Adherence to anti-hypertensive medication: proposing and testing a conceptual model.

Objectives: A conceptual model of the psychological factors underpinning adherence to anti-hypertensive medication is proposed and tested. The model suggests that adherence is influenced by three sets of variables: demography, health status, and perceived effects of medication; cognitions and motivation; and intention to adhere.

Methods And Design: Patients with known hypertension were recruited from three primary care practices in South-East England and were asked to complete a postal questionnaire.

Experience of workplace bullying behaviours in postgraduate hospital dentists: questionnaire survey.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of bullying and experience of bullying behaviours among postgraduate hospital dentists.

Design: Questionnaire survey.

Setting: The study was conducted among a sample of dentally qualified trainees within the UK's Hospital Dental Service.

Living with Ankylosing Spondylitis: the patient's perspective.

Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a potentially debilitating chronic condition that necessitates a biopsychosocial approach for successful long-term management. However, the psychosocial consequences of AS are not well understood. In this study patients (N = 68) reported impacts of AS across a wide range of life domains; negative impacts included physical effects of AS, changes in mood or personality, effects on social life and relationships with friends and family, low self-esteem, stigma and worry about the future; positive impacts included increased exercise, feelings of achievement and empathy, stronger relationships, slower pace of life and a more positive perspective.

An implementation intentions intervention to increase uptake of mammography.

Background And Purpose: This study tested an implementation intentions intervention to increase uptake in the United Kingdom's National Health Service Breast Screening Programme. The intervention asked women to plan how they would overcome up to 3 previously identified barriers to attending.

Methods: In a randomized controlled trial, 2,082 participants were allocated to an intervention condition, an assessment-only condition, or a nonassessment control condition.

Encouraging young males to perform testicular self-examination: a simple, but effective, implementation intentions intervention.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a simple psychological intervention known as 'implementation intentions' to promote performance of testicular self-examination (TSE) in a sample of young males.

Method: A prospective, randomized controlled design measured knowledge of testicular cancer, prior experience with TSE and intention to perform TSE within a 3-week period. Participants in the intervention group were instructed to formulate specific plans for when and where they would perform TSE.

A questionnaire survey of stress and bullying in doctors undertaking research.

Background: Research is an increasingly important aspect of higher medical training for many doctors. Studies investigating sources of stress, isolation, and workplace bullying have not previously sought information in this setting.

Methods: An internet based questionnaire survey of doctors undertaking research (n = 259) was conducted to examine stressors and levels of job satisfaction in this potentially vulnerable group.

Persuading school-age cyclists to use safety helmets: Effectiveness of an intervention based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour.

OBJECTIVES: To design and evaluate a theory-based intervention to encourage the use of protective helmets in school-age cyclists. DESIGN: Two-by-three mixed design on 97 cyclists who did not initially use a helmet: Condition (intervention/control) x Time (pre-intervention/immediately post-intervention/5-month follow-up). METHOD: The intervention builds on a previous study using the Theory of Planned Behaviour in which we identified a small number of salient beliefs that predict intention to use a safety helmet and helmet use (Quine et al.

Sleep problems in primary school children: comparison between mainstream and special school children.

This paper reports on a study of the prevalence and social correlates of dyssomnias, features associated with obstructive sleep apnoea, and parasomnias in primary school children aged 4-12. Head teachers of schools selected randomly from lists of local primary and special schools were contacted by telephone and asked to distribute a questionnaire package to the parents of all pupils aged 4-12 years. In all, 890 parents of children from mainstream schools and 300 from special schools were approached.

Workplace bullying in nurses.

The article reports a study of workplace bullying in community nurses in an NHS trust. The aims were to determine the prevalence of bullying, to examine the association between bullying and occupational health outcomes, and to investigate whether support at work could moderate the effects of bullying. Forty-four percent of nurses reported experiencing one or more types of bullying in the previous 12 months, compared to 35 percent of other staff.

Workplace bullying in NHS community trust: staff questionnaire survey.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of workplace bullying in an NHS community trust; to examine the association between bullying and occupational health outcomes; and to investigate the relation between support at work and bullying.

Design: Questionnaire survey.

Setting: NHS community trust in the south east of England.

Perceptions of risk in motorcyclists: unrealistic optimism, relative realism and predictions of behaviour.

In the first phase of a prospective investigation, a national sample of motorcyclists completed a postal questionnaire about their perceptions of risk, their behaviour on the roads and their history of accidents and spills. In the second phase a year later, they reported on their accident history and behaviour over the preceding 12 months. A total of 723 respondents completed both questionnaires.

Effects of stress in an NHS trust: a study.

This study of staff in an NHS trust tests two established models of occupational stress. Payne (1979) suggested that support at work can help to neutralise the strain of work demands, while Karasek (1979) suggested that staff whose jobs are characterised by high demands and low control are at greater risk of poor psychological wellbeing and ill health. Support is found for both models, and it is suggested that the two could usefully be combined.

The experience and impact of contacting a cancer information service.

Our objective was to review the quality of service delivered by a national cancer information service--the British Association of Cancer United Patients (BACUP)--and to consider the implications for future policy and practice. We used a sample of callers over a 10-day period, responding to a structured postal questionnaire. The sample included patients, relatives, friends, and general public who called the service with any concern relating to cancer.

Age and experience in motorcycling safety.

Official casualty statistics show that young motorcyclists are more likely than older motorcyclists to be killed or seriously injured on the roads. We address two main issues: might the statistics be attributable to inexperience rather than youth; and might accidents be associated with particular patterns of behaviour which may themselves be predictable from riders' beliefs? From a national prospective survey of over 4000 riders in the U.K.

First diagnosis of severe mental and physical disability: a study of doctor-parent communication.

This study investigates factors associated with satisfaction with medical communication at the time of diagnosis of a child's severe mental or physical disability. Two competing social psychological models that have been used to account for parent patient satisfaction are tested: Korsch's (1968) affective model and Ley's (1977) cognitive model. One hundred and sixty six mothers of children with severe learning disabilities were questioned about the time when their child's disability was first diagnosed.

Motorcycling safety research: a review of the social and behavioral literature.

The literature on motorcycling safety research is reviewed, and it is argued that there have been two main periods. The first, spanning the 1970's, was based on accident analysis, and the main objective was to identify and control factors that contribute to the severity of motorcycling accidents. The main concerns were to reduce head and brain injuries through safety helmets, to reduce multi-vehicle collisions through daytime use of headlamps, and to reduce drink-riding.

Sleep problems in children with mental handicap.

This paper reports on a longitudinal study of sleep problems in 200 children with severe mental handicap. Sleep problems were extremely common: 51% of children had settling problems, 67% of children had waking problems, and 32% of parents said they rarely got enough sleep. Sleep problems were also very persistent: between a half and two-thirds of children who exhibited sleep problems at Time 1 still had them 3 years later.

Long-stay hospital closure. Managing the staff.

The gradual closure of a long-stay hospital is stressful for staff. Some may have doubts about the case for community care, and almost all are affected by uncertainty and by the provisional step-by-step changes as patients gradually move out. The maintenance of staff morale during the transition is therefore important and difficult.

Inequalities in pregnancy outcome: a review of psychosocial and behavioural mediators.

The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on psychosocial factors in pregnancy outcome and to present a model which attempts to integrate the findings theoretically. There are four sections. The first presents published data on the incidence of early childhood mortality and low birth weight.

Patterns of take-up of the Family Fund, the characteristics of eligible non-claimants and the reasons for not claiming.

This paper examines application to the Family Fund by families with severely handicapped children and attempts to find out whether eligible families have basic knowledge of the fund, what motivates them to apply and why some eligible families do not apply. Five local registers are used to investigate levels of take-up and a Kent survey of families with severely subnormal children is used to examine the characteristics of non-claimants. The Kent survey is also used to investigate whether extra publicity promotes application and to identify reasons for non-take-up.