A PCA Approach to Population Analysis: With Application to a Phase II Depression Trial.

A PCA approach to population analysis: with application to a Phase II depression trial.

J Pharmacokinet Pharmacodyn. 2013 Mar 17;
Marostica E, Russu A, Gomeni R, Zamuner S, De Nicolao G

For psychiatric diseases, established mechanistic models are lacking and alternative empirical mathematical structures are usually explored by a trial-and-error procedure. To address this problem, one of the most promising approaches is an automated model-free technique that extracts the model structure directly from the statistical properties of the data. In this paper, a linear-in-parameter modelling approach is developed based on principal component analysis (PCA). The model complexity, i.e. the number of components entering the PCA-based model, is selected by either cross-validation or Mallows’ Cp criterion. This new approach has been validated on both simulated and clinical data taken from a Phase II depression trial. Simulated datasets are generated through three parametric models: Weibull, Inverse Bateman and Weibull-and-Linear. In particular, concerning simulated datasets, it is found that the PCA approach compares very favourably with some of the popular parametric models used for analyzing data collected during psychiatric trials. Furthermore, the proposed method performs well on the experimental data. This approach can be useful whenever a mechanistic modelling procedure cannot be pursued. Moreover, it could support subsequent semi-mechanistic model building. HubMed – depression

Culturally Sensitive Depression Assessment for Chinese American Immigrants: Development of a Comprehensive Measure and a Screening Scale Using an Item Response Approach.

Asian Am J Psychol. 2012 Dec; 3(4): 230-253
Wong R, Wu R, Guo C, Lam JK, Snowden LR

The present mixed methods study developed a comprehensive measure and a screening scale of depression for Chinese American immigrants by combining an emic approach with item response analysis. Clinical participants were immigrants diagnosed by licensed clinicians who worked in the community. Qualitative interviews with clinicians and clinical participants (N = 63) supported the definition of the construct of depression-which guided scale development-and a 47-item pilot scale. Clinical and community participants (N = 227) completed the pilot scale and measures of neurasthenia and acculturative stress, and the Patient Health Questionnaire Depression Module (PHQ-9). A Rasch Partial Credit Model of 42-items-representing psychological, somatic and interpersonal domains of distress-best fit the data. Twenty-three items overlapped with the DSM-IV symptoms of major depression. Twenty-seven items were biased by acculturation-related variables. Nine items appropriate for self-report screening in primary care and community organizations were chosen to form a brief scale. Both measures showed strong reliability and concurrent and convergent validity. The 9-item scale had better content validity than the PHQ-9. Implications regarding the impact of culture for assessment are highlighted. HubMed – depression

Long-Term Psychological Outcome of Workers After Occupational Injury: Prevalence and Risk Factors.

J Occup Rehabil. 2013 Mar 16;
Lin KH, Shiao JS, Guo NW, Liao SC, Kuo CY, Hu PY, Hsu JH, Hwang YH, Guo YL

Introduction This study aimed to examine the prevalence rates of both post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression at 12 months in workers experiencing different types of occupational injury in Taiwan. Demographic and injury-related risk factors for psychological symptoms were also evaluated. Methods Our study candidates were injured workers in Taiwan who were hospitalized for 3 days or longer and received hospitalization benefits from the Labor Insurance program. A two-staged survey study was conducted. A self-reported questionnaire including the Brief Symptom Rating Scale and Post-traumatic Symptom Checklist was sent to workers at 12 months after injury. Those who met the criteria were recruited for the second-stage phone interview with a psychiatrist using the Mini-international Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Results A total of 1,233 workers completed the questionnaire (response rate 28.0 %). Among them, 167 (13.5 %) fulfilled the criteria for the MINI interview and were invited. A total of 106 (63.5 %) completed the phone interview. The estimated rate of either PTSD/PPTSD or major depression was 5.2 %. The risk factors for psychological symptoms were female gender, lower education level, loss of consciousness after occupational injury, injury affecting physical appearance, occupational injury experience before this event, life experience before and after this injury, length of hospital stay, self-rated injury severity, and percentage of income to the family. Conclusions These results showed that occupational injury can cause long-term psychological impact in workers. Key demographic and injury characteristics may enhance the identification of at-risk occupational injured workers who would benefit from targeted screening and early intervention efforts. HubMed – depression

Premigration Harm and Depression: Findings from the New Immigrant Survey, 2003.

J Immigr Minor Health. 2013 Mar 17;
Montgomery MA, Jackson CT, Kelvin EA

Studies examining refugees from conflict areas have found that persecution in the place of origin is a risk factor for depression. No studies have looked at this association between mental health and the experience of premigration harm due to race, gender or religion in the general population of United States immigrants. The New Immigrant Survey baseline questionnaire was administered to a random sample of adults receiving legal permanent residency in the U.S. in 2003 (n = 8,573), including refugees, asylees and other immigrants. In multivariate analysis controlling for visa type, premigration harm was a predictor of general depression of borderline statistical significance [odds ratio (OR), 1.33; 95 % CI 0.98-1.80, p = 0.068] and a significant predictor of major depression with dysphoria (OR, 2.24; 95 % CI 1.48-3.38, p = 0.0001). These findings suggest that premigration harm is a risk factor for depression in the general immigrant population and not just among refugees. HubMed – depression

Multi-domain Models of Risk Factors for Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Preschoolers: Evidence for Common and Specific Factors.

J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2013 Mar 17;
Hopkins J, Lavigne JV, Gouze KR, Lebailly SA, Bryant FB

Relatively few studies have examined multiple pathways by which risk factors from different domains are related to symptoms of anxiety and depression in young children; even fewer have assessed risks for these symptoms specifically, rather than for internalizing symptoms in general. We examined a theoretically- and empirically-based model of variables associated with these symptom types in a diverse community sample of 796 4-year-olds (391 boys, 405 girls) that included factors from the following domains: contextual (SES, stress and family conflict); parent characteristics (parental depression); parenting (support/engagement, hostility and scaffolding); and child characteristics including negative affect (NA) effortful control (EC) sensory regulation (SR), inhibitory control (IC) and attachment. We also compared the models to determine which variables contribute to a common correlates of symptoms of anxiety or depression, and which correlates differentiate between those symptom types. In the best-fitting model for these symptom types (a) SES, stress and conflict had indirect effects on both symptom types via long-chain paths; (b) caregiver depression had direct effects and indirect ones (mediated through parenting and child effortful control) on both symptom types; (c) parenting had direct and indirect effects (via temperament and SR); and temperament had direct effects on both symptom types. These data provide evidence of common risk factors, as well as indicate some specific pathways/mediators for the different symptom types. EC was related to anxiety, but not depression symptoms, suggesting that strategies to improve child EC may be particularly effective for treatment of anxiety symptoms in young children. HubMed – depression