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Biomedical subjects

D M Romney

Publications and source records attributed to D M Romney.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Hospital staff's perceptions of the alcoholic.

Hospital staff's perceptions of the characteristics of alcoholics were investigated by means of a questionnaire containing a set of 23 semantic differential scales on which they rated four types of patient: "the Alcoholic," "the Nondrinker," "the Drug Addict," and "the Heavy Drinker." Factor analysis of the responses showed that types of patients were perceived in terms of three dimensions. Stability, Dangerousness, and Self-Assertiveness. In comparison with heavy drinkers, alcoholics were perceived by hospital staff in general as unstable, harmless, and self-effacing, though clerks tended to see them as more dangerous than did professionals. These perceptions are considered in relation to the respondent's own frequency of drinking. Finally, the explanation of these findings and their implications for clinical education and policy are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Factors influencing length of stay in psychiatric day care.

The goal of the present study was to discover the factors which influence psychiatric day care patients to remain in treatment. Of the numerous variables examined, three accounted for 65 percent of the variance. They were prior duration of the disorder which accounted for about half, followed by patients' satisfaction with treatment, and age. Contrary to previous findings, patients' initial expectations and whether or not they were confirmed played no part in their decision to remain in treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

The effect of diazepam on patients' memory.

Ten patients who were prescribed daily doses of diazepam for the treatment of anxiety, insomnia, or psychosomatic symptoms were assessed repeatedly on measures of short-term and long-term memory on and off the drug. Both kinds of memory, especially the latter, appeared detrimentally affected by the drug. However, dosage seemed to be inversely related to the degree of memory impairment. In general, the results are consistent with the hypothesis that diazepam interferes with the memory consolidation process. The negative relationship between drug dosage and degree of memory impairment might be due to habituation toward this particular side effect by heavier drug users. It is suggested that on theoretical grounds, the use of diazepam in conjunction with the behavioral psychotherapies may be contraindicated.

Adult↗