The changing influences of self-worth and peer deviance on drinking problems in urban American Indian adolescents.

This study explored the changing relations among self-worth, peer deviance, and alcohol-related problems in a sample of 224 urban-dwelling, American Indian adolescents. Data were collected annually at 7 time points to test a proposed mediational model. As expected, peer deviance mediated the relation between low self-worth and alcohol-related problems in younger adolescents; however, this relation did not hold as participants became older. In older adolescents, low self-worth and peer deviance directly and independently contributed to alcohol problems. Possible explanations for and implications of these findings are discussed in terms of developmental changes during adolescence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceptions of peer pressure, peer conformity dispositions, and self-reported behavior among adolescents.

Two samples, consisting of a total of 1,027 6th–12th graders from separate communities, were given measures of peer conformity dispositions (willingness to accede to peer pressure), perceptions of peer pressure, and self-reported frequency of behavior concerning 2 major aspects of teenage life: peer involvement (degree of socializing with friends) and misconduct (drug/alcohol use, sexual intercourse, and minor delinquent behavior). Results indicate that Ss perceived less peer pressure toward misconduct than peer involvement and also were comparatively less willing to follow peers in misconduct. Nevertheless, perceived peer pressure and conformity disposition accounted for more of the variance in self-reported misconduct than in self-reported peer involvement. Age differences were modest and varied among measures and samples. The samples also differed in the magnitude of perceived pressures and conformity dispositions as well as in the degree to which these variables were associated with self-reported behavior. It is concluded that the findings reveal a complexity in adolescent conformity that bears elaboration in future research. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Smoking prevention and cessation in adolescents

Tobacco smoking is the most important preventable health risk factor in Australia. It has lost popularity and acceptability in Australia as a result of public health campaigns and their reinforcement through government legislation. The rate of smoking in Australia has gradually declined due to increased cessation in adults. Adolescents, however, are smoking as much as ever. The aim of this paper is to provide family practitioners with practical, simple clinical strategies to reduce teenage smoking.     

Second graders' use of schematic drawings in solving addition and subtraction word problems.

Teachers successfully helped second graders learn to use schematic drawings to solve a wide range of addition and subtraction word problems containing three-digit numbers. Children demonstrated considerable competence in identifying the underlying situational structure of the problem as a Change, Put Together, or Compare problem, in writing the two numbers given in the problem in their proper locations in the drawing, and in determining whether to add or subtract the two known numbers. Performance varied by mathematics achievement, with almost all high- and high/average-achieving children choosing the correct solution strategy for almost all kinds of problems and two-thirds of the average-achieving children doing so on two-thirds of the problems. Most drawings represented the problem situation, but some seemed rather to represent the solution procedure. Children did not seem to use a part-part-whole schema to solve Change or Compare problems, and many children represented Put Together: Missing Part problems with Compare drawings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Memory for grocery prices in younger and older adults: The role of schematic support.

The present study examined how younger and older adults remember price information. Participants studied grocery items that were priced at market value or were well above or below market value. Although younger adults displayed better recall performance for unrealistic prices than older adults, there was no age difference for realistic prices, and both groups were equally accurate at remembering the general price range of the items. The results suggest that when older adults can rely on prior knowledge and schematic support, and tasks involve naturalistic materials, memory for associative information can be as good as that of younger adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Diagnostic and treatment overshadowing of vocational problems by personal problems.

Investigated 165 counseling psychologists' vocational diagnostic and treatment decisions when vocational and personal problems are presented concurrently. Participants assessed the same vocational problem either alone or in conjunction with a personal problem of one-half, equal, or double the severity of the vocational problem. Without consideration for counselors' problem preference, ratings of the vocational problem were equivalent across the 3 personal problem severity levels. However, with preferences considered, counseling psychologists who reported greater preference for working with personal problems, in comparison to vocational problems, were less likely to assess, diagnose, and treat the vocational problem than were counseling psychologists who reported equivalent or reversed problem preferences. This biasing effect occurred when the personal problem was of equal or double the severity of the vocational problem. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parent and peer relationships and relational spirituality in adolescents and young adults.

Research showing the protective qualities of Relational Spirituality, the experience of an ongoing dynamic personal relationship with G-d, against psychopathology in adolescents prompted the current investigation of its developmental correlates. Relational Spirituality in adolescence has been shown to have an unfolding heritable contribution and to be intertwined with a process of spiritual individuation, to which the current study adds the contribution of parents and peers to the developmental process. Participants were 615 adolescents and young adults representing a diverse range of ethnicities and religious affiliations. To measure parenting and friend variables, the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), Parental Spiritual Support Scale, and Friends Spiritual Support Scale were utilized. Relational Spirituality was measured using items from several subscales of the Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality to obtain a composite score. Findings of multivariate regression analyses indicated that Maternal Spiritual Support, Paternal Care, and Friends Spiritual Support were significantly positively associated with Relational Spirituality, with Maternal Spiritual Support influencing the selection of peers who offer Friends Spiritual Support. These results underscore the importance of parents and peers in facilitating the development of Relational Spirituality, particularly through maternal openness to discussion about spirituality/religiosity and through paternal affection. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluating and treating nutritional problems in older patients

Up to 65% of elderly hospitalized patients are protein-energy undernourished at admission or acquire nutritional deficits while hospitalized. For the elderly patient who requires nutritional support therapy, a strategy of intervention should be carefully formulated based on the results of a clinical assessment. While receiving nutritional support, the patient should be monitored carefully for complications and changing metabolic requirements. Modifications to the original regimen should be made to meet the patient's needs as necessary.     

A survey of therapists' personal problems and treatment.

642 therapists drawn from mental health centers directories, psychiatric hospital and ward staff rosters, university counseling center staff lists, and telephone directory entries in Iowa were surveyed about their personal problems. 264 of 310 returned questionnaires were used in the analysis. Ss were 25–68 yrs old; their experience was 1–34 yrs; and 195 had master's-level degrees, while 69 were doctoral-level therapists. Results show that half of Ss had experienced relationship difficulties or depression. Master's-level Ss and agency employees were more likely than were other groups to have experienced depression. A substantial proportion of Ss had been in therapy, and female Ss were more likely than males to have sought therapy for depression and relationship concerns. Many Ss, particularly those working in agencies, were reluctant to seek therapy when needed for reasons such as having had prior relationships with nearby therapists and the availability of existing personal support sources. Ss in the group were likely to have been ill during the preceding 6 mo. Agency employees, psychologists, and relatively less experienced Ss missed more work days due to illness than did other groups. (52 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Primary and secondary prevention strategies in the older adult

Most causes of death and disability in older people are partially to fully preventable. To achieve maximum benefits from prevention strategies, use an organized system tailored to individual health risks and circumstances.     

Management of osteoarthritis in older adults

Management of osteoarthritis (OA) is directed primarily towards relief of pain and functional limitation. This article discusses a range of nonpharmacologic modalities, including education, social support, weight reduction, and exercise. Drug treatment should begin with adequate doses of acetaminophen. Guidelines for appropriate use of NSAIDs also are suggested in this article. Intraarticular steroids help a proportion of patients, particularly those with OA of the knee or thumb base; the role of intraarticular therapies remains uncertain. Surgery (total joint replacement) remains an excellent treatment for patients in whom medical treatment has failed to provide adequate symptom relief. Future developments are likely to include earlier intervention using drugs with the potential to modify the course of the disease.     

Coping with stressful events in older children and young adolescents.

Both the capacity to generate alternative solutions to cope with stressful events and the strategies actually used to cope with interpersonal and academic stressors were examined in a sample of junior high school age youngsters. Subjects were moderately consistent in the generation and use of problem- and emotion-focused coping with the two types of events, and they adjusted the number of problem-focused alternative solutions they generated to match their appraisals of the controllability of the cause of interpersonal stressors. The number of alternative solutions generated and strategies used for interpersonal stressors was related to both self-reports and maternal reports of internalizing and externalizing emotional/behavioral problems. Specifically, the problem-focused alternatives generated and strategies used were negatively related to emotional/behavioral problems, whereas the emotion-focused alternatives generated and strategies used were positively related to emotional/behavioral problems. Coping with academic stress was not related to emotional/behavioral problems. Self-reported emotional/behavioral problems varied as a function of the match between perceived control and the generation of problem-focused alternatives for coping with social stressors but did not vary as a function of the match between perceived control and other coping strategies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of two types of feedback on goal acceptance and personal goals.

Effects of two types of performance feedback, goal discrepancy (GDF) and past-performance discrepancy (PDF), on acceptance of assigned goals and personal goal levels were examined. Subjects were 110 introductory psychology students, 90 in an experimental and 20 in a control condition, who performed an anagram task for seven trials. Assigned goals for experimental subjects became increasingly difficult. As predicted, assigned goals were rejected when GDF became sufficiently negative. GDF and PDF differed both in sign and magnitude of effects on acceptance and personal goals, indicating that subjects used these feedback discrepancies differently in the goal evaluation process. Unexpectedly, personal goals and performance remained high even after assigned goals were rejected. The importance of understanding factors affecting goal acceptance was discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Male and female estimates of personal problems of men and women.

100 male and 100 female undergraduates estimated the types of problems males and females would present at a counseling center. Of 75 problems on a problem checklist, 35 problems were seen as being more typically female whereas only 16 were seen as being more typically male. Sex differences in estimates were found for 13 problems; however, these differences did not affect whether the problems were seen as male or female. Of the 16 male problems, 8 were vocational-educational problems, while none of the female problems was vocational-educational. A 2nd purpose of the study was to look at sex differences in problems presented by actual clients at a university counseling center. Of the 75 problems on the checklist, sex differences were found for only 3 problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of publicly delivered and anonymously delivered verbal feedback in brief personal growth groups.

96 undergraduates, divided into 12 groups, first engaged in self-disclosure and consensus exercises and then were required to exchange personal feedback that was behavioral, emotional, or both. The feedback was either positive or negative in nature and was delivered either publicly or anonymously. Positive feedback was rated as more credible, and it produced greater cohesiveness. Positive behavioral feedback was best delivered publicly with, or anonymously without, the addition of emotional feedback. The credibility of negative behavioral feedback, as well as the cohesion of the group, suffered from the disclosure of negative emotional reactions. Groups receiving only behavioral feedback reported the most gain from the experience. Implications for psychotherapy and encounter groups are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)