Dimensions of subjective well-being after spinal cord injury: an empirical analysis by gender and race/ethnicity

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to identify the underlying dimensions of subjective well-being after spinal cord injury (SCI), and (2) to develop reliable scales based on measurement of these dimensions. DESIGN: A field study was conducted by surveying the subjective well-being of two large samples of participants with SCI. Principal axis factor analysis with varimax rotation was applied to participant responses to 50 subjective well-being items. SETTING: All participants were selected from the outpatient files of two midwestern rehabilitation hospitals and from a large southeastern rehabilitation hospital. PARTICIPANTS: There were a total of 1,032 participants, 435 from the Midwest and 597 from the Southeast. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Life Situation Questionnaire-revised version (LSQ-R) was used to measure subjective well-being. It included two prominent sections, one for life satisfaction (20 items) and the other for self-reported problems (30 items). RESULTS: Seven subjective well-being factor scales were identified across the full participant sample: Engagement, Negative Affect, Health Problems, Career Opportunities, Finances, Living Circumstances, and Interpersonal Relations. The average alpha coefficient was .86 for the factor scales. Separate analyses of the midwestern and southeastern samples suggested stability of the factor structure, although gender and race/ ethnicity were related to subtle differences in subjective well-being. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that rehabilitation professionals need to pay attention to multiple aspects of subjective well-being after SCI.     

The biological properties of Rahnella aquatilis strains isolated in different regions

This study examines stress in the parents of adolescents and young adults with an intellectual disability and compares it with stress reported by parents with offspring without an intellectual disability. An initial qualitative pilot study lead the authors to Baine et al's Stress Scale. The Baine et al scale is relatively new and addresses aspects of stress not previously investigated among the parents of people with an intellectual disability, namely, stress from the difficult relationship with health professionals and service providers and negative community attitudes to people with an intellectual disability. Because of the relevance to nurses, particular interest is paid to stress from the relationship parents have with health professionals and service providers. The study found significantly greater stress in the parents of young people with an intellectual disability in all aspects of stress examined, including stress from the individual with the disability, internal family stress, stress from the financial strain of having a family member with a disability, stress from community attitudes and stress perceived from the relationship with health professionals and service providers. These findings are distressing in the light of government and service agency policies of community care and independent living. This paper makes recommendations relevant to nurses and identifies difficulties for parents of young people with an intellectual disability in the implementation of current government policy.     

A science of the South Pacific: Analysis of the character structure of the Peace Corps volunteer.

Analyzed criteria of performance and adaptation of Peace Corps volunteers in Tonga (N = 52) who had received high overall evaluation, moderate to marginal overall evaluation, or who had terminated early. Ss were rated independently by 3 present or past staff members on a 24-item field-rating form derived from interviews. The items were found to meet criteria of internal consistency, interjudge agreement, and discrimination of the 3 subgroups. Both discriminant and factor analyses revealed that basic character traits were the single most important class of variables, followed by 3 factors labeled General Technical Competence, Cultural Interaction, and Interpersonal Relations. The necessity for pooled judgments by competent people and for basic research to justify professional psychological services in the field is discussed, and implications for the systematic evaluation of selection and training in governmental agencies are examined. (21 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The longitudinal structure of general and specific anxiety dimensions in children: Testing a latent trait–state–occasion model.

In an 8-wave, 4-year longitudinal study, 787 children (Grades 3–6) completed the Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (C. R. Reynolds & B. O. Richmond, 1985), a measure of the Physiological Reactivity, Worry–Oversensitivity, and Social Alienation dimensions of anxiety. A latent variable (trait–state–occasion) model and a latent growth curve model were applied to each of the 3 anxiety dimensions and to a general anxiety factor consisting of the 3 dimensions. Although the general anxiety factor reflected a significant stable trait process, the Worry–Oversensitivity and Social Alienation dimensions reflected an autoregressive process more than a stable trait dimension. In contrast to the other 2 anxiety dimensions, Physiological Reactivity reflected a significant stable trait process, suggesting that the longitudinal structure of anxiety in children depends upon the dimension assessed. In children as early as age 9 or 10, Physiological Reactivity (more than other anxiety dimensions) manifested a stable trait component. Structural findings were consistent across gender and race; however, mean differences in gender and race emerged for general anxiety and its 3 dimensions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality-intelligence relations: Assessment of typical intellectual engagement.

Relations between personality and intelligence were investigated in the context of the distinction between intelligence as typical engagement and intelligence as maximal engagement. The traditional approach to investigating the association between intelligence as maximal performance and personality was reviewed, and suggestions were made, including the suggestion that intelligence as typical engagement results in clearer understanding of personality–intelligence relations. 13 personality/interest constructs hypothesized to surround a core construct of typical intellectual engagement and related to typical intellectual performance were operationalized. Relations found were modest, yet several personality scales differentially related to fluid and crystallized classes of intelligence. Relations between the personality constructs surrounding typical intellectual engagement and the broad personality domain are investigated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A factor analytic study of Eysenck's and Schutz's personality dimensions among psychiatric groups.

As a test of the applicability of Schutz's Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation (FIRO) theory to psychiatric groups a battery of personality inventories, including the Maudsley Personality Inventory and Schutz's Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior (FIRO-B), was administered to 3 schizophrenic (N = 20), 3 neurotic (N = 10 - 12), and 1 normal group (N = 20) of male VA patients. All Ss were rated for 1 week on a check list of behaviors paralleling the FIRO-B scales. Factor analysis of the correlations among 25 variables resulted in 6 orthogonal factors. The FIRO behavior check list variables loaded on the same factors as the FIRO-B scales, Schutz's "inclusion" dimension combined with Eysenck's "extraversion" factor, but "control" and "affection" appeared as separate factors. Additional factors of "emotionality," "social status," and "deteriorated paranoia" appeared in the factor loading matrix. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Person?×?Situation interaction in personality prediction: Some specifics of the person factor.

Attempted to determine if the multidimensionality of trait anxiety (A-Trait), as measured by the S–R Inventory of General Trait Anxiousness, was related to differential personality profiles in 278 undergraduates. Results of stepwise multiple linear regression analyses, using Rotter's Internal–External Locus of Control Scale, the California Psychological Inventory, the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale, and the Interpersonal Trust Scale as predictor measures, confirmed the existence of distinct personality profiles for each of the 4 facets of A-Trait. Findings attest to the multidimensionality of the S–R Inventory of General Trait Anxiousness and to the importance of specifying the situation in the measurement of anxiety. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preschool Competency in Context: An Investigation of the Unique Contribution of Child Competencies to Early Academic Success.

The present concurrent study combined developmental and ecological considerations to examine the unique contribution of multiple preschool competencies to an indicator of early academic success. Participants included 195 Head Start children from 32 classrooms representative of a large, urban Head Start program. Dimensional (variable-centered) analyses revealed 3 distinct classroom competency dimensions (i.e., General Classroom Competencies, Specific Approaches to Learning, and Interpersonal Classroom Behavioral Problems). The first 2 of these dimensions were found to be uniquely associated with early academic success. Findings from typological (person-centered) analyses supported the dimensional findings. Typological analyses revealed 7 profiles of classroom competency distinguished by high scores on the dimensions of General Competencies and Approaches to Learning, and these profiles were found to relate differentially to the indicator of early academic success. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Quality of life in the families of young people with intellectual disabilities

This paper reports on an investigation into quality of life in the families of young people with intellectual disabilities. Quality of life is an emerging area of research in nursing, therefore some of the theoretical issues in definition and measurement of quality of life are discussed. These issues include objective and subjective dimensions, and the neglected issue of the importance of these dimensions. Families with a member with an intellectual disability were found to have lower objective and subjective quality of life scores but were no different from the control group on the importance dimension. This finding implies that they have similar aspirations to other families but are unable to satisfy these aspirations. Implications of the findings of the study for policy makers and service delivery agencies are discussed.     

Comparative factor analyses of clerical jobs.

To explore basic dimensions underlying clerical work activities, a checklist of knowledge and a checklist of worker functions were independently used to analyze a sample of 192 office jobs. Item intercorrelations from each list were then factor analyzed. 4 factors were identified as common to both checklists: Inventory and Stockkeeping, Supervision, Computation and Bookkeeping, and Communication and Public Relations. 2 additional factors were extracted from the knowledge list, Stenography-Typing and Filing and General Clerical, which together correspond to a single factor of the clerical functions list. The results suggest that the development, application, and factor analysis of job analysis checklists can contribute to the study of job interrelationships. From Psyc Abstracts 36:05:5LF62C. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interpersonal compatibility and managerial work effectiveness: A test of the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation theory.

Examined whether W. Schutz's Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation compatibility theory, based on interpersonal need satisfaction, would hold in a context which emphasized rational, nonpersonal processes. Ss were 360 male industrial supervisors. 2 types of interpersonal compatibility were compared to 2 measures of interpersonal work effectiveness and to a measure of sociometric choice. Only 2 of 20 operational hypotheses testing the theoretical postulate of compatibility were supported by the data. It is concluded that the theory did not hold in the context studied. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Life satisfaction and caregiving stress for individuals with stroke and their primary caregivers.

Life satisfaction scores of 38 individuals (aged 33–84 yrs) at 6 mo post-stroke were compared to disability ratings measured by the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and handicap ratings measured by the Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique. Satisfaction was lower for the patients than for the general population, and more strongly associated with disability than handicap. Satisfaction scores of the patients' primary caregivers were compared to a measure of caregiver stress and to caregivers' ratings of the patients' disability and handicap. Caregivers' satisfaction was somewhat lower than satisfaction in the general population and directly associated with caregiving stress scores. Caregiving stress scores were associated with the handicap scales of independence, mobility, and occupation, which were related to the physical disability scales of the FIM and to each other. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prevalence of human papillomavirus in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck determined by polymerase chain reaction and Southern blot hybridization: proposal for optimized diagnostic requirements

OBJECTIVE: To develop Canadian projections for the prevalence and numbers of people with arthritis and arthritis disability, overall and in major age groups. METHODS: Age and sex specific data from the 1991 General Social Survey and the 1994 National Population Health Survey on the prevalence of arthritis and arthritis disability were applied to population projections for Canada for every 5 years between 1991 and 2031. RESULTS: Between 1991 and 2031 we project that the prevalence of arthritis diagnosed by a health professional as a longterm condition in Canada will increase from 10.7 to 15.7%, an increase of 46.7%, and the number of people with arthritis will increase from 2.9 to 6.5 million, an increase of 124%. Comparable changes in prevalence and numbers of people with self-reported arthritis are 17.1% (4.7 million) to 23.6% (9.7 million). Most of the increase will be in the population aged 45+, and not until after 2020 will the comparative increase in the 65+ age group be greater than that for the 45-64 age group. Disability attributed to arthritis in the population aged 15+ is projected to increase from a prevalence of 2.3% (595,000) in 1991 to 3.3% (1.13 million) in 2031. CONCLUSION: There are large projected increases in both the prevalence and numbers of people with arthritis and arthritis related disability that, at least in the next 20 years, will be split between the older half of the working population and those aged 65 and older.     

Subjective well-being after spinal cord injury: Relationship to gender, race–ethnicity, and chronologic age.

Compared subjective well-being (SWB) scores as a function of gender and race-ethnicity while controlling for differences in chronologic age among a sample of participants with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). A field study of 597 people, including an oversampling of women and racial-ethnic minorities, was conducted. Multivariate analysis of covariance was used to compare SWB outcomes as a function of gender and race-ethnicity. SWB was measured by 2 global indexes and 7 factor scales of the revised Life Situation Questionnaire. Minority participants reported lower SWB than Caucasians on the Global Satisfaction index and on the Career Opportunities, Finances, and Living Circumstances scales. Men had lower scores than women on the Interpersonal Relations scale. Age was only modestly associated with SWB. The results suggest that rehabilitation professionals need to pay attention to gender, race-ethnicity, and age differences in response to SCI. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development and Psychometric Properties of the Disability Application Appraisal Inventory.

This article describes the development and psychometric properties of an inventory to assess cognitive appraisal of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability application process, the Disability Application Appraisal Inventory (DAAI). Participants were 439 veterans seeking disability status for posttraumatic stress disorder through the VA and subgroups from that sample. The 3 DAAI scales assess (a) understanding of the disability application process (Knowledge scale) (b) expectations specific to the process (Negative Expectations scale) and (c) investment in obtaining disability status (Importance scale). The scales are internally consistent and largely uncorrelated. Test-retest correlations are adequate for the Negative Expectations and Importance scales. Evidence of factorial and construct validity is presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationships between dimensions of anxiety and sensation seeking.

To determine more precisely the relationship between the general dimensions of sensation seeking and anxiety, 130 male and 112 female undergraduates were administered the Sensation-Seeking Scales (SSS) and the S–R Inventory of General Trait Anxiousness (S–R GTA). The intercorrelations among the 5 scales from the SSS and the 4 scales from the S–R GTA were computed and compared to theoretical predictions. Results show that the majority of the correlations were negative, with the strongest relationship existing between anxiety in physically dangerous situations and sensation-seeking needs. The variation in the intercorrelations, ranging from moderately negative to low positive, is interpreted as supporting the necessity of multidimensional measures of anxiety and sensation-seeking constructs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validating the Children's Behavior Questionnaire in Dutch children: Psychometric properties and a cross-cultural comparison of factor structures.

In this article, we examined the factorial validity of the Dutch translation of the Children's Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ) and the Very Short Form scores. In addition, we conducted cross-cultural comparisons of temperament structure. In total, 353 parents of 6- to 8-year-olds completed the instrument. The original higher order factor structure of the different CBQ forms was generally replicated and represented the three broad dimensions of temperament: Surgency/Extraversion, Negative Affectivity, and Effortful Control. For the Standard Form, results demonstrated a relatively high degree of factor similarity of the Dutch sample with other cultures (e.g., China and Japan). The findings provide evidence for applicability of the CBQ in Western Europe as a promising instrument to comprehensively assess reactive and self-regulative temperamental dimensions in young children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

False positive MIBG scan

OBJECTIVE: An increased age-related incidence of oesophageal cancer in people with intellectual disability has been suggested by studies in the Netherlands. Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), as documented by pH testing, occurs frequently in the intellectually disabled population, being found in nearly 50% of those with an IQ less than 50, while Barrett's oesophagus is found in about 15-26%. DESIGN: We compared the age-related incidence of oesophageal cancer in institutionalized, intellectually disabled individuals in the Netherlands with the age-related incidence in the general Dutch population. METHODS: Data were provided by the Netherlands Cancer Registry. The patient's institute physician was asked to complete a questionnaire about the diagnosis, which was endoscopically and histologically confirmed. RESULTS: The incidence of oesophageal carcinoma was 20 in 168,000 person-years. The expected incidence for oesophageal cancer, based on age-related incidence in the general population, was 7.0, resulting in a standardized morbidity ratio in the population with intellectual disability of 2.9 (confidence limits, 1.8-4.1; P < 0.001). Endoscopic findings were as follows: in 18/20 intellectually disabled carcinoma patients an adenocarcinoma was found; the remaining two patients had a squamous cell carcinoma. Barrett's epithelium was observed in nine patients (45%), eight (42%) of whom showed a peptic stricture as well. In 15 (75%) cancer patients reflux oesophagitis was found, accompanied in 14 cases by a hiatal hernia. CONCLUSION: A standardized morbidity ratio for oesophageal carcinoma of 2.9 was found in the intellectually disabled population as compared to the general population. Early detection and treatment of GORD in the population with intellectual disability is of paramount importance to prevent the development of Barrett's dysplasia and carcinoma.     

The morbid anatomy of the human genome: chromosomal location of mutations causing disease (update 1 December 1993)

Bound-morphine skills of school-age, language-impaired (LI) children were explored with three tasks designed to assess multiple dimensions of this component of language. Ten English-speaking, school-age LI children (Mean age: 10:3) and ten children with normal language (Mean age: 9:9) served as subjects. A two-way analysis of variance revealed significant group differences. Fisher a priori testing documented significant group differences for a measure of English bound-morpheme skill levels, a measure of ability to generalize English bound-morphemes to novel words, and a measure of ability to learn novel bound-morphemes attached to novel words. The findings indicate that core features of developmental language impairment in preschool children--poor ability to learn, to use, and to generalize bound-morphemes--are also present in school-age, LI children.