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Results for “Helping Behavior”

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.

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At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

The use of telemarketing in the community-wide prevention of heart disease: the Pawtucket Heart Health Program.

The marketing of preventive health behaviors is typically accomplished through various broadcast, print, and other mass media channels. By making randomly-dialed telephone calls to 4,000 residents of Pawtucket, RI, volunteers of the Pawtucket Heart Health Program succeeded in registering nearly 400 individuals for risk factor reduction groups or self-help behavior change kits. Additionally, community awareness of the program was an indirect benefit of this "telemarketing." Telemarketing is an interactive and inexpensive approach to marketing preventive health behaviors.

Heart Diseases↗
PubMed1985

Social networks and social support: an overview of research, practice, and policy implications.

Following a brief overview of the stressful life events-illness model and its implications for intervention, this article highlights the role of social support as a resource for resisting stress-induced illness and disability. It identifies three different connotative meanings that have been assigned to the social support construct, and describes their empirical operationalizations in several recent studies. Specifically, the social integration/participation formulation, the social network approach, and the social intimacy measurement strategy are described and contrasted. Within the latter approach, one study that illuminated types of informal helping behaviors is discussed in greater detail. A review of possible mechanisms whereby social support accomplishes its health-protective impact is also offered, and two types of planned interventions involving the mobilization or optimization of social support are spotlighted. The article concludes with ideas about ways that professionals can safeguard the natural helping skills of citizens and achieve an appropriate balance between formal and informal systems of service delivery in the health and human services fields.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1993

Teaching and social support: effects on knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors to prevent low back injuries in industry.

An educational program designed to reduce low back injuries was modeled after several well-known back schools and taught to postal workers in a randomized trial of about 4,000 workers. Physical therapists taught 3 hours of class sessions, including knowledge, skills, and individual work station assessment, to small groups of workers and supervisors, with reinforcement every 6 months afterward. At 2 1/2 years, a random sample of 209 workers was surveyed for program impact on intermediate outcomes. We observed increased knowledge among experimental unit workers, but no significant improvements in behaviors associated with back health or in proportion of workers with tired backs. Experimental unit workers who had received training by the time of the survey were less likely to report helping/reinforcement for healthy behaviors than controls or untrained experimental unit workers. The program might have led trained workers to perceive a lack of support and reinforcement for back safety among coworkers and supervisors by sensitizing them to what is possible and raising expectations. There appeared to be group social effects in the dissemination of knowledge and perhaps of helpful behaviors; however, it is apparent that worker social support for change in health behaviors is a complex phenomenon that cannot always be relied upon to enhance program goals.

Back↗
PubMed1997

Giving and getting: altruism and exchange in transplantation.

In the study of organ and tissue transplantation, the focus tends to be on donation. But where there is "giving," there is also "getting:" receiving help. Altruism, helping behavior, and the exchange of benefits have received extensive attention from social psychological researchers. The gift exchange described by anthropologist Marcel Mauss provides a framework for reviewing this social psychological research on altruism and exchange and applying it to transplantation. An overall conclusion is that altruistic donation is not so ethically or clinically problematic, while receiving help has a complex psychosocial context that needs to be acknowledged and given more attention.

Altruism↗
PubMed1998

Cognitive-behavioral self-help for binge eating disorder: a controlled effectiveness study.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of 2 methods of administering a cognitive-behavioral self-help program for binge eating disorder. The study was designed to reproduce many of the conditions that apply in settings in which self-help interventions are most relevant. Seventy-two women with binge eating disorder were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions for 12 weeks: pure self-help (PSH), guided self-help (GSH), or a waiting list (WL) control condition (followed by PSH or GSH). They were then followed up for 6 months. Both PSH and GSH had a substantial and sustained impact with almost half the participants ceasing to binge eat. There was little change in the WL condition. Cognitive-behavioral self-help may be of value both as an initial treatment for binge eating disorder and as a form of secondary prevention.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

The effects of family constellation and child gender on parental use of evaluative feedback.

Mothers and fathers of 43 middle-class families were observed individually interacting during a paper-folding task with either their only or middle child in order to assess parental use of evaluation and task-facilitative behaviors with preschoolers. Middle children were from 3-child families in which the older sibling was the same sex as the target child. Sibling spacing was greater than 36 months in 12 families and less than 36 months in 11 families. With total interaction, parental income, education, and age as control variables, analyses indicated that parental approvals, disapprovals, task facilitative feedback, and helping behaviors varied with parent gender, child gender, and family constellation. Children's task performance did not differ significantly among groups. It was concluded that gender effects on parental use of evaluation feedback in parent-child teaching interactions may be different for families with different types of family structure.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Computer-based patient records: challenges to implementation.

In summary, behavioral healthcare organizations are faced with an environment which is demanding that cost and quality decisions be made based upon the information gleaned from patient records. The challenge before the industry is how best to collect, store, retrieve and disseminate this information to key decision makers. The CPR has been identified as one means of addressing this challenge. Hopefully, the results of this study will help behavioral healthcare organizations in developing a CPR system to meet this challenge.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1989

Support behaviors identified as helpful and desired by second-time parents over the perinatal period.

The initial transition to parenthood is well represented in theory and research, but little exists related to the addition of subsequent children to the family. In order to provide for the caring needs of expanding families, nurses need to better understand the experiences of repeat parents, their needs, and the supportive behaviors these parents find helpful in the process of adding another child to their families. The purpose of this secondary analysis was to describe the types of social support and the specific behaviors identified as helpful or desired by mothers and fathers having a second child. Consistently, over the perinatal period, both mothers and fathers found behaviors which provided material support helpful and desired more of them. Emotional support was also helpful, particularly during pregnancy. In addition, information and comparison support were helpful during the antepartum period. Clinical application of findings is discussed.

Clinical Nursing Research↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A randomized controlled trial of the effects of group psychological therapy on survival in women with metastatic breast cancer.

In order to test the effect of a psychological intervention on survival from cancer, 66 women with metastatic breast cancer, all receiving standard medical care, were randomly assigned into two groups; one group (n = 30) attended the psychological intervention, consisting of 35 weekly, 2 h sessions of supportive plus cognitive behavioral therapy; the control group (n = 36) received only a home study cognitive behavioral package. No significant difference was found in survival post-randomization between the groups as assessed by a log rank test 5 years after the commencement of the study. As expected, several prognostic factors were significant predictors of survival: metastatic site, hormonal receptor status, and chemotherapy prior to randomization. While many personal and demographic variables did not influence survival, there was a significant effect of self-reported exercise (possibly due to better health). A small subgroup of intervention subjects who attended outside support groups also survived significantly longer than those who did not. The strengths and limitations of the present study are discussed, and the results contrasted with those of a well known study by Spiegel et al. (Spiegel, D., Bloom, J.R., Kraemer, H.C. and Gottheil, E. (1989) Lancet ii, 888-891). We propose that a different experimental design (correlative) may be needed to show any effect of self-help behaviors and psychological attributes in a small minority of patients.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

How regular blood donors explain their behavior.

BACKGROUND: To understand repeated donation, it is crucial to know its meaning. This issue was explored by asking a sample of regular donors to explain why they maintain this behavior. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Discourse analysis was conducted in five groups of regular donors, selected according to the setting and number of their donations (from 1990 to 2001), on their motivation, attitudes, commitment to donation, personality, and self-concept. RESULTS: Three discursive positions were distinguished in relation to the different cultural meanings attributed to blood donation. Blood donation was understood in a rational and evaluative manner by the majority but in an emotional, personalized, and stereotyped manner by a minority. Continual donation as a form of help was rationalized as a function of internal and external factors, notably personal convenience in comparison to other helping behaviors and ease of access to collection points. CONCLUSIONS: The discourse referents offered to the donor greatly influence the meanings they attribute to their behavior. Some promotional materials should be revised because they may not connect with the reasons for donating that people find most comprehensible.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Therapy for neurobehavioral disorders in epilepsy.

Neurobehavioral disorders commonly affect patients with epilepsy. In addition to the behavioral changes during and immediately after seizures, the epileptogenic disorder of function often extends further into the postictal and interictal period. Cognitive impairments commonly affect attention, memory, mental speed, and language, as well as executive and social functions. Reducing seizure frequency and the antiepileptic drug burden can reduce these problems. Attentional deficits may respond to therapies for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, but apart from patients with this comorbid disorder, their efficacy is unproven in other epilepsy patients. No effective therapies are established for other cognitive problems, but pragmatic, compensatory strategies can be helpful. Behavioral disorders include fatigue, depression, anxiety, and psychosis. Many of these disorders usually respond well to pharmacotherapy, which can be supplemented by psychotherapy. Cognitive and behavioral disorders can be the greatest cause of morbidity and impaired quality of life, often overshadowing seizures. Yet these problems often go unrecognized and, even when identified, are often undertreated or untreated.

Anticonvulsants↗
PubMed1999

American and Korean adolescents' physical and mental health self-efficacy.

Self-efficacy beliefs are thought to have causal influence on behavior, helping to explain what tasks people approach, persevere at, or abandon. Few cross-cultural studies of adolescents' self-efficacy beliefs have been conducted or reported. We compared physical and mental health self-efficacy beliefs of Korean and American high school students. A Korean translation of the English language School Health Efficacy Questionnaire (SHEQ) was used in data collection. The translated version of the SHEQ showed psychometric estimates similar to the original English language version. Sizable age and culturally related differences were found on both physical and emotional health self-efficacy perceptions between the two groups of adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

A preliminary investigation into the feasibility and efficacy of a CD-ROM-based cognitive-behavioral self-help intervention for bulimia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE: Many patients with bulimia nervosa find it hard to access evidence-based treatment such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). The aim of the current study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of a novel CD-ROM-based cognitive-behavioral multimedia self-help intervention for the treatment of bulimia nervosa. METHOD: Patients with bulimia nervosa referred to a catchment area-based eating disorder service were offered eight sessions of a novel CD-ROM cognitive-behavioral self-help treatment without any added therapist input. We report here the take-up and drop-out rates and efficacy of this intervention. RESULTS: Of 60 participants who were offered the intervention, 47 took it up. At follow-up, there were significant reductions in binging and compensatory behaviors, most clearly in self-induced vomiting. DISCUSSION: This intervention has potential as a first step in the treatment of bulimia nervosa and for dissemination to nonspecialist settings.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

The spectrum of behavioral responses to cholinesterase inhibitor therapy in Alzheimer disease.

BACKGROUND: Behavioral abnormalities are common in Alzheimer disease (AD); cholinergic treatment reduces the behavioral disturbances of some patients with AD. Characterizing the pretreatment profile of patients who are likely to respond to cholinergic therapy will aid the efficient use of clinical resources. OBJECTIVE: To determine the baseline behavioral profile for 86 patients with AD treated with the cholinesterase inhibitor donepezil hydrochloride. METHODS: Open-label retrospective study of treatment-related behavioral assessments. Based on previous double-blind placebo-controlled experience using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), patients were divided into responder (> or =4-point total NPI score decrease, indicating improvement), unchanged (+/-3-point total NPI score change), or nonresponder (> or =4-point total NPI score increase, indicating worsening) groups. The Mini-Mental State Examination assessed cognitive response. RESULTS: Behavioral improvement was seen in 35 patients (41%), worsening in 24 (28%), and no change in 27 (31%). Comparison of profiles in behavioral responders vs nonresponders revealed significantly worse delusions (P = .04), agitation (P = .04), depression (P = .006), anxiety (P = .02), apathy (P = .003), disinhibition (P = .02), and irritability (P<.001) at baseline in responders. Five behaviors changed significantly from baseline, improving for the responders and worsening for the nonresponders: delusions (P = .003 for nonresponders, P = .004 for responders), agitation (P = .01), anxiety (P = .006 for nonresponders, P = .004 for responders), disinhibition (P = .02 for nonresponders, P = .05 for responders), and irritability (P = .003 for nonresponders, P = .001 for responders). The behavioral changes were dose dependent. Cognition did not change significantly with donepezil treatment within any group. CONCLUSIONS: Donepezil has psychotropic properties, and pretreatment behaviors help predict patients' responses to treatment.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Phylogenetic analysis of twinning in callitrichinae.

The callitrichines are known for twinning and for a communal rearing system in which all or most group members help care for the offspring. The origin of twinning has been the subject of much speculation. In this study predictions from earlier hypotheses are tested on the basis of two alternative phylogenetic trees. From this analysis we infer that helping behavior and male care preceded the origin of twinning, and that these traits did not coevolve with, but might have been important prerequisites for twinning in callitrichines. Small body size does not necessarily result in twinning, although it might still have been a prerequisite for its evolution. Gum feeding was an ecological change which evolved along with twinning. If nutrition was a limiting factor in the number of off-spring produced, then the use of a new feeding resource could have been crucial for the origin of twinning in callitrichines. According to one of the two alternative solutions inferred by the total evidence tree, and in accordance with the morphological tree, semi-annual breeding appears in the marmosets together with specialization in gum feeding. The fact that gums are available for these monkeys all year may have facilitated semiannual breeding. We suggest that the exploitation of gums as a feeding resource could have been the decisive factor in the increase of the reproductive rate by twinning and by semi-annual breeding.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of two strategies for heart health promotion by direct mail in a low-income urban community.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the reach of mass mailings of heart health education print materials in a low-income, urban community. Materials included a monthly newsletter and a self-help behavior change kit, both distributed to all 12,789 households in the study community. METHODS: Recall, use, and self-reported impact of the materials were measured in a cross-sectional survey of a random sample of 345 adults conducted 2 weeks after distribution of the kit and 18 months after delivery of the first newsletter. RESULTS: Over one-third of the subjects (38.6%) recalled the newsletter and 27.9% had read one or more newsletters; 21.7% recalled the kit and 10.8% had read it. Few subjects had read both materials. Female gender and older age were independent correlates of having seen and read the newsletters. Older age, being widowed/separated/divorced, and infrequent physical activity were correlates of having seen and read the kit. CONCLUSIONS: Although the newsletter and kit formats might appeal to different segments of the population, mass mailings of heart health education print materials in a low-income urban community can reach large numbers of individuals. The cost effectiveness of repeated mailings of short, simple newsletters might be higher than a single mailing of a more complex behavior change kit.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Relationships among experience level and value orientation and the performance of paraprofessional telephone counselors.

The effectiveness of indigenous paraprofessional helpers is thought to be partially due to the similarity in style and values between then and their clients. However, there is a concern that as they gain experience in an agency, their identification may shift from the clients to the agency. Also, there is a question as to how effective paraprofessionals (selected due to their shared values with a target population) are with value-dissimilar clients. Truax and Carkhuff's scales of facilitative conditions as well as a technique functioning scale were used to assess the helping behavior of paraprofessional telephone counselors at three levels of experience in response to value-similar and value-dissimilar simulated calls. The results indicate that performance generally improved with training and experience and that instead of a uniform deterioration with dissimilar value calls, a complex relationship existed between performance, values, and experience level.

Adolescent↗