Facial disfigurement stigma: a study of victims of domestic assaults with fire in India.

In India, the incidence of fire attacks on women has risen dramatically. Although studies and media accounts describe how and why these attacks occur, no research has investigated the lives of survivors. Qualitative analysis of the texts of two focus groups of women scarred by domestic attacks by fire reveals that these women are heavily stigmatized.

Factors that affect women's attitudes toward domestic violence in Turkey.

This article examines the attitudes of Turkish women toward justification of intimate partner violence. The data were gathered from the 2003 Turkey Demographic and Health Survey. A random sample of 8,075, aged 15-49, participated in the survey.

Psychosocial considerations in facial transplantation.

The human face and facial transplantation have long captured the interest and imagination of scientists, the media and the lay public. The face is central to our identity, and our communication with the outside world. It is this great importance we attach to our face that makes facial disfigurement such a devastating condition.

Patient expectations in facial transplantation.

Meeting patients' expectations is essential for successful outcomes in reconstructive surgery. In the case of new procedures like facial transplantation that carry with them many unknowns and real, or potential, risk of toxic side effects this becomes especially important. In this study we assessed patient expectations in facial transplantation by surveying individuals with facial disfigurement (n = 34), reconstructive surgeons (n = 45), and controls from the general population (n = 148).

Psychosocial implications of disfigurement and the future of human face transplantation.

Although the first face transplants have been attempted, the social and psychological debates concerning the ethics and desirability of the procedure continue. Critics contend that these issues have not yet been sufficiently addressed. With this in mind, the present article seeks to elaborate on key psychological and social factors that will be central for addressing the ethical and psychosocial challenges necessary to move face transplantation into mainstream medicine.

On the relationship between cultural values and preferences and affective health in Nepal.

Background: The westernization of developing countries has improved physical health and life expectancy. Modernization, however, is believed to have injurious effects on mental health. Some research suggests that the effects of modernization vary, hurting some but benefiting others.

Survey of oral care practices in US intensive care units.

Background: Research has shown that oral care involving toothbrushes and topical antimicrobials improves the oral health of medically compromised patients and may reduce the incidence of nosocomial infections including pneumonia. This survey research was undertaken to determine the type and frequency of oral care in intensive care units (ICUs) in the United States and the attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge of health care workers.

Methods: A randomly selected survey of 102 ICUs within the continental United States participated with 556 respondents; 97% of respondents were registered nurses.

Authoritarianism and attitudes toward mental health services.

Right-wing authoritarians have been shown to resist change and to demonstrate hostility toward out-groups and social movements that may advocate change from traditional and conventional beliefs. Using data from the Louisville Metropolitan Survey, an omnibus survey of 771 adults interviewed by telephone, the authors investigated the relationship between right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) and attitudes toward mental health services. The findings of the bivariate and regression analyses indicated that high scorers on a version of B.

Perceptions of genetics research as harmful to society: differences among samples of African-Americans and European-Americans.

Genetics has the potential not only to find cures for diseases, but to possess the mechanisms to change the bio-social make-up of populations. A specific question that has arisen on this issue is how developments in genetic technology may intersect with existing race and ethnic relations. Evidence of the racialization of some genetic disorders has been demonstrated elsewhere.

The Genetic Knowledge Index: developing a standard measure of genetic knowledge.

This paper reports on the development of a unidimensional genetic knowledge index that has been tested and validated in a general population sample. The Index is intended to provide the basis for a standard measure of basic genetic knowledge that can be applied across diverse populations and research settings. The study group was composed of 330 European Americans selected randomly in the Louisville, KY, metropolitan area.

Fathers' characteristics and their children's scores on college entrance exams: a comparison of intact and divorced families.

Previous research shows that the educational performance of children may be impaired when their parents divorce. However, noncustodial fathers' postdivorce behavior, especially compliance with child support orders, can greatly offset educational disadvantages. The present study investigated the impact of fathers' behavior on their children's performance on college entrance examinations (CEEs) in a sample of 231 college students.

Psycho-social aspects of serious renal disease and dialysis: a review of the literature.

The most severe form of kidney disease is renal failure, a life-threatening condition known as end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Though social work intervention is an integral part of the response to serious kidney disease, the topic has been noticeably absent in the discipline's literature. This article synthesizes the research on the psycho-social aspects of end-stage renal disease, with a particular focus on dialysis patients at different stages of the life cycle.

Psychosocial predictors of interest in prenatal genetic screening.

The purpose of the study was to identify psychosocial predictors of interest in prenatal genetic testing. Analysis of data from 886 responses in the 1996 Louisville Metropolitan Survey indicate that factors such as demographic characteristics and scores on health locus of control that predict utilization of other preventive health care are less applicable to predicting attitudes toward genetic testing. Regression analyses indicated that political orientation, identification with religion, and attitudes against abortion predicted less favorable responses to a question about prenatal genetic testing.