Solidarität

Which socio-psychological terms are connected with the term “solidarity”? Solidarity is understood as a specific attitude and quality of relationships between individuals in groups and organizations and on the level of society. A disturbed balance between “self-enhancement” and “self-transcendence” caused by socio-cultural developments diminishes solidarity. The questions that are considered and discussed, are the following: Under which conditions does solidarity arise, which conditions in groups allow individuals to learn about solidarity, do current organizational structures affect the well tried forms of organized solidarity and how does empowerment conflict with the balance of power in society?     

A four-year efficacy and safety study of the long-acting parenteral testosterone undecanoate

Introduction. This is a four-year follow-up of 25 men who received parenteral testosterone undecanoate (TU), 1000 mg every 12 weeks for at least four years. This study was a continuation of a 30-week study wherein the effects of TU had been compared to those of parenteral testosterone enanthate.

Methods & Results. Plasma testosterone (T) trough values of the injection interval of 12 weeks): median 11.9 – 15.9 nmol/L (N 10.0–30.0). E2 and SHBG were stable. Body weight, BMI, waist-to-hip ratio remained stable. Total cholesterol, and triglycerides were unchanged but plasma LDL declined while HDL, after an initial reduction over the first 30 weeks, had increased significantly after three years. Leptin levels, bone mineral density, blood pressure, liver function tests, haemoglobin and haematocrit levels remained stable without values above the upper limit of normal. Over the first 12 months of the study there was an increase in prostate volume from 19.7 ± 8.8 mL to 22.0 ± 8.4 mL (p < 0.05) but thereafter volumes remained stable, paralleled by an increase in PSA from 0.67 ± 0.38 µg/dL to 0.75 ± 0.35 µg/dL (p < 0.05) without any further changes after 12 months.

Conclusion. TU appears to be a stable and safe treatment modality of hypogonadal men.     

The association between blood pressure and work stress: The importance of measuring isolated systolic hypertension

The objective was to study whether the relationships between elevated blood pressure and (a) work stress as related to the stressor overtime, and (b) unwinding after work, depend on what kind of criteria are used for the diagnosis of hypertension. A total of 126 healthy men (aged 20-66 years) employed in white-collar jobs were tested over 24 hours by means of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring on a regular working day. Four groups were defined according to their blood pressure status: normotensives (NT), hypertensives (HT), isolated systolic hypertensives (ISH), and isolated diastolic hypertensives (IDH). No differences of age, body mass index, overtime work, and disturbed unwinding were found between the normotensives and the hypertensives. ISH was found to be related to working overtime and to disturbed unwinding but not to biological risk factors; IDH, however, was related exclusively to the biological risk factor high body mass index. Thus, significant differences associated with overtime were found between ISH and both NT and IDH, with the isolated systolic hypertensives carrying out more than twice as much overtime as the normotensives or isolated diastolic hypertensives. More men with a disturbed ability to relax and vital exhaustion were found in the ISH group than in the NT group. It seems that, in addition to the usual diagnosis of hypertension, the classification of ISH and IDH adds new information about the relationship between blood pressure elevation and both work stress and disturbed unwinding.     

The Effect of Father–Toddler and Mother– Toddler Role Reversal on the Development of Behavior Problems in Kindergarten

Role reversal is a relationship disturbance in which a parent looks to a child to meet a parent's need for comfort, parenting, intimacy or play, and the child attempts to meet these needs. The current study examined, within a developmental psychopathology framework, the effect of father and mother role reversal with toddlers on the development of attention problems, externalizing symptoms, internalizing symptoms, and social problems in kindergarten. In a normative sample, N=57, role reversal was assessed in an observational paradigm, and teachers rated behavior problems. Father role reversal predicted attention problems and externalizing symptoms, whereas mother role reversal predicted social problems. Gender was an important moderator such that father role reversal predicted social problems for boys and mother role reversal predicted social problems for girls. The importance of a developmental psychopathology perspective, the role of fathers, and implications for the development of diagnosable disorders and for preventive interventions are discussed.     

Stellungnahmen zum Fall Andrej H.

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Soziale ungleichheit von lesekompetenzen

Zusammenfassung In Anlehnung an das strukturell-individualistische Handlungsmodell von Boudon werden für Deutschland kausale Effekte von individuellen Lernvoraussetzungen, Ressourcen des Elternhauses, sozial selektiven Bildungsüberg?ngen sowie Lehr-und Lernbedingungen in Schulen auf die Entwicklung von Lesekompetenzen und ihre Streuung zwischen Sozialschichten untersucht. Hierbei wird zum einen der Frage nachgegangen, ob neben den Herkunftseffekten die Selektion von Grundschulkindern in die weiterführenden Schulen in der Sekundarstufe I zur allgemeinen Verschlechterung der mittleren Lesekompetenzen beitragen. Zum anderen wird gefragt, ob der sozial selektive Bildungsübergang von der Primar-in die Sekundarstufe eine bedeutsame Ursache für einen Anstieg in der ungleichen Verteilung von Leseleistungen zwischen den Sozialschichten ist. Weil es nicht m?glich ist, solche Ursache-Wirkungszusammenh?nge mit komparativ-statischen Querschnittsdaten wie PIRLS oder PISA empirisch zu isolieren, konstruieren wir anhand von Daten der beiden Studien PISA-E 2000 und PIRLS 2001 über das Verfahren des „pairwise matching” Quasi-L?ngsschnittdaten mit drei Beobachtungszeitpunkten (Leseleistung bei Einschulung, Leseleistung im Alter von 9 bis 10 Jahren und Leseleistung im Alter von 15 Jahren). Die empirischen Befunde belegen zus?tzlich zu den Herkunftseinflüssen die Rolle sozial selektiver Bildungsüberg?nge und damit die Sortier-und Selektionsleistungen des deutschen Bildungssystems. Es wird gezeigt, dass, neben individuellen Lernvoraussetzungen und Ressourcen des Elternhauses, die soziale Selektivit?t der Bildungsüberg?nge und damit auch sozial differentielle Lernbedingungen signifikant zur Erkl?rung der Entwicklung individueller Leseleistung und sozialen Disparit?t von Lesekompetenzen beitragen. Für wertvolle Hinweise danken wir den Herausgebern und besonders den anonymen Gutachtern.     

Sektionen Jugendsoziologie und Kultursoziologie

Ohne Zusammenfassung