Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs of Arab-American Women Regarding Inherited Cancer Risk

The increasing incidence of breast cancer in the Arab world, coupled with a relatively early age of onset, raises concern for the presence of hereditary risk factors in this population. However, due to potential structural and cultural barriers, Arab Americans make up the smallest percentage of individuals tested for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome in the United States. The objectives of this qualitative pilot focus group of 13 Arab-American women were to explore attitudes, knowledge and beliefs regarding hereditary breast cancer in the Arab-American community in metropolitan Detroit, identify barriers that would prevent women from seeking hereditary cancer screening/testing and determine who women would talk to about inherited cancer. Results indicated that cultural beliefs and personal experiences with cancer influenced the women’s perspectives on hereditary cancer risk. A high level of secrecy about cancer within Arab-American families was present, which may prevent accurate risk assessment and referral for genetic services. Other identified barriers that may influence hereditary risk assessment included stigma, fears and misconceptions of cancer. While these barriers were present, participants also expressed a strong need for education and tailored cancer risk information for their community.     

Transferring Subcultural Knowledge On-Line: Practices and Beliefs of Persistent Digital Pirates

Criminal subcultures form around deviant behaviors as a consequence of persistent interactions with like-minded others who facilitate the transmission of norms, values, and belief. Although researchers have explored social interactions in the real world, few have considered how learning occurs through virtual interactions. We address the role of on-line interactions in spreading subcultural knowledge by interviewing 34 persistent digital pirates and performing a non-participant ethnography of an on-line forum devoted to piracy. Our results show that through on-line interactions, pirates learn the norms and values of digital piracy, including how to recognize and avoid risks associated with pirating and how to make sense of and justify their actions. They did not see themselves as members of a piracy subculture, however. These findings show that subcultural knowledge can be transmitted through on-line interactions, even when participants do not fully invest in the group.     

Beliefs, Persons and Practices: Beyond Tolerance

The central thesis of this paper is that, for most issues of multiculturalism, regarding them as a problem of tolerance puts us on the wrong track because there are certain biases inherent in the principle of tolerance. These biases – individualism, combined with a focus on religion and a focus on beliefs rather than on persons or practices – can be regarded as distinctly Protestant. Extending the scope of tolerance may seem a solution but if we really want to counter these biases, the principle of tolerance becomes so general that it loses any distinctive meaning. Therefore, we should accept the limited scope of tolerance and its biases. The principle of tolerance can still be useful for some problems where there is a clear and direct link to political or religious beliefs. Moreover, it should be cherished as a more general attitude or practice in Dutch society. For most problems of multiculturalism, however, we should appeal to broader theoretical frameworks that do justice to persons and practices.     

A Comparative Study of Knowledge of Changing Demographic Trends and the Importance of HRM Practices in Three European Countries

Recent changes in the demographic structures of industrialized nations pose a potentially serious threat to work organizations in terms of their ability to attract and retain high calibre personnel. Specifically, the number of young people in their late teens and early-to-mid twenties is on the decline at the present time, coupled with a long-term recession, thus posing a dilemma for organizations concerned to develop and maintain a viable workforce. This article reports the findings of a three-country comparative study, conducted in The Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom, designed to investigate the extent to which graduate employers are aware of current demographic trends in the labour market and what HRM policies they are instituting, given this context. The findings reveal considerable levels of ignorance across all three countries, suggesting that attempts by various Government bodies, employers' organizations, professional associations and academics to draw attention to the potentially serious consquences of inadequate planning and future skill provision have largely failed. The results indicate that many organizations are engaging in human resource strategies which are not well suited to meeting the challenges of the 1990s.     

Men and Menstruation: A Qualitative Exploration of Beliefs,Attitudes and Experiences

Our article presents the findings from a study exploring men’s attitudes towards and perceptions of menstruation. Using a social constructionist framework, we analyzed 48 Australian men’s written accounts in response to an anonymous online questionnaire which explored messages they received about menstruation growing up as well as their current attitudes towards, and experiences with, menstruation. Respondents were 18–69 years-old; most were Caucasian and in an intimate relationship, and they varied considerably in terms of educational attainment. Thematic analysis yielded four themes: (a) managing the stigma of menstruation, (b) talking menstruation today—open and closed communication, (c) menstruation is part of relationships, and (d) menstruation and social commentary. These findings shed light on how boys learn about menstruation and how men’s role in menstruation is constructed, emphasizing the educational, relational, and socio-political contexts in which these attitudes are created. Researchers, health care providers, and educators could use our findings to create more effective reproductive health education programs. Improving communication between parents and children may encourage a more balanced view towards menstruation, working towards reducing the stigma commonly experienced by girls and women.     

Adolescent Males' Knowledge and Attitudes About AIDS in The Context of Their Social World1

This study sought to find out how much total knowledge adolescents had concerning AIDS, what particular areas of knowledge were deficient, and how those areas might be related to attitudes and experiences in their social world. Seventy-eight adolescent males from one suburban and three urban high schools were interviewed. A 101-item questionnaire was used to assess: a) overall knowledge about AIDS; b) attitudes about sexuality, drugs, death, and AIDS and; c) related aspects of their social world, i.e., number of IV drug users known, and sources of information about AIDS. Analyses of variance were performed on overall knowledge of AIDS and on five content areas of knowledge. Race was shown to relate to significant differences in the knowledge scores. The social world associated with the urban samples were discussed as risk factors for minority youth. Different attitudes related to strengths and weaknesses in different areas of knowledge. Attitudes associated with deficiencies in different subareas of knowledge were discussed as additional risk factors and as presenting target areas for AIDS education efforts.     

Knowledge and Beliefs about Bulimia Nervosa and its Treatment: A Comparative Study of Three Disciplines

Poor Mental Health Literacy (MHL), i.e. knowledge and beliefs about bulimia nervosa (BN), among health professionals may contribute to low rates of recognition and less optimal management. The aim of this study was to investigate the BN-MHL of health professionals. A total of 534 professionals selected randomly from Internet based lists were surveyed with a MHL questionnaire regarding a fictional vignette of a woman with BN. One hundred and thirty-six dieticians, 68 psychologists and 97 counselors, total 56% (n = 301) responded. The majority of respondents indicated the woman in the vignette suffered from BN (49%) or an eating disorder (20%) and endorsed evidenced based approaches. On post hoc between group analyses there was a trend (p = .02) for dieticians and psychologists to be more likely than counselors to accurately identify the diagnosis of BN. Dieticians and psychologists were also more likely than counselors to endorse a psychologist as the most helpful treatment provider (p<.001) and to be more likely to endorse cognitive behavioral therapy as the most helpful treatment (p<.001). These results indicate a need for greater training and support for non specialist primary care health professionals.     

Attitudes Toward Male Oral Contraceptives: Implications for Models of the Relationship Between Beliefs and Attitudes1

Four factors (effectiveness, health risks, cost, and convenience) were orthogonally manipulated in a 3 × 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design to determine their relative importance in influencing attitudes toward and intentions to use male oral contraceptives. The experimental design also permitted a test of the assumption of additivity underlying expectancy-value models of attitude and the assumption of absence of context effects. Results were consistent with expectancy-value models of the relationship between beliefs and attitudes. In addition, it was found that health risks and effedtiveness, in that order, were the most important factors influencing receptivity to male oral contraceptives, with the effects of cost and convenience being mediated by these two factors. Sex differences in attitudes toward male oral contraceptives were also observed.     

The Puerto Rican Prison Experience: A Multicultural Understanding of Values,Beliefs, and Attitudes

This article presents the perspective that Puerto Rican men who are or who have been incarcerated are in multicultural variance with the dominant, middle class beliefs of American society. The authors also provide suggestions for counseling interventions with this population.     

Neuromarketing Research Practices: Attitudes,Ethics, and Behavioral Intentions

As a new addition to the marketing research toolbox, neuromarketing science has given rise to a variety of questions relevant to consumer perceptions of this nascent area of investigation. Neuromarketing researchers are dependent on consumer involvement as research participants, and finding means to educate the public about neuromarketing is a priority for professionals working in the field. This article describes the results of two online questionnaire studies focused on the role of personal constructs presumed to underlie perceptions of neuromarketing research. The findings point to neuromarketing research knowledge, attitudes toward science, attitudes toward technology, and ethical ideology as important factors linked to neuromarketing research attitudes, perceptions of the ethicality of neuromarketing research, and willingness to participate in neuromarketing studies. We discuss the implications of our findings for educating the public about neuromarketing research and encouraging research participation, and we conclude by suggesting directions for future research.     

The Relationship Between Attitudes Toward Persons Who Are Gay and Persons With AIDS,and HIV and AIDS Knowledge

A total of 86 counseling students were assessed on their attitudes toward persons who are gay, attitudes toward persons with AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), and level of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS knowledge. Demographic data consisted of sex, age, and HIV- and AIDS-related training. Results indicated that the attitudinal and knowledge variables were correlated so that positive attitudes toward both groups corresponded with high levels of knowledge. There were no significant differences among these variables on the demographic factors. Implications of these results are discussed, with special emphasis placed on counselor education.     

A Review on Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Awareness,Knowledge, and Attitudes

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is one of the most common genetic causes of infant death. There is presently no cure, but the therapeutic pipeline is promising. Given the prevalence of SMA coupled with the potential for new treatment options, universal carrier screening, and newborn screening, we conducted a literature review of the awareness, knowledge, and attitudes held by the public and non-geneticist clinicians about various aspects of SMA. We then identify recommendations for targeting additional research, training, and educational efforts to increase awareness. In the limited available literature, we found that the public is generally unfamiliar with SMA but has favorable views of carrier and newborn screening. Clinicians also had limited understanding of SMA. Further research into knowledge and attitudes of healthcare providers and the general public will help develop a better understanding of education gaps and inform outreach efforts. These educational efforts are needed to complement the momentum as treatments are being developed and tested. Furthermore, professional societies are proposing routine carrier screening and SMA may achieve newborn screening status, which will change the SMA landscape for genetics professionals and families. Thus, it is important to explore knowledge and attitudes about SMA to allow us to prepare for when SMA attains higher public and clinician recognition.     

Beliefs and Attitudes in a Gubernatorial Primary: Some Limitations on the Fishbein Model1

In order to investigate hypothesized limitations on a portion of the Fishbein expectancy-value model, a three wave panel survey was conducted during the 1978 Texas Democratic gubernatorial primary. The survey elicited respondents' beliefs about the candidates, attitudes toward the candidates, and commitment to the candidates. Analyses revealed that the correlations between evaluative beliefs about candidates (Σe_ib_i) and global attitudes toward them (Ao) were affected to varying degrees by three factors extraneous to Fishbein's model. There was evidence that belief-attitude correspondence was affected by (1) respondent education and income, (2) degree of commitment to the candidates, and (3) familiarity with the candidates (salience).     

Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Genetic Testing: A Two Year Follow-Up Study in Patients with Asthma,Diabetes Mellitus and Cardiovascular Disease

Adequate knowledge and personal attitudes towards DNA-testing are major determinants of optimal utilization of genetic testing. This study aims to (1) assess the genetic knowledge and attitude towards genetic testing of patients with asthma, diabetes mellitus type II and cardiovascular diseases, (2) determine whether their knowledge or attitude changed since 2002, and (3) investigate the predictive role of knowledge on attitude. Data were collected within the Panel of Patients with Chronic Diseases in 2002 and 2004, resulting in 398 data-pairs. Results show that factual knowledge mainly relates to associations between genes and diseases, less is known on associations between genes, chromosomes, cells and body. The perceived knowledge on DNA-testing has not increased since 2002. The attitude towards genetic testing also appeared to be rather consistent. Less perceived medical genetic knowledge and more perceived social genetic knowledge were found predictive for a more reserved attitude towards genetic testing. In conclusion, advanced developments in the field of genetics are not accompanied by increased knowledge of patients with common multi-factorial diseases. The finding that more perceived social genetic knowledge results in more reluctance can be considered an indicator for the necessity of social debates on genetic testing.     

Equity in Staff Selection: Managerial Attitudes and Practices

A survey of 486 managers was designed to examine how well employment equity is being implemented in Australian public and private sector organizations. Respondents were asked to report on the procedures they themselves used in their most recent staff selection. The findings on the incidence of the various selection techniques generally confirmed those of previous studies, specifically that the interview is the single most common technique. Although the large majority of managers professed pro-equity attitudes, most also displayed a belief in gender stereotypes and almost half misunderstood the requirements of affirmative action in Australia. Most selection decisions appear to have been based on merit-related factors, but a surprisingly high proportion of managers admitted to potentially discriminatory practices. Factors such as age, good looks and the absence of physical disability were rated as having been important in more than a third of selection decisions. Also, factors such as gender, marital status, race and colour influenced some managers in job selection. However, such discriminatory factors appear to have been less important in the public sector and in larger organizations which would have had more exposure to equity and affirmative action programs.     

Authoritarianism,Knowledge of AIDS,and Affect Toward Persons with AIDS: Implications for Health Education1

Four hundred sixteen undergraduate university students were asked to indicate their knowledge of AIDS and affect toward persons with AIDS and to take the California F-scale (Adorno, Frenkel-Brunswik, Levinson, & Sanford, 1950, 1982). Results indicated a significant relationship between authoritarianism and affect toward persons with AIDS, r= .31 (p < .01). Knowledge of AIDS was very slightly related to affect toward persons with AIDS, but it did not moderate the relationship between authoritarianism and affect toward persons with AIDS. The findings are interpreted as having possible implications for health education.     

Preventing Nuclear War: Beliefs and Attitudes as Predictors of Disarmist and Deterrentist Behavior1

A survey of peace activists, defense industry workers and psychology students (n= 283) was conducted to evaluate the usefulness of Protection Motivation Theory (Maddux & Rogers, 1983; Rogers, 1975) for predicting the extent and direction (Disarmist vs. Deterrentist) of respondents' efforts to prevent nuclear war. Regression analyses showed that the Protection Motivation model did account for a significant proportion of the variance in disarmist behavior, and that extending the model to include a measure of belief in the inevitability of war improved the model's predictive power. The model did not predict deterrentist advocacy, an outcome that suggests that activism in support of nuclear deterrence may be a response to a perceived threat from an “enemy” rather than a response to the threats represented by nuclear weapons and preparations for war.     

Knowledge,Attitudes, and Practices of Plagiarism as Reported by Participants Completing the AuthorAID MOOC on Research Writing

Science and Engineering Ethics - To explore the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding plagiarism in a large culturally diverse sample of researchers who participated in the AuthorAID MOOC on...