Latent Profile Analysis Approach Research Articles

Profiles of teacher-child interaction quality in preschool classrooms and teachers’ professional competence features

This paper investigates early childhood education (ECE) teachers’ self-reported and observed teacher-child interaction quality (TIQ) and the associated teachers’ professional competence features using a latent profile analysis (LPA) approach to identify the variations in the quality of classroom experiences in Chinese preschools. A total of 164 female preschool teachers aged 20–58 participated in this study. The analysis and discussions focus on four identified profiles of teachers: low-quality teachers (n = 9) characterised by lowest scores in both observational and self-reported TIQ; self-overestimated teachers (n = 59) with relatively low observed CLASS scores but high self-reported TIQ; self-underestimated teachers (n = 76) scoring relatively high in observed TIQ but low in self-assessed TIQ and low-level self-efficacy; and genuine high-quality teachers (n = 20) rated highest in both observational and self-reported TIQ. Findings on specific educational and psychological characteristics of the four profiles of teachers that we have identified through an LPA provide insights into teacher training in China.

Understanding the Motivational Strategies Used by Exercise Professionals

PURPOSE: Using the self-determination theory understanding of what constitutes need-supportive and controlling motivational styles and their implications, the aim of this study was twofold: 1) Identify different profiles of motivational strategies used by exercise professionals in gym contexts; 2) Examine associations between these motivational profiles and perceptions of job pressure, exercisers’ motivation, work-related need satisfaction/frustration, type of motivation, and burnout. METHODS: Participants were 366 exercise professionals (193 males; experience = 7.7±5.8 years). Questionnaires assessing the analysed variables were completed online. Using a Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) approach, reported need-supportive and controlling motivational strategies were used to estimate profiles solutions (one to four), with the means and variances of the indicators freely estimated in all classes. The relationship between profiles and outcomes was also analysed. RESULTS: The 3-profiles model was retained as the best solution (lower scores in AIC, CAIC, BIC, and ABIC, and greater scores in Entropy; BLRT = 322.954; p<.05), composed by: a need-supportive profile (n = 225; characterized by high scores in supportive strategies and low on controlling ones), a controlling profile (n = 42; characterized by high scores in controlling strategies and low on need-supportive ones), and a mixed profile (n = 99; characterized by high scores in both need-supportive and controlling strategies). The need-supportive profile displayed the most optimal pattern, with significantly higher scores in perceived exercisers’ and professionals self-determined motivation, work-related need satisfaction and professional efficacy, and lower scores in perceived job pressure, need frustration, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization (p<.05). On the contrary, the controlling profile displayed the most maladaptive pattern of associations. CONCLUSION: Although much emphasis has been given to promote need-support, diminishing controlling practices, that can also so-occur, seems comparably important. Professionals relying mostly on this type of strategies displayed more problems related to the quality of their own motivation and burn-out.

Developmental profiles of task-avoidant behaviour and reading skills in Grades 1 and 2

A latent profile analysis approach was used to examine the developmental profiles of task-avoidant behaviour and reading skills in Grades 1 and 2, as well as their antecedents in kindergarten. The participants in this study were 448 children. Four different developmental profiles of task-avoidant behaviour and reading skills were identified. Our results showed that task-avoidant behaviour and reading problems do not coincide for all children. Parents' educational level differentiated between the profile groups. Comparisons of kindergarten skills between the groups showed that social competence skills in kindergarten helped to differentiate between the profile groups with varying levels of task-avoidance, whereas pre-reading skills predicted reading fluency. The heterogeneity of developmental profiles of task-avoidant behaviour and reading skills should be taken into account in future studies examining the relationship between these variables.

A latent profile analysis of sedentary and physical activity patterns

Aim: The aim of the current study was to examine the physical activity and sedentary behavioral patterns of children and adolescents using the model-based latent profile analysis (LPA) approach. Subject and methods: A sample of 847 school children aged 10 to 16 years from 28 Singapore schools took part in the study. Physical activity and sedentary behavior were assessed using a 7-day physical activity recall questionnaire. Results: The findings of the present study showed that there were at least five groups of students with unique sedentary and physical activity patterns. A few clusters were genderspecific. For example, groups 1 and 4 were femaledominated clusters and group 3 was male-dominated. The younger children in the primary school had different sedentary and physical activity behaviors. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the use of LPA to group individuals into homogenous groupings in order to help researchers make informed decisions about the number of underlying groupings. This can have benefits for targeting specific groups in interventions. © Springer-Verlag 2011.

Attachment typologies and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety: a latent profile analysis approach

Background Bartholomew (1990) proposed a four category adult attachment model based on Bowlby's (1973) proposal that attachment is underpinned by an individual's view of the self and others. Previous cluster analytic techniques have identified four and two attachment styles based on the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (RAAS). In addition, attachment styles have been proposed to meditate the association between stressful life events and subsequent psychiatric status.Objective The current study aimed to empirically test the attachment typology proposed by Collins and Read (1990). Specifically, LPA was used to determine if the proposed four styles can be derived from scores on the dimensions of closeness/dependency and anxiety. In addition, we aimed to test if the resultant attachment styles predicted the severity of psychopathology in response to a whiplash trauma.Method A large sample of Danish trauma victims (N=1577) participated. A Latent Profile Analysis was conducted, using Mplus 5.1, on scores from the RAAS scale to ascertain if there were underlying homogeneous attachment classes/subgroups. Class membership was used in a series of one-way ANOVA tests to determine if classes were significantly different in terms of mean scores on measures of psychopathology.Results The three class solution was considered optimal. Class one was termed Fearful (18.6%), Class two Preoccupied (34.5%), and Class three Secure (46.9%). The secure class evidenced significantly lower mean scores on PTSD, depression, and anxiety measures compared to other classes, whereas the fearful class evidenced significantly higher mean scores compared to other classes.Conclusions The results demonstrated evidence of three discrete classes of attachment styles, which were labelled secure, preoccupied, and fearful. This is in contrast to previous cluster analytic techniques which have identified four and two attachment styles based on the RAAS.In addition, Securely attached individuals display lower levels of psychopathology post whiplash trauma.For the abstract or full text in other languages, please see Supplementary files under Reading Tools online

Survival in Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration and Related Disorders: Latent Class Predictors and Brain Functional Correlates

Establishing survival rate in frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is a clinical challenge for defining disease outcomes and monitoring therapeutic interventions. Using the latent profile analysis (LPA) approach, we have previously suggested that FTLD patients can be grouped into specific phenotypes- "pseudomanic behavior" (LC1), "cognitive" (LC2), and "pseudodepressed behavior" (LC3)-on the basis of neuropsychological, functional, and behavioral data. The aim of this study was to evaluate the rate of survival in FTLD, to identify predictors of survival, and to determine the likely usefulness of LPA in defining prognosis. A total of 252 FTLD patients entered the study. A clinical evaluation and standardized assessment were carried out, as well as a brain imaging study. LPA on neuropsychological, functional, and behavioral data was performed. Each patient was followed up over a 5-year period, and institutionalization or death was considered. The survival rate was associated neither with demographic characteristics, co-morbidities, family history for dementia, nor clinical diagnosis. The presence of the three LC phenotypes was confirmed by LPA. A different survival rate was predicted by LCs, the worse prognosis being found in LC1 (hazard ratio [HR] = 15.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 7.2-34.9, p < 0.001, reference LC3). LC2 had a worse prognosis compared to LC3 (HR = 2.07, 95% CI = 0.98-4.37, p = 0.06). Greater hypoperfusion in the orbitomesial frontal cortex was specifically associated with LC1 compared with the other LCs. A data-driven approach regarding neuropsychological and behavioral assessment might be useful in clinical practice for defining a FTLD prognosis and hopefully will lead to the possibility of identifying patient groups for the evaluation of treatment response in future trials.