Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

G R Leon

Publications and source records attributed to G R Leon.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Sexual, body-image, and personality attitudes in anorexia nervosa.

Assessment of adolescent females with anorexia nervosa was carried out at the time of hospitalization and again at discharge. Findings were compared to those from a normal weight control group. The anorexic subjects at the start of treatment indicated significantly negative attitudes about sexual issues. They also reported a significantly poorer self-evaluation of their body, personality, and social skills than was evident in the comparison group. An improvement in attitude regarding these issues was demonstrated by the end of treatment. The function of weight loss in dealing with these problem areas was discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Correlates of self-reported and objectively determined exposure to Agent Orange.

The authors examined the relationship between 100 Viet Nam veterans' self-reported and objectively determined exposure to the herbicide Agent Orange and the relationship between self- or objective ratings and self-reported psychological and medical problems. Veterans who believed they had been exposed reported more psychological and medical problems than the other veterans but did not differ on "success at living" indices; the medical problems many reported suggested psychosomatic etiologies. Grouped according to objective ratings of herbicide exposure, the veterans did not show such differences in psychological or medical problems. No differences on neuropsychological testing appeared, no matter how the subjects were grouped.

2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic Acid↗
PubMed1981

Survivors of the holocaust and their children: current status and adjustment.

A group of 52 concentration camp and other survivors of World War II were compared with a control group of 29 persons of similar European and religious background. Forty-seven children of these survivors and 16 children from the comparison group were also evaluated. The psychological adjustment of both group of adults and their children was within the normal range. Cultural rather than specific survivor influences were noted in the present attitudes and behaviors of the parents. There were no significant differences between the survivor and control group children on any of the psychological variables or in thier attitudes and behaviors toward their parents. Based on these findings, we questioned notions of survivor guilt, the manifestation of emotional blunting in the survivors, and the extremely maladaptive psychological influence of their parents' experiences on the children of survivors.

Adjustment Disorders↗
PubMed1981

Life stress and dimensions of functioning in old age.

The present investigation studied the current life adjustment and social and physical activity patterns of a group of 96 elderly men (mean age = 77) who had been initially evaluated 30 years previously. The dimension of functioning of this group in old age also were delineated. A second focus of the investigation was an evaluation of the effect of past personality and current life stresses on present adjustment. Five dimensions of functioning in old age were identified: these were labeled Neuroticism, Somatic Concern, Alienation, Introversion, and Passivity. The Somatic Concern factor was associated with reported physical illness. Current physical illness was also related to relative elevations on the current MMPI Hs scale score; death of a close one was related to relative elevations in score on the current MMPI Si scale. Past personality interacting with current life stresses was not predictive of present personality functioning.

Aged↗
PubMed1980

Depression in children: parent, teacher, and child perspectives.

Depressed and nondepressed children were found to differ in the types of behavior problems manifested at home and at school. Children rated as depressed by their parents on the Personality Inventory for Children evidenced significantly more conduct problems, anxiety, impulsive hyperactivity, learning problems, psychosomatic problems, perfectionism, and muscular tension at home than children rated as nondepressed. Depressed children were rated by their teachers as displaying more inattention-passivity than nondepressed children. A significant but modest relationship was found between parent report and child self-report of the child's depression. Depressed children attributed positive events to external causes and negative events to internal causes significantly more than did nondepressed children. The specificity of these results to depression was also examined; the particular features of childhood depression are compared to the features of adult depression.

Anxiety↗
PubMed1979

Changes in body image and other psychological factors after intestinal bypass surgery for massive obesity.

A group of massively obese persons (predominantly women) was evaluated 6 months prior to intestinal bypass surgery and again while in the hospital awaiting surgery. A second follow-up group of massively obese persons was evaluated on the same measures in-hospital prior to surgery and then assessed periodically over the subsequent 1-year period. The 6-months-before-surgery group showed a general decline in concern with physical symptoms, anxiety, and social introversion at the in-hospital evaluation. The surgery follow-up group exhibited an increasing improvement, as weight loss progressed, in body image, feelings of physical and sexual attractiveness, and evaluation of one's personality. An improvement in mood also was seen. Body size estimation showed a realistic adjustment with weight loss. Both groups scored higher than average on a measure of the addictive personality. Follow-up of the nonresponders indicated that a substantial proportion of those persons had psychological or severe physical problems subsequent to surgery.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Personality and morbid obesity. Implications for dietary management through behavior modification.

Psychological investigations have failed to reveal a distinct personality type or psychodynamic conflict pattern in moderately and massively obese persons. Many of the psychological problems noted in the obese such as anxiety, depression, and poor self-esteem seem to be the result of, rather than the cause of, the obese state. Morbidly obese persons share an addictive behavior pattern that is also seen in persons with other types of addictions. The extent of their obesity points to the strong substance abuse component of the eating disorder. Behavior modification programs aimed at changing problematic eating patterns and teaching self-management skills in relation to food consumption have been moderately successful and have been shown to result in a mean post-treatment weiht loss of seven to 16 pounds. However, the majority of morbidly obese persons will not lose enough weight to make this an effective treatment program for them.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1978

Aspects of body image perception in obese and normal-weight youngsters.

Perceptual and projective aspects of body image in obese youngsters (not in psychological treatment) and normal-weight youngsters 8-9 years of age and 12-13 years of age were investigated. The results indicate that perceptual distortions in estimating various body dimensions of oneself are primarily a function of age rather than weight status. The accuracy of estimating the weight of peers and an adult showed an association with the sex of the subject. No group differences were found in terms of projective aspects of body image as measured by barrier and penetration responses. This study suggests that obese youngsters in the middle childhood and entering puberty periods in comparison to normal-weight youngsters of the same age do not manifest differences in perceptual factors of body image.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

A behavioral approach to obesity.

For many individuals, the practice of overeating is crucial in the development and maintenance of the obese state. Behavior theory views excessive eating leading to obesity as an overlearned habit, strongly conditioned to numerous internal and external cues. A number of studies are reviewed that assess the relationship between emotional arousal and food consumption. Obese persons who successfully lost and maintained a weight loss appeared able to reduce the number of inappropriate stimuli they previously responded to with food intake. The specific behavior modification techniques employed to change eating patterns are discussed, and weight loss maintenance follow-up statistics using these procedures are presented.

Arousal↗
PubMed1975

Personality, body image, and eating pattern changes in overweight persons after weight loss.

A group of overweight persons who achieved a substantial weight loss over a 6-month period were compared with a group of overweight persons who showed an unsubstantial weight change and a normal weight control group. All groups were evaluated before the weight program began and at a 6-month follow-up. The substantial weight loss group showed a number of significant changes after weight reduction. Body image rating shifted in the direction of evaluating onself as less heavy, eating was rated as less good and more heavy, and a greater feeling of self-control was indicated. Over time, the change group learned to limit the number of emotional and environmental cues that were discriminative stimuli for eating behavior. There also were more frequent reports of eating in response to cues of hunger after substantial weight loss.

Adult↗