Recent stressful life events and young children's school adjustment

A group of 211 first-to fourth-grade children who had experienced one or more recent stressful life events were compared to a demographically matched sample of 211 children who had not experienced such events on measures of school adjustment problems and competencies. Stressful life events were found to be associated with the presence of more serious school adjustment problems and fewer competencies. Those associations were strongest for children who had experienced multiple recent stressful events. The importance of preventive interventions for this at-risk group was emphasized and future research steps in the area were considered.     

Teacher ratings of children's problem and competence behaviors: Normative and parametric characteristics

Teacher-rated adjustment differences among young elementary school children from (a) a recent sample and a 1974 cohort, and (b) urban/suburban, male/female, and grade-level subgroups were examined. A problem behavior checklist (Classroom Adjustment Rating Scale) and a school competence measure (Health Resources Inventory) for 974 children from 5 urban and 5 suburban schools were completed by 101 first- to fourth-grade teachers. Children from the more current cohort were rated as significantly more maladjusted than those from the earlier sample on 8 of 10 adjustment variables. In the recent sample, girls and suburban children evidenced a greater number of school competencies and fewer problem behaviors than boys and urban children, respectively. The implications of these findings for the future use of the teacher rating scales are discussed.     

Homeopathic remedies as placebo alternatives — verification on the example of treatment of menopause-related vegetative and emotional disturbances

With the example of treatment of menopause-related vegetative and emotional disturbances, the author verifies the effectiveness of the use of Ignatia amara containing complex homeopathic remedies (IACCHR) as an alternative to placebo. Substantial improvement in psychological and psychosomatic symptoms was observed. Climacteric complaints diminished or disappeared completely in the majority of women (95.7% by patient evaluation and 96.2% by physician evaluation). Compared to standard pharmaceuticals, IACCHR treatment was tolerated better and lower risk of side effects was observed. The results obtained in this work indicate the significant therapeutic potential of this group of treatments, which is in line with the therapeutic effect of the placebo. Nevertheless, the showing of specific effects in pharmacological tests disqualifies the investigated treatments from use in a clinical trial in place of a placebo. An earlier version of this paper was presented at an international conference, “Placebo: Its Action and Place in Health Research Today,” held in Warsaw, Poland on 12–13 April, 2003.     

Use of newsletters to promote environmental political action: an experimental analysis

The managers of beach businesses were randomly assigned to receive no intervention or two newsletters per week for 6 weeks that presented economic consequences of damage to coastal water quality and how to contact politicians. The percentage of proenvironmental political contacts was significantly greater in the experimental (newsletter) group than in the control group. Logistical regression showed that contacts in the newsletter group were more than five times that of controls after adjusting for history of contacts and predisposition to take such action. Results suggest that the intervention can promote political action that could influence environmental policies and human health.     

Social support as a buffer in the stress-burnout relationship

Since the burnout syndrome has a negative impact both on the individual affected and the institution in which he/she is employed, it is important to identify the factors which may alleviate the level of burnout. Social support is said to be one of such factors. Our study was undertaken to investigate the influence of social support in the workplace and general social support on relationships between global stress and stress related to role conflict, ambiguity, and overload and burnout components (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment). The subjects were 1,023 hospital nurses. The results indicate that burnout level correlates highly with organizational and global stress. The role of social support in determining the level of particular burnout components varied according to the type and scope of support. No reliable correlation was found between emotional exhaustion and social support of any type. The level of depersonalization was related only to general support whereas a personal accomplishment factor was related to both types of support. The study did not reveal a buffering effect of both types of social support on the relationships between stress and components of burnout.     

Research With the Draw-A-Person Test: Conceptual and Methodological Issues

A number of methodological, statistical, and conceptual problems are inherent in research with the Draw-A-Person Test (DAP). These difficulties invalidate the theoretical position that an individual's gender-role identification is reflected in the sex of the figure drawn. The complexity of these problems affects the evaluation of the DAP and illustrates the need for multiple approaches to its interpretation.