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PubMed2004

Social environment determines the long-term effects of social defeat.

A single social defeat by a dominant conspecific induces long-term changes in several physiological and behavioral parameters in rats. These changes may represent an increased vulnerability to subsequent stress and stress-related pathology. Environmental factors, in particular possibilities for social interactions, could modulate these effects. Therefore, we assessed the influence of social environment on susceptibility for the long-term effects of social defeat. Socially housed males of an unselected strain of wild-type rats were equipped with radio-telemetry transmitters that recorded heart rate, temperature and activity. They were individually subjected to defeat and subsequently either housed alone or returned to their group. Behavioral and physiological responses to various novelty stressors were determined during a three-week period after the social defeat. Furthermore, changes in baseline behavior and physiology following defeat were studied in the rat's homecage. The results show a complex interaction between defeat and housing conditions. Depending on the parameters measured, effects were caused by both isolation alone, defeat alone or a combination of both defeat and isolation. Individual housing alone caused a characteristic hyperactive response to novelty stress. Though defeat did not affect behavioral responses, it amplified the physiological response to novelty and social housing did not attenuate this effect. However, social housing did reduce the effects of defeat on heart rate, temperature and activity in the home cage and completely prevented defeat-induced weight loss. Together these results indicate that social housing may indeed positively affect the animal's capacity to cope with stressors.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2004

Gender differences in the relationship of partner's social class to behavioural risk factors and social support in the Whitehall II study.

In most countries health inequality in women appears to be greater when their socio-economic position is measured according to the occupation of male partners or spouses than the women's own occupations. Very few studies show social gradients in men's health according to the occupation of their female partners. This paper aims to explore the reasons for the differences in social inequality in cardiovascular disease between men and women by analysing the associations between own or spouses (or partners) socio-economic position and a set of risk factors for prevalent chronic diseases. Study participants were married or cohabiting London based civil servants included in the Whitehall II study. Socio-economic position of study participants was measured according to civil service grade; socio-economic position of the spouses and partners according to the Registrar General's social class schema. Risk factors were smoking, diet, exercise, alcohol consumption, and measures of social support. In no case was risk factor exposure more affected by the socio-economic position of a female partner than that of a male study participant. Wives' social class membership made no difference at all to the likelihood that male Whitehall participants were smokers, or took little exercise. Female participants' exercise and particularly smoking habit was, in contrast, related to their spouse's social class independently of their own grade of employment. Diet quality was affected equally by the socio-economic position of both male and female partners. Unlike the behavioural risk factors, the degree of social support reported by women participants was in general not strongly negatively affected by their husband or partner being in a less advantaged social class. However, non-employment in the husband or partner was associated with relatively lower levels of positive, and higher negative social support, while men with non-working wives or partners were unaffected. Studying gender differences in health inequality highlights some of the problems in health inequality research more broadly. We are brought face to face with the fact that the development of conceptual models that can be applied consistently to aetiology in both men and women are still at an early stage of development. Closer attention is needed to the different processes behind material power and 'emotional power' within the household when investigating gender differences in health and risk factors.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Social influences on smoking cessation: a comparison of the effect of six social influence variables.

BACKGROUND: This study brings together the fragmentary knowledge on social influence factors related to smoking cessation. An inventory of social influence variables shows six social influence factors. With the exception of descriptive norm, most of these are rarely studied in the context of smoking cessation. METHODS: Regression analysis on the data of 2895 smokers was used to estimate the relative importance of social influence variables as predictors of intention. The moderating effect of quit history was studied by adding interaction terms to the regression analysis. RESULTS: The regression analysis shows that subjective norm and injunctive norm, that is, the social norms on what ought to be done, are more important than descriptive norms, that is, the perceived smoking and smoking cessation behavior of others. This holds especially for smokers whose past cessation attempts quickly failed. Most smokers think that it is acceptable to smoke in most social situations, but simultaneously think that other people approve it if they quit smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that health campaigns should incite social interaction to increase smokers' awareness of social norms on the proper behavior. Also, studies into smoking cessation should take account of the various social influence factors outlined in this study.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2002

The effect of situational structure on the social performance of socially anxious and non-anxious participants.

Twenty-six socially anxious and 24 low-anxious female undergraduate students were observed in brief unstructured and structured hetero-social interactions with a confederate. The unstructured interaction was a naturalistic interaction in which participants were observed surreptitiously. The structured interaction was a role-play in which participants were instructed to try and get to know as much as possible about their partner. Videotapes of the interactions were subsequently rated on subjective and objective measures of social skill. The results showed that high socially anxious females performed somewhat worse than low socially anxious females in both situations. However, this difference was far larger in the unstructured social situation and was relatively small in the structured social situation. It appears that socially anxious females do perform more poorly in social interactions than do low-anxious females, but a large component of this poor performance may be a result of avoidance rather than a lack of ability.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Factor structure of the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale and the Social Phobia Scale.

In the study of social anxiety, it is common to differentiate between social interaction versus performance anxiety. The Social Interaction Anxiety Scale was designed to assess social interaction anxiety, and the Social Phobia Scale to assess fear of scrutiny by others (Mattick and Clarke, 1989). In common use, these scales are typically administered together and treated as subscales of a larger measure. However, the joint factor structure of these instruments has never been examined; therefore, it is unclear whether or not the items on these scales actually represent distinct aspects of social anxiety. In the present study, a confirmatory factor analysis of the pooled items from the SIAS and SPS failed to adequately fit the data. An exploratory factor analysis yielded three factors: (1) interaction anxiety, (2) anxiety about being observed by others, and (3) fear that others will notice anxiety symptoms. However, hierarchical factor analysis suggested that these factors all load on a single higher-order factor, social anxiety. Relationships of the first-order factors to other measures of social and performance fear and avoidance are examined, and implications of our findings for the assessment of social phobia are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

[Social psychiatry in the field of contrasting context between psychiatry and Social Medicine].

OBJECTIVE: There has been a discussion going on that Social Psychiatry has entered a state of crisis in terms of its socio-scientific roots. Little is known, however, about its relationship to Social Medicine. The question is whether Social Psychiatry, having grown apart from Sociology, has also lost its scientific relation to Social Medicine. METHOD: A systematic literature analysis of all works published in "Psychiatrische Praxis" - PP and "Das Gesundheitswesen"--GHW in the years 2004/2005 was done. All works concerning Social Psychiatry were analysed. The same procedure was applied to all abstracts, posters and presentations for the annual meetings of the German Society of Social Medicine and Prevention (DGSMP). RESULTS: 10 % off all articles published in GHW and 97 % in PP address issues of Social Psychiatry. Apart from similarities in terms of their theoretical, practical and institutional background and the research methods applied, there are a number of differences. CONCLUSIONS: Social Psychiatry has not lost its scientific relation to Social Medicine, however, the scientific cooperation between the two needs to be intensified.

Community Psychiatry↗
PubMed2002

Social ties and change in social ties in relation to subsequent total and cause-specific mortality and coronary heart disease incidence in men.

The authors prospectively examined the effects of social ties and change in social ties, as measured by a well-known social network index, on total and cause-specific mortality and on coronary heart disease incidence in 28,369 US male health professionals aged 42-77 years in 1988. Over 10 years, the relative risk of total mortality for men in the lower two levels of social integration compared with more socially integrated men was 1.19 (95% confidence interval: 1.06, 1.34) after controlling for age, occupation, health behaviors, general physical condition, coronary risk factors, and dietary habits. In multivariate analysis, deaths from accidents and suicide and from other noncancer, noncardiovascular causes were significantly increased among less socially connected men. Socially isolated men also had an increased risk of fatal coronary heart disease (multivariate relative risk = 1.82, 95% confidence interval: 1.02, 3.23). An increase in the overall social network index between 1988 and 1996 was not significantly associated with subsequent 2-year mortality. In analyses of change in social network components restricted to older men, each categorical unit increase in number of close friends was significantly associated with a 29% decrease in risk of death. Increase in religious service attendance over time was also significantly predictive of decreased mortality.

Accidents↗
PubMed1981

Social supports, social networks, and schizophrenia.

This article considers the meaning of "social support" and its relationship to social networks, and discusses a structural approach to analysis of social connections in the study of schizophrenia. The concept of social supports is seen as methodologically more problematic and less strategic than the more structurally oriented concepts of social networks and social connections. It is argued that in terms of research strategy, if social connections are studied structurally as they change and develop over time, the impact of the specifically social processes can be better separated from that of the personal characteristics of the focal individual than seems possible with other approaches. Analysis of the properties of the networks around the focal individual, independently of that individual's own social behavior, can help to disentangle the interwoven complex of causes, characteristics, and consequences of schizophrenia.

Dependency, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The effect of a social support boosting intervention on stress, coping, and social support in caregivers of children with HIV/AIDS.

BACKGROUND: Caring for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected child is challenging and affects the entire family system. Studies have shown that social support can mitigate caregiver stress and enhance coping; however, social support may not always result in a positive outcome for the recipient. OBJECTIVES: To measure caregiver stress, coping, and social support, and to test the effect of a social support boosting intervention on levels of stress, coping, and social support among caregivers of children with HIV/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). METHODS: An experimental design was used with monthly social support boosting interventions implemented. The stratified randomized sample included 70 primary caregivers of children with HIV/AIDS. The sample strata were seropositive caregivers (biological parents) and seronegative caregivers (foster parents and extended family members). Study measures included the Derogatis Stress Profile, Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scale, and the Tilden Interpersonal Relationship Inventory. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and repeated measure MANOVA. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups were found on changes in the dependent variables over time when caregiver strata were included as a factor in the analysis; no statistically significant results were found when caregiver strata were combined. Univariate Ftests indicated that the level of social support for caregivers who were seronegative in the experimental group was significantly different from seronegative caregivers in the control group and seropositive caregivers in both groups. No significant treatment group differences were found for seropositive caregivers. CONCLUSIONS: Seronegative caregivers derived substantial benefit from the social support boosting intervention. Seronegative caregivers who acquire a child with HIV/AIDS are confronted with a complex stressful situation; the critical need to enhance their social support is achievable through the intervention tested in this study.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1995

Effects of social skills training and social milieu treatment on symptoms of schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: The study compared the effects of social skills training and social milieu treatment on symptoms of schizophrenia, particularly on negative symptoms. METHODS: Thirty-three patients aged 18 to 55 years with a diagnosis of schizophrenia were randomly assigned to a nine-week program of social skills training or social milieu treatment. Patients were assessed at three-, six-, and nine-week intervals during treatment and at follow-up using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), which measured both positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia and general psychopathology. RESULTS: Fifteen patients completed social skills training, and 13 completed social milieu treatment. Comparison of PANSS scores at different assessment times showed that both treatments were effective in reducing symptoms, but social skills training appeared to be more effective in reducing negative symptoms. No differences were found between treatment groups in relapse rates or in symptom measures at three-month follow-up. However, six-month follow-up data available only for the social skills training group showed that improvement in negative symptoms had begun to decline. CONCLUSIONS: Psychosocial approaches are a necessary component in the treatment of patients with schizophrenia, and social skills training appears to be particularly helpful. The gradual decline in improvement in negative symptoms at six-month follow-up suggests the need for more extended treatment.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2006

What you want (and do not want) affects what you see (and do not see): avoidance social goals and social events.

Two studies examined the influence of approach and avoidance social goals on memory for and evaluation of ambiguous social information. Study 1 found that individual differences in avoidance social goals were associated with greater memory of negative information, negatively biased interpretation of ambiguous social cues, and a more pessimistic evaluation of social actors. Study 2 experimentally manipulated social goals and found that individuals high in avoidance social motivation remembered more negative information and expressed more dislike for a stranger in the avoidance condition than in the approach condition. Results suggest that avoidance social goals are associated with emphasizing potential threats when making sense of the social environment.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Social networks, social support, and survival after breast cancer diagnosis.

PURPOSE: We prospectively examined social ties and survival after breast cancer diagnosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Participants included 2,835 women from the Nurses' Health Study who were diagnosed with stages 1 to 4 breast cancer between 1992 and 2002. Of these women, 224 deaths (107 of these related to breast cancer) accrued to the year 2004. Social networks were assessed in 1992, 1996, and 2000 with the Berkman-Syme Social Networks Index. Social support was assessed in 1992 and 2000 as the presence and availability of a confidant. Cox proportional hazards models were used in prospective analyses of social networks and support, both before and following diagnosis, and subsequent survival. RESULTS: In multivariate-adjusted analyses, women who were socially isolated before diagnosis had a subsequent 66% increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR = 1.66; 95% CI, 1.04 to 2.65) and a two-fold increased risk of breast cancer mortality (HR = 2.14; 95% CI, 1.11 to 4.12) compared with women who were socially integrated. Women without close relatives (HR = 2.65; 95% CI, 1.03 to 6.82), friends (HR = 4.06; 95% CI, 1.40 to 11.75), or living children (HR = 5.62; 95% CI, 1.20 to 26.46) had elevated risks of breast cancer mortality and of all-cause mortality compared with those with the most social ties. Neither participation in religious or community activities nor having a confidant was related to outcomes. Effect estimates were similar in analyses of postdiagnosis networks. CONCLUSION: Socially isolated women had an elevated risk of mortality after a diagnosis of breast cancer, likely because of a lack of access to care, specifically beneficial caregiving from friends, relatives, and adult children.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Perceptions of social work intervention with bereaved clients: some implications for hospital social work practice.

The study focussed on social work bereavement intervention in a large Australian teaching hospital comparing client and social work perceptions of the service provided. The study involved the completion of a series of questionnaires and client interviews over a three month period. A combination of content and statistical analysis was used to interpret the findings. Eighty-eight percent of clients contacted indicated satisfaction with the social work service received. The results indicated a positive match between clients' and social workers' perceptions of the intervention, and affirmed the role of social work in bereavement care. Seventy percent of clients made recommendations regarding potential improvements to social work services. These recommendations contained four specific suggestions: that social workers be present when the doctor breaks bad news; that additional support be provided in how to talk to doctors; that social workers be involved from the point of admission of the patient; and that a primary social worker remain with the family throughout the hospital stay.

Australia↗
PubMed2005

The relationship between social anxiety and social support in adolescents: a test of competing causal models.

This study compared the strength of competing causal models in explaining the relationship between perceived support, enacted support, and social anxiety in adolescents. The social causation hypothesis postulates that social support causes social anxiety, whereas the social selection hypothesis postulates that social anxiety causes social support. The reciprocal model combines the two hypotheses by arguing that the causal relationship between social support and social anxiety is largely reciprocal. This study tests a modification of the reciprocal model by specifying perceptions of support as a mediating construct. Two waves of data with an interval of three months were collected on 357 college students. Structural equation modeling was used to compare the reciprocal and mediated reciprocal causal models. The study found some support for the mediated reciprocal model, but the magnitude of the relationships were weaker than expected. Limitations and suggestion for future research are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Social insurance and the delivery of social services in France.

An outline of the organization of the French social insurance and the social service delivery system is given. It is shown that the social insurance system, more so than in most other welfare states, strongly reflects various class and occupational interests. Therefore, it is also more prone to conflict along class lines, while other countries' social insurance systems tend to blurr class conflict. In addition, problems due to demographic shifts and economic changes are discussed and the populations affected, particularly the aged, identified. Some of the government's strategies to ameliorate the financial problems of the social insurance system are mentioned. The social service delivery system is found to suffer from bureaucratization and inefficiency. In order to correct this and to improve the quality of services, France has begun to decentralize the social service delivery system. There is little evidence, though, that decentralization, as presently practiced, is able to significantly improve the appropriateness of social services and increase the efficiency with which they are delivered. On the contrary, the political forces opposed to an elaborate welfare state tend to be strengthened. No doubt, the aged would also be affected by such political changes.

France↗
PubMed1997

[Aggressiveness and social status in the class social structure].

Both aggressive behavior and an outsider position in the peer group can be regarded as risk factors for the social development and long-term adjustment of children. The aim of the present investigation was to analyze the influence of these two factors on the social experiences of students in secondary school. The presence of aggressive behavior was determined by means of peer ratings and self-ratings. Classroom climate, i.e. the quality of the sense of community in a class, was considered as a modifying factor. In a first step, from 96 classes in the first and third grades of secondary school two extreme groups of 24 classes each were formed on the basis of student evaluations of the cohesion in the class and the frequency of aggressive arguments between students. At this time the students also rated other aspects of their social experiences at school. In a second step, sociometric data were obtained in the selected classes on the most liked and least liked classmates and on certain behaviors to determine the social position of the students in their peer group and their involvement in aggressive arguments. The social experiences attitudes and values of the students were highly correlated with the frequency of their involvement in aggressive arguments. There were some marked discrepancies between peer ratings and self-ratings of behavior, but both types of rating appear to have some clinical relevance. Beside the social status in the peer group the classroom climate had considerable impact on the social experiences of aggressive children. In addition, there were indications that the classroom climate plays a role in the social status of aggressive students in the class.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Profile of a large sample of patients with social phobia: comparison between generalized and specific social phobia.

This study examines a large cohort of subjects with social phobia, as part of a larger naturalistic and longitudinal study of 711 subjects with anxiety disorders. We focused on 176 subjects who were in an episode of social phobia at intake. We were particularly interested in evaluating the diagnostic distinction between generalized and specific social phobia. We compared these two groups along demographic characteristics, comorbidities, psychosocial functioning (health, role functioning, social functioning, and emotional functioning) and global assessment scores. We found that generalized social phobics tended to have an earlier age of onset as compared to the specific group; however, this is not a statistically significant difference at this level of analysis. The two groups did not differ for the current comorbidities examined. We observed no differences in the treatment received by the two types of social phobia subjects, and the two groups functioned equally well in terms of health and fulfilling social roles. In addition, we examined adverse childhood events (i.e., death of a parent, childhood abuse) and found no evidence for any differential impact these events might have on the type of social phobia. Although we did observe significantly greater fear of public speaking among the specific compared to the generalized group, which may indicate a qualitative difference between the subtypes, our results suggest that for most parameters, generalized and specific social phobia represent a continuum of similar and overlapping entities.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Life conditions and health behavior of socially disadvantaged women: implications of an action-theoretic model of social structure for health research].

To operationalize social status epidemiology of social inequalities in health uses uncompounded indices, as school and job education, income and occupational status. Social epidemiology describes social inequalities from a more comprehensive perspective, including indicators of social status as well as subjective attitudes and behavior. Examples of a study on smoking in women indicate a broader framework of the relation between social indicators and healthy lifestyles. Action oriented theory of social inequalities substantiate restrictions of this epidemiological approach. Social analysis should focus on lifestyles and behavioral resources to reach overall life targets. An example of a qualitative study on health behavior in women prove the impact of this sociological theory for public health research. Health behavior of women from the lower SES is developed and improved in life history. It can be described as the capability to reach life targets regarding to health and social conditions.

Adult↗