Developing a measure of perceived ‘sink or swim’ socialization

While ‘sink or swim’ training is a well-known concept to practitioners, it has not garnered much attention within an academic setting. ‘Sink or swim’ can be described as a form of training by default, where an individual must take steps to socialize themselves. This research aimed to operationalize ‘sink or swim’ as a 3-factor construct made of ‘responsibility,’ ‘effectiveness,’ and ‘support,’ and develop a measure to assess it. Study 1 leveraged the academic literature and data from an industry survey to generate an initial item pool and then used SMEs to run a content validation assessment. Study 2 used a ‘shortitudinal’ survey design to assess the factor structure, psychometric properties, and incremental and predictive validity of the scale. The 3-factor structure was confirmed through both an EFA and CFA and the refined scale indicated acceptable levels of construct validity and test-retest reliability. The predictive validity of the scale was supported through a series of mediation analyses across separate employment outcomes. However, the scale did not demonstrate incremental validity over that of an existing socialization tactics scale. Overall, the finalized 17-item scale for ‘sink or swim’ demonstrated sufficient psychometric support, but not did add incremental value over and above existing measures. Regardless, the full scale or the ‘support’ factor scale each represents a practical and simplified assessment of perception of ‘sink or swim’ within the workplace

A human polymorphism affects NEDD4L subcellular targeting by leading to two isoforms that contain or lack a C2 domain

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ubiquitination serves multiple cellular functions, including proteasomal degradation and the control of stability, function, and intracellular localization of a wide variety of proteins. NEDD4L is a member of the HECT class of E3 ubiquitin ligases. A defining feature of NEDD4L protein isoforms is the presence or absence of an amino-terminal C2 domain, a class of subcellular, calcium-dependent targeting domains. We previously identified a common variant in human <it>NEDD4L </it>that generates isoforms that contain or lack a C2 domain.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To address the potential functional significance of the <it>NEDD4L </it>common variant on NEDD4L subcellular localization, NEDD4L isoforms that either contained or lacked a C2 domain were tagged with enhanced green fluorescent protein, transfected into <it>Xenopus laevis </it>kidney epithelial cells, and imaged by performing confocal microscopy on live cells. We report that the presence or absence of this C2 domain exerts differential effects on the subcellular distribution of NEDD4L, the ability of C2 containing and lacking NEDD4L isoforms to mobilize in response to a calcium stimulus, and the intracellular transport of subunits of the NEDD4L substrate, ENaC. Furthermore, the ability of the C2-containing isoform to influence β-ENaC mobilization from intracellular pools involves the NEDD4L active site for ubiquitination. We propose a model to account for the potential impact of this common genetic variant on protein function at the cellular level.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>NEDD4L isoforms that contain or lack a C2 domain target different intracellular locations. Additionally, whereas the C2-containing NEDD4L isoform is capable of shuttling between the plasma membrane and intracellular compartments in response to calcium stimulus the C2-lacking isoform can not. The C2-containing isoform differentially affects the mobilization of ENaC subunits from intracellular pools and this trafficking step requires NEDD4L ubiquitin ligase activity. This observation suggests a new mechanism for the requirement for the PY motif in cAMP-mediated exocytosis of ENaC. We have elucidated how a common genetic variant can underlie significant functional diversity in NEDD4L at the cellular level. We propose a model that describes how that functional variation may influence blood pressure. Moreover, our observations regarding differential function of the NEDD4L isoforms may impact other aspects of physiology that involve this ubiquitin ligase.</p

Sex and depression in the National Comorbidity Survey I: Lifetime prevalence, chronicity and recurrence

Basic epidemiologic prevalence data are presented on sex differences in DSM-III-R major depressive episodes (MDE). The data come from the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS), the first survey in the U.S. to administer a structured psychiatric interview to a nationally representative sample of the general population. Consistent with previous research, women are approximately 1.7 times as likely as men to report a lifetime history of MDE. Age of onset analysis shows that this sex difference begins in early adolescence and persists through the mid-50s. Women also have a much higher rate of 12-month depression than men. However, women with a history of depression do not differ from men with a history of depression in either the probability of being chronically depressed in the past year or in the probability of having an acute recurrence in the past year. This means that the higher prevalence of 12-month depression among women than men is largely due to women having a higher risk of first onset. The implications of these results for future research are discussed in a closing section of the paper.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/30529/1/0000161.pd

Sex and depression in the national comorbidity survey. II: Cohort effects

Data from a nationally representative sample of the general population are used to study cohort differences in the prevalence of DSM-III-R Major Depressive Episode (MDE). We document increasing lifetime prevalence of MDE among both men and women in more recent cohorts, but no major change in the sex ratio over the 40-year period retrospectively covered in the survey. We find a cohort a cohort difference in 12-month MDE, with older women much more likely than older men to have recurrent episodes. This sex difference in recurrence plays an important part in the elevated 12-month prevalence of depression among women compared to men in the 45-54 age range.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/31852/1/0000801.pd

A dimensional approach to understanding severity estimates and risk correlates of marijuana abuse and dependence in adults: A dimensional approach to marijuana use disorders

While item response theory (IRT) research shows a latent severity trait underlying response patterns of substance abuse and dependence symptoms, little is known about IRT-based severity estimates in relation to clinically relevant measures. In response to increased prevalences of marijuana-related treatment admissions, an elevated level of marijuana potency, and the debate on medical marijuana use, we applied dimensional approaches to understand IRT-based severity estimates for marijuana use disorders (MUDs) and their correlates while simultaneously considering gender- and race/ethnicity-related differential item functioning (DIF). Using adult data from the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (N=37,897), DSM-IV criteria for MUDs among past-year marijuana users were examined by IRT, logistic regression, and multiple indicators–multiple causes (MIMIC) approaches. Among 6,917 marijuana users, 15% met criteria for a MUD; another 24% exhibited subthreshold dependence. Abuse criteria were highly correlated with dependence criteria (correlation=0.90), indicating unidimensionality; item information curves revealed redundancy in multiple criteria. MIMIC analyses showed that MUD criteria were positively associated with weekly marijuana use, early marijuana use, other substance use disorders, substance abuse treatment, and serious psychological distress. African Americans and Hispanics showed higher levels of MUDs than whites, even after adjusting for race/ethnicity-related DIF. The redundancy in multiple criteria suggests an opportunity to improve efficiency in measuring symptom-level manifestations by removing low-informative criteria. Elevated rates of MUDs among African Americans and Hispanics require research to elucidate risk factors and improve assessments of MUDs for different racial/ethnic groups

Use of item response theory and latent class analysis to link poly-substance use disorders with addiction severity, HIV risk, and quality of life among opioid-dependent patients in the Clinical Trials Network

This study applied item response theory (IRT) and latent class analysis (LCA) procedures to examine the dimensionality and heterogeneity of comorbid substance use disorders (SUDs) and explored their utility for standard clinical assessments, including the Addiction Severity Index (ASI), HIV Risk Behavior Scale (HRBS), and SF-36 quality-of-life measures

Accumulation of major depressive episodes over time in a prospective study indicates that retrospectively assessed lifetime prevalence estimates are too low

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Most epidemiologic studies concerned with Major Depressive Disorder have employed cross-sectional study designs. Assessment of lifetime prevalence in such studies depends on recall of past depressive episodes. Such studies may underestimate lifetime prevalence because of incomplete recall of past episodes (recall bias). An opportunity to evaluate this issue arises with a prospective Canadian study called the National Population Health Survey (NPHS).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The NPHS is a longitudinal study that has followed a community sample representative of household residents since 1994. Follow-up interviews have been completed every two years and have incorporated the Composite International Diagnostic Interview short form for major depression. Data are currently available for seven such interview cycles spanning the time frame 1994 to 2006. In this study, cumulative prevalence was calculated by determining the proportion of respondents who had one or more major depressive episodes during this follow-up interval.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The annual prevalence of MDD ranged between 4% and 5% of the population during each assessment, consistent with existing literature. However, 19.7% of the population had at least one major depressive episode during follow-up. This included 24.2% of women and 14.2% of men. These estimates are nearly twice as high as the lifetime prevalence of major depressive episodes reported by cross-sectional studies during same time interval.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In this study, prospectively observed cumulative prevalence over a relatively brief interval of time exceeded lifetime prevalence estimates by a considerable extent. This supports the idea that lifetime prevalence estimates are vulnerable to recall bias and that existing estimates are too low for this reason.</p