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Biomedical subjects

H A Handford

Publications and source records attributed to H A Handford.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

The relationship of HIV status, type of coagulation disorder, and school absenteeism to cognition, educational performance, mood, and behavior of boys with hemophilia.

Psychological and educational data were analyzed for all school-aged males with hemophilia at the Hemophilia Center of Central Pennsylvania (N = 66). Mean IQ (113.5) was higher than normal, and 2.4 times as many boys with hemophilia were enrolled in gifted programming than is the state average for boys. However, there was a disproportionately high prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; 28.3%), learning disability (LD; 15.8%), and graphomotor weakness. These were not significantly associated with HIV status or type and severity of coagulation disorder. School absenteeism was high but was not significantly related to academic achievement, IQ/achievement discrepancy, need for educational intervention, or diagnosis of ADHD or LD.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1988

Parent attitudes and child personality traits in hemophilia: a six-year longitudinal study.

Using standardized instruments, personality traits of twenty-two hemophilic boys and child-rearing attitudes and practices of their parents were evaluated at the beginning and end of a six-year period, during which psychosocial services were provided in a comprehensive care hemophilia program. The children changed significantly in a positive direction on two traits, enthusiasm and self-reliance. No significant negative personality trait changes were found. Scores remained within the normal range on the remaining traits, with the exception of a significant positive elevation on the intelligence dimension at both pre- and posttest. Mothers and fathers scored positively compared with parental attitude norms during both the initial and follow-up evaluations, without significant changes in overall mean scores. Strong relationships were revealed between individual changes in child personality and parent attitude scores. Despite the fact that between pre- and posttest boys with hemophilia and their parents became aware of the risk of contracting AIDS from blood product use, personality traits and parent child-rearing attitudes remained positive.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1986

Personality traits of hemophilic boys.

Personality traits of 50 hemophilic boys were assessed with the Early School (ESPQ), Children's (CPQ), and High School (HSPQ) Personality Questionnaires. Compared to the norms for healthy, male age-mates, hemophiliacs were significantly more intelligent, stable, and secure. They did not deviate from the norm on the remaining eight traits assessed. The findings of higher intelligence may indicate that hemophilic boys are more motivated to excel intellectually because this avenue is more appropriate to them due to the risk of pain and disability from physical endeavors. Boys with severe hemophilia were significantly more self-controlled, serious, and submissive, compared to mild-to-moderate hemophiliacs. Possibly, this reflects the severe hemophiliacs' greater concern for the more serious nature of the medical sequelae they may experience from physical activity. Mild-to-moderate hemophiliacs were slightly below the norm on these traits, suggesting their attempt to overcompensate for or deny the physical implications of their hemophilia by being more assertive and impulsive.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1975

Brain hypoxia, minimal brain dysfunction, and schizophrenia.

The author hypothesizes that individuals who suffer brain hypoxia prenatally, perinatally, or immediately postnatally constitute a population at risk for minimal brain dysfunction and for schizophrenia in adulthood. This hypothesis has implications for early intervention with children who have MBD and their families and for multidisciplinary management of these cases throughout childhood.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Blood product use by hemophiliacs in relation to AIDS risk awareness and patient variables.

Although some hemophiliacs in other studies have reported restricting blood product use because of fear of possible transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), no overall change in the quantity of blood products infused between January 1981 through December 1985 was found in a sample of 40 hemophiliacs before or after they became aware of the risk of contracting the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). However, there was a significant linear increase in blood product use with time during the period of AIDS risk awareness. This may be a nonspecific, chance finding; or it may reflect an increase in spontaneous bleeds secondary to AIDS-related stress. The implications of these findings are discussed, and specific areas for future research are recommended.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Sexual practices and AIDS knowledge among women partners of HIV-infected hemophiliacs.

About 12 percent of the women sex partners of hemophilic men who are seropositive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have themselves become seropositive. Questionnaires were completed in January 1988 by 15 women who were in long-term, monogamous relationships with HIV-positive hemophiliacs; 11 of the women were not HIV seropositive and 4 were. None of the couples was abstaining from sexual intercourse, and during the 4 weeks prior to responding, the couples had intercourse a mean of 6.2 times. Sixty percent always used condoms, 13 percent did so most of the time, and the remaining 27 percent did sometimes. Condom use was not significantly related to either frequency of intercourse, the women's knowledge of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-risk reduction, the actual HIV status of both partners and the women's perceived status of both, the extent of the women's worry about contracting AIDS, their reported degree of negative impact from AIDS, or to their mood, age, or education. All women who reported not always using condoms had been informed of their own and their partner's HIV status; were counseled repeatedly regarding risk reduction; acknowledged the possibility of heterosexual HIV transmission; said they knew of recommendations for the use of condoms; recognized their risk of HIV infection; claimed some degree of worry about acquiring HIV through sexual activity; had children at home; and were not, with one exception, trying to become pregnant. There were several possible factors influencing the decision by women at high risk for acquiring HIV not to use condoms. Among them were complaints that the women found condoms unpleasant or an unwanted reminder of AIDS, a sense of obligation or a drive to continue unaltered sexual relations, the false reassurance of HIV-negative test results for some of the women who did not always use condoms, a willingness to sacrifice and to share their partner's fate, a desire to avoid communicating rejection and adding to their partner's burdens, and difficulty changing long-standing behavior patterns despite logical understanding of the risks involved.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗