This study examined the pressure volumetric characteristics (compliance) of Jobst, Barton-Carey, and Tubigrip pressure garments for arms following repeated saturation with lubricating substances and repeated washing/drying cycles. The three treatment groups were each composed of one sleeve from each of the manufacturers. Each treatment group was subjected to 20 washing/drying cycles. In addition the sleeves in treatment groups 2 and 3 were saturated with cocoa butter and Lubiderm moisturizer respectively prior to each cycle. Circumferential measurements were taken on the proximal forearm of the sleeve at varying degrees of pressure (mmHg) using a Grafco Standard Sphygomanometer and a Gulick anthropometric tape measure. Measurements were taken initially and following every fifth washing/drying cycle. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant results for the main effects and some interactions at the ,01 level. Results showed that the Jobst garments stretched with moisturisers but overall were smaller than the Barton-Carey garments which showed no change with moisturizers. The Tubigrip garments stretched more than the other garments with moisturizers but showed an overall inconsistent pattern.

The Multicultural Communication Bridge Program, an ongoing project at the Broward Correctional Institution, utilizes creative movement, writing, and drawing as treatment modalities with long-term incarcerated women. This type of programming is new in the prison system thus literature and research supporting the outcomes with this population are lacking. Therefore, a qualitative study was conducted to determine the efficacy of the program. Nine inmates, who have been involved in the program for at least one year, were interviewed to gather information about their personal experiences as a result of their participation. Common themes that were noted include an increase in trust, the expression of emotions, an increase in self esteem, and an improvement in interactions with others. These attributes are believed to be beneficial to these women to ensure a successful community reintegration upon their release from prison.

The current study assessed the effects of participation in an Arthritis Foundation sponsored water exercise program on self-reported functioning and health status. Nine older community living women with various forms of arthritis took part in this pre to post-test design study, along with a comparison group of eleven older women also regularly engaged in differing forms of exercise. Both groups completed a standardized questionnaire, the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales 2, twice over an eight week period. Twelve scales and additional questions measured physical, social, and psychological aspects of daily functioning. Aquacize participants reported significant improvements in the Physical Component area of functioning from pre to post-test, as well as more improvements in Arm Function and Household Tasks than the comparisons. Occupational therapists need to be aware of the efficacy of programs to which they refer their arthritic clients. Findings support, regular participation in aquacize has a positive influence on health.

The purpose of this study was to compare age-related differences in self-reported health and self-reported functional abilities from 1971 individuals surveyed in the Comprehensive Needs Assessment Survey of Elders 60 years and Older in Dade County. The responses were divided into four age groups: (a) 60 to 64 years, (b) 65 to 74 years, (c) 75 to 84 years, and (d) 85 years and older and results compared. The study found that self-reported health ratings were significantly different across the four age groups and exhibited a gradual decrease in favorable health ratings with age. For all ages, at least 60% of the respondents rated their health as either "excellent" or "good", but this percentage decreased from 68.10% in the youngest group to 60.7% in the oldest. The study also found significant differences across age groups in functional abilities as measured by reported difficulties with eight activities of daily living (ADLs) and eight instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). For all ADLs and IADLs, the percentage of respondents reporting difficulty increased with age, but this increase was most dramatic in the oldest age group (85+ years). There was a positive relationship between self-reported health and functional ability in the four age groups and as the number of difficulties with ADLs or IADLs increased, self-reported health became poorer. However, the relationship between self-reported health and functional ability tended to weaken with age. Pearson correlation coefficients between self-reported health and difficulties with ADLs decreased from the youngest age group (r=.463) to the oldest group (r=.310). Similarly, the correlation between self-reported health and difficulties with IADLs was higher in the two younger age groups (r=.326 and r=.420) than the two older groups (r=.249 and r=.215). Pairwise z-tests revealed that the correlations of the oldest age group were significantly different from the other age groups. The study also found gender differences across age groups. The findings from this study suggest that there is a relationship between self-reported health and functional abilities and this relationship tends to weaken with age. The implications of these findings for occupational therapy with elderly clients are discussed.

A study was conducted in order to describe and understand the occupational role behavior of gay men with particular interest on understanding the impact of an HIV diagnosis on their roles and life satisfaction. A 137- item questionnaire was developed for this study and distributed through various gay community groups in south Florida. The process resulted in ranked description of 24 valued occupational roles of gay men (n = 80) along with a general understanding of potential shifts that may occur in those roles as a result of becoming infected with HIV. The study concludes that a diagnosis of HIV infection impacts gay men both by altering their value for particular roles and by darkening the images they hold of their future. The study also identified key factors which may contribute to the greater life satisfaction of gay men including greater confidence in personal knowledge of HIV, a more optimistic outlook on life, the use of stronger coping styles, and perceiving stronger social support and lower stress.

The elderly population has been recognized as one of the fastest growing age groups in the United States and there has been a dramatic increase in the number of elderly women living alone in the community. The purpose of this study was to examine the functional status, social support system, and self-perceived health of elderly women living alone and those living with others in Dade County, Florida. This study was derived from a larger Dade County Needs Assessment. The sample for this study included 1,278 elderly women who were white (n = 561), Hispanic (n = 550), black (n = 153), and "other" (n = 14).

The entire population of Icelandic occupational therapists were surveyed concerning characteristics and attitudes toward professionalism and educational goals. There were 87 questionnaires sent out and 80 (92%) were returned and used for analysis. This data will have a positive impact upon the development of the first Icelandic occupational therapy curriculum. Icelandic occupational therapists, in general, value academic skills over technical skills, are active in their association, willing to take on duties for the advancement of the profession and are interested in conducting research. The attitudes of the Icelandic occupational therapists were generally quite uniform. T- tests and one-way ANOVAs (p < .05) revealed some significant differences in a number of attitudes by education level, length of professional experience and country of education. The results show the importance of providing Icelandic occupational therapy practitioners with the opportunity to take part in research. This study will serve as a foundation for future studies on Icelandic occupational therapists and provide reference data for later comparison.

This research investigates the perceptions that individuals with mental illnesses have about the employment experience as a whole. Survey data from 72 respondents with mental disabilities were used to identify areas of perceived work limitations. Comparisons regarding employee work performance were made between eleven individuals with mental disabilities and their supervisors. Functional limitations identified by respondents with mental disabilities and the characteristic symptoms set forth in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders were compared. Overall findings showed that individuals with mental disabilities in this study had problems in the areas of judgment, initiative, interacting and rapport with co-workers and supervisors, frustration tolerance and coping with job stress, and adapting to changes at work. Comparison of identified work task difficulties with diagnostic criteria indicate active symptomatology to have an effect on job performance. Recommendations regarding occupational therapy assessment approaches and roles to facilitate ADA implementation are presented.

This study examined the differences in pain perception and pain pressure threshold between the premenstrual phase of the menstrual cycle and the days of the cycle which are not menstrual or premenstrual. Over 2 complete menstrual cycles, 20 volunteer subjects with no known disabilities or illness reported pain assessed by visual analogue scale (VAS) and pressure threshold measures collected 5 times (intervals) for each cycle. A two-factor repeated measures analysis of variance (i.e. cycle, interval and the interaction) revealed only a significant difference across interval for both pain perception (VAS) (F = 15.3146, (4,76), p < .01), and pain pressure threshold (F = 12.0367, (4,76), p < .01). The premenstrual VAS mean scores were significantly higher and pain threshold mean scores significantly lower than the means during the remainder of the cycle in Tukey "A" post-test comparisons. Findings indicate therapists should consider pain perception and potential motivational changes of women during the premenstruum when developing or instituting physically demanding protocols.

The purpose of this study was to determine the methods and extent to which occupational therapists who are practicing in aging are assessing the caregivers of their elderly patients. A random sample of 500 therapists who subscribe to a special interest group publication of a professional organization were surveyed by mail and 204 responses were received. Respondents were asked to indicate all of the activities related to caregiver assessments in which they engage. Methods of assessment included: (a) professional caregiving activities, (b) informal assessment methods, and (c) formal assessment methods. There were more than 90% of respondents who indicated that they engaged in at least two professional activities related to caregiving, such as patient and/or caregiver education and discharge planning. Approximately one-third of subjects indicated that formal assessment is performed with a facility created assessment cited as the most frequently used formal instrument. Informal assessment methods were used by all but one subject in the sample. Direct questioning/discussion with caregiver and observation of the caregiver were the most frequently used informal assessment methods at 90% and 93.6%, respectively. The findings indicate that virtually all occupational therapists are highly engaged in assessing the caregivers of their elderly patients. Most of the assessment being performed relies on their clinical expertise and observation and/or facility created assessments. Furthermore, clinicians are highly engaged in patient and/or caregiver education. It is recommended that more of the body of research related to formal multidimensional caregiver assessment be disseminated into the occupational therapy community.