Albert Felling

The influence of stressors, appraisal and personal conditions on the burden of spousal caregivers of persons with dementia

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the main and mediating influences of stressors, a caregivers appraisal, coping, personal conditions and social resources on the burden of dementia caregivers. Method: The study sample consisted of 95 spousal caregivers of non-institutionalized persons with dementia. A path-analytic approach was used to test the conceptual model. Results: The most important factors that were related to burden were the social and behavioural problems of the person with dementia; perceiving the caregiver role as a threat; perceived instrumental support; and the caregivers functional health status and self-efficacy. The results showed no support for the mediating role of appraisal and coping on the relationship between the demands of the caregiving situation and burden. Conclusion: Although we found insufficient support for the empirical tenability of the hypothesised model, this study revealed some new findings of practical interest. The relationships found suggest that it might be possible to reduce the caregiving burden by improving the social functioning of the person with dementia, the caregivers perceptions and the caregivers capacity to function in daily life.

Social conditions, authoritarianism and ethnocentrism: A theoretical model of the early Frankfurt School updated and tested

To explain ethnocentrism in the Netherlands, a classic model derived from theoretical notions of prominent members of the Frankfurt School is updated and tested with data of a national sample of Dutch respondents (N = 1799). It appears that authoritarianism is a far more important predictor of ethnocentrism than predictors related to ones social condition, although the latter are not insignificant. In turn, authoritarianism is predicted by education, age, social class, church involvement and status-anxiety.

The effects of physiotherapy for female urinary incontinence: individual compared with group treatment

Objectives To compare, in a randomized trial, the effects of individual and group physiotherapy for urinary incontinence in women referred by their general practitioner (GP).

Religious Belief, Church Involvement, and Ethnocentrism in the Netherlands

Using data from a national Dutch survey, this research examined the influence of Christian belief on both ethnic prejudice and nationalism for the total sample of respondents, for the subset of nonmembers, and for three different groups of church members. The findings indicated that Christian belief had no effect on ethnic prejudice independent of localism and authoritarianism for the entire sample, for nonmembers, or for marginal and modal church members, but it did have a negative effect on ethnic prejudice for core church members. Furthermore, Christian belief had a significant positive effect on nationalism for the sample as a whole and for marginal and modal church members, but it had no independent effect on nationalism for nonmembers or for core church members. Possible explanations for these results are discussed.

PREDICTORS OF CHANGE AND CONTINUITY IN HOME CARE FOR DEMENTIA PATIENTS

Objective. To investigate predictors of change in the sense of competence of primary caregivers and continuity in home care for dementia patients.

Christian religion and ethnic prejudice in cross-national perspective : A comparative analysis of the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium)

Almost every student of religion has heard about the research thesis that Christian religious beliefs and behaviors are not barriers against but contributing factors to the development and dispersal of ethnic and racial prejudice. This cross-societal study examines this accusing finger of social research by using data from a 1985 Dutch survey and a 1991 Flemish survey conducted in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. The findings indicate that in both societies neither church involvement nor Christian belief have an effect on ethnic prejudice, independent of important background characteristics (education and age) and social correlates (social and cultural localism, authoritarianism, and anomie). Regression analysis also reveals that, next to authoritarianism, the most important predictor variable of ethnic prejudice in this comparative study is nationality per se. Implications of this finding for future research are discussed.

Ethnocentrism in The Netherlands: A typological analysis

Abstract In research on unfavourable attitudes towards outgroups, the related favourable attitude towards the ingroup is generally ignored. Sumner (1906) called the presence of both related attitudes ethnocentrism. Since then only a small amount of empirical research has been dedicated to this theme. Based oh survey‐data from a representative sample of Dutch citizens (N= 1,799) taken in 1985, this article concludes that ethnocentrism exists in The Netherlands. This contains unfavourable stereotypes about several outgroups as well as favourable stereotypes about the ingroup. The latter dimension also refers to nationalistic feelings. Both attitudes are highly related to each other. In this study the social and cultural pattern of ethnocentric people is shown to be of an authoritarian‐conservative nature.

Quality assessment using patients’ evaluations of care

Objectives: This paper describes the development and evaluation of a quality assessment instrument which uses patients’ evaluations of care.Methods: A series of studies was performed, including systematic literature reviews, focus group interviews and a consensus study with patients and general practitioners, and three studies with surveys among patients.Results: This resulted in an instrument that comprises a questionnaire, procedures to administer the questionnaire to patients and a feedback report. Most patients provided positive evaluations of care, but there was a considerable variation between moderately and highly positive evaluations.Conclusions: Reflection on this variation may help to identify opportunities for improvement.

Application of Herek's attitudes toward lesbians and gay men scale in The Netherlands

A national sample of 921 respondents from the Dutch population completed the translated, slightly modified version of Hereks Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale, originally developed in the USA for the assessment of attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. The present study was the first attempt to test the applicability of the scale in the Netherlands. In line with previous American findings, all scale items loaded highly on one factor. The scores also correlated with another measure of attitudes toward lesbians and gay men, namely, ‘denial of equal rights’ (r = .76), and with ‘traditional view of women’ (r = .48), ‘importance of traditional marriage’ (r = .53), and ‘authoritarianism’ (r = .31). Data support the scales acceptable reliability and construct and discriminant validity.

Church Involvement, Prejudice and Nationalism: A Research Note on the Curvilinear Relationship between Church Involvement and Ethnocentrism in the Netherlands

This paper reports on findings from the examination of the relationship between church involvement and ethnocentrism in the Netherlands. Support is obtained for the argument that church members are more nationalistic and more prejudiced against Hollands ethnic minorities than nonmembers. However, the relationship between church involvement and ethnocentrism is curvilinear, rather than linear, indicating that both nonmembers and core church members are less ethnocentric than marginal church members and modal church members. Furthermore, regression analysis reveals that church involvement has no effect on ethnocentrism, independent of conformism, localism and authoritarianism.