Performance on tests sensitive to impaired executive ability in schizophrenia, mania and well controls: acute and subacute phases

Aims: To compare the performance of schizophrenia, mania and well control groups on tests sensitive to impaired executive ability, and to assess the within-group stability of these measures across the acute and subacute phases of psychoses. Method: Recently admitted patients with schizophrenia (n=36), mania (n=18) and a well control group (n=20) were assessed on two occasions separated by 4 weeks. Tests included: the Controlled Oral Word Association Test, the Stroop Test, the Wisconsin Card Sort Test, and the Trail Making Test. Results: The two patient groups were significantly impaired on the Stroop Test at both time points compared to the control group. Significant group differences were also found for the Trail Making Test at Time 1 and for the Wisconsin Card Sort Test at Time 2. When controlled for practice effect, significant improvements over time were found on the Stroop and Trail Making tests in the schizophrenia group and on WCST Categories Achieved in the mania group. Discussion: Compared to controls, the patient groups were impaired on measures related to executive ability. The pattern of improvement on test scores between the acute and subacute phases differed between patients with schizophrenia versus patients with mania. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V

Toward a Behavioral Ecology of Stressful Marital Interactions

In order to assess the behavioral ecology of stressful marital interactions, each partner from 16 maritally distressed and 16 nondistressed couples monitored the occurrence, antecedents and consequences of stressful interactions in their relationship for two weeks. As hypothesized, stressful interactions were more likely to occur in particular locations, on weekdays rather than weekends, and in association with life stress. The topics of stressful interactions were strongly associated with partners' activities prior to the interaction. The same setting variables were associated with stressful interactions in both distressed and nondistressed couples. Compared with nondistressed individuals, distressed individuals were more likely to report that stressful interactions were terminated by one or other partner exiting, and less likely to report interactions being resolved. Discussion focuses on generalization to high-risk settings of those communication skills taught during marital therapy and the potential clinical applications of the marital diary developed in this study