The development of instruments to measure the work disability assessment behaviour of insurance physicians

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Variation in assessments is a universal given, and work disability assessments by insurance physicians are no exception. Little is known about the considerations and views of insurance physicians that may partly explain such variation. On the basis of the Attitude - Social norm - self Efficacy (ASE) model, we have developed measurement instruments for assessment behaviour and its determinants.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Based on theory and interviews with insurance physicians the questionnaire included blocks of items concerning background variables, intentions, attitudes, social norms, self-efficacy, knowledge, barriers and behaviour of the insurance physicians in relation to work disability assessment issues. The responses of 231 insurance physicians were suitable for further analysis. Factor analysis and reliability analysis were used to form scale variables and homogeneity analysis was used to form dimension variables. Thus, we included 169 of the 177 original items.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Factor analysis and reliability analysis yielded 29 scales with sufficient reliability. Homogeneity analysis yielded 19 dimensions. Scales and dimensions fitted with the concepts of the ASE model. We slightly modified the ASE model by dividing behaviour into two blocks: behaviour that reflects the assessment process and behaviour that reflects assessment behaviour.</p> <p>The picture that emerged from the descriptive results was of a group of physicians who were motivated in their job and positive about the Dutch social security system in general. However, only half of them had a positive opinion about the Dutch Work and Income (Capacity for Work) Act (WIA). They also reported serious barriers, the most common of which was work pressure. Finally, 73% of the insurance physicians described the majority of their cases as 'difficult'.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The scales and dimensions developed appear to be valid and offer a promising basis for future research. The results suggest that the underlying ASE model, in modified form, is suitable for describing the assessment behaviour of insurance physicians and the determinants of this behaviour. The next step in this line of research should be to validate the model using structural equation modelling. Finally, the predictive value should be tested in relation to outcome measurements of work disability assessments.</p

Dissociation and psychopathology in residential youth.,Levels of dissociation and psychopathology assessed in male adolescents living in residential youth facilities in The Netherlands from March 2017 to July 2018.

Item does not contain fulltextThe dataset contains the raw data (ades_aggregated, minikid_raw) and the workfile (dissociation_FINAL) used for the analyses of the study published by Fragkaki, Weijman, and Cima (2019) in Journal of Youth and Adolescence. The current study is part of a larger project examining biological and environmental factors associated with antisocial behavior in youth and it is focused on the association between dissociation and psychopathology in 101 male adolescents living in residential youth care facilities (one participant did not complete the study and was excluded from the analyses). Dissociation was assessed with the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale and psychopathology was assessed with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID). Logistics regressions were performed to examine whether dissociation was related to psychopathology controlling for childhood trauma, callous-unemotional traits, and age. The documentation file includes information about the methodology of the study, the sample, and the variables in the datasets. The published paper describes the methodology, procedure, and analyses in detail

Dissociation and psychopathology in residential youth: A brief report

Although dissociative symptoms are observed in several psychiatric disorders and linked to antisocial behavior and offending, the relation between dissociation and psychopathology or comorbidity has not been consistently investigated in residential youth yet. This brief report documented prevalence and comorbidity rates of several psychiatric disorders and examined their relation to dissociation in residential youth. The study included 100 male adolescents (Mage = 16.51) admitted to residential youth care facilities. Psychopathology was assessed with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for children and adolescents (MINI-KID) and dissociation was measured with the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale (A-DES). Externalizing problems (conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) were the most prevalent (81%) followed by substance abuse/dependence (71%), manic/hypomanic symptoms (40%), anxiety (35%), and depression (33%). High comorbidity was also observed in externalizing problems with alcohol/substance abuse/dependence (67%), manic/hypomanic symptoms (35%), depression (31%), and anxiety (30%). Logistic regression analyses revealed a significant link between dissociation and externalizing problems, depression, and manic/hypomanic symptoms, as well as comorbid externalizing problems and depression or manic/hypomanic symptoms. The findings highlight the need to assess dissociation in order to better understand the multifaceted individual profile of residential youth and incorporate it in the treatment plan

Dissociation and psychopathology in residential youth.: Levels of dissociation and psychopathology assessed in male adolescents living in residential youth facilities in The Netherlands from March 2017 to July 2018.

The dataset contains the raw data (ades_aggregated, minikid_raw) and the workfile (dissociation_FINAL) used for the analyses of the study published by Fragkaki, Weijman, and Cima (2019) in Journal of Youth and Adolescence. The current study is part of a larger project examining biological and environmental factors associated with antisocial behavior in youth and it is focused on the association between dissociation and psychopathology in 101 male adolescents living in residential youth care facilities (one participant did not complete the study and was excluded from the analyses). Dissociation was assessed with the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale and psychopathology was assessed with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID). Logistics regressions were performed to examine whether dissociation was related to psychopathology controlling for childhood trauma, callous-unemotional traits, and age. The documentation file includes information about the methodology of the study, the sample, and the variables in the datasets. The published paper describes the methodology, procedure, and analyses in detail

Human responses to Covid-19: The role of optimism bias, perceived severity, and anxiety

Contains fulltext : 230582.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)During the Covid-19 pandemic, the governments are trying to contain the spread with non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), such as social distancing rules, restrictions, and lockdowns. In an effort to identify factors that may influence population adherence to NPIs, we examined the role of optimism bias, anxiety, and perceived severity of the situation in relation to engagement in protective behavioral changes and satisfaction with governments' response to this pandemic. We conducted an online survey in 935 participants (Mage = 34.29; 68.88% females) that was disseminated in April and May 2020 in the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, and USA. Individuals with high optimism bias engaged less in behavioral changes, whereas individuals with high levels of anxiety and high perceived severity engaged more in behavioral changes. Individuals with high optimism bias and high levels of anxiety were less satisfied with the governments' response, albeit for different reasons. Individuals who reported low perceived severity and low government satisfaction engaged the least in behavioral changes, whereas participants who reported high perceived severity and low government satisfaction engaged the most in behavioral changes. This study contributes to a better understanding of the psychological factors that influence people's responses to NPIs.7 p