ABSTRACT
Research on mental health of non-professional caregivers has focused on caregivers of people with specific diseases, especially dementia. Less is known about caregivers of people with other diseases. The aims of this study were (a) to determine the caregivers' emotional state in a random sample of caregivers of people in situations of dependency, (b) to analyze the association between each disease of the care-recipient (a variety of 23 diseases included in the International Classification of Diseases) and the emotional state of the caregiver, and (c) based on the theoretical model, to analyze the relationship of the different study variables in the appearance of the emotional distress of the caregiver. A sample of 491 non-professional caregivers was selected randomly (89.0% women, average age 55.3 years). Trained psychologists collected sociodemographic and care-related characteristics and evaluated the global emotional distress, somatic symptoms, anxiety-insomnia, social dysfunction, depression, probable mental disorder case, self-esteem, and social support. It was found that (a) the caregivers showed moderate emotional distress, and 33.8% presented a probable mental disorder. (b) Caring for a care-recipient with cat's cry syndrome or epilepsy was related to suffering from social dysfunction, and caring for a care-recipient with autism was related to having a probable mental health case. (c) Social support mediated the relationship between social class, daily hours of care, monthly family income, self-esteem and global emotional distress. There is an important impact on the emotional state of the caregivers. This impact was similar in caregivers of care-recipients with different diseases, except in caregivers caring for a care-recipient with cat's cry syndrome or epilepsy (related to social dysfunction), and in caregivers caring for a care-recipient with autism (related to having a probable mental health case).
ABSTRACT
The international assessment studies of key competences, such as the PISA report of the OECD, have revealed that the academic performance of Spanish students is significantly below the OECD average. In addition, it has also been confirmed that the results of immigrant students are consistently lower than those of their native counterparts. Given the context, the first objective of this work is to observe the variables (support, control, school satisfaction, and learning environment) which distinguish between retained and non-retained native and immigrant students. The second objective is to check, by comparing the retained and non-retained native and immigrant students and separating the two levels, in order to find out which of the selected variables clearly differentiate the two groups. A sample of 1359 students was used (79.8% native students and 20.2% immigrant students of Latin American origin), who were enrolled in the 5th and 6th year of Primary Education (aged 10-11 years) and in the 1st and 2nd year of Secondary Education (aged 12-13 years). The measurement scales, which undergo a psychometric analysis in the current work, have been developed in a previous research study (Lorenzo et al., 2009). The construct validity and reliability are reported (obtaining alpha indices between 0.705 and 0.787). Subsequently, and depending on the results of this analysis, inferential analyses are performed, using as independent variables the ethno-cultural origin and being retained or not, whereas, as dependent variables, the indices referring to students' perception of family support and control, as well as the assessment of the school and learning environment. Among other results, the Group × Being retained/Not being retained [F(1, 1315) = 4.67, p < 0.01] interaction should be pointed out, indicating that native non-retained subjects perceive more control than immigrants, as well as the Group × Being retained/Not being retained [F(1, 1200) = 5.49, p < 0.01] interaction, showing that native non-retained students perceive more family support. Given the results obtained, our intention is to provide solid evidence that would facilitate the design of family involvement programs, helping to improve students' educational performance.
ABSTRACT
This study was designed to evaluate construct validity evidence associated with the Spanish version of the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ) using a multi-trait/multi-method (MTMM) approach. The ABQ was administered to a sample of 302 Spanish athletes, along with two other questionnaires including the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS) and the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS-21), which respectively measure burnout in organizational settings and indicators of illbeing including depression, anxiety and stress. A structural equation modeling approach to a MTMM analysis was used. Results revealed by comparative analysis of four models that the Spanish version of ABQ has convergent and internal discriminant validity evident by high correlations between matching burnout subscales across two measures and lower correlations between non-matching dimensions. In addition, the burnout measures exhibited external discriminant validity as the correlations between burnout dimensions were higher than those seen between conceptually related, but unique, constructs (AU)
El objetivo de la presente investigación fue evaluar la validez de constructo de la versión española del Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ) utilizando la aproximación multi-rasgo/multi-método (MTMM). El ABQ fue administrado a una muestra de 302 deportistas españoles, junto con dos otros cuestionarios, el Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS) y la Escala de Depresión, Ansiedad y Estrés (DASS-21), que miden respectivamente burnout en el contexto organizacional e indicadores de depresión, ansiedad y estrés. El análisis multi-rasgo/multi-método se hizo desde la perspectiva de los modelos de ecuaciones estructurales. Los resultados obtenidos por medio de la comparación entre cuatro modelos revelaron que la versión española del ABQ tiene validez convergente y discriminante interna como lo evidencian las altas correlaciones observadas entre las dimensiones semejantes del burnout medidas por los dos cuestionarios de burnout y las bajas correlaciones observadas entre dimensiones no equivalentes. Además, se ha podido concluir que las medidas de burnout también disponen de validez discriminante externa dado que las correlaciones entre las dimensiones del burnout fueron más altas que las obtenidas entre los constructos únicos conceptualmente relacionados (AU)
Subject(s)
Humans , Psychometrics/instrumentation , Burnout, Professional/psychology , Personal Construct Theory , Stress, Psychological/psychology , 16360ABSTRACT
Recent investigations show that people's differential performance when solving reasoning tasks is due to differences not only at computational level, but also at the rational or intentional level. This study is within the framework of this context and it specifically analyses individual differences in hypothetic-deductive reasoning, taking into account the characteristics associated with the task itself (content and instructions) as well as the individuals' differential characteristics. Two hundred and seventy-six students from the University of Santiago de Compostela participated in this study. Several psychometric tests were administered and participants were requested to solve various reasoning tasks. The results obtained confirm that, in effect, the differences between competent and non-competent reasoners are observed at both the above-mentioned levels: cognitive skills and abilities (algorithmic level) and cognitive flexibility (intentional level).
