The perceived vulnerability to disease scale: Cross-cultural measurement invariance and associations with fear of COVID-19 across 16 countries

Using cross-sectional data from N = 4274 young adults across 16 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, we examined the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the perceived vulnerability to disease (PVD) scale and tested the hypothesis that the association between PVD and fear of COVID-19 is stronger under high disease threat [that is, absence of COVID-19 vaccination, living in a country with lower Human Development Index (HDI) or higher COVID-19 mortality]. Results supported a bi-factor Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling model where items loaded on a global PVD factor, and on the sub-factors of Perceived Infectability and Germ Aversion. However, cross-national invariance could only be obtained on the configural level with a reduced version of the PVD scale (PVD-r), suggesting that the concept of PVD may vary across nations. Moreover, higher PVD-r was consistently associated with greater fear of COVID-19 across all levels of disease threat, but this association was especially pronounced among individuals with a COVID-19 vaccine, and in contexts where COVID-19 mortality was high. The present research brought clarity into the dimensionality of the PVD measure, discussed its suitability and limitations for cross-cultural research, and highlighted the pandemic-related conditions under which higher PVD is most likely to go along with psychologically maladaptive outcomes, such as fear of COVID-19.     

Validation of selected MMPI-2 basic and content scales

To investigate whether some of the MMPI-2 basic and/or content scales measure the factor structure represented by the Big-Five, 288 undergraduates (178 women and 110 men), between the ages of 18 and 34 years, were administered MMPI-2 and MARS (Michill Adjective Rating Scale) which measures four factors that are conceptually similar to the first four of the Big-Five. It was hypothesized that (a) three MMPI-2 scales (basicDepression or D, contentAnxiety or ANX, and contentDepression or DEP) would be correlated with MARSUnhappiness; (b) two MMPI-2 scales (basicSocial Introversion or Si and contentSocial Discomfort or SOD) would be correlated with MARSExtraversion; (c) two MMPI-2 scales (contentAnger or ANG and contentType A Behavior or TPA) would be correlated with MARSAssertiveness; and (d) two MMPI-2 scales (contentWork Interference or WRK and supplementaryDominance or DOM) would be correlated with MARSProductive Persistence. Results corroborated the hypothesized relationships between the components of the aforementioned four dyads.     

TEACHING SELF-ADMINSTRATION OF NASOGASTRIC TUBE INSERTION TO AN ADOLESCENT WITH CROHN DISEASE

We examined the effectiveness of simulation training to teach an adolescent male with Crohn disease to self-administer nasogastric tube insertion. Nasogastric tube insertion was taught using simulation training, after which self-insertion skills were assessed. Results across skill components indicated that this subject was able to self-administer insertion of the nasogastric tube.     

Deficient inhibitory control in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

The purpose of this study was to examine two executive control processes — response inhibition and re-engagement of responses after inhibition in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Thirty-three children with ADHD and 22 normal control children of similar age (7 to 11 years) and mean IQ (107) were tested with the change paradigm. ADHD subgroups were defined by the context in which the ADHD symptoms predominated (in the home only; at school only; and in both, i.e., pervasive ADHD). Children with marked oppositional defiant or conduct disorder were excluded. Children with ADHD exhibited deficits in inhibitory control and in response re-engagement. Deficits were greatest in pervasive ADHD and, to a lesser extent, in those with ADHD limited to the school context. ADHD limited to the home context showed the least deficit. These results replicate an earlier study that found deficient inhibitory control in pervasive ADHD and demonstrate that the deficit in ADHD involves a second aspect of executive control.We are grateful to Anne Rhodes and Isobelle Williams for their assistance in the conduct of this research. This research was supported by grants from Health and Welfare Canada and the Medical Research Council of Canada. This paper was prepared with the assistance of Medical Publications, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario.     

Antecedent reinforcement contingencies in the stimulus control of an auditory discrimination

In order to assess possible confounding of discriminative stimulus effects with those produced by the reinforcing stimulus, three groups of four rats each were trained for 45 hr on a variable-interval 1-min reinforcement program. Two groups were run on a multiple variable-interval extinction schedule in which the reinforcement stimulus (S^D) and the nonreinforcement stimulus (S^Δ) were two intensities of a 4-kHz (cps) tone separated by 40 or 10 db. The third group was run on a mixed schedule with a single intensity constantly present. The mixed-schedule animals showed no discrimination of the reinforcement program. Under the multiple schedule, the highest S^Δ rates were obtained after S^D intervals, regardless of the reinforcement availability in the S^D interval. These local rate variations in S^Δ were small in proportion to those produced by the S^D versus S^Δ intensities.     

Changes in straight-ahead eye position during adaptation to wedge prisms

If S is instructed to look straight ahead before adapting to laterally displaced vision, he does so without noticeable error. After adapting, however, in response to the same instruction, he may rotate his eyes as much as 8° toward the the displaced visual target. This is the change in judgment of the direction of gaze which Helmholtz identified in 1867 as an important physiological mechanism in adaptation to prisms. It leads to more accurate reaching behavior by causing S to make a visual judgment that the target is closer to straight ahead than it was when he first looked through the prisms. This type of adaptive change (change in judgment of the direction of gaze, oculomotor change) can be measured either by manual judgments (difference between successive “straight ahead” and “visual target” judgments) or by changes in straight-ahead eye position. It may be described as a parametric adjustment in the oculomotor control system, and is closely analogous to the eye movement which subserves the recovery of binocular fusion in prism vergence.     

Negative affectivity and the reporting of stressful life events

Maddi, Bartone, and Puccetti (1987) and Schroeder and Costa (1984) reported inconsistent findings regarding the impact of negative affectivity (NA; i.e., neuroticism) contaminated life event items on observed life event-illness relationships. Here, unlike the previous studied, such contaminated items were nonjudgmentally identified. Among a sample of managers and professionals, it was found that NA-contaminated items correlated significantly with three measures of well-being (depression, life satisfaction, and physical symptoms) and that uncontaminated items were unassociated with the well-being indicators. Moreover, in two of three cases, the correlations between contaminated items and the well-being measures were significantly different from the correlations between uncontaminated items and the well-being indicators. Therefore, we concluded that prior life event-well-being findings are inflated considerably by the use of NA-contaminated events. Suggestions for future life events research that incorporate the NA construct are detailed.     

Narrative abilities in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and normal peers

A story retelling task was used to assess narrative abilities in 30 boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 30 normally developing boys, matched on age and IQ. Each boy listened to two stories and retold them for another child. Results indicated that the two groups did not differ in their ability to comprehend and extract the main ideas from the stories, but did differ in the production of narratives. Boys with ADHD provided less information overall, and their stories were more poorly organized and less cohesive and contained more inaccuracies. As a result, their stories were often confused and hard to follow. Organization and monitoring of information are functions of executive control. Thus the observed deficits in narrative production in children with ADHD may reflect underlying deficits in executive processes.This work was supported by funds from Health and Welfare Canada (NHRDP) and Medical Research Council of Canada. Portions of this paper were presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Research in Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, Zandvoort, The Netherlands, June 1991. The authors gratefully acknowledge Michael Marriott and Patricia Fulford for their assistance with data collection and two anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments.