Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

D Staley

Publications and source records attributed to D Staley.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Family functioning in subjects with pseudoseizures and epilepsy.

The purpose of this study was to identify differences in family functioning between subjects with pseudoseizures and their families, and control subjects with epilepsy. Thirty-one adult subjects with pseudoseizures and 31 controls with intractable epilepsy, whose diagnoses were confirmed using video-EEG, were recruited from the epilepsy unit of a tertiary care hospital over a 4-year period. Each study participant and their first-degree adult family members completed two standardized questionnaires designed to measure family functioning: the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD) and the Beavers Self-Report Family Inventory (SFI). Individuals with pseudoseizures, when compared with epileptic subjects, exhibited significantly elevated scores in three scales of the FAD and in one scale of the SFI, indicating greater psychopathology within the family, as perceived by the individual. Statistically significant differences with the FAD were on measures of affective involvement (p = .044), communication (p = .004), and general functioning (p = .013). The SFI revealed significantly greater difficulty with conflict (p = .050). No differences were noted between subjects with both pseudoseizures and epilepsy and subjects with pseudoseizures alone. In comparison with the families of the epileptic group, the families of subjects with pseudoseizures displayed statistically significant elevations in their responses on the roles scale (p = .003) of the FAD. The responses of the family members did not differ in regard to the role they assumed within the family unit (i.e., spouse, parent). In summary, individuals with pseudoseizures view their families as being more dysfunctional, particularly in the area of communication, whereas their family members perceived difficulties in defining roles. This suggests that family education and interventions focusing on these areas, may be an important aspect of the treatment of patients with pseudoseizures.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Components of job satisfaction in psychiatric social workers.

A survey of 188 psychiatric social workers indicated an overall positive level of job satisfaction. Overall job satisfaction was found to be primarily determined by position satisfaction. The major correlate of position satisfaction was the professional respect received from other disciplines and not the specific tasks performed. These findings were interpreted as reflecting the obfuscating effect of hospital team interactions on job satisfaction. In these settings, the social workers were often so dependent on the quality of these team interactions to derive the variety, autonomy, and value in their work that it was difficult for them to keep subjectively clear the actual level of satisfaction with the work itself. Social work supervisors need to focus on developing a stronger sense of practice excellence and forging a subjective separation between task-derived achievement and interpersonal enjoyment. Results also showed the importance of educational and professional development opportunities in maintaining overall job satisfaction.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

A five year review of youth suicide in Manitoba.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in adolescents. The suicide rate in the 15 to 24 year old age group has increased at a faster rate than in any other age group. This study is a descriptive and retrospective investigation of 204 files from the Chief Medical Examiner's office of all youths aged 24 years and less in the province of Manitoba who committed suicide between 1984 and 1988. The study found a high male to female ratio, a large number of younger adolescents and a suicide rate in the Native population which was ten times that of non-Natives. The method of suicide varied by gender and race. Males more often used hanging and guns; females were more likely to overdose. Natives tended to hang themselves more than non-Natives, while non-Natives more often used guns. The highest percentage of Native suicides occurred in urban areas. Depression and substance abuse were identified as risk factors. A number of recommendations regarding information gathering post-suicide, as well as prevention and intervention programs are proposed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Troubled teens and substance abuse.

There is an increasing awareness of the existence of substance abuse problems among adolescents experiencing psychiatric difficulties. Evidence suggests that adolescents with psychiatric disorders have trouble using intoxicants safely and may experience more behavioral problems when intoxicated.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Tourette syndrome: associated symptoms and most disabling features.

Four hundred forty-six patients with Tourette Syndrome (TS) and/or their parents completed a 52-item self-report survey about vocal and motor tics, and the frequency of associated co-morbid conditions of aggression, obsessions and compulsions, attentional problems, sleep disturbance, mood disturbance, anxiety, and self-mutilative behaviours which have been frequently reported in the literature on TS. Respondents also responded to an open-ended question regarding the most disabling aspects of TS. Results were analyzed within two age groups; under 18 years of age (N = 245) and 18 years of age or older (N = 177). Tics and associated conditions were the most frequently reported disabling aspect by both age groups. Subjects under age 18, however, reported significantly more frequent problems with hyperactivity, temper control, aggressive behaviours and sleepwalking than adults with TS.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

A profile of the noncompliant patient: a thirty-month review of outpatient psychiatry referrals.

Missed appointments to outpatient psychiatry programs have been identified as a major form of noncompliance in the literature. Over a two-and-a-half year period, 874 referrals to the outpatient psychiatry department of a large teaching hospital were examined for significant differences between compliant and noncompliant patients. Noncompliant patients comprised 17.8% of the total number of cases dispositions and were significantly more likely to be single, diagnosed personality disorder or substance abuse, and referred from the Emergency Department than complaint patients. Further analysis of emergency referrals, the single most significant predictor, indicated that patients from this referral source were more likely to be male, unmarried, unemployed or on welfare, and diagnosed personality disorder or substance abuse than referrals from general practice and internal sources. The results are discussed in light of previous research, and recommendations are made for increasing compliance to outpatient appointments.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Tourette syndrome: issues in diagnosis.

Information was accumulated by self-report questionnaire from 462 Canadian Tourette syndrome (TS) patients. The mean age of onset of the syndrome was 7.4 years, while the mean age of medical diagnosis was 15.2 years, suggesting that the mean lag between onset of symptoms and diagnosis was 7.8 years. Seventy-three percent of patients reported initial misdiagnosis by physicians and only 33% of the patients reported receiving their first information about TS from physicians. Respondents indicated that they were typically diagnosed as having Attention Deficit Disorder, Hyperactivity, or Minimal Brain Dysfunction prior to the establishment of the TS diagnosis. Factors involved in the delay in physician diagnosis of the syndrome, as well as the association between TS and other neuropsychiatric disorders, are also discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Adult children of alcoholics in treatment programs for anxiety disorders and substance abuse.

Studies of the first-degree relatives of patients with alcoholism and anxiety disorders have identified a significant overlap of these disorders. Forty percent of the patients in an outpatient anxiety disorder program were adult children of alcoholics (ACOA), a proportion similar to that found in the substance abuse program. The ACOAs in both programs were younger, had higher co-dependency scores and were younger when they had their first psychiatric contact than the controls. The adult children of alcoholics who had anxiety disorders were more likely to be female and their alcoholic parents were less likely to have had psychiatric antecedents to alcoholism. Aside from substance abuse, similarities in sociodemographic variables and the impact of the parents' alcoholism were noted, reinforcing the hypothesis that vulnerabilities to anxiety disorders and alcoholism overlap.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Who misses appointments? An empirical analysis.

Patient noncompliance is a major problem in clinical practice. In order to better understand this issue, 236 appointments at an outpatient psychiatry clinic of a large urban general hospital were examined. Five variables significantly discriminated patients who kept their appointments from patients who did not. Patients who were younger, had a history of missed appointments, were scheduled to see a resident physician, had a routine appointment and lived a distance from the hospital, were at greater risk of missing their appointment. This information helps to identify patients at high risk of nonattendance and allows clinicians to plan schedules and appointments more efficiently.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

The adult children of alcoholics in a psychiatric population.

The issues confronting adult children of alcoholics (ACOA) are well publicized but their empirical basis remains limited. The screening of 250 consecutive psychiatric admissions to a general hospital revealed a significant prevalence of ACOAs across diagnoses. Compared to the other patients, the ACOA group was younger but with no other socioeconomic difference. The diagnoses of substance abuse and phobic disorders were more frequent. The group was psychiatrically hospitalized at an earlier age. The impact of an ACOA status varied with the parental biological relation and gender, and with the premorbid antecedents of parental alcoholism.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Psychometric evaluation of the Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST) in a psychiatric sample.

The Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST) is a 30-item screening instrument developed to identify children who are either living with or have lived with alcoholic parents. In a sample of 250 psychiatric patients, the CAST exhibited substantial item-total scale correlations and a high level of internal consistency reliability. Total CAST scores discriminated self-identified children of problem drinkers from control subjects and were significantly correlated with the severity of parental psychological and social complications due to alcohol misuse. Factor analysis indicated a unidimensional scale structure. CAST cut-off scores produced a low false positive and false negative rate. The psychometric properties of the CAST suggest that it is a useful screening instrument for identifying the offspring of problem drinkers and alcoholics.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Psychometric properties of the Drug Abuse Screening Test in a psychiatric patient population.

The Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST) is a 28-item screening instrument developed by Skinner for clinical screening and treatment evaluation research in the substance abuse field. In a sample of 250 psychiatric patients drawn from four treatment programs, the DAST evidenced high internal consistency reliability and good item-total score correlations. A factor analysis of the DAST item correlation matrix revealed a predominantly unidimensional scale with the possibility of rotating five additional factors reflecting a continuum of drug abuse. The five factors were interpreted as (a) self-recognition of a drug problem, (b) serious social consequences of drug use, (c) help-seeking for drug abuse, (d) illegal drug-related activities, and (e) inability to control drug use. The diagnostic validity of the DAST in discriminating patients according to DSM-III Substance Abuse diagnostic criteria was high and a range of valid clinical DAST cutoff scores from 5/6 through 10/11 was identified. The DAST appears to be a valid measure of drug involvement and abuse in a psychiatric patient population, a finding of increasing clinical relevance.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Staying well. Factors contributing to successful community adaptation.

1. Friends were rated as the most important factor in assisting former psychiatric patients to avoid rehospitalization. 2. When respondents were asked to comment on rehospitalization in their own words, the most frequent responses dealt with factors related to keeping active, developing a healthy lifestyle and positive self-image, and accepting their illness. 3. Self-help groups, community health workers, and community nurses were rated as the least beneficial in preventing rehospitalization.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1989

The relationship of age, level of formal education, and duration of employment toward attitudes concerning the use of computers in the workplace.

The introduction of computer technology in the Canadian health care environment necessitates an adaptation by hospital employees in order to perform their jobs. One thousand twenty-two hospital staff were surveyed immediately following their initial orientation to computers. The survey identified attitudes toward change, and the use of computers in the workplace. Demographic data and job classifications of all respondents were tabulated. Hypotheses were tested regarding the relationships between age, formal education, and duration of employment, and attitudes toward computers and change. Results indicated a generally positive response toward the use of computers in the workplace and to change in general. However, statistically significant results were obtained indicating that age, level of education, and length of employment affect the degree of positive response to both computers and change. The results suggest that demographic variables such as age, level of education, and employment duration must be taken into consideration when planning for the implementation of computer systems in the health care setting.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Social work professional development in Canadian psychiatric teaching facilities.

A national survey of psychiatric social workers in all Canadian hospitals with Psychiatric Residency Training Programs was conducted. Various professional activities and university appointments were considered. Comparisons were made among provinces to determine differences and similarities. The results indicate a large number of similarities. The major part of social workers' professional time is spent in client-centred activity, though some regional differences emerge as to the mode of activity emphasized (e.g. individual or systems). A secondary but clearly evident role was formal and informal teaching. While educational pursuits were requested of social workers, their activities were generally not recognized through academic appointments. Research appeared to be a low priority. The lack of academic recognition for teaching and the lack of research productivity were viewed as external and internal aspects of an identity issue that social work needs to address.

Canada↗
PubMed1988

Release of gonadotropin alpha subunit from rat pituitary cultures in response to GnRH.

Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH)-stimulated release of the alpha subunit common to the gonadotropins and to thyrotropin was studied in rat pituitary cell cultures. In these studies we took advantage of a recently prepared antiserum specific for the alpha subunit. We show that pituitary cells treated with GnRH released alpha subunit in a similar pattern to intact luteinizing hormone (LH) during short-term incubations (0-12 h); during prolonged incubations (12-48 h), however, release of alpha subunit did not desensitize in response to the releasing hormone and the pattern became different from that measured for intact LH. Further, we assessed the relative requirement for Ca2+ in the release of LH and alpha subunit. When pituitary cells were treated with 10(-8) M GnRH in the presence of a range of concentrations of the Ca2+ ion channel antagonist, methoxyverapamil (D-600), release of both LH and alpha subunit was inhibited in a similar and dose-dependent manner; 10(-4) M D-600 showed maximum inhibitory efficacy (IC50 = 10(-5) M). The calmodulin antagonist, pimozide, also inhibited both GnRH-stimulated LH and alpha subunit release (IC50 = 0.75 microM). These data suggested that although the Ca2+/calmodulin system appears to mediate both the release of LH and alpha subunit in response to GnRH, these processes appear differentially regulated during long-term exposure to the releasing hormone.

Animals↗