Biomedical subjects

John A Schinka

Publications and source records attributed to John A Schinka.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Five-factor personality dimensions, mood states, and cognitive performance in older adults.

In this study we examined the impact of personality traits and negative mood state on performance in several cognitive domains in a sample of 398 elderly community-dwelling individuals. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to examine the variance in cognitive measures explained by state depression and anxiety after controlling for the effects of demographic characteristics and five-factor model personality traits. Personality traits were found to contribute significantly to cognitive function, explaining 2-7% of the variance in ability across domains. Examination of the contributions of individual five-factor traits showed that Openness had a significant relationship with all indexes of verbal memory and with general cognitive ability. State anxiety and depression variables were found to play a very small part, however, in contributing to cognitive function.

Affect↗

PubMed2005

Development and initial validation of a 15-item informant version of the Geriatric Depression Scale.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a brief informant version of the Geriatric Depression Scale for use in screening for depression in older adults. DESIGN: A scale development and validation study. SETTING: Internal medicine and geriatric outpatient clinics located at the James A. Haley Veterans' Medical Center and the University of South Florida Medical Center, Tampa, Florida. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 147 patients (81 females and 66 males) and their adult informants. MEASUREMENTS: Self and informant versions of the 30-item Geriatric Depression Scale, NEO-FFI, and a health behaviors questionnaire. RESULTS: The 15-item informant version of the GDS was found to have sufficient internal consistency reliability (alpha = 0.86) and retest reliability (r = 0.81) to support its use as a clinical instrument. Construct validity was demonstrated by a pattern of correlations with external demographic and personality variables consistent with those of other versions of the GDS, as well as substantive correlations with these other versions. Efficacy of the GDSI-15 was found to be as good as that for the full 30-item informant version of the GDS. CONCLUSIONS: The GDSI-15 may be a useful adjunct or alternative to standard screening methods in assessing patients in outpatient settings.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

Florida Cognitive Activities Scale: initial development and validation.

We used a rational-empirical approach in the construction and validation of a cognitive activity scale for use with elderly populations. The scale development effort produced a 25-item scale with a reasonably high level of internal consistency in a sample of 200 elderly individuals. Scale scores were positively correlated with years of education and measures of various domains of cognitive ability. In a separate cross-validation sample, a similar pattern of reliability and validity coefficients was obtained. The full scale score was found to contribute significantly to the prediction of cognitive ability after controlling for the effects of age, education, and gender. Two subscales (Higher Cognitive Abilities and Frequent Cognitive Abilities) and a measure of self-reported maintenance of cognitive activity were also developed. In a separate study, the maintenance score was found to differ significantly between the validation sample and a sample of individuals with a history of neurological disorder, with a moderate effect size (d approximately = .7). Further cross-validation studies in minority groups and groups of varying socioeconomic status will be critical in establishing the research and clinical value of the scale and subscales.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

Geropsychology post-doctoral training in public sector service delivery: the USF/Tampa VA fellowship model.

There is a growing need for geropsychologists who are specialists in practice, research, education, and advocacy for older adults. The combined USF/Tampa VA geropsychology fellowship program focuses on the training of three post-doctoral Fellows each year in public sector service delivery across diverse long term care (LTC) and primary care settings. Addressing the bio-psycho-social needs of frail, poor, and minority older adults within an interdisciplinary framework exposes geropsychology Fellows to the complex nature of mental health problems of older adults and the need for collaborative efforts across professional lines. The program builds on prior geropsychology training at the graduate and internship levels by providing an integrated framework to achieve clinical, didactic, program evaluation, and advocacy goals: (1) delivery of state-of-the-art evidence-based psychological services to disadvantaged older adults in geriatric public sector primary care sites; (2) mastery of the knowledge base on diversity and interdisciplinary teamwork as they relate to providing services to older adults, including those residing in rural areas; (3) gaining competence in the evaluation of services to disadvantaged older adults; and (4) experience in public health advocacy for improvement of the LTC system.

Aged↗

PubMed2004

Normative data for elderly African Americans for the Stroop Color and Word Test.

The Stroop Color and Word Test is a measure of executive function that is commonly used in neuropsychological evaluations, but for which there are currently no normative date for elderly African American individuals. The present investigation examined the influence of demographic characteristics on this measure in a community-dwelling sample of 236 elderly African American adults (60-84 years of age). Age, education, gender, and the education by gender interaction were found to affect performance on the Stroop Color and Word Test tasks. Based on these results, normative tables for Stroop Color and Word Test scores, stratified by age and with score adjustments for education and gender, are provided.

Black or African American↗

PubMed2003

Effects of the use of alcohol and cigarettes on cognition in elderly African American adults.

In this study we examined the independent and interactive effects of lifetime patterns of drinking and smoking on cognitive performance in elderly African Americans. A sample of 230 individuals with varying histories of alcohol and cigarette use was drawn from the Hillsborough Elder African American Life Study, a community-based, cross-sectional study of older adults aged 60 to 84. Dependent variables were the results of a neuropsychological battery that provided measures of general cognitive ability, executive function, and memory. Specifically, our study addressed (1) whether individuals with a lifetime history of sustained smoking and/or drinking show lower levels of cognitive performance in comparison to lifetime abstainers, (2) whether cumulative lifetime doses of alcohol or cigarettes, or of the two substances in interaction, have an effect on cognition, and (3) whether individuals who have histories of periodic, intense use of either alcohol or cigarettes show lower levels of cognitive performance in comparison to lifetime abstainers. When significant results were obtained, effect sizes were small, not exceeding 5% of the variance. A single exception occurred for the intensity analyses, in which drinking explained approximately 16% of the variance in global cognitive ability after adjusting for the contributions of control variables. In these analyses, drinking was found to have a U-shaped effect on global cognitive ability and total acquisition in the memory trials. Specifically, moderate users performed at a lower level than abstainers or heavy users, who did not differ from each other.

Black or African American↗

PubMed2003

3MS normative data for elderly African Americans.

The Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MS) is an expanded and modified version of the Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE). Although the MMSE has achieved widespread clinical use as a brief cognitive screen, the utility of the measure to ascertain cognitive impairment is constrained by a limited set of abilities sampled, a narrow range of possible scores, floor and ceiling effects, and by a paucity of normative data for use with older adults from ethnically diverse backgrounds. Research demonstrates that the reliability, validity, and sensitivity of the 3MS are superior to that of the MMSE in detecting cognitive impairment. To date there has been minimal research investigating the usefulness of the 3MS with African American older adults. The current study examined the influence of demographic characteristics on the 3MS in a community-dwelling sample of 238 African American older adults (60-84 years). Age, gender, and education accounted for moderate amounts of variance in 3MS performance. Based on these results, normative tables for 3MS scores, stratified by age and with score adjustments for education and gender, are provided.

Black or African American↗

PubMed2002

Effects of alcohol and cigarette use on cognition in middle-aged adults.

In this retrospective cohort study we examined the independent and interactive effects of drinking and smoking on cognition in a sample of 3361 males, ages 31 to 49, with varying lifetime histories of alcohol and cigarette use. Dependent variables were neuropsychological measures of global and specific cognitive abilities. Comparison of the ability scores of seven groups, defined by their drinking and smoking histories, explained only 5.4% of the multivariate variance in cognitive ability and less than 2% in any individual cognitive measure. Regression analyses for current drinkers and smokers showed only a single significant, but negligible, effect of pack-years of smoking on a measure of global cognitive ability. Differences in cognitive function in groups defined by intensity of alcohol and cigarette use revealed no significant effect for drinking and a significant, but very small, effect for smoking.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Effects of the use of alcohol and cigarettes on cognition in elderly adults.

The objective of this study was to examine the independent and interactive effects of lifetime patterns of drinking and smoking on cognitive performance in the elderly. A sample of 395 individuals with varying histories of alcohol and cigarette use was drawn from the Charlotte County Healthy Aging Study, a community-based, cross-sectional study of randomly selected older adults of age 60 to 84. Dependent variables were the results of a neuropsychological battery that provided measures of general cognitive ability, executive function, and memory. Specifically, we examined (1) differences in performance among groups of abstainers, drinkers, and smokers, (2) the effects of lifetime drinking and smoking dose on cognition within the group of users, and (3) the effects of intensity of drinking and smoking on cognition. Potential methodological confounds, such as age, education, and medical history, were controlled by means of sampling and covariance procedures. Analyses failed to provide evidence for a beneficial J-curve or threshold effect for drinking, but did not reveal any detrimental effect. No detrimental effect of smoking was found in any analysis; nor was there any evidence of an interaction between alcohol and cigarette use on any cognitive measure.

Aged↗

PubMed2002

Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised: norms for elderly African Americans.

The Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R) is a memory test commonly used in neuropsychological evaluations, but for which there are currently no normative data for elderly African Americans. The current study examined the influence of demographic characteristics on HVLT-R performance measures in a community-dwelling sample of 237 African American older adults (60-84 years). Age, gender, and education accounted for moderate amounts of variance in HVLT-R performance. Based on these results, normative tables for HVLT-R scores, stratified by age and with score adjustments for education and gender, are provided.

Black or African American↗

PubMed2002

3MS normative data for the elderly.

The Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MS) was developed to overcome shortcomings of the Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE), specifically its narrow range of possible scores and ceiling effects. Several studies have examined the psychometric characteristics of the 3MS, showing an improvement in reliability and increased sensitivity in detecting dementia in comparison to the MMSE. Despite research supporting the favorable psychometric features of the 3MS, the clinical value of the instrument is restricted by limited normative data, especially for the elderly population. In this study, we examine the influence of demographic characteristics on 3MS scores and present descriptive data for a sample of 393 community-dwelling older adults. Normative data, based on age and with adjustments for education, are provided for clinical use.

Journal Article↗