Psychometric properties of the Psychosocial Risk Evaluation Battery for medium and small companies

The assessment of the presence and intensity of psychosocial risks is constant in research into Work Psychopathology. Many questionnaires and diagnosis systems are partial or else there is no standardization process or reliability and validity study. The main purpose of this work is to present the psychometric data of a multidimensional system to assess psychosocial risks, elaborated conjointly by the Universitat of Barcelona and the MC Mutual. This battery assesses companies, using information from the prevention technicians, the directive staff and the workers. With the diverse types of information, a triangulation proposal is established to offer a psychosocial risk profile linked to the evaluation needs.     

Discriminant validity of the ZKPQ in a sample meeting BPD diagnosis vs. normal-range controls

Widiger and Simonsen (2005) state that given the limitations of the categorical model of Personality Disorders classification proposals are to be expected for dimensional classifications. The purpose of this paper is to test the alternative five factorial model (AFFM) of personality in a sample with PDs. Subjects were administered the ZKPQ to test the discriminant capacity of the AFFM in classifying subjects diagnosed with BPD (n = 74) vs normal-range controls (n = 148) paired by age and sex, and identifying sensitive and/or specific dimensions that can be of help in diagnosing BPD. The results showed that high scores on N-Anx and Imp-SS, and low scores on Act are prognostic factors for being diagnosed with BPD. Likewise, this model correctly classified 88% of subjects with a kappa index of 0.73. The AFFM of personality appears to have a substantial power for predicting SCID-II interview-based BPD diagnosis.     

Does subjective well-being show a relationship between parents and their children?

The relationship between the subjective well-being of parents and their own 12–16-year-old children was explored in a Spanish sample of N = 266 families. A positive relationship was expected due to both a shared environment and the possibility of the genetic transmission of subjective well-being ‘set-points’. A positive significant relationship was found for the summated scale of satisfaction domains forming the Personal Well-being Index, and for the specific domains of health and security for the future. However, no relationship was found for the other five domains that make up this Index or for satisfaction with life as a whole. We conclude while these results provide some evidence for the expected influence of a shared environment, they have failed to provide evidence for high heritability of set-points for subjective well-being.     

Why is violent crime so common in the Americas?

Violent crimes, including murders, rapes, and assaults are substantially higher in the Americas than other regions of the world. This study investigated the role of single parenthood ratios in accounting for this regional variation in violent crime of 39 countries using INTERPOL data. It pitted the prediction of parental investment (calling for a delayed relationship between single parenthood and crime) against a mating aggression hypothesis that predicted a contemporaneous effect. Regression analyses found that current single parenthood ratios were strongly and consistently predictive of violent crimes whereas single parenthood ratios 18 years earlier were not and this conclusion remained following controls for income inequality and the population sex ratio. The results indicate that the regional difference in violent crime is best explained in terms of mating competition rather than reduced parental investment. Aggr. Behav. 32:1–9, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Social networking site use: Linked to adolescents' social self‐concept,self‐esteem,and depressed mood

Adolescents spend a substantial amount of time using social networking sites (SNSs); however, little is known regarding whether such use is associated with indicators of adjustment. The present study employed a multidimensional measure of SNS use to investigate the link between Australian adolescent SNS use and indicators of adjustment. Youth (N = 1,819, 55% female) from 34 diverse high schools across Western Australia were surveyed. The results showed that frequency of SNS use was linked to higher social self‐concept while investment in SNSs was associated with lower self‐esteem and higher depressed mood. Furthermore, having an SNS was linked to more negative indicators for female adolescents compared with male adolescents, although the link between frequency of use and investment in SNSs to indicators of adjustment was not moderated by gender. The present study highlights the complexity of the relationship between adolescent SNS use and indicators of adjustment, and offers insight into the diverse types of adolescent use of SNSs.     

Multimodal encoding in a simplified model of intracellular calcium signaling

Many cells use calcium signaling to carry information from the extracellular side of the plasma membrane to targets in their interior. Since virtually all cells employ a network of biochemical reactions for Ca²⁺ signaling, much effort has been devoted to understand the functional role of Ca²⁺ responses and to decipher how their complex dynamics is regulated by the biochemical network of Ca²⁺-related signal transduction pathways. Experimental observations show that Ca²⁺ signals in response to external stimuli encode information via frequency modulation (FM) or alternatively via amplitude modulation (AM). Although minimal models can capture separately both types of dynamics, they fail to exhibit different and more advanced encoding modes. By arguments of bifurcation theory, we propose instead that under some biophysical conditions more complex modes of information encoding can also be manifested by minimal models. We consider the minimal model of Li and Rinzel and show that information encoding can occur by AM of Ca²⁺ oscillations, by FM or by both modes (AFM). Our work is motivated by calcium signaling in astrocytes, the predominant type of cortical glial cells that is nowadays recognized to play a crucial role in the regulation of neuronal activity and information processing of the brain. We explain that our results can be crucial for a better understanding of synaptic information transfer. Furthermore, our results might also be important for better insight on other examples of physiological processes regulated by Ca²⁺ signaling.     

Multimodal encoding in a simplified model of intracellular calcium signaling

Many cells use calcium signaling to carry information from the extracellular side of the plasma membrane to targets in their interior. Since virtually all cells employ a network of biochemical reactions for Ca²⁺ signaling, much effort has been devoted to understand the functional role of Ca²⁺ responses and to decipher how their complex dynamics is regulated by the biochemical network of Ca²⁺-related signal transduction pathways. Experimental observations show that Ca²⁺ signals in response to external stimuli encode information via frequency modulation (FM) or alternatively via amplitude modulation (AM). Although minimal models can capture separately both types of dynamics, they fail to exhibit different and more advanced encoding modes. By arguments of bifurcation theory, we propose instead that under some biophysical conditions more complex modes of information encoding can also be manifested by minimal models. We consider the minimal model of Li and Rinzel and show that information encoding can occur by AM of Ca²⁺ oscillations, by FM or by both modes (AFM). Our work is motivated by calcium signaling in astrocytes, the predominant type of cortical glial cells that is nowadays recognized to play a crucial role in the regulation of neuronal activity and information processing of the brain. We explain that our results can be crucial for a better understanding of synaptic information transfer. Furthermore, our results might also be important for better insight on other examples of physiological processes regulated by Ca²⁺ signaling.     

Thinking about the past,present, and future: Time perspective and self-esteem in adolescents,young adults,middle-aged adults,and older adults

We examined time perspective and self-esteem in adolescents, young adults, middle-aged adults, and older adults. Time perspective was measured with scales that assess relative orientations and relationships among the past, present, and future. Age effects were examined with standard analytic strategies to determine categorical differences between age groups and with new statistical techniques designed to show continuous age patterns. Findings indicated that (1) thinking about the future was greatest for adolescents and young adults and lowest for middle-aged and older adults, and thinking about the present increased across ages; (2) fewer adolescents and middle-aged participants perceived that the time periods were interrelated compared to younger and older adults; and (3) across ages, a greater emphasis towards the past compared to other time periods was associated with lower self-esteem, whereas emphasizing the present and the future jointly was associated with higher self-esteem.     

Long-term influence of divorce and single parenting on adolescent family- and work-related values, behaviors, and aspirations.

Following a summary of the relevant divorce research, this article examines possible long-term influences of both divorce and living with a single mother on the development of adolescents' values and plans. We examine how divorce affects children both directly and indirectly through its impact on the mother's resources, attitudes, and socialization goals. Particular focus is placed on those aspects of family interaction that impact on identity formation as it is linked to educational and occupational goals and to gender-role related behaviors associated with marriage, family, and job plans. Possible benefits as well as potential costs of living with a single mother are discussed.