Negative Stereotypes of Ethnic Outgroups: A Longitudinal Examination Among Palestinian,Israeli Jewish,and Israeli Arab Youth

Ethno‐political conflict impacts thousands of youth globally and has been associated with a number of negative psychological outcomes. Extant literature has mostly addressed the adverse emotional and behavioral outcomes of exposure while failing to examine change over time in social cognitive factors in contexts of ethno‐political conflict. Using cohort sequential longitudinal data, this study examines ethnic variation in the development of negative stereotypes about ethnic outgroups among Palestinian (n = 600), Israeli Jewish (n = 451), and Israeli Arab (n = 450) youth over 3 years. Age and exposure to ethno‐political violence were included as covariates for these trajectories. Findings indicate important ethnic differences in trajectories of negative stereotypes about ethnic outgroups, as well as variation in how such trajectories are shaped by prolonged ethno‐political conflict.     

WE WANT MORE – WE ARE MORE

Impressed with the current migration in Europe and the connected socio-political and civil-societal challenges, we examine the question which contribution group-dynamic learning forms and its paradigms can raise awareness for a shared created future. Group dynamics understands itself as a place of practical philosophy, as intervention per se, where collectives can emancipate and participation should become alive. The origin of this idea is the examination with the unknown, the differences and the linked questioning of subjective truths, feelings and convictions. The connection between individual as well as collective self-enlightenment processes and the competence extension dealing with personal, cultural, moral, social etc. boundaries.We focus on the emotional effects (uncertainty and fear as a side effect of migration) as well as the theoretical background of the unknown and discuss the sense and the possibilities of participative-designed intervention forms of knowledge creation. Taking into account that several issues of collaboration for a shared future cannot be solved without the people concerned, we examine why we are “more”, why we want “more” and from what we will need “more”.     

Oxidative stress increases continuously with BMI and age with unfavourable profiles in males

Oxidative stress is a risk factor for chronic diseases and was previously shown to be independently associated with obesity. The authors investigated the relationship between body mass index (BMI), age and oxidative stress on 2190 subjects undergoing a health care examination. Total antioxidant status (TAS), total peroxides (TOC) and autoantibodies against oxidized LDL (oLAb) were used as oxidative stress biomarkers in addition to serum lipoproteins, bilirubin and uric acid. Gender-specific differences were observed for age, BMI, serum concentrations of bilirubin, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), uric acid and TAS, all of which were higher in males (p < 0.001), while high-density lipoprotein (HDL), HDL/LDL ratio and TOC were higher in females (p < 0.001). Total cholesterol (p < 0.05) and LDL were increased (p < 0.05), while HDL was decreased (p < 0.05) in overweight and obese subjects. This was accompanied by increased uric acid and TAS concentrations. Lowest oLAb titers were detected in obese subjects. In extremely obese subjects, increased TOC and decreased TAS were observed in spite of high uric acid levels. These results demonstrate that oxidative stress increases with increasing BMI and age, as a sequel to an impaired antioxidant status, the consumption of oLAbs, an increase of peroxides and uric acid and a disadvantaged lipid profile.     

The capacity to parent: A self psychological approach to parent—child psychotherapy

Clinicians who work with dysfunctional parent-child relationships face the dilemma of evaluating and effectively treating the psychopathology of parenting, which is often elusive and difficult to extrapolate from behavioral reports or social statistics alone. Fundamental concepts of the self psychological theory of development, particularly empathy and the self-selfobject matrix, are especially useful for elucidating the complexities of parenting because they explain the psychological components of the interaction as well as its intrapsychic significance. These concepts will be applied to the process of parent-child psychotherapy. A case is presented to illustrate the explanatory advantages of a self psychological conceptualization.This work was conducted while both authors were employed as CoDirectors, Infant Development Project at the Juvenile Protective Association, Chicago, Illinois.The Infant Development Project is funded by a grant from the Kate Maremont foundation, Chicago, Illinois.     

Benchmark Calculations in Risk Assessment Using Continuous Dose-Response Information: The Influence of Variance and the Determination of a Cut-Off Value

A benchmark dose (BMD) is the dose of a chemical that corresponds to a predetermined increase in the response (the benchmark response, BMR) of a health effect. In this article, a method (the hybrid approach) for benchmark calculations from continuous dose-response information is investigated. In the formulation of the methodology, a cut-off value for an adverse health effect has to be determined. It is shown that the influence of variance on the hybrid model depends on the choice of determination of the cut-off point. If the cut-off value is determined as corresponding to a specified tail proportion of the control distribution, P(0), the BMD becomes biased upward when the variance is biased upward. On the contrary, if the cut-off value is directly determined to some level of the continuous response variable, the BMD becomes biased upward when the variance is biased downward. A simulation study was also performed in which the accuracy and precision of the BMD was compared for the two ways of determining the cut-off value. In general, considering BMRs of 1, 5, and 10% (additional risk) the precision of the BMD became higher when the cut-off value was estimated by specifying P(0), relative to the case with a direct determination. Use of the square-root of the maximum-likelihood estimator of the variance in BMD estimation may provide a bias that is reflected by the cut-off formulation (downward bias if specifying P(0), and upward bias if specifying the cut-off, c, directly). This feature may be reduced if an unbiased estimator of the standard deviation is used in the calculations.     

Coping,taming or solving: alternative approaches to the governance of wicked problems

One of the truisms of policy analysis is that policy problems are rarely solved. As an ever-increasing number of policy issues are identified as an inherently ill-structured and intractable type of wicked problem, the question of what policy analysis sets out to accomplish has emerged as more central than ever. If solving wicked problems is beyond reach, research on wicked problems needs to provide a clearer understanding of the alternatives. The article identifies and explicates three distinguishable strategies of problem governance: coping, taming and solving. It shows that their intellectual premises and practical implications clearly contrast in core respects. The article argues that none of the identified strategies of problem governance is invariably more suitable for dealing with wicked problems. Rather than advocate for some universally applicable approach to the governance of wicked problems, the article asks under what conditions different ways of governing wicked problems are analytically reasonable and normatively justified. It concludes that a more systematic assessment of alternative approaches of problem governance requires a reorientation of the debate away from the conception of wicked problems as a singular type toward the more focused analysis of different dimensions of problem wickedness.     

Exploring e-Mental Health Preferences of Generation Y

E-Mental Health services could substantially increase the capacity of the mental health care system. This article explores youth consumer preferences for online interventions targeting depression and anxiety. Twenty-three participants who had experienced suicidal ideation and either depression or anxiety and completed one qualitative interview were included. Interviews were topically guided to cover themes of e-Mental Health service preferences around online help-seeking behavior, appearance, content, privacy, and support. We found that youth positively received the idea of, and appreciated the need for, e-Mental Health services. Noted preferences for services were those that are simple to use, interactive, and include support through an online community.