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Biomedical subjects

P Jacobsen

Publications and source records attributed to P Jacobsen.

106 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Psychical and physical symptoms after torture. A prospective controlled study.

This is the first controlled study of torture victims published. Ten persons who alleged subjection to torture were examined by two different medical teams during the first months after torture. The testimonies of the probands were found to be credible and the method of examination was found to be reliable. The state of health of the probands was inferior to that of the control persons (P less than 0.01) which reflects the effect of torture on health. The most frequent symptoms were psychological: depression, anxiety, emotional lability, reduced ability for contact, disturbed sleep, nightmares, impaired concentration and memory.

Adult↗

A new psychosocial screening instrument for use with cancer patients.

The authors performed a principal components factor analysis on the 18-item Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18), a new brief screening inventory. The factor analysis, in which four factors were specified, is consistent with findings in a previous community sample. The study sample consisted of 1,543 cancer patients who completed the full BSI as part of their entry into care at a regional cancer center. The reliability of the BSI-18 was determined based on the calculation of the internal consistency, mean item scores, and correlations with the total score of the BSI. In addition, sensitivity and specificity was calculated to determine the ability of the BSI-18 to discriminate positive and negative cases. The BSI-18 is a shortened version of the BSI that can serve as a brief psychological screening instrument. The BSI-18 can be incorporated into outpatient clinics to prospectively and rapidly identify cancer patients with elevated levels of distress who are in need of clinical interventions. Early identification of distress with appropriate interventions can reduce distress, enhance quality of life, and decrease health care costs.

Adult↗