Exploring associations between the Modular Assessment of Risk for Imminent Suicide (MARIS) questionnaire and recent suicidal ideation and behavior among patients admitted at an acute psychiatric inpatient department.

PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to investigate the psychometric validity of the Modular Assessment of Risk for Imminent Suicide (MARIS) questionnaire in relation to recent suicidal ideation and behavior among a sample of patients admitted to an acute psychiatric inpatient department in Norway. METHODS: The MARIS was completed within the first 24 h after admission by 338 patients and their clinicians. Information on recent suicidal ideation and behavior was extracted from patients' medical charts. Two out of four MARIS modules, the Suicide Trigger Scale Short-Form (STS-SF; modified version), and the Therapist Response Questionnaire Short-Form (TRQ-SF) demonstrated good internal consistency. The relationships between the STS-SF, addressing symptoms of the suicide crisis syndrome, and the TRQ-SF, exploring therapist emotional responses, and recent suicidal ideation was investigated by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: In the logistic regression analysis including pre-selected diagnoses, age, and gender as covariates, both STS-SF and TRQ-SF showed significant associations with recent suicidal ideation (inclusive of suicidal behavior in 27% of the patients with suicidal ideation). CONCLUSION: Both the STS-SF and the TRQ-SF showed concurrent and incremental validity with regard to suicidal ideation. This is the first study showing the cross-cultural validity of the MARIS and supports its clinical utility as a suicide risk assessment tool in inpatient settings. Additionally, this study adds to the literature supporting the value of assessing clinicians' emotional responses to high risk patients.

Measuring Resilience in Long-term Sick-listed Individuals: Validation of the Resilience Scale for Adults.

Return to work from long-term sick leave is influenced by personal and social factors, which can be measured by resilience, a construct that describe healthy adaptation against adversity. This study aimed to validate the validity and psychometric properties of the resilience scale for adults in a sample of long-term sick-listed individuals, and to investigate measurement invariance when compared with a university student sample. Confirmatory factor analysis was used on a sick-listed sample (n = 687) to identify the scale?s factor structure, and comparison with a university student sample (n = 241) was utilized to determine measurement invariance. Results show that a slightly modified factor structure, in accordance with previous research, achieved acceptable fit in the sick-listed sample, while comparisons with the student sample supported measurement invariance. This means that the study to a large degree support the factor structure of the resilience scale for adults in long-term sick-listed. Furthermore, the results indicate that the scale is similarly understood among long-term sick-listed as in a previously validated student sample. Thus, the resilience scale for adults can be a valid and reliable measure of protective factors in the long-term sickness absence and return to work context, and the subscale and total score can be interpreted similarly in long-term sick-listed as in other populations.

Workplace flexibility important for part-time sick leave selection-an exploratory cross-sectional study of long-term sick listed in Norway.

BACKGROUND: Part-time sick leave (PTSL) where sick-listed individuals work a percentage corresponding to their remaining work capabilities is often used to promote return to work. The effects of PTSL are uncertain due to participant selection on personal and social factors, which are not easily captured by evaluations that primarily rely on register-data. More knowledge of health-related, workplace and personal characteristics that influence the propensity to utilize PTSL is needed. The objective of the present study was to explore whether individuals on PTSL and full-time sick leave (FTSL) differ in terms of self-reported health, workplace resources and psychological resilience while also considering known sociodemographic factors that influence PTSL selection. METHODS: The study utilized a cross-sectional sample of 661 workers sick listed for 8 weeks with a 50-100% sick-listing degree. Differences between those on PTSL and FTSL with regard to current self-reported health, previous long-term sick leave, workplace adjustment latitude, psychosocial work environment, work autonomy, coping with work demands, and psychological resilience were examined and adjusted for known selection factors (age, education, gender, sector, diagnosis, and physical work) using logistic regression. RESULTS: An inverse U-shaped curvilinear association between self-reported health and PTSL was identified. Those on PTSL also reported greater workplace adjustment latitude and better psychosocial work environment than those on FTSL. These differences persisted after adjusting for previously known selection factors. Furthermore, the PTSL group reported more work autonomy and poorer coping with work demands, but these differences were more uncertain after adjustment. The groups did not differ in terms of previous long-term sick leave or psychological resilience. CONCLUSION: The present study found differences between those on PTSL and FTSL with regards to self-reported health, workplace adjustment latitude and psychosocial work environment that were independent of differences identified in previous research. These results are important for future evaluations of the effect of PTSL on RTW, suggesting more attention should be paid to self-reported health status and workplace characteristics that are not captured using register data.

The Norwegian Translation of the Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Quality of Life Scale: Validation and Assessment of QoL in 313 Adults With ADHD.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to validate the Norwegian version of the Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Quality of Life (AAQoL) scale and to explore Quality of Life (QoL) and functional outcomes in adults with ADHD. METHOD: A total of 313 adults with ADHD participated in the study. Data were collected from medical records and self-report questionnaires. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to assess the model fit of the translated AAQoL. Chi-square statistics and t tests were used to investigate sample characteristics. RESULTS: The analyses showed acceptable model fit between data and the model. Chi square = 863.179 (371 df, p < .0000), root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.069 (90% confidence interval [CI]), comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.873, and Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = 0.821. Cronbach's alpha range for the scales was .761 to .869. The sample was characterized by poor QoL and impairment. CONCLUSION: The translated AAQoL is showing good initial indications of validity with acceptable psychometric properties in the sample. ADHD was associated with impairments in QoL, symptoms, and functional outcomes.

Health-related quality of life and psychological distress in young adult survivors of childhood cancer and their association with treatment, education, and demographic factors.

PURPOSE: This study investigated health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and psychological distress among young adult (YA) survivors of childhood cancer and the association of these measures with treatment, education, and demographic factors ≥ 5 years post diagnosis. METHODS: Participants included cancer survivors (n = 91) recruited through the Cancer Registry of Norway (CRN) and healthy controls (n = 223) recruited from a student population. All participants completed self-report questionnaires, and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL™) 4.0 and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-10 (HSCL-10) as a measure of HRQOL and distress, respectively. RESULTS: Survivors reported HRQOL at the same level as controls, except for poorer physical functioning. Survivors in general, and female survivors specifically, had higher odds than controls of reporting symptoms of distress above cut-off, but survivors did not have higher mean levels of distress compared to controls. Survivors reporting distress levels above the cut-off had significantly poorer HRQOL regarding physical functioning and lower total PedsQL scores than controls scoring above the cut-off. Age (for HRQOL only), female gender, low educational level, and perceived low economic status significantly predicted HRQOL and distress. Education interacted with the effect of cranial radiation in predicting HRQOL. CONCLUSIONS: Survivors reported similar mean levels of HRQOL and distress as controls, except for physical functioning. For cancer survivors, demographic variables predicted HRQOL and distress. Some groups of survivors require closer follow-up, and more attention should be paid to factors associated with poor HRQOL and psychological distress in survivors, including female gender, lower education level, and lower income. Survivors treated with cranial radiation may be particular vulnerable in combination with low education regarding HRQOL.

Adolescent predictors and associates of psychosocial functioning in young men and women: 11 year follow-up findings from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study.

The aim of this paper was to investigate whether psychosocial functioning in adulthood (e.g., friends support, cohabitation, community connectedness and work satisfaction) could be predicted by mental health, subjective well-being, social relations and behavior problems in adolescence, and whether gender was a moderator in these associations. Data were obtained from a major population-based Norwegian study, the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT), in which 517 men and 819 women completed an extensive self-report questionnaires at baseline (mean age 14.4 years) and at follow-up (mean age 26.9 years). Community connectedness as well as work satisfaction were predicted by subjective well-being. Cohabitation was predicted by male gender and frequency of meeting friends in adolescence, and friends support was predicted by frequency of meeting friends. Gender had a minor effect as a moderator. Frequency of meeting friends and subjective well-being seemed to be the strongest adolescent predictors of psychosocial functioning in young adulthood. These findings may have implications both for prevention and intervention in adolescence, as well as for future research.

The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 4.0 as an assessment measure for depressive symptoms: a correlational study with young adolescents.

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is today considered an important assessment measurement, but still only a few measures assess HRQOL outcomes for children and adolescents. One of them is the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). This correlation study explored the associations between depressive symptoms in young adolescents and the PedsQL scores when controlling for known risk factors. An adolescent sample (n=425) completed a battery of measures including the PedsQL Norwegian version, the Short Mood and Feeling Questionnaire (SMFQ), the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for children (SPAI-C), and the occurrence of Stressful Life Events (SLE). The results showed a mild to moderate correlation between the measures PedsQL, SMFQ, SPAI-C and SLE. The presence of depressive symptoms significantly predicted the PedsQL scores for the adolescence, and explained 17% of the variance in outcome for the PedsQL Total Scale. The findings suggest that the PedsQL is an adequate assessment instrument regarding depressive symptoms in young adolescents, and can be useful in both clinical practice and further research as an assessment measure regarding children's mental health.