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Biomedical subjects

R A Hicks

Publications and source records attributed to R A Hicks.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

"You are hereby commanded to appear": pediatrician subpoena and court appearance in child maltreatment.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of court appearance by pediatricians evaluating child abuse and neglect cases and to identify case characteristics associated with actual court appearance or case adjournment. DESIGN: Retrospective review of subpoenas received between 1995 and 1999 for child maltreatment cases personally evaluated by 2 pediatricians during the years 1995 to 1998. Information was collected regarding patient age, gender, race/ethnicity, type of suspected maltreatment, date of evaluation, date of subpoena, type of court hearing, whether the pediatrician actually testified in court, and legal outcomes. Case characteristics were compared between pediatricians and were used to predict physician appearance and case continuance or adjournment in logistic regression models. RESULTS: Four hundred forty-five subpoenas concerning 260 patients were received. Although significant differences were noted between the pediatricians in type of abuse, no differences were found in patient age, gender, ethnicity or legal outcomes. The pediatricians received subpoenas in <15% of child maltreatment cases, and <5% of children seen resulted in the physician being required to actually appear in court. No case characteristics significantly predicted court appearance or case continuance or adjournment. CONCLUSIONS: Although pediatricians are sometimes subpoenaed to appear in court to explain the medical evaluation and the needs of the child in cases of child abuse and neglect, most court cases were continued, adjourned, or settled before physician testimony. Most subpoenas did not result in the pediatrician going to court, and it is unclear which child factors may predict court involvement. Pediatricians can take steps to minimize (but not eliminate) the potential dissatisfaction and inconvenience associated with receiving and responding to subpoenas in child maltreatment cases.

Child↗
PubMed2000

Consistency of hand use and frequency of colds among college students.

The self reported annual frequencies of colds were assessed for two groups of 37 students each who were either consistent or inconsistent in the use of their hands. These data indicated that the inconsistent hand use group reported significantly more colds than their consistent hand use peers.

Common Cold↗
PubMed2000

Stamina in adults: is attachment style a factor?

The study was designed to extend inquiry on adult attachment style to include the variable of personal stamina. The data were derived from an anonymous survey administered to 163 college students (82 women and 81 men) in introductory psychology classes. Attachment style was measured by the Close Relationship Questionnaire, based on a four-category scheme suggested by Bartholomew. Stamina was evaluated with a self-report scale developed by R. A. Hicks. The pattern of statistically significant differences (p < .001) in the relative frequency with which respondents self-identified with descriptions of each of the four attachment styles on the questionnaire diverged somewhat from those reported previously. Respondents who identified themselves as most accurately described by the questionnaire's alternative defined as characterizing secure attachment had significantly higher stamina scores than did those who self-endorsed the fearful or preoccupied alternatives in that categorical measure. No other pairwise comparisons of stamina scores were statistically significant. The results provide preliminary support for the hypothesis that secure attachment is more facilitative of personal stamina than are insecure styles. Methodological limits on inferences and corresponding alternative interpretations, the potential effectiveness of defensive suppression of the attachment system in dismissing-avoidant adults, and directions for research are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Time perspective and sleep problems.

In this study of 137 university students, we examined the relationships among the five dimensions of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory and three scales that measure aspects of sleep problems. All of the Zimbardo Inventory dimensions correlated significantly with each of the sleep problem-related scales. These data suggest that concern about time, regardless of the specific nature of individuals' time perspective, and certain sleep problems are significantly related.

Arousal↗
PubMed1999

Ethnicity, sleep duration, and sleep satisfaction.

Analysis of responses of 1100 students from four ethnic groups to questions about the quantity and quality of their sleep indicated that ethnicity was modestly but significantly related.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1999

Ethnicity and bruxism.

Distributions of students of four ethnic groups were statistically significantly different. 106 African-American students reported the lowest incidence of self-reported bruxism (9.4%), 452 Asian students the highest incidence (24.6%); 312 Euro-American and 225 Hispanic students' incidence was intermediate.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1999

Ethnicity, Sleep Hygiene Knowledge, and Sleep Hygiene Practices.

We tested the mean differences in scores on Sleep Hygiene Knowledge and on Sleep Hygiene Practices among four ethnic groups of university students (N = 963). We computed significant main effects for ethnicity for both of these variables. Primarily the results reflect that the Euro-American students scored significantly higher on both scales than each of the other three groups.

Ethnicity↗
PubMed1999

Consistency of hand use and frequent falls.

We examined relationships between consistency of hand use and falling in groups of right-handed university undergraduates who were either consistent (n = 45) or inconsistent (n = 32) in the use of their hands. A scoring procedure developed for the Briggs-Nebes Handedness Scale permitted us to classify individuals as consistent or inconsistent in the use of their hands. The inconsistent group was 2.81 times more likely to have experienced frequent falls during the last 12-mo. period and was 1.64 times more likely to rate themselves higher on proneness to falling. These data suggest that inconsistent hand use may be a sign of a developmental inconsistency in motor coordination.

Accident Proneness↗
PubMed1999

Boundaries and handedness.

The responses of 116 university students were used to assess a possible relation between scores on Hartmann's Boundary Questionnaire and the Briggs-Nebes Handedness Scale. Consistent with our prediction, the mean handedness score of the students with thin boundaries was significantly skewed in the direction of mixed-handedness.

Functional Laterality↗
PubMed1999

Consistency of hand use, exercise, and sports-related injuries.

In this study, we examined the relationships between the consistency of hand use, exercise, and sports-related injuries as an indirect test of the hypothesis that the consistency of hand use is a reflection of general motor coordination. As we predicted, the consistent hand-use group (n = 23) exercised more, were more likely to follow a regular exercise schedule, and reported having experienced more sports-related accidents than their inconsistent hand-use peers (n = 23).

Athletic Injuries↗
PubMed1999

Nightmare distress and stress-related health problems.

Responses of 289 university students to Belicki's Nightmare Distress Questionnaire and the Stress-related Health Problems Scale were used to test the hypothesis that persons who score high on nightmare distress are more likely to report psychological problems. Since relative to the Low Nightmare Distress group, the High Nightmare Distress group scored significantly higher on all seven of the sets of symptoms that are measured by the Stress-related Health Problems Scale, this hypothesis was supported.

Dreams↗
PubMed1999

Consistency of hand use and sleep problems.

In this study, we measured the relationship between the consistency of hand use and three symptoms of insomnia, i.e., delayed sleep onset, frequent awakenings during sleep, and trouble returning to sleep after an awakening. For each of these insomnia-related symptoms, university students who were classified as inconsistent in the use of their hands (n = 30) were significantly more likely to report problems than their consistent hand-use peers (n = 30). These data were discussed both in relation to the literature on handedness classification and sleep problems and the emerging literature on consistency of hand use and health-related problems.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Boundaries and level of experience with six types of dreams.

The self-reported levels of experience to six types of dreams were compared for groups of students who classified as having either thin (n = 30) or thick (n = 86) boundaries. Consistent with predictions drawn from the literature, the thin-boundary group scored significantly higher on level of experience for each dream type than the thick-boundary group. These data provide additional validation for Hartmann's Boundary Questionnaire.

Dreams↗
PubMed1998

Fatal alcohol-related traffic crashes increase subsequent to changes to and from daylight savings time.

On the hypothesis that sleepiness and alcohol interact to increase the risk of alcohol-related traffic fatalities, the percentages of alcohol-related fatal traffic crashes were assessed for the entire state of New Mexico for the years 1989-1992, for each of the seven days that preceded the changes to and from Daylight Savings Time and for each of the 14 days which followed the changes to and from Daylight Savings Time. Consistent with our hypothesis the percentage of alcohol-related fatal crashes increased significantly during the first seven days after these changes in Daylight Savings Time.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1998

Handedness and stress-related health problems.

Response of groups of 163 right-, 22 mixed-, and 20 left-handed university students to the seven symptom subscales of a 48-item Stress-related Health Problems Scale were used to test the hypothesis that left-handedness is associated with an increased risk of stress-related health problems. Since only one of the 21 possible statistical tests computed barely reached statistical significance, there is no meaningful relationship between handedness and stress-related health problems.

Functional Laterality↗