This study examined the impact of social support and HIV-related conditions on depression among 508 gay men participating in the San Francisco Men's Health Study, a population-based prospective study of single men aged 25-54 years. The number of HIV-related symptoms experienced significantly predicted depression cross-sectionally and 1 year later. Satisfaction with each of three types of social support (emotional, practical, informational) was inversely correlated with depression. Men who were more satisfied with the social support they received were less likely to show increased depression 1 year later. Degree of satisfaction with informational support appeared especially critical in buffering the stress associated with experiencing HIV symptoms. These findings offer valuable insight in understanding the psychological needs of gay men confronting the AIDS crisis and have important practical implications for designing mental health services to meet those needs.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed1991

Teaching health promotion and illness prevention to trainee general practitioners.

This study demonstrates that the provision of feedback based on the observation of videotaped consultations can be used to increase self-awareness of deficiencies in health promotion and illness prevention skills. Trainee general practitioners were found to have some awareness of deficiencies in this important aspect of general practice, and this awareness increased as a result of self-observation and the feedback. Performance was self-evaluated to be better at the end of the general practice term than at the beginning.

Australia↗

PubMed1990

A training programme for rural general practice.

An improvement in methods of training graduates for general practice has been recommended as a result of several investigations into the problems faced by rural medical practitioners. This paper describes a rural vocational training programme conducted by the Family Medicine Programme in North Queensland. The programme combines educational support, professional support and mentorship with a medical educator experienced in rural practice. The educational support is partly chosen by members of the rural group, and is designed to meet needs of group members and the communities they serve. The cost of such a programme is high, due to travel and communication over long distances, but is justifiable if it improves recruitment and retention of rural practitioners.

Clinical Competence↗

PubMed1990

Analysis of videotaped consultations to certify competence.

The assessment of videotaped genuine consultations in order to provide feedback to the learner is now a well accepted part of postgraduate training for general practice. This article reports on a pilot study which investigates the adaptation of videotape assessment of genuine patient consultations as an alternative to the present simulated patient interview segments of the examination for Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. In particular, the study addresses: the feasibility and cost of collecting and assessing a suitable range of videotaped consultations using portable videocamera equipment and remote examiners; the interobserver reliability of four independent examiners; and the correlation between scores on two different rating scales. The results demonstrate that the assessment of videotaped genuine consultations has the potential to become a means of end-point assessment of clinical competence. The problem of how to collect videotapes of a suitable range and number of consultations to permit a candidate to demonstrate proficiency needs to be addressed and will be followed up in a trial of the method during 1990.

Australia↗

PubMed1990

Help-seeking for AIDS-related concerns: a comparison of gay men with various HIV diagnoses.

Examined help-seeking and psychological distress among four groups of gay men (30 AIDS-diagnosed, 107 HIV-seropositive, 149 HIV-seronegative, 244 untested) in the AIDS Behavioral Research Project, a longitudinal survey of San Francisco gay men. The men reported high levels of anxiety, depression, and help-seeking from their social networks. AIDS-diagnosed and HIV-positives reported the most AIDS worry and were the most likely to seek help. High percentages of AIDS-diagnosed men sought help from all sources (peers, professionals, family), whereas nondiagnosed men were more likely to seek help from peers. Regardless of the men's HIV status, peers were perceived to be the most helpful source. Family members were less likely sought and perceived as least helpful. The strengths and limitations of peers as social support providers for AIDS-related concerns are discussed, including implications for the design of community programs to enhance the abilities of peer helpers.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed1990

High HIV risk-taking among young gay men.

Previous research has shown younger age to be correlated with greater HIV sexual risk-taking among gay men. The purpose of this study was to identify variables associated with HIV risk-taking among younger gay men. Ninety-nine gay men aged 18-25 in three medium-sized West Coast communities completed self-report questionnaires regarding HIV-related behaviors and attitudes. Of the respondents, 43% reported having engaged in unprotected anal intercourse during the previous 6 months. Men who engaged in unprotected anal intercourse reported greater enjoyment of unprotected anal intercourse, perceived less risk of unprotected anal intercourse, labeled themselves as more at risk for AIDS, reported poorer communication skills with sexual partners, and were more likely to have a boyfriend/lover than men who had not engaged in high-risk sex. In addition, respondents perceived the likelihood of acquiring HIV from unprotected anal intercourse with young gay men to be significantly lower than with older gay men. These findings highlight the need for HIV risk-reduction interventions designed specifically for young gay men and identify critical areas to be targeted in such interventions.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1990

Assessment of general practice consultations: content validity of a rating scale.

A rating scale for assessing clinical performance of trainee general practitioners was constructed based on a contemporary definition of knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for competent general practice in Australia. The purpose of the rating scale is the provision of feedback to the trainee by both self-evaluation and evaluation by training supervisors. As part of a wider study into the use of videotaped genuine general practice consultations for teaching purposes, the content validity of the scale was examined by comparing the scale data with an open-ended rating form. The comparison resulted in six suggestions which might improve the precision of the instrument, and produce a compact practical scale suitable for the evaluation of general practice consultation.

Clinical Competence↗

PubMed1986

Social network development and functioning during a life transition.

A 12-week longitudinal study of the development of social support networks among college freshmen is presented. Eighty-nine male and female students who lived either in university residence halls or at home with their parents completed a series of questionnaires in which they described their social networks while attending college and their adaptation to university life. In accord with an ecological view of social support, the structural and functional characteristics of the freshmen's networks were found to vary with the focal individual's gender, living situation, and the temporal stage of the network. Further, network characteristics were significantly associated with the freshmen's successful adaptation to college, though the relative adaptiveness of particular network characteristics varied over time.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1985

A longitudinal study of friendship development.

At 3-week intervals during their first term at the university, 84 male and female freshman completed questionnaires regarding their relationships with two same-sex individuals whom they had just met. Results showed that dyads which successfully developed into close friendships by the end of the fall school term differed behaviorally and attitudinally from dyads that did not progress. As the friendships developed, the intimacy level of dyadic interaction accounted for an increasing percentage of the variance in ratings of friendship intensity beyond that accounted for by the sheer quantity of interaction. Ratings of relationship benefits were consistently positively correlated with friendship intensity and increased as the relationship progressed. There were no differences in ratings of relationship costs between close and nonclose friends. Dyadic behavior patterns and attitude ratings at the end of the fall school term were good predictors of friendship status 3 months later. Motivational and situational factors were also correlated with friendship outcomes.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1985

A person-environment analysis of job stress: a contingency model explanation.

The contingency model of leadership was applied in a field study of job stress. Fifty-one university administrators completed a series of questionnaires that assessed their leadership style, degree of situational control within their work setting, perceived job stress, physical health, and psychological well-being. Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) showed that administrators whose leadership style and level of situational control were "in match" reported significantly less job stress, fewer health problems, and fewer days missed from work than administrators who were "out of match." The results are discussed as supporting the person-environment fit model of job stress.

Female↗

PubMed1967

Application of cell culture as a primary toxicity screen of possible spacecraft contaminants. NASA TN D-4251.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Biological Assay↗