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Douglas J Brown

Publications and source records attributed to Douglas J Brown.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Proactive personality and the successful job search: a field investigation with college graduates.

The current article tests a model of proactive personality and job search success with a sample of 180 graduating college students. Using structural equation modeling, the authors tested a theoretical model that specified the relations among proactive personality, job search self-efficacy, job search behaviors, job search effort, and job search outcomes. Job seekers were surveyed at 2 separate points in time, once 3-4 months prior to graduation and once 2-3 months following graduation. The results suggest that proactive personality (a) significantly influenced the success of college graduates' job search, (b) was partially mediated through job search self-efficacy and job search behavior, and (c) was independent of self-esteem and conscientiousness. The findings are discussed in terms of their general implications for understanding the nature of the process through which distal personality factors, such as proactive personality, affect the nature and success of an individual's job search.

Career Mobility↗
PubMed2005

A longitudinal evaluation of sleep and breathing in the first year after cervical spinal cord injury.

OBJECTIVES: To establish the incidence of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) after acute tetraplegia and to determine the relation between the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) score and the previously postulated predictors of SDB in tetraplegia. DESIGN: Inception cohort. We performed full polysomnography immediately after acute tetraplegia and at 2, 4, 13, 26, and 52 weeks postinjury. Spirometry, maximum inspiratory and expiratory pressures, medication usage, and neck and abdominal girth were also assessed. Preinjury SDB was estimated using the multivariate apnea prediction equation. SETTING: Acute care, subacute care, and community. PARTICIPANTS: Consecutive sample with acute tetraplegia. Thirty subjects (25 men) were initially included. Thirteen completed 12 months of follow-up. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: SDB (AHI score >10 events/h) and respiratory function. RESULTS: Three subjects (10%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2%-28%) had probable SDB before injury. In the first 48 hours after injury, no subject had SDB. At 2 weeks, 60% (95% CI, 26%-88%) had SDB; at 4 weeks, 62% (95% CI, 38%-82%); at 13 weeks, 83% (95% CI, 61%-95%); at 26 weeks, 68% (95% CI, 44%-88%); and at 52 weeks, 62% (95% CI, 32%-86%). No consistent relation was found between the previously postulated predictors and SDB. CONCLUSIONS: SDB is highly prevalent within 4 weeks of acute tetraplegia.

Abdomen↗
PubMed2003

Explaining labor force status following spinal cord injury: the contribution of psychological variables.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relative influence of demographic, injury and psychological characteristics on the labor force status of people living with spinal cord injury. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SUBJECTS: 459 persons who had experienced a traumatic spinal cord injury. All participants were patients of 1 of 2 specialist spinal cord injury services located in south-eastern Australia. METHODS: A survey, administered on average of 11.2 years after their injury, was used to collect the data. The study's main outcome measure was labor force status at the time of survey. Of those invited to participate in the study, 73% agreed to do so. RESULTS: Demographic, injury and psychological variables were found to explain 30% of the variance in the employment criterion: "in the labor force" vs "not in the labor force". Psychological variables contributed significantly to the separation of the 2 labor force groups. CONCLUSION: The inclusion of the selected psychological variables has advanced the understanding of the factors related to return to work following spinal cord injury, however this understanding is still not complete. Future efforts in this field would likely benefit from the inclusion of additional psychological characteristics, as well as environmental factors.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Cystatin C for estimation of glomerular filtration rate in patients with spinal cord injury.

BACKGROUND: Serum creatinine is not a satisfactory marker of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) who have varying degrees of muscle atrophy. In contrast to serum creatinine, serum cystatin C, a 13-kDa protein, is not affected by muscle mass and is therefore potentially a useful marker of GFR in patients with SCI. In addition, cystatin C is not dependent on sex or age and is not secreted by the renal tubule. AIM: We assessed serum cystatin C as a surrogate marker of GFR in SCI patients. METHODS: Cystatin C was analysed using a particle-enhanced immunonephelometric assay (Dade Behring) in serum samples sent for routine measurement of creatinine (64 patients) and creatinine clearance (27 patients) from patients in the Spinal Unit of the Austin Health. We compared these results with serum cystatin C of 57 non-SCI patients who had had a creatinine clearance measurement during the study period. RESULTS: In patients with SCI, the reciprocal of cystatin C had a stronger correlation (r = 0.48, P<0.01) with creatinine clearance than the reciprocal of serum creatinine (r = 0.25, P<0.19). Further, the value of serum creatinine was much lower for a given creatinine clearance in SCI patients than in non-SCI patients; the serum cystatin C concentrations were equivalent. CONCLUSION: The serum cystatin C is a convenient and more reliable surrogate marker of GFR than serum creatinine and will enable early detection of renal impairment. We need to confirm this finding with a larger study, including comparison with an accepted gold standard for GFR.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Identify, protect, restore: emerging issues in approaching children's oral health.

Treating dental caries as an infectious disease requires the clinician to identify risk factors and tooth demineralization as early as possible. This early recognition of risk allows the dentist to implement prevention regimens before significant oral disease becomes apparent. Prevention includes rebalancing the oral environment to its natural state to prevent oral disease progression. Bacterial control, buffering acidic pH, and providing calcium, phosphate, and fluoride all can aid in rebalancing the oral cavity. Rebalancing can protect potential demineralization of tooth structure; it also can repair early lesions. Once cavitation occurs, conservative restoration with biomimetic materials is indicated. This approach dictates identifying and assessing potential caries risk factors early, preventing caries by addressing these primary risk factors, eliminating or minimizing their effects, and restoring teeth with minimally invasive techniques.

Child↗