Laugh and the World Laughs with You: An Attachment Perspective on the Meaning of Laughter in Psychotherapy

From infancy laughter is a right-brain-to-right-brain attachment behavior mutually aroused and regulated within the caregiver–infant partnership. Laughter continues to be attachment behavior throughout life with potential for enhancing attachment bonds or for defending against them. Laughter in psychotherapy has primarily been viewed as a discharge phenomena with typical interpretations focused on the humor that elicits the laughter rather than the meaning of the behavior itself. Viewing laughter as attachment behavior in psychotherapy provides the clinician with valuable insight about its meaning and management within the therapeutic relationship.

The experience of trauma recovery: a qualitative study of participants in the Women Recovering from Abuse Program (WRAP)

The efficacy of intensive group treatment programs for child maltreatment has been established. The aim of this qualitative study was to understand how women with a history of child maltreatment experienced the Women Recovering from Abuse Program (WRAP), an existing intensive group treatment program. Seven women were interviewed following their participation in WRAP. Three themes emerged: Breaking Trauma-Based Patterns, Doing Therapy, and The Healing Journey as a Continuous Process. These findings deepen our understanding about how participants view the recovery process. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.     

Lifespan Variation by Occupational Class: Compression or Stagnation Over Time?

Cross-sectional analyses of adult lifespan variation have found an inverse association between socioeconomic position and lifespan variation, but the trends by social class are unknown. We investigated trends in lifespan variation over four decades (1971–2010) by occupational social class (manual, lower nonmanual, upper nonmanual, other) using Finnish register data. We performed age and cause-of-death decompositions of lifespan variation for each sex (a) by occupational class over time and (b) between occupational classes at a shared level of life expectancy. Although life expectancy increased in all classes, lifespan variation was stable among manual workers and decreased only among nonmanual classes. These differences were caused by early-adult mortality: older-age lifespan variation declined for all the classes, but variation in early-adult mortality increased for all classes except the highest. The manual class’s high and stagnant lifespan variation was driven by declines in circulatory diseases that were equally spread over early mortality-compressing and older mortality-expanding ages, as well as by high early-adult mortality from external causes. Results were similar for men and women. The results of this study, which is the first to document trends in lifespan variation by social class, suggest that mortality compression is compatible with increasing life expectancy but currently achieved only by higher occupational classes.     

Marginality amidst plenty: Pathways into homelessness for older Australians

In this paper, drawing on in‐depth interviews, we illustrate that despite the significant overall increase in the wealth of older Australians over the last two decades, a sizeable proportion of older Australians (65 and over) are in a vulnerable accommodation situation and many face the possibility of finding themselves homeless. This is especially so for those older Australians who are dependent on government for their income and are living in private rented accommodation. We show that the changing nature of the housing market means that often our informants were not able to find affordable, adequate and secure accommodation. The death of a spouse, rent increases and eviction are common precipitators of a slide into a situation of imminent homelessness. The restructuring of the welfare state and the virtual freeze on the building of social housing means that older private renters who face eviction often have nowhere to turn. Besides not being able to rely on the market or government, many have minimal or no family and social networks.     

Maximizing Content on Elders with Dementia While Teaching Multicultural Diversity

This article focuses on African American, American Indian/Native American, Asian/Pacific Islander American, and Hispanic/Latino American elders and caregivers who are affected by Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia. Three specific areas are considered for each of these ethno-cultural groups: (a) diverse perceptions of Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia; (b) barriers to service utilization; and (c) caregiving responsibilities. Finally, suggestions are offered for the use of this information in the classroom, which may better prepare future practitioners for competent practice with minority elders with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.     

Immigrant Fertility: A Comparative Study between Italy and Russia

In this paper, we contribute to the analysis of fertility differentials between female migrants and the native‐born by examining the transition to first child using event history analysis. We use event history as a quantitative translation of the life‐course approach. The data examined are the Italian Families and Social Subjects (FSS) survey, conducted in 2003, and the Russian Parents and Children, Men and Women in Family and Society survey, conducted in 2004. We examine the data sets separately and contrast the results. The objective of the study is twofold. First, we seek to determine whether differences exist in the decision and timing of childbearing between native and immigrant women in Italy and in Russia. Second, we aim to compare the experiences of immigrants in the two countries, to determine whether there may be any commonalities inherent to the immigrant populations despite moving into widely different contexts. Our results suggest that the age profiles and marital status similarly affect the immigrant regardless of whether she is migrating to Russia or to Italy. In Italy, educational attainment is positively correlated with first‐birth intensities for immigrants – the opposite of what is observed for the native‐born. In Russia, education is not a significant determinant for immigrants. This leads us to the following conclusion: the similarity in the risk profiles of our immigrants into vastly different country contexts is more suggestive of immigrants following a distinct life course, with common risk profiles for bearing their first child, than assimilating or conforming to the native fertility patterns. Social capital in particular may play a different role in determining fertility patterns for immigrants, as it does for the native‐born.     

The ‘animal‐advocacy agenda’: exploring sociology for non‐human animals

This paper focuses on sociology and the study of human non‐human animal relations. Using as a catalyst referees' comments on a previous paper about experiments using non‐human animal subjects, in this present paper three problematics are identified and discussed. These problematics centre on the ‘acceptable’ content of sociological inquiry, the ‘permissibility’ of advocacy‐oriented sociology, and the ‘admissibility’ of non‐human animal‐advocacy to advocacy‐oriented sociology. The three problematics are explored through the lens of reflexive and critical sociology. Two central questions are raised: first, should sociology include the study of non‐human animals and secondly, can sociology advocate for non‐human animals? The paper concludes with an affirmative response to both of these questions. The paper ends by stressing that sociology has so much to offer the study of human non‐human animal relations. Professional sociologists have a key role to play in enabling this work to move from margins to centre in published sociology.     

Relationship Help-Seeking: A Review of the Efficacy and Reach

ABSTRACT

Formal and informal relationship help-seeking is becoming increasingly common. This article discusses seven forms of relationship help-seeking: couple therapy, couple relationship education, self-help books, internet resources, other media sources, talking with clergy, and talking with friends and family. The purpose of this literature review is to organize the relationship help-seeking research, bring to light some of the less accessible research, and offer recommendations to researchers and practitioners regarding the efficacy and reach of relationship help-seeking. In addition, differences in relationship help-seeking based on gender are explored and current relationship help-seeking trends are discussed.     

Mobile Phone Use in Romantic Relationships

ABSTRACT

There is a growing body of research regarding the role of mobile phones in romantic couple communication processes. The purpose of this review is to highlight the state of the literature in this area in terms of positive and negative aspects of the constant contact afforded by mobile phones. We use symbolic interactionism to discuss ways in which mobile phones provide a vehicle of symbol-creating interaction when actors attach and glean meanings from interactions via mobile phones. Text and phone conversations tend to be stripped of many cues often used to decipher meaning in face-to-face interactions. Thus, symbolically, meaning derived from mobile phone use may consist of more than the recordable contents of the conversations. Implications for research are discussed.     

Healthy Relationship Education: A Statewide Initiative Case Study and Outcome Evaluation

Couple and relationship education (CRE) is effective in improving relationship quality and communication skills. However, its methods and structures of delivery (e.g., content, intensity, and settings) vary widely and have lacked empirical scrutiny. This article examines both the structure (i.e., initiative inputs and outputs) and the outcomes of one healthy relationship initiative. First, we use the comprehensive framework for CRE proposed previously to examine ways in which relationship education may be delivered by way of a statewide initiative in which 19 Cooperative Extension County Faculty provided education. Second, we analyze and report outcome data from 2,219 participants. A variety of CRE delivery methods significantly increased perceived levels of relationship knowledge regardless of gender, income, marital status, and whether participants had previous relationship education. Perceived knowledge acquisition differed by participant ethnicity, participant satisfaction with the education, and by CRE format such as single events versus multiple events. Programmatic implications are discussed.