Management of Allergic Respiratory Disease by the Nurse Practitioner

The results of several studies have established the validity of the SCOFF questionnaire (a 5-question screening tool for eating disorders), but researchers need to explore further replicability using the US version in the graduate school population. In this study, the authors asked 335 graduate students attending the Northwestern student health clinic on the Chicago campus to complete a written survey anonymously. A total of 305 (91%) patients completed the survey. The sensitivity and specificity for the SCOFF was 53.3% and 93.2%, respectively. This produced a PPV (the proportion who tested positive on the screen and actually had an eating disorder) of 66.7% and an NPV (the proportion of those who tested negative on the screen and actually did not have an eating disorder) of 88.7%. More than 80% of respondents were dissatisfied with their shape and weight, with over one third having a moderate to severe body image disturbance. The SCOFF is an easy instrument to administer that health care providers can use to screen for eating disorders in the primary care setting.     

Simmel at a Distance: On the History and Systematics of the Sociology of the Stranger

Abstract

Concepts made famous in “classic” works are often cited in ways that deviate from their original meaning. This often leads to cumulative confusion rather than the advancement of insight. Scrutiny of such confusions may provide fruitful points of departure for systematic codification.

In the literature which refers to Simmel's excursus on “The Stranger,” four areas of confusion can be identified

1. Simmel's conception of the stranger has periodically been equated with the concept of the “marginal man,” a very different social type;

2. Simmel's conception of the stranger has often been equated with the newly arrived outsider, another distinct type;

3. the distinction (only latent in Simmel) between strangers as individuals and stranger communities has not been articulated in later studies; and

4. the significance of the variety of ways in which Simmel used the metaphor of simultaneous closenss and remoteness has been obscured.

Clarification of the issues related to these four areas of confusion lays the basis fora typology of stranger statuses (Guest, Sojourner, Newcomer, Intruder, Inner Enemy, Marginal Man) and a related paradigm presented to assist in organizing the sociology of the stranger in a more systematic fashion.     

Mental Health and Clinical Correlates in Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual,and Queer Young Adults

Abstract

Objective: This study examined the prevalence of mental health disorders and their clinical correlates in a university sample of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) students. Participants: College students at a large public university. Methods: An anonymous, voluntary survey was distributed via random e-mail generation to university students during April and May of 2011. LGBQ students were compared with their heterosexual counterparts on psychological and physical status as well as academic performance. Results: LGBQ students reported worse depressive symptoms, higher levels of perceived stress, considered themselves less attractive, and were more likely to be overweight. LGBQ students were significantly more likely to report histories of affective, substance use, and certain anxiety disorders as well as compulsive sexual behavior and compulsive buying. Conclusions: The higher rates of many psychiatric conditions among LGBQ students underscore the need for universities to provide LGBQ students a nonjudgmental environment to discuss sexual orientation and health issues.     

Two-stage chain sampling plans chsp-(0,2) and chsp-(l,2) - part 1

This article outlines the structure of a generalized family of two-stage chain sampling plans, extending the concept of two-stage chain sampling plans of Dodge and Stephens (1966) which is an extension of the original work of Dodge (1955). Expressions are derived for the OC curves for two-stage chain sampling plans with (c₁,c₂) = (0,2) and (1,2). In the original work of Dodge (1955) only acceptance numbers of 0,1 were used and in the extension work of Dodge and Stephens (1966) acceptance numbers of (c₁,c₂) = (0,1), (0,2), (1,2), (0,3), (1,3), (0,4) and (1,4) were used with selected sets of values of k₁ and k₂ (the number of lots considered for cumulation in the first and second stage respectively). In this paper the OC curves are derived more generally for any k₁ and k₂combination for two-stage chain sampling plans with (c₁,c₂) = (0,2) and (1,2) and comparisons are made with respect to sample sizes and discriminating power, with the corresponding single and double sampling plans.     

Enhancing the Career Development of Individuals Who Have Criminal Records

Large numbers of individuals are involved in the criminal justice system. Upon release, most have difficulty finding employment and stabilizing economic resources, which contribute to recidivism. To date, the role of work in the lives of ex‐offenders has virtually been ignored in the vocational literature. The purpose of this article is to increase awareness of this group by highlighting vocational implications of having a criminal record; reviewing existing interventions demonstrated to be beneficial (e.g., teaching skills prior to release, restorative justice interventions); and providing suggestions to more readily include this group in future practice, research, and policy.     

An Empirical Model of Perceived Mortality Risks for Selected U.S. Arsenic Hot Spots

Researchers have long recognized that subjective perceptions of risk are better predictors of choices over risky outcomes than science‐based or experts’ assessments of risk. More recent work suggests that uncertainty about risks also plays a role in predicting choices and behavior. In this article, we develop and estimate a formal model for an individual's perceived health risks associated with arsenic contamination of his or her drinking water. The modeling approach treats risk as a random variable, with an estimable probability distribution whose variance reflects uncertainty. The model we estimate uses data collected from a survey given to a sample of people living in arsenic‐prone areas in the United States. The findings from this article support the fact that scientific information is essential to explaining the mortality rate perceived by the individuals, but uncertainty about the probability remains significant.     

Erectile dysfunction is strongly linked with decreased libido in diabetic men

Erectile dysfunction frequently occurs with diabetes mellitus. A survey of diabetic men was conducted by anonymous questionnaire to investigate the associations of erectile dysfunction with various predictive factors. A total of 112 diabetic males without an obvious history of erectile dysfunction were available for analyses. The mean age and duration of diabetes were 53.7?±?12.2 years and 10.2?±?8.6 years (mean?±?standard deviation), respectively. The questionnaire included questions on the presence or absence of smoking, hypertension, libido and subjective symptoms of diabetic neuropathy that may be associated with erectile dysfunction. Analysis of the answers to the questionnaire revealed that 40% of the patients complained of erectile dysfunction (erection ‘always insufficient’). Erectile dysfunction was significantly correlated with age (p?=?0.005), but not with duration of diabetes (p?=?0.25), adjusted for age. Erectile dysfunction was also associated with sensory neuropathy and reduced libido, independently of age. The logistic regression analysis revealed that erectile dysfunction was positively associated with reduced libido and age. The odds ratio of erectile dysfunction for reduced compared to unreduced libido was 18.21, suggesting that psychogenic factors have a marked influence on erectile dysfunction. It is concluded that the presence of erectile dysfunction should be considered when symptoms related to diabetic neuropathy are observed; psychological approaches, such as sexual counseling, could be applied for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.     

Interpretation and the Therapeutic Relationship: An Attempt at Integration

The term integrative psychotherapy can have a range of meanings. It can refer to integration between therapeutic approaches grounded in different theoretical frameworks as exemplified in Wachtel’s (Psychoanalysis and behavior therapy: toward an integration. Basic Books, New York, 1977) Psychoanalysis and Behavior Therapy. Many therapists informally practice this sort of integration when, in response to problems and issues presented by the patient, they intuitively borrow from a variety of approaches in their clinical work. Therapeutic integration can also refer to attempts at integration within a single broad therapeutic approach such as psychoanalytic or psychodynamic. This is the direction I will take in this article. My goal in this paper is to contribute to the possibility of integration among different theoretical approaches within psychoanalysis in a delimited area. The delimited area that I will focus on is the tension between an emphasis on interpretation and insight versus an emphasis on the therapeutic relationship as the primary agent of therapeutic change. Rather than an “either-or” position, I will show that integrating theories about both aspects of this process leads to a richer, more complex picture of what happens in psychodynamically-informed therapy.