Two experiments involving 49 male and 49 female college students were conducted to determine the effects of physician physical attractiveness on the patients' disclosures of personal information (symptoms). In the first experiment, subjects rated pictures of physicians for physical attractiveness and reported their willingness to disclose and…

Court decisions stressing the rights of mental patients have necessitated a radical revision in the management of behavioral treatment programs. The client's rights to the least intrusive procedures to achieve treatment goals have become important in case law. Factors which identify intrusiveness include: (1) the extent to which the "new…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 14 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) metaphor as argument in editorial cartoons, (2) conversational arguments, (3) message retention under threat of speech performance, (4) dominance and hostility…

Special difficulties surround the efforts of the Indian Health Service (IHS) to recruit and retain physicians for its extensive health care delivery systems on Indian reservations, particularly those of the Navajo. A comprehensive questionnaire survey obtained data on the background and attitudes of federal physicians practicing in each of the 8…

This book presents the state of the art of American medical education in alcohol and drug abuse, and is the culmination of a four-year collaborative effort among the medical school faculty of the Career Teacher Program in Alcohol and Drug Abuse. The first part contains reports, curricula, and survey data prepared for the medical education…

This paper provides information concerning the school experience of children with cancer and describes a program of intervention by the pediatric psychologist and the oncology nurse-clinician to facilitate the child's successful return to school. School records, including attendance, grades, standardized test scores and teachers' comments, were…

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of teaching mental patients to use client-centered and experiential therapeutic skills with each other. To determine whether these skills could be learned, the 42 patients were pretested and posttested using the Hinterkopf-Brunswick Talker and Helper Rating Scales. The patients were randomly…

A non-experimental, exploratory field study was designed to investigate the impact of a diagnosis of nonresectable lung cancer on eight subjects' relationships with others and plans for the future. Participant observation, systematic verbal and behavioral communications between subjects and investigator were the primary methods of inquiry. Such…

The librarian in a mental health hospital has a unique opportunity to serve patients. The nonclinical setting is a significant factor in establishing the library as a bridge between the hospital and the outside world. The librarian-bibliotherapist, especially when working as a team member with the psychotherapist, brings professionalism and…

Background characteristics and the vocational and educational needs and desires of former narcotics addicts in a residential therapeutic community (Topic House, Long Island) were investigated; the potential role of Nassau Community College in meeting these needs and desires was assessed; and a determination was made of what Topic House residents…

A survey of 113 medical schools examined whether sociocultural issues in the treatment of minority group patients were considered in their curricula. Inclusion of factors such as different value systems, attitudes, early experiences, and economic and ethnic backgrounds and their influence upon the delivery of health care services to minority…

The ways in which residents fulfill their teaching responsibilities were examined. First- and second-year internal medicine residents were observed as they reviewed cases during work rounds. The most frequently observed teaching behaviors were associated with patient care: providing a role model. (Author/MLW)

Parental response to being informed of their young child's mental handicap was examined through interviews with 50 parents. Results indicated that the majority of parents were told of the handicap in a generally positive manner, after minimal contact with the physician, and during the child's first month of life. (Author/JDD)

Communication skills are critical when the physician must convey distressful information. A study to determine whether training second-year medical students to convey such information would be effective in improving their skills is reported. (MLW)

A 5-week family medicine clerkship is described that uses several innovative techniques: problem-based learning focusing on patient management tutorials; consultation with specialists; supervised patient care and a nursing home inpatient teaching service; and workshops on topics such as office-surgical techniques, practice management, and…