The dark triad traits and relationship satisfaction: Dyadic response surface analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The current study investigated actor and partner effects and the effects of (dis)similarity in the dark triad traits on self-reported relationship satisfaction of both members of romantic couples. We examined these effects on actual similarity, similarity of perception, and men's and women's perceived similarity. METHODS: On the sample of 205 heterosexual romantic couples, we administered questionnaires for measuring self-reported and partner-reported psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism, as well as self-reported relationship satisfaction. For analyzing data, we used dyadic response surface analysis. RESULTS: The results corroborated our hypotheses that the dark triad traits exerted mainly negative actor and partner effects on both partners' relationship satisfaction. The effects of (dis)similarity were obtained for psychopathy and narcissism. Dissimilarity in psychopathy was related to lower men's relationship satisfaction. Dissimilarity in narcissism was related to lower, whereas similarity in this trait to higher relationship satisfaction of both partners. Generally, our findings were similar across methods and sources of assessment. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the DT traits of both members of a romantic couple matter for judgments of their relationship satisfaction and that along with actor and partner effects, the effects of (dis)similarity in psychopathy and narcissism also contribute to their relationship satisfaction.

Predicting Mate Poaching Experiences from Personality Traits Using a Dyadic Analysis.

Mate poaching is "behavior intended to attract someone who is already in a romantic relationship." We investigated actor and partner effects of the five-factor personality traits and the dark triad traits on several mate poaching experiences. We used actor-partner interdependence modeling with data secured from both members of 187 heterosexual married, cohabiting and dating couples from Croatia. In a round-robin design, each participant rated their own and their partner's personality traits, and their own poaching experiences. The results showed that men's lower agreeableness had the most consistent relationship with poaching experiences in both men (actor effects) and women (partner effects). The role of other personality traits from the five-factor model was limited to specific aspects of poaching. Regarding the dark triad traits, men's psychopathy and Machiavellianism were the most consistently related to poaching experiences in both men and women, whereas narcissism did not demonstrate a consistent actor or partner effect on poaching. The results showed that men's poaching is associated with their own personality traits, whereas women's poaching with their own and their partner's personality traits. We interpret the results in the context of life history theory and mate switching hypothesis.

The effects of the Dark Triad personality traits on health protective behaviours: dyadic approach on self-reports and partner-reports.

OBJECTIVE: The growing evidence show that romantic partners' personality traits mutually influence each other's health. The research on relationship between personality and health behaviours should include both partner's perspectives - relations between individuals' traits and their own outcomes (actor effects), and relations between individuals' traits and their partners' outcomes (partner effects). The objective of this study was to examine the actor and partner effects of the Dark Triad (DT) personality traits (psychopathy, Machiavellianism and narcissism) on the health protective behaviours (HPB) in romantic couples. DESIGN: A convenience sample of 188 heterosexual romantic couples participated in a cross-sectional round-robin study. Three predictor measures were Self-Report Psychopathy Scale-III, Narcissistic Personality Inventory and MACH-IV inventory, whereas HPB inventory was used as criterion variable. RESULTS: Data were analysed using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM). The results suggest that men's psychopathy, and to a lesser extent men's Machiavellianism exert deleterious effects on their own and their partner's HPB. The majority of these effects replicated across both self-reports and partner-reports. Women's DT traits exerted weaker actor and partner effects on the HPB than men's DT traits. CONCLUSIONS: Findings show that men's psychopathy and Machiavellianism have detrimental effects on their own as well as their partner's HPB.

Dark Triad Traits and Mate Retention Behaviors in Romantic Couples: The Actor-Partner Interdependence Model.

By using actor-partner interdependence modeling (APIM), we examined the effects of the Dark Triad traits, psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism on two mate retention (MR) domains, cost-inflicting (C-I B) and benefit-provisioning behaviors (B-P B) as well as overall mate retention (OMR) on the sample of 100 heterosexual romantic couples. These effects were examined first without and then with the control of the overlap between the traits. The results show that actor effects of the Dark Triad traits on MR were stronger in men, and regarding partner effects, the Dark Triad traits in men exerted more frequent MR in women than women's Dark Triad traits in men. In line with our prediction, psychopathy had the strongest actor and partner effects on MR behaviors, both in men and women. Considering MR domains, we found actor effects on C-I B only in men, whereas actor effects on B-P B in both men and women. The Dark Triad traits, especially in men, exerted stronger partner effects on C-I B than on B-P B domain. Almost all actor and partner effects of psychopathy and narcissism remained significant after the control for the overlap between the traits, whereas all actor effects of Machiavellianism became nonsignificant. In both sets of analyses, without and with the control for the overlap between these traits, the most frequent plausible dyadic patterns were actor-only and couple pattern.

Personality, organizational stress, and attitudes toward work as prospective predictors of professional burnout in hospital nurses.

AIM: To examine to what extent personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness), organizational stress, and attitudes toward work and interactions between personality and either organizational stress or attitudes toward work prospectively predict 3 components of burnout. METHODS: The study was carried out on 118 hospital nurses. Data were analyzed by a set of hierarchical regression analyses, in which personality traits, measures of organizational stress, and attitudes toward work, as well as interactions between personality and either organizational stress or attitudes toward work were included as predictors, while 3 indices of burnout were measured 4 years later as criteria variables. RESULTS: Personality traits proved to be significant but weak prospective predictors of burnout and as a group predicted only reduced professional efficacy (R(2)=0.10), with agreeableness being a single negative predictor. Organizational stress was positive, affective-normative commitment negative predictor, while continuance commitment was not related to any dimension of burnout. We found interactions between neuroticism as well as conscientiousness and organizational stress, measured as role conflict and work overload, on reduced professional efficacy (ßNRCWO=-0.30; ßcRCWO=-0.26). We also found interactions between neuroticism and affective normative commitment (ß=0.24) and between openness and continuance commitment on reduced professional efficacy (ß=-0.23), as well as interactions between conscientiousness and continuance commitment on exhaustion. CONCLUSION: Although contextual variables were strong prospective predictors and personality traits weak predictors of burnout, the results suggested the importance of the interaction between personality and contextual variables in predicting burnout.

Emergence of CTX-M group 1 extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae strains in the community.

AIM: Molecular characterization of ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae strains isolated from urine of outpatients in Zagreb region during the last five years. METHODS: During the five-year study period a total of 2, 651 K. pneumoniae strains were isolated from urine of nonhospitalized patients with significant bacteriuria. ESBL production was detected by double-disk diffusion technique and by > or = 3-dilution reduction in the minimal inhibitory concentration of ceftazidime in the presence of clavulanate. A total of 441 ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae strains (15.5%) were collected and 17 strains were further characterised. Double-disk synergy test was used to detect ESBLs. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined by broth microdilution method according to CLSI. The transferability of cefotaxime resistance was tested by conjugation (broth mating method). PCR was used to detect alleles encoding ESBL enzymes. The genotypes of the strains were compared by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of Xba I-digested genomic DNA. RESULTS: A significant difference in frequencies of ESBL isolates was observed. In the first year of study only 4.9% of isolated strains were ESBL producers, while in the second year 17.% ESBL-positive strains were detected (p < 0.01), and the frequency remained stabile within following years. All strains yielded an amplicon with primers specific for SHV beta-lactamases and CTX-M beta-lactamases. Based on sequencing of bla(CTX-M) genes enzymes of nine strains were identified as CTX-M 15 beta -lactamase and three as CTX-M-14. Isolates were not clonally related. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated community-associated emergence of CTX-M 1 beta-lactamase-producing K. pneumoniae strains.

[Characteristics of uropathogens in outpatient catheter-associated urinary tract infections]. / Karakteristike uzrocnika urinarnih infekcija povezanih s kateterima u izvanbolnickoj populaciji.

During the two years period the prevalence of uropathogens responsible for catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) in outpatients was investigated including their differences in antimicrobial susceptibility according to the age and gender. Indwelling urinary catheter (IUC) constitutes 0.3% of all processed urine samples. Significant bacteriuria was found in 92.5% of IUC, and polimicrobial ethiology in 63.2%. The most CAUTI (79.3%) was found in elderly male patients (> 65 years). The most frequently isolated uropathogens were Esherichia coli and other Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and enterococci. The very high resistance of all Enterobacteriaceae to beta-lactams, fluoroquinolones, and co-trimoxazole was observed with significantly much higher fluoroquinolone (p < 0.01) and co-trimoxazole (p < 0.05) resistance in elderly male patients as compared with younger ones.

Five-factor personality dimensions and 3 health-related personality constructs as predictors of health.

AIM: To examine how 5-factor personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness) and 3 higher-order health-related personality constructs (negative experience, optimistic control, and passivity) are related to self-reports of subjective health outcomes (positive and negative mood, physical symptoms, and general health concern) and objective health conditions (chronic illnesses, serious illnesses, and physical injuries). METHODS: The study was carried out on a sample of 822 healthy volunteers (438 women and 384 men, from 18 to 84 years). Data were analyzed by hierarchical regression analyses for measures of subjective health outcomes used as criterion variables and binary logistic regression analyses for objective health conditions used as criterion variables. RESULTS: Three health-related personality constructs significantly predicted all subjective health measures above and beyond 5-factor personality dimensions. Out of the 5-factor personality dimensions, neuroticism was most consistently related to worse subjective health outcomes, while out of 3 health-related personality constructs, negative experience was related to worse and optimistic control to better subjective health outcomes. When objective health conditions were taken into account as criterion variables, both sets of variables were relatively weak predictors. Only 5-factor personality traits as a group of variables significantly predicted chronic illnesses (chi(2)(5)=15.06; P=0.012; Nagelkerke R(2)=0.032). Only neuroticism significantly predicted the presence of chronic illnesses (odds ratio [OR], 1.091; 95.0% confidence interval [CI], 1.040-1.144), whereas only optimistic control was related to more frequent physical injuries caused by accidents (OR, 1.285; 95.0% CI, 1.002-1.648). CONCLUSION: Five-factor personality traits and 3 health-related personality constructs may be useful factors in a multidisciplinary approach to understanding personality-health relationship.

Genital human papillomavirus infection in women from the Zagreb region.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted infection, especially among young, sexually active individuals. As persistent infection with oncogenic types may lead to cervical cancer, HPV testing is a useful tool to screen for women at risk for subsequent development of cervical cancer. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of high-risk HPV (hrHPV) infection in different age groups of cytologically selected women from the Zagreb region, and to evaluate the frequency and results of repeat hrHPV testing. During a one-year study period (November 2005 to November 2006), a total of 3,440 cervical samples from women attending gynecological services of public and private health care systems were received. They were tested for 13 hrHPV genotypes by the polymerase chain reaction based AMPLICOR HPV test (Roche Molecular Systems). The overall prevalence of hrHPV was 34.6%. Most samples were obtained from women aged 21-30 years (44.2%), followed by the 31-40 (27.6%), 41-50 (15.7%), 51-60 (5.3%) and 261 (2.4%) age groups. Out of 3,227 cervical samples obtained from women of known age, 4.9% were obtained from the group of girls younger than 21, in which the highest prevalence of hrHPV (49.4%) was found. A similar prevalence was observed in women aged 21-30 (45.1%). The prevalence gradually decreased with age. During the study period, repeat hrHPV testing was performed in samples from 66 women at different intervals. Out of 28 women that were hrHPV negative on initial testing, only five women turned positive on repeat testing. Out of 38 women that were positive on initial testing, in one-third hrHPV could not be detected on repeat testing. As expected, hrHPV infection was highly prevalent in female adolescents and young women. Further investigation on repeat hrHPV testing is needed to assess virus clearance and rate of newly acquired infection.