Hyperactivity and attention problems in a Swiss sample of school-aged children: effects of school achievement, child gender, and informants.

OBJECTIVE: The sensitivity and tolerance regarding ADHD symptoms obviously differ from one culture to another and according to the informants (parents, teachers, or children). This stimulates the comparison of data across informants and countries. METHOD: Parents and teachers of more than 1,000 school-aged Swiss children (5 to 17 years old) fill in Conners's questionnaires on ADHD. Children who are older than 10 years old also fill in a self-report questionnaire. Results are compared to data from a North American sample. RESULTS: Swiss parents and teachers tend to report more ADHD symptoms than American parents and teachers as far as the oldest groups of children are concerned. Interactions are evidenced between school achievement, child gender, and informants. A relatively low rate of agreement between informants is found. CONCLUSION: These results strengthen the importance to take into account all informants in the pediatric and the child psychiatry clinic, as well as in the epidemiological studies.

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Objective: To assess the factorial validity of the Portuguese version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS). Methods: Between November 2010 and November 2011 a Portuguese version of the MBI-HSS was applied to 151 Portuguese family doctors (55% women, median age 54 years). The factorial structure of the MBI-HSS was examined by principal component analysis (PCA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Internal consistency estimates of the MBI-HSS were determined with Cronbach's alpha. Results: The fit of the hypothesized three-factor model to the data was superior to the alternative two-factor and four-factor models. CFA supported MBI-HSS as an acceptable measure to evaluate burnout and deletion of items 12 and 16 improved the goodness of fit of the model. In PCA, the three-factor model explained 50.58% of the variance and the four-factor model did not lead to understandable components. Item 12 was also found to be problematic in PCA. The Cronbach's alpha was satisfactory for emotional exhaustion (alpha=0.90), lack of personal accomplishment (alpha=0.73), and depersonalization (alpha=0.64). Conclusion: The Portuguese version of the MBI-HSS was found to be reliable to measure burnout among Portuguese medical doctors. We also recommend the deletion of items 12 and 16 from the MBI-HSS.

PACIC Instrument: disentangling dimensions using published validation models.

OBJECTIVE: To better understand the structure of the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC) instrument. More specifically to test all published validation models, using one single data set and appropriate statistical tools. DESIGN: Validation study using data from cross-sectional survey. PARTICIPANTS: A population-based sample of non-institutionalized adults with diabetes residing in Switzerland (canton of Vaud). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: French version of the 20-items PACIC instrument (5-point response scale). We conducted validation analyses using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The original five-dimension model and other published models were tested with three types of CFA: based on (i) a Pearson estimator of variance-covariance matrix, (ii) a polychoric correlation matrix and (iii) a likelihood estimation with a multinomial distribution for the manifest variables. All models were assessed using loadings and goodness-of-fit measures. RESULTS: The analytical sample included 406 patients. Mean age was 64.4 years and 59% were men. Median of item responses varied between 1 and 4 (range 1-5), and range of missing values was between 5.7 and 12.3%. Strong floor and ceiling effects were present. Even though loadings of the tested models were relatively high, the only model showing acceptable fit was the 11-item single-dimension model. PACIC was associated with the expected variables of the field. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that the model considering 11 items in a single dimension exhibited the best fit for our data. A single score, in complement to the consideration of single-item results, might be used instead of the five dimensions usually described.

Assessing dispositional empathy in adults: A French validation of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI).

The goal of this study was to validate a French version of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), a self-report questionnaire comprised of four subscales assessing affective (empathic concern and personal distress) and cognitive (fantasy and perspective taking) components of empathy. To accomplish this, 322 adults (18 to 89 years) completed the French version of the IRI (F-IRI). A confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the four-factor structure of the original IRI. The F-IRI showed good scale score reliability, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity, tested with the French version of the Empathy Quotient. These findings confirmed the reliability and validity of the F-IRI and suggest that the F-IRI is a useful instrument to measure self-reported empathy. In addition, we observed sex and age differences consistent with findings in the literature. Women reported higher scores in empathic concern and fantasy than men. Older adults reported less personal distress and less fantasy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)

French version validation of the psychotic symptom rating scales (PSYRATS) for outpatients with persistent psychotic symptoms.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Most scales that assess the presence and severity of psychotic symptoms often measure a broad range of experiences and behaviours, something that restricts the detailed measurement of specific symptoms such as delusions or hallucinations. The Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS) is a clinical assessment tool that focuses on the detailed measurement of these core symptoms. The goal of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the French version of the PSYRATS. METHODS: A sample of 103 outpatients suffering from schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders and presenting persistent psychotic symptoms over the previous three months was assessed using the PSYRATS. Seventy-five sample participants were also assessed with the Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). RESULTS: ICCs were superior to .90 for all items of the PSYRATS. Factor analysis replicated the factorial structure of the original version of the delusions scale. Similar to previous replications, the factor structure of the hallucinations scale was partially replicated. Convergent validity indicated that some specific PSYRATS items do not correlate with the PANSS delusions or hallucinations. The distress items of the PSYRATS are negatively correlated with the grandiosity scale of the PANSS. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study are limited by the relatively small sample size as well as the selection of participants with persistent symptoms. The French version of the PSYRATS partially replicates previously published results. Differences in factor structure of the hallucinations scale might be explained by greater variability of its elements. The future development of the scale should take into account the presence of grandiosity in order to better capture details of the psychotic experience.

Krypton laser photocoagulation induces retinal vascular remodeling rather than choroidal neovascularization.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the retina and choroid response following krypton laser photocoagulation. Ninety-two C57BL6/Sev129 and 32 C57BL/6J, 5-6-week-old mice received one single krypton (630 nm) laser lesion: 50 microm, 0.05 s, 400 mW. On the following day, every day thereafter for 1 week and every 2-3 days for the following 3 weeks, serial sections throughout the lesion were systematically collected and studied. Immunohistology using specific markers or antibodies for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) (astrocytes, glia and Muller's cells), von Willebrand (vW) (vascular endothelial cells), TUNEL (cells undergoing caspase dependent apoptosis), PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) p36, CD4 and F4/80 (infiltrating inflammatory and T cells), DAPI (cell nuclei) and routine histology were carried out. Laser confocal microscopy was also performed on flat mounts. Temporal and spatial observations of the created photocoagulation lesions demonstrate that, after a few hours, activated glial cells within the retinal path of the laser beam express GFAP. After 48 h, GFAP-positive staining was also detected within the choroid lesion center. "Movement" of this GFAP-positive expression towards the lasered choroid was preceded by a well-demarcated and localized apoptosis of the retina outer nuclear layer cells within the laser beam path. Later, death of retinal outer nuclear cells and layer thinning at this site was followed by evagination of the inner nuclear retinal layer. Funneling of the entire inner nuclear and the thinned outer nuclear layers into the choroid lesion center was accompanied by "dragging" of the retinal capillaries. Thus, from days 10 to 14 after krypton laser photocoagulation onward, well-formed blood capillaries (of retinal origin) were observed within the lesion. Only a few of the vW-positive capillary endothelial cells stained also for PCNA p36. In the choroid, dilatation of the vascular bed occurred at the vicinity of the photocoagulation site and around it. Confocal microscopy demonstrates that the vessels throughout the path lesion are located within the neuroretina while in the choroid (after separation of the neural retina) only GFAP-positive but no lectin-positive cells can be seen. The involvement of infiltrating inflammatory cells in these remodeling and healing processes remained minimal throughout the study period. During the 4 weeks following krypton laser photocoagulation in the mouse eye, processes of wound healing and remodeling appear to be driven by cells (and vessels) originating from the retina.

Habitat-quality effects on metapopulation dynamics in greater white-toothed shrews, Crocidura russula.

The effects of patch size and isolation on metapopulation dynamics have received wide empirical support and theoretical formalization. By contrast, the effects of patch quality seem largely underinvestigated, partly due to technical difficulties in properly assessing quality. Here we combine habitat-quality modeling with four years of demographic monitoring in a metapopulation of greater white-toothed shrews (Crocidura russula) to investigate the role of patch quality on metapopulation processes. Together, local patch quality and connectivity significantly enhanced local population sizes and occupancy rates (R2 = 14% and 19%, respectively). Accounting for the quality of patches connected to the focal one and acting as potential sources improved slightly the model explanatory power for local population sizes, pointing to significant source-sink dynamics. Local habitat quality, in interaction with connectivity, also increased colonization rate (R2 = 28%), suggesting the ability of immigrants to target high-quality patches. Overall, patterns were best explained when assuming a mean dispersal distance of 800 m, a realistic value for the species under study. Our results thus provide evidence that patch quality, in interaction with connectivity, may affect major demographic processes.

How to screen for problematic cannabis use in population surveys: an evaluation of the Cannabis Use Disorders Identification Test (CUDIT) in a Swiss sample of adolescents and young adults.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Cannabis use is a growing challenge for public health, calling for adequate instruments to identify problematic consumption patterns. The Cannabis Use Disorders Identification Test (CUDIT) is a 10-item questionnaire used for screening cannabis abuse and dependency. The present study evaluated that screening instrument. METHODS: In a representative population sample of 5,025 Swiss adolescents and young adults, 593 current cannabis users replied to the CUDIT. Internal consistency was examined by means of Cronbach's alpha and confirmatory factor analysis. In addition, the CUDIT was compared to accepted concepts of problematic cannabis use (e.g. using cannabis and driving). ROC analyses were used to test the CUDIT's discriminative ability and to determine an appropriate cut-off. RESULTS: Two items ('injuries' and 'hours being stoned') had loadings below 0.5 on the unidimensional construct and correlated lower than 0.4 with the total CUDIT score. All concepts of problematic cannabis use were related to CUDIT scores. An ideal cut-off between six and eight points was found. CONCLUSIONS: Although the CUDIT seems to be a promising instrument to identify problematic cannabis use, there is a need to revise some of its items.

Brief DISCERN, six questions for the evaluation of evidence-based content of health-related websites.

OBJECTIVE: To extract and to validate a brief version of the DISCERN which could identify mental health-related websites with good content quality. METHOD: The present study is based on the analysis of data issued from six previous studies which used DISCERN and a standardized tool for the evaluation of content quality (evidence-based health information) of 388 mental health-related websites. After extracting the Brief DISCERN, several psychometric properties (content validity through a Factor analysis, internal consistency by the Cronbach's alpha index, predictive validity through the diagnostic tests, concurrent validity by the strength of association between the Brief DISCERN and the original DISCERN scores) were investigated to ascertain its general applicability. RESULTS: A Brief DISCERN composed of two factors and six items was extracted from the original 16 items version of the DISCERN. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were more than acceptable for the complete questionnaire (alpha=0.74) and for the two distinct domains: treatments information (alpha=0.87) and reliability (alpha=0.83). Sensibility and specificity of the Brief DISCERN cut-off score > or =16 in the detection of good content quality websites were 0.357 and 0.945, respectively. Its predictive positive and negative values were 0.98 and 0.83, respectively. A statistically significant linear correlation was found between the total scores of the Brief DISCERN and those of the original DISCERN (r=0.84 and p<0.0005). CONCLUSION: The Brief DISCERN seems to be a reliable and valid instrument able to discriminate between websites with good and poor content quality. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The Brief DISCERN is a simple tool which could facilitate the identification of good information on the web by patients and general consumers.

Putting Public Service Motivation into Context. A Balance Between Universalism and Particularism

Research on Public Service Motivation (PSM) has increased enormously in the last 20 years. Besides the analysis of the antecedents of PSM and its impact on organizations and individuals, many open questions about the nature of PSM itself still remain. This article argues that the theoretical construct of PSM should be contextualized by integrating the political and administrative contexts of public servants when investigating their specific attitudes towards working in a public environment. It also challenges the efficacy of the classic four-dimensional structure of PSM when it is applied to a specific context. The findings of a confirmatory factor analysis from a dataset of 3754 employees of 279 Swiss municipalities support the appropriateness of contextualizing parts of the PSM construct. They also support the addition of an extra dimension called, according to previous research, Swiss democratic governance. With regard to our results, there is a need for further PSM research to set a definite measure of PSM, particularly in regard to the international diffusion of empirical research on PSM.Points for practitionersThis study shows that public service motivation is a relevant construct for practitioners and may be used to better assess whether public agents are motivated by values or not. Nevertheless, it stresses also that the measurement of PSM must be adapted to the institutional context as well. Public managers interested in understanding better the degree to which their employees are motivated by public values must be aware that the measurement of this PSM construct has to be contextualized. In other words, PSM is also a function of the institutional environment in which organizations operate.

Predicting potential distribution of the jaguar (Panthera onca) in Mexico: identification of priority areas for conservation

Aim The jaguar, Panthera onca, is a species of global conservation concern. In Mexico, the northernmost part of its distribution range, its conservation status, is particularly critical, while its potential and actual distribution is poorly known. We propose an ensemble model (EM) of the potential distribution for the jaguar in Mexico and identify the priority areas for conservation.Location Mexico.Methods We generated our EM based on three presence-only methods (Ecological Niche Factor Analysis, Mahalanobis distance, Maxent) and considering environmental, biological and anthropogenic factors. We used this model to evaluate the efficacy of the existing Mexican protected areas (PAs), to evaluate the adequacy of the jaguar conservation units (JCUs) and to propose new areas that should be considered for conservation and management of the species in Mexico.Results Our results outline that 16% of Mexico (c. 312,000 km2) can be considered as suitable for the presence of the jaguar. Furthermore, 13% of the suitable areas are included in existing PAs and 14% are included in JCUs (Sanderson et al., 2002).Main conclusions Clearly much more should be carried out to establish a proactive conservation strategy. Based on our results, we propose here new jaguar conservation and management areas that are important for a nationwide conservation blueprint.

Irritability in pre-clinical Huntington's disease.

Irritability, together with depression and anxiety, form three salient clinical features of pre-symptomatic Huntington's disease (HD). To date, the understanding of irritability in HD suffers from a paucity of experimental data and is largely based on questionnaires or clinical anecdotes. Factor analysis suggests that irritability is related to impulsivity and aggression and is likely to engage the same neuronal circuits as these behaviours, including areas such as medial orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and amygdala. 16 pre-symptomatic gene carriers (PSCs) and 15 of their companions were asked to indicate the larger of two squares consecutively shown on a screen while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Despite correct identification of the larger square, participants were often told that they or their partner had given the wrong answer. Size differences were subtle to make negative feedback credible but detectable. Although task performance, baseline irritability, and reported task-induced irritation were the same for both groups, fMRI revealed distinct neuronal processing in those who will later develop HD. In controls but not PSCs, task-induced irritation correlated positively with amygdala activation and negatively with OFC activation. Repetitive negative feedback induced greater amygdala activations in controls than PSCs. In addition, the inverse functional coupling between amygdala and OFC was significantly weaker in PSCs compared to controls. Our results argue that normal emotion processing circuits are disrupted in PSCs via attenuated modulation of emotional status by external or internal indicators. At later stages, this dysfunction may increase the risk for developing recognised, HD-associated, psychiatric symptoms such as irritability.

The Beck Cognitive Insight Scale in outpatients with psychotic disorders: further evidence from a French-speaking sample.

OBJECTIVE: The Beck Cognitive Insight Scale (BCIS) evaluates patients' self-report of their ability to detect and correct misinterpretation. Our study aims to confirm the factor structure and the convergent validity of the original scale in a French-speaking environment. METHOD: Outpatients (n = 158) suffering from schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders fulfilled the BCIS. The 51 patients in Montpellier were equally assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) by a psychiatrist who was blind of the BCIS scores. RESULTS: The fit indices of the confirmatory factor analysis validated the 2-factor solution reported by the developers of the scale with inpatients, and in another study with middle-aged and older outpatients. The BCIS composite index was significantly negatively correlated with the clinical insight item of the PANSS. CONCLUSIONS: The French translation of the BCIS appears to have acceptable psychometric properties and gives additional support to the scale, as well as cross-cultural validity for its use with outpatients suffering from schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders. The correlation between clinical and composite index of cognitive insight underlines the multidimensional nature of clinical insight. Cognitive insight does not recover clinical insight but is a potential target for developing psychological treatments that will improve clinical insight.

Assessment of the COOP charts with and without pictures in a Swiss population.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the validity of COOP charts in a general population sample, to examine whether illustrations contribute to instrument validity, and to establish general population norms. METHODS: A general population mail survey was conducted among 20-79 years old residents of the Swiss canton of Vaud. Participants were invited to complete COOP charts, the SF-36 Health Survey; they also provided data on health service use in the previous month. Two thirds of the respondents received standard COOP charts, the rest received charts without illustrations. RESULTS: Overall 1250 persons responded (54%). The presence of illustrations did not affect score distributions, except that the illustrated 'physical fitness' chart drew greater non-response (10 vs. 3%, p < 0.001). Validity tests were similar for illustrated and picture-less charts. Factor analysis yielded two principal components, corresponding to physical and mental health. Six COOP charts showed strong and nearly linear relationships with corresponding SF36 scores (all p < 0.001), demonstrating concurrent validity. Similarly, most COOP charts were associated with the use of medical services in the past month. Only the chart on 'social support' partly deviated from construct validity hypotheses. Population norms revealed a generally lower health status in women and an age-related decline in physical health. CONCLUSIONS: COOP charts can be used to assess the health status of a general population. Their validity is good, with the possible exception of the 'social support' chart. The illustrations do not affect the properties of this instrument.

Construct validity and internal reliability of a French version of FACES III in adolescents and adults

Family cohesion and adaptability, as operationalised in the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scales III (FACES III), are two hypothesised dimensions of family functioning. We tested the properties of a French version of FACES III in school-children (mean age: 13 years; S.D:0.85) recruited from the general population and their parents. Separate confirmatory factor analyses were performed for adolescents and adults. The results of both analyses were compatible with a two-factor structure similar to that proposed by the authors of the original instrument. However, orthogonality between the two factors was only supported in the adult data. Internal reliability estimates were 0.78 and 0.68 in adolescents and 0.82 and 0.65 in adults, for cohesion and adaptability respectively.