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Biomedical subjects

L A Jason

Publications and source records attributed to L A Jason.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Validating a brief Pupil Evaluation Inventory.

A shortened version of the Pupil Evaluation Inventory (PEI) was evaluated. The shortened version consists of nine items and was administered to 381 third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders in Chicago area Catholic schools. A factor analysis revealed the same factor structure as the original measure. Correlations with other sociometric ratings and the Achenbach Teacher Report Form were moderate to strong. A series of ANOVAs was used to compare the factors of the PEI to the five social status groups calculated from a peer nominations measure, and significant differences were found. Rejected children received higher scores on Aggression and Withdrawal than any other group, and popular children scored significantly higher on Likability.

Aggression↗
PubMed1991

Active enforcement of cigarette control laws in the prevention of cigarette sales to minors.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect that cigarette legislation would have on reducing merchant sales rates of cigarettes to minors and the affect on adolescent smoking behavior. DESIGN: Observational survey of merchant selling behaviors and adolescent smoking habits before and after passage of legislation. SETTING: The setting for the merchant survey was Woodridge, Ill (population 25,200), a suburban community of Chicago. The surveys were distributed to adolescents in the local junior high school. PARTICIPANTS: Convenience sample of both merchants and adolescent students. INTERVENTION: Passage of community antismoking legislation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Percentage of stores selling cigarettes to minors in Woodridge and percentage of students who had experimented with cigarettes or were regular smokers. RESULTS: Merchant sales rates in Woodridge decreased from a baseline of 70% before legislation to less than 5% in 1.5 years of compliance checking after legislation. Student surveys showed that the rates of cigarette experimentation and regular use of cigarettes by adolescents were reduced by over 50%. CONCLUSION: Cigarette control laws can be effective in significantly reducing the rate of cigarettes sold by merchants and rates of cigarette use by adolescents. Key elements of successful legislation implementation are consistent compliance checking and heightened community awareness of the problems and prevalence of adolescent smoking.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

A televised, self-help, cigarette smoking cessation intervention.

A televised, self-help cigarette smoking cessation intervention was conducted and evaluated. During the 20-day program, reports were broadcast daily on the evening news programs of the local affiliate station of a national television network. Two samples of smokers who requested self-help manuals were interviewed by telephone immediately following the conclusion of the program and again 3 months later concerning their demographic characteristics, participation in the program, and smoking and quitting experiences. In one sample heavier smokers who expressed a greater desire to quit were more likely to participate in the program and, at the three-month followup, 21% reported being abstinent compared to 10% of those who did not participate. Smokers in the other sample were invited to attend three weekly support meetings during the program. More of those who attended meetings (35%) reported quitting during the program than those who did not attend (23%), but this difference did not persist for 3 months. A greater percentage of the meeting sample (27%) than the other sample (21%) reported abstinence initially, but this difference did not persist for three months either. Intervention outcomes are compared with several standards.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

A social stress model of substance abuse.

The social stress model provides a framework for detecting protective factors that may contribute to adolescents' resiliency when confronted with compelling influences to engage in substance abuse. Parameters of the model were tested in 2 urban high school samples (N = 124) of Black (78%), White (16%), and Hispanic (6%) adolescents aged 12-14 years. Pretest and posttest measures, designed to detect the relative influence of stress, social networks, social competencies, and community resources on levels of students' usage, were completed at the beginning and end of the school year. The parameters of the model, estimated using LISREL7, indicated that the pathway from family characteristics to usage and from assertion to usage were significant. The paths from the remaining hypothesized variables were not significant. Implications for the design of prevention programs that facilitate youths' resiliency are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Incentives and competition in a worksite smoking cessation intervention.

We evaluated a worksite smoking cessation program that employed multicomponents including support groups, incentives, and competition. The combination of incentives and other components increased participation rates to over 80%. Forty-two percent of smokers were abstinent at six months, compared to 13 percent of a control group (difference 29 percent, 95% CI 9, 49).

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Preventive intervention programs for disadvantaged children.

This paper describes a 6-year effort aimed at developing educational interventions for a group of economically disadvantaged children. The program provided an opportunity for psychologists and student paraprofessionals to join with personnel at urban health care facilities in responding to a serious identified community problem--disadvantaged youngsters, ages 1 and 2, who are vulnerable to later school and life difficulties. The intervention succeeded in enhancing academic skills among six groups of disadvantaged toddlers. As ongoing research results indicated the need for new program elements, the university personnel piloted innovations and the health centers gradually incorporated effective components into the existing program.

Child Behavior Disorders↗
PubMed1978

Behavioral versus process consultation interventions in school settings.

Teachers experiencing difficulties in managing disruptive, acting-out children in two parochial first-grade classes were provided either behavioral or process consultation. The behavioral intervention included discussions of behavior modification principles, feedback concerning contingent praise, and individualized behavioral interventions. In contrast, the process consultant used clarifying, supportive, and reflective responses to help the teacher better understand classroom difficulties and enhance her ability to work with problem children. Results of the interventions indicated that during consultation sessions and follow-up, problem behaviors were significantly reduced and attention to desirable behaviors significantly increased. The results were observed in three problem children in the classroom provided with behavioral consultation, and there only. Both teachers rated problem children as being less disruptive following program involvement. Significant positive relations were found between directly observed and teacher ratings of problem behaviors.

Acting Out↗
PubMed1976

Relational and behavioral interventions with economically disadvantaged toddlers.

Matched groups of children, ages 12-24 months, referred for early social or verbal developmental lags or home-environment problems, participated either in a center-based "relational" or a home-based "behavior modification" intervention. Although both programs accelerated youngsters' intellectual development, there were few differences between groups on the criterion change measures.

Behavior Therapy↗