Sheldon Cotler

Patients’ values for health states associated with hepatitis c and physicians’ estimates of those values

Patients’ values for health states associated with hepatitis c and physicians’ estimates of those values

Primary prevention: Immunization of children for speech anxiety

The study examined the effects of psychological immunization, graded preexposure to potentially threatening stimuli, on subjective and behavioral indices of public speaking. Ninth-grade girls were exposed to one of two immunization treatments, systematic desensitization or cognitive rehearsal. In comparison to a control group, only the cognitive rehearsal group showed a significant improvement in self-confidence in a public speaking situation. No differences in behavioral manifestations of anxiety were found for either treatment group relative to the control group. Implications of such findings for preventive and treatment approaches are discussed.

Multi-Systemic Intervention for School Refusal Behavior: Integrating Approaches across Disciplines

School refusal behavior is defined as ‘child-motivated refusal to attend school or difficulties remaining in school for an entire day’ (Kearney & Silverman, 1996 p365). Evidence exists indicating that the etiological and sustaining factors in cases of school refusal behavior are often multi-systemic in nature. Nevertheless, intervention approaches in the psychological literature have remained largely individual-focused. Similarly, literatures (for example education) in which school refusal behavior is conceptualized as ‘truancy’ are more likely to address the problem by intervening in multiple systems. The current paper argues for the utility of a multi-systemic approach to interventions for school refusal behavior that integrates multiple disciplines. Using an ecological systems framework, intervention options for school refusal behavior are detailed at the exosystemic, mesosystemic and microsystemic levels. Attention to systemic factors is intended to complement existing individual-focused approaches. Implications for diverse groups of young people who are exhibiting or at risk for school refusal behavior are also discussed.

Hepatitis B Stigma and Knowledge among Vietnamese in Ho Chi Minh City and Chicago

Stigma regarding viral hepatitis and liver disease has psychological and social consequences including causing negative self-image, disrupting relationships, and providing a barrier to prevention, testing, and treatment. The aim of this study was to characterize and compare HBV knowledge and stigma in Vietnamese in Ho Chi Minh City and Chicago and to begin to evaluate the cultural context of HBV stigma. Methods. A written survey including knowledge questions and a validated HBV stigma questionnaire was distributed to Vietnamese in Ho Chi Minh City and Chicago. 842 surveys from Ho Chi Minh City and 170 from Chicago were analyzed. Results. Vietnamese living in Chicago had better understanding of HBV transmission and that HBV can cause chronic infection and liver cancer. Vietnamese in Chicago had higher stigma scores on a broad range of items including guilt and shame about HBV and were more likely to feel that persons with HBV can bring harm to others and should be isolated. Conclusions. Vietnamese in Ho Chi Minh City and Chicago have knowledge deficits about HBV, particularly regarding modes of transmission. Persons in Ho Chi Minh City expressed lower levels of HBV stigma than Vietnamese living in Chicago, likely reflecting changing cultural attitudes in Vietnam. Culturally appropriate educational initiatives are needed to address the problem of HBV stigma.

Approval versus achievement motives in seventh-grade girls

Eighty seventh graders played a computer-programmed two-choice probability game in one of four conditions: with reinforcement for choosing the more probable response, with reinforcement for choosing the less probable response, with a silent experimenter, or alone. Children receiving reinforcement for the less probable response experienced a conflict between approval and achievement since choices which increased approval in this condition decreased success in the task. Across all conditions, girls chose the more probable response significantly more often than boys, indicating that girls did not sacrifice achievement for the sake of approval. Finally, girls did not reduce their efforts to achieve when working alone even though there was no opportunity for social approval, and did not express lower success expectancies than the boys even though these were measured anonymously.

Undergraduates Who Attempt Suicide Compared with Normal and Psychiatric Controls

Comparisons on 19 demographic variables were made among 81 undergraduates who had made a suicide attempt, 81 “psychiatric” controls, and 81 “normal” controls, all matched for sex and academic status. In addition, a representative sample of 23 suicide attempters was compared with 23 matched “psychiatric” and 23 matched “normal” controls on four psychological and four psychotherapy expectancy scales. Results supported the hypotheses that the suicide attempters would show significantly more depression, somatic complaint, and social isolation than the “normal” students. Analyses failed to yield consistent differences between the suicide attempters and matched “psychiatric” controls. Implications for suicide prevention are discussed.