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Biomedical subjects

R C Katz

Publications and source records attributed to R C Katz.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Acquisition of smoking refusal skills in junior high school students.

This study examined the effects of a smoking prevention program on the acquisition of refusal skills among junior high school students. Two conditions were compared: one in which the subjects participated in a videotaped training program on resisting pressures to smoke, and the other an untreated control group. As predicted, the results showed significant improvement in the skill training group, while the untreated controls showed no change relative to their pretest performance. These findings suggest that smoking prevention programs which focus on resisting social pressures can enhance the young person's ability to say "no" to smoking.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Assessing sexual aversion in college students: the Sexual Aversion Scale.

This study describes a 30-item questionnaire, the Sexual Aversion Scale, that was used to assess sexual fears and avoidance in college students. The construct of sexual aversion was based on the newly listed DSM-III-R criteria for sexual aversion disorder. Results were obtained from 382 college students. The questionnaire was shown to have good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Female students reported significantly more sexual anxiety. They expressed more fear of intercourse and the negative social consequences of their sexual behavior. They were also more inclined to avoid situations where they might become sexually involved. Conversely, males appeared to be more sexually frustrated and said they would become more sexually active were it not for fear of catching a sexually transmitted disease. It is concluded that sexual fears are fairly widespread among college students and are being fueled by the current AIDS crisis. One implication of these findings is that sexual aversion disorder may become a prevalent problem, especially if the AIDS epidemic continues to spread to the heterosexual population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

The "will to live" as perceived by nurses and physicians.

This study investigated the "will to live" as nurses and physicians perceive it. A sample of 221 practicing health professionals completed a questionnaire that was designed to measure this construct. Semantic differential scales were used to assess the psychological characteristics of patients with a strong and weak will to live, while Likert scales were used to rate overt behaviors associated with a strong will to live. The respondents were also asked to rate activities that might be used to strengthen the will to live in patients who lacked it. Results showed that almost 100% of the respondents believed in a will to live, had observed its effects, and felt that a strong will to live was an important factor in patient recovery. Both nurses and physicians showed surprising agreement in their perception of the will to live, as well as in their suggestions about how to strengthen patient morale. The results are generally consistent with those from related studies on psychological variables associated with cancer survival and recovery from catastrophic illness. It is concluded that regardless of whether a will to live is a "real" attribute of patients, it certainly seems to exist in the eyes of those who treat them.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1989

Brief parent-assisted treatment for children's nighttime fears.

A brief parent-assisted treatment for children's nighttime fears is described. Five children, ages 4-5 years, and their parents participated in the study, which was designed as a multiple baseline across-subjects experiment. The children were taught relaxation skills, pleasant imagery, and self-instructions to reduce anxiety; the parents were trained to positively reinforce compliance and reductions in their children's fearful behavior. Nightly ratings of the children's bedtime behavior (e.g., crying spells, getting out of bed, the time it took to fall asleep) were completed by the parents. Relative to baseline scores, the mean reduction in fearful behaviors at the end of the 3-week treatment phase was 40%. Six weeks later, it increased to 48%. Telephone interviews with the parents at a 6-month follow-up suggested continued improvement. Pre- and post-ratings on the Child Behavior Checklist showed significant improvement in the children's behavior at the end of treatment, as well as at a 6-week follow-up. This suggests that the beneficial effects of the intervention went beyond the presenting problem. The results of this study extend the generalizability of previous research to a younger population of nighttime fear sufferers.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1988

Treatment of eczema by EMG biofeedback and relaxation training: a multiple baseline analysis.

Five adults who suffered from eczema for at least five years were treated in a multiple baseline design with EMG biofeedback and progressive relaxation. Treatment consisted of five weekly EMG training sessions combined with regular home practice of relaxation. Three dependent measures were used to assess treatment effects: (1) daily self-monitoring of symptom irritation levels, (2) pre and post assessments of eczema affected areas and (3) the Spielberger Trait Anxiety Questionnaire which was also administered on a pre-post basis. Results showed clinically meaningful improvements in all five participants which were maintained at a two month follow-up. A second follow-up two years later showed that three of subjects were asymptomatic. The other two subjects could not be located. Taken together, the study provides evidence that EMG biofeedback combined with home practice of progressive relaxation can help to reduce the severity of eczema and the irritation associated with the disorder.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Specific and nonspecific effects of EMG biofeedback.

This study investigated the effects of performance feedback and EMG biofeedback on perceptions of the "self" (i.e., self-esteem, self-control, self-efficacy, and locus of control) as well as on a self-control behavior (study skills) the subjects performed outside the laboratory. Forty-seven college students were randomly assigned to one of four groups in a 2(high and low success feedback) x 2(true and false EMG biofeedback) factorial experiment with repeated measures. All of the participants received four sessions of EMG biofeedback, and later they were asked to self-monitor their study habits for 2 weeks. Results showed that the self-esteem measure and perceptions of study skills improvement were differentially affected by success feedback but unrelated to the true or false EMG manipulation. Shifts toward an internal locus of control and perceptions of improved self-control were also noted, but they were independent of the subjects' group membership. Implication of the results are briefly discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Reflections on the ex-smoker: some findings on successful quitters.

Following the lead of Schachter [(1982). Am. Psychol. 37: 436-444] a questionnaire was developed to assess the process of self-cure among former cigarette smokers and then administered to 63 ex-smokers who had quit on their own. Separate samples of "helped" quitters and current smokers who had tried to quit but failed were also interviewed. Ex-smokers scored higher on Rosenbaum's [(1980). Behav. Ther. 11: 109-121] Self-Control Schedule, which suggests that they may have succeeded because they had better self-control skills initially. Other results underscored the role of peer pressure and curiosity as major reasons for becoming a smoker, of withdrawal symptoms and loss of pleasure as major obstacles to quitting, and of self-confidence and perceived health benefits as factors that were most important in successful quitting. The difficulty associated with quitting was associated with cognitive factors such as beliefs about the addictive properties of nicotine and self-confidence ratings, as well as with a supportive social network and the amount smoked previously.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

A comparison of current smokers and self-cured quitters on Rosenbaum's Self Control Schedule.

This study compared the responses of current and former smokers on Rosenbaum's (1982) Self Control Schedule (SCS). Among the current smokers, all of them had tried to quit smoking before but failed. Likewise, ex-smokers were all "self-cured" and all of them had been cigarette-free for at least 6 months. Results were consistent with predictions and showed that ex-smokers scored significantly higher on the SCS. This suggests that some cigarette smokers who want to quit may be better prepared to do so because of individual differences in self-control skills. Other implications of the results are briefly discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1986

Comprehensive fire-safety training for adult mentally retarded persons.

Proficiency in emergency fire-safety skills is important for developmentally disabled persons, especially if they are to live independently in the community. In this study, nine mentally retarded adults were taught functional repertoires for (a) exiting a burning building, (b) reporting a fire to the proper authorities and (c) extinguishing a fire on one's self or another person using the 'stop, drop and roll' technique. In a two-part study, five residents from one group home were taught these behaviours by skilled trainers using a training package consisting of instructions, modelling rehearsal, feedback, and social and descriptive reinforcement. In the second part, two residents from another group home were taught by the trainers, and an additional two subjects were taught by a staff member of the group home using the same training procedures. The results showed that developmentally disabled adults can be trained in emergency fire-safety skills by both skilled trainers and by direct-care staff.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed1975

Criteria for releasing patients from psychiatric hospitals.

The authors conducted a pilot study to determine the kinds of criteria being used by mental health professionals in discharging patients from mental hospitals. Twenty-one criteria were identified in the first phase of the study, and 43 staff members later rated the items according to their perceived importance. Although there was general agreement on most of the items, reliable differences of opinion were expressed in some instances. The differences were attributed less to the respondents' professional discipline than to their hospital affiliation (VA or non-VA). The authors emphasize the need for developing a standardized list of discharge criteria and discuss uses for such criteria.

Disability Evaluation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The relationship between worry, sexual aversion, and low sexual desire.

The psychological trait of worry is associated with many psychiatric conditions and maladaptive ways of coping, but is relationship to sexual dysfunctions, and desire disorders in particular, is unclear. In this study, we assessed the relationship between worry, sexual aversion, and low sexual desire using the Sexual Aversion Scale, the Hurlbert Index of Low Sexual Desire, and the Penn State Worry Questionnaire. Data were collected from 138 college undergraduates. As expected, results showed a modest but significant relationship between sexual aversion and low sexual desire, which is consistent with the taxonomy of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994), which lists sexual aversion disorder and hypoactive sexual desire disorder as separate but related conditions. Contrary to our prediction, however, the tendency to worry was no more related to sexual aversion than it was to low sexual desire. The relationship between these variables was significant, but it was also relatively weak. We conclude that chronic and intense worry may predispose one to certain anxiety disorders, but it does not appear to be a risk factor for sexual desire problems in nonclinical populations.

Adaptation, Psychological↗