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Biomedical subjects

T M Reischl

Publications and source records attributed to T M Reischl.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

The role of referent and expert power in mutual help.

This study explored the roles of referent power (i.e., influence based on sense of identification) and expert power (i.e., influence based on knowledge and expertise) in Schizophrenics Anonymous (SA), a mutual-help group for persons experiencing a schizophrenia-related illness. The study describes SA participants' experience of referent and expert power with SA members, SA leaders, and with mental health professionals. It also examines whether or not referent and expert power ascribed to fellow SA participants predicts the perceived helpfulness of the group. One hundred fifty-six SA participants were surveyed. Participants reported experiencing higher levels of referent power with fellow SA members and leaders than with mental health professionals. They reported higher levels of expert power for mental health professionals and SA leaders than for SA members. The respondents' ratings of their SA group's helpfulness was significantly correlated with ratings of referent and expert power. Although expert power was the best independent predictor of helpfulness, a significant interaction between referent and expert power indicated that when members reported high referent power, expert power was not related to helpfulness. These results are interpreted to suggest that there are multiple forms of social influence at work in mutual help.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Predictors of participation in health care at menopause.

Patient participation in health care is widely advocated but little is known about the factors influencing patients' active participation. To learn whether attitudes and beliefs helped predict patient participation, 252 midlife women completed measures of self-efficacy, perceived barriers to participation, attitudes, subjective norms, and intentions following a decision to support intervention on menopause. Two months following the intervention, 63 women who had visited a health care provider returned questionnaires by mail regarding self-reported participation in the health care encounter and satisfaction with the decision about estrogen replacement therapy. The results were that self-efficacy (beta = .19; p < .05) significantly predicted intention to participate in the next health care encounter. Both patient intentions (beta = .40;p < .05) and perceived barriers (beta = -.27; p < .05) were significant predictors of self-reported participation. Active participation (beta = .42;p < .05) and attitude (beta =.25;p < .05) were associated with increased satisfaction with decision. Participation resulted in increased self-efficacy (beta = .30;p < .05). The conclusions were that midlife women who express more confidence in their ability to participate in their health care have greater intentions to participate. Women who experience fewer barriers to participation and have more intention to participate are more likely to report actively participating in a health care encounter, and self-reported participation and more positive attitudes toward participation are associated with greater satisfaction with decisions.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Tracking substance abusers in longitudinal research: understanding follow-up contact difficulty.

Studies examining follow-up contact difficulty provide useful information for planning longitudinal studies and for assessing the validity of follow-up data. Contact difficulty was examined among 96 substance abusers following substance abuse treatment. Interview completion rates at the 3-month and 6-month follow-ups were 93 and 97%, respectively. The extent of contact efforts required to complete follow-up interviews varied substantially but tended to be greater at the 3-month follow-up than at the 6-month follow-up. Contact difficulty was related to reuse of substances at the 3-month and at the 6-month follow-ups with reusers requiring greater contact efforts than abstainers. None of the baseline individual and contextual variables examined significantly predicted level of contact effort at follow-ups. Attrition-related validity implications are discussed along with practical suggestions for planning tracking efforts.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Social settings and addiction relapse.

Despite addiction theorists' acknowledgment of the impact of environmental factors on relapse, researchers have not adequately investigated these influences. Ninety-six substance users provided data regarding their perceived risk for relapse, exposure to substances, and involvement in reinforcing activities. These three setting attributes were assessed in their home, work, and community settings. Reuse was assessed 3 months later. When controlling for confounding variables, aspects of the home settings significantly distinguished abstainers from reusers; perceived risk for relapse was the strongest predictor of reuse. Exposure to substances and involvement in reinforcing activities were not robust reuse indicators. The work and community settings were not significant determinants of reuse. These findings offer some initial support for the utility of examining social settings to better understand addiction relapse and recovery. Identification of setting-based relapse determinants provides concrete targets for relapse prevention interventions.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Collaborative evaluation of a volunteer monitoring program to improve group homes for adults with mental retardation.

This report describes an evaluation study of a volunteer monitoring program designed to improve the quality of life in group homes for adults with mental retardation. Special attention is given to the evaluation researchers' efforts to collaborate with the volunteer monitors to develop valid measures and a research design that would minimize the inherent threats to validity (e.g., selection biases). Initial results noted (a) the frequency in which 257 volunteers monitored 248 group homes in Michigan and (b) the homes that were visited three or more times over the course of this study had lower normalization levels than the home visited only once or twice. The impact of the program was tested using a repeated measures design with a subsample of 79 homes that were monitored on at least four occasions. The evaluation results suggested that frequent monitoring was associated with improvements in the homes' decor, the residents' appearance, and the social interaction styles in the homes.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗
PubMed1993

Measuring the climate for health at organizations. Development of the worksite health climate scales.

Worksite health promotion research has overemphasized the impact of individual behaviors on employee well-being and neglected the important influence of the work environment. In the present research effort, measures of the health climate at the worksite were developed, administered to employees at a newspaper company, and then tested for their psychometric properties. After revising the original scales, several health outcome variables and an improved version of the measure were administered to employees at seven small worksites. The results indicated that the health climate differed significantly across worksites and that health climate perceptions were significantly related to measures of physical symptoms; exercise, nutrition, and smoking habits; job stress; and job satisfaction.

Exercise↗
PubMed1993

HIV-related knowledge and precautions among Michigan nurses.

OBJECTIVES: The present study examined human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related knowledge and precautionary behaviors in a large random sample of registered nurses in all regions of the state of Michigan, allowing for comparisons among nurses in a wide range of occupational experiences, exposures, and backgrounds related to HIV. METHODS: A random sample of all registered nurses living in Michigan completed surveys in the fall of 1989. RESULTS: Although nearly all respondents indicated a high level of knowledge of known viable routes of HIV transmission, many respondents also reported misconceptions about several unverified nonviable routes of HIV transmission. Of the respondents who were involved in situations with potential risk of exposure to HIV, many failed to consistently use the universal precautions recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The respondents also reported significant barriers in applying infection control procedures. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the present study support the need for continued and intensified efforts to ensure that nurses have the knowledge necessary to provide quality care, are aware of the risk of potential exposures to HIV, and are engaging in appropriate precautionary behaviors.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Expansion strategies of a mutual help organization.

Described a study of the expansion strategies of a successful self- and mutual help organization for persons with mental illness. Resource mobilization and behavior-setting theories were used as conceptual frameworks to guide the investigation. Collaborative methods and a grounded theory approach were used. Archives, reports of contacts outside of the organization, and naturalistic observations were data sources. Of particular interest are the processes used by the organization to mobilize internal and external resources and to start new mutual help groups. Results suggest that the organization mobilizes resources from a variety of sources, displays flexibility in securing resources and defining organizational roles, and creates underpopulated settings to encourage individual involvement. The strategies appear to avoid overtaxing resource pools, reduce role ambiguity, and encourage pluralistic participation. Discussion includes several potential explanations for the successful growth of the organization.

Community Mental Health Services↗
PubMed1991

Charting uncharted terrain: a behavioral observation system for mutual help groups.

Describes the development of a behavioral observation system for mutual help meetings and presents evidence supporting its reliability, validity, and utility. The MHOS-BIC (Mutual Help Observation System-Behavioral Interaction Codes) was used by 10 observers to record the sequential flow of group interaction in 527 meetings. Psychometric analyses indicate that the system performed consistently with measurement objectives. Mean kappas for each of the 12 coding categories ranged from .62 to .87; the system demonstrated sensitivity to setting and time differences; and a predictable pattern of correlations was found among BIC categories and conceptually related participant and observer ratings. Studies using the BIC to address substantive questions about mutual help are reviewed, providing further evidence for its validity and utility. An empirical description of mutual help is presented using BIC data, and the promises and limitations of the system are discussed.

Affective Symptoms↗