bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Environmental Predictors of Drinking and Drinking-Related Problems in Young Adults
Authors: Jones-Webb Rhonda , Short Brian , Wagenaar Alexander , Toomey Tracie , Murray David , Wolfson Mark , Forster Jean
Published: May 2005

We examined relationships among drinking norms, peer alcohol use, alcohol availability, drinking location, alcohol consumption, and drinking-related problems among young adult drinkers. The specific objectives of our study were to assess the relative contribution of normative and physical environmental factors to drinking and drinking consequences. Subjects were 3,095 young adults, aged eighteen to twenty years old who participated in the Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol Project baseline survey. Alcohol consumption (i.e., number of drinks on the last occasion) and drinking consequences served as dependent variables. Multiple linear regression was used to identify predictors of alcohol consumption, and logistic regression was employed to identify predictors of drinking consequences. Drinking norms and peer alcohol use were positively related to alcohol consumption and to drinking consequences. Drinking in a public setting was positively related to alcohol consumption, but not to drinking-related problems. Findings suggest that policies and programs that alter the normative and physical environment surrounding drinking may reduce alcohol consumption and subsequent problems in young adults.
The Effect of Psychiatric Symptoms on the Recognition of Alcohol Disorders in Primary Care Patients
Authors: Crum Rosa M. , Ford Daniel E.
Published: May 2005

Objective:

To determine factors related to physician recognition of alcohol abuse in a primary clinic, specifically factors associated with psychiatric illness.

Method:

Using a cross-sectional study design, we conducted a comprehensive chart review of an existing study sample. A total of 321 systematically sampled patients completed a patient interview. One-hundred-and-one patients scored one or more on the CAGE screening questionnaire for alcohol abuse and were eligible for the medical chart review, which assessed socio-demographic variables, psychiatric and medical diagnoses, alcohol and other substance use, laboratory tests results, and number of patient contacts.

Results:

35 percent of the CAGE positive sample had a history of a psychiatric disorder documented in the chart, and an additional 17 percent had symptoms consistent with possible underlying psychopathology. Using multiple logistic regression analysis, the presence of documented psychiatric disorders was not found to be significantly associated with physician recognition (odds ratio = 1.7, 95% confidence interval, 0.5–5.8), relative to patients without these disorders. However, patients who reported psychiatric complaints were significantly more likely to have been recognized by their physicians as having a probable alcohol disorder (odds ratio = 4.4,95% confidence interval, 1.2–16.2), relative to those without such complaints. Other factors found to be associated with recognition are discussed.

Conclusions:

The evidence indicates that a large proportion of alcohol disorders go unrecognized by physicians, however it does not appear that this is due to the misclas-sification of alcoholism as other psychiatric disorders or symptoms. Additional studies with objective assessment of psychiatric status will be helpful in further investigating this question.
The Epidemic as a Social Event
Authors: Stark Evan
Published: May 2005

The concept of disease causation has changed twice, first from natural to social determining factors, and, second, from determination by social conditions to determination by stressful social relations. These changes roughly parallel the emergence of industrial capital and its change from a highly individualistic and competitive process to a “social” process. In this article, “epidemics” are treated as social events that occur amidst these changes in disease and the economic organization of society.

Nineteenth-century epidemics occurred when business attempted to solve its economic problems by creating dramatic gaps between the social needs of an expanding labor force and available goods and services. The coincidence of periodic crises in production and in health ensured that “epidemics” would be occasions for labor to struggle against injustice, not simply sickness. And workers demonstrated a capacity for self-organization during epidemics that forced municipal authorities to reform fundamentally their organization of work, the market, and social service.

After 1900, “reform” was a permanent part of capital's developmental strategy. The new “social” capitalist sought to organize work politically, far beyond the factory, and to extract “value” not from blue-collar workers alone but from all social activity.

These developments reduced mortality due to infectious and childhood disease. But they also created the new epidemics of chronic stress. Despite the mystification of social etiology by medicine, the identity of the disease process with more general means of social reproduction indicates that illness is now “endopolic,” the product not of nature but of historically specific political and economic decisions and processes.
Gender Differences in Persistence in Computer-Related Fields
Authors: Jagacinski Carolyn M. , Lebold William K. , Salvendy Gavriel
Published: May 2005

The effectiveness of precollege and college achievement measures in predicting persistence for men and women in computer-related fields was examined. Persistence rates were similar for men and women in computer technology, electrical/computer engineering, and industrial engineering. However, fewer women than men persisted in computer science. Discriminant function analysis was conducted separately for men and women in each field and was equally effective for men and women in correctly classifying persisters and nonper-sisters (64–72%) in each field except computer technology where the classification rate was considerably lower for women (58%). GPA was generally the most important variable followed by a measure of math ability. High school science grades and number of semesters were often selected for the discriminant function for men, but not for women. The potential role of nonachievement factors in persistence such as peer and faculty support and expectancies are also discussed.
Comparative Effects of Computer-Assisted Instruction: A Synthesis of Reviews
Authors: Niemiec Richard , Walberg Herbert J.
Published: May 2005

This article critically examines the literature reviews of computer-assisted instruction (CAI). Its purpose is to synthesize what is known about CAI at all levels of implementation. Sixteen reviews, three traditional and thirteen quantitative, are compared and evaluated. Results of the synthesis indicated that typical effect of CAI is to raise outcome measures moderately by 0.42 standard deviation units. Thus, the effect of CAI is to place the average student using it at the 66th percentile of the control group distribution.
Interpreting Textual Data in Writing Research
Authors: Thompson Isabelle
Published: May 2005

This article discusses a theoretical framework for situating interpretations of textual data collected during research. Based on the reader response theory of Louise Rosenblatt, this framework consists of a continuum representing the range of interpretative assumptions—stances—researchers can bring to their reading of textual data. The continuum is bounded by the two most extreme stances defined by Rosenblatt as efferent, roughly comparable to the stereotypical scientific interpretative tradition, and aesthetic, roughly comparable to the stereotypical humanities interpretative tradition.
The Long and Difficult Road to Alma-Ata: A Personal Reflection
Authors: Litsios Socrates
Published: May 2005

This account of the events leading up to the Alma-Ata Conference in September 1978 (covering the years 1970 to 1978) is based on the author's recollections and his recent research of World Health Organization documents. The author builds his story around four themes: why the Soviets, in particular, wanted the conference; why the new WHO director-general did not; the time and energy lost by holding the conference; and what might have happened if it had not been held. The story involves not only people and their political and health ideologies but also reflections on the continuing question of how best to improve the health of communities. The account reveals how Alma-Ata constrained attempts by the new leadership of WHO to transform the way in which the organization fulfilled its international health responsibilities.
A Three Year Outcome Evaluation of a Theory Based Drink Driving Education Program
Authors: Sheehan Mary , Schonfeld Cynthia , Ballard Rod , Schofield Frank , Najman Jackob , Siskind Victor
Published: May 2005

This study reports on the impact of a “drink driving education program” taught to grade ten high school students. The program which involves twelve lessons uses strategies based on the Ajzen and Madden theory of planned behavior. Students were trained to use alternatives to drink driving and passenger behaviors. One thousand seven hundred and seventy-four students who had been taught the program in randomly assigned control and intervention schools were followed up three years later. There had been a major reduction in drink driving behaviors in both intervention and control students. In addition to this cohort change there was a trend toward reduced drink driving in the intervention group and a significant reduction in passenger behavior in this group. Readiness to use alternatives suggested that the major impact of the program was on students who were experimenting with the behavior at the time the program was taught. The program seems to have optimized concurrent social attitude and behavior change.
An Investigation of Two Classic Period Hohokam Cemeteries
Authors: Mitchell Douglas R.
Published: May 2005

Two Classic period Hohokam cemeteries are examined for evidence of social ranking. The cemeteries at the Grand Canal Ruins and Casa Buena contained a combined total of 132 inhumation burials. The quantity and diversity of the accompanying grave assemblages are examined in both qualitative and quantitative analyses. Certain artifact classes are separated by demographic groupings. The data suggest that certain individuals and groups within the cemeteries are distinguishable from the remainder of the cemetery population. These two cemeteries appear to be representative of the majority of the Phoenix area Hohokam during the Classic period, suggesting a lineage-based organizational structure.
Successful Pedagogy with Web Assignments Checker
Authors: Pundak David , Maharshak Arie , Rozner Shmaryahu
Published: May 2005

What is the effect on studies when integrating Web Assignment Checker (WAC) into science teaching? This article examines the change in students' attitudes to this question from the beginning of the course to its end, as compared with the attitudes of the teaching staff. The examiner's questionnaires, incorporating six aspects relating to students' attitudes with six aspects that the students' attitudes relate to, were given in five courses at the start of the semester and at its end. An analysis of the findings identified several members of the teaching staff who had succeeded in reducing the disparity between their attitudes and those of their students by the end of the course. An analysis of the means of operating WAC by these members of the teaching staff point reveals a successful pedagogy that may be implemented in other courses.
The Warp of Evidence-Based Medicine: Lessons from Dutch Maternity Care
Authors: DeVries Raymond G.
Published: May 2005

Most critiques of evidence-based medicine (EBM) focus on the scientific shortcomings of the technique. Social scientists are more likely to criticize EBM for its ideological biases, a criticism that makes sociological sense but is difficult to substantiate. Using evidence from the scientific debate over maternity care in the Netherlands—where nearly one-third of births take place at home—the author shows that research evidence is the product of a researcher's assumptions about the practice in question. In the case of maternity care in the Netherlands, ideological differences about the most appropriate way to give birth—based in the researcher's clinical experience— give rise to irresolvable disagreements about what constitutes evidence and how that evidence is to be interpreted. “Evidence” cannot settle scientific disputes in any simple way. Rather, it becomes a rhetorical justification for whatever particular groups were going to do anyway. Scientific evidence rests on clinical practice, which in turn is rooted in structural arrangements and cultural ideas.
Denial as a Defense against Depression in End-Stage Renal Disease: An Empirical Test
Authors: Devins Gerald M. , Binik Yitzchak M. , Mandin Henry , Burgess Ellen D. , Taub Kenneth , Letourneau P. K. , Buckle Sherry , Low Graeme L.
Published: May 2005

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is recognized as imposing severe psychosocial stresses upon patients with the result that depression is believed to be highly prevalent. A number of studies have reported low levels of depression, however, and this contradictory finding has been explained via the construct of defensive denial-i.e., patients may minimize the impact of illness-related experiences upon their overall experiences of life. The present study tested this hypothesis in a sample of seventy ESRD patients. Participants rated a series of twelve life dimensions (e.g., work, family and marital relations, recreation) in terms of perceived intrusiveness and control as well as indicating their perceived similarity using a card sort task. Standard measures of depression, positive and negative moods, somatic symptoms of distress, self-esteem, and life happiness were also obtained via structured interviews. A multidimensional scaling analysis applied to the card sort data indicated that ESRD patients do, indeed, perceive illness-related and nonillness aspects of life as independent. However, an analysis of partial variance-controlling for age and nonrenal health-failed to provide evidence of defensive denial. The suggestion is forwarded that previous findings of a high prevalence of depression in ESRD may be in error due to the misidentification of uremic symptoms as symptoms of depression.
The Infant Food Industry and International Child Health
Authors: Jelliffe Derrick B. , Jelliffe E. F. Patrice
Published: May 2005

Declining breast-feeding, with accompanying increased marasmus and diarrhea, has occurred in developing countries because of many factors, including inappropriate health services, new urban life styles, and so forth. The infant food industry must bear a considerable burden of blame as a result of “unethical” advertising. Responses have most recently included various journalistic and legal actions. There is a need for revised roles for the infant food industry, and for mechanisms to monitor intrinsically harmful practices.
Effects of Sudden vs. Chronic Illness Death on Bereavement Outcome
Authors: Sanders Catherine M.
Published: May 2005

Eighty-six bereaved participants were interviewed shortly after the death of a close family member and again eighteen months later. The Grief Experience Inventory and MMPI were administered on both occasions. Responses were separated into three groups according to the mode of death; sudden death (N = 33), long-term chronic illness (N = 27), and short-term chronic illness death (N = 26). Analysis of data yielded no statistically significant differences among groups but indicated some important trends. The short-term chronic illness group made the most favorable adjustment to bereavement. While the sudden death and long-term chronic illness death groups sustained higher intensities of bereavement at eighteen months, there appeared to be both qualitative and quantitative differences between the reactions of these two groups. The sudden death group indicated an internalized emotional response described as an “anger-in” or intropunitive response causing them to sustain prolonged physical stress. The long-term chronic illness group expressed an “anger-out” response which, while creating a picture of dejection, frustration, and loneliness, did not cause them to sustain the prolonged physiological component.
From the Symbolic Stimulus to the Pathophysiological Response: Neurophysiological Mechanisms
Authors: Kiely William F.
Published: May 2005

The neurobiological basis of psychopathology is surveyed with emphasis upon reciprocal balances between opposing ergotropic and trophotropic systems with their central nervous system (CNS), autonomic nervous system (ANS) and neuroendocrine components. The anatomical sites, neurophysiological interconnections, and neurochemical transmitters which subserve functions of arousal, attention, perception, motion, emotion, memory, and learning are outlined. Mechanisms whereby disorders of psychophysiologic, somatopsychic and classically organic type may be triggered through such neurobiological pathways are suggested.
A Systems Approach to the Design and Development of Interactive Videodisc Training
Authors: Cantor Jeffrey A.
Published: May 2005

This article describes a four-phased process used by the U.S. Navy for the systematic design and development of interactive videodisc (IVD) courseware (ICW). Phase One of the process, Analysis and Alternatives, describes the methodology for analyzing job/task data for the purpose of verifying the appropriateness of interactive videodisc as the medium of instructional choice, and for analyzing the proposed problem, and scoping out the approach and solution. Phase Two, System Design, describes the process for the layout and design of the IVD instructional product. Phase Three, System Development, discusses the process followed to actually develop and construct an IVD system. Lastly, Phase Four, System Test and Evaluation, will describe the formative evaluation process through which the IVD product and system is proven ready for use.
Salience of Alcohol Expectancies and Drinking Outcomes
Authors: Reese Finetta L.
Published: May 2005

There is a body of research which indicates that endorsement of positive alcohol expectancies predicts alcohol drinking patterns; however, there is inconsistency in the literature regarding which particular alcohol expectancies predict drinking. Although an individual may endorse a variety of alcohol expectancy beliefs, these beliefs may not be of equal importance to drinking decisions. This study investigated whether the prediction of drinking might be enhanced by considering salience of alcohol expectancies rather than mere endorsement. Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that expectancy salience significantly improved the prediction of total alcohol consumption above and beyond the effects of expectancy endorsement. Expectancy salience was less effective as a predictor of heavy drinking.
Justifying the Final Solution
Authors: Mansson Helge Hilding
Published: May 2005

A sample of 570 university students were asked to react to a statement to the effect that “unfit” persons should be killed by society as a “final solution” to the problems of overpopulation and personal misery. Variations on this theme were provided different subgroups of the sample. Although responses varied as a function of the particular condition established, agreement reached substantial proportions, sometimes gaining acceptance from over 50 percent of the respondents.
Ghost-Writing in Professional Communications
Authors: Shenk Robert
Published: May 2005

Modern professionals commonly write documents to be signed by superiors, but are seldom taught how to do this. If students are successfully to fulfill everyday organizational writing tasks, they must learn to master skills of impersonating viewpoint, style and even personality. To teach such skills, we can adapt the ancient exercise of prosopopoeia or impersonation, either by varying the personas of standard textbook exercises, or by making use of the technical writing case study, or by having students impersonate professionals who were involved in famous (or infamous) current events.
Practical Aspects of the Training of Psychiatrists in Suicide Prevention
Authors: Danto Bruce L.
Published: May 2005

The psychiatric suicidologist must have skills over and above those of psychiatrists in general. A person who is action-oriented, community-conscious and able to work well with people in a variety of other fields is generally more successful. The suicidologist should also be well informed on pharmacology and internal medicine, well equipped to evaluate the medical as well as the psychiatric emergency. The ability to be self-critical and aware of one's own limitations is of particular importance. Suggestions for training the psychiatric suicidologist are offered.
Afterlife Beliefs and Death Anxiety: An Exploration of the Relationship between Afterlife Expectations and Fear of Death in an Undergraduate Population
Authors: Rose Brigid M. , O'Sullivan Michael J.
Published: May 2005

Psychologists and theologians have proposed that belief in afterlife (BA) buffers death anxiety (DA) by providing hope. This view is limited because it assumes the expected afterlife is rewarding. This study examines the relationship between different types of afterlife expectations and DA. Undergraduates ( N=111) completed the Templer Death Anxiety Scale (1970), the Osarchuk and Tatz Belief in Afterlife Scale (1973), and an Afterlife Expectation Scale. Five expectation categories were extracted through factor analysis: a reward-based afterlife, a judgment/punishment-based afterlife, an afterlife of continued existence on earth, a surreal afterlife, and extinction. No relationships were found between DA and either strength of BA or type of expectation. However, BA was related to reward expectation ( r=.72, p < .01), and judgment/punishment expectation ( r=.28, p < .01), contradicting the assumption that BA is always comforting.
Helping Individuals with Aids: A Group Counseling Approach
Authors: Lavin Joanne , Lavin Claire
Published: May 2005

AIDS profoundly changes the lives of infected individuals and their families. The diagnosis brings with it the possibility of destruction but also the possibility for psychological growth. Therapeutic interventions address both issues within the context of individual psychological development, social relationships, and issues of grief and loss. This article describes the use of group counseling over a five year period with a group of individuals infected with or affected by AIDS.
The “Mini-Mental State” Examination in the Syndrome of Self-Induced Water Intoxication and Schizophrenic Disorders (SIWIS): A Pilot Study
Authors: Vieweg W. V. R. , Rowe W. T. , David J. J. , Yank G. R. , Spradlin W. W.
Published: May 2005

A quantitative assessment of cognitive state (Folstein's “mini-mental state” scores) was correlated with serum sodium concentration in four patients with the syndrome of self-induced water intoxication and schizophrenic disorders (SIWIS). Diagnostic studies that demonstrated inappropriate antidiuresis in these patients are reported also. Neither absolute serum sodium concentrations nor their daily changes correlated significantly ( p > .05) with the cognitive state of any patient. The authors conclude that serial laboratory determinations of serum electrolytes remains the only satisfactory method of monitoring body tonicity in SIWIS patients.
Widows View Death: A Brief Research Note
Authors: Kalish Richard A. , Reynolds David K.
Published: May 2005

This study is concerned with comparing death attitudes among widows and non-widows. Since the status of widowhood indicates the loss through death of a significant other, it was hypothesized that widows would respond differently than non-widows on a number of death-related interview questions. Attempts were made to match the age, ethnicity, and educational status between the participants. The interview included such topics as expectations and preferences concerning funerals, fear of death, belief in immortality, and feelings as to appropriate behavior for widows and widowers. In general, the role of widowhood seemed to have little or no effect upon death attitudes.
Situation Awareness and Dynamic Performance Training Systems: Some Reflections on the Literature
Authors: Gerson Charles W.
Published: May 2005

The majority of the literature on situation awareness is focused on its perceptual definition and modeling. In contrast, this presentation focuses on the importance of training simulation systems in increasing the potential for good situation awareness. Situation awareness is defined as an evaluative product based on expert performance criteria. A conventional information processing model is used to represent situation awareness as a generalized concept and modified for specific applications. Three salient factors affecting quality situation awareness are discussed: 1) high fidelity procedural training, 2) expert knowledge and experience, and 3) the strong indeterminates of attitude and emotional state. Additional issues are discussed, including: a developmental verses a gestalt framework for the perceptual process; information processing capacities; automaticity skills; traditional verses transactional training; the novice/expert relationship; expert and novice decision making; training device fidelity and ethnographic concerns; the dimension of unpredictability; inherent psychological abilities; and workload.
Funerals, Family, and Forefathers: A View of Italian-American Funeral Practices
Authors: Coweii Daniel David
Published: May 2005

Italian-American funeral practices have received little attention in the literature. This study deals with this gap by tracing the evolution of funeral practices from the Old World, preimmigrant culture of the southern Italian to the contemporary New World funeral practices of Italian-Americans reflective of the so-called American way of death.

The article is structured around the thesis that the author's own family experience of the ritualistic observance of death had its roots in Old World customs and traditions, was subsequently modified by American social patterns, secularism, industrialization, and funeral customs, and was further shaped by particular psychosocial family dynamics.

The concluding section compares the author's personal experience of Roman Catholic home funerals with the larger societal practices described.
Interpretation of Negative Transference in Nonanalytic Settings
Authors: Weiler Martin A.
Published: May 2005

This article presents a technique and attitude for dealing with problem or difficult patients, utilizing concepts generated from psychoanalysis for use in settings or contexts that are nonpsychoanalytic. The concepts of transference, counter-transference, resistance, and interpretation of transference are defined for use in nonanalytic contexts. The process of formulation of interpretations, and modes of patient response in nonanalytic contexts are discussed and illustrated with clinical examples. The possible benefits and limitations of this way of relating to problem patients are also discussed from clinical and theoretical perspectives.
Dragon Play: Microworld Design in a Whole-Class Context
Authors: Jackiw Nicholas , Sinclair Nathalie
Published: May 2005

We propose a whole-class view of microworld design, in which the total ecology of students, technology, and teacher is considered by the decisions and choices of the design. Through a case-study analysis of a classroom implementation, we illustrate a dynamic geometry microworld designed using such an approach and attempt to identify both the effects such an approach has on student affect and participation and the roles that educational technology fills in such a social context. We argue that whole-class microworld design not only has practical benefits in terms of classroom time and management, but also develops social interactions conducive to educative learning experiences.
Durkheimian Suicides in Shakespeare
Authors: Zito George V.
Published: May 2005

The sociological study of suicide is founded upon the critical observations of Emile Durkheim. Although Durkheim's data sources and many of his conclusions regarding the etiology of suicide have come under increasing attack in recent years, social theorists concerned with the phenomenon have been unable to dispense with his insights. The present study applies Durkheimian theory to a “hypothetical population” drawn from the Shakespearean dramatic literature. A new methodology is applied in an attempt to determine the orientation to the suicide act held by each Shakespearean suicide. Conclusions are drawn which, while they do not invalidate Durkheimian assumptions regarding the “causes” of suicide, do tend to restrict his typology to two categories.
Effect of Color Coding on Visually and Verbally Oriented Tests with Students of Different Field Dependence Levels
Authors: Dwyer Francis M. , Moore David M.
Published: May 2005

To assess the impact of instructional color coding on visually and verbally oriented tests and on field-dependent-independent subjects, undergraduate college students (119) were randomly assigned to two treatment groups (color—black and white). These subjects received their respective treatment and received four dependent measures measuring four different types of educational objectives. Results indicated that the subject's level of field dependence is an important instructional variable and that color coding is an effective variable for maximizing information acquisition levels for field dependent over oriented subjects.
Setting the Record Right: Comments on Creativity and Hemispheric Functioning
Authors: Katz Albert N.
Published: May 2005

Brittain's [1] major claim is that, contrary to the interpretation given by Katz [2], his data in fact show that high creativity is associated with a pattern of reduced hemispheric asymmetry. Brittain's claim is shown to be wrong and appears to be based on an incorrect understanding of the dependent measures employed. Two supplementary issues raised by Brittain are also addressed.
“T2 = L”: Theory and Technology Combine for Learning
Authors: Gosnell Davina J.
Published: May 2005

Telelecture as a topic has received minimal space in the literature and/or research attention. Of that written and the research reported, only positive outcomes are depicted. In this article the use of telelecture in a continuing education course for registered nurses in two rural states is described. A critique of the author's experience in the use of this technology and an analysis of the use of cognitive learning theory in course design is presented. The author suggests that a major variable to success in the use of telelecture is the skill of the teacher/lecturer as a facilitator to solicit, organize and present material in a manner most useful to the learner.
Arousal as a Mediator of Behavioral Confirmation
Authors: Reynolds Kim D. , West Stephen G. , Clapper Rock L. , Suter Deborah
Published: May 2005

When people imagine and explain hypothetical future performance, this imagination can influence their actual performance on a task. We proposed that physiological arousal might be generated by the imagination process, which would lead to a change in actual performance on a task. Subjects ( N = 147) were asked to explain either success or failure on the Stroop color-word task or to explain a neutral event. Each subject then completed either an easy or a difficult Stroop color-word task. An interaction was obtained between the difficulty of list and type of explanation variables. In the difficult list condition, subjects who imagined and explained success or failure committed significantly more errors than subjects who explained a neutral event. It was concluded that arousal might be produced by the imagination process and lead to changes in task performance when success and failure are used as standards of performance.
How Women Relate to Terminally Ill Husbands and their Subsequent Adjustment to Bereavement
Authors: Kramer Diane
Published: May 2005

Affiliation, separation, and communication were the constructs chosen to assess the manner in which women related to terminally ill husbands. Separation was the only one found to be significantly related to post-death adjustment. Participants were 107 widows whose husbands had been ill for at least one month. Half had been affiliated with a hospice, the other half had not. Although there was no substantial difference between the two groups in adjustment, hospice women scored significantly higher in separation. Implications of the findings for new theories and practices are discussed.
Sexual Behavior and Knowledge of AIDS among Female Trade Apprentices in a Yoruba Town in South-Western Nigeria
Authors: Dada John Olusegun , Olaseha Isaac Oladayo , Ajuwon Ademola Johnson
Published: May 2005

This exploratory study was carried out among unmarried female trade apprentices in Ikorodu, a Yoruba town in south-western Nigeria, to identify sexual risk behaviors, assess knowledge on HIV/AIDS, and recommend an appropriate AIDS education program. Four focus groups were conducted to gain insight into the social-cultural and economic factors influencing sexual risk behaviors, followed by a survey involving 280 randomly selected respondents. Findings showed that many group discussants approved of premarital sex and believed that sex with multiple partners occurred mainly because of the economic difficulties encountered by female apprentices. Most of the survey respondents (70.9%) were sexually experienced, with age of first sexual intercourse ranging from eleven to twenty-two years. One hundred and fifty-five (78.2%) were sexually active; of these, 37.4 percent said that their last sexual encounter occurred because they could not resist the pressure put on them by their male partners, were under the influence of alcohol, were in need of money, and raped. Sixty percent of the sexually active respondents did not take any action to prevent STD or pregnancy during their last sexual encounter. Of the fifty-eight who did, 37.9 percent used the condom. Of those sexually experienced (45.3%) have had at least one STD symptom in the year before, half of them did not do anything about their condition; 37 percent practiced self-medication or received injections from quacks. Although 70.9 percent had heard about AIDS, many had limited knowledge about the nonsexual routes of HIV transmission. Appropriate intervention strategies were recommended to educate the apprentices.
Computer-Based Examination Management System
Authors: Mehta N. K.
Published: May 2005

In many educational institutions the preparation of a low-conflict-small-duration timetable for conducting the term-end examinations could be a very tedious exercise. This paper outlines a computer-based system for the design of a useful examination schedule. The system employs a computer and an administrator at various stages of design for the processes for which they are best suited to improve the applicability and efficiency of the exercise.
The Long-Term Effects of Grief on Marital Intimacy following an Infant's Death
Authors: Gottlieb Laurie N. , Lang Ariella , Amsel Rhonda
Published: May 2005

This follow-up study examined how marital intimacy changes over time in bereaved couples and how their marriages are affected by the death of their infant. A group of thirty-one bereaved couples who two to four years earlier had lost an infant (> 20 weeks gestation and < 1 year of age) were revisited in their home twenty-four months after the initial home visit. Couples did report a significant drop in sexual intimacy at follow-up compared to before the loss and at the initial home visit. Moreover, wives reported less emotional intimacy overall, than did their husbands. In contrast to wives whose own initial grief responses predicted their feelings about their marriages two years later, intensity of husband's initial grief response did not affect their relationship with their wives but, rather a more powerful predictor was their wives' initial reactions, the early state of their marriage (whether they had considered separating), and whether or not they had warning of the impending death. Finally, there is some evidence that women are affected in part, by their husbands' grief.
Sociocultural Factors Affecting Reproductive Health in Latin America and the Caribbean
Authors: Rice Marilyn
Published: May 2005

This article provides an overview of the socio-economic, health and fertility conditions in the countries of the Americas. Among those considered are GNP and annual growth and inflation rates, fertility rates, increasing urbanization, life expectancy at birth, infant and child mortality, and maternal mortality particularly due to complication from pregnancy and childbirth. Barriers for women and men on contraception use are discussed. Among the most important influencing factors are ethical and moral considerations, lack of access to information and supplies, women holding a lower status than men throughout Latin America and some parts of the Caribbean resulting in women's unregulated fertility, poor quality health services being available, and lower educational opportunities and levels than men. Additionally, the extremely poor quality of the interface women have with the health care system sends many of them away. Although a major proportion of pregnancies occur in adolescent women, no special provisions are made to provide education or services to this population. The article ends by proposing some alternative actions to improve options for contraceptive choices in the populations of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Doctor, Tell Me I Am Sick: Physician Response to Patient Psyco-Social Problems
Authors: English Clifford , de la Torre Christina
Published: May 2005

Considerable evidence indicates that non-psychiatric physicians devote considerable time in dealing with the psychosocial problems of patients. At the same time little is known about the kinds of problems patients present or how the physician responds to these problems. In an effort to determine both the kinds of problems presented and physician response, direct observation of physician/patient interactions and content analysis of patient records were carried out. Five dominant responses of physicians were identified and discussed in detail. In addition, patient expectations and interactions with physicians are explored.
Psychological Stress and Coping in Adaptation and Illness
Authors: Lazarus Richard S.
Published: May 2005

Research and thought in psychosomatic medicine must seek understanding of the psychological processes making a person's encounter with the environment stressful, and how these encounters lead to a variety of coping processes, emotional states, disease precursors, and stress disorders. One major theme of this paper is that every instance of adaptive commerce between a person and the environment is appraised cognitively as to its significance for the person's well-being. Such appraisals underlie the ebb and flow of emotional states, their quality and intensity. A second theme is an analysis of the debate about whether the bodily response to stress emotions is specific to the psychodynamics of the stressful encounter or general and non-specific. Third, it is argued that self-regulatory processes as well as cognitive appraisals are key mediators of the person's reactions to stressful transactions, and hence shape the somatic outcome. Two types of self-regulatory processes are distinguished: 1) direct action, which refers to any effort designed to alter the person's troubled relationship with the environment, and 2) palliative activities, including a) intrapsychic processes such as denial, detachment and attention deployment, and b) somatic-oriented devices such as drugs, relaxation training, biofeedback procedures, and so forth, which are employed in an effort to moderate the bodily concomitants of stress emotion.
The Effect of Cause of Death on Responses to the Bereaved: Suicide Compared to Accident and Natural Causes
Authors: Allen Breon G. , Calhoun Lawrence G. , Cann Arnie , Tedeschi Richard G.
Published: May 2005

This study investigated the impact of cause of death on responses to a bereaved individual. Sixty participants (30 men and 30 women) listened to an audiotape of a recently bereaved widow. There were three versions of the tape, each identical except for the stated cause of death: suicide, accident, or heart attack. Participants listened and responded to three segments of the tape. Results indicated that respondents were more anxious after the interaction than before. In addition, perceptions of the individual bereaved by suicide were more negative, but these perceptual differences were not reflected in quantitative measures of behavior. Qualitative data suggested that for suicidal deaths issues of blame and responsibility are more salient than for deaths due to accidents or natural causes.
Graveside Deaths
Authors: Danto Bruce L. , Taff Mark L. , Boglioli Lauren R.
Published: May 2005

Cemeteries are designed to provide mourners with a semiprivate place to express their grief. The cemetery is symbolic of the reunification of the living with the dead. Deaths, particularly suicides, occurring in cemeteries are a rare phenomena. Graveside suicides represent an exaggerated form of pathological mourning and grief reaction. Graveside suicides are analogous to a death pact between two persons in which the second death occurs as a reaction to the first, in the cemetery where the first is buried, and without the knowledge of the first. Case histories of graveside suicides are presented, as well as a brief discussion of other types of injuries and deaths occurring in cemeteries. A profile of the graveside suicide victim, the psychodynamics of grief reactions, and the medicolegal implications related to a cemetery security are also presented.
Professional Defenses: Medical Students' Perceptions of Medical Malpractice
Authors: Annandale Ellen
Published: May 2005

Despite the pronounced interest in “challenges to professional dominance” in Britain, medical malpractice has been subject to little empirical attention. There has been a flurry of policy activity within the National Health Service over the last six or so years and a steady stream of commentary from professional bodies, yet we know very little about the views of various medical practitioners who occupy different positions in the professional hierarchy. This article explores the views of (first and fifth year) medical students and considers the extent to which they cohere with the public discourse of medical elites. The author suggests that while individual practice is the focal concern for medical students who seem acutely aware and concerned about litigation, elites construct malpractice as a macro economic-legal problem, strategically severing the association between individual practice and the experience of a malpractice suit.
Psychopathology in Epilepsy: Prevalence, Phenomenology and Management
Authors: Mendez Mario F.
Published: May 2005

Epilepsy is associated with interictal behavioral disturbances. The pattern of specific psychopathology differs from that of other chronic diseases because of the higher incidence of psychosis and characterological disorders. Approximately 7 percent of epileptics develop a chronic atypical psychosis with paranoid and affective features, and this may be more common in patients with a definite temporal lobe focus. Brief psychotic episodes occur and are more directly related to cerebral dysrhythmia. A subgroup of epileptics develop specific personality traits, aggressive behaviors under certain circumstances, and hyposexuality. Affective illness and suicide are also prevalent. There are special issues in the management of psychopathology in the setting of epilepsy such as the relative seizure threshold lowering effects of psychotropic drugs and the behavioral effects of altering the seizure control. This article discusses both diagnostic and management aspects of the interictal psychopathology of epilepsy.
Is Psychiatric Consultation in Abortion Obsolete?
Authors: Marmer Stephen S. , Pasnau Robert O. , Cushner Irvin M.
Published: May 2005

The 1973 United States Supreme Court decision removing all impediments to abortion requested by adult women in the first trimester eliminated the necessity for psychiatrists to “approve” such abortions on psychiatric grounds. At the same time, the development of new thinking about post-abortion emotional problems occurred. It was shown that despite the formerly widely held view that abortion was usually followed by psychiatric illness, such complications are in fact rare. Therefore, the two principle reasons for routine psychiatric consultations in abortion cases are no longer viable.

Nevertheless, there are important indications for psychiatric involvement in pre- and post-abortion counseling and consultation which cannot be overlooked. These can be summarized as cases in which: 1) the woman exhibits marked ambivalence, or in which motivation for continuing or terminating the pregnancy is suspect; 2) unhealthy, self-destructive or inappropriate use of sexuality results in pregnancy, with the use of abortion as birth-control; 3) the woman is incompetent to decide on continuation or termination of pregnancy; 4) a serious physical illness may have compromised the ability of the woman to cope emotionally with the issue of pregnancy or abortion; 5) there is a history of prior psychiatric illness, especially postpartum illness or suicidal behavior; or 6) the primary role of the psychiatrist is in liaison or education of the physician or staff. Six illustrative cases are briefly presented and discussed.
AIDS in the African Press
Authors: Lear Dana
Published: May 2005

Newspapers have the potential to take a leading role in AIDS education in Africa. With their relatively small circulations, they mainly reach educated urban citizens, a population particularly hard hit by the epidemic. This study reports findings of a content analysis of AIDS coverage of government owned newspapers in Senegal, Togo, Nigeria, Uganda and Kenya. Although most papers have printed educational articles, they have undertaken only a very minor role in any national effort. Coverage has tended to reflect government reaction, usually moving through stages of denial, scapegoating and blame before responding constructively to the epidemic. African countries surveyed are still largely engaged in epidemiological response to the epidemic; widespread education has not yet occurred. Newspapers have not yet fulfilled their potential as educational media.
After Instructions to Follow and Break a Rule
Authors: McKaughan Larry
Published: May 2005

Given a sentence reading task, thirty-one junior college students were asked to formulate a rule for choosing which sentence to read. They were then given instructions to follow that rule, break it, follow it, and break it in twenty card sequences. Almost half the participants had some difficulty stating the initial formulation of their rules. Despite this, the great majority of participants complied closely with the instructions to follow and break their rules. Persons who had difficulty stating their original rules also tended to have difficulty giving a consistent description of their actions.
Breath-Holding Spells in Somatoform Disorder
Authors: Inagaki Takuji , Mizuno Soichi , Miyaoka Tsuyoshi , Tsubouchi Ken , Momose Isamu , Kishi Toshiro , Horiguchi Jun , Kanata Kazue , Hiruta Hiroyuki , Nakatani Toshihiko , Doi Katsushi , Saito Yoji
Published: May 2005

Breath-holding spells (BHS) are commonly seen in childhood. However, there are no case reports of BHS occurring in adolescents or young adults. We report two young adult cases and discuss the pathogensis, both physically and psychologically. BHS occurred for 1–2 minutes after hyperventilation accompanied by cyanosis in both cases. Oxygen saturation was markedly decreased. Each patient had shown distress and a regressed state psychologically. These cyanotic BHS occurred after hyperventilation, and we considered that a complex interplay of hyperventilation followed by expiratory apnea increased intrathoracic pressure and respiratory spasm. Breath-holding spells can occur beyond childhood.