Bidirectional relationships between future time perspective and alcohol use: an exploratory study in a clinical setting

Abstract

Gaining a better grasp on factors related to changes in alcohol use is of particular interest for clinicians. Past research has highlighted a negative link between future time perspective (i.e. a disposition guiding how individuals consider and act regarding their future) and alcohol misuse. However, much remains at stake in the understanding of this association. The objective of this research was to explore bidirectional relationships between future time perspective and severity of alcohol-related problems, in a clinical setting. The sample includes 79 patients followed up in an outpatient alcohol treatment centre. Two measurement times were planned: at entry into care and 6 months later. Multiple linear regression analyses were carried out, controlling for sociodemographic variables. We found that baseline future time perspective predicted level of alcohol-related problems after 6 months in treatment, even when effects of baseline alcohol-related problems and sociodemographic variables were controlled. This study shows that the way patients see and position themselves regarding their future can affect level of alcohol-related problems. It may be useful for clinicians to identify patients with low future time perspective to offer tailored interventions and consider this dimension as a resource for change.     

Is a friend truly a treasure? Evolution of friendship competence from pre-school up to the last year of primary school

A Friend is truly a treasure, in accordance with age and competence’s qualitative changes. The aim of this study was to con?rm the increase in friendship competence and its multifactorial nature in 3- up to 10-year-old children, and to verify gender differences, and parenting in?uences on the concept of friendship. A semi-structured interview was administered in a natural context to 3- to 10-year-old children (N?=?167; Mean?=?7.6 years; SD?=?2.16). According to Selman’s Model, the coding provides ?ve sub-categories: (1) friendship; (2) social perspective taking; (3) emotions understanding; (4) social interaction strategies; and (5) aggressiveness. Three parental style questionnaires were administered to parents. Results point up an increase in social skills according to age. The Friendship Interview turned out to be a reliable tool able to investigate how the concept of friendship is also structured in preschool children.     

Notions of child health: mothers' accounts of health in their young babies

This paper is concerned with mothers’ understandings of child health in their young babies. To explore how child health is depicted, explained and contextualised by mothers, altogether 29 mothers in Stockholm and London were interviewed through the baby's first months about day-to-day experiences of the baby's health and well-being. The analysis of the mothers’ accounts reveals how the mothers, in the process of assessing health, try to ‘read’ the bodily signs and reactions in their babies. Some major themes emerge on how the mothers identify and characterise threats to the health of the baby; here described as threats of abnormalities, threats to the survival of the baby, threats to the thriving of the baby and threats from illnesses. Notions of child health are discussed in relation to the ‘bodily’ and the ‘social’, and how the embodied images of child health are intertwined with the mothers’ presentations of themselves as responsible for the health of their children and as ‘worthy’ parents.     

学生视域下的医学院校大学英语课程思政教学资源库建设研究

目的 探索医学生团队对大学英语思政教学资源的发掘与整合,并建设医学院校大学英语课程思政教学资源库,为医学生英语教学与思政教育的融合提供可行性经验。方法 对某医学院校1 030名学生进行问卷调查,并采用SPSSAU统计软件对调查结果进行分析,了解学生对英语教学与思政教育融合的态度与需求、大学英语思政教学资源库的建设方式,以及资源的呈现方式和类型。基于问卷结果、教材主题、教学模块与学生专业,采用内容分析与归类法,建设符合医学生期望的大学英语思政教学资源库。数据均以占比百分率的形式呈现。结果 ①836名学生认为大学英语有必要与思政教育融合,希望通过日常生活（731人）、医学背景知识（664人）、社会实践（622人）、新闻时事（604人）等相关的视频、音频建设思政资源库,并以“教师讲授+课堂讨论”（528人）的形式引导学生学习上述资源。②根据教材主题匹配问卷结果中的思政融入点,根据单元模块内容进一步细化思政融入点为普适性与医学专属思政教学元素两类,最终建成了医学院校大学英语思政教学资源库。结论 好的课程与资源是师生共研共建的。     

A systemic perspective on children’s emotional insecurity in relation to father: links to parenting,interparental conflict and children’s social well-being

ABSTRACT

Focusing on the father-child-relationship in a family systems perspective, this paper investigates longitudinal links of parenting, interparental conflict, and positive regard by both parents, to their emotional insecurity with father and mother. Furthermore, to clarify fathers’ contribution to children’s social development, aspects of the relationship to both parents are jointly considered. The sample was drawn from the German family panel pairfam and included 372 family triads with parents’ and children’s self-reports. Findings revealed consistent associations between interparental conflict and lack of positive regard and emotional insecurity, while parenting had no independent links with children’s emotional insecurity or social adjustment. Controlling for the stability of child outcomes, interparental conflict predicted children’s lower prosocial behavior and higher peer rejection. In addition, peer rejection was predicted by children’s emotional insecurity with father. The findings are in line with the emotional security hypothesis and highlight the importance of the father-child-relationship for developing positive peer relationships.     

Measuring quality of life from the point of view of HIV-positive subjects: the HIV-QL31

Assessment of the quality of life (QoL) of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected subjects is often based on questionnaires in which the items or questions are not seen to be relevant by patients, nor by the users of the data obtained. It therefore seemed appropriate to return to the issue. The methodological and bibliographical research as well as the consultations we conducted convinced us that the elaboration of a new questionnaire was both necessary and possible. In order to do so, we adopted methodological principles based on the Sickness Impact Profile development methodology. First a bibliographical research was conducted in order to study instruments already used for HIV infection. Then, experts concerned with HIV infection and members of patients' associations were interviewed to assess how opportune the development of a new instrument could be. Following this, a methodology was established for the design and construction of the new instrument. One hundred and eighteen candidate questions were generated from an analysis of the content of 20 patients' interviews, which were subsequently submitted to 102 patients, to obtain finally a set of 31 questions from the interpretation of the results obtained from classic psychometric analysis and also from non-classic methods (item response theory and Rasch model). The concept being measured is the impact of illness being experienced by HIV-infected subjects from their own perspective. The range of health states covered by this questionnaire relates to fairly mild conditions. Rasch analysis of this set of 31 questions (HIV-QL31) shows that it corresponds to one unidimensional construct. A single score can be calculated by simple summation of dichotomous response options. This score is highly reliable (Cronbach's coefficient = 0.93) and is also discriminant regarding the severity of clinical status.     

Experience with NORPLANT® in Egypt

Experience with the contraceptive NORPLANT in Egypt dates back to early 1980 when the first multicentre trial was initiated. To date, more than 3000 women have received this contraceptive at the Assiut University Family Clinic alone. Analysis of the overall experience in this clinic has indicated a 5-year cumulative continuation rate of 51 and a pregnancy rate of 1.8 per 100 women.

Clinical pharmacology studies pertaining to the safety of NORPLANT in our community have indicated no deleterious effect on the lipid profile, liver functions and blood coagulation system. Two studies conducted in Egypt have indicated that the initiation of NORPLANT use shortly after delivery does not have any unfavourable effect on lactational performance, or on physical or psychomotor development of the breast-fed infants. This is particularly important in Arab and Moslem cultures where prolonged breast-feeding is emphasized.

A study utilizing focus-group discussion to assess users' attitudes to NORPLANT has indicated the need to improve the informational/educational package given in the service by emphasizing certain cultural considerations.

On the whole, this first implant method has proven to be safe and acceptable in Egypt, where there is a special need for long-term methods for contraception, particularly as sterilization is not socially acceptable.     

3～6岁儿童角色采择与分享行为的关系

目的:研究3~6岁幼儿角色采择能力的发展与分享行为的关系。方法:随机选取临汾市和烟台市的两家幼儿园3~6岁的幼儿,每个年龄段30人,共120名幼儿,通过情景故事法和实验法来测量幼儿的角色采择能力与分享行为的关系。结果:(1)3~6岁的儿童角色采择能力的发展总体上存在显著的年龄差异(m=1.9-3.4),随年龄的增长呈上升趋势,5岁是幼儿角色采择能力发展的关键期;(2)儿童分享行为随年龄增长呈上升趋势(m=0.1-1.9);(3)3~6岁儿童的角色采择能力与分享行为有显著相关,5岁左右的幼儿的相关更显著(t=7.887,8.141,P0.001)。结论:3~6岁幼儿的角色采择能力与分享行为呈显著正相关,5岁左右幼儿的相关更显著。     

Autism spectrum disorders and intestinal microbiota

Through extensive microbial-mammalian co-metabolism, the intestinal microbiota have evolved to exert a marked influence on health and disease via gut-brain-microbiota interactions. In this addendum, we summarize the findings of our recent study on the fecal microbiota and metabolomes of children with pervasive developmental disorder–not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) or autism (AD) compared with healthy children (HC). Children with PDD-NOS or AD have altered fecal microbiota and metabolomes (including neurotransmitter molecules). We hypothesize that the degree of microbial alteration correlates with the severity of the disease since fecal microbiota and metabolomes alterations were higher in children with PDD-NOS and, especially, AD compared to HC. Our study indicates that the levels of free amino acids (FAA) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) differ in AD subjects compared to children with PDD-NOS, who are more similar to HC. Finally, we propose a new perspective on the implications for the interaction between intestinal microbiota and AD.     

Lost in translation: Cultural divides in communication skills teaching identified in the ICCH 2016 student symposium

ObjectiveTo provide a platform for learners’ voices at an international conference on communication in healthcare.MethodsA group of medical students were invited to explore their experiences with communication skills learning at a symposium at the 2016 International Conference on Communication in Healthcare in Heidelberg, DE.ResultsStudents from the US, Denmark, Germany, and Russia discussed their experiences with communication skills curriculum at their institutions. We identified divides that have challenged our ability to develop and maintain strong communication skills: 1) valuation of communication skills vs. other topics, 2) curricular theory vs. practice, 3) evaluation vs. feedback, 4) preclinical vs. clinical learning, and 5) the medical student vs. practicing clinician role.ConclusionThe points of transition we identified on the road of communication skills teaching highlight opportunities to strengthen the educational experience for students. Without an effort to address these divides, however, our communication skills may be lost in translation.Practice implicationsStudents value communication skills teaching during their medical education and there are opportunities to translate this to countries that currently lack robust curricula and to the real-life post-graduate setting. Support is necessary from students, teachers, and administrators, and focus on translation of skills during role transitions is needed.