Swinburne Research Bankhttp://researchbank.swinburne.edu.au Currie, M. R., Cunningham, E. G., Findlay, B. M. (2004). The short internalized homonegativity scale: examination of the factorial structure of a new measure of internalized homophobia AbstractThe purpose of the study was to develop a short measure of internalized homophobia (IH), one that reflected contemporary attitudes toward homosexuality and included items designed to assess the domain of sexual comfort with gay men, a domain which has been notably absent from other measures of IH. The Short Internalized Homonegativity Scale (SIHS) was informed by Ross and Rosser's (1996) Reactions to Homosexuality Scale (RHS) and the contention that currently available measures of IH were outdated in their assessment of the construct and/or failed to assess its covert manifestations. A geographically diverse sample of gay men completed an online questionnaire (N = 1305) and the 677 respondents from the USA formed the sample for the study. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a single higher-order construct of IH comprising the lower order factors of Public Identification as Gay, Sexual Comfort with Gay Men, and Social Comfort with Gay Men.

The number of personal relationships occurring via the Internet is increasing as more people gain access to it. Many of these relationships are romantic in nature, and evidence is accumulating that they have the potential to have an adverse effect on existing face-to-face relationships. This study explored the formation of romantic relationships on their Internet, their nature, and their possible impact on existing marital or de facto relationships in a sample of 75 adults (mean age 42 years, SD = 11.1 years) who responded to an online survey of individuals involved in extradyadic relationships on the Internet. Respondents reported a variety of means of contacting their online partner. More females than males communicated with them daily. Most respondents knew what their partner looked like, most had contacted them by telephone, and a third had met them. Most reported more satisfaction with their online relationship than with their face-to-face one, though few said that it was more important to them than their primary relationship. Although only a quarter of the sample admitted that their online relationship had affected their primary one, those participants reported concealing the truth about the time or nature of their activities, that everyday tasks did not get done, and that levels of sexual intimacy with their primary partner had dropped. The nature of these and other problems suggests that therapists should be aware of the potential for Internet relationships to seriously affect face-to-face relationships.

The diagnosis of PTSD does not appear to capture all aspects of the distress of FEP. Traumagenic distress appears explained by incorporating a range of negative emotions, viewing the impact of FEP as ongoing rather than contained to the acute episode, and recognizes disruption of the individual's views of the self, others and the world.

Traditionally, surgical trainees have acquired their technical skills whilst working in the operating theatre alongside more senior surgeons in an apprenticeship model. Recently, changes in surgical practice have challenged this traditional approach, including reduced working hours, decreased availability of operating theatre time, increased cost of operating theatre time and increasing complexity of surgical procedures. Most importantly, public opinion is increasingly resistant to having patients used as teaching material. Moving forward in the 21st century, we need to develop a new model of technical skills acquisition. Surgical simulation offers a means of practicing surgical skills in a laboratory environment with no risk to patients. Simulators range from simple bench models, which are relatively inexpensive, to high tech virtual reality simulators. The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland has developed a syllabus for operative surgery which is based on simulation and all trainees attend the National Surgical Training Centre on a regular recurrent basis, six times each year, for concentrated skills training. Simulation allows the standardisation of teaching technical skills and, most importantly, standardisation of assessment of technical skills. Furthermore, simulation offers trainees "permission to make mistakes" -a valuable learning exercise. Our trainees are assessed in the laboratory setting and must demonstrate proficiency before moving to the next stage of training (proficiency based progression). Simulation has played a key role in this process. PurposeAttaining procedural competence requires a combination of specific cognitive and psychomotor skills. The Multimedia Clinical Skills Trainer (MCST, GoVirtual Medical Ltd) is software program that integrates text, anatomy, video and simulation for teaching a range of procedures. The purpose of this study was to determine the face, content and construct validity of MCST for laparoscopic appendicectomy (LA). MethodologyThe study was supported by the RACS. Basic surgical trainees (BST) in NZ were recruited and randomized into a control group and an intervention group. The latter received MCST for ad libitum use on their personal computers. Participant received three questionnaires: at the start of the study to determine demographics, at 2 weeks to assess knowledge and problem solving ability, and at four months to assess operative confidence and usefulness of MCST. ResultsFifty-eight BST's were randomized. The first questionnaire was returned by 46% of participants, and third questionnaire by 44%. The intervention group scored more highly than the control group in the second questionnaire (14.69/20 vs 13.48/20). This difference was more apparent for first year BST's (14.93/20 vs 12.13/20, p = 0.04). Operative confidence was similar at four months for the two groups. First year BST's scored MCST more highly for its usefulness (5.2/7 vs 3.7/7, p = 0.04). ConclusionsMCST has face, content and construct validity for BST's learning LA, is a useful pre-learning t...

Female surgeons, surgeons that work in smaller hospitals, those that work more than 60 h per week, and those with practice division between the private and public sectors, are at a particularly high risk of burnout. Further enquiry into potentially remediable causes for the increased burnout in these groups is indicated.