1,173 research outputs found

    Exploring the Relationship between Nurse Supervisor’s Servant Leadership Behavior and Nursing Employee’s Self-Assessment of Engagement and Burnout in Nigeria

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    Burnout is a problem among workers in Nigeria, especially among nurses (Ozumba, & Alabere, 2019). This study examined whether there was a significant relationship between the employee perception of the servant leadership behaviors of the nurse supervisor and the employee’s self-rating of burnout: exhaustion and disengagement, and servant leadership behaviors of the nurse supervisor, and engagement: vigor, dedication, and absorption. Exhaustion refers to an intensive physical, affective, and cognitive strain while disengagement refers to the distancing of oneself from one’s work, and experiencing negative attitudes toward the work object, work content, or one’s work in general (Demerouti et al., 2001). Vigor is characterized by high levels of energy and mental resilience while working, the willingness to invest effort in one’s work, and persistence even in the face of difficulties. Dedication refers to being strongly involved in one\u27s work and experiencing a sense of significance, enthusiasm, inspiration, pride, and challenge. Absorption is characterized by being fully concentrated and happily engrossed in one’s work, whereby time passes quickly, and one has difficulties with detaching oneself from work (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2003). The study also examined if employees at an institution that explicitly endorses the principles of servant leadership behaviors of the supervisor would score higher in vigor, dedication, and absorption and score lower on exhaustion and disengagement. The study took place at three university teaching hospitals in Nigeria: Lagos University Teaching Hospital (172 participants), University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu (172 participants), and University of Port-Harcourt Teaching Hospital (154 participants). There were 498 participants in the study. Most of the study participants were female (463, 93.0%), while the rest were male (35, 7.0%). This reflected the national average concerning gender of the nursing population in Nigeria. The study utilized already validated psychometric instruments: Linden’s Servant Leadership Scale 7, to measure the servant leadership behaviors of the supervisor. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale was used to measure employee work engagement, and the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory was used to measure the burnout of the employees. This study found a small significant negative correlation between the employee perception of the servant leadership scale and employee burnout: exhaustion and disengagement. It also found a small positive significant relationship between employee perception of the servant leadership behaviors of the supervisor and employee engagement: vigor, dedication, and absorption among the study participants. However, more servant leadership behaviors did not result in less burnout or more work engagement

    Self-Care for Counselors During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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    COVID-19 took the world by surprise early in 2020, and rapidly became a global threat. While not the first global pandemic declared by the World Health Organization, COVID-19 was different from past pandemics both in the speed of transmission and in the psychosocial impact. Not only did COVID-19 impact the physical health of those who contracted the virus, it also impacted the mental health of the general population. Mental health counselors held a dual role in this pandemic, facing the psychosocial impact themselves while simultaneously providing care for others. Recent studies explored the psychosocial impact on health care professionals and the general population, however, as of the date of this research, none had studied the effect on counseling professionals. Past research has been clear that self-care is related to quality of counselor care, however there is little research on the connection between self-care and counselor mental health and none in the context of a global pandemic. This descriptive, variable-centered correlational research study explored potential connections between counselor self-care, counselor mental health, and counselor experience of trauma-related symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ninety licensed counselors in the United States were surveyed about their experiences. Results showed no significant correlation between counselor self-care and trauma-related symptoms, however, a significant correlation was discovered between counselor self-care and mental health

    Making Connections: A Handbook for Effective Formal Mentoring Programs in Academia

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    This book, Making Connections: A Handbook for Effective Formal Mentoring Programs in Academia, makes a unique and needed contribution to the mentoring field as it focuses solely on mentoring in academia. This handbook is a collaborative institutional effort between Utah State University’s (USU) Empowering Teaching Open Access Book Series and the Mentoring Institute at the University of New Mexico (UNM). This book is available through (a) an e-book through Pressbooks, (b) a downloadable PDF version on USU’s Open Access Book Series website), and (c) a print version available for purchase on the USU Empower Teaching Open Access page, and on Amazon

    Tradition and Innovation in Construction Project Management

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    This book is a reprint of the Special Issue 'Tradition and Innovation in Construction Project Management' that was published in the journal Buildings

    Outcome Measurement in Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder

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    Outcome measurement in Functional Neurological Symptom Disorders (FNSDs) is particularly complex. Pressing questions include what kind of measure is more accurate or meaningful, or how to achieve standardisation in a clinically heterogenous group where subjective and objective observations of the same construct may deviate. This project aimed to build on the limited knowledge of measuring outcomes in FNSDs and attempts to address one of its inherent complexities; where clinical aspects of the disorder confound the usual prioritisation of "objective" over "subjective" (or patient-rated) measures. This PhD comprised a literature review and three research studies, each using different measures to assess the current status and (potential) outcomes in FNSD patients. A narrative description of systematically identified literature on stress, distress, and arousal measures in FNSD presents an overarching profile of the relationships between subjective and objective study measures. Eighteen studies (12 functional seizures, six other FNSD) capturing 396 FNSD patients were included. Eleven reported no correlation between subjective and objective measures. Only four studies reported significant correlations (r's=-0.74-0.59, p's <0.05). The small number of studies and diverse methodologies limit the conclusions of this review. However, the review's findings underscore the importance of validating outcome measures in patients with FNSD, carefully selecting the most appropriate measures for the research objectives, and possibly combining different measures optimally to triangulate a patient's current state, level of functioning or disability. Study One used factor analysis and Rasch modelling to investigate the psychometric properties of a novel FNSD-specific resource-based measure developed as an outcome measure for psychological therapies (The sElf-efficacy, assertiveness, Social support, self-awareness and helpful thinking (EASE) questionnaire). A 4-factor model identified self-efficacy (SE), self-awareness/assertiveness (SA), social support (SS) and interpersonal illness burden (IIB) as relevant domains. Each latent scale fits the Rasch model after refinement of the category responses and removing two items. With further improvement, the EASE-F has the potential to reliably measure self-reported SE, SA, SS, and IIB constructs which were found to be meaningful to patients with FNSD. This can identify patients with strengths and deficits in these constructs, allowing therapists to individualise interventions. Recommendations for refinement of future instrument versions, using the measure in clinical practice, and research in FNSDs are discussed. Study Two sought to understand the urgent and emergency care (UEC) service usage patterns among FNSD patients. Retrospective FNSD patient data from 2013 to 2016 UEC records (including NHS 111 calls, ambulance services, A&E visits, and acute admissions) were used to compare FNSD UEC usage rates with those of the general population and to model rates before and after psychotherapy. FNSD patients displayed 23 to 60 times higher UEC usage than the general population. Emergency service usage rates showed a significant reduction in level (rate level change = -0.90--0.70, p's <0.05) immediately after psychotherapy. While this study was uncontrolled, and a causal relationship between psychotherapy and reduced UEC service use cannot be proven by its design, the decrease in pre-treatment service usage among FNSD patients mirrors treatment-related improvements in health status and functioning previously documented using self-reported outcome measures. Further research is warranted to elucidate features of emergency care service use by patients with FNSD, assess interventions' cost-effectiveness, and help to optimise limited health care resource allocation. Study Three utilised a delay discounting and emotional bias task to assess if these measures could indicate the health state of FNSD patients and to compare findings in patients with those in healthy controls. This online-based study collected data on cognitive-affective functioning, decision-making and, indirectly, emotion regulation, alongside self-reported health data and indicators of mood while completing the tasks. Delay discounting (DD) was steeper in patients with FNSD, indicating a preference for less subjectively valuable immediate rewards. Patients displayed priming and interference effects for angry and happy facial expressions, which differed from the interference effects observed in healthy controls [F(1,76) = 3.5, p = 0.037, η2p = 0.084]. Modest associations (r's =0.26-0.33, p's <0.05) were found between the DD estimates and self-reported generalised anxiety, but not current feelings of anxiety in FNSD. There were no correlations with indices for negative affective priming or interference. These measures did not show predictive ability for self-reported difficulty regulating emotions, anxiety, depression or coping in FNSD. However, the fact that the DD task and self-reported constructs failed to correlate does not invalidate this objective test. The findings underscore the importance of using a combined approach to outcome measurement. This project highlights the importance of a more comprehensive understanding of outcomes and measures that capture clinically valid and meaningful health information. Given that subjective and objective measures capture different aspects of health state or function, a combination of measurement approaches will likely produce the most comprehensive understanding of patients' current state or treatment outcome. Because of the attentional, emotional, and perceptual alterations implicated in FNSD and the variable external representations of these, the difference between objective and subjective measures represents an interesting observation in its own right. The size of the discrepancy between subjective and objective measures may provide additional valuable insights into the underlying pathology. Nonetheless, there is still a need for standardisation and consistency in FNSD outcome measurement and reporting. Several important factors, such as the timeframe of measures, the influence of confounding factors, and the variety of presentation of any aspect of the disorder (e.g., physiological, cognitive, social, or behavioural presentations of arousal/stress), will need to be considered when designing and interpreting measurements for research or clinical analysis of the patient group

    An investigation into the capacities of pre-service post-primary mathematics teachers to effectively teach problem-solving.

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    Problem-solving has always been a part of mathematics, but the formal study of problem-solving has a short history. There is widespread agreement that the development of students’ problem-solving capabilities is a main goal of mathematics instruction with emphasis on problem-solving in curricula nationally and internationally. In Ireland, problem-solving is specifically mentioned in post-primary curricula. However, according to the PISA and TIMSS results, it appears that students in Ireland have a lower performance in translating real-world situations into mathematical representations than in applying procedures. Since teachers play a key role in students’ problem-solving, the aim of this research was to investigate and develop the capacities of pre-service post-primary mathematics teachers (PSMTs) to effectively teach mathematical problem-solving. These capacities involve: knowledge of problems, knowledge of problem-solving, knowledge of problem-posing, and affective factors and beliefs. This research focuses on designing a university module to investigate and develop these capacities in PSMTs in Ireland. Based on these capacities, specific instruments were developed for the intervention, namely: mathematical task classification instruments and rubric, mathematical problem generation and reformulation instruments, implementation of taught strategies rubric, and open-ended affective questions. These instruments were implemented alongside pre-existing instruments: the Indiana Mathematics Belief scale (Kloosterman & Stage, 1992), a mathematical problem-solving proficiency rubric (Oregon, 2010), and ‘Think Aloud’ interviews. This intervention was developed and implemented with four cohorts of PSMTs over four years. Our findings include that PSMTs: demonstrate adequate ability to communicate reasoning and use representations while problem-solving but have difficulty in reflecting on their solution; have difficulty in posing mathematical problems; and text based tasks are often misclassified as mathematical problems. In relation to the affective domain, the beliefs stated by the PSMTs about problem-solving, in some instances, contradicted the affective factors expressed while problem-solving. These findings have led to refinements of the module mentioned above, and to suggestions for further developments

    Exemplars as a least-committed alternative to dual-representations in learning and memory

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    Despite some notable counterexamples, the theoretical and empirical exchange between the fields of learning and memory is limited. In an attempt to promote further theoretical exchange, I explored how learning and memory may be conceptualized as distinct algorithms that operate on a the same representations of past experiences. I review representational and process assumptions in learning and memory, by the example of evaluative conditioning and false recognition, and identified important similarities in the theoretical debates. Based on my review, I identify global matching memory models and their exemplar representation as a promising candidate for a common representational substrate that satisfies the principle of least commitment. I then present two cases in which exemplar-based global matching models, which take characteristics of the stimulus material and context into account, suggest parsimonious explanations for empirical dissociations in evaluative conditioning and false recognition in long-term memory. These explanations suggest reinterpretations of findings that are commonly taken as evidence for dual-representation models. Finally, I report the same approach provides also provides a natural unitary account of false recognition in short-term memory, a finding which challenges the assumption that short-term memory is insulated from long-term memory. Taken together, this work illustrates the broad explanatory scope and the integrative and yet parsimonious potential of exemplar-based global matching models

    Aligning the Vibrations: Resounding Matters

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    Te Kore, to Te Pƍ, to Te Ao MaramaTe reo Māori (the Māori language) is an oral language, so these “Te Kore, to Te Pƍ, to Te Ao Marama” words are most commonly encountered as spoken. Unlike Western traditions, precontact Māori cultures did not impose Cartesian divisions between nature and culture on the world. Nor does te reo position entities in an oppositional manner, as for instance the Greek prefix ‘in-’ does on the words ‘tangible’ and ‘intangible.’ Similarly, the Greek prefix ‘inter-’ inscribes the possibility that within oppositional entities there is always an in-between. Sound vibrates, resonates and reverberates, sound is always inherent to material movement, both in its generation and propagation. Vibrations are one of the ways that the material world makes itself felt. If language is communication, then in this understanding it is not just a human prerogative

    Beyond the time bind: Gender inequality and the tempo of life in 87 countries

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    This article explores the relationship between gender inequality and the tempo of life around the world. By directly situating tempo in sociological theory, I develop a more consistent, embodied, precise and generalizable measure for the tempo of public life, with gender on the forefront. To do so, I draw on the largest dataset to-date collected on the tempo of life around the world. This allows me to isolate how macro- and micro-level gender inequality matters in different contexts. Contrary to existing literature from the biosciences, my ordinary least squares regression results show that in countries with high levels of gender inequality, women often walk faster than men in public places. Monte Carlo cross-validation tests and parametric bootstrap analyses test the predictive accuracy of the full model. My results illustrate that the tempo of public life cannot be solely reduced to previously-explored economic, cultural and environmental differences between the northern and the southern hemispheres. The consideration of gender is imperative for understanding between-country and within-country differences in tempo. In addition to shedding light on the tempo of public life, my work serves as an important first step toward standardizing the tempo measure, allowing for meaningful comparisons in markedly different contexts

    Antipsychotic drugs for the treatment of acute schizophrenia after the first episode

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    A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.Background: Antipsychotic drugs (APDs) represent the treatment of choice for psychotic disorders, but uncertainty surrounds the optimal selection of agents. Methodology: This was a mixed method study which included a systematic review and psychiatrists’ opinion survey. The systematic review focused on comparative analysis of APDs, regardless of being typical or atypical, which are used for the treatment of schizophrenia, to determine their relative efficacy, rate and causes of discontinuations and potential side-effects. The review followed the PRISMA-P© statement and checklist and used the RevMan© statistical analysis tool to report on the findings. PubMed©, CINHAL© and ScienceDirectℱ were searched for suitable studies. The primary outcomes of interest were clinical response measured by symptoms improvement, tolerance to side effects and discontinuation rate and reasons. The study analyses were presented as forest plots, with 95% confidence intervals and p value of 0.05 or less as significant. The selected study population was adults who were APD-naĂŻve or only a short history of APD use (<16 weeks). A cross-sectional survey of psychiatrists from the UK and India was conducted to understand their opinions regarding their choice of APDs, their experience with tolerance and efficacy in managing psychosis in patients diagnosed with acute schizophrenia after first episode of psychosis. Both categorical and qualitative data was collected and analysed. The survey was opened from 26 April 2022 to 31 July 2022. Findings: Twenty one RCTs were included in the systematic review. There was better individual patients’ response to aripiprazole vs. ziprasidone (CDSS p=0.04), aripiprazole vs. quetiapine (BPRS p=0.02, YMRS p=0.001) and ziprasidone vs. quetiapine (CGI p=0.02, CDSS p=0.02) in the study sample. In the short term APDs use, the difference between aripiprazole and risperidone was statistically significant for diminished sexual desire (p=0.01). Long term APDs use, the difference between aripiprazole and ziprasidone was significant for increased duration of sleep (p=0.003), rigidity (p=0.02), erectile dysfunction (p=0.005), ejaculatory dysfunction (p=0.02) and weight gain (p=0.01); aripiprazole and quetiapine for sleepiness (p0.05) but it was for ziprasidone vs. olanzapine (p=0.02). After long term use of APDs, total discontinuation rate difference was significantly different in six pairs: p=0.03 for quetiapine vs. olanzapine, p0.05) between quetiapine vs. risperidone, haloperidol vs. quetiapine, ziprasidone vs. aripiprazole, risperidone vs. olanzapine, ziprasidone vs. risperidone haloperidol vs. risperidone. Discontinuation reasons were possible to analyse only with long term APDs use and 12 pairs were compared. The difference was significant between olanzapine and risperidone due to the lack of efficacy (p0.05). The most selected first line APDs in both countries were olanzapine (47.5%), risperidone (42.8%) and aripiprazole (25.3%). 60% of psychiatrists from India (60%) and 48% from UK (48%) selected that ‘medication efficacy’ as the main reason for choosing specific APD. Switching one APD to another within 4-6 weeks from initiation was selected by 53.7% of psychiatrists and 3-6 months was selected by 11.6%. The main reasons for switching APDs indicated were poor clinical efficacy (69%) and lack of tolerability (45%). Poor efficacy was the most selected reason by the Indian practitioners (68%) and the UK practitioners(71%) for switching APDs. When one APDs did not control the symptoms, 35% of the UK psychiatrists waited 3-6 months and 47% of Indian psychiatrists waited for 4-6 weeks before adding another APDs to manage poor efficacy. Nonadherence was the most common reason for relapse (90% UK psychiatrist and 70% Indian psychiatrist) followed by elicit drug use (27.6%). The most reported side effects which led to nonadherence were weight gain (10.8%), drowsiness (10.4%), erectile dysfunction and movement disorders (equally 8.7%). Weight gain (8.1%), movement disorders (7.7%) and hyperprolactinaemia (7%) were the highest reported side effects that caused psychiatrist to switch to another APDs. Similarly, weight gain (11.4%) was the most common side effects prompting patients to seek termination of the treatment, followed by drowsiness (10.3%) and erectile dysfunction (9.4%). Life threatening rare side effects was the main reason to discontinue the use of APDs (10.5%). Conclusion: Olanzapine, risperidone and aripiprazole were the most selected as initial treatment choice by psychiatrists from India and UK and are perceived as widely effective and/or widely tolerated. It was concluded that no single antipsychotic stands out as uniquely effective or free of side effects for all treated individuals. Individual patient clinical response, tolerance to side effects or life threatening side effects remain the most reliable basis for continuing the use of APD. relevant However, lack of clinical effect or intolerable side effects lead to therapy being reviewed, APD switched or ceased
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