Biomedical subjects

M J van Son

Publications and source records attributed to M J van Son.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Thyroid peroxidase antibodies during gestation are a marker for subsequent depression postpartum.

OBJECTIVE: Depression is not adequately diagnosed in many cases. Therefore, the question arises as to whether markers exist for depression. We investigated whether the presence of thyroperoxidase antibodies (TPOAbs) during pregnancy can be regarded as a marker for depression in the first year postpartum, particularly in relation to (overt or subclinical) thyroid dysfunction and other determinants of depression. DESIGN: This work was a prospective observational study. PATIENTS: A cohort of 310 unselected women (residing in the Kempen Region, southeastern Netherlands) were visited at 12 and 32 weeks gestation and at 4, 12, 20, 28 and 36 weeks postpartum. METHODS: At each visit, TSH, free thyroxine and TPOAb testing was performed, determinants associated with depression were asked for, and depression was assessed (according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria). Multiple logistic regression was performed to determine independent risk factors (odds ratios, ORs) for depression in gestation and/or postpartum depression. RESULTS: Data for 291 women were available for analysis; 41 women (14.1%) had TPOAbs at one or more time points, and 117 women (40.1%) had depression at one or more time points postpartum. The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that TPOAbs were independently associated with depression at 12 weeks gestation and at 4 and 12 weeks postpartum (OR, 95% confidence interval: 2.4 (1.1-6.0), 3.8 (1.3-7.3) and 3.6 (1.2-7.1) respectively). After the exclusion of women who were depressed at 12 weeks gestation (n=70), the presence of TPOAbs during early pregnancy was still found to be associated with the development of postpartum depression (OR, 95% confidence interval: 2.8 (1.7-4.5); after exclusion of women who had had depression in earlier life (n=51), TPOAb during early gestation was still associated with postpartum depression (OR, 95% confidence interval: 2.9 (1.8-4.3). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of TPOAbs during gestation is associated with the occurrence of subsequent depression during the postpartum period and as such can be regarded as a marker for depression.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Are autoimmune thyroid dysfunction and depression related?

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between autoimmune thyroid disease and depression in perimenopausal women. Thyroid function [TSH, free T4, and thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO-Ab)] and depression (using the Edinburgh Depression Scale) were assessed cross-sectionally together with other determinants of depression. The subjects were 583 randomly selected perimenopausal women (aged 47-54 yr) from a community cohort of 6846 women. The main outcome measures were the occurrence of thyroid dysfunction (abnormal free T4 and/or TSH or elevated levels of TPO-Ab) and the concomitant presence of depression according to the Edinburgh Depression Scale. Neither biochemical thyroid dysfunction nor menopausal status was related to depression. Apart from several psycho-social determinants (the occurrence of a major life event, a previous episode of depression, or financial problems), an elevated level of TPO-Ab (> or = 100 U/mL) was significantly associated with depression (odds ratio, 3.0, 95% confidence interval, 1.3-6.8). We conclude that women with elevated TPO-Ab levels are especially vulnerable to depression, whereas postmenopausal status does not increase the risk of depression.

Autoantibodies↗

PubMed1996

Expressed emotion and the prediction of outcome in adolescent eating disorders.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines whether parental Expressed Emotion (EE) ratings, based on the Camberwell Family Interview (CFI), are predictive of the course of illness in a sample of Dutch families with an adolescent eating disorder patient. Levels of EE at first assessment and at the termination of treatment are reported. METHOD: The study was designed as a prospective follow-up study and involved 49 adolescent eating disorder patients (DSM-III-R) and their parents. Patient and family assessments were conducted at intake (T1), at the termination of treatment (T2), and at follow-up (T3) 1 year later. The Morgan-Russell Outcome Assessment Schedule, which was adjusted to accommodate bulimics, yielded the average outcome score (AOS) which served as our outcome measure. RESULTS: The levels of parental EE at first assessment were low. During the treatment period the levels decreased further. We used a stepwise multiple regression analysis, with the parental EE variables as independent variables, to predict the AOS at T2 and T3. This way we showed that the mothers' Critical Comments (CC) rating explained 28 to 34% of the outcome variance. The mothers' CC rating was also the best predictor of outcome when compared to other possible predictor variables. DISCUSSION: The results underscore the importance of involving the family in the treatment of adolescent eating disorders. Specific attention should be given to the mother's thoughts, feelings, and behavior concerning her ill daughter. Helping the mother and daughter to differentiate and separate through a constructive noncritical approach to the presenting problems may be a crucial factor in breaking through the perpetuating cycle of criticism and illness.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Relapse rate and subsequent parental reaction after successful treatment of children suffering from nocturnal enuresis: a 2 1/2 year follow-up of bibliotherapy.

Results 2 1/2 years after an enuresis nocturna training are presented, including rate of success, percentage and duration of relapse for 113 children (mean age 11.6 year at the start of the training). The bibliotherapeutic treatment by parents did not require any intervention by a professional. Behaviour of parents in the event of a relapse differed between training conditions. Children in the Arousal condition recovered faster from a relapse, 90% of their parents used the Arousal training again at relapse or did not intervene at all and none of them consulted a professional. Clearly they had confidence in the method of Arousal training: combining the alarm device with reinforcement for correct behaviour at the time the alarm goes off. Parents in control conditions did not use the alarm device as often as the parents in the Arousal condition, but tried other means with less success, including consulting professionals.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Performance anxiety among professional musicians in symphonic orchestras: a self-report study.

155 of 650 professional musicians playing symphonic orchestras in The Netherlands completed a self-report questionnaire concerning performance anxiety. 91 of the 155 respondents reported experiencing or having experienced performance anxiety seriously enough to affect their professional or personal lives. There appeared to be no difference in prevalence between men and women. Substantial percentages of the anxious musicians reported considerable anticipation anxiety days (36%), weeks (10%), or even months (5%) prior to a performance. The results indicate that performance anxiety is a significant professional problem. It is suggested that teaching explicit coping strategies should be incorporated in the curricula of schools of music.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1993

Arousal training for children suffering from nocturnal enuresis: a 2 1/2 year follow-up.

Arousal Training is a fast, simple, and effective form of bibliotherapy for nocturnal enuresis with non-clinical children between 6 and 12 years of age. The parents act as therapists. They reward the operant behavior-pattern following the urine alarm. The success rate is 98% (N = 41), which is significantly high when compared to the control conditions (79%, N = 86). There was a response rate of 100% and no drop-out from therapy. All parents (N = 127) completed and returned the record. The results of a follow-up of this bibliotherapy (N = 113) 2 1/2 years later are presented. The success rate of Arousal Training was still significantly higher (92% continent) when compared to the urine device with specific instructions (77%) and urine alarm only (72%). Arousal Training is the treatment of choice for non-clinical enuretic children between 6 and 12 years of age.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1993

The validity of the Five-Minute Speech Sample as an index of Expressed Emotion in parents of eating disorder patients.

This article examines the concurrent validity of the Five-Minute Speech Sample (FMSS) as an index of Expressed Emotion in a Dutch sample of 84 parents of adolescents suffering from anorexia or bulimia nervosa. The Camberwell Family Interview (CFI), the criterion measure of EE, and the FMSS were conducted on the same day. The levels of Expressed Emotion in these families were low when compared with the EE ratings from the schizophrenia studies. The FMSS and CFI-EE ratings showed a limited degree of overlap. Whether the limited association between the two methods is due to the low levels of criticism in our sample, to cultural differences and/or to differences in the psychopathology under study remains unclear.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1992

Characteristics of the Edinburgh Post Natal Depression Scale in The Netherlands.

The Edinburgh Post Natal Depression Scale (EPDS), a 10-item self-rating depression scale, was translated into Dutch and compared in 293 postpartum women with other self-rating scales commonly in use in The Netherlands. In addition the structure of EPDS was analyzed by various factor analyses to reveal some of its dimensional aspects. The Dutch version of EPDS was found to be a self-rating scale with good psychometric characteristics which measures what it claims to measure: the strength of depressive symptoms. With LISREL a 2-factor model could be distinguished which contained subscales reflecting depressive symptoms and cognitive anxiety.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Predicting symptoms of depression from reports of early parenting: a one-year prospective study in a community sample.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether (reported) parental over involvement and lack of affection identify initially healthy subjects at risk for depression. One thousand subjects from the province of Utrecht, the Netherlands were randomly selected by using telephone addresses and asked to participate in a one-year prospective study on psychological risk factors of depression. From the 108 subjects that finally participated on both occasions, the reports of parental upbringing (Parental Bonding Instrument) of initially non-depressed subjects with a Zung Self-rating Depression Scale score below 49 points were used to predict new cases of depression one year later. Initially non-depressed subjects who reported maternal over involvement in the upper quartile of the distribution had an 8.5-fold increased risk (95% confidence interval 0.9 to 80.6) of becoming depressed one year later. Although initial reports of low paternal affection were positively associated with initial symptoms of depression, this characteristic failed to show predictive value. Parental upbringing deficiencies have frequently been shown in cross-sectional inpatient studies in which retrospective retrieval from memory because of depressive state characteristics may have caused negative colouring. Our results would suggest that maternal over involvement reported in the absence of a depressed mood still proves to be an important psychological risk factor in the aetiology of depression.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

The effectiveness of Dry Bed Training for nocturnal enuresis in adults.

Nine enuretic adults were successfully treated by the Dry Bed Training in a fairly short time (means = 15 weeks) including the retraining period for 3 Ss who relapsed after the therapy. There were no differences between primary and secondary (nocturnal) enuretics. The few relapses were neutralized by a short retraining. The study shows that this minimal intervention treatment is effective and efficient.

Adult↗