Students' knowledge of AIDS and sexual risk behavior.

College students appear to be knowledgeable of the methods of transmission and risks of the AIDS virus. However, the reality of susceptibility to infection does not seem to have altered their conduct. In a study of 19 heterosexual college students, knowledge and intention do not appear to be good predictors of sexual behavior. Young people appear to continue high-risk sexual behavior even while knowledgeable of the risks of AIDS.     

Self-efficacy among hospitalized mentally ill patients.

General self-efficacy and social self-efficacy were measured in a psychiatric inpatient population of 105 and compared with Sherer's 477 college students. Patients have lower self-efficacy than college students. A small but significant correlation of .38 was noted between general self-efficacy and social self-efficacy. Age was related to general self-efficacy but not social self-efficacy in this population.     

2001: A Counseling Odyssey

Futurists can be categorized as extrapolators, romantics, or systems thinkers. They make predictions about the future in response to current and impending world crises emerging from the impact that humans haue on this earth. Many of these crises have a direct bearing on the functions performed by the counselor. How does the counselor view the future? Can the counselor be classified in the same way as the futurists? In this article futurists, crises, and counseling strategies are discussed in an attempt to bring about congruence and to assist counselors to become aware of and recognize their role in shaping the future.     

Help-seeking for AIDS-related concerns: A comparison of gay men with various HIV diagnoses

Examined help-seeking and psychological distress among four groups of gay men (30 AIDS-diagnosed, 107 HIV-seropositive, 149 HIV-seronegative, 244 untested) in the AIDS Behavioral Research Project, a longitudinal survey of San Francisco gay men. The men reported high levels of anxiety, depression, and help-seeking from their social networks. AIDS-diagnosed and HIV-positives reported the most AIDS worry and were the most likely to seek help. High percentages of AIDS-diagnosed men sought help from all sources (peers, professionals, family), whereas nondiagnosed men were more likely to seek help from peers. Regardless of the men's HIV status, peers were perceived to be the most helpful source. Family members were less likely sought and perceived as least helpful. The strengths and limitations of peers as social support providers for AIDS-related concerns are discussed, including implications for the design of community programs to enhance the abilities of peer helpers.     

Beyond internal consistency reliability: Rationale and user’s guide for Multitrait Analysis Program on the microcomputer

A methodology for evaluating Likert-type scales is presented. Multitrait scaling is a straightforward approach to scale analysis that focuses on items as the unit of analysis and utilizes the logic of convergent and discriminant validity. Multitrait scaling is illustrated with the Multitrait Analysis Program, using patient satisfaction data from the Medical Outcomes Study.     

The Contribution of Music to Positive Aging: A Review

Many people value music as an important part of their everyday lives. The published literature reveals that the role of music in life is varied: it can be recreational, educational, social, emotional, therapeutic, and spiritual. The importance and relevance of music depends on the life needs and interests of the individual and the social group within which he/she lives. It is now widely recognized that music for many older people is crucial in supporting a sense of well-being. The article reviews the evidence on the role of music in promoting health and well-being, and how it can produce positive psychological and physiological benefits for individuals. The aim of this article is to increase awareness among health professionals of the importance of music and discuss how it can be used to add to older people's lives.     

Concurrent validity of the Wechsler abbreviated scale of intelligence and the Kaufman brief intelligence test among psychiatric inpatients

This study examined the convergent and discriminant validity of the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence and the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test for 85 psychiatric inpatients. The correlation between the WASI Full Scale and K-BIT Composite IQ scores was significant (r = .89, p < .001). Multitrait-multimethod analysis of the subtest scores showed that the K-BIT had higher internal consistency for its two subtests but, therefore, less differentiation of cognitive functioning than the brief Wechsler scale, as would be expected due to the larger number and diversity of the latter subtests. Correlations among the Wechsler scale subtests were lower than among those for the K-BIT, so the former may tap different cognitive functions and yield more clinically useful information than the latter. This brief Wechsler scale appears to be a valid screening measure of verbal, performance. and general intellectual ability for use with an inpatient psychiatric population when considerations of the setting or patient preclude administration of a longer measure of intellectual ability.     

To Jim,from Fiji

A braided epistolary essay, “To Jim, from Fiji,” explores three kinds of relationships: how musicians share music; the relationship of an artist to art itself; and human interaction with the divine via music. The article begins as a personal letter to the writer's Jungian therapist, then tells the story of a trip to Fiji, where music became the entryway to a deep and connective experience. The sections weave together to develop an inquiry into how humans use music to relate with each other and with a numinous reality, where the artist can become “vassal and vessel both.”