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BACKGROUND: Schools are important arenas for the promotion of critical health literacy (CHL) among adolescents. Key domains of CHL are information appraisal, understanding social determinants of health, and abilities to act on determinants of health. In this paper, we examine the psychometric properties of the Critical Health Literacy for Adolescents Questionnaire (CHLA‐Q). METHODS: A cross‐sectional survey study was performed at 5 schools in Norway. Respondents included 522 pupils aged 13‐15 years old. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to examine the structural validity. Internal reliability was assessed using ordinal Cronbach's alpha. RESULTS: The estimated model had acceptable closeness of fit. Five of 6 scales displayed adequate internal reliability. CONCLUSION: The results indicate acceptable fit of the CHLA‐Q framework and that 5 of the 6 scales are applicable to inform future research and interventions. More research is needed on measurement of the second domain of CHL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Resilience is seen as a vital resource for coping and mental health in adolescents. However, there is no universally accepted theory or definition of resilience, leading to considerable challenges regarding how to operationalise and measure this construct. The study aimed at providing further knowledge of the psychometric properties (dimensionality, construct validity and internal consistency) of the 28‐item version of the Resilience Scale for Adolescents (READ) in N = 1183 Norwegian adolescents, 13–18 years old. Methods: Dimensionality of READ was tested using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Convergent validity and reliability were tested using Pearson's correlation analysis, Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability. Results: The CFA supported a modified, 20‐item, five‐factor structure with high reliability, supporting the dimensionality and internal consistency of the instrument. Convergent validity was confirmed where all factors correlated in expected directions with measures of sense of coherence, self‐esteem, stress and depression. Conclusion: The psychometric properties of the READ need to be further evaluated in adolescents; however, the results indicate that a modified 20‐item version of READ is adequate for assessing resilience in the present sample of Norwegian adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to explore occupational differences in the experience of engagement both with regard to differences in the level of work engagement as well as in the predicting value of different antecedent variables. Multigroup latent mean analysis was performed on eight different occupational groups in Norway (lawyers, physicians, nurses, teachers, church ministers, bus drivers, and people working in advertising and information technology; N = 3,475). Tests for factorial invariance supported the use of the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory scale across occupational groups and that the latent means were comparable across the groups. Results indicated significant occupational differences in the experience of vigor and dedication. The lawyers reported the most vigor and the church ministers the most dedication. Least vigor was reported among the teachers and the advertising group reported to be least dedicated. Cross-lagged multigroup structural equation modeling ( SEM) analysis suggested there are different processes behind the development of engagement across occupations. Visualization of how some occupations cluster or differ from each other is important as it might engender theory building and further hypotheses testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To examine characteristics of 15- to 16-year-old adolescents who used over-the-counter analgesics daily to weekly (high-frequency users) as compared to those who used less or no analgesics (low-frequency users). Further to analyse the differences in pain experience, lifestyle, self-esteem, school attendance and educational ambition. Methods An anonymous cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. The questionnaire covered the use of over-the-counter analgesics, pain experience, sociodemographics, lifestyle factors, self-esteem, school absence and future educational plans. The study took place in the 10th grade in six junior high schools in a medium-sized town in Norway. The local sales data for analgesics and antipyretics were close to the national average. We invited 626 adolescents to participate. Of the 367 adolescents (59%) who responded, 51% were girls. Associations between the frequency of use of over-the-counter analgesic and the mentioned variables were analysed using multiple logistic regression. Results In total, 26% (42 boys and 48 girls) used over-the-counter analgesics daily to weekly. These high-frequency users experienced more widespread pain, slept less, had more paid spare-time work, drank more caffeinated drinks, participated more often in binge drinking, had lower self-esteem, less ambitious educational plans and more frequent school absence than did the low-frequency users. These associations remained significant when controlling for gender, cultural background and self-evaluated economic status. Conclusion Adolescent, who are high-frequency users of over-the-counter analgesics, suffer more pain and have identifiable characteristics indicative of complex problems. Their ability to handle stress appears to be discordant with the kind of situations to which they are exposed. The wear and tear associated with allostatic mechanisms counteracting stress may heighten their pain experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Aim To explore variability in perceptions of nurse managers and physician directors regarding roles, responsibilities and clinical-decision making related to mechanical ventilator weaning in Norwegian intensive care units ( ICUs). Background Effective teamwork is crucial for providing optimal patient care in ICU. More knowledge on nurses' and physicians' perceptions of responsibility in clinical decision-making for mechanical ventilation is needed. Methods Self-administered survey of mechanical ventilation and weaning responsibilities was sent to nurse managers and physician directors of Norwegian adult ICUs. Nurses' decisional influence and autonomy were estimated on a numeric rating scale ( NRS) from 0 to 10 (least to most). Results Response rate was 38/60 (63%) nurses and 38/52 (73%) physicians. On the NRS nurse managers perceived the autonomy and influence of nurses' ventilator decisions higher than physician directors: median of 7 ( IQR 5-8) (nurses) versus 5 (3-6) (physicians), ( p < 0·01), and 8 (7-9) (nurses) versus 7 (5-8) (physicians), ( p < 0·01) respectively. Respondents agreed that nurses collaborated in assessment of patient response to ventilator changes and titrating ventilator settings: 92% of nurses and 87% of physicians, ( p = 0·46), and recognizing weaning failure 84% of nurses and 84% of physicians, ( p = 0·96). Physician directors perceived significantly less collaborative decision-making on weaning method ( p = 0·01), weaning readiness ( p = 0·04) and readiness to extubate ( p < 0·01) than nurse managers. Both groups acknowledged the importance of 'knowing the patient' for weaning success, and agreed that the assessment of work of breathing, well-being, and clinical deterioration were important for determining weaning tolerance. Conclusions Nurse managers perceived nurses to have greater autonomy, influence and collaborative interaction regarding decisions on mechanical ventilation than physician directors. Greater awareness and acknowledgment of nurses' role may promote interprofessional collaboration and improve patient care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moksnes, U. K. & Espnes, G. A. (2011). Evaluation of the Norwegian version of the Adolescent Stress Questionnaire (ASQ-N): Factorial validity across samples. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 52, 601-608. In spite of the potential significance of stressors, the past decades have yielded only limited and incremental progress in the field of the development of valid and reliable stress inventories for adolescents. The Adolescent Stress Questionnaire (ASQ-N) was developed to address the domain of stressors specific to adolescent experience. The present study reports an evaluation of factorial validity, as well as the construct validity of the Norwegian version of the Adolescent Stress Questionnaire (ASQ-N) across two samples, with the use of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Gender and age differences on the ASQ-N sub-dimensions are also evaluated. The CFA supported a seven-factor structure, where all sub-dimensions showed adequate internal consistency. The sub-dimensions were correlated positively with measures of depression and anxiety, and were correlated negatively with self-esteem, supporting the construct validity of the ASQ-N. Significant gender differences in self-reported adolescent stress were found in five of the seven scales, where girls had higher mean scores than boys. The correlation between each stress scale and age was weak, with significant correlations found in four of the seven scales. It is suggested that the ASQ-N is a measure of adolescent stress that is adequate for the research context, as well as for clinical investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]