The European Conference on Psychology & the Behavioral ... BULLETIN 2018-JAN-MA… · Web view“This St Patrick’s Day, revellers around the world will crowd the streets seeking

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ACQol Bulletin Vol 2/13: 290318 Bulletin of the Australian Centre on Quality of LifeEditor: Robert A. Cumminshttp://www.acqol.com.au/Note 1: This site is under development and some content is missing.Note 2: Please address any correspondence to the editor only.

Paper for private studyThe attached paper, on the topic of life quality, is sent to you for your personal private study and discussion within ACQol. You are prohibited from further distributing this paper to any

other person.

Background: On an annual basis, three eminent economists, Helliwell, Layard and Sachs, produce their World Happiness Report, using data provided by Gallup. Each report is a media-magnet, with its epicentre based on the comparative ‘happiness’ of 156 countries (Table 2.2). The media just love international comparative statistics, especially when they are sourced to such eminent researchers, so their results receive blanket coverage.Reference: Helliwell, J. F., et al. (2018). World Happiness Report 2018. New York, Sustainable Development Solutions Network.Author summary: “The top 10 countries in Figure 2.2 are the same countries that were top-ranked in World Happiness Report 2017, although there has been some swapping of places, as is to be expected among countries so closely grouped in average scores. The top five countries are the same ones that held the top five positions in World Happiness Report 2017, but Finland has vaulted from 5th place to the top of the rankings this year” (p.19).

Comment on Helliwell, et al. (2018)Robert A. CumminsIt is unfortunate that the academic excellence displayed by each of these three authors in economics appears not to translate into equivalent competences within the social sciences. Their report is replete with misinformation. Three major issues support my evaluation. First, the authors steadfastly ignore the substantial and cohesive literature relating to cultural response bias. Culture teaches how to respond to personally evaluative questions, and this causes marked differences in recorded happiness between countries independently of economic status. Second, the authors commit the classic ‘Ecological fallacy’, by regressing a group-level variable (GDP) against a person-level variable (happiness). The result is invalid. Finally, their data are inaccurate. After about 20 years of measuring the happiness of the Australian population on an annual basis, with sample sizes of >1,000 respondents each survey, we know that the mean population level is 75 percentage points with a standard deviation of < one point. Their Table 2.2 puts the Australian mean at 72.72 points, which is way below the normal range. This 2.28 point difference is far from trivial when applied generally to their ranking table, where the average difference in happiness between countries is 0.19 points.

Further discussion of this paper, for circulation to members, is invited. Send to: [email protected]

Substantive comments received by midnight on Tuesday 03 April Oz time will be published in the following Bulletin.

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.acqol.com.au/

ACQol members are invited to send papers, on the topic of life quality, for distribution to other members under these same conditions.

New website addition - VolunteersThanks to Iestyn Polley [email protected], our Volunteers are now acknowledged on the website.http://www.acqol.com.au/about#our-volunteers

News of MotherSarah Khor and Ella Garth (Volunteer) are close to completing the integration of our Mother

data file. Now we are faced with the task of interfacing this with the ACQol site.

In order to achieve this integration, we are collaborating with the School of Information Technology at Deakin. The interfacing will be done by a group of Masters-level students who are required to undertake a ‘Capstone’ project in their final year. This is a project, devised by

an industry partner, and supervised by a member of the SIT staff. We are the ‘industry partner’ and Jingyu Hou, Senior Lecturer, is the students’ supervisor.

Liaising with the SIT group from Psychology will be myself, Matt Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, and Sarah Khor.

Media newsNicole Villanueva [[email protected]]

Executive Volunteer MediaTitle: True Happiness Isin’t About Being Happy All of the TimeAuthor: Lowri Dothwaitehttp://theconversation.com/true-happiness-isnt-about-being-happy-all-the-time-88600

We all aspire to live a happy life, right? But, life is actually not happy all of the time and that’s okay. It even benefits us. Martine Seligman, founding father of psychology, describes happines as experiencing frequent positive emotions combined with feelings of meaning and purpose. This creates a positive mindset in the present and future. Experts have argued that happiness is an unstable trait that should be worked towards. Dowthwaite, who runs happiness workshops, states that striving to be happy all of the time is unrealistic because happiness is a changing state. Recent research indicates that psychological flexibility is the key to happiness. Reactions to circumstances have more influence over happines than the circumstances themselves because being mentally flexible allows a person to control, or minimize negative emotions. This flexibility allows for the toleration of distress which grows resilience. Research shows that experiencing adversity, with the correct mind state, can lead people to take action in their lives while also finding deeper meaning. In studies, people who have faced trauma describe the experience as a catalyst for profound change, leading to a phenomenon knows as “post-traumatic growth”. Dowthwaite recommends changing your purpose from being happy to accepting all emotions, negative and positive, in order to reach your full potential.

ACQol Bulletin Vol 2/12: 220318Bulletin of the Australian Centre on Quality of LifeEditor: Robert A. Cummins

http://theconversation.com/true-happiness-isnt-about-being-happy-all-the-time-88600

http://www.acqol.com.au/about#our-volunteers


http://www.acqol.com.au/Note 1: This site is under development and some content is missing.Note 2: Please address any correspondence to the editor only.

Paper for private studyThe attached paper, on the topic of life quality, is sent to you for your personal private study and discussion within ACQol. You are prohibited from further distributing this paper to any

other person.

Background: Epidemiology has obvious usefulness to policy formation, particularly as it impacts on health and economics. Less commonly epidemiological results draw attention to changes in human populations which have consequences for subjective social indicators. This is one such study with one of our members, Craig Olsson, as a co-author.

Reference: Patton, G. C., et al. (2018). "Adolescence and the next generation." Nature 554: 458-467.

Author summary: “Adolescent growth and social development shape the early development of offspring from preconception through to the post-partum period through distinct processes in males and females. At a time of great change in the forces shaping adolescence, including the timing of parenthood, investments in today’s adolescents, the largest cohort in human history, will yield great dividends for future generations”.

Comment on Patton, G. C., et al. (2018)Robert A. CumminsThis substantial review documents the changing pattern of family composition in relation to adolescent inclusion, especially in Western cultures. In preindustrial societies, the time between the end of childhood (onset of menstruation; first ejaculation) and adulthood (parenthood), was generally around two years in girls and four in boys. Since that time, in economically developed countries, improved nutrition and health has been accompanied by a fall of around four years in puberty, to between 12 and 13 years, and an even larger upward shift in the timing of parenthood. The social consequences are profound. The delay in parenthood has conferred advantages in terms of education but has also caused an increased period of economic and social dependence which has affected the structure and function of the family unit in new ways. The vast research base concerning family dynamics created by adolescent dependent children, build through the 60’s and 70’s, needs to be revised.


Substantive comments received by midnight on Tuesday 27 March Oz time, will be published in the following Bulletin.

ACQol members are invited to send papers, on the topic of life quality, for distribution to other members under these same conditions.

News of the Personal Wellbeing IndexThe statistics below are from Harzing’s Publish or Perish entering ‘Personal Wellbeing Index’ as the search phrase, and years 2001 to 2018



Brief reportThe genius at Guinness and his statistical legacy

Lamb, K and Farmer, D.https://theconversation.com/the-genius-at-guinness-and-his-statistical-legacy-93134

“This St Patrick’s Day, revellers around the world will crowd the streets seeking one of Ireland’s national drinks: a pint of Guinness. But besides this tasty stout, one of the most

fundamental and commonly used tools of science also has its origins at the Guinness brewery…”


Executive Volunteer MediaTitle: Can't sleep? Could be down to geneticsAuthor: Stein, M.https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180309095520.htm

Insomnia rates have been on the rise and its effects go farther than just being annoyed in the morning. Currently an estimated 20% of Americans and 50% of veterans report insomnia. If not dealt with, chronic insomnia may lead to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, PTSD and even suicide. Twin studies have shown existing heritability, but Stein, lead researcher, sought to study specific gene variants. The research team obtained more than 33,000 DNA samples from veterans. Data from European, African and Latino were separated in order to compare lineages. Stein also compared his results to studies from the UK. Overall, the study confirms that insomnia has a partially heritable basis. Stein reports that, "the genetic correlation between insomnia disorder and other psychiatric disorders, such as major depression, and physical disorders such as type 2 diabetes suggests a shared genetic diathesis for these commonly co-occurring phenotypes."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180309095520.htm

https://theconversation.com/the-genius-at-guinness-and-his-statistical-legacy-93134

ACQOL Bulletin Vol 2/11: 150318Bulletin of the Australian Centre on Quality of LifeEditor: Robert A. Cumminshttp://www.acqol.com.au/Note 1: This site is under development and some content is missing.Note 2: Please address any correspondence to the editor only.

Paper for private studyThe attached paper, on the topic of life quality, is sent to you for your personal private study and discussion within ACQOL. You are prohibited from further distributing this paper to any

other person.

Background: ‘Trust’ is a slippery construct. The natural assumption that ‘more is better’ is incorrect. Too much trust exposes people to exploitation. Trust is similar in many respects to the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) domain of ‘safety’ (social trust) and, again, more is not better. Feeling too safe encourages people to take unnecessary risks. Conversely, feeling un-safe, or that people cannot be trusted, is a homeostatic challenge, and can be pathological. Thus, the most adaptive level of trust for subjective wellbeing is normal range – people can be trusted in moderation – and for such people more trust is not a homeostatic resource. This is why the PWI domain of safety normally shares no unique contribution of variance with Global Life Satisfaction.This article has been cited 150 times.

Reference: Fujiwara, T. and I. Kawachi (2008). "A prospective study of individual-level social capital and major depression in the United States." Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health 62(7): 627-633.

Author summary: The study is a prospective investigation of the associations between depression and cognitive social capital [trust]. Data were gathered from the same sample in 1995–6 and 1998. They found higher levels of cognitive social capital (trust of neighbours) to be associated with lower risks of developing depression. However, the result became non-significant after excluding participants with depression at baseline. They claim a ‘protective effect of social trust for major depression.’

Comment on Fujiwara & Kawachi (2008)Robert A. CumminsDepression can be (to some extent) conceptualized as homeostatic failure, reflecting the dominance of negative affect from emotional reactions. This negative affect will influence all cognitions involving the self, including trust. Thus, people who are depressed will have lower than normal levels of trust.

The results in this paper are incorrectly stated in two respects. First is the misuse of ‘trust’ as a homeostatic resource as ‘those who trusted their neighbours were less likely to develop major depression’. This should be stated in the reverse as ‘those who distrusted their neighbours were more likely to develop major depression’ (see Background). Second, the authors are not justified in claiming causality, so the statement becomes: ‘those who had major depression also distrusted their neighbours.’


So, not as exciting! However, it also explains why, when they excluded participants with depression at baseline, the correlation disappeared: their exclusion also removed the people with the lowest social trust. In sum, their claim of a “protective effect of social trust for major depression” cannot be sustained from their results.


Substantive comments received by midnight on Tuesday 20 March Oz time will be published in the following Bulletin.

ACQOL members are invited to send papers, on the topic of life quality, for distribution to other members under these same conditions.

New website additionsPersonal Wellbeing Index

With the kind assistance of Iestyn Polley from eSolutions, we now have a proper listing of the PWI manuals and translations athttp://www.acqol.com.au/instruments#measures

Brief reportSocial Media Use in 2018Smith, A. and M. Anderson

http://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2018/03/01105133/PI_2018.03.01_Social-Media_FINAL.pdf

As has been the case since the Center began surveying about the use of different social media in 2012, Facebook remains the primary platform for most Americans. Roughly two-thirds of

U.S. adults (68%) now report that they are Facebook users, and roughly three-quarters of those users access Facebook on a daily basis. With the exception of those 65 and older, a majority of Americans across a wide range of demographic groups now use Facebook.

At the same time, younger Americans (especially those ages 18 to 24) stand out for embracing a variety of platforms and using them frequently. Some 78% of 18- to 24-year-

olds use Snapchat, 71% of Americans in this age group now use Instagram and close to half (45%) are Twitter users.

Media newsTitle: In defence of happiness: why emotional intelligence is key in the digital age Author: Mushtak Al-Atabihttps://theconversation.com/in-defence-of-happiness-why-emotional-intelligence-is-key-in-the-digital-age-85295

“Much has been written about the relationship between a happy, positive workplace and an effective, productive workforce. But the definition of happiness can be misunderstood – often it is seen as the presence of positive emotions and the absence of negative ones, which can lead to work cultures that pressure people into faking positive emotions. Research has shown this “faking” can result in long-term physical and emotional illness…”

https://theconversation.com/in-defence-of-happiness-why-emotional-intelligence-is-key-in-the-digital-age-85295

https://theconversation.com/in-defence-of-happiness-why-emotional-intelligence-is-key-in-the-digital-age-85295



http://www.acqol.com.au/instruments#measures


ConferenceThe European Conference on Psychology & the Behavioral Sciences 2018Venue & Location: The Jurys Inn Brighton Waterfront, Brighton, UKDates: Tuesday, July 03, 2018 to Wednesday, July 04, 2018



other person.

Background: Subhadra Evans [[email protected]] has recommended this article. It is timely to consider the topic of mindfulness from within psychology, as the relevant literature grows at an exponential rate. And not just in academia. Media coverage has matched this increase, making mindfulness an important link in the public mind with the psychology discipline. So, is this just another professional fad or does it have real substance? Reference: Van Dam, N. T., van Vugt, M. K., Vago, D. R., Schmalzl, L., Saron, C. D., Olendzki, A., . . . Gorchov, J. (2018). Mind the hype: A critical evaluation and prescriptive agenda for research on mindfulness and meditation. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 13(1), 36-61.Author summary: …”Misinformation and poor methodology associated with past studies of mindfulness may lead public consumers to be harmed, misled, and disappointed. Addressing such concerns, the present article discusses the difficulties of defining mindfulness, delineates the proper scope of research into mindfulness practices, and explicates crucial methodological issues for interpreting results from investigations of mindfulness.”

Comment #1 on Van Dam (2018)Robert A. CumminsIn their wide ranging review mindfulness research, the authors find almost no glimmer of light in a fuliginous atmosphere of conceptual entanglement and obsfuscation. The body of work they describe provides enlightenment only to those who seek the epitome of what Meehl (1990) disparaged as ‘soft-psychology’, where everything ‘correlates to some degree with everything else’. Despite this dark appraisal of mindfulness research, which is consistent with several prior reviews, purposeless research into the construct continues to burgeon and provide misleading stories for the media. My personal favorites are those listed ‘mindfulness measures’ which are set in the context of ‘Buddhist theory’. This overt blending of religion and science seems to epitomise the whole sorry mess.Meehl, P. E. (1990). "Why summaries of research on psychological theories are often uninterpretable." Psychological Reports 66: 195-244.

Comment #2 on Van Dam (2018)Subhadra Evans <[email protected]>The paper is a positive and timely addition to the mindfulness literature. It not only highlights current inadequacies in the research, but also provides meaningful calls to action, particularly


around strengthening the methodological design of these studies and increasing transparency around definitions, practices and models of mindfulness. I particularly appreciate the idea of developing a type of CONSORT checklist to be included in published studies, and the idea that rather than measuring ‘mindfulness’ as a primary outcome, we consider its indirect impact (for example, “mindfulness might improve caregiver efficacy via assessment of significant others”).

There are some inconsistencies in the paper, however. For example, the authors criticize the variability in how mindfulness is taught. Making the comparison, they claim CBT studies “at least tend to have sufficient consistency with one another (in terms of content and format) to provide a basis for broad evaluation of their efficacy.” In fact, there is a similar diversity in how CBT is taught. Similar to mindfulness, reports of CBT research differ in the amount of homework, length of sessions, use of web-based and mobile applications, content, meeting type/frequency, instructions, readings, instructor/therapist training, and accessibility.

In reality, reports of both techniques contain many examples of heterogeneity, but also commonalities. For CBT these are some cognitive and some behavioural elements. For mindfulness, the common elements are awareness and nonjudgmental acceptance. The variability in how CBT and mindfulness are delivered may in fact be viewed as a strength, rather than a weakness, and representative of efforts to deliver these modalities to a wide range of individuals of varying needs. The point about needing greater transparency around definitions and protocols, however, is well taken.

Ultimately, until funding is invested into adequately powered randomized controlled trials, using rigorous methodology, clear definitions, inclusion of meaningful outcomes and systematic examination of adverse events, mindfulness risks being relegated to the pop psychology shelves.


Substantive comments received by midnight on Tuesday 13 March Oz time will be published in the following Bulletin.


Welcome to new members Dr Fermina Rojo-Pérez <[email protected]>

Research Group on Ageing, Spanish National Research CouncilC/ Albasanz, 26-28, despacho 3E-19

28037 Madrid, SPAINTel.: (0034) 916 022 407; Fax: (0034) 916 022 971

Dr Gloria Fernández-Mayoralas <[email protected]>(a) Research Scientist

Research Group on Ageing - Spanish National Research Council (b) Director

Institute of Economics, Geography and DemographyCentre for Human and Social Sciences


C/ Albasanz, 26-28, room (despacho) 3F14 / 3F2728037 Madrid, España

Tel.: (00 34) 91 602 2390 / 91 602 2574Fax: (00 34) 91 602 29 71

ReportGlobal Happiness

Global Happiness Policy Report. (2018). New York: Global Happiness Council; Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/ghc-2018/GlobalHappinessPolicyReport2018.pdf.A report on happiness in selected sectors of the world as seen through the eyes of people

trained in economics, business and administration, with chapters by Diener (on relationships) and Seligman (positive psychology). The latter nominates the ‘Geelong Grammar Project’ as

an exemplar application, states that an independent evaluation has been conducted by Melbourne University, but fails to give a reference to the results.


Executive Volunteer MediaTitle: Money only buys happiness for a certain amount - Purdue UniversityAuthor: Jeb etal (2018)https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180213132926.htm

Infinite amounts of money will not make you happy and may even decrease your well-being. Researchers at Purdue University found that there is a threshold to the effect money has on happiness. Jebb, lead researcher, reports that the ideal income point, for an individual, is $95,000 (USD) for life evaluation and $60,000 to $75,000 for emotional well-being. The sample, of more than 1.7 million individuals from 164 countries, was based on data from the Gallup World Poll which includes questions about purchasing power, life satisfaction and well-being. The researchers noted that the threshold was found to vary substantially across regions. Wealthier countries had higher income thresholds for life satisfaction. This may be due to evaluation of standards being more influenced by comparison between individuals. On a similar note, social comparisons coupled with material gains may account for the found decrease in life satisfaction and well-being once the threshold was reached. Once basic needs and conveniences are met, money has a ceiling effect on happiness. In societies in which material gains are promoted and people keep spending without real necessity, well-being is weakened. You do not need that new smartphone, smartwatch, or smart tv.

Conference3rd International conference on Quality of Life

14th to 15th June 2018 in KragujevacDeadline for paper submission: March 31

Contact person: Tijana Cvetic: [email protected]

ACQOL Bulletin Vol 2/9: 010318 Bulletin of the Australian Centre on Quality of LifeEditor: Robert A. Cumminshttp://www.acqol.com.au/Note 1: This site is under development and some content is missing.


https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180213132926.htm

https://s3.amazonaws.com/ghc-2018/GlobalHappinessPolicyReport2018.pdf

Note 2: Please address any correspondence to the editor only.


other person.

Background: It is intuitive that responses to individual questionnaire are sensitive to the order in which they are asked. Questions on depression will dampen respondents’ felt affect and so cause a following question on happiness to be rated lower than normal. The fact that question order is so rarely reported in the literature is an important methodological omission. This concern also applies to the order of items within scales and is especially relevant to the Personal Wellbeing Index. Since the items are designed to target different life areas, each with their own sensitivities for the respondents, it is likely that their individual rating is sensitive to their ordering with respect to one another.

Reference: Weinberg, M. K., Seton, C., & Cameron, N. (2018). The Measurement of Subjective Wellbeing: Item-Order Effects in the Personal Wellbeing Index --Adult. Journal of Happiness Studies, 19(315-332). doi:org/10.1007/s10902-016-9822-1

Summary: Participants completed the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) either in its standard format (general-specific: G-S), where the lead item is GLS (Global Life Satisfaction) or the specific-general (S-G) format, where the lead item was the first PWI domain (Standard of living). Evidence for item-order effects was inconclusive. “In a second study, the order of the PWI domains was randomised (random-order) and compared to the standard format (G-S, fixed-order). Results revealed lower mean scores and more variation in scores when items were randomised. Overall, the PWI performed as expected. It achieved a single factor solution, no matter the order of items, and the same domains emerged as significant unique predictors of general life satisfaction.”

Comment on Weinberg et al (2018)Robert A. CumminsThe interpretation of the item-order effect for the first study is unclear due to between-group differences on key demographics and factorial structure. In the second study the PWI was either presented in its standard form (fixed-order: FO) or with the domains in random order (RO). The results are interesting as:

1. In terms of basic psychometrics, the two groups are clearly different (Table 8). The FO mean (74.53) and SD (12.14) are within the normal range, while the RO mean is below normal (67.09) with enhanced negative skew (15.12). These statistics are based on the scores of individual items. Thus, in RO, some cohesive influence on the items, which is normally present (FO), has been reduced, causing the scores to spread from one another. While this could be a reduced content of HPMood, it is not clear why RO would induce such a reduction.

2. The GLS-domain and inter-domain correlations are RO>FO (Table 7). It is hard to reconcile this with (1). The usual interpretation of a low mean and higher SD is an increased incidence of homeostatic challenge, which should decrease the cohesive influence of HPMood, and so reduce the correlations. Mysterious.

2. Factor analysis yielded a normal result for RO (47% of variance), but a below-normal (34%) for FO. Again, it is hard to reconcile this with the (1) results which should, I think, provide a normal factor analysis for FO. This below normal value for FO also has implications for the CFA below.

3. Regression results against GLS are consistent with (1), with R2 being higher in RO (actually above normal) but normal in FO.

4. Confirmatory Factor Analysis revealed good fit for RO but not for FO. Remember, the exploratory factor analysis result for RO is normal, and for FO it is abnormally small. Most interestingly, the CFA-FO result could be improved by allowing error terms of all adjacent items to correlate. As the authors say, this is likely a nice demonstration of a sequential item influence, but the nature of this influence is unclear.

The authors provide a good discussion of these results and are cautious in concluding an item-order effect. My perspective is that they have succeeded in demonstrating an item-order effect, and this demonstration comes from (4). But we do not understand the mechanism. So let me speculate.

If we accept a weak item-order effect, whereby each item influences responding to the item that follows, then evidence for this influence would be destroyed by item-order randomization (RO). Accepting this, the enhanced negative skew (1) in RO is the result of removing this between-item influence. The conclusions are then:

(a) The item-order effect causes the response value of adjacent items to be more similar to one another than they would be in its absence. Thus, in RO the items are more free to separate from one another and, so, show greater variance.

(b) The source of the item-order effect may well be the ‘principles of conversation and assimilation’ described by the authors. While these are convenient conceptual terms, they are poorly defined at the level of measurement.

(c) However, accepting the empirical reality of the authors’ results, RO provides a more valid representation of the true extent of correlation between items because it eliminates the item-order effect.

Conclusion: The study needs to be done again. The CFA results seems consistent with the existence of an item-order effect, however, the nature of the item-order effect is not understood. It is also interesting to observe that, if the result is confirmed, no one is going to welcome the conclusion. Not only is the generation of RO impractical in most applications but also the validity of previously reported results are called into question.


Substantive comments received by midnight on Tuesday 6th March Oz time will be published in the following Bulletin.



Welcome to new members Dr Alexa Hayley [[email protected]]Lecturer in Psychology, Deakin UniversityMy interests focus on beliefs, values, and attitudes relevant to antisociality and prosociality across a range of contexts.

Dr Subhadra Evans <[email protected]>Lecturer in Psychology, Deakin UniversitySubhadra has specialist research training from the National Institutes of Health on the use of mind-body interventions, including yoga and meditation, for chronic pain. Her current research examines mindfulness in the context of parenting stress and wellness.

Dr Shane McIver [[email protected]]Lecture in Health Promotion, Deakin UniversityKey interests: meditation-based programs and outcomes, complementary and alternative therapies, evaluation.

ReportTransparency International

https://www.transparency.org/news/feature/corruption_perceptions_index_2017#resourcesThis year’s Corruption Perceptions Index highlights that the majority of countries are making

little or no progress in ending corruption, while further analysis shows journalists and activists in corrupt countries risking their lives every day in an effort to speak out.

The index, which ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople, uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is

highly corrupt and 100 is very clean. This year, the index found that more than two-thirds of countries score below 50, with an average score of 43...


Executive Volunteer Media

Awareness of Eating Disorders in MenBrian Cuban

https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/treatment-for-eating-disorders/special-issues/men

When thinking about eating disorders, people will imagine a dangerously thin, young female who vomits in order to stay her definition of skinny. This societal bias affects not only professionals who are diagnosing but also people who are suffering from an eating disorder and do not fit this stereotype. Surprisingly, 40% of individuals diagnosed with binge-eating disorders are male. Differing to the skinny women ideal, men are idolized for being extremely muscular and fit. Both forms originate from unrealistic expectation, but in the case of men, muscularity and strength are tied to masculinity. Puberty is also an at risk time for boys. The unrealistic ideals may lead men to engage in dieting, extreme workouts, develop anorexia, exercise bulimia and body dysmorphia. Why has the prevalence increased over time? Brian Cuban, who has struggled with body dysmorphia for 30 years, states that the

https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/treatment-for-eating-disorders/special-issues/men

https://www.transparency.org/news/feature/corruption_perceptions_index_2017#resources

increase may be due to provider awareness and men daring to speak up and seeking treatment. Cuban describes that as a 10 year old, he began being conscious about being overweight due to being fat shammed by family members and bullies. These events triggered his binge eating. He advises parents to watch for child isolation, changes in eating habits and unhealthy preoccupation with self-image. Eating disorders do not solely occur with the overly skinny. "All shapes and sizes can come down with an eating disorder", Cuban warns.

ConferenceInternational Society for Quality of Life Research

24-27 October 2018 in Dublinhttp://www.isoqol.org/2018annualconference



other person.

Background #1: Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz <[email protected]> “A lot of this is revision, but it's also a timely reminder about planning and being clear in design to accurately estimate relationships among variables of interest. And the reading is a very clear and concise introduction to a complex body of literature arising around causal inference and causal modelling. I'm thinking of embedding this in our research methods teaching at undergrad and postgrad as I think it's fundamental.”

Background #2: Robert Cummins <[email protected]> “The most abused statistical interpretation in the social sciences literature is not Type 1 error, it is correlation. Despite drumming the mantra ‘Correlation does not equal causation’ into 101 students until their ears bleed, a distressing proportion of publications in the social sciences claim causation for their cross-sectional correlations. For the authors who know too little their claim is made explicitly; implicitly by authors who know too much. It makes a mundane manuscript more interesting.

Reference: Rohrer, J. M. (2018). Thinking Clearly About Correlations and Causation: Graphical Causal Models for Observational Data. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, 1-16. doi:10.1177/2515245917745629Summary: Correlation does not imply causation; but often, observational data are the only option, even though the research question at hand involves causality. This article discusses causal inference based on observational data, introducing readers to graphical causal models that can provide a powerful tool for thinking more clearly about the interrelations between variables. Topics covered include the rationale behind the statistical control of third variables,


http://www.isoqol.org/2018annualconference

common procedures for statistical control, and what can go wrong during their implementation. Certain types of third variables—colliders and mediators—should not be controlled for because that can actually move the estimate of an association away from the value of the causal effect of interest. More subtle variations of such harmful control include using unrepresentative samples, which can undermine the validity of causal conclusions, and statistically controlling for mediators. Drawing valid causal inferences on the basis of observational data is not a mechanistic procedure but rather always depends on assumptions that require domain knowledge and that can be more or less plausible. However, this caveat holds not only for research based on observational data, but for all empirical research endeavors.

Comment#1 on Rohrer et al (2018)Matthew Fuller-TyszkiewiczThe article is proposing a controversial viewpoint, but it easier to see their point when considering a quasi experimental design rather than completely non-experimental design. In relation to their Figure 1, I think their intention is to keep it simple and not introduce complications of feedback loops. Obviously there are reasons to suspect that their example is wrong, and then they would try to find another simple model in which there are no feedback loops to illustrate their point. It was beyond the focus of their paper to discuss longitudinal designs, but these would actually fix the issue. For instance, the model can easily accommodate feedback loops by including measures at different time points to allow intelligence to influence income and that to in turn influence intelligence.

I also think the authors are suggesting researchers should be more focused on thinking about precisely the ways in which these variables may influence each other, what to control for to accurately estimate the relationships, and how to design the study to observe the effects along time scales that these effects unfold.

Comment#2 on Rohrer et al (2018)Robert A. CumminsI found it hard to fathom what the authors are attempting to achieve. Their abstract opens with the words ‘Correlation does not imply causation’, yet the text that follows discusses the 'validity of causal effects', apparently using cross sectional data. This contradiction is reinforced through their major innovation, in the form of Directed Acyclic Graphs: Directed (the use of single-headed arrows), and Acyclic (because they do not allow cyclic paths – so the graphs are unidirectional). They explain that these can be considered as ‘non-parametric structural equation models’, which “provide visual representations of causal assumptions” (p.2). While this all sounds simple and interesting, in fact it encourages the misunderstanding that any cross-sectional data can yield valid causal relationships. Two features exemplify this concern.

First, in their Figure one they use a single-headed arrow, indicating the causal direction, to connect Intelligence with Income. But intelligence does not have a unidirectional, causal influence on income. While it may, conceivably be the case, that some component of the latent construct of intelligence is genetically endowed, the observed (measured) level of intelligence is certainly influenced by income. Income buys the opportunity to develop learning, conceptualization and understanding, all of which are integral to measured IQ.

Second, they use single headed arrows in their Figure 1, from school grades to educational attainment, indicating the direction of causality. In fact, however, this could obviously be

reversed - educational attainment > school grades, so again this should be a double-head arrow.

In summary, my impression of the overall effect of this article is to actually encourage conclusions of causality based on cross-sectional data. If this is so it is the antithesis of their opening sentence.

Further discussion of Moller et al (2018)ACQOL Bulletin Vol 2/7: 150218 provided a comment on the article:Moller, V., Roberts, B. J., & Zani, D. (2018). The National Wellbeing Index in the isiXhosa translation: focus group discussions on how South Africans view the quality of their society. Social Indicators Research, 135, 167-193.

The original comment on this article is reproduced below, together with a second comment that has been received.

Comment#1 on Moller et al (2018)Robert A. CumminsWhat this paper clearly demonstrates is that, at least in the authors’ hands, the NWI is an effective tool for qualitative research into views of national wellbeing. Equally clear is that the scales does not work as originally intended. Instead of providing an abstracted view of how the various national domains are functioning, people are focussing on the local environment to provide their answers. We find the same in Oz. Over the past 15 years, satisfaction with ‘the natural environment’ has been creeping up despite the fact of global warming and inexorable destruction of the Great Barrier Reef, etc. Because there is little evidence of these forces operating locally, they are generally ignored. Moreover, even if the local circumstances changed, people would likely still be oblivious due to adaptation. This makes the NWI fundamentally different from the PWI. Whereas people can quite easily abstract ‘satisfaction with their own health’, it requires a higher level of education, intellect, and effort to abstract a satisfaction response to national domains.Comment#2 on Moller et al (2018)Valerie MollerIt’s intriguing that you found Oz respondents may have evaluated national issues in a similar way to our discussants, that is, drawing on their local experience, among other. Environmental issues might be one of the worst examples here (But if water scarcity does not serve as a wake-up call in South Africa, I would be surprised. Let’s hope that countries not party to the Paris agreement will also wake up, which might be more important in terms of scale! ).

Our focus group discussants were recruited from a range of social strata. They were certainly not big city dwellers, but seemed to be well informed on political and economic issues. These were the issues that got the lowest ratings and were likely most on their minds as the factors impacting on the country’s and their own depressed well-being!

Interestingly, we found that descriptions of the self-anchoring Cantril on national wellbeing in a nationally representative South African study matched views on the NWI in our little sample.

I do think the NWI can serve as a useful measure and the very fact that it can be interpreted locally may be one of its virtues. There are so many personal wellbeing measures but fewer national ones.

Further discussion of these papers, for circulation to members, is invited. Send to: [email protected]

Substantive comments received by midnight on Tuesday 27th February Oz time will be published in the following Bulletin.


Membership RegistrarPlease welcome our new Membership Registrar Liz Senn <[email protected]>. Liz writes:I am currently in the last year of my PhD. I am investigating the relationship between maternal and infant gut microbiota and infant cognition. Gut bacteria are thought to be involved in cognition, mood and behaviour. Maybe in the future, Australian Centre on Quality of Life will have an Expert Group on psychobiology and life quality.

Welcome to new members Professor Michael Leiter <[email protected]>, expert on the psychology of work, is Professor of Organisational Psychology at Deakin University. His research on job burnout and work engagement has been widely published. In a commitment to improving work-life quality, he consults with organizations and researchers around the world. He is also a keynote speaker for diverse audiences, including public sector executives, health care providers, and human resource professionals. His current research and consulting focusses on improving collegiality within workgroups. Prior to coming to Deakin, Michael was a Professor of Psychology at Acadia University in Canada where he held the Canada Research Chair in Occupational Health and Wellness.

Dr Simon Albrecht <[email protected]> is Course Director and Senior Lecturer with the Organisational Psychology program at Deakin University. His teaching, research and practice interests are in the areas of work engagement, worker wellbeing, organisational development and change, leadership development, culture and climate, and organisational politics. Simon’s Handbook of Employee Engagement: Perspectives, Issues, Research and Practice is widely cited, and he has also published on engagement, wellbeing, change, leadership and performance. Simon also has authored book chapters, and presented at international conferences. He has partnered with organisations to develop, deliver and evaluate applied consulting and research projects. Simon is a registered psychologist, and holds a PhD, and a Master of Psychology (Organisational).


Executive Volunteer Media Title: What happens to those who survive school shootings?Author: Tanya Basuhttps://www.thedailybeast.com/whats-next-for-school-shooting-victims?ref=scrollTanya Basu opens her article by stating, "Another week, another school shooting." Let that sink in. The Douglas High School shooting in Florida is the 1,607th since Sandy Hook [December 14, 2012]. Let that sink in. Attention is often focused on the psychology of perpetrators but adequately treating survivors of school shootings is often left behind.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/whats-next-for-school-shooting-victims?ref=scroll


Experiencing the death of teachers and classmates and gun violence in a place considered "safe" has serious repercussions. Research found that witnessing gun violence causes the organization of the brain stem to change as a coping mechanism to the stress. ADD, behavioral impulsivity, anxiety, sleep disturbances, cardiovascular differences, and aggression have been observed to result after the trauma. Another study showed that 44.3% of children who experience violent crime showed signs of moderate PTSD. Post traumatic stress alters amygdala functioning causing numbness to the situation, while cortisol increases making the children more susceptible to stress and depression. The chronic emotional distress inevitably alters school performance, with research finding math and english scores to drop. The effect school shootings have on society is grim and permanent. Although counseling services for survivors has improved, more can and should be done to prevent these horrific tragedies and also to heal those affected.

ACQOL Bulletin Vol 2/7: 150218 Bulletin of the Australian Centre on Quality of LifeEditor: Robert A. Cumminshttp://www.acqol.com.au/Note 1: This site is under development and some content is missing.Note 2: Please address any correspondence to the editor only.


other person.Background: This is a companion paper to the PWI analysis, by these authors, featured last week.Reference: Moller, V., Roberts, B. J., & Zani, D. (2018). The National Wellbeing Index in the isiXhosa translation: focus group discussions on how South Africans view the quality of their society. Social Indicators Research, 135, 167-193.Summary: This focus group study tests understanding of the NWI when translated intoisiXhosa. The isiXhosa keywords for the domains of social conditions, the natural environment, national security, and management of the country’s affairs (government) were readily understood, but discussants asked for further clarification of keywords for the domains relating to the economy and business. Conversations showed up the close link between personal and national wellbeing: discussants drew upon their personal and parochial life experiences along with their knowledge of current affairs to evaluate the nation’s quality of life. The study also pointed to a potential problem for longitudinal studies if the bipolar satisfaction scale, formerly used to measure the International Wellbeing Index’s PWI and NWI, is changed to a unipolar one.

Comment on Moller et al (2018)Robert A. CumminsWhat this paper clearly demonstrates is that, at least in the authors’ hands, the NWI is an effective tool for qualitative research into views of national wellbeing. Equally clear is that the scales does not work as originally intended. Instead of providing an abstracted view of how the various national domains are functioning, people are focussing on the local environment to provide their answers. We find the same in Oz. Over the past 15 years, satisfaction with ‘the natural environment’ has been creeping up despite the fact of global


warming and inexorable destruction of the Great Barrier Reef, etc. Because there is little evidence of these forces operating locally, they are generally ignored. Moreover, even if the local circumstances changed, people would likely still be oblivious due to adaptation. This makes the NWI fundamentally different from the PWI. Whereas people can quite easily abstract ‘satisfaction with their own health’, it requires a higher level of education, intellect, and effort to abstract a satisfaction response to national domains.

Welcome to new members Associate Professor Linda Byrne [[email protected]] is Deputy Head of the School of Psychology at Deakin and Director of Teaching and Learning. Linda is a clinical psychologist with research interests in cognitive neuropsychology and the neuropsychiatric disorders of schizophrenia, OCD and Parkinson’s disease.

Dr Jake Linardon <[email protected]> writes “I started at Deakin as a Lecturer after submitting my PhD thesis late last year at Australian Catholic University. My research interests include evaluating the effectiveness of various psychological treatments for eating disorders. I have particular experience and expertise in meta-analysis, where I've been the lead author on 10 meta-analyses published since early 2017. I'm looking forward to building collaborations, so feel free to contact me to discuss possibilities.”

Media release by ACQOL membersDr Melissa WeinbergDoes mindfulness work?

http://this.deakin.edu.au/lifestyle/does-mindfulness-work?utm_source=Marketo&utm_medium=EDM&utm_campaign=this-all-staff

When Harvard researchers Killingsworth and Gilbert released their 2010 paper on the links between mindfulness and mood, many were led to believe that, as the title claimed: A

wandering mind is an unhappy mind. The paper triggered huge support for mindfulness practice as a universal, one-size-fits-all solution to calm the unhappy mind. After all, the

results showed that mind-wandering occurred at a rate of about 47%! That’s almost half the time!...

Brief reportHomelessness, mental health and the cost of housing

Fransham, M., & Dorling, D. (2018). Homelessness and public health. British Medical Journal, 360(k214 ), 1-2. doi:10.1136/bmj.k214http://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/360/bmj.k214.full.pdfThe number of people officially recorded as sleeping on the streets of England rose from 1768 in 2010 to 4751 in autumn 2017. This rise in homelessness has its roots in welfare reform and the housing market. It is almost entirely accounted for by an increase in families losing their privately rented housing…


Executive Volunteer MediaFeel the love: Time Out City Life Index reveals that Melbourne is the happiest city in the worldRose, J.https://www.timeout.com/melbourne

https://www.timeout.com/melbourne

http://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/360/bmj.k214.full.pdf

It’s said that Melburnians can be a little smug sometimes – but who can blame us when we’ve got world-class dining options, a rich arts landscape and a killer live music scene? The Time Out City Life Index has revealed that Melbourne is not only one of the most exciting cities in the world for culture and going out; it’s also one of the happiest. Basically, we’re more than a little bit in love with our city, and we don’t care who knows about it.https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/news/feel-the-love-time-out-city-life-index-reveals-that-melbourne-is-the-happiest-city-in-the-world-013018?cid=email--NEWSLETTER--APAC_AU_MEL_EN_WEEKLY_08-02-18%20-%20B--1401246317--Feb%208,%202018--03



other person.

Background: Valerie Moller [email protected] has sent two papers for us to discuss, one 2015 and one 2018. These will be featured in consecutive weeks. Valerie writes “Apart from reviewing how isiXhosa speakers understood and rated themselves on the PWI and NWI, the papers also report the PWI and NWI values obtained in the nationally representative survey of South Africans conducted through Ben Roberts’ annual South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS) in 2012. The 2018 paper also reports that we quizzed our focus group respondents if they would have rated their satisfaction on the NWI differently if they had been presented with the new rating scale. Some of them said they would have, and qualified their reasons for this, which we found intriguing. Ben has undertaken to compare how the two scales compare in the latest SASAS Survey, which we hope to report on in a future paper.”

Reference: Møller, V., Roberts, B., & Zani, D. (2015). The Personal Wellbeing Index in the South African IsiXhosa Translation: A Qualitative Focus Group Study. Social Indicators Research, 124, 835-862.Summary: This qualitative study explored the meaning of the isiXhosa version of the PWI in focus group discussions with native speakers. The study found that PWI items related to material well-being, living standards, achievements in life and future (financial) security were best understood. The PWI items referring to personal relationships and community connectedness were seen as nearly identical in meaning. Both translation and cultural factors may be responsible for the conflation of these two items. The PWI item on religion and spirituality was seen to embrace both Christian and traditional African beliefs and practice, without prejudice. A new item on daily activities was piloted with good results. The focus group study also showcased the manner in which discussants worked with the rating scale and drew on social comparisons when evaluating global and domain satisfactions.

Comment on Moller et al (2015)Robert A. Cummins



https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/news/feel-the-love-time-out-city-life-index-reveals-that-melbourne-is-the-happiest-city-in-the-world-013018?cid=email--NEWSLETTER--APAC_AU_MEL_EN_WEEKLY_08-02-18%20-%20B--1401246317--Feb%208,%202018--03



This is a well-designed and reported qualitative study. Such research is difficult to conduct, yet crucial to understanding the conceptual reach of SWB to cultural groups outside the Western mould. While the PWI domains are generally familiar to the isiXhosa people, the paper also demonstrates the breadth of life areas which are brought into consideration when people reflect on each domain. Importantly, however, this does not represent how people normally respond to such questions when completing a questionnaire. The few seconds people take to respond to each item is consistent with their predominant use of mood as information under such conditions. The results also evidence domain inadequacy. Most obvious is the poor discrimination between personal relationships and community connection within this collectivist culture. Future security is similarly problematic, being poorly understood in this group, even though the authors had used ‘future (financial) security. These conclusions join with other lines of evidence that cross-cultural, factorial invariance for the PWI, requires a much reduced version of the scale.

Further discussion of this/these paper(s), for circulation to members, is invited. Send to: [email protected]

Substantive comments received by midnight on Tuesday 13 February Oz time will be published in the following Bulletin.

ACQOL members are invited to send their papers, on the topic of life quality, for distribution to other members under the same conditions

VolunteeringPlease welcome our new volunteer Kylie Veale Sotheren ([email protected])

Executive Volunteer Editor – Instruments

I’m a third year BPsych(Hons) student at Deakin University, studying remotely from Brisbane while balancing a full-time job and parenting four daughters with my husband. Psychology is a career change for me: I’ve been a Program/Project Management professional in software development for 20+ years and I realised a few years ago that it was a career I fell into, rather than chose. As I have previous Masters- and PhD-level research experience in human e-behavior, and have academically published journal articles and book chapters, I am fortunate to now be following my passion. Some of my interests in psychology are subjective well-being, personality, death and dying, QoL in ageing, and older persons mental health. I welcome the opportunity to assist with ACQoL in their ongoing research.


Welcome to new members Sandi James [[email protected]]PsychologistQOL keys: Alcohol ; Addiction; LGBTQ community; Trauma; Recovery; Mental Health

Dr Wendy Shoesmith [[email protected]]Associate Professor in PsychiatryUniversiti Malaysia SabahQOL keys: Mental health, healthc(Fransham & Dorling, 2018)are systems, basic psychological needs, collaborative practice, action research.

Borneo ConferenceThe 1st Borneo Quality of Life Conference was hosted by the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah. The conference chair, Associate Professor Helen Benedict Lasimbang [[email protected]], welcomed around 200 participants to the three-day event from 24th to 26th January.

The conference resolved to:1. Develop a research community around quality of life in Borneo.2. Raise awareness of these issues.3. Organise the 2nd Borneo Quality of Life Conference in April 2019.4. To submit a bid for the International Quality of Life Conference to be held in 2021.


Executive Volunteer MediaTitle: Social Media and HappinessAuthor :http://kulraj.org/2015/11/30/social-media-and-happiness-the-unfortunate-truth/

Social media has become part of daily life with over 2 billion active social media users going online for an average of 2.5 hours a day. What is social media fueling in us? A research study found that the overlapping reason for using social media was pleasure. With the gain of pleasure comes the risk for addiction too. Social media use becomes problematic when it is used for extended amounts of time, possibly causing mental and emotional dependence. Neuroscientists found that viewing social media engages the prefrontal cortex in the same manner as when people feel the need to relax and disengage. Self-obsession may also be a reason for social media addiction. A study observed how the brain reward system, the nucleus accumbens, was activated when participants received positive social feedback via Facebook. The activation was significantly positively correlated with the intensity of Facebook use. What's wrong with overusing social media is you are connecting with information and with others? A study found that we're not as connected after all. Social media users were not found to have larger offline social networks nor to feel emotional closeness, when compared to non-users. Being aware of social media use is the first step towards limiting it.

ACQOL Bulletin Vol 2/5: 010218 Bulletin of the Australian Centre on Quality of LifeEditor: Robert A. Cummins

http://www.acqol.com.au/Note 1: This site is under development and some content is missing.Note 2: Please address any correspondence to the editor only.

Paper for private studyThe attached paper, on the topic of life quality, is sent to you for your personal private study and discussion within ACQOL. You are prohibited from further distributing this paper to any other person.

Reference: Pimentel, D. A. V., Aymar, I. M., & Lawson, M. (2018). Reward work, not wealth. Oxford: Oxfam International DOI: 10.21201/2017.1350.

Summary: Last year saw the biggest increase in billionaires in history, one more every two days. This huge increase could have ended global extreme poverty seven times over. 82% of all wealth created in the last year went to the top 1%, and nothing went to the bottom 50%.Dangerous, poorly paid work for the many is supporting extreme wealth for the few. Women are in the worst work, and almost all the super-rich are men. Governments must create a more equal society by prioritizing ordinary workers and small-scale food producers instead of the rich and powerful.

Comment on Pimentel et al (2018)Robert A. CumminsThese statistics are at least as concerning as those on global warming. Aside from the ethical issue, they signal the breakdown of human society on the planet and are the harbinger of uncontrollable levels of social unrest. Money is likely the most powerful and flexible resource for the normal maintenance of subjective wellbeing. So national wealth needs to be managed in a way that is popularly considered to be a fair distribution. Self-management is not reliable because humans have a strong need, but no genetically-provided ‘off’ button for the accumulation of money. So such excesses, as are evidenced by these statistics, can only be curtailed by governmental decrees.

Further discussion of Forjaz et al (2012)ACQOL Bulletin Vol 2/4: 250118 provided a comment on the article:Forjaz, M. J., Ayala, A., Rodriguez-Blazquez, C., Prieto-Flores, M. E., Fernandez-Mayoralas, G., Rojo-Perez, F., & Martinez-Martin, P. (2012). Rasch analysis of the International Wellbeing Index in older adults. International Psychogeriatrics, 24(02),324–332.

The original comment on this article is reproduced below, together with a second comment that has been received.

Comment#1 on Forjaz (2012)Robert A. CumminsThis paper reports various interesting results on the PWI, using a good sample of Spanish people >60y. Rasch analysis of the 0-10 response scale indicates all scale items displayed disordered thresholds. To deal with this, categories 1 to 4 were collapsed, making the new response scheme 01111234567. This is consistent with other studies showing that people have poor discrimination between responses <50 points. This appropriate deletion effectively reduces the response scale to 7 choices. Additionally, the 3 scale items of items of standard of living, health, and spirituality, had a high fit residual, indicating they were measuring a different construct, and were deleted. It is unusual to find standard of living being excluded for this reason. However, this result may have been influenced by the sample characteristics. The sample mean (59.6 points) is abnormally low and the SD (15.5) abnormally high, both in agreement with the authors’ finding that 25.2% of the sample had depressive


characteristics. Moreover, 31.6% of the sample had either no education or incomplete primary school. These people may have struggled to understand the items and response task.

Comment#2 on Forjaz (2012)Mark Stokes <[email protected]>Interesting paper. I am not sure that I agree with their analysis. They have undertaken a single random sampling of 300 participants from their 1106 recruited participants. Good practice would have been to confirm their results with several other random samples of 300 from the data, averaging these, and stating how little the analyses differed (SDs), or by including all cases in the reported analysis. There is no valid reason offered for effectively deleting 806 participants. Our own analysis with school children (n=1240; Tomyn, Stokes, Cummins & Dias, in submission) demonstrated that all items fitted the Rasch model with no DIF, and only a single disordered threshold for Standard of Living among Australian respondents. This was caused by the lowest decile of PWI scorers not seeing their Standard of Living as the lowest it could be, while some with higher PWI scores felt their Standard of Living was lower than those with the lowest PWI. These two results are with different scales, albeit, both exploring the same underlying construct, but in different populations. While Tomyn et al. provide evidence of adequate function of the PWI-SC in a large sample, as Forjaz et al.’s study was with the PWI adult version, it cannot be concluded that Forjaz et al. are in error. However, an explanation needs to be found as to why a larger study finds one version of the PWI to be functional and another study using a smaller sample does not. It may be as simple as that children are less nuanced in their responses, or that they see fewer options to decide, or that when their PWI has fallen to low levels, homoeostatic defeat has not yet occurred. Thus, Tomyn et al. indicates the PWI-SC does function. The failure of fit with the Rasch model when the sample is small (e.g.: Forjaz et al.) when compared to a test when the sample is large on a different version indicates the construct underlying the two scales is robust in at least one circumstance, and not in another with a smaller sample. Nonetheless, the close agreement of Forjaz et al.’s disordered thresholds with Richardson, Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, Tomyn and Cummins (2014) results for disordered thresholds, and most importantly, the agreement with theory render Forjaz’ et al.’s results as very interesting. However, Forjaz et al. had the resource to evaluate their own fits and did not. Consequently, Forjaz et al.’s result appears to be a reasonable approximation of how the PWI functions with adults. Although the quality of the analysis cannot be evaluated this from this report, and I would like to have seen either the full data analysed, or the authors to have undertaken a set of random draws to obtain validation samples.

ReferencesRichardson, B., Fuller Tyszkiewicz, M. D., Tomyn A. J., & Cummins, R. A. (2015) The Psychometric equivalence of the Personal Wellbeing Index for normally functioning and homeostatically defeated Australian adults. Journal of Happiness Studies, 15, 43-56. DOI 10.1007/s10902-015-9613-0

Tomyn, A. J., Stokes, M. A., Cummins, R. A. & Dias, P. C. (submitted 151217). A Rasch Analysis of the Personal Wellbeing Index – School Children in Australia and Portugal.

Further discussion of these papers, for circulation to members, is invited. Send to: [email protected]

Substantive comments received by midnight on Tuesday 06 February Oz time will be published in the following Bulletin.

ACQOL members are invited to send their papers, on the topic of life quality, for distribution to other members under the same conditions.



Title: Brain ‘Pacemaker’ for Alzheimer’s Shows Promise in Slowing Demise-

Author: Rachel Rettnerhttps://www.livescience.com/61573-alzheimers-brain-pacemaker.html

There may be hope for those suffering from the deterioration of Alzheimer’s disease. Three Alzheimer’s patients had deep brain stimulation implants implanted in their frontal lobes while connected to batteries. This area of the brain is involved in “executive functioning” which includes decision making, attention, planning and problem solving. Participants periodically completed a cognitive test to measure improvement. After 2 years, the “brain pacemaker” caused the participants to have a slower decline of executive functions, when compared to the control group. This study is the first to attempt to stimulate other areas of the brain not solely related to memory. Scharre reports that the mechanisms of deep brain stimulation are not completely understood, but he states that it may help block interfering brain signals or promote brain cell function. Dr. Douglas Scharre describes that “We have many memory aids, tools and pharmaceuticals to help with memory but we don’t have anything to help with improving judgements, decision making, and focus.” Although they seem simple and routine to us, all of these executive functions are involved in carrying out daily tasks like brushing our teeth and making our beds.

ACQOL Bulletin Vol 2/4: 250118 Bulletin of the Australian Centre on Quality of LifeEditor: Robert A. Cumminshttp://www.acqol.com.au/Note: This site is under development and some content is missing.


other person.

Reference: Forjaz, M. J., Ayala, A., Rodriguez-Blazquez, C., Prieto-Flores, M. E., Fernandez-Mayoralas, G., Rojo-Perez, F., & Martinez-Martin, P. (2012). Rasch analysis of the International Wellbeing Index in older adults. International Psychogeriatrics, 24(02),324–332.


https://www.livescience.com/61573-alzheimers-brain-pacemaker.html


Summary: Rasch analysis was applied to both the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) and the National Wellbeing Index (NWI) using data from a representative sample of 1106 community-dwelling adults >60y in Spain. Five PWI items (achieving in life, relationships, safety, community connectedness, and future security), and five NWI items (economic situation, state of environment, social conditions, business, and national security of the country) fitted the Rasch model. It is concluded that reduced versions of the PWI and the NWI provided valid and reliable linear measures in older adults.

Discussion of this paper, for circulation to members, is invited. Send to: [email protected]

Substantive comments received by midnight on Tuesday 30 January Oz time will be published in the following Bulletin.


Comment on Forjaz (2012)Robert A. CumminsThis paper reports various interesting results on the PWI, using a good sample of Spanish people >60y. Rasch analysis of the 0-10 response scale indicates all scale items displayed disordered thresholds. To deal with this, categories 1 to 4 were collapsed, making the new response scheme 01111234567. This is consistent with other studies showing that people have poor discrimination between responses <50 points. This appropriate deletion effectively reduces the response scale to 7 choices. Additionally, the 3 scale items of items of standard of living, health, and spirituality, had a high fit residual, indicating they were measuring a different construct, and were deleted. It is unusual to find standard of living being excluded for this reason. However, this result may have been influenced by the sample characteristics. The sample mean (59.6 points) is abnormally low and the SD (15.5) abnormally high, both in agreement with the authors’ finding that 25.2% of the sample had depressive characteristics. Moreover, 31.6% of the sample had either no education or incomplete primary school. These people may have struggled to understand the items and response task.

News of MotherSarah Khor <[email protected]> has been continuing her endeavours to bring our ‘Mother’ data file to the point of public release. Sarah has provided the following update:

The following has been achieved with the AUWI database work: 1. Cataloguing of all variables have been completed for surveys in which longitudinal IDs are

traceable. As a refresher, this included 25 longitudinal and 33 cross-sectional surveys. Codebooks/data dictionaries have been developed for each of these surveys.

2. An overview spreadsheet of all variables asked of participants across time has been produced from this.

3. Mother has been deconstructed into individual survey raw data files, with variants of the same variable individually identified.

Planned tasks:

1. Longitudinal surveys with missing IDs as well as survey time frames are being traced through file archives.

2. Longitudinal file merging is currently being tested to examine attrition rates and identify “problem” observations.


3. Other testing as necessary to ensure data fidelity. The dataset is in ‘useable’ condition in its current state, however, further checking and validation is required in the coming months before going “live”. The addition support from of Ella Garth [[email protected]], our new volunteer is welcomed as she will be assisting with the planned tasks as well as trialling use of the database and testing for errors in the coming months. Integration into the ACQOL website is anticipated over the 3-6 months, although additional IT support will be needed to allow end-users to conduct their own data extraction without needing support from ACQOL database specialist.

Media news

The six ingredients for a longer, happier life Sarah Berry http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellbeing/the-six-ingredients-for-a-longer-happier-life-20170919-gykq3h.html

Often, when we discuss health and longevity, we talk about the individual parts rather than the harmony of the whole. But it is the combination of the parts that is key, according to Professor Maria Fiatarone Singh, a leading geriatrician from the University of Sydney. Interestingly, although it is important to care for the physical machinery that makes us up, the primary parts that keep our engines humming well into our old age have nothing to do with physical maintenance…

ConferenceThe Asian Conference on Psychology & the Behavioral Sciences 2018

Venue & Location: Art Center Kobe, Kobe, JapanDates: Thursday, March 22, 2018 to Saturday, March 24, 2018Registration Deadline for Presenters: February 09, 2018



other person.

Reference: Bieda, A., Hirschfeld, G., Schönfeld, P., Brailovskaia, J., Zhang, X. C., & Margraf, J. (2017). Universal happiness? Cross-cultural measurement invariance of scales assessing positive mental health. Psychological Assessment, 29(4), 408-421.

Summary: This large study assessed cross-cultural measurement invariance of scales for 6 positive constructs: Social Support (Fydrich, Sommer, Tydecks, & Brähler, 2009), Happiness (Subjective Happiness Scale; Lyubomirsky & Lepper, 1999), Life Satisfaction (Diener,


Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985), Positive Mental Health Scale (Lukat, Margraf, Lutz, van der Veld, & Becker, 2016), Optimism (revised Life Orientation Test [LOT-R]; Scheier, Carver, & Bridges, 1994) and Resilience (Schumacher, Leppert, Gunzelmann, Strauss, & Brähler, 2004). Respondents were undergraduates in Germany, Russia, and China. The best result they could find was partial scalar, often down to 2 items, for all scales except the LOT-R and Subjective Happiness Scale, which failed completely.


Substantive comments received by midnight on Tuesday 23rd January Oz time will be published in the following Bulletin.


Comment on Bieda etal (2017)Robert A. CumminsBig is not better. But some editors disagree, with increasing numbers of cross-cultural papers involving multiple scale comparisons across multiple countries. The result is often new results without new understanding. This paper fits the mould. The reported differences between countries cannot be simply interpreted, with all scales failing to achieve strict invariance. fatal flaw Even if an interesting result had been found, it would have been ungeneralizable to the national populations because all data came from undergraduates. Such people share a culture (academic), are likely to be weakly mono-cultural due to travel or internet exposure, and are non-representative of the general population on key demographic variables known to influence subjective wellbeing.

Welcome to new member Dr Emma Sciberras ([email protected])

Senior Lecturer in Psychology School of Psychology

Melbourne Burwood Campus https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Emma_Sciberras

+61 3 925 17222

Media release by ACQOL membersAssociate Professor Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz

<[email protected]>

Deakin develops new app to help carers reduce stresshttp://www.deakin.edu.au/about-deakin/media-releases/articles/deakin-develops-new-app-to-help-carers-reduce-stress

Almost half of carers experiencing low levels of wellbeing believed their conditions improved after five weeks of using a new mobile phone app, designed by Deakin University researchers in partnership with Australian Unity.

http://www.deakin.edu.au/about-deakin/media-releases/articles/deakin-develops-new-app-to-help-carers-reduce-stress

http://www.deakin.edu.au/about-deakin/media-releases/articles/deakin-develops-new-app-to-help-carers-reduce-stress


The app has been developed to reduce stress and was recently tested in a clinical trial led by Deakin’s School of Psychology, with the results published by the Australian Centre on Quality of Life today------------[see attached for the media story and extent of media coverage]



The Science of ResilienceBari Walshhttps://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/15/03/science-resilience

In her article, Walsh summarizes key points about child resilience research. The biggest defining factor is having a supportive and stable relationship with an adult. Regular interactions build the basis for the developing brain's capacities-- such as the ability to plan, monitor, and regulate behavior, and adapt to changing circumstances-- that enable children to respond to adversity and thrive. In the absence, the body perceived the chronic caregiver absence as a threat and initiates a stress response that alters bodily and mental physiology. Stress becomes toxic and children fail to adapt. But, a supportive caregiver isn't all that it takes do develop resilience. Characteristics that also influence are: a sense of mastery over life circumstances, strong executive function and self-regulation skills and a supportive context of faith or culture. Most importantly, resilience is a tool that can be built because it is born from the combination of supportive relationships, adaptive capacities AND positive experiences.



other person.

Reference: Nieuwenhuijse, A. M., Willems, D. L., van Goudoever, J. B., Echteld, M. A., & Olsman, E. (2017). Quality of life of persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities: A narrative literature review of concepts, assessment methods and assessors. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 1-11.

Summary: This narrative review concerns the concepts, methods of assessment, and results from empirical studies on quality of life of persons with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities. Twenty-one articles are included in the analysis. The distinction between objective and subjective QOL was difficult to clarify. Assessment by triangulation and proxy responding are judged to be problematic and requiring more study.


https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/15/03/science-resilience


Substantive comments received by midnight on Tuesday 16th January Oz time will be published in the following Bulletin.


Comment on Nieuwenhuijse et al (2017)Robert A. CumminsThis is a rather grim paper. It is evident from this review that no substantial advance has been made over the past 30 years in understanding how to measure the subjective life quality of people with a profound level of disability (IQ <20). The review cites 21 empirical articles, with data collected using six measurement instruments samples. However, the samples are generally too small for the instruments to be reliably psychometrically assessed, so the derived results on subjective states cannot be validated. The authors suggest that the use of proxy evaluations ‘needs further investigation’. I disagree. A substantial and coherent literature, involving respondents who are able to self-report, demonstrates that proxy estimations of subjective states are invalid. The danger of using this technique with people who are unable to self-report is that, while observers can reliably report on the behavior they see, there is no way of validating their translation of this information into levels of subjective life quality.



Title: Dancing to flow and life qualityAuthor: Jill Sonke,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23mve5S90Ws&feature=youtu.be

A future doctor turned dancer, presents her experience as an artist in residence with the University of Florida. Sonke speaks of a sickle cell patient who she would visit in the hospital to dance the intense pain away. Bertus transformed when dancing and described that the pain never left, but she stopped caring due to having fun. Bertus would then instruct her doctors to half her pain medication. Sonke reported that Bertus had mastered entering the "artist flow state" that allowed her body to switch to a relaxing state (not fight or flight) which then allowed her immune system to heal. Judy, an older aged woman with Parkinson's, dances every day passionately. Art aids in transcendence that improves sense of wholeness and quality of life. The possibilities are endless. Any person suffering from an illness, or not, can experience this by learning to engage their attention in a creative activity. This act releases endorphins and dopamine, chemicals that decrease pain and stress. Sonke finished by stating that although art will never replace medicine, medicine can be much better with the assistance of it.

Potential collaborationKris Fernando <[email protected]>

The Accident Compensation Corporation is using the Personal Wellbeing Index as an outcome measure for several of its mental health services and we obtained the relevant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23mve5S90Ws&feature=youtu.be


permission to use this measure. We also think that it would be a useful outcome measure for clients receiving our traumatic brain injury services. In New Zealand, spirituality is an integral part of the Maori culture and we would like to use the spirituality question as a core rather than optional question. We also think that it is important, in recognition of the importance of this dimension for Maori clients that it is the first of the eight questions administered following the general question about satisfaction with life as a whole. Would you and your team have any objection to ACC including spirituality as a core questions and changing the order in which the items are administered?

Dr Kris Fernando, Manager Psychology and Mental Health, ACC

Tel (09) 354-8544 / Mobile (027) 452-9263 / Ext: 98544ACC / Clinical Services Directorate / 18 Sale Street - Level 3PO Box 5343 Wellesley St / Auckland 1141 / New Zealand / www.acc.co.nz

Cummins replied:There is no strong objection to this proposal, but there are three matters for your consideration.

First, you are going to have to offer people with no religion or spiritual beliefs an op-out from answering this question. I think this is better placed at the end of the sequence than at the beginning.

Second, we do know that the answers people give to these types of questions are influenced by preceding items. We have not systematically investigated this influence in the PWI but placing the S/R question first at least has the potential to provide different data from your previous administrations.

Third, the rationale for this change seems questionable since all of the core domains are an ‘integral part’ of the Maori culture. The ordering of the domains does not reflect their relevance to the respondents. When you study your data using multiple regression, regressing all of the items against ‘life as a whole’, you will find that the key domains are standard, relationships and achieving.

ACQOL Bulletin Vol 2/1: 040118Bulletin of the Australian Centre on Quality of LifeEditor: Robert A. Cumminshttp://www.acqol.com.au/Note: This site is under development and some content is missing.


other person.

Reference: Misajon, R., Pallant, J., & Bliuc, A. M. (2016). Rasch analysis of the personal wellbeing index. Quality of Life Research, 25(10), 2565-2569. doi: 10.1007/s11136-016-1302-x

Summary: The Personal Wellbeing Index is evaluated using the Rasch measurement model and data from Australia and Canada. Results indicate excellent psychometric properties of the PWI, provided the religion/spirituality item is excluded. In addition, only very mild disordered thresholds were observed for the ‘safety’ item, indicating that overall, the 11-point response format was suitable for this population.



Substantive comments received by midnight on Tuesday 09 January Oz time will be published in the following Bulletin.


Comment on Misajon et al (2016)Robert A. CumminsI have two comments. First, they find that the ‘religion/spiritual’ item evidenced disordered thresholds, and that the model fit improved significantly after its removal. However, since they did not use a gating question, to establish whether respondents had a spiritual or religious experience, some people would have responded to the item even though the topic was not part of their life. Thus, this particular result does not constitute evidence against the inclusion of this domain.

Second, in their introduction, the authors state that their data are derived from a healthy adult population. This is justified by citing a previous study of elderly people which found only five domains fit the Rasch model. To ensure healthy adults, they filtered their data excluding people who scored <7/10 on ‘a self-rating of physical health’. This is a very interesting procedure. It is highly likely that they filtered-out people who scored <50 on the PWI, thereby eliminating people who are known to have disordered thresholds. Since their aim was to investigate fit in normally-functioning samples, this procedure has much to recommend it.



Psychology Explains New Year Resolutions, Hits and MissesRaj Persaud and Peter Bruggenhttps://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/slightly-blighty/201712/psychology-explains-new-year-resolutions-hits-and-misses

Setting New Year’s Resolutions is easier than following through with them. New psychological research, from Wolley and FIshbach, found that 55.2% of resolutions were health related, 34.4% were work related and 5.2% were social goals. Participants believed that enjoyment and importance of the goal affected the success of the resolution, but researchers found that only enjoyment predicted long-term persistence. Seppo Iso-Ahola’s investigation declares that understanding why fitness resolutions are successful boils down to an issue over freedom to do what we want in our leisure time. Resolutions must be activities that have to be undertaken regardless of conditions. Once a set of health routines are established, these then begin to operate below conscious awareness, so you don’t have to think too hard about them. Then the benefits of exercise become a positive feedback loop; physical activity makes us feel better about ourselves and directly improves mental health, well-being and brain function. This may mean, for example, altering your environment so that it encourages you to take exercise.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/slightly-blighty/201712/psychology-explains-new-year-resolutions-hits-and-misses

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/slightly-blighty/201712/psychology-explains-new-year-resolutions-hits-and-misses


Potential collaborationAnna Jones <[email protected]>

I am a research officer from the Social Policy Research Centre at UNSW Sydney. I am currently part of a research team evaluating a recently introduced government program. We are advising the program managers to imbed the application of the PWI into their processes to measure whether there is a change in QOL for those accessing the program. I have a couple of questions regarding the application of the PWI and I was wondering whether you would be able to assist:

Is there are limit to how frequently you can complete the PWI with a single individual? We are looking at using the PWI when an individual commences the program, when transitioning to different levels of the program and then at exit from the program.

When answering the questions, is the individual meant to report on how satisfied they are feeling on that given day, or on average over the past week or fortnight etc?

Can individual’s provide half numbers (e.g. 6.5) or do they need to nominate the nearest whole number that best fits (e.g. 6 or 7)?

I realise there is a version of the PWI for intellectual and cognitive disability – is there normative data for any other disability types (e.g. spinal injury, PTSD)?

Anna JonesSenior Research OfficerSocial Policy Research Centre | Faculty of Arts and Social ScienceUNSW Sydney NSW 2052 AustraliaT: +61 (2) 9385 7820 F: +61 (2) 9385 7838 E: [email protected]:sprc.unsw.edu.au

http://www.sprc.unsw.edu.au/


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