bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Client Empowerment in Psychiatry and the Professional Abuse of Clients: Where Do We Stand?
Authors: Kumar Shailesh
Published: May 2005

Objective:

There is a considerable imbalance of power in psychiatry that sits in favor of professionals. The abuse and discrimination of the mentally ill are not just restricted to the mental health system but may also exist in the primary care sector. This article aims to evaluate the effects of power imbalance on discrimination and abuse of people with mental illness by professionals.

Methods:

A literature search was carried out on MEDLINE using the key words consumerism, client empowerment, abuse, and mental illness. Publications of two leading British consumer organizations: MIND and the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health were hand searched. Relevant cross-references from the papers reviewed were consulted. Studies with information on the reasons for power imbalance and prevalence of discrimination and abuse of clients were critically reviewed. Explanations are offered as to why abuse and discrimination of clients by professionals may still occur despite the onset of the client empowerment movement.

Results and Discussion:

The available evidence suggests that reasons for abuse of mental health clients fall under two broad categories: 1) direction from the imbalance of power and 2) those pertinent to the nature of physical or sexual abuse. Different grades of client empowerment and ways of strengthening it are described.

Conclusions:

There appears to be a link between power imbalance and abuse of clients with mental illness by professionals in all health care sectors. Client empowerment may help rectify the power imbalance. Prospective studies are required to establish whether client empowerment can reduce discrimination and abuse of clients and whether abuse is a consequence of power imbalance. Recommendations for future studies are made.
Language and the Healing Arts: Some Recent Texts on Medical Writing
Authors: Bjork Robert E.
Published: May 2005

Medical and scientific writing have traditionally occasioned debate. The earliest critics of scientific language were harsh because they were promoting a plain style of writing free from rhetorical embellishment, not because they questioned the writing ability of those they censured. Writing and language were central parts of scientific inquiry. Modern critics are likewise frequently harsh and derisive, but they have lost sight of the integrated approach to language and science that their predecessors had. This article examines three texts published within the last ten years that seem to reverse some trends in medical writing. Tapping non-scientific fields from philology to aesthetics to composition theory, these texts suggest ways in which the humanities can be reintegrated with the study of medical and scientific writing.
Evaluating Psychosocial Stress: Preliminary Report on a Brief and Convenient Instrument for Health Professionals
Authors: Burnell George M. , Norfleet Mary Ann
Published: May 2005

The Heimler Scale of Social Functioning (HSSF) is an effective instrument for evaluating psychosocial stress and dysfunction. When tested, the HSSF clearly differentiated between two different patient groups: those who had scheduled initial appointments for outpatient psychotherapy and those who were participating in a multiphasic health examination. Both groups were composed of members of the same prepaid health plan, utilizing the same medical center, and were comparable to each other in all respects except age. This scale has excellent potential for use as a screening instrument by primary care physicians in clinics and medical centers, psychotherapists in various clinical settings, and psychiatric professionals in outpatient services.
Capitalism, Socialism, and the Physical Quality of Life
Authors: Cereseto Shirley , Waitzkin Howard
Published: May 2005

This study compared capitalist and socialist countries in measures of the physical quality of life (PQL), taking into account the level of economic development. The World Bank was the principal source of statistical data, which pertained to 123 countries and approximately 97 percent of the world's population. PQL variables included (1) indicators of health, health services, demographic conditions, and nutrition (infant mortality rate, child death rate, life expectancy, crude death rate, crude birth rate, population per physician, population per nursing person, and daily per capita calorie supply); (2) measures of education (adult literacy rate, enrollment in secondary education, and enrollment in higher education); and (3) a composite PQL index. All PQL measures improved as economic development increased. In 30 of 36 comparisons between countries at similar levels of economic development, socialist countries showed more favorable PQL outcomes (p < .05 by two-tailed t-test). This work with the World Bank's raw data included cross-tabulations, analysis of variance, and regression techniques, which all confirmed the same conclusions. The data indicated that the socialist countries generally have achieved better PQL outcomes than the capitalist countries at equivalent levels of economic development.
Neonatal Mortality and the Economy Revisited
Authors: Catalano Ralph , Serxner Seth
Published: May 2005

The association between economic contraction and neonatal mortality previously reported in this Journal is retested using methods and data that respond to criticisms of aggregate time-series work. Results suggest that the risk of neonatal mortality among birth cohorts of black males in the Los Angeles County and Orange County metropolitan areas is increased by unexpectedly low levels of employment in the second trimester. The argument is made that the strength of the effect is probably not sufficient to make the case for stimulating regional economies more compelling.
Imminent Concerns Of Filial Caregivers Reporting Recent Experiences Of Crisis
Authors: England Margaret , Tripp-Reimer Toni
Published: May 2005

The purpose of this descriptive study was to generate information about imminent concerns of adult children that could serve as initial context for development of a meaningful framework for coping with an ongoing parent care situation. Ninety-two adult children pre-selected for self-reports of crisis were interviewed about their concerns and goals for caregiving and asked to discuss experiences of crisis in the previous six months of caregiving. Key issues pertaining to their experiences were extracted from notes of the interviews and classified according to their common properties. Cohen's kappa for interrater reliability of the classifications was .79 while percentage agreement was 98 percent. The results of the study point to the presence of multiple issues pertaining to significant life and death events, relational burdens, early experiences with the family of origin, and focal patterns of distress and coping. Synthesis of the findings reveals overriding concerns for making improvements in one's family of origin, created family of adulthood, and middle-aged self. Findings have implications for experiential adult education in the area of filial maturity and caregiving.
Euthanasia: A National Survey of Attitudes toward Voluntary Termination of Life
Authors: Jorgenson David E. , Neubecker Ron C.
Published: May 2005

This study focused on the attitudes of a national sample of adults related to the voluntary termination of life. The data-base for this research were 1525 adults surveyed in the 1977 NORC General Survey. Two items in the survey delineated the pro-euthanasia and the anti-euthanasia groups. Several independent variables including structural, behavioral, and attitudinal variables were correlated with euthanasia attitudes. Several statistically significant correlations were found. These findings plus the results of a discriminant analysis showed that those persons with favorable attitudes toward suicide were also favorable toward euthanasia. Religiosity and other religious indicators were negatively associated with pro-euthanasia attitudes. Whites and males were more favorable toward euthanasia than Blacks and females. Finally, the social class variables were positively associated with pro-euthanasia attitudes.
Alexithymia and Pain in an Outpatient Behavioral Medicine Clinic
Authors: Papciak Anthony S. , Feuerstein Michael , Belar Cynthia D. , Pistone Lisa
Published: May 2005

Alexithymia is defined as a “lack of words for feelings.” This deficiency has been suggested to play a role in the formation and maintenance of somatic symptoms. Prior research has found alexithymia prevalent in “classic” psychosomatic disorders. The present study examines the prevalence of alexithymia and its relationship to patient age, sex, and report of pain. The sample was 208 consecutive outpatients evaluated on a Behavioral Medicine Service and presenting with pain as a primary symptom. Results indicated that the prevalence of alexithymia in this study is consistent with prior research using inpatient pain patients and a similar MMPI alexithymia sub scale. Additional analyses of the MMPI clinical and validity scales revealed that alexithymic patients were more defensive and presented themselves in a favorable manner reflecting a “normal” picture of mental health. It is suggested that alexithymia may play a role in chronic pain syndromes. Further research is needed to examine this deficiency and its potential etiological significance in these disorders.
Computer-Based Study Skills Training: The Role of Technology in Improving Performance and Retention
Authors: Zinatelli M. , Dubé M. A. , Jovanovic R.
Published: May 2005

The influence of computer-based study skills training on the academic performance of first year chemical engineering students was investigated. Students were randomly assigned to a treatment group that used R.E.S.U.L.T.S.© study skills software and a comparison group that did not use the software. Pre-university and first-term university academic performance measures of these groups were compared. Student goals, use of time, self assessments, and feedback were also examined. Although improvements in post-treatment performance were observed, pre-treatment group differences were also found to exist. Despite this limitation, the findings provide useful insights concerning what helps students learn. They also raise questions for future research.
Fantasy-Proneness, Negative Affect, and Psychopathology
Authors: Rauschenberger Sharon , Lynn Steven Jay
Published: May 2005

More than three quarters (76%) of the fantasty-prone college students (total N = 21) who scored in the upper 4% of the population on the Inventory of Childhood Memories and Imaginings (ICMI) [1] and who were administered a diagnostic interview met the criteria for either a past or present Axis I diagnosis according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [2] compared with 30% of medium fantasy prone students (total N = 20) who scored within 1/2 a standard deviation of the mean on the ICMI. Negative affectivity, as measured by the General Temperament Survey [3], was found to mediate the relation between fantasy and current Axis-I disorder, but not past Axis-I disorder. Whereas 5% of the medium fantasy prones received a dissociative disorder diagnosis, 33% of the fantasizers did so, with dissociative disorder not otherwise specified (DDNOS) constituting three quarters of the total dissociative diagnoses. Fantasizers also reported more dissociative experiences and more tenuous cognitive, affective, and attentional control than their non fantasy-prone counterparts. In general, the results provide confirmation of the findings of Rauschenberger and Lynn [4].
Validation of Cognitive and Functional Assessment Instruments in Vascular Dementia
Authors: Hershey Linda A. , Jaffe David F. , Greenough P. Gregg , Yang Shu-Li An
Published: May 2005

Vascular dementia is a common and potentially reversible type of dementing illness. Simple, yet valid, assessment instruments are needed to quantitate the severity of cognitive and functional impairment in vascular dementia patients seen in consultation or studied in therapeutic trials. Among sixty-three patients with known ischemic cerebrovascular disease, we found thirteen who satisfied research criteria for vascular dementia, nineteen who were “borderline” and thirty-one who were not demented. We administered the Cognitive Capacity Screening Examination and the Functional Activities Questionnaire to these patients and found both tests capable of distinguishing demented from nondemented groups with a high degree of sensitivity and specificity. This battery of assessment instruments was especially helpful in evaluating patients who fell into the “borderline” category. Both tests can be easily administered at the bedside or during routine office visits.
The Grief of Sids Parents and their Understanding of Each Other's Responses
Authors: Irizarry Carol , Willard Briar
Published: May 2005

This article reports on a survey of sixty-one parents (including 27 couples) who had recently experienced the loss of an infant to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Data were collected on parents' reactions to the death, things which helped with grief, sources of solace, and attitudes to another pregnancy. Some sets of questions were presented twice: in the first instance the respondent reported his/her own situation and in the second instance the respondent estimated his/her partner's situation. In some areas, respondents tended to over- or under-estimate their partner's situation. Reported grief reactions and solace seeking were similar for both parents although women generally scored higher on these measures than men. More women than men wanted another pregnancy soon, while men worried more about another pregnancy than did women. It is suggested that an understanding of areas of difference may be important for SIDS parents and for practitioners who work to facilitate the grieving process.
Schizophrenic-Like Symptoms in a Patient with Thrombo-Angiitis Obliterans (Winiwarter-Buerger's Disease)
Authors: Bozikas Vasilis P. , Vlaikidis Nikos , Petrikis Petros , Kourtis Anastasios , Karavatos Athanasios
Published: May 2005

In this article a case of schizophrenic-like symptoms in a patient with thrombo-angiitis obliterans (TAO) is presented. His CT and MRI findings indicated a diffuse ischemia in the white matter, suggestive of TAO, not of focal lesions. The patient, except for age, did not have other risk factors for other cerebrovascular diseases. Psychotic symptoms may be the result of cerebral TAO, via deep and periventricular white matter lesions.
A Comparison of Contexts of Red Ochre Use in Paleoindian and Upper Paleolithic Sites
Authors: Roper Donna C.
Published: May 2005

Red ochre is one of nine traits common to Paleoindian and Upper Paleolithic complexes. The similarity goes beyond simple presence, however, and encompasses virtual identity of the context in which ochre appears. These include burials, non-mortuary ritual context, and domestic context. Data are assembled here comparing the use of ochre in each context in the Upper Paleolithic and the Paleoindian periods. Particular attention is given to the Upper Paleolithic sites in the Soviet Union and the Paleoindian sites on the Plains. The earlier prehistory of ochre use is overviewed, and the possibility of ochre having symbolic significance in the Upper Paleolithic and Paleoindian periods is discussed.
Computer Anxiety of Rural Middle and Secondary School Students
Authors: Campbell N. Jo
Published: May 2005

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of sex and school level on the computer anxiety of rural middle school and secondary students when home availability and school use of computers are controlled. A total of 1,067 students in middle and secondary grades in six rural school districts participated in the study. The instrument used was the Computer Anxiety Scale with Cronbach's reliability coefficients ranging from .83 to .91, depending on the school level of the students. Sex and school level differences were found in home availability, but not in school use of computers. The findings suggest computer anxiety is not affected by sex or school level when home availability and school use of a computer is statistically controlled.
Grief Work and Dirty Work: The Aftermath of an Aircrash
Authors: Pine Vanderlyn R.
Published: May 2005

Normally, death activities are carried out by organizations of death experts who create the impression of cooperation and personal interest. But when an airplane crashes and many people die, the “normal” problems are multiplied not just because of the number of deaths, but also because a complex system of phenomena develops to cope with the many deaths. This paper describes the activities of and the organizations responsible for the handling of the dead after a major airplane crash in which thirty-two people were killed. The author participated as a “death expert” and was able to gather data about death-related crash activities and events. A temporary service system emerged in which the service relationship was brief, intimate, and bureaucratic. The social organization and power structure confirm that organizational status is to some extent based on the character of organizational tasks. The bereaved, however, saw this interrelated set of specific service occupations as if it were one server that seemed uncontrollable and unconcerned about their personal losses.
Control during Corporate Crisis: Asbestos and the Manville Bankruptcy
Authors: Delaney Kevin J.
Published: May 2005

Chapter 11 bankruptcy provides an opportunity for addressing issues of power and control during corporate crisis. Abroad notion of power is essential in understanding the complex events that led to the Chapter 11 filing of the Manville Corporation, formerly the nation's leading asbestos manufacturer. The theory of finance hegemony places this case in an entirely new light by taking into account the power of the financial community. The Manville bankruptcy illuminates several mechanisms by which this hegemony operates. From this perspective, Chapter 11 bankruptcy is viewed as a choice made from a set of options severely constrained by other powerful institutions, rather than a result of managerial incompetence or market failure.
Use Alteration of Pottery Vessel Surfaces: An Important Source of Evidence for the Identification of Vessel Function
Authors: Hally David J.
Published: May 2005

Eighty-one whole and partial vessels recovered from domestic structures and burial contexts at two Barnett phase sites in northwestern Georgia have been analyzed for evidence of surface alteration resulting from use. Three types of use alteration found on these vessels—sooting, oxidation discoloration and interior surface pitting—are described, and the processes by which they were produced are identified. The associations that exist between types of surface alteration and the morphological vessel types characteristic of the Barnett phase vessel assemblage are described and interpreted. Because these types of surface alteration are the result of actual vessel usage, they are a source of reliable evidence for identifying the function of individual vessels and of morphological vessel types.
A Discussion of Element Pools and an Application Using Late Prehistoric Rock Art from the Zuni and Hopi Area
Authors: Kodack Marc
Published: May 2005

Hill (1985) has recently suggested a model of style based on the concept of an element pool from which individual building blocks or elements are selected to create more complex graphical images known as designs. The existence of such an element pool is examined using one class of material containing design information, late prehistoric rock art from the Zuni and Hopi areas. It is expected that the Zuni and Hopi selected elements from different element pools for use in these rock art sites. The Brainerd-Robinson Similarity Coefficient is used to examine this expectation.
Community Participation in Quebec's Health System: A Strategy to Curtail Community Empowerment?
Authors: O'Neill Michel
Published: May 2005

Since the beginning of the 1970s, the province of Quebec has undergone a major reform of its health and social services system. Following this reform, the state has become a major protagonist, and the participation of the population is a built-in element in the system, guaranteed by law. Now, about 20 years later, there is a major effort to reorganize health services, in the wake of a “dewelfarization” mood that has reached Canada and Quebec. This article reviews the successes and pitfalls of public participation in Quebec's health system, presents the way in which participation is dealt with in current reform proposals, and draws lessons for people in many countries who have recently been encouraged to jump onto the bandwagon of participation as a strategy to promote the health of populations.
The Design and Implementation of Local and Wide Area Networks in Student Affairs
Authors: Malaney Gary D.
Published: May 2005

Local and wide area networks on college campuses in general and in student affairs in particular still represent a relatively new technology. Accordingly, literature on the design and operation of these computer systems is just beginning to appear in the academic computing journals. The purpose of this article is to contribute to the literature on networks by describing the design and implementation of a wide area network within a large division of student affairs at a major research university.
The Epidemiologist as Environmentalist
Authors: Stallones R. A.
Published: May 2005

Research based on an holistic concept of the relations between environment and health holds great promise for disease control, but is sharply constrained by the limitations of existing methods. Analytic techniques currently in vogue imply very different models, and even the more sophisticated one reflects an adherence to fairly traditional views of disease causation. These views seem entirely appropriate for therapeutic approaches, and, by extension, to preventive measures such as immunization. However, to understand and exploit effectively the environmental factors that influence disease, different models and methods are needed, perhaps based on the notion that a multitude of variables form interconnected constellations in n–space. Further developments along these lines are dependent upon appropriate statistical procedures and better means of data reduction.
Coping Strategies used by HIV Infected Women
Authors: Demi Alice , Moneyham Linda , Sowell Richard , Cohen Leland
Published: May 2005

The purpose of this study was to describe the coping strategies used by women to deal with the experience of being infected with HIV, and to develop a typology of coping strategies for this population. The sample of 264 HIV infected women was recruited from eight AIDS/HIV treatment sites serving both urban and non-urban clients in one state in the south eastern United States. Coping strategies were assessed through two open-ended questions: “How have you been dealing with being HIV positive?” and “What has been most helpful to you in dealing with being HIV positive?” Content analysis was used to analyze the data. A total of 516 codable items were identified. The coping strategies were classified into eight categories: Seeking/Using Support, Spirituality, Avoidance/Denial, Focusing on the Here and Now, Managing the Illness/Promoting Health, Positive Thinking, Focusing on Others, and Information Seeking (listed in order of frequency reported). The coping responses identified are generally similar to those reported in studies of HIV infected gay/bisexual males, however, there appeared to be a greater emphasis on spirituality and on focusing on others as coping strategies.
The Welfare State and its Distributive Effects: Part of the Problem or Part of the Solution?
Authors: Navarro Vicente
Published: May 2005

In the first part of this article, the author presents (1) a discussion of some of the major arguments against the welfare state put forward by neoliberal forces on both sides of the Atlantic, and (2) empirical information that shows the ideological rather than scientific nature of those arguments. The author also questions the widely held belief among European neoliberal (and even on occasion progressive) forces that the Reagan Administration policies have been (1) very successful in stimulating employment and economic growth, and (2) neoliberal rather than Keynesian. The empirical information presented in this article shows that these Reagan Administration policies have followed a military Keynesianism rather than social Keynesianism, which is responsible for a rather poor economic and social performance. In the second part, the author presents alternatives to the austerity policies advocated by the anti-welfare state forces, policies based on an expansion of the universalist character of the welfare state and its democratization, with active participation of the municipalities in the administration of the welfare state services and in the development of reflationary policies aimed at guiding production and stimulating consumption. The author also shows that the full development of the welfare state is a precondition for the needed restructuring of the economy, labor mobility, and technological innovation. The welfare state, rather than being the cause of the economic crisis, is part of the resolution of this crisis. The article ends with a discussion of the political conditions for the expansion of the welfare state and for the resolution of the economic crisis.
Web-Based Delivery of Information Technology Courses
Authors: Pollacia Lissa F. , Simpson Claude
Published: May 2005

The current American education system is faced with shifting market patterns resulting from rapid changes in the technologies designed to enhance the delivery of education. Today's university is vastly different from the institutions of twenty years ago. Technology's influence is changing the way we teach, the way we conduct research, and the way we seek to provide increased education opportunities without increased budgets. In answering this challenge, many departments of Information Technology are beginning to develop programs to offer courses using Web-based delivery, i.e., via the “virtual classroom.” In this article, we offer background and insight into the key elements involved with creating a virtual classroom, a discussion of the activities associated with the development of an online Information Technology course, and some of our observations concerning the impact of the online paradigm based on our own experience.
Motives of Adolescents to Use the Internet as a Function of Personality Traits, Personal and Social Factors
Authors: Wolfradt Uwe , Doll Jörg
Published: May 2005

This study investigates the relation between personality traits (Five-Factor-Model), personal (innovativeness, self-efficacy) and social (expectations or relevant reference groups) Internet related factors on the one hand and three motives (information, entertainment and, interpersonal communication) for going on-line among 122 adolescent Internet users on the other hand. The specificity hypothesis was supported in that Internet-specific personal and social factors together accounted for more variance of the 1nternet use motives than the global personality traits. With regard to the personality traits, neuroticism was found to be positively associated with the entertainment motive and with the interpersonal communication motive and extraversion was positively associated with the communication motive only. The potential of the three Internet motives to predict corresponding types of Internet activities was demonstrated.
Social Structure and the Education of Health Personnel
Authors: Kleinbach Grace
Published: May 2005

The article analyzes briefly the effect of a hierarchical structure of the health team on patient and community health outcomes. It then assesses the role of the total school system in nonsocialist underdeveloped and developed countries in reproducing this hierarchical structure. First, the school's selecting/channeling process determines who will or will not ascend to various levels in the health hierarchy, by means of (a) the differential allocation of educational resources by social class, race, and sex, and (b) evaluative instruments containing systematic invalidities which select specific groups over others. Second, the socialization process of the schools by means of the structure of human relationships (democratic/authoritarian, competitive/cooperative, creative/alienating) inculcates specific attitudes and behaviors “appropriate” to the specific hierarchical level attained. The article then analyzes the determinants of school structure, suggesting that educational and health care outcomes, while often not serving the public interest, do in fact serve the interests of those whose economic resources and power enable them to determine the structure and function of the schools. The school structure thus serves to maintain and reproduce the hierarchical organization of the health work place which in turn is determined by the economic and political structure. Finally, the article discusses the role of the health intellectual in the critique and formulation of educational and health policy.
Birthdays and Time of Death: A Footnote
Authors: Geis Gilbert
Published: May 2005

Several recent studies have examined the relationship between an individual's date of birth and date of his or her death [1, 2]. In the most recent contribution, Kunz and Summers note, on the basis of analysis of material in several archival sources, a significantly higher number of deaths occur during the first quarter after one's birthday than during the quarter preceding the birthday [3]. The present note is a brief historical addendum to this material.
Life Stress and Social Support in Diabetes: Association with Glycemic Control
Authors: Griffith Linda S. , Field Beverly J. , Lustman Patrick J.
Published: May 2005

The interrelationship of life stress, social support, and glucose regulation was studied in eighty patients with diabetes mellitus (insulin-dependent = 40, non-insulin-dependent = 40). Glucose control was measured using glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1); stress and social support were determined by the Social Readjustment Rating Scale and a Visual Analog Scale of social support. A two-way analysis of variance [social support (high/low) by life stress (high/low)] revealed that neither social support nor life stress was independently associated with HbA1. However, a significant interaction between these parameters was found. When reported stress was low, the HbA1 means were not statistically different for both high and low social support groups. As stress increased, variations in social support were associated with differences in glucose control. Under conditions of high stress, low social support subjects had significantly higher HbA1 than subjects with high social support (x̄ = 11.8% vs. x̄ = 9.9%, p = .04). These data suggest that during stressful times social support may insulate patients with diabetes from the adverse physiologic and behavioral consequences of stress and thereby foster better glucose control.
Risperidone: Treatment Response in Adult and Geriatric Patients
Authors: Kiraly S. J. , Gibson R. E. , Ancill R. J. , Holliday S. G.
Published: May 2005

Objective:

to Compare the Efficacy and Side Effects of Risperidone in Younger Adult and Geriatric Patients.

Methods:

Open Retrospective Study of 102 Consecutive Intakes, prescribed risperidone, by a mental health team. All patients were non-hospitalized community residents. Prior to initiation of risperidone, and at termination of study period, Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scores were used to track progress. Variables monitored were: concurrent use of other antipsychotics, compliance, side effects, and maintenance dosage.

Results:

The most common DSM-IV diagnoses were schizophrenia in the younger adult group and late onset delusional disorders in the geriatric group. Compliance was good for both groups. The geriatric group demonstrated a greater treatment response which was reached at a significantly lower dosage. There was no statistically significant difference in the occurrence of side effects. Examination of response by diagnostic category indicated that geriatric patients with late onset delusional disorder showed the best response while adults with either schizophrenia or affective syndromes also showed positive response.

Conclusions:

Risperidone, at lower than recommended doses, shows promise in the treatment of late onset delusional disorders and behavior syndromes of dementia. The side effect profile was benign, as was suggested by experience in treating schizophrenia. Scientifically more rigorous prospective studies for the indications and efficacy of risperidone in late onset psychotic disorders and psychoses and behavior syndromes associated with dementing illness are overdue.
The Growing Epidemic of Uninsurance: New Data on the Health Insurance Coverage of Americans
Authors: Hellander Ida , Moloo Jamaluddin , Himmelstein David U. , Woolhandler Steffie , Wolfe Sidney M.
Published: May 2005

Despite a massive expansion of Medicaid and an upswing in the economy, the total number of Americans uninsured in 1993 was 39.7 million, more than at any time since the passage of Medicaid and Medicare in the 1960s. Since 1989, the ranks of the uninsured have swelled by 6.3 million. Millions more would be uninsured if Medicaid enrollment had not risen dramatically, by 10.5 million people since 1989. Loss of health coverage is a growing problem for middle-income families, women, and children, as it has long been for low-income families. Even in Hawaii, whose employer mandate program is often cited as a model of universal coverage, there was a large increase in uninsurance. Nationwide, the sharp upswing in the number of Americans who are uninsured has coincided with government and corporate policies to encourage medical competition and push people into managed care plans. Republican proposals to limit AFDC benefits threaten to further increase uninsurance, particularly among women and children. Only a Canadian-style single-payer reform can assure universal coverage and simultaneously contain costs.
Perceptions of the Losses Experienced by Custodial Grandmothers
Authors: Miltenberger Paula B. , Hayslip Bert , Harris Bric , Kaminski Patricia L.
Published: May 2005

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that influence societal perceptions of grandparents who have become custodians of their grandchildren. Over 1200 adult volunteers evaluated a randomly assigned scenario describing a grandparent raising a grandchild, where scenarios varied in terms of grandchild gender, grandparent ethnicity, the presence/absence of grandchild problems, and the reason for the assumption of the grandparent caregiving role. Subjects rated scenarios according to the extent to which they thought the custodial grandparent was experiencing a variety of losses. Overall, perceptions of loss were greater for grandmothers whose grandchild was experiencing an emotional/ behavioral problem, and for those grandmothers whose grandchild had been abandoned or abused, or whose adult child had died, been incarcerated, or abused drugs. Due to an interaction between ethnicity and reason for role assumption, however, those findings are best interpreted in the context of the ethnicity of the grandparent. Depending on the context, respondents were less sensitive to losses suffered by Hispanic, African American, or Caucasian grandmothers. These data suggest that ethnicity of the grandparent and reason for assuming the custodial role affect the degree to which people are sensitive to the losses that custodial grandparents experience. These differences are likely to affect the extent to which others publicly acknowledge the grief of custodial grandparents. Moreover, ethnic stereotypes may interfere with an equitable allocation of social support for, and services to, grandparent caregivers. In this light, researchers should continue to study these disparities, as they are likely to affect the adjustment of grandparents to the custodial role.
The World Plan of Action: Is China Already Setting the Pace?
Authors: Draper William H.
Published: May 2005

In a recent visit to the People's Republic of China, the author learned first-hand that its family planning program is making remarkable progress—not only in the large cities, but also, more slowly, in the rural areas where 80 per cent of China's population still lives. Since China is the world's most populous country, with some 800 million people, the author asks whether the goals and objectives set there may not provide useful guidance in formulating a world population policy. When the United Nations World Population Conference, 1974 is held in Bucharest, Romania, next August, hopefully the governments assembled will reach agreement on a World Plan of Action to deal with the problems of the population explosion, which are already threatening many developing countries. The author suggests that the nations of the world at this important Conference should acknowledge in their Plan, as China has, that the human race must stabilize world population as soon as possible, with a goal of reducing the present growth rate from 2 per cent to 1 per cent by the year 2000. Tables are included with projections of the world population to 2050 assuming a 50 per cent reduction in growth rate compared with the continuation of present rates.
The Impact of Iroquoian Populations on the Northern Distribution of Pawpaws in the Northeast
Authors: Keener Craig , Kuhns Erica
Published: May 2005

The North American pawpaw ( Asimina triloba) is found in Michigan, southern Ontario, Ohio, and New York. It is the only indigenous tropical tree species found as far north as the Great Lakes region. The purpose of this article is to ascertain whether or not Iroquoian populations were directly responsible for the northernmost distribution of pawpaw trees. Pawpaw populations located in southern Ontario and in isolated pockets in New York are conspicuous because of their extreme northern location and their isolation from pawpaw populations to the south. Ethnohistoric and archaeological information is analyzed in an attempt to discover how coincidental it is that these isolated pawpaw populations correspond with the former habitation areas of several Iroquoian speaking groups. It is argued that trade and warfare between Iroquoian groups located in southern Ontario, New York, and the southern Lake Erie area were responsible for the spread of pawpaws from the Ohio and Michigan regions northward and eastward.
The Battle over Workers' Compensation
Authors: Ellenberger James N.
Published: May 2005

Faced with lower profits and rapidly increasing premium costs in the 1980s, insurers and employer organizations cleverly parlayed the public perception of worker fraud and abuse in the workers' compensation system (that they helped to create) into massive legislative changes. Over the last decade, state legislators and governors, Republican and Democrat alike, have jumped on this bandwagon, one that workers and their allies have dubbed the workers' compensation “deform” movement. Alleging a “game plan” and a calculated campaign on the part of insurers and employers, the author looks at the major components of changes that were made, examines the elements of workers' compensation over which employers and insurers have gained control, and discusses Newt Gingrich's efforts to capitalize on employer and insurer fervor over the system. This campaign whistled through the country until it goaded the labor movement, injured workers, the trial bar, and others in Ohio in 1997 to organize themselves to stand up to employers by defeating the deform law through a ballot initiative. The article details that battle and suggests that similar voices can be achieved through a return to grassroots organizing and mobilization.
Audiences Analysis across Cultures
Authors: Stevenson Dwight W.
Published: May 2005

This paper discusses crosscultural differences in audience analysis, using research conducted during a series of consulting trips in Japanese industries. The paper identifies problems implicit in the way technical writing is taught to nonnative speakers in this country and abroad, and shows how awareness of and experience with audiences in non-American and non-Western cultures can benefit instruction in technical communication classes for American students.
Introduction to the Community Intervention Trial for Smoking Cessation (COMMIT)
Authors: Lichtenstein Edward , Wallack Lawrence , Pechacek Terry F. ,   For the COMMIT Research Group
Published: May 2005

The Community Intervention Trial for smoking cessation (COMMIT) is sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and involves eleven pairs of communities in North America. COMMIT emphasizes a partnership between the eleven research institutions and their respective intervention communities in developing the structures needed to implement the intervention protocol. We summarize the epidemiological data and describe the prior community interventions that set the stage for COMMIT, and discuss how COMMIT may inform state-wide tobacco reduction demonstration programs. An overview of the articles that describe the COMMIT intervention and evaluation plan is presented.
Daydreaming Styles, Emotionality and the Big Five Personality Dimensions
Authors: Zhiyan Tang , Singer Jerome L.
Published: May 2005

This study examined the relationships between measures of personality (the NEO-FFI), Emotionality (Positive and Negative), and Daydreaming (the Short Imaginal Processes Inventory) to assess hypotheses about private experience, behavioral and affective tendencies. A sample of 103 young adults completed questionnaires and results were analyzed by correlations and principle components factor analysis. As predicted Positive-Constructive Daydreaming was positively correlated with the NEO “Big Five” dimension of Openness, Guilty-Dysphoric Daydreaming loaded with both the NEO Neuroticism scale and the Negative Emotionality measure. Poor Attentional Control of the SIPI was linked negatively with Conscientiousness and Positive Emotionality. Our results further suggest that Extraversion may be primarily social as measured in the NEO while a separate Thinking Introversion-Extraversion dimension in the sense used by Jung and Guilford may be reflected by the personality-daydreaming results we obtained.
State (Political) Torture: Some General, Psychological, and Particular Aspects
Authors: Bendfeldt-Zachrisson Fernando
Published: May 2005

This article reviews some general and particular aspects of state political torture as it is practiced in several Latin American countries in an attempt to secure domination and prevent change. The purposes, methods and effects of such torture are discussed. The article also elaborates on some of the elements that participate in the making of the torturer, the contradictions that he faces, and the psychological mechanisms that assist him in his attempt to resolve such contradictions. Emphasis is given to the question of who is the real torturer.
Evaluation and Care of Suicidal Behavior in Emergency Settings
Authors: Jacobs Douglas
Published: May 2005

The author offers a sequential protocol for the evaluation and care of suicidal behavior in emergency settings. This protocol contains the following components: 1) a review of the limitations of clinical and demographic risk factors; 2) an exploration of frequent negative reactions that arise during the suicidal encounter in clinicians; 3) an objective schema for grading suicidal behavior; 4) an understanding of chronic suicidal behavior; and 5) a flexible treatment approach. Pertinent literature on suicide evaluation and management is reviewed with an emphasis toward the clinical applicability in emergency settings.
Relationships between Aesthetic Response Scales Applied to Paintings
Authors: Russell P. A. , George D. A.
Published: May 2005

Relationships among seven aesthetic response scales were studied by requiring subjects to rank fifteen paintings on each scale, using a between-subjects design. Three of the five evaluative scales used, likeability, pleasingness, and preferability were strongly positively intercorrelated. Using these scales to examine painting content (landscape, portrait, still-life) and style (Impressionism, Surrealism, etc.) effects, however, revealed that the scales did not always yield similar results. Although content effects were similar on all three scales, likeability and preferability were relatively insensitive to style effects, while pleasingness was more sensitive. These sensitivity differences appear to be linked to variation in the degree of intersubject agreement on the different scales, leading to the suggestion that some scales, such as pleasingness, are relatively homogeneous while others, such as likeability, are more heterogeneous. Another commonly-used evaluative scale, interestingness, was unrelated to the other four but was relatively sensitive to style effects. Data are also presented on an additional evaluative scale, wish to see again, and on two descriptive scales, complexity and familiarity. Overall, the results suggest that conclusions drawn from studies using aesthetic scales may depend crucially on the particular scale used and in particular that the commonly used likeability and preferability scales, despite their apparent ecological validity, may not be the most informative ones.
The Impact of Technology on Medical Education
Authors: Friedman Richard B.
Published: May 2005

The existing emphasis on transferring factual knowledge in the medical education curriculum leaves open the question of how much impact the newer technologies will actually have in medical education. The current use of structured learning situations must give way to emphasis on discovery learning in order to take advantage of the capabilities which the newer technologies offer. Technology based medical education must be planned, monitored, and evaluated if it is to be effective.
Grief as a Family Affair: Property Rights, Grief Rights, and the Exclusion of Close Friends as Survivors
Authors: Sklar Fred
Published: May 2005

A recent Omega article by Sklar and Hartley established that although the close friends of one who dies—survivor-friends—grieve and mourn much as do family members, they tend to be excluded from legitimate and open grief and mourning rituals. No explanation was presented for this exclusion. This article proposes an explanation in terms of conflicting property norms. With respect to the transmission of property at death, a normative conflict exists between the property rights of family and the property rights of close friends of the deceased. It is argued that close friends are denied grief rights to prevent them from exercising their property rights, allowing family members to make their claims unimpeded.
“Drugs and AIDS—Reaching for Help”: A Videotape on AIDS and Drug Abuse Prevention for Criminal Justice Populations
Authors: Gross Michael , DeJong William , Lamb Derek , Enos Tammy , Mason Theresa , Weitzman Elissa
Published: May 2005

This article describes the development of a videotape targeted at persons under supervision of the criminal justice system. The videotape seeks to encourage those who use illicit drugs to enter drug treatment and to motivate those at risk for exposure to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to alter behaviors that may transmit infection.

The criminal justice system presents an important opportunity to deliver such messages, particularly to a large population of persons briefly detained in a jail or lockup and released without subsequent incarceration. Evidence suggests that, even in this audience, knowledge of how to prevent exposure to HIV is widespread, yet those at risk often fail to take appropriate precautions: motivating behavior change demands more than imparting information.

In order to shape this videotape, we analyzed the target audience and developed a drama-based approach that applies the framework of social learning theory, the health belief model, and principles of social marketing. This article describes the integration of that theoretical framework into the production process, content, and strategy of the videotape.