bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Use of Behavior Modification in Institutional Drug Programs: Does the End Justify the Means?
Authors: Chng Chwee Lye , Giles Gordon Miur
Published: May 2005

The purpose of this paper is two-fold: to present an overview of behavior modification, and to discuss ethical misgivings pertaining directly to the use of behavior modification in institutional drug treatment programs. Drug educators and health professionals, in their enthusiasm over the apparent effectiveness of this approach, have sometimes neglected to ask the all important question: Does the end justify the means? More specifically, the paper raises questions about the following issues vis-a-vis the use of behavior modification in institutional treatment programs: definition of problem, danger of social control, and informed consent. It concludes with a reexamination of aversive therapy and a plea for professionalism.
A Factor Analysis of Life Satisfaction, Adjustment and Morale Measures with Elderly Adults
Authors: Lohmann Nancy
Published: May 2005

Seven frequently used measures of life satisfaction, adjustment and morale were subjected to the techniques of construct validation. Data for the analysis was obtained from 259 people over the age of sixty who represented three clusters: nursing home residents, homebound older people and “community” aged. The data were analyzed through Alpha factor analysis methods. Items from six of the seven measures were found on the two factors that best represented the conceptual area of life satisfaction.
Improving Consultations between Health-Care Professionals and Older Clients: Implications for Pharmacists
Authors: Morrow Daniel
Published: May 2005

Consultations between pharmacists and many clients are now federally mandated in the United States, but guidelines have not been developed for communication in this context. This article reviews research on communication between clients and health-care professionals in order to help develop recommendations for consultations between pharmacists and older clients. The review is organized around a collaborative approach to health communication, which identifies strategies by which speakers and listeners work together to achieve mutually defined goals. This approach is used to analyze cognitive processes underlying communication during pharmacist consultations. This review suggests that miscommunication often reflects a breakdown in collaboration between health-care professionals and clients. Recommendations are developed to improve collaboration, including suggestions for initiating consultations, presenting easy to understand messages, and monitoring to ensure that the messages are mutually understood. Most important, successful collaboration requires tailoring strategies to individual clients rather than basing communication on general assumptions about clients.
Personal and Social Value Concerns of Scandinavian Elderly: A Multivariate Study
Authors: Monk Abraham , Cryns Arthur G. , Milbrath Kirsten
Published: May 2005

This study is a descriptive account of the results obtained by a set of three attitudes scales, as part of a larger study on the value concerns of two samples of Scandinavian elderly, one Danish and the other Norwegian. The measuring instruments were the Cantril Self Anchoring Scale, the Life Satisfaction Index-A and Rosencranz-McNevin's Semantic Differential. The results indicate that both samples are equally preoccupied with personal security rather than economic concerns. The Danish sample perceives greater congruence between life goals and achievements than the Norwegians. The Norwegians see their young as deviant from the modal ideology of the adult world, while the Danes perceive the young as drifters, but functionally efficient. No correlation was found between personal life satisfaction and acceptance of youth, a finding at variance with results obtained by the authors among previous U.S. samples of aged.
Evaluation of a Family-Based Substance Abuse Prevention Program Targeted for the Middle School Years
Authors: Abbey Antonia , Pilgrim Colleen , Hendrickson Peggy , Buresh Sue
Published: May 2005

A family-based substance abuse prevention program was evaluated which emphasizes family cohesion, school and peer attachment, self-esteem, and attitudes about adolescent use of alcohol and tobacco. The program was implemented in rural communities and targeted families with students entering middle or junior high school. Baseline surveys were conducted with students and parents in four schools and were readministered one year later. Because the program was voluntary, a quasi-experimental design was used to compare participants (29 students and 28 parents) and nonparticipants (268 students and 134 parents). Analyses of covariance indicated that student participants, as compared to nonparticipants, had higher family cohesion, less family fighting, greater school attachment, higher self-esteem, and believed that alcohol should be consumed at an older age at the one year follow-up. There were fewer significant results for parent participants. Strategies for involving parents in prevention programs are discussed.
A Cybernetic Approach to Study the Learnability of the Logo Turtle World
Authors: Ippel Martin J. , Meulemans Caroline J. M.
Published: May 2005

Research has demonstrated that children experience great difficulty in gaining mastery of the syntax and the semantic structure of the LOGO programming environment. The study presented in this article tests the hypothesis that simplification of the semantic structure will facilitate semantic understanding and acquisition of syntax knowledge within the LOGO Turtle World. Two microworlds were designed to carry out the same class of tasks using an identical set of basic commands, but comprising a different semantic structure. They were designed applying the theory of automata and abstract languages. The article demonstrates that different formal grammars can be formulated from one set of terminal symbols (i.e., basic commands of the LOGO Turtle World). Furthermore, it demonstrates how different finite-state machines correspond with these different grammars. In this study, two finite-state machines are defined: a one-state machine (ORTHO-1) and a four-state machine (ORTHO-4). Both machines can produce analogous rectangular figures in response to sequences of input symbols chosen from an identical input alphabet. Each of these abstract machines was physically realized as a computer-based microworld similar to the LOGO Turtle World. In an experiment with second and third grade children, it was found that the semantically simpler microworld (i.e., ORTHO-1) produced better semantic understanding as well as better mastery of the syntax of the input commands. The result occurred despite the fact that these microworlds used identical input commands.
Transition to Grandmotherhood
Authors: Fischer Lucy Rose
Published: May 2005

This exploratory study examines grandparenthood as a role relationship. Grandmothers, in describing the transition to grandparenthood, tended to emphasize emotional/symbolic investment in grandchildren rather than instrumental/interactional dimensions of relationships. The data suggest that grandparental role conceptions are modified by family network variable: Ambiguity in the grandmother role is magnified by geographical distance and by paternal (rather than maternal) grandmotherhood.
Grandfathers' and Grandmothers' Satisfaction with the Grandparenting Role: Seeking New Answers to Old Questions
Authors: Peterson Candida C.
Published: May 2005

A total of 146 Australian grandparents rated their level of satisfaction with grandparenthood as an overall experience and ranked the satisfaction they gained from this role relative to other significant roles in adult life including parenthood, marriage and career. In contrast to the results of a seminal study conducted in the United States three decades ago (Neugarten & Weinstein, 1964), only a small minority (8%) were more dissatisfied than satisfied with the grandparenting role. On the other hand, in line with Neugarten and Weinstein's results, but in contrast to the results of two intervening studies of North American grandparents (Thomas 1986, 1989), there were no significant differences between grandfathers' and grandmothers' levels of satisfaction with grandparenting. Frequent contact with grandchildren predicted high levels of satisfaction in grandparents of both genders, whereas there were no effects of the grandparent's own age or marital status, or of the grandchildren's gender, age or number. In addition to the two main gratifications of biological renewal and emotional fulfillment reported by Neugarten and Weinstein, these older Australians frequently reported the opportunities to observe their grandchildren's development and share in their activities as the best features of grandparenthood, while lack of frequent enough contact was the worst feature.
A Look at an Interactive Classroom-Based Drug Abuse Prevention Program: Interactive Contents and Suggestions for Research
Authors: Sussman Steve , Rohrbach Louise A. , Patel Ravi , Holiday Karen
Published: May 2005

Interactivity has been shown to be a critical element of effective drug abuse prevention programs. This study examined the contents of Project Towards No Drug Abuse, a program that has revealed strong effects only when delivered in a highly interactive version. Types of teacher and student interactive messages were identified. It is speculated that explicit action on the part of the teacher to have students make statements and ask questions of one another may be the essence of effective drug education program delivery. Suggestions for future research on interactivity were made.
Age, Personality, and the Holtzman Inkblot Technique
Authors: Costa Paul T. , McCrae Robert R.
Published: May 2005

Recent longitudinal studies using personality questionnaires and ratings have shown remarkable stability across the adult years. In an investigation of age changes and differences in personality as measured by the Holtzman Inkblot Technique (HIT), ninety-three men and women aged twenty-five to ninety were administered Form A of the HIT; forty-four of these were retested one to three years later. Stability coefficients ranged from .07 for Form Appropriateness to .73 for Form Definiteness, with most variables showing significant but moderate stability. Repeated measures analyses of variance showed increases in six variables and decreases in two others, but only one of these changes was paralleled by cross-sectional age differences. Correlations with self-report measures of the broad personality domains of neuroticism, extraversion, and openness to experience failed to show hypothesized relations, and the associations seen were attributable to chance. It was concluded that the HIT measures perceptual-cognitive variables that are moderately stable in adulthood.
Successful Aging, Life Satisfaction, and Generativity in Later Life
Authors: Fisher Bradley J.
Published: May 2005

This article explores the meanings older people attach to successful aging and life satisfaction and how these concepts can be differentiated. Forty elderly employees of the Ozarks Area Foster Grandparent Program (ages 61–92) were randomly selected and interviewed using an open-ended survey questionnaire. These questions explored understandings of successful aging and life satisfaction, the factors essential for each, and the differences perceived between these concepts. Qualitative data were coded by two independent reviewers. Respondents' understandings of successful aging involved attitudinal or coping orientations nearly twice as often as those for life satisfaction. Descriptions of life satisfaction emphasized the fulfillment of basic needs and was viewed as a precursor to successful aging. Content analysis confirmed five features of successful aging: interactions with others, a sense of purpose, self-acceptance, personal growth, and autonomy. The findings suggest that generativity contributes to successful aging and remains a vital developmental task in later life.
Studies of Body Image III: Body Feelings as Measured by the Semantic Differential
Authors: Plutchik Robert , Conte Hope , Bakur-Weiner Marcella
Published: May 2005

A semantic differential questionnaire was designed to assess the connotative meanings of the word “head” as an important aspect of body image. The questionnaire was completed by 203 individuals representing varied groups ranging from geriatric patients to university students. The “head” was described in terms of various words representing the evaluative, potency, and activity dimensions. Non-psychiatric patients in a Home and Hospital for the Aged, the oldest group, and university students described the “head” as good, happy, pleasurable, and active more frequently than did the other groups. Geriatric psychiatric patients and middle-aged schizophrenics scored consistently low an all three dimensions, suggesting that they perceived the “head” as bad, passive, and inactive. These results imply that increasing age per se is less disruptive to body image than is mental illness.
Institutionalizing College Networks for Student Success
Authors: Calder William B. , Gordon William
Published: May 2005

An important and common goal shared by all educators is the success of their students. For some institutions student success is a strategically planned, conscious, collaborative, and coordinated effort on the part of all constituent college groups. For others there needs to be a more concerted effort paid to the concept of sustainable retention efforts itself and how success/retention initiatives can be institutionalized into the mainstream operation of a college. The authors explore several “networking” concepts and planning strategies including addressing college values, “buy-ins” by various constituent groups, and a commitment to action that can be used by institutional leaders as they plan for their college's success/retention initiatives.
Building a Theory of Grandparent Development
Authors: Strom Robert , Strom Shirley
Published: May 2005

A theory of grandparent development is described that includes the formulation of assumptions, goals for guiding instruction, curriculum design, and a measurement tool to assess learning needs and evaluate the effects of educational intervention. Cultural considerations are illustrated by a three generational study of African-American ( n = 777), Caucasian ( n = 1086), and Hispanic ( n = 672) subjects who were administered the Grandparent Strengths and Needs Inventory. Perceptions of each generation about the attitudes and behaviors of grandparents were examined with multivariate analysis of variance and post-hoc comparisons to analyze the scores, confirm results, and facilitate interpretation of findings. Results showed significant differences between generations and within cultures. Each generation identified elements of grandparent success as well as issues that deserve consideration in building educational programs.
Coping with Computer-Stress
Authors: Hudiburg Richard A. , Necessary James R.
Published: May 2005

This research investigated coping strategies used by computer users who experienced varying degrees of computer-stress. Eighty-three college student computer users completed a research questionnaire with information about: computer use, computer knowledge, self-esteem, level of computer-stress, somatization/anxiety, stressful computer problem, and use of coping strategies. Based on scores derived from the Computer Hassles Scale, the students were classified as either experiencing high or low levels of computer-stress. Statistical analyses of differences revealed that high computer-stress users had lower self-rated computer abilities, lower self-esteem, and reported higher levels of somatization and anxiety. High computer-stress users, in contrast to low computer-stress users, significantly employed at higher levels confrontive, self-controlling, and accepting responsibility coping strategies in dealing with computer problems. The coping strategies employed by high computer-stress users were primarily emotional-focused coping strategies. The low computer-stress group tended to adopt a problem-solving coping strategy in dealing with computer problems.
Designing a Hypermedia Tool for Learning about Children's Mathematical Cognition
Authors: Koehler Matthew J. , Lehrer Richard
Published: May 2005

We designed a hypermedia tool for helping preservice teachers learn about the growth and development of children's mathematical reasoning. Design of the tool was guided by a small set of design principles derived from consideration of research in cognitive science. These included “criss-crossing” the conceptual landscape and developing navigational tools that made this landscape visible. We compared learning in text and hypermedia environments by employing a novel single-subject methodology that afforded an economical means of assessment. Results indicated that participants learned significantly faster using the hypermedia system than they did using text-based materials. Secondary analyses suggest that this finding could be attributed to several elements of the design, including the learners' access to examples, an interface that was flexible enough to meet readers' changing experience and goals, and the conceptual criss-crossing embedded in the structure of the system.
Training Models for Drug Abuse Prevention: Recommendations for the Future
Authors: Shute Robert E. , Swisher John D.
Published: May 2005

Why do we, as drug educators, conduct training programs for school, community, and agency personnel? If our ultimate goal is to produce a cadre of skilled trainees who will be effective in primary prevention ventures, then we should be quite disappointed. This article describes and provides examples of the three major training modalities currently in vogue. The strengths and weaknesses of each are examined and then integrated to build a recommended model for future training efforts.
The Words that Predict the Outbreak of Wars
Authors: Hogenraad Robert
Published: May 2005

McClelland has shown how passionate reformist zeal for social justice is often the link between an “imperial motivation pattern” (i.e., high need for power and low need for affiliation) and subsequent wars. If we could predict the outbreak of past conflicts from observing the gap between affiliation and power in stories and documents of the past, we could also analyze documents of the present and point at the gap as a signal of alert of future conflicts. With the help of the new computer-readable MOTIVE DICTIONARY, I content analyzed literary stories and real-life documents concerned with war and conflict. The dictionary rests on three axes, which are: the need for achievement, the need for affiliation, and the need for power. Examples of such narratives and documents are William Golding's Lord of the Flies, Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War, Tolstoy's War and Peace, a 373-page document produced in Washington in 1944 under the title of Events Leading Up to World War II. Chronological History Of Certain Major International Events Leading Up To and During World War II with the Ostensible Reasons Advanced For Their Occurrence. 1931-1944, and Robert F. Kennedy's Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis. With close to impeccable precision, the gap between affiliation and power widens as the conflicts develop, with power higher than affiliation, and narrows if and when serenity resumes.
Preventing Adverse Changes of Work with Age
Authors: Welford A. T.
Published: May 2005

Many people who change their jobs in middle age have been found to move to less skilled and lower paid work. Two methods of preventing this are discussed. First, training by methods designed to take account of learning difficulties in those past normal apprenticeship age has, when sensitively applied, been successful in equipping people with new skills. Second, applying principles of ergonomics—“fitting the job to the worker”—could often remove key difficulties for older workers and thus prevent the need for moves resulting from failing capacity. This could also open up a wider range of potential jobs for those who have to move by reason of redundancy or technological change. It is emphasized that both the training and ergonomic approaches need to be based on, and can contribute significantly to, fundamental research on performance in relation to age.
Alma: The New Drug Education
Authors: Ruíz Eleazar M.
Published: May 2005

“Few advances in knowledge or in educational practice are made without risk …” Phi Delta Kappan, November 1973.

Invariably the criteria that makes an educational approach “new” is the fact that it combines certain teaching strategies, tested hypotheses, and specific delivery modalities which are designed to make education in that subject area more relevant and meaningful to youth. Presentation of a new and humanistic approach to drug education is the major focus of this article.
Main Street, U.S.A.: Fact and Fiction about Drug Abuse
Authors: McKee Michael R.
Published: May 2005

Relative to the urban slum or commune environment, little is known of the drug abuse attitudes and knowledge of Middle America. As illicit drug use has become widespread in our society, demand for effective drug education, prevention, and rehabilitation has risen. It is important that the attitudes and knowledge of both those using, and not using drugs, be known in order to deal with these problems successfully.

In a small Eastern community (population 25,000) in the United States, a random sample (N = 124) of teachers, parents, police, mental health clinic workers, ministers, and high school students (both drug users and nonusers) were interviewed and tested to ascertain their attitudes and knowledge regarding drugs.

The findings are that drug users, in addition to being much more knowledgeable about drugs than nonusers, encounter quite different problems related to drug use than nonusers might imagine. Evidence indicates that users are aware of the fallacy of considering “drugs” in a general, all-encompassing fashion, and instead make sharp distinctions between drugs, whereas nonusers continually fail to do this.

Prevention/educational programs should take into consideration both a large attitudinal difference and a certain sophistication among drug users, even at the high school level. Particular problems and areas of ignorance among the educators (usually nondrug using) are indicated so as to further aid in establishing more realistic, efficient, and effective organizing, staffing, and operating of programs.
Yoga as a Preventive Health Care Program for White and Black Elders: An Exploratory Study
Authors: Haber David
Published: May 2005

A ten-week yoga program was implemented with sixty-one white and forty-five low-income black elders at two community sites, along with a pretest-posttest control group research design with random assignment at each site. White elders attended class regularly, practiced yoga on their own on a daily basis, improved psychological well-being, and lowered their systolic blood pressure level, in comparison to a control group. Black elders, on the other hand, attended the once-a-week class regularly but did not practice on their own on a daily basis. Thus, they did not improve psychological well-being nor reduce blood pressure level in comparison to a control group. Social analysts suggest that low-income minority elders need more frequent contact with structured leadership in order to adhere to a daily routine that may lead to psychological and physical change. Other directions for controlled follow-up studies are suggested.
The Effect of Values Clarification and Survey Feedback on Teachers' Attitudes toward Education and Drugs
Authors: Shain Martin
Published: May 2005

This report concerns an attempt by an invited outside agent to clarify—as opposed to modify-the attitudes and opinions of teachers in a high school with regard to issues in education and drug use. In order to measure changes in the school, survey and organizational analysis techniques were used. In the former type of analysis, factoring is explored as a means for measuring shifts in issue-orientation over time, and in the latter type an organizational framework is developed in order to conceptualize major dimensions of the school as an institution with the purpose of allowing the investigator to measure change over time.

The findings raise some questions about the practicality of evaluating projects at an organizational level which emphasize value-clarification as opposed to persuasion techniques. The difficulty encountered with value clarification was that the investigator and the change agent were not able to predict or set expectations for the direction in which change, if any, would take place. However, this tended to be a characteristic of the earlier phase of the project. Later on, organizational goals for the school became clearer, making evaluation more meaningful. Changes were nonetheless noted in the client school which appear to be in line with the content of the agent's intervention. These changes did not take place in a comparison school.
Foster - Family Care for the Elderly: Surrogate Family or Mini-Institution?
Authors: Newman Evelyn S. , Sherman Susan R.
Published: May 2005

The rationale behind adult foster care (AFC) has been that “participation in the life of the family” is superior to institutionalization. The extent to which AFC is familial has been widely debated, ranging from claims that this environment provides a surrogate family, to claims that it is no more than a mini-institution. This paper discusses the extent to which elderly clients are integrated into the family and the method by which such integration was measured in a sample of one hundred adult foster homes in New York State. The four dimensions used to measure familism were Affection, Social Interaction, the performance of Ritual, and the minimization of Social Distance.
Consummation: A Concept for Gerontologic Theory
Authors: Mc Kee Patrick L.
Published: May 2005

Many human experiences are “consummatory” in that their meaning is clarified by the perspective of their final stages. Old age invites consummatory assessments of the major stages, relationships and events in our past lives. This affects gerontology in two ways. First, the consummatory quality of aging should be measured by life-satisfaction indexes. Neglect of consummation in life-satisfaction indexes can lead to bias in testing theories of aging. Second, achieving favorable consummations in old age is one form of human fulfillment. Since external conditions can affect consummations either favorably or unfavorably, there is a public duty to create social conditions that promote favorable consummations.
A Systematic Approach to Assessing Retention Programs: Identifying Critical Points for Meaningful Interventions and Validating Outcomes Assessment
Authors: Wang Huiming , Grimes Judith Wilson
Published: May 2005

A systematic approach to assessing retention programs focuses on student success and continual improvement in retention. The approach is a dynamic and ongoing practice built into the daily work of faculty, staff, and other college personnel and is based on the theoretical framework for comprehensive retention research (Levitz & Noel, 1985). The framework has been extensively used in retention research (Congos & Schoeps, 1997; Molnar, 1996). Three major components of retention research have been identified: determining dropout predictors, identifying critical points, and validating outcomes assessment of retention endeavors. This article describes the research approach that yielded data used in designing and implementing meaningful interventions for freshmen to enable them to attain their academic and personal goals. The research was also used in reports provided for local and state educators, legislators, the general public, and others interested in the value of investing in higher education.
Illegal Drug Abuse and the Community Camp Strategy in China
Authors: Wang Wen
Published: May 2005

Since the 1980s, China has experienced major changes in its traditional drug use patterns which included mostly tobacco and alcohol use. The introduction of opium, marijuana, heroin, and cocaine is the most noticeable change. In 1995, there were about 520,000 reported drug users in China and the rate of increase was about 200 percent. During the 1990 Strictly Against Illegal Drug Campaign (Yan Da), the Chinese government implemented a compulsory detoxification plan and a Community Drug Rehabilitation Camp strategy to deal with the diverse aspects of the illegal drug control. This article provides an initial evaluation of the community camp approach to drug detoxification and rehabilitation. Open-ended interviewing schedules were given to two samples from two government sponsored rehabilitation community camps in 1994. These interviews reveal that: 1) the social and cultural reorientation of drug addicts is facilitated by an intensive mass media propaganda; 2) there is a mobilization of the health care and social security systems to provide detoxification, rehabilitation, and employment to drug addicts in a relatively short period of time; 3) “recidivist” addicts and drug traffickers are condemned to a long-term incarceration in work camps; and 4) the camp strategy experiences some problems. Results show that in the two community camps, an average of twelve month's training yielded a rehabilitation rate of 80 percent.
Changes in Teachers' Attitudes toward Drugs Associated with a “Social Seminar” Course
Authors: Wong Martin R. , Zimmermann Robert
Published: May 2005

Recent reports have seemed to indicate that drug education programs centered around the provision of information about drugs stimulate increased experimentation. An attempt was made to assess the attitude change of teachers involved in a drug education program which had as part of its content, “The Social Seminar”, a National Institute of Mental Health film and activity series about drugs. Data analyses indicated that there are four distinct factors among teachers' perceptions of different drugs; “hard” drugs; “soft” drugs; alcohol; and “household” drugs. As a result of the drug education course, the teachers tended to rate 1) alcohol more dangerous; 2) the soft drugs less dangerous; 3) the hard and household drugs as about the same as in the pre-test. Drugs were seen as more dangerous to people generally than to the rater himself.
ArtView: Transforming Image Databases into Collaborative Learning Spaces
Authors: Gay Geri , Boehner Kirsten , Panella Tara
Published: May 2005

Considering the educational importance of dialogue among students, faculty, and professionals, this article examines a computer-mediated communication tool designed to support online learning through conversation. ArtView, developed by Cornell University's Interactive Multimedia Group, allows groups of learners to converse from disparate locations in a shared space while viewing an image that has been pre-loaded by the instructor. An online database provides a ready-reference, allowing the instructor to customize background or contextual information necessary to supplement the online conversations. This article describes and reports the results of user-testing conducted in conjunction with a college course, “Art in the Electronic Age.” Through qualitative techniques, learners compare and contrast their experiences in a face-to-face guided visit and discussion with a computer-mediated viewing and discussion using ArtView. Museums were seen as providing an attractive element of personal choice and an outstanding physical viewing environment. ArtView lacked these elements and tended to homogenize the artworks with its two-dimensional display limitations. However, most students reported levels of satisfaction with the quality and convenience of the computer-mediated communication (CMC) aspects sufficient to make up for the limitations. The article concludes with suggestions on how educators might augment learning by combining the strengths of the online and museum experiences.
Prevention of Alcoholism — A Teaching Strategy
Authors: Cappiello Lawrence A.
Published: May 2005

Reports of teenage drinking patterns and incidence of alcoholism generally could lead to the conclusion that school and community education programs have not been successful. A part of that apparent lack of success may lie in a failure to adopt a strategy in keeping with experiential observation and research data.

Programs of alcohol education, or education on alcoholism, should have three main objectives: first, information about alcohol and alcoholism; second, case finding; and third, prevention. The subject is an extremely complex one, calling on the skills of many different disciplines for the gathering of research data and the treatment of the patient. That factor of complexity should be recognized in the planning of school or community education programs. Optimal success may best be assured within a program with clear objectives, executed at a number of levels, utilizing many talents and loci, within a well organized plan of action.
Young Adolescents, Tobacco Advertising, and Smoking
Authors: Santana Yolanda , González Beatriz , Pinilla Jaime , Calvo Jose Ramon , Barber Patricia
Published: May 2005

Background:

In adolescents aged 12–14, we measured attitudes to tobacco advertising. Our purpose is to understand the relation of these attitudes to tobacco use and identify the groups most influenced by the advertising.

Methods:

Survey of adolescents on Gran Canaria Island, Spain, about aspects of family, school, peers, tobacco consumption, and tobacco advertising. The subjects of the double-stratified cluster sample were 1910 students at the same grade level in 33 schools; 86.6% were 13 or 14 years old, and 51.2% were boys. We generated measures for attitudes to tobacco advertising from replies to seven questions with ordinal scales by an analysis of categorical principal components. To relate attitude to tobacco advertising and the profiles of these adolescents, we used multiple regression and logistic regression models. Results: Attitudes to tobacco advertising are related to some home and school factors, but most significantly to tobacco and alcohol consumption, to amount of time at home without adults, and to peer influence.

Conclusions:

It is possible to draw up profiles of the students most vulnerable to tobacco advertising, and to cluster them in two groups, the “vitalists” and the “credulous.” The effect of cigarette ads is different between these groups. This study can help to orientate smoking prevention.
The Autobiographical Group: A Tool for the Reconstruction of Past Life Experience with the Aged
Authors: Botella Luis , Feixas Guillem
Published: May 2005

From a personal construct point of view, writing autobiographical texts becomes a relevant therapeutic ingredient for elderly individuals. If conducted in a context of a group, as Birren proposes [1, 2]; it promotes self-awareness, self-disclosure, and the capacity of generating alternative views of life's experiences. In a group of elderly volunteers from a recreational society of Barcelona (Spain), the guided autobiography method was used to foster the reconstruction of the participant's past life experiences. The degree of reconstruction was assessed through a design that included the administration of a repertory grid at the initial and tenth (last) session. A parallel assessment was applied to a control group of participants with similar demographic characteristics. An adaptation of the method proposed by Feixas for the analysis of autobiographical texts was used to assess the assigned writings of the participants for each session [3]. Results show a significant and gradual change in the construing system of those participants in the autobiographical group. Thus, the distance of the elements self-ideal/self and self-ideal/others significantly decreased in comparison to the control group. It is suggested that the guided autobiography is an adequate therapeutic tool to promote the reconstruction of experience in aged individuals.
The Meaning of Engagement
Authors: Spence Donald L.
Published: May 2005

A distinction should be made between disengagement as a means of conceptualizing and as a means of explaining changes that take place with aging. The author is critical of those aspects of Disengagement Theory that emphasize inevitability, determinism, the separation of the individual from society, and the “crucial phase” model of development. An alternative viewpoint is sketched from the interactional analysis approach. Attention is given to the constant reinterpretation of self and situation, with consequent modification of actions. The facts of Disengagement Theory as seen from this perspective take on new meaning. Age-related changes are the outcome of the social circumstances within which they take place, along with the cultural values operating in that context.
Changes in Self-Concept during Therapeutic Community Treatment: A Comparison of Male and Female Drug Abusers
Authors: Wheeler Barbara L. , Biase D. Vincent , Sullivan Arthur P.
Published: May 2005

Self-concepts of men and women in treatment in a therapeutic community were tested using the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS). Testing occurred at four points, the first between three and six months after entering treatment, and again at approximately four month intervals. The 127 males and 42 females were part of the Daytop Miniversity project, in which the effect of enrollment as matriculated college students on self-concept was one area which was tested. Changes in the selfconcepts of men and women as measured by five empirically derived factors, plus the scales of the TSCS, are traced. Particularly striking are the negative selfconcepts of females preparing to leave treatment in the areas of acceptance by family, self, and peers. An awareness of these problem areas may suggest different treatment strategies for women as they near the end of treatment.
Belief Discrepancy Reasoning in the Elderly
Authors: Enright Robert D. , Roberts Pamela , Lapsley Daniel K.
Published: May 2005

The development of belief discrepancy reasoning, or how people evaluate disagreeing others, was examined with forty-four college and elderly respondents. Dogmatism and IQ measures were also administered. The results showed that the elderly were significantly lower in belief discrepancy reasoning and higher in dogmatism than the college sample, despite statistically greater IQ for the former sample and controls for education. For belief discrepancy, the elderly sample did not evidence intolerance, but rather relativism and open-mindedness toward disagreeing others. Implications for the construct validation of belief discrepancy and senescent intolerance are discussed.
Reducing Alcohol Use in College Students: A Controlled Trial of Two Brief Interventions
Authors: Walters Scott T. , Bennett Melanie E. , Miller Joseph H.
Published: May 2005

This study tested two forms of alcohol reduction programming for college students. Thirty-seven moderate to heavy drinkers completed measures of quantity/frequency, drinking consequences, and attitude questionnaires. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: 1) a two-hour information and motivation session plus mailed personal feedback on their drinking; 2) mailed feedback only; or 3) no treatment. At a 6-week follow-up session, the feedback-only group decreased drinks per month as compared to control. No other differences were statistically significant, though decreases favored the treatment conditions about equally over control. Implications for research and treatment are discussed.
Attitudes toward Marijuana among Law Students: The South's Future Lawyers
Authors: Brantley Warren G.
Published: May 2005

A survey of attitudes concerning marijuana: (1) usage, (2) state laws, (3) effects on a person's professional career, and (4) usage of the substance by members of the state Bar was conducted among two hundred forty-five law school students at a southern university. Data were analyzed using chi square and no statistically siginficant differences were found between first, second, and third year students on any of the items analyzed. General trends indicated were that a liberalization of attitudes is occurring and that there is acceptance, in a professional capacity, of the lawyer who uses marijuana. Students who have used the drug indicated that they did not believe that regulated usage would hinder their performance and 82 per cent of the respondents noted that current laws controlling the drug should be made more lenient or that the substance should be made legal for those persons eighteen years of age and older.
Drug Interests of Suburban Junior High School Students
Authors: Sutherland Mary
Published: May 2005

The purpose of this study was to investigate the drug interests of junior high school students utilizing a questionnaire. The results of the study suggested that these particular students were most interested in the topic of illicit drugs and indicated less interest in the topics of commercial, over the counter, herbal, and prescription drugs. In addition, the students raised many questions about the effects of all drugs, the use of drugs, governmental control of drugs, and the buying and selling of drugs. From the information gathered, a relevant drug unit could be planned for the area of health education at the junior high school level.
Smokeless Tobacco Use among Ontario Students
Authors: Adlaf Edward M. , Smart Reginald G.
Published: May 2005

The use of smokeless tobacco among adolescents has emerged as a public health concern. We report here estimates of use and characteristics of users among a probability sample of 4,267 Ontario (Canada) students aged thirteen to nineteen years. The results indicated that smokeless tobacco use was not common, varying from 1 percent to 3 percent depending upon age and gender, but was more likely to occur among smokers (10% to 32%). The group most prone to use was young smoking males.
A Research-Based Modification of a Computer Program for Reading Instruction
Authors: Greene Barbara A. , Kincade Kay M. , Hays Timothy A.
Published: May 2005

Two versions of a computer-based program for enhancing reading speed were examined. One program was based on a commercially available program that presents texts as randomly segmented chunks, while the other program segmented the text at meaningful breaks. College students read six passages at either 350 or 500 wpm and encountered both versions of the programs. Comprehension performance was lower for those students who read at 500 wpm. Students performed significantly better with the meaningful segment version. The difference was more pronounced for the 500 wpm condition, though the interaction was not significant. The authors argue that commercial computer programs for reading instruction should either be based on current research findings or allow for modification by the educators who purchase them.
An Outlook on Subjective Well-Being in Older Israeli Adults: A Unified Formulation
Authors: Shmotkin Dov , Hadari Guy
Published: May 2005

The present study explored the factorial structure of the combined item pool of the Life Satisfaction Index A (LSIA) [1] and the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale (PGCMS) [2], two prominent instruments for assessing subjective well-being (SWB) and formulating its structure among the elderly. The sample consisted of 830 older Israeli adults, randomly divided into two groups for cross-validating purposes. The exploratory factor analysis yielded five substantial factors labeled Reconciled Aging, Unstrained Affect, General Contentment, Present Happiness, and Past Self-Fulfillment. The emerging structure was subjected to a confirmatory factor analysis by LISREL, indicating the fit of Liang's model [3, 4] that postulates a second-order factor of SWB. Correlations between the factor scales and other SWB indices provided evidence of convergent validity. The current formulation, which awaits further replication and validation, demonstrated that while each measure does contain unique components, they both contribute to a superordinate construct. The integrative approach employed here might facilitate the delineation of basic psychological themes as well as generate a broader perspective for the assessment of SWB in old age.
Drugs and the Medicalization of Human Problems
Authors: Hills Stuart L.
Published: May 2005

The focus in the mass media on illegal drug abuse among the young has obscured an epidemic increase in the misuse of legal psychoactive drugs in America. The threat to society from the widespread use of mood-altering drugs—encouraged by the pharmaceutical industry and medical profession-is explored. The increasing tendency to define unpleasant human feelings and troublesome behavior as a “disease” to be corrected with drugs may serve to (1) diminish pressures to seek more fundamental approaches to the real sources of the drug user's distress, and (2) individualize and depoliticize complex social problems.
Life Satisfaction of Elderly Individuals in Regular Community Housing, in Low-Cost Community Housing, and High and Low Self-Determination Nursing Homes
Authors: Vallerand Robert J. , O'Connor Brian P. , Blais Marc R.
Published: May 2005

Numerous studies have found that giving nursing home residents more control or self-determination in their daily lives increases their life satisfaction. However, it is not known if elderly people living in high self-determination nursing homes are as satisfied with life as elderly people living in the community. In this study, it was found that elderly persons living in regular community housing, in low-cost community housing, and in high self-determination nursing homes reported similar levels of life satisfaction, and more life satisfaction than elderly people living in low self-determination nursing homes. Health and sociodemographic variables could not account for these findings. The common assumption that nursing homes have detrimental effects on life satisfaction appears unwarranted in the case of those that provide opportunities for self-determination.
Fitting in by Race/Ethnicity: The Social and Academic Integration of Diverse Students at a Large Predominantly White University
Authors: Morley Kathleen M.
Published: May 2005

This study examined the influence of racial/ethnic dynamics on the process of social and academic integration. Students of diverse racial/ethnic and academic backgrounds were interviewed throughout their first-year and again at the beginning of their sophomore year about their pre-college and in-college experiences. Results yielded a qualitative description of the process of integration and indicated the importance of peer culture and institutional environment. Racial/ethnic accountability, the pervasiveness of White culture, and the pursuit of a color-blind society led to differences in integration by race/ethnicity. These dynamics, in addition to differences in pre-college learning opportunities, challenged the social and academic integration of minority students, particularly African-American and Latino/a students, into campus life.
The Importance of Significant others in Youth's Decision Making about Drug Use and other Deviant Acts
Authors: Streit Fred
Published: May 2005

The purpose of the study was to investigate youth's decision making processes as related to committing deviant acts as well as acts considered positive. Results indicate a lack of formal decision making prior to committing deviant acts by youth.