Pilot study of the effects of a workplace smoking ban on indices of smoking,cigarette craving,stress and other health behaviours

Abstract

Worksite smoking bans provide an ideal opportunity to examine the effects of enforced smoking restrictions on not only smoking behaviour, but also other health behaviours. This pilot study examines the short term effects of a such a ban on self-reported smoking behaviour, carbon monoxide and plasma cotinine levels and a number of other appetitive behaviours. The total number of cigarettes smoked on a working day and the number smoked just during working hours both declined following the introduction of a ban. Although the carbon monoxide levels of smokers during working hours demonstrated a similar trend to self-reported smoking, smokers' cotinine levels tended to increase, following an initial decrease following the ban. These data are suggestive of a compensatory process and a change in smoking topography, probably outside working hours. Measures of stress and craving also appeared to be affected by the introduction of smoking restrictions.     

Developmentally delayed children's influence attempts with mothers predict interactions with peers over time

We examined whether influence attempts of 4–6 year-old children with mild developmental delays occurring when interacting with their mothers predicted children's interactions with peers two years later. Hierarchical regressions controlling for relevant child characteristics and a measure of direct parental actions to influence their children's peer interactions revealed a consistent association between influence attempts with mothers and four important aspects of children's peer relationships: successful social bids to peers, initiations to peers, extent of involvement with peers, and overall level of peer interactions. Results were consistent with social communicative processes likely to emerge during children's influence attempts with mothers, which are relevant to peer relationships. The fact that influence attempts with mothers were associated with peer interactions over a time period when peers occupy a more dominant role in children's social relationships supports the role of indirect family influences as a potential intervention strategy to further the peer competence of children with delays.     

Inducing a Rule in Wason's 2-4-6 Task: A Test of the Information-Quantity and Goal-Complementarity Hypotheses

In the standard 2-4-6 induction task, subjects are instructed to discover the rule generating sequences of three numbers by inventing number triples for which they receive immediate feedback. The rule is “ascending numbers”. Performance is greatly aided with Dual Goal (DG) instructions that ask subjects to discover two rules, one that generates “Dax” triples (equivalent to “yes” instances with Single Goal [SG] instructions) and another that generates “Med” triples (equivalent to “no” instances). The present study eliminates two explanations for this effect suggested by Wharton, Cheng, and Wickens (1993). Experiment 1 tested their Information-Quantity hypothesis that the effect results simply from the DG subjects testing more triples prior to proposing a rule. Our DG subjects were more likely to solve the problem and produced more “negative” triples than SG subjects when both groups generated exactly 15 triples. Two further groups received feedback only after generating all 15 triples, and again DG subjects were more likely to solve the problem and to generate more “negative” triples. Experiment 2 tested Wharton et al.'s Goal-Complementarity hypothesis that success under DG instructions hinges on preserving the complementary representation of the two rules. We compared SG instructions with three types of DG instructions that suggested different types of triples (Dax, Med, both Dax and Med, neither Dax nor Med). DG instructions were more effective in promoting successful rule discovery regardless of differences in rule complementarity. Our analysis of the heterogeneity of the examplars generated with DG instructions in both experiments suggest that success on the 2-4-6 task is as much a consequence of the breadth of hypotheses that subjects entertain as it is a consequence of the testing strategy.     

Emotionally disturbed children in ordinary schools: Concepts, prevalence and management

Not all children in ordinary schools with emotional problems need intensive psychotherapy from specialists. The majority can be helped by class teachers who exercise extended pastoral care. Some others will need the help of a skilled worker trained and experienced in skills of individual counselling. But there area few children - a significant few - who do need specialised help. It may sometimes be possible for them to receive this help in the ordinary school, without removal to a special school or referral to some outside agency such as a Child Guidance Service, if use is made of a special adjustment unit. Some conceptual problems in relation to maladjustment are discussed; reference is made to national surveys indicating the prevalence of the problem in the school-child population; and a model of management for children in ordinary schools is outlined, based on work carried out in Bristol over the past seven years, with particular reference to special adjustment units.     

Women in Cultural Transition: Suicidal Behavior in South African Indian Women

Young South African Indian women are a population with relatively high rates of suicidal behavior. This article presents three illustrative case studies of nonfatal suicidal behavior by South African Indian women. The cases are discussed in relation to a review of epidemiological, historical, and sociocultural perspectives on South African Indian women. It is argued that suicidal behaviors in this group can be understood in the context of sociocultural transition. Transitional tensions between traditional Indian culture and Westernization have an impact on traditional gendered power relations and generate conflicts that have intrapsychic and interpersonal consequences for women and for men. These in turn may have adverse effects on marital functioning, quality of life, and specific aspects of emotional functioning, which have been identified as precursors of suicidal behavior. The case studies are discussed with reference to gender narratives. Implications for prevention, intervention, and future research are discussed.     

A COMPARISON OF THE FOCAL ATTENTION AND CONTEXTUAL THEORIES AS THEY RELATE TO THE GRAPHIC SIMILARITY AND THE LEVEL OF FREQUENCY OF THE WORDS TAUGHT

Two theories which have been advanced for the purpose of explaining word recognition learning through visual exposure are the focal attention and contextual theories. Previous research has not provided a clear‐cut answer as to which theory best explains this type of word learning. The present study was undertaken to examine the effect of the message level of the context in which the word was presented on the immediate and delayed recall of first graders. The subjects were 160 first graders from three schools randomly assigned to one of four varying instructional methods. The four words taught were presented in lists which varied in graphic similarity and in frequency. A three‐way analysis of variance was performed on the words learned and on the words remembered. The results indicated that only frequency and graphic similarity had a significant effect on immediate recall and only graphic similarity significantly affected the delayed recall. It was concluded that neither the focal attention or contextual theory offered a powerful explanation for words learned through visual exposure.     

Psychological Intervention,Spontaneous Remission,Hopelessness, and Psychiatric Disturbance in Adolescent Parasuicides

A study of 40 Indian adolescent parasuicides in South Africa showed that these subjects have significantly higher levels of hopelessness and psychiatric disturbance than nonsuicidal controls. Approximately half the parasuicides received psychological intervention. Posttesting at 6 months revealed that the treated subjects improved significantly on measures of hopelessness and psychiatric disturbance. The untreated subjects showed no significant reduction in hopelessness although they improved significantly on ratings of psychiatric disturbance. The results are discussed with possible explanations and recommendations.