Although the diagnosis of strabismus requires specialist examination, many individuals are aware that they are affected. It is thus possible that self-reporting could be sufficient for population or genetic studies of strabismus; however, the accuracy of self-reported strabismus has not previously been evaluated. In this study, participants in the Genetics of Comitant Congenital Strabismus (CCS) Study were asked to report whether they had strabismus prior to receiving a complete orthoptic evaluation. In 671 individuals studied, the sensitivity of self-report for detecting true CCS was 48.5%, with a specificity of 98.6%, giving a PPV of 92.6% (NPV 84.5%). Self-reporting accuracy was influenced by the direction, size and constancy of the deviation, and by sex but not education. Self-reports produced a misclassification rate of 14.5% for CCS alone and 33.1% for combined CCS or strabismus-associated conditions. Considering this high misclassification rate, self-report should not be used for clinical studies of strabismus.

The aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically assess an instrument to measure senior baccalaureate nursing student self-efficacy related to meeting entry level competencies required on acceptance to the nursing profession. The theoretical foundation of this study is social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986). Social cognitive theory includes the construct of self-efficacy. The foundation of social cognitive theory guides the selection of study variables, the study design and the interpretation of the study findings. The conceptual framework for this study is The Health System and Health Human Resources (HHR) Planning Framework (O’Brien-Pallas & Tomblin Murphy, 2006). The framework links important elements in health human services and workforce planning to the self-efficacy of future registered nurses in relation to meeting expected professional competencies. A twenty-two item, likert type measurement instrument entitled the Nursing Competence Self- Efficacy Scale (NCSES) was developed and validated by experts in nursing research and practice and in consultation with experts in instrument development and psychometric assessment. Nursing experts (n=8) participated in a two-step validation process consisting of two independent reviews of the instrument, before it was administered to senior baccalaureate nursing students (N=253). The NCSES has demonstrated evidence of internal consistency reliability, test-retest stability reliability, content validity, construct validity and contrasting group validity. This is the first study to develop and assess a scale to measure senior baccalaureate nursing students’ self-efficacy for competent nursing practice. It contributes a practical 22 item instrument to evaluate senior baccalaureate nursing students’ self-efficacy for nursing competence.

No description available.

No description available.

Markus och Kitayama definierar oberoende jag som ett jag som är självständig och separat från andra individer. Kollektivt jag definieras som ett sammankopplat till andra individer. Syftet med studien var att undersöka vilka upplevelser kring identitet som en person med invandrarbakgrund har. Målet var även att undersöka vad som påverkade individens upplevelser kring identiteten. Åtta intervjuer genomfördes genom chat, där deltagarnas ålder varierade mellan 20-46 år. Deltagarnas bakgrund varierade även, och samtliga deltagare var födda i ett annat land än Sverige. Resultat visade att deltagarna kunde vara både flexibla och rigida i sina identiteter beroende på situationen. Deltagarna upplevde flexibilitet i den praktiska dimensionen som definierar det sociala livet. Detta innebär att deltagarna kunde anpassa sig efter situationen och upplevde att de kände sig svenska. I den andra sammanhang hade deltagarna svårigheter att anpassa sig efter den svenska kulturen då banden till den egna kulturen var starka.

Causal uncertainty refers to the lack of confidence in one’s ability to understand causal relations in the social world (Weary & Edwards, 1994). Relative to people with low causal uncertainty, individuals with high causal uncertainty exhibit enhanced self-regulation performance following a social interaction (Jacobson, Papile, Passey, & Boucher, 2006). The current studies investigated the potential mechanisms underlying this relationship, and the role of self-esteem. Study 1 investigated whether the social or nonsocial nature of the depleting task and expectations about the need for future self-control could account for the relationship between causal uncertainty and self-regulation (N = 181). For the social task, high causally uncertain participants’ self-regulation performance was consistent across expectations for future self-control regardless of participant self-esteem. In contrast, low causally uncertain participants’ performance improved with increasing instructions to conserve energy for future tasks but only for participants with lower self-esteem. For low causally uncertain participants with higher self-esteem, self-regulation performance decreased with increased expectations for future self-control. In the nonsocial condition, the findings did not differ by self-esteem. Learning that the future task involved self-control and that the initial task was depleting were both associated with increases in self-regulation for high causally uncertain participants. In contrast, self-regulation abilities did not differ for low causally uncertain participants upon learning that the future task involved self-control and marginally decreased when they learned that the initial task was depleting. Study 2 examined whether or not self-presentation could account for the relationship between causal uncertainty and self-regulation abilities (N = 88). Higher causal uncertainty was associated with better self-regulation performance, but self-presentation goals did not moderate this relationship. Self-esteem did not influence self-regulation performance in this study. Study 3 investigated whether or not an accuracy goal could account for the relationship between causal uncertainty and self-regulation abilities (N = 112). For participants with lower self-esteem, high causally uncertain participants’ self-regulation performance was consistent regardless of the goal manipulation; whereas low causally uncertain participants’ performance improved with instructions to create accurate impressions of their partner. In contrast, for participants with higher self-esteem, self-regulation did not differ by causal uncertainty or goal conditions. / Thesis (Ph.D, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2009-08-28 14:40:08.139

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No description available.

The three reported articles examine self-mutilation (SM) in a community sample of adolescents. First, the frequency of the behavior, gender differences and self-mutilative practices were examined. In addition, two models of self-mutilation, the anxiety reduction model and hostility model were explored in order to gain preliminary information regarding possible etiological factors in the manifestation of self-mutilation. Finally, other related maladaptive behaviors such as depressive symptomatology and eating pathology were also investigated. Four hundred and forty students from two schools, an urban and a suburban high school were given a screening measure designed to assess for SM. Students who indicated that they hurt themselves on purpose also participated in a follow-up interview. Based on interviews it was found that 13.9% of all students reported having engaged in SM behavior on at least one occasion. Girls reported significantly higher rates of SM than boys. Self-cutting was found to be the most common type of SM, followed by self-hitting, pinching, scratching and biting. In terms of support for the models, students who SM reported significantly more anxiety and more intropunitive and extrapunitive hostility relative to students who did not SM. In addition, prior to self-mutilating, feelings of both hostility and anxiety were described. Findings lend support to the hostility model of self-mutilation. Finally, greater depressive symptomatology and eating pathology were reported by students who SM. Results are discussed with reference to the anxiety reduction model and the hostility model of SM.

The purpose of this study was to develop, implement and evaluate a self-evaluation instrument that students would be able to use to assess their metacognitive awareness of volleyball skill and knowledge. The Self Evaluation in Volleyball Questionnaire (SEV) was designed to include a series of self-evaluation items within the five areas identified in a knowledge-based approach to skill acquisition; namely: procedural, declarative, affective, metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive skill. / The reliability, face and content validity of the SEV were found to be very acceptable. The scores on the SEV show that the questionnaire was easily understood by the students, but the students found certain sections were more difficult to answer. Students were categorized by their teacher into top, middle and bottom skill groups. Analysis of variance procedures showed that there were significant differences in SEV scores due to skill level, which demonstrated the value and the sensitivity of the SEV in differentiating such skill levels. Even though this was a descriptive study, it was also shown that the instructional programme did have a positive effect on the students' SEV scores.