Thesis (MA)- University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The primary aim of the study was to investigate cultural and sex differences on different dimensions of aggression as measured by the Expagg Questionnaire (Expagg) and the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ). Both inventories were administered to a sample (N=910) of students from Spain, Japan and South Africa. The results indicated that culture is indeed more predictive of aggression than sex. As expected, the study also revealed that it's influence is not uniform on all the dimensions of aggression investigated. The South African sample revealed the only significant sex difference on the Expagg. The males showed more distinct instrumental representations of aggression than the females, where aggression is seen as a means to reach a desired goal and thus as an effort to gain control. Inter-culturally the main finding was that the South African males and females held predominantly more expressive representations of aggression compared with the other cultures. This indicates that aggression is viewed as an expression of negative feelings and thus as a loss of control. On the Aggression Questionnaire only the South African and Spanish males reported more physical aggression than the females. Cross-culturally the most distinct finding was the overall lower levels of self-reported aggression of the South African females. A discussion of these significant results addressed social, cultural and political factors which may account for the differences. The study provided the prospect of an enhanced cross-cultural understanding of aggression. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die primêre doel van die studie was om kulturele en geslagsverskille te bepaal ten opsigte van verskillende dimensies van aggressie soos gemeet deur die Expagg Questionnaire (Expagg) en die Aggression Questionnaire (AQ). Die vraelyste is op 'n groep (N=910) studente van Spanje, Japan en Suid Afrika toegepas. Die resultate het getoon dat kultuur inderdaad 'n beter voorspeller van aggressie is as geslag. Die resultate het, soos verwag, aangedui dat die invloed van kultuur nie eenvormig inwerk op alle dimensies van aggressie nie. Die Suid-Afrikaanse groep het die enigste beduidende geslagsverskille getoon op die Expagg. Die mans se laer Espagg-tellings dui op instrumentele oortuigings ten opsigte van aggressie~ Aggressie word dus beskou as 'n poging om 'n verlangde doelwit te bereik en word ervaar as 'n poging om kontrole te verkry. Die vernaamste kruis-kulturele bevinding was dat die Suid-Afrikaanse groep beduidend hoër tellings as die ander kulture op die Expagg behaal het. Dit dui op ekspressiewe oortuigings ten opsigte van aggressie waar aggressie beskou word as die uitdrukking van negatiewe gevoelens en as 'n verlies van kontrole. Die Suid-Afrikaanse en Spaanse mans het hoër vlakke van fisiese aggressie as die vrouens op die Aggression Questionnaire behaal. Die mees uitstaande bevinding by die kruis-kulturele vergelyking was die algehele laer vlakke van selfgerapporteerde aggressie by die Suid-Afrikaanse vrouens. Die beduidende resultate is aan hand van sosiale, kulturele en politieke faktore bespreek. Die studie het In bydrae gelewer tot In beter kruis-kulturele begrip van aggressie.

The Three-Factor-Eating-Questionnaire (TFEQ) is an established instrument to assess eating behaviour. Analysis of the TFEQ-factor structure was based on selected, convenient and clinical samples so far. Aims of this study were (I) to analyse the factor structure of the German version of the TFEQ and (II)—based on the refined factor structure—to examine the association between eating behaviour and the body mass index (BMI) in a general population sample of 3,144 middle-aged and older participants (40–79 years) of the ongoing population based cohort study of the Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases (LIFE Health Study). The factor structure was examined in a split-half analysis with both explorative and confirmatory factor analysis. Associations between TFEQ-scores and BMI values were tested with multiple regression analyses controlled for age, gender, and education. We found a three factor solution for the TFEQ with an ‘uncontrolled eating’, a ‘cognitive restraint’ and an ‘emotional eating’ domain including 29 of the original 51 TFEQ-items. Scores of the ‘uncontrolled eating domain’ showed the strongest correlation with BMI values (partial r = 0.26). Subjects with scores above the median in both ‘uncontrolled eating’ and ‘emotional eating’ showed the highest BMI values (mean = 29.41 kg/m²), subjects with scores below the median in all three domains showed the lowest BMI values (mean = 25.68 kg/m²; F = 72.074, p<0.001). Our findings suggest that the TFEQ is suitable to identify subjects with specific patterns of eating behaviour that are associated with higher BMI values.

Datoranvändningen har ökat i samhället och datorspelandet har överrepresenterats av unga killar. Datorspelandet har relaterats till både hälsoproblem och positiva effekter. Studien utgick ifrån den subjektiva upplevelsen av aktivitetsbalans eftersom den är viktig för hälsan och inom arbetsterapin. Syftet var att beskriva självupplevd aktivitetsbalans hos killar (i åldern 16-20 år) som spelade datorspel. En kvantitativ enkätstudie gjordes på 58 datorspelande killar. Datainsamlingen gjordes med Occupational Balance Questionnaire. Urvalet var ett bekvämlighetsurval, deltagarna i studien studerade på gymnasieskolor. Deltagarna skattade i genomsnitt hög aktivitetsbalans. Resultatet visade en relation mellan antal timmar vid datorspel och självskattad aktivitetsbalans. Några deltagare upplevde att datorspelandet tog tid från andra saker de ville göra, exempelvis sömn, skolarbete och viktigare saker prioriterades bort. Samhällets normer kan ha påverkat att en del deltagare ansåg att det fanns viktigare saker de borde göra. Datorspelandet upplevdes meningsfullt och var en av flera aspekter som inverkade på deltagarnas aktivitetsbalans. Studien bekräftade arbetsterapeutens roll att se aktivitet i sitt sammanhang, ha en holistisk syn på människan och främja meningsfulla aktiviteter för individen. Ytterligare forskning behövs för att öka förståelsen för hur datorspelandet påverkar ungdomars aktivitetsbalans och hälsa. / Computer use has increased in society and young guys played the most computer games. Computer gaming has been related to both health problems and positive effects. The subjective experience of occupational balance is important for the health and within occupational therapy. The aim was to describe self-perceived occupational balance among guys (16-20 years) who played computer games. A quantitative survey was made among 58 computer gaming guys. Data collection was made through Occupational Balance Questionnaire. The sample was made with regard to convenience and the participants studied at high schools. They rated average high occupational balance. There was a correlation between the time playing computer games and self-rated occupational balance. Some of the participants experienced that playing computer games took time away from other things they wanted to do, for example sleep, school work and more important things were lesser prioritized. Societal norms may have influenced the participants to see computer gaming as unimportant. Computer gaming was meaningful and one of several aspects that influenced the occupational balance. The study confirmed the occupational therapists role to apply a holistic perspective and promote meaningful occupations. Further research would increase the understanding how computer gaming affects youths’ occupational balance and health.

Les mesures de contrôle de la contamination croisée sont principalement concentrées dans la salle opératoire dentaire alors que les articles transférés entre la clinique et le laboratoire dentaire et les instruments de laboratoire ont reçu peu d’attention. Cette étude vise à documenter l’application des mesures d’asepsie sur ces articles par les professionnels du domaine dentaire ainsi que leurs perceptions entourant ces mesures. Un questionnaire autoadministré et anonyme a été envoyé à un échantillon aléatoire des dentistes, denturologistes et directeurs de laboratoire dentaire qui étaient inscrits aux listes des ordres professionnels en juin 2008 dans la province de Québec. Des 1100 questionnaires envoyés, 376 ont été retournés remplis. Presque trois quarts (72,1 %) des répondants affirment faire l’asepsie des instruments de laboratoire et 74,9 %, la désinfection des articles transférés mais avec des pourcentages variables selon le groupe d’articles (empreintes, prothèses, etc.). Seulement 9,1 % de professionnels identifient de façon générale les articles désinfectés avant l’envoi. Plus de la moitié des professionnels (51,4 %) trouvent qu’ils n’ont pas assez d’information sur l’asepsie des articles transférés et 62,4 %, qu’elle est difficile à appliquer. Cette étude est la première réalisée auprès des trois groupes de professionnels et la première à étudier leurs perceptions entourant l’asepsie des articles transférés et de l’instrumentation de laboratoire. Nous avons démontré que l’application des mesures d’asepsie à ces articles par les professionnels du domaine dentaire n’est pas toujours conforme aux normes proposées et qu’il existe un besoin de renforcer leur application, surtout en ce qui a trait aux articles transférés. / Infection control practices have been mainly concentrated in the dental operatory whereas the articles transferred between the dental clinic and the dental laboratory as well as laboratory instruments have received less attention. This study attempts to document the practices of dental care professional implicated in the fabrication of dental prosthesis as to the asepsis of these items as well as their perceptions towards it. In June 2008 an auto-administrated and anonymous questionnaire was sent to a random sample of dentists, denturologists and dental laboratory directors licensed to practice in the province of Quebec (Canada). From the 1,100 questionnaires sent, 376 were returned filled-in. Almost two thirds of responders (72.1%) claim to disinfect or sterilize laboratory instruments and 74.9% to disinfect transferred articles, with percentages varying according to the group of articles (impressions, prosthesis, etc.). However, only 9.1% regularly identify disinfected work. More than half of the responders (51.4%) think it is difficult to apply a form of asepsis on transferred articles and 62.4% believe there is a lack of information towards it. This study is the first to have been addressed simultaneously to the three groups of professionals and the first to question them on their perceptions. It demonstrated that the application of asepsis measures to transferred articles and laboratory instruments by dental care professionals is not always complying with existing recommendations. There is a need to reinforce their application, especially of asepsis measures on transferred articles.

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether or not significant correlations could be obtained between raw scores on fifty-three scales of the Mini-Mult Prison Questionnaire (MMPQ), a personality test, and nine selected behavior variables for a group of thirty-two institutionalized male delinquents. A correlation matrix using Pearson's r revealed that seven MMPQ scales correlated at the p = .05 level of significance with the behavior criteria. Thus, four of the five hypotheses formulated were supported. However, caution was emphasized in interpreting the results due to sample size, sample homogeneity, and the dissimilarity of the adolescent sample from the adult prison population on which the MMPQ was developed.

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Träning medför såväl fysiska som psykiska hälsofördelar. Trots att detta är vedertaget, tränar människor olika mycket och det finns även en andel människor som tränar otillräckligt. I föreliggande studie användes Self-Determination Theory (SDT) och Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), för att undersöka om faktorer inom dessa teorier kan förutsäga hur mycket människor i åldern 18 – 30 tränar i veckan. Data från personer som tränade olika mycket (n= 196, Målder= 24.94, SD= 2.69) samlades in genom ett elektroniskt självskattningsformulär som bestod av frågor om träning, Behavioral Regulations in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-3) och Theory of Planned Behavior Questionnaire. Multipla regressionsanalyser genomfördes för att undersöka hur väl SDT, TPB och en kombination av dessa predicerade träningsmängd. Resultatet visade att SDT och TPB såväl enskilt som tillsammans förklarade en signifikant andel av variansen i träningsmängd, samt att autonom motivation från SDT och upplevd beteendekontroll från TPB var de bästa prediktorerna för träningsmängd. Detta pekar på att en upplevelse av att träning är lätt, glädjefyllt och en integrerad del av en själv, förutsäger hög träningsmängd i veckan. Framtida forskning kan med fördel undersöka vilka andra faktorer utöver SDT och TPB som kan förklara varför människor tränar olika mycket. / Exercise entails both physical and mental health benefits. Despite this being common knowledge, people differ in the amount of exercise performed and some even exercise insufficiently. In the present study Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) were used to examine if factors within these theories can predict the amount of exercise performed in a week by people in the age of 18 to 30 years. Data from people that differed in the amount of exercise (n= 196, Mage= 24.94, SD= 2.69) was gathered through an electronic survey consisting of questions regarding exercise, Behavioral Regulations in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-3) and Theory of Planned Behavior Questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine to what extent SDT, TPB and a combination of these were able to predict the amount of exercise. Results showed that SDT and TPB, both together and on their own, explained a significant amount of the variance in the amount of exercise performed and that autonomous motivation from SDT and perceived behavioral control from TPB were the best predictors for the amount of exercise performed. This suggests that the experience of exercise being easy, joyful and an integrated part of the self, predicts a high amount of exercise. Future research could examine other factors beyond SDT and TPB that can explain the difference in the amount of exercise people perform.

Studien hade till syfte att adaptera och validera den multidimensionella stressenkäten Dundee Stress State Questionnaire (DSSQ) som mäter stress utifrån 12 skalor som sammanfaller kring tre högre dimensioner: uppgiftsfokus, ångest och oro. DSSQ adapteras från originalspråket, engelska, till svenska. Tillämpbarheten för den svenska versionen av DSSQ undersöks genom att studera enkätens reliabilitet och validitet samt genom att tillämpa enkäten i två olika kontext, där två olika typer av uppgifter genomförs, ett arbetsminnestest och en polisstudentövning. Sammantaget visade resultatet att den svenska adaptionen av DSSQ har en hög reliabilitet. Dock gick det inte att bekräfta att den svenska adaptionen av DSSQ bibehåller samma faktormodell som originalversionen av DSSQ. Den statistiska analysen visade att de förändringar som identifierats i deltagarnas sinnesstämning delvis stämmer överens med tidigare forskning. Slutsatsen är att fler deltagare behövs för att validera faktormodellen hos den svenska adaptionen av DSSQ och den svenska adaptionen av DSSQ anses vara tillämpar i forskning då den visar på god reliabilitet. / The purpose of this study was to adapt and validate the Dundee Stress State Questionnaire (DSSQ), which measures stress based on 12 scales that cohere around three higher order dimensions: task engagement, distress and worry. DSSQ is adapted from its original language, English, to Swedish. The applicability of the Swedish version of DSSQ is tested by studying the questionnaire's reliability and validity, and by applying the survey in two different contexts, where two different tasks are performed, a work memory task and a police student exam task. Overall, the result showed that the Swedish adaptation of DSSQ has high reliability. However, it was not possible to confirm that the Swedish adaptation of DSSQ maintained the same factor model as the original DSSQ has. The statistical analysis showed the changes identified in the participants' moods partly in lines with previous research. The conclusion is that more participants are needed to validate the factor model for the Swedish adaptation of DSSQ and since the Swedish adaptation of DSSQ shows good reliability, it can be applied in research.

L’utilisation des mesures subjectives en épidémiologie s’est intensifiée récemment, notamment avec la volonté de plus en plus affirmée d’intégrer la perception qu’ont les sujets de leur santé dans l’étude des maladies et l’évaluation des interventions. La psychométrie regroupe les méthodes statistiques utilisées pour la construction des questionnaires et l’analyse des données qui en sont issues. Ce travail de thèse avait pour but d’explorer différents problèmes méthodologiques soulevés par l’utilisation des techniques psychométriques en épidémiologie. Trois études empiriques sont présentées et concernent 1/ la phase de validation de l’instrument : l’objectif était de développer, à l’aide de données simulées, un outil de calcul de la taille d’échantillon pour la validation d’échelle en psychiatrie ; 2/ les propriétés mathématiques de la mesure obtenue : l’objectif était de comparer les performances de la différence minimale cliniquement pertinente d’un questionnaire calculée sur des données de cohorte, soit dans le cadre de la théorie classique des tests (CTT), soit dans celui de la théorie de réponse à l’item (IRT) ; 3/ son utilisation dans un schéma longitudinal : l’objectif était de comparer, à l’aide de données simulées, les performances d’une méthode statistique d’analyse de l’évolution longitudinale d’un phénomène subjectif mesuré à l’aide de la CTT ou de l’IRT, en particulier lorsque certains items disponibles pour la mesure différaient à chaque temps. Enfin, l’utilisation de graphes orientés acycliques a permis de discuter, à l’aide des résultats de ces trois études, la notion de biais d’information lors de l’utilisation des mesures subjectives en épidémiologie. / Recently, subjective measurements have increasingly been used in epidemiology, alongside the growing will to integrate individuals’ point of view on their health in studies on diseases or health interventions. Psychometrics includes statistical methods used to develop questionnaires and to analyze questionnaire data. This doctoral dissertation aimed to explore methodological issues raised by the use of psychometric techniques in epidemiology. Three empirical studies are presented and cover 1 / the validation stage of a questionnaire: the objective was to develop, using simulated data, a tool to determine sample size for internal validity studies on psychiatric scale; 2 / the mathematical properties of the subjective measurement: the objective was to compare the performances of the minimal clinically important difference of a questionnaire, assessed on data from a cohort study, computed using the classical test theory (CTT) framework or the item response theory framework (IRT); 3 / its use in a longitudinal design: the objective was to compare, using simulated data, the performances of a statistical method aimed to analyze the longitudinal course of a subjective phenomenon measured using the CTT or IRT framework, especially when some of the available items used for its measurement differ at each time of data collection. Finally, directed acyclic graphs were used to discuss the results from these three studies and the concept of information bias when subjective measurements are used in epidemiology.