Spiritual Care of Couples Practicing Natural Family Planning

There are few studies that have investigated the spiritual problems of couples practicing natural family planning (NFP). The purpose of this paper is to analyze the spiritual problems and interventions of couples who were taught NFP by means of a professional online Web-based support system. Responses from this online system and its forums were categorized according to spiritual responses, spiritual problems, and spiritual interventions to the practice of NFP. Themes addressed included spiritual care in regards to decisions about the transmission of new life, difficulties in dealing with chastity and abstinence, bioethical problems related to pregnancy and illness, end of the reproductive life decisions, ethical treatment of women\u27s health problems, sacrifice, and personal and relational struggles. Online community support, help in building confidence in NFP methods, and bioethicist referral are key interventions. The complexity of these spiritual responses, problems, and appropriate interventions require the expertise of health professionals in cooperation with bioethicists. We concluded that NFP can be viewed as both a spiritual practice and a means of spiritual growth

Psychometric Evaluation of an Instrument to Measure Hispanic Mothers’ Normative Beliefs, Intentions, Past Experience and Past Behavior Related to the Discussion of Sex-Related Topics with their Adolescent Daughters

Aim: The aim of this project was to describe the psychometric properties of a recently developed instrument that measures Hispanic mother normative beliefs, intentions, past experience, and past behavior regarding the Discussion of Sex-Related Topics (DSRTs) with their adolescent daughters. Background: The DSRTs between Hispanic mothers and their adolescent daughters is important because this interaction has been found to be a protective factor against the daughter’s risk for STDs and unintended pregnancy. Hispanic mother talk less with their daughters about sex-related topics (SRTs) than other ethnic groups. The Rodriguez Normative Belief Instrument (RNBI) has been established to measure normative beliefs, normative beliefs, past behavior, and past experience regarding Hispanic mothers’ DSRTs with their adolescent daughters. Method: The 44-item RNBI was developed based on the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Parent-Based Expansion Theory of Planned Behavior. A convenience sample of 119 Hispanic mothers of adolescent females grades 6 through 8 from two Midwestern Catholic Middle Schools was enrolled completed the instrument. Paper and pen instruments were administered in the language of the participant’s choice, English or Spanish. Results: The entire RNBI and each of the four subscales demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = .70). The overall reliability of the RNBI was .82 with the normative beliefs subscale of .85, intentions .88, past behavior .89, and past experience .88. Confirmatory factor analysis validated the four subscales. Conclusion: Psychometric analyses indicated that the RNBI demonstrates acceptable validity and reliability for this sample

Vacuum structure of pure gauge theories on the lattice

We present results from simulations on two aspects of quark confinement in the pure gauge sector. First is the calculation of the profile of the flux tube connecting a static $q \bar{q}$ pair in $SU(2)$. By using the Michael sum rules as a constraint we give evidence that the energy density at the center of the flux tube goes to a constant as a function of quark separation. Slow variation of the width and energy density is not ruled out. Secondly in the confined phase of lattice $U(1)$ we calculate the curl of the magnetic monopole current and show that the dual London equation is satisfied and that the electric fluxoid is quantized.Comment: 14 pages (no figures, please request preprint), LSU HE NO. 130-199

The Helping Professions and the Brave New World

Each year psychologists publish an annual review of current research. It was not long ago that achievement, anxiety, and authoritarianism were the major areas chosen for investigation. Today the high interest areas are conformity, social desirability, acquiescence, powerlessness, and coping behavior. This rapid change in the focus of our attention has intimate roots in the larger culture

Issues Concerning the Internship Selection Process

This article\u27s study examines the issues concerning internship selection. Data was collected from 10 APA (America Psychological Association) accredited internship sites. Initial results suggest that the current process of internship selection is too costly for all participants. Computer based matching is suggested as a solution

The Rorschach Test with Children from Two to Six Years Old

The development of the ink-blot as a psychological tool has taken a thousand years. The Rorschach, a formal clinical representative of this heritage, is a product of this testing age and has been extensively used with children. This has necessitated certain modifications of procedure and analysis which have been achieved by more or less intuitive, non-systematic methods. The most pertinent questions concerning the Rorschach test with adults also apply to children. These questions include the merry-go-round of scoring possibilities: Clinical , intuitive; objective and in terms of formal categories; psychometric, utilizing a vast number of rating scales

A Commentary on Assessment Training in Boulder and Vail Model Programs: In Praise of Differences!

This commentary on assessment training in scientist-practitioner and practitioner-scholar programs examined potential differences between these training models on assessment instruments included in the curriculum, assessment instructors, modes of interpretation, anticipated clients, and service delivery styles. Over time it appears that the potential for difference in assessment training inherent in Boulder and Vail model values has been minimized. If these models for training professional psychologists are to be effective in preparing students for assessment tasks with additional populations of consumers in new service delivery systems, attention to these potential differences in assessment training offers promise for more responsible and competent practice in a democratic society

Serviços de saúde mental para afro-americanos: uma perspectiva cultural/racial

Os afro-americanos vêm progredindo muito em direcào a uma verdadeira cidadania desde 1965. Contudo, os serviços de saúde mental para essa população têm sido tendenciosos, incompletos e deficientes, porque as similaridades com os curo-americanos têm sido enfatizadas, ao passo que as diferenças têm sido largamente ignoradas. Este artigo aborda algumas dessas diferenças, incluindo a identidade cultural/racial e o ‘eu cultural’ que afetam a avaliação, os diagnósticos psiquiátricos e a psico-terapia ou outras intervençoes. Um modelo de  avaliação intervenção ilustra como a informação cultural pode melhorar o atendimento aos afro-americanos. Esse modelo exemplifica uma aplicação de psicologia cultural que pode contribuir para uma mudança na prática profissional, no treinamento e na pesquisa dentro de uma sociedade multicultural. Sugestões de diretrizes que emergem desse modelo apontam para áreas que necessitam ser enfatizadas no atendimento e na pesquisa.African Americans have made consistent progress toward first class citizenship since l 965. Nonetheless, mental health services for this population have been biased, incomplete,and deficient because similarities to Euro-Americans have been emphasized while differences were largely ignored. This article addresses some differences including cultural/racial identityand the cultural self that affect assessment, psychiatric diagnoses, and psychotherapy or other interventions. An assessment-intervention model illustrates how cultural information can inform service delivery to African Americans. This model exemplifies one application of cultural psychology that can contribute to a change in professional practice, training, and research for a multicultural society. Suggested guidelines emerging from this model point toward areas tobe emphasized in service delivery and research