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Biomedical subjects

S G Brink

Publications and source records attributed to S G Brink.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Dreams of anorexic and bulimic women. A research study.

The research paradigms used in this study fit with the content analysis paradigms of Hall and Van de Castle (1966) and Dippel et al. (1987), but differ in the use of descriptive scenarios specific to eating disorders. Anorexic and bulimic patients are often able to share their dreams with their therapists, and this process is sometimes the start of building an analytical relationship. This study compared the dreams of twelve eating-disordered women with eleven 'normal' women. A total of 275 dreams was collected over a four-week period and rated on a 91-item scale (Brink 1991) by eight raters. Significant differences were found between the two groups, with eating-disordered women having more dream scenarios depicting themes of: impending doom at the end of the dream, attitudes of 'whatever I do I won't succeed', and images of the dreamer being attacked, and being watched. Significant differences were also found in dream content portraying the psychological traits of: ineffectiveness, self-hate, negative emotions, an inability to self-nourish, obsession with weight, and anger. The discussion centres around the role of 'inordinate oral rage', the nature of ego defences, how these defences manifest themselves in dream images and in daily living, and how they severely impair positive transformative processes. The implications for clinical practice are that dreams are an amenable way of working with eating-disordered women, and that the therapist is more likely to promote positive transformation through focusing on their dreams than trying to change their behaviour.

Adult

A hospital-based infant safety seat program for low-income families: assessment of population needs and provider practices.

Evaluation of a hospital-based car safety seat education and loan program for low-income families included hospital interviews with new mothers (N = 94), a survey of pediatricians (N = 28), and a task analysis of the program coordinator's time. Mothers who entered the hospital with safety seats were more likely than those without safety seats to (1) be White or Mexican-American than Black; (2) not be dependent on public transportation; (3) have an older child who always rides in a car seat; and (4) wear seat belts themselves. Mothers with seats did not differ from mothers without seats in knowledge or beliefs about the importance of, or intent to use, car seats. Of mothers without seats, 86.3% were aware of the hospital's car seat rental program, but only 12 of 51 rented a seat from the program. 61% of pediatricians surveyed believed that mothers' lack knowledge and skills to acquire and use car seats regularly, but only 31% always included education about the importance of using car seats and only 21% always referred mothers without seats to the rental program. Car seat loan programs addressing low-income populations should place greater emphasis on education of medical providers to provide education and referrals, encourage organizational policy that requires a safe first ride home and address issues of social support and perceived norms and ease of acquisition.

Black or African American

An ecological approach to the prevention of injuries due to drinking and driving.

Among the many alcohol-related public health concerns, motor vehicle crashes account for nearly one-third of all deaths attributable to alcohol. Adolescents and young adults, particularly males, are important target populations for intervention efforts. Taking an ecological perspective of individuals within their social and physical environments, a diagnostic framework is employed in reviewing the literature on factors associated with drinking and driving injuries and on interventions to prevent injuries due to drinking and driving. Intervention planning is conceptualized according to a multilevel intervention framework, which consists of four phases: (1) health goals selection, (2) intervention planning, (3) intervention, and (4) evaluation. Possible intervention objectives, targets of the intervention actions, intervention approaches, and evaluation criteria are identified and discussed for three societal levels and four practice settings.

Accidents, Traffic

Developing comprehensive smoking control programs in schools.

During the school years, students encounter peer influences and role models who encourage smoking initiation. To counteract these influences, schools can provide comprehensive programs that include smoking prevention and cessation education and a supportive nonsmoking environment. In the past several years, programs and information have become available to help schools establish curricula to address smoking and to create nonsmoking environments. In addition, state and local governments have acted to legally restrict smoking in schools or to require smoking content in curricula. Efforts can be categorized into three avenues of intervention: student education, school and school system policy, and governmental regulation. Resources are suggested for each category to assist in developing a comprehensive intervention to foster nonsmoking by children and adolescents in the school setting.

Adolescent