Patricia M. Keith

Further Analysis of Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale:

Further factor analysis of responses to Rosenbergs 10-item self-esteem scale by 1,332 older men living in small communities suggested this was not a unidimensional scale.

Equity and depression among married couples.

This study examines the relationship between equitylinequity and depression among married partners. The respondents are 333 married couples (666 respondents) from a midwestern state who were selected in a random sample based on population concentration. Equitylinequity is examined as it occurred in the performance of five family roles-cooking, housekeeping, provider, companion, and parent. It is predicted that (1) marriage partners who feel inequity in the performance of marital roles willfeel more distress than partners who perceive equity, and (2) marriage partners who perceive that inequity is in theirfavor willfeel less distress than those who perceive that inequity is not in their favor. The findings support the first hypothesis and provide directional but not statistically significant support for the second hypothesis. Explanations for the findings are drawn from equity theory and cognitive theories of depression.

Self-Esteem and Fruit and Vegetable Intake in Women and Men

Abstract Influences on food choices are multifactorial, and limited research has been reported on the role of social-psychological variables. Earlier studies have linked self-esteem with a variety of health behaviors. The purpose of this study was to extend the research to examine the relationship of self-esteem to dietary behaviors, specifically the intake of fruits and vegetables and their key nutrients. Subjects were 155 married couples in a stratified random sample of households in one mid-western state. Husbands and wives were interviewed separately in their own homes. Independent variables were age, education, income, body mass index, and self-esteem.The dependent variables were number of servings and variety of vegetables and fruits per week and energy-adjusted intakes of fiber, folate, and vitamins A and C. Self-esteem was measured by the Rosenberg questionnaire, while dietary intake was assessed by a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Women reported significantly more servings of fruits per week, greater variety in both fruit and vegetable choices, and higher energy-adjusted nutrient intakes than did their husbands. Women met Food Guide Pyramid (FGP) recommendations for fruit intake and approached the recommendation for vegetable servings. Men fell short of FGP recommendations for both fruit and vegetables. After adjustment for age, education, income, and body mass index, self-esteem was a significant predictor of vitamin C and folate intake among women and folate intake among men. No other dietary variables were associated with self-esteem, although for men there was a trend for increased weekly servings of vegetables and increased variety in vegetable choices with higher self-esteem. One implication for practice is that age and education appear to be far stronger factors contributing to fruit and vegetable intake than is self-esteem. Additional research is needed to clarify the strength of self-esteem as a factor in specific food choices, especially among subpopulations.

Comparison of Dietary Intakes of Husbands and Wives

Abstract This study was designed to examine the similarities in husbands’ and wives’ dietary intake and to investigate these similarities in relationship to the life stage of the family. A semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire was completed separately by 151 married couples. Intraclass correlation coefficients for the energy-adjusted nutrient intake of all husbands and wives ranged from 0.04 for iron intake to 0.38 for saturated fat intake. Simple linear regression of the husbands intake (dependent) on the wifes intake (independent) was significantly different from zero for most energy-adjusted nutrients. However, this pattern was not consistent across the family life stages.This suggests that although spouses’ nutrient intakes are more similar than different, one spouses nutrient intake may not be a particularly good indicator of the intake of the other spouse.These results have important implications for the design and evaluation of interventions to change the dietary habits of family members.

Patient Concerns, Emotional Resources, and Perception of Nurse and Patient Roles

Thirty-three patients in a cancer research hospital responded to questions on a semi-structured interview schedule. Patients in this sample did not perceive institution factors as contributing to their distress, identified cooperation with therapy and with institution staff as normative patient behavior, and instrumental activities as normative nurse behavior. Distress stimuli, categorized as physical, psychological, or social were not likely to be entirely amenable to staff care strategies.

A Causal Analysis of the Relationship Between the Self-Concept and Marital Quality.

The objective of this study is to re-examine the relationship between the self-concept and marital quality. Through application of the interactionist model of the reflected self and a causal model based on path analysis and multiple regression, the direct and indirect effects of the self-concept, perception of spouses evaluation, and spouses actual evaluation on indicators of marital quality is examined. Three measures of marital quality and measures of the reflected self were obtained from interviews with 294 couples. The findings supported the prediction of a relationship between the three components of the reflected selfconcept and marital quality and led to a reassessment of the self-concept-marital-quality relationship.

STRESS IN MARITAL INTERACTION AND DIET BEHAVIOR

The research examines the effects of stress in the marital relationship on dietary behavior. The theoretical model predicted that the marital stress of inequality and role disagreement would lead to an unfavorable reflected appraisal and low self-efficacy. The latter two variables are predicted to be related to the dietary indicator of fat consumption. One hundred and fifty-five married couples were selected by a random area sample from the state of Iowa. Husbands and wives were interviewed separately in the home. The results supported the stress model. Marital interaction stress had an effect on diet as mediated by the reflected self (how one imagines they are perceived by significant others) self-efficacy (perceived control over ones outcomes). Also, interesting gender differences were found. For husbands, reflected appraisal was related to per cent calories from fat in the diet whereas for wives, self-efficacy was related to per cent calories from fat. The differences in part reflect the changing role of women.

Fear and rejection of patients by health practitioners.

Abstract The fear of clients and their environment is examined as an aspect of client rejection by professionals who go into the community to provide health care. Amount, sources and correlates of environmental fear; conditions under which patients would be rejected; and characteristics of the environment perceived as fearful are investigated by means of a questionnaire administered to 159 public health nurses in a municipal agency and a private organization. Findings indicate that professionals tend to identify environmental dimensions as sources of fear and rejection more frequently than individual characteristics. Further, fear and rejection are associated with the type of agency in which the nurse is employed. The implications of client rejection for inequities in health care are discussed.

The work-satisfaction, retirement-attitude typology: Profile examination

After a typology is developed based on work satisfaction and attitude toward retirement, profiles are examined of respondents appearing in four typological categories. Data at three points in time (1964, 1966, 1974) from 1,922 older (50+) employed males suggest that membranes of some types will be more susceptible to negative consequences of life-cycle change (work to retirement) than others. Findings from socioeconomic status, age, social participation, health, community, housing, family, work, morale, and longevity variables indicate pre-retirement planning approaches should be developed for those having different work-retirement attitudes.

Developing Research Skills in Aging:: From Training Program to Funded Project

The purpose of this paper is to draw on the research experience of the authors to show how faculty can progress from a training experience in gerontological research to the successful conduct of grant-funded research. The paper is based on a discussion session sponsored by the AARP Andrus Foundation in recognition of the presentation of the Clark Tibbitts Award to the Midwest Council for Social Research on Aging (MCSRA) at the Sixteenth Annual Meeting of the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE). The university-based authors have been both trainees of the Midwest Council and grantees of the AARP Andrus Foundation. The authors discuss their research conducted for the Foundation and show how they have been able to build on their MCSRA training to develop funded research projects. The paper also discusses strategies that may be helpful in obtaining research grants.