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PubMed1997

Social environment and prognosis of colorectal cancer patients: a French population-based study.

Colorectal cancer is a major public health problem in industrialised countries. Several studies have shown that social environment influences survival in cancer patients in many countries, but the causes remain unknown. In France, very little work has been done in this area. Our aim was to assess whether social environment influences survival of colorectal cancer patients in a well-defined French population and, if so, to what extent this could be explained by differences in stage at diagnosis or in treatment. The study population consisted of 1,642 colorectal cancer patients diagnosed between 1978 and 1987 in the French department of Calvados. Socio-demographic characteristics were assessed in terms of socio-professional category, place of residence (urban vs. rural) and distance from the place of residence to a specialised health-care centre. The relation between social environment, clinical factors and survival was studied using 2 multivariate methods (Cox model and relative survival method). Patients with poorer prognosis were found to be farmers of both sexes and individuals without occupation among males. Differences in survival were not explained entirely even when variations in stage at diagnosis and in treatment were taken into account.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed2002

Social environment, life challenge, and health among the elderly in Taiwan.

We use an ongoing longitudinal survey of elderly Taiwanese to examine the linkages among health, the social environment, and exposure to life challenge. Data from three waves of the survey provide measures of social hierarchy, social connection, life challenge, and health outcomes. On the basis of multinomial and binomial logistic models, we explore the effects of social factors and challenge on being unhealthy or deceased at follow-up. The estimates indicate that poor health status at follow-up is associated with (1) low socioeconomic status, not having any living children, limited networks of friends, and low participation in social activities; and (2) three life challenges-chronic financial problems, excessive demands placed by close relatives and friends, and having a spouse in poor health. Respondents facing several challenges or having multiple negative attributes in their social environment are especially likely to be unhealthy at follow-up, although negative attributes appear to be counteracted by positive ones. Many findings from Western societies extend to this Taiwanese population. However, some aspects of social connection and challenge hypothesized to affect health fail to reveal a significant association. The analysis identifies differences between men and women in the effects of specific challenges on health, but sex differences in the effects of socioeconomic status and social connection on health are not significant.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Differential effects of social isolation upon body weight, food consumption, and responsiveness to novel and social environment in bombesin receptor subtype-3 (BRS-3) deficient mice.

The effects of social isolation on body weight gain, food consumption, and responsiveness to novel and social environment were assessed in an animal model for obesity, bombesin receptor subtype-3 (BRS-3) deficient mice. In Experiment 1, body weight gain and food consumption of group- and isolation-housed wild-type and BRS-3-deficient mice were compared. In wild-type mice, group-housed animals showed greater mean body weight gain and food consumption than did the isolation-housed cohort in the early stage of the experiment, whereas in BRS-3-deficient mice, the isolation-housed mice showed greater body weight gain and food consumption than the group-housed cohort by prolonged isolation housing. In Experiment 2, isolation-housed wild-type mice exhibited increased stereotypic and vertical movements relative to group-housed subjects in a novel environment, but this effect was not observed in BRS-3-deficient mice. In Experiment 3, when social response was assessed in animals housed in isolation, BRS-3-deficient mice exhibited lower social responses than did wild-type mice. We conclude that BRS-3-deficient mice and wild-type mice are differentially affected by social isolation. These results suggest that BRS-3 expression in the CNS may affect the neural mechanisms that regulate isolation effects in wild-type animals.

Aging↗
PubMed2003

Institutionalisation and schizophrenia in Japan: social environments and negative symptoms: Nationwide survey of in-patients.

BACKGROUND: The number of psychiatric beds per capita in Japan is the highest in the world, and a replication of earlier British research is needed to identify possible means of improving the mental health system. Aims To describe the current situation of psychiatric hospitals in Japan and to examine the relationship between negative symptoms of schizophrenia and social environments. METHOD: In-patients with schizophrenia were randomly selected from 139 hospitals. Data were obtained for 2758 participants using several scales, including the Manchester Scale and social environment scales. RESULTS: Negative symptom scales showed a significant correlation with understimulating social environments in hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the results from the UK and provides evidence for the importance of community-based care and for providing more-stimulating rehabilitation environments.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1976

Plasma steroid tendency, social environment and Eimeria necatrix infection.

Chickens from a line selected for high levels of plasma corticosterone when housed in an environment faciliating considerable social interaction were more resistant to Eimeria necatrix infection than those from a line selected for low levels of plasma corticosterone housed in an environment that minimized social interaction. Individuals in the high steroid group had a more active phagocytic defense and fewer schizonts than those in the low steroid group.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Determinants of intention to quit smoking among Dutch employees: the influence of the social environment.

BACKGROUND: This study examines the influence of the social environment in worksites on employees' intention to quit smoking by applying the attitude-social influence-efficacy model. METHODS: Regression analyses were conducted with 509 smoking employees from eight Dutch worksites. Variables of interest were attitudes toward smoking, perceived social pressure to quit, perceived smoking behavior of others, self-efficacy, demographics, smoking history variables, company type, and smoking tolerance. RESULTS: Attitude, social pressure from people out-side the worksetting (partner, children), and self-efficacy explained 23% of the variance for intention. Past behavior increased the adjusted R2 from 0.23 to 0.29. Social influences in the worksite were unrelated to employees' intention to quit smoking. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that, in Dutch work-sites, social influences stemming from people at work have less influence on employees' intention to quit smoking than other important people outside the work situation. Implications for smoking control strategies in worksites are briefly discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

The social environment, behaviour and stress--a case study in guinea pigs.

In this article we summarize our work on the relationships between the social environment, behaviour and stress in guinea pigs. We confirm what Jim Henry predicted to be a general rule for all mammals including man 20 years ago: The individual's degree of social stress is related to the stability of the pre- and postnatal social environment in which it lives, to the amount of social support which it receives from bonding partners and to the social experiences which it has made during behavioural development.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Social support and adjustment to a novel social environment.

The present article aims to examine the ways in which social support may affect the adaptation of individuals to a novel social environment. A distinctive feature of this research was the assessment of social support both before and after entering a completely new network of social relationships. A cohort of international exchange high school students (N = 242) was administered a battery of self-report questionnaires dealing with personality traits, perceived social support, coping behaviors and emotional distress before leaving Japan and six months after living with a host family in a foreign community. Perceived social support abroad contributed to less emotional distress. This health-promoting effect of social support was found to be mediated by adaptive coping behaviours, and was not due to confounding by personality traits. Perceived social support at home was predictive of more emotional distress abroad. Subjects who reported high levels of social support at home were particularly vulnerable when they entered the completely new environment and found that such support was no longer available.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1999

The social environments of adolescents: associations between socioenvironmental factors and health behaviors during adolescence.

The social worlds of the adolescent and their potential effect on health behavior are the focus of this chapter. Social cognitive theory, resiliency theories, and the theoretical implications of focusing on lifestyle patterns of adolescents are discussed in order to provide a theoretical frame of reference for viewing the complex interactions between individual factors, socioenvironmental factors, and health-related behaviors among adolescents. Factors within the different social environments (family, school, peers, and community) are discussed and some general recommendations based upon empirical research findings and theories about adolescent health behavior are made.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

A systems paradigm of organizational adaptations to the social environment.

In order to define generic research questions and to develop a typology of organizational social performance concepts, a systems paradigm for organizational adaptations to social environments is advocated. The active distinction between descriptive, normative, and evaluative inquiry is emphasized. Organizational social responsibility, social responsiveness, and social responses are defined in context of the systems paradigm. In addition, a categorical model of organizational social responses that directly affect the quality of work life and the quantity of life is outlined.

Humans↗
PubMed1998

[Association between social environment and aging of the brain: evaluation with the event-related potential P300].

PURPOSE AND METHODS: To investigate the association between social environment and aging of the brain, we studied P300 event-related evoked potentials in 95 normal elderly subjects living in different social environments. The subjects were divided into two groups: 22 healthy people living in old-age homes (average age 76.5 +/- 5.6 years, average Hasegawa Dementia Scale-Revised 27.4 +/- 2.5), and 93 healthy people living in their own homes (average age 74.1 +/- 5.4 years, average Hasegawa Dementia Scale-Revised 28.3 +/- 2.3). Target and Novelty P300 were recorded by using an auditory oddball paradigm. There were no differences in risk factors for strokes or in findings on magnetic resonance imaging between the two groups. RESULTS: Cognitive function (Okabe's Score and Koh's Block Design Test) were lower in those living in an old-age home than in those living in their own homes. Both target and novelty N100 examinations showed no significant differences in amplitude or latencies between the two groups. However, P300 latencies were larger among those living in an old-age home than among those living in their own homes; P300 amplitudes in the two groups were similar. Those living in an old-age home also had greater age-associated declines in function, as shown by longer latencies in target P300 than in novelty P300. CONCLUSION: Social-environmental factors are closely associated with the aging of the brain.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

Social environments and daily life occurrence of psychotic symptoms--an experience sampling test in a non-clinical population.

BACKGROUND: If impairment in social cognition is an important feature of psychosis, characteristics of the social environment may influence the occurrence of psychotic symptoms. The aim of this study was to explore in a non-clinical population whether specific social environments modify the expression of psychotic symptoms in daily life. METHODS: The Experience Sampling Method was used to collect information on characteristics of the social company and of the daily life psychotic experiences of a sample of 79 students. The level of psychotic symptoms was measured using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). RESULTS: Subjects with MINI psychosis criteria were at increased risk of experiencing unusual perceptions in the presence of non-familiar individuals, and at lower risk of experiencing strange impressions in the presence of family members or friends. Dynamic changes in the social company rather than the social company per se drive variation of psychotic experiences in daily life. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that the earliest stages of expression of psychosis vulnerability are driven by subtle person-environment interactions in the stream of daily life.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Development of a system for individual feeding of baboons maintained in an outdoor group social environment.

We developed a system that allows individual feeding of adult baboons, 8-15 years of age, maintained in an outdoor group social environment. The purpose of the system is to allow careful monitoring and control of individual diet. Baboons were housed in two group cages, 16 females and a single male in one and 12 females and a single male in the other. Baboons exited the group cage once daily and passed along a chute and over a scale into individual cages where they received their individual diets. Food intake was monitored during their 2-hour stay in the individual cages. Baboons rapidly learned to use this system. Food intake and weight were stable within 20 days. Food consumed decreased during the period of sexual receptivity. The maintenance of the group social environment allowed observations on the group's dominance structure and the relationship of dominance to food consumption. Speed of food access in the group cage was related to dominance. Dominance was not related to food consumed in individual cages. The system permits study of many variables related to behavior and food intake while still retaining critical social interactions.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2005

[Perception of their social environment and their future in institutionalized school-age children].

Family home and institutions for children without parental care represent the rearing-environments where, from the early years, whole human development goes on. It's known today that despite the recognized importance of inborn traits, the influence of child-rearing environments dominates current models of development. The aim of the study was to investigate the satisfaction with the rearing-environment of school-aged institutionalized children, their dominating feeling and if institutionalization affects life optimism for now and for the future. The study was conducted in two institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina who share the same care model imitating the traditional Bosnian families where the older children care for the younger siblings. We took as a sample 30 institutionalized children aged 8-12, and for the control group 60 children matched by age and sex. Parents, children and teachers who gave their informed consent answered the questionnaires. It was confirmed that children without parental care are vulnerable group and in a great risk who need urgent help of professional multidisciplinary team of their close and broad environment. Lack of social support cause the withdrawing and suffering and can lead soon or later to problematic behaviour.

Bosnia and Herzegovina↗
PubMed1999

Effect of queen phenotype and social environment on early queen mortality in incipient colonies of the fire ant, Solenopsis invicta.

In many ant species, including the fire ant Solenopsis invicta, queens can found their colonies alone or in associations of two or more. Colonies founded by associations produce a larger worker brood, have higher survival and mature earlier than colonies founded by solitary queens. However, cofoundresses almost invariably fight after the eclosion of the first workers. As a result, only one queen survives and monopolizes the colony's future reproductive output. Queen mortality also occurs before worker eclosion, but neither the causes (e.g. starvation, conflict), nor the factors (e.g. social environment) potentially affecting its occurrence, have been investigated. We analysed the effect of social environment and queen body mass on early mortality by keeping queens (1) solitarily, (2) within associations of four queens of the same initial mass, and (3) within associations of four queens of random initial mass. Mortality was higher for queens within associations than for solitary queens. Within associations of equally heavy queens, mortality significantly increased with the queens' body mass. In contrast, mortality of solitary queens did not significantly depend on body mass. Early mortality was significantly more frequent in associations of queens of random initial mass than in associations of equally heavy queens. Altogether these results demonstrate that queen phenotype differentially affects early queen mortality depending on the social environment, and suggest that reproductive competition rather than starvation is the main cause of mortality in multiple-queen associations. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

Modification of hippocampal neurogenesis and neuroplasticity by social environments.

Synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis in the brain are affected by environmental stimuli. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of social environments on learning and memory, neurogenesis, and neuroplasticity. Twenty-two-day-old rats were housed in isolation or in groups for 4 or 8 weeks and injected intraperitoneally with bromodeoxyuridine to detect proliferation among progenitor cells. The animals were also tested for learning in a water maze and for hippocampal CA1 long-term potentiation in vivo and in vitro. The results show that the number of newborn neurons in the dentate gyrus and the learning in a water maze decreased significantly in rats reared in isolation for 4 or 8 weeks, as compared with grouped controls. Induction of long-term potentiation in the CA1 area of rat hippocampus in vivo and in vitro was also significantly reduced by isolation. Furthermore, the effects of isolation rearing on spatial learning, hippocampal neurogenesis, and long-term potentiation could be reversed by subsequent group rearing. These findings demonstrated that social environments can modify neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity in adult hippocampal regions, which is associated with alterations in spatial learning and memory.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Developmental flexibility and the effect of social environment on fertility and fecundity in parthenogenetic reproduction.

One specialized environment that can influence development arises in the context of social interactions, including the environment contributed by a sexual partner during sexual reproduction. It is often difficult, however, to separate out the effect of mating (fertilization) from the effect of social environment. In the study reported here we examine the effect of social environment mediated by a pheromonal signal on the fertility and fecundity of the facultatively parthenogenetic cockroach Nauphoeta cinerea. By examining parthenogenetically reproducing females, we isolate the effects of social environment in the absence of mating or fertilization. Females exposed to male odors are more likely to produce parthenogenetic offspring. Further, increased exposure to the male pheromone increases the number of offspring produced. Variation in timing of reproduction is also dependent on the male. Thus, social environments are a mechanism by which males contribute to the development of their offspring, resulting in variation in development. This study illustrates the potential evolutionary importance of social environments in development, because a requirement for male-contributed environments may be a constraint to evolving asexual reproduction from a sexually reproducing species.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1989

Use of dental services among Danish youths: role of the social environment, the individual, and the delivery system.

The purpose of the present study was to analyze the separate effect and the total effect of the social environment, the individual and the delivery system on frequency of use of dental services among youths. The variables of use were divided into the three main groups according to Coleman (12). Information concerning use of dental services, individual and structural variables was obtained by a self-administered questionnaire to 756 Danes 20-21 yr old in 1984-85. Information concerning social environmental variables was obtained by a postal questionnaire to the mothers of the individuals in 1974 (16). Information from 552 mothers was available. Firstly, the variables concerning the social environment were inserted into a multiple dummy regression analysis as independent variables, and it was found that the following characteristics of the mothers were significant predictors: regularity of dental visits and perceived economic barriers. Secondly, the variables concerning the individual resources were set into a multiple dummy regression model as independent variables. The results showed that the following variables had a significant effect: sex, social conditions, pain tolerance, dental anxiety, and perceived economic barriers. Thirdly, multiple dummy regression analysis showed that among the structural variables general assessment of Child Dental Care compared to Youth Dental Care, and a personality assessment of the general dental practitioner were significant predictors. Finally the predictors from the three main groups all together were inserted as independent dummy variables into a regression model. The results showed that sex, social conditions, pain tolerance, dental anxiety, perceived economic barriers of the youth themselves, general assessment of Child Dental Care compared to Youth Dental Care were significant predictors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗