147 research outputs found
Marshall Fishwick, retired professor and founder of popular culture studies, dies at 82
No full textMarshall William Fishwick, teacher, author, and world traveler, died Monday, May 22 at his Blacksburg home. He was 82
Control of mergers: A necessary role for the European Commission
No full textDr Fishwick has worked on developments in policy towards mergers for several years, including studies for the European Commission's Directorate-General IV. In this article, he specifically considers recent changes in merger policy in France, in the UK, and from the viewpoint of the European Commission. Increasing control over mergers is a very apparent trend, another in the general move towards liberalisation and deregulation inherent in "1992". The author argues that European Community control should outrank national policies since the emphasis of "1992" is more on the international aspects of competition activity than on the national.
Cross cultural evaluation of the Warwick-Edinburgh mental well-being scale (WEMWBS) -a mixed methods study
No full textBackground:
We aimed to validate the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) among English speaking adults representing two of the minority ethnic groups living in the UK, self-identified as Chinese or Pakistani by background, in a mixed methods study.
Methods:
Quantitative data were collected in two cities in the West Midlands, UK. Item response, dimensionality, internal consistency, and construct validity of the WEMWBS were assessed in Chinese and Pakistani groups separately, using data from both cities combined.
Qualitative data were collected in the first city in eight focus groups of different ages recruited by the community workers. Three mixed sex Chinese and five single sex Pakistani groups discussed ease of completion and comprehension of items, together with overall reactions to the scale and underlying concept.
Results of quantitative and qualitative analysis were examined for commonalities and differences.
Results:
Item completion and item total correlations were satisfactory in both groups. In the Chinese data, Exploratory Factor Analysis showed a single factor with loadings ranging from 0.60 to 0.82 for all 14 items. In the Pakistani data, three factors reached statistical significance; however, a substantial drop in eigenvalues between the first and second factors and the limited variance explained by the second and third factors supported a one-factor model. All items loaded on this factor from 0.51 to 0.83.
In the Chinese and Pakistani data respectively, Cronbach's alpha was 0.92 (0.89 -- 0.94) and 0.91 (0.88 -- 0.94); Spearman's correlation with GHQ-12 was - 0.63 (-0.73 to -0.49) and -0.55 (-0.70 to -0.36), and with the WHO-5 0.62 (0.46-0.75) and 0.64 (0.50 to 0.76).
Qualitative analysis revealed good comprehension and ease of completion of almost all items. Some culturally determined differences in understanding of mental well-being, which varied both between and within communities, emerged.
Conclusions:
The WEMWBS was well received by members of both Pakistani and Chinese communities. It showed high levels of consistency and reliability compared with accepted criteria. Data were sufficiently strong to recommend the WEMWBS for use in general population surveys
Champion cross-cut saw men Charlie Winkel and Bill Stewart working on a walnut tree in the Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, 1929, 2 [picture].
No full textTitle devised from accompanying information where available.; Part of the: Fairfax archive of glass plate negatives.; Fairfax number: 396.; Also available online at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn6304746; Acquired from Fairfax Media, 2012
Champion cross-cut saw men Charlie Winkel and Bill Stewart working on a walnut tree in the Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, 1929, 1 [picture].
No full textTitle devised from accompanying information where available.; Part of the: Fairfax archive of glass plate negatives.; Fairfax number: 396.; Also available online at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn6304745; Acquired from Fairfax Media, 2012
Evaluating the responsiveness of the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) : group and individual level analysis
No full textBackground:
Mental well-being now features prominently in UK and international health policy. However, progress has been hampered by lack of valid measures that are responsive to change. The objective of this study was to evaluate the responsiveness of the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) at both the individual and group level.
Methods:
Secondary analysis of twelve different interventional studies undertaken in different populations using WEMWBS as an outcome measure. Standardised response mean (SRM), probability of change statistic (P̂) and standard error of measurement (SEM) were used to evaluate whether WEMWBS detected statistically important changes at the group and individual level, respectively.
Results:
Mean change in WEMWBS score ranged from −0.6 to 10.6. SRM ranged from −0.10 (95% CI: -0.35, 0.15) to 1.35 (95% CI: 1.06, 1.64). In 9/12 studies the lower limit of the 95% CI for P̂ was greater than 0.5, denoting responsiveness. SEM ranged from 2.4 to 3.1 units, and at the threshold 2.77 SEM, WEMWBS detected important improvement in at least 12.8% to 45.7% of participants (lower limit of 95% CI>5.0%).
Conclusions:
WEMWBS is responsive to changes occurring in a wide range of mental health interventions undertaken in different populations. It offers a secure base for research and development in this rapidly evolving field. Further research using external criteria of change is warranted
Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) : validated for teenage school students in England and Scotland : a mixed methods assessment
No full textBackground: Understanding and measuring mental health and wellbeing amongst teenagers has recently become
a priority. The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) is validated for measuring mental wellbeing
in populations aged 16 years and over in the UK. We report here a study designed to establish the validity and
reliability of WEMWBS in teenagers in the UK.
Methods: WEMWBS and comparator scales, together with socio-demographic information and self-reported health,
were incorporated into a self-administered questionnaire given to pupils aged 13 to 16 years in six schools in
Scotland and England. Psychometric properties including internal consistency, correlations with comparator scales,
test-retest stability and unidimensionality were investigated for WEMWBS. Twelve focus groups were undertaken to
assess acceptability and comprehensibility of WEMWBS and were taped, transcribed and analysed thematically.
Results: A total of 1,650 teenagers completed the questionnaire (response rate 80.8%). Mean WEMWBS score was
48.8 (SD 6.8; median 49). Response scores covered the full range (from 14 to 70). WEMWBS demonstrated strong
internal consistency and a high Cronbach’s alpha of 0.87 (95% CI (0.85-0.88), n = 1517). Measures of construct
validity gave values as predicted. The correlation coefficient for WEMWBS total score and psychological wellbeing
domain of the Kidscreen-27 was 0.59 (95% CI [0.55; 0.62]); for the Mental Health Continuum Short Form (MHC-SF)
was 0.65, 95% CI [0.62; 0.69]; and for the WHO (WHO-5) Well-being Index 0.57 (95% CI [0.53; 0.61]). The correlation
coefficient for the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was -0.44 (95% CI [-0.49; -0.40]) and for the
12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ12) -0.45 (95% CI [-0.49; -0.40]). Test-retest reliability was acceptable
(Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) 0.66 (95% CI [0.59; 0.72] n = 212)). Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated
one underlying factor.
WEMWBS was significantly associated with the Family Affluence Score (WEMWBS increased with increasing
household socio-economic status) and had a positive association with the physical health dimension of the
Kidscreen-27, but was unrelated to age, gender or location/school. Eighty students took part in focus groups. In
general, although some students considered some items open to misunderstanding or misinterpretation, WEMWBS
was received positively and was considered comprehensible, and acceptable.
Conclusions: WEMWBS is a psychometrically strong population measure of mental wellbeing, and can be used for
this purpose in teenagers aged 13 and over
The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) : development and UK validation
No full textBackground
There is increasing international interest in the concept of mental well-being and its contribution to all aspects of human life. Demand for instruments to monitor mental well-being at a population level and evaluate mental health promotion initiatives is growing. This article describes the development and validation of a new scale, comprised only of positively worded items relating to different aspects of positive mental health: the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS).
Methods
WEMWBS was developed by an expert panel drawing on current academic literature, qualitative research with focus groups, and psychometric testing of an existing scale. It was validated on a student and representative population sample. Content validity was assessed by reviewing the frequency of complete responses and the distribution of responses to each item. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the hypothesis that the scale measured a single construct. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Criterion validity was explored in terms of correlations between WEMWBS and other scales and by testing whether the scale discriminated between population groups in line with pre-specified hypotheses. Test-retest reliability was assessed at one week using intra-class correlation coefficients. Susceptibility to bias was measured using the Balanced Inventory of Desired Responding.
Results
WEMWBS showed good content validity. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the single factor hypothesis. A Cronbach's alpha score of 0.89 (student sample) and 0.91 (population sample) suggests some item redundancy in the scale. WEMWBS showed high correlations with other mental health and well-being scales and lower correlations with scales measuring overall health. Its distribution was near normal and the scale did not show ceiling effects in a population sample. It discriminated between population groups in a way that is largely consistent with the results of other population surveys. Test-retest reliability at one week was high (0.83). Social desirability bias was lower or similar to that of other comparable scales.
Conclusion
WEMWBS is a measure of mental well-being focusing entirely on positive aspects of mental health. As a short and psychometrically robust scale, with no ceiling effects in a population sample, it offers promise as a tool for monitoring mental well-being at a population level. Whilst WEMWBS should appeal to those evaluating mental health promotion initiatives, it is important that the scale's sensitivity to change is established before it is recommended in this context
Gradient maps: A tool in the interpretation of tomographic images
No full textGradient maps are introduced as a tool for the interpretation of tomographic images. The interpretation of tomographic images can be strongly dependent on the choice of reference models or a particular colour scale, but the gradient maps provide an imag
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