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Does psychomotor sensitivity to alcohol predict subsequent alcohol use?

Data from 42 male and 58 female subjects who participated in the Colorado Alcohol Research on Twins and Adoptees (CARTA) project were subjected to model-fitting analyses. The aim of the present study was to use linear structural equation models to determine whether differences in previously measured psychomotor sensitivity to alcohol predict differences in self-reported alcohol consumption over a 4-year period. LISREL model-fitting results indicate that, for male subjects, only rail walking insensitivity is predictive of alcohol use reported 2 years after their initial CARTA testing. For females, only hand steadiness sensitivity is predictive of alcohol use reported 2 years after their initial CARTA testing. The results for males support a hypothesis that would consider alcohol insensitive individuals at greater risk for alcohol abuse. The female results, however, would argue against such a hypothesis. With only one measure of sensitivity predicting alcohol use at only one out of four time points, in both men and women, the overall results suggest that our three measures of psychomotor sensitivity to alcohol are, in general, poor predictors of alcohol consumption in this sample.

Adult↗

A structural model for predicting mathematics achievement: its relation with anxiety and self-concept in mathematics.

This study proposed and tested a model of mathematics achievement and its relations to antecedent and subsequent factors using structural equations modeling. A sample of elementary school students in Al-Ain school district (n = 394) completed an Arabic version of the Self-description Questionnaire as well as a questionnaire measuring their perception of the importance of mathematics, anxiety about it, and the amount of effort they exerted in studying. Mathematics grades were obtained from the official school records. Importance and effort were positively related to achievement which in turn had a positive path coefficient to self-concept and a negative path to anxiety. The hypothesized model explained 40%, 64%, and 73% of the variance in achievement, self-concept, and anxiety, respectively. The results can be interpreted as indicating that achievement is an important outcome and antecedent construct within the proposed model.

Achievement↗

Health downturns and predictors of suicidal ideation: an application of the Baumeister model.

Suicidal thoughts and attempts have been studied from a number of perspectives, but only recently has an attempt been made to incorporate many different psychological perspectives into one framework. Baumeister (1990) has integrated personality and social psychological perspectives into one sequential model, moving from instigating events to a final stage of suicidal thoughts. Employing a sample of older adult subjects undergoing the stresses of a recent health downturn, this study tested a four-stage model of suicidal ideation based on many of the components proposed by Baumeister. Structural equation modeling achieved a good fit to the data. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of including life events, particularly poor health, and cognitive variables such as confusions in thinking, in understanding suicidal ideation.

Aged↗

A structural modeling analysis of anxiety and depression in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery: a model generating approach.

The present study is a longitudinal study designed to explore structural relationships between anxiety, depression, personality, and background factors (e.g., gender, age, and complicated medical characteristics) in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. At two timepoints before and two after CABG, 217 patients completed self-report questionnaires. To explore structural relationships, the structural equation modeling (SEM) method was applied. Using the model-generating approach, a model was developed, providing a good fit. The structural relationships revealed, in particular, the key position of neuroticism, which was related to both pre- and postoperative anxiety and depression. Relationships between anxiety and depression over time, both intra- and interrelationships, were relatively weak. Relationships between anxiety and depression at the same points in time were relatively strong, with preoperative depression leading to preoperative anxiety, and postoperative anxiety leading to postoperative depression. To provide a useful framework for development of intervention strategies, further research is needed to evaluate the plausibility of the final structural model.

Adult↗

Structural modeling of mixed longitudinal and cross-sectional data.

In this paper we describe some mathematical and statistical models for dealing with changes over age. We concentrate specifically on the use of a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach (using computer programs like LISREL) to deal with issues of: (1) group differences in regression parameters, (2) differences in longitudinal and cross-sectional results, (3) differences due to longitudinal attrition, and (4) mixtures of these problems. To illustrate these ideas we use data from a previous study of hypertension and intellectual abilities (from Schultz, Elias, Robbins, Streeten, and Blakeman, 1986).

Adult↗

Neural modeling, functional brain imaging, and cognition.

The richness and complexity of data sets acquired from PET or fMRI studies of human cognition have not been exploited until recently by computational neural-modeling methods. In this article, two neural-modeling approaches for use with functional brain imaging data are described. One, which uses structural equation modeling, estimates the functional strengths of the anatomical connections between various brain regions during specific cognitive tasks. The second employs large-scale neural modeling to relate functional neuroimaging signals in multiple, interconnected brain regions to the underlying neurobiological time-varying activities in each region. Delayed match-to-sample (visual working memory for form) tasks are used to illustrate these models.

Journal Article↗

The influence of posttreatment mutual help group participation on the friendship networks of substance abuse patients.

The effect of 12-step mutual help groups (e.g., Narcotics Anonymous) on members' friendship networks has received little attention. This 1-year longitudinal study examined such effects in a sample of 2,337 male substance abuse inpatients, 57.7% of whom became significantly involved in 12-step activities (e.g., reading program literature, attending meetings) after treatment. An a priori model of the interplay of 12-step involvement) and friendship networks was tested using structural equation modeling, and found to have excellent fit to the data. Twelve-step group involvement after treatment predicted better general friendship characteristics (e.g., number of close friends) and substance abuse-specific friendship characteristics (e.g., proportion of friends who abstain from drugs and alcohol) at follow-up. Results are discussed in terms of how mutual help group involvement benefits patients and how the self-help group evaluation paradigm should be broadened.

Adult↗

Nurses' representations of the positive and negative features of nursing.

Nurses' representations of their work are defined as their cognitive 'work spaces', a theoretical concept derived from Newell & Simon's (1977) problem-solving model and Lewin's (1935) concept of interacting positive and negative valences. Using a structural equation modelling technique, a network of positive and negative features in nurses' work spaces is described in patterns of response to a questionnaire eliciting nurses' ratings of their professional opportunities and difficulties. The modelling technique revealed the dominance of positive over negative features, and the overall significance of social recognition for encouraging nurses to remain in nursing. Comparative analyses revealed that dominant features of work space representations did not differ for nurses from four city and country hospitals, nor in relation to positions in the nursing hierarchy. The importance of understanding the perceptions of nurses is discussed in relation to changes and development in nursing as a profession.

Adult↗

The social class determinants of income inequality and social cohesion.

The authors argue that Wilkinson's model omits important variables (social class) that make it vulnerable to biases due to model mis-specification. Furthermore, the culture of inequality hypothesis unnecessarily "psychopathologizes" the relatively deprived while omitting social determinants of disease related to production (environmental and occupational hazards) and the capacity of the relatively deprived for collective action. In addition, the hypothesis that being "disrespected" is a fundamental determinant of violence has already been refuted. Shying away from social mechanisms such as exploitation, workplace domination, or classist ideology might avoid conflict but reduce the income inequality model to a set of useful, but simple and wanting associations. Using a nonrecursive structural equation model that tests for reciprocal effects, the authors show that working-class position is negatively associated with social cohesion but positively associated with union membership. Thus, current indicators of social cohesion use middle-class standards for collective action that working-class communities are unlikely to meet. An erroneous characterization of working-class communities as noncohesive could be used to justify paternalistic or punitive social policies. These criticisms should not detract from an acknowledgment of Wilkinson's investigations as a leading empirical contribution to reviving social epidemiology at the end of the century.

Authoritarianism↗

Modeling incomplete longitudinal and cross-sectional data using latent growth structural models.

In this paper we describe some mathematical and statistical models for identifying and dealing with changes over age. We concentrate specifically on the use of a latent growth structural equation model approach to deal with issues of: (1) latent growth models of change, (2) differences in longitudinal and cross-sectional results, and (3) differences due to longitudinal attrition. This is a methodological paper using simulated data, but we base our models on practical and conceptual principles of modeling change in developmental psychology. Our results illustrate both benefits and limitations using structural models to analyze incomplete longitudinal data.

Aging↗

A model of war zone stressors and posttraumatic stress disorder.

We present a theoretical model of field placement, war zone stressors (fighting, death and injury of others, threat of death or injury to oneself, killing others, participating in atrocities, harsh physical conditions and insufficiency of resources in the environment) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Theater veterans from the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study were divided randomly into two subsamples of 599 each. The model was developed on the first subsample and cross-validated on the second using structural equation modeling. The model provides a theoretically and empirically satisfactory description of the anatomy of war zone stressors and their role in the etiology of PTSD, but it leaves unanswered important questions regarding the etiological role of insufficiency of resources in the environment.

Adult↗

The effects of positive and negative social exchanges on aging adults.

This study tested various models of the effects of positive and negative exchanges on positive and negative affect using structural equation modeling. Based on a probability sample of middle-aged and older adults, the relationships between social exchanges and psychological well-being were examined both within the total sample and within subgroups of individuals who had experienced few vs many life events. Within the general population, the Domain Specific Model resulted in the best fit. That is, positive exchanges were associated with positive affect, and negative exchanges were associated with negative affect. However, among the subgroup that had experienced more life events, there was a significantly stronger relationship between negative exchanges and negative affect. These findings suggest that, to understand the effects of social exchanges, it is important to consider the context of life events.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

A causal model for physician utilization: analysis of Norwegian data.

This article contains a causal model for physician utilization in Norway. The model relates enabling factors, predisposing factors, and perceived illness to physician utilization in a linear structural equation model. Our aim has been to study the effect of variables other than perceived illness on physician utilization. The results of the analysis indicate that the number of disability days because of illness and psychologic well-being are almost exclusively the only important variables in the explanation of physician utilization in Norway.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗

Linking retirement experiences and marital satisfaction: a mediational model.

The authors propose and test a mediational model linking the experience of retirement with marital satisfaction. The experience of retirement (financial strain, time structure, a sense of purposefulness, and interpersonal contacts) is held to predict marital satisfaction indirectly through its sequential effects on context-specific well-being (retirement-specific satisfaction with health, activities, and peers) and context-free well-being (depressive symptoms). Both this model and a revised model in which retirement satisfaction also exerted a direct effect on marital satisfaction were supported using structural equation modeling on data from 164 retirees (mean age = 69 years). An alternative model in which depressive symptoms assume a predictive rather than mediational role was not supported; cross-lagged regression analyses excluded the possibility that marital dissatisfaction resulted in depressive symptoms. The conceptual and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Aged↗

The measurement structure of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale.

This study examined the temporal stability of the measurement structure of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D; Radloff, 1977) in 813 individuals with rheumatoid arthritis. Participants completed the CES-D (Radloff, 1977) on three occasions 1 year apart. Structural equation models and polyserial correlations were used to address methodological limitations of previous studies. Four competing measurement structures were tested with one factor, three factors, four factors, and a single second-order factor underlying the four-factor model. The four-factor and the second-order-factor models provided the best fit at Time 1. When cross-validated at Times 2 and 3, the four-factor and the second-order-factor models remained invariant. Researchers can now more confidently use the CES-D to examine how distress changes in chronic physical disorders.

Affect↗

Sexual risk behavior among youth: modeling the influence of prosocial activities and socioeconomic factors.

Sexual activity among high-school-aged youths has steadily increased since the 1970s, emerging as a significant public health concern. Yet, patterns of youth sexual risk behavior are shaped by social class, race, and gender. Based on sociological theories of financial deprivation and collective socialization, we develop and test a model of the relationships among neighborhood poverty; family structure and social class position; parental involvement; prosocial activities; race; and gender as they predict youth sexual risk behavior. We employ structural equation modeling to test this model on a cross-sectional sample of 370 sexually active high-school students from a midwestern city; 57 percent (n = 209) are males and 86 percent are African American. We find that family structure indirectly predicts sexual risk behavior through neighborhood poverty, parental involvement, and prosocial activities. In addition, family class position indirectly predicts sexual risk behavior through neighborhood poverty and prosocial activities. We address implications for theory and health promotion.

Adolescent↗

Leader behavior impact on staff nurse empowerment, job tension, and work effectiveness.

OBJECTIVE: The authors tested a model linking specific leader-empowering behaviors to staff nurse perceptions of workplace empowerment, occupational stress, and work effectiveness in a recently-merged Canadian acute care hospital. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: An integration of Kanter's organizational empowerment theory and Conger and Kunungo's model of the leader empowerment process constituted the theoretical framework for the study. Few published studies were found in which specific leader behaviors were linked empirically to staff nurses' workplace empowerment. METHODS: Staff nurses (n = 537) were surveyed shortly after a merger of two large tertiary hospitals. Structural equation modeling techniques were used to test the proposed model. RESULTS: Leader-empowering behaviors significantly influenced employees perceptions of formal and informal power and access to empowerment structures (information support, resources, and opportunity). Higher perceived access to empowerment structures predicted lower levels of job tension and increased work effectiveness. The amount of explained variance in the final model was 42%. CONCLUSIONS: Support for the model tested in this study highlights the importance of nurse managers' leadership behaviors within current turbulent healthcare organizations.

Adult↗

The effects of demographic factors, family background, and early job achievement on age at marriage.

National data for ever-married men age 20 to 65 in March 1973 are utilized to estimate least squares and log-linear structural equation models of age at marriage. We demonstrate that most characteristics of family background (including both the family structure and its socioeconomic standing) are irrelevant in their effect on age at marriage. Intercohort trends are not explicable with reference to the changing socioeconomic, ethnic, or nativity compositions of the cohorts. Regional differences in age at marriage have persisted over the years in only slightly diminished form and cannot be explained by reference to the nativity, ethnic, or socioeconomic compositions of the regions. Early job status relates only weakly to age at marriage. Only those activities that are time-consuming or otherwise disruptive of the smooth operation of normal life-cycle processes during the transition from adolescence to adulthood (such as college attendance and service in the military) seriously affect the age at which a man marries.

Achievement↗