1,720,993 research outputs found
A new instrument to describe indicators of well-being in old-old patients with severe dementia – The Vienna List
Full text linkAbstract Background In patients with very severe dementia self-rating of quality of life usually is not possible and appropriate instruments for proxy-ratings are not available. The aim of this project is to develop an instrument of clinical proxy-ratings for this population. Methods Using electronic instruments, physicians and nurses recorded patient behaviour and changes of behaviour over a period of one year. Based on these data a list of 65 items was generated and subsequently allocated to 14 categories. This list was tested in 217 patients (61–105 yrs) with dementia diagnosed according to ICD-10 by both physicians and nurses. The severity of dementia was assessed by means of the Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) and the Brief Cognitive Rating Scale (BCRS). The Spitzer-Index (proxy-rating) was used as a global quality of life measure. Activity of daily living was rated using the Barthel Index. Results A factor analysis of the original 65 items revealed 5 factors (communication, negative affect, bodily contact, aggression, and mobility). By stepwise removing items we obtained satisfactory internal consistencies of the factors both for nurses' and physicians' ratings. The factors were generally unrelated. The validity of the instrument was proven by correlations of the factors communication and mobility with the Brief Cognitive Rating Scale (BCRS) and the Barthel-Index. Conclusion The results demonstrate the reliability and validity of the Vienna List as a proxy rating measurement of quality of life in patients with severe dementia. The psychometric properties of the scale have to be proved in further studies.</p
Health-related quality of life and subjective well-being : A cross-cultural perspective <Research Article>
Full text linkPerspectives regarding the concept of health have changed from a pathogenic to a salutogenic model. The salutogenic approach considers different dimensions of well-being as determinants of health within individuals and societies. The relationship among health, subjective well-being, and the environment is broadly conceptualized within a transactional model of stress and coping, which recognizes the potential influence of the external environment on individual well-being. The salutogenic model stresses the strengths of individuals and their capacity for adjustment; it explains why certain people seem to preserve health and successfully cope with exposure to life stressors from their environment. Sense of coherence is a necessary condition for health and quality of life; it is an overall orientation for viewing the world and interacting with the environment in a comprehensive, manageable, meaningful way. A relationship among sense of coherence, health, and quality of life has been found in various clinical samples, general populations, children, and students. University attendance is regarded as a positive event that provides excellent opportunities for individual development; it represents a critical developmental period for young adults, in which students enter a new social environment, where they must adjust to new social norms and establish new relationships. This experience is also accompanied by multiple and significant changes, stress, and challenges in academic, social, and emotional areas. Sense of coherence is a health-promoting resource that can improve resilience, resulting in a positive state of subjective well-being and quality of life. Research in diverse cultural settings will improve our understanding of health outcomes and the extent in which these outcomes are individually, socially, or culturally determined. This is important toward establishing programs for health promotion and establishing health policies to meet the social and societal conditions in different countries
Health-related quality of life and subjective well-being : A cross-cultural perspective <Research Article>
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Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
PloS one / Internal and External Resources as Determinants of Health and Quality of Life
No full textBackground: The salutogenic model has been established as a health promoting resource that is related to a strong sense of coherence (SOC), positive subjective health and quality of life (QoL). The aim of the study was to compare internal and external resources, life style factors, perceived health and QoL in Japan and Austria and to determine associations among these factors. Methodology and Principal Findings: A survey was conducted in a Japanese (N = 460) and an Austrian (N = 421) student sample using the following self-report health questionnaires: Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-13), Social and Gender Role Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ), SF-12 Health Survey, and the Cross-cultural Health Survey. Analyses of data showed that age (ß -0.12), and stress (ß -0.21) were negatively related and SOC (ß 0.47), family support are (ß -0.35) positively related to mental QoL. Significant predictors for emotional strain, were female gender (ß -0.24), older age (ß-0.14), lower SOC (ß 0.28), less traditional gender and social role patterns (ß 0.10), more restrained eating (ß -0.20), more alcohol intake (ß -0.16), and more stress (ß -0.25) explaining 42% of the variance in Austrian students. In Japan stress (ß -0.38) was negatively related and SOC (ß 0.37) positively related to mental QoL. Older age (ß -0.20), lower SOC (ß 0.29) and more stress (ß -0.33) were identified as significant predictors explaining 35% of the variance in Japanese students. Conclusions and Significance: SOC and stress are strongly associated with QoL and perceived health in Austria as well as in Japan. SOC seems to be a crucial predictor for stress, and emotional health independent of the cultural context. A major challenge of cross-cultural research is to understand perceived health and QoL and the extent in which it is individually, socially, or culturally determined.Elfriede Greimel, Beate Salchinger [und 4 weitere]Version of recor
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Bullying from a cross-cultural perspective : A comparison between Austria and Japan
Full text linkThis paper aims to compare the prevalence of bullying and victimization among students in Austria and Japan and to discuss cross-cultural differences based on the current research. Data from Japan were based on school reports from MEXT (2010) and from students' self-assessments (Morita, 1999). The Austrian data were primarily drawn from international surveys (HBSC data of 2006) and national studies (Gradinger et al., 2009 etc), and based mainly on self-reports from anonymous students. Overall, the results of this review showed some differences in the prevalence and types of bullying between the two countries. According to the student reports, bullying and victimization in elementary and lower secondary schools occurs at a higher rate in Austria than in Japan. This cross-cultural difference may partly be explained by the fact that Japanese students have a tendency not to report bullying as frequently as students in Western cultures. Regarding the type of bullying in both countries, verbal bullying was most common, but the rate of this type of bullying was much higher in Japan. However in the case of physical bullying, the rate in Austria is higher than in Japan.Social bullying in terms of "taking or hiding things from others" has been reported in both countries to a similar degree
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