Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “SOCIAL CONDITIONS”

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 901 records · Page 50Linked to original sources

The condition of "tightness": the somatic complaints of Turkish migrant women.

This article is based on intensive interviews made with 75 Turkish migrant women living in Denmark. The interviews were conducted in the women's own homes, in their own language, and special care was taken to establish an atmosphere of confidence. The methodological problems involved in this kind of research are discussed. The purpose of the study was to obtain information on the women's own evaluation of their physical, psychological and social conditions in the host country. Only 8% of the informants reported that they were in good health. The remaining had complaints of somatic character and considered themselves as being ill. There were no cases of severe psychopathology. The background of the women's illnesses is analysed at three levels: the physical, the psychosocial and the cultural levels respectively, in an attempt to elucidate their multifactorial etiology as well as to give a more comprehensive picture of the meaning of illness in a societal context.

Adult↗

A geographical analysis of the relationship between early childhood death and socio-economic environment in an English city.

The relationship between early childhood death and socio-economic conditions was studied by obtaining the home address, at the time of death, of 254 infants and children between the ages of 0 to 5 years who died within the City of Southampton, England, between 1977 and 1982. The addresses were grouped into 142 'super-enumeration' districts formed by combining enumeration districts with similar socio-economic characteristics. These 'super-enumeration' districts were then categorised into 15 cluster types which highlighted the major social characteristics of the areas within Southampton. The number of deaths for each cluster type was then ascertained. A strong relationship was found to exist between high rates of early childhood death and cluster types displaying adverse social conditions--in particular, high levels of unemployment, single-parent families and poor housing amenities. It is suggested that the approach taken by this study might be one way of pinpointing areas of cities where a disproportionately large number of babies and young children die. It might then be possible by a combined and concerted effort on the part of the medical profession, nurses, health visitors, social workers and local authority to save at least some very young babies and children who might otherwise die.

Child, Preschool↗

Social class difference in catch up growth in a national British cohort.

AIM: To examine the influence of socioeconomic status on growth pattern in height from age 7 to 23 years. METHODS: Prospective cohort study. A total of 10 200 white singleton born children from the 1958 British birth cohort (National Child Development Study) were analysed. RESULTS: Differences in height by birth weight persisted throughout the follow up period. However, the mean differences in height between low birth weight infants (<2500 g) and adequate birth weight infants (>/=2500 g) were less notable in social classes I and II than in the lower social classes. The catching up of growth in height of low birth weight infants was also more pronounced in social classes I and II than in other social classes. That is, the mean height deficits of low birth weight infants were decreased from 2.9 cm at age 7, to 1.6 cm at age 16, and 2.5 cm at age 23; the significant difference disappeared after age 16 in social classes I and II. Although such improving tendency was more pronounced among the preterm born infants, a similar growth pattern was observed among the term infants. Such improvement was not observed in the other social classes. CONCLUSION: The growth retardation in height by birth weight can be overcome by improved social conditions and proper health care from childhood to adulthood.

Adolescent↗

[Controlled drinking as therapy target in the treatment of alcoholics].

The question of re-acquired controlled drinking as a therapy target in the treatment of alcoholics should be studied under the concrete social conditions of the GDR by specialists in treatment and prevention together with the practitioners, on the basis of an exact programme. Some proposals for the practical proceedings are submitted.

Alcohol Drinking↗

Differential sexual activity of isolated and group-housed male mice: lack of substantial influence of acute or chronic naloxone administration.

Influences of naloxone upon male sexual behavior were examined using two different baseline activity levels: individually and group-housed mice. In Experiment 1, single injections of 0,12.5, or 50 micrograms per animal were administered before testing. Isolated mice showed more sexual activity than did grouped mice; naloxone failed to alter those differences. In Experiment 2, a similar result was obtained despite administration of 50 or 150 micrograms per animal of naloxone. In Experiment 3,0 or 50 micrograms of naloxone was administered to isolated or grouped males daily on the 5 days before testing. Isolated mice showed performance superior to that of grouped mice, but there was no effect of the drug. In Experiment 4, doses of 0. 12.5, or 50 micrograms of naloxone were given to isolated or grouped males twice daily for 7 days prior to testing, producing little effect. These results suggest that the influences of prior social condition on male sexual activity are robust in the face of naloxone administration.

Aggression↗

Social class and race disparities in premature stroke mortality among men in North Carolina.

The purpose of this work was to examine the association between social class and premature stroke mortality among blacks and whites. For black men and white men in North Carolina, aged 35-54 years, mortality data from vital statistics files and population data from Census Public Use Microdata Sample files were matched according to social class for the years 1984-1993. Four categories of social class were defined based upon a two-dimensional classification scheme of occupations. For each category of social class, race-specific age-adjusted stroke mortality rates were calculated, and race-specific prevalences of income, wealth, education, unemployment, and disability were estimated. Women were excluded because comparable information on social class was not available from the mortality and population data sources. For both black men and white men, the highest rates of premature stroke mortality were observed among the lowest social classes. The rate ratios (RR) between the lowest and highest social class were 2.8 for black men and 2.3 for white men. Within each social class, black men had substantially higher rates of premature stroke mortality than white men (black-to-white RR ranged from 4.0 to 4.9). Among both black men and white men, the highest social class consistently had the most favorable levels of income, wealth, education, and employment. The inverse association between social class and stroke mortality for both black men and white men supports the need for stroke prevention efforts that address the structural inequalities in economic and social conditions.

Adult↗

Threat and authoritarianism in the United States, 1978-1987.

Studies at both the individual and collective levels have implicated threat as an important factor in authoritarianism. As a follow-up to Sales's (1973) study relating behavioral indicators of authoritarianism to levels of social threat, the present research analyzed archival data from the United States for high-threat (1978-1982) and low-threat (1983-1987) periods. Societal measures of most attitude and behavioral components of the authoritarian syndrome significantly decreased between the high-threat and the low-threat periods. These results support the threat-authoritarianism relationship but also suggest a more complicated theoretical model that links perceived social conditions, arousal of authoritarian sentiments, dispositional authoritarianism, and the nature of political appeals--particularly those that engage authoritarian aggression.

Adolescent↗

Restraining cognitively impaired nursing home residents.

Patterns of physical restraint use were measured according to time of day, location on the unit, and persons in the environment on three units of one long-term care facility. An in-depth examination clarifies aspects of temporal, environmental and social conditions under which restraint use typically occurs in cognitively impaired and agitated nursing home residents.

Aged↗

[Trust and power--three interrelationships].

Trust is not always an idyllic phenomenon; it may also serve as a context in which power is exercised. Reflecting on power in relation to trust gives us a richer theoretical framework for analysing the social conditions for establishing, maintaining and eroding relations of trust. This article proposes three interrelationships between trust and power: power may create trust; unequal distribution of power may affect the conditions for establishing and maintaining relations of trust; the internal structure of interest and control is identical in some types of trust relations and some types of power relations.

Humans↗

[What is surveillance?].

The authors give an account of the development of the definition and context of epidemiological surveillance during the past decades in Czechoslovakia and in the world. They analyze views of epidemiologists who contributed in a major way to the modern concept of surveillance. The concept of surveillance reflects social conditions in the widest sense of the word and its contents are and probably will also in future be the subject of lively discussions. The authors assume that in the near future a more important part will be played by an active approach to surveillance of infections, as no modern system of health care can do without its development. Contemporary social changes will play a decisive role.

Humans↗

Socio-demographic factors and indications in second trimester voluntary abortion.

BACKGROUND: According to Italian Law, second trimester termination of pregnancy is allowed for life threatening conditions or for severe psychological distress, linked or not to prenatal diagnosis of foetal abnormalities. Socio-demographic factors related to this condition have been analysed. METHODS: Clinical records of 330 patients admitted during the years 1988-1997 to the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department, University of Bari, Italy, for voluntary second trimester abortion, were examined. Maternal psychiatric indications have been given in nearly all of the cases. In 123 cases the indications were secondary to the women suffering a psychiatric disorder due to foetal pathologies. In 205 cases--where poor social conditions were more frequent--the indication was given on the ground of a psychiatric disorder linked to the pregnancy itself. RESULTS: Significantly higher incidence of teenagers (23.3%) and singles (50%) in women who underwent a late abortion. Students were 16.4% in this group. In primary psychiatric indication singles prevail (74.4%) and students represent 23.6% while in secondary psychiatric indication the married were 84.7%, students only 4.8%. In primary psychiatric indication 32.5% of women aged nineteen or less, while in secondary psychiatric indication this percentage was 8%. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients who have a late abortion, teenagers students and singles are prevalent, these patients have significantly more primary psychiatric indications, not linked to foetal abnormalities. The high percentage of teenagers with primary psychiatric indication could depend on inadequate information and social service. Reduction of mid-trimester terminations of pregnancy can be significantly achieved intervening in this group of young women. On the other hand, in secondary indications earlier diagnosis of foetal abnormalities must be encouraged (villocentesis instead of amniocentesis) and abortion discouraged when the foetal pathology is minor, treatable or unlikely to significantly impair the future quality of life.

Abortion, Induced↗

[Psychological sequelae of child abuse].

During the past decade personality development of abused children has been studied by several investigators. A comparative overview of the results allows to name a number of symptoms which appear to be characteristic. The symptomatology expresses an ongoing conflict between resistance and resignation by restlessness, aggressivity and withdrawal on the one hand, and by low self esteem, pseudo-adult behavior and perfectionism on the other. The psychological consequences are the result not only of parental personality and aggression but also of social conditions and of factors which are inherent to the child. Treatment needs to include all three pathogenetic areas.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Differential effects of intraspecific interactions on the striatal dopamine system in social and non-social voles.

We used in vivo microdialysis to examine the responses to intraspecific social interactions in the striatal dopamine systems of females of two vole species displaying vastly different social structures. Both highly social prairie voles and asocial meadow voles had similar increases in extracellular dopamine associated with mating. There was a species-specific effect of social condition on extracellular dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC). Exposure to a conspecific male significantly decreased extracellular DOPAC in female prairie voles isolated for approximately 18 h during surgical recovery. Such decrease in DOPAC was not seen if females experienced continued isolation or if they were housed with a sibling during surgical recovery. No changes in extracellular DOPAC were seen in meadow voles after manipulations of social environment. Together, our data indicate that mating-associated dopamine release is independent from mating systems. However, species-specific patterns of extracellular DOPAC suggest that social isolation may be a more stressful stimulus for the social prairie vole than for the asocial meadow vole.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗

Direct social contacts override auditory information in the song-learning process in starlings (Sturnus vulgaris).

Social influence on song acquisition was studied in 3 groups of young European starlings raised under different social conditions but with the same auditory experience of adult song. Attentional focusing on preferred partners appears the most likely explanation for differences found in song acquisition in relation to experience, sex, and song categories. Thus, pair-isolated birds learned from each other and not from broadcast live songs, females did not learn from the adult male tutors, and sharing occurred more between socially associated peers. On the contrary, single-isolated birds clearly copied the adult songs that may have been the only source of attention stimulation. Therefore, social preference appears as both a motor for song learning and a potential obstacle for acquisition from nonpreferred partners, including adults.

Animals↗

The growth and development of the Annals of Human Biology: a 25-year retrospective.

The history of the founding in 1958 of the Society for the Study of Human Biology is outlined, and the circumstances in which the Annals of Human Biology began publication in 1974. The contents of the papers published 1974-1997 are reviewed; about 40% concern Population Biology, 40% Auxology and 20% Population Physiology. Some outstanding contributions in the first two of these fields are mentioned. Many consist of groups of papers from an ongoing study: 11 papers from the Otmoor villages study by Harrison and colleagues, and 11 concerning the growth of children in the Zurich Longitudinal Study, by Gasser and colleagues. Papers concerning the analysis of growth data and modelling of the growth curve, especially by Healy, are noted, and papers giving evidence of mini-spurts in growth and the saltation-stasis growth model are recalled. Wilson's papers on catch-up and growth regulation in twins are reviewed; also the contribution to growth-as-a-mirror of social conditions by workers at the Stockholm Institute of Education. The National Study of Health and Growth, led by Rona, contributed 13 papers over 14 years to the Annals, and there were outstanding one-off papers from the National Child Development Study, and the Cuban National Growth Study of 1972, and concerning the secular trend towards greater leg length in Japan, the upward social mobility of the taller of pairs of brothers, the growth of 18th century children in Vienna and Stuttgart and the measurements of 19th century slaves in the USA.

Biology↗

Workplace demands, economic reward, and progression of carotid atherosclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Characteristics of the work environment have been associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, but it is unclear whether these factors are associated with preclinical manifestations of disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: We investigated the association between job demands, economic reward, and the 4-year progression of carotid atherosclerosis in a population-based sample of 940 Finnish men. Data from the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study were used to estimate changes in plaque height, maximum and mean intima-media thicknesses across combinations of job demands, and income. Associations were examined in relation to atherosclerotic risk factors and were stratified by baseline levels of atherosclerosis and prevalent ischemic heart disease. Men who had jobs with high demands and low economic rewards had significantly greater 4-year progression of plaque height (0.33 mm, P = .008) and maximum intima-media thickness (0.32, P = .03) than men with low-demand, high-income jobs. The magnitude of these differences was not greatly attenuated by risk factor adjustment and did not differ when examined by the level of workplace resources, social support, or employment status. Larger differences were observed in a subsample of men who had more advanced atherosclerosis at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that men with demanding work that produces little economic reward have significantly greater progression of carotid atherosclerosis than more advantaged men. The relationship between job demands and health should be understood in a broad framework of interacting economic conditions, social circumstances, and behaviors that cascade over the life course and may ultimately contribute to socioeconomic inequalities in morbidity and mortality.

Arteriosclerosis↗

["To be blind", blindness between an epidemiological and a sociological definition].

From an epidemiological point of view, blindness refers to a visual acuity inferior to 1/20 in each eye. Though such a definition is necessary for the installation of public health programs, it is insufficient as far as the elaboration of actions aimed at prevention and rehabilitation are concerned. Qualitative data reveal that a similar physical deficiency is lived in various ways according to precise social context. In addition to the physical handicap objectively defended and to its social interpretation, the same must also be analysed in the light of another important linking factor; the individuals' social status and specific task and obligations of various groups in a given population. Considered together, these factors provide a better understanding of the social condition of blind persons, their economic and matrimonial resulting in the conception of appropriate health programs.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Psychosocial support and change in the health status of physically disabled people.

Evidence is presented on the relationship between psychosocial support (social contact and emotional intimacy) and changes in health status (physical, psychosocial and emotional functioning) experienced by 583 adults age 45-75 years living at home with a preexisting physical illness. Data were used from a panel study of physically disabled adults in London, England to provide a test of the buffer and direct effects hypotheses concerning social support and adverse life events. Controlling for age, sex and initial level of health status, the analyses showed that a low level of social contact was associated significantly with deterioration in psychosocial and emotional functioning only in the presence of adverse life events. A similar but non-significant pattern existed for physical functioning. A high level of social contact had a more protective effect on the physical functioning of respondents with arthritis or heart trouble who also reported depression, except among women age 45-64. Level of emotional intimacy was not a significant influence on reported health status change. Confiding relationships do not appear important for adults with preexisting illnesses who are not at significant risk of developing stress-related conditions. Social participation outside the home would help to reduce deterioration in psychosocial and emotional functioning, important outcomes for improving and maintaining quality of life.

Aged↗