Relevant Background Factors Research Articles

Risk of hand and forearm conditions due to vibrating hand-held tools exposure: a retrospective cohort study from Sweden

ObjectivesThe occurrence of hand and forearm disorders related to vibration exposure, adjusted for relevant background factors, is scarcely reported. We analysed the prevalence of such conditions in a large population...

Trajectories of maternal depressive and anxiety symptoms and child's socio-emotional outcome during early childhood

Maternal symptoms of depression and anxiety during pregnancy and early postnatal years are suggested to impose differential negative effects on child's socio-emotional development depending on the characteristics of the symptoms, such as timing, intensity, and persistence. The aim of this study was to identify trajectories of maternal depressive and anxiety symptoms from pregnancy until 2 years postpartum and to examine their relationship with child socio-emotional problems and competence at 2 and 5 years of age.The sample included 1208 mother-infant dyads from FinnBrain Birth Cohort study. Latent growth mixture modelling (LGMM) was utilized to model the trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms, measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and general anxiety, measured with Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) at 14, 24, and 34 weeks' gestation (gw) and at 3, 6 and 24 months postpartum. Maternal depression was also assessed at 12 months. Child socio-emotional problems and competence were evaluated using the Brief Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (BITSEA) at 2 years and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) at 5 years. Relevant background factors and maternal concurrent symptomatology were controlled for.The trajectories of maternal depressive and anxiety symptoms were associated negatively with differential aspects of child long term socio-emotional outcomes from early toddlerhood to preschool years. The trajectories of depressive symptoms and high-level persistent symptoms that continued from pregnancy to two years of child age had the strongest negative association with child outcomes. This highlights the importance of identifying and treating maternal symptomatology, especially that of depression, as early as possible.

Examination on Factors Affecting Symptom Change after Drug Withdrawal in Patients with Mild Erosive Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Undergoing Symptom-Controlled Maintenance Therapy with Acid-Secretion Inhibition Drugs

Introduction: In patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) on maintenance therapy with acid-suppressive drugs, it is not clear what background factors allow patients to discontinue the drugs. The aims of this study were to examine the relationship of the changes in the frequency and severity of gastrointestinal symptoms after discontinuation of acid-secretion inhibitors for erosive GERD (eGERD) with possible patient background factors and to identify factors that influence these changes. Methods: This is a multicenter, open-label, interventional, exploratory study. eGERD patients with mild mucosal injury whose symptoms were under control and who were on maintenance therapy with acid-suppressive drugs were withdrawn from the drug treatment for 4 weeks. We examined the relationship of patient backgrounds (sex, age, body mass index, alcohol consumption, smoking habits), esophageal hiatal hernia, Helicobacter pylori infection, pepsinogen I and II concentrations and I/II ratios, blood gastrin levels before and after drug discontinuation with total score change in Frequency Scale for the Symptoms of GERD (FSSG). Results: Of the 92 patients whose symptoms could be assessed before and after drug withdrawal, 66 patients (71.7% of the total) had FSSG <8 and no symptom relapse after the withdrawal. Furthermore, patient background factors that may be related to symptom relapse/non-relapse were examined, but no related factors were detected. The maintenance medications before discontinuation in the above 92 patients were a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and vonoprazan (VPZ, a potassium ion competitive acid blocker). Since PPI and VPZ were administered to about the same number of patients, though incidentally, we additionally examined the relationship between patient background factors and symptom relapse/non-relapse by treatment group. As a result, no relevant background factors were detected in both groups. Although there were no significant differences between the two groups, the severity and frequency of symptom recurrence in the VPZ group tended to be higher than in the PPI group. Conclusions: Consideration of background factors is unlikely to be required in the discontinuation of maintenance therapy for eGERD. There was no significant difference in the extent of disease or frequency of recurrence during the discontinuation period, regardless of whether the drug before discontinuation was a PPI or VPZ.

EPELI: a novel virtual reality task for the assessment of goal-directed behavior in real-life contexts

A recently developed virtual reality task, EPELI (Executive Performance in Everyday LIving), quantifies goal-directed behavior in naturalistic conditions. Participants navigate a virtual apartment, performing household chores given by a virtual character. EPELI aims to tap attention, executive function, and prospective memory. To ensure its applicability to further research and clinical work and to study its relationship to relevant background factors, we examined several key properties of EPELI in 77 typically developing 9–13-year-old children. These included EPELI’s internal consistency, age and gender differences, sensitivity to gaming experience, head-mounted display (HMD) type, and verbal recall ability, as well as its relationships with parent-rated everyday executive problems. Of the eight EPELI measures, the following six showed acceptable internal consistency: task and navigation efficacy, number of correctly performed tasks and overall actions, time monitoring, and controller movement. Some measures were associated with age, gender, or verbal encoding ability. Moreover, EPELI performance was associated with parent-rated everyday executive problems. There were no significant associations of gaming background, task familiarity, or HMD type with the EPELI measures. These results attest to the reliability and ecological validity of this new virtual reality tool for the assessment of attention, executive functions, and prospective memory in children.

Primary School Students’ Perceptions of Class Environment and Their Attitudes towards Inclusive Education in China

ABSTRACT This study mainly investigates the relationship between class environment and attitudes towards inclusive education (IE) in China, with consideration of the impact of relevant background factors including grade, experiences of disability, academic level, area (rural vs. urban), family socio-economic status (SES), being a student leader and gender. A sample of primary school students (N = 1158) was recruited to complete a questionnaire with four scales to respectively measure students’ perceptions of attitude towards inclusive education, their class environments, academic achievement level, and family SES, with a set of single-measure questions regarding other background variables. Results revealed that students who perceived class environments with better student-student relationships, better teacher-student relationships, and better discipline and order had more positive attitudes towards IE. The association between the other two class environment variables (competition and learning burden) and attitude towards IE were not significant. Students who self-reported as having disabilities held more positive attitudes towards IE than their peers. Among the background factors examined in this study, only the effect of gender on students’ attitudes towards IE is significant. Last, this study also made discussion on constructing inclusive classrooms or communities for China.

Critical thinking and writing in transition to higher education in Finland: do prior academic performance and socioeconomic background matter?

ABSTRACT Critical thinking, a complex set of cognitive skills, and the ability to communicate one’s thoughts are vital in successful studying for new higher education students. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of socioeconomic background and prior academic performance on new students’ critical thinking and writing. The participants were 1006 first-year students from a range of disciplines in 18 Finnish higher education institutions. An open-ended performance task was used to investigate students’ critical thinking and writing. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data. The grade in the native language and the scholarly culture of a student's childhood home were found to be the most important predictors of strong critical thinking and writing. In contrast, parents’ education and students’ grades in mathematics were not significant. As Finnish student admissions are reformed, there is a growing need to understand the predictive value of relevant background factors. Findings give insights into the development of admissions and remind developers that not all prior performances have equal predictive value. Findings invite careful consideration in determining which skills are necessary for new students. It is suggested that in future research, a wider range of skills should be investigated.

Effects of rehabilitative psychotherapy on labour market success: Evaluation of a nationwide programme.

Psychotherapy is a widely used treatment for mental disorders, but whether it also improves employment and other labour market outcomes remains inconclusive. This study examined the effectiveness of a nationwide subsidized psychotherapy programme using extensive register-based data. The sample consisted of individuals who applied for rehabilitative psychotherapy in Finland in 2009-2012 (n = 35,083). Prior to 2011, some applications were rejected due to the limited budget that the central government provided for the programme. From 2011, all eligible applicants were granted rehabilitation. We used propensity score matching to create balanced samples of those who received a negative decision in 2009-2010 (n = 2047) and those who were granted rehabilitative psychotherapy in 2011-2012 (n = 12,046) in terms of their sociodemographic background characteristics, prior labour market attachment and health status. We found that compared to the applicants who were not accepted to the programme, the granted applicants with similar background characteristics had, on average, a six-percentage-point higher employment rate, €2100 higher annual earnings and a six-percentage-point lower probability of becoming a disability benefit recipient five years after their first application. Further sensitivity analyses confirmed that these results were not biased, for example, by differences in macroeconomic conditions during the follow-up. Quasi-experimental research design showed that rehabilitative psychotherapy was significantly associated with better labour market outcomes. Although several relevant background factors were included in the matching analysis, it is possible that some unobserved factors explain both access to psychotherapy and subsequent labour market outcomes.

Social, health and rehabilitation sector educators' competence in evidence-based practice: A cross-sectional study.

AimThe purpose of the study was to identify and describe the characteristic profiles of evidence‐based practice competence of educators in the social, health and rehabilitation sectors and to establish relevant background factors.DesignThis study was carried out as a descriptive cross‐sectional study.MethodsData were collected from social, health and rehabilitation sector educators working in the 21 Finnish universities of applied sciences and seven vocational colleges (n = 422; N = 2,330). A self‐assessment instrument measuring evidence‐based practice competence was used. Competence profiles were formed using a K‐cluster grouping analysis.ResultsThree distinct competence profiles were identified and delineated. Most educators feel that they can guide students' critical thinking and are able to seek and produce scientific knowledge. Evidence‐based practice competence was explained by background factors such as year of graduation (for higher degree), level of education, job title, current employer and current field of work.

The Utility of the Pandemic Grief Scale in Identifying Functional Impairment from COVID-19 Bereavement.

Background: Meeting the needs of people bereaved by COVID-19 poses a substantial challenge to palliative care. The Pandemic Grief Scale (PGS) is a 5-item mental health screener to identify probable cases of dysfunctional grief during the pandemic. Objective: The PGS has strong psychometric and diagnostic features. The objective was to examine the incremental validity of the PGS in identifying mourners at risk of harmful outcomes. Design: A cross-sectional survey design involving sociodemographic questions and self-report measures of pandemic grief, generalized anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, separation distress, functional impairment, meaning-making difficulties, and substance use coping. Setting/Subjects: A sample of people bereaved through COVID-19 (N = 1065) in the United States. Results: Fully 56.6% of participants scored above the cut score of ≥7 on the PGS for clinically dysfunctional pandemic grief and 69.7% coped with their loss using drugs or alcohol for at least several days in past two weeks. PGS scores were not associated with time since loss. Hierarchical multiple regression models demonstrated that the PGS uniquely explained variance in functional impairment, meaning-making difficulties, and substance use coping, over relevant background factors, bereavement-related psychopathology, and separation distress. In the final model, the standardized regression coefficients for the PGS were 2-15 times larger than for the other competing measures in explaining each of the three outcomes. Conclusions: The findings underscore the clinical utility of this short and easy-to-use measure in identifying risk of deleterious outcomes across a range of functional and behavioral domains.

Ethical and Moral Competences of Upper Secondary Students: A Comparative Study

Purpose:This article presents the theoretical framework, research design, methodology, and main findings of the comparative measurement of ethical–moral competences of 15-year-old upper secondary students in Shanghai, under the ETiK-International-Shanghai project.Design/Approach/Methods:By dividing the ethical–moral competences into the categories of basic ethical–moral knowledge, ethical–moral judgment competence, and competence in developing ethical–moral action plans, a survey of 2,036 students was conducted, using a reliable and valid testing instrument.Findings:In general, 15-year-olds from homes with more educational resources perform higher in all three scales across all countries taken under consideration in our study. Furthermore, school practices, teaching, as well as quantity and quality of instruction play a very important role in the moral education process and especially in developing students’ proficiency levels of ethical–moral knowledge, reasoning competence, as well as students’ high abilities in developing moral action plans. When relevant educational background factors are held constant, Chinese students show lower average scores on basic ethical–moral knowledge and moral judgment competence. With exception of the tested Vienna students, all other European samples scored better than the Chinese students—also on the test for developing ethical–moral action plans. However, Chinese students are especially able to display outstanding empathy when dealing with suffering, misfortune, and sorrow, as well as in their willingness to help others.Originality/Value:The findings of this article can foster thinking about which topics should be further discussed to improve the ethical–moral knowledge and competences of Chinese students and highlight requirements for the further development of moral education in China at the levels of teaching, curriculum, teacher education, and research.

Lessons learned on student engagement from the nature of pervasive socio‐digital interests and related network participation of adolescents

AbstractThe rise of modern socio‐digital technologies has fundamentally changed the everyday environments in which young people communicate with each other and cultivate interests. To gain a more sophisticated understanding of this phenomenon, this study provides in‐depth, qualitative insights into adolescents' experiences of their socio‐digital developmental ecologies. The 15 interview participants were recruited based on a previously conducted questionnaire. The semi‐structured theme interview addressed the socio‐digital aspects of the participants' interest‐driven behaviours and related networks with the aid of participant‐generated egocentric maps. The data not only qualitatively enrich the picture on adolescents' friendship‐ and interest‐driven socio‐digital participation but also provide new perspectives on the phenomena through the added network‐layer of analysis. The youth seem to vary in their motivational profiles related to their participation and the potential relevant psychological background factors for this variation are considered. Educational implications of these results are discussed when it comes to effective student engagement and connected learning.

Decision-making factors for best supportive care alone and prognostic factors after best supportive care in non-small cell lung cancer patients

Among patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), best supportive care (BSC) is well-known to improve patient’s quality of life and prolong survival. This study aimed to clarify (1) the decision-making factors of BSC alone and (2) the prognostic factors after selection of no further anticancer therapies. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of patients with NSCLC between November 2004 and February 2014, who received BSC as only therapy and BSC after completion of anticancer therapies. One hundred eighteen patients received BSC alone. Among 860 patients treated with anticancer therapies, 236 were selected as control group, 160 of whom received BSC after anticancer therapy. The significant reasons for receiving BSC alone were: comorbidities of dementia, poor Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG-PS), patients’ wishes, pulmonary comorbidities, wild type epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), relevant social background and psychiatric comorbidities. Poor prognostic factors at the start of BSC were poor ECOG-PS, presence of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and history of anticancer therapy. NSCLC patients with comorbidities, wild type EGFR, and relevant social background factors tended to receive BSC alone. Post-cancer therapy NSCLC patients and those with DIC and declining ECOG-PS have a shorter survival period from the start of BSC.

The role of urban forest patches in maintaining isopod diversity (Oniscidea).

Compositional changes in natural communities associated with anthropogenic influence often lead to localised extinctions and biodiversity loss. Soil invertebrates are also threatened by urbanisation due to habitat fragmentation, vegetation changes and management, soil alteration, degradation, and disappearing shelter sites. The aim was to assess terrestrial isopod (Oniscidea) assemblages in differently degraded urban forest patches of a metropolitan area (Budapest, Hungary). Study sites were compared by their species richness, composition and the relevant background factors (soil properties, dead wood, litter characteristics, and canopy closure). The degree of urban disturbance was expressed using an urbanisation index (UI) based on built-up density and vegetation cover. The isopods were identified to species level, and were qualified by their habitat preference and naturalness index (TINI). Average Rarity Index (ARI), derived from TINIs provided information on the degree of naturalness/disturbance of each habitat. Altogether 14 isopod species were collected from 23 sample sites. Urbanisation indirectly affected on the composition of isopod assemblages through the quantity of dead wood and soil plasticity. ARIs and UIs of sample sites were negatively correlated. Urban patches harboured habitat generalist, synanthropic and established introduced species with low naturalness value of assemblages. Areas with no or low anthropogenic disturbance maintained stable native, autochthonous assemblages that were characteristic of rural sites in the region. Transitional zones between rural and urban habitats usually maintained a mixed isopod fauna consisting of both urban and rural elements.

Personal agency in newly arrived refugees: The role of personality, entrepreneurial cognitions and intentions, and career adaptability

In light of recent developments in the world of work towards increased uncertainty, a rapid pace of change and new possibilities for intentional self-development, subsequent research has strongly emphasized the role of personal agency (e.g., self-initiative, entrepreneurship, and adaptability capacities) in taking advantage of this environment. Here, we adopt this view of personal agency to study early integration processes of refugees facing personal situations that involve examples of extreme uncertainty combined with new opportunities. Specifically, we examine the relationship between personality factors, entrepreneurial alertness and intentions, and career adaptability in a sample of N = 267 refugees (M = 27.56 years, 78.1% male), mostly from Syria, newly arrived in Germany after their flight. Employing structural equation modeling, the data revealed that entrepreneurial alertness is a crucial proximal predictor of entrepreneurial intentions and career adaptability in newly arrived refugees. In addition, the personality factors self-efficacy and resilience were relevant background factors: they predicted entrepreneurial alertness, which in turn mediated the direct link between these background factors and career adaptability. The results underscore the relevance of an agentic perspective in the study of refugees by highlighting the importance of entrepreneurial cognitions and underlying personality factors for the early integration process.

Covariate balance for no confounding in the sufficient-cause model

PurposeTo show conditions of covariate balance for no confounding in the sufficient-cause model and discuss its relationship with exchangeability conditions. MethodsWe consider the link between the sufficient-cause model and the counterfactual model, emphasizing that the target population plays a key role when discussing these conditions. Furthermore, we incorporate sufficient causes within the directed acyclic graph framework. We propose to use each of the background factors in sufficient causes as representing a set of covariates of interest and discuss the presence of covariate balance by comparing joint distributions of the relevant background factors between the exposed and the unexposed groups. ResultsWe show conditions for partial covariate balance, covariate balance, and full covariate balance, each of which is stronger than partial exchangeability, exchangeability, and full exchangeability, respectively. This is consistent with the fact that the sufficient-cause model is a “finer” model than the counterfactual model. ConclusionsCovariate balance is a sufficient, but not a necessary, condition for no confounding irrespective of the target population. Although our conceptualization of covariate imbalance is closely related to the recently proposed counterfactual-based definition of a confounder, the concepts of covariate balance and confounder should be clearly distinguished.

Chronic sleep reduction is associated with academic achievement and study concentration in higher education students.

Inadequate sleep impairs cognitive function and has been associated with worse academic achievement in higher education students; however, studies that control for relevant background factors and include knowledge on sleep hygiene are scarce. This study examined the association of chronic sleep reduction (i.e. symptoms of chronic sleep reduction such as shortness of sleep, sleepiness and irritation), subjective sleep quality and sleep hygiene knowledge with academic achievement (grades and study credits) and study concentration among 1378 higher education students (71% female, mean age 21.73years, SD=3.22) in the Netherlands. Demographic, health, lifestyle and study behaviour characteristics were included as covariates in hierarchical regression analyses. After controlling for significant covariates, only chronic sleep reduction remained a significant predictor of lower grades (last exam, average in current academic year). Better sleep quality and sleep hygiene knowledge were associated with better academic achievement, but significance was lost after controlling for covariates, except for a remaining positive association between sleep hygiene beliefs and grades in the current academic year. Moreover, better sleep quality and lower scores on chronic sleep reduction were associated with better study concentration after controlling for significant covariates. To conclude, chronic sleep reduction is associated with academic achievement and study concentration in higher education students. Inadequate sleep hygiene knowledge is moderately associated with worse academic achievement. Future research should investigate whether sleep hygiene interventions improve academic achievement in students of higher education.

Isolating the effect of eviction on criminal convictions

On an individual level, criminal offending is linked to resource deficiencies. Since evictions tend to affect society’s weakest groups, we would expect evicted individuals to be convicted of crime to a higher degree than others even before eviction. But is there also a direct effect of eviction on criminal convictions? The aim of this study was to isolate the effect of eviction on criminal convictions. Propensity score matching was used and the analyses included all individuals evicted in Sweden from 2009 to 2010 ( n = 5050), and a 10% sample of the adult population ( n = 770,000). After matching based on relevant background factors, the analyses showed a significant increase in criminal convictions from the year of eviction until the end of the period studied, two to three years later. The pattern was similar for men and women. Future research should investigate eviction in relation to different types of crime.

Efficacy of Ripasudil as a Second-line Medication in Addition to a Prostaglandin Analog in Patients with Exfoliation Glaucoma: A Pilot Study.

This study aimed to assess the intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering effects of ripasudil, a Rho kinase inhibitor, as a second-line medication in patients with exfoliation glaucoma. This retrospective cohort study included patients with exfoliation glaucoma who received ripasudil as the second-line drug in addition to prostaglandin analogs, and were followed-up for at least 5months. Twenty-seven eyes of 16 patients were enrolled; the mean (±standard deviation) age was 76.1±7.2years (range 63-91years). Baseline IOPs were the averages of three IOP measurements performed before ripasudil treatment. Statistical analyses used the paired t test with the Bonferroni correction. Relevant background factors were analyzed via stepwise, multiple regression analysis. The mean (±standard deviation) IOP levels prior to commencement of ripasudil, 1-2months later, and 5-6months later were 16.2±2.1, 14.7±2.8, and 13.1±2.6mmHg, respectively. These levels differed significantly (p=0.00019 for 0 versus 1-2months, 0.00087 for 1-2 vs. 5-6months, and <0.00001 for 0 vs. 5-6months). Stepwise multiple regression analysis on data from all 27 eyes showed that the change in IOP at 5-6months was associated with the treatment time with prostaglandin analogs and age, but not with baseline IOP, the severity of the visual field defect, the timing of IOP measurement, or pseudophakic status. Ripasudil significantly lowered IOP in patients with exfoliation glaucoma, and the effect thereof increased over time within 5months.

Psychosocial factors associated with the uptake of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy among BRCA1/2 mutation noncarriers with newly diagnosed breast cancer.

Women who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer may consider contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) to reduce their future risk of cancer in their unaffected breast. Pre-surgical BRCA1/2 genetic testing can provide valuable risk information to guide this choice. However, little is understood about why BRCA1/2 mutation noncarriers, who are generally not at substantially elevated risk of contralateral disease, select CPM. We examined the uptake of CPM among breast cancer patients identified as BRCA1/2 mutation noncarriers (n=92) as part of a larger prospective study of the impact of pre-surgical BRCA1/2 testing. Data obtained from self-report questionnaires and patient medical records were used to examine associations between theoretically relevant background and psychosocial factors and BRCA1/2 mutation noncarriers' decisions to undergo CPM. Among BRCA1/2 mutation noncarriers, 25% (n=23) elected to undergo CPM. Psychosocial factors including a self-reported physician recommendation for CPM, greater perceived contralateral breast cancer risk, and greater perceived benefits of CPM were all significantly associated with the uptake of CPM. A sizeable minority of BRCA1/2 mutation noncarriers choose to undergo CPM after learning their mutation status through pre-surgical genetic testing. BRCA1/2 mutation noncarriers' cognitive perceptions and social influences appear to be important in shaping their decisions regarding CPM. This work highlights the importance of several psychosocial factors in influencing patients' surgical decisions. Future research is needed that examines the formation of BRCA1/2 mutation noncarriers' beliefs regarding their disease and available treatment options, and that characterizes the physician-patient communication that occurs in this complex decision-making context.

A Vanishing Rural School Advantage? Changing Urban/Rural Student Achievement Differences in Latin America and the Caribbean

In 1997, a cross-national assessment of educational achievement in Latin America and the Caribbean found that rural schools in Colombia outperformed urban schools in tests of reading and mathematics, except in very large cities. Given a long history of urban/rural inequality in the region, Colombia’s rural school advantage attracted substantial attention. Yet by 2006, a follow-up to the 1997 assessment found that Colombia’s rural school advantage had vanished. This study’s objective is to determine whether, after adjusting for relevant background factors, Colombia’s rural school advantage persisted in 2006. We find that rural schools in Colombia retained their advantage in a limited way: all else equal, rural schools in Colombia outperformed marginally urban schools in mathematics, when comparing each type of school to urban schools. Analysis of the 2006 data finds that rural schools in several countries outperformed urban schools in tests of math and reading, after adjusting for student background.