A Population-Based Psychometric Validation Study of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire – Hebrew Version

This study presents the psychometric properties of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire – Hebrew version (SDQ-H), used in the Israel Survey on Mental Health among Adolescents (ISMEHA). The SDQ-H was administered to a representative sample of 611 adolescents and their mothers. Structural validity was evaluated by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA) inventory was used as “gold standard” to test convergent and discriminant validity. Internal consistency and normative scores were established. Agreement was found with the original factor structure, except for the Peer problem scale. Concurrent and discriminant validity varied from fair to very good for most scales. Total Difficulties scores showed better discriminant validity for the adolescents’ than the mothers’ report for internalizing disorders, and the opposite for externalizing disorders. Internal consistency for the Total Difficulties was 0.77 and for the Hyperactivity scale it was 0.73. It was lower for the other scales, particularly for the Peer problems scale. The findings suggest reasonable psychometric properties of the SDQ-H. Comparisons with other translated SDQ versions are presented

A Multicenter, Randomized, Open-Labeled, Parallel Group Trial of Sildenafil in Alcohol-Associated Erectile Dysfunction: The Impact on Psychosocial Outcomes

To examine the effect of sildenafil on erectile dysfunction (ED) and psychosocial outcomes in alcohol-dependent (AD) men, 108 men with these diagnoses were randomly assigned to either take sildenafil (50 mg) as add-on to standard treatment for AD, or the same treatment without sildenafil, for 12 weeks. Only 50 patients in sildenafil group and 51 in control group twice completed the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) and a battery of self-report questionnaires. IIEF scores and psychosocial functioning, self-esteem and support from friends improved only for sildenafil-treated patients (P < 0.001). The high effect sizes suggest that the observed benefits are unlikely to be a placebo effect, although their unspecific nature could not be ruled out. In men with ED associated with AD, sildenafil improves both ED and psychosocial outcomes. Further placebo-controlled clinical trial is warranted

A DNA Methylation Signature of Addiction in T Cells and Its Reversal With DHEA Intervention

Previous studies in animal models of cocaine craving have delineated broad changes in DNA methylation profiles in the nucleus accumbens. A crucial factor for progress in behavioral and mental health epigenetics is the discovery of epigenetic markers in peripheral tissues. Several studies in primates and humans have associated differences in behavioral phenotypes with changes in DNA methylation in T cells and brain. Herein, we present a pilot study (n = 27) showing that the T cell DNA methylation profile differentiates persons with a substance use disorder from controls. Intervention with dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), previously shown to have a long-term therapeutic effect on human addicts herein resulted in reversal of DNA methylation changes in genes related to pathways associated with the addictive state

Treatment Lag on the Way to the Mental Health Clinic Among Arab-and Jewish-Israeli Patients

Abstract: Background: The early recognition and timely treatment of psychiatric disorders helps reduce suffering, prevents mental disabilities and makes interventions more cost-effective. Objective: To examine treatment lag among Arab-and Jewish-Israelis applying to psychiatric clinics for the first time, and the association of this lag with selected socio-demographic and mental health-related variables. Methods: 251 adult outpatients making their first-ever visit to a psychiatric clinic completed a self-administered questionnaire, including questions on the time elapsed since the onset of the current disorder, reasons for the treatment lag, source of referral, main complaints, current psychiatric problems (self-diagnosis), attitudes to psychiatric disorders and treatment, pathways to care, and standard sociodemographic information. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to compare Arab-and Jewish-Israelis on parameters of interest. Results: Compared with their Jewish counterparts, Arab-Israeli patients showed a two-fold delay in initial treatment contact (÷ 2 =4.00, df=1, p &lt;0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that this delay was associated with lower schooling, other-than-psychiatric attribution of mental symptoms, and a more pessimistic attitude to the successful treatment of mental disorders in general and for oneself in particular. Conclusions: Since longer treatment delay was mostly associated with potentially modifiable knowledge and attitudes on mental disorders and treatment, educational programs targeting specific community sectors and community agents should be promoted to shorten this lag

Terrestrial biotic ligand model, 2: application to Ni and Cu toxicities to plants, invertebrates, and microbes in soil

The Terrestrial Biotic Ligand Model (TBLM) is applied to a number of noncalcareous soils of the European Union for Cu and Ni toxicities using organisms and endpoints representing three levels of terrestrial organisms: higher plants, invertebrates, and microbes. A comparison of the TBLM predictions to soil metal concentration or free metal ion activity in the soil solution shows that the TBLM is able to achieve a better normalization of the wide variation in toxicological endpoints among soils of disparate properties considered in this study. The TBLM predictions of the EC50s were generally within a factor of 2 of the observed values. To our knowledge, this is the first study that incorporates Cu and Ni toxicities to multiple endpoints associated with higher plants, invertebrates, and microbes for up to eleven noncalcareous soils of disparate properties, into a single theoretical framework. The results of this study clearly demonstrate that the TBLM can provide a general framework for modeling metals ecotoxicity in soils