People Self Research Articles

How the internet affects patients' experience of cancer: a qualitative study

Objective To explore how men and women with cancer talk about using the internet.Design Qualitative study using semistructured interviews collected by maximum variation sampling.Setting Respondents recruited throughout the United Kingdom...

確証的因子分析を用いた「認知年齢」に関する構成概念妥当性の検証

The primary focus of this paper is an examination of the construct validity of cognitive age measurement. Through a review of cognitive age research, it is concluded that cognitive age has not been well grounded with respect to construct validity although it can basically enrich one's understanding of older people's self concepts, attitudes, and behaviors.In this research, multitrait-multimethod matrix data consisting of 9 variables (cognitive age, ideal age, and least desired age, as measured by three methods; Staple, Semantic Differential, and Likert scales) was analyzed in the framework of hierarchically nested covariance structure models in order to test the significance of convergent and discriminant validity. A path analytic conceptualization performed well in terms of goodness-of-fit, and the findings provide strong support for construct validity of cognitive age measurement.

Thunderbirds, Thunder-beings, Thunder-voices: The Application of Traditional Knowledge and Children's Rights in Support of Aboriginal Children's Education

Our dead never forget this beautiful world that gave them being. They always love its winding rivers, its sacred mountains, and its sequestered vales, and they ever yearn in tenderest affection over the lonely-hearted living and often return to visit, guide and comfort them.... The white man will never be alone. Let him be just and deal kindly with my people for the dead are not powerless. Dead--did I say: There is no death, only a change of worlds. Chief Seattle, 1854 The title for this paper draws on the traditions of the Indigenous people of the northwest coast of North America, in particular Vancouver Island, ancestral home since time immemorial to the Kwagiulth, NuuChah-Nulth, and Coast Salish peoples. The Thunderbird speaks of transformation and change and is visually represented according to the artistic styles of each area. When the Thunderbird is in flight, the movement of the wings creates the sound of thunder and when it glances from side to side, lightning is emitted. Sometimes the presence of the Thunderbird creates fear within the community because of its great power to change the fabric of the community. The flight of the thunderbird brings change and renewal and is the most visible reminder that change is inevitable. It is the role of the traditionally trained elder to help young people and the community in general cope with change and understand the place of fear as one of the many ways to cope with change. The old people, by virtue of their training, are the direct links to the ancestors, particularly in the roles of guiding and comforting. Each area defines the way in which the Thunderbird, as agent of change, determines behavior within the family and the community. Each area validates the knowledge of the old people with regard to hereditary song and regalia use. Behavior in this context is determined by the application of specific rules and regulations applied during times of change such as birth, initiation, traditional namings, and the ultimate transformation, death. The following discussion seeks to combine the strengths of these traditional indigenous cultural supports for children with international children's rights treaties in helping to promote the right of all Aboriginal children in Canada to a meaningful education. [1] The global context for this discussion is the International Decade for the World's Indigenous Peoples, which runs from 1995 to 2004. The paper attempts to weave these two worldviews from the perspectives of a Euroamerican children's advocate/academic and a traditional Coast Salish protocol advisor, both of whom are dedicated to bridging the language of children's rights with an expression of traditional indigenous cultural values and educational practices supporting children. The flight of the Thunderbird, the mythological figure representing powerful spiritual vision, change, and transformation, is used to symbolize this process. The paper will examine a variety of issues relating to indigenous children's education. Special emphasis will be placed on devising new educational frameworks that are more responsive to the needs of indigenous children by applying the strengths of their traditional culture to the contemporary challenges of the modern world. In doing this, ways are suggested in which international treaties, in particular the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) (Ministry of Canadian Heritage 1992), can provide support for traditional indigenous values that promote children's healthy development and encourage young people's self esteem by stimulating their participation in civil society. The discussion also draws on the experiences of recent programs focusing on indigenous children's educational rights cohosted by the Institute for Child Rights and Development at the University of Victoria, in partnership with local Coast Salish and Kwagiulth communities situated on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Suggestions and lessons learned from these experiences are presented in the context of Aboriginal educational reform in Canada and the Americas. …

Having and using objects in the western world

This interpretive study explores how Western people construct self and express identity though the objects they acquire, make and use in their day‐to‐day occupation. Drawing on literature from psychology, consumer research, sociology, anthropology, disability studies and popular literature, it proposes that people use objects to reflect self and identity, and to transform self and others. Using a history of ideas methodology, the author argues that Western people take for granted that the objects they have and use reflect an individual rather than collective identity, and suggests that the ways people use objects to construct self and identity are informed by the philosophies of both Stoicism, which emphasises self discipline and rational decision making, and Romanticism which celebrates people's emotional depth, creativity and self expression.

The experiences of elderly people in geriatric care with special reference to integrity.

The aim of this study was to obtain an increased understanding of the experiences of elderly people in geriatric care, with special reference to integrity. Data were collected through qualitative interviews with elderly people and, in order to obtain a description of caregivers' integrity-promoting or non-promoting behaviours, participant observations and qualitative interviews with nursing students were undertaken. Earlier studies on the integrity of elderly people mainly concentrated on their personal and territorial space, so Kihlgren and Thorsén opened up the possibility of considering the concept of integrity from a broader view by recognizing its relationship to the larger framework of the self-concept. Based on this, findings in the present study indicate that elderly people's integrity relating to their corporal self were the least violated. On the other hand, their psychological, information and cultural selves were the most exposed. The study also identified a further dimension (i.e. one relating to social self), which should be included in the concept of integrity because respecting elderly people's social self reduces their feelings of loneliness, isolation and seclusion. In summary, the results indicate that the concept of integrity is complex and has several dimensions.

Is Television Bad for Your Health? Behavior and Body Image of the Adolescent “Couch Potato”

This article examines the potential health effects of television. A survey of 1035 Flemish 17- and 18-year-olds shows that eating snacks and drinking regularly accompany viewing. Television was also shown to influence sleeping and family meals. Heavy viewers did not, however, appear to be more passive than lighter viewers. Their indulgence in sports did not differ, but content-specific relationships with going out appear to exist. In this group no link between viewing and obesity was found, but viewing was significantly related to various aspects of people's self assessments regarding their weight, their ideal weight and their looks. Particular attention was given to those television programs that portray “idealized bodies.” Generally, a distinction was made between men and women because many body-, weight-, and health-related factors may be culture and gender specific.

The predictive value of self assessed general, physical, and mental health on functional decline and mortality in older adults

OBJECTIVETo examine the extent to which older people's self assessments of general health, physical health, and mental health predict functional decline and mortality.DESIGNThe study uses population-based secondary data from the...

Factors influencing older people's self reported use of dental services in the UK

This study was designed to determine the use of dental services and factors associated with their use among the United Kingdoms' older population. A national study involving 1,116 older people (aged 60 or older). Home Interviews were undertaken exploring the time and reason for last dental visit. In addition, socio-demographic characteristics and proxy oral health measures (self-reported number of teeth and edentulous status) of the respondents were collected. Forty seven percent (528) claimed they visited the dentist within the past year, 10% (116) claimed that the reason for their last visit was because of a dental emergency, 43% (484) were classified as "regular attenders"--having attended the dentist within the past year for a non dental emergency. Bivariate analysis identified that regular dental attendance was associated with age (P < 0.01), social class (P < 0.01), income level (P < 0.01), educational attainment (P < 0.01), self-reported number of teeth possessed (P < 0.01) and edentulous status (P < 0.01). In regression analysis, self reported edentulous status and number of teeth possessed emerged as the most important factors in determining service utilisation. Possessing a full denture was associated with a 6-fold decrease, having accounted for other factors, in the likelihood of attending the dentist within the past year for a non dental-emergency (OR = 0.15, CI 0.10, 0.21). Less than half of the sample population were "regular dental attenders", their attendance was associated with a number of socio-demographic and oral health factors. In particular, edentulous state was a major factor associated with their use of services.

First Nations Bank of Canada: Interview with Mr. Keith Martell Chair Of The Board of Directors

On December 9, 1996, the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) and TD Bank officially launched the First Nations Bank of Canada. The First Nations Bank of Canada is a schedule II chartered bank that serves Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal customers throughout Canada. It is the first such bank of its kind in North America, conceived, packaged and developed by Aboriginal People for Aboriginal People. Former Chief Blaine Favel, FSIN stated at the grand opening “the bank is one of many important steps towards Aboriginal people's economic self sufficiency and political self determination ... the Indian economy alone in Canada represents billions of dollars and we are aggressively seeking customers for the First Nations Bank.” Mr. Keith Martell is the Chair of the Board of Directors of the First Nations Bank of Canada. A member of the Waterhen Lake First Nation, Keith completed his Commerce degree at the University of Saskatchewan, obtained his CA designation and worked with the chartered accounting firm KPMG for 10 years before joining FSIN in 1995.

Healthy or druggy? Self-image, ideal image and smoking behaviour among young people

Recent research indicates that there is an important, though complex, relationship between the social image of smoking and young people's self- and aspirational images. This study explored how young people see themselves (self-image), how they would like to be (ideal image), and whether these differ according to age, gender and smoking status. Focus groups were used to elicit attributes which young people use to describe smoking and non-smoking images taken from fashion pages in youth magazines. These attributes were incorporated into a self-completion questionnaire which was administered to 897 young people from three age groups (12–13 years, 15–16 years and 18–19 years). The respondents rated their self- and ideal images on each of these attributes. Overall, there were few differences between the rank order of attributes by age, sex or smoking status. However, there were differences in the trait scores, with males and smokers tending to rate themselves more positively. The two traits which most clearly differentiated smokers and non-smokers were druggy/takes drugs (self- and ideal image) and healthy (self-image). It appears that smokers in general, and male smokers in particular, embraced certain dimensions of self- and aspirational image of which druggy, tough and tarty are signifiers. In contrast, the differences between female smokers and non-smokers were less consistent and differed with age. The implications for health promotion are discussed.

The importance of amount and location of drinking for the experience of alcohol-related problems.

People's self report of a variety of alcohol-related problems was collected as part of a national survey carried out in New Zealand in 1988. These problems included self perception of adverse effects of drinking on a number of life areas such as health, friendships and financial position; items covering tangible consequences of alcohol use and items suggestive of alcohol dependence. The experience of these problems was predicted from a number of socio-demographic variables and respondent's reports of their typical drinking behaviour. Of the socio-demographic variables only age was found to relate strongly to experience of problems. The overall frequency of drinking relatively large amounts and the typical quantity drunk in certain licensed premises (hotels, taverns and clubs) and the typical quantity drunk in others' homes predicted the experience of problems. These findings are similar to research from other countries using different methodologies and support the likely effectiveness of prevention strategies which reduce the access of young people to alcohol and which aim to influence the amounts consumed in drinking sessions on licensed premises.

Social Pressure in the Family and School

Abstract: Most adolescents initially use drugs out of curiosity, or experimentally. Those who continue on to become problematic users need to be identified early so that preventive strategies can be used. At risk for substance misuse are those young people who are particularly vulnerable to adverse social pressures in their families and schools. They have poor coping skills to deal with demands and stresses and often have low self image and absence of a positive identity. Preventive strategies therefore need to be directed at both family and school level. Drug education involves the acquisition of communication and decision making skills, as well as the enhancement of young people's confidence and self esteem, thus leading to the development of a positive identity.