Attitudes and Behaviors Related to Franciscan-Inspired Spirituality and Their Associations with Compassion and Altruism in Franciscan Brothers and Sisters

In Christian tradition there are many different ‘schools’ of spirituality which address an ‘inner transformation’ referring to an individual experience of the Sacred. The focus of this study was to examine the ‘core’ component of Franciscan spirituality (life according to the Gospel) and the ‘transformative’ components (living with and for others in need and respectful commitment to the creation) in a group of brothers and sisters of the Franciscan family. In particular, the reflection on how this spirituality is connected with the perception of the divine in daily life, with feelings of awe and subsequent gratitude on the one hand and compassion and altruistic behavior on the other, was an essential aspect of the present work. Data from a cross-sectional study with standardized instruments among 388 Franciscan brothers and sisters (mean age 61 ± 25 years) showed that “Living from the Faith” and “Seeking God in Silence and Prayer” scored highest, followed by “Commitment to the Creation” and interpersonal factors such as “Peaceful Attitude/Respectful Treatment” and “Commitment to the Disadvantaged”. In all cases, women achieved significantly higher scores than men (with values of F between 5.3 and 23.5, p < 0.05). These dimensions were moderately to strongly associated with experiential aspects of spirituality (i.e., Perception of the Divine, Gratitude/Awe), particularly “Living from the Faith” (r > 5.0, p < 0.0001). With regard to the prosocial ‘outcomes’ (e.g., Compassion and Altruism), stepwise regression analyses showed that Compassion was best predicted by “Peaceful Attitude/Respectful Treatment” and Gratitude/Awe (both explain 27% of variance), and Altruism was best predicted by “Commitment to the Disadvantaged” and Gratitude/Awe (both explain 21% of variance). Mediator analyses with the standardized z-factor values showed that Gratitude/Awe is also a significant mediator of the effects of the Perception of the Divine (as a further significant predictor of prosocial behaviors) on Compassion (beta = 0.05 ± 0.02, p < 0.01) and Altruism (beta = 0.03 ± 0.02, p = 0.04). Surprisingly, “Commitment to the Disadvantaged” was only weakly linked to “Living from the Faith”. It could be shown that “Living from the Faith” was much more connected to Compassion as an intention rather than to Altruism as an action. “Living from the Faith”, as the fundamental aspect of Franciscan spirituality, mediated the effect of the Perception of the Divine on Compassion (beta = 0.08 ± 0.03, p < 0.01) and Altruism (beta = 0.06 ± 0.03, p = 0.04), as well as mediating the effect of Gratitude/Awe on Compassion (beta = 0.07 ± 0.02, p < 0.01) and Altruism (beta = 0.06 ± 0.02, p < 0.01). However, there are significant differences between more contemplative and charitably engaged Franciscans; “Living from the Faith” scored highest in contemplative brothers and sisters within the different branches of Franciscan orders when compared to more charitably engaged persons, while their “Commitment to the Disadvantaged” was significantly lower. These differences could also be ascribed to the different charisms and missions of the Franciscan branches.

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Internalizing Behavior During the Transition from Childhood to Adolescence

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759/a000025 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 187-193 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Marc Vierhaus ◽

Arnold Lohaus ◽

Indra Shah

Keyword(s):

Research Design ◽

Internalizing Symptoms ◽

Fourth Graders ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Second Graders ◽

Internalizing Behavior ◽

Longitudinal Assessment ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The One

This investigation focuses on the question whether assessments of the development of internalizing behavior from childhood to adolescence are affected by the kind of research design (longitudinal versus cross-sectional). Two longitudinal samples of 432 second-graders and 366 fourth graders participated in a longitudinal study with subsequent measurements taken 1, 2, and 3 years later. A third sample consisting of 849 children covering the same range of grades participated in a cross-sectional study. The results show that the development of internalizing symptoms in girls – but not in boys – varies systematically with the research design. In girls, there is a decrease of internalizing symptoms (especially between the first two timepoints) in the longitudinal assessment, which may reflect, for example, the influence of strain during the first testing situation. Both longitudinal trajectories converge to a common trajectory from grade 2 to grade 7 when controlling for this “novelty-distress effect.” Moreover, when we control this effect, the slight but significant decrease characterizing the common trajectory becomes similar to the one obtained in the cross-sectional study. Therefore, trajectories based on longitudinal assessments may suggest more changes with regard to internalizing symptoms over time than actually take place, while trajectories based on cross-sectional data may be characterized by an increased level of internalizing symptoms. Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

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Survey of One-handed Lifting in Manufacturing Industry: A Cross-sectional Study of the BackWorks Study Cohort

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/1071181320641225 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 64 (1) ◽

pp. 942-946

Author(s):

Ruoliang Tang ◽

Jay M. Kapellusch ◽

Andrew S. Merryweather ◽

Matthew S. Thiese ◽

Kurt T. Hegmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Manufacturing Industry ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Study Cohort ◽

The European Union ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Materials Handling ◽

Manual Materials Handling ◽

Lost Productivity ◽

The One

Low back pain (LBP) is a common health problem and a major cause of lost productivity in workplaces. Manual materials handling (MMH) jobs have traditionally been regarded as risk factor for LBP. Compared to two-handed lifting, one-handed lifting has received little attention in both epidemiological and biomechanical research. In addition, one frequent complaint of the revised NIOSH lifting equation (RNLE) has been the lack of capability to directly evaluate one-handed lifting. Modifications have been proposed by the European Union, however their efficacy and influence have not yet been evaluated. This cross-sectional study provided objective survey of the MMH jobs, especially the one-handed lifting performed in manufacturing industry and investigated the outcomes of three proposed methods to address one-handed lifting using RNLE approach. Preliminary results suggest that workers with some one-handed lifting are associated with higher physical exposure. However, the increase was more significant among those who perform primarily one-handed lifting.

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Reproducibility and agreement between three positions for handgrip assessment

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-92296-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Olga-Cecilia Vargas-Pinilla ◽

Eliana-Isabel Rodríguez-Grande

Keyword(s):

Supine Position ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sitting Position ◽

Average Difference ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Hand Grip ◽

Standardization Process ◽

The One ◽

Level Of Agreement ◽

Apparently Healthy

AbstractThe protocol established for taking hand grip dynamometry measurements determines that the patient must be in a sitting position. This protocol cannot be applied due to the patient’s conditions in some cases, such as abdominal surgery, musculoskeletal spine or hip injuries. The purpose was to determine the reproducibility and level of agreement between the Handgrip dynamometry in supine position with the elbow flexed or extended, and the one measured in the sitting position, the design was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The population were young apparently healthy between 18 and 30 years of age (N = 201). Handgrip measurement was performed on both upper limbs in a sitting position with a flexed elbow, a supine position with a flexed elbow, and supine position with the elbow extended. Reproducibility was nearly perfect in all positions (ICC 0.95–0.97). Regarding the level of agreement for the comparison between sitting and supine positions with a flexed elbow, an average difference of − 0.406. For supine position with an extended elbow and supine position with a flexed elbow, the average difference was − 1.479. Considering the results, clinicians or researchers can choose any of the positions evaluated herein and obtain reliable results as long as the standardization process is followed.

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Medical interns’ attitudes towards One Health approach

Turkish Journal of Biochemistry ◽

10.1515/tjb-2021-0078 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Ceren Varer Akpinar ◽

Seyfi Durmaz

Keyword(s):

One Health ◽

Health And Safety ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Study Data ◽

Self Report ◽

Related Factors ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Health Concept ◽

Medical Interns ◽

The One

Abstract Objectives One Health approach to health considers human, animal, and ecosystem health as a whole and advocates cooperation across disciplines to reach the highest level of health. The aim of the study is to determine the attitudes of the medical interns’ toward the One Health approach and to evaluate related factors. Methods This cross-sectional study targeted all interns of the Faculty of Medicine of 2019–2020 academic year (n=356). Sociodemographic characteristics, health status, habits, and attitudes toward One Health were asked in the questionnaire, which was created by the researchers using the literature. The study data were collected based on self-report during occupational health and safety training, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were also performed. Results The study group included a fair gender distribution (47.8% female), and the average age was 23.6 ± 1.2. Out of the 316 participants, 40.2% had not heard the One Health concept before. In total, 85.4% of them declared a positive attitude toward the concept. The probability of high attitude was found to be 5.03 times (95% CI 1.10–23.12) higher in those with above-average success status and 4.08 times (95% CI 1.15–14.52) higher in those who had kept animals. In students’ responses to the attitude questionnaire items, the epidemic sub-dimension had the highest level as 86.1%, and the antibiotic resistance sub-dimension had the lowest level as 77.2%. Conclusions The current study revealed that the awareness on One Health concept among medical interns is limited, however, students’ attitudes are positive. Recent SARS-CoV 2 pandemic showed us the urgent need for proper implementation of’ One Health approach in the medical education curriculum. Meanwhile, One Health focused courses should be introduced into the curriculum of final year medicine and related programs.

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Intakes of energy, macronutrients and micronutrients of a population in severe food insecurity risk in Brazil

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980019003057 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 23 (4) ◽

pp. 649-659 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Stefanie Eugênia dos Anjos Coelho Kubo ◽

Teresa Helena Macedo da Costa ◽

Muriel Bauermann Gubert

Keyword(s):

Food Insecurity ◽

Household Survey ◽

National Sample ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Brazilian Population ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The One ◽

Probabilistic Sample ◽

National Databases ◽

Fourth Quartile

AbstractObjective:To analyse usual intakes of energy, macronutrients and micronutrients, and their percentage of inadequacy, in a Brazilian population at severe food insecurity (SFI) risk, determined from a predictive model using two national databases.Design:Cross-sectional study. Our study used a statistical model to predict SFI using the 2009 National Sample Household Survey, where the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale measured SFI.Setting:Brazil.Participants:The model was applied in a probabilistic sample of 34 003 Brazilians aged 10 years or older that participated in a national dietary survey during 2008–2009. The application of the model generated the probability of each individual being in SFI. The probability of SFI was grouped into quartiles (first quartile with the lowest SFI risk, fourth quartile with highest probability of SFI risk).Results:The intakes of macro- and micronutrients were associated with SFI. The amount of energy and nutrients in the diet tended to be lower among individuals in the fourth quartile, with highest probability of SFI. The average intake of all studied minerals (Ca, Fe, Na, Mg) was less in individuals in the fourth quartile. Only Na presented a higher percentage of inadequacy in the first quartile, the one with a lower chance of SFI.Conclusions:The food intake of the Brazilian population at higher SFI risk is characterized by energy reduction, reduced consumption of macronutrients and high prevalence of inadequate micronutrient intakes, as well as a lower mean intakes, when compared with the first quartile with the lowest SFI risk.

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A NOVEL TOOL FOR THE EARLY IDENTIFICATION OF FRAILTY IN ELDERLY PEOPLE: THE APPLICATION IN PRIMARY CARE SETTINGS

Journal of Frailty & Aging ◽

10.14283/jfa.2019.41 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

M. Maggio ◽

M. Barbolini ◽

Y. Longobucco ◽

L. Barbieri ◽

C. Benedetti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Construct Validity ◽

Predictive Value ◽

Community Health Centers ◽

Health Care Systems ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Criterion Validity ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Care Systems ◽

The One

Objectives: Frailty is a pre-disability condition in older persons providing a challenge to Health-Care Systems. Systematic reviews highlight the absence of a gold-standard for its identification. However, an approach based on initial screening by the General Practitioner (GP) seems particularly useful. On these premises, a 9-item Sunfrail Checklist (SC), was developed by a multidisciplinary group, in the context of European Sunfrail Project, and tested in the Community. Objectives: – to measure the concordance between the judgments of frailty (criterion-validity): the one formulated by the GP, using the SC, and the one subsequently expressed by a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment Team (CGA-Team); – to determine the construct-validity through the correspondence between some checklist items related to the 3 domains (physical, cognitive and social) and the three tools used by the CGA-Team; – to measure the instrument’s performance in terms of positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV). Design: Cross-sectional study, with a final sample-size of 95 subjects. Setting: Two Community-Health Centers of Parma, Italy. Participants: Subjects aged 75 years old or more, with no disability and living in the community. Measurements: We compared the screening capacity of the GP using the SC to that one of CGA-Team based on three tests: 4-meter Gait-Speed, Mini-Mental State Examination and Loneliness Scale. Results: 95 subjects (51 women), with a mean age of 81±4 years were enrolled. According to GPs 34 subjects were frail; the CGA-Team expressed a frailty judgment on 26 subjects. The criterion-validity presented a Cohen’s k of 0.353. Construct-validity was also low, with a maximum contingency-coefficient of 0.19. The analysis showed a PPV of 58.1% and a NPV equal to 84.6%. Conclusions: Our data showed a low agreement between the judgements of GP performed by SC and CGA-Team. However, the good NPV suggests the applicability of SC for screening activities in primary-care.

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‘Catching chlamydia’: combining cash incentives and community pharmacy access for increased chlamydia screening, the view of young people

Australian Journal of Primary Health ◽

10.1071/py12135 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 79 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Rhian M. Parker ◽

Allison Bell ◽

Marian J. Currie ◽

Louise S. Deeks ◽

Gabrielle Cooper ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Young People ◽

Community Pharmacy ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Chlamydia Screening ◽

Community Pharmacies ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Cash Incentive ◽

Age Appropriate ◽

Accepted Practice ◽

The One

In Australia and elsewhere, chlamydia screening rates for those aged between 16 and 30 years continue to be low. Innovative, age-appropriate approaches are necessary to increase chlamydia screening among this target group to prevent short- and long-term consequences of the infection such as pelvic inflammatory disease, chronic pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancy and infertility. Studies have demonstrated that offering chlamydia screening in community pharmacies may be a useful adjunct to current screening services. Approximately 90% of Australians visit a pharmacy at least once a year. Chlamydia screening and education in community pharmacies with remuneration may provide another option for opportunistic testing as part of a national chlamydia screening scheme. Compensation is an accepted practice in the field of research and has been demonstrated to improve adherence to health promotion activities. In 2011, a cross-sectional study of community pharmacy-based chlamydia screening offered in conjunction with an A$10 cash incentive to participate was conducted in the Australian Capital Territory. As part of this study young people were asked about their experience of, and views about, pharmacy-based chlamydia screening. The views of consented participants were collected using the one-page questionnaire consisting of 10 closed questions and one open-ended question. Participants completed the questionnaire when they returned their urine sample and before being given the cash incentive. Overall participants were highly satisfied with the pharmacy-based chlamydia screening service. Over 60% of questionnaire respondents felt that the payment did affect their decision to have the chlamydia test, and 23% stated that it made no difference. Young people reported that pharmacy-based screening is acceptable and convenient. Accessibility and the small cash incentive played significant roles in increasing participation.

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Recusa da vacinação em área urbana do norte de Portugal

Scientia Medica ◽

10.15448/1980-6108.2018.4.32152 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 28 (4) ◽

pp. 32152

Author(s):

Margarida Silva Fonseca ◽

Maria da Assunção L. N. Varela ◽

Assunção Frutuoso ◽

Maria de Fátima F. R. Pinto Monteiro

Keyword(s):

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Scientific Basis ◽

Health Centers ◽

Vaccination Program ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Vaccine Refusal ◽

Academic Level ◽

Refusal Rate ◽

The One ◽

Attending Physician

AIMS: To know the number of vaccine refusals and to investigate the reasons for non-compliance with vaccination by the parents of children and adolescents living in an urban area of northern Portugal.METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out with a sample of children/adolescents up to the age of 14 enrolled in health units in a metropolitan area of Porto, Portugal, belonging to the health centers groupings of Porto Ocidental, Porto Oriental, Gaia, Gondomar and Matosinhos, whose parents refused any vaccination of the National Vaccination Program in the period from January 2009 to December 2015. We studied the characterization of the sample and the reasons for vaccine rejection through the application of a questionnaire to parents.RESULTS: We identified 150 cases of children/adolescents to whom the parents refused any vaccine, in a global population of 103,406 children, resulting in a vaccine refusal rate of 0.14%. The highest rate occurred in the Porto Ocidental health centers grouping: 0.31%. Among the 150 cases, 86 parents accepted to respond to the questionnaire, corresponding to an adhesion rate of 64%. The median age of children/adolescents whose parents refused vaccination was seven years; most of them were healthy and had no perinatal problems. All parents were adults, mostly married and female. Most parents had a college degree and were professionally active. The Porto Oriental health centers grouping was the one where the parents who refused vaccines were mostly males, had a higher academic level and were more professionally active. The vaccine with the highest refusal rate was BCG, followed by anti-human papillomavirus and measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The four main reasons for vaccination refusal by the parents were "vaccines are not a priority", "vaccines are not safe", "indication of the attending physician" and "fear of side effects." The reason for the "indication of the attending physician" was in all cases referred to the BCG vaccine.CONCLUSIONS: In this population the vaccination refusal rate was low; however, based on the results obtained, intervention efforts can be directed towards the families, aiming at combating the arguments without scientific basis and obtaining an unequivocal adhesion to the National Vaccination Program in Portugal.

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The Effects of Uric Acid, Serum Vitamin D3, and Their Interaction on Parkinson’s Disease Severity

Parkinson s Disease ◽

10.1155/2015/463483 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Rokhsareh Meamar ◽

Pooria Shaabani ◽

Seyed Reza Tabibian ◽

Mohammad Reza Aghaye Ghazvini ◽

Awat Feizi

Keyword(s):

Vitamin D3 ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Serum Vitamin ◽

Rank Correlation ◽

Positive Association ◽

Total Sample ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Referral Hospitals ◽

The One

Objectives. In current study, the relationships between serum vitamin D3 levels and serum UA concentrations as well as their interaction with severity of PD were evaluated in a sample of Iranian PD patients.Method. In a cross sectional study at the one of the main referral hospitals in central region of Iran, during September to November 2011, 112 patients were recruited. Severity of PD was evaluated sing H&R stages and UPDRS.Results. The Spearman rank correlation coefficient suggests the negative significant association between serum vitamin D3 and UPDRS in patients aged >62 (r=-0.34,P<0.05). No statistically significant association was observed between the UA levels and severity of PD (represented by H&Y categories) in different levels of serum vitamin D3 not only in total sample but also in separate age and sex groups. The linear regression coefficients suggested positive association between UA and serum vitamin D3 with UPDRSIII scores while negative relationship between UA and serum vitamin D3 interaction with UPDRSIII; however it was only statistically significant in age group ≤62 (P<0.05).Conclusion. Our study revealed a negative correlation between interaction of serum vitamin D3 and UA with severity of PD; other studies are required to confirm our findings.

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