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Biomedical subjects

S Vearnals

Publications and source records attributed to S Vearnals.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

The London Depression Intervention Trial. Randomised controlled trial of antidepressants v. couple therapy in the treatment and maintenance of people with depression living with a partner: clinical outcome and costs.

BACKGROUND: Relapse of depression is associated with a criticising attitude of the patient's partner. AIMS: To compare the relative efficacy and cost of couple therapy and antidepressant drugs for the treatment and maintenance of people with depression living with a critical partner. METHOD: A randomised controlled trial of antidepressant drugs v. couple therapy. The subjects were 77 people meeting criteria for depression living with a critical partner. RESULTS: Drop-outs were 56.8% [corrected] from drug treatment and 15% from couple therapy. Subjects' depression improved in both groups, but couple therapy showed a significant advantage, according to the Beck Depression Inventory, both at the end of treatment and after a second year off treatment. Adding the costs of the interventions to the costs of services used showed there was no appreciable difference between the two treatments. CONCLUSIONS: For this group couple therapy is much more acceptable than antidepressant drugs and is at least as efficacious, if not more so, both in the treatment and maintenance phases. It is no more expensive overall.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

An investigation of shame and guilt in a depressed sample.

A self-report measure of proneness to shame and guilt was administered to 86 patients with moderate to severe depression, with the prediction that there would be a positive correlation of shame with severity of depression. Contrary to other, non-clinical studies, we found that guilt but not shame was associated with levels of depression. Shame-proneness demonstrated a unique association with a stable attributional style for negative outcomes, global negative self-evaluation, submissive behaviour and internalized anger. Contrary to prediction, no relationship was found between shame- or guilt-proneness and a reported history of childhood sexual abuse.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Expressed emotion and depression. A longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies show that criticism by relatives during acute depressive illness predicts relapse over nine months, but the course of criticism over time and its relation to the course of illness, have not been examined in depressed patients. METHOD: Thirty-nine depressed patients and their partners, were interviewed separately at three-monthly intervals over about one year. Illness was assessed by Research Diagnostic Criteria and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Criticism was measured by the Camberwell Family Interview. RESULTS: Criticism when patients were most depressed predicted neither remission nor subsequent relapse. Patients who fully recovered, with or without later relapse, had partners who were consistently uncritical, or critical only at presentation. Patients with residual symptoms during remission had more persistently critical partners. CONCLUSIONS: The nature of the association between criticism and depression could not be unequivocally established, although it appeared likely that continuing criticism was a result of continuing depression. Relatives' understanding of the illness may mediate between levels of criticism and the course of depression.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Investigation of motivational and behavioural factors influencing men who have sex with other men in public toilets (cottaging).

One-hundred-and-thirty-four individuals engaging in cottaging returned postal questionnaires. The sample was mainly urban and gay identified. Cottagers reported that cottaging was one way of meeting partners amongst a range of others they used. Most enjoyed it and felt in control of their cottaging. The majority of cottagers engaged in safer sexual activity, but there were a significant number who engaged in unsafe sexual activity last time they cottaged. Of those who had been voluntarily tested in the past and reported their serostatus, 23% were seropositive. Unsafe sexual activity was unrelated to whether tested or not, known serostatus or knowledge of the risks of transmission.

Adult↗