This study is consistent with previous studies that have identified a relationship between medical or psychiatric co-morbidity and suicide in seniors. In addition, new and potentially useful information confirms that certain types and dosages of benzodiazepines are harmful to seniors and their use should be avoided.

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors related to patients' adherence to prescribed medications and recommended lifestyle changes. Two hundred and ninety-eight adults from a northern Canadian community filled out a questionnaire. Several intriguing findings emerged: (a) Adherence to lifestyle changes and participants' age presented a U-shape relationship; (b) Those who perceived themselves to be in poor health were less likely than those in good health to adhere to lifestyle changes; (c) Barriers such as the severe winter weather, lack of transportation, and cost of medications contributed negatively to adherence; and (d) If doctors provided sufficient information on the benefits and use of the prescribed medications and the proposed lifestyle changes and if patients reported trusting their doctors, they tended to adhere more. Physicians can play an important role in promoting adherence among patients. Community health workers should make efforts in reducing barriers that interfere with patient adherence.

The objectives of this study were to examine patterns of resident-patient communication and the relationship between resident patterns of speech with patient satisfaction. Forty consultations, ten in each of the four gender combinations (male resident/male patient, male resident/female patient, female resident/female patient, female resident/male patient) were audiotaped and microanalyzed using the Roter Interaction Analysis System. Several findings depart significantly from previous studies with physician-only or physician-resident-mixed samples. First, the average length of the 40 consultations was 19.5 minutes, 11.3 minutes longer than consultations in a physician-only sample drawn in the same clinic previously. Second, male residents engaged in twice as much psychosocial talk as female residents and conducted longer consultations. Third, residents asked 80% of the total questions while patients asked 20% of the questions. Previous studies with physician-only or physician-resident-mixed samples reported that physicians ask 89-99% of the total questions. Finally, patients' overall satisfaction and communication satisfaction were negatively correlated with residents' positive talk, which constitutes 31% of a given resident's total utterances. In the study conducted in the same clinic with a physician-only sample, physician positive talk was 26% and physician positive talk was not correlated with patient satisfaction. Is this a signal that residents should reduce the amount of positive talk? Apparently more studies with resident-only samples are needed to answer this and other unanswered questions in the field to offer directives to resident training.

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to examine interruption patterns between residents and patients as well as the correlations between three categories of interruptions and patient satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach-A total of 40 resident/patient consultations in a Canadian clinic were audiotaped, transcribed and analyzed for intrusive, cooperative and unsuccessful interruptions. Findings-Residents made significantly more interruptions than patients, especially in the categories of intrusive interruptions. These findings provide support for situated identity theory. High correlations were found between residents and patients on all three categories of interruptions, providing unequivocal support for communication accommodation theory. Patient satisfaction was negatively correlated with residents' intrusive interruptions and positively correlated with residents' cooperative interruptions. Patient satisfaction was higher among patients those who inserted more cooperative interruptions; to increase patient satisfaction, it is necessary to raise patient participation in the medical consultation. In comparison with healthier patients, sicker patients were interrupted more frequently and were less satisfied with the way they were treated. Originality/value-The negative correlations between residents' intrusive interruption and patient satisfaction, as well as the positive correlation between patient satisfaction and residents' cooperative interruption provides evidence that patients' perception of the medical consultation is shaped by the nature of interruptions.

To examine whether cultural differences exist in defining family, friend, relative, colleague and neighbour, nonstudent samples were drawn from Canada, China and India. The data generated several unexpected findings. (i) The means of the relationship definitions between the Chinese and Canadians were not significantly different. The means between the Chinese and Indians were significantly different. The means between the Canadians and Indians were significantly different. (ii) Females defined their relationships more interdependently than males in the Indian and Canadian samples but not in the Chinese sample. (iii) Definitions were target specific and the order of closeness differed from group to group. (iv) In the Indian and Chinese samples, participants' age was negatively correlated with closeness in defining friends, indicating that a person's perceived closeness with friends changes over the life span. Results of past research using student samples need to be interpreted with caution.