PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Dijkstra

Publications and source records attributed to A Dijkstra.

44 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Turnover among new employees with physical and mental disabilities because of unsuccessful socialization in sheltered workshops.

An investigation was carried out in 13 organizations among all new handicapped employees (N = 1.948) with respect to the prognosis (before placement) of turnover and actual turnover within two years after placement. In this period 21% left, most of them (80%) were unable to become socialized, they all became jobless. In order to explain differences in turnover because of unsuccessful socialization ten explanatory variables were applied in a stepwise regression analysis: age, education, gender, marital status, handicap diagnosis, disability benefit, visibility of the handicap, compulsory placement, in-service training and prognosis of turnover as expected by rehabilitation professionals (occupational health doctors and personnel officers). The best predictor variable controlling for all other explanatory variables involved, appeared to be the prognosis of turnover (beta = .33, p less than .001). Other significant predictors are: compulsory placement (beta = .19, p less than .001), in-service training (beta = .17, p less than .001), mental handicap (beta = .13, p less than .001), disability benefit (beta = 0.09, p less than .01) and marital status (beta = 0.05, p less than .05). One may conclude that vocational rehabilitation professionals can, to a certain degree, predict the amount of unsuccessful socialization. It is hypothesized that their predictions can compete with predictive power of standardized pre-employment tests. Special attention is paid to the unfavourable prognosis of workers with a mental handicap.

Persons with Disabilities↗
PubMed1984

Lymphocytic infiltration of the skin (Jessner): a T-cell lymphoproliferative disease.

Recent studies have suggested that Jessner 's lymphocytic infiltration of the skin and lymphocytoma cutis both represent pseudo-B-cell lymphomas. We have now done immunohistochemical studies on frozen skin sections of six patients with lymphocytic infiltration of the skin. In all cases a predominance of T lymphocytes was observed and B lymphocytes were sparse or completely absent. These results indicate that Jessner 's lymphocytic infiltration of the skin is a T-cell lymphoproliferative disease which, unlike lymphocytoma cutis, cannot be regarded as a pseudo-B-cell lymphoma.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Differential beliefs, perceived social influences, and self-efficacy expectations among smokers in various motivational phases.

BACKGROUND: The ASE model, an integration of social psychological models, states that motivational phases and the transition from one phase to another can be predicted by behavioral determinants. The goal of the present study was to replicate the so-called O pattern that was found in earlier Dutch studies. METHODS: In four cross-sectional studies (N = 918, N = 354, N = 225, N = 317), smokers filled in a questionnaire based on the ASE model, while the motivational phase question was based on the stage definitions from the Transtheoretical model. RESULTS: Precontemplating smokers perceived fewer advantages of quitting than contemplators. Precontemplators encountered less support for quitting than contemplators. Contemplators reported lower self-efficacy expectations than those in preparation, while this group had lower self-efficacy expectations than respondents in action. Ex-smokers in maintenance reported fewer disadvantages of quitting than those in action. CONCLUSIONS: Since changes in cognitive determinants are thought to mediate transitions in motivational phases, the results can be used to tailor health education messages to the needs of smokers in the various motivational phases. The results suggest that smokers in precontemplation would benefit most from information about the pros of quitting and from obtaining support for quitting. Smokers in contemplation and preparation may benefit most from self-efficacy-enhancing information.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Social cognitive determinants of drinking in young adults: beyond the alcohol expectancies paradigm.

In prior investigations of the psychology of drinking behavior, drinkers' positive expectancies regarding the effects of alcohol have been studied extensively. From a social cognitive point of view, however, several additional psychological factors also deserve attention, namely negative expectancies, social influence, and self-efficacy expectations. In a representative sample of 161 university students, this study examined to what extent inclusion of these additional social cognitive factors enhanced the predictive power of the predominant alcohol-expectancies model of drinking behavior, and to what extent all four social cognitive factors were related to the uptake and cessation of drinking behavior. The three additional social cognitive factors contributed 17% to the explained variance in drinking behavior, in addition to the 18% accounted for by positive expectancies. The constructs with the greatest predictive strength all pertained to the social effects and social context of drinking. The most important predictors of drinking behavior were found to differ for male versus female students, and for students living with their parents versus those living on their own. The data on drinking acquisition and cessation suggest that in this sample little change in drinking behavior could be expected. The social cognitive factors were strongly related to acquisition stages but only weakly to cessation stages. Recommendations for interventions aimed at lowering alcohol intake are given.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Subtypes within a sample of precontemplating smokers: a preliminary extension of the stages of change.

Precontemplating smokers are not planning to quit within the next 6 months. There are indications that this group is not homogeneous. The present investigation aimed at identifying relevant subgroups within this large group of smokers in order to refine stage-matched interventions. Precontemplators were asked whether they were planning to quit (1) within the next year. (2) within the next 5 years, (3) not within the next 5 years but sometime, (4) never, or (5) none of the above. Smokers who were planning to quit within 5 years (redefined precontemplators) differed from smokers who were not planning to quit within the next 5 years (immotives) on the pros of quitting but not on self-efficacy scores. Compared to smokers in the other groups, immotives scored significantly lower on specific factors within the pros of quitting.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Smokers in four stages of readiness to change.

Smoking cessation is increasingly considered to be a process rather then a discrete event. Several stage models that stress the process nature of behavior change have been developed in the last decade. In the present study, a stage model is investigated that categorizes smokers into four groups with increasing readiness to change: immotives, precontemplators, contemplators, and preparers. Smokers from the general population were recruited to participate in an investigation on smoking cessation interventions. At pretest, the anticipated positive and negative outcomes of quitting, perceived self-efficacy, and smoking behavior were assessed. Three and 14 months after the pretest, the follow-up measurements were conducted. The cross-sectional results showed that smokers in the four stages differed from each other on the factors pertaining to the positive outcomes and perceived self-efficacy. No differences between the four stages were detected concerning the number of cigarettes smoked a day, the nicotine dependence score, and the number of years smoked. The longitudinal results showed that the stage of readiness to change at pretest was highly predictive of quitting at both follow-ups. It is concluded that this stage model is worthy of support.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Clusters of precontemplating smokers defined by the perception of the pros, cons, and self-efficacy.

Western smoker populations contain high percentages of smokers who are not motivated to quit. In order to develop self-help smoking cessation interventions for these smokers, it is of importance to know whether there are subtypes among this group. In the present study, cluster analysis was used to search for clusters of precontemplating smokers. The clusters were described by three cognitive clustering variables: the pros of quitting, the cons of quitting, and self-efficacy expectations. On the basis of earlier studies, three cluster solutions were tested: the 3-, 4-, and 5-cluster solutions. To cross-validate the findings, data from two independently recruited samples of precontemplating smokers were used. Three clusters, which were found in earlier studies in the United States, were replicated. In the present study these were called Unmotivated Pessimists, Motivated Pessimists, and Disengaged. Two additional clusters were identified, which might be typical for the tolerant Dutch smoking culture: Unmotivated Optimists and Motivated Optimists. It is argued that the replicated types are more nicotine-dependent and resistant to change, and represent the hard core smoker population, and that both optimistic types are less dependent, less resistant smokers who will quit with increasing societal anti-smoking pressure. Longitudinal analyses showed that cluster membership was predictive of increases in intention to quit and quitting activity.

Adult↗