George Domino

Attitudes toward Suicide: A Factor Analytic Approach.

Suicide occurs in a cultural context, but that context, especially in terms of community attitudes, has not been explored fully. This study presents a 100-item questionnaire (the Suicide Opinion Questionnaire; SOQ) and a factor analysis of 285 respondents. The results, 15 factors that accounted for 76.6% of the total variance, underscore the complexities of such attitudes.

Students' attitudes towards suicide

SummaryAttitudes of 800 college students from nine institutions were assessed by means of a 100 item Suicide Opinion Questionnaire. The results indicate both wide heterogeneity and communality of attitudes. Students see depression but not mental illness as a predisposing aspect. They exhibit considerable individual differences and intraindividual indecision as to religious precepts vis-a-vis suicide, see suicide as a “cry for help,” but do not accept non-interference towards potential victims. One major implication is the need for greater education.

Impact of the Film, “One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest,” on Attitudes towards Mental Illness

Films have been neglected by psychologists, yet their powerful impact is shown in a field study of One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. Prior to the release of this film, 146 college students were administered a questionnaire on attitudes towards mental illness. Subsequent to the release of the film, they were readministered the questionnaire, when 85 had seen the film and 39 had not. Finally, a third administration occurred after half of the subjects had watched a television documentary designed to balance the films portrayal of life in a mental institution. Analysis indicated substantial negative changes in attitude in four of the five areas investigated after viewing the film, but no change after the televised documentary.

Collegiate Attitudes toward Suicide: New Zealand and United States

Attitudes toward suicide, as assessed by the Suicide Opinion Questionnaire (SOQ), were evaluated in samples of New Zealand (N = 236) and United States (N = 248) college students. Substantial differences were found, with New Zealand students attitudinally perceiving to a greater degree a relationship between suicide and mental illness, perceiving suicide as less serious, agreeing with the right to take ones life, and seeing suicide in a more religious context and as a less impulsive, less “normal,” and more moral action.

The Relation of Acculturation and Values in Mexican Americans

The correspondence between degree of acculturation and values was studied in a sample of first generation Mexican Americans, 42 identified as highly acculturated and 42 as low acculturated, by administration of the Rokeach Value Survey in either English or Spanish. The obtained protocols were compared with national norms provided by Rokeach, and with a local group of 62 Anglos. The results show considerable variability across groups for specific values, minimal sex differences, but a greater correspondence of values between high acculturation and comparison groups than between low acculturation and comparison groups. A discriminant function analysis indicated that six of seven factors distinguish high from low acculturation subjects with a hit rate of 78%. The results are discussed in relation to acculturation and assimilation, and the limitations of a cross-cultural cross-sectional approach.

Attitudes toward suicide among mental health professionals

Abstract The Suicide Opinion Questionnaire (SOQ) and the Recognition of Suicide Lethality (RSL) scale were administered to 141 mental health professionals representing seven groups: family practice physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses and aides, social workers, crisis line workers, and clergy. The results indicate significant differences among groups on 5 of the 15 SOQ factors, on a clinically derived empathic understanding scale, and on the RSL. Major findings of the study include: (a.) the complexity of attitudes towards suicide; (b) substantial differences between clergy and other mental health professionals; (c) differences between physicians and psychologists on attribution of manipulative motivation to suicide attempts; (d) a relationship between attitudes and personal familiarity with suicide; (t) an ordering of professional groups on the Empathic Understanding Scale reflecting psychological, medical, or religious training; (i) group differences on the recognition of suicide...

A Personality Measure of Erikson's Life Stages: The Inventory of Psychosocial Balance

The development and initial validation of the Inventory of Psychosocial Balance (IPB), designed to assess all eight Eriksonian psychosocial stages, is described. A pool of 208 items that survived a clinical analysis was administered to 528 subjects and then factor analyzed. The resulting eight factors parallel the eight stages and account for 72.34% of the total variance. Subsequent administrations of the IPB to various samples indicate adequate internal consistency and high test-retest reliability; significant correlations with the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) Social Maturity Index; consistent Q-sort portraits of high-scoring and low-scoring women; negligible correlations with test taking response styles, intelligence, and measures of psychopathology; and moderate developmental trends.

Attitudes toward Suicide among Attempters, Contemplators, and Nonattempters

The Suicide Opinion Questionnaire (SOQ) was administered to a sample (N=738) of undergraduate volunteers, and responses were analyzed comparing attempters (N = 35), contemplators (N = 131) and nonattempters (N = 483). A factor analysis indicated seven significant factors accounting for 24.2 percent of the total variance. A discriminant function analysis, using the seven factors, yielded two significant functions that discriminated respondents on the basis of sex and prior suicide history. The results are considered in the context of three issues (acceptability, lethality, and mental illness) important to the dynamics of suicide, and in terms of Goffmans theory of deviance.

Clergy's attitudes toward suicide and recognition of suicide lethality

Abstract Five groups of clergy (Protestant ministers, Catholic priests, Jewish rabbi, Eastern religious leaders, and nontraditional ministers; N = 112) were administered a scale to assess their knowledge of suicide lethality (the Recognition of Suicide Lethality) and a suicide attitudinal questionnaire (the Suicide Opinion Questionnaire), scored on 15 factors. Significant group differences were obtained for the RSL scale and seven of the SOQ factors, and significant correlations were obtained between RSL scores and ten SOQ factors. The results indicate that clergy as a group are not able to recognize signs of suicide lethality any better than educated laypersons, and that such recognition is related to a cluster of attitudes, including that suicide is more reflective of personal dynamics rather than external factors.

Synesthesia and creativity in fine arts students: An Empirical Look

Abstract: A survey of 358 fine arts students at three large universities indicated that 23% (84) experienced synesthesia in a spontaneous and consistent manner, and 49% (175) reported no such experience. From this subject pool, 61 synesthetes and 61 controls, equated on gender, major, year in school, and verbal intelligence, received a battery of four creativity measures. The synesthetes scored significantly higher than controls on all four creativity measures; and their self‐rated frequency and vividness of synesthesia though significantly intercorrelated, correlated marginally with the measures of creativity. The results are consistent with anecdotal reports that synesthetes are often involved in musical and artistic fields, and possessive of a high degree of creativity.