0000000000011922
AUTHOR
Andreas Hinz
Health status, health-related quality of life, and socioeconomic outcome in childhood brain tumor survivors: a German cohort study
Abstract Background With rising numbers of childhood cancer survivors, somatic and socioeconomic outcome as well as health-related quality of life (QoL) gain increasing relevance. Based on the first nationwide German Survey on Life Situation, State of Health, and Quality of Life of Childhood Cancer Survivors, the VIVE survey, we report the outcome of survivors of childhood brain tumors localized in the posterior fossa. Methods Two hundred seventy participants with a median follow-up period of 21.9 years completed a questionnaire on socioeconomic and somatic late effects as well as a standardized QoL questionnaire (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30). Comparis…
From Bi-Dimensionality to Uni-Dimensionality in Self-Report Questionnaires
Abstract. The common factor model – by far the most widely used model for factor analysis – assumes equal item intercepts across respondents. Due to idiosyncratic ways of understanding and answering items of a questionnaire, this assumption is often violated, leading to an underestimation of model fit. Maydeu-Olivares and Coffman (2006) suggested the introduction of a random intercept into the model to address this concern. The present study applies this method to six established instruments (measuring depression, procrastination, optimism, self-esteem, core self-evaluations, and self-regulation) with ambiguous factor structures, using data from representative general population samples. I…
Adjustment disorder as proposed for ICD-11: Dimensionality and symptom differentiation
Although Adjustment Disorder as a diagnostic category is widely used in clinical practice it is critically discussed that it has not been conceptualized as a category with unique symptoms. Hence, the conceptualization of Adjustment Disorder is subject to substantive change in ICD-11 including core symptoms and additional features in a uni-faceted concept. Adjustment Disorder was assessed with a self-rating instrument in a representative sample of the German general population (N=2512). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were applied to test the dimensionality of symptoms according to the new diagnostic concept. Latent class analysis (LCA) was applied to test whether there are distinguishabl…
Psychometric evaluations of the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R), based on nine samples
The aim of this study was to examine psychometric properties of the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R).The LOT-R was administered in five clinical samples, three samples of the adult general population, and one sample of adolescents. Seven of the studies were performed in Germany and two in Colombia. All of the sample sizes were above 300.Cronbach's alpha coefficients were between .57 and .75 for the eight adult samples, the correlations between the scales optimism and pessimism ranged from -.05 to -.37, and the coefficients of temporal stability (test-retest correlations) of the scales ranged from .43 to .69. There were no systematic age and gender effects observed in the nine studies. …
Frequency of somatic symptoms in the general population: Normative values for the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15).
The PHQ-15 is widely used as an open access screening instrument for somatic symptoms in different health care settings. The objectives of the study were to contribute to the construct validity and to generate normative data for the PHQ-15.The survey was conducted in the general population in Germany from August 2011 to November 2014 (n=9250). All participants underwent an extensive core assessment including a set of questionnaires.Men reported significantly less (p0.001) physical symptoms than women (4.6 [SD=3.6] vs. 6.3 [SD=4.1]). The PHQ-15 total score was strongly correlated with the physical component of quality of life (r=-0.58), fatigue (r=0.56), anxiety (r=0.54) and sleep problems (…
Cross-cultural measurement invariance of the General Health Questionnaire-12 in a German and a Colombian population sample
While the General Health Questionnaire, 12-item version (GHQ-12) has been widely used in cross-cultural comparisons, rigorous tests of the measurement equivalence of different language versions are still lacking. Thus, our study aims at investigating configural, metric and scalar invariance across the German and the Spanish version of the GHQ-12 in two population samples. The GHQ-12 was applied in two large-scale population-based samples in Germany (N = 1,977) and Colombia (N = 1,500). To investigate measurement equivalence, confirmatory factor analyses were conducted in both samples. In the German sample mean GHQ-12 total scores were higher than in the Colombian sample. A one-factor model …
Posttraumatic stress, depression and anxiety among adult long-term survivors of cancer in adolescence.
Abstract Background To determine the prevalence of posttraumatic stress, depression and anxiety in adults who have survived cancer (⩾5 years) diagnosed in adolescence, as compared to healthy controls. Patients and methods Survivors (n = 820) of cancer during adolescence (age M = 30.4 ± 6.0 years; M = 13.7 ± 6.0 years since diagnosis) and 1027 matched controls without history of cancer (age M = 31.5 ± 6.9 years) completed standardised questionnaires measuring posttraumatic stress, depression and anxiety. Additionally, sub-groups of 202 survivors and 140 controls with elevated scores received structured interviews to ascertain DSM-IV-diagnoses. Results A total of 22.4% of the survivors report…
The course of fatigue in patients with gynecologic and breast cancer
Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the course of fatigue in female cancer patients during the first months after treatment. Methods: We examined a sample of 110 patients suffering from gynecological or breast cancer. Fatigue was assessed with two questionnaires, the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI) and the fatigue scale of the quality of life questionnaire European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC QLQ-C30). Participants were tested during their stay in the hospital (t1), two weeks after discharge (t2), and three months after discharge (t3). Results: Fatigue in the patients’ sample was markedly higher than the general population reference val…
Measuring Illness Behavior in One Minute
Abstract. The present study addresses shortcomings in previous psychometric research into the Scale for the Assessment of Illness Behavior (SAIB) and develops a short form, the SAIB-10. We used ant-colony optimization to construct a subset of items in an exploratory sample ( n = 1,187) and affirmed it in factor analysis in a confirmatory sample ( n = 1,208). We find excellent model fit and evidence for strict invariance across sex and age. As expected, there were associations with distressed personality, perceived social support, and mental health. Finally, we report normative values for usage by researchers and clinicians. In sum, the SAIB-10 is an economical measure of illness behavior a…
The role of self-compassion in the relationship between attachment, depression, and quality of life.
Abstract Background Self-compassion may be shaped by early attachment experiences, and has been linked to mental health and well-being. This study examined the role of two distinct features of self-compassion, self-warmth and self-coldness, in the relationship between attachment insecurity and depression as well as quality of life in a general population sample in Germany. Methods Participants (N = 2,253; 53.4% female, Mage 50 years) completed the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), Adult Attachment Scale (AAS), Beck Depression Inventory-Fast Screen (BDI-FS), and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30). Mediation analysis was used to…
Psychische Belastung und Lebensqualität bei Tinnituspatienten
Tinnitus ist eine Erkrankung mit hoher Pravalenz, welche haufig psychische Storungen nach sich zieht. Mit der vorliegenden Studie sollte untersucht werden, in welchen konkreten Dimensionen die gesundheitsbezogene Lebensqualitat bei Tinnituspatienten eingeschrankt ist, und wie sich diese Einschrankungen wahrend und nach Therapie, einschlieslich einer hyperbaren Sauerstofftherapie, andern. 120 ambulant oder stationar behandelte Patienten mit Tinnitus wurden zu 3 Zeitpunkten untersucht: am Beginn (t1) und am Ende (t2) der 2-wochigen Therapie sowie 4 Wochen danach (t3). Eingesetzt wurden die Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, das Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory und der Lebensqualitatsfra…
Mechanism of lipid-body formation in prokaryotes: how bacteria fatten up
Neutral lipid accumulation is frequently observed in some Gram-negative prokaryotes like Acinetobacter sp. and most actinomycetes, including the pathogenic Mycobacterium tuberculosis and antibiotic producing streptomycetes. We examined the formation of wax ester- and triacylglycerol (TAG)-bodies in Acinetobacter calcoaceticus and Rhodococcus opacus using microscopic, immunological and biophysical methods. A general model for prokaryotic lipid-body formation is proposed, clearly differing from the current models for the formation of lipid inclusions in eukaryotes and of poly(hydroxyalkanoic acid) (PHA) inclusions in prokaryotes. Formation of lipid-bodies starts with the docking of wax ester …
European reference values for the quality of life questionnaire EORTC QLQ-C30: Results of a German investigation and a summarizing analysis of six European general population normative studies
The aims of this study are to present the results of a new general population normative study of the quality of life questionnaire EORTC QLQ-C30 and to give European reference values averaged across six studies.The empirical study was based on a representative sample of the German adult population (N = 2448). The subjects were asked to fill in several questionnaires, one of them being the EORTC QLQ-C30.EORTC QLQ-C30 mean scores of this sample indicated slightly better quality of life (QoL) than in previous European studies. QoL decreased with age, but there were only small gender differences. The mean scores were compared with the age and gender adjusted scores of five other European normat…
Betreuungsbedarf und subjektiver Unterstützungswunsch von Krebspatientinnen im Längsschnitt – Prädiktoren und Korrelate
The need for psychosocial support and patients' desire for psychosocial support in female cancer patients - predictors and correlates Objectives: The aims of the present study were to determine the need for psychosocial support of cancer patients, the subjective request for support and to examine the relationship between the need for psychosocial counselling, psychological distress and quality of life. Methods: 112 patients (consecutive) answered questionnaires about mental stress (GAD-2 and PHQ-2), quality of life (SF-8) as well as the Hornheide Screening Instrument (HSI) during their hospital stay (T1), two weeks (T2) and three months after their discharge (T3). Results: The need for psyc…
Association of Physical Morbidity and Health-Related Quality of Life in a Representative Sample of Older German People
Abstract. The association between health-related quality of life (HRQoL; Short-Form Health Survey-12; SF-12) and patient-reported morbidity-related symptoms measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) is analyzed in a representative sample of older people in the general German population. Data from 1,659 people aged 60 to 85 years were obtained. Latent class analysis identified six classes of patients, which optimally categorize clusters of physical symptoms the participants reported: musculoskeletal impairments (39.8%), healthy (25.7%), musculoskeletal and respiratory/cardiac impairments (12.8%), musculoskeletal and respiratory impairments, along with bowel and digestion prob…
Psychometric evaluation of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener GAD-7, based on a large German general population sample.
Abstract Background The Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scales GAD-7 and GAD-2 are instruments for the assessment of anxiety. The aims of this study are to test psychometric properties of these questionnaires, to provide normative values, and to investigate associations with sociodemographic factors, quality of life, psychological variables, and behavioral factors. Methods A German community sample (n=9721) with an age range of 18–80 years was surveyed using the GAD-7 and several other questionnaires. Results Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the unidimensionality and measurement invariance of the GAD-7 across age and gender. Females were more anxious than males (mean scores: M=4.07 vs. M…
Psychosomatisch relevante Instrumente in der Leipziger LIFE-Adult-Study
Psychosomatically relevant instruments used in the Leipzig LIFE-Adult-StudyObjectives: The main aim of the Leipzig Life-Adult-Study was to examine civilization diseases. In this paper we present the instruments used in this study which are relevant in a psychosomatic context. In addition, several results obtained with the study data will be described. Methods: The study comprised 10,000 inhabitants of Leipzig, the age range was 18-80 years. Beyond comprehensive medical examinations, the study included several questionnaires concerning mental health and quality of life. Results: This paper presents an overview on the assessment instruments for the following areas: medical examinations, socio…
Health-related quality of life in Colombia: reference values of the EORTC QLQ-C30
There are normative data of the quality of life (QoL) questionnaire EORTC QLQ-C30 (the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire) for several European countries and Korea, but not for Latin America. The aim of this study was to provide these normative values for the general population in Colombia and to assess differences in terms of age and sex. For that reason, a sample of 1500 representatively selected individuals of the Colombian population completed the EORTC QLQ-C30 form. Results showed that mean scores of the Colombian population are similar to those obtained in European countries; whereas the mean values from a Korean study were lower (…
Age and gender differences in anxiety and depression in cancer patients compared with the general population.
Objective The aim of this study was to compare the levels of anxiety and depression in cancer patients with those of the general population, to examine age and gender differences in anxiety and depression, to analyse the impact of several socio-demographic and clinical parameters on anxiety and depression, and to test the age and gender measurement invariance of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Methods A sample of 3,785 German patients with cancer and a sample of 2,747 people of the German general population were examined using the HADS. Results Patients with cancer were more anxious but slightly less depressed than age- and gender-matched individuals of the general populat…
The Core Self-Evaluation Scale: Psychometric properties of the German version in a representative sample
The Core Self-Evaluation Scale (CSES) is an economical self-reporting instrument that assesses fundamental evaluations of self-worthiness and capabilities. The broad aims of this study were to test the CSES's psychometric properties. The study is based on a representative survey of the German general population. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted for different models with 1, 2, and 4 latent factors. The CSES was found to be reliable and valid, as it correlated as expected with measures of depression, anxiety, quality of life, self-report health status, and pain. A 2-factor model with 2 related factors (r = -.62) showed the best model fit. Furthermore, the CSES was measurement invar…
Psychometric Properties of the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20), Derived From Seven Samples
Abstract Context Fatigue is a frequent symptom in patients suffering from chronic diseases. The Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20) is often used to measure fatigue. The aim of this article was to test the scale structure of the questionnaire. Methods The MFI-20 data were obtained from seven samples, including general population samples and samples of patients with different diseases (N between 122 and 1993). Five confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) models were tested for each sample. Results The scale structure postulated by the original test authors could not be confirmed by the CFAs. The inclusion of a method factor which considers the positive versus the negative orientation of t…
Psychometrische Evaluation und Normwerte einer Ultrakurzform der Sense of Coherence Scale “SOC-3”
ZusammenfassungKohärenzsinn ist eine psychische Ressource, die maßgeblich zu einem adaptiven Coping im Umgang mit belastenden Situationen beiträgt. In der vorliegenden Studie untersuchen wir eine Ultrakurzform der Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-3) in einer repräsentativen Stichprobe der deutschen Bevölkerung (N=2.018). Das 3-Item-Modell wies exzellente Gütekriterien sowie eine akzeptable Reliabilität auf. Über Altersgruppen und Geschlecht konnte partielle strikte Messinvarianz des Modells nachgewiesen werden. In Bezug auf Konstruktvalidität demonstrierten unsere Analysen starke Überschneidungen der SOC-3 mit längeren SOC-Versionen (−9 und−29). Analog zu den SOC-Langversionen wurden erwartung…
Is the General Self-Efficacy Scale a Reliable Measure to be used in Cross-Cultural Studies? Results from Brazil, Germany and Colombia.
AbstractThis study evaluated cross-cultural measurement invariance for the General Self-efficacy Scale (GSES) in a large Brazilian (N = 2.394) and representative German (N = 2.046) and Colombian (N = 1.500) samples. Initially, multiple-indicators multiple-causes (MIMIC) analyses showed that sex and age were biasing items responses on the total sample (2 and 10 items, respectively). After controlling for these two covariates, a multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) was employed. Configural invariance was attested. However, metric invariance was not supported for five items, in a total of 10, and scalar invariance was not supported for all items. We also evaluated the differences be…
Brief assessment of subjective health complaints: Development, validation and population norms of a brief form of the Giessen Subjective Complaints List (GBB-8).
Abstract Objective Although there is no causal relationship to medical morbidity, routine clinical assessment of somatic symptoms aids medical diagnosis and assessment of treatment effectiveness. Regardless of their causes, somatic symptoms indicate suffering, distress, and help-seeking behavior. The aim of the present study was to develop and validate a brief self-report questionnaire to assess somatic symptom strain. Methods A brief form of the Giessen Subjective Complaints List (GBB-8) was developed and validated in a large population sample representative of the Federal Republic of Germany ( N = 2008). Psychometric analyses included confirmation of factor structure, classical item anal…
Sleep quality in the general population: psychometric properties of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, derived from a German community sample of 9284 people.
Abstract Background The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is frequently used to assess sleep problems in patients. The aim of this study was to provide reference values for this questionnaire, to test psychometric properties, and to analyze associations with psychological, sociodemographic, and behavioral factors. Methods A German community sample comprising 9284 adult residents (aged 18–80 years) was surveyed using the PSQI and several other questionnaires. Results According to the generally accepted cut-off (PSQI > 5), 36% of the general population slept badly. Females reported significantly more sleep problems than males (mean scores: M = 5.5 vs. M = 4.4, respectively; effect size d …
Psychometric Properties of the Fatigue Questionnaire EORTC QLQ-FA12 in a Sample of Female Cancer Patients.
Abstract Context Cancer patients frequently suffer from fatigue. Recently, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life group developed a new 12-item fatigue assessment instrument. Objectives The aim of this study was to psychometrically test this questionnaire in comparison with the three-item fatigue scale of the EORTC QLQ-C30. Methods A sample of 354 patients who were being treated for breast cancer or gynecologic cancer were examined using the new fatigue questionnaire EORTC QLQ-FA12 and the EORTC QLQ-C30 during their hospital stay (t1) and three months after hospital discharge (t2). Confirmatory factorial analyses, item analyses, test-retest re…