Papers by Bengt-Åke Armelius
Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 2001
A comparative outcome study of body awareness therapy, feldenkrais, and conventional physiotherap... more A comparative outcome study of body awareness therapy, feldenkrais, and conventional physiotherapy for patients with nonspeci c musculoskeletal disorders: changes in psychological symptoms, pain, and self-image Eva-Britt Malmgren-Olsson, Bengt-Ake Armelius, and Kerstin Armelius Patients with nonspeci c musculoskeletal disorders are often remitted for physiotherapy treatment in primary care. The rehabilitation effects for this patient group are generally poor and many of the treatment methods used have not been scienti cally evaluated. The purpose of this study is to compare treatment effects of Body Awareness Therapy, Feldenkrais, and conventional individual treatment with respect to changes in psychological distress, pain, and self-image in patients with nonspeci c musculoskeletal disorders. A total of 78 patients, 64 females and 14 males, with non speci c musculoskeletal disorders were recruited consecutively to the different treatment groups in a quasiexperimental design. The patients were measured three times during the study period: before the interventions, after six months, and after on e year. The results showed signi cant positive changes over time in all three treatment groups with regard to reduced psychological distress, pain, and improved negative self-image. There were few signi cant differences among the groups but effect-size analysis indicated that the group treatments using Body Awareness Therapy and Feldenkrais might be more effective than conventional treatment.
Nordic journal of psychiatry, 2007
The psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis (ADAD) ... more The psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis (ADAD) instrument were evaluated in two adolescent groups. The participants in the Normal group comprised 121 adolescents aged 15-17 years and the participants in the group of adolescents with antisocial problems comprised 1168 youths aged 10-21 years detained under the Swedish Care of Young Persons Act in special youth homes. The ADAD instrument produced good interrater reliability; the subscales showed moderate internal consistency and concept validity was satisfactory and comparable with American and Swiss versions. Finally, the ADAD subscales produced meaningful correlations. The interviewer rating, the adolescent's rating and the composite scores are compared and discussed. The Swedish version of ADAD appears to be a psychometrically good instrument for assessing the severity of adolescent problems and their need for treatment. However, the composite scores need to be reconstructed to ...
Reviews, 1996
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) appears to be effective in the treatment of antisocial behavio... more Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) appears to be effective in the treatment of antisocial behavior both in adolescents and adults. Treatment of antisocial behavior in youth in residential settings is a challenge since it usually involves more serious behavioral problems and takes place in a closed setting. The motivation for change is usually low and there is little possibility to address the maintenance of any behavioral changes following release. To investigate the effectiveness of CBT in reducing recidivism of adolescents placed in secure or non-secure residential settings. A secondary objective was to see if interventions that focus particularly on criminogenic needs are more effective than those with a more general focus on cognitions and behavior. We searched a number of databases including: CENTRAL 2005 (Issue 2), MEDLINE 1966 to May 2005, Sociological Abstracts 1963 to May 2005, ERIC 1966 to November 2004, Dissertation Abstracts International 1960s to 2005. We contacted experts in the field concerning current research. Both randomised controlled trials and studies with non-randomized comparison groups were included. Participants had to be young people aged 12-22 and placed in a residential setting for reasons of antisocial behavior. Two reviewers independently reviewed 93 titles and abstracts; 35 full-text reports were retrieved and data from 12 trials eligible for inclusion were extracted and entered into RevMan. Results were synthesized using a random effects model, due to the significant heterogeneity across included studies. Results are reported at 6, 12 and 24 months post-treatment, and presented in graphical (forest plots) form. Odds ratios are used throughout and intention-to-treat analyses were made with drop-outs imputed proportionally. Pooled estimates were weighted with inverse variance methods and 95% confidence intervals were used. The results for 12 months follow-up show that although single studies generally show no significant effects, the results for pooled data are clearly significant in favor of CBT compared to standard treatment with an odds ratio of 0,69. The reduction in recidivism is about 10% on the average. There is no evidence of effects after 6 or 24 months or when CBT is compared to alternative treatments. CBT seems to be a little more effective than standard treatment for youth in residential settings. The effects appear about one year after release, but there is no evidence of more long-term effects or that CBT is any better than alternative treatments.
Substance Use & Misuse, 2012
In-person interview data from 13,903 individuals assessed for a drug use disorder in the Swedish ... more In-person interview data from 13,903 individuals assessed for a drug use disorder in the Swedish welfare system from 2002-2008, were analyzed using logistic regression methods. Second generation immigrants with non-Scandinavian parents were 41% more likely to report a history of compulsory treatment compared to those born in Sweden to Swedish parents after controlling for age, gender, education, mental health treatment homeless status history, and criminal justice history. Implications include the need to study acculturation, stigma, and discrimination-related factors as well as to promote culturally competent outreach to immigrant populations.
Substance Use & Misuse, 2008
The present study evaluates the utility and issues around the composite scores in Adolescent Drug... more The present study evaluates the utility and issues around the composite scores in Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis (ADAD). Participants were Swedish normal adolescents (121) and adolescents manifesting antisocial problems (1,168), ages 10 to 21. The results show that the interviewer severity ratings seem to be the most appropriate outcome when the objective is to differentiate between normal and antisocial adolescents. The composite scores appear to function as an indicator of current problems in all areas except for Medical and Alcohol sections. The critical items within the Medical and Alcohol composite scores are explored and discussed.
Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 2001
Henningsson, M., Sundbom, E., Armelius, B. & Erdberg, P. (2001). PLS model building: A multivaria... more Henningsson, M., Sundbom, E., Armelius, B. & Erdberg, P. (2001). PLS model building: A multivariate approach to personality test data. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 42, 399±409.
Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 1993
Thirty patients were subjected to a Structural Interview by means of which 10 of them received th... more Thirty patients were subjected to a Structural Interview by means of which 10 of them received the diagnosis NPO (Neurotic Personality Organization), 10 BPO (Borderline Personality Organization) and 10 PPO (Psychotic Personality Organization). About 2500 words and groups of words were extracted from the patients' utterances for analysis. The word-frequencies thus found were analyzed by a PLS discriminant analysis which yielded two significant principal components (main dimensions) explaining 57% of the variance.
Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 1992
Sundbom, E. & Armelius, B-A. (1992). Reactions to DMT as related to psychotic and borderline pers... more Sundbom, E. & Armelius, B-A. (1992). Reactions to DMT as related to psychotic and borderline persondity organization. Scandinavian Journal of PJychology, 33, 178-188.
Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 1975
After completion of learning tasks with two different levels of cue intercorrelation (rii=O.OO an... more After completion of learning tasks with two different levels of cue intercorrelation (rii=O.OO and 0.80) the detection of cue intercorrelation was tested with either a reproduction or a recognition method in a 2 x 2 factorial design. The reproduction method yielded an almost perfect matching between the reproduced intercorrelations and the intercorrelations of the tasks, while the recognition method resulted in systematically lower subjective intercorrelations. For the recognition method the subjective intercorrelation was found to vary with the criterion of recognition, so that the stricter the criterion, the higher the subjective intercorrelation.
Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 1990
The psychoanalytic concept of Personality Organization (PO) may be operationalized by means of a ... more The psychoanalytic concept of Personality Organization (PO) may be operationalized by means of a Structural Interview as well as by means of psychological tests. The present study utilized the Structural Interview and a projective test called the Defence Mechanism Test (DMT) to operationalize the PO concept on a sample of 50 psychiatric inpatients. The reliability of the PO judgements were found to be acceptable for both the Structural Interview and the DMT. The validity, which was estimated as the correlation between the two methods, was also found to be substantial. The conclusion is that the concept of PO may be reliably operationalized for psychiatric patients and seems to have concurrent validity. Both the DMT and the Structural Interview may be used for differential diagnosis of PO.
Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 2001
Physical and psychological health and social relations in patients with prolonged musculoskeletal... more Physical and psychological health and social relations in patients with prolonged musculoskeletal disorders The purpose of this study was to describe and analyse the relationship between physical and psychological health and social relations in patients with prolonged musculoskeletal disorders in primary care. Seventy-eight patients ± 64 women and 14 men ± were included in the study. Data from a semi-structured interview called addiction severity index (ASI), frequently used in psychiatric and drug abuse research and a visual analogue scale (VAS) symptom list as well were analysed using principal component analysis (PCA). The analysis gave a two-dimensional model with four poles of related variables characterizing the whole group. The ®rst dimension consisted of one pole charac-terized by present psychiatric symptoms and many somatic symptoms. The second pole on this dimension was characterized by well-being, having work and feeling satisfaction with life. One pole on the second dimension was characterized by severe physical problems, related to sick leave and disability pension. The opposite pole on this dimension was characterized by severe psychiatric symptoms earlier in life and present relationship problems with family and other people. The ASI-instrument was considered to be relevant for describing important problem areas in patients with prolonged musculoskeletal disorders.
Psychotherapy Research, 1991
The Health-Sickness Rating Scale (HSRS), originally developed at the Menninger Foundation, was tr... more The Health-Sickness Rating Scale (HSRS), originally developed at the Menninger Foundation, was translated into French and Swedish and sent out to a relatively large group of clinicians in each of the two countries, and to a group of judges in the USA. Ratings of the 34 specimen cases were made blindly by 21 US, 62 French, and 21 Swedish clinicians for each of the seven subscales and the global rating scale of HSRS. The consistency among the judgments within each country was found to be very high (.81, .77, and .78 respectively). The consistency among the three national averages and the original Menninger judgments was found to be extremely high (.96) for the global rating. The results were interpreted to encourage further inquiries into the measurement properties and usefulness of the scale. The usefulness of HSRS as an international thermometer of mental health is strongly supported.
Psychotherapy Research, 2012
This effectiveness study explored the outcomes of 187 clients seen by 187 students undergoing bas... more This effectiveness study explored the outcomes of 187 clients seen by 187 students undergoing baseline training in psychotherapy. Clients reduced their symptoms (SCL-90) and increased their positive self-image (SASB introject) during the therapy. Multiple regression analyses showed no differences between the cognitive and the psychodynamic training approaches and no differences between one and two semesters duration of the therapies. However, 2-3% of variance in end states was accounted for by the interaction between the variables, indicating a moderating effect of duration in the two approaches. Outcomes for clients in the cognitive training approach were significantly better with two semesters than with one semester, while there was no such difference in the psychodynamic approach. Consequences for baseline training are discussed.
Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 2006
This study had two purposes. The first was to assess to what extent psychiatric staff members' fe... more This study had two purposes. The first was to assess to what extent psychiatric staff members' feelings towards patients in small psychiatric units could be attributed to (a) the individual staff member's habitual feeling style, (b) stable and consistent feelings towards individual patients (the patient's evocative style) and (c) the interaction between these two factors. The second purpose was to analyse the associations between the proportions of these factors and the average outcome for the patients in the units. The study was based on a previously presented model for analysing sources of staff countertransference. The model specifies contributions from the different sources by using twoway ANOVAs. In the present study, data from 21 psychiatric treatment units for patients with psychosis and personality disorder were used. The results indicated that the staff members' individual habitual feeling style and the interaction between this habitual feeling style and the patient's evocative style contributed most to the variance in staff feelings. Patients' individual evocative patterns contributed less. Positive treatment outcome was mainly negatively associated with contributions to the staff countertransference from these sources, implying that fixed patterns in personal feeling style or fixed reaction styles to individual patients had a negative influence on outcome.
Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 2003
Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2000
Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 2007
The psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis (ADAD) ... more The psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis (ADAD) instrument were evaluated in two adolescent groups. The participants in the Normal group comprised 121 adolescents aged 15-17 years and the participants in the group of adolescents with antisocial problems comprised 1168 youths aged 10-21 years detained under the Swedish Care of Young Persons Act in special youth homes. The ADAD instrument produced good interrater reliability; the subscales showed moderate internal consistency and concept validity was satisfactory and comparable with American and Swiss versions. Finally, the ADAD subscales produced meaningful correlations. The interviewer rating, the adolescent's rating and the composite scores are compared and discussed. The Swedish version of ADAD appears to be a psychometrically good instrument for assessing the severity of adolescent problems and their need for treatment. However, the composite scores need to be reconstructed to be useful in future research.
Journal of Personality Disorders, 1990
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 1996
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Papers by Bengt-Åke Armelius