OBJECTIVES: (1) To assess prescribers' ability to recognize clinically significant DDIs, (2) to examine demographic and practice factors that may be associated with prescribers' DDI knowledge, and (3) to evaluate prescribers' perceived usefulness of various DDI information sources.METHODS: This study used a mailed questionnaire sent to a national sample of prescribers based on their past history of DDI prescribing which was determined using data from a pharmacy benefit manager covering over 50 million lives. The survey questionnaire included 14 drug-drug pairs that tested prescribers' ability to recognize clinically important DDIs and five 5-point Likert scale-type questions that assessed prescribers' perceived usefulness of DDI information provided by various sources. Demographic and practice characteristics were collected as well. Rasch analysis was used to evaluate the knowledge and usefulness questions.RESULTS: Completed questionnaires were obtained from 950 prescribers (overall response rate: 7.9%). The number of drug pairs correctly classified by the prescribers ranged from zero to thirteen, with a mean of 6 pairs (42.7%). The percentage of prescribers who correctly classified specific drug pairs ranged from 18.2% for warfarin-cimetidine to 81.2% for acetaminophen with codeine-amoxicillin. Half of the drug pair questions were answered "not sure" by over one-third of the respondents; among which, two were contraindicated. Rasch analysis of knowledge and usefulness questions revealed satisfactory model-data fit and person reliability of 0.72 and 0.61, respectively. A multiple regression analysis revealed that specialists were less likely to correctly identify interactions as compared to prescribers who were generalists. Other important predictors of DDI knowledge included the experience of seeing a harm caused by DDIs and the extent to which the risk of DDIs affected the prescribers' drug selection. ANOVA with the post-hoc Scheffe test indicated that prescribers considered DDI information provided by "other" sources to be more useful than that provided by computerized alert system. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that prescribers' DDI knowledge may be inadequate. The study found that for the drug interactions evaluated, generalists performed better than specialists. In addition, this study presents an application of IRT analysis to knowledge and attitude measurement in health science research.

Previous studies have documented an association between mental illness rates and US-nativity, younger age at immigration, and recent immigration status among Caribbean immigrants to the US. This analysis examines these associations with the addition of important demographic controls and two indices of family support and conflict in Caribbean immigrants represented in the National Survey of American Life (n = 1623). The results indicate that previous correlates disappear when the index of family conflict is taken into account. Future efforts should focus on culturally appropriate identification and treatment methods addressing family dynamics in Caribbean immigrants. INDEX WORDS: immigrant mental health, family dynamics, National Survey of American Life.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tennessee Technological University, 2006. / Bibliography: leaves 46-53.

Thesis (M.A.)--Michigan State University. Dept. of Sociology, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on July 29, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 35-37). Also issued in print.

Orientador: Elisabete Dória Bilac / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-19T16:18:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Aparicio_CimarAlejandroPrieto_M.pdf: 1385358 bytes, checksum: a74fb6a57b833b781c560cd93a8efcd8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Resumo: Esta dissertação insere-se nos estudos empíricos sobre famílias e pobreza e tem como objetivo geral realizar uma análise multidimensional da pobreza segundo a "perspectiva das capacidades". Argumenta-se que a pobreza envolve um conjunto de privações de capacidades vivenciadas em um contexto familiar e domiciliar. A partir dos dados da Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios (PNAD) e da Pesquisa de Condições de Vida (PCV), verifica-se a existência de interdependência entre organização domiciliar e privações de capacidades, sendo que o arranjo domiciliar constitui a unidade de análise. De modo específico, são discutidos os conceitos de família e domicílio e as possibilidades metodológicas de uso das informações da PNAD e da PCV para uma análise da pobreza conforme a "perspectiva das capacidades". Assim, desenvolve-se uma comparação metodológica dos planos de amostragem, dos questionários dessas pesquisas domiciliares e dos efeitos de diferentes formas de operacionalização dos conceitos de família e domicílio sobre a estimativa de arranjos domiciliares. Os resultados da análise da pobreza para o Estado de São Paulo em 2006 evidenciam a existência de privações de capacidades associadas a determinadas formas de organização dos arranjos domiciliares, em ambas as pesquisas. Confirma- se a sobre-representação de arranjos com crianças e adolescentes, pessoas de referência jovens e pessoas portadoras de necessidades especiais entre os arranjos domiciliares pobres. A desigualdade de renda, a limitada participação feminina no mercado de trabalho associada à desigualdade de gênero, uma elevada ocorrência de pessoas de referência sem ensino fundamental completo, o acesso restrito a instituições públicas de educação infantil, a escassez de equipamentos sociais próximos aos domicílios pobres e a falta de garantia legal de posse da moradia constituem componentes importantes da pobreza. No entanto, há uma limitada presença do Estado junto às comunidades pobres em termos do acesso à rede de segurança social e das oportunidades sociais relacionadas a serviços e equipamentos de educação, saúde, esporte, cultura e lazer / Abstract: This dissertation is connected to the empirical studies about families and poverty and has as general purpose to conduct a multidimensional analysis of poverty according to the "capabilities approach". It is argued that poverty involves a set of capabilities deprivation experienced in a family and household context. From the data of the National Survey by Household Sampling (PNAD) and from the Research on Living Conditions (PCV), one can observe the existence of interdependence between household organization and capabilities deprivations, with the household arrangement constituting the unit of analysis. In a specific perspective, the concepts of family and household as well as the methodological possibilities of usage of the information from PNAD and PCV for an analysis of poverty according to the "capabilities approach" are discussed. Thus, a methodological comparison of the sampling plans, of the questionnaires of these household surveys and of the effects of different forms of operationalization of the concepts of family and household on the estimate of household arrangements are developed. The results of the analysis of poverty for the Brazilian Federal State of São Paulo in 2006 exhibit the existence of capabilities deprivations associated to certain forms of household arrangements' organization, in both surveys. One can confirm the overrepresentation of arrangements with children and adolescents, young individuals and people with special needs among the poor household arrangements. Income inequality, the limited female participation in the job market associated with gender inequality, a high level of individuals with incomplete elementary education, the restricted access to public institutions of childhood education, the shortage of social equipment near the poor households and the lack of legal guarantee of household possession constitute important components of poverty. However, there is a limited presence of the State along the poor communities in terms of access to the social security network and of the social opportunities related to services and equipment of education, health, sports, culture and entertainment / Mestrado / Demografia / Mestre em Demografia

The Strong Black Woman Schema (SBWS) refers to the collective believes, behaviors, resources and responses Black women are socialized to embody. The SBWS was developed as a positive counterimage to the negative stereotypes of Black women, such as the mammy or the jezebel, and is an important image among Black women. Observations suggest that the SBWS may affect how Black women experience and interpret stress and mental illness. I assert the SBWS may serve as one comprehensive explanation for the mental health outcomes observed for Black women. Qualitative and quantitative studies have identified a set of characteristics (i.e. strength, emotion regulation, caretaking) related to the schema. However, scales developed to measure the schema lack the ability to isolate adequately a unique typology for Black women. I argue that the SBWS is representative of a specific compilation of psychosocial resources (i.e. mastery, self-efficacy, resilience, self-esteem) representative of the cultural response to historical experiences of racism and sexism. I explore how the SBWS influences the reporting of depressive symptoms, depression and anxiety through a secondary data analysis of African American, Caribbean Black and White American women using data from the National Survey of American Life. Through a three part analysis, I answer the following questions: 1) Is a compilation of psychosocial measures an appropriate measure of the Strong Black Woman Schema? 2) What sociodemographic factors influence distinct typologies reflective of at least one uniquely Black form of the Strong Black Woman Schema? And 3) Does the Strong Black Woman Schema influence depressive symptons, depression, and anxiety? Results of this study clarify how socio-cultural aspects of oppression influence the mental health of Black women.

No description available.

The quality of educational attainment measures lies at the heart of many cross-national micro-sociological research projects and international education statistics. This study aims at validating cross-nationally comparable measures of educational attainment, among which are the International Standard Classification of Education 1997 (ISCED 97), the CASMIN education scheme and years of education. Following a conceptual discussion of what educational attainment means, the most common ways of measuring educational attainment cross-nationally as well as previous evaluations thereof are reviewed. Then, the implementation of ISCED 97 in cross-national surveys is examined by looking at both the resulting educational attainment distributions in three European surveys as well as the data generation and harmonisation processes. Finally, a number of cross-national measures of educational attainment are compared with country-specific measures with respect to their information content by firstly examining the dispersion of educational attainment, and secondly the predictive power when explaining two core social stratification outcomes, occupational status and social class attainment, by educational attainment. The main results of the study are that the measurement of educational attainment in cross-national surveys is affected by a number of avoidable weaknesses which adversely affect the validity of claims based on analyses of these data: 1. Countries and surveys are inconsistent in the way they measure educational attainment and apply ISCED 97 to national data; and 2. actual years of education and the one-digit version of ISCED 97 distort measures of association to differing degrees in different countries. Both make cross-national comparisons using these measures highly problematic. Therefore, some amendments to the implementation of ISCED 97 in cross-national surveys and coding for statistical analyses are proposed. As part of the latter, an alternative simplification of ISCED 97, optimised for European survey research, is developed and validated. Moreover, suggestions for data collection procedures are made to improve the measurement of educational attainment nationally and cross-nationally.

This study explored the relationship between characteristics of children's families and their social adjustment and how extra-familial connections affect this relationship. According to human ecological theory, children who are in jeopardy through higher-risk family systems and other social forces were expected to be protected from sociocultural risks by social connections in such settings as school, church, kin groups, and neighborhood.

High rates of nonmedical use of pain relievers and stimulants have been documented in the United States, putting substance abusers at risk of addiction and possible arrest for illegal possession and use. Treatment programs can help stop patterns of abuse. This thesis explores the factors impinging on substance abuse treatment seeking for nonmedical pain reliever and stimulant users. Data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health 2014 were analyzed in order to find the most recent patterns of pain reliever and stimulant abuse and potential determinants of receiving treatment. Descriptive statistics about the population reporting nonmedical use of pain relievers and/or stimulant use are first presented. Logistic regression analyses are then conducted on one dependent variable: respondents stating if they ever received treatment. Possible determinants that may influence one’s potential to receive treatment included income, insurance coverage, race/ethnicity, age, sex, psychological state, and metro/nonmetro residency status.