Psychosocial Determinants of Satisfaction with Hospital Care in Adult Patients Suffering from Advanced Cancer.

In this observational study, direct and indirect (moderator and mediator) relationships between sociodemographic (age, gender, life partner, education level, income and length of treatment) and psychological (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS) variables and satisfaction with hospital care (EORTC INPATSAT32) in adult (advanced cancer) patients were investigated. Study sample consisted of 75 hospitalized advanced cancer patients recruited at the Zagreb University Hospital Centre and Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Centre in 2015. Statistically significant negative correlations were found between HADS and elementary school education level, as well as with all satisfaction variables (satisfaction with physicians, nurses and organization).

Family Financial Situation, Parental Marital Status and Self-Harm amongst Adolescents in Croatia.

The aim of this study was to determine the level of self-harm behaviors among adolescents in the general population (students of secondary schools in Zagreb, Croatia), as well as to determine if the level of self-harm behaviors differed according to financial circumstances of the family and marital status of the parents. The study was conducted in 701 adolescents (male and female, age range 14 to 19 years). A specially designed questionnaire that included family and demographic data was used to determine the family financial circumstances.

Factor structure and cut-off scores of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS) in a Croatian sample of adult patients suffering from advanced cancer.

Background: Patients with cancer should be systematically screened for psychological problems at key points in their pathway. Usage of self-report scales for measuring anxiety and depression (such as Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS)) is a very practical methodfor detecting anxiety and depression. The aim of this research was to determine latent structure, reliability and cut-off scores of HADSin a Croatian sample of adult patients suffering from advanced metastatic cancer.

Metrically adjusted questionnaires can provide more information for scientists- an example from the tourism.

The article deals with the issue of research methodology, illustrating the use of known research methods for new purposes. Questionnaires that originally do not have metric characteristics can be called »handy questionnaires«. In this article, the author is trying to consider the possibilities of their improved scientific usability, which can be primarily ensured by improving their metric characteristics, consequently using multivariate instead of univariate statistical methods.

Construction of the Questionnaire on Foreign Language Learning Strategies in Specific Croatian Context.

Learning strategies are special thoughts or behaviours that individuals use to understand, learn or retain new information, according to the point of view of O’Malley & Chamot. The other view, promoted by Oxford, believes learning strategies are specific actions taken by the learner to make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, and more transferrable to new situations of language learning and use. The use of appropriate strategies ensures greater success in language learning.

Exercise Participation Motives and Engaging In Sports Activity among University of Ljubljana Students.

Aim: The main aim of this study was to examine differences in sport participation motives, the frequency of engaging in sports activities according to gender, region and field of study, but also the association between the incidence of engaging in sports activity and the motivation for sports activity of students at the University of Ljubljana.

Material And Methods: Five thousand two hundred seventy-one students completed The Exercise Motivations Inventory (EMI-2), with additional questions about 12 socio-demographic parameters.

Results: The results reveal that most of the students are engaged in unorganized sports activities.

Measuring Physical Activity in Pregnancy Using Questionnaires: A Meta-Analysis.

Physical activity (PA) during normal pregnancy has various positive effects on pregnant women’s health. Determination of the relationship between PA and health outcomes requires accurate measurement of PA in pregnant women. The purpose of this review is to provide a summary of valid and reliable PA questionnaires for pregnant women.

The profiling of university of Ljubljana students according to their motives for exercise participation.

Introduction: The main research objective is the analysis of the grouping of the students of the University of Ljubljana, with respect to the intensity of different types of exercise participation motives, their gender, discipline and year of study, level of physical activity, status of physical education class, organization of physical activities during study, and place of residence.

Methods: Data were collected using personal data sheets during enrolling students at the University of Ljubljana. Students completed The Exercise Motivations Inventory (EMI-2), with additional data about sociodemographic parameters.

Diversity of Y-chromosomal and mtDNA Markers Included in Mediscope Chip within Two Albanian Subpopulations from Croatia and Kosovo: Preliminary Data.

The aim of this preliminary study is to analyze genetic specificity of Kosovo Albanians comparing with neighboring populations using new genetic tool - MEDISCOPE gene chip, to investigate the feasibility of this approach. We collected 37 DNA samples (9 Croats, 17 Albanians from Croatia and 11 Albanians from Kosovo) from unrelated males born in Croatia and Kosovo. Additionally, samples were expanded with female individuals and mtDNA analysis included a total of 61 samples (15 Croats, 23 Albanians from Croatia and 23 Albanians from Kosovo).

Relationship between the Names of People and Enterprises with Plant Origin with Phytotoponyms in Five Croatian Regions.

In this study, the first and last names of people (FN and LN), enterprises (EN) (with plants'species roots in their names) and phytotoponyms (PT) in five Croatian regions are analyzed, in their relationships. The goals of the study were: to determine the correlations between FN, LN, EN and PT; to determine the latent structure of these variables; to forecast number of PT (criterion) on the base of predictors (FN, LN, EN); to determine grouping of the places (within certain regions) as cases by two plants' categorizations; to determine grouping of the plants as cases by regions. We have analyzed 15 places, grouped in five regions, with 39 different plant species.

Performance Indicators of the Top Basketball Players: Relations with Several Variables.

The aim of this study was to determine the differences in performance indicators for top senior male basketball players, with respect to several independent variables: position in the team, total situation-related efficiency, age, playing experience and the time spent on the court within the game and during championship season. The final sample of participants was selected from all teams in A-1 Croatian men's basketball league. Significant differences have been found according to the players': position in the team, total situation-related efficiency, and in interactions of the position in the team / total situation-related efficiency and minutes spent on the court in a game / playing experience.

Athletic Engagement and Athletic Identity in Top Croatian Sprint Runners.

The aim of the research was to determine construct validity and reliability for two questionnaires (Athlete Engagement Questionnaire-AEQ and Athletic Identity Measurement Scale-AIMS), applied on elite Croatian athletes-sprinters, as well as the correlations among the dimensions in these measuring instruments. Then, we have determined the differences in the dimensions of sport engagement and sport identity, according to gender, education level and winning medals on international competitions. A total of 71 elite athletes-sprinters (former and still active) are examined, from which 27 (38%) females and 44 (62%) males.

Gender Differences in Validity Scales of Personality Measuring Instruments in Psychiatric Patients.

The main goal of the study was to determine gender differences in validity scales of personality measuring instruments, among the psychiatric patients. Additional goals are to find the differences among male and female psychiatric patients, in relation to their age group, education level and type of psychiatric diagnosis. A total of 331 male and 331 female participants (psychiatric patients) are examined, classified by the categories of diagnosis, as following: Schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders (F20-F29), Mood (affective) disorders (F30-F39); Neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders neurotic, (F40-F48) and Disorders of adult personality and behavior (F60-F69).

Complications in leg lengthening using an Ilizarov external fixator and intramedullary alignment in children: comparative study during a fourteen-year period.

Background: The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the complications associated with leg lengthening in children treated with the Ilizarov external fixator (IEF) and compare them between two groups of patients: one group was treated using an IEF alone and the other group was treated using an IEF in association with intramedullary alignment (IA).

Patients And Methods: The study was performed at the University Children's Hospital in Belgrade, Serbia during a fourteen-year period (from 2000 to 2014). Complications occurred in 73 paediatric patients who underwent the leg lengthening procedure.

Pattern of emergency room mortality among road traffic crash victims.

Road traffic injuries are a major cause of death in the emergency room. The goal of this study was to highlight the demographic pattern of road traffic-related deaths in the accident and emergency room of a regional trauma centre. This was a 5-year retrospective study in which road traffic-related cases of emergency room mortality between June 2009 and June 2014 were reviewed.

Chronic unreduced shoulder dislocations: Experience in a developing country trauma centre.

Chronic shoulder dislocations are extremely rare. The goal of this retrospective study was to describe the epidemiology of chronic shoulder dislocation in our environment and to evaluate the outcome of treatment. Bio-demographic data and injury details were retrieved from case files.

Development and validation of a self-administered food frequency questionnaire to assess habitual dietary intake and quality of diet in healthy adults in the Republic of Croatia.

Food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) are designed to assess habitual diet by asking about the frequency with which food items or specific food groups are consumed over a reference period. In this study, we have developed a FFQ to assess habitual dietary intake of healthy adults to estimate the quality of their nutrition and conducted a study to validate the developed FFQ against a three-day 24-hour recall. Second aim of the study is to establish the correlation between the FFQ to assess habitual dietary intake and a three-day 24-hour recall, in relation with participants' age and education level.

Quality of life in Croatian metastatic melanoma patients.

The aim of this study was to examine the quality of life (QoL) in 40 Croatian metastatic melanoma patients who had completed at least first-line treatment and to see if there was a correlation between QoL parameters and serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). LDH levels were measured and all patients clinically examined between April and September 2013. Two QoL questionnaires were used for patient self-evaluation: the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the Dartmouth Primary Care Cooperative Research Network and the World Organization of National Colleges, Academies, and Academic Associations of General Practitioners/Family Physicians (COOP/WONCA) charts.

Simple robust method for quasi-confirmatory factor analysis (three examples).

In this article we present a simple robust method named Quasi-Confirmatory Factor Analysis (QCFA), with the purpose of comparing two factor structures, obtained by using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). EFA and CFA (confirmatory factor analysis) approaches, together with other methods that are used in this field, are often used simultaneously in cross-cultural research in testing the possibility of generalizing imported theoretical constructs on different sample of subjects. In the discussions about the matter 'is it better to use EFA or CFA?', it is the most correct to say that each strategy is appropriate for certain research situations.

Participation Motivation and Student's Physical Activity among Sport Students in Three Countries.

The main aim of this study was to examine the differences in motivation to participate in sport activities among sports students from three different countries. On a sample of 390 sports students from Slovenia, Croatia and Germany we studied what motivates an interest in being sports active. The sample was stratified across the choice to attend table tennis lessons at all three institutions and all students have completed the Participation Motivation Questionnaire (PMQ).

A comparison of two conative characteristics of top basketball and recreational table tennis players.

The purpose of this study is to adapt imported instruments for measuring multidimensional perfectionism in sport situations and perceived group cohesion, in terms of construct validity and reliability, as well as from the aspect of interpretability, addressed on Croatian samples of athletes. Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ) and Sport Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MSSP) are applied. The sample of 223 male Croatian athletes comprises of N1 = 107 top basketball players from nine teams in A-1 Croatian Basketball League and N2 = 116 recreational table tennis players who play in Table Tennis Organization of Clubs and Actives in Zagreb.

Hardiness and situation efficacy at elite basketball players.

The main aims of the study were: to explore the latent structure of the construct of hardiness at Croatian top basketball players and to gain an understanding of the relationship between obtained hardiness dimensions and situation-related efficacy in basketball. Situation efficacy of individual basketball players in top teams is linked to the constellation of a number of relevant anthropological and specific psychological features that influence the behavior of basketball players in stressful situations during training, and especially during basketball games. One of the most important psychological characteristics for the resistance of an individual to these kinds of stress is hardiness.

Data analysis strategies for reducing the influence of the bias in cross-cultural research.

In cross-cultural research, researchers have to adjust the constructs and associated measurement instruments that have been developed in one culture and then imported for use in another culture. Importing concepts from other cultures is often simply reduced to language adjustment of the content in the items of the measurement instruments that define a certain (psychological) construct. In the context of cross-cultural research, test bias can be defined as a generic term for all nuisance factors that threaten the validity of cross-cultural comparisons.

Differences in situation efficacy indicators at the elite basketball players that play on different positions in the team.

The aim of our study was to determine the differences in situational efficacy for basketball players, in relation to their team positions: between guards and forwards/centres, and between the players on the four major positions in the team. The final sample of subjects (74 basketball players) is selected from the initial sample of 107 subjects, selected from nine men's senior basketball teams that played in A-1 Croatian men's basketball league championship in 2006/2007. Results confirmed the hypothesis that there is a significant difference between different groups of players: point/shooting guards, comparing with forwards/centres; players that play on four positions: point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward/centre.

Differences in conative characteristics and perceived group cohesion of the basketball players playing in different positions in the team.

Identification of differences in individual conative characteristics and in perceived group cohesion of the basketball players playing in different positions in the team could provide guidelines for a better selection of basketball players and better coaching work. The aim of our study was to determine the differences in relation to the positions of guards and forwards/centres, and the four major positions in the team. The final sample of subjects (74 basketball players) is selected from the initial sample of 107 subjects, selected from nine men's senior basketball teams that played in A-1 Croatian men's basketball league championship in 2006/2007.