The association between switching hand preference and the declining prevalence of left-handedness with age.
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OBJECTIVES: This study determined the prevalence of left-handedness and of switching hand preference among innately left-handed subjects. METHODS: Subjects of Swiss nationality (n = 1692), participating in a population-based survey in Geneva, Switzerland, completed a questionnaire on innate hand preference and current hand preference for writing. RESULTS: From 35 to 44 years of age to 65 to 74 years of age, the prevalence of innate left-handedness declined from 11.9% to 6.2% (trend P = .007). In these same age groups, the proportion of innately left-handed subjects who switched to the right hand for writing increased from 26.6% to 88.9% (trend P = .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Across generations, we found an increase in the prevalence of switching hand preference among innately left-handed subjects. This phenomenon could be explained by social and parental pressure to use the right hand. (+info)
Exposure to organic solvents and personality.
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OBJECTIVES: Although cognitive and neuropsychological changes have been found after high cumulative exposures to solvents, it is not clear whether such exposures are associated with personality characteristics. To study this two groups of British and Chinese dockyard painters who had been heavily exposed to paint solvents have been investigated. METHODS: 260 Male dockyard painters in the United Kingdom, 539 local community controls, 109 Chinese dockyard painters, and 255 dockyard controls completed the Eysenck personality questionnaire, neuroticism (N) and social conformity or dissimulation (L) scales. The non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test was used to evaluate differences in scores of personality traits between painters and controls. Adjusted relative risks for painters having high N and L scores were calculated in a Breslow-Cox regression analysis, and exposure-response relations were examined in multivariate logistic regression analysis. Non-parametric Spearman's correlation was used to examine relations between previously determined neuropsychological symptoms and personality. RESULTS: Both British and Chinese data showed that mean neuroticism scores of painters were significantly higher than controls, whereas scores of social conformity did not differ. Relative risk of being a painter increased significantly with increasing N scores, but L scores showed no such trend. In a case-control analysis, there were significant exposure-response relations for the N score. In the United Kingdom the odds ratios (ORs) (95% confidence interval (95% CI), were 2.03 (0.79 to 5.22) for 1-4 years of exposure, 2.38 (0.82 to 6.91) for 5-9 years, 7.05 (1.27 to 39.25) for 10-14 years, and 1.76 (0.63 to 4.89) for 15-41 years. In the Chinese painters, ORs were 4.66 (1.38 to 15.75) for 2-14 years, 10.03 (2.96 to 34.04) for 15-18 years, and 13.56 (3.78 to 48.59) for 19-43 years. Neuroticism was significantly positively related to neuropsychological symptoms in all subjects. Social conformity showed no association with neuropsychological symptoms in British painters and a negative relation among the Chinese painters. CONCLUSION: Increasing symptoms suggesting neuroticism seemed to relate to the duration of painting whereas scores for social conformity and dissimulation did not. The relation between exposure time and response suggests that increased neuroticism may be caused by long term occupational exposure to organic solvents. (+info)
Patients with prefrontal cortex lesions and controls were administered an implicit association task (IAT) that measured the degree of association between male and female names and their stereotypical attributes of strength and weakness. They also completed three questionnaires measuring their explicit judgment regarding gender-related stereotypical attributes. There were no between-group differences on the explicit measures. On the IAT, patients with dorsolateral lesions and controls showed a strong association, whereas patients with ventromedial prefrontal cortex lesions had a significantly lower association, between the stereotypical attributes of men and women and their concepts of gender. This finding provides support for the hypothesis that patients with ventromedial prefrontal lesions have a deficit in automatically accessing certain aspects of overlearned associated social knowledge. (+info)
Interest in and obstacles to pursuing work among unemployed dually diagnosed individuals.
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Employment status is commonly used as a sign of stability in recovery and an outcome variable for substance abuse treatment and research. However, there has been little attention in the literature on the topic of work for the dually diagnosed (i.e., persons diagnosed with both substance use and mental health disorders). Data collected in 1999 are presented on expressed interest in and perceived barriers to pursuing work and on the utilization of vocational rehabilitation (voc-rehab) services among unemployed members of a dual recovery self-help fellowship (N= 130). While members generally expressed high interest in working, they also cited multiple obstacles to attaining and maintaining employment. A path model was specified and tested. Significant contributors to interest in working were substance use status and physical health rating. Consistent with our hypotheses, mental health symptoms and greater perceived obstacles (e.g., stigma, fear of failure, and insufficient skills) were significant contributors to perceived difficulty in pursuing work, whereas substance use, physical health, and recency of employment were not. Finally, those who perceived less difficulty in pursuing work were more likely to utilize voc-rehab services, and men were more likely than women to use these facilities; interest in work was not significantly associated with utilizing voc-rehab services. The roles of mental health disorders and substance use in relation to pursuit of employment are discussed, as well as that of perceived obstacles such as stigma. The paper addresses the setting of realistic vocational goals and possible strategies to mitigate barriers to increased employment of dually diagnosed individuals. (+info)
Filthy or fashionable? Young people's perceptions of smoking in the media.
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Research has shown that the media over-estimates smoking rates and often associates smoking with favorable attributes or situations. Given that the media plays a large role in influencing youth culture, portrayal of smoking in the media is of concern. In order to explore young people's perceptions of smoking imagery in the media, 16 focus groups were conducted with 117 school students. Participants were asked to rate smoking images selected from audio-visual and print media, and to discuss their perceptions of these images. The results showed that young people perceived smoking in these media selections to be normal and acceptable. They identified with the stress-relieving and social aspects of smoking, despite being well aware of the harmful health effects. Its acceptability as part of a 'cool' image was also noted. Positive images of smoking in the media have the potential to down-play the serious health consequences of smoking by portraying it in a way that young people interpret as a normal part of everyday life. They may also encourage a more neutral or tolerant attitude towards smoking among young people and therefore act to counteract other health promotion efforts to reduce teenage smoking. (+info)
Effects of a social-network method for group assignment strategies on peer-led tobacco prevention programs in schools.
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OBJECTIVES: Our study tested the effectiveness of network methods for identifying opinion leaders and for constructing groups. METHODS: Three conditions-random, teacher, and network--ere randomly assigned to 84 6th-grade classrooms within 16 schools. Pre- and postcurriculum data on mediators of tobacco use were collected from 1961 students. Peer leaders in the network condition were identified by student nominations, and those leaders were matched with the students who nominated them. RESULTS: Students in the network condition relative to the random condition liked the prevention program more and had improved attitudes (beta = -0.06; P <.01), improved self-efficacy (beta = -0.10; P <.001), and decreased intention to smoke (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.46; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.38, 0.55). CONCLUSIONS: The network method was the most effective way to structure the program. Future programs may refine this technique and use it in other settings. (+info)
The misperceived social norm of drunkenness among early adolescents in Finland.
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Adolescents tend to overestimate peer drinking; the resulting misperception of the social norm predicts the child's own future drinking. This study examined the misperception's relatedness to a person's drinking pattern in order to facilitate the segmentation of the audience for health education interventions. Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey (Finland) data on 14 year olds' drinking patterns and perceptions of peer drinking were gathered using self-administered mailed questionnaires in 1989 (N = 3105, response rate 77%), 1995 (N = 8382, 79%) and 2001 (N = 7292, 70%). The perceptions of peer drinking were significantly related to respondents' drinking patterns. Non-drinkers and those drinking recurrently until drunkenness held reasonably correct views of their peers' drinking. However, the segment between these two extremes comprising around half of the cohort incorrectly thought that their peers drank more; they misperceived the normative drinking pattern to be drunkenness. From health education perspective, three different target audiences can be identified: non-drinkers, moderate drinkers and heavy drinkers. The intermediate group, drinkers not normally getting drunk, holds the view most influenced by the social norm misperception and are likely to feel pressured to increase their drinking. The social norms marketing approach to health education should find this group the most viable target. (+info)
Understanding the social and cultural contexts of female sex workers in Karnataka, India: implications for prevention of HIV infection.
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BACKGROUND: The objective of the present study was to compare the sociodemographic characteristics and sex work patterns of women involved in the traditional Devadasi form of sex work with those of women involved in other types of sex work, in the Indian state of Karnataka. METHODS: Data were gathered through in-person interviews. Sampling was stratified by district and by type of sex work. RESULTS: Of 1588 female sex workers (FSWs) interviewed, 414 (26%) reported that they entered sex work through the Devadasi tradition. Devadasi FSWs were more likely than other FSWs to work in rural areas (47.3% vs. 8.9%, respectively) and to be illiterate (92.8% vs. 76.9%, respectively). Devadasi FSWs had initiated sex work at a much younger age (mean, 15.7 vs. 21.8 years), were more likely to be home based (68.6% vs. 14.9%), had more clients in the past week (average, 9.0 vs. 6.4), and were less likely to migrate for work within the state (4.6% vs. 18.6%) but more likely to have worked outside the state (19.6% vs. 13.1%). Devadasi FSWs were less likely to report client-initiated violence during the past year (13.3% vs. 35.8%) or police harassment (11.6% vs. 44.3%). CONCLUSION: Differences in sociobehavioral characteristics and practice patterns between Devadasi and other FSWs necessitate different individual and structural interventions for the prevention of sexually transmitted infections, including human immunodeficiency virus infection. (+info)