Coping measurement and the state effect of depression and anxiety in psychiatric outpatients

The relationship between coping styles and mental health has received considerable attention, but the state effects on coping measures in a clinical sample are not well known. This study investigated changes in scores on the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations between two treatment phases (acute and remitted phase) in 49 outpatients with major depression or anxiety disorders. Task-oriented coping changed significantly between the treatment phases in both depressive and anxious patients, as analyzed by two-way multivariate analysis of variance. Results from repeated measures of multivariate analysis of covariance indicated that task-oriented coping was influenced by depression and emotion-oriented coping was influenced by anxiety. Avoidance-oriented coping did not change significantly over time in either depressive or anxiety disorders controlled for depressive and anxiety symptoms. The results of this study suggest that depressive or anxiety symptoms and treatment phase affect coping measurement. Copyright (C) 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel

Impulsivity and the 5-HTTLPR Polymorphism in a Non-Clinical Sample

BACKGROUND: Impulsivity has been associated with serotonergic system functions. However, few researchers have investigated the relationship between a polymorphism in the promoter of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) and the different components of impulsivity in a non-clinical population. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between a polymorphism in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) and the different components of impulsivity in a non-clinical population. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We administered two neuropsychological tests, the Continuous Performance Task and the Iowa Gambling Task, to 127 healthy participants to measure their levels of motor, attentional and non-planning impulsivity. Then, these participants were grouped by genotype and gender, and their scores on impulsivity measures were compared. There were no significant differences between group scores on attentional, motor and non-planning impulsivity. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results suggest that 5-HTTLPR genotype is not significantly associated with subsets of impulsive behavior in a non-clinical sample when measured by neuropsychological tests. These findings are discussed in terms of the sensitivity of neuropsychological tests to detect impulsivity in a non-clinical population and the role of gender and race in the relationship between the 5-HTTLPR and impulsivity

Sex differences modulating serotonergic polymorphisms implicated in the mechanistic pathways of risk for depression and related disorders:

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137310/1/jnr23877.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137310/2/jnr23877_am.pd

Got Aloha? The State’s Use of Aloha in Hawai`i

The traditional Hawaiian value of “aloha” is a concept adopted and continuously used by the state of Hawai`i to express the “spirit” of the state. This is evident in the rhetorical use of “aloha” as an ideal, as well as the legislative use of it as a state value. The Aloha Spirit Law (HRS § 5-7.5 ) advises all government officials to act in consideration of aloha as interpreted by the state to ultimately mean “mutual regard and affection.” To what extent are the state’s actions and the outcomes of those actions consistent with this interpretation of “aloha”? To determine the extent to which aloha is realized by the state, Hawaii’s statistics on the treatment of minority subcultures will be compared to national statistics and measured by inequality indexes. In many cases, including in the treatment of the homeless, the prison population, and public school education, Hawaii’s actions and lack of actions may create unequal economic, social, and racial well-being among certain populations. By adopting “aloha,” the state uses aloha to characterize and even legitimize state actions, whether or not they adhere to the concept. It can be argued that the continuous affirmation of aloha masks the many policies that are anything but aloha. This has important implications if indeed the state has a duty to fulfill its explicitly stated ethical standard of conduct