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Biomedical subjects

M W Linn

Publications and source records attributed to M W Linn.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

The need to be held: state or trait variable.

The need to be held has been observed to be related to various moods and personality dimensions. It is unclear, however, whether this need functions as a state or trait variable. Data were collected from 85 pregnant subjects at 4 months, 9 months, and 6 weeks postpartum. Measures of the need to be held, neuroticism, relationship with parents, self-concept and maternal attachment were used to determine whether the need to be held is a trait or state variable, as well as to explore the etiology of the need to be held. Data were analyzed by a trend analysis of repeated measures and analysis of variance. Results showed that the need to be held is a trait variable in that it did not change throughout pregnancy and is related to the predisposition of depression. The etiology of the need to be held remains open for investigation.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

The very old patient in ambulatory care.

The aims were twofold: to determine differences between the very old and younger patients in ambulatory care and to examine their self-assessments of health and whether these related to: subjective data such as symptoms and attitudes, objective data such as utilization of health services, and physician assessments of the patient's health. Although they had about one more diagnosis, the very old were similar in most respects to younger patients. Variables that discriminated the groups were physician ratings. About two-thirds of the older and younger patients regarded their health as good. Good health perceptions were associated with fewer symptoms, outpatient visits, and hospitalizations in both groups. Physician assessments were only lowly correlated with patient assessments of health. Patient perceptions of health were highly stable over a two month follow up. The subjective belief that one is healthy or ill may be more important than actual medical condition in maintaining good emotional and behavioral functioning.

Aged↗
PubMed1978

Self-concept and completion of treatment for heroin and nonheroin drug abusers.

One hundred sixty-one veterans with a history of drug abuse were administered a battery of background questions as well as self-concept measures prior to entering a Substance Abuse Unit at the VA Hospital in Miami. Significant interaction effects were found whe a 2 X 2 analysis of variance was run using heroin/nonheroin as one factor and completer/dropout as the other. Nonheroin drug abusers who subsequently completed treatment entered the program with the lowest self-concepts, highest ideals (with respect to the self), and were most often high school dropouts. Nonheroin drug abusers who eventually dropped out of treatment entered with relatively high self-concepts, low ideals, and were more often high school graduates. On the other hand, heroin users showed the opposite trend. Heroin users who eventually completed treatment began with higher self-concepts, lower ideals, and more education than the heroin users who became dropouts. It is suggested that a generalized feeling of optimism and motivation surrounds the completer, while the dropout seems to lack such drive.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Differential response of heroin and nonheroin abusers to inpatient treatment.

Differences between heroin and nonheroin users were determined at intake and discharge from an inpatient rehabilitation program. Background data as well as attitudes toward drug-related concepts, mood, and symptoms were gathered from 65 male veterans. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance and covariance comparing heroin and nonheroin users at intake and discharge. There were no significant differences between these two groups on their prescores, indicating that heroin and nonheroin patients were quite similar at time of intake. However, at discharge significant differences were found in terms of Tense and Thoughtful from the Mood Scale and Somatization, Obsessive/Compulsiveness, Interpersonal Sensitivity, Depression, and Anxiety from the Symptom Checklist. The heroin subjects had consistently more positive rating than the nonheroin subjects following treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Focus on the family as a factor in differential treatment outcome.

The prognostic relationship between prehospital living arrangements and treatment outcome was explored. Drug (N = 17) and alcohol (N = 19) patients who had lived with parents, wives, nonrelatives, or alone before voluntary admission to an inpatient substance abuse program were compared on changes in social dysfunctioning and symptomatology as a result of treatment. Ratings on each patient's level of dysfunctioning and symptomatology were made following intake into the program and within a 3-day period after receiving a regular discharge. While treatment had a positive effect on all groups, multivariate analysis of covariance showed a significant (P less than .009) differential rate of improvement between the pretreatment residential setting groups. Those who had lived alone or with nonrelatives prior to admission changed the most, becoming significantly less dysfunctional and symptomatic. Those coming from parental families changed the least improvement, while those who had lived with their spouses showed moderate improvement. Findings were consistent for both drug and alcohol patients. Results indicate that the type of home environment from which substance abusers come before engaging in treatment significantly influences their receptivity to rehabilitation. Findings suggest the need for assessment of the family environment and utilization of community resources as a means of enhancing adjustment.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Hospital vs community (foster) care for psychiatric patients.

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of foster care preparation and placement. Five hundred seventy-two patients from five hospitals were randomly assigned to foster care preparation (experimentals) or continued hospitalization (controls). They were studied before assignment, at placement of experimental subjects, and four months later regarding social functioning, mood, activity, and overall adjustment. Hospitals averaged two months preparing experimental subjects, resulting in 73% placed in foster care. Little change was observed between referral and placement. However, four months after placement, experimental subjects were significantly improved over controls, particularly in social functioning and adjustment. After four months, 88% of the foster care subjects were in the community. Findings suggest that attention should be given to selection criteria, that lengthy preparation may be unnecessary, and that foster care is superior to hospitalization for patients who cannot return to their own homes.

Emotions↗
PubMed1977

The alcoholic's perception of the ward as a predictor of aftercare attendance.

The present study attempted to determine whether attendance in aftercare services could be predicted from the alcoholic's perception of the inpatient ward environment. Thirty-five Ss who completed inpatient treatment and were eligible for outpatient group therapy were followed up 3 months after discharge. One factor of the Ward Atmosphere Scale, autonomy, significantly differentiated attenders (N = 13) from nonattenders (N = 22); attenders perceived more autonomy on the ward than did nonattenders. Two additional factors, aggression and insight, also differentiated the groups, although not to a statistically significant degree. Attenders were found to perceive more encouragement by the staff to express openly their angry feelings and to share their personal selves with others than were nonattenders.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

The pregnant couple.

Although the husband's reactions to and feelings about his wife's pregnancy are frequently overlooked, his wife is always concerned about his perception of her. She often feels unattractive and is most interested in how satisfied her husband is with her pregnant body. The present study attempts to determine whether the husband or wife viewed the wife's body more positively, whether the husbands and wives could accurately predict each other's satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the pregnant body, and whether husbands' and wives' attitudes about important perinatal issues differed significantly. The data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of variance, comparing the husbands' and wives' satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the pregnant body. The body cathexis scale was used to measure such satisfaction and Osgood's semantic differential measured attitudes toward "pregnancy", "spouse", "unborn baby", and "labor and delivery". Findings show that husbands were more satisfied with their wives' pregnant bodies than the wives themselves were. The wives were not able to predict their husbands' levels of satisfaction, although the men accurately predicted their wives' responses. Husbands also tended to hold more positive attitudes toward perinatal issues.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1977

Foster placement for the older psychiatric patient.

The effect of age on foster care outcome was examined for 572 male psychiatric patients referred for foster care from five VA hospitals. Subjects were assigned randomly to preparation (experimentals) or continued inpatient care (controls.) Research staff collected data on social functioning, mood, activity, and adjustment. Only 79 (14%) were 60 years or older. Compared with younger patients, those 60 and over were more likely to be diagnosed as having chronic brain disease and less likely to be diagnosed as have schizophrenia. About 70% of the younger and older experimentals were placed into foster care. Alcoholics and persons with more hospitalizations were significantly less likely to be placed. Patients in foster care changed significantly compared with hospitalized controls by having less social dysfunction and better adjustment. Older subjects improved as a result of being seen in the hospital prior to placement but were not different from younger subjects in how they responded to the foster home. The study suggests that foster care is an appropriate and underutilized resource for elderly psychiatric patients.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1977

Patient outcome as a measure of quality of nursing home care.

One thousand males transferred from a general medical hospital into 40 community nursing homes were classified by their physicians as to expectations of outcome within six months and measured on physical functioning at the time of their transfer. They were followed up six months later and retested on functional status. Subjects were classified on follow-up as improved, the same deteriorated, or dead. They were also classified as discharged from the nursing home, still in the home, or readmitted to the hospital. Nursing homes were measured every six months on structural variables. Outcomes of the patients were related to the nursing home characteristics by multivariate analysis of variance, controlling for expected outcome, age, and diagnoses of cancer and chronic brain disease. Homes with more RN hours per patient were associated with patients being alive, improved, and discharged from the home. Better ratings on meal services were related to being alive and improved. A higher professional staff-to-patient ratio, better medical records, and more services were related to being discharged from the nursing home.

Aged↗
PubMed1976

13. Studies in rating the physical, mental, and social dysfunction of the chronically ill aged.

It is difficult to separate what might be considered the normal from the dysfunctional aspects of aging in the physical, mental, and social areas, and wide variation occurs in the way persons age, with and without chronic illness. One cannot, and would not want to, disentangle these interrelated areas, but they are often measured as if they were independent of each other. Any assessment of the total functioning of an individual must take into account the subject's own perception of his health or functional status which, in addition to the cultural influences and feedback from the environment, interact to produce total adjustment. There is some indication that self-assessments of health may be a reliable predictor of more detailed functional assessments. Lastly, there is a plea for the study of a multidimensional approach including objective and subjective physical, mental, and social measurements related to patient outcome. With currently available statistical methods, it may be possible to reduce the number of variables needed for assessment of the total person to a few that uniquely describe overall status.

Activities of Daily Living↗