Rehabilitation programs for elderly women inpatients with schizophrenia

This study aims to describe rehabilitation and resocialization methods we believe to be appropriate for application to female patients with schizophrenia, in a psychiatric unit with a predominantly older population. We briefly describe the unit and the interventions used as an example of the proposed rehabilitation and resocialization methods applied. The article provides an overview to guide accurate intervention, particularly in inpatient women, in different types of cognitive impairment under the broad category of schizophrenia. Our clinical approach includes a token economy approach, cognitive remediation therapy, and social skills training. The token economy intervention is particularly directed to patients that present with a high mental deterioration and/or debility. Cognitive remediation training is applicable to subjects with both cognitive and social dysfunction, but that do not possess signs of an organic cerebral illness or of substance abuse. Social skills training can be the third step to resocialization, training verbal and nonverbal communication competencies.     

Rehabilitation Programs for Elderly Women Inpatients with Schizophrenia

ABSTRACT

This study aims to describe rehabilitation and resocialization methods we believe to be appropriate for application to female patients with schizophrenia, in a psychiatric unit with a predominantly older population. We briefly describe the unit and the interventions used as an example of the proposed rehabilitation and resocialization methods applied. The article provides an overview to guide accurate intervention, particularly in inpatient women, in different types of cognitive impairment under the broad category of schizophrenia. Our clinical approach includes a token economy approach, cognitive remediation therapy, and social skills training. The token economy intervention is particularly directed to patients that present with a high mental deterioration and/or debility. Cognitive remediation training is applicable to subjects with both cognitive and social dysfunction, but that do not possess signs of an organic cerebral illness or of substance abuse. Social skills training can be the third step to resocialization, training verbal and nonverbal communication competencies.     

A diagnostic study of Department of Health training courses for family planning providers

A study in the Philippines sought to observe and describe the family planning (FP) training program in two regions. This program trains physicians, nurses, and midwives as a team and includes a Basic/Comprehensive (B/C) course in FP with didactic and practicum elements, training in interpersonal communication skills (ICS) for those who have completed with B/C course, and a Preceptors Course for those who will supervise the practicum phase of the B/C course. The study gathered specific information on 1) trainee absenteeism and drop-out rates, 2) course content and effects, 3) the trainee selection process, 4) the practicum requirement for the B/C course, and 5) service delivery values and quality of care. Data were collected through observations, questionnaires, exit interviews with clients during the practicum phase, interviews with supervisors and public officials (mayors), and focus group discussions with regional trainers. This assessment led to the following recommendations: 1) maintain the current team approach; 2) reserve basic orientation-type subjects for office-based training to allow more time for FP topics in the training programs; 3) use caution in making a switch to "competency-based" training because of the possibility that supervision is inadequate for such a training method; 4) improve scheduling; 5) enforce the prerequisites for participation in the ICS and Preceptors Courses; 6) assign only one trainee to a preceptor area during the practicum and reduce the quota of IUD insertions to reduce pressure to obtain IUD acceptors; 7) create a "model" FP clinic each time a preceptor is trained; 8) pay more attention to natural FP methods; and 9) maintain an emphasis on quality of care.     

Social Problem Solving as a Predictor of Well-being in Adolescents and Young Adults

Social problem solving is the cognitive-affective-behavioral process by which people attempt to resolve real-life problems in a social environment, and is of key importance in the management of emotions and well-being. This paper reviews a series of studies on social problem solving conducted by the authors. First, we developed and validated the Chinese version of the Social Problem-Solving Inventory Revised (C-SPSI-R) which demonstrated very good psychometric properties. Second, we identified the scope of stressful social situations faced by young adults and their self-efficacy in facing such situations (N = 179). Young adults were generally confident about their basic social skills but found it much more stressful to relate to family members, handle conflicts, handle negative behaviors from others, self-disclose to others, and to express love. Third, in two separate studies, we found that social problem solving was closely linked to measures of depression (n = 200), anxiety (n = 235), and family well-being (N = 1462). Measures of anxiety and depression were found to be significantly related to aspects of social problem solving in expected directions and expected strength. In another study, higher parental social problem solving behavior and lower avoidance behavior were found to be related to indicators of family well-being, including better overall family functioning, and fewer parent–adolescent conflicts.     

The Impact of Sense of Community in the School,Social Skills,and Exposure to Aggression and Victimization on Students’ Well-Being

Research suggests that sense of community in the school is a promising construct in terms of its ability to promote students’ well-being. However, mechanisms behind and the potential benefits of school sense of community have not been studied in detail. This cross-sectional study tested a model which examined the role of sense of community in the school, social skills, exposure to aggression, and victimization in shaping students’ well-being. The sample consisted of 1076 students from 22 public middle schools and 724 students from 22 public high schools located in the Italian Region of Liguria. Using a Bayesian estimation for a structural equation model, results showed that sense of community in the school directly predicted students’ social skills, exposure to aggression, and well-being and, indirectly (through social skills and exposure to aggression), victimization. In addition, we found that social skills were related to victimization. Finally, results showed that victimization was predicted by exposure to aggression and predicted well-being. The current study suggests that sense of community in the school and social skills are key variables for interventions that aim to prevent aggressive behaviors at school and to increase students’ well-being.     

A pilot study of the application of the transtheoretical model during strength training in older women

A Transtheoretical Model (TTM) goal-setting tool was used during strength training in women. Volunteers (mean age = 69, N = 27) were assigned to a strength training only or strength training/behavior change 12-week intervention. A pre/posttest, quasiexperimental design assessed TTM constructs, Health-Related Quality of Life, and functional fitness measurements. Multiple ANCOVAs revealed significant differences between groups on lower body strength (p = .001), upper body flexibility (p = .002), Decisional Balance (p = .024,) and Stage of Change for Exercise (p = .010). Stage of change progression may be enhanced using a goal-setting tool during strength training in older women.     

Soziale Kompetenz: Hierarchisiert, vergeschlechtlicht und ökonomisiert

This paper discusses the gender-dimension of the notion “social skill” and states that different uses of the term support the gender hierarchies. In the 1970ies “social skills” were attributed to women. Nowadays “social skills” are forming part of the curricula in the educational system. In this process “social skills” are used to fit economic interests and appear to be gender-neutral. A closer look shows that depending on the context the notion has a “male” or “female” bias. The radical shift of work and employment is described by terms like dispersion of borders between life and work, subjectivity and rationalization and has its equivalence in the educational system.     

Assessing the impact of a family planning nurse training program in Egypt

In 1991 the Egyptian Ministry of Health introduced a new training program for family planning nurses. The training program stressed the development of nurses' counseling skills. As part of the Operations Research Program, sponsored by Family Health International in collaboration with the Egypt National Family Planning Board, managerial staff from family planning agencies designed and implemented a study to evaluate the impact of the new training program. The study objective was to assess the impact of nurse training on nurse performance in the clinic and on clients' family planning knowledge, attitudes and contraceptive use. The study was designed to provide usable information to family planning managers in the field within a time period of less than one year. The study results indicate that there is an association between improved family planning training for nurses and positive changes in family planning knowledge, attitudes and behavior among women attending MoH clinics in this study. The greatest relative change occurred in knowledge. Women in the experimental group, relative to the control group, displayed increased knowledge about contraceptives, particularly the pill and the IUD. Attitudinal change was less pronounced. Favorable attitudes toward oral contraceptives and condoms became more prevalent, and reports of husband-wife communication about family planning also increased. Finally, although contraceptive use was already high prior to the nurse training, IUD use increased significantly among women in one governorate.     

A Pilot Study of the Application of the Transtheoretical Model During Strength Training in Older Women

A Transtheoretical Model (TTM) goal-setting tool was used during strength training in women. Volunteers (mean age = 69, N = 27) were assigned to a strength training only or strength training/behavior change 12-week intervention. A pre/posttest, quasiexperimental design assessed TTM constructs, Health-Related Quality of Life, and functional fitness measurements. Multiple ANCOVAs revealed significant differences between groups on lower body strength (p = .001), upper body flexibility (p = .002), Decisional Balance (p = .024,) and Stage of Change for Exercise (p = .010). Stage of change progression may be enhanced using a goal-setting tool during strength training in older women.     

The Filipino male as a target audience in family planning

Since the official launching of the Philippine Population Program in 1970, family planning campaigns have substantially addressed themselves to women. The suggestion to devote equal, if not more, attention to men as family planning targets had been raised by Dr. Mercado as early as 1971. It was not until 1978, that the deliberate inclusion of males as a target audience in family planning became a matter of policy. The Population Center Foundation (PCF), from 1979 to 1982, carried out research projects to determine the most suitable approaches and strategies to reach Filipino men. The objectives of the PCF's Male Specific Program are: 1) to test alternative schemes in promoting male family planning methods through pilot-testing of family planning clinics for men, 2) to develop teaching materials geared toward specific segments of the male population, 3) to undertake skills training in male-specific motivational approaches for program professionals, and 4) to assess the extent of the husband's role in family planning. An important finding of 1 study was that most outreach workers were female stood in the way of the motivation process, thus hampering the campaign. While the consultative motivational skills training improved knowledge, attitudes, and skills of outreach workers with regard to vasectomy and the motivation process, there were certain predispositions that were hindering the fieldworkers' effectiveness in motivating target clients. Overall, in-depth, 1-to-1 motivation in dealing with men is needed to strengthen internalization of family planning values.     

城市流动人口的社会融合:文献述评

通过文献综述,对影响流动人口社会融合的主要因素进行一些理论性的述评,并总结提出4方面的基本结论:第一,移民过程中的每一个环节都受到移民社会资本或社会网络的影响,社会资本影响着流动人口在城市的生活、发展和融合;第二,以户籍制度为依托的流动人口管理制度,以及一系列与户口相关的社会福利制度对流动人口的限制与排斥,对流动人口的社会融合有着根本性的影响;第三,教育、培训,以及工作经历,是流动人口人力资本积累的重要方式,并促进其社会融合;第四,流动人口在劳动力市场的地位和处境,是他们社会融合状况的表现,也影响其社会融合的能力。     

The absolutely fabulous but flawlessly customary world of female impersonators

Our editorial introduction to this volume on drag queens highlights what we believe are some of the most prominent and important themes of female impersonation in the past and today. Building on contributors' articles, a substantial body of literature on female impersonators/drag queens and the social construction of gender, and our own extensive ethnographic experiences in a multitude of drag settings, we first suggest that such individuals can be seen as symbolic representatives of the cultural ideals associated with the feminine and women and how they have changed over time. We next argue that the notion of the effeminate drag queen is more a myth than a reality with the contextual benefits many performers receive-status and power-being indicative of the hegemony of masculinity in male-dominated societies. We next explore how additional social identities, such as race, class, nation, and religion, often impact drag performances and how others interpret them. We end our introduction by offering a model that delineates what are some of the present transgressive limits and subversive possibilities of female impersonation.     

Adolescent fertility programs: taking the first few steps

Adolescent fertility programs in Asia and the Pacific have a long way to go to check the problems associated with adolescent fertility, but a start has been made. Delegates from 8 countries met in 1982 to share their problems and experiences in their own countries. The conference participants drew up plans to deal with a high rate of adolescent fertility, sexually active adolescents, out-of-wedlock births, unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, prostitution, rape, abortion, and drug addiction. The delegates felt that for adolescent fertility programs to be effective the program workers must first be equipped with the needed skills through proper training. Inadequate knowledge of the subject matter, inability to communicate with adolescents, personal bias, and lack of counseling skills were among the worker-related problems that conference participants identified. A few months after the conference, participant countries conducted a training program on the effective delivery of adolescent fertility-related information and counseling services. The training program, held in Manila from January 23 to February 2, 1984, was conducted by the Population Center Foundation and sponsored by the Family Planning International Assistance. Training program objectives included: in crease the participants' knowledge of sexuality-related matters; help them to communicate better with adolescents on matters related to sexuality and fertility; make them aware of other ways of responding to fertility-related information needs of adolescents; and improve their skills in counseling adolescents. Lectures, structured learning activities, discussions, role playing, and other methods were used to maximize learning. The training program was divided into 6 modules: group dynamics; human sexuality; information dissemination; counseling techniques; management; and action planning. The plans of Fiji, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and the Philippines are reviewed. Organizers of the training program are confident that the action plans of the individual countries will take shape soon and clear the path toward more effective adolescent fertility programs.     

论城市低保群体的社会融合

本文主要探讨了我国转型期城市低保群体的社会融合问题,从社会和个人层面分析了城市低保群体产生社会疏离的原因,并就其社会融合的可行性路径问题从工作福利政策、技能培训、专业社会工作者介入、加强文化关怀、健全利益表达机制和促进增权等几个角度提出对策与建议。     

“Who's afraid?”: Attitudes of midwives to the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for delivery of pregnancy-related health information

BackgroundUsage rates for information and communication technologies (ICTs) in healthcare have been increasing in recent years, but often lag behind general usage rates for populations as a whole. Research into such differential rates of ICT use across different segments of the population has identified a number of possible causal factors that limit usage.AimThe research investigated midwives’ attitudes and experiences of ICT use to identify potential causal factors that encourage or inhibit their usage in antenatal care.MethodsSemi-structured interviews, focus groups and short surveys were conducted with midwives who provide antenatal education at an Australian metropolitan hospital. Thematic and statistical analyses were used to interpret the data.FindingsAlthough midwives recognised the potential benefits of using ICTs to deliver pregnancy-related health information many had reservations about their use in everyday work. These reservations centred on lack of training in use of ICTs, the perceived legal risks associated with social media, potential violations of patient privacy, misdiagnosis and misunderstandings between midwife and client.ConclusionMidwives face a number of barriers to effective use of ICTs in healthcare including material access, skills access, usage access and motivational access. Motivational access appears to be a key concern due to the high perception of risk associated with social media in particular. Reducing the motivational barriers through a range of interventions with midwifery staff may assist in overcoming other barriers to ICT use in antenatal care. Further research is required to determine whether these findings are generalisable to other healthcare contexts.     

A Survey of Asset Poverty Among Older Adults of Hong Kong

This study proposes a framework that quantifies and integrates both the tangible and intangible aspects of HC to comprehensively measure the overall level of human capital index (HCI) in small and medium manufacturing enterprises (SMEs). Data were collected from 100 SME experts through the use of questionnaires in two stages. The data collected were first, used for selection purpose, and second, for the prioritization of relevant dimensions and sub-dimensions of HC. The analytic hierarchy process was adopted to prioritize and assign dimension and sub-dimension weights to HC to derive the HCI. The results indicate that not all dimensions and sub-dimensions of HC are important for the HCI. Namely, the HCI can be best represented by 9 dimensions and 35 sub-dimensions of HC. The core dimensions are experience, skills, education, abilities and training. Indeed, within experience, the main sub-dimensions are work-related experience and organizational tenure. The results suggest the importance of experience relative to skills and education. The proposed framework can also be applied to derive industry specific HCI.     

Who gets over the training hurdle? A study of the training experiences of young men and women in Britain

Using longitudinal data from the British National Child Development Study, this paper examines gender differences in the determinants of work-related training. The analysis covers a crucial decade in the working lives of this 1958 birth cohort of young men and women – the years spanning the ages of 23 to 33. Hurdle negative binomial models are used to estimate the number of work-related training events lasting at least three days. This approach takes into account the fact that more than half the men and two thirds of the women in the sample experienced no work-related training lasting three or more days over the period 1981 to 1991. Our analysis suggests that reliance on work-related training to improve the skills of the work force will result in an increase in the skills of the already educated, but will not improve the skills of individuals entering the labor market with relatively low levels of education. JEL classification: C25, I21, J24. Received February 9, 1996/Accepted August 14, 1996     

Adolescent sexuality in Asia: new focus for population policy

As the age at marriage continues to rise in East and Southeast Asia, the fertility behavior of unmarried teenagers is receiving more attention from population policymakers. In addition to fertility reduction through family planning, Asian societies today consider population planning strategies in relation to national needs and social goals, including such matters as the population's growth rate, age structure, educational quality and skills. The number of single youth in Asia is growing much more rapidly than the total youth population. By the year 2010, for example, India is projected to have nearly 70 million single teenagers, aged 15-19, 188% more than in 1980. In many developing countries today, such as the Philippines and Korea, the rising age at marriage has combined with rapid urbanization, improved status for women, and more educational opportunity to alter both the behavioral norms of young people and the traditional means of social control over youth. Studies of contemporary adolescent sexuality have been conducted in 4 Asian countries. In the Philippines an overt independent youth homosexual culture was found to exist in urban and to some extent rural areas. In Thailand research revealed little conservative resistance to family planning or to contraceptives for young unmarried people. Surveys in Taiwan indicate that behavior related to dating and choice of spouse has become more liberal, and a survey in Hong Kong revealed a higher level of premarital sex and use of prostitutes among Chinese men than expected. Population policy perspectives that need to be considered in these changing times include: 1) issues of access to family planning services by unmarried people below the legal age of maturity; 2) the development of social institutions, such as exist in Thailand and the Philippines, to guide adolescents' behavior; 3) more extensive study of adolescent sexuality; 4) establishment of the scope of family policy.     

A fresh look at family planning communication

As a step toward development of a national information, education, and communication (IEC) plan, a reassessment of such efforts practiced by the agencies involved was undertaken. A paper published in 1978 by the Research Utilization Unit of the Population Information Division, Population Center Foundation, reviewed materials used and accounts of experience in conceptualizing and communicating family planning messages by 12 private and public sector agencies. The most common concepts employed by the agencies were small family size, responsible parenthood, family welfare, community and national development, birth spacing, delayed marriage, contraceptive use-effectiveness, "manliness," delayed 1st pregnancy, value and rights of children, human behavior and social environment, and population dynamics. Most of the messages were conceptualized and developed through formal and informal consultation with field staff. The need to consider the specific needs of target audiences was considered crucial, and thus decentralization of IEC production was recommended. Such decentralization has been a goal of the Philippine program since 1976, but the effort has been hampered by lack of local training and resources, and of studies to support successful implementation. Mass and mixed media approaches were found to be used by most of the agencies, although a reliance on interpersonal approaches was found to be most prevalent in rural areas. Among recommendations for policy makers were development of a systematized data base for IEC materials, regional capabilities in research and development, and studies of funding and existing resources.