Security is something that people tend to care about. But is it also something that they should care about? To explore this question, this dissertation first develops a new conceptual framework of... Show moreSecurity is something that people tend to care about. But is it also something that they should care about? To explore this question, this dissertation first develops a new conceptual framework of security. Next, it analyses how security relates to some key values for liberal democratic societies. The first of these is well-being. It is argued that there are important ways in which security can contribute to somebody’s well-being – but there are also ways in which security may hamper a person’s flourishing. The second value is freedom. It is shown that in public decision-making freedom and security may come at each other’s cost – yet there are also ways in which the two can work to each other’s benefit. The third value is equality. It is demonstrated that in order for a society to meet the demands of equality it must provide its members with a particular set of securities – while at the same time the pursuit of equality puts another set of securities out of reach. Ultimately, this dissertation finds no reason for considering security to be good for its own sake, but it argues that security can be good for the sake of well-being, freedom, and equality. Show less
Vitamin D is a hormone produced in the skin via a non-enzymatic process involving ultraviolet light.It is well known that the physiology of aging makes older people particularly susceptible to... Show moreVitamin D is a hormone produced in the skin via a non-enzymatic process involving ultraviolet light.It is well known that the physiology of aging makes older people particularly susceptible to vitamin D deficiency and that, if untreated, it can have serious health consequences. This thesis deliberates on the topics of vitamin D supplementation in older people in light of the current guidelines and on the possible additional effects of ultraviolet light beyond vitamin D synthesis on nursing home residents. We present a cross-sectional study in nursing home residents aged 70 years and over designed to evaluate the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation in achieving vitamin D sufficiency. We also discuss the different supplementation strategies for nursing home residents and community dwelling persons aged 70 years and over based on a survey administered to general practitioners and elderly care physicians in the Netherlands.In the second part we concentrate on additional effects of ultraviolet light beyond vitamin D synthesis. We describe our systematic review of literature on the effect of ultraviolet light, when applied to the skin or eyes, on mood, depression and well-being. We present also our randomized controlled trial on the effect of ultraviolet radiation compared with oral vitamin D supplementation on the well-being of nursing home residents with dementia. Further we use the data of the RCT to carry out a post-hoc analysis to compare the effect of vitamin D alone compared with ultraviolet radiation on the blood pressure of old people with dementia. Show less
This dissertation reports about the construction and validation of the Apperception Test God Representations. First, results of a meta-analysis demonstrated that for adherents of monotheistic... Show moreThis dissertation reports about the construction and validation of the Apperception Test God Representations. First, results of a meta-analysis demonstrated that for adherents of monotheistic religions, their perceived and experienced relationship with the personal god they believe in, was associated with well-being and distress. Also, as was expected based on object-relations and attachment theory, God representations were associated with views of self and others and with neuroticism/optimism. However, these results were mostly based on self-report measures of God representations, which are thought to be susceptible to social desirability and doctrine effects. Many scholars believe that God representations are for an important part implicit. Because well-validated implicit God representation measures did not exist, this thesis project examined the validity of a newly developed measure. In a group of 74 Christian patients with personality disorders and a group of 71 Christian nonpatients, associations of implicitly measured God representations with implicitly and explicitly measured distress and object-relational and explicitly measured personality functioning were compared with associations of explicitly measured God representations with these variables. For patients, associations between changes in God representations and changes in distress and explicit object-relational functioning after psychotherapy were examined. Results predominantly corroborated the construct validity of the ATGR. Show less
The average person spends more than one-third of their life working. Considering that work plays a central role in our lives, many of us are concerned about choosing career paths that are... Show moreThe average person spends more than one-third of their life working. Considering that work plays a central role in our lives, many of us are concerned about choosing career paths that are sustainable. However, as much as we want to, we cannot craft sustainable careers by simply making the right career decisions. Our careers are continuously affected by less controllable aspects in our lives, such as societal changes and the organization we work for. To understand what makes careers sustainable, we need to investigate how the person together with other contextual stakeholders can influence sustainable careers. This dissertation consists of four empirical chapters that study the consequences of a number of contemporary career choices made by the individual, such as working from home and becoming self-employed, and the influence of supervisors and society on sustainable careers. Additionally, this thesis sheds light on the challenges that certain minority group members face in building a sustainable career. The findings demonstrate that contemporary work forms, such as working from home, have the potential to promote sustainable careers but only if supervisors support individuals’ decisions. Moreover, this dissertation shows that women and non-parents may face greater challenges in crafting a sustainable career. Show less
Patients treated for DTC represent a unique clinical population to investigate aspects of thyroid hormone metabolism, thyroid function and related clinical endpoints. Thyroidectomized patients... Show morePatients treated for DTC represent a unique clinical population to investigate aspects of thyroid hormone metabolism, thyroid function and related clinical endpoints. Thyroidectomized patients have no intrinsic T3 production and are completely dependent on peripheral deiodination of exogenous T4. Furthermore, during long-term follow-up thyroid hormone serum levels are frequently measured and the majority of patients have a normal life-span related to high cure rates. Mostly, no autoimmune origin of hypothyroidism is present to take account of, which may have effects on thyroid hormone metabolism itself. It is therefore favorable to investigate the influence of e.g. genetic factors and certain drugs on thyroid metabolism and other endpoints in an athyreotic population.In this thesis several aspects being encountered in the diagnostic process, therapeutic process and follow-up of a thyroid carcinoma are addressed: - Bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7) and downstream proteins as a tool to differentiate between different thyroid pathologies - Thyroid function following hemithyroidectomy - Thyroid dysfunction following treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors - Clinical effects of genetic variation in deiodinases - Factors affecting quality of life in patients treated for DTC Show less
This thesis describes the role of a problem solvingintervention approach in improving quality of work and well-being of healthcare employees. The promising results of a problem solving intervention... Show moreThis thesis describes the role of a problem solvingintervention approach in improving quality of work and well-being of healthcare employees. The promising results of a problem solving intervention as wellas the strength and limitations of it, point at the possible importance ofproblem solving research within the field of health care employeesinterventions. The study limitations that are described in the generaldiscussion, however, also point at the need for carefull interpretation of thestudy results. Therefor, more extensive research is needed to furtherunderstand the interventional and theory based mechanisms that underlie healthcare employees problem solving behaviors. There is stil much more to know aboutthe role of specific problem solving mechanisms in health care interventions.Implementing the results of this thesis in future problem solving studies inhealth care employees might bring the appli cation of problem solving theory inthe field of worksite health promotion up to a next level. Show less
