Abnormal Movements and Their Psychosocial Correlates in a Sample of Psychiatric Inpatients: An Original Biopsychosocial Model

This project is preliminary attempt to investigate the validity of an original biopsychosocial model of abnormal movement disorders in chronically mentally ill psychiatric inpatients. The model unites evidence that abnormal movements can limit social support, that stress can exacerbate abnormal movements, and that social support can mitigate the effects of stress. As a part of an overarching Illinois Department of Mental Health study of a state psychiatric hospital closure, detailed and comprehensive psychosocial data were gathered on 57 subjects. Tests of group differences between subjects with and without abnormal movements show significant differences in levels of stress, social support, social interaction, and social acceptability. Additionally, severity of abnormal movements correlates with continuous measures of these psychosocial variables. Lastly, logistic regression modeling shows that psychosocial variables, in addition to biological variables, contribute unique explanatory power to a model of presence or absence of abnormal movements. These results support the predictions of the model, which suggests that abnormal movements, especially those of the face, alienate potential sources of social support. With the reduction of this protective social buffer, life stress can have an unmitigated, detrimental effect on the severity of abnormal movements.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Kinesiology and Community Health

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Walls, Craig Alexander

Contributors dc:contributor

• Robert L. Sprague

• Sociology, Individual and Family Studies

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI9904615

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/86414