Personal Items Research Articles

Personality Traits, Self-Esteem, Life Satisfaction and Problematic Social Media Use Among Young Adults

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between personality traits, self-esteem, life satisfaction, and problematic social media use (PSMU) among young adults. The research was conducted among 616 young adults (70.3% females, 22.8±3.8 years). The measures used were the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, Self-Liking/Self-Competence Scale, Personal Wellbeing Index, International Personality Item Pool short version, and Social Media Use scale. 94% of participants used social media for more than an hour on average daily. The estimated prevalence of PSMU was 1.6%. PSMU was positively correlated with gender and neuroticism, and negatively with age, extraversion, conscientiousness, intellect, self-liking, self-competence, and life satisfaction. Younger age, female gender, higher neuroticism, and lower personal well-being were significant predictors of PSMU.

Self- and informant-reported personality traits and vaccination against COVID-19.

As COVID-19 vaccines' accessibility has grown, so has the role of personal choice in vaccination, and not everybody is willing to vaccinate. Exploring personality traits' associations with vaccination could highlight some person-level drivers of, and barriers to, vaccination. We used self- and informant-ratings of the Five-Factor Model domains and their subtraits (a) measured approximately at the time of vaccination with the 100 Nuances of Personality (100NP) item pool (N = 56,575) and (b) measured on average ten years before the pandemic with the NEO Personality Inventory-3 (NEO-PI-3; N = 3,168). We tested individual domains' and either items' (in the 100NP sample) or facets' (in the NEO-PI-3 sample) associations with vaccination, as well as their collective ability to predict vaccination using elastic net models trained and tested in independent sample partitions. Although the NEO-PI-3 domains and facets did not predict vaccination ten years later, the domains correlated with vaccination in the 100NP sample, with vaccinated people scoring slightly higher on neuroticism and agreeableness and lower on openness, controlling for age, sex, and education. Collectively, the five domains predicted vaccination with an accuracy of r = .08. Associations were stronger at the item level. Vaccinated people were, on average, more science-minded, politically liberal, respectful of rules and authority, and anxious but less spiritual, religious, and self-assured. The 100NP items collectively predicted vaccination with r = .31 accuracy. We conclude that unvaccinated people may be a psychologically heterogeneous group and highlight some potential areas for action in vaccination campaigns.

Relationship between Personality Traits and Work Life Balance with a Mediating Role of Work Family Conflict

This study explores the nexus between personality traits and work-life balance, with a focus on the intermediary role of work-family conflict. The research, quantitative in nature, employs a correlational design, using instruments such as the Ten Item Personality Inventory (TIPI) and Work and Family Conflict Scales (WAFCS) to assess a sample of 200 salespersons in Gujranwala, Pakistan. Key personality traits examined include extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience. Results reveal a significant negative correlation between several personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) and work-family conflict, and a positive correlation between extraversion and emotional stability with work-life balance. Openness to experience, however, does not significantly predict work-life balance outcomes. Work-family conflict is found to have a substantial negative impact on work-life balance and serves as a partial mediator in the relationship between certain personality traits and work-life balance. The study underscores the critical influence of personality traits on the work-life balance equation and the mediating role of work-family conflict. It suggests that a better understanding of these relationships can aid organizations in tailoring interventions and support systems to individual employee needs, enhancing both personal well-being and organizational productivity. study's implications extend to the realm of human resource policies and practices, emphasizing the importance of considering personality dimensions in work-life balance initiatives. However, the research's correlational nature and its focus on a specific professional group in a singular geographic locale highlight the need for further, more diverse studies to broaden the generalizability of these findings.

Early Predictors and Concurrent Correlates of Tonic and Phasic Irritability in Adolescence.

Irritability is a common presenting problem in youth mental health settings that is thought to include two components: tonic (e.g., irritable, touchy mood) and phasic (e.g., temper outbursts), each with unique correlates and outcomes, including later internalizing and externalizing problems, respectively. However, we are unaware of any studies of early predictors of tonic and phasic irritability. We utilized data from a longitudinal study of a community sample of 3-year-old children followed to age 15 (n = 444). We conducted confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of items from several self-report irritability measures at age 15, including the Affective Reactivity Index, the International Personality Item Pool, the Schedule for Non-Adaptive and Adaptive Personality Youth Version, and the Child Depression Inventory, and examined their early childhood predictors. The CFA identified dimensions consistent with tonic and phasic irritability. Tonic irritability at age 15 was uniquely associated with concurrent internalizing disorders and suicidal behavior while phasic irritability was uniquely associated with concurrent externalizing disorders. When adolescent tonic and phasic irritability were examined together, female sex and parental depressive and substance use disorders at age 3 uniquely predicted adolescent tonic irritability. Additionally, male sex, less parental education, greater laboratory-observed anger and impulsivity, ODD symptoms, higher irritability, and no parental substance use history at age 3 uniquely predicted adolescent phasic irritability. Youth-reported tonic and phasic irritability at age 15 appear to be distinguishable constructs with distinct concurrent correlates and early antecedents. Findings have important implications for research on the etiology of irritability and developing effective treatments.

Determining the influence of personal entrepreneurial competencies on enterprise risk management in the Bhutanese SMEs

The purpose of this research was to empirically investigate the existence of Enterprise Risk Management and to determine the influence of Personal Entrepreneurial Competencies on the Enterprise Risk Management of the Small-medium Enterprises (SMEs). To achieve the objectives of the study, empirical data is collected from 300 production and manufacturing SME owners and managers from the economic region of Bhutan using closed-ended structured questionnaire. The Structural Equation Modelling was employed as the main technique for data analysis to test the proposed model and hypothesis. The findings revealed the relationship between Personal Entrepreneurial Competencies and Enterprise Risk Management to be statistically significant. Furthermore, the study found that the SME owner/managers demonstrated to be in the “Strong” category on four Personal Entrepreneurial Competencies items and in “Moderate” category for the remaining six items, which are vital to understand in a developing nation. The novel contribution of this research focuses on integrating Enterprise Risk Management and strategic planning processes to gain a better understanding of the enterprise’s key risks and opportunities that are relevant to strategic objectives, as well as defining the leadership team’s responsibilities to establish clear risk oversight and accountability.

Changes in suicidal ideation during treatment among patients with major depressive disorder: A 6-month naturalistic follow-up study.

There is limited evidence regarding predictors of changes in suicidal ideation (SI) in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). The objective of this study was to describe changes in SI over a 6-month period and identify their predictors from naturalistic observations of MDD patients. In the cross-sectional analysis, we examined 257 patients with MDD at the first-visit assessment. Among the patients, 119 who completed the 6-month assessment (completers) were included in the longitudinal analysis. For the evaluation of depressive symptoms, including SI, the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Japanese version was administered at both the first-visit and follow-up assessments. At baseline, we also administered the Japanese version of the Ten Item Personality Inventory to assess personality traits and the PRIME Screen-Revised to assess psychotic symptoms. In the cross-sectional analysis of first-visit patients, 36.2% (93/257) exhibited SI. Among completers, 14.3% (17/119) had prolonged SI. Among the completers with SI at the first-visit assessment, 38.6% (17/44) had SI at the follow-up assessment (prolonged SI). In linear regression models including all completers, prolonged SI was positively associated with endorsement of suspiciousness/persecutory ideas and negatively associated with higher age. More than one-third of completers who had SI at the first-visit assessment experienced prolonged SI (SI at follow-up). Our findings can help clinicians predict the course of MDD by identifying associated demographic and clinical characteristics.

Color preferences among selected adults in Ghana

This paper presents a study on color preferences among a sample of Ghanaian adults. Two surveys were conducted, with a total of 143 participants (50 in Survey 1, and 93 in Survey 2). The participants completed both printed and digital questionnaires to gather data on their color preferences. The results showed that blue was the most preferred color by both males and females in general, but not for specific items. In survey 2, a chi-square test on categorical variables revealed a significant relationship between gender and preference for light, dark, or bright colors (p=0.025), as well as gender and number of preferred colors per personal item (p=0.02). However, no significant relationships were found between gender and change of colors from childhood (p=0.73), gender and number of preferred colors (p=0.204), gender and most preferred colors (p=0.216), age, and the number of preferred colors (p=0.19). Interestingly, 66.3% of the participants in Survey 2 indicated that their preferred colors were based on innate attraction, regardless of whether their color preferences had changed or remained the same since childhood. Overall, blue and red were the most preferred colors, with a score of 34.4%. These findings provide valuable insights for design practitioners and communicators and offer a basis for future research on color preferences among Ghanaians.

The Relationships Between Personality Traits and Online Game Playing Motivations Amongst College Students

As studies focusing on the psychological dynamics of multiplayer realistic battle games in Malaysia is quite limited, the present study attempts to investigate the relationships between personality traits and online game-playing (PUBG; Player Unknown’s Battle Ground) motivations amongst college students. A total of 200 students who are actively playing voluntarily answered the Mini-IPIP (Mini-International Personality Item Pool Scales) (Donellan et al, 2006) and Motivation for Play (Yee, 2006) to measure personality traits and types of motivation in playing online games. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted and the results indicated that the most prevalent personality traits among the players are Agreeableness followed by Extraversion. In addition, Escapism and Social are the strongest reasons reported for playing the PUBG. Males are significantly higher in Advancement, Mechanics, Customization and Discovery in-game motivation as compared to females. Significant correlations are found in a few analyses, namely Extraversion was positively related with Advancement motivation, and Agreeableness was positively related to Teamwork motivation. Lastly, Conscientiousness was positively related with Competition motivation. The results further supported the personality and in-game motivation for future research directions.

Can We Find a Way to Solve Microplastic Pollution?

The issue of microplastic pollution has escalated in significance and urgency due to the global infiltration of minuscule plastic particles into terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Microplastics are generated through a variety of processes, including the decomposition of larger plastics, industrial operations, and the incorporation of microbeads into personal care items. These substances have been detected in sediments, lakes, rivers, oceans, and even the air we breathe. The detrimental impacts of microplastics on the well-being of wildlife are extensively documented. These particles present hazards to marine organisms such as seabirds, fish, and sea turtles via ingestion or entanglement. Moreover, they might function as vectors through which detrimental substances infiltrate the food chain. To adequately tackle this matter, it is imperative to adopt a multidisciplinary strategy that encompasses policy interventions aimed at restricting plastic production and consumption, advancements in waste management technologies, public awareness initiatives promoting sustainable lifestyles, and ongoing research to comprehensively comprehend the problem's magnitude and ecological repercussions. The assurance of a cleaner environment for future generations is contingent upon our collective efforts to mitigate microplastic pollution.

Polyvinyl Alcohol, a Versatile Excipient for Pharmaceutical 3D Printing.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing in the pharmaceutical field allows rapid manufacturing of a diverse range of pharmaceutical dosage forms, including personalized items. The application of this technology in dosage form manufacturing requires the judicious selection of excipients because the selected materials must be appropriate to the working principle of each technique. Most techniques rely on the use of polymers as the main material. Among the pharmaceutically approved polymers, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is one of the most used, especially for fused deposition modeling (FDM) technology. This review summarizes the physical and chemical properties of pharmaceutical-grade PVA and its applications in the manufacturing of dosage forms, with a particular focus on those fabricated through FDM. The work provides evidence on the diversity of dosage forms created using this polymer, highlighting how formulation and processing difficulties may be overcome to get the dosage forms with a suitable design and release profile.

Trace DNA Transfer in Co-Working Spaces: The Importance of Background DNA Analysis.

The presence of background DNA (bgDNA) can hinder the evaluation of DNA evidence at the activity level, especially when the suspect is expected to be retrieved due to their habitual occupation of the investigated environment. Based on real-life casework circumstances, this study investigates the prevalence, composition, origin, and probable transfer routes of bgDNA found on personal items in situations where their owner and person of interest (POI) share the same workspace. Baseline values of bgDNA were evaluated on the participants' personal items. Secondary and higher degree transfer scenarios of non-self DNA deposition were also investigated. The DNA from co-workers and co-inhabiting partners can be recovered from an individual's personal belongings. Non-self DNA present on the hands and deposited on a sterile surface can generate uninformative profiles. The accumulation of foreign DNA on surfaces over time appears to be crucial for the recovery of comparable profiles, resulting in detectable further transfer onto other surfaces. For a thorough evaluation of touch DNA traces at the activity level, it is necessary to collect information not only about DNA transfer probabilities but also about the presence of the POI as part of the 'baseline' bgDNA of the substrates involved.

Robotic Assistant for Object Recognition Using Convolutional Neural Network

Visually impaired persons encounter certain challenges, which include access to information, environmental navigation, and obstacle detection. Navigating daily life becomes a big task with challenges relating to the search for misplaced personal items and being aware of objects in their environment to avoid collision. This necessitates the need for automated solutions to facilitate object recognition. While traditional methods like guide dogs, white canes, and Braille have offered valuable solutions, recent technological solutions, including smartphone-based recognition systems and portable cameras, have encountered limitations such as constraints relating to cultural-specific, device-specific, and lack of system autonomy. This study addressed and provided solutions to the limitations offered by recent solutions by introducing a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) object recognition system integrated into a mobile robot designed to function as a robotic assistant for visually impaired persons. The robotic assistant is capable of moving around in a confined environment. It incorporates a Raspberry Pi with a camera programmed to recognize three objects: mobile phones, mice, and chairs. A Convolutional Neural Network model was trained for object recognition, with 30% of the images used for testing. The training was conducted using the Yolov3 model in Google Colab. Qualitative evaluation of the recognition system yielded a precision of 79%, recall of 96%, and accuracy of 80% for the Robotic Assistant. It also includes a Graphical User Interface where users can easily control the movement and speed of the robotic assistant. The developed robotic assistant significantly enhances autonomy and object recognition, promising substantial benefits in the daily navigation of visually impaired individuals.

Perancangan Tas Multiguna Menggunakan Studi Gerak dan Waktu

Adapting to a new lifestyle due to new normal conditions requires the implementation of health protocols by each individual to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus. One of the steps that can be taken to avoid transmission is to bring your own personal equipment, considering that some public places have implemented health protocols and do not provide personal items in general. In this context, a bag that can efficiently accommodate luggage is needed. From these observations, it appears that multifunctional bag design is very important during this pandemic. This research uses a comparative study method of several existing products by applying the time and motion study method. The results showed that common problems involved overloading, which can damage the bag and cause shoulder discomfort, and lack of adequate compartments. These findings were used as a basis to develop a multifunctional bag with an emphasis on comfort and the addition of adequate compartments to support productive activities both inside and outside the home.

Learning and institutional support for youth in higher education institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa

IntroductionAs higher education institutions (HEIs) moved from in-person to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, various challenges were presented. Using a large online survey conducted during the pandemic, this paper investigates the impact of COVID-19 on learning and institutional support offered to students in HEIs in South Africa.MethodsThe study utilized a closed-ended questionnaire on a data-free online platform. The study sample included South African youth aged 18–35 years who were enrolled for some type of educational training or in higher education institutions (including private colleges). Data was benchmarked to the 2019 estimates of the youth population in educational institutions. Descriptive statistics are presented.ResultsAmong the 7011 student participants, the main challenges experienced during lockdown were loss of study time (57.9%), insufficient money for essential personal items for studying (55.8%), loss of social contact (42.2%) and insufficient money for food (40.1%). Overall, 47.0% of students reported having free access to the internet, 49.5% used personal internet or paid for internet access and 3.5% indicated having no access to internet. The majority rated their institution’s eLearning portal as good or excellent, and 23.4% thought their eLearning portal was of poor quality. Significantly fewer (38.1%) technical and vocational education and training (TVET) college students indicated that their institution provided the capacity to conduct virtual learning compared to those enrolled at other types of institutions. Almost two thirds of students (66.2%) from TVET colleges experienced difficulty in communicating with their institutions. Half of the students (49.9%) reported that they had a suitable place to study during lockdown, while 78.6% had regular access to electricity during lockdown. Significantly more TVET and University of Technology students received transport to return home and fee refunds.ConclusionWhile it was encouraging that most HEIs had capacity for online learning and made provision of internet access for students, it was concerning that students who are enrolled at TVET colleges faced more learning challenges during the lockdown. This highlights the inequality in learning support at different types of institutions, and that effective support from HEIs to students during the COVID-19 pandemic was not fully implemented.

A deep learning approach to personality assessment: Generalizing across items and expanding the reach of survey-based research.

Traditional methods of personality assessment, and survey-based research in general, cannot make inferences about new items that have not been surveyed previously. This limits the amount of information that can be obtained from a given survey. In this article, we tackle this problem by leveraging recent advances in statistical natural language processing. Specifically, we extract "embedding" representations of questionnaire items from deep neural networks, trained on large-scale English language data. These embeddings allow us to construct a high-dimensional space of items, in which linguistically similar items are located near each other. We combine item embeddings with machine learning algorithms to extrapolate participant ratings of personality items to completely new items that have not been rated by any participants. The accuracy of our approach is on par with incentivized human judges given an identical task, indicating that it predicts ratings of new personality items as accurately as people do. Our approach is also capable of identifying psychological constructs associated with questionnaire items and can accurately cluster items into their constructs based only on their language content. Overall, our results show how representations of linguistic personality descriptors obtained from deep language models can be used to model and predict a large variety of traits, scales, and constructs. In doing so, they showcase a new scalable and cost-effective method for psychological measurement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychometric and Circumplex Properties Evaluation of the International Personality Item Pool-Interpersonal Circumplex (IPIP-IPC) in Chinese People Living with HIV (PLWH).

With the improved life expectancy of people living with HIV (PLWH) due to widespread use of antiretroviral therapy (ART), there is a greater emphasis on enhancing long-term well-being and overall quality of life for PLWH. Understanding interpersonal personalities of PLWH can gain further insight into how to improve the overall quality of life in this population. The International Personality Item Pool-Interpersonal Circumplex (IPIP-IPC) scale has been developed to assess interpersonal personalities of individuals, and this scale has been translated into Chinese. However, the Chinese version of IPIP-IPC has not been tested among PLWH in China. In this study, we aimed to test the psychometric properties and circumplex structure of this scale. This study was based on cross-sectional, multi-center, large sample data. We employed the Chinese version of IPIP-IPC scale on 3040 PLWH from April 2022 to April 2023 in China to test its psychometric as well as circumplex properties. The structural summary method (SSM) was employed to analyze the circumplex structure of the scale. The total scale exhibited a Cronbach's alpha of 0.85 and McDonald's omega of 0.91. Out of the 288 possible relationships, 275 relationships satisfy the circular properties hypothesis. The scale demonstrates good reliability and validity, meeting the requirements of psychometrics. Our findings demonstrate that the Chinese version of the IPIP-IPC scale is a reliable tool for evaluating interpersonal personalities in this population. These results highlight the validity and applicability of the IPIP-IPC scale specifically in the Chinese context, providing valuable insights into the intricacies of interpersonal traits among PLWH.

Identification of cheating methods in large-scale tests: Islamic education subject matter in the national examination

This study aims to determine item characteristics based on item response theory and identify cheating during the administration of the National Standardised School Examination (USBN) for Islamic religious education at the senior high school level in the 2015/2016 school year in Yogyakarta. The data source consists of 2929 answer sheets from USBN participants in the subject of Islamic Religious Education (PAI) under Package A of the KTSP curriculum. Using a quantitative approach with an ex post facto design, the analysis uses item response theory for item characteristics and person fit and test acceptance methods for identifying cheating. The results show that the PAI USBN test instrument for the 2015/2016 academic year has a moderate average level of difficulty, with a good information function. The Test Acceptance method, which identified 153 cases of knowledge sharing, 891 cases of ignorance sharing and 222 cases of response sharing, proved to be more effective in detecting cheating than the Person Fit method, which identified 2 individuals.

Home care for COVID-19 positive cases: suitability of the residential setting and ability of cases to adhere to the required preventive measures

IntroductionWith the upsurge of COVID-19 cases, Lebanese hospitals were overburdened and hospital care was prioritized for COVID-19 patients with the highest probability of poor outcomes. This paper aimed to assess the suitability of residential settings for home isolation and to explore the patient’s ability to adhere to the required precautions measures.MethodsAll COVID-19 cases reported between February, 21 and the end of June 2020 and who had mild or moderate symptoms, were contacted via phone calls by a healthcare professional to fill out a standardized questionnaire developed to assess the suitability of the residential setting for home care. Inpatient cases were required, before their discharge from the hospitals, to sign consent related to their adherence to the mandatory precautionary measures. They were also asked to complete, on daily basis, the symptoms monitoring log form. A referral system to health facilities was established to manage cases with worsening health status. A collaborative framework to address violations of home isolation rules was also put in place.ResultsOf the 600 cases assessed, 44.7% of them were isolated in a living building apartment (67.2%) with one entrance (85.5%) including four to eight rooms (71%). Around one-quarter of patients have children (< 5 years) and 75% of them were living with elderly people. Most of the patients confirmed the availability of a well-ventilated single room (96.2%) and a separate bathroom (80.17%). As for infrastructure, more than 90% of patients confirmed the availability of drinking and tank water, heating facilities, electricity, and safe trash elimination. Similarly, more than 90% of them had access to personal hygiene items, disinfectants, and personal protective equipment. The bulk of homes care were rated as easily reachable. As for awareness and ability to self-serving, 94.5% of patients were knowledgeable about the required preventive measures, able to serve themselves and to adhere to the isolation requirements as well. Only 51.8% of them had access to psychological support.ConclusionProper assessment of the residential setting for home care of COVID-19 cases combined with close monitoring of the adherence of patients to the required precaution measures are highly needed for limiting the spread of infection within the household and the community.

Personality Traits Leading Respondents to Refuse to Answer a Forced-Choice Personality Item: An Item Response Tree (IRTree) Model

In the present article, we investigate personality traits that may lead a respondent to refuse to answer a forced-choice personality item. For this purpose, we use forced-choice items with an adapted response format. As in a traditional forced-choice item, the respondent is instructed to choose one out of two statements to describe their personality. However, we also offer the respondent the option of refusing to choose. In this case, however, the respondent must report a reason for refusing to choose, indicating either that the two statements describe them equally well, or that neither statement describes them adequately. We use an Item Response Tree (IRTree) model to simultaneously model refusal to choose and the reason indicated by the respondent. Our findings indicate that respondents who score high on openness are more likely to refuse to choose, and they tend to identify more often with both statements in the forced-choice item. Items containing non-socially desirable statements tend to be skipped more often, with the given reason being that neither proposition describes the respondent well. This tendency is stronger among respondents who score high on agreeableness, that is, a trait that is typically related to social desirability. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings.

Ntuma - the Cotton Village of Nagaland, North East India

India is believed to be the original home of the cotton plant. Cotton occupies about 4.7 per cent of the total cropped area in the country. Cotton is the most important fibre crop of the entire world. It provides the basic raw material to the cotton textile industry. The article is based on the practice of organic cotton cultivation in Nagaland, a tribal State in India.&#x0D; Ntuma, a village in Nagaland, also called Cotton village, this research work is on Ntuma and its contiguous villages. These tribal villages, especially Entuma used to cultivate organic cotton decades back for hundreds of livelihoods. People don’t always think about organic when it comes to the clothes we wear, the sheets we sleep on, the personal care items we depend on, and the mattresses in our bedrooms. But organic cotton is one of the most important choices people can make for the environment, because it supports a healthy ecosystem and prevents the use of toxic synthetic chemicals.&#x0D; A deep dive into the environmental benefits of organic cotton production, the importance of avoiding synthetic chemicals, the role of organic cotton when it comes to climate change mitigation, and the benefits of organic cotton to water and biodiversity is admirable. The craft people everywhere use their hands and soul to make the world a better place. In this context, artisans of Ntuma, it’s contiguous villages in Peren district or for so the entire Nagaland is an example. Years back people of these villages, especially the women, used to cultivate organic cotton and make fabulous tribal textile from that which with the passage of time got eroded. With imagination, and subtle intensity, the weaving of Nagaland pays homage to the indomitable spirit of its creators. &#x0D; May be in a small way organic cotton cultivation and its further value additions may help closing the SDG gap, an appreciation for Tough-To-Decarbonize Industries, accelerating gender parity, youth perspectives, defeating the climate and health nexus and promoting agricultural growth.