Measuring Income Inequality in Euroland

In this paper we propose an aggregate measure of income inequality for the founding countries of the European monetary union. Applying the methodology of the Theil index we are able to derive a measure for Euroland as a whole by exploiting information from two data sets: the European Community Household Panel and the Luxembourg Income Study. The property of additive decomposability allows us to determine each country's contribution as well as that of each demographic group to overall income inequality. In addition the impact of government transfers on this inequality measure is assessed.

The unification bonus (malus) in postwall Eastern Germany

This paper presents estimates of the unification bonus for East Germans over the period 1991 to 1998. The unification bonus is defined as the discounted value of the difference between a person?s actual income and his or her counterfactual real income stream forecast for a hypothetical continuation of economic life in a static GDR. The two main issues tackled in this study are the construction of valid deflators for a comparison of real incomes during the transition from a centralized to a market economy and the estimation of plausible counterfactual income streams. Our central result is that 19 percent of East Germans received a present value malus and so can be regarded as unification losers but that the aggregate bonus is ten times the size of the aggregate malus of the sample. --Real income comparison,income distribution and mobility,economies in transition

Erfolgsabhängige Vergütung: Ein sicherer Weg zur Steigerung der Leistung von Top-Managern?

Dieser Beitrag zeigt auf Basis einer Befragung von Führungskräften eines internationalen Konzerns, unter welchen Bedingungen eine erfolgsabhängige Vergütung einen positiven Motivationseffekt erzielen kann. Neben einer positiven Entwicklung der Bonusauszahlung können weitere Faktoren die Motivationswirkung des Vergütungssystems stärken. Hierzu zählen vor allem die allgemeine Zustimmung zum System, eine geringe Volatilität der Berechnungsgrundlage, das Gefühl, die Auszahlung durch eigene Leistung beeinflussen zu können, und eine gute Informationspolitik des Unternehmens während der Einführungsphase

The unification bonus (malus) in postwall Eastern Germany

This paper presents estimates of the unification bonus for East Germans over the period 1991 to 1998. The unification bonus is defined as the discounted value of the difference between a person's actual income and his or her counterfactual real income stream forecast for a hypothetical continuation of economic life in a static GDR. The two main issues tackled in this study are the construction of valid deflators for a comparison of real incomes during the transition from a centralized to a market economy and the estimation of plausible counterfactual income streams. Our central result is that 19 percent of East Germans received a present value malus and so can be regarded as unification losers but that the aggregate bonus is ten times the size of the aggregate malus of the sample

Effectiveness of supported housing versus residential care in severe mental illness: a multicenter, quasi-experimental study

Purpose Up to now there are only few studies and no RCT comparing efficacy or effectiveness of supported housing (SH) versus residential care (RC) in severe mental illness (SMI) without homelessness. Here we present an observational followup study in SMI subjects, who entered SH or RC, to compare clinical and functional outcomes 2 years later. Methods In this prospective study in more than 30 locations throughout a German federal state, we included SMI subjects, who entered SH (n= 153) or RC (n = 104). About one quarter suffered from each substance use, psychotic, affective, or other disorders. To avoid sampling bias, we used the propensity score matching method to establish a quasi-experimental design. Outcome measures were social functioning (SFS), the number of psychiatric hospitalisations, psychopathology (SCL-9-K), and quality of life (MANSA). Apart from descriptive methods we analysed primarily using repeated-measures ANOVAS. Results Our analyses revealed significant effects of time for all outcomes in both study groups. However, there were not any group differences of outcome measures, i.e., not any significant effects of group or interactional effects of group x time. Moreover, these results hold true for intent-to-treat and per-protocol sample analyses. Conclusion The results show, that SH and RC for non-homeless people with SMI achieve the same clinical and psychosocial outcomes across a 2-year period. Taking into account the users’ preferences, the present findings should give reason to ensure the availability of affordable housing and to support the expansion of upported housing approache

Impact of therapist change after initial contact and traumatic burden on dropout in a naturalistic sample of inpatients with borderline pathology receiving dialectical behavior therapy

Steuwe C, Berg M, Driessen M, Beblo T. Impact of therapist change after initial contact and traumatic burden on dropout in a naturalistic sample of inpatients with borderline pathology receiving dialectical behavior therapy. Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation. 2017;4(14): 14.Background This study focused on the predictors of therapy dropout in a naturalistic sample of patients with borderline pathology receiving dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) in an inpatient setting. We assumed that the change of the therapist between DBT-briefing and start of DBT-treatment as well as comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and childhood trauma history were associated with elevated dropout. Methods Eighty-nine participants with borderline pathology (≥ 3 borderline personality disorder criteria) receiving an inpatient DBT program completed a quality assurance questionnaire set assessing demographic information and pretreatment psychopathology during the days of their inpatient stay. Beyond that, changes of therapists were documented. The predictor analyses were investigated with generalized estimating equations. Results The dropout rate was 24.7%. A change of therapist between DBT-briefing and treatment as well as high childhood emotional abuse was associated with premature termination of treatment. Higher values of physical neglect during childhood were associated with a protective effect on treatment dropout. Surprisingly, this was also true for comorbid PTSD. Conclusions This study supports the importance of therapy process variables as predictors of therapy dropout in borderline pathology. A change of therapist between DBT-briefing and treatment was associated with an increased vulnerability for dropping out of treatment and should therefore be avoided if possible. Against our hypotheses, a comorbid PTSD was even protective with regard to DBT dropout. Therefore, this severely suffering patient group should not be rejected from treatment assuming them to be too unstable for psychotherapy. However, results need to be replicated. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03018639, retrospectively registered on January 9, 2017

Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) compared to enhanced treatment as usual (E-TAU) for suicidal patients in an inpatient setting: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Santel M, Beblo T, Neuner F, et al. Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) compared to enhanced treatment as usual (E-TAU) for suicidal patients in an inpatient setting: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry. 2020;20(1): 183.Background The Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) is a therapeutic framework that has been shown to reduce suicidal ideation and overall symptom distress. CAMS has not been previously evaluated in a standard acute inpatient mental health care setting with only short treatment times for suicidal patients. In this randomized controlled trial (RCT) we are investigating whether CAMS is more effective than Enhanced-Treatment as Usual (E-TAU) in reducing suicidal thoughts as primary outcome variable. We are also investigating depressive symptoms, general symptom relief, and the quality of the therapeutic alliance as secondary outcomes. Methods/Design This RCT is designed as a single-center, two-armed, parallel group observer-blinded clinical effectiveness investigation. We are recruiting and randomizing 60 participants with different diagnoses, who are admitted as inpatients because of acute suicidal thoughts or behaviors into the Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ev. Hospital Bethel in Bielefeld, Germany. The duration of treatment will vary depending on patients’ needs and clinical assessments ranging between 10 and 40 days. Patients are assessed four times, at admission, discharge, 1 month, and 5 months post-discharge. The primary outcome measure is the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation. Other outcome measures are administered as assessment timepoints including severity of psychiatric symptoms, depression, reasons for living, and therapeutic relationship. Discussion This effectiveness study is being conducted on an acute ward in a psychiatric clinic where patients have multiple problems and diagnoses. Treatment is somewhat limited, and therapists have a large caseloads. The results of this study can thus be generalizable to a typical inpatient psychiatric hospital settings

Subjective memory complaints and memory performance in patients with borderline personality disorder

Beblo T, Mensebach C, Wingenfeld K, Rullkoetter N, Schlosser N, Driessen M. Subjective memory complaints and memory performance in patients with borderline personality disorder. BMC Psychiatry. 2014;14(1): 255.Background It is still a matter of debate as to whether patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) suffer from memory deficits. Existing studies indicate no or small impairments in memory test performance. However, it was shown in patients with related disorders, such as depression, that self-reported impairment exceeds test malfunction. In the present study we assessed memory performance of BPD patients through the use of memory tests and a questionnaire for subjective memory complaints (SMC) in everyday life. Methods Thirty-two patients with BPD and 32 healthy control subjects were included in the study. The groups of subjects were comparable with respect to age, education, and gender. Subjects completed verbal and nonverbal memory tests, as well as the everyday memory questionnaire (EMQ). Results BPD patients reported severe SMC but did not show memory test impairment. The results remained stable even when all BPD patients with acute or lifetime depression comorbidity were excluded from analyses. In both groups, SMC and test performances were not related but in BPD patients SMC were related to BPD symptoms. Conclusions Our data indicate memory impairment of BPD patients in everyday life. However, it cannot be ruled out that increased memory complaints result from patients’ negative self-perception. Future research needs to clarify the reasons for memory complaints of BPD patients

Effectiveness and feasibility of Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) in patients with borderline personality disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder – a pilot study

Steuwe C, Rullkötter N, Ertl V, et al. Effectiveness and feasibility of Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) in patients with borderline personality disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder – a pilot study. BMC Psychiatry. 2016;16(1): 254.Background This pilot study focused on the feasibility and potential effectiveness of a protocol based on Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) that was integrated into a standard inpatient program to treat patients with comorbid Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Methods Eleven patients (1 male, 10 female) without previous stabilization periods or the absence of intentional self-injury received NET during a ten-week inpatient program. Patients were assessed again at post-treatment and a 12-month follow-up. Results Drop-out rates during treatment were low, with 90.9 % completing NET. Furthermore, acceptance of NET was high, with only one patient rejecting treatment. The program was safe because it did not lead to aggravations in symptom severity at either the post-treatment or 12-month follow-up. Additionally, the rate of self-harming behaviors throughout the treatment phase was low (18.2 %). In fact, treatment was associated with positive effects on PTSD and BPD symptom severity as well as secondary outcome measures, including depression, dissociation and quality of life. Conclusions The present study found that NET is feasible and safe in an inpatient setting for treating highly burdened patients with BPD and PTSD. There is also evidence for the potential effectiveness of NET in this highly burdened population

Interleukin-6 gene (IL-6): a possible role in brain morphology in the healthy adult brain

Background: Cytokines such as interleukin 6 (IL-6) have been implicated in dual functions in neuropsychiatric disorders. Little is known about the genetic predisposition to neurodegenerative and neuroproliferative properties of cytokine genes. In this study the potential dual role of several IL-6 polymorphisms in brain morphology is investigated. Methodology: In a large sample of healthy individuals (N = 303), associations between genetic variants of IL-6 (rs1800795; rs1800796, rs2069833, rs2069840) and brain volume (gray matter volume) were analyzed using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Selection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) followed a tagging SNP approach (e.g., Stampa algorigthm), yielding a capture 97.08% of the variation in the IL-6 gene using four tagging SNPs. Principal findings/results: In a whole-brain analysis, the polymorphism rs1800795 (−174 C/G) showed a strong main effect of genotype (43 CC vs. 150 CG vs. 100 GG; x = 24, y = −10, z = −15; F(2,286) = 8.54, puncorrected = 0.0002; pAlphaSim-corrected = 0.002; cluster size k = 577) within the right hippocampus head. Homozygous carriers of the G-allele had significantly larger hippocampus gray matter volumes compared to heterozygous subjects. None of the other investigated SNPs showed a significant association with grey matter volume in whole-brain analyses. Conclusions/significance: These findings suggest a possible neuroprotective role of the G-allele of the SNP rs1800795 on hippocampal volumes. Studies on the role of this SNP in psychiatric populations and especially in those with an affected hippocampus (e.g., by maltreatment, stress) are warranted.Bernhard T Baune, Carsten Konrad, Dominik Grotegerd, Thomas Suslow, Eva Birosova, Patricia Ohrmann, Jochen Bauer, Volker Arolt, Walter Heindel, Katharina Domschke, Sonja Schöning, Astrid V Rauch, Christina Uhlmann, Harald Kugel and Udo Dannlowsk