A study of the connectedness among distant neuronal populations in the human brain during mental activity

In this article, we present the results of a study of connectedness among distant neuronal populations in human deep-brain structures. The time characteristics involved and the stability of the connections between different neuronal populations during monotonous mental activity are discussed. We show that a stable connectedness does correlate with mental activity; however, the connections themselves do not correlate with one another. We also show that the individual connections, the elements of the system which make mental activity possible, can function with various degrees of rigidity or flexibility.Translated from Fiziologicheskii Zhurnal SSSR imeni I. M. Sechenova, Vol. 70, No. 7, pp. 892–903, July, 1984.     

Coping with grief after involuntary pregnancy loss: perspectives of African American women

OBJECTIVE: To present the coping strategies used by African American women following their miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, fetal deaths, and still-births, which the authors have termed involuntary pregnancy losses or IPLs. DESIGN: Semistructured audiotaped interviews; grounded theory methods used to collect and analyze the data. SETTING: Urban community-based sites in the Western United States. PARTICIPANTS: 20 African American adult women who reported a history of involuntary pregnancy loss within 3 years of interview. RESULTS: In this study, the women's responses to their IPL were grouped into four areas. They coped with personal reactions, reactions of others, memories of the baby, and subsequent pregnancies. CONCLUSION: The women in this study used inner resources to develop self-help strategies to cope with reactions following IPL. Nurses are challenged to harness the influence of family, friends, religion, and cultural traditions to assist women in processing the cognitive, emotional, and social traumas associated with IPL. Educating women to recognize grief responses after IPL and to manage these responses effectively may prevent adverse outcomes to their physical and mental health. A culturally sensitive framework of clinical assessment and intervention for African American women experiencing IPL has been developed.     

The Study of Mentoring in the Learning Environment (SMILE): A Randomized Evaluation of the Effectiveness of School-based Mentoring

The effect of providing youth school-based mentoring (SBM), in addition to other school-based support services, was examined with a sample of 516 predominately Latino students across 19 schools. Participants in a multi-component, school-based intervention program run by a youth development agency were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: (1) supportive services alone or (2) supportive services plus SBM. Compared to community-based mentoring, the duration of the SBM was brief (averaging eight meetings), partly because the agency experienced barriers to retaining mentors. Intent-to-treat (ITT) main effects of SBM were tested using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) and revealed small, positive main effects of mentoring on self-reported connectedness to peers, self-esteem (global and present-oriented), and social support from friends, but not on several other measures, including grades and social skills. Three-way cross-level interactions of sex and school level (elementary, middle, and high school) revealed that elementary school boys and high school girls benefited the most from mentoring. Among elementary school boys, those in the mentoring condition reported higher social skills (empathy and cooperation), hopefulness, and connectedness both to school and to culturally different peers. Among high school girls, those mentored reported greater connectedness to culturally different peers, self-esteem, and support from friends. Findings suggest no or iatrogenic effects of mentoring for older boys and younger girls. Therefore, practitioners coordinating multi-component programs that include SBM would be wise to provide mentors to the youth most likely to benefit from SBM and bolster program practices that help to support and retain mentors.     

基于社会网络分析的公众健康网群影响力研究

运用社会网络分析法,从健康类网站AlexaTop200和2015年复旦大学医院评价综合榜及医学领域学协会网站中筛选182个有效网站,根据主办单位性质划分为企业、个人、专业机构、社会团体和政府5个子群。基于网站间的链接关系构建整体网和子群的网络关系图,对比分析整体网群和子群的网络结构、中心度和网络的关联性,发现不同类型网站在规模和结构上的异同及各网群影响力差异,为完善大众健康类网群的建设、改善健康信息服务现状提供借鉴。     

The psychological impact of chronic environmental adversity: Responding to prolonged drought

The health effects of chronic environmental adversity have received insufficient attention, particularly those associated with the psychological impact of drought. Resilience or adaptive response to drought has received even less attention than vulnerability factors. This research examined factors associated with drought impact in rural and remote Australian communities. In 2008 postal surveys were completed by 302 adults (mean age 53 years; 57% female, 77% married) living in rural areas of prolonged drought exposure. Outcome measures were: (i) psychological distress (Kessler 10) and (ii) an index of concern or worry about drought. A range of predictor variables were assessed: adaptability (hopefulness, neuroticism), other adverse events, personal support and community connectedness, and sense of place, as a measure of connection to the local environment. Predictors of drought related worry differed from those associated with psychological distress levels. The former included socio-economic factors (living on a farm [Odds Ratio, OR 3.09], current employment [OR 3.64]), personal psychological characteristics (neuroticism [OR 1.29]), and greater connection with the environment (sense of place [OR 1.05]). On the other hand, psychological distress was associated chiefly with personal factors, such as higher neuroticism [OR 1.92], lower levels of hopefulness [OR 0.28], and lower perceived social support and community connectedness [OR 0.39]. Practical financial, employment and family factors were identified as important elements of drought impact, as to a lesser extent was sense of place, reflecting a confrontation with the consequences of chronic environmental degradation, while personal hopefulness may help mitigate the psychological impact of such adversity.     

Connectedness and health for First Nation adoptees

The present article describes the major findings from a doctoral study that explored the relationship among connectedness, health and adoption for First Nations children. Reports that focus on Aboriginal children in the care of public agencies emphasize the importance of the child remaining connected to family and community. The literature on adoption describes connectedness as an attribute of self that reflects our interpersonal relationship with the world. The objectives of the present study were to describe how connectedness relates to health for First Nations adoptees, and to explore legislative, policy and program implications in the adoption of First Nations children. The study was conducted using the western qualitative approach of in-depth interviewing with participants, accompanied by the indigenous method of talking circles with key informants. Grounded theory was the method of analysis. The findings of the study suggest that connection to birth family and community and ancestral knowledge are critical for First Nations adoptees.     

Relationship patterns of connectedness and individuality in couples as expressed in the couple joint drawing method

This study investigated the joint drawing technique as a means for assessing themes of connectedness and individuality among romantic couples. The aim was to identify distinct couple joint drawing patterns by examining pictorial phenomena in the context of the process and product of the joint drawings created by couples. A phenomenological qualitative analysis of 120 joint drawings, created by sixty couples, led to the identification of three couple joint drawing styles. The “balanced style” is characterized by a coherent product, which is a result of the couple's ability to agree on one drawing subject, and to work cooperatively. The “complicated style” is characterized by unconnected images without a common denominator, and the “disconnected style” is characterized by the absence of contact between the partners’ drawings on the sheet. The couple joint drawing styles are discussed in relation to family therapy models and attachment theory and research on couple relationships.     

自然联结量表的修订及信效度

目的:对自然联结量表(connectedness to nature scale,CNS)进行中文版修订和信效度检验。方法:采用翻译后量表对大学生进行施测,161名大学生完成了初测,289名大学生完成了再测。结果:1探索性因素分析表明,中文版自然联结量表具有一个维度,包括14个题项,一个主因素可解释总变异的29.476%;验证性因素表明,单因素模型对数据拟合程度良好(χ~2/df=1.837,RMSEA=0.045,GFI=0.953,NFI=0.868,CFI=0.934,IFI=0.935,TLI=0.920);中文版自然联结量表相容效度良好,自然联结总分(CNS)和自我包含自然量表(the inclusion of nature in the self,INS)得分之间显著正相关(r=0.491,P0.01);2中文版自然联结量表内部一致性信度为0.783,重测信度为0.901(P0.01);3自然联结不存在性别差异和年级差异。结论:中文版自然联结量表具有良好的信效度,可以作为个人与自然关系的测量工具。