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Results for “SOCIAL ISOLATION”

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PubMed1983

Nursing diagnoses concurrent with multiple sclerosis.

Nursing Diagnoses which commonly occur in patients with MS was the focus of this descriptive study. Using a functional health pattern assessment format, nine inpatients and six outpatients were assessed. Five frequently occurring dysfunctional patterns were: Self-Care Deficit, Self-Esteem Disturbance, Potential for Ineffective Family Coping: Compromised, Sleep Disturbance, and Social Isolation. The four most frequently identified Nursing Diagnoses (dysfunctional patterns plus etiology) were: Self-Esteem Disturbance related to Altered Body Image, Self-Care Deficit: I Bathing related to Generalized Weakness, Social Isolation related to Impaired Mobility, and Potential Ineffective Family Coping: Compromised.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2004

A long time getting home: Vietnam Veterans' experiences in a community exercise rehabilitation programme.

PURPOSE: We aimed to qualitatively evaluate the experiences of a group of 14 Australian Vietnam Veterans, including five who stated being diagnosed with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, participating in a 40-week exercise programme. METHOD: The veterans provided prospective feedback on perceptions, attitudes and opinions related to the programme via a series of three focus groups. A content analysis using the grounded theory approach was used to categorize the main themes to emerge from the transcribed data. RESULTS: The main findings included (a) the group's perceived lifestyle prior to participating in the programme, such as working long hours, social isolation and low motivation levels, (b) lifestyle and psychological changes as a result of the exercise programme, such as decreased anger levels, increased mental awareness, energy levels and daily resilience, and (c) increased social support. The veterans nominated the interaction and support arising from the classes, in addition to participation in the exercise per se, as being associated with the perceived benefits in personal lifestyle. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that physical activity programmes set up within the community specifically for Vietnam Veterans may benefit them psychologically as well as physically.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Center as haven: findings of an urban ethnography.

In underserved, inner-city ghettos known for drug-related violence and crime, active participation in community life is dangerous and even life-threatening. This is especially true for elders burdened with the infirmities of aging and lacking the means to provide for alternatives to social isolation. These conditions can increase their risks for mental and physical ill health. In this 3-year urban ethnography, a Philadelphia senior center that provided a haven during daytime hours was found to be vital to the social health of elders. In the center, elders exchanged fear and social isolation for companionship as a means to survive threats to their health and well-being. This finding suggests the need to understand the life exigencies of inner-city residents to provide culturally competent health care.

Black or African American↗

PubMed2004

Risk of non-fatal suicide ideation and behaviour in recent onset schizophrenia--the influence of clinical, social, self-esteem and demographic factors.

BACKGROUND: Suicide rates amongst schizophrenic patients are high. There are disadvantages in investigating successfully completed suicides which make suicidal ideation and previous attempts important proxy measures of suicidal risk. The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with these risk measures. METHOD: Fifty-nine patients suffering recent onset schizophrenia were assessed for suicidal ideation and history, and a range of demographic, clinical, social (including relatives' Expressed Emotion) and self-esteem measures. Univariate comparisons were made between those with and without suicide ideation and previous attempts. Path analysis was conducted to identify factors directly or indirectly associated with a composite scale of risk (low, medium or high). RESULTS: Approximately 25% of the sample reported a current desire to kill themselves and 47% had made one or more previous attempts. There were numerous significant univariate differences between those with or without ideation or history. Path analysis indicated that greater hopelessness (OR 1.22) and longer duration of illness (OR 1.13) increased risk. Hopelessness was associated with higher negative self-evaluation and social isolation. Negative self-evaluation was associated with more relatives' criticism which was associated with more negative symptoms. Being a male, unmarried and unemployed were all significantly associated with an increase in negative symptoms. Social isolation was associated with being unemployed, older, more positive symptoms and longer illness duration. Duration of illness was not itself predicted by any other variables. CONCLUSION: Non-fatal suicide ideation and behaviour are significantly associated with an array of demographic, clinical, interpersonal and psychological factors. To reduce risk of suicide, these factors need to be assessed and methods developed to reduce their influence.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1990

Rethinking isolation among the married and the unmarried.

Personal characteristics of married and unmarried men and women that differentiate patterns of isolation-satisfaction were investigated. Results indicated that social isolation, often regarded as a deficit, may not, in itself, be a reason for intervention, but that a mismatch between actual and preferred levels of social affiliation was more problematic.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Social networks and coronary heart disease risk factors in South Asians and Europeans in the UK.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the social networks of South Asian (Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis) and European-origin participants in the Newcastle Heart Project, and to examine the relationships between social network sizes and coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors in both groups, testing the hypothesis that part of the reason for high rates of CHD in the South Asian UK population may be social isolation. DESIGN: Participants were 684 South Asian (259 Indians, 305 Pakistanis, 120 Bangladeshis) and 825 European men and women aged 25-74 years, who completed a questionnaire and were screened for CHD risk factors in a cross-sectional study. RESULTS: South Asians were more likely to be married than Europeans, had bigger households and were more likely to attend a place of worship regularly. Europeans saw more friends and relatives on a regular basis than did South Asians. There was also some heterogeneity between the South Asian groups. Europeans who reported bigger social networks were less likely to smoke than those with smaller networks, but there was little evidence of an association between social network size and waist circumference, blood pressure or TC:HDL ratio in either Europeans or South Asians. CONCLUSION: The results provided only partial support for the hypothesis that South Asians in the UK are socially isolated, and suggest that South Asians and Europeans in the UK utilise different sources of social support. Future work should acknowledge variation in sources of social support between ethnic groups, and should explore the possibility that different mechanisms link social support and health in different ethnic groups.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

The persistent impact of breast carcinoma on functional health status: prospective evidence from the Nurses' Health Study.

BACKGROUND: Although physical and emotional function after the diagnosis of breast carcinoma have been described in clinic populations, to the authors' knowledge no previous study has measured change from the preillness level of functional health status in community-dwelling women. METHODS: The authors conducted a 4-year (1992-96) prospective study of functional recovery after breast carcinoma in a large sample of women, aged 54-73 years. They collected multidimensional measures of self-reported functional health status in 1992, before diagnosis of breast carcinoma, and again in 1996, to examine the risk of decline associated with incident breast carcinoma. RESULTS: After adjustment for age, baseline functional health status, and multiple covariates, women who developed incident breast carcinoma were more likely to have experienced reduced physical function, role function, vitality, and social function and increased bodily pain compared with women who remained free of breast carcinoma. Risk of decline was attenuated with increasing time since diagnosis. Risk of decline in physical function was evident across all stages of breast carcinoma, even after adjustment for women undergoing treatment for persistent or recurrent disease. We found evidence that the risk of decline among breast carcinoma cases compared with healthy women was largest among those who were most socially isolated. CONCLUSIONS: Breast carcinoma results in persistent declines in multiple dimensions of functional health status. These prospective data suggest that previous studies reporting no difference in physical function among breast carcinoma cases compared with disease free women underestimated the deleterious effect of the disease on function. Socially isolated women are an especially vulnerable group.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

A prospective study of social networks in relation to total mortality and cardiovascular disease in men in the USA.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have established a relationship between low levels of social networks and total mortality, but few have examined cause specific mortality or disease incidence. This study aimed to examine prospectively the relationships between social networks and total and cause specific mortality, as well as cardiovascular disease incidence. DESIGN: This was a four year follow up study in an ongoing cohort of men, for whom information on social networks was collected at baseline. The main outcome measures were total mortality, further categorised into deaths from cardiovascular disease (stroke and coronary heart disease), total cancer, accidents/suicides, and all other causes; as well as stroke and coronary heart disease incidence. PARTICIPANTS: Altogether 32,624 US male health professionals aged 42 to 77 years in 1988, who were free of coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer at baseline. RESULTS: A total of 511 deaths occurred during 122,911 person years of follow up. Compared with men with the highest level of social networks, socially isolated men (not married, fewer than six friends or relatives, no membership in church or community groups) were at increased risk for cardiovascular disease mortality (age adjusted relative risk, 1.90; 95% CI 1.07, 3.37) and deaths from accidents and suicides (age adjusted relative risk 2.22; 95% CI 0.76, 6.47). No excess risks were found for other causes of death. Socially isolated men were also at increased risk of stroke incidence (relative risk, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.12, 4.35), but not incidence of non-fatal myocardial infarction. CONCLUSIONS: Social networks were associated with lower total mortality by reducing deaths from cardiovascular disease and accidents/suicides. Strong social networks were associated with reduced incidence of stroke, though not of coronary heart disease. However, social networks may assist in prolonging the survival of men with established coronary heart disease.

Accidents↗

PubMed2003

Understanding hypersexuality: a behavioral disorder of dementia.

Although a rare manifestation of Alzheimer's Disease, hypersexuality is one of the most embarrassing behaviors for both informal and formal caregivers. This article presents an overview of the causes of the problem along with strategies home care and hospice nurses can use to teach families how to decrease the social isolation these patients experience.

Aged↗

PubMed1984

Inhibition of isolation-induced changes in aminergic transmission by chronic lithium treatment.

Social isolation of mice leads to changes in aminergic transmission systems. After 6 weeks of isolation, an increase of apomorphine-stimulated climbing behavior is seen, reflecting an isolation-induced dopaminergic supersensitivity. After 1-3 weeks of isolation, a decrease of clonidine sedation is detectable, suggesting the development of noradrenergic alpha 2-receptor subsensitivity. The isolation-induced changes of both drug effects are prevented by lithium given over the time of isolation.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Isolation and the mastering of anxiety in physically handicapped children and adolescents.

The detailed exploration of 50 physically handicapped children and adolescents and the evaluation of the results with the help of biography-near rating procedures according to Thomae have produced numerous significant connections. A central theme of the living world of these children can be seen in the social isolation, the dismay about a restriction in the social life circle. The children and adolescents react predominantly to such an isolation with resistance strategies. Whereas in normal everyday life the attribution of responsibility to others, aggression and depression determine the attitude, in the school area playing down and illusion formation, distraction and rationalization are predominant. In the family, depressive-resignative reactions determine the physically handicapped child's responses, just as in leisure time. Finally, in the area of the handicap, if it is perceived in connection with the reaction of social isolation, the most depressive-resignative, attributing responsibility to others, psychophysical and rationalizing ways of reaction occur. In all, an adequate mastering of the handicap is greatly impaired by social isolation.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1975

The development of intersession habituation and emergence in socially reared and isolated rats.

Male and female hooded rats were weaned at 17 days and then reared in isolation or in social groups. Intersession habituation of locomotor activity in the open field was tested at 15, 25, and 45 days. Contrary to some previous reports, the 15-day-old animals showed significant habituation. At 45 days, however, the isolates showed very little habituation compared to the social animals. The isolates showed a similar pattern of development in their emergence into the open field. Apparently, isolation does not result in an arresting of development, but rather in the formation of behavior patterns otherwise absent in normally reared rats.

Age Factors↗

PubMed2000

Quality of life in patients undergoing coronary revascularization.

INTRODUCTION: This study was aimed at the evaluation of the impact of coronary revascularization surgery on the quality of life (QOL) and identification of some variables which may contribute to influence the patients' own perception of their health condition. METHODOLOGY: We prospectively studied 150 consecutive patients subjected to isolated coronary bypass surgery during a 3-month period, with evaluation of their perception of QOL before surgery and 6 months thereafter. The measurement instruments used were the MOS Health Survey (SF-36) and the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP). Additionally, a questionnaire for identification of lifestyles was introduced. RESULTS: The majority of the patients were male (94%), above 50 years of age (81%), with a low educational level (65%), married (90%) and pensioners (44%). About one third (38%) had marked physical limitations (CCS class III/IV), with comorbidity (80%), previous myocardial infarction (49%) and 3-vessel coronary disease (68%). There was no operative mortality, but 29% had postoperative complications, albeit minor in the majority. Admission time was less than 8 days in 88.6% of the cases. Surgery proved beneficial in improving QOL, with better perception after surgery in all dimensions of both measurement instruments (p < 0.001). A higher level of education was related to a better perception of the energy dimension, married patients had a better improvement in the dimensions of physical pain and social isolation. More severe preoperative angina determined less favourable scores in the dimensions of mental health, social function and vitality; comorbidity had a negative impact on vitality and physical mobility; and the number of risk factors and postoperative complications had a negative impact on the dimensions of energy and emotional reactions, and social isolation and physical function, respectively. Six months after surgery, 62% of the patients who were still working before surgery had resumed their professional activity, but about 20% had retired; the majority had adopted healthier lifestyles with a decrease in tobacco and alcohol consumption and a more balanced diet. CONCLUSIONS: Coronary revascularization substantially improves QOL, with a significant impact on the clinical variables of the psycho-social dimensions.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

[Quality of life and psychosocial adaptation in children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and reactive arthritis].

OBJECTIVE: We sought to measure self-reported health related quality of life (HRQOL) and psychosocial adaptation in children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and reactive arthritis and to determine factors associated with these outcomes. METHODS: We interviewed 72 children and adolescents with chronic arthritis, age 8-16, about HRQOL (KINDL-R-Questionnaire) and functional ability in activities of daily living (Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire-CHAQ). Mothers reported behavior problems (Child Behavior Checklist-CBCL). RESULTS: Children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and reactive arthritis reported lower HRQOL compared to normative data in several areas. Children reported lower QOL in the dimensions self-esteem; adolescents reported lower QOL in the dimensions physical well being and total QOL. Almost 20% of the sample appeared to have serious behavior problems, mostly social isolation and depression/anxiety. Functional limitations affected HRQOL and behavior problems. Inpatient children and adolescents and those with shorter disease duration reported lower QOL than outpatient children and adolescents and those with longer disease duration. Best predictors for impaired HRQOL were functional limitations, social isolation and depression/anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: Self-reported HRQOL and behavior problems may be relevant outcome measures in children and adolescents with chronic arthritis and useful to monitor psychosocial support in this population.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1999

Predicting abuse-prone parental attitudes and discipline practices in a nationally representative sample.

OBJECTIVE: According to sociological and ecological models of abuse, typically nonabusive parents could behave abusively towards their children under certain circumstances. The purpose of this study was to examine factors that place parents at risk of abusing their children by predicting parents' use of discipline practices and attitudes that may bias parents towards abusive behaviors, which we refer to as abuse-proneness. METHOD: A telephone interview was administered by the Gallup Organization to a nationally representative sample of 1,000 parents. Using a set of theoretically relevant risk factors, multiple regression was used to predict variations in parental attitudes (i.e., attitudes towards physical discipline and attitudes that devalue children) and parental discipline practices (i.e., physical discipline, nonphysical discipline, and verbal abuse). RESULTS: The findings confirmed the importance of examining elements of parental attitudes, history, personality characteristics, as well as religion and ideology in predicting abuse proneness. Child age also was an important predictor in all analyses except predicting parental attitudes that devalue children. The findings suggest also, however, that it may be unduly simplified to regard parents as somewhere on a continuum of nonpunitive to punitive disciplinarians. Social isolation was not a significant predictor in any of the analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Although many important theoretical predictors of abuse proneness were confirmed, many questions arise regarding the diversity of discipline practices that parents use, and the relevance of child's age and social isolation in predicting abuse proneness. Implications for practitioners and future research are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Significant others and fear of crime among the elderly.

The authors examine demographic, environmental, behavioral, and social psychological factors that affect fear of crime among the elderly. Using a structural equation model, relevant variables are examined. Confirming earlier studies, elderly women are found to be more fearful than other groups. Further, social isolation, type of housing, length of residence, and area of the city are all related to fear of crime in a predicted direction. The fearful individual expressed low satisfaction with the job being done by the police in providing protection from crime. Social interaction with neighbors and friends reduces the fear of crime among the elderly. Surprisingly, the more they socialize with their relatives, the more fear they express.

Aged↗

PubMed1987

Child and family attributes of failure-to-thrive.

Forty-one Boston children hospitalized with non-organic failure-to-thrive (FTT) were matched with 41 control subjects on age, socioeconomic status (SES), sex, and race. A precoded maternal interview was used to evaluate family stress, isolation, infant health, and the temperament and social maturity of the child. A regression analysis was performed with 27 variables thought to be potentially associated with the FTT diagnosis. Ten variables explained 81% of the between group variance on F-tests. The most significant distinctions were poor child health (p less than 0.001), high reactivity to visual and auditory stimuli (p less than 0.001), and disordered feeding interaction (p less than 0.005). Other case-comparison differences included social isolation, few maternal opportunities to escape caregiving, the presence of a male adult in the family, fewer available extended family, fewer violent disagreements between parents, greater number of maternal unmarried years. Children with FTT appeared to have developmental idiosyncrasies. These conspire with social and familial factors to yield the current profile of non-organic FTT. This study questions whether such findings are the cause of FTT or are better understood as a result.

Child Abuse↗

PubMed2002

Effect of isolation on classical conditioned histamine release in guinea pigs.

To investigate the effect of abrupt or non-abrupt isolation stress on the classical conditioned histamine release, socially isolated or paired guinea pigs underwent conditioning procedures in which ovalbumin (OA) as an unconditioned stimulus (US) and dimethylsulfide (sulfur smelling) as a conditioned stimulus (CS) were simultaneously inhaled, and the plasma histamine levels after the exposure to the CS in a state of isolation or pairing were measured. The plasma histamine levels significantly increased from baseline in response to the CS (P < 0.05), except in the animals which were abruptly isolated during the exposure to the CS. The guinea pigs which were isolated during either the conditioning procedures or the exposure to the CS displayed significantly lower levels of plasma histamine than did the paired animals during both periods (P < 0.01, respectively). The plasma histamine levels in the guinea pigs which were isolated or paired during both periods were significantly higher than those of the control animals which had received the CS and the US separately (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01). A change of social relations, particularly isolation during the presentation of the CS, may have a suppressive effect on immediate asthmatic responses due to the conditioning mechanism.

Animals↗