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Biomedical subjects

R R Vickers

Publications and source records attributed to R R Vickers.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

The five-factor model of personality as a framework for personality-health research.

The NEO Five Factor Personality Inventory (NEO-FFI; Costa & McCrae, 1989) and representative personality scales drawn from health psychology were administered to 2 samples of male military recruits (Ns = 296 and 502). Factor analysis of health-related personality scales revealed 3 conceptually meaningful domains. Examination of these domains and their constituent scales, with reference to the 5-factor model of personality, permits 3 general conclusions. First, most health-relevant dimensions and scales appear to be complex mixtures of broad personality domains. Second, variation in many health-related personality instruments is explained to a significant degree by the 5-factor model. Third, 2 of the 5 personality domains (i.e., conscientiousness and openness) appear to be substantially neglected in health psychology research.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Associations between major domains of personality and health behavior.

Broad personality traits may be important predictors of health behavior patterns. Two studies are reported which examined the associations between five major personality dimensions and four major health behavior dimensions. Prior associations between health behaviors and neurotic and extraverted personality tendencies generally were replicated. However, Conscientiousness and Agreeableness, two domains of personality that have received little research attention, emerged as important personality predictors of health behaviors. The results indicate that personality is a reliable predictor of health behavior patterns. It is suggested that the importance of personality has been underestimated in past research by the failure to consider appropriate health behavior criteria and the omission of important personality dimensions, such as Conscientiousness and Agreeableness, when studying health behavior patterns.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Norwegian military field exercises in the arctic: cognitive and physical performance.

In an effort to determine whether or not field living conditions degrade performance during cold weather military training, performance of 17 Norwegian Army soldiers living in tents in the field (FG) was compared with that of 13 soldiers living in barracks (GG). FG and GG performed similar tasks and were equipped and clothed identically. Each subject was tested prior to and following 9 days of field training. The tests consisted of marksmanship (score for a 5-shot group), snowshoe running (time to cover 1700 m), anaerobic power (Wingate test), and performance on 5 cognitive tests (preferred hand tapping, 4-choice reaction time, pattern recognition, memory search, and code substitution; each test scored as % correct and # completed). A subset of the subjects from each group wore watches which recorded heart rate during the day. During training GG had a lower average heart rate than FG, indicating lower physical activity level. Significant changes were not found in rifle shooting or in mean anaerobic power. Significant group (p less than .001) and time (p less than .001; pre vs. post) differences were found in snowshoe time, but a significant interaction was not found. Among the cognitive tests, a significant group by time interaction was found for % correct responses only for the Memory Search task, and represented a decrease in GG performance while FG performance was maintained. Time differences were found for # completed for Memory Search (p less than .002) and Pattern Recognition (p less than .001) suggesting incomplete learning of the task, but no group by time interactions were found.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Demonstration of replicable dimensions of health behaviors.

Health behaviors are known to be multidimensional, but the precise number of dimensions involved and their behavioral content have not been clearly established. Using convergence of factor analyses of 40 health behaviors across two samples as the criterion for identifying both the number and content of health behavior dimensions, the present study showed that individual differences in health behavior can be conceptualized in terms of a hierarchical model. At the most general level, health behaviors formed two broad categories or dimensions, preventive behavior and risk taking behavior. Preventive behavior included two empirically distinct subsets of behaviors, wellness maintenance behaviors and accident control behaviors. Risk taking behavior included subsets comprised of traffic-related risk taking and risk taking through exposure to hazardous substances. This hierarchical model is consistent with important theoretical distinctions in health behavior research, can accommodate the findings of prior studies, and should provide a useful framework for formulating research questions regarding antecedents and consequences of individual differences in health behaviors. Brief scales are proposed for use as reference measures in future studies of health behaviors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Nutrition knowledge among Navy recruits.

The Navy wants to incorporate nutrition education programs into basic training to teach Navy personnel fundamental principles of good nutrition. This study was undertaken to: determine deficits in recruits' nutrition knowledge, identify recruits with above-average need for nutrition education, and compare recruits' nutrition knowledge with that of typical U.S. school students. Demographic information and responses to a shortened version (36 items) of the National Dairy Council's Nutrition Achievement Test 4, developed for junior and senior high school students, were obtained from 205 male recruits. Although nutrition knowledge among Navy recruits was relatively comparable with that of U.S. school students, findings indicated that nutrition education is indeed needed. Only 2% of recruits answered 90% of the questions correctly. Forty percent answered half or more of the nutrition questions incorrectly. Questions answered incorrectly by more than 50% of recruits involved: (a) how one assesses nutrient needs and whether those needs are being met, (b) the four major food groups and recommended servings, and (c) effects of alcohol and drugs on nutritional status. Recruits who received higher grades in high school, got into less trouble in high school, were older, and were Caucasian had higher nutrition knowledge. Detailed information regarding nutrition misconceptions should help the Navy develop focused nutrition education materials.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Effectiveness of defenses: a significant predictor of cortisol excretion under stress.

Although stress theories assert that psychological characteristics influence illness through their effects on physiological reactions to psychosocial stimuli, it has been difficult to demonstrate substantial associations to support this contention. Effectiveness of defense (ED) is a clinical assessment based on emotional reaction to stress, disruption of physiological and social functioning, and the ability to mobilize additional defenses to deal with acute, superimposed stress. By convention, high scores on these assessments define ineffective defenses. In 6 of 7 samples studied to date, a significant ED-cortisol correlation was obtained (combined significance, p less than 0.00006). The ED-cortisol correlation averaged r = 0.41 for the seven samples and evidence from two studies suggests that ED is particularly important during high stress. These findings indicate that ineffective defenses are associated with higher cortisol excretion and establish ED as a topic worthy of study in connection with psychosocial stress. Future research issues include determining the importance of individual components of the overall ED rating and ascertaining whether ED has other physiological correlates in addition to cortisol.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

The effects of an augmented and the standard recruit physical training program on fitness parameters.

An investigation was conducted to compare fitness changes elicited by standard Navy recruit physical training with a similar but more intense version of standard training. The sample population included 224 Navy recruits between the ages of 17-30 (means = 19.7 years) participating in 8-week Navy basic training at the Recruit Training Command, San Diego, CA. Subjects were drawn from three recruit companies. Two companies of recruits served as controls and participated in the standard Navy running/calisthenic program. A single experimental company participated in an augmented version of standard training. A battery of fitness measures administered during the initial and final stages of training provided data to contrast training program effects. Study findings indicate that participation in the standard physical training program does not significantly alter the overall fitness level of the average recruit. Participation in the augmented training program provides superior stamina but not muscular strength gains when compared to the standard training format.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Type A behavior pattern and coping and defense.

The relationship of coping and defense to Type A behavior pattern (TABP), as measured by the Structured Interview and the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS), was investigated to understand the dynamics of TABP and psychological factors associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. It was hypothesized that global TABP and its component "speed and impatience" would be related to the use of defense mechanisms, while the TABP attribute "job involvement" would be related to high coping. The interview measure of global TABP was not related to coping and defense. For the JAS, "Job involvement" was related to high coping scores and low defense scores, "speed and impatience" was related to high defensiveness, and "hard driving" was related to low coping scores. One implication is that TABP may be associated with increased CHD risk only when combined with low coping skills and high defenses. The JAS findings imply that increased coronary risk may be associated with poor coping skills. Future studies should examine multifactorial interaction of personality variables that may contribute to CHD risk.

Adult↗