The Role of Appraisal and Expressive Support in Mediating Strain and Gain in Hispanic Alzheimer's Disease Caregivers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine how appraisal of burden and satisfaction, and perception of expressive support mediate the effects of caregiving on depression, somatic complaints, life satisfaction and personal gain with a sample of Hispanic Alzheimer's disease (AD) primary caregivers. A purposive-snowball sampling technique was used to identify 103 Hispanic caregivers, who completed a self-report questionnaire. A translation-back-translation process was used to translate the instruments into Spanish. Translated instruments were then pilot tested prior to being administered to the participants. Appraisal of burden was found to mediate the effects of caregiving on depression and somatic complaints and had significant direct effects on life satisfaction. Appraisal of satisfaction did not have a mediating effect on any of the measures, but did have a direct effect on depression and personal gain. Expressive support did have a mediating effect on depression, as well as direct effects on somatic complaints and life satisfaction. These findings suggest a need for improving outreach to older minorities and developing culturally sensitive interventions that can improve caregivers' understanding of problematic behavior, thereby altering appraisal of the situation, as well as developing extended systems of support.     

上海服务业“结构奖赏”与“结构惩罚”效应分析

2012年,上海第三产业增加值占GDP比重首超60％,达到服务经济的国际标准。借助shift—share方法对2003-2012年上海第三产业劳动生产率变动进行分解得出：“结构奖赏”和“结构负担”假说并存,且前者效应已高于后者,表明结构转换有助于提升劳动生产率,但力度有限;各行业内部劳动生产率的提升才是上海第三产业劳动生产率提升的主体。上海调整第三产业结构的前提是各行业能按自身发展规律协调发展,即须在发展中实现结构转换,而非片面追求结构调整。     

The Impact of Family Functioning on Caregiver Burden among Caregivers of Veterans with Congestive Heart Failure

A cross-sectional study of 76 family caregivers of older veterans with congestive heart failure utilized the McMaster model of family functioning to examine the impact of family functioning variables (problem solving, communication, roles, affective responsiveness, and affective involvement) on caregiver burden dimensions (relationship burden, objective burden, stress burden, and uplifts). Regression analyses indicated that the five dimensions of family functioning were significantly related (p < 0.01) to relationship burden (R ² = .27) and uplifts (R ² = .29). More specifically, increased relationship burden was associated with problems in family roles, and increased uplifts was related to higher levels of affective responsiveness.     

A Critical Review of Family Caregiving of Mental Health Consumers in Hong Kong

ABSTRACT

This paper is a critical review on the family caregiving of mental health consumers in Hong Kong. The writer has a brief review on related studies of family caregiving of mental health consumers. In comparing with those in the U.K. and the U.S.A., family caregivers of mental health consumers in Hong Kong are lonely, stigmatized and unsupported by mental health services and members in the community.     

检察机关在违法所得特别没收程序中的举证责任

违法所得特别没收程序中检察机关的举证责任规则,如证明标准、证明对象以及举证责任的分配原则等在立法上付诸阙如,为司法实践操作带来一定困难.违法所得特别没收程序是一种刑事特别程序,综合考量证明标准在调整“打击犯罪”与“保障人权”两大诉讼目的中的重要杠杆作用,证明标准应限定在“排除一切合理怀疑”与“优势证据”之间,证明对象应当包括“犯罪事实”“追缴的违法所得及其他涉案财产”以及两者之间存在实质联系,举证责任分配可以考虑采取检察机关举证的一般原则和利害关系人举证的例外情况相结合.     

当下我国农民“生产性”隐形负担加重探析——基于马克思劳动价值论视角

推动城乡发展一体化,建设社会主义新农村的首要任务是促进农民收入持续较快增长。审视当下我国农民"生产性"隐形负担加重——农产品的生产成本增加、价格波动频繁、流通成本攀高等现象,以马克思劳动价值理论视角深入分析其原因,提出减轻农民"生产性"隐形负担的对策,促进农民劳动收益不断增加,是保障农村民生改善和推进农村经济持续健康发展的关键节点。     

Demographic transition in sub-Saharan Africa: How big will the economic dividend be?

In mid-demographic-transition, many Asian countries enjoyed a large demographic ‘dividend’: extra economic growth owing to falling dependant/workforce ratios, or slower natural increase, or both. We estimate the dividend, 1985–2025, in sub-Saharan Africa and its populous countries. Dependency and natural increase peaked around 1985, 20 years after Asia. The UN projects an acceleration of the subsequent slow falls but disregards slowish declines in young-age mortality and thus, we argue, overestimates future fertility decline. Even if one accepts their projection, arithmetical and econometric evidence suggests an annual, if not total, dividend well below Asia's. The dividend arises more from falling dependency than reduced natural increase, and could be increased by accelerating the fertility decline (e.g., by reducing young-age mortality) or by employing a larger workforce productively. Any dividend from transition apart, low saving in much of Africa (unlike Asia) means that, given likely natural increase, current consumption per person is unsustainable because it depletes capital per person.     

The fiscal burden of rising dependency ratios

This paper explores the issue of the fiscal burden of population aging in Canada over the period from 2004 to 2026 by introducing a new methodological tool and using an approach that (a) is comprehensive with respect to government revenues and expenditures, (b) uses a fine disaggregation of government revenues and expenditures, and (c) integrates demographic, economic, and fiscal developments. The results indicate that the concerns about the ability of the existing fiscal system to withstand the pressures of population aging are unfounded. They indicate that, in the absence of an economic collapse, the existing fiscal structure will be able to handle the fiscal pressures of population aging. Instead of letting a nonexistent problem drive the course of fiscal policy in Canada, it would be more profitable to focus on avenues for making the fiscal structure a more effective tool for economic growth and human development.     

公司实际税收负担的财务因素——基于房地产上市公司的经验研究

房地产是高税负行业。1994年到2009年以来平均实际税负高达31．59％。考察跨度16年,样本容量109家上市房地产公司的财务数据,发现净资产收益率、总资产、财务杠杆三个因素和公司实际税负的显著正相关关系以及固定资产占比的抵税效应。     

论刑事证明责任的性质及其运用

对证明责任性质的探讨有助于深化对刑事证明责任性质的研究。证明责任是为了解决案件事实真伪不明时,法律关于诉讼风险的分配问题。而刑事证明责任的性质是指,作为控诉方的检察机关如果对指控被告人的犯罪事实不能提出证据加以证明或者证明不能满足排除合理怀疑的标准,最终导致法院没有支持控诉方的主张,败诉的风险由检察机关来承担的问题。据此,在刑事诉讼中,侦查机关和法院不承担证明责任,真正意义上的证明责任,即败诉风险的负担,始终固定在控诉一方。