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Biomedical subjects

H Vertommen

Publications and source records attributed to H Vertommen.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Etiopathogenesis of reflex sympathetic dystrophy: a review and biopsychosocial hypothesis.

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) is an enigmatic condition. Many clinicians, however, believe that psychological factors could contribute to the onset and persistence of the syndrome. In this article we critically review the evidence from psychometric and psychodynamic/biographical studies that suggests a role for such factors. An etiopathogenetic hypothesis based on the authors' clinical experience and the foregoing literature also encompasses elements of stress-coping theory, cognitive-behavioral views on chronic pain, and the psychobiological approach to sympathetic nervous system dysfunction. Implications of this model for future psychological research and the therapeutic treatment of RSD are discussed.

Humans↗
PubMed1987

Minuchin's psychosomatic family model revised: a concept-validation study using a multitrait-multimethod approach.

The convergent and discriminant validity of three operationalizations of the psychosomatic family features--enmeshment, rigidity, overprotectiveness, and lack of conflict resolution, as described by Minuchin and colleagues--are tested in families that include patients with eating disorders, especially anorexia nervosa and bulimia. We redefined the family features as dimensions and measured them with two behavioral methods (direct observation and behavioral product) and a self-report method. The two behavioral methods showed convergent as well as discriminant validity for the intensity of intrafamilial boundaries, the degree of the family's adaptability, and the family's way of handling conflicts. The self-report method showed only convergent validity for the latter dimension and discriminant validity for none of them. Besides intrafamilial conflict, the self-report method seemed to measure other constructs. A factor analysis of the family questionnaire indeed yielded three more evaluative constructs: conflict, cohesion, and disorganization. We interpreted these findings according to two usually interwoven mechanisms: the different research context (insider/outsider evaluation) in self-report and behavioral observation, and the different level of specification (micro/global evaluation) of certain operationalizations. We draw some conclusions about the psychosomatic family model and discuss the clinical implications of our findings.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Reliability and validity of the Critical Care Family Needs Inventory in a Dutch-speaking Belgian sample.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to provide psychometric evaluation of the Dutch version of the Critical Care Family Needs Inventory. SETTING: The study took place in an intensive care unit of a university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: The participant group included 200 adult family members visiting a patient within the 72-hour interval after admission to the intensive care unit. RESULTS: Principal factor analysis with varimax rotation resulted in a 5-factor solution distinguishing 5 need types: need for information, need for comfort, need for support, need for assurance and anxiety reduction, and need for proximity and accessibility. The internal consistency of the resulting subscales ranged from 0.80 to 0.62, and all factors were significantly related to each other. The Critical Care Family Needs Inventory subscales were found to be clearly related to the demographic variables age, sex, and education level. CONCLUSION: The reliability and validity of the Dutch-language Critical Care Family Needs Inventory as a diagnostic tool in family needs assessment are supported.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Victimization in chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia in tertiary care: a controlled study on prevalence and characteristics.

The authors studied the prevalence and characteristics of different forms of victimization in 95 patients suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or fibromyalgia (FM) compared with a chronic disease group, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and a matched healthy control group. The authors assessed prevalence rates, nature of victimization (emotional, physical, sexual), life period of occurrence, emotional impact, and relationship with the perpetrator by a self-report questionnaire on burdening experiences. CFS and FM patients showed significantly higher prevalences of emotional neglect and abuse and of physical abuse, with a considerable subgroup experiencing lifelong victimization. The family of origin and the partner were the most frequent perpetrators. With the exception of sexual abuse, victimization was more severely experienced by the CFS/FM group. No differences were found between healthy control subjects or RA/MS patients, and between CFS and FM patients. These findings support etiological hypotheses suggesting a pivotal role for chronic stress in CFS and FM and may have important therapeutic implications.

Adult↗