Learned social hopelessness: the role of explanatory style in predicting social support during adolescence

Background: Almost no research has examined the impact of explanatory style on social adjustment. We hypothesised that adolescents with a pessimistic style would be less likely to develop and maintain social support networks. Methods: Seven hundred and nineteen students (351 males and 366 females; 2 unknown; M_AGE = 12.28, SD = .49) completed an anonymous survey in Grades 7 through 10. Explanatory style was assessed in Grades 7 and 9, sadness was assessed in Grades 7 through 10, and quantity and quality of social support was assessed in Grades 8, 9, and 10. Results: Structural equation modelling was used to conduct cross‐lagged panel analyses of the four waves of data. Pessimistic explanatory style predicted lower levels of social support, and lower social support from the family predicted higher levels of pessimistic explanatory style. Additional analyses suggested that the effects could not be explained by sadness or by assuming that pessimistic adolescents where less liked by their peers. Conclusions: Pessimistic adolescents feel unable to influence their social worlds in positive ways and consequently may not take actions to develop and maintain social support networks.     

Familiar social and nonsocial stimuli and the kitten's response to a strange environment

The effectiveness of the mother, a littermate, and the home environment were compared in alleviating the distress shown by kittens which had previously been placed alone in a strange environment. Tests were conducted on the same kittens at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks of age. In the intact group of mother and kittens in the home environment scarcely any cries were heard. But when the kittens were placed alone in the strange environment, the frequency of cries was greatly increased. When the mother or a littermate was present, however, the frequency of cries was reliably reduced. In contrast, when kittens were placed alone in the home environment, the frequency of cries was not reliably reduced. Although the frequency of cries decreased as the kittens grew older, the relative effectiveness of the mother's or littermate's presence in reducing the frequency increased with age, whereas the home environment did not reliably reduce the frequency at any age. These findings indicate that separation from accustomed companions was a more powerful cause of distress than separation from accustomed physical surroundings, and that being alone in familiar as well as strange settings can evoke distress in the young cat.     

Evaluating peer support for prostate cancer: the Prostate Cancer Peer Support Inventory

OBJECTIVE: To develop and test a measure for assessing peer support for men attending prostate cancer support groups, and to describe socio-demographic, medical and adjustment characteristics of Australian men who attend these support groups. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In all, 1224 men (51% response) from 44 prostate-cancer support groups across Australia were recruited by mail. Men completed self-report measures that included the Prostate Cancer Peer Support Inventory (PCSI), the UCLA Prostate Cancer Index bother scales, psychological distress, quality of life (QoL), bother from pain and tiredness, perception of the clinician's support for group participation. Group-level variables were also included in the analyses. RESULTS: Peer support was rated positively by most men; a high satisfaction with support groups was related to better QoL, lower pain, younger age, higher perceived clinician support for group participation, use of alternative therapies, lower education, and regular attendance; dissatisfaction with support groups was related to higher psychological distress, lower QoL, and lower perceived clinician support for group participation. Group variables did not predict positive or negative support. Overall QoL was similar to community norms and psychological distress was low, with only 8% of men reporting high distress. The most common physical symptom was sexual bother, with 74% of men reporting moderate or high bother. CONCLUSIONS: The PCSI was a useful measure of peer support. Perception of the benefits of peer support was related to individual but not group differences. The clinicians' attitudes to participation in support groups influenced the men's experience of these groups, and this finding has implications for developing support services for these men.     

A New Peer Instruction Method for Teaching Practical Skills in the Health Sciences: an Evaluation of the ‘Learning Trail’

The ‘Learning Trail’ is an innovative application of peer-mediated instruction designed to enhance student learning in large practical classes. The strategy specifically seeks to improve participants’ attention to details of protocol that are often difficult to observe during teacher-centered demonstrations to large groups. Students (n=68) at the University of South Australia trialed this strategy, in which instruction in anthropometric techniques is initiated by an instructor to a group of 3–4 students and then sent in ‘waves’ from one student group to the next. The final group in the sequence demonstrates the techniques to the instructor, who notes any departures from technical accuracy. As each technical module is flowing from group to group, the instructor initiates the next ‘wave’ with the first group, and the process is repeated until all of the relevant skills are processed. The final stage is a full class discussion during which sources of technical error are identified and resolved. In this trial, students taught skinfold measurement by the peer instructed method (PI; n=33) were compared with a traditionally instructed group (TI; n=35), in which the instructor was responsible for all information transfer. For each participant, technical errors of measurement (TEM) were calculated; the intra-tester TEM as a measure of reliability, and the inter-tester TEM, in which the student’s measures are compared with those of a criterion anthropometrist to give an indication of validity. There were no differences between TI and PI groups on intra-tester TEM (p=0.24), but the PI group had a lower inter-tester TEM for pooled skinfold sites (p=0.006) and for one individual site (triceps; p=0.007), but not the other three sites. The time taken to complete the whole set of instructions did not differ between delivery modes. The results of this trial suggest that the peer-mediated strategy may be more effective than teacher-centered instruction in terms of technical accuracy in anthropometry.     

Psychometric Evaluation of the Social Experience Questionnaire in Adolescents: Descriptive Data,Reliability, and Factorial Validity

This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Social Experience Questionnaire (SEQ) in a sample of 1158 adolescents aged 13-17 years. Confirmatory factor analysis fit indices supported the hypothesized three-factor model of the SEQ that assesses overt and relational victimization, and prosocial behaviors from peers. Analyses of gender differences revealed that boys reported being overtly victimized more than girls, and girls reported greater receipt of prosocial behaviors from peers than boys. No gender differences in relational victimization were found. The internal consistency was adequate across gender, and test-retest stability over 12 months was modest. Intercorrelations among overt and relational victimization subscales suggest that these subscales assess related, but relatively independent constructs of peer victimization. These findings support the use of the SEQ with adolescents.     

The changing face of peer review at the National Institutes of Health

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the new peer review system at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and to present the process undertaken to accomplish these changes, with an emphasis on the reproductive sciences. DESIGN: A discussion of the many NIH committees and their composition and reports leading to the changes in peer review affecting the reproductive sciences. RESULT(S) AND CONCLUSION(S): The Center for Scientific Review (CSR), which reviews grants for all NIH Institutes, will initiate the Cellular, Molecular, and Integrative Reproduction, the Integrative and Clinical Endocrinology and Reproduction, and the Pregnancy and Neonatology study sections in February 2004. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)'s Division of Scientific Review has the following subcommittees, which started review in July 2003: Pediatrics; Developmental Biology; Biobehavior and Behavior Sciences; Population Science; Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Biology; Reproduction, Andrology, and Gynecology; and Function, Integration, and Rehabilitation Science.     

The benefits of peer support with diabetes

TOPIC: Peer coaching for diabetes support. purpose. To see if peer coaching assists a person with diabetes make the correct diet and activity choices. SOURCES OF INFORMATION: Journal articles, Internet. CONCLUSIONS: Peer support is helpful for people who are struggling to cope with diabetes. If peer support is offered, a structured follow-up program needs to be in place.     

Looking forward to promotion

OBJECTIVES: To determine what clinician-educators consider important for promotion, and what support they find helpful and useful for success. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Eighty academic medical centers in the United States. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred eighty-three participants of the Prospective Study of Promotion in Academia comprising assistant professors in departments of medicine from 80 different medical schools in 35 states. MEASUREMENTS: Differences between clinician-educators' and clinician-investigators' work activities, promotion preparedness, and faculty support needs. RESULTS: One hundred seven (58%) of the faculty were clinician-educators (CEs), and 63 (34%) were clinician-investigators (CIs); the remaining 13 fit neither category. Participants had been in their faculty position for 4.7 years. Ninety-eight percent of CIs reported a publication expectation for promotion, and 75% of CEs also reported such an expectation. More CIs had career mentors available than CEs (68% vs 32%, P <.001). Seventy-nine percent of CIs indicated >10% protected scholarly work time, compared to only 35% of CEs (P <.001). Fifty-three percent of CIs as compared to 32% of CEs (P <.01) meet more often than yearly with their chief/chair for performance review, and more CIs have seen written promotion guidelines (72% vs 51%, P <.01). Clinician educators believed out of 11 job performance areas, research, written scholarship, and reputation were the 3 most important factors that would determine the success of their application for promotion. Both CEs and CIs sense that CIs are more likely get promoted (82% vs 79%). CONCLUSIONS: Clinician educators are less familiar with promotion guidelines, meet less often with superiors for performance review, and have less protected time than CI colleagues. There is dissonance between CEs' beliefs and previously published data from promotion committee chairs in the importance given to specific aspects of job performance.     

Increasing Social Interaction Between General Education High School Students and Their Peers with Mental Retardation

We used a multiple-baseline design across participants to assess the effects of a verbal directive on the social interactions of general education high school students enrolled in a peer buddy program and their peers with mental retardation. General education students were asked to interact as friends with their peers while they engaged in leisure activities. Delivery of the directive was associated with increases in occurrence of social interaction, improvement in quality and reciprocity of interaction, and increases in range of communication behaviors performed by students with mental retardation. In addition, students discussed a greater variety of conversational topics. Findings are discussed with respect to strategies for increasing social interaction among high school students.