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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Genealogy reconstruction from short tandem repeat genotypes in an Amazonian population.

We have reconstructed partial genealogies in a sample of 44 SW Amazonian Rondonian Surui, in which 45 dinucleotide short tandem repeat polymorphisms had previously been typed. The genotypes of 488 pairs of individuals having an age difference of 13 or greater were compared, and parentage was excluded if a pair failed to share an allele at more than one locus. In order to test the power of this method, we computed the expected distribution of the number of exclusionary loci for such pairs of unrelated individuals, as well as that for individuals with different degrees of relatedness, and compared it to the observed distribution. We estimated that the pairs compared contained approximately 20% of individual pairs with a first-cousin relation or closer. A total of 25 pairs were identified as possible parent-child. In three instances, we could identify two or more children having a common parent; we computed a relatedness coefficient in order to establish whether the children were full or half sibs. The genealogies inferred show that instances of polygyny and polyandry (or, alternatively, serial mating), in addition to apparent monogamy, can be found among the Surui. The Surui sample can be used as a model for paleoanthropological populations, in which the determination of relatedness can provide further insights into the social structure of past populations. We estimate that, depending on the history of the populations and the degree of inbreeding, 10-20 highly informative nuclear loci should be typed in order to infer genealogies with acceptable confidence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2026

Genomics and social practices at Mogou and other Gansu sites during prehistoric trans-Eurasian exchange.

Beginning approximately 4,000 years ago, southwest-Asian-originating domesticated crops and livestock began appearing in Gansu, a key crossroads in northwestern China, yet the population dynamics and social practices underlying these historically transformative events in the region have not been fully explored. Despite the adoption of western domesticates, genome sequences of 149 individuals from the large Mogou cemetery and ten other sites in Gansu, dating between 4,700 and 3,000 years ago, revealed migrations within East Asian regions but no detectable evidence of genetic influence from western or central Eurasia, suggesting that early agricultural dispersals may have followed a model distinct from that documented in Europe and Central Asia. The Mogou cemetery represents a continuous community that interacted with surrounding regions but does not exhibit clear matrilocal or patrilocal residential patterns. We found no strong evidence that co-buried individuals represented biological relatives. Non-local ancestry appears to be linked to lower-status burial practices.

Humans↗
PubMed1996

The origin and formulation of Chinese character: an introduction to confucianism and its influence on Chinese behavior patterns.

Confucianism has had a powerful influence on Chinese behavior and social structure for the past 2,000 years. Some of these influences produce roadblocks to conventional Western psychotherapy and counseling when used on Chinese Americans with traditional values. The Confucianism influence on the Chinese is described with suggestions for psychotherapists and counselors who have Chinese and Chinese American clients.

Asian↗
PubMed2001

Barriers to uptake of services for coronary heart disease: qualitative study.

OBJECTIVES: To identify factors within the South Yorkshire coalfields that influence use of health services by people with angina. DESIGN: Qualitative study using semistructured individual and group interviews. SETTING: General practice and community settings in Barnsley and Rotherham health authorities. PARTICIPANTS: 14 patients with stable angina and nine primary care staff had individual interviews plus five community groups and one group of general practitioners. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Barriers to accessing health services. RESULTS: A complex web of factors was identified that prevented, delayed, or facilitated referral to secondary care. Delay, denial, and self management by patients meant that the full extent of symptoms often remained hidden from general practitioners, resulting in a delayed or missed referral. Barriers identified fell into six categories: structural, personal, social and cultural, past experience and expectations, diagnostic confusion, and knowledge and awareness. CONCLUSIONS: Many of the factors influencing referral operate before general practitioners become involved. Community development could be one way of tackling inequalities and promoting sustainable change. Structural changes are needed to improve access and increase the acceptability of general practice services. Primary care staff should be educated to detect underreporting of symptoms and promote appropriate referral.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Bringing social structure back into clinical decision making.

Although research in the past twenty years has resulted in an increasingly sophisticated understanding of clinical decision making processes, the dominant approach in this area of inquiry remains limited. Most studies emphasize normative models of how decisions ought to be made, others attempt to describe physicians' thinking, but few take the social context of decision making systematically into account. Research models typically assume that physicians are autonomous professionals practicing in socially insular clinical settings--an approach that is consistent with classic formulations of the social structure of medical practice, but they ignore 30 years of sociological research on research on patient-physician relationships and major historical changes in the structure of medical practice. Eisenberg's still timely advice to students of clinical decision making--that they need to describe decision making in the context of 'sociologic influences' (including patient, physician and practice setting characteristics)--is expanded in the present discussion. Recent studies are reviewed, highlighting important dimensions of social structure impinging on physicians' decision making. Findings indicate that the process of clinical decision making is likely influenced by patients' age, gender, socioeconomic status, and race, physicians' professional training and experience, as well as by larger structural features of organized clinical settings. Our review of these studies on the social context of clinical decision making, however, reveals major methodological limitations including those inherently imposed by secondary data analysis, normative approaches, written case vignettes, small, non-random samples and the inadequate control of confounding influences. We present a feasible, alternative research strategy, built on a factorial experimental design. Illustrative findings indicate how complex social structural influence on clinical decision making may be disentangled in an unconfounded manner.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1999

Social support and depressed mood: a structural analysis.

Current literature on social support identifies social structure as a source of distress. However, past efforts tend to operationalize structure in terms of demographic characteristics. The present paper argues that structure should be conceived of as participation and involvement in community and social relations. Structure may include community ties, social networks and intimate ties. We hypothesize that the three elements represent the outer layer (belongingness), the intermediary layer (bonding), and the inner layer (binding) of social relations and should exhibit differentiated effects on mental health. We further hypothesize that these structural elements, in sequence, provide functional (i.e., instrumental-expressive, perceived-received, and routine-non-routine) supports which, in turn, prevent or protect against distress. Using data from the 1993-1994 Albany survey, we construct measures for elements of structural and functional support to test the relationship between the two as well as their effects on depression. Results confirm that elements of structural support, as predicted, differentially affect functional supports, and that the elements of both structural and functional supports exert direct effects on depression. Further, structural supports also exert indirect effects on depression, mediated by functional supports.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Nucleotide diversity in gorillas.

Comparison of the levels of nucleotide diversity in humans and apes may provide valuable information for inferring the demographic history of these species, the effect of social structure on genetic diversity, patterns of past migration, and signatures of past selection events. Previous DNA sequence data from both the mitochondrial and the nuclear genomes suggested a much higher level of nucleotide diversity in the African apes than in humans. Noting that the nuclear DNA data from the apes were very limited, we previously conducted a DNA polymorphism study in humans and another in chimpanzees and bonobos, using 50 DNA segments randomly chosen from the noncoding, nonrepetitive parts of the human genome. The data revealed that the nucleotide diversity (pi) in bonobos (0.077%) is actually lower than that in humans (0.087%) and that pi in chimpanzees (0.134%) is only 50% higher than that in humans. In the present study we sequenced the same 50 segments in 15 western lowland gorillas and estimated pi to be 0.158%. This is the highest value among the African apes but is only about two times higher than that in humans. Interestingly, available mtDNA sequence data also suggest a twofold higher nucleotide diversity in gorillas than in humans, but suggest a threefold higher nucleotide diversity in chimpanzees than in humans. The higher mtDNA diversity in chimpanzees might be due to the unique pattern in the evolution of chimpanzee mtDNA. From the nuclear DNA pi values, we estimated that the long-term effective population sizes of humans, bonobos, chimpanzees, and gorillas are, respectively, 10,400, 12,300, 21,300, and 25,200.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

[Social legislative and structural deficits of ambulatory management of chronic psychiatric and handicapped patients].

In the past 25 years, psychiatric care for the chronically mentally ill in Germany has improved steadily. However, has improved steadily. However, this patient group continues to be discriminated against, especially in the sphere of outpatient care. The mentally ill often do not meet the requirements that the respective social security agencies, i.e. in particular pension and health insurance, set out for the granting of benefits. Moreover, contrary to scientific knowledge, measures aimed at the treatment of social disabilities are defined not as psychiatric rehabilitation measures, but as measures of social integration. For these reasons welfare is highly overrepresented in the financing of rehabilitation for the mentally ill. In recent years, legislators have attempted to compensate certain cases of discrimination. Significant legislative changes and administrative developments are described and discussed in terms of their implications.

Ambulatory Care↗
PubMed2006

Globalization and local response to epidemiological overlap in 21st century Ecuador.

BACKGROUND: Third World countries are confronted by a complex overlay of two sets of health problems. Traditional maladies, including communicable diseases, malnutrition, and environmental health hazards coexist with emerging health challenges, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and increasing levels of obesity. Using Ecuador as an example, this paper proposes a conceptual framework for linking epidemiologic overlap to emerging social structures and processes at the national and global levels. DISCUSSION: Epidemiologic trends can be seen as part of broader processes related to globalization, but this does not imply that globalization is a monolithic force that inevitably and uniformly affects nations, communities, and households in the same manner. Rather, characteristics and forms of social organization at the subnational level can shape the way that globalization takes place. Thus, globalization has affected Ecuador in specific ways and is, at the same time, intimately related to the form in which the epidemiologic transition has transpired in that country. SUMMARY: Ecuador is among neither the poorest nor the wealthiest countries and its situation may illuminate trends in other parts of the world. As in other countries, insertion into the global economy has not taken place in a vacuum; rather, Ecuador has experienced unprecedented social and demographic change in the past several decades, producing profound transformation in its social structure. Examples of local represent alternatives to centralized health systems that do not effectively address the complex overlay of traditional and emerging health problems.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Depression in palliative care patients--a prospective study.

Psychological and psychiatric morbidity can be a major source of distress to terminally ill patients and their relatives and friends. A prospective study was carried out to determine the prevalence of undiagnosed depression in palliative care patients and to determine whether factors such as age, previous psychiatric history and perceived social support have any association with the development of depression when patients have advanced metastatic cancer. Patients aged between 18 and 70 years who had a prognosis of < or = 6 months and who were receiving palliative care only for advanced metastatic cancer were interviewed using the Present State examination interview and a semi-structured interview to determine social support, information needs and past psychiatric history. One hundred patients were recruited and the prevalence of depression according to International Classification of Diseases 10 criteria was 22%. Perceived informal social support and past psychiatric history were not associated with being a case of depression but perceived information needs had a weak association. Younger patients and patients with breast cancer were more likely to be identified as being cases of depression. Further research is necessary to explore the aetiology and outcome of depression in palliative care. A high index of suspicion for depression should be maintained for younger patients with advanced metastatic cancer.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Psychosocial adjustment of adult women with Turner syndrome.

This paper presents results from a detailed assessment of the psycho-social adaptation of a group of adult women with Turner syndrome. Thirty subjects, 21 to 48 years of age, participated in an evaluation of social and psychiatric status. The evaluation included a semi-structured interview designed to assess current social functioning and past psychiatric and social history. Subjects completed two self-report questionnaires as well: the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale and the Carroll Rating Scale for Depression. The results reveal a significant subgroup of subjects reporting major psychiatric difficulties and endorsing a considerably impaired sense of self-esteem. These women presented as very dissatisfied with themselves and their lives. These findings are not consistent with previous reports in which women with Turner syndrome have been described as having an unusually high tolerance for stress and being emotionally inert.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1997

Refugees' time perspective and mental health.

OBJECTIVE: The authors' goal was to investigate factors protective of the mental health of refugees, with a particular focus on time splitting and suppression of the past. METHOD: Structured interviews covering premigration and postmigration stresses, personal and social resources, and mental health were given to 1,348 Southeast Asian refugees resettled in Vancouver, British Columbia, and to a comparison sample of 319 residents of Vancouver. Both groups of subjects also performed a task designed to measure orientation toward past, present, and future. RESULTS: Compared with resident Canadians, refugees were more likely to exhibit an atomistic time perspective in which past, present, and future are split. Temporal atomism and avoidance of nostalgia were associated with a lower risk of depression than were other time perspectives. CONCLUSIONS: Under conditions of extreme adversity, time splitting and suppression of the past may be adaptive strategies, mitigating the risk of depression.

Acculturation↗
PubMed1999

Lifestyle factors and continence status: comparison of self-report data from a postal survey in England.

OBJECTIVE: To compare health and lifestyle factors of people with and without urinary incontinence (UI). DESIGN: A postal survey was undertaken that represents the first of a 3-stage project designed to evaluate the health interventions of primary health care teams and continence advisory services on patient outcomes related to UI. SETTING AND SUBJECTS: Two random samples of adult populations (N = 12,529) were included, generated from the family physician patient registers within 2 health authorities in England. INSTRUMENTS: Data were collected using a structured questionnaire that queried demography, perceived health status, activities of daily living, self-care, and use of local health and social services. Information was also collected on past and present continence status. METHODS: Structured questionnaires and a cover letter were mailed to the target population. Two reminders were sent to nonresponders to maximize the response rate. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main measures relate to factors associated with UI: mobility, sleep, childbirth, smoking, diet, body mass index, and accommodation. RESULTS: Significantly more women than men had UI (P < .0001). Respondents with UI were older than those who were continent (P < .0001). Women with UI were significantly more likely to have a greater number of pregnancies (P < .0001), were more likely to have given birth to a baby weighing more than 9 lb (P < .01), and to have had more than 4 children (P = .01) compared with women who were continent. People with UI were less likely to be single and more likely to be widowed than those who were continent (P < .0001). People who lived alone and who had UI were also significantly less likely to have a relative or friend that they could depend on for help than those who were continent (P < .001). UI was also found to be significantly associated with impaired mobility (P < .0001) and sleeping difficulties (P < .0001). No meaningful differences were found between diet and UI, although significantly more people with UI had higher mean body mass index, were obese, or reported that they felt too heavy for their height when compared with people who were continent (P < .0001). No association was found in the present study with smoking or ethnicity and UI. CONCLUSIONS: Key health and lifestyle factors associated with UI included age, gender, childbirth, mobility, sleep patterns, obesity, living alone, and access to help. These factors should be assessed when planning and implementing health care for persons with UI. Attention to these associated factors may prove useful in identifying new cases or people at risk of developing UI when screening people as part of routine health checks. This, in turn, could assist with targeting effective and efficient health care but may also contribute to prevention for some people.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1999

The causal relationship between socioeconomic factors and alcohol consumption: a Granger-causality time series analysis, 1950-1993.

OBJECTIVE: This article examines the relationships between social, demographic and economic factors that influence alcohol consumption. METHOD: The effects of each factor on alcohol consumption and on each other is examined using a Granger-causality time series framework. Specifically, causal determinations are made between per capita alcohol consumption, social and demographic variables consisting of the age structure of the male population, female labor force participation rates, marital instability and educational accomplishment, and the economic variables consisting of the real price of alcohol, median household income and income inequality. Causal equations are determined from identified bivariate relationships and combined into one structural equation predicting alcohol consumption. RESULTS: The findings indicate that the economic variables are Granger-caused by the social or demographic changes over the past four decades and, therefore, have little direct influence on alcohol consumption. The structural equation predicts over 95% of the variance in alcohol consumption. CONCLUSIONS: This work indicates that economic factors have little direct influence on alcohol consumption but, rather, reflect or are a conduit for changes in social and demographic variables. Excluding economic variables as predictors of per capita ethanol consumption results in little substantive change when estimating alcohol consumption.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Structural equation modeling and rehabilitation research.

Structural equation modeling (SEM) has been used extensively in the social sciences in the recent past to model human behavior. SEM has been less used by other disciplines, including rehabilitation medicine. This article begins by providing an introduction to structural equation modeling through the discussion of the definition and basic concepts behind SEM using a conceptual model relevant to rehabilitation medicine that describes the pathway from health to disability (the Enabling-Disabling model). The next focus is on several potential pitfalls of which the researcher needs to be aware when using SEM. After this discussion, a hypothetical example is presented using structural equation modeling to evaluate the Enabling-Disabling model. The article concludes with a review of the advantages and disadvantages of using SEM for clinical and social science research. Throughout the article, references are provided for a more detailed examination of SEM.

Humans↗
PubMed1988

Participation in a dual economy and adjustment to retirement.

Past studies of adjustment to retirement have generally accepted social structure as a given, and have instead focused upon individual level variables. Based upon criticisms of the white-collar/blue-collar depiction of the work world, an alternative model of the economic system is introduced in an attempt to interject variability in the area of social structure. Utilizing a national sample of men derived from the National Opinion Research Center (1972-1977 inclusive), this dual economic model is employed to assess the effects of sectorial placement of workers on subsequent retirement satisfaction. Findings from multiple regression analysis suggest that such placement renders two qualitatively different groups of retirees, one which is primarily concerned with health, and one for which financial adequacy is more important for retirement adjustment. Overall, it was concluded that structural components must be included in research on the retirement process. In addition, the variability among the different scales used to indicate adjustment to retirement suggests that these may have to be altered to adequately reflect the process of adjustment for each of the groups of retirees. These changes must be based on the structural aspects of the economic order which mandate very different work experiences.

Anomie↗
PubMed1998

[Pregnancy today. Randomized study of the emotional state of the woman and her partner].

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy is a remarkable ground for studying the biopsychosocial perspective of psychosomatics, because there is a close correlation between biological conditions, that quickly change in time, and emotional implications that are this result of women psychological structure, her psychosexual maturation degree and her social and environment past and present influences. METHODS: Through a questionnaire including some general data and a more specific section to evaluate psychic and emotional factors of the pregnant and her partner during pregnancy, we interviewed 100 pregnant women beginning from the 32nd pregnancy week; all women attended the psychoprophylactic lessons for childbirth, they were between 20 and 41 years old and the 87% was primipara and the 13% was multipara. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that even if pregnancy is more and more planned and desired, anxiety and fears follow the joy and the happiness of having child, both in man and in woman. Thus, pregnancy and birth, seem to be, also today, too much medicated to the detriment of the "naturalness" of the event: in fact, woman uptake more drugs and there is an increased need to have a good medical assistance not for real obstetrical problems but only to make up for intense anxiety.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

The pursuit of socially modifiable contingencies in mental health.

The effort to understand the meanings of the well-demonstrated linkages between mental health and one's locations in the social structure has commanded a great deal of research attention over the past half century. Following a brief consideration of my early efforts to make a contribution in this regard, some recent and ongoing work is summarized. In concert with important work by others, these findings support the conclusion that differences in exposure to social stress represent a much more critical contingency in mental health and substance use outcomes than has generally been assumed. In addition, reported results indicate that the lifetime experience of multiple adversities is quite common among young people in South Florida and, presumably, elsewhere and the likelihood that the compelling linkage observed between cumulative adversity and risk for psychiatric and substance disorders is causal in nature. It is suggested that the development of interventions in the service of stress prevention or reduction should command a greater proportion of the attention of researchers and interventionists.

Adult↗