Four Past Path-Builders Incorporated the Humanities and Arts Into Gerontology's Scientific Frontiers

Scholars and practitioners in the humanities and arts are collaborating with bio-medico-psycho-social scientists and clinicians in projects that illuminate current understandings of how "aging" processes unfold and what they may mean in creating the future of the Gerontological Society of America. Moving ahead by connecting backwards, we should emulate past path-builders who imagined an interdisciplinary agenda that incorporated humanistic perspectives as they imparted scientific age-based insights to experts and lay audiences. Elie Metchnikoff, G. Stanley Hall, Robert N. Butler, and Gene D. Cohen demonstrated critical humanist thinking about aging and dying in advancing gerontology's scientific frontiers.

Aging as Adaptation

In traditional gerontological terms, adaptation is usually understood as the production of physical aids to mitigate the impairment effects caused by age-related disabilities, or as those alterations organizations need to make under the concept of reasonable adjustment to prevent age discrimination (in the UK, e.g., age has been a protected characteristic under the Equality Act since 2010). This article will be the first to examine aging in relation to theories of adaptation within cultural studies and the humanities. It is thus an interdisciplinary intervention within the field of cultural gerontology and cultural theories of adaptation. Adaptation studies in cultural studies and the humanities have moved away from fidelity criticism (the issue of how faithful an adaptation is to its original) toward thinking of adaptation as a creative, improvisational space. We ask if theories of adaptation as understood within cultural studies and the humanities can help us develop a more productive and creative way of conceptualizing the aging process, which reframes aging in terms of transformational and collaborative adaptation. Moreover, for women in particular, this process of adaptation involves engagement with ideas of women's experience that encompass an adaptive, intergenerational understanding of feminism. Our article draws on interviews with the producer and scriptwriter of the Representage theater group's play My Turn Now. The script for the play is adapted from a 1993 coauthored book written by a group of 6 women who were then in their 60s and 70s, who founded a networking group for older women.

Critique and Postcritique: Analyzing Age Stereotypes in Literary Studies and Health Care

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Gerontological research shows that stereotypes about older people negatively impact the quality of health care they receive. Therefore, knowledge of ageism is particularly relevant for medical students. Narrative Medicine draws on theory and methods from literary studies to interlace the humanities and medical studies.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

This paper first describes a Narrative Medicine intervention at the University of Southern Denmark where medical students learn about ageism and stereotypes through a presentation of gerontological research results. In addition, literary texts and methods of close reading and reflective writing are employed to help students identify problematic stereotypes. The results of a survey conducted during the intervention suggest that students' awareness about ageism increased. Yet, rather than exploring the results of the survey, this paper's second part uses the intervention as a springboard to self-critically ask what type of humanities approaches, methods and theories are best suited to convey knowledge about ageist stereotypes. The paper sketches 2 approaches within literary studies-critique and postcritique-and applies them to a poem about an older man.

RESULTS

The paper discusses the gains and limitations of each approach and makes suggestions for how they can be joined with research about age stereotypes.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

To create productive pathways between the humanities and gerontology, the heterogeneity of the humanities-with literary studies as the example-need to be acknowledged. That is, clarity about the differences in humanities-based methods is crucial to establish a firmer ground for their usability in interdisciplinary contexts.

Only human after all? a pre-registered study on gaze behavior and humanity attributions to people with facial difference

There is a great deal of indirect evidence suggesting that people with facial difference (FD) may be dehumanized. This research aimed to provide direct evidence of the dehumanization of people with FD based on the stigmatizing reactions they elicit. More precisely, previous findings revealed that the specific way people with FD are looked upon is related to the feelings of disgust they elicit. Since disgust fosters dehumanization, our aim was to confirm the modified pattern of visual attention towards people with FD and to determine whether it was also related to humanness perception. For that purpose, a preregistered eye-tracking study (N = 97) using a former experimental design extended to humanity attributions was conducted. This research replicates findings showing that the face of people with FD is explored differently in comparison with other human faces. However, the hypothesis that people with FD were given fewer humanity attributions was not supported. Therefore, the hypothesis of a "dehumanizing gaze" towards people with FD-beyond humanity-related attributions-is discussed in light of these findings.

The role of the social sciences and humanities in pandemic preparedness responses: insights gained from COVID-19, HIV and AIDS and related epidemics

The COVID-19 pandemic, particularly from 2020 to mid-2022, debilitated the management of the HIV epidemic in Africa. The multiple effects included well-documented HIV service interruptions, curtailment of HIV prevention programmes, the associated marked increase in both the risk for HIV infection among key populations and vulnerability of sub-populations (e.g. adolescent girls and young women) who are the focus of these programmes and - as importantly but less well-documented - the diverse negative socio-economic effects that accentuate HIV risk and vulnerability generally (e.g. loss of earnings, gender-based violence, stigma, police harassment of people during "lockdowns"). The global biomedical response to COVID-19 was necessary and remarkable for mitigating the bio-physical impacts of the pandemic (e.g. wide-spread surveillance coupled with rapid updates on the epidemiology of infections, rapid development of vaccines and revisions of treatment). However, drawing upon the widespread criticisms of state responses to the socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and of "lockdowns" themselves, this article elaborates a core argument within those criticisms, namely that key lessons learnt during the HIV and AIDS and other pandemics were ignored, at least during the early stages of COVID-19. Our critique is that better integration of the social sciences and humanities in responses to pandemics can counter the reflex tendency to uncritically adopt a biomedical paradigm and, more importantly, to enable consideration of the social determinants of health in pandemic responses. At root, we re-assert a key value of 'integrated' interventions, namely the accommodation of context-sensitive considerations in the formulation of strategies, policies, plans and programme designs.

Review of The empathy exams: Essays

Reviews the book The empathy exams: Essays. Empathy is a universally important aspect of both life and medicine that helps cultivate a therapeutic relationship between healthcare professionals and patients, family and loved ones, community members and friends, and beyond. As the times have evolved, empathy has become increasingly essential in not only elevating the quality of patient-centered care but also nurturing meaningful relationships and compassionate bonds among communities and families. Empathy encompasses an emotional understanding of another's pain and suffering and also invites self-reflection and humility. In The Empathy Exams, the author sheds light on the meaning of empathy through her memoir of experiences and perspectives as a nonhealthcare professional, community member, patient, family member, and friend. Even though the author herself does not practice in the medical setting, from the bond between the physician and patient to the empathetic connection between patients and families, The Empathy Exams explores a thematic and insightful discussion on empathy as a lifelong exploration through multidimensional angles from experiencing personal illness to caring for a loved one. Ultimately, The Empathy Exams encourages all-both medical professionals, nonhealthcare communities and families-to reflect and rethink about empathy in themselves, patients, and loved ones, transforming individual pain and suffering into communal hope and humanity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Bridging the humanities and health care with theatre: Theory and outcomes of a theatre-based model for enhancing psychiatric care via stigma reduction

OBJECTIVE

This article describes the rational, methods, implementation, and effectiveness of Identity Development Evolution and Sharing (IDEAS), an evidence-supported, narrative theater-based training that reduces stigma among health care providers to increase health care equity in psychiatric rehabilitation.

METHOD

The IDEAS model has been used to reduce provider bias toward patients. From May 2017 to January 2020, we interviewed people from three patient groups who have been harmed by stigma, including Black women, transgender, and gender-diverse people, and people with substance use disorders. These interviews informed the creation of three theatrical scripts that were performed by professional actors for audiences of health care providers from January 2020 to May 2022. The performances aimed to raise conscious awareness of implicit provider biases and to provide a reflective opportunity to ameliorate these biases. The purpose of IDEAS is to improve experiences in health care settings such as psychiatric rehabilitation of patients from groups who have been harmed by stigma. We used paired-samples t tests to compare pre/postprovider stigma, measured via the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-Stigma (AAQ-S).

RESULTS

Sociodemographic factors for providers who viewed IDEAS were similar across all three performances. IDEAS significantly decreased AAQ-S scores (t = 11.32, df = 50, M = 13.65, 95% confidence limit: [11.32, 15.97], p < .0001).

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

IDEAS reduces provider stigma to support positive clinical encounters with diverse patient populations. These findings are relevant for psychiatric rehabilitation settings, which seek to establish positive rapport between providers and patients. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The role of arts-based curricula in professional identity formation: results of a qualitative analysis of learner's written reflections

BACKGROUND

Professional identity formation is an important aspect of medical education that can be difficult to translate into formal curricula. The role of arts and humanities programs in fostering professional identity formation remains understudied. Analyzing learners' written reflections, we explore the relationship between an arts-based course and themes of professional identity formation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two cohorts of learners participated in a 5-day online course featuring visual arts-based group activities. Both cohorts responded to a prompt with written reflections at the beginning and end of the course. Using a thematic analysis method, we qualitatively analyzed one set of reflections from each cohort.

RESULTS

Themes included the nature of the good life; fulfilling, purposeful work; entering the physician role; exploration of emotional experience; and personal growth. Reflections written at the end of the course engaged significantly with art - including literature, poetry, lyrics, and film. One student disclosed a mental illness in their reflection.

CONCLUSIONS

Our qualitative analysis of reflections written during a visual arts-based course found several themes related to professional identity formation. Such arts-based courses can also enrich learners' reflections and provide a space for learners to be vulnerable.

PRACTICE POINTS

(five short bullets conveying the main points) Arts-based courses can support learners' professional identity formationReflection themes related to professional identity formation included entering the physician role, fulfilling clinical work, and personal growthAt the end of the course, learners' reflections included significant engagement with artReflective writing in small, arts-based learning communities can provide space for learners to be vulnerableThe Role of Arts-Based Curricula in Professional Identity Formation: Results of A Qualitative Analysis of Learner's Written Reflections.

Health Humanities: A Baseline Survey of Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in North America

The authors conducted a baseline survey of baccalaureate and graduate degree health humanities programs in the United States and Canada. The object of the survey was to formally assess the current state of the field, to gauge what kind of resources individual programs are receiving, and to assess their self-identified needs to become or remain programmatically sustainable, including their views on the potential benefits of program accreditation. A 56-question baseline survey was sent to 111 institutions with baccalaureate programs and 20 institutions with graduate programs. Respondents were asked about three areas: (1) program administration (managing unit, paid director, faculty lines, paid staff, funding sources); (2) educational program (curricular structure, CIP code usage, completion rates); and (3) views on accreditation for the field. A clear majority of respondents agreed that some form of accreditation or consultation service could address resource and sustainability issues. Overall, the survey responses to staffing, curricular structure, and support suggest the need for developing a sustainable infrastructure for health humanities.

The evaluation of online Modified Objective Structured Examination (MOSE) as postgraduate admissions re-examination: A report from Fujian Medical University, China

OBJECTIVES

This paper aims to explore the successful implementation of online postgraduate admissions re-examination in China, specifically focusing on the Modified Objective Structured Examination (MOSE). It introduced the specific practice of the online postgraduate admissions re-examination in China and investigated the perceptions of applicants, postgraduate supervisors and admissions staffs about the online MOSE re-examination.

METHODS

Surveys were administrated 3 years after the implementation of online MOSE postgraduate admissions re-examination in China. Separate surveys were conducted with applicants, postgraduate supervisors, and admissions staff members to gather their opinions and suggestions regarding the online MOSE re-examination.

RESULTS

A total of 65 applicants, 43 postgraduate supervisors and seven admissions staff members completed the surveys. Over 80% of the applicants agreed that the online MOSE comprehensively evaluated their medical humanities, communication, medical knowledge, and overall competence. Furthermore, 89.30% of postgraduate supervisors believed that the students recruited through online MOSE were either "not significantly different," "better," or "much better" compared to those recruited through on-site re-examination. Admissions staff members also expressed a favorable view of online MOSE re-examination.

CONCLUSION

The online MOSE re-examination is an effective, convenient, and affirmative evaluation method for postgraduate admissions re-examination.

The past as present in health promotion: the case for a 'public health humanities'

Health promotion is conceived as a unifying concept for improving the health of populations. This means addressing the socio-cultural, economic and commercial causes of ill-health, which are necessarily informed by past policies and socio-cultural contexts. However, historical scholarship has rarely figured in health promotion practice or scholarship. This gap resides in the determinants of health, and notably in the analyses of tobacco control and skin cancer prevention, two long-running campaigns that have shaped modern health promotion in Australia. Both highlight a need for understanding the profound impact of history on the present and the value of learning from past successes and failures. Doing so requires integrating historical analyses into existing health promotion scholarship. To achieve this aim, we present a new 'public health humanities' methodology. This novel interdisciplinary framework is conceived as a spectrum in which historical studies integrate with existing health promotion disciplines to solve complex health problems. We draw on the many calls for more interdisciplinarity in health promotion and derive this methodology from proposals in the medical humanities and cognate fields that have wrestled with combining history and present-focused disciplines. Using tobacco control and skin cancer prevention as case studies, we demonstrate how public health humanities uses interdisciplinary teams and shared research questions to generate valuable new knowledge unavailable with traditional methods. Furthermore, we show how it creates evaluation criteria to consider the powerful impact of issues like colonialism on current inequities that hinder health promotion strategies, and from which lessons may be derived for the future.

Developing Disability-Focused Pre-Health and Health Professions Curricula

People with disabilities (PWD) comprise a significant part of the population yet experience some of the most profound health disparities. Among the greatest barriers to quality care are inadequate health professions education related to caring for PWD. Drawing upon the expertise of health professions educators in medicine, public health, nursing, social work, and physician assistant programs, this forum showcases innovative methods for teaching core disability skills and concepts grounded in disability studies and the health humanities. Each of the essays offers practical guidance for developing curricular interventions appropriate for students at various levels of training and familiarity with disability to be implemented in classroom discussions, case-based learning, lectures, panels, and clinical simulations across the full spectrum of pre-health and health professions education.

Link prediction and feature relevance in knowledge networks: A machine learning approach

We propose a supervised machine learning approach to predict partnership formation between universities. We focus on successful joint R&D projects funded by the Horizon 2020 programme in three research domains: Social Sciences and Humanities, Physical and Engineering Sciences, and Life Sciences. We perform two related analyses: link formation prediction, and feature importance detection. In predicting link formation, we consider two settings: one including all features, both exogenous (pertaining to the node) and endogenous (pertaining to the network); and one including only exogenous features (thus removing the network attributes of the nodes). Using out-of-sample cross-validated accuracy, we obtain 91% prediction accuracy when both types of attributes are used, and around 67% when using only the exogenous ones. This proves that partnership predictive power is on average 24% larger for universities already incumbent in the programme than for newcomers (for which network attributes are clearly unknown). As for feature importance, by computing super-learner average partial effects and elasticities, we find that the endogenous attributes are the most relevant in affecting the probability to generate a link, and observe a largely negative elasticity of the link probability to feature changes, fairly uniform across attributes and domains.

Anthropocene, human sciences and historiography

The article initially presents an increasingly significant move of discussions about the Anthropocene towards humanities and social sciences. Then, taking as a starting point the proposal that these fields could contribute to the understanding of the "consequential meta-level" of studies on the Anthropocene, it discusses how some works produced in humanities and social sciences have dealt with the relationship between causes, effects and consequences regarding the new planetary regime, with a special focus on the debate about the "technosphere." It concludes by indicating the potential of the "ontological turn" to expand the explanatory and communicative horizons of historiography.

Survival following complete resection of neuroblastoma in novel orthotopic rat xenograft model

Neuroblastoma accounts for 15% of pediatric cancer deaths, despite multimodal therapy including surgical resection. Current neuroblastoma rodent models are insufficient for studying the impact of surgery and combination treatments, largely due to the small size of mouse models. Human neuroblastoma SK-N-BE(2) cells were injected into the left adrenal gland of 5-6-week-old RNU homozygous nude rats. Rats were either monitored by MRI until humane endpoint was reached or after 5 weeks underwent operative tumor resection, followed by monitoring for recurrence and survival. Following neuroblastoma cell implantation, the majority of tumors grew to greater than 5000 mm3 within 5.5-6.5 weeks, meeting the humane endpoint. Surgical resection was successfully done in 8 out of 9 rats, extending survival following tumor implantation from a median of 42 days to 78 days (p < 0.005). Pathology was consistent with human neuroblastoma, showing small round blue cell tumors with Homer-Wright rosettes, high mitoses and karyorrhectic index, and strong PHOX2B staining. Thus, we have established a novel orthotopic xenograft rat model of neuroblastoma and demonstrated increased survival of rats after surgical tumor resection. This model can be used for the development of surgical techniques, such as the use of intraoperative molecular imaging or assessment of combination therapies that include surgery.

Scenario- and discussion-based approach for teaching preclinical medical students the socio-philosophical aspects of psychiatry

BACKGROUND

This study used a scenario- and discussion-based approach to teach preclinical medical students the socio-philosophical aspects of psychiatry and qualitatively evaluated the learning outcomes in a medical humanities course in Taiwan.

METHODS

The seminar session focused on three hypothetical psychiatry cases. Students discussed the cases in groups and were guided by facilitators from multiple disciplines and professions. At the end of the semester, students submitted a narrative report comprising their reflections on the cases and discussions. The authors utilized content analysis to categorize students' narratives into three facets, namely, the philosophical, social and individual.

RESULTS

In total 163 preclinical medical students participated in the class; 150 of them mentioned the scenario-based lesson in their reports; 33.3% of these reports discussed the case at the philosophical dimension (n = 50), 45.3% at the social dimension (n = 68), and 26.6% at the individual dimension (n = 40). Four major themes emerged: (1) a psychiatric diagnosis has far-reaching consequences for an individual's life, (2) the social structure affects how patients experience psychiatric disorders, (3) students related personal experience or those of friends and family to understand psychiatric disorders, and (4) medical humanities are of particular importance in psychiatric education.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that the scenario-based discussions led by a multidisciplinary team of facilitators can benefit medical students with limited clinical experience to contemplate the socio-philosophical aspects of psychiatry. The authors suggest that this pedagogical model during preclinical education should be encouraged.

One hundred years of neurosciences in the arts and humanities, a bibliometric review

BACKGROUND

Neuroscientific approaches have historically triggered changes in the conception of creativity and artistic experience, which can be revealed by noting the intersection of these fields of study in terms of variables such as global trends, methodologies, objects of study, or application of new technologies; however, these neuroscientific approaches are still often considered as disciplines detached from the arts and humanities. In this light, the question arises as to what evidence the history of neurotechnologies provides at the intersection of creativity and aesthetic experience.

METHODS

We conducted a century-long bibliometric analysis of key parameters in multidisciplinary studies published in the Scopus database. Screening techniques based on the PRISMA method and advanced data analysis techniques were applied to 3612 documents metadata from the years 1922 to 2022. We made graphical representations of the results applying algorithmic and clusterization processes to keywords and authors relationships.

RESULTS

From the analyses, we found a) a shift from a personality-focus quantitative analysis to a field-focus qualitative approach, considering topics such as art, perception, aesthetics and beauty; b) The locus of interest in fMRI-supported neuroanatomy has been shifting toward EEG technologies and models based on machine learning and deep learning in recent years; c) four main clusters were identified in the study approaches: humanistic, creative, neuroaesthetic and medical; d) the neuroaesthetics cluster is the most central and relevant, mediating between creativity and neuroscience; e) neuroaesthetics and neuroethics are two of the neologism that better characterizes the challenges that this convergence of studies will have in the next years.

CONCLUSIONS

Through a longitudinal analysis, we evidenced the great influence that neuroscience is having on the thematic direction of the arts and humanities. The perspective presented shows how this field is being consolidated and helps to define it as a new opportunity of great potential for future researchers.

Perceptions, attitudes, awareness and perspectives towards sustainability practices and climate change among nurses: a systematic review protocol

INTRODUCTION

Climate change has been described as the most significant threat to humanity and human health to have emerged this century. It is widely accepted that contemporary human activities are the major causes of climate change. It is also acknowledged that damaging human activities could be amenable to change through proactive environmental behaviours. Healthcare professionals have the potential to promote climate advocacy and mitigation through collective effort and individual actions. However, research suggests that nurses may not be aware of their potential to effect positive action. This review will synthesise evidence regarding nurses' perceptions, attitudes, awareness and perspectives towards sustainable nursing practices and climate change.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for mixed-methods systematic reviews will be applied to this proposed systematic review. It will be reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. CINAHL, PsycINFO, SCOPUS and PubMed databases will be searched. Data appraisal will be completed using the JBI and Mixed Methods Assessment Tool critical appraisal tool. Data synthesis and integration will follow the JBI convergent integrated approach.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

In compliance with university ethics requirements for secondary research and postgraduate researchers, ethical approval will be sought from the Coventry University Ethics Committee, UK. Dissemination of findings will be achieved through peer-review publications, conference presentations and seminars with local, national and international audiences.

Community organization perspectives on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and how they increased COVID-19 vaccine confidence: a Canadian Immunization Research Network, social sciences and humanities network study

Background

COVID-19 vaccines play a critical role in reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and despite vaccine availability, disparities in COVID-19 vaccine uptake among Canadian subgroups exist. Community organizations are uniquely situated to relay important vaccine messaging around all vaccines, understand components of vaccine hesitancy, and facilitate vaccine uptake within the communities they serve. The objective of this research was to solicit community organizations perspectives specific to COVID-19 vaccines and explore strategies of increasing vaccine uptake within their communities.

Methods

A qualitative focus group study was held in the spring of 2021 with 40 community organizations from across the country. Discussions focused on COVID-19 vaccine communication and awareness within their communities, vaccine misinformation, and strategies to increase vaccine acceptance and access. Data were analyzed utilizing thematic and inductive techniques.

Results

Vaccine hesitancy was identified among staff and clients. Vaccine confidence, complacency, convenience, and mistrust in government and authorities were identified as contributors to vaccine hesitancy. Community organizations utilized innovative and novel methods to encourage vaccine uptake and increase vaccine confidence. Leveraging established trusting relationships was key to successful messaging within communities.

Conclusion

Community organizations used innovative methods, built on established trust, to increase vaccine confidence within their communities and among their staff. Community agencies played an important role in COVID-19 vaccine uptake within subgroups of the Canadian population. Community organizations are key public health partners and play a critical role in increasing COVID-19 vaccine confidence.

Moving beyond a figurative psychedelic literacy: Metaphors of psychiatric symptoms in ayahuasca narratives

Metaphors, analogies, and similes commonly appear in narratives of drinking the potent psychedelic "ayahuasca", presenting an intriguing transcultural pattern. Based upon survey and field research at an ayahuasca healing center in Pucallpa, Peru, the article investigates conceptual metaphors in narratives of ayahuasca experiences made by the visiting international guests. Bodily metaphors and visionary analogies frequently appear in narrative plots where they can express the reappraisal, overcoming, and sometimes emboldening of symptoms diagnosed by psychiatry. Moving beyond the literal-figurative divide, the article explores the intrinsic "metaphoricity" of psychedelic experiences and advocates for a literacy of conceptual metaphors regarding both clinical and non-clinical psychedelic narratives. Developing this literacy can broaden approaches in psychedelic psychiatry that analyze and treat syndromes and disorders, while also being applicable to social science and humanities research that examine psychoactive drug use beyond medical frameworks.