13 research outputs found
The Personality and Behavior Inventory: Description, Characteristics, Psychometric Properties and Comparison with MMPI-II and PAI
Causes of individual differences in adolescent optimism: a study in Dutch twins and their siblings
Montreal Cognitive Assessment in a Greek sample of patients with multiple sclerosis: A validation study
A Translation and Validation Study of the Life Orientation Test Revised in the Greek Speaking Population of Nurses among Three Hospitals in Athens and Ioannina
Students' perceptions of the educational environment in a Greek Dental School, as measured by DREEM
Aim: The aim of this study was to estimate the dental students
perceptions of their educational environment and to identify any
differences related both to their gender and semester of studies.
Materials and methods: The translated and validated in Greek Dundee
Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire was
distributed to all 2ndto 5th-year students of the Athens Dental School.
The questionnaire consisted of 50 statements organised in five subscales
(perceptions of learning, teachers, atmosphere, academic
self-perceptions and social self-perceptions). Internal validity was
checked with Cronbach alpha. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was
performed under the same conditions as the original inventory. Mean
statement, subscale and overall scores were calculated and given as
percentages.
Results: The response rate was 64%. Overall Cronbach alpha was 0.93
(excellent). CFA produced five meaningful subscales, not matching the
original ones. The overall DREEM mean score was 56%. Gender did not
influence the findings. The students’ perceptions of the educational
environment with the exception of the academic selfperceptions were more
positive in the pre-clinical years. Statistically significant
differences were revealed only for the ‘learning’ subscale between the
3rd-and the 4th-year students. Seventy-eight percent of the statements
were in the positive side. The lowest scores were related to students’
stress, tiredness and lack of appropriate feedback from the teachers,
and the highest were related to accommodation, school friends and
perceptions that they feel socially comfortable in class.
Conclusions: Students’ perceptions of the educational environment were
reasonably positive, with no gender difference. However, some weaknesses
were identified, particularly in the clinical years. Further research is
needed to clarify appropriate interventions
Personality characteristics and individual factors associated with PTSD in firefighters one month after extended wildfires
Background: Firefighters participate in activities with intense physical and psychological stress and are constantly at risk to develop various psychopathological reactions. Aims: To investigate psychological reactions in firefighters one month after devastating wildfires in Greece, during August 2007, which lead to the devastation of large areas and the death of 43 people among whom three were firefighters. Methods: One month after the wildfires, a joint task force of mental health clinicians was organized in order to provide psychological support and to investigate the psychological consequences of wildfires to firefighters. One hundred and two firefighters, living within the fire-devastated area, who were on duty for the whole period of wildfires were interviewed and assessed with the use of several questionnaires and inventories. Results: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was detected in 18.6% of firefighters. Multiple logistic regression found that existence of fear of dying during firefighting, insomnia and increased scores in neuroticism, as well as in depression subscale of the SCL-90, were significantly associated with greater likelihood for having PTSD. Additionally those firefighters who worked permanently had 70% lower probability of having PTSD vs. those seasonally employed. Conclusions: Insomnia, depressive symptoms, as well as personality characteristics as neuroticism and the perception of fear of imminent death during firefighting operations may precipitate the development of PTSD in firefighters. Within this context, mental health clinicians should be aware that the early detection of these predisposing factors may facilitate the prevention and mitigation of PTSD in firefighters particularly those who are seasonally employed. © 2017 The Nordic Psychiatric Association
I CAN! A graduate self-completion questionnaire for evaluating medical curriculum outcomes: How to use it, and preliminary findings on Greek medical education outcomes
Objective Although valid instruments are available for measuring the educational environment during the 6-year period of undergraduate medical study, there was no tool for measuring the end-product of the medical curriculum, i.e. the abilities of the "medical graduate". The I CAN! questionnaire, based on the tuning-medicine project, is an instrument designed to measure this. The construction and validation of the questionnaire Greek, and graduates' answers to the open question "if you could change one thing in your school, what would this be?" have been described elsewhere. The aim of this paper was to present how of the instrument works and the responses of medical graduates to its closed questions. METHOD The I CAN! questionnaire consists of 104 randomly arranged closed questions, based on the tuning-medicine level-two learning outcomes for undergraduate medical education in Europe, organized into 16 level-one outcomes, 12 for medical competencies and 4 for professionalism. The questionnaire was distributed to the graduates of Greek medical schools during the summer and autumn 2009 graduation. Their responses were coded (disagree absolutely=0, disagree=20, disagree moderately=40, agree moderately=60, agree=80, agree absolutely=100). The mean question, level-one outcomes and overall scores were calculated, and interpreted as: <50 very poor, 50-60.9 poor, 61-70.9 fairly poor, 71-78.9 fairly good, 79-88.9 good, 89-100 very good. Results Completed questionnaires were provided by 408 graduates of 6 medical schools, representing 55% of the total graduate population: 45% male, 55% female. They were graduates of the Universities of: Athens 148 (48% of graduates), Thessaloniki 147 (71%), Thrace 38 (81%), Ioannina 12 (17%), Crete 32 (47%), and Thessaly 31 (100%). On average they self-assessed their overall ability at 74% (i.e., in the "moderately good" interpretation zone), their ability to prescribe drugs 65% and to apply evidence-based medicine 68%, being a global doctor 80% and possessing professional atributes 83%. They considered themselves weaker in specific areas: Carrying out blood transfusion (37%), requesting autopsy (52%), administering intravenous therapy and using infusion devices (55%), completing correctly a death certificate (57%), matching appropriate drugs and other treatment to the clinical context (58%), and using diagnostic and therapeutic options available through other health professions (59%). They reported strength in: messuring blood pressure (96%), carrying out electrocardiography (92%), will to succeed (92%), maintaining confidentiality (91%), recognizing their own limits and asking for help (88%). Conclusions The I CAN! self-assessment questionnaire can identify the perceived strengths and weaknesses of medical graduates, offering the basis for implementation of a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) and evidence-based educational policy. Medical schools could use the instrument to monitor progress towards competence of tomorrow's doctors, and to assess effectiveness of policy changes. If all European medical schools were to use it on every graduate cohort, a time series database could be created to serve administrative, research and other purposes. © Athens Medical Society