scholarly journals Spring 2020 COVID-19 Surge: Prospective Relations between Demographic Factors, Personality Traits, Social Cognitions and Guideline Adherence, Mask Wearing, and Symptoms in a U.S. Sample

Author(s):  
Elizabeth Milad ◽  
Tim Bogg

Abstract Background To date, much of the research on individual difference correlates of coronavirus guideline adherence is cross-sectional, leaving prospective associations between these factors unaddressed. Additionally, investigations of prospective predictors of mask-wearing, COVID-19 symptoms, and viral testing remain wanting. Purpose The present study examined prospective relations between demographic factors, personality traits, social cognitions and guideline adherence, mask-wearing, symptoms, and viral testing in a U.S. sample (N = 500) during the initial surge of COVID-19 deaths in the United State between late March and early May 2020. Methods Guided by a disposition-belief-motivation framework, correlational analyses, and path models tested associations among baseline personality traits, guideline adherence social cognitions, health beliefs, guideline adherence and follow-up guideline adherence, mask-wearing, symptom counts, and 30-day viral testing. Results Modeling results showed greater baseline agreeableness, conscientiousness, and extraversion were associated with more frequent baseline guideline adherence. More liberal political beliefs, greater guideline adherence intentions, and more frequent guideline adherence at baseline predicted more frequent mask-wearing at follow-up. Sex (female), lower perceived health, and greater neuroticism at baseline predicted greater symptom counts at follow-up. Reports of viral testing were quite low (1.80%), yet were consistent with concurrent national reporting and limited availability of testing. Conclusions Results show how inconsistencies and politicization of health policy communication were concomitant with the effects of individual-level political beliefs on mask-wearing during the initial surge. The results further clarify how personality traits related to social responsibility (i.e., agreeableness, conscientiousness) are associated with following new norms for prescribed behaviors and how symptom reporting can be as much a marker of perceived health as emotional stability.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Milad ◽  
Tim Bogg

Background: To date, much of the research on psychosocial correlates of coronavirus guideline adherence is cross-sectional, leaving prospective associations between these factors unaddressed. Additionally, investigations of prospective predictors of mask-wearing, COVID-19 symptoms, and viral testing remain wanting.Purpose: The present study examined prospective relations between psychosocial factors and guideline adherence, mask-wearing, symptoms, and viral testing in a U.S. sample (N = 500) during the initial surge of COVID deaths in the U.S. between late March and early May, 2020.Methods: Guided by a disposition-belief-motivation framework, correlational analyses and path models tested associations among baseline personality traits, guideline adherence social cognitions, health beliefs, guideline adherence and follow-up guideline adherence, mask-wearing, symptom counts, and 30-day viral testing. Results: Modeling results showed greater baseline agreeableness, conscientiousness, and extraversion were associated with more frequent baseline guideline adherence. More liberal political beliefs, greater guideline adherence intentions, and more frequent guideline adherence at baseline predicted more frequent mask-wearing at follow-up. Sex (female), lower perceived health, and greater neuroticism at baseline predicted greater symptom counts at follow-up. Reports of viral testing were quite low (1.80 %) yet were consistent with concurrent national reporting and limited availability of testing.Conclusions: Results show how inconsistencies and politization of health policy communication were concomitant with effects of individual-level political beliefs on mask-wearing during the initial surge. The results further clarify how personality traits related to social responsibility (i.e., agreeableness, conscientiousness) are associated with following new norms for prescribed behaviors and how symptom reporting can be as much a marker of perceived health as emotional stability.


GeroPsych ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 135-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasminka Despot Lucanin ◽  
Damir Lucanin

This research investigates the associations of psychological and biological factors with the self-perceived health of old persons. Participants were 411 residents of 11 retirement homes in Zagreb, Croatia: 104 men, 307 women, aged 56–96 years (average 79) at baseline, mobile, and not diagnosed with dementia. The variables measured, at baseline and at 2-year follow-up, were sociodemographics, self-perceived health, functional ability, cognitive function, depression, and social participation. Biochemical variables were measured from vein blood sample at baseline. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses explained 33%–38% of self-perceived health variance. Functional ability, depressive symptoms, and age were significant predictors of self-perceived health in all analyses. Two biological cardiovascular risk factors variables – glucose and urea – were significantly associated with self-perceived health.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Czeisler ◽  
J. Wiley ◽  
C. Czeisler ◽  
S. Rajaratnam ◽  
M. Howard

AbstractAimsMarkedly elevated adverse mental health symptoms were widely observed early in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Unlike the U.S., where cross-sectional data indicate anxiety and depression symptoms have remained elevated, such symptoms reportedly declined in the U.K., according to analysis of repeated measures from a largescale longitudinal study. However, nearly 40% of U.K. respondents (those who did not complete multiple follow-up surveys) were excluded from analysis, suggesting that survivorship bias might partially explain this discrepancy. We therefore sought to assess survivorship bias among participants in our longitudinal survey study as part of The COVID-19 Outbreak Public Evaluation (COPE) Initiative.MethodsSurvivorship bias was assessed 4,039 U.S. respondents who completed surveys including the assessment of mental health as part of The COPE Initiative in April 2020 and were invited to complete follow-up surveys. Participants completed validated screening instruments for symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Survivorship bias was assessed for (1) demographic differences in follow-up survey participation, (2) differences in initial adverse mental health symptom prevalences adjusted for demographic factors, and (3) differences in follow-up survey participation based on mental health experiences adjusted for demographic factors.ResultsAdjusting for demographics, individuals who completed only one or two out of four surveys had higher prevalences of anxiety and depression symptoms in April 2020 (e.g., one-survey versus four-survey, anxiety symptoms, adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR]: 1.30, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08-1.55, P=0.0045; depression symptoms, aPR: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.17-1.75, P=0.00052). Moreover, individuals who experienced incident anxiety or depression symptoms had higher odds of not completing follow-up surveys (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.68, 95% CI: 1.22-2.31, P=0.0015, aOR: 1.56, 95% CI: 1.15-2.12, P=0.0046, respectively).ConclusionsOur findings revealed significant survivorship bias among longitudinal survey respondents, indicating that restricting analytic samples to only respondents who provide repeated assessments in longitudinal survey studies could lead to overly optimistic interpretations of mental health trends over time. Cross-sectional or planned missing data designs may provide more accurate estimates of population-level adverse mental health symptom prevalences than longitudinal surveys.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1500-1507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ane Kristiansen Solbraa ◽  
Ulf Ekelund ◽  
Ingar M. Holme ◽  
Sidsel Graff-Iversen ◽  
Jostein Steene-Johannessen ◽  
...  

Background:Sex, age, body mass index (BMI), perceived health and health behavior are correlates known to affect physical activity and sedentary time. However, studies have often been cross-sectional, and less is known about long-term correlates. Thus, the aims were to investigate 1) the associations between a set of characteristics (demographic, biological, psychological, and behavioral) and objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time at 13-year follow-up, and 2) the association between changes in these characteristics over time and physical activity and sedentary time.Methods:Baseline characteristics were collected in 40-year-olds in 1996, and follow-up data on objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time were obtained in 2009 (n = 240). Data were analyzed by multiple linear regressions.Results:Self-reported physical activity (P < .001) and improved perceived health (P = .046) were positively associated with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) whereas BMI (P = .034) and increased BMI (P = .014) were negatively associated with MVPA at follow-up. Women spent less time being sedentary than men (P = .019). Education (P < .001) was positively associated and improved perceived health (P = .010) was negatively associated with sedentary time at follow-up.Conclusions:MVPA and sedentary time at follow-up were associated with behavioral, biological and demographic correlates. However, the nature of our analyses prevents us from inferring causality.


VASA ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian Rengier ◽  
Philipp Geisbüsch ◽  
Paul Schoenhagen ◽  
Matthias Müller-Eschner ◽  
Rolf Vosshenrich ◽  
...  

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) as well as thoracic and abdominal endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR and EVAR) rely on accurate pre- and postprocedural imaging. This review article discusses the application of imaging, including preprocedural assessment and measurements as well as postprocedural imaging of complications. Furthermore, the exciting perspective of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) based on cross-sectional imaging is presented. TAVR is a minimally invasive alternative for treatment of aortic valve stenosis in patients with high age and multiple comorbidities who cannot undergo traditional open surgical repair. Given the lack of direct visualization during the procedure, pre- and peri-procedural imaging forms an essential part of the intervention. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) is the imaging modality of choice for preprocedural planning. Routine postprocedural follow-up is performed by echocardiography to confirm treatment success and detect complications. EVAR and TEVAR are minimally invasive alternatives to open surgical repair of aortic pathologies. CTA constitutes the preferred imaging modality for both preoperative planning and postoperative follow-up including detection of endoleaks. Magnetic resonance imaging is an excellent alternative to CT for postoperative follow-up, and is especially beneficial for younger patients given the lack of radiation. Ultrasound is applied in screening and postoperative follow-up of abdominal aortic aneurysms, but cross-sectional imaging is required once abnormalities are detected. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound may be as sensitive as CTA in detecting endoleaks.


Crisis ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danica W. Y. Liu ◽  
A. Kate Fairweather-Schmidt ◽  
Richard Burns ◽  
Rachel M. Roberts ◽  
Kaarin J. Anstey

Abstract. Background: Little is known about the role of resilience in the likelihood of suicidal ideation (SI) over time. Aims: We examined the association between resilience and SI in a young-adult cohort over 4 years. Our objectives were to determine whether resilience was associated with SI at follow-up or, conversely, whether SI was associated with lowered resilience at follow-up. Method: Participants were selected from the Personality and Total Health (PATH) Through Life Project from Canberra and Queanbeyan, Australia, aged 28–32 years at the first time point and 32–36 at the second. Multinomial, linear, and binary regression analyses explored the association between resilience and SI over two time points. Models were adjusted for suicidality risk factors. Results: While unadjusted analyses identified associations between resilience and SI, these effects were fully explained by the inclusion of other suicidality risk factors. Conclusion: Despite strong cross-sectional associations, resilience and SI appear to be unrelated in a longitudinal context, once risk/resilience factors are controlled for. As independent indicators of psychological well-being, suicidality and resilience are essential if current status is to be captured. However, the addition of other factors (e.g., support, mastery) makes this association tenuous. Consequently, resilience per se may not be protective of SI.


2002 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kurt A. Heller ◽  
Ralph Reimann

Summary In this paper, conceptual and methodological problems of school program evaluation are discussed. The data were collected in conjunction with a 10 year cross-sectional/longitudinal investigation with partial inclusion of control groups. The experiences and conclusions resulting from this long-term study are revealing not only from the vantage point of the scientific evaluation of new scholastic models, but are also valuable for program evaluation studies in general, particularly in the field of gifted education.


2003 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 131-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gian Vittorio Caprara ◽  
Mariagiovanna Caprara ◽  
Patrizia Steca

Three cross-sectional studies examined stability and change in personality over the course of life by measuring the relations linking age to personality traits, self-efficacy beliefs, values, and well-being in large samples of Italian male and female participants. In each study, relations between personality and age were examined across several age groups ranging from young adulthood to old age. In each study, personality constructs were first examined in terms of mean group differences accrued by age and gender and then in terms of their correlations with age across gender and age groups. Furthermore, personality-age correlations were also calculated, controlling for the demographic effects accrued by marital status, education, and health. Findings strongly indicated that personality functioning does not necessarily decline in the later years of life, and that decline is more pronounced in males than it is in females across several personality dimensions ranging from personality traits, such as emotional stability, to self-efficacy beliefs, such as efficacy in dealing with negative affect. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for personality theory and social policy.


Crisis ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yves Sarfati ◽  
Blandine Bouchaud ◽  
Marie-Christine Hardy-Baylé

Summary: The cathartic effect of suicide is traditionally defined as the existence of a rapid, significant, and spontaneous decrease in the depressive symptoms of suicide attempters after the act. This study was designed to investigate short-term variations, following a suicide attempt by self-poisoning, of a number of other variables identified as suicidal risk factors: hopelessness, impulsivity, personality traits, and quality of life. Patients hospitalized less than 24 hours after a deliberate (moderate) overdose were presented with the Montgomery-Asberg Depression and Impulsivity Rating Scales, Hopelessness scale, MMPI and World Health Organization's Quality of Life questionnaire (abbreviated versions). They were also asked to complete the same scales and questionnaires 8 days after discharge. The study involved 39 patients, the average interval between initial and follow-up assessment being 13.5 days. All the scores improved significantly, with the exception of quality of life and three out of the eight personality traits. This finding emphasizes the fact that improvement is not limited to depressive symptoms and enables us to identify the relative importance of each studied variable as a risk factor for attempted suicide. The limitations of the study are discussed as well as in particular the nongeneralizability of the sample and setting.


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