A review of 29 evaluative studies published through 1987 reveals that no clear link has yet been established between participants' satisfaction and such other important outcomes for caregivers as improving coping skills, preventing psychological disturbances, increasing caregiver support systems, or improving caregivers' ability to care for themselves.
Participants in both professionally led and peer-led groups experienced significant improvements in psychological functioning, increases in informal support networks, and positive personal changes in handling of the caregiving role when compared with control participants. Professionally led groups produced the greatest improvement in psychological functioning, and peer-led groups produced the greatest increases in informal support networks.
The present incestigation was concerned with the effect of using profanity in a communication on receiver attitude change and speaker credibility ratings. Results of the investigation found no support for the superiority of a persuasive communication using profanity of a religious, excretory, or sexual nature over the same communication devoid of such profanity. I t was found, however, that if one of the above three types of profanity is included in a communication, greater attitude change can be expected to occur if the communicator is a female using any one of the three profanitytypes mentioned than if the communicator is a male using the .same types of profanity. Finally, it was found that using profanity in a communication generally has a detrimental effect on the perceived credibility of the communicator.The use of profanity as a rhetorical strategy in communication has increased demonstrably in the past few years, particularly among various radical and minority groups in our society. Cameron (1969), for example, reports that in a large sample of everyday speech every fourteenth word contained some type of profanity. The increased pervasiveness of this form of linguistic expression suggests its apparent importance in contemporary society, and invites the communication scholar to study its effects in human interaction.That we know very little about the effect of profanity in communicative discourse is evidenced by the paucity of research in this area, very little of which helps to answer the questions concerning first the purpose for which profanity is used, and secondly, the effectiveness of this type of language in a communication situation. One question then that invites attention is, why people choose to include profanity in their discourse, and secondly, what effect, if any, can we expect the use of profane and obscene language to have on the message recipient in terms of his understanding of the message and/or the persuasiveness of the communication.
A comparison of peer led and professionally led support groups for caregivers of frail older persons living in the community demonstrates that both types of groups are effective. Findings reveal that it was the opportunity to ventilate pent-up feelings and emotions, the validation of caregiving experiences, the affirmation of coping abilities, the encouragement for continuing to provide care and cope with the situation, the exploration of alternative caregiving arrangements, the mutual support, and the mutual sharing of information about community resources and coping strategies that appeared to be the most helpful therapeutic ingredients of both types of groups. The greater attention to problem solving work and the learning of specific coping skills in the professionally led groups was not reflected in differential outcomes in the two support group conditions.
Participants in two types of professionally‐led groups and one peer‐led group reported significant changes in personal problems related to caregiving as compared to controls. No significant changes were found on measures of psychological status and caregiving burden.
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