Gender-specific Factor Research Articles

Training Program Factors Most Important to Women When Selecting an Otolaryngology Residency.

The aim of the study was to determine factors that female resident physicians find most influential when choosing an otolaryngology residency program. A three-part survey was sent to current female otolaryngology residents via email evaluating the importance of 19 characteristics impacting program choice. The 19 factors were scored from 1 (least important) to 5 (most important). The participants also ranked their personal top five most influential factors. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. One-hundred and fifty of 339 contacted residents participated. Most were aged 30-39 (63%), white (70%), and married (43%). Eighty-five percent had no children, and 52% did not plan to have children during residency. The highest scoring factors derived from Likert scale ratings included resident camaraderie (4.5 ± 0.8), resident happiness (4.4 ± 0.8), and case variety/number (4.4 ± 0.8). The lowest scoring factors were number of fellows (2.9 ± 1.1), attitudes toward maternity leave (2.7 ± 1.3), and maternity leave policies (2.4 ± 1.2). The top five most influential factors and the percentage selecting this were resident camaraderie (57%), resident happiness (57%), academic reputation (51%), case variety/number (47%), and early surgical/clinical experience (44%). Gender-specific factors were infrequently selected. However, 51 (34%) ranked at least one gender-specific factor within their top five list. Non-gender-related factors, like resident camaraderie and surgical experiences, were most valued by women. Conversely, gender-specific factors were less critical and infrequently ranked. Ninety-nine residents (64%) rated exclusively gender-neutral characteristics in their top five list of most influential factors. Our data offer insight into program characteristics most important to female otolaryngology residents, which may assist residency programs hoping to match female applicants. NA Laryngoscope, 134:600-606, 2024.

MP57-13 THE UROLOGY MATCH: IMPORTANT FACTORS WOMEN CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A RESIDENCY PROGRAM

You have accessJournal of UrologyCME1 Apr 2023MP57-13 THE UROLOGY MATCH: IMPORTANT FACTORS WOMEN CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A RESIDENCY PROGRAM Sarah A. Strausser, Kirsten N. Mansfield, Amy Zheng, Debarati Bhanja, Meloria A. Hoskins, Molly Piper, Madison L. Goss, Sarah McNutt, Jay D. Raman, and Amy S. Burns Sarah A. StrausserSarah A. Strausser More articles by this author , Kirsten N. MansfieldKirsten N. Mansfield More articles by this author , Amy ZhengAmy Zheng More articles by this author , Debarati BhanjaDebarati Bhanja More articles by this author , Meloria A. HoskinsMeloria A. Hoskins More articles by this author , Molly PiperMolly Piper More articles by this author , Madison L. GossMadison L. Goss More articles by this author , Sarah McNuttSarah McNutt More articles by this author , Jay D. RamanJay D. Raman More articles by this author , and Amy S. BurnsAmy S. Burns More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000003310.13AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: The American Urological Association is committed to expanding diversity within the field of urology. To potentially enhance gender diversification of residency cohorts and recruitment of women applicants, we examined factors that women urology residents rate as most influential when selecting training programs. METHODS: Surveys were emailed to women urology residents in the 2021-2022 academic year. The survey listed 19 residency program characteristics and, via a 5-point Likert scale, residents rated the importance of each when choosing a training program. Additionally, respondents selected their personal top five most influential factors from the 19 available factors. Demographic data was collected. Results were analyzed via descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Of 367 women residents contacted, 136 (37%) participated. Most were aged 30-39 (58%), White (66%), and engaged or in a committed relationship (45%). Eighty-two percent had no children; 58% did not plan to have children during residency. The three highest scoring factors were resident camaraderie (4.6±0.5 [mean±SD]), resident happiness (4.6±0.6), and case variety/number (4.4±0.8). The lowest scoring factors were number of concurrent fellows (2.8±1.2), attitudes towards maternity leave (2.6±1.2), and maternity leave policies (2.5±1.2).The top six most influential factors and the percentage of residents selecting each were: resident happiness (67%), case variety/number (56%), resident camaraderie (55%), early surgical/clinical experience (44%), relationship with attendings (43%), and academic reputation (43%). Gender-specific factors were less frequently selected; however, 52 (38%) respondents ranked at least one gender-specific factor in their personal top five list (Figure 1 and 2). CONCLUSIONS: In general, women urology residents prioritized gender-neutral factors like resident camaraderie and surgical experiences over gender-specific factors. Urology training programs may use these findings to implement recruitment strategies to appeal to women medical students. Source of Funding: N/A © 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 209Issue Supplement 4April 2023Page: e789 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Sarah A. Strausser More articles by this author Kirsten N. Mansfield More articles by this author Amy Zheng More articles by this author Debarati Bhanja More articles by this author Meloria A. Hoskins More articles by this author Molly Piper More articles by this author Madison L. Goss More articles by this author Sarah McNutt More articles by this author Jay D. Raman More articles by this author Amy S. Burns More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...

Evidence of measurement invariance across gender for the Force Concept Inventory

Gender differences in performance on the Force Concept Inventory are likely not a result of different, gender-specific factor structures of the assessment.

Risk Factors for the Development of the Ischemic Stroke in the Carotid Arterial System in Males and Females

Introduction: Biologically determined differences between males and females and different levels of sex hormones determine some specific features of their ischemic stroke (IS). Clinical studies aimed at identifying risk factors for the development of IS in persons of different sexes are considered to be necessary for elaborating strategies to increase life expectancy and to improve quality of life. Objective: to study risk factors for the development of IS in the arteries of the carotid system in males and females. Materials and methods: Risk factors for the development of IS in the arteries of the carotid system were analyzed in 268 patients for the period from 2010 to 2017. Among the patients, there were 148 (55%) men and 120 (45%) women aged from 47 to 79 years. MRI of the brain, duplex scanning of the cerebral arteries, and transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography were used to establish the diagnosis of the stroke subtype. Results: In the age group 47–79 years, females had more often cardioembolic and lacunar stroke, while males had predominantly atherothrombotic stroke and stroke with competing causes. Atrial fibrillation, diabetes mellitus, atherosclerotic cardiosclerosis, chronic heart failure, thyroid disease and excess body weight were also more common in females. In contrast, there were significantly more smokers and over-consumption of alcohol among males, and the same was true for small heart attacks and transient symptoms in the past history. Atherosclerosis of the extracranial part of the internal carotid artery (ICA) ofhigh degree was found more often in males, while females with atherothrombotic stroke had significantly higher blood cholesterol level. The study of arterial hypertension (AH) revealed the following differences between groups: AH III degree (180/110 mmHg or higher) was more often in females, and AH I degree (140–159/90–99 mmHg) in males, while the proportion of patients with grade II AH (160–179/100–109 mmHg) and patients without AH was approximately equal in the two groups. Conclusions: The risk factors for the development of IS in the arteries of the carotid system in men are atherosclerotic carotid stenosis, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. Development of stroke in men is preceded by small infarcts with transient symptoms. The risk factors for the development of IS in the arteries of the carotid system in women are atrial fibrillation, diabetes mellitus, atherosclerotic cardiosclerosis, chronic heart failure, thyroid disease, and excess body weight. As in men, despite significantly lower cholesterol levels, there are more pronounced atherosclerotic carotid stenosis and more frequent atherothombotic strokes, one may suggest the existence of an additional factor leading to stroke (alternatively, women may have some gender-specific protective factor).

Measuring sexual relationship power equity among young women and young men South Africa: Implications for gender-transformative programming.

IntroductionMeasures used to assess equitable relationship dynamics, including the sexual relationship power scale (SRPS) have previously been associated with lower HIV-risk among young women, and reduced perpetration of intimate partner violence among men. However, few studies describe how the SRPS has been adapted and validated for use within global youth sexual health studies. We examined gender-specific psychometric properties, reliability, and validity of a SRPS used within a South African youth-engaged cohort study.MethodsYoung men and women (16–24 years) enrolled in community-based cohorts in Durban and Soweto (2014–2016) reporting a primary partner at 6-month follow-up completed a 13-item (strongly agree/agree/disagree/strongly disagree) South African adaptation of Pulerwitz’s SRPS (range 13–52, higher scores indicating greater sexual relationship power [SRP] equity). SRPS modifications were made using gender-specific exploratory factor analyses (EFAs), removing items with factor loadings <0.3. Cronbach alphas were conducted for full and modified scales by gender. Using modified scales, unadjusted and adjusted regression models examined associations between 1. relevant socio-demographic and relationship determinants and SRP equity, and 2. SRP equity and sexual relationship related outcomes. All models adjusted for education, age, site, and current employment.Results235 sexually-active youth (66% women, median age = 20) were included. Mean scores across all 13 scale items were 2.71 (SD 0.30) for women and 2.70 (SD 0.4) for men. Scale Cronbach’s alphas were 0.63 for women and 0.64 for men. EFAs resulted in two gender-specific single-factor SRPS. Modified SRPS Cronbach alphas increased to 0.67 for women (8-items) and 0.70 for men (9-items). After adjusting for age, site and current employment, higher education remained associated with SRP equity across genders. In adjusted models, correlates of SRP equity included primary partnerships that were age-similar (<5 years older) and <2 years in length for women and living in Soweto and younger age for men. Greater SRP equity among women was also independently associated with no recent partner violence.ConclusionsResults highlight important gender differences in SRP equity measures and associations, highlighting the critically need for future research to examine gendered constructions of SRP equity in order to accurately develop, validate and use appropriate measures within quantitative surveys.

Explaining differential item functioning focusing on the crucial role of external information \u2013 an example from the measurement of adolescent mental health

BackgroundAn overarching objective in research comparing different sample groups is to ensure that the reported differences in outcomes are not affected by differences between groups in the functioning of the measurement instruments, i.e. the items have to work in the same way for the different sample groups to be compared. Lack of invariance across sample groups are commonly called Differential Item Functioning (DIF).There is a sense in which the DIF of an item can be taken account of by resolving (splitting) the item into group specific items, rather than deleting the item. Resolving improves fit, retains the reliability and content provided by the item, and compensates for the DIF in estimation of person parameters on the scale of the instrument. However, it destroys invariance of the item’s parameter value among the groups. Whether or not a DIF item should be resolved depends on whether the source of the DIF is relevant or irrelevant for the content of the variable. The present paper shows how external information can be used to investigate if the gender DIF found in the item “Stomach ache” in a psychosomatic symptoms scale used among adolescents may reflect abdominal pain because of a biological factor, the girls’ menstrual periods.MethodsSwedish data from the international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study (HBSC) collected in 2005/06, 2009/10 and 2013/14 were used, comprising a total of 18,983 students in grades 5, 7 and 9. A composite measure of eight items of psychosomatic problems was analysed for DIF with respect to gender and menstrual periods using the Rasch model.ResultsThe results support the hypothesis that the source of the gender DIF for the item “Stomach ache” is a gender specific biological factor. In that case the DIF should be resolved if the psychosomatic measure is not intended to tap information about abdominal pain caused by a gender specific biological factor. In contrast, if the measure is intended to tap such information, the DIF should not be resolved.ConclusionsThe conceptualisation of the measure governs whether the item showing DIF should be resolved or not.

The Role of Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies in Problem Gaming Among Adolescents: A Nationally Representative Survey Study.

Explanatory theoretical models have proposed an association between problematic online gaming and abilities or strategies in alleviating distress or negative emotions in times of stress as proximal non-gaming-related personality factors. However, there is little research that has targeted how emotion regulation relates to problematic online gaming—especially during adolescence when gaming behavior is most prevalent. In emotion regulation research, there has been a particular emphasis on rumination because it is strongly associated with overall psychopathology. However, it is unknown whether this putatively maladaptive strategy relates to problematic online gaming and whether it is a gender-dependent association. Consequently, the present study examined how emotion regulation strategies, and particularly rumination, related to problem gaming and tested whether gender moderated this relationship in adolescents. In a national representative adolescent sample, 46.9% of the participants (N = 1,646) reported online gaming in the past 12 months and provided information on problematic gaming, and it was these data that were used for further analysis. Their data concerning problematic online gaming and emotion regulation strategies were analyzed, including rumination along with other putatively maladaptive (e.g., catastrophizing) and adaptive (e.g., positive reappraisal) strategies, while controlling for age, gender, and game genre preference. Results of linear regression analyses showed that all the putatively maladaptive emotion regulation strategies (including self-blame, other blame, catastrophizing, and rumination) were positively related to problematic online gaming. Positive reappraisal proved to be a protective factor; it was inversely related to problematic online gaming. In addition, the relationship between rumination and online gaming was moderated by gender (i.e., the relationship was stronger among boys). Based on the results, it is argued that emotion regulation is a useful framework to study problematic online gaming. The present study highlighted that the relative predictive value of rumination for problematic online gaming varied for boys and girls, suggesting that trait rumination might be a gender-specific vulnerability factor for problematic online gaming, but this requires further investigation and replication.

Risk factors for the development of the ischemic stroke in the carotid arterial system in males and females

Introduction. Biologically determined differences between males and females and different levels of sex hormones determine some specific features of their ischemic stroke (IS). Clinical studies aimed at identifying risk factors for the development of IS in persons of different sexes are considered to be necessary for elaborating strategies to increase life expectancy and to improve quality of life. Objective : to study risk factors for the development of IS in the arteries of the carotid system in males and females. Materials and methods. Risk factors for the development of IS in the arteries of the carotid system were analyzed in 268 patients for the period from 2010 to 2017. Among the patients, there were 148 (55%) men and 120 (45%) women aged from 47 to 79 years. MRI of the brain, duplex scanning of the cerebral arteries, and transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography were used to establish the diagnosis of the stroke subtype. Results. In the age group 47-79 years, females had more often cardioembolic and lacunar stroke, while males had predominantly atherothrombotic stroke and stroke with competing causes. Atrial fibrillation, diabetes mellitus, atherosclerotic cardiosclerosis, chronic heart failure, thyroid disease and excess body weight were also more common in females. In contrast, there were significantly more smokers and over-consumption of alcohol among males, and the same was true for small heart attacks and transient symptoms in the past history. Atherosclerosis of the extracranial part of the internal carotid artery (ICA) of high degree was found more often in males, while females with atherothrombotic stroke had significantly higher blood cholesterol level. The study of arterial hypertension (AH) revealed the following differences between groups: AH III degree (180/110 mm Hg or higher) was more often in females, and AH I degree (140-159 / 90-99 mm Hg) in males, while the proportion of patients with grade II AH (160-179 / 100-109 mm Hg) and patients without AH was approximately equal in the two groups. Conclusions. The risk factors for the development of IS in the arteries of the carotid system in men are atherosclerotic carotid stenosis, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. Development of stroke in men is preceded by small infarcts with transient symptoms. The risk factors for the development of IS in the arteries of the carotid system in women are atrial fibrillation, diabetes mellitus, atherosclerotic cardiosclerosis, chronic heart failure, thyroid disease, and excess body weight. As in men, despite of significantly higher cholesterol levels, there are more pronounced atherosclerotic carotid stenosis and more frequent ISs, one may suggest the existence of an additional factor leading to stroke (alternatively, women may have some gender-specific protective factor).

Estrogen receptor-α is localized to neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease.

The female predominance for developing Alzheimer disease (AD) suggests the involvement of gender specific factor(s) such as a reduced estrogen-estrogen receptor signaling in the pathogenesis of AD. The potential role of ERα in AD pathogenesis has been explored by several groups with mixed results. We revisited this issue of expression and distribution of ERα in AD brain using a specific ERα antibody. Interestingly, we found that ERα co-localized with neurofibrillary pathology in AD brain and further demonstrated that ERα interacts with tau protein in vivo. Immunoprecipitaion experiments found increased ERα-tau interaction in the AD cases, which may account for ERα being sequestered in neuronal tau pathology. Indeed, tau overexpression in M17 cells leads to interruption of estrogen signaling. Our data support the idea that sequestration of ERα by tau pathology underlies the loss of estrogen neuroprotection during the course of AD.

Associations between anxiety, self-efficacy, and outcomes by gender and body size dissatisfaction during fitness in high school physical education

Background: Noteworthy proportions of adolescents – particularly females – report negatively about their experiences regarding fitness and the testing of it during physical education (PE). These accounts often coincide with lower levels of body image, fitness, motivation, and physical activity and higher rates of attrition from optional PE.Purpose: The aim of this study was to test path relations between body size dissatisfaction (BSD), test anxiety (TA), self-efficacy, and fitness-related outcomes during fitness in PE and to determine whether these differ as a function of gender and level of BSD.Method: Survey data were collected from 394 9th and 10th-grade students in southern Ontario, Canada. A previously validated BSD measure was used that consisted of a series of nine gender-specific silhouettes ranging from very thin/slender to very large/overweight. Students’ dissatisfaction score involved subtracting self-ratings of their ideal body size from current body size estimates. Fitness indices in PE (FIPE)was the z-score of the sum of self-reported fitness level, fitness grade in PE, and frequency of active exercise at least 30 minutes per day. Self-efficacy and TA were assessed using established scales from the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire.Data analysis: Multivariate analysis of variance was used to assess group differences whereas gender-specific confirmatory factor and path analyses were used to test the proposed path in which relations between BSD and FIPE were manifest indirectly through TA and self-efficacy.Findings: The hypothetical path fit the data in the overall sample and fit better for females than for males. Females reported a higher BSD and a lower self-efficacy and FIPE than males. BSD was evident in both genders with most females desiring a thinner body compared to boys who had relatively equal proportions wanting to be bigger and thinner. Males wanting to be smaller reported significantly lower self-efficacy and FIPE than males with little BSD or those wanting to be larger. Females desiring a thinner body reported significantly more TA and lower FIPE than females with no BSD.Conclusion: Body image concerns and elevated levels of anxiety appear to undergird the influence of self-efficacy on FIPE. This is particularly so in females, although both females and males with a BSD are susceptible to lowered fitness motivation and achievement in PE. Suggestions are provided to help physical educators to structure fitness curricula and pedagogy to better minimize this vulnerability. These include catering to the gender-specific needs and preferences for fitness activities during PE including the testing of fitness.

Strain, Self-Control, and Gender Differences in Delinquency among Chinese Adolescents: Extending General Strain Theory

Agnew's general strain theory (GST) and Gottfredson and Hirschi's self-control theory represent significant theoretical developments in sociology of deviance over the last two decades. Both theories offer unique insights into the well-known controversy of gender disparity in crime and delinquency. Incorporating their ideas and testing them in a Chinese context, this study investigates the role of self-control, which has been seldom included in GST assessments, in moderating the strain-delinquency relationship and analyzes whether this conditioning effect varies by gender. Using data from 1,015 Chinese students in Hong Kong, negative binominal regression models found that self-control is a gender-specific conditioning factor of strain. Self-control mitigates the effects of certain strains on delinquency for females only. Yet, unexpectedly, coercive parenting decreases male delinquency and moderates the impact of low self-control in males. The implications of Chinese cultural forces for the perception of strain and the conditioning influence of self-control merit closer attention.

Injuries in Performance Windsurfing: A Comparison between Men and Women

Windsurfing is a sport which has been growing rapidly in popularity, yet little is known about windsurfing injuries. PURPOSE: To compare the pattern of injury between men and women in windsurf in order to determine if there is any gender-specific influencing factor which could be modified to reduce the risk of injury in female athletes. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of injury reports compiled by fifty-seven windsurfers (39 men; 18 women) of different countries, during their professional career. All injuries sustained in competition and training, anatomic location, type (overuse or acute), examined by, and time return were recorded. The face to face interview was conducted by a researcher. Chi square tests were used to determine the significance of injury patterns. RESULTS: The differences by gender showed that men windsurfers had more injuries in training (20.5%) than in competition (79.5%; p<0.05) while in women it was the opposite (77.8%, 22.2% respectively p<0.05). Knees were the most affected anatomic location in men (61.5%; p<0.05) and women (55.6%; p<0.05), mainly in the slalom style (95.5% and 88.9%, p<0.001). Overuse injuries were found in a greater percentage in men's group (35.9%, p<0.05) in comparison with the women's one (11.1%) and acute injuries were significantly higher in women (66.7%, p<0.05) than men (28.2%). Both groups were asked to choose among a physician and a masseur to examine their injuries. Physicians were preferred (61.5% and 72.2%) than masseurs (38.5% and 27.8%). The preference did not show any significant difference. Women returned to training or competition after injury earlier (1-3 days) than men (50% and 20.5%). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that there are differences in the pattern of injury between men and women. The increased rate of training injury and their type among women windsurfers probably resulted from the training methods. The recommendations for decreasing the incidence of windsurf injury in female athletes suggested are to review training methodologies especially how they affect the knees, legs and back.

Overconfidence in wargames: experimental evidence on expectations, aggression, gender and testosterone

Overconfidence has long been noted by historians and political scientists as a major cause of war. However, the origins of such overconfidence, and sources of variation, remain poorly understood. Mounting empirical studies now show that mentally healthy people tend to exhibit psychological biases that encourage optimism, collectively known as 'positive illusions'. Positive illusions are thought to have been adaptive in our evolutionary past because they served to cope with adversity, harden resolve, or bluff opponents. Today, however, positive illusions may contribute to costly conflicts and wars. Testosterone has been proposed as a proximate mediator of positive illusions, given its role in promoting dominance and challenge behaviour, particularly in men. To date, no studies have attempted to link overconfidence, decisions about war, gender, and testosterone. Here we report that, in experimental wargames: (i) people are overconfident about their expectations of success; (ii) those who are more overconfident are more likely to attack; (iii) overconfidence and attacks are more pronounced among males than females; and (iv) testosterone is related to expectations of success, but not within gender, so its influence on overconfidence cannot be distinguished from any other gender specific factor. Overall, these results constitute the first empirical support of recent theoretical work linking overconfidence and war.

A liver specific gene that is expressed in growth hormone transgenic mice and in normal female mice as a function of age

Growth hormone (GH) acts on various organs to exert its growth and metabolic effects. GH induces transcription of a number of genes in different organs including liver. By performing subtractive hybridization analysis on liver cDNAs of GH transgenic and non-transgenic mice, differentially expressed cDNAs were obtained. This paper describes the isolation and characterization of a liver cDNA, termed cDNA #5, that contains 1897 bp and is predicted to encode a protein (P5) of 512 aa residues. P5 has five immunoglobulin related domains thus allowing it to be classified as a member of the immunoglobulin super family (IGSF). Also, P5 shows significant similarity to both rat and human alpha-1-B glycoprotein which is an acidic serum protein of unknown function. mRNA #5 was detected in the liver hepatocytes of male and female GH transgenic mice and in the liver of female, but not of male, non-transgenic mice. mRNA #5 was not present in dwarf mice including the Ames dwarf, those that express a GH antagonist and those with the GH receptor and binding protein gene disrupted. These findings suggest that induction of mRNA #5 in the liver requires a continuous pattern of GH secretion and an intact GH–GH receptor-signaling complex. mRNA #5 levels in female non-transgenic mice were observed to vary with age implying that gender-specific age-dependent factor(s) may be involved in the induction of mRNA #5. The appearance of mRNA #5 in post-hepatectomized liver that coincides with the proliferative phase of liver regeneration suggests that it may be involved in hepatocyte proliferation. Together these data suggest that expression of cDNA #5 is liver-specific, sexually dimorphic, age-dependent, and may be involved in hepatocyte hyperplasia and liver enlargement.

Replication of a Two-Factor Model of the Beck Depression Inventory in Alcohol Dependents and Suicide Attempters

The factor structure of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is still controversial. The present study attempted to replicate a general two-factor model (cognitive-affective and somatic factors) of the BDI with a confirmatory Procrustes rotation procedure in two clinical samples of patients being treated for alcohol dependence (N₁ = 243, N₂ = 148) and one clinical sample of patients admitted to an acute psychiatric ward because of an act of deliberate self-harm (N₃ = 144). In addition, due to the neglect of gender-specific analysis in factor-analytic studies of the BDI, the two-factor model was tested for males and females separately. The results did not support the validity of the two-factor model in the total samples. Gender-specific findings indicated a better fit of the model in male samples. Possible implications of a gender-specific factor structure of the BDI are discussed.

Increased Frequency of Homozygosity for HLA Class II Loci in Female Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

The etiology of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) appears to be influenced by genetic factors which may contribute to its differential, gender- and age-specific incidence. The presented study is the first, which investigated the frequencies of DNA-typed alleles of all relevant human leukocyte antigens (HLA) loci in CLL patients with regard to gender and age at disease onset. The most remarkable result was the higher frequency of homozygosity for MHC class II loci in female patients. Particularly, an increased frequency of overall homozygosity for the DRB3/4/5 loci was observed in female patients compared to gender matched controls (RR = 2.8) and male patients. The previously demonstrated association of DQB1 homozygosity with CLL in general was found to be specific for female patients (RR = 4.4). Considering the lack of an a priori hypothesis which made it virtually impossible to obtain statistical significance it was not unexpected that none of the observed differences remained significant after correction for multiple comparisons. However, these results suggest a recessive, gender-specific susceptibility factor for CLL within or in vicinity of the human MHC class II region and should serve as an a priori hypothesis for future studies focusing on these gene loci. Furthermore, an increased frequency for HLA-Cw*06 was seen in patients with an early onset age (RR = 2.7) but lost significance after correction for multiple comparisons. The previously reported association of HLA-DRB4*0103 with CLL in general was observed in all groups irrespective of gender and age. Conclusively, our study supports the concept, that CLL represents a disease with a complex etiology and genetic susceptibility which appears to be influenced by the human MHC.

Reliability and Validity of Adolescents' Scores on the Body Esteem Scale

The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Body Esteem Scale (BES) among 255 girls and 436 boys from Grades 5 through 12. To date, the BES has been found to yield reliable and valid scores for adults, but it has not been used among adolescents. In the present study, internal consistency was evidenced for the gender-specific subscales, with values ranging from .82 to .94. Principal components analyses with oblique rotation replicated the original adult, gender-specific factor structures for both boys and girls, although an additional factor was obtained for girls. Convergent validity was evidenced by statistically significant correlations between the BES and cigarette smoking behavior, future smoking intentions, and feelings of self-esteem. Moderate support for divergent validity was demonstrated, with scores on the BES gender-specific subscales being unrelated to socioeconomic status and number of hours per week television is watched. The investigation provides preliminary data that the BES may be a psychometrically defensible assessment of body esteem among adolescents.

Patterns of Personal Health Practice: Men and Women in the United States

This investigation examined the dimensionality of personal health practices among 1,171 men and 1,854 women included in a national probability sample of adults 20 to 64 years of age living in the coterminous United States. Data on a wide range of personal health behaviors were collected in the 1979 National Survey of Personal Health Practices and Consequences. I used gender-specific factor analyses to uncover the underlying domains of 10 different types of health behavior. I identified four subsets of personal health practices: (1) passive-risk behavior (i.e., low levels of leisure-time physical activity, poor dental care, poor nutritional habits, infrequent seat belt use, and poor use of preventive medical services); (2) active-risk behavior (i.e., cigarette smoking, alcohol use, and coffee consumption); (3) sleeping behavior; and (4) behavior related to maintaining desirable weight. Internal consistency analyses assessed the stability of the two primary subsets of behavior for different gender, age, and education groups. Women were relatively stable in their tendencies toward both passive-risk and active-risk behavior, regardless of age or education. Older men had more consistent involvement in passive-risk behavior but less consistent active-risk behavior. With higher education, men were more consistent in both passive-risk and active-risk behavior, reflecting more positive health practices.