A Study of Cognitive Complexity in the Education for Social Work Practice

This study investigates cognitive complexity in interpersonal discriminations as it relates to selected aspects of the decision-making process in social work practice. Differences in data transmission and selection of interventive activities between graduate social work students who scored high on Carr's Interpersonal Discrimination Test were compared with those who scored low. As predicted, subjects who scored high on interpersonal discrimination transmitted more information about clients dissimilar to themselves and specified a greater number of interventive alternatives than did those who scored low. Implications of the findings are discussed in terms of selection for the profession and in the identification and ordering of learning experiences in the curriculum     

A Study of the Relationship between Mitral Valve Prolapse and Personality Characteristics

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between mitral valve prolapse (MVP) and personality characteristics. A sample of women with MVP was compared on the Cattell Sixteen Personality Factors Questionnaire (16 PF) with the norm group. The MVP group was found to be significantly different from the general population on a number of personality characteristics. The most important difference was in both first-and second-order anxiety and indicates the possibility that MVP patients may have more psychological difficulties than the general population. The importance of addressing the anxiety problem in the treatment of MVP is discussed.     

Baccalaureate Social Work Education Consortia: Problems and Possibilities

Abstract

In just one decade, the number of consortia and schools in collaborative programs has declined. Moreover, several consortia, including those with as many as five schools 10 years ago, no longer exist, and some of these schools have ceased offering accredited social work programs. However, some new consortia are emerging. To determine the significance of these trends, the investigator interviewed by telephone social work administrators and faculty of the 21 colleges and universities currently involved in the nine undergraduate consortia. In addition, the investigator reviewed institutional catalogs and compiled information about the origin and development of the collaborative programs, their structure and nature, and their advantages and disadvantages as perceived by the respondents. Benefits of collaborative programs are that they enrich programs and provide density. Although cooperative arrangements present problems, the problems can be overcome if the institutions involved communicate successfully and cooperate. Study findings revealed that consortia that use, rather than rival, the experiences of other schools will tend to be more successful.     

Internal Borders as Naturalized Political Instruments

This article explores how internal borders can become naturalized political instruments that are heavily implicated in the extension of state control over rural populations and rural landscapes. It shows how seemingly innocuous instruments such as national parks and hunting and sport fishing regulations can be utilized to create essentialist ecological arguments for the extension of class and urban-based centers of power. Specific examples of these forms of control are illustrated with material from island Newfoundland to show how neo-liberal agendas have been implemented in the name of ecological conservation. These processes create serious disruptions in the historic political ecology of rural areas and obfuscate the anti-ecological practices of contemporary capitalism and neo-liberal forms of government.     

Effects of an 8-week multimodal exercise program on strength, flexibility, and golf performance in 55- to 79-year-old men

Substantial research has indicated the beneficial effect of physical activity on physical fitness and activities of daily living in older adults, but none have investigated the effects on performance of recreational activities. This investigation studied the effect of an exercise program on fitness and golf-clubhead speed in older men. Thirty-one golfers (mean age 65.1 +/- 6.2 years) were randomly assigned to a treatment (n = 19) or control (n = 12) group. The treatment group completed an 8-week strength and flexibility program. Assessments included 10-RM muscle strength; selected range-of-motion (ROM) measurements; and golf-clubhead speed (CHS). ANCOVA revealed significant differences between groups (p <.005) for all strength measurements and several ROM measurements. CHS was significantly different (p <.05) between groups after the intervention. Mean CHS improved from 85.0 to 87.1 miles/hr (136.8 to 140.2 km/hr). These results indicate that a strength and flexibility program can improve golf performance in older adults.     

Readability and content of elder abuse instruments

Since elder abuse was first acknowledged as a health care and social problem, incidence and prevalence of mistreatment has been assessed sparingly in the United States and other countries around the world. Standardized instruments for determining the prevalence of elder abuse have not been developed and other instruments measuring a person's function and spousal violence have been adapted for the measurement of elder abuse prevalence. The purposes of this paper are to (1) ascertain the reading grade level of the most frequently used elder abuse prevalence instrument's text and (2) determine the content validity of the instruments with respect to the types of elder abuse included in them. A review of the instruments used to measure elder abuse prevalence was completed and a questionnaire was developed to measure the reading grade level and type of elder abuse content in four instruments. The Fry Readability, Flesch Reading Ease, and McLaughlin Grading formulas were used to determine reading grade level. A questionnaire regarding content validity was sent to 69 faculty and staff in one university department and a 59% return was achieved. The Conflict Tactics Scale and the Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse-Screening Test had the lowest mean score at the 6th grade reading level. Results of content analysis for types of elder abuse demonstrated none of the instruments are comprehensive. Instruments to measure the prevalence are needed which balance readability and content validity.     

Ombudsman program characteristics related to nursing home abuse reporting

The purpose of this research is to determine if there is an association between ombudsman report rates of abuse, gross neglect, and exploitation from 1997 through 2002 and ombudsmen's public and staff education, investigative process, program expenditures, and census demographics. Data were obtained from the National Ombudsman Reporting System. Ombudsman annual reports of nursing home abuse, neglect, and exploitation are representative of that state's individual program. These reports should not be construed to represent all abuse in nursing homes. Physical abuse and resident-to-resident abuse were the highest rates of abuse reported. Census demographics and ombudsman program characteristics were associated with rates of abuse.     

Nonparametric Survival Estimation when Death is Reported with Delay

In disease registries there can be a delay between death of asubject and the reporting of this death to the data analyst.If researchers use the Kaplan-Meier estimator and implicitlyassumed that subjects who have yet to have death reported arestill alive, i.e. are censored at the time of analysis, the Kaplan-Meierestimator is typically inconsistent. Assuming censoring is independentof failure, we provide a simple estimator that is consistentand asymptotically efficient. We also provide estimates of theasymptotic variance of our estimator and simulations that demonstratethe favorable performance of these estimators. Finally, we demonstrateour methods by analyzing AIDS survival data. This analysis underscoresthe pitfalls of not accounting for delay when estimating thesurvival distribution and suggests a significant reduction inbias by using our estimator.