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Biomedical subjects

S Sussman

Publications and source records attributed to S Sussman.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Media manipulation of adolescents' personal level judgements regarding consequences of smokeless tobacco use.

Videotapes were developed to try to impact on personal level judgements of concern and risk in the context of smokeless tobacco use, a growing substance use problem in adolescents. In a within-and-between-subjects design, convincingness (i.e., dramatic portrayal) of the videotaped message (high and low) and perceived probability of consequences portrayed in the message (high and low) were manipulated.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Activity involvement, risk-taking, demographic variables, and other drug use: prediction of trying smokeless tobacco.

Four activity participation variables (clubs, sports, church, and parties); two indices of "risk-taking" (preference for risk-taking, getting into trouble at school); three demographic variables (sex, ethnic group, socioeconomic status); and two drug use variables (trial of cigarettes and alcohol) were examined as correlates and prospective predictors of trial of smokeless tobacco in two cohorts of seventh graders in urban Los Angeles. The data were analyzed separately for males and females. Cross-sectional logistic regression analyses indicated that correlates of trying smokeless tobacco among the seventh-grade cohorts or among these same cohorts in the eighth grade (considering those persons who had not tried smokeless tobacco in seventh grade) generally included being white, trying cigarettes, risk-taking, and attending parties. Prospective logistic regression analyses with data from subjects who had not tried smokeless tobacco in the seventh grade indicated that predictors of subsequent trial of it generally included only being white and having tried cigarettes. Sports participation predicted onset only in one cohort of female subjects but not in males. Some activities that have been proposed as being predictive of smokeless tobacco use (e.g., sports participation) are generally irrelevant for a large sample of young adolescents in urban Los Angeles. White male cigarette smokers, regardless of the activities they have engaged in, are most likely to try smokeless tobacco.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

The television school and family smoking prevention and cessation project. 1. Theoretical basis and program development.

Program development processes for the Television, School, and Family Project, a school-based smoking prevention and cessation project, are presented in this article. We first review applications of social-psychological and communications theory to school-based and mass media program development. These include the three broad areas of (a) mediators of mass media effects on behavior change, (b) the social influences approach to smoking prevention, and (c) a self-management and social support approach to smoking cessation. A program development model for school-based mass media efficacy trials, with a summary of formative research and pilot study processes, is then presented. The importance of reciprocal support among school district administrators, project research staff, and television station personnel is emphasized with recommendations for future research and demonstration efforts.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Adolescent smokeless tobacco incidence: relations with other drugs and psychosocial variables.

This article presents data regarding the prevalence of trying smokeless tobacco in a longitudinal sample of 2,714 urban, ethnically diverse adolescent males and females. A predominance of trial use was found in white males in 8th and 9th grades. Also presented is the relation of smokeless tobacco onset to experimentation with other drugs (cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana), cigarette smoking in significant others, self-image as a smoker, risk taking, and smoking refusal self-efficacy. Smokeless tobacco onset was related to higher levels of cigarette smoking and lower quit rates, and was positively associated with use of cigarettes by significant others, one's self-image as a smoker, and with a disinclination to refuse cigarette offers. Finally, onset was more probable in individuals who had previously tried alcoholic beverages and marijuana, and who reported enjoying taking risks. A multivariate logistic regression analysis retained sex, smoking level, beer and wine use, and risk taking as predictors of smokeless tobacco onset. Apparently, smokeless tobacco is an additional activity in which drug-experimenting male adolescents are likely to participate.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Ecological relevance of memory tests and the prediction of relapse in alcoholics.

In an inpatient alcoholism rehabilitation program, 56 men were administered two 10-min memory tests: the Product Recall Test (PRT), designed to assess memory for familiar stimuli (assumed to be relatively high in ecological relevance), and the Memory-for-Designs Test (MFD), a test of memory for novel patterns of stimuli (assumed to be relatively low in ecological relevance). Approximately 74% of subjects who recalled less than or equal to half the items of the PRT relapsed at 3 months compared to only 33% of the subjects who recalled more than half the items. Performance on the MFD was not related to relapse rate. PRT performance was almost as predictive of relapse at 3 months as aftercare attendance, and combining both of these variables further improved predictability. The results suggest that the familiarity of the stimuli employed in memory tests may be important in tapping cognitive deficits of alcoholics that place these subjects at increased risk for relapse. The implication of these findings for the time-effective identification of early relapsers from alcoholism treatment programs are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Aluminum hydroxide gel bezoar--CT diagnosis.

An obstructing aluminum hydroxide gel bezoar was first recognized on a retrograde gastrografin study through an ileostomy. In retrospect, a computed tomographic (CT) scan had demonstrated the bezoar as a high density intraluminal mass surrounded by somewhat less dense contrast material distending the bowel. A CT image of a phantom made of aluminum hydroxide gel surrounded by gastrografin was remarkably similar.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Hyperdense renal masses: a CT manifestation of hemorrhagic renal cysts.

Eleven patients with sharply circumscribed round to ovoid renal cysts measuring 70-90 H on CT are reported. The cysts were hyperdense on unenhanced scans, measuring 30-60 H greater than the adjacent parenchyma, and either hypodense, isodense, or hyperdense on enhanced scans. Four patients had polycystic kidney disease; of the other 7 patients, the cysts were cortical in 6 and parapelvic in 1. Eight patients had a solitary cyst and 3 had multiple cysts. Sonography demonstrated internal echoes and/or lack of increased through-transmission in 6 patients. Pathological analysis was available in 6 cases and indicated a benign, hemorrhagic renal cyst. This hyperdense CT appearance is characteristic of some hemorrhagic renal cysts, though differentiation between benign and malignant cysts requires cyst puncture and/or surgery.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Physician turnover in eight New England prepaid group practices: an analysis.

The objectives of this questionnaire study of all primary care physicians (N = 154) who had ever worked in eight New England prepaid group practices (PGPs) include 1) calculation of turnover rates, 2) comparison of those who stayed in (stayers) versus those who left (leavers) the PGPs, and 3) description of reasons given for leaving. An annual turnover rate of 3.9 to 6.3 per cent, depending upon the measure, was within the range reported by others. Factors associated with stayer-leaver status were experiences before and during the physician's PGP tenure. Leavers reported pre-PGP experience in fee-for-service, hospital-based, and academic positions, and while in the PGPs, they reported constraints on autonomy, independence, and professional development. Leavers reported higher incomes and longer working hours in their new practices. They cited the potential for greater autonomy as the reason for leaving. The findings and study limitations are discussed.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1981

The effects of neuroleptic drugs on the social interactions of hospitalized psychotic patients.

The frequency of social interactions emitted by two groups of hospitalized psychotic patients was studied with a time sampling procedure during lunch periods in the ward dayroom. One group was treated with neuroleptic medication upon admission to the ward, and the other group was medicated after a 2- to 3-week washout period. The data suggest that the principle effect of the medication is to produce a transient depression in social interaction frequency which returns to baseline with continued drug treatment. The results are supportive of previous research which indicated that the major impact of pharmacotherapy is on activity rather than social behaviors, and highlights the utility of including baseline measures to ensure adequate drug vs. control comparisons.

Adult↗