Diversity in the American States: Updating the Sullivan Index

The index of socioeconomic and cultural diversity among theAmerican states formulated by John L. Sullivan for 1960 is recreatedfor 1980. Comparisons are made between the index for the twotime periods, and changes among the states are examined overtime. Significant differences continue to exist between northernand southern states, mainly because of cultural rather thansocioeconomic factors. The diversity index remains a relativelypowerful predictor of policy variation among the states and,as such, might be considered as a substitute for geographicregion in comparative state policy research.     

Differentiating specialists and generalists within college students' social support networks

In order to examine the relationships among social network structure, types of social support, and determinants of support satisfaction, an alternative method was used to score the Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ). Factor analysis procedures suggested that college students' (N=198) social networks consisted of four groups: nuclear family, other family, friends, and others. Satisfaction with support was positively related to the proportion of the network occupied by nuclear family and negatively related to the proportion of friends in the network. Evidence was found for the presence of both support specialists and support generalists in the networks of the college students. These results are discussed from a developmental perspective with attention to the implications for interventions.     

Dimensions of the self-concept: A source of further distinctions in the nature of self-consciousness

This study distinguished between forms of self-consciousness (private self-consciousness and social anxiety) and investigated the effect of self-esteem, vulnerability to criticism, and the tendency to fantasize on each. Utilizing a sample of adolescents (age 12 to 19 years), a structural equation analysis using unobserved variables revealed that, as expected, vulnerability to others' criticism heightened both private self-consciousness and social anxiety. In contrast, the tendency to fantasize in everyday life increased only private self-consciousness, and low self-esteem led directly only to increased social anxiety. Further, results showed that self-esteem had an appreciable indirect effect on both private self-consciousness and social anxiety, as mediated by vulnerability and the tendency to fantasize, indicating that the effect of self-esteem (a primary motivator) was more complex than an analysis of direct effects would indicate. Implications for our understanding of self-consciousness and the self-concept are discussed.My deepest thanks go to Morris Rosenberg, whose insights into the self-concept were indispensable, both in conceptualization and in analysis. I also thank John A. Fleishman and Edward Z. Dager for their constructive comments on early drafts of this article. Any errors remaining are my responsibility.This study was supported by NIMH Grant R01 MH27747-06 awarded to Morris Rosenberg. The data were analyzed using the facilities of the Computer Science Center, University of Maryland, College Park.Professor Elliott received his Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. His current major interest is in the structure of the self-concept.     

US: hospital negligent for failing to warn prior patient of risk of HIV infection by transfusion

The Supreme Court of Tennessee has ruled that a university hospital was negligent for not contacting patients who had received blood transfusions in the early 1980s to advise them of the risk of HIV infection. In Amos v Vanderbilt University, it awarded US$4.3 million in damages to the estate and family of a woman who died eight years after receiving HIV-tainted blood during surgery.     

Court dismisses appeal for right to assisted suicide

On 29 November 2001, the Ontario Court of Appeal issued a lengthy decision overturning a lower-court judgment in favour of three hemophiliacs infected with HIV in 1985 through contaminated blood-factor concentrate. The joint decision in the three cases of Robb, Rintoul, and Farrow is the latest decision in litigation dating back to 1992. The plaintiffs alleged negligence by the Canadian Red Cross Society and the Canadian government for delays in introducing heat-treated concentrate after the risks posed by unheated product were known.     

Tax Court allows tax credit for herbs and vitamins, not for massage

In August 2001, the Tax Court of Canada issued its most recent judgment on the tax deductability of expenses for complementary/alternative therapies. The decision in Pagnotta v Canada is significant for people with HIV/AIDS who use such therapies. It also illustrates how provincial and federal laws regulating health-care practitioners and natural health products have a financial impact on the cost of accessing treatment.