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Biomedical subjects

R S Davidson

Publications and source records attributed to R S Davidson.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Reliability and factor structure of the Alcohol Evaluation Instrument.

This study reports on the reliability and factor structure of an instrument called the ALCEVAL (Alcohol Evaluation Instrument). Results of this investigation reveal that the VA inpatient alcoholics in this study reported reliably on a variety of items on this structured self-report inventory. A factor analysis of reliable ALCEVAL items reveals that the instrument taps a variety of rather narrow dimensions pertaining to: onset and duration of drinking problems, family history, employment history, marital and family distress, and education and self-control of drinking behavior. Results of this investigation add to the growing body of research suggesting that the self-reports of alcoholics may be considered reliable particularly when obtained under standardized testing conditions.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Lyme arthritis in children. An orthopaedic perspective.

The cases of forty-three children with clinical and serological evidence of Lyme arthritis that was diagnosed between August 1983 and July 1985 were evaluated. The mean length of follow-up was twenty months, with a range of five to thirty months. All of the children lived in or had visited an area where the disease was known to be endemic. Arthritis was the presenting feature in more than half of the children, and half of the children had initially consulted an orthopaedic surgeon, none of whom made the correct diagnosis. Only twenty patients had a history of erythema chronicum migrans, the characteristic rash that precedes the arthritis, and for only nineteen children was there any recollection of having been bitten by a tick. Three patients had Bell palsy and one had a popliteal cyst in conjunction with the arthritis. All of the patients had oligoarticular involvement. The knee was involved in all but two patients. Recurrent attacks of synovitis were common. Effusion was the only radiographic abnormality that was observed, and it was found in thirty-two patients. The sedimentation rate was elevated in thirty of thirty-six patients. Immunofluorescent serology for Lyme disease, which is sensitive and specific, was uniformly positive. Of thirty-three patients who were treated with oral administration of penicillin or tetracycline alone, thirty-one responded, while two patients who had recurrent attacks of the disease responded to parenteral administration of antibiotics. The remaining ten patients responded to combinations of orally and parenterally administered antibiotics. Longer follow-up is needed to further document the apparently low rate of relapse after antibiotic therapy in this young population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

An examination of depressed vs. nondepressed alcoholics in inpatient treatment.

This study was designed to: (1) identify subgroups of depressed and nondepressed alcoholics who were entering inpatient treatment; (2) compare the groups on the basis of various demographic, social, occupational, educational, health and drinking related variables; and (c) determine whether the groups can be differentiated on the basis of personality and clinical symptoms as measured by clinical diagnostic instruments (N = 243). In comparison with the nondepressed alcoholics, depressed alcoholics in this study were found to have longer histories of problem drinking, more previous treatments for alcohol misuse, more difficulty controlling alcohol consumption, more marital problems, and more physical symptoms related to alcohol abuse. In addition, results of the discriminant analysis suggest that the depressed alcoholics may be distinguished from their nondepressed counterparts on the basis of having a detached interpersonal style, distracted cognition, alienated self-image, and mixed depressed-anxious emotionality.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Concurrent validity of the clinical symptom syndrome scales of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory.

This study examined relationships between the clinical symptom syndrome scales of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) and the various clinically meaningful mood or symptom states measured by the six Profile of Mood States (POMS) scales (N = 243). The MCMI symptom scale--POMS symptom/mood scale relationships found in this study were compared with MCMI symptom scale--MMPI and SCL-90 symptom/mood scale relationships reported in the MCMI manual (Millon, 1983). Results of the present investigation, when combined with results of the previous analyses reported in the MCMI manual, reveal a number of consistent associations of moderate strength between MCMI symptom scales and selected mood or symptom scales from the MMPI and Symptom Checklist-90 as well as from the POMS. Although most relationships between the MCMI symptom scales and the symptom/mood scales of the POMS, MMPI and SCL-90 were consistent with expectation, the Anxiety, Dysthymia and Psychotic Depression scales of the MCMI show limited ability to discriminate appropriately between anxiety and depression in several of the concurrent validity analyses considered herein.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Psychological correlates and treatment outcomes for high and low social functioning alcoholics.

This study is designed to identify psychologically meaningful correlates of high and low social functioning among alcoholics and to determine if High Social Alcoholics show greater changes between intake and 1 1/2 months into treatment than Low Social Alcoholics on various psycho-diagnostic measures. High Social group membership was found to be positively associated with scores at intake on the MCMI Compulsive-Conforming Scale. Low Social group membership was positively associated with scores on the POMS Depression-Dejection and Confusion-Bewilderment Scales; and on the MCMI Avoidant, Schizotypal, Passive-Aggressive, Psychotic Thinking, Psychotic Depression, Alcohol Abuse, and Borderline Scales. Repeated measures analyses revealed that, although both groups showed significant changes on a variety of measures, the High Social group showed significantly greater decreases between intake and 1 1/2 months into treatment than the Low Social group on the Avoidant, Dysthymic, Somatoform, and Anxiety Scales of the MCMI and on the Confusion-Bewilderment, Tension-Anxiety, and Fatigue-Inertia Scales of the POMS.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Patterns of stability and change in mood states of alcoholics in inpatient treatment.

This study examines patterns of individual stability and group change in mood states as measured by scores on the six Profile of Mood States (POMS) scales in a sample of inpatient alcoholics. Stability coefficients based on POMS scores from administrations at hospital admission and after 6 weeks of inpatient treatment ranged from a low of .36 for the Vigor-Activity scale to a high of .63 for the Confusion-Bewilderment scale. These stability estimates are comparable to those found in a previous study involving nonalcoholic psychiatric outpatients. The significant mean group changes found between admission and 6 weeks on each of the POMS scales consistently reflect improvement in mood and are generally similar in magnitude to those found previously using the POMS with both inpatient alcoholics and nonselected psychiatric outpatients.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

The personality and symptoms scales of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory: sensitivity to posttreatment outcomes.

This study examined patterns of consistency and change on the basic personality and symptom scales of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) in a sample of VA inpatient alcoholics (N = 96), who were administered the MCMI at intake and at 1 month into treatment, and in a sample of drug abusers (N = 33), who received MCMI administrations at intake into treatment and after 1 and 3 months of treatment. Both alcohol and drug abuser samples in this study showed significant changes on most personality and symptom scales between intake and 1 month into treatment. The drug abusers showed small, but significant changes on three personality scales between 1 and 3 months of treatment. No such changes on symptom scales were apparent in this analysis.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Stability of the personality and symptom scales of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory.

This study examines the stability of the basic and pathological personality and symptom scales of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) in three clinical samples. Consistent with the theory upon which the MCMI is based, higher stability estimates were found among basic personality scales in comparison with symptom scales. However, stability estimates which included initial MCMI administrations at intake into treatment were generally lower than those based upon administrations which occurred later in the treatment process. This later finding suggests the need to consider timing of administration when interpreting the MCMI.

Humans↗
PubMed1985

An examination of the relationship between personality patterns and symptom/mood patterns.

Relationships between various personality styles measured by the basic and pathological personality scales of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) and mood or symptom states measured by the Profile of Mood State scales were examined. The MCMI personality scale-POMS symptom/mood scale relationships found in this study are compared with MCMI personality scale-MMPI and SCL-90 symptom/mood scale relationships reported in the MCMI manual. Consistent associations of moderate strength were found between: (a) the MCMI Compulsive-Conforming and Passive-Aggressive (Negativistic) scales (negative and positive associations, respectively) and various measures of depression, anxiety and hostility; (b) the MCMI Avoidant, Schizotypal and Borderline-Cycloid scales and various measures of depression and anxiety; (c) the MCMI Schizoid-Asocial scale and various measures of depression; and (d) the Histrionic-Gregarious scale and various measures of high energy-activity. These MCMI personality scale-symptom/mood scale relationships are generally consistent both with the underlying theory of personality and psychopathology upon which the MCMI is based and with the personality-symptom scale relationships found within the MCMI.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1982

Cerebral palsy associated with maple syrup urine disease.

Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is a rare heritable enzyme defect associated with mental retardation. A diet deficient in the branched-chain amino acids is essential for survival. Patients with MSUD are at risk of ketoacidotic metabolic crises brought on by catabolic states, including simple infection or fasting. Delayed diagnosis and therapy can predispose these patients to loss of the gag reflex, lethargy, seizures, and feeding problems. Ultimately, this may result in aspiration and respiratory arrest, which, in turn, can cause cerebral palsy. Of seven cases of MSUD reviewed at The Hospital for Sick Children, two developed spastic diplegic cerebral palsy because of these sequelae. These two patients are similar to other patients with cerebral palsy. Despite special diet, healing of surgical wounds and fractures in patients with MSUD is normal. Simple precautions allow uncomplicated surgery and recovery, even though catabolic states can easily trigger acute ketoacidotic metabolic crises in these patients. The patients with MSUD discussed did not have an increased risk of infection.

Cerebral Palsy↗