Memory and executive functioning are two important components of clinical neuropsychological (NP) practice and research. Multiple demographic factors are known to affect performance differentially on most NP tests, but adequate normative corrections, inclusive of race/ethnicity, are not available for many widely used instruments. This study compared demographic contributions for widely used tests of verbal and visual learning and memory (Brief Visual Memory TestRevised, Hopkins Verbal Memory Test-Revised), and executive functioning (Stroop Color and Word Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test-64) in groups of healthy Caucasians (n = 143) and African-Americans (n = 103). Demographic factors of age, education, gender, and race/ethnicity were found to be significant factors on some indices of all four tests. The magnitude of demographic contributions (especially age) was greater for African-Americans than Caucasians on most measures. New, demographically corrected T-score formulas were calculated for each race/ ethnicity. The rates of NP impairment using previously published normative standards significantly overestimated NP impairment in African-Americans. Utilizing the new demographic corrections developed and presented herein, NP impairment rates were comparable between the two race/ethnicities and unrelated to the other demographic characteristics (age, education,

To address physician depression and suicide at one U.S. medical school, a faculty committee launched a Suicide Prevention and Depression Awareness Program in 2009 whose focus is medical students', residents', and faculty physicians' mental health. The program consists of a two-pronged approach: (1) screening, assessment, and referral and (2) education. The screening process is anonymous, confidential, and Web based, using customized software created by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The educational component consists of a medical-school-wide campaign including Grand Rounds on physician burnout, depression, and suicide as well as similar sessions geared toward trainees. The authors document the process of developing and implementing the program, including the program's origins and goals, their critical decision-making processes, and successes and challenges of the program's first year.Of the 2,860 medical students, housestaff, and faculty who received the e-mail invitation in the first year, 374 individuals (13%) completed screens, 101/374 (27%) met criteria for significant risk for depression or suicide, and 48/374 (13%) received referrals for mental health evaluation and treatment. The program provided 29 Grand Rounds and other presentations during the first year.This may be the first program that aims to increase awareness of depression and to destigmatize help-seeking in order to prevent suicide and whose target population includes the full panoply of medical school constituents: students, residents, and faculty physicians. The program was well received in its first year, and while demonstrating the prevention of suicides is difficult, the authors are encouraged by the program's results thus far.

Relationships among attachment styles, conflict styles and humour styles were examined in the context of romantic relationships. Each style was assumed to be based upon underlying assumptions about self and others, so relationships among the measures were predicted. A model assuming that the relationship of attachment styles to relationship satisfaction was partially mediated by the conflict styles and humour styles was tested. Overall, the predicted relationships among the three measures were supported. Conflict styles and humour styles reflecting attitudes about others were related to the avoidance attachment style, while those reflecting attitudes about the self were related to the anxiety attachment dimension. Conflict styles and humour styles were mediators of the association of attachment style with relationship satisfaction. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) is designed to quantify components of verbal learning, retention and retrieval. The present study used multiple regression analyses to correct for demographic characteristics on CVLT performance measures. There were 906 subjects, of whom 549 were Caucasians (61%) and 357 were African Americans (39%). Age, education, ethnicity, and gender were found to be significant predictors of performance on several CVLT indices, including Total Words Recalled, Trial 1, Trial 5, List B, Short Delay Free Recall (SDFR), and Long Delay Free Recall (LDFR). Demographically corrected T-scores were calculated for a base sample of 672 subjects and cross-validated on 234 separate subjects. Tables and regression equations are offered to convert raw scores into T-scores corrected for age, gender, education, and ethnicity. Demographically corrected Recognition Discriminability cutoff scores were calculated for age and education levels. In order to provide some indices of important memory processes, we also computed indices of retrieval, Short-Delay forgetting and Long-Delay forgetting and present normative information for them.

This novel interventional program identified at risk, potentially suicidal medical students at one institution. Based on this single-site experience, we suggest that future multisite studies incorporate a comparison group, acquire baseline (prematriculation) data regarding MHSU and SR, and use an individualized yet anonymous identification system to measure changes in individual participants' mental health status over time.

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