abstract: The five-factor model of personality is a conceptual model for describing personality, and represents five traits which are theorized to interact with each other to form personality. The Big Five Questionnaire-Children (BFQ-C) was developed by Barbaranelli, Caprara, Rabasca and Pastorelli (2003) specifically to measure the five factor model in children. The original version was in Italian, but it has subsequently been translated and used in Dutch, German, and Spanish samples. Given that the BFQ-C has support in Europe, obtained in four different languages it seems promising as an assessment of personality for English speaking children and adolescents. The BFQ-C was translated into English utilizing translation and back translation in order to maintain a high conceptual equivalency. The current study utilizes principal components analysis in order to examine the structure of the English language translation of the BFQ-C in a sample of American adolescents. Results indicate that in contrast to the Italian study, findings from this study suggest a six component solution as the most effective interpretation of the data. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Educational Psychology 2012

Introdução: O crescimento da prevalência do Diabetes Mellitus verificado em nível global tem sido relacionado a uma diversidade de fatores, entre eles, mudanças no estilo de vida da população e consequente aumento do excesso de peso, envelhecimento populacional, maior sobrevida e maior acesso aos testes diagnósticos. Devido às dificuldades de realização de medidas bioquímicas em nível populacional, inquéritos de saúde utilizam com frequência o autorrelato de um diagnóstico de diabetes para estimar a prevalência da doença. Objetivos: Este estudo pretende descrever as estimativas nacionais da prevalência de diabetes autorreferido segundo dados da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde de 2013, e analisar a tendência dessas estimativas entre 2006 e 2014 e fatores relacionados nas capitais brasileiras segundo dados do inquérito anual telefônico Vigitel. Métodos: Os dois inquéritos populacionais analisados incluíam informações sobre a referência a um diagnóstico médico anterior de diabetes. A Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde (PNS) é um inquérito domiciliar realizado em 2013 por meio de amostragem por conglomerados de residentes em domicílios particulares de todo o território nacional, perfazendo um total de 60.202 moradores que responderam ao questionário no domicílio. O Vigitel é um inquérito telefônico realizado anualmente desde 2006, em amostras probabilísticas da população adulta residente nas capitais do Brasil e Distrito Federal, totalizando mais de 40.000 entrevistas telefônicas a cada ano. As estimativas das duas pesquisas foram ponderadas de forma a representar a população total de interesse do estudo, de acordo com a amostragem complexa de cada inquérito. A análise de tendência e fatores associados levou em conta características sociodemográficas e estado nutricional e foi realizada por meio do Stata 12.0, utilizando o comando de pós estimação com predições médias ajustadas. Resultados: A PNS estimou um total de aproximadamente 9 milhões de pessoas com diabetes no país, com uma prevalência de 6,2% (IC95% 5,9-6,6), sendo maior nas mulheres (7,0%; IC95% 6,5-7,5) do que nos homens (5,4%; IC95% 4,8-5,9), e entre os moradores da área urbana (6,5%; IC95% 6,1-6,9) do que da área rural (4,6%; IC95% 4,0-5,2). Os dados do Vigitel indicaram que a prevalência de diabetes cresceu de 5,5% (IC95% 5,1-5,9) em 2006 para 8,0% (IC95% 7,5-8,5) em 2014, um aumento de 0,26 pontos percentuais (p.p.) ao ano. O aumento na tendência foi significativo para homens e mulheres, a partir dos 35 anos de idade, para todos os níveis de escolaridade e para aqueles com sobrepeso. As tendências de crescimento mais consistentes, além da prevalência de diabetes global (R2=0.77) foram observadas entre os homens (coeficiente de determinação, R2=0.93), aqueles com menor escolaridade (0 a 8 anos de estudo com R2=0.81), faixa etária de 65 anos ou mais (R2=0.79) e de 35-44 anos (R2=0.77) e de pessoas com sobrepeso (R2=0.75). Nos dois inquéritos, as pessoas de menor escolaridade apresentaram as maiores prevalências. Conclusão: A prevalência de diabetes autorreferido é alta no Brasil e vem crescendo ano a ano na última década. Se esse crescimento resulta de um aumento na incidência, da redução da mortalidade ou do maior diagnóstico de diabetes não pode ser definido no momento. De qualquer forma, a tendência de aumento observada substancia um enorme desafio a ser enfrentado pelo sistema de saúde nos próximos anos. / Introduction: The global rise in the prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus has been linked to a variety of factors, such as lifestyle changes and consequent increase in excess weight, aging of the population, greater survival and access to diagnostic tests. Due to difficulties in performing biochemical measurements at the population level, most health surveys frequently use a self-report of a previous diagnosis of diabetes to estimate prevalence of the disease. Objectives: This study aims to describe national estimates for the prevalence of self-reported diabetes and associated factors according to data from National Health Survey and to analyze trends and possible related factors in Brazilian capital cities according to Vigitel, an annual telephone survey in Brazil. Methods: Both surveys contained information regarding a self-report of a previous diagnosis of diabetes. The National Health Survey (NHS) is a household survey conducted in Brazil in 2013 through cluster sampling of residents in private households throughout the country, involving 60.202 households. VIGITEL is a telephone survey held every year since 2006, based on probabilistic samples of adult population residing in state capitals and the Federal District and involving over 40,000 interviews each year. Estimates were weighted to represent the surveyed population, according to the complex sample frame of each survey. The analysis of trend and related factors took into account sociodemographic characteristics and nutritional status and was carried out using Stata-12, according with a probability predictive margins model. Results: NHS has estimated a total of about nine million people with diabetes in Brazil, with a prevalence of 6.2% (95%CI 5.9-6.6), greater in women (7.0%; 95%CI 6.5-7.5) than men (5.4%; 95%CI 4.8-5.9) and among people living in urban areas (6.5%; 95%CI 6.1-6.9) rather than rural areas (4.6%; 95%CI 4.0-5.2). Vigitel data indicate that diabetes prevalence increased from 5.5% (95% CI 5.1-5.9) in 2006 to 8.0% (95% CI 7.5-8.5) in 2014, a net rise of 0.26%/year (p=0.001). Significant positive trends were found for men and women, those of 35 years and up, for all levels of education and for those being overweight. The most consistent upward trends, besides of overall diabetes prevalence (R2=0.77) were observed among men (coefficient of determination, R2=0.93), those with educational attainment of 0-8 years (R2=0.81), those > 65 years (R2=0.79) and of 35-44 years old (R2=0.77) and those who were overweight (R2=0.75). In both surveys, the prevalence diabetes was higher among less schooling individuals. Conclusion: Prevalence of self-reported diabetes is high in Brazil and recent trends indicate a contiuous rise. Whether this is due to increased incidence, improved survival, or greater diagnosis cannot be determined at the present. Nevertheless, the trend observed substantiate an enormous challenge to be dealt with by the health systems in the years to come.

Introdução: O crescimento da prevalência do Diabetes Mellitus verificado em nível global tem sido relacionado a uma diversidade de fatores, entre eles, mudanças no estilo de vida da população e consequente aumento do excesso de peso, envelhecimento populacional, maior sobrevida e maior acesso aos testes diagnósticos. Devido às dificuldades de realização de medidas bioquímicas em nível populacional, inquéritos de saúde utilizam com frequência o autorrelato de um diagnóstico de diabetes para estimar a prevalência da doença. Objetivos: Este estudo pretende descrever as estimativas nacionais da prevalência de diabetes autorreferido segundo dados da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde de 2013, e analisar a tendência dessas estimativas entre 2006 e 2014 e fatores relacionados nas capitais brasileiras segundo dados do inquérito anual telefônico Vigitel. Métodos: Os dois inquéritos populacionais analisados incluíam informações sobre a referência a um diagnóstico médico anterior de diabetes. A Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde (PNS) é um inquérito domiciliar realizado em 2013 por meio de amostragem por conglomerados de residentes em domicílios particulares de todo o território nacional, perfazendo um total de 60.202 moradores que responderam ao questionário no domicílio. O Vigitel é um inquérito telefônico realizado anualmente desde 2006, em amostras probabilísticas da população adulta residente nas capitais do Brasil e Distrito Federal, totalizando mais de 40.000 entrevistas telefônicas a cada ano. As estimativas das duas pesquisas foram ponderadas de forma a representar a população total de interesse do estudo, de acordo com a amostragem complexa de cada inquérito. A análise de tendência e fatores associados levou em conta características sociodemográficas e estado nutricional e foi realizada por meio do Stata 12.0, utilizando o comando de pós estimação com predições médias ajustadas. Resultados: A PNS estimou um total de aproximadamente 9 milhões de pessoas com diabetes no país, com uma prevalência de 6,2% (IC95% 5,9-6,6), sendo maior nas mulheres (7,0%; IC95% 6,5-7,5) do que nos homens (5,4%; IC95% 4,8-5,9), e entre os moradores da área urbana (6,5%; IC95% 6,1-6,9) do que da área rural (4,6%; IC95% 4,0-5,2). Os dados do Vigitel indicaram que a prevalência de diabetes cresceu de 5,5% (IC95% 5,1-5,9) em 2006 para 8,0% (IC95% 7,5-8,5) em 2014, um aumento de 0,26 pontos percentuais (p.p.) ao ano. O aumento na tendência foi significativo para homens e mulheres, a partir dos 35 anos de idade, para todos os níveis de escolaridade e para aqueles com sobrepeso. As tendências de crescimento mais consistentes, além da prevalência de diabetes global (R2=0.77) foram observadas entre os homens (coeficiente de determinação, R2=0.93), aqueles com menor escolaridade (0 a 8 anos de estudo com R2=0.81), faixa etária de 65 anos ou mais (R2=0.79) e de 35-44 anos (R2=0.77) e de pessoas com sobrepeso (R2=0.75). Nos dois inquéritos, as pessoas de menor escolaridade apresentaram as maiores prevalências. Conclusão: A prevalência de diabetes autorreferido é alta no Brasil e vem crescendo ano a ano na última década. Se esse crescimento resulta de um aumento na incidência, da redução da mortalidade ou do maior diagnóstico de diabetes não pode ser definido no momento. De qualquer forma, a tendência de aumento observada substancia um enorme desafio a ser enfrentado pelo sistema de saúde nos próximos anos. / Introduction: The global rise in the prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus has been linked to a variety of factors, such as lifestyle changes and consequent increase in excess weight, aging of the population, greater survival and access to diagnostic tests. Due to difficulties in performing biochemical measurements at the population level, most health surveys frequently use a self-report of a previous diagnosis of diabetes to estimate prevalence of the disease. Objectives: This study aims to describe national estimates for the prevalence of self-reported diabetes and associated factors according to data from National Health Survey and to analyze trends and possible related factors in Brazilian capital cities according to Vigitel, an annual telephone survey in Brazil. Methods: Both surveys contained information regarding a self-report of a previous diagnosis of diabetes. The National Health Survey (NHS) is a household survey conducted in Brazil in 2013 through cluster sampling of residents in private households throughout the country, involving 60.202 households. VIGITEL is a telephone survey held every year since 2006, based on probabilistic samples of adult population residing in state capitals and the Federal District and involving over 40,000 interviews each year. Estimates were weighted to represent the surveyed population, according to the complex sample frame of each survey. The analysis of trend and related factors took into account sociodemographic characteristics and nutritional status and was carried out using Stata-12, according with a probability predictive margins model. Results: NHS has estimated a total of about nine million people with diabetes in Brazil, with a prevalence of 6.2% (95%CI 5.9-6.6), greater in women (7.0%; 95%CI 6.5-7.5) than men (5.4%; 95%CI 4.8-5.9) and among people living in urban areas (6.5%; 95%CI 6.1-6.9) rather than rural areas (4.6%; 95%CI 4.0-5.2). Vigitel data indicate that diabetes prevalence increased from 5.5% (95% CI 5.1-5.9) in 2006 to 8.0% (95% CI 7.5-8.5) in 2014, a net rise of 0.26%/year (p=0.001). Significant positive trends were found for men and women, those of 35 years and up, for all levels of education and for those being overweight. The most consistent upward trends, besides of overall diabetes prevalence (R2=0.77) were observed among men (coefficient of determination, R2=0.93), those with educational attainment of 0-8 years (R2=0.81), those > 65 years (R2=0.79) and of 35-44 years old (R2=0.77) and those who were overweight (R2=0.75). In both surveys, the prevalence diabetes was higher among less schooling individuals. Conclusion: Prevalence of self-reported diabetes is high in Brazil and recent trends indicate a contiuous rise. Whether this is due to increased incidence, improved survival, or greater diagnosis cannot be determined at the present. Nevertheless, the trend observed substantiate an enormous challenge to be dealt with by the health systems in the years to come.

This study compared the differential influence of reframing, self-control, and neutral counselor interventions on high and low trait-anxious subjects' self -descriptions as measured by the Adjective Check List. Reframing was predicted to be superior to self-control and neutral interventions in eliciting more favorable self-descriptions. An interaction was also predicted between counselor intervention and trait anxiety such that, in the reframing condition, low trait-anxious subjects would describe themselves more positively than high trait-anxious subjects.

Abstract Age-related hearing impairment is the most common type of hearing impairment among adults. Adult-onset hearing impairment is one of the leading causes of disease burden worldwide and it is associated with social isolation and depression. As the proportion of older people is increasing in Western countries, the socioeconomic importance of adult hearing impairment will increase notably. The aim of the present contribution was to study the epidemiological aspects of hearing and related factors among older adults. The prevalence of hearing impairment, defined either by audiometry or by a self-report, and the differences between these two were analyzed. Tinnitus and hyperacusis were also studied. Furthermore, the prevalence of ear diseases, otological risk factors, and noise exposure and their association with hearing thresholds were analyzed. In addition, audiogram configurations and certain subject-related factors and their relation to hearing were assessed. The subjects were randomly sampled from the population register and they responded to an extensive questionnaire. Otological status was examined and pure tone audiometry was conducted. Data on 850 subjects aged 54–66 years were analyzed. Hearing impairment was found to be a highly common condition with a prevalence of 26.7% when defined by better ear and 42.2% when defined by worse ear. Men had worse hearing than women. High-frequency sloping audiogram configurations were common. Self-reported hearing difficulty and measured hearing impairment seem to be associated at high frequencies. At least one ear disease or otological risk factor for hearing impairment was found among 18.4% of the subjects and noise exposure among 46%, more often by men. Interestingly, noise exposure did not seem to associate with hearing levels among subjects screened for ear disease or otological risk factors. The results of the present study suggest that hearing impairment is a highly common condition among older adults and this should be taken into account when future hearing healthcare is planned. Furthermore, it seems that most of the subjects reporting hearing difficulty had no measured hearing impairment according to the criteria applied for eligibility for hearing aid fitting in Finland. Based on the results of the present study, the criteria for hearing impairment entitling persons for hearing aid fitting should be reconsidered. / Tiivistelmä Ikäkuulo on yleisin aikuisten kuulovian aiheuttaja, ja aikuisiän kuulovika on merkittävä terveydellinen haittatekijä. Kehittyneiden maiden ikäjakauman painottuessa vanhempiin ikäluokkiin aikuisten kuulovioista tulee merkittävä sosioekonominen rasite yhteiskunnille. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää aikuisten kuulovikojen epidemiologiaa ja kuulovikoihin liittyviä tekijöitä. Myös kuulovian vallitsevuus määriteltynä kuulokäyrän tai tutkittavan oman ilmoituksen perusteella selvitettiin. Samoin tutkittiin muita kuulemiseen liittyviä ongelmia, kuten tinnitusta ja ääniyliherkkyyttä. Edelleen arvioitiin erilaisten kuuloon vaikuttavien tekijöiden, kuten korvasairauksien, muiden kuulovian riskitekijöiden ja melulle altistumisen, vallitsevuutta väestössä sekä niiden assosiaatiota kuulemiseen. Näiden lisäksi tutkittiin kuulokäyrien muotoja ja niiden yhteyttä tutkittavan ilmoittamaan kuulo-ongelmaan. Tutkittavat valittiin satunnaisesti väestörekisteristä. He täyttivät laajan kyselylomakkeen, heidän korvansa tutkittiin lääkärin vastaanotolla ja lisäksi heille tehtiin kuulotutkimukset. Tutkimukseen osallistui 850 55–66-vuotiasta henkilöä. Tutkimus osoitti, että kuulovika on tässä ikäryhmässä hyvin yleinen löydös ja miehillä yleisempi kuin naisilla. Tutkittavan ilmoittama kuulovika ennusti mitattujen kuulokynnysten heikkenemistä korkeilla taajuuksilla (4–8 kHz). Samoin korkeille taajuuksille laskeva kuulokäyrän muoto oli yleisin. Erilaisia kuulovian riskitekijöitä raportoi 18.4 % tutkittavista. Tämän lisäksi 46 % kertoi merkittävästä altistumisesta melulle, miehet naisia useammin. Yllättäen melualtistumisella ei näyttänyt olevan yhteyttä kuulokynnyksiin siinä ryhmässä tutkittavia, joilla ei ollut korvaperäisiä riskitekijöitä kuulovialle. Tutkimustulokset osoittavat, että kuulovika on hyvin yleinen löydös tämän ikäisillä aikuisilla. Vanhenevat ikäluokat ovat merkittävä haaste kuulonhuollolle, ja tämä olisi otettava huomioon päätettäessä kuulonhuollon rahoituksesta. Useat niistä aikuisista, jotka kokivat kuulo-ongelmia, eivät kuulokäyrälöydöksensä mukaan täyttäneet Suomessa käytössä olevia kriteereitä kuulokojesovitukselle. Tämän tutkimuksen perusteella näyttääkin siltä, että kuntoutustarvetta arvioitaessa kuulovian kriteereitä tulisi kansallisesti tarkistaa ottamalla huomioon myös huonomman korvan kuulokynnykset sekä kuulon alenema korkeilla taajuuksilla.

Background Drug use has increased over recent decades, and is especially great among women and among people with mental health problems. To take advantage of the full potential of drugs and to avoid drug-related problems, drug prescription needs to be correct and the drugs need to be taken according to the prescribed regimens. Research on drug utilization is thus important to the public health. Aim To study the influence of gender and depression on drug utilization, prescription of drugs and self-reported use of drugs, i.e. adherence. Methods The thesis included two population-based questionnaires and data from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register (SPDR) covering Swedish citizens 18-84 years. The questionnaire in Study I and II included items on prescription drug use and adherence to treatment regimens; Study II also included the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) for self-estimation of anxiety/depression. The questionnaire in Study III included the HADS and data from the SPDR on prescribed antidepressants. Study IV included data from the SPDR on all types of prescribed drugs. Results Men and women differed in non-adherent behaviours and reasons for non-adherence, for example, men were more likely to report forgetting to take the drug, while women were more likely to report adverse drug reactions (ADRs) as a reason for non-adherence. Further, both anxiety and depression were associated with non-adherence and with ADRs as a reason for non-adherence. In addition, men reported depression to a greater extent than women did but used antidepressants to a lesser extent, while women used antidepressants without reporting depression more often than men did, which may be a sign of under-treatment among men and over-treatment among women. Moreover, the associations between antidepressants and other types of drugs differed by gender; they were often specific, or stronger, in women than in men, which may be a sign of a gender difference in comorbidity between depression and other conditions. Conclusions Although the cross-sectional study design prevented confirmation of causality, the thesis found that gender and depression influence both prescription of drugs and adherence, and are thus important to pay attention to in clinical practice as well as research.

Introduction: Crime victimization is a problem affecting both individuals and societies. Previous research has looked at the associations between victimization and other factors, and many countries employ self-reported victimization surveys to establish what the victimization patterns look like at different societal levels. Aims: By examining victimization proportions and patterns, this study aimed to further the understanding of what the crime victimization problem looks like in a medium-sized Swedish city. Method: 149 men and 146 women, for a total of 295 inhabitants of Sundsvall, answered self-reported victimization surveys based on the Swedish Crime Survey. The gathered data was subsequently quantified and analyzed. Results: In total, 11.9 % of the sample reported some type of victimization. Overall, men were more likely to be victimized than women, and crimes against persons were more common than crimes against property. Occupation and socio-economic status were significantly associated with victimization. More than half of the victimizations were not reported to the police, and victimization was significantly associated with a lower trust in the criminal justice system and the police. Conclusion: Medium-sized cities like Sundsvall seem to have considerably lower proportions of victimization than the counties, regions and nation as a whole. The rates of reporting and patterns of victimization found, however, are in accord with findings on other societal levels and could to some extent be explained through the principles of the routine activities/lifestyle theory. / <p>2017-06-01</p>

abstract: This two-study investigation examined the social behavior competencies of a sample of students ages 8 to 18 who identified themselves as either bullies or non-bullies based on ratings of items on a comprehensive behavior rating scale. Specifically, the purpose of Study 1 was to establish criteria using the Social Skills Improvement System – Student Rating Scale (SSIS-S) to identify students from a nationally representative standardization sample who displayed high frequencies of bullying behaviors. The social behavior ratings for these self-identified bullies were then compared with all other students in the national sample and analyzed to determine differences among various domains of social skills and problem behaviors. In Study 2, the same students’ social behaviors were rated by adult informants to determine if there was added value in including parents and teachers in the assessment of the self-identified bullies. Finally, the extent of concurrent agreement was examined for all students among the teachers, parents, and students’ ratings of social skills and problem behavior domains. Study 1 revealed that self-identified bullies are not a homogeneous group. The main findings from Study 2 showed parents and teachers may add to the overall predictive validity of the student self-report assessment, but not the accuracy of classifying the students as bullies. Study 2 showed differences and similarities exist across the ratings provided by each rater. The relative value of including adult reports in the self-assessment likely lies in the reported differences from each rater, as they provide a more complete social behavior profile for each student. These findings are discussed in terms of existing research and theories regarding children and youths’ bullying behavior. Limitations and recommendations for future research conclude the report. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Family and Human Development 2020

Social desirability refers to the need for social approval or acceptance (Toh, Lee, & Hu, 2006). This need results in the oft-observed human tendency to present oneself in the best possible light (Fisher, 1993), a tendency that may entail research participants giving or selecting the responses that they perceive to be most socially acceptable when completing self-report questionnaires. Whether the product of self-deception or deliberate impression management (Toh et al., 2006), the failure of participants to respond truthfully or accurately when completing self-reports can distort research results (Fisher, 1993; Schriesheim, 1979; Toh et al., 2006) and cast doubt on the validity of findings. This workshop will familiarize attendees with information on the causes of social desirability bias and simple techniques to assess and control social desirability bias in survey research.

In recent years, more and more people have realized that emotion can affect their daily life in a certain extent. However, it is not easy to measure the emotion in a precise way. In this paper, we aim to extend the Sensual Evaluation Instrument to improve the self-report quality of emotion. The purpose of this instrument is to obtain as much information as possible about people’s emotion, which contributes to make self-report more precisely. It will be used to detect participants' emotion information while they interacting with computer games. This instrument measures skin conductivity, pressure and movement data with touch sensors, force sensors and accelerometer. The activation area has been implemented in three ways: one is using RFID technology; the other two are using high performance LEDs and light sensors. All of the data which are collected from sensors will be transmitted to an Android phone via Bluetooth so that the designer can gather the information in real time. To make it more intuitive and user friendly, the data will be displayed as a plot on the mobile phone. To implement this project, the instrument was built with Arduino Pro Mini with sensors embedded, data were collected successfully. An application is developed on Android platform 2.1 to receive and display data. A testing process was used to evaluate the working performance, which followed by some suggestion for the future improvement.