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PubMed1997

Immigration as a source of political discontent and frustration in Western democracies.

"This article describes the migration context of three sets of Western democracies and then explores plausible linkages between the scale, timing, and characteristics of migration, and the substance and process of migration policies, on the one hand, and support for government, on the other. Trying to move beyond plausibility, I discuss indirect indicators of the impact of immigration on Western publics: attitudes toward immigration policy and immigrants, support for extremist parties, and acts of violence and disorder linked to anti-immigrant or racist motives."

Attitude↗
PubMed2005

Comparing the stigma of mental illness in a general hospital with a state mental hospital: a Singapore study.

The stigma faced by psychiatric patients associated with the type of psychiatric facilities is controversial. This study was conducted to compare the stigma faced by patients with schizophrenia and non-schizophrenia psychiatric disorders in the outpatient departments of a state mental hospital with those in a general hospital in Singapore. A cross-sectional study involving two groups of outpatients in a state mental hospital (n=300) and in a university general hospital (n=300) were assessed with a 12-item stigma scale. Components of the scale assessed included social rejection, negative media perception, shame and social discrimination. Among schizophrenia patients, state mental hospital patients had significantly lower stigma scores compared to their counterparts in the general hospital. For other mental illnesses, the reverse was true: state mental hospital patients had significantly higher stigma scores compared to their counterparts in the general hospital. Stigma was also associated with a younger age and being employed though not by gender. The stigma faced by psychiatric patients is complex and may have institutional and disorder-specific elements. Possible reasons for this are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

The human body as field of conflict between discourses.

The approach to AIDS as a disease and a threat for social discrimination is used as an example to illustrate a conceptual thesis. This thesis is a claim that concerns what we call a medical issue or not, what is medicalised or needs to be demedicalised. In the friction between medicalisation and demedicalisation as discursive strategies the latter approach can only be effected through the employment of discourses or discursive strategies other than medicine, such as those of the law and of economics. These discourses each realise different values, promote a different subject, and have a different concept of man. The concept of discourse is briefly outlined against concepts such as the linear growth concept of science and the growth model of science as changes in paradigm. The issue of testing for AIDS shows a conflict between the medical and the legal discourse and illustrates the title of our contribution: the human body as field of conflict between discourses.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1995

The continuing ethnic-origins dimension of Australian immigration policy.

"Although Australia dismantled its ethnically discriminatory, immigrant-selection policy in the early 1970s, ethnicity remains--implicitly and unofficially--a significant consideration in its immigration policies and practices. The paper outlines the traditional ¿White Australia' policy before describing the operation and impact of the new selection policies and the associated official commitment to multiculturalism. The causes, regional pattern and acceptability of the modern Asianization of immigration are then assessed. The final section indicates how ethnic-origin preferences continue to operate in an apparently non-discriminatory selection policy, largely through the management of demand by placements of Australian migration officers in particular locations overseas."

Australia↗
PubMed1996

Practice of in-vitro fertilization: a case study from Finland.

In 1978 the first human IVF-baby was born. Today IVF is a standard procedure in the treatment of infertility in industrialized Western countries. In this study we analyzed how IVF reached an established position as a medical innovation in Finland, how IVF-care was organized between 1991-1993, and which kind of women used IVF-services and delivered a child as a result. The data sources were interviews with practicing IVF-physicians, a survey of Finnish IVF-clinics, telephone interviews with a sample of the adult population, and data of mothers from the Finnish Birth Registry. IVF in Finland followed the four stages of a medical innovation from a promising report into a standard procedure. Key factors in the introduction of IVF-methods were the work of andrologists', and later, IVF-physicians' associations, the approval of the method by head gynecologists in university clinics and among other colleagues, and later, the increase in IVF-services without regulatory government policy. IVF has become increasingly available in private clinics because pioneer physicians have established such services. In principle there was no social discrimination in having IVF, because it was available almost free of charge in public clinics. But the costs and availability of private clinics created unequal access to IVF services. IVF-women were more often upper-class white collar employees living in southern Finland than women in the control group. IVF has been a routine treatment option of infertility since the end of the 1980s. It has provided a medical technology solution to infertility. The supply and demand of IVF has increased and its indications have widened in the treatment of infertility. This is the inner logic of a successful technology: after the developmental processes of a revolutionary innovation, the use of technology escalates rapidly and the barriers for its use decrease.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Central odor processing in subjects experiencing helplessness.

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether central nervous odor processing is affected by the temporary experience of helplessness. To induce helplessness, an unsolvable social discrimination test in combination with false feedback was used. The EEG was recorded from 60 scalp locations, while two standard odors were presented via a constant-flow olfactometer. Helplessness attenuated olfactory stimulus processing at an early perceptual stage: the P2 and P3-1 amplitudes were reduced in response to both odors. Furthermore, the early potentials (N1, P2 and P3-1) of the chemosensory event-related potential (CSERP) appeared with longer latencies when subjects received negative feedback. The state effects of helplessness resemble the deviations in the CSERP found in depressed patients, suggesting a general mood effect.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Effects of histamine H(3) antagonists and donepezil on learning and mnemonic deficits induced by pentylenetetrazol kindling in weanling mice.

Childhood epilepsy is one of the main risk factors for a variety of problems involving cognition and behavior. Pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) kindling is currently an acceptable model for epilepsy research. The objectives of this study are to clarify the learning and mnemonic characteristics of PTZ kindling in developing mice, and to examine the effects of thioperamide and JNJ-5207852, two histamine H(3) receptor antagonists and donepezil, an acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor, on learning and memory deficits induced by PTZ kindling in the brains of developing mice. PTZ kindling led to learning and mnemonic deficits as assessed by social discrimination, acoustic fear conditioning, water maze and passive avoidance tests. Thioperamide and JNJ-5207852, ameliorated PTZ kindling-induced learning and mnemonic deficits in all tests except for the water maze test. In addition, the learning and mnemonic impairments induced by PTZ kindling were significantly improved by donepezil in all tests. These findings suggest that histamine and acetylcholine are involved in the different processes of learning and memory in the brain and that histamine H(3) receptor antagonists might be useful in the treatment of cognitive impairment in epilepsy.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Internalized stigma of mental illness: psychometric properties of a new measure.

The study evaluated the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI) scale, designed to measure the subjective experience of stigma, with subscales measuring Alienation, Stereotype Endorsement, Perceived Discrimination, Social Withdrawal and Stigma Resistance. The ISMI was developed in collaboration with people with mental illnesses and contains 29 Likert items. The validation sample included 127 mental health outpatients. Results showed that the ISMI had high internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Construct validity was supported by comparisons against scales measuring related constructs with the same methodology. As expected, the ISMI had positive correlations with measures of stigma beliefs and depressive symptoms, and it had negative correlations with measures of self-esteem, empowerment and recovery orientation. Factor analyses of the joint set of items from the ISMI and each scale supported the distinction between constructs. Having a validated measure of internalized stigma may encourage clinicians to include stigma reduction as a verifiable treatment goal in addition to symptom reduction.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Differential behavioural effects of chronic infusion of CRH 1 and CRH 2 receptor antisense oligonucleotides into the rat brain.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the functional role the two corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) receptor subtypes play in regulating the behavioural performance of rats in various well-defined test situations. Antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) corresponding to either the rat CRH1 or CRH2 receptor mRNA were infused chronically into the lateral ventricle of male rats via osmotic minipumps (5 microg/0.5 microl/h over 6 days). Control groups received infusions of either a scrambled sequence ODN or mixed bases ODN or vehicle. On day 4 after surgery, the rats were subjected to 10 min of social defeat and immediately afterwards tested on the elevated plus-maze. Compared to a scrambled sequence control ODN, CRH1 receptor antisense ODN infusion was found to exert an anxiolytic-like effect whereas CRH2 receptor antisense ODN infusion had no effect on defeat-induced anxiety-related behaviour. In contrast, the CRH2 receptor antisense ODN increased immobility in a forced swim test whereas CRH1 receptor ODN-treated rats did not differ from controls. No influence of either ODN was found on general locomotor activity in an open field or on short-term memory performance in a social discrimination test. Furthermore, the CRH2 receptor antisense ODN did not affect spatial learning in a Morris water maze task. An additional experiment comparing a mixture of both missense ODNs and a vehicle control group confirmed that the former failed to induce non-specific (toxic) side effects, further substantiating the specificity of the respective antisense effects measured in this study. The results support the hypothesis that the two CRH receptor subtypes selectively mediate differential effects of endogenous CRH or CRH-related peptides at the brain level with the CRHI receptor contributing predominantly to emotional behaviour and the CRH2 receptor being involved in the regulation of stress coping behaviour.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2000

Effects of early midline cerebellar lesion on cognitive and emotional functions in the rat.

Midline lesion of the cerebellum was performed in young 10-day-old DA/HAN strained (pigmented) rats. Once adults, the lesioned animals were subjected to a series of behavioral tests and their performances were compared with those of control (nonlesioned) rats. Compared with controls, the spontaneous motor activity of the lesioned rats was higher, they showed persevering behavior and did not pay attention to environmental distractors. In anxiety and social discrimination tests, disinhibition tendencies were obvious, which suggested that the animals were less dependent on the context. These abnormalities were most likely due to early midline lesion of the cerebellum and not to a deficit in maternal care before weaning, since the dams took care of the lesioned and control pups similarly. From these results, it can be concluded that the cerebellar vermis is involved in motor control, attentional capabilities and emotional behavior. Given that the lesioned rats observed in this study presented obvious autistic-like symptoms, and since a number of autistic subjects have cerebellar deficits and, particularly, a hypoplasia of vermal lobules, our results may strengthen the idea that the cerebellar vermis is involved in autism, as already suggested in the guinea pig (Caston J, et al. Eur J Neurosci 1998;10:2677-2684).

Age Factors↗
PubMed2000

Ease of capture in lines of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) subjected to contrasting selection for fear or sociability.

Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) of lines, which have been subjected to contrasting selection for duration of the tonic immobility (TI) reaction or social reinstatement (SR) behaviour over many generations show corresponding differences in underlying fearfulness and sociality. As fearfulness and sociality are particularly influential traits in domesticated species, the finding that such traits respond to artificial selection may have important implications for poultry welfare and performance. However, it is not known if or how such selection has influenced human-animal interactions. The present experiment investigated the influence of fearfulness and SR behaviour on the ease with which birds could be caught and handled. Birds of lines selected for duration of the TI response or SR behaviour were reared in mixed line groups (LTI and STI or HSR and LSR) of 491 and 346 birds, respectively, until 6 weeks of age. When the birds were 2, 4, and 6 weeks of age, they were caught one by one and their individual capture ranks noted. In the group of birds selected for duration of the TI response, birds selected of the line selected for short duration of TI were caught before those selected for long duration of the response. In the group of birds selected for SR motivation, birds of the high line were caught before their low lines counterparts. Coefficients of concordance between capture ranks were significant and capture ranks did not differ significantly across ages. These results imply that selection for low levels of fear or high levels of sociality produces animals that are less disturbed by human interventions than animals selected for the opposite traits. The greater ease of capture of low fear line birds than high fear line birds may be explained by reduced fear of humans. The fact that the birds selected for high levels of SR behaviour are easier to catch than birds selected for low levels of sociality is less readily explicable. One hypothesis is that HSR line chicks tend to be more strongly imprinted on each other and the human caretaker. However, SR behaviour is highly species specific in both lines, existing evidence for line differences in social discrimination is limited and birds of the two lines show similar duration of the TI response. Despite this, whatever their underlying causation, these results demonstrate that genetic selection can be used to reduce negative reactions to human beings and may be of value in the improvement of both animal welfare and productivity.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1986

Psychosocial effect of vitiligo: a comparison of vitiligo patients with "normal" control subjects, with psoriasis patients, and with patients with other pigmentary disorders.

To ascertain the psychosocial effects of vitiligo, patients with vitiligo were compared with control subjects without skin diseases who were matched for age, sex, race, educational level, and marital status. Vitiligo patients were also compared with a matched sample of psoriasis patients and a matched sample of patients with other pigmentary disorders involving discoloration. The vitiligo patients scored lower on the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory than did the "normal" control subjects. Vitiligo patients exhibited better adjustment to their disorder and experienced less social discrimination than did psoriasis patients, although the two groups did not differ on overall self-esteem. Patients with vitiligo did not differ significantly from those with other pigmentary disorders on any measure.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1996

Health hazards of obesity.

Several health hazards and social disabilities are associated with obesity. Increased mortality is associated with increased body weight. A high rate of mortality results from heart disease, diabetes mellitus, gallbladder disease, high blood pressure, and cancer. Physiologic cardiovascular changes occur, leading to left ventricular hypertrophy and lipid abnormalities. Hypertension, stroke, and venous stasis are increased. Pulmonary abnormalities include obstructive sleep apnea, which can be associated with secondary polycythemia and right ventricular hypertrophy. Gallstones, gallbladder disease, and accumulation of fat on the liver are significantly increased. Gout and reproductive abnormalities in women are common. Osteoarthritis of the knees and spine occur, although osteoporosis is rare. Risk for endometrial and breast cancer is increased, particularly in the presence of increased central fat. Changes in the skin include stretch marks, acanthosis negricans, hirsutism, intertrigo, and multiple papillomas. Impaired psychosocial function is manifested as social isolation, loss of job mobility, increased employee absenteeism, and economic and social discrimination.

Female↗
PubMed2006

Barriers to participation in HIV drug trials: a systematic review.

The enrolling of adequate participants into HIV experimental drug trials presents an important challenge. We systematically reviewed the literature to identify barriers and concerns amongst HIV patients to participation in HIV clinical drug trials. We reviewed studies for validity and content, and generated pooled estimates of the frequency with which patients identified particular issues by pooling across studies that presented results as proportions. We included three semi-structured interview studies, two open-ended questionnaires, and nine quantitative studies. Major barriers to participation included fear of side-effects, distrust of researchers, general concerns about research design, interference in everyday life or changes in routine, and social discrimination. Results from the quantitative studies indicated that the most prevalent barriers were as follows: suspicions about the drug itself (53%, 95% CI 24-83%), patients were not informed or believed they were not eligible (38%, 25-50%), and travel or transport obstacles (39%, 21-57%). The findings of this study should aid drug trialists in developing strategies to maximise participation and cooperation in HIV clinical drug trials while adequately informing and protecting prospective participants.

Anti-HIV Agents↗
PubMed1995

Magical thinking about illness virulence: conceptions of germs from "safe" versus "dangerous" others.

AIDS-related research has documented overreactions to casual contact and underreactions to sexual risk. This contradiction is explained by "magical contagion", a principle of thinking common in traditional societies, wherein contagion is considered socially discriminating, such that harmfulness depends on the nature of the relationship between source and recipient. In Study 1, 100 undergraduate participants drew germs described as their own, a stranger's, their lover's, or a disliked peer's. Lovers' germs were depicted as less threatening than disliked peers' germs. In Study 2, scenarios described contact with a flu-infected lover, stranger, or disliked peer. New undergraduate participants (N = 133) rated how likely they were to become ill and how severely. Although likelihood ratings did not differ, severity ratings followed a linear trend, effects of lover contact being least severe and contact with disliked peer most severe. Behavioral implications of the blurring of feelings about germ source with estimates of germ virulence are discussed.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗