Drug use in separated/divorced persons: Gender,parental status,and socio-economic status

The purpose of this research was to explore drug use in a group of 49 separated/divorced persons. We differentiated between nonprescribed, prescribed psychotropic drugs, and other prescribed drugs. The research technique consisted of 3-h in-depth interviews. The independent variables were gender, socio-economic status, and the subjects' own parental status. Contrary to earlier studies, we found a higher drug use among men than women. Combinations of gender with socio-economic status followed different drug use patterns. Higher-status custodial mothers and custodial fathers had the lowest drug use. These results are explored within the framework of gender role atypicality, and suggest that intra-sex variations may be more meaningful to research than broad comparisons between men and women.     

Occupations of fathers of children dying from neoplasms.

It has been suggested in a number of recent reports that there is a possible relationship between parental occupation and malignant disease in children. A proportional mortality analysis relating deaths among children in England and Wales in 1959-63 and 1970-72 to occupation of father as stated on the child's death certificate has not shown any convincing evidence for such associations. Earlier papers published on the subject are reviewed. Although there is some slight evidence for associations between childhood tumours and certain parental occupations there is little consistency between the results reported by different authors. A previously reported association between higher social class and deaths from neoplasms was found also in this study. The explanation for this finding is unknown, and it remains possible that it is an artefact.     

离异家庭儿童青少年家庭教养方式与心理韧性相关性

了解离异家庭儿童青少年家庭教养方式与心理韧性水平及其相关性,为特殊家庭儿童青少年身心健康教育提供依据.方法 采用多阶段抽样方法,对辽宁省6个城市小学三~六年级、初中一~三年级5 385名儿童青少年进行家庭教养方式量表和青少年心理韧性量表问卷调查,筛选出1 473名离异家庭的儿童青少年,运用SPSS 17.0软件对数据进行统计分析.结果 不同性别离异家庭儿童青少年专制型家庭教养方式得分差异有统计学意义(t=4.84,P<0.05),不同年龄儿童青少年权威型与放任型家庭教养方式得分差异均有统计学意义(t值分别为2.54,7.58,P值均<0.05).不同年龄儿童青少年心理韧性总分及各维度得分差异均有统计学意义(P值均<0.05);不同性别儿童青少年人际协助得分差异有统计学意义(t=-3.00,P<0.05),女生高于男生.权威型教养方式与心理韧性各维度和总分均呈正相关(r值分别为0.19~0.39,P值均<0.05);专制型教养方式分别与情绪控制、家庭支持、人际协助得分和心理韧性总分呈负相关(r值分别为-0.29-0.12,P值均<0.05);放任型教养方式分别与目标专注、积极认知、家庭支持、人际协助得分和心理韧性总分呈正相关(r值分别为0.05~ 0.15,P值均<0.05).多元回归显示,心理韧性总分的影响因素有权威型、专制型、是否是学生干部、年龄、父母文化程度.结论 离异家庭儿童青少年家庭教养方式与心理韧性具有一定相关性.学校与社会应加强对离异家庭儿童青少年心理健康的关注,提高学生心理韧性.     

Health risks of exposure to non-ionizing radiation--myths or science-based evidence

INTRODUCTION: The non-ionizing radiation (NIR) contains large range of wavelengths and frequencies from vacuum ultraviolet (UV) radiation to static electric and magnetic fields. Biological effects of electromagnetic (EM) radiation depend greatly on wavelength and other physical parameters. OPTICAL RADIATION: The Sun is the most significant source of environmental UV exposure, so that outdoor workers are at risk of chronic over-exposure. Also exposure to short-wave visible light is associated with the aging and degeneration of the retina. Especially hazardous are laser beams focused to a small spot at the retina, resulting in permanent visual impairment. ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS: Exposure to EM fields induces body currents and energy absorption in tissues, depending on frequencies and coupling mechanisms. Thermal effects caused by temperature rise are basically understood, whereas the challenge is to understand the suspected non-thermal effects. Radiofrequency (RF) fields around frequencies of 900 MHz and 1800 MHz are of special interest because of the rapid advances in the telecommunication technology. The field levels of these sources are so low that temperature rise is unlikely to explain possible health effects. Other mechanisms of interaction have been proposed, but biological experiments have failed to confirm their existence.     

Health benefits, risks, and cost-effectiveness of influenza vaccination of children

We estimated cost-effectiveness of annually vaccinating children not at high risk with inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV) to range from US $12,000 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) saved for children ages 6-23 months to $119,000 per QALY saved for children ages 12-17 years. For children at high risk (preexisting medical conditions) ages 6-35 months, vaccination with IIV was cost saving. For children at high risk ages 3-17 years, vaccination cost $1,000-$10,000 per QALY. Among children notat high risk ages 5-17 years, live, attenuated influenza vaccine had a similar cost-effectiveness as IIV. Risk status was more important than age in determining the economic effects of annual vaccination, and vaccination was less cost-effective as the child's age increased. Thus, routine vaccination of all children is likely less cost-effective than vaccination of all children ages 6-23 months plus all other children at high risk.     

Health risks from radium in workplaces: an unfinished story

The classic health effects of occupational exposure to radium include osteosarcomas and fibrosarcomas of bone, carcinomas of paranasal sinuses and mastoid air cells, and microscopically and radiographically evident lesions of bone, along with fractures in highly exposed individuals. Among probable effects are breast cancer and acceleration of cataracts. Thyroid carcinoma is a possible high-dose effect. Leukemia is likely related to employment in the radium industry. Multiple myeloma and excess lung cancer may have resulted from high gamma radiation and radon exposures rather than from internal radium. At high doses, impairment of fertility has occurred. Further investigations of effects on the cardiovascular system and hearing, and on fracture-related disability very late in life, are needed.     

Changes in family financial circumstances and the physical health of married and recently divorced mothers

This study investigates how divorce followed by single parenthood undermines the long-term physical health of rural mothers using four waves of survey data collected in Iowa, USA from 336 married and 80 divorced mothers during a 10-year period. Findings generally support the hypothesized pathways in that single-parenthood creates financial difficulties for rural mothers. Furthermore, this financial adversity is linked to self-assessed physical health trajectories that then contribute to change in morbidity. This reflects the developmental course of morbidity during the middle years. Methodologically, this extends existing research on the association between women's marital status and well being by explicitly examining individual trajectories of change in family financial strain and physical health, as well as by examining the dynamic association between both during the middle years.     

医院财务风险的防范及管理

本文就医院财务管理中容易被忽视的风险管理进行探讨,提出医院不能回避风险,但可以管理和控制风险,文章从市场风险和非市场风险两个方面对医院要可能存在的财务风险进行分析,旨在于提高医院管理者对医院可能存在的风险有所了解,并注重在日常管理中的控制,以达到防范财务风险的目的。     

Incarcerated fathers and parenting: importance of the relationship with their children

This study examined the relationships of incarcerated fathers (n = 185) with their children while in a maximum security prison. Despite the attention to parental incarceration and at-risk children, the child welfare and corrections literature has focused mostly on imprisoned mothers and children. Demographic, sentence, child-related, and program participation factors were investigated for their influence on father-child relationships. Multiple regression analyses indicated race and sentence contributed to the father's positive perceptions of contacts with their children. Most important, many, though serving lengthy sentences, valued and perceived a positive father-child relationship. Results are discussed in light of implications for future research and social policy.     

Health effects and risks from 222Rn in drinking water

This paper presents an evaluation of the inhalation and ingestion doses from exposure to Rn and Rn progeny; an overview of the human and animal health-effects data; estimations of the cancer risks from Rn and Rn-progeny exposures; and suggested limits for Rn concentrations in drinking water and indoor air. We suggest that a rounded Rn-in-water concentration limit of 10,000 pCi/l can be supported by health-effects considerations alone, based on the conservative "tolerance dose" concept and other conservative assumptions regarding lung dose. A practical concentration limit (or action level) of 20,000 pCi/l has been derived by estimations of exposure distributions in the United States and in relation to current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for U-tailings-contaminated buildings. Research needed for resolution of the uncertainties in these estimates is suggested. We conclude that before a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for Rn in water can be firmly established, the broader issue of setting the MCL for Rn in indoor air must be addressed.     

Gender roles and/or styles in crisis: an integrative analysis of the experiences of fathers of children with cancer

Despite a proliferation of research with families of children with cancer and gender differences in parental coping, few studies have explicitly explored the experiences of fathers of children with cancer. Using several different data collection efforts, including semistructured in-depth interviews and open workshops, this integrative analysis views fathers' experiences through the lens of gender. Findings suggest that fathers' experiences can be understood as influenced by gender identities, gender roles, and the gendered organization of support systems, employment, and health care institutions. The results suggest the need for interventions that provide fathers and entire families with the opportunity to develop new skills and coping strategies for dealing with the stresses and challenges of childhood cancer.     

Health-related quality of life in fathers of children with or without developmental disability: the mediating effect of parental stress

Purpose

The aims of this study were to compare parental stress and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) between Taiwanese fathers of children with and without developmental disabilities (DDs) and to examine the mediating effect of parental stress on the association between having a child with DD and paternal HRQOL within Chinese culture.

Method

This cross-sectional, prospective, unmatched case–control study included 206 fathers of children with DDs and 207 fathers of healthy children. HRQOL was assessed by the SF-36 short-form questionnaire, and parental stress was assessed by the Chinese version Parental Stress Scale.

Results

Fathers of children with DDs experienced poorer mental and physical HRQOL and higher parental stress than fathers of healthy children. Parental stress acted as a complete mediator for paternal physical HRQOL, while parental stress had a partial mediating effect on the relationship between having a child with DD and paternal mental HRQOL. Having a child with DD also directly affected paternal mental HRQOL.

Conclusions

Fathers of children with DDs should be monitored for parental stress and HRQOL, and interventions should be provided to empower them with the knowledge and skills to reduce their stress and to enhance their HRQOL.     

Health in indoor settings: old and new risks

Improved socio-economic and cultural conditions in industrialized countries have brought public health workers to focus greater attention to the comfort conditions of indoor settings, where people spend as much as 90% of their time. This study examines the interaction between man and the indoor environment and highlights conditions that may pose health risks in the workplace and home because of the presence of chemical, physical, and/or biological pollutants. Achieving healthy indoor air quality currently represents a challenge for international health organizations, governments and citizens alike.     

Working children and accidents: understanding the risks

Recent research suggests that a significant proportion of school children aged 10-16 years are employed outside the home during the school term. Delivery work represents only a minority of such employment and children are found working in a wide range of 'adult' jobs, particularly in the service sector. This raises concerns about health and safety hazards faced by working children. There is an absence of data on the effects of different kinds of work and working conditions on child health and development, which is thus a barrier to defining goals, policies and effective action. This paper aims to address these issues through presenting some research findings on child employment and incidences of accident. The study is based on surveys of school children in North Tyneside and Norfolk. Our analysis shows that there is a high level of accidents occurring at work among children aged 10-16 years old. While legislation exists in the UK to prevent children from working in the most hazardous environments and to prohibit young children from undertaking any employment, it is clear that such work does take place. Our findings indicate that it is time to look at the occupational health of children as a major concern.     

Father to father: focus groups of fathers of children with cancer

Caring for a child with cancer is a demanding experience for both parents, yet most research focuses on mothers. In this paper, we present the findings of a secondary analysis of data from a study in which the care-giving experience of fathers is investigated. In two focus groups, ten fathers provided first-hand information about caring for a child with cancer and its impact on their families. In addition, the findings demonstrate how these men through sharing a deeply meaningful and challenging experience offered mutual support and caring. This paper describes the fathers' remarkable and unexpected exchange. Social work implications are also addressed.