Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “ACCEPTABILITY”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources

Acceptance and Elimination Procedures in Choice: Noncomplementarity and the Role of Implied Status quo.

The present research contrasts two seemingly complementary decision strategies: acceptance and elimination. In acceptance, a choice set is created by including suitable alternatives from an initial set of alternatives, whereas in elimination it is created by removing inappropriate alternatives from that same initial set. The research used realistic career decision-making scenarios and presented to respondents sets of alternatives that varied in their preexperimental strength values. Whereas complementarity of acceptance and elimination is implied by three standard (normative) assumptions of decision theory, we find a systematic discrepancy between the outcomes of these procedures: choice sets were larger in elimination than in acceptance. This acceptance-elimination discrepancy is directly tied to subcomplementarity. The central tenet of the theoretical framework developed here is that acceptance and elimination procedures imply different types of status quo for the alternatives, thereby invoking a different selection criterion for each procedure. A central prediction of the dual-criterion framework is that middling alternatives should be most susceptible to the type of procedure used. The present studies focus on this prediction which is substantiated by the results showing that middling alternatives yield the greatest discrepancy between acceptance and elimination. The implications of this model and findings for various research domains are discussed. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

Journal Article↗

Acceptability of reductive interventions for the control of inappropriate child behavior.

Teacher attitudes about the acceptability of classroom intervention strategies were evaluated in two experiments. In both, teachers read descriptions of an intervention that was applied to a child with a behavior problem. In Experiment 1, an evaluation of six interventions for reducing inappropriate behavior suggested that one was highly acceptable (DRO), one was highly unacceptable (corporal punishment), and four ranged from mildly acceptable to mildly unacceptable (DRL, reprimands, time-out, and staying after school). In Experiment 2, the acceptability of the same intervention (staying after school) was evaluated as a function of who implemented it (teacher vs. principal). Analyses suggested that the teacher-implemented intervention was perceived as more acceptable. In both experiments, interventions were rated as less acceptable by highly experienced teachers versus those newer to the teaching profession. In addition, there was a trend for the acceptability of an intervention to vary as a function of the severity of the behavior problem to which it was applied.

Attitude↗

Study design, originality and overall consistency influence acceptance or rejection of manuscripts submitted to the Journal.

PURPOSE: To identify the characteristics of the manuscripts submitted to the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia (CJA) associated with their acceptance or rejection and to analyze the reviewers' comments and their impact on the editors' decision to publish. METHODS: Peer review material was analyzed from 213 submissions to the CJA. Characteristics of accepted and rejected manuscripts were compared. Reviewers' comments were classified according to editorial criteria used by the journal and the distribution of the different types of comments amongst accepted and rejected submissions was compared. RESULTS: Characteristics of 213 manuscripts and comments from 405 reviewers were analyzed. Overall, 57% of manuscripts submitted to the CJA were accepted. The type of research (study vs case report, clinical vs laboratory science) had no impact on the fate of the manuscripts; however, frequency of acceptance differed between articles originating from different geographic regions (P < 0.0001) with Canadian submissions posting the highest frequency (86%). Comment analysis suggests that the relationship between the experimental design, the results, and the conclusion was the main determinant of an article's fate. Lack of originality or inappropriate experimental design were likely to be associated with rejection. Conversely, aspects involving the presentation of manuscripts (tables, figures, references) were rarely cited as reasons to justify acceptance or rejection. CONCLUSION: Although articles are judged on many criteria, authors need to be aware that some aspects of a manuscript, namely the relationship between experimental design, results, and conclusions, the originality, and the use of an appropriate study design, are the most important features with regard to its acceptance or rejection.

Anesthesiology↗

Defining acceptable levels for ecological indicators: an approach for considering social values.

Ecological indicators can facilitate an adaptive management approach, but only if acceptable levels for those indicators have been defined so that the data collected can be interpreted. Because acceptable levels are an expression of the desired state of the ecosystem, the process of establishing acceptable levels should incorporate not just ecological understanding but also societal values. The goal of this research was to explore an approach for defining acceptable levels of ecological indicators that explicitly considers social perspectives and values. We used a set of eight indicators that were related to issues of concern in the Lake Champlain Basin. Our approach was based on normative theory. Using a stakeholder survey, we measured respondent normative evaluations of varying levels of our indicators. Aggregated social norm curves were used to determine the level at which indicator values shifted from acceptable to unacceptable conditions. For seven of the eight indicators, clear preferences were interpretable from these norm curves. For example, closures of public beaches because of bacterial contamination and days of intense algae bloom went from acceptable to unacceptable at 7-10 days in a summer season. Survey respondents also indicated that the number of fish caught from Lake Champlain that could be safely consumed each month was unacceptably low and the number of streams draining into the lake that were impaired by storm water was unacceptably high. If indicators that translate ecological conditions into social consequences are carefully selected, we believe the normative approach has considerable merit for defining acceptable levels of valued ecological system components.

Data Collection↗

Knowledge and acceptance of hypertension guidelines in clinical practice: experience from Slovenia.

BACKGROUND: Arterial hypertension, which is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease, is mainly treated by general practitioners. The initial step in an optimal therapeutic strategy for patients with arterial hypertension is the recognition and acceptance of hypertension guidelines by the physicians themselves. AIMS: To find out how well Slovene general practitioners know the current hypertension guidelines and to what extent they accept them. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Knowledge of current recommendations in hypertension diagnosis, treatment, follow-up and special indications was assessed for 813 general practitioners in Slovenia using a questionnaire. The Slovene National Guidelines were taken as the reference standard. Adequate knowledge of the guidelines' recommendations was defined as correct answers to at least seven out of eleven items; the correct answers had to include the appropriate target blood pressure, the elements of the "minimal diagnostic program" in hypertension and the correct estimation of cardiovascular risk. Acceptance of the guidelines was estimated on a five-grade scale: 5 meaning very useful, 1 meaning useless. RESULTS: A total of 321 questionnaires were suitable for analysis from 327 that were returned (a response rate of 40.2%). The mean number of correct answers was 7.8 (SD, 1.8, range, 4-11), but only 124 (38.8%) of the participating physicians answered the three key questions correctly. The physicians who answered the key questions correctly also answered more of the other questions correctly (6.1 vs. 5.4, p < 0.001). Adequate knowledge of the guidelines was found in 116 (36.8%) of the total study population; mean score for acceptance on the five-grade scale was 4.25. Knowledge of the guidelines was influenced by the physicians' acceptance of the guidelines' recommendations (p = 0.024). No other characteristics of physicians or organizational factors influencing knowledge of the guidelines were identified. Most of the participating physicians (72%) were willing to attend a workshop on managing hypertension and there was no connection between knowledge of the guidelines and willingness to attend the workshop. CONCLUSION: Knowledge of the hypertension guidelines among Slovene general practitioners is limited, and is comparable to the results of similar studies. The physicians' acceptance of the guidelines is high and correlates with their knowledge of the guidelines. A workshop is an accepted form of continuing medical education among general practitioners.

Family Practice↗

Bias and accuracy of children's perceptions of peer acceptance: prospective associations with depressive symptoms.

Are depressive symptoms in middle childhood associated with more or less realistic social self-perceptions? At the beginning and end of the school year, children in grades 3 through 5 (n=667) rated how much they liked their classmates, predicted the acceptance ratings they would receive from each of their classmates, and completed self-report measures of perceived acceptance and depressive symptoms. Accuracy of perceived acceptance was indexed by the mean difference between pairs of predicted and received ratings (absolute values). Standardized residual scores created by regressing self-reported perceived acceptance (either predicted ratings or children's responses to a questionnaire measure of perceived peer acceptance) onto peer acceptance ratings formed two measures of bias. Bi-directional associations were found for accuracy of perceived acceptance and depressive symptoms; inaccurate perceptions predicted increases in depressive symptoms and depressive symptoms predicted decreased accuracy. Neither measure of bias predicted changes in depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms predicted increases in negatively biased perceptions as assessed via questionnaire.

Association↗

Comparative carcinogenicity of the PAHs as a basis for acceptable exposure levels (AELs) in drinking water.

The carcinogenicity of various polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has generally been demonstrated by their ability to act as complete carcinogens in the development of cancers in rodent skin tests. In order to develop proposed acceptable concentration levels for various PAHs in drinking water, we reviewed the studies that formed the basis for determining that these specific PAHs were carcinogenic in animals. We found that the relative potency of these PAHs varied over a range of many orders of magnitude. For example, the carcinogenic strength of benz[a]anthracene (BaA) is found to be about 1/2000th that of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP). We have used the calculated carcinogenic potency of the various PAHs relative to that of BaP as a means for proposing specific acceptable concentration levels in drinking water for each of the specific PAHs. BaP is the only carcinogenic PAH for which EPA has published an acceptable concentration level based on carcinogenicity. Based on the level EPA set for BaP (0.028 micrograms/liter), this methodology has provided for the specific PAHs a determination of proposed acceptable concentration levels quantitatively based on the same data that were used to qualitatively determine them to be animal carcinogens. We have proposed acceptable concentration levels for the carcinogenic PAHs in drinking water that range from 0.03 micrograms/liter for BaP to 6.5 micrograms/liter for BaA. We recommend that acceptable concentration levels for the various PAHs be based on their relative carcinogenic potencies rather than the EPA method of using the potency of only one specific PAH, BaP, to serve as the exposure level determinant for all PAHs. We further suggest that this methodology may be applicable to other classes of carcinogenic compounds. We have also found useful for the determination of acceptable concentration levels for the noncarcinogenic PAHs an analogous methodology based on the relative toxicities of the noncarcinogenic PAHs.

Animals↗

Acceptance of related and unrelated cardiac allografts in neonatally tolerized mice is cardio-specific and transferable by regulatory CD4+ T cells.

BACKGROUND: Non-donor-specific cardiac allograft acceptance is induced in C3H/He (C3H; H-2k) recipients injected as neonates with allogeneic BALB/c (BALB; H-2d) fetal liver cells (FLC). This occurs despite intact reactivity to donor-type and third-party alloantigens in in vitro assays and skin transplants. To investigate a role for regulatory T cells, we performed adoptive transfer studies and specifically assessed CD4+ and CD4- T cells. METHODS: Three cell populations (splenocytes, CD4+, CD4-) derived from neonatally-treated mice with accepted C57BL/6 (B6; H-2b) third-party cardiac grafts were adoptively transferred into sub-lethally-irradiated C3H mice. Reconstituted mice were challenged with B6 cardiac grafts, B6 skin grafts, or unrelated cardiac grafts. Separated cells were assessed in vitro. RESULTS: B6, BALB, and NZW (H-2z) graft acceptance was transferred by unfractionated splenocytes. CD4+ cells transferred B6 graft acceptance (85% survival > 100 days). CD4- cells, unfractionated cells from naive or only irradiated mice, and unfractionated cells from neonatally-treated non-transplanted C3H mice rejected grafts within 35 days. No inoculum induced skin graft acceptance. Co-cultured assays confirmed the suppressive function of CD4+ cells in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac allograft acceptance in our model is regulated by CD4+ cells. The regulatory cell population is induced by the cardiac graft itself and mediates in vivo cardiac graft acceptance in a tissue-specific but not donor-strain-specific manner.

Adoptive Transfer↗

Predictors of STI vaccine acceptability among parents and their adolescent children.

PURPOSE: To identify attitudes and behavioral factors associated with parental intent to vaccinate their adolescent children against sexually transmitted infections (STI) and adolescent intent to accept vaccination for the prevention of STI. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 320 parents and their adolescent children (aged 12-17 years) were recruited from urban adolescent health clinics and private practice pediatric offices to complete audio, computer-assisted self-interviews (A-CASI). Parents and their adolescents were asked about acceptability of gonorrhea, genital herpes, and human immumodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) vaccines. These three items were summed to create an STI vaccine acceptability scale, the primary outcome variable. Potential predictors measured included health beliefs, sociodemographic factors, and health and sexual behaviors. RESULTS: A substantial majority of parents and their adolescent children rated the three STI vaccines as very acceptable. Parental health beliefs and parental history of STI diagnosis were significant independent predictors of intent to vaccinate adolescent children against STI. Parental intent to vaccinate and having a friend who had engaged in sexual intercourse were significant independent predictors of adolescents' intent to accept STI vaccination. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of these parents and their adolescent children found STI vaccination very acceptable, suggesting that there will be great interest in these vaccines once they become available. Interventions designed to address parental health beliefs may prove successful at maintaining or increasing interest in STI vaccines. Adolescents are likely to look to their parents for guidance around acceptance of these vaccines, but personal experiences also may play a role.

AIDS Vaccines↗

Factors influencing the acceptance of nature conservation measures--a qualitative study in Switzerland.

Landscapes fulfil a multitude of ecological and social functions. Due to the fact that both traditional and everyday landscapes today face many different threats, regulatory measures have been undertaken in many countries to protect and further sustainable landscape development. They include legislation as well as economic incentives. In recent years, however, it has become clear that just to have a few laws and to spend money on subsidies is not enough. Factors other than legislation are also essential to further the sustainable development of landscapes. One of the basic factors affecting the success or failure of landscape conservation measures is public acceptance of these measures. Our project took this as its starting point. The objective was to determine which conditions and factors influence acceptance positively or negatively. To this end 22 Swiss who are directly affected by nature conservation measures, in particular by mire landscape and dry meadow conservation measures, were interviewed using qualitative interview techniques. It is shown that perception, communication, and possibilities to participate are the most decisive driving factors influencing the formation of a long-lasting acceptance. Furthermore, acceptance may be based mainly on economic criteria, on usefulness, on ecological or even aesthetic aspects. It can be shown that not all of these motivations lead to a long-lasting acceptance. Ecologically based acceptance seems the most promising because it is founded on general convictions. Economic incentives--though important--seem to generate only superficial acceptance and do not seem to be as important as is usually assumed.

Agriculture↗

In vivo erythrocyte micronucleus assay III. Validation and regulatory acceptance of automated scoring and the use of rat peripheral blood reticulocytes, with discussion of non-hematopoietic target cells and a single dose-level limit test.

The in vivo micronucleus assay working group of the International Workshop on Genotoxicity Testing (IWGT) discussed new aspects in the in vivo micronucleus (MN) test, including the regulatory acceptance of data derived from automated scoring, especially with regard to the use of flow cytometry, the suitability of rat peripheral blood reticulocytes to serve as the principal cell population for analysis, the establishment of in vivo MN assays in tissues other than bone marrow and blood (for example liver, skin, colon, germ cells), and the biological relevance of the single-dose-level test. Our group members agreed that flow cytometric systems to detect induction of micronucleated immature erythrocytes have advantages based on the presented data, e.g., they give good reproducibility compared to manual scoring, are rapid, and require only small quantities of peripheral blood. Flow cytometric analysis of peripheral blood reticulocytes has the potential to allow monitoring of chromosome damage in rodents and also other species as part of routine toxicology studies. It appears that it will be applicable to humans as well, although in this case the possible confounding effects of splenic activity will need to be considered closely. Also, the consensus of the group was that any system that meets the validation criteria recommended by the IWGT (2000) should be acceptable. A number of different flow cytometric-based micronucleus assays have been developed, but at the present time the validation data are most extensive for the flow cytometric method using anti-CD71 fluorescent staining especially in terms of inter-laboratory collaborative data. Whichever method is chosen, it is desirable that each laboratory should determine the minimum sample size required to ensure that scoring error is maintained below the level of animal-to-animal variation. In the second IWGT, the potential to use rat peripheral blood reticulocytes as target cells for the micronucleus assay was discussed, but a consensus regarding acceptability for regulatory purposes could not be reached at that time. Subsequent validation efforts, combined with accumulated published data, demonstrate that blood-derived reticulocytes from rats as well as mice are acceptable when young reticulocytes are analyzed under proper assay protocol and sample size. The working group reviewed the results of micronucleus assays using target cells/tissues other than hematopoietic cells. We also discussed the relevance of the liver micronucleus assay using young rats, and the importance of understanding the maturation of enzyme systems involved in the processes of metabolic activation in the liver of young rats. Although the consensus of the group was that the more information with regard to the metabolic capabilities of young rats would be useful, the published literature shows that young rats have sufficient metabolic capacity for the purposes of this assay. The use of young rats as a model for detecting MN induction in the liver offers a good alternative methodology to the use of partial hepatectomy or mitogenic stimulation. Additional data obtained from colon and skin MN models have been integrated into the data bases, enhancing confidence in the utility of these models. A fourth topic discussed by the working group was the regulatory acceptance of the single-dose-level assay. There was no consensus regarding the acceptability of a single dose level protocol when dose-limiting toxicity occurs. The use of a single dose level can lead to problems in data interpretation or to the loss of animals due to unexpected toxicity, making it necessary to repeat the study with additional doses. A limit test at a single dose level is currently accepted when toxicity is not dose-limiting.

Animals↗

Acceptability of less than perfect health states.

Health normally deteriorates beyond a certain age. This means, in Amartya Sen's terms, that one's health capabilities decline beyond a certain age, making it more difficult to achieve functionings such as mobility or sexual activity. In this paper, we investigate whether this normal reduction in quality of life also induces less than perfect health states to be considered acceptable at advanced stages of life. In other words, we investigate whether it is considered acceptable that health capabilities decline over time. In this study, we use domain-specific descriptions of health (mostly following the EQ-5D domains) in order to investigate whether the acceptability of less than perfect health states is similar for all types of health losses. Besides a theoretical consideration of this issue, we present some empirical evidence based on the answers of 226 respondents to a web-based survey. The results show that often individuals do indeed consider less than perfect health states acceptable, especially at more advanced stages of life. Mild health problems are more often considered acceptable than severe health problems. The acceptability of health states is related to the quality of life score of these states, i.e., worse states are considered less acceptable. This may have implications for the allocation of scarce health care resources.

Adolescent↗

Regulatory cells develop after the spontaneous acceptance of rat liver allografts.

BACKGROUND: After donor-specific transfusion, tolerance to heart transplants is serially passed to naive rats by the adoptive transfer of long-term survivor (LTS)-tolerant splenocytes (SC). We examined whether regulatory cells similarly develop after the spontaneously accepted Lewis (LEW) to Dark Agouti (DA) liver transplants. METHODS: SC from a LTS DA rat with a LEW liver were adoptively transferred to a naive DA 1 day before transplantation of an irradiated (1000 rad) LEW liver. RESULTS: Untreated LEW to DA liver allografts were uniformly accepted; whereas all irradiated LEW liver grafts were rejected. In contrast, when 1.5 x 10 8 DA LTS SC were transferred to a naive DA recipient, all irradiated LEW liver grafts were accepted. When decreased to 1.0 x 10 8 LTS DA SC, only 1 of 4 irradiated LEW grafts was accepted. However, if 1.5 x 10 8 DA SC harvested only 30 days after liver transplantation were transferred, only 2 of 5 irradiated LEW liver grafts were accepted. The serial second and third adoptive transfers of 1.5 x 10 8 DA LTS SC also resulted in the uniform acceptance of irradiated LEW livers. CONCLUSION: Regulatory cells that develop after the spontaneous acceptance of a LEW to DA liver transplant can serially transfer tolerance to new naive LEW liver allograft DA recipients. This "infectious tolerance" is dependent on the time of cell harvest after transplantation and on the cell dose given.

Animals↗

Profitability and acceptability of fat- and sodium-modified hot entrees in a worksite cafeteria.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the acceptability of fat- and sodium-modified entrees before and after implementation of a marketing program and to determine the effect offering and marketing these healthful entrees had on total cafeteria and entree sales in a worksite cafeteria. DESIGN: The research was conducted in five phases, including sales data collection, acceptance testing of unmodified hot entrees, acceptance testing of modified entrees, and implementation of a marketing campaign for promoting low-fat, sodium-controlled food selections. SETTING: The Kansas Farm Bureau and Affiliated Services (KFB) employee cafeteria. SUBJECTS: KFB employees who ate lunch in the employee cafeteria and were willing to participate in the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sales data (percent of customers purchasing a modified entree and sales of modified entree as a percent of total sales); nutrient analysis data (energy, grams of total fat, percent of energy from fat, milligrams of cholesterol, and milligrams of sodium); and acceptability data (11 characteristics were measured using a seven-point hedonic scale). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS PERFORMED: General linear model analysis of variance was used to compare sales data from phases 1 to 5 and to compare acceptability data from phases 2 to 4. RESULTS: No significant differences in sales data were observed during the 7-month study. No significant changes in overall acceptability were found for any entree. However, customers tended to rate overall acceptability higher when entrees were marketed as lower in fat and sodium. APPLICATIONS/CONCLUSIONS: Customers in worksite cafeterias may be more willing to tolerate changes in flavor attributes when modified entrees are marketed as "healthful" and nutrition information is available.

Diet, Fat-Restricted↗

Determinants of acceptance of a community-based program for the prevention of falls and fractures among the elderly.

BACKGROUND: Low-energy fractures among the elderly may be prevented by measures aimed at reducing the risk of falling or increasing the strength of the skeleton. Acceptance of these interventions in the target population is necessary for their success. METHODS: The total elderly population in a Danish municipality 7,543 community-dwelling persons aged 66+ years, were offered participation in one of three intervention programs: 2,550 persons were offered a home safety inspection, evaluation of prescribed medicine, and identification of possible health and food problems (Program I); 2,445 persons were offered 1000 mg of elemental calcium and 400 IU (10 microg) of vitamin D(3) per day in combination with evaluation of prescribed medicine (Program II); and 2,548 persons were offered a combination of the two programs (Program III). Acceptance was defined as willingness to receive an introductory visit by a nurse. RESULTS: Acceptance of Program I was 50%; of Program II, 56% (P < 0.00005 as contrasted with Program I); and of Program III, 46% (P < 0.005). Acceptance was associated with gender (females, 53%; males, 47%) and did not change from ages 66 to 84 but decreased significantly after the age of 85. Widows aged 66-84 had the highest acceptance (57%) and never married males aged 66-84 the lowest (30%). An important determinant, however, was the individual social service center that communicated the specific program. Acceptance varied from 39 to 66% between the social centers. CONCLUSIONS: Acceptance of a fall and fracture prevention program varies with intervention type; with gender, age, and social status of the target population; and with the motivation and attitude of the health workers involved in the implementation of the program.

Accidental Falls↗

Learning to live with the pain: acceptance of pain predicts adjustment in persons with chronic pain.

When patients find their pain unacceptable they are likely to attempt to avoid it at all costs and seek readily available interventions to reduce or eliminate it. These efforts may not be in their best interest if the consequences include no reductions in pain and many missed opportunities for more satisfying and productive functioning. The purpose of this study was to examine acceptance of pain. One hundred and sixty adults with chronic pain provided responses to a questionnaire assessing acceptance of pain, and a number of other questionnaires assessing their adjustment to pain. Correlational analyses showed that greater acceptance of pain was associated with reports of lower pain intensity, less pain-related anxiety and avoidance, less depression, less physical and psychosocial disability, more daily uptime, and better work status. A relatively low correlation between acceptance and pain intensity showed that acceptance is not simply a function of having a low level of pain. Regression analyses showed that acceptance of pain predicted better adjustment on all other measures of patient function, independent of perceived pain intensity. These results are preliminary. Further study will be needed to show for whom and under what circumstances, accepting some aspects of the pain experience may be beneficial.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Behavioral dimensions of adjustment in persons with chronic pain: pain-related anxiety and acceptance.

Through empirical methods we now characterize patients with chronic pain as either dysfunctional, interpersonally distressed, or adaptive copers. Studying factors that differentiate these groups may reveal the behavioral processes that determine adjustment to pain. Subjects for this study were 190 patients referred for treatment of chronic pain. They were classified as dysfunctional (n = 41), interpersonally distressed (n = 28) or adaptive copers (n = 59) based on the Multidimensional Pain Inventory (Kerns, R.D., Turk, D.C. and Rudy, T.E., The West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory (WHYMPI), Pain, 23 (1985) 345-356) and compared on measures of pain-related anxiety and pain acceptance. Our analyses showed that the dysfunctional group reported greater pain-related anxiety and less acceptance of pain than the other groups. Additional analyses, statistically controlling for pain severity and depression, showed that the patient subtypes continued to differ on pain-related anxiety and acceptance. Discriminant function analyses including pain-related anxiety and acceptance correctly classified 72.5% of dysfunctional and 90.9% of adaptive copers. Again, anxiety and acceptance contributed uniquely to classification independent of depression and pain intensity. Pain-related anxiety and acceptance of pain appear to be unique behavioral dimensions of adjustment to chronic pain. Decreasing anxiety and increasing acceptance may 'move' patients with chronic pain from the dysfunctional to the adaptive coper category.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Maternal acceptance and consistency of discipline as buffers of divorce stressors on children's psychological adjustment problems.

This study examines whether two aspects of mothering--acceptance and consistency of discipline--buffer the effect of divorce stressors on adjustment problems in 678 children, ages 8 to 15, whose families had divorced within the past 2 years. Children reported on divorce stressors; both mothers and children reported on mothering and internalizing and externalizing problems. Multiple regressions indicate that for maternal report of mothering, acceptance interacted with divorce stressors in predicting both dimensions of adjustment problems, with the pattern of findings supporting a stress-buffering effect. For child report of mothering, acceptance, consistency of discipline, and divorce stressors interacted in predicting adjustment problems. The relation between divorce stressors and internalizing and externalizing problems is stronger for children who report low acceptance and low consistency of discipline than for children who report either low acceptance and high consistency of discipline or high acceptance and low consistency of discipline. Children reporting high acceptance and high consistency of discipline have the lowest levels of adjustment problems. Implications of these results for understanding variability in children's postdivorce adjustment and interventions for divorced families are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗