Pandemic Grief Scale in detection of grief reaction among physicians in COVID-19 era

Background Physicians are considered one of the most vulnerable groups who might develop pandemic grief during this critical time of COVID-19 infection, and this grief reaction might have deleterious effects on their life. This cross-sectional observational online study aimed to investigate the pandemic grief reaction among physicians and its burden on their aspects of life. Results Socio-demographic characteristics of 900 physicians were collected. The Pandemic Grief Scale (PGS) was used to detect the grief reaction among them and also Patient Health Depression Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to evaluate the depressive manifestations. Sheehan Disability Scale was considered to investigate the burden of this grief on different aspects of life. The study revealed high mean score of Pandemic Grief Scale: 11.12 ± 2.34; the mean score of Sheehan Disability Scale was 17.63 ± 5.17, and the mean score of Patient Health Depression Questionnaire-9 was 19.89 ± 4.27. Conclusion Pandemic grief is commonly experienced by the physicians during this COVID-19 era due to sudden loss of loved one or the cases themselves. This pandemic grief has drastic effect on domains of physicians’ life.

An Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of the Sheehan Disability Scale in a Chinese Psychotherapy-Seeking Sample

Although the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) is one of the most extensively used and tested disability measurements, there has only been one psychometric evaluation of its properties in a Chinese-speaking population. Here, we provide a comprehensive psychometric assessment of the scale in 465 Mandarin-speakers who were accessing information online regarding psychotherapy. Principal component analysis and subsequent confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the SDS is one-dimensional (normed fit index = 0.976, non-normed fit index = 0.97, comparative fit index = 0.98, goodness-of-fit index = 0.967, standardized root mean-square residual = 0.023, root mean-square error of approximation = 0.149). The SDS exhibited excellent internal consistency (α = .89) and moderate test–retest reliability when readministered approximately 8 days later (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.55). Convergent validity was demonstrated by strong relationships with other measures of functional impairment (FI), while divergent validity was evidenced by fair correlation with a treatment ambivalence measure. Known-groups validity analyses showed that high FI was associated with significantly higher clinical scores of anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Regression analysis indicated that the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 score accounted for 37.6% of variance in FI. Overall, these findings support the reliability and validity of the SDS when used in Chinese treatment-seeking individuals, as well its usefulness as an online screening tool of FI.

The Swedish version of the Sheehan Disability Scale - a valid and brief measure of functioning

Rationale, aims and objective: The Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) is a brief instrument used to measure functional disability, but the Swedish translation has not been psychometrically evaluated. The aim of this paper is to test the psychometric properties of the Swedish translation and to further examine concurrent and external validity.Method: In this cross-sectional study, 160 young psychiatric patients from an open care unit in Sweden, were recruited based on a clinical diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Bipolar Disorder (BD) and/or Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and re-diagnosed for confirmation. Participants were interviewed concerning socio-demographic data and a socio-demographic index (SDI) was constructed. Reliability of SDS was measured as internal consistency and an exploratory factor analysis was performed. Level of functioning was measured by SDS scores and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). SDS, both self-assessed and expert rated and GAF scores were compared to measure concurrent validity, while SDS and the SDI were compared to measure external validity.Results: The Swedish SDS had a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.77. An exploratory factor analysis showed that the SDS-items loaded on a single factor with an eigenvalue of 2.06. Self-assessed SDS-scores correlated with expert rated GAF-scores (r = -0.606) and, to some extent, with SDI scores (r = 0.280). Patients with an SDI score ≥ 1 had higher SDS-scores (t=2.70, p=0.008).Conclusions: The Swedish SDS has similar psychometric properties as the English and Spanish versions. It showed both concurrent and external validity, but external validity was weaker

Effekte von Agomelatin bei depressiven Patienten im Praxisalltag

ZusammenfassungGegenstand und Ziel: Die nicht interventionelle Studie VIVRE (Valdoxan® ImproVes depRession with anxiEty symptoms) untersuchte, inwieweit das Antidepressivum Agomelatin (Valdoxan®) unter Praxisbedingungen auch soziale Funktionsfähigkeit und Angstsymptome depressiver Patienten beeinflusst. Methoden: 1 891 depressive Patienten wurden mit Agomelatin von 616 Ärzten drei Monate behandelt. Clinical-Global-Impressions (CGI) Skala, Patient-Global-Impressions (PGI) Skala, COVIAngst-Skala und Sheehan-Disability-Scale (SDS) wurden eingesetzt. Ergebnisse: Laut CGI und PGI lag die Responderrate jeweils bei 82,1% bzw. 73,1%, die Remissionrate jeweils bei 39,9% bzw. 47,6%. Angstsymptome der Depression verbesserten sich in allen COVIItems bei über 80% der Patienten. Die soziale Funktionsfähigkeit verbesserte sich in den SDSBereichen Arbeit/Schule, soziale Kontakte und Familienleben/Häusliche Verpflichtungen bei über 90% der Patienten. Die Verträglichkeit von Agomelatin wurde bei 98,2% der Patienten als “sehr gut/gut” bewertet. UAWs traten bei 2,6% der Patienten auf. Schlussfolgerung: Agomelatin zeigte im Praxisalltag eine umfassende Wirkung auf depressive Symptome, Angstsymptome der Depression und soziale Funktionsfähigkeit bei guter Verträglichkeit.

Rôle des facteurs psychotraumatiques dans la genèse des troubles obsessionnels compulsifs

ContexteIl existe de fortes présomptions théoriques et cliniques en faveur d’une relation entre certaines formes de Trouble obsessionnel compulsif (TOC) et des événements traumatiques [1]. De nombreuses études épidémiologiques ont aussi montré une association entre des traumatismes ou un ESPT et TOC[2]. L’ESPT et le TOC présentent certaines similitudes. Cette relation peut-elle être expliquée par une confusion de symptômes ? Existe-t-il une vulnérabilité commune ou un lien causal d’un trouble à l’autre ? La description d’une forme spécifiquement post-traumatique de TOC pourrait aussi être envisagée sur des arguments phénoménologiques[3].MéthodeÉtude descriptive psychométrique de l’association de l’ESPT au Trouble obsessionnel compulsif. Les données présentées ont été recueillies auprès de patients venus consulter à l’hôpital de la Pitié-Salpétrière courant 2012 pour leur TOC (n = 43). Quinze patients TOC + ESPT appariés à 28 patients TOC sans ESPT ont été évalués cliniquement et à l’aide d’échelles psychométriques (YBOCS, HAD, EPN 31, EGF, Sheehan Disability Scale, Liste des Pensées Obsessives, TCI-R de Cloninger).ObjectifIdentifier des différences dans le profil psychométrique des patients TOC + ESPT par rapport aux patients TOC ; afin de pouvoir discuter l’existence d’une forme de TOC post-traumatique.RésultatsL’analyse dimensionnelle des patients présentant un TOC associé à un ESPT retrouve des scores plus élevés pour la dimension de Transcendance (questionnaire TCI-R de Cloninger) que chez les patients souffrant d’un TOC seul. Aucune différence symptomatique, émotionnelle et de personnalité n’est retrouvée.ConclusionCette étude souligne l’importance de rechercher systématiquement l’existence d’un traumatisme devant un TOC afin d’adapter la prise en charge. Il serait également intéressant de poursuivre les investigations afin d’identifier l’existence ou non d’une forme spécifique de TOC post-traumatique.