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PubMed1996

Appearance and self-presentation research in gay consumer cultures: issues and impact.

Individuals present themselves to others through a variety of verbal and non-verbal behaviors. Appearance represents a non-verbal behavior which consumes a significant amount of our time, effort, and thought. We create and monitor our appearances in relation to cultural standards of attractiveness, relying on a wide range of appearance products and services to do so. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of appearance and self-presentation among gay consumers, to discuss issues relating to conducting gay consumer research, to discuss implications for marketing strategies, and to suggest recommendations for further research on specific aspects of appearance management as they may affect marketing to gay consumers. Two studies are reported herein. The first study examines differences in perception among homosexual men when viewing a stimulus person dressed in six distinctly different modes of expression. Social impressions of the stimulus person were different on 15 pairs of characteristics, with certain modes of dress resulting in greater consistency of response and others resulting in greater variability of response. The second study explores differences in aesthetic responses between homosexual and heterosexual men with respect to 14 apparel style categories and 3 fragrance categories. It was found that homosexual men had significantly different responses to innovative, trendy variations in 6 categories of dress, while both homosexual and heterosexual men had similar responses for classic, traditional variations in style categories that might constitute a basic college campus wardrobe (jeans, casual shirts, casual pants, underwear, and coats). Scent preferences also differed between the two groups of respondents. Homosexual men preferred floral, sweet fragrance categories and oriental, spicy categories, while heterosexual men preferred woody, green fragrance categories. These studies suggest that different appearance aesthetics may operate for homosexual and heterosexual men, findings that may have implications for marketing strategies and for understanding the importance of appearance in socialization and self-presentation. Issues relating to conducting consumer studies such as these are discussed, including approval from institutional review boards, sample selection and setting, and measurement. Marketing strategies are discussed relative to target market, product, promotion, distribution, and pricing. Finally, recommendations are offered for further research relating to appearance and self-presentation among gay consumers.

Culture↗
PubMed1984

Use of services, care-seeking behavior and satisfaction among university dental clinic patients in Finland.

This paper analyzes use of services, behavioral features and their intercorrelations among a random sample of 94 patients visiting University of Connecticut dental clinics. The data were collected in interviews and patient records. In care seeking the greatest percentage (34%) of respondents relied on the advice of friends, relatives or neighbors. This finding confirms the importance of the lay referring system. The influence of regular source of care was apparent when patients' frequency of visits in clinics exceeded considerably their visit frequency in the past. Even earlier irregular visitors made many visits during the past 12 months. The following dimensions of satisfaction were measured: difficulty in getting an appointment, general satisfaction with care, costs of care in general, convenience in treatment and satisfaction with oral health. The results show that opinions toward care and about dental health were dominantly positive ranging from 60 to 94% of all the answers. Costs were regarded as high by 54% of the subjects. There was a positive and significant correlation between degree of utilization and satisfaction with care. The correlation between satisfaction with oral health and number of teeth was non-significant. There were several cumulative correlations, which suggests that one health related feature may predict a similar tendency in other health behaviors.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Evaluating "ED STAT!": a novel and effective faculty development program to improve emergency department teaching.

OBJECTIVES: Effective clinical teaching in emergency departments (EDs) presents unique challenges. No validated approaches to enhancing ED teaching have been reported. The authors evaluated the effectiveness of a novel one-day evidence-based, skills-oriented faculty development course tailored to ED teachers (ED STAT!). METHODS: The authors invited all inaugural course registrants to participate in this program evaluation study. The authors assessed participants' knowledge change and perceived change in teaching behavior using a multiple-choice and short-answer question examination, a teaching behaviors questionnaire, and a survey for satisfaction. Data were gathered before, immediately after, and one month after the course. Mean scores were compared using the Wilcoxon signed rank test, and qualitative results were analyzed via a grounded theory approach. RESULTS: Thirty-one individuals from a variety of academic and community EDs completed the May 2005 course; 28 participated in the pre-evaluation and postevaluation, and 22 participated in the one-month postevaluation. Multiple-choice scores increased from pre-evaluation to one-month postcourse by 15.1% (p < 0.001, effect size large: d = 1.53). Short-answer scores increased by 17.2% (p = 0.001, effect size large: d = 0.90). After one month, 55% of participants reported an increased amount of teaching, 86% perceived this teaching to be of a greater quality, and 82% had shared new strategies with colleagues. The course would be recommended to a colleague by 96.3% of respondents. CONCLUSIONS: ED STAT! improves participants' knowledge about ED-specific teaching strategies, and this improvement is maintained at one month. Participants reported high satisfaction and a positive effect on teaching behavior.

Consumer Behavior↗
PubMed2005

Consumers as four-faced creatures. Looking at food consumption from the perspective of contemporary consumers.

One would believe that with the increasing importance attached to consumers in contemporary affluent societies, the difficulty to understand today's 'butterfly' or 'unmanageable' consumers seems to double simultaneously. Modern consumers defy traditional segmentation by age, gender or income. Classical criteria to distinguish different homogeneous groups of consumers with corresponding behavioral intentions and patterns, have lost much of their explanatory power. Hence, the behaviour of the inhabitants of modern consumer society can no longer be understood by 'straight' and measurable segmentation criteria only. In order to meet the complexities of modern consumer behaviour, it is suggested that we need to improve our understanding of socio-cultural and socio-psychological influences on consumer choices. Such are awarded to be supplementary to socio-demographic (e.g. age, gender) or socio-economic (e.g. income, occupation) criteria, which are traditionally used in consumer studies. Our contribution to this quest for new perspectives, in which consumption is both seen as an economic/materialistic and a socio-cultural/attitudinal phenomenon, is called the consumer images approach. The underpinnings of this approach are the dimensions materialism/nonmaterialism and individualism/collectivism. Based on these two dimensions, four consumer images are distinguished in a four-quadrantic continuum. This implies that consumer images are not another set of taxonomies to 'box in' consumers. The consumer images approach is in tune with lines of thought in the recent renaissance of the sociology of consumption. To illustrate this, a presentation of the multifaceted consumer will be given that is interlarded with quotations from several new studies on contemporary consumerism which give evidence of the current vitality of scholarly interest in consumption.

Choice Behavior↗
PubMed1978

Behavior therapy for autistic children: a study of acceptability and outcome.

An inpatient program for autistic children which used behavior modification methods is described, and a follow-up study of the first 15 children discharged from the program is reported. In general, the outcome results appear to be comparable to those of other treatment methods. A second main purpose of the study was to assess the acceptability of this program to parents and to document their impressions regarding their child's period of inpatient care. Overall, a high level of acceptability was found.

Autistic Disorder↗
PubMed1984

Behavioral interventions and stress management training for hospitalized adolescents and young adults with cystic fibrosis.

Recent studies have demonstrated that the majority of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are not at high risk for developing psychological problems. Clinical studies emphasizing the development of adaptive coping mechanisms in these patients have been suggested as a more appropriate line of research. The purpose of the present paper is to describe our experience in teaching various behavioral and stress management strategies to help CF patients. Behavioral counseling, relaxation training, and biofeedback have all been used with these patients to help them manage a number of problems more effectively. The predominant presenting problems have included elevated anxiety levels, sleeping difficulties, pain, and hyperventilation episodes. The typical treatment course with these patients is described and a case example is given to help elucidate the nature of behavioral interventions. Patient satisfaction ratings indicate that most patients view these techniques positively. Clinical observations suggest that the acquisition of behavioral coping skills may enhance the CF patient's perceived control of his/her situation, reduce the level of pain and anxiety, and enhance the quality of life.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Self-care behaviors for muscle pain.

UNLABELLED: This investigation examined self-care behaviors for muscle pain because of the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain and the substitution of self-care for formal medical care. In Study 1, university students (N = 187) completed a retrospective questionnaire about self-care for muscle pain. In Study 2, muscle pain was experimentally induced in university students (N = 79) with subsequent measurement of self-care. In both studies, stretching and massaging were the most frequently performed behaviors, and consuming medication was the least frequently performed. In Study 1, the perceived effectiveness of behaviors and level of pain required to perform self-care accounted for 12% to 32% of the variance in behavior frequency. In Study 2, pain ratings and pain during activities were higher among those who performed self-care (ds = .59 to 1.00). These studies indicated that self-care behaviors are performed for both naturally occurring and experimentally induced muscle pain. However, both studies determined that the performance of self-care behaviors did not always correspond with current evidence of treatment effectiveness for muscle injuries. Unique opportunities for future investigations of self-care behavior models and interventions are permitted by muscle pain induction. PERSPECTIVE: Self-care for pain reduction is an understudied behavior. This report describes 2 studies of self-care behaviors for naturally occurring and experimentally induced muscle pain. The most frequent types of self-care behaviors are similar for the types of pain, and the perceived effectiveness of behaviors and pain level influence performance of the behaviors.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Beyond components: using fidelity scales to measure and assure choice in program implementation and quality assurance.

Fidelity scales have become an accepted part of intervention research. Initially, fidelity scales focused on critical components of an intervention. In this paper we argue that the next generation of fidelity scales should include key process variables such as choice. Since choice is an essential element in all empowerment and recovery driven intervention models, a fidelity scale for an enhanced version of the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) supported employment model that incorporates choice as a fundamental component was developed as part of a SAMHSA community action grant. The process for developing the choice component and the dimensions measured are also described.

Choice Behavior↗
PubMed1994

From paternalism to partnership: family and professional collaboration in children's mental health.

A survey of 455 caregivers of children with severe emotional disorders identified four empirically distinct dimensions of collaboration between mental health professionals and the children's family members. Characteristics of families, professionals, and the service delivery process associated with the dimensions are examined, as is the relationship between collaboration and family satisfaction.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Controlled trial of standard pad and bell alarm against mini alarm for nocturnal enuresis.

Fifty six children aged from 6-16 years who wet their beds at night were entered into a controlled trial of two alarm devices: a traditional alarm using a wet sensor mat on the bed attached to an alarm bell out of reach of the child, and a mini alarm system incorporating a tiny perineal wet sensor attached to a small alarm worn on the child's clothing. A quota allocation system ensured comparability between the two treatment groups. The children were encouraged to use the alarm for four months. Both alarms were equally effective in helping children to become dry. There was no significant difference between the number of children unable to comply with treatment or to be helped by each alarm. The rate of acquisition of dryness was similar for the two groups. The traditional standard alarm was sturdier, more dependable, and easier to maintain, but the mini alarm had some advantages, particularly for girls. Both types of alarm are recommended for general use.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Treating children with early-onset conduct problems: intervention outcomes for parent, child, and teacher training.

Families of 159, 4- to 8-year-old children with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) were randomly assigned to parent training (PT); parent plus teacher training (PT + TT); child training (CT); child plus teacher training (CT + TT); parent, child, plus teacher training (PT + CT + TT); or a waiting list control. Reports and independent observations were collected at home and school. Following the 6-month intervention, all treatments resulted in significantly fewer conduct problems with mothers, teachers, and peers compared to controls. Children's negative behavior with fathers was lower in the 3 PT conditions than in control. Children showed more prosocial skills with peers in the CT conditions than in control. All PT conditions resulted in less negative and more positive parenting for mothers and less negative parenting for fathers than in control. Mothers and teachers were also less negative than controls when children received CT. Adding TT to PT or CT improved treatment outcome in terms of teacher behavior management in the classroom and in reports of behavior problems.

Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorder↗
PubMed2004

Self-care: why do parents leave their children unsupervised?

We used a preferences-and-constraints model to develop four hypotheses to explain why parents may choose self-care (an unsupervised arrangement) as the primary child care arrangement for their children over supervised alternatives and tested them in a multivariate framework using 1995 data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation. We found that the choice of self-care over supervised care alternatives is linked to the availability of parents' time to care for children, the child's level of responsibility and maturity, and the neighborhood context. However, we found no evidence that parents' ability to pay for child care is related to the choice of self-care. The results also suggest that parents use different decision-making processes, depending on their children's ages.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1997

[Family counseling in early education: conditions and effects from the viewpoint of mothers].

Seeing the systemic aspects of the developmental and behavioral problems of young children, it has often been demanded, but is seldom realized, to include families, in early education. Though the role of parents has changed from passive observers to active partners of their child and the professionals the complete dimensions of this change of influence concerning all the family are still unknown. Hence the family is seldomly borne in mind, in practice as well as in research on early education. To answer some of the standing questions, a recourse to family stre beta theory, life span developmental theory, and ecological developmental psychology seems necessary. In every day life mainly the mothers seem to carry the burdon and concern of education and development of their children. On this presupposition we are convinced that mothers can give valuable informations about their family lives and family systems. Hypotheses concern the subjective changes of their families and their personal development during one year of early education and family related counseling. Comparisons between mothers with or without family counseling show important differences in developmental stress, developmental attitudes, and family dynamics. These findings are discussed considering to the limited evidence of practice attendant studies.

Adult↗