The role of generation status and acculturation in the academic achievement of Latina/o college students

Abstract only availableOf the 2.9 million Latinas/o students (17% of all high school students in the U.S.) enrolled in secondary education, only 53.2% of these students are expected to graduate from high school, and only 28.2% of these graduates were expected to attend higher education. In hopes of promoting the college success of Latina/o students, researchers have identified factors related to their educational attrition rate in secondary and college education. Although acculturation is widely viewed as a critical factor, research has yielded inconsistent findings about its role in Latinas/o student adjustment. Some studies have suggested that integration is associated with better academic outcomes whereas others support the importance of assimilation. One potential explanation for the conflicting findings regarding optimal acculturation patterns is that most prior research has failed to consider the role of generational status. For instance, one recent study found that identifying as bicultural (having a strong sense of both their ethnic identity and their American identity) was especially important for first and second generation students. In the present study, we investigated the interrelationships among acculturation, generation status, college self-efficacy, and achievement in a sample of 472 (268 female, 204 male) Mexican American college students. We hypothesized that acculturation would interact with generation status to determine student outcomes. Specifically, we expected strong Mexican and Anglo Orientation to be most beneficial in determining GPA for first generation students. Using hierarchical linear regression we found evidence of an interaction between generation status and Mexican Orientation but not Anglo Orientation. The findings help expand the limited research on the impact of generational status on college achievement in Mexican American students. Additionally, the discussion will focus on implications for evolving theories intended to explain the academic achievement and attrition among Latino/a students.MU Undergraduate Research Scholars Progra

Using Prevention Science to Promote Children's Mental Health

This poster was presented at the International Counseling Psychology Conference in Chicago, IL, in March 2008.In a recent issue of The Counseling Psychologist, Hage et al. (2007) encouraged greater involvement of counseling psychologists in prevention related activities. To support these efforts, the authors described 15 principles of prevention science and provided aspirational guidelines to counseling psychologists. Although the call for counseling psychology participation in prevention activities is not new, the article was unique in connecting counseling psychology to the emerging field of prevention science and in offering suggestions for applying these principles. The present poster is intended to highlight the prevention science principles articulated by Hage et al. (2007) by describing the activities of the Missouri Prevention Center, a program that uses these principles of prevention science within counseling research to enhance children's mental health

Helping Schools Select and Implement Empirically Supported Practices in Prevention

This poster was presented at the American Psychological Association Conference, Boston, MA, in August 2008.School districts are inundated with innovation. Ongoing developments in academic and social-emotional curriculum, combined with external pressures to improve student outcomes, create challenges for districts to make informed decisions about programs to implement in their schools. In particular, efforts to identify and implement best practices in mental health programming and services are complicated by constantly evolving initiatives, strategies, and delivery systems. Our poster presents a rationale and model for helping school districts select and implement best practices in prevention and mental health promotion programming

The Role of Prevention Science in Promoting Children's Mental Health: A Model for School Psychologists

This poster was presented at the American Psychological Association Conference in Boston, MA, in August 2008.Research has shown that early and focused prevention efforts can greatly reduce the costs, economic, psychological and social, borne by families and societies afflicted by poor mental health. With the help of a model program, the poster highlights school psychologists' involvement in prevention science activities to enhance children's mental health. Specifically, the Missouri Prevention Center exemplifies such a model and it is described in detail

Meaningful Effect Sizes, Intraclass Correlations, and Proportions of Variance Explained by Covariates for Planning Two- and Three-Level Cluster Randomized Trials of Social and Behavioral Outcomes

BACKGROUND: There is a need for greater guidance regarding design parameters and empirical benchmarks for social and behavioral outcomes to inform assumptions in the design and interpretation of cluster randomized trials (CRTs). OBJECTIVES: We calculated the empirical reference values on critical research design parameters associated with statistical power for children's social and behavioral outcomes, including effect sizes, intraclass correlations (ICCs), and proportions of variance explained by a covariate at different levels (R 2). SUBJECTS: Children from kindergarten to Grade 5 in the samples from four large CRTs evaluating the effectiveness of two classroom- and two school-level preventive interventions. MEASURES: Teacher ratings of students' social and behavioral outcomes using the Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptation-Checklist and the Social Competence Scale-Teacher. RESEARCH DESIGN: Two types of effect size benchmarks were calculated: (1) normative expectations for change and (2) policy-relevant demographic performance gaps. The ICCs and R 2 were calculated using two-level hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), where students are nested within schools, and three-level HLM, where students were nested within classrooms, and classrooms were nested within schools. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive tables of benchmarks and ICC values are provided to inform prevention researchers in interpreting the effect size of interventions and conduct power analyses for designing CRTs of children's social and behavioral outcomes. The discussion also provides a demonstration for how to use the parameter reference values provided in this article to calculate the sample size for two- and three-level CRTs designs

Safety and tolerability of sitagliptin in clinical studies: a pooled analysis of data from 10,246 patients with type 2 diabetes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In a previous pooled analysis of 12 double-blind clinical studies that included data on 6,139 patients with type 2 diabetes, treatment with sitagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, was shown to be generally well tolerated compared with treatment with control agents. As clinical development of sitagliptin continues, additional studies have been completed, and more patients have been exposed to sitagliptin. The purpose of the present analysis is to update the safety and tolerability assessment of sitagliptin by pooling data from 19 double-blind clinical studies.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The present analysis included data from 10,246 patients with type 2 diabetes who received either sitagliptin 100 mg/day (N = 5,429; sitagliptin group) or a comparator agent (placebo or an active comparator) (N = 4,817; non-exposed group). The 19 studies from which this pooled population was drawn represent the double-blind, randomized studies that included patients treated with the usual clinical dose of sitagliptin (100 mg/day) for between 12 weeks and 2 years and for which results were available as of July 2009. These 19 studies assessed sitagliptin taken as monotherapy, initial combination therapy with metformin or pioglitazone, or as add-on combination therapy with other antihyperglycemic agents (metformin, pioglitazone, a sulfonylurea ± metformin, insulin ± metformin, or rosiglitazone + metformin). Patients in the non-exposed group were taking placebo, metformin, pioglitazone, a sulfonylurea ± metformin, insulin ± metformin, or rosiglitazone + metformin. The analysis used patient-level data from each study to evaluate between-group differences in the exposure-adjusted incidence rates of adverse events.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Summary measures of overall adverse events were similar in the sitagliptin and non-exposed groups, except for an increased incidence of drug-related adverse events in the non-exposed group. Incidence rates of specific adverse events were also generally similar between the two groups, except for increased incidence rates of hypoglycemia, related to the greater use of a sulfonylurea, and diarrhea, related to the greater use of metformin, in the non-exposed group and constipation in the sitagliptin group. Treatment with sitagliptin was not associated with an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In this updated pooled safety analysis of data from 10,246 patients with type 2 diabetes, sitagliptin 100 mg/day was generally well tolerated in clinical trials of up to 2 years in duration.</p

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

Effectiveness of a targeted exercise intervention in reversing older peoples mild balance dysfunction: A randomised controlled trail

Background: Previous research has mainly targeted older people with high risk of falling. The effectiveness of exercise interventions in older people with mild levels of balance dysfunction remains unexplored. Objective: This study evaluated the effectiveness of a home balance and strength exercise intervention in older people systematically screened as having mild balance dysfunction. Design: This was a community-based, randomized controlled trial with assessors blinded to group allocation. Participants: Study participants were older people who reported concerns about their balance but remained community ambulant (n=225). After a comprehensive balance assessment, those classified as having mild balance dysfunction (n=165) were randomized into the trial. Intervention: Participants in the intervention group (n=83) received a 6-month physical therapist–prescribed balance and strength home exercise program, based on the Otago Exercise Program and the Visual Health Information Balance and Vestibular Exercise Kit. Participants in the control group (n=82) continued with their usual activities. Outcome Measures: Laboratory and clinical measures of balance, mobility, and strength were assessed at baseline and at a 6-month reassessment.Results: After 6 months, the intervention group (n=59) significantly improved relative to the control group (n=62) for: the Functional Reach Test (mean difference=2.95 cm, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.75 to 4.15), the Step Test (2.10 steps/15 seconds, 95% CI=1.17 to 3.02), hip abductor strength (0.02, 95% CI=0.01 to 0.03), and gait step width (2.17 cm, 95% CI=1.23 to 3.11). There were nonsignificant trends for improvement on most other measures. Fourteen participants in the intervention group (23.7%) achieved balance performance within the normative range following the exercise program, compared with 3 participants (4.8%) in the control group. Limitations: Loss to follow-up (26.6%) was slightly higher than in some similar studies but was unlikely to have biased the results. Conclusions: A physical therapist–prescribed home exercise program targeting balance and strength was effective in improving a number of balance and related outcomes in older people with mild balance impairment