Évaluation de la structure factorielle et des qualités psychométriques de l'Échelle de Fatigue Pandémique parmi la population adulte québécoise: Evaluation of the factorial structure and psychometric qualities of the Pandemic Fatigue Scale among Quebec adult population.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study is to evaluate the factorial structure and the psychometric qualities of the Pandemic Fatigue Scale among the Quebec adult population. METHOD: The data analyzed come from a web survey conducted in October 2021 among 10 368 adults residing in Quebec. The scale's factor structure and invariance by gender, age and language used to complete the questionnaire were tested using confirmatory factor analyses. Convergent and divergent validity were also assessed. Finally, the reliability of the scale was estimated from the alpha and omega coefficients. RESULTS: The analyzes suggest the presence of a bidimensional structure in the sample of Quebec adults with informational fatigue and behavioral fatigue. The invariance of the measure is noted for sex, for age subgroups and for the language used for the questionnaire. The results of convergent and divergent validity provide additional evidence for the validity of the scale. Finally, the reliability of the scale scores is excellent. CONCLUSION: The results support the presence of a bidimensional structure as in the initial work of Lilleholt et al. They also confirm that the scale has good psychometric qualities and that it can be used among the adult population of Quebec.

OBJECTIF: L'objectif de l'étude est d'évaluer la structure factorielle et les qualités psychométriques de l'Échelle de Fatigue Pandémique parmi la population adulte québécoise. MÉTHODE: Les données analysées proviennent d'une enquête Web réalisée en octobre 2021 auprès de 10 368 adultes résidant au Québec. La structure factorielle de l'échelle et l'invariance selon le sexe, l'âge et la langue utilisée pour le questionnaire ont été testées à l'aide d'analyses factorielles confirmatoires. La validité convergente et divergente ont aussi été évaluées. Enfin, la fidélité de l'échelle a été estimée à partir des coefficients alpha et oméga total. RÉSULTATS: Les analyses suggèrent la présence d'une structure bidimensionnelle dans l'échantillon d'adultes québécois avec la fatigue informationnelle et la fatigue comportementale. L'invariance de la mesure est notée pour le sexe, pour les groupes d'âge et pour la langue utilisée pour la complétion du questionnaire. Les résultats de la validité convergente et divergente apportent des preuves supplémentaires à la validité de l'échelle. Enfin, la fidélité des scores de l'échelle est excellente. CONCLUSION: Les résultats appuient la présence d'une structure bidimensionnelle comme dans les travaux initiaux de Lilleholt et coll. Ils permettent également d'affirmer que l'échelle possède de bonnes qualités psychométriques et qu'elle peut être utilisée parmi la population adulte québécoise.

Risk assessment and offender victim relationship in juvenile offenders.

The present study compares the Historical, Clinical, and Risk Management-20 (HCR-20) checklist in a male offender population of 108 adolescents using the relationship between the offender and the victim as a classification factor. Two types of relationship were retained for comparison purposes: family victim/known victim and unknown victim. All adolescents admitted to the Adolescent program of Montréal's Philippe-Pinel Institute from February 1998 to April 2003 were assessed and their families were met. The HCR-20 checklist was completed for each adolescent. Statistically significant differences were observed for the mean rank of the total score of the HCR-20 and two sub-scales, the historical subscale (H) and the risk management subscale (R). The results indicate that the adolescents who victimize strangers have more violent risk factors compared to those who victimize family/known victims. These results have important implications regarding prevention and treatment.

[Birth order, behavioural problems, and the mother-child relationship in siblings aged 4 to 11 years from a 2-child family]. / Rang de naissance, difficultés de comportement et relation mère-enfant chez des jeunes de 4 à 11 ans de fratries composées de deux enfants.

UNLABELLED: Birth Order, Behavioural Problems, and the Mother-Child Relationship in Siblings Aged 4 to 11 Years From a 2-Child Family OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to define the relation between some sibling characteristics (birth order, sex, and interval between successive births) and some behavioral problems in children, on the one hand, and certain dimensions of the mother-child relationship, on the other hand. METHOD: The sample, from National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, included 1,196 families with 2 biological children aged 4 to 11 years. Behavioural problems and dimensions of the mother-child relationship were assessed by mothers. Repeated-measures multivariate analyses of variance were conducted. RESULTS: Analyses showed that first-born children have more internalized symptoms than second-born children. Second-born children also have more positive interactions with their mothers than first-born children. The interval between successive births does not affect these results. CONCLUSION: Several differences emerged between siblings. Health professionals should take these findings into account in their clinical assessments.

Sex of victims in maternal filicide.

In many societies, girls are more often killed by their parents than boys. However, not much of this is known in contemporary societies. This study had two main objectives. The first was to assess whether the number of boy and girl victims of maternal filicide differ in the literature from 1959 to 2000. Using two scientific databases, Medline and PsycINFO, 20 texts were pertinent. The second objective was to identify the variables that differentiate the mothers who killed a son and those who killed a daughter in a sample of 42 women from the province of Quebec (Canada). Analysis of the data for the first part indicate that the numbers of sons and daughters killed by their mothers are similar in the literature. For the second aim no significant differences were noted between the women who killed a son and those who killed a daughter for 30 variables studied, e.g., motivation, method of killing, age of the victims, etc.

Birth order and fratricide: an evaluation of Sulloway's hypothesis.

Sulloway (1996) suggested that older siblings were more likely to be fratricidal than younger ones. Our data, based on 113 case studies found in the psychiatric, psychological and criminological literature since 1959, confirms his hypothesis. In 72 out of the 92 cases (78%) where age could be determined, the aggressor was older than the victim. The same held true even when the age of aggressor, sex of aggressor and victim, presence or not of a blood tie, and presence of one or more victims are taken into account. Surprisingly, most of the aggressors in our sample were under the age of 18 years. Also, first-borns were more often the aggressor than the victim. This result seems to confirm the Adlerian theory of dethronement. Some suggestions and hypotheses are advanced for future research to improve our understanding of this phenomenon.

Neonaticidal mothers: are more boys killed?

Neonaticide refers to the homicide of a newborn of less than 24 hours old. Recently, certain authors have reported that only boys were victims (Dubé, 1998; Haapasalo and Petäjä, 1999). The aim of this study was to determine whether the proportion of male/female victims identified in the literature varied significantly from the official proportions of males/females at birth in countries of the Western World. Two types of study were taken into account to identify the victims' sex, namely, those presenting case reports and those presenting case series. A total of 420 neonaticides were included in our analyses. The majority of newborn victims were male (58.3%). However, there was no significant difference compared with the percentage of male births (51.4%). Based on the data collected, results indicate overall that a child's sex is not a significant factor associated with neonaticide.

Differences between only children and children with 1 sibling referred to a psychiatric clinic: a test of Richards and Goodman's findings.

OBJECTIVE: To test Richards and Goodman's hypothesis that a higher proportion of only children under age 5 years assessed in a psychiatric department do not present a psychiatric diagnosis, compared with preschool children with 1 sibling, and to investigate other variables relative to children in this age group with no psychiatric disorder, in light of Richards and Goodman's findings. METHOD: We gathered data from 169 children under age 5 years seen in the psychiatric department of a large pediatric hospital in Montreal, Quebec. RESULTS: First, bivariate analysis showed no differences between the proportion of only children and children with 1 sibling regarding absence of a psychiatric diagnosis. Second, multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that child's age and mother's child-rearing attitudes were significant variables. Younger children (that is, age 0 to 2 years) and children whose mothers had "adequate" child-rearing attitudes (that is, not exhibiting significant impatience, rejection, stubbornness, neglect, or overprotectiveness) were more likely to have no disorder. CONCLUSION: These findings run counter to Richards and Goodman's results and suggest that other variables, such as child's age and mother's behaviour, are significant predictors of children under age 5 years having no diagnosis.

Methods of killing employed by psychotic parricides.

Lewis, et al. in 1998 showed that psychotic women are more likely to use a weapon than nonpsychotic women to kill their children. This study presents data concerning psychotic parricide. Analysis indicated that a higher percentage used a weapon (81% versus 36%) than psychotic filicide. Reasons for this difference are discussed.

[Five cases of neonaticide in Quebec]. / Cinq cas de néonaticide au Québec.

A neonaticide is the homicide of an infant that occurs during the first 24 hours after birth. This homicide is almost exclusively done by the mother. According to previous data, the parent who commits such homicide is a single woman, who usually conceals her pregnancy and delivers secretly either at home or in the workplace and panics at this very moment. Five vignettes are selected from the files of the Quebec Coroner. The cases are presented in order to verify if these women represent a homogeneous group, as research of the last thirty years has demonstrated. According to data for the period between 1986 and 1994, the deceased newborns are boys, and the teenage mothers have personalities that are characterized by immaturity. In this group, denial of pregnancy is a temporary state that may vary in depth among individuals. Moreover, they did not want to be pregnant. One older group of women experience separation anxiety at the time of commiting the neonaticide. Clinical and theoretical implications are discussed in link with these two sub-groups.

Preference for a first-born boy in Western societies.

Many studies in the last 45 years have shown that women prefer a boy to a girl for their first-born child, suggesting that this preference is universal in Western societies. A careful examination of these studies reveals, however, that the subjects were often women who were not pregnant and/or students. A review of sixteen studies with first-time-pregnant women showed that in most cases the opposite was true, namely, that a girl was desired more often than a boy, especially during the last two decades (from 1981 to 1996). Data concerning expectant fathers, however, indicate that they prefer a boy rather than a girl. A preference for a boy first was also observe for both non-expectant males and females. Women's preference for a male child decreased and men's preference increased slightly when the two sub-periods (before 1980vs after 1981) were compared. A difference between men and women is, however, evident whatever the sub-period: men more often prefer a boy than women. These findings suggest that something specific about being pregnant is related to the preference for a girl first.