Locus of desired control and positive self-concept of the elderly

In two studies, positive self-concept correlated with belief in one's internal locus of desired control. Examining only institutionalized subjects, the first study found this relationship to be particularly prominent for male subjects (r = .68). In the second study, comparing institutionalized persons sampled from several homes for the aged and noninstitutionalized elderly, this relationship was once again most prominent for the institutionalized males (r = .53). Among these studies internality also correlated positively with nurses' rating of subject's happiness, self-ratings of contentment and happiness, and correlated negatively with length of residency in old age home and age. In response to concerns raised by Rotter (1975) over locus of control research and issues raised by Mischel (1968, 1973) and others concerning personality research in general, the present study used a more situationally specific locus of control measure specially designed to take into consideration the environmental circumstances as well as interests of the subject population being studied. Included in the measure is a desire of outcome index which added substantially to the validity coefficient.     

Multidimensional locus of control in psychiatric patients.

At 1-mo intervals, functionally psychotic and neurotic inpatients (N = 165) were given 3 Likert scales to measure different aspects of locus of control: internality, control by powerful others, and control by chance forces. Initial testing within 5 days of hospitalization indicated that Ss perceived significantly more control by powerful others and chance forces than normal samples, and psychotics scored higher than neurotics. Committed Ss believed that powerful others controlled their lives, and readmitted Ss had higher perceptions of control by powerful others and chance forces than new Ss. Factor analysis indicated that the dimensions of control by powerful others and control by chance forces were consistent factors, while only 1/2 of the internality scale items were responded to as a single factor. During the 1st mo of hospitalization, Ss gained in their belief in internal control. However, initial scale scores were not significantly different from those obtained before discharge. Possible reasons for the lack of change are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Long-lived picture priming in normal elderly persons and demented patients

Health care professionals who serve as consultants for insurance companies provide an essential service in reducing health care costs and ensuring access to care for increased numbers of people. The role and function of these consultants is not always appreciated or welcomed by providers, who may view them as intruders to the doctor-patient relationship and feel that treatment plans are being second-guessed. Consultants, on the other hand, may be placed in uncomfortable positions when radiographically visible pathological conditions are not addressed on a treatment plan. Overlooking such conditions in hopes of not embarrassing the treating dentist is not an ethical option. When an isolated omission or error is encountered, it is best for consultants to contact the treating dentist and advise him or her of the disparity between planned treatment and observed pathology. Patients, providers, and the profession will benefit through this collegial exchange of information. When consultants observe continual omissions or errors, the stakes are much greater and the public's health must be protected through implementation of the peer-review system.     

Role of health locus of control beliefs in cancer screening of elderly Hispanic women.

Examined the health locus of control beliefs of elderly Hispanic women and relation between the frequency of breast self-examination (BSE), attention to health-related information, and recency of Pap smear and physician breast examination. As hypothesized, holding a belief that health outcomes are controlled by oneself (internal control) was positively related to screening behaviors over which one has a high degree of personal control, such as frequency of BSE and attention to health-related information. Belief that medical professionals control health outcomes was positively related to physician-dependent screening activities, such as recency of Pap smear and physician breast exam. The findings confirm the specificity of association between health control beliefs and preventive behaviors and demonstrate the importance of these beliefs in medical screening by Hispanic women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relation between locus of control and coping in two contexts: Age as a moderator variable.

We examined the relation between locus of control and coping as moderated by age and context. A total of 96 adolescents, young adults, middle-aged adults, and older adults were administered Lazarus's Ways of Coping questionnaire, a situation-specific controllability measure, a defensive coping questionnaire, and Levenson's Internality, Powerfulness of Others, and Chance global locus of control scales for challenging and threatening contexts. Age moderated the relation between locus of control and coping. Internality was positively related to escape–avoidance, hostile reaction, and self-blame for younger individuals and negatively related for older adults. A belief in powerfulness of others was positively related to planful problem-solving and self-controlling in older adults and negatively related for younger individuals. Finally, a belief in chance was positively related to distancing and self-controlling for older adults and negatively related for younger individuals. The implication that dimensions of control vary with age is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Emotional and sensory focus as mediators of dental pain among patients differing in desired and felt dental control.

Giving patients instructions to focus on sensory (vs emotional) stimuli during a root canal procedure significantly reduced self-reported pain, but only among patients who were classified as having strong desire for control and low felt control in dental situations. Among patients with low felt control and low desire for control, sensory-focus instructions produced greater pain reports than did emotion-focus instructions. Finally, high desire–low felt patients reported higher levels of expected pain before treatment than did other patient subgroups. These data suggested limiting conditions for H. Leventhal's (1982) theory of emotion and supported the idea that desire for control might moderate the effects of perceived control. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mental slowing in elderly persons: A cognitive psychophysiological analysis.

In recent attempts to formulate an integrative model of mental slowing in elderly persons, regression analyses have been done in which reaction-time (RT) data from a large number of studies spanning a broad range of speeded decision-making tasks were combined. The results of these meta-analyses were then used to support the conclusion that there is a generalized, proportional decline in mental processing speed among elderly adults that affects all elements of mentation equally. We present a series of similar regression analyses in which both RT and the latency of the P300 component of the event-related brain potential are included. The results of these analyses indicate that there are elements of mental processing that may be slowed additively, not proportionately, in older persons. Furthermore, the results raise some questions about the logic underlying the interpretation of the meta-regression analysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Internal-external locus of control: Parental antecedents.

Collected retrospective reports of parental behavior and a measure of internal-external locus of control from 192 male and 235 female undergraduates. Data were analyzed in a 2 * 2 analysis of variance design (sex * parent behavior). Relatively stronger internal control orientations held for ss who described their mothers as more nurturant, having more predictable standards for their children's behavior, and using more achievement pressure. Fathers were described as more nurturant, and as using more physical punishment (males only). Ss who reported that their mothers were (a) more protective, (b) more inclined to use deprivation of privileges, and (c) more inclined to use affective punishment (males only) were found to have stronger external control orientations. (21 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Association study of schizophrenia and the dopamine D3 receptor gene locus in two independent samples

The outcome of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and bone marrow relapse has been unsatisfactory largely because of failure to prevent subsequent leukemia relapses. Ninety-six patients were enrolled and received vincristine, prednisone, L-asparaginase, and an anthracycline as reinduction therapy. Ninety-two patients were randomized to receive either daunomycin (DNR) or idarubicin (IDR). After achievement of second complete remission (CR2), maintenance chemotherapy included the same anthracycline, IDR or DNR, high-dose cytarabine, and escalating-dose methotrexate. Compared to DNR (45 mg/m2/week x 3), IDR (12.5 mg/m2/week x 3) was associated with prolonged myelosuppression and more frequent serious infections. Halfway through the study, the dose of IDR was reduced to 10 mg/m2. Overall, second remission was achieved in 71% of patients. Reinduction rate was similar for IDR and DNR. Reasons for induction failure differed; none of 15, 1 of 5, and 5 of 7 reinduction failures were due to infection for DNR, IDR (10 mg/m2), and IDR (12.5 mg/m2), respectively. Two-year event-free survival (EFS) was better among patients who received IDR (12.5 mg/m2) (27 +/- 18%) compared to DNR (10 +/- 8%, P = 0.05) and IDR (10 mg/m2) (6 +/- 12%, P = 0.02). However, after 3 years of follow-up, late events in the high-dose IDR group result in a similar EFS to the lower-dose IDR and DNR groups. In conclusion, IDR is an effective agent in childhood ALL. When used weekly at 12.5 mg/m2 during induction, the EFS outcome during the first 2 years of treatment appears better than lower-dose IDR or DNR (45 mg/m2), although this difference was not sustained at longer periods of follow-up. Increased hematopoietic toxicity seen at this dose might be reduced through the use of supportive measures, such as hematopoietins and intestinal decontamination.     

呼吸内科住院老年患者常见护理问题和对策

目的:探讨呼吸内科住院老年患者常见的护理问题和相关对策.方法:调取我院近年来呼吸内科住院老年患者病例,进行分析和讨论.结果:以上患者均能康复出院,取得较为满意的疗效.结论:在呼吸内科住院老年患者的治疗期间,正确有效的护理方法和护理措施是提高临床疗效的必要条件.     

The trend in the locus of control in diabetic patients

The tendency of locus of control in diabetic patients is a theme approached by the nurse as an educator. The objectives of this study was to test reliability of the "Instrumento de Medida de Locus de Controle à Saúde (IMLCS)" (Instrument of Measurement of Locus of Control for Health); to confront the distribution of responses to different items of the "IMLCS" by a group of diabetic patients; and to verify the predominance of locus of control for health in the subjects studied. To reach these objectives the "IMLCS" was applied. The data showed that there was a prevalence of subjects with a locus of external control, that the different items were answered in a favorable manner by the subjects and that the scale was valid for the population of diabetic patients. We believe that these results show the need for rethinking the role of the nurse in the education of diabetic patients.     

Preschool and primary locus of control scale: A reply.

Replies to S. H. Herzberger et al (see record 1979-27662-001), who argued that the internal consistency of the Preschool and Primary Nowicki-Strickland Internal–External Control Scale (PPNS-IE) is not sufficiently high to justify the scale's use. It is argued that in one instance, these authors made major changes in the scale that may have altered the scale significantly. The present authors also offer some possible explanations for differences between their data and those of Herzberger et al; they provide further evidence that the PPNS-IE has obtained significant evidence of construct validation from a variety of other researchers. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correlates of commitment status in psychiatric patients.

Reviews studies comparing voluntary and involuntary psychiatric patients to identify antecedents and consequences of civil commitment. Data for the review consisted of correlations between commitment status and 15 patient variables, including demographic, social, behavioral, psychiatric, and hospitalization characteristics. The correlations were examined separately for studies from the 1950's through the 1960's and the 1970's through the 1980's and different research settings (state hospital vs other). The correlates of commitment appeared to vary as a function of these factors. However, all of the older studies were conducted in state hospitals, whereas the majority of more recent studies were carried out in nonstate hospital settings. Because of this confounding, it is unclear whether the correlates of commitment have changed over time or simply differ from one setting to another. Limitations of the existing research are discussed. A list of the sources used in the review is appended. (56 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Patterns of memory loss in three elderly samples.

Three groups of people ranging in age from 64 to 88 years performed tasks of word generation, paired-associate recall, also free and cued recall. The groups differed in socioeconomic status, verbal intelligence, and apparent levels of daily activity. A fourth group, consisting of young undergraduates, was also tested. Results showed that whereas there were age-related differences in some tests, these age differences were strongly modulated by characteristics of the participants and characteristics of the tasks. The findings are discussed in a contextualist framework. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived locus of control and personal adjustment.

Administered rotter's internal-external control of reinforcement (i-e) scale and the personal orientation inventory (poi), a measure of self-actualization, to 55 male and 55 female undergraduates. For females, the major poi subscale, internal support, was significantly (p     

Beliefs in paranormal phenomena and locus of control: A field study.

Investigated beliefs in paranormal phenomena and their relationship to locus of control for 4 groups that varied in terms of their involvement with paranormal practices. 51 psychic readers, 81 undergraduates, and 205 adults interested in ESP completed a questionnaire designed to assess degree of involvement and beliefs in paranormal phenomena, locus of control, sociopolitical attitudes, and demographic characteristics. It was predicted and found that (a) paranormal beliefs increased as involvement increased; (b) internality increased as involvement increased; and (c) involvement and locus of control interacted so that with high and moderate involvement, paranormal beliefs were associated with an internal locus of control, whereas with low involvement, there was a slight tendency for paranormal beliefs to be related to an external locus of control. Analyses of the paranormal beliefs questionnaire and the relationship between paranormal beliefs and sociopolitical attitudes, demographics, and locus of control scores are reported. Reevaluation of previous studies of personality dimensions associated with esoteric belief systems that have relied solely on low-involvement (student) samples is suggested. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multidimensionality of perceived locus of control: Two replications.

Administered Rotter's Internal-External Locus of Control Scale to 2 Australian samples, one of 159 14-19 yr old male adolescents and one of 134 18-20 yr old female adolescents. Both samples indicated the multidimensional structure of the scale in another culture, and pointed to the basic lack of relationship among its items. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived parental characteristics, locus of control orientation, and behavioral correlates of locus of control.

Attempted to ascertain perceived parental behavior associated with locus of control orientation. 112 high school seniors (58 males and 54 females) completed the Nowicki-Strickland Personal Reaction Survey and the Parent-Child Interaction Rating Scale. Generally, perceived paternal nurturance was associated with female internality, and perceived maternal nurturance was associated with male internality. All Ss perceived parents as having a similar locus of control orientation. In Phase 2 of the study, behavior associated with Ss' locus of control and perceived parental locus of control orientation was investigated. Ss' expressed internality was associated with higher achievement for males and with greater social involvement for females. Perceived paternal internality was significantly associated with greater female achievement. Results are discussed in terms of social learning and cultural role-expectancy theory. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Identifying clinical syndromes in a community sample of elderly persons.

By a strategy suggested by E. H. Uhlenhuth et al (1983), Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) referenced syndrome classifications were derived on the basis of the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist—42 scores of 1,131 elderly community residents. Overall syndrome prevalence rates were consistent with other epidemiologic data: 3.9% for depression, 1.0% for agoraphobia-panic, 2.6% for other phobia, and 6.9% for anxiety. Prevalence rates reflected expected sex differences and showed an age trend for other phobias. Considerable comorbidity among syndromes was observed. The association of the syndromes with patterns of psychosocial risk factors, prior diagnoses, and medication suggests that some but not all of the identified syndromes reflect clinically relevant classifications. If further developed, syndrome classifications based on self-report scales can provide inexpensive and clinically relevant measures of caseness. Required refinements of this approach are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)