Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Socialization”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 469 records · Page 26Linked to original sources

Social circuits: peptidergic regulation of mammalian social behavior.

Mammals have developed patterns of social relationships that enhance the survival of individuals and maximize the reproductive success of species. Although social stimuli and social responses are highly complex, recent studies are providing substantial insights into their neural substrates. Neural pathways employing the nonapeptides vasopressin and oxytocin play a particularly prominent role both in social recognition and the expression of appropriate social responses. New insights into social neuroscience are discussed, along with the relevance of this rapidly developing field to human relationships and disease processes.

Animals↗

Serotonergic response to social stress and artificial social sign stimuli during paired interactions between male Anolis carolinensis.

Serotonergic activity is influenced by social status and manipulation of social signals. In the lizard Anolis carolinensis, eyespot formation, i.e. darkening of postorbital skin from green to black, appears during stressful and agonistic situations, forming first in males that become dominant. To assess the effect of eyespots on central serotonergic activity during social interaction, males were paired by weight and painted postorbitally with green or black paint. Manipulation of eyespot color influenced social interactions and status. All males that viewed an opponent with black painted eyespots became subordinate. In these subordinate animals, serotonergic activity was elevated in hippocampus, striatum, nucleus accumbens and locus ceruleus. In contrast, males that viewed opponents with hidden eyespots (painted green) and became dominant had increased serotonergic activity in hypothalamus, medial amygdala and raphé. Pre-painted eyespots produced results that distinguish dominant and subordinate relationships based on serotonergic activity not previously seen in unmanipulated pairs. Results from experiments using pairs are similar to those using mirrors for medial amygdala and locus ceruleus, but not hippocampus, nucleus accumbens or raphé. Decreased hypothalamic serotonin was associated with increased aggressive behavior. These results, when compared with previous studies, suggest some flexibility in central serotonergic systems, which may shape dominant and subordinate rank acquisition, and appear to be influenced by the completion of social role formation. Furthermore, social status and central serotonergic activity was influenced by a visual cue, the presence or absence of postorbital eyespots on an opponent.

Aggression↗

Social phobia viewed as a problem in social functioning: a pilot study of group behavioral treatment.

Available treatments of social phobia reduce anxiety and avoidance of social situations. Social functioning however, remains relatively unaffected. This study piloted a behavioral group treatment that aimed at improving patients' individual difficulties in social functioning. Five patients fulfilling DSM-IV criteria for social phobia were selected for treatment by a 16-session behavioral group treatment focusing on improving interpersonal functioning both in specific phobic situations as well as in different spheres of social life in general. Four out of 5 patients completed treatment and showed individual patterns of clinically significant improvement. Their individual test-score results and case-histories are presented. Three patients no longer fulfilled to the diagnostic criteria at the end of treatment; the fourth--at 6 month follow-up. This was maintained at a 2 year follow-up.

Adult↗

Framing social information and generalized social phobia.

Patients with generalized social phobia (GSP, N = 33) and matched community controls (N = 31) engaged in a social interaction that was constructed to go well, and then received feedback that framed social cues reflecting either the absence of negative outcomes or the presence of positive outcomes. Following feedback that framed positive social cues, the GSP group predicted they would experience more anxiety in a subsequent interaction than did non-phobic controls. In contrast, following feedback framing the absence of negative outcomes, the GSP group did not differ from controls in their anxiety predictions. The results demonstrated that framing paradigms and methods can be usefully applied to the study of cognitive processes in social phobia and indicated that research to examine how GSP patients process specific types of social information is needed.

Adult↗

[Education and occupational social class: their relationship as indicators of socio-economic position to study social inequalities in health using health interview surveys].

AIM: To analyse the relationship between social class based on occupation and level of education in the study of social inequalities in health and use of health services. DESSIGN: Cross-sectional study (health interview survey). SETTING: General population of the city of Cornellà de Llobregat (Spain). PARTICIPANTS: Representative sample of subjects aged 14 years old or over (1043 men and 1101 women) who personally answered the questionnaire. MEASUREMENTS: We analyse the association between social class and level of studies and different independent variables (self-perceived health, smoking, medical visits) by means of logistic regression. RESULTS: The proportion of men who declare their self-perceived health as poor is higher among those who have low education (45.4%) than among those who have primary education level or higher (25.9%). The prevalence of smoking shows a similar pattern (54.2% versus 41.5%), with a gradient effect, which is statistically non-significant. However, these differences are no longer evident if social class is used to group the individuals. No clear association is observed between the use of health services and socio economic level. CONCLUSIONS: We need to use several indicators of socioeconomic position to evaluate social inequalities In this disadvantaged population, level of education seems to be a good indicator to study social inequalities in health.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗

Social anxiety and drinking in college students: a social cognitive theory analysis.

Evidence is reviewed that indicates that social anxiety is a significant motivation for drinking among college students. Although the link between social anxiety and alcohol consumption has been studied from a variety of perspectives, there has been little integration of data. Drawing from the alcohol and anxiety literature, the relationship between social anxiety and heavy drinking in college students is examined. Findings indicate a clear relationship between social anxiety and drinking that may be moderated by alcohol expectancies and self-efficacy beliefs specific to socially anxious situations. A social cognitive model is proposed to guide future research and intervention efforts. A better understanding of college students' reasons for drinking offers the possibility of improving prevention and treatment efforts designed to reduce excessive drinking.

Adult↗

Social networks, social support, personal empowerment, and the adaptation of psychiatric consumers/survivors: path analytic models.

In this paper, we examine the relationships between social network characteristics, personal empowerment, social support, and adaptation of psychiatric consumer/survivors. Using path model analyses, we found that: (1) personal empowerment had statistically significant direct effects on positive affect, meaningful activity, and negative affect; (2) positive social support mediated the relationship between the proportion of women in consumer/survivors' networks and positive affect and meaningful activity; and (3) negative social interaction mediated the relationship between consumer/survivors' gender and negative affect. The results point out the importance of gender effects in social support processes, the differential association between type of social interaction (positive vs negative) and adaptation indices (positive vs negative), and the importance of personal empowerment for consumer/survivors' adaptation. We discuss the findings in terms of their implications for further research and community-based housing programmes for psychiatric consumer/survivors.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

The effects of social interactive training on early social communicative skills of children with autism.

Growing attention has been directed at the relation between early social communicative skills of children with autism and subsequent development of these children's social and communicative functioning. We reviewed 16 empirical studies that investigated the effects of social interactive interventions designed to increase early social communicative skills of young children with autism by increasing their role as initiator of social interactions. To identify factors relating to treatment effectiveness, we analyzed studies in relation to participant characteristics, settings, target behaviors, training methods, and results. To determine durability of treatment, we analyzed generalization effects across persons, settings, stimuli, and time. Increases were found for social and affective behaviors, nonverbal and verbal communication, eye contact, joint attention, and imitative play. Limited generalization or maintenance of target behaviors was reported. Findings are discussed in relation to critical variables that may relate to treatment effectiveness in future research and practice efforts.

Autistic Disorder↗

Affective and social-behavioral correlates of physical and social anhedonia in schizophrenia.

The association between scales measuring physical and social anhedonia, self-reports of affective response to emotion-eliciting films, and role play measures of social skill was evaluated in patients with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar affective disorder. We hypothesized that patients with schizophrenia would report significantly greater anhedonia than the bipolar patients and that higher scores on the anhedonia scales would be related to attenuated reports of the experience of positive affect and poorer social skill. Patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder did not differ in ratings of anhedonia, but both groups had higher physical and social anhedonia scores than did bipolar patients. Higher scores on the physical anhedonia scale, but not the social anhedonia scale, were related to attenuated reports of positive affect following viewing of affect-eliciting films in schizophrenia-schizoaffective disorder patients. Neither anhedonia scale was related to role play measures of social skill performance for any patient group.

Adolescent↗

Covariation bias for ambiguous social stimuli in generalized social phobia.

The authors investigated whether the negative interpretation bias in generalized social phobia (GSP) reflects and is maintained by illusory correlations. Participants were exposed to descriptions of ambiguous social events, situations involving fear-relevant animals and nature scenes that were randomly paired with negative, positive, or neutral emotional facial expressions. Prior to the experiment, the GSP participants overestimated the contingency social situations-negative outcome, whereas the controls judged negative outcomes as least likely. A posteriori, the GSP participants exhibited an illusory correlation specifically between social cues and negative outcomes. During the experiment, only the controls showed distorted outcome predictions for social situations. Hence, illusory correlations--possibly resulting from acquired associations between social cues and negative consequences--may contribute to a negative interpretation bias in GSP.

Adult↗

Social information-processing skills training to promote social competence and prevent aggressive behavior in the third grades.

This article describes a school-based study designed to promote social competence and reduce aggressive behavior by strengthening children's skills in processing social information and regulating emotions. Three successive cohorts of 3rd graders (N = 548) from 2 schools participated. In 2000-2001, children received a routine health curriculum; in 2001-2002, students received the Making Choices: Social Problem Solving Skills for Children (MC) program; and in 2002-2003, children received MC supplemented with teacher and parent activities. Compared with children in the routine condition, children in both MC conditions were rated lower on posttest social and overt aggression and higher on social competence. Moreover, they scored significantly higher on an information-processing skills posttest. The findings suggest that prevention programs can strengthen social- emotional skills and produce changes in aggressive behavior.

Aggression↗

Peptide effects on social behavior: effects of vasotocin and isotocin on social approach behavior in male goldfish (Carassius auratus).

The authors measured the effects of centrally infused peptides on social approach behaviors in goldfish (Carassius auratus), a social teleost. Vasotocin (VT) inhibited approach responses toward the visual stimuli of conspecifics in the absence of aggressive or sexual olfactory contextual cues in males, and a V1 receptor antagonist stimulated such responses, at least in males that were not highly social in baseline conditions, as did isotocin (IT). In the absence of social stimuli, VT did not affect activity, therefore indicating that the inhibition was not the result of nonspecific effects on arousal or motor functioning. These experiments indicate that VT and IT induce opposite effects on social approach responses in male goldfish and that endogenous VT, at least, is associated with levels of sociality.

Animals↗

Attachment in individuals with social anxiety disorder: the relationship among adult attachment styles, social anxiety, and depression.

Despite their apparent implications for social functioning, adult attachment styles have never been specifically explored among persons with social anxiety disorder. In the current study, a cluster analysis of the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (N. L. Collins, 1996) revealed that 118 patients with social anxiety were best represented by anxious and secure attachment style clusters. Members of the anxious attachment cluster exhibited more severe social anxiety and avoidance, greater depression, greater impairment, and lower life satisfaction than members of the secure attachment cluster. This pattern was replicated in a separate sample of 56 patients and compared with the pattern found in 36 control participants. Social anxiety mediated the association between attachment insecurity and depression. Findings are discussed in the context of their relevance to the etiology, maintenance, and cognitive-behavioral treatment of social anxiety disorder.

Adult↗

Across the health-social care divide: elderly people as active users of health care and social care.

Several ways in which elderly people may assume an active role when using welfare services are discussed here. Selected findings are presented from a study that explored the experience and behaviour of elderly people on discharge from inpatient care with regard to criteria indicating user influence or control (namely participation, representation, access, choice, information and redress). Data were collected via semistructured interviews with service users (n = 30) soon after their return home from hospital. A number of differences were revealed between health care and social care in relation to users being provided with opportunities to assume an active role and in being willing and able to assume an active role. These differences were manifest in elderly service users accessing services, seeking information, exercising choice and acting independently of service providers. It appeared paradoxical that contact points were more easily defined with regard to health care yet users were more likely to exercise choice and act independently in securing social care. It is suggested that social care needs and appropriate service delivery are more easily recognised than making the link between perceived health care needs and appropriate services. In addition, it appeared that informal and private providers are more widely available and accessible for social care. If comprehensive continuing care is to be provided, incorporating both health and social care elements, greater uniformity appears to be required across the welfare sector. Lessons for social care provision from the delivery of health care suggest the clear definition of contact points to facilitate service use. Making health care more accessible, however, does not appear to be easily attainable due to the monopoly provision of health care and the lack of direct purchasing power by potential users.

Aged↗

Social network, social support and the rate of decline of CD4 lymphocytes in asymptomatic HIV-positive homosexual men.

AIMS: To test a stress-disease hypothesis by investigating the influence of social network and social support factors on the course over time of the CD4 lymphocytes in an HIV-positive population of gay men. METHODS: The study is a prospective cohort study of a representative population of HIV-positive gay men, undertaken at the Department of Infectious Diseases, Malmö University Hospital. This is the only clinic providing care for HIV-positive individuals in the city of Malmö in southern Sweden (population 248,000). A total of 115 HIV-positive homosexual men, who had not received an AIDS diagnosis, were invited to take part in the study. Seventy-five men (65%) accepted to be interviewed and 64 men (56%) fulfilled the inclusion criteria for the statistical analysis. RESULTS: In a multivariate analysis adjustments were made for age, level of the first CD4 count and time since first contact with the clinic. Men with high family contact frequency had a longer half-life (20.3 years) of the CD4 lymphocyte count than men with a low family contact frequency (7.4 years) (p = 0.03). Men with high social participation also had a longer half-life of CD4 lymphocyte count (14.7 years), compared with men with low social participation (6.3 years, p = 0.10). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study imply the importance of social support and social network factors as modifiers of the rate of decline of the CD4 lymphocyte level, which is an important prognostic marker of survival in HIV-positive homosexual men.

Adult↗

The changing scene of social work in hospitals: a report of a national study by the Society for Social Work Administrators in Health Care and NASW.

The Society for Social Work Administrators in Health Care and NASW collaborated on a national study of the changes affecting social work services in a sample of 340 hospitals drawn from the member list of the American Hospital Association. The findings suggest that the changes affecting social work need to be viewed within the context of the dramatic changes occurring in the hospital and health care field. Although social work departments are experiencing decreases, these decreases often are not occurring at the same rate as those within the hospital overall. Growth is occurring in the types and scope of services. Social work is not being singled out for change, but it is critical that these trends continue to be monitored and proactive strategies used to enhance social work viability within a changing hospital environment.

Administrative Personnel↗

Social class and coronary disease in rural population of north India. The Indian Social Class and Heart Survey.

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate the association of socio-economic status with prevalence of coronary artery disease and coronary risk factors. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional survey in two randomly selected villages in the Moradabad district in North India. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: One thousand seven hundred and sixty-seven subjects (894 males and 875 females; 25-64 years of age) were randomly selected from two villages. They were divided into social classes 1 to 4, according to education, occupation, housing conditions, ownership of land, ownership of consumer durables and per capita income. The survey was based on questionnaires administered by dietitians and physicians, physical examination and electrocardiography. RESULTS: Social classes 1 and 2 were mainly high and middle socio-economic groups and 3 and 4 low income groups. The prevalence of coronary artery disease was significantly higher among classes 1 and 2 in both sexes, and there was a higher prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia, hypertension, and sedentary lifestyle. This population also showed a significant association with higher serum cholesterol, body mass index, triglycerides and blood pressures. Logistic regression analysis with adjustment for age showed that social class positively related to coronary disease (odds ratio: men 0.83, women 0.61), hypercholesterolaemia (men 0.85, women 0.87), hypertension (men 0.89, women 0.87), body mass index (men 0.91, women 0.93) and smoking in men (0.68). Smoking and sedentary lifestyle were not associated with social class in women. The association between coronary artery disease and social class abated after adjustment for smoking, sedentary lifestyle, body mass index and blood pressure (odds ratio: men 0.96, women 0.81). CONCLUSION: Subjects in social classes 1 and 2 in rural North India have a higher prevalence of coronary artery disease and of the coronary risk factors hypercholesterolaemia, hypertension, higher body mass index and sedentary lifestyle. The overall prevalence of coronary artery disease was 3.3%.

Adult↗

Effect of a changing health care environment on social work leaders: obstacles and opportunities in hospital social work.

The health care system is undergoing dramatic change in auspice, structure, and services delivery in response to an emphasis on market-driven, cost-containment strategies. Consequently, many hospital social work directors either have lost some of their administrative responsibilities or have expanded their span of control beyond social work services. This article examines the responses of social work administrators to the breadth of changes occurring throughout their hospitals; the major accomplishments of social work services within their facilities; and the failures, frustrations, and obstacles in the delivery of social work services. As a result of examining the relationship between their actual and anticipated behavior and changes in the hospital and external environment, the authors found that social work leaders in hospitals understand the complexities and challenges of the world around them. Overall, they have exhibited commitment, competence, and confidence in shaping organizational change.

Hospital Administrators↗