Social support and survival among women with breast cancer

BACKGROUND: Two recently reported randomized trials, one among patients with advanced breast cancer and the other among patients with early stage melanoma, suggested that social support may affect survival favorably. This study assesses relationships of social support indicators with 7-year survival among women diagnosed with localized or regional stage breast cancer. METHODS: All newly diagnosed patients with surgically treated localized or regional disease in seven Quebec City hospitals in 1984 were considered for this analysis. Among 235 eligible patients, 224 (95%) participated in a home interview 3 months after surgery. This interview provided information on the use of confidants in the 3 months after surgery. Data on disease and treatment characteristics were abstracted from patients' medical records. RESULTS: Compared with women who used no confidant in the 3 months after surgery, the hazard ratio for the 7-year period was 0.61 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.33-1.12) among those who had used at least one confidant, 0.54 (95% CI, 0.28-1.06) in women who used two or more types of confidant, and 0.51 (95% CI, 0.22-1.18) among those whose confidants included either physician or nurse. These results were adjusted for age, presence of invaded axillary lymph nodes, adjuvant radiotherapy, and adjuvant systemic therapy (hormone or chemotherapy). CONCLUSION: These results support the view that social support may be associated with longer survival among women with localized or regional stage breast cancer.     

Mentoring women graduate students: A model for professional psychology.

There is much discussion about the importance of mentoring women graduate students but not an equal amount of practical research-based guidance about how best to do this. This article summarizes a mentoring model that was developed using a pilot survey of 55 women graduate students throughout the United States, followed by grounded theory research by conducting qualitative interviews with 8 eminent women psychologists. It augments current research on mentoring to provide an integrated set of hypotheses about the theory and practice of mentoring; an operational definition of mentor and mentoring; overarching assumptions about mentoring; strategies for forming, structuring, managing, and maintaining mentoring relationships; and the roles and functions of the mentor, the mentee, and the relationship. It describes examples of mentoring practices specifically for use with women mentees and discusses how mentoring relationships may end or change as they mature. While the mentoring model was developed based on research with women, many of the tenants can be applied to both men and women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Service-learning for graduate students

OBJECTIVES: The European Commission funded EUROTOLD Project sought to examine the legal and ethical implications of living donor organ transplantation within Europe, facilitated by a multi-centre study acquiring data on practices, laws, policies, attitudes and decision-making processes. METHODS: Methods involving primary sources included interviews with clinical staff and past and present organ donors and recipients, and questionnaire surveys of transplant centres, individual clinical staff and legal experts. These strategies were supplemented by an examination of secondary sources such as official reports, transplantation literature, etc. RESULTS: The surveys generated substantial new evidence relating to transplant centre policies and practices, and the attitudes of physicians toward living donation generally and the use of certain specific classes of donor. The latter was facilitated by the use of case scenarios, providing a window upon factors influencing judgments in this sphere. The interview data confirmed earlier findings about donor decision-making. CONCLUSIONS: Responding centres and clinicians displayed a fairly liberal attitude toward living donation but substantial diversity nonetheless exists with regard to living donor transplant volumes between centres and surrounding acceptable waiting times for transplant. Further research is required to identify precisely the reasons underpinning such disparity.     

Social physique anxiety in postmenopausal women

Social physique anxiety (SPA), the degree to which individuals become anxious when others observe their bodies, is an important concept for postmenopausal women because it may be directly related to their physical activity behavior. Women with high levels of social physique anxiety may not participate in health-enhancing physical activity. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to examine SPA in postmenopausal women relative to leisure time physical activity (LTPA, activities such as exercise, recreation, and sports). Other factors, such as percent body fat, body fat distribution, age, and hormone replacement therapy status were also examined for their relationship to SPA. Women who expended < or = 500 kcal.wk-1 in LTPA had significantly higher SPA than women who expended > or = 2,000 kcal.wk-1, independent of percent body fat. Women with more than 37.5% body fat had significantly higher SPA than those with less than 37.5% body fat. Women with upper BFD (waist-to-hip ratio or WHR > 0.85) had higher SPA than women with lower BFD (WHR < 0.75). There were no differences in SPA relative to age or HRT status. It appears that a sedentary lifestyle, high percent body fat, and upper body fat distribution are associated with increased SPA in postmenopausal women, thus health promotion professionals should be aware of these concerns when developing physical activity interventions for postmenopausal women.     

Stress, social support, and college adjustment among Latino students

We examined the expression of an oncofetal 65-kDa phosphoprotein, termed p65, in patients with lymphocytic and granulocytic leukemia. This protein was previously identified in rat fetal tissues and in epithelial cancers of rat and human origin. Using the anti-p65 monoclonal antibodies MB2 and MF11 in a double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), we analyzed the expression of the protein in sera of 80 normal, healthy controls and in 61 patients with benign, nonneoplastic diseases. We established that the upper level of normal p65 concentration is 115 U/ml p65 (mean plus two standard deviations above the mean in a control group). We also analyzed p65 levels in sera of 71 patients with leukemia in different stages of development. The level of p65 was well above normal in 95% of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL; 19 cases), 83% of acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML; 23 cases), 37% of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL; 19 cases), and 30% of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML; 10 cases). MB2 monoclonal antibodies were used for immunocytochemical staining of isolated lymphocytes from normal peripheral blood and from blood of leukemic patients (in 12 CLL patients, the p65 positivity was 83%, in 2 ALL patients, 100%, and in 4 AML patients, 75%). Our data suggest that p65 protein may be of use as a tumor marker in leukemia.     

Social support in college life for disabled students.

Examined the social support networks of 30 disabled students (mean age 25.7 yrs) using wheelchairs on 2 university campuses. Structured interviews recorded interpersonal relations deemed important in maintaining current lifestyles, the resources exchanged in these relationships, the direction of resource exchanges, and the value of relationships. Results indicate that while friends outnumbered family members in Ss' networks, family members were more highly valued. Comparisons with an additional group of 15 nondisabled students indicate that the disabled Ss' networks were more extensive and included more relationships with friends than those of nondisabled Ss. It is concluded that knowledge of the social support networks of disabled students has implications both for the kinds of services provided by more formal support systems and for counseling such students in their adjustment to college life. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social anxiety and motives for alcohol use among adolescents.

Social anxiety evidences significant comorbidity with alcohol use disorders and alcohol-related problems. In an effort to better understand this co-occurrence, researchers are beginning to evaluate specific drinking-related factors, including alcohol use motives, among socially anxious individuals. Drawing on Cooper's (1994) 4-factor model of drinking motives (enhancement, social, conformity, coping), a growing body of work suggests that socially anxious individuals may consume alcohol in an effort to cope with their anxious symptoms; however, no study to date has examined these relations among youth. Accordingly, we examined alcohol use motives as a function of social anxiety in a community-based sample of 50 adolescents ages 12 to 17 years (Mage = 16.35, SD = 1.10). As predicted, heightened social anxiety was associated with elevated coping-related drinking motives. More important, other alcohol-use motives did not vary as a function of social anxiety. Collectively, these findings uniquely extend research conducted with adults, and suggest socially anxious youth may be motivated to use alcohol to manage their anxious arousal. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social support, activity, and health among the elderly]

The present study examined the relationship between social support, activity level and physical health among a sample of 96 Puerto Rican elderly persons. The Spanish version of the Inventory of Socially Supportive Behaviors (ISSB28) was used to assess social support. Two structured questionnaires were administered to obtain measures of activity level and physical health. A multiple correlation-regression analysis was performed, and partial correlation coefficients were also obtained. A partial correlation of .48 (p < .001) was observed between the ISSB scores and the measure of physical health, indicating a direct relationship between poor health and social support. This finding is inconsistent with previous studies, which suggest that better health is associated with higher levels of social support. Moderate-low, negative correlations were found between activity level and 3 indicators of poor health. Thus, higher activity levels were associated with better physical health. For example, partial correlations of-.31 (p = .003) and -.29 (p = .007), respectively, were found between the activity level and the number and length of hospital stays. The correlation between the amount of surgical interventions undergone by the patient during the previous year and the activity level was -.28 (p = .009). These findings demonstrate that higher levels of activity are associated with better physical health in elderly persons, as indicated by less frequent and shorter hospital stays, and lower frequency of surgical interventions. Several multiple regression analyses showed that social support and activity level, taken together, are statistically significant predictors of the number and length of hospital stays, and the number of surgical interventions undergone by the elderly patient. Together, these two factors explain from 11 to 18% of the variability in several indicators of physical health.     

Social support and stress during the first year of graduate school.

Describes the effects of varying levels of social interaction on 22 1st-yr graduate students' reports of stressful events and on their health and emotional problems during the 1st 6 mo of graduate study. Ss completed 2 questionnaires partially drawn from the Graduate Student Questionnaire. They also recorded their social contacts. An inverse relationship was found between frequency of social interactions with peers and faculty during the 1st 10 wks of study and the incidence of stressful life events and the number of reported physical and psychological disturbances throughout the next 6 mo. The quality of faculty–student interactions also emerged as an important factor that moderated the negative consequences of the major life changes associated with beginning graduate school. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social support, AIDS-related symptoms, and depression among gay men.

Examined the impact of social support and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related conditions on depression among 508 gay men participating in the San Francisco Men's Health Study, a population-based prospective study of single men (aged 25–54 yrs). The number of HIV-related symptoms experienced significantly predicted depression cross-sectionally and 1 yr later. Satisfaction with each of 3 types of social support (emotional, practical, informational) was inversely correlated with depression. Men who were more satisfied with the social support they received were less likely to show increased depression 1 yr later. Degree of satisfaction with informational support appeared especially critical in buffering the stress associated with experiencing HIV symptoms. These findings offer valuable insight in understanding the psychological needs of gay men confronting the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) crisis and have important practical implications for designing mental health services to meet those needs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived social support among college students: Factor structure of the Social Support Inventory.

Brown, Brady, Lent, Wolfert, and Hall (1987) developed a measure of perceived social support based on a person–environment fit model of satisfaction. This measure, the Social Support Inventory (SSI), was scored according to a model of person–environment fit that assumed that only an undersupply of resources for meeting social needs would result in dissatisfaction. We tested this assumption empirically by comparing the original scoring model with three alternative models. Our study also explored the factor structure of the SSI. Results supported the original scoring model and suggested the presence of five social support factors on the SSI. We discuss the limitations of the study and future research needs of the SSI and the person–environment fit model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social support sources among older women with heart failure: continuity versus loss over time

In the mosquito Culex pipiens one of the major resistance mechanisms to organophosphorous pesticides (OPs) is increased detoxification of insecticide. This resistance is the consequence of overproduction of two types of esterases, esterases A and B, coded at two loci, Est-3 (A esterase) and Est-2 (B esterase). We have analysed the genomic structure of these genes in different strains resistant to OPs and have attempted to characterize the different types of mutations leading to the resistant phenotypes. It is shown that, concerning the more frequent resistant phenotypes, mutations leading to resistance are of two main types. First, overproduction of one A esterase present in Southern France results from a regulatory mechanism. The second type of mutation is gene amplification which involves events that have initially generated the duplication of both the A and B esterase or only the B esterase locus. We report the point that the most frequent esterase overproductions are the results of eight different mutations and that, given the range of distribution of these genotypes, mutation leading to an efficient resistance gene is one of the most limiting factors for the evolution toward resistance in Culex pipiens.     

The graduate record examination and selection of graduate students.

The sample was comprised of 50 students who entered the graduate program of the University of Florida between 1955 and 1959. The GRE Verbal and Quantitative aptitude scores were available on all of these students, and a complete undergraduate record on 38 of the 50 students… . Nine of the 11 full-time faculty were asked to rate each student." Only the GPA in math-science courses correlated significantly (.37) with the staff ratings. The "combination of X̄ GRE and GPA (math-science) yielded a multiple correlation of .46 with faculty ratings. Thus, combining these two predictors would be a definite improvement over selection based on either one alone." From Psyc Abstracts 36:04:4KJ48R. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The balance between clinical and research interests among Boulder Model graduate students.

We examined the career goals and scholarly productivity of 176 clinical psychology graduate students from sixteen PhD programs approved by the American Psychological Association. Students were surveyed by telephone (n?=?140) or (as a check for experimenter bias) mail (n?=?36). Program characteristics were also examined. The majority (71%) of the total sample had a predominantly clinical orientation, and these students intended to spend, on the average, four times as many hours on clinical work as on research. Research orientation covaried with program and adviser characteristics and declined with number of years in training. The possibility of integrating scientific research with clinical practice is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social support among unmarried childless elderly persons

OBJECTIVES: This article examines the availability, exchange, and receipt of informal support for unmarried childless elderly persons. These individuals may be at particular risk of lacking social support because they lack the two most important sources: spouses and children. METHODS: Using data drawn from the 1991 Canadian Survey on Aging and Independence (N = 1,078), ordered-response logistic regression models were employed to assess the availability and exchange of social support. Logistic models for binary variables were used in support-receipt models. RESULTS: The findings suggest that although support was generally available to this elderly population, it was not readily translated into exchanged or received support. Gender differences were found in support exchange, with women generally more advantaged than men. Gender by age interactions were also identified in the exchange and receipt of emotional support. Additionally, greater involvement in support exchange generally corresponded with increased support receipt. DISCUSSION: In light of the correspondence between support exchange and receipt, concerns may be raised about the low levels of support exchange (involving less than one quarter of this population) reported for the unmarried childless elderly persons in this study. Emotional support appears to be the greatest unmet need, with support being provided to only 25% of this group.     

高校研究生常见心理问题及干预对策

心理素质是当前研究生培养过程中极为重要的内容,受环境和自身因素的影响,研究生容易在人际交往、学业适应、自我认知、自我发展、恋爱情感等方面出现各种心理问题,正确审视这些问题,采取必要的干预对策,是促进研究生心理健康发展不可缺少的工作。     

Changes in body image, depression, and anxiety levels among women with human papillomavirus infection

In the present study, we examined the expression of CD44 variant exons in human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Of ten cell lines from OSCCs, two (KB and H357), as well as the HeLa cell line, failed to express CD44 variant exons. In surgical specimens, all normal mucosa expressed CD44v9 (both mRNA and protein). Of 40 primary OSCCs, 19 (47.5%) showed downregulation of CD44v9, which correlated with tumor cell differentiation, primary metastasis to lymph nodes and secondary metastasis to lymph nodes. The results suggest that the downregulation of CD44v9 may play a role in lymphatic metastasis of OSCC and changes in its expression may be a useful diagnostic tool to determine the metastatic potential of OSCC to lymph nodes. Moreover, three cell lines that failed to express CD44 variant exons might become a useful experimental model to study the role of variant exons in the progression of OSCC.     

Professional ethics for graduate students in psychology.

Results of 2 independent questionnaires concerning the availability of courses on ethics for graduate students in psychology sent to various schools offering graduate work in psychology are combined. "Very few departments offer a course solely on professional ethics in psychology though several expressed plans for one in the future." "Ethics is handled best on a graduate level, in a seminar or colloquium, preferably on a required basis for all students, and definitely so for clinical students." "The APA code of professional ethics and journals are preferred sources of reference." "Professional training in ethics is a recent phenomenon coinciding with the APA research in this area and with the rise of clinical psychology." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preparing psychology graduate students for the professoriate.

Two interrelated stories are presented, the first about the author's struggles to become an effective teacher, the second about the University of New Hampshire's graduate program in psychology with its emphasis on research and teaching. The author's development as a teacher is described in the context of works by Skinner and Rogers. The program's 2-semester Seminar and Practicum in the Teaching of Psychology is detailed in relation to 5 instructional principles: readiness, structure, discovery, excitement, and individuality. Data pertaining to the success of the program are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)