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Biomedical subjects

M D Griffiths

Publications and source records attributed to M D Griffiths.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

The exercise addiction inventory: a quick and easy screening tool for health practitioners.

BACKGROUND: Exercise addiction is not routinely screened for probably because available instruments take a long time to administer, their scoring may be complicated, and their interpretation is not always obvious. A new psychometric instrument has been developed that is capable of identifying people affected by, or at risk of, exercise addiction: the exercise addiction inventory (EAI). A preliminary report showed the EAI had good reliability and validity. OBJECTIVES: To test further the EAI's psychometric properties and show that it would be quick and simple to administer by general practitioners. METHODS: A sample of 200 habitual exercisers were given the EAI and two existing exercise addiction scales (obligatory exercise questionnaire; exercise dependence scale). Two weeks later, another sample of 79 exercisers were administered the EAI to determine the test-retest reliability of the questionnaire. RESULTS: The original data from the preliminary report were reanalysed to determine the split half correlation of the EAI. This was found to be 0.84 (Guttman split-half coefficient). A correlation between weekly frequency of exercising and EAI scores was also determined, and it was found that the two variables shared 29% of the variance (r2 = 0.29). The test-retest reliability of the scale was found to be very good (0.85). CONCLUSIONS: The EAI is a valid and reliable tool which would be capable of helping general practitioners to quickly and easily identify people affected by, or at risk of, exercise addiction.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Online computer gaming: a comparison of adolescent and adult gamers.

Despite the growing popularity of online game playing, there have been no surveys comparing adolescent and adult players. Therefore, an online questionnaire survey was used to examine various factors of online computer game players (n = 540) who played the most popular online game Everquest. The survey examined basic demographic information, playing frequency (i.e. amount of time spent playing the game a week), playing history (i.e. how long they had been playing the game, who they played the game with, whether they had ever gender swapped their game character, the favourite and least favourite aspects of playing the game, and what they sacrifice (if anything) to play the game. Results showed that adolescent gamers were significantly more likely to be male, significantly less likely to gender swap their characters, and significantly more likely to sacrifice their education or work. In relation to favourite aspects of game play, the biggest difference between the groups was that significantly more adolescents than adults claimed their favourite aspect of playing was violence. Results also showed that in general, the younger the player, the longer they spent each week playing.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

The acquisition, development and maintenance of lottery and scratchcard gambling in adolescence.

The U.K. National Lottery and instant scratchcards are now well established yet there is still little empirical research on the players. This study was an exploratory investigation of the psychosocial effects of these forms of gambling among adolescents (n=1195; aged 11- to 15-years-old). Using a questionnaire, it was shown that large numbers of adolescents were taking part in these activities. There was a significant link between parental and child gambling with most lottery tickets and scratchcards being bought for the adolescents by their parents. Results showed that many adolescents thought they would win lots of money on these activities and that these activities were in general not perceived to be forms of gambling. Six per cent of adolescents fulfiled the DSM-IV-J criteria for pathological gambling, the majority of which were males.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Dependence on computer games by adolescents.

As computer game playing is a popular activity among adolescents, a questionnaire study was undertaken with 387 adolescents (12-16 years of age) to establish their "dependence" using a scale adapted from the DSM-III-R criteria for pathological gambling. Analysis indicated that one in five adolescents were currently "dependent" upon computer games. Boys played significantly more regularly than girls and were more likely to be classified as "dependent." The earlier children began playing computer games it appeared the more likely they were to be playing at "dependent" levels. These and other results are discussed in relation to research on other gaming dependencies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

A caecal diaphragm in cystic fibrosis.

A right iliac fossa mass may be a difficult diagnostic problem in a patient with cystic fibrosis. We present a patient with such a mass who was thought to have a non-obstructing intussusception on clinical and radiological grounds. However, at laparotomy she was found to have a pathology not previously described in cystic fibrosis. She had a partial diaphragm almost blocking the lumen to her appendix. The differential diagnosis of a right iliac fossa mass is considered and the cause of her pathology discussed.

Abdominal Pain↗
PubMed1992

Fetal vesicoureteral reflux: outcome following conservative postnatal management.

Of 222 infants with a urinary tract abnormality detected antenatally 30 male and 9 female patients (64 renal units) were found to have primary vesicoureteral reflux. Grade of reflux was predominantly severe, with grade III or higher noted in 83% of the patients. Prenatal and postnatal ultrasound failed to detect any abnormality in 29 refluxing units (45%) discovered contralateral to the known abnormal system, although 19 had grade III or higher reflux. Of the 64 refluxing units 8 underwent primary ureteral reimplantation, 12 were lost to followup and 44 were managed conservatively for a mean of 3.3 years. Reflux ceased in 61% of the cases, improved in 14% and remained unchanged in 23%. In only 1 unit did the grade of reflux increase. Documented urinary tract infection occurred in 6 of the 39 reflux patients. Dimercaptosuccinic acid renography performed in 21 infection-free patients demonstrated global reduction in renal parenchyma in 4 units, focal parenchymal defects in 3 and normal function in 14. Conservative postnatal management of fetal vesicoureteral reflux is justified. Global and focal parenchymal changes can occur in the kidneys of infants with reflux despite the absence of urinary tract infection.

Child↗
PubMed1992

Pinball wizard: the case of a pinball machine addict.

This is a description of a young man who is addicted to playing pinball machines. The subject's playing history and playing pathology are outlined using an adapted version of the DSM-III-R criteria for pathological gambling. Such an adaptation of these criteria is proposed as beneficial in monitoring and recording objective measures of all gaming-machine addictions.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Amusement machine playing in childhood and adolescence: a comparative analysis of video games and fruit machines.

The introduction of video games has met with mixed reviews. In the US, an ongoing debate focusing on the potential problems of video game playing has been taken up by parents, politicians and social scientists. A number of the concerns that have been raised about the playing of video games in the US are very similar to the concerns raised about the playing of fruit machines (slot machines) in the UK. This paper attempts to put the on-going US and UK amusement machine debates into an empirical perspective and attempts a comparative analysis of video games and fruit machines by examining: incidence of play, sex differences and psychological characteristics of machine players, observational findings in arcade setting, the alleged negative consequences of amusement machine playing (i.e. increased aggression and addiction), and an appraisal of amusement machines' positive aspects. Future directions and an expanded version of Brown's (1989) developmental model of a pathology of man-machine relationships are also discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Ideational conditioning: bridging the cognitive-behaviourist divide.

Classical conditioning has traditionally been referred to as a 'dumb form of learning'; however, psychological activity can be redefined in terms of the conditioned reflex by considering other more complex forms of conditioning, i.e., configural or semantic conditioning. In this paper it is argued that conditioning may underpin both human perception and consciousness and previous experiments involving perceptual conditioning are outlined. Recent experiments which involve a new paradigm of ideational conditioning have shown that cognitions can play a part in conditioning processes. It is shown here that ideational conditioning demonstrates unequivocally that thoughts alone are adequate stimuli for acquisition of behavioural responses and that these experiments may help to bridge the cognitive-behaviourist divide.

Arousal↗
PubMed1983

Virilizing adrenal adenoma in a 2-year-old girl.

A 2-year-old girl with virilization had an adrenal tumor that produced testosterone with little evidence of excessive urinary androgen excretion. Plasma testosterone concentration was 407 ng/dL and urinary 17-ketosteroid (17KS) levels were 3 and 2 mg/day. Excretion of 17KS decreased to 1.8 mg/day after suppression of dexamethasone therapy, but urinary 17-hydroxycorticosteroid excretion did not change from 1.0 to 0.7 mg/day after administration of dexamethasone. She had a blunted response to administration of metyrapone and insulin and a small diurnal variation in cortisol concentration suggesting suppression of corticotropin secretion, even though the plasma cortisol concentration was in the normal range and there were no clinical signs of cortisol excess. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to analyze the steroid content of tumor tissue. Those portions of the tumor that were rich in steroids contained predominantly testosterone.

Adenoma↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The effect of type A personality on physiological arousal while playing computer games.

Despite the widespread use of computer games, there is a lack of systematic research in the area--particularly on their "addictiveness" potential. Anecdotal evidence suggests that computer game addiction may be due to arousal properties of computer games, although other factors may be important. This study examined the relationship between Type A personality and arousal in computer-game play. It was hypothesised that, during computer-game play, Type A and Type B subjects would have significantly higher heart rates as compared with baseline levels and that Type A subjects would experience a significantly greater increase in arousal when playing a computer game than Type B subjects. These hypotheses were both supported and the results are discussed in relation to arousal, personality, and addiction.

Adult↗