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Biomedical subjects

V Heyl

Publications and source records attributed to V Heyl.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

[Friendships in middle and older adulthood: the long arm of early childhood experiences].

In this study, direct associations between recalled parent-child relations and adult friendships and a mediation of this relationship by personality characteristics were examined. Furthermore, the contribution of the personality characteristics openness and agreeableness to friendship involvement in different phases of life was investigated. Data from 392 middle aged (43-46 years) and 345 older participants (61-64 years) in the first wave of the Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study of Adult Development (ILSE) were used for structural equation modeling. Results show that the relation between recalled mother-child relationship and friendship involvement in old adults is mediated by agreeableness. Recalled father-child relationship was associated with friendships in both age groups, independent of personality characteristics. Data support the hypothesis that openness contributes to friendship involvement in middle age, while agreeableness contributes to friendship involvement in old age.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Psychosocial consequences of age-related visual impairment: comparison with mobility-impaired older adults and long-term outcome.

Indices of behavioral competence (activities of daily living [ADLs], instrumental activities of daily living [IADLs], use of outdoor resources, leisure activity level) as well as emotional adaptation (subjective well-being, future orientation) were used to investigate the psychosocial consequences of age-related vision impairment in a threefold manner: (a) comparison of visually impaired and unimpaired elders, (b) comparison of visually impaired and mobility-impaired elders, and (c) long-term adaptation across 5 years. The research design used (a) 42 severely visually impaired elders, (b) 42 blind elders, (c) 42 mobility-impaired elders, and (d) 42 unimpaired elders. Compared with the mobility impaired, the visually impaired demonstrated lower IADL competence but no difference in emotional adaptation. The long-term adjustment of the visually impaired remained relatively stable in the behavioral domain, although lower compared with the unimpaired elders. Emotional adaptation decreased over the 5-year longitudinal interval in the visually impaired and the unimpaired group, but the decrease was generally higher in the visually impaired group. Conceptual ideas from environmental gerontology as well as psychological resilience are used to interpret these results.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1998

[Deteriorating vision in the elderly: double stress?].

BACKGROUND: Epidemiologic studies have provided clear evidence that the majority of people affected by severe visual impairment are adults above the age of 60 years. The goal of this psychological research was to analyze the emotional and behavioral consequences of age-related visual impairment in three steps: descriptive data concerned with subjective well-being, depression, everyday competence, and leisure as well as explanations of interindividual variability based on individual and environmental variables are presented (study I). Also, the impact of the time of onset (early versus late in life) is addressed (study II). Finally, the role of the living accomodation (institutional versus private household) was the main target of another study (study III). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study I was based on 84 elderly adults who experienced an irreversible visual loss after age 55 years; a control group of unimpaired elderly adults is also included (mean age 75.8, range 59 to 92). In study II, 18 elderly adults who had been blind since their early childhood were compared to nine matched elderly adults who experienced blindness in their later life as well as nine matched unimpaired elderly adults (mean age 71.7, range 63 to 83). The data for study III came from 15 visually impaired institutional residents who were compared to 15 matched unimpaired residents and 15 matched visually impaired and 15 unimpaired older adults living in private households (mean age 87.0, range 78 to 93). All subjects underwent an intensive psychological measurement program. RESULTS: The findings of study I emphasize that age-related visual impairment is associated with lower subjective well-being, greater depression, reduced everyday competence, and lowered leisure activity level. A significant portion of interindividual variability in these outcomes can be explained by addressing individual variables (e.g., comorbidity) as well as environmental variables (e.g., quality of the dwelling unit). Study II data offer evidence that older adults suffering from blindness since their early childhood are better adapted than older adults who experienced blindness only in their later years. Study III shows that visually impaired institutional residents reveal deficits in everyday competence and social contacts as contrasted with their unimpaired counterparts, whereas no difference is observed in the domain of subjective well-being. CONCLUSIONS: All three studies point to the negative impact of age-related visual impairment on emotional and behavioral adaptation in later life. This highlights the need for a whole range of rehabilitative efforts, including psychosocial elements, which are described in the final part of this article.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1988

[Open laparoscopy in patients at risk].

A variant of the technique of open laparoscopy is reported. The principal feature of this technique is that creation of a pneumoperitoneum is simplified. No additional instruments are required, nor sharp instruments, except for the skin incision and splitting of the fascia. The modified open laparoscopy technique was used on 23 high-risk patients in a group of 224 patients on whom laparoscopy was performed at Ludwigshafen Gynecological Clinic. The technique is discussed with reference to the literature.

Female↗