Comparison of two nicotine dependence measures for use with Korean American Women: The FTND and AUTOS

This study compares psychometric properties of the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) and Autonomy over Tobacco Scale (AUTOS), which are measures of nicotine dependence. This study is a secondary analysis of data obtained from a smoking cessation study conducted with 49 Korean American women. We compared the FTND and AUTOS assessed at baseline regarding their internal consistency reliability and concurrent and predictive validities. The AUTOS outperformed the FTND in reliability and concurrent validity by yielding a higher Cronbach’s alpha and having significant relationships with smoking-related variables such as age at smoking onset, perceived risks of quitting, and self-efficacy in quitting. In contrast, there was no relationship between the FTND and any of the variables. Both measures had a significant relationship with post-quit nicotine withdrawal symptoms but failed to predict abstinence at follow-ups. The AUTOS seems to be a better assessment tool for Korean American women than the FTND. Before fully adopting the AUTOS as a measure of nicotine dependence for this group, factor structure of the scale should be tested with a larger sample of Korean American women

Unique Appearance of Lamellar Cleavage Patterns on Fracture Surfaces of Ti-Based Amorphous Matrix Composite

In order to improve mechanical properties of Ti-based amorphous matrix composites basically composed of ductile beta-Ti dendrites and brittle amorphous matrix by overcoming their inherent brittle nature, their fracture mechanisms should be verified in relation with microstructure, stress intensity factor level, and crack growth rate. In this study, thus, detailed fractographic observations including the unique appearance of lamellar cleavage patterns, which has not been reported in previous studies on conventional metals and alloys, were conducted. According to fractographic results, lamellar cleavage patterns were formed by repeated interruptions of crack propagation on {100} cleavage planes by difference between dendrite orientation and loading direction. Ductile-to-brittle transition phenomenon (ductile dimpled fracture -> lamellar cleavage fracture -> ordinary cleavage fracture in dendrite areas, and vein pattern -> smooth pattern in amorphous matrix areas) occurred with increasing crack growth rate was also plausibly explained by the concept of time required for crack growth as well as dendrite orientation.open1122sciescopu

Stress Reduction and Wellness

Modern society has induced a plethora of new media through which people of all ages can be affected by stress, including life stress (Holmes & Rahe, 1967), academic stress (Misra & Castilo, 2004), occupational stress (McClenahan, Giles, & Mallett, 2007), music performance anxiety stress (Kenny, 2005), social stress (Meyer, 2003), traumatic stress (Sutton, 2002) and acculturative stress (S. Kim, 2011). The complex nature of modern society is responsible for increasing levels of stress in our daily lives (Edlin & Golanty, 2010). The Annual Stress Report (2012), conducted by the American Psychology Association (APA), found that 44% of respondents felt that the degree of stress in their lives had increased over the past five years. Moreover, one in five respondents were identified as suffering from chronic stress. Stress includes psychological and physiological manifestations (Fink, 2000; Lovallo, 2005). The effects of stress can be significant, as stress can result in serious illnesses such as depression, insomnia, heart disease, cancer, weight problems, or, in extreme cases, suicide (McEwen & Stellar, 1993; McGrady, 2007; Walker, Wingate, Obasi, & Joiner, 2008). Although there have been efforts to increase awareness of the effects of stress on health, only 31% of the respondents indicated that their own stress level could cause poor health conditions. The first step in increasing awareness of stress is to understand the mechanisms of stress

13th WFMT World Congress of Music Therapy: The Conference Organizers - An Interview

13th WFMT World Congress of Music Therapy: The Conference Organizers - An Interview with Byungchuel Choi, Petra Kern, Annie Heiderscheit Youngshin Kim & Kyungsuk Ki

The Cultural Integrity of a Music Therapist in Analytical Music Therapy-Oriented Supervision (AMTOS)

One of the most important aspects of the Analytical Music Therapy (AMT) (Priestley, 1975; 1994) approach is setting the stage for music therapists undergoing music therapy themselves. In her writings, Mary Priestley (1994) stresses how important it is for therapists to experience music therapy for themselves, as increasing self-awareness is an essential part of music therapy training. This can be achieved by Intertherapy— a training method for analytical music therapists. Therefore, AMT has significant implications in music therapy training. As Priestley (1994) asserts, regardless of one’s chronological age, we have an “inner child” inside of us

Acculturative Stress Reducation and Cultural Adjustment in Music Therapy

Due to globalization, our demographics are constantly changing and continual change in the racial and ethnic profile is projected, especially with the ongoing influx of immigrants, young families, multiracial individuals, businesspeople and travelers (Population Reference Bureau, 2008). Therefore, the diversifying nature of the population in many countries makes it more likely that music therapists will work with more diverse populations in the coming years (Kim & Whitehead-Pleaux, in press). Individuals who have experienced living in two or more cultures may experience another layer of stress—acculturative stress which arises while they adjust to a new culture because they face many challenges during their cultural adjustment (Berry, 2006). Thus, one’s acculturation process must be examined and any cultural conflicts need to be resolved so that one could reach the ultimate state of cultural well-being (Kim, 2013b)