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Biomedical subjects

P A Wisocki

Publications and source records attributed to P A Wisocki.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

An examination of the therapeutic benefits of focus groups on elderly worriers.

This study examines the effects on elderly worriers, of a focus group discussion about the topic of worry. All subjects (N = 21) were self-designated worriers, and at least seventy years of age. Pretest and-Posttest measures included questionnaires on worry, life satisfaction, and psychological symptom domains unrelated to the focus group topic. The percentage of the day spent worrying variable, which was the criterion variable for admittance into the groups, showed a significant reduction from pre to post. The focus group participants also evaluated the focus group experience as positive and beneficial. The value of focus groups for therapeutic effectiveness and data collection with the elderly are discussed.

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PubMed1992

Age differences and correlates of worrying in young and elderly adults.

A cross-sectional investigation compared worry and its correlates in elderly people (N = 89) and in college students (N = 74). Consistent with prediction, the elderly adults expressed significantly fewer worries than the college students about finances and social events. Both groups were equally worried about health issues. The elderly scored higher on the Bradburn Affect Balance Scale, scored in the external direction on the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale, and were more oriented toward the past and present than the future. Worry in the elderly was related to less favorable attitudes toward the future, and among college students worry was related to negative attitudes toward the present. For both age groups, an external locus of control was associated with higher worry scores.

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PubMed1980

Peer-facilitated sign language training for a geriatric stroke victim with chronic brain damage.

The possibility of sign language training for a psycho-geriatric, aphasic, brain damaged patient was investigated over a 66-week period. Training progressed from finger dexterity tasks, physical manipulation of the patient's hand, and visual prompting to requests for a particular sign without supplementary cues. Midway through the program a peer was included in an effort to generalize the use of sign to others on the ward. The patient learned 14 signs. Data on sign language usage and social behaviors taken during three measurement periods indicate that, when the peer was present during training, performance was highest and there was an increase in the patient's level of socialization as measured by eye contact, gestures, and attempted speech. Retention of the signs and increased social responsivity were still observed two and four months after the termination of the program.

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