Investigating Health Related Quality of Life in People with Schizophrenia

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that significantly lessens health-related quality of life (HRQoL). A better understanding of HRQoL is needed to inform holistic and patient-centered treatments for schizophrenia. The purpose of this dissertation is to conduct an in-depth exploration of HRQoL in people with schizophrenia. The dissertation includes three components. The first component is an integrative literature review aimed at identifying factors associated with physical quality of life (QoL) in people with schizophrenia. The review reveals that symptoms of schizophrenia, depression, obesity or body mass index, and physical activity are associated with physical QoL in this population. The second and third components are based on illness narratives of 20 people with schizophrenia who had participated in a larger study of individuals diagnosed with serious mental illness. The second component of the dissertation is a qualitative descriptive study conducted to describe common HRQoL concerns in people with schizophrenia. The results indicate that these concerns were related to social relationships, psychiatric symptoms, psychiatric care, and employment. The third component of the dissertation is a parallel convergent mixed-methods study conducted to explore whether computerized lexical analysis (CLA) of illness narratives of people with schizophrenia can reveal their HRQoL concerns. CLA is an automatized process that counts words in text data and sorts them into pre-defined word categories. The results provide preliminary support for the potential use of CLA to efficiently assess HRQoL in people with schizophrenia as the CLA identified some of the HRQoL concerns that had been identified in the prior qualitative descriptive study. The results of the three studies reveal the complexity of the phenomenon of HRQoL in people with schizophrenia and can inform the development of strategies to identify and promote HRQoL in this population

Práticas de construção de autonomia da escola : uma análise de projectos educativos, planos de actividades e regulamentos internos

A partir do estudo de Projectos Educativos, Planos de Actividades e Regulamentos Internos, elaborados em escolas integradas no regime de experimentação do modelo de direcção e gestão previsto no Decreto-Lei nº 172/91, os autores discutem alguns conceitos pertinentes e apresentam algumas conclusões sobre práticas de construção da autonomia da escola.À partir de Projets Éducatifs, de Plans d'Activités et de Règlements Intérieurs, élaborés dans des écoles intégrées dans le régime de l'expérimentation du modèle de direction et de gestion prévu dans le décret-loi nº 172/91, les auteurs analysent quelques concepts pertinents et présentent quelques conclusions de l'analyse réalisée sur des pratiques de régulation scolaire.Through consulting Educational Projects, Activity Plans, and Internal Regulations developed in schools which have been involved in the experimentation of the management model defined by Law nº 172/ 91, the authors analyse some relevant concepts and draw some conclusions about the practices of school regulation

Using Lexical Analysis to Identify Emotional Distress in Psychometric Schizotypy

Through the use of lexical analysis software, researchers have demonstrated a greater frequency of negative affect word use in those with schizophrenia and schizotypy compared to the general population. In addition, those with schizotypy endorse greater emotional distress than healthy controls. In this study, our aim was to expand on previous findings in schizotypy to determine whether negative affect word use could be linked to emotional distress. Schizotypy (n=33) and non-schizotypy groups (n=33) completed an open-ended, semi-structured interview and negative affect word use was analyzed using a validated lexical analysis instrument. Emotional distress was assessed using subjective questionnaires of depression and psychological quality of life (QOL). When groups were compared, those with schizotypy used significantly more negative affect words; endorsed greater depression; and reported lower QOL. Within schizotypy, a trend level association between depression and negative affect word use was observed; QOL and negative affect word use showed a significant inverse association. Our findings offer preliminary evidence of the potential effectiveness of lexical analysis as an objective, behavior-based method for identifying emotional distress throughout the schizophrenia-spectrum. Utilizing lexical analysis in schizotypy offers promise for providing researchers with an assessment capable of objectively detecting emotional distress

De la Révolution à la Constitution : une chronologie

International audienc

De la Révolution à la Constitution. Une chronologie

Janela Antunes José Carlos. De la Révolution à la Constitution. Une chronologie . In: Matériaux pour l'histoire de notre temps, n°80, 2005. Mémoires d'avril : 1974-2004, trente ans de la révolution des Oeillets au Portugal. pp. 83-89

Puiser aux sources d’Avril, découvrir l’espoir, inventer l’avenir

1973-1974: Marcello Caetano is sinking in his contradictions and hesitations. It is the deadlock of "evolution in continuity”. The coup d’État of 25th April 1974 opened a wide range of political alternatives to the Portuguese. The country was overflowing with projects, which the programme of the MFA tried to rationalise: "democratise, decolonise and develop”. Remembering the political vitality of this period, the poet speaks of "a fatherland at the heart of spring”. Thirty years later, hope had disappeared and disillusion seemed to be setting in. If we return to historical sources, the thinking of Alexandre Herculano stands out: "History is not simply commemoration. History is above all a consideration of the past which allows us to open the paths of the future with courage and lucidity.”1973-1974: Marcello Caetano s’enlise dans ses contradictions et dans ses hésitations; c’est l’impasse de «l’évolution dans la continuité». Le coup d’État du 25 avril 1974 ouvre aux Portugais un large éventail d’alternatives politiques. Le pays foisonne de projets, qui se proposent concrétiser le programme du MFA: «démocratiser, décoloniser, développer». Rappelant la vitalité politique de cette époque, le poète José Carlos Vasconcelos parle «d’une patrie au coeur du printemps». Trente ans après, l’espoir s’est évanoui et les désillusions semblent s’installer. Si nous revenons aux sources historiques, c’est la pensée d’Alexandre Herculano qui s’impose: l’histoire n’est pas la simple commémoration. L’histoire est surtout une réflexion sur le passé qui nous permet d’ouvrir avec courage et lucidité les chemins de l’avenir.Janela Antunes José Carlos. Puiser aux sources d’Avril, découvrir l’espoir, inventer l’avenir . In: Matériaux pour l'histoire de notre temps, n°80, 2005. Mémoires d'avril : 1974-2004, trente ans de la révolution des Oeillets au Portugal. pp. 25-29

De la Révolution à la Constitution. Une chronologie

Janela Antunes José Carlos. De la Révolution à la Constitution. Une chronologie . In: Matériaux pour l'histoire de notre temps, n°80, 2005. Mémoires d'avril : 1974-2004, trente ans de la révolution des Oeillets au Portugal. pp. 83-89

A avaliação no contexto organizacional da empresa e da escola : fragmentos de percursos comparados

Os autores procuram pôr em evidência a importância que diferentes teorias, e algumas formas de organização do trabalho, atribuíram à avaliação em contexto organizacional. Para o efeito, escolheram alguns traços mais expressivos do percurso que esta problemática tem efectuado, partindo das primeiras referências que lhe são feitas, de forma implícita ou explícita, nas teorias sobre as organizações produtivas, até chegar às teorias mais recentes sobre as organizações educativas. Ensaia-se, assim, uma primeira síntese exploratória que articula, sempre que possível, a evolução diacrónica e as nuances que a problemática da avaliação foi assumindo nas diferentes perspectivas organizacionais (escolares e não escolares).The authors highlight the role of evaluation within organizational contexts, as assigned by different theories and labour organization trends . The study takes account of the most significant traits of the issue,with reference to the way it has evolved within theories about productive and educational organizations till now . An exploratory synthesis of the research gives an articulate account of the diachronic evolution and the nuances taken by evaluation within different (school and non-school) organizational perspectives