Unstable Home Research Articles

ANESTHESIA AND THE DRUG-ABUSING PARTURIENT

DRUGABUSEANDTHEPARTURIENT The drug-abusing parturient presents many challenges to the anesthesiologist. The unusual and clinically challenging situations that may arise in this patient population may be due to many factors including failure on the part of many of these patients to receive medical treatment during pregnancy, the effects of illicit drug use, unstable home environment, poor diet, and the presence of untreated co-existing disease. The absence of prenatal care has been shown to be a major factor in the outcome of these patients.I5 Substance abuse in pregnancy has emerged as a major public health problem of the 1990~~ Because of this, obstetricians, pediatricians, and anesthesiologists are now encountering an increasing number of pregnant patients who use illicit substances. In particular, cocaine use during pregnancy in the United States has increased dramatically during the past decade.76 Although it has been suggested that substance abuse may be on the decline in the United States, illicit substance abuse among women of childbearing age continues to be a major problem. Reports on the growing numbers of pregnant patients who are using illicit drugs has increased throughout the world. Chasnoff et a1 reported that almost 15% of pregnant women in one patient population in the United States had a positive urine toxicology screen for cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, or heroin.I4 Multiple drug use is not un~ommon.~ A recent study which examined the drug use patterns of pregnant women in two inner city sites found that women who used cocaine were much more likely to have used a combination of drugs? Recent data suggest that consumption of illicit drug use is also a problem in Europe, with reports from Italy’6, %; Spain56; Amsterdam-; and Eastem Europe.” The use of illicit drugs in pregnant patients can present very difficult challenges to the anesthesiologist. For example, the management of a

中年期女性が報告する自我同一性の変化

The purpose of this study was to clarify the psychological changes in middle-aged women based on three occupational groups (housewives, nurses and school teachers) from a viewpoint of the Erikson's concept of ego identity (1950). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 59 women in their 40's: 17 housewives, 23 nurses and 19 teachers. The following results were found. First, ego identity changes were reported to occur in middle-age, and the nature of changes differed among the three groups: 1) housewives intended to get a new identity outside the home, because domestic roles were thought inappropriate as the bases of identity; 2) nurses tended to keep occupational identity built firmly in adolescence, and 3) identity changes among teachers were closely related to the quality of education in the school. Second, the four patterns of ego identity changes were suggested: a) stable home (occupational) identitypersonal identity: b) unstable home (occupational) identity personal identity ; c) stable home (occupational) identityreconfirmation and continuance ; and d) unstable home (occupational) identity unable to change.

Gifted delinquents: What do we know about them?

Gifted and talented youths—defined as youths who show achievement or potential ability in regard to general intelligence, a specific academic area, creative or productive thinking, leadership, visual or performing arts, or psychomotor activities—constitute one of the nation's most vital resources. Some portion of these youths come in contact with the juvenile court. This article reviews the research on gifted delinquents with particular attention to four longitudinal studies, three British and one American. The research is examined in order to ascertain whether it lends support to the thesis that bright youths are more vulnerable to delinquency because they are more sensitive to an unfavorable environment, or to the thesis that they are protected against delinquency because of their greater ability to understand and cope with environmental conditions. The findings indicate that bright youths are less likely to appear in delinquent populations than others and more likely to come from disrupted and unstable homes. To some extent they support the thesis that bright children are protected from delinquency by their intelligence except in extreme family circumstances. School performance for most bright delinquents is far below capacity, although there is evidence that some youths become disruptive outside of school before their school performance deteriorates.

Differences in Intelligence among Low Socioeconomic Class Negro Children as a Function of Sex, Age, Educational Level of Parents, and Home Stability

Abstract The present study examined changes in intelligence in Negro children at ages 4 and 7 as a function of sex, home stability, and educational level of their parents. Children of parents with a high school education obtained higher IQ scores than children of parents without a high school education. This effect interacted with age in such a fashion that the differences were significant at age 4 but not at age 7. These results were interpreted as supporting an interaction hypothesis concerning the relative effects of heredity and environment on intelligence. Home stability and age also produced a significant interaction such that children from unstable homes obtained higher IQs at age 4 than children from stable homes, but then at age 7 they obtained significantly lower IQs than children from stable homes. These findings were interpreted as supporting the notion of a dependency relationship between mother and child.

Social characteristics of addiction to heroin.

SummaryThe social backgrounds of 63 heroin addicts and 63 non‐addict personality disorders are compared. Backgrounds of both groups are disturbed. Common to both groups is an unstable home in childhood. The backgrounds of 20 female addicts and 20 healthy primiparae are compared and a marked contrast in stability is demonstrated. It is suggested that the spread of addiction will be contained more by stabilizing the family structure than by treatment of the addict.

Ecological Relationships of Small Mammals in a New Jersey Barrier Beach Habitat

Studies were conducted at Island Beach State Park, New Jersey, to determine the distributional patterns and movements of small mammals in a barrier beach habitat. Species captured were Peromyscus leucopus, Microtus pennsylvanicus, Zapus hudsonius, Mus musculus, and Sorex cinereus. Most barrier beach communities contained a greater abundance of small mammals than reported from the New Jersey mainland. the distribution of small mammals at Island Beach was related to the topographically controlled pattern of environment and vegetation. Few mice foraged in the sparse cover of the highest dune zone elevations. Peromyscus leucopus occupied the thicket and woodland habitats of the more protected dune areas while Microtus pennsylvanicus dominated those hydric bayshore habitats containing dense herbaceous cover. Both habitat orientation and interspecific interactions may be involved in the distributional pattern of M. pennsylvanicus and P. leucopus. Succession in dune zone locations results in an increased abundance of P. leucopus as shrub cover increased during seral stages. Recapture distances of P. leucopus were inversely related to both population size and density of shrub cover. Zapus hudsonius, which was associated with moist habitats of the barrier beach, had either large or unstable home ranges.

THE YOUNG MALE PROSTITUTE

Interviews with 63 male prostitutes were carried out in San Francisco and Seattle. Information is presented regarding background and present mode of operation within the two cities. Data presented are derived solely from interviews conducted in the natural setting of the street corner, bar, or automobile. An attempt is made to describe this group of young males as thoroughly as possible in order to suggest some methods of rehabilitation. Some of the more outstanding characteristics of the group were their limited education, high mobility, unstable home environment, and lack of social and vocational skills. Although most were unemployed when interviewed, they expressed interest in finding work, and a number were given assistance in obtaining employment. While the authors feel justified in presenting this information on the 63 boys interviewed, extensive generalization to a larger population would be unwarranted and further research is indicated to confirm findings of this preliminary study.

A companion therapy program

Through a local community mental health clinic, and with the help of a participating university, volunteers are recruited to work with children from broken or unstable home situations. These "Companions" see the children once a week on a one-to-one basis for recreational activities. Regular clinic contact is maintained with both the Companion and parents, and the program has become accepted as a part of the clinic's total treatment program. Qualitative impression of results is presented along with some plans for quantification.

ANALYSIS OF SEX OFFENSES AMONG MALE PSYCHIATRIC PATIENTS

1. Of 1,932 mental patients who formed the male population of Eloise Hospital on February 15, 1940, 130 or 6.7 per cent were found to be sex delinquents. 2. Fourteen or 10.8 per cent of the group of 130 patients were actual sex offenders before the recognizable onset of their psychosis. 3. One hundred and sixteen, or 89.2 per cent, gave a history of sexual deviation after the recognized onset of their psychosis. Some of the credit for this preponderance could be accorded to the fact that mental hospitals would contain more patients showing psychotic symptomatology than those whose lack of such manifestations would lead to prison sentences rather than commitment to a mental institution. 4. In an age range from 7 to 94 years at the time of admission to the hospital, the majority of patients came from the third and fourth decades, with the peak being reached in the fourth and fifth decade, which is in keeping with the general male admission rate. 5. Sixty-seven per cent of the offenders were single, 15 per cent married and the remainder were divorced or widowers at the time of hospitalization. 6. 38.5 per cent of the patients came from intact homes. However, the combination of intact, but unstable homes, disrupted homes, and those cases where the home status was unknown, suggested that the majority of the patients had poor home environment. 7. There were 44.6 per cent untainted patients as compared with 54.4 per cent who gave evidence of tainting, which seemed to indicate that tainting had little bearing upon the incidence of sex delinquency. 8. The percentage of the type of psychotic committing offenses was compared to the percentage of these groups in the general hospital population, showing that sex delinquency is apparently a function of psychosis in general and not of any type in particular. 9. Certain types of psychotics showed predominance toward certain types of delinquencies. A. The schizophrenic group showed predominance toward homosexuality, molesting of women and physical assault. B. The organic psychotic group showed a predominance toward rape and voyeurism and a very strong predominance to bestiality, actually committing 71.4 per cent of these offenses while this group formed only 23 per cent of the cases studied. C. Seniles and arterioscierotics showed an increased tendency toward committing such offenses as exhibitionism and pedophilia, these two comprising 60 per cent of the total offenses committed by this group. D. Mentally deficient patients, comprised 8.5 per cent of the total group, tended toward homosexuality and to a slight degree to the molesting of women. E. Psychopathic personalities, although forming only 8.5 per cent of the entire group, committed 20.2 per cent of the pedophilias and 25 per cent of the rapes. F. Manic-depressive psychotics showed no particular predominance in any one type. 10. Twenty-six patients committed misdemeanors in addition to those of a sexual nature. Eleven served prison terms prior to hospitalization whereas fifteen were directly hospitalized as psychotic. Six of the patients were sentenced for felonies and three of these were psychopathic personalities.