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Despite controversy regarding the classification and diagnostic status of hoarding disorder, there remains a paucity of research on the nosology of hoarding that is likely to inform the classification debate. The present investigation examined the latent structure of hoarding in three, large independent samples. Data for three well-validated measures of hoarding were subjected to taxometric procedures, including MAXimum EIGenvalue, Mean Above Minus Below A Cut, and Latent-Mode factor. Two symptom measures, one of which closely mirrors the proposed diagnostic criteria for hoarding disorder, and a measure of hoarding beliefs were analyzed. Sample 1 (n = 2,501) was representative of the general German population, while Samples 2 (n = 1,149) and 3 (n = 500) consisted of unselected undergraduate students. Findings across all three samples and taxometric procedures provided converging evidence that hoarding is best conceptualized as a dimensional construct, present in varying degrees in all individuals. Results have implications across research and treatment domains, particularly with respect to assessment approaches, treatment response determination, and policy decisions. These findings underscore the need for further investigations on the nosology of hoarding, to help validate this construct as we move forward with respect to our research and treatment efforts, as well as the potential inclusion of hoarding disorder in the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (5th ed.; "DSM-5"; American Psychiatric Association, 2012). (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.)

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.04.032 Byline: Jutta Lindert (a), Ondine S. von Ehrenstein (b), Stefan Priebe (c), Andreas Mielck (d), Elmar Brahler (e) Abstract: Prevalence rates of depression and anxiety among migrants (i.e. refugees, labor migrants) vary among studies and it's been found that prevalence rates of depression and anxiety may be linked to financial strain in the country of immigration. Our aim is to review studies on prevalence rates of depression and/or anxiety (acknowledging that Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is within that class of disorders), and to evaluate associations between the Gross National Product (GNP) of the immigration country as a moderating factor for depression, anxiety and PTSD among migrants. We carried out a systematic literature review in the databases MEDLINE and EMBASE for population based studies published from 1990 to 2007 reporting prevalence rates of depression and/or anxiety and or PTSD according to DSM- or ICD- criteria in adults, and a calculation of combined estimates for proportions using the DerSimonian-Laird estimation. A total of 348 records were retrieved with 37 publications on 35 populations meeting our inclusion criteria. 35 studies were included in the final evaluation. Our meta-analysis shows that the combined prevalence rates for depression were 20 percent among labor migrants vs. 44 percent among refugees; for anxiety the combined estimates were 21 percent among labor migrants vs. 40 percent among (n =24,051) refugees. Higher GNP in the country of immigration was related to lower symptom prevalence of depression and/or anxiety in labor migrants but not in refugees. We conclude that depression and/or anxiety in labor migrants and refugees require separate consideration, and that better economic conditions in the host country reflected by a higher GNP appear to be related to better mental health in labor migrants but not in refugees. Author Affiliation: (a) Department of Public Health, Protestant University of Applied Sciences Ludwigsburg, Ludwigsburg; Germany, Paulusweg 8, 71638 Ludwigsburg, Germany (b) UCLA School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA (c) Unit for Social and Community Psychiatry, Barts & The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, Newham Centre for Mental Health, London, United Kingdom (d) Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen, Germany (e) Department for Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Universitatsklinikum Leipzig, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

The results of the survey conducted to examine the attitudes of Germans towards organ donation while living and after death is presented. The results showed that majority of German women rejected the compensation model but it was acceptable to men and in the case of living organ donation women were ready to accept compensation in the form of health insurance.

The Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire (ICQ) developed by Buhrmester and colleagues (1988) in the US assesses the multidimensional construct of social competence via five distinct, but related subscales. Two versions comprising 40 and 30 items, respectively, are available in German. The purpose of the current study is to develop and validate a brief version of the ICQ among a large adult sample that is representative of the German general population. Data were collected from 2,009 participants. Three confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were conducted in order to develop and validate the ICQ-15. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were computed for the ICQ-15. An initial CFA with the ICQ-30 formed the basis for the selection of the items to be included in the ICQ-15. Two subsequent CFA’s with the ICQ-15 revealed an excellent fit of the hypothesized five-factor model to the observed data. Internal consistency coefficients were in the adequate range. This preliminary evaluation shows that the ICQ-15 is a structurally valid measure of interpersonal competence recommended for research contexts with limited assessment time and for psychotherapy progress tracking in clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Attitudes towards communication skills of medical undergraduates can be gathered using the Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS). We aimed to develop a German version of the CSAS (CSAS-G) in order to explore attitudes towards communication skills in a German cohort. Additionally the potential influence of demographic factors was examined.Methods: We realized the CSAS-G and conducted a survey with 529 participants from 3 different years of study. We then carried out an explorative as well as confirmatory factor analysis and compared the attitudinal scores. Multiple regression analysis was performed.Results: The confirmatory analysis confirmed the two-subscale system revealed by the explorative factor analysis. Students indicate low levels of negative attitudes and moderate levels of positive attitudes. Attitudinal scores differ significantly in relation to gender.Conclusion: The CSAS-G can be used in German cohorts to evaluate attitudes towards communication skills. Medical students in our study show basically a positive approach. Further investigation is necessary to explore and understand attitudes towards communication skills of German medical students.

Objectives: Utilization of the health care system is not determined by the presence of an organic illness, but by a multitude of interacting factors. This applies particularly to somatoform complaints and disorders, in the context of which the health care system is used very intensively and inadequately in relation to the disorder. The present paper summarizes the frequency of somatoform complaints in the general population and health care utilization due to these complaints., Methods: On the basis of a survey carried out in 2002 for a representative population of 2089 persons (aged 14 to 92 years), the prevalence of somatoform complaints during a period of 2 years was determined. In this survey, physical complaints were defined as being somatoform when they seriously affected the person's well-being but exhibited a disparity between objective diagnostic findings and subjective experience. The psychosocial aspects were also determined. When somatoform complaints were identified, the specific utilization of the healthcare system for them was investigated., Results: Somatoform complaints are very frequent in Germany: 8.3% of the population claim to suffer from clinically relevant somatoform disorders that fully meet the criteria mentioned above. The health care system is used heavily for these complaints. Within the last two years, each test person suffering from somatoform disorders consulted a physician a mean 18 times and was incapable of working for a mean of 20 days. 16% of these persons were hospitalized, 9 % received treatment at a health resort, 9 % retired, etc., Discussion: The considerable utilization of health care services is an essential element of somatoform pathology and has immense medico-political relevance. The most important prerequisite for handling the 'commitment to health care system' symptom is thorough training of all physicians in the basics of somato-psycho-social medicine. This will be an important measure for cost reduction in the health care system.

Aim: We investigate which articles out of the entire fifty volumes of the Zeitschrift fur Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie (Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy (Psychoanalysis) have been most frequently cited. These articles are analysed according to the groups of authors and topics., Methods: The citation frequency was determined in the source journals listed by the ISI and contained in the SCI and SSCI data banks., Results: 58 articles were cited at least ten times, and five of these articles were cited at least twenty times. One article was cited 45 times and thus was the top runner. The authors who are particularly important in their specialized areas dominated, and the most frequently cited articles were distributed quite evenly in both psychosomatic and psychotherapeutic topics., Discussions: A relatively large number of articles in this journal have a sustained influence among experts in the field. Since there are not many of German journal listed in the ISI data banks or have only recently been included by them, the number of citations is most likely considerably higher.