Joachim Gerich

Mental distress and quality of life in the hard of hearing

Objective:  This study aims to compare levels of psychological distress and the quality of life in the hard of hearing with levels reported by the signing deaf, and the hearing population.

An innovative and reliable way of measuring health-related quality of life and mental distress in the deaf community

BackgroundStructured assessment of quality of life and mental distress in deaf people is difficult for various reasons. This paper describes the development and reliability of an interactive computer-based assessment package for measuring quality of life and psychological distress in the deaf population.MethodsThe Brief version of the WHO Quality of Life (WHOQOL) Questionnaire, the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) had been translated into sign-language and videotaped. A total of 236 members of the deaf community in Upper Austria participated by responding to a programme consisting of self-administered written and videotaped test-items presented to them on a notebook computer. The reliability of the various assessments was established on this large community sample.ResultsWhen reliability of the versions for the deaf was compared with that of written versions of the same measures in general population samples, it was found to be somewhat lower, although still in an acceptable range, for the WHO-QOL and the GHQ-12. For the BSI, the reliability was even higher than that of the general population.ConclusionsFor deaf individuals whose preferred communication is sign language, quality of life and mental distress can be effectively and reliably assessed with the use of carefully translated and adapted common instruments.

Video Computer-Assisted Self-Administered Interviews for Deaf Respondents

As sign language is the primary communication channel for the vast majority of deaf persons, options for survey research with this population are limited. A video computerassisted self-administered interview (CASI) instrument developed for deaf respondents is introduced. With the help of a case study involving 234 deaf persons in Austria, the impact of multimedia-supported CASI methods for special populations is discussed.

Visual analogue scales for mode-independent measurement in self-administered questionnaires

Previous research has shown evidence for mode differences between computer-assisted self-administered interviews (CASI) and paper-and-pencil interviews, especially in the case of sensitive questions. Some of these differences are explained by higher degrees of self-disclosure for CASI than for paper-and-pencil interviews, due to the more private situation with CASIs. This analysis examines the existence of different degrees of selfdisclosure for CASI versus paper-and-pencil questionnaires and whether these differences can be reduced by the use of a specific response format. Judgments of items on a self-control scale with discrete 5-point (Likert-type) scales are compared with judgments on continuous visual analogue scales (VAS). Because a categorization effect for Likert-type items is assumed when pressure for social desirability is present, it is hypothesized that VAS compared to Likert-type response formats are less sensitive to mode differences.

Collection of Ego-Centered Network Data with Computer-Assisted Interviews

Although ego-centered network data provide information that is limited in various ways as compared with full network data, an ego-centered design can be used without the need for a priori and researcher-defined network borders. Moreover, ego-centered network data can be obtained with traditional survey methods. However, due to the dynamic structure of the questionnaires involved, a great effort is required on the part of either respondents (with self-administration) or interviewers (with face-to-face interviews). As an alternative, we will show the advantages of using CASI (computer-assisted self-administered interview) methods for the collection of ego-centered network data as applied in a study on the role of social networks in substance use among college students.

The Inhibiting Function of Self-Control and Social Control on Alcohol Consumption

Research on substance use, health-, and risk-seeking behavior has focused on various control mechanisms, which are either embedded in the person (self-control) or in the social environment (social control), that prevent individuals from engaging in unhealthy behavior. The present article examines the role of both types of control with respect to alcohol consumption. Whereas most previous research into the interdependence of the two control types has focused on indirect concepts of social control, the present study targets direct social control exerted through social interaction with network persons. The study’s findings indicate that both control types have a mutually independent influence as well as an interdependent influence on drinking behavior. The results show that the effect of one control instance is attenuated when the control level of the other instance is high. The results are discussed with respect to the life-course interdependence model, the cumulative control model, and action-theoretical perspectives of health-related social interventions.

Real or Virtual? Response Behavior in Video-Enhanced Self-Administered Computer Interviews

This article compares response behavior in video-enhanced self-administered questionnaires with three standard methods: paper-and-pencil, face-to-face, and audio-enhanced self-administered questionnaires. Although its scope is limited, and only small mode differences were observed, preliminary results suggest that video-enhanced interviews may produce more valid responses in that they are less contaminated by social desirability. Knowledge of video elements integrated in self-administered questionnaires has so far been limited. This study attempts to build a tentative theoretical framework for the interpretation of the mode differences established in the course of this research.

Sickness presence, sick leave and adjustment latitude

ObjectivesPrevious research on the association between adjustment latitude (defined as the opportunity to adjust work efforts in case of illness) and sickness absence and sickness presence has produced inconsistent results. In particular, low adjustment latitude has been identified as both a risk factor and a deterrent of sick leave. The present study uses an alternative analytical strategy with the aim of joining these results together.Material and MethodsUsing a cross-sectional design, a random sample of employees covered by the Upper Austrian Sickness Fund (N = 930) was analyzed. Logistic and ordinary least square (OLS) regression models were used to examine the association between adjustment latitude and days of sickness absence, sickness presence, and an estimator for the individual sickness absence and sickness presence propensity.ResultsA high level of adjustment latitude was found to be associated with a reduced number of days of sickness absence and sickness presence, but an elevated propensity for sickness absence.ConclusionsEmployees with high adjustment latitude experience fewer days of health complaints associated with lower rates of sick leave and sickness presence compared to those with low adjustment latitude. In case of illness, however, high adjustment latitude is associated with a higher probability of taking sick leave rather than sickness presence.

Effects of Social Networks on the Quality of Life in an Elder and Middle-Aged Deaf Community Sample.

This article endeavors to investigate the role of social networks in contributing to the quality of life of an elder and middle-aged Deaf population. In particular, it poses the question of whether a certain network composition (deaf and hearing network persons) provides positive resources to improve quality of life and attempts to identify moderating and mediating connections between social networks and quality of life. Based on the data collected in a survey of 107 members of the Deaf community aged 45-81 years, it was possible to ascertain the fact that a larger social network is significantly associated with a higher quality of life, but the size of the deaf network is principally decisive. The hypothesis that a bicultural network composition would have a particular positive effect on the quality of life could not be confirmed. Findings revealed that the effect of deaf network size on the quality of life is mediated by personal resources concerning self-efficacy and communication skills. Moreover, evidence was sound for the functional equivalence of social and personal resources, which suggests that potential negative effects of reduced personal resources on the quality of life could possibly be compensated by a larger deaf network and vice versa.

Sick at work: methodological problems with research on workplace presenteeism

Research on determinants of workplace presenteeism is based on the assumption that presenteeism is the outcome of a decision process with two options: taking sick leave, or attending work despite illness. However, frequency measures of sickness presenteeism are usually employed as the dependent variables in previous research on the determinants of the decision process. Monte Carlo simulations show that the analytical strategies used in previous research are likely to identify determinants of vulnerability, but will underestimate the determinants that affect the decision process under consideration. As a solution to this shortcoming, an alternative analytical strategy is presented, which uses an empirical estimator of the individual presenteeism propensity.