Data on the mean and median age of first admissions to residential facilities for mentally retarded people 1953-1978, and on the percentage of all first admissions entering residential facilities between ages 0-19, reveals a trend toward older first admissions beginning with 1970. (Author/CL)

The study was designed to modify the stair climbing behavior of two profoundly retarded residents through backward shaping with graduated guidance, edible rewards, a correction procedure, and a 30 second timeout. Both residents showed an increase in the number of correct steps used while ascending the stairs.

Overall use of drugs was high, with the largest percentage of clients taking major tranquilizers (21.2 percent), followed closely by those taking anticonvulsants (20.4 percent). The data suggest a decrease over the years in the use of major tranquilizers in residential institutions for the retarded. (Author/DLS)

Examined special nursing home units for patients with Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type using published and unpublished reports, as well as policy manuals, and personal observations. Identified critical dimensions on which these units can differ. Discusses heterogeneity of these units. (Author/ABL)

Nurses (N=30) employed in nursing homes were trained as Geriatric Nurse Practitioners and then implemented their new clinical roles as direct employees of the original facility. Results showed the nurses, their directors, and administrators perceived the nurses as having positive effects on resident outcomes, but described difficulties in…

Reviewed 19 studies of psychotropic drug use for residents of long-term care facilities, published between 1978 and 1990. Compared each study in terms of sample, research design, and findings. Found that substantial proportion of nursing home residents took psychotropic drugs on regular, long-term basis; usage was accompanied by prescribing and…

Determined item difficulties for 10 Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised subtests for psychiatric inpatients (n=150). Spearman correlation coefficients between psychiatric inpatient and standardized group rank orders were large and significant across all subtests except Object Assembly, which demonstrated expected trend of increasing item…

This study examines the average reliability of Hare Psychopathy Checklists (PCLs) adapted for use in samples of youthful offenders (aged 12 to 21 years). Two forms of reliability are examined: 18 alpha estimates of internal consistency and 18 intraclass correlation (two or more raters) estimates of interrater reliability. The results, an average…

Rate of suggestions under an intervention package consisting of standardized suggestion forms and publicly posted responses was compared with its baseline (i.e., no suggestion form or public posting) frequency. Consistent with Quilitch's (1978) findings among employee participants, the rate of suggestions was greater under the intervention…

Mental health professionals conducting screenings in jail settings face formidable challenges in identifying inmates at risk for major depression and suicide. Psychologists often rely on correctional staff to provide initial appraisals of those inmates requiring further evaluation. In a sample of 100 jail detainees, the effectiveness of two…

Counselors pride themselves on their developmental focus; however, they have generally only applied phasic theories to counseling practice and have not incorporated constructive "stage" theories into clinical work. This article begins to rectify that lack by explicating the relevance of Kegan's subject-object theory for counseling practice, by…

Prior event-based research regarding the relationship between alcohol and violence suffers from important limitations, including the absence of a comparison group, an inappropriate comparison group, or a comparison group that could be considered appropriate but does not control for potential confounders. To overcome such limitations, we use a…

Objective: Little has been written about teaching consultation-liaison inpatient psychotherapy to residents or other trainees. Method: Resident interviews at completion of consultation-liaison training identified learning needs. In response, the authors created a seminar series and modified it reiteratively eight times. Results: In this approach,…

A taxometric analysis of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) is conducted on a group of 409 male maximum-, medium-, and minimum-security federal prison inmates using the four PCL-R facet scores (interpersonal, affective, impulsive lifestyle, and antisocial behavior) as indicators. Results obtained from three quasi-independent taxometric…

Over-representation of people with learning disability in prisons has been demonstrated in many Western jurisdictions. This was the first comprehensive research in a UK prison. The research used a random 10% sample of a prison population (n = 140). A semi-structured interview, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III (UK version) and the Vineland…