Methodological errors are cited in a study of predictive utility for screening tests designed to identify high risk preschool children. (CL)

Item content of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) was modified to make it more appropriate for young persons. The resulting test was found to have lower internal consistency than the adult MAST, but the elimination of five items with comparatively poor psychometric properties yielded an acceptable alpha coefficient. (Contains 10…

Considers effects of informing individuals of their antibody status as determined by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibody testing. Reviews research examining changes in psychological distress and in behaviors associated with HIV infections among individuals who have undergone antibody testing. Identifies methodological issues in studying…

Dry-chemistry cholesterol analysis has made screening feasible in a variety of settings. The article provides practical tips for the implementation of mass cholesterol screening using a portable dry-chemistry analyzer and discusses issues involved in conducting effective cholesterol screening programs from start to finish. (SM)

Evaluated efficacy of four state nursing home preadmission screening instruments. Data from three community-based services demonstration experiments indicated that more restrictive screens tended to have lower sensitivity but higher specificity and to generate higher proportion of false negative decisions than more liberal screens. Overall rates…

Studied diagnostic efficiency of trait version of Depression Adjective Check Lists (DACL) in two-phase investigation that involved two psychiatric patient samples (n=308 and n=67). Cutting scores developed on first sample were cross-validated successfully on second sample. DACL compared favorably in diagnostic efficiency with Beck Depression…

Examines the medical, psychosocial, and ethical considerations concerning presymptomatic genetic testing in evaluating children for adoption. Offers an ethical framework for rejecting such a practice. (JPB)

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a rare cause of death among athletes, with deaths occurring in young, apparently healthy people. Differentiating HCM from conditioning hypertrophy is challenging. Routine detection involves family history, physical examination, electrocardiography, and echocardiography. Keys to differential diagnosis include…

Analyzed lipid profiles in 1,088 college students at a university where lipid profiles were available to students in selected health/wellness courses. Mean total cholesterol levels were similar for men and women, but men had significantly lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol than women. About 11…

Hope is a "poster child" for false rejections on teacher candidate screening tests. High-stakes screening tests fail to differentiate between inept and disadvantaged populations. Hope represents a significant, virtually invisible population that is often unfairly rejected for teacher candidacy.

Sequential testing is applied to reduce costs in SP-based tests (OSCEs). Initially, all candidates take a screening test consisting of a part of the OSCE. Candidates who fail the screen sit the complete test, whereas those who pass the screen are qualified as a pass of the complete test. The procedure may result in a reduction of testing…

Among the provisions of the recently signed Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, Congress called for the use of screening to detect adolescents who are at risk for suicide. After a review of the literature, 17 studies involving screening instruments and programs were identified. We addressed the question: What do we know about the demonstrated…

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…

Background: Surprizingly little is known about the use of modal auxiliaries by children with specific language impairment (SLI). These forms fall within the category of grammatical morphology, an area of morphosyntax that is purportedly very weak in children with SLI. Aims: Three studies were conducted to examine the use of modal auxiliaries by…

To examine the convergent and discriminant validity of the scales on the Spanish version of the Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning-Third Edition (DIAL-3), exploratory factor analysis is performed on data from 648 children who are native speakers of Spanish and who attend Head Start. Three factors, labeled "Verbal…