Nordic adolescents responding to demanding survey scales in boring contexts: Examining straightlining.

INTRODUCTION: Straightlining, or identical responses across all items within a multi-item scale, is often taken as an indication that responses to all items in a questionnaire are of poor quality. The purpose of this study was to examine straightlining on two scales: The Sense of Unity Scale (SUS) and the short version of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS). METHODS: Data stem from the 2017-2018 data collections in four Nordic countries of the Health Behaviour in School-children study (HBSC) (15-year-old students only; 50.9% girls; n = 5928). Data were weighted to adjust for oversampling of Swedish-speaking Finnish students and to equalize sample size across countries. The main analyses were done with general linear modeling with adjustments for cluster effects (school classes). RESULTS: The proportion with straightlining on SUS was 22.8%, varying from 5.8% among Swedish girls to 46.4% among Finnish boys. The proportion with straightlining on SWEMWBS was 18.4%, varying from 5.2% among Norwegian girls to 46.0% among Finnish boys. Straightlining on one of the scales correlated with straightlining on the other one. Straightlining tended to inflate Cronbach's α values and reduce number of factors in factor analyses. Associations between the two scales and external variables tended to be lower among straightlining students. Associations between external variables (other than SUS/SWEMWBS) are on average slightly weaker among straightliners. Straightlining students obtained more favorable scores on several resource-related variables. CONCLUSION: Although some problems have been identified, straightlining does not serve well as a general indicator of poor data quality.

Sexual orientation and migration intentions among rural, exurban and urban adolescents in Iceland.

Rural areas have often been assumed to be somewhat hostile territory for sexual minorities. As a result, moving to an urban area may be an integral part of "coming out" for those living in a rural area. However, surprisingly few quantitative studies have examined the level of rural-to-urban migration intent among sexual minorities. In this study, we examined the migration expectations of adolescents in Iceland, a country characterised by a heavy urban concentration and a scattered rural population, strong international ties and comparatively high levels of formal rights and public acceptance of sexual minorities. Based on a population sample of 2,858 students aged 15-16 years, we found no evidence of greater overall migration expectations among rural or exurban lesbian, gay, bisexual and questioning (LGBQ) youth than their urban counterparts. However, while urban LGBQ youth were more likely to move abroad, young people in other areas are more likely to move domestically. The results are discussed in the context of prior studies of sexual minorities in rural areas and migration expectations among rural youth.

[The prevalence of sexual abuse and sexual assault against icelandic adolescents].

INTRODUCTION: Sexual abuse and sexual assaults against children and adolescents is one of the most significant threats to their health. The aim of the current study was to investigate its prevalence and effects on Icelandic teenagers in the 10th grade. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study is based on data collected for the Icelandic part of the HBSC-project (Health and behaviour of school- aged children). Standardized questionnaires were sent to all students in 10th grade in Iceland of which 3,618 participated. The students experience of sexual abuse or assaults was assessed by asking them how often they had been against their will a) touched in a sexual way, b) made to touch someone else in a sexual way, c) the subject of an attempted rape or d) subjected to rape. RESULTS: The results showed that 14.6% (527) participants had experienced sexual abuse or assault. Of these, 4.5% (162) had one such experience but 10.1% had either suffered certain type of abuse or assault more than once, or had experienced more than one kind. About 1% of participants (35) said that they had suffered many times from many forms of abuse and assaults. The prevalence of poor mental well-being and risk behaviour was much higher amongst those that had experienced sexual abuse or assault. CONCLUSION: Although the results show that the prevalence of sexual abuse and assault against Icelandic adolescents is similar to other Western countries, we find it to be higher than a previous study a decade ago. KEY WORDS: Sexual abuse, sexual assault, adolescents. Correspondence: Arsaell Mar Arnarsson, aarnarsson@unak.is.

[Visual impairment and blindness in Icelanders aged 50 years and older - the Reykjavík Eye Study]. / Sjónskerding og blinda Reykvíkinga 50 ára og eldri. Reykjavíkuraugnrannsóknin.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to examine the cause-specific prevalence and 5-year incidence of visual impairment and blindness among middle-aged and older citizens of Reykjavík. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A random sample of 1045 persons aged 50 years or older underwent a detailed eye examination in 1996 and 846 of the survivors participated in a follow-up examination in 2001. Visual impairment was defined according to World Health Organization definitions as a best-corrected visual acuity of <6/18 but no worse than 3/60, or visual field of ≥5° and <10° around a fixation point in the better eye. Best-corrected visual acuity of <3/60 in the better eye was defined as blindness. The causes of visual impairment or blindness were determined for all eyes with visual loss. RESULTS: The prevalence of bilateral visual impairment and blindness was 1.0% (95% CI 0.4-1.6) and 0.6% (95% CI 0.1-1.0), respectively and the 5-year incidence was 1.1% (95% CI 0.4-1.8) and 0.4% (95% CI 0.0-0.8), respectively. The prevalence of visual impairment among 60-69 year old participants was 0.6%, but among those aged 80 years or older the prevalence was 7.9%. The major cause of bilateral visual impairment and blindness both at baseline and follow-up was age-related macular degeneration. Cataract accounted for less severe visual loss. The two most common causes of unilateral visual impairment at baseline were amblyopia and cataract. Cataract was the main cause of unilateral visual impairment at 5-year follow-up. CONCLUSION: Prevalence and 5-year incidence of both uni- and bilateral visual impairment and blindness increases with age. Age-related macular degeneration was the leading cause of severe visual loss in this population of middle-aged and older Icelanders.

Epidemiology of exfoliation syndrome in the Reykjavik Eye Study.

Exfoliation syndrome (XFS) is a major risk factor for glaucoma. It is characterized by a pathological accumulation of polymorphic fibrillar material in the anterior segment of the eye. It is likely that the increase in intraocular pressure (IOP) seen in XFS patients is at least in part because of flakes of material clogging up the trabecular meshwork, and thereby increasing the resistance to outflow and increasing IOP. XFS glaucoma progresses more rapidly, is more resistant to medical treatment and has worse prognosis than other glaucomas. The prevalence of XFS has been found to vary greatly between different studies, raising the possibility of racial and/or environmental modulators. XFS has also been linked to other changes in ophthalmological structures such as; changes in central corneal thickness (CCT), steeper corneal curvature (CC) and nuclear lens opacifications. Some studies have found XFS to be associated with systemic diseases, mostly cardiovascular and cerebrovascular. Exposure to ultra-violet (UV) light has also been investigated as a possible culprit, along with several other plausible factors. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence and 5-year incidence of XFS, to establish possible risk factors and/or concomitant symptoms and finally to investigate the relationship between XFS and glaucomatous changes. The Reykjavík Eye Study (RES) is a prospective study based on a random sample from the Icelandic national population sample. The baseline examination was performed in the autumn of 1996, when 1045 persons older than 50 years participated. Of these, 846 (88.2% of survivors) participated in a follow-up 5 years later. All participants went through a standard examination protocol, and answered a comprehensive questionnaire on health and life style. In the prevalence study, XFS was found in 10.7% of subjects, more frequently in women and older persons. Five years later, a further 5.2% of those that participated in the follow-up study and had no signs of XFS at baseline were diagnosed having XFS. We found a strong correlation between IOP and XFS. No difference was found in the anterior segment parameters measured, but there was a significant loss of neural tissue in the XFS as demonstrated by measurements of cup/disk ratio. In conclusion, we find XFS to be frequent among Icelanders, increasing with age and more in women. Our diagnostic criteria are reliable over time. We have also identified possible risk factors that point to a role of antioxidants in the development of XFS. We find changes in corneal curvature and thickness more related to age than XFS.