Monitoring in methadone maintenance treatment.

Weekly preannounced and unannounced urine testing was compared in a counterbalanced design with two random samples of clients (n = 74) from a methadone maintenance program. Results indicated no significant differences in the detected rate of positive specimens for the two types of testing. Clients reported preference for the preannounced testing and indicated that testing was not very helpful in avoiding the use of illicit drugs. The merits of psychosocial procedures in response to the outcome of monitoring are discussed.

Cancer stereotypes: a multidimensional scaling analysis.

The body of empirical research investigating the structure of stereotypes held by the physically healthy population toward individuals with medically related problems is remarkably small. This is particularly true for stereotypes related to cancer. This study adopted a multidimensional scaling (MDS) strategy in order to identify medically related stereotype dimensions for cancer and other illnesses. Sixty-eight subjects judged the similarity of cancer and eleven other medical conditions and rated each on 7-point attribute scales. A two-dimensional solution of respondents' similarity judgments was found and four distinct clusters of related conditions were perceived: (1) cancer and other illnesses with controllable risk factors, (2) conditions affecting motor function, (3) psychological/functional disorders and (4) communication/sensory functional disorders. Regression of mean attribute ratings onto the MDS disability coordinates labeled the two dimensions Normality and Physical Health. Implications of these dimensions for planning effective programs to change stereotypes and improve attitudes toward individuals with cancer and other medical conditions are discussed.

Spouse adjustment to cancer surgery: distress and coping responses.

Although often acknowledged, the impact of the surgical treatment of cancer on the spouse of the adult cancer patient is a largely unexplored area. The present study examined distress, coping, and appraisal among spouses (N = 36) and patients (N = 43) assessed prior to and following surgery. The results indicated that at both the presurgical and postsurgical period, spouses were exhibiting significantly greater distress than patients. Surprisingly, spouses' levels of distress remained fairly constant across the presurgery to postsurgery period, while the patients' distress decreased. Escape and avoidance behaviors were found to be maladaptive for spouses coping with their partners' surgical treatment. Appraisal was also found to be a critical factor in understanding individual reactions to the stress of cancer surgery. Spouses of cancer patients undergoing surgical treatment appear to be an underacknowledged population at risk.