Validation of AQoL-8D: a health-related quality of life questionnaire for adult patients referred for otolaryngology.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to validate the AQoL-8D questionnaire in the adult population of patients referred to an otolaryngology clinic. METHODS: AQoL-8D was translated into Polish. 463 patients (age18-80 years) with otolaryngological conditions were assessed with the AQoL-8D, SF-6D, and SWLS questionnaires. We investigated the item content-relevance, factor structure by means of Confirmatory Factor Analysis, corrected item-total correlations, Cronbach's alpha, Pearson correlation of the AQoL-8D scores with results from SF-6D and from the SWLS questionnaires. Finally, ANOVA was used to test the AQoL-8D ability to group the HRQoL of patients in terms of their otolaryngological management type. RESULTS: The median score of item content-relevance was 5.0 for all AQoL-8D items. Confirmatory Factor Analysis revealed the following fit indices: Comparative Fit Index = 0.81; Tucker-Lewis Index = 0.80; and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.07. Cronbach's alpha for AQoL-8D dimensions ranged from 0.48 to 0.79. Mean item-total correlations over all dimensions, super dimensions, and the instrument overall were higher than 0.3. There was a significant Pearson correlation between the results obtained with AQoL-8D and SF-6D (r = 0.68), and with AQoL-8D and SWLS (r = 0.43). A one-way ANOVA showed a significant effect of management type on HRQoL as measured by AQoL-8D [F(4,458) = 6.12, p < 0.001] CONCLUSION: AQoL-8D provides valid and reliable measures of HRQoL in patients undergoing otolaryngological treatment. Because it is a generic questionnaire, it is possible to make general comparisons of otolaryngology outcomes with those from other subspecialties.

Integrating Scale Data and Patient Perspectives for Assessing Functionality in Schizophrenia.

There is a growing body of literature devoted to evaluating functionality when planning the psychosocial rehabilitation of patients with schizophrenia. Until recently, psychological scales have been the predominant source of information, whereas patients' perceptions about the most disruptive limitations on their daily life were not considered. The aim of this paper is to illustrate how the integration of the perspectives of patients and patients' relatives improves the evaluation of functionality. A QUAN + QUAL design was implemented collecting quantitative data from Family APGAR and BELS scales, and qualitative information by conducting focus groups. The integration of results made it possible to understand the causes of problems reported by scales, as well as improving the information captured for helping to plan patient therapies. This mixed approach has provided a more comprehensive perspective of functionality, which will be helpful in improving quality of life of patients and their relatives.

Linking extreme response style to response processes: A cross-cultural mixed methods approach.

The aim of this study is to contribute to a better understanding of extreme response style in cross-cultural research by integrating quantitative and qualitative evidence in a mixed methods design. In the quantitative phase, indexes of extreme response style, derived from quality of life measures from different international studies, were compared between Spain and the Netherlands. Results indicated that extreme responding was more common among Spanish than among Dutch in endorsement of items, but that the opposite was found for frequency scales including never as a response anchor. In the qualitative phase, cognitive interviews were conducted with 25 participants in each country. The integration of quantitative results and qualitative findings suggests that country differences in extreme response style may stem from various sources, including the more independent evaluation of each item by Dutch, the stronger connotations of never for Spanish and stronger emotions triggered by specific topics such as work satisfaction that was more strongly associated with insecurity for Spanish. It is concluded that the integration of quantitative and qualitative evidence can help to understand cross-cultural similarities and differences in extreme response style.

Measurement invariance of the driving inattention scale (ARDES) across 7 countries.

The Attention-Related Driving Errors Scale (ARDES) is a self-report measure of individual differences in driving inattention. ARDES was originally developed in Spanish (Argentina), and later adapted to other countries and languages. Evidence supporting the reliability and validity of ARDES scores has been obtained in various different countries. However, no study has been conducted to specifically examine the measurement invariance of ARDES measures across countries, thus limiting their comparability. Can different language versions of ARDES provide comparable measures across countries with different traffic regulations and cultural norms? To what extent might cultural differences prevent researchers from making valid inferences based on ARDES measures? Using Alignment Analysis, the present study assessed the approximate invariance of ARDES measures in seven countries: Argentina (n = 603), Australia (n = 378), Brazil (n = 220), China (n = 308). Spain (n = 310), UK (n = 298), and USA (n = 278). The three-factor structure of ARDES scores (differentiating driving errors occurring at Navigation, Manoeuvring and Control levels) was used as the target theoretical model. A fixed alignment analysis was conducted to examine approximate measurement invariance. 12.3 % of the intercepts and 0.8 % of the item-factor loadings were identified as non-invariant, averaging 8.6 % of non-invariance. Despite substantial differences among the countries, sample recruitment or representativeness, study results support resorting to ARDES measures to make comparisons across the country samples. Thus, the range of cultures, laws and collision risk across these 7 countries provides a demanding assessment for a cultural-free inattention while-driving. The alignment analysis results suggest that ARDES measures reach near equivalence among the countries in the study. We hope this study will serve as a basis for future cross-cultural research on driving inattention using ARDES.

Understanding the Components and Determinants of Police Attitudes Toward Intervention in Intimate Partner Violence Against Women: A Systematic Review.

Police officers are society's first interveners in intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) and are essential for victim safety. Despite IPVAW laws, police attitudes influence their real actions during IPVAW intervention. However, the fuzzy conceptualization of the construct deters the pursuit of conclusive evidence. This systematic review sought to identify the components of police attitudes toward intervention in IPVAW and their determinants. A search was conducted through several databases (e.g., Web of Science). Papers were included if they (a) provided original empirical findings or were review studies, (b) were published between 1990 and 2019, (c) were written in Spanish or English, (d) alluded to police officers, and (e) focused on police attitudes toward intervention in IPVAW or their determinants. Fifty-seven papers were included. The studied components of police attitudes toward intervention in IPVAW extracted from the literature were tolerance of IPVAW, minimal police involvement, unsupportive and supportive attitudes toward the legal system and legislation against IPVAW, understanding of the complex nature of abuse, and IPVAW intervention as an important police task. Moreover, the central role of individual and situational determinants in police attitudes toward intervention in IPVAW was confirmed, whereas organizational and societal determinants were studied scarcely. This review proposes a framework upon which to build operational definition of police attitudes toward intervention in IPVAW and includes remarks on police backgrounds and the situational characteristics of IPVAW events that are essential in shaping police procedures for managing them. Empirical evidence should be transferred to police training and standard operating procedures.

Motorcycle rider error and engagement in distracting activities: A study using the Attention-Related Driving Errors Scale (ARDES-M).

Research on motorcycle rider distraction and inattention is limited, especially when compared to that on car drivers. This study examines motorcycle rider error and its relationship with engagement in distracting activities. Additionally, it provides an adaptation of the Attention-Related Driving Errors Scale for use with motorcycle riders (ARDES-M). A sample of 418 motorcyclists responded to a web questionnaire consisting of the ARDES-M, a self-report measure of Involvement in Distracting Activities (IDA), a measure of everyday inattention (ARCES, Attention Related Cognitive Errors Scale) and socio-demographic and riding-related questions. Riding errors were associated with a higher level of engagement in distracting activities and a greater propensity for inattention in daily life. ARDES-M scores were associated with various types of self-reported traffic crashes and near-crashes, while self-reported distractions (IDA) were only linked with near-crashes. The most widely self-reported distracting activities were using map navigation, listening to the radio or to music and adjusting vehicle devices. The various uses of cell phones were relatively minor. Young riders reported higher levels of engagement in distracting activities and committing more riding errors. The ARDES-M showed good psychometric properties for the sample in Spain.

Parenting in the context of driving: Spanish adaptation of the Family Climate for Road Safety (FCRSS) for parents and children.

The Family Climate for Road Safety Scale (FCRSS; Taubman - Ben-Ari & Katz - Ben-Ami, 2013) is a comprehensive measure originally developed in Israel to assess parent-children relations in the specific context of driving. The scale consists of seven dimensions: Modelling, Feedback, Communication, Monitoring, Messages, Limits, and Non-commitment to Safety. While the original FCRSS examines the young drivers' perception across the seven domains, a version applicable to parents has also been developed by the same authors. The current study investigates the validity and reliability of the FCRSS-Spain for both parents and young drivers. A total of 377 parents (199 fathers and 178 mothers) and 243 of their children (143 daughters and 100 sons) responded to the FCRSS-Spain versions and provided sociodemographic data. In addition, the young drivers completed the Spanish version of the Multidimensional Driving Style Inventory (MDSI-Spain). Results from exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM) indicate that six out of the seven FCRSS domains were replicable among Spanish drivers. The Messages dimension did not emerge as a consistent factor in the FCRSS for either parents or young drivers. All six factors demonstrated good internal consistency reliability (ordinal alpha coefficients exceeding 0.70), except for Non-commitment to safety. Significant differences were found between mothers and fathers in various FCRSS dimensions in the predicted direction, whereas no significant differences in FCRSS scores were found between young men and young women. As expected, associations were found between parents' scores in various FCRSS dimensions and the reckless, angry, dissociative, anxious, and careful driving styles reported by the young drivers, as well as between young drivers' FCRSS scores and their self-reported reckless, angry, dissociative, anxious, and careful driving styles.

Psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II.

The Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLPII) has been psychometrically validated across several linguistic and cultural groups; however the Spanish version has not been psychometrically tested for the Spanish population. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the reliability and factor structure of the Spanish version of the HPLPII for Spanish people. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that a six-component model for 44 items accounted for 40% of the variance, and the scale had an internal consistency of .87. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that a better fit of the six-component structure emerged from the PCA than from the model proposed in the original version of the HPLPII, suggesting that the health-promoting lifestyle might be sensitive to context and culture.

Analysis of the Reformulated Source to Drain Tunneling Probability for Improving the Accuracy of a Multisubband Ensemble Monte Carlo Simulator.

As an attempt to improve the description of the tunneling current that arises in ultrascaled nanoelectronic devices when charge carriers succeed in traversing the potential barrier between source and drain, an alternative and more accurate non-local formulation of the tunneling probability was suggested. This improvement of the probability computation might result of particular interest in the context of Monte Carlo simulations where the utilization of the conventional Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin (WKB) approximation tends to overestimate the number of particles experiencing this type of direct tunneling. However, in light of the reformulated expression for the tunneling probability, it becomes of paramount importance to assess the type of potentials for which it behaves adequately. We demonstrate that, for ensuring boundedness, the top of the potential barrier cannot feature a plateau, but rather has to behave quadratically as one approaches its maximum. Moreover, we show that monotonicity of the reformulated tunneling probability is not guaranteed by boundedness and requires an additional constraint regarding the derivative of the prefactor that modifies the traditional WKB tunneling probability.

Adaptation of the Intimate Partner Violence Attitudes Scale to Colombian Culture and Colombian Spanish.

BACKGROUND: Violence against women has been classified as a worldwide public health problem. There are no assessment instruments of attitudes toward violence in couples adapted to the culture and the Spanish spoken in Colombia. The aim of the study is to adapt the Intimate Partner Violence Attitude Scales (IPVAS) and obtain validity evidence. METHOD: Two studies were carried out. Study 1 integrates expert appraisal evidence of content validity with psychometrics of the internal structure and evidence of the relationships between IPVAS measures and theoretically related variables by analyzing responses from a sample of the general population. Using a cross-validation approach, a confirmatory factor analysis was performed in study 2 to test the factor structure proposed in study 1. In addition, evidence of relationships with other variables was provided by analyzing data from another general population sample. RESULTS: The results from study 2 support a two-dimensional structure with Abuse and Violence subscales for the Colombian IPVAS. CONCLUSIONS: A partial construct overlap was found between the original IPVAS and the Colombian IPVAS adapted to the culture and the Spanish spoken in Colombia.

Self-Consistent Enhanced S/D Tunneling Implementation in a 2D MS-EMC Nanodevice Simulator.

The implementation of a source to drain tunneling in ultrascaled devices using MS-EMC has traditionally led to overestimated current levels in the subthreshold regime. In order to correct this issue and enhance the capabilities of this type of simulator, we discuss in this paper two alternative and self-consistent solutions focusing on different parts of the simulation flow. The first solution reformulates the tunneling probability computation by modulating the WKB approximation in a suitable way. The second corresponds to a change in the current calculation technique based on the utilization of the Landauer formalism. The results from both solutions are compared and contrasted to NEGF results from NESS. We conclude that the current computation modification constitutes the most suitable and advisable strategy to improve the MS-EMC tool.

Public Helping Reactions to Intimate Partner Violence against Women in European Countries: The Role of Gender-Related Individual and Macrosocial Factors.

Public helping reactions are essential to reduce a victim's secondary victimization in intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) cases. Because gender-related characteristics have been linked widely to IPVAW prevalence, the study aimed to examine individual attitudes and perceptions toward different forms of violence against women, as well as gender-related macrosocial ideological and structural factors, in explaining helping reactions to IPVAW across 28 European countries. We performed multilevel logistic regression analysis, taking measures from the Eurobarometer 2016 (N = 7115) and the European Institute for Gender Equality datasets. Our study revealed a greater individual perceived IPVAW prevalence, positive perception about the appropriateness of a legal response to psychological and sexual violence against women partners, and less VAW-supportive attitudes predicted helping reactions (i.e., formal, informal), but not negative reactions to IPVAW. Moreover, individuals from European countries with a greater perceived IPVAW prevalence and gender equality preferred formal reactions to IPVAW. Otherwise, in the European countries with lesser perceived IPVAW prevalence and negative perceptions about the appropriate legal response to psychological and sexual violence, people were more likely to provide informal reactions to IPVAW. Our results showed the role of gender-related characteristics influenced real reactions toward known victim of IPVAW.

Individual and societal risk factors of attitudes justifying intimate partner violence against women: a multilevel cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: Attitudes justifying intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) can play an essential role in explaining the prevalence of such public health problem. The study aim was to explain attitudes justifying IPVAW identifying individual and societal risk factors. DESIGN AND SETTING: A multilevel cross-sectional study of the World Values Survey (WVS) in 54 global countries. PARTICIPANTS: A representative transnational community-based sample of 81 516 participants (47.8% male, 52.1% female), aged mean of 42.41. MEASURES: Attitudes justifying IPVAW, sociodemographic, sexism, self-transcendence and conservation values were measured using questions from WVS. Country and regional gender inequality were assessed by Gender Inequality Index. RESULTS: Around 16% (intraclass correlation=0.16) of individual differences in attitudes justifying IPVAW are explained by countries. Statistically significant predictors at individual and country level were: sex (B=-0.24, 95% CI -0.27 to -0.22), age (B=-0.08 to -0.25, 95% CI -0.34 to -0.03), marital status (B=0.09 to 0.23, 95% CI 0.002 to 0.33), educational level (B=-0.10 to -0.14, 95% CI -0.20 to -0.04), self-transcendence values (B=-0.10, 95% CI -0.20 to -0.12), sexism (B=0.21, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.28), country (B=2.18, 95% CI 1.09 to 3.26) and regional (B=2.23, 95% CI 1.04 to 3.42) gender inequality. Country gender inequality (B=-0.18, p=0.12) and regional gender inequality (B=-0.21, p=0.10) did not moderate the associations between self-transcendence values and attitudes justifying IPVAW. In the same way for sexism, data did not provide support for a moderating role of country gender inequality (B=0.22, p=0.26) and regional gender inequality (B=0.10, p=0.66). CONCLUSIONS: Individual and country predictors accounted for differences in attitudes justifying IPVAW. However, neither gender inequality of country nor gender inequality of region interacted with sexism and self-transcendence values. Theoretical and methodological implications are discussed.

Adaptation of the multidimensional driving styles inventory for Spanish drivers: Convergent and predictive validity evidence for detecting safe and unsafe driving styles.

The Multidimensional Driving Style Inventory (MDSI; Taubman - Ben-Ari et al., 2004) is a well-known and useful instrument that allows us to identify not only "maladaptive" Driving Styles (DS) in order to modify them, but also "adaptive" DS to encourage safe driving. The aim of this study was to adapt the MDSI to the Spanish spoken in Spain and to the rules and driving habits of Spaniards. The Argentinian version of the MDSI was taken as the source version. The sample consisted of 1173 drivers, who completed the Spanish version of the MDSI. The factor structure was analysed by means of an Exploratory Factor Analysis (AFE) and a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (AFC). The 6-factor structure of the Argentinian version of the MDSI was replicated with higher internal consistency values for each of the DS. The original Argentinian and the Spanish versions share 23 items, indicating a relevant overlap in the construct. A cluster analysis grouped the DS into two groups: maladaptive and adaptive. Significant associations were found between DS measures and demographic variables (gender, age, and education level), driving history and theoretically related constructs like the Domain-Specific Risk-Taking Scale (DOSPERT); Lapses, Errors, Violations; Angry Driving; and Sensitivity to Rewards. The Spanish MDSI provides valid measures that could help us understand complex driving behaviours and promote safe driving.

The Psychological Consequences of COVID-19 and Lockdown in the Spanish Population: An Exploratory Sequential Design.

The objectives of this study were to analyze the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown in the Spanish population and to identify what population profiles were most affected. The study used a sequential exploratory design. In the qualitative phase, 40 participants were recruited based on theoretically relevant criteria and the saturation of the information provided by the interviews. In the quantitative phase, a large representative sample was applied. The universe considered was the adult population of Spain. A total of 6789 surveys were conducted. Both the analysis of the narratives of the interviews and the responses to the panel survey showed relevant changes in attitudes and mood swings compared to the period prior to lockdown. These changes include dysphoric moods (i.e., experiences of distress such as sadness/depression, anxiety, rage, feeling of unreality, worry, etc.) and also some euphoric moods (i.e., feelings of well-being, happiness, etc.). A higher number of women were affected than men and a greater increase was observed in younger people. The findings of the study may serve as a basis for detecting needs and providing psychological support, as the symptoms detected as the most common are key for the processes of screening at-risk individuals.

Quantum Enhancement of a S/D Tunneling Model in a 2D MS-EMC Nanodevice Simulator: NEGF Comparison and Impact of Effective Mass Variation.

As complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) transistors approach the nanometer scale, it has become mandatory to incorporate suitable quantum formalism into electron transport simulators. In this work, we present the quantum enhancement of a 2D Multi-Subband Ensemble Monte Carlo (MS-EMC) simulator, which includes a novel module for the direct Source-to-Drain tunneling (S/D tunneling), and its verification in the simulation of Double-Gate Silicon-On-Insulator (DGSOI) transistors and FinFETs. Compared to ballistic Non-Equilibrium Green's Function (NEGF) simulations, our results show accurate I D vs. V G S and subthreshold characteristics for both devices. Besides, we investigate the impact of the effective masses extracted Density Functional Theory (DFT) simulations, showing that they are the key of not only the general thermionic emission behavior of simulated devices, but also the electron probability of experiencing tunneling phenomena.

How are distractibility and hazard prediction in driving related? Role of driving experience as moderating factor.

Distraction constitute one of the 'five fatal' behaviours that contribute to road trauma, and some people may be more susceptible to it than others. It is also known that a greater ability to predict danger is related to a lower probability of suffering accidents. It could be hypothesised that drivers with a higher tendency to distraction are worse at predicting traffic hazards, but to what extent might driving experience serve to mitigate this tendency to distraction? The current study collected self-reported attentional errors from drivers by using the Attention-Related Driving Errors Scale (ARDES-Spain) in order to examine whether novice drivers suffered from inattention more than experienced drivers. The results demonstrated that novice drivers scored more highly on ARDES than experienced drivers. ARDES scores were then related to performance in a Hazard Prediction test, where participants had to report what hazard was about to happen in a series of video clips that occlude just as the hazard begins to develop. While experienced drivers were better at the Hazard Prediction test than novice drivers, those participants who reported fewer attention errors were also better able to detect the upcoming hazard following occlusion. In addition, our results demonstrate a relationship between self-reported attentional errors and the ability to predict upcoming hazards on the road, with driving experience having a moderating role. In the case of novice drivers, as their scores in the Manoeuvring Errors ARDES factor increase, their ability in Hazard Prediction diminishes, while for experienced drivers the increase is not significant. Guidance on how to improve training for drivers in order to mitigate the effects of inattention on driving safety can be addressed.

Which drivers are at risk? Factors that determine the profile of the reoffender driver.

Finding appropriate assessment tools to predict recidivism is a difficult aim, which may lead to actions with unintended consequences. Aims don't have consequences. At times, the research has been used to justify penalising reoffenders with punitive measures rather than treating them with effective psychological interventions. This study aims to contribute to untangling and assessing the potential predictors of reoffender drivers. In this study, 296 drivers: 86 reoffenders (7 women and 79 men) and 206 non-reoffenders (105 women and 101 men) responded to a battery of assessment questionnaires in which they were asked for demographic data (i.e. gender and age), alcohol consumption habits, driving styles, general estimation of risk in everyday life, sensitivity to reward and punishment and anger while driving. The results provided a logistical regression model capable of predicting reoffending and explaining 34% of variability, successfully classifying 77.6% of participants. In this model, the best predictor of reoffending is higher consumption of alcohol (Alcohol Use Disorders, AUD), followed by incautious driving (since cautious driving style correlates negatively with reoffending) and to a lesser extent, infraestimation of recreational risk and a greater sensitivity to reward. Relying on results to predict recidivism could be important to plan better interventions to prevent it.

Differential Item Functioning: Beyond validity evidence based on internal structure.

BACKGROUND: In the latest release of the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, Differential Item Functioning (DIF) is considered as validity evidence based on internal structure. However, there are no indications of how to design a DIF study as a validation study. In this paper, we propose relating DIF to all sources of validity evidence, and provide a general conceptual framework for transforming “typical” DIF studies into validation studies. METHOD: We perform a comprehensive review of the literature and make theoretical and practical proposals. RESULTS: The article provides arguments in favour of addressing DIF detection and interpretation as validation studies, and suggestions for conducting DIF validation studies. DISCUSSION: The combination of quantitative and qualitative data within a mixed methods research perspective, along with planning DIF studies as validation studies, can help improve the validity of test score interpretations.

Beyond diagnosis: the Core Sets for persons with schizophrenia based on the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health.

PURPOSE: Based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), this paper presents the results of the process to develop the Comprehensive and Brief Core Sets for schizophrenia that allow to comprehensively describe functioning in persons with schizophrenia. METHODS: Twenty health professionals from diverse backgrounds participated in a formal and iterative decision-making process during an international consensus conference to develop these Core Sets. The conference was carried out based on evidence gathered from four preparatory studies (systematic literature review, qualitative study, expert survey, and empirical study). The first step of this decision-making and consensus process comprised of discussions and voting in working groups and plenary sessions to develop the comprehensive version. The categories of the Comprehensive ICF Core Set for schizophrenia served as the basis for the second step -a ranking and cutoff procedure to decide on the brief version. RESULTS: Of the 184 candidate categories identified in the preparatory studies, 97 categories were included in the Comprehensive Core Set for schizophrenia. A total of 25 categories were selected to constitute the Brief Core Set. CONCLUSIONS: The formal decision-making and consensus process integrating evidence from four preparatory studies and expert opinion led to the first version of the Core Sets for schizophrenia. Comprehensive and Brief Core Sets for schizophrenia may provide a common language among different health professionals and researchers, and a basic international standard of what to measure, report, and assess the functioning of persons with schizophrenia. Implications for rehabilitation Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disorder that has a tremendous impact on functioning and daily life of persons living with the disorder. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) offers an internationally recognized standard for describing the functioning status of these individuals. The Core Sets for schizophrenia have potential use in supporting rehabilitation practice such as for planning mental health services and other interventions or defining rehabilitation goals, and documenting patient care. The Core Sets for schizophrenia may also be used to promote interdisciplinary coordination and facilitate communication between members of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation team. Rehabilitation research is another potential area of application of the Core Sets for schizophrenia. This is valuable, since rehabilitation research provides crucial evidence for optimizing rehabilitation practice.