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OBJECTIVES: Little data exists on dating violence among immigrant adolescents. The present study assessed disparities in experiences of physical and sexual dating violence based on immigrant status and language spoken at home among a large representative sample of adolescent girls. METHODS: Data from the 1997-2003 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (N = 7,970) were analyzed. Adjusted logistic regression analyses were conducted among the full sample and sexually active sub-sample. To further clarify immigration-based effects, separate analyses were conducted within age and racial/ethnic groups. RESULTS: Being an immigrant was found to be protective against dating violence (OR 0.77, CI 0.60-0.98), but not among those reporting sexual intercourse. Stratified analyses revealed important differences in these effects based on age and race/ethnicity; only immigrant girls age 16 or older (OR 0.69, CI 0.48-0.99) and Hispanic immigrant girls (ORs 0.39-0.54) reported reduced risk for dating violence as compared to their non-immigrants peers. No differences in vulnerability to dating violence were detected based on immigrant status for Asian, Black, or White adolescents in stratified analyses. CONCLUSIONS: The social context of immigration may offer protection regarding adolescent girls' vulnerability to dating violence, but effects are not uniform across age, sexual experience, or race and ethnicity. Additional research is needed to understand how immigration, social behavior, age, race and ethnicity may interact to produce disparities in vulnerability to gender-based violence.
This article presents four "best practice models" that address some common problems faced by community agencies working with elder abuse cases: a multidisciplinary case consultation team; a senior advocate volunteer program; a victim support group; and a master's of social work degree specialization in adult protective services. Their relatively low cost, flexibility, and level of success make them worthy of replication.
Protective factors (hope, spirituality, self-efficacy, coping, social support-family, social support-friends, and effectiveness of obtaining resources) against suicide attempts were examined in economically, educationally, and socially disadvantaged African American women (100 suicide attempters, 100 nonattempters) who had experienced recent intimate partner violence. Significant positive associations were found between all possible pairs of protective factors. Bivariate logistic regressions revealed that higher scores on each of the seven protective factors predicted nonattempter status; multivariate logistic regressions indicated that higher scores on measures of hope or social support-family showed unique predictive value for nonattempter status. Further, the multivariate model accurately predicted suicide attempt status 69.5% of the time. Partial support was found for a cumulative protective model hypothesizing a linear relationship between the number of protective factors endorsed and decreased risk for suicide attempts. Implications of these findings for community-based preventive intervention efforts and future research are discussed.
Associated to the sting apparatus of the aculeate hymenopterans is found the poison gland, originated from the glands associated to the ovipositor of the non-aculeate hymenopterans and the less derived Dufour gland, homologue of the coletterial gland of other insects, and found in all hymenopteran females. The Dufour gland functions is mostly uncertain in hymenopterans but in ants it is involved with communication and defense and in non social bees with the nest building and protection. In wasps possibly with kin-recognition. Differences in morphology and chemical composition of the gland secretion were observed among species, in the same species, between the castes in the social species and among individual of the same caste playing different tasks or belonging to different nest. Its original function of egg-protective substance producing, or favoring the oviposition, appear to have been replaced or complemented in hymenopterans by the production of semiochemicals with function in communication.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the epidemiological factors linked to endometriosis in infertile women. SETTING: Academic tertiary hospital. DESIGN: Case-control study. PATIENTS: One hundred seventy-four infertile women with endometriosis and 174 infertile women without endometriosis, all of them studied by laparoscopy. RESULTS: Women with endometriosis and infertility had a higher frequency of cycles < or = 27 days (26.4% versus 16.7%). A trend to a protective effect of smoking was detected. Social class, reproductive history, infertility history, previous abortions, age, family history, age at menarche, and duration of menstrual flow were similar in both groups. CONCLUSION: Cycles < or = 27 days was the only risk factor that seemed to be associated to endometriosis in infertile patients. However, predictive values were low. A trend to a protective effect of smoking was detected.
This paper reports on behaviors men use to protect themselves against prostate cancer. Data were collected via a telephone or mailed survey from 353 men enrolled in two studies of prostate cancer screening. Respondents reported behaviors they used to protect themselves against prostate cancer, and responses were coded as conventional care, self-care, or nothing. Men who reported using both conventional care and self-care were categorized as conventional care users. Polytomous logistic regression was conducted to evaluate the association between sociodemographic background, prior prostate screening, and cognitive, affective, and social support and influence factors with protective behavior type. The distribution of protective behaviors was as follows: conventional care, 63%; self-care only, 19%; and nothing, 18%. In multivariable analyses, higher education level was found to be positively associated with conventional care use. Perceived salience and coherence of prostate cancer screening was positively associated with conventional care use among men in one of the two studies. Low concern about screening was positively associated with self-care use, as was mailed survey completion. This study presents self-report data regarding prostate cancer protection behaviors. Most men in the study reported using some type of prostate cancer protective behavior. Decision-making about whether or not to take protective action and what type of behavior to use may be influenced by socioeconomic background, cognitive perceptions related to behavioral options, and concern about risk.
Since the 1980s welfare state protections have been blamed for a host of economic problems. In the United States, conservatives have always disliked Social Security but could not effectively attack this popular program until the 1980s, when they devised a new tactic--warning young people that they would never get their "money's worth" from Social Security, which is on the brink of "bankruptcy." The political climate, dominated by a drive to cut back "big government," also became favorable for attempts to destabilize Social Security politically. Thus, negative images of Social Security have been forced onto the public agenda, and economists who consider themselves "liberal" have uncritically accepted this new set of political "givens." It is an example of how they address "crises" as separable issues tied to no particular social context.
We aim to examine the socio-economic, demographic and disease-specific determinants in the use of health services by patients with epilepsy, compared to people without epilepsy. We used data from the fourth national survey of morbidity in general practice, carried out in 1991-1992. Overall mean annual number of consultations with general practitioners, home visits and referrals to secondary care per person were calculated for people with epilepsy, stratified by age, sex and socio-economic status. The proportion of patients consulting for certain diseases or disease groups were also calculated for patients with epilepsy. Results were compared to these in people without epilepsy, and rate ratios were calculated. Patients with epilepsy consulted twice as often, required three to four times more home visits, and were referred to secondary care three times more often than people without epilepsy, irrespective of age, sex and social class. Among patients with epilepsy, consultation rates and home visits were higher in females, older people and people from the manual social classes. A higher proportion of patients with epilepsy consulted for neoplasms, haematological and mental health disorders, dementia, stroke and gastrointestinal bleeding. Older age and low social class were less strongly associated with health service utilisation than in people without epilepsy, indicating that people with epilepsy lose much of the protective effect of young age and high social class on health. Factors contributing to the higher utilisation of health services in people with epilepsy need to be studied further and their effects taken into account in the organisation of health services for people with epilepsy.
For many centuries, generations of young people were protected from the early onset of addictive disorders. Although addiction to drugs and alcohol had been well known for centuries, widespread addiction has occurred only in recent centuries. Because the human gene pool or human biochemistry did not likely change suddenly to produce this result, social and cultural factors likely have produced widespread addiction. From another perspective, the sociocultural factors that once protected our societies against widespread addiction may have become weakened or inoperative. Our social institutions--our families, schools, religions, neighborhoods, and governments--no longer protect us and our young from addiction as they once did. The failure of traditional social institutions to protect us from addiction does not mean that we must seek drug panaceas only in nonsocietal venues, such as medications and psychotherapies. Rather, we should look to those elements of our institutions that have failed us and seek to bolster them. A gradually evolving body of literature on this topic demonstrates that institutional changes can serve to reduce widespread addiction among us. Moreover, these changes can be implemented at many levels: within our families, schools, friendship groups, workplaces, churches, neighborhoods, and legislatures.
OBJECTIVES: To examine the influence of social networks and social engagement on cognitive decline in a population-based cohort of elderly people, and to assess gender differences in the effect of social relations on cognition. METHODS: A longitudinal study of community-dwelling people over 65 was carried out. Cognitive function (orientation and memory) in 1997 and cognitive decline (absent, mild, and severe) over 4 years (1993-1997) were assessed using an instrument previously validated for populations with a low level of education. The effect of social networks, social integration, and social engagement with friends, children, and relatives on cognitive function and cognitive decline was estimated by multiple linear and logistic regressions after adjusting for age, sex, education, depressive symptoms, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and functional status. RESULTS: Poor social connections, infrequent participation in social activities, and social disengagement predict the risk of cognitive decline in elderly individuals. The probability of cognitive decline was lower for both men and women with a high frequency of visual contact with relatives and community social integration. Engagement with friends seemed to be protective for cognitive decline in women but not in men. DISCUSSION: This longitudinal study indicates that few social ties, poor integration, and social disengagement are risk factors for cognitive decline among community-dwelling elderly persons. The nature of the ties that influence cognition may vary in men and women.
STUDY OBJECTIVE: Few studies have distinguished between the effects of different forms of social capital on health. This study distinguished between the health effects of summary measures tapping into the constructs of community bonding and community bridging social capital. DESIGN: A multilevel logistic regression analysis of community bonding and community bridging social capital in relation to individual self rated fair/poor health. SETTING: 40 US communities. PARTICIPANTS: Within community samples of adults (n = 24 835), surveyed by telephone in 2000-2001. MAIN RESULTS: Adjusting for community sociodemographic and socioeconomic composition and community level income and age, the odds ratio of reporting fair or poor health was lower for each 1-standard deviation (SD) higher community bonding social capital (OR = 0.86; 95% = 0.80 to 0.92) and each 1-SD higher community bridging social capital (OR = 0.95; 95% CI = 0.88 to 1.02). The addition of indicators for individual level bonding and bridging social capital and social trust slightly attenuated the associations for community bonding social capital (OR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.84 to 0.97) and community bridging social capital (OR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.89 to 1.03). Individual level high formal bonding social capital, trust in members of one's race/ethnicity, and generalised social trust were each significantly and inversely related to fair/poor health. Furthermore, significant cross level interactions of community social capital with individual race/ethnicity were seen, including weaker inverse associations between community bonding social capital and fair/poor health among black persons compared with white persons. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest modest protective effects of community bonding and community bridging social capital on health. Interventions and policies that leverage community bonding and bridging social capital might serve as means of population health improvement.
As schizophrenia is a heterogeneous condition with a variety of possible causes, it is sensible to combine biological and social treatment. Neuroleptic drugs give partial protection against environmental stress, but need to be supplemented. The programme developed on the basis of research on relatives' expressed emotion begins with education about schizophrenia for patients and relatives. Family sessions in the home are run in parallel with a relatives' group, and are aimed at improving communication, teaching problem-solving skills, lowering criticism and overinvolvement, reducing social contact between patient and relatives, expanding social networks, and lowering expectations. Individual work with the patient is often undertaken alongside the family sessions, and includes social-skills training, anxiety management, and a cognitive approach to persistent psychotic symptoms. Therapists take a central role in coordinating the variety of services needed by patient and relatives.
BACKGROUND: Social integration may lead to social support and influence that may in turn protect older community-dwelling adults from falls. METHODS: We examined incident falls over 3 years across quartiles of social integration scores in 6692 Caucasian women enrolled in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (mean age = 77 +/- 5 years). Social integration was assessed using family networks, friendship networks, and interdependence scores. Higher scores correspond to greater integration. Data were analyzed using Poisson regression with generalized estimating equations. Multivariate analyses were used to adjust for other risk factors and potential confounders. RESULTS: Women reported 11863 falls, averaging 0.60 falls per person annually, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.57, 0.63), or 600 falls per 1000 women. In age-adjusted analysis, the average incidence rate of falls correlated inversely with family networks, interdependence, and composite integration scores (p <.05). In multivariate analysis, increasing family networks were inversely associated with fall risk, p(trend) =.02. Compared to the lowest quartile, the relative risk of falls (95% CI) associated with family network scores in the second, third, and fourth quartiles were 0.90 (0.79-1.03), 0.86 (0.74-1.00), and 0.84 (0.71-0.99), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Strong family networks may protect against the risk of falls in older community-dwelling adults.
Until recently, research in experimental atherosclerosis focused primarily on nutritional influences on plasma lipids, lipoproteins, and atherosclerosis. We review here the results of recent studies of independent and interactive influences of psychosocial and reproductive influences on atherosclerosis in nonhuman primates. These studies have produced evidence that, as in human beings, individuals with certain personality characteristics who are frequently faced with stressful or challenging situations are at increased risk of coronary artery disease. Preliminary evidence suggests that this relationship may be mediated, in part, by heightened sympathetic arousal, i.e., cardiovascular hyperresponsiveness, to the environmental challenge. Also, as in human beings, evidence has been produced that certain negative behavioral and psychosocial variables can have a significant independent influence on plasma lipids. As regards reproductive influences, the cynomolgus macaque seems to share with premenopausal white women a relative protection against coronary artery atherosclerosis. This "female protection" against diet-induced atherosclerosis is abolished by ovariectomy, which also results in increased total plasma and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentrations. Subordinate social status also seems to abolish female protection in some individuals. Preliminary evidence suggests that subordinate females most liable to this loss of protection are those with apparent stress-induced chronic ovarian endocrine dysfunction, which, in turn, is associated with increased plasma LDL cholesterol and decreased plasma high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentrations.
BACKGROUND: This review concerns the relationship between inequalities experienced at work with respect to social support (e.g. poor communication channels, unsatisfactory work relationships, unsupportive organizational culture) and work-related musculoskeletal ill-health. METHODS: Cross-sectional, case control and prospective studies, published between 1985 and 2003, that investigated this association were selected and reviewed. RESULTS: Studies varied greatly in the breadth of definitions of social support used and many measures were employed for the collection of data. There is good evidence for an association between poor social support and an increased risk in musculoskeletal morbidity. There is also limited evidence that poor social support is associated with musculoskeletal sickness absence, restricted activity and not returning to work after a musculoskeletal problem. A small number of studies have shown the effects of good social support and its importance in protecting against musculoskeletal ill-health and helping workers cope with problems. CONCLUSIONS: The overall findings of this review have implications for the design of proactive broad-based prevention programmes and organizational policies for the management of musculoskeletal ill-health and its potential outcomes, i.e. sickness absence and early retirement. Further research, using stronger study designs and more concise definitions of social support, to investigate the importance of social support in the amelioration of musculoskeletal ill-health is identified, e.g. the contribution of social support received away from the workplace.
Major countermeasures in the late phase of a nuclear or radiological accident where long-lived radionuclides have been dispersed in the environment are relocation/resettlement, foodstuff restrictions, agricultural countermeasures and clean-up of contaminated areas. There has essentially been a broad acceptance internationally of the principles for their introduction, but it has not been possible to reach an agreement for the purpose of defining a net benefit based upon the exact weighting to be attached to each of the attributes influencing the decision on intervention, e.g. socio-psychological attributes. Optimisation of protection, i.e. maximising the net benefit, is not a question of developing radiation protection philosophy to fully include socio-psychological factors but rather to include these factors--in parallel with the radiological protection factors--in cooperation between radiation protection experts and e.g. experts in social and psychological sciences under the responsibility of the decision-maker, who will take the final decision on the introduction of long-term countermeasures.