Comments on Brandow's ?ideology, myth, and reality: Sex equality in Israel?

The role of psychological variables in a group of melanoma patients. An Israeli sample

This study examined whether there is a difference in the psychological distress and/or coping modes of patients with early localized malignant melanoma. The authors compared the patients diagnosed at stages IA and B of the disease with those diagnosed at stages IIA and B. The population consisted of 100 melanoma patients who agreed to take part in a study of adjustment to chronic disease. The patients were individually interviewed at home and completed six self-reports. Three of the reports assessed psychological outcome, two assessed coping, and one assessed support systems. No substantial differences were found between the patients treated at stages I and II on any of the psychological measures, despite the fact that those with greatest thickness and depth (stage IIB) are at higher risk of recurrence. The women showed greater distress than the men, confirming earlier observations made in patients with colon cancer.

Characteristics of Israeli Women Studying Nursing Compared to Women Studying Education and Engineering

This study examined the demographic characteristics, vocational personality, and sex-role orientation of Israeli women studying nursing compared to women studying education and engineering. The convenience sample was 176 university students. The instrument included a demographic inventory, Holland's Self-Directed Search (SDS) questionnaire, and the Sex-Role Orientation Attitude questionnaire. Nursing and education students had Holland's "social" personality types and engineering students were more "realistic" or "investigative". Nursing and engineering students were significantly more feminist in their orientation than education majors. Nursing students were nontraditional women who had traditional family backgrounds, yet were nontraditional in their feminist orientation. With nursing's move into colleges and universities, the need for academically qualified applicants has intensified. Developing a better understanding of the unique nature of nursing and nursing students is a challenge.