A national survey of group psychotherapy services in correctional facilities.

Facilitating group psychotherapy in correctional settings presents dilemmas and concerns that are unmatched in other environments, often leaving clinicians grasping for therapeutic advantages. This article provides information regarding national practices of group psychotherapy services for male inmates in state correctional facilities (n?=?79) as reported by correctional mental health providers (n?=?162). The general findings of this study will be of interest to group psychotherapy providers employed in correctional facilities; however, of particular importance for doctoral-level psychologists is their potential role in fulfilling a need for the active development and evaluation of group psychotherapy programs in correctional settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Blastomycosis in northeast Tennessee

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To study the epidemiologic and clinical features of blastomycosis in northeast Tennessee. DESIGN: Retrospective review of blastomycosis cases in the region from 1980 through 1995. SETTING: Hospitals located in the Tri-Cities region of northeast Tennessee. PATIENTS: Seventy-two patients with confirmed blastomycosis infection. INTERVENTIONS: None. RESULTS: During the 1980 to 1995 study period, we documented 72 cases of blastomycosis. The mean age was 52 years (range, 13 to 86 years), most were male (69.4%), and nine were immunocompromised. A possible environmental exposure was noted for 28 patients. Pulmonary involvement represented the most common site of infection (61 cases), but multiorgan involvement was common (17 cases). Most patients with pulmonary blastomycosis (66%) presented with a chronic illness, and radiologic findings usually revealed local consolidation or a mass-like lesion. Nine patients developed ARDS with an associated mortality rate of 89%, compared with a 10% mortality for non-ARDS pulmonary cases. Antifungal treatment regimens varied widely, with amphotericin B often used for sicker patients. An epidemiologic evaluation revealed that the mean yearly incidence rate for blastomycosis quadrupled between 1980 and 1987 (0.31 cases/ 100,000 population) and 1988 to 1995 (1.23 cases/100,000 population) (p=0.00001). Most new blastomycosis cases in the 1988 to 1995 period occurred in three counties in the region where significant new construction projects have been underway. CONCLUSION: Blastomycosis is endemic in northeast Tennessee and the number of cases is increasing, coinciding with major new construction in the region. Clinicians in the area must be alert to this condition.     

Assistive technology in Tennessee

OBJECTIVES: To compare two activated charcoal preparations (Carbomix and Actidose-Aqua) in terms of amount ingested and incidence of vomiting after ingestion. METHODS: Single blinded prospective randomised controlled trial. RESULTS: The mean amount of charcoal ingested was Carbomix 26.5 g, Actidose-Aqua 19.5 g. The mean difference was 7 g (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.5 to 12.4 g). The incidence of vomiting was for the Carbomix 6% and the Actidose-Aqua 8%. The mean difference in vomiting was 2% (95% CI -0.8 to 4.8) CONCLUSIONS: Carbomix administration results in an increased amount of activated charcoal ingested after oral administration. Rates of vomiting after activated charcoal administration were low when compared with previously reported rates.     

Ethical and professional conflicts in correctional psychology.

The role of the mental health professional in a prison setting has changed to reflect the prevailing ideology of the correctional administration that deemphasizes treatment and emphasizes security and custodial concerns. As a consequence, mental health professionals who work in corrections have experienced unique ethical and professional conflicts. Standards were developed to address the conflicts and provide guidelines for professional conduct, but dilemmas continue to exist. The authors indicate this can be attributed to (1) the standards being vague and (2) correctional personnel not understanding or supporting the standards or the psychologist's role as a mental health professional. This article examines these propositions in more detail, using vignettes and discussion, and offers other approaches to resolving the dilemmas and improving the delivery of mental health services to incarcerated individuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Advance directives in a correctional setting.

Using advance directives to preconsent to mental health treatment is a promising approach to contending with the quandary posed by patients suffering from severe mental health illness, particularly those in a prison setting. The implementation of advance directives represents unfamiliar territory because it focuses on the patient's ability to preconsent to treatment rather than the commonly interpreted prerefusal of treatment. The challenge of consenting in the prison system generates a set of unique problems. The environment in which the instrument is signed can impose significant pressures and therefore result in a viable legal challenge. The prison setting is the most coercive environment in which a patient can be treated, particularly when the patient is mentally ill. Mentally ill prisoners signing preconsent for treatment advance directives have an opportunity for unprecedented relief yet may also experience pressure to select treatments desirable to the prison staff. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Design and Evaluation of Experimental Bridges in Tennessee

This paper describes the design and evaluates the adequacy of the moment connection of an experimental two-span highway bridge designed by the Tennessee Department of Transportation. The Massman Drive Bridge is an experimental design that unifies the construction economy of simple span bridges and the structural economy of continuous span bridges. The experimental connection, consisting of cover plates and kicker wedge plates, is used to connect the two adjoining girders over the center pier. As a result, the bridge is designed to function as a continuous bridge during the deck pour and behave compositely with the reinforced concrete deck under the live load. After completing a moment comparison analysis, it is concluded that the Massman Drive Bridge indeed acts as continuous over the pier as it was designed.     

Assessing dental manpower needs in Tennessee

Using a formula developed by the State of Kentucky and the best data available for the State of Tennessee, it is estimated that this state currently has a slight oversupply of dentists, but that by the turn of the century this will have become a shortage. There is no reason to doubt these estimates except that for confidence in them we will need state-specific data on the supply of dental manpower, the need for dental care, and the demand for dental care. Following the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine and others, the College of Dentistry has initiated the Dental Manpower Project to develop and maintain a database which will allow Tennessee to forecast and monitor trends in the supply of dental personnel and factors affecting need and demand. Hopefully, such an activity will help us avoid mistakes like those made 25 to 30 years ago which resulted in the education of too many dentists nationwide (and in this state) and an unfortunate breach between practitioners and dental education.     

Methodological issues in research with correctional populations.

Methodological issues confronting psychologists who conduct research with correctional populations are examined in 5 major areas: (a) the intrusion of values; (b) problems with trait-derived methodologies in correctional population research, including inadequate construct validity, ignoring environmental influences, and ignoring Ss; (c) naturalness and the problem of external validity; (d) recidivism; and (e) ethics. General recommendations are offered for each section. (3 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Administrative problems and patterns of correctional psychology departments in Canada.

Surveyed administrative problems and patterns of correctional psychology departments in Canada and compared the 2 major employers of correctional psychologists in Canada. These results were also compared with existing data on psychology departments in mental health settings. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personal reflections on a career in correctional psychology.

Kathleen M. Hawk's training as a psychologist provided excellent preparation for each of her assignments as a career employee of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, from staff psychologist, to warden, to her current position as director. The mission of the prison-based psychologist—to assist in the rehabilitation of offenders and in their reintegration into society—is central to the mission of corrections. Moreover, by helping to promote a healthy prison environment, psychologists can enhance safety for staff and inmates alike. Prison-based psychologists also may be involved in numerous consultative and research activities. There is high demand for psychologists in the nation's prison systems, and they can exercise considerable influence over corrections policies. More psychologists should consider corrections as a career. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Detecting fake-good MMPI-A profiles in a correctional facility.

This study examined the extent to which the validity scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A; J. N. Butcher et al., 1992) could differentiate between correctional adolescents instructed to fake good and both correctional and noncorrectional adolescents who received standard instructions. The noncorrectional participants (n?=?137) were from settings not connected with treatment or correctional facilities. Correctional participants (n?=?140) were from a facility in Northeastern Ohio. Mean profiles resembled those previously reported for adults on the MMPI and MMPI-2 and for adolescents on the MMPI and MMPI-A. It was possible to differentiate between (a) correctional youth instructed to fake good and noncorrectional youth with standard instructions and (b) correctional youth who were faking and correctional youth with standard instructions. Slightly different cutoff scores were needed for these two discriminations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mapping of Landsat Satellite and Gravity Lineaments in West Tennessee

Earthquakes are a common occurrence in west Tennessee. Yet it is difficult to recognize related faults within the alluvial valley because of the unconsolidated sediments. Therefore, a synergetic approach to the analysis of lineament patterns was applied through the use of Landsat satellite and gravity anomaly data. Landsat satellite images were evaluated for lineament identification using different spectral bands, seasons, enhancement, and image interpretation techniques. Gravity trends were delineated on the gravity anomaly map of west Tennessee, and gravity lineaments were identified and mapped. The Landsat and gravity lineaments were quantitatively analyzed and compared by means of two‐dimensional histograms and rose diagrams. The results indicated that the primary direction of both Landsat and gravity lineaments was NE; N36‐63E for Landsat and N27‐72E for gravity. Weaker trends were found in N50‐55W for Landsat and N60‐70W for gravity. The NE trend of the lineaments corresponded to faults and was in accordance with reactivation of the Reelfoot rift near the Mississippi River. These results suggest that deeper features, maybe at the earthquake focal depth, probably extend to the land surface as Landsat detectable lineaments.     

Assessment research in correctional settings: Methodological issues and practical problems.

With prison populations at record levels, classification and programming based on individual assessments are needed to allocate resources efficiently. However, there is a dearth of assessment research in correctional settings, partly because few psychologists are prepared for the special challenges posed by correctional research. This article discusses the methodological and practical problems that are especially common in or unique to assessment research in correctional settings, especially in prisons. It examines the distinctive culture of correctional institutions and the special concerns of their staffs; reviews considerations peculiar to planning prison-based studies; describes difficulties that may be encountered in obtaining approval by correctional institutions, funding agencies, and human subject review boards; and presents problems that may be encountered in collecting the data and in analyzing and interpreting the results. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

School psychologists in the correctional system: Preliminary exploration.

The specialty of school psychology has traditionally been confined to public school settings. Currently, there exists minimal information in the professional literature on the role of school psychologists in nontraditional settings. This investigation was designed to explore the nature of the job and the function of school psychologists employed in correctional facilities. Preliminary data collected from 21 states are presented. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the profession and suggest a need for greater research on nontraditional employment patterns within the specialty of school psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Professional psychology in state correctional institutions: Present status and alternate futures.

Current (1978) and projected (1985) patterns for the employment of psychologists and other mental health personnel in state correctional institutions are compared to professional and judicial standards for mental health manpower. Professional standards posited by the American Correctional Association see the psychologist and social worker as the principal agents of mental health care in the nation's prisons. Against these standards, severe shortages of psychologists are observed in the prisons, and an increase in the psychological work force of 245% will be required for prisons by 1985. Judicial standards set forth in the Pugh v. Locke decision of 1976 place emphasis in mental health care delivery on subprofessionals and paraprofessionals. Against these standards, a current shortage in the psychological work force is of negligible magnitude, and an increase of only 36% is required against 1985 projections. Speculations are offered about future mental health staffing needs under varying sets of judicial and legislative decisions. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Tuberculosis in children

Newly registered active tuberculosis in children is under 300 persons a year in Japan, now. In order to lessen further and exterminate childhood tuberculosis in near future, physician have to make effort to find the infected children by good-timing thorough surveillance when he find an adult tuberculosis patient. Chemoprophylaxis could prevent the infected children from progressing to active disease. BCG vaccination in infantile period is still important in Japan, especially to protect young children from disseminated tuberculosis. Pulmonary tuberculosis in children is successfully treated with 6 months standard multi-drugs therapy.