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Showing papers on "Poison control published in 1988"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Research suggesting that certain illusions may be adaptive for mental health and well-being is reviewed, examining evidence that a set of interrelated positive illusions—namely, unrealistically positive self-evaluations, exaggerated perceptions of control or mastery, and unrealistic optimism—can serve a wide variety of cognitive, affective, and social functions.
Abstract: Many prominent theorists have argued that accurate perceptions of the self, the world, and the future are essential for mental health. Yet considerable research evidence suggests that overly positive selfevaluations, exaggerated perceptions of control or mastery, and unrealistic optimism are characteristic of normal human thought. Moreover, these illusions appear to promote other criteria of mental health, including the ability to care about others, the ability to be happy or contented, and the ability to engage in productive and creative work. These strategies may succeed, in large part, because both the social world and cognitive-processing mechanisms impose niters on incoming information that distort it in a positive direction; negative information may be isolated and represented in as unthreatening a manner as possible. These positive illusions may be especially useful when an individual receives negative feedback or is otherwise threatened and may be especially adaptive under these circumstances. Decades of psychological wisdom have established contact with reality as a hallmark of mental health. In this view, the well-adjusted person is thought to engage in accurate reality testing, whereas the individual whose vision is clouded by illusion is regarded as vulnerable to, if not already a victim of, mental illness. Despite its plausibility, this viewpoint is increasingly difficult to maintain (cf. Lazarus, 1983). A substantial amount of research testifies to the prevalence of illusion in normal human cognition (see Fiske& Taylor, 1984;Greenwald, 1980; Nisbett & Ross, 1980; Sackeim, 1983; Taylor, 1983). Moreover, these illusions often involve central aspects of the self and the environment and, therefore, cannot be dismissed as inconsequential. In this article, we review research suggesting that certain illusions may be adaptive for mental health and well-being. In particular, we examine evidence that a set of interrelated positive illusions—namely, unrealistically positive self-evaluations, exaggerated perceptions of control or mastery, and unrealistic optimism—can serve a wide variety of cognitive, affective, and social functions. We also attempt to resolve the following para

7,519 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded that falls among older persons living in the community are common and that a simple clinical assessment can identify the elderly persons who are at the greatest risk of falling.
Abstract: To study risk factors for falling, we conducted a one-year prospective investigation, using a sample of 336 persons at least 75 years of age who were living in the community. All subjects underwent detailed clinical evaluation, including standardized measures of mental status, strength, reflexes, balance, and gait; in addition, we inspected their homes for environmental hazards. Falls and their circumstances were identified during bimonthly telephone calls. During one year of follow-up, 108 subjects (32 percent) fell at least once; 24 percent of those who fell had serious injuries and 6 percent had fractures. Predisposing factors for falls were identified in linear-logistic models. The adjusted odds ratio for sedative use was 28.3; for cognitive impairment, 5.0; for disability of the lower extremities, 3.8; for palmomental reflex, 3.0; for abnormalities of balance and gait, 1.9; and for foot problems, 1.8; the lower bounds of the 95 percent confidence intervals were 1 or more for all variables. The risk of falling increased linearly with the number of risk factors, from 8 percent with none to 78 percent with four or more risk factors (P less than 0.0001). About 10 percent of the falls occurred during acute illness, 5 percent during hazardous activity, and 44 percent in the presence of environmental hazards. We conclude that falls among older persons living in the community are common and that a simple clinical assessment can identify the elderly persons who are at the greatest risk of falling.

6,197 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Discriminant analysis of selected medical and anthropometric variables indicated that handgrip strength in the dominant hand and reported symptoms of arthritis, giddiness and foot difficulties were most influential in predicting reports of recent falls.
Abstract: Of 1042 individuals aged 65 years and over who were successfully interviewed in a community survey of health and physical activity, 35% (n = 356) reported one or more falls in the preceding year. Although the overall ratio of female fallers to male fallers was 2.7:1, this ratio approached unity with advancing age. Mobility was significantly impaired in those reporting falls. Asked to provide a reason for their falls, 53% reported tripping, 8% dizziness and 6% reported blackouts. A further 19% were unable to give a reason. There was no association between falls and the use of diuretics, antihypertensives or tranquilizers, but a significant association between falls and the use of hypnotics and antidepressants was found. Discriminant analysis of selected medical and anthropometric variables indicated that handgrip strength in the dominant hand and reported symptoms of arthritis, giddiness and foot difficulties were most influential in predicting reports of recent falls.

1,219 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An alternative approach is to conceptualize the precaution adoption process as a series of distinct stages, where the decision to act in a self-protective manner will not occur until people have reached the final stages of all 3 relevant beliefs--susceptibility severity and precaution effectiveness.
Abstract: This article presents a critique of current models of preventive behavior. It discusses a variety of factors that are usually overlooked-including the appearance of costs and benefits over time, the role of cues to action, the problem of competing life demands, and the ways that actual decision behavior differs from the rational ideal implicit in expectancy-value and utility theories. Such considerations suggest that the adoption of new precautions should be viewed as a dynamic process with many determinants. The framework of a model that is able to accommodate these additional factors is described. This alternative model portrays the precaution adoption process as an orderly sequence of qualitatively different cognitive stages. Data illustrating a few of the suggestions made in the article are presented, and implications for prevention programs are discussed.

1,203 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Every one of the psychiatric diagnoses examined was more likely to occur in alcoholics than in nonalcoholics, and associations were particularly strong with antisocial personality disorder, other substance use and mania.
Abstract: It is apparent from previous studies in clinical populations that there is a high comorbidity rate between alcoholism and other psychiatric diagnoses. However, this may simply be an expression of Berkson's bias (i.e., an increased tendency for persons with multiple diagnoses to seek and receive treatment and thus fall into study populations drawn from treatment sources). In this article, we use data from the Epidemiologic Catchment Area survey to examine the comorbidity between alcohol abuse and dependence, other substances of abuse and nonsubstance psychiatric disorders in a sample of approximately 20,000 persons drawn from the general population. We also examine the effect of comorbidity on psychiatric treatment. Every one of the psychiatric diagnoses we examined was more likely to occur in alcoholics than in nonalcoholics. Associations were particularly strong with antisocial personality disorder, other substance use and mania. The association between alcoholism and depressive disorders was positive but not very strong. The presence of other illnesses increased the likelihood of utilization of treatment services by alcoholics but did not increase the likelihood that drinking problems would be communicated to a doctor. The findings confirm prior studies of comorbidity in clinical samples and suggest the need for increased vigilance toward alcoholism by physicians.

1,054 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors studied social networks and aggressive behavior in school in two cohorts of boys and girls in the 4th and 7th grades (N = 695) and found that aggressive subjects tended to affiliate with aggressive peers.
Abstract: Studied social networks and aggressive behavior in school in 2 cohorts of boys and girls in the 4th and 7th grades (N = 695). Measures of social networks yielded convergent findings. Highly aggressive subjects (both boys and girls) did not differ from matched control subjects in terms of social cluster membership or in being isolated or rejected within the social network. Peer cluster analysis and reciprocal "best friend" selections indicated that aggressive subjects tended to affiliate with aggressive peers. Even though highly aggressive children and adolescents were less popular than control subjects in the social network at large, they were equally often identified as being nuclear members of social clusters. Aggressive subjects did not differ from matched control subjects in the number of times they were named by peers as "best friend," nor did the two groups differ in the probability of having friendship choices reciprocated by peers.

897 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Moves of the motor potentials in the period following the presentation of the array suggested that partial analysis of stimulus information could activate responses and that the level of response activation at the time of the EMG response was constant for trials with different response latencies.
Abstract: To examine mechanisms of response activation, we asked subjects to respond differentially to the central letter of one of four arrays--HHHHH, SSHSS, SSSSS, and HHSHH--and measured event-related brain potentials (ERPs) and electromyographic activity (EMG). For very fast responses, accuracy was at chance level for all arrays, suggesting that subjects were guessing. For intermediate latency responses, accuracy was above chance if the noise was compatible with the targets and below chance if it was incompatible, suggesting that these responses were based on partial stimulus analysis. For slow responses, accuracy was above chance for all arrays, suggesting that these responses were based on complete stimulus analysis. The occurrence and accuracy of fast responses could be predicted by examining motor potentials preceding the presentation of the array. Measures of the motor potentials in the period following the presentation of the array suggested that partial analysis of stimulus information could activate responses and that the level of response activation at the time of the EMG response was constant for trials with different response latencies. The data are discussed in terms of a response channel conception.

864 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1988-Sleep
TL;DR: It is found that the occurrence of a wide range of catastrophic phenomena are influenced by sleep-related processes in ways heretofore not fully appreciated and occur most often at times of day coincident with the temporal pattern of brain processes associated with sleep.
Abstract: Following the 1986 annual meeting of the Association of Professional Sleep Societies (Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A., June 15–22, 1986), a committee of scientists was formed to review recent reports and related information on the role of human sleep and brain clocks (time-of-day variation in physiology and alertness) in the occurrence of medical and human error catastrophes. This is a report of the committee's findings and recommendations. The committee evaluated scientific and technical reports on the distribution throughout the 24-h day of medical incidents (such as heart attack and stroke) and performance failures (such as vehicular accidents and human errors in industrial and technical operations that can affect public safety). We found that these events occur most often at times of day coincident with the temporal pattern of brain processes associated with sleep. It thus appears that the occurrence of a wide range of catastrophic phenomena are influenced by sleep-related processes in ways heretofore not fully appreciated. The committee recognizes that there are now some efforts to assess the influence of sleep-related processes on performance in key sectors of our society. For example, the United States military participated in the NATO seminar entitled “Sleep And Its Applications for the Military” (Lyon, France, March 16–17, 1987). An obvious and major concern in connection with military applications is the possibility of human error in performance or judgment when dealing round-the-clock with allied and adversarial personnel and weapons systems located in many time zones all over the earth. The committee recommends an increase in the number and scope of such exercises to develop awareness in both the public and private sectors of the vulnerability of humans to suffer catastrophes as a function of these processes. We also recommend the development of policies within appropriate government agencies to facilitate the study of these processes, the application of measurements to identify sleep-related risks in the workplace, and the adoption of countermeasures to minimize their detrimental influence on human welfare and public safety.

840 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A profile of psychiatric patients at high risk for suicide, and the proper identification and treatment of such patients may prevent suicide in high-risk clinical populations are suggested.
Abstract: • The characteristics of adolescent suicide victims (n = 27) were compared with those of a group at high risk for suicide, suicidal psychiatric inpatients (n = 56) who had either seriously considered (n = 18) or actually attempted (n = 38) suicide. The suicide victims and suicidal inpatients showed similarly high rates of affective disorder and family histories of affective disorder, antisocial disorder, and suicide, suggesting that among adolescents there is a continuum of suicidality from ideation to completion. However, four putative risk factors were more prevalent among the suicide victims: (1) diagnosis of bipolar disorder; (2) affective disorder with comorbidity; (3) lack of previous mental health treatment; and (4) availability of firearms in the homes, which taken together accurately classified 81.9% of cases. In addition, suicide completers showed higher suicidal intent than did suicide attempters. These findings suggest a profile of psychiatric patients at high risk for suicide, and the proper identification and treatment of such patients may prevent suicide in high-risk clinical populations.

814 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The present study uses the most recent AIS version (AIS-85) to derive relationships between mortality rate and the iss for comtemporary patients with blunt or penetrating injuries and identifies important properties of the iss which should be considered when the measure is used to compare case mix severity in different populations.
Abstract: The injury severity score (5) (iss) is a scalar (single number) measure of anatomic injury, widely used in and an important contribution to trauma research. The iss is the sum of squares of the highest abbreviated injury scale (1-3) (AIS) grade in each of the three most severely injured body regions. Thus the iss is a summary measure of trauma to single or multiple body regions. Per cent mortality for blunt injured patients has been shown to be related to iss (based on AIS-76) and patient age (4-6). Patients used to establish those relationships were treated in 1961 and 1967-1968. Similar relationships for penetrating injuries have not been prepared because, until the 1985 version, the AIS provided severity grades for blunt injuries only. The iss is frequently used to assess or compare the injury severity of patient populations (7, 10, 13, 16) and as the anatomic component of trauma patient characterizations used in evaluation of care and quality assurance methods (8). The AIS first published in 1971, was developed to classify anatomic injury from motor vehicle-related trauma. It has been revised and broadened in scope in 1976, 1980, and 1985. Changes in injury coding, trauma care delivery, and clinical management mandate the updating of relationships between severity measures and mortality from which conclusions regarding patient management or healthcare policy issues may be drawn. The present study uses the most recent AIS version (AIS-85) to derive relationships between mortality rate and the iss for comtemporary patients with blunt or penetrating injuries and identifies important properties of the iss which should be considered when the measure is used to compare case mix severity in different populations.(Author/TRRL)

809 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors presented a study that was supported in part by grant MH-38683 from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) for the treatment of depression.
Abstract: This research was supported in part by grant MH-38683 from the National Institute of Mental Health.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded that elderly subjects often do not recall falls that occurred during specific periods of time over the preceding 3 to 12 months, and researchers and clinicians should consider using methods besides long‐term recall for ascertaining and counting falls over specific periods.
Abstract: To determine how accurately elderly subjects recall recent falls, we studied 304 ambulatory men and women over the age of 60 years who completed a 12-month prospective study of risk factors for falling. We developed a system of weekly follow-up and home visits to record and confirm all falls. During the study, 179 participants suffered at least one fall that was confirmed by home visit. At the end of the study, all subjects were interviewed by telephone about whether they had suffered a fall during the preceding 3, 6, or 12 months. Depending on the time period of recall, 13% to 32% of those with confirmed falls did not recall falling during the specific period of time. Recall was better for the preceding 12 months than for 3 or 6 months. There were only weak correlations (r = 0.28 to 0.59) between the number of falls that were documented and the number that the subjects recalled during each of these periods. Those with lower scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination were more likely to forget falls. We conclude that elderly subjects often do not recall falls that occurred during specific periods of time over the preceding 3 to 12 months. Researchers and clinicians should consider using methods besides long-term recall for ascertaining and counting falls over specific periods of time.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the Maslowian theory of the articulation of higher order needs was correlated to the classic economic utility theory and additional ecological theories concerning cultural mobility were considered, and the notion of individuation embourgeoisement and civil religion form the foundation of interpretation of changes in Western family formation.
Abstract: The Maslowian theory of the articulation of higher order needs was correlated to the classic economic utility theory and additional ecological theories concerning cultural mobility were considered. The notions of individuation embourgeoisement and civil religion form the foundation of interpretation of changes in Western family formation. The operationalization of these concepts was described and a model of ideational change was proposed. The model of ideational change is cohort-and education-driven; a period-cohort interaction is recognized that may capture the dialectics of idealization and subsequent disenchantment with institutional regulation. The two most salient features of Western ideational change have been the precesses of secularization and individuation. A value scale used exerted a marked impact on the proportion of young women currently cohabiting (or sharing). In Belgium Denmark France and Germany with sharing a minor confounding factor large deviations from the grand mean persisted after control for age and the two variables capturing material circumstance. Agnostics postmaterialists world citizens and nonconformists in familial matters exhibited 7-14% more nonmarital cohabitation at ages 18-29 than the average (23% among women not living with parents). Conversely young women with regular church attendance materialists nationalists and conformists fell 7-17% short of the grand mean. When Ireland United Kingdom the Netherlands which have more sharing or Italy and Spain with unknown proportions of sharing were included the deviations from the overall mean were only slightly attenuated for the religiosity and nonconformism scales. It was documented that cultural changes are not unstructured or simply endogenous. The individuation process has continued to progress despite the degradation of economic opportunities for young adults in Western Europe. The Durkheimian dimension of social integration via the acceptance or refutation of institutional regulation had a direct relationship to changes in family formation family distribution and procreation during the postwar period.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1988
TL;DR: In this article, a micro-relation between perceived selfefficacy and anxiety arousal was found to be associated with high levels of subjective distress, autonomic arousal and catecholamine secretion.
Abstract: In social cognitive theory, perceived self-efficacy to exercise control over potential threats plays a central role in anxiety arousal. Threat is a relational property reflecting the match between perceived coping capabilities and potentially hurtful aspects of the environment. People who believe they can exercise control over potential threats do not engage in apprehensive thinking and are not perturbed by them. But those who believe they cannot manage threatening events that might occur experience high levels of anxiety arousal. Experimental analyses of the microrelation between perceived self-efficacy and anxiety arousal reveal that perceived coping inefficacy is accompanied by high levels of subjective distress, autonomic arousal and catecholamine secretion. Environmental events are not always completely under personal control and most human activities contain some potential risks. The exercise of control over anxiety arousal, therefore, requires not only development of behavioral coping effi...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Abused mothers who were able to break the abusive cycle were significantly more likely to have received emotional support from a nonabusive adult during childhood, participated in therapy during any period of their lives, and to have had aNonabusive and more stable, emotionally supportive, and satisfying relationship with a mate.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to identify variables that distinguish mothers who broke the cycle of abuse from mothers who were abused as children and who also abused their own children. Based on maternal interviews and questionnaires completed over a 64-month period, measures of mothers' past and current relationship experiences, stressful life events, and personality characteristics were obtained. Abused mothers who were able to break the abusive cycle were significantly more likely to have received emotional support from a nonabusive adult during childhood, participated in therapy during any period of their lives, and to have had a nonabusive and more stable, emotionally supportive, and satisfying relationship with a mate. Abused mothers who reenacted their maltreatment with their own children experienced significantly more life stress and were more anxious, dependent, immature, and depressed.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded that patients with obstructive sleep apnea have a significantly higher frequency of auto accidents than do subjects without apnea.
Abstract: Although patients with obstructive sleep apnea often report falling asleep while driving, the frequency of auto accidents involving these patients has not been rigorously studied. Therefore, we compared the driving records of 29 patients with obstructive sleep apnea with those of 35 subjects without sleep apnea. The patients with sleep apnea had a sevenfold greater rate of automobile accidents than did the subjects without apnea (p < 0.01). The percentage of persons with one or more accidents was also greater in the patients with apnea than in the control subjects without apnea (31% versus 6%, p < 0.01). The percentage of persons having one or more accidents in which they were at fault was also greater in the patients with apnea than in the control subjects (24% versus 3%, p < 0.02). The automobile accident rate of the patients with sleep apnea was 2.6 times the accident rate of all licensed drivers in the state of Virginia (p < 0.02). In addition, 24% of patients with sleep apnea reported falling asleep ...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The validity study indicated that teacher's ratings on the Motivation Assessment Scale predicted how their students would behave in analogue situations, and the MAS predicted the subjects' self-injurious behavior in situations with decreased adult attention, with increased academic demands, with restricted access to tangibles, and in unstructured settings.
Abstract: Reliability and validity data are reported for an instrument designed to identify variables maintaining self-injurious behavior. The Motivation Assessment Scale (MAS) is a 16-item questionnaire that addresses the situational determinants of self-injurious behavior in persons with autism and other developmental disorders. The reliability study indicated that teachers of 50 developmentally disabled persons could agree on the variables presumably maintaining their student's self-injury (interrater reliability), and that they would be in agreement again 30 days later (test-retest reliability). The validity study indicated that teacher's ratings on the MAS of 8 subjects' self-injury predicted how their students would behave in analogue situations. Specifically, the MAS predicted the subjects' self-injurious behavior in situations with decreased adult attention, with increased academic demands, with restricted access to tangibles, and in unstructured settings. The MAS is presented as an alternative or adjunct to more formal functional analyses in efforts to identify the variables controlling self-injurious behavior.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that the concepts of criminal careers, career criminals, selective incapacitation, prevalence and incidence, and longitudinal studies have little value for criminology.
Abstract: In a recent paper published in this journal, Gottfredson and Hirschi (1986)1 argue that the concepts of criminal careers, career criminals, selective incapacitation, prevalence, and incidence, and longitudinal studies all have little value for criminology In our view their paper misrepresents these concepts and our research on these topics We are pleased to have the opportunity in this paper to develop these concepts more clearly and to show their relevance for criminology

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: There was a marked (23%) reduction in the number of CRF binding sites in the frontal cortex of the suicide victims compared with the controls, which is consistent with the hypothesis that CRF is hypersecreted in depression.
Abstract: \s=b\Previous studies have provided evidence that corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) is hypersecreted in patients with major depression. This CRF hypersecretion is believed to contribute at least in part to hyperactivity of the hypothalamicpituitary-adrenal axis in depressed patients. If CRF is chronically hypersecreted in depressed patients, then, due to downregulation, a reduced number of CRF receptor binding sites should be present in patients with profound depressive disorder. To test this hypothesis, we measured the number and affinity of CRF binding sites in the frontal cortex of 26 suicide victims and 29 controls who died of a variety of causes. There was a marked (23%) reduction in the number of CRF binding sites in the frontal cortex of the suicide victims compared with the controls. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that CRF is hypersecreted in depression. (Aren Gen Psychiatry 1988;45:577-579)

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is indicated that age itself, even within the pediatric age range, is a major independent factor affecting the mortality rate in head-injured patients.
Abstract: A series of 8814 head-injured patients admitted to 41 hospitals in three separate metropolitan areas were prospectively studied. Of these, 1906 patients (21.6%) were 14 years of age or less. This "pediatric population" was compared to the remaining "adult population" for mechanism of injury, admission Glasgow Coma Scale score, motor score, blood pressure, pupillary reactivity, the presence of associated injuries, and the presence of subdural or epidural hematoma. The relationship of each of these factors was then correlated with post-traumatic mortality. Except for patients found to have subdural hematoma and those who were profoundly hypotensive, the pediatric patients exhibited a significantly lower mortality rate compared to the adults, thus confirming this generally held view. This study indicates that age itself, even within the pediatric age range, is a major independent factor affecting the mortality rate in head-injured patients.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used act frequency methods to identify, assess the reported performance frequencies of, and evaluate the perceived effectiveness of 19 tactics and 104 acts of human mate guarding and retention.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Sensitivity was maximally enhanced at the location where a target stimulus was expected and generally decreased with distance from that location and factors that influenced the gradient of sensitivity were (a) the type of task performed and (b) the spatial distribution of the stimuli.
Abstract: When we expect important stimuli at a particular spatial location, how does our perceptual sensitivity change over space? Subjects were cued to expect a target stimulus at one location and then required to perform one of the following tasks at that and three other locations: luminance detection, brightness discrimination, orientation discrimination, or form discrimination. The analysis of subjects' performance according to signal detection theory revealed changes in both sensitivity and bias for each of these tasks. Sensitivity was maximally enhanced at the location where a target stimulus was expected and generally decreased with distance from that location. Factors that influenced the gradient of sensitivity were (a) the type of task performed and (b) the spatial distribution of the stimuli. Sensitivity fell off more steeply over distance for orientation and form discrimination than for luminance detection and brightness discrimination. In addition, it fell off more steeply when stimuli were near each other than when they were farther apart.

Journal ArticleDOI
28 Oct 1988-Science
TL;DR: An evolutionary model predicts variations in the risk of violence as a function of the ages, sexes, and other characteristics of protagonists, and these predictions are upheld in tests with data on infanticides, parricides, and filicides.
Abstract: Homicide is an extreme manifestation of interpersonal conflict with minimal reporting bias and can thus be used as a conflict "assay." Evolutionary models of social motives predict that genetic relationship will be associated with mitigation of conflict, and various analyses of homicide data support this prediction. Most "family" homicides are spousal homicides, fueled by male sexual proprietariness. In the case of parent-offspring conflict, an evolutionary model predicts variations in the risk of violence as a function of the ages, sexes, and other characteristics of protagonists, and these predictions are upheld in tests with data on infanticides, parricides, and filicides.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jun 1988
TL;DR: In this article, it is proposed that each psychopathological state has a specific cognitive profile, which involves the theme of perceived physical or psychological threat to one's personal domain, while in depression the ideational content emphasizes loss or deprivation.
Abstract: Beck's cognitive theory (CT) of anxiety and depression is briefly described. It is proposed that each psychopathological state has a specific cognitive profile. In anxiety states, this profile involves the theme of perceived physical or psychological threat to one's personal domain, while in depression the ideational content emphasizes loss or deprivation. Moreover, CT postulates differentiation between affective states based on the specific cognitive content evident with each disorder. The empirical literature bearing on the cognitive profile and content-specificity hypotheses is reviewed, and recommendations for further research are discussed.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a condensed survey of the present state of knowledge in the field of high temperature properties of concrete, which may assist in giving an answer to the problem of estimating the fire behaviour of concrete members is presented.

Journal ArticleDOI
14 Oct 1988-Science
TL;DR: The results indicate that TCDD can kill immature thymocytes by initiating a suicide process similar to that previously described for glucocorticoid hormones.
Abstract: Suspensions of thymocytes from young rats were incubated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), which resulted in a sustained increase in cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration followed by DNA fragmentation and loss of cell viability. Both the Ca2+ increase and DNA fragmentation were prevented in cells treated with the inhibitor of protein synthesis, cycloheximide, and DNA fragmentation and cell killing were not detected when cells were incubated in a "Ca2+-free" medium or pretreated with high concentrations of the calcium probe, quin-2 tetraacetoxymethyl ester. These results indicate that TCDD can kill immature thymocytes by initiating a suicide process similar to that previously described for glucocorticoid hormones.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The number of deaths in a large series of suicide attempters followed up after their attempts was 3.3 times greater than expected and factors identified at the time of the attempts which were associated with suicide risk included being male, advancing age, psychiatric disorder, long-term use of hypnotics, poor physical health, and repeat attempts.
Abstract: The number of deaths in a large series of suicide attempters followed up after their attempts was 3.3 times greater than expected. Suicide or probable suicide occurred in 2.8% by the end of the eighth year of follow-up, the rate of suicidal deaths being 26.9 times the expected rate. The highest risk of suicide was during the first 3 years, especially in the first 6 months, following an attempt. Factors identified at the time of the attempts which were associated with suicide risk included: being male, advancing age (females only), psychiatric disorder (especially schizophrenia), long-term use of hypnotics, poor physical health, and repeat attempts. Recent disruption of a relationship with a partner and major rows rarely preceded the attempts of those who later killed themselves. Factors predicting long-term risk of suicide also predicted short-term risk. There were more than double the expected number of deaths from natural causes, the excess being greatest in females. Markedly high death rates were found for endocrine, circulatory and respiratory diseases, and accidents.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An analysis of the penalty records of the National Football League and the National Hockey League indicate that teams with black uniforms in both sports ranked near the top of their leagues in penalties throughout the period of study.
Abstract: Black is viewed as the color of evil and death in virtually all cultures. With this association in mind, we were interested in whether a cue as subtle as the color of a person's clothing might have a significant impact on his or her behavior. To test this possibility, we examined whether professional football and ice hockey teams that wear black uniforms are more aggressive than those that wear nonblack uniforms. An analysis of the penalty records of the National Football League and the National Hockey League indicate that teams with black uniforms in both sports ranked near the top of their leagues in penalties throughout the period of study. On those occasions when a team switched from nonblack to black uniforms, the switch was accompanied by an immediate increase in penalties. The results of two laboratory experiments indicate that this finding can be attributed to both social perception and self-perception processes—that is, to the biased judgments of referees and to the increased aggressiveness of the players themselves. Our discussion focuses on the theoretical implications of these data for an understanding of the variable, or "situated," nature of the self. A convenient feature of the traditional American Western film was the ease with which the viewer could distinguish the good guys from the bad guys: The bad guys wore the black hats. Of course, film directors did not invent this connection between black and evil, but built upon an existing association that extends deep into our culture and language. When a terrible thing happens on a given day, we refer to it as a "black day," as when

Journal Article
TL;DR: This State-based surveillance system, which yields data needed in planning, initiating, and supporting health promotion and disease prevention programs, is described in this paper and has proved to be flexible, timely, and affordable.
Abstract: Since 1981, the Centers for Disease Control has collaborated with State health departments and the District of Columbia to conduct random digit-dialed telephone surveys of adults concerning their health practices and behaviors. This State-based surveillance system, which yields data needed in planning, initiating, and supporting health promotion and disease prevention programs, is described in this paper. Standard methods and questionnaires were used to assess the prevalence of personal health practices and behaviors related to the leading causes of death, including seatbelt use, high blood pressure control, physical activity, weight control, cigarette smoking, alcohol use, drinking and driving, and preventive health practices. Between 1981 and 1983, 29 States (includes the District of Columbia) conducted one-time telephone surveys. Beginning in 1984, most States began collecting data continuously throughout the year, completing approximately 100 interviews per month (range 50-250), with an average of 1,200 completed interviews per year (range 600-3,000). The raw data were weighted to the age, race, and sex distribution for each State from the 1980 census data. This weighting accounts for the underrepresentation of men, whites, and younger persons (18-24 years) in the telephone surveys and, for many health practices, provides prevalence estimates comparable with estimates obtained from household surveys. Nearly all (86 percent) of the States distributed selected survey results to other State agencies, local health departments, voluntary organizations, hospitals, universities, State legislators, and the press. The majority (60 percent) of States used information from the surveys to set State health objectives, prepare State health planning documents, and plan a variety of programs concerning antismoking, the prevention of chronic diseases, and health promotion. Further, nearly two-thirds (65 percent) used results to support legislation, primarily related to the use of tobacco and seatbelts. Most of the States (84 percent) reported that alternative sources for such data (prevalence of behavioral risk factors) were unavailable. Currently in 1988, over 40 State health departments are conducting telephone surveys as part of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. This system has proved to be (a) flexible--it provides data on emerging public health problems, such as smokeless tobacco use and AIDS, (b) timely--it provides results within a few months after the data are collected, and (c) affordable--it operates at a fraction of the cost of comparable statewide in-person surveys. The system enables State public health agencies to continue to plan,initiate, and guide statewide health promotion and disease prevention programs and monitor their progress over time.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A range of suicide preventive interventions, including hotline and crisis services, school based educational and screening procedures, effective treatment of suicide attempters, minimizing opportunities for suicide imitation, and controlling access to the methods most often used to commit suicide are described, and evidence for their efficacy is presented as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: This paper reviews the risk factors for suicide in teenagers to which prevention procedures could rationally be directed. A range of suicide preventive interventions, including hotline and crisis services, school based educational and screening procedures, effective treatment of suicide attempters, minimizing opportunities for suicide imitation, and controlling access to the methods most often used to commit suicide are described, and evidence for their efficacy is presented. Most suicides among teenagers occur in those with identifiable mental or character disorders, and increasing knowledge about risk factors may facilitate prediction in the future. The evidence for the efficacy of any existing intervention, however, is slender, and there is a clear need for more effective research into the management of high-risk groups.