Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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Objective: This study aimed to clarify the relationship between the course of core depressive symptoms and the course of insomnia symptoms in older adults with a depressive disorder, and to...Show moreObjective: This study aimed to clarify the relationship between the course of core depressive symptoms and the course of insomnia symptoms in older adults with a depressive disorder, and to identify predictors of an unfavorable versus a favorable course of core depressive symptoms and insomnia symptoms. Method: We examined 329 older adults (median age 69 (IQR 65-75), 66.9% women) with a depressive disorder within the Netherlands Study of Depression in Older persons (NESDO), a naturalistic cohort study with a six-year follow-up and assessments every six months in between. Core depressive symptoms and insomnia symptoms were assessed with 14 and 3 items, respectively, from the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (IDS). We applied growth mixture modelling to identify classes of participants with similar trajectories of core depressive symptoms and insomnia symptoms. The association between core depressive and insomnia symptom trajectories was examined with a chi-squared test. Finally, we investigated predictors of class membership for core depressive symptoms and for insomnia symptoms using multinomial logistic regression. Results: We identified three trajectories of core depressive symptoms: high and stable (22.2% of participants were assigned to this class), moderate and declining (37.4%), and low and declining (40.4%). We identified four trajectories of insomnia symptoms: high and stable (23.1%), moderate and stable (55.6%), low and increasing (7.6%), and moderate and declining (13.7%). There was a significant association between core depressive and insomnia symptom trajectories, in particular for the most and least favorable trajectories. Number of chronic diseases, a comorbid anxiety disorder, and functional limitations predicted less favorable core depressive symptom trajectories. We found no predictors for insomnia symptom trajectories. Conclusion: Persistent insomnia symptoms are highly prevalent in older adults with depression, even in those with improving core depressive symptoms. This highlights the need for separate treatment of insomnia symptoms in addition to depression interventions.Show less
[Objective] Children with autism (ASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are known to have difficulties with sensory processing, the neurological processing of sensory input. This...Show more[Objective] Children with autism (ASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are known to have difficulties with sensory processing, the neurological processing of sensory input. This study investigates specific profiles of sensory processing difficulties (SPDs) in children with two rare neurocutaneous syndromes, tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) or neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1); and whether SPDs can be predicted by ASD, ADHD, intellectual/developmental quotient (IQ/DQ) or use of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). [Method] SPDs were assessed in 60 children with TSC and 211 with NF1 using the Dutch version of the Short Sensory Profile (SSP-NL), between 2010 and September 2022. Assessments were part of routine clinical care at the Erasmus MC Sophia Children’s Hospital, in the Netherlands. To illustrate the SPDs profiles for each syndrome, children aged 2-18 were compared to the Dutch normative sample of typically-developing children. Then, the prediction of SPDs from the clinical diagnoses, intellectual functioning, and AEDs were assessed using two separate hierarchical regression analyses. [Results] In both syndromes, most SPDs were seen with ‘’Low Energy/Weak’’, ‘’Tactile Sensitivity’’, and ‘’Visual/ Auditory Sensitivity’’. Children with TSC also showed SPDs with ‘’Auditory filtering’’, and children with NF1 with ‘’Taste/Smell Sensitivity’’ and ‘’Underreponsiveness/Seeking Sensation’’. In both syndromes, the presence of clinical diagnoses (ASD, ADHD, or both) and lower intellectual functioning were predictive of more SPDs, as well as the use of AEDs in children with TSC. [Conclusions] Overall, more SPDs were found in children with TSC or NF1 than in the normative sample. A partial overlap in SPDs profiles was found between the two syndromes, with some differences. Findings from this study contribute to the research about sensory processing in general and specifically in neurocutaneous syndromes, potentially helping professionals to improve treatment and adapt advice for caretakers.Show less
In the past decade, one of the main difficulties in describing a general relationship between substance abuse and violent crime is the question whether different types of substances may relate...Show moreIn the past decade, one of the main difficulties in describing a general relationship between substance abuse and violent crime is the question whether different types of substances may relate differently to violent crime, and which other factors may be influential. The current study investigated the effect of different types and combinations of substances on violent offenses committed by Dutch youth (16-22 years) who were starting an addiction treatment for a substance use disorder (SUD) with alcohol, cannabis, or stimulants (cocaine or amphetamines). Participants (N=310) were individually assessed, with questions about their substance use behavior and whether they had committed a violent offense. The independent variables for this study were polysubstance use, combined stimulants and alcohol use, and singular or combined cannabis use. Contrary to the hypotheses, the association between polysubstance use and violent offenses was not significant (OR=1.14, 95% CI= 0.62–2.08), and the association between stimulants use and violent offenses (OR=1.20, 95% CI=0.47–3.04) and between cannabis use and violent offenses (OR= 0.63, 95% CI=0.34–1.18) was not significant either. The covariate ‘indication of conduct disorder’ had a significant influence on the relationship between types of SUD and the occurrence of violent offenses, but an influence of age and gender on this relationship was not found. Because this is the first study with a clinical youth sample, the best explanation for these findings is that the psychoactive effects of the substances were (at least) not the primary influence of the occurrence of violent offenses committed by youth.Show less
The current study aimed to investigate whether having been quarantined/ isolated during the Covid-19 pandemic is associated with perceived stress in students in the Netherlands, even after the...Show moreThe current study aimed to investigate whether having been quarantined/ isolated during the Covid-19 pandemic is associated with perceived stress in students in the Netherlands, even after the initial quarantine/ isolation period. Additionally, it was explored whether having a history of childhood maltreatment moderated this relationship. A sample consisting of 2475 participants, of whom 1881 were female and 594 were male, was recruited using convenience sampling. Participants were asked to fill in several questionnaires, among which a shortened version of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS_10), a shortened version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF) and questions concerning the Covid-19 pandemic. Having been quarantined/ isolated and having experienced childhood maltreatment were hypothesized to be associated with a heightened perceived stress level. Further, having a history of childhood maltreatment was hypothesized to have an effect on the relation between quarantine/ isolation and perceived stress. Regression analyses revealed significant effects of both quarantine/ isolation and childhood maltreatment on perceived stress. A moderation analysis showed that this association was not moderated by childhood maltreatment. Thus, the findings confirmed the first as well as the second hypothesis. However, the third hypothesis could not be confirmed within this study. This study contributes to a growing body of research concerning mental health effects of Covid-19 measurements. It stresses potential long-term effects in students and the need for future research to explore underlying mechanisms of the findings.Show less
Studies suggest that alcohol consumption is related to more depressive symptoms and that caffeine consumption is related to fewer depressive symptoms. Caffeine consumption could interact with...Show moreStudies suggest that alcohol consumption is related to more depressive symptoms and that caffeine consumption is related to fewer depressive symptoms. Caffeine consumption could interact with alcohol consumption to affect the level of depressive symptoms. Our study has focused on the relationship between alcohol and caffeine consumption and depressive symptoms, and to what extent caffeine moderates this relationship. Our cross-sectional study investigated 1276 Dutch students with an average age of 21.1 (SD = 2.8) years. Participants filled in an online questionnaire on depressive symptoms (Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology - Self-Rated) and a substance use questionnaire. Mean alcohol consumption was 4.8 (SD = 7) glasses per week and mean caffeine consumption was 601.9 (SD = 779) mg per week. Regression analysis showed a significant inverse relationship between weekly alcohol consumption and depressive symptoms (β = -.066, p = .034). Caffeine consumption was not related to depressive symptoms (β = -.027, p = .329). A significant moderation effect of caffeine was found (β = .125, p < .001). Additional analyses showed that alcohol consumption was only related to depressive symptoms when a moderate amount of caffeine was consumed (β = -.132, p = .021). Different mechanisms possibly play a role at high and low levels of alcohol and caffeine consumption, but the results are difficult to interpret. An active social life could be a confounder in the inverse relationship between alcohol and depressive symptoms and further research concerning this possible confounding effect and the moderation effect of caffeine consumption is recommended.Show less
