Reexamining the Relationship Between Shift Work and Health Behavior: Do Fluid Intelligence, Socio-economic Status, and Self-control Moderate the Relation?

In contemporary research, the link between shift work and health has received empirical support. Contrary to the well-established association between shift work and adverse health outcomes, literature on the link between shift work and various negative health-related behavior patterns is limited to a rather small number of studies revealing inconsistent results. This is problematic since it is assumed that shift work affects health outcomes via the effect of health behavior. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between shift work and select indicators of health behavior (namely, smoking, alcohol consumption, and preventive health care) as well as subjective health in a large representative German sample. In the light of inconsistent previous findings in the field, we further examined potential moderators (namely, fluid intelligence, socio-economic status, and self-control). Results are based on data from 2,590 participants. We conducted multiple regression analyses as well as mean-differences analyses. Our results suggest that shift work had no direct mean effect on health-related behavior patterns. Moreover, fluid intelligence, socio-economic status, and self-control did not moderate any effects. In accordance with the findings regarding objective health indicators, shift and day workers did not differ in the subjective perception of their health. These findings inform future research and potential interventions that should aim at fostering a healthier lifestyle not only among shift workers

Transnational adoptions and Life-Trajectories

Neunzehn junge Menschen mit exponierten Lebensläufen: Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht die Implikationen transnationaler Adoption für den Lebensweg und die Identitätsentwicklung von Menschen, die im sehr jungen Alter ausgesetzt bzw. zur Adoption frei gegeben wurden. Die Studie befasst sich mit einem globalen Thema und berührt den kulturellen Hintergrund dreizehn verschiedener Länder. Für die Untersuchung wurden Problemzentrierte Interviews in Kombination mit einer Photo-Recherche mit biographischem Material durchgeführt. Auszüge von Gedichten und Prosa transnationaladoptierter Menschen wurden als Illustration und Untermauerung des gesammelten Datenmaterials eingesetzt. Drei Thesen ließen sich aus der Forschungsfrage ableiten: a) Die Bedeutung von Schutzfaktoren, die innerhalb der Adoptivfamilie erfahren wurden, für die weitere Entwicklung; b) Die Notwendigkeit der Verbindung und des Kontaktes mit anderen transnational adoptierten Menschen in den neuen Heimatländern; c) die Bedeutung von Zeit als dynamischem Faktor im Lebenslauf, was das Interesse an Adoptions- und Identitätsfragen adoptierter Menschen betrifft. Eine Theorieskizze ‘Axes of Adoption‘ wurde von der Autorin entwickelt, um das aus den Forschungsfragen gewonnene Lebenslaufmaterial zu erklären und zu strukturieren. Die Studie weist auf die bisher unterschätzte Rolle transnational adoptierter Menschen in der Diskussion um Crossover Kulturen, Hybride Identität und Globale Jugend hin.Nineteen young people with exposed life histories: This doctoral thesis explores the implications of transnational adoption for the life path and identity development of individuals who were abandoned or placed for adoption at a very young age. The study deals with a global theme and touches on the cultural background of thirteen different countries. Problem-centred interviews were employed in combination with photo-research using biographical material for this study. Poetry and prose written by transnational adoptees was used to illustrate and accentuate the explicit data, obtained from the interviews. Three major concerns emerged pertaining directly to the research question and enquiries. a) The relevance of protective factors experienced within the adoptive family for adoptees’ future development. b) The need for transnational adoptees to be ‘connected’ with other transnational adoptees in their adoptive country. c) The significance of time as a dynamic factor in the development of interest for adoption and cultural identity issues along the life span. A model, Axes of Adoption was developed by the author in order to guide and explain the life-trajectory material derived from the research enquiries. This dissertation points to the significant role of including transnational adoptees in the discussion on crossover cultures, hybrid identity and global youth

Cooperation in governance teams - walking the thin line. Two case studies about the chances and limitations of teacher cooperation

Kooperation zwischen Lehrpersonen ist im Schulalltag eher schwach ausgeprägt. Schulentwicklung und die hierfür eingesetzten Steuergruppen machen indes kollegiale Zusammenarbeit erforderlich. Der Beitrag gibt keine normativen Richtlinien für deren Gestaltung, sondern befasst sich empirisch mit den Kooperationsprozessen in zwei unterschiedlichen Steuergruppen. Die vergleichende qualitative Analyse öffnet den Blick für Qualitätsfragen und strukturelle Probleme der Kooperation von Lehrkräften auf diesem Feld. (DIPF/Orig.)The day-to-day cooperation between teachers is not very pronounced. However, within school development processes and steering committees, teachers need to collaborate. This essay does not intend to make normative suggestions for the design of teacher collaborations, but describes cooperative processes within two different steering committees. The following comparative qualitative analysis presents quality issues and structural problems that occur during cooperation. (DIPF/Orig.

Selective or random panel dropout? An investigation of personality and relationship parameters

Klatzka C, Baum MA, Hahn E. Selective or random panel dropout? An investigation of personality and relationship parameters. TwinLife Working Paper Series. Vol 03. Bielefeld: Project TwinLife "Genetic and social causes of life chances" (Universität Bielefeld / Universität des Saarlandes); 2019.In social sciences, longitudinal studies represent a common form of study design. However, this form of data collection may face the special problem of panel attrition over subsequent waves – a circumstance that can lead to a biased sample. As a consequence, longitudinal analyses may become flawed if the bias is unknown or not corrected. Previous research on panel attrition revealed that dropout can be related to several specific characteristics, such as sex, personality, or relationship status of the participants. As twins are a core feature of twin-studies – twin similarity a key tool in behavioral genetics – relational characteristics of this special siblinghood may play a crucial role in re-participating, too. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate panel attrition with respect to certain personality traits (Big Five) and relational characteristics (sibling relationship and satisfaction with sibling relationship) to estimate potential biases as a basis for corrections in future studies. Analyses were not only performed on an individual level but also regarding twin pair resemblance as this is the main source of information in behavior genetic twin studies. The sample consisted of 4,097 twin pairs and 8,281 of their family members from wave one of the German TwinLife study. 60.9 % of the initial sample re-participated in wave 2. Results indicate that there are no consistent patterns in personality or relational characteristics across family members, age cohorts of the twins, and sexes regarding panel attrition. There also seem to be no consistent patterns regarding differences in twin similarity across re- and non-re-participators. Subsequently, selective panel dropout with respect to personal characteristics seems to be of minor importance in the TwinLife study and corrections may only be necessary in selective cases

Follow-up of the Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung Diseases in Adults (SAPALDIA 2) 1991-2003: methods and characterization of participants

Summary.: Objectives: The Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung Diseases in Adults (SAPALDIA) was designed to investigate the health effects from long-term exposure to air pollution. Methods: The health assessment at recruitment (1991) and at the first reassessment (2001-3) consisted of an interview about respiratory health, occupational and other exposures, spirometry, a methacholine bronchial challenge test, end-expiratory carbon monoxide (CO) measurement and measurement for atopy. A bio bank for DNA and blood markers was established. Heart rate variability was measured using a 24-hour ECG (Holter) in a random sample of participants aged 50years and older. Concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3) and particulates in ambient air have been monitored in all study areas since 1991. Residential histories collected over the 11year follow-up period coupled with GIS modelling will provide individual long-term air pollutant exposure estimates. Results: Of 9651 participants examined in 1991, 8715 could be traced for the cohort study and 283 died. Basic information about health status was obtained for 8047 individuals (86% of alive persons), 6528 individuals (70%) agreed to the health examination and 5973 subjects (62%) completed the entire protocol. Non-participants in the reassessment were on average younger than participants and more likely to have been smokers and to have reported respiratory symptoms in the first assessment. Average weight had increased by 5.5kg in 11years and 28% of smokers in 1991 had quit by the time of the reassessmen

Associations Between Lumbar Vertebral Bone Marrow and Paraspinal Muscle Fat Compositions—An Investigation by Chemical Shift Encoding-Based Water-Fat MRI

Purpose: Advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods enable non-invasive quantification of body fat situated in different compartments. At the level of the lumbar spine, the paraspinal musculature is the compartment spatially and functionally closely related to the vertebral column, and both vertebral bone marrow fat (BMF) and paraspinal musculature fat contents have independently shown to be altered in various metabolic and degenerative diseases. However, despite their close relationships, potential correlations between fat compositions of these compartments remain largely unclear.Materials and Methods: Thirty-nine female subjects (38.5% premenopausal women, 29.9 ± 7.1 years; 61.5% postmenopausal women, 63.2 ± 6.3 years) underwent MRI at 3T of the lumbar spine using axially- and sagittally-prescribed gradient echo sequences for chemical shift encoding-based water-fat separation. The erector spinae muscles and vertebral bodies of L1–L5 were segmented to determine the proton density fat fraction (PDFF) of the paraspinal and vertebral bone marrow compartments. Correlations were calculated between the PDFF of the paraspinal muscle and bone marrow compartments.Results: The average PDFF of the paraspinal muscle and bone marrow compartments were significantly lower in premenopausal women when compared to postmenopausal women (11.6 ± 2.9% vs. 24.6 ± 7.1% & 28.8 ± 8.3% vs. 47.2 ± 8.5%; p < 0.001 for both comparisons). In premenopausal women, no significant correlation was found between the PDFF of the erector spinae muscles and the PDFF of the bone marrow of lumbar vertebral bodies (p = 0.907). In contrast, a significant correlation was shown in postmenopausal women (r = 0.457, p = 0.025). Significance was preserved after inclusion of age and body mass index (BMI) as control variables (r = 0.472, p = 0.027).Conclusion: This study revealed significant correlations between the PDFF of paraspinal and vertebral bone marrow compartments in postmenopausal women. The PDFF of the paraspinal and vertebral bone marrow compartments and their correlations might potentially serve as biomarkers; however, future studies including more subjects are required to evaluate distinct clinical value and reliability. Future studies should also follow up our findings in patients suffering from metabolic and degenerative diseases to clarify how these correlations change in the course of such diseases

Predicting and mapping human risk of exposure to Ixodes ricinus nymphs using climatic and environmental data, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, 2016

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