An investigation of the relationship between subjective sleep quality, loneliness and mood in an Australian sample: Can daily routine explain the links?

Background: Loneliness and low mood are associated with significant negative health outcomes including poor sleep, but the strength of the evidence underlying these associations varies. There is strong evidence that poor sleep quality and low mood are linked, but only emerging evidence that loneliness and poor sleep are associated. Aims: To independently replicate the finding that loneliness and poor subjective sleep quality are associated and to extend past research by investigating lifestyle regularity as a possible mediator of relationships, since lifestyle regularity has been linked to loneliness and poor sleep. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, 97 adults completed standardized measures of loneliness, lifestyle regularity, subjective sleep quality and mood. Results: Loneliness was a significant predictor of sleep quality. Lifestyle regularity was not a predictor of, nor associated with, mood, sleep quality or loneliness. Conclusions: This study provides an important independent replication of the association between poor sleep and loneliness. However, the mechanism underlying this link remains unclear. A theoretically plausible mechanism for this link, lifestyle regularity, does not explain the relationship between loneliness and poor sleep. The nexus between loneliness and poor sleep is unlikely to be broken by altering the social rhythm of patients who present with poor sleep and loneliness.

Confirmatory factor analysis of the baby eating behaviour questionnaire and associations with infant weight, gender and feeding mode in an Australian sample

The aim of this study was to evaluate the factor structure of the Baby Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (BEBQ) in an Australian community sample of mother-infant dyads. A secondary aim was to explore the relationship between the BEBQ subscales and infant gender, weight and current feeding mode. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) utilising structural equation modelling examined the hypothesised 4-factor model of the BEBQ. Only mothers (N=467) who completed all items on the BEBQ (infant age: M=17 weeks, SD=3 weeks) were included in the analysis. The original 4-factor model did not provide an acceptable fit to the data due to poor performance of the Satiety responsiveness factor. Removal of this factor (3 items) resulted in a well-fitting 3-factor model. Cronbach’s α was acceptable for the Enjoyment of food (α=0.73), Food responsiveness (α=0.78) and Slowness in eating (α=0.68) subscales but low for the Satiety responsiveness (α=0.56) subscale. Enjoyment of food was associated with higher infant weight whereas Slowness in eating and Satiety responsiveness were both associated with lower infant weight. Differences on all four subscales as a function of feeding mode were observed. This study is the first to use CFA to evaluate the hypothesised factor structure of the BEBQ. Findings support further development work on the Satiety responsiveness subscale in particular, but confirm the utility of the Enjoyment of food, Food responsiveness and Slowness in eating subscales.

Genetic variation in tumour necrosis factor and lymphotoxin is not associated with endometriosis in an Australian sample

BACKGROUND Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) is a pleiotropic cytokine with a wide range of immunoregulatory effects. Variation in the promoter region of TNF and the neighbouring lymphotoxin alpha (LTA) gene might be associated with endometriosis. METHODS We examined the association between endometriosis and common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) or haplotypes in the TNF/LTA region in an Australian sample by analysing 26 SNPs in 958 endometriosis cases and 959 unrelated controls. We selected functional SNPs in the coding and the promoter region of the TNF gene and HapMap tagging SNPs and typed them on a Sequenom MassARRAY platform. A key SNP (rs1800630) in the promoter region typed in previous studies did not give reliable results. Therefore, we also examined a statistically identical (r(2) = 1) SNP (siSNP) (rs2844482), identified using the web based program ssSNPer. RESULTS Genotype completion rate was 99.5% for SNPs spanning a region of 15.5 kb across the TNF/LTA locus. There was no evidence for association between endometriosis and TNF/LTA SNPs or SNP haplotypes in our case-control study. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest both TNF and LTA genes are not major susceptibility genes for endometriosis.

Internal consistency and validity of the Stroke Impact Scale 2.0 (SIS 2.0) and SIS - 16 in an Australian sample

Background and Purpose: The impact of stroke is multidimensional however standard stroke measures do not discriminate well when stroke patients are less physically impaired. The Stroke Impact Scale 2.0 (SIS 2.0) is a multidimensional measure of the impact of stroke but its'' psychometric properties require further testing. The SIS-16 is a measure of physical functioning designed to be more sensitive to differences in physical functioning than current stroke outcome measures but there is only preliminary information detailing its'' reliability and validity. The current study examined the internal consistency and validity of the SIS 2.0 and SIS-16 in an Australian sample of stroke patients. Methods: The SIS 2.0, SIS-16, World Health Organization Bref-Scale (WHOQOL-BREF) and Zung''s Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) were completed by 74 stroke patients in rural Victoria, Australia.
Results: The item convergent validity index indicated good item convergence of the SIS-16 and SIS 2.0 domains. The item discriminant validity index had only adequate divergence for most SIS 2.0 domains. Internal consistencies of the SIS-16 and SIS 2.0 domains were acceptable (agr = 0.87–0.95). Correlations between the SIS-16 and SIS 2.0 and the WHOQOL-BREF and SDS supported the convergent and discriminant validity of the SIS-16 and all the dimensions of the SIS 2.0 except lsquoParticipationrsquo which lacked discriminant validity. Conclusions: The SIS 2.0 and SIS-16 had good psychometric properties with support for the internal consistency and validity of both measures.

An investigation into the incidence of obesity and underweight among adults with an intellectual disability in an Australian sample

Reports suggest that 7% to 18% of Australian adults are obese and a further 16% to 55% are overweight. Studies from other countries have indicated that obesity among people with an intellectual disability may be at least, or even more, prevalent. Prevalence rates range from 28% to 59%. The aim of the current study was to investigate the weight distribution of an Australian sample of people with an intellectual disability using Body Mass Index (BMI) to classify males and females, and Kelly and Rimmer's (1987) Percentage of Body Fat (PBF) formula to also classify males. Forty-one females and 52 males with a mild to severe intellectual disability were assessed. The correlation between BMI and PBF for males was r=.89. BMI classifications revealed a higher percentage of females as overweight (41.4%) and obese (36.6%) compared to overweight males (30.8%) and obese males (30.8%). There were more underweight males (7.6%) than females (4.9%). There was no relationship between living environment and weight classifications on the BMI. The PBF formula indicated that 73% of the males were classified as obese. The possibility of misclassification using the BMI and the need for weight interventions are discussed.

Robustness of form K of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator in an Australian sample

Analyses of the twenty facet scores for 243 females and 394 males who undertook Form K of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®) revealed strong and meaningful patterns of relationships with the four preferences. A clear factor structure of four factors emerged which had a few minor cross-loadings. It was found that the facets are distinctive and generally do not correlate with preferences other than those intended. Comparisons with USA evidence revealed patterns that were even clearer in the Australian data. The previously observed differences related to gender (as found in research on Form G) were reproduced using the Form K format. The evidence implies that the robustness of Fonl1 K with an Australian sample has been demonstrated.

The utility of the personal wellbeing index intellectual disability scale in an Australian sample

Background Subjective wellbeing (SWB) in people with intellectual disabilities has been the focus of increased interest in the identification of support needs and as an outcome measure for interventions and service delivery evaluations. It is therefore important to conduct further research in this area, and to develop appropriate scales to measure SWB.

Methods A new scale, the Personal Wellbeing Index-Intellectual Disability (PWI-ID) was administered to 114 adults with mild (n = 82) or moderate (n = 32) level ID in Victoria, Australia.

Results The PWI-ID demonstrated good reliability and validity. A comparison of the findings with previous research indicates that participants' SWB levels are within the normative range, and are similar to those reported by the general population.

Conclusions The results support the notion that individuals with ID do not experience life quality lower than normal, which can be explained theoretically by the Theory of Subjective Wellbeing Homeostasis. The use of the PWI-ID may ultimately assist in ensuring that the needs of people with ID are being met and inform the planning and delivery of congruent resources and services.

An investigation of the psychometric properties of the Eating Disorder Symptom Impact Scale within an Australian sample

Caring for patients with an eating disorder (ED) is associated with a high level of burden and psychological distress. Currently, the Eating Disorder Symptom Impact Scale (EDSIS) is the only scale that measures the specific impact of caring for a patient with an ED. The initial development study within a British sample of carers indicated that the EDSIS has a four-factor structure. The aim of the current study was to confirm the factor structure of the EDSIS within an Australian sample of carers. One hundred and fifty-four carers completed the EDSIS. In contrast to the initial study, a six-factor structure was derived explaining 69.66% of the variance: guilt, social isolation, confrontational behaviours, binge–purge difficulties, mealtime difficulties, and illness awareness. Reliability was acceptable (Cronbach's alpha range 0.69–0.88). Five of the six factors were moderately correlated with the General Health Questionnaire-12 (r range = 0.24–0.51). A six-factor solution may be a valid alternative for the EDSIS.

Mother-daughter communication about mammography in an Australian sample

Breast cancer is a significant health problem for aging women. Despite constant efforts to promote mammography in Australia to facilitate early detection, screening rates through the national mammography screening service remain at just 57%. Based on a theoretical rationale informed by Family Communication Patterns theory, the current study used semi-structured interviews with Australian mother-daughter dyads (N = 8) to examine their health communication, with a view to exploring the potential for daughters to deliver mammography promotion messages to their mothers. Consistent with results of previous studies conducted in different cultural contexts, the Australian mothers and daughters in this sample frequently communicated about health topics. Daughters were a source of information and influence for their mother's health decision making. The delivery of mammography promotion messages to the mother by the daughter may be most successful for dyads that value bidirectional conversation. Aspects of the Australian culture may facilitate the success of this strategy.

Validation of autism spectrum quotient ddult version in an Australian sample

The Autism Spectrum Quotient is used to assess autistic spectrum traits in intellectually competent adults in both the general population and the autism spectrum community. While the autism spectrum Quotient has been validated in several different cultures, to date no study has assessed the psychometrics of the Autism Spectrum Quotient on an Australian population. The purpose of this study was to assess the psychometrics of the autism spectrum Quotient in an Australian sample of both typically developing individuals (n = 128) and individuals with autism spectrum disorder (n = 104). The results revealed that the internal consistency and the test-retest reliability were satisfactory; individuals with autism spectrum disorder scored higher on total Autism Spectrum Quotient score and its subscales than typically developing individuals; however, gender differences were not apparent on total score. Possible cultural differences may explain some of the psychometric variations found. The results of this analysis revealed that the Autism Spectrum Quotient was a reliable instrument for investigating variation in autistic symptomology in both typically developing and Autism Spectrum Disorders populations within an Australian population.