Multigroup invariance of the DAS across a random and an internet-sourced sample.

It is well established that angry and, subsequently, aggressive drivers pose a problem for road safety. Over recent years, there has been an increase in the number of published studies examining driver anger, particularly using the Driving Anger Scale (DAS). The DAS measures six broad types of situations likely to provoke anger while driving (i.e., police presence, illegal driving, discourtesy, traffic obstructions, slower drivers, and hostile gestures). The majority of the recent studies have moved away from traditional paper-and-pencil methodologies, using the internet to collect data, for reasons of convenience. However, it is not yet completely clear whether data obtained from this methodology differs from more traditional methods. While research outside of the driving arena has not found substantial differences, it is important to establish whether this also applies to driving-related research and measures, such as the DAS. The present study used Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis (MGCFA) to investigate the invariance of the DAS across a random sample from the electoral roll (n = 1,081: males = 45%) and an internet sourced sample (n = 627; males = 55%). The MGCFA showed the same six-factor solution was supported in both datasets. The relationships between the DAS factors and age, sex, trait anger, and annual mileage were broadly similar, although more significant differences were identified in the internet sample. This research demonstrates that driving measures administered over the internet produce similar results to those obtained using more traditional methods.

Mobile phone involvement, beliefs, and texting while driving in Ukraine.

There is extensive evidence that using a mobile phone whilst driving is one of the biggest contributors to driver distraction, which in turn increases the risk of motor vehicle collisions. Whilst most of the developed countries have been trying to deter this behaviour through legislation, enforcement and educational campaigns, in Ukraine, where the road fatality rate is the highest in Europe, this issue has only recently become publicised. The present study examined psychological factors that are associated with hand-held mobile phone use while driving among a sample of Ukrainian drivers, in particular writing or reading a text message while driving. This included drivers' behavioural, normative, and control beliefs relating to mobile phone use while driving, as well as the degree to which using a mobile phone is integral to one's everyday life (measured using the Mobile Phone Involvement Questionnaire; MPIQ). Almost one quarter to one third of the sample reported using their phone on a daily basis to write (22.2%) or read (38.2%) text messages while driving. A binary logistic regression showed that gender, higher MPIQ scores, perceived approval from family members, lower perceived likelihood of receiving traffic fines and less demanding traffic conditions were all significantly associated with mobile phone use while driving. These results suggest that dependence upon a mobile phone in everyday life may be an important factor to consider when developing interventions to reduce hand-held mobile phone use while driving.

The association between metabolic syndrome and its components with systemic lupus erythematosus: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

OBJECTIVES: Based upon inflammatory-related factors in chronic systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), as well as the long-term prescription of corticosteroids, metabolic syndrome (MetS) prevalence is expected to be higher in SLE patients than among those without SLE. The aim of this study was to systematically analyze: (1) the worldwide prevalence of MetS in patients with SLE using different criteria, (2) the risk of MetS in patients with SLE compared with those without SLE, and (3) the risk of MetS component in patients with SLE compared with healthy controls. METHODS: We searched international databases, such as: Web of Science, Medline, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, CABI, CINAHL, DOAJ and Google Scholar. The articles which reported the prevalence of MetS in SLE patients, between 2006 and 2017, were included in the study if they had a: clear study design, study time and location, sound sampling approach and appropriate statistical analyses. Studies without sufficient data to determine the prevalence of MetS were excluded. Also, studies in patients suffering from other clinical diseases were not included. RESULTS: The meta-analyses of the prevalence (40 studies (n = 6085)) and risk (20 studies (n = 2348)) of MetS in SLE patients were conducted separately. The pooled prevalence of MetS among SLE patients was found to be 26% (95% confidence interval (CI): 22-30%), but varied from 18% (95% CI: 11-25%) to 34% (95% CI: 25-42%), depending upon the diagnostic criteria used. The overall pooled odds ratio (OR) of MetS in SLE patients, compared with healthy controls, was (OR = 2.50; 95% CI: 1.86-3.35), but this ranged from (OR = 1.23; 95% CI: 0.61-2.49) to (OR = 10.71; 95% CI: 1.33-86.48), depending upon the criteria used. Also, the risk of high fasting blood sugar (FBS; OR = 1.59; 95% CI: 1.05-2.40), low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C; OR = 1.43; 95% CI: 1.02-2.01), high blood pressure (BP; OR = 2.76; 95% CI: 2.19-3.47), high triglycerides (TG; OR = 2.85; 95% CI: 2.05-3.95) and high waist circumference (WC; OR = 1.37; 95% CI: 0.97-1.94) were all found to be higher in SLE patients compared with healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of MetS was significantly higher in SLE patients, compared with healthy controls, even after adjusting for publication bias. Among MetS components, high TG and high BP were most strongly associated with SLE. Considering that high TG and high BP are preventable, there is an international need to implement effective interventions to reduce MetS components in SLE patients in order to prevent serious outcomes such as cardiovascular diseases and mortality.

Gender roles, sex and the expression of driving anger.

The present study investigated the validity of the 25-item Driving Anger Expression Inventory (DAX) as well as the role of sex and gender-roles in relation to the expression of driving anger in a sample of 378 French drivers (males=38%, M=32.9years old). Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported the four-factor structure of the 25-item DAX (Adaptive/Constructive Expression; Use of the Vehicle to Express Anger; Verbal Aggressive Expression and Personal Physical Aggressive Expression) and two of the three aggressive factors were found to have significant positive relationships with driving anger, while adaptive/constructive expression was negatively related to driving anger. Use of the vehicle to express anger was not significantly related to crash involvement, but was significantly related to all other crash-related conditions (traffic tickets, loss of concentration, loss of control of the vehicle, near crash). The presence of feminine traits, but not sex, was predictive of adaptive/constructive behaviours, while masculine traits predicted more frequent verbal aggressive expression, use of the vehicle to express anger, personal physical aggressive expression and total aggressive expression. This finding may account for the inconsistent relationship found between driving anger and sex in previous research. This research also found that the 25-item DAX is a valid tool to measure the expression of driving anger and that the endorsement of masculine traits are related to more aggressive forms of driving anger expression.

Gender Roles and the Expression of Driving Anger Among Ukrainian Drivers.

The current study investigated the validity of the revised (25-item) version of the driving anger expression inventory (DAX) on a novel sample of 385 drivers from Ukraine. The roles of sex and gender in relation to self-reported aggressive tendencies were also examined. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the four-factor structure of the DAX (adaptive/constructive expression; use of the vehicle to express anger; verbal aggressive expression; and personal physical aggressive expression), and the three aggressive factors were found to have positive relationships with trait anger and driving anger, while adaptive/constructive expression was negatively related to trait and driving anger. Drivers who reported recent near-misses or loss of concentration scored higher on verbal aggressive expression. Those who had recently received a traffic ticket also reported higher levels of all three types of aggressive anger expression. Further, the presence of feminine traits, but not sex, predicted more adaptive/constructive behaviors and lower scores for verbal aggressive expression, personal physical aggressive expression, and total aggressive expression. However, masculine traits did not predict any of these factors. This research concludes that the revised DAX is a valid tool to measure the expression of driving anger and that the endorsement of feminine traits is related to less aggressive expression of driving anger.

Driving anger in Ukraine: Appraisals, not trait driving anger, predict anger intensity while driving.

Trait driving anger is often, but not always, found to predict both the intensity of anger while driving and subsequent crash-related behaviours. However, a number of studies have not found support for a direct relationship between one's tendency to become angry and anger reported while driving, suggesting that other factors may mediate this relationship. The present self-report study investigated whether, in anger provoking driving situations, the appraisals made by drivers influence the relationship between trait and state anger. A sample of 339 drivers from Ukraine completed the 33-item version of the Driver Anger Scale (DAS; Deffenbacher et al., 1994) and eight questions about their most recent experience of driving anger. A structural equation model found that the intensity of anger experienced was predicted by the negative evaluations of the situation, which was in turn predicted by trait driving anger. However, trait driving anger itself did not predict anger intensity; supporting the hypothesis that evaluations of the driving situation mediate the relationship between trait and state anger. Further, the unique structure of the DAS required to fit the data from the Ukrainian sample, may indicate that the anger inducing situations in Ukraine are different to those of a more developed country. Future research is needed to investigate driving anger in Ukraine in a broader sample and also to confirm the role of the appraisal process in the development of driving anger in both developed and undeveloped countries.

An observational study of driving distractions on urban roads in Spain.

The present research investigated the prevalence of driver engagement in secondary tasks and whether there were any differences by age and gender, as well as day of the week and time of the day. Two independent researchers observed 6578 drivers at nine randomly selected urban locations in Girona, Spain. Nearly 20% of the drivers observed were engaged in some type of secondary task, with the most common being: conversing with a passenger (11.1%), smoking (3.7%) and talking on a handheld mobile phone (1.3%). Surprisingly there were no differences by gender, but there were age-related differences with younger drivers being more frequently observed engaged in a number of different types of secondary tasks while driving (i.e. drinking, talking on a handheld mobile phone, and texting or keying numbers). Logistic regression showed that younger drivers, and to a lesser extent middle-age drivers, were significantly more likely to be observed engaged in a technological distraction than older drivers. Conversely, non-technological distractions were significantly predicted by day of the week, time of the day and location. A substantial number of the drivers observed in this study were putting themselves at an increased risk of becoming involved in a crash by engaging in non-driving related tasks at the same time as driving. Furthermore, the higher crash rate among young drivers may be partially accounted for by their more frequent engagement in some types of secondary tasks while driving.

Burnout and quality of life among Spanish healthcare personnel.

The purpose of this study was to analyse the relationship between perceived quality of life and levels of burnout among healthcare personnel. A sample of 1095 participants (nurses, physicians, nursing assistants and orderlies) from five hospitals in the province of Girona (Spain) were studied (78% women, mean age=36.6 years, SD=8.8) using the 36-item short-form health questionnaire (SF-36) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The results showed that health-related quality of life reported by this sample of healthcare personnel was lower than the reference population values, especially in those SF-36 dimensions that comprise the mental component. In comparing the dimensions of the SF-36 by profession, we found that physicians had better perceived health in the dimensions of the physical component than nurses and other professionals (P< 0.01). No statistical differences were observed between profession and the dimensions of the mental component (P>0.05). Moreover, perceived health was worse among those that reported a high level on any of the components of burnout. These results should be taken account when designing a burnout prevention programme in the workplace.

Stages of change and decisional balance for condom use with a romantic partner.

This article examines the relationship between decisional balance and stages of change for consistent condom use with a current romantic heterosexual partner. The sample consisted of 619 undergraduate students (35.1% males; mean of age = 20.31). The results show that the pros and cons of using condoms were significantly related to the stages of change for condom use, but that the pros were more strongly related. Therefore, campaigns for preventing the transmission of the HIV virus and other sexually transmitted diseases should attempt to maximize the perceived advantages of condom use, rather than refuting the cons.

The pedestrian behaviour of Spanish adolescents.

Adolescent pedestrians are a particularly vulnerable group of road users. This research tested the applicability of the recently developed Adolescent Road user Behaviour Questionnaire (ARBQ) amongst a sample of 2006 Spanish adolescents. Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the full scale found that the original three factors did not adequately fit the data, but an acceptable fit was obtained for the shortened 21-item version of the scale. In line with research from the UK, the present study found that males reported more unsafe road crossing behaviour and playing on the roads, but there was no gender difference for engaging in planned protective behaviour. This research also confirmed that unsafe road crossing behaviour increased with age, while dangerous playing on the road and planned protective behaviours both decreased with age. The present study also confirmed that the ARBQ is a useful tool for investigating the safety-related behaviour of adolescents on the road.

An investigation of factors reducing seat belt use amongst Spanish drivers and passengers on urban roads.

Seat belt use on Spain's highways is more than 80%, while on the urban roads this figure is around 50%. As there was little information available to explain the difference in seat belt use rates, the main aim of this study was to investigate why there is a lower rate of seat belt use on urban roads. A number of perceptions, beliefs and expectancies about seat belt use were examined to identify variables that discriminated between seat belt users and non-users on urban roads. The subjects were 398 undergraduate students (aged 17-47) studying at the University of Girona, Spain. On the urban roads reported discomfort from using the seat belt was higher, while perceptions of risk (for non-users), safety perceptions (for those using a seat belt), beliefs about the seriousness of a crash or the effectiveness of the seat belt were all lower than on the highway. Perceptions of safety, discomfort, and social influence predicted seat belt use on urban roads. Concern about being fined for not using a seat belt did not predict seat belt use. The results of this research suggest that in order to increase seat belt use on urban roads, the issue of discomfort must be addressed. In addition, prevention campaigns should include information about the effectiveness of the seat belt in preventing/reducing injuries or deaths on urban roads. The results also highlight the importance of social influence for determining seat belt use/non-use and the potential role social influence could play in increasing seat belt usage.