Ethnic diversity in aging and aging services in the U.S.: Introduction

This collection on ethnic diversity in aging in the U.S. grew out of two symposia presented at the 1990 annual meetings of the Southwestern Anthropological Association. The papers in this volume focus on smaller and relatively little-known ethnic populations which are currently under-represented in the literature on minority aging. This collection begins to form the basis for cross-cultural comparisons which take into account population size, location and history. Topics include ethnography of aging, applied research, best practice models and policy analysis. Using varied methods and approaches, this collection (1) reports on the implications of a culturally diverse older population; and (2) recommends flexible programs and resource allocation to serve the needs of ethnic minority elderly.     

EDI results of Japanese and German women and possible sociocultural explanations

The goal of this study was to compare data for women with bulimia nervosa and for a healthy control group both in Japan and Germany. These data were obtained using the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI‐2). In Germany, EDI‐2 data and BMI values were collected from 102 nurses in training, 57 female medical students, and 29 patients with bulimia nervosa. In Japan, data were gathered from 243 female ‘short college’ students and 20 patients with bulimia nervosa. The Japanese non‐clinical control group showed significantly higher values on nearly all EDI scales than the German control group. They had a markedly higher drive for thinness, though their BMI values were lower. When the German and the Japanese bulimia nervosa patients were compared, the Japanese patients also showed higher values than their German counterparts on three EDI scales, but these differences were negligible. It is suggested that sociocultural factors in Japan, in particular a significant dependency on social norms, may contribute to the high EDI values. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.     

Archaeology as a social science

Because of advances in methods and theory, archaeology now addresses issues central to debates in the social sciences in a far more sophisticated manner than ever before. Coupled with methodological innovations, multiscalar archaeological studies around the world have produced a wealth of new data that provide a unique perspective on long-term changes in human societies, as they document variation in human behavior and institutions before the modern era. We illustrate these points with three examples: changes in human settlements, the roles of markets and states in deep history, and changes in standards of living. Alternative pathways toward complexity suggest how common processes may operate under contrasting ecologies, populations, and economic integration.     

Radiocarbon dates from the Grotte du Renne and Saint-C��saire support a Neandertal origin for the Chatelperronian

The transition from the Middle Paleolithic (MP) to Upper Paleolithic (UP) is marked by the replacement of late Neandertals by modern humans in Europe between 50,000 and 40,000 y ago. Châtelperronian (CP) artifact assemblages found in central France and northern Spain date to this time period. So far, it is the only such assemblage type that has yielded Neandertal remains directly associated with UP style artifacts. CP assemblages also include body ornaments, otherwise virtually unknown in the Neandertal world. However, it has been argued that instead of the CP being manufactured by Neandertals, site formation processes and layer admixture resulted in the chance association of Neanderthal remains, CP assemblages, and body ornaments. Here, we report a series of accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dates on ultrafiltered bone collagen extracted from 40 well-preserved bone fragments from the late Mousterian, CP, and Protoaurignacian layers at the Grotte du Renne site (at Arcy-sur-Cure, France). Our radiocarbon results are inconsistent with the admixture hypothesis. Further, we report a direct date on the Neandertal CP skeleton from Saint-Césaire (France). This date corroborates the assignment of CP assemblages to the latest Neandertals of western Europe. Importantly, our results establish that the production of body ornaments in the CP postdates the arrival of modern humans in neighboring regions of Europe. This new behavior could therefore have been the result of cultural diffusion from modern to Neandertal groups.     

A cross-cultural comparison of pressures to switch left-hand writing: Brazil versus Canada

Attempts to switch left-hand preferences towards the right side are socialisation practices found in many countries (Perelle & Ehrman, 1994). Although researchers acknowledge that pressures against left-hand use contribute to the cross-cultural fluctuations in the prevalence of left- versus right-hand preference, there has been little systematic cross-cultural study of how these pressures are applied, and who are the major agents applying the pressures to change. Our study explored specific rightward conversion practices and the results of these practices among individuals from two countries. One sample of participants was from a culture categorised as formal, Brazil, and the second sample was from Canada, a nonformal culture (Hofstede, 2001). Researchers have argued that prevalence rates of right-handedness should be higher in cultures that value conformity, called formal cultures, and lower among members of nonformal cultures where conformity pressures are lax (Medland, Perelle, De Monte, & Ehrman, 2004). The socialisation practices used to foster a change from the left to the right side are also predicted to differ in frequency and in kind in formal versus nonformal cultural settings. These cultural differences are assumed to result in differences in success rates of the conversion attempts, with formal cultures producing higher numbers of successfully converted right-handers. Our findings indicate that the formal versus nonformal cultural explanation for cross-cultural fluctuations in the prevalence of hand preference types does not account for the characteristics of the rightward conversion experiences reported by participants in the two groups. We propose that hypotheses concerning the effects of cultural differences on hand preference formation be expanded to include possible biological or genetic variance between groups.     

The role of Tai Chi,cultural dancing,playing a musical instrument and singing in the prevention of chronic disease in Chinese older adults: a mind–body meditative approach

Older adults with chronic diseases have a high level of depression and poor mental health status. Previous public health interventions have attempted to reduce chronic disease-related health risks including depression and to improve mental health, but have had limited success. This study examined whether 15 months of regular participation in Tai Chi (TC) exercise, dancing, instrument playing and singing, as part of a mind–body meditative approach (MBMA), improves brain executive function, psychological functioning and mental health in Chinese older adults. Results indicated that the MBMA programme improved participants' executive function, psychological functioning, mental health and resilience, compared with a control group. These findings indicate that MBMA activities may be adopted as lifestyle approaches to promote mental health in different areas as follows: (1) TC and dancing have the biggest effect for reducing the prevalence of depression and for improving their mental health and resilience in older people with chronic conditions and (2) playing a musical instrument and singing have moderate effect for reducing depression symptoms and promoting mental health. The findings of the study suggest that there are mental health promotion implications relating to exercise type and minimal exercise dosage for older adults. Cultural dancing and TC may be a form of physical activity that is more likely to appeal to older people, when they are most at risk of being overweight or obese, of suffering from depression and/or of experiencing a decline in brain function. TC has been found to be highly effective in preventing depression and promoting brain executive function, and appears to be a form of physical activity that appeals to older people. Dancing, in combination with TC and singing, may be highly effective in protecting older adults from metabolic syndrome and brain function decline and in promoting a positive quality of life including psychological health. Playing a musical instrument may be used as an alternative method for maintaining good mental health in healthy people and for promoting mental health in people suffering from stress and its related depression and anxiety.     

A brief treatment approach for sexual aversions in a young,single Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) Jewish female

For those adhering to Ultra-Orthodox Jewish practices, any pre-marital physical contact is forbidden. As a consequence, most young married couples begin their physical relationship with no prior sexual experience and with minimal specific information. This situation can engender a level of anxiety, which impedes or prevents the creation of a positive intimate relationship. This client expressed no conflict with her religious identification, but adherence to religious expectations had contributed to a lack of both sexual knowledge and experience. The resulting sex-negative impression became the source of considerable anxiety. Making use of religious symbols and metaphors allowed her to reconstruct her views of sexuality without doubt or guilt, underscoring the capacity and permissibility of her body to experience sexual pleasure. This modified perspective opened the door for her to accept a short-term behavioral intervention sequence with little resistance, leading to a successful resolution of the presenting problem.     

Changing Selves in Changing Worlds: Youth Suicide on the Fault-Lines of Colliding Cultures

Abstract

A time series study of the Japanese suicide rate from 1970 to 1989 indicated that the establishment of suicide prevention centers may have been associated with a reduced suicide rate above and beyond the impact of social and economic factors. The effect was small and significant at only the 0.07 level, but sufficiently stable as to encourage further research to evaluate the effectiveness of suicide prevention centers.     

The psychological sequelae on mothers of thermally injured children and adolescents: Future directions: Part 3

Part 3 of this study focused on maternal psychopathology and relationship with their children in three groups, assessed in Parts 1 and 2. Evidence of greater psychopathology in the mothers of burned children was supported by findings of both interview and self-report data, which indicated more symptoms of worry, depression, tension, anxiety, lack of energy, lower self confidence with other people and guilt, compared with mothers of Fracture Clinic and Normal Controls. Marital and social functioning and adverse life events did not differentiate groups, with the exception of a significantly higher divorce rate in the parents of burned children, following thermal injury.