Characteristics of cocaine users in a private inpatient treatment setting.

Patient records were reviewed from an eighteen-month period of a private hospital adult addictive disease unit. Of 667 consecutive admissions, sixty-five (49 males, 16 females) were diagnosed with cocaine abuse or dependence; 38 percent were from rural areas. Although mean age of males and females was similar, males had a longer duration of use (8.2 years versus 5.8 years), however, females used an average of 14 grams per week versus 9.5 grams per week for males. African-American patients were over-represented among the cocaine using sample and also among the sample who chose smoking as their route of administration. A larger percentage of males had legal problems and admitted to "dealing," when compared to females. Those from rural areas were more likely to be married and less apt to have legal problems.     

Relationship functioning and sexuality among people with multiple sclerosis

This study was concerned with how the sexuality and relationships of people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) are different from those of people from the general population. Three-hundred eighty-one respondents (144 males, 237 females) with MS and 291 respondents (101 males, 190 females) from the general population participated in the study. Sexual satisfaction, sexual dysfunction, relationship satisfaction, and coping style were assessed among all respondents. Information was also obtained from people with MS regarding age of onset and diagnosis of symptoms, as well as severity of symptoms. Overall, males with MS experienced a higher frequency of sexual dysfunction than males from the general population, while females with MS only differed from females from the general population in their levels of masturbation and numbness of the genital area. Coping strategies and levels of cognitive functioning were important predictors of sexual satisfaction, sexual dysfunction, and relationship satisfaction for women with MS, but there were fewer coping or health-related factors that predicted these variables among men with MS. The results of this study are discussed in terms of factors related to sexual satisfaction and positive interpersonal relationships. There is a need to conduct further research in this area so that professionals working with people with MS are informed on strategies to improve the sexuality and relationships of their clients lives.     

Validity and Reliability of the Spanish Translation of the Attitudes Towards Divorce Scale

The set of studies described in this article analyzed the psychometric properties of the Attitudes Towards Divorce Scale (ATDS; Kinnaird & Gerrard, 1986) in a group of 964 Spanish emerging adults between 18 and 30 years old. Factorial validity, concurrent validity, internal reliability, and measurement invariance across males and females were examined. Two factors accounted for 50% of the total variance: positive and negative attitudes toward divorce. This 2-factor structure fit adequately in males and females. The internal consistency of the questionnaire was good (Cronbach’s α = .74), and its convergent validity was supported by a significant positive correlation with the Attitudes Towards Marriage Scale and gender differences in attitudes toward divorce. Overall, the results suggest that the AD, the Spanish version of the ATDS, is a reliable and valid instrument that could be used to measure Spanish emerging adults’ attitudes toward divorce.     

Diagnosis of cardiovascular disease in women

Cardiovascular disease (CVD, comprising coronary heart disease and stroke) is the leading cause of death in both sexes in developed countries. Although women are nine times more likely to die from CVD than they are from breast cancer, there is a general public belief that the most common cause of death is cancer. The symptoms of acute myocardial infarction and acute coronary syndromes differ between the sexes. Women are less likely to experience chest pain and may have non-specific symptoms. Normal or non-obstructive coronary disease, as detected by angiography, is more common in women. Scintigraphy improves the detection of coronary disease in women. There is an urgent need to increase awareness of both coronary heart disease in women and the limitations of commonly used diagnostic tools.     

Cancer Knowledge and Examination Frequency in College Students

Abstract

College students are now being considered an appropriate target for cancer education programs. However, research has demonstrated that only a fraction of those individuals knowledgeable about the importance of cancer examinations actually practice these examinations. This study investigated whether the personality construct of repression-sensitization could identify which individuals would or would not practice regular examinations for breast, cervical, and testicular cancer. College students were identified as repressors, neutral, or sensitizers and tested as to their knowledge and examination frequency for breast, cervical, and testicular cancer. After a cancer lecture, this information was reasessed. No differences were found among repressors, neutrals, or sensitizers in cancer knowledge or examination frequency, either prelecture or postlecture. Cancer knowledge significantly increased after the lecture for both males and females. No change was found in the frequency of breast self-examination, while frequency of pap smears declined after the lecture. In contrast, testicular self-examination frequency increased. The implications of these results for future research are discussed.     

Sports Involvement as Protection against Depressed Mood

Working within a risk and protection framework, this research brief examines the protective inà uence of team sports involvement on adolescent depressed mood. The objective was to understand whether sports involvement positively contributes to mental health independent of the effects of other known protective factors (parental and peer support); and whether it moderates the depressive effects of family, peer, and school‐based risk factors. Analyses focused on 1,036 high school‐aged youth interviewed at two time points. Regression analysis results indicated a signià cant association between team sports involvement and depressed mood among both males and females, which was reduced to insignià cance after controlling for the other protective factors. One interaction effect was observed: for females, but not males, team sports involvement was shown to protect against depressed mood associated with poor school performance (low grade point average). Thus, the role of sports involvement as a positive instrumental activity for females is discussed.     

Endothelial progenitor cell therapy for atherosclerosis: the philosopher's stone for an aging population?

Much of the increased risk for atherosclerosis progression with age may be a result of age-related declines in the capacity of precursor cells to repair damage in the arterial endothelium. To estimate the impact of progenitor cell therapy for atherosclerosis on cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, life expectancy, and survival, as compared with the lifetime control of conventional risk factors, we modeled the health effects of bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cell therapy using data from the 1950 to 1996 follow-up of the Framingham Heart Study. To model cardiovascular disease mortality, we assumed that progenitor cell therapy was applied at age 30, with the effect assumed to be a 10-year delay in atherosclerosis progression. Age projections were constructed analytically using the stochastic process model for risk factor dynamics and mortality and microsimulation techniques. We considered three types of interventions: (i) keeping risk factors within selected limits to model current clinical recommendations; (ii) an age shift of 10 years to model the effects of progenitor cell therapy; and (iii) elimination of a competing risk (such as cancer). Our study suggests that progenitor cell therapy might increase life expectancy in the population as much as the complete elimination of cancer (in females, an additional 3.67 versus 3.37 years; in males, an additional 5.94 versus 2.86 years, respectively).     

Testosterone and the breast

Although women have been treated with testosterone (T) for female sexual dysfunction since the 1950s, the role of T in normal female physiology is not yet fully defined. One of the major safety concerns of androgen therapy is whether androgens have a stimulatory effect on the breast that could lead to breast carcinomas. The proposed mechanisms for such stimulation include local estrogen production from the aromatase enzyme complex present in the breast tissue or by the direct stimulation of the androgen receptor. Predominant data from in vitro studies have shown that androgens actually have apoptotic and antiproliferative effects and not stimulatory effects. Animal models have shown similar results to in vitro studies, finding that androgens inhibit breast cancer growth. Prospective and retrospective epidemiological analyses have shown mixed outcomes, with no clear consensus regarding androgen use and breast cancer risk. Hyperandrogenism in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome with elevated levels of endogenous T is not associated with an increased risk of breast cancer and may, in fact, be protective. Another human model with excess of T is female-to-male transgenderism, in which genotypic women are treated with large doses of exogenous T with no increased risk. High-dose androgen therapy also has been effective in treating patients with advanced breast cancer. Thus, the preponderance of data suggests that T use in females is not associated with an increased risk of breast carcinoma.     

Relationship functioning and sexuality among people with multiple sclerosis

This study was concerned with how the sexuality and relationships of people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) are different from those of people from the general population. Three‐hundred eighty‐one respondents (144 males, 237 females) with MS and 291 respondents (101 males, 190 females) from the general population participated in the study. Sexual satisfaction, sexual dysfunction, relationship satisfaction, and coping style were assessed among all respondents. Information was also obtained from people with MS regarding age of onset and diagnosis of symptoms, as well as severity of symptoms. Overall, males with MS experienced a higher frequency of sexual dysfunction than males from the general population, while females with MS only differed from females from the general population in their levels of masturbation and numbness of the genital area. Coping strategies and levels of cognitive functioning were important predictors of sexual satisfaction, sexual dysfunction, and relationship satisfaction for women with MS, but there were fewer coping or health‐related factors that predicted these variables among men with MS. The results of this study are discussed in terms of factors related to sexual satisfaction and positive interpersonal relationships. There is a need to conduct further research in this area so that professionals working with people with MS are informed on strategies to improve the sexuality and relationships of their clients' lives.     

Attitudes toward gambling among adolescents

It is well documented that attitudes toward gambling are a good predictor of problem gambling during adolescence. However, so far, little is known about what factors are associated with adolescents' gambling attitudes. This study used cross-sectional data (N = 2055, response rate 70.4%) from a representative sample of 17-year-olds in Norway to investigate the relationship between demographic, personality, motivational and social variables and gambling attitudes. Overall, adolescents' attitudes toward gambling were slightly negative. A multivariate analysis revealed that more favourable attitudes toward gambling were most strongly associated with family/peer approval of gambling. In addition, significant associations were found for gender (males more favourable); Sensation Seeking (positive association); Agreeableness (negative association); and family/peer gambling history (positive association for lifetime gambling, negative association for problematic gambling). Although a variety of individual-level and social factors are associated with more favourable attitudes toward gambling, it appears that family and peer approval of gambling are most important.     

Boys Abused in a Community Setting: An Analysis of Gender,Relationship, and Delayed Prosecutions in Cases of Child Sexual Abuse

ABSTRACT

Previous research on gender differences and delay of disclosure of child sexual abuse is inconclusive; some research has found that male victims are more likely to delay disclosure than female victims, while other studies have found no gender difference. The present archival study investigated this inconsistency by examining factors that interact with delay. Judicial outcomes of child sexual abuse cases were coded (N = 4237) for variables related to the offense, the complainant-accused relationship, and court proceedings. Males and females differed with respect to delay only when the relationship between the complainant and the accused was established in the community (e.g., sports coach) or was a stranger to the child. When the accused was a parent, other relative, or a non-relative connected to the child through the family, there was no difference in delay between males and females. Further, males were more vulnerable in the community, as evidenced by a higher proportion of accused community members with male than female complainants, even though males represented fewer than 25% of cases in the database. These findings may help explain inconsistencies in gender differences in delayed disclosure. Implications regarding education about child sexual abuse are discussed, with a focus on male victims.     

Predicting Korean Adolescents' Sexual Behavior

Abstract

Using data from 370 adolescent males and 390 adolescent females, this study investigates factors associated with Korean adolescents' sexual behavior. The data showed that sixteen percent of the sample reported some type of intimate sexual behavior. The results from regression analyses indicate that alcohol use, dating mood, love for partner, similarity of sexual attitude between partners, and interaction between respondents' attitude on sex and alcohol use were significant predictors of Korean adolescents' sexual behavior with adjusted R² of .61. The factors significant for adolescents' sexual behavior differed by gender. The factors significant for adolescent males and adolescent females accounted for 65% and 61% of the explained variance for adolescent males' and adolescent females' sexual behavior, respectively. In both cases, dating mood was a strong predictor of adolescents' sexual behavior. Contrary to expectations specified, neither parental factors nor sibling influence was significant.     

Coming to Terms With Parental Divorce: Associations With Marital Outcomes and the Role of Gender and Religiosity

In this article we examine the current marriage relationship outcomes for children of divorce compared to children from intact families. The sample is 997 matched married couples. Those from families with married parents were more likely to come to terms with issues in their family of origin, and had higher religiosity, less negative communication, and more positive relationship satisfaction than those with divorced parents. Religiosity was effective in helping those with married parents come to terms with family of origin. The variable coming to terms with family of origin predicted positive marital outcomes to some extent for all couples, although for couples where both partners' parents had divorced coming to terms predicted fewer positive outcomes. Coming to terms for females was associated more profoundly with decreases in negative communication for both males and the females, and also predicted satisfaction and stability in more cases than did coming to terms for males.     

Cultural definitions of elder maltreatment in Portugal

A small convenience sample of 34 participants (17 males, 17 females) from the Portuguese islands of the Azores and Madeira were asked to provide examples of how extreme, moderate, and mild maltreatment towards an elder would be defined in their culture and society. Neglect, especially psychological neglect, physical maltreatment, and psychological maltreatment were the most frequently reported types of maltreatment. References to neglect and physical maltreatment appeared most often as examples of extreme maltreatment. In general, men were somewhat more likely than women to provide examples of physical aggression in their examples of maltreatment. As examples of extreme maltreatment, females provided significantly more examples of abandonment than males. Although interpretations of the findings must be cautious because of the small sample size and limited statistical power, the study illustrates a procedure for assessing constructs of elder mistreatment in a way that attends to respondents' own constructions of the phenomenon.     

Motivational Factors Affecting Patient Attrition in a Weight Reduction Program

Abstract

The study hypothesizes that the greater the satisfaction of a patient's basic motivational needs, the greater the likelihood that the patient will complete the program. Patients were given a self-report questionnaire to assess the strength of their basic motivational needs as they entered the program; and a Likert-type questionnaire concerning satisfaction of needs as they left the program. The results show that those who completed the program experienced greater satisfaction of needs than those who did not complete the program. Analysis of covariance of completion of the program and need satisfaction was significant (p < .01) thus supporting the hypothesis.

“Long-term Oral Contraceptive Use and the Risk of Breast Cancer,” THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL CANCER AND STEROID HORMONE STUDY. Using oral contraceptives for long periods or using them when one has other risk factors has been hypothesized to increase the risk of breast cancer. To study these issues, we analyzed data from a multicenter, case-control investigation—the Centers for Disease Control's Cancer and Steroid Hormone Study. All women 20 to 54 years old with a first diagnosis of breast cancer ascertained by eight population-based cancer registries are study subjects; controls are selected at random from the general population of these eight areas. Analysis of the first 689 cases and 1,077 controls studied showed that women who had used oral contraceptives at some time in their lives had a relative risk of 0.9 compared with never-users (95% confidence interval, 0.8 to 1.2). Neither duration of oral contraceptive use nor time since first use altered a user's risk of breast cancer; women whose first use was more than 15 years ago and who used oral contraceptives for 11 years or more had a relative risk of 0.8 (0.5 to 1.4). Oral contraceptive use did not increase the risk of breast cancer among women with benign breast disease or a family history of breast cancer. Oral contraceptive use before a woman's first pregnancy did not increase her risk of breast cancer significantly more than other methods of delaying first pregnancy. This study provides no support to the hypothesis that oral contraceptive use increases a woman's risk of breast cancer. (Journal of the American Medical Association 1983;249:1591–1595.)

“Oral Contraceptive Use and the Risk of Ovarian Cancer,” THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL CANCER AND STEROID HORMONE STUDY. Since oral contraceptives have been used by more than 40 million American women, an association between oral contraceptives and ovarian cancer could have a substantial public health impact. The Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, is studying this relationship as part of a multicenter, case-control study—the Cancer and Steroid Hormone Study. During the first ten months of the study, we enrolled 179 women aged 20 to 54 years who had been ascertained to have newly diagnosed ovarian cancer by eight population-based cancer registries. From the general population of those eight areas, we selected as controls 1,642 women with intact ovaries. Users of oral contraceptives had an age-adjusted risk of ovarian cancer developing of 0.6 relative to those who had never used them (95% confidence interval, 0.4 to 0.9). The risk of ovarian cancer decreased with increasing duration of oral contraceptive use and remained low long after cessation of use. These results were not accounted for by parity, infertility, or other potentially confounding factors. We estimate that more than 1,700 cases of ovarian cancer are averted each year by past and current oral contraceptive use among women in the United States. (Journal of the American Medical Association 1983;249:1596–1599.)     

Updates of the Prevalence of Problem Gambling in Romanian Teenagers

The aim of this study was to find out what is the prevalence of pathological in Romanian teenagers. We questioned one thousand thirty-two teenagers in Cluj-Napoca and Harghita counties. Participants completed a questionnaire with 40 items including gamblers anonymous twenty questions. The sample included teenagers aged 11–19 years; 65.57% were male and 34.43% were female. The subjects were divided into three groups: non-gambling/recreational gambling or occasional gambling (0–1 positive answers —Level 1)—753 subjects (72.96%) [316 females and 437 males]; problem gambling (2–6 points—Level 2)—243 subjects (23.54%) [43 females and 200 males]; pathological gambling (above 7 points—Level 3)—36 subjects (3.48%) [3 females and 33 males]. The mean age of pathological gamblers was 16.48 years. Gender differences were as expected, males engaging in pathological gambling (91.66% from pathological gamblers) more than females did (8.33% from pathological gamblers). Data revealed that the most encountered games practiced weekly were sport bets and slot machines in the case of 36.11% of the pathological gamblers; lotto, internet casino and pool bets each with 25%, followed by roulette and black-jack with 22.22%.From those who reported practicing gambling at a pathological level 66.66% engaged in alcohol consumption, 13.88% illicit drug use and 19.44% licit drugs. Just 16.66% smoke cigarettes. Data revealed higher rates of prevalence in Romanian teenagers than in other Central and Eastern European countries. A prevalence study at a national level should be designed.     

Personality Comparisons of College Students Reporting Previous Sexually Transmissible Disease Infection and Students Never Infected

Abstract

This study determined if college students reporting previous sexually transmissible disease infection can be identified as possessing particular personality characteristics. The Cattell Sixteen Personality Factor questionnaire was administered to students in health education classes at seven U.S.A. universities. Students indicated if they had ever contracted an STD through sexual contact outside of marriage. The data were analyzed by the discriminant function analysis. Previously infected females (N = 47) and males (N = 49) were differentiated by personality from their counterparts reporting no previous infection. Six personality factors were the major discriminators between the female groups, with previously infected females being more sober, placid, trusting, affected by feelings, experimenting, and forthright. Five factors differentiated the two male groups, with previously infected males being more tender-minded, assertive, relaxed, practical, and expedient than never infected males. All of the personality factors for the STD groups were within the “average” range for college students. Therefore, the STD groups apparently had no greater psychological difficulties/deviations than other college students. Focusing control efforts on population groups with particular personality characteristics would appear not to be appropriate.     

Cultural Definitions of Elder Maltreatment in Portugal

ABSTRACT

A small convenience sample of 34 participants (17 males, 17 females) from the Portuguese islands of the Azores and Madeira were asked to provide examples of how extreme, moderate, and mild maltreatment towards an elder would be defined in their culture and society. Neglect, especially psychological neglect, physical maltreatment, and psychological maltreatment were the most frequently reported types of maltreatment. References to neglect and physical maltreatment appeared most often as examples of extreme maltreatment. In general, men were somewhat more likely than women to provide examples of physical aggression in their examples of maltreatment. As examples of extreme maltreatment, females provided significantly more examples of abandonment than males. Although interpretations of the findings must be cautious because of the small sample size and limited statistical power, the study illustrates a procedure for assessing constructs of elder mistreatment in a way that attends to respondents' own constructions of the phenomenon.     

The Child Dissociative Checklist

This paper reports on the use of a screening instrument for dissociative behaviors in two separate, but related-studies. Study 1 examined the concurrent validity of the Child Dissociative Checklist (CDC) in a sample of children and adolescents for which no efforts were made to separate youngsters by history of abuse. Concurrent validity of the CDC was studied in relation to an accepted measure of general behavior problems, the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Results indicate significant, positive correlations between CDC raw scores and CBCL Externalizing (EXT), Internalizing (INT), and Total (TOT) T scores for males (p < .005). For females, the CDC correlated significantly and positively with CBCL INT (p < .05) and TOT T (p < .01) scores, but not with the EXT T score. Significant and positive correlations for males were obtained between all specific CBCL factors and the CDC (all p < .005). For females. CDC scores correlated significantly with specific internalizing factors purported to measure depression, immaturity, and anxiety (all p < .05). These findings are discussed in relation to issues of misdiagnosis and comorbidity. Study 2 found that parent-completed CDC scores differentiate between sexually abused inpatient children and those with no history of sexual abuse categorized into groups based on their responses to the Traumatic Antecedents Scale. Inpatient staff completed CDC ratings failed to differentiate between groups. Moreover, there was a negative, though nonsignificant, correlation between staff and parent CDC scores.