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Swami, V. & Barrett, S. (2011). British men's hair color preferences: An assessment of courtship solicitation and stimulus ratings. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 52, 595-600. Two studies examined the influence of women's hair color on approach behavior by British men and on ratings of physical attractiveness and personality. In Study 1, a female confederate whose hair color was dyed blonde, brunette, or red was instructed to sit in several nightclubs. It was found that she was approached significantly more frequently by men in the blonde condition. In Study 2, images of the same confederate were rated by 126 men. Results showed that the brunette stimulus was rated as more physically attractive, intelligent, approachable, competent, and arrogant, whereas the blonde stimulus was rated as more needy. These results are discussed in relation to the literature on hair color and attractiveness, but also in terms of women's own perceptions of their hair color. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Women with one previous caesarean section must decide which mode of delivery they would prefer in their next pregnancy. This involves a choice between attempted vaginal birth and elective caesarean section. Objective To explore women's mode of delivery preferences and the values placed on the outcomes of decision making. Greater insight into these issues could benefit both clinical care and future research. Design Observational study using longitudinal data collected within a randomized controlled trial. Setting and Participants Seven hundred and forty-two women with one previous caesarean section recruited at four antenatal clinics in South West England and Scotland. Main outcome measures Mode of delivery preference recorded at 19 and 37 weeks' gestation and visual analogue scale ratings of health and delivery outcomes. Results Comparison of mid and late pregnancy preferences and actual mode of delivery shows that 57% of women hold the same mode of delivery preferences at both times and 65% of women actually have the birth they prefer. The visual analogue scale ratings show variation in the way women value the outcomes of the decision. Discussion and Conclusions Understanding the way women's mode of delivery preferences change, how these relate to actual mode of delivery and how women value the outcomes of their decision will be beneficial to health professionals who wish to support women both during pregnancy and after birth. In addition, the visual analogue scale ratings provide evidence that may improve the development of population-level and economic models of decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports an Economic and Social Research Council-funded study of the early career experiences of secondary school music teachers in England, set within a wider national picture of decreasing age-related pupil engagement with school music, career perceptions of music teaching, variable patterns of teacher recruitment and possible mismatches between the musical biographies of young people and intending music teachers. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from a short-term longitudinal survey (first questionnaire: n = 74, second questionnaire: n = 29), supplemented by case studies (n = 6) and open-ended, written questions (n = 20). Analyses suggest that only a half of the newly qualified participants chose to teach full-time in a mainstream, state-funded school music classroom. Of these, the majority were faced with a range of early career challenges stemming from curricular, extra-curricular and non-curricular school expectations. These included the need to balance their existing musical performer identity with that of being a new teacher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is increasingly recognized that youth who follow early onset persistent (EOP), childhood limited (CL) and adolescent onset (AO) trajectories of conduct problems show somewhat varying patterns of risk (in childhood) and adjustment problems (in adolescence and adulthood). Little, however, is known about how other adjustment problems differentially co-develop with the EOP, CL and AO trajectories across the childhood and adolescent years. Method: Using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, an epidemiological, longitudinal cohort of boys and girls, we estimated growth curves for parent-reported hyperactivity, emotional difficulties, peer relational problems, and prosocial behaviors conditional on trajectories of conduct problems (i.e., EOP, CL and AO) from ages 4 to 13 years. At ages 7-8 years, DSM-IV-based diagnoses of conduct disorder, oppositional-defiant disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, depression were examined by conduct problems trajectory. Results: Overall, the development of hyperactivity, emotional difficulties, peer relational problems, and prosocial behaviors mirrored the development of conduct problems, showing similar trajectories. Conclusions: Results indicated that the problems of EOP youth were persistent across domains, CL youth showed decreased behavior problems while increasing in prosocial behaviors, and AO youth increased in adjustment problems after 10 years of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The NIPPERS (Nursery Intervention Project for Parents & Education Related Services) was a novel community psychology service based in nursery settings in socio-economically disadvantaged, inner-city areas in London. Method: The service included consultation work with nursery staff, structured parenting groups and individual sessions for parents. Results: The delivery of the clinical service and research evaluation underwent several changes in the first phase of the project, in particular to ensure that the service was acceptable and accessible to families and staff. Although take-up of community services was higher than in the local clinic-based services, it was not taken up by some 40% of parents. Due to the allocation design, it was not possible to measure the effectiveness of the intervention. Conclusions: The NIPPERS service was successful in delivering a community child psychology service to families with high levels of early child behavioural problems at high risk for continuing difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Teachers have a significant role to play in identifying children with mental health problems. However, teachers’ perceptions of children’s mental health problems are relatively unexplored. Method: Primary school teachers ( N = 113) completed a questionnaire, composed of vignettes describing children with symptoms of a common emotional disorder and a common behavioural disorder, following which they were asked a number of questions regarding problem recognition and help-seeking. Results: Teachers were able to recognise the existence of a problem and rate its severity. They were significantly more concerned about a vignette of a child with symptoms of a behavioural disorder than an emotional disorder. The gender of the child was found to independently predict teachers’ accurately recognising when a child had a problem. Conclusion: Teachers are good at recognising whether a child presents with a problem. However, their problem recognition is affected by both the gender of the child and the type of symptomatology being displayed (emotional versus behavioural). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To determine the preferred means by which participants in a study of cardiac rehabilitation wish to be informed of the study’s results. Design Postal questionnaire survey of participants in a randomized controlled trial. Setting Cornwall, southwest England. Participants Patients recruited to the Cornwall Heart Attack Rehabilitation Management Study (CHARMS). Method Participants recruited to CHARMS who were alive 3 years and 9 months after the trial was completed were contacted by letter and invited to return a reply slip with four short questions indicating how they would prefer to be informed about the published results of the study. Results In March 2008, 191/230 participants originally recruited to CHARMS were still alive. General practitioners deemed 166/191 (88%) survivors medically appropriate to be contacted through a postal survey, and 154/166 (93%) participants responded to the invitation to participate in the follow-up survey. 86% (143/166) of participants indicated that they wished to be informed about the results: 115 (80%) of these elected to receive information by letter and 25 (18%) of these preferred to attend a meeting. Men older than 65 years predominated in this latter group. Women respondents preferred to receive the study results by letter; none preferred communication by email or the web. Conclusion Survivors of acute myocardial infarction who participated in a RCT of cardiac rehabilitation wanted to receive a summary of the aggregate study results. Participants had preferences regarding how they would wish to be informed about the results of the study. Most participants preferred to be informed by letter or email, but some preferred the interaction of a group or a meeting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which aims to evaluate the diagnosis of asymptomatic vasa previa through obstetric ultrasound imaging. The study conducted a survey to obstetric and fetomaternal consultants in England and Wales in March and July 2006. Results indicate that 80% of the respondents offer an elective Cesarean section when vasa previa was diagnosed antenatally. It also shows that only 20% obstetricians in England and Wales agreed on the possibility of screening policy.

Background: The present study aimed to directly assess and compare the usage, benefits and side-effects of dietary-related complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among adult cancer patients and non-cancer adults in Norwich, UK. Methods: Self-administered questionnaires were completed by 98 cancer patients and 92 non-cancer adults to compare demographics, types of CAM usage with reasons, benefits, side-effects and CAM information sources. The groups were matched for gender, age, marital status, education and household income. The mean ages were 62.7 and 59.7 years, respectively, with slightly more female than male participants. Results: CAM use was high in both groups (47% in cancer and 53% in non-cancer respondents, P > 0.05). The most widely-used diet-related CAM among both groups was the large intake of fruit, vegetables and juice, multivitamins, fish oils and glucosamine. Fish oil intake was significantly higher in the non-cancer group ( P < 0.05), whereas selenium and β-carotene supplements were significantly higher in the cancer group ( P < 0.01 and P = 0.02, respectively). The main reasons for using CAM were to boost the immune system and to improve quality of life ( P > 0.05). Reported benefits included increased optimism and hope for the cancer group and increased optimism and pain relief for the non-cancer group. Conclusions: Diet-related CAM is used frequently by both cancer patients and non-cancer adults, with many reported benefits and few reported side-effects. Significant differences between the groups included a higher prevalence of fish oil used by the non-cancer group, and a higher use of selenium and β-carotene supplements in the cancer group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current guidelines recommend that infants are exclusively breast fed for the first 6 months of life, with particular solid foods being gradually introduced from 6 months. Our objective was to compare the growth of infants whose feeding most closely followed current guidelines with the growth of infants with other feeding practices. Participants were 1740 infants in a prospective cohort study in Southampton, UK. At 6 and 12 months, infants’ milk feeding was recorded, diets assessed using food frequency questionnaires (FFQ), and anthropometry performed. Principal components analysis was used to identify patterns of foods in the diet using the food intakes assessed by the FFQs. Two patterns (‘infant guidelines’ and ‘adult foods’) explained most variance in infant diet at 6 and 12 months of age. The main outcomes were conditional growth in weight, length and skinfold thickness from 0–6 and 6–12 months. Infants who were breast fed from 0–6 months gained weight, length and adiposity more slowly than formula-fed infants, independent of age at introduction of solids and maternal factors: compared with infants who were breast fed from 0–6 months, formula-fed infants gained 0.21 standard deviation scores (SDS) in weight [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.00, 0.42]. Infants whose dietary pattern was most similar to current feeding guidelines, with high frequencies of fresh fruit and vegetables, home-prepared foods and breast milk, gained weight and skinfold thickness more rapidly from 6 to 12 months than other infants, independent of milk feeding, age at introduction of solids and maternal factors. Compared with infants in the lowest quarter, infants in the highest ‘infant guidelines’ score quarter gained 0.24 SDS [95% CI 0.06, 0.43] in weight and 0.26 SDS [95% CI 0.07, 0.45] in skinfold thickness. Conversely, infants whose diets had the highest frequencies of breads and processed foods gained weight less rapidly from 6 to 12 months than other infants. The extent to which the patterns of diet and growth we have described will influence the current or later health of infants is unknown. We are following up the infants in this study to assess the impact of these patterns beyond the first year of life. These associations should also be examined in other settings and populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary • This research tried to find out how good services were for people with learning disabilities who are from minority ethnic communities. • A questionnaire was sent to learning disability services in the North West of England. • The answers in the questionnaires told us that changes in the law and guidelines help to make sure the right services are provided for people from minority ethnic communities. • Many services did not have special policies to follow but just relied on good managers and staff to ensure services were provided to people from ethnic minority communities. • Provision of services for people with learning disabilities from minority ethnic communities is still not given enough importance. This article reports the results of a postal questionnaire survey carried out to explore the responsiveness and appropriateness of services for people with learning disabilities from minority ethnic communities in the North West of England. Twenty-one learning disability service commissioners or service providers completed the questionnaire. Results indicated that services were influenced by legislation and guidelines which help services develop specific programmes. Organizational culture also played a role in how services respond. Respondents reported that a variety of new services were currently being developed. Individual staff members and good organizational support were most cited as the factors that facilitate effective policies, practices, and procedures whereas problems regarding funding were most frequently cited as barriers. The respondents detailed evidence of some work being carried out at the grass roots level, but the responses indicate that a core theme is the marginalization of the issue of meeting the needs of people from minority ethnic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context Self-assessment promotes reflective practice, helps students identify gaps in their learning and is used in curricular evaluations. Currently, there is a dearth of validated self-assessment tools in rheumatology. We present a new musculoskeletal self-assessment tool (MSAT) that allows students to assess their confidence in their skills in and knowledge of knee and shoulder examination. Objectives We aimed to validate the 15-item MSAT, addressing its construct validity, internal consistency, responsiveness, repeatability and relationship with competence. Methods Participants were 241 Year 3 students in Newcastle upon Tyne and 113 Year 3 students at University College London, who were starting their musculoskeletal skills placement. Factor analysis explored the construct validity of the MSAT; Cronbach's α assessed its internal consistency; standardised response mean (SRM) evaluated its responsiveness, and test-retest, before and after a pathology lecture, assessed its repeatability. Its relationship with competence was explored by evaluating its correlation with shoulder and knee objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs). Results The MSAT was valid in distinguishing the 5 domains it intended to measure: clinical examination of the knee; clinical examination of the shoulder; clinical anatomy of the knee and shoulder; history taking, and generic musculoskeletal anatomical and clinical terms. It was internally consistent (α = 0.93), responsive (SRM 0.6 in Newcastle and 2.2 in London) and repeatable (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.97). Correlations between MSAT scores and OSCE scores were weak ( r < 0.2). Conclusions The MSAT has strong psychometric properties, thereby offering a valid approach to evaluating the self-assessment of confidence in examination skills by students. Confidence does not necessarily reflect competence; future research should clarify what underpins confidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To compare Year 1 medical students' perceptions of their educational environment at the end of Year 1, with their expectations at the beginning of the year using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM). Methods Year 1 students ( n = 130) at the University of East Anglia Medical School were asked to complete the DREEM during their induction week at the beginning of Year 1, thinking about the educational environment they expected to encounter (Expected DREEM), and again as part of a compulsory evaluation at the end of Year 1, thinking about the educational environment they had actually experienced (Actual DREEM). A total of 87 students (66.92% of the starting cohort) completed the DREEM on both occasions and gave permission for their data to be published. Results The Expected DREEM score was 153 out of a maximum of 200, and the Actual DREEM score was 143. Student's expected perceptions of learning and teachers, and their expected academic self- and social self-perceptions were all more positive than their actual perceptions. There was no difference between expected and actual perceptions of atmosphere. Specific aspects of the educational environment showing dissonance were identified. In some areas students' low expectations had been matched by their actual experience. Conclusions Medical students had started Year 1 with expectations about the educational environment that had not been met. However, areas showing dissonance received low item scores on the Actual DREEM and as such would be picked up for remediation, even without information about student expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Targeted screening for Type 2 diabetes has been proposed as a method of identifying people with, or at risk of, the disease in order to implement preventive care. To assess the changes in anxiety, well-being, and cognitions associated with screening for Type 2 diabetes in people at increased risk of diabetes after 1 year; and to identify potential predictors of increased anxiety and lower well being over this period. One-year follow up of a cohort of non-diabetic siblings of those with Type 2 diabetes registered with general practitioners in Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire who were identified for participation in a programme to undertake sib-pair genetic analysis. Potential families were selected through identification of people with Type 2 diabetes. Family members aged 35–74 years, who did not have diabetes and who were willing to participate in the study, completed measures before receiving the results of a fasting plasma glucose test, and 1 year later. Measures included the Spielberger State Anxiety Scale-short form (SSAI-SF), the Well-Being Questionnaire 12 item scale (WBQ-12), and measures of cognitions about developing diabetes. The Health Anxiety Inventory (HAI) was completed before receiving the results of the tests to assess its relationship with anxiety at 1 year. A cohort of 431 individuals was identified, of whom 328 (76%) returned fully completed WBQ scales both initially and at 1 year. State anxiety measured with the SSAI-SF fell from 34.5 (95% CI 33.4–35.6) to 32.3 (31.2–33.4) at 1 year ( P < 0.0001). Mean WBQ-12 scores rose (i.e. improved) from 26.8 (26.0–27.4) to 27.4 (26.7–28.1) ( P = 0.008). SSAI-SF and WBQ-12 mean scores over 1 year did not differ between participants receiving a normal or an at-risk test result. However, those receiving an at-risk test result were more likely, at 1 year, to consider themselves at increased likelihood of developing diabetes ( P < 0.001) and to report thinking about what it would be like to develop diabetes ( P = 0.006). A score in the upper tertile of the initial HAI was associated with an increased level of anxiety at 1 year (adjusted odds ratio 2.0, 95% CI 1.2–3.4, P = 0.006). There is no evidence that an ‘at-risk’ test result leads to sustained anxiety or reduced well being at 1 year compared with those receiving a normal test result. However, further studies are required to clarify levels of anxiety prior to screening to assess the overall impact of the process. Diabet. Med. **, ***–*** (2003) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scand J Caring Sci; 2003; 17; 358–364 Translating and validating the Finnish version of the Manchester Clinical Supervision Scale Evaluation research provides new perspectives for clinical supervision (CS), and international collaboration offers advantages to develop valid instruments for this purpose. Besides translation, an instrument developed and tested in another culture requires systematic validation. The study focuses on the translation process of the Manchester Clinical Supervision Scale for testing in Finland carried out collaboratively between the Universities of Tampere and Manchester. The instrument is a 45-item questionnaire with a Likert-type ( ) scale comprising seven sub-scales: trust and rapport, supervisor advice and support, improved care and skills, importance and value of CS, finding time, personal issues and reflection and total score. At first, a licensed translator translated the instrument into Finnish. A native British language teacher at the University language centre performed the blind back-translation into English. The translations were compared by both collaborative parties and by three experienced Finnish supervisors. A pilot sample (n = 182) was collected to test the translated instrument. In this sample Cronbach's alpha value for the total score was 0.9227 and in the sub-scales 0.6393–0.8838. The mean values in the sub-scales were 14.2–29.3, SDs 3.02–3.88 and modes 14.0–30.0. The British test sample had almost similar values. Translating an instrument into another language not only requires expertise in language, but also in practice. The cultural validation is the most important phase in the process that can be accomplished with pilot testing and statistical methods. However, further expert evaluation is required for the validity of the instrument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background All general practitioners (GPs) are expected to have an appraisal from 2002 and the first cohort will experience revalidation in 2005. Although there is a link between appraisal and revalidation, this has yet to be clarified. Objective To investigate the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of GPs towards revalidation and appraisal. Design Cross sectional survey. Setting Lincolnshire, UK. Participants General practitioners. Method In 2000 a self-administered postal questionnaire survey was sent to all 343 GP principals on the list of Lincolnshire Health Authority. The questionnaire consisted of 47 attitudinal statements on appraisal and revalidation. It also included open questions on concerns about appraisal and revalidation and questions on attributes of responders. Results Of the 343 GPs sent questionnaires, 272 (79%) replied. Lincolnshire GPs had more positive attitudes towards appraisal than towards revalidation. They welcomed appraisal provided that it had local ownership and took into account their views and concerns on the process. Other factors that correlated with a positive attitude towards appraisal included agreement that the purpose of appraisal is educational and that it should result in an agreed development plan. Those who had a positive view of appraisal were more likely to agree set objectives. Previous experience of appraisal either as an appraiser or appraisee was associated with a positive attitude towards appraisal. General practitioners who felt they had more control over the process tended to be more positive. General practitioners who were in favour of appraisal were also more likely to be in favour of revalidation and agree that appraisal formed part of the revalidation process. They were less likely to feel that there was a hidden agenda on the part of government and more likely to agree that revalidation would provide evidence of acceptable care being provided to patients. Time involved and lack of resources were the two main concerns. Conclusions A better understanding of knowledge, beliefs and attitudes towards appraisal will ultimately help in setting up a successful appraisal system for GPs. The current emphasis on appraisal as an educational tool will help to foster positive attitudes. The relationship between appraisal and revalidation needs to be clarified. Concerns relating to lack of time and resources for appraisal and revalidation need to be addressed by primary care organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionMost medical schools in the UK have been engaged in major curriculum reform based on their premises of what might improve undergraduate medical education. In 1994 the course at the medical school of the University of Manchester changed to an integrated course using problem-based learning throughout and with increased emphasis on community-based medical education. This study explores whether the new curriculum has produced any differences in perceptions of how well graduates are prepared for the role of pre-registration house officer. MethodsA postal questionnaire was used to survey 1998 Manchester graduates (traditional course) and 1999 Manchester graduates (new course), three months into their first pre-registration house officer placement. A similar questionnaire was sent to the educational supervisors who were supervising the graduates. The questionnaire was designed to measure perceptions of levels of preparedness for the role of pre-registration house officer, using a list of broad areas of competence and specific skills listed in the General Medical Council's `The New Doctor'.1 ResultsGraduates rated the new course significantly more effective for 12 of the 19 broad competences and eight of the 13 specific skills that were listed. The `new' graduates rated their understanding of disease processes lower than the `traditional' graduates, but there was no difference in the ratings given by the educational supervisors for this. Overall the educational supervisors rated the new course as better preparing graduates in five of the competences. ConclusionsOverall, the evaluation shows that a major change in curriculum approach has changed the profile of the perceived preparedness of graduates for entering professional practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives This study aims to explore pre-registration house officer (PRHO) perceptions of work role, job requirements and mental health, in order to enhance work role preparation by means of identifying potential areas for curriculum development. Design Phase 1 took place 6 weeks before completion of the pre-registration year. A total of 56 PRHOs completed questionnaires which included a diary of activities, recorded daily over a 2-week period (ward rounds, on-call, audit, administration, continuing medical education, etc.), items relating to perceived occupational control, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. In phase 2, in the final 2 weeks of the preregistration year, 36% (n=18) of phase 1 participants were randomly selected for interview. Setting Three hospitals in the North-west of England. Results The average working week was 56 h, with 10% working in excess of this figure. The average weekly proportion of time spent on organized continuing medical education was 5%. Routine administrative tasks took up one-fifth of PRHO time and were perceived as lacking in training or educational elements. Of the PRHOs, 52% (n=29) desired further advice/training on the technical and management aspects of the job. Additional training was required on topics such as chest drains, delegation and time management. PRHOs felt this should be given prior to commencement of the pre-registration year. In terms of mental health, 25% (n=14) were experiencing burnout. Occupational control was external; many individuals perceived events as often occurring outside individual control. Conclusions These findings have implications for the undergraduate curriculum and support General Medical Council recommendations for curriculum reform. It is suggested that organizational skills such as managing responsibility/delegation and additional training in practical procedures should be an integral part of the medical undergraduate curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study that was undertaken to find out the problems which children with asthma experience at school and at home. Patient interviews with 32 asthmatic children aged between 6 and 16 years using a semi-structured questionnaire were carried out in an inner city practice in Bristol. Twenty-three children experienced exercise-induced bronchospasm which particularly upset them at school. Eleven of 14 secondary schoolchildren said that not being able to participate in sport was the worst thing about having asthma. Every child in the study admitted to some aspect of home or school life being affected by having asthma. Apart from one primary school child, they viewed these issues negatively. The most striking aspect of this small study was the degree to which exercise induced asthma adversely affected children in the practice.

Presents the results of research determining the school pupils' attitude and perception on questionnaire research in Leicestershire, England. Leicestershire drug-use survey; Pupil perceptions of the questionnaire; Accuracy of responses and alternative forms of refusal; Questionnaire as `schoolwork'; Ethics and the need for voluntary participation in research.

A questionnaire survey of 251 British secondary school teachers was carried out based on a stratified random sample of secondary schools in a West Midlands education authority. The questionnaire aimed to determine the types and frequency of troublesome classroom behaviours. The results showed that 55% of teachers responding claimed that they spent too much time on problems of order and control. Two behaviours, 'talking out of turn' and 'hindering other children', were clearly identified by teachers as being the most problematic. The variables of sex of teacher, age group taught and subject area taught are also examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to provide an understanding of the contribution made by the design of hospital wards to the well-being of nurses at work a model is proposed for the structure of ward evaluations. Use is made of facet theory to generate the model. A questionnaire is developed on the basis of the model by combining elements of the facets to create the questions. The model also predicts a pattern of correlations between questionnaire items on the basis of the facet elements of which they are composed. The predicted structure contains a facet concerning levels of interaction, which is axial to two further facets. One of these, dealing with the objects of the nurses' interaction, plays a polarizing role, being modulated by the third facet which concerns whether the object being interacted with provides patient care and comfort directly or indirectly. Taken together the three facets provide the hypothesis of a cylindrex for nurses' evaluations. Clear empirical evidence for the cylindrex is provided as a result of a three dimensional smallest space analysis carried out on the responses given by 1921 nurses in 144 wards in 23 hospitals throughout England, to a 93 item questionnaire developed as the result of a series of three pilot questionnaires. The implications of the cylindrex for future research and the development of design proposals are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives For the last 10 years there has been an epidemic of hepatitis C virus ( HCV) infection in men who have sex with men ( MSM) in Europe, North America and Australia. The majority of those infected are also HIV-positive and it is unclear to what extent HIV-negative MSM are also at increased risk of infection with HCV. This study provides the first examination of the association between HIV and hepatitis C serostatus in a sample of MSM recruited in community settings. Methods A total of 1121 participants completed a short questionnaire in 2008/2009 giving demographic and behavioural data, and donated a sample of oral fluid that was subsequently tested for antibodies to selected pathogens ( HIV, syphilis and HCV). Results The seroprevalence of hepatitis C antibody was 2.1% [95% confidence interval ( CI) 1.4-3.2%]. It was more common in those with HIV infection [7.7% (95% CI 4.2-12.9%) vs. 1.2% (95% CI 0.6-2.1%) in those without HIV infection; P < 0.001], those with a history of syphilis [12.2% (95% CI 4.6-24.8%) vs. 1.7% (95% CI 1.0-2.6%) in those without such a history; P < 0.001] and those who reported casual unprotected anal intercourse in the previous year [4.1% (95% CI 2.0-7.4%) vs. 1.2% (95% CI 0.5-2.2%) in those who did not report such intercourse; P = 0.01]. There was no relationship between hepatitis C antibody (anti- HCV) status and other demographic variables (age, ethnicity, employment status or education). Conclusions The seroprevalence of anti- HCV in HIV-negative MSM (1.2%) was higher, but not significantly higher, than that in the general population (0.67%). The prevalence was significantly higher in those infected with HIV or with previous syphilis infection and in those reporting unprotected anal intercourse. Our findings support current British Association for Sexual Health and HIV guidelines recommending the provision of selective HCV testing in MSM according to individual risk profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a research note on attitudes to work and marriage of six hundred adolescent girls from one of the Home Counties, England and a county in the West of England. Their ages ranged from fourteen to seventeen years and the majority were due to leave their Modern, Technical or Grammar school during the following year. The study was carried out by a research group at Birkbeck College Department of Psychology in the Spring of 1956, assisted by a grant from the Nuffield Foundation and generated data based on the responses of the interviewees. The data was collected via two techniques, an autobiographical essay in which the children were asked to imagine that they were near the end of their lives and to write their life stories from the time they left school, and with the help of questionnaires concerned with occupational choices and expectations for the future.

A comparison is presented of the responses of 741 English children with those of 968 American children, all in their sixth school year, to a questionnaire in which they reported in some detail on the child-rearing practices employed by their fathers and mothers. Although there were many similarities in the reported patterns of parent behavior in the two cultures, there were also many significant differences in English and American child-rearing styles. A speculative analysis, with some research documentation, is presented concerning the consequences of these differences for child behavior in England and the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented which is concerned with the Hertfordshire cohort study, which investigated the link between close interpersonal relationships and the risk of frailty in older people.

Despite guidance from the World Health Organization and the U.K. Department of Health, many mothers introduce solid food before their infant is 6 months old. The current study aimed to investigate relationships between maternal feeding behaviours (preintroduction and postintroduction to solids), infant temperament, and the timing of introduction to solid food. Eighty‐one women were recruited on low‐risk maternity units and were contacted at 1 week, 3, and 6 months postpartum. Mothers of infants (45 males, 36 females, mean birth weight 3.52 kg [SD 0.39]) completed the behaviours component of the Infant Feeding Style Questionnaire via telephone interview at 3 months. At 6 months, they were observed feeding their infant solid food at home and reported infant temperament using the Infant Behaviour Questionnaire‐Revised (short form). Partial correlations (covariates: birth weight, maternal age, breastfeeding duration, and postnatal depression) revealed negative associations between age of introduction to solid food and temperament (smiling and laughter) and laissez‐faire milk feeding behaviours; and positive associations between age of introduction to solid food and restrictive milk feeding behaviours and verbal involvement during an observed mealtime. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that an infant's birth weight and the degree to which their mothers perceive them to smile and laugh are key predictors of when they will be introduced to solid food, over and above other variables of interest (e.g., maternal milk feeding behaviours, breastfeeding duration, and postnatal depression). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary There are often rules about who can use learning disability services., We used a questionnaire to ask clinical psychologists in the north-west of England about the rules where they work. We also asked them what psychologists do when it comes to deciding about who can use learning disability services., We found out that different places had some things in common in how they defined learning disabilities and how they decided who used services. However, there were also differences between different places., Differences between different areas can make it difficult for people with learning disabilities if they move., Summary Access to learning disability services in England is often governed by eligibility criteria. A semistructured questionnaire was completed by clinical psychologists in the north-west of England about service eligibility criteria and psychologists' role within the referral process to learning disability services. The survey highlighted both variations and similarities across the region in terms of definitions of learning disabilities, eligibility for accessing local services and the psychometric measures used to assess functioning. Differences in how services assess eligibility can lead to difficulties, for example when people move area. The use of standard eligibility criteria could be one means of overcoming this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]