Biomedical subjects

Jean-François Saucier

Publications and source records attributed to Jean-François Saucier.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

The childbearing health and related service needs of newcomers (CHARSNN) study protocol.

BACKGROUND: Refugee and asylum-seeking women in Canada may have significant harmful childbearing health outcomes and unmet health and social care needs. The most vulnerable of these women are: those who have left their countries by force (e.g., war, rape or abuse histories), are separated from their families, have limited knowledge of the host country languages, and are visible minorities. Asylum-seekers face additional stresses related to their unknown future status and are marginalized with regards to access to provincial health care systems. The prevalence and severity of health issues in this population is not known nor is the extent of response from social service and health care systems (including variation in provincial service delivery). Understanding the magnitude of health and social concerns of newcomers requires data from a representative sample of childbearing refugee and asylum-seeking women resettling in Canada to permit comparisons to be made with non-refugee immigrant and Canadian-born women. Our research questions are: (1) Do refugee or asylum-seeking women and their infants, experience a greater number or a different distribution of harmful health events during pregnancy, at birth, and during the postpartum period than non-refugee immigrant or Canadian-born women? (2) Are the harmful health events experienced postpartum by asylum-seeking women and their infants, addressed less often (compared to refugees, non-refugee immigrants, and Canadian-born women) by the Canadian health care system as delivered in each of the three major receiving cities for newcomers? METHODS/DESIGN: This is a four-year multi-site prospective cohort study (pregnancy to 4 months postpartum). We will seek to recruit 2400 women [200 in each of 4 groups (refugees, asylum-seekers, non-refugee immigrants, and Canadian-born) from 1 of 12 postpartum hospital units across the 3 largest receiving cities for newcomers to Canada - Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver]. DISCUSSION: Knowledge of the extent of harmful health events occurring to asylum-seeking, refugee, immigrant, and Canadian-born women, and the response of the health care system to those events and group differences, if they exist, will inform immigration and health policy makers as well as providers of services.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2006

A new application of sound resonance technology therapy for the treatment of fibromyalgia: a retrospective analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Chart review to evaluate the effectiveness of a three-phase sound resonance technology therapy (SRTT) protocol for the treatment of fibromyalgia. RESULTS: Initial FIQ scores of 159 consecutive patients ranged from 24 to 80 (mean=58). After Phase 1, ( approximately 1 month into the protocol), FIQ scores had decreased on average by 26 points (n=128, 95% CI 23-30, p<.001). After phase 3 of the protocol 53 patients completed an FIQ questionnaire and the mean decrease in FIQ score was 38 points (95% CI 32-44, p=.004). CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective analysis suggests considerable and rapid relief of the symptoms of fibromyalgia following the use of the three-phase SRTT treatment protocol, which appears to be maintained over several years. Although these results are not conclusive they are remarkable as no other therapy reported in the scientific literature seems as efficacious for fibromyalgia. A follow-up study using an RCT design is warranted.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

PubMed2006

[Birth order, behavioural problems, and the mother-child relationship in siblings aged 4 to 11 years from a 2-child family].

UNLABELLED: Birth Order, Behavioural Problems, and the Mother-Child Relationship in Siblings Aged 4 to 11 Years From a 2-Child Family OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to define the relation between some sibling characteristics (birth order, sex, and interval between successive births) and some behavioral problems in children, on the one hand, and certain dimensions of the mother-child relationship, on the other hand. METHOD: The sample, from National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, included 1,196 families with 2 biological children aged 4 to 11 years. Behavioural problems and dimensions of the mother-child relationship were assessed by mothers. Repeated-measures multivariate analyses of variance were conducted. RESULTS: Analyses showed that first-born children have more internalized symptoms than second-born children. Second-born children also have more positive interactions with their mothers than first-born children. The interval between successive births does not affect these results. CONCLUSION: Several differences emerged between siblings. Health professionals should take these findings into account in their clinical assessments.

Birth Order↗

PubMed2005

Can teachers' behavior ratings be used to screen early adolescent boys for psychiatric diagnoses?

The present study examined if a short, 22-item teacher rating questionnaire could be used to screen young adolescent boys for psychiatric diagnoses. Subjects were 239 12-year-old boys from a community sample of low socioeconomic status families. Child and parent versions of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children were used to provide DSM-III-R diagnoses. Results show a low to moderate screening value for the Short Social Behavior Questionnaire (S-SBQ) scales, with best results for externalizing disorders. The method used to establish the diagnoses had an impact on the screening efficacy of the S-SBQ, higher prevalence rates resulting in a lower proportion of false-positives for the same cutoff point. Additional research is needed to assess the screening efficacy of the S-SBQ across ages and gender, but results suggest that teacher ratings with the S-SBQ could be used to screen boys with externalizing disorders at the end of elementary school.

Child↗

PubMed2005

[Foreword].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Deinstitutionalization↗

PubMed2004

[The use of theatre in the psychosocial readaptation of patients with mental disorders: participants' perspectives].

BACKGROUND: Therapy using theatrical activity was proposed to six clients with severe and persistent mental health problems. The purpose of this study was to determine what meaning the participants attributed to this experience and which aspects of the therapy they considered influential for their progress. METHOD: A formal approach, based on the opinions of the actors, was used in order to optimize the quality of the interventions. The application was as closely linked as possible to a real theatrical experience. An analysis of the qualitative data collected from a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview of three subjects selected from a purposive sampling was done by way of successive cycles of data reduction. RESULTS AND PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The participants valued the flexibility and versatility of the theatrical experience. They perceived the presence of the public as essential to enhancing their experience of pleasure and personal competency. Therapy using theatrical activity appears to be relevant in the field of psychosocial rehabilitation.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Differences between only children and children with 1 sibling referred to a psychiatric clinic: a test of Richards and Goodman's findings.

OBJECTIVE: To test Richards and Goodman's hypothesis that a higher proportion of only children under age 5 years assessed in a psychiatric department do not present a psychiatric diagnosis, compared with preschool children with 1 sibling, and to investigate other variables relative to children in this age group with no psychiatric disorder, in light of Richards and Goodman's findings. METHOD: We gathered data from 169 children under age 5 years seen in the psychiatric department of a large pediatric hospital in Montreal, Quebec. RESULTS: First, bivariate analysis showed no differences between the proportion of only children and children with 1 sibling regarding absence of a psychiatric diagnosis. Second, multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that child's age and mother's child-rearing attitudes were significant variables. Younger children (that is, age 0 to 2 years) and children whose mothers had "adequate" child-rearing attitudes (that is, not exhibiting significant impatience, rejection, stubbornness, neglect, or overprotectiveness) were more likely to have no disorder. CONCLUSION: These findings run counter to Richards and Goodman's results and suggest that other variables, such as child's age and mother's behaviour, are significant predictors of children under age 5 years having no diagnosis.

Child↗

PubMed2003

[The use of theatre as promoter of change in social skills].

This article presents a case study on the use of acting with six people suffering from severe and long-lasting psychotic state. The study aims at elaborating the hypothesis on the use of this activity in readaptation. The effect of expression therapy on the development of social skills has rarely been substantiated by empirical studies. The literature review points out a poor generalization of social skills following social skills training ; it also allows a description of the acting and its therapeutic potential. A qualitative methodology is applied to an investigation conducted in a psychiatric day center and uses the description of behavior before and after the program. The results indicate resemblances between the therapeutically acquired social skills and the social behavior from everyday life. The use of acting in therapy would contribute at the generalization of social skills.

English Abstract↗

PubMed2002

Preference for a first-born boy in Western societies.

Many studies in the last 45 years have shown that women prefer a boy to a girl for their first-born child, suggesting that this preference is universal in Western societies. A careful examination of these studies reveals, however, that the subjects were often women who were not pregnant and/or students. A review of sixteen studies with first-time-pregnant women showed that in most cases the opposite was true, namely, that a girl was desired more often than a boy, especially during the last two decades (from 1981 to 1996). Data concerning expectant fathers, however, indicate that they prefer a boy rather than a girl. A preference for a boy first was also observe for both non-expectant males and females. Women's preference for a male child decreased and men's preference increased slightly when the two sub-periods (before 1980vs after 1981) were compared. A difference between men and women is, however, evident whatever the sub-period: men more often prefer a boy than women. These findings suggest that something specific about being pregnant is related to the preference for a girl first.

Age Factors↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Obstetrical complications and violent delinquency: testing two developmental pathways.

This study focused on the interaction between specific obstetrical complications and early family adversity in predicting violent behavior during childhood and adolescence, in a sample of 849 boys from low socioeconomic areas of Montreal, Canada. Obstetrical complication data from medical records were used to create three scales using a nonlinear principal component analysis followed by rotation. Family adversity and teacher-rated physical aggression were assessed when the boys were in kindergarten and self-reports of delinquency were collected when they were 17. Elevated scores on the Deadly Risk Situation scale of obstetrical complications (preeclampsia, umbilical cord prolapse, and induced labor) increased the risk of being violent at both 6 and 17 years of age, only among boys who grew up in high adverse familial environments. Moreover, this interaction partly accounted for the continuity between violence in childhood and adolescence. Interventions for young pregnant women from deprived environments and their babies are discussed in light of these results.

Adolescent↗