Category: Statistics

Dev Psychol. 2021 Jul;57(7):1149-1162. doi: 10.1037/dev0001193.

ABSTRACT

Accidents caused by human errors illustrate the fragility of cognitive processing and its coordination by executive functions against stress. To better understand how core executive functions change over time, influence each other, and are affected by chronic stress exposure, a prospective cohort study was conducted from 2016 to 2019. Five hundred sixteen German adults aged 25-55 years (mean age/education age: 38.0/11.3 years, 67% females, 94% occupied, 20% smokers) completed at least one internet-based biannual assessment of response inhibition, updating, and set shifting using a Go/NoGo, spatial 2-Back, and Number-Letter task, respectively. Chronic stress exposure was indicated by self-reports on the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and hair cortisol concentrations (HCC). Statistical analyses were performed by multivariate stochastic differential equation modeling. All indicators of executive functions (task-specific RTs in target trials or their contrast to nontarget trials) and chronic stress showed intraindividual stability over time (12% to 63% of their variance was attributable to trait influences). With respect to lagged mutual associations, faster Go/NoGo target RTs predicted faster Number-Letter target RTs later in time, while faster Number-Letter target RTs predicted higher HCC later in time (both with maximum effect sizes of d ≈ 0.1 standard deviations). However, PSS was not predictive of later HCC and vice versa. None of the chronic stress indicators significantly predicted indicators of executive functions at subsequent time points. These findings suggest that set shifting is capable of modulating the body’s physiological response to chronic stress exposure, whereas executive functions appear comparably robust against chronic stress exposure. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

PMID:34435829 | DOI:10.1037/dev0001193

Psychol Trauma. 2021 Aug 26. doi: 10.1037/tra0001084. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Anger is a salient feature of posttraumatic mental health which is linked to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and may have implications for treatment. However, the nature of associations involving anger and PTSD remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to examine bidirectional influences involving anger and International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11 PTSD symptom clusters over time among treatment-seeking veterans.

METHOD: Current or ex-serving members (n = 742; 92.4% male) who participated in an accredited outpatient PTSD treatment program were administered measures of PTSD symptoms (PTSD checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition [PCL-5]) and anger (Dimensions of Anger Reactions Scale-5 [DAR-5]) at treatment intake, discharge, and three-month follow-up. Bidirectional influences were assessed using cross-lagged panel analyses.

RESULTS: The majority of participants (78%) exhibited significant anger problems at intake. Cross-lagged analyses showed anger was associated with relative increases in PTSD symptoms of intrusive reexperiencing and avoidance at posttreatment, whereas no reverse effects of any PTSD symptoms on anger were observed. Anger continued to influence changes in heightened sense of threat and avoidance symptoms at three-months posttreatment.

CONCLUSIONS: Anger influences change in specific PTSD symptoms over time among military veterans in treatment and may interfere with treatments for PTSD. Veterans who present to clinical services with anger problems may benefit from anger interventions prior to commencing trauma-focused treatment. The findings have additional implications for conceptual models of the relationship between anger and PTSD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

PMID:34435811 | DOI:10.1037/tra0001084

Psychol Trauma. 2021 Aug 26. doi: 10.1037/tra0000913. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Due to severe traumatization, the narrative meaning-making processes of asylum seekers are often disrupted. However, the ability of asylum seekers to integrate trauma into their personal narratives has strong implications on their mental health as well as on their asylum claim.

OBJECTIVE: Starting with the presentation of a new method, the Asylum Seekers Photographic Interview (ASPI), developed through participatory processes and aimed to increase meaning-making processes, the article evaluates the effects of the ASPI on asylum seekers’ narrative organization.

METHOD: A quasi-experimental research design was carried out. The posttraumatic symptomatology of 36 Nigerian asylum seekers hosted in Italy was assessed. Participants were then randomly divided into two groups: an intervention group assessed by the ASPI and a control group assessed by a non-image-mediated narrative interview. Quantitative data were analyzed through a descriptive analysis, and the interviews were analyzed according to various dimensions of narrative meaning-making processes. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was then carried out to evaluate the significance of eventual differences of narrative indexes between the groups.

RESULTS: The MANOVA showed statistically significant differences of narrative indexes in the intervention group in the Word Count, Internal States, and Coherence categories, caused by the only effect of “intervention vs. control group,” F(8, 25) = 5.902, p = .000, η² partial = .65).

CONCLUSION: The results showed the effectiveness of the new methodology in increasing the narrative organization of experiences, contributing to the research on trauma and narratives in the context of forced migration. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

PMID:34435812 | DOI:10.1037/tra0000913

Health Psychol. 2021 Jul;40(7):459-467. doi: 10.1037/hea0001083.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Inflammation is one biological pathway through which marital dissolution and marital discord may increase risk for chronic disease. The present study was conducted to investigate the cross-sectional association between marital dissolution, marital discord, and C-reactive protein (CRP), an indicator of inflammation, in a probability sample of Irish adults aged 50 years or older.

METHOD: Data were drawn from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing. Linear regression analyses were conducted to examine (a) the association between marital dissolution and CRP values (N = 2,545), (b) the association between marital discord and CRP values (N = 1,949), and (c) whether these associations were moderated by gender. Subsequent models adjusted for demographic characteristics and health variables.

RESULTS: With respect to marital dissolution, individuals who were separated or divorced had significantly higher CRP relative to married individuals. With respect to marital discord, gender significantly moderated the association between marital discord and CRP, such that marital discord was significantly and positively associated with CRP for men, whereas this association was not statistically significant for women. Results for marital dissolution and marital discord remained statistically significant when adjusting for demographic characteristics and health variables.

CONCLUSIONS: This is one of the first studies to document a significant cross-sectional association between marital dissolution, marital discord, and CRP, incremental to demographic and health covariates, in a non-American probability sample. Results indicate that inflammation may be one pathway by which marital dissolution and marital discord contribute to risk for disease and early death. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

PMID:34435797 | DOI:10.1037/hea0001083

Personal Disord. 2021 Aug 26. doi: 10.1037/per0000491. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The newly added diagnosis complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) in the 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) includes a domain of disturbances in self-organization (DSO), in addition to PTSD. The DSO construct appears to have definitional overlap with the dimensional personality pathology severity measure, personality functioning. This study investigated the association between personality functioning and ICD-11 CPTSD, and the associations between DSO clusters and personality functioning domains. The sample comprised 83 outpatients with ICD-11 PTSD or CPTSD. Personality functioning was operationalized with the Level of Personality Functioning Scale (LPFS) and assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Alternative Model for Personality Disorders, Module I. Results showed an average level of moderate impairment in personality functioning (i.e., Identity, Self-Direction, Empathy, and Intimacy) for the whole sample. However, the levels of impairment in personality functioning were significantly more severe in patients with ICD-11 CPTSD, compared with patients with PTSD. Furthermore, the results revealed strong significant positive associations between the personality functioning domains and the DSO symptom clusters, except for the LPFS Identity domain and the DSO Affective Dysregulation cluster. Contrary to expectations, we found a significant positive association between the PTSD symptom cluster Avoidance and the LPFS domains Identity, Self-Direction, and Intimacy. Furthermore, higher levels of impairment in the Identity and Intimacy domain were associated with an increase in DSO symptom severity. New development in assessment of personality functioning may assist clinicians in differential diagnosis of PTSD and CPTSD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

PMID:34435806 | DOI:10.1037/per0000491

Psychol Methods. 2021 Aug 26. doi: 10.1037/met0000403. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Curbstoning, the willful fabrication of survey responses by outside data collectors, threatens the integrity of the inferences drawn from data. Researchers who outsource data collection to survey collection panels, field interviewers, or research assistants should validate whether each collection agent actually collected the data. Our review of the survey auditing literature demonstrates a consistent presence of curbstoning, even at professional levels. This study proposes several general simple survey questions that have statistical distributions known a priori, as a method to detect curbstoning. By exploiting common deficiencies in statistical understanding, survey collectors imputing data to these questions can leverage empirically known distributions to determine deviation from the expected distribution of responses. We examined both authentic and fabricated surveys that included these questions and we compared the observed distributions with the expected distributions. The majority of the proposed methods had Type I error rates near or below the specified alpha level (.05). The methods demonstrated the ability to detect false responses correctly 48%-90% of the time across two samples when surveying at least 50 participants. While the methods varied in effectiveness, combining these methods demonstrated the highest statistical power, with Type I error rates lower than 1%. Additionally, even in situations with smaller sample sizes (e.g., N = 30), combining these methods allows them to be effective in detecting curbstoning. These methods provide a simple and generalizable way for researchers not present during data collection to possess accurate data. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

PMID:34435808 | DOI:10.1037/met0000403

J Chem Inf Model. 2021 Aug 26. doi: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c00718. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The ability to predict the thermodynamic properties of amine species in CO₂-loaded aqueous solutions, including their deprotonation (pK_a) and carbamate to bicarbonate reversion (pK_c) equilibrium constants and their corresponding standard reaction enthalpies, is of critical importance for the design of improved carbon capture solvents. In this study, we used isocoulombic forms of both reactions to determine these quantities for a large set of aqueous alkanolamine solvent systems. Our hybrid approach involves using classical molecular dynamics simulations with the general amber force field (GAFF) and semi-empirical AM1-BCC charges (GAFF/AM1-BCC) in the solution phase, combined with high-level composite quantum chemical ideal-gas calculations. We first determined a new force field (FF) for the hydronium ion (H₃O⁺) by matching to the single experimental pK_a data point for the well-known monoethanolamine system at 298.15 K. We then used this FF to predict the pK_a values for 76 other amines at 298.15 K and for all 77 amines at elevated temperatures. Additionally, we indirectly relate the H₃O⁺ hydration free energy to that of H⁺ and provide expressions for intrinsic hydration free energy and enthalpy of the proton. Using the derived H₃O⁺ FF, we predicted the pK_a values of a diverse set of alkanolamines with an overall average absolute deviation of less than 0.72 pK_a units. Furthermore, the derived H₃O⁺ FF is able to predict the protonation enthalpy of these amines when used with the GAFF. We also predicted the carbamate reversion constants of the primary and secondary amine species in the data set and their corresponding standard heats of reaction, which we compared with the scarcely available experimental data, which are often subject to significant uncertainty. Finally, we also described the influence of electronic and steric effects of different molecular fragments/groups on the stabilities of the carbamates.

PMID:34435774 | DOI:10.1021/acs.jcim.1c00718

Int J Older People Nurs. 2021 Aug 26:e12419. doi: 10.1111/opn.12419. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Older adults and their caregivers often believe it is either too late or too difficult to make health-focused lifestyle changes. However, this is inaccurate, as older adults can make health promotion focused lifestyle changes thereby improving their health. This study developed and evaluated a self-care education program using Pender’s Health Promotion Model and its influence on health-focused behaviour changes among older Iranians.

METHOD: This was a quasi-experimental study with a convenience sample of 136 community-living older adults from Tabriz, Iran. The participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention (n = 69) or control (n = 67) group. Chi-square test, independent t tests and Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) statistical methods were used to compare pre- and post-intervention data, control and intervention groups and changes over time. The intervention was an eight-week educational program with pre- and post-intervention data collected using the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP II) questionnaire.

RESULTS: The mean difference and confidence limits of the older adults’ health behaviours pre- and post-intervention scores were 2.228 (-5.450 – 9.916) and – 35.820 (-32.051 – 39.588). The covariance analysis adjusting for the baseline values showed significant differences post-intervention (p<0.0001) in the areas of interpersonal communication, physical activity, nutrition, stress management and spiritual growth.

CONCLUSION: The health promotion education intervention illustrated that older Iranians could improve their health outcomes in several areas. Thus, culturally tailored intervention programs can be successful in challenging the opinion that older adults cannot make behaviour changes supporting their health.

PMID:34435738 | DOI:10.1111/opn.12419

J Dermatol. 2021 Aug 26. doi: 10.1111/1346-8138.16120. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by pruritus, xerosis, and eczematous lesions. In Japan, treatment options, such as topical corticosteroids and tacrolimus, are associated with efficacy and safety concerns. Crisaborole ointment, 2%, is a topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent approved in several countries for the treatment of mild-to-moderate AD. This phase 2b, randomized, double-blind study (NCT03954158) assessed the efficacy and safety of two crisaborole regimens versus vehicle in the treatment of Japanese patients aged ≥2 years with mild-to-moderate AD. Each patient was assigned to one of two age cohorts (≥12 or 2-11 years) and randomized to crisaborole once daily (QD) or twice daily (BID). All patients had two target lesions that were each randomly assigned to crisaborole or vehicle at baseline and treated for 2 weeks. The primary endpoint was change from baseline in total sign score (TSS) in crisaborole- or vehicle-treated target lesions on day 15, and secondary endpoints included change from baseline in Investigator’s Static Global Assessment (ISGA) and pruritic assessments (Cohort 1: peak pruritus numeric rating scale [NRS]; Cohort 2: Itch Severity Scale Self-Report and Caregiver-Reported Itch Severity NRS) and incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs). This study comprised 81 patients (Cohort 1: n = 41; Cohort 2: n = 40). Crisaborole-treated lesions showed statistically significant reductions in TSS versus vehicle-treated lesions at day 15 (p < 0.01), and numerically larger decreases in TSS were observed with crisaborole BID versus crisaborole QD in both cohorts. Furthermore, crisaborole-treated lesions generally demonstrated greater decreases in ISGA, peak pruritus NRS, Itch Severity Scale, and Caregiver-Reported Itch Severity NRS versus vehicle-treated lesions irrespective of regimen or cohort. Overall, TEAEs were mild; the most frequently reported TEAEs was application site irritation. In summary, both crisaborole regimens, particularly crisaborole BID, demonstrated efficacy and were well tolerated.

PMID:34435694 | DOI:10.1111/1346-8138.16120

Microsc Res Tech. 2021 Aug 26. doi: 10.1002/jemt.23917. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Thin films of two alloys (chromel and alumel), with thickness less than 100 nm, were obtained by plasma deposition technique, namely filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA). The elemental analyses were performed by quantitative energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) microanalysis and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). The applicability of EDS to such thin films as these was established by analysis of films deposited on substrates of different atomic numbers, specifically vitreous carbon, silicon, copper, and tin. We found that a substrate with atomic number similar to the mean atomic number of the film constituents is best for reliable EDS results, when compared to RBS. The compatibility between quantitative EDS measurements and RBS measurements, as well as comparison between the thin film elemental composition and the bulk material composition, was assessed by statistical analysis. Good consistency between EDS and RBS measurements was found for both chromel and alumel thin films when copper was used as substrate material. We observed severely overlapping peaks in the RBS output for the case of alumel films so that EDS analysis was crucial. We also compared thickness measurements determined by EDS and RBS, and we found good agreement for the case of alumel film on copper substrate, and 15% agreement for chromel film on copper substrate.

PMID:34435712 | DOI:10.1002/jemt.23917