better explained by impairment of the other cognitive processes. DISCUSSION: These findings point out that: 1) use of performance in cognitive executive task such as verbal fluency is a possible criteria in order to separate different types of schizophrenic patients; 2) in the two groups of schizophrenic subjects, various processes defects underline cognitive performances indicating the presence of different neurobiological dysfunctioning.

Adult↗