The relationship of family structure and conflict to levels of intimacy and parental attachment in college students.

Randomly selected college juniors and seniors completed questionnaires concerning marital conflict, parental attachment, and attitudes about love and sex. Results indicated that intimacy was negatively correlated with parental conflict and divorce. Divorce and higher levels of conflict were associated with lower levels of intimacy in students' romantic relationships.

Family-of-origin interaction and adolescent mothers' potential for child abuse.

This study examined the relationship between family-of-origin interaction and environment and the potential for young mothers to abuse their children. Females aged 14 to 21 from three teen parenting programs completed the Teen Parenting Questionnaire, the Family Environment Scale, and the Child Abuse Potential Inventory. Low scores on family cohesion were found to correlate with high scores on child abuse potential. This suggests that providing the teenager with an accepting and supportive atmosphere may assist her in building a positive identity as a mother. Increased understanding of how family-of-origin issues contribute to young mothers' potential to abuse their children will aid school and community professionals in providing better services for this population.

Grandparents' role in family systems with a deaf child. An exploratory study.

This qualitative study explored the role of grandparents in hearing/deaf family systems. Specifically, the grandparental role was examined in six family systems across at least three generations (grandparent, parent, deaf grandchild). The study's purpose was to provide insight into personal and interpersonal functioning of extended family systems with a deaf member and to provide a basis for future quantitative research. Results indicated that grandparents were willing to provide diverse support services to their children and grandchildren to the extent permitted by their resources and the nature of their existing relationship with the deaf child's parent(s). The advent of a deaf grandchild appeared to have strong effects on the extended family system, but typically system responses were consistent with the quality of preexisting relationships. Families with weak intrafamilial communication tended to have difficulties with incorrect assumptions. Families with unresolved individuation issues tended to replay these issues within the context of attempts to adapt to their changed circumstances.

Effects of family structure on the adolescent separation-individuation process.

This study examined the effects of college students' family structures on the separation-individuation process. Family structure groups investigated were (1) intact; (2) divorced, mother-custody, no remarriage; and (3) divorced, mother-custody, remarried. The components of the separation-individuation process examined were attachment to parents, conflictual independence, internal self-awareness, ego identity, and self-esteem. Results indicated that adolescents from intact families perceived themselves as having more conflictual independence from and more positive emotional relationships with their fathers than did those from divorced or remarried families. The groups did not differ in ego identity or self-awareness. Both attachment and conflictual independence from fathers were related to self-esteem. Conflictual independence from mothers was also related to self-esteem, while attachment to mothers was not. Ego identity was related to self-esteem, but self-awareness was not. The discussion addresses both clinical and future research implications.

Big Brothers: impact on Little Brothers' self-concepts and behaviors.

The impact a Big Brother has on a Little Brother's self-concept and behavior was examined for 45 boys ages 7 to 15. The Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America is a United Way agency dedicated to supplying children from single-parent homes with an adult volunteer of the same sex. The adult serves as a friend and role model for the child. Boys who were matched (n = 23) with a Big Brother were compared to boys who were unmatched (n = 22) but were on a waiting list to receive a Big Brother. All boys completed a self-concept measure, and their mothers completed a checklist regarding the behavior of her child. Results indicated that boys who had a Big Brother reported significantly higher self-concepts than did those who were unmatched. Scores on the behavioral instrument did not yield significant differences between groups. Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Managing dentin hypersensitivity: what treatment to recommend to patients.

Dentin hypersensitivity affects nearly 40 million Americans at one time or another. The authors outline its causes and describe treatment agents and procedures.

Adolescent pregnancy: contributing factors and strategies for prevention.

A questionnaire was administered to pregnant adolescents and adolescent mothers to assess both basic needs and factors that may have contributed to their becoming teen parents. Family background and composition, history of sexual abuse, vocational plans and aspirations, and self-esteem were examined. Results and implications for prevention programs and counseling are discussed.

[6 months' results of coronary angioplasty after thrombolysis of myocardial infarction]. / Résultats à six mois de l'angioplastie coronaire faite après thrombolyse pour un infarctus du myocarde.

Transluminal coronary angioplasty (TCA) has become the treatment of choice of residual stenosis after thrombolysis for myocardial infarction, but the long-term results of TCA are imperfectly evaluated. Seventy patients underwent TCA after thrombolysis on account of a significant (greater than 50 p. 100) residual stenosis of the artery responsible for the infarction. TCA was performed less than 6 hours after the onset of symptoms in 15 patients who had neither clinical nor electrocardiographic evidence of reperfusion; 4 of these patients were in a state of cardiogenic shock. In the remaining patients TCA was performed 1 to 10 days (mean 3.2 days) after thrombolysis. A primary success was obtained in 64 patients (91 p. 100). Two patients had emergency aorto-coronary bypass. During their stay in hospital, 5 patients presented with symptoms of reocclusion which in 4 of them occurred less than 24 hours after TAC, and 2 of these 4 patients had to be reoperated upon; 2 patients died suddenly. During a 6 to 18 months' follow-up period (mean 10.5 months), the infarction recurred in 3 patients; the recurrence took place during the 3rd month in 2 of them (1 had another thrombolysis and later TAC) and during the 6th month in the third one. At 6 months, 4 patients were suffering from exertion angina and 2 asymptomatic patients had a positive exercise test. Fifty-two control coronary arteriographies were performed at 6 months. Thirteen patients (25 p. 100) had an occluded artery which was clinically silent in 11; 39 patients had a patent artery with restenosis in 7.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Long-term course of conduction disorders in 97 patients with an HV interval superior or equal to 70 milliseconds]. / Evolution à long terme des troubles conductifs chez 97 patients avec un intervalle HV supérieur ou égal à 70 millisecondes.

The natural history of disorders of conduction is imperfectly known. The presence of an HV interval of 70 milliseconds or more, which is regarded as pathological, usually results in pacemaker implantation. In this study the course of symptoms and disorders of conduction was investigated in 97 patients with an HV interval of 70 ms or more, and therefore equipped with a pacemaker, followed up for a mean period of 26.5 +/- 19.5 months. Among these 97 patients, 65 had presented with one or several syncopes, 14 had experienced feelings of faintness and 18 were asymptomatic. Among patients with symptoms, these totally disappeared in 63 and became milder in the remaining 12 patients. Complete and permanent AV block was observed in 11 patients. The actuarial incidence of complete permanent AV block was about 5 p. 100 per annum until 4 years. The only predictive parameter for such a course was the occurrence of a second degree type 2 or a third degree paroxysmal block prior to pacemaker implantation (significantly associated with the absence of symptoms).