Ethical Issues in Psychotherapy

Abstract: The goal of psychotherapy is not only the dissolution of the symptoms, but also to attempt to bring about an improvement in adaptability and deepening the achievement of self-understanding. The nature of psychotherapy is based on the relationship between the therapist and patient. Such a goal and nature mean that some kinds of psychotherapy are beyond the medical model. In this paper ethical issues in psychotherapy are discussed as follows. 1) some complicated matters in informed-consent, 2) the hit or miss techniques of the poorly trained therapist, 3) the protection of privacy, 4) the sexual misconduct of therapists with patients, 5) special consideration for child-adolescent patients.     

Familial and socioeconomic influences on children''s well-being: An examination of preschool children in Kenya

As patterns of family formation change, it is important to know how children's lives are affected by their parents' marital and socioeconomic circumstances. Using data from the 1993 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, this study shows that children of never married and formerly married mothers have significantly higher probabilities of polio dropout and acute undernutrition than those of monogamously married mothers. The number of male household members of working age greatly enhances the chances of full immunization and the nutritional status of children whose mothers were previously married. For children of never married mothers, the benefits of residing with males of working age are largely a function of ethnicity. The results also show that, although children are not disadvantaged nutritionally when their fathers have more than one wife, polygyny is associated with a higher probability of polio dropout and lower probability of full immunization than monogamy. Higher socioeconomic status is associated with a greater probability of full immunization and a lower probability of malnutrition but socioeconomic factors do not explain the effects of mothers' marital status. The findings underscore the complex realities of family interaction and the importance of the broader social context in accounting for variations in child welfare across diverse marital situations.     

Boundary Ambiguity in Parents With Chronically Ill Children: Integrating Theory and Research

Abstract: This article integrates theory and research related to boundary ambiguity in parents of children with a chronic health condition. We propose that boundary ambiguity is a risk factor for psychological distress in these parents. Clinical applications and a case example highlight how boundary ambiguity can be assessed and managed in clinical settings by professionals working with parents with chronically ill children. Questions are provided for assessing boundary ambiguity in clinical and research settings, and implications for research are discussed.     

丙种球蛋白治疗危重早产儿临床分析

目的 为评估IVIG治疗危重早产儿的临床疗效。方法 将危重早产儿116例采取随机分为治疗组和对照组，对照组给常规综合治疗，治疗组在常规综合治疗措施上，加用IVIG静脉滴注，比较治疗组与对照组患儿病情平稳率及死亡率。结果 IVIG治疗危重早产儿病情平稳率第5天达75．8％第10天达93．3％，而对照组分别为50％和70．4％；病死率治疗组为6．4％，对照组为11．1％，均优于常规对照组。结论 危重早产儿用IVIG治疗疗效较满意，值得推广。     

Pituitary volume in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Abnormalities in the limbic-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (LHPA) axis have been implicated in the pathogenesis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). To our knowledge, however, no prior study has measured pituitary gland volume in OCD. METHODS: Volumetric magnetic resonance imaging studies were conducted in 31 psychotropic drug-na?ve children (10 boys, 21 girls) aged 8-17 years and 31 case-matched healthy comparison subjects. RESULTS: Pituitary volume was significantly smaller in patients with OCD as compared with healthy control subjects (11% smaller). Smaller pituitary volume in patients with OCD was associated with increased compulsive but not obsessive symptom severity. Boys with OCD had smaller pituitary gland volumes compared with control boys (20% smaller). No significant differences in pituitary volume were observed between girls with OCD and control girls. Boys with OCD had significantly smaller pituitary volumes than girls with OCD (31% smaller), whereas control boys also had smaller pituitary gland volumes compared with control girls (21% smaller). CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide new evidence of reduced pituitary volume in pediatric OCD that seems to be more prominent in male patients. The observed alterations in pituitary volume are consistent with neuroendocrine studies that have reported abnormalities in the LHPA axis in OCD.     

短波紫外线照射对小儿肺炎及中性粒细胞吞噬功能和IL－2的影响

用短波紫外线照射患儿腰背部皮肤辅助治疗小儿肺炎，提示紫外线治疗组与对照组相比，显著缩短患儿发热。咳嗽及肺部湿罗音消失时间（Ｐ＜０．０１）。用化学发光法测定中性粒细胞吞噬功能，治疗组患儿血液内中性粗细胞吞噬功能显著提高（Ｐ＜０．０５）。同时测定治疗组患儿血中ＩＬ－２低于对照组（Ｐ＜０．０５），并对上述结果机理进行了探讨。     

单纯性肥胖儿童的智力研究

本调查了１１４名不同肥胖程度的儿童智力状况。结果发现：患儿与正常体重儿童的智力水平没有显差异（Ｐ＞０．０５）。表明单纯性肥胖儿童的智力发育正常。     

Ethics and Society: Filiation in assisted reproduction: potential conflicts and legal implications

Filiation, or a person's parentage, is one of the major componentsof someone's identity, often with important implications forthat person's welfare in social and personal terms. Fertilityspecialists are enjoined to consider the welfare of the child,and this is a legal requirement in assisted reproduction techniquesin the UK. This paper is in three parts, discussing some ofthe potential problems regarding filiation of the prospectivechild born of assisted reproduction techniques, in relationto the use of gametes and embryos. The first two parts concentrateon the status of children born as a result of treatment givenposthumously, and on filiation problems associated with donationof gametes or embryos, and surrogacy. The third part comparesBritish and French legislation with special regard to the welfareof the child, as well as underlining the common trends and principlesenunciated in both legislations. This is particularly appropriateat a time when the European Society for Human Reproduction andEmbryology is about to issue ethical guidelines in assistedreproduction, and when both the Council of Europe and the EuropeanCommission have commissioned studies on the implications ofthe assisted techniques, including those concerning status ofthe potential children.     

Health-seeking behavior and the meaning of medications in Balochistan, Pakistan

A wide variety of health care options--home-based, indigenous, and cosmopolitan--exists in northern Balochistan, Pakistan. This paper examines health-seeking behavior in the area of mother and child health for villagers in this pluralistic medical setting. The analysis of a specific series of illness episodes shows that the majority of cases obtain treatment from different medical systems for a single episode. Interest in medications takes precedence over practitioners, and the meaning the villagers attach to such substances is explored. Long-established patterns of behavior relating to indigenous medicine continue to occur when cosmopolitan medicine is utilized. Information presented here helps to explain problems in utilization of cosmopolitan pharmaceuticals and delineates areas for future health programme activity.