Impact Evaluation of a Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy Model in Brazilian Sexually Abused Girls

This study evaluated the impact of a cognitive behavioral group therapy model in Brazilian girls who had experienced sexual abuse. The effect of the waiting period before treatment and the enduring effectiveness of the treatment after six and 12 months were also evaluated. Forty-nine female sexual abuse victims between the ages of 9 and 16 completed instruments measuring depression, anxiety, stress, and post-traumatic stress disorder before, during, and after the group therapy. The group therapy had a positive impact on their psychological functioning, significantly reducing symptoms of anxiety, stress, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The therapeutic effects lasted six to 12 months after the treatment ended. The model proved effective for treating young female victims of sexual abuse.     

The Use of Psychiatric Medication,Human Capital,and the Amplification of Mistrust

This research investigates the relationships among willingness to utilize psychiatric medication, education, and three forms of mistrust—generalized mistrust, mistrust in physicians, and mistrust in psychiatric medication. Utilizing human capital theory and two waves of the U.S. General Social Survey (N = 2,671), our findings show a curvilinear relationship between willingness to use psychiatric drugs and education, such that individuals with less than a high school diploma and those with a college or advanced degree are more willing to use psychiatric drugs compared to those with a high school degree. Also, the effects of all three forms of mistrust are amplified and have significant, negative effects on the use of psychiatric medication among college graduates. Mistrust in physicians and mistrust in psychiatric drugs matters for high school graduates, while only mistrust in psychiatric medication impacts the use of psychotropics for those with less than a high school degree.     

To share or not to share: The role of affect in knowledge sharing by individuals in a diaspora

The diaspora is often credited with helping its homeland, especially when the country is less developed. Yet diasporans are also known to have complex feelings about the homeland. In a study of the South African diaspora, we find that positive affect about both the homeland and the migration experience is positively correlated with the willingness of diasporans to share knowledge with the homeland. But for negative affect there are inflection points, and different intensities of feelings such as guilt and a sense of loss have differing effects. Our findings suggest that an ongoing, beneficial engagement by a diaspora cannot be assumed. Given how individuals are increasingly shaping crossborder economic activity, our findings also suggest that international business research needs to pay greater attention to individuals and individual-level variables such as emotions.     

Bivariate Tail Dependence and the Generation of Multivariate Extreme Value Distributions

We define, in a probabilistic way, a parametric family of multivariate extreme value distributions. We derive its copula, which is a mixture of several complete dependent copulas and total independent copulas, and the bivariate tail dependence and extremal coefficients. Based on the obtained results for these coefficients, we propose a method to build multivariate extreme value distributions with prescribed tail/extremal coefficients. We illustrate the results with examples.     

Teaching ergonomics to undergraduate physical therapy students: new methodologies and impressions of a Brazilian experience

Being ergonomics a scientific discipline based on knowledge of several areas, it is important to use education methodologies that promote critical thinking and reflective during the educational process. The article discusses the importance of interdisciplinarity in undergraduate courses in health care in particular in disciplines that address the ergonomics issue. The aspects of the introduction of new education methodologies, as well as case studies in undergraduate courses in Brazil, are discussed in this study. Based on the literature review conducted, some proposals for action in the interdisciplinary teaching of ergonomics in Physiotherapy courses are presented.     

The footwear factory's assembly sector: opposing organizational structure and quality from the ergonomic work analysis

Data from 2006 indicated that Brazilian footwear leather industry was composed of approximately 9,488 formally registered establishments, considering the leather industry, footwear and leather goods. It was responsible for 211,582 people employed. However, in spite of having many employees, this kind of organization found several problems when analyzed from the ergonomics view. With this premise, then, in order to identify bottlenecks and other engineering problems that could cause discomfort and motivation lack among workers, leading directly to the loss of the product quality, the assembly sector of women's shoes factory was characterized.     

Challenges for Divorced Parents: Regulating Negative Emotions in Post‐Divorce Relationships

Emotion regulation processes in post‐divorce parental relationships are analysed using thematic qualitative analysis. In two separate interview episodes, three and five years post‐divorce, 55 people were interviewed: 10 couples and 35 individuals. Two themes emerged on how parents deal with their negative emotions after divorce. The first theme, emotion regulation flexibility, reveals how some parents effectively regulate negative emotions following the divorce. The second theme, emotion regulation rigidity, reveals that other parents retain feelings of anger, hostility, and resentment following the divorce as a consequence of dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies. This allows a deeper understanding of the processes of emotion regulation in family conflict, which may be easily applied in most therapeutic orientations.     

Aging in black America: Service needs and utilization patterns

This paper profiles the findings of an analysis of the black elders in the Supplement on Aging to the 1984 National Health Interview Survey. This national survey offers insight into the prevalence rates of various health problems and limitations in activities of daily living (ADL) or instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Focusing on the 65 + sample of elders, older blacks report higher rates of chronic problems such as arthritis, hypertension, diabetes, and strokes than older whites, but are less likely to report cancer. Older blacks are more likely than older whites to experience three or more ADL limitations, and almost 14% had three or more IADL limitations. These findings are important in view of the trend toward determining multiple ADLs to determine eligibility for various in-home services. Since many of the problems experienced by black elders may be life-style related, an opportunity may exist for effective intervention with health promotion strategies.     

Spatial planning in small islands: the need to discuss the concept of ecological structure

The concepts of green infrastructure and ecological structure (ES) are current topics of discussion among the scientific community and spatial planners. ES is mandatory in Portugal in land-planning, such as municipal master plans, but no consensus has been reached on how to implement it. The concept has not yet been implemented in the Azores, a Portuguese autonomous region, even though the Region has the responsibility of adapting legislation or accomplishing the Portuguese legislature. This study presents a critical analysis of the available literature about ES and proposes a conceptual framework to define ES for small islands, which have unique characteristics, focusing on the Azorean archipelago. The conceptual framework meets the requirements of local legislation and uses an ecological function approach that is increasingly advocated in recent European recommendations. This framework is presented as a strategic and flexible way to identify both the important elements (recognized in current legislation) in a territory and the remaining potential of the territory. The framework also supports decision-making by allowing the identification of integrated solutions, decreasing trade-offs as much as possible and reconciling the needs of nature conservation and socioeconomic development. This framework could be applied to other small islands and other territories, with local adaptations.