Browsing by Subject "stress"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Open Access
    Assessing post-traumatic stress disorder in South African adolescents: using the child and adolescent trauma survey (CATS) as a screening tool
    (BioMed Central Ltd, 2005) Suliman, S; Kaminer, D; Seedat, Soraya; Stein, Dan J
    BACKGROUND:Several studies have demonstrated that South African children and adolescents are exposed to high levels of violent trauma with a significant proportion developing PTSD, however, limited resources make it difficult to accurately identify traumatized children. METHODS: A clinical interview (K-SADS-PL, selected modules) and self-report scale (CATS) were compared to determine if these different methods of assessment elicit similar information with regards to trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adolescents. Youth (n = 58) from 2 schools in Cape Town, South Africa participated. RESULTS: 91% of youth reported having been exposed to a traumatic event on self-report (CATS) and 38% reported symptoms severe enough to be classified as PTSD. On interview (K-SADS-PL), 86% reported exposure to a traumatic event and 19% were found to have PTSD. While there were significant differences in the rates of trauma exposure and PTSD on the K-SADS and CATS, a cut-off value of 15 on the CATS maximized both the number of true positives and true negatives with PTSD. The CATS also differentiated well between adolescents meeting DSM-IV PTSD symptom criteria from adolescents not meeting criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that trauma exposure and PTSD are prevalent in South African youth and if appropriate cut-offs are used, self-report scales may be useful screening tools for PTSD.
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    Open Access
    Associations between ADHD symptoms and maternal and birth outcomes: An exploratory analysis in a multi-country cohort of expectant mothers
    (2022) Murray, Aja Louise; Taut, Diana; Baban, Adriana; Hemady, Chad Lance; Walker, Susan; Osafo, Joseph; Sikander, Siham; Tomlinson, Mark; Du Toit, Stefani; Marlow, Marguerite; Ward, Catherine L; Fernando, Asvini; Madrid, Bernadette; Thang, Vo Van; Tuyen, Hoang Dinh; Dunne, Michael; Hughes, Claire; Fearon, Pasco; Valdebenito, Sara
    ADHD symptoms can adversely impact functioning in a range of domains relevant for maternal well-being and foetal development; however, there has been almost no research examining their impact during pregnancy. We used data (n=1204) from a longitudinal birth cohort study spanning eight countries to address this gap. ADHD symptoms in the third trimester of pregnancy were associated with lower social support from family (b=-0.16, p=.031), friends (b=-0.16, p=.024), and significant others (b=-0.09 p=.001); higher stress (b=0.34, p<.001) and depressive symptoms (b=0.31, p<.001), and increased likelihood of an unwanted pregnancy (b=0.30, p=.009). Significant associations with tobacco use (b=.36, p=.023) and premature birth (b=.35, p=.007) did not survive correction for multiple comparisons and there were no significant associations with alcohol use, low birth weight, or unplanned pregnancy. Results suggest that women with ADHD symptoms could benefit from earlier, more regular screening for mental health difficulties and greater mental health support during pregnancy.
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    Stress- induced impairment of spatial navigation in females
    (2010) Thomas, Kevin
    Earlier work predicted that the physiological effects of an acute stressor disrupt a neurological system underlying cognitive-map (CM) guided navigation, but leave intact systems underlying landmark (LM) guided navigation. This prediction has been only partially confirmed. Furthermore, no-one has investigated sex differences in the relations between acute stress and spatial navigation, even though stress affects verbal memory and decision-making performance of males and females differently. We administered the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), a standardized laboratory procedure designed to induce mild psychosocial stress, to 15 healthy undergraduates to examine the effects of acute stress on CM- and LM-guided navigation in men and women. They, and a demographically matched control group of 14 undergraduates, completed a virtual environment navigation task. Exposure to the TSST disrupted CM-guided (but not LM-guided) navigation in women, but affected neither in men. The data partially support the previous work, and offer novel findings regarding the relative vulnerability to acute psychosocial stress of CM-based navigation in females.
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    Open Access
    The profile of people reporting with low back pain to a resource poor clinic in Cape Town
    (2010) Jelsma, Jennifer; Parker, Romy; Yates, Deborah Lilian
    In order to provide targeted information regarding understanding and management of low back pain (LBP), it is necessary to understand the life situation of patients. The objective of this study was to develop a profile of patients with LBP seeking care in an under-resourced area of Cape Town.The subjects were all patients attending a community health centre with a primary diagnosis of LBP. A self-designed questionnaire was used to gather relevant information such as BMI, smoking, physical activities at home and work and potentially stressful life events. Questions about perceptions of LBP, the role of health personnel, income and employment were included. Subjects could also identify which information they would like to be given by their health care providers. Fifty subjects were interviewed, 74% were female. The mean ages were 50.7 years (SD 14.0) and 54.1 years (SD 15.1) for males and females respectively. There was a high prevalence of smoking and obesity, low levels of education, and many reported high stress levels. There were a high percentage of manual workers and the nature of their activities could put them at risk for development and exacerbation of LBP. Few people knew what to expect with regard to the likely outcome of their pain and the majority identified the need for communication about the duration, prognosis, implications and management of LBP. Conclusion: A profile developed of the typical LBP patient in this community provided valuable information, which can be utilized to develop appropriate intervention strategies.