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Automated vehicles (AVs) have garnered increasing attention since they have the potential to dramatically reshape our lives in the near future. At the same time, people are concerned about various risks associated with the new technologies. Thus, people’s attitudes toward AVs pose a major challenge to the wider adoption of them. Previous studies examined the effect of benefit/risk perception on people’s acceptance of AVs, but they did not address the multidimensionality of benefit/risk perception. We conducted a survey (n = 840) to reveal the underlying dimensions of how people construe the benefits and risks of conditionally/fully automated vehicles. Our results showed that there were two dimensions underlying benefit perception (i.e., the perception that AVs would increase convenience and reduce harm) and three dimensions underlying risk perception (i.e., the perception of risk to physical safety and comfort, cybersecurity, and ease of use). The perception that AVs would reduce harm positively impacted people’s intention to use both fully automated vehicles and conditionally automated vehicles. The perception that AVs would increase convenience and the perception that AVs would pose a risk to ease of use had a positive and negative effect, respectively, on intention to use fully automated vehicles. This study makes theoretical contributions by questioning the assumption that benefit/risk perception is a one-dimensional factor that impacts people’s acceptance of AVs. This study also has practical implications as it suggests an effective method for automobile manufacturers and policymakers to communicate with the public regarding the new technologies and diffuse them safely.

Quality of Life Core Questionnaire of the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC QLQ-C30) is one of the most used quality of life questionnaires in cancer studies. It provides scores for five functional scales, nine symptom scales, and two single items which assess overall health status and quality of life. However, high correlations among QLQ-C30 items suggest a reduced dimensionality for the scale. To assess the dimensionality of the EORTC QLQ-C30 using item response theory (IRT) in a training sample and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in a test sample. We analyzed responses to QLQ-C30 from 1,107 patients with advanced lung cancer who were included in five clinical trials of immunotherapy. We used non-parametric and parametric IRT models (Mokken, and Samejima's graded response) in a random training set (n = 332) for initial assessment of dimensions and item characteristics of the QLQ-C30. Finally, we used CFA in the test set (n = 775) to confirm the measurement domains. Mokken model showed that QLQ-C30 fits a unidimensional scale, whereas Samejima model showed that most QLQ-C30 items present adequate difficulty and discrimination. All items showed adequate scalability indexes with an overall scalability of 0.47 (medium scale). The QLQ-C30-reduced dimensionality was confirmed by CFA (comparative fit index = 0.98, root mean square error of approximation = 0.055) with all items presenting factorial loadings > 0.40. The EORTC QLQ-C30 fits a unidimensional latent construct identified with perceived quality of life in advanced lung cancer patients. RPCEC00000161, RPCEC00000181 and RPCEC00000205

The recent changes in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) call for a re-examination of PTSD's latent factor structure. The present study assessed six competing models of PTSD based on DSM-5 symptomatology using confirmatory factor analysis in a sample of young adult Filipino survivors of typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest typhoons in the world ever recorded at the time of its landfall (N = 632). Furthermore, the differential relationships of the factors of the best-fitting model with posttraumatic cognitions were also investigated. Results showed the 7-factor hybrid model of PTSD comprised of intrusion, avoidance, negative affect, anhedonia, externalizing behaviors, anxious arousal, and dysphoric arousal, to be the best fitting model. In addition, the varying degrees of relationship with posttraumatic cognitions support the distinctiveness of each factor. These findings are pertinent in light of the changes in DSM-5 PTSD symptomatology, as well as in understanding the underlying dimensions of PTSD among Asian, particularly Filipino, survivors of a natural disaster.

We report results from two studies on the underlying dimensions of morphological awareness and vocabulary knowledge in elementary-aged children. In Study 1, 99 fourth-grade students were given multiple measures of morphological awareness and vocabulary. A single factor accounted for individual differences in all morphology and vocabulary assessments. Study 2 extended these results by giving 90 eighth-grade students expanded measures of vocabulary and morphology that assessed (a) definitional knowledge, (b) usage, (c) relational knowledge, and (d) knowledge of morphological variants, with each potential aspect of knowledge assessed using an identical set of 23 words to control for differential knowledge of specific vocabulary items. Results indicated that a single-factor model that encompassed morphological and vocabulary knowledge provided the best fit to the data. Finally, explanatory item response modeling was used to investigate sources of variance in the vocabulary and morphological awareness tasks we administered. Implications for assessment and instruction are discussed.

This research responds to the need for an increased understanding of brand orientation and its impact on financial performance. Since brand orientation is often perceived as a somewhat elusive concept we here present a theoretical framework for the purpose of identifying the underlying dimensions of brand orientation from a holistic perspective. Based on this framework we have performed a study on Sweden's 500 largest companies, aimed at analysing how brand oriented these companies are and how that degree of brand orientation influences their financial performance. In our analysis we have identified eight dimensions that can be seen as the anatomy of brand orientation. The analysis also provides empirical evidence of a significant positive relationship between brand orientation and profitability, showing that the most brand-oriented companies in this study have almost double the profitability of the least brand-oriented companies.

This study examined the relationship between the underlying latent factors of major depression symptoms and DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). A nonclinical sample of 266 participants with a trauma history participated in the study. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to evaluate the fit of the DSM-5 PTSD model and dysphoria model, as well as a depression model comprised of somatic and nonsomatic factors. The DSM-5 PTSD model demonstrated somewhat better fit over the dysphoria model. Wald tests indicated that PTSD’s negative alterations in cognitions and mood factor was more strongly related to depression’s nonsomatic factor than its somatic factor. This study furthers a nascent line of research examining the relationship between PTSD and depression factors in order to better understand the nature of the high comorbidity rates between the two disorders. Moreover, this study provides an initial analysis of the new DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for PTSD.

The perceptual space of odors is highly multidimensional, and consequently it is difficult to reach a consensus about how to develop two-dimensional (2D) sensory odor maps. The problem is simplified if we focus on a subset of smells (e.g., odors of wine, beer, cheese, etc.), and many sensory maps have been proposed for such perceptual subspaces. Perfumes cover a wide spectrum of odor qualities, but they are obviously biased towards pleasant non-food scents. Various sensory maps have been proposed in the literature for those odor descriptors most frequently applied in perfumery, but no standard exists yet. The multivariate statistical analysis of odor profile databases provides valuable information to better understand the underlying dimensions of olfactory perception space. The analysis of two odor databases, compiled in the context of perfumery, is presented. The first one contains numeric odor profiles of 309 compounds based on 30 descriptors. The loading plot corresponding to the first and second principal components can be regarded as a sensory map of odor descriptors. Similar results were obtained in the analysis of another database, which comprises 66 descriptors and contains the semantic descriptions of 119 perfume materials. Results were compared with a 2D fragrance mapping reported in the literature, with Jellinek’s Odor Effects Diagram as well as with Edwards’ Fragrance Wheel, which classifies commercial perfumes into 14 categories. A striking consistency was observed in all cases [1], which indicates that it is possible to develop standard 2D sensory maps of perfumery odor descriptors if a consensus is first reached regarding which odorants best represent particular odor qualities. One underlying dimension discriminates scents as feminine versus masculine. The other one differentiates cool/refreshing vs. warm odors, which might reflect a perceptual construct related with temperature. It is well known by perfumers that scents perceived as ‘cooling’ and ‘refreshing’ (e.g. citrus and green notes) tend to evaporate quickly. Conversely, those described as ‘warm’ (e.g., oriental, powdery, erogenic and animalic scents) are tenacious. Tenacity or substantivity is the parameter that measures the lasting property of a material when applied on the skin. In a recent study, perceptual olfactory ratings on a ‘fresh’ scale (i.e., cool vs. warm) were compared with substantivity parameters from the literature, and a tight correlation (r = −0.85) was obtained [2]. Assuming that odor perception space was shaped throughout evolution in temperate climates, results reported here are consistent with the hypothesis that ‘cool/fresh’ evokes scents typically encountered in the cool season, while ‘warm’ would be evoked by odors found in nature during summer. This hypothesis might reflect the role of olfaction in chronobiological rhythms and may provide a new insight to better understand the perceptual space of perfumery scents.

The importance and underlying dimensions of twenty-five market entry barriers in consumer markets were examined through a survey of marketing executives from 151 U.S. firms. The results indicate that there are three major underlying dimensions of entry barriers.

The Freshman Interest Group (FIG) program aims to create a supportive environment by providing increased opportunities for interaction with both faculty and peers, helping to ease the transition from high school to college life. This study sought to verify the expected supportive functions underlying the FIG program and to determine the effects of the program on college adjustment. The results indicated that the structure of the FIG program created a more supportive environment for participants compared with freshmen in the traditional academic structure. This was especially true in looking at classmates as the source of support. No differences were found between the two groups on college adjustment.

Background Although there is global recognition of the importance of involving men in family planning and reproductive health matters, this issue has received insufficient attention in many countries. The present study sought to characterize married Indonesian males as to their level of involvement in family planning, identify the correlates thereof and assess the implications of male involvement for unmet need for family planning. Methods A mixed methods research design was used. The main source of quantitative data was 2017 Indonesian Demographic Health Survey (IDHS) data from 8,380 married couples. The underlying “dimensions” of male involvement were identified via factor analysis. The correlates of male involvement were assessed via comparisons across the four dimensions of male involvement identified in the factor analysis. Outcomes were assessed by comparing women’s and couple’s unmet need for family planning for the four underlying dimensions of male involvement. Qualitative data were collected via focus group discussions with four groups of key informants. Results Indonesian male involvement as family planning clients remains limited, with only 8% of men using a contraceptive method at the time of the 2017 IDHS. However, factor analyses revealed three other independent “dimensions” of male involvement, two of which (along with male contraceptive use) were associated with significantly lower odds of female unmet need for family planning. Male involvement as clients and passive male approval of family planning, which in Indonesia empowers females take action to avoid unwanted pregnancies, were associated with 23% and 35% reductions in female unmet need, respectively. The analyses suggest that age, education, geographic residence, knowledge of contraceptive methods, and media exposure distinguish men with higher levels of involvement. Socially mandated gender roles concerning family planning and perceived limited programmatic attention to males highlight the quantitative findings. Conclusions Indonesian males are involved in family planning in several ways, although women continue to bear most of the responsibility for realizing couple reproductive aspirations. Gender transformative programming that addresses broader gender issues and targets priority sub-groups of men as well as health service providers, community and religious leaders would seem to be the way forward.

The primary objective of this research is to develop an integrative framework for distinguishing and classifying well-being variables. Towards this end, rigorous data-descriptive methods are used to examine the centrality of well-being variables and to explore the underlying dimensions along which these variables differ. The study uses 14 well-being variables as postulated in the tripartite model of mental well-being, including variables from 3 clusters of hedonic, psychological and social well-being. Samples from Korea, Canada, Iran and the USA are used. Centrality is conceptualized and examined under a latent variable framework. Multidimensional scaling is used to examine the underlying dimensions in the structure of well-being variables. Results show that self-acceptance, environmental mastery and purpose in life are the most central variables, whereas the most peripheral variables are autonomy, social actualization and social coherence. Multidimensional scaling uncovered 2 dimensions underlying the well-being variables: “hedonic versus eudaimonic” and “personal versus social”, facilitating a dimensional understanding of well-being. The results contribute to building a consensus in the field of well-being to advance knowledge while avoiding reductionism. The findings have implications for creating, refining and broadening well-being theories, clarifying some of the conceptual and empirical confusions in the field, selecting well-being variables for different research purposes, developing new well-being scales and constructing well-being interventions.

Objective Despite the increasing scholarly interest in the phenomenon technostress, associated biological effects on employee health are under-researched. Chronic low-grade inflammation is suggested as a central pathway linking stress experience to disease development. The aim of this study was to assess associations of technology-related work stressors (technostressors) with low-grade inflammation and burnout symptoms. Methods N = 173 (74.6% women, Mage = 31.0 years) university hospital employees participated in a cross-sectional study. Self-report questionnaires were used for the assessment of general psychosocial working conditions (work overload, job control, social climate), a range of different technostressors, burnout symptoms, and relevant confounders. Participants provided capillary blood samples, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) as an inflammatory biomarker was analyzed from dried blood spots. Results Based on a factor analysis, we identified four underlying dimensions of technostressors: techno- and information overload, techno-complexity, interruptions and multitasking as well as usability and technical support. In multivariate linear regressions, techno-/information overload and techno-complexity were associated with core (exhaustion, mental distance) and secondary (psychosomatic complaints) symptoms of burnout. Techno-/information overload was a significant predictor of burnout core symptoms, even when general work overload was controlled for. The technostressors were not associated with hs-CRP. Conclusion This is the first study on technology-related stress at work and chronic low-grade inflammation. The results suggest that (information) overload caused by digital technology use is a distinct work stressor with genuine consequences for psychological health. To what extent these effects also manifest on a physiological level needs to be subjected to future studies, ideally with prospective designs.

In research on national identity, scholars have developed a wide variety of approaches to measure and better understand this ubiquitous yet complex concept. To date, most of these approaches have been theory-driven, while only a very few have been data-driven. In this article, we aim to contribute to the latter by introducing a new data-driven method that has not been applied yet—that of non-linear principal component analysis (NLPCA). In contrast to other commonly used methods such as factor analysis, NLPCA distinguishes itself by making relatively few assumptions about the data and by allowing for greater flexibility when discovering underlying dimensions of such a complex concept as national identity. Drawing on the 2013 ISSP National Identity module, our analysis focuses on the case of Germany, also taking into account Western and Eastern Germany. Running an NLPCA, we find four dimensions that cover the multidimensionality of national identity: nationalistic attitudes, national pride and attachment, cosmopolitan beliefs, and membership criteria defining national belonging. This article contributes to the empirical debate on measuring national identity by suggesting a new and flexible methodological approach that better grasps the concept’s complexity and which we believe can move empirical research on national identity forward in and beyond Germany.

This study was designed to investigate Lebanese respondent’s attitudes toward an imposed Palestinian settlement in the country. Specifically, the study focuses on two research questions: (a) What is the extent of support for an imposed settlement and its underlying dimensions? That is, the belief that such a policy would damage Lebanese society, that it would lead to a renewal of the civil war and that it would lead to intergroup conflict; and (b) What are the predictors of these attitudes? The results based on a sample of 1,073 respondents indicated a discrepancy between attitudes toward resettlement and its underlying dimensions. Furthermore, the concept of “tolerance for Palestinians” and sectarian affiliation were found to be significant predictors of all the resettlement variables. The implications of these findings for Lebanon are discussed.

Social capital is considered important for resilience across social levels, including communities, yet insights are scattered across disciplines. This meta-synthesis of 187 studies examines conceptual and empirical understandings of how social capital relates to resilience, identifying implications for community resilience and climate change practice. Different conceptualisations are highlighted, yet also limited focus on underlying dimensions of social capital and proactive types of resilience for engaging with the complex climate change challenge. Empirical insights show that structural and socio-cultural aspects of social capital, multiple other factors and formal actors are all important for shaping the role of social capital for guiding resilience outcomes. Thus, finding ways to work with these different elements is important. Greater attention on how and why outcomes emerge, interactions between factors, approaches of formal actors and different socio-cultural dimensions will advance understandings about how to nurture social capital for resilience in the context of climate change.

Background: Job satisfaction in health care has a great impact as it affects quality, productivity, effectiveness, and healthcare costs. In fact, it is an indicator of the well-being and quality of life of the organization’s employees, as it has been variously linked with increased performance and negatively to absenteeism and turnover. Better knowledge of healthcare employees’ job satisfaction and performance can directly contribute to the quality of the services provided to patients and is critical for the success of organizations. Methods: The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, split-half reliability, exploratory factor and confirmatory factor analysis were employed to assess the reliability and validity of JSS. Results: Six underlying dimensions were extracted (benefits and salary, management’s attitude, supervision, communication, nature of work, and colleagues’ support). Internal consistency reliability was satisfactory since Cronbach’s alpha for the overall scale was 0.81 and for the various dimensions ranged from 0.61 to 0.81, respectively. Exploratory factor analysis showed a KMO value of 0.912. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated good fit: SRMR = 0.050, RMSEA = 0.055, IFI = 0.906 and CFI = 0.906. Conclusion: Job satisfaction is a multidimensional construct that encompasses different facets of satisfaction. There is a lack of consensus as to which factors are more important and a researcher may find satisfaction with some factors while at the same time dissatisfaction with others. Our findings are significant for improving our understanding of the nature and assessment of job satisfaction in the Greek healthcare context, providing a more stable ground in a rapidly changing environment. A short JSS developed that could be much more widely used in the future.

Psychopathology is a risk factor for accelerated biological aging and early mortality. We examined associations between broad underlying dimensions of psychopathology (reflecting internalizing and externalizing psychiatric symptoms), PTSD, and age-adjusted GrimAge (“GrimAge residuals”), a DNA methylation biomarker of mortality risk relative to age. We also examined neurobiological correlates of GrimAge residuals, including neurocognitive functioning, blood-based biomarkers (of inflammation, neuropathology, metabolic disease), and cortical thickness. Data from two independent trauma-exposed military cohorts (n = 647 [62.9% male, Mage = 52], n = 434 [90% male, Mage = 32]) were evaluated using linear regression models to test associations between GrimAge residuals, psychopathology, and health correlates. Externalizing psychopathology significantly predicted GrimAge residuals in both cohorts (ps p = 0.001) but not the older cohort. GrimAge residuals were associated with several neurobiological variables available in the younger cohort, including cognitive disinhibition (padj = 0.021), poorer memory recall (padj = 0.023), cardiometabolic pathology (padj padj = 0.003), astrocyte damage (padj = 0.021), inflammation (C-reactive protein: padj padj padj padj padj padj = 0.018) and left fusiform gyrus (padj = 0.030), which are related to emotion regulation and facial recognition, respectively. Psychopathology may be a common risk factor for elevated mortality risk. GrimAge could help identify those at risk for adverse health outcomes and allow for early disease identification and treatment.

[EN] Introduction: Smells can be described by assigning the words that come to mind when sniffing an odorous material. A great number of terms can be applied, but not all of them are independent, and it is possible to establish groups of words often applied together when describing a smell. Such classification of olfactory descriptors is of scientific interest in order to better understand the dimensionality and structure of human olfactory perception space. For this purpose, compilations of olfactory profiles contain valuable information that may lead to certain consensus in odor classification. Methods: One of the most comprehensive odor databases is the Dravnieks¿ Atlas, which contains quantitative olfactory profiles for 160 samples. For each one, a large panel rated the applicability of 146 odor character descriptors on a numeric scale. Results: By applying principal component analysis to this Atlas, 105 descriptors were reorganized in 24 classes, and 33 attributes were considered as odors intermediate of two or three categories. The similarities between classes were studied by means of a further multivariate analysis based on latent variables, which provides valuable information about the most salient dimensions of odor space. Conclusions: Consistent with other reported statistical analyses of olfactory databases, the perceptual space of odor character is multidimensional with about 20¿30 dimensions, and it is better described as a continuum spectrum rather than as a segmented space. Implications: Attempts to classify all possible odor descriptors in a restricted number of classes appear to be inappropriate. Instead, 24 categories of related terms are proposed here, regarding the rest as intermediate smells, assuming that olfactory classes are not independent and follow certain hierarchy according to particular underlying dimensions., Partial financial support was received from the Spanish Ministry or Education and Science under grant no. FU2004-1119.

Background The purpose of this study was to evaluate the self-reported stability of psychopathic traits in adolescents in residential care (both child welfare and juvenile justice placed juveniles) and potential influencing factors. Methods We applied the Youth Psychopathic traits Inventory (YPI) in a sample of 162 adolescents (M = 15.0 years, SD = 1.3) over a mean time interval of 11 months (min. 6, max. 21 months, SD = 3.14). Results There was no significant difference in YPI total score nor in the three underlying dimensions Grandiose-Manipulative (GM), Callous-Unemotional (CU), and Impulsive-Irresponsible (II) between t1 and t2. Furthermore, approximately 70% of the adolescents showed no clinically significant reliable change on the YPI total score (as measured with the reliable change index), 15% improved, 15% deteriorated. The strongest predictor for psychopathic traits at t2 were psychopathic traits at t1. Additional predictors for higher levels of general psychopathic traits was male sex, for CU-traits male sex and lower levels of internalizing mental health problems, and for II-traits higher levels of externalizing mental health problems. Generally, the three reliable change groups (increase, no change, decrease) did not seemed to differ on relevant factors. Conclusions Our results add to the findings that psychopathic traits are relatively stable in this at-risk group over approximately a 1-year time interval. Research with a longer follow-up time and more time points is warranted to better interpret these results.

Personality has been shown to predict postpartum depressive symptoms (PDS) assessed by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). However, existing studies have not considered the underlying symptom dimensions in the EPDS. We analyzed data from 15,012 women who participated in the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study. Personality was assessed in middle pregnancy using the short-form Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised. PDS were defined as EPDS score ≥ 9 at 1 month after delivery. The EPDS items were further divided into three dimensions: depressed mood, anxiety, and anhedonia. Multiple analyses were conducted to examine the associations of each personality scale with PDS and three dimensions in the EPDS, adjusting for age, parity, mode of delivery, education, income, and social isolation. The prevalence of PDS assessed by the EPDS at 1 month after delivery was 13.1%. Higher neuroticism scores were associated with PDS (odds ratio [OR], 2.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.48 to 2.79) and all three dimensions (all p p p p = 0.20) or anhedonia (p = 0.92). In conclusion, higher neuroticism and lower extraversion were associated with PDS and the three underlying dimensions in the EPDS, while lower psychoticism was associated with anxiety, but not with depressed mood or anhedonia.

This study identifies and describes the values espoused by the 62 companies that have consistently (2014–2018) appeared on the “Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For” (FBCWF) list. We identify 24 separate values and offer an analysis of the keywords and phrases used to promote them. We confirm that these values fall within the categories of four well-accepted theoretical frameworks of corporate values and culture. We then provide evidence for three underlying dimensions transcending all four models. They are values that guide relationships and self-regulation; values that describe desired outcomes and performance; and values that inform learning and change. Next, we present the results of a qualitative study describing how these companies put their values into practice. Finally, using publicly available information from the Great Place to Work® Institute, we show how the espoused values we identified relate to: (1) what employees report about their experiences and (2) company self-descriptions. Our findings highlight connections between leadership and values and they offer guidance to those seeking to understand keys to values-based cultures.

Voting advice applications (VAAs) are online tools providing voting advice to their users. This voting advice is based on the match between the answers of the user and the answers of several political parties to a common questionnaire on political attitudes. To visualize this match, VAAs use a wide array of visualisations, most popular of which are the two-dimensional political maps. These maps show the position of both the political parties and the user in the political landscape, allowing the user to understand both their own position and their relation to the political parties. To construct these maps, VAAs require scales that represent the main underlying dimensions of the political space. This makes the correct construction of these scales important if the VAA aims to provide accurate and helpful voting advice. This paper presents three criteria that assess if a VAA achieves this aim. To illustrate their usefulness, these three criteria—unidimensionality, reliability and quality—are used to assess the scales in the cross-national EUVox VAA, a VAA designed for the European Parliament elections of 2014. Using techniques from Mokken scaling analysis and categorical principal component analysis to capture the metrics, I find that most scales show low unidimensionality and reliability. Moreover, even while designers can—and sometimes do—use certain techniques to improve their scales, these improvements are rarely enough to overcome all of the problems regarding unidimensionality, reliability and quality. This leaves certain problems for the designers of VAAs and designers of similar type online surveys.

This study aimed to validate a Simplified Chinese version of the 14-item Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS-14) for use with Chinese population and clarify its reliability and validity. A sample of 835 Chinese medical residents were asked to complete the CPSS-14, Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), and Zung Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). The results showed that the two-factor model for CPSS-14 was a better fit than the one-factor model. The composite reliability of the two factors were higher than .80 and all standardized factor loadings were statistically significant, ranging from .514 to .806. Significant correlations were also found between the CPSS-14, SDS and SAS. The CPSS-14 is best conceptualized as being driven by two underlying dimensions of perceived stress and possessed satisfactory internal consistency, acceptable construct validity and good concurrent validity.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of Transgression-Related Interpersonal Motivations Inventory-18 among an Iranian sample. The instrument has been used and studied mainly on adult samples in different cultures. The current study seeks to expand the application of this questionnaire to include Iranian adolescents. A total of 412 students within from 13-to-18-year-old age range participated in this study. Transgression-Related Interpersonal Motivations, Anger Rumination Scale, Trait Forgiveness Scale, and Batson Empathy Adjectives were the data collection instruments used in this study. CFA and EFA were conducted for testing the factorial structure and its psychometric properties and reliability were examined. EFA revealed three factors and confirmatory factor analysis supported the model. The TRIM showed good internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alphas for the subscales ranged from .78 to .84 and .90 for the total. The convergent and divergent validity of the scale was indicated by significant relationships between its underlying dimensions with empathy, anger rumination, and trait forgiveness. The findings of this study showed that TRIM-18 is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring forgiveness in adolescents, and Iranian researchers and clinicians can use this instrument for therapeutic and research purposes.

Human voice pitch is highly sexually dimorphic and eminently quantifiable, making it an ideal phenotype for studying the influence of sexual selection. In both traditional and industrial populations, lower pitch in men predicts mating success, reproductive success, and social status and shapes social perceptions, especially those related to physical formidability. Due to practical and ethical constraints however, scant evidence tests the central question of whether male voice pitch and other acoustic measures indicate actual fighting ability in humans. To address this, we examined pitch, pitch variability, and formant position of 475 mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters from an elite fighting league, with each fighter’s acoustic measures assessed from multiple voice recordings extracted from audio or video interviews available online (YouTube, Google Video, podcasts), totaling 1312 voice recording samples. In four regression models each predicting a separate measure of fighting ability (win percentages, number of fights, Elo ratings, and retirement status), no acoustic measure significantly predicted fighting ability above and beyond covariates. However, after fight statistics, fight history, height, weight, and age were used to extract underlying dimensions of fighting ability via factor analysis, pitch and formant position negatively predicted “Fighting Experience” and “Size” factor scores in a multivariate regression model, explaining 3–8% of the variance. Our findings suggest that lower male pitch and formants may be valid cues of some components of fighting ability in men.

Despite the notable prevalence and comorbidity of tobacco cigarette dependence and chronic pain, relatively little is known about potential mechanisms of action. Research has emphasized the utility of identifying core underlying dimensions that reflect shared etiological processes, and it has been posited that anxiety-relevant transdiagnostic factors may be particularly important to understanding pain-smoking comorbidity. This review examined the empirical literature linking pain-related fear (fear of pain and activities that elicit pain), pain-related anxiety (anxious responses to pain), and anxiety sensitivity (degree to which the experience of anxiety is expected to have deleterious consequences) to both chronic pain and tobacco cigarette smoking. We then integrated this literature to inform a conceptual model explicating the function of anxiety-relevant transdiagnostic factors in pain-tobacco smoking comorbidity. Finally, we drew upon this conceptual model to highlight novel clinical implications and inform future research.

This paper addresses an underrated aspect of historic preservation policy: the role played by social factors in conflicts over proposals to develop heritage properties. After reviewing existing literature, we develop a theoretical framework and apply it to heritage-related decisions made by planning inspectors in the English planning system. Specifically, the research focuses on planning appeals pertaining to development in conservation areas. We focus on conflicts in Greater London Area and analyse the content of 105 sampled case studies. The findings show that social considerations are present, to some extent, in almost half of the decisions, and that inspectors are often cognizant of the positive and negative social aspects of heritage protection policies. Although heritage policy in England has been acknowledged for its physical and architectural emphasis, in fact, the analysis reveals that, during planning processes, decision-makers also focus attention on the social implications of historic protection. The recognition of the social implications suggests that there are multidimensional perspectives in heritage policy. Indeed, in a large share of conflicts, the inspectors viewed historic preservation in a critical manner, emphasizing the social benefits attributed to demolitions and alterations rather than to preservation. In those cases, planning inspectors stressed better and more affordable housing as public interests which justify why heritage could not be strictly protected. By studying the trajectories of heritage disputes, the paper points out the underlying dimensions of conflicts and concludes that if policymakers are to devise socially inclusive heritage policies, they must first acknowledge their deep and often complex social implications.

This study examined relations among interpersonal, affective, and impulsive-irresponsible psychopathic traits, emotional capacities, and recidivism rates in 144 detained adolescents. Emotional skill was conceptualized using a range of constructs, including face and voice processing, emotional intelligence, and self-reported cognitive and affective empathy. In addition, the relation between these concepts and recidivism three years after the initial assessment was examined. Results indicated that interpersonal traits were positively associated with better facial identification of fearful faces, whereas affective traits were associated with worse facial identification of sad and happy faces as well as angry voices. Impulsive-irresponsible traits were associated with reduced emotional intelligence. Differential predictive utility of the three psychopathic traits dimensions was also evidenced. Findings highlight the need to consider the broad concept of psychopathy, but also its underlying dimensions.

Psychological research on the relationship between spirituality/religion and mental health has grown considerably over the past several decades and now constitutes a sizable body of scholarship. Among dimensions of S/R, positive beliefs about God have been significantly related to better mental health outcomes, and conversely negative beliefs about God are generally associated with more distress. However, prior research on this topic has relied heavily upon self-report Likert-type scales, which are vulnerable to self-report biases and measure only explicit cognitive processes. In this study, we developed and validated an implicit social cognition task, the Positive/Negative God Go/No-go Association Task (PNG-GNAT), for use in psychological research on spirituality and religion (S/R). Preliminary evidence in a large sample (N = 381) suggests that the PNG-GNAT demonstrates internal consistency, test-retest and split-half reliability, and concurrent evidence of validity. Further, our results suggest that PNG-GNAT scores represent different underlying dimensions of S/R than explicit self-report measures, and incrementally predict mental health above and beyond self-report assessment. The PNG-GNAT appears to be an effective tool for measuring implicit positive/negative beliefs about God.

Executive functions (EF) are known to be a multidimensional construct in adults; however, the underlying dimensions of EF in early childhood are unclear. Theoretical models of EF have generally suggested the importance of language, attention, and inhibition abilities as developmental foundations for EF abilities. This study investigated the construct validity of EF by administering a diverse battery of measures of EF along with cognitive measures representing different theoretical models of EF (language, attention, and inhibition) to 70 preschool children. The EF battery included measures of working memory (verbal and nonverbal), set shifting, and problem solving. A maximum likelihood factor analysis with oblimin rotation resulted in a three factor model; however, only two factors (language and inhibition) were related to EF measures. Results from the current study suggest language and behavioral inhibition are two foundational latent abilities for the development of EF abilities in early childhood. Attention, although important in many EF theories, may also be important for cognitive development but appears to be less important for EF abilities in preschool children. Results from this study suggest executive functions in early childhood consist of multiple distinct but inter-related components that are associated with underlying cognitive foundations.

Previous research has highlighted the critical role of parents’ perceptions of their family member with intellectual disability (ID) in family well-being and adjustment. The Kansas Inventory of Parental Perceptions (KIPP; Behr et al. 1992) was specifically designed to assess parents’ perceptions of their children with disability. The KIPP is composed of four scales: Positive Contributions, Social Comparisons, Causal Attributions and Perceived Control. The goal of this study was to adapt a shortened form of the KIPP to the Spanish population. The study participants comprised 861 families with a family member with ID. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted to identify the underlying dimensions of the four scales of the KIPP. The results showed the internal consistency of the subscale scores to be good, and the correlations with Family Quality of Life measures provided evidence of the concurrent criterion validity of the KIPP scores. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

The purpose of this paper is to present and develop a firmer grasp of the underlying dimensions of organizational capacity in nonprofit human service organizations. The paper draws on the resource-based view of the organization (Barney et al. in Journal of Management 37:1299, 2011; Wernerfelt in Strategic Management Journal 5:171, 1984), which recognizes that organizational attributes and capabilities facilitate performance. Interviews were conducted with 66 executives in moderate sized, human service organizations to discuss factors that influence performance. Findings suggest that human, financial, and social capital all contribute to organizational performance. Executives emphasized the quality of people associated with the organization including the role of the board of directors in supporting performance. Many respondents also believed that maintaining healthy and dynamic external relationships was critical to success.

The current studies were designed to explore the structure of sources of meaning in life among Chinese university students. In Study 1, we content-analyzed 171 students’ answers to the question of what made their lives meaningful and derived 74 frequently mentioned ideas. Then, we composed a questionnaire based on these ideas and administered it to another sample of 523 university students in Study 2. Seven underlying dimensions were identified through exploratory factor analysis: Self-development (i.e., to accomplish one’s aspirations and actualize one’s potential), social commitment (i.e., to contribute to society and to adhere to moral principles), interpersonal relationships (i.e., relationships with family members, friends and others), secular pursuits (i.e., stable jobs, material possessions and social status), experiences in life (i.e., to experience all the joys and sorrows in life), civilization (i.e., reading, thinking, music and arts), and autonomy (i.e., to make decisions freely and take charge of one’s own life). Results are discussed in light of the philosophical influences in Chinese culture, especially those from Confucianism and Taoism.

This article explores the underlying dimensions of consumer well-being from 2013 adults representing the major cities in two emerging countries, China and India; and three developed countries, Japan Korea, and Singapore. The analyses reveal that well-being dimension importance varies across respondents. For example, Market Mavens valued acquisition, image, and consumption dimensions while Social Shoppers value the personal interactions associated with consumer well-being. These groups exist in all five countries, suggesting that macro measures of consumer well-being may mask meaningful differences. Our results suggest that consumer well-being measures need to be modified to account for individual differences.

‘Reputation’ is increasingly recognized for its influence in creating stakeholder support and engagement with companies. Both researchers and practitioners would therefore benefit from having a rigorous instrument to measure reputations and the ability to develop predictive modeling of reputation’s impact on stakeholder outcomes. The RepTrak® System evolved from studies conducted by Reputation Institute since 2000 to provide a systematic tool for tracking and analyzing stakeholder perceptions that could help companies better manage their reputation and its effects on stakeholder behaviors. Prior research has demonstrated the validity of the RepTrak® Pulse as a short form measure of ‘corporate reputation’. This study reports empirical tests developed to validate the seven dimensions that the RepTrak® System uses to predict corporate reputation and stakeholder support. Although these seven dimensions have been verified internally by Reputation Institute, this methodology and its validation have not been reported publicly, limiting researchers’ and practitioners’ abilities to use the seven dimensions in their respective efforts. To shed light on the model’s structure, this paper reports tests conducted to validate the measures empirically across five stakeholder groups in six countries. Multivariate analyses confirm the existence and stability of the seven underlying dimensions in the factor structure, each of which is constructed from a set of 3–4 underlying attributes. The modeling therefore validates the RepTrak® scorecard as a tool for measuring and tracking multi-stakeholder perceptions of companies.

Background Due to its potential impact on women’s psychological health, assessing perceptions of their childbirth experience is important. The aim of this study was to develop a multidimensional self-reporting questionnaire to evaluate the childbirth experience. Methods Factors influencing the childbirth experience were identified from a literature review and the results of a previous qualitative study. A total of 25 items were combined from existing instruments or were created de novo. A draft version was pilot tested for face validity with 30 women and submitted for evaluation of its construct validity to 477 primiparous women at one-month post-partum. The recruitment took place in two obstetric clinics from Swiss and French university hospitals. To evaluate the content validity, we compared item responses to general childbirth experience assessments on a numeric, 0 to 10 rating scale. We dichotomized two group assessment scores: “0 to 7” and “8 to 10”. We performed an exploratory factor analysis to identify underlying dimensions. Results In total, 291 women completed the questionnaire (response rate = 61%). The responses to 22 items were statistically significant between the 0 to 7 and 8 to 10 groups for the general childbirth experience assessments. An exploratory factor analysis yielded four sub-scales, which were labelled “relationship with staff” (4 items), “emotional status” (3 items), “first moments with the new born,” (3 items) and “feelings at one month postpartum” (3 items). All 4 scales had satisfactory internal consistency levels (alpha coefficients from 0.70 to 0.85). The full 25-item version can be used to analyse each item by itself, and the short 4-dimension version can be scored to summarize the general assessment of the childbirth experience. Conclusions The Questionnaire for Assessing the Childbirth Experience (QACE) could be useful as a screening instrument to identify women with negative childbirth experiences. It can be used as both a research instrument in its short version and a questionnaire for use in clinical practice in its full version. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12884-017-1462-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Research output and impact metrics derived from commercial citation databases such as Web of Science and Scopus have become the de facto indicators of scholarly performance across different disciplines and regions. However, it has been pointed out that the existing metrics are largely inadequate to reflect scholars' overall peer-mediated performance, especially in the social sciences and humanities (SSH) where publication channels are more diverse. In this paper alternative metrics exploring a variety of formal and informal communication channels were proposed, with the aim of better reflecting SSH scholarship. Data for a group of SSH scholars in Taiwan on these metrics were collected. Principal component analysis revealed four underlying dimensions represented by the 18 metrics. Multiple-regression analyses were then performed to examine how well each of these dimensions predicted the academic standing of the scholars, measured by the number of public grants awarded and prestigious research awards received. Differences in the significance of the predictors were found between the social sciences and humanities. The results suggest the need to consider disciplinary differences when evaluating scholarly performance.

Much of the applied research on quality of life uses information on life satisfaction (or happiness) as an aggregate indicator for well-being. In this paper, we engage in an application of the capabilities approach for the measurement and interpretation of individual well-being. Specifically, we measure self-reported or perceived capabilities by asking the (Flemish) respondents “How do you consider your possibilities/opportunities in life in general?”. We examine whether this kind of information is helpful for the challenge of aggregating underlying dimensions of well-being. We compare with the satisfaction with life approach and differentiate between two kinds of determinants: realisations on various life domains and personality traits. We find that perceived capabilities are more connected to realisations on life domains, while life satisfaction is more related to the personality traits. This result supports the position that information about (perceived) capabilities is a useful additional ingredient for the assessment of general or aggregated well-being.

The growing interest on Hofstede’s cultural values has dominated the area of management and organizational research. However, the extant literature with disappointing psychometric results have provoked a pressing need to re-examine its measurement model specification. To fill this gap, this study attempts to specify the epistemic nature of Hofstede’s cultural values and its underlying dimensions, and to assess a proposed second-order reflective–formative model for Hofstede’s cultural values at individual level in the school organizational context. The stratified sample consisted of 1,154 teachers selected from 30 Malaysian primary schools. The analysis was conducted using Partial Least Square analysis with SmartPLS 2.0 software program. Findings revealed the absence of multicollinearity with the convergent, nomological and discriminant validity were affirmed. This study has confirmed Hofstede’s cultural values as formative second-order hierarchical latent construct which are commonly operationalized by means of reflective dimensions would be better captured using a formative measure perspective by providing rigorous empirical evidence. Limitations and thoughts to stimulate future studies are discussed.

Terrorist attacks on educational institutions have taken many forms: armed assaults, bombings, hostage takings, chemical attacks, and arson. This paper focuses on armed assaults. The frequency of this type of attack on educational institutions has increased sharply since 2003, with the incident rate in 2007 being double that of the previous year. A comprehensive chronology of all armed assaults on educational institutions since 1980 (N = 146) was created with reference to the Global Terrorism Database, and other credible sources. Descriptive reports of each incident were subjected to content analysis according to a series of 16 variables. These variables describe various aspects of the incident including information about who the victim(s) were, where and when the attack took place, and who the offender(s) were. The data set was analysed using traditional inferential statistics illustrating that armed terrorist attacks on educational institutions have increased in lethality, but changed in terms of the main targets. The data were also analysed using Multidimensional Scalogram Analysis (MSA) to explore inter-relationships between behaviors and identify the underlying dimensions in terrorist attacks on educational institutions. The analysis demonstrates that attacks can be classified on an expressive-instrumental continuum and the implications are discussed.

How can we visualize similarity and difference across cultural conceptions of a good or worthy life? To examine the internal structure of such conceptions, we asked 584 university students from mainland China and Canada to indicate the relative importance of 30 elements or criteria commonly used in defining a good life. Statistical comparison and multidimensional scaling were used to reveal the form and extent of group commonalities and differences on the criteria and their meaning in relation to underlying dimensions of individual and cultural variation. The results suggested that South Asian Canadians were more oriented towards moral, spiritual, and beneficent concerns in envisioning a good life than were the mainland Chinese and Western European Canadians. The Chinese, for their part, tended to emphasize practical, prudential, and socially defined goods. This contrasted with the Western European Canadians, who showed more preference for personally defined, internal goods. East Asian Canadians fell between Chinese and Western European Canadians in overall orientation, reflecting their biculturality. All groups placed heavy emphasis on close and enduring relationships.

Iran is a seismic prone country and has been host to a long series of devastating earthquakes which have resulted in heavy casualties and damages. In order to assess social vulnerability (SV) to earthquake hazards, this paper presents the development of a hybrid factor analysis and analytic network process model for aggregating vulnerability indicators into a composite index of SV to earthquake hazards. The proposed model is then applied in Iran as a case study. The proposed model uses factor analysis (FA) to extract the underlying dimensions of SV. The identified dimensions of SV and their primary variables are then entered into a network model in Analytic Network Process (ANP). The ANP is used to calculate the relative importance of different SV variables, taking into consideration the results obtained from FA and the possible interdependence between variables of the individual dimensions of SV. These weights are then used to compute the factor scores for the individual dimensions of SV and also the composite social vulnerability index (SOVI). The application of the proposed model to a real world case study and its validation show that it is a robust approach for constructing a composite SOVI. Its application to counties in Iran indicates that there exist severe regional differences in terms of SV to earthquake hazards. The pronounced regional variations in SV warrant special attention by both local authorities and the national government to reconsider current natural disaster management strategies.

This study examined the interplay between the underlying dimensions of attachment and romantic jealousy within the framework of a mediational model. It was hypothesized that the dimensions of attachment would have both direct and indirect effects on romantic jealousy via dependency, self esteem, and feelings of inadequacy. Participants (N = 306) filled out a battery of questionnaires measuring attachment, jealousy, dependency, and inadequacy. The sample was composed of college students in Turkey. The proposed mediational model was tested via structural equation modeling. Findings revealed that both model of self and model of others have direct and indirect effects (via dependency and inadequacy) on jealousy.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the reliability, factorial validity and measurement invariance (across gender, age and physical activity participation) of a Portuguese version of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). The sample consisted of 1,763 Portuguese youngsters (731 male and 1,032 female) with ages between 15 and 20 years. Reliability estimate for the one-factor solution was .845, although some proposed RSES’s underlying dimensions were lower than .70. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the best-fitting model was a single self-esteem factor, plus simultaneous correlated uniqueness for positively and negatively worded items. Multigroup analysis supported measurement invariance across age and physical activity participation, and partial metric invariance across gender, as three items failed to show metric equivalence. These results provide evidence that RSES has excellent psychometric properties and it is a valid self-esteem measure to be used among Portuguese youngsters.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) including its subtypes (diarrhea, constipation, mixed states) has regularly been associated with anxiety and depressive symptom levels. Fond et al. [1] can now confirm this assumption via a systematic review and meta-analysis after screening published studies and accessible theses within five wellestablished databases. Despite partly questionable study quality, the review of altogether 885 patients and 1,384 healthy controls in ten studies yielded significant evidence for higher anxiety and depression levels in patients compared with controls with inconsistencies for the IBS subtypes, which require deeper attentiveness. In their welldesigned study, Yen et al. [2] addressed the difficulties in cognitive control and working memory in 63 Chinese women suffering from premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) versus 74 controls via exploring effects of gonadotropic hormone and polymorphism of serotonin 1A receptor (HTR1A; rs6295—please pay attention to the authors’ erratum [10] concerning false spellings in Tables 1, 2, and 4 plus Figure 1D–F) on cognitive deficit. Assessing working memory via the Go/Nogo, 2-back, and 3-back tasks for three menstrual cycles, the hypothesized cognitive decline in women with PMDD could be confirmed. The authors furthermore found an association of the G/G genotype of HTR1A (rs6295) with poor working memory in the premenstrual phase which points to a reduced serotonin neurotransmission in PMDD. The Go/ Nogo task was also used by Ko et al. [3] in their fMRI study of Internet gaming disorder (IGD) focusing on impulsivity and brain correlates of response inhibition and error processing in 26 affected subjects compared with 23 controls. The authors found not only the expected higher impulsivity in IGD patients but also higher brain activation on response inhibition, especially over the left frontal lobe and bilateral caudate nucleus, while the activation over the right insula was lower compared with controls. These findings support the assumption of the frontostriatal plus salience network contributing to error processing. Because the positive, negative, and general PANSS subscales do not exactly reflect the underlying dimensions, Woodward et al. [4] compared them to an own previously developed five-dimensional PANSS structure (positive symptoms, negative signs, disorganization, excitement, and emotional distress) in a sample of 610 patients with diagnosed schizophrenia, major depression, schizoaffective, or bipolar disorder admitted to a Canadian treatment refractory psychosis program in 11 years. The authors found confirmation of the hypothesized applicability of their PANSS structure which well fit the data at admission and discharge, showing positive symptoms to respond better to treatment than all other symptom dimensions albeit more pronounced in the schizoaffective and bipolar groups. The major depression group presented the best improvement in negative symptoms and emotional distress and the bipolar group, again, in disorganization. Other than schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia showed reduced treatment response on all symptom dimensions. Thus, the proposed PANSS five-dimensional structure can inform clinicians about expectable symptom profiles at admission and discharge of refractory psychosis patients. D. Reich-Erkelenz Institute of Psychiatric Phenomics and Genomics, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Nusbaumstr. 7, 80336 Munich, Germany

Mindfulness is negatively related to forms of repetitive thought (RT) such as worry. However, the nature of this relationship is unclear because discrete forms of RT are composed of several underlying dimensions, including valence and total amount, either or both of which might be responsible for the negative relationship between worry and mindfulness. Using the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and multidimensional scaling of a battery of RT measures, the present study found that mindfulness correlated with less total RT and more positively valenced RT (N = 199). Analysis of individual mindfulness facets supported a two-component model of mindfulness consisting of attention regulation and an accepting attitude toward one’s experiences. This attitudinal component of mindfulness was primarily responsible for its association with less total RT and less negative RT.

Partnering in construction industry has been prosperous in recent years. This new approach has been proved applicable to construction projects in Vietnam and other developing countries; however, many problems have emerged during partnering implementation process. This paper has identified some prominent problematic issues of partnering in Vietnam construction projects through a questionnaire survey conduct. Partners’ attitudes governed by commercial pressure and dealing with large bureaucratic organization(s) are the most concerned problems with foreign organizations and local practitioners respectively. Factor analysis has pointed out seven underlying dimensions of problems existing in partnering process. These are: unsuitability of partnering application; lack of commitment to partnering; unfamiliarity with the partnering concept; poor communication between partners; lack of key stakeholders’ involvement; external constraint issues; and failure to compromise. This study could help practitioners in the Vietnamese market to comprehend issues in executing a partnering construction project. The understanding of these issues will increase the chance to succeed in partnering on construction projects.

Children with autism spectrum disorders comprise a highly heterogeneous group within the DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association 1994) Pervasive Developmental Disorder section. Inadequate inclusion criteria and indefinite boundaries between different manifestations tend to hamper unambiguous diagnosis within the current DSM-IV taxonomy, resulting in a large group of children diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (Myhr, Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 43:589–595, 1998) or diagnoses that do not comprehensively cover the symptomatology of the individual child. Suggestions for DSM-V include a reconceptualization of the autism spectrum in terms of two distinct symptom dimensions characterized by communication deficits and repetitive behaviours respectively (Swedo 2009) that may provide a more comprehensive description of autism manifestations. The current study corroborates this suggestion and introduces a new perspective on the autism spectrum at a young age, exploring the contribution of specific developmental personality pathology facets in characterizing these underlying dimensions of autism symptoms.

To validate the Brazilian version of the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI-B) scale and to determine the optimal cutpoints for mild, moderate, and severe pain based on patients' rating of their worst pain.One hundred forty-three outpatients with cancer were recruited in Hospital das Clinicas-University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed two underlying dimensions, pain severity, and pain interference, with Cronbach's α of 0.91 and 0.87, respectively. Convergent validity was shown by the correlation observed between the BPI dimensions with the EORTC-QLQ-C30 pain scale and the McGill Pain Questionnaire. The BPI-B detected significant differences in the two dimensions by disease and performance status, supporting known-group validity. For the worst pain, the optimal cutpoints were 4 and 7 (1-4 = mild pain, 5-7 = moderate, and 8-10 = severe).Our data show that BPI-B is a brief, useful, and valid tool for assessing pain and its impact on patient's life.

The strategic transformation of Asian firms into global players has involved the adoption and adaptation of many organizational practices developed in the West. We build a process model of adaptation by observing how an organizational practice is adapted to a local setting different from its locus of origin, through inductive methods and case studies of Six Sigma implementation in Korean and US firms. Based on these cases, we propose a cascading, sequential pattern to the local adaptation of the conceptual, social and technical dimensions of organizational practices, reconciling conflicting views in the literature on whether or not to adapt. Our theoretical model highlights the importance of considering the different degrees of contextual influence on different underlying dimensions of a practice, and of configuring each dimension accordingly. Further, we suggest that the sequence and configuration of adaptation across different practice dimensions matter to the successful implementation of a practice across borders.