TITLE:
UBOM-4, a New Scale for Psychic Function and Energy: General Population Normative Values and Influencing Parameters
AUTHORS:
Daisuke Gotoh, Hiroshi Hoshino, Kumi Yoshida, Yoshiko Akiyama, Satoshi Fujimoto, Emiko Yoshioka, Yumiko Namae, Shin-Ichi Niwa
KEYWORDS:
UBOM-4, Psychic Function, Normative Value, GHQ-12, Shared Decision Making
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Psychiatry,
Vol.8 No.4,
October
31,
2018
ABSTRACT: Objective: We introduce Utena’s Brief Objective Measures of 4 Axes for Psychic Function and Energy (UBOM-4), a new brief test battery for evaluating psychic function concerning intellect, emotion, volition, and imagination. To date, insufficient general population data on the UBOM have been collected. This study aimed to establish the normative values for the general population in UBOM-4 and examine the effects of age, sex, and mental health status on the values. Methods: The General Health Questionnaire, 12-item version (GHQ-12) and UBOM-4 were administered to 149 individuals working in or attending professional schools or universities (73 males, 76 females; age: 19 - 65 years). Participants were classified as healthy based on their GHQ-12 responses and psychiatrist interviews. Results: UBOM-4 measures (mean ± SD) were: pulse rate difference (PRD or UBOM-pulse), −0.72 ± 4.31 beats/min; ruler catching time (RCT or UBOM-ruler), 18.42 ± 3.73 cm; degree of randomness (DOR or UBOM-random), 0.94 ± 0.18; mean randomizing time (MRT or UBOM-time), 0.60 ± 0.31 sec. The Baum Test drawings were classified as usual (86%) and unusual patterns (14%). Sex effects were observed for RCT (UBOM-ruler) and DOR (UBOM-random), but not for PRD (UBOM-pulse) and MRT (UBOM-time). Therefore, the normative values for RCT (UBOM-ruler) (males: 17.37 ± 3.25 cm; females: 19.42 ± 3.90 cm) and DOR (UBOM-random) (males: 0.92 ± 0.18; females: 0.95 ± 0.18) should be differentiated by sex. The patterns of the Baum Test drawings were affected by age, with individuals over 51 years showing the unusual pattern more frequently (42%). Discussion: Compared to previous results for healthy individuals, the present results were similar for RCT (UBOM-ruler), DOR (UBOM-random), MRT (UBOM-time), and the drawing pattern, but different for PRD (UBOM-pulse). This difference is probably because PRD is sensitive to test situation habituation, sex of examiner, order of subtests, etc. Thus, PRD (UBOM-pulse) should be measured after the subject-examiner relationship stabilizes. Conclusion: Our results suggest that UBOM-4 can be widely used in clinical settings, utilizing the present results as a reference.