Client perceptions of incest and substance abuse.

Clients receiving substance abuse treatment from 35 treatment facilities throughout the United States were surveyed using the Substance Abuse and Incest Survey-Revised (SAIS-R). A total of 732 participants responded to the survey; 518 (71%) were males, 204 (28%) were females, and 10 (1%) did not indicate gender. Participants had a mean age of 33.8 years, were predominately Caucasian (61.6%), never married (45.2%), were currently unemployed (69.4%), and had completed an average of 11.7 years of education. Of the entire sample, 266 (36.3%) reported having been victims of incest; 151 were males and 113 were females (2 did not indicate gender). The group reporting incest histories had a significantly greater percentage of females that did the group not reporting incest histories (chi 2 = 48.1, p < .001). Participants with incest histories were asked about their perceptions regarding incest, substance abuse, and counseling. Item responses were examined using descriptive statistics and factor analysis. The factor analysis on SAIS-R perception items identified five factors that accounted for 68.9% of the variance; these factors were Stigma and Resistance to Counseling; Substance Abuse and Incest; Ambivalence; Fear and Anticipation; and Receptivity to Counseling. Results are presented and the implications for substance abuse treatment and counseling are discussed.

Effects of age on ranking for reduction in work force.

A laboratory experiment tested the hypothesis that age and written descriptions of performance affected simulated evaluations for reduction in work force. 56 supervisors and managers attending night school reviewed written descriptions of seven individuals' performance. Seven different ages ranging from 25 to 63 years were paired with each individual's performance in a within-subject Latin square design. Each subject rated seven simulated individuals on 10 attributes and made recommendations in the form of comparative rankings for a simulated reduction in force. Chronological age effects on performance rankings were not found. Statistically removing rating components (work performance and sociability) from rankings using an analysis of covariance also yielded no age-related bias but did indicate that the subjects were able to distinguish among performance descriptions. These findings are discussed in relation to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

Perceived autonomy and job satisfaction in occupational therapists.

Perceived autonomy, overall job satisfaction, and specific work incentives and disincentives were surveyed in 249 occupational therapists. Respondents rated autonomy and job satisfaction moderately high. They perceived achievement, interpersonal relationships with co-workers, and the nature of the work itself as incentives. The lack of organizational support for training, opportunity for advancement, and working conditions were seen as job disincentives. Results also showed that perceived autonomy was positively related to overall job satisfaction and to each job satisfaction factor.

Physical attractiveness and nurses' perceptions of pediatric patients.

This study investigated the effect of the physical attractiveness of pediatric patients on nurses' impressions. Sixty-six nurses answered questions about pediatric patients who were allegedly involved in a disturbance in a hospital. The patients who were rated varied in attractiveness. Nurses held a patient less personally responsible for the disturbance, attributed a patient's behavior to situational causes, and perceived the attending nurse as more responsible when the patient was highly attractive. In contrast, an unattractive patient was reported to have a higher probability of emotional problems. These findings are consistent with the work of Dion (1972).