Factors associated with cyberbullying among vocational students based on the ecological system model in an ethnic minority area.

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to investigate the current situation of youth cyberbullying (CB) in an ethnic minority area in China and the socio-ecological factors influencing it to provide a scientific basis for the development of health education and improved decision-making for youth in these areas.The cluster sampling method was adopted to conduct a questionnaire survey of 2156 students from 2 vocational high schools in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in December 2019. SPSS 22.1 statistical software was used for data analysis.CB among vocational school students in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture is relatively common, with 51.62% of the participants reporting having bullied someone and 68.65% reporting having been bullied online. The rate of CB perpetration and victimization among adolescents in minority areas is affected by individuals, family, peer factors, and school climate.The phenomenon of vocational high school student CB in ethnic minority areas is affected by personal, familial, interpersonal, and school environments. It is recommended that the individual and social-ecological factors in which adolescent CB interventions are formulated in the future be comprehensively considered.

A rare disease and education: Neurofibromatosis type 1 decreases educational attainment.

Rare heritable syndromes may affect educational attainment. Here, we study education in neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) that is associated with multifaceted medical, social and cognitive consequences. Educational attainment in the Finnish population-based cohort of 1408 individuals with verified NF1 was compared with matched controls using Cox proportional hazards model with delayed entry and competing risk for death. Moreover, models accounting for the effects of cancer at age 15-30 years, parental NF1 and developmental disorders were constructed. Overall, the attainment of secondary education was reduced in individuals with NF1 compared to controls (hazard ratio 0.83, 95%CI 0.74-0.92). History of cancer and developmental disorders were major predictors of lack of secondary education. Individuals with NF1 obtained vocational secondary education more often than general upper secondary education. Consequently, NF1 decreased the attainment of Bachelor's and Master's degrees by 46%-49% and 64%-74%, respectively. Surprisingly, the non-NF1 siblings of individuals with NF1 also had lower educational attainment than controls, irrespective of parental NF1. In conclusion, NF1 is associated with reduced educational attainment and tendency for affected individuals to obtain vocational instead of academic education. Individuals living with NF1, especially those with cancer, developmental disorders or familial NF1, need effective student counseling and learning assistance.

What do we know about physical activity interventions in vocational education and training? A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Although the health benefits of physical activity (PA) are well known, young people's level of PA is often insufficient and tends to decline in adolescence. Numerous studies have investigated the effectiveness of PA-promoting interventions among young people, but none have reviewed the effectiveness of PA interventions in the vocational education and training (VET) setting. This systematic review aims to (1) synthesize and review the available literature on PA-promoting interventions in VET and (2) examine the effects of these interventions on PA-related outcomes such as PA level, physical fitness, physiological parameters, or psychological factors. METHODS: Five electronic databases were searched for studies involving adolescents aged 15 to 20 years that took place in VET settings and evaluated the effects of interventions with a PA component on PA-related outcomes such as PA level, physical fitness, physiological parameters, or psychological factors. The screening process and the quality assessment were conducted by two independent reviewers; data extraction was conducted by one reviewer and verified by another. RESULTS: The literature search identified 18,959 articles and 11,282 unique records. After the screening process, nine studies, all coming from European or Asian countries, met the pre-defined eligibility criteria and were included in qualitative analyses. All but two studies reported significant improvements for at least one PA-related outcome. The interventions substantially differed in their development approaches (top-down vs. bottom-up approaches), complexity (multi- vs. single-component), and addressed behavior (multi-behavioral vs. single-behavioral). The most conspicuous finding was that bottom-up approaches tend to improve outcomes at the psychological level and top-down approaches at the physical level. Regarding the interventions' complexity and addressed behavior, we did not reveal any conclusive results. CONCLUSION: This systematic review highlights the varying effects of PA-promoting interventions in VET. Nevertheless, heterogeneous effects, overall weak study quality and availability of studies only from two continents limited our ability to draw clear conclusions about the potentially most effective intervention strategies. Therefore, future research should focus on high-quality studies with long-term follow-ups to make recommendations for practical use. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42018109845.

New alumni EXperiences of Training and independent Unsupervised Practice (NEXT-UP): protocol for a cross-sectional study of early career general practitioners.

INTRODUCTION: General practice in Australia, as in many countries, faces challenges in the areas of workforce capacity and workforce distribution. General practice vocational training in Australia not only addresses the training of competent independent general practitioners (GPs) but also addresses these workforce issues. This study aims to establish the prevalence and associations of early career (within 2 years of completion of vocational training) GPs' practice characteristics; and also to establish their perceptions of utility of their training in preparing them for independent practice. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This will be a cross-sectional questionnaire study. Participants will be former registrars ('alumni') of three regional training organisations (RTOs) who achieved general practice Fellowship (qualifying them for independent practice) between January 2016 and July 2018 inclusive. The questionnaire data will be linked to data collected as part of the participants' educational programme with the RTOs. Outcomes will include alumni rurality of practice; socioeconomic status of practice; retention within their RTO's geographic footprint; workload; provision of nursing home care, after-hours care and home visits; and involvement in general practice teaching and supervision. Associations of these outcomes will be established with logistic regression. The utility of RTO-provided training versus in-practice training in preparing the early career GP for unsupervised post-Ffellowship practice in particular aspects of practice will be assessed with χ2 tests. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval is by the University of Newcastle Human Research Ethics Committee, approval numbers H-2018-0333 and H-2009-0323. The findings of this study will be widely disseminated via conference presentations and publication in peer-reviewed journals, educational practice translational workshops and the GP Synergy Research subwebsite.

Self-rated health, symptoms and health behaviour of upper secondary vocational students by field of study.

This article examines the self-rated health, symptoms and health behaviour of upper secondary vocational students in Finland. The data consist of the responses of first- and second-year vocational students (n = 34 554) to the 2013 School Health Promotion Survey. The data were analysed statistically and processed separately for girls and boys. Associations between self-rated health, symptoms and health behaviour and fields of study were examined by cross-tabulation. Statistical significance was measured using the chi-squared test. Self-rated health, symptoms and health behaviour were found to have a statistically significant association with field of study (p < 0.001). Vocational students in different fields had different experiences of health, different symptoms and different health behaviours. The results complement existing evidence about disparities in well-being among young people in the context of education.

[Socioeconomic profile and smoking among adolescents in vocational training]. / Profil socioéconomique et tabagisme chez les adolescents en centre de formation des apprentis.

BACKGROUND: Targeted interventions among vulnerable youth populations represent an important approach to the reduction of health inequalities. We must, however, ensure that impacts are not unequally distributed according to the range of resources available to them. We explore these concerns among youth in vocational training to be enrolled in a smoking cessation intervention by describing (1) their socio-economic profile and (2) the association between their socioeconomic characteristics, their smoking practices, and key factors that could be targeted in interventions. METHODS: A total of 234 young people aged 15-20 years were recruited in three centers in the Lorraine region in France in 2016-2017 as part of the Social Network and Tobacco Cessation (Réseau social et sevrage tabagique [RESIST]) study. We measured participants' socio-economic characteristics using their parents' education and occupational grade. We examined the associations of these characteristics with participants' smoking habits, intention to quit, nicotine dependence, presence of smokers in their network, and representation of a young smoker. We examined the associations between variables with bivariate tests depending on the nature of the variables. RESULTS: Participants were more likely to be from a socio-professional background more modest than the national average (56% versus 33%), but still exhibited considerable socioeconomic variability. Smoking status did not vary significantly according to the educational level of the participants' parents (from 52% to 57%, P=0.78) or occupational grade (from 52% to 58%, P=0.35). Compared to participants whose parents had completed a professional or pre-university degree, participants with parents in the lowest education category were less likely to report not intending to quit (P=0.01) and more likely to report seriously considering to quit in the next six months (P=0.03) and to have already tried to quit but failed (P=0.01). CONCLUSION: It is tempting to define youth in vocational training as a homogeneous group, especially when they share the same school environment, employment status, and income. Our results, however, highlight substantial variability in their socioeconomic profiles and smoking characteristics. Researchers are encouraged to further consider these equity issues to contribute to the reduction of health inequalities.

Direct Self-Injurious Behavior (D-SIB) and Life Events among Vocational School and High School Students.

Although several studies have recently assessed direct self-injurious behavior (D-SIB) among adolescents, it is still understudied in adolescents attending vocational schools: an educational setting generally associated with lower socioeconomic status. After extending the "Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe" (SEYLE) project to a vocational school population, we examined their D-SIB and life event characteristics compared to the high school population. SEYLE's Hungarian randomly selected high school sample (N = 995) was completed with a randomly selected vocational school sample (N = 140) in Budapest, Hungary. Participants aged 14⁻17 years completed the SEYLE project's self-administered questionnaires. D-SIB lifetime prevalence was significantly higher (29.4%) in the vocational school group compared to the high school group (17.2%) (Χ²(1) = 12.231, p< 0.001). D-SIB was associated with suicidal ideation in the vocational school group. Different life events were more frequent in the high school than in the vocational school group, and associations between D-SIB and life events differed in the vocational school group compared to the high school group. In conclusion, vocational school students are a vulnerable population with a higher prevalence of D-SIB compared to high school students. Life events and their association with D-SIB also differ in vocational school students compared to high school students. Taking all these into account might contribute to prevention/intervention designed for this population.

A Comparison of Vocational Engagement Among Young People with Psychosis, Depression and Borderline Personality Pathology.

Poor vocational engagement is well documented among young people experiencing first-episode psychosis (FEP). The aim of the present study was to establish and compare rates of vocational engagement across young people with first-episode psychosis, depression, and borderline personality pathology. A file audit was used to collect vocational data of young people aged 15-25 entering tertiary mental health treatment in 2011. Rates of vocational engagement were similar across groups, indicating that like those with FEP, young people with depression and borderline personality pathology experience impaired vocational engagement and are in need of targeted vocational interventions. Post hoc analysis indicated that that the depression group had significantly more people who were partially vocationally engaged compared with the psychosis group, suggesting that vocational interventions might need to be targeted differently across different diagnostic groups. Future research should explore risk factors for vocational disengagement across diagnostic groups in order to inform intervention development.

Brief Report: Postsecondary Work and Educational Disruptions for Youth on the Autism Spectrum.

This study examined vocational/educational disruption in the 2-3 years after high school for 36 youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Data were collected three times from parents: during youth's last year of high school and two times after high school exit. Data were coded into categories indicating any versus no disruptions in postsecondary vocation/education, and group differences in individual (behavior problems, IQ, adaptive behavior, autism severity, stress reactivity) and family (parent depression, anxiety, quality of life; family income and climate) factors were examined. One-half of youth had experienced a postsecondary vocational/educational disruption; parents of those with a disruption had more depressive and anxiety symptoms and lower quality of life while their son/daughter was still in high school.

Medical Advice for Sick-reported Students (MASS) in intermediate vocational education schools: design of a controlled before-and-after study.

BACKGROUND: School absenteeism, including medical absenteeism, is associated with early school dropout and may result in physical, mental, social and work-related problems in later life. Especially at intermediate vocational education schools, high rates of medical absenteeism are found. In 2012 the Dutch intervention 'Medical Advice for Sick-reported Students' (MASS), previously developed for pre-vocational secondary education, was adjusted for intermediate vocational education schools. The aim of the study outlined in this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of the MASS intervention at intermediate vocational education schools in terms of reducing students' medical absenteeism and early dropping out of school. Additionally, the extent to which biopsychosocial and other factors moderate the effectiveness of the intervention will be assessed. METHODS: A controlled before-and-after study will be conducted within Intermediate Vocational Education schools. Schools are allocated to be an intervention or control school based on whether the schools have implemented the MASS intervention (intervention schools) or not (control schools). Intervention schools apply the MASS intervention consisting of active support for students with medical absenteeism provided by the school including a consultation with the Youth Health Care (YHC) professional if needed. Control schools provide care as usual. Data will be collected by questionnaires among students in both groups meeting the criteria for extensive medical absenteeism (i.e. 'reported sick four times in 12 school weeks or for more than six consecutive school days' at baseline and at 6 months follow-up). Additionally, in the intervention group a questionnaire is completed after each consultation with a YHC professional, by both the student and the YHC professional. Primary outcome measures are duration and cumulative incidence of absenteeism and academic performances. Secondary outcome measures are biopsychosocial outcomes of the students. DISCUSSION: It is hypothesized that implementing the MASS intervention including a referral to a YHC professional on indication, will result in a lower level of medical absenteeism and a lower level of school drop outs among intermediate vocational education students compared to students receiving usual care. The study will provide insight in the effectiveness of the intervention as well as in factors moderating the intervention's effectiveness. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Nederlands Trial Register NTR5556. Date of clinical trial registration: 29-Oct-2015.

Public provision of postsecondary education for transition-age youth with mental health conditions.

OBJECTIVE: We examine the role of state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies (SVRA) in providing postsecondary education support to transition-age youth with and without mental health conditions (MHC) to provide insights into who receives such supports and the association between the receipt of postsecondary education support and successful VR exits. METHOD: We used data from SVRA administrative records (fiscal years 2002 through 2013) for a secondary analytical approach that relied on descriptive and regression methods, resulting in the identification of 436,883 VR youth clients who applied from 2002 to 2004. Linear regression models examined the relationships between youth demographic and service characteristics and each of 4 binary outcomes derived from the administrative records: (1) receipt of VR services, (2) receipt of college support (conditional on receiving services), (3) receipt of vocational training support (conditional on receiving services), and (4) exiting with employment. RESULTS: SVRAs had a wide range in the provision of postsecondary education support to clients with MHC, from almost none receiving such supports to more than half. VR youth clients with MHC were less likely than those without MHC to have received any VR services or college support. Receipt of postsecondary education support was positively associated with being employed at the time of VR exit, and the associations for those with MHC were not statistically different from those without MHC. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: SVRAs have the potential to play a large role in the provision of postsecondary education support. Although those who received postsecondary education support were more likely to be employed at the time of VR exit, the provision of that support came at a cost-the high financial costs of that type of support relative to other services offered by SVRAs, as well as the opportunity cost of the client's time. (PsycINFO Database Record

[Use of Psychotropic Substances and Satisfaction with Vocational Education]. / Konsum psychotroper Substanzen und Ausbildungszufriedenheit.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate if there is an independent association between substance use and satisfaction in vocational education. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 5 688 first-year apprentices from 49 vocational schools, mean age 19.4 years (SD=3.9 years) was undertaken. Data were analysed using multilevel linear regression analysis. Predictors were use of tobacco, alcohol, cannabis and pharmaceuticals as well as personal characteristics (sex, age, migration background, educational level, financial status, chronic diseases, psychological distress, physical activity, media use, personality) and vocational/firm characteristics (firm size, number of apprentices, perceived quality of mentoring, amount of pay, vocational field, working conditions, over- and underload, housing situation, number of previous apprenticeships, first choice). Vocational satisfaction was used as primary outcome. Results: Satisfaction was most strongly associated with perceived quality of mentoring, judgement that the chosen education was first choice and working climate in the training company. In addition, only problematic alcohol use remained significant in the multivariate analysis. There was no association in the adjusted model between vocational satisfaction and daily tobacco use or problematic use of cannabis and pharmaceuticals. Conclusions: Results suggest that problematic alcohol use could be an independent risk factor for problems in vocational education.

[Prediction and Prevention of Dropouts in Vocational Retraining]. / Prognose und Verhinderung von Abbrüchen bei Qualifizierungen in der beruflichen Rehabilitation.

UNLABELLED: Principal objective: To verify if a psychological intervention targeting individuals with high resignation tendency prevents dropouts in vocational retraining. For individuals with high resignation tendency a high risk of dropping out was assumed under regular conditions. METHOD: Data was collected at 2 adult education institutes. At the beginning of vocational training the occupational inventory Work-related Behaviour and Experience Patterns (AVEM) was used. The questionnaire allows to classify 4 types of coping behaviour. G: healthy-ambitious, S: unambitious, A: excessively ambitious, B: resigned. Using a quasi-experimental design, the effect of resilience building was verified by comparing a treatment group with a control group. Control group was offered the usual treatment of the education institute. The treatment group was additionally offered two individual meetings and a work-related group treatment focussing on coping behaviour. RESULTS: Given a very high resignation tendency in both groups, dropping out of rehabilitation was less frequent in the treatment group. Other individuals tended to drop out more frequently, but this is not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The study shows that work-related resilience building helps to minimize risk of dropping out of vocational rehabilitation in the case of extremely resigned coping behaviour.

[Recommendations for the Stepwise Occupational Reintegration: Can the Characteristic of the Patients Explain the Differences Between the Rehabilitation Centers?]. / Nachsorgeempfehlungen zur stufenweisen Wiedereingliederung: Inwieweit erklären Rehabilitandenmerkmale die bestehenden Unterschiede zwischen den Einrichtungen?

BACKGROUND: The first step to initiate a stepwise occupational reintegration (SOR) is the recommendation of the rehabilitation centers. Therefore rehabilitation centers have a significant impact on the use of SOR. There is evidence that the recommendation rate between the rehabilitation centers differs clearly. The present survey therefore analyses in detail the differences of the recommendation rate and examines which patient-related factors could explain the differences. METHODS: This study is based on analysis of routine data provided by the German pension insurance in Baden-Württemberg (Rehabilitationsstatistikdatenbasis 2013; RSD). In the analyses rehabilitation measures were included if they were conducted by employed patients (18-64 years) with a muscular-skeletal system disease or a disorder of the connective tissue. Logistic regression models were performed to explain the differences in the recommendation rate of the rehabilitation centers. RESULTS: The data of 134 853 rehabilitation measures out of 32 rehabilitation centers were available. The recommendation rate differed between the rehabilitation centers from 1.36-18.53%. The logistic regression analysis showed that the period of working incapacity 12 month before the rehabilitation and the working capacity on the current job were the most important predictors for the recommendation of a SOR by the rehabilitation centers. Also the rehabilitation centers themselves have an important influence. DISCUSSION: The results of this survey indicate that the characteristic of the patients is an important factor for the recommendation of SOR. Additionally the rehabilitation centers themselves have an influence on the recommendation of SOR. The results point to the fact that the rehabilitation centers use different criteria by making a recommendation.

Religious-Ethnic Differences in Prevalence and Correlates of Suicidal Ideation and Attempts Among Israeli Vocational Education Students.

BACKGROUND: The current study is the first to examine serious suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and psychological distress among students belonging to different religious-ethnic groups attending VET high schools. METHOD: 3,553 students studying in the VET high schools completed a self-report survey. The survey evaluated serious suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, depression, anxiety, somatization, self-efficacy, belonging and sociodemographic variables. RESULTS: Students coming from minority groups (Arab Muslim, Bedouin Arab Muslim, Druze) are more likely to have seriously considered suicide or attempted suicide compared to their Jewish counterparts, with the exception of Christian Arabs. Bedouin Arab Muslim students were more susceptible to suicide ideation and attempts upon high depression levels. CONCLUSIONS: Minority youth at VET schools are at greater risk of experiencing suicidal ideation and attempting suicide compared to non-minority students. The education system must be highly alert to depressive symptoms among Bedouin Arab Muslim students since they may pose a greater risk to develop into suicidal ideation and attempt.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MENTAL TOUGHNESS, STRESS, AND BURNOUT AMONG ADOLESCENTS: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY WITH SWISS VOCATIONAL STUDENTS (.).

Past research has shown that higher stress is associated with increased burnout symptoms. The purpose of this study was to test whether mental toughness protects against symptoms of burnout and whether mental toughness moderates the relationship between perceived stress and burnout over time. Fifty-four vocational students (M age = 18.1 yr., SD = 1.2; 27 males, 27 females) completed self-report questionnaires twice, 10 mo. apart. Perceived stress, mental toughness, and burnout were measured using the Adolescent Stress Questionnaire (ASQ), the Mental Toughness Questionnaire (MTQ), and the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure (SMBM). Students who perceived higher stress and lower mental toughness scores reported higher burnout symptoms. Although no significant interaction effects were found between stress and mental toughness in the prediction of burnout, the graphical inspection of the interactions indicated that among students with high stress, those with high mental toughness remained below the cutoff for mild burnout, whereas an increase in burnout symptoms was observable among peers with low mental toughness.

Non-medical use of prescription pain relievers among high school students in China: a multilevel analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Given the differences between general high school (GHS) and vocational high school (VHS) students, this study aimed to investigate the lifetime prevalence of non-medical use of prescription pain relievers (NMUPPR) among high school students as well as the associations between NMUPPR and individual-level factors and school category. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in GHS and VHS students in 2012 in Chongqing, and 11 906 students' questionnaires were completed and qualified for the survey. Self-reported NMUPPR and information regarding individual-level determinants and school category were collected. A multilevel multivariate logistic regression model was fitted to explore independent predictors of NMUPPR. RESULTS: The total lifetime prevalence of NMUPPR was 11.3%, and NMUPPR was more prevalent among VHS students (15.8%) compared with GHS students (9.8%). Overall, the results indicated that VHS students were more likely to be involved in NMUPPR (adjusted OR (AOR)=1.64, 95% CI 1.42 to 1.89). Regarding the individual-level predictors of NMUPPR, below-average family economic status was negatively correlated with NMUPPR (AOR=0.77, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.98), and students with more pocket money were more likely to be engaged in NMUPPR. Students who had difficult family relationships, had poor relationships with teachers, had parents or friends who engaged in non-medical prescription drug use, and considered or attempted suicide were more likely to be engaged in NMUPPR. CONCLUSIONS: NMUPPR among high school students is a multidetermined phenomenon. The current findings indicate that VHS students are an important subgroup of adolescents and highlight the need for additional research as well as targeted prevention and intervention programmes for NMUPPR.

Association between socioeconomic and demographic characteristics and utilization of colonoscopy in the EPIC-Heidelberg cohort.

We aimed to describe the utilization of colonoscopy and its association with sociodemographic characteristics within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Heidelberg cohort study. We included 15 014 study participants (43% men) of the EPIC-Heidelberg cohort recruited between 1994 and 1998. At baseline recruitment, as well as in the 3-yearly follow-up surveys, study participants completed questionnaires on lifestyle, socioeconomic background variables, health status, and use of medications and medical services, including colonoscopy examinations. The present analyses focused on participants who completed the question on colonoscopy examination in all follow-up rounds. Our results show that by the end of the fourth follow-up round, more than half of all participants of the EPIC-Heidelberg cohort had had a colonoscopy. Colonoscopy was associated with some socioeconomic and demographic characteristics: a positive association with vocational training level as well as overall socioeconomic status level [International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) classification]. A negative association was found for household size and employment status. Colonoscopy usage increased steeply within the subgroup of participants older than 55 years of age and decreased again within the subgroup of participants older than 75 years of age. Organized colorectal cancer screening should include a written invitation system, to overcome the problem of sociodemographic-related differential awareness of and attendance at colonoscopy examinations. Also, the high proportion of prescreened individuals should be taken into account to avoid unnecessary re-examinations.

[Prevalence and Correlates of Substance Use in 5,688 Vocational School Students]. / Verbreitung und Korrelate des Substanzkonsums unter 5,688 Auszubildenden an beruflichen Schulen.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of substance use of German apprentices in vocational schools, considering socio-demographic characteristics and vocational field. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 5,688 first year apprentices. These were 5,001 apprentices from 34 schools of the "Dual System" and 687 students from 15 vocational schools of the social and health sector. Sociodemographic characteristics and prevalence of tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, other illegal drugs, and pharmaceuticals were assessed. There was also a screening for problematic alcohol and cannabis use. The paper-pencil survey was conducted by trained research staff in 7 German federal states from September to December 2012. RESULTS: Half of the apprentices (49.9%) used tobacco in the 30 days prior to questioning, 40.7% reported daily smoking. Alcohol use in the past 30 days was reported by 68.9%, 45.0% of the sample had a positive screening result for problematic alcohol use. Prevalence rates for the use of cannabis and other illegal drugs in the last 30 days were 7.5% and 2.6%, taking pharmaceuticals was reported by 20.7%. Significant correlates of substance use were gender and socio-economic status. Differences between vocational clusters were also found, with higher average rates in service-based and commercial-technical professions. However, these differences could mostly be explained by sociodemographic differences in the composition of the vocational clusters. CONCLUSIONS: Use of psychotropic substances is a widespread activity in German apprentices. Prevalence rates are higher than in the same age total population. The highest proportion of variance was explained by differences in gender and socio-economic status.

Latent structure of psychosis in the general population: results from the Singapore mental health study.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the latent construct of psychotic symptoms or distinguished between the latent construct and its manifest indicators. The current study aimed to investigate the latent structure of psychotic symptoms using factor mixture modeling (FMM) and to use the best-fitting model to examine its sociodemographic and clinical correlates. METHOD: The Singapore Mental Health Study (SMHS) was based on an adult representative sample of the Singapore population. Psychotic symptoms were assessed by using the Psychosis Screen section of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview version 3.0 (CIDI 3.0). FMM analyses were applied to determine the latent construct of psychotic symptoms. Sociodemographic and clinical correlates of the latent structure of psychosis symptoms were examined using multiple linear and logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The overall weighted lifetime prevalence of any psychotic experience was 3.8% in the SMHS after excluding subthreshold experiences. The FMM analysis clearly supported the dimensional model of the latent structure of psychotic symptoms. On deriving the total score for 'psychosis symptoms' in accordance with the one latent trait model, and correlating it with sociodemographic factors, we found that female gender, vocational education, current and past smokers were positively associated with the 'psychosis' total score. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need for an increased understanding of, and research into, this intermediate state of 'psychosis symptoms' that do not meet diagnostic criteria for psychosis. It is also important to learn more about the group of individuals in the community who may have preserved functioning to elucidate the protective factors that prevent transition to psychosis.