Representative Population Sample Research Articles

Who are the immigrants that Israeli Jews prefer? The interplay between reasons for migration, religion, and religiosity

This study focuses on the impact of three attributes of migrants – their reasons for migration, religion, and level of religiosity – on public support for allowing migrants to come and live in Israel. We rely on a factorial survey that was conducted in a representative sample of the Israeli Jewish population analyzing the assessments of 600 respondents of various vignettes (N = 3,595) of hypothetical migrants about admitting them to the country. The findings reveal that Israeli Jews do not evaluate all immigrant groups equally. Preferences for specific groups of migrants are primarily structured along two main attributes: religion and reasons for migration. The result is a hierarchical distinction between immigrants of Jewish ancestry and those who are non-Jewish. Jewish repatriates are perceived as “deserving migrants” who can make legitimate claims about belonging to the host society. As such, they enjoy an ethno-religious premium based on ancestral rights. By contrast, there is less support for the entry of non-Jewish migrants, whether asylum seekers or labor migrants, as their presence is viewed as a threat to the Jewish character of the state and the hegemony of the Jewish majority. The impact of the immigrants’ attributes on attitudes varies based on the level of religiosity of the Jewish population, especially in the case of non-Jewish migrants. Support is stronger in the case of secular respondents and much weaker among their more religious counterparts. The findings are discussed in light of existing theories.

Who are the immigrants that Israeli Jews prefer? The interplay between reasons for migration, religion, and religiosity

This study focuses on the impact of three attributes of migrants – their reasons for migration, religion, and level of religiosity – on public support for allowing migrants to come and live in Israel. We rely on a factorial survey that was conducted in a representative sample of the Israeli Jewish population analyzing the assessments of 600 respondents of various vignettes (N = 3,595) of hypothetical migrants about admitting them to the country. The findings reveal that Israeli Jews do not evaluate all immigrant groups equally. Preferences for specific groups of migrants are primarily structured along two main attributes: religion and reasons for migration. The result is a hierarchical distinction between immigrants of Jewish ancestry and those who are non-Jewish. Jewish repatriates are perceived as “deserving migrants” who can make legitimate claims about belonging to the host society. As such, they enjoy an ethno-religious premium based on ancestral rights. By contrast, there is less support for the entry of non-Jewish migrants, whether asylum seekers or labor migrants, as their presence is viewed as a threat to the Jewish character of the state and the hegemony of the Jewish majority. The impact of the immigrants’ attributes on attitudes varies based on the level of religiosity of the Jewish population, especially in the case of non-Jewish migrants. Support is stronger in the case of secular respondents and much weaker among their more religious counterparts. The findings are discussed in light of existing theories.

The prevalence of misophonia in a representative population-based survey in Germany.

Misophonia is a new disorder, currently defined as significant emotional and physiological distress when exposed to certain sounds. Although there is a growing body of literature on the characteristics of the disorder, the prevalence in the general population is still relatively unknown. This study therefore aims at determining the prevalence and symptom severity of misophonia in a large and representative general population sample in Germany. To examine the prevalence of misophonic sounds, misophonic reactions and misophonia severity, a cross-sectional population representative survey in Germany has been conducted. Participants (N = 2.522) were questioned retrospectively about misophonic symptoms using the Amsterdam Misophonie Scale - Revised (AMISOS-R). Overall 33.3% reported to be sensitive to at least one specific misophonic sound. Within the total sample, subthreshold symptoms were reported by 21.3%, mild symptoms were reported by 9.9%, moderate to severe symptoms were reported by 2.1%, and severe to extreme symptoms were reported in 0.1% of participants. Based on the diverging presentations and prevalence rates of misophonic sounds, reactions and symptoms according to the severity, it seems worthwhile to conceptualize misophonia as a rather continuous spectrum disorder (subthreshold, mild, moderate to severe), still taking into account that an additional categorical diagnostic approach might be necessary to derive a diagnosis in clinical practice.

The Brief Symptom Inventory in the Swiss general population: Presentation of norm scores and predictors of psychological distress.

Psychological distress is an important and frequent health problem. The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) allows screening for psychological distress in clinical, general and research populations. We aimed to provide normative data for the BSI and the BSI-18 for the Swiss general population: We 1) present psychometric properties, 2) develop a Swiss T-standardization and validate it using a clinical sample, 3) describe psychological distress in the Swiss general population and the clinical sample, and 4) compare the means and T-standardized scores of the Swiss general population to different German norm populations. Using a cross-sectional study design, we invited a representative sample of the Swiss general population aged 18-75 years to the study. A sample of psychotherapy outpatients had competed the BSI before start of their therapy. We calculated scores for the nine scales of the BSI (three of them constitute the BSI-18), the T-standardization and the following BSI indices: Global Severity Index (GSI), Positive Symptom Total (PST), Positive Symptom Distress Index (PSDI), and Caseness (reaching T≥63 on the GSI or T≥63 on at least two of the scales). A total of 1238 general population participants completed the BSI (41.8% male; mean age 48.9 years). The BSI had good psychometric properties. The Swiss T-standardization showed good validity when applied in the clinical sample. Females reached a significantly higher GSI score than males (p<0.001). Older participants (p = 0.026), those with higher education (p <0.001), and those employed or retired (p<0.001) reached lower scores than participants aged 18-25 years, those with compulsory schooling, and unemployed participants, respectively. A total of 18.1% (CI: 16.0-20.5) participants of the general population and 75.2% (CI: 73.7-76.7) of the psychotherapy patients were considered cases with psychological distress. Our study presents detailed normative data for the BSI and the BSI-18 based on a representative sample of the Swiss general population. This information will be helpful for clinical applications and research in the Swiss and international context.

P-480 Demographic and family-based predictors of Dutch societal attitudes towards surrogacy

Abstract Study question What factors shape societal attitudes toward surrogacy in a representative sample of the adult population? Summary answer Participants’ demographic factors (education, sexuality, ethnicity, religiosity) and factors related to surrogacy families (parental composition, social bond oocyte donor) predict attitudes toward surrogacy. What is known already Attitudes toward surrogacy families frequently have a negative influence on the well-being of these families. Counselling will help surrogacy families cope with negative reactions. Current debates regarding legislation on surrogacy show diverse attitudes towards surrogacy. Previous studies hint at attitudes toward surrogacy being influenced by demographic factors such as age, education, sexual preference, ethnicity, urbanization and religiosity, and factors of surrogacy families such as parental composition (cisgender different-sex parents, same-sex parents and transgender parents) and social or genetic bonds between the surrogate, oocyte donor and parents. Study design, size, duration This vignette study included a representative sample of 1075 adults from the Dutch population, who filled out a questionnaire in June 2023. The vignettes used were descriptions of a surrogacy family and gave context to the questionnaire. Vignettes varied the following aspects; sexuality and gender of parents, and social and genetic bonds between the parents, the surrogate, and the oocyte donor. Participants were asked about their attitudes on four randomly assigned vignettes. Participants/materials, setting, methods Demographic information of the participants was collected via questionnaires. We designed vignettes accompanied by a questionnaire to measure attitudes (α between .81 and .91). Multilevel regression analysis was performed with attitudes as the dependent variable and demographic factors (age, education, sexual preference, ethnicity, urbanization and religiosity) and aspects of surrogacy families (parental composition, genetic and social bonds with the surrogate and oocyte donors) as predictors. Main results and the role of chance Attitudes are influenced by most studied demographic factors. People were more likely to have positive attitudes when they were either higher educated, identified themselves as non-heterosexual, had a Dutch background, or were less religious. Age and urbanization did not predict attitudes. Factors related to the parental composition of a surrogacy family predicted attitudes. A cisgender man and a cisgender woman were judged more positively compared to two cisgender men or when a transgender person was involved. Oocyte donation from a friend or sister was judged more negatively compared to an oocyte from the oocyte bank (without a social bond to the parents). Attitudes were more negative when oocyte donation took place than when oocytes of an intended mother were utilized (p values range between .007 and &amp;lt; .001). There was no difference between the presence and absence of social and genetic bonds between parents and surrogates. There were no differences in the presence or absence of a genetic bond between parents and oocyte donors. No differences were found between a surrogate using her own oocytes compared to donated oocytes. Limitations, reasons for caution The study was limited to one European country. Furthermore, all participants participated in monthly questionnaires. Although a representative sample of the Dutch population was used, willingness to participate monthly in questionnaire studies might influence generalizability. Wider implications of the findings Based on our findings, it will be possible to inform cisgender different-sex, same-sex and transgender parents of the societal reactions they might encounter and counsel them on how to best deal with these reactions. The attitude towards known oocyte donors warrants us to initiate more investigation. Trial registration number not applicable

Interpreting Differences in Questionnaire Scores in the Context of Cultural Location: A Country Case Study of Symptom Check List -90- Revised Data from Albania, Germany and the USA

This paper explores inter-cultural differences using new SCL-90-R data from Albania and referential data from the USA and Germany. The considerable mean score differences are interpreted in terms of historical, cultural, and political factors in Albania may affect psychometric measures creating large intercultural score differences. The SCL-90-R was administered to a representative population sample in Tirana (N = 501). Global, subscale, and item score values from the Albanian sample were compared, where possible, to those from existing American and German samples. The Albanian data showed markedly higher means on the global scale and all subscales than the American and German values and differences at the item level from the German data (item data were not available for the USA). Differences were most marked on subscales of paranoid thinking, anxiety, and hostility. These findings are interpreted in terms of the cultural context of the country. Considerations are given to implications for therapists working with culturally diverse communities. Current mental health and psychotherapy practices do not sufficiently reflect research indicating complex relations between culture and psychopathology. Studies across cultures in new, concurrently collected data using psychometric methods to explore measurement invariance and its violations, are often not feasible. Simpler methods can be used with historical data to show marked differences and enhance intercultural psychotherapy research. Received: 12 March 2024 / Accepted: 23 June 2024 / Published: 02 July 2024

The Cumulative Impact of Unmet Essential Needs on Indicators of Attrition: Findings from a Public University Population-Based Sample of Students in the Bronx, NY.

In recent decades, a growing proportion of college students have experienced financial stress, resulting in unmet essential needs including food insecurity, housing instability, lack of healthcare access, and inadequate mental health treatment. Given that urban-based public universities constitute a substantial proportion of the US college student population, understanding how unmet needs affect academic achievement in this population is crucial for developing strategies that alleviate college failure and dropout. We examined the cumulative impact of unmet essential needs (scored from 0 to 4) on indicators of college attrition (dropout, leave of absence, risk of academic probation). The sample comprised a college population-representative sample of 1833 students attending one of three urban public colleges in the Bronx, NY. Employing adjustedmultinomial and binomial logistic regression models, we assessed how total unmet essential needs predict any indicator of college attrition. Each unit increase in unmet need increased the odds of having any attrition indicator by 29% (p < 0.01). Students with two unmet needs had 43% greater odds (p < 0.01), students with three unmet needs had 57% greater odds (p < 0.01), and students with four unmet needs had 82% greater odds (p < 0.01) of having any attrition indicator compared to those without unmet needs. Findings revealed a modest dose-response relationship between the number of unmet needs and the likelihood of experiencing indicators of attrition, suggesting a cumulative impact of unmet needs onstudents' abilityto persist to graduation.Designing interventions aimed at college students with multiple unmet essential needs, and addressing these needs holistically, may assist student retention and graduation.

On the ability of the SF-6D to capture the consequences of chronic illnesses on subjective well-being: Evidence from France

Using cross-sectional data from a representative sample of the French population (the 2008 Disability Health survey), this paper examines whether the SF-6D, a widely used preference-based measure of health-related quality of life in economic evaluations, fully captures the variation in subjective well-being (SWB) due to chronic illnesses. We conduct a mediation analysis to disentangle the direct and indirect, through the SF-6D, effects of various chronic conditions on SWB (happiness). Our results show that the SF-6D reflects changes in happiness due to most illnesses except mental illness. Changes in SWB mediated by the SF-6D account for 74% of the total effect. The variation unexplained by the SF-6D is significant and increases substantially in the presence of multimorbidity, when a chronic illness is combined with anxiety or depression. Overall, our results suggest that the SF-6D incompletely captures the subjective experience of chronically ill patients especially, those with comorbid conditions.

Population assessment of health system performance in 16 countries.

To demonstrate how the new internationally comparable instrument, the People's Voice Survey, can be used to contribute the perspective of the population in assessing health system performance in countries of all levels of income. We surveyed representative samples of populations in 16 low-, middle- and high-income countries on health-care utilization, experience and confidence during 2022-2023. We summarized and visualized data corresponding to the key domains of the World Health Organization universal health coverage framework for health system performance assessment. We examined correlation with per capita health spending by calculating Pearson coefficients, and within-country income-based inequities using the slope index of inequality. In the domain of care effectiveness, we found major gaps in health screenings and endorsement of public primary care. Only one in three respondents reported very good user experience during health visits, with lower proportions in low-income countries. Access to health care was rated highest of all domains; however, only half of the populations felt secure that they could access and afford high-quality care if they became ill. Populations rated the quality of private health systems higher than that of public health systems in most countries. Only half of respondents felt involved in decision-making (less in high-income countries). Within countries, we found statistically significant pro-rich inequalities across many indicators. Populations can provide vital information about the real-world function of health systems, complementing other system performance metrics. Population-wide surveys such as the People's Voice Survey should become part of regular health system performance assessments.

Dementia severity at incident diagnosis in a population representative sample of older Americans.

We provide the first analysis of distribution of dementia severity at incident diagnosis for a population representative sample of older Americans. Using data from the Aging, Demographics, and Memory Study (ADAMS), the Health Retirement Study (HRS), and traditional Medicare claims, we estimated the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale for ADAMS respondents and applied parameter estimates to predict dementia severity for HRS respondents with claims-based incident dementia diagnosis. Seventy percent of older adults received a dementia diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia (early stages). Fewer individuals were diagnosed at early stages in years 2000 to 2008 (65%) compared to years 2009 to 2016 (76%). About 72% of non-Hispanic white persons were diagnosed at early stages, compared to 63% non-Hispanic black and 59% Hispanic persons. More males than females were diagnosed at early stages (75%vs 67%). These data linkages allow population surveillance of early and equitable dementia detection in the older US population to assess clinical and policy levers to improve detection. For the US population 70 and older, 30% were diagnosed with dementia at a moderate or severe stage.Fewer were diagnosed at early stages in years 2000 to 2008 compared to 2009 to 2016 (65%vs 76%).A total of 72% of white persons were diagnosed at early stages, compared to 63% black and 59% Hispanic persons.More males than females were diagnosed at early stages (75%vs 67%).High wealth and education level were associated with diagnosis at early stages disease.

Dementia severity at incident diagnosis in a population representative sample of older Americans.

We provide the first analysis of distribution of dementia severity at incident diagnosis for a population representative sample of older Americans. Using data from the Aging, Demographics, and Memory Study (ADAMS), the Health Retirement Study (HRS), and traditional Medicare claims, we estimated the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale for ADAMS respondents and applied parameter estimates to predict dementia severity for HRS respondents with claims-based incident dementia diagnosis. Seventy percent of older adults received a dementia diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia (early stages). Fewer individuals were diagnosed at early stages in years 2000 to 2008 (65%) compared to years 2009 to 2016 (76%). About 72% of non-Hispanic white persons were diagnosed at early stages, compared to 63% non-Hispanic black and 59% Hispanic persons. More males than females were diagnosed at early stages (75%vs 67%). These data linkages allow population surveillance of early and equitable dementia detection in the older US population to assess clinical and policy levers to improve detection. For the US population 70 and older, 30% were diagnosed with dementia at a moderate or severe stage.Fewer were diagnosed at early stages in years 2000 to 2008 compared to 2009 to 2016 (65%vs 76%).A total of 72% of white persons were diagnosed at early stages, compared to 63% black and 59% Hispanic persons.More males than females were diagnosed at early stages (75%vs 67%).High wealth and education level were associated with diagnosis at early stages disease.

A Complex Relationship between Quality of Life, Anxiety, and Depression among General Population during Second Year of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Population-Based Study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the global economy and public health, disrupting various aspects of daily life. Apart from its direct effects on physical health, it has also significantly affected the overall quality of life and mental health. This study employed a path analysis to explore the complex association among multiple factors associated with quality of life, anxiety, and depression in the general population of the Republic of Srpska during the pandemic's second year. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a nationally representative sample (n = 1382) of the general population (adults aged 20+) during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia, and Herzegovina. Assessment tools included the DASS-21 scale for depression, anxiety, and stress, along with the Brief COPE scale, Quality of Life Scale (QOLS), and Oslo Social Support Scale (OSSS-3). Sociodemographic factors and comorbidities were also assessed. Structural equation modeling was used to identify the direct and indirect links of various characteristics to quality of life, anxiety, and depression. Results: This study revealed a considerable prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms (27.5% and 20.9%, respectively), with quality of life playing a significant mediating role. The constructed path model accounted for 33.1% of moderate to severe depression and 79.5% of anxiety. Negative coping was directly linked to anxiety and indirectly to depression via anxiety, while the absence of positive coping had both direct and indirect paths (through quality of life) on depression. Among variables that directly affected depression, anxiety had the highest effect. However, the bidirectional paths between anxiety and depression were also suggested by the model. Conclusions: Pandemic response strategies should be modified to effectively reduce the adverse effects on public mental health. Further research is necessary to assess the long-term effects of the pandemic on mental health and to analyze the contributing factors of anxiety and depression in the post-COVID period.

Testing the person-positivity bias in a political context: Voters’ affective responses to (non-)personalized individual political actors versus collective political actors

The person-positivity bias states that evaluations of real-life individuals are more positive compared to evaluations of collectivities or impersonal objects. This paper aims to test the prevalence of a person-positivity bias in a political context in two respects: (1) we examine whether voters develop stronger negative affective reactions towards other-minded collective actors (i.e. political parties) compared to individual actors (i.e. politicians), and (2) we investigate whether the provision of personalized individuating information tempers the development of negative feelings towards politicians. A survey experiment conducted among a representative sample of the Flemish population (N = 1200) reveals patterns of vertical affective polarization. However, our study did not find significant evidence that voters dislike other-minded collective actors more than other-minded individual politicians. Also the extent to which individual MPs are personalized has little effect on voters' affective evaluations. Taken together, this study highlights that ideological (dis)agreement is primarily steering voters’ evaluation of political actors.

Heterogenous social mechanisms drive the intention to purchase organic food

PurposeThis article explores the heterogenous social mechanisms that drive responsible environmental behaviours by investigating differences in the mean effect of the psychosocial determinants of the intention to buy organic foods.Design/methodology/approachUsing data for a representative sample of the Spanish population, we estimated the mean effect of the constructs represented in the responsible environmental behaviour (REB) theory that affect sustainable food consumption, and examined the social mechanisms that may explain heterogeneity in the mean effect of those constructs. Confirmatory factor analysis, linear regression, and latent class regression were used in the analysis.FindingsWe found that the effect of REB’s psychosocial constructs varied significantly, demonstrating social heterogeneity in the estimated average effect. We identified different social mechanisms that explain variations in organic food purchase intentions: environmental attitudes and social norms shape these intentions among socioeconomically privileged consumers, whereas personal norms shape these intentions among less socially advantaged consumers.Originality/valueOur research contributes to the literature by highlighting the existence of differing social mechanisms explaining organic food purchase intentions. The uncovering of three social mechanisms explaining differences in the mean effect of factors driving those intentions provides valuable insights with regard to both further developing a holistic framework for responsible environmental behaviours and developing new public policies and marketing strategies aimed at improving sustainable food consumption.

How does corporate hypocrisy undermine corporate reputation? The roles of corporate trust, affective commitment and CSR perception

Purpose Corporate hypocrisy occurs when a discrepancy exists between corporate talk and actions. As companies assume more extensive economic, societal and global roles, they are more likely to encounter situations in which their words and actions are inconsistent. Therefore, a company’s ability to cope with such situations is becoming increasingly important. This study aims to examine the negative effects of corporate hypocrisy on corporate reputation. First, it reveals the underlying mechanisms by presenting corporate trust and affective commitment as parallel mediators. Additionally, it explores how corporate social responsibility (CSR) perceptions mitigate the indirect effects of corporate hypocrisy. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through an online survey conducted at two time points in the context of Korean retail banking companies. A total of 313 respondents participated in a two-wave online survey using a multistage sampling technique to ensure a representative population sample. This study used the Mplus-based Hayes’ PROCESS Macro to test the research hypotheses. Findings The results show that corporate hypocrisy negatively affects corporate reputation by impeding customers’ corporate trust and affective commitment. These negative indirect effects are mitigated when customers’ perceptions of CSR are high. Originality/value By establishing a parallel moderated mediation model that captures the impact of corporate hypocrisy. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study presents important academic and managerial implications that have not been provided in the literature.

Changes in acceptability, consideration, intention, and uptake of direct-to-consumer genetic tests in the Netherlands from 2017 to 2022.

Although the popularity of direct-to-consumer genetic tests (DTC-GT) for disease-related purposes increased, concerns persist whether consumers make well-informed decisions about their purchase. To better target pre- and post-test information materials, this study aims to determine the characteristics of people interested in undergoing DTC-GT. In addition, it aims to determine changes in acceptability, consideration, intention, and uptake of DTC-GT since 2017. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted in April 2022 with a representative sample of the Dutch adult population. Ordinal regression models and chi-squared tests were used to determine factors associated with DTC-GT acceptability, consideration and intention, and changes in outcomes since 2017, respectively. Of the 907 included respondents, 19.3% found DTC-GT acceptable, 29.4% considered taking a DTC-GT in the future, 6.2% intended to take a test within the coming year, and 0.9% had already tested. High education was associated with lower acceptability, consideration, intention, and higher awareness. Respondents with a chronic disease were less likely to find DTC-GT acceptable. Higher consideration was associated with having a partner, adopted/stepchildren, and lower age. Compared to 2017, in 2022 more respondents found DTC-GT totally unacceptable, while more considered testing, and fewer ruled out taking a test both in the next year and the future. Education status may play an important role in people's acceptability, consideration, intention, and awareness of disease-related DTC-GT in the Netherlands. Easy-to-understand public information materials should be promoted and guidance is needed to help with decision-making and result interpretation. Future research should focus on the best way to provide responsible guidance.

Putting a Dollar Value on Informal Care Time Provided to People Living With Dementia: A Discrete Choice Experiment

ObjectivesInformal care represents a significant cost driver in dementia but monetizing informal care hours to inform cost-of-illness or economic evaluation studies remains a challenge. This study aimed to use a discrete choice experiment to estimate the value of informal care time provided to people with dementia in Australia accounting for positive and negative impacts of caregiving. MethodsAttributes and levels were derived from a literature review, interviews with carers, and advice received from an advisory group. Attributes included 4 positive and negative caregiving experiences, in addition to “hours of care provided” and the “monetary compensation from the government.” A D-efficient design was constructed with 2 generic alternatives that represented hypothetical informal caregiving situations. The discrete choice experiment survey was administered online to a representative sample of the Australian general population and a group of informal carers of people with dementia. The willingness to accept estimates were calculated for the 2 samples separately using the mixed logit model in the willingness to pay space. ResultsBased on 700 respondents included in the analysis (n = 488 general public, n = 212 informal carers), the mean willingness to accept for an additional hour of informal care, corrected for the positive and negative impacts of informal care, was $21 (95% CI 18-23) for the general public and $20 (95% CI 16-25) for the informal carers sample. ConclusionThe estimates generated in this study can be used to inform future cost-of-illness studies and economic evaluations, ensuring that informal care time is considered in future policy and funding decisions.

Poor sleep quality is an important modifiable risk factor for dementia: Population attributable fraction of poor sleep in a Brazilian population-based study.

The populational impact of poor sleep quality and the risk of dementia is unclear. We analyzed the Population Attributable Fraction (PAF) of poor sleep quality for dementia, and its association with other two sleep parameters through self-reported and single questions collected in a large-scale Brazilian cohort (ELSI-Brazil). A subset of the ELSI-Brazil with complete responses to sleep quality was retrieved for this study. This is a large representative sample of the Brazilian elderly population with an extensive assessment of sociodemographic and health risk variables. Prevalence of poor sleep quality was estimated according to the complex sample design, and its PAF was measured using a meta-analytic relative risk. A total of 6024 (56.3% women, mean 62.8±9.5years of age) individuals had complete responses. The prevalence of poor sleep quality was 24.9% (95%CI 23%-26%), and the PAF of poor sleep quality including other 10 modifiable risk factors of dementia was 52.5% in Brazil. Secondary analyses identified that sleep quality, restorative sleep and sleep drug usage varied considerably according to age ranges, race, and gender. Poor sleep quality is an important populational modifiable risk factor for dementia in Brazil. Targeted interventions may provide an important impact in preventing dementia in low- and middle-income countries.

Requirements of the experiment

The purpose of the experiment is to derive inferences about the causal effects of a subset of the characteristics of the units of a target population (explanatory characteristics - treatment factors) on characteristics that express the performance of these units (response characteristics). To achieve this objective, the effects of the treatment factors in the sample must manifest themselves as in the target population. This attempt requires the construction of a valid and representative sample of the target population. It is achieved if the experiment plan and its execution satisfy the experiment requirements. These requirements are considered in this article.

The sense of coherence scale: psychometric properties in a representative sample of the Czech adult population

BackgroundSense of coherence (SOC) is a personal resource that reflects the extent to which one perceives the world as comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful. Decades of empirical research consistently show that SOC is an important protective resource for health and well-being. Despite the extensive use of the 13-item measure of SOC, there remains uncertainty regarding its factorial structure. Additionally, a valid and reliable Czech version of the scale is lacking. Therefore, the present study aims to examine the psychometric properties of the SOC-13 scale in a representative sample of Czech adults.MethodsAn online survey was completed by 498 Czech adults (18–86 years old) between November 2021 and December 2021. We used confirmatory factor analysis to examine the factorial structure of the scale. Further, we examined the variations in SOC based on age and gender, and we tested the criterion validity of the scale using the short form of the Mental Health Continuum (MHC) scale and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) scale as mental health outcomes.ResultsSOC-13 showed an acceptable one- and three-factor fit only with specified residual covariance between items 2 and 3. We tested alternative short versions by systematically removing poorly performing items. The fit significantly improved for all shorter versions with SOC-9 having the best psychometric properties with a clear one-factorialstructure. We found that SOC increases with age and males score higher than females. SOC showed a moderately strong positive correlation with MHC, and a moderately strong negative correlation with GAD. These findings were similar for all tested versions supporting the criterion validity of the SOC scale.ConclusionOur findings suggest that shortened versions of the SOC-13 scale have better psychometric properties than the original 13-item version in the Czech adult population. Particularly, SOC-9 emerges as a viable alternative, showing comparable reliability and validity as the 13-item version and a clear one-factorial structure in our sample.