Validity of Type D personality in Iceland: association with disease severity and risk markers in cardiac patients

Type D personality has been associated with poor prognosis in cardiac patients. This study investigated the validity of the Type D construct in Iceland and its association with disease severity and health-related risk markers in cardiac patients. A sample of 1,452 cardiac patients completed the Type D scale (DS14), and a subgroup of 161 patients completed measurements for the five-factor model of personality, emotional control, anxiety, depression, stress and lifestyle factors. The Icelandic DS14 had good psychometric properties and its construct validity was confirmed. Prevalence of Type D was 26–29%, and assessment of Type D personality was not confounded by severity of underlying coronary artery disease. Regarding risk markers, Type D patients reported more psychopharmacological medication use and smoking, but frequency of previous mental problems was similar across groups. Type D is a valid personality construct in Iceland, and is associated with health-related risk markers, but not cardiac disease severity

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity symptoms in Icelandic schoolchildren: assessment with the Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Rating Scale-IV

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links fieldFour hundred and twenty-seven normal Icelandic children, six and eight years of age, were rated by their parents and three hundred and sixteen children by their teachers with the Teacher and Parent versions of the Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale-IV (AD/HDRS-IV). For two hundred and sixty-five of the children both parent and teacher ratings were obtained. The factor structures of the AD/HDRS-IV for parents and teachers were in line with theoretical expectations. A Hyperactivity-Impulsivity factor and an Inattention factor were thus well supported. The subscale reliabilities were high. Boys scored higher than girls on all measures and there was a decrease of symptoms with age for boys, as expected. There was evidence of convergent validity for all scales, but discriminant validity of the AD/HDRS-IV subscales is less certain. Generally the instruments seem promising for further research. Some differences are noted in comparison with earlier studies. Thus scores obtained in this study were somewhat lower than those found in American studies, especially for teachers. Also the prevalence of ADHD based on rating scales was lower than in comparable previous studies. The similarity in symptom structure between this and previous studies is emphasized, but the possible role of cultural homogeneity in explaining different results with regard to teachers' ratings of symptoms is suggested

Clara Pullar seated at Douglas Street, Clermont, Queensland, ca. 1932 [picture] /

Accompanied by photographic print.; Glass negative no. 302.; Gordon Pullar's wife.; Part of the Gordon Cumming Pullar collection of glass negatives of Clermont, Yeppoon and nearby locations, Queensland, ca. 1905-1932.; Photograph no. 63 in the book A shifting town : glass-plate images of Clermont and its people.; Condition: Fair, scratch centre right, some emulsion lift, bottom right.; Also available in an electronic version via the internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn4192032; Published in: A shifting town : glass-plate images of Clermont and its people / by G.C. Pullar ; compiled by Richard and Marguerite Stringer ; text by Marguerite Stringer. St. Lucia, Qld. : University of Queensland Press, 1986

Nippers stand ready to compete, 1990 [picture] /

Condition: Good.; Title supplied by photographer.; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn3970586; Purchased from Jeff Carter, 2007

The relationship between false confessions and perceptions of parental rearing practices

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links fieldThe main aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between a history of having made a false confession and reported parental rearing practices. It was hypothesized that the reporting of rejection and absence of warmth by parents would be associated with the making of a false confession. The participants were 804 college students in Iceland. Each was asked about false confessions made to teachers and parents in the past, as well as about false confessions made to the police during questioning. The participants completed questionnaires relating to perceived parental rearing practices (EMBU), proneness to antisocial behavior (the Gough Socialization Scale), personality (EPQ), self-esteem (Rosenberg), and compliance (GCS). Only eight participants (1% of those interrogated) claimed to have made false confessions to the police, whereas 10% claimed to have made false confessions to teachers or parents. False confessions were significantly associated with proneness to antisocial behavior and the EMBU Rejection and Warmth scales for both fathers and mothers

The relationship between ADHD symptoms in college students and core components of maladaptive personality

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links fieldThe main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and core maladaptive personality problems (i.e., functional impairment). The participants were 397 college students in Iceland, who were screened for childhood and current ADHD symptoms (DSM-IV Checklist) and completed the Reasoning and Rehabilitation (R&R) ADHD Training Evaluation Scale (RATE) and the Severity Indices of Personality Problems (SIPP). There was a significant overlap between some of the SIPP and RATE domains. ADHD symptoms correlated significantly with the SIPP domains. Multiple regressions showed that ADHD symptoms were associated with SIPP Responsibility beyond Self-Control. In addition, inattention was a much better predictor of the Responsibility domain than hyperactivity/impulsivity. The findings show that ADHD symptoms are significantly related to core components of maladaptive personality, but salient differences exist between the attentional and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms. The findings clearly link inattention in adults primarily to impaired capacity to set and achieve aspired goals as a core personality problem. This adds to the growing evidence that functional impairment is significantly associated with adult ADHD

Magnetic and magnetoresistance in half-doped manganite La0.5Ca0.5MnO3 and La0.5Ca0.4Ag0.1MnO3

La0.5Ca0.5MnO3 and La0.5Ca0.4Ag0.1MnO3 ceramics have been prepared by sol–gel methods and its magnetic properties, and electronic transport properties have been experimentally investigated. X-ray diffraction data reveal that all samples crystallize in a orthorhombic structure with Pnma space group. Magnetic measurements of La0.5Ca0.5MnO3 show multiple magnetic transitions, a paramagnetic to ferromagnetic and a ferromagnetic to charge-ordered antiferromagnetic. Two metal–semiconductor transitions (Tρ1 and Tρ2) are observed in the electrical resistivity. The electrical resistivity decreases when an external magnetic field is applied rendering a magnetoresistive effect of the order of 75% at the charge-ordered temperature. All the samples clearly reveal the unusual low temperature resistivity minimum, presumably due to the combined effect of weak localization, electron–electron and electron–phonon scattering. The present results are discussed and possible explanations were given based on the related theory and previous reported results.This paper within the frame work of collaboration is supported by the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research Grants MAT2011-27470-C02-02 and CSD2009-00013 from the Spanish MINECO are acknowledged

The psychometric properties of the Icelandic version of the distress thermometer and problem list.

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field.While a significant number of cancer patients experience distress only a minority are offered appropriate psychosocial interventions. Untreated distress can interfere with compliance to treatment and quality of life. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties and feasibility of the Icelandic translation of the distress thermometer (DT) and problem list, a tool developed to screen for distress in cancer patients.   Participants were 149 cancer patients receiving treatment at outpatient oncology clinics at Landspítali-The National University Hospital of Iceland, mean±SD age 59.06 years ±12.92. Participants answered the DT, HADS and GHQ-30, demographic questions and questions regarding the DT.   Scores on the DT ranged from 0 to 10 with a mean ±SD score of 3.09 ± 2.40, 7.30 ± 4.86 on HADS and 5.28 ± 5.60 on GHQ-30. Significant correlations were between the DT and all categories on the Problem List as well as between the DT and HADS (r = 0.45), and between DT and GHQ-30 (r = 0.57). ROC-analysis supported that a cut-off point of 3 gives the best sensitivity and specificity for the DT predicting depression or anxiety according to the HADS and GHQ. Sixty-nine (48.3%) patients scored < or =2 on DT and 74 (51.7%) scored ≥3.   The Icelandic version of the DT is a valid instrument to screen for distress in clinical practice. The study adds to a growing literature suggesting that this brief instrument may aid in identifying cancer patients suffering from distress and consequently providing appropriate treatment