Test method for assessing the emotional intelligence of adolescents (MSCEIT-YRV)

This paper contains a description of the task methodology for assessing the level of development of emotional intelligence in adolescents aged 10 to 18 years MSCEIT–YRV (Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test – Youth Research Version). The paper provides main data on the adaptation of the methodology to the Russian-speaking sample. Adaptation and psychometric testing of the methodology were carried out using data from 996 adolescents aged 10 to 18 years (430 boys and 566 girls, mean age 13,3 years). This methodology provides information on the general level of development of emotional intelligence, indicators of the Experiential and Strategic domains of emotional intelligence and scores for four abilities (identification of emotions, facilitation of thought, understanding emotions and emotion management). The main psychometric indicators of reliability and validity of MSCEIT-YRV meet the requirements of test standardization. The paper also describes gender and age differences in emotional intelligence, shows a comparison of normative samples for the English and Russian versions of the MSCEIT–YRV method.

Developing the Technique for Assessing the Degree of Victimization in Adults

Introduction. Victimity is a predisposition to become a victim of crime. Victimization is (a) the event of violence or the experience of violence, (b) the process of a subject’s transformation into a victim of criminal assault, and also (c) the result of this process. The objective of this paper is to describe the procedure of developing a technique for assessing victimization in adults. No attention has been devoted to such techniques (tests) for adults in previous research. Methods. A combination of external, deductive, and inductive strategies helped to elaborate test tasks intended to assess the degree of victimization. Two contrasting groups (N=389 and N=400) participated in a pilot study. The comparison of the pilot testing results in these groups enabled the authors to select the test tasks for men and women. Results. The findings confirmed that the developed test met standard reliability criteria (internal consistency and test-retest stability and reliability). The developed test also meets all the known validity criteria such as validation of the test construction process and substantive, obvious, concurrent (diagnostic), consensual, construct, convergent, contrast, and gender validity. The test scales (subtests) diagnose the following seven types of victimization: (i) overall victimization, (ii) implemented victimization, predisposition to (iii) aggressive, (iv) self-destructive, (v) dependent, and (vi) non-critical victimization, and (vii) the degree of a subject’s vulnerability to manipulation. Discussion. The construct of victimization as diagnosed by this test is positively correlated with the tendency to risky behavior, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem and negatively associated with assertiveness. All this corresponds well to the essence of victimization. The test standardization was carried out on a sample of 563 men and 513 women, representative of the study prospective population in terms of gender, age, education, profession, official capacity, social status, and region of residence. The representativeness of the study samples was confirmed by a normal distribution of test results.

Perceptual-Motor Maturity in Adolescence and the Tanner Stages: A Study with Bender-Gradual Scoring System

Visual-motor skill forms an important psycho diagnostic component and is associated with psycho-neurological aspects. The Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test, widely used for the evaluation of this area, is meant for children up to 11 years. In adolescence, the changes associated with puberty generate nonlinear anthropometric development resulting in mild and temporary incoordination. This study investigated the relation between visual-motor development measured by the Bender test and pubertal changes according to the Tanner scale. In all 134 adolescents of both sexes, aged from 10 to 15, who kept routine medical appointments, participated. We used the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test, Raven’s Progressive Matrices Test, and medical chart data. The techniques were applied individually. Pubertal changes were associated with the Bender test results showing higher scores at the G3 stage, the period corresponding to a growth spurt, compared to the G5 stage (p = .007, ES = .187), the post-growth spurt period in boys. Age and gender did not influence the Bender test scores. According to the Raven test, the g intelligence factor, interfered significantly in the visual-motor performance (r = –57%, p < .001). Schooling, repetition of a school year, and developmental problems (p = .002, ES = .156; p = .002, ES = .623; p < .001, ES = .880, respectively) obtained similar results. The Bender Test was sensitive to schooling and maturational problems during adolescence. There was an association between visual-motor development and sexual maturity in male adolescents. Our results indicate the usefulness of the Bender Test at older ages than those used in the test standardization.

Tumor mutational load in gynecological and breast cancer.

44 Background: Lack of test standardization and conflicting results on PD1 and PD-L1 immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays challenge their use as predictive biomarkers for checkpoint inhibitors. High tumor mutational load (TML) has been linked to therapeutic response with immune checkpoint inhibition in melanoma, lung and colorectal cancer. Herein, we explore association of TML and PD1/PD-L1 expression in gynecological (GC) and breast cancer (BC). As secondary aim we explore the association of TML with BRCA1/2 mutations. Methods: De-identified data from molecular profiling on GC and BC tumors from the CARIS Life Sciences database was analyzed after obtaining IRB approval. TML was defined as the total number of nonsynonymous, somatic mutations per Mb sequenced with a 592-gene panel. PD-1 IHC was tested on Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TIL) with the cutoff of 1/HPF; PD-L1 expression was measured on tumor cells with the cutoff of 2+, 5%. Biomarker association was tested with ANOVA test (SPSS v23, IBM). Results: As shown in table, cervical (CC) and endometrial cancers (EC) had the highest TML and squamous CC and triple negative BC (TNBC) tumors with highest PD-L1. In EC, MSI-H was associated with higher TML when compared to MSS (20.1 vs. 6.1, p<0.001); 4 POLE-mutated tumors all carried TML (36-678) higher than mean (11.5). TML was not associated with PD1 or PDL1 positivity in any of the diseases. BRCA1/2 mutations were associated with higher mean TML in ovarian cancer (OC) (6.8 vs. 5.4 in wild type, p<0.001) but not in BC (6.3 vs. 6.8 in wild type, p=0.48). Conclusions: In this sample of patients who underwent molecular profiling, there was no association between TML and PD1 or PD-L1 expression. Association between BRCA1/2 tumor mutations and TML in OC is worth exploring. High TML in CC and EC support the development of immunotherapy for these diseases. [Table: see text]