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Biomedical subjects

M Hersen

Publications and source records attributed to M Hersen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

DSM-III-R anxiety disorders in children: sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.

This study investigated the characteristics of each of the specific DSM-III-R (American Psychiatric Association, 1987) anxiety disorders in a clinic sample of 188 anxiety disordered children. Characteristics examined included sociodemographic variables (age-at-intake, gender, and race of the child, and family marital and socioeconomic status) and clinical variables (disorder age-at-onset and severity, and history of additional disorders). Findings are discussed in light of the contemporary literature on childhood anxiety disorders.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Anxiety disorders in children and their families.

The first- and second-degree relatives of children with anxiety disorders were compared with relatives of children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and children who had never been psychiatrically ill for lifetime rates of psychopathological conditions, particularly anxiety disorders. Results from blind, diagnostic interviews indicated an increased prevalence of anxiety disorders in the first-degree relatives of children with anxiety disorder compared with relatives of both children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and never psychiatrically ill children. Relationships between specific anxiety disorders in children and their relatives revealed an increased rate of panic disorder among the first-degree relatives of children with over-anxious disorder, compared with the relatives of children with separation anxiety disorder and children with other types of anxiety disorders. There also was a trend for panic disorder to be more prevalent among relatives of children with panic disorder than among relatives of children with anxiety disorder without panic. Obsessive-compulsive disorder was the only other anxiety disorder that appeared to show a similar specific relationship between children and their relatives. In general, the findings from this study suggest that there is a familial component involved in the pathogenesis of childhood anxiety disorders. The specificity of this relationship varies among individual anxiety disorders.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Parent-child problem-solving interactions in families of visually impaired youth.

Investigated problem-solving and conflict-resolution strategies, an important aspect of family functioning, in visually impaired adolescents and their parents. Visually impaired adolescents were compared to adolescents with spina bifida and a control group of adolescents without disabilities. Parent-adolescent dyads participated in a problem-solving discussion of topics reflecting family disagreement. Videotapes of these discussions were rated for patterns of interaction using the Marital Interaction Coding System (MICS-III). Examination of positive and negative reciprocal patterns of interaction using sequential analyses and contrasting frequencies of specific behavioral codes revealed no differences between groups for adolescents, mothers, and fathers on the problem-solving discussion. Results are discussed in terms of (a) the impact of visual impairment on family functioning and (b) the need to identify those subgroups of visually impaired and their families that may be at heightened risk for maladjustment.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1989

Abuse and neglect in psychiatrically hospitalized multihandicapped children.

Medical charts of 150 consecutive admissions of multihandicapped children to a psychiatric hospital were examined to determine the extent and characteristics of abuse and neglect. Results indicated that 39% of the sample experienced or had a history that warranted suspicion of past and/or current maltreatment. Physical abuse was the most frequent type of maltreatment, followed by neglect and sexual abuse. Maltreated multihandicapped patients admitted to the psychiatric unit were less likely to receive diagnoses of organic brain syndrome or profound mental retardation than nonmaltreated multihandicapped counterparts on the same unit. Moreover, data indicated that less severely impaired patients were more likely to be maltreated than were the more severely impaired. Particularly striking was the severity of maltreatment in this multihandicapped sample and the relatively high percentage (40%) of sexually abused patients who were assaulted by multiple perpetrators.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Psychometric properties and social correlates of assertion measures in chronic alcoholics.

Assertion is a major focus of many social skills interventions for alcoholics. The assessment of assertion often relies on self-report measures. However, few psychometric data are available on the most frequently used instruments. This study determined the internal characteristics and structure of two commonly employed measures of assertion: the Wolpe-Lazarus Assertion Inventory and the Callner-Ross Assertion Inventory. In addition, the relationship between responses on these devices and demographic variables, extent of substance abuse, and level of social functioning were examined. Results indicated that both inventories exhibit adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Factor structures were relatively simple and represented general assertion situations. Results are discussed in terms of the need for further refinement of these instruments.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Treatment of ADDH in mentally retarded children: a preliminary study.

The use of CNS stimulant medication for the treatment of attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADDH) in subnormal intelligence children remains controversial, and the majority of the literature does not support the use of CNS stimulants in these children, although the choice of dependent variables and research designs may have contributed to this outcome. A single case research design was used to assess the effectiveness of CNS stimulant medication (methylphenidate and dextroamphetamine) in three subnormal intelligence children with ADDH, using excessive movement and on-task behaviors as dependent variables. The results and implications for future research are discussed.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗
PubMed1988

Association between anxiety and depression in children and adolescents with anxiety disorders.

The relationship between anxiety and depression was examined in a sample of 106 children and adolescents referred to an outpatient anxiety disorder clinic for children. Twenty-eight percent of patients with DSM-III diagnoses of anxiety disorders displayed a concurrent major depression. Children with anxiety disorders plus major depression were found (1) to be older, (2) to demonstrate more severe anxiety symptomatology, and (3) to be diagnosed with different rates of certain anxiety-disorder subtypes, when compared to anxious patients without major depression. Nondepressed anxious children and adolescents did not differ from a psychopathological control group in severity of either anxiety or depression symptoms.

Anxiety Disorders↗
PubMed1987

Psychiatric illness in the mothers of anxious children.

The authors compared maternal lifetime psychiatric illness for children with separation anxiety disorder and/or overanxious disorder (N = 58) and for children who were psychiatrically disturbed but did not manifest an anxiety or affective disorder (N = 15). The vast majority (83%) of mothers of children with separation anxiety disorder and/or overanxious disorder had a lifetime history of an anxiety disorder. Moreover, over one-half (57%) of the mothers presented with an anxiety disorder at the same time at which their children were seen for similar problems. Both of these rates significantly differed from those obtained for control subjects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Separation anxiety and school phobia: a comparison using DSM-III criteria.

Children who met DSM-III criteria for separation anxiety disorder (N = 48) or a phobic disorder of school (N = 19) were compared with respect to demographic characteristics, symptoms, associated psychiatric disorders, and maternal psychiatric illness. More children with separation anxiety disorder were female, prepubertal, and from families with lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Children with separation anxiety disorder were less likely to exhibit school refusal than children with school phobia. However, they were more likely to meet criteria for an additional DSM-III diagnosis. Finally, their mothers had a rate of affective disorders four times greater than that of mothers of children with school phobia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Assessment of social skills in visually-handicapped adolescents.

The present study provided a comprehensive behavioral assessment of social skill in visually-handicapped adolescents. Role-play tests, standardized interviews, parent ratings and judgements of physical attractiveness were employed to evaluate level of social functioning among: (1) 18 visually-handicapped adolescents in a residential school; (2) 17 visually-handicapped adolescents in public schools; and (3) 17 sighted adolescents in public schools. Results indicated that visually-handicapped adolescents exhibited deficits on selected verbal components of social skill. Moreover, these deficiencies were most apparent in visually-handicaped Ss from a residential setting. Findings are discussed in terms of the utility of social skills training for a subset of visually-handicapped adolescents and the importance of additional controlled research with visually-handicapped persons.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Patterns of attrition for psychosocial and pharmacologic treatments of depression.

Patient characteristics associated with early termination from psychosocial and pharmacologic treatments of depression were delineated. Patients were 125 female primary nonbipolar depressives randomly assigned to 12 weeks of protocol treatment in one of four conditions: social skills training plus placebo; short-term psychotherapy plus placebo; amitriptyline alone; and social skills training plus amitriptyline. Results indicated that premature terminators from pharmacotherapy tended to be mildly depressed and intolerant of medication side effects. In contrast, dropouts from psychosocial treatment were more severely depressed and dissatisfied with the lack of early response which often accompanies interventions of this type. These findings may support the use of short-term psychosocial approaches in lieu of pharmacotherapy in mild nonendogenous depressions. However, antidepressant medication, either alone or in conjunction with psychosocial treatment, should continue to be considered the treatment of choice in more severely depressed melancholic patients.

Amitriptyline↗
PubMed1983

Validation of a Hamilton subscale for endogenomorphic depression.

The current study examined the validity of a subscale for endogenomorphic depression derived from the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. In a sample of 147 women outpatients with primary depression, subscale (HES) scores were bimodally distributed around the mean score of 7.38. High-HES patients had significantly elevated scores on measures of depressive symptomatology, generalized symptomatic distress, and social impairment relative to low-HES patients. Classifications based on HES scores significantly predicted RDC and DSM-III subtype diagnoses of endogenous and nonendogenous depression. Diagnostic predictions based on the subscale's items were superior to predictions made using the 'non-endogenomorphic' Hamilton items. Potential applications for research are discussed.

Depressive Disorder↗