Body image in adulthood: a projective approach.

A sample of 210 persons varying by age (young adults, middle-aged, older adults), gender, and relationship status (single or involved) were administered the Holtzman Inkblot Technique (HIT) and Geriatric Draw-A-Person (G-DAP) to ascertain projectively assessed aspects of body image in adulthood. Results suggested that both the HIT and G-DAP were sensitive to the effects of age and gender, wherein young adults scored higher on both HIT Barrier and Penetration than both middle-aged or older adults. In addition, G-DAP scores favored young adults. HIT Penetration scores varied by both age and relationship status.

Factors related to the severity of tardive dyskinesia.

This study was undertaken to clarify factors associated with severity of tardive dyskinesia (TD). It was hypothesized that dopaminergic changes associated with neuroleptic medication may interact with unknown vulnerabilities contributing to the manifestation of TD. Fifty-four psychiatric patients residing on the acute and intermediate care wards of a Veterans Administration hospital participated. Thirty schizophrenic and 24 manic patients, under 60 years of age, were assessed for TD using the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale. Cognitive tests were used to form verbal and nonverbal composite indices. The results of multiple regression analyses revealed a modest linear relationship between TD and nonverbal function (p < .03) after controlling for duration of hospitalization, years of illness, motor speed, and age. This relationship was noted for both manic and schizophrenic patients. The results of this study suggest that nonverbal dysfunction is related to severity of TD.

Effects of exposure to aggressive behavior on job satisfaction of health care staff.

This study examined the effects of exposure to the aggressive and disruptive behavior of institutionalized elderly patients on health care staff's job satisfaction. Aggressive behavior was defined as physical, verbal, or general disruptive behavior. Health care staff from a geriatric long-term care hospital were interviewed about their exposure to these types of aggressive behavior and the effect of this exposure on job satisfaction. Job satisfaction was significantly correlated with overall exposure to aggressive behavior. Although physical aggression was reported more frequently, exposure to verbal aggression correlated higher with job satisfaction. Exposure to aggressive behavior was the best predictor of job satisfaction, followed by level of education. These findings indicate that job satisfaction is negatively affected by exposure to aggressive behavior but positively affected by educational level. The role of educational programs in moderating the impact of exposure to aggressive behavior on job satisfaction is discussed.

Recall of clustered and unclustered word lists in elderly adults.

We present descriptive data for alternate forms of clustered and unclustered word list recall in 102 healthy elderly adults and test results for 11 patients with Parkinson's disease. The word list test provided a relatively stable measure of verbal memory. Alternate forms were equivalent except for a tendency of the unclustered list of Form 1 to be easier than those of the other three forms. Verbal intelligence, total word recall, and the ability to cluster related words at recall were related significantly. There were modest effects of education on word recall; female subjects tended to recall more words than males.

Positive ego and coping functions in chronic pain and depressed patients.

Three groups of elderly subjects (chronic pain patients, patients with major depression, and healthy individuals) were administered measures of self-esteem, ego defense mechanisms, and coping style to examine how these personality components are affected by illness. Ego defense mechanisms and self-esteem for all three groups were not found to be different and were positive except for depressed patients, who used greater levels of projection and demonstrated lower levels of self-esteem. Each subject group utilized equally problem-focused and emotion-focused coping styles. These findings from a preliminary study are consistent with previous research demonstrating stability of personality throughout the life span, and suggest that the psychological functioning of older individuals with chronic pain syndromes or depression remains positive and resilient.