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Behavioral Factors (behavioral + factor)
Selected AbstractsThe microstructure of ethanol drinking: genetic and behavioral factors in the control of drinking patternsADDICTION, Issue 8s2 2000Herman H. Samson The concept of craving can be examined in many different ways, depending upon the individual definition of the term. Using the concepts and procedures of regulatory behavior analysis, this review explores behavioral studies in rats that have some relationships to some of the possible processes that underlie the concept of craving in humans. Data are reviewed from studies employing both limited and continuous access to ethanol, examining the role of access availability, ethanol initiation, response cost, time since last access, composition of the ethanol containing solution and genetic selection. From this review, it is clear that rat models can implicate important variables involved in the control of human alcohol consumption. [source] The relation of tobacco smoking to tooth loss among young adultsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORAL SCIENCES, Issue 2 2004Pekka Ylöstalo Earlier studies have associated smoking with a higher rate of dental caries, periodontal disease and tooth loss. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine whether smoking is associated with tooth loss among young adults. The data consist of the 1966 birth cohort of Northern Finland, which is an unselected general population birth cohort (n = 12 058). The data were collected using a postal questionnaire in 1997,98 (n = 8690). Prevalence odds ratios and confidence intervals were estimated by applying a logistic regression model. It was found that smoking was associated with tooth loss in an exposure-dependent manner. The odds for those who smoked 16 or more pack-years were 5.30 (CI = 2.35,11.2) after adjustment for socio-economic and behavioral factors. Differences in socio-economic or health behavior are not likely to explain the findings since an exposure-response pattern was seen even when data was stratified according to sex, education and health-oriented lifestyle. A possible explanation for this association is a combination of treatment decisions and dental diseases, which are most likely associated with smoking in an exposure-dependent manner. [source] Approaches to career success: An exploration of surreptitious career-success strategiesHUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2006Lloyd C. Harris Theorists have forwarded a vast range of career-success determinants, including sociodemographic, social capital, personality, and other behavioral factors. We suggest that existing studies have overconcentrated on the overt behavioral determinants of career success to the detriment of the covert, clandestine, and concealed. Our analysis of two detailed qualitative case studies involving 112 indepth interviews with executives, managers, supervisors, and front-line staff in a large financial services organization and a medium-sized fashionable restaurant group uncovered five main strategies of surreptitious career success. These strategies are obligation creation and exploitation, personal-status enhancement, information acquisition and control, similarity exploitation, and proactive vertical alignment. Our findings indicate that just over 79% of those interviewed (88 of 112) referred to, at some point in their careers, premeditated strategies to enhance their careers that they concealed from coworkers. Consequently, we argue that surreptitious actions are central to employee career-focused activities and fundamental to a more complete understanding of the complexities of career-oriented employee behavior. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Preliminary evidence supporting a framework of psychological adjustment to inflammatory bowel disease,INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES, Issue 10 2010Jennifer L. Kiebles PhD Abstract Background: Adjustment to chronic disease is a multidimensional construct described as successful adaptation to disease-specific demands, preservation of psychological well-being, functional status, and quality of life. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can be particularly challenging due to the unpredictable, relapsing and remitting course of the disease. Methods: All participants were patients being treated in an outpatient gastroenterology clinic at a university medical center. Participants completed a survey of questionnaires assessing illness perceptions, stress, emotional functioning, disease acceptance, coping, disease impact, and disease-specific and health-related quality of life. Adjustment was measured as a composite of perceived disability, psychological functioning, and disease-specific and health-related quality of life. Results: Participants were 38 adults with a diagnosis of either Crohn's disease (45%) or ulcerative colitis (55%). We observed that our defined adjustment variables were strongly correlated with disease characteristics (r = 0.33,0.80, all P < 0.05), an emotional representation of illness (r = 0.44,0.58, P < 0.01), disease acceptance (r = 0.34,0.74, P < 0.05), coping (r = 0.33,0.60, P < 0.05), and frequency of gastroenterologist visits (r = 0.39,0.70, P < 0.05). Better adjustment was associated with greater bowel and systemic health, increased activities engagement and symptom tolerance, less pain, less perceived stress, and fewer gastroenterologist visits. All adjustment variables were highly correlated (r = 0.40,0.84, P < 0.05) and demonstrated a cohesive composite. Conclusions: The framework presented and results of this study underscore the importance of considering complementary pathways of disease management including cognitive, emotional, and behavioral factors beyond the traditional medical and psychological (depression and anxiety) components. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2010) [source] Are men shortchanged on health?INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 4 2010Perspective on life expectancy, morbidity, mortality in men, women in the United States Summary Background:, Significant gender disparities exist in life expectancy and major disease morbidity. There is an urgent need to understand the major issues related to men's health that contributes to these significant disparities. It is hypothesized that men have higher and earlier morbidities, in addition to behavioral factors that contribute to their lower life expectancy. Methods:, Data was collected from CDC: Health United States, 2007; American Heart Association, American Obesity Association, and American Cancer Society. Results:, Men have lower life expectancy than women in most countries around the world including United States. This gender disparity is consistent regardless of geography, race and ethnicity. More men die of 12 out of the 15 leading causes of death than women. In addition, men have higher morbidity and mortality in coronary heart disease (CHD), hypertension, diabetes, and cancer. Conclusions:, Men's lower life expectancy may be explained by biological and clinical factors such as the higher incidence of cardiovascular metabolic disease and cancer. In the context of public health, raising awareness of cardiovascular and metabolic health is needed to reduce the gender disparity. In addition, consideration of preventive and early detection/intervention programs may improve men's health. [source] Does heterogeneity in goals and preferences affect efficiency?AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 3-4 2010A case study of farm households in northern Nigeria Heterogeneous behavior; Efficiency analysis; Smallholder agriculture; Nigeria Abstract Household characteristics are commonly used to explain variation in smallholder efficiency levels. The underlying assumption is that differences in intended behavior are well described by such variables, while there is no,a priori,reason that this is the case. Moreover, heterogeneity in farmer goals and preferences, in relation to the role of the farm enterprise, are not well documented in developing countries. This article makes a contribution to fill this gap, by empirically determining heterogeneity in farmer goals and attitudes in Nigeria through a pair-wise ranking, supplemented with Likert scales. Factor analysis is used to reduce these data into behavioral factors. We estimate technical and allocative efficiency levels and analyze how these are related to farm characteristics and the identified behavioral factors. The models in which both intended behavior and farmer characteristics are included give a significantly better fit over models in which only household characteristics are included. These regression results suggest that the socioeconomic environment affects efficiency levels both directly and indirectly, through changes in goals and attitudes. [source] The characteristics of dyadic trust in executive coachingJOURNAL OF LEADERSHIP STUDIES, Issue 1 2007Susan Alvey This qualitative study explores the development of trust in executive coaching relationships. Interviews were conducted with 27 high-level executives who were voluntarily engaged in executive coaching for the purpose of leadership development. The theory that emerged from these findings, as expressed in an integrated model of sequential, interdependent trust development, was that interplay of relational, situational, and behavioral factors influenced the development of trust in executive coaching. Trust was highest when (a) the client was willing to disclose honest feelings and thoughts to the coach and was met with a supportive, nonjudgmental reaction from the coach; (b) the organization was supportive of the positive leadership development that could occur in executive coaching; (c) the coach and client were clear about expectations of confidentiality and outcomes; and (d) the coach supportively confirmed the client's developmental needs, and challenged the client's leadership behaviors. These multiple, interdependent factors manifested throughout the coaching relationship to result in bonds of trust. [source] Middle Eastern Masculinities in the Age of New Reproductive Technologies: Male Infertility and Stigma in Egypt and LebanonMEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2004MARCIA C. INHORNArticle first published online: 8 JAN 200 Worldwide, male infertility contributes to more than half of all cases of childlessness; yet, it is a reproductive health problem that is poorly studied and understood. This article examines the problem of male infertility in two Middle Eastern locales, Cairo, Egypt, and Beirut, Lebanon, where men may be at increased risk of male infertility because of environmental and behavioral factors. It is argued that male infertility may be particularly problematic for Middle Eastern men in their pronatalist societies; there, both virility and fertility are typically tied to manhood. Thus, male infertility is a potentially emasculating condition, surrounded by secrecy and stigma. Furthermore, the new reproductive technology called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), designed specifically to overcome male infertility, may paradoxically create additional layers of stigma and secrecy, due to the complex moral and marital dilemmas associated with Islamic restrictions on third-party donation of gametes. [male infertility, masculinity, new reproductive technologies, stigma, Egypt, Lebanon] [source] A Theory Matrix for MediatorsNEGOTIATION JOURNAL, Issue 2 2010Archie Zariski The author uses a behavioral perspective to survey theory that may be useful in mediation. He notes the lack of diffusion of knowledge of theory among practitioners and argues that mediators should pay more explicit attention to theory. He presents a matrix comprising the behavioral factors of perception, emotion, cognition, communication, and intervention at the micro, meso, and macro levels of conflict and uses this matrix to organize and review some mediation theories. Several types of intervention theory are identified: integrated, generic, dialectical, developmental, and dialogical. The article closes by posing some outstanding theoretical issues and questioning whether current mediator training programs are adequate to bridge the gap between theory and practice. [source] Identification and Treatment in Obstetrical PatientsNURSING FOR WOMENS HEALTH, Issue 6 2006Lesa L.K. Chizawsky RN Eating disorders are well defined in females ages 14 to 24, and consist primarily of anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN). Collectively, these two eating disorders are characterized by severe disturbances in eating behaviors and acute distress over body shape and weight. In AN, fear of weight gain coupled with a distorted body image leads to refusal to maintain a minimally accepted body weight (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 1994). Although women with BN also overvalue body size and shape, this disorder is characterized by episodes of binge eating followed by efforts to undo the binge episode (oral purging is the most widely known effort) (APA, 1994). Developmental, psychological, socioenvironmental and behavioral factors contribute to the complex development and persistence of AN and BN (Rosen & Neumark-Sztainer, 1998). [source] Effect of Trp64Arg mutation of the ,3-adrenergic receptor gene and C161T substitution of the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor , gene on obesity in Japanese childrenPEDIATRICS INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2003Rina Arashiro AbstractObjective: Obesity is a multifactorial syndrome influenced by both genetic and behavioral factors. Trp64Arg mutation of the ,3-adrenergic receptor (AR) gene and C161T substitution of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) , gene have been reported to be associated with obesity or lipid metabolism in adults. However, the effects of these mutations on children have not yet been clarified. For this reason, we studied the effects of Trp64Arg mutation of the ,3-AR gene and C161T substitution of the PPAR, gene on obesity in Japanese children. Subjects and Methods: In order to determine the effects of Trp64Arg mutation of the ,3-AR gene and C161T substitution of the PPAR, gene on obesity in children, 105 obese Japanese children were screened by the polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment-length polymorphism analysis. Plasma lipid, apolipoprotein (apo), glucose, insulin and leptin levels were also determined. Results: Obese boys with Trp64Arg showed a higher obesity index and lower plasma levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), apoA-I and apoA-II than those of them without the mutation. Obese boys with both mutations showed a higher plasma leptin level than those with only the ,3 - AR gene mutation or PPAR, gene mutation. No significant effect of these mutations was found in obese girls. Conclusion: All of these data suggest that Trp64Arg mutation of the ,3-AR gene might affect obesity and HDL metabolism in obese boys. In contrast, C161T mutation of the PPAR, gene, by itself, is unlikely to influence obesity, lipid metabolism or plasma leptin levels. [source] Examining predictors and consequences of information seeking in close relationshipsPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, Issue 4 2004Walid A. Afifi The management of information in close relationships plays a critical role in our well-being (e.g., S. Petronio, 2002). Since relational partners often desire to be "in the know" about one another, the relative absence of inquiry into the process of information seeking in close relationships is puzzling. Recently, W. Ickes, J. W. Dugosh, J. A. Simpson, and C. L. Wilson (2003) examined that process and showed important ways in which the motivation to acquire relationship-threatening information may be harmful to relationships. We extend their work and apply the newly developed Theory of Motivated Information Management (W. A. Afifi, & Weiner, 2004) to close relationships. In addition, we test the consequences of information seeking for short-term changes in relationship commitment. Two hundred and twenty-two participants thought of something that their relational partner did or said for which they wanted more information, then completed 2 surveys, 3 weeks apart, measuring cognitive and behavioral factors related to the information-management process. Results reveal several factors that influence the seeking of information in close relationships (e.g., issue importance, anxiety, expected outcomes, and perceived efficacy), show benefits of an indirect search for information in the face of negative expectancies, and suggest several directions for future research. [source] Increases in core body temperature precede hot flashes in a prostate cancer patientPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 5 2009Laura J. Hanisch Abstract Objective: An effective and safe alternative treatment to hormone replacement therapy for hot flashes is needed for cancer patients. Interventions targeting the triggering mechanisms of hot flashes hold promise. Increases in core body temperature are a precursor of most hot flashes in women, and similar findings in prostate cancer patients undergoing androgen deprivation therapy would support further research in this area. We present preliminary findings of physiological changes in a prostate cancer patient with frequent hot flashes. Methods: Physiological changes in sternal skin conductance, heart rate, and core body temperature were continuously measured during two 3.5,h laboratory sessions. Perceived characteristics of hot flashes were recorded in a diary. Results: Five hot flashes were reported during laboratory sessions. Severity and bother ratings were low. All hot flashes were accompanied by large increases in sternal skin conductance and moderate increases in heart rate. Core body temperature increased 0.11,0.32°C prior to and fell 0.23,0.44°C following the peak increase in skin conductance. Conclusions: This case study suggests that hot flashes in men may be preceded by increases in core body temperature. Identification of behavioral factors that raise core body temperature may lead to specific treatment strategies to reduce the frequency of hot flashes. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Personality Risk Factors Associated with Trajectories of Tobacco UseTHE AMERICAN JOURNAL ON ADDICTIONS, Issue 6 2006Judith S. Brook EdD The purpose of this longitudinal, prospective study was to evaluate trajectories of smoking in a cohort of African-American and Puerto Rican young adults and describe personality and behavioral factors associated with specific smoking trajectory group membership. Participants consisted of African-American and Puerto Rican male and female young adults (n = 451, mean age 26) from an inner-city community. Data were collected at four time points over a period of 13 years using structured interviews. Interviews took place within the schools and the participants' homes. Scales with adequate psychometric properties were adapted from previously validated measures. Variables that were examined for this study came from the domains of internalizing behaviors, externalizing behaviors, drug use, and demographic information. Data were analyzed using latent growth mixture modeling to explore discrete smoking trajectories. Logistic regression analyses were then used to examine the risk factors associated with the various smoking trajectory groups. Four trajectory groups were determined to best fit the data: nonsmokers, maturing-out smokers, late-starting smokers, and early-starting continuous smokers. Subjects who were unconventional, experienced intrapersonal distress, and used alcohol and illegal drugs were more likely to belong to one of the smoking trajectory groups than to the nonsmoking group. The early-starting continuous group scored highest on these personal risk attributes. The long-term impact of unconventional behavior, intrapersonal distress, and drug use on developmental trajectories of smoking support the importance of early intervention and prevention. [source] Calcium, dietary, and lifestyle factors in the prevention of colorectal adenomasCANCER, Issue 3 2007Eric A. Miller PhD Abstract BACKGROUND. Many studies have suggested a role for calcium in reducing the risk of colorectal adenomas and cancer but its effectiveness may be dependent on interactions with other dietary and/or lifestyle factors. We examined the association between calcium and prevalence of adenomas and assessed whether the association was stronger in biologically plausible subgroups. METHODS. Cross-sectional data from 222 cases and 479 adenoma-free controls who underwent colonoscopies and completed food frequency and lifestyle questionnaires were used in the analyses. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the association between calcium and prevalence of adenomas. Stratified analyses and the likelihood ratio test were used to examine effect modification by various demographic, lifestyle, and behavioral factors. RESULTS. Overall, little association was observed comparing total calcium intake of ,900 mg/day to <500 mg/day (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.85, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.53,1.37). However, stronger associations were observed in patients with lower fat intake and in those who regularly (,15 times/month) took nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Specifically, total calcium intake of ,900 mg/day was associated with a lower prevalence of adenomas among patients with lower fat intake (OR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.25,0.91) but not among those with higher fat intake (OR = 1.20, 95% CI: 0.61,2.35; P -value for interaction = .01). For NSAIDs, the associations were OR = 0.37 (95% CI: 0.16,0.86) for regular NSAID users and OR = 1.27 (95% CI: 0.73,2.22) with infrequent or nonuse of NSAIDs, respectively (P = .06). CONCLUSIONS. The data suggest that a lower-fat diet and regular NSAID use may enhance calcium's effectiveness as a colorectal cancer preventive agent. Cancer 2007 © 2007 American Cancer Society. [source] Psychosocial factors and interleukin-6 among women with advanced ovarian cancerCANCER, Issue 2 2005Erin S. Costanzo M.A. Abstract BACKGROUND Relations among psychological stress, depression, social support, and interleukin-6 (IL-6, a proinflammatory cytokine) have been documented in humans and animals. Because elevated IL-6 is associated with a poorer prognosis among ovarian cancer patients and has been implicated in the metastasis of ovarian cancer, the current study examined relations between psychosocial factors and IL-6 among women with advanced-stage ovarian cancer. METHODS Sixty-one ovarian cancer patients completed assessments of social support, distressed mood, and quality of life before surgery. Peripheral blood was drawn preoperatively, and the plasma was assayed for IL-6. Ascites samples were also assayed for IL-6 for a subset of patients. RESULTS Both IL-6 levels and distressed mood were elevated among patients. After statistically adjusting effects of age and disease stage, social attachment was associated with lower levels of IL-6 in peripheral blood (P = 0.03), whereas poorer health-related quality of life was associated with higher IL-6 (P values ranged from 0.01 to 0.03 on different measures). This pattern of relations was also found in the ascites. Moreover, IL-6 levels in peripheral blood plasma correlated significantly with IL-6 in the ascites (P < 0.001), suggesting that peripheral IL-6 reflects IL-6 levels at the site of the tumor. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that social support may play a protective role with respect to IL-6 elevations, and IL-6 may be an independent marker of health-related quality of life among ovarian cancer patients. Processes involving IL-6 represent possible pathways by which behavioral factors may contribute to disease outcomes among women with ovarian cancer. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society. [source] Looking through the Lens of Gender: A Postmodern Critique of a Modern Housing ParadigmJOURNAL OF INTERIOR DESIGN, Issue 2 2002Lucinda Kaukas Havenband M.A., M.Phil. ABSTRACT The shift from a modern to postmodern paradigm has dramatically impacted the nature and content of academic inquiry and has opened new categories and methods for research. Interior design has been traditionally critiqued on the basis of aesthetics, formal qualities, function, health and safety, and social/behavioral factors. A postmodern critique expands that criteria to include analysis of how designs may be inscribed with particular ideologies and meanings and consideration of how these meanings may empower or disempower certain groups, or philosophies. In a feminist critique, that analysis considers specifically the ideology of gender. This paper will demonstrate the use of the postmodern deconstructive method of "close reading" in a feminist critique of the Case Study program, a paradigm for modern housing in postwar America. A close reading makes the assumption that the text is not neutral and attempts to discover its biases by thoroughly examining how information has been edited, framed, explained, and constructed. Through this method every aspect of the design process as it has been documented will be scrutinized as texts to examine ideas about roles for women that are constructed through this method; it will not only demonstrate how ideological issues, specifically in this case about gender, can be inscribed within our designs for built spaces, but also provide a greater awareness of our ability as designers to perpetuate, create, or eliminate stereotypes. [source] | ||||||||||||||||