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Biomedical subjects

N Zdanowicz

Publications and source records attributed to N Zdanowicz.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

[For or against peridural analgesia?: a psychological approach based on the parturient's needs].

The present study investigates why some women, before and during delivering, request peridural analgesia or, on the contrary, refuse it. On the basis of a literature review and of an empiricial study involving 57 women, a psychological differentiation is attempted to discriminate users from non-users of peridural analgesia. Pain perceptions, health locus of control, when internal (IHLC), family and couple adaptability appear to be discriminating factors. Our results indicate a higher chance locus of control (externality) in non-users then in users, as well as a more rigid couple functioning. The incidence of Internal Health Locus of Control of pain perception is outlined.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Overuse of emergency care in psychiatry?

In an open study relating psychiatric emergencies in a general hospital, the authors observe that only in 30% of cases does the reason for emergency referral of patients by their general practitioner involve the concept of danger. In view of the results of this study, it would seem beneficial, if one wishes to reduce the number of psychiatric admissions, to improve the training of general practitioners in general psychiatry and in the treatment of mood disorders in particular.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Adolescence and diagnostics.

The major diagnostic categories (schizophrenia, borderline disorder, depression) are reviewed and the difficulties in applying this "adult" classification to adolescence are noted. The reasons for these are numerous, i.e., history of the discovery of diseases, the similarities in psychodynamic functioning between the pathological and the "normal" in adolescence, and prognosis which varies depending on age. How, then, does one distinguish between the pathological and the normal at this age, and is the concept of crisis at all useful?

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

[Psychiatric complication of organ transplantation].

The authors have reviewed the literature with a view to trying to establish the psychiatric disorders associated with organ transplantation and open up a discussion of the psychodynamics involved. Psychiatric complications fall roughly into 4 categories, namely those specific to the 3 stages of transplantation, i.e. whether the patient is awaiting a transplant, has recently received a transplant or is in the post-transplantation stage, and those associated with the underlying psychopathology of long-term illness.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1995

Clinical trials of antidepressants: the hidden face: where locus of control appears to play a key role in depression outcome.

It remains difficult to determine in what measure improvements observed in clinical trials of anti-depressants may be attributable to the psychological predispositions of the subjects. The present article focuses on the effect of a psychological variable, the Health Locus of Control, which measures the extent of a subject's belief that he is in control over his own health. The hypothesis is that depressed subjects whose locus of control is internal, i.e. who perceive themselves to be in control, rather than external, i.e. control perceived as being in others or just chance, will improve more markedly and consistently on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, across a number of clinical trials. Forty-nine depressive patients undergoing treatment with four different compounds were included, after a week's placebo run-in period, in a classical 42-day follow-up study comprising visits on days -7, 0, 10, 21; and 42. Interactions between the type of locus of control and the clinical course were investigated by MANOVA. Results show that with a classical design of clinical trials of antidepressants, locus of control plays a significant role if it is internal (P < 0.001) in consolidating the improvement process, and that this is true irrespective of type of antidepressant. The relationship between the concept of locus of control and placebo effect is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

From health locus of control to immune control: internal locus of control has a buffering effect on natural killer cell activity decrease in major depression.

Decreased immunity in depressive as compared with control subjects has been well documented, although some depressed patients have severe alterations whereas others have milder ones or not at all. Since for equal severities of depression, there may be individual differences in the degree of perceived control over one's condition, we investigated the interaction of perceived control with immunological variations. Immune function (T and B lymphocytes, lymphocyte proliferation and natural killer cell activity (NKCA)) were evaluated in 34 adult major depressives and in 18 healthy controls. Lymphocyte proliferation did not differ between the two groups, but NKCA was significantly lower in the depressed patient group. Among the depressed subjects, those who experienced less subjective control also showed significantly lower NKCA. An internal locus of control appears to act as a buffer against the decrease in cellular immunity observed in major depression. Further studies should focus on methods of coping and on degree of perceived control rather than on diagnostic and nosographic variables alone.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Locus of control and metabolic control.

Previous studies designed to establish in diabetic patients the relationship between metabolic control and locus of control are controversial. The aim of the present study was to find answers to the following questions: is there a link between an internal locus of control and improved metabolic control? Is this true for type I and type II diabetic subjects? Is this improved metabolic control linked directly, or even indirectly, with the locus of control by types of behaviour, such as for example a greater desire for information concerning the disease (knowledge) and closer adherence to doctors' recommendations (compliance)? Sixty-one patients (36 type I and 25 type II) on insulin therapy were compared according to the type of their locus of control using two different questionnaires (Rotter and Wallston). The extent of their knowledge about diabetes was also assessed; self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) was considered to be a measure of compliance, while the HbA1 level was considered to be an indicator of metabolic control. The study compared the influence of the type of locus of control on the various parameters. The results indicate that, irrespective of the questionnaire, type I "internals" exhibited better metabolic control (p < 0.05) than type I "externals", even with a lower level of knowledge of diabetes (p < 0.01) and less frequent SMBG (p < 0.05). However, the benefits of internality as regards metabolic control were not as great when this internality was extreme.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1995

[Locus of control and process of "pseudo-internality" in an alcoholic patient].

In clinical practice with alcoholics we frequently encounter a phenomenon whereby the subject claims he is able to cope with a situation, whereas in reality he cannot. This discrepancy between the claimed and the actual capacity for "control" led us to devise a study which would permit a better understanding of the phenomenon. We gave patients two questionnaires which deal with the concept of control. Comparison of the MHLC (Multidimensional Health Locus of Control, Wallston, 1978; a questionnaire which investigates the subjective degree of control in relation to health) and the GEFT (Group Embedded Figures Test, Witkin, 1971; a questionnaire which focuses more on actual behaviour and field-dependency) allowed us to test the hypothesis that alcoholics have a "pseudointernal" locus of control, that although, in what they say, they evince a strongly internal subjective locus of controls, in reality they are particularly external and dependent. The data confirm that the tendency towards an "internal" selfportrayal on the MHLC which is not backed up by the GEFT is significantly higher in alcoholics than in nonalcoholic subjects. Thus, all in all, this supports the hypothesis of a "pseudointernality" syndrome in alcoholics.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Adolescent health.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The adolescent in general psychiatry].

Ever since the works of anti-psychiatry and the bringing out of the danger of trying to master the adolescent, we have been made aware of a certain iatrogenic pathology. What is less known are the identification risks which exist between the young patient and the mentally-ill person. This identification can be imaginary, but it always runs the risk of becoming symbolic and opening up the way to chronification. So it would seem to us to be important to promote a special setting for adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The adolescent and the asylum].

For reasons often multiple, it can happen that the adolescent finds himself/herself hospitalised in an asylum. Ever since Pinel, the asylum strives if not towards curing at least towards resocialization. This resocialization is carried out in a very particular way: Desire Orthopaedics. Such orthopaedics is responsible for chronification and only through a listening process could it be curative.

Adolescent↗