Sterilization among american Indian and chicano mothers.

In a large study concerning family size and birth control among women from five cultures in the Miami, Florida, area, it was noted that 60 percent of the Miccosukee and Seminole Indians having five or more children were surgically sterile. Compared with the incidence for whites (30%) and a similar socio-economic group of Chicanos (20%), the incidence among Indian women seemed highly inflated. To examine why this should be so and whether or not there were negative effects of such sterilization, analyses examined both pre- and post-operative differences between the Indians and a comparison group of Chicanos. Though there were significant cultural differences found for the women, these differences did not interact significantly in predicting sterilization. However, sterilized women reported significantly more pregnancy complications. Factors which may have contributed to the greater incidence of tubal ligation among Indian women are explored.

Relationship between women's attitudes and choice of birth control.

PIP: Women who had tubal ligations were compared with fertile women whose husbands had undergone vasectomies and with women who were in relationships where both husband and wife remained fertile in order to examine differences among the 3 groups in terms of preoperation characteristics and postoperative attitudes and adjustments. 108 mothers between the ages of 35 and 45 years were studied. The women were white Protestants and generally of middle to lower class according to Hollingshead's Index. Extensive demographic information was obtained including presurgical intervention data relating to childbearing history. Postsurgical data included social adjustment, attitudes toward birth control scale, and attitudes toward sex, family, parent, abortion, and birth control. The 3 groups were compared by analysis of variance and covariance (for social class) to determine differences in background, attitudes, and behaviors. Of the 108 mothers, 23% had undergone tubal ligation, 15% had husbands who had chosen vasectomy, and 62% had no surgical intervention. There were no differences among the 3 groups on background variables or self-perception of health. Women in the tubal ligation group were from the lowest social class, and they also reported a desire for more children than either of the 2 remaining groups. The tubal ligation group was significantly more negative in their attitudes on both the Semantic Differential and Thurstone's Attitude Toward Birth Control Scale. Controlling for social class did not change the level of significance for these findings.^ieng

Characteristics of high and low self-esteem in the elderly.

Self-esteem is fundamental to the elderly's experience of life. To examine what background and personality characteristics were associated with low and high self-esteem in the elderly, 250 men and women age sixty-five and older were studied. Elderly with either high or low self-esteem did not differ with respect to age, income, education, or living-arrangement. However, the low self-esteem group had poorer self-reported health, more pain, and higher disability. The low self-esteem group had significantly higher scores on depression, anxiety, somatization, and a more external locus of control orientation both with and without health variables controlled. These data suggest that intervention may be a viable aid in promoting better feelings toward the self for persons over age sixty-five.

Self-assessed health, impairment and disability in anglo, black and cuban elderly.

Self-assessed health and physician-rated impairment were compared for 174 Anglo, black, and Cuban elderly medical outpatients. Level of disability was also recorded by the interviewer. A minimal correlation was found between patient and physician-rated health. Self-assessed health and level of functioning were associated significantly in each of the 3 cultures. The way patients perceived their health and functioned differed by culture, but impairment ratings of the physician did not discriminate among cultures. It seems likely that nonmedical factors may explain cultural differences in perception of health as well as how these perceptions influence ability to perform everyday activities of living. The patients' estimates of health appear to be an important factor in their overall health status, which physicians could use to augment their assessments of impairment. Since self-assessed health relates to level of functioning and to the way the elderly react to an illness, it can be seen as a useful component in evaluating health and predicting patient behavior.

Psychosocial differences between elderly volunteers and non-volunteers.

Volunteer workers over age sixty-five were compared to retired elderly who did not engage in any type of work activity. Volunteers were found to have significantly higher degree of life satisfaction, stronger will to live, and fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety, and somatization. Since no differences were found on most demographic or background variables, participation in volunteer work appears to be the salient factor in explaining psychosocial differences between volunteers and non-volunteers.

Cultural and sex differences in dietary patterns of the urban elderly.

A group of 182 elderly subjects (91 females, 91 males; 94 blacks, 88 whites) were interviewed with respect to background data, dietary habits, and health variables. Analysis of variance showed race and sex differences with respect to meal patterns and quality of diet. In addition, correlational analyses revealed associations between quality of diet and social class, education, health status, and the smoking of cigarettes. Associations were strongest for the black subjects.

Suicide attempts among drug abusers.

The relationship between substance abuse and suicide is indicated by the high rate of attempted suicide among alcoholics and drug abusers as well as the increased likelihood of repeated attempts in these populations. This study reports on the psychological characteristics of male drug suicide attempters who are in treatment for their addiction problem. Data collected from 166 veterans included background information, symptoms, mood, social functioning, and attitude measures. Of the drug abuse patients, 26 percent reported having made a suicide attempt. These subjects were found to be significantly more depressed, angry, insecure, and anxious than the nonsuicide-attempt drug abusers. Treatment staff need to be sensitized to the possibility of repeated suicide attempts among substance abuse patients.

Self-concept and completion of treatment for heroin and nonheroin drug abusers.

One hundred sixty-one veterans with a history of drug abuse were administered a battery of background questions as well as self-concept measures prior to entering a Substance Abuse Unit at the VA Hospital in Miami. Significant interaction effects were found whe a 2 X 2 analysis of variance was run using heroin/nonheroin as one factor and completer/dropout as the other. Nonheroin drug abusers who subsequently completed treatment entered the program with the lowest self-concepts, highest ideals (with respect to the self), and were most often high school dropouts. Nonheroin drug abusers who eventually dropped out of treatment entered with relatively high self-concepts, low ideals, and were more often high school graduates. On the other hand, heroin users showed the opposite trend. Heroin users who eventually completed treatment began with higher self-concepts, lower ideals, and more education than the heroin users who became dropouts. It is suggested that a generalized feeling of optimism and motivation surrounds the completer, while the dropout seems to lack such drive.