Cross-national (Anglo—Irish) differences in obsessional symptoms and traits of personality

Abstract

SYNOPSISThe Leyton Obsessional Inventory, together with 46 questions taken from Sections M–R of the Cornell Medical Index and the short version of the Maudsley Personality Inventory were administered to a group of orthopaedic patients made up of Irish, English, and Irish immigrants. The results indicated that the Irish subjects had more obsessional symptoms and traits and also that they appeared to be more disturbed by the possession of such attributes than did the English. Among the various cultural factors considered, the bachelor state, in the case of the Irish males, and rural dwelling, in the case of Irish females, were associated with the highest obsessional scores. Ways in which the cultural background may be related to the development of obsessional symptoms and traits are discussed and suggestions are made as to the further epidemiological implications of these findings.

Prevalence of mental disorders in Sardinia: a community study in an inland mining district

“…This makes our sample more similar to that of Camberwell than to the Greek, taking into account Mavreas & Bebbington's study (1988) demonstrating a higher frequency of obsessive syndromes among the English. Our data are also in line with previous reports showing clear differences in the frequency of obsessional symptoms between different peoples in the same geographical area (Kelleher, 1972) and of the recent evidence from the ECA project (Regier et al 1988), which shows that even when the same standardized technique of case finding is used, the rates of anxiety states, obsessive disorders included, greatly fluctuate from one centre to another in the same country.…”

Prevalence of mental disorders in Sardinia: a community study in an inland mining district

“…This makes our sample more similar to that of Camberwell than to the Greek, taking into account Mavreas & Bebbington's study (1988) demonstrating a higher frequency of obsessive syndromes among the English. Our data are also in line with previous reports showing clear differences in the frequency of obsessional symptoms between different peoples in the same geographical area (Kelleher, 1972) and of the recent evidence from the ECA project (Regier et al 1988), which shows that even when the same standardized technique of case finding is used, the rates of anxiety states, obsessive disorders included, greatly fluctuate from one centre to another in the same country.…”

A comparison of written and postbox forms of the Leyton Obsessional Inventory

“…Scores obtained by students in this study were comparable to those of other normative groups. Symptom and aggregated resistance and interference scores were similar to those recorded for English orthopaedic patients (Kelleher, 1972). Mean trait scores were similar to those of Cooper's (1970) normative group but rather less than mean scores of the orthopaedic patients.…”

“…It is possible that scores and differences (e.g. in Kelleher's (1972) study) might be affected by these drawbacks.…”

Personality in torticollis: a controlled study

“…High obsessional trait scores on the LOI have also been reported for patients with ulcerative colitis (median = 14-5, range = 7-21) and duodenal ulcer (median = 12, range = 1-20) by Bellini & Tansella (1976), and for the Irish orthopaedic patients in his sample (mean = 1115) by Kelleher (1972). Patients with chronic pain have been noted to obtain scores similar to psychiatric out-patients on the obsessionality subtest of the Middlesex Hospital Questionnaire (Woodforde & Merskey, 1972).…”

Prevalence of mental disorders in Sardinia: a community study in an inland mining district

“…This makes our sample more similar to that of Camberwell than to the Greek, taking into account Mavreas & Bebbington's study (1988) demonstrating a higher frequency of obsessive syndromes among the English. Our data are also in line with previous reports showing clear differences in the frequency of obsessional symptoms between different peoples in the same geographical area (Kelleher, 1972) and of the recent evidence from the ECA project (Regier et al 1988), which shows that even when the same standardized technique of case finding is used, the rates of anxiety states, obsessive disorders included, greatly fluctuate from one centre to another in the same country.…”

A comparison of written and postbox forms of the Leyton Obsessional Inventory

“…Scores obtained by students in this study were comparable to those of other normative groups. Symptom and aggregated resistance and interference scores were similar to those recorded for English orthopaedic patients (Kelleher, 1972). Mean trait scores were similar to those of Cooper's (1970) normative group but rather less than mean scores of the orthopaedic patients.…”

“…It is possible that scores and differences (e.g. in Kelleher's (1972) study) might be affected by these drawbacks.…”

Personality in torticollis: a controlled study

“…High obsessional trait scores on the LOI have also been reported for patients with ulcerative colitis (median = 14-5, range = 7-21) and duodenal ulcer (median = 12, range = 1-20) by Bellini & Tansella (1976), and for the Irish orthopaedic patients in his sample (mean = 1115) by Kelleher (1972). Patients with chronic pain have been noted to obtain scores similar to psychiatric out-patients on the obsessionality subtest of the Middlesex Hospital Questionnaire (Woodforde & Merskey, 1972).…”

Prevalence of mental disorders in Sardinia: a community study in an inland mining district

“…This makes our sample more similar to that of Camberwell than to the Greek, taking into account Mavreas & Bebbington's study (1988) demonstrating a higher frequency of obsessive syndromes among the English. Our data are also in line with previous reports showing clear differences in the frequency of obsessional symptoms between different peoples in the same geographical area (Kelleher, 1972) and of the recent evidence from the ECA project (Regier et al 1988), which shows that even when the same standardized technique of case finding is used, the rates of anxiety states, obsessive disorders included, greatly fluctuate from one centre to another in the same country.…”

A comparison of written and postbox forms of the Leyton Obsessional Inventory

“…Scores obtained by students in this study were comparable to those of other normative groups. Symptom and aggregated resistance and interference scores were similar to those recorded for English orthopaedic patients (Kelleher, 1972). Mean trait scores were similar to those of Cooper's (1970) normative group but rather less than mean scores of the orthopaedic patients.…”

“…It is possible that scores and differences (e.g. in Kelleher's (1972) study) might be affected by these drawbacks.…”

Personality in torticollis: a controlled study

“…High obsessional trait scores on the LOI have also been reported for patients with ulcerative colitis (median = 14-5, range = 7-21) and duodenal ulcer (median = 12, range = 1-20) by Bellini & Tansella (1976), and for the Irish orthopaedic patients in his sample (mean = 1115) by Kelleher (1972). Patients with chronic pain have been noted to obtain scores similar to psychiatric out-patients on the obsessionality subtest of the Middlesex Hospital Questionnaire (Woodforde & Merskey, 1972).…”