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Biomedical subjects

R P Sprafkin

Publications and source records attributed to R P Sprafkin.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Reliability and validity of the appraisal of diabetes scale.

The present research evaluated the psychometric properties of a brief self-report instrument designed to assess appraisal of diabetes. Two hundred male subjects completed the Appraisal of Diabetes Scale (ADS) and provided blood samples that were subsequently assayed to provide an index of glycemic control (i.e., glycosylated hemoglobin). Subjects also completed either (a) additional measures of diabetes-related health beliefs, diabetic daily hassles, perceived stress, diabetic adherence, and psychiatric symptoms or (b) the ADS on two additional occasions. Results indicated that the ADS is an internally consistent and stable measure of diabetes-related appraisal. The validity of the measure was supported by correlational analyses which documented the relationship between the ADS and several related self-report measures.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1991

Mitral valve prolapse and neuroticism in chest pain patients with normal and diseased coronary arteries.

Patients with chest pain and normal coronary arteries (NCA) score higher on measures of neuroticism than patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). This relationship, coupled with findings linking mitral valve prolapse (MVP) and anxiety disorders, led us to examine prospectively the possibility that a greater incidence of MVP among NCA patients accounts for their elevated neuroticism scores. One-hundred-forty-four patients completed psychological tests and a structured interview prior to cardiac catheterization. Forty-one of the 144 patients (28%) had normal coronary arteries. Within the NCA group 29 percent had MVP; within the CAD group only 13 percent had MVP. Despite the significant difference between NCA and CAD groups on measures of neuroticism, there were no differences as a function of MVP status, nor was there an interaction of MVP and coronary arterial status. These findings support the case for an association between NCA and neuroticism independent of the presence or absence of MVP.

Angina Pectoris↗
PubMed1988

One-year psychosocial follow-up of patients with chest pain and angiographically normal coronary arteries.

As many as 30% of patients with chest pain symptoms who are referred for arteriography are found to have normal coronary arteries. Research has shown that patients with anginal symptoms and normal coronary arteries score higher on neuroticism measurements (anxiety, depression and somatic concerns) at the time of catheterization than patients with anginal symptoms who have coronary artery disease. Research examining the cardiac course of chest pain patients with normal coronary arteries indicates that this is a nonprogressive disorder. Although follow-up studies of these patients report continued chest pain and diminished physical activity, these studies have ignored the psychologic status of the patients. Thus, it is not known whether their higher neuroticism scores at the time of catheterization persist following angiography or whether such elevated indexes of neuroticism are transient phenomena associated with precatheterization anticipatory stress. The present study examined 48 Veterans Administration Medical Center patients: 24 with anginal symptoms and normal coronary arteries and 24 with documented coronary artery disease. The patients completed a structured clinical interview and a set of psychologic inventories on the day before catheterization and 1 year later. The findings established continued high neuroticism scores among patients with anginal symptoms only and supported the findings of other investigators regarding continuing chest pain and restricted physical activity. The knowledge alone of benign coronary artery status resulted in virtually no change in the psychosocial status of these patients. Alternative treatment methods are discussed.

Angiography↗
PubMed1979

Structured learning therapy: development and evaluation.

This paper describes the procedures, materials, and evaluation of Structured Learning Therapy, one of several skill training therapies to emerge in recent years. A number of issues are considered in regard to enhanced outcomes for such therapies, particularly means for more successful transfer of newly learned skills from therapy to real-life settings, and prescriptive use of such psycho-educational treatments.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗