Nolan E. Penn

Panel VI: Ethnic Minorities, Health Care Systems, and Behavior

This article presents an overview of research on health care use and provider behavior, on doctor-patient relationships, adherence to medical regimens, self-care, practices and avoidance health care behaviors, and attitudes of 4 ethnoracial groups: African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans, and Latinos. Although issues within the groups varied, common themes between the groups emerged. It became apparent, after discussion, that whatever the issues and health problems, these can be resolved most effectively when addressed within the social contexts of each ethnoracial group.

Gender Stereotypes after Thirty Years: A Replication of Rosenkrantz, et al. (1968)

This study is a partial replication of the 1968 investigation by Rosenkrantz, Vogel, Bee, Broverman, and Broverman of gender stereotypes among college students. Like the students studied 30 years ago, male and female participants in this study showed very high agreement about the typical characteristics of men and women. However, current participants identified significantly fewer gender stereotypes than did those in the earlier study. In contrast to the participants in the original study, current participants judged the traits they associated with women to be significantly more socially desirable, in general, than the traits they associated with men.

Psychological preparation of mothers of preschool children undergoing cardiac catheterization

Abstract Three methods of preparing mothers for the hospitalization of their preschool age children scheduled for cardiac catheterization were compared. Fifty mothers participated in varying combinations of education and hospital orientation, stress management training, and brief supportive psychotherapy. This design allowed for the measurement of both individual and cumulative effects. Behavioral responses of children and their mothers and self-reports of mothers were measured. Mothers who received stress management training and their children evidenced significantly more adaptive behaviors at key stress points and these children adapted more positively at home following the catheterization. Mothers who received education and hospital orientation reported significantly less anxiety and tension and expressed greater competence in caring for their children. Possible explanations for these results are discussed.

Community Mental Health Ideology Scale: Social work norms

The present study reports mean scores obtained by two groups of professionals deeply involved in the community mental health movement on the Community Mental Health Ideology Scale. Professional social workers and social work graduate students were not included in the scale makers original criterion group. The high mean scores obtained by these groups led the authors to the conclusion that social workers show the potential for a strong role in the “third phase” of mental health care and delivery.

Comparison between Gorham's Proverbs Test and the revised Shipley Institute of Living Scale for a black population.

A total of 278 black women (183) and men (95) were administered the Gorhams Proverbs Test and the Shipley Institute of Living Scale (revised). This study compared Abstract scores on the Gorhams Proverbs Test with Vocabulary and Abstract scores on the Shipley Institute of Living Scale. The two tests were remarkably similar in terms of score distributions and susceptibility to the effects of age, perceived socioeconomic level during childhood, education, and perceived quality of education. Analysis also showed that abstract reasoning, as measured by these tests, is not free from the effects of vocabulary skills. Mean scores on both tests were within the range of mean scores previously reported in the literature.

Performance on the Rod and Frame Test for Men at Elevated Risk for Alcoholism and Controls: A Pilot Study

Performance scores on the portable Rod and Frame Test were not different for eight pairs of young men with and without an alcoholic close relative. Retesting both groups following placebo, 0.75, or 1.1 mL/kg of ethanol also revealed no significant group differences on this measure.

MMPI-2 profiles of Colombian, Mexican, and Venezuelan university students.

Performances of 82 Colombian, 87 Mexican, and 96 Venezuelan university students and adult community dwellers on Spanish translations of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) were compared. Findings suggest more comprehensive research is required on applications of the MMPI-2 in Latin America and greater consideration of the roles of culture and nationality.

The Petrie Block Task: a modification.

This paper reports the comparison of a 10-min. versus 45-min. waiting period on the Petrie Block Task to remove previous effects of stimulation and to elicit an aftereffect. For 51 university undergraduate students who volunteered to participate results indicate that a 10-min. waiting period was effective in eliciting an aftereffect.

Community mental health ideology and personality preferences of social work students.

105 women social work graduate students completed the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS) and the Community Mental Health Ideology (CMHI) Scale. Scores on each of the 16 EPPS variables were divided into deciles and into quartiles for comparisons with extreme scores on the CMHI Scale. Results revealed that high CMHI scorers showed significantly lower needs for deference and order personality variables, and indicated that the degree of commitment to community mental health ideology is significantly related to personality preferences.

Survey of community mental health attitudes among social work students.

COMMUNITY mental health has been described as the belief system of the sixtiesll and as being concerned chiefly with : primary prevention of mental illness through the amelioration of harmful environmental conditions; treating patients with the goal of social rehabilitation rather than personality reorganization; proprofessionals assuming responsibility for an entire population rather than an individual patient only; comprehensive continuity of care and concern for the mentally ill; and total involvement of both professional and non-professional helpers in caring for the mentally ill.l There is research evidence that this belief system had had significant influence on the activities and role definitions of professionals in the mental health field, and that its ideology reflects more open and liberal mental health orientation.6,7