Biomedical subjects

Sven Barnow

Publications and source records attributed to Sven Barnow.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

[The relevance of personality and sexual traumata for sexual offenders in forensic psychiatry].

BACKGROUND: Studies in forensic psychiatry indicate that persons in prison and psychologically disturbed sexual offenders have a high degree of traumatic experiences. But less is known about other specific risk factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which the diagnoses and traumata of sexual offenders differ from those of non-sexual offenders. METHOD: 51-male, German, forensic psychiatric patients were examined. Various self-evaluation questionnaires served to ascertain dissociative and general psychopathology and interpersonal problems. RESULTS: No significant correlations were found between sexual offences and forensic or socio-demographic variables. Nor was it possible to identify any differences in dissociative and psychopathological factors between sexual offenders and non-sexual offenders. However, the comparison between these groups showed that the former more frequently reported sexual abuse in their biographies and the diagnosis more frequently indicated a narcissistic personality disorder. But the logistic regression analysis coupled with age pointed to only sexual abuse in childhood as a significant factor. CONCLUSION: Our data support the idea that one's own traumatic experiences are reproduced later. That indicates the significance of dealing with traumatic experiences in childhood for this group of offenders.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The relationship between the family density of alcoholism and externalizing symptoms among 146 children.

AIMS: To evaluate the prevalence of externalizing symptoms, such as attention problems, aggression and delinquency in the offspring of alcoholics. METHODS: A total of 146 children were divided into three groups with no (group 1, n = 28), one or two (group 2, n = 103) and three or more (group 3, n = 15) first- or second-degree relatives with an alcohol use disorder. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The group comparisons revealed that the children of group 3 had significantly higher values for the Child Behavior Checklist scales of attention and delinquent behavioural problems. The results remained significant after controlling for some additional factors such as antisocial personality disorder and drug dependence in the parents.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Correlates of externalizing symptoms in children from families of alcoholics and controls.

AIMS: This paper describes a new stage in the ongoing evaluation of the original families of sons of alcoholics and controls where we now focus on the relationships among relevant domains of functioning in their young sons and daughters. METHODS: The data were gathered from the 15-year follow-up of the families of the original probands (the fathers of these offspring) who had been selected from among students and non-academic staff at a university at approximately age 20. At the 15-year evaluation of these families, a structured interview and the Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL) questionnaire were administered to a parent, usually the mother, of 145 offspring age seven through 17. The eight domains evaluated here included the extended family histories of alcohol use disorders, parental alcoholism, independent mood or anxiety disorders in the grandparents and parents, the history of potential brain insults early in life, the absence of a biological parent in the home, and scores for internalizing symptoms, with externalizing symptoms as the dependent variable. RESULTS: Correlations among the domains were all in the predicted direction, a structural equation model revealed empirical results with an R(2) of 0.26, and there were high goodness of fit characteristics for hypothesized and empirical models. The results were similar for boys and girls and older versus younger offspring. CONCLUSIONS: An understanding of the relationships among characteristics in the offspring of the original probands offers the opportunity of establishing levels of functioning in relevant domains before the onset of alcohol-related problems or related disorders. The data presented here represent a baseline upon which future follow-ups will evaluate substance-related problems and disorders as this population matures.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Do alcohol expectancies and peer delinquency/substance use mediate the relationship between impulsivity and drinking behaviour in adolescence?

AIMS: To investigate (1). whether aggressive and delinquent behaviour problems predict subsequent adolescent drinking behaviour; and (2). to what extent this association is mediated by alcohol expectancies and/or peer delinquency/substance use. METHODS: 147 adolescents (approximately 15 years old) were interviewed with regard to their drinking behaviour. In addition, several self-rating questionnaires were given to gather information regarding the peers of these children. RESULTS: As proposed by the Acquired Preparedness Model (APM), we found that behavioural problems were related to quantity and frequency of alcohol consumed, and that this relationship was mediated by alcohol expectancies. Regarding peer relations, we found positive correlations between drinking behaviour and peer delinquency/substance use, aggression/delinquency and alcohol expectancies. Furthermore, the association between behavioural problems and drinking decreased dramatically if peer delinquency/substance use was accounted for. A hierarchical regression analysis revealed that both alcohol expectancies and peer delinquency/substance use predicted alcohol consumption of adolescents at the 1-year follow-up above and beyond the effects of age, sex, family history of alcoholism and aggression/delinquency of respondents. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol expectancies and peer delinquency/substance use are both crucial to the amount and frequency of adolescent alcohol use. They should be considered in designing prevention and intervention strategies in this age group.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Influence of age of patients who wish to die on treatment decisions by physicians and nurses.

OBJECTIVE: There is an ongoing debate on whether the wish to die in old age is a normal phenomenon and should be accepted as opposed to similar wishes in younger ages. The authors asked to what extent the age of a patient influences treatment decisions of physicians and nurses. METHODS: Real-life case vignettes of three persons ages 70 and over, with subthreshold depression and a wish to die, were presented to 19 physicians and 83 nurses, with the question of whether they would initiate psychopharmacological treatment or psychotherapy. For half of the participants, the real age of these persons was reduced by 20 years. Neither the participants nor the facilitators were aware of the focus of the study. RESULTS: The patient's age had a major influence on treatment decisions by physicians and nurses. The question of whether patients who expressed the wish to die should receive treatment, be it psychotherapy or intensive care, was answered with "yes" by both physicians and nurses significantly less frequently when the real age of the patient was known, whereas when a lower patient age (-20 years) was given, they more often saw the need for psychotherapy or other medical interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Age stereotypes have an influence on medical decision-making. Physicians and nurses must be trained in this respect in order to avoid maltreatment of elderly patients.

Adult↗