Behavioral & Community Health
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2271
Prior to January 24, 2011, this unit was named the Department of Public & Community Health.
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Item Meditation, Flow, and Heavy Social Alcohol Use among College Students(1992) Francis, Timothy Lewis; Iso-Ahola, Seppo; Recreation; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)The basis for this study was an experiment designed to explore the effectiveness of various meditation practices and choice and combination of such, regardless of focus, in achieving more drug-free flow experiences, longer periods of meditation adherence, and decreases in heavy social alcohol use among college students. The study also examined the hypothesis that higher frequencies of reported flow in meditation were associated with lower levels of reported alcohol use and higher frequencies of post-training meditation practice, regardless of meditation focus. The interaction of several critical intervening variables not comprehensively addressed in previous studies on meditation and substance abuse, including experimental expectancy and demand, previous alcohol use, hypnotic susceptibility, and personality was checked and controlled for in this experiment. After receiving basic meditation training, 53 subjects with drinking rates typical of heavy social alcohol users were randomly assigned to one of four meditation groups or to a control group. Three groups practiced only one of three foci--object focused, visualization, or mindfulness. The fourth group chose their meditation foci each day from any of the above three types. The fifth (control) group practiced an attention Placebo activity. Four weeks of daily diaries following meditation were used to determine the level of the dependent variables--frequency of flow and amount of alcohol use. Subjects then reported post-required meditation frequency and alcohol use through four weekly phone interviews. MANOVA, ANOVA, and zero-order correlations were employed to analyze the relationships between the variables. No one specific meditation focus nor having choice and combination of foci, was indicated to result in significantly more flow, less alcohol use, or longer mediation adherence. There was a slight indication that higher frequencies of flow were related to higher frequencies of meditation practice, but no indication that more flow was related to less alcohol use. These results should be interpreted with caution for several reasons, including the short meditation training and practice period, low reliability and validity of subject reports, and problems associated with large variations in drinking rates. Future research on these issues should refine training and testing methods so that better treatment methods can be found.Item Resting Metabolic Rates in Child-Onset and Adult Obese Women(1989) Summerfield, Liane M.; Gold, Robert; Health Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)This study investigated differences in resting metabolic rate (RMR) between obese nonobese females and between females with adult and childhood onset of obesity. Subjects were 18 healthy, Caucasian women, ages 20-38 (M=28.16), 6 from each of 3 groups: nonobese with no history of obesity (M-18.53% fat), child-onset obese (COO) (M=41.00% fat), and adult-onset obese (AOO) (M=37.8% fat). Subjects were nonsmokers, weight-stable for at least 3 months prior to the study, and not following a low-calorie diet. All obese subjects had lower-body obesity (waist/hip girth ratio < .80). Subjects underwent three measures: RMR by indirect calorimetry, residual lung volume, and hydrostatic weighing. In addition, a questionnaire elicited information about weight history, educational level, occupation, frequency of exercise, and activity level. When data from the 12 obese subjects were combined, RMR per kg body weight (RMR/BW) was significantly lower in the obese (18.47 kcal/kg/day) than the nonobese (22.94 kcal/kg/day). The obese subjects also had significantly lower RMR per kg fat mass (RMR/FM) than the nonobese. When data from COO and AOO subjects were analyzed separately, COO were found to have significantly lower RMR/FM than the nonobese. COO and AOO subjects did not differ statistically in absolute RMR, RMR/BW, RMR/FM, or RMR/FFM, although COO had lower values on all measures. Multiple regression analysis indicated that, in all groups, more of the variance in RMR was explained when the variables, FM and FFM. However, the effect of activity and exercise on explained variance in RMR was much smaller in COO women.Item Mature Humor or Immature Wit?: The Interaction Effects of Laughter Humor Production, Humor Aprreciation, and Defensive Coping Strategies on Emotional and Physical Stress Symptoms(1993) Carey, Coral Sue; Beck, Kenneth; Health Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of humor and mirth in stress management by an adult population with the potential for high occupational stress. The primary objective was to test the efficacy of each of the humor components (laughter, humor appreciation, and humor production) in mediating the stress response while controlling for other coping strategies. Two new instruments were developed for use in this study; (1) the Emotional Coping Scale to assess laughter and humor production, (2) the Stress Mediators Inventory to measure mature coping and immature defense strategies. Over 2,000 employees of the University of Maryland College Park campus were surveyed, using random probability sampling, stratifying by the 9 EEO occupational categories, such as administration and professionals. Questionnaires were dispersed through inter-campus mail. Results from the 754 returned questionnaires were analyzed with the appropriate multivariate techniques. Males, minorities, faculty skilled crafts, service maintenance, and fellowship students were under-represented. With these limitations in mind, results suggest: (1) men scored significantly higher than women on all three components of humor, as measured by this study; (2) humor appreciation and laughter, but not humor production were significantly related to emotional stress, while only laughter was related to physical stress symptoms, such that those with higher humor scores showed lower stress scores; (3) the type of humor response (self directed, other directed, or neutral) as related to stress symptoms; (4) the interaction effect between humor variables and immature defense strategies for coping with stress did not significantly predict stress; (5) there appears to be a stress and coping profile that is significantly different for many of the 9 occupational groups, such that those with high demand and low control jobs show higher stress scores.Item Psychometric Assessment of Two New Self-Rating Depression Scales: The Correa-Barrick Depression Scale(1994) Barrick, Christina Barrett; Clearwater, Harvey E.; Health Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)Depression is a prevalent condition that is responsive to treatment. Efforts to screen and educate the public on depression are beneficial. The purpose of this investigation was to assess the psychometric properties of two new self-rating depression scales, the Schiraldi Depression Check-up (DC) and the Correa-Barrick Depression Scale (CBDS), based upon classical test theory and comparisons to published scales: the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Inventory for Depressive Symptomatology, Self-Report (IDS-SR). The study was conducted on a total of 387 participants. There were two convenience samples used. Sample I was composed of 337 faculty and staff from a metropolitan comprehensive university. A subset of Sample I was composed of 203 faculty and staff. Sample II included 50 outpatients diagnosed with depression under the treatment of a board certified psychiatrist. Correlation coefficients for the DC and CBDS with the BDI were r = . 75 and r = . 71, respectively. Cronbach alpha coefficients for the DC and CBDS in the patient sample were r = .95 and r = .96, respectively. Correlation coefficients for the IDS-SR with the DC and the CBDS in the patient sample were r = .85 and r = .81, respectively. Two-week test-retest correlation coefficients in the university sample for the DC and CBDS were r = .81 and r = . 70, respectively. Factor analysis for the DC revealed a threefactor structure: "Cognitive-Emotional Disturbance," " Psychophysiological Symptoms," and "Physiological Symptoms." Factor analyses for the CBDS revealed a four-factor structure: "Cognitive-Emotional Disturbance," "General Outlook," "Physiological Symptoms," and "Sensory/Perceptual Disturbance." Discriminant analysis did not support the Depression Check-up or the Correa-Barrick Depression Scale in discriminating between the university and patient samples. There were several conclusions from this study. Findings provided preliminary evidence for the validity and reliability of the Depression Check-up and the Correa-Barrick Depression Scale in measuring depression in an adult population. The findings that sensory-perceptual disturbance may be an additional variable in depression and that a single-factor structure emerged for "emotional-cognitive disturbance" was discussed as well as implications for health education theory, practice, and research.Item A Confirmatory Study on the Motivational Orientations of Older Adults Involved in Formal Education at the University of Maryland(1988) McMahon, Megan Catherine; Riddick, Carol Cutler; Behavioral & Community Health; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)The purpose of this study was two-fold. One objective was to confirm Pritchard's (1978) typology of older adults' motives for education participation. Another purpose was to examine the influence that selected demographic variables (age, gender, socioeconomic status, and marital status) had on motivations of older students to participate in the "Golden Identification" (Golden I.D.) Program at the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland. The sample consisted of 160 participants from the Golden I.D. Program who were selected through a systematic probability sampling procedure. A mailed questionnaire comprised of three instruments was used for conducting this research. The first part of the questionnaire measured motivational orientations for participation in education by older adults and consisted of the Education Participation Scale for Older Adults and the Older Learner Participation Scale. The third instrument measured demographic characteristics of the study participants. The results revealed that the motivation of the Golden I.D. students to participate in education can be divided into the following six factors (in decreasing order of importance): "cognitive interest," "self actualization," "adaptation/self-understanding," "social contact," "social contribution," and "escape/stimulation . " Furthermore, significant relationships emerged between the socioeconomic status of the participant, and the motives "social contribution," "escape/stimulation," and "self actualization." The implications of these findings and recommendations for further research are discussed.Item AIDS AND THE COLLEGE STUDENT: KNOWLEDGE, BELIEFS, AND INFORMATION SEEKING(1989) Shelnutt, Emily Houston; Beck, Kenneth H.; Behavioral & Community Health; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)A questionnaire on knowledge, beliefs, and information-seeking behavior about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was administered to a total of 1,300 university students, and 1,001 were completed and returned. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between college students' knowledge and beliefs about AIDS and their information-seeking behavior about AIDS. Students were found to be knowledgeable about the disease, but the majority (50.5%) were not worried about contracting AIDS. The findings revealed that students who are more knowledgeable about AIDS seek more information than those less knowledgeable about AIDS. It was also found that students who feel more highly susceptible to AIDS are more likely to seek information about the disease. The primary sources of student information on AIDS were television, newspapers, magazines, and radio; however, doctors and health-care professionals were considered the most trust-worthy sources of AIDS information. The data suggest that medically supported information on AIDS should be provided to college students by health educators via the popular media sources.Item PREDICTING UNIVERSITY FRESHMEN'S PERCEPTIONS OF THE OCCURRENCE OF DATE RAPE AS DEPICTED IN TWO VIDEOTAPED SCENARIOS(1994) Reynolds, Martha Sue; Beck, Kenneth H.; Behavioral & Community Health; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)The purpose of this study was to investigate the degree to which certain variables (social context of drinking, alcohol use intensity, experience of sexually aggressive behavior, level of dating skills and social assertiveness, and perceived susceptibility related to date rape) predict university freshmen's perception of whether or not date rape occurred as depicted in two videotaped scenarios. Freshmen students enrolled in an orientation course (N = 232) during Fall semester 1993 completed a voluntary and anonymous pretest questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of six scales developed to measure the variables listed above; in addition to, demographic variables and items related to sexual behavior. Within two class periods of completing the pre-test questionnaire, students viewed a 15-minute videotape depicting two potential date rape scenarios (one scenario presented the situation from the male character's point of view [MARK], the other scenario was from the female character's point of view [SUZANNE]). Immediately following the videotape, students completed a brief post-video questionnaire to assess their perceptions of the occurrence of date rape in the two scenarios. Multivariate and univariate analyses of variance were completed to assess differences in independent measures based, on perception of the occurrence of date rape. Of the variables explored, the only one which provided any consistent significant findings was gender. For both scenarios, females were more likely than males to perceive the situation as date rape. With regard to social context of drinking, some ,of the results hinted at a possible link between social context of drinking and the perceptions of the occurrence of date rape. Subjects who reported SUZANNE as being "date rape with some doubt'" were more likely to use alcohol 1) to provide relief from external pressures; 2) in the context of close family members or friends; and 3) to conform to the norms of the group. Further analyses suggested that males who drink in certain social contexts reported more doubt regarding the occurrence of date rape for SUZANNE. This exploratory research study provides a broad foundation for future research related to predicting college students' perceptions of the occurrence of date rape.Item The Relative Efficacy of Progressive Muscle Relaxation, EMC Biofeedback and Music for Reducing Stress Arousal of Internally Vs. Externally Controlled Individuals(1978) Prager-Decker, Iris J.; Girdano, Daniel; Behavioral & Community Health; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)The purpose of this study was to test the relative efficacy of four relaxation techniques (music listening skills, progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), EMG biofeedback and EMG facilitated PMR) in reducing tension levels of internally or externally controlled individuals who were experimentally exposed to a psychosocial stressor. The study utilized 81 college aged males randomly assigned to one of four relaxation training groups or to a control group based on their locus of control - (Rotter's I-E Scale). EMG pre-training baseline measurements were taken via an ASI A1700 and all training groups were given seven 20 minute relaxation training sessions. Three days later each subject was exposed to the six repetitions of a 92 second segment of It Didn't Have to Happen (an industrial accident film). Baseline EMG levels were obtained prior to and following the exposure to the stressor. Data was also collected during the six repetitions. STAI (state) and MAACL (today form) were administered before, after the second exposure to the film and following the post stressor relaxation period. The results of the statistical analyses indicated that the film was able to elevate EMG levels, that biofeedback training produced significantly lower EMG levels during a resting period than music or PMR training, that externally controlled subjects trained with biofeedback reduced their resting EMC levels more than their internal counterparts, that externally controlled individuals trained with biofeedback reduced their EMG levels at a faster rate than internals and that initial muscle tension during exposure to the stressor seemed to be uneffected by the type of relaxation training the subject received or whether he received training at all.Item College Student Stress: Who Is Resilient? Who Is Vulnerable?(1994) Yeaman, Jan; Alexander, Linda L.; Health Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)This study explored and described the pervasive stress on college campuses. It focused on what it is that distinguished those students who did and those who did not develop physical, psychological and/or academic sequelae in response to exposure to stressors during their college experience. A comprehensive model of stress and coping, based on a review of the literature, was presented. The model was affirmed by the data analysis. To conduct the research, 672 participants were randomly selected from those attending a Christian liberal-arts college in south central Pennsylvania. Of those who were selected and participated, 317 completed usable questionnaires. Data collection occurred over a one week period, using a self-report questionnaire. Subjects were categorized into Resilient (n = 43, 13.6%), Average (n = 96, 30.3%) and Vulnerable (n = 178, 56.1%) groups prior to data analysis. Incorporated into the 192 item questionnaire was the Brief Personal Survey (Webb, 1988). It contains 88 items on nine subscales: denial, health distress, pressure-overload, anger-frustration, anxiety, depression, social support, philosophical-spiritual resources and coping confidence. Subjects also indicated their magnitude of stress on 78 items. The remaining items focused on demographics. The data showed that Resilient subjects experienced less pressure-overload, anger-frustration, anxiety and depression than either Average or Vulnerable groups. Males and females were not found to differ with regard to pressure-overload, anger-frustration or depression. Females experienced higher levels of anxiety, stressor magnitude, health distress, social support and philosophical-spiritual resources. Correlations between stressors were also reported, as were the rankings of stressors. These were presented on the basis of variables such as gender, academic year and academic major. Because of the nature of the stressors identified, this study has shown the mutual importance of the curricular and cocurricular in the lives of college students. The findings of this research pointed out the clear and urgent need for various types of prevention and intervention programs. These were discussed from the perspective of institutional concerns, for curricular and cocurricular faculty, as well as for health educators.