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PubMed2005

An iterative method for improved estimation of the mean of peer-group distributions in proficiency testing.

In proficiency testing (PT), the peer-group mean is conventionally computed after twice removing values exceeding the mean +/- 3 SD. However, this adjustment fails if there are many outliers. In this study an iterative method was evaluated as a more robust way to estimate the means. The methodology repeatedly removes a proportion of the population (usually those exceeding the mean +/- 1.6 SD), assuming the presence of a Gaussian distribution in the central portion, and reinflates the SD to compensate for the trimming. A computer simulation revealed that the estimated mean of a known Gaussian distribution was less affected by a subpopulation that overlaps the main population than was the conventional method. When the overlapping portions were removed, the iterative method predicted the true mean correctly. The method was applied to external PT results for 44 analytes. Although most peer-group distributions were clearly non-Gaussian, the segment included by the predicted mean +/- 1.6 SD was regarded as Gaussian in 85.9% by the new method and 73.4% by the conventional method. The proposed methodology appears to be an improved way of estimating peer-group means.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1999

Effectiveness of professional--peer group treatment: symptom management for women with PMS.

The purpose of this intervention study was to determine short- and long-term effectiveness of a symptom management intervention aimed at relieving the distress associated with premenstrual syndrome (PMS). The PMS Symptom Management Program (PMS-SMP), a package of nonpharmacological strategies involving self-monitoring, personal choice, self-regulation, and self/environmental modification, was administered within a group combining peer support and professional guidance to 91 women classified with severe PMS (early treatment groups n = 40; waiting treatment groups n = 51). Repeated behavioral measures (symptom severity and personal resources/demands) were obtained on five occasions: two menstrual cycles prior to treatment and at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months after treatment. A package of symptom management strategies was effective in reducing PMS severity by 75%, premenstrual depression, and general distress by 30-54%, as well as increasing well-being and self-esteem in women experiencing severe PMS. These results compare favorably with antidepressant drug treatment studies that report a 40-52% reduction in PMS severity. The most marked improvement was found in the first 3 months after treatment; however, improvement was maintained or enhanced in the long-term follow-up. Although focused on perimenstrual symptom relief, these strategies are generally health promoting and can be applied to other women's health conditions.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1981

[Aggression in peer groups during the second year of life].

1. Very little is known about the behaviour of children in their second year and even less in their Peer-group. Aggressive behaviour among peers seems to be established at this age and it is interesting to observe it within the Peer-groups. 2. A useful definition of aggression seems to be the following one: Aggression is any physical contact, direct or indirect, by which another person is hurt. 3. We observe five different forms of aggression: 3.1 Aggression by chance, without any aim, happening out of awkwardness and motoric clumsiness. This kind of aggression becomes rarer during the second year. 3.2 Manipulating one another, as shaking arm or leg of another child, pulling his hair, tapping his body and so on, giving the impression of the aggressor exploring his partner. This kind of aggression also becomes rarer during the second year. 3.3 Robbery of objects, i.e. toys being in the hands of another; the reaction of the victim is increasing during the second year. 3.4 Aggression in order to control the group and to establish leadership in connection with the development of a group hierarchy. 3.5 Pathologic Aggression, observed on a child of the group with brain dysfunction. The child overthrows others from behind, climbs on them and bites them in the ear, the neck or the cheek. 4. We still need more observation on Peer-groups of this age to know more about the beginning and development of the here described phenomena.

Aggression↗
PubMed1993

Peer group interactions and the student-perceived climate for caring.

Using the descriptive mode of qualitative inquiry, this study was conducted with 10 junior nursing students at five baccalaureate schools of nursing to describe a climate for caring as it is experienced within the context of peer group interactions. The findings from this study indicate that a climate for caring is experienced through peer group behaviors that are perceived as caring, and during peer group interactional episodes that are characterized by giving assistance. Based on the data from these participants, student vulnerability and personal knowledge of peers are suggested as factors that mediate the ability of junior nursing students to experience a climate for caring during peer group interactions.

Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate↗
PubMed1997

Homogeneity of cigarette smoking within peer groups: influence or selection?

Many studies stress the relevance of peer group influence as a determinant of smoking behavior of adolescents. Recent research, however, concludes that homogeneity of behavior in friendships is also due to selection; youngsters choose new friends whose behavioral patterns are similar to their own. Data from a three-wave longitudinal study among students of secondary education (N = 1,063) was used to examine sources of peer similarities. The results demonstrated that both influence and selection processes contributed to peer group homogeneity, but the largest part of similarities in smoking status had to be attributed to selection. No support was found for friendships breaking down for reasons of dissimilarity in smoking status. Our findings underscore the complexity of processes and interactions with regard to the relationships of teenagers and offer new views on prevention programs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Designing a nationally acceptable system of hospital peer grouping.

Little has been published on the design, use and evaluation of peer groupings of hospitals. This article explores the issue in the context of public hospitals in New South Wales. The process, established over the last two years by New South Wales Health, aims to meet six principles of peer grouping. Through a six-step procedure, the methodology focuses on the classification of hospitals by role, size and measure of acuity. Further research is needed to compare benchmarking across States and to identify which of the methodologies should be adopted nationally.

Hospitals, Public↗
PubMed1998

Development of an instrument to measure caring peer group interactions.

The purpose of this study was to develop psychometric properties of the Peer Group Caring Interaction Scale (PGCIS) designed to measure caring during informal peer interactions as experienced by undergraduate nursing students. The PGCIS has two subscales that address caring peer behaviors and interactional events during which students assist their peers in the resolution of specific needs. PGCIS psychometric properties were developed using data from 873 junior students enrolled at 87 BSN schools of nursing. Internal consistency reliability was demonstrated for the 9-item Caring Behaviors and the 7-item Giving Assistance subscales with a coefficient alpha of .91 for each. Findings from an exploratory factor analysis supported the two subscale structure of the PGCIS. The PGCIS scores correlated positively with scores on the Intimacy subscale of the Organization Climate Description Questionnaire (OCDQ) and the Peer Group Interaction Scale and inversely with scores on the OCDQ Disengagement subscale. The findings from this study provide beginning support for the PCGIS as a valid and reliable approach to the measurement of caring in academic settings. Additional studies are recommended to continue the psychometric evaluation of this instrument.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Adolescent-adult interaction and peer-group involvement.

The principle purpose of this paper has been to assess the importance of the quality of adolescent-adult interaction in explaining differentials in adolescent peer-group involvement. The analysis indicated that quality of adolescent-adult interaction is inversely related to peer-group involvement and that the relationship is statistically significant beyond the .001 level. This holds true for each dimension of peer-group involvement included in the analysis. Thus, the analysis supports the hypothesis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

The effects of a confidant and a peer group on the well-being of single elders.

A study of 100 elderly people was carried out to compare the predictions of well-being derived from the confidant model with those derived from the Weiss model. The confidant model predicts that the most important feature of a person's social network for the well-being of that person is whether or not the person has a confidant. The Weiss model states that different persons are needed to fulfill the different needs of the person and in particular that a confidant is important to the need for intimacy and emotional security while a peer group of social friends is needed to fulfill sociability and identity needs. The two models were evaluated by comparing the relative influence of the confidant variable with the peer group variable on subject's well-being. Regression analysis was carried out on the well-being measure using as predictor variables the confidant variable, peer group variable, age, health, and financial status. The confidant and peer group variables were of equal importance to well-being, thus confirming the Weiss model.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Early intervention for adolescent substance abuse: pretreatment to posttreatment outcomes of a randomized clinical trial comparing multidimensional family therapy and peer group treatment.

This randomized clinical trial evaluated a family-based therapy and a peer group therapy with 80 urban, low-income, and ethnically diverse young adolescents (11 to 15 years) referred for substance abuse and behavioral problems. Both treatments were outpatient, relatively brief, manual-guided, equal in intervention dose, and delivered by community drug treatment therapists. Adolescents and their parents were assessed at intake to treatment, randomly assigned to either MDFT or group therapy, and reassessed at six weeks after intake and at discharge. Results indicated that the family-based treatment (MDFT, an intervention that targets teen and parent functioning within and across multiple systems on a variety of risk and protective factors) was significantly more effective than peer group therapy in reducing risk and promoting protective processes in the individual, family, peer, and school domains, as well as in reducing substance use over the course of treatment. These results, which add to the body of previous findings about the clinical and cost effectiveness of MDFT, support the clinical effectiveness and dissemination potential of this family-based, multisystem and developmentally-oriented intervention.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

The cultural context of gender segregation in children's peer groups.

Recent American research has explored developmental trends in gender segregation of children's peer groups. It is important to differentiate, however, systematic trends in children from systematic changes in their environments. Observational data are presented from 152 rural Kenyan children ages 18 months to 9 years. There is no gender segregation in peer groups until around age 6, at which time changes in settings, parental expectations, and customary duties result in an increase in the proportion of same-sex peers. Even within this pattern, however, there is some evidence that children do not interact more with same-sex peers, given their greater presence. A contrast is drawn with the adult pattern of gender segregation and emphasis is given to the importance of culture and development as interactive systems.

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The peer group as a context: mediating and moderating effects on relations between academic achievement and social functioning in Chinese children.

The purpose of the study was to examine, in a large sample of Chinese children and adolescents at 9, 13, and 16 years of age, the contextual effects of the peer group on relations between academic achievement and social functioning. Data on informal peer groups, social functioning and academic achievement were collected from multiple sources. It was found that peer groups were highly homogenous on academic achievement. Hierarchical linear modeling analysis revealed that academic achievement and social adjustment were associated at both the within-group individual level and the group level. Moreover, group academic performance moderated the relations between academic achievement and social adjustment such as peer acceptance, social competence, and leadership, suggesting that individual-level relations might be enhanced or exacerbated by group academic norms.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Gender-related processes and drug use: self-expression with parents, peer group selection, and achievement motivation.

This investigation examined gender differences in communication with parents, peer group selection, and academic motivation as related to drug use among adolescents (290 girls, 237 boys; age range = 12-19 years). For girls, increased self-expression with parents was associated with greater academic motivation, more academically motivated friends, fewer drug-using friends, and less overall drug use. For boys, self-expression was positively related to academic motivation. For both boys and girls, having drug-using friends predicted increased drug use, while having academically motivated friends predicted decreased drug use. For girls only, age and academic motivation predicted drug use as well. These findings indicate that peer group selection and academic motivation may mediate the relationship between drug use and parent-adolescent communication for girls only.

Achievement↗
PubMed2005

'Weaving thoughts'. A method for presenting and case material in a peer group.

The authors argue that there are good reasons for seriously considering the dynamics of the peer group when discussing psychoanalytical case material. The setting and procedure have to protect and facilitate for the presenter and the group members to work together. The aim of this paper is to discuss the problems connected with presenting and discussing clinical psychoanalytical material in a peer group and to describe one such specific method, which the authors call the 'weaving thoughts' method. The design is primarily inspired by Bion's formulation 'thoughts in search of a thinker'. The group participants re?ect on the presented clinical material in a way that the authors metaphorically describe as creating a weave of thoughts that emerges from the material. The aim of the method is to facilitate a work-group climate that allows thoughts to wander about, and to avert group members from debating and compromising the integrity of its members by letting basic assumptions come into power. The method is described from theoretical and practical points of view, with two illustrations of seminars according to this design and finally a discussion of the advantages and drawbacks of the method.

Child↗
PubMed1989

Peer group influence as a factor in smoking behavior of adolescents.

Adolescents, as the fastest growing group of smokers, have been a focus and concern of health educators and researchers. Adolescent smoking is of particular interest because initiation and early habits are known to have important implications for lifetime smoking or cessation. Despite the well-known centrality of the peer group in adolescent behavior, smoking cessation programs have been largely directed toward individuals rather than groups, with emphasis on encouraging the individual to say "no." In this paper, smoking behavior and peer group patterns among a sample of 1,689 Grade 8 students from southern Ontario were analyzed to ascertain possible patterns of indirect influence by friends and acquaintances. Gender differences also were assessed. It was found that peer groups are crucially important in the initiation of smoking among young adolescents, particularly females. The patterns of indirect peer influence on girls is such that girls are less likely to stop smoking once they have begun than are boys.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

When interventions harm. Peer groups and problem behavior.

This article explored developmental and intervention evidence relevant to iatrogenic effects in peer-group interventions. Longitudinal research revealed that "deviancy training" within adolescent friendships predicts increases in delinquency, substance use, violence, and adult maladjustment. Moreover, findings from 2 experimentally controlled intervention studies suggested that peer-group interventions increase adolescent problem behavior and negative life outcomes in adulthood, compared with control youth. The data from both experimental studies suggested that high-risk youth are particularly vulnerable to peer aggregations, compared with low-risk youth. We proposed that peer aggregation during early adolescence, under some circumstances, inadvertently reinforces problem behavior. Two developmental processes are discussed that might account for the powerful iatrogenic effects.

Adolescent↗