Comparing the well-being of post-caregivers and noncaregivers.

Researchers who study family caregiving have begun to recognize the need to broaden the realm of inquiry to include the exploration of the positive aspects of caregiving as well as conceptualizing caregiving on a continuum from the pre-caregiving phase through the post-caregiving phase. Additionally, researchers are urged to use control groups in research. This study complements the current trends by examining the positive aspects of caregiving among former caregivers. Specifically, the well-being of post-caregivers is compared to that of noncaregivers. Bivariate analyses examine the factors that are significantly different between former caregivers and noncaregivers. Results show that former caregivers have higher well-being than noncaregivers. In the multivariate model, only one subscale of well-being (basic needs) is different between the two groups. Implications of this research are discussed.

The Caregiver Well-Being Scale revisited.

The Caregiver Well-Being Scale measures caregiver well-being from a strengths-based perspective by assessing caregivers' basic human needs and satisfaction with activities of daily living. This article revisits the scale to examine further the scale's psychometric properties using a caregiver-only sample. Reliability is determined through internal consistency. Construct validity is supported through factorial validity with factor analysis. Criterion-related validity is established by examining the concurrent validity of the Well-Being Scale with a measure of depression. Using a sample of family caregivers, results suggest that the Well-Being Scale is a valid and reliable measure.

Triage services: a profile of high utilization.

With challenges continuing to be presented to health care delivery, inappropriate out-patient service utilization is of utmost concern to all health care service providers. This study is an examination of the utilization patterns of 189 veterans in an urban Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC). Factors found to be related to high utilization of ambulatory care triage clinic services for veterans who had presented for at least two unscheduled visits in the past six months include: patient perception of health status; number of prescription medications; and social needs. Implications for social work practice, program development and research are discussed.

Direction tuning of individual retinal inputs to the turtle accessory optic system.

Neurons in turtle accessory optic system [basal optic nucleus (BON)] were recorded to study convergence of retinal afferents, using whole-cell patch electrodes in a reduced in vitro brainstem preparation with the eyes attached. BON cells primarily exhibit EPSPs from a contralateral retinal ganglion cell input and generate an output of action potentials. Visual responses were evoked by different directions of either full-field or local moving patterns. Direction tuning of action potentials was compared with that of EPSPs detected by passing the membrane voltage through an AC amplifier and window discriminator. This rough measure of retinal input indicated that the direction tuning of the full-field excitatory input from the retina matched that of the spike output for the same BON cell. Using local patterns within the receptive fields of the BON cells, it was estimated that one to four adjacent retinal inputs were being stimulated. The direction tuning of these inputs had preferred directions that were similar to that of the full-field spike output of the cell, irrespective of where the small window was placed within the receptive field. Because more than one retinal input may have been stimulated by the small stimulus window, subsets of those EPSPs that may represent responses of a single retinal afferent were identified based on their amplitude and rise time. Again, the preferred direction of those putative single retinal afferents matched the direction tuning of the spike output of the BON cell. These findings are discussed in terms of the formation of the retinal slip signal by the BON.

Is a history of alcohol problems or of psychiatric disorder associated with attrition at 11-year follow-up?

Although rarely available, detailed analyses of attrition in psychiatric surveys are important because surveys of this type might be more vulnerable to follow-up losses. In this report the demographic characteristics, as well as history of alcohol problems and psychiatric disorders of responders were compared to nonresponders in an 11-year follow-up study. Data revealed few differences between responders and nonresponders. Men, those less educated, and low users of medical care were more likely to be nonresponders, as were those reporting driving trouble when drinking or a history of barbiturate abuse or dependence. A history of other psychiatric disorders was not associated with nonresponse. Refusal conversion did not change the findings; those who were converted (25% of initial refusals) had demographic characteristics, symptoms of alcohol abuse, and psychiatric histories comparable to those who resisted conversion. These findings suggest that efforts to convert refusals to responders might not be necessary. The results also support community psychiatric research by providing evidence that those with a history of psychiatric disorder are not more difficult to recruit than their unaffected counterparts.