Papers by Marcel Pieterse
Psychology & Health, 2009
Background: This study aims to examine the combined role of work and domestic burden on women's a... more Background: This study aims to examine the combined role of work and domestic burden on women's and men's perceived well-being. Methods: Observations result from two large Belgian cohorts [SOMSTRESS (1999-2002) and BELSTRESS III (2004-2008)] comprising 4810 workers in 9 firms, aged between 28 and 66. Three logistic regressions were performed using respectively (1) anxiety (SLC-90), (2) chronic fatigue (Vercoulen), and (3) subjective health evaluation as dependent variables. Sex, occupational stress (''iso-strain'', Karasek), and homework interference (Kelloway) were entered as independent variables. Adjustments were made for age, education, occupation, social support outside work, child(ren) responsibilities, and marital status. Findings: High iso-strain, high homework interference and their interaction are predictive of anxiety and chronic fatigue, especially in women. Bad health evaluation is linked to high iso-strain and high homework interference but no sex effect was found. Discussion: findings will be discussed within the frame of the gender roles perspective.
Addictive Behaviors Reports
Cancer Research, 2020
Objective: More than 50% of all breast cancer patients experience fatigue symptoms during and aft... more Objective: More than 50% of all breast cancer patients experience fatigue symptoms during and after their treatment course. Recent evidence shows that fatigue is partly driven by cognitive biases, such as the self-as-fatigued identity bias, which may be corrected with computer-based Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) techniques. The aim of the current study was the intervention design of such a CBM-training by adopting a co-creation approach. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven health professionals, three breast cancer patients and two patient advocates. Aim of the interviews was to collect input for the design of the CBM-training taking the attitude and preferences of the stakeholders into account and to determine the timing and implementation of the training in the treatment course. Results: Overall, the interviews showed that CBM was accepted among all stakeholders. Important requirements were revealed, such as that the training needs to be simple, undema...
Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 2020
Introduction: Personality traits may predict the use of substances in individuals with mild intel... more Introduction: Personality traits may predict the use of substances in individuals with mild intellectual disabilities (MID) or borderline intellectual functioning (BIF). The Dutch version of the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS), adapted for this population, was tested on its psychometric properties. Method: Individuals with MID or BIF (IQ 50-85; N = 91) were recruited via disability care facilities or addiction treatment centers in the Netherlands. Reliability and validity was assessed with confirmatory factor analyses, internal consistency, and correlational analyses. Results: The original four-factor structure of the SURPS was supported. Criterion validity was partially supported by associations between substance use and three subscales, and moderation analyses confirmed that these findings are independent of IQ status (MID vs. BIF). Conclusion: The Dutch version of the SURPS adapted for individuals with MID-BIF has adequate psychometric properties, and seems suitable for research both within samples of individuals with MID and individuals with BIF.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in anautomated databas... more All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in anautomated database, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the University of Twente.
The European health psychologist, 2016
Introduction. This study assessed the effectiveness of an adaptation of the Dutch evidence-based ... more Introduction. This study assessed the effectiveness of an adaptation of the Dutch evidence-based substance use prevention intervention ‘Healthy School & Drugs’ (HSD), implemented nation-wide in regular secondary education, but now targeted to secondary Special Education. The multimodal program includes a series of 4 lessons supported with written materials and audiovisual tools, teacher training and support, and parental involvement. We also examined whether program effects were moderated by subtypes of SE schools. Methods. In a quasi-experimental study design the HSD program was compared to usual curriculum. A total of 363 students (M = 13.9, SD = 0.82) from 13 Dutch secondary SE schools participated, recruited from several subtypes of schools: intellectual and physical disabilities, learning disabilities and developmental disorders, and behavioral and emotional disorders. Students were administered paper-and-pencil questionnaires at baseline and at 5 months post-treatment follow-u...
BACKGROUND eHealth interventions are developed to support and facilitate patients with lifestyle ... more BACKGROUND eHealth interventions are developed to support and facilitate patients with lifestyle changes and (self) care tasks after being diagnosed with a chronic heart disease. Creating long lasting effects in lifestyle change and health outcomes with eHealth interventions is challenging and requires good understanding of patient values. OBJECTIVE This study aims to identify which values of cardiac patients should be considered when designing a technological lifestyle platform. METHODS A mixed-method design was applied, combining data from usability testing with an additional online survey study, to validate the outcomes of the usability tests. RESULTS Eleven relevant patient values were identified, including the need for security, support, not wanting to feel anxious, tailoring of treatment, and personalized, accessible care. The validation survey shows that all values but one (Value 9: To have extrinsic motivation to accomplish goals or activities (related to health/lifestyle)) ...
Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse, 2020
The United Kingdom and the Netherlands exhibit similar levels of heavy episodic drinking but diff... more The United Kingdom and the Netherlands exhibit similar levels of heavy episodic drinking but different drinking patterns among youths. This study aimed to assess the impact of country of residence on heavy episodic drinking among 293 British and Dutch youths, accounting for other behavioral determinants. Participants completed online questionnaires measuring impulsivity, sensation-seeking, alcohol consumption, and constructs from the Theory of Planned Behavior [TPB]. Mediation analysis established that British youths engaged in more frequent heavy drinking episodes than Dutch youths, as they had weaker intentions to refrain from heavy drinking, and lower perceived behavioral control. Country of residence also was a direct predictor of frequency of heavy drinking episodes, not mediated by personality traits. Thus, country of residence seems an important factor in heavy episodic drinking, partly mediated through TPB constructs. Interventions may benefit from targeting country-specific drinking behavior and related socio-psychological mechanisms.
BACKGROUND Blended face-to-face and Web-based treatment is a promising way to deliver cognitive b... more BACKGROUND Blended face-to-face and Web-based treatment is a promising way to deliver cognitive behavioral therapy. Since adherence has been shown to be a measure for treatment’s acceptability and a determinant for treatment’s effectiveness, in this study, we explored adherence to a new blended smoking cessation treatment (BSCT). OBJECTIVE The objective of our study was to (1) develop an adequate method to measure adherence to BSCT; (2) define an adequate degree of adherence to be used as a threshold for being adherent; (3) estimate adherence to BSCT; and (4) explore the possible predictors of adherence to BSCT. METHODS The data of patients (N=75) were analyzed to trace adherence to BSCT delivered at an outpatient smoking cessation clinic. In total, 18 patient activities (eg, using a Web-based smoking diary tool or responding to counselors’ messages) were selected to measure adherence; the degree of adherence per patient was compared with quitting success. The minimum degree of adhe...
BACKGROUND More than 50% of all breast cancer patients experience fatigue symptoms during and aft... more BACKGROUND More than 50% of all breast cancer patients experience fatigue symptoms during and after their treatment course. Recent evidence shows that fatigue is partly driven by cognitive biases, such as the self-as-fatigued identity bias, which may be corrected with computer-based Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) techniques. OBJECTIVE The aim of the current study was to design such a CBM-training by adopting a co-creation approach. METHODS Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven health professionals, three breast cancer patients and two patient advocates. Aim of the interviews was to collect input for the design of the CBM-training, taking the values and preferences of the stakeholders into account and to determine the timing and implementation of the training in the treatment course. RESULTS Overall, the interviews showed that the concept of CBM was accepted among all stakeholders. Important requirements were revealed, such as that the training needs to be simple, u...
BACKGROUND Blended face-to-face and web-based treatment is a promising way to deliver smoking ces... more BACKGROUND Blended face-to-face and web-based treatment is a promising way to deliver smoking cessation treatment. Since adherence has been shown to be an indicator for treatment acceptability and a determinant for effectiveness, we explored and compared adherence and predictors of adherence to a blended and a face-to-face smoking cessation treatment, both similar in content and intensity. OBJECTIVE The objectives of this study were (1) to compare adherence to a blended smoking cessation treatment (BSCT) with adherence to a face-to-face treatment (F2F); (2) to compare adherence within the blended treatment to its F2F-mode and Web-mode; and (3) to determine baseline predictors of adherence to both treatments as well as (4) the predictors to both modes of the blended treatment. METHODS We calculated the total duration of treatment exposure for patients (N=292) of a Dutch outpatient smoking cessation clinic, who were randomly assigned either to the blended smoking cessation treatment (...
Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2018
Background: The number of mobile apps that support smoking cessation is growing, indicating the p... more Background: The number of mobile apps that support smoking cessation is growing, indicating the potential of the mobile phone as a means to support cessation. Knowledge about the potential end users for cessation apps results in suggestions to target potential user groups in a dissemination strategy, leading to a possible increase in the satisfaction and adherence of cessation apps. Objective: This study aimed to characterize potential end users for a specific mobile health (mHealth) smoking cessation app. Methods: A quantitative study was conducted among 955 Dutch smokers and ex-smokers. The respondents were primarily recruited from addiction care facilities and hospitals through Web-based media via websites and forums. The respondents were surveyed on their demographics, smoking behavior, and personal innovativeness. The intention to use and the attitude toward a cessation app were determined on a 5-point Likert scale. To study the association between the characteristics and intention to use and attitude, univariate and multivariate ordinal logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: The multivariate ordinal logistic regression showed that the number of previous quit attempts (odds ratio [OR] 4.1, 95% CI 2.4-7.0, and OR 3.5, 95% CI 2.0-5.9) and the score on the Fagerstrom Test of Nicotine Dependence (OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.8-0.9, and OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.8-0.9) positively correlates with the intention to use a cessation app and the attitude toward cessation apps, respectively. Personal innovativeness also positively correlates with the intention to use (OR 0.3, 95% CI 0.2-0.4) and the attitude towards (OR 0.2, 95% CI 0.1-0.4) a cessation app. No associations between demographics and the intention to use or the attitude toward using a cessation app were observed. Conclusions: This study is among the first to show that demographic characteristics such as age and level of education are not associated with the intention to use and the attitude toward using a cessation app when characteristics related specifically to the app, such as nicotine dependency and the number of quit attempts, are present in a multivariate regression model. This study shows that the use of mHealth apps depends on characteristics related to the content of the app rather than general user characteristics.
Behavior Research Methods, 2019
Wearable physiological measurement devices for ambulatory research with novel sensing technology ... more Wearable physiological measurement devices for ambulatory research with novel sensing technology are introduced with ever increasing frequency, requiring fast, standardized, and rigorous validation of the physiological signals measured by these devices and their derived parameters. At present, there is a lack of consensus on a standardized protocol or framework with which to test the validity of this new technology, leading to the use of various (often unfit) methods. This study introduces a comprehensive validity assessment protocol for physiological signals (electrodermal activity and cardiovascular activity) and investigates the validity of the E4 wearable (an example of such a new device) on the three levels proposed by the protocol: (1) the signal level, with a crosscorrelation; (2) the parameter level, with Bland-Altman plots; and (3) the event level, with the detection of physiological changes due to external stressor levels via event difference plots. The results of the protocol show that the E4 wearable is valid for heart rate, RMSSD, and SD at the parameter and event levels, and for the total amplitude of skin conductance responses at the event level when studying strong sustained stressors. These findings are in line with the prior literature and demonstrate the applicability of the protocol. The validity assessment protocol proposed in this study provides a comprehensive, standardized, and feasible method for assessment of the quality of physiological data coming from new wearable (sensor) technology aimed at ambulatory research.
BACKGROUND Blended treatment – a combination of Web-based and face-to-face (F2F) therapy – is a p... more BACKGROUND Blended treatment – a combination of Web-based and face-to-face (F2F) therapy – is a promising eHealth service, because it is expected that in blended treatment the strengths of one mode of delivery will compensate for the weaknesses of the other. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to examine the key elements of the patients’ user experience (UX) in a blended smoking cessation treatment (BSCT) in routine care. METHODS Patients’ UX was collected by in-depth interviews (n=10) at an outpatient smoking cessation clinic in the Netherlands. Content analysis of semantic domains was used to analyze the patients’ UX. For the description of the UX, Hassenzahl’s UX model from a user perspective was applied examining the key elements of UX: (1) standards and expectations, (2) apparent character (pragmatic and hedonic attributes), (3) usage situation, and (4) consequences (appeal, emotions, behavior). RESULTS In general, the UX of BSCT was good. Patients had a positive-pragmatic stand...
Annals of translational medicine, 2018
Time-varying covariance occurs when a covariate changes over time during the follow-up period. Su... more Time-varying covariance occurs when a covariate changes over time during the follow-up period. Such variable can be analyzed with the Cox regression model to estimate its effect on survival time. For this it is essential to organize the data in a counting process style. In situations when the proportional hazards assumption of the Cox regression model does not hold, we say that the effect of the covariate is time-varying. The proportional hazards assumption can be tested by examining the residuals of the model. The rejection of the null hypothesis induces the use of time varying coefficient to describe the data. The time varying coefficient can be described with a step function or a parametric time function. This article aims to illustrate how to carry out statistical analyses in the presence of time-varying covariates or coefficients with R.
JMIR research protocols, 2018
Recent theoretical models emphasize the role of impulsive processes in alcohol addiction, which c... more Recent theoretical models emphasize the role of impulsive processes in alcohol addiction, which can be retrained with computerized Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) training. In this study, the focus is on action tendencies that are activated relatively automatically. The aim of the study is to examine the effectiveness of online CBM Alcohol Avoidance Training using an adapted Approach-Avoidance Task as a supplement to treatment as usual (TAU) in an outpatient treatment setting. The effectiveness of 8 online sessions of CBM Alcohol Avoidance Training added to TAU is tested in a double-blind, randomized controlled trial with pre- and postassessments, plus follow-up assessments after 3 and 6 months. Participants are adult patients (age 18 years or over) currently following Web-based or face-to-face TAU to reduce or stop drinking. These patients are randomly assigned to a CBM Alcohol Avoidance or a placebo training. The primary outcome measure is a reduction in alcohol consumption. We ...
Procedia Engineering, 2016
A cotinine sensor based on the dc resistance of a polymer composite films is presented. The compo... more A cotinine sensor based on the dc resistance of a polymer composite films is presented. The composite film comprises a cotinine selective molecularly imprinted polymer and carbon nanotube particles. This polymer film is deposited over a gold interdigitated electrode array to measure its electrical resistance. The electrical resistance of the imprinted polymer changes upon its selective binding to the cotinine molecule. The electrical resistance increases with the increase in cotinine concentration, for the addition of 1000 ng/ml cotinine the resistance increases by ca. 190 kΩ. As a control experiment the response of un-imprinted polymer is also tested, which does not show any dependence on the cotinine concentration. Cotinine concentration in body fluid reflects the extent of tobacco smoking. This sensor has a potential to be used to detect active and passive smoking levels.
Addiction Research & Theory, 2017
Background: Substance use is known to be episodic, dynamic, complex, and highly influenced by the... more Background: Substance use is known to be episodic, dynamic, complex, and highly influenced by the environment, therefore a situational and momentary focus to alcohol craving research is appropriate. Current advances in mobile and wearable technology provide novel opportunities for craving research. However, the lack of consensus within craving theory impedes the identification and prioritization of parameters to be monitored. The aim of this study is to critically review current craving models in order to determine viable theoretical frameworks of alcohol craving and its essential parameters. Methods: Eighteen models of craving were reviewed by applying a literature search with a five-step strategy that accounted for the momentary nature of craving and included a snowballing search and a key term extraction algorithm. Based on this review, multiple decision criteria were defined upon which to evaluate the models. Results: Six models for alcohol craving were supported by sufficient empirical research to be eligible. The inferences drawn on these six models resulted in three decision criteria: the model should (1) incorporate negative affect as a predictor of relapse; (2) explain that dependent drinkers have a higher attentional bias towards alcohol cues than nondependent drinkers; (3) incorporate increased risk of relapse with heightened stress levels. Conclusions: The affective processing model of negative reinforcement, the cognitive processing model, the incentive sensitization theory of addiction and the theory of neural opponent motivation are classified as viable theoretical frameworks, resulting in negative affect and stress as relevant parameters to include in real-time craving monitoring research.
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Papers by Marcel Pieterse