Category: Statistics

Holist Nurs Pract. 2022 Sep-Oct 01;36(5):E38-E47. doi: 10.1097/HNP.0000000000000544.

ABSTRACT

We set out to implement a pilot mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) to alleviate burnout, stress, anxiety, and depression in nursing and support staff of an oncological intensive care unit. We created an 8-week personalized yoga therapy MBI for nurses and patient care technicians in an oncological intensive care unit. Validated self-report scale tools were used to measure burnout, stress, anxiety, and depression in the intervention and control groups (Institutional Quality Improvement Registry no. 296, 2018). Changes in scores from baseline to postintervention were evaluated between groups. Forty-five staff, 21 in the control group and 24 in the intervention group, participated. Both groups at baseline had low prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression (13% vs 36.8%, P = .11; 21.7% vs 52.6%, P = .17; 17.4% vs 26.3%, P = .48; respectively). Low rates of high emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low professional efficacy were observed for both groups (41.7% vs 35.0%, P = .65; 20.8% vs 15%, P = .71; 58.3% vs 50.0%, P = .58, respectively). Post-MBI, prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization remained low and similar between both groups. Notwithstanding, professional efficacy scores significantly improved in a between-group comparison (0.063 vs -0.25; P = .0336). We observed that burnout, stress, anxiety, and depression were remarkably low in our study relative to the literature. Implementation of the MBI faced many obstacles and had low compliance during participation. This presumably influenced results and should be addressed prior to any future intervention. Despite this, professional efficacy improved significantly.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: Approved by MD Anderson Cancer Center Quality Improvement Registry (no. 296, 2018).

PMID:35981118 | DOI:10.1097/HNP.0000000000000544

Holist Nurs Pract. 2022 Sep-Oct 01;36(5):268-274. doi: 10.1097/HNP.0000000000000542.

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to determine the effects of sleep hygiene education on sleep quality in liver transplant patients. In the literature, the efficacy of various pharmacological methods for reducing poor sleep quality associated with liver transplant patients and studies on nonpharmacological methods are limited. This study was conducted using a quasiexperimental design with a pre- and posttest, and a control group. When the power analysis was made, a sample size with 5% double-sided significance, 95% confidence interval, and 95% ability to represent the population was calculated to have a total of 100 liver transplant patients. The data were collected using a patient information form, and the Richard Campbell Sleep Quality Questionnaire. In the experimental group, the researcher gave a sleep hygiene training for 1 week. No treatment was performed in the control group. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics, a χ2 test, a t test for dependent groups, and a t test for independent groups were used. According to sleep hygiene training follow-ups after liver transplantation, the mean scores of sleep quality was similarly poor, with a statistical significance in the experimental group compared with the control group in all measurements before and after sleep hygiene training (P < .001). The sleep hygiene training applied to liver transplant patients positively affected and decreased the severity of sleep quality.

PMID:35981111 | DOI:10.1097/HNP.0000000000000542

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2022 Aug 18;10(8):e37290. doi: 10.2196/37290.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The System Usability Scale (SUS) is a widely used scale that has been used to quantify the usability of many software and hardware products. However, the SUS was not specifically designed to evaluate mobile apps, or in particular digital health apps (DHAs).

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine whether the widely used SUS distribution for benchmarking (mean 68, SD 12.5) can be used to reliably assess the usability of DHAs.

METHODS: A search of the literature was performed using the ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore, CORE, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases to identify SUS scores related to the usability of DHAs for meta-analysis. This study included papers that published the SUS scores of the evaluated DHAs from 2011 to 2021 to get a 10-year representation. In total, 117 SUS scores for 114 DHAs were identified. R Studio and the R programming language were used to model the DHA SUS distribution, with a 1-sample, 2-tailed t test used to compare this distribution with the standard SUS distribution.

RESULTS: The mean SUS score when all the collected apps were included was 76.64 (SD 15.12); however, this distribution exhibited asymmetrical skewness (-0.52) and was not normally distributed according to Shapiro-Wilk test (P=.002). The mean SUS score for “physical activity” apps was 83.28 (SD 12.39) and drove the skewness. Hence, the mean SUS score for all collected apps excluding “physical activity” apps was 68.05 (SD 14.05). A 1-sample, 2-tailed t test indicated that this health app SUS distribution was not statistically significantly different from the standard SUS distribution (P=.98).

CONCLUSIONS: This study concludes that the SUS and the widely accepted benchmark of a mean SUS score of 68 (SD 12.5) are suitable for evaluating the usability of DHAs. We speculate as to why physical activity apps received higher SUS scores than expected. A template for reporting mean SUS scores to facilitate meta-analysis is proposed, together with future work that could be done to further examine the SUS benchmark scores for DHAs.

PMID:35980732 | DOI:10.2196/37290

JMIR Form Res. 2022 Aug 18;6(8):e37309. doi: 10.2196/37309.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Social messaging strategies such as SMS text messaging and radio are promising avenues for health promotion and behavior change in low- to middle-income settings. However, evidence of their acceptability, feasibility, and impact in the context of young women’s health and micronutrient deficiencies is lacking.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of an automated 2-way text messaging intervention nested in an ongoing preconception health trial, the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI; HeLTI Bukhali) in Soweto, South Africa. Second, we aimed to evaluate the acceptability of a health promotion radio serial, which aired concurrently in the region.

METHODS: In this feasibility study, 120 participants enrolled in HeLTI Bukhali between November 2020 and February 2021 received the 6-month 2-way text messaging intervention. Quantitative and qualitative data on intervention acceptability, usability, interaction, perceived benefit, and fidelity were collected during 5 focus group discussions (FGDs) and from study data logs. During the FGDs, data were collected on the acceptability of the radio serial. Following the text messaging intervention, capillary hemoglobin levels were assessed, and a participant questionnaire provided information on adherence and attitudes toward supplements. The text messaging control group comprised the first 120 women recruited from November 2019 to February 2020, who received the Bukhali intervention but not the text messages. Statistical significance testing and a linear mixed model were used for indicative effect comparisons between the text message-receiving and control groups.

RESULTS: The text messaging intervention was found to be acceptable and to have perceived benefits, including being reminded to take supplements, gaining knowledge, and feeling supported by the study team. The use of the 2-way text messaging reply function was limited, with only a 10.8% (13/120) response rate by week 24. Barriers to replying included a lack of interest or phone credit and technical issues. Regarding the indicative effect, participants receiving the text messages had higher self-reported adherence at follow-up than the text messaging control group (42/63, 67% vs 33/85, 39% taking supplements every time; P=.02), and altitude-adjusted hemoglobin increased more between baseline and follow-up in the SMS text message-receiving group than in the text messaging control group (1.03, 95% CI 0.49-1.57; P<.001). The radio serial content was acceptable, although few participants reported exposure before the FGD.

CONCLUSIONS: Women reported that the text messaging intervention was useful and described the benefits of receiving the messages. Examination of hemoglobin status indicated a promising beneficial effect of text messaging support on adherence to micronutrient supplementation, requiring further exploration through randomized controlled studies. Health promotion through radio and text messages were both found to be acceptable, although more research into the radio serial reach among young women is needed.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: Pan African Clinical Trials Registry (PACTR) PACTR201903750173871; https://tinyurl.com/4x6n32ff.

PMID:35980731 | DOI:10.2196/37309

Psychol Addict Behav. 2022 Aug 18. doi: 10.1037/adb0000875. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: There are tens of millions of problem gamblers in the world, many of whom either do not seek treatment or fail to commit to it. Dropout rates are high, and not enough is known about factors predicting treatment adherence. We focus on an online cognitive behavioral therapy program for severe problem gambling to determine the likelihood of treatment discontinuation at three different treatment phases: pretreatment, before halfway, and before the end of the program.

METHOD: Participants were Finnish adults (N = 1,139, 670 males, M_age = 34.5) registered in the program between 2019 and 2021. Using logistic regression and five-fold cross-validated naïve Bayes classification, we predicted discontinuation with demographic-, psychometric-, and other gambling-related variables, including the quality of one’s social relations, time spent on the waiting list, and experienced readiness to behavioral change.

RESULTS: The models had acceptable predictive ability (area under the curve [AUC] values from .69 to .745; cross-validated balanced classification accuracy = 63.2%). In logistic regressions, treatment discontinuation was prominently associated with younger age (p = .008), lower education (p < .001), not being ready to change gambling behavior (p < .001), problem gambling severity (p < .0001), longer time spent on the treatment waiting list (p < .0001), and fewer close social relationships (p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS: We found significant new real-world evidence on factors statistically predicting treatment discontinuation, which is crucial when existing programs are modified to better serve those in need. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

PMID:35980716 | DOI:10.1037/adb0000875

J Exp Psychol Gen. 2022 Aug 18. doi: 10.1037/xge0001276. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

People can extract and learn statistical regularities from various aspects of everyday life. The current study examined whether people have a mechanism to learn regularity based on time information and investigated whether sensitivity to time information is modulated by individual time management. In the familiarization phase, participants were required to observe a visual sequence of objects. Although the objects were presented in a random order, the amount of time for which the objects were presented was organized into successive triplets (e.g., 850-1,000-700 ms). In the subsequent test phase, two three-object sequences were presented. One sequence was a timing triplet that had temporal regularities. The other was a foil created from three different triplets. Participants were required to judge which sequence was more familiar based on the familiarization phase. The results showed that the triplets were successfully discriminated from the foils. These results were also observed for blank intervals. The current findings also revealed that although visual statistical learning was expressed when participants observed the temporal regularities of shapes tied to the corresponding durations during familiarization, this learning overshadowed them from indicating generic timing regularities when they were untied to objects. Furthermore, participants with high scores on the Time Management Scale showed a higher extent of visual statistical learning on object durations than those with low scores. These results suggest that people extract and learn regularities based on time information and that statistical learning based on time information is correlated with individual time management. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

PMID:35980711 | DOI:10.1037/xge0001276

J Exp Psychol Gen. 2022 Aug 18. doi: 10.1037/xge0001277. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

How do people detect lies from the content of messages, and design lies that go undetected? Lying requires strategic reasoning about how others think and respond. We propose a unified framework underlying lie design and detection, formalized as recursive social reasoning. Senders design lies by inferring the likelihood the receiver detects potential lies; receivers detect lies by inferring if and how the sender would lie. Under this framework, we can predict the rate and content of lies people produce, and which lies are detected. In Experiment 1, we show that people calibrate the extremeness of their lies and what lies they detect to beliefs about goals and the statistics of the world. In Experiment 2, we present stronger diagnostic evidence for the function of social reasoning in lying: people cater their lies to their audience, even when their audience’s beliefs differ from their own. We conclude that recursive and rational social reasoning is a key cognitive process underlying how people communicate in adversarial settings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

PMID:35980710 | DOI:10.1037/xge0001277

J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 2022 Aug 18. doi: 10.1037/xhp0001045. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Visual scenes are often remembered as if they were observed from a different viewpoint. Some scenes are remembered as farther than they appeared, and others as closer. These memory distortions-also known as boundary extension and contraction-are strikingly consistent for a given scene, but their cause remains unknown. We tested whether these distortions can be explained by an inferential process that adjusts scene memories toward high-probability views, using viewing depth as a test case. We first carried out a large-scale analysis of depth maps of natural indoor scenes to quantify the statistical probability of views in depth. We then assessed human observers’ memory for these scenes at various depths and found that viewpoint judgments were consistently biased toward the modal depth, even when just a few seconds elapsed between viewing and reporting. Thus, scenes closer than the modal depth showed a boundary-extension bias (remembered as farther-away), and scenes farther than the modal depth showed a boundary-contraction bias (remembered as closer). By contrast, scenes at the modal depth did not elicit a consistent bias in either direction. This same pattern of results was observed in a follow-up experiment using tightly controlled stimuli from virtual environments. Together, these findings show that scene memories are biased toward statistically probable views, which may serve to increase the accuracy of noisy or incomplete scene representations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

PMID:35980704 | DOI:10.1037/xhp0001045

Transl Vis Sci Technol. 2022 Aug 1;11(8):16. doi: 10.1167/tvst.11.8.16.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Determine whether real-life surgical experience correlates with scores on a retina virtual simulator and the effects of various challenges on surgical performance.

METHODS: The study was performed using the Eyesi Surgical Simulator, a virtual reality retina surgical simulator. Residents, fellows, and retina staff were assessed on surgical simulations to determine surgical skills. Participants were assigned baseline scores on speed, efficiency of movement, and ability to avoid retinal damage. After receiving their baseline scores, participants were challenged to use their non-dominant hand or to use the simulator after sleep deprivation or the intake of caffeine or alcohol.

RESULTS: At baseline, junior residents had an average score of 943; senior residents, 1045; retina fellows, 1153; and surgical retina staff, 1161. A 12.5% overall improvement in scores was achieved when comparing baseline 1 to baseline 2; a major improvement was recorded in residents (14.5%) compared with fellows and retina staff (9.97%). A statistically significant difference was observed between residents and fellows (P = 0.027), as well as between residents and retina staff (P = 0.04). A significant decrease in performance (15.7%) was observed when the non-dominant hand was used (P = 0.043). Performance after sleep deprivation and alcohol intake decreased, but not with a statistically significant difference (P = 0.6 and P = 0.5, respectively). A trend toward increasing performance was observed after caffeine intake (6.1%; P = 0.06).

CONCLUSIONS: The retina virtual simulator is a novel teaching tool for retinal surgery. A significant association was observed between real surgical experience and the retina surgery virtual simulator results based on surgical experience.

TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE: An association between real surgical experience and retina surgery virtual simulator results was demonstrated. A complete training program with a cut-off threshold score should be validated for retina training programs.

PMID:35980671 | DOI:10.1167/tvst.11.8.16

J Obstet Gynaecol. 2022 Aug 18:1-6. doi: 10.1080/01443615.2022.2109407. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

We aimed to identify whether IL-1β (rs1143627, rs1143634 and rs16944), IL-6 (rs1800796), IL-10(rs1800872 and rs1800896), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (rs1570360) gene polymorphisms were risk factors for recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) in a population of women in northwestern China. A total of 150 women with a history of two or more unexplained and consecutive spontaneous abortions before their 24th gestational week and 150 age-matched women with at least two normal pregnancies and no history of pregnancy loss were included in the present study as cases and controls, respectively. We extracted genomic DNA from peripheral blood, and executed genotyping with the SNaPshot technique. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the odds ratios (ORs) of the associations between the polymorphisms and RPL. Of the seven polymorphisms we studied, only IL-6 rs1800796 showed a statistically significant association with RPL, as we noted an elevated risk of RPL with the G allele (OR = 1.57; 95% CI, 1.10-2.24; p = .01). The risk of RPL in women with the GG + CG genotype (OR = 1.96; 95% CI, 1.19-3.21; p = .01) was also higher than that in women with the CC genotype. The present study thus indicated that the IL-6 gene rs1800796 polymorphism may serve as an important risk factor for RPL in this group of women from northwestern China.IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? Cytokine and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene polymorphisms may affect the risk of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) by modulating cytokine and VEGF expression.What do the results of this study add? The study results showed that the IL-6 rs1800796 single-nucleotide polymorphism constituted a risk factor for RPL in a population of women in northwestern China.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? This study clearly reflects clinical significance as it provides a theoretical basis for the early screening of RPL by revealing that the IL-6 gene rs1800796 polymorphism increased the risk of RPL in women in northwestern China.

PMID:35980661 | DOI:10.1080/01443615.2022.2109407