ALBERT

Description: Background One of the most widely used instruments to measure depression in childhood and adolescence is Kovacs’s Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI). Even though this particular measure sparked massive interest among researchers, there is no clear consensus about its factorial structure. It has been suggested that inconsistencies in findings can be partly ascribed to the cultural context. The aim of this study was a) to examine and verify the factor structure of CDI in the Czech population and b) to assess gender-related psychometric differences using the mean and covariance structure (MACS) approach and differential item functioning (DIF) analysis. Methods The research sample consisted of 1,515 adolescents (ages 12 to 16 years, 53.7% female) from a non-clinical general population. Based on exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on a random subsample (N = 500), we proposed a model that was subsequently tested on the rest of the sample (N = 1,015) using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Following the MACS procedure, we assessed measurement invariance in boys and girls. The between-group comparison was further supplemented by a DIF analysis. Results The proposed hierarchical four-factor model (General Symptoms, Negative Self-Concept, Inefficiency, and Social Anhedonia) with a second-order factor of depression fitted the data reasonably well (χ2 = 1281.355; df = 320; RMSEA = 0.054, CFI = 0.925). Regarding gender differences, we found no substantial signs of measurement invariance using the MACS approach. Boys and girls differed in first-order latent means (girls scored higher on General Symptoms with a standardized mean difference of 0.52 and on Negative Self-Concept with a standardized mean difference of 0.31). DIF analysis identified three items with differential functioning. However, the levels of differential functioning were only marginal (in two items) or marginal/moderate and the presence of DIF does not substantially influence scoring of CDI. Conclusion In the general adolescent population in the Czech Republic, the CDI can be considered a reliable instrument for screening purposes in clinical settings and for use in research practice. Instead of the originally proposed five-factor model, we recommend using the newly established four-factor structure. The measure seems to show only marginal psychometric differences with respect to gender, and overall measurement invariance in boys and girls seems to be a tenable assumption.

Description: Title in English: Physical activity as an effective means of non-pharmacological care in oncology. Much of the existing research confirms the assumption that regular physical activity can play a crucial role in nonpharmacological therapy and quality of life management in cancer survivors. The treatment of oncological diseases itself brings about numerous undesirable side effects, such as cardiotoxicity, anxiety, depression, sarcopenia, polyneuropathy, cancer fatigue and sleep disorders. Regular physical activity is associated with significant benefits for health including a lower risk of developing certain types of tumours and elimination of the accompanying undesirable effects of oncological treatment. A number of epidemiological studies found a correlation between regular physical activity and lower mortality linked to oncological diseases. The minimal amount of the activity needed to gain this benefit has not been established, however, the recommendations of ACSM indicate that at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity are needed per week. Physical exercise as nonpharmacological treatment is a domain of cancer survivors therapy whose aim is to incorporate targeted controlled exercise programmes into the overall treatment plan of the patients. Exercise programmes can be performed both in the duration of the illness as well as in the period prior to the treatment or in the course of adjuvant antitumour treatment (including chemotherapy) and in survivors. When prescribing physical activity it is necessary to take current health condition of the patient into account including their comorbidities, age or the level of physical fitness. If controlled physical activity is to become an indispensable part of oncological treatment it will be necessary to prove the therapy is safe and cost-effective.