bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Art Judgment: A Measure Related to Both Personality and Intelligence?
Authors: Chamorro-Premuzic Tomas , Furnham Adrian
Published: May 2005

The link between personality (Big Five and typical intellectual engagement) and intelligence (Wonderlic and Raven scores) with a measure of art judgment was examined in a sample of 102 university students. Participants' art interests were also assessed through a self-report inventory of art experience, art activities, and particular painting style recognition. Regression analyses revealed that Openness and typical intellectual engagement were significantly and positively related to art interests, but not to art judgment scores. Personality traits accounted for 22% of the variance in art interests (whereas intelligence accounted for 4%). On the other hand, art interests were significantly related to art judgment scores (people who reported higher interests in arts tended to score significantly higher on art judgment and vice-versa). Art judgment was significantly related to both personality (low Extraversion and Conscientiousness) and intelligence (high IQ). When combined, personality and intelligence accounted for almost 25% of the variance in art judgment scores. These findings replicate recent studies on art judgment, suggesting that the measure is related to both personality and intelligence.
Marital Satisfaction in Later Life: An Examination of Equity, Equality, and Reward Theories
Authors: Reynolds Wallace , Remer Rory , Johnson Mitzi
Published: May 2005

This study extended equity, equality, and reward theories, which have been well examined in younger populations, to predictions of marital satisfaction of older adults. One hundred-thirty-five elderly married participants were surveyed. Results: indicated: 1) equity perceptions significantly influenced marital satisfaction; 2) perceptions of equality and reward significantly affected marital satisfaction; and 3) perceived reward was the single most influential of the three independent variables, accounting for 44 percent of the variance in marital satisfaction; 4) gender was not a factor for any of the variables under study. Overall, the elderly married individuals studied were satisfied in their marriages. Exchange factors were found to significantly influence individual's satisfaction in their marital relationships; however, the most important of these factors was perceived rewards.
Adolescent Drug Use in Three Small Rural Communities in the Rocky Mountain Region
Authors: Swaim Randall , Beauvais Fred , Edwards R. W. , Oetting E. R.
Published: May 2005

Anonymous surveys of drug use were administered to eighth- and twelfth-grade students in three small rural communities and one mid-sized community in the Rocky Mountain region. Differences were found between the three small towns in both lifetime prevalence and the frequency of occurrence of different types of drug users, indicating that small rural communities are likely to develop idiosyncratic patterns of drug use. These differences were more evident among eighth-grade than among twelfth-grade students. Minimal differences were found between the combined small community sample and the urban sample. Use by small town youth, for some drugs, may even exceed that of students in urban communities, suggesting that youth from small communities no longer have lower use rates, at least in this region. Differences of use between seniors in the Rocky Mountain region (small town and urban communities combined) and the national senior survey [1] are relatively small, but significant, perhaps reflecting a regional pattern of drug involvement.
Public Interest Report No. 17: “Man Does Not Die, He Kills Himself”
Authors: Butler Robert N.
Published: May 2005

The generalization that to be long-lived one must have long-lived ancestors is becoming increasingly less valid as knowledge of disease prevention and control increases. Leading causes of death for older people are briefly reviewed in terms of current incidence, knowledge, and control efforts. Particular attention is given to arteriosclerosis, hypertension, and alcoholism.
Aids, Empire, and Public Health Behaviorism
Authors: Basu Sanjay
Published: May 2005

Much of the current health approach to designing HIV/AIDS interventions in resource-poor settings involves behavior-change initiatives, particularly those adopting education-based and “culturally competent” frameworks for the reduction of HIV-associated “risk behaviors.” This article reviews the evidence and social assumptions behind this approach to preventing HIV transmission, and argues that these approaches are often inadequate or misguided, particularly in their conflation of the concept of “culture” with social circumstances. By analyzing the socioeconomic circumstances that constrain individual agency, and by combining data from prevention literature with analyses of international trade agreements and the controversies over antiretroviral drug distribution, the author argues that the movement of capital and the maintenance of inequality are central to the problems associated with behavior-change initiatives and must be addressed through new paradigms in order to respond appropriately to the global AIDS pandemic. Hardt and Negri's paradigm of “Empire”—that is, examining the system through which social inequalities are maintained not only between countries but also within them—offers prospects for the design of new interventions and targets for public health workers and social movements.
Internal Resourcefulness, Task Demands, Coping, and Dysphoric Affect among Caregivers of the Frail Elderly
Authors: Fingerman Karen L. , Gallagher-Thompson Dolores , Lovett Steven , Rose Jonathon
Published: May 2005

Internal resourcefulness is defined as the repertoire of skills and behaviors individuals employ to deal with negative affective states. The relationships among caregivers' internal resourcefulness, demands of the caregiving situation, and caregivers' self-reported coping behaviors were examined relative to changes in dysphoric affect over time. Primary caregivers of the frail elderly ( N = 143) completed the following measures, at two time periods, approximately four months apart: Rosenbaum's Self Control Schedule, assessing internal resourcefulness [1]; Poulshock and Deimling's list of tasks carried out for the frail elder [2]; Zarit et al.'s Memory and Behavior Problem Check List assessing caregiver burden [3]; Moos et al.'s Indices of Coping [4]; and Beck et al.'s Depression Inventory as a means of assessing dysphoric affect [5]. Although caregivers' reactions to the care recipients' annoying behaviors predicted negative affect at time 1 and avoidant coping behavior predicted negative affect at times 1 and 2, internal resourcefulness was the only significant predictor of changes in dysphoric affect over time. Decreased dysphoric affect among caregivers was linked to possession of a larger initial set of internal resources to deal with negative internal experiences.
The Influence of Physical Fitness on Automatic and Effortful Memory Changes in Aging
Authors: Chodzko-Zajko Wojtek J. , Schuler Petra , Solomon Janet , Heinl Bertha , Ellis Norman R.
Published: May 2005

A cross-sectional study was carried out in order to determine the influence of cardiovascular fitness on age-related declines in cognitive performance. Forty-eight volunteers were divided into Young ( n = 13, 18–27 years), Middle-Aged ( n = 22, 60–65 years) and Old ( n = 13, 65–88 years) groups and tested on a battery of cardiovascular, pulmonary, hemodynamic, and biochemical tests in order to assess physical fitness. Cognitive performance was evaluated by a variety of memory tasks distributed along an automatic-to-effortful processing continuum. Memory for location and frequency of occurrence were selected as representative of automatic processing, whereas, an auditory free-recall task was selected as representative of effortful processing. Age-related performance declines were observed for the free-recall task, but no such age-dependent association was observed for frequency and location memory. With regard to the influence of physical fitness; the Middle-Aged and Older participants were divided into High and Low Fitness groups and significant differences were observed between these groups for the effortful but not the automatic memory tasks. These data suggest that the relationship between physical fitness and cognitive performance in old age is task dependent. Furthermore, the apparent prophylactic effects of physical fitness on effortful memory, do not appear to extend to cognitive tasks requiring less effortful processing.
“I've Had Too Much Done to My Heart”: The Dilemma of Addiction and Recovery as Seen through Seven Youngsters' Lives
Authors: Long Welsey , Vaughn Courtney
Published: May 2005

Aware of the dearth of in-depth studies on recovering adolescent addict/alcoholics, we conducted a year-long qualitative study of seven formerly-addicted youth committed to recovery. The research question was: how do addicted youth become and remain sober? Bending to social stress, including racism and ethnic prejudice, three participants relapsed. However, personal commitment augmented by familial, community, spiritual, and educational support encouraged four to remain sober. Learning from both those who failed and succeeded, the theoretical concepts of surrender, social stress, and resiliency helped to interpret the participants' patterns of response and better understand adolescent recovery.
Hypertext and the Study Strategies of Preservice Teachers: Issues in Instructional Hypertext Design
Authors: Kelly Anthony E. , O'Donnell Angela
Published: May 2005

It is a methodological challenge to study students' review of their lecture notes. First, the quality of their notes may vary considerably. Second, students review their notes with little monitoring or feedback. A hypertext program monitored the lecture note review strategies of individuals and dyads following two lectures about tests and measurements. It noted which concepts students sought at what level of detail, which content themes they favored, and which relationships among topics they pursued. Dyads' strategies were more comprehensive than the individuals' and were more directed at extracting elaborative and hierarchically structured information. The study replicated earlier findings that students did not learn well from lectures. This study also demonstrated how computers may aid in data collection in educational settings.
Risk Factors in Eighty-Plus Year-Olds Living at Home: An Investigation of a Danish Community
Authors: Almind Gert
Published: May 2005

A series of risk factors involving the health of the elderly were investigated among persons aged eighty years and older living at home in the community of Holbaek, Denmark. The investigation included a total of 459 participants, 84 percent of this age group. After a two-year period of observation, it was found that 75 percent were still living at home, less than 1 percent were hospitalized, 10 percent had moved to nursing homes, and 14 percent had died. A total of 62 percent had lived at home during the entire period without hospitalization. By means of comparing conditions of health in 1977 and subsequently in 1979, it is possible to point out a series of predictors which are statistically significant but of limited clinical value. The article concludes that it is scarcely possible to achieve more in the prophylaxis of acute breakdown in the life of the old people with the present Danish health policy. Two possibilities were suggested: twenty-four-hour care services, or strengthening of the informal social network.
Constructive Peer Relationships, Social Development, and Cooperative Learning Experiences: Implications for the Prevention of Drug Abuse
Authors: Johnson David W.
Published: May 2005

One approach to the prevention of drug abuse is to provide socializing experiences aimed at helping children and adolescents acquire the basic social competencies needed to cope with life situations involving other people and one's own inner experiences. Social competencies are developed within meaningfully interdependent relationships. While adult-child relationships have long been emphasized, there is increasing evidence that constructive peer relationships are a necessity for successful socialization. And since the children and adolescents most in need of constructive socializing experiences tend to come from stressful, abusive, or indifferent families, the most promising approach for intervention is within the school. Instructional experiences may be structured cooperatively, placing students in meaningful, interdependent relationships with their peers, and allowing teachers to emphasize within a task situation the development of social skills, roles, and sensitivity; the peer accountability essential for the development of values and self-control; and the autonomy necessary to resist social pressures to use drugs abusively.
Crisis Phenomena after Stroke Reflected in an Existential Perspective
Authors: Nilsson Imogene , Jansson Lilian , Norberg Astrid
Published: May 2005

The study gains a deeper understanding of crisis phenomena emerging after stroke and focuses on these phenomena viewed in an existential perspective. Ten stroke victims narrated their experiences of their new life situation in open-ended interviews, conducted during the first few months after discharge. The participants were analyzed using a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach. This analysis disclosed an extremely distressing situation related to the individuals' struggle to manage in various dimensions of life. The phenomena were intertwined in a complex way and the critical interpretation involved a transcendence to the existential dimension of life. The situation was metaphorically depicted as “a struggle in the darkness” in a “boundary situation,” where the issues ultimately touched on life and death, fate and future, meaning and meaninglessness. The study indicates the significance of existential issues pervading the seemingly concrete struggle to manage life after stroke.
Higher Education in Retirement: The Institute for Retired Professionals
Authors: Hirsch Hyman
Published: May 2005

This paper indicates the failure of our society to educate its citizens in the “worthy” use of retirement leisure. It contends that educated retirees should be offered an opportunity to function in creative, dignified and self-directed roles on university campuses. It describes the program of the Institute for Retired Professionals at The New School for Social Research in New York City, which has been functioning since 1962 and now serves as a model for a growing number of university programs for retirees. At the IRP educated retirees have found a new way of spending their retirement years in dignified roles as teachers, leaders, administrators and participants in their own inner university.
The Compulsive Adolescent Substance Abuser: Psychological Differentiation and Family Process
Authors: Weidman Arthur
Published: May 2005

This study sought to explore the relationship between psychological differentiation and locus of control among compulsive adolescent substance abusers who are residents of a therapeutic community and their parents. The findings support the conclusion that compulsive adolescent substance abusers are psychologically undifferentiated. These youths are involved in a pseudo-individuated relationship with their mothers who are psychologically and emotionally unavailable while their fathers are peripheral. The findings that these youths become more undifferentiated and hold more internal locus of control beliefs with increasing time in the program are viewed as the effects of residence in a therapeutic community. The residents internalize the therapeutic community belief system of personal responsibility while substituting their dependence on their mothers and drugs for dependence on the therapeutic community. Implications for treatment and further research are also discussed.
Caregiver Stress: A Failed Negotiation? a Qualitative Study in South West France
Authors: Grand A. , Grand-Filaire A. , Bocquet H. , Clement S.
Published: May 2005

The purpose of this work is to analyze the various negotiations involved in setting up and developing a caregiving relationship with a disabled elderly person, to understand the processes inducing caregiver stress. Within the conceptual framework defined by the paradigm of negotiation, this study uses the theoretical contributions of the parallelist theory and the theory of the gift. It is based on a qualitative inquiry including fifty-four caregivers conducted in Toulouse (South West France). The analysis focuses on two undersystems of the caregiver's relationships: 1) the caregiver/cared-for's relationship, which is characterized by the establishment and maintenance of a “tacit contract” and 2) the relationships with other eligible caregivers, which are marked by the “designation” of the principal caregiver. This analysis shows that a failure in the negotiation process can induce a designation and/or a weak tacit contract—the result of which is the caregiver's expression of stress. This expression is closely linked to the caregiver's perception of a negative balance in his/her exchanges with the partners. This study should help break away from the one-way arrow model currently dominating the field of caregiver stress research.
Education Students' Perceptions of Computers: A Cross-Cultural Study
Authors: Huang Shwu-Yong L.
Published: May 2005

This study investigates education students' perceptions of computers and the factors affecting their perceptions among education students in the United States and Taiwan. Sample subjects were 360 students from six colleges of education in the two places. The results reveal that there were significant differences. Education students in the United States demonstrated greater computer liking, comfort, and value than education students in Taiwan. Education students in Taiwan, however, indicated higher concerns about gender- and ability-related differences in students' computer use. Education students in the United States also rated greater effectiveness in improving student learning of computer resources in elementary, middle, and high schools than did their counterparts in Taiwan. Furthermore, gender, age, and length of computer use had various effects on different dimensions of computer perceptions of the two student groups. Plausible explanations and educational implications of these differences are discussed.
Law Enforcement and Substance Abuse Prevention: Training and Strategy Selection
Authors: Barbara John J.
Published: May 2005

Law enforcement officers need specific training in several related areas before attempting to do drug prevention. This training will also help them select an appropriate strategy to use. There is more to drug prevention than to say that “drugs are harmful.” A suggested training program and a specific information strategy is offered to insure respectability and responsibility for the police officer who does or is going to do substance abuse prevention.
Permissive Attitudes toward Alcohol Abuse among Young Military Dependents
Authors: Globetti Gerald , Alsikafi M. , Christy E. G.
Published: May 2005

This paper focuses upon patterns of alcohol abuse and permissiveness among a sample of 230 high school students residing in a U. S. military community in Europe. Patterns of abuse are seen as symptomatic of the military life style and the homogeneity of the environment surrounding the respondents. Analysis of data shows limited relationships between certain personal background variables and the tendency toward permissiveness. Such variables as sex and religious affiliation were significant in predicting degree of permissiveness. On the other hand age, socioeconomic status, ethnic background and length of stay abroad failed to show any difference between the respondents. Other analysis indicates lack of knowledge concerning basic facts regarding beverage alcohol and a general rejection or ambivalent feeling toward alcohol education.
Attitudinal and Behavioral Aspects of Mexican American Drug Use: Three Year Follow-up
Authors: Guinn Robert
Published: May 2005

This follow-up study was undertaken to assess consistencies or changes in attitudes and behavior of self-reported Mexican American drug users from 1973 (N=254) to 1977 (N=150). Analysis of the data indicated significant changes in the users' socioeconomic status, home environment, school related variables, and attitudes toward drug use. Drug users were consistent in their views on how to deal with a drug problem if one is perceived and their confidence in selected social institutions.
Theories of Serial Flow in Intergenerational Transfers
Authors: Cheal David J.
Published: May 2005

Recent improvements in the economic position of the elderly population necessitate a more thorough understanding of the serial flow of economic supports from preceding to succeeding generations. Five theories which might extend our understanding of the decision rules employed in intergenerational transfers are discussed. They are: social exchange theory, the kin selection theory of altruism, human capital theory, social constructivist theory, and rational transfers theory. The underlying assumptions of these theories are presented and compared, and models of intergenerational transactions are developed. Comparative studies are recommended in order to gain deeper insights into the relative strengths and weaknesses of these different views of relationships between the generations.
A Neural Network-Based Differential Diagnosis Assessment Instrument
Authors: Papa F. J. , Stone R. C. , Aldrich D. G.
Published: May 2005

Medical educators have been unable to produce convincing evidence of the construct validity of written or simulation-based assessments of differential diagnosis (DDX) competencies. In 1987, a team of investigators at our institution introduced preliminary reports regarding the psychometric properties of an artificial intelligence-derived DDX assessment instrument. These investigations produced evidence of the construct validity (experts' DDX performance > novices') of the measures derived from this instrument, a linear, fuzzy set-like expert system.

In this investigation, the authors used a non-linear, “Back Propagation” neural network as a DDX assessment instrument. An Acute Chest Pain knowledge base was acquired from each of twenty-four board certified emergency medicine specialists and seventy-four junior and senior medical students. The neural network used these knowledge bases to simulate and assess each subject's individual DDX performance against twenty Acute Chest Pain/Myocardial Infarction test cases.

Student-t test revealed that the DDX performance of experts was significantly superior to novices ( p < .001). This finding provides converging evidence of the validity of DDX performance measures produced by both linear and non-linear, artificial intelligence-derived assessment instruments. These instruments may prove to be a useful and powerful new assessment methodology.
Smoking Prevention Program for Children: A Review
Authors: Oei Tian P. S. , Fea Annette
Published: May 2005

Since smoking is recognized as one of the most significant health hazards, researchers have directed a lot of energy in combating this health hazard, in particular in the prevention of children taking up smoking. Health education has been advocated as the most effective preventive approach to this problem, however, the findings from this approach are equivocal. This article 1) reviews the literature regarding factors associated with children's initiation into smoking, and 2) examines the efficacy of health education programs in preventing smoking in children. It is concluded that while health education programs using peer leaders as health educators have been reasonably successful at reducing smoking rate and onset, parent-implemented health prevention programs aiming at children at younger age, may be more effective in reducing the rate and onset of smoking in children.
Reflections on the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the Alma-Ata Declaration
Authors: Banerji Debabar
Published: May 2005

The Alma-Ata Declaration on Primary Health Care of 1978—based on the World Health Assembly's resolution of 1977 on Health for All by the Year 2000—was a watershed in the concepts and practices of public health as a scientific discipline; it was endorsed by every country in the world, rich and poor. According to the Declaration, health is a fundamental right, to be guaranteed by the state; people should be the prime movers in shaping their health services, using and enlarging upon the capacities developed in their societies; health services should operate as an integral whole, with promotive, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative components; and any western medical technology used in non-western societies must conform to the cultural, social, economic, and epidemiological conditions of the individual countries. Since Alma-Ata, a syndicate of the rich countries and the ruling elites of the poor countries, aided by the WHO, World Bank, World Trade Organization, and other international institutions, has done much to overturn the Declaration's primary health care initiatives. The WHO's recent attempt to regain some credibility, its Commission on Macroeconomics and Health, ignored the primary health care principles of the Alma-Ata Declaration. A struggle for these principles will have to be part of the larger struggle, by like-minded individuals working in individual countries, for a just world order.
Public Interest Report No. 15: Is there an Ideal Form of Care of the Old?
Authors: Butler Robert N.
Published: May 2005

Some characteristics of an “ideal” nursing home are proposed. It is possible to develop facilities for the aged in which rehabilitation-opportunities are maximized, and the sense of hope and self-esteem are nurtured.
The Appeal of Age Segregated Housing to the Elderly Poor
Authors: Winiecke Linda
Published: May 2005

Based on data gathered from aged welfare recipients, the study deals with expressed interest in public housing for the aged. The findings reveal that current living arrangement and social factors related strongly to age dense housing interest whereas the desire for reduced rent or improved physical conditions of housing did not. Lonely, bored renters who wished to live in a socially homogeneous environment were the most interested in age segregated housing. The results suggest that expressed housing interest can be used as a predictor of renters who eventually apply for age specific housing.
Clinical Evaluation in the Normative Aging Study
Authors: Dawber Thomas R. , Thomas H. Emerson
Published: May 2005

Life expectancy is determined by disease development and the process of aging. Much is known about the significance of control of disease to the length of life, and changes in life expectancy have largely been the result of this disease control. Further alteration in the length of life will be greatly dependent on control of the aging process. Little is known about the biochemistry, physiology, genetic, environmental and other factors involved in aging as they relate to the human subject in a clinical setting. The Normative Aging Study is attempting to improve our definition of the clinical aging process. Through the prospective evaluation of a population previously determined to be normal the various factors resulting in aging may be described. Once recognized it is hoped that alteration of these factors might allow some control of the aging process.
Problems, Philosophy, and Motivation: Trail Blazing Instructors for the Digital Frontier
Authors: Dirks Matthew
Published: May 2005

A qualitative research study was conducted of innovative instructors who use the Internet to deliver college level courses. The study focuses on key concepts expressed by all of the Pioneers as important and develops recommendations for other instructors beginning to use the Internet for instructional purposes. Results are presented on the problems encountered, the Pioneers' philosophies toward teaching and learning, and the Pioneers' motives for moving their courses to the Internet. This research is a multiple case study that used four instructors from a university in the South concerning three courses being taught over the Internet during the Spring term of 1996.
Behavior Modification of Geriatric Grief: A Transactional Perspective
Authors: Flannery Raymond B.
Published: May 2005

A behavior modification program for treating grief in a geriatric patient is presented. The program was carried out in a community mental health netting, and was discussed in light of transactional analysis. The successful application of behavioral assessment and treatment techniques to transactional analysis was demonstrated.
An Impact Evaluation of a Rural Youth Drug Education Program
Authors: Sarvela Paul D. , McClendon E. J.
Published: May 2005

This impact evaluation examined the effects of a mixed affective-cognitive drug education program on rural northern Michigan and northeastern Wisconsin sixth and seventh grade students' substance use health beliefs and behaviors utilizing a nonequivalent control group evaluation design. The data suggested that alcohol use in this population was about three and a half times greater than national averages for similar age groups. Marihuana, cigarette, and cocaine use were equal to national rates. The treatment group did not have lower substance use rates or more favorable health beliefs than the comparison group at the conclusion of the program. This paper describes the drug use prevalence rates and health beliefs of 265 youth in rural northern Michigan and northeastern Wisconsin, as well as the outcomes of a comprehensive drug education program.
Dyadic and Gender Differences in Perceptions of the Grandparent-Grandchild Relationship
Authors: Block Cindy E.
Published: May 2005

The majority of research on grandparenting has taken the perspective of either the grandparent or the grandchild. The present study compares the perceptions of grandparents and grandchildren on four relationship variables: 1) role conception, 2) amount of contact, 3) the assessed adequacy of contact, and 4) closeness of relationship. The sample consisted of forty grandparent-grandchild pairs representing four relational dyads. A series of ANOVAs were used to examine gender and relational differences in perceptions. Increased understanding of the dynamics of grandparent-grandchild relationships can benefit professionals who develop intergenerational programs. Creating opportunities to interact across a spectrum of activities is recommended.
Research Synthesis: The State of the Art
Authors: Hedges Larry V.
Published: May 2005

The state of the art in research synthesis has advanced significantly in the last decade. Much of the improvement in research reviews is attributable to the application of rigorous scientific standards to the process of research synthesis. Three principal types of research syntheses are the narrative review, the replicated secondary analysis, and the meta-analysis or quantitative research synthesis. Each methodology has its strengths and weaknesses, but all have benefited from increased attention to procedural rigor. Modern methods for quantitative research synthesis have significant advantages in that they provide specific tests for the existence and consistency of relationships across studies.
A Study of Autobiographical Memories in Depressed and Nondepressed Elderly Individuals
Authors: Yang Janet Anderson , Rehm Lynn P.
Published: May 2005

An autobiographical memory task was used to study memory processes and depression in elderly individuals. Twenty-seven nondepressed and twenty-seven depressed elderly participants recalled thirty memories. Each memory was self-rated for happiness versus sadness and the degree of importance of the event at the time the event occurred (i.e., “then”) and looking back on the event (“now”). Nondepressed participants perceived greater positive change in affective tone between “then” and “now” ratings. Depressed participants recalled more memories rated as sad “now” than nondepressed, and perceived negative and positive memories to become more neutral than nondepressed participants. These results are consistent with a mood congruence hypothesis, in that participants recalled more memories affectively consistent with current mood, and a self-enhancement view of reminiscing, such that recalling memories evaluated as happier was associated with less depression.
Narcissism and Loneliness
Authors: Andersson Lars
Published: May 2005

The research described here centers on how a narcissistic intrusion during early childhood may develop into narcissistic difficulties which manifest themselves, later in life, in feelings of loneliness. The results from a study of elderly women in Stockholm, Sweden, indicated that loneliness in old age is greater among an intruded group in comparison to those whose parental influence was not intrusive. The feelings of loneliness are even more severe if the mother was a housewife. There was also a relationship between social position and loneliness, but only for those women whose family orientation was not intrusive and whose mothers were housewives. The results encourage further study of the etiological contributions of parental influence during childhood on later experience of loneliness.
Alcohol and other Drug Abuse Counselors' Attitudes and Resources for Integrating Research and Practice
Authors: Campbell Todd C. , Catlin Lynn A. , Melchert Timothy P.
Published: May 2005

The state of Wisconsin recently launched a Research-to-Practice Initiative. One aspect of the Wisconsin initiative was to survey Wisconsin-Certified Alcohol and other Drug Abuse Counselors (CADCs) to assess their attitudes, reported practices, and resources in regard to the integration of research and practice. The sample for the present study included 366 CADCs. Of the 366 respondents, 62 percent ( n = 226) were female and 38 percent ( n = 140) were male. The respondents were primarily Caucasian (90 percent) with the remaining respondents identifying as African American (4 percent), Native American (2 percent), Hispanic (1 percent), and Asian American (0.5 percent). The results from the survey indicated that the majority of respondents have access to computers, e-mail, and the Internet at their workplace; report being “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their education and training; and tend to approve of the efforts to integrate research and practice. Incentives, barriers and strategies to integrate research and practice are discussed.
Voltaire's Portrayal of Old Age
Authors: Berman Lorna , Nelson Judy
Published: May 2005

A survey of Voltaire's fifty plays, written over a period of sixty-six years, was made to ascertain the traits and roles assigned to the elderly, the influence of genre and the author's age on the way they are portrayed, and the factors to which the traits associated with the elderly are attributed. The elderly have an important role in the plays, but they are portrayed more favorably in tragedy than in comedy. The period of life at which Voltaire wrote the plays did not appear to affect his treatment of old age. Psychological traits attributed to the elderly derive from character rather than age, though age is shown to tone down the emotions. The only trait consistently and specifically ascribed to old age is wisdom.
Correlates of Life Satisfaction for Old Libyans Compared with the Judgments of Libyan Youth
Authors: Shebani Bashir L. , Wass Hannelore , Guertin Wilson H.
Published: May 2005

Two hundred fifteen Libyans—106 young male and female undergraduate students and 109 aged male and female relatives—responded to a questionnaire designed to measure correlates of life satisfaction in old age. It was predicted that current cultural and social changes associated with the industrialization of Libya would result in significant differences in responses between young and old men and women. The young Libyan men rated close ties with their children, social relationships with individuals outside the family, and having basic physical needs met as more important than did the old Libyan men who considered social prestige, living with their spouse, and independence as more important for satisfaction in old age. The young Libyan women also considered social relationships outside the family and having basic physical needs met in old age as more important than did their older counterparts. Health and adequate living conditions were rated more highly by the young Libyan women than by the old. All participants rated social prestige equally high, but old women rated it higher than any other aspect except belief in God and self-understanding. Findings and implications for services to Libya's elderly are discussed.
Identity and Crisis in Middle Aged Men
Authors: Rosenberg Stanley D. , Farrell Michael P.
Published: May 2005

The authors selectively review disparate literature bearing on the issue of the male mid-life transition. There is considerable evidence that the entrance into middle age is associated with stress and often maladaptive patterns of reaction. There is little available information, however, on the specific nature of the stressors, their differential impact, or the factors associated with the individual's attempted style of adaptation to them. Through the process of exploring relevant findings from sociology, social and clinical psychology, and popular fiction we attempt to specify a working model of the experience of entering middle age. The authors see this model as being of heuristic value in that it specifies a number of dimensions to be operationalized which may, together, provide a more holistic view of the changes in the self-system undergone by the middle aged male.
Readability of Drug Education Literature
Authors: Kahn Malcolm
Published: May 2005

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reactions of college students to two distinct types of drug education pamphlets. One type was a lengthy textbookish pamphlet which, according to an objective analysis, was difficult to read and uninteresting. The other consisted of a packet of four brief, illustrated pamphlets which were simpler and stylistically more interesting. Students given the four pamphlet set rated them as more readable, informative, and worthy of wider distribution than students given the single pamphlet. These results suggest that educators can minimize student rejection of drug education literature by carefully selecting material tailored to their students' preferences and abilities.
Aging in Art: Beyond Stereotypes
Authors: Kauppinen Heta
Published: May 2005

The human experience of aging has always been compelling for artists. This article examines what artists have expressed about demeaning stereotypes related to physical and psychological deprivations, social influence and power, and sexuality in old age. Artistic representations transcend demeaning stereotypes and unveil the truth behind misconceptions. They balance negative experiences of growing old with the forces of inner and social development and growth and reconcile the negative and positive in visions of old age as a valuable, constructive stage of life. The examination of 424 works of art representing old age suggests that art can be successfully discussed in terms of gerontological concepts. Artistic representations of old age can play a heuristic role as a resource for research.
Therapists' Attitudes as Explanation of Underservice of Elderly in Mental Health: Testing an Old Hypothesis
Authors: Knight Bob
Published: May 2005

The literature in mental health and aging has long argued that the presumably negative attitudes of therapists toward the aged are a major barrier to the aged receiving psychotherapy services. This investigation compared two measures of attitudes in a college student sample in order to test the reliability and validity of two commonly used measures of attitude in the general population. The same scales were then used in a sample of sixty-six mental health workers. The results suggest that Likert ratings and semantic differentials, although tapping a common dimension, differ in sensitivity to personal experience with the aged, that therapists had more positive beliefs about the elderly than did college students, and that therapist attitudes were not correlated with either proportion of elderly clients seen or desire to work with elderly. Work site emerged as an important predictor of numbers of elderly seen by therapists. It is argued that future research ought to focus on systems level variables in seeking to overcome barriers to therapy.
Family Violence: Effects of a Film Program for Alcohol Dependent Persons
Authors: Powers Robert J. , Schlesinger Louis B. , Benson Mark
Published: May 2005

A film program on family violence was compared experimentally with a film program on alcoholism, in an alcohol rehabilitation program. Seventy-seven patients were evaluated for their reactions to the two film programs. The film program on family violence increased patients' estimations of the importance of that problem, and their expectations that the problem can be reduced or eliminated. Contrary to predictions, the film program on family violence did not increase patients' identification and reporting of episodes of violence, on posttest questionnaires. This last result was discussed in terms of possible resistance of patients to acknowledging violence in the home, and a possible lower than expected incidence of family violence in the alcohol dependent population. A majority of patients rated the film program on family violence very highly, indicating a need for such interventions in alcohol rehabilitation. Suggestions were made for future research on the incidence of family violence in alcohol dependent populations.
Gender, Computer-Assisted Learning, and Anxiety: With a Little Help from a Friend
Authors: Cooper Joel , Stone Jeff
Published: May 2005

This study examined the effects of learning group gender composition and the use of nonverbal communication by a computer on performance and motivation following a computer-assisted biology lesson. The results showed that before the lesson began, group gender composition influenced self-reports of experience and knowledge about computers and also how subjects arranged their computer desktop. During the lesson, when a computer image of a human face was present on the screen, girls who reported low anxiety performed better and were more motivated to use the program relative to girls who reported high anxiety. In contrast, boys who reported high anxiety performed better and were more motivated to use the program when the tutor was present on the screen relative to boys who reported low anxiety. The implications of these findings for classroom gender organization and for using gender-appropriate educational software are discussed.
A Controlled Study of the Peer Group Approach to Drug Education
Authors: Smart Reginald G. , Bennett Clif , Fejer Dianne
Published: May 2005

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of a peer oriented drug education program on the knowledge, attitudes and drug use of high school students. A study was conducted with students in grade 9 in two Ontario schools, with one group receiving six periods of drug education and the control school none at all. The peer-oriented program led to more knowledge about drugs, but no differences in the use of drugs or in attitudes. It is concluded that some education programs, including the one tested here can increase knowledge without affecting attitudes.
Reconceptualizing the Nature and Health Consequences of Work-Related Insecurity for the New Economy: The Decline of Workers' Power in the Flexibility Regime
Authors: Scott Heather K.
Published: May 2005

This article aims to reconceptualize job insecurity in a manner relevant to shifts in the power relations of work that have accompanied globalization, in order to assess the implications for workers' health. The linkage between job insecurity and health has been well established, but little formal theorizing has analyzed the mechanisms responsible. Implicitly, however, the assumption remains that its role as a stressor is limited to the realm of job strain, whereby workers lack control over a threatened employment situation. Within this framework, job insecurity and related dimensions of power remain locked in the “box” of the standard employment relationship, precluding an analysis of work-related insecurity in the new context of globalization. In contrast, the author constructs a model of work-related insecurity that takes into account current shifts in the balance of power toward employers, which in turn has undermined the fundamental quid pro quo associated with the standard postwar model of employment. She proposes that job insecurity is no longer a mere temporary break in an otherwise predictable work-life pattern but rather a structural feature of the new labor market. Emerging contingencies associated with the New Economy, “flexibilized” employment relationships, and diminution of workers' power have constituted work-related insecurity as a chronic stressor with several implications for long-term health outcomes at the individual and societal levels.
Age Identification: A Comparison between Finnish and North-American Cultures
Authors: Uotinen Virpi
Published: May 2005

This study examined perceptions of age among Finnish males and females in three age groups; twenty-five to thirty-nine-year-olds ( n = 446), forty to fifty-four-year-olds ( n = 482) and fifty-five to sixty-four-year-olds ( n = 427). The age perceptions of the Finnish sample were further compared with those of a North-American sample with corresponding age groups ( n = 169, n = 187, n = 222) reported by Barak, Stern, and Gould (1988). Four age concepts used were chronological age, subjective age, ideal age, and disparity age. As expected on the basis of previous studies in age identification, no difference was found between Finnish males and females in terms of subjective age. Ideal age, however, differentiated Finnish males and females; the age ideal of females was significantly higher when compared with males with respective chronological ages. The comparison between Finnish and North-Eastern U.S. sample indicated that the latter group had more youthful age identity while the Finns expressed a greater acceptance of their present age status. This was seen in higher subjective and ideal ages of Finns when compared with their North-American counterparts. Socio-cultural differences in terms of meanings associated with chronological age and aging are discussed.