Daily Stress Magnifies the Association between Cognitive Decline and Everyday Memory Problems: An Integration of Longitudinal and Diary Methods

PubMed Central

Rickenbach, Elizabeth H.; Almeida, David M.; Seeman, Teresa E.; Lachman, Margie E.

2014-01-01

We examined whether long-term fluid cognitive decline was associated with memory problems in everyday life, and whether stress plays a moderating role. We expected that the association between cognitive decline and everyday memory problems would be magnified in the context of self-reported and physiological stress. Data are from the Boston Longitudinal Study, a subsample of the Midlife in the United States study. Participants in the current study (n=112) completed a battery of tests measuring fluid cognitive functioning at Time 1 (T1) and 2 (T2) over ten years. At T2, participants completed weekly diaries of self-reported daily stressors and everyday memory problems for twelve consecutive weeks. Also at T2, participants provided four saliva samples over the course of one day to assess physiological stress using diurnal cortisol profiles [cortisol awakening response (CAR) and diurnal cortisol slope (DCS)]. Self-reported daily stressors and a less healthy DCS were associated with more everyday memory problems, and participants with greater cognitive decline reported more memory problems compared to those with less or no decline. Self-reported daily stressors and CAR moderated the relationship of cognitive decline and memory problems. As expected, more cognitive decline was associated with greater increases in memory problems on weeks when individuals reported more daily stressors and for individuals with a less healthy CAR. The current findings can inform interventions aimed to identify factors, such as daily stress, that contribute to daily functioning in the context of cognitive decline. PMID:25365691

How implicit motives and everyday self-regulatory abilities shape cardiovascular risk in youth.

PubMed

Ewart, Craig K; Elder, Gavin J; Smyth, Joshua M

2012-06-01

Tested hypotheses from social action theory that (a) implicit and explicit measures of agonistic (social control) motives and transcendence (self-control) motives differentially predict cardiovascular risk; and (b) implicit motives interact with everyday self-regulation behaviors to magnify risk. Implicit/explicit agonistic/transcendence motives were assessed in a multi-ethnic sample of 64 high school students with the Social Competence Interview (SCI). Everyday self-regulation was assessed with teacher ratings of internalizing, externalizing, and self-control behaviors. Ambulatory blood pressure and daily activities were measured over 48 h. Study hypotheses were supported: implicit goals predicted blood pressure levels but explicit self-reported coping goals did not; self-regulation indices did not predict blood pressure directly but interacted with implicit agonistic/transcendence motives to identify individuals at greatest risk (all p ≤ 0.05). Assessment of implicit motives by SCI, and everyday self-regulation by teachers may improve identification of youth at risk for cardiovascular disease.

Executive and memory correlates of age-related differences in wayfinding performances using a virtual reality application.

PubMed

Taillade, Mathieu; Sauzéon, Hélène; Dejos, Marie; Pala, Prashant Arvind; Larrue, Florian; Wallet, Grégory; Gross, Christian; N'Kaoua, Bernard

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate in large-scale spaces wayfinding and spatial learning difficulties for older adults in relation to the executive and memory decline associated with aging. We compared virtual reality (VR)-based wayfinding and spatial memory performances between young and older adults. Wayfinding and spatial memory performances were correlated with classical measures of executive and visuo-spatial memory functions, but also with self-reported estimates of wayfinding difficulties. We obtained a significant effect of age on wayfinding performances but not on spatial memory performances. The overall correlations showed significant correlations between the wayfinding performances and the classical measures of both executive and visuo-spatial memory, but only when the age factor was not partialled out. Also, older adults underestimated their wayfinding difficulties. A significant relationship between the wayfinding performances and self-reported wayfinding difficulty estimates is found, but only when the age effect was partialled out. These results show that, even when older adults have an equivalent spatial knowledge to young adults, they had greater difficulties with the wayfinding task, supporting an executive decline view in age-related wayfinding difficulties. However, the correlation results are in favor of both the memory and executive decline views as mediators of age-related differences in wayfinding performances. This is discussed in terms of the relationships between memory and executive functioning in wayfinding task orchestration. Our results also favor the use of objective assessments of everyday navigation difficulties in virtual applications, instead of self-reported questionnaires, since older adults showed difficulties in estimating their everyday wayfinding problems.

Self-Reported Decline in Everyday Function, Cognitive Symptoms, and Cognitive Function in People With HIV.

PubMed

Laverick, Rosanna; Haddow, Lewis; Daskalopoulou, Marina; Lampe, Fiona; Gilson, Richard; Speakman, Andrew; Antinori, Andrea; Bruun, Tina; Vassilenko, Anna; Collins, Simon; Rodger, Alison

2017-11-01

We determined factors associated with self-reported decline in activities of daily living (ADLs) and symptoms of cognitive impairment in HIV positive adults in 5 European clinics. HIV+ adults underwent computerized and pen-and-paper neuropsychological tests and questionnaires of cognitive symptoms and ADLs. We considered cognitive function in 5 domains, psychosocial factors, and clinical parameters as potentially associated with symptoms. Separate regression analyses were used to determine factors associated with a decline in ADL (defined as self-reported decline affecting ≥2 ADLs and attributed to cognitive difficulties) and self-reported frequency of symptoms of cognitive impairment. We also estimated the diagnostic accuracy of both questionnaires as tests for cognitive impairment. Four hundred forty-eight patients completed the assessments [mean age 45.8 years, 84% male, 87% white, median CD4 count 550 cells/mm, median time since HIV diagnosis 9.9 years, 81% virologically suppressed (HIV-1 plasma RNA <50 copies/mL)]. Ninety-six (21.4%) reported decline in ADLs and attributed this to cognitive difficulties. Self-reported decline in ADLs and increased symptoms of cognitive impairment were both associated with worse performance on some cognitive tests. There were also strong associations with financial difficulties, depressive and anxiety symptoms, unemployment, and longer time since HIV diagnosis. Both questionnaires performed poorly as diagnostic tests for cognitive impairment. Patients' own assessments of everyday function and symptoms were associated with objectively measured cognitive function. However, there were strong associations with other psychosocial issues including mood and anxiety disorders and socioeconomic hardship. This should be considered when assessing HIV-associated cognitive impairment in clinical care or research studies.

Attentional Control and Subjective Executive Function in Treatment-Naive Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

PubMed Central

Grane, Venke Arntsberg; Endestad, Tor; Pinto, Arnfrid Farbu; Solbakk, Anne-Kristin

2014-01-01

We investigated performance-derived measures of executive control, and their relationship with self- and informant reported executive functions in everyday life, in treatment-naive adults with newly diagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD; n = 36) and in healthy controls (n = 35). Sustained attentional control and response inhibition were examined with the Test of Variables of Attention (T.O.V.A.). Delayed responses, increased reaction time variability, and higher omission error rate to Go signals in ADHD patients relative to controls indicated fluctuating levels of attention in the patients. Furthermore, an increment in NoGo commission errors when Go stimuli increased relative to NoGo stimuli suggests reduced inhibition of task-irrelevant stimuli in conditions demanding frequent responding. The ADHD group reported significantly more cognitive and behavioral executive problems than the control group on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version (BRIEF-A). There were overall not strong associations between task performance and ratings of everyday executive function. However, for the ADHD group, T.O.V.A. omission errors predicted self-reported difficulties on the Organization of Materials scale, and commission errors predicted informant reported difficulties on the same scale. Although ADHD patients endorsed more symptoms of depression and anxiety on the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) than controls, ASEBA scores were not significantly associated with T.O.V.A. performance scores. Altogether, the results indicate multifaceted alteration of attentional control in adult ADHD, and accompanying subjective difficulties with several aspects of executive function in everyday living. The relationships between the two sets of data were modest, indicating that the measures represent non-redundant features of adult ADHD. PMID:25545156

Attentional control and subjective executive function in treatment-naive adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

PubMed

Grane, Venke Arntsberg; Endestad, Tor; Pinto, Arnfrid Farbu; Solbakk, Anne-Kristin

2014-01-01

We investigated performance-derived measures of executive control, and their relationship with self- and informant reported executive functions in everyday life, in treatment-naive adults with newly diagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD; n = 36) and in healthy controls (n = 35). Sustained attentional control and response inhibition were examined with the Test of Variables of Attention (T.O.V.A.). Delayed responses, increased reaction time variability, and higher omission error rate to Go signals in ADHD patients relative to controls indicated fluctuating levels of attention in the patients. Furthermore, an increment in NoGo commission errors when Go stimuli increased relative to NoGo stimuli suggests reduced inhibition of task-irrelevant stimuli in conditions demanding frequent responding. The ADHD group reported significantly more cognitive and behavioral executive problems than the control group on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version (BRIEF-A). There were overall not strong associations between task performance and ratings of everyday executive function. However, for the ADHD group, T.O.V.A. omission errors predicted self-reported difficulties on the Organization of Materials scale, and commission errors predicted informant reported difficulties on the same scale. Although ADHD patients endorsed more symptoms of depression and anxiety on the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) than controls, ASEBA scores were not significantly associated with T.O.V.A. performance scores. Altogether, the results indicate multifaceted alteration of attentional control in adult ADHD, and accompanying subjective difficulties with several aspects of executive function in everyday living. The relationships between the two sets of data were modest, indicating that the measures represent non-redundant features of adult ADHD.

Ecological validity of the five digit test and the oral trails test.

PubMed

Paiva, Gabrielle Chequer de Castro; Fialho, Mariana Braga; Costa, Danielle de Souza; Paula, Jonas Jardim de

2016-01-01

Tests evaluating the attentional-executive system are widely used in clinical practice. However, proximity of an objective cognitive test with real-world situations (ecological validity) is not frequently investigated. The present study evaluate the association between measures of the Five Digit Test (FDT) and the Oral Trails Test (OTT) with self-reported cognitive failures in everyday life as measured by the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ). Brazilian adults from 18-to-65 years old voluntarily performed the FDT and OTT tests and reported the frequency of cognitive failures in their everyday life through the CFQ. After controlling for the age effect, the measures of controlled attentional processes were associated with cognitive failures, yet the cognitive flexibility of both FDT and OTT accounted for by the majority of variance in most aspects of the CFQ factors. The FDT and the OTT measures were predictive of real-world problems such as cognitive failures in everyday activities/situations.

High self-perceived stress and poor coping in intellectually able adults with autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Hirvikoski, Tatja; Blomqvist, My

2015-08-01

Despite average intellectual capacity, autistic traits may complicate performance in many everyday situations, thus leading to stress. This study focuses on stress in everyday life in intellectually able adults with autism spectrum disorders. In total, 53 adults (25 with autism spectrum disorder and 28 typical adults from the general population) completed the Perceived Stress Scale. Autistic traits were assessed using the Autism Spectrum Quotient. Adults with autism spectrum disorder reported significantly higher subjective stress and poorer ability to cope with stress in everyday life, as compared to typical adults. Autistic traits were associated with both subjective stress/distress and coping in this cross-sectional series. The long-term consequences of chronic stress in everyday life, as well as treatment intervention focusing on stress and coping, should be addressed in future research as well as in the clinical management of intellectually able adults with autism spectrum disorder. © The Author(s) 2014.

Negotiating role management through everyday activities: narratives in action of two stroke survivors and their spouses.

PubMed

Satink, Ton; Josephsson, Staffan; Zajec, Jana; Cup, Edith H C; de Swart, Bert J M; Nijhuis-van der Sanden, Maria W G

2016-12-01

To manage social roles is a challenging part of self-management post-stroke. This study explored how stroke survivors act as role managers with their spouses in the context of everyday activities. Two stroke survivors with a first time stroke living at home with a spouse were included. Data were generated through participant observations at their own environment at 3, 6, 9, 15 and 21 months post-discharge. The narrative analysis focused on the actions of participants. Daily activities can be understood as an arena where role management and a meaningful live is negotiated and co-constructed with others. Everyday activities gave stroke survivors and their spouses insight into stroke survivors' capacities in daily situations. This was sometimes empowering, and other times conflicting when a spouse had negative perceptions of the abilities of the stroke survivors. The findings add to the current understanding of self-management and role management with regard to how these are situated in everyday activities. Daily activities can help both spouses to reflect and understand about self-management, role management and comanagement in daily life. Moreover, observing stroke survivors in everyday situations provides professionals with concrete pictures of stroke survivors' performance and self-management in interaction with their spouses. Implications for Rehabilitation Self-management is a dynamic process in which individuals actively manage a chronic condition and finally live a meaningful life with a long-term chronic condition; self-management can be divided into medical, role, and emotional management; comanagement is when individuals activate resources and use the capacities of other persons to manage a situation together. Self-management is situated in everyday activities. Everyday activities give stroke survivors ánd their partners impressions about stroke survivors' self-management abilities post-stroke in an everyday context. Everyday activities give stroke survivors ánd their partners an arena where role management and a meaningful life are negotiated and coconstructed through doing. Observing stroke survivors in everyday situations provides professionals a concreter picture of stroke survivors' self-management and comanagement with their partners than can be obtained from an informal interview.

Preliminary Findings of the Brief Everyday Activities Measurement (BEAM) in Older Adults.

PubMed

Scharaga, E A; Holtzer, R

2015-11-01

Functional losses are common in healthy and cognitively impaired older adults. However, subtle declines in instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) are not always detected in self-reports. Performance IADL measurements are financially and time burdensome, restricting their use in varied settings. To address these limitations, we developed the Brief Everyday Activities Measure (BEAM), a short (< 5 minutes) objective IADL measure that assesses medication and finance management. The BEAM was administered to 209 cognitively non-demented community-dwellers (ages 65 - 95 years). Participants completed standardized motor, neuropsychological, psychological, and self-report functional assessments. BEAM completion time ranged from 54.16 to 259.31 seconds. Interclass correlations (ICC) for total BEAM completion time was moderate (0.65, 95% CI [.43 -.78]). Accuracy for total BEAM performance was in the low-moderate range (Kappa = 0.38, p < .001, 95% CI [.18 -.54]). As predicted, lower accuracy and longer time to complete the BEAM were both associated with worse executive functions, attention, and processing speed. Medication and finance management can be efficiently assessed within five minutes. The BEAM may be a valuable screening tool to evaluate these functional abilities.

Self-Efficacy and Functional Status in Schizophrenia: Relationship to Insight, Cognition and Negative Symptoms

PubMed Central

Kurtz, Matthew M.; Olfson, Rachel; Rose, Jennifer

2016-01-01

Self-efficacy, defined as the confidence one has in the ability to perform a behavior or specific task, has been introduced as a crucial motivational factor for successfully carrying out social and everyday living skills (Bandura, 1977, 1997). Few studies have assessed its role in functioning in schizophrenia. The current study was designed to investigate whether degree of illness insight determined whether self-efficacy was a mediator of the relationship between two key illness features, negative symptoms and cognition, and functional skills. Sixty-nine individuals with schizophrenia were administered measures of self-efficacy, cognition, symptoms, insight and performance-based measure of everyday living and social skill. Results revealed that self-efficacy was only linked to measures of functional skills when illness insight was intact. There was evidence of moderation of confounding effects such that when self-efficacy was controlled, the relationship between negative symptoms and measures of everyday life skills became non-significant, but only when illness insight was intact. These findings emphasize the importance of including illness insight in models of the role of self-efficacy in functioning in schizophrenia. PMID:23375941

Everyday Functioning in Huntington's Disease: A Laboratory-Based Study of Financial Management Capacity.

PubMed

Sheppard, David P; Pirogovsky-Turk, Eva; Woods, Steven Paul; Holden, Heather M; Nicoll, Diane R; Filoteo, J Vincent; Corey-Bloom, Jody; Gilbert, Paul E

2017-01-01

One important limitation of prior studies examining functional decline in Huntington's disease (HD) has been the reliance on self-reported measures of ability. Since report-based methods can be biased by lack of insight, depression, and cognitive impairment, contrasting self-reported ability with measures that assess capacity may lead to a more comprehensive estimation of real-world functioning. The present study examined self-reported ability to perform instrumental activities of daily living (iADLs) and performance-based financial management capacity in 20 patients diagnosed with mild-moderate Huntington's disease (HD) and 20 demographically similar healthy adults. HD patients reported significantly greater declines in their ability to manage finances. On the capacity measure of financial management, HD patients performed significantly below healthy adults. Additionally, in the HD group there were no significant correlations between self-reported ability and capacity measures of financial management. HD patients endorsed declines in global iADL ability and exhibited deficits in functional capacity when performing a financial management task. Capacity measures may aid in assessing the extent to which HD patients accurately estimate real-world iADL performance, and the present findings suggest that such measures of capacity may be related to the cognitive, but not motor or affective, symptoms of HD.

High-risk driving attitudes and everyday driving violations of car and racing enthusiasts in Ontario, Canada.

PubMed

Yildirim-Yenier, Zümrüt; Vingilis, Evelyn; Wiesenthal, David L; Mann, Robert E; Seeley, Jane

2015-01-01

Attitudes and individual difference variables of car and racing enthusiasts regarding high-risk behaviors of street racing and stunt driving have recently been investigated. Positive attitudes toward high-risk driving, personality variables such as driver thrill seeking, and other self-reported risky driving acts were associated with these behaviors. However, probable relationships among high-risk driving tendencies, everyday driving behaviors, and negative road safety outcomes have remained largely unexamined. This study aimed to investigate the associations among car and racing enthusiasts' high-risk driving attitudes, self-reported everyday driving violations (i.e., ordinary and aggressive violations), and self-reported negative outcomes (i.e., collisions and driving offense citations). A web-based survey was conducted with members and visitors of car club and racing websites in Ontario, Canada. Data were obtained from 366 participants. The questionnaire included 4 attitude measures-(1) attitudes toward new penalties for Ontario's Street Racers, Stunt and Aggressive Drivers Legislation; (2) attitudes toward new offenses of stunt driving under the same legislation; (3) general attitudes toward street racing and stunt driving; (4) comparison of street racing with other risky driving behaviors-self-reported driving violations (i.e., ordinary and aggressive violations); self-reported collisions and offense citations; and background and driving questions (e.g., age, driving frequency). Results revealed that attitudes toward stunt driving offenses negatively and general attitudes toward street racing and stunt driving positively predicted ordinary violations, which, in turn, predicted offense citations. Moreover, general attitudes toward street racing and stunt driving positively predicted aggressive violations, which, in turn, predicted offense citations. The findings indicate that positive high-risk driving attitudes may be transferring to driving violations in everyday traffic, which mediates driving offense citations.

Sex differences in self-assessed, everyday spatial abilities.

PubMed

Lunneborg, P W

1982-08-01

397 female and 383 male college students assessed themselves on six everyday spatial abilities relative to others of the same gender and age. Males consistently judged themselves to have significantly greater spatial ability than females. Differential participation in sports is tentatively suggested as a critical social influence affecting not only putative spatial performance but even within-gender self-assessments of commonplace activities using spatial ability.

The 'everyday work' of living with multimorbidity in socioeconomically deprived areas of Scotland.

PubMed

O'Brien, Rosaleen; Wyke, Sally; Watt, Graham G C M; Guthrie, Bruce; Mercer, Stewart W

2014-01-01

Multimorbidity is common in patients living in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation and is associated with poor quality of life, but the reasons behind this are not clear. Exploring the 'everyday life work' of patients may reveal important barriers to self-management and wellbeing. To investigate the relationship between the management of multimorbidity and 'everyday life work' in patients living in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation in Scotland, as part of a programme of work on multimorbidity and deprivation. Qualitative study: individual semi-structured interviews of 14 patients (8 women and 6 men) living in deprived areas with multimorbidity, exploring how they manage. Analysis was continuous and iterative. We report the findings in relation to everyday life work. The in-depth analysis revealed four key themes: (i) the symbolic significance of everyday life work to evidence the work of being 'normal'; (ii) the usefulness of everyday life work in managing symptoms; (iii) the impact that mental health problems had on everyday life work; and (iv) issues around accepting help for everyday life tasks. Overall, most struggled with the amount of work required to establish a sense of normalcy in their everyday lives, especially in those with mental-physical multimorbidity. Everyday life work is an important component of self-management in patients with multimorbidity in deprived areas, and is commonly impaired, especially in those with mental health problems. Interventions to improve self-management support for patients living with multimorbidity may benefit from an understanding of the role of everyday life work. Journal of Comorbidity 2014;4:1-10.

Self-reported experiences of discrimination and inflammation among men and women: The multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis.

PubMed

Kershaw, Kiarri N; Lewis, Tené T; Diez Roux, Ana V; Jenny, Nancy S; Liu, Kiang; Penedo, Frank J; Carnethon, Mercedes R

2016-04-01

To examine associations of lifetime and everyday discrimination with inflammation independent of sociodemographic characteristics. Cross-sectional associations of self-reported experiences of everyday discrimination and lifetime discrimination with interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were examined by gender in a multiethnic sample of 3,099 men and 3,468 women aged 45-84 years. Everyday discrimination, lifetime discrimination due to any attribution, and lifetime discrimination attributed to race/ethnicity were based on self-report, and IL-6 and CRP were assayed from blood samples. Among women, higher levels of all 3 discrimination measures were significantly associated with higher IL-6 in models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, recent infection, anti-inflammatory medication use, and hormone replacement therapy use. All associations were attenuated with adjustment for body mass index (BMI). For men, everyday discrimination was inversely associated with IL-6 in all adjusted models. Lifetime discrimination was not related to IL-6 among men. Discrimination was unassociated with CRP in all models for both men and women. The association between discrimination and inflammation varied by gender and marker of inflammation. These findings highlight the complex relationship between discrimination and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and point to areas in need of further research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

High self-perceived stress and many stressors, but normal diurnal cortisol rhythm, in adults with ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder).

PubMed

Hirvikoski, Tatja; Lindholm, Torun; Nordenström, Anna; Nordström, Anna-Lena; Lajic, Svetlana

2009-03-01

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults is associated with significant impairment in many life activities and may thus increase the risk of chronic stress in everyday life. We compared adults with a DSM-IV ADHD diagnosis (n=28) with healthy controls (n=28) regarding subjective stress and amounts of stressors in everyday life, diurnal salivary cortisol in the everyday environment and salivary cortisol before and after cognitive stress in a laboratory setting. The association between cortisol concentrations and impulsivity was also investigated. Consistent with assumptions, individuals with ADHD reported significantly more self-perceived stress than controls, and subjective stress correlated with the amount of stressors in everyday life. The two groups were comparable with respect to overall diurnal cortisol levels and rhythm, as well as in pre- and post-stress cortisol concentrations. Post-stress cortisol (but not baseline cortisol) concentration was positively correlated with impulsivity. The group with high post-stress cortisol also reported more symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as self-perceived stress and stressors in every-day life. The diagnosis of ADHD significantly increased the risk of belonging to the group with high post-stress cortisol levels. The results in this study warrant a focus not only on the primary diagnosis of ADHD, but also calls for a broader assessment of stressors and subjective stress in everyday life, as well as support comprising stress management and coping skills.

Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) and performance of everyday life tasks: Actual Reality.

PubMed

Goverover, Yael; Chiaravalloti, Nancy; DeLuca, John

2016-04-01

Recently, a brief cognitive assessment (Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis: BICAMS) has been recommended for use with patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) to screen for cognitive impairments. However, the relationship between the BICAMS and everyday life activity has not been examined. The aim of this study was to examine whether the BICAMS can predict performance of activities of daily living using Actual Reality(TM) (AR) in persons with MS. A between-subjects design was utilized to compare 41 individuals with MS and 32 healthy controls (HC) performing BICAMS and an AR task. Participants were asked to access the internet to purchase a flight ticket or cookies, and were administered the BICAMS and questionnaires to assess quality of life (QOL), affect symptomatology, and prior internet experience. Participants with MS performed significantly worse than HC on the BICAMS and the AR. Additionally, better BICAMS performance was associated with more independent AR performance. Self-reports of QOL were not correlated with AR or BICAMS performance. Individuals with MS have greater problems with actual everyday life tasks as compared to HC. The BICAMS is a promising cognitive screening tool to predict actual functional performance in participants with MS. © The Author(s), 2015.

Memory control beliefs and everyday forgetfulness in adulthood: the effects of selection, optimization, and compensation strategies.

PubMed

Scheibner, Gunnar Benjamin; Leathem, Janet

2012-01-01

Controlling for age, gender, education, and self-rated health, the present study used regression analyses to examine the relationships between memory control beliefs and self-reported forgetfulness in the context of the meta-theory of Selective Optimization with Compensation (SOC). Findings from this online survey (N = 409) indicate that, among adult New Zealanders, a higher sense of memory control accounts for a 22.7% reduction in self-reported forgetfulness. Similarly, optimization was found to account for a 5% reduction in forgetfulness while the strategies of selection and compensation were not related to self-reports of forgetfulness. Optimization partially mediated the beneficial effects that some memory beliefs (e.g., believing that memory decline is inevitable and believing in the potential for memory improvement) have on forgetfulness. It was concluded that memory control beliefs are important predictors of self-reported forgetfulness while the support for the SOC model in the context of memory controllability and everyday forgetfulness is limited.

Moving out of the laboratory: does nicotine improve everyday attention?

PubMed

Rusted, J M; Caulfield, D; King, L; Goode, A

2000-11-01

The most robust demonstrations of the nicotine-related performance effects on human cognitive processes are seen in tasks that measure attention. If nicotine does have some potential for enhancing attention, the obvious question to ask is whether the effects demonstrated in the laboratory hold any significance for real-life performance. This paper describes three studies that compare the effects in smokers of a single own brand cigarette on laboratory tests of attention and on everyday analogues of these laboratory tasks. In the laboratory measures of sustained attention and in the everyday analogue, performance advantages were registered in the smoking condition. These benefits were observed in smokers who abstained for a self-determined period of not less than 2 h. The studies were unable to replicate previous research reporting positive effects of smoking on a laboratory task of selective attention, the Stroop task. Small but significant improvements in performance were registered in the everyday analogues, which involved sustaining attention in a dual task situation, a telephone directory search task and a map search task. In addition, smokers showed a significant colour-naming decrement for smoking-related stimuli in the Stroop task. This attentional bias towards smoking-related words occurred independent of whether they had abstained or recently smoked an own brand cigarette. The effect is discussed in terms of the two-component model of processing bias for emotionally valenced stimuli.

Everyday Functioning and Cognitive Correlates in Healthy Older Adults with Subjective Cognitive Concerns

PubMed Central

McAlister, Courtney; Schmitter-Edgecombe, Maureen

2016-01-01

Objective Few studies have examined functional abilities and complaints in healthy older adults with subjective cognitive concerns (SCC). The aims of this study were to assess everyday functioning in healthy older adults reporting high and low amounts of SCC, and examine cognitive correlates of functional abilities. Method Twenty-six healthy older adults with high SCC, and 25 healthy older adults with low SCC, as well as their knowledgeable informants completed the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living-Compensation (IADL-C), a questionnaire measure of everyday functioning. Results After controlling for depression, the high SCC group self-reported significantly more everyday difficulties on the IADL-C, including all subdomains. Compared to the low SCC group, informants for the high SCC group endorsed more difficulties on the IADL-C and specifically the social skills subdomain. For the high SCC group, poorer self-report of everyday functioning was related to poorer executive functioning and temporal order memory. Conclusions These findings indicate that there may be subtle functional changes that occur early in the spectrum of cognitive decline in individuals with high SCC, and these functional changes are evident to informants. Further work is needed to investigate whether individuals with both SCC and functional difficulties are at an even higher risk for progression to mild cognitive impairment. PMID:27240886

The ‘everyday work’ of living with multimorbidity in socioeconomically deprived areas of Scotland

PubMed Central

O’Brien, Rosaleen; Wyke, Sally; Watt, Graham G.C.M.; Guthrie, Bruce; Mercer, Stewart W.

2014-01-01

Background Multimorbidity is common in patients living in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation and is associated with poor quality of life, but the reasons behind this are not clear. Exploring the ‘everyday life work’ of patients may reveal important barriers to self-management and wellbeing. Objective To investigate the relationship between the management of multimorbidity and ‘everyday life work’ in patients living in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation in Scotland, as part of a programme of work on multimorbidity and deprivation. Design Qualitative study: individual semi-structured interviews of 14 patients (8 women and 6 men) living in deprived areas with multimorbidity, exploring how they manage. Analysis was continuous and iterative. We report the findings in relation to everyday life work. Results The in-depth analysis revealed four key themes: (i) the symbolic significance of everyday life work to evidence the work of being ‘normal’; (ii) the usefulness of everyday life work in managing symptoms; (iii) the impact that mental health problems had on everyday life work; and (iv) issues around accepting help for everyday life tasks. Overall, most struggled with the amount of work required to establish a sense of normalcy in their everyday lives, especially in those with mental–physical multimorbidity. Conclusions Everyday life work is an important component of self-management in patients with multimorbidity in deprived areas, and is commonly impaired, especially in those with mental health problems. Interventions to improve self-management support for patients living with multimorbidity may benefit from an understanding of the role of everyday life work. Journal of Comorbidity 2014;4:1–10 PMID:29090148

Recruitment for a Guided Self-Help Binge Eating Trial: Potential Lessons for Implementing Programs in Everyday Practice Settings

PubMed Central

DeBar, Lynn L.; Yarborough, Bobbi Jo; Striegel-Moore, Ruth H.; Rosselli, Francine; Perrin, Nancy; Wilson, G. Terence; Kraemer, Helena C.; Green, Rory; Lynch, Frances

2009-01-01

Objective To explore effects of various recruitment strategies on randomized clinical trial (RCT)-entry characteristics for patients with eating disorders within an everyday health-plan practice setting. Methods Randomly selected women, aged 25-50, in a Pacific Northwest HMO were invited to complete a self-report binge-eating screener for two treatment trials. We publicized the trials within the health plan to allow self-referral. Here, we report differences on eating-disorder status by mode and nature of recruitment (online, mail, self-referred) and assessment (comprehensive versus abbreviated) and on possible differences in enrollee characteristics between those recruited by strategy (self-referred versus study-outreach efforts). Results Few differences emerged among those recruited through outreach who responded by different modalities (internet versus mail), early-versus-late responders, and those enrolling under more comprehensive or abbreviated assessment. Self-referred were more likely to meet binge-eating thresholds and reported higher average BMI than those recruited by outreach and responding by mail; however, in most respects the groups were more similar than anticipated. Fewer than 1% of those initially contacted through outreach enrolled. Conclusions Aggressive outreach and screening is likely not feasible for broader dissemination in everyday practice settings and recruits individuals with more similar demographic and clinical characteristics to those recruited through more abbreviated and realistic screening procedures than anticipated. PMID:19275947

Media multitasking and failures of attention in everyday life.

PubMed

Ralph, Brandon C W; Thomson, David R; Cheyne, James Allan; Smilek, Daniel

2014-09-01

Using a series of online self-report measures, we examine media multitasking, a particularly pervasive form of multitasking, and its relations to three aspects of everyday attention: (1) failures of attention and cognitive errors (2) mind wandering, and (3) attentional control with an emphasis on attentional switching and distractibility. We observed a positive correlation between levels of media multitasking and self-reports of attentional failures, as well as with reports of both spontaneous and deliberate mind wandering. No correlation was observed between media multitasking and self-reported memory failures, lending credence to the hypothesis that media multitasking may be specifically related to problems of inattention, rather than cognitive errors in general. Furthermore, media multitasking was not related with self-reports of difficulties in attention switching or distractibility. We offer a plausible causal structural model assessing both direct and indirect effects among media multitasking, attentional failures, mind wandering, and cognitive errors, with the heuristic goal of constraining and motivating theories of the effects of media multitasking on inattention.

Everyday Cognitive Failures and Memory Problems in Parkinson's Patients without Dementia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poliakoff, Ellen; Smith-Spark, James H.

2008-01-01

There is growing evidence that Parkinson's disease patients without dementia exhibit cognitive deficits in some executive, memory and selective attention tasks. However, the impact of these deficits on their everyday cognitive functioning remains largely unknown. This issue was explored using self-report questionnaires. Twenty-four Parkinson's…

A behavioral medicine intervention for older women living alone with chronic pain – a feasibility study

PubMed Central

Cederbom, Sara; Rydwik, Elisabeth; Söderlund, Anne; Denison, Eva; Frändin, Kerstin; von Heideken Wågert, Petra

2014-01-01

Background To be an older woman, live alone, have chronic pain, and be dependent on support are all factors that may have an impact on daily life. One way to promote ability in everyday activities in people with pain-related conditions is to use individualized, integrated behavioral medicine in physical therapy interventions. How this kind of intervention works for older women living alone at home, with chronic pain, and dependent on formal care to manage their everyday lives has not been studied. The aim was to explore the feasibility of a study and to evaluate an individually tailored integrated behavioral medicine in physical therapy intervention for the target group of women. Materials and methods The study was a 12-week randomized trial with two-group design. Primary effect outcomes were pain-related disability and morale. Secondary effect outcomes focused on pain-related beliefs, self-efficacy for exercise, concerns of falling, physical activity, and physical performance. Results In total, 23 women agreed to participate in the study and 16 women completed the intervention. The results showed that the behavioral medicine in physical therapy intervention was feasible. No effects were seen on the primary effect outcomes. The experimental intervention seemed to improve the level of physical activity and self-efficacy for exercise. Some of the participants in both groups perceived that they could manage their everyday life in a better way after participation in the study. Conclusion Results from this study are encouraging, but the study procedure and interventions have to be refined and tested in a larger feasibility study to be able to evaluate the effects of these kinds of interventions on pain-related disability, pain-related beliefs, self-efficacy in everyday activities, and morale in the target group. Further research is also needed to refine and evaluate effects from individualized reminder routines, support to collect self-report data, safety procedures for balance training, and training of personnel to enhance self-efficacy. PMID:25170262

A behavioral medicine intervention for older women living alone with chronic pain - a feasibility study.

PubMed

Cederbom, Sara; Rydwik, Elisabeth; Söderlund, Anne; Denison, Eva; Frändin, Kerstin; von Heideken Wågert, Petra

2014-01-01

To be an older woman, live alone, have chronic pain, and be dependent on support are all factors that may have an impact on daily life. One way to promote ability in everyday activities in people with pain-related conditions is to use individualized, integrated behavioral medicine in physical therapy interventions. How this kind of intervention works for older women living alone at home, with chronic pain, and dependent on formal care to manage their everyday lives has not been studied. The aim was to explore the feasibility of a study and to evaluate an individually tailored integrated behavioral medicine in physical therapy intervention for the target group of women. The study was a 12-week randomized trial with two-group design. Primary effect outcomes were pain-related disability and morale. Secondary effect outcomes focused on pain-related beliefs, self-efficacy for exercise, concerns of falling, physical activity, and physical performance. In total, 23 women agreed to participate in the study and 16 women completed the intervention. The results showed that the behavioral medicine in physical therapy intervention was feasible. No effects were seen on the primary effect outcomes. The experimental intervention seemed to improve the level of physical activity and self-efficacy for exercise. Some of the participants in both groups perceived that they could manage their everyday life in a better way after participation in the study. Results from this study are encouraging, but the study procedure and interventions have to be refined and tested in a larger feasibility study to be able to evaluate the effects of these kinds of interventions on pain-related disability, pain-related beliefs, self-efficacy in everyday activities, and morale in the target group. Further research is also needed to refine and evaluate effects from individualized reminder routines, support to collect self-report data, safety procedures for balance training, and training of personnel to enhance self-efficacy.

Self-reported cognitive inconsistency in older adults.

PubMed

Vanderhill, Susan; Hultsch, David F; Hunter, Michael A; Strauss, Esther

2010-01-01

Insight into one's own cognitive abilities, or metacognition, has been widely studied in developmental psychology. Relevance to the clinician is high, as memory complaints in older adults show an association with impending dementia, even after controlling for likely confounds. Another candidate marker of impending dementia under study is inconsistency in cognitive performance over short time intervals. Although there has been a recent proliferation of studies of cognitive inconsistency in older adults, to date, no one has examined adults' self-perceptions of cognitive inconsistency. Ninety-four community-dwelling older adults (aged 70-91) were randomly selected from a parent longitudinal study of short-term inconsistency and long-term cognitive change in aging. Participants completed a novel 40-item self-report measure of everyday cognitive inconsistency, including parallel scales indexing perceived inconsistency 5 years ago and at present, yielding measures of past, present, and 5-year change in inconsistency. The questionnaire showed acceptable psychometric characteristics. The sample reported an increase in perceived inconsistency over time. Higher reported present inconsistency and greater 5-year increase in inconsistency were associated with noncognitive (e.g., older age, poorer ADLs, poorer health, higher depression), metacognitive (e.g., poorer self-rated memory) and neuropsychological (e.g., poorer performance and greater 5-year decline in global cognitive status, vocabulary, and memory) measures. Correlations between self-reported inconsistency and neuropsychological performance were attenuated, but largely persisted when self-rated memory and age were controlled. Observed relationships between self-reported inconsistency and measures of neuropsychological (including memory) status and decline suggest that self-perceived inconsistency may be an area of relevance in evaluating older adults for memory disorders.

Everyday Cognition in Prodromal Huntington Disease

PubMed Central

Williams, Janet K.; Kim, Ji-In; Downing, Nancy; Farias, Sarah; Harrington, Deborah L.; Long, Jeffrey D.; Mills, James A.; Paulsen, Jane S.

2014-01-01

Objective Assessment of daily functions affected by cognitive loss in prodromal Huntington disease (HD) is necessary in practice and clinical trials. We evaluated baseline and longitudinal sensitivity of the Everyday Cognition (ECog) scales in prodromal HD and compared self- and companion-ratings. Method Everyday cognition was self-assessed by 850 participants with prodromal HD and 768 companions. We examined internal structure using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on baseline data. For longitudinal analysis, we stratified participants into Low, Medium, and High disease progression groups. We examined ECog scores for group differences and participant-and-companion differences using linear mixed effects regression (LMER). Comparison with the Total Functional Capacity (TFC) scale was made. Results CFA revealed good fit of a 5-factor model having a global factor (total score), and sub factors (subscales) of memory, language, visuospatial perception, and executive function. At study entry, participants and companions in the Medium and High groups reported significantly worsened everyday cognition as well as significant functional decline over time. Losses became more pronounced and participant and companion ratings diverged as individuals progressed. TFC showed significant functional loss over time in the High group but not in the Medium group. Conclusions Disease progression is associated with reduced self- and companion-reported everyday cognition in prodromal HD participants who are less than 13 years to estimated motor onset. Our findings suggest companion ratings are more sensitive than participants’ for detecting longitudinal change in daily cognitive function. ECog appears more sensitive to specific functional changes in the prodrome of HD than the TFC. PMID:25000321

Media multitasking is associated with distractibility and increased prefrontal activity in adolescents and young adults.

PubMed

Moisala, M; Salmela, V; Hietajärvi, L; Salo, E; Carlson, S; Salonen, O; Lonka, K; Hakkarainen, K; Salmela-Aro, K; Alho, K

2016-07-01

The current generation of young people indulges in more media multitasking behavior (e.g., instant messaging while watching videos) in their everyday lives than older generations. Concerns have been raised about how this might affect their attentional functioning, as previous studies have indicated that extensive media multitasking in everyday life may be associated with decreased attentional control. In the current study, 149 adolescents and young adults (aged 13-24years) performed speech-listening and reading tasks that required maintaining attention in the presence of distractor stimuli in the other modality or dividing attention between two concurrent tasks. Brain activity during task performance was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We studied the relationship between self-reported daily media multitasking (MMT), task performance and brain activity during task performance. The results showed that in the presence of distractor stimuli, a higher MMT score was associated with worse performance and increased brain activity in right prefrontal regions. The level of performance during divided attention did not depend on MMT. This suggests that daily media multitasking is associated with behavioral distractibility and increased recruitment of brain areas involved in attentional and inhibitory control, and that media multitasking in everyday life does not translate to performance benefits in multitasking in laboratory settings. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Goal Management Training improves everyday executive functioning for persons with spina bifida: self-and informant reports six months post-training.

PubMed

Stubberud, Jan; Langenbahn, Donna; Levine, Brian; Stanghelle, Johan; Schanke, Anne-Kristine

2014-01-01

Executive dysfunction accounts for significant disability for many patients with spina bifida (SB), thus indicating the need for effective interventions aimed at improving executive functioning in this population. Goal Management Training™ (GMT) is a cognitive rehabilitation approach that targets disorganised behaviour resulting from executive dysfunction, and has received empirical support in studies of other patient groups. The purpose of this study was to determine if GMT would lead to perceived improved executive functioning in the daily lives of patients with SB, as evidenced by reduced report of dysexecutive problems in daily life on self- and informant questionnaires. Thirty-eight adults with SB were included in this randomised controlled trial (RCT). Inclusion was based upon the presence of executive functioning complaints. Experimental subjects (n = 24) received 21 hours of GMT, with efficacy of GMT being compared to results of subjects in a wait-list condition (n = 14). All subjects were assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and at six-month follow-up. Self-report measures indicated that the GMT group's everyday executive functioning improved significantly after training, lasting at least 6 months post-treatment. There were no significant effects on informant-report questionnaires. Overall, these findings indicate that executive difficulties in everyday life can be ameliorated for individuals with congenital brain dysfunction.

A Household Is Not a Person: Consistency of Pro-Environmental Behavior in Adult Couples and the Accuracy of Proxy-Reports

PubMed Central

Seebauer, Sebastian; Fleiß, Jürgen; Schweighart, Markus

2016-01-01

Studies on environmental behavior commonly assume single respondents to represent their entire household or employ proxy-reporting, where participants answer for other household members. It is contested whether these practices yield valid results. Therefore, we interviewed 84 couples, wherein both household members provided self- and proxy-reports for their partner. For use of electrical household appliances, consumption of hot water, space heating, everyday mobility, and environmental values, many variables fail to achieve criteria for validity. Consistency (agreement between self-reports of household members) is higher if behaviors are undertaken jointly or negotiated between partners. Accuracy (agreement of proxy-reports with corresponding self-reports) is higher for routine behaviors and for behaviors easily observable by the partner. Overall, indices perform better than items on single behaviors. We caution against employing individual responses in place of the entire household. Interventions for energy conservation should approach the specific person undertaking the target behavior. PMID:28670000

Attitudes toward Everyday Odors for Children with Visual Impairments: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferdenzi, Camille; Coureaud, Gerard; Camos, Valerie; Schaal, Benoist

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to conduct a pilot investigation of the self-reported awareness and reactivity to odors of children with visual impairments and sighted children. A questionnaire related to relevant everyday contexts involving food and social cues, as well as the general environment, was used to determine whether, and in which…

Do subjective measures of attention and memory predict actual performance? Metacognition in older couples.

PubMed

Volz-Sidiropoulou, Eftychia; Gauggel, Siegfried

2012-06-01

Older individuals who recognize their cognitive difficulties are more likely to adjust their everyday life to their actual cognitive functioning, particularly when they are able to estimate their abilities accurately. We assessed self- and spouse-ratings of memory and attention difficulties in everyday life of healthy, older individuals and compared them with the respective test performance. Eighty-four older individuals (women's age, M = 67.4 years, SD = 5.2; men's age, M = 68.5 years, SD = 4.9) completed both the self and the spouse versions of the Attention Deficit Questionnaire and the Everyday Memory Questionnaire and completed two neuropsychological tests. Using the residual score approach, subjective metacognitive measures of memory and attention were created and compared with actual test performance. Significant associations between subjective and objective scores were found only for men and only for episodic memory measures. Men who underreported memory difficulties performed more poorly; men who overreported memory difficulties performed better. Men's recognition performance was best predicted by subjective measures (R² = .25), followed by delayed recall (R² = .14) and forgetting rate (R² = .13). The results indicate gender-specific differences in metacognitive accuracy and predictive validity of subjective ratings. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved

Differential effects of wakeful rest, music and video game playing on working memory performance in the n-back task.

PubMed

Kuschpel, Maxim S; Liu, Shuyan; Schad, Daniel J; Heinzel, Stephan; Heinz, Andreas; Rapp, Michael A

2015-01-01

The interruption of learning processes by breaks filled with diverse activities is common in everyday life. We investigated the effects of active computer gaming and passive relaxation (rest and music) breaks on working memory performance. Young adults were exposed to breaks involving (i) eyes-open resting, (ii) listening to music and (iii) playing the video game "Angry Birds" before performing the n-back working memory task. Based on linear mixed-effects modeling, we found that playing the "Angry Birds" video game during a short learning break led to a decline in task performance over the course of the task as compared to eyes-open resting and listening to music, although overall task performance was not impaired. This effect was associated with high levels of daily mind wandering and low self-reported ability to concentrate. These findings indicate that video games can negatively affect working memory performance over time when played in between learning tasks. We suggest further investigation of these effects because of their relevance to everyday activity.

Differential effects of wakeful rest, music and video game playing on working memory performance in the n-back task

PubMed Central

Kuschpel, Maxim S.; Liu, Shuyan; Schad, Daniel J.; Heinzel, Stephan; Heinz, Andreas; Rapp, Michael A.

2015-01-01

The interruption of learning processes by breaks filled with diverse activities is common in everyday life. We investigated the effects of active computer gaming and passive relaxation (rest and music) breaks on working memory performance. Young adults were exposed to breaks involving (i) eyes-open resting, (ii) listening to music and (iii) playing the video game “Angry Birds” before performing the n-back working memory task. Based on linear mixed-effects modeling, we found that playing the “Angry Birds” video game during a short learning break led to a decline in task performance over the course of the task as compared to eyes-open resting and listening to music, although overall task performance was not impaired. This effect was associated with high levels of daily mind wandering and low self-reported ability to concentrate. These findings indicate that video games can negatively affect working memory performance over time when played in between learning tasks. We suggest further investigation of these effects because of their relevance to everyday activity. PMID:26579055

Not all minds wander equally: The influence of traits, states and road environment factors on self-reported mind wandering during everyday driving.

PubMed

Burdett, Bridget R D; Charlton, Samuel G; Starkey, Nicola J

2016-10-01

Inattention is a road safety problem, but few studies have focused specifically on mind wandering during everyday driving. This paper explores differences in self-reported mind wandering according to driver demographic characteristics (including age and gender), cognitive traits (such as tendency toward cognitive failure or mindful attention), states (such as feeling tired or stressed) and road environment factors (such as route familiarity). Five hundred and two participants (113 male, average age 44.4 years, SD=14.0years) completed a series of questionnaires (Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS), Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) and Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ)), as well as study-specific questions about mind wandering during different personal states and across a range of road and traffic situations. All respondents reported mind wandering during driving at least some of the time. Mind wandering was more likely to be reported on familiar roads than on unfamiliar roads and when drivers are tired. Drivers who reported relatively more mind wandering were younger, reported less mindful attention in daily life, more cognitive failures, and more driving violations and lapses. Together, the findings suggest that mind wandering is common in everyday driving, however any link with crash risk remains unclear. Future research using self-report and naturalistic methods could provide more insight into relationships between mind wandering, error and crash risk. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Everyday Functioning Benefits from an Assisted Living Platform amongst Frail Older Adults and Their Caregivers

PubMed Central

Dupuy, Lucile; Froger, Charlotte; Consel, Charles; Sauzéon, Hélène

2017-01-01

Ambient assisted living technologies (AAL) are regarded as a promising solution to support aging in place. Yet, their efficacy has to be demonstrated in terms of benefits for independent living and for work conditions of caregivers. Hence, the purpose of this study was to assess the benefits of a multi-task AAL platform for both Frail older Individuals (FIs) and professional caregivers with respect to everyday functioning and caregiver burden. In this context, a 6-month field study involved 32 FIs living at home (half of them were equipped by the platform and the remaining half were not, as a control condition) and their caregivers. Everyday functioning measures were reported by frail participants and caregivers. Self-reported burden measures of caregiver were also collected. The main results showed that the caregiver's estimates of everyday functioning of equipped participants were unchanged across time, while they decreased for the control participants. Also, a reduction of self-reported objective burden was obtained after 6 months of AAL intervention for the equipped group, compared to the control group. Overall, these results highlighted the potential of AAL as a relevant environmental support for preventing both functional losses in FIs and objective burden professional caregiver. PMID:29033826

High Self-Perceived Stress and Poor Coping in Intellectually Able Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirvikoski, Tatja; Blomqvist, My

2015-01-01

Despite average intellectual capacity, autistic traits may complicate performance in many everyday situations, thus leading to stress. This study focuses on stress in everyday life in intellectually able adults with autism spectrum disorders. In total, 53 adults (25 with autism spectrum disorder and 28 typical adults from the general population)…

Targeting latent function: Encouraging effective encoding for successful memory training and transfer

PubMed Central

Lustig, Cindy; Flegal, Kristin E.

2009-01-01

Cognitive training programs for older adults often result in improvements at the group level. However, there are typically large age and individual differences in the size of training benefits. These differences may be related to the degree to which participants implement the processes targeted by the training program. To test this possibility, we tested older adults in a memory-training procedure either under specific strategy instructions designed to encourage semantic, integrative encoding, or in a condition that encouraged time and attention to encoding but allowed participants to choose their own strategy. Both conditions improved the performance of old-old adults relative to an earlier study (Bissig & Lustig, 2007) and reduced self-reports of everyday memory errors. Performance in the strategy-instruction group was related to pre-existing ability, performance in the strategy-choice group was not. The strategy-choice group performed better on a laboratory transfer test of recognition memory, and training performance was correlated with reduced everyday memory errors. Training programs that target latent but inefficiently-used abilities while allowing flexibility in bringing those abilities to bear may best promote effective training and transfer. PMID:19140647

Face to (face)book: the two faces of social behavior?

PubMed

Ivcevic, Zorana; Ambady, Nalini

2013-06-01

Social networking sites such as Facebook represent a unique and dynamic social environment. This study addresses three theoretical issues in personality psychology in the context of online social networking sites: (a) the temporal consistency of Facebook activity, (b) people's awareness of their online behavior, and (c) comparison of social behavior on Facebook with self- and informant-reported behavior in real life. Facebook Wall pages of 99 college students (mean age = 19.72) were downloaded six times during 3 weeks and coded for quantity and quality of activity. Everyday social interactions were assessed by self- and friend report. Facebook activity showed significant consistency across time, and people demonstrated awareness of their online behavior. There was significant similarity between everyday traits and interactions and Facebook behavior (e.g., more posts by friends are related to Agreeableness). Some differences between online and everyday interactions warrant further research (e.g., individuals with more positive offline relationships are less likely to engage in back-and-forth conversations on Facebook). The results indicate substantial similarity between online and offline social behavior and identify avenues for future research on the possible use of Facebook to compensate for difficulty in everyday interactions. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Use of Skilled Strategies in Social Interactions by Groups High and Low in Self-Reported Social Skill

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Channon, Shelley; Collins, Ruth; Swain, Eleanor; Young, Mary-Beth; Fitzpatrick, Sian

2012-01-01

Individuals high or low in self-reported social skill were recruited opportunistically. When presented with everyday social scenarios ending with an awkward request or offer, the high social skill participants more often used sophisticated strategies that showed greater consideration for all parties. By contrast, the low skill participants were…

A temporary deficiency in self-control: Can heightened motivation overcome this effect?

PubMed

Kelly, Claire L; Crawford, Trevor J; Gowen, Emma; Richardson, Kelly; Sünram-Lea, Sandra I

2017-05-01

Self-control is important for everyday life and involves behavioral regulation. Self-control requires effort, and when completing two successive self-control tasks, there is typically a temporary drop in performance in the second task. High self-reported motivation and being made self-aware somewhat counteract this effect-with the result that performance in the second task is enhanced. The current study explored the relationship between self-awareness and motivation on sequential self-control task performance. Before employing self-control in an antisaccade task, participants initially applied self-control in an incongruent Stroop task or completed a control task. After the Stroop task, participants unscrambled sentences that primed self-awareness (each started with the word "I") or unscrambled neutral sentences. Motivation was measured after the antisaccade task. Findings revealed that, after exerting self-control in the incongruent Stroop task, motivation predicted erroneous responses in the antisaccade task for those that unscrambled neutral sentences, and high motivation led to fewer errors. Those primed with self-awareness were somewhat more motivated overall, but motivation did not significantly predict antisaccade performance. Supporting the resource allocation account, if one was motivated-intrinsically or via the manipulation of self-awareness-resources were allocated to both tasks leading to the successful completion of two sequential self-control tasks. © 2017 The Authors. Psychophysiology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Emotional exhaustion and cognitive performance in apparently healthy teachers: a longitudinal multi-source study.

PubMed

Feuerhahn, Nicolas; Stamov-Roßnagel, Christian; Wolfram, Maren; Bellingrath, Silja; Kudielka, Brigitte M

2013-10-01

We investigate how emotional exhaustion (EE), the core component of burnout, relates to cognitive performance, job performance and health. Cognitive performance was assessed by self-rated cognitive stress symptoms, self-rated and peer-rated cognitive impairments in everyday tasks and a neuropsychological test of learning and memory (LGT-3); job performance and physical health were gauged by self-reports. Cross-sectional linear regression analyses in a sample of 100 teachers confirm that EE is negatively related to cognitive performance as assessed by self-rating and peer-rating as well as neuropsychological testing (all p < .05). Longitudinal linear regression analyses confirm similar trends (p < .10) for self-rated and peer-rated cognitive performance. Executive control deficits might explain impaired cognitive performance in EE. In longitudinal analyses, EE also significantly predicts physical health. Contrary to our expectations, EE does not affect job performance. When reversed causation is tested, none of the outcome variables at Time 1 predict EE at Time 2. This speaks against cognitive dysfunctioning serving as a vulnerability factor for exhaustion. In sum, results underpin the negative consequences of EE for cognitive performance and health, which are relevant for individuals and organizations alike. In this way, findings might contribute to the understanding of the burnout syndrome. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Self-compassion and reactions to unpleasant self-relevant events: the implications of treating oneself kindly.

PubMed

Leary, Mark R; Tate, Eleanor B; Adams, Claire E; Allen, Ashley Batts; Hancock, Jessica

2007-05-01

Five studies investigated the cognitive and emotional processes by which self-compassionate people deal with unpleasant life events. In the various studies, participants reported on negative events in their daily lives, responded to hypothetical scenarios, reacted to interpersonal feedback, rated their or others' videotaped performances in an awkward situation, and reflected on negative personal experiences. Results from Study 1 showed that self-compassion predicted emotional and cognitive reactions to negative events in everyday life, and Study 2 found that self-compassion buffered people against negative self-feelings when imagining distressing social events. In Study 3, self-compassion moderated negative emotions after receiving ambivalent feedback, particularly for participants who were low in self-esteem. Study 4 found that low-self-compassionate people undervalued their videotaped performances relative to observers. Study 5 experimentally induced a self-compassionate perspective and found that self-compassion leads people to acknowledge their role in negative events without feeling overwhelmed with negative emotions. In general, these studies suggest that self-compassion attenuates people's reactions to negative events in ways that are distinct from and, in some cases, more beneficial than self-esteem. ((c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved).

Women's perceptions of everyday occupations: outcomes of the Redesigning Daily Occupations (ReDO) programme.

PubMed

Eklund, Mona; Erlandsson, Lena-Karin

2014-09-01

The aim was to (i) assess the outcomes of the 16-week Redesigning Daily Occupations (ReDO) programme for women on sick leave due to stress-related disorders, in terms of occupational value, satisfaction with everyday occupations, and participation level; (ii) investigate the relationships between those outcomes and return-to-work rate. A total of 42 women receiving ReDO and 42 receiving care as usual (CAU) were included in a matched-control study with measurements before and after the rehabilitation. Seventy-eight participated on both occasions. They completed self-report questionnaires regarding the aforementioned outcomes. Return-to-work data were obtained from the registers of the Social Insurance Offices. Increases in concrete, symbolic, and self-reward values were found in both groups, but no statistically significant difference between the groups was demonstrated. The ReDO group improved more than the CAU group, however, on satisfaction with everyday occupations and participation level. Occupational value, but not satisfaction with everyday occupations, was related to return to work. Everyday occupations were shown to be relevant outcomes after work rehabilitation. They could play an important role in future development of profession-specific evidence of occupational therapy. Further support was obtained for viewing occupational value and satisfaction with everyday occupations as theoretically distinct phenomena.

Do complaints of everyday cognitive failures in high schizotypy relate to emotional working memory deficits in the lab?

PubMed

Carrigan, Nicole; Barkus, Emma; Ong, Adriel; Wei, Maryann

2017-10-01

Individuals high on schizotypy complain of increased cognitive failures in everyday life. However, the neuropsychological performance of this group does not consistently indicate underlying ability deficits. It is possible that current neuropsychological tests lack ecological validity. Given the increased affective reactivity of high schizotypes, they may be more sensitive to emotional content interfering with cognitive ability. This study sought to explore whether an affective n-back working memory task would elicit impaired performance in schizotypy, echoing complaints concerning real world cognition. 127 healthy participants completed self-report measures of schizotypy and cognitive failures and an affective n-back working memory task. This task was varied across three levels of load (1- to 3-back) and four types of stimulus emotion (neutral, fearful, happy, sad). Differences between high (n=39) and low (n=48) schizotypy groups on performance outcomes of hits and false alarms were examined, with emotion and load as within-groups variables. As expected, high schizotypes reported heightened vulnerability to cognitive failures. They also demonstrated a relative working memory impairment for emotional versus neutral stimuli, whereas low schizotypes did not. High schizotypes performed most poorly in response to fearful stimuli. For false alarms, there was an interaction between schizotypy, load, and emotion, such that high schizotypy was associated with deficits in response to fearful stimuli only at higher levels of task difficulty. Inclusion of self-reported cognitive failures did not account for this. These findings suggest that the "gap" between subjective and objective cognition in schizotypy may reflect the heightened emotional demands associated with cognitive functioning in the real world, although other factors also seem to play a role. There is a need to improve the ecological validity of objective assessments, whilst also recognizing that self-reported cognitive failures tap into a range of factors difficult to assess in the lab, including emotion. Cognitive interventions for at-risk individuals will likely be more beneficial if they address emotional processing alongside other aspects of cognition. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Discriminatory experiences associated with posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among transgender adults

PubMed Central

Reisner, Sari L.; White Hughto, Jaclyn M.; Gamarel, Kristi E.; Keuroghlian, Alex S.; Mizock, Lauren; Pachankis, John

2016-01-01

Discrimination has been shown to disproportionately burden transgender people; however, there has been a lack of clinical attention to the mental health sequelae of discrimination, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Additionally, few studies contextualize discrimination alongside other traumatic stressors in predicting PTSD symptomatology. The current study sought to fill these gaps. A community-based sample of 412 transgender adults (mean age 33, SD=13; 63% female-to-male spectrum; 19% people of color; 88% sampled online) completed a cross-sectional self-report survey of everyday discrimination experiences and PTSD symptoms. Multivariable linear regression models examined the association between self-reported everyday discrimination experiences, number of attributed domains of discrimination, and PTSD symptoms, adjusting for prior trauma, sociodemographics, and psychosocial co-morbidity. The mean number of discrimination attributions endorsed was 4.8 (SD=2.4) and the five most frequently reported reasons for discrimination were: gender identity and/or expression (83%), masculine and feminine appearance (79%), sexual orientation (68%), sex (57%), and age (44%). Higher everyday discrimination scores (β=0.25; 95% CL=0.21–0.30) and greater number of attributed reasons for discrimination experiences (β=0.05; 95% CL=0.01–0.10) were independently associated with PTSD symptoms, even after adjusting for prior trauma experiences. Everyday discrimination experiences from multiple sources necessitate clinical consideration in treatment for PTSD symptoms in transgender people. PMID:26866637

Discriminatory experiences associated with posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among transgender adults.

PubMed

Reisner, Sari L; White Hughto, Jaclyn M; Gamarel, Kristi E; Keuroghlian, Alex S; Mizock, Lauren; Pachankis, John E

2016-10-01

Discrimination has been shown to disproportionately burden transgender people; however, there has been a lack of clinical attention to the mental health sequelae of discrimination, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Additionally, few studies contextualize discrimination alongside other traumatic stressors in predicting PTSD symptomatology. The current study sought to fill these gaps. A community-based sample of 412 transgender adults (mean age 33, SD = 13; 63% female-to-male spectrum; 19% people of color; 88% sampled online) completed a cross-sectional self-report survey of everyday discrimination experiences and PTSD symptoms. Multivariable linear regression models examined the association between self-reported everyday discrimination experiences, number of attributed domains of discrimination, and PTSD symptoms, adjusting for prior trauma, sociodemographics, and psychosocial comorbidity. The mean number of discrimination attributions endorsed was 4.8 (SD = 2.4) and the 5 most frequently reported reasons for discrimination were: gender identity and/or expression (83%), masculine and feminine appearance (79%), sexual orientation (68%), sex (57%), and age (44%). Higher everyday discrimination scores (β = 0.25; 95% CL [0.21, 0.30]) and greater number of attributed reasons for discrimination experiences (β = 0.05; 95% CL [0.01, 0.10]) were independently associated with PTSD symptoms, even after adjusting for prior trauma experiences. Everyday discrimination experiences from multiple sources necessitate clinical consideration in treatment for PTSD symptoms in transgender people. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Ruminative self-focus, negative life events, and negative affect

PubMed Central

Moberly, Nicholas J.; Watkins, Edward R.

2008-01-01

Ruminative thinking is believed to exacerbate the psychological distress that follows stressful life events. An experience-sampling study was conducted in which participants recorded negative life events, ruminative self-focus, and negative affect eight times daily over one week. Occasions when participants reported a negative event were marked by higher levels of negative affect. Additionally, negative events were prospectively associated with higher levels of negative affect at the next sampling occasion, and this relationship was partially mediated by momentary ruminative self-focus. Depressive symptoms were associated with more frequent negative events, but not with increased reactivity to negative events. Trait rumination was associated with reports of more severe negative events and increased reactivity to negative events. These results suggest that the extent to which a person engages in ruminative self-focus after everyday stressors is an important determinant of the degree of distress experienced after such events. Further, dispositional measures of rumination predict mood reactivity to everyday stressors in a non-clinical sample. PMID:18684437

Subclinical delusional ideation and a self-reference bias in everyday reasoning.

PubMed

Galbraith, Niall; Manktelow, Ken; Morris, Neil

2008-02-01

Previous studies (e.g. Moller & Husby, 2000; Blackwood et al., 2004) have revealed that delusional thinking is accompanied by an exaggerated focus upon the self and upon stimuli that are perceived to be related to the self. The objective was to examine whether those high in subclinical delusional ideation exhibit a heightened tendency for self-reference. Using a mixed design, healthy individuals, classified into high- and low-scoring groups on the Peters et al. Delusions Inventory (Peters, Day, & Garety, 1996), were compared on everyday reasoning tasks across three experiments. High-PDI scorers, in contrast to the low-PDI group, rated self-referent objections to everyday arguments as stronger than other-referent objections and formulated more self-referent assertion-based objections to everyday arguments. The findings support the notion that subclinical delusional ideation is linked to a self-reference bias, which is evident in the sort of everyday thinking that people engage in when forming or evaluating their beliefs and which may contribute to delusion formation.

Self-guided strategy-adaption training for older adults: Transfer effects to everyday tasks.

PubMed

Bottiroli, Sara; Cavallini, Elena; Dunlosky, John; Vecchi, Tomaso; Hertzog, Christopher

2017-09-01

The goal of the present research was to examine the potential of a learner-oriented approach to improving older adults' performance in tasks that are similar to real-life situations that require strategic deployment of cognitive resources. A crucial element of this approach involves encouraging older adults to explicitly analyze tasks to consider how to adapt trained skills to a new task context. In an earlier study, a specialist-directed intervention produced training gains and transfer to some untrained memory tasks. In the present study, older adults received a manual instructing them about principles of task analysis, two memory strategies, and strategy adaptation. Self-guided strategy-adaption training involved practicing some memory tasks as well as instructions on how the trained skills could be applied to new tasks that were not practiced. The criterion tasks involved practice tasks, non-practiced tasks that were discussed in the manual, and transfer tasks that were never mentioned in the manual. Two of the tests were from the Everyday Cognition Battery (inductive reasoning and working memory). As compared to a waiting-list control group, older adults assigned to self-guided strategy-adaption training showed memory improvements on tasks that were practiced or discussed during training. Most important, the learner-oriented approach produced transfer to the everyday tasks. Our findings show the potential of instructing task appraisal processes as a basis for fostering transfer, including improving older adults' performance in simulated everyday tasks. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Self-generated strategic behavior in an ecological shopping task.

PubMed

Bottari, Carolina; Wai Shun, Priscilla Lam; Dorze, Guylaine Le; Gosselin, Nadia; Dawson, Deirdre

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVES. The use of cognitive strategies optimizes performance in complex everyday tasks such as shopping. This exploratory study examined the cognitive strategies people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) effectively use in an unstructured, real-world situation. METHOD. A behavioral analysis of the self-generated strategic behaviors of 5 people with severe TBI using videotaped sessions of an ecological shopping task (Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Profile) was performed. RESULTS. All participants used some form of cognitive strategy in an unstructured real-world shopping task, although the number, type, and degree of effectiveness of the strategies in leading to goal attainment varied. The most independent person used the largest number and a broader repertoire of self-generated strategies. CONCLUSION. These results provide initial evidence that occupational therapists should examine the use of self-generated cognitive strategies in real-world contexts as a potential means of guiding therapy aimed at improving independence in everyday activities for people with TBI. Copyright © 2014 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

On Rereading "The Presentation of Self": Some Reflections

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giddens, Anthony

2009-01-01

In this article, the author shares his reflections on rereading Erving Goffman's book titled "The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life." "The Presentation of Self," first published in 1959, was Goffman's first book. Goffman describes the work as "a sort of handbook" and, alternatively, as a "report." His own PhD on the Shetland Islands is quite…

Children's experiences of managing Type 1 diabetes in everyday life: a thematic synthesis of qualitative studies.

PubMed

Rankin, D; Harden, J; Jepson, R; Lawton, J

2017-08-01

To explore the everyday experiences of children (aged ≤ 12 years) with Type 1 diabetes to identify factors that help or hinder diabetes self-management practices. Eight databases (Embase, Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsychInfo, ASSIA, ERIC and ProQuest Dissertations) were searched in 2016 to identify qualitative studies exploring children's views about self-managing diabetes. Data were extracted, coded and analysed using thematic synthesis. Eighteen studies from five countries were included in the review. Synthesis of studies' findings resulted in the identification of three overarching analytical themes. The first theme, 'Understandings of diabetes and involvement in self-management', outlines ways in which children understand diabetes and develop self-management responsibilities. The second theme, 'Disruption to life and getting on with it', reports children's frustrations at disruptions to everyday life when managing diabetes, and how attempts to appear normal to family and friends affect self-management practices. The third theme, 'Friends' support', describes how friends' reactions and responses to diabetes affect children's ability to appear normal and willingness to disclose information about diabetes, and support provided by 'informed friends', or peers with diabetes. Although the synthesis has identified how children's everyday life experiences inform ways in which they undertake diabetes self-management, it was not possible to determine new ways to provide support. To help children optimise their glycaemic control, further work should be undertaken to identify their need for support and which takes into account the potential ways in which parents, friends and peers can offer assistance. © 2017 Diabetes UK.

Do everyday problems of people with chronic illness interfere with their disease management?

PubMed

van Houtum, Lieke; Rijken, Mieke; Groenewegen, Peter

2015-10-01

Being chronically ill is a continuous process of balancing the demands of the illness and the demands of everyday life. Understanding how everyday life affects self-management might help to provide better professional support. However, little attention has been paid to the influence of everyday life on self-management. The purpose of this study is to examine to what extent problems in everyday life interfere with the self-management behaviour of people with chronic illness, i.e. their ability to manage their illness. To estimate the effects of having everyday problems on self-management, cross-sectional linear regression analyses with propensity score matching were conducted. Data was used from 1731 patients with chronic disease(s) who participated in a nationwide Dutch panel-study. One third of people with chronic illness encounter basic (e.g. financial, housing, employment) or social (e.g. partner, children, sexual or leisure) problems in their daily life. Younger people, people with poor health and people with physical limitations are more likely to have everyday problems. Experiencing basic problems is related to less active coping behaviour, while experiencing social problems is related to lower levels of symptom management and less active coping behaviour. The extent of everyday problems interfering with self-management of people with chronic illness depends on the type of everyday problems encountered, as well as on the type of self-management activities at stake. Healthcare providers should pay attention to the life context of people with chronic illness during consultations, as patients' ability to manage their illness is related to it.

Cultural Differences in Autobiographical Memory of Trauma

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jobson, Laura; O'Kearney, Richard

2006-01-01

This study investigated cultural differences in autobiographical memory of trauma. Australian and Asian international students provided self-defining memories, narratives of everyday and trauma memories and self-reports assessing adjustment to the trauma. No cultural distinction was found in how Australian or Asian subjects remembered a personal…

Examination of Variables That May Affect the Relationship Between Cognition and Functional Status in Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Mcalister, Courtney; Schmitter-Edgecombe, Maureen; Lamb, Richard

2016-01-01

The objective of this meta-analysis was to improve understanding of the heterogeneity in the relationship between cognition and functional status in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Demographic, clinical, and methodological moderators were examined. Cognition explained an average of 23% of the variance in functional outcomes. Executive function measures explained the largest amount of variance (37%), whereas global cognitive status and processing speed measures explained the least (20%). Short- and long-delayed memory measures accounted for more variance (35% and 31%) than immediate memory measures (18%), and the relationship between cognition and functional outcomes was stronger when assessed with informant-report (28%) compared with self-report (21%). Demographics, sample characteristics, and type of everyday functioning measures (i.e., questionnaire, performance-based) explained relatively little variance compared with cognition. Executive functioning, particularly measured by Trails B, was a strong predictor of everyday functioning in individuals with MCI. A large proportion of variance remained unexplained by cognition. PMID:26743326

Contextualising renal patient routines: Everyday space-time contexts, health service access, and wellbeing.

PubMed

McQuoid, Julia; Jowsey, Tanisha; Talaulikar, Girish

2017-06-01

Stable routines are key to successful illness self-management for the growing number of people living with chronic illness around the world. Yet, the influence of chronically ill individuals' everyday contexts in supporting routines is poorly understood. This paper takes a space-time geographical approach to explore the everyday space-time contexts and routines of individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We ask: what is the relationship between renal patients' space-time contexts and their ability to establish and maintain stable routines, and, what role does health service access play in this regard? We draw from a qualitative case study of 26 individuals with CKD in Australia. Data comprised self-reported two day participant diaries and semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts was guided by an inductive-deductive approach. We examined the embeddedness of routines within the space-time contexts of participants' everyday lives. We found that participants' everyday space-time contexts were highly complex, especially for those receiving dialysis and/or employed, making routines difficult to establish and vulnerable to disruption. Health service access helped shape participants' everyday space-time contexts, meaning that incidences of unpredictability in accessing health services set-off 'ripple effects' within participants' space-time contexts, disrupting routines and making everyday life negotiation more difficult. The ability to absorb ripple effects from unpredictable health services without disrupting routines varied by space-time context. Implications of these findings for the deployment of the concept of routine in health research, the framing of patient success in self-managing illness, and health services design are discussed. In conclusion, efforts to understand and support individuals in establishing and maintaining routines that support health and wellbeing can benefit from approaches that contextualise and de-centre everyday human behaviour. Opportunities to support renal patients in managing illness and experiencing wellbeing outside the clinical setting lie in a space-time re-design of chronic care services. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contextualising renal patient routines: Everyday space-time contexts, health service access, and wellbeing

PubMed Central

McQuoid, Julia; Jowsey, Tanisha; Talaulikar, Girish

2017-01-01

Stable routines are key to successful illness self-management for the growing number of people living with chronic illness around the world. Yet, the influence of chronically ill individuals’ everyday contexts in supporting routines is poorly understood. This paper takes a space-time geographical approach to explore the everyday space-time contexts and routines of individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We ask: what is the relationship between renal patients’ space-time contexts and their ability to establish and maintain stable routines, and, what role does health service access play in this regard? We draw from a qualitative case study of 26 individuals with CKD in Australia. Data comprised self-reported two day participant diaries and semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts was guided by an inductive-deductive approach. We examined the embeddedness of routines within the space-time contexts of participants’ everyday lives. We found that participants’ everyday space-time contexts were highly complex, especially for those receiving dialysis and/or employed, making routines difficult to establish and vulnerable to disruption. Health service access helped shape participants’ everyday space-time contexts, meaning that incidences of unpredictability in accessing health services set-off ‘ripple effects’ within participants’ space-time contexts, disrupting routines and making everyday life negotiation more difficult. The ability to absorb ripple effects from unpredictable health services without disrupting routines varied by space-time context. Implications of these findings for the deployment of the concept of routine in health research, the framing of patient success in self-managing illness, and health services design are discussed. In conclusion, efforts to understand and support individuals in establishing and maintaining routines that support health and wellbeing can benefit from approaches that contextualise and de-centre everyday human behaviour. Opportunities to support renal patients in managing illness and experiencing wellbeing outside the clinical setting lie in a space-time re-design of chronic care services. PMID:28482275

The relationships between major lifetime discrimination, everyday discrimination, and mental health in three racial and ethnic groups of older adults.

PubMed

Ayalon, Liat; Gum, Amber M

2011-07-01

To evaluate the relationships between perceived exposure to major lifetime discrimination, everyday discrimination, and mental health in three racial/ethnic groups of older adults. The Health and Retirement Study is a nationally representative sample of individuals 50 years and older living in the United States. A total of 6455 Whites, 716 Latinos, and 1214 Blacks were eligible to complete a self-report psychosocial questionnaire in the year 2006. Whereas 30% of the general population reported at least one type of major lifetime discrimination, almost 45% of Black older adults reported such discrimination. Relative to the other two racial/ethnic groups (82% Whites, 82.6% Blacks), Latinos were significantly less likely to report any everyday discrimination (64.2%), whereas Blacks reported the greatest frequency of everyday discrimination. Whites reported the highest levels of life satisfaction and the lowest levels of depressive symptoms. Relative to major lifetime discrimination, everyday discrimination had a somewhat stronger correlation with mental health indicators. The relationships between discrimination and mental health outcomes were stronger for White compared to Black older adults, although everyday discrimination was still significantly associated with outcomes for Black older adults. Black older adults experience the greatest number of discriminative events, but weaker associated mental health outcomes. This could be because they have become accustomed to these experiences, benefit from social or cultural resources that serve as buffers, or selective survival, with the present sample capturing only the most resilient older adults who have learned to cope with the deleterious effects of discrimination.

Refining the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Patient-Reported Outcome (PEDI-PRO) item candidates: interpretation of a self-reported outcome measure of functional performance by young people with neurodevelopmental disabilities.

PubMed

Kramer, Jessica M; Schwartz, Ariel

2017-10-01

This study examined the item interpretability and rating scale use of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Patient-Reported Outcome (PEDI-PRO) by young people with developmental disabilities. The PEDI-PRO assesses the functional performance of discrete functional tasks in the context of everyday life situations. A two-phase cognitive interview design was implemented with a convenience sample of 37 young people (mean age 19y, SD 2y 5mo; 13 males and 24 females; 68% with intellectual disability) with developmental disabilities. In phase I, 182 item candidates were each reviewed by an average of four young people. In phase II, 103 items were carried forward or revised and each reviewed by an average of seven additional young people. Two raters coded responses for intended item interpretation and performance quality; codes were analysed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative analysis explored young people's self-evaluation process. Items were interpreted as intended by most young people (mean 86%). Young people can use PEDI-PRO response categories appropriately to describe their performance: 94% of positive performance descriptions coincided with a positive response category choice; 73% of negative descriptions coincided with a negative response category choice. Young people interpreted items in a literal manner, and their self-evaluation incorporated the use of supports that facilitate functional performance. The PEDI-PRO's measurement framework appears to support the self-evaluation of functional performance of young people with developmental disabilities. © 2017 Mac Keith Press.

Foundations of Children's Self-Concepts about Everyday Activities: Identities and Comparative Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Laurel

2014-01-01

Children's motivations to engage in everyday activities draw on their experiences in thinking of oneself and the activities. In theory, these personal and social realities provide the complex foundations of self-concepts. The aim of this project was to define the foundations of children's self-concepts about everyday activities; to focus…

Differences in the use of everyday technology among persons with MCI, SCI and older adults without known cognitive impairment.

PubMed

Malinowsky, Camilla; Kottorp, Anders; Wallin, Anders; Nordlund, Arto; Björklund, Eva; Melin, Ilse; Pernevik, Anette; Rosenberg, Lena; Nygård, Louise

2017-07-01

To use valid subjective reports sensible to cognitive decline is vital to identify very early signs of dementia development. Use of everyday technology (ET) has been shown to be sensitive to differentiate adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from controls, but the group with subjective cognitive impairment (SCI) has not yet been examined. This study aims to investigate and compare self-perceived ability in ET use and number of ETs reported as actually used in a sample of older adults with SCI, MCI, and older adults with no known cognitive impairment, i.e. Older adults with MCI (n = 29), SCI ( n = 26), and controls (n = 30) were interviewed with the short version of the Everyday Technology Use Questionnaire (S-ETUQ) to capture self-perceived ability in ET use and number of ETs used. To generate individual measures of ability to use ET, Rasch analysis was used. The measures were then compared group-wise using ANCOVA. The numbers of ETs used were compared group-wise with ANOVA. Controls versus SCI and MCI differed significantly regarding ETs reported as used, but not SCI versus MCI. Similarly, in ability to use ET, controls versus SCI and MCI differed significantly but not SCI versus MCI. The significantly lower numbers of ETs reported as actually used and the lower ability in SCI and MCI groups compared to controls suggest that ET use is affected already in very minor cognitive decline. This indicates that self-reported ET use based on the S-ETUQ is sensitive to detect changes already in SCI.

Is Media Multitasking Good for Cybersecurity? Exploring the Relationship Between Media Multitasking and Everyday Cognitive Failures on Self-Reported Risky Cybersecurity Behaviors.

PubMed

Hadlington, Lee; Murphy, Karen

2018-03-01

The current study focused on how engaging in media multitasking (MMT) and the experience of everyday cognitive failures impact on the individual's engagement in risky cybersecurity behaviors (RCsB). In total, 144 participants (32 males, 112 females) completed an online survey. The age range for participants was 18 to 43 years (M = 20.63, SD = 4.04). Participants completed three scales which included an inventory of weekly MMT, a measure of everyday cognitive failures, and RCsB. There was a significant difference between heavy media multitaskers (HMM), average media multitaskers (AMM), and light media multitaskers (LMM) in terms of RCsB, with HMM demonstrating more frequent risky behaviors than LMM or AMM. The HMM group also reported more cognitive failures in everyday life than the LMM group. A regression analysis showed that everyday cognitive failures and MMT acted as significant predictors for RCsB. These results expand our current understanding of the relationship between human factors and cybersecurity behaviors, which are useful to inform the design of training and intervention packages to mitigate RCsB.

Targeting latent function: encouraging effective encoding for successful memory training and transfer.

PubMed

Lustig, Cindy; Flegal, Kristin E

2008-12-01

Cognitive training programs for older adults often result in improvements at the group level. However, there are typically large age and individual differences in the size of training benefits. These differences may be related to the degree to which participants implement the processes targeted by the training program. To test this possibility, we tested older adults in a memory-training procedure either under specific strategy instructions designed to encourage semantic, integrative encoding, or in a condition that encouraged time and attention to encoding but allowed participants to choose their own strategy. Both conditions improved the performance of old-old adults relative to an earlier study (D. Bissig & C. Lustig, 2007) and reduced self-reports of everyday memory errors. Performance in the strategy-instruction group was related to preexisting ability; performance in the strategy?choice group was not. The strategy-choice group performed better on a laboratory transfer test of recognition memory, and training performance was correlated with reduced everyday memory errors. Training programs that target participants' latent but inefficiently used abilities while allowing flexibility in bringing those abilities to bear may best promote effective training and transfer. Copyright (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

Cognitive Correlates of Functional Abilities in Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment: Comparison of Questionnaire, Direct Observation and Performance-based Measures

PubMed Central

Schmitter-Edgecombe, Maureen; Parsey, Carolyn M.

2014-01-01

The relationship between and the cognitive correlates of several proxy measures of functional status were studied in a population with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Participants were 51 individuals diagnosed with MCI and 51 cognitively healthy older adults (OA). Participants completed performance-based functional status tests, standardized neuropsychological tests, and performed eight activities of daily living (e.g., watered plants, filled medication dispenser) while under direct observation in a campus apartment. An informant interview about everyday functioning was also conducted. Compared to the OA control group, the MCI group performed more poorly on all proxy measures of everyday functioning. The informant-report of instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) did not correlate with the two performance-based measures; however, both the informant-report IADL and the performance-based everyday problem-solving test correlated with the direct observation measure. After controlling for age and education, cognitive predictors did not explain a significant amount of variance in the performance-based measures; however, performance on a delayed memory task was a unique predictor for the informant-report IADL, and processing speed predicted unique variance for the direct observation score. These findings indicate that differing methods for evaluating functional status are not assessing completely overlapping aspects of everyday functioning in the MCI population. PMID:24766574

Cognitive correlates of functional abilities in individuals with mild cognitive impairment: comparison of questionnaire, direct observation, and performance-based measures.

PubMed

Schmitter-Edgecombe, Maureen; Parsey, Carolyn M

2014-01-01

The relationship between, and the cognitive correlates of, several proxy measures of functional status were studied in a population with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Participants were 51 individuals diagnosed with MCI and 51 cognitively healthy older adults (OA). Participants completed performance-based functional status tests and standardized neuropsychological tests, and performed eight activities of daily living (e.g., watered plants, filled medication dispenser) while under direct observation in a campus apartment. An informant interview about everyday functioning was also conducted. Compared to the OA control group, the MCI group performed more poorly on all proxy measures of everyday functioning. The informant report of instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) did not correlate with the two performance-based measures; however, both the informant-report IADL and the performance-based everyday problem-solving test correlated with the direct observation measure. After controlling for age and education, cognitive predictors did not explain a significant amount of variance in the performance-based measures; however, performance on a delayed memory task was a unique predictor for the informant-report IADL, and processing speed predicted unique variance for the direct observation score. These findings indicate that differing methods for evaluating functional status are not assessing completely overlapping aspects of everyday functioning in the MCI population.

Mothers' Attributions in Reminiscing Conversations about Children's Successes and Failures: Connections with Children's Self-Evaluations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodvin, Rebecca; Rolfson, Jacqueline

2014-01-01

Effects of feedback on children's self-evaluations are well established, yet little is known about how parents talk with children about everyday successes and failures, despite the importance of parent-child reminiscing in children's psychological understanding. We examine mothers' attributions and performance evaluations in conversations about…

Reliability of the Music in Everyday Life (MEL) Scale: A Parent-Report Assessment for Children on the Autism Spectrum.

PubMed

Gottfried, Tali; Thompson, Grace; Elefant, Cochavit; Gold, Christian

2018-06-07

For young children on the autism spectrum, the inclusion of shared parent-child music activities in everyday life may provide additional opportunities for social interactions in the home. However, no psychometrically validated assessment exists to measure the extent of shared music activity within family or community contexts. This study aimed to develop and test the reliability of a self-report assessment to measure the use of Music in Everyday Life (MEL) by parents with young children on the autism spectrum. A total of 45 mothers of children with autism aged between 4 and 7 years completed the MEL questionnaire. Internal consistency and item-total correlation were examined. Analysis confirmed the reliability of two predetermined subscales: Music in Everyday Life-Joint Activities using Music (MEL-JAM) and Music in Everyday Life-Routine Activities using Music (MEL-RAM). Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.63 and 0.75) and positive item-total correlation (Pearson's r between .23 to .62 for MEL-JAM and between .30 to .67 for MEL-RAM) were demonstrated. The reliability of the MEL assessment to measure the use of music in everyday life by parents with their children with autism was confirmed, filling an important gap in the availability of assessment tools.

Self-Reported Executive Functioning in Everyday Life in Parkinson's Disease after Three Months of Subthalamic Deep Brain Stimulation.

PubMed

Pham, Uyen Ha Gia; Andersson, Stein; Toft, Mathias; Pripp, Are Hugo; Konglund, Ane Eidahl; Dietrichs, Espen; Malt, Ulrik Fredrik; Skogseid, Inger Marie; Haraldsen, Ira Ronit Hebolt; Solbakk, Anne-Kristin

2015-01-01

Objective. Studies on the effect of subthalamic deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) on executive functioning in Parkinson's disease (PD) are still controversial. In this study we compared self-reported daily executive functioning in PD patients before and after three months of STN-DBS. We also examined whether executive functioning in everyday life was associated with motor symptoms, apathy, and psychiatric symptoms. Method. 40 PD patients were examined with the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version (BRIEF-A), the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R), and the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES-S). Results. PD patients reported significant improvement in daily life executive functioning after 3 months of STN-DBS. Anxiety scores significantly declined, while other psychiatric symptoms remained unchanged. The improvement of self-reported executive functioning did not correlate with motor improvement after STN-DBS. Apathy scores remained unchanged after surgery. Only preoperative depressed mood had predictive value to the improvement of executive function and appears to prevent potentially favorable outcomes from STN-DBS on some aspects of executive function. Conclusion. PD patients being screened for STN-DBS surgery should be evaluated with regard to self-reported executive functioning. Depressive symptoms in presurgical PD patients should be treated. Complementary information about daily life executive functioning in PD patients might enhance further treatment planning of STN-DBS.

Is Media Multitasking Good for Cybersecurity? Exploring the Relationship Between Media Multitasking and Everyday Cognitive Failures on Self-Reported Risky Cybersecurity Behaviors

PubMed Central

Murphy, Karen

2018-01-01

Abstract The current study focused on how engaging in media multitasking (MMT) and the experience of everyday cognitive failures impact on the individual's engagement in risky cybersecurity behaviors (RCsB). In total, 144 participants (32 males, 112 females) completed an online survey. The age range for participants was 18 to 43 years (M = 20.63, SD = 4.04). Participants completed three scales which included an inventory of weekly MMT, a measure of everyday cognitive failures, and RCsB. There was a significant difference between heavy media multitaskers (HMM), average media multitaskers (AMM), and light media multitaskers (LMM) in terms of RCsB, with HMM demonstrating more frequent risky behaviors than LMM or AMM. The HMM group also reported more cognitive failures in everyday life than the LMM group. A regression analysis showed that everyday cognitive failures and MMT acted as significant predictors for RCsB. These results expand our current understanding of the relationship between human factors and cybersecurity behaviors, which are useful to inform the design of training and intervention packages to mitigate RCsB. PMID:29638157

Neurocognitive Functioning and Treatment Outcome Following Detoxification Among Asian Alcohol-Dependent Inpatients.

PubMed

Manning, Victoria; Teo, Hui Chin; Guo, Song; Wong, Kim Eng; Li, Ting-Kai

2016-01-28

The prevalence of alcohol use disorders in Asia is increasing and relapse among treated populations remains the norm, not the exception. The extent to which cognitive impairment influences clinical outcome remains unclear, with research dominated by studies of Caucasian populations. This study examines behavioral and self-reported cognitive functioning in detoxified alcohol-dependent (AD) patients in Singapore and its association with outcome. The cognitive performance of 30 recently-detoxified AD inpatients and 30 demographically-matched controls was compared using visuospatial memory, working memory, set-shifting, planning and reflection impulsivity tests of the CANTAB®, and self-reported dysexecutive symptoms and everyday cognitive difficulties. Patients' alcohol use and self-reported cognitive functioning were reassessed 3-months post-discharge. Compared to matched controls, AD inpatients exhibited significantly poorer fluid intelligence, visuospatial memory, working memory, set-shifting flexibility and planning/organization, but not reflection impulsivity. In support of Western studies, a significant proportion (three-quarters) were "clinically impaired" on subtests. Significant reductions were observed in alcohol units, frequency and dependency scores at follow-up, though improvements in self-reported cognitive functioning were limited to abstainers. Baseline cognitive performance did not differentiate those who had abstained from alcohol and relapsed at follow-up. Memory and executive functioning impairments were evident among Asian AD patients alongside self-reported cognitive difficulties, thus cognitively demanding psychological interventions may have limited impact during early detoxification. Future studies can build on these findings, with larger samples and measurement of moderating and mediating factors to extend our understanding of how cognitive impairment influences outcome.

Understanding the Cognitive and Genetic Underpinnings of Procrastination: Evidence for Shared Genetic Influences with Goal Management and Executive Function Abilities

PubMed Central

Gustavson, Daniel E.; Miyake, Akira; Hewitt, John K.; Friedman, Naomi P.

2015-01-01

Previous research has suggested that individual differences in procrastination are tied to everyday goal-management abilities, but little research has been conducted on specific cognitive abilities that may underlie tendencies for procrastination, such as executive functions (EFs). In this study, we used behavioral genetics methodology to investigate two hypotheses about the relationships between procrastination and EF ability: (a) that procrastination is negatively correlated with general EF ability, and (b) that this relationship is due to the genetic components of procrastination that are most related to other everyday goal-management abilities. The results confirmed both of these hypotheses. Procrastination was related to worse general EF ability at both the phenotypic and genetic levels, and this relationship was due to the component of procrastination shared with self-report measures of everyday goal-management failures. These results were observed even after controlling for potential self-report biases stemming from the urge to respond in a socially desirable manner. Together, these findings provide strong evidence for growing theories of procrastination emphasizing the importance of goal-related cognitive abilities and further highlight important genetic influences that underlie procrastination. PMID:26389573

Understanding the cognitive and genetic underpinnings of procrastination: Evidence for shared genetic influences with goal management and executive function abilities.

PubMed

Gustavson, Daniel E; Miyake, Akira; Hewitt, John K; Friedman, Naomi P

2015-12-01

Previous research has suggested that individual differences in procrastination are tied to everyday goal-management abilities, but little research has been conducted on specific cognitive abilities that may underlie tendencies for procrastination, such as executive functions (EFs). In this study, we used behavioral genetics methodology to investigate 2 hypotheses about the relationships between procrastination and EF ability: (a) that procrastination is negatively correlated with general EF ability, and (b) that this relationship is due to the genetic components of procrastination that are most related to other everyday goal-management abilities. The results confirmed both of these hypotheses. Procrastination was related to worse general EF ability at both the phenotypic and genetic levels, and this relationship was due to the component of procrastination shared with self-report measures of everyday goal-management failures. These results were observed even after controlling for potential self-report biases stemming from the urge to respond in a socially desirable manner. Together, these findings provide strong evidence for growing theories of procrastination emphasizing the importance of goal-related cognitive abilities and further highlight important genetic influences that underlie procrastination. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Reliability and validity of two self-report measures of cognitive flexibility.

PubMed

Johnco, Carly; Wuthrich, Viviana M; Rapee, Ronald M

2014-12-01

Neuropsychological testing currently represents the gold standard in assessing cognitive flexibility. However, this format presents some challenges in terms of time and skills required for administration, scoring, and interpretation. Two self-report measures of cognitive flexibility have been developed to measure aspects of cognitive flexibility in everyday settings, although neither has been validated in an older sample. In this study, we investigated the psychometric properties of 2 self-report measures of cognitive flexibility, the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (CFI; Dennis & Vander Wal, 2010) and the Cognitive Flexibility Scale (CFS; Martin & Rubin, 1995), against neuropsychological measures of cognitive flexibility in a clinical sample of 47 older adults with comorbid anxiety and depression and a nonclinical sample of 53 community-dwelling older adults. Internal consistency was good for the CFS and CFI in all samples. The clinical sample reported poorer cognitive flexibility than did the nonclinical sample on self-report measures and performed more poorly on some neuropsychological measures. There was evidence of convergent validity between the 2 self-report measures but little relationship between the self-report and neuropsychological measures of cognitive flexibility, suggesting that self-report measures assess a different aspect of cognitive flexibility than does neuropsychological testing. Divergent validity was weak from measures of anxiety and depression in the combined and nonclinical samples but acceptable in the clinical sample. Results suggest that these measures are suitable for use with an older adult sample but do not assess the same aspects of cognitive flexibility as are assessed by neuropsychological assessment. (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Examination of Variables That May Affect the Relationship Between Cognition and Functional Status in Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Mcalister, Courtney; Schmitter-Edgecombe, Maureen; Lamb, Richard

2016-03-01

The objective of this meta-analysis was to improve understanding of the heterogeneity in the relationship between cognition and functional status in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Demographic, clinical, and methodological moderators were examined. Cognition explained an average of 23% of the variance in functional outcomes. Executive function measures explained the largest amount of variance (37%), whereas global cognitive status and processing speed measures explained the least (20%). Short- and long-delayed memory measures accounted for more variance (35% and 31%) than immediate memory measures (18%), and the relationship between cognition and functional outcomes was stronger when assessed with informant-report (28%) compared with self-report (21%). Demographics, sample characteristics, and type of everyday functioning measures (i.e., questionnaire, performance-based) explained relatively little variance compared with cognition. Executive functioning, particularly measured by Trails B, was a strong predictor of everyday functioning in individuals with MCI. A large proportion of variance remained unexplained by cognition. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Executive Function Subcomponents and their Relations to Everyday Functioning in Healthy Older Adults

PubMed Central

McAlister, Courtney; Schmitter-Edgecombe, Maureen

2016-01-01

Everyday functioning and its executive functioning cognitive correlates (i.e., switching, inhibition, and updating) were investigated in healthy older adults (HOAs) using multiple methods of functional status. In addition to whether computerized experimental tasks would better dissociate these subcomponents than neuropsychological measures of executive functioning, we were also interested in the contributions of both experimental and neuropsychological measures of executive function subcomponents to functional abilities. Seventy HOAs (45 young-old and 25 old-old) and 70 younger adults completed executive function and neuropsychological tests. In addition to self- and informant questionnaires of functional abilities, HOAs completed two performance-based measures. An aging effect was found on all executive function measures. Old-old older adults and their informants did not report more functional difficulties but demonstrated more difficulties on performance-based measures relative to young-old participants. For the HOAs, after controlling for age and education, the neuropsychological measures of executive functioning, but not experimental measures, explained a significant amount of variance in the informant-report and both performance-based measures. Updating measures differentially predicted performance-based measures, while switching was important for questionnaire and performance-based measures. The contribution of executive functioning to functional status when measured with experimental measures specifically designed to isolate the executive subcomponent was not as strong as hypothesized. Further research examining the value of isolating executive function subcomponents in neuropsychological assessment and the prediction of functional abilities in older adults is warranted. PMID:27206842

Executive function subcomponents and their relations to everyday functioning in healthy older adults.

PubMed

McAlister, Courtney; Schmitter-Edgecombe, Maureen

2016-10-01

Everyday functioning and its executive functioning cognitive correlates (i.e., switching, inhibition, and updating) were investigated in healthy older adults (HOAs) using multiple methods of functional status. In addition to whether computerized experimental tasks would better dissociate these subcomponents than neuropsychological measures of executive functioning, we were also interested in the contributions of both experimental and neuropsychological measures of executive function subcomponents to functional abilities. Seventy HOAs (45 young-old and 25 old-old) and 70 younger adults completed executive function and neuropsychological tests. In addition to self- and informant questionnaires of functional abilities, HOAs completed two performance-based measures. An aging effect was found on all executive function measures. Old-old older adults and their informants did not report more functional difficulties but demonstrated more difficulties on performance-based measures than did young-old participants. For the HOAs, after controlling for age and education, the neuropsychological measures of executive functioning, but not experimental measures, explained a significant amount of variance in the informant-report and both performance-based measures. Updating measures differentially predicted performance-based measures, while switching was important for questionnaire and performance-based measures. The contribution of executive functioning to functional status when measured with experimental measures specifically designed to isolate the executive subcomponent was not as strong as hypothesized. Further research examining the value of isolating executive function subcomponents in neuropsychological assessment and the prediction of functional abilities in older adults is warranted.

Discrimination, Other Psychosocial Stressors, and Self-Reported Sleep Duration and Difficulties

PubMed Central

Slopen, Natalie; Williams, David R.

2014-01-01

Objectives: To advance understanding of the relationship between discrimination and sleep duration and difficulties, with consideration of multiple dimensions of discrimination, and attention to concurrent stressors; and to examine the contribution of discrimination and other stressors to racial/ ethnic differences in these outcomes. Design: Cross-sectional probability sample. Setting: Chicago, IL. Participants: There were 2,983 black, Hispanic, and white adults. Measurements and Results: Outcomes included self-reported sleep duration and difficulties. Discrimination, including racial and nonracial everyday and major experiences of discrimination, workplace harassment and incivilities, and other stressors were assessed via questionnaire. In models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, greater exposure to racial (β = -0.14)) and nonracial (β = -0.08) everyday discrimination, major experiences of discrimination attributed to race/ethnicity (β = -0.17), and workplace harassment and incivilities (β = -0.14) were associated with shorter sleep (P < 0.05). The association between major experiences of discrimination attributed to race/ethnicity and sleep duration (β = -0.09, P < 0.05) was independent of concurrent stressors (i.e., acute events, childhood adversity, and financial, community, employment, and relationship stressors). Racial (β = 0.04) and non-racial (β = 0.05) everyday discrimination and racial (β = 0.04) and nonracial (β = 0.04) major experiences of discrimination, and workplace harassment and incivilities (β = 0.04) were also associated with more (log) sleep difficulties, and associations between racial and nonracial everyday discrimination and sleep difficulties remained after adjustment for other stressors (P < 0.05). Racial/ethnic differences in sleep duration and difficulties were not significant after adjustment for discrimination (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Discrimination was associated with shorter sleep and more sleep difficulties, independent of socioeconomic status and other stressors, and may account for some of the racial/ethnic differences in sleep. Citation: Slopen N; Williams DR. Discrimination, other psychosocial stressors, and self-reported sleep duration and difficulties. SLEEP 2014;37(1):147-156. PMID:24381373

Cognitive Ability as a Resource for Everyday Functioning among Older Adults Who Are Visually Impaired

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heyl, Vera; Wahl, Hans-Werner

2010-01-01

This article reports on a study that investigated the role of cognitive resources in the everyday functioning of 121 older adults who were visually impaired and 150 sighted older adults, with a mean age of 82 years. Cognitive performance and everyday functioning were most strongly related in the group who were visually impaired. The authors…

Everyday temptations: an experience sampling study of desire, conflict, and self-control.

PubMed

Hofmann, Wilhelm; Baumeister, Roy F; Förster, Georg; Vohs, Kathleen D

2012-06-01

How often and how strongly do people experience desires, to what extent do their desires conflict with other goals, and how often and successfully do people exercise self-control to resist their desires? To investigate desire and attempts to control desire in everyday life, we conducted a large-scale experience sampling study based on a conceptual framework integrating desire strength, conflict, resistance (use of self-control), and behavior enactment. A sample of 205 adults wore beepers for a week. They furnished 7,827 reports of desire episodes and completed personality measures of behavioral inhibition system/behavior activation system (BIS/BAS) sensitivity, trait self-control, perfectionism, and narcissistic entitlement. Results suggest that desires are frequent, variable in intensity, and largely unproblematic. Those urges that do conflict with other goals tend to elicit resistance, with uneven success. Desire strength, conflict, resistance, and self-regulatory success were moderated in multiple ways by personality variables as well as by situational and interpersonal factors such as alcohol consumption, the mere presence of others, and the presence of others who already had enacted the desire in question. Whereas personality generally had a stronger impact on the dimensions of desire that emerged early in its course (desire strength and conflict), situational factors showed relatively more influence on components later in the process (resistance and behavior enactment). In total, these findings offer a novel and detailed perspective on the nature of everyday desires and associated self-regulatory successes and failures. 2012 APA, all rights reserved

Self-reports of executive dysfunction in current ecstasy/polydrug Users.

PubMed

Hadjiefthyvoulou, Florentia; Fisk, John E; Montgomery, Catharine; Bridges, Nikola

2012-09-01

Ecstasy/polydrug users have exhibited deficits in executive functioning in laboratory tests. We sought to extend these findings by investigating the extent to which ecstasy/polydrug users manifest executive deficits in everyday life. Forty-two current ecstasy/polydrug users, 18 previous (abstinent for at least 6 months) ecstasy/polydrug users, and 50 non-users of ecstasy (including both non-users of any illicit drug and some cannabis-only users) completed the self-report Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version (BRIEF-A) measure. Current ecstasy/polydrug users performed significantly worse than previous users and non-users on subscales measuring inhibition, self-monitoring, initiating action, working memory, planning, monitoring ongoing task performance, and organizational ability. Previous ecstasy/polydrug users did not differ significantly from non-users. In regression analyses, although the current frequency of ecstasy use accounted for statistically significant unique variance on 3 of the 9 BRIEF-A subscales, daily cigarette consumption was the main predictor in 6 of the subscales. Current ecstasy/polydrug users report more executive dysfunction than do previous users and non-users. This finding appears to relate to some aspect of ongoing ecstasy use and seems largely unrelated to the use of other illicit drugs. An unexpected finding was the association of current nicotine consumption with executive dysfunction.

Self-Reports of Increased Prospective and Retrospective Memory Problems in Adults with Developmental Dyslexia.

PubMed

Smith-Spark, James H; Zięcik, Adam P; Sterling, Christopher

2016-08-01

Short-term and working memory problems in dyslexia are well-documented, but other memory domains have received little empirical scrutiny, despite some evidence to suggest that they might be impaired. Prospective memory is memory for delayed intentions, whilst retrospective memory relates to memory for personally experienced past events. To gain an understanding of subjective everyday memory experience, a self-report measure designed to tap prospective and retrospective memory was administered to 28 adults with dyslexia and 26 IQ-matched adults without dyslexia. Adults with dyslexia reported experiencing significantly more frequent problems with memory than the adults without dyslexia. Group differences were found across seven out of the eight questionnaire scales. Further to these analyses, the participants' own ratings were compared with proxy ratings provided by close associates. The perception of poorer memory abilities in the participants did not differ between respondent types. The self-reported difficulties are, thus, unlikely to be the result of lowered self-esteem or metacognitive awareness. More frequent difficulties with both types of memory would seem, therefore, to be experienced by adults with dyslexia in everyday life. Further laboratory-based research is recommended to explore both memory domains in dyslexia and to identify the cognitive mechanisms by which these problems occur. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A Nationwide Study of Discrimination and Chronic Health Conditions Among Asian Americans

PubMed Central

Gee, Gilbert C.; Spencer, Michael S.; Chen, Juan; Takeuchi, David

2007-01-01

Objectives. We examined whether self-reported everyday discrimination was associated with chronic health conditions among a nationally representative sample of Asian Americans. Methods. Data were from the Asian American subsample (n = 2095) of the National Latino and Asian American Study conducted in 2002 and 2003. Regression techniques (negative binomial and logistic) were used to examine the association between discrimination and chronic health conditions. Analyses were conducted for the entire sample and 3 Asian subgroups (Chinese, Vietnamese, and Filipino). Results. Reports of everyday discrimination were associated with many chronic conditions, after we controlled for age, gender, region, per capita income, education, employment, and social desirability bias. Discrimination was also associated with indicators of heart disease, pain, and respiratory illnesses. There were some differences by Asian subgroup. Conclusions. Everyday discrimination may contribute to stress experienced by racial/ethnic minorities and could lead to chronic illness. PMID:17538055

Mothers' and Fathers' Involvement in Home Activities with Their Children: Psychosocial Factors and the Role of Parental Self-Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giallo, Rebecca; Treyvaud, Karli; Cooklin, Amanda; Wade, Catherine

2013-01-01

Parent involvement in play, learning, and everyday home activities is important for promoting children's cognitive and language development. The aims of the study were to (a) examine differences between mothers' and fathers' self-reported involvement with their children, (b) explore the relationship between child, parent and family factors, and…

Longitudinal changes in everyday life after home modifications for people aging with disabilities.

PubMed

Petersson, Ingela; Kottorp, Anders; Bergström, Jakob; Lilja, Margareta

2009-05-01

To investigate longitudinal impacts of home modifications on the difficulty of performing everyday life tasks for people aging with disabilities, and to investigate whether other factors had any additional impacts on difficulty in everyday life tasks for people receiving home modifications. The sample consisted of 103 persons aging with disabilities and in need of home modifications, divided into an intervention group and a comparison group. The data were first subjected to Rasch analysis and a random coefficient model was used. Participants in the intervention group reported a significantly lower level of difficulty in everyday life tasks compared with those in the comparison group. One confounding factor, number of months waiting for home modification, had an impact on difficulty in everyday life. Home modifications are effective in decreasing difficulty in performing everyday life tasks up to six months after the installation. Furthermore, to be effective home modifications need to be installed in a timely fashion. For each consecutive month the person waited for their home modification the difficulty of performing everyday life tasks increased. Therefore, it is important that home modifications be installed as soon as possible after the need has been identified.

Neural Correlates of Performance Monitoring during the Transition to Young Adulthood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kneževic, Martina; Veroude, Kim; Jolles, Jelle; Krabbendam, Lydia

2016-01-01

Cognitive challenges during transition to adulthood are generally high and require particular skills, such as self-control, performance evaluation, and behavioral adjustment for success in everyday living. However, age and sex differences in timing and efficiency of brain maturational processes in the early twenties are not well known. We used a…

[Self-determination of elderly persons with care needs: three case reports on individual and environmental resources of elderly persons].

PubMed

Kammerer, K; Falk, K; Heusinger, J; Kümpers, S

2012-10-01

The project Neighbourhood examined the opportunities for self-determination of older people with care needs and their social, spatial, and individual requirements. This article is based on three case reports on women from lower social milieus living on their own. The case reports show on which individual resources women relay in their everyday life and which environmental conditions help to enable or limit self-determination. The synopsis of the three cases reveals opportunities to support social participation and self-determination of persons with care needs on a local level. The concluding recommendations focus on requirements for networking and fundamentals for an easy access to counseling, supply and participatory structures.

Impact of self-reported multiple chemical sensitivity on everyday life: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Skovbjerg, Sine; Brorson, Stig; Rasmussen, Alice; Johansen, Jeanne Duus; Elberling, Jesper

2009-08-01

Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is a descriptive term covering symptoms attributed to exposure to common airborne chemicals. There are no internationally accepted criteria, but it has been suggested that MCS is a chronic and disabling condition. However, details of the impact of MCS on everyday life are limited. To describe the impact of MCS on everyday life, strategies for managing the condition, and experiences with healthcare management. A focus group study was conducted, including two interviews with a sample of six women and six men between 27 and 78 years of age, a duration of MCS of at least 1 year, and with different occupational conditions. MCS may severely influence different aspects of everyday life, including lifestyle, social relations, and occupational conditions. Avoiding common airborne chemicals was the most prevalent coping strategy, which implied creating a chemical-free living space and limiting social activities. Experiences with healthcare management were overall reported as negative in terms of not receiving acknowledgement of the reported symptoms. MCS may have serious implications for daily functioning. Further research on individual consequences and the social and psychological factors that may be associated with MCS is needed in order to add to our understanding of this condition and to the provision of more satisfactory healthcare.

‘It’s my home and your work’: the views of a filmed vignette describing a challenging everyday situation from the perspective of people with intellectual disabilities

PubMed Central

Hellzen, Ove; Haugenes, Marit; Østby, May

2018-01-01

ABSTRACT Purpose: Examining everyday challenges in the interactions between people with intellectual disabilities and their staff, as seen from the user’s perspective, is an important perspective in health care research. Involving people with intellectual disabilities as so-called co-researchers is a relatively unexplored research strategy. In this paper, co-researchers participated in all the steps of the research process, from planning to reporting, in addition to the written reporting of the findings. The aim of this study was to explore how people with intellectual disabilities experienced a filmed vignette of an everyday situation. Method: Based on audio-recorded and transcribed individual and focus-group interviews with people with intellectual disabilities, performed by co-researchers with intellectual disabilities together with researchers, qualitative content analysis was used. Results: The analysis reveals three themes: “being emotionally touched”, “being aware of the other”, and “being unclear”. Conclusions: The results are discussed in light of normalization and participation in society with independence and one’s own decision-making. Regarding the care of people with intellectual disabilities, the main finding is the need to focus not only on greater involvement of this population in their own daily lives, but also to teach self-determination skills. Another finding is the importance of involving people with intellectual impairment as co-researchers. PMID:29733261

Rehabilitation of Executive Functions in Patients with Chronic Acquired Brain Injury with Goal Management Training, External Cuing, and Emotional Regulation: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Tornås, Sveinung; Løvstad, Marianne; Solbakk, Anne-Kristin; Evans, Jonathan; Endestad, Tor; Hol, Per Kristian; Schanke, Anne-Kristine; Stubberud, Jan

2016-04-01

Executive dysfunction is a common consequence of acquired brain injury (ABI), causing significant disability in daily life. This randomized controlled trial investigated the efficacy of Goal Management Training (GMT) in improving executive functioning in patients with chronic ABI. Seventy patients with a verified ABI and executive dysfunction were randomly allocated to GMT (n=33) or a psycho-educative active control condition, Brain Health Workshop (BHW) (n=37). In addition, all participants received external cueing by text messages. Neuropsychological tests and self-reported questionnaires of executive functioning were administered pre-intervention, immediately after intervention, and at 6 months follow-up. Assessors were blinded to group allocation. Questionnaire measures indicated significant improvement of everyday executive functioning in the GMT group, with effects lasting at least 6 months post-treatment. Both groups improved on the majority of the applied neuropsychological tests. However, improved performance on tests demanding executive attention was most prominent in the GMT group. The results indicate that GMT combined with external cueing is an effective metacognitive strategy training method, ameliorating executive dysfunction in daily life for patients with chronic ABI. The strongest effects were seen on self-report measures of executive functions 6 months post-treatment, suggesting that strategies learned in GMT were applied and consolidated in everyday life after the end of training. Furthermore, these findings show that executive dysfunction can be improved years after the ABI.

Self-care behaviors of Filipino-American adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Jordan, Deovina N; Jordan, James L

2010-01-01

To examine the diabetes self-care behaviors of Filipino-American (FA) adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). The Summary of Diabetes Self Care Activities-Revised and Expanded measure was administered to 192 (74 males and 118 females) FA adult immigrants with type 2 DM. Older FAs (> or =65 years), females, those who were older when they immigrated, and participants diagnosed with type 2 DM longer were more likely to follow recommended medication regimens. Younger FAs (<65 years) and participants diagnosed with type 2 DM for shorter duration of time were less likely to perform blood glucose testing. Most FAs reported following their eating plans; however, those who lived in the United States (US) longer followed healthful eating plans. Likewise, females reported eating five or more servings of fruits and/or vegetables daily. Moreover, older FAs reported evenly spacing carbohydrate intake everyday. Furthermore, older participants, those with less education, participants who were older when they immigrated, and those older when diagnosed with type 2 DM ate fewer foods high in fats. As to physical activity, FA males and participants with higher education exercised more frequently. Younger FAs were less likely to perform optimum type 2 DM self-care behaviors pertaining to diet, medication taking, and blood glucose testing compared to their older counterparts. This finding suggests an increased risk for type 2 DM comorbidities and/or complications in younger FAs, which may require more intensive treatments in later years. Copyright 2010. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Changes in experienced value of everyday occupations after nature-based vocational rehabilitation.

PubMed

Pálsdóttir, Anna María; Grahn, Patrik; Persson, Dennis

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to describe and assess changes in participants' experiences of everyday occupations after nature-based vocational rehabilitation (NBVR), to assess changes regarding symptoms of severe stress and the rate of return to work and possible association with experiencing the occupational value of everyday occupations. The NBVR was carried out by a transdisciplinary rehabilitation team and took place in a specially designed rehabilitation garden. The study had a longitudinal and mixed-method approach. Data concerning experiences of everyday occupations (Oval-pd), self-assessed occupational competence (OSA-F), health status (EQ-VAS, SCI-93), and sense of coherence (SOC-13) were collected before and after the intervention, and a one-year follow-up was carried out regarding returning to work. Semi-structured interviews were performed 12 weeks after the intervention. Significant changes were measured regarding perceived occupational values in daily life, symptoms of severe stress, and returning to work. Both the return to work rate and symptoms of severe stress were significantly associated with changed experience of everyday occupation. In the interviews, participants explained that they now had a slower pace of everyday life and that everyday occupations were more often related to nature and creativity. This could be interpreted as nature-based rehabilitation inducing changes through meaningful occupations in restorative environments, leading to a positive change in perceived values of everyday occupations.

Characterizing Social Communication Changes in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Fiona; Philpott, April; Andrews, Sophie C.; Maule, Roxanne; Douglas, Jacinta

2017-01-01

Background: Speech and language impairments are well-established in individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, knowledge about particular aspects of social communication and everyday conversational abilities is limited. Aims: To investigate self- and informant-report ratings of social communicative abilities in ALS participants…

Self-management develops through doing of everyday activities-a longitudinal qualitative study of stroke survivors during two years post-stroke.

PubMed

Satink, Ton; Josephsson, Staffan; Zajec, Jana; Cup, Edith H C; de Swart, Bert J M; Nijhuis-van der Sanden, Maria W G

2016-11-15

A description of the complexity of the process of self-management and the way stroke survivors give meaning to their process of self-management post-stroke is lacking. This study explores how stroke survivors managed their lives, gave meaning to their self-management post-stroke and how this evolved over time. Data was generated through participant observations and interviews of 10 stroke survivors at their homes at 3, 6, 9, 15 and 21 months post-discharge. A constant comparative method was chosen to analyse the data. 'Situated doing' was central in stroke survivors' simultaneous development of self-management and their sense of being in charge of everyday life post-stroke. Doing everyday activities provided the stroke survivors with an arena to explore, experience, evaluate, develop and adapt self-management and being in charge of everyday activities and daily life. The influence of stroke survivors' partners on this development was sometimes experienced as empowering and at other times as constraining. Over time, the meaning of self-management and being in charge changed from the opinion that self-management was doing everything yourself towards self-managing and being in charge, if necessary, with the help of others. Moreover, the sense of self-management and being in charge differed among participants: it ranged from managing only at the level of everyday activities to full role management and experiencing a meaningful and valuable life post-stroke. The findings of this study indicate the doing of activities as an important arena in which to develop self-management and being in charge post-stroke. Stroke self-management programs could best be delivered in stroke survivors' own environment and focus on not only stroke survivors but also their relatives. Furthermore, the focus of such interventions should be on not only the level of activities but also the existential level of self-management post-stroke.

Self-conscious emotions׳ role in functional outcomes within clinical populations.

PubMed

Macaulay, Rebecca; Cohen, Alex

2014-04-30

Patients with severe mental illnesses (SMI) often experience dysfunction in their ability to efficiently carry out everyday roles and/or skills. These deficits are seen across many domains of daily functioning. We suggest that the "self-conscious emotions" of pride and shame play a role in these functional outcomes. Pride and shame appear to facilitate individuals׳ ability to evaluate their group status, detect social threats, and to adjust their behaviors accordingly. This study utilized an objective performance measure of functional capacity and a self-report of quality of life (QoL) to examine the respective roles of pride and shame in functional outcomes within two SMI patient groups (schizophrenia and affective disorder) and a community control group. The influence of neurocognition, affect and symptomatology on functional outcomes was also assessed. The patient groups did not differ in cognitive functioning, QoL, or shame. The schizophrenia group reported significantly higher pride and displayed worse objective performance than the other groups. Within each of the groups, shame had an inverse relationship with QoL, while pride positively associated with QoL. Shame associated with worse functional capacity in the schizophrenia group. Shame associated with better functional capacity, while pride associated with worse functional capacity within the affective disorder group. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Feasibility of a Computerized Method to Measure Quality of "Everyday" Life in Children with Neuromuscular Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bray, Paula; Bundy, Anita C.; Ryan, Monique M.; North, Kathryn N.

2010-01-01

Measurement of quality of life is becoming increasingly important in health care. Self-reported quality of life is the preferred method of gathering this information, but children are often excluded from this process, their input being replaced by parent-proxy report. This feasibility study tested assessment of "daily" quality-of-life by a…

Do You Know How I Feel? Parents Underestimate Worry and Overestimate Optimism Compared to Child Self-Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lagattuta, Kristin Hansen; Sayfan, Liat; Bamford, Christi

2012-01-01

Three studies assessed parent-child agreement in perceptions of children's everyday emotions in typically developing 4- to 11-year-old children. Study 1 (N = 228) and Study 2 (N = 195) focused on children's worry and anxiety. Study 3 (N = 90) examined children's optimism. Despite child and parent reporters providing internally consistent…

High School Physics Teacher Preparation: Results from the 2012-13 Nationwide Survey of High School Physics Teachers. Focus On

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Susan; Tyler, John

2015-01-01

This report examines teachers' self-assessed preparedness to teach physics, their membership in professional organizations, and where they turn for help when they have questions. Almost every teacher reports feeling at least adequately prepared to teach basic physics knowledge and the application of physics to everyday experience. The smallest…

Aspects of self differ among physically active and inactive youths.

PubMed

Veselska, Zuzana; Madarasova Geckova, Andrea; Reijneveld, Sijmen A; van Dijk, Jitse P

2011-06-01

The aim of this paper was to explore connection between aspects of self and levels of physical activity among adolescents. An international sample of 501 elementary school students (mean age 14.7 ± 0.9 years, 48.5% males) from the Slovak and Czech Republics completed the Self-competence/Self-liking Scale, the Rosenberg's Self-esteem Scale, the Self-efficacy Scale and a question on their physical activity. Respondents were divided into three groups: (1) no physical activity; (2) infrequent physical activity; (3) everyday physical activity. Data were explored with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) separately for each gender. Boys with no physical activity had lower self-liking and social self-efficacy in comparison with boys with everyday physical activity. Girls with no physical activity had lower positive self-esteem, self-liking, self-competence, general and social self-efficacy and higher negative self-esteem in comparison with girls with infrequent and everyday physical activity. Regular physical activity is connected with psychological aspects of self among adolescents, especially girls. Incorporating physical activity into the life of youths on a regular basis might lead to the enhancement of their feelings of self-worth and self-efficacy.

Student Self-Reported Learning Outcomes of Field Trips: The pedagogical impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavie Alon, Nirit; Tal, Tali

2015-05-01

In this study, we used the classification and regression trees (CART) method to draw relationships between student self-reported learning outcomes in 26 field trips to natural environments and various characteristics of the field trip that include variables associated with preparation and pedagogy. We wished to examine the extent to which the preparation for the field trip, its connection to the school curriculum, and the pedagogies used, affect students' self-reported outcomes in three domains: cognitive, affective, and behavioral; and the extent the students' socioeconomic group and the guide's affiliation affect students' reported learning outcomes. Given that most of the field trips were guide-centered, the most important variable that affected the three domains of outcomes was the guide's storytelling. Other variables that showed relationships with self-reported outcomes were physical activity and making connections to everyday life-all of which we defined as pedagogical variables. We found no significant differences in student self-reported outcomes with respect to their socioeconomic group and the guide's organizational affiliation.

Working memory training and transfer in older adults.

PubMed

Richmond, Lauren L; Morrison, Alexandra B; Chein, Jason M; Olson, Ingrid R

2011-12-01

There has been a great deal of interest, both privately and commercially, in using working memory training exercises to improve general cognitive function. However, many of the laboratory findings for older adults, a group in which this training is of utmost interest, are discouraging due to the lack of transfer to other tasks and skills. Importantly, improvements in everyday functioning remain largely unexamined in relation to WM training. We trained working memory in older adults using a task that encourages transfer in young adults (Chein & Morrison, 2010). We tested transfer to measures of working memory (e.g., Reading Span), everyday cognitive functioning [the Test of Everyday Attention (TEA) and the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT)], and other tasks of interest. Relative to controls, trained participants showed transfer improvements in Reading Span and the number of repetitions on the CVLT. Training group participants were also significantly more likely to self-report improvements in everyday attention. Our findings support the use of ecological tasks as a measure of transfer in an older adult population.

Self-Administered, Home-Based SMART (Sensorimotor Active Rehabilitation Training) Arm Training: A Single-Case Report.

PubMed

Hayward, Kathryn S; Neibling, Bridee A; Barker, Ruth N

2015-01-01

This single-case, mixed-method study explored the feasibility of self-administered, home-based SMART (sensorimotor active rehabilitation training) Arm training for a 57-yr-old man with severe upper-limb disability after a right frontoparietal hemorrhagic stroke 9 mo earlier. Over 4 wk of self-administered, home-based SMART Arm training, the participant completed 2,100 repetitions unassisted. His wife provided support for equipment set-up and training progressions. Clinically meaningful improvements in arm impairment (strength), activity (arm and hand tasks), and participation (use of arm in everyday tasks) occurred after training (at 4 wk) and at follow-up (at 16 wk). Areas for refinement of SMART Arm training derived from thematic analysis of the participant's and researchers' journals focused on enabling independence, ensuring home and user friendliness, maintaining the motivation to persevere, progressing toward everyday tasks, and integrating practice into daily routine. These findings suggest that further investigation of self-administered, home-based SMART Arm training is warranted for people with stroke who have severe upper-limb disability. Copyright © 2015 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Assessment of Functional Change and Cognitive Correlates in the Progression from Healthy Cognitive Aging to Dementia

PubMed Central

Schmitter-Edgecombe, Maureen; Parsey, Carolyn M.

2014-01-01

Objective There is currently limited understanding of the course of change in everyday functioning that occurs with normal aging and dementia. To better characterize the nature of this change, we evaluated the types of errors made by participants as they performed everyday tasks in a naturalistic environment. Method Participants included cognitively healthy younger adults (YA; N = 55) and older adults (OA; N =88), and individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI: N =55) and dementia (N = 18). Participants performed eight scripted everyday activities (e.g., filling a medication dispenser) while under direct observation in a campus apartment. Task performances were coded for the following errors: inefficient actions, omissions, substitutions, and irrelevant actions. Results Performance accuracy decreased with age and level of cognitive impairment. Relative to the YAs, the OA group exhibited more inefficient actions which were linked to performance on neuropsychological measures of executive functioning. Relative to the OAs, the MCI group committed significantly more omission errors which were strongly linked to performance on memory measures. All error types were significantly more prominent in individuals with dementia. Omission errors uniquely predicted everyday functional status as measured by both informant-report and a performance-based measure. Conclusions These findings suggest that in the progression from healthy aging to MCI, everyday task difficulties may evolve from task inefficiencies to task omission errors, leading to inaccuracies in task completion that are recognized by knowledgeable informants. Continued decline in cognitive functioning then leads to more substantial everyday errors, which compromise ability to live independently. PMID:24933485

Incorporating the Aesthetic Dimension into Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webster, R. Scott; Wolfe, Melissa

2013-01-01

This paper reports on a case study that was undertaken to discover not only the belief and intent behind the everyday opportunities that four exemplary teachers offered their high performing students but what activities they incorporated into their everyday lessons in an attempt to make sense of how aesthetic experiences may enhance learning. The…

Discrimination, other psychosocial stressors, and self-reported sleep duration and difficulties.

PubMed

Slopen, Natalie; Williams, David R

2014-01-01

To advance understanding of the relationship between discrimination and sleep duration and difficulties, with consideration of multiple dimensions of discrimination, and attention to concurrent stressors; and to examine the contribution of discrimination and other stressors to racial/ ethnic differences in these outcomes. Cross-sectional probability sample. Chicago, IL. There were 2,983 black, Hispanic, and white adults. Outcomes included self-reported sleep duration and difficulties. Discrimination, including racial and nonracial everyday and major experiences of discrimination, workplace harassment and incivilities, and other stressors were assessed via questionnaire. In models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, greater exposure to racial (β = -0.14)) and nonracial (β = -0.08) everyday discrimination, major experiences of discrimination attributed to race/ethnicity (β = -0.17), and workplace harassment and incivilities (β = -0.14) were associated with shorter sleep (P < 0.05). The association between major experiences of discrimination attributed to race/ethnicity and sleep duration (β = -0.09, P < 0.05) was independent of concurrent stressors (i.e., acute events, childhood adversity, and financial, community, employment, and relationship stressors). Racial (β = 0.04) and non-racial (β = 0.05) everyday discrimination and racial (β = 0.04) and nonracial (β = 0.04) major experiences of discrimination, and workplace harassment and incivilities (β = 0.04) were also associated with more (log) sleep difficulties, and associations between racial and nonracial everyday discrimination and sleep difficulties remained after adjustment for other stressors (P < 0.05). Racial/ethnic differences in sleep duration and difficulties were not significant after adjustment for discrimination (P > 0.05). Discrimination was associated with shorter sleep and more sleep difficulties, independent of socioeconomic status and other stressors, and may account for some of the racial/ethnic differences in sleep.

The Development of a Taxonomy of the Life Skills Required to Become a Balanced Self-Determined Person = Essaie de Classification des Competences Necessaires pour Devenir une Personne Autonome et Bien Equilibree.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Paul

Intended for use by life skills coaches and students, program evaluators, and individuals developing lesson plans and other training materials, this taxonomy includes all of the terminal performance behaviors and corresponding sub-skills required to become and function as a balanced, self-determined person who manages the problems of everyday life…

Towards Automating Clinical Assessments: A Survey of the Timed Up and Go (TUG)

PubMed Central

Sprint, Gina; Cook, Diane; Weeks, Douglas

2016-01-01

Older adults often suffer from functional impairments that affect their ability to perform everyday tasks. To detect the onset and changes in abilities, healthcare professionals administer standardized assessments. Recently, technology has been utilized to complement these clinical assessments to gain a more objective and detailed view of functionality. In the clinic and at home, technology is able to provide more information about patient performance and reduce subjectivity in outcome measures. The timed up and go (TUG) test is one such assessment recently instrumented with technology in several studies, yielding promising results towards the future of automating clinical assessments. Potential benefits of technological TUG implementations include additional performance parameters, generated reports, and the ability to be self-administered in the home. In this paper, we provide an overview of the TUG test and technologies utilized for TUG instrumentation. We then critically review the technological advancements and follow up with an evaluation of the benefits and limitations of each approach. Finally, we analyze the gaps in the implementations and discuss challenges for future research towards automated, self-administered assessment in the home. PMID:25594979

Formative Assessment and Writing: A Meta-Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graham, Steve; Hebert, Michael; Harris, Karen R.

2015-01-01

To determine whether formative writing assessments that are directly tied to everyday classroom teaching and learning enhance students' writing performance, we conducted a meta-analysis of true and quasi-experiments conducted with students in grades 1 to 8. We found that feedback to students about writing from adults, peers, self, and computers…

Subjective cognitive complaints contribute to misdiagnosis of mild cognitive impairment.

PubMed

Edmonds, Emily C; Delano-Wood, Lisa; Galasko, Douglas R; Salmon, David P; Bondi, Mark W

2014-09-01

Subjective cognitive complaints are a criterion for the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), despite their uncertain relationship to objective memory performance in MCI. We aimed to examine self-reported cognitive complaints in subgroups of the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) MCI cohort to determine whether they are a valuable inclusion in the diagnosis of MCI or, alternatively, if they contribute to misdiagnosis. Subgroups of MCI were derived using cluster analysis of baseline neuropsychological test data from 448 ADNI MCI participants. Cognitive complaints were assessed via the Everyday Cognition (ECog) questionnaire, and discrepancy scores were calculated between self- and informant-report. Cluster analysis revealed Amnestic and Mixed cognitive phenotypes as well as a third Cluster-Derived Normal subgroup (41.3%), whose neuropsychological and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarker profiles did not differ from a "robust" normal control group. This cognitively intact phenotype of MCI participants overestimated their cognitive problems relative to their informant, whereas Amnestic MCI participants with objective memory impairment underestimated their cognitive problems. Underestimation of cognitive problems was associated with positive CSF AD biomarkers and progression to dementia. Overall, there was no relationship between self-reported cognitive complaints and objective cognitive functioning, but significant correlations were observed with depressive symptoms. The inclusion of self-reported complaints in MCI diagnostic criteria may cloud rather than clarify diagnosis and result in high rates of misclassification of MCI. Discrepancies between self- and informant-report demonstrate that overestimation of cognitive problems is characteristic of normal aging while underestimation may reflect greater risk for cognitive decline.

Professional Learning through Everyday Work: How Finance Professionals Self-Regulate Their Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Littlejohn, Allison; Milligan, Colin; Fontana, Rosa Pia; Margaryan, Anoush

2016-01-01

Professional learning is a critical component of ongoing improvement and innovation and the adoption of new practices in the workplace. Professional learning is often achieved through learning embedded in everyday work tasks. However, little is known about how professionals self-regulate their learning through regular work activities. This paper…

Anatomy of an error: a bidirectional state model of task engagement/disengagement and attention-related errors.

PubMed

Allan Cheyne, J; Solman, Grayden J F; Carriere, Jonathan S A; Smilek, Daniel

2009-04-01

We present arguments and evidence for a three-state attentional model of task engagement/disengagement. The model postulates three states of mind-wandering: occurrent task inattention, generic task inattention, and response disengagement. We hypothesize that all three states are both causes and consequences of task performance outcomes and apply across a variety of experimental and real-world tasks. We apply this model to the analysis of a widely used GO/NOGO task, the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART). We identify three performance characteristics of the SART that map onto the three states of the model: RT variability, anticipations, and omissions. Predictions based on the model are tested, and largely corroborated, via regression and lag-sequential analyses of both successful and unsuccessful withholding on NOGO trials as well as self-reported mind-wandering and everyday cognitive errors. The results revealed theoretically consistent temporal associations among the state indicators and between these and SART errors as well as with self-report measures. Lag analysis was consistent with the hypotheses that temporal transitions among states are often extremely abrupt and that the association between mind-wandering and performance is bidirectional. The bidirectional effects suggest that errors constitute important occasions for reactive mind-wandering. The model also enables concrete phenomenological, behavioral, and physiological predictions for future research.

The Role of Self-Regulatory and Metacognitive Competence in the Motor Performance Difficulties of Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder: A Theoretical and Empirical Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jokic, Claire Sangster; Whitebread, David

2011-01-01

Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) experience difficulty coping with everyday demands due to difficulties in performing motor tasks. Recently, a cognitive learning paradigm has been applied to studying the nature of the problems experienced by children with DCD, which assumes that these children have fewer cognitive and…

Media multitasking and behavioral measures of sustained attention.

PubMed

Ralph, Brandon C W; Thomson, David R; Seli, Paul; Carriere, Jonathan S A; Smilek, Daniel

2015-02-01

In a series of four studies, self-reported media multitasking (using the media multitasking index; MMI) and general sustained-attention ability, through performance on three sustained-attention tasks: the metronome response task (MRT), the sustained-attention-to-response task (SART), and a vigilance task (here, a modified version of the SART). In Study 1, we found that higher reports of media multitasking were associated with increased response variability (i.e., poor performance) on the MRT. However, in Study 2, no association between reported media multitasking and performance on the SART was observed. These findings were replicated in Studies 3a and 3b, in which we again assessed the relation between media multitasking and performance on both the MRT and SART in two large online samples. Finally, in Study 4, using a large online sample, we tested whether media multitasking was associated with performance on a vigilance task. Although standard vigilance decrements were observed in both sensitivity (A') and response times, media multitasking was not associated with the size of these decrements, nor was media multitasking associated with overall performance, in terms of either sensitivity or response times. Taken together, the results of the studies reported here failed to demonstrate a relation between habitual engagement in media multitasking in everyday life and a general deficit in sustained-attention processes.

A situation-specific approach to measure attention in adults with ADHD: The everyday life attention scale (ELAS).

PubMed

Groen, Yvonne; Fuermaier, Anselm B M; Tucha, Lara; Weisbrod, Matthias; Aschenbrenner, Steffen; Tucha, Oliver

2018-03-14

This study describes the development and utility of a new self-report measure of attentional capacities of adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): the Everyday Life Attention Scale (ELAS). Different from previous attention scales, attentional capacities are rated for nine everyday situations. Study 1 investigated the factor structure, validity, and reliability of the ELAS in 1206 healthy participants. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a situation-specific approach which categorizes everyday attention into nine situation scales: Reading, Movie, Activity, Lecture, Conversation, Assignment, Cooking, Cleaning up, and Driving. Each scale was composed of ratings for sustained, focused, selective, and divided attention as well as motivation, and had good internal consistency. Most scales showed weak correlations with ADHD Symptoms, Executive Functioning, and Memory Efficacy. Study 2 further investigated the sensitivity of the ELAS in 80 adults with ADHD compared to matched healthy controls and a mixed clinical group of 56 patients diagnosed with other psychiatric disorders. Compared to healthy controls, patients with ADHD reported reduced attentional capacities with large effect sizes on all situation scales and had a substantially higher number of situations with impaired attention scores. The ELAS may become useful in the clinical evaluation of ADHD and related psychiatric disorders in adults.

Making a difference: ethical consumption and the everyday.

PubMed

Adams, Matthew; Raisborough, Jayne

2010-06-01

Our everyday shopping practices are increasingly marketed as opportunities to 'make a difference' via our ethical consumption choices. In response to a growing body of work detailing the ways in which specific alignments of 'ethics' and 'consumption' are mediated, we explore how 'ethical' opportunities such as the consumption of Fairtrade products are recognized, experienced and taken-up in the everyday. The 'everyday' is approached here via a specially commissioned Mass Observation directive, a volunteer panel of correspondents in the UK. Our on-going thematic analysis of their autobiographical accounts aims to explore a complex unevenness in the ways 'ordinary' people experience and negotiate calls to enact their ethical agency through consumption. Situating ethical consumption, moral obligation and choice in the everyday is, we argue, important if we are to avoid both over-exaggerating the reflexive and self-conscious sensibilities involved in ethical consumption, and, adhering to a reductive understanding of ethical self-expression.

The Effect of Engagement in Everyday Occupations, Role Overload and Social Support on Health and Life Satisfaction among Mothers.

PubMed

Bar, Michal Avrech; Jarus, Tal

2015-05-28

One of the founding assumptions underlying the health professions is the belief that there is a strong relationship between engagement in occupations, health, and wellbeing. The ability to perform everyday occupations (occupational performance) has a positive effect on health and wellbeing. However, there is also conflicting evidence indicating that participation in multiple roles or in certain occupations may lead to poorer health. Therefore, there is a need to better understand this relationship. The purpose of the present study was to examine three possible theoretical models to explain mothers' health and life satisfaction from the perspective of their occupational performance, their role load, and their social support. 150 married mothers, ages of 25-45, who had at least one child between the ages of one to ten years, participated in the study. Data were collected by using seven self-report questionnaires. The models were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. The results show that social support has a direct effect on mothers' physical health and life satisfaction and an indirect effect, mediated through the occupational performance variables, on mothers' mental health and life satisfaction. Role overload does not affect mothers' health and life satisfaction. These results suggest that mothers could benefit from health programs that help them manage their occupational routines. Such programs should focus on improving the mother's occupational performance and adapting her social environment to fit her occupational needs.

The Effect of Engagement in Everyday Occupations, Role Overload and Social Support on Health and Life Satisfaction among Mothers

PubMed Central

Avrech Bar, Michal; Jarus, Tal

2015-01-01

One of the founding assumptions underlying the health professions is the belief that there is a strong relationship between engagement in occupations, health, and wellbeing. The ability to perform everyday occupations (occupational performance) has a positive effect on health and wellbeing. However, there is also conflicting evidence indicating that participation in multiple roles or in certain occupations may lead to poorer health. Therefore, there is a need to better understand this relationship. The purpose of the present study was to examine three possible theoretical models to explain mothers’ health and life satisfaction from the perspective of their occupational performance, their role load, and their social support. 150 married mothers, ages of 25–45, who had at least one child between the ages of one to ten years, participated in the study. Data were collected by using seven self-report questionnaires. The models were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. The results show that social support has a direct effect on mothers’ physical health and life satisfaction and an indirect effect, mediated through the occupational performance variables, on mothers’ mental health and life satisfaction. Role overload does not affect mothers’ health and life satisfaction. These results suggest that mothers could benefit from health programs that help them manage their occupational routines. Such programs should focus on improving the mother’s occupational performance and adapting her social environment to fit her occupational needs. PMID:26030472

"The C Words": Clitorises, Childhood and Challenging Compulsory Heterosexuality Discourses with Pre-Service Primary Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curran, Greg; Chiarolli, Steph; Pallotta-Chiarolli, Maria

2009-01-01

This paper reports on accidental ethnographic research. It arose unexpectedly out of the everyday teaching of first-year pre-service primary teachers at an Australian university. Via narrative, self-reflexivity, and student responses, we explore the interwoven workings of heteronormative, gendernormative and misogynist discourses when a chapter…

Walking and talking: an investigation of cognitive-motor dual tasking in multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Hamilton, F; Rochester, L; Paul, L; Rafferty, D; O'Leary, C P; Evans, J J

2009-10-01

Deficits in motor functioning, including walking, and in cognitive functions, including attention, are known to be prevalent in multiple sclerosis (MS), though little attention has been paid to how impairments in these areas of functioning interact. This study investigated the effects of performing a concurrent cognitive task when walking in people with MS. Level of task demand was manipulated to investigate whether this affected level of dual-task decrement. Eighteen participants with MS and 18 healthy controls took part. Participants completed walking and cognitive tasks under single- and dual-task conditions. Compared to healthy controls, MS participants showed greater decrements in performance under dual-task conditions in cognitive task performance, walking speed and swing time variability. In the MS group, the degree of decrement under dual-task conditions was related to levels of fatigue, a measure of general cognitive functioning and self-reported everyday cognitive errors, but not to measures of disease severity or duration. Difficulty with walking and talking in MS may be a result of a divided attention deficit or of overloading of the working memory system, and further investigation is needed. We suggest that difficulty with walking and talking in MS may lead to practical problems in everyday life, including potentially increasing the risk of falls. Clinical tools to assess cognitive-motor dual-tasking ability are needed.

Factors influencing subjective perceptions of everyday occupations: comparing day centre attendees with non-attendees.

PubMed

Argentzell, Elisabeth; Leufstadius, Christel; Eklund, Mona

2012-01-01

Subjective perceptions of everyday occupations are important for the well-being of people with psychiatric disabilities (PD) and are likely to vary with factors such as attending a day centre or not, activity level, self-mastery, sociodemographic and clinical factors. To explore differences in subjective perceptions of occupation and activity level between day centre attendees and non-attendees, and to investigate factors of importance for the subjective perceptions of occupations. The study groups comprised 175 participants: 93 day centre attendees and 82 non-attendees. Data were collected with instruments concerning; subjective perceptions of everyday occupations, activity level, self-mastery, and sociodemographic and clinical factors. Day centre attendees perceived higher levels of occupational value and activity level, while the groups perceived a similar level of satisfaction with daily occupations. For the total sample, self-mastery influenced both valued and satisfying everyday occupations while only value was affected by activity level. Satisfaction with daily occupation increased with age and both value and satisfaction increased with lower levels of psychiatric symptoms. Day centres provide perceptions of occupational value and stimulate activity. Non-differences between the groups regarding satisfaction with everyday occupations implied, however, that day centres might not cover all relevant occupational needs.

Daily Stress, Hearing-Specific Stress and Coping: Self-reports from Deaf or Hard of Hearing Children and Children With Auditory Processing Disorder.

PubMed

Eschenbeck, Heike; Gillé, Vera; Heim-Dreger, Uwe; Schock, Alexandra; Schott, Andrea

2017-01-01

This study evaluated stressors and coping strategies in 70 children who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH) or with auditory processing disorder (APD) attending Grades 5 and 6 of a school for deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Everyday general stressors and more hearing-specific stressors were examined in a hearing-specific modified stress and coping questionnaire. Reports were compared with normative data for hearing children. Regarding everyday general stressors, stress levels for children who are D/HH or with APD did not differ from those of hearing children. Within children with hearing problems, everyday stressors were experienced as more stressful than hearing-specific stressors. For coping strategies, differences between children with hearing problems (D/HH, APD) and hearing children were shown (i.e., problem solving, anger-related emotion regulation). Girls scored higher in seeking social support whereas boys reported higher amounts of media use as a way of coping. Differences regarding stress and coping between children who are D/HH and children with APD were minor; D/HH children reported more social support seeking. Implications for assessment and resource promotion are discussed. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

From Gut Knowing: Every Silver Cloud Has a Black Lining. Actor Reflections on "Ties That Bind."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elmes, Michael

2003-01-01

Makes sense of the performance of Steve Taylor's play, "Ties That Bind," from the perspective of the actors, 14 faculty members, and doctoral students from various universities in the United States by using the interpretive lens of Erving Goffman's Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. (SG)

Action-based touch observation in adults with high functioning autism: Can compromised self-other distinction abilities link social and sensory everyday problems?

PubMed Central

Wiersema, Jan R.; Brass, Marcel

2017-01-01

Abstract Next to social problems, individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often report severe sensory difficulties. Altered processing of touch is however a stronger mediator of social symptoms’ severity than altered processing of for instance vision or audition. Why is this the case? We reasoned that sensory difficulties may be linked to social problems in ASD through insufficient self-other distinction centred on touch. We investigated by means of EEG whether the brain of adults with ASD adequately signals when a tactile consequence of an observed action does not match own touch, as compared to the brain of matched controls. We employed the action-based somatosensory congruency paradigm. Participants observed a human or wooden hand touching a surface, combined with a tap-like tactile sensation that either matched or mismatched the tactile consequence of the observed movement. The ASD group showed a diminished congruency effect for human hands only in the P3-complex, suggesting difficulties with signalling observed action-based touch of others that does not match own touch experiences. Crucially, this effect reliably correlated with self-reported social and sensory everyday difficulties in ASD. The findings might denote a novel theoretical link between sensory and social impairments in the autism spectrum. PMID:27613781

Is autonomy related to the quality of performance of everyday activities in children with spina bifida?

PubMed

Peny-Dahlstrand, Marie; Krumlinde-Sundholm, Lena; Gosman-Hedström, Gunilla

2012-01-01

To investigate the relationship between the level of autonomy and the quality of performance of everyday activities in a population-based cohort of children with spina bifida and to study the agreement between the children's and the parents' ratings of autonomy. 50 dyads of children (aged 6-14) with spina bifida and their parents rated the children's level of autonomy with an adapted, Swedish version of the Autonomy Scale from the Arc's Self-Determination Scale. Each child's quality of performance of everyday activities was assessed with the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS). The autonomy levels of the children with spina bifida were rated to be lowest in daily routines and highest in leisure activities. Binary logistic regression analyses revealed that age, motor skills and process skills were all significantly related to the autonomy level, but that process skills appeared to predominate in this respect. Concerning the perception of the autonomy level, little agreement was found between each child and his/her parent. It is important to understand and support the development of process skills as expressed in task performance in children with spina bifida and to pay attention to both the parent's and the child's opinion when setting goals and plans for interventions.

Experiences and management of fatigue in everyday life among adult patients living with heart failure: a systematic review of qualitative evidence.

PubMed

Schjoedt, Inge; Sommer, Irene; Bjerrum, Merete Bender

2016-03-01

Fatigue, a common and distressing symptom of heart failure, is a non-specific, invisible and subjective experience, which is difficult to describe and for which there are no effective interventions. Fatigue negatively impacts on patients' everyday life, prognosis and quality of life, therefore it is important that patients can manage, monitor and respond to changes in fatigue. To cope with fatigue patients may need or seek advice on self-management strategies. To synthesize the best available evidence on the experiences and management of fatigue in everyday life among adult patients with stable heart failure. Adults with confirmed and stable heart failure. Studies exploring the experiences and management of fatigue in everyday life among adults with heart failure. Qualitative studies focusing on qualitative data, including, but not limited to, designs within phenomenology, grounded theory or ethnography. A three-step search strategy was used to identify published and unpublished qualitative studies from 1995 to 2014. Studies that met the inclusion criteria were assessed by two independent reviewers for methodological validity using the standardized critical appraisal tools of the Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-QARI). Data was extracted from the five included studies using JBI-QARI. Findings were identified and arranged according to the three research questions: patients' experiences of fatigue, impact of fatigue on everyday life and how patients' managed fatigue and its consequences in everyday life. Findings were pooled using JBI-QARI. From the five included studies, 108 findings were derived and subsequently aggregated into 24 categories, which were finally meta-synthesized into five syntheses: "A pervasive and unignorable bodily experience" captured the patients' descriptions of fatigue experiences; "Limited performance of daily living and social activities" and "Loss of self-esteem, identity and intellectual function" aggregated the impact of fatigue on patients' everyday life; "Using protecting and restoring strategies according to the body barometer" and "A dynamic balance between accepting and struggling against fatigue" captured how patients managed fatigue and its consequences. Three different types of bodily fatigue challenge patients with heart failure. Decreased physical capacity, unpredictability and fluctuating intensity are dominant features of fatigue experiences, which cause limitations in performing daily and social activities, increased dependency of others, and loss of self-esteem, identity and intellectual function. Patients' management of fatigue and its consequences is an ongoing process involving use of protective and restorative activities to handle the specific bodily fatigue. However it also relates to living constructively with fatigue by striking a balance between adjusting to and struggling against fatigue. Healthcare providers should be accountable to their patients, recognizing and taking into consideration patients' fatigue experiences and the meaning of fatigue, in order to provide optimal and individual care to their patients. Further qualitative research is needed to consider cultural factors of importance for managing fatigue in everyday life among patients with heart failure. Furthermore research should explore and test different kinds of physical and mind-body activities on the patients' functional capacity and wellbeing.

Age Group Differences in Perceived Age Discrimination: Associations With Self-Perceptions of Aging.

PubMed

Giasson, Hannah L; Queen, Tara L; Larkina, Marina; Smith, Jacqui

2017-08-01

From midlife onwards, age stereotypes increasingly underlie social judgments and contribute to age-based discrimination. Whereas many studies compare differences between young and older adults in reports of age discrimination or sensitivity to age stereotypes, few consider age group differences among adults over 50. We form subgroups corresponding to social age group membership (early midlife, late midlife, young old, oldest old) and examine differences in reported experiences of everyday age discrimination and associations with self-perceptions of aging. Using cross-sectional and longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS: N = 15,071; M Age = 68, range 50-101), multivariate logistic regression was used to examine experiences of everyday discrimination attributed to age, and associations between age discrimination and self-perceptions of aging, in four age groups: early midlife, late midlife, young old, oldest old. People in the early midlife group (aged 50-59) reported more experiences of unfair treatment than the older age groups but were less likely to attribute their experiences to age discrimination. After controlling for covariates, individuals in all age groups who perceived their own aging positively were less likely to report experiences of age discrimination. The magnitude of this effect, however, was greatest in the early midlife group. Findings support proposals that midlife is a pivotal life period when individuals adjust to life events and social role transitions. Future longitudinal studies will provide further insight into whether positive self-perceptions of aging are especially important in this phase of the life course. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Work performance evaluation and QoL of adults with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders (HFASD).

PubMed

Katz, Noomi; Dejak, Ifat; Gal, Eynat

2015-01-01

Studies suggest that adults with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders (HFASD) are reliant on others for support in functioning in everyday life and employment. This study followed a work placement program for people with HFASD over a nine months period. It aimed to measure the trajectory of their work performance and Quality of life on jobs in the open market. Twenty-six participants with HFASD ages 18-40 underwent extensive evaluation and based on it were placed in various jobs on the open market. Participants were followed for nine months at their work place at four different time points. QoL was self-assessed in addition to work performance (WPE) which was assessed both by first-hand and team member's accounts. Team members are health professional who accompany and support the participants in the transition to their jobs. All 26 participants were able to maintain their jobs during the nine months of follow-up. WPE was perceived as high to start with, and its scores slightly improved by both people with HFASD and team members. Self-report suggests a significant change in the quality of life of the participants, specifically in their evaluations of self-competency. This study enhances the importance of providing people with HFASD with work placing programs and following up during actual work performance.

Assessing Adult Leisure Activities: An Extension of a Self-Report Activity Questionnaire

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jopp, Daniela S.; Hertzog, Christopher

2010-01-01

Everyday leisure activities in adulthood and old age have been investigated with respect to constructs such as successful aging, an engaged lifestyle, and prevention of age-related cognitive decline. They also relate to mental health and have clinical value, as they can inform diagnosis and interventions. In the present study, the authors enhanced…

Hand preference patterns in expert basketball players: interrelations between basketball-specific and everyday life behavior.

PubMed

Stöckel, Tino; Vater, Christian

2014-12-01

In the present study we examined the interrelation of everyday life handedness and hand preference in basketball, as an area of expertise that requires individuals being proficient with both their non-dominant and dominant hand. A secondary aim was to elucidate the link between basketball-specific practice, hand preference in basketball and everyday life handedness. Therefore, 176 expert basketball players self-reported their hand preference for activities of daily living and for basketball-specific behavior as well as details about their basketball-specific history via questionnaire. We found that compared to the general population the one-hand bias was significantly reduced for both everyday life and basketball-specific hand preference (i.e., a higher prevalence of mixed-handed individuals), and that both concepts were significantly related. Moreover, only preference scores for lay-up and dribbling skills were significantly related to measures of basketball-specific practice. Consequently, training-induced modulations of lateral preference seem to be very specific to only a few basketball-specific skills, and do not generalize to other skills within the domain of basketball nor do they extend into everyday life handedness. The results are discussed in terms of their relevance regarding theories of handedness and their practical implications for the sport of basketball. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of Cognitive Training with and without Aerobic Exercise on Cognitively-Demanding Everyday Activities

PubMed Central

McDaniel, Mark A.; Binder, Ellen F.; Bugg, Julie M.; Waldum, Emily R.; Dufault, Carolyn; Meyer, Amanda; Johanning, Jennifer; Zheng, Jie; Schechtman, Kenneth B.; Kudelka, Chris

2015-01-01

We investigated the potential benefits of a novel cognitive training protocol and an aerobic exercise intervention, both individually and in concert, on older adults’ performances in laboratory simulations of select real-world tasks. The cognitive training focused on a range of cognitive processes, including attentional coordination, prospective memory, and retrospective-memory retrieval, processes that are likely involved in many everyday tasks, and that decline with age. Primary outcome measures were three laboratory tasks that simulated everyday activities: Cooking Breakfast, Virtual Week, and Memory for Health Information. Two months of cognitive training improved older adults’ performance on prospective memory tasks embedded in Virtual Week. Cognitive training, either alone or in combination with six months of aerobic exercise, did not significantly improve Cooking Breakfast or Memory for Health Information. Although gains in aerobic power were comparable to previous reports, aerobic exercise did not produce improvements for the primary outcome measures. Discussion focuses on the possibility that cognitive training programs that include explicit strategy instruction and varied practice contexts may confer gains to older adults for performance on cognitively challenging everyday tasks. PMID:25244489

Cognitive Functioning and Driving Simulator Performance in Middle-aged and Older Adults with HIV

PubMed Central

Vance, David E.; Fazeli, Pariya L.; Ball, David A.; Slater, Larry Z.; Ross, Lesley A.

2014-01-01

Nearly half of people living with HIV experience cognitive deficits that may impact instrumental activities of daily living. As the number of people aging with HIV increases, concerns mount that disease-related cognitive deficits may be compounded by age-related deficits, which may further compromise everyday functions such as driving. In this cross-sectional pilot study, during a 2.5-hour visit, 26 middle-aged and older adults (40+ years) were administered demographic, health, psychosocial, and driving habits questionnaires; cognitive assessments; and driving simulator tests. Although CD4+T lymphocyte count and viral load were unrelated to driving performance, older age was related to poorer driving. Furthermore, poorer visual speed of processing performance (i.e., Useful Field of View) was related to poorer driving performance (e.g., average gross reaction time). Mixed findings were observed between driving performance and cognitive function on self-reported driving habits of participants. Implications for these findings on nursing practice and research are posited. PMID:24513104

The effects of maternal psychosocial factors on parenting attitudes of low-income, single mothers with young children.

PubMed

Lutenbacher, M; Hall, L A

1998-01-01

Although recent evidence implies linkages among depression or depressive symptoms, self-esteem, history of childhood abuse, and parenting attitudes, the evidence does not clearly elucidate the relationships among these variables. To investigate the relationships among maternal psychosocial factors (history of childhood abuse, everyday stressors, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms) and parenting attitudes of low-income, single mothers who have young children. Secondary analyses of data from in-home interviews with 206 low-income, single mothers from a southeastern United States urban area were conducted. A variety of scales, including the Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory (AAPI), were used to measure maternal psychosocial factors. Using the AAPI, a Modified Parenting Attitudes Measure (MPAM), and subscales, a three-stage regression procedure was used to test the model. For stages 1 and 2, everyday stressors were the strongest predictor of self-esteem. Childhood sexual abuse, everyday stressors, low self-esteem, and control variables accounted for 58% of variance in depressive symptoms. In the third stage for the AAPI, only control variables were retained except in the Lack of Empathy subscale, where depressive symptoms and control variables accounted for 16% of the variance. The third stage for the MPAM yielded, by subscale: Only control variables predicted Corporal Punishment Beliefs; depressive symptoms were the strongest predictor for the total MPAM (19% of variance) and of the Inappropriate Emotional Expectations subscale (17%); and childhood physical abuse was the only predictor of Role Reversal. Depressive symptoms mediated the effects of childhood abuse, everyday stressors, and self-esteem and provided the linkage between these variables and at-risk parenting attitudes. Self-esteem decreased as everyday stressors increased but did not directly affect parenting attitudes. A relationship was not found between childhood abuse and low self-esteem. This study highlights the complexity of parenting and the need to identify other factors of at-risk parenting not accounted for in this study.

Government interventions to aid choice: Help to self-help or paternalism?

PubMed

Gyrd-Hansen, Dorte; Kjær, Trine

2015-07-01

A random sample of Danish respondents was asked in which aspects of every-day life they find it more difficult to adhere to behavioural patterns that they believe are best for them and their family. Individuals report high degrees of lack of self-control in specific areas of everyday life, suggesting that individuals are not consistently exhibiting utility optimising behaviour, a finding that accords with behavioural economics and the expected prevalence of irrational behaviour. We observe greater self-perceived self-control problems amongst individuals from the lower economic strata. Thus, to the extent that self-control relates to environmental factors, there is justification for introducing government interventions targeting such factors to improve equity in health and to increase utility levels amongst those with lower incomes and lower levels of education. Further, the public's preferences for a range of government interventions targeting different facets of life-style were elicited. Individuals who were the target of interventions were less supportive of these interventions. Individuals in the target group whose self-perceived self-control was low tended to be more supportive, but still less so than those who were not targeted. Since support was shown to come mainly from those not targeted by the intervention, and especially from those who feel in control of their lives, our results indicate that the interventions cannot be justified on the grounds of libertarianism (help to self-help). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Changes in Everyday and Digital Health Technology Use Among Seniors in Declining Health.

PubMed

Levine, David M; Lipsitz, Stuart R; Linder, Jeffrey A

2018-03-14

U.S. seniors' digital health and everyday technology use when their health declines are unknown. Longitudinal cohort using the National Health and Aging Trends Study, a nationally representative, annually administered sample of community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries (n = 4,037). We used difference-in-differences to assess the adjusted difference (AD) in technology use from 2011 to 2014 between those with and without health declines. Health decline measures included new-onset dementia; new-onset depression; decreases in activities of daily living (ADLs), short physical performance battery (SPPB), grip strength, and self-reported health; relocation to nursing facility; increased hospitalizations; and new-onset comorbidity. Digital health included use of the Internet to research health conditions, contact clinicians, fill prescriptions, and address insurance matters. Between 2011 and 2014, seniors experiencing health decline used various digital health technologies at low absolute rates (range: 1%-20%). Between 2011 and 2014, use of everyday technology decreased significantly among seniors with new-onset dementia (from 73% to 51%; AD, -26%), decreased ADLs (from 76% to 67%; AD, -10%), decreased SPPB (from 88% to 86%; AD, -3%), and relocation to a nursing facility (from 49% to 22%; AD, -31%) compared to seniors without comparable decline (all p < .05). Use of digital health decreased significantly among seniors with new-onset probable dementia (from 9% to 4%; AD, -6%) and decreased SPPB (from 24% to 25%; AD, -4%; all p < .05). The type of health decline a senior experiences predicts technology use, which may allow better targeting of digital health to specific seniors. Seniors with new dementia, relocation to a nursing home, and declining physical performance seem especially poor candidates for technology interventions.

Wandering in both mind and body: individual differences in mind wandering and inattention predict fidgeting.

PubMed

Carriere, Jonathan S A; Seli, Paul; Smilek, Daniel

2013-03-01

Anecdotal reports suggest that during periods of inattention or mind wandering, people tend to experience increased fidgeting. In four studies, we examined whether individual differences in the tendency to be inattentive and to mind wander in everyday life are related to the tendency to make spontaneous and involuntary movements (i.e., to fidget). To do so, we developed self-report measures of spontaneous and deliberate mind wandering, as well as a self-report scale to index fidgeting. In addition, we used several existing self-report measures of inattentiveness, attentional control, and memory failures. Across our studies, a series of multiple regression analyses indicated that fidgeting was uniquely predicted by inattentiveness and spontaneous mind wandering but not by other related factors, including deliberate mind wandering, attentional control, and memory failures. As a result, we suggest that only spontaneously wandering thoughts are related to a wandering body.

Perceived discrimination and depressive symptoms, smoking, and recent alcohol use in pregnancy.

PubMed

Bennett, Ian M; Culhane, Jennifer F; Webb, David A; Coyne, James C; Hogan, Vijaya; Mathew, Leny; Elo, Irma T

2010-06-01

Perceived discrimination is associated with poor mental health and health-compromising behaviors in a range of vulnerable populations, but this link has not been assessed among pregnant women. We aimed to determine whether perceived discrimination was associated with these important targets of maternal health care among low-income pregnant women. Face-to-face interviews were conducted in English or Spanish with 4,454 multiethnic, low-income, inner-city women at their first prenatal visit at public health centers in Philadelphia, Penn, USA, from 1999 to 2004. Perceived chronic everyday discrimination (moderate and high levels) in addition to experiences of major discrimination, depressive symptomatology (CES-D >or= 23), smoking in pregnancy (current), and recent alcohol use (12 months before pregnancy) were assessed by patients' self-report. Moderate everyday discrimination was reported by 873 (20%) women, high everyday discrimination by 238 (5%) women, and an experience of major discrimination by 789 (18%) women. Everyday discrimination was independently associated with depressive symptomatology (moderate = prevalence ratio [PR] of 1.58, 95% CI: 1.38-1.79; high = PR of 1.82, 95% CI: 1.49-2.21); smoking (moderate = PR of 1.19, 95% CI: 1.05-1.36; high = PR of 1.41, 95% CI: 1.15-1.74); and recent alcohol use (moderate = PR of 1.23, 95% CI: 1.12-1.36). However, major discrimination was not independently associated with these outcomes. This study demonstrated that perceived chronic everyday discrimination, but not major discrimination, was associated with depressive symptoms and health-compromising behaviors independent of potential confounders, including race and ethnicity, among pregnant low-income women.

Everyday physical activity in ambulatory heart transplant candidates: the role of expected health benefits, social support, and potential barriers.

PubMed

Gerhardt, Andreas; Weidner, Gerdi; Grassmann, Mariel; Spaderna, Heike

2014-04-01

Physical activity (PA) is recommended for stable patients with advanced heart failure (HF). We evaluated expected health benefits of PA and social support as facilitators of PA, and physical symptom distress and psychological distress (depression, anxiety) as barriers to PA. Additionally, we investigated if facilitators of PA are of particular importance for patients who report barriers. We analyzed data assessed at time of waitlisting in 231 ambulatory patients (53.4 ± 10.3 years, 18 % women) who were enrolled in the multisite Waiting for a New Heart Study in 1 Austrian and 16 German hospitals. Self-reported everyday PA scores (number of activities, duration of activities) was regressed on demographic characteristics and indicators of disease severity (ejection fraction, peak oxygen consumption), facilitators (expected health benefits of PA, perceived emotional support, perceived support for PA), and barriers to PA (physical symptom distress, psychological distress). Interaction terms of facilitators with barriers were also examined. PA was positively associated with higher peak oxygen consumption, validating self-reported PA. Regarding facilitators, expected health benefits of PA were independently associated with higher PA (p values < 0.001). There were no main effects for social support on PA. Regarding barriers, depression tended to be associated with fewer activities (p = 0.068). However, in the presence of barriers (depression, physical symptoms), feeling supported for being physically active was positively associated with PA (p values < 0.05). Interventions to improve PA may benefit from strengthening positive expectations of health outcomes associated with everyday PA and fostering PA-specific social support for those distressed by HF symptoms or depression.

Executive Dysfunctions among Boys with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Performance-Based Test and Parents Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shimoni, Ma'ayan; Engel-Yeger, Batya; Tirosh, Emanuel

2012-01-01

Difficulty in executive functions (EF) is a core symptom of ADHD. Yet, the EF assessments are still in controversy. It is still unclear whether the everyday implementation of EF can be assessed under laboratory conditions. Therefore, the purposes of the present study are: (a) to examine EF among boys with ADHD both in everyday behavior (as…

Long-term recovery trajectory after stroke: an ongoing negotiation between body, participation and self.

PubMed

Arntzen, Cathrine; Borg, Tove; Hamran, Torunn

2015-01-01

Research has mainly focused on the first year of recovery trajectory after stroke, but there is limited knowledge about how stroke survivors manage their long-term everyday lives. This study seeks to fill this gap by exploring the long-term (1-13 years) negotiations of stroke survivors when they experience progress, wellbeing and faith in the future. Repeated in-depth interviews were conducted with nine people living with moderate impairment after stroke and their closest relatives. Concepts from phenomenology and critical psychology constituted the frame of reference of the study. The long-term stroke recovery trajectory can be understood as a process of struggling to overcome tensions between three phenomena under ongoing change: the lived body, participation in everyday life and sense of self. During the recovery process, stroke survivors experience progress, well-being and faith in the future when moving towards renewed relationships, characterised by (1) a modified habitual body, (2) repositioned participation in specific everyday life contexts and (3) a transformed sense of self. This study stresses the importance of developing new forms of professional support during the long-term recovery trajectory, to stimulate and increase interaction and coherence in the relationship between the stroke survivor's bodily perception, participation in everyday life and sense of self. The study deepening how the long-term recovery trajectory after stroke is about ongoing embodied, practical and socially situated negotiations. The study demonstrates that the recovery trajectory is a long term process of learning where the stroke survivor, as an embodied agent, gradually modifies new bodily habits, re-position participation and transforming of the self. Health personnel are usually available in the acute and early rehabilitation period. The three phenomenons under ongoing change; "body", "participation" and "self" are at this point just about being moved toward a renewed and a more coherent relationship in the stroke survivor long-lasting everyday life situated recovery trajectory. Available rehabilitation services at the municipal level supporting stroke survivors and relatives practical, social and interpersonal long-term challenges in everyday life can be important for minimizing their struggles and for promoting the experience progress, wellbeing and faith in the future.

Features of everyday life in psychiatric inpatient care for self-harming: an observational study of six women.

PubMed

Lindgren, Britt-Marie; Aminoff, Carina; Hällgren Graneheim, Ulla

2015-02-01

This study aimed to describe the features of everyday life in psychiatric inpatient care as experienced by women who self-harm. Participant observations and informal interviews were conducted with six women and were subjected to qualitative content analysis. The major feature of everyday life in psychiatric inpatient care was 'being surrounded by disorder', which consisted of 'living in a confusing environment, being subject to routines and rules that offer safety but lack consistency' and 'waiting both in loneliness and in togetherness'. The nursing staff spent minimal time with the patients and the women turned to each other for support, care and companionship.

Pronounced impairment of everyday skills and self-care in posterior cortical atrophy.

PubMed

Shakespeare, Timothy J; Yong, Keir X X; Foxe, David; Hodges, John; Crutch, Sebastian J

2015-01-01

Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is a neurodegenerative syndrome characterized by progressive visual dysfunction and parietal, occipital, and occipitotemporal atrophy. The aim of this study was to compare the impact of PCA and typical Alzheimer's disease (tAD) on everyday functional abilities and neuropsychiatric status. The Cambridge Behavioural Inventory-Revised was given to carers of 32 PCA and 71 tAD patients. PCA patients showed significantly greater impairment in everyday skills and self-care while the tAD group showed greater impairment in aspects of memory and orientation, and motivation. We suggest that PCA poses specific challenges for those caring for people affected by the condition.

Self-reported and informant-reported memory functioning and awareness in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer´s disease.

PubMed

Silva, Martina Rios; Moser, Doris; Pflüger, Melanie; Pusswald, Gisela; Stögmann, Elisabeth; Dal-Bianco, Peter; Auff, Eduard; Lehrner, Johann

2016-06-01

Awareness of subjective memory is an important factor for adequate treatment of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study served to find out whether awareness of subjective memory complies with objective performance, if differences in awareness are observed longitudinally and whether decrease of awareness can serve as a predictor of AD in MCI patients. Thirty-four patients with MCI seeking help in a memory outpatient clinic were included. All participants underwent thorough neuropsychological examination. Awareness of subjective memory was obtained by calculating difference scores between patient and informant ratings on a 16-item questionnaire concerning complaints about loss of memory in every-day life. Retesting was performed after a mean follow-up period of 24 months. Whole group analyses showed that awareness remained relatively stable across time. Self-reported memory complaints correlated with episodic memory at baseline and with performance on a language task at follow-up. Retests displayed decrease of awareness. At group level differences in awareness between both times of assessment were not significant for MCI and MCI patients converting to mild AD at follow-up. The predictive value of awareness was low. Awareness of subjective memory deficit is linked to episodic memory function and decreases with decline of cognitive ability. Further studies evaluating predictive power of awareness of subjective memory should include a larger patient sample.

Everyday listening questionnaire: correlation between subjective hearing and objective performance.

PubMed

Brendel, Martina; Frohne-Buechner, Carolin; Lesinski-Schiedat, Anke; Lenarz, Thomas; Buechner, Andreas

2014-01-01

Clinical experience has demonstrated that speech understanding by cochlear implant (CI) recipients has improved over recent years with the development of new technology. The Everyday Listening Questionnaire 2 (ELQ 2) was designed to collect information regarding the challenges faced by CI recipients in everyday listening. The aim of this study was to compare self-assessment of CI users using ELQ 2 with objective speech recognition measures and to compare results between users of older and newer coding strategies. During their regular clinical review appointments a group of representative adult CI recipients implanted with the Advanced Bionics implant system were asked to complete the questionnaire. The first 100 patients who agreed to participate in this survey were recruited independent of processor generation and speech coding strategy. Correlations between subjectively scored hearing performance in everyday listening situations and objectively measured speech perception abilities were examined relative to the speech coding strategies used. When subjects were grouped by strategy there were significant differences between users of older 'standard' strategies and users of the newer, currently available strategies (HiRes and HiRes 120), especially in the categories of telephone use and music perception. Significant correlations were found between certain subjective ratings and the objective speech perception data in noise. There is a good correlation between subjective and objective data. Users of more recent speech coding strategies tend to have fewer problems in difficult hearing situations.

Mild cognitive impairment and everyday function: evidence of reduced speed in performing instrumental activities of daily living.

PubMed

Wadley, Virginia G; Okonkwo, Ozioma; Crowe, Michael; Ross-Meadows, Lesley A

2008-05-01

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) may involve subtle functional losses that are not detected with typical self- or informant-report assessments of daily function. Information about the nature of functional difficulties in MCI can be used to augment common clinical assessment procedures, and aspects of function that are affected in MCI can serve as meaningful endpoints for intervention trials. Cross-sectional case and comparison group study. University medical center. Fifty participants with MCI and 59 cognitively normal participants. The authors compared the groups on dimensions of both speed and accuracy in performing instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), using a standardized Timed IADL measure that evaluates five functional domains commonly encountered in everyday life (telephone use, locating nutrition information on food labels, financial abilities, grocery shopping, medication management). Across Timed IADL domains, MCI participants demonstrated accuracy comparable with cognitively normal participants but took significantly longer to complete the functional activities, controlling for depressive symptoms (p< 0.001). Slower performance was demonstrated in each discrete domain except financial abilities. These results suggest that slower speed of task performance is an important component and perhaps an early marker of functional change in MCI that would not be detected using traditional measurements of daily function. Future research should address the question of whether performance-based functional measures, as well as simple queries regarding whether functional activities take longer than usual to complete, may improve the prediction of future cognitive decline and disease progression among those individuals in whom MCI represents impending dementia.

Creative Cognition and Brain Network Dynamics

PubMed Central

Beaty, Roger E.; Benedek, Mathias; Silvia, Paul J.; Schacter, Daniel L.

2015-01-01

Creative thinking is central to the arts, sciences, and everyday life. How does the brain produce creative thought? A series of recently published papers has begun to provide insight into this question, reporting a strikingly similar pattern of brain activity and connectivity across a range of creative tasks and domains, from divergent thinking to poetry composition to musical improvisation. This research suggests that creative thought involves dynamic interactions of large-scale brain systems, with the most compelling finding being that the default and executive control networks, which can show an antagonistic relationship, actually cooperate during creative cognition and artistic performance. These findings have implications for understanding how brain networks interact to support complex cognitive processes, particularly those involving goal-directed, self-generated thought. PMID:26553223

Self-Reported Cognitive Outcomes in Patients With Brain Metastases Before and After Radiation Therapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cole, Ansa Maer; Scherwath, Angela; Ernst, Gundula

Purpose: Patients with brain metastases may experience treatment-related cognitive deficits. In this study, we prospectively assessed the self-reported cognitive abilities of patients with brain metastases from any solid primary cancer before and after irradiation of the brain. Methods and Materials: The treatment group (TG) consisted of adult patients (n=50) with brain metastases who received whole or partial irradiation of the brain without having received prior radiation therapy (RT). The control group (CG) consisted of breast cancer patients (n=27) without cranial involvement who were treated with adjuvant RT. Patients were recruited between May 2008 and December 2010. Self-reported cognitive abilities weremore » acquired before RT and 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after irradiation. The information regarding the neurocognitive status was collected by use of the German questionnaires for self-perceived deficits in attention (FEDA) and subjectively experienced everyday memory performance (FEAG). Results: The baseline data showed a high proportion of self-perceived neurocognitive deficits in both groups. A comparison between the TG and the CG regarding the course of self-reported outcomes after RT showed significant between-group differences for the FEDA scales 2 and 3: fatigue and retardation of daily living activities (P=.002) and decrease in motivation (P=.032) with an increase of attention deficits in the TG, but not in the CG. There was a trend towards significance in FEDA scale 1: distractibility and retardation of mental processes (P=.059) between the TG and the CG. The FEAG assessment presented no significant differences. An additional subgroup analysis within the TG was carried out. FEDA scale 3 showed significant differences in the time-related progress between patients with whole-brain RT and those receiving hypofractionated stereotactic RT (P=.025), with less decrease in motivation in the latter group. Conclusion: Self-reported attention declined in patients with brain metastases after RT to the brain, whereas it remained relatively stable in breast cancer patients.« less

Contextual and Psychosocial Determinants of Effective Handwashing Technique: Recommendations for Interventions from a Case Study in Harare, Zimbabwe

PubMed Central

Friedrich, Max N. D.; Binkert, Marc E.; Mosler, Hans-Joachim

2017-01-01

Handwashing has been shown to considerably reduce diarrhea morbidity and mortality. To decontaminate hands effectively, the use of running water, soap, and various scrubbing steps are recommended. This study aims to identify the behavioral determinants of effective handwashing. Everyday handwashing technique of 434 primary caregivers in high-density suburbs of Harare, Zimbabwe, was observed and measured as an 8-point sum score of effective handwashing technique. Multiple linear and logistic regression analyses were performed to predict observed handwashing technique from potential contextual and psychosocial determinants. Knowledge of how to wash hands effectively, availability of a handwashing station with functioning water tap, self-reported frequency of handwashing, perceived vulnerability, and action planning were the main determinants of effective handwashing technique. The models were able to explain 39% and 36% of the variance in overall handwashing technique and thoroughness of handscrubbing. Memory aids and guided practice are proposed to consolidate action knowledge, and personalized risk messages should increase the perceived vulnerability of contracting diarrhea. Planning where, when, and how to maintain a designated place for handwashing with sufficient soap and water is proposed to increase action planning. Since frequent self-reported handwashing was associated with performing more effective handwashing technique, behavior change interventions should target both handwashing frequency and technique concurrently. PMID:28044046

Quantifying cognition at the bedside: a novel approach combining cognitive symptoms and signs in HIV.

PubMed

Brouillette, Marie-Josée; Fellows, Lesley K; Palladini, Lisa; Finch, Lois; Thomas, Réjean; Mayo, Nancy E

2015-11-13

Up to half of all people with HIV infection have some degree of cognitive impairment. This impairment is typically mild, but nonetheless often disabling. Although early detection of cognitive impairment offers the greatest hope of effective intervention, there are important barriers to this goal in most clinical settings. These include uncertainty about how self-reported cognitive symptoms relate to objective impairments, and the paucity of bedside measurement tools suitable for mild deficits. Clinicians need guidance in interpreting cognitive symptoms in this population, and a brief cognitive measurement tool targeted to mild impairment. We addressed these two problems together here. The objective of this study was to determine the extent to which performance on cognitive tests and self-reported cognitive symptoms form a unidimensional construct. Two hundred three HIV+ individuals completed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, computerized cognitive tasks and a questionnaire eliciting cognitive symptoms. Rasch measurement theory was applied to determine whether patient-reported and performance items could be combined to measure cognition as a unidimensional latent construct. Performance-based items and cognitive symptoms are arranged hierarchically along the same continuum of cognitive ability, forming a measure with thresholds covering a broad spectrum of ability that has good internal reliability. The cognitive symptoms that fit the measurement model relate to important aspects of everyday life, providing evidence that the identified construct is meaningful. This finding lays the foundation for a rapid measure of cognitive ability in people with HIV infection that is feasible for routine clinical use, and shows that some cognitive symptoms are systematically related to performance in this population.

Time for "The Talk"... Now What? Autonomy Support and Structure in Mother-Daughter Conversations about Sex

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mauras, Carrie P.; Grolnick, Wendy S.; Friendly, Rachel W.

2013-01-01

This study explored how mothers communicated with their young adolescent daughters about the high-stakes topic of sex, as well as more everyday topics, from a Self-Determination Theory perspective. Mothers and their 11- to 14-year-old daughters (44 dyads) participated in two conversations and reported on their experiences. In the everyday…

Why Do Some Adolescents Encounter Everyday Events That Increase Their Civic Interest Whereas Others Do Not?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stattin, Håkan; Hussein, Oula; Özdemir, Metin; Russo, Silvia

2017-01-01

Using a longitudinal design, we asked 2 age cohorts of adolescents (15- and 18-year-olds) whether they, during the last year, had experienced events that had increased their civic interest and about details of their experiences. Based on self-determination theory, we predicted that the adolescents who reported having experienced events of this…

Therapists' Self-Reported Chronic Strategies of Disconnection in Everyday Life and in Counselling and Psychotherapy: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Mick; Knox, Rosanne

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to explore how therapists believe they may relationally disconnect from other people and their clients, with an overall objective of developing methods for enhancing relational depth in counselling and psychotherapy. Participants were 168 trainee and practicing therapists, who listed their "chronic strategies of…

What Constitutes a Good Life? Cultural Differences in the Role of Positive and Negative Affect in Subjective Well-Being

PubMed Central

Wirtz, Derrick; Chiu, Chi-yue; Diener, Ed; Oishi, Shigehiro

2009-01-01

East Asians and Asian Americans report lower levels of subjective well-being than Europeans and European Americans. Three studies found support for the hypothesis that such differences may be due to the psychological meanings Eastern and Western cultures attach to positive and negative affect. Study 1 demonstrated that the desire to repeat a recent vacation was significantly predicted by recalled positive affect—but not recalled negative affect—for European Americans, whereas Asian Americans considered both positive and negative affect. Study 2 replicated this effect in judging satisfaction with a personal friendship. Study 3 linked changes in European Americans’ life satisfaction to everyday positive events caused by the self (vs. others) and changes in Japanese life satisfaction to everyday negative events caused by others (vs. the self). Positive affect appears particularly meaningful for European Americans and negative affect for Asian Americans and Japanese when judging a satisfying vacation, friendship, or life. PMID:19558439

What constitutes a good life? Cultural differences in the role of positive and negative affect in subjective well-being.

PubMed

Wirtz, Derrick; Chiu, Chi-yue; Diener, Ed; Oishi, Shigehiro

2009-08-01

East Asians and Asian Americans report lower levels of subjective well-being than Europeans and European Americans. Three studies found support for the hypothesis that such differences may be due to the psychological meanings Eastern and Western cultures attach to positive and negative affect. Study 1 demonstrated that the desire to repeat a recent vacation was significantly predicted by recalled positive affect-but not recalled negative affect-for European Americans, whereas Asian Americans considered both positive and negative affect. Study 2 replicated this effect in judging satisfaction with a personal friendship. Study 3 linked changes in European Americans' life satisfaction to everyday positive events caused by the self (vs. others) and changes in Japanese life satisfaction to everyday negative events caused by others (vs. the self). Positive affect appears particularly meaningful for European Americans and negative affect for Asian Americans and Japanese when judging a satisfying vacation, friendship, or life.

Action-based touch observation in adults with high functioning autism: Can compromised self-other distinction abilities link social and sensory everyday problems?

PubMed

Deschrijver, Eliane; Wiersema, Jan R; Brass, Marcel

2017-02-01

Next to social problems, individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often report severe sensory difficulties. Altered processing of touch is however a stronger mediator of social symptoms' severity than altered processing of for instance vision or audition. Why is this the case? We reasoned that sensory difficulties may be linked to social problems in ASD through insufficient self-other distinction centred on touch. We investigated by means of EEG whether the brain of adults with ASD adequately signals when a tactile consequence of an observed action does not match own touch, as compared to the brain of matched controls. We employed the action-based somatosensory congruency paradigm. Participants observed a human or wooden hand touching a surface, combined with a tap-like tactile sensation that either matched or mismatched the tactile consequence of the observed movement. The ASD group showed a diminished congruency effect for human hands only in the P3-complex, suggesting difficulties with signalling observed action-based touch of others that does not match own touch experiences. Crucially, this effect reliably correlated with self-reported social and sensory everyday difficulties in ASD. The findings might denote a novel theoretical link between sensory and social impairments in the autism spectrum. © The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press.

The temporal interplay of self-esteem instability and affective instability in borderline personality disorder patients' everyday lives.

PubMed

Santangelo, Philip S; Reinhard, Iris; Koudela-Hamila, Susanne; Bohus, Martin; Holtmann, Jana; Eid, Michael; Ebner-Priemer, Ulrich W

2017-11-01

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is defined by a pervasive pattern of instability. Although there is ample empirical evidence that unstable self-esteem is associated with a myriad of BPD-like symptoms, self-esteem instability and its temporal dynamics have received little empirical attention in patients with BPD. Even worse, the temporal interplay of affective instability and self-esteem instability has been neglected completely, although it has been hypothesized recently that the lack of specificity of affective instability in association with BPD might be explained by the highly intertwined temporal relationship between affective and self-esteem instability. To investigate self-esteem instability, its temporal interplay with affective instability, and its association with psychopathology, 60 patients with BPD and 60 healthy controls (HCs) completed electronic diaries for 4 consecutive days during their everyday lives. Participants reported their current self-esteem, valence, and tense arousal levels 12 times a day in approximately one-hr intervals. We used multiple state-of-the-art statistical techniques and graphical approaches to reveal patterns of instability, clarify group differences, and examine the temporal interplay of self-esteem instability and affective instability. As hypothesized, instability in both self-esteem and affect was clearly elevated in the patients with BPD. In addition, self-esteem instability and affective instability were highly correlated. Both types of instability were related to general psychopathology. Because self-esteem instability could not fully explain affective instability and vice versa and neither affective instability nor self-esteem instability was able to explain psychopathology completely, our findings suggest that these types of instability represent unique facets of BPD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Programme characteristics and everyday occupations in day centres and clubhouses in Sweden.

PubMed

Hultqvist, Jenny; Markström, Urban; Tjörnstrand, Carina; Eklund, Mona

2017-05-01

Meaningful everyday occupations are important for mental health and recovery and are provided by both community-based day centres (DCs) and clubhouses. It is unknown, however, if any of the two has more recovery-promoting features. This nine-month longitudinal study compared DC and clubhouses, concerning the users' perceptions of unit and programme characteristics, and aspects of everyday occupations in terms of engagement and satisfaction. Stability over time in these respects, as well as motivation for participation and relationships with occupational engagement and satisfaction, were explored. Participants from 10 DCs (n = 128) and 5 clubhouses (n = 57) completed self-report instruments. DC attendees rated lower levels on two organizational factors; choice and ability to influence decisions, and the unit's social network. Motivation showed to be an important factor for perceived occupational engagement, which did not differ between the two groups. DC attendees were more satisfied with their everyday occupations at baseline, but that factor increased more in the clubhouse group and there was no group difference at follow-up. The unit and programme characteristics and occupational engagement showed stability over time. Clubhouses seemed more advantageous and DC services may consider developing users' opportunities for choice and decision-making, and peer support.

Anxiety, Self-Esteem and Coping with Stress in Secondary School Students in Relation to Involvement in Organized Sports

PubMed Central

DOLENC, Petra

2015-01-01

Aim The objective of the study was to examine self-esteem, anxiety level and coping strategies among secondary school students in relation to their involvement in organized sports. Methods The sample included 280 Slovenian male and female secondary school students aged between 15 and 19 years. The participants completed The Adolescent Coping Scale, the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the PSDQ Selfesteem Scale. Results Participants engaged in organized sports exhibited higher self-esteem scores and lower anxiety scores in comparison to non-sport participants. Differences between the two groups have also been identified with respect to the use of certain coping strategies. Sport participants reported more productive coping than non-sport participants, which represents an active and problem-focused approach to dealing with everyday problems. Gender differences in the referred variables have also been studied, with female athletes exhibiting higher levels of anxiety than male athletes. Female participants were also found to use more non-productive coping than males, focused mainly on reducing emotional effects of stress. Conclusions Organized youth sports have an important role in improving and maintaining a favorable sense of self-worth, reducing anxiety, and promoting productive coping strategies in adolescents when dealing with everyday problems. PMID:27646730

Everyday Expertise in Self-Management of Diabetes in the Dominican Republic: Implications for Learning and Performance Support Systems Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reyes Paulino, Lisette G.

2012-01-01

An epidemic such as diabetes is an extremely complex public health, economic and social problem that is difficult to solve through medical expertise alone. Evidence-based models for improving healthcare delivery systems advocate educating patients to become more active participants in their own care. This shift demands preparing chronically ill…

Enjoyable company in sharing stroke experiences; - lifestyle groups after stroke.

PubMed

Lund, Anne; Melhus, Mali; Sveen, Unni

2018-03-01

Even people with mild to moderate stroke will experience changes in their abilities to perform everyday occupations. Group interventions may be appropriate in late-stage rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to explore how the participants involved themselves in person-centered lifestyle groups after stroke in Norway. Semi-structured interviews were performed with six older adults with mild-to-moderate stroke who had participated in lifestyle groups over a period of nine months. The interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The participants involved themselves in the lifestyle groups in a variety of ways by creating enjoyable company in sharing stroke experiences, sharing knowledgeable interest, pushing and forcing each other forward and reflecting on self-worth. Through doing group activities together, they created various ways of being, belonging and becoming, addressing development of strategies for regaining self-belief and a sense of autonomy, and for adapting to everyday life post-stroke. The participants were active contributors in the groups and pushed each other and themselves regarding involvement in meaningful occupations. This active participation seemed to bring the participants' resources into focus and contrasted with the frequent negative perceptions of people post-stroke as 'victims'.

Systematic review on the health effects of exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields from mobile phone base stations.

PubMed

Röösli, Martin; Frei, Patrizia; Mohler, Evelyn; Hug, Kerstin

2010-12-01

to review and evaluate the recent literature on the health effects of exposure to mobile phone base station (MPBS) radiation. we performed a systematic review of randomized human trials conducted in laboratory settings and of epidemiological studies that investigated the health effects of MPBS radiation in the everyday environment. we included in the analysis 17 articles that met our basic quality criteria: 5 randomized human laboratory trials and 12 epidemiological studies. The majority of the papers (14) examined self-reported non-specific symptoms of ill-health. Most of the randomized trials did not detect any association between MPBS radiation and the development of acute symptoms during or shortly after exposure. The sporadically observed associations did not show a consistent pattern with regard to symptoms or types of exposure. We also found that the more sophisticated the exposure assessment, the less likely it was that an effect would be reported. Studies on health effects other than non-specific symptoms and studies on MPBS exposure in children were scarce. the evidence for a missing relationship between MPBS exposure up to 10 volts per metre and acute symptom development can be considered strong because it is based on randomized, blinded human laboratory trials. At present, there is insufficient data to draw firm conclusions about health effects from long-term low-level exposure typically occurring in the everyday environment.

Gender differences in older adults’ everyday cognitive collaboration

PubMed Central

Margrett, Jennifer A.; Marsiske, Michael

2010-01-01

Collaborative cognition research has demonstrated that social partners can positively impact individuals’ thinking and problem-solving performance. Research in adulthood and aging has been less clear about dyadic effects, such as partner gender, on collaborative cognition. The current study examined the objective and subjective experiences of older men and women’s collaboration on three everyday problems. Tasks included comprehension of everyday printed materials, a social dilemma task, and an errand-planning task. A sample of 98 older married couples (N = 196) worked both collaboratively and individually with either their spouse (N = 52 dyads) or a stranger of the other gender (N = 46 dyads). Analyses conducted using the actor-partner methodology (e.g., Gonzalez & Griffin, 1997; Kenny, 1996) suggest that men tended to be more influential during dyadic problem solving, particularly on more ambiguous tasks. Subjective appraisals of collaboration also varied between male and female partners, with familiarity of partner playing a large role in expectations of collaboration. Most notably, women assigned to work with an unfamiliar male partner tended to rate their satisfaction with collaborative teamwork less positively. Both self and partner-rated subjective appraisals, particularly expectations of competitiveness, were predictive of collaborative performance. PMID:20657668

Parent-Child Engagement in Decision Making and the Development of Adolescent Affective Decision Capacity and Binge Drinking

PubMed Central

Xiao, Lin; Bechara, Antoine; Palmer, Paula H.; Trinidad, Dennis R.; Wei, Yonglan; Jia, Yong; Johnson, C. Anderson

2010-01-01

The goal of this study was to investigate how parents’ engagement of their child in everyday decision-making influenced their adolescent’s development on two neuropsychological functions, namely, affective decision-making and working memory, and its effect on adolescent binge-drinking behavior. We conducted a longitudinal study of 192 Chinese adolescents. In 10th grade, the adolescents were tested for their affective decision-making ability using the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and working memory capacity using the Self-ordered Pointing Test (SOPT). Questionnaires were used to assess perceived parent-child engagement in decision-making, academic performance and drinking behavior. At one-year follow-up, the same neuropsychological tasks and questionnaires were repeated. Results indicate that working memory and academic performance were uninfluenced by parent-child engagement in decision-making. However, compared to adolescents whose parents made solitary decisions for them, adolescents engaged in everyday decision-making showed significant improvement on affective decision capacity and significantly less binge-drinking one year later. These findings suggest that parental engagement of children in everyday decision-making might foster the development of neurocognitive functioning relative to affective decision-making and reduce adolescent substance use behaviors. PMID:21804682

Do people have insight into their face recognition abilities?

PubMed

Palermo, Romina; Rossion, Bruno; Rhodes, Gillian; Laguesse, Renaud; Tez, Tolga; Hall, Bronwyn; Albonico, Andrea; Malaspina, Manuela; Daini, Roberta; Irons, Jessica; Al-Janabi, Shahd; Taylor, Libby C; Rivolta, Davide; McKone, Elinor

2017-02-01

Diagnosis of developmental or congenital prosopagnosia (CP) involves self-report of everyday face recognition difficulties, which are corroborated with poor performance on behavioural tests. This approach requires accurate self-evaluation. We examine the extent to which typical adults have insight into their face recognition abilities across four experiments involving nearly 300 participants. The experiments used five tests of face recognition ability: two that tap into the ability to learn and recognize previously unfamiliar faces [the Cambridge Face Memory Test, CFMT; Duchaine, B., & Nakayama, K. (2006). The Cambridge Face Memory Test: Results for neurologically intact individuals and an investigation of its validity using inverted face stimuli and prosopagnosic participants. Neuropsychologia, 44(4), 576-585. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2005.07.001; and a newly devised test based on the CFMT but where the study phases involve watching short movies rather than viewing static faces-the CFMT-Films] and three that tap face matching [Benton Facial Recognition Test, BFRT; Benton, A., Sivan, A., Hamsher, K., Varney, N., & Spreen, O. (1983). Contribution to neuropsychological assessment. New York: Oxford University Press; and two recently devised sequential face matching tests]. Self-reported ability was measured with the 15-item Kennerknecht et al. questionnaire [Kennerknecht, I., Ho, N. Y., & Wong, V. C. (2008). Prevalence of hereditary prosopagnosia (HPA) in Hong Kong Chinese population. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A, 146A(22), 2863-2870. doi:10.1002/ajmg.a.32552]; two single-item questions assessing face recognition ability; and a new 77-item meta-cognition questionnaire. Overall, we find that adults with typical face recognition abilities have only modest insight into their ability to recognize faces on behavioural tests. In a fifth experiment, we assess self-reported face recognition ability in people with CP and find that some people who expect to perform poorly on behavioural tests of face recognition do indeed perform poorly. However, it is not yet clear whether individuals within this group of poor performers have greater levels of insight (i.e., into their degree of impairment) than those with more typical levels of performance.

Choice-making among Medicaid HCBS and ICF/MR recipients in six states.

PubMed

Lakin, K Charlie; Doljanac, Robert; Byun, Soo-Yong; Stancliffe, Roger; Taub, Sarah; Chiri, Giuseppina

2008-09-01

Choice in everyday decisions and in support-related decisions was addressed among 2,398 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities receiving Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) and Intermediate Care Facility (ICF/MR) services and living in non family settings in six states. Everyday choice in daily life and in support-related choice was considerably higher on average for HCBS than for ICF/MR recipients, but after controlling for level of intellectual disability, medical care needs, mobility, behavioral and psychiatric conditions, and self-reporting, we found that choice was more strongly associated with living in a congregate setting than whether that setting was HCBS- or ICF/MR-financed. Marked differences in choice were also evident between states.

Household Everyday Functioning in the Internet Age: Online Shopping and Banking Skills Are Affected in HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders.

PubMed

Woods, Steven Paul; Iudicello, Jennifer E; Morgan, Erin E; Verduzco, Marizela; Smith, Tyler V; Cushman, Clint

2017-08-01

The Internet is a fundamental tool for completing many different instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), including shopping and banking. Persons with HIV-associated Neurocognitive Disorders (HAND) are at heightened risk for IADL problems, but the extent to which HAND interferes with the performance of Internet-based household IADLs is not known. Ninety-three individuals with HIV disease, 43 of whom were diagnosed with HAND, and 42 HIV- comparison participants completed Internet-based tests of shopping and banking. Participants used mock credentials to log in to an experimenter-controlled Web site and independently performed a series of typical online shopping (e.g., purchasing household goods) and banking (e.g., transferring funds between accounts) tasks. Individuals with HAND were significantly more likely to fail the online shopping task than neurocognitively normal HIV+ and HIV- participants. HAND was also associated with poorer overall performance versus HIV+ normals on the online banking task. In the HAND group, Internet-based task scores were correlated with episodic memory, executive functions, motor skills, and numeracy. In the HIV+ sample as a whole, lower Internet-based task scores were uniquely associated with poorer performance-based functional capacity and self-reported declines in shopping and financial management in daily life, but not with global manifest functional status. Findings indicate that HAND is associated with difficulties in using the Internet to complete important household everyday functioning tasks. The development and validation of effective Internet training and compensatory strategies may help to improve the household management of persons with HAND. (JINS, 2017, 23, 605-615).

An analysis of the masking of speech by competing speech using self-report data.

PubMed

Agus, Trevor R; Akeroyd, Michael A; Noble, William; Bhullar, Navjot

2009-01-01

Many of the items in the "Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing" scale questionnaire [S. Gatehouse and W. Noble, Int. J. Audiol. 43, 85-99 (2004)] are concerned with speech understanding in a variety of backgrounds, both speech and nonspeech. To study if this self-report data reflected informational masking, previously collected data on 414 people were analyzed. The lowest scores (greatest difficulties) were found for the two items in which there were two speech targets, with successively higher scores for competing speech (six items), energetic masking (one item), and no masking (three items). The results suggest significant masking by competing speech in everyday listening situations.

Patient contributions during primary care consultations for hypertension after self-reporting via a mobile phone self-management support system.

PubMed

Bengtsson, Ulrika; Kjellgren, Karin; Hallberg, Inger; Lundin, Mona; Mäkitalo, Åsa

2018-03-01

This paper reports on how the clinical consultation in primary care is performed under the new premises of patients' daily self-reporting and self-generation of data. The aim was to explore and describe the structure, topic initiation and patients' contributions in follow-up consultations after eight weeks of self-reporting through a mobile phone-based hypertension self-management support system. A qualitative, explorative study design was used, examining 20 audio- (n = 10) and video-recorded (n = 10) follow-up consultations in primary care hypertension management, through interaction analysis. Clinical trials registry: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01510301. Four primary health care centers in Sweden. Patients with hypertension (n = 20) and their health care professional (n = 7). The consultations comprised three phases: opening, examination and closing. The most common topic was blood pressure (BP) put in relation to self-reported variables, for example, physical activity and stress. Topic initiation was distributed symmetrically between parties and BP talk was lifestyle-centered. The patients' contributed to the interpretation of BP values by connecting them to specific occasions, providing insights to the link between BP measurements and everyday life activities. Patients' contribution through interpretations of BP values to specific situations in their own lives brought on consultations where the patient as a person in context became salient. Further, the patients' and health care professionals' equal contribution during the consultations showed actively involved patients. The mobile phone-based self-management support system can thus be used to support patient involvement in consultations with a person-centered approach in primary care hypertension management Key points   The clinical consultation is important to provide opportunities for patients to gain understanding of factors affecting high blood pressure, and for health care professionals to motivate and promote changes in life-style. This study shows that self-reporting as base for follow-up consultations in primary care hypertension management can support patients and professionals to equal participation in clinical consultations. Self-reporting combined with increased patient-health care professional interaction during follow-up consultations can support patients in understanding the blood pressure value in relation to their daily life. These findings implicate that the interactive mobile phone self-management support system has potential to support current transformations of patients as recipients of primary care, to being actively involved in their own health.

A Cross-Cultural Examination of the Intention to Use Technology between Singaporean and Malaysian Pre-Service teachers: An Application of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teo, Timothy; Luan, Wong Su; Sing, Chai Ching

2008-01-01

As computers becomes more ubiquitous in our everyday lives, educational settings are being transformed where educators and students are expected to teach and learn, using computers (Lee, 2003). This study, therefore, explored pre-service teachers' self reported future intentions to use computers in Singapore and Malaysia. A survey methodology was…

The efficacy of prospective memory rehabilitation plus metacognitive skills training for adults with traumatic brain injury: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Fleming, Jennifer; Ownsworth, Tamara; Doig, Emmah; Hutton, Lauren; Griffin, Janelle; Kendall, Melissa; Shum, David H K

2017-01-05

Impairment of prospective memory (PM) is common following traumatic brain injury (TBI) and negatively impacts on independent living. Compensatory approaches to PM rehabilitation have been found to minimize the impact of PM impairment in adults with TBI; however, poor self-awareness after TBI poses a major barrier to the generalization of compensatory strategies in daily life. Metacognitive skills training (MST) is a cognitive rehabilitation approach that aims to facilitate the development of self-awareness in adults with TBI. This paper describes the protocol of a study that aims to evaluate the efficacy of a MST approach to compensatory PM rehabilitation for improving everyday PM performance and psychosocial outcomes after TBI. This randomized controlled trial has three treatment groups: compensatory training plus metacognitive skills training (COMP-MST), compensatory training only (COMP), and waitlist control. Participants in the COMP-MST and COMP groups will complete a 6-week intervention consisting of six 2-h weekly training sessions. Each 1.5-h session will involve compensatory strategy training and 0.5 h will incorporate either MST (COMP-MST group) or filler activity as an active control (COMP group). Participants in the waitlist group receive care as usual for 6 weeks, followed by the COMP-MST intervention. Based on the sample size estimate, 90 participants with moderate to severe TBI will be randomized into the three groups using a stratified sampling approach. The primary outcomes include measures of PM performance in everyday life and level of psychosocial reintegration. Secondary outcomes include measures of PM function on psychometric testing, strategy use, self-awareness, and level of support needs following TBI. Blinded assessments will be conducted pre and post intervention, and at 3-month and 6-month follow-ups. This study seeks to determine the efficacy of COMP-MST for improving and maintaining everyday PM performance and level of psychosocial integration in adults with moderate to severe TBI. The findings will advance theoretical understanding of the role of self-awareness in compensatory PM rehabilitation and skills generalization. COMP-MST has the potential to reduce the cost of rehabilitation and lifestyle support following TBI because the intervention could enhance generalization success and lifelong application of PM compensatory strategies. New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12615000996561 . Registered on 23 September 2015; retrospectively registered 2 months after commencement.

Patterns of drug use and the influence of gender on self-reports of memory ability in ecstasy users: a web-based study.

PubMed

Rodgers, J; Buchanan, T; Scholey, A B; Heffernan, T M; Ling, J; Parrott, A C

2003-12-01

Research indicates that the use of recreational drugs, including MDMA ('ecstasy') can result in impairments in cognitive functioning. Recent evidence, based on accounts of 'on drug' effects and cortical binding ratios suggests that women may be more susceptible to the effects of MDMA; however, no research has explored whether there are differences in the long-term behavioural sequelae of the drug between men and women. In addition, little is known about the profile of functioning of the 'typical' user. The present investigation accessed a large sample of recreational drug users, using the Internet, to obtain self-reports of memory functioning with a view to exploring any differences in self-reported ability amongst male and female users, and the level of difficulty reported by the 'typical' ecstasy user. A web site (www.drugresearch.org.uk) was developed and used for data collection. Prospective memory ability was assessed using the Prospective Memory Questionnaire. Self-report of day-to-day memory performance was investigated using the Everyday Memory Questionnaire. The UEL Drug Questionnaire assessed the use of other substances. The number of mistakes made while completing the questionnaires was also taken as an objective measure of performance errors. Findings, based on datasets submitted from 763 respondents, indicate no differences in self-reports of functioning between male and female participants. An overall dissociation between the effects of cannabis and ecstasy on self-reported memory functioning and on the likelihood of making an error during the completion of the questionnaire was found. Typical ecstasy users were found to report significantly more difficulties in long-term prospective memory and to make more completion errors than users of other substances and drug naive controls. Whilst taking into account the fact that participants were recruited via the World Wide Web and that a number of stringent exclusion criteria were applied to the data, a number of conclusions can be drawn. Recreational drug users perceive their memory ability to be impaired compared to non-users. The type of memory difficulties reported varies depending upon the drug of choice. These difficulties are exacerbated in ecstasy users. Individuals reporting average levels of use of ecstasy are more likely to report memory problems than non-ecstasy drug users or drug free individuals. The deleterious effects of ecstasy are therefore not restricted to heavy or chronic users. No gender differences were detected, suggesting that there may be a dissociation between cognitive impairment and cortical binding worthy of further exploration.

Self-help memory training for healthy older adults in a residential care center: specific and transfer effects on performance and beliefs.

PubMed

Cavallini, Elena; Bottiroli, Sara; Capotosto, Emanuela; De Beni, Rossana; Pavan, Giorgio; Vecchi, Tomaso; Borella, Erika

2015-08-01

Cognitive flexibility has repeatedly been shown to improve after training programs in community-dwelling older adults, but few studies have focused on healthy older adults living in other settings. This study investigated the efficacy of self-help training for healthy older adults in a residential care center on memory tasks they practiced (associative and object list learning tasks) and any transfer to other tasks (grocery lists, face-name learning, figure-word pairing, word lists, and text learning). Transfer effects on everyday life (using a problem-solving task) and on participants' beliefs regarding their memory (efficacy and control) were also examined. With the aid of a manual, the training adopted a learner-oriented approach that directly encouraged learners to generalize strategic behavior to new tasks. The maintenance of any training benefits was assessed after 6 months. The study involved 34 residential care center residents (aged 70-99 years old) with no cognitive impairments who were randomly assigned to two programs: the experimental group followed the self-help training program, whereas the active control group was involved in general cognitive stimulation activities. Training benefits emerged in the trained group for the tasks that were practiced. Transfer effects were found in memory and everyday problem-solving tasks and on memory beliefs. The effects of training were generally maintained in both practiced and unpracticed memory tasks. These results demonstrate that learner-oriented self-help training enhances memory performance and memory beliefs, in the short term at least, even in residential care center residents. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Impact of Everyday Discrimination and Racial Identity Centrality on African American Medical Student Well-Being: a Report from the Medical Student CHANGE Study

PubMed Central

Hardeman, Rachel; Burke, Sara E.; Cunningham, Brooke; Burgess, Diana J.; van Ryn, Michelle

2015-01-01

Positive psychological well-being is an important predictor of and contributor to medical student success. Previous work showed that first-year African American medical students whose self-concept was highly linked to their race (high racial identity centrality) were at greater risk for poor well-being. The current study extends this work by examining (a) whether the psychological impact of racial discrimination on well-being depends on African American medical students' racial identity centrality and (b) whether this process is explained by how accepted students feel in medical school. This study used baseline data from the Medical Student Cognitive Habits and Growth Evaluation (CHANGE) Study, a large national longitudinal cohort study of 4732 medical students at 49 medical schools in the USA (n = 243). Regression analyses were conducted to test whether medical student acceptance mediated an interactive effect of discrimination and racial identity centrality on self-esteem and well-being. Both racial identity centrality and everyday discrimination were associated with negative outcomes for first-year African American medical students. Among participants who experienced higher, but not lower, levels of everyday discrimination, racial identity centrality was associated with negative outcomes. When everyday discrimination was high, but not low, racial identity was negatively related to perceived acceptance in medical school, and this in turn was related to increased negative outcomes. Our results suggest that discrimination may be particularly harmful for African American students who perceive their race to be central to their personal identity. Additionally, our findings speak to the need for institutional change that includes commitment and action towards inclusivity and the elimination of structural racism. PMID:27294743

The Impact of Everyday Discrimination and Racial Identity Centrality on African American Medical Student Well-Being: a Report from the Medical Student CHANGE Study.

PubMed

Perry, Sylvia P; Hardeman, Rachel; Burke, Sara E; Cunningham, Brooke; Burgess, Diana J; van Ryn, Michelle

2016-09-01

Positive psychological well-being is an important predictor of and contributor to medical student success. Previous work showed that first-year African American medical students whose self-concept was highly linked to their race (high racial identity centrality) were at greater risk for poor well-being. The current study extends this work by examining (a) whether the psychological impact of racial discrimination on well-being depends on African American medical students' racial identity centrality and (b) whether this process is explained by how accepted students feel in medical school. This study used baseline data from the Medical Student Cognitive Habits and Growth Evaluation (CHANGE) Study, a large national longitudinal cohort study of 4732 medical students at 49 medical schools in the USA (n = 243). Regression analyses were conducted to test whether medical student acceptance mediated an interactive effect of discrimination and racial identity centrality on self-esteem and well-being. Both racial identity centrality and everyday discrimination were associated with negative outcomes for first-year African American medical students. Among participants who experienced higher, but not lower, levels of everyday discrimination, racial identity centrality was associated with negative outcomes. When everyday discrimination was high, but not low, racial identity was negatively related to perceived acceptance in medical school, and this in turn was related to increased negative outcomes. Our results suggest that discrimination may be particularly harmful for African American students who perceive their race to be central to their personal identity. Additionally, our findings speak to the need for institutional change that includes commitment and action towards inclusivity and the elimination of structural racism.

Everyday drug diversions: a qualitative study of the illicit exchange and non-medical use of prescription stimulants on a university campus.

PubMed

Vrecko, Scott

2015-04-01

This article investigates everyday experiences and practises that are associated with processes of pharmaceuticalization and with practices of 'drug diversion'--that is, the illicit exchange and non-medical use of prescription drugs. It reports results from a qualitative study that was designed to examine the everyday dimensions of non-medical prescription stimulant use among students on an American university campus, which involved 38 semi-structured interviews with individuals who used prescription stimulants as a means of improving academic performance. While discussions of drug diversion are often framed in terms of broad, population-level patterns and demographic trends, the present analysis provides a complementary sociocultural perspective that is attuned to the local and everyday phenomena. Results are reported in relation to the acquisition of supplies of medications intended for nonmedical use. An analysis is provided which identifies four different sources of diverted medications (friends; family members; black-market vendors; deceived clinicians), and describes particular sets of understandings, practices and experiences that arise in relation to each different source. Findings suggest that at the level of everyday experience and practice, the phenomenon of prescription stimulant diversion is characterised by a significant degree of complexity and heterogeneity. Copyright © 2014 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Everyday drug diversions: A qualitative study of the illicit exchange and non-medical use of prescription stimulants on a university campus

PubMed Central

Vrecko, Scott

2015-01-01

This article investigates everyday experiences and practises that are associated with processes of pharmaceuticalization and with practices of ‘drug diversion’—that is, the illicit exchange and non-medical use of prescription drugs. It reports results from a qualitative study that was designed to examine the everyday dimensions of non-medical prescription stimulant use among students on an American university campus, which involved 38 semi-structured interviews with individuals who used prescription stimulants as a means of improving academic performance. While discussions of drug diversion are often framed in terms of broad, population-level patterns and demographic trends, the present analysis provides a complementary sociocultural perspective that is attuned to the local and everyday phenomena. Results are reported in relation to the acquisition of supplies of medications intended for nonmedical use. An analysis is provided which identifies four different sources of diverted medications (friends; family members; black-market vendors; deceived clinicians), and describes particular sets of understandings, practices and experiences that arise in relation to each different source. Findings suggest that at the level of everyday experience and practice, the phenomenon of prescription stimulant diversion is characterised by a significant degree of complexity and heterogeneity. PMID:25455480

The Positive Illusory Bias in Children and Adolescents With ADHD: Further Evidence.

PubMed

Volz-Sidiropoulou, Eftychia; Boecker, Maren; Gauggel, Siegfried

2016-02-01

This study aimed to examine the accuracy of self-reports of children and adolescents with ADHD in evaluating activity limitations. Self-reports of children/adolescents with ADHD (n = 89) were compared with those of nonreferred children (n = 94), relative to parent reports about children's competence. Competence was measured with a 34-item rating scale. Behavioral disorders were documented with the Child Behavior Checklist. Children/adolescents with ADHD were much more likely than controls to overestimate their competence in certain daily activities relative to parent reports, demonstrating a positive illusory bias. Positive illusory bias was found to be pronounced in activities, which were expected to be affected by symptoms of ADHD. Overestimations of competencies were more likely to be accompanied with externalizing problems. Results support the presence of the positive illusory bias also in the domain of everyday life activities. Improvement of self-evaluation of competencies should become a focus of treatment. © The Author(s) 2013.

Creative Cognition and Brain Network Dynamics.

PubMed

Beaty, Roger E; Benedek, Mathias; Silvia, Paul J; Schacter, Daniel L

2016-02-01

Creative thinking is central to the arts, sciences, and everyday life. How does the brain produce creative thought? A series of recently published papers has begun to provide insight into this question, reporting a strikingly similar pattern of brain activity and connectivity across a range of creative tasks and domains, from divergent thinking to poetry composition to musical improvisation. This research suggests that creative thought involves dynamic interactions of large-scale brain systems, with the most compelling finding being that the default and executive control networks, which can show an antagonistic relation, tend to cooperate during creative cognition and artistic performance. These findings have implications for understanding how brain networks interact to support complex cognitive processes, particularly those involving goal-directed, self-generated thought. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The affective reactivity of psychotic speech: The role of internal source monitoring in explaining increased thought disorder under emotional challenge.

PubMed

de Sousa, Paulo; Sellwood, William; Spray, Amy; Bentall, Richard P

2016-04-01

Thought disorder (TD) has been shown to vary in relation to negative affect. Here we examine the role internal source monitoring (iSM, i.e. ability to discriminate between inner speech and verbalized speech) in TD and whether changes in iSM performance are implicated in the affective reactivity effect (deterioration of TD when participants are asked to talk about emotionally-laden topics). Eighty patients diagnosed with schizophrenia-spectrum disorder and thirty healthy controls received interviews that promoted personal disclosure (emotionally salient) and interviews on everyday topics (non-salient) on separate days. During the interviews, participants were tested on iSM, self-reported affect and immediate auditory recall. Patients had more TD, poorer ability to discriminate between inner and verbalized speech, poorer immediate auditory recall and reported more negative affect than controls. Both groups displayed more TD and negative affect in salient interviews but only patients showed poorer performance on iSM. Immediate auditory recall did not change significantly across affective conditions. In patients, the relationship between self-reported negative affect and TD was mediated by deterioration in the ability to discriminate between inner speech and speech that was directed to others and socially shared (performance on the iSM) in both interviews. Furthermore, deterioration in patients' performance on iSM across conditions significantly predicted deterioration in TD across the interviews (affective reactivity of speech). Poor iSM is significantly associated with TD. Negative affect, leading to further impaired iSM, leads to increased TD in patients with psychosis. Avenues for future research as well as clinical implications of these findings are discussed. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Attentional Lapses of Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Tasks of Sustained Attention.

PubMed

Gmehlin, Dennis; Fuermaier, Anselm B M; Walther, Stephan; Tucha, Lara; Koerts, Janneke; Lange, Klaus W; Tucha, Oliver; Weisbrod, Matthias; Aschenbrenner, Steffen

2016-06-01

Adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show attentional dysfunction such as distractibility and mind-wandering, especially in lengthy tasks. However, fundamentals of dysfunction are ambiguous and relationships of neuropsychological test parameters with self-report measures of ADHD symptoms are marginal. We hypothesize that basic deficits in sustaining attention explain more complex attentional dysfunction in persons with ADHD and relate to ADHD symptoms. Attentional function was analyzed by computing ex-Gaussian parameters for 3 time Blocks in a 20 min test of sustained alertness. Changes in performance across these blocks were analyzed by comparing adult persons with ADHD (n = 24) with healthy matched controls (n = 24) and correlated with neuropsychological measures of selective and divided attention as well as self-report measures of ADHD symptoms. We found a significantly steeper increase in the number of slow responses (ex-Gaussian parameter τ) in persons with ADHD with time on task in basic sustained alertness. They also performed significantly worse in tasks of sustained selective and divided attention. However, after controlling for an increase in τ during the alertness task, significant differences between groups disappeared for divided and partly selective attention. Increases in τ in the sustained alertness task correlated significantly with self-report measures of ADHD symptoms. Our results provide evidence that very basic deficits in sustaining attention in adults with ADHD are related to infrequent slow responses (=attentional lapses), with changes over time being relevant for more complex attentional function and experienced ADHD symptoms in everyday life. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Daily Stress, Hearing-Specific Stress and Coping: Self-Reports from Deaf or Hard of Hearing Children and Children with Auditory Processing Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eschenbeck, Heike; Gillé, Vera; Heim-Dreger, Uwe; Schock, Alexandra; Schott, Andrea

2017-01-01

This study evaluated stressors and coping strategies in 70 children who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH) or with auditory processing disorder (APD) attending Grades 5 and 6 of a school for deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Everyday general stressors and more hearing-specific stressors were examined in a hearing-specific modified stress and…

Defining Mindfulness by How Poorly I Think I Pay Attention during Everyday Awareness and Other Intractable Problems for Psychology's (Re)Invention of Mindfulness: Comment on Brown Et Al. (2011)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grossman, Paul

2011-01-01

The Buddhist construct of mindfulness is a central element of mindfulness-based interventions and derives from an age-old systematic phenomenological program to investigate subjective experience. Recent enthusiasm for "mindfulness" in psychology has resulted in proliferation of self-report inventories that purport to measure mindful awareness as a…

Reappraisal inventiveness: impact of appropriate brain activation during efforts to generate alternative appraisals on the perception of chronic stress in women.

PubMed

Perchtold, Corinna M; Fink, Andreas; Rominger, Christian; Weber, Hannelore; de Assunção, Vera Loureiro; Schulter, Günter; Weiss, Elisabeth M; Papousek, Ilona

2018-03-01

Previous research indicated that more left-lateralized prefrontal activation during cognitive reappraisal efforts was linked to a greater capacity for generating reappraisals, which is a prerequisite for the effective implementation of cognitive reappraisal in everyday life. The present study examined whether the supposedly appropriate brain activation is relevant in terms of more distal outcomes, i.e., chronic stress perception. Prefrontal EEG alpha asymmetry was recorded while female participants were generating reappraisals for stressful events and was correlated with their self-reported chronic stress levels in everyday life (n = 80). Women showing less left-lateralized brain activity in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex during cognitive reappraisal efforts reported experiencing more stress in their daily lives. This effect was independent of self-efficacy beliefs in managing negative emotions. These findings underline the practical relevance of individual differences in appropriate brain activation during emotion regulation efforts and the assumedly related basic capacity for the generation of cognitive reappraisals to the feeling of being stressed. Implications include the selection of interventions for the improvement of coping with stress in women in whom the capability for appropriate brain activation during reappraisal efforts may be impaired, e.g., due to depression or old age.

It's immoral, but I'd do it! Psychopathy traits affect decision-making in sacrificial dilemmas and in everyday moral situations.

PubMed

Pletti, Carolina; Lotto, Lorella; Buodo, Giulia; Sarlo, Michela

2017-05-01

This research investigated whether emotional hyporeactivity affects moral judgements and choices of action in sacrificial moral dilemmas and in everyday moral conflict situations in which harm to other's welfare is differentially involved. Twenty-six participants with high trait psychopathy (HP) and 25 with low trait psychopathy (LP) were selected based on the primary psychopathy scale of the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale. HP participants were more likely to sacrifice one person to save others in sacrificial dilemmas and to pursue a personal advantage in everyday moral situations entailing harm to another's good. While deciding in these situations, HP participants experienced lower unpleasantness as compared to LP participants. Conversely, no group differences emerged in choice of action and unpleasantness ratings for everyday moral situations that did not entail harm to others. Importantly, moral judgements did not differ in the two groups. These results suggest that high psychopathy trait affects choices of action in sacrificial dilemmas because of reduced emotional reactivity to harmful acts. The dissociation between choice of action and moral judgement suggests that the former is more closely related to emotional experience. Also, emotion seems to play a critical role in discriminating harmful from harmless acts and in driving decisions accordingly. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

Disease-related everyday communication of persons with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases-Results of a participatory research project.

PubMed

Lamprecht, J; Thyrolf, A; Mattukat, K; Schöpf, A C; Schlöffel, M; Farin, E; Mau, W

2017-04-01

The aim of the present study is to describe and analyse significant factors of disease-related everyday communication of persons with RMDs in a nationwide project in Germany funded by the Deutsche Rheumaliga Bundesverband e.V. (German League against Rheumatism). In this participatory research project four persons with RMDs are involved. An online questionnaire addressing context, difficulties, and burden of disease-related everyday communication was answered by 1.015 persons with RMDs. Social and communication skills were recorded by questionnaires to capture social insecurity and patient communication competence. More than half of the participants reported difficulties in disease-related conversations across various situations. The majority of these persons suffer from this experience particularly in conversations at the work environment or with staff members of authorities. They feel unconfident especially in situations which require saying "no". Furthermore, compared to the general population persons with RMDs have more anxiety about contact with others. Strengthening the social skills of persons with RMDs in conversations related to everyday situations can promote a self-determined life and contribute to the maintenance of social participation. Based on the results, a communication skills training for persons with RMDs will be developed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

How do the outcomes of the DEKA Arm compare to conventional prostheses?

PubMed

Resnik, Linda J; Borgia, Matthew L; Acluche, Frantzy; Cancio, Jill M; Latlief, Gail; Sasson, Nicole

2018-01-01

Objectives were to 1) compare self-reported function, dexterity, activity performance, quality of life and community integration of the DEKA Arm to conventional prostheses; and 2) examine differences in outcomes by conventional prosthesis type, terminal device type and by DEKA Arm configuration level. This was a two-part study; Part A consisted of in-laboratory training. Part B consisted of home use. Study participants were 23 prosthesis users (mean age = 45 ± 16; 87% male) who completed Part A, and 15 (mean age = 45 ± 18; 87% male) who completed Parts A and B. Outcomes including self-report and performance measures, were collected at Baseline using participants' personal prostheses and at the End of Parts A and B. Scores were compared using paired t-tests. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to compare outcomes for the full sample, and for the sample stratified by device and terminal device type. Analysis of outcomes by configuration level was performed graphically. At the End of Part A activity performance using the DEKA Arm and conventional prosthesis was equivalent, but slower with the DEKA Arm. After Part B, performance using the DEKA Arm surpassed conventional prosthesis scores, and speed of activity completion was equivalent. Participants reported using the DEKA Arm to perform more activities, had less perceived disability, and less difficulty in activities at the End of A and B as compared to Baseline. No differences were observed in dexterity, prosthetic skill, spontaneity, pain, community integration or quality of life. Comparisons stratified by device type revealed similar patterns. Graphic comparisons revealed variations by configuration level. Participants using the DEKA Arm had less perceived disability and more engagement of the prosthesis in everyday tasks, although activity performance was slower. After home use experience, activity performance was improved and activity speed equivalent to using conventional prostheses.

Eye-Tracking as a Tool to Evaluate Functional Ability in Everyday Tasks in Glaucoma.

PubMed

Kasneci, Enkelejda; Black, Alex A; Wood, Joanne M

2017-01-01

To date, few studies have investigated the eye movement patterns of individuals with glaucoma while they undertake everyday tasks in real-world settings. While some of these studies have reported possible compensatory gaze patterns in those with glaucoma who demonstrated good task performance despite their visual field loss, little is known about the complex interaction between field loss and visual scanning strategies and the impact on task performance and, consequently, on quality of life. We review existing approaches that have quantified the effect of glaucomatous visual field defects on the ability to undertake everyday activities through the use of eye movement analysis. Furthermore, we discuss current developments in eye-tracking technology and the potential for combining eye-tracking with virtual reality and advanced analytical approaches. Recent technological developments suggest that systems based on eye-tracking have the potential to assist individuals with glaucomatous loss to maintain or even improve their performance on everyday tasks and hence enhance their long-term quality of life. We discuss novel approaches for studying the visual search behavior of individuals with glaucoma that have the potential to assist individuals with glaucoma, through the use of personalized programs that take into consideration the individual characteristics of their remaining visual field and visual search behavior.

Eye-Tracking as a Tool to Evaluate Functional Ability in Everyday Tasks in Glaucoma

PubMed Central

Black, Alex A.

2017-01-01

To date, few studies have investigated the eye movement patterns of individuals with glaucoma while they undertake everyday tasks in real-world settings. While some of these studies have reported possible compensatory gaze patterns in those with glaucoma who demonstrated good task performance despite their visual field loss, little is known about the complex interaction between field loss and visual scanning strategies and the impact on task performance and, consequently, on quality of life. We review existing approaches that have quantified the effect of glaucomatous visual field defects on the ability to undertake everyday activities through the use of eye movement analysis. Furthermore, we discuss current developments in eye-tracking technology and the potential for combining eye-tracking with virtual reality and advanced analytical approaches. Recent technological developments suggest that systems based on eye-tracking have the potential to assist individuals with glaucomatous loss to maintain or even improve their performance on everyday tasks and hence enhance their long-term quality of life. We discuss novel approaches for studying the visual search behavior of individuals with glaucoma that have the potential to assist individuals with glaucoma, through the use of personalized programs that take into consideration the individual characteristics of their remaining visual field and visual search behavior. PMID:28293433

'Somebody there to watch over you': the role of the family in everyday and emergency diabetes care.

PubMed

Gunn, Kathleen L; Seers, Kate; Posner, Natasha; Coates, Vivien

2012-11-01

This paper reports on the role of family members in everyday diabetes self-care and in diabetic crises. It is based on qualitative data drawn from 45 semi-structured interviews with a wide range of people with an established diagnosis of Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, who were admitted to hospital for urgent or emergency treatment in connection with their diabetes. The interviews were carried out in two contrasting sites in the United Kingdom in 2009-2010, transcribed and analysed thematically with particular reference to framework analysis methods. We found that family involvement in self-care was common, and the role of family and friends was especially important when the person with diabetes needed urgent help. We comment on the diversity of family members who assisted regularly or dealt with crises, the importance of taking account of the complexities of family life, including reciprocal care, and the particular problems faced by people without family support. Finally, we make recommendations for further research and for improvements in existing services. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Association between satisfaction and participation in everyday occupations after stroke.

PubMed

Bergström, Aileen; Guidetti, Susanne; Tham, Kerstin; Eriksson, Gunilla

2017-09-01

Within occupational therapy, it is assumed that individuals are satisfied when participating in everyday occupations that they want to do. However, there is little empirical evidence to show this. The aim of this study is to explore and describe the relation between satisfaction and participation in everyday occupations in a Swedish cohort, 5 years post stroke. Sixty-nine persons responded to the Occupational Gaps Questionnaire (OGQ). The questionnaire measures subjective restrictions in participation, i.e. the discrepancy between doing and wanting to do 30 different occupations in everyday life, and satisfaction per activity. Results were analysed with McNemar/chi-square. Seventy percent of the persons perceived participation restrictions. Individuals that did not perceive restrictions in their participation had a significantly higher level of satisfaction (p = .002) compared to those that had restrictions. Participants that performed activities that they wanted to do report between 79 and 100% satisfaction per activity. In this cohort, there was a significant association between satisfaction and participating in everyday occupations one wants to do, showing that satisfaction is an important aspect of participation and substantiates a basic assumption within occupational therapy. The complexity of measuring satisfaction and participation in everyday occupations is discussed.

Experienced dilemmas of everyday life in chronic neuropathic pain patients--results from a critical incident study.

PubMed

Hensing, Gunnel K E; Sverker, Annette M; Leijon, Göran S

2007-06-01

Neuropathic pain is a disabling chronic condition with limited therapeutic options. Few studies have addressed patient's experience and strategies. The aim of this study was to explore dilemmas experienced in order to improve care and rehabilitation. An interview study with 39 patients suffering from neuropathic pain of different origin was performed. We used the critical incident technique to collect data. Questions on occasions when patients had been hindered by or reminded of their neuropathic pain were included, and the self-perceived consequences and management of such occasions. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed qualitatively. A broad range of experiences categorised into dilemmas, disturbances, consequences and managements from most parts of everyday life was identified. The dilemmas were 'housework', 'sitting', 'physical activity', 'personal hygiene', 'sleeping difficulties', 'hypersensitivity to external stimuli', 'social relationships', 'transportation' and 'leisure time'. Disturbances were 'failures', 'inabilities' and 'restrictions'. Consequences were 'increased pain', 'psychological reactions' and 'physical symptoms'. The majority of the patients used activity-oriented strategies to manage their pain such as alternative ways of performing the task, a cognitive approach or simply ignoring the pain. This is one of the first studies presenting detailed data on everyday dilemmas, disturbances and consequences of patients with chronic neuropathic pain. Such information is important in clinical settings to improve care and rehabilitation.

Perceived discrimination and mental health among older African Americans: the role of psychological well-being.

PubMed

Yoon, Eunkyung; Coburn, Corvell; Spence, Susie A

2018-01-15

Examine the effect of perceived discrimination (both racial and non-racial) on the mental health of older African Americans and explore the buffering role of psychological well-being (purpose in life and self-acceptance). Using an older African American subsample from the National Health Measurement Study (n = 397), multiple regression model by gender was used to estimate the effects of two types of discrimination (every day and lifetime) on SF-36 mental component and mediating role of two concepts of psychological well-being. With no gender difference on the everyday discrimination, older men experienced more lifetime discrimination than older women. The older men's model found that the depressive symptomology was significantly explained by only everyday discrimination and mediated by self-acceptance. The older women's model was significant, with everyday discrimination and both self-acceptance and purpose in life emerging as mediating variables. The prevalence of institutional lifetime discrimination for older African American men is consistent with previous research. Inconsistency with past research indicated that only everyday discrimination is statistically associated with depressive symptoms. Considering the buffering role of psychological well-being served for mental health problems, practitioners need to emphasize these factors when providing services to older African Americans. Equally important, they must address racial discrimination in mental health care settings.

Predictors of Performance in Everyday Technology Tasks in Older Adults With and Without Mild Cognitive Impairment.

PubMed

Schmidt, Laura I; Wahl, Hans-Werner

2018-06-06

The ability to use everyday technology has become a key competence for conducting activities of daily living, maintaining an autonomous life, as well as participating in society. However, studying this issue in older adults needs more attention, particularly among those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We assessed the performance of N = 80 older adults (M = 73 years) in a range of tasks representing important life domains, i.e., using a blood pressure monitor, a mobile phone, and an eBook reader. Thirty-nine participants had been diagnosed with MCI by experienced geropsychiatrists and 41 healthy controls were matched for age, sex, and education. Standardized observation based on video-recording and coding was combined with cognitive testing and assessment of social-cognitive variables (self-efficacy, perceived obsolescence, attitudes towards technology). Cognitively healthy participants outperformed those with MCI regarding completion time and errors. An interaction effect of device and study group indicated larger differences in completion time for tasks with multilayered interfaces. In hierarchical regression models, aggregated cognitive factors (fluid and memory component) predicted performance and interactions with education level emerged. Obsolescence, addressing a perceived lack of competence to cope with modern society, mediated the effect of cognitive status on performance, both regarding time (partial mediation, adj.R2 = 28%) and errors (full mediation, adj.R2 = 23%). Findings show that social-cognitive factors contribute to differences in performance on everyday technology tasks in addition to cognitive abilities. Training programs may profit from considering respective individual resources or limitations in the cognitive, personality-related or emotional-motivational domain.

Discrimination, Racial/Ethnic Identity, and Substance Use Among Latina/os: Are They Gendered?

PubMed

Molina, Kristine M; Jackson, Benita; Rivera-Olmedo, Noemi

2016-02-01

Prior research suggests that stronger racial/ethnic identification offsets negative effects of discrimination on substance use. Yet research in this area and on whether gender modifies this association is limited for Latina/os. The purpose of the present study is to examine whether different sources of discrimination (everyday and racial/ethnic) are associated with substance use (alcohol use disorder, smoking), if racial/ethnic identity buffers this association, and the potential moderating role of gender among these variables. We present cross-sectional, US population-based data from the Latina/o adult sample (1427 females and 1127 males) of the National Latino and Asian American Study. Respondents completed self-reported measures of everyday and racial/ethnic discrimination, racial/ethnic identity, smoking status, and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) lifetime alcohol use disorder. Weighted logistic regression analyses showed that before inclusion of three-way interactions and adjusting for covariates, everyday discrimination predicted increased risk for any DSM-IV lifetime alcohol use disorders. Moderation analyses revealed that the effect of everyday discrimination on the risk of being a current smoker was strongest for Latino men with high levels of racial/ethnic identity compared to those with low racial/ethnic identity. No differences were noted among Latino women. There were no main or interaction effects of racial/ethnic discrimination for any substance use outcome. Findings suggest differential associations for type of discrimination and outcome and that the role of racial/ethnic identity is gender-specific for smoking, appearing particularly detrimental for Latino men reporting high levels of racial/ethnic identity.

Perfusion functional MRI reveals cerebral blood flow pattern under psychological stress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jiongjiong; Rao, Hengyi; Wetmore, Gabriel S.; Furlan, Patricia M.; Korczykowski, Marc; Dinges, David F.; Detre, John A.

2005-12-01

Despite the prevalence of stress in everyday life and its impact on happiness, health, and cognition, little is known about the neural substrate of the experience of everyday stress in humans. We use a quantitative and noninvasive neuroimaging technique, arterial spin-labeling perfusion MRI, to measure cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes associated with mild to moderate stress induced by a mental arithmetic task with performance monitoring. Elicitation of stress was verified by self-report of stress and emotional state and measures of heart rate and salivary-cortisol level. The change in CBF induced by the stress task was positively correlated with subjective stress rating in the ventral right prefrontal cortex (RPFC) and left insula/putamen area. The ventral RPFC along with right insula/putamen and anterior cingulate showed sustained activation after task completion in subjects reporting a high stress level during arithmetic tasks. Additionally, variations of baseline CBF in the ventral RPFC and right orbitofrontal cortex were found to correlate with changes in salivary-cortisol level and heart rate caused by undergoing stress tasks. We further demonstrated that the observed right prefrontal activation could not be attributed to increased cognitive demand accompanying stress tasks and extended beyond neural pathways associated with negative emotions. Our results provide neuroimaging evidence that psychological stress induces negative emotion and vigilance and that the ventral RPFC plays a key role in the central stress response. anterior cingulate cortex | arterial spin labeling | right prefrontal cortex

Systematic review on the health effects of exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields from mobile phone base stations

PubMed Central

Frei, Patrizia; Mohler, Evelyn; Hug, Kerstin

2010-01-01

Abstract Objective To review and evaluate the recent literature on the health effects of exposure to mobile phone base station (MPBS) radiation. Methods We performed a systematic review of randomized human trials conducted in laboratory settings and of epidemiological studies that investigated the health effects of MPBS radiation in the everyday environment. Findings We included in the analysis 17 articles that met our basic quality criteria: 5 randomized human laboratory trials and 12 epidemiological studies. The majority of the papers (14) examined self-reported non-specific symptoms of ill-health. Most of the randomized trials did not detect any association between MPBS radiation and the development of acute symptoms during or shortly after exposure. The sporadically observed associations did not show a consistent pattern with regard to symptoms or types of exposure. We also found that the more sophisticated the exposure assessment, the less likely it was that an effect would be reported. Studies on health effects other than non-specific symptoms and studies on MPBS exposure in children were scarce. Conclusion The evidence for a missing relationship between MPBS exposure up to 10 volts per metre and acute symptom development can be considered strong because it is based on randomized, blinded human laboratory trials. At present, there is insufficient data to draw firm conclusions about health effects from long-term low-level exposure typically occurring in the everyday environment. PMID:21124713

Teachers' experiences of adolescents' pain in everyday life: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Rohde, Gudrun; Westergren, Thomas; Haraldstad, Kristin; Johannessen, Berit; Høie, Magnhild; Helseth, Sølvi; Fegran, Liv; Slettebø, Åshild

2015-09-03

More adolescents report pain now than previously. In Norway, episodic pain problems have been reported by 60% of children and adolescents aged 8-18 years, with 21% reporting duration of pain of more than 3 months. Since adolescents spend much time at school, the attitude and behaviour of teachers play important roles regarding the experience of pain felt by adolescents in everyday life. Yet research on how teachers perceive the pain experienced by adolescents in a school setting is limited. We therefore seek to gain insight to teachers' classroom experiences with (1) adolescent's self-reported pain symptoms; (2) adolescents management of their pain and (3) how to help adolescents manage their pain. Teachers in 5 junior high schools in Norway representing municipalities in 3 rural areas and 2 cities. A qualitative study with an explorative design comprising 5 focus group interviews. Each group consisted of 3-8 junior high school teachers. A semistructured interview guide was used to cover the issues. The transcribed text was analysed with qualitative content analysis. 22 teachers participated (5 men, 17 women; age range 29-62 years) with teaching experience ranging from 3 to nearly 40 years. The main theme describing the experience of teachers with adolescents' pain in everyday life is that pain and management of pain is a social, physical and psychological interwoven phenomenon. Through empirical analyses, 3 subcategories emerged: (1) everyday pain--expressing strenuous life; (2) managing pain--escaping struggle and (3) strategies of teachers--support and normalisation. Teachers have a biopsychosocial understanding and approach to pain experienced by adolescents. This understanding influences the role of teachers as significant others in the lives of adolescents with regard to pain and management of their pain in a school setting. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Temporal self-regulation theory: a neurobiologically informed model for physical activity behavior

PubMed Central

Hall, Peter A.; Fong, Geoffrey T.

2015-01-01

Dominant explanatory models for physical activity behavior are limited by the exclusion of several important components, including temporal dynamics, ecological forces, and neurobiological factors. The latter may be a critical omission, given the relevance of several aspects of cognitive function for the self-regulatory processes that are likely required for consistent implementation of physical activity behavior in everyday life. This narrative review introduces temporal self-regulation theory (TST; Hall and Fong, 2007, 2013) as a new explanatory model for physical activity behavior. Important features of the model include consideration of the default status of the physical activity behavior, as well as the disproportionate influence of temporally proximal behavioral contingencies. Most importantly, the TST model proposes positive feedback loops linking executive function (EF) and the performance of physical activity behavior. Specifically, those with relatively stronger executive control (and optimized brain structures supporting it, such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC)) are able to implement physical activity with more consistency than others, which in turn serves to strengthen the executive control network itself. The TST model has the potential to explain everyday variants of incidental physical activity, sport-related excellence via capacity for deliberate practice, and variability in the propensity to schedule and implement exercise routines. PMID:25859196

Can music serve as a "cultural immunogen"? An explorative study.

PubMed

Ruud, Even

2013-08-07

The aim of this study is to explore how people in contemporary society may apply music in their everyday life to improve their health and well-being. Through a series of qualitative interviews, informants gave their narratives about how music had become a part of their health practice. Six narratives concerning this type of everyday musical self-care are presented, and the following questions are sought to be answered: What kinds of musical practices do people apply in order to regulate their health and promote their sense of well-being? What kind of generative health mechanism can we observe or theorize when people use music to enhance their well-being? What kinds of rituals, contextual circumstances and personal health beliefs are operating in these situations? The findings suggests that some people may sing, participate in a choir, dance to music, compose songs, play precomposed music, or play in a band as part of a reflexive strategy to improve their health and well-being. Further analysis also identified six generative factors that may contribute to the immunogen functions of music: A pragmatic concept of music, music as a social and emotional resource, music as a supportive self object, musical competency, rituals, and locus of control. These findings may have implication for the field of music therapy as it will fill the gap between the clinical use of music done by professional music therapists and the everyday "musicking" performed by people outside the institutional practice.

Can music serve as a “cultural immunogen”? An explorative study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

The aim of this study is to explore how people in contemporary society may apply music in their everyday life to improve their health and well-being. Through a series of qualitative interviews, informants gave their narratives about how music had become a part of their health practice. Six narratives concerning this type of everyday musical self-care are presented, and the following questions are sought to be answered: What kinds of musical practices do people apply in order to regulate their health and promote their sense of well-being? What kind of generative health mechanism can we observe or theorize when people use music to enhance their well-being? What kinds of rituals, contextual circumstances and personal health beliefs are operating in these situations? The findings suggests that some people may sing, participate in a choir, dance to music, compose songs, play precomposed music, or play in a band as part of a reflexive strategy to improve their health and well-being. Further analysis also identified six generative factors that may contribute to the immunogen functions of music: A pragmatic concept of music, music as a social and emotional resource, music as a supportive self object, musical competency, rituals, and locus of control. These findings may have implication for the field of music therapy as it will fill the gap between the clinical use of music done by professional music therapists and the everyday “musicking” performed by people outside the institutional practice. PMID:23930988

Everyday Mental Health: A Guide to Assessing Life Strengths.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kivnick, Helen Q.

1993-01-01

The Life Strengths Interview Guide is a framework based on eight psychosocial themes: hope and faith; willfulness, independence, and control; competence and hard work; values and sense of self; love and friendship; care and productivity; and wisdom and perspective. It can be used to conceptualize everyday mental health in working with older…

Self-reported emotional dysregulation but no impairment of emotional intelligence in borderline personality disorder: an explorative study.

PubMed

Beblo, Thomas; Pastuszak, Anna; Griepenstroh, Julia; Fernando, Silvia; Driessen, Martin; Schütz, Astrid; Rentzsch, Katrin; Schlosser, Nicole

2010-05-01

Emotional dysfunction is a key feature of patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) but emotional intelligence (EI) has rarely been investigated in this sample. This study aimed at an investigation of ability EI, general intelligence, and self-reported emotion regulation in BPD. We included 19 patients with BPD and 20 healthy control subjects in the study. EI was assessed by means of the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso emotional intelligence test and the test of emotional intelligence. For the assessment of general intelligence, we administered the multidimensional "Leistungsprüfsystem-Kurzversion." The emotion regulation questionnaire and the difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale were used to assess emotion regulation. The patients with BPD did not exhibit impairments of ability EI and general intelligence but reported severe impairments in emotion regulation. Ability EI was related both to general intelligence (patients and controls) and to self-reported emotion regulation (patients). In conclusion, emotional dysfunction in BPD might primarily affect self-perceived behavior rather than abilities. Intense negative emotions in everyday life may trigger dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies in BPD although patients possess sufficient theoretical knowledge about optimal regulation strategies.

MEASURING EVERYDAY RACIAL/ETHNIC DISCRIMINATION IN HEALTH SURVEYS: How Best to Ask the Questions, in One or Two Stages, Across Multiple Racial/Ethnic Groups?

PubMed

Shariff-Marco, Salma; Breen, Nancy; Landrine, Hope; Reeve, Bryce B; Krieger, Nancy; Gee, Gilbert C; Williams, David R; Mays, Vickie M; Ponce, Ninez A; Alegría, Margarita; Liu, Benmei; Willis, Gordon; Johnson, Timothy P

2011-01-01

While it is clear that self-reported racial/ethnic discrimination is related to illness, there are challenges in measuring self-reported discrimination or unfair treatment. In the present study, we evaluate the psychometric properties of a self-reported instrument across racial/ ethnic groups in a population-based sample, and we test and interpret findings from applying two different widely-used approaches to asking about discrimination and unfair treatment. Even though we found that the subset of items we tested tap into a single underlying concept, we also found that different groups are more likely to report on different aspects of discrimination. Whether race is mentioned in the survey question affects both frequency and mean scores of reports of racial/ethnic discrimination. Our findings suggest caution to researchers when comparing studies that have used different approaches to measure racial/ethnic discrimination and allow us to suggest practical empirical guidelines for measuring and analyzing racial/ethnic discrimination. No less important, we have developed a self-reported measure of recent racial/ethnic discrimination that functions well in a range of different racial/ethnic groups and makes it possible to compare how racial/ethnic discrimination is associated with health disparities among multiple racial/ethnic groups.

Understanding the relationships between self-esteem, experiential avoidance, and paranoia: structural equation modelling and experience sampling studies.

PubMed

Udachina, Alisa; Thewissen, Viviane; Myin-Germeys, Inez; Fitzpatrick, Sam; O'kane, Aisling; Bentall, Richard P

2009-09-01

Hypothesized relationships between experiential avoidance (EA), self-esteem, and paranoia were tested using structural equation modeling in a sample of student participants (N = 427). EA in everyday life was also investigated using the Experience Sampling Method in a subsample of students scoring high (N = 17) and low (N = 15) on paranoia. Results showed that paranoid students had lower self-esteem and reported higher levels of EA than nonparanoid participants. The interactive influence of EA and stress predicted negative self-esteem: EA was particularly damaging at high levels of stress. Greater EA and higher social stress independently predicted lower positive self-esteem. Low positive self-esteem predicted engagement in EA. A direct association between EA and paranoia was also found. These results suggest that similar mechanisms may underlie EA and thought suppression. Although people may employ EA to regulate self-esteem, this strategy is maladaptive as it damages self-esteem, incurs cognitive costs, and fosters paranoid thinking.

Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Analyses of Everyday Memory Lapses in Older Adults

PubMed Central

McAlister, Courtney; Schmitter-Edgecombe, Maureen

2016-01-01

Everyday memory lapses experienced by older adults (OA) were examined using a daily-diary checklist and retrospective questionnaire. In Experiment 1, 138 younger and 138 OAs indicated the frequency of forgetting of 16 memory lapses, and whether each occurred daily during the course of a week. OAs reported more memory lapses on the questionnaire, but not the daily diary. OAs reported more frequently forgetting names and words, while younger adults had more difficulty with appointments and personal dates. Fewer memory lapses on the daily diary were related to better performance on a laboratory-memory measure for OAs. In Experiment 2, 62 OAs returned for a five-year follow-up and endorsed experiencing more memory lapses on the daily diary compared to baseline, specifically forgetting more names and words, but not the retrospective questionnaire. Daily checklist memory lapses again correlated with the laboratory-memory measure. A daily checklist may be a viable way to assess everyday memory lapses. PMID:26810777

Wellbeing, activity and housing satisfaction - comparing residents with psychiatric disabilities in supported housing and ordinary housing with support.

PubMed

Eklund, Mona; Argentzell, Elisabeth; Bejerholm, Ulrika; Tjörnstrand, Carina; Brunt, David

2017-08-30

The home is imperative for the possibilities for meaningful everyday activities among people with psychiatric disabilities. Knowledge of whether such possibilities vary with type of housing and housing support might reveal areas for improved support. We aimed to compare people with psychiatric disabilities living in supported housing (SH) and ordinary housing with support (OHS) regarding perceived well-being, engaging and satisfying everyday activities, and perceived meaning of activity in one's accommodation. The importance of these factors and socio-demographics for satisfaction with housing was also explored. This naturalistic cross-sectional study was conducted in municipalities and city districts (n = 21) in Sweden, and 155 SH residents and 111 OHS residents participated in an interview that included both self-reports and interviewer ratings. T-test and linear regression analysis were used. The SH group expressed more psychological problems, but better health, quality of life and personal recovery compared to the OHS residents. The latter were rated as having less symptom severity, and higher levels of functioning and activity engagement. Both groups rated themselves as under-occupied in the domains of work, leisure, home management and self-care, but the SH residents less so regarding home management and self-care chores. Although the groups reported similar levels of activity, the SH group were more satisfied with everyday activities and rated their housing higher on possibilities for social interaction and personal development. The groups did not differ on access to activity in their homes. The participants generally reported sufficient access to activity, social interaction and personal development, but those who wanted more personal development in the OHS group outnumbered those who stated they received enough. Higher scores on satisfaction with daily occupations, access to organization and information, wanting more social interaction, and personal recovery predicted high satisfaction with housing in the regression model. The fact that health, quality of life and recovery were rated higher by the SH group, despite lower interviewer-ratings on symptoms and level of functioning, might partly be explained by better access to social interaction and personal development in the SH context. This should be acknowledged when planning the support to people who receive OHS.

Only Behavioral But Not Self-Report Measures of Speech Perception Correlate with Cognitive Abilities.

PubMed

Heinrich, Antje; Henshaw, Helen; Ferguson, Melanie A

2016-01-01

Good speech perception and communication skills in everyday life are crucial for participation and well-being, and are therefore an overarching aim of auditory rehabilitation. Both behavioral and self-report measures can be used to assess these skills. However, correlations between behavioral and self-report speech perception measures are often low. One possible explanation is that there is a mismatch between the specific situations used in the assessment of these skills in each method, and a more careful matching across situations might improve consistency of results. The role that cognition plays in specific speech situations may also be important for understanding communication, as speech perception tests vary in their cognitive demands. In this study, the role of executive function, working memory (WM) and attention in behavioral and self-report measures of speech perception was investigated. Thirty existing hearing aid users with mild-to-moderate hearing loss aged between 50 and 74 years completed a behavioral test battery with speech perception tests ranging from phoneme discrimination in modulated noise (easy) to words in multi-talker babble (medium) and keyword perception in a carrier sentence against a distractor voice (difficult). In addition, a self-report measure of aided communication, residual disability from the Glasgow Hearing Aid Benefit Profile, was obtained. Correlations between speech perception tests and self-report measures were higher when specific speech situations across both were matched. Cognition correlated with behavioral speech perception test results but not with self-report. Only the most difficult speech perception test, keyword perception in a carrier sentence with a competing distractor voice, engaged executive functions in addition to WM. In conclusion, any relationship between behavioral and self-report speech perception is not mediated by a shared correlation with cognition.

Only Behavioral But Not Self-Report Measures of Speech Perception Correlate with Cognitive Abilities

PubMed Central

Heinrich, Antje; Henshaw, Helen; Ferguson, Melanie A.

2016-01-01

Good speech perception and communication skills in everyday life are crucial for participation and well-being, and are therefore an overarching aim of auditory rehabilitation. Both behavioral and self-report measures can be used to assess these skills. However, correlations between behavioral and self-report speech perception measures are often low. One possible explanation is that there is a mismatch between the specific situations used in the assessment of these skills in each method, and a more careful matching across situations might improve consistency of results. The role that cognition plays in specific speech situations may also be important for understanding communication, as speech perception tests vary in their cognitive demands. In this study, the role of executive function, working memory (WM) and attention in behavioral and self-report measures of speech perception was investigated. Thirty existing hearing aid users with mild-to-moderate hearing loss aged between 50 and 74 years completed a behavioral test battery with speech perception tests ranging from phoneme discrimination in modulated noise (easy) to words in multi-talker babble (medium) and keyword perception in a carrier sentence against a distractor voice (difficult). In addition, a self-report measure of aided communication, residual disability from the Glasgow Hearing Aid Benefit Profile, was obtained. Correlations between speech perception tests and self-report measures were higher when specific speech situations across both were matched. Cognition correlated with behavioral speech perception test results but not with self-report. Only the most difficult speech perception test, keyword perception in a carrier sentence with a competing distractor voice, engaged executive functions in addition to WM. In conclusion, any relationship between behavioral and self-report speech perception is not mediated by a shared correlation with cognition. PMID:27242564

Correlates of Real World Executive Dysfunction in Bipolar I Disorder

PubMed Central

Peters, Amy T.; Peckham, Andrew D.; Stange, Jonathan P.; Sylvia, Louisa G.; Hansen, Natasha S.; Salcedo, Stephanie; Rauch, Scott L.; Nierenberg, Andrew A.; Dougherty, Darin D.; Deckersbach, Thilo

2014-01-01

Background Bipolar disorder is characterized by impairments in cognitive functioning, both during acute mood episodes and periods of euthymia, which interfere with functioning. Cognitive functioning is typically assessed using laboratory-based tests, which may not capture how cognitive dysfunction is experienced in real-life settings. Little is known about the specific illness characteristics of bipolar disorder that contribute to cognitive dysfunction in everyday life. Methods Participants met DSM-IV criteria for bipolar I disorder (n = 68) in a depressed or euthymic state. Everyday executive functioning was evaluated using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF) and the Frontal Systems Behavior Rating Scale (FrSBe). Participants completed clinician rated measures of mood state (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Young Mania Rating Scale), prior illness course and co-morbidities (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview), as well as self-report measures of psychotropic medication use and medical co-morbidity. Results Individuals in this study reported significant impairment in every domain of executive functioning. These deficits were associated with a multitude of illness factors, some directly impacted by mood symptoms and others shaped by illness chronicity, psychiatric comorbidity, medical co-morbidity, and medication use. Discussion Executive functioning problems observed in everyday functioning in bipolar disorder are not entirely mood-state dependent. Cognitive rehabilitation for executive dysfunction should be considered an important adjunctive treatment for many individuals with bipolar disorder. PMID:24655587

Everyday Ethics: Ethical Issues and Stress in Nursing Practice

PubMed Central

Ulrich, Connie M.; Taylor, Carol; Soeken, Karen; O'Donnell, Patricia; Farrar, Adrienne; Danis, Marion; Grady, Christine

2010-01-01

Aim This paper is a report of a study of the type, frequency, and level of stress of ethical issues encountered by nurses in their everyday practice. Background Everyday ethical issues in nursing practice attract little attention but can create stress for nurses. Nurses often feel uncomfortable in addressing the ethical issues they encounter in patient care. Methods A self-administered survey was sent in 2004 to 1000 nurses in four states in four different census regions of the United States of America. The adjusted response rate was 52%. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations and Pearson correlations. Results A total of 422 questionnaires were used in the analysis. The five most frequently-occurring and most stressful ethical and patient care issues were protecting patients' rights; autonomy and informed consent to treatment; staffing patterns; advanced care planning; and surrogate decision-making. Other common occurrences were unethical practices of healthcare professionals; breaches of patient confidentiality or right to privacy; and end-of-life decision-making. Younger nurses and those with fewer years of experience encountered ethical issues more frequently and reported higher levels of stress. Nurses from different regions also experienced specific types of ethical problems more commonly. Conclusion Nurses face daily ethical challenges in the provision of quality care. To retain nurses, targeted ethics-related interventions that address caring for an increasingly complex patient population are needed. PMID:20735502

Everyday ethics: ethical issues and stress in nursing practice.

PubMed

Ulrich, Connie M; Taylor, Carol; Soeken, Karen; O'Donnell, Patricia; Farrar, Adrienne; Danis, Marion; Grady, Christine

2010-11-01

This paper is a report of a study of the type, frequency, and level of stress of ethical issues encountered by nurses in their everyday practice. Everyday ethical issues in nursing practice attract little attention but can create stress for nurses. Nurses often feel uncomfortable in addressing the ethical issues they encounter in patient care. A self-administered survey was sent in 2004 to 1000 nurses in four states in four different census regions of the United States of America. The adjusted response rate was 52%. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations and Pearson correlations. A total of 422 questionnaires were used in the analysis. The five most frequently occurring and most stressful ethical and patient care issues were protecting patients' rights; autonomy and informed consent to treatment; staffing patterns; advanced care planning; and surrogate decision-making. Other common occurrences were unethical practices of healthcare professionals; breaches of patient confidentiality or right to privacy; and end-of-life decision-making. Younger nurses and those with fewer years of experience encountered ethical issues more frequently and reported higher levels of stress. Nurses from different regions also experienced specific types of ethical problems more commonly. Nurses face daily ethical challenges in the provision of quality care. To retain nurses, targeted ethics-related interventions that address caring for an increasingly complex patient population are needed. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Self-regulation, ego depletion, and inhibition.

PubMed

Baumeister, Roy F

2014-12-01

Inhibition is a major form of self-regulation. As such, it depends on self-awareness and comparing oneself to standards and is also susceptible to fluctuations in willpower resources. Ego depletion is the state of reduced willpower caused by prior exertion of self-control. Ego depletion undermines inhibition both because restraints are weaker and because urges are felt more intensely than usual. Conscious inhibition of desires is a pervasive feature of everyday life and may be a requirement of life in civilized, cultural society, and in that sense it goes to the evolved core of human nature. Intentional inhibition not only restrains antisocial impulses but can also facilitate optimal performance, such as during test taking. Self-regulation and ego depletion- may also affect less intentional forms of inhibition, even chronic tendencies to inhibit. Broadly stated, inhibition is necessary for human social life and nearly all societies encourage and enforce it. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dual Task of Fine Motor Skill and Problem Solving in Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Goverover, Y; Sandroff, B M; DeLuca, J

2018-04-01

To (1) examine and compare dual-task performance in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthy controls (HCs) using mathematical problem-solving questions that included an everyday competence component while performing an upper extremity fine motor task; and (2) examine whether difficulties in dual-task performance are associated with problems in performing an everyday internet task. Pilot study, mixed-design with both a within and between subjects' factor. A nonprofit rehabilitation research institution and the community. Participants (N=38) included persons with MS (n=19) and HCs (n=19) who were recruited from a nonprofit rehabilitation research institution and from the community. Not applicable. Participant were presented with 2 testing conditions: (1) solving mathematical everyday problems or placing bolts into divots (single-task condition); and (2) solving problems while putting bolts into divots (dual-task condition). Additionally, participants were required to perform a test of everyday internet competence. As expected, dual-task performance was significantly worse than either of the single-task tasks (ie, number of bolts into divots or correct answers, and time to answer the questions). Cognitive but not motor dual-task cost was associated with worse performance in activities of everyday internet tasks. Cognitive dual-task cost is significantly associated with worse performance of everyday technology. This was not observed in the motor dual-task cost. The implications of dual-task costs on everyday activity are discussed. Copyright © 2017 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effect of hearing impairment on localization dominance for single-word stimuli

PubMed Central

Akeroyd, Michael A; Guy, Fiona H.

2012-01-01

Localization dominance (one of the phenomena of the “precedence effect”) was measured in a large number of normal hearing and hearing-impaired individuals and related to self-reported difficulties in everyday listening. The stimuli (single words) were made-up of a “lead” followed 4-ms later by a equal-level “lag” from a different direction. The stimuli were presented from a circular ring of loudspeakers, either in quiet or in a background of spatially-diffuse babble. Listeners were required to identify the loudspeaker from which they heard the sound. Localization dominance was quantified by the weighting factor c [B.G. Shinn-Cunningham et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 93, 2923-2932 (1993)]. The results demonstrated large individual differences: some listeners showed near-perfect localization dominance (c near 1) but many showed a much reduced effect. Two thirds (64/93) of listeners gave a value of c of at least 0.75. There was a significant correlation with hearing loss, such that better hearing listeners showed better localization dominance. One of the items of the self-report questionnaire (“Do you have the impression of sounds being exactly where you would expect them to be?”) showed a significant correlation with the experimental results. This suggests that reductions in localization dominance may affect everyday auditory perception. PMID:21786901

A systematic review of cognitive failures in daily life: Healthy populations.

PubMed

Carrigan, Nicole; Barkus, Emma

2016-04-01

Cognitive failures are minor errors in thinking reported by clinical and non-clinical individuals during everyday life. It is not yet clear how subjectively-reported cognitive failures relate to objective neuropsychological ability. We aimed to consolidate the definition of cognitive failures, outline evidence for the relationship with objective cognition, and develop a unified model of factors that increase cognitive failures. We conducted a systematic review of cognitive failures, identifying 45 articles according to the PRISMA statement. Failures were defined as reflecting proneness to errors in 'real world' planned thought and action. Vulnerability to failures was not consistently associated with objective cognitive performance. A range of stable and variable factors were linked to increased risk of cognitive failures. We conclude that cognitive failures measure real world cognitive capacity rather than pure 'unchallenged' ability. Momentary state may interact with predisposing trait factors to increase the likelihood of failures occurring. Inclusion of self-reported cognitive failures in objective cognitive research will increase the translational relevance of ability into more ecologically valid aspects of real world functioning. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cognitive Predictors of Everyday Problem Solving across the Lifespan

PubMed Central

Chen, Xi; Hertzog, Christopher; Park, Denise C.

2017-01-01

Background An important aspect of successful aging is maintaining the ability to solve everyday problems encountered in daily life. The limited evidence today suggests that everyday problem solving ability increases from young adulthood to middle age, but decreases in older age. Objectives The present study examined age differences in the relative contributions of fluid and crystallized abilities to solving problems on the Everyday Problems Test (EPT; [1]). We hypothesized that due to diminishing fluid resources available with advanced age, crystallized knowledge would become increasingly important in predicting everyday problem solving with greater age. Method Two hundred and twenty-one healthy adults from the Dallas Lifespan Brain Study, aged 24–93 years, completed a cognitive battery that included measures of fluid ability (i.e., processing speed, working memory, inductive reasoning) and crystallized ability (i.e., multiple measures of vocabulary). These measures were used to predict performance on the Everyday Problems Test. Results Everyday problem solving showed an increase in performance from young to early middle age, with performance beginning to decrease at about age of fifty. As hypothesized, fluid ability was the primary predictor of performance on everyday problem solving for young adults, but with increasing age, crystallized ability became the dominant predictor. Conclusion This study provides evidence that everyday problem solving ability differs with age, and, more importantly, that the processes underlying it differ with age as well. The findings indicate that older adults increasingly rely on knowledge to support everyday problem solving, whereas young adults rely almost exclusively on fluid intelligence. PMID:28273664

Institutional Violence in the Everyday Practices of School: The Narrative of a Young Lesbian.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herr, Kathryn

1999-01-01

Explores the role of institutionalized violence in one young lesbian's decision to drop out of high school. Casting this young woman as a school failure masks the school's unwillingness to interrupt everyday practices (errors of alienation, omission, and repression) that diminished her sense of self and learning capacity. (29 references) (MLH)

Music and Informal Learning in Everyday Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Batt-Rawden, Kari; Denora, Tia

2005-01-01

In this paper, the authors focus on informal learning as it is situated in and derived from everyday life experience (Lave, 1988; Lave and Wenger, 1991). Their concern is with informal musical learning and its link to health, well-being and the care of self, an area that has already received some attention from research in music therapy,…

Display, Identity and the Everyday: Self-Presentation through Online Image Sharing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davies, Julia

2007-01-01

Drawing on a study of a photo-sharing website (Flickr.com), this paper explores ways in which everyday life is reconfigured through an online photo-sharing space, where traditional boundaries between the public and private spheres are being extended, challenged or eroded. The paper reflects on the presentation and subjects of the images; the…

Affective and Self-Esteem Instability in the Daily Lives of People with Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder

PubMed Central

Farmer, Antonina S.; Kashdan, Todd B.

2014-01-01

Research on affect and self-esteem in social anxiety disorder (SAD) has focused on trait or average levels, but we know little about the dynamic patterns of these experiences in the daily lives of people with SAD. We asked 40 adults with SAD and 39 matched healthy controls to provide end-of-day reports on their affect and self-esteem over two weeks. Compared to healthy adults, participants with SAD exhibited greater instability of negative affect and self-esteem, though the self-esteem effect was driven by mean level differences. The SAD group also demonstrated a higher probability of acute changes in negative affect and self-esteem (i.e., from one assessment period to the next), as well as difficulty maintaining positive states and improving negative states (i.e., dysfunctional self-regulation). Our findings provide insights on the phenomenology of SAD, with particular attention to the temporal dependency, magnitude of change, and directional patterns of psychological experiences in everyday life. PMID:25821659

Discrimination, Racial/Ethnic Identity, and Substance Use Among Latina/os: Are They Gendered?

PubMed Central

Jackson, Benita; Rivera-Olmedo, Noemi

2016-01-01

Background Prior research suggests that stronger racial/ethnic identification offsets negative effects of discrimination on substance use. Yet research in this area and on whether gender modifies this association is limited for Latina/os. Purpose The purpose of the present study is to examine whether different sources of discrimination (everyday and racial/ethnic) are associated with substance use (alcohol use disorder, smoking), if racial/ethnic identity buffers this association, and the potential moderating role of gender among these variables. Methods We present cross-sectional, US population-based data from the Latina/o adult sample (1427 females and 1127 males) of the National Latino and Asian American Study. Respondents completed self-reported measures of everyday and racial/ethnic discrimination, racial/ethnic identity, smoking status, and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) lifetime alcohol use disorder. Results Weighted logistic regression analyses showed that before inclusion of three-way interactions and adjusting for covariates, everyday discrimination predicted increased risk for any DSM-IV lifetime alcohol use disorders. Moderation analyses revealed that the effect of everyday discrimination on the risk of being a current smoker was strongest for Latino men with high levels of racial/ethnic identity compared to those with low racial/ethnic identity. No differences were noted among Latino women. There were no main or interaction effects of racial/ethnic discrimination for any substance use outcome. Conclusions Findings suggest differential associations for type of discrimination and outcome and that the role of racial/ethnic identity is gender-specific for smoking, appearing particularly detrimental for Latino men reporting high levels of racial/ethnic identity. PMID:26489844

Is the Allure of Self-Esteem a Mirage after All?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krueger, Joachim I.; Vohs, Kathleen D.; Baumeister, Roy F.

2008-01-01

Comments on the original article "Do people's self-views matter? Self-concept and self-esteem in everyday life," by W. B. Swann, Jr., C. Chang-Schneider, and K. L. McClarty (2007). Swann et al argued that people's self-views, and their global self-esteem in particular, yield a suite of behavioral effects that are beneficial to the individual and…

Improved self-management skills predict improvements in quality of life and depression in patients with chronic disorders.

PubMed

Musekamp, Gunda; Bengel, Jürgen; Schuler, Michael; Faller, Hermann

2016-08-01

Self-management programs aim to improve patients' skills to manage their chronic condition in everyday life. Improvement in self-management is assumed to bring about improvements in more distal outcomes, such as quality of life. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that changes in self-reported self-management skills observed after participation in self-management programs predict changes in both quality of life and depressive symptoms three months later. Using latent change modeling, the relationship between changes in latent variables over three time points (start and end of rehabilitation, after three months) was analysed. The sample comprised 580 patients with different chronic conditions treated in inpatient rehabilitation clinics. The influence of additional predictor variables (age, sex, perceived social support) and type of disorder as a moderator variable was also tested. Changes in self-reported self-management skills after rehabilitation predicted changes in both quality of life and depressive symptoms at the end of rehabilitation and the 3 months follow-up. These relationships remained significant after the inclusion of other predictor variables and were similar across disorders. The findings provide support for the hypothesis that improvements in proximal outcomes of self-management programs may foster improvements in distal outcomes. Further studies should investigate treatment mechanisms. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Naturalistically observed conflict and youth asthma symptoms.

PubMed

Tobin, Erin T; Kane, Heidi S; Saleh, Daniel J; Naar-King, Sylvie; Poowuttikul, Pavadee; Secord, Elizabeth; Pierantoni, Wayne; Simon, Valerie A; Slatcher, Richard B

2015-06-01

To investigate the links between naturalistically observed conflict, self-reported caregiver-youth conflict, and youth asthma symptoms. Fifty-four youth with asthma (age range: 10-17 years) wore the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR) for a 4-day period to assess interpersonal conflict and caregiver-youth conflict as they occur in daily life. Conflict also was assessed with baseline self-report questionnaires and daily diaries completed by youth participants and their caregivers. Asthma symptoms were assessed using daily diaries, baseline self-reports, and wheezing, as coded from the EAR. EAR-observed measures of conflict were strongly associated with self-reported asthma symptoms (both baseline and daily diaries) and wheezing coded from the EAR. Further, when entered together in regression analyses, youth daily reports of negative caregiver-youth interactions and EAR-observed conflict uniquely predicted asthma symptoms; only EAR-observed conflict was associated with EAR-observed wheezing. These findings demonstrate the potential impact of daily conflict on youth asthma symptoms and the importance of assessing conflict as it occurs in everyday life. More broadly, they point to the importance of formulating a clear picture of family interactions outside of the lab, which is essential for understanding how family relationships "get under the skin" to affect youth health. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Naturalistically-Observed Conflict and Youth Asthma Symptoms

PubMed Central

Tobin, Erin T.; Kane, Heidi S.; Saleh, Daniel J.; Naar-King, Sylvie; Poowuttikul, Pavadee; Secord, Elizabeth; Pierantoni, Wayne; Simon, Valerie; Slatcher, Richard B.

2014-01-01

Objective To investigate the links between naturalistically-observed conflict, self-reported caregiver-youth conflict, and youth asthma symptoms. Method Fifty-four youth with asthma (aged 10-17) wore the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR) for a 4-day period to assess interpersonal conflict and caregiver-youth conflict as they occur in daily life. Conflict also was assessed with baseline self-report questionnaires and daily diaries completed by the youth participants and their caregiver. Asthma symptoms were assessed via daily diaries and baseline self-reports and wheezing as coded from the EAR. Results EAR-observed measures of conflict were strongly associated with self-reported asthma symptoms (both baseline and daily diaries) and wheezing coded from the EAR. Further, when entered together in regression analyses, youth daily reports of negative caregiver-youth interactions and EAR-observed conflict uniquely predicted asthma symptoms; only EAR-observed conflict was associated with EAR-observed wheezing. Conclusions These findings demonstrate the potential impact of daily conflict on youth asthma symptoms and the importance of assessing conflict as it occurs in everyday life. More broadly, they point to the importance of formulating a clear picture of family interactions outside of the lab, which is essential for understanding how family relationships “get under the skin” to affect youth health. PMID:25222090

Cognitive Predictors of Everyday Problem Solving across the Lifespan.

PubMed

Chen, Xi; Hertzog, Christopher; Park, Denise C

2017-01-01

An important aspect of successful aging is maintaining the ability to solve everyday problems encountered in daily life. The limited evidence today suggests that everyday problem solving ability increases from young adulthood to middle age, but decreases in older age. The present study examined age differences in the relative contributions of fluid and crystallized abilities to solving problems on the Everyday Problems Test (EPT). We hypothesized that due to diminishing fluid resources available with advanced age, crystallized knowledge would become increasingly important in predicting everyday problem solving with greater age. Two hundred and twenty-one healthy adults from the Dallas Lifespan Brain Study, aged 24-93 years, completed a cognitive battery that included measures of fluid ability (i.e., processing speed, working memory, inductive reasoning) and crystallized ability (i.e., multiple measures of vocabulary). These measures were used to predict performance on EPT. Everyday problem solving showed an increase in performance from young to early middle age, with performance beginning to decrease at about age of 50 years. As hypothesized, fluid ability was the primary predictor of performance on everyday problem solving for young adults, but with increasing age, crystallized ability became the dominant predictor. This study provides evidence that everyday problem solving ability differs with age, and, more importantly, that the processes underlying it differ with age as well. The findings indicate that older adults increasingly rely on knowledge to support everyday problem solving, whereas young adults rely almost exclusively on fluid intelligence. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Heartburn and related factors in general population in Tehran, capital of Iran.

PubMed

Safaee, A; Moghimi-Dehkordi, B; Pourhoseingholi, M Ap; Habibi, M; Qafarnejad, F; Pourhoseingholi, A; Zali, M R

2010-06-01

Heartburn is a highly prevalent disorder and is one of the most common gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms encountered in clinical practice. Despite the increasing importance of the early diagnosis of heartburn, there are few studies available on the prevalence of the disease and its Symptoms. The aim of this study was to estimate the frequency of heartburn in the Iranian adult population and analyze its associations with possible confounding factors. This study was designed as an epidemiological, cross-sectional and population based study that was conducted during May to December 2006 in Firoozkou city of Iran. Participants were interviewed by using a questionnaire which included sociodemographic, health relevant life style and clinical factors and GI symptoms. Statistical analysis was performed by using chi-square test and logistic regression model. The frequency of heartburn was 28% and is different between men and women (P < 0.05). Also there was a relationship between self report tension and anxiety, BMI and depression with heartburn in univariate analysis (p < 0.05), but in multivariate analysis only age, self report tension and anxiety had a significant relationship with heartburn. Heartburn is very frequent in Iranian population and has a considerable impact on everyday life. Many factors that may affect the prevalence of heartburn should be considered for prevention and control of this disease.

Self Efficacy in Depression: Bridging the Gap Between Competence and Real World Functioning.

PubMed

Milanovic, Melissa; Ayukawa, Emma; Usyatynsky, Aleksandra; Holshausen, Katherine; Bowie, Christopher R

2018-05-01

We investigated the discrepancy between competence and real-world performance in major depressive disorder (MDD) for adaptive and interpersonal behaviors, determining whether self-efficacy significantly predicts this discrepancy, after considering depressive symptoms. Forty-two participants (Mage = 37.64, 66.67% female) with MDD were recruited from mental health clinics. Competence, self-efficacy, and real-world functioning were evaluated in adaptive and interpersonal domains; depressive symptoms were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory II. Hierarchical regression analysis identified predictors of functional disability and the discrepancy between competence and real-world functioning. Self-efficacy significantly predicted functioning in the adaptive and interpersonal domains over and above depressive symptoms. Interpersonal self-efficacy accounted for significant variance in the discrepancy between interpersonal competence and functioning beyond symptoms. Using a multilevel, multidimensional approach, we provide the first data regarding relationships among competence, functioning, and self-efficacy in MDD. Self-efficacy plays an important role in deployment of functional skills in everyday life for individuals with MDD.

The utility of the Kohlman Evaluation of Living Skills test is associated with substantiated cases of elder self-neglect.

PubMed

Pickens, Sabrina; Naik, Aanand D; Burnett, Jason; Kelly, P A; Gleason, Mary; Dyer, Carmel B

2007-03-01

Self-neglect is the most prevalent finding among cases reported to Adult Protective Services (APS) and is characterized by an inability to meet one's own basic needs. The Kohlman evaluation of living skills (KELS) has been validated in geriatric populations to assess performance with both instrumental and basic activities of daily living and as an assessment tool for the capacity to live independently; therefore, the purpose of this analysis was to compare the scores of the KELS between substantiated cases of self-neglect and matched community-dwelling elders. This is a cross-sectional pilot study of 50 adults aged 65 years and older who were recruited from APS as documented cases of self-neglect and 50 control participants recruited from Harris County Hospital District outpatient clinics. Control participants were matched for age, race, gender, and ZIP code. A geriatric nurse practitioner (NP)-led team administered a comprehensive geriatric assessment in homes of all study participants. The assessment included the KELS and mini-mental state examination (MMSE) tests. Chi-square analyses were used to determine if cases of self-neglect were significantly more likely to fail the KELS test than matched controls. The analyses revealed that self-neglectors were significantly more likely to fail the KELS than non-self-neglectors (50% vs. 30%, p = .025). When stratified by MMSE scores, self-neglectors with intact cognitive function remained significantly more likely to fail the KELS compared to matched, cognitively intact controls (45% vs. 17%, p = .013). Abnormal results using an in-home KELS test were significantly associated with substantiated cases of self-neglect. There is currently no gold-standard measure for identifying capacity with self-care behaviors among cases of self-neglect. As a result, self-neglect may remain unidentified in many clinical settings. The KELS provides clinicians with an objective measure of an individual's capacity and performance with everyday life-supporting tasks and thus, provides information that can help NPs identify elders at risk for self-neglect. These findings suggest that the KELS test has significant utility as part of a comprehensive geriatric assessment to aid clinicians in suspected cases of self-neglect.

Everyday Mathematics®. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report. Updated November 2015

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2015

2015-01-01

The "Everyday Mathematics®" curriculum aims to provide students in prekindergarten through grade 6 with multiple opportunities to learn math concepts and practice skills. Since the release of the WWC's 2010 Everyday Mathematics report, the curriculum continues to be widely used and evaluated. This updated review includes 30 studies that…

Relations between the functions of autobiographical memory and psychological wellbeing.

PubMed

Waters, Theodore E A

2014-01-01

Researchers have proposed that autobiographical memory serves three basic functions in everyday life: self-definition, social connection, and directing behaviour (e.g., Bluck, Alea, Habermas, & Rubin, 2005). However, no research has examined relations between the functions of autobiographical memory and healthy functioning (i.e., psychological wellbeing). The present research examined the relations between the self, social, and directive functions of autobiographical memory and three factors of psychological wellbeing in single and recurring autobiographical memories. A total of 103 undergraduate students were recruited and provided ratings of each function for four autobiographical memories (two single, two recurring events). Results found that individuals who use their autobiographical memories to serve self, social, and directive functions reported higher levels of Purpose and Communion and Positive Relationships, and that these relations differ slightly by event type.

Assessment of Undergraduates' Real-World Outcomes of Critical Thinking in Everyday Situations.

PubMed

Franco, Amanda R; Costa, Patrício S; Butler, Heather A; Almeida, Leandro S

2017-01-01

Critical thinking is a kind of "good" thinking that integrates a set of cognitive skills and dispositions to use those skills with knowledge to increase the chances of success in academic settings, job market, and daily life. The impact of critical thinking on life events, in face of everyday decisions and challenges, is still unclear, and further research is needed. In this exploratory study, a sample of 230 first-year students of a Bachelor's Degree or a Master's Degree in Portugal completed an experimental Portuguese version of the Real-World Outcomes, a self-report inventory measuring everyday negative life events that are mediated by a lack of critical thinking. Based on exploratory factor analysis results and theoretical premises, changes were made to the Portuguese version of the inventory that was administered, and items were aggregated into six dimensions, creating a new version that is more familiar to Portuguese young adults in college. This original proposal of the inventory presents six types of negative life events resulting from a lack of critical thinking: health neglect, mismanagement, slackness, poor impulse control, academic negligence, and rashness. Both limitations and future potentialities of this version are presented.

Naturalistic Assessment of Everyday Functioning in Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment: The Day Out Task

PubMed Central

Schmitter-Edgecombe, Maureen; McAlister, Courtney; Weakley, Alyssa

2012-01-01

Objective The Day Out Task (DOT), a naturalistic task that requires multitasking in a real-world setting, was used to examine everyday functioning in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Method Thirty-eight participants with MCI and 38 cognitively healthy older adult controls prioritized, organized, initiated and completed a number of subtasks in a campus apartment to prepare for a day out (e.g., determine and gather change for bus, bring a magazine). Participants also completed tests assessing cognitive constructs important in multitasking (i.e., retrospective memory, prospective memory, planning). Results Compared to controls, the MCI group required more time to complete the DOT and demonstrated poorer task accuracy, performing more subtasks incompletely and inaccurately. Despite poorer DOT task accuracy, the MCI and control groups approached completion of the DOT in a similar manner. For the MCI group, retrospective memory was a unique predictor of the number of subtasks left incomplete and inaccurate, while prospective memory was a unique predictor of DOT sequencing. The DOT measures, but not the cognitive tests, were predictive of knowledgeable informant report of everyday functioning. Conclusions These findings suggest that difficulty remembering and keeping track of multiple goals and subgoals may contribute to the poorer performance of individuals with MCI in complex everyday situations. PMID:22846035

Stressing The Person: Legal and Everyday Person Attributions Under Stress

PubMed Central

Kubota, Jennifer T.; Mojdehbakhsh, Rachel; Raio, Candace; Brosch, Tobias; Uleman, Jim S.; Phelps, Elizabeth A.

2014-01-01

When determining the cause of a person’s behavior, perceivers often overweigh dispositional explanations and underweigh situational explanations, an error known as the Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE). The FAE occurs in part because dispositional explanations are relatively automatic, whereas considering the situation requires additional cognitive effort. Stress is known to impair the prefrontal cortex and executive functions important for the attribution process. We investigated if stress increases dispositional attributions in common place and legal situations. Experiencing a physiological stressor increased participants’ cortisol, dispositional attributions of common everyday behaviors, and negative evaluations. When determining whether a crime was due to the defendant’s disposition or the mitigating situation, self-reported stress correlated with increased dispositional judgments of defendant’s behavior. These findings indicate that stress may makes people more likely to commit the FAE and less favorable in their evaluations of others both in daily life and when making socially consequential judicial decisions. PMID:25175000

Taoist Tai Chi® and Memory Intervention for Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment.

PubMed

Fogarty, Jennifer N; Murphy, Kelly J; McFarlane, Bruce; Montero-Odasso, Manuel; Wells, Jennie; Troyer, Angela K; Trinh, Daniel; Gutmanis, Iris; Hansen, Kevin T

2016-04-01

It was hypothesized that a combined Taoist Tai Chi (TTC) and a memory intervention program (MIP) would be superior to a MIP alone in improving everyday memory behaviors in individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). A secondary hypothesis was that TTC would improve cognition, self-reported health status, gait, and balance. A total of 48 individuals were randomly assigned to take part in MIP + TTC or MIP alone. The TTC intervention consisted of twenty 90 min sessions. Outcome measures were given at baseline, and after 10 and 22 weeks. Both groups significantly increased their memory strategy knowledge and use, ratings of physical health, processing speed, everyday memory, and visual attention. No preferential benefit was found for individuals in the MIP + TTC group on cognition, gait, or balance measures. Contrary to expectations, TTC exercise did not specifically improve cognition or physical mobility. Explanations for null findings are explored.

Self-Regulatory Strategies in Daily Life: Selection, Optimization, and Compensation and Everyday Memory Problems

PubMed Central

Stephanie, Robinson; Margie, Lachman; Elizabeth, Rickenbach

2015-01-01

The effective use of self-regulatory strategies, such as selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) requires resources. However, it is theorized that SOC use is most advantageous for those experiencing losses and diminishing resources. The present study explored this seeming paradox within the context of limitations or constraints due to aging, low cognitive resources, and daily stress in relation to everyday memory problems. We examined whether SOC usage varied by age and level of constraints, and if the relationship between resources and memory problems was mitigated by SOC usage. A daily diary paradigm was used to explore day-to-day fluctuations in these relationships. Participants (n=145, ages 22 to 94) completed a baseline interview and a daily diary for seven consecutive days. Multilevel models examined between- and within-person relationships between daily SOC use, daily stressors, cognitive resources, and everyday memory problems. Middle-aged adults had the highest SOC usage, although older adults also showed high SOC use if they had high cognitive resources. More SOC strategies were used on high stress compared to low stress days. Moreover, the relationship between daily stress and memory problems was buffered by daily SOC use, such that on high-stress days, those who used more SOC strategies reported fewer memory problems than participants who used fewer SOC strategies. The paradox of resources and SOC use can be qualified by the type of resource-limitation. Deficits in global resources were not tied to SOC usage or benefits. Conversely, under daily constraints tied to stress, the use of SOC increased and led to fewer memory problems. PMID:26997686

Does risk for bipolar disorder heighten the disconnect between objective and subjective appraisals of cognition?

PubMed

Rodriguez, Crystal; Ruggero, Camilo J; Callahan, Jennifer L; Kilmer, Jared N; Boals, Adriel; Banks, Jonathan B

2013-06-01

Deficits in cognitive functioning have been associated with bipolar disorder during episodes of depression and mania, as well as during periods of symptomatic remission. Separate evidence suggests that patients may lack awareness of these deficits and may even be overly confident with self-appraisals. The extent to which these separately or together represent prodromes of the disorder versus a consequence of the disorder remains unclear. The present study sought to test whether risk for bipolar disorder in a younger, college-aged cohort of individuals would be associated with lower performance in cognitive ability yet higher self-appraisal of cognitive functioning. Participants (N=128) completed an objective measure of working memory, a self-report measure of everyday cognitive deficits, and a measure associated with risk for bipolar disorder. Contrary to expectation, risk for bipolar disorder did not significantly predict poorer working memory. However, a person's risk for bipolar disorder was associated with higher self-appraisal of cognitive functioning relative to those with lower risk despite there being no indication of a difference in ability on the working memory task. Participant recruitment relied on an analog sample; moreover, assessment of cognitive functioning was limited to working memory. Results add to a growing body of evidence indicating that overconfidence may be part of the cognitive profile of individuals at risk for bipolar disorder. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dance Education as an Aspect of Movement and Mobility in Everyday Living

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koff, Susan R.

2005-01-01

Dance Education can be considered an aspect of everyday living when using the correct definition of dance education. Rather than referring to the rarified form of movement that we encounter on the concert stage, dance education is the education of our moving selves with the goal as self expression. This can be initiated as an aspect of the initial…

Emotional suppression during personal goal pursuit impedes goal strivings and achievement.

PubMed

Low, Rachel S T; Overall, Nickola C; Hammond, Matthew D; Girme, Yuthika U

2017-03-01

Prior research indicates that emotional suppression exacerbates distress and reduces cognitive performance and self-control. We extend this prior work in the current studies by examining whether emotional suppression in specific goal-relevant contexts impedes people's goal strivings and progress. In Study 1, participants (N = 146) provided reports every 2 weeks across a 2-month period reporting the degree to which they engaged in emotional suppression during goal pursuit and reported important goal-related outcomes, including depressed mood, perceived support/closeness, goal effort, goal-related competence, and goal success. In Study 2, participants reported on the degree to which they engaged in emotional suppression while discussing a personal goal with their romantic partner (N = 100 heterosexual couples) and reported on the same outcomes as in Study 1 prior to, immediately following, and then 1 month after couples' discussions. In both studies, greater use of emotional suppression predicted increased depressed mood, reduced perceived support/closeness, and reduced goal effort, competence, and success across time. Corroborating individuals' self-reports, participants who engaged in emotional suppression were also perceived by their partners to experience greater depressed mood and lower feelings of support and closeness, and be less competent with regard to their goal (Study 2). The effects of emotional suppression were robust when controlling for a range of alternative explanations. These goal hindering effects are likely one important reason emotional suppression is linked with poorer psychological and health outcomes and extend our understanding of the detrimental impact that emotional suppression can have in people's everyday lives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

The link between hypomania risk and creativity: The role of heightened behavioral activation system (BAS) sensitivity.

PubMed

Kim, Bin-Na; Kwon, Seok-Man

2017-06-01

The relationship between bipolar disorder (BD) and creativity is well-known; however, relatively little is known about its potential mechanism. We investigated whether heightened behavioral activation system (BAS) sensitivity may mediate such relationship. Korean young adults (N=543) completed self-report questionnaires that included the Hypomanic Personality Scale (HPS), the Behavioral Activation System(BAS) Scale, the Everyday Creativity Scale (ECS), the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), and the Altman Self-Rating Mania Scale (ASRM). Correlational, hierarchical regression and mediation analyses using bootstrap confidence intervals were conducted. As predicted, BAS sensitivity was associated with self-reported creativity as well as hypomania risk and symptoms. Even when positive affect was controlled, BAS sensitivity predicted incrementally significant variance in explaining creativity. In mediation analysis, BAS sensitivity partially mediated the relation between hypomania risk and creativity. Reliance on self-report measures in assessing creativity and usage of non-clinical sample. BAS sensitivity was related not only to mood pathology but also to creativity. As a basic affective temperament, BAS sensitivity may help explain incompatible sides of adaptation associated with BD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Behavioral measures of implicit theory of mind in adults with high functioning autism.

PubMed

Deschrijver, Eliane; Bardi, Lara; Wiersema, Jan R; Brass, Marcel

2016-01-01

Theory of mind (ToM) research has shown that adults with high functioning autism (HFA) demonstrate typical performance on tasks that require explicit belief reasoning, despite clear social difficulties in everyday life situations. In the current study, we used implicit belief manipulations that are task-irrelevant and therefore less susceptible to strategies. In a ball-detection task, it was shown that neurotypical individuals detect a ball faster if an agent believed the ball was present. We predicted that adults with high functioning autism (HFA) would not show this effect. While we found a numerical difference in the hypothesized direction, we did not find a reliable group effect. Interestingly, the implicit ToM-index showed a strong negative correlation with both self-reported and observational measures of social difficulties in the HFA group. This suggests that the relationship between implicit ToM reasoning and the symptomatology of HFA might be subtler than assumed.

Relationship-contingent self-esteem and the ups and downs of romantic relationships.

PubMed

Knee, C Raymond; Canevello, Amy; Bush, Amber L; Cook, Astrid

2008-09-01

Relationship-contingent self-esteem (RCSE) emerges from perspectives on authenticity, need fulfillment, and relationship functioning and is an unhealthy form of self-esteem that depends on one's relationship. Four studies provided evidence of convergent, discriminant, incremental, and predictive validity for RCSE. Study 1 tested associations between RCSE and several conceptually related and unrelated constructs in multiple samples. In Study 2, the authors employed an event-contingent diary procedure to examine reports of self-esteem as a function of everyday relationship events. The association between event valence and changes in self-esteem became stronger with RCSE, and this interaction remained controlling for several parallel interactions by other constructs. Study 3 employed an interval-contingent diary procedure and found support for a mediation model in which the moderating role of RCSE largely occurred through momentary emotions, which in turn predicted momentary self-esteem. Study 4 sampled couples and found that partners who were both higher in RCSE felt more committed but not more satisfied or close.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of An Adult with the Dandy-Walker Syndrome

PubMed Central

Stovall, Joyce M.; Venkatesh, Ramachandran

1988-01-01

A 30-year-old retired veteran was asymptomatic for two decades; he had carried out normal everyday living activities and was self-supporting. It was not until he was struck by an automobile, which resulted in head trauma, that the Dandy-Walker syndrome was incidentally discovered by computed tomography. Most patients with the Dandy-Walker syndrome or malformation are infants and seldom live into adulthood. Therefore, this patient is one of the very few patients with this malformation who remained in a state of cerebrospinal fluid compensation and lived to adulthood. The head trauma he received in the accident is believed to have activated neurological deficits, visual impairment, and diplopia. Although magnetic resonance imaging revealed severe hydrocephalus and lobar holoprosencephaly, the patient had no symptoms of increased intracranial pressure and no craniofacial deformities except for macrocephaly, and was capable of performing everyday living activities adequately. ImagesFigure 1Figure 2Figure 3 PMID:3249328

Childhood Trauma and Personal Mastery: Their Influence on Emotional Reactivity to Everyday Events in a Community Sample of Middle-Aged Adults

PubMed Central

Infurna, Frank J.; Rivers, Crystal T.; Reich, John; Zautra, Alex J.

2015-01-01

Childhood trauma is associated with premature declines in health in midlife and old age. Pathways that have been implicated, but less studied include social-emotional regulation, biological programming, and habitual patterns of thought and action. In this study we focused on childhood trauma’s influence via alterations in social-emotional regulation to everyday life events, a pathway that has been linked to subsequent health effects. Data from a 30-day daily diary of community residents who participated in a study of resilience in Midlife (n = 191, Mage = 54, SD = 7.50, 54% women) was used to examine whether self-reports of childhood trauma were associated with daily well-being, as well as reported and emotional reactivity to daily negative and positive events. Childhood trauma reports were associated with reporting lower overall levels of and greater variability in daily well-being. Childhood trauma was linked to greater reports of daily negative events, but not to positive events. Focusing on emotional reactivity to daily events, residents who reported higher levels of childhood trauma showed stronger decreases in well-being when experiencing negative events and also stronger increases in well-being with positive events. For those reporting childhood trauma, higher levels of mastery were associated with stronger decreases in well-being with negative events and stronger increases in well-being with positive events, suggesting that mastery increases sensitivity to daily negative and positive events. Our results suggest that childhood trauma may lead to poorer health in midlife through disturbances in the patterns of everyday life events and responses to those events. Further, our findings indicate that mastery may have a different meaning for those who experienced childhood trauma. We discuss social-emotional regulation as one pathway linking childhood trauma to health, and psychosocial resources to consider when building resilience-promoting interventions for mitigating the detrimental health effects of childhood trauma. PMID:25849572

Childhood trauma and personal mastery: their influence on emotional reactivity to everyday events in a community sample of middle-aged adults.

PubMed

Infurna, Frank J; Rivers, Crystal T; Reich, John; Zautra, Alex J

2015-01-01

Childhood trauma is associated with premature declines in health in midlife and old age. Pathways that have been implicated, but less studied include social-emotional regulation, biological programming, and habitual patterns of thought and action. In this study we focused on childhood trauma's influence via alterations in social-emotional regulation to everyday life events, a pathway that has been linked to subsequent health effects. Data from a 30-day daily diary of community residents who participated in a study of resilience in Midlife (n = 191, Mage = 54, SD = 7.50, 54% women) was used to examine whether self-reports of childhood trauma were associated with daily well-being, as well as reported and emotional reactivity to daily negative and positive events. Childhood trauma reports were associated with reporting lower overall levels of and greater variability in daily well-being. Childhood trauma was linked to greater reports of daily negative events, but not to positive events. Focusing on emotional reactivity to daily events, residents who reported higher levels of childhood trauma showed stronger decreases in well-being when experiencing negative events and also stronger increases in well-being with positive events. For those reporting childhood trauma, higher levels of mastery were associated with stronger decreases in well-being with negative events and stronger increases in well-being with positive events, suggesting that mastery increases sensitivity to daily negative and positive events. Our results suggest that childhood trauma may lead to poorer health in midlife through disturbances in the patterns of everyday life events and responses to those events. Further, our findings indicate that mastery may have a different meaning for those who experienced childhood trauma. We discuss social-emotional regulation as one pathway linking childhood trauma to health, and psychosocial resources to consider when building resilience-promoting interventions for mitigating the detrimental health effects of childhood trauma.

Persistent self-consciousness about facial appearance, measured with the Derriford appearance scale 59, in patients after long-term biochemical remission of acromegaly.

PubMed

Roerink, S H P P; Wagenmakers, M A E M; Wessels, J F; Sterenborg, R B T M; Smit, J W; Hermus, A R M M; Netea-Maier, R T

2015-06-01

Acromegaly is associated with impaired quality of life (QoL) and causes anatomical disproportions, which may contribute to the decreased QoL after successful treatment. The Derriford appearance scale 59 (DAS59) is a questionnaire measuring psychological distress and disruptions to everyday life associated with self-consciousness of appearance. Investigate the psychological distress and dysfunction related to self-consciousness about appearance and its effect on QoL in patients in long-term remission of acromegaly. Patients (>18 years old) treated for acromegaly at the Department of Endocrinology of the Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen were invited to participate. A gender-, age- and body mass index matched control group was provided by the patients themselves. Participants were asked to complete the modified DAS59-, research and development 36- (RAND-36), acromegaly quality of life questionnaire (AcroQoL) and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Differences between patient- and control groups and correlations between questionnaire scores and clinical characteristics collected from medical records were analyzed. Questionnaire scores. Of the 120 respondents, 73 agreed to participate [all cured or under biochemical control, median remission time 10.5 years (range 2.3-43.6 years)]. Of these, 34 (46.6%) reported self-consciousness about their appearance. Twenty-nine of these patients (85.3%) pointed out their face to be a prominent source of self-consciousness. Fifty-seven matched control subjects were included as well. Significant correlations were found between the scores of the DAS59 and the AcroQoL, RAND-36 and VAS in patients. Even after long-term remission of acromegaly, a large number of patients are self-conscious about their appearance, leading to psychological distress and disruptions to everyday life and decreased QoL. Facial features were the most important source of self-consciousness. This stresses the importance of addressing self-consciousness of appearance and the need for additional support in this regard during follow-up in these patients.

The Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adolescents (MARCA): development and evaluation.

PubMed

Ridley, Kate; Olds, Tim S; Hill, Alison

2006-05-26

Self-report recall questionnaires are commonly used to measure physical activity, energy expenditure and time use in children and adolescents. However, self-report questionnaires show low to moderate validity, mainly due to inaccuracies in recalling activity in terms of duration and intensity. Aside from recall errors, inaccuracies in estimating energy expenditure from self-report questionnaires are compounded by a lack of data on the energy cost of everyday activities in children and adolescents. This article describes the development of the Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adolescents (MARCA), a computer-delivered use-of-time instrument designed to address both the limitations of self-report recall questionnaires in children, and the lack of energy cost data in children. The test-retest reliability of the MARCA was assessed using a sample of 32 children (aged 11.8 +/- 0.7 y) who undertook the MARCA twice within 24-h. Criterion validity was assessed by comparing self-reports with accelerometer counts collected on a sample of 66 children (aged 11.6 +/- 0.8 y). Content and construct validity were assessed by establishing whether data collected using the MARCA on 1429 children (aged 11.9 +/- 0.8 y) exhibited relationships and trends in children's physical activity consistent with established findings from a number of previous research studies. Test-retest reliability was high with intra-class coefficients ranging from 0.88 to 0.94. The MARCA demonstrated criterion validity comparable to other self-report instruments with Spearman coefficients ranging from rho = 0.36 to 0.45, and provided evidence of good content and construct validity. The MARCA is a valid and reliable self-report questionnaire, capable of a wide variety of flexible use-of-time analyses related to both physical activity and sedentary behaviour, and offers advantages over existing pen-and-paper questionnaires.

"Ready to shoot and do shoot": black working-class self-defense and community politics in Harlem, New York, during the 1920s.

PubMed

King, Shannon

2011-01-01

Throughout the first three decades of the twentieth century, black people in New York City encountered white violence, especially police brutality in Manhattan. The black community used various strategies to curtail white mob violence and police brutality, one of which was self-defense. This article examines blacks’ response to violence, specifically the debate concerning police brutality and self-defense in Harlem during the 1920s. While historians have examined race riots, blacks’ everyday encounters with police violence in the North have received inadequate treatment. By approaching everyday violence and black responses—self-defense, legal redress, and journalists’ remonstrations—as a process of political development, this article argues that the systematic violence perpetrated by the police both mobilized and politicized blacks individually and collectively to defend their community, but also contributed to a community consciousness that established police brutality as a legitimate issue for black protest.

Observations of a Working Class Family: Implications for Self-Regulated Learning Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vassallo, Stephen

2012-01-01

Guardians have been implicated in the development of children's academic self-regulation. In this case study, which involved naturalistic observations and interviews, the everyday practices of a working class family were considered in the context of self-regulated learning development. The family's practices, beliefs, dispositions and home…

Student Technology Use in a Self-Access Center

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castellano, Joachim; Mynard, Jo; Rubesch, Troy

2011-01-01

Technology has played an increasingly vital role in self-access learning over the past twenty years or so, yet little research has been conducted into learners' actual use of the technology both for self-directed learning and as part of everyday life. This paper describes an ongoing action research project at a self-access learning center (SALC)…

Adults with developmental dyslexia show selective impairments in time-based and self-initiated prospective memory: Self-report and clinical evidence.

PubMed

Smith-Spark, James H; Zięcik, Adam P; Sterling, Christopher

2017-03-01

Prospective memory (PM; memory for delayed intentions) would seem to be impaired in dyslexia but evidence is currently limited in scope. There is a need, therefore, firstly, to explore PM under controlled conditions using a broader range of PM tasks than used previously and, secondly, to determine whether objectively measured and self-reported PM problems can be found in the same individuals with dyslexia. The responses of 30 adults with dyslexia were compared with those of 30 IQ-matched adults without dyslexia on a self-report and a clinical measure of PM. Dyslexia-related deficits were shown on the clinical measure overall and, more particularly, when PM responses had to be made to cues based on time rather than environmental events. Adults with dyslexia were also more likely to forget to carry out an intention under naturalistic conditions 24h later. On the self-report questionnaire, the group with dyslexia reported significantly more frequent problems with PM overall, despite using more techniques to aid their memory. In particular, problems were identified with longer-term PM tasks and PM which had to be self-initiated. Dyslexia-related PM deficits were found under both laboratory and everyday conditions in the same participants; the first time that this has been demonstrated. These findings support previous experimental research which has highlighted dyslexia-related deficits in PM when the enacting of intentions is based on time cues and/or has to be self-initiated rather than being in prompted by environmental events. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of age on a real-world What-Where-When memory task

PubMed Central

Mazurek, Adèle; Bhoopathy, Raja Meenakshi; Read, Jenny C. A.; Gallagher, Peter; Smulders, Tom V.

2015-01-01

Many cognitive abilities decline with aging, making it difficult to detect pathological changes against a background of natural changes in cognition. Most of the tests to assess cognitive decline are artificial tasks that have little resemblance to the problems faced by people in everyday life. This means both that people may have little practice doing such tasks (potentially contributing to the decline in performance) and that the tasks may not be good predictors of real-world cognitive problems. In this study, we test the performance of young people (18–25 years) and older people (60+-year-olds) on a novel, more ecologically valid test of episodic memory: the real-world What-Where-When (WWW) memory test. We also compare them on a battery of other cognitive tests, including working memory, psychomotor speed, executive function, and episodic memory. Older people show the expected age-related declines on the test battery. In the WWW memory task, older people were more likely to fail to remember any WWW combination than younger people were, although they did not significantly differ in their overall WWW score due to some older people performing as well as or better than most younger people. WWW memory performance was significantly predicted by other measures of episodic memory, such as the single-trial learning and long-term retention in the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning task and Combined Object Location Memory in the Object Relocation task. Self-reported memory complaints also predicted performance on the WWW task. These findings confirm that our real-world WWW memory task is a valid measure of episodic memory, with high ecological validity, which may be useful as a predictor of everyday memory abilities. The task will require a bit more development to improve its sensitivity to cognitive declines in aging and to potentially distinguish between mentally healthy older adults and those with early signs of cognitive pathologies. PMID:26042030

TummyTrials: A Feasibility Study of Using Self-Experimentation to Detect Individualized Food Triggers.

PubMed

Karkar, Ravi; Schroeder, Jessica; Epstein, Daniel A; Pina, Laura R; Scofield, Jeffrey; Fogarty, James; Kientz, Julie A; Munson, Sean A; Vilardaga, Roger; Zia, Jasmine

2017-05-02

Diagnostic self-tracking, the recording of personal information to diagnose or manage a health condition, is a common practice, especially for people with chronic conditions. Unfortunately, many who attempt diagnostic self-tracking have trouble accomplishing their goals. People often lack knowledge and skills needed to design and conduct scientifically rigorous experiments, and current tools provide little support. To address these shortcomings and explore opportunities for diagnostic self-tracking, we designed, developed, and evaluated a mobile app that applies a self-experimentation framework to support patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in identifying their personal food triggers. TummyTrials aids a person in designing, executing, and analyzing self-experiments to evaluate whether a specific food triggers their symptoms. We examined the feasibility of this approach in a field study with 15 IBS patients, finding that participants could use the tool to reliably undergo a self-experiment. However, we also discovered an underlying tension between scientific validity and the lived experience of self-experimentation. We discuss challenges of applying clinical research methods in everyday life, motivating a need for the design of self-experimentation systems to balance rigor with the uncertainties of everyday life.

Sounds like a Narcissist: Behavioral Manifestations of Narcissism in Everyday Life

PubMed Central

Holtzman, Nicholas S.; Vazire, Simine; Mehl, Matthias R.

2010-01-01

Little is known about narcissists’ everyday behavior. The goal of this study was to describe how narcissism is manifested in everyday life. Using the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR), we obtained naturalistic behavior from participants’ everyday lives. The results suggest that the defining characteristics of narcissism that have been established from questionnaire and laboratory-based studies are borne out in narcissists’ day-to-day behaviors. Narcissists do indeed behave in more extraverted and less agreeable ways than non-narcissists, skip class more (among narcissists high in exploitativeness/entitlement only), and use more sexual language. Furthermore, we found that the link between narcissism and disagreeable behavior is strengthened when controlling for self-esteem, thus extending prior questionnaire-based findings (Paulhus, Robins, Trzesniewski, & Tracy, 2004) to observed, real-world behavior. PMID:20711512

Examining the Effect of Age on Visual-Vestibular Self-Motion Perception Using a Driving Paradigm.

PubMed

Ramkhalawansingh, Robert; Keshavarz, Behrang; Haycock, Bruce; Shahab, Saba; Campos, Jennifer L

2017-05-01

Previous psychophysical research has examined how younger adults and non-human primates integrate visual and vestibular cues to perceive self-motion. However, there is much to be learned about how multisensory self-motion perception changes with age, and how these changes affect performance on everyday tasks involving self-motion. Evidence suggests that older adults display heightened multisensory integration compared with younger adults; however, few previous studies have examined this for visual-vestibular integration. To explore age differences in the way that visual and vestibular cues contribute to self-motion perception, we had younger and older participants complete a basic driving task containing visual and vestibular cues. We compared their performance against a previously established control group that experienced visual cues alone. Performance measures included speed, speed variability, and lateral position. Vestibular inputs resulted in more precise speed control among older adults, but not younger adults, when traversing curves. Older adults demonstrated more variability in lateral position when vestibular inputs were available versus when they were absent. These observations align with previous evidence of age-related differences in multisensory integration and demonstrate that they may extend to visual-vestibular integration. These findings may have implications for vehicle and simulator design when considering older users.

Cognitive functioning and everyday problem solving in older adults.

PubMed

Burton, Catherine L; Strauss, Esther; Hultsch, David F; Hunter, Michael A

2006-09-01

The relationship between cognitive functioning and a performance-based measure of everyday problem-solving, the Everyday Problems Test (EPT), thought to index instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), was examined in 291 community-dwelling non-demented older adults. Performance on the EPT was found to vary according to age, cognitive status, and education. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that, after adjusting for demographic and health variables, measures of cognitive functioning accounted for 23.6% of the variance in EPT performance. In particular, measures of global cognitive status, cognitive decline, speed of processing, executive functioning, episodic memory, and verbal ability were significant predictors of EPT performance. These findings suggest that cognitive functioning along with demographic variables are important determinants of everyday problem-solving.

The effects of computer-based mindfulness training on Self-control and Mindfulness within Ambulatorily assessed network Systems across Health-related domains in a healthy student population (SMASH): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Rowland, Zarah; Wenzel, Mario; Kubiak, Thomas

2016-12-01

Self-control is an important ability in everyday life, showing associations with health-related outcomes. The aim of the Self-control and Mindfulness within Ambulatorily assessed network Systems across Health-related domains (SMASH) study is twofold: first, the effectiveness of a computer-based mindfulness training will be evaluated in a randomized controlled trial. Second, the SMASH study implements a novel network approach in order to investigate complex temporal interdependencies of self-control networks across several domains. The SMASH study is a two-armed, 6-week, non-blinded randomized controlled trial that combines seven weekly laboratory meetings and 40 days of electronic diary assessments with six prompts per day in a healthy undergraduate student population at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany. Participants will be randomly assigned to (1) receive a computer-based mindfulness intervention or (2) to a wait-list control condition. Primary outcomes are self-reported momentary mindfulness and self-control assessed via electronic diaries. Secondary outcomes are habitual mindfulness and habitual self-control. Further measures include self-reported behaviors in specific self-control domains: emotion regulation, alcohol consumption and eating behaviors. The effects of mindfulness training on primary and secondary outcomes are explored using three-level mixed models. Furthermore, networks will be computed with vector autoregressive mixed models to investigate the dynamics at participant and group level. This study was approved by the local ethics committee (reference code 2015_JGU_psychEK_011) and follows the standards laid down in the Declaration of Helsinki (2013). This randomized controlled trial combines an intensive Ambulatory Assessment of 40 consecutive days and seven laboratory meetings. By implementing a novel network approach, underlying processes of self-control within different health domains will be identified. These results will deepen the understanding of self-control performance and will guide to just-in-time individual interventions for several health-related behaviors. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02647801 . Registered on 15 December 2015 (registered retrospectively). .

Why do some adolescents encounter everyday events that increase their civic interest whereas others do not?

PubMed

Stattin, Håkan; Hussein, Oula; Özdemir, Metin; Russo, Silvia

2017-02-01

Using a longitudinal design, we asked 2 age cohorts of adolescents (15- and 18-year-olds) whether they, during the last year, had experienced events that had increased their civic interest and about details of their experiences. Based on self-determination theory, we predicted that the adolescents who reported having experienced events of this kind had already been more interested and had had more positive feelings about politics much earlier in time, and that this original interest would have increased more over time, than that of other adolescents. Second, we proposed that the adolescents who had encountered events that triggered their civic interest would have been engaged in behaviors that reflected their needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence, much earlier in time, and that, over time, they would have increased these behaviors more than other adolescents. These 2 predictions were largely confirmed. As for the content of the events the adolescents reported, many of them concerned national and international issues experienced as threatening, and that challenged the adolescents' beliefs and morality. Overall, a previous interest in politics and engagement in exploratory behaviors that reflect the adolescents' psychological needs seem to play crucial roles in understanding why adolescents in their everyday life encounter events that trigger their civic interest. Further, the findings show that having had everyday experiences that trigger the adolescents' civic interests are associated with a later increase in political interest more broadly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Patient-rated versus proxy-rated cognitive and functional measures in older adults

PubMed Central

Howland, Molly; Allan, Kevin C; Carlton, Caitlin E; Tatsuoka, Curtis; Smyth, Kathleen A; Sajatovic, Martha

2017-01-01

Objectives Patients with cognitive impairment may have difficulty reporting their functional and cognitive abilities, which are important clinical outcomes. Health care proxies may be able to corroborate patient self-reports. Several studies reported discrepancy between patient and proxy ratings, though the literature is sparse on changes over time of these ratings. Our goals in this 12-month study were to compare patient and proxy reports on functioning, cognition, and everyday executive function, and to further elucidate correlates of patient–proxy discrepancy. Methods This was a prospective cohort study of individuals older than 70 years who ranged from having no cognitive impairment to having moderate dementia who had a proxy available to complete instruments at baseline (N=76). Measurements included Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study–Activities of Daily Living Inventory (ADCS-ADLI), Neuro-QOL Executive Function, PROMIS Applied Cognition (PROMIS-Cog), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Geriatric Depression Scale. Results Patient- and proxy-rated ADCS-ADLI were correlated at baseline and at 1-year follow-up. Patient and proxy ratings were discrepant on Neuro-QOL Executive Function and PROMIS-Cog. Greater patient–proxy discrepancy on PROMIS-Cog was associated with younger age and less depression, and greater patient–proxy discrepancy on Neuro-QOL Executive Function was associated with less depression and worse cognitive impairment. Patient–proxy discrepancy increased over time for everyday executive function. Changes in proxy-rated but not patient-rated ADCS-ADLI correlated with MMSE changes. Conclusion Patients and proxies generally agree in reporting on activities of daily living. Patient and proxy reports differ in their respective evaluation of cognitive functioning and everyday executive function. Ratings from both sources may be preferred for these two domains, though studies using gold standard measures are necessary. It is important that clinicians are aware of the differences between patient and proxy perspective to create an accurate clinical picture and guide treatment. PMID:28352208

The sensitivity of a virtual reality task to planning and prospective memory impairments: group differences and the efficacy of periodic alerts on performance.

PubMed

Sweeney, Siobhan; Kersel, Denyse; Morris, Robin G; Manly, Tom; Evans, Jonathan J

2010-04-01

Executive functions have been argued to be the most vulnerable to brain injury. In providing an analogue of everyday situations amenable to control and management virtual reality (VR) may offer better insights into planning deficits consequent upon brain injury. Here 17 participants with a non-progressive brain injury and reported executive difficulties in everyday life were asked to perform a VR task (working in a furniture storage unit) that emphasised planning, rule following and prospective memory tasks. When compared with an age and IQ-matched control group, the patients were significantly poorer in terms of their strategy, their time-based prospective memory, the overall time required and their propensity to break rules. An examination of sensitivity and specificity of the VR task to group membership (brain-injured or control) showed that, with specificity set at maximum, sensitivity was only modest (at just over 50%). A second component to the study investigated whether the patients' performance could be improved by periodic auditory alerts. Previous studies have demonstrated that such cues can improve performance on laboratory tests, executive tests and everyday prospective memory tasks. Here, no significant changes in performance were detected. Potential reasons for this finding are discussed, including symptom severity and differences in the tasks employed in previous studies.

Valuing the Self: Understanding the Nature of Self-Esteem.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hales, Susan

1990-01-01

The processes and components of self-esteem derive from the context or value system (culture) in which people live. A shift in the values of American society, especially within the last 50 years, has placed Americans in a no-win situation with respect to self-esteem. The everyday pressures of survival in a highly competitive and complex world that…

Cross-Cultural Comparisons of University Students' Science Learning Self-Efficacy: Structural Relationships among Factors within Science Learning Self-Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Ya-Ling; Liang, Jyh-Chong; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2018-01-01

Science learning self-efficacy could be regarded as a multi-factor belief which comprises different aspects such as cognitive skills, practical work, and everyday application. However, few studies have investigated the relationships among these factors that compose science learning self-efficacy. Also, culture may play an important role in…

Developing Young Children's Self-Regulation through Everyday Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florez, Ida Rose

2011-01-01

Every child is different. Some have difficulty expressing their ideas verbally. Some struggle to get along with peers or follow classroom routines. In each case, however, one thing is the same: improved learning and behavior requires strong self-regulation skills. Children develop foundational skills for self-regulation in the first five years of…

The Quantified Self (QS) Movement and Some Emerging Opportunities for the Educational Technology Field

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Victor R.

2013-01-01

The Quantified Self (QS) movement is a growing global effort to use new mobile and wearable technologies to automatically obtain personal data about everyday activities. The social and material infrastructure associated with the Quantified Self (QS) movement provides a number of ideas that educational technologists should consider incorporating…

Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields and Sleep Quality: A Prospective Cohort Study

PubMed Central

Mohler, Evelyn; Frei, Patrizia; Fröhlich, Jürg; Braun-Fahrländer, Charlotte; Röösli, Martin

2012-01-01

Background There is persistent public concern about sleep disturbances due to radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) exposure. The aim of this prospective cohort study was to investigate whether sleep quality is affected by mobile phone use or by other RF-EMF sources in the everyday environment. Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study with 955 study participants aged between 30 and 60 years. Sleep quality and daytime sleepiness was assessed by means of standardized questionnaires in May 2008 (baseline) and May 2009 (follow-up). We also asked about mobile and cordless phone use and asked study participants for consent to obtain their mobile phone connection data from the mobile phone operators. Exposure to environmental RF-EMF was computed for each study participant using a previously developed and validated prediction model. In a nested sample of 119 study participants, RF-EMF exposure was measured in the bedroom and data on sleep behavior was collected by means of actigraphy during two weeks. Data were analyzed using multivariable regression models adjusted for relevant confounders. Results In the longitudinal analyses neither operator-recorded nor self-reported mobile phone use was associated with sleep disturbances or daytime sleepiness. Also, exposure to environmental RF-EMF did not affect self-reported sleep quality. The results from the longitudinal analyses were confirmed in the nested sleep study with objectively recorded exposure and measured sleep behavior data. Conclusions We did not find evidence for adverse effects on sleep quality from RF-EMF exposure in our everyday environment. PMID:22624036

The relationship between everyday problem solving and inconsistency in reaction time in older adults.

PubMed

Burton, Catherine L; Strauss, Esther; Hultsch, David F; Hunter, Michael A

2009-09-01

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether inconsistency in reaction time (RT) is predictive of older adults' ability to solve everyday problems. A sample of 304 community dwelling non-demented older adults, ranging in age from 62 to 92, completed a measure of everyday problem solving, the Everyday Problems Test (EPT). Inconsistency in latencies across trials was assessed on four RT tasks. Performance on the EPT was found to vary according to age and cognitive status. Both mean latencies and inconsistency were significantly associated with EPT performance, such that slower and more inconsistent RTs were associated with poorer everyday problem solving abilities. Even after accounting for age, education, and mean level of performance, inconsistency in reaction time continued to account for a significant proportion of the variance in EPT scores. These findings suggest that indicators of inconsistency in RT may be of functional relevance.

Everyday discrimination and physical health: Exploring mental health processes.

PubMed

Earnshaw, Valerie A; Rosenthal, Lisa; Carroll-Scott, Amy; Santilli, Alycia; Gilstad-Hayden, Kathryn; Ickovics, Jeannette R

2016-10-01

Goals of this study were to examine the mental health processes whereby everyday discrimination is associated with physical health outcomes. Data are drawn from a community health survey conducted with 1299 US adults in a low-resource urban area. Frequency of everyday discrimination was associated with overall self-rated health, use of the emergency department, and one or more chronic diseases via stress and depressive symptoms operating in serial mediation. Associations were consistent across members of different racial/ethnic groups and were observed even after controlling for indicators of stressors associated with structural discrimination, including perceived neighborhood unsafety, food insecurity, and financial stress. © The Author(s) 2015.

E-Inclusion in Public Transport: The Role of Self-efficacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schreder, Günther; Siebenhandl, Karin; Mayr, Eva

Many subgroups in today's society are not skilled in using novel technologies. Even everyday technologies pose a barrier to technically non-skilled people and - if they fail to use them - exclude them from important parts of daily life. In this paper we discuss the relevance of self-efficacy for the use of one specific kind of everyday technology: the ticket vending machine. Results from observations and interviews within the research project InnoMat are presented to answer the question how self-efficacy influences the ticket buying behavior and show that this motivational factor leads to an active avoidance of ticket machines. Negative experiences seem to be one of the strongest influences, which indicate that the group of technically non-skilled users should be given special attention when developing a new generation of ticket vending machines.

Everyday problem solving across the adult life span: solution diversity and efficacy.

PubMed

Mienaltowski, Andrew

2011-10-01

Everyday problem solving involves examining the solutions that individuals generate when faced with problems that take place in their everyday experiences. Problems can range from medication adherence and meal preparation to disagreeing with a physician over a recommended medical procedure or compromising with extended family members over where to host Thanksgiving dinner. Across the life span, research has demonstrated divergent patterns of change in performance based on the type of everyday problems used as well as based on the way that problem-solving efficacy is operationally defined. Advancing age is associated with worsening performance when tasks involve single-solution or fluency-based definitions of effectiveness. However, when efficacy is defined in terms of the diversity of strategies used, as well as by the social and emotional impact of solution choice on the individual, performance is remarkably stable and sometimes even improves in the latter half of life. This article discusses how both of these approaches to everyday problem solving inform research on the influence that aging has on everyday functioning. © 2011 New York Academy of Sciences.

Everyday problem solving across the adult life span: solution diversity and efficacy

PubMed Central

Mienaltowski, Andrew

2013-01-01

Everyday problem solving involves examining the solutions that individuals generate when faced with problems that take place in their everyday experiences. Problems can range from medication adherence and meal preparation to disagreeing with a physician over a recommended medical procedure or compromising with extended family members over where to host Thanksgiving dinner. Across the life span, research has demonstrated divergent patterns of change in performance based on the type of everyday problems used as well as based on the way that problem-solving efficacy is operationally defined. Advancing age is associated with worsening performance when tasks involve single-solution or fluency-based definitions of effectiveness. However, when efficacy is defined in terms of the diversity of strategies used, as well as by the social and emotional impact of solution choice on the individual, performance is remarkably stable and sometimes even improves in the latter half of life. This article discusses how both of these approaches to everyday problem solving inform research on the influence that aging has on everyday functioning. PMID:22023569

Visual function and color vision in adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

PubMed

Kim, Soyeon; Chen, Samantha; Tannock, Rosemary

2014-01-01

Color vision and self-reported visual function in everyday life in young adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) were investigated. Participants were 30 young adults with ADHD and 30 controls matched for age and gender. They were tested individually and completed the Visual Activities Questionnaire (VAQ), Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue Test (FMT) and A Quick Test of Cognitive Speed (AQT). The ADHD group reported significantly more problems in 4 of 8 areas on the VAQ: depth perception, peripheral vision, visual search and visual processing speed. Further analyses of VAQ items revealed that the ADHD group endorsed more visual problems associated with driving than controls. Color perception difficulties on the FMT were restricted to the blue spectrum in the ADHD group. FMT and AQT results revealed slower processing of visual stimuli in the ADHD group. A comprehensive investigation of mechanisms underlying visual function and color vision in adults with ADHD is warranted, along with the potential impact of these visual problems on driving performance. Copyright © 2013 Spanish General Council of Optometry. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Time pressure undermines performance more under avoidance than approach motivation.

PubMed

Roskes, Marieke; Elliot, Andrew J; Nijstad, Bernard A; De Dreu, Carsten K W

2013-06-01

Four experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that performance is particularly undermined by time pressure when people are avoidance motivated. The results supported this hypothesis across three different types of tasks, including those well suited and those ill suited to the type of information processing evoked by avoidance motivation. We did not find evidence that stress-related emotions were responsible for the observed effect. Avoidance motivation is certainly necessary and valuable in the self-regulation of everyday behavior. However, our results suggest that given its nature and implications, it seems best that avoidance motivation is avoided in situations that involve (time) pressure.

Engagement in activities revealing the body and psychosocial adjustment in adults with a trans-tibial prosthesis.

PubMed

Donovan-Hall, M K; Yardley, L; Watts, R J

2002-04-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the appearance of a prosthesis on social behaviour, social discomfort and psychological well-being in eleven amputees taking delivery of a prosthesis with a silicone cover. Two new scales were developed: the 'Engagement in everyday activities involving revealing the body' (EEARB); and the 'Discomfort-Engagement in everyday activities involving revealing the body' (Discomfort-EEARB) scales. The psychometric properties of these scales were determined using a sample of 101 able-bodied adults. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were also used to measure psychological well-being in the amputee sample. The EEARB and Discomfort-EEARB proved to have good reliability and validity. Comparison of amputees' scores prior to receiving the silicone cosmesis with those of the able-bodied adults revealed significant behavioural limitations and social discomfort, associated with low self-esteem, anxiety and depression. There was a significant increase in amputees' scores three months afier taking delivery of their prosthesis, indicating that amputees reported engaging in more activities which involved revealing their body, and that they would feel more comfortable in situations which involved revealing the body. As the amputee sample available was small and self-selected, it is not possible to generalise these findings to the amputee population as a whole. However, since there is little previous research investigating the effects of the appearance of the prosthesis, these findings demonstrate the need for further research in this area.

Afternoon cortisol provides a link between self-regulated anger and peer-reported aggression in typically developing children in the school context.

PubMed

Oberle, Eva; McLachlan, Kaitlyn; Catherine, Nicole L A; Brain, Ursula; Schonert-Reichl, Kimberly A; Weinberg, Joanne; Oberlander, Tim F

2017-09-01

Aggression jeopardizes positive development in children and predicts social and academic maladjustment in school. The present study determined the relationships among anger dysregulation (a marker of emotion regulation), cortisol activity (a biomarker of stress), and peer-nominated aggression in typically developing children in their everyday classroom setting (N = 151, Mean age = 10.86, SD =.74). Salivary cortisol was collected at 09:15, 11:45, and 14:45 hr across 4 consecutive days. Children provided self-reports of anger regulation; peers reported proactive and reactive aggressive behaviors. Hierarchical linear regression analyses, followed by a bootstrapping analysis identified basal afternoon cortisol as a significant mediator between anger regulation and peer-reported aggression. More dysregulated anger significantly predicted lower afternoon cortisol, which in turn predicted increased peer-reported aggression. These results align with previous research on links among hypocortisolism, emotional regulation, and behavior, and suggest a possible meditational pathway between emotion and behavior regulation via decreased afternoon cortisol levels. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Influences of parent and child negative emotionality on young children's everyday behaviors.

PubMed

Slatcher, Richard B; Trentacosta, Christopher J

2012-10-01

Negative emotionality is linked to unfavorable life outcomes, but studies have yet to examine negative emotionality of parents and children as predictors of children's problem behaviors and negative emotion word use in everyday life. This study used a novel naturalistic recording device called the Electronically Activated Recorder to investigate the separate and interactive influences of parent and child negative emotionality on daily child behaviors in a sample of 35 preschool-aged children over two time points separated by 1 year. Fathers' negative emotionality predicted children's whining at Time 1; mothers' negative emotionality predicted children's negative emotion word use at Time 1 and increases in children's arguing/fighting from Time 1 to Time 2. Parents' ratings of child negative emotionality also were associated with increases in children's arguing/fighting from Time 1 to Time 2, and child negative emotionality moderated the association between mothers' negative emotionality and children's arguing/fighting. Further, children with mothers high in negative emotionality displayed higher levels of problem behaviors when their mothers self-reported low levels of positive emotional expressiveness and/or high levels of negative emotional expressiveness. These findings offer preliminary evidence linking parent and child negative emotionality to everyday child behaviors and suggest that emotional expressiveness may play a key role in moderating the links between maternal negative emotionality and child behavioral problems.

Impact of Hearing Aid Technology on Outcomes in Daily Life III: Localization.

PubMed

Johnson, Jani A; Xu, Jingjing; Cox, Robyn M

Compared to basic-feature hearing aids, premium-feature hearing aids have more advanced technologies and sophisticated features. The objective of this study was to explore the difference between premium-feature and basic-feature hearing aids in horizontal sound localization in both laboratory and daily life environments. We hypothesized that premium-feature hearing aids would yield better localization performance than basic-feature hearing aids. Exemplars of premium-feature and basic-feature hearing aids from two major manufacturers were evaluated. Forty-five older adults (mean age 70.3 years) with essentially symmetrical mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss were bilaterally fitted with each of the four pairs of hearing aids. Each pair of hearing aids was worn during a 4-week field trial and then evaluated using laboratory localization tests and a standardized questionnaire. Laboratory localization tests were conducted in a sound-treated room with a 360°, 24-loudspeaker array. Test stimuli were high frequency and low frequency filtered short sentences. The localization test in quiet was designed to assess the accuracy of front/back localization, while the localization test in noise was designed to assess the accuracy of locating sound sources throughout a 360° azimuth in the horizontal plane. Laboratory data showed that unaided localization was not significantly different from aided localization when all hearing aids were combined. Questionnaire data showed that aided localization was significantly better than unaided localization in everyday situations. Regarding the difference between premium-feature and basic-feature hearing aids, laboratory data showed that, overall, the premium-feature hearing aids yielded more accurate localization than the basic-feature hearing aids when high-frequency stimuli were used, and the listening environment was quiet. Otherwise, the premium-feature and basic-feature hearing aids yielded essentially the same performance in other laboratory tests and in daily life. The findings were consistent for both manufacturers. Laboratory tests for two of six major manufacturers showed that premium-feature hearing aids yielded better localization performance than basic-feature hearing aids in one out of four laboratory conditions. There was no difference between the two feature levels in self-reported everyday localization. Effectiveness research with different hearing aid technologies is necessary, and more research with other manufacturers' products is needed. Furthermore, these results confirm previous observations that research findings in laboratory conditions might not translate to everyday life.

Managing Mental Health Problems in Everyday Life: Drug Treatment Client's Self-Care Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holt, Martin; Treloar, Carla

2008-01-01

Little is understood about the self-care activities undertaken by drug treatment clients. Using data from a qualitative study of drug treatment and mental health we identify the self-care practices of drug treatment clients diagnosed with anxiety and depression. Seventy-seven participants were interviewed in four sites across Australia.…

Hypoglycaemia in diabetes mellitus: epidemiology and clinical implications.

PubMed

Frier, Brian M

2014-12-01

Hypoglycaemia is a frequent adverse effect of treatment of diabetes mellitus with insulin and sulphonylureas. Fear of hypoglycaemia alters self-management of diabetes mellitus and prevents optimal glycaemic control. Mild (self-treated) and severe (requiring help) hypoglycaemia episodes are more common in type 1 diabetes mellitus but people with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes mellitus are also exposed to frequent hypoglycaemic events, many of which occur during sleep. Hypoglycaemia can disrupt many everyday activities such as driving, work performance and leisure pursuits. In addition to accidents and physical injury, the morbidity of hypoglycaemia involves the cardiovascular and central nervous systems. Whereas coma and seizures are well-recognized neurological sequelae of hypoglycaemia, much interest is currently focused on the potential for hypoglycaemia to cause dangerous and life-threatening cardiac complications, such as arrhythmias and myocardial ischaemia, and whether recurrent severe hypoglycaemia can cause permanent cognitive impairment or promote cognitive decline and accelerate the onset of dementia in middle-aged and elderly people with diabetes mellitus. Prevention of hypoglycaemia is an important part of diabetes mellitus management and strategies include patient education, glucose monitoring, appropriate adjustment of diet and medications in relation to everyday circumstances including physical exercise, and the application of new technologies such as real-time continuous glucose monitoring, modified insulin pumps and the artificial pancreas.

An examination of envy and jealousy in nursing academia.

PubMed

Cleary, Michelle; Walter, Garry; Halcomb, Elizabeth; Lopez, Violeta

2016-07-01

To discuss envy and jealousy and how their positive and negative aspects among nurse academics affect the workplace. In nursing academia, jealousy and envy are common emotions, engendered by demands for high productivity, intense competition for limited resources, preferences for particular assignments and opportunities for promotions. When these feelings are moderate and part of everyday rivalry, competition and ambition benefit the organisation. However, jealousy and envy can have serious consequences including damaged relationships and communication, and the undermining of colleagues' performance. Strategies are recommended to provide opportunities for self-reflection and consideration of how the workplace affects nursing academics' wellbeing and professional performance. Jealousy and envy can be damaging emotions in the workplace. The embittered, hostile person can undermine and damage relationships, disrupt teams and communication, and undermine organisational performance. Discussing the positive and negative effects of envy and jealousy provides an opportunity for nursing academics to self-reflect and to consider others and their own personal and professional performance. Understanding how jealousy and envy impact on the work environment, workplace relationships and individual/team performance is important especially for early career and seasoned nursing academics alike.

Online intervention, 'MePlusMe', supporting mood, wellbeing, study skills, and everyday functioning in students in higher education: a protocol for a feasibility study.

PubMed

Papadatou-Pastou, Marietta; Goozée, Rhianna; Barley, Elizabeth A; Haddad, Mark; Tzotzoli, Patapia

2015-01-01

Psychological and study skill difficulties faced by students in higher education can lead to poor academic performance, sub-optimal mental health, reduced study satisfaction, and drop out from study. At the same time, higher education institutions' support services are costly, oversubscribed, and struggle to meet demand whilst facing budget reductions. The purpose of the proposed study is to evaluate the acceptability of a new online intervention, MePlusMe, aimed at students in higher education facing mild to moderate psychological and/or study skill difficulties. The study will also assess the feasibility of proposed recruitment and outcome assessment protocols for a future trial of effectiveness. The system supports self-management strategies alongside ongoing monitoring facilitated by a messaging service, as well as featuring a built-in community of student users. It is based on current clinical guidelines for the management of common mental health problems, together with best practice from the educational field. Two hundred and forty two students will be recruited to a within-subjects, repeated measures study conducted over 8 weeks. Self-report measures of depression and anxiety symptoms, mental wellbeing, academic self-efficacy, and everyday functioning will be collected at baseline, and then at 2, 4, and 8 weeks. During this period, students will have access to the intervention system. UK higher education institutions Bournemouth University and University of Warwick will participate in the study. Data on student satisfaction and engagement will also be collected. Study findings will help to determine the most appropriate primary outcome and the required sample size for a future trial. This study will evaluate the acceptability of an online intervention system for students facing psychological and/or study skill difficulties and will test recruitment procedures and outcome measures for a future trial of effectiveness. The system is designed to be implemented as a stand-alone service or a service complementary to student support services, which is accessible to the majority of students and effective in improving student experience at higher education institutions.

Health literacy and self-rated health in adults primary care patients.

PubMed

Marques, Suzana Raquel Lopes; Escarce, Andrezza Gonzalez; Lemos, Stela Maris Aguiar

2018-01-01

Purpose To verify the association between health literacy, social determinants and self-rated health in adult's primary health care patients. Methods this is an Observational cross-sectional study in which a total of 380 patients of the Unified Health System in the context of primary health care were interviewed. The sample was probabilistic, stratified by gender, age, and Basic Health Unit. Health literacy was evaluated by an instrument of analysis of the perception of adults about the understanding of health orientations and possible difficulties in this process (Health Literacy Scale). Descriptive and association analyses were performed (Pearson's chi-square test, p≤0.05). Results It was verified that the majority of the interviewees belongs to classes C1 and C2 and attended high school (complete or incomplete). Regarding self-rated health, to be considered healthy and with good health were the predominant perceptions. In the Health Literacy Scale, it was verified that most patients reported never presenting difficulties in the situations of this instrument, except understanding written orientations. It was observed the association with a statistical significance of the better perception of health literacy with higher educational level and economic classification, as well as with self-rated of good health. Conclusion There was a statistical association between health literacy, social determinants, and self-rated health in the analyzed adults. It is noteworthy the contribution of the Health Literacy Scale for emphasizing the perception of difficulties in everyday health situations. It is necessary to develop dialogic relationships that build more robust communication processes between professionals and healthcare patients to favor health literacy skills.

Insight and subjective measures of quality of life in chronic schizophrenia.

PubMed

Siu, Cynthia O; Harvey, Philip D; Agid, Ofer; Waye, Mary; Brambilla, Carla; Choi, Wing-Kit; Remington, Gary

2015-09-01

Lack of insight is a well-established phenomenon in schizophrenia, and has been associated with reduced rater-assessed functional performance but increased self-reported well-being in previous studies. The objective of this study was to examine factors that might influence insight (as assessed by the Insight and Treatment Attitudes Questionnaire [ITAQ] or PANSS item G12) and subjective quality-of-life (as assessed by Lehman QoL Interview [LQOLI]), using the large National Institute of Mental Health Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) dataset. Uncooperativeness was assessed by PANSS item G8 ("Uncooperativeness"). In the analysis, we found significant moderating effects for insight on the relationships of subjective life satisfaction assessment to symptom severity (as assessed by CGI-S score), objective everyday functioning (as assessed by rater-administered Heinrichs-Carpenter Quality of Life scale), clinically rated uncooperativeness (as assessed by PANSS G8), and discontinuation of treatment for all causes (all P > 0.05 for statistical interaction between insight and subject QoL). Patients with chronic schizophrenia who reported being "pleased" or "delighted" on LQOLI were found to have significantly lower neurocognitive reasoning performance and poorer insight (ITAQ total score). Our findings underscore the importance of reducing cognitive and insight impairments for both treatment compliance and improved functional outcomes.

Functional abilities in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.

PubMed

Burton, Catherine L; Strauss, Esther; Bunce, David; Hunter, Michael A; Hultsch, David F

2009-01-01

A classification scheme and general set of criteria for diagnosing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) were recently proposed by a multidisciplinary group of experts who met at an international symposium on MCI. One of the proposed criteria included preserved basic activities of daily living and minimal impairment in complex instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). To investigate whether older adults with MCI classified according to the subtypes identified by the Working Group (i.e. amnestic, single non-memory domain, and multiple domain with or without a memory component) differed from cognitively intact older adults on a variety of measures indexing IADLs and to examine how well measures of IADL predict concurrent MCI status. Two hundred and fifty community-dwelling older adults, ranging in age from 66 to 92, completed self-report measures of IADLs (Lawton and Brody IADL Scale, Scales of Independent Behaviour-Revised--SIB-R) and a measure of everyday problem solving indexing IADLs (Everyday Problems Test--EPT). Ratings of participants' IADL functioning were also obtained from informants (e.g. spouse, adult child and friend). Older adults with multiple-domain MCI demonstrated poorer IADL functioning than older adults with no cognitive impairment on the EPT and the SIB-R (both self- and informant-report versions). The multiple-domain MCI participants also demonstrated poorer IADLs than MCI participants with impairments in a single cognitive domain on the self-reported SIB-R and EPT. The single-domain MCI groups demonstrated poorer IADLs than older adults without cognitive impairment on the informant-reported SIB-R and EPT. No significant group differences were found on the Lawton and Brody IADL Scale. Using the EPT and SIB-R as predictors in a multinomial regression analysis, MCI group status was reliably predicted, but the classification rate was poor. Individuals with MCI demonstrated poorer IADL functioning compared to cognitively intact older adults. However, the changes in IADL functioning observed in MCI may be too subtle to be detected by certain measures, such as the Lawton and Brody IADL Scale. Copyright 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Everyday memory strategies for medication adherence.

PubMed

Boron, Julie Blaskewicz; Rogers, Wendy A; Fisk, Arthur D

2013-01-01

The need to manage chronic diseases and multiple medications increases for many older adults. Older adults are aware of memory declines and incorporate compensatory techniques. Everyday memory strategies used to support medication adherence were investigated. A survey distributed to 2000 households in the Atlanta metropolitan area yielded a 19.9% response rate including 354 older adults, aged 60-80 years. Older adults reported forgetting to take their medications, more so as their activity deviated from normal routines, such as unexpected activities. The majority of older adults endorsed at least two compensatory strategies, which they perceived to be more helpful in normal routines. Compensatory strategies were associated with higher education, more medications, having concern, and self-efficacy to take medications. As memory changes, older adults rely on multiple cues, and perceive reliance on multiple cues to be helpful. These data have implications for the design and successful implementation of medication reminder systems and interventions. Copyright © 2013 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Individual differences in bitter taste preferences are associated with antisocial personality traits.

PubMed

Sagioglou, Christina; Greitemeyer, Tobias

2016-01-01

In two studies, we investigated how bitter taste preferences might be associated with antisocial personality traits. Two US American community samples (total N = 953; mean age = 35.65 years; 48% females) self-reported their taste preferences using two complementary preference measures and answered a number of personality questionnaires assessing Machiavellianism, psychopathy, narcissism, everyday sadism, trait aggression, and the Big Five factors of personality. The results of both studies confirmed the hypothesis that bitter taste preferences are positively associated with malevolent personality traits, with the most robust relation to everyday sadism and psychopathy. Regression analyses confirmed that this association holds when controlling for sweet, sour, and salty taste preferences and that bitter taste preferences are the overall strongest predictor compared to the other taste preferences. The data thereby provide novel insights into the relationship between personality and the ubiquitous behaviors of eating and drinking by consistently demonstrating a robust relation between increased enjoyment of bitter foods and heightened sadistic proclivities. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The cultural grounding of personal relationship: the importance of attractiveness in everyday life.

PubMed

Anderson, Stephanie L; Adams, Glenn; Plaut, Victoria C

2008-08-01

Previous research has suggested that physically attractive people experience more positive life outcomes than do unattractive people. However, the importance of physical attractiveness in everyday life may vary depending on the extent to which different cultural worlds afford or require individual choice in the construction and maintenance of personal relationships. The authors hypothesized that attractiveness matters more for life outcomes in settings that promote voluntaristic-independent constructions of relationship as the product of personal choice than it does in settings that promote embedded-interdependent constructions of relationship as an environmental affordance. Study 1 examined self-reported outcomes of attractive and unattractive persons. Study 2 examined expectations about attractive and unattractive targets. Results provide support for the hypothesis along four dimensions: national context, relationship context, rural-urban context, and experimental manipulation of relationship constructions. These patterns suggest that the importance of physical attractiveness documented by psychological research is the product of particular constructions of reality. (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved

Everyday attention lapses and memory failures: the affective consequences of mindlessness.

PubMed

Carriere, Jonathan S A; Cheyne, J Allan; Smilek, Daniel

2008-09-01

We examined the affective consequences of everyday attention lapses and memory failures. Significant associations were found between self-report measures of attention lapses (MAAS-LO), attention-related cognitive errors (ARCES), and memory failures (MFS), on the one hand, and boredom (BPS) and depression (BDI-II), on the other. Regression analyses confirmed previous findings that the ARCES partially mediates the relation between the MAAS-LO and MFS. Further regression analyses also indicated that the association between the ARCES and BPS was entirely accounted for by the MAAS-LO and MFS, as was that between the ARCES and BDI-II. Structural modeling revealed the associations to be optimally explained by the MAAS-LO and MFS influencing the BPS and BDI-II, contrary to current conceptions of attention and memory problems as consequences of affective dysfunction. A lack of conscious awareness of one's actions, signaled by the propensity to experience brief lapses of attention and related memory failures, is thus seen as having significant consequences in terms of long-term affective well-being.

[Coping with everyday stress in different problem areas- comparison of clinically referred and healthy adolescents].

PubMed

Escher, Fabian; Seiffge-Krenke, Inge

2013-09-01

Studies are lacking that analyze how clinically referred adolescents and healthy adolescents cope with everyday stressors. Clinically referred adolescents from three problematic domains (diverse disorders including delinquency, drug abuse, and depression) were compared to healthy adolescents using the Coping Across Situations Questionnaire (Seiffge-Krenke, 1995) and a short version of the Youth Self-Report (Achenbach, 1991). The different clinical groups (n = 469) showed unique patterns concerning their coping styles. The group of depressed youth altogether showed lower coping activities. The youth from institutions for drug abusive youth used more dysfunctional coping. The adolescents from youth welfare services (diverse disorders including delinquency) were more active in both dysfunctional and functional coping than the other two clinically referred groups. The control group showed more functional and less dysfunctional coping. The clinically referred adolescents did not differentiate in their coping behavior, depending on the type of stressor. Gender effects were apparent, albeit negligible. Clinically referred youth are unable to adapt their coping behavior according to the given situation.

Correlates of psychopathic personality traits in everyday life: results from a large community survey

PubMed Central

Lilienfeld, Scott O.; Latzman, Robert D.; Watts, Ashley L.; Smith, Sarah F.; Dutton, Kevin

2014-01-01

Although the traits of psychopathic personality (psychopathy) have received extensive attention from researchers in forensic psychology, psychopathology, and personality psychology, the relations of these traits to aspects of everyday functioning are poorly understood. Using a large internet survey of members of the general population (N = 3388), we examined the association between psychopathic traits, as measured by a brief but well-validated self-report measure, and occupational choice, political orientation, religious affiliation, and geographical residence. Psychopathic traits, especially those linked to fearless dominance, were positively and moderately associated with holding leadership and management positions, as well as high-risk occupations. In addition, psychopathic traits were positively associated with political conservatism, lack of belief in God, and living in Europe as opposed to the United States, although the magnitudes of these statistical effects were generally small in magnitude. Our findings offer preliminary evidence that psychopathic personality traits display meaningful response penetration into daily functioning, and raise provocative questions for future research. PMID:25101019

Facilitating text reading in posterior cortical atrophy.

PubMed

Yong, Keir X X; Rajdev, Kishan; Shakespeare, Timothy J; Leff, Alexander P; Crutch, Sebastian J

2015-07-28

We report (1) the quantitative investigation of text reading in posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), and (2) the effects of 2 novel software-based reading aids that result in dramatic improvements in the reading ability of patients with PCA. Reading performance, eye movements, and fixations were assessed in patients with PCA and typical Alzheimer disease and in healthy controls (experiment 1). Two reading aids (single- and double-word) were evaluated based on the notion that reducing the spatial and oculomotor demands of text reading might support reading in PCA (experiment 2). Mean reading accuracy in patients with PCA was significantly worse (57%) compared with both patients with typical Alzheimer disease (98%) and healthy controls (99%); spatial aspects of passages were the primary determinants of text reading ability in PCA. Both aids led to considerable gains in reading accuracy (PCA mean reading accuracy: single-word reading aid = 96%; individual patient improvement range: 6%-270%) and self-rated measures of reading. Data suggest a greater efficiency of fixations and eye movements under the single-word reading aid in patients with PCA. These findings demonstrate how neurologic characterization of a neurodegenerative syndrome (PCA) and detailed cognitive analysis of an important everyday skill (reading) can combine to yield aids capable of supporting important everyday functional abilities. This study provides Class III evidence that for patients with PCA, 2 software-based reading aids (single-word and double-word) improve reading accuracy. © 2015 American Academy of Neurology.

Facilitating text reading in posterior cortical atrophy

PubMed Central

Rajdev, Kishan; Shakespeare, Timothy J.; Leff, Alexander P.; Crutch, Sebastian J.

2015-01-01

Objective: We report (1) the quantitative investigation of text reading in posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), and (2) the effects of 2 novel software-based reading aids that result in dramatic improvements in the reading ability of patients with PCA. Methods: Reading performance, eye movements, and fixations were assessed in patients with PCA and typical Alzheimer disease and in healthy controls (experiment 1). Two reading aids (single- and double-word) were evaluated based on the notion that reducing the spatial and oculomotor demands of text reading might support reading in PCA (experiment 2). Results: Mean reading accuracy in patients with PCA was significantly worse (57%) compared with both patients with typical Alzheimer disease (98%) and healthy controls (99%); spatial aspects of passages were the primary determinants of text reading ability in PCA. Both aids led to considerable gains in reading accuracy (PCA mean reading accuracy: single-word reading aid = 96%; individual patient improvement range: 6%–270%) and self-rated measures of reading. Data suggest a greater efficiency of fixations and eye movements under the single-word reading aid in patients with PCA. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate how neurologic characterization of a neurodegenerative syndrome (PCA) and detailed cognitive analysis of an important everyday skill (reading) can combine to yield aids capable of supporting important everyday functional abilities. Classification of evidence: This study provides Class III evidence that for patients with PCA, 2 software-based reading aids (single-word and double-word) improve reading accuracy. PMID:26138948

Memory compensation in older adults: the role of health, emotion regulation, and trait mindfulness.

PubMed

de Frias, Cindy M

2014-09-01

The current study examined associations between everyday memory compensation and 3 person-level resource domains (i.e., health, emotion regulation, and trait mindfulness) in older adults. In this cross-sectional study, 89 healthy, community-dwelling older adults (ages 51-85 years) completed the multidimensional Memory Compensation Questionnaire, along with measures of self-reported health status, emotion regulation strategies, and trait mindfulness. Hierarchical regressions (covarying for age, gender, and education) showed that poorer mental health (especially for older adults) and physical health functioning were related to using compensatory strategies (e.g., reliance on others and investment of time and effort) more frequently. Cognitive reappraisers reported using more internal mnemonic strategies. Conversely, having a more mindful predisposition was associated with less frequent use of compensatory strategies, especially for middle-aged adults. The results suggest that health-related quality of life, adaptive strategies to regulate emotions, and trait mindfulness are additional contexts that determine the degree of engagement in everyday memory compensation and ultimately to successful aging. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Living an unstable everyday life while attempting to perform normality - the meaning of living as an alcohol-dependent woman.

PubMed

Thurang, Anna; Bengtsson Tops, Anita

2013-02-01

To illuminate the meaning of living with alcohol dependency as a woman. The number of women suffering from alcohol dependency is increasing. Today there are shortcomings in knowledge about the lived experiences of being a woman with alcohol dependency; knowledge which might be of importance for meeting these women's specific needs of care. The study has a qualitative design. Fourteen women with alcohol dependency participated in open in-depth interviews. Data were analysed according to a phenomenological-hermeneutic method, and interpreted by help from gender and caring perspectives as well as results from previous research of alcohol dependency. In relation to the women's senses of well-being, four main gender formations were found; An unstable self involving continual and rapid swings between emotional and bodily reactions. Ambivalence - meaning ambiguous feelings towards themselves as human beings and how they lead their lives. Introspectiveness - involving reflections, pondering and being introverted. Attempts to perform normality - covering - dealing with life through various strategies and facades to live up to the expectations of how to behave as a woman. Living with alcohol dependency as a woman constitutes of a rapid shifting everyday life resulting in senses of alienation as well as private introspection leading to self-degradation, and to a lesser extent meaningfulness and hope. It also constitutes of managing to perform normality. When supporting women with alcohol dependency towards wellbeing, professionals need to work towards approaching the woman's inner thoughts, share them and reflect over them together. To support these women to find balance in life, caregivers need to cooperate with the women to find out how best to live a life adjusted to the woman's abilities and wishes. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Culture and diverging views of social events.

PubMed

Chua, Hannah Faye; Leu, Janxin; Nisbett, Richard E

2005-07-01

The authors compared East Asians' and Americans' views of everyday social events. Research suggests that Americans tend to focus more on the self and to have a greater sense of personal agency than East Asians. The authors assessed whether, compared to East Asians, Americans emphasize main characters even when events do not involve the self and whether they see more agency or intentionality in actions, even when the actions are not their own. Whether East Asians would observe more emotions in everyday scenarios than would Americans also was investigated. In Study 1, Chinese and Americans read alleged diary entries of another person. Americans did focus more on main characters and on characters' intentionality. Study 2 replicated these results comparing Taiwanese and Americans on free recall of events concerning the self and of narratives and videos concerning others. Study 2 also found that Taiwanese made more comments about the emotional states of characters.

Psychological Distress and Emotional Expression on Facebook.

PubMed

Bazarova, Natalya N; Choi, Yoon Hyung; Whitlock, Janis; Cosley, Dan; Sosik, Victoria

2017-03-01

Social network sites (SNS) are a novel social environment for college students with psychological distress to connect with their peers, but the nature and effects of these interactions are not well understood. This study reports findings from a Facebook study among 238 college students reporting nonspecific psychological distress using the K-6 scale. Behavioral data included Facebook status updates containing affect words written by participants within the past 60 days and the number of responses (comments and likes) each update received. The updates were also coded for depression symptoms. Self-report data included participants' self-presentational concerns, the affective valence of each post, effects of responses on mood, and satisfaction with the responses to and outcome of each status update. Higher psychological distress was associated with displaying depression language on Facebook, with higher self-presentational concerns, and with less satisfaction with audiences' responses and less overall satisfaction with the outcome of the interaction. These results offer a unique glimpse into the social world of college students with psychological distress through their everyday use of Facebook, and how the interplay of this novel environment and students' mental health impacts their social behaviors and interaction meaning-making on Facebook.

Validating independent ratings of executive functioning following acquired brain injury using Rasch analysis.

PubMed

Simblett, Sara K; Badham, Rachel; Greening, Kate; Adlam, Anna; Ring, Howard; Bateman, Andrew

2012-01-01

Assessment of everyday problems with executive functioning following acquired brain injury (ABI) is greatly valued by neurorehabilitation services. Reliance on self-report measures alone is problematic within this client group who may experience difficulties with awareness and memory. The construct validity and reliability of independent ratings (i.e., ratings provided by a carer/relative) on the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX-I) was explored in this study. Consistent with the results recently reported on the self-rated version of the DEX (DEX-S; Simblett & Bateman, 2011 ), Rasch analysis completed on 271 responses to the DEX-I revealed that the scale did not fit the Rasch model and did not meet the assumption of unidimensionality, that is, a single underlying construct could not be found for the DEX-I that would allow development of an interval-level measure as a whole. Subscales, based on theoretical conceptualisations of executive functioning (Stuss, 2007 ) previously suggested for the DEX-S, were able to demonstrate fit to the Rasch model and unidimensionality. Reliability of independent responses to these subscales in comparison to self-reported ratings is discussed. These results contribute to a greater understanding of how assessment of executive functioning can be improved.

Conceptualizing Everyday Mobility of Older People as Basis for the Development of a Pedestrian Assistance System.

PubMed

Breitinger, Florian; Protzak, Janna; Wiczorek, Rebecca

2015-01-01

For older persons, everyday mobility is an important aspect of living an independent and self-determined life. Especially with increasing age most of the everyday ways in urban areas are covered by foot. The more severe is the fact that older pedestrians are among the most vulnerable road users. This is the starting point of the research group FANS aiming for developing a pedestrian assistance system for older road users. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the difficulties older pedestrians encounter. In order to do so, everyday mobility of this group will be conceptualized using the Constraints Approach by Hägerstrand and the Theory of Structuration by Giddens. Currently, two focus groups have been carried out that have been analyzed according to Hägerstand's and Gidden's considerations. Hereinafter, the category system that has been derived from the theoretical considerations will be presented and an outlook will be given.

A multicontext approach to promoting transfer of strategy use and self regulation after brain injury: An exploratory study.

PubMed

Toglia, Joan; Johnston, Mark V; Goverover, Yael; Dain, Barry

2010-01-01

Persons with brain injury frequently demonstrate decreased ability to monitor and apply strategies learned in treatment to everyday situations. The aim of this study is to refine, explore and provide preliminary testing of the multicontext approach in promoting strategy use across situations and increasing self-regulation, awareness and functional performance. This study used a single-subject design with repeated measures pre- and post-intervention, with data analysed descriptively and graphically. Four persons with difficulty following multi-step directions, 3-5 years post-TBI, received a nine session intervention programme. Outcome measures included the Awareness Questionnaire, Self-Regulation Skills Interview, Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Multiple Errands Test and an Executive Function Performance Test sub-task. The process of change within each treatment session was examined with strategy and awareness ratings. All participants demonstrated positive changes in self-regulatory skills and strategy use that was observed across tasks. As expected, general awareness of deficits remained unchanged. Examination of individual participants revealed important, varying patterns of change in strategy use, learning transfer and self-awareness across intervention. Results provide preliminary support for the feasibility and efficacy of the multicontext approach in promoting transfer of strategy use to enhance functional performance and selective aspects of awareness. Further investigation, including a larger controlled study, is needed to confirm or limit these observations.

The factors associated with a self-perceived hearing handicap in elderly people with hearing impairment--results from a community-based study.

PubMed

Chang, Hsin-Pin; Ho, Chin-Yu; Chou, Pesus

2009-10-01

Elderly persons with a physiologic hearing deficit (hearing impairment) are not necessarily socially or emotionally disturbed by the deficit in everyday life (hearing handicap). The self-perception of a hearing handicap in elderly people is a key element in seeking consultation for a hearing impairment or using hearing aids. Thus, it is important to determine the factors associated with the self-perception of a hearing handicap. The aims of the present study were to report the relation between a hearing impairment and the self-perception of a hearing handicap, and the factors associated with a self-perceived hearing handicap among a group of randomly recruited, community-dwelling elderly persons, aged 65 yr and older, in Taipei, Taiwan. A cross-sectional survey of community-dwelling elderly persons aged 65 yr and older (N = 1220) participating in an annual general purpose geriatric health examination in 2005 in Taipei. Pure-tone audiometry and a questionnaire including the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly-Screening Version (HHIE-S) were administered, after obtaining the subject's consent to participate in the study. Demographic information, lifestyle, self-report health status, and biochemical data were also collected. There was a moderate association (gamma(s) = 0.52) between hearing impairment and self-perceived handicap. Only 21.4% of the study subjects with moderate to profound hearing impairment (M4 >or=41 dB HL, N = 555) perceived themselves as hearing-handicapped (HHIE-S total score >or=10). Besides hearing level, marital status (widowed) and self-perceived general health (bad or neutral) were factors that are significantly associated with a self-perceived hearing handicap among elderly subjects with moderate to profound hearing impairment. For study subjects with moderate to profound hearing impairment (M4 >or=41 dB HL), 5.0% of those with HHIE-S <10 and 45.4% of those with HHIE-S >or=10 used or felt that they required hearing aids (chi2 test, p < 0.001). These data suggested that a self-perceived hearing handicap (HHIE-S >or=10) is an important indicator for referral of elderly persons for hearing-aid fitting. Our study findings, consistent with those of previous studies, demonstrated that not all elderly persons with impaired hearing function (hearing impairment) perceived a hearing deficit socially or emotionally in everyday life (hearing handicap). Marital status (widowed) and bad/neutral general health were nonaudiologically associated factors with a hearing handicap in the present study. Further, those with a self-perceived hearing handicap reported a higher rate of the use of, or requirement for, hearing aids. Because hearing deterioration is a common biologic process of aging, the results of this study can be used to identify the groups among elderly people with a greater need for hearing screening and hearing rehabilitation services.

Managing occupations in everyday life for people with advanced cancer living at home.

PubMed

Peoples, Hanne; Brandt, Åse; Wæhrens, Eva E; la Cour, Karen

2017-01-01

People with advanced cancer are able to live for extended periods of time. Advanced cancer can cause functional limitations influencing the ability to manage occupations. Although studies have shown that people with advanced cancer experience occupational difficulties, there is only limited research that specifically explores how these occupational difficulties are managed. To describe and explore how people with advanced cancer manage occupations when living at home. A sub-sample of 73 participants from a larger occupational therapy project took part in the study. The participants were consecutively recruited from a Danish university hospital. Qualitative interviews were performed at the homes of the participants. Content analysis was applied to the data. Managing occupations were manifested in two main categories; (1) Conditions influencing occupations in everyday life and (2) Self-developed strategies to manage occupations. The findings suggest that people with advanced cancer should be supported to a greater extent in finding ways to manage familiar as well as new and more personally meaningful occupations to enhance quality of life.

Everyday Multitasking Abilities in Older HIV+ Adults: Neurobehavioral Correlates and the Mediating Role of Metacognition.

PubMed

Fazeli, P L; Casaletto, K B; Woods, S P; Umlauf, A; Scott, J C; Moore, D J

2017-12-01

The prevalence of older adults living with HIV is rising, as is their risk for everyday functioning problems associated with neurocognitive dysfunction. Multitasking, the ability to maintain and carry out subgoals in support of a larger goal, is a multidimensional skill ubiquitous during most real-life tasks and associated with prefrontal networks that are vulnerable in HIV. Understanding factors associated with multitasking will improve characterization of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders. Metacognition is also associated with frontal systems, is impaired among individuals with HIV, and may contribute to multitasking. Ninety-nine older (≥50 years) adults with HIV completed: the Everyday Multitasking Test (MT), a performance-based measure during which participants concurrently attempt four everyday tasks (e.g., medication management) within a time limit; a comprehensive neuropsychological battery; measures of metacognition regarding their MT performance (e.g., metacognitive knowledge and online awareness). Better global neuropsychological performance (i.e., average T-score across all domains) was associated with better Everyday MT total scores (rho = 0.34; p < .001), as was global metacognition (rho = 0.37, p < .01). Bootstrapping mediation analysis revealed global metacognition was a significant partial mediator between neurocognition and Everyday MT (b = 0.09, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.01, 0.25). Specifically, metacognitive knowledge (but not online awareness) drove this mediation (b = 0.13, 95% CI = 0.03, 0.27). Consistent with findings among younger persons with HIV, neuropsychological performance is strongly associated with a complex, laboratory-based test of everyday multitasking, and metacognition of task performance was a pathway through which successful multitasking occurred. Interventions aimed at modifying metacognition to improve daily functioning may be warranted among older adults with HIV. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Feasibility of a mobile and web-based intervention to support self-management in outpatients with cancer pain.

PubMed

Hochstenbach, Laura M J; Zwakhalen, Sandra M G; Courtens, Annemie M; van Kleef, Maarten; de Witte, Luc P

2016-08-01

Cancer pain is a prevalent and distressing symptom. To enhance self-management in outpatients, a multi-component intervention was developed, integrating patient self-management and professional care through healthcare technology. This article describes feasibility of the intervention in everyday practice. Patients with moderate to severe cancer pain (n = 11) and registered nurses specialized in pain and palliative care (n = 3) participated in a four-week study. The intervention involved daily monitoring, graphical feedback, education, and advice by means of a mobile application for patients and a web application for nurses. Learnability, usability and desirability were measured in patients with a 20-item questionnaire (1-5 scale), higher scores indicating better feasibility. Patients' adherence was based on completion rates from server logs. Single semi-structured interviews with patients and a focus group interview with nurses provided insight into experiences. Questionnaire findings confirmed learnability (4.8), usability (4.8) and desirability (4.6) of the application for patients. Average completion rates were 76.8% for pain monitoring, 50.4% for medication monitoring and 100% for education sessions. Interviews revealed that patients were pleased with the simplicity of the mobile application and appreciated different components. Nurses agreed upon the added value and were mostly positive about the possibilities of the web application. Patients and nurses provided ideas for improvements relating to the content and technical performance of the intervention. Study results demonstrate feasibility of the intervention in everyday practice. Provided that content-related and technical adjustments are made, the intervention enables patients with cancer pain to practice self-management and nurses to remotely support these patients. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The Role of Self-esteem and Fear of Negative Evaluation in Compulsive Buying

PubMed Central

Biolcati, Roberta

2017-01-01

Compulsive buying is a relatively new addictive disorder that interferes with everyday functioning and may result in serious psychological and financial problems (1). A very few data are currently available regarding this behavioral addiction. This study investigated gender differences in the relationships between contingent self-esteem (CSE), fear of negative evaluation (FNE), and compulsive buying. Participants included 240 Italian adults (170 females, M age = 33.80) who responded to self-report questionnaires. The results showed that women scored higher on CSE and FNE scales than men. No gender differences were found in compulsive buying tendencies. CSE and FNE were positively related to CB. Furthermore, structural equation modeling confirmed the evidence on CSE as a strong predictor of CB for both genders. Interestingly, FNE seems to play a mediating role between CSE and compulsive buying behaviors only for women. These findings highlight the importance of studying self-esteem in compulsive buying tendencies to inquire more deeply into the underlying mechanisms of some compulsive behaviors. PMID:28512435

Daily Fluctuations in Everyday Cognition: Is It Meaningful?

PubMed

Gamaldo, Alyssa A; Allaire, Jason C

2016-08-01

This study examined whether there are daily fluctuations in everyday cognition that are consistent with daily fluctuations often observed in traditional measures of basic cognitive abilities. Two hundred six independently living older adults (age range = 60-91 years) were asked to complete a computerized cognitive battery over eight occasions within a 2- to 3-week period. Using multilevel model, significant within-person variability was observed across the Daily Everyday Cognition Assessment (DECA; 46%), with 54% between-person variability. At each occasion, better performance on the DECA was significantly associated with better performance on simple reaction time ( p < .01) and memory (Auditory Verbal Learning Task, p < .01) even after accounting for time, age, education, and performance on other cognitive measures. These findings demonstrate that within-person performance fluctuations can be observed for everyday cognition tasks, and these fluctuations are consistent with daily changes in basic cognitive abilities. © The Author(s) 2015.

Roles of Cognitive Status and Intelligibility in Everyday Communication in People with Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Barnish, Maxwell S; Whibley, Daniel; Horton, Simon M C; Butterfint, Zoe R; Deane, Katherine H O

2016-03-16

Communication is fundamental to human interaction and the development and maintenance of human relationships and is frequently affected in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, research and clinical practice have both tended to focus on impairment rather than participation aspects of communicative deficit in PD. In contrast, people with PD have reported that it is these participation aspects of communication that are of greatest concern to them rather than physical speech impairment. To systematically review the existing body of evidence regarding the association between cognitive status and/or intelligibility and everyday communication in PD. Five online databases were systematically searched in May 2015 (Medline Ovid, EMBASE, AMED, PsycINFO and CINAHL) and supplementary searches were also conducted. Two reviewers independently evaluated retrieved records for inclusion and then performed data extraction and quality assessment using standardised forms. Articles were eligible for inclusion if they were English-language original peer-reviewed research articles, book chapters or doctoral theses investigating the associations between at least one of cognitive status and level of intelligibility impairment and an everyday communication outcome in human participants with PD. 4816 unique records were identified through database searches with 16 additional records identified through supplementary searches. 41 articles were suitable for full-text screening and 15 articles (12 studies) met the eligibility criteria. 10 studies assessed the role of cognitive status and 9 found that participants with greater cognitive impairment had greater everyday communication difficulties. 4 studies assessed the role of intelligibility and all found that participants with greater intelligibility impairment had greater everyday communication difficulties, although effects were often weak and not consistent. Both cognitive status and intelligibility may be associated with everyday communicative outcomes in PD. The contribution of intelligibility to everyday communication appears to be of small magnitude, suggesting that other factors beyond predominantly motor-driven impairment-level changes in intelligibility may play an important role in everyday communication difficulties in PD.

A 6-year Follow-up survey of health status in middle-aged women with Turner syndrome.

PubMed

Fjermestad, Krister W; Naess, Eva E; Bahr, David; Gravholt, Claus H

2016-09-01

Studies suggest younger women with Turner syndrome (TS) have good quality of life. Less is known about everyday functioning in adults with TS. In a 6-year follow-up study, multiple areas of functioning were compared between TS women and controls. Women with TS and controls were mailed a self-report survey 6 years after a baseline study. Fifty-seven women with TS (M age 40·6 ± 11·1 years) and 101 controls (M age 38·8 ± 10·6 years, ns) responded. Measures of background information, experienced life strain and presence/impact of health conditions were developed for this study. The QPS Nordic measured perceived workload challenges. The LiSat-9 measured life satisfaction. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale measured self-esteem. More TS women lived alone, fewer had biological children, and more had adoptive children. TS women reported fewer sex partners and less sexual confidence. Controls had higher education. There was no difference in employment status. More TS women received disability pensions. TS women reported their work as more physically challenging, less positively challenging and requiring less knowledge skills. TS women experienced more life strain in school, adolescence and late working life. Controls reported higher overall life satisfaction, with no difference between samples on specific domains. TS women reported lower self-esteem. For TS women only, physical health at baseline predicted length of education and mental health at baseline predicted self-esteem. Women with TS face more challenges than controls on several domains of functioning. Early physical and mental health may influence later educational achievement and self-esteem for women with TS. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Four aspects of self-image close to death at home.

PubMed

Carlander, Ida; Ternestedt, Britt-Marie; Sahlberg-Blom, Eva; Hellström, Ingrid; Sandberg, Jonas

2011-04-21

Living close to death means an inevitable confrontation with one's own existential limitation. In this article, we argue that everyday life close to death embodies an identity work in progress. We used a narrative approach and a holistic-content reading to analyze 12 interviews conducted with three persons close to death. By illuminating the unique stories and identifying patterns among the participants' narratives, we found four themes exemplifying important aspects of the identity work related to everyday life close to death. Two of the themes, named "Inside and outside of me" and "Searching for togetherness," represented the core of the self-image and were framed by the other themes, "My place in space" and "My death and my time." Our findings elucidate the way the individual stories moved between the past, the present, and the future. This study challenges the idea that everyday life close to impending death primarily means limitations. The findings show that the search for meaning, new knowledge, and community can form a part of a conscious and ongoing identity work close to death.

Four aspects of self-image close to death at home

PubMed Central

Carlander, Ida; Ternestedt, Britt-Marie; Sahlberg-Blom, Eva; Hellström, Ingrid; Sandberg, Jonas

2011-01-01

Living close to death means an inevitable confrontation with one's own existential limitation. In this article, we argue that everyday life close to death embodies an identity work in progress. We used a narrative approach and a holistic-content reading to analyze 12 interviews conducted with three persons close to death. By illuminating the unique stories and identifying patterns among the participants’ narratives, we found four themes exemplifying important aspects of the identity work related to everyday life close to death. Two of the themes, named “Inside and outside of me” and “Searching for togetherness,” represented the core of the self-image and were framed by the other themes, “My place in space” and “My death and my time.” Our findings elucidate the way the individual stories moved between the past, the present, and the future. This study challenges the idea that everyday life close to impending death primarily means limitations. The findings show that the search for meaning, new knowledge, and community can form a part of a conscious and ongoing identity work close to death. PMID:21526139

Self-reported snoring frequency and incidence of cardiovascular disease: the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS).

PubMed

Nagayoshi, Mako; Tanigawa, Takeshi; Yamagishi, Kazumasa; Sakurai, Susumu; Kitamura, Akihiko; Kiyama, Masahiko; Okada, Takeo; Maeda, Kenji; Ohira, Tetsuya; Imano, Hironori; Sato, Shinichi; Iso, Hiroyasu

2012-01-01

Although associations between snoring and cardiovascular disease have been reported in several prospective studies, there is limited evidence from Asian populations. The objective of this study was to determine if there is an association between self-reported snoring frequency and the incidence of cardiovascular disease in Japanese. The subjects were 2350 men and 4163 women aged 40 to 69 years who lived in 3 communities in Japan. All subjects were participants in the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS) and were followed for 6 years. Incidence of cardiovascular disease during the follow-up period comprised events of myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, sudden cardiac death and stroke. During the 6-year follow-up period, 97 participants (56 men and 41 women) had cardiovascular events. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, self-reported snoring frequency was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events among women but not men. The hazard ratios (95% CI) for cardiovascular events were 0.9 (0.4-2.0) for sometimes snoring and 2.5 (1.0-6.1) for everyday snoring in women and 0.7 (0.3-1.3) and 1.0 (0.5-2.1), respectively, in men. Further adjustment for body mass index attenuated the association in women; the respective hazard ratios for cardiovascular events were 0.9 (0.4-1.9) and 2.1 (0.9-5.4). Self-reported habitual snoring was associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events among Japanese women. Overweight may partly mediate this association.

Stress in Marital Interaction and Change in Depression: A Longitudinal Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schafer, Robert B.; Wickrama, K. A. S.; Keith, Pat M.

1998-01-01

A model of the effects of two types of stress in everyday marital interaction on change in depressive symptoms is investigated. Mediating variables are unfavorable reflected appraisals, low competency, self-efficacy, and self-esteem. Participants (N=98 couples) were interviewed twice. The data supported the model. (Author/EMK)

Sleep and eating behavior in adults at risk for type 2 diabetes.

PubMed

Kilkus, Jennifer M; Booth, John N; Bromley, Lindsay E; Darukhanavala, Amy P; Imperial, Jacqueline G; Penev, Plamen D

2012-01-01

Insufficient quantity and quality of sleep may modulate eating behavior, everyday physical activity, overall energy balance, and individual risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. We examined the association of habitual sleep quantity and quality with the self-reported pattern of eating behavior in 53 healthy urban adults with parental history of type 2 diabetes (30 F/23 M; mean (s.d.) age: 27 (4) years; BMI: 23.9 (2.3) kg/m(2)) while taking into consideration the amount of their everyday physical activity. Participants completed 13 (3) days of sleep and physical activity monitoring by wrist actigraphy and waist accelerometry while following their usual lifestyle at home. Overnight laboratory polysomnography was used to screen for sleep disorders. Subjective sleep quality was measured with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Eating behavior was assessed using the original 51-item and the revised 18-item version of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire including measures of cognitive restraint, disinhibition, hunger, and uncontrolled and emotional eating. In multivariable regression analyses adjusted for age, BMI, gender, race/ethnicity, level of education, habitual sleep time measured by wrist actigraphy and physical activity measured by waist accelerometry, lower subjective sleep quality was associated with increased hunger, more disinhibited, uncontrolled and emotional eating, and higher cognitive restraint. There was no significant association between the amount of sleep measured by wrist actigraphy and any of these eating behavior factors. Our findings indicate that small decrements in self-reported sleep quality can be a sensitive indicator for the presence of potentially problematic eating patterns in healthy urban adults with familial risk for type 2 diabetes.

Wandering minds and wavering goals: Examining the relation between mind wandering and grit in everyday life and the classroom.

PubMed

Ralph, Brandon C W; Wammes, Jeffrey D; Barr, Nathaniel; Smilek, Daniel

2017-06-01

Here we examined the relation between mind wandering and the personality trait of 'grit.' Our hypothesis was that because mind wandering leads to a disruption of momentary goal completion, the tendency to mind wander might be inversely related to the completion of long-term goals that require sustained interest and effort (i.e., grittiness). In Study 1 we used online questionnaires and found that in everyday life, the propensity to mind wander was negatively correlated with individuals' self-reported grittiness. Interestingly, the relation between mind wandering and grit was strongest for unintentional bouts of mind wandering (as compared with intentional mind wandering). We extended these findings in Study 2 by (a) using a more heterogeneous sample of participants, (b) including a measure of conscientiousness, and (c) including another measure of general perseverance. In addition to replicating our findings from Study 1, in Study 2 we found that the grit measure uniquely predicted spontaneous mind wandering over and above a measure of conscientiousness and an alternative measure of general perseverance. Lastly, in Study 3 we extend the relation between mind wandering and grit to the classroom, finding that mind wandering during university lectures was also related to self-reported grittiness. Taken together, we suggest that the propensity to experience brief lapses of attention is associated with the propensity to stick-with and complete long-term goals. We also provide evidence that when predicting mind wandering and inattention, measures of grit are not redundant with existing measure of conscientiousness and general perseverance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Episodic and Semantic Autobiographical Memory and Everyday Memory during Late Childhood and Early Adolescence

PubMed Central

Willoughby, Karen A.; Desrocher, Mary; Levine, Brian; Rovet, Joanne F.

2012-01-01

Few studies have examined both episodic and semantic autobiographical memory (AM) performance during late childhood and early adolescence. Using the newly developed Children’s Autobiographical Interview (CAI), the present study examined the effects of age and sex on episodic and semantic AM and everyday memory in 182 children and adolescents. Results indicated that episodic and semantic AM both improved between 8 and 16 years of age; however, age-related changes were larger for episodic AM than for semantic AM. In addition, females were found to recall more episodic AM details, but not more semantic AM details, than males. Importantly, this sex difference in episodic AM recall was attenuated under conditions of high retrieval support (i.e., the use of probing questions). The ability to clearly visualize past events at the time of recollection was related to children’s episodic AM recall performance, particularly the retrieval of perceptual details. Finally, similar age and sex effects were found between episodic AM and everyday memory ability (e.g., memory for everyday activities). More specifically, older participants and females exhibited better episodic AM and everyday memory performance than younger participants and males. Overall, the present study provides important new insight into both episodic and semantic AM performance, as well as the relation between episodic AM and everyday memory, during late childhood and adolescence. PMID:22403560

Episodic and Semantic Autobiographical Memory and Everyday Memory during Late Childhood and Early Adolescence.

PubMed

Willoughby, Karen A; Desrocher, Mary; Levine, Brian; Rovet, Joanne F

2012-01-01

Few studies have examined both episodic and semantic autobiographical memory (AM) performance during late childhood and early adolescence. Using the newly developed Children's Autobiographical Interview (CAI), the present study examined the effects of age and sex on episodic and semantic AM and everyday memory in 182 children and adolescents. Results indicated that episodic and semantic AM both improved between 8 and 16 years of age; however, age-related changes were larger for episodic AM than for semantic AM. In addition, females were found to recall more episodic AM details, but not more semantic AM details, than males. Importantly, this sex difference in episodic AM recall was attenuated under conditions of high retrieval support (i.e., the use of probing questions). The ability to clearly visualize past events at the time of recollection was related to children's episodic AM recall performance, particularly the retrieval of perceptual details. Finally, similar age and sex effects were found between episodic AM and everyday memory ability (e.g., memory for everyday activities). More specifically, older participants and females exhibited better episodic AM and everyday memory performance than younger participants and males. Overall, the present study provides important new insight into both episodic and semantic AM performance, as well as the relation between episodic AM and everyday memory, during late childhood and adolescence.

Compared to controls, patients with ruptured aneurysm and surgical intervention show increase in symptoms of depression and lower cognitive performance, but their objective sleep is not affected.

PubMed

Brand, Serge; Zimmerer, Stefan; Kalak, Nadeem; Planta, Sandra Von; Schwenzer-Zimmerer, Katja; Müller, Andreas Albert; Zeilhofer, Hans-Florian; Holsboer-Trachsler, Edith

2015-02-01

Patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH) have impaired sleep and cognitive performance together with more difficulties in social and everyday life. Hypocortisolism has also been reported. However, a study assessing all dimensions between aSAH severity, objective and subjective sleep, cortisol secretion, cognitive performance and social and everyday life has not so far been performed. The aim of the present study was therefore two-fold: (1) to assess, in a sample of patients with aSAH, objective and subjective sleep, cognitive functioning, social skills and cortisol secretion concurrently, and (2) to compare patients on these variables with a control group. Twenty-one patients (17 females; mean age: 58.80 years) with ruptured aneurysm and surgical intervention and 21 (14 females; mean age: 58.90 years) age- and gender-matched controls took part in the study. Assessments covered objective sleep-EGG recordings, subjective sleep, salivary cortisol analysis, and psychological functioning including memory performance, mood, and emotion recognition. Compared to healthy controls, patients had lower scores for verbal memory performance and emotion recognition; they also reported more marked depressive symptoms and complained of poor sleep. However, no differences were found for objective sleep or cortisol secretion. Subjective and objective sleep, cortisol secretion and psychological functioning were unrelated. Findings indicate that patients with aSAH face psychological rather than physiological issues.

Person-centred care in chronic kidney disease: a cross-sectional study of patients' desires for self-management support.

PubMed

Havas, Kathryn; Douglas, Clint; Bonner, Ann

2017-01-13

People with chronic kidney disease (CKD) must self-manage their illness to assist with slowing disease-progression, but this is a complex task requiring support from healthcare professionals. Despite the established importance of person-centred care, people with CKD are rarely consulted regarding their desires for self-management support (SMS). A cross-sectional survey was conducted face-to-face in a Queensland primary care clinic and distributed Australia-wide via an online interface promoted by Kidney Health Australia during 2015. Participants were ≥18 years old and had a self-reported doctor's diagnosis of CKD (any stage; N = 97). The survey was based upon existent literature which identified 10 areas that those with CKD believe require additional support. Descriptive data were generated and Mann-Whitney U tests were performed to compare the desires of different groups of participants. Of the 97 participants, 36 completed a hardcopy survey in clinic, and 61 completed the online version. Just over half (60.8%) were female, age ranged from 16-89 (M = 56.44), and time since diagnosis ranged from just diagnosed to 60 years (Mdn = 8.08 years). Strong interest in receiving additional support across all 10 areas was reported (Mdns = 8.00-10.00), with "keeping a positive attitude and taking care of mental and physical health" receiving the highest rating. Those who were: younger (p < .001); more highly educated (p < .001); working (p < .001); diagnosed longer ago (p = .015); and women (p = .050) expressed stronger overall desire for additional support. In addition to information about CKD and medications, everyday strategies ought to be prioritised in patient education. Varying levels of engagement and eagerness to learn more about self-management highlight the need for a person-centred approach to SMS.

Brain-computer interfacing under distraction: an evaluation study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandl, Stephanie; Frølich, Laura; Höhne, Johannes; Müller, Klaus-Robert; Samek, Wojciech

2016-10-01

Objective. While motor-imagery based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have been studied over many years by now, most of these studies have taken place in controlled lab settings. Bringing BCI technology into everyday life is still one of the main challenges in this field of research. Approach. This paper systematically investigates BCI performance under 6 types of distractions that mimic out-of-lab environments. Main results. We report results of 16 participants and show that the performance of the standard common spatial patterns (CSP) + regularized linear discriminant analysis classification pipeline drops significantly in this ‘simulated’ out-of-lab setting. We then investigate three methods for improving the performance: (1) artifact removal, (2) ensemble classification, and (3) a 2-step classification approach. While artifact removal does not enhance the BCI performance significantly, both ensemble classification and the 2-step classification combined with CSP significantly improve the performance compared to the standard procedure. Significance. Systematically analyzing out-of-lab scenarios is crucial when bringing BCI into everyday life. Algorithms must be adapted to overcome nonstationary environments in order to tackle real-world challenges.

Benefits of phoneme discrimination training in a randomized controlled trial of 50- to 74-year-olds with mild hearing loss.

PubMed

Ferguson, Melanie A; Henshaw, Helen; Clark, Daniel P A; Moore, David R

2014-01-01

The aims of this study were to (i) evaluate the efficacy of phoneme discrimination training for hearing and cognitive abilities of adults aged 50 to 74 years with mild sensorineural hearing loss who were not users of hearing aids, and to (ii) determine participant compliance with a self-administered, computer-delivered, home- and game-based auditory training program. This study was a randomized controlled trial with repeated measures and crossover design. Participants were trained and tested over an 8- to 12-week period. One group (Immediate Training) trained during weeks 1 and 4. A second waitlist group (Delayed Training) did no training during weeks 1 and 4, but then trained during weeks 5 and 8. On-task (phoneme discrimination) and transferable outcome measures (speech perception, cognition, self-report of hearing disability) for both groups were obtained during weeks 0, 4, and 8, and for the Delayed Training group only at week 12. Robust phoneme discrimination learning was found for both groups, with the largest improvements in threshold shown for those with the poorest initial thresholds. Between weeks 1 and 4, the Immediate Training group showed moderate, significant improvements on self-report of hearing disability, divided attention, and working memory, specifically for conditions or situations that were more complex and therefore more challenging. Training did not result in consistent improvements in speech perception in noise. There was no evidence of any test-retest effects between weeks 1 and 4 for the Delayed Training group. Retention of benefit at 4 weeks post-training was shown for phoneme discrimination, divided attention, working memory, and self-report of hearing disability. Improved divided attention and reduced self-reported hearing difficulties were highly correlated. It was observed that phoneme discrimination training benefits some but not all people with mild hearing loss. Evidence presented here, together with that of other studies that used different training stimuli, suggests that auditory training may facilitate cognitive skills that index executive function and the self-perception of hearing difficulty in challenging situations. The development of cognitive skills may be more important than the development of sensory skills for improving communication and speech perception in everyday life. However, improvements were modest. Outcome measures need to be appropriately challenging to be sensitive to the effects of the relatively small amount of training performed.

Examining depletion theories under conditions of within-task transfer.

PubMed

Brewer, Gene A; Lau, Kevin K H; Wingert, Kimberly M; Ball, B Hunter; Blais, Chris

2017-07-01

In everyday life, mental fatigue can be detrimental across many domains including driving, learning, and working. Given the importance of understanding and accounting for the deleterious effects of mental fatigue on behavior, a growing body of literature has studied the role of motivational and executive control processes in mental fatigue. In typical laboratory paradigms, participants complete a task that places demand on these self-control processes and are later given a subsequent task. Generally speaking, decrements to subsequent task performance are taken as evidence that the initial task created mental fatigue through the continued engagement of motivational and executive functions. Several models have been developed to account for negative transfer resulting from this "ego depletion." In the current study, we provide a brief literature review, specify current theoretical approaches to ego-depletion, and report an empirical test of current models of depletion. Across 4 experiments we found minimal evidence for executive control depletion along with strong evidence for motivation mediated ego depletion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Optimizing performance by improving core stability and core strength.

PubMed

Hibbs, Angela E; Thompson, Kevin G; French, Duncan; Wrigley, Allan; Spears, Iain

2008-01-01

Core stability and core strength have been subject to research since the early 1980s. Research has highlighted benefits of training these processes for people with back pain and for carrying out everyday activities. However, less research has been performed on the benefits of core training for elite athletes and how this training should be carried out to optimize sporting performance. Many elite athletes undertake core stability and core strength training as part of their training programme, despite contradictory findings and conclusions as to their efficacy. This is mainly due to the lack of a gold standard method for measuring core stability and strength when performing everyday tasks and sporting movements. A further confounding factor is that because of the differing demands on the core musculature during everyday activities (low load, slow movements) and sporting activities (high load, resisted, dynamic movements), research performed in the rehabilitation sector cannot be applied to the sporting environment and, subsequently, data regarding core training programmes and their effectiveness on sporting performance are lacking. There are many articles in the literature that promote core training programmes and exercises for performance enhancement without providing a strong scientific rationale of their effectiveness, especially in the sporting sector. In the rehabilitation sector, improvements in lower back injuries have been reported by improving core stability. Few studies have observed any performance enhancement in sporting activities despite observing improvements in core stability and core strength following a core training programme. A clearer understanding of the roles that specific muscles have during core stability and core strength exercises would enable more functional training programmes to be implemented, which may result in a more effective transfer of these skills to actual sporting activities.

Intersections of discrimination due to unemployment and mental health problems: the role of double stigma for job- and help-seeking behaviors.

PubMed

Staiger, Tobias; Waldmann, Tamara; Oexle, Nathalie; Wigand, Moritz; Rüsch, Nicolas

2018-05-21

The everyday lives of unemployed people with mental health problems can be affected by multiple discrimination, but studies about double stigma-an overlap of identities and experiences of discrimination-in this group are lacking. We therefore studied multiple discrimination among unemployed people with mental health problems and its consequences for job- and help-seeking behaviors. Everyday discrimination and attributions of discrimination to unemployment and/or to mental health problems were examined among 301 unemployed individuals with mental health problems. Job search self-efficacy, barriers to care, and perceived need for treatment were compared among four subgroups, depending on attributions of experienced discrimination to unemployment and to mental health problems (group i); neither to unemployment nor to mental health problems (group ii); mainly to unemployment (group iii); or mainly to mental health problems (group iv). In multiple regressions among all participants, higher levels of discrimination predicted reduced job search self-efficacy and higher barriers to care; and attributions of discrimination to unemployment were associated with increased barriers to care. In ANOVAs for subgroup comparisons, group i participants, who attributed discrimination to both unemployment and mental health problems, reported lower job search self-efficacy, more perceived stigma-related barriers to care and more need for treatment than group iii participants, as well as more stigma-related barriers to care than group iv. Multiple discrimination may affect job search and help-seeking among unemployed individuals with mental health problems. Interventions to reduce public stigma and to improve coping with multiple discrimination for this group should be developed.

Aesthetic engagements: "being" in everyday life with advanced cancer.

PubMed

la Cour, Karen; Hansen, Helle Ploug

2012-03-01

Living with advanced cancer can present an overwhelming challenge. It may impact the everyday life of the individual with respect to an array of psychological, physical, social, and existential issues. We focus on ways in which people with advanced cancer experience and use their engagement in daily activities when confronting nearing death. Through a phenomenological analysis based on Heidegger's thinking, we illuminate the complexities of "being toward death" and the human striving for authentic being through engagement in daily living. The main findings demonstrate how sensory experiences support being through an appreciation of everyday aesthetics. Furthermore, the making of material things was identified as a means to express the value of self and others in relation to the involved individual's past, present, and future.

Illuminating Everyday Performances of Privilege and Oppression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heuman, Amy N.

2018-01-01

Courses: Intercultural Communication, Interracial Communication, Gender and Communication, Introduction to Communication Course (within a unit on culture), and any courses encouraging critical analyses of power. Objectives: This activity will: illuminate the ways in which everyday performances of privilege and resulting oppressions connect with…

Influences of Parent and Child Negative Emotionality on Young Children’s Everyday Behaviors

PubMed Central

Slatcher, Richard B.; Trentacosta, Christopher J.

2012-01-01

Negative emotionality is linked to unfavorable life outcomes, but studies have yet to examine negative emotionality of parents and children as predictors of children’s problem behaviors and negative emotion word use in everyday life. This study used a novel naturalistic recording device called the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR) to investigate the separate and interactive influences of parent and child negative emotionality on daily child behaviors in a sample of 35 preschool-aged children over two time points separated by one year. Fathers’ negative emotionality predicted children’s whining at Time 1; mothers’ negative emotionality predicted children’s negative emotion word use at Time 1 and increases in children’s arguing/fighting from Time 1 to Time 2. Parents’ ratings of child negative emotionality also were associated with increases in children’s arguing/fighting from Time 1 to Time 2, and child negative emotionality moderated the association between mothers’ negative emotionality and children’s arguing/fighting. Further, children with mothers high in negative emotionality displayed higher levels of problem behaviors when their mothers self-reported low levels of positive emotional expressiveness and/or high levels of negative emotional expressiveness. These findings offer preliminary evidence linking parent and child negative emotionality to everyday child behaviors, and suggest that emotional expressiveness may play a key role in moderating the links between maternal negative emotionality and child behavioral problems. PMID:22390707

An examination of mediators of the transfer of cognitive speed of processing training to everyday functional performance.

PubMed

Edwards, Jerri D; Ruva, Christine L; O'Brien, Jennifer L; Haley, Christine B; Lister, Jennifer J

2013-06-01

The purpose of these analyses was to examine mediators of the transfer of cognitive speed of processing training to improved everyday functional performance (J. D. Edwards, V. G. Wadley,, D. E. Vance, D. L. Roenker, & K. K. Ball, 2005, The impact of speed of processing training on cognitive and everyday performance. Aging & Mental Health, 9, 262-271). Cognitive speed of processing and visual attention (as measured by the Useful Field of View Test; UFOV) were examined as mediators of training transfer. Secondary data analyses were conducted from the Staying Keen in Later Life (SKILL) study, a randomized cohort study including 126 community dwelling adults 63 to 87 years of age. In the SKILL study, participants were randomized to an active control group or cognitive speed of processing training (SOPT), a nonverbal, computerized intervention involving perceptual practice of visual tasks. Prior analyses found significant effects of training as measured by the UFOV and Timed Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (TIADL) Tests. Results from the present analyses indicate that speed of processing for a divided attention task significantly mediated the effect of SOPT on everyday performance (e.g., TIADL) in a multiple mediation model accounting for 91% of the variance. These findings suggest that everyday functional improvements found from SOPT are directly attributable to improved UFOV performance, speed of processing for divided attention in particular. Targeting divided attention in cognitive interventions may be important to positively affect everyday functioning among older adults. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Old, down and out? Appearance, body work and positive ageing among elderly South Korean women.

PubMed

Elfving-Hwang, Joanna

2016-08-01

This article offers an as yet unexplored dimension of our current understanding of the ageing body in the context of contemporary South Korea. Drawing on interviews with twenty elderly women living in the greater Seoul metropolitan area, this article explores the role of appearance, body work, and the presentation of self in the women's everyday lived experiences. Existing research on the ageing female body in South Korea has primarily focused on the so-called noin munjae ('the elderly issue') discourse, within which the ageing body is framed as passive, undesirable, or out-of-control. Contrary to this, the elderly women's own narratives of everyday beauty practices suggest that the act of sustaining well-ordered appearance in later life allows for the enforcing of positive selves in the context of personal beauty and body work. Maintaining a positive appearance was shown to play an important part of their everyday lives, and functioned as a ritual of not only presenting an appearance that signified control over the ageing body, but to continue to enjoy it. The carefully calculated engagement with various non-surgical and surgical beauty practices also emerged as an embodied practice of mediating intersubjective social encounters through which self-esteem was engendered by evidencing the self's efforts to show respect to others. The findings of this study challenge dominant discourses in the west which present body work on the ageing female body as primarily self-indulgent, or driven by anxiety about the body's inability to fit within existing youthful beauty ideals. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluating automatic attentional capture by self-relevant information.

PubMed

Ocampo, Brenda; Kahan, Todd A

2016-01-01

Our everyday decisions and memories are inadvertently influenced by self-relevant information. For example, we are faster and more accurate at making perceptual judgments about stimuli associated with ourselves, such as our own face or name, as compared with familiar non-self-relevant stimuli. Humphreys and Sui propose a "self-attention network" to account for these effects, wherein self-relevant stimuli automatically capture our attention and subsequently enhance the perceptual processing of self-relevant information. We propose that the masked priming paradigm and continuous flash suppression represent two ways to experimentally examine these controversial claims.

Children's Self-Regulation in the Context of Participatory Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kangas, Jonna; Ojala, Mikko; Venninen, Tuulikki

2015-01-01

Research Findings: Research has shown that self-regulation can support child development in the areas of children's attentional flexibility, working memory, and inhibitory control for excluding impulsive responses. How this is actually related in everyday pedagogical early childhood education (ECE) activities has rarely been studied in detail. In…

Self-Regulatory Strategies in Daily Life: Selection, Optimization, and Compensation and Everyday Memory Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, Stephanie A.; Rickenbach, Elizabeth H.; Lachman, Margie E.

2016-01-01

The effective use of self-regulatory strategies, such as selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) requires resources. However, it is theorized that SOC use is most advantageous for those experiencing losses and diminishing resources. The present study explored this seeming paradox within the context of limitations or constraints due to…

Technology and Transition in the 21st Century

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kellems, Ryan O.; Grigal, Meg; Unger, Darlene D.; Simmons, Thomas J.; Bauder, Debra; Williams, Caroline

2015-01-01

Devices like smartphones, tablets, and MP3 players are becoming everyday tools for the majority of the population. Technology can assist students with disabilities in many self-determination activities, such as choice making, decision making, and self-management. In addition, technology tools can support them in a wide range of transition-related…

[Comparative assessment of results in cervical vertigo pharmacotherapy vs physiotherapy treatment].

PubMed

Olszewski, Jurek; Repetowski, Marcin; Kuśmierczyk, Krzysztof

2007-01-01

The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy and physiotherapy in cervical vertigo treatment. 80 patients with cervical vertigo (41 women and 39 men), aged 20 to 85, were treated by pharmacotherapy or physiotherapy. There were two groups: group I was treated by pharmacotherapy and group II was treated by physiotherapy and kinesitherapy. The effects of vertigo treatment were assessed by positional nystagmus testing according to Cawthorne and Rosen; cervical nystagmus testing in neck rotation test; by everyday task self-control cards and vertigo staging system according to Silvoniemi (0-4 points). The effects of treatment were assessed before therapy, 6 and 12 weeks after therapy. Patients from group I were treated by Nootropil and Betaserc; group II received magnetic Fidel, laserotherapy, massage and kinesitherapy exercises. The obtained results showed that the most useful methods of cervical vertigo diagnosis were neck rotation test and Rose method. The average number of points (according to Silvoniemi scale) on the basis of ten everyday activities, was lower after 6 weeks of treatment than before the treatment and the lowest after 12 weeks of treatment. The difference was higher in group II than in group I. Patients treated by physiotherapy (group II) performed better in everyday activities than the patients treated by pharmacotherapy (group I). Cervical vertigo treatment by physiotherapy is cheap and underestimated method.

Everyday value conflicts and integrative complexity of thought.

PubMed

Myyry, Liisa

2002-12-01

This study examined the value pluralism model in everyday value conflicts, and the effect of issue context on complexity of thought. According to the cognitive manager model we hypothesized that respondents would obtain a higher level of integrative complexity on personal issues that on professional and general issues. We also explored the relations of integrative complexity to value priorities, measured by the Schwartz Value Survey, and to emotional empathy. The value pluralism model was not supported by the data collected from 126 university students from social science, business and technology. The cognitive manager model was partially confirmed by data from females but not from males. Concerning value priorities, more complex respondents had higher regard for self-transcendence values, and less complex respondents for self-enhancement values Emotional empathy was also significantly related to complexity score.

Older driver estimates of driving exposure compared to in-vehicle data in the Candrive II study.

PubMed

Porter, Michelle M; Smith, Glenys A; Cull, Andrew W; Myers, Anita M; Bédard, Michel; Gélinas, Isabelle; Mazer, Barbara L; Marshall, Shawn C; Naglie, Gary; Rapoport, Mark J; Tuokko, Holly A; Vrkljan, Brenda H

2015-01-01

Most studies on older adults' driving practices have relied on self-reported information. With technological advances it is now possible to objectively measure the everyday driving of older adults in their own vehicles over time. The purpose of this study was to examine the ability of older drivers to accurately estimate their kilometers driven over one year relative to objectively measured driving exposure. A subsample (n = 159 of 928; 50.9% male) of Candrive II participants (age ≥ 70 years of age) was used in these analyses based on strict criteria for data collected from questionnaires as well as an OttoView-CD Autonomous Data Logging Device installed in their vehicle, over the first year of the prospective cohort study. Although there was no significant difference overall between the self-reported and objectively measured distance categories, only moderate agreement was found (weighted kappa = 0.57; 95% confidence interval, 0.47-0.67). Almost half (45.3%) chose the wrong distance category, and some people misestimated their distance driven by up to 20,000 km. Those who misjudged in the low mileage group (≤5000 km) consistently underestimated, whereas the reverse was found for those in the high distance categories (≥ 20,000); that is, they always overestimated their driving distance. Although self-reported driving distance categories may be adequate for studies entailing broad group comparisons, caution should be used in interpreting results. Use of self-reported estimates for individual assessments should be discouraged.

Assessing the Everyday Discrimination Scale Among American Indians and Alaska Natives

PubMed Central

Gonzales, Kelly L.; Noonan, Carolyn; Goins, R. Turner; Henderson, William G.; Beals, Janette; Manson, Spero M.; Acton, Kelly J.; Roubideaux, Yvette

2015-01-01

The Everyday Discrimination Scale (EDS) has been used widely as a measure of subjective experiences of discrimination. The usefulness of this measure for assessments of perceived experiences of discrimination by American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) peoples has not been explored. Data derived from the Special Diabetes Program for Indians – Healthy Heart Demonstration Project (SDPI-HH), a large-scale initiative to reduce cardiovascular risk among AI/ANs with Type 2 diabetes. Participants (N=3,039) completed a self-report survey that included the EDS and measures of convergent and divergent validity. Missing data were estimated by multiple imputation techniques. Reliability estimates for the EDS were calculated, yielding a single factor with high internal consistency (α=0.92). Younger, more educated respondents reported greater perceived discrimination; retired or widowed respondents reported less. Convergent validity was evidenced by levels of distress, anger, and hostility, which increased as the level of perceived discrimination increased (all p<0.001). Divergent validity was evidenced by the absence of an association between EDS and resilient coping. Resilient coping and insulin-specific diabetes knowledge were not significantly associated with perceived discrimination (p=0.61 and 0.16, respectively). However, general diabetes-related health knowledge was significantly associated with perceived discrimination (p=0.02). The EDS is a promising measure for assessing perceived experiences of discrimination among those AI/ANs who participated in the SDPI-HH. PMID:26146948

Mind over bladder: Women, aging, and bladder health.

PubMed

Long, Joanna E; Khairat, Saif; Chmelo, Elizabeth; Palmer, Mary H

The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy and acceptability of an innovative, electronically delivered self-management intervention for urinary incontinence (UI) that included daily mindfulness practice, completion of sequential bladder diaries, and bladder health education to improve UI in older women living independently in a retirement community. A mixed methods pilot study was conducted over ten weeks using a custom website or CD. Ten women were recruited and 8 completed the study; 5 of those (71%) experienced fewer daily UI episodes post intervention (p = 0.055). The women also reported a statistically significant decrease in the impact UI had on their everyday life (p = 0.04). Seventy-one percent (N = 5) reported subjective improvement in UI, and high acceptability scores also were achieved. The intervention was both effective in helping older women self-manage UI and acceptable to the population group. Further research is needed with a larger and diverse population of older women. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Vigilance in the discrimination-stress model for Black Americans.

PubMed

Himmelstein, Mary S; Young, Danielle M; Sanchez, Diana T; Jackson, James S

2015-01-01

Daily events of discrimination are important factors in understanding health disparities. Vigilant coping, or protecting against anticipated discrimination by monitoring and modifying behaviour, is an understudied mechanism that may link discrimination and health outcomes. This study investigates how responding to everyday discrimination with anticipatory vigilance relates to the health of Black men and women. Black adults (N = 221) from the Detroit area completed measures of discrimination, adverse life events, vigilance coping, stress, depressive symptoms and self-reported health. Vigilance coping strategies mediated the relationship between discrimination and stress. Multi-group path analysis revealed that stress in turn was associated with increased depression in men and women. Self-reported health consequences of stress differed between men and women. Vigilance coping mediates the link between discrimination and stress, and stress has consequences for health outcomes resulting from discrimination. More research is needed to understand other underlying contributors to discrimination, stress and poor health outcomes as well as to create potential interventions to ameliorate health outcomes in the face of discrimination-related stress.

The ACTIVE conceptual framework as a structural equation model.

PubMed

Gross, Alden L; Payne, Brennan R; Casanova, Ramon; Davoudzadeh, Pega; Dzierzewski, Joseph M; Farias, Sarah; Giovannetti, Tania; Ip, Edward H; Marsiske, Michael; Rebok, George W; Schaie, K Warner; Thomas, Kelsey; Willis, Sherry; Jones, Richard N

2018-01-01

Background/Study Context: Conceptual frameworks are analytic models at a high level of abstraction. Their operationalization can inform randomized trial design and sample size considerations. The Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) conceptual framework was empirically tested using structural equation modeling (N=2,802). ACTIVE was guided by a conceptual framework for cognitive training in which proximal cognitive abilities (memory, inductive reasoning, speed of processing) mediate treatment-related improvement in primary outcomes (everyday problem-solving, difficulty with activities of daily living, everyday speed, driving difficulty), which in turn lead to improved secondary outcomes (health-related quality of life, health service utilization, mobility). Measurement models for each proximal, primary, and secondary outcome were developed and tested using baseline data. Each construct was then combined in one model to evaluate fit (RMSEA, CFI, normalized residuals of each indicator). To expand the conceptual model and potentially inform future trials, evidence of modification of structural model parameters was evaluated by age, years of education, sex, race, and self-rated health status. Preconceived measurement models for memory, reasoning, speed of processing, everyday problem-solving, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) difficulty, everyday speed, driving difficulty, and health-related quality of life each fit well to the data (all RMSEA < .05; all CFI > .95). Fit of the full model was excellent (RMSEA = .038; CFI = .924). In contrast with previous findings from ACTIVE regarding who benefits from training, interaction testing revealed associations between proximal abilities and primary outcomes are stronger on average by nonwhite race, worse health, older age, and less education (p < .005). Empirical data confirm the hypothesized ACTIVE conceptual model. Findings suggest that the types of people who show intervention effects on cognitive performance potentially may be different from those with the greatest chance of transfer to real-world activities.

Brief Report: Contrasting Profiles of Everyday Executive Functioning in Smith-Magenis Syndrome and Down Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilde, Lucy; Oliver, Chris

2017-01-01

Everyday executive function (EF) was examined in Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS), associated with high risk of behaviour disorder, and Down syndrome (DS), associated with relatively low risk of behaviour disorder. Caregivers of 13 children with SMS and 17 with DS rated everyday EF using the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive…

Challenging Students' Intuitions--The Influence of a Tangible Model of Virus Assembly on Students' Conceptual Reasoning about the Process of Self-Assembly

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larsson, Caroline; Tibell, Lena A.

2015-01-01

A well-ordered biological complex can be formed by the random motion of its components, i.e. self-assemble. This is a concept that incorporates issues that may contradict students' everyday experiences and intuitions. In previous studies, we have shown that a tangible model of virus self-assembly, used in a group exercise, helps students to grasp…

Cognitive assistive technology and professional support in everyday life for adults with ADHD.

PubMed

Lindstedt, Helena; Umb-Carlsson, Oie

2013-09-01

An evaluation of a model of intervention in everyday settings, consisting of cognitive assistive technology (CAT) and support provided by occupational therapists to adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The purpose was to study how professional support and CAT facilitate everyday life and promote community participation of adults with ADHD. The intervention was implemented in five steps and evaluated in a 15-month study (March 200  = T1 to June 2007 = T2). One questionnaire and one protocol describe the CATs and provided support. Two questionnaires were employed at T1 and T2 for evaluation of the intervention in everyday settings. The participants tried 74 CATs, with weekly schedules, watches and weighted blankets being most highly valued. Carrying out a daily routine was the most frequent support. More participants were working at T2 than at T1. Frequency of performing and satisfaction with daily occupations as well as life satisfaction were stable over the one-year period. The results indicate a higher frequency of participating in work but only a tendency of increased subjectively experienced life satisfaction. However, to be of optimal usability, CAT requires individually tailored, systematic and structured support by specially trained professionals. Implications for Rehabilitation Adults with ADHD report an overall satisfaction with the cognitive assistive technology, particularly with low-technological products such as weekly schedules and weighted blankets. Using cognitive assistive technology in everyday settings indicate a higher frequency of participating in work, but only a tendency of increased subjectively experienced life satisfaction for adults with ADHD. Prescription of cognitive assistive technology to adults with ADHD in everyday settings requires individually tailored, systematic and structured support by specially trained professionals.

Relationships between frequency of driving under the influence of cannabis, self-reported reckless driving and risk-taking behavior observed in a driving simulator.

PubMed

Bergeron, Jacques; Paquette, Martin

2014-06-01

The role of cannabis consumption in traffic crashes is unclear and the causal link between cannabis and collisions is still to be demonstrated. While cannabis use is very likely to impair driving ability, there is as yet no overwhelming evidence that cannabis use in isolation contributes more to collisions than other characteristics inherent to cannabis users. As noted in a growing body of literature, individuals driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC) seem to exhibit a general reckless driving style putting them at higher risk to be involved in traffic crashes. This study aims at investigating the relationship between self-reported DUIC and reckless driving by means of self-reported measures and direct observations made in a driving simulator. Participants (n=72) were required to be between 18 and 25 years of age, to hold a valid driver's license, and to drive at least twice a week. They completed standard driving simulation tasks recreating everyday on-road trivial conditions. Results show that people admitting that they commit more real-life dangerous driving behaviors reached higher maximum speed and demonstrated more reckless driving behaviors on the driving simulation tasks. Self-reported DUIC is associated with a risky driving style including a broad range of reckless on-road behaviors and support the problem driving behavior theory. Moreover, beyond confounding factors, both self-report DUIC and observed dangerous behaviors are associated with real-life traffic violations. Since DUIC appears to be related to an overall reckless style of driving, it is proposed that public safety policies should be more holistic, simultaneously targeting multiple on-road dangerous behaviors for intervention. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Disposed to distraction: Genetic variation in the cholinergic system influences distractibility but not time-on-task effects

PubMed Central

Berry, Anne S.; Demeter, Elise; Sabhapathy, Surya; English, Brett A.; Blakely, Randy D.; Sarter, Martin; Lustig, Cindy

2015-01-01

Both the passage of time and external distraction make it difficult to keep attention on the task at hand. We tested the hypothesis that time-on-task and external distraction pose independent challenges to attention, and that the brain’s cholinergic system selectively modulates our ability to resist distraction. Participants with a polymorphism limiting cholinergic capacity (Ile89Val variant (rs1013940) of the choline transporter gene SLC5A7) and matched controls completed self-report measures of attention and a laboratory task that measured decrements in sustained attention with and without distraction. We found evidence that distraction and time-on-task effects are independent and that the cholinergic system is strongly linked to greater vulnerability to distraction. Ile89Val participants reported more distraction during everyday life than controls, and their task performance was more severely impacted by the presence of an ecologically valid video distractor (similar to a television playing in the background). These results are the first to demonstrate a specific impairment in cognitive control associated with the Ile89Val polymorphism, and add to behavioral and cognitive neuroscience studies indicating the cholinergic system’s critical role in overcoming distraction. PMID:24666128

Communal normalization in an online self-help group for adolescents with a mentally ill parent.

PubMed

Trondsen, Marianne V; Tjora, Aksel

2014-10-01

Although implications of parental mental illness are well documented, most children of mentally ill parents are left to manage their family situation with limited information and support. We explored the role of a Norwegian online self-help group for adolescents (aged 15 to 18) with a mentally ill parent. Through in-depth interviews with 13 participants, we found that the online self-help group provided "communal normalization" by which participants, through communication in the forum, made sense of everyday experiences and emotions arising from having a mentally ill parent. We identified three main aspects of this process-recognizability, openness, and agency-all of which were important for the adolescents' efforts to obtain support, to be supportive, and to handle everyday life situations better. Communal normalization might provide resources for significantly improving the participants' life situations, and could demonstrate similar potential for users in other situations characterized by stigma, loneliness, silence, and health worries. © The Author(s) 2014.

Goals and everyday problem solving: examining the link between age-related goals and problem-solving strategy use.

PubMed

Hoppmann, Christiane A; Coats, Abby Heckman; Blanchard-Fields, Fredda

2008-07-01

Qualitative interviews on family and financial problems from 332 adolescents, young, middle-aged, and older adults, demonstrated that developmentally relevant goals predicted problem-solving strategy use over and above problem domain. Four focal goals concerned autonomy, generativity, maintaining good relationships with others, and changing another person. We examined both self- and other-focused problem-solving strategies. Autonomy goals were associated with self-focused instrumental problem solving and generative goals were related to other-focused instrumental problem solving in family and financial problems. Goals of changing another person were related to other-focused instrumental problem solving in the family domain only. The match between goals and strategies, an indicator of problem-solving adaptiveness, showed that young individuals displayed the greatest match between autonomy goals and self-focused problem solving, whereas older adults showed a greater match between generative goals and other-focused problem solving. Findings speak to the importance of considering goals in investigations of age-related differences in everyday problem solving.

Ecologically relevant episodic memory assessment indicates an attenuated age-related memory loss - A virtual reality study.

PubMed

Pflueger, Marlon O; Stieglitz, Rolf-Dieter; Lemoine, Patrick; Leyhe, Thomas

2018-06-07

Since the advent of imaging techniques, the role of the neuropsychological assessment has changed. Questions concerning everyday functionality became primarily important and, thus, ecologically valid neuropsychological assessments are mandatory. Virtual reality (VR) environments might provide a way of implementing immersive cognitive assessments with a higher degree of everyday-life-related cognitive demands. We report on a VR-based episodic memory examination in N = 30 young and N = 18 healthy older adults (HOA) using a kitchen scene. The test procedure was designed to be structurally comparable to clinically used California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) in terms of repeated learning trials as well as short and long delayed recall measures. The results showed that age-related learning and performance decrements were mainly evident in the CVLT but not in the VR-memory examination. The ecologically valid VR-memory examination might provide a more accurate "age-fair" estimation of everyday-life-related memory demands in HOA than the frequently and clinically used CVLT. We concluded this from our finding of context-related automatic and effortless activations of deeply experience based encoding and retrieval strategies with regard to everyday-life-related objects in the HOA, which might not be paralleled by learning arbitrary word associations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Language development and everyday functioning of children with hearing loss assessed at 3 years of age.

PubMed

Ching, Teresa Y C; Crowe, Kathryn; Martin, Vivienne; Day, Julia; Mahler, Nicole; Youn, Samantha; Street, Laura; Cook, Cassandra; Orsini, Julia

2010-04-01

This paper reports language ability and everyday functioning of 133 children with hearing impairment who were evaluated at 3 years of age, as part of the Longitudinal Outcomes of Children with Hearing Impairment (LOCHI) study. The language abilities of children were evaluated using the Preschool Language Scale (PLS-4), Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology (DEAP) and Child Development Inventory (CDI). Everyday functioning of children was evaluated by interviewing parents using the Parents' Evaluation of Aural/oral performance of Children (PEACH) questionnaire. There were significant correlations among language measures, and also between the standardized language measures and the PEACH. On average, children who had language deficits exhibited difficulties in everyday functioning. The evidence lends support to a systematic use of parents' observations to evaluate communicative functioning of children in real life. On average, children's language attainment decreased as hearing loss increased, more so for children of less highly educated parents. Factors that were not significantly associated with speech and language outcomes at 3 years were age of amplification and socioeconomic status. As multiple factors affect children's outcomes, it will be possible to examine their effects on outcomes of children when all data in the LOCHI study are available.

[Use of social media by psychiatric in-patients : Case report and further perspectives].

PubMed

Czech, O M; Podoll, K; Schneider, F

2017-08-03

Communication by means of social networks and messenger programs as well as the use of smartphones have rapidly increased during recent years and are constantly present in everyday life. We report about a 25-year-old patient with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder who posted photographs of acute self-injuries to a group of fellow patients by means of a messenger app while on weekend leave during psychiatric hospital treatment. The implications about possible effects of the use of social media by psychiatric in-patients on treatment and group dynamics are discussed. Furthermore, social media communication by patients is focused on in general and potential consequences for psychiatric, psychotherapeutic and psychosomatic treatment are discussed.

The potential of virtual reality-based training to enhance the functional autonomy of Alzheimer's disease patients in cooking activities: A single case study.

PubMed

Foloppe, Déborah A; Richard, Paul; Yamaguchi, Takehiko; Etcharry-Bouyx, Frédérique; Allain, Philippe

2018-07-01

Impairments in performing activities of daily living occur early in the course of Alzheimer's disease (AD). There is a great need to develop non-pharmacological therapeutic interventions likely to reduce dependency in everyday activities in AD patients. This study investigated whether it was possible to increase autonomy in these patients in cooking activities using interventions based on errorless learning, vanishing-cue, and virtual reality techniques. We recruited a 79-year-old woman who met NINCDS-ADRDA criteria for probable AD. She was trained in four cooking tasks for four days per task, one hour per day, in virtual and in real conditions. Outcome measures included subjective data concerning the therapeutic intervention and the experience of virtual reality, repeated assessments of training activities, neuropsychological scores, and self-esteem and quality of life measures. The results indicated that our patient could relearn some cooking activities using virtual reality techniques. Transfer to real life was also observed. Improvement of the task performance remained stable over time. This case report supports the value of a non-immersive virtual kitchen to help people with AD to relearn cooking activities.

Queer in the field: on emotions, temporality, and performativity in ethnography.

PubMed

Rooke, Alison

2009-01-01

This article is a reflection on a year of ethnographic fieldwork conducted in and around a lesbian and gay community center in London. The research was concerned with the ways in which working class lesbian and bisexual women experience the meanings of their sexual identities on an everyday basis. I conducted participant observation in a variety of settings. Activities I took part in included volunteering at the center and running sexualities discussion groups, and photographic workshops with lesbian and bisexual women. In this article I explore the epistemological, ontological, and ethical dimensions of ethnographic research. I argue here that queer ethnography is not merely ethnography that has focus on researching queer lives, it is also a matter of taking queer theory seriously in order to question the conventions of ethnographic research, specifically the stability and coherence of the ethnographic self and performativity of the ethnographic self in writing and doing research. To queer ethnography then, is to bend the established orientation of ethnography in its method, ethics, and reflexive philosophical principles.

Children's Use of Metacognition in Solving Everyday Problems: An Initial Study from an Asian Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Chwee Beng; Teo, Timothy; Bergin, David

2009-01-01

The aim of this study is to understand the relationship between metacognition and students' everyday problem solving. Specifically, we were interested to find out whether regulation of cognition and knowledge of cognition are related to everyday problem solving and whether students who perform better in the decision-making problem will better…

Associations of employment frustration with self-rated physical and mental health among Asian American immigrants in the U.S. Labor force.

PubMed

de Castro, A B; Rue, Tessa; Takeuchi, David T

2010-01-01

This study examined the associations between employment frustration and both self-rated physical health (SRPH) and self-rated mental health (SRMH) among Asian American immigrants. A cross-sectional quantitative analysis was conducted utilizing data from 1,181 Asian immigrants participating in the National Latino and Asian American Study. Employment frustration was measured by self-report of having difficulty finding the work one wants because of being of Asian descent. SRPH and SRMH were each assessed using a global one-item measure, with responses ranging from poor to excellent. Control variables included gender, age, ethnicity, education, occupation, income, whether immigrated for employment, years in the United States, English proficiency, and a general measure for everyday discrimination. Ordered logistic regression showed that employment frustration was negatively associated with SRPH. This relationship, however, was no longer significant in multivariate models including English proficiency. The negative association between employment frustration and SRMH persisted even when including all control variables. The findings suggest that Asian immigrants in the United States who experience employment frustration report lower levels of both physical and mental health. However, English proficiency may attenuate the relationship of employment frustration with physical health. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Seeking connectivity to everyday health and wellness experiences: Specificities and consequences of connective gaps in self-tracking data

PubMed Central

Pantzar, Mika

2018-01-01

Objective Self-tracking technologies have created high hopes, even hype, for aiding people to govern their own health risks and promote optimal wellness. High expectations do not, however, necessarily materialize due to connective gaps between personal experiences and self-tracking data. This study examines situations when self-trackers face difficulties in engaging with, and reflecting on, their data with the aim of identifying the specificities and consequences of such connective gaps in self-tracking contexts. Methods The study is based on empirical analyses of interviews of inexperienced, experienced and extreme self-trackers (in total 27), who participated in a pilot study aiming at promoting health and wellness. Results The study shows that people using self-tracking devices actively search for constant connectivity to their everyday experiences and particularly health and wellness through personal data but often become disappointed. The results suggest that in connective gaps the personal data remains invisible or inaccurate, generating feelings of confusion and doubt in the users of the self-tracking devices. These are alarming symptoms that may lead to indifference when disconnectivity becomes solidified and data ends up becoming dead, providing nothing useful for the users of self-tracking technologies. Conclusions High expectations which are put on wearables to advance health and wellness may remain unmaterialised due to connective gaps. This is problematic if individuals are increasingly expected to be active in personal data collection and interpretation regarding their own health and wellness.

Self-Reported Snoring Frequency and Incidence of Cardiovascular Disease: The Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS)

PubMed Central

Nagayoshi, Mako; Tanigawa, Takeshi; Yamagishi, Kazumasa; Sakurai, Susumu; Kitamura, Akihiko; Kiyama, Masahiko; Okada, Takeo; Maeda, Kenji; Ohira, Tetsuya; Imano, Hironori; Sato, Shinichi; Iso, Hiroyasu

2012-01-01

Background Although associations between snoring and cardiovascular disease have been reported in several prospective studies, there is limited evidence from Asian populations. The objective of this study was to determine if there is an association between self-reported snoring frequency and the incidence of cardiovascular disease in Japanese. Methods The subjects were 2350 men and 4163 women aged 40 to 69 years who lived in 3 communities in Japan. All subjects were participants in the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS) and were followed for 6 years. Incidence of cardiovascular disease during the follow-up period comprised events of myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, sudden cardiac death and stroke. Results During the 6-year follow-up period, 97 participants (56 men and 41 women) had cardiovascular events. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, self-reported snoring frequency was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events among women but not men. The hazard ratios (95% CI) for cardiovascular events were 0.9 (0.4–2.0) for sometimes snoring and 2.5 (1.0–6.1) for everyday snoring in women and 0.7 (0.3–1.3) and 1.0 (0.5–2.1), respectively, in men. Further adjustment for body mass index attenuated the association in women; the respective hazard ratios for cardiovascular events were 0.9 (0.4–1.9) and 2.1 (0.9–5.4). Conclusions Self-reported habitual snoring was associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events among Japanese women. Overweight may partly mediate this association. PMID:22447210

Helping, mediating, and gaining recognition: The everyday identity work of Romanian health social workers.

PubMed

Ciocănel, Alexandra; Lazăr, Florin; Munch, Shari; Harmon, Cara; Rentea, Georgiana-Cristina; Gaba, Daniela; Mihai, Anca

2018-03-01

Health social work is a field with challenges, opportunities, and ways of professing social work that may vary between different national contexts. In this article, we look at how Romanian health social workers construct their professional identity through their everyday identity work. Drawing on a qualitative study based on interviews with 21 health social workers working in various organizational contexts, we analyze what health social workers say they do and how this shapes their self-conception as professionals. Four main themes emerged from participants' descriptions: being a helping professional, being a mediator, gaining recognition, and contending with limits. Through these themes, participants articulated the everyday struggles and satisfactions specific to working as recently recognized professionals in Romanian health and welfare systems not always supportive of their work.

Identifying high-functioning dyslexics: is self-report of early reading problems enough?

PubMed

Deacon, S Hélène; Cook, Kathryn; Parrila, Rauno

2012-07-01

We used a questionnaire to identify university students with self-reported difficulties in reading acquisition during elementary school (self-report; n=31). The performance of the self-report group on standardized measures of word and non-word reading and fluency, passage comprehension and reading rate, and phonological awareness was compared to that of two other groups of university students: one with a recent diagnosis (diagnosed; n=20) and one with no self-reported reading acquisition problems (comparison group; n=33). The comparison group outperformed both groups with a history of reading difficulties (self-report and diagnosed) on almost all measures. The self-report and diagnosed groups performed similarly on most tasks, with the exception of untimed reading comprehension (better performance for diagnosed) and reading rate (better performance for self-report). The two recruitment methods likely sample from the same underlying population but identify individuals with different adaptive strategies.

Everyday Cognition: Age and Intellectual Ability Correlates

PubMed Central

Allaire, Jason C.; Marsiske, Michael

2010-01-01

The primary aim of this study was to examine the relationship between a new battery of everyday cognition measures, which assessed 4 cognitive abilities within 3 familiar real-world domains, and traditional psychometric tests of the same basic cognitive abilities. Several theoreticians have argued that everyday cognition measures are somewhat distinct from traditional cognitive assessment approaches, and the authors investigated this assertion correlationally in the present study. The sample consisted of 174 community-dwelling older adults from the Detroit metropolitan area, who had an average age of 73 years. Major results of the study showed that (a) each everyday cognitive test was strongly correlated with the basic cognitive abilities; (b) several basic abilities, as well as measures of domain-specific knowledge, predicted everyday cognitive performance; and (c) everyday and basic measures were similarly related to age. The results suggest that everyday cognition is not unrelated to traditional measures, nor is it less sensitive to age-related differences. PMID:10632150

Framing and Face: The Relevance of "The Presentation of Self" to Linguistic Discourse Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tannen, Deborah

2009-01-01

Although Erving Goffman did not turn his analytic focus specifically toward language until later in his career, his work, beginning with "The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life," has been crucial for discourse analysts and interactional sociolinguists who study language in social context. Perhaps most influential have been his concepts of…

Everyday memory measures in multiple sclerosis: a systematic review.

PubMed

dasNair, Roshan; Griffiths, Holly; Clarke, Sara; Methley, Abigail; Kneebone, Ian; Topcu, Gogem

2018-03-02

Everyday memory is one of the most affected cognitive functions in multiple sclerosis (MS). Assessing everyday memory problems is crucial for monitoring the impact of memory deficits on individuals' day-to-day lives and evaluating the effectiveness of interventions that aim to improve cognitive functions. The aim of this systematic review was to identify the research literature on everyday memory measures used with people with MS, describe the types of measures used, and summarise their psychometric properties. Empirical studies of cognitive function in MS using standardised everyday memory measures were included. Online databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Embase) and Google Scholar were searched. Forty-four studies met the inclusion criteria. A total of 12 measures were identified, with varied uses and administration methods. The majority of papers did not report any psychometric properties for MS populations. The few papers that did, reported that the measures have good reliability and appear to have good face, concurrent, and ecological validity, but these need to be evaluated further. This review presents researchers and clinicians with an overview of the various everyday memory measures used in studies with people with MS, to help them choose the appropriate measure for their evaluations.

Self-reported Lupus flare: Association with everyday home and personal product exposure.

PubMed

Squance, Marline L; Reeves, Glenn; Attia, John; Bridgman, Howard; Guest, Maya

2015-01-01

The number of chemicals in household products has driven concern about potential adverse health through their use. Most research concentrates on product chemicals with reproductive and carcinogenic consequences, however some evidence exists that immune effects can lead to exacerbation of autoimmune illnesses such as lupus (SLE). This paper examines household and personal product exposure patterns in a pilot case/control study of female Australians. We also examined associations between common product exposure and SLE symptom exacerbation over a year period. We enrolled 41 control and 80 SLE participants aged 18-80 years. Qualitative techniques of structured interview and thematic analysis retrospectively explored patterns of product use, and flare history data of SLE participants. Negative binomial regression models explored associations between self-reported flare (SRF) days and exposure to 34 common home product groups. Mean product counts did not differ between participant groups (mean 33.1: SD 11.8), or flare groups (flare mean 32.6:SD 12, no-flare 31.8:SD 6.6). Products used for personal hygiene and general house cleaning were most frequently used.Significant association with increased SRF day relative risk (IRR) was seen for bath oil use (IRR 1.008, CI 1.00-1.02). Paradoxical "protective" effects, (reduced SRF days) were found for cleansing beauty (IRR 0.999, CI 0.998-0.999), make-up (IRR 0.998, CI 0.997-0.999); adhesives (IRR 0.994, CI 0.991-0.997) and paint (IRR 0.99, CI 0.986-0.995). Everyday product exposures can impact on symptom exacerbation in SLE. Some offering protection and others increased health risk. Identifying environmental associations offer the possibility of life-style interventions to reduce illness impact.

The German Version of the Gaze Anxiety Rating Scale (GARS): Reliability and Validity

PubMed Central

Domes, Gregor; Marx, Lisa; Spenthof, Ines; Heinrichs, Markus

2016-01-01

Objective Fear of eye gaze and avoidance of eye contact are core features of social anxiety disorders (SAD). To measure self-reported fear and avoidance of eye gaze, the Gaze Anxiety Rating Scale (GARS) has been developed and validated in recent years in its English version. The main objectives of the present study were to psychometrically evaluate the German translation of the GARS concerning its reliability, factorial structure, and validity. Methods Three samples of participants were enrolled in the study. (1) A non-patient sample (n = 353) completed the GARS and a set of trait questionnaires to assess internal consistency, test-retest reliability, factorial structure, and concurrent and divergent validity. (2) A sample of patients with SAD (n = 33) was compared to a healthy control group (n = 30) regarding their scores on the GARS and the trait measures. Results The German GARS fear and avoidance scales exhibited excellent internal consistency and high stability over 2 and 4 months, as did the original version. The English version’s factorial structure was replicated, yielding two categories of situations: (1) everyday situations and (2) situations involving high evaluative threat. GARS fear and avoidance displayed convergent validity with trait measures of social anxiety and were markedly higher in patients with GSAD than in healthy controls. Fear and avoidance of eye contact in situations involving high levels of evaluative threat related more closely to social anxiety than to gaze anxiety in everyday situations. Conclusions The German version of the GARS has demonstrated reliability and validity similar to the original version, and is thus well suited to capture fear and avoidance of eye contact in different social situations as a valid self-report measure of social anxiety and related disorders in the social domain for use in both clinical practice and research. PMID:26937638

The German Version of the Gaze Anxiety Rating Scale (GARS): Reliability and Validity.

PubMed

Domes, Gregor; Marx, Lisa; Spenthof, Ines; Heinrichs, Markus

2016-01-01

Fear of eye gaze and avoidance of eye contact are core features of social anxiety disorders (SAD). To measure self-reported fear and avoidance of eye gaze, the Gaze Anxiety Rating Scale (GARS) has been developed and validated in recent years in its English version. The main objectives of the present study were to psychometrically evaluate the German translation of the GARS concerning its reliability, factorial structure, and validity. Three samples of participants were enrolled in the study. (1) A non-patient sample (n = 353) completed the GARS and a set of trait questionnaires to assess internal consistency, test-retest reliability, factorial structure, and concurrent and divergent validity. (2) A sample of patients with SAD (n = 33) was compared to a healthy control group (n = 30) regarding their scores on the GARS and the trait measures. The German GARS fear and avoidance scales exhibited excellent internal consistency and high stability over 2 and 4 months, as did the original version. The English version's factorial structure was replicated, yielding two categories of situations: (1) everyday situations and (2) situations involving high evaluative threat. GARS fear and avoidance displayed convergent validity with trait measures of social anxiety and were markedly higher in patients with GSAD than in healthy controls. Fear and avoidance of eye contact in situations involving high levels of evaluative threat related more closely to social anxiety than to gaze anxiety in everyday situations. The German version of the GARS has demonstrated reliability and validity similar to the original version, and is thus well suited to capture fear and avoidance of eye contact in different social situations as a valid self-report measure of social anxiety and related disorders in the social domain for use in both clinical practice and research.

Test anxiety and cardiovascular responses to daily academic stressors.

PubMed

Conley, Kristen M; Lehman, Barbara J

2012-02-01

Routine academic events may cause stress and produce temporary elevations in blood pressure. Students who experience test anxiety may be especially prone to cardiovascular activation in response to academic stress. This study drew on self-reported stress and ambulatory blood pressure measurements provided by 99 undergraduate participants (30% men, mean age=21 years) who participated over 4 days. Posture, activity level, recent consumption and the previous same-day reading were considered as covariates in a series of hierarchical linear models. Results indicate elevations in systolic blood pressure at times of acute academic stressors; neither diastolic blood pressure nor heart rate was linked with academic stress. In addition, those participants higher in test anxiety exhibited especially pronounced elevations in systolic blood pressure during times of acute academic stress. This research suggests that everyday academic stressors are linked with temporary increases in blood pressure and that test anxiety may contribute to these elevations. Test anxiety has implications for future academic and job success, and cardiovascular responses to everyday stress may contribute to health problems later in life. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cognitive and Affective Aspects of Creative Option Generation in Everyday Life Situations

PubMed Central

Schweizer, T. Sophie; Schmalenberger, Katja M.; Eisenlohr-Moul, Tory A.; Mojzisch, Andreas; Kaiser, Stefan; Funke, Joachim

2016-01-01

Which factors influence a human being’s ability to develop new perspectives and be creative? This ability is pivotal for any context in which new cognitions are required, such as innovative endeavors in science and art, or psychotherapeutic settings. In this article, we seek to bring together two research programs investigating the generation of creative options: On the one hand, research on option generation in the decision-making literature and, on the other hand, cognitive and clinical creativity research. Previous decision-making research has largely neglected the topic of generating creative options. Experiments typically provided participants with a clear set of options to choose from, but everyday life situations are less structured and allow countless ways to react. Before choosing an option, agents have to self-generate a set of options to choose from. Such option generation processes have only recently moved to the center of attention. The present study examines the creative quality of self-generated options in daily life situations. A student sample (N = 48) generated options for action in 70 briefly described everyday life scenarios. We rated the quality of the options on three dimensions of creativity- originality, feasibility, and divergence -and linked these qualities to option generation fluency (speed and number of generated options), situational features like the familiarity and the affective valence of the situation in which the options were generated, and trait measures of cognitive performance. We found that when situations were familiar to the participant, greater negative affective valence of the situation was associated with more originality and divergence of generated options. We also found that a higher option generation fluency was associated with a greater maximal originality of options. We complete our article with a joint research agenda for researchers in the decision-making field focusing on option generation and, on the other hand, researchers working on the cognitive and clinical aspects of creativity. PMID:27536258

Cognitive and Affective Aspects of Creative Option Generation in Everyday Life Situations.

PubMed

Schweizer, T Sophie; Schmalenberger, Katja M; Eisenlohr-Moul, Tory A; Mojzisch, Andreas; Kaiser, Stefan; Funke, Joachim

2016-01-01

Which factors influence a human being's ability to develop new perspectives and be creative? This ability is pivotal for any context in which new cognitions are required, such as innovative endeavors in science and art, or psychotherapeutic settings. In this article, we seek to bring together two research programs investigating the generation of creative options: On the one hand, research on option generation in the decision-making literature and, on the other hand, cognitive and clinical creativity research. Previous decision-making research has largely neglected the topic of generating creative options. Experiments typically provided participants with a clear set of options to choose from, but everyday life situations are less structured and allow countless ways to react. Before choosing an option, agents have to self-generate a set of options to choose from. Such option generation processes have only recently moved to the center of attention. The present study examines the creative quality of self-generated options in daily life situations. A student sample (N = 48) generated options for action in 70 briefly described everyday life scenarios. We rated the quality of the options on three dimensions of creativity- originality, feasibility, and divergence -and linked these qualities to option generation fluency (speed and number of generated options), situational features like the familiarity and the affective valence of the situation in which the options were generated, and trait measures of cognitive performance. We found that when situations were familiar to the participant, greater negative affective valence of the situation was associated with more originality and divergence of generated options. We also found that a higher option generation fluency was associated with a greater maximal originality of options. We complete our article with a joint research agenda for researchers in the decision-making field focusing on option generation and, on the other hand, researchers working on the cognitive and clinical aspects of creativity.

Personal resilience in nurses and midwives: effects of a work-based educational intervention.

PubMed

McDonald, Glenda; Jackson, Debra; Wilkes, Lesley; Vickers, Margaret H

2013-08-01

Nurses and midwives commonly face a variety of challenges and difficulties in their everyday work. Stress, pressure, fatigue and anxiety are acknowledged sources of workplace adversity, which causes decreased perceptions of health and wellbeing. This study reports the effects of a work-based, educational intervention to promote personal resilience in a group of 14 nurses and midwives working in a busy clinical environment. The intervention encouraged participants to focus on the key characteristics of a resilient person and the elements that assisted them in their maintenance of personal resilience. The intervention also explored potential strategies for the future. Opportunities were provided for experiential learning, creative self-expression and exposure to new ideas. Primary effects of the intervention were found to benefit the participants in personal and professional areas; by enhanced confidence, self-awareness, assertiveness and self-care. This intervention had implications for the education and practice of nurses and midwives in terms of building and maintaining their personal resilience, especially those exposed to workplace adversity.

NIRS-based neurofeedback training in a virtual reality classroom for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Blume, Friederike; Hudak, Justin; Dresler, Thomas; Ehlis, Ann-Christine; Kühnhausen, Jan; Renner, Tobias J; Gawrilow, Caterina

2017-01-24

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) suffer from attention deficits, motor hyperactivity, and impulsive behaviour. These impairments are experienced at home, at school, and with friends. Functional imaging studies show that ADHD behaviour and impairments in executive functions (EFs) are mirrored by aberrant neurophysiological functioning. Moreover, several studies show that ADHD behaviour, impairments in EFs, and a lack of self-control contribute to poor school performance. Non-pharmacological interventions such as neurofeedback training (NFT), for instance, aim at improving neurophysiological and neuropsychological functioning as well as behaviour. Consequently, NFT is expected to improve school performance, EFs, and self-control in children with ADHD. Generalization of acquired self-regulation skills from laboratory to real life is crucial for a transfer to everyday situations and is hypothesized to be facilitated via training using virtual reality (VR) environments. Consequently, experiencing NFT in VR is expected to yield greater effects than training in two dimensions (2D). Ninety children with a clinical diagnosis of ADHD will be included in the study. Participants may be medicated or unmedicated. After random assignation to one of three conditions, all participants receive 15 training sessions of either near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)-based NFT in VR, NIRS-based NFT in 2D, or electromyogram-based biofeedback training in VR. ADHD symptoms, self-control, EF, health-related quality of life, school performance, and motor activity measured via parent, teacher, and child reports or objectively will be assessed before and after the intervention and at a 6 months follow-up. Furthermore, we are interested in parents' expectations about the training's effects. This is, to our knowledge, the first study investigating the efficacy of NFT for children with ADHD in a VR compared to a 2D environment. Furthermore, this study will contribute to the discussion about the efficacy and specific and unspecific effects of NFTs in children with ADHD. In addition to commonly assessed variables such as ADHD symptoms, NIRS and behavioural data obtained in EF measures, health-related quality of life, and parents' expectations about the intervention's effects, this study will investigate the effects on self-control, school performance, and motor activity. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02572180 . Registered on 19 November 2015.

Designing an ICT self-management service: suggestions from persons with type 2 diabetes.

PubMed

Gardsten, Cecilia; Mörtberg, Christina; Blomqvist, Kerstin

2017-01-01

This paper reports the wishes and needs of people with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) for a future information and communication technology (ICT) self-management service to help manage their condition and their everyday life. Diabetes is a chronic disease affecting more and more people and placing increasing demands on health care. The self-management of diabetes includes instrumental and, decision-making skills and skills in managing daily activities, which may be supported by an ICT service. In this study we used a participatory design including two sessions of Future Workshop (FW) as part of a larger research project on the self-management of diabetes. Adults with type 2 diabetes participated in two FW sessions in which their expressed wishes and needs for an ICT service all fell under the broad category of Acceptance of the diagnosis, with three other suggestions; Trust in partnerships, Communication, and Individualized information. The participants' experience of the FW as a democratic process and their appreciation of mutual learning contributed to these results, which are consistent with the aims of person-centred care.

Spontaneous Self-Formation of 3D Plasmonic Optical Structures.

PubMed

Choi, Inhee; Shin, Yonghee; Song, Jihwan; Hong, SoonGweon; Park, Younggeun; Kim, Dongchoul; Kang, Taewook; Lee, Luke P

2016-08-23

Self-formation of colloidal oil droplets in water or water droplets in oil not only has been regarded as fascinating fundamental science but also has been utilized in an enormous number of applications in everyday life. However, the creation of three-dimensional (3D) architectures by a liquid droplet and an immiscible liquid interface has been less investigated than other applications. Here, we report interfacial energy-driven spontaneous self-formation of a 3D plasmonic optical structure at room temperature without an external force. Based on the densities and interfacial energies of two liquids, we simulated the spontaneous formation of a plasmonic optical structure when a water droplet containing metal ions meets an immiscible liquid polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) interface. At the interface, the metal ions in the droplet are automatically reduced to form an interfacial plasmonic layer as the liquid PDMS cures. The self-formation of both an optical cavity and integrated plasmonic nanostructure significantly enhances the fluorescence by a magnitude of 1000. Our findings will have a huge impact on the development of various photonic and plasmonic materials as well as metamaterials and devices.

Internalized Homophobia Scale for Gay Chinese Men: Conceptualization, Factor Structure, Reliability, and Associations With Hypothesized Correlates.

PubMed

Ren, Zhengjia; Hood, Ralph W

2018-04-01

This study reports the development of an inventory to assess the perceived internalized homophobia of gay men in a collectivistic Chinese cultural context. The results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses using two samples suggested the viability and stability of a three-factor model: internalized heteronormativity (IHN), family-oriented identity (FOI), and socially oriented identity (SOI). The 11-item internalized homophobia inventory demonstrated good internal consistency and construct validity. Internalized homophobia was related positively to the extent of a sense of loneliness and negatively to self-evaluation and the discrepancy in self-identification as a gay man. In addition, the participants' internalized SOI consistently predicted their coming out choices in their social surroundings, while their FOI predicted their decisions to enter into heterosexual marriages. The findings suggest that sexual self-prejudice was correlated with IHN, family values, and social norms. The present research demonstrates that a culturally sensitive scale is necessary to understand the cultural and family-oriented values that influence gay Chinese men's everyday lives, self-constructs, and behavioral choices.

Simulation based virtual learning environment in medical genetics counseling: an example of bridging the gap between theory and practice in medical education.

PubMed

Makransky, Guido; Bonde, Mads T; Wulff, Julie S G; Wandall, Jakob; Hood, Michelle; Creed, Peter A; Bache, Iben; Silahtaroglu, Asli; Nørremølle, Anne

2016-03-25

Simulation based learning environments are designed to improve the quality of medical education by allowing students to interact with patients, diagnostic laboratory procedures, and patient data in a virtual environment. However, few studies have evaluated whether simulation based learning environments increase students' knowledge, intrinsic motivation, and self-efficacy, and help them generalize from laboratory analyses to clinical practice and health decision-making. An entire class of 300 University of Copenhagen first-year undergraduate students, most with a major in medicine, received a 2-h training session in a simulation based learning environment. The main outcomes were pre- to post- changes in knowledge, intrinsic motivation, and self-efficacy, together with post-intervention evaluation of the effect of the simulation on student understanding of everyday clinical practice were demonstrated. Knowledge (Cohen's d = 0.73), intrinsic motivation (d = 0.24), and self-efficacy (d = 0.46) significantly increased from the pre- to post-test. Low knowledge students showed the greatest increases in knowledge (d = 3.35) and self-efficacy (d = 0.61), but a non-significant increase in intrinsic motivation (d = 0.22). The medium and high knowledge students showed significant increases in knowledge (d = 1.45 and 0.36, respectively), motivation (d = 0.22 and 0.31), and self-efficacy (d = 0.36 and 0.52, respectively). Additionally, 90 % of students reported a greater understanding of medical genetics, 82 % thought that medical genetics was more interesting, 93 % indicated that they were more interested and motivated, and had gained confidence by having experienced working on a case story that resembled the real working situation of a doctor, and 78 % indicated that they would feel more confident counseling a patient after the simulation. The simulation based learning environment increased students' learning, intrinsic motivation, and self-efficacy (although the strength of these effects differed depending on their pre-test knowledge), and increased the perceived relevance of medical educational activities. The results suggest that simulations can help future generations of doctors transfer new understanding of disease mechanisms gained in virtual laboratory settings into everyday clinical practice.

Lymphedema - self-care

MedlinePlus

... in your body. The buildup can cause an arm, leg, or other area of your body to ... Use your arm that has lymphedema for everyday activities, such as combing your hair, bathing, dressing, and eating. Rest this arm ...

Self psychology and the modern dance choreographer.

PubMed

Press, Carol M

2009-04-01

Theory and research methodology of self psychology are integrated with the experiences of modern dance choreographers to investigate the importance of creativity, art making, and aesthetics in mental health and our everyday lives. Empathy, as aesthetically based, is explored to understand the capacity of the arts to unite us in our humanity. Connections between aesthetic development, creativity, and infant patterns of learning are drawn. The influence of sensual and exploration/assertion motivational systems upon the contemporary choreographer are highlighted, leading to an understanding of the selfobject function of sensation and movement for the dance artist. Through an examination of the moment to moment ritualized experiences of studio work, the creative process in making dances is discussed. Ultimately understanding creativity and aesthetically based empathy inform our delineation of mental health and the need for aesthetic experience in everyday life.

The ghost of Nora Batty: A qualitative exploration of the impact of footwear, bandaging and hosiery interventions in chronic wound care.

PubMed

Madden, Mary

2015-09-01

To explore the impact of footwear, bandaging and hosiery interventions in the everyday lives of women and men undergoing treatment for chronic, complex wounds in a city in England, UK. This study draws on data generated in semi-structured interviews with patients exploring outcomes and impacts of undergoing treatment for leg and foot ulcers undertaken as part of a UK National Institute for Health Research funded study. Footwear, bandaging and hosiery are explored here as aspects of material culture, not only in functional terms as a treatment supporting or hindering healing but also as part of the means by which people receiving treatment for two of the most common complex, chronic wounds, leg ulcers and foot ulcers, negotiate and understand their embodied selves in everyday life. Physical and social discomfort associated with interventions can lead to ambivalence about effectiveness. Not being able to dress appropriately impacts on the ability of people to feel comfortable and take part in special occasions and everyday events. In this context, the removal of bandaging or refusal to wear support hosiery which may be viewed as 'non-compliance' by a health professional may feel like a strategy of self-care or self-preservation from a patient perspective. The study of material culture explores how inanimate objects work and how they are worked with in carrying out social functions, regulating social relations and giving symbolic meaning to human activity. The interviews show some of the ways in which footwear, hosiery and bandaging play a role in controlling the boundaries between the private (wounded and potentially socially unacceptable smelly, leaky, embodied), self and the public presentation of self. © The Author(s) 2015.

Uncovering Everyday Rhythms and Patterns: Food tracking and new forms of visibility and temporality in health care.

PubMed

Ruckenstein, Minna

2015-01-01

This chapter demonstrates how ethnographically-oriented research on emergent technologies, in this case self-tracking technologies, adds to Techno-Anthropology's aims of understanding techno-engagements and solving problems that deal with human-technology relations within and beyond health informatics. Everyday techno-relations have been a long-standing research interest in anthropology, underlining the necessity of empirical engagement with the ways in which people and technologies co-construct their daily conditions. By focusing on the uses of a food tracking application, MealLogger, designed for photographing meals and visualizing eating rhythms to share with health care professionals, the chapter details how personal data streams support and challenge health care practices. The interviewed professionals, from doctors to nutritionists, have used food tracking for treating patients with eating disorders, weight problems, and mental health issues. In general terms, self-tracking advances the practices of visually and temporally documenting, retrieving, communicating, and understanding physical and mental processes and, by doing so, it offers a new kind of visual mediation. The professionals point out how a visual food journal opens a window onto everyday life, bypassing customary ways of seeing and treating patients, thereby highlighting how self-tracking practices can aid in escaping the clinical gaze by promoting a new kind of communication through visualization and narration. Health care professionals are also, however, acutely aware of the barriers to adopting self-tracking practices as part of existing patient care. The health care system is neither used to, nor comfortable with, personal data that originates outside the system; it is not seen as evidence and its institutional position remains insecure.

Testing and development of an instrument for self-report of participation and related environmental factors - Your Ideas about Participation and Environment (YIPE) among adults with brain injury.

PubMed

Hawley, Rachael; Madden, Rosamond H; Brentnall, Jennie; Serratore, Deborah; Grant, Samantha; Luft, Inbal; Bundy, Anita

2016-11-01

To examine the usability of the self-report instrument, Your Ideas about Participation and Environment (YIPE), among adults with a brain injury by exploring the value and acceptability of the instrument. A qualitative descriptive research design was used for the purpose of testing and developing the YIPE for use among adults with a brain injury. The study involved administering the YIPE followed by in-depth interviewing about the experience of taking the instrument with seven adults with a brain injury, recruited through a community-based support service organization. A descriptive thematic approach was used to analyse the content of the interview data, categorize common ideas and identify areas for improvement within the instrument. Participants were generally positive about the importance of the participation and environment topics and willing to engage in self report. The YIPE (2012), resulting from changes made to the language and structure, was found to be more useable, valued and accepted by these participants than the previous version, YIPE (2011). The YIPE was found to be a useful tool among study participants. The YIPE topics were found to have importance and relevance when considering participants' satisfaction with areas of life and aspects of environment requiring change. More development of the tool is required in terms of the wording, format and method of administration to improve the overall usability of the instrument. Implications for Rehabilitation The preliminary results from this small sample study illustrated that people with brain injury were able to use an International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-based tool, and confirmed the importance of considering both participation and the environment together. People with cognitive impairments associated with brain injury reported on areas of everyday life where they were satisfied or dissatisfied. They related their satisfaction to environmental factors that were facilitators or barriers to valued everyday activities. The opportunity to choose important life areas promotes individuals' motivation to engage and enables service providers to tailor rehabilitation. In the course of the two stages of research, it was necessary to make minor modifications to the language, structure and scoring system of the tool, to simplify the task and shorten the time to interview participants.

Brief quiet ego contemplation reduces oxidative stress and mind-wandering.

PubMed

Wayment, Heidi A; Collier, Ann F; Birkett, Melissa; Traustadóttir, Tinna; Till, Robert E

2015-01-01

Excessive self-concern increases perceptions of threat and defensiveness. In contrast, fostering a more inclusive and expanded sense of self can reduce stress and improve well-being. We developed and tested a novel brief intervention designed to strengthen a student's compassionate self-identity, an identity that values balance and growth by reminding them of four quiet ego characteristics: detached awareness, inclusive identity, perspective taking, and growth. Students (N = 32) in their first semester of college who reported greater self-protective (e.g., defensive) goals in the first 2 weeks of the semester were invited to participate in the study. Volunteers were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: quiet ego contemplation (QEC), QEC with virtual reality (VR) headset (QEC-VR), and control. Participants came to the lab three times to engage in a 15-min exercise in a 30-days period. The 15-min QEC briefly described each quiet ego characteristic followed by a few minutes time to reflect on what that characteristic meant to them. Those in the QEC condition reported improved quiet ego characteristics and pluralistic thinking, decreases in a urinary marker of oxidative stress, and reduced mind-wandering on a cognitive task. Contrary to expectation, participants who wore the VR headsets while listening to the QEC demonstrated the least improvement. Results suggest that a brief intervention that reduces self-focus and strengthens a more compassionate self-view may offer an additional resource that individuals can use in their everyday lives.

Brief quiet ego contemplation reduces oxidative stress and mind-wandering

PubMed Central

Wayment, Heidi A.; Collier, Ann F.; Birkett, Melissa; Traustadóttir, Tinna; Till, Robert E.

2015-01-01

Excessive self-concern increases perceptions of threat and defensiveness. In contrast, fostering a more inclusive and expanded sense of self can reduce stress and improve well-being. We developed and tested a novel brief intervention designed to strengthen a student’s compassionate self-identity, an identity that values balance and growth by reminding them of four quiet ego characteristics: detached awareness, inclusive identity, perspective taking, and growth. Students (N = 32) in their first semester of college who reported greater self-protective (e.g., defensive) goals in the first 2 weeks of the semester were invited to participate in the study. Volunteers were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: quiet ego contemplation (QEC), QEC with virtual reality (VR) headset (QEC-VR), and control. Participants came to the lab three times to engage in a 15-min exercise in a 30-days period. The 15-min QEC briefly described each quiet ego characteristic followed by a few minutes time to reflect on what that characteristic meant to them. Those in the QEC condition reported improved quiet ego characteristics and pluralistic thinking, decreases in a urinary marker of oxidative stress, and reduced mind-wandering on a cognitive task. Contrary to expectation, participants who wore the VR headsets while listening to the QEC demonstrated the least improvement. Results suggest that a brief intervention that reduces self-focus and strengthens a more compassionate self-view may offer an additional resource that individuals can use in their everyday lives. PMID:26483734

An ethnographic study of the effects of cognitive symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder: the IMPACT study.

PubMed

Ebert, Bjarke; Miskowiak, Kamilla; Kloster, Morten; Johansen, Jon; Eckholm, Cara; Wærner, Torbjörn; Holme, Mads; Bruun, Louise Meldgaard

2017-11-21

The manifestation of major depressive disorder (MDD) may include cognitive symptoms that can precede the onset of MDD and persist beyond the resolution of acute depressive episodes. However, little is known about how cognitive symptoms are experienced by MDD patients and the people around them. In this international (Brazil, Canada, China, France, and Germany) ethnographic study, we conducted semi-structured interviews and observations of remitted as well as symptomatic MDD patients (all patients self-reported being diagnosed by an HCP and self-reported being on an antidepressant) aged 18-60 years with self-reported cognitive symptoms (N = 34). In addition, participating depressed patients' close family or friends (N = 31) were interviewed. Separately recruited from depressed participants, work colleagues (N = 21) and healthcare providers (HCPs; N = 13) of depressed individuals were interviewed. Key insights were that: (1) patients were generally unaware that their cognitive symptoms were linked to their depression and, instead, attributed these symptoms to negative aspects of their person (e.g., age, separate disease, laziness, exhaustion); (2) cognitive symptoms in MDD appeared to negatively impact patients' social relationships and patients' ability to handle daily tasks at work and at home; (3) patients' cognitive symptoms also impacted relationships with family members and coworkers; (4) patients' cognitive symptoms increased stress and feelings of failure, which in turn seemed to worsen the cognitive symptoms, thereby creating a destructive cycle; and (5) although HCPs recommended that patients re-engage in everyday activities to help overcome their depression, cognitive symptoms seemed to impede such functional recovery. Taken together, these findings highlight a negative impact of patients' cognitive symptoms on their social functioning, work performance, and quality of life on the people close to them, and consequently on the degree of functional recovery after depression.

The importance of a daily rhythm in a supportive environment--promoting ability in activities in everyday life among older women living alone with chronic pain.

PubMed

Cederbom, Sara; Wågert, Petra von Heideken; Söderlund, Anne; Söderbäck, Maja

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to explore how older women living alone with chronic musculoskeletal pain, describe their ability in performing activities in everyday life and what could promote their ability in activities in everyday life as well as their perceived meaning of a changed ability to perform activities in everyday life. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 12 women, and an inductive content analysis was used. The results showed the importance of a daily rhythm of activities. Activities included in the daily rhythm were socializing with family and friends, physical activities, doing own activities as well as activities supported by relatives and the community. The activities described by the women also promoted their ability in activities in everyday life. Other findings were the women's perceived meaning of being independent and maintaining that independency, along with the meaning of accepting and adapting to a changed life situation. This paper concludes that it is important to be sensitive of individual needs regarding the daily rhythm of activities when health-care professionals intervene in the activities in everyday life of older women living alone, promote the women's independency, and enable them to participate in the community. Implications for Rehabilitation A daily rhythm of activities is important for older women who live alone with chronic musculoskeletal pain. The importance of health-care professionals being sensitive to individual needs to promote ability in activities in everyday life and to encourage the everyday activities into a daily rhythm. Facilitate the women's desire and will of independency, despite their needs of help from their environment to manage their everyday life.

Musician's dystonia is highly task specific: no strong evidence for everyday fine motor deficits in patients.

PubMed

Hofmann, Aurélie; Grossbach, Michael; Baur, Volker; Hermsdörfer, Joachim; Altenmüller, Eckart

2015-03-01

1) To examine the fine motor skills used everyday by patients suffering from musician's dystonia (MD) in the upper limb in order to verify whether MD is task-specific; and 2) to compare the affected and non-affected hands of MD musicians vs healthy musicians in performance of these tasks in order to clarify whether dystonic symptoms can be found in the non-affected side of MD patients. MD is typically considered to be focal and task specific, but patients often report impairment in everyday life activities. Furthermore, in the course of MD, about 15% of patients complain of dystonic symptoms in other parts of the body. Twenty-seven musicians affected by MD and 27 healthy musicians were studied using 1) the Motor Performance Test Series, 2) a kinematic analysis of handwriting, and 3) an assessment of the grip force regulation while lifting and moving a manipulandum. Patients performed most fine motor tasks without any evidence of a deficit. Exclusively in the handwriting tasks (2), they exhibited fewer frequencies of the written trace and a prolonged overall writing time. MD is highly task specific and does not strongly affect other motor skills. The subtle deficits in handwriting may be explained as a consequence of a general psychological disposition rather than as compensatory mechanisms to avoid the appearance of dystonic symptoms. Furthermore, we did not find signs of multifocal motor deficits in the unaffected hands of MD patients.

"I'm Just Trying to Be Tough, Okay": Masculine Performances of Everyday Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collier, Diane R.

2015-01-01

Everyday cultural resources that originate outside school offer possibilities for multimodal creativity and identity play, as children consume, transform and produce multimodal texts. In this study, Kyle, a boy in elementary school, fluidly performed social identities and engaged in playful and parodic rescripting of identities and resources from…

Relation of Everyday Activities of Adults to Their Prose Recall Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rice, G. Elizabeth; And Others

1988-01-01

Explored connection between everyday activities of different aged adults (N=54) and their performance on prose recall task. Regression analyses showed that demographic variables of age, education, and verbal ability were best predictors of prose recall. Total time spent reading and other reading variables were also significantly correlated with…

The Experience of Anger and Sadness in Everyday Problems Impacts Age Differences in Emotion Regulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blanchard-Fields, Fredda; Coats, Abby Heckman

2008-01-01

The authors examined regulation of the discrete emotions anger and sadness in adolescents through older adults in the context of describing everyday problem situations. The results support previous work; in comparison to younger age groups, older adults reported that they experienced less anger and reported that they used more passive and fewer…

Can verbal instruction enhance the recall of an everyday task and promote error-monitoring in people with dementia of the Alzheimer-type?

PubMed

Balouch, Sara; Rusted, Jennifer M

2017-03-01

People with dementia of the Alzheimer-type (DAT) have difficulties with performing everyday tasks, and error awareness is poor. Here we investigate whether recall of actions and error monitoring in everyday task performance improved when they instructed another person on how to make tea. In this situation, both visual and motor cues are present, and attention is sustained by the requirement to keep instructing. The data were drawn from a longitudinal study recording performance in four participants with DAT, filmed regularly for five years in their own homes, completing three tea-making conditions: performed-recall (they made tea themselves); instructed-recall (they instructed the experimenter on how to make tea); and verbal-recall (they described how to make tea). Accomplishment scores (percentage of task they correctly recalled), errors and error-monitoring were coded. Task accomplishment was comparable in the performed-recall and instructed-recall conditions, but both were significantly better than task accomplishment in the verbal-recall condition. Third person instruction did not improve error-monitoring. This study has implications for everyday task rehabilitation for people with DAT.

Age differences in prospective memory for everyday life intentions: A diary approach.

PubMed

Schnitzspahn, Katharina M; Scholz, Urte; Ballhausen, Nicola; Hering, Alexandra; Ihle, Andreas; Lagner, Prune; Kliegel, Matthias

2016-01-01

The age benefit found in many naturalistic prospective memory (PM) tasks has been taken as evidence that PM performance in real life may be spared from aging. However, this conclusion lacks empirical confirmation. Hence, the aim of the present study was to examine possible age differences in the content of everyday PM intentions and their performance. Everyday PM was assessed in young and older adults using a diary approach. Results confirmed a general age benefit for real-life PM tasks. Importantly, this finding was qualified by revealing that the benefit only held true for specific types of intentions such as health and social intentions. Further, moderation analyses showed that the relationships between cognitive functioning and everyday PM were different for young and older adults. While better inhibition, short-term and long-term memory were related with successful PM performance in the young, this was not the case in the older adults. The present findings suggest that the age benefit found in naturalistic experimenter-given tasks extends to real-life PM performance, but may differ depending on the type of intention. Furthermore, cognitive functioning predicts performance in the young, but not in the older adults.

Efficacy of memory training in healthy community-dwelling older people: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Pérez, Anna; Roqué, Marta; Domènech, Sara; Monteserín, Rosa; Soriano, Núria; Blancafort, Xavier; Bosom, Maria; Vidal, Cristina; Petit, Montse; Hortal, Núria; Gil, Carles; Espelt, Albert; López, Maria José

2015-10-01

There is limited evidence on the efficacy and social utility of cognitive training. To address this, we have designed a randomized controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of memory training workshops for healthy older people in terms of their short- and long-term impact on cognitive function, health-related quality of life, and functionality. A randomized controlled trial will be performed in health care centers in Barcelona (Spain) through comparison of a group of individuals participating in memory training workshops (experimental group) with another group with similar characteristics not participating in the workshops (control group). The intervention will consist of twelve 90-minute group sessions imparted once a week by a psychologist specialized in memory training. The groups will each comprise approximately 15 people, for a total number of 230 patients involved in the study. Each session has its own objectives, materials and activities. The content of the intervention is based on memory training from different perspectives, including cognitive and emotional aspects and social and individual skills. Data will be collected at baseline, at 3-4 months and at 6 months. To assess the efficacy of the intervention on cognitive function, health-related quality of life and functionality, a statistical analysis will be performed by fitting a repeated-measures mixed effects model for each main outcome: Self-perceived memory, measured by a Subjective Self-reported Memory Score (from 0 to 10) and by the Memory Failures in Everyday life questionnaire (MFE); Everyday memory, measured using the Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test-3 (RBMT-3) and Executive control abilities, measured in terms of visual-perceptual ability, working memory and task-switching ability with the Trail Making Test (TMT) and with the digit span scale of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale III (WAIS III). The results of this study will be highly useful for social and public health policies related to older people. Given the continuous increase in the prevalence of older people, a large number of interventions targeting memory loss are funded by public resources. To ensure transparency and effective prioritization, research such as the present study is needed to provide evidence of the effectiveness and usefulness of these interventions. Number: NCT02431182 .

An Examination of Mediators of the Transfer of Cognitive Speed of Processing Training to Everyday Functional Performance

PubMed Central

Edwards, Jerri D.; Ruva, Christine L.; O’Brien, Jennifer L.; Haley, Christine B.; Lister, Jennifer J.

2013-01-01

The purpose of these analyses was to examine mediators of the transfer of cognitive speed of processing training to improved everyday functional performance (Edwards, Wadley, Vance, Roenker, & Ball, 2005). Cognitive speed of processing and visual attention (as measured by the Useful Field of View Test; UFOV) were examined as mediators of training transfer. Secondary data analyses were conducted from the Staying Keen in Later Life (SKILL) study, a randomized cohort study including 126 community dwelling adults 63 to 87 years of age. In the SKILL study, participants were randomized to an active control group or cognitive speed of processing training (SOPT), a non-verbal, computerized intervention involving perceptual practice of visual tasks. Prior analyses found significant effects of training as measured by the UFOV and Timed Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (TIADL) Tests. Results from the present analyses indicate that speed of processing for a divided attention task significantly mediated the effect of SOPT on everyday performance (e.g., TIADL) in a multiple mediation model accounting for 91% of the variance. These findings suggest that everyday functional improvements found from SOPT are directly attributable to improved UFOV performance, speed of processing for divided attention in particular. Targeting divided attention in cognitive interventions may be important to positively affect everyday functioning among older adults. PMID:23066808

Self-Regulatory Skill Among Children with and without Developmental Coordination Disorder: An Exploratory Study.

PubMed

Sangster Jokić, Claire A; Whitebread, David

2016-11-01

Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) experience difficulty learning and performing everyday motor tasks due to poor motor coordination. Recent research applying a cognitive learning paradigm has argued that children with DCD have less effective cognitive and metacognitive skills with which to effectively acquire motor skills. However, there is currently limited research examining individual differences in children's use of self-regulatory and metacognitive skill during motor learning. This exploratory study aimed to compare the self-regulatory performance of children with and without DCD. Using a mixed methods approach, this study observed and compared the self-regulatory behavior of 15 children with and without DCD, aged between 7 and 9 years, during socially mediated motor practice. Observation was conducted using a quantitative coding scheme and qualitative analysis of video-recorded sessions. This paper will focus on the results of quantitative analysis, while data arising from the qualitative analysis will be used to support quantitative findings. In general, findings indicate that children with DCD exhibit less independent and more ineffective self-regulatory skill during motor learning than their typically developing peers. In addition, children with DCD rely more heavily on external support for effective regulation and are more likely to exhibit negative patterns of motivational regulation. These findings provide further support for the notion that children with DCD experience difficulty effectively self-regulating motor learning. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.

Measuring everyday functional competence using the Rasch assessment of everyday activity limitations (REAL) item bank.

PubMed

Oude Voshaar, Martijn A H; Ten Klooster, Peter M; Vonkeman, Harald E; van de Laar, Mart A F J

2017-11-01

Traditional patient-reported physical function instruments often poorly differentiate patients with mild-to-moderate disability. We describe the development and psychometric evaluation of a generic item bank for measuring everyday activity limitations in outpatient populations. Seventy-two items generated from patient interviews and mapped to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) domestic life chapter were administered to 1128 adults representative of the Dutch population. The partial credit model was fitted to the item responses and evaluated with respect to its assumptions, model fit, and differential item functioning (DIF). Measurement performance of a computerized adaptive testing (CAT) algorithm was compared with the SF-36 physical functioning scale (PF-10). A final bank of 41 items was developed. All items demonstrated acceptable fit to the partial credit model and measurement invariance across age, sex, and educational level. Five- and ten-item CAT simulations were shown to have high measurement precision, which exceeded that of SF-36 physical functioning scale across the physical function continuum. Floor effects were absent for a 10-item empirical CAT simulation, and ceiling effects were low (13.5%) compared with SF-36 physical functioning (38.1%). CAT also discriminated better than SF-36 physical functioning between age groups, number of chronic conditions, and respondents with or without rheumatic conditions. The Rasch assessment of everyday activity limitations (REAL) item bank will hopefully prove a useful instrument for assessing everyday activity limitations. T-scores obtained using derived measures can be used to benchmark physical function outcomes against the general Dutch adult population.

The Teaching of Mathematics in Secondary Schools as a Tool for Self-Reliance and Re-Branding Process in Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jonah, Tali D.; Caleb, Mbwas .L.; Stephen, Abe A.

2012-01-01

Mathematics teaching is an interaction between the teacher and the learners that leads to acquisition of desirable mathematical knowledge, ideas and skills necessary for applicability in our everyday life. This paper therefore looks at the concept of self-reliance, the concept of mathematics teaching, problems and prospects of mathematics teaching…

Recognizing the Signs: What School Mental Health Professionals Can Do about Suicide and Self-Injury

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, Christina

2009-01-01

In the everyday bustle of high school life, a student can have wounds--physical or emotional--that often go unnoticed. A lot of issues affect adolescents of all backgrounds. Two particularly serious issues among U.S. high school students are suicide and self-injury. This article discusses what school mental health professionals can do about…

Goffman's Front Stage and Backstage Behaviours in Online Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilmore, Dawn

2014-01-01

This research applies Goffman's Presentation of Self in Everyday Life to analyze online and offline student participation in two online subjects. Mixed-methods will be used to produce a fuller account of student experiences.

Disintegrating Social Sciences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perrow, Charles

1982-01-01

Argues that social scientists convey the impression of rational behavior by means of self-serving research techniques. Concludes that their artificially constructed order masks the disorder of everyday existence and that they should have tolerance for human frailties. (Author/WD)

Risk attitudes and birth order.

PubMed

Krause, Philipp; Heindl, Johannes; Jung, Andreas; Langguth, Berthold; Hajak, Göran; Sand, Philipp G

2014-07-01

Risk attitudes play important roles in health behavior and everyday decision making. It is unclear, however, whether these attitudes can be predicted from birth order. We investigated 200 mostly male volunteers from two distinct settings. After correcting for multiple comparisons, for the number of siblings and for confounding by gender, ordinal position predicted perception of health-related risks among participants in extreme sports (p < .01). However, the direction of the effect contradicted Adlerian theory. Except for alcohol consumption, these findings extended to self-reported risk behavior. Together, the data call for a cautious stand on the impact of birth order on risk attitudes. © The Author(s) 2013.

On the costs of self-interested economic behavior: how does stinginess get under the skin?

PubMed

Dunn, Elizabeth W; Ashton-James, Claire E; Hanson, Margaret D; Aknin, Lara B

2010-05-01

The present study examined how financial decisions 'get under the skin'. Participants played an economic game in which they could donate some of their payment to another student. Affect was measured afterward and salivary cortisol was measured before and afterward. Participants who kept more money for themselves reported less positive affect, more negative affect, and more shame. Shame predicted higher levels of post-game cortisol, controlling for pre-game cortisol; stingy economic behavior therefore produced a significant indirect effect on cortisol via shame. Thus, shame and cortisol represent plausible emotional and biological pathways linking everyday decisions with downstream consequences for health.

What Factors Are Associated with Autonomous and Controlled Motivation for Hearing Help-Seekers?

PubMed

Ridgway, Jason; Hickson, Louise; Lind, Christopher

Hearing impairment is prevalent in older adults. Motivation is important in people's choice to seek help for their hearing and whether to adopt or not adopt hearing aids. To investigate associations between sociodemographic and audiometric characteristics and autonomous and controlled motivation among a sample of hearing help-seekers. A quantitative approach was taken for this cross-sectional cohort study. A total of 253 adult first-time hearing help-seekers were recruited to the study. Participants provided sociodemographic information and completed questionnaires adapted from self-determination theory that measured autonomous motivation (motivation that originates from within the self and is aligned with personal values and beliefs) and controlled motivation (motivation that stems from external pressures such as rewards or punishment, or conflicted inner feelings such as guilt or shame). Participants with higher autonomous motivation scores were younger, wanted hearing aids more, and reported greater hearing difficulty in everyday life than those with lower scores. Participants with higher controlled motivation scores were more often referred to the service by others and wanted hearing aids more than those with lower controlled motivation scores. Controlled motivation scores were not associated with perceptions of hearing difficulty in everyday life. Relationships among motivation and sociodemographic factors highlight the importance of characterizing autonomous and controlled motivation in first-time hearing help-seekers. Attention to personal characteristics in order to understand motivational processes involved in rehabilitation decisions such as hearing aid adoption may aid in consultations. American Academy of Audiology

Working ability in relation to disease severity, everyday occupations and well-being in women with limited systemic sclerosis.

PubMed

Sandqvist, G; Scheja, A; Eklund, M

2008-11-01

To investigate how women with SSc and varying degrees of working ability differed regarding disease severity, everyday occupations and well-being. Working ability was operationalized according to the degree of sick leave. Forty-four women of working age with lcSSc were assessed regarding sociodemographic characteristics, disease severity including organ manifestation, perceived physical symptoms, hand function, and satisfaction with everyday occupations, self-rated health and well-being. The subjects formed three groups with regard to reduction in working capacity. Twenty-one women (48%) had no sick leave, 15 women (34%) were on partial sick leave and eight women (18%) were temporarily on full-time sick leave or had a full disability pension. There were no statistically significant differences concerning sociodemographics between the groups. Women without sick leave had less physically demanding jobs (P = 0.026), and the hypothesis that working ability reflects lower disease severity was confirmed regarding dexterity grip force and perceived fatigue and breathlessness (P < 0.05). Greater working ability was associated with better capacity to perform activities of daily life (P < 0.01), greater satisfaction with occupations (P < 0.01), better well-being (P < 0.001) and better health (P < 0.001). Fifty per cent of the women were restricted in their working ability; the lower the working ability, the lower their perceived well-being. This emphasizes the need for further research into the factors that promote working ability and the development of suitable methods to improve working ability.

Affective and Motivational Factors Mediate the Relation between Math Skills and Use of Math in Everyday Life

PubMed Central

Jansen, Brenda R. J.; Schmitz, Eva A.; van der Maas, Han L. J.

2016-01-01

This study focused on the use of math in everyday life (the propensity to recognize and solve quantitative issues in real life situations). Data from a Dutch nation-wide research on math among adults (N = 521) were used to investigate the question whether math anxiety and perceived math competence mediated the relationship between math skills and use of math in everyday life, taken gender differences into account. Results showed that women reported higher math anxiety, lower perceived math competence, and lower use of math in everyday life, compared to men. Women's skills were estimated at a lower level than men's. For both women and men, higher skills were associated with higher perceived math competence, which in turn was associated with more use of math in everyday life. Only for women, math anxiety also mediated the relation between math skills and use of math in everyday life. PMID:27148122

The hero concept: self, family, and friends who are brave, honest, and hopeful.

PubMed

Staats, Sara; Wallace, Heidi; Anderson, Tara; Gresley, Jamee; Hupp, Julie M; Weiss, Elizabeth

2009-06-01

The concept of the hero is pervasive and enduring, extending across time, culture, and age. Although an influential schema, the hero has not been empirically examined in depth. Heroic exemplars given by students and community members were examined, and the hypotheses that individuals with high Heroism scores are more hopeful and report higher Coping than individuals with low Heroism scores were also tested. Participants reported similar depictions of heroes and heroic acts; the prototypic hero being a family member, and the most common act exemplified as averting physical harm to others. Quantitative results suggest that individuals high on Heroism scores are more hopeful and cope better than individuals low on Heroism scores. Results indicate that heroism is experienced in everyday life, and a model is proposed.

Climate Change and Everyday Life: Repertoires children use to negotiate a socio-scientific issue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byrne, Jenny; Ideland, Malin; Malmberg, Claes; Grace, Marcus

2014-06-01

There are only a few studies about how primary school students engage in socio-scientific discussions. This study aims to add to this field of research by focusing on how 9-10-year-olds in Sweden and England handle climate change as a complex environmental socio-scientific issue (SSI), within the context of their own lives and in relation to society at large. It focuses on how different interpretative repertoires were used by the students in discussions to legitimise or question their everyday lifestyles. They discussed four possible options that a government might consider to help reduce carbon dioxide production. Six main repertoires were identified: Everyday life, Self-Interest, Environment, Science and Technology, Society and Justice. The Everyday life repertoire was used when students related their discussion to their everyday lifestyles. Science and technology-related solutions were offered to maintain or improve things, but these were sometimes rather unrealistic. Arguments related to environment and health frequently appeared to have a superior status compared to the others. Findings also highlighted how conflicts between the students were actually productive by bringing in several perspectives to negotiate the solutions. These primary school students were, therefore, able to discuss and negotiate a complex real-world SSI. Students positioned themselves as active contributors to society, using their life experiences and limited knowledge to understand the problems that affected their everyday lives. Honing these skills within a school science community of practice could facilitate primary students' engagement with SSIs and empower them as citizens.

Interdisciplinary collaboration experiences in creating an everyday rehabilitation model: a pilot study

PubMed Central

Moe, Aud; Brataas, Hildfrid V

2016-01-01

Background When functional impairment occurs, assistance to achieve self-help can lead to qualitatively more active everyday life for recipients and better use of community resources. Home-based everyday rehabilitation is a new interdisciplinary service for people living at home. Rehabilitation involves meeting the need for interprofessional services, interdisciplinary collaboration, and coordination of services. Everyday rehabilitation is a service that requires close interdisciplinary cooperation. The purpose of this study was to gain knowledge about employees’ experiences with establishing a new multidisciplinary team and developing a team-based work model. Method The study had a qualitative design using two focus group interviews with a newly established rehabilitation team. The sample consisted of an occupational therapist, two care workers with further education in rehabilitation, a nurse, a physiotherapist, and a project leader. Data were analyzed by thematic content analysis. Results The data highlight three phases: a planning phase (ten meetings over half a year), a startup phase of trials of interdisciplinary everyday rehabilitation in practice (2 months), and a third period specifying and implementing an everyday rehabilitation model (6 months). During these phases, three themes emerged: 1) team creation and design of the service, 2) targeted practical trials, and 3) equality of team members and combining interdisciplinary methods. Conclusion The team provided information about three processes: developing work routines and a revised team-based flow chart, developing team cooperation with integrated Trans- and interdisciplinary collaboration, and working with external exchange. There is more need for secure network solutions. PMID:27143911

Empirically Defined Patterns of Executive Function Deficits in Schizophrenia and Their Relation to Everyday Functioning: A Person-Centered Approach

PubMed Central

Iampietro, Mary; Giovannetti, Tania; Drabick, Deborah A. G.; Kessler, Rachel K.

2013-01-01

Executive function (EF) deficits in schizophrenia (SZ) are well documented, although much less is known about patterns of EF deficits and their association to differential impairments in everyday functioning. The present study empirically defined SZ groups based on measures of various EF abilities and then compared these EF groups on everyday action errors. Participants (n=45) completed various subtests from the Delis–Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) and the Naturalistic Action Test (NAT), a performance-based measure of everyday action that yields scores reflecting total errors and a range of different error types (e.g., omission, perseveration). Results of a latent class analysis revealed three distinct EF groups, characterized by (a) multiple EF deficits, (b) relatively spared EF, and (c) perseverative responding. Follow-up analyses revealed that the classes differed significantly on NAT total errors, total commission errors, and total perseveration errors; the two classes with EF impairment performed comparably on the NAT but performed worse than the class with relatively spared EF. In sum, people with SZ demonstrate variable patterns of EF deficits, and distinct aspects of these EF deficit patterns (i.e., poor mental control abilities) may be associated with everyday functioning capabilities. PMID:23035705

Effect of thought suppression on desire to smoke and tobacco withdrawal symptoms.

PubMed

Erskine, James A K; Ussher, Michael; Cropley, Mark; Elgindi, Abdelaziz; Zaman, Manzir; Corlett, Bethan

2012-01-01

Suppressing smoking thoughts has been shown to result in elevated smoking. However, the effect of suppressing smoking thoughts on desire to smoke and withdrawal symptoms has not been investigated. We examined the effects of suppressing smoking thoughts on the subsequent desire to smoke and on tobacco withdrawal symptoms, relative to groups that were either thinking about anything they wished or actively thinking about smoking. A randomised experimental study compared the effects of three manipulations (suppressed smoking thoughts, expressed smoking thoughts and thoughts of anything they wished) on desire and withdrawal immediately after the manipulation and 5 and 10 min after. Suppressing smoking thoughts did not result in elevated subsequent desire to smoke, relative to the other manipulations. Suppressing smoking thoughts resulted in a significant elevation in hunger ratings, relative to the other manipulations, at all measurement times. There were no significant effects for the other withdrawal symptoms. Self-reported greater use of thought suppression in everyday life was significantly associated with greater desire to smoke at baseline and was associated with lower mindfulness scores. Laboratory-instructed suppression of smoking thoughts is associated with increased reports of hunger but did not lead to increases in other withdrawal symptoms or elevated desire to smoke. Reports of everyday use of thought suppression are associated with elevated desire to smoke at baseline. Further investigations need to assess the effect of suppressing smoking cravings, instead of general smoking thoughts, on desire to smoke and tobacco withdrawal.

Mastery of the mind East and West: excellence in being and doing and everyday happiness.

PubMed

Brown, Daniel

2009-08-01

Western psychological research on positive psychology and Buddhism have recently converged in their emphasis on the development of positive states, like states of excellence and everyday happiness. Yet, these traditions differ in their approaches to positive states, with respect to a state-trait and doing-being distinction. Western scientific research on peak performance emphasizes discontinuous, time-limited peak performance states wherein individuals do things extraordinarily well in sports and in the arts. The Eastern spiritual traditions emphasize continuous excellence of being, in the form of traits or character strengths. In both traditions mental imagery is a key ingredient to excellence training. With respect to everyday happiness, Western psychological research has focused on the role of meaning systems in the transformation of flow states into vital engagement in everyday life, while Buddhism stresses the role of meditation training to gain mastery over all levels of mind that leads to everyday happiness. Rorschach and tachistoscopic research on advanced meditators suggests that advance meditators have gained unusual mastery over states of mind not yet documented in the Western psychological research on positive psychology.

Comparison of Self-Report Versus Sensor-Based Methods for Measuring the Amount of Upper Limb Activity Outside the Clinic.

PubMed

Waddell, Kimberly J; Lang, Catherine E

2018-03-10

To compare self-reported with sensor-measured upper limb (UL) performance in daily life for individuals with chronic (≥6mo) UL paresis poststroke. Secondary analysis of participants enrolled in a phase II randomized, parallel, dose-response UL movement trial. This analysis compared the accuracy and consistency between self-reported UL performance and sensor-measured UL performance at baseline and immediately post an 8-week intensive UL task-specific intervention. Outpatient rehabilitation. Community-dwelling individuals with chronic (≥6mo) UL paresis poststroke (N=64). Not applicable. Motor Activity Log amount of use scale and the sensor-derived use ratio from wrist-worn accelerometers. There was a high degree of variability between self-reported UL performance and the sensor-derived use ratio. Using sensor-based values as a reference, 3 distinct categories were identified: accurate reporters (reporting difference ±0.1), overreporters (difference >0.1), and underreporters (difference <-0.1). Five of 64 participants accurately self-reported UL performance at baseline and postintervention. Over half of participants (52%) switched categories from pre-to postintervention (eg, moved from underreporting preintervention to overreporting postintervention). For the consistent reporters, no participant characteristics were found to influence whether someone over- or underreported performance compared with sensor-based assessment. Participants did not consistently or accurately self-report UL performance when compared with the sensor-derived use ratio. Although self-report and sensor-based assessments are moderately associated and appear similar conceptually, these results suggest self-reported UL performance is often not consistent with sensor-measured performance and the measures cannot be used interchangeably. Copyright © 2018 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Digit Span as a measure of everyday attention: a study of ecological validity.

PubMed

Groth-Marnat, Gary; Baker, Sonya

2003-12-01

This study investigated the effectiveness of the WAIS-III Digit Span subtest to predict the everyday attention of 75 participants with heterogeneous neurological conditions who were administered the Digit Span subtest as well as the ecologically valid Test of Everyday Attention. In addition, the more visually oriented Picture Completion subtest along with the verbally loaded National Adult Reading Test were administered. Analysis indicated that, although Digit Span was a weak but statistically significant predictor of attentional ability (accounting for 12.7% of the unique variance). Picture Completion was a somewhat stronger predictor (accounting for 19% of the unique variance). The weak association of Digit Span and the Test of Everyday Attention, along with the finding that Picture Completion was a better predictor of performance on the Test of Everyday Attention, question the clinical utility of using Digit Span as a measure of everyday attention.

Taking It Like a Man: Masculine Role Norms as Moderators of the Racial Discrimination–Depressive Symptoms Association Among African American Men

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Objectives. I examined the association between everyday racial discrimination and depressive symptoms and explored the moderating role of 2 dimensions of masculine role norms, restrictive emotionality and self-reliance. Methods. Cross-sectional survey data from 674 African American men aged 18 years and older recruited primarily from barbershops in 4 US regions (2003–2010) were used. Direct and moderated associations were assessed with multivariate linear regression analyses for the overall sample and different age groups. Models were adjusted for recruitment site, sociodemographics, masculine role norms salience, and general social stress. Results. Everyday racial discrimination was associated with more depressive symptoms across all age groups. Higher restrictive emotionality was associated with more depressive symptoms among men aged 18 to 29 and 30 to 39 years. Self-reliance was associated with fewer depressive symptoms among men aged 18 to 29 years and 40 years and older. The positive association between everyday racial discrimination and depressive symptoms was stronger among men with high restrictive emotionality, but this moderated effect was limited to men older than 30 years. Conclusions. Interventions designed to reduce African American men’s depression instigated by racism should be life-course specific and address masculine role norms that encourage emotion restriction. PMID:22401515

Severe vision and hearing impairment and successful aging: a multidimensional view.

PubMed

Wahl, Hans-Werner; Heyl, Vera; Drapaniotis, Philipp M; Hörmann, Karl; Jonas, Jost B; Plinkert, Peter K; Rohrschneider, Klaus

2013-12-01

Previous research on psychosocial adaptation of sensory-impaired older adults has focused mainly on only one sensory modality and on a limited number of successful aging outcomes. We considered a broad range of successful aging indicators and compared older adults with vision impairment, hearing impairment, and dual sensory impairments and without sensory impairment. Data came from samples of severely visually impaired (VI; N = 121), severely hearing-impaired (HI; N = 116), dual sensory-impaired (DI; N = 43), and sensory-unimpaired older adults (UI; N = 150). Participants underwent a wide-ranging assessment, covering everyday competence, cognitive functioning, social resources, self-regulation strategies, cognitive and affective well-being, and 4-year survival status (except the DI group). The most pronounced difference among groups was in the area of everyday competence (lowest in VI and DI). Multigroup comparisons in latent space revealed both similar and differing relationship strengths among health, everyday competence, social resources, self-regulation, and overall well-being, depending on sensory status. After 4 years, mortality in VI (29%) and HI (30%) was significantly higher than in UI (20%) at the bivariate level, but not after controlling for confounders in a multivariate analysis. A multidimensional approach to the understanding of sensory impairment and psychosocial adaptation in old age reveals a complex picture of loss and maintenance.

Cognitive training approaches to remediate attention and executive dysfunction after traumatic brain injury: A single-case series.

PubMed

Dymowski, Alicia Rhian; Ponsford, Jennie Louise; Willmott, Catherine

2016-10-01

Attentional deficits are common following traumatic brain injury (TBI) and interfere with daily functioning. This study employed a single-case design to examine the effects of individualised strategy training on attention beyond the effects of computerised training using Attention Process Training 3 (APT-3), and to examine the participants' subjective experience of these approaches. An ABCA (baseline, APT-3, strategy training, follow-up) design was repeated across three participants with severe TBI. Outcomes were measured on alternate versions of the oral Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) and cancellation tasks; generalisation with the Test of Everyday Attention (TEA) and self and significant other (SO) ratings on the Rating Scale of Attentional Behaviour (RSAB); and participant experiences with semi-structured interviews. Planned Tau-U analyses revealed improvements in speed of processing on the SDMT and the automatic condition of the cancellation task after APT-3 and at follow-up, but with most improvement after strategy training. Limited generalisation was evident on TEA subtests and self-RSAB ratings. SO-RSAB ratings were mixed after APT-3, but demonstrated improvement after strategy training. Variability in attentional deficits and everyday attentional requirements between patients required individualised goals and approaches to rehabilitation. This study highlights the need for individualised rehabilitation of attention to improve everyday functioning after TBI.

Taking it like a man: masculine role norms as moderators of the racial discrimination-depressive symptoms association among African American men.

PubMed

Hammond, Wizdom Powell

2012-05-01

I examined the association between everyday racial discrimination and depressive symptoms and explored the moderating role of 2 dimensions of masculine role norms, restrictive emotionality and self-reliance. Cross-sectional survey data from 674 African American men aged 18 years and older recruited primarily from barbershops in 4 US regions (2003-2010) were used. Direct and moderated associations were assessed with multivariate linear regression analyses for the overall sample and different age groups. Models were adjusted for recruitment site, sociodemographics, masculine role norms salience, and general social stress. Everyday racial discrimination was associated with more depressive symptoms across all age groups. Higher restrictive emotionality was associated with more depressive symptoms among men aged 18 to 29 and 30 to 39 years. Self-reliance was associated with fewer depressive symptoms among men aged 18 to 29 years and 40 years and older. The positive association between everyday racial discrimination and depressive symptoms was stronger among men with high restrictive emotionality, but this moderated effect was limited to men older than 30 years. Interventions designed to reduce African American men's depression instigated by racism should be life-course specific and address masculine role norms that encourage emotion restriction.

Everyday movement and use of the arms: Relationship in children with hemiparesis differs from adults.

PubMed

Sokal, Brad; Uswatte, Gitendra; Vogtle, Laura; Byrom, Ezekiel; Barman, Joydip

2015-01-01

In adults with hemiparesis amount of movement of the more-affected arm is related to its amount of use in daily life. In children, little is known about everyday arm use. This report examines the relationships between everyday movement of the more-affected arm and its (a) everyday use and (b) motor capacity in children with hemiparesis. Participants were 28 children with a wide range of upper-extremity hemiparesis subsequent to cerebral palsy due to pre- or peri-natal stroke. Everyday movement of the more-affected arm was assessed by putting accelerometers on the children's forearms for three days. Everyday use of that arm and its motor capacity were assessed with the Pediatric Motor Activity Log-Revised and Pediatric Arm Function Test, respectively. Intensity of everyday movement of the more-affected arm was correlated with its motor capacity (rs ≥ 0.52, ps ≤ 0.003). However, everyday movement of that arm was not correlated with its everyday use (rs ≤ 0.30, ps ≥ $ 0.126). In children with upper-extremity hemiparesis who meet the study intake criteria amount of movement of the more-affected arm in daily life is not related to its amount to use, suggesting that children differ from adults in this respect.

Everyday social and conversation applications of theory-of-mind understanding by children with autism-spectrum disorders or typical development.

PubMed

Peterson, Candida C; Garnett, Michelle; Kelly, Adrian; Attwood, Tony

2009-02-01

Children with autism-spectrum disorders (ASD) often fail laboratory false-belief tests of theory of mind (ToM). Yet how this impacts on their everyday social behavior is less clear, partly owing to uncertainty over which specific everyday conversational and social skills require ToM understanding. A new caregiver-report scale of these everyday applications of ToM was developed and validated in two studies. Study 1 obtained parent ratings of 339 children (85 with autism; 230 with Asperger's; 24 typically-developing) on the new scale and results revealed (a) that the scale had good psychometric properties and (b) that children with ASD had significantly more everyday mindreading difficulties than typical developers. In Study 2, we directly tested links between laboratory ToM and everyday mindreading using teacher ratings on the new scale. The sample of 25 children included 15 with autism and 10 typical developers aged 5-12 years. Children in both groups who passed laboratory ToM tests had fewer everyday mindreading difficulties than those of the same diagnosis who failed. Yet, intriguingly, autistic ToM-passers still had more problems with everyday mindreading than younger typically-developing ToM-failers. The possible roles of family conversation and peer interaction, along with ToM, in everyday social functioning were considered.

Galactose uncovers face recognition and mental images in congenital prosopagnosia: the first case report.

PubMed

Esins, Janina; Schultz, Johannes; Bülthoff, Isabelle; Kennerknecht, Ingo

2014-09-01

A woman in her early 40s with congenital prosopagnosia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder observed for the first time sudden and extensive improvement of her face recognition abilities, mental imagery, and sense of navigation after galactose intake. This effect of galactose on prosopagnosia has never been reported before. Even if this effect is restricted to a subform of congenital prosopagnosia, galactose might improve the condition of other prosopagnosics. Congenital prosopagnosia, the inability to recognize other people by their face, has extensive negative impact on everyday life. It has a high prevalence of about 2.5%. Monosaccharides are known to have a positive impact on cognitive performance. Here, we report the case of a prosopagnosic woman for whom the daily intake of 5 g of galactose resulted in a remarkable improvement of her lifelong face blindness, along with improved sense of orientation and more vivid mental imagery. All these improvements vanished after discontinuing galactose intake. The self-reported effects of galactose were wide-ranging and remarkably strong but could not be reproduced for 16 other prosopagnosics tested. Indications about heterogeneity within prosopagnosia have been reported; this could explain the difficulty to find similar effects in other prosopagnosics. Detailed analyses of the effects of galactose in prosopagnosia might give more insight into the effects of galactose on human cognition in general. Galactose is cheap and easy to obtain, therefore, a systematic test of its positive effects on other cases of congenital prosopagnosia may be warranted.

Perspectives on Self-Management in Multiple Sclerosis

PubMed Central

Knaster, Elizabeth S.; Johnson, Kurt; McMullen, Kara A.; Ehde, Dawn M.

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to elucidate the experience of self-management among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and gather their input to inform a self-management intervention. Twelve people with MS participated in focus groups in which they were asked open-ended questions about MS symptoms, challenges, overcoming challenges, symptom management, and treatment preferences. The results suggest four major themes: 1) “The Everyday Experience of MS,” including comments about symptoms and their impact on functioning; 2) “Motivation for Self-Management,” including descriptions of motivation originating from physical necessity, success with other management techniques, and external sources; 3) “Coping Strategies and Skills,” including descriptions of changing behaviors, expanding social support networks, finding resources, utilizing medical treatment, and monitoring symptoms; and 4) “Vision for a Self-Management Intervention,” including suggestions that an intervention be individualized, be motivating, and provide resources. The results of this study can inform the design and implementation of self-management interventions. Experiences described by participants are consistent with other qualitative reports suggesting the active role people with MS play in managing their condition. Intervention approaches must consider the complex constellation of symptoms associated with MS and provide individualized treatments that enhance the person's ability to manage their symptoms, barriers presented by such symptoms, and their health care. PMID:24453718

Helping Older People To Live Independently. Annual Report to the Governor and the Illinois General Assembly on Public Act 81-202, Fiscal Year 1987.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois State Dept. on Aging, Springfield.

This document describes Illinois' Community Care Program (CCP), a program which provides chore housekeeping, homemaker, and adult day care services to older persons who cannot perform some tasks basic of everyday life without assistance, in order to help them live independently. Case management, information and referral, and nursing home…

Let's kōrero (talk): the practice and functions of reminiscing among mothers and children in Māori families.

PubMed

Reese, Elaine; Neha, Tia

2015-01-01

Māori adults recall earlier memories than New Zealand European or Chinese adults, highlighting the importance of memory in Māori culture. In this study, Māori preschool children and their mothers (N = 41) reminisced about a diverse range of past events, including everyday events, the child's birth, cultural rituals and the child's misbehaviour. Mothers also reported how frequently they discussed past events with their children, as well as their level of affiliation with Māori culture. Mothers who reported higher levels of cultural affiliation also reported reminiscing more frequently about a diverse range of past events. Mothers reminisced in more elaborative ways about everyday events with their children compared to birth stories, cultural rituals and misbehaviours. Maternal reminiscing about cultural rituals and misbehaviours, however, along with maternal reminiscing about everyday events and birth stories, were significantly correlated with children's memory across conversations. These results underscore the continued importance of reminiscing about culturally relevant events in Māori culture, and the newfound importance for Māori families of reminiscing about everyday events.

Assessing physical functioning on pain management programmes: the unique contribution of directly assessed physical performance measures and their relationship to self-reports

PubMed Central

Guildford, Beth J; Jacobs, Clair M; Daly-Eichenhardt, Aisling; Scott, Whitney; McCracken, Lance M

2016-01-01

Physical functioning is a recommended outcome domain for pain management programmes. It can be assessed by self-report and by direct assessment of performance. Although physical performance measures may provide unique and useful information about patient functioning over and above self-report measures, it is not entirely clear which of the many possible performances to assess. This study investigated a battery of three directly assessed physical performance measures and their relationship to three currently used self-report measures of general health and functioning. The three performance measures were sensitive to treatment; patients performed significantly better on all three measures following completion of the pain management programme. The three performance measures were shown to represent a single underlying dimension, and there was a significant degree of overlap between them. The performance measures were shown to be relevant in explaining variation in the self-report measures, as well as to offer a clinically relevant different dimension of assessment to self-report. Future research could focus on developing performance-based measures that capture quality of movement and that are sensitive to relevant processes of therapeutic change. PMID:28386404

Social psychology. Comment on "Morality in everyday life".

PubMed

Voelkle, Manuel C

2015-05-15

In examining morality in everyday life, Hofmann et al. (Reports, 12 September 2014, p. 1340) conclude that being the target of (im)moral deeds impacts happiness, whereas committing them primarily affects one's sense of purpose. I point to shortcomings in the analyses and interpretations and caution that, based on the methodological approach, conclusions about everyday life relationships between morality and happiness/purpose are premature. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Neuropsychological sequelae of work-stress-related exhaustion.

PubMed

Österberg, Kai; Skogsliden, Sofia; Karlson, Björn

2014-01-01

The aim was to assess long-term cognitive performance after substantial recovery from work-stress-related exhaustion, in relation to subjective cognitive complaints and return to active work. In total, 54 patients previously diagnosed with work-stress-related exhaustion participated in a neuropsychological examination ∼2 years after initial sick leave. Most participants were substantially recovered at follow-up, with only 13% still meeting the criteria for exhaustion disorder suggested by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare. When participants' scores on 14 neuropsychological tests were compared to a matched group of 50 controls, the former patient group showed lower performance mainly on attention tests of the reaction time type, but also slightly lower scores on visuo-spatial constructional ability. However, the former patient group performed better than controls on two memory tests and, in part, on a test of simultaneous capacity. Self-ratings of everyday cognitive problems remained significantly higher in the former patient group than among controls, but the extent of self-rated cognitive problems was generally unrelated to performance on the neuropsychological tests. No relationship between performance on these tests and the extent of work resumption was observed. In summary, persons with previous work-stress-related exhaustion showed persistent signs of a minor attention deficit, despite considerable general recovery and return to work.

Holistic face training enhances face processing in developmental prosopagnosia

PubMed Central

Cohan, Sarah; Nakayama, Ken

2014-01-01

Prosopagnosia has largely been regarded as an untreatable disorder. However, recent case studies using cognitive training have shown that it is possible to enhance face recognition abilities in individuals with developmental prosopagnosia. Our goal was to determine if this approach could be effective in a larger population of developmental prosopagnosics. We trained 24 developmental prosopagnosics using a 3-week online face-training program targeting holistic face processing. Twelve subjects with developmental prosopagnosia were assessed before and after training, and the other 12 were assessed before and after a waiting period, they then performed the training, and were then assessed again. The assessments included measures of front-view face discrimination, face discrimination with view-point changes, measures of holistic face processing, and a 5-day diary to quantify potential real-world improvements. Compared with the waiting period, developmental prosopagnosics showed moderate but significant overall training-related improvements on measures of front-view face discrimination. Those who reached the more difficult levels of training (‘better’ trainees) showed the strongest improvements in front-view face discrimination and showed significantly increased holistic face processing to the point of being similar to that of unimpaired control subjects. Despite challenges in characterizing developmental prosopagnosics’ everyday face recognition and potential biases in self-report, results also showed modest but consistent self-reported diary improvements. In summary, we demonstrate that by using cognitive training that targets holistic processing, it is possible to enhance face perception across a group of developmental prosopagnosics and further suggest that those who improved the most on the training task received the greatest benefits. PMID:24691394

Vestibular function in families with inherited autosomal dominant hearing loss

PubMed Central

Street, Valerie A.; Kallman, Jeremy C.; Strombom, Paul D.; Bramhall, Naomi F.; Phillips, James O.

2008-01-01

The inner ear contains the developmentally related cochlea and peripheral vestibular labyrinth. Given the similar physiology between these two organs, hearing loss and vestibular dysfunction may be expected to occur simultaneously in individuals segregating mutations in inner ear genes. Twenty-two different genes have been discovered that when mutated lead to non-syndromic autosomal dominant hearing loss. A review of the literature indicates that families segregating mutations in 13 of these 22 genes have undergone formal clinical vestibular testing. Formal assessment revealed vestibular dysfunction in families with mutations in ten of these 13 genes. Remarkably, only families with mutations in the COCH and MYO7A genes self-report considerable vestibular challenges. Families segregating mutations in the other eight genes do not self-report significant balance problems and appear to compensate well in everyday life for vestibular deficits discovered during formal clinical vestibular assessment. An example of a family (referred to as the HL1 family) with progressive hearing loss and clinically-detected vestibular hypofunction that does not report vestibular symptoms is described in this review. Notably, one member of the HL1 family with clinically-detected vestibular hypofunction reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. PMID:18776598

training for healthcare staff.

PubMed

Cocksedge, Simon; Barr, Nicky; Deakin, Corinne

In UK health policy ‘sharing good information is pivotal to improving care quality, safety, and effectiveness. Nevertheless, educators often neglect this vital communication skill. The consequences of brief communication education interventions for healthcare workers are not yet established. This study investigated a three-hour interprofessional experiential workshop (group work, theoretical input, rehearsal) training healthcare staff in sharing information using a clear structure (PARSLEY). Staff in one UK hospital participated. Questionnaires were completed before, immediately after, and eight weeks after training, with semistructured interviews seven weeks after training. Participants (n=76) were from assorted healthcare occupations (26% non-clinical). Knowledge significantly increased immediately after training. Self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, and motivation to use the structure taught were significantly increased immediately following training and at eight weeks. Respondents at eight weeks (n=35) reported their practice in sharing information had changed within seven days of training. Seven weeks after training, most interviewees (n=13) reported confidently using the PARSLEY structure regularly in varied settings. All had re-evaluated their communication practice. Brief training altered self-reported communication behaviour of healthcare staff, with sustained changes in everyday work. As sharing information is central to communication curricula, health policy, and shared decision-making, the effectiveness of brief teaching interventions has economic and educational implications.

Encoding strategies in self-initiated visual working memory.

PubMed

Magen, Hagit; Berger-Mandelbaum, Anat

2018-06-11

During a typical day, visual working memory (VWM) is recruited to temporarily maintain visual information. Although individuals often memorize external visual information provided to them, on many other occasions they memorize information they have constructed themselves. The latter aspect of memory, which we term self-initiated WM, is prevalent in everyday behavior but has largely been overlooked in the research literature. In the present study we employed a modified change detection task in which participants constructed the displays they memorized, by selecting three or four abstract shapes or real-world objects and placing them at three or four locations in a circular display of eight locations. Half of the trials included identical targets that participants could select. The results demonstrated consistent strategies across participants. To enhance memory performance, participants reported selecting abstract shapes they could verbalize, but they preferred real-world objects with distinct visual features. Furthermore, participants constructed structured memory displays, most frequently based on the Gestalt organization cue of symmetry, and to a lesser extent on cues of proximity and similarity. When identical items were selected, participants mostly placed them in close proximity, demonstrating the construction of configurations based on the interaction between several Gestalt cues. The present results are consistent with recent findings in VWM, showing that memory for visual displays based on Gestalt organization cues can benefit VWM, suggesting that individuals have access to metacognitive knowledge on the benefit of structure in VWM. More generally, this study demonstrates how individuals interact with the world by actively structuring their surroundings to enhance performance.

Effects of incentives on psychosocial performances in simulated space-dwelling groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hienz, Robert D.; Brady, Joseph V.; Hursh, Steven R.; Gasior, Eric D.; Spence, Kevin R.; Emurian, Henry H.

Prior research with individually isolated 3-person crews in a distributed, interactive, planetary exploration simulation examined the effects of communication constraints and crew configuration changes on crew performance and psychosocial self-report measures. The present report extends these findings to a model of performance maintenance that operationalizes conditions under which disruptive affective responses by crew participants might be anticipated to emerge. Experiments evaluated the effects of changes in incentive conditions on crew performance and self-report measures in simulated space-dwelling groups. Crews participated in a simulated planetary exploration mission that required identification, collection, and analysis of geologic samples. Results showed that crew performance effectiveness was unaffected by either positive or negative incentive conditions, while self-report measures were differentially affected—negative incentive conditions produced pronounced increases in negative self-report ratings and decreases in positive self-report ratings, while positive incentive conditions produced increased positive self-report ratings only. Thus, incentive conditions associated with simulated spaceflight missions can significantly affect psychosocial adaptation without compromising task performance effectiveness in trained and experienced crews.

Interactions between risky decisions, impulsiveness and smoking in young tattooed women

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background According to previous studies, one of the common problems of everyday life of persons with tattoos is risky behavior. However, direct examination of the decision making process, as well as factors which determine women’s risk-taking decisions to get tattoos, have not been conducted. This study investigates whether risk taking decision-making is associated with the self-assessment impulsiveness in tattooed women. Methods Young women (aged 18–35 years) with (N = 60) and without (N = 60) tattoos, performed the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), as a measure of decision-making processes, as well as completing the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11). Results Tattooed women showed significantly higher scores in the BIS-11 and preference for disadvantageous decks on the IGT compared to non-tattooed women. There was no significant correlation between risky decision-making in the IGT and BIS-11 impulsivity measures. A significantly higher rate of smoking was observed in the tattooed women. However, the analysis did not reveal a group effect after adjustment for smoking in the IGT and the BIS-11 measures. Conclusions The present study was specifically designed to resolve questions regarding associations between impulsiveness and risky decision-making in tattooed women. It shows that in tattooed women, risky decisions are not a direct result of their self-reported impulsiveness. Smoking does not explain the psychometric differences between tattooed women and controls. PMID:24180254

Happier People Live More Active Lives: Using Smartphones to Link Happiness and Physical Activity

PubMed Central

Lathia, Neal; Sandstrom, Gillian M.; Mascolo, Cecilia; Rentfrow, Peter J.

2017-01-01

Physical activity, both exercise and non-exercise, has far-reaching benefits to physical health. Although exercise has also been linked to psychological health (e.g., happiness), little research has examined physical activity more broadly, taking into account non-exercise activity as well as exercise. We examined the relationship between physical activity (measured broadly) and happiness using a smartphone application. This app has collected self-reports of happiness and physical activity from over ten thousand participants, while passively gathering information about physical activity from the accelerometers on users' phones. The findings reveal that individuals who are more physically active are happier. Further, individuals are happier in the moments when they are more physically active. These results emerged when assessing activity subjectively, via self-report, or objectively, via participants' smartphone accelerometers. Overall, this research suggests that not only exercise but also non-exercise physical activity is related to happiness. This research further demonstrates how smartphones can be used to collect large-scale data to examine psychological, behavioral, and health-related phenomena as they naturally occur in everyday life. PMID:28052069

Happier People Live More Active Lives: Using Smartphones to Link Happiness and Physical Activity.

PubMed

Lathia, Neal; Sandstrom, Gillian M; Mascolo, Cecilia; Rentfrow, Peter J

2017-01-01

Physical activity, both exercise and non-exercise, has far-reaching benefits to physical health. Although exercise has also been linked to psychological health (e.g., happiness), little research has examined physical activity more broadly, taking into account non-exercise activity as well as exercise. We examined the relationship between physical activity (measured broadly) and happiness using a smartphone application. This app has collected self-reports of happiness and physical activity from over ten thousand participants, while passively gathering information about physical activity from the accelerometers on users' phones. The findings reveal that individuals who are more physically active are happier. Further, individuals are happier in the moments when they are more physically active. These results emerged when assessing activity subjectively, via self-report, or objectively, via participants' smartphone accelerometers. Overall, this research suggests that not only exercise but also non-exercise physical activity is related to happiness. This research further demonstrates how smartphones can be used to collect large-scale data to examine psychological, behavioral, and health-related phenomena as they naturally occur in everyday life.

Vigilance in the discrimination-stress model for Black Americans

PubMed Central

Himmelstein, Mary S.; Young, Danielle M.; Sanchez, Diana T.; Jackson, James S.

2015-01-01

Objective Daily events of discrimination are important factors in understanding health disparities. Vigilant coping, or protecting against anticipated discrimination by monitoring and modifying behaviour, is an understudied mechanism that may link discrimination and health outcomes. This study investigates how responding to everyday discrimination with anticipatory vigilance relates to the health of Black men and women. Methods Black adults (N = 221) from the Detroit area completed measures of discrimination, adverse life events, vigilance coping, stress, depressive symptoms and self-reported health. Results Vigilance coping strategies mediated the relationship between discrimination and stress. Multi-group path analysis revealed that stress in turn was associated with increased depression in men and women. Self-reported health consequences of stress differed between men and women. Conclusions Vigilance coping mediates the link between discrimination and stress, and stress has consequences for health outcomes resulting from discrimination. More research is needed to understand other underlying contributors to discrimination, stress and poor health outcomes as well as to create potential interventions to ameliorate health outcomes in the face of discrimination-related stress. PMID:25247925

An exploratory investigation of real-world reasoning in paranoia.

PubMed

Huddy, V; Brown, G P; Boyd, T; Wykes, T

2014-03-01

Paranoid thinking has been linked to greater availability in memory of past threats to the self. However, remembered experiences may not always closely resemble events that trigger paranoia, so novel explanations must be elaborated for the likelihood of threat to be determined. We investigated the ability of paranoid individuals to construct explanations for everyday situations and whether these modulate their emotional impact. Twenty-one participants experiencing paranoia and 21 healthy controls completed a mental simulation task that yields a measure of the coherence of reasoning in everyday situations. When responses featured positive content, clinical participants produced less coherent narratives in response to paranoid themed scenarios than healthy controls. There was no significant difference between the groups when responses featured negative content. The current study suggests that difficulty in scenario construction may exacerbate paranoia by reducing access to non-threatening explanations for everyday events, and this consequently increases distress. © 2012 The British Psychological Society.

Cognitive predictors of everyday functioning in older adults: results from the ACTIVE Cognitive Intervention Trial.

PubMed

Gross, Alden L; Rebok, George W; Unverzagt, Frederick W; Willis, Sherry L; Brandt, Jason

2011-09-01

The present study sought to predict changes in everyday functioning using cognitive tests. Data from the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly trial were used to examine the extent to which competence in different cognitive domains--memory, inductive reasoning, processing speed, and global mental status--predicts prospectively measured everyday functioning among older adults. Coefficients of determination for baseline levels and trajectories of everyday functioning were estimated using parallel process latent growth models. Each cognitive domain independently predicts a significant proportion of the variance in baseline and trajectory change of everyday functioning, with inductive reasoning explaining the most variance (R2 = .175) in baseline functioning and memory explaining the most variance (R2 = .057) in changes in everyday functioning. Inductive reasoning is an important determinant of current everyday functioning in community-dwelling older adults, suggesting that successful performance in daily tasks is critically dependent on executive cognitive function. On the other hand, baseline memory function is more important in determining change over time in everyday functioning, suggesting that some participants with low baseline memory function may reflect a subgroup with incipient progressive neurologic disease.

Interactive influences of ethnicity, endothelin-1 gene, and everyday discrimination upon nocturnal ambulatory blood pressure.

PubMed

Gregoski, Mathew J; Buxbaum, Sarah G; Kapuku, Gaston; Dong, Yanbin; Zhu, Haidong; Davis, Mary; Gonto, Kelsey; Treiber, Frank A

2013-06-01

Everyday discrimination scale scores are associated with increased ambulatory blood pressure (BP) and reduced nocturnal dipping, and the endothelin-1 (ET-1)/Lys198Asn polymorphism is associated with increased resting BP and exaggerated BP reactivity among African Americans compared to European Americans. Combined influences of these factors on BP control are unknown. This study tested the hypothesis of a three-way interaction between ethnicity, ET-1 carrier status, and everyday discrimination upon ambulatory BP and nocturnal dipping. Baseline laboratory anthropometrics and the everyday discrimination scale were completed by 352 (175 African American) young adult normotensives, followed by 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring. For nocturnal dipping, multiple regression models controlling for age, sex, ethnicity, and body mass index revealed significant three-way ET-1 × everyday discrimination × ethnicity interactions. Specifically, among African American ET-1 T-allele carriers, increases in everyday discrimination led to reduced nocturnal dipping. African Americans that carry the ET-1/Lys198Asn T-allele and report higher everyday discrimination scores may be at particular risk for reduced nocturnal dipping.

Interactive Influences of Ethnicity, Endothelin-1 Gene, and Everyday Discrimination Upon Nocturnal Ambulatory Blood Pressure

PubMed Central

Gregoski, Mathew J.; Buxbaum, Sarah G.; Kapuku, Gaston; Dong, Yanbin; Zhu, Haidong; Davis, Mary; Gonto, Kelsey; Treiber, Frank A.

2013-01-01

Background Everyday discrimination scale scores are associated with increased ambulatory blood pressure (BP), and reduced nocturnal dipping, and the ET-1/Lys198Asn polymorphism is associated with increased resting BP and exaggerated BP reactivity among African Americans compared to European Americans. Combined influences of these factors on BP control are unknown. Purpose This study tested the hypothesis of a three-way interaction between ethnicity, ET-1 carrier status and everyday discrimination upon ambulatory BP and nocturnal dipping. Methods Baseline laboratory anthropometrics and the everyday discrimination scale were completed by 351 (175 African American) young adult normotensives; followed by 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring. Results For nocturnal dipping, multiple regression models controlling for age, sex, race, and BMI revealed significant three-way ET-1 x everyday discrimination x ethnicity interactions. Specifically, among African American ET-1 T-allele carriers, increases in everyday discrimination led to reduced nocturnal dipping. Conclusions African Americans that carry the ET1/Lys198Asn T-allele and report higher everyday discrimination scores may be at particular risk for reduced nocturnal dipping. PMID:23436272

Elevated Acoustic Startle Responses in Humans: Relationship to Reduced Loudness Discomfort Level, but not Self-Report of Hyperacusis.

PubMed

Knudson, Inge M; Melcher, Jennifer R

2016-06-01

Increases in the acoustic startle response (ASR) of animals have been reported following experimental manipulations to induce tinnitus, an auditory disorder defined by phantom perception of sound. The increases in ASR have been proposed to signify the development of hyperacusis, a clinical condition defined by intolerance of normally tolerable sound levels. To test this proposal, the present study compared ASR amplitude to measures of sound-level tolerance (SLT) in humans, the only species in which SLT can be directly assessed. Participants had clinically normal/near-normal hearing thresholds, were free of psychotropic medications, and comprised people with tinnitus and without. ASR was measured as eyeblink-related electromyographic activity in response to a noise pulse presented at a range of levels and in two background conditions (noise and quiet). SLT was measured as loudness discomfort level (LDL), the lowest level of sound deemed uncomfortable, and via a questionnaire on the loudness of sounds in everyday life. Regardless of tinnitus status, ASR amplitude at a given stimulus level increased with decreasing LDL, but showed no relationship to SLT self-reported via the questionnaire. These relationships (or lack thereof) could not be attributed to hearing threshold, age, anxiety, or depression. The results imply that increases in ASR in the animal work signify decreases in LDL specifically and may not correspond to the development of hyperacusis as would be self-reported by a clinic patient.

Teach It, Don't Preach It: The Differential Effects of Directly-communicated and Self-generated Utility Value Information.

PubMed

Canning, Elizabeth A; Harackiewicz, Judith M

2015-03-01

Social-psychological interventions in education have used a variety of "self-persuasion" or "saying-is-believing" techniques to encourage students to articulate key intervention messages. These techniques are used in combination with more overt strategies, such as the direct communication of messages in order to promote attitude change. However, these different strategies have rarely been systematically compared, particularly in controlled laboratory settings. We focus on one intervention based in expectancy-value theory designed to promote perceptions of utility value in the classroom and test different intervention techniques to promote interest and performance. Across three laboratory studies, we used a mental math learning paradigm in which we varied whether students wrote about utility value for themselves or received different forms of directly-communicated information about the utility value of a novel mental math technique. In Study 1, we examined the difference between directly-communicated and self-generated utility-value information and found that directly-communicated utility-value information undermined performance and interest for individuals who lacked confidence, but that self-generated utility had positive effects. However, Study 2 suggests that these negative effects of directly-communicated utility value can be ameliorated when participants are also given the chance to generate their own examples of utility value, revealing a synergistic effect of directly-communicated and self-generated utility value. In Study 3, we found that individuals who lacked confidence benefited more when everyday examples of utility value were communicated, rather than career and school examples.

German Anxiety Barometer—Clinical and Everyday-Life Anxieties in the General Population

PubMed Central

Adolph, Dirk; Schneider, Silvia; Margraf, Jürgen

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to test a time-efficient screening instrument to assess clinically relevant and everyday-life (e.g., economic, political, personal) anxieties. Furthermore, factors influencing these anxieties, correlations between clinical and everyday anxieties and, for the first time, anxiety during different stages of life were assessed in a representative sample of the general population (N = 2229). Around 30% of the respondents manifested at least one disorder-specific key symptom within 1 year (women > men), 8% reported severe anxiety symptoms. Two thirds of respondents reported minor everyday anxieties and 5% were strongly impaired, whereby persons with severe clinical symptoms were more frequently affected. A variety of potential influencing factors could be identified. These include, in addition to socioeconomic status, gender, general health, risk-taking, and leisure behavior, also some up to now little investigated possible protective factors, such as everyday-life mental activity. The observed effects are rather small, which, however, given the heterogeneity of the general population seems plausible. Although the correlative design of the study does not allow direct causal conclusions, it can, however, serve as a starting point for experimental intervention studies in the future. Together with time series from repeated representative surveys, we expect these data to provide a better understanding of the processes that underlie everyday-life and clinical anxieties. PMID:27667977

Comparison of self-report-based and physical performance-based frailty definitions among patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis.

PubMed

Johansen, Kirsten L; Dalrymple, Lorien S; Delgado, Cynthia; Kaysen, George A; Kornak, John; Grimes, Barbara; Chertow, Glenn M

2014-10-01

A well-accepted definition of frailty includes measurements of physical performance, which may limit its clinical utility. In a cross-sectional study, we compared prevalence and patient characteristics based on a frailty definition that uses self-reported function to the classic performance-based definition and developed a modified self-report-based definition. Prevalent adult patients receiving hemodialysis in 14 centers around San Francisco and Atlanta in 2009-2011. Self-report-based frailty definition in which a score lower than 75 on the Physical Function scale of the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) was substituted for gait speed and grip strength in the classic definition; modified self-report definition with optimized Physical Function score cutoff points derived in a development (one-half) cohort and validated in the other half. Performance-based frailty defined as 3 of the following: weight loss, weakness, exhaustion, low physical activity, and slow gait speed. 387 (53%) patients were frail based on self-reported function, of whom 209 (29% of the cohort) met the performance-based definition. Only 23 (3%) met the performance-based definition of frailty only. The self-report definition had 90% sensitivity, 64% specificity, 54% positive predictive value, 93% negative predictive value, and 72.5% overall accuracy. Intracellular water per kilogram of body weight and serum albumin, prealbumin, and creatinine levels were highest among nonfrail individuals, intermediate among those who were frail by self-report, and lowest among those who also were frail by performance. Age, percentage of body fat, and C-reactive protein level followed an opposite pattern. The modified self-report definition had better accuracy (84%; 95% CI, 79%-89%) and superior specificity (88%) and positive predictive value (67%). Our study did not address prediction of outcomes. Patients who meet the self-report-based but not the performance-based definition of frailty may represent an intermediate phenotype. A modified self-report definition can improve the accuracy of a questionnaire-based method of defining frailty. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Self-perceived health status following aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage: a cohort study

PubMed Central

Quinn, Audrey C; Bhargava, Deepti; Al-Tamimi, Yahia Z; Clark, Matthew J; Ross, Stuart A; Tennant, Alan

2014-01-01

Objective The objective of the study was to assess the long-term self-reported health status and quality of life (QoL) of patients following an aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (ASAH) using a self-completed questionnaire booklet. Design A two-cohort study. Setting A regional tertiary neurosurgical centre. Participants 2 cohorts of patients with ASAH treated between 1998 and 2008 and followed up at approximately 1 year. Interventions Routine care. Primary and secondary outcomes A range of standardised scales included: AKC Short Sentences Test, the Barthel Index, the Self-Report Dysexecutive Questionnaire, the Everyday Memory Questionnaire, Stroke Symptom Checklist, Wimbledon Self-Report Scale, Modified Rankin Score (MRS) and a new Stroke-QoL. The data from summated scales were fit to the Rasch measurement model to validate the summed score. Results 214 patients (48%) returned the questionnaires; the majority (76%) had a World Federation of Neurosurgeons grade of 1 or 2. The most frequent aneurysm type was that of the anterior communicating artery (28%) with approximately 90% of aneurysms of the anterior circulation. Of those previously in full or part-time employment, 48.9% were unemployed at follow-up. All summated scales satisfied the Rasch measurement model requirements, such that their summed scores were a sufficient statistic. Given this, one-third of patients were noted to have a significant mood disorder and 25% had significant dysexecutive function. Patients with an MRS of 3, 4 or 5 had significantly worse scores on most outcome measures, but a significant minority of those with a score of zero had failed to return to work and displayed significant mood disorder. Conclusions A range of self-reported cognitive and physical deficits have been highlighted in a cohort of patients with ASAH. While the MRS has been shown to provide a reasonable indication of outcome, in routine clinical follow-up it requires supplementation by instruments assessing dysexecutive function, memory and mood. PMID:24699459

Social and health care needs of elderly people living in the countryside in Poland.

PubMed

Dziechciaż, Małgorzata; Guty, Edyta; Wojtowicz, Agata; Filip, Rafał

2012-01-01

The needs of elderly people living in the countryside constitute serious health, social, financial and organizational problems. To define the needs of elderly people living in the countryside regarding complex living actions. DATA COLLECTED AND METHODOLOGY: The study was carried out among 89 village citizens from the Podkarpackie Voivodeship (N=55; 61.8% women; N=34; 38.2% men) aged 61-2. Average age in the group was 76.3 (+/ -7.9 years). Research methods were 3 different questionnaires, applied to evaluate: socio-demographic data, occurrence of diseases and rehabilitation usage, mental and intellectual status, as well as the Lawton scale (IADL) assessing complex life activities. 18 subjects (20.2%) were fully functional in the scope of complex everyday activities. The highest number were independent in their financial affairs (N=52; 58.4%), preparation and taking of medicine (N=45; 50.6%), and using the telephone (N=39; 43.8%). Lack of self-reliance was most commonly observed with difficult housework (N=62; 69.7%), shopping (N=55; 61.8%), and walking distances exceeding regular walks (N=46; 51.7%). No relation was observed between gender, usage of social welfare, and self-reliance in complex everyday activities. Deterioration in efficiency in the scope of complex everyday activities was observed which progressed with age, and was worse among the unmarried subjects. A relation between material situation and independence, based on the IADL scale, was confirmed, with the exception of using the telephone. 1). People of old age living in the countryside most often need help with complex everyday housework, shopping, and walking distances exceeding regular walks. 2). With the advancement of age, the subjects need help with all IADL activities increased.

A Schutzian Analysis of Prayer with Perspectives from Linguistic Philosophy.

PubMed

Hoshikawa, K; Staudigl, M

2017-01-01

In this paper, we propose to analyze the phenomenon of Christian prayer by way of combining two different analytical frameworks. We start by applying Schutz's theories of "intersubjectivity," "inner time," "politheticality," and "multiple realities," and then proceed by drawing on the ideas and insights of linguistic philosophers, notably, Wittgenstein's "language-game," Austin's "speech act," and Evans's "logic of self-involvement". In conjoining these accounts, we wish to demonstrate how their combination sheds new light on understanding the phenomenon of prayer. Prayer is a complex phenomenon that involves two major dimensions: the private and the social, as Matthew (6: 6) and Acts (1: 14), respectively, demonstrate. Schutz's study of the phenomenon of "inner time" and the "polithetical" structure of consciousness, at both the subjective and intersubjective level, provides a useful lens to analyze these two dimensions. In addition, prayer, in following a specific set of rules, can also be considered as a specific, i.e., religious "language-game". In the last analysis, however, we propose to analyze prayer (and, finally, religion) within the Schutzian framework of "multiple realities," "enclaves," and "symbolic appresentation," which permits accessing the "religious finite province of meaning" in the very midst of the paramount reality of everyday life. In a nutshell, we claim that Christian prayer is a practice of constructing and living within a "religious province of meaning" in the everyday world; it is a practice that revolves around self-involving language-activities such as praising, confessing, thanksgiving, or requesting to God, which enable the praying subject to transfigure the language of everydayness and "see through" (Schutz) the world of everyday life in order to let it appear in a different light, e.g., the light of grace, gift, and salvation.

Knowledge and practice of physical exercise among the inhabitants of Bangkok.

PubMed

Dajpratham, Piyapat; Chadchavalpanichaya, Navaporn

2007-11-01

To study the knowledge and practice of physical exercise among the inhabitants of Bangkok. The factors correlated with knowledge and the practice of physical exercise, were also explored. A self-administered questionnaire was designed to survey 1200 inhabitants in Bangkok and the vicinity aged more than 18 years old. One thousand one hundred and seven people aged ranging from 18-81 years old completed the questionnaires (response rate 92.25%). Six hundred and forty people (58.4%) exercised regularly. The exercise was performed 1-2 days per week with varied duration. They performed exercises alone, in their homes, in the evening. They did not report any expenditure on the exercises. Common types of exercise reported were walking, jogging, attending an aerobic exercise class, using an exercise machine, and callisthenic exercise. Two hundred and seven people (18.9%) did not perform exercise at all because of the lack of time. The factors correlated with regular exercise were the increasing age, the high level of education, the amount of free time per day, and the enjoyment of exercise. With relation to knowledge of exercise, most people lacked knowledge of the benefits of exercise rather than how to do exercise and when to stop exercising. People who had a higher educational level than secondary school and a high income, practiced exercise everyday. They acquired their knowledge of exercise from attending an exercise course. People living in Bangkok usually performed regular exercises of 1-2 days per week with varied duration. The majority lacked knowledge of the benefits of exercise. Educational level of the samples was the only factor correlated with both regular exercise and knowledge of exercise.

Envelope statistics of self-motion signals experienced by human subjects during everyday activities: Implications for vestibular processing.

PubMed

Carriot, Jérome; Jamali, Mohsen; Cullen, Kathleen E; Chacron, Maurice J

2017-01-01

There is accumulating evidence that the brain's neural coding strategies are constrained by natural stimulus statistics. Here we investigated the statistics of the time varying envelope (i.e. a second-order stimulus attribute that is related to variance) of rotational and translational self-motion signals experienced by human subjects during everyday activities. We found that envelopes can reach large values across all six motion dimensions (~450 deg/s for rotations and ~4 G for translations). Unlike results obtained in other sensory modalities, the spectral power of envelope signals decreased slowly for low (< 2 Hz) and more sharply for high (>2 Hz) temporal frequencies and thus was not well-fit by a power law. We next compared the spectral properties of envelope signals resulting from active and passive self-motion, as well as those resulting from signals obtained when the subject is absent (i.e. external stimuli). Our data suggest that different mechanisms underlie deviation from scale invariance in rotational and translational self-motion envelopes. Specifically, active self-motion and filtering by the human body cause deviation from scale invariance primarily for translational and rotational envelope signals, respectively. Finally, we used well-established models in order to predict the responses of peripheral vestibular afferents to natural envelope stimuli. We found that irregular afferents responded more strongly to envelopes than their regular counterparts. Our findings have important consequences for understanding the coding strategies used by the vestibular system to process natural second-order self-motion signals.

Sensitivity of Four Subtests of the Test of Everyday Attention For Children (TEA-Ch) to Stimulant Medication in Children with ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sutcliffe, Paul A.; Bishop, Dorothy V.M.; Houghton, Stephen

2006-01-01

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were examined on four subtests of the Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA-Ch) when on and off stimulant medication. Performance was assessed relative to 18 individually age-matched controls. Children with ADHD performed significantly worse on TEA-Ch measures when off compared…

Schizophrenia and prospective memory impairments: a review.

PubMed

Wang, Ya; Chan, Raymond C K; Shum, David H K

2017-11-22

Prospective memory (PM) is the ability to remember to carry out intended actions in the future. Prospective forgetting has been shown to be one of the key cognitive impairments that contribute to medication non-adherence, reduced independence, and social dysfunction in individuals with schizophrenia. This review aimed to provide an up to date appraisal of the nature and extent of PM impairments in individuals with schizophrenia and those who are at risk and to discuss clinical applications in this area. We searched and reviewed relevant studies in this area between 2013 and August 2017. Findings of studies conducted so far indicate that PM is severely impaired in schizophrenia. The most frequent type of PM errors in individuals with schizophrenia is no response, or failure to carry out the intended action. PM impairments in schizophrenia have been found to be related to everyday functioning. For individuals with schizophrenia, a number of assessment techniques have been developed to assess PM. These include: self-report questionnaires, computerized tasks, psychometric test batteries, and virtual reality tasks. So far, a few studies have used the compensatory approach to improve PM performance in individuals with schizophrenia and those who are at risk, and the results reported are promising. Based on findings of these studies, suggestions for the development of interventions for PM impairments in individuals with schizophrenia are provided. PM dysfunction is an important impairment in individuals with schizophrenia, and more rehabilitation studies to improve PM performance in these individuals are needed.

Internet Trolling and Everyday Sadism: Parallel Effects on Pain Perception and Moral Judgment.

PubMed

Buckels, Erin E; Trapnell, Paul D; Andjelovic, Tamara; Paulhus, Delroy L

2018-04-16

To clarify the association between online trolling and sadistic personality; and provide evidence that the reward and rationalization processes at work in sadism are likewise manifest in online trolling. Online respondents (total N = 1,715) completed self-report measures of personality and trolling behavior. They subsequently engaged in one of two judgment tasks. In Study 1, respondents viewed stimuli depicting scenes of emotional/physical suffering, and provided ratings of (a) perceived pain intensity and (b) pleasure experienced while viewing the photos. In Study 2, the iTroll questionnaire was developed and validated. It was then administered alongside a moral judgment task. Across both studies, online trolling was strongly associated with a sadistic personality profile. Moreover, sadism and trolling predicted identical patterns of pleasure and harm minimization. The incremental contribution of sadism was sustained even when controlling for broader antisocial tendencies (i.e., the Dark Triad, callous-emotionality, and trait aggression). Results confirm that online trolling is motivated (at least in part) by sadistic tendencies. Coupled with effective rationalization mechanisms, sadistic pleasure can be consummated in such everyday behaviors as online trolling. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The ACTIVE conceptual framework as a structural equation model

PubMed Central

Gross, Alden L.; Payne, Brennan R.; Casanova, Ramon; Davoudzadeh, Pega; Dzierzewski, Joseph M.; Farias, Sarah; Giovannetti, Tania; Ip, Edward H.; Marsiske, Michael; Rebok, George W.; Schaie, K. Warner; Thomas, Kelsey; Willis, Sherry; Jones, Richard N.

2018-01-01

Background/Study Context Conceptual frameworks are analytic models at a high level of abstraction. Their operationalization can inform randomized trial design and sample size considerations. Methods The Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) conceptual framework was empirically tested using structural equation modeling (N=2,802). ACTIVE was guided by a conceptual framework for cognitive training in which proximal cognitive abilities (memory, inductive reasoning, speed of processing) mediate treatment-related improvement in primary outcomes (everyday problem-solving, difficulty with activities of daily living, everyday speed, driving difficulty), which in turn lead to improved secondary outcomes (health-related quality of life, health service utilization, mobility). Measurement models for each proximal, primary, and secondary outcome were developed and tested using baseline data. Each construct was then combined in one model to evaluate fit (RMSEA, CFI, normalized residuals of each indicator). To expand the conceptual model and potentially inform future trials, evidence of modification of structural model parameters was evaluated by age, years of education, sex, race, and self-rated health status. Results Preconceived measurement models for memory, reasoning, speed of processing, everyday problem-solving, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) difficulty, everyday speed, driving difficulty, and health-related quality of life each fit well to the data (all RMSEA < .05; all CFI > .95). Fit of the full model was excellent (RMSEA = .038; CFI = .924). In contrast with previous findings from ACTIVE regarding who benefits from training, interaction testing revealed associations between proximal abilities and primary outcomes are stronger on average by nonwhite race, worse health, older age, and less education (p < .005). Conclusions Empirical data confirm the hypothesized ACTIVE conceptual model. Findings suggest that the types of people who show intervention effects on cognitive performance potentially may be different from those with the greatest chance of transfer to real-world activities. PMID:29303475

Emotional Intelligence and Emotions Associated with Optimal and Dysfunctional Athletic Performance

PubMed Central

Lane, Andrew M.; Devonport, Tracey J.; Soos, Istvan; Karsai, Istvan; Leibinger, Eva; Hamar, Pal

2010-01-01

This study investigated relationships between self-report measures of emotional intelligence and memories of pre-competitive emotions before optimal and dysfunctional athletic performance. Participant-athletes (n = 284) completed a self-report measure of emotional intelligence and two measures of pre-competitive emotions; a) emotions experienced before an optimal performance, and b) emotions experienced before a dysfunctional performance. Consistent with theoretical predictions, repeated MANOVA results demonstrated pleasant emotions associated with optimal performance and unpleasant emotions associated with dysfunctional performance. Emotional intelligence correlated with pleasant emotions in both performances with individuals reporting low scores on the self-report emotional intelligence scale appearing to experience intense unpleasant emotions before dysfunctional performance. We suggest that future research should investigate relationships between emotional intelligence and emotion-regulation strategies used by athletes. Key points Athletes reporting high scores of self-report emotional intelligence tend to experience pleasant emotions. Optimal performance is associated with pleasant emotions and dysfunctional performance is associated with unpleasant emotions. Emotional intelligence might help athletes recognize which emotional states help performance. PMID:24149631

Emotional intelligence and emotions associated with optimal and dysfunctional athletic performance.

PubMed

Lane, Andrew M; Devonport, Tracey J; Soos, Istvan; Karsai, Istvan; Leibinger, Eva; Hamar, Pal

2010-01-01

This study investigated relationships between self-report measures of emotional intelligence and memories of pre-competitive emotions before optimal and dysfunctional athletic performance. Participant-athletes (n = 284) completed a self-report measure of emotional intelligence and two measures of pre-competitive emotions; a) emotions experienced before an optimal performance, and b) emotions experienced before a dysfunctional performance. Consistent with theoretical predictions, repeated MANOVA results demonstrated pleasant emotions associated with optimal performance and unpleasant emotions associated with dysfunctional performance. Emotional intelligence correlated with pleasant emotions in both performances with individuals reporting low scores on the self-report emotional intelligence scale appearing to experience intense unpleasant emotions before dysfunctional performance. We suggest that future research should investigate relationships between emotional intelligence and emotion-regulation strategies used by athletes. Key pointsAthletes reporting high scores of self-report emotional intelligence tend to experience pleasant emotions.Optimal performance is associated with pleasant emotions and dysfunctional performance is associated with unpleasant emotions.Emotional intelligence might help athletes recognize which emotional states help performance.

Faces of Shame: Implications for Self-Esteem, Emotion Regulation, Aggression, and Well-Being.

PubMed

Velotti, Patrizia; Garofalo, Carlo; Bottazzi, Federica; Caretti, Vincenzo

2017-02-17

There is an increasing interest in psychological research on shame experiences and their associations with other aspects of psychological functioning and well-being, as well as with possible maladaptive outcomes. In an attempt to confirm and extend previous knowledge on this topic, we investigated the nomological network of shame experiences in a large community sample (N = 380; 66.1% females), adopting a multidimensional conceptualization of shame. Females reported higher levels of shame (in particular, bodily and behavioral shame), guilt, psychological distress, emotional reappraisal, and hostility. Males had higher levels of self-esteem, emotional suppression, and physical aggression. Shame feelings were associated with low self-esteem, hostility, and psychological distress in a consistent way across gender. Associations between characterological shame and emotional suppression, as well as between bodily shame and anger occurred only among females. Moreover, characterological and bodily shame added to the prediction of low self-esteem, hostility, and psychological distress above and beyond the influence of trait shame. Finally, among females, emotional suppression mediated the influence of characterological shame on hostility and psychological distress. These findings extend current knowledge on the nomological net surrounding shame experiences in everyday life, supporting the added value of a multidimensional conceptualization of shame feelings.

Assessment of executive function in adolescence: a comparison of traditional and virtual reality tools.

PubMed

Lalonde, Gabrielle; Henry, Mylène; Drouin-Germain, Anne; Nolin, Pierre; Beauchamp, Miriam H

2013-09-30

Paper-pencil type tests are traditionally used in the assessment of executive functions (EF); however, concerns have been raised as to whether these represent actual functioning in everyday life. Virtual reality (VR) environments offer a novel alternative for the assessment of cognitive function and therefore have the potential to enhance the evaluation of EF by presenting individuals with stimuli that come closer to reproducing everyday situations. The aims of this study were to (1) establish which traditional paper-pencil EF tests from the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) are associated with performance on a VR-Stroop task and (2) compare D-KEFS tests and the VR-Stroop task in their ability to predict everyday EF and behavior, as measured by the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Thirty-eight typically developing adolescents aged between 13 and 17 years completed the ClinicaVR: Classroom-Stroop, and five D-KEFS subtests (Trail Making, Tower, Twenty Questions, Verbal Fluency and Color-Word Interference). Their parents completed the BRIEF and CBCL questionnaires. The results indicate that performance on the VR-Stroop task correlates with both traditional forms of EF assessment (D-KEFS, BRIEF). In particular, performance on the VR-Stroop task was closely associated with performance on a paper-pencil inhibition task. Furthermore, VR-Stroop performance more accurately reflected everyday behavioral EF than paper-pencil tasks. VR appears to offer an ecological perspective on everyday functioning and could be seen as complementary to traditional tests in the assessment of complex cognitive abilities. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Knowledge, Perceptions, and Self-reported Performance of Hand Hygiene Among Registered Nurses at Community-based Hospitals in the Republic of Korea: A Cross-sectional Multi-center Study.

PubMed

Oh, Hyang Soon

2018-05-01

To assess the nurses' hand hygiene (HH) knowledge, perception, attitude, and self-reported performance in small- and medium-sized hospitals after Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreak. The structured questionnaire was adapted from the World Health Organization's survey. Data were collected between June 26 and July 14, 2017. Nurses showed scores on knowledge (17.6±2.5), perception (69.3±0.8), self-reported HH performance of non-self (86.0±11.0), self-reported performance of self (88.2±11.0), and attitude (50.5±5.5). HH performance rate of non-self was Y 1 =36.678+ 0.555X1 (HH performance rate of self) (adjusted R 2 =0.280, p <0.001). The regression model for performance was Y 4 =18.302+0.247 X 41 (peception)+0.232 X 42 (attitude)+0.875 X 42 (role model); coefficients were significant statistically except attitude, and this model significant statistically (adjusted R 2 =0.191, p <0.001). Advanced HH education program would be developed and operated continuously. Perception, attitude, role model was found to be a significant predictors of HH performance of self. So these findings could be used in future HH promotion strategies for nurses.

Quality of life and psychosocial and physical well-being among 1,023 women during their first assisted reproductive technology treatment: secondary outcome to a randomized controlled trial comparing gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist and GnRH agonist protocols.

PubMed

Toftager, Mette; Sylvest, Randi; Schmidt, Lone; Bogstad, Jeanette; Løssl, Kristine; Prætorius, Lisbeth; Zedeler, Anne; Bryndorf, Thue; Pinborg, Anja

2018-01-01

To compare self-reported quality of life, psychosocial well-being, and physical well-being during assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment in 1,023 women allocated to either a short GnRH antagonist or long GnRH agonist protocol. Secondary outcome of a prospective phase 4, open-label, randomized controlled trial. Four times during treatment a questionnaire on self-reported physical well-being was completed. Further, a questionnaire on self-reported quality of life and psychosocial well-being was completed at the day of hCG testing. Fertility clinics at university hospitals. Women referred for their first ART treatment were randomized in a 1:1 ratio and started standardized ART protocols. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue; 528 women allocated to a short GnRH antagonist protocol and 495 women allocated to a long GnRH agonist protocol. Self-reported quality of life, psychosocial well-being, and physical well-being based on questionnaires developed for women receiving ART treatment. Baseline characteristics were similar, and response rates were 79.4% and 74.3% in the GnRH antagonist and GnRH agonist groups, respectively. Self-reported quality of life during ART treatment was rated similar and slightly below normal in both groups. However, women in the GnRH antagonist group felt less emotional (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.69), less limited in their everyday life (AOR 0.74), experienced less unexpected crying (AOR 0.71), and rated quality of sleep better (AOR 1.55). Further, women receiving GnRH agonist treatment felt worse physically. Women in a short GnRH antagonist protocol rated psychosocial and physical well-being during first ART treatment better than did women in a long GnRH agonist protocol. However, the one item on self-reported general quality of life was rated similarly. NCT00756028. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Network of movement and proximity sensors for monitoring upper-extremity motor activity after stroke: proof of principle.

PubMed

Sokal, Brad; Uswatte, Gitendra; Barman, Joydip; Brewer, Michael; Byrom, Ezekiel; Latten, Jessica; Joseph, Jeethu; Serafim, Camila; Ghaffari, Touraj; Sarkar, Nilanjan

2014-03-01

To test the convergent validity of an objective method, Sensor-Enabled Radio-frequency Identification System for Monitoring Arm Activity (SERSMAA), that distinguishes between functional and nonfunctional activity. Cross-sectional study. Laboratory. Participants (N=25) were ≥0.2 years poststroke (median, 9) with a wide range of severity of upper-extremity hemiparesis. Not applicable. After stroke, laboratory tests of the motor capacity of the more-affected arm poorly predict spontaneous use of that arm in daily life. However, available subjective methods for measuring everyday arm use are vulnerable to self-report biases, whereas available objective methods only provide information on the amount of activity without regard to its relation with function. The SERSMAA consists of a proximity-sensor receiver on the more-affected arm and multiple units placed on objects. Functional activity is signaled when the more-affected arm is close to an object that is moved. Participants were videotaped during a laboratory simulation of an everyday activity, that is, setting a table with cups, bowls, and plates instrumented with transmitters. Observers independently coded the videos in 2-second blocks with a validated system for classifying more-affected arm activity. There was a strong correlation (r=.87, P<.001) between time that the more-affected arm was used for handling objects according to the SERSMAA and functional activity according to the observers. The convergent validity of SERSMAA for measuring more-affected arm functional activity after stroke was supported in a simulation of everyday activity. Copyright © 2014 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From experiment to publication in one semester: a lecture course model on the basis of a photonic researcher's every-day tasks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerhard, Christoph; Wieneke, Stephan

2015-10-01

We report on a lecture course model that we established three semesters ago in order to strengthen practice-orientated teaching in optics and photonics: In the frame of the lecture "Advanced Laser Treatment", which is a mandatory course of our university's master degree curriculum, students now have the possibility to experience a researcher's every-day tasks. In small groups, the attendees work on a self-contained topic which is defined by the lecturers. The work load and content is in the scale of a small work package of a usual research project. It includes the initial research on the state of the art, the experimentation using different laser sources, and the subsequent evaluation of the obtained results. On the basis of this work, the students then prepare a draft of a scientific paper and finally present their results and findings orally in a conference-like exam. This lecture course model has turned out to be an appropriate teaching method for practice-orientated subjects. It was observed that the students are much more motivated and work more independently than during a classical lecture with a certain amount of lab work. Having sole responsibility supports to identify with their project. Further, this lecture course model helps to develop scientific work skills, attain first experience in every-day research tasks and encourages creativity. In some cases, the paper drafts written by the students can even be published, representing a valuable starting point for their future professional career.

Diabetes: a cross-cultural interview study of immigrants from Somalia.

PubMed

Wallin, Anne-Marie; Löfvander, Monica; Ahlström, Gerd

2007-11-01

To describe how diabetic immigrants from Somalia experience everyday life in Sweden and how they manage diabetes-related problems, with inclusion of a gender perspective. To treat and care for minority populations successfully, healthcare staff in Sweden must thoroughly understand the illness experiences of different ethnic groups. However, no studies have so far been reported that focus on immigrants from Somalia with diabetes. Descriptive, qualitative interview study with 19 diabetic adults born in Somalia and now living in Sweden. Cross-cultural interviews with the aid of an interpreter. The transcribed interviews were subjected to qualitative latent content analysis, resulting in sub-themes and themes. Four themes emerged: experience of distress in everyday life; everyday life continues as before; comprehensibility gives a feeling of control; and being compliant. A major finding was the variation in how the participants managed the fasting month of Ramadan. Several participants fasted and did not see the diabetes as an obstacle, others did see it as an obstacle or indicated that fasting was not compulsory for a sick person. This study provides healthcare staff with information about how a minority group experience and manage diabetes. The results indicate the importance of considering cultural background, as well as religious traditions such as Ramadan, in diabetes care. They also indicate that men and women differ in their reaction to diabetes and that care should be adapted to this. It is important to develop evidence-based guidelines for diabetes care in ethnic groups that are fasting during Ramadan to prevent complications and promote relevant self-care. Further, the prescribed dietary advice must be culturally appropriate.

Anticipated Benefits of Care (ABC): psychometrics and predictive value in psychiatric disorders.

PubMed

Warden, D; Trivedi, M H; Carmody, T J; Gollan, J K; Kashner, T M; Lind, L; Crismon, M L; Rush, A J

2010-06-01

Attitudes and expectations about treatment have been associated with symptomatic outcomes, adherence and utilization in patients with psychiatric disorders. No measure of patients' anticipated benefits of treatment on domains of everyday functioning has previously been available. The Anticipated Benefits of Care (ABC) is a new, 10-item questionnaire used to measure patient expectations about the impact of treatment on domains of everyday functioning. The ABC was collected at baseline in adult out-patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) (n=528), bipolar disorder (n=395) and schizophrenia (n=447) in the Texas Medication Algorithm Project (TMAP). Psychometric properties of the ABC were assessed, and the association of ABC scores with treatment response at 3 months was evaluated. Evaluation of the ABC's internal consistency yielded Cronbach's alpha of 0.90-0.92 for patients across disorders. Factor analysis showed that the ABC was unidimensional for all patients and for patients with each disorder. For patients with MDD, lower anticipated benefits of treatment was associated with less symptom improvement and lower odds of treatment response [odds ratio (OR) 0.72, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.57-0.87, p=0.0011]. There was no association between ABC and symptom improvement or treatment response for patients with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, possibly because these patients had modest benefits with treatment. The ABC is the first self-report that measures patient expectations about the benefits of treatment on everyday functioning, filling an important gap in available assessments of attitudes and expectations about treatment. The ABC is simple, easy to use, and has acceptable psychometric properties for use in research or clinical settings.

Effectiveness and feasibility of Socratic feedback to increase awareness of deficits in patients with acquired brain injury: Four single-case experimental design (SCED) studies.

PubMed

Schrijnemaekers, Anne-Claire M C; Winkens, Ieke; Rasquin, Sascha M C; Verhaeg, Annette; Ponds, Rudolf W H M; van Heugten, Caroline M

2018-06-29

To investigate the effectiveness and feasibility of a Socratic feedback programme to improve awareness of deficits in patients with acquired brain injury (ABI). Rehabilitation centre. Four patients with ABI with awareness problems. A series of single-case experimental design studies with random intervention starting points (A-B + maintenance design). Rate of trainer-feedback and self-control behaviour on everyday tasks, patient competency rating scale (PCRS), self-regulating skills interview (SRSI), hospital anxiety and depression scale. All patients needed less trainer feedback, the change was significant in 3 out of 4. One patient increased in overt self-corrective behaviour. SRSI performance increased in all patients (medium to strong effect size), and PCRS performance increased in two patients (medium and strong effect size). Mood and anxiety levels were elevated in one patient at the beginning of the training and decreased to normal levels at the end of the training. The feasibility of the programme was scored 9 out of 10. The Socratic feedback method is a promising intervention for improving awareness of deficits in patients with ABI. Controlled studies with larger populations are needed to draw more solid conclusions about the effect of this method.

Everyday action in schizophrenia: performance patterns and underlying cognitive mechanisms.

PubMed

Kessler, Rachel K; Giovannetti, Tania; MacMullen, Laura R

2007-07-01

Everyday action is impaired among individuals with schizophrenia, yet few studies have characterized the nature of this deficit using performance-based measures. This study examined the performance of 20 individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder on the Naturalistic Action Test (M. F. Schwartz, L. J. Buxbaum, M. Ferraro, T. Veramonti, & M. Segal, 2003). Performance was coded to examine overall impairment, task accomplishment, and error patterns and was compared with that of healthy controls (n = 28) and individuals with mild dementia (n = 23). Additionally, 2 competing accounts of everyday action deficits, the resource theory and an executive account, were evaluated. When compared with controls, the participants with schizophrenia demonstrated impaired performance. Relative to dementia patients, participants with schizophrenia obtained higher accomplishment scores but committed comparable rates of errors. Moreover, distributions of error types for the 2 groups differed, with the participants with schizophrenia demonstrating greater proportions of errors associated with executive dysfunction. This is the 1st study to show different Naturalistic Action Test performance patterns between 2 neurologically impaired populations. The distinct performance pattern demonstrated by individuals with schizophrenia reflects specific deficits in executive function.

Reverse ego-depletion: Acts of self-control can improve subsequent performance in Indian cultural contexts.

PubMed

Savani, Krishna; Job, Veronika

2017-10-01

The strength model of self-control has been predominantly tested with people from Western cultures. The present research asks whether the phenomenon of ego-depletion generalizes to a culture emphasizing the virtues of exerting mental self-control in everyday life. A pilot study found that whereas Americans tended to believe that exerting willpower on mental tasks is depleting, Indians tended to believe that exerting willpower is energizing. Using dual task ego-depletion paradigms, Studies 1a, 1b, and 1c found reverse ego-depletion among Indian participants, such that participants exhibited better mental self-control on a subsequent task after initially working on strenuous rather than nonstrenuous cognitive tasks. Studies 2 and 3 found that Westerners exhibited the ego-depletion effect whereas Indians exhibited the reverse ego-depletion effect on the same set of tasks. Study 4 documented the causal effect of lay beliefs about whether exerting willpower is depleting versus energizing on reverse ego-depletion with both Indian and Western participants. Together, these studies reveal the underlying basis of the ego-depletion phenomenon in culturally shaped lay theories about willpower. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Dynamic self-cleaning in gecko setae via digital hyperextension

PubMed Central

Hu, Shihao; Lopez, Stephanie; Niewiarowski, Peter H.; Xia, Zhenhai

2012-01-01

Gecko toe pads show strong adhesion on various surfaces yet remain remarkably clean around everyday contaminants. An understanding of how geckos clean their toe pads while being in motion is essential for the elucidation of animal behaviours as well as the design of biomimetic devices with optimal performance. Here, we test the self-cleaning of geckos during locomotion. We provide, to our knowledge, the first evidence that geckos clean their feet through a unique dynamic self-cleaning mechanism via digital hyperextension. When walking naturally with hyperextension, geckos shed dirt from their toes twice as fast as they would if walking without hyperextension, returning their feet to nearly 80 per cent of their original stickiness in only four steps. Our dynamic model predicts that when setae suddenly release from the attached substrate, they generate enough inertial force to dislodge dirt particles from the attached spatulae. The predicted cleaning force on dirt particles significantly increases when the dynamic effect is included. The extraordinary design of gecko toe pads perfectly combines dynamic self-cleaning with repeated attachment/detachment, making gecko feet sticky yet clean. This work thus provides a new mechanism to be considered for biomimetic design of highly reuseable and reliable dry adhesives and devices. PMID:22696482

Waking Up on the Wrong Side of the Bed: The Effects of Stress Anticipation on Working Memory in Daily Life.

PubMed

Hyun, Jinshil; Sliwinski, Martin J; Smyth, Joshua M

2018-05-15

The aim of this study was to examine the association between stress anticipated for the upcoming day and cognitive function later on that day, and how this relationship differed across age. A diverse adult community sample (N = 240, age 25-65 years) completed ecological momentary assessment (EMA) reports for 2 weeks on a smartphone; each day they completed a morning survey upon waking, beeped surveys at five times during a day, and an end-of-day survey. Morning and end-of-day surveys included questions to measure stress anticipation, and each beeped survey included measures of stressful events, followed by a spatial working memory (WM) task. Results from multilevel models indicated that stress anticipation reported upon waking, but not on the previous night, was associated with deficit in WM performance later that day; importantly, this effect was over and above the effect of EMA-reported stress. The detrimental effect of stress anticipation upon waking was invariant across age. These findings suggest that anticipatory processes can produce harmful effects on cognitive functioning that are independent of everyday stress experiences. This may identify an important avenue to mitigate everyday cognitive lapses among older adults.

The efficacy and safety of extended-release methylphenidate following traumatic brain injury: a randomised controlled pilot study.

PubMed

Dymowski, Alicia R; Ponsford, Jennie L; Owens, Jacqueline A; Olver, John H; Ponsford, Michael; Willmott, Catherine

2017-06-01

To investigate the feasibility, safety and efficacy of extended-release methylphenidate in enhancing processing speed, complex attentional functioning and everyday attentional behaviour after traumatic brain injury. Seven week randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel pilot study. Inpatient and outpatient Acquired Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program. Eleven individuals with reduced processing speed and/or attention deficits following complicated mild to severe traumatic brain injury. Participants were allocated using a blocked randomisation schedule to receive daily extended-release methylphenidate (Ritalin ® LA at a dose of 0.6 mg/kg) or placebo (lactose) in identical capsules. Tests of processing speed and complex attention, and ratings of everyday attentional behaviour were completed at baseline, week 7 (on-drug), week 8 (off-drug) and 9 months follow-up. Vital signs and side effects were monitored from baseline to week 8. Three percent ( n = 11) of individuals screened participated (mean post-traumatic amnesia duration = 63.80 days, SD = 45.15). Results were analysed for six and four individuals on methylphenidate and placebo, respectively. Groups did not differ on attentional test performance or relative/therapist ratings of everyday attentional behaviour. One methylphenidate participant withdrew due to difficulty sleeping. Methylphenidate was associated with trends towards increased blood pressure and reported anxiety. Methylphenidate was not associated with enhanced processing speed, attentional functioning or everyday attentional behaviour after traumatic brain injury. Alternative treatments for attention deficits after traumatic brain injury should be explored given the limited feasibility of methylphenidate in this population.

Lesion mapping of social problem solving

PubMed Central

Colom, Roberto; Paul, Erick J.; Chau, Aileen; Solomon, Jeffrey; Grafman, Jordan H.

2014-01-01

Accumulating neuroscience evidence indicates that human intelligence is supported by a distributed network of frontal and parietal regions that enable complex, goal-directed behaviour. However, the contributions of this network to social aspects of intellectual function remain to be well characterized. Here, we report a human lesion study (n = 144) that investigates the neural bases of social problem solving (measured by the Everyday Problem Solving Inventory) and examine the degree to which individual differences in performance are predicted by a broad spectrum of psychological variables, including psychometric intelligence (measured by the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale), emotional intelligence (measured by the Mayer, Salovey, Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test), and personality traits (measured by the Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness Personality Inventory). Scores for each variable were obtained, followed by voxel-based lesion–symptom mapping. Stepwise regression analyses revealed that working memory, processing speed, and emotional intelligence predict individual differences in everyday problem solving. A targeted analysis of specific everyday problem solving domains (involving friends, home management, consumerism, work, information management, and family) revealed psychological variables that selectively contribute to each. Lesion mapping results indicated that social problem solving, psychometric intelligence, and emotional intelligence are supported by a shared network of frontal, temporal, and parietal regions, including white matter association tracts that bind these areas into a coordinated system. The results support an integrative framework for understanding social intelligence and make specific recommendations for the application of the Everyday Problem Solving Inventory to the study of social problem solving in health and disease. PMID:25070511

Abbreviated Goal Management Training Shows Preliminary Evidence as a Neurorehabilitation Tool for HIV-associated Neurocognitive Disorders among Substance Users

PubMed Central

Casaletto, Kaitlin B.; Moore, David J.; Woods, Steven Paul; Umlauf, Anya; Scott, J. C.; Heaton, Robert K.

2016-01-01

Objective Substance use disorders are highly comorbid with and contribute to the increased prevalence of neurocognitive dysfunction observed in HIV infection. Despite their adverse impact on everyday functioning, there are currently no compensatory-based neurorehabilitation interventions validated for use among HIV+ substance users (HIV/SUD). This study examined the effectiveness of Goal Management Training (GMT) alone or GMT as part of a metacognitive training among HIV/SUD individuals with executive dysfunction. Methods Ninety HIV/SUD individuals were randomized to a single 15-minute session: 1) GMT (n=30); 2) GMT plus metacognitive training (neurocognitive awareness; GMT+Meta; n=30); or 3) active control (n=30). Following a brief neurocognitive battery and study condition, participants performed a complex laboratory-based function task, Everyday Multitasking Test (Everyday MT), during which metacognition (awareness) was evaluated. Results There was an increasing, but nonsignificant tendency for better Everyday MT performances across study conditions (Control≤GMT≤GMT+Meta; ps<0.08). Post-hoc analyses showed that GMT and GMT+Meta groups demonstrated small benefits (d=0.20–0.27) compared to the control arm but did not differ from one another (ds<0.10). When GMT groups were combined, there were significant medium effect-size benefits in Everyday MT performance and metacognitive task appraisals as compared to the control condition. Among participants who underwent GMT, benefits were most prominent in persons with poorer pre-training dual-tasking ability, depression, and methamphetamine use disorders (ds=0.35–1.04). Conclusions A brief compensatory strategy has benefits for everyday multitasking and metacognition among HIV+ substance users with executive dysfunction. Future work exploring more intensive trainings, potentially complimentary to other restorative approaches and/or pharmacological treatments, is warranted. PMID:26753986

Non-native Listeners’ Recognition of High-Variability Speech Using PRESTO

PubMed Central

Tamati, Terrin N.; Pisoni, David B.

2015-01-01

Background Natural variability in speech is a significant challenge to robust successful spoken word recognition. In everyday listening environments, listeners must quickly adapt and adjust to multiple sources of variability in both the signal and listening environments. High-variability speech may be particularly difficult to understand for non-native listeners, who have less experience with the second language (L2) phonological system and less detailed knowledge of sociolinguistic variation of the L2. Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of high-variability sentences on non-native speech recognition and to explore the underlying sources of individual differences in speech recognition abilities of non-native listeners. Research Design Participants completed two sentence recognition tasks involving high-variability and low-variability sentences. They also completed a battery of behavioral tasks and self-report questionnaires designed to assess their indexical processing skills, vocabulary knowledge, and several core neurocognitive abilities. Study Sample Native speakers of Mandarin (n = 25) living in the United States recruited from the Indiana University community participated in the current study. A native comparison group consisted of scores obtained from native speakers of English (n = 21) in the Indiana University community taken from an earlier study. Data Collection and Analysis Speech recognition in high-variability listening conditions was assessed with a sentence recognition task using sentences from PRESTO (Perceptually Robust English Sentence Test Open-Set) mixed in 6-talker multitalker babble. Speech recognition in low-variability listening conditions was assessed using sentences from HINT (Hearing In Noise Test) mixed in 6-talker multitalker babble. Indexical processing skills were measured using a talker discrimination task, a gender discrimination task, and a forced-choice regional dialect categorization task. Vocabulary knowledge was assessed with the WordFam word familiarity test, and executive functioning was assessed with the BRIEF-A (Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function – Adult Version) self-report questionnaire. Scores from the non-native listeners on behavioral tasks and self-report questionnaires were compared with scores obtained from native listeners tested in a previous study and were examined for individual differences. Results Non-native keyword recognition scores were significantly lower on PRESTO sentences than on HINT sentences. Non-native listeners’ keyword recognition scores were also lower than native listeners’ scores on both sentence recognition tasks. Differences in performance on the sentence recognition tasks between non-native and native listeners were larger on PRESTO than on HINT, although group differences varied by signal-to-noise ratio. The non-native and native groups also differed in the ability to categorize talkers by region of origin and in vocabulary knowledge. Individual non-native word recognition accuracy on PRESTO sentences in multitalker babble at more favorable signal-to-noise ratios was found to be related to several BRIEF-A subscales and composite scores. However, non-native performance on PRESTO was not related to regional dialect categorization, talker and gender discrimination, or vocabulary knowledge. Conclusions High-variability sentences in multitalker babble were particularly challenging for non-native listeners. Difficulty under high-variability testing conditions was related to lack of experience with the L2, especially L2 sociolinguistic information, compared with native listeners. Individual differences among the non-native listeners were related to weaknesses in core neurocognitive abilities affecting behavioral control in everyday life. PMID:25405842

Sustaining visual attention in the face of distraction: a novel gradual-onset continuous performance task.

PubMed

Rosenberg, Monica; Noonan, Sarah; DeGutis, Joseph; Esterman, Michael

2013-04-01

Sustained attention is a fundamental aspect of human cognition and has been widely studied in applied and clinical contexts. Despite a growing understanding of how attention varies throughout task performance, moment-to-moment fluctuations are often difficult to assess. In order to better characterize fluctuations in sustained visual attention, in the present study we employed a novel continuous performance task (CPT), the gradual-onset CPT (gradCPT). In the gradCPT, a central face stimulus gradually transitions between individuals at a constant rate (1,200 ms), and participants are instructed to respond to each male face but not to a rare target female face. In the distractor-present version, the background distractors consist of scene images, and in the distractor-absent condition, of phase-scrambled scene images. The results confirmed that the gradCPT taxes sustained attention, as vigilance decrements were observed over the task's 12-min duration: Participants made more commission errors and showed increasingly variable response latencies (RTs) over time. Participants' attentional states also fluctuated from moment to moment, with periods of higher RT variability being associated with increased likelihood of errors and greater speed-accuracy trade-offs. In addition, task performance was related to self-reported mindfulness and the propensity for attention lapses in everyday life. The gradCPT is a useful tool for studying both low- and high-frequency fluctuations in sustained visual attention and is sensitive to individual differences in attentional ability.

"I am just thankful": the experience of gratitude following traumatic spinal cord injury.

PubMed

Chun, Sanghee; Lee, Youngkhill

2013-01-01

This study explored the experience of gratitude in everyday life following traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) by applying thematic analysis to personal experience narratives. Fifteen participants including two negative cases with SCI shared individual experiences of gratitude according to five themes: (a) everyday life, (b) family support, (c) new opportunities, (d) positive sense of self, and (e) gratitude to God. The findings demonstrated that participants benefited from their efforts to appraise challenging life experiences as positive. Therapists could apply intentional and guided gratitude interventions so that individuals would practice and embrace gratitude in adjusting, coping, and adapting positively to various life changes following trauma.

Validation of a simple disease-specific, quality-of-life measure for diabetic polyneuropathy: CAPPRI.

PubMed

Gwathmey, Kelly G; Sadjadi, Reza; Horton, William B; Conaway, Mark R; Barnett-Tapia, Carolina; Bril, Vera; Russell, James W; Shaibani, Aziz; Mauermann, Michelle L; Hehir, Michael K; Kolb, Noah; Guptill, Jeffrey; Hobson-Webb, Lisa; Gable, Karissa; Raja, Shruti; Silvestri, Nicholas; Wolfe, Gil I; Smith, A Gordon; Malik, Rabia; Traub, Rebecca; Joshi, Amruta; Elliott, Matthew P; Jones, Sarah; Burns, Ted M

2018-06-05

We studied the performance of a 15-item, health-related quality-of-life polyneuropathy scale in the clinic setting in patients with diabetic distal sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSPN). Patients with DSPN from 11 academic sites completed a total of 231 Chronic Acquired Polyneuropathy Patient-Reported Index (CAPPRI) scales during their clinic visits. Conventional and modern psychometric analyses were performed on the completed forms. Conventional and modern analyses generally indicated excellent psychometric properties of the CAPPRI in patients with DSPN. For example, the CAPPRI demonstrated unidimensionality and performed like an interval-level scale. Attributes of the CAPPRI for DSPN include ease of use and interpretation; unidimensionality, allowing scores to be summed; adequate coverage of disease severity; and the scale's ability to address relevant life domains. Furthermore, the CAPPRI is free and in the public domain. The CAPPRI may assist the clinician and patient with DSPN in estimating disease-specific quality of life, especially in terms of pain, sleep, psychological well-being, and everyday function. The CAPPRI may be most useful in the everyday clinical setting but merits further study in this setting, as well as the clinical trial setting. © 2018 American Academy of Neurology.

Effect of Methamphetamine Dependence on Everyday Functional Ability

PubMed Central

Henry, Brook L.; Minassian, Arpi; Perry, William

2010-01-01

Background Methamphetamine (METH) is an increasing popular and highly addictive psychostimulant with a significant impact on public health. Chronic METH exposure has been associated with neurotoxic effects, profound neuropsychological deficits, and impaired quality of life, but few studies have examined the effect of the drug on the ability to carry out everyday activities. We assessed the effect of METH dependence on everyday functioning using the UCSD Performance-Based Skills Assessment (UPSA-2), a performance-based measure designed to evaluate real-life skills. Method UPSA-2 performance was quantified in 15 currently abstinent individuals with a history of METH dependence and 15 drug-free comparison subjects. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST) were administered to assess psychopathology and executive function. Results METH-dependent participants exhibited significant impairment on the UPSA-2 total score and several UPSA-2 subscales, including comprehension, finance, transportation, communication, and medication management compared to drug-free comparison subjects. Lower UPSA-2 scores were associated with impaired performance on the WCST, higher PANSS scores, and drug use at an earlier age. Conclusion METH dependence may be associated with decreased everyday functioning ability potentially mediated by frontal cortex dysfunction or the emergence of psychopathology related to chronic drug use. PMID:20167435

Are self-injurers impulsive?:Results from two behavioral laboratory studies

PubMed Central

Janis, Irene Belle; Nock, Matthew K.

2009-01-01

Common clinical wisdom suggests that people who engage in self-injury are impulsive. However, virtually all prior work in this area has relied on individuals’ self-report of impulsiveness, despite evidence that people are limited in their ability to accurately report on cognitive processes that occur outside awareness. To address this knowledge gap, we used performance-based measures of several dimensions of impulsiveness to assess whether people engaging in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) demonstrate greater impulsiveness than non-injurers. In Study 1, we compared adolescent self-injurers (n=64) to age, sex, and race/ethnicity matched, non-injurious controls (n=30) on self-report impulsiveness (Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Age Children, Present and Lifetime Version, Kaufman et al., 1997), and on performance-based measures of two dimensions of impulsiveness: behavioral disinhibition (Conners’ Continuous Performance Test, Connors, 1995) and risky decision-making (Iowa Gambling Task, Bechara et al., 1994). In Study 2, we compared adult female self-injurers (n=20) to age and race/ethnicity matched, non-injurious controls (n=20) on self-report impulsiveness (Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11, Patton et al., 1995), and performance-based measures of behavioral disinhibition, risky decision-making, and two measures of delay discounting (Kirby et al., 1999; Richards et al., 1999). In both studies, self-injurers reported greater impulsiveness; however, performance-based measures of impulsiveness failed to detect any between-group differences. We propose several potential explanations for the discrepancies observed between self-report and performance-based measures of impulsiveness and discuss directions for future research on impulsiveness and self-injury. PMID:19758706

Depression and embodiment: phenomenological reflections on motility, affectivity, and transcendence.

PubMed

Aho, Kevin A

2013-11-01

This paper integrates personal narratives with the methods of phenomenology in order to draw some general conclusions about 'what it means' and 'what it feels like' to be depressed. The analysis has three parts. First, it explores the ways in which depression disrupts everyday experiences of spatial orientation and motility. This disruption makes it difficult for the person to move and perform basic functional tasks, resulting in a collapse or contraction of the life-world. Second, it illustrates how depression creates a situational atmosphere of emotional indifference that reduces the person's ability to qualitatively distinguish what matters in his or her life because nothing stands out as significant or important anymore. In this regard, depression is distinct from other feelings because it is not directed towards particular objects or situations but to the world as a whole. Finally, the paper examines how depression diminishes the possibility for 'self-creation' or 'self-making'. Restricted by the illness, depression becomes something of a destiny, preventing the person from being open and free to access a range of alternative self-interpretations, identities, and possible ways of being-in-the-world.

Outside of the laboratory: Associations of working-memory performance with psychological and physiological arousal vary with age.

PubMed

Riediger, Michaela; Wrzus, Cornelia; Klipker, Kathrin; Müller, Viktor; Schmiedek, Florian; Wagner, Gert G

2014-03-01

We investigated age differences in associations among self-reported experiences of tense and energetic arousal, physiological activation indicated by heart rate, and working-memory performance in everyday life. The sample comprised 92 participants aged 14-83 years. Data were collected for 24 hr while participants pursued their normal daily routines. Participants wore an ambulatory biomonitoring system that recorded their cardiac and physical activity. Using mobile phones as assessment devices, they also provided an average of 7 assessments of their momentary experiences of tense arousal (feeling nervous) and energetic arousal (feeling wide-awake) and completed 2 trials of a well-practiced working-memory task. Experiences of higher energetic arousal were associated with higher heart rate in participants younger than 50 years of age but not in participants older than that, and energetic arousal was unrelated to within-person fluctuations in working-memory performance. Experiences of tense arousal were associated with higher heart rate independent of participants' age. Tense arousal and physiological activation were accompanied by momentary impairments in working-memory performance in middle-aged and older adults but not in younger individuals. Results suggest that psychological arousal experiences are associated with lower working-memory performance in middle-aged and older adults when they are accompanied by increased physiological activation and that the same is true for physiological activation deriving from other influences. Hence, age differences in cognitive performance may be exaggerated when the assessment situation itself elicits tense arousal or occurs in situations with higher physiological arousal arising from affective experiences, physical activity, or circadian rhythms. (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Switching between Everyday and Scientific Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blown, Eric J.; Bryce, Tom G. K.

2017-01-01

The research reported here investigated the everyday and scientific repertoires of children involved in semi-structured, Piagetian interviews carried out to check their understanding of dynamic astronomical concepts like daytime and night-time. It focused on the switching taking place between embedded and disembedded thinking; on the imagery which…

Development and evaluation of a self-care assessment inventory for workers.

PubMed

Ogasawara, Eiko; Shiihara, Yasufumi; Ando, Michiyo

2013-06-01

To develop and evaluate a self-care assessment inventory for workers (SCAI-W). A study using a self-care assessment inventory for workers consisting of 27 self-care items, the Japanese version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Japanese version of the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology Mood Adjective Checklist (JUMACL) was conducted. These questionnaires were distributed to 2297 workers. There were 893 valid responses (39.9%, 584 men and 309 women, mean age 37.2±10.2 years). Three primary and eight secondary factors were established for the conceptual structure of self-care and validated by structural equation modeling. "Positive attitude" comprised the secondary factors, "hope" and "sense of fulfillment", and was influenced by another secondary factor, "social support". "Positive attitude" contributed to "attitude toward health". "Attitude toward health" comprised the secondary factors, "care about one's health" and "correction of bad habits". "Attitude toward health" influenced a primary factor, "everyday behavior", comprised of "wakefulness", "eating in moderation", and "lack of self-control". The primary factors "positive attitude" and "everyday behavior" influenced the BDI scores. A multiple regression analysis indicated that JUMACL subscale scores (energetic arousal and tense arousal), demographic data (living alone, sex, and age) and health-related data (exercise, smoking, body mass index, drinking more than three alcoholic drinks/day, and gambling) predicted the scores of the self-care assessment inventory for workers. This assessment inventory could be a useful measure of workers' self-care because it establishes a relationship between psychological and behavioral concepts that are important for health promotion. © 2012 The Authors. Japan Journal of Nursing Science © 2012 Japan Academy of Nursing Science.

Longing for existential recognition: a qualitative study of everyday concerns for people with somatoform disorders.

PubMed

Lind, Annemette Bondo; Risoer, Mette Bech; Nielsen, Klaus; Delmar, Charlotte; Christensen, Morten Bondo; Lomborg, Kirsten

2014-02-01

Patients with somatoform disorders could be vulnerable to stressors and have difficulties coping with stress. The aim was to explore what the patients experience as stressful and how they resolve stress in everyday life. A cross-sectional retrospective design using 24 semi-structured individual life history interviews. Data-analysis was based on grounded theory. A major concern in patients was a longing for existential recognition. This influenced the patients' self-confidence, stress appraisals, symptom perceptions, and coping attitudes. Generally, patients had difficulties with self-confidence and self-recognition of bodily sensations, feelings, vulnerability, and needs, which negatively framed their attempts to obtain recognition in social interactions. Experiences of recognition appeared in three different modalities: 1) "existential misrecognition" covered the experience of being met with distrust and disrespect, 2) "uncertain existential recognition" covered experiences of unclear communication and a perception of not being totally recognized, and 3) "successful existential recognition" covered experiences of total respect and understanding. "Misrecognition" and "uncertain recognition" related to decreased self-confidence, avoidant coping behaviours, increased stress, and symptom appraisal; whereas "successful recognition" related to higher self-confidence, active coping behaviours, decreased stress, and symptom appraisal. Different modalities of existential recognition influenced self-identity and social identity affecting patients' daily stress and symptom appraisals, self-confidence, self-recognition, and coping attitudes. Clinically it seems crucial to improve the patients' ability to communicate concerns, feelings, and needs in social interactions. Better communicative skills and more active coping could reduce the harm the patients experienced by not being recognized and increase the healing potential of successful recognition. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The morning morality effect: the influence of time of day on unethical behavior.

PubMed

Kouchaki, Maryam; Smith, Isaac H

2014-01-01

Are people more moral in the morning than in the afternoon? We propose that the normal, unremarkable experiences associated with everyday living can deplete one's capacity to resist moral temptations. In a series of four experiments, both undergraduate students and a sample of U.S. adults engaged in less unethical behavior (e.g., less lying and cheating) on tasks performed in the morning than on the same tasks performed in the afternoon. This morning morality effect was mediated by decreases in moral awareness and self-control in the afternoon. Furthermore, the effect of time of day on unethical behavior was found to be stronger for people with a lower propensity to morally disengage. These findings highlight a simple yet pervasive factor (i.e., the time of day) that has important implications for moral behavior.

Introduction of a web portal for an Individual Health Management and observational health data sciences.

PubMed

Melchart, Dieter; Eustachi, Axel; Gronwald, Stephan; Wühr, Erich; Wifling, Kristina; Bachmeier, Beatrice E

2018-01-01

There is a global trend to a stronger active involvement of persons in the maintenance and restoring of health. The Competence Centre for Complementary Medicine and Naturopathy (CoCoNat) of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has developed a lifestyle concept to enable each individual to manage his or her health - Individual Health Management (IHM) - and a web-based health portal named Virtual Tool for Education, Reporting, Information and Outcomes (VITERIO ® ), which addresses these needs for practice and research. The objectives of this study were to establish a core set of questionnaires for a self-assessment program on certain risk indications and comprehensive protection factors of health and to develop and enhance 1) tools for individual feedback, longitudinal self-monitoring, self-assessment, and (self-)care-planning; 2) training packages; 3) open notes and records for provider and patient; and 4) tools for monitoring groups and single participants in various indicators for individual coaching and scientific evaluation. The CoCoNat of TUM, Faculty for Applied Health Science of Technische Hochschule Deggendorf, VITERIO ® company, IHM campus network, and Erich Rothenfußer Foundation, Munich, provide a consortium responsible for content, research strategy, technical production and implication, postgraduate education for IHM coaches, implementation of IHM in various settings, and funding resources. A data set of indicators for health screening and self-monitoring of findings, symptoms, health behavior, and attitudes are integrated into a web-based health portal named VITERIO ® . The article introduces some implemented graphical solutions of developed tools and gives examples for daily use. Behavioral change and adaptation in attitudes and personal values are difficult issues of health education and lifestyle medicine. To address this problem best, the implementation of a patient-centric, performance measures-based program including open records and a blended learning concept were elaborated. The combination of an individual web-based health portal with personal coaching allows the implementation of IHM in everyday practice.

Self-reported leisure time physical activity: a useful assessment tool in everyday health care.

PubMed

Rödjer, Lars; Jonsdottir, Ingibjörg H; Rosengren, Annika; Björck, Lena; Grimby, Gunnar; Thelle, Dag S; Lappas, Georgios; Börjesson, Mats

2012-08-24

The individual physical activity level is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and death, as well as a possible target for improving health outcome. However, today's widely adopted risk score charts, typically do not include the level of physical activity. There is a need for a simple risk assessment tool, which includes a reliable assessment of the level of physical activity. The aim of this study was therefore, to analyse the association between the self-reported levels of physical activity, according to the Saltin-Grimby Physical Activity Level Scale (SGPALS) question, and cardiovascular risk factors, specifically focusing on the group of individuals with the lowest level of self-reported PA. We used cross sectional data from the Intergene study, a random sample of inhabitants from the western part of Sweden, totalling 3588 (1685 men and 1903 women, mean age 52 and 51). Metabolic measurements, including serum-cholesterol, serum-triglycerides, fasting plasma-glucose, waist circumference, blood pressure and resting heart rate, as well as smoking and self-reported stress were related to the self-reported physical activity level, according to the modernized version of the SGPALS 4-level scale. There was a strong negative association between the self-reported physical activity level, and smoking, weight, waist circumference, resting heart rate, as well as to the levels of fasting plasma-glucose, serum-triglycerides, low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and self-reported stress and a positive association with the levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL). The individuals reporting the lowest level of PA (SGPALS, level 1) had the highest odds-ratios (OR) for having pre-defined levels of abnormal risk factors, such as being overweight (men OR 2.19, 95% CI: 1.51-3.19; women OR 2.57, 95 % CI: 1.78-3.73), having an increased waist circumference (men OR 3.76, 95 % CI: 2.61-5.43; women OR 2.91, 95% CI: 1.94-4.35) and for reporting stress (men OR 3.59, 95 % CI: 2.34-5.49; women OR 1.25, 95% CI: 0.79-1.98), compared to the most active individuals, but also showed increased OR for most other risk factors analyzed above. The self-reported PA-level according to the modernized Saltin-Grimby Physical Activity Level Scale, SGPALS, is associated with the presence of many cardiovascular risk factors, with the most inactive individuals having the highest risk factor profile, including self-reported stress. We propose that the present SGPALS may be used as an additional, simple tool in a routine risk assessment in e.g. primary care, to identify inactive individuals, with a higher risk profile.

Self-reported leisure time physical activity: a useful assessment tool in everyday health care

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The individual physical activity level is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and death, as well as a possible target for improving health outcome. However, today´s widely adopted risk score charts, typically do not include the level of physical activity. There is a need for a simple risk assessment tool, which includes a reliable assessment of the level of physical activity. The aim of this study was therefore, to analyse the association between the self-reported levels of physical activity, according to the Saltin-Grimby Physical Activity Level Scale (SGPALS) question, and cardiovascular risk factors, specifically focusing on the group of individuals with the lowest level of self-reported PA. Methods We used cross sectional data from the Intergene study, a random sample of inhabitants from the western part of Sweden, totalling 3588 (1685 men and 1903 women, mean age 52 and 51). Metabolic measurements, including serum-cholesterol, serum-triglycerides, fasting plasma-glucose, waist circumference, blood pressure and resting heart rate, as well as smoking and self-reported stress were related to the self-reported physical activity level, according to the modernized version of the SGPALS 4-level scale. Results There was a strong negative association between the self-reported physical activity level, and smoking, weight, waist circumference, resting heart rate, as well as to the levels of fasting plasma-glucose, serum-triglycerides, low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and self-reported stress and a positive association with the levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL). The individuals reporting the lowest level of PA (SGPALS, level 1) had the highest odds-ratios (OR) for having pre-defined levels of abnormal risk factors, such as being overweight (men OR 2.19, 95% CI: 1.51-3.19; women OR 2.57, 95 % CI: 1.78-3.73), having an increased waist circumference (men OR 3.76, 95 % CI: 2.61-5.43; women OR 2.91, 95% CI: 1.94-4.35) and for reporting stress (men OR 3.59, 95 % CI: 2.34-5.49; women OR 1.25, 95% CI: 0.79-1.98), compared to the most active individuals, but also showed increased OR for most other risk factors analyzed above. Conclusion The self-reported PA-level according to the modernized Saltin-Grimby Physical Activity Level Scale, SGPALS, is associated with the presence of many cardiovascular risk factors, with the most inactive individuals having the highest risk factor profile, including self-reported stress. We propose that the present SGPALS may be used as an additional, simple tool in a routine risk assessment in e.g. primary care, to identify inactive individuals, with a higher risk profile. PMID:22920914

Exploring Entertainment Medicine and Professionalization of Self-Care: Interview Study Among Doctors on the Potential Effects of Digital Self-Tracking.

PubMed

Gabriels, Katleen; Moerenhout, Tania

2018-01-12

Nowadays, digital self-tracking devices offer a plethora of possibilities to both healthy and chronically ill users who want to closely examine their body. This study suggests that self-tracking in a private setting will lead to shifting understandings in professional care. To provide more insight into these shifts, this paper seeks to lay bare the promises and challenges of self-tracking while staying close to the everyday professional experience of the physician. The aim of this study was to (1) offer an analysis of how medical doctors evaluate self-tracking methods in their practice and (2) explore the anticipated shifts that digital self-care will bring about in relation to our findings and those of other studies. A total of 12 in-depth semistructured interviews with general practitioners (GPs) and cardiologists were conducted in Flanders, Belgium, from November 2015 to November 2016. Thematic analysis was applied to examine the transcripts in an iterative process. Four major themes arose in our body of data: (1) the patient as health manager, (2) health obsession and medicalization, (3) information management, and (4) shifting roles of the doctors and impact on the health care organization. Our research findings show a nuanced understanding of the potentials and pitfalls of different forms of self-tracking. The necessity of contextualization of self-tracking data and a professionalization of self-care through digital devices come to the fore as important overarching concepts. This interview study with Belgian doctors examines the potentials and challenges of self-monitoring while focusing on the everyday professional experience of the physician. The dialogue between our dataset and the existing literature affords a fine-grained image of digital self-care and its current meaning in a medical-professional landscape. ©Katleen Gabriels, Tania Moerenhout. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 12.01.2018.