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Smoke Inhalation, Lung Function, And Heart Rate In Wildland Firefighters, Jordan E. Nelson Jan 2020

Smoke Inhalation, Lung Function, And Heart Rate In Wildland Firefighters, Jordan E. Nelson

All ETDs from UAB

Given the close proximity to the fire front and limited use of respiratory protection, wildland firefighters are exposed to elevated levels of biomass smoke during regular occupational shifts. Due to the complex composition of biomass smoke, the relationships relating biomass smoke exposure to health outcomes has yet to be elucidated. In addition to occupational exposures, increasing intensity of wildfire events may place communities within close proximity to wildfires at risk of biomass smoke exposure. This study aimed to assess exposures to biomass smoke particles and quantify respiratory and cardiovascular health responses during active fire events using novel monitoring techniques. Personal …


Assessing Diabetes Risk Among Hispanic Populations: Development And Validation Of A Risk Score Using Readily Available Information, Lucia Juarez Jan 2019

Assessing Diabetes Risk Among Hispanic Populations: Development And Validation Of A Risk Score Using Readily Available Information, Lucia Juarez

All ETDs from UAB

Background: Diabetes prevalence is increasing worldwide affecting vulnerable popula-tions, in particular Hispanics living in the United States (U.S.). The burden of diabetes and its complications can be reduced by identifying those at high risk and routing them to treatment and intensive behavioral interventions. Aim: The aim of this study is to develop and validate a simple score to identify undiag-nosed diabetes among Hispanics living in the U.S. Methods: A representative sample of Hispanics living in the U.S. was used to develop and validate the score. Logistic regression was used to identify significant risk factors and model coefficients were used to …


Associations Between Dietary Fat Intake And Waist Circumference, Phonchit Teng Soukhamneut Jan 2019

Associations Between Dietary Fat Intake And Waist Circumference, Phonchit Teng Soukhamneut

All ETDs from UAB

The objective of this study was to assess: 1) trends in dietary fat intake from 2003-2016 2) the association between type of dietary fat intake and waist circumference (WC), 3) the association between type of dietary fat intake and body shape, and 4) whether these associations vary by sex and race/ethnicity. This secondary data analysis included 27,057 adults aged 19 to 65 from the National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2016. For WC, participants were categorized into high-risk (men: WC ≥ 40 in; women: WC ≥ 35 in) and low-risk (men: WC < 40 in; women: WC < 35 in). Total fat intake was categorized as high (TOTFAT ≥ 35%) and low (TOTFAT< 35%). Saturated fat intake was categorized into high (SATFAT ≥ 10%) and low (SATFAT < 10%). Unsaturated fat intake was categorized into high (UNSATFAT ≥ 25%) and low (UNSATFAT < 25%). Logistic regression was performed to assess the associations between DFI and WC and DFI and body shape, controlling for age, BMI, and total caloric intake. NHW men with high TOTFAT were found to have 1.41 (OR: 1.41, 1.19 – 1.68) times the odds of having a high-risk WC compared to men with a diet low in TOTFAT, controlling for age, BMI, and total caloric intake. NHW men with a diet high in SATFAT were at increased odds of having a high-risk WC compared to men with a diet low in SATFAT, after controlling for covariates (OR: 1.49, 1.21 -1.84). NHW men with a diet high in UNSATFAT were at increased odds of having a high-risk WC compared to men with a diet low in UNSATFAT after controlling for covariates (OR: 1.375, 1.09 – 1.74). There were no significant associations found among NWB and MA men for any type of dietary fat intake. For women, no associations were found between type of dietary fat and WC by race/ethnicity. There were no associations between DFI and body shape by race/ethnicity groups and sex. Future studies are needed to further investigate the body shape cut-off points for increased risk associated with chronic disease.


Identifying Associated Risk With Exposure Ti Weapon Carrying Among Emerging Adults Living In Disadvantaged Urban Areas In Birmingham, Tolulope Aduroja Jan 2019

Identifying Associated Risk With Exposure Ti Weapon Carrying Among Emerging Adults Living In Disadvantaged Urban Areas In Birmingham, Tolulope Aduroja

All ETDs from UAB

IDENTIFYING ASSOCIATED RISK WITH EXPOSURE TO WEAPON CARRYING AMONG EMERGING ADULTS LIVING IN DISADVANTAGED URBAN AREAS IN BIRMINGHAM TOLULOPE ADUROJA HEALTH EDUCATION/HEALTH PROMOTION ABSTRACT Weapon carrying is a public health concern due to its association with a serious injury, disability or death, and adverse health-related outcomes. Weapon carrying among youth is associated with both intrinsic or internalizing and extrinsic or externalizing factors (Stayton, 2011). Violence in youth and young adults is the 2nd leading cause of death (homicide) in Alabama. Health behavior theories posit that health-relevant attitudes, beliefs, and behavioral skills drive subsequent actions people take to protect themselves from …


Influencing The Positive Mental Health Of Non-Kinship Foster Children: The Lived Experiences Of Foster Parents In Alabama, Sarah Catherine Tucker Jan 2019

Influencing The Positive Mental Health Of Non-Kinship Foster Children: The Lived Experiences Of Foster Parents In Alabama, Sarah Catherine Tucker

All ETDs from UAB

This Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) qualitative study interviewed fifteen non-kinship foster parents in Alabama to explore their lived experiences of influencing the positive mental health of their foster children. This phenomenological approach allowed for a deeper understanding of the challenges foster caregivers face when facilitating improved psychological and social well-being of their foster children. In 2015, there were 427,910 children in foster care, with 45% of these children residing in a non-kinship foster home (Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System [AFCARS], 2016). Children in foster care, especially children in non-kinship care arrangements, often have significant and complex mental …


Amyloid And White Mater Hyperintensity Burden In The Stroke Belt, Emily Carol Mckinley Jan 2019

Amyloid And White Mater Hyperintensity Burden In The Stroke Belt, Emily Carol Mckinley

All ETDs from UAB

Several large cohort studies have found associations between residence in the Stroke Belt and cognitive impairment as well as dementia mortality; however, the rela-tionship between residence in the Stroke Belt and buildup of amyloid has not been estab-lished. The current project assessed the association between residence in the Stroke Belt and amyloid burden, amyloid accumulation, or white matter hyperintensities (WMH) in a large, national cohort of older US residents. The first study used linear regression models to examine the relationship between geographic residence and Centiloid values. Residence in the Stroke Belt at the time of baseline amyloid PET assessment was …


Bayesian Hierarchical Negative Binomial And Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial Models For High-Dimensional Analyses With Applications To Human Microbiome Count Data, Amanda H. Pendegraft Jan 2019

Bayesian Hierarchical Negative Binomial And Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial Models For High-Dimensional Analyses With Applications To Human Microbiome Count Data, Amanda H. Pendegraft

All ETDs from UAB

The human microbiome was first described as an “ecological community of commensal, symbiotic, and pathogenic microorganisms that literally share our bodyspace”. These microorganisms, also known as microbes and bacteria, are known for participation in human health. For example, microbes extract energy from foods that are otherwise indigestible, synthesize vitamins and amino acids necessary for important bodily functions, and protect hosts against disease-carrying pathogens. Therefore, the pursuit of human microbiome research is important for understanding the influence of microorganisms throughout human systems. Human microbiome research is founded on advances in next-generation sequencing technology. Namely, the identification of microbes that constitute the …


Impact Of Environmental Exposures On Respiratory Health, Lawrence Rasmussen Jan 2019

Impact Of Environmental Exposures On Respiratory Health, Lawrence Rasmussen

All ETDs from UAB

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality around the world. Cigarette smoking is a leading cause of COPD; similarly, individuals exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS) are also vulnerable to COPD and other airway diseases; however, distinct molecular mechanisms involved in SHS-induced lung effects that result in COPD are poorly understood. Mucociliary clearance (MCC) is a primary lung defense against inhaled particulate matter and pathogens. Thus, understanding how inhaled irritants such as SHS disrupt MCC will promote improved scientific understanding and better public health initiatives to prevent respiratory illnesses. Using a variety of in vitro …


Increasing Living Kidney Donation Through Advocacy And Patient Navigation, Rhiannon Deierhoi Reed Jan 2019

Increasing Living Kidney Donation Through Advocacy And Patient Navigation, Rhiannon Deierhoi Reed

All ETDs from UAB

As the prevalence of kidney disease continues to increase in the United States, the gap between the need for organs and available kidney donors is growing as well. Deceased donor organs alone are insufficient to meet this need, and transplant centers have turned their focus to living donation to address the shortage. However, the frequency of living kidney donation has been declining in the US since 2004. Changes in the health of the US population have been suggested as one possible explanation for the decline, but currently these assertions remain anecdotal. A second theory with more published evidence attributes the …


Examining Web-Based Lifestyle Interventions For Cancer Survivors, Victoria Williams Jan 2019

Examining Web-Based Lifestyle Interventions For Cancer Survivors, Victoria Williams

All ETDs from UAB

Diet, physical activity, and body weight status are important modifiable risk factors for many health outcomes among cancer survivors, including cancer recurrence. Face-to-face, print, and mailed lifestyle interventions have been used to promote behavior change in cancer survivors successfully. However, such approaches are costly and have limited reach. Web-based lifestyle interventions represent a promising solution to this public health concern. Therefore, this project involved first reviewing and identifying gaps in the existing literature in this area and then developing and pilot testing a web-based lifestyle intervention for cancer survivors. For this three-part dissertation, study 1 was a narrative review of …


Hpv And Hsv Associated Clinical Conditions Among People Living With Hiv-1 Infection, Yuanfan Ye Jan 2019

Hpv And Hsv Associated Clinical Conditions Among People Living With Hiv-1 Infection, Yuanfan Ye

All ETDs from UAB

This dissertation research focuses on investigating health burdens of HPV- and HSV- associated clinical conditions (CC) in people living with HIV-1 infection (PLWH) in the Southeastern United States. I designed a retrospective study using the UAB 1917 HIV Clinic Cohort. Electronic health records of PLWH attending the clinic for HIV-care between January 2006 and March 2019 were obtained and reviewed. I first examined incidence rates and trends of anogenital HPV- and HSV-associated CC. Then I adopted a new algorithm to group longitudinal CD4 cell counts based on their trajectories. I compared it with nadir and median CD4 cell counts in …


Exposure Assessment Of Ultrafine Particles And Hazardous Chemicals In Electronic Cigarettes, Oluwabunmi Magret Dada Jan 2019

Exposure Assessment Of Ultrafine Particles And Hazardous Chemicals In Electronic Cigarettes, Oluwabunmi Magret Dada

All ETDs from UAB

The widespread use of electronic cigarettes (e-cig) among youths and adolescents is a growing public health problem due to exposures to harmful byproducts formed during heating. These byproducts include particulate matter, benzene, and toluene. However, the mechanisms and variables governing their formation including the chemical content of e-cig liquid (e-liquid) are not fully understood. This study aimed to assess exposures to particulate matter, benzene, and toluene in e-cig vapors (e-vapors) and their coupling to e-liquid chemical content. A novel nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy method was developed to characterize e-liquids (propylene glycol, glycerol, and nicotine) and the functional content of flavorings. …


Applying Markov Processes To Model Disability In Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis Patients, Anastasia Hartzes Jan 2019

Applying Markov Processes To Model Disability In Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis Patients, Anastasia Hartzes

All ETDs from UAB

Modeling disability in multiple sclerosis (MS) is challenging due to its complexity and non-linearity, with utilized methodology having many limitations. Lack of a suitable biomarker has led to relying on statistical models to understand disease progression. Markov methodology has been limitedly applied to the clinically-assessed Expanded Disability Status Score (EDSS), but not to patient-reported Patient Determined Disease Steps (PDDS); both measure disease progression and disability, and neither have been analyzed using the Test of Lumpability (TOL). It is common practice to aggregate these scores for computational or inferential convenience; in the case of Markov Chains (MC), combining states is referred …


Designing And Implementing Inclusive Community-Based Health Promotion Intiatives, Cassandra Herman Jan 2019

Designing And Implementing Inclusive Community-Based Health Promotion Intiatives, Cassandra Herman

All ETDs from UAB

Background: People with disabilities (PWDs) have poorer health outcomes, yet are they are underserved by public health initiatives. PWDs face numerous barriers to participation in community-based health programs despite mounting evidence about these barriers along with recommendations and guidelines to become more inclusive of disability. Policy, system, and environmental (PSE) changes that are inclusive of PWDs can help create access to health promotion programs for PWDs. Systematically implementing inclusive PSE changes using implementation science principles can support effective and sustainable changes are implemented for each unique community context. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the experiences of public …


Examining The Impact Of Couple Relationship Factors On Male Engagement Pregnancy Health And Communal Coping, Pamela Musoke Jan 2019

Examining The Impact Of Couple Relationship Factors On Male Engagement Pregnancy Health And Communal Coping, Pamela Musoke

All ETDs from UAB

Focusing on male partner engagement in HIV prevention is an important aspect of intervention and policy development and implementation within the sub-Saharan African context. However, engaging male partners safely and effectively to improve the impact and sustainability of HIV prevention modalities remains challenging due to continued impact of traditional gender roles that may affect the willingness and confidence to engage in pregnancy health. Additionally, the lack of knowledge of how best to engage in pregnancy health beyond financial support makes it difficult for male partners to engage. This dissertation’s overall aim is to explore aspects of male partner engagement's influences …


Elevated Blood Lead Levels, Cancer Incidence, And All-Cause Mortality In Adults, Sherri L. Davidson Jan 2018

Elevated Blood Lead Levels, Cancer Incidence, And All-Cause Mortality In Adults, Sherri L. Davidson

All ETDs from UAB

Epidemiologic studies have indicated an association between lead exposure and cancer. Although lead exposure has declined in recent decades, from removal of lead in gasoline and paint, lead exposure remains a health concern from environmental and occupational sources including aging water systems. In a retrospective cohort study, Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance (ABLES) records in Alabama were linked to cancer incidence data in the Alabama Statewide Cancer Registry and mortality data from the Alabama Center for Health Statistics, using a probabilistic linkage program. Blood lead level (BLL) measurements were used to categorize exposure levels. Odds ratios approximated relative risks. …


Social Factors, Public Policies, And Infant Mortality, Lauren Wallace Jan 2018

Social Factors, Public Policies, And Infant Mortality, Lauren Wallace

All ETDs from UAB

Despite consistent and substantial investments, the United States’ infant mortality rate (IMR) has not decreased significantly in the 21st century and disparities between racial and ethnic groups have increased. This study investigates the impact of social and health factors, and public policies on IMR at the state level. The research aims were to: 1) evaluate which state-level social factors and public policies were associated with state IMRs using principal component (PC) analysis; and 2) evaluate whether states cluster on their PC scores and IMRs using cluster analysis. The data used were six composite index scores based on social factor and …


Immunophenotype In The Molecular Epidemiology Of Breast Cancer, Michael Behring Jan 2018

Immunophenotype In The Molecular Epidemiology Of Breast Cancer, Michael Behring

All ETDs from UAB

This research analyzes the underlying genomic features of breast tumors during immune response, with the overall goal of discovering markers of how tumor immunity and the known features of disease pathology relate. We aimed to 1) identify and validate somatic copy number variation and RNA expression associated with nodal metastasis; 2) construct an array-based measure of tumor infiltrating immune cells and determine its prominent clinical and transcriptional features; and 3) examine the relationship between somatic mutations within p53 and tumor immune cell infiltration status. In two sets of data, gene-level copy number variation (CNV) and RNA expression from the primary …


Simulation Of Correlated Variables, Mixture Distributions, And Repeated Measures And Comparison Of Pharmacogenetic Prediction With Machine Learning Methods, Allison Cynthia Fialkowski Jan 2018

Simulation Of Correlated Variables, Mixture Distributions, And Repeated Measures And Comparison Of Pharmacogenetic Prediction With Machine Learning Methods, Allison Cynthia Fialkowski

All ETDs from UAB

Pharmacogenetics aims to improve individualized medicine by combining genetic information with clinical data when assigning drug treatments. Different diseases are often associated with different factors, each with its own distributional characteristics. For rare or complex diseases, these characteristics may not be well understood and standard analysis methods may not be appropriate. In psychiatric disorders, for example, multiple drug treatments need to be compared across small sample sizes with heterogeneous patient populations, making implementation of standard methods difficult. Simulating data that mirrors clinical data is important because it allows investigators to determine which method is best suited for data from their …


Examining The Role Of Perceived Benefits And Barriers In Physical Activity Behavior For Cancer Prevention And Control, Matthew Cole Ainsworth Jan 2018

Examining The Role Of Perceived Benefits And Barriers In Physical Activity Behavior For Cancer Prevention And Control, Matthew Cole Ainsworth

All ETDs from UAB

Physical activity (PA) is important for health outcomes like breast cancer, but most U.S. adults do not meet recommended guidelines. Behavioral theories like the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) have demonstrated success in PA behavior change, but perceived benefits and barriers are understudied. PA time barriers are shared between healthy and cancer survivor populations, and study of time use in breast cancer survivors using mobile phone technology like the Life in a Day (LiaD) app would support future intervention development. We conducted 3 studies to investigate benefits and barriers to PA in adults and time use among breast cancer survivors to …


Effects Of Medicare Reimbursement Policies On The Quality Of Hospital Care, Monica Aswani Jan 2018

Effects Of Medicare Reimbursement Policies On The Quality Of Hospital Care, Monica Aswani

All ETDs from UAB

This dissertation is composed of two papers related to the role of social risk factors in the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP). As value-based initiatives like the HRRP become more commonplace, there is growing need to understand the relationship between performance in these programs and social risk factors, such as race and poverty, which are not incorporated in the program’s risk adjustment methodology. To address this gap in the literature, this dissertation specifically focuses on three areas: 1) how hospital and community factors are related to average HRRP penalties, taking the context of geography into account, 2) how hospital and …


Parental Decision-Making In Use Of Complementary And Alternative Medicine, Meka B. Astin Jan 2018

Parental Decision-Making In Use Of Complementary And Alternative Medicine, Meka B. Astin

All ETDs from UAB

One health care trend is the growing public interest in, and use of, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Research in the United States suggests that significant numbers of children are involved in various forms of alternative medicine. The purpose of this dissertation is to assess the predictors of parental decision-making of CAM use for their child using five categories of CAM therapies: alternative medical systems, biologically- based, mind-body, manipulative, and a separate and distinct category to include all CAM medical systems. Andersen’s health care Utilization Model (HUM), which holds that health service use is a function of predisposing, enabling, needs …


The Evolving Landscape Of Mechanical Circulatory Support In The United States: Observations From National Registries, Ryan Segler Cantor Jan 2018

The Evolving Landscape Of Mechanical Circulatory Support In The United States: Observations From National Registries, Ryan Segler Cantor

All ETDs from UAB

Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) is a rapidly evolving field. This dissertation describes trends in patient selection, device utilization, and outcomes for adult and pediatric patients receiving MCS in the United States by examining data from two national registries. Trends in adult MCS device recipients and their support outcomes were evaluated using data from the Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (INTERMACS), a national registry collecting detailed information for patients implanted with Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved durable MCS devices. Between June 2006 and December 2016, INTERMACS enrolled more than 19,000 patients. During this time, the widespread use of devices …


Psychosocial Job Stress And Oxidative Stress In Emergency Department Nurses, Rupkatha Bardhan Jan 2018

Psychosocial Job Stress And Oxidative Stress In Emergency Department Nurses, Rupkatha Bardhan

All ETDs from UAB

Job stress often causes work-related physical injuries and chronic exposure to such environment may lead to poor health outcomes. Job stress in recent years has grown significantly within the workforce due to performance pressure, long work hours and poor pay structures. Nurses work in the forefront to save patients’ lives. High job demand in this noble profession often leads to progressive decline in physical and mental health. There are existing reports that nurses in the United States (US) suffer from “burnout” syndrome which may also negatively affect patient care. There are very few studies that measured work-related stress in nurses …


Immunosuppression And Risk Prediction Of Sepsis Following Solid Organ Transplantation, John Patrick Donnelly Jan 2018

Immunosuppression And Risk Prediction Of Sepsis Following Solid Organ Transplantation, John Patrick Donnelly

All ETDs from UAB

Solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients typically need immunosuppressive therapy (IST) to protect graft function and regimens may include an induction agent (e.g., anti-thymocyte globulin [ATG] or alemtuzumab) with maintenance medications (e.g., tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil [MMF], mycophenolic acid [MPA], or azathioprine [AZA]). Sepsis, or organ dysfunction resulting from a dysregulated host response to infection, is a common complication among SOT recipients. Using national data from the United States Renal Data System (USRDS), we sought to determine the associations of IST regimens and maintenance medication exposure with sepsis risks and outcomes among kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). Using USRDS and single center data, …


Psychological Well-Being And Smoking Cessation, Christopher Thorne Jan 2018

Psychological Well-Being And Smoking Cessation, Christopher Thorne

All ETDs from UAB

Introduction: The substantial death toll from smoking combined with the low success rates of current treatment approaches warrants further investigation into mechanisms that promote cessation. While the role of negative affect has been studied extensively in relationship to smoking cessation, the role of psychological well-being (PWB; e.g., life satisfaction, optimism, positive affect, purpose in life, resilience) has received little attention. Treatment outcomes might improve with a better understanding of PWB’s role in smoking cessation. Methods: Relationships between smoking and PWB were examined in three studies. First, using panel data from the biennial, longitudinal Health and Retirement Study, I developed separate …


Assessing Barriers And Facilitators To Appropriate Care For Chronic Pain And Prescription Opioid Abuse, Allyson Varley Jan 2018

Assessing Barriers And Facilitators To Appropriate Care For Chronic Pain And Prescription Opioid Abuse, Allyson Varley

All ETDs from UAB

The objective of this study was to understand and assess barriers and facilitators to the uptake of appropriate care for co-occurring chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) and opioid use disorder. Rates of CNCP and opioid overdose have doubled in the past decade. When a patient transitions from appropriate use to misuse, significant changes must be made to their treatment plan. Considering most CNCP is treated with opioids in the primary care setting, primary care providers (PCPs) are potential change agents to remediate the epidemic of opioid abuse. Although studies have explored opioid stewardship, we still lack an understanding of the factors …


Assessment Of A Peer Mentoring Program At Lawson State Community College, Teneasha Washington Jan 2018

Assessment Of A Peer Mentoring Program At Lawson State Community College, Teneasha Washington

All ETDs from UAB

ABSTRACT Colleges and universities have begun implementing mentoring programs to offset rising attrition rates; however, the literature on the benefits of these programs is limited particularly among community colleges with peer mentoring programs serving minority students. Further limiting our understanding of post-secondary peer mentoring programs is the lack of research on mentor’s as well as mentee’s perspectives on the mentoring experience. As mentors and mentees serve in a variety of capacities within the mentoring program, it is often difficult to identify outcomes that can be assessed within the mentoring program. Although the success of peer mentoring programs is directly affected …


Visual, Attentional, And Cognitive Risk Factors For Motor Vehicle Collision Involvement Among Older Adults, Carrie Huisingh Jan 2018

Visual, Attentional, And Cognitive Risk Factors For Motor Vehicle Collision Involvement Among Older Adults, Carrie Huisingh

All ETDs from UAB

Motor vehicle collisions are a major public health problem for older adults in the United States. In 2013, there were 5,671 older adults killed and an estimated 222,000 injured in motor vehicle crashes. After adjusting for miles driven, the risk of crashing increases rapidly after age 70, nearly equal to that of younger drivers whose crash rate is the highest among all age groups. Driving is a highly complex task that relies on a variety of visual and cognitive functions. A large body of work has demonstrated that drivers with visual sensory impairments and/or higher-order visual-cognitive processing deficits, those who …


Applying Polytomous Rasch Analysis To Validate Parenting Related Scales, Lei Huang Jan 2018

Applying Polytomous Rasch Analysis To Validate Parenting Related Scales, Lei Huang

All ETDs from UAB

This study applies Rasch analysis to validate two scales in the Parenting for the First-time project: Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and Parenting Stress Index (PSI). The main purpose of this study is to evaluate quality of the two scales by using Rasch analysis to examine the unidimensionality, reliability, fit statistics, group and time invariance, and optimal response categories. Meanwhile, this study also compares the results of Rasch model and Classical Test Theory (CTT) to assess the advantages of Rasch analysis. Result: Both Rach analysis and CTT show the evidence of unidimensionality of BDI-II in the three administrative periods: Prenatal, 6 …