0000000000022105
AUTHOR
Esko Leskinen
The role of parenting styles and teacher interactional styles in children's reading and spelling development.
Abstract This study examined the associations between parenting styles, teacher interactional styles, and children's reading and spelling skills. The sample consisted of 864 Finnish-speaking children and their parents (864 mothers, 864 fathers) and teachers ( N = 123). Children's risk for reading disabilities and reader status were assessed in kindergarten. Children were also tested on reading and spelling skills in Grades 1 and 2. Parenting styles and teacher interactional styles were measured using parents' and teachers' self-reports in Grade 1. First, the results indicated that both an authoritative parenting style and authoritative teacher interactional style positively predicted child…
Teachers adapt their instruction in reading according to individual children’s literacy skills
Abstract This study examined the extent to which first grade teachers adapt their reading instruction to the literacy skills of particular children in their classroom, and investigated whether teacher and classroom characteristics influence such adaptation. Three hundred seven Finnish children were tested with regard to their literacy skills at the end of their kindergarten year. At the beginning of the first grade, the teachers of these children filled in a questionnaire on the reading support they had given each child. The results showed, first, that the poorer the literacy skills a child showed at the end of kindergarten, the more personal reading instruction the teacher gave the child i…
Predicting school students’ physical activity intentions in leisure-time and school recess contexts: Testing an integrated model based on self-determination theory and theory of planned behavior
BackgroundIdentifying psychological correlates of children's physical activity intentions may signpost potentially modifiable targets for interventions aimed at promoting physical activity participation. School recess and leisure-time outside of school are appropriate contexts in which such interventions may be delivered. However, few studies have identified correlates of physical activity intentions in these environments. Examining correlates in these contexts may provide formative evidence on which to base interventions to promote physical activity.PurposeThe current study adopted an integrated theoretical model to test relations between motivational constructs from self-determination the…
Longitudinal factor analysis models in the assessment of the stability of sense of coherence
The present study examined the stability of sense of coherence using longitudinal factor analysis models. Sense of coherence was measured by Antonovsky’s [Antonovsky, A. (1987a). Unraveling the mystery of health. How people manage stress and stay well. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.] short-form (13-item) Orientation to Life Questionnaire (OLQ). Analyses were carried out using one-year follow-up data consisting of 219 Finnish employees working in four organizations. A three-step analytic procedure was used. First, a one-factor, a three-factor, and a second-order factor model were specified and compared separately in two measurements. Second, the stability of the constructs in the three alternat…
Developmental Dynamics of Math Performance From Preschool to Grade 2.
This study investigated the developmental dynamics of mathematical performance during children's transition from preschool to Grade 2 and the cognitive antecedents of this development. 194 Finnish children were examined 6 times according to their math performance, twice during each year across a 3-year period. Cognitive antecedents, that is, counting ability, visual attention, metacognitive knowledge, and listening comprehension, were tested at the first measurement point. The results indicated that math performance showed high stability and increasing variance over time. Moreover, the growth of math competence was faster among those who entered preschool with an already high level of mathe…
Modeling the early paths of phonological awareness and factors suopporting its development in children with and without familiar risk of dyslexia
The development of phonological awareness (PA) before school age was modeled in association with the development of vocabulary and letter knowledge, home literacy environment (HLE), children's reading interest, and beginning reading skill in children with and without familial risk of dyslexia. A total of 186 children were followed from birth to the age of 6.5 years. Of these children, about half had a familial background of reading difficulties (the at-risk group), and the other half came from families without such background (the control group). The data from several measures and assessment time points were analyzed within an SEM framework, and a latent analysis of growth curves was employ…
The Reliability and Validity of Scores from the Children’S Version of the Perception of Success Questionnaire
Recent research into achievement motivation in sports has focused on goal orientation theory, according to which task and ego goal orientations manifest themselves in achievement contexts and may have different cognitive and affective outcomes. The present study analyzed the reliability and validity of scores on the children’s version of the Perception of Success Questionnaire (POSQ-CH). The participants were 557 14-year-old Finnish male soccer players. Because the Task Orientation and Ego Orientation subscales were found to be orthogonal, we applied confirmatory factor analysis to the task and ego orientation items separately to evaluate the reliability and validity coefficients of the it…
The Structure and Stability of Perceived Togetherness in Elderly People during a 5-Year Follow-Up
The objective of this study was to study the structure andstability of perceived togetherness using cross-sectional and longitudinal confirmatory factor analysis models. Togetherness was measured with the self-administered Social Provision Scale (SPS). The sample consisted of 111 persons interviewed in connection with the Evergreen project’s 5-year follow-up at ages 80 and 85. One and two-factormodels were specified separately at two different pointsof measurement. The stability of the factor models’ structure and the level of latent factors was studied using longitudinal factor analysis models. The two-factor model fit the data better than the one-factor model. Perceived togetherness was …
Predicting physical activity intentions using a goal perspectives approach: A study of Finnish youth
Utilising a goal perspectives framework, a study predicting physical activity intentions in 12 to 16-year-old Hungarian adolescents was conducted with two samples. Theoretical predictions established a model that was tested through path analysis. Beliefs thought to underpin goal orientations were hypothesised to predict ego orientation (general and gift beliefs) and task orientation (learning and incremental beliefs). Task orientation was hypothesised to predict intentions directly, while ego orientation was hypothesised to predict intentions indirectly through perceived competence. Results from the first sample (n=301) suggested that the model could be improved by adding paths between gene…
Change and stability of sense of coherence in adulthood: Longitudinal evidence from the Healthy Child study
Abstract The main aim of this three-wave 35-year follow-up study among Finnish employees ( n = 532) was to investigate whether Sense of Coherence (SOC) is more stable among those with high SOC compared to those with low SOC, as hypothesized by Antonovsky [Antonovsky, A. (1987). Unraveling the mystery of health: how people manage stress and stay well. San Francisco, CA, US: Jossey-Bass], using two measurement points over 13 years. The participants were first studied in adolescence in 1961–1963, after which they responded to two postal questionnaires measuring SOC, first in 1985, and again in 1998. The results of the Factor Mixture Modeling identified two groups of individuals with different…
Change, Reliability, and Stability in Self-perceptions in Early Adolescence: A Four-year Follow-up Study
Changes in self-perceptions of fitness, appearance, and self-esteem among adolescents were assessed in a 4-year follow-up study. Both the changes in the mean levels across time (profile analysis), and the changes in the reliability and stability of individual differences (i.e. covariance stability as test-retest correlations) were examined. The subjects (64 boys, 49 girls) were 11 years old at the first annual measurement. Self-esteem was assessed using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, as well as self-assessment questionnaires specifically designed for this study to assess Perceived Fitness and Perceived Appearance. MANOVA-and Simplex-models were used in the analysis. Our results among the…
Measuring deterioration in international classification of functioning domains of people with multiple sclerosis who are ambulatory.
Background and PurposeMeasures to detect important effects related to physical therapy interventions must be able to detect an important change. The purpose of this study was to select the most responsive physical functioning measures for multiple sclerosis (MS) using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a framework.SubjectsThe participants were 120 people with MS who were ambulatory from a population-based sample.MethodsPhysical functioning was assessed by quantitative clinical measures of activities (n=5) and body functions (n=7) and by self-reported performance in self-care, mobility, and domestic life domains in the activities and participation…
Selecting students for medical school: What predicts success during basic science studies? A cognitive approach
This study focuses on differences between multiple-choice science tests and a learning-from-text (LFT) test, and how these tests predict success in basic medical studies. The subjects (N = 503) were applicants to the Helsinki University Medical Faculty. All of them had to take an entrance examination in order to be considered for admission to a 6-year study programme combining medical school and graduate studies. The entrance examination consisted of three traditional multiple-choice science tests and one LFT test, the latter designed to measure deep-level processing of text. A follow-up study was conducted in order to see how the different tasks were related to the grades and pace of study…
Physical and psychosocial prerequisites of functioning in relation to work ability and general subjective well-being among office workers
Objectives The purpose of the study was to investigate the physical and psychological prerequisites of functioning, as well as the social environment at work and personal factors, in relation to work ability and general subjective well-being in a group of office workers. Methods The study was a descriptive cross-sectional investigation, using path analysis, of office workers. The subjects comprised 88 volunteers, 24 men and 64 women, from the same workplace [mean age 45.7 (SD 8.6) years]. The independent variables were measured using psychosocial and physical questionnaires and physical measurements. The first dependent variable, work ability, was measured by a work ability index. The secon…
Developmental dynamics between mathematical performance, task motivation, and teachers' goals during the transition to primary school.
Background. It has been suggested that children's learning motivation and interest in a particular subject play an important role in their school performance, particularly in mathematics. However, few cross-lagged longitudinal studies have been carried out to investigate the prospective relationships between academic achievement and task motivation. Moreover, the role that the classroom context plays in this development is largely unknown. Aims. The aim of the study was to investigate the developmental dynamics of maths-related motivation and mathematical performance during children's transition to primary school. The role of teachers' pedagogical goals and classroom characteristics on this…
Modeling the Early Paths of Phonological Awareness and Factors Supporting its Development in Children With and Without Familial Risk of Dyslexia
The development of phonological awareness (PA) before school age was modeled in association with the development of vocabulary and letter knowledge, home literacy environment (HLE), children's reading interest, and beginning reading skill in children with and without familial risk of dyslexia. A total of 186 children were followed from birth to the age of 6.5 years. Of these children, about half had a familial background of reading difficulties (the at-risk group), and the other half came from families without such background (the control group). The data from several measures and assessment time points were analyzed within an SEM framework, and a latent analysis of growth curves was employ…
Peer group influence and selection in adolescents' school burnout : A longitudinal study
The present study investigated the extent to which peer group similarity in school burnout is due to peer group influence and the extent to which it is due to peer group selection. Moreover, the roles of academic achievement and gender in school burnout were examined. A total of 611 ninth graders were examined at the beginning of the final term of comprehensive school, and 614 were examined at the end of the final term. The results of the Multilevel Latent Growth Modeling showed that peer group influence was responsible for peer group similarity, but no evidence was found for peer group selection. The results showed further that high academic achievement protected group members against an i…
The choice between retirement and bridge employment: a continuity theory and life course perspective.
The rapid aging of the workforce in most developed countries, and the strengthening presence of bridge employment among older employees, has brought about a need for a deeper theoretical and practical understanding of this employment phenomenon. This study examined the concept of bridge employment from a continuity theory and life course perspective. Several personal and job-related antecedents of 539 middle-aged and older U.S. Federal Government employees' intentions of full retirement or engagement in bridge employment were investigated. A multinomial logistic regression analysis provided support for most of the hypotheses on the antecedents of full retirement and overall bridge employme…
Positive Teacher Affect and Maternal Support Facilitate Adjustment After the Transition to First Grade
This longitudinal study, conducted among a sample of Finnish primary-school children, examined the proposition that a single high-quality relationship (either with a teacher or a parent) can buffer against adjustment problems. Teachers rated the externalizing problems and prosocial behaviors of 378 children in Grade 1 and again in Grade 2. Relationship measures gathered in Grade 1 included teacher reports of positive affect for the child and mother reports of support for the child. The results supported our proposition by showing that for child adjustment after the transition to primary school it was critical to have at least one high-quality relationship either with a teacher or a parent. …
A person-centred approach to investigate the development trajectories of job-related affective well-being: A 10-year follow-up study
The primary aim of this three-wave 10-year follow-up study was to investigate the intra-individual change trajectories of job-related affective well-being among Finnish managers (n = 402). Job-related affective well-being as indicated by anxiety, depression, comfort, and enthusiasm was measured in 1996, 1999, and 2006. The characteristics of the trajectories were sought from experienced career disruptions (i.e., periods of unemployment or lay-offs) and perceived job insecurity. The growth mixture modelling (GMM) revealed altogether three latent trajectories that differed from each other in their mean levels and regard to changes in job-related affective well-being over time: (1) high and im…
Measures of Physical Functioning Predict Self-Reported Performance in Self-Care, Mobility, and Domestic Life in Ambulatory Persons With Multiple Sclerosis
Abstract Paltamaa J, Sarasoja T, Leskinen E, Wikstrom J, Malkia E. Measures of physical functioning predict self-reported performance in self-care, mobility, and domestic life in ambulatory persons with multiple sclerosis. Objective To determine the associations between clinically measured physical functioning variables and self-reported performance in mobility, self-care, and domestic life in ambulatory persons with multiple sclerosis (MS), using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a framework. Design Survey study. Setting Community setting in Finland. Participants A population-based sample of 120 ambulatory persons with MS (30 men, 90 women) wit…
Multi-wave, multi-variable models of job insecurity: applying different scales in studying the stability of job insecurity
The study had two specific targets: first, to examine the stability of job insecurity by utilizing three-year longitudinal data (n = 109) collected in Finland and, second, to clarify psychometric properties of four job insecurity scales, i.e., the global scale, the importance scale, the probability scale and the powerlessness scale. The study was carried out by means of questionnaires, which were answered on three occasions. Analyses were conducted using multi-wave, multi-variable models which were estimated and tested via the LISREL program. Generally, the results showed that job insecurity remained relatively stable during the follow-up period, although there were some variations in the s…
Health and functional capacity as predictors of community dwelling among elderly people
The aim of this study was to identify factors that predict community dwelling (i.e., nonuse of institutional bed-days) among elderly people. This was a longitudinal study of institution use including both short-term and long-term use of hospitals and nursing homes. The impact of health, functional performance, and carrying out the activities of daily living on community dwelling was studied using the method of path analysis. The participants were all the 75-year-old (N = 388) and 80-year-old (N = 291) men and women resident in the City of Jyväskylä, Finland. Predictor variables included disease severity, symptoms of illness, cognitive capacity, walking speed, muscle strength, hearing, and a…
Impact of missing data mechanism on the estimate of change: a case study on cognitive function and polypharmacy among older persons
Piia Lavikainen,1,2 Esko Leskinen,3 Sirpa Hartikainen,1,2 Jyrki Möttönen,4 Raimo Sulkava,5 Maarit J Korhonen6 1Kuopio Research Centre of Geriatric Care, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland; 2School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland; 3Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland; 4Department of Social Research, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; 5Department of Geriatrics, Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland; 6Department of Pharmacology, D…
The stability of sense of coherence: comparing two age groups in a 5-year follow-up study
In the original theoretical formulation, Antonovsky (1987a) proposed that sense of coherence is a developmental construct that becomes stabilized at the age of 30. The present 5-year follow-up study was designed to test this hypothesis by investigating the differences in stability in sense of coherence among two age groups the younger group of which consisted of individuals under and the older group of individuals over 30 years of age. The participants were Finnish technical designers (N=352) of whom 40% (n=141) comprised the younger age group (25–29 years) and 60% (n=211) the older age group (35–40 years). The 13-item Orientation to Life Questionnaire (Antonovsky, 1987a) was used to measur…
Depressive symptoms during adolescence: Do learning difficulties matter?
To examine whether learning difficulties play a role in depressive symptoms, 658 Finnish adolescents were asked to complete scales for depression three times during the transition to post-comprehensive education. They also reported on their learning difficulties and feelings of inadequacy as a student. The results showed that learning difficulties prospectively predicted depressive symptoms. Moreover, the impact of learning difficulties was mediated via inadequacy as a student: learning difficulties predicted feelings of inadequacy as a student which, in turn, contributed to greater increases in depressive symptoms. Finally, gender moderated the association between learning difficulties an…
Factorial Validity and Reliability of the Curricular Goals in Physical Education Questionnaire
This study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of an instrument designed to measure student perceptions of curricular goals in physical education, the Curricular Goals in Physical Education Questionnaire. Participants were 879 Finnish students from grades 7 to 9 (412 girls, 467 boys; mean age 13.81). An exploratory factor analysis was performed on Sample 1 (n = 287), revealing a four-factor solution and suggesting that factor structure be cross-validated with confirmatory factor analysis in Sample 2 (n = 592). Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated an acceptable fit and supported the four-factor model. Tests for gender invariance supported configural, metric, and scalar invaria…
Building coherence and impact : differences in Finnish school level curriculum making
AbstractThe study aims to gain a better understanding on how curriculum making regulated by reform’s implementation strategy contributes to teachers’ and teacher communities perceived curriculum coherence, and further to the impact that reform has on school development. The two-level path modelling was utilised for analysing clustered data including the 75 schools and 1556 individual teachers from these schools during the most recent Finnish core curriculum reform. The results showed that the participatory strategy, including balancing the steering and transformative dialogue, seemed to be crucial both for promoting the individual teacher’s and professional communities’ shared capacity to p…
Structural invariance and stability of sense of coherence: A longitudinal analysis of two groups with different employment experiences
This 5-year follow-up study investigated the structure and the factorial invariance of the 13-item sense of coherence (SOC) scale (Antonovsky, 1987a) in two employment groups (unemployment/lay-off experiences vs. continuous full-time employment) and across two measurement times. In addition, the stability of SOC between these two employment groups was compared. The postal questionnaire data was collected twice, in 1992 and in 1997. The participants were Finnish technical designers (N=352) aged between 25 and 40 years in 1992. A total of 51% of the investigated participants had been employed full-time during the 5-year follow-up period and 49% had been unemployed and/or laid off for a total …
Testing a model of physical activity and obesity tracking from youth to adulthood: the cardiovascular risk in young Finns study
To test a potential model of the relationship between physical activity and obesity from youth to adulthood.Longitudinal study data from the cardiovascular risk in young Finns study.A total of 1319 boys (n=626) and girls (n=693) aged 9, 12, 15 and 18 years were randomly selected from five university towns and their rural surroundings in 1980. They were followed up for 21 years. In 2001 they were 30, 33, 36 and 39 years old.Physical activity was assessed by a short questionnaire at two measurement points. Obesity was measured by body mass index (BMI) and sum of skinfolds in 1980 and BMI and waist circumference in 2001.Structural equation analysis (LISREL) indicated that the prevalence of abd…
Three methods for studying developmental change: a case of reading skills and self-concept.
Aims: First, to introduce and compare three statistical methods for investigating development as a cumulative process: a simplex model, latent growth curve analysis, and clustering by cases. Second, to investigate the developmental dynamics of reading skills, and self-concept of reading ability, across the first year of primary school. Sample: One hundred and five (61 boys, 44 girls) 6-to 7-year-old children from four first-grade classes in two primary schools participated in the study. Method: Children were studied three times during their first school year using an identical set of measurements: a Reading Skills Test and the Self-Concept of Ability scale. Results: A uni-construct ‘Matthew…
Reading development subtypes and their early characteristics.
The present findings are drawn from the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Dyslexia (JLD), in which approximately 100 children with familial risk of dyslexia and 100 control children have been followed from birth. In this paper we report data on the reading development of the JLD children and their classmates, a total of 1,750 children from four measurement points during the first two school years. In the total sample, we examined whether heterogeneous developmental paths can be identified based on profiles of word recognition and reading comprehension. Secondly, we studied what kind of early language and literacy skill profiles and reading experiences characterize the children with differing …
Comprehensive geriatric assessment decreases prevalence of orthostatic hypotension in older persons
Background: Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality among older people. We have studied whether its prevalence can be reduced by a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA). Study design and setting: 1000 randomly-selected persons aged ≥75 years were divided into intervention ( n = 500) and control groups ( n = 500). We focused on those subjects in whom an orthostatic blood pressure test had been performed at least once during the study period (2004–2007) ( n = 365 and 332 for intervention and control groups, respectively). A CGA, including evaluation of the adequacy of the medication, was performed annually in the intervention group but not in th…
Teacher stress during a school year: Covariance and mean structure analyses
This study examined teacher stress over a school year. A total of 142 teachers made repeated assessments (12 in all) of the stress indicators by answering questionnaires during the school year of 1983–1984. Longitudinal quasi-simplex models and modifications of these were constructed for the analysis of the structural features of the teacher stress process over a school year. By using these models all the stress data could be analysed at the same time in a statistically efficient way. According to the constructed models, teacher stress was a stable process during terms, which meant that the variance in latent stress in the measurements was well explained by the previous measurement. The Chr…
A cohort study found good respiratory, sensory and motor functions decreased mortality risk in older people
Abstract Background and Objective The main aims of this study were to evaluate the separate and joint effects of respiratory, sensory, and psychomotor function, muscle strength, and mobility in predicting mortality in older men and women, and to find a way to control multicollinearity in a multivariate Cox regression model. Methods Mortality was followed for 10 years (1990–2000) in an entire cohort of 75-year-old residents of the city of Jyvaskyla, Finland (born in 1914; N =388). Cox regression models and principal component estimation were employed to study the association between the covariates and mortality. Results The study indicated that, after adjustment for fatal diseases and cognit…
Elementary school teachers adapt their instructional support according to students' academic skills – A variable and person-oriented approach
This study examined the longitudinal associations between children’s academic skills and the instructional support teachers gave individual students. A total of 253 Finnish children were tested on reading and math skills twice in the first grade and once in the second grade. The teachers of these children rated the instructional support that they gave each child in reading and mathematics. The results showed that the poorer the student’s reading and math skills were, the more support and attention the student received from his or her teacher later on. However, instructional support did not contribute positively to the subsequent development of the students’ academic skills. The person-orie…
Testing equality of reliability and stability with simple linear constraints in multi-wave, multi-variable models
Data from a longitudinal study on school achievement were used to develop new methods for analysing reliability of measurements and stability of behaviour over a long time interval. The proposed method of analysis makes it possible to test hypotheses about equality constraints on reliability and stability. It is known that the use of negative variances for imaginary latent variables with equality constraints between structural parameters produces standardized variances for endogenous latent variables and quality constraints for coefficients of stability. Reparameterization of random errors in measurement models allows equality constraints to be set for coefficients of cross-sectional and of…
Stability of habitual physical activity and sport participation: a longitudinal tracking study
Although one of the most important aims of physical education and public sport policy is to encourage life-long habitual physical activity, very little is known of the stability or tracking of physical activity. As a part of a larger research project called Cardiovascular Risks in Young Finns, the purpose of the study reported here was to investigate the stability (tracking) of leisure-time physical activity and sport participation at intervals of 3, 6, 9 and 12 years from age 9 to 30. The subjects, chosen by stratified random sample, represent five geographical areas of the country and eight gender-age cohorts (9, 12, 15 and 18 years old in 1980). Physical activity and sport participation …
Is individual- and school-level teacher burnout reduced by proactive strategies?
There is provisional evidence that burnout may be contagious within professional communities via the crossover effect, referring to an inter-individual transmission of stress or strain. However, our understanding of effective means for tackling stressors is scarce. We tested a two-level path model to explore the interrelation between teachers’ proactive self- and co-regulative strategies and experienced burnout. The study sample comprised 1531 Finnish in-service teachers from 75 schools. The results showed that burnout symptoms varied both between individual teachers and between professional communities. Self- and co-regulative strategies serve partly different functions in regulating teach…
Self-rated health and mortality in older men and women: A time-dependent covariate analysis
Although the relation between self-rated health (SRH) and mortality is widely known, most of the studies have relied in baseline measurements unheeding the dynamics of the phenomenon. Our aim was to analyze how SRH both as a constant and as a time-dependent covariate predicts mortality in older men and women and to compare these different approaches. Subjects consisted of 110 male and 208 female (n = 318) residents in the city of Jyvaskyla, central Finland, aged 75 years at the baseline in 1989. The follow-up data was gathered in 1994 and mortality was followed for 10 years. Results showed that poor SRH was strongly associated with higher mortality risk in women in all models. In men, the a…
A new approach for estimating a nonlinear growth component in multilevel modeling
This study presents a new approach to estimation of a nonlinear growth curve component with fixed and random effects in multilevel modeling. This approach can be used to estimate change in longitudinal data, such as day-of-the-week fluctuation. The motivation of the new approach is to avoid spurious estimates in a random coefficient regression model due to the synchronized periodical effect (e.g., day-of-the-week fluctuation) appearing both in independent and dependent variables. First, the new approach is introduced. Second, a Monte Carlo simulation study is carried out to examine the functioning of the proposed new approach in the case of small sample sizes. Third, the use of the approac…
School Burnout Inventory (SBI)
This study introduces a measure for school burnout and examines its validity and reliability among students in upper secondary high schools and vocational schools by using confirmatory factor analysis. School-related burnout comprises three dimensions: (a) exhaustion at school, (b) cynicism toward the meaning of school, and (c) sense of inadequacy at school. A total of 1418 (709 girls, 709 boys) adolescents from 13 postcomprehensive schools (6 upper secondary high schools, 7 vocational schools) filled in a questionnaire concerning their school burnout and background variables. The results showed that the three-factor solution, compared to one- or two-factor solutions, fit the data best and…
Resident care needs and work stressors in special care units versus non-specialized long-term care units
Differences in how elderly residents' care needs affect staff's experiences of work stressors between special care units (SCUs) for dementia and psychiatric residents and non-SCUs were investigated. The data were drawn from 390 staff members in 38 long-term care SCUs, and 587 staff in 53 non-SCUs in Finland. Residents' care needs were based on the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) system measured by the Minimum Data Set 2.0. Work stressors (time-pressure and role-conflicts) were assessed with a staff survey questionnaire. Multiple-group regression analysis showed that residents' dependency in activities of daily living (ADL) was related to increased work stressors only in SCUs. A high pr…
Self-Rated Health and Associated Factors Among Men of Different Ages
The connections of certain clinico-physiological indicators of health state, chronic diseases, felt symptoms, and psychic well-being with self-rated health were studied among men of different ages as a part of the more extensive research project Jyväskylä Studies on Functional Aging. Study population was selected by using systematic random sampling among men aged 31 to 35, 51 to 55 and 71 to 75 years in the city of Jyväskylä. Log-linear and logit models as well as regression and structural equation models within the framework of LISREL were used as methods of analysis. The associations between general self-rated health and the explanative variables were different in different age groups: In…
A note on alternative parameterizations of a model for evaluating agreement between two tests.
The agreement between two competing tests which purport to measure the same trait is a common concern in test development. In this paper three alternative parameterizations of the measurement model useful in this context are presented. Both one-factor and two-factor approaches are applied. Lord's classic example, where the main problem is to investigate whether time limits represent an extra speed component in a vocabulary test, is used to illustrate the ideas.
Predictors of perceived togetherness in very old men and women: A 5-year follow-up study
Abstract Although a considerable amount of research has been carried out on older adults’ social ties, most of it has focused on quantitative aspects and on cross-sectional samples. In this study, the subjective aspect of social interaction is described by the concept of perceived togetherness. The aim of this study was to examine the extent to which different factors predict perceived togetherness in men and women over a 5-year period. It also addresses the question of whether it is possible to identify different subgroups in perceived togetherness. The data were collected with structured interviews and laboratory tests from 225 elderly people at ages 80 and 85. The results showed that the…
Tracking of physical activity from early childhood through youth into adulthood.
The aim of the study was to investigate the tracking of physical activity (PA) from preschool age to adulthood in six age cohorts of males and females.A random sample of 3596 boys and girls age 3-18 yr participated in the Cardiovascular Risks in Young Finns Study in 1980. The follow-up measurements were repeated in 1986, 1992, 2001, and 2007. The PA was measured by mother's report in 3- and 6-yr-olds and self-report in 9-yr-olds and older. Tracking of PA was analyzed using the Spearman rank-order correlation and a simplex model.Mother-reported PA at age 3 and 6 yr significantly predicted self-reported PA in youth and in young adulthood, and there was a significant indirect effect of mother …
Mobility performance and its sensory, psychomotor and musculoskeletal determinants from age 75 to age 80.
Background and aims: Prospective studies on the simultaneous effects of multiple determinants on objectively assessed mobility are few. The aim of this study was to analyse mobility performance, its stability and sensory, psychomotor and musculoskeletal determinants in an older population from age 75 to age 80. Methods: Sixty-three men and 121 women aged 75 participated at baseline and, five years later, in the follow-up phase of this population-based prospective study. Maximal walking speed and step-mounting height were assessed at baseline and follow-up. Maximal isometric knee extension strength, standing balance on force platform, reaction time, visual acuity and limitations in range of …