Drug Education: Supporting Parents to Support Children

Such research evidence as exists on effective drug strategies in prevention and education draws attention to the importance of involving parents along with other community agencies and school governors. Much depends nevertheless on the way in which 'involvement' is interpreted and the assumptions that are made about parents' knowledge of drugs and drug education as well as their attitudes to drug issues. As the age of initial experimentation and contact with drugs continues to fall, the importance of enskilling parents to support drug education programmes for 5 year olds and upwards continues to rise. This paper reports the first wide ranging survey of parents' knowledge of drugs and drug issues across an entire English county embracing younger as well as older children. The need for more coordinated, informed and systematic guidance to parents is established.     

Elements of psychological support in nursing care

The paper presents the results of a pilot study which involved 50 nurses from several departments of internal medicine of The State Clinical Hospital of the Collegium Medicum, Jagiellonian University in Cracow. The results are based on the Statement Response Questionnaire. They show that the most common responses of the nurses in the face of anxiety expressed by patients are cheering up the patient, collecting information about the symptom, and offering explanation of the symptom. The least common responses included expressing one's own positive emotions and showing empathy towards the patient.     

Dietary behaviour of an adolescent French male population

The dietary history method was used to determine the total energy and macronutrient intake, the distribution of daily energy from the different meals and the energy contribution of various food groups, in a population of 299 boys, aged between 10 and 15 years. The effects of age, the social status of the father (SPS), the ponderal index, the importance of breakfast or lunch, and the level of energy intake on dietary indicators, were studied. In our population, energy intake increased with increasing age but the energy contribution of macronutrients did not vary. The diet of boys whose fathers were in the upper SPS classes differed from the diet of those boys whose fathers were manual workers: for example they consumed less energy and pastries, but more animal protein (in percentage of energy intake), more dairy products, and more fruit. The ponderal index was negatively related to energy intake but positively related to protein intake, especially from meat and meat products. The energy intake from protein, animal protein and the energy contribution of dairy products, meat and meat products, fish and vegetables was lower among large eaters than among small eaters. The energy contribution of pastries, sugar and sweets was higher among large eaters.
Similarily, the energy intake from morning and evening snacks was also higher among large eaters. It should be noted that boys who had a substantial breakfast took in less energy from all other meals (including snacks and main meals). Such informaton is necessary in order to develop an effective health programme.     

Structured treatment and teaching of patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus and impaired cognitive function--the DICOF trial.

BACKGROUND: Patient education is integral part of any diabetes therapy in Germany, but elderly patients are not able to follow the variety of topics comprising standard treatment and teaching programmes (TTP), primarily due to impaired neuropsychological function. This leads to deficits in diabetes knowledge and hindered ability for diabetes self-management. AIM: To evaluate structured TTP for geriatric patients with impaired cognitive function. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A neuropsychological examination was performed on all patients over 54 years [n=102, age 68.6 +/- 8.7 years, diabetes duration 10.3 (0.03-35.4) years, HbA1c 10.3 +/- 1.7% (HPLC, Diamat, NR 4.5-6.3%), cognitive function 87.7 +/- 12.3 IQ points] who took part in TTP for insulin therapy. Patients with impaired cognitive function participated either in the standard TTP of Berger [n = 35, age 67.6 +/- 8.9 years, diabetes duration 9.9 (0.04-35.4) years, HbA1c 10.3 +/- 2.0%] or in the specialized structured geriatric DICOF-TTP [n=33, age 70.4 +/- 8.2 years, diabetes duration 10.4 (0.03-24.9) years, HbA1c 10.7 +/- 1.8%]. RESULTS: After TTP there were no differences in knowledge and ability for diabetes self-management (standard/DICOF: knowledge 11.0 +/- 2.6 vs. 12.2 +/- 2.7 points, P = 0.11; handling 14.9 +/- 3.3 vs. 15.9 +/- 2.5 points, P = 0.18). However, patients who took part in the DICOF programme showed better scores in satisfaction with the education programme [standard/DICOF 44.7 (31-57) vs. 52.5 (45-59) points, P < 0.001]. Six months later the DICOF participants showed better results regarding diabetes self-management (standard/DICOF: handling 12.5 +/- 4.1 vs. 15.9 +/- 3.1 points, P = 0.001). Both groups showed HbA1c decrease (8.3 +/- 1.4 vs. 8.5 +/- 1.3%, P=0.62) and similar incidence of acute complications. CONCLUSIONS: Elderly patients with impaired cognitive function should take part in specialized structured TTP. This leads to both better satisfaction with the education programme and an improved ability for diabetes self-management.     

Le miroir social des souffrances adolescentes : entre maladie du symbolique et aveu généralisé

The psychological suffering of adolescents is a subject that has drawn an increasing amount of attention on the part of the public authorities, local and associative bodies, and of course psychotherapists themselves. While the psychiatric treatment of adolescent disorders is based upon wide ranging nosographic categories that are specific to this age group, new and clinical forms are appearing on the scene, as if they were, an expression of new suffering. This sudden visibility on the social front regarding problematical adolescent behavior has brought with it a concomitant increase in explanations attempting to put into perspective the diversity of so-called “deviant” behavioral patterns in adolescents in relation to the development of a new malaise in contemporary civilization. The author of this study has examined this phenomenon from an anthropological point of view, and has critically examined the possible link between the modifications in the present-day social environment, and the various types of behaviour that are considered to be indicative of underlying psychic suffering. By puting the social explanations of adolescent suffering into perspective vis a vis the proposed solution, such as this multiplied counselling services, the author shows the emergence of a widespread system involving and promoting a generalized “confession” and disclosure of the intimate, in wich listening to what is been said becomes less important than the underlying constraints on expression that it imposes.     

Marital status and depression: a study of English national admission statistics

Data are presented from the English national statistics for first admissions with affective disorders during the years 1982-1985. Overall rates per 10(5) of the population aged over 15 years were 36.1 for men and 59.1 for women. The peak incidence for depressive neurosis was middle adulthood, that for affective psychosis much later. The widowed and divorced showed much higher rates than the single and married for all types of disorder. Marriage appeared less protective for women than for men. The age-incidence relationship among the divorced and widowed was exaggerated for depressive neurosis and reversed for psychosis. The results are interpreted in terms of a (possibly biological) releasing effect of age upon affective psychosis that could be overwhelmed by severely adverse social circumstances. The findings support the validity of the distinction between affective psychoses and depressive neurosis.     

An Implantable Aortic Valvo-pump for Destination Therapy

To investigate the possibility of a long-term applicable left ventricular assist device, a 23 mm outer diameter and 31 g weight implantable aortic valvo-pump was developed. It consists of a rotor and a stator; the rotor has a driven magnets assemble and an impeller, the stator has a motor coil with iron core and a outflow guide vane. The device locates the position of aortic valve, delivers the blood directly from left ventricle to aorta. Neither connecting conduits nor “bypass” circuits are necessary. Therefore, the device has promisingly better antithrombogenicity than other heart pumps. In hemodynamic testing, the pump can produce a blood flow of 7 l/min volume with 50 mmHg pressure increase at 15,000 rpm rotating speed, and at zero flow rate the pump can maintain a diastolic pressure over 80 mmHg at same rotating speed. For further studies the blood compatibility and the durability of the device are of most importance.     

Social climate within secure inpatient services for people with intellectual disabilities

Background The social climate of inpatient facilities is thought to be an important contributor to treatment outcome. However, little research has focused on this construct within secure forensic services for people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the social climate of two different types of secure units (‘low’ secure vs. ‘medium’ secure) contained within the same facility for offenders with ID. Two hypotheses were generated: (1) residents would rate the social climate of the whole facility in a more negative direction than staff, and (2) residents and staff would rate the social climate of the ‘low’ secure unit in a more positive direction than that of the ‘medium’ secure unit. Method Using a 2 (factor ‘Participant’ = Staff or Resident) × 2 (factor ‘Unit’ = ‘Low’ or ‘Medium’ Secure Unit) between‐subjects design, 18 residents and 37 staff members were recruited and completed the Correctional Institutions Environment Scale (CIES), a measure of social climate. Results Residents tended to rate the units in a more positive direction than staff on some sub‐scales. Participants rated the ‘low’ secure unit in a more positive direction than the ‘medium’ secure unit on two sub‐scales of the CIES. However, on selected sub‐scales there were differences. The findings of this study suggest that the CIES may be a valid instrument for use within forensic services for people with ID, and further suggests that residents and staff have different perceptions of the shared social climate, which may have implications for service development.     

社会支持对考试应激的影响

目的了解社会支持对考试应激的影响。方法采用焦虑自评量表和社会支持量表分别对７２７个学生考试前１个月、考试期间考试焦虑分数及社会支持情况进行调查，比较分析考试焦虑分数与社会支持因素的关系。结果考试焦虑分数与客观支持、来自同学和老师的主观支持以及社会支持的利用度成反比。结论家长和学校给予学生足够的社会支持，以及让学生参加适当的社会活动，培养他们利用社会支持的能力，有助于让学生减缓考试应激的水平