Relationships Among Pelvic Congestion Syndrome Pain, Daily Activities, and Quality of Life.

OBJECTIVE: To examine women's experiences of pelvic congestion syndrome (PCS) pain. DESIGN: Descriptive, cross-sectional. SETTING: Online questionnaires in a Facebook PCS support group. PARTICIPANTS: Convenience sample of 143 women who self-identified as being diagnosed with PCS. METHODS: We recruited women through a social media support group and invited them to participate in a self-reported questionnaire. We collected demographic information and used the McGill Pain Questionnaire to elicit responses related to pain quality, pain intensity, quality of life, and satisfaction with health care. We analyzed data using descriptive statistics and correlation coefficients. RESULTS: Respondents characterized their PCS pain as exhausting, stabbing, sharp, shooting, and tender. Respondents indicated that 19 of 24 daily activities increased PCS pain, whereas only 5 reduced PCS pain. Pain intensity was negatively related to the quality of life, health satisfaction, sleep, and sexual relationships. CONCLUSION: Chronic pelvic pain from PCS severely affected quality of life among respondents. These findings suggest a difference in the presentation of PCS from historical pain depictions and further highlight the need to identify pain profiles to increase timely and precise diagnosis. Further research is needed to evaluate interventions to increase the quality of life for women with PCS.

A Parallel Process Growth Curve Analysis of Teacher-Student Relationships and Academic Achievement.

Teacher-student relationships (TSR) have been a key focus of study for developmental and educational psychology researchers interested in improving proximal and distal academic outcomes for children and youth. Although prior empirical work suggests some degree of association between TSR and achievement, the co-development of TSR and achievement during elementary grades remains unclear with most findings limited to reading and mathematics achievement. The current study used parallel process growth curve models (PPGCMs) to examine the longitudinal growth trajectories of teacher-student closeness and conflict, and science, reading, and mathematics achievement simultaneously for children followed from kindergarten to third grade in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-2011 (N = 13,490). Findings from the final PPGCM showed teacher-student closeness in kindergarten was positively associated with science, reading and mathematics achievement in kindergarten (r = 0.234 to 0.277) and the linear growth of achievement through third grade (r = 0.068 to 0.156). Teacher-student conflict in kindergarten was negatively associated with science, reading, and mathematics achievement in kindergarten (r = -0.099 to -0.203) and the linear growth of achievement through third grade (r = -0.081 to -0.135). Child biological sex, family socioeconomic status, and child racial and ethnic identity predicted TSR and achievement developmental trends. Implications of the findings and future directions for research are discussed.

Physical activity and sedentary behavior in middle-aged intensive care unit survivors discharged home: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to review literature on physical activity and sedentary behavior of middle-aged adults post-discharge from the intensive care unit, with a particular focus on studies using wearable activity trackers. METHODOLOGY: Systematic review conducted using correlational, cohort, and intervention studies of physical activity and sedentary behavior of intensive care unit survivors' post-discharge. Literature in PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL was searched using keywords derived from patient status, activity, and activity monitoring. Two independent reviewers used the National Institutes of Health Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies to assess quality of articles and potential biases in study design. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Physical activity and sedentary behavior assessed via wearable activity trackers. RESULTS: Two hundred and fifty-six studies met inclusion criteria; six studies comprising 265 participants were retained. Outcomes varied widely and were not synthesized, but instead discussed individually. Average steps/day ranged from 1278 to 4958 and average minutes of activity ranged from 26 to 45 min/day. One study reported 12 hours and 17 min/day spent in sedentary activity and another reported 90 % of hospitalization was in sedentary behavior compared to 58 % post-discharge. CONCLUSION: Few studies have examined physical activity and sedentary levels of middle-aged intensive care unit survivors wearing activity trackers. Findings are limited in generalizability, and no randomized controlled trials were included here. Eliciting support from clinical and post-discharge care teams to encourage activity and/or attend prescribed therapy or rehabilitation sessions is important. IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE: Clinicians should emphasize the importance of physical activity throughout the day to decrease sedentary time during a hospital stay and to continue being active after discharge to home. Physical activity is valuable, even in short spurts, from hospital stay through discharge. Interventions to increase physical activity and decrease sedentary time are needed to improve intensive care unit survivor recovery and quality of life post-discharge.

A Descriptive, Correlational Study of Perceptions of Adult Kidney Transplant Recipients and Those Waiting for a Kidney Transplant About Managing Their Medications During a Pandemic.

Introduction: Little is known about COVID-19 impact on patient medication management. Research Question: The aim was to describe medication management, healthcare team interactions, and adherence during the COVID-19 pandemic in kidney transplant patients and those on the kidney transplant wait list. Design: Using a descriptive, correlational design 340 adults from a midwestern US transplant program were recruited. The Managing Medications in the Midst of a Pandemic Survey measured healthcare team encounters and medication management. The Basel assessment of adherence to medications scale measured medication adherence. Results: The response rate was 35% (119/340). During the pandemic, 88% had practiced/were currently practicing socially distancing, 85% had worn/were currently wearing a face mask in public, 18% had been/were currently diagnosed with COVID-19 and 82% received the vaccine. Medication management: 76% planned and organized their own medications. Healthcare team interactions: 89% met in the office, 20% via phone, 12% telehealth, and 13% delayed seeing a healthcare provider because of COVID-19 concerns. Pharmacy interactions: 11% changed their method of obtaining medications from pharmacy due to social distancing. Medication adherence implementation was problematic with 19% missing a dose; results from the binary logistic regression suggested that those with higher levels of education were more likely to report missing a dose. Conclusions: Patients acted to prevent COVID-19 but some still contracted the virus. The pandemic changed healthcare team medication management interactions. Adherence implementation problems were nearly 20%. Findings are relevant to the transplant healthcare team to understand the impact of a pandemic on patient/team interactions and medication adherence.

A longitudinal examination of parallel growth and reciprocal changes in teacher-student relationships and academic achievement.

There is a compendium of research to support the premise that positive teacher-student relationships (TSR) set the stage for children's success via classroom engagement, social functioning, and academic skills development. Although studies have demonstrated reciprocal associations between TSR and academic achievement, inferences that stem from prior study results are limited due to methodological designs that fall short in capturing directionality in developmental change processes. To address gaps in the literature and improve our understanding of the complex associations between TSR and academic achievement, we analyzed the codevelopment of TSR and achievement in reading and mathematics using dual change score models (DCSM), a type of latent change score model, focusing on the associations between longitudinal trajectories of TSR-achievement pairs and on the reciprocal prediction of latent changes between each wave of measurement. We examined data from a large-scale, nationally representative study (Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Cohort of 2010-2011). Results of our DCSM, contrary to prior findings, demonstrate that variability in the ratings of TSR did not predict subsequent latent changes in reading or mathematics achievement. Likewise, the variability in achievement scores did not predict subsequent latent changes in ratings of TSR. Limitations and future directions for research are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Changes in HIV knowledge and interest among nursing and public health students at a large Midwest University: Outcomes of implementing the National HIV Curriculum.

BACKGROUND: Ending the HIV epidemic requires additional healthcare and public health workers who are competent in HIV prevention and treatment. The National HIV Curriculum was developed to increase competency in HIV among healthcare workers in the US. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the current study was to examine the impact of implementing the National HIV Curriculum (NHC) for nursing and public health students. DESIGN: This study employed a single-arm, cohort intervention design. SETTING: This study was conducted at large, public university in the Midwestern United States of America in a state noted for high HIV transmission. PARTICIPANTS: Undergraduate nursing, graduate nursing, and undergraduate public health students participated in this study. METHODS: An online survey of nursing and public health students was conducted following implementation of the NHC at a large, public university in the Midwest. Students were assessed on knowledge and interest of HIV using a bootstrapped paired-samples t-test approach. RESULTS: Participants (N = 175) were enrolled in the undergraduate nursing program (n = 72, 41.14 %), graduate nursing (n = 37, 21.14 %) public health (n = 37, 21.14 %), medicine (n = 10, 5.71 %), and biological, biomedical, and health sciences discipline (n = 19, 10.86 %). Overall, results suggest a consistent gain in knowledge of working with individuals living with HIV of 1.42 points (on a 4-point scale). About half (47.43 %) of all students increased interest to work with individuals living with HIV in the future. CONCLUSION: The NHC increased knowledge and interest in students across a broad range of nursing, public health, medicine, and other disciplines. This study suggests that universities can integrate the curriculum across undergraduate and graduate programs. Students at varying degree levels may benefit from the NHC. Future longitudinal studies should be conducted on the career choices of those students exposed to the NHC.

Outcomes of the KC life 360 intervention: Improving employment and housing for persons living with HIV.

Housing and employment are key factors in the health and wellbeing of persons living with HIV (PLWH) in the United States. Approximately 14% of low-income PLWH report housing instability or temporary housing, and up to 70% report being unemployed. The purpose of this study was to examine the outcomes of an intervention to improve housing and employment for PLWH in the Midwest. Participants (N = 87) were recruited from the Kansas City metropolitan area to participate in a one-year intervention to improve housing and employment. All individuals were living with HIV and were not stably housed, fully employed, nor fully engaged in HIV medical care. A series of generalized estimating equations were conducted using client-level longitudinal data to examine how housing, employment, viral load, and retention in care changed over time. Housing improved from baseline to follow-up, with more individuals reporting having stable housing (OR = 23.5; p < 0.001). Employment also improved from baseline to follow-up, with more individuals reporting full-time employment (OR = 1.9; p < 0.001). Viral suppression improved from baseline to follow-up, with more individuals being virally suppressed (OR = 1.6; p < 0.05). Retention in care did not change significantly from baseline to follow-up (OR = 0.820; p = 0.370). Client navigation seems to be a promising intervention to improve housing and employment for PLWH in the Midwest. Additional research is needed on the impact of service coordination on client-level outcomes. Future studies should be conducted on the scalability of client navigation interventions to improve the lives of low-income, underserved PLWH.

Examination of differential effects of cognitive abilities on reading and mathematics achievement across race and ethnicity: Evidence with the WJ IV.

There has been little research investigating the predictive validity of modern intelligence tests for racially and ethnically diverse students. The validity of test score interpretation within educational and psychological assessment assumes that test scores predict educationally relevant phenomena equally well for individuals, regardless of group membership (American Educational Research Association et al., 2014; Messick, 1995; Warne et al., 2014). We used multiple group latent variable structural equation modeling (SEM) to investigate Cattell-Horn-Carroll general (g) and broad cognitive abilities on reading and mathematics achievement and whether these differed between racial (African American, Asian, and Caucasian) and ethnic (Hispanic, non-Hispanic) children and adolescents within the Woodcock-Johnson IV norming sample (N = 3127). After establishing construct equivalence across racial and ethnic groups, supporting the consistent calculation of composite scores regardless of group membership, we then examined the predictive validity of intelligence on achievement. After controlling for parent education, findings suggested two instances of differential predictive relations: (a) general intelligence had larger influences on basic reading skills for Caucasians when compared to Asian peers, and (b) comprehension-knowledge had larger influences on basic reading skills for Asians when compared to Caucasian peers. The overall pattern of findings suggests there is little to no predictive bias with the WJ IV. However, the findings indicate that when latent mean differences exist (after establishing strong factorial invariance), then bias will be introduced into the estimation of regression parameters used to identify differential predictive validity. Thus, even when measurement invariance is supported, differential prediction bias is inevitable when there are mean differences in the scores used as predictors. Future test bias research should consider latent ability differences and how that may impact findings of bias, and possibly, socioeconomic status-related indicators when assessing for measurement or prediction bias in intelligence and achievement tests.

The role of teachers' self-efficacy beliefs in the development of teacher-student relationships.

Prior literature has suggested that teachers who are confident in their abilities to teach, assess, and manage classroom behavior may be more likely to engage in practices that lead to supportive and secure relationships with students. The current study investigated the trajectories of teacher-student relationships, examining the extent that teacher self-efficacy beliefs predicted ratings of conflict and closeness for 885 students from second to sixth grade. The trends of teacher-student closeness and conflict were modeled using a parallel curve of factors approach, controlling for student demographics and teacher-student racial and gender alignment prior to examining the extent that teacher self-efficacy beliefs influenced closeness and conflict across grades. Results from the parallel trajectories suggested that teacher-student conflict was stable from second to sixth grade, whereas teacher-student closeness demonstrated a declining curvilinear trend. The relationship between teacher-student conflict and closeness suggests that students with relatively high levels of conflict in second grade were likely to exhibit sharper declines in closeness over time. Across grades, teachers rated closer and less conflictual relationships with females but after controlling for gender and race (ß = 0.083-0.328 for closeness; ß = -0.118 to -0.238 for conflict), teacher-student racial and gender alignment associations with teacher-student relationship quality were less consistent. Teachers who reported higher self-efficacy beliefs were more likely to report higher ratings of closeness and lower ratings of conflict with students across all grades (ß = 0.195-0.280 for closeness; ß = -0.053 to -0.097 for conflict). These findings contribute to the literature regarding the role of teacher self-efficacy in teacher-student relationships. We discuss how teacher self-efficacy beliefs can be developed and leveraged to improve relationship quality in the classroom from a social cognitive perspective.

Screening for childhood anxiety: A meta-analysis of the screen for child anxiety related emotional disorders.

BACKGROUND: The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) is a commonly used instrument that evaluates anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents. METHODS: This meta-analysis examined the psychometric properties of the SCARED instrument, including total instrument and subscale internal reliabilities for the parent and child versions, test-retest reliabilities, and the extent to which responses from the parent version correspond with responses from the child version. Databases reviewed included ERIC, PubMed, PsycINFO, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, and Google Scholar RESULTS: Responses to the SCARED instrument for children and parents using a mixture of the 38-, 41-, 66-, 69-, and 71-item versions of the SCARED were analyzed for 65 studies conducted between 1997 and 2017. The results from the random-effects models suggested homogeneity of variance for all the effects examined. The weighted averages of the psychometric properties indicated the parent and child versions of the SCARED have exhibited excellent internal consistencies on the total score, panic disorder, generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, social anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and animal phobia subscales. Furthermore, the SCARED demonstrated moderate to large test-retest reliabilities and moderate to large parent-child agreement rates. The school avoidance, obsessive-compulsive disorder, blood phobia, and situational phobia subscales did not demonstrate reliabilities considered appropriate for a screening instrument. LIMITATIONS: Publications that could not be translated to English or could not be retrieved due to not being published or archived were not included in the analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Overall the child and parent versions of the SCARED have robust psychometric properties and perform consistently well in community and clinical settings across various countries. The SCARED is clinically relevant as mental health providers and researchers can use it during diagnostic procedures and to monitor intervention effectiveness.

Facial emotion recognition among typically developing young children: A psychometric validation of a subset of NimStim stimuli.

We evaluated the psychometric properties of NimStim taking into account the effects of chronological age on the ability of typically developing young children (aged 2-6 years old) to recognize basic facial expressions (i.e., happy, sad, angry, and fearful). We also examined the psychometric sufficiency of NimStim under race-matched and -mismatched facial emotion stimuli. In the current study, race-matched stimuli referred to when children with African American backgrounds received African American faces to rate their emotions and vice versa for race-mismatched stimuli. Results of the current study represent the first psychometric analysis of reliability and validity for using NimStim pictures depicting happy, sad, angry, and fearful with typically developing children aged 2-6 years old as well as examining race-matched versus -mismatched stimuli. Analyses revealed the psychometric sufficiency of a subset of pictures depicting happy, sad, angry, and fearful from NimStim among young children across race matched and mismatched stimuli.

A meta-analysis of the social communication questionnaire: Screening for autism spectrum disorder.

The current meta-analysis examines the previous research on the utility of the Social Communication Questionnaire as a screening instrument for autism spectrum disorder. Previously published reports have highlighted the inconsistencies between Social Communication Questionnaire-screening results and formal autism spectrum disorder diagnoses. The variations in accuracy resulted in some researchers questioning the validity of the Social Communication Questionnaire. This study systematically examined the accuracy of the Social Communication Questionnaire as a function of the methodological decisions made by researchers screening for autism spectrum disorder over the last 15 years. Findings from this study suggest that the Social Communication Questionnaire is an acceptable screening instrument for autism spectrum disorder (area under the curve = 0.885). Variations in methodological decisions, however, greatly influenced the accuracy of the Social Communication Questionnaire in screening for autism spectrum disorder. Of these methodological variations, using the Current instead of the Lifetime version of the Social Communication Questionnaire resulted in the largest detrimental effect ( d = -3.898), followed by using the Social Communication Questionnaire with individuals younger than 4 years of age ( d = -2.924) and relying upon convenience samples ( d = -4.828 for clinical samples, -2.734 for convenience samples, and -1.422 for community samples). Directions for future research and implications for using the Social Communication Questionnaire to screen for autism spectrum disorder are discussed.

Social Communication Questionnaire scoring procedures for autism spectrum disorder and the prevalence of potential social communication disorder in ASD.

In analyzing data from the National Database for Autism Research, we utilized Mokken scaling techniques as a means of creating a more effective and efficient screening procedure for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) via the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ). With a sample of 1,040, approximately 80% (n = 827) of the sample were males while approximately 20% (n = 213) were females. In regard to ethnicity, approximately 68% of the sample were White/Caucasian, while 7% were African American, 16% were Hispanic, 4% were Asian, and 1% were Native American or American Indian. As the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5) states that, "individuals with a well-established DSM-IV diagnosis of autistic disorder, Asperger's disorder, or pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified should be given the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder," (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 51), the primary labeling difference between the DSM-IV and the DSM-5 would appear to be in identifying social communication disorder as a newly introduced disorder in the DSM-5, which we discuss. Though school psychologists are not dependent on the DSM to the same extent as clinical psychologists to provide services, school psychology is invested in the effective and efficient assessment of ASD. The current study demonstrates how Mokken scaling procedures may be utilized with respect to ASD identification via the SCQ as well as providing information regarding the prevalence of potential social communication disorder as a new disorder and its discrimination with ASD. (PsycINFO Database Record

The sensitivity and specificity of the social communication questionnaire for autism spectrum with respect to age.

The age neutrality of the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) was examined as a common screener for ASD. Mixed findings have been reported regarding the recommended cutoff score's ability to accurately classify an individual as at-risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (sensitivity) versus accurately classifying an individual as not at-risk for ASD (specificity). With a sample from the National Database for Autism Research, this study examined the SCQ's sensitivity versus specificity. Analyses indicated that the actual sensitivity and specificity scores were lower than initially reported by the creators of the SCQ. Autism Res 2016, 9: 838-845. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

No le tema a los datos perdidos: enfoques modernos para el manejo de datos perdidos

La mayoría de los datos en ciencias sociales y educación presentan valores perdidos debido al abandono del estudio o la ausencia de respuesta. Los métodos para el manejo de datos perdidos han mejorado dramáticamente en los últimos años, y los programas computacionales ofrecen en la actualidad una variedad de opciones sofisticadas. A pesar de la amplia disponibilidad de métodos considerablemente justificados, muchos investigadores e investigadoras siguen confiando en técnicas viejas de imputación que pueden crear análisis sesgados. Este artículo presenta una introducción conceptual a los patrones de datos perdidos. Seguidamente, se introduce el manejo de datos perdidos y el análisis de los mismos con base en los mecanismos modernos del método de máxima verosimilitud con información completa (FIML, siglas en inglés) y la imputación múltiple (IM). Asimismo, se incluye una introducción a los diseños de datos perdidos así como nuevas herramientas computacionales tales como la función Quark y el paquete semTools. Se espera que este artículo incentive el uso de métodos modernos para el análisis de los datos perdidos.

Most of the social and educational data have missing observations due to either attrition or nonresponse. Missing data methodology has improved dramatically in recent years, and popular computer programs as well as software now offer a variety of sophisticated options. Despite the widespread availability of theoretically justified methods, many researchers still rely on old imputation techniques that can create biased analysis. This article provides conceptual introductions to the patterns of missing data. In line with that, this article introduces how to handle and analyze the missing information based on modern mechanisms of full-information maximum likelihood (FIML) and multiple imputation (MI). An introduction about planned missing designs is also included and new computational tools like Quark function, and semTools package are also mentioned. The authors hope that this paper encourages researchers to implement modern methods for analyzing missing data.

Stereotyped behaviors predicting self-injurious behavior in individuals with intellectual disabilities.

We examined the relation between stereotyped behavior and self-injurious behavior (SIB) for 1871 individuals with intellectual disabilities who had a score of >0 on the Behavior Problem Inventory (BPI-01; Rojahn et al., 2001). We report three main findings: First, structural equation modeling techniques (SEM) revealed that the BPI-01stereotyped behavior subscale scores predicted BPI-01 SIB subscale scores. Second, when stereotyped behavior was modeled as a predictor of SIB, mixture-modeling techniques revealed two groups of individuals: one in which stereotyped behavior was a strong, statistically significant predictor of SIB (69% of the sample), and another one in which stereotyped behavior was not a predictor of SIB (31%). Finally, two specific stereotyped behavior topographies (i.e., body rocking and yelling) were identified that significantly predicted five different SIB topographies (i.e., self-biting, head hitting, body hitting, self-pinching, and hair pulling). Results are discussed in terms of future research needed to identify bio-behavioral variables correlated with cases of SIB that can, and cannot, be predicted by the presence of stereotyped behavior.

Predictors of access to sex education for children with intellectual disabilities in public schools.

Data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 ( SRI International, 2002 ) were analyzed to identify variables that predicted whether individuals with intellectual disability (ID) received sex education in public schools across the United States. Results suggested that individuals receiving special education services without ID were only slightly more likely to receive sex education than students with mild ID (47.5% and 44.1%, respectively), but the percentage of students with moderate to profound ID that received sex education was significantly lower (16.18%). Analysis of teacher opinions and perceptions of the likelihood of the students benefiting from sex education found that most teachers indicated that students without ID or with mild ID would benefit (60% and 68%, respectively), but the percentage dropped to 25% for students with moderate to profound ID. Finally, across all students, the only significant demographic variable that predicted receipt of sex education was more expressive communication skills. Results are discussed in terms of ensuring equal access to sex education for students with ID in public schools.