Biomedical subjects

Peter Fiedler

Publications and source records attributed to Peter Fiedler.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

IREL - A psychometric instrument for measuring life themes.

BACKGROUND: Although biographical narratives and work involving the meaning of biographical episodes is a central focus in any psychotherapy, there remains a lack of psychometric instruments for measuring the autobiographical construction as such. We will be presenting a theoretical model of an autobiographical construction of life themes and the Interview of Retrospective Exploration of Life themes (IREL) will be used as the basis of a psychometric instrument. The IREL takes about 90-120 min. The interrater reliability and test-retest reliability will be examined. METHODS: Two samples of 21 and 23 mentally healthy subjects were recruited. In addition to the IREL, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and SCID were also used to control for psychopathological status and depressive mood. RESULTS: According to our data, biographical events can be explored objectively and reliably using the IREL. Minor test-retest variability of the affective valence of life themes is not state-dependent. CONCLUSIONS: Setting aside limitations due to the small sample sizes, the results suggest that the proposed interview is an objective and reliable instrument for measuring central issues within the subjective biographical construction (life themes).

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Stroop performance in depressive patients: a preliminary report.

BACKGROUND: The Stroop interference test requires executive control functions, in particular inhibition of a learned routine (in this case word reading). Depressive patients show deficits on tests of executive function. However, the impact of confounding variables like type of depression and anxiety level is not yet elucidated for depressive patients. This is of clinical importance, since executive functions seem to play an important role in predicting treatment response and functional outcome. METHODS: 23 depressive patients and 27 healthy subjects performed a computerized mixed trial Stroop task. Depressive patients were divided according to DSM-IV diagnosis into melancholic and non-melancholic subgroups. Furthermore the level of anxiety was assessed in all subjects. RESULTS: When depressed patients were analyzed as a whole group, they showed only a trend towards higher Stroop interference effect at the beginning of the task. When analysis was performed using according to DSM-IV defined melancholic and non-melancholic subgroups, only non-melancholic patients were impaired in the Stroop task compared to melancholic patients and healthy subjects. LIMITATIONS: The sample size was small resulting in low statistical power. Furthermore, the patients were medicated. CONCLUSIONS: The unexpected result that melancholic patients perform better than non-melancholic ones may be due to their more pronounced rigidity, which makes them more resistant against distraction. Hence, more detailed psychopathological assessment is desirable for future investigations in executive functions of melancholic patients.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

[The exploration of the depressive personality disorder].

Lately the concept of the depressive personality disorder has been regarded more often again in the context of chronic and subthreshold forms of depression. The purpose of the present study was the psychometric evaluation of a German version of the "Depressive Personality Disorder Inventory" (DPDI), which is a questionnaire for the exploration of the depressive personality disorder. A total of 138 depressive patients and controls were included in the study. The inter-rater-reliability as well as the internal consistency and the test-retest-reliability of the DPDI revealed satisfactory and good results. A short version of the DPDI was developed by means of a factor analysis. Medium correlations were found between the DPDI and two interviews for the depressive personality disorder. These results are discussed and it is concluded that the DPDI as well as its short version are reliable, valid and economic self-rating instruments for the exploration of the depressive personality disorder.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Dimensions of the Typus melancholicus personality type.

The Typus melancholicus personality type (TMP) is characterised by orderliness, conscientiousness and interpersonal dependence. Several standardised instruments have been developed for the assessment of the Typus melancholicus personality. To date there has been no systematic comparison of these instruments and in particular it has been unclear whether TMP represents a single trait or a personality trait constellation. The aim of this study was the comparison of four TMP questionnaires and the investigation of the dimensionality of the personality as revealed by these questionnaires. The factorial validity of four TMP questionnaires was examined based on a sample of n = 264 psychiatric inpatients and normal controls. In a factor analysis of the items of the TMP questionnaires, four dimensions could be differentiated: Dependence, Intolerance of Ambiguity, Norm-Orientation, and Perfectionism. Psychometric evaluation showed good values for the individual items and the new TMP scales. The four subscales had a differential correlation profile in relation to the dimensions of the five-factor model of personality. The TMP scales could distinguish a group of depressed patients from a group of normal controls. The results show that TMP personality is not a single trait but consists of four related but separate traits. These can be clearly distinguished from those of the five-factor model of personality. The analysis of the TM concept therefore also represents a theoretical perspective for the integration of the personality characteristics which are relevant for depression. Based on this analysis, we constructed a multidimensional TMP inventory which forms the basis for the investigation of the effect of TM personality on clinical outcome and on psychotherapeutic treatment.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Prefrontal-cingulate activation during executive control: which comes first?

The Stroop test requires executive control functions, in particular inhibition of a learned routine (in this case, word reading). The spatiotemporal analysis of brain activation during Stroop task execution was performed in 16 healthy subjects using high-density event-related potentials (ERPs) and dipole source modeling (BESA software). Scalp ERP analysis revealed the neurophysiological substrate of the interference effect: first, a greater negativity in the incongruent as compared to the congruent and neutral conditions was found between 350 and 450 ms poststimulus over left frontocentral scalp regions. Source analysis of the difference wave (incongruent-congruent) indicated that a generator localized in left prefrontal cortex (PFC) contributed to this effect. Second, immediately after the first effect, a greater positivity in the incongruent as compared to the congruent and neutral conditions developed between 450 and 550 ms poststimulus over midline frontocentral scalp regions. A generator of this effect was located in right anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). ACC activation seems to follow the activation of PFC with some overlap between the two components. Possible interpretation of this finding is that PFC signals ACC when executive control is required and ACC implements the control.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Expressed emotion in relatives of first-episode and chronic patients with schizophrenia and major depressive disorder-a comparison.

Relatives of first-episode and chronic schizophrenic and depressed patients were examined with respect to their expressed emotion (EE) status. The two aims of the study were to (1) investigate whether relatives of first-episode patients differed from family members of chronic patients, and (2) whether EE indices of relatives of schizophrenic patients were comparable to those of depressed subjects. Twenty patients of each diagnostic group (DSM-III-R and DSM-IV) were included, i.e. a total of 80 patients. The EE status of key relatives was assessed with the Five-Minute Speech Sample on the basis of critical comments and emotional overinvolvement. Additionally, the new criterion 'covert criticism' was applied to detect indirect expressions of critique. Relatives of first-episode and chronic patients of both diagnostic groups did not differ significantly regarding their EE status; in first-episode patients, 52.5% of relatives were classified high EE; in chronic patients, 45%. Moreover, EE indices of relatives of schizophrenic and depressed patients were comparable. Analysis revealed 52.5 and 45% high-EE relatives in the depression and the schizophrenia subsamples, respectively. Thus, the overall incidence of high-EE relatives was comparable to numbers reported in the literature. In our study EE status of relatives was not disease-specific, and it was independent of chronicity of illness.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Typus melancholicus personality type and the five-factor model of personality.

Personality traits are significant factors in the development and course of depression. Apart from the classical five-factor model of personality, other personality constellations, such as Tellenbach's Typus melancholicus, have been described in association with depressive disorder. Several instruments have been developed to assess the Typus melancholicus personality (TMP). A systematic comparison of these instruments has not been done to date. The goal of this study was the comparison of four questionnaires used in assessing TMP. Four TMP questionnaires were compared and their relationship to the five-factor model of personality was examined among 264 psychiatric patients and normal controls. It was found that the TMP type represents a trait distinct from those of the five-factor model. TMP inventories had only moderate concurrent validity. The single TMP scales focus on different aspects of the TMP, despite their common core. Both the five-factor personality traits and the TMP scales were able to differentiate a group of depressed patients from control groups. The results show that TMP is not one trait but a personality trait constellation. This leads to the conclusion that a number of dimensions must be taken into consideration in the construction of a TMP inventory. This multidimensionality contributes to the refinement of the TMP concept and differentiates its therapeutic implications.

Adolescent↗