Information and wildlife valuation: Experiments and policy

The authors use experimental surveys to investigate the association between individuals' knowledge of particular wildlife species and their stated willingness to allocate funds to conserve each. The nature of variations in these allocations between species (e.g., their dispersion) as participants' knowledge increases is examined. Factors influencing these changes are suggested. Willingness-to-pay allocations are found not to measure the economic value of species, but are shown to be policy relevant. The results indicate that poorly known species, e.g., in remote areas, may obtain relatively less conservation support than they deserve.

Erectile dysfunction in general medicine practice: prevalence and clinical correlates

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common problem in general medical practice affecting especially the elderly and those with cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus, A study was undertaken by questionnaire distributed to consecutive adult male attendees at 62 general medical practices. 1240 completed questionnaires were available for analysis. The mean age of participants was 56.4 y (range 18 - 91 y). 488 men (39.4%) reported ED: 119 (9.6%) 'occasionally', 110 (8.9%) 'often', and 231 (18.6%) 'all the time' (complete ED). Among 707 men aged 40-69 y 240 (33.9%) reported ED and 84 (11.9%) had complete ED. The prevalence of complete ED increased with age, rising from 2.0% in the 40-49 y age group to 44.9% in the 70-79 y age group. Only 11.6% of men with ED had received treatment. Hypertension, ischaemic heart disease, peripheral vascular disease and diabetes mellitus were frequently associated with ED. 40% of diabetic men aged 60 y or older had ED all the time.

A longitudinal study of employee adaptation to organizational change: The role of change-related information and change-related self-efficacy

This study examined the role of information, efficacy, and 3 stressors in predicting adjustment to organizational change. Participants were 589 government employees undergoing an 18-month process of regionalization. To examine if the predictor variables had long-term effects on adjustment, the authors assessed psychological well-being, client engagement, and job satisfaction again at a 2-year follow-up. At Time 1, there was evidence to suggest that information was indirectly related to psychological well-being, client engagement, and job satisfaction, via its positive relationship to efficacy. There also was evidence to suggest that efficacy was related to reduced stress appraisals, thereby heightening client engagement. Last, there was consistent support for the stress-buffering role of Time I self-efficacy in the prediction of Time 2 job satisfaction.

Posttraumatic stress disorder and general psychopathology in children and adolescents following a wildfire disaster

Objective: To report on the use of the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index (PTSD-RI) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in identifying children and adolescents who may require psychological interventions following exposure to a wildfire disaster. Method: Six months after a wildfire disaster, we conducted a school-based program to screen for wildfire-related events, such as exposure to and perception of threat, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and general psychopathology. Results: The screening battery was completed by 222 children (mean age 12.5 years, SD 2.48; range 8 to 18 years). Severe or very severe PTSD was reported by 9.0% of students, while 22.6% scored in the abnormal range on the Emotional Symptoms subscale of the SDQ. Younger children and individuals with greater exposure to and perception of threat experienced higher levels of PTSD and general psychopathology. Female students reported a greater perception of threat but did not report higher levels of PTSD or other symptoms. Conclusions: Screening was well received by students, parents, and staff and proved feasible in the postdisaster environment. The PTSD-RI and SDQ demonstrated different individual risk associations and functioned as complementary measures within the screening battery. The identification of children at greatest risk of mental health morbidity enabled service providers to selectively target limited mental health resources.