The overall goal of the current dissertation is to uncover predictors and outcomes of positive parenting in ethnic minority families. Chapter 2 provides an overview of commonly used observational... Show moreThe overall goal of the current dissertation is to uncover predictors and outcomes of positive parenting in ethnic minority families. Chapter 2 provides an overview of commonly used observational instruments to measure sensitivity, showing the versatility and scientific importance of the construct. The results presented in Chapter 3 suggest that mothers of different cultural backgrounds and socioeconomic groups have a highly similar view on maternal sensitivity. In Chapter 4, the results show that both acculturation stress and general psychological distress mediated the relation between socioeconomic status and positive parenting in Turkish minority families with young children. The results of the empirical study presented in Chapter 5 suggest that family stress processes play a role in adolescents’ behavioral outcomes, whereas family investment processes play a role in adolescents’ cognitive-behavioral outcome in Turkish minority families. Overall, the studies described in this thesis have shown that parenting beliefs and behaviors in ethnic minority families can only be understood in light of factors that are often related to minority status, such as lower socioeconomic status, higher general family stress, and acculturation stress. These factors should be taken into account in research and practice regarding parenting behaviors and child development in ethnic minority families. Show less
The primary aim of the NormQuest study described in this thesis was to generate evidencebased, reference values for 19 self-report and observational questionnaires. The focus was on questionnaires... Show moreThe primary aim of the NormQuest study described in this thesis was to generate evidencebased, reference values for 19 self-report and observational questionnaires. The focus was on questionnaires measuring mood, anxiety, and somatoform (MAS) disorders used in Routine Outcome Monitoring (ROM). The set of cut-off values of the ROM reference group (__healthy__) can be used in specialized mental health care by therapists to support the decision whether a patient is sufficiently recovered to be considered as a member of the healthy population, and no longer as a member of the patient population. These reference values are suitable as decision support for referral back to primary care physicians. Additionally, the set of the ROM patient group (__clinically ill__) cut-off values can be used by primary care physicians as decision support for referral to the specialized mental health care. To allow determination of cut-off points for skewed distributions, percentile scores were used. In addition, we assessed the discriminative power of the questionnaire scores by means of Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) analyses. Finally, we calculated reference values in separate strata of gender and age. The secondary aim of the NormQuest study concerned the need for the development of public domain questionnaires. In the NormQuest study, the generic Symptom Questionnaire-48 (SQ-48), aimed at broad applicability in patients with MAS disorders, was developed. Also, for the SQ-48 reference values were calculated Show less
Berg, N.J. van de; Dobbelsteen, J.J. van den; Jansen, F.W.; Grimbergen, C.A.; Dankelman, J. 2013
The work presented in this thesis involves the development of new instrumental techniques and analysing tools, combining high spectral resolution with high spatial information, with the aim to... Show moreThe work presented in this thesis involves the development of new instrumental techniques and analysing tools, combining high spectral resolution with high spatial information, with the aim to increase our understanding of the formation and evolution of stars and planets. First, a novel instrumental concept is presented that aims to achieve high spatial and spectral resolution by combining existing Echelle spectrographs with existing optical interferometers. Subsequently, several studies combining high spatial and spectral resolution are presented. We investigate the immediate environment of the massive young stellar object MWC349A, using the VLT-interferometer. New methods are presented to analyse the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect during stellar eclipses. By using this effect it is possible to obtain spatial information on stellar surface scales, something difficult to achieve by other means. Using these new tools we show that the spin axes in both stars of in the DI Herculis system are strongly tilted with respect to the orbital angular momentum. This solves a 20-year-old riddle about the DI Herculis system, involving its apparently slow apsidal motion. In the final chapter of this thesis sodium measurements for the atmosphere of the extrasolar planet HD209458b using ground-based transmission spectroscopy are presented. Show less
