Biomedical subjects

D Statham

Publications and source records attributed to D Statham.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1996

A comparison of the psychosocial aspects of AIDS and cancer-related bereavement.

OBJECTIVE: This study compares the psychological symptoms and bereavement distress of individuals bereaved by AIDS with a group bereaved by a cancer death, and addresses the question of whether an AIDS death is associated with a higher rate of adverse psychosocial factors that may increase risk of psychological morbidity in the bereaved individuals. METHOD: AIDS (n = 28) and cancer (n = 30) bereaved individuals (all within 3 months of the bereavement) completed measures of psychological morbidity and measures addressing a range of other adverse factors, e.g., number of losses, levels of social support and stigma. RESULTS: The cancer and AIDS bereaved were essentially similar on all psychological symptom measures. The AIDS group reported lower levels of social support in response to the bereavement than cancer bereaved individuals; a greater number of bereavements, were more likely to conceal the cause of death from significant others including their own family and perceived, in some instances, a greater level of rejection from others. The AIDS group reported higher levels of social support from friends than from family. CONCLUSIONS: At three months following bereavement, AIDS and cancer bereaved were similar in levels of distress. While this may change with the progress of grief over time, it suggests essentially similar early bereavement responses. Those bereaved by AIDS reported a range of other adverse factors such as a greater number of losses, lower social support, stigma, and less open disclosure of the cause of death.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed1994

Working together in community care.

Health and social services professionals face major challenges in making the community care reforms work. Not least is the need to improve inter-agency collaboration. Many of the problems facing them are common to both professions, writes Daphne Statham. Instead of accusing the professions of inflexibility and tribalism, employers should support and invest in their professional staff.

Community Health Services↗

PubMed1994

Genetic effects on alcohol consumption patterns and problems in women.

We review evidence that genetic factors play no less important a role in the etiology of alcoholism in women than in men. Potential mediators of this genetic influence (differences in personality or alcohol sensitivity) exhibit equal heritability in men and women. Genetically determined differences in alcohol preference (or consumption level), a phenotype widely used in animal models of alcoholism, have been neglected as a mechanism of alcoholism inheritance. Using data from the 1992-3 interview survey of the Australian twin panel (N = 5995 twins), we have reexamined the mediating role of personality and alcohol consumption variables. By comparing the non-alcoholic co-twins of alcoholic twins, and twins from concordant unaffected pairs (separately for MZ and DZ pairs), we have avoided the problem of obtaining consumption and personality assessments that are contaminated by history of alcoholism. In MZ pairs, in both genders, co-twin's heavy alcohol exposure (drinking 5+ drinks in one day) and co-twin's Novelty Seeking score, are both predictive of alcoholism in the respondent. The effect of co-twin's heavy alcohol exposure remains significant even when the respondent's personality variables are controlled for, implying that there are genetic effects on alcoholism risk mediated through consumption pattern that are independent of those mediated through personality differences.

Alcohol Drinking↗

PubMed1991

Pseudomemory effects over time in the hypnotic setting.

Highly (n = 36), moderately (n = 26), and low (n = 48) susceptible subjects were administered either hypnosis or waking instruction to examine the hypothesis that pseudomemory will occur for hypnotic subjects as long as 2 weeks after suggestions are given for accepting false events. Accuracy and confidence of memory were measured for all subjects, and memory was examined for free recall, structured recall, and recognition. Results indicated persistence of pseudomemory for the 2-week period for both highly and moderately susceptible subjects. Data highlighted the multifaceted operation of skill, contextual, and state instruction factors, and an hypothesis that ambiguity of communication when suggestion is delivered plays a part in the maintenance of pseudomemory over time is offered for further testing.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

Relationships between mental adjustment to HIV diagnosis, psychological morbidity and sexual behaviour.

This paper examines patterns of psychological adjustment in a small sample of asymptomatic HIV antibody positive men. Comparison is made with data available on male cancer patients. HIV positive men reported greater degrees of anxious preoccupation and hopelessness, and lower levels of the more adaptive 'fighting spirit' response. In HIV-infected men, depression correlated positively with frequency of high risk sexual practices.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1989

The effect of prior sleep on retrieval.

Sleeping immediately prior to learning impaires subsequent retention. The purpose of this study was to ascertain if relatively short-term (0 to 20 mins) retention deficits are the result of impaired retrieval at the time of testing. 24 young women students were randomly allocated to two groups: prior sleep and awake. The prior sleep group was required to generate (retrieve) instances of specified categories immediately upon awakening from the first hour or so of nocturnal sleep and repeated the task again after a delay of 20 minutes. The awake control group performed the task at exactly the same times of night but without having had any prior sleep. The prior sleep group retrieved significantly fewer category instances immediately upon awakening and at delayed testing. However, retrieval had significantly improved during the 20 mins delay. It was concluded that the detrimental effects of prior sleep on retention over relatively short intervals may in part be due to retrieval difficulties at the time of testing but that longer-term retention deficits (less than 20 mins) are more likely to be due to impaired memory consolidation.

Adult↗

PubMed1989

Hypnosis, the timing of its introduction, and acceptance of misleading information.

Allocated independent sets of 16 Ss to a crossed 2 (level of susceptibility: high, low) x 2 (information: misleading, nonmisleading) x 2 (state instruction: hypnosis, walking) design to examine the prediction that hypnosis will facilitate memory distortion when hypnotic instruction precedes the exposure of Ss to incorrect, misleading information. E. F. Loftus's recognition procedures were used to focus on the predicted effect. Free recall was also examined for memory distortion effects. Results indicated the presence of significant memory distortion for both recognition and free-recall memories. The distortion effects accompanying hypnosis, however, were not reliably greater than those accompanying waking instruction. Results are examined in relation to the operation of multiple parameters affecting memory distortion in hypnosis. Pertinent factors include the procedures for testing the effects of distortion and the level of Ss' aptitude for hypnosis.

Female↗