Longitudinal data analysis with structural equations

In this paper we review different structural equation models for the analysis of longitudinal data: (a) univariate models of observable variables, (b) multivariate models of observable variables, (c) models with latent variables, (d) models that are unconditioned or conditioned to other variables (depending on the variability of the independent variables: time-varying or time-invariant, and depending on the type of independent variables: of latent variables or of observable variables), (e) models with interaction of variables, (f) models with non-linear variables, (g) models with a constant, (h) with single level and multilevel measurement, and (i) other advances in SEM of longitudinal data (latent growth curve model, latent difference score, etc.). We have paid more attention to the interaction of variables and to non-linear transformations of variables because they are not frequently used in empirical investigation. They do, however, offer interesting possibilities to researchers who wish to verify relations between the variables they obtain. Potential applications are described, with their advantages and disadvantages

Prominencia facial autoatribuida en redes sociales a través de la propia fotografía: Efecto del tipo de red, edad y género

There are many studies on Self-Attributed Face-ism (SAF) in considering social networks (SNS), sex and age, but with these variables separately. This research carries out a joint study of the above variables through a random sample of 1050 SNS profiles. Our hypothesis is that SAF is a function of SNS (dating: Badoo, social: Facebook, professional: LinkedIn), sex, age, and the interaction of sex×age. The results show differences in SAF depending on SNS (highest in the professional network), men having more facial prominence than women. It happens even more when they get older, whereas SAF hardly augments in women with age (having more body prominence than men) (sex x age interaction). Findings show that SAF on-line is a complex phenomenon, it seems not to have a unique and straightforward theoretical explanation, and SAF gender stereotypes grow with age. We also consider the need to study the phenomenon, including a gender perspective, to fight against sexism in new media.Existen muchos estudios sobre el Face-ismo autoatribuido (FIA) en función de la red social (RS), sexo y edad, pero con estas variables por separado. Esta investigación lleva a cabo un estudio conjunto de las variables anteriores a través de una muestra aleatoria de 1050 perfiles de RS. Nuestra hipótesis es que el FIA es una función de la RS (citas: Badoo, social: Facebook, profesional: LinkedIn), sexo, edad y la interacción de Sexo×Edad. Los resultados muestran diferencias en FIA según la RS (más alto en la red profesional), con los hombres teniendo más prominencia facial que las mujeres. Esto incrementa según se hacen mayores, mientras que apenas aumenta en las mujeres con la edad (teniendo más prominencia corporal que los hombres) (interacción sexo×edad). Los resultados muestran que el FIA en línea es un fenómeno complejo, parece no tener una explicación teórica única y sencilla, y los estereotipos de género FIA aumentan con la edad. Consideramos también la necesidad de estudiar el fenómeno incluyendo una perspectiva de género para luchar contra el sexismo en los nuevos medios

Pronóstico con interacción de variables categóricas

Departament de Psicologia Evolutiva, Social i Metodologia. Assignatura: PS104

Vasculitis after blood pressure monitoring

Introducción Descripción de aparición equimosis en un brazo asociado inicialmente a la toma de presión arterial, por Vasculitis Leucocitoclástica y propuesta de utilidades alternativas de la toma de presión arterial. Caso Clínico Varón de 80 años acude a urgencias con disnea, insuficiencia cardíaca, insuficiencia renal prediálisis con hiperpotasemia e inestabilidad hemodinámica. Durante su estancia desarrolló una lesión cutánea con aspecto de púrpura palpable, marcada desde el límite inferior del manguito de presión arterial hasta la zona distal de la mano y que no desaparecía a la vitropresión, y prurito. Durante su ingreso la lesión del brazo se extendió a todos los miembros, tanto superiores como inferiores El estudio de la lesión del brazo concluyó con diagnóstico de vasculitis Leucocitoclástica por la presencia de eosinófilos, lo que sugiere probable etiología medicamentosa a un antibiótico que llevaba tomando siete días antes de la entrada a urgencias. Discusión Se plantea la necesidad de monitorización seriada de la presión arterial, y la duración de dicha monitorización en pacientes inestables frente a los efectos secundarios de esta técnica. También el estudio de otras utilidades de la toma de presión arterial.Introduction Description of ecchymoses appearance in the arm, initially associated with measurement of blood pressure, but caused by leukocytoclastic vasculitis, and proposal for alternative utility of measuring blood pressure. Clinical Case 80-year-old male came to ER with dyspnea, heart failure, renal failure predialysis with hyperkalemia and hemodynamic instability. During his stay he developed a skin lesion that looks like palpable purpura, marked from the lower limit of the blood pressure cuff to the distal area of the hand that not disappeared with vitropression, and pruritus. During admission the arm injury was extended to all members, both upper and lower. The study of the arm injury concluded with diagnosis of leukocytoclastic vasculitis given the presence of eosinophils, that which suggested probable drug etiology to an antibiotic that had been taken since seven days prior to admission to ER. Discusions The need for serial monitoring of blood pressure, and the duration of such monitoring in unstable patients considering the side effects of those techniques was questioned. In addition, the study of other utilities of measuring blood pressure

Demandas-control y salud: El rol mediador del tiempo libre

Esta investigación explora el papel mediador que tiene la utilización del tiempo libre en la relación existente entre las altas demandas mentales y el escaso control en el trabajo y las respuestas de engagement, burnout y sintomatología percibida. Participantes: 9.090 trabajadores y trabajadoras de 13 empresas colombianas. Metodología: verificación por medio de análisis de ecuaciones estructurales siguiendo los pasos propuestos por Baron y Kenny (2014). Resultados: disponer de tiempo libre y poderlo emplear en actividades de recuperación reduce el efecto desfavorable de las altas demandas y un bajo control en el trabajo, promoviendo mayores niveles de engagement y una menor presentación de sintomatología general de enfermedad, y del cinismo y agotamiento emocional relacionados con el burnoutThis research explores the mediating role of the use of free time in the relationship between high mental demands and t low control at work and the responses of engagement, burnout and perceived symptoms. Participants: 9,090 workers from 13 Colombian companies. Methodology: verification through structural equation analysis following the steps proposed by Baron and Kenny (2014). Results: having free time and being able to use it in recovery activities reduces the adverse effect of high demands and low control at work, promoting higher levels of engagement, lower appearance of illness symptoms, cynicism and emotional exhaustion related to the burnout

An aligned rank test for a nonparametric analysis of the two way interaction

Problemas que requieren un análisis no paramétrico de la interacción surgen con cierta frecuencia en estudios del comportamiento. Hay, sin embargo, una ausencia de procedimientos en paquetes estadísticos usuales como SAS o SPSS. El objetivo del presente trabajo es revisar los fundamentos del contraste de rangos alineados en dos diseños de investigación de dos factores de amplio uso en Psicología. El procedimiento ha mostrado buenas propiedades en numerosas distribuciones no normales tanto en control del Error Tipo I como en potencia o sensibilidad estadística. Es fácilmente ejecutable mediante programas estadísticos comunes y se ilustra paso a paso con el módulo del modelo lineal general de Spss. Se aplica a dos estudios de caso donde aparecen diferencias de género en habilidades lingüísticas en niños ciegos no detectadas con otros procedimientos. Limitaciones al contraste de rangos alineados se han observado en situaciones de heterogeneidad de covarianzas entre grupos, y también con tamaños muestrales inferiores a diez participantes por condición. Su uso adecuado tras el diagnóstico de supuestos puede aumentar la sensibilidad de detección de efectos comportamentales de interés teórico o aplicadoResearch problems that require nonparametric analysis of the interaction frequently arise in the behavioral sciences. There is, however, a lack of available procedures in commonly used statistical packages such as SAS or SPSS. The purpose of the present study is to review the fundamentals of the aligned rank test for two widely used two-way research designs in psychology. The procedure has shown good properties in nonnormal distributions in terms of Type I Error control and statistical power. It is easily conducted using common statistical packages. It is applied to two case studies which result in gender differences in linguistic abilities in blind children not revealed by other procedures. Limitations of the aligned rank test have been observed in situations of covariance heterogeneity across groups, and also with sample sizes smaller than ten participants per condition. Its adequate use after model diagnostics can, however, increase sensitivity to detect behavioral effects of theoretical or practical interes

Interpersonal perceptions of adverse peer experiences in first-grade students

Aim: The aim of this study was to identify which adverse peer experiences better predict perceived negative peer relationships among elementary school first graders according to sex. The peer experiences examined were peer rejection, peer victimization, and mutual antipathy; the interpersonal perceptions studied were perceived peer victimization, dyadic meta-perception of peer disliking, and loneliness. Methods: The participants were 809 children (Mage = 6.4 years, SD = 0.32; ngirls = 412, 50.9%) enrolled in 35 first-grade classes from 15 schools in 4 Spanish regions: Valencia, n = 276, 34.1%; Balearic Islands, n = 140, 17.3%; Andalusia, n = 199, 24.6%; Castile-Leon, n = 194, 24%. We calculated sex differences in peer experiences and interpersonal perceptions by means of one-way ANOVA for means differences and Fisher’s r-to-z transformation for correlations differences. We used a multilevel regression analysis (nesting variables: class and region) to determine whether the associations between each peer experiences and each perception were unique. Results: Each adverse peer relationship predicted each interpersonal perception differentially. Peer victimization was a good predictor of the three interpersonal perceptions, and the only predictor of perceived peer victimization. Peer rejection predicted loneliness, whereas mutual antipathies predicted dyadic meta-perception of peer disliking, although more so among girls. A significant effect at region level was found but not at class level. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that research should take into account the different levels of the social peer system when analyzing peer experiences within the classroom context. The study contributes to sensitize teachers about the greater responsiveness of 6-year-old girls to adverse peer experiences, and it could be useful for designing interventions that would help children oppose rejection and empower active bystanders to fight against peer mistreatment.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad de España EDU2012-35930Universitat Jaume I P1-1A2012-0

Pooled Time Series Modeling Reveals Smoking Habit Memory Pattern

Smoking is a habit that is hard to break because nicotine is highly addictive and smoking behavior is strongly linked to multiple daily activities and routines. Here, we explored the effect of gender, age, day of the week, and previous smoking on the number of cigarettes smoked on any given day. Data consisted of daily records of the number of cigarettes participants smoked over an average period of 84 days. The sample included smokers (36 men and 26 women), aged between 18 and 26 years, who smoked at least five cigarettes a day and had smoked for at least 2 years. A panel data analysis was performed by way of multilevel pooled time series modeling. Smoking on any given day was a function of the number of cigarettes smoked on the previous day, and 2, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, and 56 days previously, and the day of the week. Neither gender nor age influenced this pattern, with no multilevel effects being detected, thus the behavior of all participants fitted the same smoking model. These novel findings show empirically that smoking behavior is governed by firmly established temporal dependence patterns and inform temporal parameters for the rational design of smoking cessation programs

Stability of Peer Acceptance and Rejection and Their Effect on Academic Performance in Primary Education: A Longitudinal Research

The objectives of this study were to analyze the evolution of peer relationships and academic performance and the effect of the former on the latter in primary education, differentiating between positive and negative relationships. To this end, the likes and dislikes received by each student from his/her classmates were measured at four time points between first and sixth grades, as well as the marks given by their teachers in the subjects of mathematics and Spanish language. One-hundred-sixty-nine students (52.7% girls) from 10 classes of five public schools participated in this study. To verify the objectives, we used a complex structural equation model, obtained from a combination of two autoregressive models (AR, one for social preferences and another one for academic performance), two multi-trait multi-method models (MTMM, one for acceptances and rejections and another one for academic performance in mathematics and Spanish language), and an effects model of social preferences on academic performance. This study confirms: (a) The stability of both peer relationships and academic performance throughout childhood; (b) the stable influence of social relationships on academic performance; and (c) the importance of considering acceptance and rejection differentially. This work reveals the failure of the school to address initial disadvantages, and it provides guidelines for early and inclusive interventions

Longitudinal Effects of Distress and Its Management During COVID-19 Lockdown in Spain

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic that hit Spain during March 2020 forced the strict confinement of the population for 2 months. The objectives of this study were (a) to assess the magnitude and duration of the influence of confinement on people’s Distress, (b) to study the temporal sequence of stress, and (c) to show how different day-to-day activities and personal variables influence perceived Distress levels. Method: A daily registration was completed by 123 people, with ages ranging from 21 to 75 years old (X = 43, SD = 10 years), of which there were 40 men (32%) and 83 females (68%). During 45 days of lockdown, from March 19th to May 3rd, participants were asked to respond to a socio-demographic survey and make daily records comprising the MASQ-D30 and some day-to-day behaviors. Pooled time series was applied to establish what effect time had on the dependent variable. Results: Distress has a 14-day autoregressive function and gender, physical activity, sexual activity, listening to music, and teleworking also influence Distress. It has been hypothesized that the intercept presents variability at level 2 (individual), but it has not been significant. Interactions between Gender—Telecommuting, and Gender—Physical Activity were observed. Approximately 66% of the variance of Distress was explained (R 2 = 0.663). Discussion: At the beginning of the lockdown, the average levels of Distress were well above the levels of the end (z = 3.301). The individuals in the sample have followed a very similar process in the development of Distress. During the lockdown, the “memory” of Distress was 2 weeks. Our results indicate that levels of Distress depend on activities during lockdown. Interactions exist between gender and some behavioral variables that barely influence Distress in men but decrease Distress in women. The importance of routine maintenance and gender differences must be considered to propose future interventions during confinement