Industry Funding Is Correlated With Publication Productivity of US Academic Radiation Oncologists

Purpose

Industry payments to physicians are financial conflicts of interest and may influence research findings and medical decisions. We aim to (1) characterize industry payments within radiation oncology; and (2) explore the potential correlation between receiving disclosed industry payments and academic productivity.

The role of National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAG) in strengthening health system governance: Lessons from three middle-income countries—Argentina,Jordan, and South Africa (2017–2018)

IntroductionToward the Global Vaccine Action Plan 2020 goal, almost 90% of countries have established a National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG). However, little is known about NITAG's contributions to governance.MethodsIn 2017–2018, a two-step, qualitative retrospective study was conducted. Jordan (JO), Argentina (AR), and South Africa (SA) were selected owing to government-financed NITAGs from middle-income countries (MICs), geographic diversity, and a vaccine introduction with NITAG support. Country case studies were developed, collecting data through desk review and face-to-face key informant interviews (KIIs) from Ministry of Health (MoH) and NITAG. Case studies were analyzed together, to assess governance applying the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies framework focusing on transparency, accountability, participation, integrity, and policy capacity (TAPIC).ResultsDocument review and 53 KII (22 AR, 20 SA, 11 JO) showed NITAGs played a pivotal role as advisors promoting a culture of evidence-informed policies. NITAGs strengthened governance, although practices varied among countries. Meetings were conducted behind-closed-doors, participation restricted to members, only in one country agendas, and recommendations were public (AR). To increase participation, policy capacity, and transparency, countries considered adding experts in communications, advocacy, and economics. AR and SA contemplated including community members. NITAGs functioned autonomously from the government, with no established internal or external monitoring or supervision. NITAG meeting minutes allowed the review of integrity, adherence to terms of reference, standard operating procedures, and conflict of interest (CoI). For the most part, NITAGs abided by their mandates. Significant issues were related to the level of MoH support and oversight of CoI declaration and documentation.ConclusionsSystematically implementing governance approaches could improve processes, better tailor policies, and implementation. The long-term survival and resilience of NITAGs in these countries showed they play a significant role in strengthening governance. Lessons learned could be useful to those promoting country-driven evidence-informed decision-making.     

Negotiation strategies of adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder during social conflicts

This study investigated the differences between negotiation strategies of adolescents with high functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD) and typically developing adolescents. Twenty-one adolescents with HFASD and 27 typically developing adolescents, matched on age, school year and gender distribution, completed negotiation strategy and conflict resolution questionnaires designed to measure the negotiation factors and the conflict resolution styles used during conflict situations. The participants with HFASD reported fewer negotiation skills as reflected by lower self-confidence, lower cooperation, less communication and fewer compromise skills. The decreased use of negotiation strategies by adolescents with HFASD may be related to their difficulty in attributing mental states to others, and may impact their ability to deal with social conflicts and create positive interactions and rewarding relationships.     

Dating violence: A cross-lag path model with pregnant and parenting adolescents

IntroductionDating violence is a common problem among adolescents, particularly among Latinx pregnant and parenting adolescents, and can be detrimental to adolescent parents and their children. However, little is known about whether different forms of dating violence behaviors are stable over time or what influences changes in these behaviors. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to use an exploratory autoregressive cross-lag path model to analyze whether conflict resolution, verbally abusive, and physically abusive behaviors were stable over time and whether these behaviors predicted one another in the future.MethodA total of 285 pregnant or parenting adolescents attending eight high schools in the Southwestern U.S. completed a pre-test at the beginning of a semester, a follow-up survey at the end of the semester, and a post-test at the end of the following semester to longitudinally assess the strategies they used when resolving a conflict with their partners (i.e., conflict resolution strategies, verbally abusive behaviors, and/or physically abusive behaviors).Results and conclusionsAn autoregressive cross-lag model was performed to determine whether conflict resolution, verbally abusive, and physically abusive behaviors at one time point predicted the same variables in the future. Results from the autoregressive cross-lag model indicated that adolescents’ reports of their conflict resolution strategies and verbally abusive behaviors were stable across time, but their use of physically abusive behaviors were not. Additionally, conflict resolution strategies predicted lower levels of verbally abusive and physically abusive behaviors.     

Conflict resolution patterns and violence perpetration in adolescent couples: A gender-sensitive mixed-methods approach

This study used a sequential two-phase explanatory design. The first phase of this mixed-methods design aimed to explore conflict resolution strategies in adolescent dating couples, and the second phase to document, from both the perspective of the individual and of the couple, dyadic interaction patterns distinguishing youth inflicting dating violence from those who do not. A sample of 39 heterosexual couples (mean age 17.8 years) participated in semi-structured interviews and were observed during a 45 min dyadic interaction. At phase 1, qualitative analysis revealed three main types of conflict resolution strategies: 1) negotiating expectations and individual needs; 2) avoiding conflicts or their resolution; 3) imposing personal needs and rules through the use of violence. At phase 2, we focused on couples with conflictive patterns. Results indicate that couples who inflict violence differ from nonviolent couples by their tendency to experience conflicts when in disagreement and to resort to negative affects as a resolution strategy. In addition, while at an individual level, they show a tendency to withdraw from conflict and to use less positive affect, at a dyadic level they present less symmetry. Results offer important insights for prevention programs.     

Relations Between Depression Level and Conflict Resolution Styles,Marital Adjustments of Patients With Major Depression and Their Spouses

The objective of this study was to determine to relations between the depression level and the conflict resolution styles, marital adjustments of the depressed patients and to analyze the conflict resolution styles, marital adjustments of both the patients and their spouses as the possible predictors of depression levels. The research comprised 113 patients with major depression and their spouses. While there was a negative correlation between depression scores and positive and subordination conflict resolution styles subscales of the patients, there was a positive correlation between the depression scores and negative conflict resolution style subscale. Negative correlation was observed between the depression and marital adjustment scores of patients (p < 0.05). The conflict resolution styles and marital adjustment of depressed patients and their spouses are predictors of depression in patients.