Effects of pedagogical ideology on the perceived loudness and noise levels in preschools.

High activity noise levels that result in detrimental effects on speech communication have been measured in preschools. To find out if different pedagogical ideologies affect the perceived loudness and levels of noise, a questionnaire study inquiring about the experience of loudness and voice symptoms was carried out in Iceland in eight private preschools, called "Hjalli model", and in six public preschools. Noise levels were also measured in the preschools. Background variables (stress level, age, length of working career, education, smoking, and number of children per teacher) were also analyzed in order to determine how much they contributed toward voice symptoms and the experience of noisiness. Results indicate that pedagogical ideology is a significant factor for predicting noise and its consequences. Teachers in the preschool with tighter pedagogical control of discipline (the "Hjalli model") experienced lower activity noise loudness than teachers in the preschool with a more relaxed control of behavior (public preschool). Lower noise levels were also measured in the "Hjalli model" preschool and fewer "Hjalli model" teachers reported voice symptoms. Public preschool teachers experienced more stress than "Hjalli model" teachers and the stress level was, indeed, the background variable that best explained the voice symptoms and the teacher's perception of a noisy environment. Discipline, structure, and organization in the type of activity predicted the activity noise level better than the number of children in the group. Results indicate that pedagogical ideology is a significant factor for predicting self-reported noise and its consequences.

Psychological distress in Icelandic patients with repeated recurrences of cancer.

AIM: The main aim was to investigate differences between the psychological distress of patients with a first diagnosis of cancer, those experiencing their first recurrence, and those experiencing later recurrences. Little is known about the development of cancer patients' psychological distress and whether it becomes more severe with greater incidence of recurrence. METHOD: A total of 218 patients from 3 oncology outpatient clinics in Iceland were assessed with the Brief Symptom Inventory Scale 18 (BSI 18). RESULTS: Several aspects of cancer patients' psychological distress seem to positively correlate with number of recurrences, and women experience a recurrence of cancer differently to men. CONCLUSION: Health-care professionals need to be aware of patients' likely distress levels at different stages of their illness and the ways in which their gender might affect their psychological state.