A hierarchical factor model of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) (S. Reiss and others, 1986) was evaluated with 432 psychiatric outpatients and 32 people with no mental disorder. Results support a hierarchical factor structure of three lower order factors and one higher order factor. Implications for the assessment of anxiety sensitivity are…

The dimensions underlying the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) (W. Goodman and others, 1989) were examined by performing a confirmatory factor analysis of the scale using responses from 404 patients. Results support a two-factor model of obsessive-compulsive symptoms, reflecting degree of disturbance and severity of symptoms. (SLD)

Introduces this special issue of the journal and highlights the contents, which focus mainly on text and talk in the context of healthcare and medicine. (Author/VWL)

Comments on the changing dynamics in work practices. Argues that such changes are not new but have become more visible due to the increased access by outsiders, such as researchers and the media to the increase in litigation claims that exert additional pressure on practitioners. (Author/VWL)

After a brief discussion of legal perspectives on informed consent, the present review examines the developmental literature on children and adolescents' capacities to make medical decisions that are informed, voluntary, and rational. The purposes and benefits of assent are identified. Remaining questions of how to evaluate capacity and balance…

Few researchers have studied how lesbians choose health and mental health care providers. This article reports on community focus groups in which 33 lesbians reported that decision making was based on their past experiences and their hopes for high quality care. They encountered a continuum of provider reactions consisting of five categories:…

Estimated length of stay (LOS) for elderly nursing home patients. Converted discharges from 1985 National Nursing Home Survey into admission cohort and adding reported immediate previous nursing home LOS to surveyed LOS. Ultimate length of aggregated stay was longer than unaggregated estimates for elderly discharged residents. Mean aggregated stay…

Analysis of doctors' and patients' oral accounts and responses during medical interactions, from the perspective of an interactional strategy linking social structure to social interaction, demonstrates how the medical interview is characterized by a moment-to-moment battle that mirrors and largely sustains the institutional authority and status…

This continuing education article is designed to teach nurses to describe sickle cell anemia, identify complications, specify signs and symptoms, and describe nursing interventions. It concludes with a multiple-choice test. (SK)

Identified schizophrenic patients as distinctive subgroup of patients who can suffer from major depressive illness and can commit suicide. Found 22.4 percent of 620 schizophrenics in psychiatric facility showed symptoms of major depressive episode. Seven patients committed suicide during acute phase of illness, 9 attempted suicide while…

Compared 131 hospitalized schizophrenics who had attempted suicide within past year to 70 hospitalized schizophrenics who had not attempted suicide, using the Present State Examination depressive symptoms. Found that schizophrenics who had attempted suicide had significantly higher number of symptoms indicative of a depressive disorder. (Author/NB)

Indirectly affected by professional nurse educators are the clients (patients), practitioners, policymakers, and educators themselves. Because much of their work is hidden, they should emphasize collaboration and develop a stronger voice to explain why their work is important. (SK)

In 3 experiments older adults (n=27, n=36, and n=27) were given medication instructions as categorized lists, simple lists, or paragraphs. The first group preferred categorized lists; the second answered questions about listed instructions more quickly, and the third group recalled more information from simple lists. List format was considered…

Studies of the Arthritis Self-Management Program conclude that (1) it improves patient behaviors and self-efficacy; (2) formal reinforcement does not improve long-term outcomes; (3) improvement gains have both clinical and cost-saving effects; and (4) changes in health status are more closely linked to self-efficacy than to behavior. (SK)

Social learning theory formed the basis of a program to develop self-management skills in cystic fibrosis patients. Strategies for practical learning activities for patients and their families included goal setting, reinforcement, modeling, skill training, and self-monitoring. (SK)