scholarly journals Heightened effort discounting is a common feature of both apathy and fatigue

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mindaugas Jurgelis ◽  
Wei Binh Chong ◽  
Kelly J. Atkins ◽  
Patrick S. Cooper ◽  
James P. Coxon ◽  
...  

AbstractApathy and fatigue have distinct aetiologies, yet can manifest in phenotypically similar ways. In particular, each can give rise to diminished goal-directed behaviour, which is often cited as a key characteristic of both traits. An important issue therefore is whether currently available approaches are capable of distinguishing between them. Here, we examined the relationship between commonly administered inventories of apathy and fatigue, and a measure of goal-directed activity that assesses the motivation to engage in effortful behaviour. 103 healthy adults completed self-report inventories on apathy (the Dimensional Apathy Scale), and fatigue (the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, and/or Modified Fatigue Impact Scale). In addition, all participants performed an effort discounting task, in which they made choices about their willingness to engage in physically effortful activity. Importantly, self-report ratings of apathy and fatigue were strongly correlated, suggesting that these inventories were insensitive to the fundamental differences between the two traits. Furthermore, greater effort discounting was strongly associated with higher ratings across all inventories, suggesting that a common feature of both traits is a lower motivation to engage in effortful behaviour. These results have significant implications for the assessment of both apathy and fatigue, particularly in clinical groups in which they commonly co-exist.

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (08) ◽  
pp. 712-719 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hashir Aazh ◽  
Richard Salvi

AbstractHearing loss is often associated with the phantom sound of tinnitus. However, the degree of the association between severity of hearing loss and tinnitus loudness taking into account the impact of other variables (e.g., emotional disturbances) is not fully understood. This is an important question for audiologists who are specialized in tinnitus rehabilitation as patients often ask whether the loudness of their tinnitus will increase if their hearing gets worse.To explore the relationship between tinnitus loudness and pure tone hearing thresholds.This was a retrospective cross-sectional study.445 consecutive patients who attended a Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Therapy Specialist Clinic in UK were included.The results of audiological tests and self-report questionnaires were gathered retrospectively from the records of the patients. Multiple-regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between tinnitus loudness, hearing loss and other variables.The regression model showed a significant relationship between the pure tone average (PTA) at the frequencies 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz of the better ear and the tinnitus loudness as measured via visual analogue scale (VAS), r (regression coefficient) = 0.022 (p < 0.001). Other variables significantly associated with tinnitus loudness were tinnitus annoyance (r = 0.49, p < 0.001) and the effect of tinnitus on life (r = 0.09, p = 0.006). The regression model explained 52% of the variance of tinnitus loudness.Although increased tinnitus loudness was associated with worse PTA, the relationship was very weak. Tinnitus annoyance and impact of tinnitus on life were more strongly correlated with tinnitus loudness than PTA.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Veauthier ◽  
Gunnar Gaede ◽  
Helena Radbruch ◽  
Klaus-Dieter Wernecke ◽  
Friedemann Paul

Objectives. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) values correlate with depression, but studies investigating the relationship between PSQI values and polysomnographic (PSG) data showed inconsistent findings.Methods. Sixty-five consecutive patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) were retrospectively classified as “good sleepers” (GS) (PSQI ≤ 5) and “poor sleepers” (PS) (PSQI > 5). The PSG data and the values of the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) of fatigue, Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were compared.Results. No significant differences were found either for PSG data or for ESS, MFIS, and FSS values; but PS showed significantly increased BDI and VAS values.Conclusions. Poor sleep is associated with increased depression and fatigue scale values.


2005 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 198-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Téllez ◽  
J Río ◽  
M Tintoré ◽  
C Nos ◽  
I Galán ◽  
...  

Background: As a symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS), fatigue is difficult to manage because of its unknown etiology, the lack of efficacy of the drugs tested to date and the absence of consensus about which would be the ideal measure to assess fatigue. Objective: Our aim was to assess the frequency of fatigue in a sample of MS patients and healthy controls (HC) using two fatigue scales, the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS) with physical, cognitive and psychosocial subscales. We also studied the relationship fatigue has with depression, disability and interferon beta. Methods: Three hundred and fifty-four individuals (231 MS patients and 123 HC) were included in this cross-sectional study. Fatigue was assessed using the FSS and MFIS. Depression was measured by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and disability by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). A status of fatigue was considered when the FSS≥ 5, of non-fatigue when the FSS≤4, and scores between 4.1 and 4.9 were considered doubtful fatigue cases. Results: Fifty-five percent of MS patients and 13% of HC were fatigued. The global MFIS score positively correlated with the FSS in MS and HC (r=0.68 for MS and r=0.59 for HC, p<0.0001). Nonetheless, the MFIS physical subscale showed the strongest correlation score with the FSS (r=0.75, p<0.0001). In addition, a prediction analysis showed the physical MFIS subscale to be the only independent predictor of FSS score (p<0.0001), suggesting other aspects of fatigue, as cognition and psychosocial functions, may be explored by the FSS to a lesser extent. Depression also correlated with fatigue (r=0.48 for the FSS and r=0.7 for the MFIS, p<0.0001) and, although EDSS correlated with fatigue as well, the scores decreased after correcting for depression. Interferon beta showed no relationship with fatigue. Conclusions: Fatigue is a frequent symptom found in MS patients and clearly related with depression. Each fatigue scale correlates with one another, indicating that they are measuring similar constructs. Nevertheless, spheres of fatigue as cognition and psychosocial functions are probably better measured by the MFIS, although this hypothesis will need to be confirmed with appropriate psychometrical testing.


2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca D. Larson

Psychometric assessments are tests or questionnaires that have been designed to measure constructs of interest in an individual or a target population. A goal of many of these self-report instruments is to provide researchers with the ability to gather subjective information in a manner that might allow for quantitative analysis and interpretation of these results. This requires the instrument of choice to have adequate psychometric properties of reliability and validity. Much research has been conducted on creating self-report quality of life questionnaires for individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). This article focuses on one in particular, the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS). The article starts with a brief description of the rationale, construction, and scoring of the inventory. Next, the best available reliability and validity data on the MFIS are presented. The article concludes with a brief discussion on the interpretation of scores, followed by suggestions for future research. This summative analysis is intended to examine whether the instrument is adequately measuring the impact of fatigue and whether the scores allow for meaningful interpretations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 274-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Convery ◽  
Gitte Keidser ◽  
Louise Hickson ◽  
Carly Meyer

Purpose Hearing loss self-management refers to the knowledge and skills people use to manage the effects of hearing loss on all aspects of their daily lives. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between self-reported hearing loss self-management and hearing aid benefit and satisfaction. Method Thirty-seven adults with hearing loss, all of whom were current users of bilateral hearing aids, participated in this observational study. The participants completed self-report inventories probing their hearing loss self-management and hearing aid benefit and satisfaction. Correlation analysis was used to investigate the relationship between individual domains of hearing loss self-management and hearing aid benefit and satisfaction. Results Participants who reported better self-management of the effects of their hearing loss on their emotional well-being and social participation were more likely to report less aided listening difficulty in noisy and reverberant environments and greater satisfaction with the effect of their hearing aids on their self-image. Participants who reported better self-management in the areas of adhering to treatment, participating in shared decision making, accessing services and resources, attending appointments, and monitoring for changes in their hearing and functional status were more likely to report greater satisfaction with the sound quality and performance of their hearing aids. Conclusion Study findings highlight the potential for using information about a patient's hearing loss self-management in different domains as part of clinical decision making and management planning.


Author(s):  
Marc Allroggen ◽  
Peter Rehmann ◽  
Eva Schürch ◽  
Carolyn C. Morf ◽  
Michael Kölch

Abstract.Narcissism is seen as a multidimensional construct that consists of two manifestations: grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. In order to define these two manifestations, their relationship to personality factors has increasingly become of interest. However, so far no studies have considered the relationship between different phenotypes of narcissism and personality factors in adolescents. Method: In a cross-sectional study, we examine a group of adolescents (n = 98; average age 16.77 years; 23.5 % female) with regard to the relationship between Big Five personality factors and pathological narcissism using self-report instruments. This group is compared to a group of young adults (n = 38; average age 19.69 years; 25.6 % female). Results: Grandiose narcissism is primarily related to low Agreeableness and Extraversion, vulnerable narcissism to Neuroticism. We do not find differences between adolescents and young adults concerning the relationship between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism and personality traits. Discussion: Vulnerable and grandiose narcissism can be well differentiated in adolescents, and the pattern does not show substantial differences compared to young adults.


Crisis ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 272-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison S. Christian ◽  
Kristen M. McCabe

Background: Deliberate self-harm (DSH) occurs with high frequency among clinical and nonclinical youth populations. Although depression has been consistently linked with the behavior, not all depressed individuals engage in DSH. Aims: The current study examined maladaptive coping strategies (i.e., self-blame, distancing, and self-isolation) as mediators between depression and DSH among undergraduate students. Methods: 202 students from undergraduate psychology courses at a private university in Southern California (77.7% women) completed anonymous self-report measures. Results: A hierarchical regression model found no differences in DSH history across demographic variables. Among coping variables, self-isolation alone was significantly related to DSH. A full meditational model was supported: Depressive symptoms were significantly related to DSH, but adding self-isolation to the model rendered the relationship nonsignificant. Limitations: The cross-sectional study design prevents determination of whether a casual relation exists between self-isolation and DSH, and obscures the direction of that relationship. Conclusions: Results suggest targeting self-isolation as a means of DSH prevention and intervention among nonclinical, youth populations.


Crisis ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 413-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan L. Rogers ◽  
Thomas E. Joiner

Abstract. Background: Acute suicidal affective disturbance (ASAD) has been proposed as a suicide-specific entity that confers risk for imminent suicidal behavior. Preliminary evidence suggests that ASAD is associated with suicidal behavior beyond a number of factors; however, no study to date has examined potential moderating variables.  Aims: The present study tested the hypotheses that physical pain persistence would moderate the relationship between ASAD and (1) lifetime suicide attempts and (2) attempt lethality. Method: Students ( N = 167) with a history of suicidality completed self-report measures assessing the lifetime worst-point ASAD episode and the presence of a lifetime suicide attempt, a clinical interview about attempt lethality, and a physical pain tolerance task. Results: Physical pain persistence was a significant moderator of the association between ASAD and lifetime suicide attempts ( B = 0.00001, SE = 0.000004, p = .032), such that the relationship between ASAD and suicide attempts strengthened at increasing levels of pain persistence. The interaction between ASAD and pain persistence in relation to attempt lethality was nonsignificant ( B = 0.000004, SE = 0.00001, p = .765). Limitations: This study included a cross-sectional/retrospective analysis of worst-point ASAD symptoms, current physical pain perception, and lifetime suicide attempts. Conclusion: ASAD may confer risk for suicidal behavior most strongly at higher levels of pain persistence, whereas ASAD and pain perception do not influence attempt lethality.


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