Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 97-103).

Human papillomavirus (HPV) affects at least half of all sexually active people, especially those aged 20-24 years. Gynecological exams are instrumental in cervical cancer prevention due to the early detection of abnormal cervical cells often caused by HPV. Despite the many benefits of gynecological exams, they continue to be underused. Women are often unaware of exam guidelines, procedures, and costs. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was used to predict and explain exam behaviors. A woman’s decision to seek gynecological care may be influenced by numerous factors, including: genital self-image, body image and sexual behaviors. The purpose of this study was to: 1) determine if the TPB explains and predicts exam behaviors, 2) assess if genital self-image, body image and sexual behaviors predict exam behaviors, and 3) evaluate the reliability and validity of data collected on the Female Genital Self-Image Scale (FGSIS) among a sample of female college students. The study included a convenience sample of 450 women enrolled in health-related courses at a large Southern university in the US. SEM analyses revealed gynecological exam intention was a successful predictor of exam behaviors: Χ2 (81, N = 450) = 258.49, p <> <> <> .001, RMSEA = 0.07, CFI = 0.96 and NFI = 0.95. The addition of genital self-image to the TPB model yielded similar fit indices; however, the TPB alone appears to be more predictive of exam behaviors. Predictive discriminant analysis (PDA) was used to indicate the predictor, or group of predictors, best suited to predict gynecological exam behavior. PDA results indicate the number of vaginal intercourse partners during the past 3-months was most predictive (hit rate = 68.2%). A CFA yielded a two-factor FGSIS model: Χ2 (12, N = 450) = 49.77, p <> .001, RMSEA = 0.08, CFI = 0.98 and NFI = 0.97. Reliability assessments indicated very good internal consistency for the entire scale (α = 0.89), for factor one (α = 0.86) and factor two (α = 0.82). Results have implications for the development of sexual health and women’s health programs targeting factors influencing gynecological exam behaviors. Specifically, scores on the FGSIS can establish relationships between genital self-image and exam behaviors of college women.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1999. / Library want leaf 84. Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 69-74). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis--University of Michigan. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 150-151).

Multilevel measurement models (MMM), an application of hierarchical generalized linear models (HGLM), model the relationship between ability levels estimates and item difficulty parameters, based on examinee responses to items. A benefit of using MMM is the ability to include additional levels in the model to represent a nested data structure, which is common in educational contexts, by using the multilevel framework. Previous research has demonstrated the ability of the one-parameter MMM to accurately recover both item difficulty parameters and examinee ability levels, when using both 2- and 3-level models, under various sample size and test length conditions (Kamata, 1999; Brune, 2011). Parameter invariance of measurement models, that parameter estimates are equivalent regardless of the distribution of the ability levels, is important when the typical assumption of a normal distribution of ability levels in the population may not be correct. An assumption of MMM is that the distribution of examinee abilities, which is represented by the level-2 residuals in the HGLM, is normal. If the distribution of abilities in the population are not normal, as suggested by Micceri (1989), this assumption of MMM is violated, which has been shown to affect the estimation of the level-2 residuals. The current study investigated the parameter invariance of the 2-level 1P-MMM, by examining the accuracy of item difficulty parameter estimates and examinee ability level estimates. Study conditions included the standard normal distribution, as a baseline, and three non-normal distributions having various degrees of skew, in addition to various test lengths and sample sizes, to simulate various testing conditions. The study's results provide evidence for overall parameter invariance of the 2-level 1P-MMM, when accounting for scale indeterminacy from the estimation process, for the study conditions included. Although, the error in the item difficulty parameter and examinee ability level estimates in the study were not of practical importance, there was some evidence that ability distributions may affect the accuracy of parameter estimates for items with difficulties greater than represented in this study. Also, the accuracy of abilities estimates for non-normal distributions seemed less for conditions with greater test lengths and sample sizes, indicating possible increased difficulty in estimating abilities from non-normal distributions. / text

published_or_final_version / Nursing Studies / Master / Master of Nursing in Advanced Practice

Zoo chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are restricted in their choice of social and physical environments. This allows for a strong test of environmental predictors of happiness including the chimpanzee-environment fit and the degree of relatedness between a chimpanzee and its enclosure mates. The interrelatedness of zoo chimpanzees permit the study of genetic and environmental contributions to Dominance and subjective well-being (SWB) and their common genetic or environmental causes. Demographic predictors such as age and sex and environmental predictors such as density of males and females, density of male and female kin, and how similar in personality a chimpanzee was to other chimpanzees in its enclosure were tested first. A series of two-, three-, and four-way interactions was also tested. First, the effects of these predictors on Dominance were tested. Next, these effects were tested on SWB after the variance SWB shared with Dominance was removed. Eight behavioral genetic models were then tested. These models incorporated genetic and environmental variance and covariance components and any significant predictors that were discovered in the previous environmental analysis. The relationship between age and Dominance was positive and stronger for males than females. The relationship between age and SWB was negative. The genetic model that had the best fit and most parsimony included additive genetic effects and non-shared environmental effects for Dominance and SWB. Zoo effects were negligible. Finally, the genetic correlation between Dominance and SWB was almost entirely due to shared genes. These findings are consistent with a model positing that Dominance and SWB arise from a common temperament and are differentiated by nonshared environmental influences. They suggest that happiness in apes and humans may be a sexually selected fitness indicator.

The present study researches whether older individuals with Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) who are unsuccessful using a Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) score significantly differently on selected neuropsychological tests than comparable individuals with AMD who successfully use a CCTV for independent personal reading. A group of nine individuals who are unsuccessful using a CCTV were compared with a group of 15 individuals who have demonstrated the ability to use a CCTV independently for reading. The two neuropsychological tests used in the study are the Tactual Performance Test (TPT) and the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT). Both tests are easily administered to a person with visual impairment. Both tests also measure abilities which are necessary for a person to be able to successfully use a CCTV independently for reading. The Tactual Performance Test requires tactile form discrimination, problem solving, kinesthesis, coordination of the upper extremities, and manual dexterity. The California Verbal Learning Test measures immediate recall of verbal information as well as the amount of verbal information learned and later remembered. The unsuccessful CCTV user group was compared to the successful CCTV user group by using an independent samples t-test to compare group scores on the TPT. The successful CCTV users scored significantly lower on total time scores and significantly higher on number of correctly placed blocks. These results suggest that successful CCTV users are better able to utilize tactile memory, problem-solving skills, and to synthesize new learning than the unsuccessful CCTV users. There were no significant differences between the unsuccessful CCTV user group and the successful CCTV user group on the CVLT measures. The lack of significant difference suggests that the two groups are similar in immediate recall abilities as well as remembering similar amounts of presented verbal material. The mean age of the unsuccessful CCTV user group was 85.0 years while the mean age of the successful CCTV user group was 79.2 years. A t-test comparing age difference between the two groups indicated that the unsuccessful CCTV user group was significantly older.

This study investigated the validity of the Comprehensive Test of Nonverbal Intelligence (CTONI) as a measure of intelligence for use with Native-American learning disabled students. Forty boys and ten girls between the ages of 7 and 16 and who are Native-American Navajo students with a learning disability in reading and/or mathematics participated in this study. Each participant was administered the CTONI, the WISC-III, and the WIAT. The results from this study indicated that the CTONI exhibited less variability among its composite IQ scores than the WISC-III. The CTONI and the WISC-III Full-scale IQ, Verbal IQ and Performance IQ correlate moderately. The CTONI and WISC-III are significantly predictive of reading achievement but account for less than 11% of the common variance. Yet, the CTONI and the WISC-III are moderately correlated with mathematics achievement. Factor Analytic Results suggest that the factorial structures of the CTONI and the WISC-III for this sample of Native-American students are consistent with the factorial structures proposed by the respective test authors. The CTONI appears to be a valid measure of intelligence for use with Native American populations. The implications of the findings of the CTONI with Native-American populations are discussed.

The effects of a school-based cognitive-behavioral intervention approach on the depression scores of sixth grade students were examined in the study. Two hundred and one sixth grade students served as participants in one of four experimental groups: treatment group, attention-placebo group, delayed treatment group, and no treatment control group. All groups, except the control group, participated in the school-based program called "learned optimism." The learned optimism program is an eight-week curriculum-based program designed to assist adolescents in developing a more optimistic self-explanatory style that contributes to resiliency and positive mental health. All participants completed the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) on three occasions: before the learned optimism program began (pretest), immediately after the first eight-week program was terminated (posttest 1) and eight weeks later, after the second eight-week program was terminated (posttest 2/follow-up). The results were unexpected. They showed only a significant difference on CDI total scores between the treatment group and delayed treatment group immediately following both groups' participation in the learned optimism program. No significant differences on CDI total scores were found at any other time between or within any of the four groups. Some significant differences were found on CDI subscales between the treatment and delayed treatment groups, but not in the expected direction. Results from an informal questionnaire completed by participants showed that most liked the learned optimism program and it made them feel happier. Plausible explanations for the findings were discussed along with limitations of the study and recommendations for future research in this area.