SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “peer”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources

PubMed2004

Coparenting, family-level processes, and peer outcomes: the moderating role of vagal tone.

This article examines the relationship between coparenting and family-level processes during preschool and peer relationship outcomes in middle childhood, and the hypothesis that children's ability to regulate emotion (as indexed by basal vagal tone and the ability to suppress vagal tone) may moderate this relationship. We predicted that high vagal tone and a greater ability to suppress vagal tone would buffer children from the effects of negative coparenting and family processes. Results indicated that hostile-withdrawn coparenting predicted higher levels of conflicted play and lower levels of positive peer conversation. Vagal suppression also moderated the relationship between hostile-withdrawn coparenting and peer conflict. For children who were unable to suppress vagal tone, hostile-withdrawn coparenting was associated with higher levels of peer conflict, while for children who were able to suppress vagal tone there was no relationship hostile-withdrawn coparenting and peer conflict. The relationship between hostile-withdrawn coparenting and positive peer conversation was also moderated by children's ability to suppress vagal tone. For children who were unable to suppress vagal tone, there was no relationship between hostile-withdrawn coparenting and positive peer conversation, while for those who were able to suppress vagal tone, hostile-withdrawn coparenting was associated with less positive peer conversation. Cohesive family-level processes also predicted positive conversation in play at age 9 after controlling for positive conversation at age 5; however, this relationship was not moderated by vagal suppression. Basal vagal tone also did not function as a moderator of relations between hostile-withdrawn coparenting and peer play. Results are discussed in terms of the effects of negative coparenting on children with different patterns of modulating physiological arousal.

Child↗

PubMed2005

Peer relationship antecedents of delinquent behavior in late adolescence: is there evidence of demographic group differences in developmental processes?

A longitudinal prospective design was used to test the generalizability of low levels of social preference and high levels of antisocial peer involvement as risk factors for delinquent behavior problems to African American (AA) and European American (EA) boys and girls (N = 384). Social preference scores were computed from peer reports in middle childhood (ages 6-9). Parents and adolescents reported antisocial peer involvement in early adolescence (ages 13-16) and adolescents reported on their own delinquent behavior in late adolescence (ages 17 and 18). Analyses tested for differences across four groups (AA boys, EA boys, AA girls, EA girls) in construct measurement, mean levels, and associations among variables. Few measurement differences were found. Mean-level differences were found for social preference and delinquent behavior. AA boys were least accepted by peers and reported the highest level of delinquent behavior. EA girls were most accepted by peers and reported the lowest level of delinquent behavior. Associations among peer experiences and delinquent behavior were equivalent across groups, with lower levels of social preference and higher levels of antisocial peer involvement associated with more delinquent behavior. Person-centered analyses showed the risk associated with low social preference and high antisocial peer involvement to be similar across groups, providing further evidence of the generalizability of the peer relationship experiences as risk factors for subsequent delinquent behavior problems.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Deviant peer affiliations, crime and substance use: a fixed effects regression analysis.

The present study was designed to assess the influence of deviant peer affiliations on crime and substance use in adolescence/young adulthood. Data were used from a 21-year longitudinal study of health, development, and adjustment of a birth cohort of 1,265 New Zealand children. Annual assessments of deviant peer affiliations were obtained for the period from age 14-21 years, together with measures of psychosocial outcomes including, violent crime, property crime, alcohol abuse, cannabis abuse, and nicotine dependence. Affiliating with deviant peers was found to be significantly associated with each of these outcomes (p < .0001). Statistical control for confounding by both fixed and time dynamic factors reduced the strength of association between deviant peer affiliations and outcome measures. Nevertheless, deviant peer affiliations remained significantly associated (p < .0001) with all outcomes. For violent/property crime, cannabis and alcohol abuse there was significant evidence of age-related variation in the strength of association with deviant peer affiliations, with deviant peer affiliations having greater influence on younger participants (14-15 years) than older participants (20-21 years). These results suggest that deviant peer affiliations are associated with increased rates of a range of adjustment problems in adolescence/young adulthood with deviant peer affiliations being most influential at younger ages.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

The risk and protective functions of perceived family and peer microsystems among urban adolescents in poverty.

Utilized a pattern-based approach to discover the different constellations of perceived social transactions separately for family and peer systems and explored the risk and protective functions of these microsystem profiles for both depression and antisocial behavior among a sample of ethnically and racially diverse urban adolescents living in poverty. Measures of perceived social support, involvement and hassles with family and peers, as well as perceived social acceptance and peers' values were entered into two sets of iterative cluster analyses to identify distinct profiles of family and peer transactions. From each of the perceived family and peer transactional analyses, six replicated profiles emerged. Several of the profiles were consistent with expectations from prior literature such as Enmeshing families and Rejecting peer networks, while others were novel and intriguing such as Entangling peers. Family profiles were consistent in their risk and protective associations for both depression and antisocial behavior, while the peer profiles varied in their effects for each developmental outcome. For example, the Rejecting peer profile placed adolescents at increased risk for depression but protected them from antisocial behavior. Implications for future research and preventive intervention are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Youth living with HIV as peer leaders.

Community-based service providers often hire youth living with HIV (YLH) as peer leaders for delivering HIV education to uninfected adolescents. Life narratives were collected from 44 YLH during a hypotheses-generating two-year ethnographic study. About 30% of the youth were employed as peer educators. While 60% of the 44 youth had a lower-class background, only 23% of the peer leaders were lower class. One-fifth of the sample were female, but more than one-half of the peer leaders were female. After identifying and categorizing difficulties experienced by the peer leaders, a frequency count of each theme was conducted. Issues about professional boundaries were evident in 38.5% of the youth's narratives, indicating conflicts in their roles as peer leaders; 23% of the youth engaged in substance use and sexual behaviors that placed themselves and uninfected youth in their peer educator programs at risk; and 8% of the youth reported relapse while peer leaders. The observations suggest reconsideration or restructuring of existing peer-education models that employ YLH.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed2000

Peer evaluation in nurses' professional development: a pilot study to investigate the issues.

Peer evaluation in nursing is a method by which the nurse evaluates the work of a peer, according to set evaluation criteria. The aim of the study was to clarify the potential significance of peer evaluation with regard to nurses' career development and relates to the introduction of a career development programme for nurses in a Finnish University Hospital. The research concepts were created on the basis of literature analysis. The concepts served as a basis for data collection, and five open-ended questions were devised from them. Informants (n = 24) gave free-form essay-type answers to these questions. The material was analysed using qualitative content analysis. The results indicate that self-evaluation constitutes the basis for peer evaluation. Peer evaluation allows nurses to give and receive professional and personal support promoting professional development. Professional support offers possibilities for change and alternative action. Personal support requires respect for the peer's equality and individuality. Personal peer support can decrease feelings of uncertainty and insecurity caused by work. The conclusion is drawn that peer evaluation is a means of promoting nurses' professional development to further on-the-job learning in collaboration with peers.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Nurse managers' conceptions of quality management as promoted by peer supervision.

AIM: The aim of the study was to describe nurse managers' conceptions of quality management in their work as promoted by peer supervision. BACKGROUND: Quality management is one of the topical issues in a nurse manager's demanding and changing work. As first-line managers, they have a key role in quality management which is seen to create the system and environment for high quality services and quality improvement. Despite the official recommendations and definitions of quality management, several published reports have shown that there is no single solution for quality management. Peer supervision or the support provided by it to nursing managers have rarely been a subject of study. This study was carried out at Tampere University Hospital between 1996 and 1998. The peer supervision intervention was organized once a month, 2 hours at a time and in closed supervisor-led groups of nine nurse managers. METHODS: Data were collected by themed interviews. Fifteen nurse managers participated in the study. The data were analysed using the phenomenographic method. FINDINGS: Two main categories were formed of nurse managers' conceptions. The first described supportive and reflective characteristics of peer supervision. This main category was described by horizontal, hierarchical categories of support from peer group and reflection. The second main category described nurse managers' conceptions of individual development of leadership during peer supervision. This main category was also described by three horizontal categories: personal growth, finding psychological resources and internalization of leadership. CONCLUSION: The finding of this study show that peer supervision benefited nurse managers in quality management through reflection and support. The reflective and supportive characteristics of peer supervision promoted the nurse managers' individual development, but also that of leadership. It can be concluded that peer supervision promotes quality management in nurse managers' work.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2003

Peer tutoring in patient-centred interviewing skills: experience of a project for first-year students.

Peer tutoring is a potentially valuable resource in higher education. There are few published accounts of the impact of peer tutoring in medical education. College-wide experience of peer tutoring together with difficulties recruiting medical teachers for a communication programme led to the development of a peer-tutoring project. This paper reports the impact on first-year medical students of peer tutoring in patient-centred interviewing. After attending a preparatory workshop, third-year medical students co-facilitated their first-year colleagues in a session:Interviewing a Simulated Patient. First-year students completed written evaluations immediately after the session and two months later randomly selected students were assessed in patient-centred interviews. The impact of the peer-tutoring experience was evaluated by comparing these outcomes for students in groups co-facilitated by peer tutors with those who worked in groups facilitated by medical teachers. The eight learning objectives were completely met by more than 56% of students. However, there were statistically significant differences for four objectives with more students in groups facilitated by medical teachers completely meeting these objectives. Although the seven educational techniques used in the session were rated favourably by all students, two were rated as more effective in achieving the learning objectives by students in groups facilitated by medical teachers. Free-text comments revealed no differences between groups. Two months after the session, there were no differences between students in terms of interviewing skills as rated by trained observers and simulated patients, whilst simulated patients were more satisfied with interviews from students facilitated by peer tutors (p <0.02). Peer tutors can support the acquisition of basic patient-centred interviewing skills in first-year medical students when contributing to one session of a structured programme. First-year students were receptive and willing to learn from their senior colleagues.

Communication↗

PubMed2002

Exploring similarity between peer educators and their contacts and AIDS-protective behaviours in reproductive health programmes for adolescents and young adults in Ghana.

This analysis explores the similarity between peer educators and their contacts. To examine interpersonal communication in the context of peer education, this study tested a new approach using multiple semi-structured interviews and network analysis to collect data from 106 peer educators and 526 of their contacts. These evaluation activities were conducted at three sites in Ghana during April 1998, in peri-urban and rural locations, and in in-school and out-of-school targeted settings. It was found that in their peer counselling and peer promotion activities peer educators tend to reach people who are like themselves (53% within 2 years of age, 59% same sex, 70% same ethnicity, and 65% same school status) however, this trend is not uniform among all youth and varies by demographic characteristics and their cultural environment. By examining the social networks of peer educators, it is possible to gain a better understanding of the process of peer education counselling in the context in which it occurs. The study also shows that controlling for other factors, contacts of peer educators who are highly similar regarding age, sex, ethnicity, and school status, are 1.74 times more likely (95% CI: 1.18, 2.56) to have done something to protect themselves from AIDS in the past three months. The results have relevance for programme managers and planners, researchers, and international agencies serving youth.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed2000

Peer promotion programs and social networks in Ghana: methods for monitoring and evaluating AIDS prevention and reproductive health programs among adolescents and young adults.

This article summarizes the observations and lessons learned regarding the application of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) prevention and reproductive health evaluation methodologies in the context of adolescent and young adult populations and discusses the use of peer network evaluation to understand the dynamics of peer promotion. To examine the interpersonal communication process of peer education, this study tested a new approach using multiple semistructured interviews and network analysis to collect data on 106 peer educators and 526 of their contacts. These evaluation activities were conducted at three sites in Ghana during April 1998, in both periurban and rural locations in both in-school and out-of-school settings. By evaluating the social networks of peer educators it was possible to gain a better understanding of the process of peer education in terms of (a) defining the composition of peer contacts, (b) identifying the social norms that play a critical role in youth decision making, and (c) observing the range of messages and services transmitted during peer education. The objective of this paper is to disseminate the experience of the Center for Education and Development of Population Activities (CEDPA) and Focus on Young Adult's cooperative development of evaluation methodologies for peer promotion and to highlight utilization of these methodologies in a case study in Ghana. The results will be discussed in terms of their possible implications for program managers, researchers, and international agencies.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed2002

Peer relations of youth with pediatric conditions and health risks: promoting social support and healthy lifestyles.

Peer relations and close friendships play important roles in youngsters' emotional development and take on special significance when a child or adolescent has a chronic disease. This article reviews the key ways that peer relations have been examined in youth with chronic pediatric conditions and specifically focuses on (1) the role of peers and close friends as a source of support, (2) friends' influence on treatment adherence, and (3) peers' and friends' impact on health-promoting and health-risk behaviors. In general, youngsters with chronic conditions do not have more problems in their peer relations than other youth, although children with medical conditions that are stigmatizing or that involve the central nervous system (CNS) may encounter peer difficulties. Social support from friends and classmates appears to facilitate youngsters' disease adaptation and may help with the lifestyle aspects of treatment regimens. Adolescent peer-crowd affiliations (e.g., "brains," "jocks") that are linked with health-promoting behaviors may prove beneficial to youngsters' disease management and health. The findings underscore the need for helping children and adolescents disclose their medical condition to peers in positive ways and for including youngsters' close friends in the treatment process and in school-reentry programs after extended medical care. Additional research is needed to develop strategies for incorporating youngsters' peers and friends into the medical management of youth with chronic pediatric conditions.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2006

Associations between behavioral/emotional difficulties in kindergarten children and the quality of their peer relationships.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between children's difficulties (conduct problems, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and emotional symptoms) and peer victimization and rejection in kindergarten. For the assessment of children's difficulties, the authors used a multi-informant approach. METHOD: A total of 153 five-year-old children were interviewed (Berkeley Puppet Interview). Teachers and parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Teachers reported on peer victimization. Peer nominations (rejection and acceptance) were conducted in a subgroup of 92 children. Combining teacher, parent, and self-reports of children's difficulties, three components were established: trait (degree of problems), informant differences resulting from perspective (self versus others), and context (kindergarten versus home). RESULTS: Children's difficulties were significantly associated with teacher- and self-reported victimization and peer rejection (r = 0.20-0.35), but not with peer acceptance. Conduct problems and emotional symptoms, but not hyperactivity/impulsivity, contributed independently to the variance of peer victimization and rejection. Perspective differences between children and adults according to hyperactivity/impulsivity also predicted peer rejection. CONCLUSION: Behavioral and emotional difficulties as well as a lack of self-awareness regarding hyperactive/impulsive behavior may place children at risk of peer victimization and rejection. Child psychiatric assessments and therapeutic strategies should thus take children's self-perception of symptoms and their peer relationships into account.

Affective Symptoms↗

PubMed2006

The effectiveness and reliability of peer-marking in first-year medical students.

BACKGROUND: Peer-marking has been suggested as a method to enhance self-directed learning and reflection, although whether this improves performance is unclear. This study evaluated the impact of peer-marking on examination performance and investigated its reliability and acceptability to students. METHODS: First-year medical students were randomised to peer-marking using a model answer or no intervention (control arm). Student scores were compared with tutor-marked scores. Two months later, students completed a summative assessment and performance was compared between students randomised to peer-marking and the control arm. A focus group was held with students in the intervention arm to capture their experiences and attitudes. RESULTS: A total of 289 of 568 students consented to participate and 147 were randomised to peer-marking (142 controls). Students randomised to peer-marking achieved marginally higher examination marks (1.5% difference, 95% CI -0.8% to 3.9%, P = 0.19) than controls (adjusting for year and in-course assessment), although this may have been due to chance. Students were harsher markers than the tutors. Focus group analysis suggested that students valued peer-marking, although concerns about passing judgement on a colleague's work were expressed. CONCLUSIONS: Peer-marking did not have a substantial effect on examination performance, although a modest effect cannot be excluded. Students gained insight into examination technique but may not have gained deeper knowledge. Given its potential positive educational value, further work is required to understand how peer-marking can be used more effectively to enhance the learning experience.

Education, Medical, Undergraduate↗

PubMed2005

Breastfeeding peer supporters and a community support group: evaluating their effectiveness.

Peer support for breastfeeding mothers has often been promoted as a way of increasing rates in communities with low breastfeeding prevalence, where there are few breastfeeding role models and a bottle-feeding culture predominates. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a peer support initiative, which trained peer supporters who then set up a support group, in an area of social and economic deprivation in South Bristol, UK. The effects of training on 6 local women were explored; the combined effect of peer support and the group on breastfeeding prevalence assessed; and mothers' views on what they had gained from the breastfeeding support group reported. Focus groups were held with the peer supporters, who also completed questionnaires before and after their training. Questionnaires were sent to all mothers (35) who attended the support group over the first 5 months to ascertain their views. Breastfeeding rates were extracted from routinely collected sources for both the local area and the wider Bristol population (excluding the peer support area). The initial training increased the peer supporters' knowledge about breastfeeding and their confidence in talking to and supporting mothers. The number of mothers attending the breastfeeding support group increased from 3 per week in May to 10 per week by September 2001. Mothers who attended the group particularly appreciated being able to talk about breastfeeding and getting consistent breastfeeding advice. Breastfeeding rates in the area for 12-months before and after the start of the peer support initiative showed a significant increase at 8 weeks (7%), which was higher than the overall increase in the wider Bristol area (3%). This evaluation suggests that peer supporters combined with a breastfeeding support group are an effective way of increasing breastfeeding prevalence in areas of low continuation.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Peer relations, loneliness, and self-perceptions in school-aged children.

Recent studies have suggested that certain behavioural characteristics in children are closely associated with peer acceptance, and that children who are not accepted by peers are more lonely than other children. The present research examines a more comprehensive pattern of relationships. In addition to behavioural characteristics, peer acceptance, and feelings of loneliness and social dissatisfaction, the study includes self-perceptions of social competence, self-esteem, and goal orientation (defensive ego-involvement). A theoretical model is presented to analyse predictive relations. The model was tested on a sample of 8th grade children (N = 96). Teacher and peer assessments of behavioural characteristics (humour, externalising, internalising and prosocial behaviour) were applied. In general, results were consistent with the proposed model. Loneliness was predicted by behavioural characteristics and low peer acceptance, and strong negative paths were found from loneliness to self-esteem and perceived social competence. Self-perceptions were not predicted by peer acceptance, and few direct paths were found from behavioural characteristics to self-perceptions. Thus loneliness has a mediating position between behaviour and peer acceptance on the one hand and self-perceptions on the other hand. This indicates that children's self-perceptions are affected by their socio-emotional reactions to peer difficulties and not directly by low peer acceptance. Strong negative paths were found from self-esteem and perceived social competence to defensive ego-involvement, which suggests that negative self-perceptions may have adverse consequences for children's goal orientations. Practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Determining the collateral effects of peer tutor training on a student with severe disabilities.

In one experiment and two case studies, we evaluated the impact of training peer tutors without disabilities to provide effective instructional procedures with a student with severe disabilities who exhibited aberrant behaviors in the classroom. Peer tutors received training on how to provide appropriate commands and specific praise statements, as well as to decrease negative statements. In the experiment, two peer tutors were taught these skills in a multiple baseline design. Two case studies further clarified the impact of the peer tutor training. In Case Study 1, one peer tutor received training on the three skills concurrently and data were assessed in an AB design. In Case Study 2, one peer tutor was trained prior to working with the student to determine if a peer tutor who had no prior history with the student could work effectively with minimal disruptions from the onset. Data were also measured on the student's aberrant behaviors and his compliance before, during, and after training the peer tutors. Results indicated that the peer tutors learned to provide appropriate commands and specific praise and to reduce negative statements. More important, as a collateral effect of the training program, the student's aberrant behaviors decreased and his compliance to requests improved.

Behavior Therapy↗

PubMed1998

[Peer review in toxicologic histopathology: its necessity, type and procedure].

A histopathology peer review already has become an integral part of industrial toxicologic pathology in the USA and Europe. Nevertheless, the review is unfamiliar to toxicologic pathologists in Japan. This report provides detailed information on convenient, useful procedures for peer review in toxicologic histopathology and describes its necessity and type. Histopathology peer review is either informal or formal. Formal review means that the target organs to be re-estimated and the reviewing pathologist's name are stated somewhere in a protocol or study report. The resolution of all diagnostic discrepancies between studies and reviewing pathologists must be clarified, and the review records need to be preserved. No audit trials need to be kept for informal peer review. Based on the purpose of the review, histopathology peer reviews may be classified into 3 major types: "complete", "problem-solving", and a "quality-monitoring" reviews. For a "Complete" review, all histopathologic findings crucial to the conclusion of the study are re-examined. A "problem-solving" review serves to re-evaluate anomalous findings. A "quality-monitoring" review is a periodical monitor of the quality of histopathologic diagnoses at pathology laboratories, particularly in toxicology contract research organizations. The procedures for histopathology peer review consist of 5 stages. At the first stage, the target organs to be reviewed are selected from the draft summary tables of the original findings diagnosed by the study pathologist, and the reviewing pathologist evaluates all selected organs. At the second stage, the study pathologist re-examines all the findings with diagnoses not accepted by the reviewing pathologist and re-considers the appropriateness of these original diagnoses. At the third stage, the study pathologist and the reviewing pathologists discuss all diagnostic differences until they reach a consensus opinion. At the fourth stage, the whole process (stage 1 to 3) of peer review of all target organs is tabulated, including the study pathologist's and reviewing pathologist's diagnoses, the study pathologist's opinions, and consensus diagnoses. At the fifth stage, Peer Review Certification is issued with the study pathologists' and reviewing pathologists' signatures. The reviewing pathologist must share the responsibility for the final diagnoses with the study pathologist. In order to gain greater credibility from regulatory agencies, a peer review performance is best made by an independent external pathologist.

Humans↗

PubMed1999

Do actions speak louder than words? Perceived peer influences on needle sharing and cleaning in a sample of injection drug users.

Past research (Dielman, Butchart, Shope, & Miller, 1990; Kandel, 1980) has found peer influence, perceived peer norms and perceived peer behavior as the strongest predictors of drug use in adolescent and young adult populations. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether verbal persuasion (peer norms) and/or observation of peer behavior (modeling) were significantly associated with the injection practices of unclean needle sharing and needle cleaning of 642 high risk for HIV infection active injection drug users in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1991 and 1992. Using regression analyses to examine interview reports of infection practices, it was determined that subjects who reported observing more peer protective HIV-related behavior were also more likely to report lower frequencies of HIV risk behavior (unclean needle sharing) and increased frequencies of HIV protective behavior (always cleaning needles). Reports of verbalizations of peer norms about reducing risk were not associated with decreased HIV risk behavior. Reports of "encouragement by peers to engage in cleaning needles" was paradoxically related to increased risk of sharing unclean needles. In conclusion, peer behavior rather than verbal persuasion appears to influence injection practices.

Adult↗