Little research has been done in developing countries on the emotional impact experienced by families who have a child diagnosed with leukemia. This preliminary study looked at parents in Mexico who had to cope with their child's leukemia in the face of meager financial and social resources. The 51 children in the study were under 15 years and being treated for leukemia in hospitals affiliated with the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) where their parents were interviewed using a questionnaire to ascertain their emotional responses to the illness. The data are analyzed and reported in five domains: perceived illness; psychological impact; coping strategies; family relationships; socio-economic impact. A strengthening of family bonds was found the most common response (82.4%). The second most common responses were concern for the expenses incurred by the illness and the time dedicated to caring for the sick child (both 78.4%). It is especially important to assess families with meager social and financial resources as to their emotional responses to life-threatening illness because these limitations impose greater burdens and make coping more difficult. Psychosocial interventions are key to ensuring adequate treatment of the child in these circumstances.

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The objective of this study was to evaluate nurses' perceptions of communication between doctors and patients with cancer, AIDS and rheumatoid arthritis. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 741 nurses in 12 hospitals. Nurses received a self-questionnaire that included questions on personal value and attitudes. The answers were used in constructing affective variables (religious beliefs, attitude towards death, paternalism). The prevalence of explicit communication in 'nurse perception of doctor-patient communication' in the case of cancer was 4.5%, with AIDS 30%, and with rheumatoid arthritis 41.8%. When the value of communication was evaluated, it became evident that the likelihood of a nurse perceiving explicit communication in reference to a diagnosis of cancer was 6.5 time greater when communication was considered to be of greater value (CI 95% 2.6-6.6). For nurses who accept the possibility of death, the likelihood of perceiving explicit communication in the case of AIDs was 7.4 times greater than for nurses who deny this possibility (CI 95% 3.7-14.7), and when nurses displayed a deeply religious attitude, the likelihood of perceiving explicit communication was 80% greater than for nurses without this attitude (CI 95% 1.1-2.9). Nurses participate actively in the process of attending to patients with cancer and other disabling illnesses. Thus, there is a need for health professionals who provide compassionate attention, which will improve the various interrelationships between nurses and patients.

Euthanasia has become the subject of ethical and political debate in many countries including Mexico. Since many physicians are deeply concerned about euthanasia, due to their crucial participation in its decision and implementation, it is important to know the psychological meaning that the term 'euthanasia' has for them, as well as their attitudes toward this practice. This study explores psychological meaning and attitudes toward euthanasia in 546 Mexican subjects, either medical students or physicians, who were divided into three groups: a) beginning students, b) advanced students, and c) physicians. We used the semantic networks technique, which analyzed the words the participants associated with the term 'euthanasia'. Positive psychological meaning, as well as positive attitudes, prevailed among advanced students and physicians when defining euthanasia, whereas both positive and negative psychological meaning together with more ambivalent attitudes toward euthanasia predominated in beginning students. The findings are discussed in the context of a current debate on a bill proposing active euthanasia in Mexico City.

Introducción: muchas personas tienen en el trasplante de órganos su única alternativa para lograr sobrevivir con una buena calidad de vida. Sin embargo, existe una gran escasez de órganos para trasplantes, y México posee una de las tasas más bajas de donación. El personal de medicina y de enfermería está en contacto con los familiares de los posibles donadores y son personas clave para facilitar el proceso de donación de órganos post mortem. El objetivo de este estudio fue explorar el conocimiento y las actitudes hacia la donación de órganos en estudiantes mexicanos de medicina y enfermería. Materiales y métodos: trescientos ochenta y cuatro estudiantes contestaron dos cuestionarios: uno sobre conocimientos y otro sobre actitudes hacia la donación de órganos. Resultados: los participantes mostraron un nivel de conocimiento inadecuado, especialmente los estudiantes de enfermería. Muchos de ellos creían que es posible recuperarse de la muerte cerebral. La mayoría de los estudiantes creen erroneamente que hay un límite de edad para donar y que las religiones que prevalecen en México se oponen a la donación de órganos. Hubo una correlación negativa entre conocimientos y actitudes desfavorables hacia la donación de órganos. Conclusiones: es necesario revisar los programas de estudio, a fin de asegurar que los futu- ros profesionales de la salud estén adecuadamente preparados para promover la donación y reducir la escasez de órganos.

Mistrust and poor education are problems that urgently need to be addressed in order to increase acceptance of organ donation and transplantation.

Resumen: El objetivo de este estudio fue explorar las actitudes hacia el aborto inducido en jóvenes mexicanos, y su relación con el hecho de considerar o no al aborto inseguro un problema de salud pública. Los resultados se compararon de acuerdo al sexo, edad, religión y disciplina de los participantes. La muestra estuvo integrada por 411 estudiantes universitarios, quienes contestaron el cuestionario sobre actitudes hacia el aborto y un cuestionario sobre aborto inseguro. Los participantes mostraron actitudes más favorables que condenatorias hacia el aborto inducido. En general, reconocieron que el aborto inseguro constituye un riesgo para la salud, pero no están seguros que su legislación ayude a resolver esta situación. Los hombres y los participantes religiosos (católicos u otra religión derivada del cristianismo) tuvieron actitudes más condenatorias hacia el aborto inducido que sus pares, y fueron los que menos consideran que legalizar el aborto pueda disminuir los problemas de salud que ocasiona el aborto inseguro. No hubo diferencias relacionadas con la edad de los participantes, ni con su disciplina. Un hallazgo preocupante fue el poco interés de los jóvenes en el tema de la legalización del aborto.

Recruiting MSM in a developing country such as Mexico presented multiple challenges. We recommend that future studies actively engage the local MSM community and pay special attention to designing recruitment strategies that guarantee the confidentiality of and respect for participants.