The meta-contrast technique: relationships with personality traits and cognitive abilities in a healthy male study sample

Cognition and mental wellbeing after electrical accidents: a survey and a clinical study among Swedish male electricians

PURPOSE

The purpose was to examine long-term consequences of exposure to electrical current passing through the body. We investigated (1) whether electricians after having experienced an electrical accident report more cognitive problems and lower mental wellbeing and (2) have objectively verifiable reduced cognitive function; and (3) which circumstances at the time of the accident affect long-term subjective cognitive function and mental wellbeing?

METHODS

A survey of male electricians who had experienced electrical accidents (n = 510) and a clinical study in a subsample (n = 23) who reported residual health problems was carried out. Both groups were examined regarding subjective cognitive function (Euroquest-9) and mental wellbeing (Symptom Checklist-90 subscales). The clinical study included neuropsychological tests of memory, attention, spatial function, and premorbid intellectual capacity. A matched control group was retrieved from reference data.

RESULTS

The survey participants reported more cognitive problems and lower mental wellbeing than referents. Of the examined circumstances, having experienced mortal fear at the time of the accident and health complaints, especially mental symptoms, for > 1 week after the accident were the most significant risk factors for later subjective cognitive problems and lower mental wellbeing. The only statistically significant difference in neuropsychological tests was better performance in part of the memory tests by the clinical study group compared to the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

The participants reported more cognitive problems and lower mental wellbeing than referents, but no long-term objective cognitive dysfunction was detected. Emotional response at the time of the accident and health complaints in the aftermath of the accident may constitute important indications for medical and psychological follow-ups.

The Meta-Contrast Technique: Relationships with personality traits and cognitive abilities in healthy women

The relationship between test results from the Meta-Contrast Technique (MCT) and self-reports from Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP), or the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T), was investigated in 100 healthy women. Additionally, it was investigated whether age and cognitive abilities influenced the reports of picture recognition thresholds in the MCT. The results showed no agreement between the different ways to assess anxiety and defensiveness. However, age consistently predicted later reports of the perceptual recognition thresholds A1 (the car), A2 (the face) and C-phase. The WAIS-R Digit Symbol Score predicted earlier reporting of the recognition thresholds A1 and A2, but did not predict the final criteria for correct recognition (C-phase). The KSP aggression factor only predicted an earlier report of recognition threshold A2. The absence of a simple relationship between the different ways to assess anxiety and defensiveness, and the observed relationships regarding perceptual threshold levels, corroborates previous findings.