Biomedical subjects

H Matschinger

Publications and source records attributed to H Matschinger.

68 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMed1996

Public attitude towards psychiatric treatment.

Past research on help-seeking behaviour and compliance among the mentally ill has mainly been focused on the examination of individual and structural determinants, while the impact of the socio-cultural context has been largely neglected. To examine this impact, we conducted a representative survey among German citizens who were eligible to vote. By means of vignettes describing different mental disorders we recorded the lay public's preferences for various treatment methods, together with their subjective reasons for voicing these particular preferences. While we found that psychotherapy was generally held in high esteem by the lay public, psychopharmacotherapy was rejected by the vast majority of respondents. This pattern was observed for all of the mental disorders included in our survey. While the public's image of psychotherapy is largely determined by popular views on psychoanalysis, public opinion about psychotropic drugs is strongly influenced by characteristics associated with tranquillizers. Among the different psychotherapeutic approaches, psychoanalysis is the preferred method among respondents in the western part of Germany, while the lay public in the eastern part tends to endorse group therapy. Finally, our research showed a considerable difference between the conceptions held by the lay public and those of psychiatric experts with regard to the adequate treatment of mental disorders. This, in turn, should not be without consequence for help-seeking behaviour and patient compliance.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Relatives' beliefs about the causes of schizophrenia.

Based on a representative survey among the members of German and Austrian associations of relatives of mentally ill people, this paper examines the beliefs commonly held by relatives of persons suffering from schizophrenia concerning the causes of this disorder. A comparison of the information gathered in the course of this survey with the results of a representative survey conducted among the general public in Germany shows that relatives will usually look to biological factors when searching for the cause of schizophrenia, while the general public tends to cite psychosocial factors, especially stress-related factors, in order to explain the development of this illness. We attribute this discrepancy to relatives' greater exposure to the knowledge of psychiatric experts as well as their having to deal with their own feelings of guilt.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

[Social distance of the population toward psychiatric patients].

The focus of the present study centers on the attitude of the German public's attitude towards mentally ill individuals during the early 1990s, using the extent of social distance as its indicator. The study is based on a number of representative surveys carried out between 1990 and 1993. We found that alcohol dependents met with the highest level of rejection, even more so than those suffering from schizophrenia. Furthermore, personal experience with mental illness is associated with a lower level of desired social distance, which may be attributed to an increase of positive emotional reactions and reduced feelings of anxiety. There is a clear association between the social distance maintained by certain persons towards the mentally ill and the desired social distance displayed by the same persons to other "aliens", strangers or outsiders.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Violent attacks on public figures by persons suffering from psychiatric disorders. Their effect on the social distance towards the mentally ill.

In connection with two attempts on the lives of prominent politicians committed by mentally ill individuals during 1990 there occurred a marked increase in social distance towards the mentally ill among the German public. Even though the level of social distance subsided again during the 2 years following the attacks, it had not yet completely returned to its initial level by the end of 1992. The negative effects of these incidents on the attitude of the general public were able to be replicated on a regional level, after yet another violent attack by a mentally ill assailant in 1993, this time on the life of a famous female athlete.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

Lay beliefs about schizophrenic disorder: the results of a population survey in Germany.

According to Fishbein & Ajzen's theory of reasoned action, normative expectations on the part of significant others influence the compliance of schizophrenic patients. These expectations in turn are determined for the most part by the beliefs prevailing in society regarding this illness and the adequate treatment thereof. Results from a representative study conducted in Germany after reunification in 1990 demonstrate the disagreement on essential issues between lay beliefs and psychiatric teaching. Compared with experts in psychiatry, the lay public attaches great importance to current psychosocial influences for the aetiology of schizophrenic disorder. It prefers psychological methods of treatment, maintaining a reserved stance with regard to treatment with psychotropic drugs. Negative consequences for compliance with the latter on the part of the patients are to be expected as a result.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

[Attitude of medical students to treatment with psychotropic drugs. 1: Comparison between medical students and the general population].

The attitudes of medical students towards psychotropic drugs are compared with those of the general public. Students strike a more positive balance between the costs and benefits of this treatment method. Whereas there are no marked differences as concerns desirable effects both groups differ considerably in the assessment of the limitations and risk of undesirable side-effects with students being less sceptical in this respect. Also with regard to other attitudinal domains student's judgement is more favourable. However, this does not mean that there is not a remarkably large group which articulates reservations against the use of psychotropic drugs. Whereas the majority of the lay public considers psychotherapy in general as superior to psychopharmacotherapy most students tend to differentiate between the various forms of psychiatric disorder.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1993

Benefits and risks of psychotropic medication in the eyes of the general public: results of a survey in the Federal Republic of Germany.

In 1990, a survey of the population of the FRG, including the new states, was carried out to investigate the attitude of the general public toward psychotropic drugs. This showed that they are regarded with fare more suspicion than trust. Their use in the treatment of mental disorder was rejected twice as often as it was recommended. Those questioned submitted three main arguments against the use of psychotropics: (1) they can cause unwanted effects, in particular dependency; (2) their action is restricted, i.e., they only treat the symptoms and not the cause of the illness; (3) they are ineffective, having either no effect or effects of doubtful or temporary nature. The use of psychotropic agents was recommended, if at all, for the purpose of sedating the patients, providing relief from their problems, and lessening their symptoms.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

[Mentally ill patients: viewed from 2 perspectives. A methodological contribution on attitudinal research in psychiatry].

The impact of the change in perspective (i.e. the personal opinion of those questioned versus what they perceive the others' opinion toward the mentally ill to be) on the results of the questionnaire is examined based on data from two population surveys measuring attitudes towards the mentally ill. As expected, the respondents' attitudes towards the mentally ill are more positive if they are asked to give their own opinion. The impact that the variation of the two formulations of these questions has on the respondents increases with their level of education and reaches a substantial amount among those with "Abitur". Furthermore, the answers are clearer and more definite if those questioned are asked for their personal opinion.

Attitude to Health↗

PubMed1991

[Variation of response structures in relation to degree of personal involvement--a methodologic study exemplified by the "Discrimination Devaluation Scale"].

When comparing results from different populations there is an underlying assumption that the response patterns elicited by the instrument used are stabile across the study groups. But it remains an open question whether this assumption is correct or not--especially in the case when the populations are involved to a different degree into the problem which is the object of the investigation. In fact, we are able to show that the dimensional structure of an instrument developed for the evaluation of stigma psychiatric patients are exposed to, varies depending on the degree of personal involvement with psychiatric disorder. This leads us to the conclusion that a quantitative comparison of parameters appears not warranted as long as the dimensional stability of the instrument over the various populations has not been shown.

Adult↗

PubMed1988

Atherogenic risk in men suffering from occupational stress.

Blue-collar workers suffering from chronic occupational stress exhibit significantly higher values of an atherogenic index (ratio between low density and high density lipoprotein cholesterol assessed by quantitative lipoprotein electrophoresis) as compared to men exposed to less stress at work. Chronic occupational stress is defined by interactions of objective (job instability, shift work) and subjective (perceived job insecurity, perceived increase of work load) indicators as assessed by structured interviews. Findings from a prospective epidemiologic study on 416 middle-aged men at entry covering a 2-year period of observation hold true after controlling for several confounding factors such as body weight, age, cigarette smoking and chronic alcohol consumption. Results are in line with experimental animal studies on the influence of chronic social stress on the development of atherosclerosis.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1987

Untreated hypertensives and their quality of life.

Two groups of untreated and treated subjects with persistent manifest or borderline hypertension were identified within a prospective study on cardiovascular risk in 416 middle-aged male blue-collar workers. They were compared with respect to four dimensions of quality of life: physical symptoms, mental alertness, emotional well-being and work performance. Only one symptom (nocturnal sleep disturbances) was significantly less frequent in the untreated group. Whereas short-term benefit from drug refusal seems limited, long-term costs in terms of subclinical end-organ damage are considerable. Echocardiographic findings demonstrated early stages of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in one-third of the subjects with persistent borderline hypertension. Considering the role of LVH in cardiovascular mortality, results suggest that we should reinforce diagnostic and therapeutic activities in subjects with persistent borderline hypertension.

Adult↗

PubMed1982

Towards a cognition - performance model of coronary - prone behavior.

The extent of coronary-prone behavior (CPB) is partially dependent upon specific, contextual characteristics of the work setting. Specific work demands reinforce a style of unrealistic cognitive appraisal which is thought to form a significant part of CPB. In order to test this assumption in a first step, we developed a questionnaire measuring this notion more appropriately than the well known tests of CPB (JAS, Bortner). Preliminary results of an experimental psychophysiologic study on the basis of this instrument are presented.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Fine structure and protein biosynthesis of the rat seminal vesicles under experimental conditions.

The morphology and functional activity of rat seminal vesicles from normal animals were compared to those administered 3 weeks the synthetic ergot alkaloid lisuride hydrogenmaleate (LHM) with or without simultaneous prolactin substitution and to those from rats castrated 3 days previously. The secretory cells in seminal vesicle epithelium of LHM-treated animals showed regressive changes, irrespective to simultaneous prolactin treatment. Castration resulted in a sharp drop of serum testosterone and consequently in a significant decrease in protein biosynthesis of tissue slices. LHM treatment depressed serum prolactin levels, but testosterone levels and protein biosynthesis were in the normal ranges. In LHM-treated, prolactin-substituted animals both the prolactin and testosterone levels were low, but amino acid incorporation of tissue slices was unaltered. The results indicate that the expected changes of prolactin depression on seminal vesicle functions are obscured by the toxic effects of LHM. LHM treatment is therefore inappropriate for the study of prolactin depletion on the functions of the rat seminal vesicle.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Recruitment procedures and their impact on the prevalence of dementia. Results from the Leipzig Longitudinal Study of the Aged (LEILA75+).

Recruitment procedures may exert a considerable influence on the outcome of health surveys in the elderly. Their impact on the prevalence of dementia will be measured in an epidemiological field study in a sample of 1,692 randomly selected individuals (75+). Face-to-face interviews were conducted using SIDAM (structured interview for the diagnosis of dementia of Alzheimer type, multi-infarct dementia and dementias of other etiology according to ICD-10 and DSM-III-R). Furthermore, proxy interviews were performed with relatives of fragile and functionally dependent individuals. Considering face- to-face interviews of community-dwelling individuals, a prevalence of moderate and severe dementia of 5.3% was found. When including information on respondents by proxy and institutionalized individuals, the prevalence rate increased to 6.3 and 10.5%, respectively. It will be argued that covering the whole population in question and ensuring high response rates are central issues to minimize selection bias.

Aged↗