Effects of Pilates-based exercise on life satisfaction, physical self-concept and health status in adult women.

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of Pilates-based mat exercises on life satisfaction, perception of appreciation by other people, perception of physical appearance, perception of functionality, total physical self-concept, and perception of health status in healthy women. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in Evora, Portugal, in 2008, in which 62 healthy adult women were randomized to a Pilates-based mat (experimental group) (n = 38, mean age ± SD, 41.08 ± 6.64 years) or a control group (n = 24, mean age ± SD, 40.25 ± 7.70 years). Experimental group participants performed the Initial Mat of Body Control Pilates twice per week, 60-minutes per session. Repeated measurements were performed at baseline, 3 months and 6 months. No significant differences between the two groups were observed in life satisfaction, perception of appreciation by other people, perception of physical appearance, perception of functionality, total physical self-concept, and perception of health status at three time point measures (baseline, after 3 months, and after 6 months). No significant differences were observed in the control group over time. The experimental group showed significant improvements between baseline and six months in life satisfaction (p = .04), perception of appreciation by other people (p = .002), perception of physical appearance (p = .001), perception of functionality (p = .01), total physical self-concept (p = .001), perception of health status (p = .013) and between three and six months in life satisfaction (p = .002), perception of appreciation by other people (p = .05), perception of physical appearance (p = .001), perception of functionality (p = .02), and total physical self-concept (p = .001). Life satisfaction, perception of appreciation by other people, perception of physical appearance, perception of functionality, total physical self-concept and perception of health status may improve after 6 months of Pilates-based mat exercise.

The effects of gender and migrant status on physical and psychological well-being.

Adolescents (n = 962; 55% migrant and 45% native) between the age of 11 and 19 were administered the Kovac's Children Depression Inventory (CDI), Children Trait Anxiety Inventory (CTAI), Offer's Self-Image Questionnaire (OSIQ), and Brähler's Checklist of Symptom Complaints (GBB). Foreign-born and German-born samples were matched for age, gender, and educational status. Females were more anxious and complained more about physical ailments, particularly tiredness, stomach disorders, colds, and circulatory ailments than males, but not for depression. Adolescent migrants did not display any significant differences in terms of physical health, but they did report more depression and anxiety measures. The association between anxiety, depression, and physical ill-health was significant for both males and females, but tended to be more pronounced for females. There was scarce evidence of gender making an impact on the migration-health linkage. The implications of the results are discussed within the framework of migration and health policies for second generation children and their families.

Using short-term concentration measures and intelligence in rehabilitation settings.

Psychological assessment of cognitive functioning among clinical groups that include psychiatric and geriatric patients is a difficult task. This study examines the interrelationship between intelligence and concentrative ability for a group of psychiatric patients. Intellectual and concentrative ability were assessed among a group of 85, predominantly schizophrenic, patients (mean age 32 years) from a Sheltered Workshop (GWN) and neurological-psychiatric institutionalized care units within the Neuss region of North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany. Moderate bivariate relationships were found between all IQ subtests and the concentration performance variables (d2). A substantial overlap in variance was found between "nonverbal" intelligence and the concentration variables (using multiple regression and discrimination analysis). Error rate on the concentration task was significantly negatively correlated with the IQ variables, the magnitude of the correlation coefficient increasing as a function of the time on the task. Future studies would benefit from comparisons in factor structure similarity between abnormal and normal groups as well as between-clinical groups. At a practical level, the relatively easy use (less complex administration) and less obtrusive (hence, low level of personal threat) and inexpensive procedures of the letter cancellation task makes it a useful, albeit "approximate", measure of cognitive functioning.

Disruptive behavioural disorders, self harm and suicidal ideation among German adolescents in psychiatric care.

The present study examines the unique and shared risk factors for suicidal behaviour, self-injury, and externally focussed aggressive behaviour among German youths and adolescents of both sexes. Also explored is the issue of multiple maladaptive behaviours and whether or not these are interrelated. The period of the sample comprised 2002-2003 admissions (N = 3694) to a clinic for child and adolescent psychiatry and psychosomatics. Measures were taken from medical-psychological documentation ("Ba-Do") and self-report questionnaire and included items relating to self-injurious behaviour, suicidal intent and socially disruptive and threatening behaviour (FAPS). Self and expert ratings of suicidal and self-injurious behaviour were significantly statistically correlated. Overt aggression was unrelated to suicidal behaviour. Suicidal and self-injurious behaviour were more common among female than male adolescents. Age, disharmony within the family and excessive parental demands were major global determinants of suicidal behaviour for both genders, but unrelated to self-injurious or socially disruptive behaviour, the latter being more associated with parental under-involvement and feelings of hostile rejection. Intelligence and age were significant predictors of overt aggression among females; intellectual functioning, number of siblings and disability among family members emerged as major determinants of suicidal behaviour among males. Findings are discussed in terms of practice interventions.

A comparison of general and illness-related locus of control in Russians, ethnic German migrants and Germans.

General and illness-related locus of control play an immensely important role in the adherence and cooperation of patients in their therapy. Until now, culture-specific aspects of these subjective theories have rarely been investigated. However, in view of the growing proportion of migrants in the German population, they are becoming increasingly significant. In a project supported by the Volkswagenstiftung (Volkswagen Foundation), a total of 607 healthy people were surveyed. The sample includes 307 ethnic German migrants from the successor states of the former Soviet Union (descendents of German origin who had emigrated to Russia during the 18th and 19th centuries) and 300 native Russians in Russia. They were compared with 100 Germans (matched from a previous study). The data were collected using questionnaires entitled "Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC)" and "Illness-related Locus of Control". The ethnic German migrants differed from the Russian sample in their health beliefs and attitudes towards medicine. However, in the first 18 months after migration, hardly any changes were observed. Fatalistic factors played only a minor role. Locus of health control was associated with beliefs about recovery from myocardial infarcts and tumours. Socio-demographic variables were of varying significance in the individual cultures. Gender influences on health beliefs were different in the subsamples. The level of education had only a minor influence on health attitudes. For those individuals who were acquainted with an ill person, internal factors in treatment of myocardial infarct and external psychosocial factors in cure of cancer played a larger role.