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The psychological problems of men in the initial stages of alopecia androgenetica (hereditary male hair loss) have seldom been studied. We evaluated two groups of 80 men with alopecia androgenetica in Stages II to IV, indicating the amount of hair loss (overall N = 160; for Group I: M = 48 yr., SD = 18.2; for Group II: M = 50 yr., SD = 18.0) who visited a dermatology clinic for benign dermatological complaints but not for hair loss, by questionnaires and interview, retrospectively. As predicted, hair problems were reported to be significantly greater overall at the moment of discovery of hair loss than later. About half of the men reported feeling annoyed to very annoyed about the discovery of hair loss. For those patients, provision of information by internet might facilitate a visit to the dermatologist.

In a 3-mo. randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study, the psychosocial effects of the food supplement IMEDEEN® on health-specific quality of life were examined. Participants were 45 Caucasian women with a normal skin condition in relation to their age. The variables measured were social anxiety and social skills, self-esteem, satisfaction with several parts of the body, state and trait anxiety, and psychological and social problems related to the skin. No significant effect of IMEDEEN® was found on any of these psychosocial variables. Suggestions for further research are given.

Measurements of some psychosocial variables were obtained from 27 patients with a genital herpes infection and compared with those from 12 patients with a gonorrhea infection. The measurements referred to the period before and during the infection. Evidence was found that during the infection patients were more anxious, more sexually inhibited, more bitter towards their partners, and had more psychological complaints than before the infection. Generally there was no difference between the two groups of patients, with one exception: patients with genital herpes judged themselves as having fewer psychological complaints prior to the disease than did patients with gonorrhea.

Chronic pain is a common experience in adolescence. To measure its influence on quality of life in adolescents with chronic headache, Langeveld developed the 71-item scale, Quality of Life Headache–Youth. On the basis of this questionnaire we develop a shortened list, also suitable for other pain locations to enhance compliance. For this, we tested a sample of 98 adolescents from an open population with chronic benign pain. This article presents the psychometric qualities of the shortened version, named the Quality of Life Questionnaire for Adolescents with Chronic Pain. The original version could be reduced to 44 items which showed suitable internal consistency and construct validity against COOP/WONCA charts.

Plasma levels of the β-carboline norharman, concentration of platelet 5-HT, trait measures of anxiety, and measures of coping and defense mechanisms were compared for 15 patients with panic disorder and 24 healthy volunteers. Patients indicated that they made less use of the defense mechanism of principalization than control subjects. No other differences between patients and controls were significant. Platelet 5-HT concentration was positively correlated with the subjectively reported anxiety. Plasma norharman concentration was negatively correlated with the defense mechanisms of principalization and repression and positively correlated with coping strategies involving palliation. The positive correlations of norharman levels with projection and self-comforting fell short of significance and existed in the patient group only. No correlation was apparent between levels of plasma norharman and scores on anxiety. It was concluded that norharman is not a marker for panic disorder or trait anxiety, but that it might reflect intrapsychic and coping processes.

13 couples who lost an infant due to a major congenital anomaly were assessed using the Perinatal Grief Scale. Contrary to the research findings of generally less intensity of grief in men, couples did not differ significantly in this respect one-half year after the loss of their infant. On the other hand, there was no strong relationship between the scores of women and men, indicating that, apart from intensity, they grieve differently.

A new daytime sleepiness scale was constructed on the basis of interviews with 96 apnea patients (the Rotterdam Daytime Sleepiness Scale) and included three subscales of Global Evaluation, Behavioral Impact, and Affected Life Domains. The scale showed satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity.

Data on the adaptation, reliability, and validity of the Dutch version of the Nottingham Health Profile are discussed. The linguistic adaptation of the English version into Dutch is described, followed by the field-testing procedure and the analyses of data from 276 selected subjects from an average general medical group practice in a village nearby Rotterdam. The internal consistency, Cronbach alphas, of the subscales varied from .70 to .85. Test-retest measures for 51 patients with cardiac problems gave Spearman correlations from .69 to .92, while the interscale relationships yielded six relatively independent areas of discomfort and stress. By means of logistic regression analysis on differences between old versus young, male versus female, and healthy versus ill individuals, discriminant validity was satisfactory. Findings suggest that the psychometric aspects of the Dutch version, also seen from a cross-cultural point of view, are sufficient. Nevertheless, further research on reliability and validity of the Dutch version is required to establish its usefulness with different patient groups.

So far, the association between anxiety and pain has not been studied with measures tapping a physiological dimension of anxiety. Therefore, during a blood extraction procedure, we recorded subjective anxiety, electrodermal activity, heart rate, and intensity of pain. Subjects were 15 patients with panic disorder and 24 healthy subjects. Positive associations between subjective anxiety and pain were found in each group. The physiological activity preceding the venipuncture, however, was not significantly related to the intensity of the pain.

In a group of 30 women who underwent induced delivery after they had been informed of a lethal fetal anomaly, 18 women reported that this was the outcome of a clear decision process and 12 reported that they had no choice. In contrast to findings in other research areas, the experience of having perceived control was not associated with lower grief scores three months after perinatal loss.Perceived control over perinatal death through induced abortion was not associated, as hypothesized, with lower grief scores 3 months after perinatal loss in a comparison study conducted in The Netherlands. Included in the analysis were 30 women who underwent pregnancy termination at 24 weeks of gestation and above because prenatal diagnosis revealed a fetal malformation that was incompatible with extrauterine life or would result in an extreme mental or physical handicap. The control group was comprised of 30 women who underwent induced delivery resulting in perinatal death. The median gestational age in the study group was 31 weeks. 18 (60%) of subjects were categorized as having perceived control over the perinatal death on the basis of their agreement with the statement: "I wished to have the pregnancy terminated, because it was useless to wait any longer." The remaining 12 expressed a lack of perceived control, as evidenced by their feeling: "I did not have any choice." There were no significant differences among subjects when the Perinatal Grief Scale was administered 3 months after the pregnancy termination.

The present study verified whether the Defense Mechanism Inventory mainly involves aggressive ego threats. A shortened Dutch version of the inventory representing the five content areas from the original version was administered to 105 medical students, and questions concerning negative emotions aroused were asked. Anger and pain were significantly more often reported than fear, distress, and disgust, which supported the hypothesis.

Consultations, motives, experience, and attitudes were explored in 201 men with alopecia androgenetica who had two years before shown interest in hair treatment using minoxidil. During the past two years, one-third consulted a professional on account of hair loss. General practitioners were consulted by 60% and other professionals by about 75%. The main motive for the consultation was hair treatment, which was offered to half of the consulting subjects. Medical professionals were generally considered to be more suitable than other professionals for consultation on minoxidil treatment. The perceived chance of the treatment being successful and the amount of hair problems experienced seemed more important factors for consulting than the views on the suitability of a professional or the extent of baldness. There were indications that subjects who consulted both general practitioners and other professionals had also more general problems.