Background: Individuals with psychotic disorders (PD) often experience cognitive challenges, particularly in executive functioning (EF), crucial for daily functioning. Sleep disruptions, notably...Show moreBackground: Individuals with psychotic disorders (PD) often experience cognitive challenges, particularly in executive functioning (EF), crucial for daily functioning. Sleep disruptions, notably insomnia, are prevalent in PD, worsening symptoms and affecting overall well-being and treatment outcomes. Moreover, individuals with PD frequently engage in cannabis use, which can further impact EF. Gender differences may also play a role in how cannabis affects EF, though findings are varied. This study aims to deepen our understanding of the interplay between insomnia, EF, and cannabis use in PD individuals, while considering gender influences. We hypothesize that higher insomnia rates correlate with poorer EF in PD, with cannabis mediating this relationship. Additionally, we expect gender disparities to influence how cannabis affects EF. This study sheds light on critical factors affecting cognitive function in PD, aiding in tailored intervention strategies. Method: Data were collected from a randomly selected sample of patients (N=262) undergoing treatment at a mental health care clinic in the South-western part of the Netherlands at time of inclusion. Participants, aged between 18 and 65 at inclusion, had a primary diagnosis of a psychotic disorder. The current study utilized data from the Lichamelijke Klachten Vragenlijst (LKV), the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function for Adults (BRIEF-A), and the Measurements in Addictions for Triage and Evaluation (MATE). Results: Significant correlations indicated a moderate positive association between insomnia and EF problems. However, mediation analysis did not support cannabis use as a mediator between insomnia and EF. Gender differences were explored through residual variances analysis, suggesting potential unaccounted factors impacting variability. Model fit indices revealed areas for improvement in explaining variance, warranting further examination and potential adjustments to refine the overall model fit. Conclusion: Higher rates of insomnia were related to higher rates of EF problems. There is no evidence for a mediating effect of cannabis use in this relationship. Gender differences did not seem to play a significant role in the effect of cannabis on EF. Future research should incorporate performance-based tasks alongside self-report measures to improve measurement precision. Future treatments could potentially benefit from incorporating interventions that address insomnia, as this may lead to potential enhancements in executive functioning.Show less
Background: Childhood emotional maltreatment by a primary caregiver is a key predictor for PTSD symptoms, yet limited research explores connections with specific symptoms, especially in children....Show moreBackground: Childhood emotional maltreatment by a primary caregiver is a key predictor for PTSD symptoms, yet limited research explores connections with specific symptoms, especially in children. Literature reports gender differences on emotional maltreatment and the experience of PTSD, so it is worth investigating the existence of differences when looking at separate symptoms. Objective: This study aims to investigate the correlation between childhood emotional maltreatment and PTSD symptomatology and identify gender differences in children and adolescents. Method: A sample of 237 children (mean age 15.5) with PTSD symptoms from a Dutch mental health institution (2012-2015) underwent assessment using anonymous questionnaires. Network analysis examined partial correlations between emotional abuse, neglect, intrusions, avoidance, arousal, and negative mood. Results: The network analysis showed a high correlation between emotional abuse and most PTSD symptoms. However, emotional neglect only exhibited a strong association with emotional abuse. Gender differences in how emotional maltreatment and PTSD symptoms interacted were found. Girls reported higher PTSD symptoms and emotional maltreatment than boys. Conclusions: This study highlights the important role of childhood emotional maltreatment in the development of PTSD, among children and adolescents. These results emphasize the need for the customization of PTSD treatment based on the type of maltreatment and gender.Show less
Background. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is one of the most common forms of Acquired Brain Injury (ABI), and has a high incidence rate across the world. Following TBI, many patients experience...Show moreBackground. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is one of the most common forms of Acquired Brain Injury (ABI), and has a high incidence rate across the world. Following TBI, many patients experience cognitive complaints, as well as physical complaints about their health. Their general wellbeing can also be an issue. Fortunately, for most patients these complaints typically improve over time. This study investigates patients’ memory, concentration, energy, as well as general wellbeing, over time. Methods. Patients received questionnaires about their health and wellbeing every three months following hospital release, with the main goal to track their health and wellbeing after TBI. That data was used for this research. Energy, concentration, and memory were all measured by one question in the questionnaire. General wellbeing was measured by taking the average ratings of all questions on the questionnaire. Analyses were done with three and six questionnaires over time, using repeated measures ANOVAs. Descriptive statistics were used from the first questionnaire. Results. This study found that while patients rated all these measures on average positively, they still did not feel the same as before the injury, and most experienced hindrances in daily life. When looking at the ANOVAs with three questionnaires, there was a significant improvement on concentration, energy, as well as general wellbeing over time. For all of these, most improvement took place between the first and the second questionnaires. Memory did not change significantly over time. None of the ANOVAs with six questionnaires had any significant changes over time. Conclusion. This study shows that patients may suffer from long-lasting effects of TBI. It questions whether more should be done for these patients following hospital release, to alleviate symptoms. This study has limitations concerning selection bias and drop out.Show less
This thesis is about the burden-sharing question concerning climate change. And whether the Structural Injustice approach can offer a more nuanced perspective. Thereby, arguing for a fourth...Show moreThis thesis is about the burden-sharing question concerning climate change. And whether the Structural Injustice approach can offer a more nuanced perspective. Thereby, arguing for a fourth principle the Imperfect responsibility to Pay Principle (IRPP).Show less
Adolescence is characterized by a prominent increase in peer orientation and high sensitivity to peer evaluations. To date, explanations for individual differences in peer evaluation sensitivity...Show moreAdolescence is characterized by a prominent increase in peer orientation and high sensitivity to peer evaluations. To date, explanations for individual differences in peer evaluation sensitivity have not been thoroughly investigated. The present study examined whether a catastrophizing emotion regulation tendency and overprotective parenting could explain why some adolescents are more sensitive to negative peer evaluation than others. Sixty-four adolescents (mean age = 14.66; 49 females) took part in a Social Evaluative Learning through Feedback (SELF-) Profile task. Participants had to predict the valence of peer feedback in a 240-trial paradigm with four fictitious peers that differed in their probability of giving positive feedback. We hypothesized that through the mediating effect of catastrophizing, parental overprotection could predict the ratio of negative predictions of peer evaluations. We also expected that adolescents scoring higher on these self-reported concepts would have a higher ratio of negative predictions for the most negative vs. the most positive peer. Similarly, it was hypothesized that adolescents with higher catastrophizing and overprotection scores would expect more negative feedback in the SELF-Profile task beforehand and also estimate them to have been high afterward. Our results showed that total parental and paternal overprotection, but not maternal, predicted catastrophizing in adolescents. However, we did not find evidence for the hypothesized mediation models or associations between the self-reported concepts and the SELF-Profile pre- and post-ratings. Together, these findings suggest that parental overprotection and catastrophizing are related concepts but they are not sufficient in explaining negative biases in social reinforcement learning in adolescence.Show less
In 2021 is de wet voor burgerschapsonderwijs op basisscholen aangescherpt, met het doel de burgerschapscompetenties van leerlingen te verbeteren. Een factor die van invloed is op de prestaties van...Show moreIn 2021 is de wet voor burgerschapsonderwijs op basisscholen aangescherpt, met het doel de burgerschapscompetenties van leerlingen te verbeteren. Een factor die van invloed is op de prestaties van leerlingen is de self-efficacy van de leerkracht. De mate van self-efficacy van een leerkracht hangt samen met het sociaal welbevinden van leerkrachten. In dit onderzoek werd het verband tussen sociaal welbevinden in werkrelaties en de mate van self-efficacy van leerkrachten in burgerschapsonderwijs bestudeerd. Dit werd gedaan door middel van vragenlijstonderzoek onder 59 leerkrachten. Leerkrachten rapporteerden in hoeverre zij zich in staat voelden verschillende burgerschapsonderwerpen te onderwijzen en in hoeverre zij sociaal welbevinden in werkrelaties ervaarden. Uit de analyses van het verband kwamen geen significante resultaten. Daarom kon niet geconcludeerd worden dat er een verband bestaat tussen sociaal welbevinden in werkrelaties en de mate van self-efficacy die leerkrachten ervaren bij burgerschapsonderwijs. Voor de praktijk betekent deze conclusie dat wellicht andere factoren, zoals kennis of motivatie, bekeken moeten worden om de self-efficacy van leerkrachten op het gebied van burgerschapsonderwijs en de burgerschapscompetenties van leerlingen te stimuleren. Meer onderzoek naar factoren die de kwaliteit van burgerschapsonderwijs kunnen bevorderen is nodig.Show less
In dit onderzoek is voor PI de Brug, een cluster vier school uit Leiden, gekeken naar met welke elementen van effectief begrijpend lezen er rekening gehouden moet worden bij het kiezen van een...Show moreIn dit onderzoek is voor PI de Brug, een cluster vier school uit Leiden, gekeken naar met welke elementen van effectief begrijpend lezen er rekening gehouden moet worden bij het kiezen van een nieuwe methode voor hun doelgroep. Als eerst zijn er uit drie reviews van wetenschappelijk onderzoek naar begrijpend leesonderwijs zes elementen gehaald die van belang zijn bij het vormgeven van effectief begrijpend lezen binnen het basisonderwijs. Deze elementen zijn: woordenschat en achtergrondkennis, leesstrategieën, leesmotivatie, technisch lezen, rijke taalomgeving en interactie. Het doel van het onderzoek was om na te gaan hoe deze elementen vormgegeven konden voor PI de Brug. Na het opstellen van de elementen is er onder de werknemers van de school een vragenlijst uitgezet over hoe het begrijpend leesonderwijs binnen de school ervaren wordt. Op basis van de resultaten uit de vragenlijst en wat er bekend is in de literatuur zijn er specifieke adviezen opgezet voor de school. Uit de resultaten bleken woordenschat en achtergrondkennis, leesmotivatie en een rijke taalomgeving als meest belangrijk te worden gezien binnen de school. Technisch lezen en interactie kwamen als laagste uit de resultaten. Deze resultaten en de literatuur hebben geleid tot aanbevelingen voor het begrijpend leesonderwijs op PI de Brug. Aanbevelingen waren bijvoorbeeld om een methode met veel aandacht voor interactie te vermijden, en leesmotivatie en een rijke taalomgeving te stimuleren door veel verschillende tekstsoorten en -structuren aan te bieden.Show less
Advance care planning (ACP) is a process in which the patient expresses their wishes regarding future medical care in the presence of their family and health care provider. ACP is generally...Show moreAdvance care planning (ACP) is a process in which the patient expresses their wishes regarding future medical care in the presence of their family and health care provider. ACP is generally accepted in Western countries and has a positive effect on end-of-life care for people with dementia. However, culture affects expectations and preferences regarding end-of-life care and decision making. This study compared the acceptability of and preference for two types of ACP interventions for patients with dementia in health care providers from the Netherlands, the US and Japan. One intervention focused on concrete treatment orders in which the patient makes specific decisions. The other focused on what the patient finds important in life, resulting in global goals of care. A total of 125 participants were assessed by means of a structured interview and a questionnaire. Participants found both types of ACP acceptable, in general and per country. A multinomial logistic regression analysis indicated no significant difference in acceptability of the concrete or the global ACP approach between countries when adjusted for age and gender. However, age was a significant predictor of acceptability of the concrete ACP approach (2 (2, 123) = 6.32, p = .042), with older participants being less likely to find it acceptable compared to not finding it acceptable (W(8) = 5.50, p = 0.019). Participants preferred the global ACP approach for patients with dementia. A multinomial logistic regression analysis indicated no significant differences in preference between countries when adjusted for age and gender in general. However, Dutch participants were less likely to prefer the global ACP approach (W(8) = 5.18, p = .023). The relationship between country and preference was not influenced by whether participants most strongly considered what the patient with dementia wants for themselves, what the patient’s family wants or what they as the health care provider want for their patient when making medical decisions. ACP is generally regarded as an acceptable form of care for patients with dementia by health care providers across countries. Future research could more specifically determine which cultural or demographic aspects affect health care providers’ views on different ACP approaches.Show less
The Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the Pacific Ocean holds significant reserves of polymetallic nodules, making it a potential exploitation area for deep sea mining. However, the exploitation of...Show moreThe Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the Pacific Ocean holds significant reserves of polymetallic nodules, making it a potential exploitation area for deep sea mining. However, the exploitation of this shared natural resource poses challenges in terms of sustainability and resource management. This thesis examines the governing framework of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) for the management of deep sea mining in the CCZ. The study draws upon the design principles for governing the commons proposed by Elinor Ostrom to analyze the policies and draft regulations of the ISA. By examining to what extent the policies and regulations of the ISA are aligned with Ostrom's principles, this research aims to evaluate the current governance framework for the management of the CCZ and its resources.Show less
In dit onderzoek werd er gekeken naar de relatie tussen academische eisen, academische hulpbronnen en spanningsklachten die Nederlandstalige universitaire studenten ervaren. Er werd onderzocht of...Show moreIn dit onderzoek werd er gekeken naar de relatie tussen academische eisen, academische hulpbronnen en spanningsklachten die Nederlandstalige universitaire studenten ervaren. Er werd onderzocht of academische hulpbronnen als buffer kunnen dienen binnen de relatie tussen academische eisen en spanningsklachten. Het onderzoek is gebaseerd op het Study demands-resources model, wat het Jobs demands-resources model toepast in academische context. Bij dit onderzoek werd er gekeken naar verschillende academische eisen: rolconflict, het tempo en de hoeveelheid werk en de mentale belasting. Voor academische hulpbronnen werd er gekeken naar autonomie, rolduidelijkheid en de relatie met de begeleiding. Het onderzoek is uitgevoerd door middel van een online vragenlijst onder universiteit studenten. Het was een cross-sectioneel onderzoek met 171 respondenten. Uit de resultaten is gebleken dat tempo en hoeveelheid werk zorgt voor meer spanningsklachten. Autonomie daarentegen vermindert spanningsklachten. Rolduidelijkheid heeft een buffer-effect op de relatie tussen tempo en hoeveelheid werk en spanningsklachten onder universitaire studenten. Verder is er gevonden dat een hoge score op relatie met de begeleiding een buffer-effect kan hebben op de relatie tussen mentale belasting en spanningsklachten. De uitkomsten van dit onderzoek bieden de mogelijkheid om in te spelen op academische eisen en academische hulpbronnen om vervolgens de spanningsklachten onder studenten te verminderen. Verder kan dit onderzoek een basis zijn voor uitgebreider onderzoek naar spanningsklachten onder studenten en de oorzaken van de spanningsklachten.Show less
