French lay Persons' judgments of the possibility of a heart attack when experiencing various physical manifestations.

Background: The aim of the study was to characterize the different ways in which, based on certain physical manifestations that an individual suddenly experiences, people judge the possibility that these manifestations indicate the onset of a heart attack. Methods: One hundred ninety-four French adults--plus six physicians--were presented with a set of realistic vignettes composed by orthogonally crossing the levels of four factors: the type of pain felt, and the presence or absence of nausea, excess sweating, and of difficulty breathing. Results: Four qualitatively different reactions were found among the lay people. The majority reaction (54%) was close to the physicians' reaction. It consisted of suspecting a heart attack as soon as intense pain occurs in the chest or back. The second reaction (25%) retained from the first one only the idea that a heart attack should be suspected if the pain is localized to the chest. The third reaction (14%) reflected some people's uncertainty in the face of disturbing manifestations that they find difficult to interpret. The fourth reaction (7%) was that no set of symptoms could mean, for them, the onset of a heart attack. Conclusion: Only about half of the participants appeared to be able to consider unpleasant physical manifestations as a whole and integrate that information into an overall warning judgment that can lead into prompt life-saving actions. We recommend that judgment training on warning symptoms and signs be performed, especially for high-risk patients, in the offices of primary care providers and specialists.

Why people in Benin are reluctant to undergo amputations? A systematic inventory of motives.

We made an inventory of the reasons for inhabitants of Benin are reluctant to undergo the amputation of a limb. A robust six-factor structure of motives was found: Change in Appearance, Lack of Information, Fear of Hospitals and Medical Staff, Loss of Others' Consideration and Affection, Denial of Necessity, and Spiritual and Religious Concerns. The first three motives were the most strongly endorsed. To improve people's timely acceptance, it is important to attack the main emotional-motivational barriers by using artificial limbs imitating real ones, by providing complete information on post-operative care and rehabilitation, and by strengthening family support.

Is it Acceptable for a Psychologist to Break A Young Client's Confidentiality? Comparing Latin American (Chilean) and Western European (French) Viewpoints / ¿Es aceptable para un psicólogo romper la confidencialidad de un joven cliente? Una comparación entre las perspectivas latinoamericana (chilena) y europea occidental (francesa)

En el presente estudio, fueron examinadas y comparadas las perspectivas de adultos chilenos y franceses respecto a la ruptura de la confidencialidad, frente al tema del consumo de drogas ilícitas. A 12 psicólogos chilenos, 143 adultos chilenos, y 100 adultos franceses se les presentó una serie de 64 viñetas, en las cuales un psicólogo conversa con su joven cliente que presenta consumo de drogas. Estas viñetas fueron compuestas de acuerdo a un diseño factorial de 6 factores intra-sujeto: la edad del cliente, la peligrosidad de la droga, el tiempo que lleva consumiendo la droga, si el cliente está de acuerdo en recibir tratamiento para la adicción, la estabilidad de su familia y si el psicólogo consulta a un experto antes de informar a la familia. Los resultados evidenciaron cuatro tipo de posiciones diferentes: "Nunca aceptable" (20%), "Siempre aceptable" (27%), "Principalmente dependiendo de la edad del cliente" (20%), y "Principalmente dependiendo del tipo de problemas familiares" (33%). Un alto porcentaje de participantes chilenos expresaron la perspectiva llamada "nunca aceptable", en comparación a los participantes franceses, y un alto porcentaje de participantes franceses expresaron la perspectiva "dependiendo de la edad del cliente", comparado con los participantes chilenos. Los participantes chilenos expresaron posiciones que son generalmente compatibles con el código de ética chileno.

The views of Chilean and French adults concerning breaking confidentiality about illicit drug consumption were examined and compared. Twelve Chilean psychologists, 143 Chilean adults, and 100 French adults were presented with a series of 64 vignettes of a psychologist told by her young client that he is using illicit drugs. They were composed according to a six within-subject factor design: client's age, dangerousness of the drug, duration of drug consumption, whether he agreed to be treated for addiction, stability of his family, and whether the psychologist consulted an expert before informing the family. Four qualitatively different personal positions were found, called Never acceptable (20% of the participants), Always acceptable (27%), Mainly depends on client's age (20%), and Mainly depends on family problems (33%). A larger percentage of Chileans expressed the never acceptable view compared to French lay people, and a larger percentage of French expressed the mainly depends on client's age view, compared to Chilean lay people. Chilean psychologists infrequently endorsed positions that are not fully compatible with the Chilean code of ethics.

The acceptability of physician-assisted suicide as a function of circumstances: a preliminary study of Turkish students’ views

The views of young Turkish people on the acceptability of physician-assisted suicide (PAS) in the case of patients suffering from intractable pain or in a state of complete dependence were examined. Ninety-nine participants aged 18-25 were presented with scenarios depicting different situations in which a patient, who suffered from an illness that left her in a state of complete dependence or in a state of severe physical pain, requestedfor a life-ending procedure. In these scenarios age, curability of the disease and whether or not the patient actually requested PAS were furthermore manipulated. Participants were asked to indicate the extent to which PAS would be an acceptable procedure in each scenario. A relative majority of participants (31%) expressed the view that, irrespective of circumstances, PAS was never acceptable. A substantial minority of participants (27%) expressed the view that PAS was practically always acceptable under the circumstances described in the scenarios (unbearable physical pain or complete dependence). A smaller minority of participants (17%) expressed the view that PAS is acceptable under the condition that the suffering patient repeatedly requests it, and another minority (24%) expressed the view that PAS is acceptable under the condition that the patient is old (i.e., 85 years) (AU)

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