bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Childrearing Practices and Child Health among the Hmong in Australia: Implications for Health Services
Authors: Liamputtong Pranee
Published: May 2005

This study of cultural beliefs and practices related to childrearing and child health among the Hmong in Melbourne, Australia, used in-depth interviews and participant observation of 27 Hmong mothers and some Hmong traditional healers between 1993 and 1998. Traditional Hmong beliefs and practices include: taking notice of the birth date and time, placing a silver necklace on the newborn, not praising the newborn, not taking the infant out during the first 30 days, breastfeeding, the infant's sharing a bed with the parents, and a soul-calling ceremony on the third day after birth. All Hmong mothers follow cultural beliefs and practices to prevent the ill-health or death of their newborn infants, but some aspects of these practices have had to be modified to suit the new living environment in Australia. Health care professionals need to acknowledge the different ways of caring for a young child among the Hmong so as to avoid misunderstandings and to provide sensitive care. Hmong beliefs and practices also have implications for health promotion campaigns and can be a valuable source of ideas in the efforts to promote infant health and reduce infant deaths in Australia and elsewhere.
On the Visualization of Some Basic Mental Concepts
Authors: Homberg Anna
Published: May 2005

The author has studied how basic concepts such as “I,” “another person,” “good,” “bad,” “passive,” “active,” “strong,” and “weak” are represented visually. In this experiment, subjects were asked to draw these concepts in monochrome abstract shapes. The results were analyzed according to parameters regarding color, form and placing of the shape. A formal “Identikit” was thus deduced for each of the concepts and, further, some basic tools for the interpretation of non-mimetic shapes were given.
Medical Disorders in the Schizophrenic Patient
Authors: Vieweg Victor , Levenson James , Pandurangi Anand , Silverman Joel
Published: May 2005

Objective:

The primary purpose of this review of medical disorders in the schizophrenic patient is to provide the clinician interested in Consultation/ Liaison psychiatry and psychosomatic issues a comprehensive and current review of the subject.

Method:

The authors used the Index Medicus and Medline to find recent review articles and research articles related to medical disorders in the schizophrenic patient. Also, the authors described their clinical experience in Consultation/Liaison psychiatry working with schizophrenic patients in a large, tertiary-care academic medical center.

Results:

The authors divided their review into: 1) mortality and morbidity in schizophrenia, 2) differential diagnosis, 3) specific comorbidity management problems, 4) caring for schizophrenics on medical/surgical wards, and 5) antipsychotic drugs in the medical setting. Schizophrenia remains an important subject for Consultation/Liaison psychiatrists.

Conclusions:

Schizophrenia and its protean manifestations confound the care of the medical patient. The psychosis of schizophrenia may impair the patient's capacity to recognize or articulate emerging medical illness, or to respond to therapeutic interventions. The psychiatrist caring for and consulting on patients with medical illnesses bears major responsibility for understanding the complex interface of schizophrenia and medical illnesses. Psychiatrists need to educate our medical and surgical colleagues how schizophrenia alters the usual presentation, clinical course, and response to treatment of common medical and surgical illnesses.
For Whom is Suicide Accepted: The Dependency Effect
Authors: Sorjonen Kimmo
Published: May 2005

Research has found that people accept some suicides more than others. The present study examined whether attitudes toward a person's suicide are affected by the suicide's gender or marital status, and whether the suicide is a parent or childless. Respondents read one of eight fictitious suicide case stories, in which the above-mentioned variables were manipulated, and then completed the Suicide Attitudes and Attribution Scale (SAAS). It was found that female and male respondents differed in their attitudes toward a person's suicidal behavior to some degree. A parent's suicide was viewed more negatively than a suicide by a childless person. A tendency for respondents to express more respect for a suicide of their own gender was also detected. It is discussed whether differences in acceptance of suicide can be associated with actual suicide rates.
Instructional System Development (ISD)—An Air Force Way of Life
Authors: Lee Blaine N.
Published: May 2005

Instructional System Development (ISD) is a five-step process for curriculum development using the systems approach. The interacting steps answer the questions, “What do we teach,” “How do we teach it,” and “How do we know it has been taught.” The process includes the following: (1) Analyze system requirements; (2) define education or training requirements; (3) develop objectives and tests; (4) plan, develop and validate instruction; and (5) conduct and evaluate instruction. The applications of ISD that have resulted in current Air Force technical training have utilized numerous innovations in instructional technology, and have led to cost avoidance by reducing training time. The goal of ISD is cost-effective training that meets the needs of the field.
A Proposed Model of Health Professionals' Grieving Process
Authors: Papadatou Danai
Published: May 2005

This article proposes a model that conceptualizes health professionals' reactions to the multiple deaths of their patients, in terms of loss and grief. It suggests that grieving is both an individual and a social-interactive process that may be understood in terms of an ongoing fluctuation between experiencing grief reactions by focusing on the loss experience, and repressing or avoiding grief reactions by moving away from it. This fluctuation allows professionals to attribute meaning to the death of individual patients, and to transcend these losses by investing in life and living. The interaction between individual idiosyncratic factors (“life style”) and environmental factors (“work style”) is described in terms of how they affect the grieving process. Special consideration is given to the individual and collective forms of grieving, and to the role of team support.
Teaching Young Children Programming and Word Processing Skills: The Effects of Three Preparatory Conditions
Authors: Block Evelyn B. , Simpson Debra L. , Reid D. Kim
Published: May 2005

Ninety-two students from kindergarten, first, and second grades participated in the study. Students were randomly assigned to one of three preparatory groups: Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI), Keyboard Instruction (KEY), and Robot Instruction (ROB). Students were regrouped for instruction in LOGO and word processing, which continued until children met ending criteria. New LOGO and writing tasks were presented and the students' performances compared across preparatory conditions. Results indicated that students in the KEY groups obtained the highest scores on the LOGO and writing tasks, followed closely by students in the ROB groups. Students in the CAI groups showed no significant gains in their ability to program in LOGO or to write using a word processor.
The Use of Telecommunications in Public Education during the 1980's
Authors: Zucker Andrew A.
Published: May 2005

The use of telecommunications in public education is likely to increase dramatically during the eighties. Six forces acting to stimulate such use are identified and discussed: improvements in telecommunications technology; consumer acceptance of electronics generally; demographic factors; new educational needs and wants; tighter budgets for education; and, a desire for educational reform. Given that uses of telecommunications will increase rapidly, the important questions for public debate relate to the effectiveness and social value of such application.
The Effect of Abstract and Concrete Contexts on the Imageability and Recallability of Words
Authors: Tracy Robert J. , Betts William R. , Ketsios Pauline
Published: May 2005

Word imageability, the degree to which different words arouse imagery, is a powerful variable affecting mental imagery and memory. This study examined whether word imageability varies depending on the context within which words are presented. We randomly sampled abstract (low imageability) words and also concrete (high imageability) words from available norms. Introductory psychology students rated the words for imageability in different contexts. In the mixed content, students rated the abstract and concrete words mixed within the same set of words, similarly to the way words were rated in the norms. Concrete words were rated as more imageable than abstract words, replicating results from the norms. In the unmixed contents, students rated only abstract words or only concrete words. Surprisingly, concrete and abstract words no longer differed in rated imageability. We concluded that word imageability is not due to the mental imagery aroused by a particular word. Rather, a word's imageability is profoundly influenced by the imageability of surrounding words. This outcome opposes the typical interpretation that word imageability measures the abstractness-concreteness of the referenced object and also how recallable the word will be.
On the Interrelationships among Exposure to Death and Dying, Fear of Death, and Anxiety
Authors: Hoelter Jon W. , Hoelter Janice A.
Published: May 2005

The present research was an attempt to examine the interrelationships among exposure to death and dying, fear of death, and anxiety. Questionnaire data were collected from 375 undergraduates at a midwestern university. Overall measures of exposure to death and dying were significantly correlated with several fears of death and were found unrelated to both state and trait anxiety. Both measures of anxiety were found to be positively related to several types of fear of death which held when controlling for the potential effects of exposure to death and dying. Measures of emotional closeness to the deceased, the relationship to the deceased, and the time elapsed since exposure to death were also examined and found related to various types of fear of death and anxiety. Several tentative explanations were suggested for the obtained relationships.
Factors Affecting Knowledge about HIV/AIDS among Rural Villagers in Coastal Kenya
Authors: Stoskopf Carleen H. , Kim Yang K.
Published: May 2005

Person-to-person interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 99 residents of 12 rural villages in the coastal region of Kenya. The survey was organized into four sections: demographics; sources of information regarding HIV/AIDS; knowledge about HIV/AIDS and its transmission and prevention; and perception of personal risk. The average age of the study population was 31.6 years. On average, respondents had 7.1 years of formal education, 51.6% were female, 82.8% were married, and 57.6% were Christian. The majority of people received information about HIV/AIDS from the radio (83.9%). Thirty-eight percent of respondents reported currently knowing someone with HIV/AIDS. The average knowledge score about HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention is 71.6%. Significant predictors of a high knowledge score include getting information from a religious leader, a nurse, a friend, AIDS literature, and television. Those who currently know someone with HIV/AIDS have a significantly higher knowledge score.
A Marxist Approach to Psychology and Psychiatry
Authors: Nahem Joseph
Published: May 2005

Marxism considers psychology and psychiatry to be young and complex sciences which are powerfully affected by the nature of society. Marxism contributes to these sciences by applying dialectical and historical materialism to their study and development. The Marxist critique of psychology and psychiatry under capitalism identifies the immense harmful effect on them of capitalist class ideology in a number of areas: anti-working class theories, racism, national chauvinism, sexism, theories of fixed evil human nature, and false or one-sided theories. Socialism is held to provide a healthy environment for individual psychological development and to utilize psychology and psychiatry for scientific and humane ends.
Seasonality of Stone Procurement: An Early Paleoindian Example in Northwestern New York State
Authors: Tankersley Kenneth B.
Published: May 2005

Early Paleoindian subsistence activities were not restricted to the procurement and processing of food. Likewise, studies of early Paleoindian subsistence cycles should not depend solely upon seasonality data from plant and animal remains. Geographic, geochronologic, geologic, and pedologic data obtained from the Emanon Pond site, an early Paleoindian workshop-habitation in northwestern New York state, are used to reconstruct the seasonality of stone procurement. In doing so, a more detailed picture of early Paleoindian subsistence cycles can be made.
Cytochrome P-450 Monooxygenases and Interactions of Psychotropic Drugs
Authors: Shen Winston W. , Lin Keh-Ming
Published: May 2005

The authors review drug biotransformation. Phase I reactions are preconjugation processes that take place through cytochrome P-450—a hepatic mixed function oxidase (MFO) enzyme system with multiple isozymes to metabolize foreign substances. Phase II reactions are conjugation processes of the substrates. Based on the characteristics of the cytochrome P-450 microsomal enzyme systems, the authors explain the clinical phenomena of induction and inhibition of these enzymes when psychotropic agents interact. This article describes both MFO inducers (barbiturates) and inhibitors (cimeditine, fluoxetine and neuroleptic drugs). With this information, clinicians can enhance the ability to monitor drug interactions of psychotropic agents.
Lessons Learned: Outcomes and Methodology of a Coping Skills Intervention Trial Comparing Individual and Group Formats for Patients with Cancer
Authors: Edgar Linda , Rosberger Zeev , Collet Jean-Paul
Published: May 2005

Objective:

Nucare, a short-term psychoeducational coping skills training intervention was evaluated in a randomized controlled clinical trial (RCT) of 225 newly diagnosed breast and colon cancer patients.

Method:

Measures of psychosocial distress, well being and optimism were evaluated every four months during a one-year period. Patients were randomized to one of four arms: Nucare presented in an individual basis; Nucare presented in a group format; a non-directive supportive group; and a no-intervention control. The interventions were provided in five sessions of ninety minutes each.

Results:

Patients with breast cancer who received Nucare presented in an individual format showed more significant improvements in well-being over time compared to those in the control and group arms.

Conclusions:

We were unable to develop functioning groups within the RCT. Partial explanations for the latter finding include the structural limitations of the RCT: the groups were small, difficult to schedule and patients indicated that they would have preferred to choose whether or not to participate in a group. The positive changes in women with breast cancer who received Nucare persisted at 12 months.
Predicting Prehistoric Settlement in the Northern Neck of Virginia: The Richmond County Assessment Survey Methodology
Authors: Klein Michael J.
Published: May 2005

Cultural Resource Management studies have identified a variety of site types and locations and generated data suited to statistical and predictive analysis. Unfortunately, predictive models often include unwarranted assumptions about the structure of the environment and the mathematical distribution of the data. Statistical and graphic approaches drawn from Exploratory Data Analysis, combined with sampling of the environment, promote evaluation of the potential of environmental variables for predicting site locations. Analysis of data from the Richmond County Archaeological Assessment illustrates these points.
Genetic Screening of Prospective Parents and of Workers: Some Scientific and Social Issues
Authors: Hubbard Ruth , Henifin Mary Sue
Published: May 2005

Genetic screening programs are based on assumptions and values that reflect the history of racial and social eugenics in the United States and Europe. They stigmatize individuals by shifting the focus from social, economic, and political decisions that affect the health of prospective parents, newborns, and workers to “bad genes,” that is, intrapersonal factors that are given the status of “causes” of disease. Prenatal screening, at best, can help the relatively few individuals who know that their future children are at risk for a particular inherited disease or disability; it has little positive value for the average person. Workplace genetic screening has not been shown to reduce occupational disease, but it has led to employment discrimination and has drawn attention away from controlling exposures to toxic chemicals in the workplace.
The Process Evaluation of a Dutch Community Health Project
Authors: Van Assema Patricia , Steenbakkers Mieke , Eriksen Michael , Kok Gerjo
Published: May 2005

This article reports on the design and results of the process evaluation of the Dutch community project “Healthy Bergeyk.” The major goal of this project was a reduction in cancer-related risk behavior prevalence, especially smoking and high fat consumption. The project was designed to integrate health education theory and methods with community organization principles. An intersectoral local project group was formed for project implementation. The main objectives of the process evaluation were to assess what was done and how this was evaluated by participants and leaders of activities, project group members and the community in general. Data were gathered throughout the implementation period using minutes of meetings, registration forms, pre-structured telephone interviews, written questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews. Community members were involved in the data collection. The results indicate that the project group organized many health activities in their community in a short time period. Positive elements of the project concern the intersectoral co-operation and the workbook supplied to the project group. Time pressure and limited possibilities for community initiatives were the main negative aspects of the project. The implications of the findings for both the community health project and the process evaluation are discussed.
Simple Pleasures: The Psychological Aesthetics of High and Popular Art
Authors: Winston Andrew S.
Published: May 2005

Popular Art, typically rejected by high art patrons, consists of technically skilled but sentimentalized images of wildlife, country life, and family life. Major themes and features of popular art are discussed. In a series of studies, viewers without art background focused on warm, pleasant feelings to justify choice of popular images, whereas experienced viewers focused on the structure of the work to justify preference for high art images. Preference for popular art was associated with the general belief that good art provides immediate pleasure to a wide audience. The ways in which popular art violates high art rules, such as the requirement for disinterested contemplation, are outlined.
Impact of Asynchronous and Synchronous Internet-Based Communication on Collaboration and Performance among K-12 Teachers
Authors: Ohlund Barbara , Yu Chong Ho , Jannasch-Pennell Angel , Digangi Samuel A.
Published: May 2005

This study investigated the use of asynchronous (mailing lists) and synchronous (chat sessions) Internet-based communication and its impact on teachers' attitudes toward collaboration, activity completion rate, and test performance. In addition, the impact of collaboration on activity completion rate and teacher performance measured by objective tests was investigated. Although it was found that attitudes toward collaboration did not affect test performance, the data suggested a relationship between attitudes toward collaboration and use of Internet-based communication.
Personality Differences in Male and Female Medical Students
Authors: Cartwright Lillian Kaufman
Published: May 2005

According to the results of two psychological tests administered to freshman medical students of classes 1960–67, Adjective Check List measuring self-concept, and the California Psychological Inventory, describing personality, women medical students see themselves as more willing than men to express feelings and admit weaknesses and as less likely to endorse the extremes of dominant and aggressive behavior. In addition, the female student is more likely than the male to view herself as totally committed to her goals and as relatively content with them. No differences were apparent between the sexes on a cluster of personality scales relating to interpersonal effectiveness (dominance, sociability, self-acceptance, and a sense of well-being). However, on scales that rated responsibility, socialization, and tolerance, and in two of three scales that measured achievement, women scored higher than men. Results of both tests confirmed the belief that women medical students tend to display more sensitivity to relationship values, more general acceptance of feelings, and greater alertness to moral and ethical issues than male medical students. They also value independence and individuality to a greater degree than their male colleagues or educated women in general.
How Can the U.S. Government Control Physicians' Fees under National Health Insurance? A Lesson from the French System
Authors: Thorsen Laurence C.
Published: May 2005

The French national health insurance program covers most of the cost of medical and dental care, hospital care, and prescription drugs. The portion of health care costs borne by the patient varied widely prior to 1960 because of the failure of the government to control physicians' and dentists' fees adequately. In 1960, using expanded regulatory powers, the French government under DeGaulle applied controls on fees by imposing penalties on physicians and dentists who refused to be bound by annual contracts between their local associations and the social security system. The result is uniform fees and less rapid increases in the cost of health care. Control of costs is achieved at the expense of traditional professional independence, but it has made the system workable and is thus instructive for the United States as we consider moving toward national health insurance.
Editing in Nigeria — An Informal Study
Authors: Griggs Tim
Published: May 2005

The author, a Briton, presents an informal case-study of two years as Publications Secretary at a Nigerian agricultural research institute. The difficulties and frustrations he faced are described. Staff, supply, and equipment problems are discussed. He suggests that such problems may be general to black Africa and are likely to be faced by technical communicators moving for the first time to this region and to some other parts of the Third World. He concludes that such posts demand more of their incumbents in terms of personality than in terms of qualifications. He questions whether potential Third World communicators are properly informed about or prepared for their posts, and criticizes the tendency of employers, particularly international organizations, to require applicants for communications posts to hold exalted formal qualifications.
For Whom is Suicide Accepted: The Utility Effect
Authors: Sorjonen Kimmo
Published: May 2005

It has been established by previous studies that suicide is more acceptable for some people than it is for others, and the main objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between attitudes toward suicidal behavior and the suicidal person's socioeconomic status. Swedish university students read one of eight manipulated case stories in which a person engages in suicidal behavior and then completed the Suicide Attitudes and Attribution Scale (SAAS), which was constructed for this occasion. The data measured six factors, which also served as dependent variables in ANOVAs. Some of the results indicate that the suicidal behavior of an individual of high socioeconomic status is viewed more negatively than the same behavior displayed by an unemployed individual in a social welfare program.
An Axiomatic Theory of Cognition and Writing
Authors: Grunig James E. , Ramsey Shirley , Schneider Larissa A.
Published: May 2005

A great deal of empirical research has been done in the past to test writing rules commonly taught in the classroom. To date, however, no one has constructed a deep theory of the relationship between cognition and writing that confirms the writing rules and explains why they work. Grunig, Ramsey, and Schneider construct a deep theory of the relationship between language, cognition, and writing — based upon theories and research in the fields of cognitive psychology, social psychology, philosophy of language, information theory, reading theory, rhetoric, and systems theory.

The authors build a theory of writing that contains fifteen definitions, eleven premises, and eleven principles. The eleven axiomatic principles subsume practical writing rules, especially science writing rules, and offer a broad framework for research. The article concludes with results of several exploratory studies using the “signaled stopping technique” to observe the cognitive effects of writing.
Survival by Machine: The Psychological Stress of Chronic Hemodialysis
Authors: Abram Harry S.
Published: May 2005

The prolongation of life by artificial means is a compelling topic for the physician who treats patients with chronic hemodialysis. This paper discusses the stresses, losses, and restrictions which dialysis imposes upon the patient, his family, and other caretakers. Examples of psychological reactions to such circumstances are given and major conflictual problems are described. The role of dependency and independence in chronic illness, the use of denial as a major defense mechanism, alterations in body image, attitudes towards life and death are all discussed in terms of the psychological reactions to the stress of hemodialysis. The problem of suicide is illustrated with a variety of forms it takes in these special patients who depend upon mechanical devices for their very existence. Some of the moral, ethical and economic problems of patient selection for hemodialysis are indicated and briefly examined.
The Effects of Situation, Sequence, and Features on Perceptual and Affective Responses to Product Designs: The Case of Aesthetic Consumption
Authors: Holbrook Morris B. , Anand Punam
Published: May 2005

This article proposes a general model in which various situational and sequential aspects of consumer behavior combine with features of a product to determine perceptions and their affective consequences. It illustrates this model by means of an example from applied empirical aesthetics and investigates the effects of tempo on perceptual and affective aesthetic responses to music. In particular, a new analysis of some data drawn from consumer aesthetics demonstrates the intervening role of perceived activity in mediating the effects of musical tempo on affect across a sequence of listening experiences at different levels of situational arousal.
Pulsar: A Qualitative Study of a Substance Abuse Prevention Program
Authors: Martino-Mcallister Jeanne M.
Published: May 2005

The purpose of this study was to explore the risk, protective factors, and resiliency characteristics of students selected to participate in the Police, Public Educators and Peers Utilizing the Leadership Skills of Students At Risk/As Resources (PULSAR) program. The study is significant as it employed qualitative methods and a resiliency-focused framework to evaluate a substance abuse prevention program. Findings revealed that the PULSAR program: facilitated self-reflection on student negative attitudes toward substance abuse and positive attitudes toward school; allowed students to gain skills that addressed individual needs; and fostered relationships between the students and adult facilitators in a safe environment. These results speak to increased protective factors and resiliency characteristics, but were not found to be constant with each student. Implications for continued research on the PULSAR program are addressed.
Does CME Work? An Analysis of the Effect of Educational Activities on Physician Performance or Health Care Outcomes
Authors: Davis Dave
Published: May 2005

Objective:

To answer the question, “does CME work?” by reviewing the effectiveness of continuing medical education (CME) and other related educational methods on objectively-determined physician performance and/or health care outcomes. These interventions include educational materials, formal, planned CME activities or programs, outreach visits such as academic detailing, opinion leaders, patient-mediated strategies, audit and feedback, reminders, or a combination of these strategies.

Methods:

MEDLINE, ERIC, NTIS, the Research and Development Resource Base in CME and other relevant data sources including review articles were searched for relevant terms, from 1975 to 1994. Of those articles retrieved, randomized controlled trials of educational strategies or interventions which objectively assessed physician performance and/or health care outcomes were selected for review. Data were extracted from each article about the specialty of the physician targeted, the clinical subject of the intervention, the setting and the nature of the educational method, and the presence or degree of needs assessment or barriers to change.

Results:

More than two-thirds of the studies (70%) displayed a change in physician performance, while almost half (48%) of interventions produced a change in health care outcomes. Community-based strategies such as academic detailing (and to a lesser extent, opinion leaders), practice-based methods such as reminders and patient-mediated strategies, and multiple interventions appeared to be most effective activities. Mixed results and weaker outcomes were demonstrated by audit and educational materials, while formal CME conferences without enabling or practice-reinforcing strategies, had relatively little impact.

Conclusion:

Strategies which enable and/or reinforce appear to “work” in changing physician performance or health care outcomes, a finding which has significant impact on the delivery of CME, and the need for further research into physician learning and change.
Signaling Effects: A Review of the Research—Part I
Authors: Spyridakis Jan H.
Published: May 2005

This article reviews previous research on the effects of certain structural cues, called signals, that affect a reader's comprehension of expository prose. It concludes that the inconsistent results of many studies may be due to inadequate methodologies that have failed to control for confounding variables, such as text length and difficulty, reader familiarity with the topic, and timing of comprehension tests. Further, accepted signal types (headings, logical connectives, and previews) have not been sufficiently examined for their individual effects, perhaps creating unidentified disordinal interactions that could preclude the possibility of researchers identifying significant effects. This article concludes with recommendations for more valid research methodology to be used in prose assessment studies. The next issue of this journal will present Part II of this article, which details a new study of signaling effects for readers of expository prose, a study that is based on the refined methodology suggested in this article.
Cross-Generational Attributions concerning Locus of Control Beliefs
Authors: Rhee Catherine , Gatz Margaret
Published: May 2005

Age differences and attributions of age differences in locus of control orientation were examined for college students and older adults. Self-ratings and ratings of the other group by sixty college students and ninety-seven older adults were measured using Rotter's locus of control items in a Likert format. Findings showed that both age groups misattributed levels of control orientation to the other group when compared to that group's self-ratings. Older adults endorsed more internal beliefs than did college students. College students viewed older adults as more external than older adults viewed themselves, while older adults viewed college students as more internal than students' self-ratings indicated. The common perception in gerontological literature that older adults are particularly external in their locus of control beliefs may represent an erroneous attribution rather than self-reported beliefs.
Instructional Product Review: Procedure and Instrumentation
Authors: Poole Richard L.
Published: May 2005

An instructional product review process is conceived and analyzed from a generic and systemic viewpoint. As conceived it is composed of the planning, implementation, and analysis stages, with each stage converging on a series of generic concerns.

The review process is illustrated with materials which can be used to assess the quality of an instructional package or module. And includes a set of “Directions for Reviewers,” a list of module assessment or development criteria, and an instrument entitled “External Module Review Form.”
Religious Struggle: Prevalence, Correlates and Mental Health Risks in Diabetic, Congestive Heart Failure, and Oncology Patients
Authors: Fitchett George , Murphy Patricia E. , Kim Jo , Gibbons James L. , Cameron Jacqueline R. , Davis Judy A.
Published: May 2005

Objectives:

For some people, diagnosis with a serious illness or other adverse life events can precipitate a period of religious struggle. While evidence of the harmful effects of religious struggle is accumulating, less is known about its prevalence or correlates. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and correlates of religious struggle in three groups of medical patients.

Methods:

Study participants included diabetic outpatients ( N = 71), congestive heart failure outpatients ( N = 70), and oncology inpatients ( N = 97). Participants completed questionnaires which included several measures of religion, including religious struggle, emotional distress or well-being, and demographic characteristics.

Results:

Half of the total sample (52%) reported no religious struggle, while 15% reported moderate or high levels. In a multi-variate analysis, younger patients ( p < 0.001) and CHF patients ( p < 0.05) had higher levels of religious struggle. Those with higher levels of positive religious coping also reported higher levels of religious struggle ( p < 0.01), while those who attended worship most frequently had lower levels of religious struggle ( p < 0.05). Religious struggle was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms and emotional distress in all three patient groups.

Conclusions:

While further research is needed to help clarify the sources, additional correlates, and course of religious struggle, the findings in this study confirm the association between religious struggle and emotional distress in these three groups of medical patients. Clinicians should be attentive to signs of religious struggle. Where patient's responses indicate possible religious struggle, clinicians should consider referral to a trained, professional chaplain or pastoral counselor.
The Sociological Study of Suicidal Ideation: An Ecological Study
Authors: Lester David
Published: May 2005

An ecological study of suicidal ideation in the states of America in the 1980s revealed that suicidal ideation in the past years was more common in states where an index of social disintegration was higher and where an index of Roman Catholicism was lower. This study suggests that sociological studies of nonfatal suicidal behaviors may be feasible.
Pharmaceuticals, Patents, and Politics: Canada and Bill C-22
Authors: Lexchin Joel
Published: May 2005

In response to high drug prices, the Canadian government amended the country's patent act in 1969 to allow for compulsory licensing to import pharmaceuticals. As a result of the legislation, by 1983 drug costs in Canada were over $200 million lower than they would otherwise have been. The multinational drug industry was strongly opposed to compulsory licensing, despite any evidence that its economic position had been harmed. Restoration of patent protection for drugs was one of the key U.S. demands during free-trade negotiations between Canada and the United States in 1985–1987. The result was Bill C-22, which gave new drugs protection from compulsory licensing for seven to ten years. This article analyzes the impact of Bill C-22 on the generic industry, the creation of jobs in research and development, drug prices, and research and development expenditures. It concludes with an examination of future demands from the pharmaceutical industry.
Prototypicality-Effect in Surrealist Paintings
Authors: Farkas András
Published: May 2005

The previous experimental proofs of Martindale's preference-for-prototypes model (Martindale, 1984, 1988; Martindale, Moore, & West, 1988) did not use artworks as stimuli except the experiment of Hekkert and van Wieringen (1990a, 1990b, 1992) who applied reproductions of cubist paintings. In our experiment, the category of surrealism was taught to naive subjects by repeated presentations of a large assortment of surrealist paintings. In the main experiment, two experimental groups participated. The members of the first group learned the category of surrealism in four series, scaling 30 paintings selected out of 40 so that the 10 most prototypical paintings were left. These 10 paintings were entered in the fifth series, and they were more preferred than the other 30. A similar procedure was followed in the case of the other experimental group, but here the least prototypical elements were left and entered at the end of the experiment. These 10 paintings were less preferred than the other 30 in the first series. This finding proved that the phenomenon we found is a prototypicality-effect and not a novelty-effect.
Antidepressant Efficacy and Cardiovascular Safety of Venlafaxine in Young Vs Old Patients with Comorbid Medical Disorders
Authors: Zimmer Ben , Kant Ravi , Zeiler Debbie , Brilmyer Mary
Published: May 2005

Objective:

To determine whether venlafaxine exerts a differential effect on blood pressure in young versus old depressed patients.

Method:

We compared thirty-four consecutive patients treated with 50–250 mg/day venlafaxine for major depressive disorder or another major mood disorder at our medical college's ambulatory neuropsychiatry program. We obtained baseline and follow-up blood pressure measurements. Each patient also received a baseline and final Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) score; global improvement was determined by consensus of two clinicians.

Results:

Sixteen nongeriatric patients (age, 13 to 56 years) were compared with eighteen elderly patients (age, 65 to 86 years). Most patients (88%) had serious medical comorbidities or histories. Despite a higher mean daily venlafaxine dosage for patients in the young group, no significant changes in systolic blood pressure were noted in either group. For the older group, we found a non-statistically significant 4.7 mm Hg mean increase in diastolic blood pressure. No patient became hypertensive. We also found a negative correlation between baseline diastolic blood pressure and change in diastolic blood pressure during treatment with venlafaxine. This inverse relationship was statistically significant in the older patients.

Conclusions:

Venlafaxine was not associated with significant, sustained changes in blood pressure in any patient receiving dosages of 50–250 mg/day. Minimal changes in diastolic blood pressure were no more likely to occur in older venlafaxine-treated patients than in younger ones. Higher baseline diastolic blood pressure in older patients, but not in younger ones, seemed to protect against diastolic adrenergic blood pressure effects of venlafaxine.
The Dilemma of Mental Health Services for the Poor
Authors: Fishman Jacob R.
Published: May 2005

The basic issue in mental health intervention is behavioral change. This is influenced by the family, the community and social institutions. In the long run, a major focus of activity must be in the area of education and prevention, the development of tools for self-help in the population served, and positive social and community change. Services must be accountable to the people of the community. The poor, as well as the well-to-do must have the right to exercise options in obtaining the best possible services in accord with their own perceptions of needs. Public facilities seem unable to adequately provide such services or to allow choices. New models must be developed. The mental health and other health programs must be viewed as important community institutions with their own set of perspectives and skills; the major focus must be on the integration of health behavior and those social influences and institutions which influence that behavior.
The Life Review in Five Short Stories about Characters Facing Death
Authors: Nicholl Grier
Published: May 2005

Five modern short stories about people facing death illustrate and connect various observations of and theories about the dying process developed by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and Robert N. Butler. Kubler-Ross's observations of the fifth stage of the dying process–acceptance–are illustrated in the dying characters' desire to withdraw from their loved ones and to be left alone. Butler's concept of the life review is then applicable. In response to the imminence of their deaths, the characters survey their past, attempting to reintegrate their life's experiences. Their life reviews do not become a form of reminiscing to escape the pressures of physical pain, mental anguish, and/or confusion; rather, they take the form of reveries and selective memories of past incidents and events, pleasant and unpleasant, in the distant or recent past. Their reminiscences result in consequences for the main characters that are either positive, ambiguous, or self-destructive.
Change in Attitude to Health Behaviors through Teaching with Television
Authors: Ritchey Elizabeth A.
Published: May 2005

In order to justify teaching college-level personal health courses by methods other than the traditional lecture format, assessment of attitude change to ten selected health behaviors was undertaken. Methods compared included lecture, television taught classes, and self-instruction using mostly television. Following ten weeks of instruction it was found that the self-instructed method produced the most favorable change in attitudes toward behaviors generally considered conducive to good health.
Jay Reid Gould: A Checklist
Authors: Ramsey Richard David , Davis Bobbye J.
Published: May 2005

This compilation provides a comprehensive listing of all the known and available publications of Jay R. Gould including books, plays, short stories, articles, essays, papers. It also lists unpublished items such as papers and speeches, plays, and other items, including items about Jay Reid Gould.
Do Minorities in the United States Receive Fewer Mental Health Services Than Whites?
Authors: Lasser Karen E. , Himmelstein David U. , Woolhandler Steffie J. , McCormick Danny , Bor David H.
Published: May 2005

Older studies have found that minorities in the United States receive fewer mental health services than whites. This analysis compares rates of outpatient mental health treatment according to race and ethnicity using more recent, population-based data, from the 1997 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. The authors calculated visit rates per 1,000 population to either primary care or psychiatric providers for mental health counseling, psychotherapy, and psychiatric drug therapy. In the primary care setting, Hispanics and blacks had lower visit rates (per 1,000 population) for drug therapy than whites (48.3 and 73.7 vs. 109.0; P < .0001 and P < .01, respectively). Blacks also had a lower visit rate for talk therapy (mental health counseling or psychotherapy) than whites (23.6 vs. 42.5; P < .01). In the psychiatric setting, Hispanics and blacks had lower visit rates than whites for talk therapy (38.4 and 33.6 vs. 85.1; P < .0001 for both comparisons) and drug therapy (38.3 and 29.1 vs. 71.8; P < .0001 for both comparisons). These results indicate that minorities receive about half as much outpatient mental health care as whites.
Media on Death and Dying
Authors: Duke Phyllis
Published: May 2005

An annotated list of films, tapes and other instructional aids appropriate for death education courses is provided. A broad range of topics and approaches concerned with death is encompassed.
Evaluation of a Nutrition Education Program in Oman: A Case Study
Authors: Musaiger Aboulrahman O.
Published: May 2005

The aim of this article is to evaluate the nutrition education program for women in Oman. The multisectorial program used various methods of education especially television spots, radio programs, booklets, and posters. A sample of 1024 mothers aged fifteen to fifty years were selected from all geographical regions of Oman, and asked about radio listening and television watching behavior as well as their understanding of nutrition messages. The findings revealed that ownership of televisions was higher than radios (95% and 85%, respectively). Of mothers, 61 percent watched the health and nutrition program on television compared to 41 percent who listened to these programs on radio. Three posters were tested for their understanding by mothers. The percentage of mothers who gave the right explanation of the message in these posters ranged from 28 percent to 70 percent. Although many mothers were exposed to the nutrition education messages, it is difficult to say that the mothers changed their nutrition behavior. Mothers (or target group) should be involved in planning the educational materials and these materials should be pretested. The role of television as the most important educational tool is discussed. Suggestions to improve nutrition education programs in Oman are given.
Assessment of PBL Design Approach in a Dietetic Web-Based Instruction
Authors: Chanlin Lih-Juan , Chan Kung-Chi
Published: May 2005

Problem-based learning (PBL) is often promoted in response to the current need of offering authentic and effective professional education. Traditionally. PBL is used in face-to-face learning environments, with a facilitator guiding collaborative teams of students in solving a problem. This article reports the use of PBL in Web-based instruction and describes how this approach differs from traditional Web-based learning. The content of students' discussions is analyzed, as is their performance and affective responses toward the Web-based learning. Due to the use of problem scenarios in PBL treatment, students tended to go through a deeper process in analyzing, choosing, and determining the topic of interest. In students' final projects and discussions, more description of different dimensions of related issues was discussed among the PBL groups.