Medication adherence and diabetes control in urban African Americans with type 2 diabetes.

In 181 urban African Americans with Type 2 diabetes, medication adherence was assessed using a measure designed specifically for an urban, impoverished sociodemographic population. Hemoglobin A-sub(1c), blood pressure and cholesterol levels, medication-related beliefs, and depression were assessed. Seventy-four percent of the sample reported adherence to diabetes medication. Adherence, adjusted for age, was associated with lower hemoglobin A-sub(1c). The specific behaviors associated with poorer diabetes control were forgetting to take medications and running out of medications. Knowledge of blood glucose goals differed for adherers and nonadherers. Blood pressure and cholesterol medication adherence rates were not associated with actual levels of blood pressure or lipids, respectively. These data suggest that specific medication-taking behaviors are important to diabetes control and constitute logical targets for interventions. ((c) 2005 APA, all rights reserved).     

Self‐Efficacy to Avoid Suicidal Action: Factor Structure and Convergent Validity among Adults in Substance Use Disorder Treatment

Individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) are at high risk of suicidal behaviors, highlighting the need for an improved understanding of potentially influential factors. One such domain is self‐efficacy to manage suicidal thoughts and impulses. Psychometric data about the Self‐Efficacy to Avoid Suicidal Action (SEASA) Scale within a sample of adults seeking SUD treatment (N = 464) is provided. Exploratory factor analysis supported a single self‐efficacy construct. Lower SEASA scores, or lower self‐efficacy, were reported in those with more severe suicidal ideation and those with more suicide attempts, providing evidence for convergent validity. Implications of measuring self‐efficacy in the context of suicide risk assessment are discussed.     

Mothers’ Trait Verbal Aggressiveness as a Predictor of Maternal and Child Behavior During Playtime Interactions

This article explores associations between mothers’ trait verbal aggressiveness (VA) and maternal and child behavior during playtime interactions. Forty mothers completed a 10‐minute play period with one of their children (range = 3–8 years) and then responded to D. A. Infante and C. J. Wigley’s (1986) trait VA scale. Mothers’ trait VA was associated positively (r = .48) with their rate of directing and inversely (r =?.44) with their child’s rated cooperation. Qualitative analyses of a subset (n = 8) of interactions suggest that mothers high in trait VA used directives to control the choice, rate, and duration of activities, and used physical negative touch along with directives, more than low‐VA mothers. Behaviors associated with trait VA occur even during brief mother–child interactions in which triggers for aggressive behavior largely are absent.