DELIBERATELY BIASING SURVEY QUESTIONS

In “before” and “after” surveys of Attitudes Towards Random Breath Testing in South Australia, three basic versions of the questionnaire were used. In the first, a set of “lead-up” questions, which were designed to deliberately bias the results towards acceptance of the tests, was included before the main questions; in the second, there were no lead-up questions; in the third, a different set of lead-up questions was used, and was aimed at deliberately biasing the results against the tests. The results in two out of the four attempts to influence the answers (compared with no lead-up questions) were significant in the expected direction, and in the other two cases were in the correct direction but not significant. The difference between the positive-and negative-biasing versions was highly significant in both cases. It is important to be aware that changes in context rather than in question wording per se can give rise to effects which dwarf the sampling error.     

Occupational stress, and teachers in Northern Ireland

This article reports the results of a study of occupational stress undertaken with a large sample of Northern Ireland teachers, including qualified staff up to headteacher level. This study formed part of a wider interprofessional study of teachers, nurses and social workers.

The design and methods are described and demographic characteristics of the teaching sample are provided, with their views about teaching. Stressors are identified in both professional and private lives. The effects of stress as manifested through the General Health Questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory are examined and the teachers' views on various stress coping strategies are discussed.     

The effect of urinary incontinence on sexual functioning in turkish women of reproductive and menopausal ages

Objectives: The primary objective was to investigate the effects of urinary incontinence (UI) on Turkish women's sexual functioning. Methods: We evaluated 396 women and divided them into 4 groups: reproductive-aged women without UI (Group A), reproductive-aged women with UI (Group B), menopausal-aged women without UI (Group C), and menopausal-aged women with UI (Group D). Results: The mean Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) score was significantly higher and the Beck's Depression Inventory scores were significantly lower in Group A. FSFI scores showed a strong negative correlation with age and parity and a strong positive correlation with years of education. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that UI is an independent risk factor for female sexual problems.     

非英语专业大学生口译能力调查与研究

调查显示,我国非英语专业大学生的口译能力普遍不高,但有强烈的提高口译及口语能力的愿望,主要原因在于在现行的大学英语教学模式下学生所获得的英语口头表达能力的训练太少。本文阐述了把口译运用于大学英语教学的实验和效果,试图探索提高大学生口译能力及英语应用能力的有效途径。     

Family involvement in child welfare services: The association between socio-economic status and self-reported parenting practices

In child welfare policies, as in contemporary society in general, great attention has been given to parenting roles and investing in ‘positive’ parenting practices. Several studies have suggested that socio-economic factors frame parenting practices. There is broad evidence of a significant correlation between socio-economic inequalities and child welfare intervention rates. Nevertheless, few studies have investigated parenting practices in a child welfare population. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between socio-economic status (SES) and parenting practices in a Norwegian child welfare population. The study was based on a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2018–2019. The sample consisted of 256 parents (71.5% females). Linear regression analysis, adjusting for potential confounding and intermediate factors, was conducted. Lower SES was associated with higher levels of positive parenting/involvement practices (b = 0.146, CI: 0.026–0.266, P = 0.018), indicating an inverse pattern compared with the general population. When adjusting for symptoms of anxiety and depression, the association was slightly attenuated but remained statistically significant. No significant association was found between SES and inconsistent discipline/other disciplinary practices. The present study offers insights that should be useful in practice and further large-scale studies.