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K A O'Connell

Publications and source records attributed to K A O'Connell.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

The World Health Organization's WHOQOL-BREF quality of life assessment: psychometric properties and results of the international field trial. A report from the WHOQOL group.

Quality of life (QOL) assessments that are easily administered and which do not impose a great burden on the respondent are needed for use in large epidemiological surveys, clinical settings and clinical trials. Using data from the WHOQOL-BREF field trials, the objectives of this work are to examine the performance of the WHOQOL-BREF as an integrated instrument, and to test its main psychometric properties. The WHOQOL-BREF is a 26-item version of the WHOQOL-100 assessment. Its psychometric properties were analysed using cross-sectional data obtained from a survey of adults carried out in 23 countries (n = 11,830). Sick and well respondents were sampled from the general population, as well as from hospital, rehabilitation and primary care settings, serving patients with physical and mental disorders and with respect to quotas of important socio-demographic variables. The WHOQOL-BREF self-assessment was completed, together with socio-demographic and health status questions. Analyses of internal consistency, item-total correlations, discriminant validity and construct validity through confirmatory factor analysis, indicate that the WHOQOL-BREF has good to excellent psychometric properties of reliability and performs well in preliminary tests of validity. These results indicate that overall, the WHOQOL-BREF is a sound, cross-culturally valid assessment of QOL, as reflected by its four domains: physical, psychological, social and environment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Absentminded lapses during smoking cessation.

Although it is widely believed that drug cravings are responsible for drug use and relapse, S. T. Tiffany (1990) has proposed a cognitive model in which drug use is triggered not by craving but by the cuing of automatized action plans. The purpose of this study was to examine the lapse episodes from an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study of smokers attempting to quit for evidence of automatic, or absentminded, lapses with slight or no urges to smoke, in keeping with S. T. Tiffany's (1990) model. Qualitative analysis of 270 EMA reports made by 41 smokers during the first 14 days of quitting identified 15 (6%) absentminded lapses. Quantitative urge levels were significantly lower during absentminded lapses compared with nonabsentminded lapses; however, urges were not very low. Results indicate that absentminded lapses may occur but are probably relatively rare.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Coping in real time: using Ecological Momentary Assessment techniques to assess coping with the urge to smoke.

Coping is important for success at smoking cessation, yet little is known about the natural history of coping with urges to smoke during a cessation attempt. In this study, Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) methods were used to gather real-time quantitative and qualitative data. For 3 consecutive days during their first 10 days of smoking cessation, 36 participants used tape recorders and palm-top computers to record details of 389 coping episodes, during which they employed 1,047 coping responses. An average of 3.6 coping episodes per day and an average of 2.7 coping responses per episode were reported. Sixty-seven percent of the responses were behavioral and 33% were cognitive. Gender, location of the episode, nicotine dependence, and quitting history were associated with the use of specific strategies. Results indicate that EMA methods and instruments are feasible for measuring coping responses.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1995

Reversal theory constructs and cigarette availability predict lapse early in smoking cessation.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of reversal theory constructs (i.e., metamotivational states) to understanding the outcome of tempting situations that occur in the first 6 weeks of smoking cessation. Cessation program participants (n = 68) were interviewed about tempting situations in which they either smoked or maintained abstinence. Both independent groups and repeated measures analyses indicated that metamotivational state (serious and goal-directed vs. playful and spontaneous) and cigarette availability significantly predicted outcome. Reversal theory constructs correctly predicted outcome of the tempting episode for 70% of the subjects, while cigarette availability was an accurate predictor for 74%. Metamotivational state and cigarette availability together predicted the outcome for 89% of the subjects.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Smoking and EEG power spectra: effects of differences in arousal seeking.

Reversal theory, a general theory of motivation, emotion and action, has recently been shown to predict lapses in smoking cessation. Individuals are less likely to lapse if they are in the telic (serious-minded, arousal avoidant, goal-oriented) state than when they are in the paratelic (playful, arousal seeking, spontaneous) state. The literature indicates that people can smoke in such a way as to either increase or decrease central nervous system arousal; smoking in the telic and paratelic states might therefore differentially affect the resting electroencephalograph, as quantified by Fast Fourier Transform analysis. The basic hypothesis was supported. Theta power was decreased when subjects in the telic state smoked, while beta 2 power was increased when subjects in the paratelic state smoked; the latter finding was, however, true only for men. The results have important implications for research on changing health behaviors and for smoking cessation programs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Reversal theory's mastery and sympathy states in smoking cessation.

Relapse is the most frequent outcome of smoking cessation attempts. This study tests the usefulness of the mastery and sympathy concepts of Apter's reversal theory to explain whether subjects lapse or abstain during highly tempting situations. Descriptions of the highly tempting situations of 57 individuals who were attempting to quit smoking were assigned to mastery or sympathy categories. Situations were also coded for availability of cigarettes. Logit modeling revealed that both the mastery/sympathy variable and the availability of cigarettes were necessary to fit the data. Being in the mastery state and having to exert effort to get cigarettes were significantly related to resisting the urge to smoke. The smoking status of 36% of the subjects was correctly classified using both variables. The usefulness of mastery/sympathy states in explaining relapses in behavior change is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Cloned spindle and epithelioid cells from murine Kaposi's sarcoma-like tumors are of endothelial origin.

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a complex neoplasm comprising spindle cells, vascular structures, erythrocytes, and an inflammatory infiltrate. The pathogenesis of this disorder is not yet understood, which is a major impediment to the design of safe and effective new therapies. We previously reported a murine model in which simian virus 40 (SV40) T-antigen-transformed murine endothelial cells induce lesions with the histopathologic features of KS. We have now cloned by limiting dilution seven morphologically distinct tumor-derived lines, all of which express the SV40 T antigen. Because SV40 is non-permissive in mouse cells, the presence of this viral marker permits definitive identification of cellular origin. We report here that both spindle cell and epithelioid cell clones from these KS-like tumors are derived from endothelial cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

State-outcome consistency in smoking relapse crises: a reversal theory approach.

Previous investigations of smoking relapse crises have found limited within-subject consistency. Several investigators have suggested that greater consistency might be observed if situations were described phenomenologically. Reversal theory provides one phenomenological framework. Two relapse crises from each of 49 ex-smokers were compared, using reversal theory constructs. Maintaining abstinence in both crises was consistently associated with being in serious-minded (telic) and conformist states. Smoking in both crises was consistently associated with being in playful (paratelic) or negativistic states. Crises with different outcomes occurred in different state combinations. The findings suggest that coping strategies should be state-tailored for optimal effectiveness.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1991

Why rational people do irrational things. The theory of psychological reversals.

1. The theory of psychological reversals holds that individuals are inherently inconsistent and that they reverse between metamotivational states. Four pair states have been identified: telic/paratelic; negativistic/conformist; mastery/sympathy; autocentric/allocentric. 2. Individuals interpret motivational variables in different ways depending on the metamotivational states in effect at the time. 3. Health-care providers should recognize that reversals between states are necessary for mental health and they should make allowances for such reversals in their health-care recommendations.

Altruism↗
PubMed1990

A mouse lymphoid endothelial cell line immortalized by simian virus 40 binds lymphocytes and retains functional characteristics of normal endothelial cells.

Leukocyte-endothelial cell (EC) interactions regulate the entry of immune effectors into the tissues. This interaction occurs in lymphoid tissues and inflammatory sites at post-capillary high endothelial venules, as opposed to large capacitance vessels lined with flat EC. Transient SV40 infection of mouse EC derived from lymph node stroma has resulted in a cell line, SVEC4-10, that retains morphological and functional characteristics of normal EC. SVEC4-10 cells grow efficiently on plastic as a monolayer with a characteristic epithelioid morphology. They require as little as 2% FCS and are independent of other exogenous growth factors or matrix components. When grown on a synthetic basement membrane, SVEC4-10 forms branching tube-like networks. SVEC4-10 expresses Factor VIII related Ag as measured by indirect immunofluorescence using a rabbit antiserum to human FVIII-associated protein and incorporates acetylated low density lipoprotein. SVEC4-10 specifically binds mouse lymphocytes in vitro. IFN-gamma induces expression of MHC class II Ag in a time course identical to normal EC and the cell line is susceptible to lysis by anti SV40 H-2k CTL clones. Thus, this SV40 immortalized line retains much of the normal cellular physiology of EC.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Symptom beliefs and actual blood glucose in type II diabetes.

The relationships of blood glucose levels to symptoms and symptom beliefs were examined in this study of persons (N = 51) with Type II diabetes. Analyses revealed that 88% of the subjects had at least one symptom that was substantially correlated with blood glucose levels. However, subjects' symptom beliefs (symptoms subjects believe are the best indicators of high or low blood glucose levels) were largely unrelated to actual blood glucose levels. Thus, subjects were often mistaken about which of their symptoms were accurate indicators of blood glucose levels. Analyses also showed that the accuracy of symptom beliefs for low blood glucose was positively related to metabolic control.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Measurement of salivary thiocyanate during the process of smoking cessation.

The changes in salivary thiocyanate (SCN) following smoking cessation were determined for 70 people recruited from community-based smoking cessation programs. Data collected over 3 months following cessation showed a half value of 5 days for abstainers, a strong linear relationship between SCN level and number of days since quitting, and considerable individual variation in precessation SCN level. It is concluded that SCN has value as an inexpensive, initial screening test of smoking behavior.

Humans↗
PubMed1990

Reversal theory and smoking: a state-based approach to ex-smokers' highly tempting situations.

Reversal theory provides a new approach to understanding ex-smokers' behavior during highly tempting situations. Hypotheses derived from the theory were tested in 2 studies of the highly tempting situations of ex-smokers drawn from community smoking cessation programs. Study 1 consisted of interviews with 55 Ss (25 men and 30 women, mean age 37 years) conducted 3 months after cessation. Study 2 consisted of interviews with 104 Ss (45 men and 59 women, mean age 41 years) conducted 6, 9, 12, and 15 months after cessation. All interviews were coded using reversal theory constructs. Results supported the hypotheses that individuals in paratelic or negativistic states were more likely to lapse than individuals in telic/conformist states and that cigarette availability was related to lapses in paratelic, but not telic, states. Reversal theory constructs accurately classified 93% and 85% of the cases, suggesting that the theory provides an improved model for understanding behavior during highly tempting situations.

Adult↗