bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cigarette Smoking Attitudes of Lower Socioeconomic Sixth Grade Students
Authors: Redican Kerry J. , Olsen Larry K. , Stone Donald B. , Wilson Richard W.
Published: May 2005

Little research has been done assessing the cigarette smoking attitudes of lower socioeconomic students. In addition, there is a lack of information with respect to assessing the impact of health education programs on lower socioeconomic groups. The study was conducted in three lower socioeconomic elementary schools in a midwestern and eastern metropolitan area. All students involved in the study completed the attitude inventory. Both a pre-posttest design, and a Solomon Three Group Design were used to assess the cigarette smoking attitudes of lower socioeconomic sixth grade students after exposure to a special health program. The findings revealed that students exposed to the special health program developed more positive attitudes toward not smoking than students receiving their regular health instruction.
Learning Not to Drink: Adolescents and Abstinence
Authors: Stumphauzer Jerome S.
Published: May 2005

Adolescents surveyed 100 nondrinking peers directly in their communities utilizing a 13-item, structured, behavior analysis questionnaire designed to assess the influence of models, self-control, and reinforcement on learning not to drink. Results suggest that parents and other adults who did not drink had a strong influence on these youth. Several effective modes of self-control were discovered and these 100 teenagers revealed assertiveness skills in saying “no” to peer pressures to drink. In addition, self-reinforcement (being proud) seemed to play a role. Results are compared to those in two previous studies of adolescents who were drinkers. The possible utilization of nondrinking, non-drug taking adolescents as “teachers” in drug education and prevention programs is discussed.
Self-Perceptions of Aging across Cultures: Myth or Reality?
Authors: Tien-Hyatt Juliet L.
Published: May 2005

This study attempted to correct the methodological shortcomings of previous studies by using semi-structured interviews to explore the differences and similarities of self-perceptions of aging and associated factors among Anglo Americans, Chinese Americans, and Chinese in Taiwan. Each of the three subgroups consisted of twenty middle- or lower-class female community residents who were sixty to seventy-five years of age. The results of both quantitative and qualitative analyses reveal that all three subgroups had positive self-perceptions of aging, with Anglo Americans being most positive; Chinese Americans, the next; Chinese in Taiwan, the least. Correlates of self-perceptions of aging for each subgroup are presented. Implications for practice, policy, program development, and service delivery are also discussed.
The Continuity of Gerontological Themes
Authors: Hickey Tom
Published: May 2005

Based on the premise that scientists should periodically examine the history of their ideas and methodologies, this article focuses on the issue of continuity in the evolution of scientific knowledge about aging. Taking a twenty-five-year perspective, selected research questions and priorities in the biomedical, behavioral, and social domains of aging are used to exemplify the continuity of the gerontological knowledge base. This article concludes that there is considerable evidence of continuity, despite the strong influences of changing cohorts of people and external forces that have shaped new ideas and research questions in gerontology.
Secondary School Teachers' Knowledge and Views about Drug Abuse in Ogun State, Nigeria—A Pilot Survey
Authors: Adelekan Moruf L. , Ogunlesi Gboyega O. , Akindele Olabode M.
Published: May 2005

The views and knowledge level of 135 randomly selected secondary school teachers in the Abeokuta Local Government Area of Ogun State in Nigeria on drug abuse were sought through a self-report anonymous questionnaire. The respondents were mostly male (59.3%) under the age of thirty years (89.6%). The majority (59.3%) were never exposed to drug education as students while less than 20 percent have been exposed since qualifying as teachers. Although the majority had a good concept of the definition of drug abuse, their views on the potential drugs of abuse and the concept of “drug dependence” were inadequate. Eighty-five and nine-tenths percent chose “guidance counselling” as the approach to the management of student drug abusers despite the dearth of this professional cadre in the schools. The authors gave suggestions on the pattern and content of teacher-targeted formal drug education program in light of the findings.
Older Women's Constructs of Their Lives: A Quantitative and Qualitative Exploration
Authors: Whitbourne Susan Krauss , Powers Charles B.
Published: May 2005

In the present article, the lifespan construct model was applied to the lives of older women by administering the life drawing to a sample of seventy-eight community-dwelling elderly women. Respondents also completed the Brad-burn Affect Balance Scale and the Nowicki-Strickland locus of control measure. Correlations were examined among measures derived from the life drawing (time perspective, affect, and content), affect, and locus of control. Quantitative findings indicated that the more positively adjusted older women were those who maintained an external locus of control, were future-oriented, and whose lifespan constructs were defined in terms of family. The qualitative data provided further support, as the women who described their lives in positive terms were those who seemed to define themselves in terms of their families. The findings were interpreted in terms of Erikson's theory and feminist approaches to understanding women's lives.
The Grief Experienced by Spousal Caregivers of Dementia Patients: The Role of Place of Care of Patient and Gender of Caregiver
Authors: Rudd Marilyn G. , Viney Linda L. , Preston Carol A.
Published: May 2005

A comparison of the grief responses of spousal caregivers who cared for their demented partners at home with those who provided ongoing nursing home care, together with an examination of gender differences, is reported here. Four psychological states of grief were examined: anxiety, sadness, anger, and guilt. Sixty spousal caregivers participated in the study: thirty husbands and thirty wives, with equal numbers of home and nursing home caregivers. Content analysis scales were scored to assess the four psychological states. A self-rating, adjective mood scale was also used as a secondary measure of those states. A personal construct model of spousal caregivers' bereavement for their demented partners was developed and provided the two hypotheses about differences in grieving. As predicted, nursing home caregivers expressed significantly higher levels of sadness and guilt than home caregivers. Against prediction, home caregivers expressed significantly more anger than nursing home caregivers. Home caregiving wives were found to be the most angry cohort. Also, as predicted, caregiving wives expressed significantly higher levels of anxiety, sadness, and anger than caregiving husbands. The results of the content analysis scales were confirmed by the secondary measure, but the former measure proved more powerful for detecting statistically significant differences. The inclusion of severity of the patients' dementia, and the spiritually and age of the spousal caregivers as covariates in the statistical analyses showed place of care and gender of caregiver to remain the most powerful predictors of the four psychological states of grief.
Correlates of Retention for African-American Males in Community Colleges
Authors: Hagedorn Linda Serra , Maxwell William , Hampton Preston
Published: May 2005

The retention rates of African-American men in community colleges are among the lowest of all ethnic groups nationally. This study analyzes organizational data for three cohorts of men in a longitudinal design for three semesters ( N = 202), and uses logistic regression to identify the factors that best predict retention. The importance of high school grades, age, number of courses, a positive view of personal skills, clear high goals, and the early identification of a college major appear to be salient for this group and offer implications for practice.
Health Care Administration in the United States and Canada: Micromanagement, Macro Costs
Authors: Woolhandler Steffie , Campbell Terry , Himmelstein David U.
Published: May 2005

A decade ago, U.S. health administration costs greatly exceeded Canada's. Have the computerization of billing and the adoption of a more business-like approach to care cut administrative costs? For the United States and Canada, the authors calculated the 1999 administrative costs of health insurers, employers' health benefit programs, hospitals, practitioners' offices, nursing homes, and home care agencies; they analyzed published data, surveys of physicians, employment data, and detailed cost reports filed by hospitals, nursing homes, and home care agencies; they used census surveys to explore time trends in administrative employment in health care settings. Health administration costs totaled at least $294.3 billion, $1,059 per capita, in the United States vs. $9.4 billion, $307 per capita, in Canada. After exclusions, health administration accounted for 31.0 percent of U.S. health expenditures vs. 16.7 percent of Canadian. Canada's national health insurance program had an overhead of 1.3 percent, but overhead among Canada's private insurers was higher than in the U.S.: 13.2 vs. 11.7 percent. Providers' administrative costs were far lower in Canada. Between 1969 and 1999 administrative workers' share of the U.S. health labor force grew from 18.2 to 27.3 percent; in Canada it grew from 16.0 percent in 1971 to 19.1 percent in 1996. Reducing U.S. administrative costs to Canadian levels would save at least $209 billion annually, enough to fund universal coverage.
The Ethnic Elderly in Metro Toronto Hospitals, Nursing Homes, and Homes for the Aged: Communication and Health Care
Authors: Saldov Morris , Chow Peter
Published: May 2005

The ethnic elderly in Canada have remained a somewhat isolated group of seniors who become known when they enter our health care system as “aliens in their own country.” They face the double jeopardy of not only declining sensibilities and increasing disabilities that frequently accompany old age but also the psycho-social deprivation of being unable to communicate with caregivers in their institutional health care settings. Communication may be critical to effective, efficient, and equitable health care service delivery for ethnic elderly individuals. This study attempts to develop a database on the ethnic elderly persons, examine the extent of communication problems they face in hospitals, nursing homes, and homes for the aged in Metro Toronto, and report on the institutional responses to the situation. Nursing unit supervisors who completed the questionnaires ( N = 77) reported that communication was essential to the health care needs of the ethnic elderly individuals. A majority of health care institutions had developed some form of interpreter services albeit frequently informal, unprofessional, and ad hoc. Without interpreter services problems developed that in some cases were seen as critical to the health care of ethnic elderly individuals. Even with interpreter services available, problems developed, suggesting that the services provided were not effective in some cases. It is suggested that further study be conducted to examine the relative effectiveness of formal, professional, and informal interpreter services. Few institutions had workshops or training to help staff understand ethnic variations on the perceptions of illness and health.
The Perceived Effectiveness of Selected Programs and Sources with Respect to Preventing the Use of Dangerous Drugs
Authors: Martin Gary L. , O'Rourke Thomas W.
Published: May 2005

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the perceived effectiveness of selected types of programs and resource people which may be utilized in drug abuse education endeavors. A total of 195 university students were included in this study with an approximately equal representation of male and female students. One group received a drug education course and the other served as a control. Each student was asked to rate the perceived effectiveness of selected types of programs and sources with respect to “preventing or stopping the use of dangerous drugs.” Similar findings were evidenced for both groups. Results indicated that certain drug abuse program and individuals were perceived as being more effective than others.
Participation in a Dual Economy and Adjustment to Retirement
Authors: Calasanti Toni M.
Published: May 2005

Past studies of adjustment to retirement have generally accepted social structure as a given, and have instead focused upon individual level variables. Based upon criticisms of the white-collar/blue-collar depiction of the work world, an alternative model of the economic system is introduced in an attempt to interject variability in the area of social structure. Utilizing a national sample of men derived from the National Opinion Research Center (1972–1977 inclusive), this dual economic model is employed to assess the effects of sectoral placement of workers on subsequent retirement satisfaction. Findings from multiple regression analysis suggest that such placement renders two qualitatively different groups of retirees, one which is primarily concerned with health, and one for which financial adequacy is more important for retirement adjustment. Overall, it was concluded that structural components must be included in research on the retirement process. In addition, the variability among the different scales used to indicate adjustment to retirement suggests that these may have to be altered to adequately reflect the process of adjustment for each of the groups of retirees. These changes must be based on the structural aspects of the economic order which mandate very different work experiences.
The Ticking of the Social Clock: Adults' Beliefs about the Timing of Transition Events
Authors: Peterson Candida C.
Published: May 2005

In two studies, beliefs about descriptive and prescriptive age norms for adult developmental transitions were examined in a sample of 214 Australian university students aged seventeen to fifty years. The results of Study 1 revealed a belief by the vast majority that descriptive age norms still exist for both family transitions (marriage, parenthood, grandparenthood) and career transitions (leaving school, retirement). While these results were in keeping with those of Neugarten et al.'s [1] original study of age norms in the United States, the actual “best” normative ages recommended by this sample of contemporary Australian adults differed in every case from the U.S. age norms [1] of three decades ago. Matching contemporary demographic trends, the present Australian young-adult sample advocated later ages for marriage and grandparenthood, a younger norm for leaving school, and a broader normative age range for retiring from work. Study 2 tested Neugarten's hypothesis that age norms today lack some of the prescriptive overtones implicit in original “social clock” concept [2]. The results supported this suggestion. In fact, only a minority of contemporary Australian adults believed that there were prescriptive upper age boundaries for first marriage or university study. Furthermore, their prescriptive lower age limits for every transition except retirement fell at or below the onset of adulthood itself (18 years), in keeping with biological constraints on procreation and maturational constraints on social and cognitive development. The mean ranges of acceptability prescribed by this Australian sample for each key adult transition were likewise very wide, stretching from an average of twenty-four years (for motherhood) to forty-nine years (for a man's first marriage). This result also contrasts sharply with the ranges of no more than five years prescribed for the same transitions by the vast majority of Neugarten et al.'s sample three decade ago [1]. The probable consequences for self-esteem, mental health and life planning of this heightened variability and reduced prescriptiveness in the timing of life events for contemporary men and women were discussed.
Predisposition to Drug Use in Rural Adolescents: Preliminary Relationships and Methodological Considerations
Authors: Blau Gary M. , Gillespie Janet F. , Felner Robert D. , Evans Elizabeth G.
Published: May 2005

This study was designed to determine whether there was a relationship between self-esteem, depression, and anxiety, and drug abuse. Specifically, it was found that self-esteem, depression, and anxiety were significantly correlated with variables associated with potential drug use (attitudes toward drugs and willingness to use drugs). In contrast to previous work, which used a post hoc methodology, this research focused on a sample that reported no prior experience with drugs and alcohol. Possible implications of these findings and guidelines for future research are discussed.
Nassau Community College and the Drug Problem
Authors: Veselak Kenneth , Adamo Thomas , Morgenstein Melvin , Strongin Harriet
Published: May 2005

This paper deals with the drug related programs being sponsored by the Departments of Health and Physical Education, Student Personnel Services, and Business at Nassau Community College. Information is presented on the required health course, recently developed drug videotapes, the writing of a booklet on “Drugs and the College Student,” in-service courses for teachers on drugs, parent classes, the Student Task Force, and the special vocational business training programs for addicts undergoing rehabilitation at Topic House, a residential-type rehabilitation center.
Significant Others and Fear of Crime among the Elderly
Authors: Kennedy Leslie W. , Silverman Robert A.
Published: May 2005

The authors examine demographic, environmental, behavioral, and social psychological factors that affect fear of crime among the elderly. Using a structural equation model, relevant variables are examined. Confirming earlier studies, elderly women are found to be more fearful than other groups. Further, social isolation, type of housing, length of residence, and area of the city are all related to fear of crime in a predicted direction. The fearful individual expressed low satisfaction with the job being done by the police in providing protection from crime. Social interaction with neighbors and friends reduces the fear of crime among the elderly. Surprisingly, the more they socialize with their relatives, the more fear they express.
Implications of a Mental Health Intervention for Elderly Mentally Ill Residents of Residential Care Facilities
Authors: Gottesman Leonard E. , Peskin Ellen , Kennedy Kathleen , Mossey Jana
Published: May 2005

Unresolved issues of responsibility between mental health and aging systems, low priority within the mental health system for serving older RCF residents, and little expectation for the facility to be a treatment environment, all contribute to gaps in service delivery to mentally ill boarding home residents. This article reports the results of a two-year mental health intervention in RCFs. Findings show little intervention impact, but revealed that residents treated were generally socially marginal with weak ego skills, rather than significantly mentally ill. A more intensive program that restructures the facility's milieu to offer planned normal life demands and that models structured programs like milieu treatment, in situ treatment for the younger mentally ill, and programs for developmentally disabled persons is suggested.
Homeleaving Age Norms: Conflict or Consensus?
Authors: Veevers Jean E. , Gee Ellen M. , Wister Andrew V.
Published: May 2005

While research attention has been directed to the normative timing aspects of some family transitions, little work on homeleaving has been undertaken. Drawing upon in-depth interviews with one child and one parent in 218 families in which the adult child has/had returned home (boomerang families) and 202 families in which the adult child has remained independently “launched,” this article examines a number of aspects of norms regarding the appropriate timing of homeleaving. The following issues are examined: the degree of overall consensus regarding homeleaving age norms; variations by generation and by family type; factors viewed as conditioning the normative age at homeleaving; and perceptions regarding social approval/disapproval of young adults living at home. Results are discussed in terms of theoretical issues in the life course perspective regarding age norms.
Painkilling Drugs in Collegiate Athletics: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Use of Student Athletes
Authors: Tricker Ray
Published: May 2005

This study was designed to examine the attitudes of student athletes toward the use of painkilling drugs. A total of 563 student athletes at two Division One NCAA universities were surveyed in this study. Twenty-nine percent of the student athletes ( n = 165) reported that they felt there is nothing wrong with using painkilling drugs on the day of competition (when injured) to cope with pain. These student athletes reported that they would use painkilling drugs to mask injury in order to continue to participate in their sport. Student athletes' perceptions of societal norms and expectations related to competition, and the degree of control student athletes perceive that they have when deciding to use painkillers, may be important determinants governing the extent to which they may be at risk for abusing these substances. Research on planned behavior and reasoned action against suggests that salient beliefs affect intentions and subsequent behaviors, either through attitudes or subjective norms, or the degree of (perceived) control that an individual feels he/she has over the behavior [1, 2]. This theoretical model was used as a guiding framework for analyzing the attitudes of college athletes toward painkilling drugs. Recommendations are included in this article for coaches, educators, team physicians, team trainers, and administrators who are concerned about controlling the use and abuse of painkilling drugs by student athletes.
Drug Seminar for School Officials—October 24, 1973
Authors: Joseph Burton S.
Published: May 2005

The writer attempts to explain the ramifications of some of the more significant new laws on drug abuse and child abuse enacted by the New York State Legislature and relate them to the problems of school personnel.
Direct and Indirect Memory Measures of Temporal Order: Younger versus Older Adults
Authors: Vakil Eli , Weise Moshe , Enbar Shmuel
Published: May 2005

The memory changes associated with age are attributed to the deterioration of the frontal lobes, as well as to the middle temporal structures. Therefore, in addition to a decline in memory for facts and events, as found impaired in amnesics, a memory decline associated with age is predicted for tasks typically found impaired in frontal lobe patients (i.e., temporal order judgment). There are conflicting findings concerning whether indirect measures of memory for facts and events are associated with age. However, there are no studies that address this issue with regard to temporal order judgment. Thirty younger and thirty older adults were tested on a list of words which was repeated five times in fixed or varying order. The number of words recalled, as well as their temporal judgments, were the direct measure of memory. The effect of consistency of order of presentation on the number of words recalled was the indirect measure of memory for temporal order. Results suggest that direct, but not the indirect measures of memory were related to age.
Facets of Wisdom: A Theoretical Synthesis
Authors: Taranto Maria A.
Published: May 2005

Review of the past decade of literature reveals numerous attempts to construct a workable definition of wisdom. Some researchers bypass definition and opt for factor analytical studies of common opinions about attributes of the ‘wise person’. Such factors as age, experience, intelligence, knowledge, intuition, common sense, and personality variables consistently emerge from the data, but no one has attempted to link these factors to construct a unified definition of wisdom. This article compares and synthesizes the various studies and concludes that they can be unified theoretically if we view wisdom as the recognition of and response to human limitation.
Just World Beliefs and Attitudes toward Helping Elderly People: A Comparison of British and Canadian University Students
Authors: MacLean Michael J. , Chown Sheila M.
Published: May 2005

Social science students from a British university and a Canadian university were studied to determine the relationship between their beliefs in a just world and their attitudes toward helping elderly people who have social, economic or health needs. Approximately 30 percent of the British students ( N = 71) and 50 percent of the Canadian students ( N = 124) expressed a belief in a just world. In both groups, just world believers blamed elderly people for being in poor health or financial circumstances, and the Canadian just world believers also tended to dismiss the needs of elderly people for the convenience of society. These and other differences in the attitudes of the British and Canadian students toward elderly people are discussed from a social and historical context. Implications of a belief in a just world by social science students are discussed in relation to the provision of social services to elderly people.
Patterns of Self-Disclosure across Social Support Networks: Elderly, Middle-Aged, and Young Adults
Authors: Parker Rhonda G. , Parrott Roxanne
Published: May 2005

Self-disclosure has generally been examined as a unidimensional construct which relates to intimacy in developing relationships. Self-disclosure also serves many functions in established relationships, such as with close friends and family. Moreover, the functions served by self-disclosure may vary depending upon the adults' gender and stage in the life-span. In this study, such issues are examined with regard to elderly, middle-aged, and young adults' use of four functions of self-disclosure: self-expression, self-clarification, social control, and social validation. Findings support the claim that greater intergenerational distance is related to less self-disclosure among members of a social network. Further, elderly adults self-disclose more often to family than to friends, while young adults self-disclose to friends more often than to family. Implications for self-disclosure within the areas of gender, social support, and social comparison are discussed, and the appropriateness of adults' disclosure patterns within a framework of life stages is considered.
Regional Trends and Sex Differences of Drug Use and Attitudes of High School Students in Northeast OHIO 1977–1983
Authors: Pascale Pietro J. , Trucksis Fred E. , Sylvester Joseph
Published: May 2005

This study presents trend analyses of data collected from three large scale surveys using the same instrument during the years 1977, 1980, and 1983. The sampled cohort groups consisted of eleventh grade students from various high schools in Northeast Ohio. Frequency of usage, reason for taking drugs, and perceived harmfulness of thirteen categories of drugs are presented and compared with national trend data. Trend data are also presented for age of first experimentation with drugs and for several questions about drug use in the elementary grades. Sex differences in trends for all questionnaire items are analyzed.
A Life Review Interview Guide: A Structured Systems Approach to Information Gathering
Authors: Beechem Michael H. , Anthony Cybil , Kurtz James
Published: May 2005

This clinical project introduces a guide to provide the interviewer with a methodological systems approach for information gathering in the life review process. The guide is structured in such a way as to elicit positive life events for the purpose of enhancing a sense of well-being as well as to elicit negative life events to encourage the client to address unresolved loss-grief issues. In effect, the Life Review Interview Guide serves to promote high self-esteem and to assist the interviewee through the grieving process. In addition, the Guide assisted the student-interviewer in formulating and selecting a wide range of questions.
Anabolic Steroid Use: Indications of Habituation among Adolescents
Authors: Yesalis Charles E. , Streit Andrea L. , Vicary Judith R. , Friedl Karl E. , Brannon Diane , Buckley William
Published: May 2005

The use of anabolic steroids (AS) by adolescent males is argued to be more widespread than currently acknowledged. Although the long-term physiological and psychological ramifications of use are not well established, current research and anecdotal information suggest that there is reason for concern. In addition, very little is known about the attitudes and behaviors of these adolescent AS users. While the debate concerning the physiological versus the psychological dependence liability of various drugs continues to evolve, there seems to be a consensus that drug dependence is not a per se phenomenon and that the characteristics of dependence differ in accordance with the drug being used. The following article attempts to identify characteristics of the adolescent male AS user and suggests that AS use does have a dependence potential. The AS user population was found to be significantly different from nonusers in several areas such as self-perceptions of health and strength, interest in controlling AS use, and perceptions of peer AS use. The AS user group was also found to contain several subgroups (heavy users [≥ 5 cycles] versus other users, and those who initiated use prior to age sixteen who reported significantly different attitudes and/or behaviors. These differences suggest that prevention efforts will have to focus on different motivations for AS use.
Auditory Functional Age
Authors: Bell Benjamin
Published: May 2005

In the audiologic research of the Boston VA Normative Aging Study, an auditory age measure has been developed to represent the extent to which an individual is older or younger than his age peers in terms of his hearing ability. Sixteen auditory measures were placed in a stepwise regression procedure: air and bone conduction hearing at various frequencies, speech reception thresholds, speech discrimination scores, and two and three frequency averages. With chronological age as criterion, the resulting equation yielded an auditory age calculated from two variables: air conduction at 8,000 cps and speech reception threshold. Because of redundancy among the larger number of measures, these two effectively index the larger number. The two include high and low frequency measures so are sensitive to high frequency loss at older age.
Assertiveness and Patterns of Drug Use: A Pilot Study
Authors: Horan John J. , D'Amico Mary M. , Williams John M.
Published: May 2005

The phenomenon of peer-pressure and drug use suggests that assertive-training holds promise as a drug abuse prevention study. This ex post facto study investigated the relationship between assertiveness and patterns of drug use. It was found that exploratory use of marijuana and hashish was the norm among this sample of college students. Furthermore, current users and those who had never used such drugs were considerably less assertive than those who had experienced with these drugs but no longer did so.
Performance of Institutionalized and Community-Active Old Persons on Concrete and Formal Piagetian Tasks
Authors: Chap Janet Blum , Sinnott Jan Dynda
Published: May 2005

This study investigates the effects of age, level of education, and institutionalization on the development of logical thinking. Seven Piagetian tasks, encompassing three levels of difficulty, were administered to thirty-four persons sixty-eight years of age or older. A significant positive relationship was found between success on tasks and educational level. With education controlled, Community-active elders performed significantly better than Institutionalized elders. Within the limitations of a cross-sectional design, results supported the hypothesis that cognitive abilities in old age retain an orderly structure.
Drug Use in an Alternative High School
Authors: Beauvais Fred , Oetting E. R.
Published: May 2005

The drug involvement of students in an alternative high school is reported. Students include those transferred for behavior problems or dropouts returning to complete school. Drug use rates are exceptionally high, with significantly higher lifetime prevalence for nearly every drug. Current use of drugs is also very high, and 70 percent are in the two most serious adolescent drug use types; about a third are polydrug users, currently using at least two drugs with different psychoactive effects, and another third are stimulant users, taking marijuana, uppers, and/or cocaine. Only alcohol and marijuana were started earlier than other students–these students started both in early junior high. These extreme levels of involvement suggest further assessment of alternative schools and, if generalizability is confirmed, focusing of prevention and treatment programs on these high risk environments.
Cognitive Algebra of Love Through the Adult Life
Authors: Falconi Anne , Mullet Etienne
Published: May 2005

The study was aimed at characterizing the exact algebraic structure of the love schema in order to trace possible changes in the conceptualization of love throughout the adult life cycle, notably as regards the weight attributed to the three components of love: passion, intimacy, and commitment. The methodological framework was the Functional Theory of Cognition. Irrespective of the gender and age of the participants (from 18 to 93), the structure of the love schema was shown to obey an equal-weight-averaging rule; the love schema was conceived as a strictly compensatory schema. Irrespective of age and gender, passion was the most important factor ( w = .51), followed by intimacy (.29) and commitment (.20). The relationship between overall love value and degree of passion (or intimacy or commitment) was not conceived as a linear one, but as an exponential one. The weight of passion was shown to decline over age, and the weight of commitment was shown to increase over age. This change was, however, very limited and observed in elderly participants only.
Regional Differences in Trends in Life Expectancy and the Influence of the Political and Socioeconomic Contexts in Germany
Authors: Helmert Uwe , Streich Waldemar , Borgers Dieter
Published: May 2005

The aim of the study is to investigate to what extent trends in life expectancy are influenced by political variables and socioeconomic characteristics that play a role at the regional level of the federal states in Germany. Data on life expectancy in males and females at birth are analyzed from 1986 to 1998 for 12 federal states in Eastern and Western Germany. These states are classified into five types of political government since 1980: (1) long-term Christian democratic, (2) long-term social democratic, (3) change from Christian to social democratic, (4) change from communist to social democratic, and (5) change from communist to Christian democratic. The study showed three main results. First, life expectancy has been directly influenced by the major political forces that determined policies in East and West Germany. Second, life expectancy was higher in federal states with predominantly Christian democratic governments than in those with predominantly social democratic governments. Third, life expectancy was strongly related to the economic power of the federal states. Because federal states characterized by a more prosperous economic situation were those with a predominantly Christian democratic government, while federal states with a less prosperous situation were mostly governed by social democrats, it is difficult to disentangle the effects of economic and political factors on life expectancy. Nevertheless, this study underlines the importance of politics and policies on such robust and more general health indicators as mean life expectancy at birth.
Antagonist Inmate Work-Release Program Behavioral Research Design
Authors: Capone Thomas
Published: May 2005

This paper discusses the procedure to be employed in evaluating behavioral change associated with success of the program. Various aspects of psychotherapeutic and psychodiagnostic services offered by the program are also discussed.
Evaluation Study of the Exploratory Visit: An Innovative Outreach Activity of the Ilgwu's Friendly Visiting Program
Authors: Wright Holly , Bennett Ruth , Simon Robert , Weinberg Gladys
Published: May 2005

The exploratory visit to recent retirees, an outreach component of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union Friendly Visiting Program, was evaluated during a ten month period beginning in September 1973. An operations analysis found that need identifying activities of Friendly Visitors varied by type of service need. A post-test only control group effect study revealed exploratory visits were effective in establishing a link between the program and the retiree although they had no significant impact on the retirees' service needs.
Granddaughters' Accounts of the Influence of Parental Mediation on Relational Closeness with Maternal Grandmothers
Authors: Holladay Sherry , Denton Desiree' , Harding David , Lee Margaret , Lackovich Rita , Coleman Mindy
Published: May 2005

This study explores granddaughters' reports of the nature and impact of parental mediation on the development of their feelings of closeness toward their maternal grandmothers. Results from close-ended questions assessing granddaughters' perceptions of parental mediation and relational closeness indicated that closeness was predicted by mediation involving: visits alone with grandmothers, the absence of criticism of grandmothers, communication indicating the grandmothers were important persons, and less influence on conversations or activities. Qualitative analysis of granddaughters' accounts of the influence of parents illustrated what they perceived to be important issues in mediation. Additionally, accounts revealed the role of other family members in the relationship mediation process.
Drug Dependence in the Elderly
Authors: Pascarelli Emil F. , Fischer William
Published: May 2005

It is generally felt that long term addicts die before they reach old age, while survivors have generally given up the use of drugs. Evidence suggests that this is not the case. Examination of the life styles of elderly street addicts and methadone treatment patients reveals a change in pattern of drug use motivated primarily by economic factors. The older addict tends to maintain low profile and avoids harassment, arrest and public attention. The number of older persons in methadone treatment is increasing rapidly. New approaches in treatment and public policy are needed to deal with these problems. Additionally a considerable number of elderly persons misuse other drugs particularly barbiturates, alcohol and other depressants. These are usually obtained from legal sources.
“… Change and Sameness …” Reconsidered
Authors: Haan Norma
Published: May 2005

This paper acknowledges and responds to Jack Block's statistical critique of the author's previously reported study of change and sameness in personality development. The critique was apt, and calls attention to the difficulty of working appropriately with numerous, multiply-assessed variables. A re-analysis of the data is presented here. The general pattern of findings remains consistent with the original interpretations, but the re-analysis produced some differences as well.
The Superior Sleep of Healthy Elderly Nuns
Authors: Hoch Carolyn C. , Reynolds Charles F. , Kupfer David J. , Houck Patricia R. , Berman Susan R. , Stack Jacqueline A.
Published: May 2005

The nocturnal sleep structure of ten healthy elderly nuns was compared to that of ten healthy age-matched female controls. The nuns fell asleep more quickly and had less early morning awakening, as well as greater REM sleep time. These differences may reflect the more highly entrained life style of the nuns, including modest habitual sleep restriction (and thus accumulated sleep debt) of about one hour each night. The current findings, reviewed in relation to the sleep and aging literature, tend to support the concept that some of the effects of aging on sleep can be offset by attention to good “sleep hygiene,” including careful entrainment of sleep schedule and modest habitual sleep restriction. However, age-related decrements in slow-wave sleep and sleep maintenance were not significantly better in the nuns.
Cognitive Consequences of Participation in a “Fifth Dimension” after-School Computer Club
Authors: Mayer Richard E. , Quilici Jill , Moreno Roxana , Duran Richard , Woodbridge Scott , Simon Rebecca , Sanchez David , Lavezzo Amy
Published: May 2005

The Fifth Dimension is an after-school computer club aimed at improving the literacy of English- and Spanish-speaking elementary school children. Children who attended the club at least ten times during the 1994–95 school year (treatment group) showed larger pretest-to-posttest gains on tests of word problem comprehension than did non-participating children matched for grade, gender, school teacher, and language proficiency (comparison group). The same effect was noted for both Spanish and English versions of the test, and under a variety of matching techniques. The superiority of the treatment group was still present when the children were retested after the summer in the fall of the next year. These results provide support for the hypothesis that experience in using computer software in the Fifth Dimension computer club produces measurable, resilient, and sustained cognitive changes related to children's literacy.
Projective Measurement of Adult Peer Relations as a Function of Chronological Age
Authors: Richardson Virginia
Published: May 2005

The relationships between chronological age, year of measurement, cohort membership, education, and perception of horizontal peerships versus vertical different status associations are explored through a sample of 1,428 respondents randomly selected from two larger representative national samples of American men and women utilized in a 1957 study and in a replication of that study in 1976. Data are based upon a thematic apperception procedure in which stories projected by respondents are coded for perceptions of peerships and of status differences. Significant age changes in interpersonal preference are observed for both sexes; there is no evidence of cohort changes or interactive effects with year. Contributions are made to research involving adult peer relations as well as to theories concerned with role discontinuity and ego changes in adulthood.
The Psychedelic Experience: High Adolescence
Authors: Chunko John A.
Published: May 2005

Hallucinogenic agents have the ability to amalgamate or terminate certain neural activities. The psychedelic experience has been described as consisting of visions of new dimensions … to fantasies of eternal loneliness. LSD is a modern sacrament of the so-called drug culture which psychologically represents the snow-fort of a capricious army facing hell-fire. What can be done about the use of LSD? Plainly, understanding it offers a beginning.
The Great Symphony Orchestra — A Relatively Good Place to Grow Old
Authors: Smith David W. E.
Published: May 2005

The retired musicians of one of America's great symphony orchestras were interviewed. Their careers, which began in the 1930s and 1940s, were long, with retirement sometimes occurring when they were well over seventy years old. Older players were valued for their excellence and experience and were difficult to replace. Obsolescence was not a problem, and the gradual deterioration of playing with age was generally not incompatible with working to an advanced age. Players of string instruments had longer careers than players of woodwind and brass instruments. The players liked their careers and usually cited artistic reasons and the current reputation of the orchestra for their satisfaction. Although the musicians continue to love music and listen to it after retirement, few continue to play seriously.
Parental, Personality, and Peer Correlates of Psychoactive Mushroom Use
Authors: Anglin M. Douglas , Thompson John P. , Fisher Dennis G.
Published: May 2005

Fifty-three college undergraduates reporting use of a hallucinogenic mushroom ( Psilocybe) were matched on demographic variables to fifty-three nonusers. The subjects were given a detailed questionnaire and were administered four psychological tests. Hallucinogenic mushroom use by men was most associated with peers' mushroom use, whereas mushroom use by women was most associated with parental drug use, especially fathers' marijuana use. Personality measures were secondary in predicting mushroom use. Given these distinctive patterns, researchers examining social and personality influences on drug use should analyze their data separately by sex.
Examining the Relationship between Gender and Drug-Using Behaviors in Adolescents: The Use of Diagnostic Assessments and Biochemical Analyses of Urine Samples
Authors: James William H. , Moore David D.
Published: May 2005

The present study examined the relationship between gender and drug-use among adolescents using diagnostic assessments and biochemical analyses of urine samples. The data were collected in the context of a referral and assessment program for adolescents suspected of using drugs, using the Adolescent Substance Battery [1]. A six-month random sample of 20 percent of adolescents assessed for drug use were targeted for biochemical assay. Compliance for urine delivery was relatively high at 91 percent. Urine samples were quantitatively screened for pharmaceuticals using a standard thin-layer chromatography (TLC) technique [2]. Statistical significance was found in the relationship between gender and marijuana use ( p = .05). This study confirms that gender and drug-using behaviors among adolescents need additional research and evaluation.
Analysis of Street Drugs
Authors: James Stuart H. , Bhatt Sudhir
Published: May 2005

A study of the content of street drugs available to a college campus and a community is presented. Emphasis is given to the adulterants and substitutions encountered in the illicit preparations. The incidence of adverse drug reactions is paralleled with the incidence of toxic drug mixtures. Application and feasibility of such a program in other communities is discussed.
The Beryllium “Double Standard” Standard
Authors: Egilman David S. , Bagley Sarah , Biklen Molly , Golub Alison Stern , Bohme Susanna Rankin
Published: May 2005

Brush Wellman, the world's leading producer and supplier of beryllium products, has systematically hidden cases of beryllium disease that occurred below the threshold limit value (TLV) and lied about the efficacy of the TLV in published papers, lectures, reports to government agencies, and instructional materials prepared for customers and workers. Hypocritically, Brush Wellman instituted a zero exposure standard for corporate executives while workers and customers were told the 2 microgram standard was “safe.” Brush intentionally used its workers as “canaries for the plant,” and referred to them as such. Internal documents and corporate depositions indicate that these actions were intentional and that the motive was money. Despite knowledge of the inadequacy of the TLV, Brush has successfully used it as a defense against lawsuits brought by injured workers and as a sales device to provide reassurance to customers. Brush's policy has reaped an untold number of victims and resulted in mass distribution of beryllium in consumer products. Such corporate malfeasance is perpetuated by the current market system, which is controlled by an organized oligopoly that creates an incentive for the neglect of worker health and safety in favor of externalizing costs to victimized workers, their families, and society at large.