The Moderator Effect of Age over the Relations between Human Values and ZTPI

AbstractThe goal of this research was to explore the presumed relations between human values and Time Perspective (TP) concept and then to test the moderation efect of age category over those correlation that proved statically significant. Five general human factors of values (Status and Wealth, Spirituality and Religiosity, Adventure, Organization and Family and Intimate relationships) were assessed using the Romanian Inventory of Values. The Romanian version of Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory – ZTPI (Zimbardo & Boyd, 1999) was then applied. The both measurements were collected from a sample of 183 persons, divided in two distinct groups of ages. Significant correlations were found between human values factors and TP. The hierarchical regression models confirmed the moderator effect of age category over many of the relations discovered initially between human values and TP facets. In conclusion, the human values an individual has acquired along his/her life seems to become a predictor of the preferred TP, but the power of prediction is often controlled by the age category

The Explanations for Unemployment Scale: An Eight-Country Study on Factor Equivalence

Explanations for Unemployment have been studied through a 20-item scale created by Furnham (1982) on three theoretical dimensions: the individualistic, the societal, and the fatalistic. In this study we revised this scale to co-ordinate it with contemporary social and economic facts and through metric testing-adjustments and multivariate statistical analysis we arrived at a 19-item scale retaining eight of the original scale items. This revised scale was statistically and theoretically valid as its factor structure closely resembled the original factor structure Furnham had described. For the second stage of the study, data were collected from eight countries and multilevel covariance structure analysis was applied to the data pool. The final structure can be considered universal for seven of these countries, meaning that the structure people employ to explain unemployment is the same across countries. The individualistic factor was clearly supported in this structure. The second factor narrowed the societal spectrum to industrial management and educational provision and the third factor appeared as a transformation of the fatalistic dimension to a “helplessness” factor. The three factors were investigated for their scoring differences across countries and overall

Strict adherence to malaria rapid test results might lead to a neglect of other dangerous diseases: a cost benefit analysis from Burkina Faso

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) have generally been found reliable and cost-effective. In Burkina Faso, the adherence of prescribers to the negative test result was found to be poor. Moreover, the test accuracy for malaria-attributable fever (MAF) is not the same as for malaria infection. This paper aims at determining the costs and benefits of two competing strategies for the management of MAF: presumptive treatment for all or use of RDTs.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cost benefit analysis was carried out using a decision tree, based on data previously obtained, including a randomized controlled trial (RCT) recruiting 852 febrile patients during the dry season and 1,317 in the rainy season. Cost and benefit were calculated using both the real adherence found by the RCT and assuming an ideal adherence of 90% with the negative result. The main parameters were submitted to sensitivity analysis.</p> <p>Results and discussion</p> <p>At real adherence, the test-based strategy was dominated. Assuming ideal adherence, at the value of 525 € for a death averted, the total cost of managing 1,000 febrile children was 1,747 vs. 1,862 € in the dry season and 1,372 vs. 2,138 in the rainy season for the presumptive vs. the test-based strategy. For adults it was 2,728 vs. 1,983 and 2,604 vs. 2,225, respectively. At the subsidized policy adopted locally, assuming ideal adherence, the RDT would be the winning strategy for adults in both seasons and for children in the dry season.</p> <p>At sensitivity analysis, the factors most influencing the choice of the better strategy were the value assigned to a death averted and the proportion of potentially severe NMFI treated with antibiotics in patients with false positive RDT results. The test-based strategy appears advantageous for adults if a satisfactory adherence could be achieved. For children the presumptive strategy remains the best choice for a wide range of scenarios.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>For RDTs to be preferred, a positive result should not influence the decision to treat a potentially severe NMFI with antibiotics. In the rainy season the presumptive strategy always remains the better choice for children.</p

The Relation of Human Factor of Values with Time Perspective

AbstractThis research explored the relations between some human values and Time Perspective (TP) concept. Five human values were assessed using a Romanian inventory of values. A Romanian version of Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory was applied to a sample of 1.260 Romanian ethnics. Significant correlations were found between values factors and TP. Then we tested the moderator effect of gender variable for each significant correlation between values and TP facets. The conclusion of the research is that for both genders, the values one person has acquired along his/her life seems to become a predictor of the preference in framing consecutive actions

Comparative Study: The Quality of Life of Patients with Leukemia, Anxiety and Depressive Disorders

AbstractThe purpose of this research was that of comparing the differences in the quality of life at three groups of patients, one comprised of individuals diagnosed with acute leukemia, the second one including individuals with anxiety disorders and the third one with individuals with depression. The participants (N=593) were asked to fill in the questionnaire of the quality of life assessment elaborated by the World Health Organization (WHOQOL). The data gathered were processed on the base Anova One Way and as a planned contrast. The results obtained showed significant differences among the three groups compared. The group of the individuals with leukemia obtained significantly weaker results on the physical dimension and significantly stronger results on the psychological, environmental and social relations dimensions. Still for the patients with leukemia, depending on the groups of treatment they belong (induction, re-induction and consolidation) important variations were noted for all WHOQOL dimensions