Adaptation of the Attitudes Toward Motherhood Scale to Turkish: Reliability and Validity Study.

Background: The aim of this study is to investigate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Attitudes Toward Motherhood Scale. Attitudes Toward Motherhood Scale was developed by Sockol et al to evaluate cognitive distortions and attitudes toward motherhood during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Methods: The sample of this study consisted of 223 pregnant women and 138 postpartum women. A Sociodemographic Data Form, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and Attitudes Toward Motherhood Scale were used to collect data from the participants. Results: Cronbach's alpha coefficient for internal consistency was 0.868 for the entire sample, 0.877 during pregnancy, and 0.828 for the postpartum period. Factor analysis revealed that the 3-factor structure explained 68.93% of the variance. Pearson's correlation coefficient was calculated as 0.901 for the test-retest correlation analysis after 3 weeks (P < .001). There was a positive correlation between Attitudes Toward Motherhood Scale and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Conclusion: The results of this study revealed that the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Attitudes Toward Motherhood Scale were satisfactory.

Anxiety Sensitivity and Its Relation to Anxiety in Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: The role of anxiety sensitivity in the occurrence of clinical anxiety symptoms that accompany medical diseases is increasingly well understood. This study aimed to investigate the role of anxiety sensitivity in the occurrence of clinical anxiety symptoms in multiple sclerosis patients. Methods: This cross-sectional research was conducted on 105 multiple sclerosis patients aged between 18 and 65 years. Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale and The Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3) were used to assess depression, anxiety, and anxiety sensitivity. Participants with significant levels of anxiety were compared to those who were not anxious. Results: Anxiety Sensitivity Index total and Anxiety Sensitivity Index cognitive, physical, and social concerns subdomains, Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale and Hospital Anxiety Depression total scores were significantly higher in the anxious group than the non-anxious group (P < .05). The correlation analysis revealed a positive and significant correlation between the scales that were used to assess anxiety, depression, and anxiety sensitivity (P < .05). Depression levels and Anxiety Sensitivity Index social concerns subdomain remained as the most significant variables in the prediction of anxiety levels (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.17-1.61, P < .001 and OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.08-1.38, P =.0009, respectively). Conclusion: Anxiety sensitivity is related to the occurrence of clinical anxiety symptoms in multiple sclerosis patients. Depression and Anxiety Sensitivity Index social concerns subdomain predict the occurrence of clinical anxiety symptoms.

TNF-α-308 G/A variant may be associated with bipolar disorder in a Turkish population

ABSTRACT Background: Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) is a proinflammatory multifunctional cytokine produced by macrophages. A dysregulation of the immune system contribute to the pathogenesis of bipolar disorder (BD). In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between the TNF-α gene -308G/A promoter variant and the risk of BD. Methods: A total of 104 BD patients and 94 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Genomic DNA was isolated and TNF-α -308G/A variant was analyzed using PCR-RFLP method. Results: TNF-α -308G/A variant GG genotype and G allele were more prevalent in BD patients compared to the controls (p = 0.002 and p = 0.017, respectively). The patients carrying GG genotype had a 5.927-fold higher risk of developing BD. Then, we divided patients into two groups as smokers and non-smokers. TNF-α -308G/A variant GA genotype was higher in non-smoker BD patients than smoker patients (p = 0.027). We found that TNF-α -308G/A AA genotype and A allele increased in smoker patients compared to non-smoker patients (p = 0.008, p = 0.002, respectively). Discussion: Our results provided evidence that TNF-α -308G/A variant may contribute to development of BD in a Turkish cohort. In addition, this variant plays a relevant role in the smoker status of BD.