Psychiatric aspects of basketball.

This article presents a theory of the psychology of basketball from three perspectives: individual psychodynamics, family systems interactions and athlete-community relationships. It focuses on the differences between functional and dysfunctional individual and team performance. Maximal individual performance usually requires relatively high levels of cognitive and physical skills, while team performance depends on having individuals with the interpersonal skills necessary to create the chemistry mandatory for the shared decision making called teamwork.

A conceptual model for attitude assessment in all areas of medical education.

In most medical schools attitudinal goals are confined to special courses in the curriculum and, as such, remain isolated. Failure to attend to both psychosocial and physical factors of disease are compounded by faculty failure to integrate both principles into teaching strategies. Here a conceptual model is proposed to ensure that psychosocial factors, age, and physical illness are all considered in the planning of educational units. Examples are given of skill impairment pitfalls that, when included in a patient-management problem (PMP), allow faculty to assess potential student attitudinal bias and identify students for additional learning experiences. Further application of this model can help educators plan course work in order to narrow the present gulf between the physical and behavioral sciences.

The Sheppe and Hain study revisited: professional students and their knowledge and attitudes about human sexuality.

The professions of law and medicine exert a profound influence on sexual attitudes and behaviour in our society. Previous reported studies of legal and medical students found no differences in sexual knowledge for entering first-year students. However, in this study, a sample of 160 medical and seventy-nine law students revealed significant differences in knowledge and attitudes about sexuality. The data indicate that a gender-linked double standard of acceptable behaviour is not present. Results further reinforce the necessity of medical sex education.

Medical sex education: allowing attitude alteration.

Medical sex education courses throughout the United States are quite variable in design, strategy, format, and goals. This article reviews the findings of the published studies, and examines the effect of medical sex education on both students' sexual attitudes toward self and others and students' attitudes toward women. This study used a simple pre- and postcourse measuring design with a matched sampling technique. Data derived from 41 matched subjects support the effectiveness of the medical sex education course in altering students' attitudes by increasing their tolerance of others' sexual behavior and fantasy, as well as influencing their own tolerance of their own sexual fantasies. Little to no effect on students' own sexual behavior was noted. The data replicate the attitudinal effects of a medical sex education course conducted with a markedly different regional population and a different course format. A most striking finding is that following a medical sex education course, students are noted to be less dogmatic in nonsexual opinion, as measured by the Rokeach Dogmatism Scale.

PIP: All University of Minnesota Medical School medical students take a required sex education course during their 2nd year. Content of the class is described. A matched sampling of 41 subjects was used to study the effect of the course on the sexual attitudes and behavior of students. The course had an effect in liberalizing student attitudes toward the sexual behavior and fantasies of others and their own sexual fantasies. The course also caused students to be less dogmatic in nonsexual opinion. It had little effect on the sexual behavior of the students. Results of this study correlate with results of a study with a different regional population and a different course format.

The efficacy of programmed instruction in the training of paraprofessionals.

The authors assessed the efficacy of a self-instructional psychiatric learning program to provide training for paraprofessional psychiatric personnel. The self-regulated learning system, which originally was developed to train medical students, was designed to impart basic psychiatric knowledge and diagnostic skills. Changes along personality dimensions that occurred as a function of participating in the programmed learning project also were examined. Participation in this program was associated with substantial pre-post changes in dogmatism and locus of control for males as well as significant increments in psychiatric knowledge and diagnostic skills for the group as a whole. The benefits derived from this easily administered training procedure suggest its feasible inclusion in paraprofessional inservice training programs.

The effect of a spaced sex education course on medical students' sexual knowledge and attitudes.

This paper reviews the literature and emphasizes the rapid expansion of medical sex education, which has created a diversity of course content, curriculum timing and strategies. One variable of medical sex education programmes is whether they are massed or spaced courses. The authors conducted testing on 159 first year medical students who took a spaced sex education course. Significant changes in cognitive knowledge as well as attitudinal tolerance of others is reported. No changes were found in styles of thinking as measured by the Rokeach Dogmatism Scale.

Persistence, planning, patience, and prevention: aspects of sex education in medicine.

This paper emphasizes the rapid response of American medical schools to the absence of sex education in their curricula, which has led to diversity of design, strategy, and evaluation of human sexuality courses. It further points out that most such courses are inadequate to teach physicians knowledge and skills that will be required when they leave medical school. Major areas of resistance to full implementation of comprehensive sex education programs are cited, with one method outlined to overcome institutional resistance. The authors cite case examples of the variety of sexual conflicts that become accessible in students and faculty as a result of such instruction. They suggest that groups of persons who are sexually knowledgeable and possess counseling skills in sex therapy could greatly improve sex education in the medical institution.

PIP: Number of medical schools offering formal instruction in human sexuality has increased from 3 in 1960 to 106 in 1974. These courses range from formal lectures to case study and small group discussion approaches. Small group discussions with group leaders have 2 advantages: 1) the group leaders help promote attitudinal change in the medical institution by talking to faculty members curious about the course, and 2) they serve as counselors for student problems. In their 1st role these leaders can help overcome faculty resistance to such courses. This resistance usually stems from inadequate sexual information among the faculty members themselves and a generally negative attitude. Faculty attitude change is, therefore, the greatest problem faced by the sexuality course leaders. Such courses often make the students more aware of their own sexual problems. Case studies are given of instances in which trained counsellors were able to help students resolve their own conflicts. At present sex education courses in medical schools are inadequate. Such courses need to be spaced throughout the entire medical education process with opportunities to expand clinical skills needed to deal with the complex problems doctors must face.