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The role of risk and protective factors in predicting symptomatology in adolescent self-identified children of alcoholic parents.

Tested a stress process model for predicting mental health symptoms in children of alcoholics (COAs). Stress and mental health measures were completed twice over a 3-month period by 145 high school students, 43 of whom self-identified as COAs. Using structural equation modeling, a stress process model for predicting mental health symptoms in children provided a good fit to the data. COA status was related to higher levels of negative and lower levels of positive events. In turn, positive and negative life events were found to have an immediate, but not a longitudinal, direct effect on adolescent symptomatology.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

HIV treatment adherence in women living with HIV/AIDS: research based on the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills model of health behavior.

Close and consistent adherence to anti-HIV medication regimens is necessary to achieve the maximum benefit of these potentially effective treatments. The authors examined cognitive and behavioral factors associated with HIV treatment adherence in a convenience sample of 112 women, 72 of whom were currently taking HIV treatments at the time of the study. Women completed confidential surveys and interviews to assess HIV-related health status, treatment regimens, and cognitive behavioral characteristics derived from the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills model of health promotion behaviors. Results showed that women who had missed at least one dose of their HIV medications in the past week reported lower intentions (motivation) to remain adherent and lower adherence self-efficacy (skills). Structural equation modeling showed that motivational and skills-building factors significantly predicted the number of medication doses missed. However, treatment-related information did not predict treatment adherence. In addition, women who had missed a dose of medication in the past week were more likely to have ever used devices and strategies to remind them of doses, but were no more likely to currently use such strategies. Interventions that enhance treatment adherence motivation and build adherence skills may help improve HIV treatment adherence in women receiving anti-HIV therapies.

Adult↗

An emotion-based model of risk perception and stigma susceptibility: cognitive appraisals of emotion, affective reactivity, worldviews, and risk perceptions in the generation of technological stigma.

A study (N=198) was conducted to examine hypotheses derived from an emotion-based model of stigma responses to radiation sources. A model of stigma susceptibility is proposed in which affective reactions and cognitive worldviews activate predispositions to appraise and experience events in systematic ways that result in the generation of negative emotion, risk perceptions, and stigma responses. Results of structural equation modeling supported the hypotheses. Radiation sources that scored higher on a measure of stigma were included in the analyses (i.e., nuclear power plants, radioactive waste from nuclear power plants, radiation from nuclear weapons testing). Individual differences in negative reactivity and worldviews were associated with the strength of emotional appraisals that were associated, in turn, with negative emotion toward stigmatized radiation sources. As hypothesized, the model fit better with perceived risk as a function of negative emotion rather than vice versa. Finally, a measure of stigma was associated with negative emotion and, to a lesser extent, with risk perceptions. Risk communication about stigmatized objects may benefit from a more complete understanding of how affective and emotional reactions are constructed and the routes through which they affect responses and behaviors.

Affect↗

Support from spouse as mediator and moderator of the disruptive influence of economic strain on parenting.

A model is presented regarding associations between economic strain, support from spouse, and quality of parenting. The model was tested using a sample of 451 2-parent families, each of which included a seventh grader (age 12-13). Parent and adolescent reports, as well as observational ratings, were used as indicators of constructs. Analysis using structural equation modeling procedures indicated that level of spouse support was positively related to supportive parenting, whereas economic strain operated to undermine parental involvement. As posited, economic strain produced its effect through a direct relation with parenting and indirectly through its association with spouse support. These findings held for mothers and fathers, regardless of the gender of the child. Spouse support moderated the impact of economic strain on supportive parenting for mothers but not fathers. Possible explanations for this gender difference are presented.

Adult↗

Peer cluster theory and adolescent drug use: a reanalysis.

Peer cluster theory hypothesizes that peer drug association has a direct effect on adolescent drug use. In turn, peer drug associations are influenced by familial factors (sanctions and strength) and individual variables (religious identification, school adjustment). Oetting and Beauvais evaluated peer cluster theory in a cross-sectional survey of 415 high school students [1]. We hypothesized, evaluated, and found support for an alternative model in which poorer school adjustment was specified as a consequence of drug use, peer drug associations, lack of family sanctions against drug use, low religious identification, and absence of family strength. This reanalysis illustrates that interpretations of structural equation modeling results from cross-sectional data are especially problematic.

Adolescent↗

Structural models of gender, alcohol consumption, and health.

BACKGROUND: Gender differences exist in patterns of alcohol consumption and in the health and social effects of alcohol use, but little is known about gender differences in how alcohol use is affected by mental and physical health conditions. METHODS: We used structural equation modeling techniques to examine gender differences in the relationships among alcohol consumption, physical and mental health, functional status, and social and demographic characteristics. Data were obtained from a random sample of the adult membership of a health maintenance organization in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Simultaneous models evaluated gender differences in predictors of drinking vs. nondrinking status and, among drinkers, amount of alcohol consumed. RESULTS: Physical health was twice as strong a predictor of drinker/nondrinker status among women compared with men, but among drinkers, there were no gender differences in predictors of amount of alcohol consumed. Mental health predicted drinking status and alcohol consumption among drinkers, but these relationships did not differ by gender. Overall, sociodemographic characteristics and physical health were stronger predictors of alcohol use among women than among men. CONCLUSIONS: Women may be more amenable than men to alcohol-related preventive messages that target physical health concerns. Treating mental health conditions may be an important method for reducing alcohol consumption.

Adult↗

Predictors of attachment styles of children in foster care: an attachment theory model for working with families.

The purpose of this study was to examine the attachment styles of children in foster care and to use this information to inform clinical practice (N = 110). When examining the relationship between attachment style and child characteristics, no significant differences were found. A structural equation model hypothesizing the relation of individual characteristics, losses, and family contact to avoidant attachment was then tested. Results provided tentative support for the hypothesized model. Implications for therapists include being attentive to attachment injuries, and working to create safe therapeutic environments when working with families involved in the foster care system.

Child↗

HIV risk reduction for substance using seriously mentally ill adults: test of the information-motivation-behavior skills (IMB) model.

The information-motivation-behavioral skills (IMB) model (Fisher & Fisher, 1992) was used as the theoretical framework for predicting unprotected sexual behavior among substance abusing men and women diagnosed with serious mental illnesses (n = 320; 150 men and 170 women, primarily of minority ethnicity). In a structural equation model, gender, HIV transmission knowledge, and motivational variables of pro-condom norms and attitudes, and perceived susceptibility predicted behavioral skills markers: condom use skills and condom use self-efficacy. Along with the other variables in the model, condom skills and condom self-efficacy were hypothesized to predict condom use over a six-month period. Results showed that greater condom skills were predicted by female gender, positive condom attitudes, and transmission knowledge. Engaging in lower rates of unprotected sex was predicted by pro-condom norms, less perceived susceptibility, and greater condom self-efficacy. Positive attitudes toward condoms had a significant indirect effect on rates of unprotected sex, exerting its influence through condom use self-efficacy. Results suggest that changing personal attitudes about condoms and reinforcing pro-condom attitudes among significant others will encourage condom use among seriously mentally ill (SMI) adults who are at high risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Adult↗

The role of stress and family relationships in mediating problem drinking and fathers' personal adjustment.

OBJECTIVE: To test a stress process model in which family stress (negative life events) and fathers' family system resources (marital adjustment and positive father-child relationships) were evaluated as mediators of the relationship between problem drinking (fathers' and mothers') and fathers' personal adjustment. METHOD: Structural equation modeling was used to analyze data from fathers and mothers in 93 two-parent families with early adolescent children. RESULTS: Fathers' problem drinking contributed marginally to family stress and directly to fathers' diminished personal adjustment. Family stress was related to reduced marital adjustment and personal adjustment. Mothers' problem drinking contributed only to less positive father-child relationships. CONCLUSIONS: Stress process models for fathers and mothers differ; in particular, family relationships do not appear to play a significant mediational role for fathers whereas they do for mothers. Interventions for symptomatic fathers might best concentrate on alleviating problem drinking and extrafamilial sources of stress.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Model testing: examining parent satisfaction.

The purpose of this study was to test a model predicting social-psychological determinants of parent satisfaction with children's mental health services. Model concepts were parents' characteristics, definition of situation, desired services, expectations, met desires, met expectations, and satisfaction. The sample included 120 parents of children, ages 3-18 years, admitted to one of five treatment programs. With minor changes, results of structural equation modeling indicated a good fit between the data and the proposed relationships. The strongest predictor of parent satisfaction was met expectations; however, inclusion of the desire concepts was essential in obtaining a strong, acceptable model fit.

Adolescent↗

Genetic and environmental influences on anxiety dimensions in Italian twins evaluated with the SCARED questionnaire.

This study explored the factorial structure of the Italian version of the Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders questionnaire (SCARED), and investigated the contributions of genetic and environmental influences of individual variation of anxiety dimensions as reported in the SCARED. Three hundred and seventy-eight twin pairs aged 8-17 from the Italian Twin Registry filled in the SCARED through a mail survey. Four, distinct empirical factors, that corresponded closely to the original SCARED subscales of Generalized Anxiety (GAD), Panic (PD), Social Phobia (SP), and Separation Anxiety (SAD) disorder emerged from Exploratory Factor Analysis. The empirically derived scores were analyzed by structural equation modeling; moderate-to-high heritability, without age or sex differences, emerged for all dimensions with the exception of GAD, for which an age effect was found. The DSM-IV anxiety dimensions identified by the SCARED have a psychometric structure that can be replicated in the Italian culture, and are influenced at different extents by genetic and nonshared environmental determinants.

Adolescent↗

Modeling the causal relationships between symptoms associated with restless legs syndrome and the patient-reported impact of RLS.

The objective of this study is to examine the causal relationships between the symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS) and specific clinical and subjective health-related, quality of life consequences. Structural equation modeling was applied to data from a questionnaire-based observational study. The RLS morbidities of decreased functional alertness and emotional distress in our sample of patients appear to be mostly secondary to the sleep disturbance associated with RLS. There was no clear indication of any other feature of RLS affecting these two aspects of RLS morbidity. A primary treatment goal should be the reduction of the sleep disturbance of RLS, both to decrease the RLS-related nocturnal distress and to improve daytime functioning.

Adult↗

The impact of sleep deprivation and task difficulty on networks of fMRI brain response.

Previous fMRI research has found altered brain response after total sleep deprivation (TSD), with TSD effects moderated by task difficulty. Specific models of the impact of sleep deprivation and task difficulty on brain response have yet to be developed. Differences in networks of fMRI measured brain response during verbal encoding in sleep deprived and well-rested individuals were examined with structural equation modeling (SEM). During fMRI scanning, 23 healthy volunteers memorized words either easy or difficult to recall, 12 (well-rested) and 36 hours (sleep deprived) after awaking. A priori models that linked specified regions of interest were evaluated, with the focus on the extent to which two left parietal regions interacted with the left inferior frontal gyrus (Model 1) or with the right inferior frontal gyrus (Model 2). Task difficulty, not TSD, determined which model fit the brain response data; Model 2 fit best for hard words before and after TSD, whereas Model 1 fit best for easy words. TSD altered the patterns of interaction within each of the best fitting models: prefrontal interactions with the left inferior parietal lobe were diminished and intra-parietal interactions increased. Sleep deprivation and item difficulty produce different effects on brain networks involved in verbal learning.

Adult↗

Understanding behavioral intention to participate in virtual communities.

Virtual communities are formed on the Internet and are expected to serve the needs of members for communication, information, and entertainment. Online businesses should consider virtual communities as a new market place since their members are current or future customers. Thus, there is a need to understand the determinants of member intentions to participate in virtual communities. Based on the extended theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study develop a research model to identify the attitudinal, social, and perceived behavioral control factors that would influence members intentions to participate in virtual communities. Specifically, the research model decomposes the attitude component into perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and perceived trust, and the perceived behavioral control component into Internet self-efficacy and facilitating conditions. Based on a survey of 165 community members, this study uses structural equation modeling (SEM) approach to investigate the research model. The results indicate that attitude and perceived behavioral control significantly influence member behavioral intentions, while subjective norms do not. Finally, this study discusses the implications of these findings and offer directions for future research.

Attitude↗

The Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) reconsidered: validation and reference values from different clinical and healthy adult samples.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to translate, revise, and standardize the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) by Levenstein et al. (1993) in German. The instrument assesses subjectively experienced stress independent of a specific and objective occasion. METHODS: Exploratory factor analyses and a revision of the scale content were carried out on a sample of 650 subjects (Psychosomatic Medicine patients, women after delivery, women after miscarriage, and students). Confirmatory analyses and examination of structural stability across subgroups were carried out on a second sample of 1,808 subjects (psychosomatic, tinnitus, inflammatory bowel disease patients, pregnant women, healthy adults) using linear structural equation modeling and multisample analyses. External validation included immunological measures in women who had suffered a miscarriage. RESULTS: Four factors (worries, tension, joy, demands) emerged, with 5 items each, as compared with the 30 items of the original PSQ. The factor structure was confirmed on the second sample. Multisample analyses yielded a fair structural stability across groups. Reliability values were satisfactory. Findings suggest that three scales represent internal stress reactions, whereas the scale "demands" relates to perceived external stressors. Significant and meaningful differences between groups indicate differential validity. A higher degree of certain immunological imbalances after miscarriage (presumably linked to pregnancy loss) was found in those women who had a higher stress score. Sensitivity to change was demonstrated in two different treatment samples. CONCLUSION: We propose the revised PSQ as a valid and economic tool for stress research. The overall score permits comparison with results from earlier studies using the original instrument.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗

Evaluation of the integrated cognitive model of depression and its specificity in a migrant population.

This study empirically tested the specificity of the integrated cognitive model (ICM) of depression, which postulates that negative life events interact with dysfunctional attitudes to increase the frequency and severity of automatic thoughts, subsequently affecting depressive symptoms. We also examined the three competing models: the linear mediation model, the alternative etiologies model, and the symptom model. We anticipated that we might examine these models more appropriately using data from a population at an increased risk of developing depressive symptoms. As such, two-wave panel data were obtained from a group of 107 Korean migrants who had been in Australia less than 1 year. Structural equation modeling revealed that the ICM provided an adequate and much better fit than the three competing models. The ICM was also found to support the cognitive specificity theory of depression and anxiety. These findings suggest that dysfunctional attitudes can be a common cognitive moderator of depression and anxiety, whereas automatic thoughts and anxious self-statements can be specific cognitive mediators of anxiety and depression, respectively.

Acculturation↗

A prospective study of intraindividual and peer influences on adolescents' heterosexual romantic and sexual behavior.

Theories and empirical studies of adolescent sexual behavior have identified the contributions of personal attributes and social experiences; however, it is rare that models have clarified developmental pathways to adolescent sexual behavior that include (1) factors assessed prior to and early in adolescence and (2) dyadic experiences in adolescence that provide the opportunity for sexual behavior (i.e., dating). Using data from a prospective study, structural equation modeling was used to test a model predicting adolescent sexual behavior at age 19, denoted by the number of lifetime sexual partners. Predictors examined were sociability and impulsivity assessed at 30 months of age, physical characteristics and experiences with peers measured at age 12-13, the age of first romantic relationship, and frequency of alcohol use at age 16. The pathway to greater sexual involvement was marked by some desired personal attributes (e.g., sociability) and peer experiences (e.g., higher quality friendships). These associations were mediated, however, by earlier initiation of romantic relationships and more frequent use of alcohol in middle adolescence. Earlier initiation of romantic relationships and more frequent alcohol use were predicted by greater sociability and less impulsivity in childhood, higher quality friendships and greater peer acceptance in early adolescence, and a more mature appearance and physical attractiveness (among females) at age 13. The findings imply a complex pathway that leads to a greater accumulation of sexual partners by age 19. This pathway begins in childhood and includes individual qualities, peer acceptance, romantic relationships, and alcohol use.

Adolescent↗

The structure of satisfaction with pharmacy services.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this investigation were to evaluate the dimensional structure of satisfaction with pharmacy services, to determine whether satisfaction is best viewed as a unidimensional or multidimensional construct, and to determine the degree of correspondence between a general satisfaction scale and satisfaction with specific aspects of pharmacy services. METHODS: Data was collected via telephone interviews of 509 patrons of traditional retail pharmacies and analyzed using structural equation modeling techniques. RESULTS: The hypothesized, multidimensional measurement model fit the observed data reasonably well. However, correlations between the latent dimensions of satisfaction with pharmacy services indicated that some dimensions were empirically indistinguishable. CONCLUSIONS: Considering item content and theoretical considerations, modifications to the structure of previously used measures of satisfaction with pharmacy services were suggested. The data also support the hypothesis of a hierarchical model in which general satisfaction could be simultaneously represented as both an overall domain and as a set of distinct dimensions tapping unique aspects of satisfaction with pharmacy services. Depending on the purpose of the measurement, either or both levels of analysis may be useful.

Adult↗