1
|
Brugger P. Blots and brains. A note on the centenary of Hermann Rorschach's death. Cortex 2022; 157:256-265. [PMID: 36347087 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
This historical note is a commemorial of Rorschach, the person, and Rorschach the test. Hermann Rorschach died 100 years ago, not quite a year after the publication of his book containing the 10 inkblots. These have reached an iconic status, but the "Rorschach Test" as used in psychiatry, legal organizations and aptitude assessments is not quite what Hermann Rorschach designed it for in the first line. A first section of this article introduces Hermann Rorschach as a man with very broad interests and an inclination to ask cognitive science questions that are still challenging today. A second section provides a critical summary of the fate of the ten inkblots after Rorschach's death - how they conquered the whole world in a time with a pronouced "psychometric attitude", and also how they failed in some attempts to measure personality traits in special populations. A final section focuses on recent research on one particular aspect of a testee's associations to the inkblots: "movement responses", i.e. the perception of implied motion. Here, neural and behavioral correlates have been demonstrated by modern neuroimaging techniques. One study, which set out to validate both the Rorschach as a personality test and the view that the two cerebral hemispheres correspond to divergent "personalities" is also summarized. The viewpoint concludes by suggesting that future work with inkblots should consider Rorschach's original intention to use inkblots to uncover basic laws of perception. Modern applications of computer-generated pseudorandom stimuli (random dot arrays or stochastic noise) would have been embraced by Hermann Rorschach as he appreciated the impact of visual noise for the study of vision and visual cognition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter Brugger
- Rehab Center Valens, Valens, Switzerland; University Hospital of Psychiatry PUK, Zurich, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ho CSH, Chua J, Tay GWN. The diagnostic and predictive potential of personality traits and coping styles in major depressive disorder. BMC Psychiatry 2022; 22:301. [PMID: 35484526 PMCID: PMC9047339 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-022-03942-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a global public health concern that is notably underdiagnosed and undertreated due to its complexity and subjective diagnostic methods. A holistic diagnostic procedure, which sufficiently considers all possible contributors to MDD symptoms, would improve MDD diagnosis and treatment. This study aims to explore whether personality and coping styles can predict MDD status and differentiate between depressed patients and healthy individuals. METHODS Seventy healthy controls (N = 54 females) were matched to 70 MDD patients for age, sex, ethnicity, and years of education. MDD severity was measured using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, while personality traits and coping styles were measured by the Ten-Item Personality (TIPI) and Brief COPE questionnaires, respectively. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate the diagnostic and predictive potential of personality and coping styles. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were also conducted to examine their discriminative ability to distinguish between depressed and healthy individuals. RESULTS Introversion, lack of organisation skills, and neuroticism were statistically significant in predicting MDD status. Dysfunctional coping strategies, such as denial and self-blame, were also shown to significantly predict MDD status. ROC analyses found both the TIPI questionnaire (AUC = 0.90), and dysfunctional coping (as measured by Brief COPE) (AUC = 0.90) to be excellent predictors of MDD. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrate the diagnostic and predictive potential of personality and coping styles for MDD in the clinical setting. They also demonstrate the remarkable ability of personality and coping styles to differentiate between depressed patients and healthy controls.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cyrus S. H. Ho
- grid.410759.e0000 0004 0451 6143Department of Psychological Medicine, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore ,grid.4280.e0000 0001 2180 6431Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - J. Chua
- grid.4280.e0000 0001 2180 6431Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Gabrielle W. N. Tay
- grid.410759.e0000 0004 0451 6143Department of Psychological Medicine, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Abstract
As in previous periods of quarantine, lockdown confinement measures dictated to control SARS-CoV-2 would be expected to negatively affect mental health. We investigated the immediate effects (over a 10 day period) of a strict nationwide stay-at-home order imposed in Spain, one of the countries most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Focusing our analysis on the feelings of loneliness, we obtained our measures within a social context characterised by strong and continuous public and governmental support for increasing social bonds and cooperation in order to face the common public threat. Leveraging data from the Barcelona Brain Health Initiative, a prospective population-based study cohort, the short UCLA Loneliness Scale was administered to 1604 participants 2 years and 1 year before the stay-at-home lockdown and repeated, on average, 10 days after the official confinement order issued by the Spanish government. Ratings of loneliness remained stable during the 2 years before lockdown; however, they decreased significantly during the early stages of home confinement. This effect was particularly significant for the item 'feeling excluded from others' and was also observed among individuals who were confined alone. Overall, the results suggest that gestures and manifestations of appreciation by people for the labour and efforts of certain individuals, along with official campaigns designed to promote feelings of inclusion and belonging, may have beneficial effects on feelings of loneliness, a negative emotional state strongly regarded as a risk factor for impaired mental and general health status. Further assessments during the later stages of home confinement are now warranted.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David Bartrés-Faz
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, Spain; and Guttmann Institute, University Institute of Neurorehabilitation affiliated to the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Spain
| | - Dídac Macià
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gabriele Cattaneo
- Guttmann Institute, University Institute of Neurorehabilitation affiliated to the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Spain; and Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roger Borràs
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Institute of Cllinical Neurosciences, Clinical and Provincial Hospital of Barcelona, Spain
| | - Clara Tarrero
- Guttmann Institute, University Institute of Neurorehabilitation affiliated to the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Spain; and Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - Javier Solana
- Guttmann Institute, University Institute of Neurorehabilitation affiliated to the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Spain; and Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - José M Tormos
- Guttmann Institute, University Institute of Neurorehabilitation affiliated to the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Spain; and Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alvaro Pascual-Leone
- Guttmann Institute, University Institute of Neurorehabilitation affiliated to the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Spain; and Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Dudley J, Richards L, Mahmud M. The use of a psychological testing instrument as an indicator of dissatisfaction with aesthetic dental treatment - a preliminary study. BMC Psychol 2020; 8:24. [PMID: 32171332 PMCID: PMC7071627 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-020-0391-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The use of psychological testing to indicate the potential for dissatisfaction with dental treatment has many potential patient and clinician benefits but has been rarely investigated. The study aimed to explore the use of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) psychological testing instrument in describing the relationship between pre-treatment psychological traits and aesthetic restorative treatment satisfaction. Methods Thirty patients requiring aesthetic restorative dental treatment completed three questionnaires, namely 1) a pre-treatment expectation assessment, 2) an SCL-90-R analysis pre-treatment and 3) an outcome assessment post-treatment to assess patient’s expectations and satisfaction of the proposed dental treatment relating to function, aesthetics, comfort and tissue preservation. Logistic regression models were used to assess the impact of psychological variables on patient satisfaction after adjusting for baseline expectations (P < 0.05). Results The satisfaction for the aesthetic component of treatment was significantly associated with psychoticism and positive symptom distress index. The satisfaction for the comfort component of treatment was significantly associated with obsessive compulsive symptoms, depression and anxiety. Following adjustment for baseline expectation, tissue preservation satisfaction was associated with somatization, obsessive compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression and global severity index. No baseline psychological measures were significantly associated with chewing satisfaction. Conclusions The SCL-90-R shows initial promise in assisting clinicians to identify and understanding patients who have a high risk of dissatisfaction with aesthetic dental treatment. The ability to indicate aesthetic restorative treatment dissatisfaction is of great benefit to clinicians in maximising success and mitigating risk.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James Dudley
- Adelaide Dental Hospital, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
| | - Lindsay Richards
- Adelaide Dental Hospital, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Melati Mahmud
- Adelaide Dental Hospital, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.,Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Rossetti MG, Bonivento C, Garzitto M, Caletti E, Perlini C, Piccin S, Lazzaretti M, Marinelli V, Sala M, Abbiati V, Rossi R, Lanfredi M, Serretti A, Porcelli S, Bellani M, Brambilla P. The brief assessment of cognition in affective disorders: Normative data for the Italian population. J Affect Disord 2019; 252:245-252. [PMID: 30991252 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2019.04.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Revised: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND To date there are no validated tests in Italian to assess cognitive functions in Bipolar Disorder. Therefore, this study aimed to provide normative data for the Italian version of the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Affective Disorders (BAC-A), a battery targeting neuro- and affective-cognition in affective disorders. METHODS Data were collected from 228 healthy participants (age range: 18-67; mean age: 34.68 ± 12.15 years) across eight recruiting sites. The influence of age, sex and education was measured and adjusted for using multivariate stepwise regression models. Normative values were established by means of the Equivalent Score approach. RESULTS Most of the BAC-A subtests showed patterns of association with age (inversely associated with overall cognitive performance), education (positively associated with Verbal Memory and Fluency, Digit Sequencing and Affective Processing subtests) and sex (females performed better than males in the Affective Interference Test but worse in the Emotion Inhibition Task, Digit Sequencing and Tower of London). LIMITATIONS The sample size was not sufficiently large for developing stratified norms, using 10-years ranges. Moreover, the participants included in the study were, on average, highly educated. CONCLUSIONS The normative data of the BAC-A provided in this study can serve as a cognitive functioning reference for Italian-speaking participants within the age range of the study sample. This can increase the applicability of this test in both clinical and research settings. The reliability and validity of the Italian BAC-A need to be further investigated.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Gloria Rossetti
- Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy; Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca'Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Carolina Bonivento
- Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Medicine (DAME), University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Marco Garzitto
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Pasian di Prato, Udine, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Caletti
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Cinzia Perlini
- Section of Clinical Psychology, Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Sara Piccin
- Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Medicine (DAME), University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Matteo Lazzaretti
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Veronica Marinelli
- Department of Surgery, Dentistry, Paediatrics and Gynaecology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Michela Sala
- Department of Mental health, Azienda Sanitaria Locale Alessandria, Alessandria, Italy
| | - Vera Abbiati
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Roberta Rossi
- Unit of Psychiatry, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio-Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Mariangela Lanfredi
- Unit of Psychiatry, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio-Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Alessandro Serretti
- Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Stefano Porcelli
- Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Marcella Bellani
- Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
| | - Paolo Brambilla
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, University of Texas at Houston, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Benson NF, Floyd RG, Kranzler JH, Eckert TL, Fefer SA, Morgan GB. Test use and assessment practices of school psychologists in the United States: Findings from the 2017 National Survey. J Sch Psychol 2018; 72:29-48. [PMID: 30819461 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsp.2018.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Revised: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Although several studies have examined the specific instruments and procedures used by school psychologists when conducting comprehensive psychoeducational evaluations, the last one was published over 20 years ago (viz., Wilson & Reschly, 1996). Given the substantial theoretical and practical advances in assessment since then, the purpose of the current study was to examine the test use and assessment practices of contemporary school psychologists in the United States. Data from the 2017 National Survey of Assessment Practices in School Psychology revealed that test use and assessment practices have evolved significantly. Much of this change consists of the substitution of tests and practices with limited reliability and validity with those with greater psychometric support. Results of this study also indicate that school psychologists regularly conduct multi-method assessments to prevent, identify, monitor, and remediate child and adolescent learning difficulties and other presenting problems in the schools.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Sarah A Fefer
- University of Massachusetts, United States of America
| | | |
Collapse
|