Depression Treatment: Positive and Negative Relationship Between Anxiety and Depression of Patients in Pain: A Bifactor Model Analysis.
Positive and Negative Relationship between Anxiety and Depression of Patients in Pain: A Bifactor Model Analysis.
Filed under: Depression Treatment
PLoS One. 2012; 7(10): e47577
Xie J, Bi Q, Li W, Shang W, Yan M, Yang Y, Miao D, Zhang H
The relationship between anxiety and depression in pain patients has not been clarified comprehensively. Previous research has identified a common factor in anxiety and depression, which may explain why depression and anxiety are strongly correlated. However, the specific clinical features of anxiety and depression seem to pull in opposite directions.The purpose of this study is to develop a statistical model of depression and anxiety, based on data from pain patients using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). This model should account for the positive correlation between depression and anxiety in terms of a general factor and also demonstrate a latent negative correlation between the specific factors underlying depression and anxiety.The anxiety and depression symptoms of pain patients were evaluated using the HADS and the severity of their pain was assessed with the visual analogue scale (VAS). We developed a hierarchical model of the data using an IRT method called bifactor analysis. In addition, we tested this hierarchical model with model fit comparisons with unidimensional, bidimensional, and tridimensional models. The correlations among anxiety, depression, and pain severity were compared, based on both the bidimensional model and our hierarchical model.The bidimensional model analysis found that there was a large positive correlation between anxiety and depression (r?=?0.638), and both scores were significantly positively correlated with pain severity. After extracting general factor of distress using bifactor analysis, the specific factors underlying anxiety and depression were weakly but significantly negatively correlated (r?=?-0.245) and only the general factor was significantly correlated with pain severity. Compared with the three first-order models, the bifactor hierarchical model had the best model fit.Our results support the hypothesis that apart from distress, anxiety and depression are inversely correlated. This finding has not been convincingly demonstrated in previous research.
HubMed – depression
Beyond FEV(1) in COPD: a review of patient-reported outcomes and their measurement.
Filed under: Depression Treatment
Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2012; 7: 697-709
Jones P, Miravitlles M, van der Molen T, Kulich K
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) present with a variety of symptoms and pathological consequences. Although primarily viewed as a respiratory disease, COPD has both pulmonary and extrapulmonary effects, which have an impact on many aspects of physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Traditional assessment of COPD relies heavily on measuring lung function, specifically forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1)). However, the evidence suggests that FEV(1) is a relatively poor correlate of symptoms such as breathlessness and the impact of COPD on daily life. Furthermore, many consequences of the disease, including anxiety and depression and the ability to perform daily activities, can only be described and reported reliably by the patient. Thus, in order to provide a comprehensive view of the effects of interventions in clinical trials, it is essential that spirometry is accompanied by assessments using patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments. We provide an overview of patient-reported outcome concepts in COPD, such as breathlessness, physical functioning, and health status, and evaluate the tools used for measuring these concepts. Particular attention is given to the newly developed instruments emerging in response to recent regulatory guidelines for the development and use of PROs in clinical trials. We conclude that although data from the development and validation of these new PRO instruments are emerging, to build the body of evidence that supports the use of a new instrument takes many years. Furthermore, new instruments do not necessarily have better discriminative or evaluative properties than older instruments. The development of new PRO tools, however, is crucial, not only to ensure that key COPD concepts are being reliably measured but also that the relevant treatment effects are being captured in clinical trials. In turn, this will help us to understand better the patient’s experience of the disease.
HubMed – depression
Nonpain Symptoms of New and Follow-up Cancer Patients Attending a Palliative Care Outpatient Clinic in Saudi Arabia.
Filed under: Depression Treatment
Indian J Palliat Care. 2012 May; 18(2): 98-102
Al-Shahri MZ, Eldali AM, Al-Zahrani O
Epidemiology of cancer-related nonpain symptoms receives less attention in literature as compared with cancer pain.This paper aims at exploring the prevalence and severity of nonpain symptoms in cancer patients attending a palliative care (PC) outpatient clinic.Over a 5 months period, consecutive adult cancer patients attending PC outpatient clinic at a tertiary hospital were evaluated for the presence and severity of 10 nonpain symptoms. Patients were grouped to new or follow-up cases and were also grouped according to performance status and cancer type. Prevalence and severity of symptoms were compared between groups using t test or analysis of variance as appropriate.Fifty-one males and 73 females were interviewed. The most common cancer is female breast (27.4%) followed by head and neck (15.3%). Majority of patients (67%) were new to PC clinic. Patients had 5.1 nonpain symptoms on average, with most common symptoms being tiredness (79.8%), loss of appetite (71.8%), dry mouth (69.4%), anxiety (60.5%), and depression (50.8%). The least common symptoms were confusion and nausea (22.6% each). The median scores of severity were highest for tiredness, loss of appetite, dry mouth, and insomnia (5 points each). Symptoms were fewer among patients with good performance status (P = 0.002), whereas age, gender, cancer type, and encounter type were not associated with difference in symptom prevalence. Younger patients, females and those with poor performance status have shown a tendency toward higher severity scores for several symptoms.The significant prevalence and severity of nonpain symptoms among new and follow-up cancer patients seen in a PC outpatient clinic emphasizes the need for comprehensive assessment and routinely audited symptom management plans.
HubMed – depression
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