Why patients want to take or refuse to take antibiotics: an inventory of motives.

BACKGROUND: Inappropriate use of antibiotics is a worldwide issue. In order to help public health institutions and each particular physician to change patterns of consumption among patients, it is important to understand better the reasons why people accept to take or refuse to take the antibiotic drugs. This study explored the motives people give for taking or refusing to take antibiotics. METHODS: Four hundred eighteen adults filled out a 60-item questionnaire that consisted of assertions referring to reasons for which the person had taken antibiotics in the past and a 70-item questionnaire that listed reasons for which the person had sometimes refused to take antibiotics. RESULTS: A six-factor structure of motives to take antibiotics was found: Appropriate Prescription, Protective Device, Enjoyment (antibiotics as a quick fix allowing someone to go out), Others' Pressure, Work Imperative, and Personal Autonomy. A four-factor structure of motives not to take antibiotics was found: Secondary Gain (through prolonged illness), Bacterial Resistance, Self-defense (the body is able to defend itself) and Lack of trust. Scores on these factors were related to participants' demographics and previous experience with antibiotics. CONCLUSION: Although people are generally willing to follow their physician's prescription of antibiotics, a notable proportion of them report adopting behaviors that are beneficial to micro-organisms and, as a result, potentially detrimental to humans.

Conceptualizations of forgiveness: a Latin America-Western Europe Comparison / Concepciones de perdón: una comparación entre Latinoamérica y Europa Occidental

Se examinaron las concepciones de perdón en dos muestras de participantes latinoamericanos y europeos. En ambas se encontró la misma estructura básica de cuatro factores de las concepciones: cambio de idea, proceso más que diádico, fomento del arrepentimiento y comportamiento inmoral. Los latinoamericanos estuvieron más de acuerdo con la idea de que se puede extender el perdón a personas desconocidas o fallecidas, y que el perdón se puede ofrecer de parte de familiares fallecidos. En ambas muestras se encontraron desacuerdos sustanciales sobre la naturaleza psicológica del perdón(un cambio de idea), y una gran proporción de participantes estuvieron en desacuerdo con la idea de que puede fomentar el arrepentimiento del agresor. Sin embargo, la mayoría de participantes compartieron la idea de que el perdón no es inmoral. Se recomienda definir con precisión el concepto de perdón antes de introducirlo en contextos terapéuticos y no terapéuticos,y no esperar que todo el mundo concuerde con la definición.

Conceptualizations of forgiveness were examined in two samples of Latin American and Western European participants. In both samples the same basic four-factor structure of conceptualizations was found: Change of Heart, More than Dyadic Process, Encourages Repentance, and Immoral Behavior. Latin Americans agreed more than Western Europeans with the idea that forgiveness is extensible to unknown or deceased people, thus it can be offered on behalf of deceased relatives. In both samples, substantial disagreements were found about the psychological nature of forgiveness(a change of heart), and a large proportion of participants disagreed with the idea that it may encourage the offender’s repentance. However, most participants, agreed with the basic idea that forgiveness is not immoral. It is thus recommended, to precisely define the concept of forgiveness before introducing it in therapeutic (and non-therapeutic) settings, and not to expect that everyone would agree with the proposed definition.