bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Toward an Integrated Approach to the Institutionalized Aged: An Encounter with the Medical Model
Authors: Breslau Lawrence
Published: May 2005

The author describes the delivery of medical, psychiatric and social work services to residents of a facility for the aged. Although the Home had already benefited from the introduction of sound medical standards and the influence of an acute medical hospital, a satisfactory staff organization needed to be developed to answer the unique and individual needs of the aged residents. Specifically, the task was aimed at organizing services to implement a small unit concept of individual care for which the new facility was architecturally designed, to bring together those involved in patient care to coordinate services, to help the staff sustain a therapeutic attitude and to carry out specific therapeutic tasks.
Gender Differences in Athletic Performance and their Implications in Gender Ratios of Suicide: A Comparison between the USA and China
Authors: Zhang Jie
Published: May 2005

This article attempts to understand the unique gender ratio in Chinese suicide from a physiological perspective. While Chinese women have been performing notably better than Chinese men in international sport competitions, it is suggested that sport achievements and suicide risks are both related to masculinity and aggression. To test the hypothesis that the gender difference in Chinese sports records is smaller than that found in U.S. sports records, both Chinese and U.S. national athletic records were analyzed for field, track, and swimming events. With the hypothesis supported by the data, the findings suggest a new explanation for the high suicide rate by Chinese women and low suicide rate by Chinese men. Future research is needed on physical, psychological, and biological factors that may be associated with gender differences in Chinese suicides.
Origins of Authority: The Organization of Medical Care in Sweden
Authors: Gustafsson Rolf Å.
Published: May 2005

Earlier research by Gardell and Gustafsson indicates a general discrepancy between perceived needs and organizational structure in Swedish somatic hospitals; the work organization directs the work process as if cure and medical treatment were the only appropriate goals in almost all kinds of health care settings. The standard organizational model for general hospitals, here named “the acute care modei”–which is a merger of medical and administrative hierarchies–forces great segments of the staff into a work content that is neither appropriate for patients' needs nor satisfying for the personnel. The present study is a historical-sociological discourse in which the structural antecedents of the acute care model are traced. It gives an expose of the main stages in the formation of the Swedish health care system from the middle ages to the present. In 1864 a regulation of the hospital boards was issued. This meant the definite consolidation of the acute care model and was in line with earlier developments, which were characterized by an incremental interorganizational activity demarcation that divided the core of institutional care into three branches: somatic hospitals, mental hospitals, and homes for the elderly. The driving forces in the formation of the total health care system are shown to be closely related to premedical and extramedical factors, such as military needs, mercantilism, and the emergence of the middle class.
Life and Death Attitudes of Parents of Mildly Dysfunctional Children
Authors: Fretz Bruce , Leviton Dan
Published: May 2005

Dysfunctional children are known to have negative effects on parents. The present study investigated whether such children affect parents' attitudes towards life and death. Attitudes of a sample of 21 parents of mildly dysfunctional children were compared to those of parents of nondysfunctional children. The results gave little support to the hypothesis that dysfunctional children make life less attractive and death more attractive for their parents.
MDMA (Ecstacy): Useful Information for Health Professionals Involved in Drug Education Programs
Authors: Elk Carrie
Published: May 2005

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; “Ecstacy”) is an amphetamine derivative that is related chemically to both amphetamines and hallucinogens. Despite reports of an increase in MDMA usage among adolescents and young adults in the past decade, systematic scientific information concerning MDMA and its effects remains insufficient, thus limiting or eliminating MDMA from inclusion in the drug education curriculum.
Psychiatric Consultation with Patients Who Refuse Medical Care
Authors: Starkman Monica N. , Youngs David D.
Published: May 2005

Ethical and pragmatic issues which are related to patient refusal of medical care are considered and a comprehensive approach to psychiatric evaluation and management presented. Legal interventions which may be utilized are described. The medical-legal committee and the interdisciplinary case conference are suggested as avenues for dialogue, problem-solving and education.
Measuring Fear of Death: A Multidimensional Approach
Authors: Littlefield Christine , Fleming Stephen
Published: May 2005

In the research literature on death and dying, two assumptions are often made: 1) the prospect of death is universally anxiety-provoking and 2) death fear is a unidimensional construct. In order to explore the veracity of these assumptions, participants were shown a film designed to manipulate fear of death. Scores on a trait and a state measure of death fear were related to belief in an afterlife and response latencies to death words and neutral words in a word association test. While a previous finding linking increased belief in afterlife with a death-threat situation was not supported, it was found that high scores on the Templer fear of death scale were correlated with longer response latencies to death than to neutral words on the word association test. This indicates a positive association between a “direct” and “indirect” measure of fear of death, undermining the commonly held assumption that low scores on a fear of death scale are indicative of repression. Moreover, since fear of death was seen to increase in the experimental group (according to a state measure), while no change was observed on the Templer fear of death scale (a trait measure), this suggests that death fear is not a unidimensional construct.
Sex Differences in Vivid Memories
Authors: White Hedy
Published: May 2005

There has been little previous research on sex differences in the content and affective evaluations of vivid autobiographical memories. Using a paradigm similar to Rubin and Kozin [1], subjects in Experiment 1 described and evaluated their most vivid personal memory and subjects in Experiment 2 described both their most vivid pleasant and unpleasant memory. Males were more likely than females to report memories having competence themes (in each experiment) and females were more likely than males to report memories involving dating (in Experiment 2). Also, in each experiment females reported experiencing greater emotional arousal than males while writing their descriptions, but sex differences in reported emotional arousal at the time the described event occurred were reduced and not reliable. In Experiment 1, which required subjects to report only their one most vivid memory, both sexes were more likely to describe an unpleasant memory than a pleasant one.
A Review of the Antituberculosis Campaign in Mexico
Authors: Laborin Rafael Laniado , Molgaard Craig A. , Elder John P.
Published: May 2005

Tuberculosis, a major cause of death in the nineteenth century, has consistently and steadily declined in industrialized countries. Such decline antedates the introduction of specific treatment or immunization programs. In the United States of America, the tuberculosis problem is almost exclusively confined to ethnic minorities, socially marginal groups, and migratory workers. All the countries of Latin America have adopted the programs for tuberculosis control recommended by the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Association. The degree to which these programs are followed in Mexico is critically discussed. A number of suggestions are offered to improve a program that appears to be insufficient in terms of controlling this disease.
Lethality of Suicidal Methods and Suicide Risk: Two Distinct Concepts
Authors: Card Josefina Jayme
Published: May 2005

Two objective measures of the lethality of 11 suicidal methods were defined: Mean Seriousness of suicidal incidents involving the method, and Probability of Death resulting from use of the method. The measures were found to be essentially interchangeable. Fourteen judges were asked to rank the same 11 methods according to the “probability of death resulting from use of the method in a suicide attempt.” The judges' subjective estimates of lethality corresponded well with objective measures. The relationship between lethality and risk, or the probability of suicide at some future date, was examined. The two variables were clearly distinct. Rank correlation between lethality of, and risk associated with, the 11 suicidal methods was not significant Moreover, when all incidents within a given lethality category were collapsed, and then risk associated with each lethality category evaluated, the most lethal attempts had a significantly lower risk of future suicide than the least lethal attempts.
How Can Local Interactive on-Line Discussion Assist Culturally Diverse Students in Learning?
Authors: Chen Li-Ling
Published: May 2005

A naturalistic inquiry approach was employed to determine culturally diverse students' perception on use of a computer-based collaboration tool, Daedalas, for instruction. Twenty purposive informants were chosen to represent two groups with different cultural backgrounds. Interview, observation, and on-line logs were used for collecting data. Interesting results included that culture did not always make differences in interactive on-line instruction, and cultural minority students felt much easier expressing their perspectives for sharing and discussing with others in such instruction.
Frank Aydelotte: AT&T's First Writing Consultant, 1917–1918
Authors: Moran Michael G.
Published: May 2005

In 1917 Frank Aydelotte, an English professor at MIT, became AT&T's first outside writing consultant. Because many of its older, better-educated male employees had been mobilized to fight World War I, the company found itself with numerous young, poorly-educated employees. Drawing on the humanistic approach to writing instruction that he had developed at MIT in his book English and Engineering, Aydelotte created a year-long program at AT&T that taught employees to think and write about issues important to their work. The course is important for two reasons: first, it offers insight into the kinds of early consulting work that English professors did, and, second, it shows that Aydelotte's humanistic approach to technical communication worked as well in business as it did in academic settings.
Of Euphemisms and Euthanasia: The Language Games of the Nazi Doctors and Some Implications for the Modern Euthanasia Movement
Authors: Mitchell C. Ben
Published: May 2005

Euphemisms are place-holders for important concepts. They may disguise a practice which one might abhor if it were given another name. In Nazi Germany during World War II, euphemisms were used to desensitize physicians and society to the horrors of a program of euthanasia. This article examines some of the euphemisms used by the Nazi physicians to redefine medicalized killing, compares the Nazi language games with those of contemporary proponents of medicalized killing, and concludes that the consistent application of euphemisms for medicalized killing significantly weakens arguments against assisted killing.

We should watch the way we talk. Human society can be described as a long conversation about what matters. In this conversation, the language we use to describe our social practices not only reveals our attitudes and virtues, it shapes them (Winslow, 1994, p. 1).
Voluntary Health Insurance in the European Union: A Critical Assessment
Authors: Mossialos Elias , Thomson Sarah M. S.
Published: May 2005

The authors examine the role and nature of the market for voluntary health insurance in the European Union and review the impact of public policy, at both the national and E.U. levels, on the development of this market in recent years. The conceptual framework, based on a model of industrial analysis, allows a wide range of policy questions regarding market structure, conduct, and performance. By analyzing these three aspects of the market for voluntary health insurance, the authors are also able to raise questions about the equity and efficiency of voluntary health insurance as a means of funding health care in the European Union. The analysis suggests that the market for voluntary health insurance in the European Union suffers from significant information failures that seriously limit its potential for competition or efficiency and also reduce equity. Substantial deregulation of the E.U. market for voluntary health insurance has stripped regulatory bodies of their power to protect consumers and poses interesting challenges for national regulators, particularly if the market is to expand in the future. In a deregulated environment, it is questionable whether this method of funding health care will encourage a more efficient and equitable allocation of resources.
The Effects of Web Page Design Instruction on Computer Self-Efficacy of Preservice Teachers and Correlates
Authors: Chu Li-Li
Published: May 2005

This study tested the effects of Web page design instruction on improving computer self-efficacy of preservice teachers. A sample of 206 preservice teachers participated in this research. A pretest-posttest design experiment, including a 14-week instruction of Web page design, was conducted. The instruction of Web page design significantly improved the computer self-efficacy of preservice teachers. Various computer experiences, including weekly computer use, weekly Internet use, the use frequencies of word processing, e-mail, games, and presentation software, were significantly related to computer self-efficacy. The use frequencies of word processing and computer graphic software, weekly computer use, and age were the significant predictors of computer self-efficacy. The preservice teachers owning higher perception of computer self-efficacy revealed more confidence on Web page design self-efficacy. Generally, it is confirmed that most educators believe that increasing the opportunities to learn and use computers may facilitate the confidence and competence of preservice teachers.
Class Position, Work Experience, and Health
Authors: Schwalbe Michael L. , Staples Clifford L.
Published: May 2005

This paper develops a Marxist analysis of the relationships between class position, work experience, the psychological effects of this experience, and subsequent health outcomes. Specifically, it is argued that the structural imperatives of capitalist production make work for those in working-class positions subject to greater routinization and less control than work for those in other class positions. Routinization and control are argued, in turn, to predictably affect two key psychological variables, self-esteem and stress, which are further argued to affect health in predictable ways. Position in the capitalist labor process is thus linked to health via the psychological consequences of the immediate work experience it engenders. Survey data from workers, managers, supervisors, and semi-autonomous employees in five capitalist firms are used to test the descriptive adequacy of this model linking capitalism to ill health for those in working-class positions.
Wood Identification and Archaeology in the Northeast
Authors: McWeeney Lucinda
Published: May 2005

Cultural ecology studies have used pollen analyses to describe man's environment throughout the Holocene. More specific site correlations are possible when recovered wood and wood charcoal remains are identified from archaeological excavations. Several methods of analysis are available for use by those trained in wood anatomy. Cooperation between archaeologists and wood anatomists can enhance site interpretations and increase our understanding of past environments.
Depression and Caregiver Mastery in Grandfathers Caring for Their Grandchildren
Authors: Kolomer Stacey R. , McCallion Philip
Published: May 2005

Kin caregiving research tends to focus on the experiences of grandmothers. Often unnoticed and underserved are grandfathers who also take on this responsibility. Here, two groups of grandfathers participated in focus group interviews to discuss their experiences as caregivers to their grandchildren. Common themes for the grandfathers were the feeling of missing freedom, experiencing child rearing differently now than they had with their own children, and fear of what would happen to the children should their health fail. Thirty-three grandfathers also answered questions about themselves; their grandchild; need, use, and satisfaction with formal services; depression; and caregiving mastery. A sample of 33 grandmothers selected from a previous study was matched to the grandfathers on age, race, and marital status. Differences in depressive symptoms between the grandfathers and grandmothers were statistically significant. There was no statistically significant difference between the grandparent caregivers on caregiving mastery. These findings suggest that there may be differences in the impact of caregiving for grandmothers and grandfathers. These differences should be further investigated.
Obituary Analysis and Describing a Life Lived: The Impact of Race, Gender, Age, and Economic Status
Authors: Marks Alan , Piggee Tommy
Published: May 2005

A Comparison Of The Sampling Distribution Of The 2,262 obituaries from the Sunday edition of The Arkansas Democrat Gazette, for the year 1993, was made with the actual mortality patterns of Arkansans, as reported by the state health department. The two distributions were found to be nearly identical on gender and age. This is a significant methodological improvement over previous methods used in obituary analysis that relied on using the ratio of obituaries to death notices as an indicator of mortality experience and then using that as a basis for evaluating the likelihood of obituary discrimination.

We tested three hypotheses derived from a status continuum model. This model was based primarily on race and gender. Economic status of racial background was also taken into account as was age. Detailed analysis was done on the 4 percent ( n = 90) of the 2,262 obituaries accompanied by a photograph. Racial and gender differences existed regarding length and complexity of the obits. Whites were more likely than blacks to have longer and more complex obituaries. Blacks were more likely than whites to have a picture accompany their obituaries. Economic background of racial membership explains the differences found in length of the obituary. Evidence suggested a set of conditional relationships based on the interaction of race and gender. Within each racial community, those hypothesized to be of higher status were more likely to have a photograph accompany their obituary. Differences were found by race and gender on themes mentioned in the obituary. There were no significant differences within each racial group by gender on length of the obituary. Age was not related to length or number of themes in the obituaries.
Effects of Social Context on Psychological Responses to Survived Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Byrne D. G.
Published: May 2005

Persons respond in a diversity of ways to the crisis of acute myocardial infarction (MI). The social contexts of 120 survivors of MI was examined to determine whether this influenced such responses, working on the assumption that MI would represent a greater threat to the livelihoods of certain groups of persons than it would for other groups. The most prominent influence was observed for patients' occupation, where persons in so-called blue collar occupations exhibited significantly more anxiety in response to MI than did persons in white collar occupations. It was argued that this arose from the possibility that the nature of blue collar jobs was physical, and that loss of myocardial tissue might be expected to more markedly interfere with their work efficiency (on returning to work) than it would the efficiency of the more sedentary jobs of white collar workers.
Reinventing the Wheel?: Ethics for Technical Communicators
Authors: Rubens Philip M.
Published: May 2005

At present the ethical concerns for technical communicators are narrowly defined in terms of management issues. Ethical problems cannot be solved by such a simplistic view. Instead we need to explore the ethical nature of the professional fields technical and science writing supports, the ethical positions in closely related fields, and the work that has already been accomplished in the general area of communication ethics. Once we have established such a foundation, we can begin to explore the most basic influences inherent in language uses on ethical concerns.
The Stream of Consciousness: XIV. Two Contrasting Accounts of Pervasive Bodily Self-Awareness
Authors: Natsoulas Thomas
Published: May 2005

The present installment in this series of articles continues in consideration of the role that bodily self-awareness plays in the very structure of the basic durational components constituting William James's stream of consciousness. The focus here is dual, on both the prominent phenomenologist Aron Gurwitsch's account of this role and on James's account. Critically addressed is Gurwitsch's claim concerning the awareness of the behaviors involved in the process of perceiving. Such awareness is proposed to be typically marginal, in the sense of having a distinct and separate content within each component of the stream. Addressed too is James's account of pervasive bodily self-awareness as integrated within each state, or pulse, of consciousness although varying in attentiveness. Such awareness is always part of, at least, the fringe of every pulse of consciousness, which is not to be confused with Gurwitsch's margin. The present article explains how the awareness of bodily feelings is crucial to James's account of personal identity.
Reassurance Therapy: What to Say to Symptomatic Patients with Benign or Non-Existent Medical Disease
Authors: Kathol Roger G.
Published: May 2005

Reassurance is one of the most important therapies that primary care physicians give; however, little has been written about it in the literature. This article suggests six steps needed for effective reassurance in patients with benign disease or symptoms not explained by disease. These include: 1) question and examine the patient, 2) assure the patient that serious illness is not present, 3) suggest the symptom will resolve, 4) tell the patient to return to normal activity, 5) consider non-specific treatment, and 6) follow the patient. Only if these systematic steps are followed will reassurance consistently work. Since examination of the patient is a critical component of reassurance therapy, it can most effectively be administered by individuals who include a physical assessment as a part of the clinical evaluation.
Etiologic Factors in Ulcerative Colitis: Birth, Death and Symbolic Equivalents
Authors: Paull Andrew , Hislop Ian G.
Published: May 2005

The incidence of life crises occurring prior to the onset of symptoms was documented in fifty patients with ulcerative colitis and was found to be significantly higher in the patient group than in a matched group of normal control subjects. The gain or loss of psychic object to the individual patient has been emphasized as relevant in the etiology of this illness. Birth and death–actual, threatened, symbolic or fantasied-occurring within the previous twelve months preceded illness onset in 94 per cent of cases.
Intraclass Correlation among Measures Related to Alcohol Use by School Aged Adolescents: Estimates, Correlates and Applications in Intervention Studies
Authors: Murray David M. , Short Brian
Published: May 2005

School-based alcohol use prevention studies frequently employ designs in which schools are assigned to treatment conditions while observations are made on individuals. The nesting of schools within treatment conditions requires that the treatment effect be assessed against the between-school variance; unfortunately, that variance is usually larger than for randomly constituted groups and its precision is usually less than that for the within-school variance. These factors often combine to reduce power substantially. To address these problems, investigators need good estimates for the intraclass correlation which together with the number of observations per school determines the magnitude of the extra variation in the nested design. This article presents estimates of school-level intraclass correlation for measures related to alcohol use among ninth and twelfth grade students and discusses their use in planning new studies and analyzing previous or current studies.
Ambient Environmental Stimulation in Imagery and Cognition
Authors: May Mark
Published: May 2005

Over the recent past years, cognitive psychology has started to move into richer and more complex environmental settings. By looking at examples from research on spatial cognition, the present article illustrates some implications and potentials the provision of ambient environmental stimulation could have for our understanding of mental imagery.
Knowledge Intensive Programming: A New Educational Computing Environment
Authors: Seidman Robert H.
Published: May 2005

A recent knowledge intensive computational environment (logic programming) and computer programming language paradigm (Prolog) is explored as an alternative to traditional educational computing procedural programming environments and languages.
Self-Efficacy Beliefs as Predictors of Loneliness and Psychological Distress in Older Adults
Authors: Fry Prem S. , Debats Dominique L.
Published: May 2005

Sociodemographic variables, social support, and physical health have been used previously in a few predictor models of loneliness and psychological distress in late life. The present study, however, was designed to test the hypothesis that self-efficacy beliefs of elderly persons are significantly stronger predictors of loneliness and psychological distress than are demographics, social support, and physical health variables used in earlier predictor models. A sample of 141 women and 101 men, aged 65 to 86, reporting a wide range of health status from “poor” to “excellent” was drawn from the region of Southern Alberta. Standard self-report measures were used to assess perceived self-efficacy in eight different domains. Findings from a series of hierarchical regression analyses that were conducted separately for men, women, and the combined sample supported the hypothesis concerning the superiority of the self-efficacy variables as predictors of loneliness and psychological distress. Gender-specific variations revealed that women's stronger self-efficacy domains in the interpersonal, social, and emotional realms, and men's stronger self-efficacy beliefs in the instrumental, financial, and physical realms predicted less loneliness and psychological distress. Spiritual self-efficacy emerged as being the most potent predictor, accounting for the largest percentage of explained variance in loneliness and psychological distress in the women's and combined sample. Implications of the findings are discussed for geriatric practitioners and clinicians.
Attitudes Toward Suicide as a Function of the Victim's Physical Status
Authors: Sorjonen Kimmo
Published: May 2005

In the present article it is hypothesized that attitudes toward suicide might reflect the victim's chances to promote her/his inclusive fitness (the ASIF-hypothesis). In the empirical study, Swedish university students (n = 198) read one of three different suicide case descriptions and answered questions about the causes, rationality, and acceptability of the suicide. Suicide by a paralyzed person was judged as more rational and justified than a suicide committed after accidentally killing others, a result in line with the ASIF-hypothesis.
In Pursuit of “Growth with Equity”: The Limits of Chile's Free-Market Social Reforms
Authors: Vergara Pilar
Published: May 2005

The economic and social strategy developed by the democratic governments in Chile since 1990 has been based on the premise that free-market policies promoting growth and economic stability must continue, but should be combined with social policies designed to promote greater equality. This new set of policies produced quick and positive results in the context of strong economic growth. The reduction of poverty was its crowning achievement. However, not all the Concertación's redistributive efforts have enjoyed the same level of success. Inequalities in income distribution are again increasing. Significant segments of society, such as subsistence farmers, rural migrants to cities, women and youth who lack vocational training—as well as an important segment of the middle class that had been impoverished during the military regime—are being systematically marginalized from the benefits of economic growth and social policy. The fundamental problems of current Chilean social policy are rooted in the privatization of social sectors under the military government and the resulting dual model of social welfare.
Events around the Country that Affect Archaeology, Amateur Archaeology, and Collecting
Authors: Fogelman Gary L.
Published: May 2005

The message to everyone interested in archaeology is not that amateur archaeologists want the freedom to collect artifacts anywhere or that professionals want access to archaeological resources limited only to other professionals. The danger is that all forms of archaeological investigation by anyone, from the curious tourist, to the paid professional archaeologist doing an environmental impact statement can precipitate adverse legal action. Politically savvy special interest groups are able to force legal action to the detriment of the archaeological resources and the archaeologists. All too frequently the very laws that were designed by well-meaning archaeologists to protect cultural resources are being enforced inconsistently and in ways that no one could have imagined with no archaeological sensitivity whatsoever. Read, think, and be afraid.
Dealers and Collectors of Indian Baskets at the Turn of the Century in California: Their Effect on the Ethnographic Sample
Authors: Washburn Dorothy K.
Published: May 2005

The basket collecting activities of dealers and amateurs between the 1860's and the 1920's in California is described. Four phases are defined: initial purchase by dealers of old traditional baskets; production of baskets in the form of white containers by Indians; height of basket buying “craze”; Indian response to expanded market with new copies of old baskets. Interviews with weavers, comments of collectors, and practices of dealers all indicate that baskets made for sale have different design compositions than those made for Indian use. Definition of these non-Indian factors for design change will assist in appropriate use of museum specimens collected during this same period for a subsequent study of the changes in design structure.
Improving the Home Management of Childhood Diarrhoea in Bolivia
Authors: Hudelson Patricia , Aguilar Enrique , Charaly María Dolores , Marca Demetrio , Herrera Miguel
Published: May 2005

This article reports on a rapid assessment of beliefs and practices related to child diarrhoea, conducted in the city of El Alto, Bolivia, and discusses its utility for developing communication activities aimed at improving home care of children with diarrhoea.
Computerspeak: Message Content and Perceived Appropriateness in an Educational Setting
Authors: Vaverek Kelly A. , Saunders Carol
Published: May 2005

Based on previous claims that computer conferencing (CC) systems are cold and unemotional, we hypothesized that in an educational setting CC courses with higher levels of paradigm development would have lower socioemotional and higher task content in messages. Also, these courses would be considered by students as more appropriate for CC. Courses with higher levels of paradigm development include statistics, epidemiology, and accounting. The relationship between level of paradigm development and both appropriateness and socioemotional content are significant, but in the opposite direction. No significant difference in task content is found.
Second Thoughts on the Lethal Aftermath of a Loss
Authors: Levav Itzhak
Published: May 2005

This article discusses the results of a recently published study by Levav et al. on the mortality effects of parental bereavement. The negative findings of the reported research, in which the mortality risk of a large group of parents who lost a son in war or in accidents was compared with the mortality pattern of a control population, are somewhat surprising in view of evidence produced by studies on conjugal bereavement. The results cast doubt on the independent effects of grief on mortality in the aftermath of a highly valued loss. It is conceivable that the buffering effects of support provided by the spouse, obviously lost in conjugal bereavement but preserved following the death of a child, may help to explain the differential results. Additional highly focused research is needed.
Income, Age and Financial Satisfaction
Authors: Hsieh Chang-Ming
Published: May 2005

Although the effects of income and age on subjective well-being have been widely studied, research on the effects of income and age on financial satisfaction, a major life domain to which income has direct relevance, remains limited. Analyzing data from the General Social Surveys, this article empirically examined the effects of income and age on financial satisfaction. These findings suggest that the social-psychological mechanisms underlying the age differences in the effects of income on financial satisfaction might not reflect a clear-cut status attainment versus status maintenance framework. The findings also served to caution future financial satisfaction research in the choice of income measures and the age grouping.
Some Problems in the Teaching of Psychosomatic Medicine
Authors: Lipsitt Don R.
Published: May 2005

The part that social and emotional life plays in the response to stress and the course of illness has been recognized for ages. But the obstacles to the teaching of a “psychosomatic approach” to health and disease persist. This paper explores briefly the attitudinal, definitional, historical and structural factors which present as problems in attempts to teach a psychosomatic approach to medical diagnosis and practice. If there is a body of knowledge rightfully called psychosomatic medicine, and if it is important to appreciate, understand and utilize the psychosomatic approach in everyday clinical work with the whole patient, then new ways must be explored to accomplish this task. Suggestions are offered towards this objective.
Physical Activity Levels and Self-Reported Risk-Taking Behavior among Rural Australian and American 7th–9th Grade Adolescents
Authors: Savage Michael P. , Holcomb Derek R.
Published: May 2005

This study compares self-reported physical activities and selected health behaviors (i.e., participation in physical activity, alcohol and cigarette use, perceived level of energy, and satisfaction with body weight) of a sample of seventh and ninth grade adolescents from Australia and the United States. A modified version of the Personal Wellness Profile 400™ (PWP 400) was used to measure adolescents' participation in physical activity and health behaviors. Five of the seven items studied showed significant differences ( p < .05). Ninety-seven percent of Australian adolescents reported they engaged in physical activity long enough to work up a sweat four or more times per week, compared to 94 percent of U.S. adolescents. The Australian cohort, however, reported a significantly higher level of ever smoking (34.1% vs. 12.3%), and drinking alcohol during the past year than did U.S. adolescents (55.0% vs. 16.0%). Male adolescents demonstrated significant differences on five of the seven items measured. Australian males reported greater participation in physical activity, smoking and drinking, and reported they had higher levels of energy than did U.S. males. The female adolescents also demonstrated significant differences on five of the seven items measured, e.g., over 76 percent of Australian females reported engaging in strength exercises at least once a week compared to 59 percent of U.S. females, and only 23 percent of Australian females reported they were sedentary compared to 41 percent of U.S. females. Finally, the relationship between physical activity and involvement with risk-taking behaviors and health-related attitudes for both samples was examined. Increased activity was associated with less smoking, more satisfaction with body weight, and perceived higher energy level for U.S. adolescents. Drinking alcohol was not associated with activity level for U.S. adolescents. For Australian adolescents there was no association between physical activity and risk-taking behaviors and health-related attitudes. Future research should continue to examine cultural differences.
Tobacco Use Prevention in Private High Schools
Authors: Reinert Bonita , Carver Vivien , Range Lillian M.
Published: May 2005

This project evaluated educational and educational/social interventions to prevent tobacco use in three private, southern high schools. In the fall of 2001, 393 students completed the Youth Tobacco Survey (YTS); in the spring of 2002, 412 completed the YTS. At one school, teachers received training in tobacco prevention and curriculum-integrated materials (E-Only). At another school, teachers received the same training; in addition, the schools offered clubs after school that involved health promotion activities including programs, outside speakers, opportunities to teach younger youth, and advocacy training (E+Social). At a third school, students had classes as usual. Both fall and spring, students intended to avoid tobacco, and realized that peers disapprove. However, an interaction indicated that, though most students' attitudes deteriorated over the academic year, E+Social held steady. Results imply that prevention efforts that include education plus a social component can counteract the deterioration in tobacco attitudes that happens among private school 15-year-olds.
Declining Use of Firearms to Commit Suicide in Alabama in the 1980s
Authors: Liu Tiepu , Waterbor John W.
Published: May 2005

Differences and trends of methods in suicide were examined using data from 1980 through 1989 in Alabama, with special attention to compare firearm versus non-firearm suicide. It was found that 78.7 percent of suicides were victims of firearms. Whites had a higher risk of using firearms in suicide than nonwhites with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.2 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.0–1.5). The OR for males compared to females was 1.8 (95% CI: 1.5–2.1). Comparing to single marital status, married, widowed, and divorced people all had increased risks of using firearms. People living in rural areas were more likely to use firearms in suicide than those living in urban areas. There was an increasing trend of firearm use with age. However, the risk of using firearms to commit suicide has declined in recent years in contrast to previous reports. The recent change in trend of firearm suicide in Alabama should be examined in other states.
Antidotal Strategies in Phencyclidine Intoxication
Authors: Giannini A. James , Giannini Matthew C. , Price William A.
Published: May 2005

The authors present different antidotal strategies in treating phencyclidine (PCP) intoxication based upon specific symptomatic presentation. Evidence exists for dopaminergic, cholinergic and opiate-like activity of PCP in both laboratory and clinical studies. Reviewing these studies, clinical interventions are recommended according to various symptom clusters.
Reactions of Older Women to the Death of Their Close Friends
Authors: Roberto Karen A. , Stanis Pat Ianni
Published: May 2005

In this study we examined the reactions of thirty-eight older women to the death of their close friends. The sense of loss that the women felt when their close friends died resulted in the development of new and closer relationships with other friends and relatives. The women's primary advice to others who had lost a close friend was to remember their friend, seek out new friendships, and be active. Differences in the women's responses were observed according to their age, marital status, and health. Results pointed to the need for increased recognition, research, and support of individuals who experience the death of close friends in later life.
The Symbolism of Death in the Later Middle Ages
Authors: Helgeland John
Published: May 2005

Historians of medieval art and letters have failed satisfactorily to explain the gruesome images of death occurring at the end of that period. The explanation offered here is that the images are a form of symbolism based on body metaphors. By means of the decomposing bodies, the artists and poets symbolized the disintegration of medieval institutions and the transition to the early modern period in Europe. This view of symbolism depends on the work of Mary Douglas who has shown that the human body is the first, most natural symbol for describing social groups and institutions. A corollary of this argument is that the relationship between the vividness and fear of death and the collapse of institutions is reciprocal.
Health Promotion Behaviors among Jordanians
Authors: Haddad Linda G. , Al-Ma'Aitah Rowaida M. , Umlauf Mary Grace
Published: May 2005

The purpose of this study was to survey the health-promoting lifestyle behaviors of Jordanian adults ( n = 950) and to identify any differences based on gender, age, marital status, income, education level, and health status. Exercise was consistently reported as the most important deficiency in all comparisons. The findings strongly support public health concerns about the growing prevalence (35%) of cardiovascular mortality. There is clear evidence of the cardiogenic Westernized lifestyle pattern of too little exercise, compounded by poor nutrition, and stress. The results strongly support the development of social marketing programs to increase economical and culturally acceptable forms of exercise among children, youths, and women in light of the projected population growth and the limited resources available for secondary and tertiary care.
Standardized Book Guides: An Innovative Idea in Unlocking the Contents of a Book
Authors: Bergman Jerry
Published: May 2005

The following paper points out a common impediment to locating useful books. Current methods useful in helping prospective readers find out what a book is about are reviewed. An innovative method requiring all books printed to list certain relevant information to help the prospective purchaser or user assess the usefulness of the book for his purposes is presented. Information suggested includes the purpose for which the book was written, the author's background, a summary of the points the author attempts to develop, and the book's publishing history. This information could be listed in a standard order in a special section of the book which could be called the systematic description page.
Comparative Analysis of Technical Literature
Authors: Locke David M. , Stewart Alan K.
Published: May 2005

A technique is presented for the analysis of technical publications by comparison—with special regard to factors influenced by intended audience and professional category of author (i.e., scientist-engineer or writer). Writing style and use of graphics are important considerations; “readability” may be assessed. The technique is illustrated with an analysis of two articles on the same subject from different publications. Although the technique is intended chiefly as a teaching tool, some of the principles involved may be useful to others interested in judging the character of publications in a field, perhaps to help select the most suitable outlet for an article or to aid in designing a paper for a specific publication.
Variation in Patients' Compliance with Doctors' Orders: Medical Practice and Doctor-Patient Interaction
Authors: Davis Milton S.
Published: May 2005

Doctor-patient interactions were tape-recorded and coded according to a modified system of Interaction Process Analysis. These data, combined with a series of patient interviews and a self-administered questionnaire completed by physicians, were analyzed to determine the extent of patient compliance with doctors' orders and how variations in patient compliance are influenced by some selected patient characteristics and by the structure and process of the doctor-patient relationship.

None of the demographic characteristics of patients investigated here was associated with compliance. However, the ways in which doctors and patients initially fit their activity into the presumably institutionalized patterns of behavior appropriate for doctor-patient interaction and the way they deviate over time from the institutionalized role expectations was found to be related to variations in patient compliance.
Real Wages, the Economic Cycle, and Mortality in England and Wales, 1870–1914
Authors: Blane David
Published: May 2005

The mortality rates of the various age groups within the population of England and Wales fell dramatically between 1870 and 1914, and this period has been used to examine McKeown's thesis of an inverse relationship between a population's mortality rate and its standard of living. Using real wages as a measure of living standards, McKeown's thesis is found to hold for most age groups for most of the period. Several anomalies are identified, however, and it is argued that these can best be reconciled with the original thesis by taking account of the economic cycle.
Sids Counselors' Reports of Own and Parents' Reactions to Reviewing the Autopsy Report
Authors: Kotch Jonathan B. , Cohen Susan R.
Published: May 2005

A survey of newly trained local Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) counselors was undertaken by the North Carolina Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Project to evaluate the use of the autopsy report as a counseling tool. The counselors, most of whom were public health nurses, reported that sharing the autopsy report with bereaved parents was a valuable part of the counseling process. Most parents wanted to see copies of the report. Although not all counselors were comfortable going over the report, there was a significant increase in comfort among counselors whose training included sharing a home visit with an experienced counselor.
The Use of Breathing Rhythm to Enhance the Vividness of Mental Imagery
Authors: Dougherty John E. , Payne Paul A.
Published: May 2005

The study assessed Jencks' claim that responses to certain suggestions are enhanced by being paced with different phases of the breathing cycle. Following hypnotic induction, twenty-four subjects were given four treatments in counterbalanced order: 1) exhalation-enhanced suggestions paced to exhalation, 2) inhalation-enhanced suggestions paced to inhalation, 3) inhalation-enhanced suggestions counterpaced to exhalation, and 4) exhalation-enhanced suggestions counterpaced to inhalation. Subjects' reports of imagery vividness provided marginal support ( p < .06) for Jencks' hypothesis. Post-experimental inquiry indicated subjects were unaware of the breathing contingency. Results suggest that appropriate pacing may make a greater difference for the energy-confidence group of suggestions (inhalation-paced) than for the calm-relaxation group (exhalation-paced).