The objective of this study was to predict adherence to measurement protocol based on symptoms of anxiety, depression and worrying in post-kidney transplant patients. Nowadays the aftercare of...Show moreThe objective of this study was to predict adherence to measurement protocol based on symptoms of anxiety, depression and worrying in post-kidney transplant patients. Nowadays the aftercare of kidney transplant patients consist of frequent hospital visits for testing. In this study 49 patients were given the opportunity to monitor their symptoms at home instead trough a finger prick to analyse creatine levels in their blood. They took these measurements up to a year after the transplant. Adherence to this protocol was objectively measured by collecting data from The StatSensor® Xpress-i™, the device used to measure creatinine in the blood. Adherence to the protocol was interpreted both as a percentage of adherence (continuous) and adherent or non-adherent (dichotomous). Patients were considered adherent if they performed at least 75% of the measurements prescribed by the protocol. Since non-adherence could lead to serious health risks, it is important to understand its potential risk factors. The level of anxiety and depression was measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and worrying was measured by the Transplant Effects Questionnaire. It was hypothesised that both anxiety and depression would have a negative effect on adherence to the measurement protocol. For worrying a non-linear relation was expected, which means that there would be an optimal level of worrying which leads to better adherence. The relation between these factors and adherence was measured through regression analyses and logistic regression analyses. The analyses showed no significant relation between anxiety, depression, worrying and adherence. Therefore this study showed that symptoms of anxiety, depression and worrying are not risk factors for objective adherence to measurement protocol in post-kidney transplant patients.Show less
The present study investigated the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model in higher education and several exploratory hypotheses using a sample of 65 students from Leiden University. The JD-R proposes ...Show moreThe present study investigated the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model in higher education and several exploratory hypotheses using a sample of 65 students from Leiden University. The JD-R proposes (a) academic demands (role conflict, pace & amount of work, and mental workload) influence exhaustion and declining performance, (b) academic resources (autonomy, role clarity, feedback, relationship with peers and supervisors) influence engagement and academic performance success and (c) academic resources buffer the effect of academic demands on exhaustion. Exploratory hypotheses included an investigation of students’ perceived inclusivity as an academic resource in higher education – predicted to influence engagement and moderate the effects of demands on exhaustion. It moreover explored differences in the student experience using the JD-R model - predicting minority students to experience a higher degree of academic demands than majority students, and minority students with high perceived inclusivity to have higher engagement than minority students with low perceived inclusivity. Data collection was accomplished via questionnaires distributed at two points in time. At time1 – participants responded to measures related to all variables under study, with the exception of academic performance. Academic performance was assessed via questionnaire at time2, at Time2. Multiple and moderated linear regression was used to examine the JD-R model hypotheses and perceived inclusivity in the JD-R model framework, and independent sample t-tests the differences in student experiences. Findings revealed partial support of the JD-R hypotheses. Pace and amount of work predicted exhaustion, but the other demands did not. Role clarity was similarly the only resource to predict engagement. No support was found for a buffering effect of academic resources on the demands-exhaustion relationship. Contrarily, role clarity increased the effect of role conflict on exhaustion. Performance hypotheses were not investigated due to insufficient sample size. As predicted, perceived inclusivity influenced academic engagement. However, perceived inclusivity did not buffer demands effect on exhaustion as expected. Student experience hypotheses revealed no differences in the degree of demands between minority and majority students but did demonstrate minority students with high perceptions of inclusivity to be more engaged than those with low perceptions of inclusivity. The findings highlight the importance of future research on predictors of student well-being and the differences in student experiences. They provide educators, researchers and policy makers some insight into relevant factors in the success of all students – both minority and majority.Show less
This thesis aims at transferring the Job Demands-Resources model (JD-R) to the university context, in order to examine processes of health, motivation and performance of higher education students....Show moreThis thesis aims at transferring the Job Demands-Resources model (JD-R) to the university context, in order to examine processes of health, motivation and performance of higher education students. Additionally, the role of mindfulness is looked at. Academic resources (autonomy, role clarity, feedback, relationship with supervisors and relationship with fellow students) and academic demands (role conflict, pace and amount of work and mental workload), student engagement, exhaustion and mindfulness were assessed, as well as performance with a time lag. The study follows a nonexperimental and cross-sectional design with a longitudinal element. Sixty-four students completed a first online questionnaire, 16 a second. Scales from the following questionnaires were utilized: Questionnaire on the Experience and Evaluation of Work (QEEW), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale – student version (UWES-SS), Burn-out Assessment Tool (BAT), Mindfulness Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS-Short). Performance was operationalised as the number of ECTS-points obtained. Correlations, linear and multiple regression analyses, F-tests (ANOVA) and t-tests for coefficients were conducted with a significance level of p<.05 and a confidence interval of 95%. Role clarity predicted engagement (ß = .347, p = .013, Adjusted R2 = .215), pace and amount of work exhaustion (ß = .364, p = .003, Adjusted R2 = .119) (H1). Both role clarity (ß = .489, p = .001, Adjusted R2 = .201) (H2) and mindfulness (ß = .333, p = .005, Adjusted R2 = .335) (H5) moderated the effect of pace and amount of work on exhaustion. More mindfulness was related to higher role clarity (ß = .25, p = .034, Adjusted R2 = .047), feedback (ß = .371, p = .002, Adjusted R2 = .124), and relationship with supervisors (ß = .318, p = .018, Adjusted R2 = .087) (H3). Mindfulness positively related to engagement (ß = .315, p = .011, Adjusted R2 = .085) and negatively to exhaustion (ß = -.283, p = .024, Adjusted R2 = .065) (H4). Due to low participation rates, only correlations with performance were calculated. Relationship with fellow students correlated with performance (r(15) = .567, p = .027) (H6). The present study shows that the JD-R model is applicable to the university context. Mindfulness has direct and indirect beneficial effects on motivation and well-being of students. In order to promote study engagement and reduce exhaustion, universities should enhance role clarity and mindfulness of students, while seeking to lower pace and amount of work.Show less
Objective This study aimed to clarify the relationship between symptoms of depression, anxiety and health behaviors, namely, physical activity, BMI, healthy diet and medication adherence, in...Show moreObjective This study aimed to clarify the relationship between symptoms of depression, anxiety and health behaviors, namely, physical activity, BMI, healthy diet and medication adherence, in patients with non-dialysis dependent chronic kidney disease (NDD-CKD). Methods Patients with NDD-CKD (N = 460, Mage = 59, SD = 13) filled in the Patient Health Questionnaire and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder questionnaire, the Short Questionnaire to Assess Health-enhancing physical activity, and BMI data. Perceived adherence to a healthy diet was measured by factoring two questions in principal component analysis and the Simplified Medication Adherence Questionnaire was used. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses and ordinal logistic regression analyses were conducted. Adjustments were made for age, gender and covariates that correlated with health behaviors. Results Patients with symptoms of depression were less likely to be physically active (β = -.11, p = .031), perceived adherence to a healthy diet was lower (β = -.16, p = .001), and more likely to be medication non-adherent (OR = 1.08, p = .003). The relationship between symptoms of depression and BMI only showed a trend towards significance (β = .09, p = .063). Patients with symptoms of anxiety only perceived to adhere less to a healthy diet (β = -.11, p = .019). Discussion The results implicate that patients with symptoms of depression engage less in health behaviors, while patients with symptoms of anxiety only adhere less to a healthy diet. These results are important to consider to ensure a tailored approach in motivating patients towards a healthy lifestyle can be implemented.Show less
Alopecia Areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease affecting the hair follicles resulting in irregular hair loss. The severity and unpredictability of the condition could lead to feelings of...Show moreAlopecia Areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease affecting the hair follicles resulting in irregular hair loss. The severity and unpredictability of the condition could lead to feelings of helplessness and lack of control, resulting in a decreasing quality of life. Until now no disease-specific psychological interventions exist for patients with AA. Therefore this study looked into potential contributing factors that could be implemented to improve the disease-specific quality of life of patients with AA. A questionnaire on demographic and disease-related factors was sent to Dutch Alopecia Association members. A total of 271 participants were placed in one of four subgroups based on their combination of high vs low objective and subjective AA severity; all subgroups contained ≥ 37 participants. Results showed that diseasespecific quality of life was highest in patients with a mild subjective AA condition, regardless the objective severity of the condition. Potential contributing factors related to a lower disease-specific quality of life for patients with AA were more stigmatization, fear of negative evaluation, and helplessness, and less acceptance; no major differences in contributing factors between the subgroups were found. This study signifies the importance of subjective over objective disease severity related to disease-specific quality of life in patients with AA. More research is needed on the causal relationship between disease-specific quality of life and these factors. Nevertheless, the results of this study suggest that subjective severity of AA, stigmatization, helplessness, fear of negative evaluation, and acceptance could be considered as potential contributing factors to disease-specific quality of life.Show less
