Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to R C Benfari.
By serving as mentors, managers can help employees expand their capabilities and improve their performance, but first a manager must create the proper climate and develop the specific skills needed for effective coaching.
Carried out a study on a sample of male smokers (N = 182) who were at high risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in order to determine the variables that discriminated between successful and nonsuccessful quitters in a group intervention program designed to lower CHD risk factors. The analysis revealed that baseline level of smoking, life events, personal security, and selected group process variables were predictive of success or failure in the intervention program. Recommendations for future study and clinical application were discussed.
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A group of 182 smokers in a CHD risk factor intervention program were prospectively followed for 4 years to note the relationship of selected psychosocial factors to long-term outcomes in smoking cessation. The results of the study suggest that the combined effects of high levels of presumed stress and low self-reliance (measured by a multimode method) have predictive value in determining failure in long-term follow-up. The results were linked to a possible treatment-person interaction and to current theory on conditioned emotional states and addictive smoking.
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Predicting change in coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors (cigarette smoking, hypertension, and cholesterol) was undertaken in participants randomized to the treatment group of the Harvard Center of the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial. The predictor variables of interest were psychosocial characteristics, responses to the initial group sessions intervention strategy, and change in weight. The Harvard sample consists of 652 men identified at high risk of death from CHD. Fifty percent were randomized into an intervention group, and 50% were referred to their usual source of medical care. For the analyses, men were stratified by their baseline smoking status and whether they were taking medication for hypertension. The analyses revealed that there was no single model that explained changes in all three risk factors. For example, cigarette smokers were significantly more likely to stop smoking if they attended the group sessions (p less than or equal to .001). An internal locus of control predicted a lower blood pressure by the end of the first year independent of medication (p less than or equal to .05). If a participant entered the trial with serum cholesterol as the only risk factor of concern, attending the group sessions was associated with a significant decrease by the end of the first year (p less than or equal to .05).
Carried out a study on a sample of men (N = 652) at high risk or coronary heart disease (CHD) in order to note the dimensions of change for the risk factors of smoking, blood pressure, cholesterol, selected intervention and psychosocial variables. The principal components analyses revealed a multi-dimensional structure with some bipolar change factors. Implications for the design and implementation of behaviorally oriented risk factor programs were discussed.
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Based upon the assessment of anxiety/depression and functional heart symptoms in high risk (HRS) and low risk samples (LRS) participating in clinical trials, the present study concluded that screening and intervention did not have psychological costs to the randomized sample (HRS). The results of the present study were compared to parallel studies in other clinical trials. The main conclusion was that the HRS group had less depressive symptoms than the group (LRS) that did not enter the trial. The psychological reactions to screening and intervention programs may have person-environment interactions that lead to different outcomes based upon the specific population under study. The present paper attempts to integrate the findings in the previous studies.
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The reliability of the food record rating (FRR) sytem devised for assessing nutritional compliance by participants of MRFIT was statistically validated. Two nutritionists in each of four clinical MRFIT centers each rated thirty records drawn from a pool of 120 records from twenty centers. The eight raters working independently in four cities were able to duplicate FRR scores 86 per cent of the time. The FRR provides a systematic, rapid measure of progress in food-habit change which would be applicable to other preventive nutrition programs
A study was carried out using 616 participants in a randomized clinical trial at the Harvard MRFIT (Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial) Clinical Center, to test if there were differences in the psychological dimensions of anxiety, depression, and functional heart symptoms in groups given different levels of treatment in a CHD (Coronary Heart Disease) Intervention Program. A theoretical framework was given to justify a number of hypotheses as to the induction of adverse psychological effects. At the end of two years in the MRFIT Program there were no significant differences between the special intervention group (SI) and the usual care group (UC) in the selected psychological variables.
In recent years, a number of studies have appeared which attempt to measure neurotic disorders among population samples in different cultural settings. The problem of how to define and measure psychiatric disorders in untreated groups, and especially in cultures to which the investigators are not native, is, however, far from resolved. The present report describes an effort to study psychological stress among the Serer of Senegal. We describe a method we used to develop a questionnaire to tap symptoms of psychiatric distress, and which would be geared to the realities of place and setting. By means of a factor analysis of the responses to this questionnaire by more than 400 subjects, we identify four dimensions by which the Serer express neurotic disturbance. Further analyses presented in the report demonstrate that these are not merely ways of expressing symptoms based on physical illness, that they are able to discriminate between ill and well people in the Serer frame of reference, that they possess domain validity, and that they demonstrate important similarities and differences with factors obtained using similar techniques in different cultural settings. From a methodological point of view, we illustrate the importance of using a multidimensional approach in such studies.
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Explore the source record for details and available documents.