The Nature and Correlates of Psychological Adjustment in Gay Men with AIDS-Related Conditions1

This study assessed differences in the psychological adjustment of gay men who tested positive for the antibody to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Twenty-one were symptomatic for AIDS, and 27 were asymptomatic. A group of 15 gay men who tested negative for the HIV was included as a comparison group. Men in the three groups were equivalent on demographic variables. Symptomatic men reported more health problems than either asymptomatic or seronegative men. Relative to men who were symptomatic, those who were asymptomatic reported more death anxiety, less optimism, and greater severity of psychological distress, and reported more frequent use of avoidance and distancing as coping strategies. The poor psychological functioning of asymptomatic subjects was attributed to the uncertainty regarding their future health status. Generally, positive psychological well-being of symptomatic and asymptomatic men was related to the infrequent use of avoidance coping strategies and high satisfaction with perceived social support.     

Sex and age variations in the quality and intensity of children's emotional attributions to hypothetical situations

Sex and age differences in the quality and intensity of children's emotional attributions to affect-laden stories were explored. Seventy-two 7-, 9-, and 11-year-old children, with equal numbers of boys and girls of each age, were individually told 10 affect-laden stories. After each story, children were asked to indicate how they would feel as the story protagonist by pointing to angry, sad, happy, and scared faces, each of which had three degrees of intensity. The results revealed that boys attributed anger to themselves more frequently than did girls; girls attributed sadness and fear to themselves more frequently than did boys. Boys' first responses to the stories were more intensely angry and more intensely happy than were girls' first responses; and the intensity of both boys' and girls' emotional attributions decreased with age.This research was funded by a grant from the Graduate School of Boston University, #GRS-661-PS. The author expresses appreciation to the faculty and students of the Bartlett School, Lowell, Massachusetts, and to the Lowell-Lesley College Teacher Corps Project, especially to Allan Alson, John Cronin, and Edna Robinson. The author would also like to thank Shirley Brody, Emily Flynn, Benjamin Gozun, and Richard Simon for their help in various phases of this project.     

The physician-patient relationship: Models and criticisms

A review of the philosophical debate on theoretical models for the physician-patient relationship over the past fifteen years may point to some of the more productive questions for future research. Contractual models have been criticized for promoting a legalistic and minimalistic image of the relationship, such that another form of model (such as “convenant”) is required. Shifting from a contractual to a contractarian model (in keeping with Rawls' notion of an original position) provides an adequate response to many criticisms of this type. A deeper criticism, however, is one that advocates a shift to a virtue-based approach. A creative amalgam between a contractarian model and elements of the virtue-based approach, combined with appropriate empirical investigation, may yield richer models in the future.