Perceptions of height and weight screening and associations with body image: a cross-sectional study in early primary school children.

BACKGROUND: Despite parental concern, few studies have investigated children's experiences with school-based screening of growth deviations. This study aimed to explore perceptions of height and weight screening and associations with body size dissatisfaction (BSD) among third-grade children aged 8-9 years in central Norway. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study between November 2021 and April 2022, perceptions of height and weight screening and BSD were assessed individually among 209 children (49% girls) through researcher-assisted interviews. RESULTS: Most children indicated satisfaction with the screening by selecting a happy emoji, whereas only 1% indicated dissatisfaction, by selecting an unhappy emoji. However, 23%-30% selected a neutral emoji, indicating either neutrality or a response between satisfaction and dissatisfaction. No difference in the perception of height and weight screening was found between genders or body mass index (BMI). Children with parents from non-Western countries had a higher risk of being less satisfied with the height screening (OR=3.0, 95% CI 1.2 to 7.3) than those from Western origin, and children attending schools with lower socioeconomic status (SES) had increased risk of being less satisfied with both height (OR=5.5, 95% CI 2.2 to 13.5) and weight screening (OR=4.0, 95% CI 1.7 to 9.3), compared with children from schools with medium-high SES. Twenty-three percent reported BSD, in which 14% and 9% desired a thinner or larger body, respectively, independent of gender and BMI. No association was found between BSD and the perception of weighing (OR=1.1, 95% CI 0.6 to 2.4), however, BSD was associated with being more satisfied with height screening (OR=0.3, 95% CI 0.1 to 0.8). CONCLUSION: In the present sample, most children indicated satisfaction with school-based height and weight screening, with no differences between gender or BMI category. However, more children of non-Western origin and from areas with low SES reported less satisfaction with the screening, independent of BSD.

Development and validation of the Emotional Climate Change Stories (ECCS) stimuli set.

Climate change is widely recognised as an urgent issue, and the number of people concerned about it is increasing. While emotions are among the strongest predictors of behaviour change in the face of climate change, researchers have only recently begun to investigate this topic experimentally. This may be due to the lack of standardised, validated stimuli that would make studying such a topic in experimental settings possible. Here, we introduce a novel Emotional Climate Change Stories (ECCS) stimuli set. ECCS consists of 180 realistic short stories about climate change, designed to evoke five distinct emotions-anger, anxiety, compassion, guilt and hope-in addition to neutral stories. The stories were created based on qualitative data collected in two independent studies: one conducted among individuals highly concerned about climate change, and another one conducted in the general population. The stories were rated on the scales of valence, arousal, anger, anxiety, compassion, guilt and hope in the course of three independent studies. First, we explored the underlying structure of ratings (Study 1; n = 601). Then we investigated the replicability (Study 2; n = 307) and cross-cultural validity (Study 3; n = 346) of ECCS. The collected ratings were highly consistent across the studies. Furthermore, we found that the level of climate change concern explained the intensity of elicited emotions. The ECCS dataset is available in Polish, Norwegian and English and can be employed for experimental research on climate communication, environmental attitudes, climate action-taking, or mental health and wellbeing.

Promoting electricity conservation through behavior change: A study protocol for a web-based multiple-arm parallel randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: As a part of the framework of the EU-funded Energy efficiency through Behavior CHANge Transition (ENCHANT) project, the present paper intends to provide a "Research Protocol" of a web-based trial to: (i) assess the effectiveness of behavioral intervention strategies--either single or in combination--on electricity saving, and (ii) unravel the psychological factors contributing to intervention effectiveness in households across Europe. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Six distinct interventions (i.e., information provision, collective vs. individual message framing, social norms, consumption feedback, competitive elements, and commitment strategies) targeting electricity saving in households from six European countries (i.e., Austria, Germany, Italy, Norway, Romania, and Türkiye) are evaluated, with an initial expected samples of about 1500 households per country randomly assigned to 12 intervention groups and two control groups, and data is collected through an ad-hoc online platform. The primary outcome is the weekly electricity consumption normalized to the last seven days before measurement per person per household. Secondary outcomes are the peak consumption during the last day before measurement and the self-reported implementation of electricity saving behaviors (e.g., deicing the refrigerator). The underlying psychological factors expected to mediate and/or moderate the intervention effects on these outcomes are intentions to save electricity, perceived difficulty of saving energy, attitudes to electricity saving, electricity saving habit strength, social norms to save electricity, personal norms, collective efficacy, emotional reaction to electricity consumption, and national identity. The intervention effectiveness will be evaluated by comparing psychological factors and consumption variables before and after the intervention, leading to a 14 (groups including 2 control groups) × 6 (time) mixed factorial design, with one factor between (group) and one factor within subjects (time)-6 measurements of the psychological factors and 6 readings of the electricity meters, which gives then 5 weeks of electricity consumption. RESULTS: Data collection for the present RCT started in January 2023, and by October 2023 data collection will conclude. DISCUSSION: Upon establishing feasibility and effectiveness, the outcomes of this study will assist policymakers, municipalities, NGOs, and other communal entities in identifying impactful interventions tailored to their unique circumstances and available resources. Researchers will benefit from a flexible, structured tool that allows the design, implementation and monitoring of complex interventions protocols. Crucially, the intervention participants will benefit from electricity saving strategies, fostering immediate effectiveness of the interventions in real-life contexts. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was preregistered in the Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/9vtn4.

Emotional responses to climate change in Norway and Ireland: a validation of the Inventory of Climate Emotions (ICE) in two European countries and an inspection of its nomological span.

There is an increasing research interest in emotional responses to climate change and their role in climate action and psycho-social impacts of climate change. At the same time, emotional experience of climate change is multidimensional and influenced by a variety of factors, including the local cultural context. Here, we contribute to the scientific debate about this topic with original quality-controlled data from the general populations in Norway (N = 491) and Ireland (N = 485). We investigate the cross-cultural validity and the nomological span of eight distinct emotional responses to climate change - climate anger, climate contempt, climate enthusiasm, climate powerlessness, climate guilt, climate isolation, climate anxiety, and climate sorrow - measured using the recently introduced Inventory of Climate Emotions. We first validate the 8-factor structure of the Norwegian and English language versions of the ICE. Subsequently, we demonstrate a high degree of cross-cultural measurement invariance for these eight climate emotions. Finally, we explore the relationships between these emotional responses and a range of theoretically relevant variables. In this final step, we show that climate emotions are differentially linked to climate change perceptions, support for mitigation policies, socio-demographic factors, feelings of loneliness and alienation, environmental activism, and the willingness to prioritize the natural environment over one's immediate self-interests. Some of these links are also differentiated by the cultural context. This research presents further evidence for the structural, cross-cultural, and concurrent validity of climate emotions as postulated in the ICE framework. Moreover, it provides tools in the form of validated Norwegian and English language versions of the ICE, the complete R code for the validation analysis, as well as an informed basis for cross-cultural research on emotional responses to climate change.

Is environmental behavior related to economic risk preferences? An exploratory case by case analysis.

Do risk preferences play a role when deciding whether to act pro-environmentally? Looking at 28 different behaviors case by case - including recycling, waste reduction, energy and water conservation, consumer behavior, and environmental policy support - our data suggest no relation between most of the behaviors and economic risk preferences. However, economic risk preferences appear to have some relevance for travel mode choice and for specific consumer preferences (eco-friendly detergents, organic food, and single-use plastics), perhaps because people are better able to appreciate aspects of these behaviors related to risk (e.g., possibility of traffic accidents, health risks).

Drunk or Sober? Number of alcohol units perceived to be safe before riding e-scooter.

Riding an e-scooter under the influence of alcohol is one of the most frequently reported risky behaviours among riders in various countries, especially in the Nordic countries. What is the Number of Alcohol Units perceived to be Safe (NAUS) before riding an e-scooter? Who is more likely to report higher perceived alcohol tolerance before riding an e-scooter? What is the level of risk perception in this transport domain? The current study advances the literature by aiming to address these questions. Using a cross-sectional survey (n = 395) in Trondheim, Norway we developed an integrated model combining a path analysis with negative binomial regression to predict NAUS before riding an e-scooter. Results show that (i) around 56 % of participants reported that it is safe to consume one or more units of alcohol prior to riding an e-scooter, (ii) younger people, frequent users of e-scooters, individuals with low education, and people with lower perceived risks of an accident were more likely to report higher NAUS. Alcohol health warnings and random blood alcohol concentration tests on e-scooter sites could be prioritised among these segments of the population, and (iii) there is a rather high risk perception in this transport domain. We found that there are strong connections between higher risk perception, worry and fewer NAUS. Policymakers could highlight risks of accidents by e-scooters under the influence of alcohol.

Frequency of cholelithiasis in need of surgical or endoscopic treatment a decade or more after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

BACKGROUND: Symptomatic cholelithiasis requiring treatment is a known side effect after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), but reported rates vary greatly. The objectives for this study were to evaluate the long-term frequency of surgical or endoscopic treatment for symptomatic cholelithiasis 10-15 years after RYGB and its relation to self-reported abdominal pain. METHODS: Observational data from 546 patients who underwent RYGB at public hospitals in Central Norway between March 2003 and December 2009 were analyzed. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 11.5 (range 9.1-16.8) years. Sixty-five (11.9%) patients had undergone cholecystectomy prior to RYGB. Out of the 481 patients with intact gallbladder, 77 (16.0%) patients underwent cholecystectomy and six (1.2%) patients had treatment for choledocholithiasis during the observation period. Median time from RYGB to cholecystectomy or treatment of choledocholithiasis was 51 (range 1-160) and 109 (range 10-151) months, respectively. Female sex was associated with an increased risk of subsequent cholecystectomy [OR (95% CI) 2.88 (1.31-7.15)], p < 0.05. There was a higher frequency of self-reported abdominal pain at follow-up [OR (95% CI) 1.92 (1.25-2.93)] among patients who underwent cholecystectomy before or after RYGB. CONCLUSION: With a median follow-up of more than 11 years after RYGB, one in six patients with an intact gallbladder at time of RYGB underwent cholecystectomy, and 1.1% of the patients needed surgical or endoscopic treatment for choledocholithiasis. Patients with a history of cholecystectomy reported a higher frequency of abdominal pain.

Norms, prices, and commitment: A comprehensive overview of field experiments in the energy domain and treatment effect moderators.

This paper provides a comprehensive overview of field experiments utilizing social norms, commitment and price-based interventions to promote energy conservation, load shifting, and energy efficiency behaviors. Treatment effects reported in the extant literature, as well as the factors that may strengthen or dampen these effects are reviewed. We find that social norm and incentive-based interventions mostly achieve small reductions in energy consumption, and that the effects of commitment-based interventions are essentially zero for the most part. Incentive effects on energy efficiency investments are mostly non-existent, safe for a few exceptions. One gap that we identify is the almost complete absence of field experiments leveraging social norms or commitment to promote energy efficiency investments. We discuss a broad range of (mostly under-researched) plausible moderators of the interventions' effects. Crucially, a more careful attention to moderators in future research can highlight instances in which interventions can be effective, notwithstanding their modest or non-existent average treatment effects. Our review offers a starting point in this regard.

Clusters of older adults with and without experience of alcohol-related harms based on affective motivations for drinking.

Aim: This cross-sectional study explores profiles of community-residing Norwegian older adults (aged 62-95 years) in relation to their personally expressed motives for alcohol use. It specifically investigates drinking motives as they uniquely characterise alcohol consumers reporting problem and non-problem drinking assessed using the Drinking Problem Index (DPI). Methods: Two-step cluster analysis was used to delineate subgroups of alcohol consumers on seven drinking motivation variables, together with DPI score. The clusters were evaluated by gender, physical health and psychological health status. Results: Four clusters of alcohol consumers were identified in relation to drinking motives: Low motivated drinkers, Ambivalent drinkers, Enhancement drinkers, and Coping drinkers. For one subgroup, a strong reliance on alcohol to cope with negative feelings was most relevant to both non-problem and problem drinkers. For another subgroup, enjoying the effects of alcohol, but non-reliance on alcohol to cope with negative mood were associated with reporting drinking problems. Ambivalent drinkers reported overall low satisfaction with mental health. Very poor physical and mental health were more prevalent in men than in women characterised as Coping drinkers. Predominantly mental health status supported distinctiveness of delineated clusters. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the classification approach to profiling of characteristics of alcohol consumers based on their motivations to drink may have a potential utility in human care settings to identify individuals who incur or may be at risk of developing alcohol-related problems in later life, and those who are not.

Preventing type 2 diabetes, overweight and obesity in the Norwegian primary healthcare: a longitudinal design with 60 months follow-up results and a cross-sectional design with comparison of dropouts versus completers.

OBJECTIVES: Studies have demonstrated that it is possible to prevent type 2 diabetes for individuals at high risk, but long-term results in the primary healthcare are limited and high dropout rates have been reported. DESIGN: A longitudinal design was used to study changes in participants' diabetes risk and anthropometrics from baseline to 60 months follow-up. A cross-sectional design was applied to investigate differences between dropouts and completers of the 60 months follow-up. SETTING: Healthy Life Centres in the Norwegian primary healthcare. PARTICIPANTS: 189 individuals aged >18 years with a Finnish Diabetes Risk Score ≥12 and/or a body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m2 were included and offered to attend Healthy Life Centre programmes for 12 months. Measurements were performed annually up to 60 months after inclusion. INTERVENTIONS: Healthy Life Centres arrange behavioural programmes including physical activity offers and dietary courses as part of the primary healthcare. This study offered individuals to attend Healthy Life Centre programmes and followed them for 60 months. PRIMARY OUTCOME: Assess changes in participants' diabetes risk, cardiovascular measures and anthropometrics from baseline to 60 months. SECONDARY OUTCOME: Investigate characteristics of dropouts compared with completers of 60 months follow-up. RESULTS: For participants at 60 months follow-up, diabetes risk and anthropometrics decreased (p<0.001). Out of 65 participants classified as high risk for diabetes at baseline, 27 (42%) changed to being at moderate risk at 60 months follow-up. Remission of diabetes was seen for six of nine participants. Of 189 participants enrolled in the programme, 54 (31%) dropped out at any given point before 60 months follow-up. Dropouts were younger with higher, BMI, weight and waist circumference compared with the completers (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Having a long-term commitment for participants in primary healthcare interventions could be beneficial for the reduction of diabetes risk and improvement of anthropometrics as shown at the 60 months follow-up. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01135901.

Iron Deficiency and Anemia 10 Years After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass for Severe Obesity.

Iron deficiency with or without anemia is a well-known long-term complication after Roux-en-Y, gastric bypass (RYGB) as the procedure alters the gastrointestinal absorption of iron. Iron is essential for hemoglobin synthesis and a number of cellular processes in muscles, neurons, and other organs. Ferritin is the best marker of iron status, and in a patient without inflammation, iron deficiency occurs when ferritin levels are below 15 µg/L, while iron insufficiency occurs when ferritin levels are below 50 µg/L. Lifelong regular blood tests are recommended after RYGB, but the clinical relevance of iron deficiency and iron insufficiency might be misjudged as long as the hemoglobin levels are normal. The aim of this study was to explore the frequency of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia one decade or more after RYGB, the use of per oral iron supplements, and the frequency of intravenous iron treatment. Nine hundred and thirty patients who underwent RYGB for severe obesity at three public hospitals in Norway in the period 2003-2009 were invited to a follow-up visit 10-15 years later. Results from blood tests and survey data on the use of oral iron supplements and intravenous iron treatment were analyzed. Ferritin and hemoglobin levels more than 10 years after RYGB were available on 530 patients [423 (79.8%) women]. Median (IQR) ferritin was 33 (16-63) µg/L, and mean (SD) hemoglobin was 13.4 (1.3) g/dl. Iron deficiency (ferritin ≤ 15 µg/L) was seen in 125 (23.6%) patients; in addition, iron insufficiency (ferritin 16-50 µg/L) occurred in 233 (44%) patients. Mean (SD) hemoglobin levels were 12.5 (1.4) g/dl in patients with iron deficiency, 13.5 (1.2) g/dl in patients with iron insufficiency, 13.8 (1.3) g/dl in the 111 (21%) patients with ferritin 51-100 µg/L, and 13.8 (1.2) g/dl in the 55 (10%) patients with ferritin >100 µg/L. Two hundred and seventy-five (56%) patients reported taking oral iron supplements, and 138 (27.5%) had received intravenous iron treatment after the RYGB procedure. Iron deficiency or iron insufficiency occurred in two-thirds of the patients 10 years after RYGB, although more than half of them reported taking oral iron supplements.

Characteristics of Patients Reporting Presumed Problematic Drinking Behavior After Gastric Bypass: Exploring Long-Term Data From the BAROBS Study.

Objective: To explore patients' long-term experiences with drinking alcohol after Roux-n-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) for conceptualizing what may indicate problematic drinking behavior after bariatric surgery. Study Design: Three-center, observational study. Patients: 546 adult patients undergoing RYGB in the period 2003-2009 in Norway. Main Outcome Measures: Self-reported data on drinking behavior and experiences related to alcohol collected 10-15 years after surgery. Results: Out of the 959 patients undergoing RYGB in the period, 29 were diseased and 546 participated in this follow-up study (58.7%). Focusing on suspicious changes in drinking behavior, 8.8% reported drinking more, 11.5% consumed alcohol at least twice a week, and 10.6% consumed at a minimum of 6 units of alcohol at a frequency of at least once monthly. The nature of hangovers had changed for about a third of the patients, with 21.6% reporting these to feel weaker or absent. Repeated alcoholic blackouts were reported by 11.9%. A subgroup of the patients were categorized as displaying presumed problematic drinking behavior(PPDB). Among the PPDB-men there was a significant association to having had a fall last year (6 (100.0%) PPDB-patients vs. 30 (29.7%) non-PPDB, p<.001). Among the PPDB-women, there was a significant association to having had alcohol problems prior to surgery (7 (70.0%) PPDB-patients vs. 67 (17.7%) non-PPDB, p<.001). Less significant associations to PPDB reported for explorative purposes were lack of patient education (men) (16 (26.2%) PPDB-patients vs. 8 (61.5%) non-PPDB, p=.014); more than 3 months persistent musculoskeletal pain (women) (45 (15.3%) PPDB-patients vs. 29 (24.6%) non-PPDB, p=.026); subjective problems with memory (women) (58 (20.7%) PPDB-patients vs. 10 (9.1%) non-PPDB, p=.006); and, receiving professional help for mental problems last 12 months (women) (29 (22.7%) PPDB-patients vs. 45 (14.7%) non-PPDB, p=.043). Conclusion: A subset of patients display drinking behaviors that may be consistent with postsurgical alcohol problems. Screening instruments like AUDIT may not be sufficiently specific to capture several risk behaviors occurring after bariatric surgery.

Psychological Predictors of Energy Saving Behavior: A Meta-Analytic Approach.

Understanding how psychological processes drive human energy choices is an urgent, and yet relatively under-investigated, need for contemporary society. A knowledge gap still persists on the links between psychological factors identified in earlier studies and people's behaviors in the energy domain. This research applies a meta-analytical procedure to assess the strength of the associations between five different classes of individual variables (i.e.,: attitudes, intentions, values, awareness, and emotions) and energy-saving behavioral intentions and behaviors (self-reported and actual). Based on a systematic review of studies published between 2007 and 2017, we estimate the average effect size of predictor-criterion relations, and we assess relevant moderators and publication bias, drawing on data obtained from 102 independent samples reported in 67 published studies (N = 59.948). Results from a series of five single meta-analyses reveal a pattern of significant positive associations between the selected psychological determinants and energy-saving indicators: associations between individual-level predictors and energy-saving outcomes are positive and moderate in size, ranging from large effects for emotions to small-moderate effects for pro-environmental values. Interestingly, moderation analysis reveals, among other things, that attitude-behavior links are not statistically significant when actual behavior is considered as an outcome. Implications for policy interventions are discussed.

Sex differences in sleep and influence of the menstrual cycle on women's sleep in junior endurance athletes.

Previous research shows that female athletes sleep better according to objective parameters but report worse subjective sleep quality than male athletes. However, existing sleep studies did not investigate variations in sleep and sleep stages over longer periods and have, so far, not elucidated the role of the menstrual cycle in female athletes' sleep. To address these methodological shortcomings, we investigated sex differences in sleep and sleep stages over 61 continuous days in 37 men and 19 women and examined the role of the menstrual cycle and its phases in 15 women. Sleep was measured by a non-contact radar, and menstrual bleeding was self-reported. Associations were investigated with multilevel modeling. Overall, women tended to report poorer subjective sleep quality (p = .057), but objective measurements showed that women obtained longer sleep duration (p < .001), more light (p = .013) and rapid eye movement sleep (REM; hours (h): p < .001, %: p = .007), shorter REM latency (p < .001), and higher sleep efficiency (p = .003) than men. R2 values showed that sleep duration, REM and REM latency were especially affected by sex. Among women, we found longer time in bed (p = .027) and deep sleep (h: p = .036), and shorter light sleep (%: p = .021) during menstrual bleeding vs. non-bleeding days; less light sleep (h: p = .040), deep sleep (%: p = .013) and shorter REM latency (p = .011) during the menstrual than pre-menstrual phase; and lower sleep efficiency (p = .042) and more deep sleep (%: p = .026) during the follicular than luteal phase. These findings indicate that the menstrual cycle may impact the need for physiological recovery, as evidenced by the sleep stage variations. Altogether, the observed sex differences in subjective and objective sleep parameters may be related to the female athletes' menstrual cycle. The paper provides unique data of sex differences in sleep stages and novel insights into the role of the menstrual cycle in sleep among female athletes.

Visual art inspired by climate change-An analysis of audience reactions to 37 artworks presented during 21st UN climate summit in Paris.

This paper suggests and tests a psychological model of environmental art perception and subsequent support for climate change policies. The model is based on findings from art perception and environmental psychology, which indicate that the response of the viewer to the artwork is (1) first an emotional reaction, which can be positive and/or negative. The emotional activation leads to (2) evaluation of the perceived quality of the artwork. This forms the first impression of the artwork the viewer gets, which then triggers (3) reflections on the artwork that are finally related to support for climate policies. The model test uses data collected at the ArtCOP21 that accompanied the 21st UN climate summit in Paris. At 37 connected events, the research team collected 883 audience responses with a brief quantitative paper-pencil questionnaire. The data were analyzed using a multilevel-structural equation modeling approach. Results support the suggested theoretical model. Moreover, the effect of reflections on the artwork on support for climate policies is moderated by environmental attitudes, meaning the lower the environmental attitudes, the higher the effect of reflections on policy support. Finally, artwork features like color, size, displaying something personal, etc., could be identified that had a significant relation to differences on the artwork level regarding the first impression of the artwork and the reflections elicited. The study shows that being confronted with climate change-related artwork relates at least in the short run to increased climate policy support, which is mostly channeled through an emotional activation with following cognitive processing. Features of the artwork relate to how strongly and which emotions are activated.

Validation of the WHOQOL-Bref: psychometric properties and normative data for the Norwegian general population.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization's Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-Bref) is a frequently used instrument to assess the quality of life in both healthy and ill populations. Inquiries of the psychometric properties of the WHOQOL-Bref report that the validity and reliability is generally satisfactory. However, some studies fail to support a four-factor dimensionality; others report poor reliability of the social and environmental domain; and there may be some challenges of supporting construct validity across age. This paper evaluates the psychometric properties of the Norwegian WHOQOL-Bref and extends previous research by testing for measurement invariance across age, gender and education level. In addition, we provide updated normative data for the Norwegian population. METHODS: We selected a random sample of the Norwegian population (n = 654) aged 18-75 years. Participants filled out the WHOQOL-Bref, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and various sociodemographic variables. RESULTS: We found an acceptable convergent and discriminate validity and internal consistency of the physical, psychological and environmental domains, but a marginal reliability was found for the social domain. The factor loadings were invariant across gender, education and age. Some items had low factor loadings and explained variance, and the model fit for the age group 60-75 years were less satisfactory. CONCLUSIONS: The original four-factor dimensionality of the WHOQOL-Bref displayed a better fit to the data compared to the one-factor solution and is recommended for use in the Norwegian population. The WHOQOL-Bref is suitable to use across gender, education and age, but for assessment in the oldest age group, the WHOQOL-Old module could be a good supplementary, but further studies are needed.

Interactive Effects of Quality of Life and Related Factors on Alcohol Use Outcomes.

This investigation derives its impetus from public health concerns around detecting, mitigating, and preventing the deleterious effects that alcohol use can cause particularly in advanced age. We aim to complement gerontological research by exploring the interactive effects of quality of life and related factors on alcohol use outcomes assessed by the Drinking Problem Index. The study is based on cross-sectional data collected from questionnaires mailed to a randomly drawn sample of 6,000 Norwegian adults aged 62 and older (participation rate: 32%). According to the Chi-square Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID) analysis, constellations of interactive factors emerged differently for women and men, and, between non-problem and problem drinkers. For women, drinking outcomes were related to intra-psychic functioning, and for men, to physical health and social situation. An ongoing quality-of-life assessment may be very important in the comprehensive assistance provided to those older people who are vulnerable to undergoing alcohol-related harms.

Mediating Mechanisms of the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management Program.

This study examined whether, and the extent to which, the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management program predicted positive development of children's emotional, behavioral, and social adjustment through changes in the child-teacher relationship. Using data from a longitudinal quasi-experimental intervention trial with a matched control condition, including 1,085 children (49.7% girls, meanage = 4.22 years; SDage = 0.88 years), the potential associations were tested by means of multilevel path modeling. The mediation model demonstrated that (1) children in the intervention condition achieved more favorable changes in the child-teacher relationship than the control condition; (2) changes in the child-teacher relationship were associated with changes in the target outcomes; and (3) the intervention effects were mediated via changes in the child-teacher relationship.