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Biomedical subjects

M E Dewey

Publications and source records attributed to M E Dewey.

69 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

The Geriatric Mental State (GMS) used in the community: replication studies of the computerized diagnosis AGECAT.

Three studies are reported using the Geriatric Mental State in one of its community forms on a total of 647 subjects aged over 65 and living in their own homes. The concordance between the computer diagnosis AGECAT and psychiatrists' diagnosis is at least as good in these replication samples as in the original studies (Copeland et al. 1986). AGECAT has been shown to be useful for epidemiological surveys and as a diagnostic guide for non-medical interviewers.

Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted↗
PubMed1988

The Geriatric Mental State Examination as a case-finding instrument in the community.

The Geriatric Mental State Examination (GMS), a standardised psychiatric interview, and its computerised diagnostic system, AGECAT, have been applied to a large (1070) sample of subjects aged over 65 in Liverpool. In a split-half study of this sample, diagnostic scales within the GMS and a diagnostic index derived from them were tested for efficacy in cases of organic and early organic illness (mostly various stages of dementia) and depressive illness. Results demonstrated high levels of sensitivity and specificity, and positive predictive values were within the expected range when applied to these disorders, given their low prevalence in the community. The GMS, when used in this way, is a flexible and effective case-finding instrument.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Attitudes of health professionals to child sexual abuse and incest.

While there has been increasing interest in the topic of child sexual abuse, few studies have focused on attitudes or the determinants of such attitudes held by professionals. To what extent concern is based on stereotyping or factual knowledge is not clear. The present study uses a combination of experimental and survey methodologies to address these issues. Sample case histories were issued to subjects who were then asked to complete a questionnaire on topics relating to the case and to incest in general. Results showed that the type of sexual activity involved influenced responses; type of relationship between adult and child, less so. Estimates of incest were low, but incest was considered, especially by female respondents, to be harmful to the victim.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

The role of brief instructions and suggestibility in the elicitation of auditory and visual hallucinations in normal and psychiatric subjects.

The present study is an investigation of the elicitation of auditory and visual hallucinations by brief instructions and the relationship of the report of hallucinatory-type experiences to standard measures of suggestibility. Two experiments were carried out. The first used normal subjects predisposed or not predisposed to hallucinate, as assessed by the Launay-Slade Hallucination Scale (LSHS-A). The second used hallucinating and nonhallucinating psychiatric patients. The high LSHS-A scorers and the hallucinating psychiatric patients were significantly more likely to hear suggested sounds than were their respective controls. High LSHS-A scorers were also significantly more likely to see suggested objects than were their respective controls, although this finding was not replicated in the psychiatric subjects. No significant differences on measures of suggestibility were found between the groups, although in the psychiatric group Barber Test Suggestion and Subjective Involvement scores correlated positively with LSHS-A scores.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Tics and heredity. A study of the relatives of child tiqueurs.

The limited literature on the pedigrees of tiqueurs, including those with Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome, is reviewed. Most statistical analyses have been restricted to affected family members without specifying the unaffected ones. The present statistical analysis of a series of child tiqueurs, including 91 probands and 1293 first- and second-degree relatives, 46 of whom were tiqueurs, predicts the odds on being a tiqueur for individuals, and establishes how those odds are affected by certain explanatory variables using log-linear models. The data do not confirm a familial pattern beyond reasonable doubt, but if the suggested prevalence of tics in the population is 10% then the figure for parents is large enough to support a familial hypothesis. The pedigrees do not indicate a simple mode of genetic transmission. Further research is needed to confirm that there is a connection between childhood tics and Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome, to establish that the predisposition to tics is familial, and, if so, whether there is a complex genetic mechanism involved, or some other environmental aetiology so far undisclosed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Range of mental illness among the elderly in the community. Prevalence in Liverpool using the GMS-AGECAT package.

A sample of 1070 elderly persons aged over 65 living in the Liverpool community was interviewed using the community version of the Geriatric Mental State (GMS) and the findings processed to provide a computerised diagnosis by AGECAT. Levels of organic disorder, probably dementia, reached 5.2%, intermediate between those of London and New York derived from previous studies. Levels for depressive illness overall were below those of other studies at 11.3% while levels for neurotic disorder were much the same at 2.4%. The rise in the prevalence of dementia with age was further confirmed. The GMS AGECAT Package provides a method for standardising both the collection of data and the diagnostic process for comparative epidemiological studies and other research.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Is there more dementia, depression and neurosis in New York? A comparative study of the elderly in New York and London using the computer diagnosis AGECAT.

A computerised diagnosis, AGECAT, is applied to data from random community samples of the elderly in New York and London in order to examine the prevalence of mental illness in the two cities, especially the result reported from the same study, using a different diagnostic procedure, that the proportion of dementia was higher in New York. The greater proportion of dementia in New York is confirmed for all AGECAT's levels of diagnostic confidence, for both sexes and at all half-decades over 65 years. Provided that this difference is upheld and genetic differences can be discounted, these findings would seem to support a contributory environmental cause for dementia. Proportions of depression as a whole are similar in both cities. Syndrome case and sub-case levels of neurotic disorder are generally higher in London.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Treatment and follow-up variables discriminating abstainers, controlled drinkers and relapsers.

A group of behaviorally treated abstainers, controlled drinkers and relapsers who had been followed up for a minimum of 1 year were compared on eight treatment and 11 posttreatment variables. Discriminating characteristics of abstainers were their goal of abstinence at discharge and length of attendance at aftercare facilities. Controlled drinkers had a goal of controlled drinking and were most likely to have had controlled drinking training during treatment. Relapsers were most likely to have been discharged from treatment prematurely, to receive further treatment and to use psychotropic medication. No controlled drinkers attended Alcoholics Anonymous or received residential care during follow-up in contrast to a small proportion of abstainers and relapsers who did. Some aspects of the drinking behavior of controlled drinkers and relapsers were also studied. Controlled drinkers were more likely to have a period of initial abstinence and for a longer period of time. Of the controlled drinkers, 66% drank at least once per week and 86% set themselves drinking limits; average consumption of alcohol was 48 and 32 g/day by men and women, respectively. The majority of controlled drinkers changed their preferred beverage and their social and physical drinking environment after treatment in accordance with therapeutic advice.

Aftercare↗
PubMed1986

A computerized psychiatric diagnostic system and case nomenclature for elderly subjects: GMS and AGECAT.

The Geriatric Mental State and a new computerized diagnostic system, AGECAT, are briefly described. A nomenclature for designating cases for epidemiological work is introduced. Concordance between AGECAT and psychiatrists' diagnoses for these studies, hospital and community based (total of 541 subjects), achieved overall kappa values of 0.84 for a psychiatric hospital sample and 0.74 for a community sample. The values for depression and organic illness specifically in these settings were psychiatric hospital 0.80/0.86, and community 0.80/0.88, respectively.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Predictors of outcome type in treated problem drinkers.

Fifty successful controlled drinkers, 45 abstainers and 44 relapsers who had been followed up intensively for a minimum of 1 year were compared on 32 pretreatment variables in an attempt to isolate those which would be predictors of outcome type. Treatment was behaviorally oriented, and all subjects except for those with liver damage were left to make their own choice of treatment goal. The results showed that the best predictors of abstinence were: previous contact with Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.); medium period of previous abstinence; having been initiated to seek help by a specialist; having been a periodic drinker, and drinking exclusively alone or socially. Controlled drinkers were more likely to be continuous drinkers, were not likely to have attended A.A. or to have abstained for a significant period of time, were likely to have relatives with a drinking problem, to have been motivated to seek help by a friend or a relative and to be less discriminating about the social drinking environment. Relapsers were more likely to be unemployed, to have a history of A.A. attendance and to have had a short period of previous abstinence. They were most likely to have liver damage and therefore advised to abstain. The results were interpreted as suggesting that outcome is likely to be influenced by the subjects' cognitions, by past behavioral expectations and experience of abstinence, as well as having the freedom of a choice of goals for recovery.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Coefficients of agreement.

Several coefficients have been suggested for the measurement of agreement between raters. Recently Maxwell (1977) has proposed, and Janes (1979) has extended, a new coefficient, which they have termed the random error coefficient (RE). This paper criticizes their proposal and suggests that Cohen's (1960) coefficient kappa (K) is still the measure of choice.

Humans↗
PubMed1981

Visual communication and the content and style of conversation.

Previous research suggests that visual communication plays a number of important roles in social interaction. In particular, it appears to influence the content of what people say in discussions, the style of their speech, and the outcomes they reach. However, the findings are based exclusively on comparisons between face-to-face conversations and audio conversations, in which subjects sit in separate rooms and speak over a microphone-headphone intercom which precludes visual communication. Interpretation is difficult, because visual communication is confounded with physical presence, which itself makes available certain cues denied to audio subjects. The purpose of this paper is to report two experiments in which the variables were separated and content and style were re-examined. The first made use of blind subjects, and again compared the face-to-face and audio conditions. The second returned to sighted subjects, and examined four experimental conditions: face-to-face; audio; a curtain condition in which subjects sat in the same room but without visual communication; and a video condition in which they sat in separate rooms and communicated over a television link. Neither visual communication nor physical presence proved to be critical variable. Instead, the two sources of cues combined, such that content and style were influenced by the aggregate of available cues. The more cueless the settings, the more task-oriented, depersonalized and unspontaneous the conversation. The findings also suggested that the primary effect of cuelessness is to influence verbal content, and that its influence on both style and outcome occurs indirectly, through the mediation of content.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Development of a novel scale to assess life fulfillment as part of the further refinement of a quality-of-life model for epilepsy.

We have been involved in developing a health-related quality-of-life model for use as an outcome measure in epilepsy. As part of the further development of this model, we have developed a measure of life fulfillment. This scale is based on methods previously described by Krupinski in 1980. The value of Krupinski's approach is the opportunity for patients to weight the numerous aspects of their quality of life and assess the discrepancy between their actual and desired circumstances. The life fulfillment scale has been shown to be reliable (alpha = 0.7) and valid. The scale is currently being applied to several clinical studies in epilepsy. We believe that the scale provides a valuable contribution to our health-related quality-of-life model.

Adolescent↗