Biographical Variables Research Articles

HIV risk of transmission behaviour amongst HIV-infected prisoners and its correlates.

Thirty-eight from a total of 42 known HIV-positive prisoners in the Irish prison system voluntarily cooperated in a survey of psychological attitudes, knowledge of risk behaviour, intentions with respect to future risk behaviour, and actual past risk behaviour. Of this group, 65% reported that they had put others at risk of HIV, since they became aware of their own HIV+ status. Only 16% stated that they would definitely not share their drug-taking equipment in the future and 32% that they would always use a condom in sexual intercourse. In general, psychological and biographical variables were not strongly related to whether or not the respondents had put others at risk of HIV. Nor were there any significant differences in knowledge of at risk behaviour between those who had and those who had not put others at risk. However, there was some evidence for considerable independence between risk-taking behaviour in the sexual and in the drug-taking domains, in that risk-taking in one area was not highly predictive of risk-taking in the other.

Die Werksetiek en studentesubkulture / The work ethic and student subcultures of RAU students

Three work ethic scales were used in this article to measure the relationship between biographical and academic variables with regard to the work ethic of pregraduate students. Student subcultures were identified by making use of a cluster analysis, and the relationship between biographical and academic variables with regard to these subcultures were tested.

Teachers’ Attributions of Responsibility for Occupational Stress and Satisfaction: an organisational perspective

Summary Teachers’ attributions of responsibility for their occupational stress provide a conceptual framework for investigation of this phenomenon. Teachers attribute responsibility for their occupational stress to entities increasingly ‘distant’ from themselves. The association of occupational stress with job satisfaction is investigated in terms of this framework and some significant differences for biographical variables are reported.

Psychological variables as predictors of the length of post-operative hospitalization

The extent to which measures of anxiety and personality characteristics, which had been assessed preoperatively, could predict the length of hospital stay following surgery, above and beyond what could be predicted on the basis of biographical, medical-status and post-operative anxiety variables, was examined in 58 patients with gall-bladder disease. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that gender, previous operations, complications and State Anxiety (A-State) measured on the third day post-operatively, jointly explained a significant proportion of the variance in the length of hospitalization. Neither preoperative anxiety measures nor personality characteristics had any significant incremental value in the prediction.

Predicting Violence in Newly Admitted Inmates

Ten experienced psychologists and 11 case managers within the Federal Bureau of Prisons employed 17 demographic and biographical variables as cues to forecast violence during the first 6 months of incarceration of 33 male inmates at a medium-security federal correctional institution. Low levels of reliability were found among individual judges' forecasts, but high agreement was found for their composite judgments. These professionals' forecasts of inmates' violence showed low accuracy. Lens model analyses suggested that although forecasts and actual violence were both linearly predictable from the independent variables, low accuracy may have resulted because professionals failed to weight these factors optimally. Further analyses suggested that inmates showing violence at follow-up were younger, were more likely to come from nonurban areas, and had a history of more prior arrests and convictions than did inmates who did not show violence in prison. Implications for improving accuracy at predicting short-term violence are discussed.

PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS EXPERIENCING HIGH AND LOW LEVELS OF BURNOUT

A total of 750 teachers from 16 government and non-government schools from areas of contrasted socio-economic status (SES) responded to a questionnaire designed to investigate associations between selected aspects of burnout among teachers working in secondary schools in Victoria, Australia. By comparing high and low burnout groups on biographic, psychological and work pattern variables, differences between teachers experiencing high and low levels of burnout were identified. Multiple regression analyses assessed the relative importance of these variables in accounting for the variance in each of the three burnout subscales. School type was related to perceptions of stress and burnout. Higher levels of burnout were associated with poorer physical health, higher rates of absenteeism, lower self-confidence and more frequent use of regressive coping strategies. Teachers classified as experiencing high levels of burnout attributed most of the stress in their lives to teaching and reported low levels of career commitment and satisfaction. Further, teachers who recorded high levels of burnout were characterised by lower levels of the personality disposition of hardiness, lower levels of social support, higher levels of role stress and more custodial pupil control ideologies than their low-burnout counterparts. Psychological variables were found to be more significant predictors of burnout than biographical variables.

Le marché du travail au-delà de l'alternative entre macro-contraintes et micro-rationalité. A propos des stratégies des travailleurs bénéficiaires de la Cassa Integrazione Guadagni en Italie

The results of Italian studies of the Cassa Integrazione Guadagni, a fund that provides benefits to workers in big firms who are laid off but not actually dismissed, are subjected to theories about labor market segmentation, the job-search, and the perfectly informed actor's logic. Since none of these theories accounts for observations, cultural and biographical variables are taken into consideration. They lead us to see work as something other than a mere merchandise.

Predicting sales performance, job satisfaction, and depression by using the Achievement Strivings and Impatience-Irritability dimensions of Type A behavior.

Recent research suggested that two dimensions of Type A behavior, namely, Achievement Strivings (AS) and Impatience-Irritability (11), differentially predict physical health and performance outcomes. The present study extends this research and examines whether AS and II differentially predict work performance (number of insurance policies sold), work attitudes (job satisfaction), and depression in a sample of 117 life insurance salespersons. As hypothesized, after statistically controlling for relevant biographical variables and II, AS predicted the number of policies sold and job satisfaction but was not related to depression. After partialing out the effect of relevant biographical variables and AS, II was associated with depression but not with the number of policies sold. In addition, controlling for the same variables, 11 was negatively associated with job satisfaction. Implications for the prediction of sales performance, job satisfaction, and depression, and interventions designed to decrease the negative consequences of Type A by reducing II but not AS, are discussed.

Impairment of cognition, risk-taking, and self-perception by alcohol.

The effects of alcohol on risk-taking, visual signal detection, and perceptual-motor skills were examined under controlled conditions. Skill in two videogame tasks (driving and racquetball simulations) was unaffected by a massive dose of alcohol, whereas risk-taking in the driving task was increased. Alcohol also impaired performance on the signal-detection task, decreasing both perceptual vigilance and caution (d' and beta). The dependent measures yielded minor correlations with personality and biographical variables, although men were more skilled and riskier in their behaviour than women. A second experiment employing the signal-detection task indicated that even moderate doses of alcohol can significantly impair visual perception and perceptual decision making. Both studies showed that subjects who receive a massive dose of alcohol (bac .12% or .16%) significantly underestimate the amount consumed, and rate themselves as being much less than totally drunk.

Predictors of recidivism in DUIIs.

The prior driving records of 397 drivers arrested for drinking and driving in the year 1983 were examined with the purpose of comparing biographical factors and variables relating to driving history and arrest circumstance between recidivist and nonrecidivist drinking drivers. Of these drivers, 174 (44%) had more than one arrest within a 12-year study period, while 223 (56%) had only one. Significant differences were found among drivers with different numbers of drinking and driving offenses. Drivers with one or two DUII arrests had more non-moving traffic violations than drivers with three or more DUII arrests. Drinking and driving offenders with higher levels of arrests were more likely to be unemployed, to have a past criminal record, to be arrested for drinking and driving on a weekday during afternoon and early evening hours, to drive with a suspended or revoked license and to refuse a blood alcohol level determination test. In this study DUII offenders with four or more arrests fit the descriptive model of alcoholism.

Klassifikasies van ‘beroep’ as verklarende veranderlikes vir kerklike betrokkenheid / Classifications of ‘occupation’ as explanatory variables for religious commitment

Occupation is often neglected as a predictor variable in sociological research, mainly because the criteria for classification and grouping of categories are not always well defined or consistent: in some cases they depend on descriptions of jobs, in others on characteristics or status of the worker. In this article two systems of classification of occupations are investigated and compared. The one is the census classification that is generally used in questionnaire surveys and the other, which accounts for certain dimensions of personality, was developed by J.L. Holland. Four dependent variables, namely, frequency of church attendance, reasons for worship, commitment to church services, and the effect of religious education, were used to compare the two classification systems. The categories of occupations in both systems were scrutinized with the aid of CHAID to find combinations that offered optimal explanatory value of occupation with regard to each dependent variable. Subsequently the two occupational classifications were analysed in conjunction with seven other biographical variables. Provided that the ‘correct’ combinations of categories are identified both occupational classifications compare favourably with various biographical variables. In fact, the census classification proved to be the only biographical variable that showed statistically significant relationships with all the dependent variables. The results also suggest that Holland's personality-based classification system may be applied beneficially in sociological analysis.

Investigating behavioral antecedents of turnover at three job tenure levels.

A field study was conducted to investigate differences between hourly assembly operators who stayed and hourly assembly operators who voluntarily quit their jobs. A total of 80 stayers and 121 leavers were identified from personnel records and were classified into one of three job tenure groups, 25 months, 6-12 months, and more than 12 months. Job performance, attendance measures, and biographical variables were used to predict turnover for each job tenure group. Results indicated poorer performance by leavers with 6-12 months tenure compared with stayers. No differences in performance or attendance were obtained between stayers and leavers with between 2-5 months and those with more than 12-months job tenure. Leavers after 6 and before 12 months demonstrated more absenteeism compared with stayers. Implications for the role of absenteeism and constraints on the performance-retention relation are discussed.

Investigating behavioral antecedents of turnover at three job tenure levels.

A field study was conducted to investigate differences between hourly assembly operators who stayed and hourly assembly operators who voluntarily quit their jobs. A total of 80 stayers and 121 leavers were identified from personnel records and were classified into one of three job tenure groups, 25 months, 6-12 months, and more than 12 months. Job performance, attendance measures, and biographical variables were used to predict turnover for each job tenure group. Results indicated poorer performance by leavers with 6-12 months tenure compared with stayers. No differences in performance or attendance were obtained between stayers and leavers with between 2-5 months and those with more than 12-months job tenure. Leavers after 6 and before 12 months demonstrated more absenteeism compared with stayers. Implications for the role of absenteeism and constraints on the performance-retention relation are discussed.

Symptomatology of habitual caffeine use amongst psychiatric patients

Recent studies of caffeine use amongst psychiatric patients have suggested that heavy users experience more anxiety and depression than non-users. The present study aimed to extend the findings of previous research by examining somatic as well as psychological symptomatology associated with habitual caffeine use. In addition, an attempt was made to control for certain potentially confounding variables not adequately controlled in previous research, including possible response bias due to subject knowledge of investigator expectations, subjects' use of substances other than caffeine, and a number of biographic variables. The participants were 173 inpatients drawn from two large psychiatric institutions. Each subject participated in a structured interview during which information was obtained on somatic and psychological health, substance use, and demographic variables. Results failed to confirm previous reports of an association between moderate levels of caffeine consumption and psychological well-being. However, caffeine consumption was significantly correlated with self-reported Frequency of somatic symptoms.

The structure of habilitation.

Biographic, program and background variables traditionally employed in the habilitation program and accountability literature were assembled for 75 mentally handicapped adults who had completed a three year comprehensive program of training and up to three years of subsequent community placement. Factor analysis treatment yielded 12 input and 4 output factors, the nature of which suggests a greater role for cognitive and clinical variables in the overall structure of habilitation than has been supported by the habilitation services accountability literature to date.

Pulmonary Nurse Specialists: Preparation for the Advanced Practice Role

A survey was done to determine the factors that influence nurses' decisions to prepare as specialists in pulmonary nursing. A questionnaire that included items concerned with biographic variables and perceptions toward pulmonary nursing was distributed on selected adult units of two medical centers and one community hospital in south central Connecticut. Data were collected from 113 medical-surgical nurses. Subjects were primarily women (96.5%) and in the 20-30 age range (mean = 30, SD = 7.06, median = 27.6). On the average, subjects had been employed for 7.5 years (7.03, median = 5.37). Thirty percent of the sample expressed a desire to work with pulmonary patients. This group had a positive score on the semantic differential (p = 0.0001). Nurses (N = 11) who had worked with a pulmonary clinical specialist rated their impression of caring for pulmonary patients more positively than those who had not (p = 0.044). Although only 13 subjects expressed an interest in preparing as a pulmonary nurse specialist, they had a positive score on the semantic differential (p = 0.0001). Limitations, recommendations for further study, and implications for nursing and nursing education are addressed.

Improving the prediction of reading for the individual child: a four-year follow-up.

In a follow-up of 208 boys, the 16 who scored low on a prekindergarten screening battery, but were satisfactory readers four years later, were compared with 13 others, who were low on both prekindergarten and reading measures. All but two of the 16 good readers, but only one poor reader, were classified by criteria consisting mainly of biographical variables. Four sets of biographical and screening data, applied to the 179 boys who scored above the screening cutoff, identified 16 of 17 who became poor readers, but only one good reader. The four subgroups identified resembled subtypes of reading disability found by some researchers.

Comparative trait analysis of long-term recovering alcoholics.

Traits of long-term recovering alcoholics were compared with traits of nonalcoholic controls. Subjects were matched on biographic variables and completed a trait measure of social responsibility and measures of self-deception and impression management as strategies for gaining approval. Confirmed hypotheses indicated that recovering alcoholics scored significantly higher on the intrapersonal measure of social responsibility and significantly lower on the intrapersonal measure of self-deception. No confirmation was found for differences on the interpersonal measure of impression management, but support was found for discrimination of recovering alcoholics from controls with combined measures of responsibility and self-deception. Supported hypotheses suggested that recovery may involve a restructuring of traits from low to high responsibility and from high to low self-deception or lack of self-acceptance.

Prediction of Academic Success in a University Honors Program

The utility of cognitive and biographical variables for the prediction of academic success in a University honors program was investigated. Several variables modestly predicted both college grade point average and final graduation from the honors program. Results were generally supportive of previous research.

Relations between TMJ pain dysfunction syndrome (PDS) and some psychologic and biographic variables.

A total of 211 persons with a complete natural dentition were examined for signs and symptoms of the TMJ pain dysfunction syndrome. They also answered the questions of the Dutch version of the Hopkins Symptoms Check List (HSCL). Schooling, age and sex were also registered. Signs and symptoms of the TMJ pain dysfunction syndrome proved to be highly correlated to the psychologic and somatic scales of the HSCL with one exception: maximal mouth opening. The total palpation score proved to be a reliable, sensitive, easy and fast predictor for the severity of the TMJ pain dysfunction syndrome.