Donor and Donation Images (DDI)-A Scoping Review of What We Know and What We Don't

Organ transplantation is associated with significant physical and psychological burden for the recipients. Qualitative reports indicate that organ recipients develop donor and donation images (DDI)-conceptions of the donor and/or the organ. A deeper understanding of DDI is needed in the care of transplant recipients. To present the current state of knowledge, we searched for and identified DDI-related publications in PubMed and Scopus. Inclusion criteria were (1) studies addressing transplant recipients, and (2) English or German language. Twenty-one studies of individuals with transplanted hearts, lungs, or kidneys were included in this scoping review. Prevalence for DDI ranged from 6% to 52.3%. DDI occurs both before and after transplantation and includes ideas about the donor as well as whether and how the recipient's personality may be altered by the transplanted organ. Some transplant recipients did indeed report personality changes following transplantation due to the adoption of assumed donor characteristics. One study showed a positive association between the presence of DDI and anxiety scores and one described a coping effect. DDI is understudied and should be systematically assessed to improve care for the vulnerable group of individuals undergoing organ transplantation. Current research gaps and future directions are discussed.

Fear of Missing Out, Emotional Intelligence and Attachment in Older Adults in Argentina

In recent years, the rise of social networks has changed relationships and lifestyles around the world. This has led to the emergence of the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO), which consists of the need to constantly check social media and the anguish that comes from feeling a lack of rewarding experiences. The impact derived from the use of technologies in a digital environment has been widely studied in young people but not so much in older adults. The main aim of this study was to analyze FoMO levels in older adults and their relationships with sociodemographic and formative factors. Another aim of this study was to analyze whether the dimensions of emotional intelligence, the different forms of attachment and psychological symptomatology affect the FoMO levels of older adults. A total of 690 older adults from Argentina aged between 60 and 90 years (M = 69.01; SD = 5.48) participated, 54.5% of whom were women, responding using a geolocated online questionnaire. The main results confirmed that older people show FoMO levels similar to other general samples. In addition, results show several predictor variables with respect to FoMO: emotional attention, insecure attachment, depression and difficulties in interpersonal relationships. The implications of the results observed in older adults are discussed.

Italian Children's Accounts of the Lockdown: Insights and Perspectives

COVID-19 lockdown-imposed restrictions emerged as a risk to children's well-being. However, the extant literature often ignored children's experiences, emotions, struggles, hopes, and expectations. Based on a large sample of Italian students (N = 906; mean age = 9.4 years, 48.8% female), we drew data from a post-lockdown school re-entry program where students completed narrative activities in 2020. These narratives underwent quantitative content analysis according to gender and school level. Overall, children reported mixed feelings about the lockdown; they felt safe at home but also experienced fear and missed their friends, school, and freedom. Screen-time, technology and friendships helped, but children struggled to make sense of the events. Our findings show how children attempted to make sense of the lockdown experience and may provide key information for the development of community coping programs to help children facing crises in the future.

Factors associated with posttraumatic growth: gratitude, PTSD and distress; one year into the COVID-19 pandemic in Lebanon

Almost one year since the COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, mental distress remains elevated with high prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Yet studies suggest these challenging circumstances might be conducive of post-traumatic growth (PTG). This study aims to investigate the factors associated with growth after the original trauma. A sample of 252 Lebanese adults filled an online survey to determine levels of PTG, PTSD and gratitude using validated self-rating scales. Participants also subjectively evaluated the sources of their distress such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Beirut port explosion and/or their deteriorating financials. The PTGi-SF evaluated dimensions of growth while the IES-R_22 measured the degree of distress post-trauma. The GQ-6 was used to measure the proneness to experience gratitude daily. Results indicated 41% of participants scored above the cutoff for PTSD symptomatology. Yet, PTSD was positively correlated, alongside gratitude and accumulated subjective distress, with higher levels of PTG. A forward linear regression taking PTG scores as the dependent variable further showed that more gratitude (Beta = 0.57), a higher impact of events (Beta = 0.16), and knowing anyone who died from COVID-19 (Beta = 3.93) were significantly associated with more growth. The study highlights elevated levels of PTSD symptoms in a context of a global pandemic worsened by financial and socio-political instabilities. It mostly identifies personal factors, including high initial symptomatology post-trauma and gratitude, related to the capacity for growth in spite of these accumulating hardships. As such, it advocates the need to investigate and bolster silver linings amidst unprecedented traumas.

Perception and use of social media by Indonesian adolescents and parents: A qualitative study

Social media are popular among adolescents worldwide, including the global South. The way adolescents use social media is influenced by their own perception of social media but also by how their parents use and perceive social media. This study aims to understand how Indonesian young adolescents (12-15 years old) and parents of adolescents use and perceive social media. For this purpose, we conducted eight focus group discussions and eight semi-structured interviews with 30 Indonesian adolescents and 15 Indonesian parents. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data reveals that both adolescents and parents use social media for social, practical, and pleasure activities. Most adolescents mention that they consider themselves skilled in using social media, while parents consider themselves less skilled. Both adolescents and parents mention that social media offer benefits for adolescents, including emotional, social, and practical benefits. However, adolescents and parents also mention the risks of social media use for adolescents, including social, emotional, and informational risks, as well as the displacement of more meaningful activities. As such, both adolescents and parents do not perceive social media as inherently good or bad but rather as a novel medium that offers benefits for adolescents but also involves several risks to be considered by parents and other relevant stakeholders. This study adds to our understanding of social media use in the global South and offers a theoretical basis for future studies on the impact of adolescents' social media usage on wellbeing in an Indonesian context. However, future research is necessary to depict possible differences in social media use between Indonesia and other countries in the global South.

The impact of COVID-19 home confinement on axial length in myopic children undergoing orthokeratology

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Understanding the impact of home confinement on axial length in myopic children undergoing orthokeratology (OK) treatment facilitates the management of myopia control during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown.

BACKGROUND

The outbreak of COVID-19 and the corresponding home confinement measures have brought a considerable challenge to myopia control. The study aimed to investigate the influence of home quarantine on axial length in myopic children with OK treatment.

METHODS

Axial length measurements during and before COVID-19 home confinement were retrospectively collected from the myopic children treated with OK, and the children were prospectively followed up after finishing the quarantine. The monthly axial length growth before, during and after confinement was calculated and compared in the full dataset and subgroups stratified by age. Influencing factors for monthly axial length growth during confinement were analysed.

RESULTS

Ninety-two myopic children with OK treatment were enrolled in this study. In the full dataset, covariates adjusted (gender, time interval, baseline axial length and age) monthly axial length growth during confinement was not significantly different from that before (P = 0.213) or after the home confinement (P = 1.000). Multiple linear regression showed that the monthly axial length growth during confinement was negatively correlated with age (P = 0.002). Subgroup analysis based on age demonstrated that the adjusted monthly axial length growth was not significantly different among three periods (P > 0.05) for younger children. For children older than 12-year-old, the adjusted monthly axial length growth during home confinement was significantly slower than before the confinement (P = 0.011), but not the monthly axial length growth after the confinement (P = 1.000).

CONCLUSIONS

COVID-19 home confinement does not increase the myopic axial length elongation in children with OK treatment.

Hyper-Sensitivity to the Perpetrator and the Likelihood of Returning to Abusive Relationships

STUDY QUESTIONS

Although most women who are subjected to intimate partner violence attempt to leave their abusive partners, many return, and resultantly are at risk for even greater violence. Research to date has documented relations between several factors (income and economic dependence, frequency of intimate partner violence (IPV), fear of violence escalations, history of childhood abuse, and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms) and women's returning to their abusive partners. Nevertheless, the contribution of women's emotional bonds with their violent partners, known as identification with the aggressor (IWA), in explaining their perceived likelihood of going back to the relationship, has remained unclear.

SUBJECTS

The current study, conducted among 258 Israeli women who had left their violent partners, aimed to fill this void.

METHODS

An online survey was conducted. Demographic variables, history of childhood abuse, frequency of IPV, economic dependence on former partner, fear of future violence escalation, post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, IWA, and perceived likelihood of returning to the relationship, were assessed via self-report questionnaire.

FINDINGS

Results indicated that two aspects of IWA-becoming hyper-sensitive to the perpetrator and adopting the perpetrator's experience-were related to women's perceived likelihood of returning to the relationship. Furthermore, a logistic regression analysis indicated that only two factors-income and becoming hyper-sensitive to the perpetrator-uniquely contributed to explaining the likelihood of returning to abusive partners. Major implications: The current findings suggest that women's tendency to be highly attuned to their partners' feelings and needs, as a part of IWA, may impede their ability to permanently leave abusive relationships.

Occurrence of Terrifying Nightmares after Few Days of Mirtazapine Use in Elderly Patients

Introduction. Sleep disturbance and insomnia are some of the most frequent complaints in patients suffering from depression. Some common antidepressant with excitatory effects may worsen sleep qualities, whereas others (like mirtazapine), thanks to their antihistaminergic action, are associated with sedative properties and can quickly improve sleep quality. In the case of mirtazapine, even if its mechanisms of action on sleep remain controversial, beneficial changes in sleep pattern may be observable since the first dose and are associated with a faster onset of the antidepressive action. Case Presentation. Despite these documented beneficial effects, we reported five cases of elderly patients (age ranging from 69 to 79) with various diagnoses and comorbidities (severe or recurrent depression, general anxiety disorder, borderline personality disorder, and Parkinson's disease) assessed during clinical daily routine for whom the use of mirtazapine was linked to the onset of nightmares so impressive and dramatic that made it necessary to interrupt the treatment. Discussion. This peculiar side effect is still scarcely documented, and the literature on this topic remains conflicting; however, considering that the cases were collected in a short range of time, the exacerbation of nightmares caused by mirtazapine may be more frequent than previously believed. Furthermore, some common features shared by all the cases reported have been highlighted such as the onset of the nightmares being chronologically associated with the initiation of the therapy with mirtazapine, the disappearance with the interruption, the similar age range of all, and the occurrence of the episodes described during fall season.

When the Supervisor Needs a Supervisor: A Case-based Guide for Developing Psychotherapy Supervisors

Supervision of psychotherapy is recognized as fundamental for attaining competency in psychotherapy. However, there is a lack of training in "best practices" of supervisory skills, and some supervisors may lack contemporary knowledge to support supervisees adequately. Training program leadership challenged by limited time and resources to provide supervisors with the necessary education and support can benefit from additional resources for developing psychotherapy supervisors. The authors present 3 core elements of navigating supervisory challenges: training, open dialogue in supervision, and a formal program-level process. Common issues in psychotherapy supervision are then presented in a case-based format. Reflection questions are included to provide an opportunity to consider a personal approach to the case, while specific guidance based on the literature addresses critical aspects of the case examples. Complex supervisory conflicts can challenge programs, but they are normative to the learning process and promote growth in our supervisors.

Beyond Obstacles: Toward Justice for Victims of Sexual Violence in Hungary. A Literature Review

Alarmed by research that reveals Hungary as having one of the lowest reporting rates in cases of sexual violence in Europe, this article provides an overview of the research that explains why, historically, sexual violence has been and continues to be underreported all over the globe, from law enforcement and criminal justice perspective. Furthermore, we describe the unique circumstances that might influence Hungarian victims of sexual violence to make formal reports. Among other possible factors, we discuss rape myth acceptance, victim blaming, feminist activism, institutional betrayal, and media representations of rape. In an effort to provide insight into Hungarian gender politics, this article raises salient theoretical works on gender ideology and gender policy in contemporary Hungary. This article concludes with a discussion on what implications such research in Hungary may have on a global understanding of sexual violence reporting.

Child abuse and eating disorder symptoms: Shedding light on the contribution of identification with the aggressor

BACKGROUND

Childhood abuse has been increasingly recognized as a risk factor for eating disorder symptoms. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that childhood abuse may lead to identification with the aggressor, an automatic defensive process, to survive the abuse. Although it has been clinically implied, the role of identification with the aggressor as a potential mechanism underlying the relation between childhood abuse and eating disorder symptoms has not yet been empirically explored.

OBJECTIVE

This study examines the role of identification with the aggressor as mediator in the association between history of childhood abuse and eating disorder symptoms among adults.

PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS

A convenience sample of 198 participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing history of childhood abuse, eating disorder symptoms, and the various facets of identification with the aggressor.

RESULTS

Severity of childhood abuse was significantly associated with shape and weight overevaluation, body dissatisfaction, and binge eating, as well as with all components of identification with the aggressor. In addition, almost all components of identification with the aggressor were significantly associated with eating disorder symptoms. Finally, identifying with the perpetrator's aggression mediated the association between childhood abuse and eating disorder symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings may contribute to future clinical interventions by illuminating identification with the aggressor as an important aspect in treating eating disorders. Understanding the pervasive effects of identification with the aggressor on survivors' self and their interactions with others may point to the significance of the therapeutic relationship, through which survivors can reprocess and weaken its detrimental effects.

Afterword to "When the Supervisor Needs a Supervisor: A Case-based Guide for Developing Psychotherapy Supervisors"

Supervision of psychotherapy is recognized as fundamental for attaining competency in psychotherapy. However, there is a lack of training in "best practices" of supervisory skills, and some supervisors may lack contemporary knowledge to support supervisees adequately. Training program leadership challenged by limited time and resources to provide supervisors with the necessary education and support can benefit from additional resources for developing psychotherapy supervisors. The authors present 3 core elements of navigating supervisory challenges: training, open dialogue in supervision, and a formal program-level process. Common issues in psychotherapy supervision are then presented in a case-based format. Reflection questions are included to provide an opportunity to consider a personal approach to the case, while specific guidance based on the literature addresses critical aspects of the case examples. Complex supervisory conflicts can challenge programs, but they are normative to the learning process and promote growth in our supervisors.

Stephen Mitchell in Italia, 1988-1996

Che cosa vuol dire recepire e promuovere in Italia l’importante opera di uno psicoanalista straniero? L’autore se ne occupa per quanto riguarda S.A. Mitchell (1946-2000), della cui opera fu il primo cultore italiano negli anni 1988-1996, riuscendo a contribuire a promuoverne una recezione superiore a quella di qualsiasi altro paese europeo.

In our own words: key terms and trends in psychoanalytic history

Inspired by the work of Fonagy (2008) and Dent and Christian (2019), this study applies a form of quantitative textual analysis to 300 terms of psychoanalytic interest in the PEP archives by tracking their historical prevalence in five-year increments using the aggregate number of articles featuring each term in the field's journals. Our results confirm some of the more well-known inflection points in the history and application of psychoanalytic theory, while also revealing some intriguing surprises. Psychoanalysis remains fundamentally a depth psychology, yet it has increasingly acknowledged the external causes of distress and trauma. Changes in the prevalence of terminology around psychopathology, defense mechanisms, development, gender and sexuality, and psychoanalytic technique are discussed.

What Is Expressed in "Free-Association"? Theoretical Notes on the Erotic Poetics of freier Einfalle

Despite the historical importance of free-association to psychoanalysis, there are theoretical tensions within the discipline as to how we think about what is expressed in free association and why it might be important to listen and become aware of ourselves free associatively. This method has usually been conceived of as a mode of speaking with the purpose of listening in order to hear and to arrive at the formulations of interpretation and insight. Rather than solely having this epistemological purpose, it can also be considered as an ontological freeing of subtle energies leading to greater aliveness. Pivotal to this way of approaching psychoanalytic processes are the "helpful notions" of psychic energy and of repression, with the latter being understood not as an eviction of representational forms from the domain of consciousness, but rather as the deformation of representations into traces of psychic energy that remain actively disruptive within us. The author suggests that, through free-associative processes, the patient and the psychoanalyst can become aware of movements of psychic energy that cannot be formulated in the representationality of self-consciousness. This unorthodox reading of Freud's discoveries leads to an interesting "ontoethical" appreciation of psychoanalytic processes as somatically grounded and erotically poetic.

Gendering of care and care inequalities in couple therapy

Reciprocal partner or spousal caregiving in romantic relationships has been identified as a key determinant of the quality of couple relationships. In this article, we interrogate this premise concerning the presumed reciprocity of caregiving in romantic relationships, focusing on cisgender heterosexual relationships and offering implications for relationships of all genders and sexualities. Looking beyond the conventional focus on individual or dyadic processes, we theorize imbalances in care as gendered. Feminists have repeatedly critiqued gender ideology that devalues caring labor and allocates it to women. Gendered power dynamics can lead to imbalances in care-seeking and care provision. We discuss how the gendering of care and care inequalities can manifest in couple therapy, illustrating with examples from recorded interactions. Implications for therapy practice are discussed.

Remembering Gorbachev

Since the middle of last century the so-called "rational actor" models in international and domestic affairs (von Rochau, 1853) supported the assumption that a political leader's decision-making is logical and unaffected by psychological factors. In 1993 eight psychoanalytically oriented psychiatrists formed a team to study political leaders' personality characteristics and the psychodynamics of their decision-making processes. They met twice a year for five years and studied political leaders with obsessional, paranoid, schizoid, narcissistic and depressive personality organizations (Volkan, Akhtar, Dorn, Kafka, Kernberg, Olsson, Rogers, & Shanfield, 1998). Today academicians dealing with political issues are more aware that the personality of a political leader plays a crucial role in his or her attempts to maintain a stable relationship with his or her "followers" as well as in dealing with domestic and international issues. On February 2022, Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine. Vladimir Putin's psychological issues in starting this invasion already have been examined through psychoanalytic angles (Ihanus, 2022; Volkan & Javakhishvili, 2022). On August 30, 2022, Mikhail Gorbachev died. A political leader with Gorbachev's personality would not start a new war, a new horrifying event with brutality against civilians, children and innocent.

Self-harm

This paper attempts to address self-harm from a psychoanalytic perspective in contemporary clinical practice and their relationship with aggression, impulsiveness, violence, and masochism. Self-harm is frequent in adolescents and young people, predominantly in feminine gender. The author describes the different manifestations of self-injurious behaviors in the contemporary clinic, its manifestation in adolescents and its relationship with psychopathology. Self-harm is a way of communication, through actions, to deal with psychic pain and with the self-vulnerability. Self-harm behaviors are a manifestation of psychic tension that results overwhelming, intolerable and its discharge relieves the subject suffering, although this way is ephemeral. Suffering is linked to childhood traumatic experiences, where the self of the infant was cathected with a greater amount of aggression than erotic libido. The author states that affective aggression is triggered by emotions like anger, sadness, and emptiness. Archaic masochism is a form of identification with the aggressor and a turn against oneself aggression commonly associated with episodes of child abuse. Also, it argues that the violence linked to self-injury is intersubjective fabric in nature and requires an interdisciplinary approach.

God and me, God is me: dialogue with religion as a mechanism for coping with emotional stress

In this article I seek to clarify the different ways in which religious ultra-Orthodox Jewish patients, accustomed to the continuous presence of God in their daily lives, relate to God in times of crisis and within the therapeutic framework. While the accepted, ongoing dialogue with God is characterized by prayer and a highly respectful relationship towards a divine, spiritual authority, in times of distress we find that patients may "use" God in other ways as well. These "uses of God" may be categorized into four main groups: a relationship to God as a projection of the patient's relationship to his/her parents; the idealization and glorification of God, from a place of distance, authority and supremacy; a relationship to God of "closeness" and mutuality; and a relationship of "objectification"-the idea that God exists for me as an object, to serve or help me in my daily life. Each category is illustrated by a case study, with a focus on the therapeutic work and in particular the issue of transference.

A metapsychological framework for sadomasochism

The authors present a summary of sadomasochism, its centrality in all pathology and the difficulties encountered by all analysts in working with sadomasochism. An integrative model is presented with determinants and manifestations from all phases of development, including the transmission of pathology between generations. Addiction to pain and the formation of hostile omnipotent beliefs are described as components of sadomasochism that explain how resistant sadomasochism is to change and growth. The emergent idea of two systems of self-regulation is presented and its utility for technique is described. Specific focus on developmental aspects offers therapists developmental markers they can use in clinical work.

Raised in the world of psychoanalysis: an interview with Judith Dupont

This interview with Dr. Judith Dupont contains her reminiscences and thoughts about two topics of importance for the historiography of psychoanalysis. First, Dr. Dupont recalls her growing up among and meeting with pioneers, such as Vilma Kovács, Alice and Michael Balint, Melanie Klein, Imre Hermann and others. Second, Dr. Dupont reconstructs the chronicle of Ferenczi's manuscripts: how they were entrusted to Michael Balint by Ferenczi's widow, the complex reasons Balint could not publish them for more than 30 years, and finally, how Dr. Dupont succeeded in bringing the Clinical Diary to the public, and thus enriched contemporary psychoanalysis with the presence of Ferenczi after more than 50 years of silence and censorship.

Water From the Lake of Memory: The Regulatory Model of Nostalgia

We organize the literature on triggers and functions of nostalgia by advancing a regulatory model in which the emotion serves as a homeostatic corrective (i.e., a process that establishes and maintains a relatively stable psychological equilibrium) that countervails the negative effects of psychological perturbations and adverse environmental conditions. We illustrate complementary approaches to testing this model as it applies to transient, or state-level, nostalgia and show how the model can be generalized to different levels of analysis, including chronic, or trait-level, nostalgia and collective nostalgia. We then formulate a proposal for future research inspired by recent developments in causal mediation analysis and conclude with a discussion of the model’s potential boundary conditions.

Preliminary validation of a brief PROM assessing psychological distress in patients with malignant mesothelioma: The mesothelioma psychological distress tool-Patients

Objective

Psychological suffering in malignant mesothelioma (MM) differs from that in other cancers because of its occupational etiology, and we aimed to develop specific patient-reported outcome measures to assess it.

Methods

We used a multi-method prospective observational multicentric study (N = 149), and a preliminary questionnaire validation was performed through a Bayesian approach.

Results

Item analysis showed a good internal consistency and reliability (Cronbach alpha = 0.79 [95% CI = 0.74-0.93]. Twenty of the 41 initial items were selected as posterior 95% highest density interval factor loading standardized effect size fell outside of the region of practical equivalence. Bayesian exploratory factor analysis showed a two-factor structure: (1) Trauma-related reactions (TR, 13 items) and (2) Claim for justice (CJ, 7 items), confirmed by the Bayesian confirmatory factor analysis. Latent factors were poorly correlated (Posterior median: 0.13; 95% CI = -0.079 to 0.323). The 90% root mean square error of approximation posterior median was 0.04 [90% CI = 0.03-0.58]; the 90% chi-square posterior median was 242 [90% CI = 209-287].

Conclusion

Psychological suffering in MM patients implies negative cognitive, emotional, and somatic reactions related to the traumatic impact of the disease and the need to obtain justice through economic compensation. Our findings provide preliminary evidence that the Mesothelioma Psychological Distress Tool-Patients could be a promising and reliable instrument to assess MM patients' psychological distress.

Meaning in life, life role importance, life strain, and life satisfaction

This study aimed at examining assumptions from Frankl’s (1946/1998) logotherapy and existential analysis. Using an online questionnaire with N = 891 U.K. residents, meaning in life was associated with higher life satisfaction, even when controlling for positive and negative affect. Furthermore, meaning in life intensified the positive effects of family role importance and work role importance on life satisfaction. Lastly, meaning in life neutralised the combined effect of high family strain and high family role importance on lower life satisfaction, but lack of meaning in life aggravated the combined effect of high work strain and high work role importance on lower life satisfaction. This study provides evidence of meaning in life as a source, a contributing factor, and a protective factor of life satisfaction. Helping people to find meaning through fulfilling creative, experiential, and attitudinal values (Frankl, 1950/1996), in personal and/or professional life, is likely to improve life satisfaction.

Traumatic chain: Korean-American immigrants' transgenerational language and racial trauma in Native Speaker

The premise of this study is to look at the intergenerational transferal of language and racial trauma of Asian immigrants in general and Korean-American immigrants in particular to a western country, the United States of America. This study investigates trauma from a psychological standpoint, based on Chang-Rae Lee's novel Native Speaker. In describing a marker of citizenship, the novel's title also points to who is the native language speaker and who is a native of a country, and why one who is not may be excluded. The Korean immigrants' vulnerability to the English language and racial differences highlights their status as minority "others," and they suffer from transgenerational trauma. As a result of transgenerational traumatic effects, Henry (the protagonist) has various traumatic side effects such as dysphasia, aphasia, and parasomnia and finally leaves no stone unturned to recuperate from trauma. The Trauma of the Unspeakable theory by Michelle Balaev is used in this article to show how trauma affects people's minds.

Family Relationships in Selective Mutism—A Comparison Group Study of Children and Adolescents

Selective mutism (SM) mostly develops early in childhood and this has led to interest into whether there could be differences in relationships in families with SM compared to a control group without SM. Currently, there are merely few empirical studies examining family relationships in SM. A sample of 28 children and adolescents with SM was compared to 33 controls without SM. The groups were investigated using self-report questionnaires (Selective Mutism Questionnaire, Child-Parent Relationship Test—Child Version) for the assessment of SM and family relationships. Children with SM did not report a significantly different relationship to their mothers compared with the control group without SM. However, the scores in respect to the relationship to their fathers were significantly lower in cohesion, identification and autonomy compared with children without SM. Relationships in families with SM should be considered more in therapy.

Employees’ peak experience at work: Understanding the triggers and impacts

The importance of providing a positive employee experience (EX) has gotten a lot of attention in recent years. However, peak experience (PE), as a highly positive experience, has been studied and applied in the field of human resource management only to a very limited extent. We still know little about how employees’ peak experience (EPE) happens and what the impact will be. Therefore, based on the affective events theory and the two-factor theory, our research conducted an in-depth exploration of EPE through three studies. In Study 1, we constructed a theoretical model centered on EPE based on and interview data. In Study 2, we developed and validated a scale for measuring triggers of EPE, which is a four-dimensional scale (elevation, insight, pride, and connection) with 16 items. In Study 3, we adopted structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the relationship between EPE and its triggers as well as its impacts using data from 424 valid questionnaires. Our research shows that elevation, insight, pride, and connection can trigger EPE; employees are more likely to have proactive behavior (PB) and word-of-mouth referrals after they have PE; and the more job-relevant the triggers are, the stronger the association between PE and PB is. Our research provides a reliable and effective measurement tool for scholars to study EPE, broadens the findings of PE and EX, and points out feasible measures for organizations to create EPE.

Ultra-Orthodox Parents' Perceptions of Arts Therapies for Their Children

Studies have underscored the complexity of psychotherapy for Ultra-Orthodox Jews, and cross-cultural therapy in particular, which evokes fear of disruption of basic values. Parents' sense of responsibility for their child's religious education exacerbates these problems in child therapy. However, there is scant research on child therapy for the Ultra-Orthodox, especially in the field of arts therapies. The present study examined the perceptions of 17 Ultra-Orthodox parents whose children were receiving arts therapies (including art therapy, dance/movement therapy, music therapy, psychodrama and bibliotherapy). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the parents and analyzed based on the principles of Consensual Qualitative Research. The study covered five domains: (1) The parents' experiences in therapy; (2) The parents' perceptions of the child's experiences in therapy; (3) Implications of environmental-social factors on the parents' perceptions and experiences of therapy; (4) Effects of intercultural aspects on therapy; (5) Perceptions of the use of the arts in therapy. The findings show that the experiences of ultra-Orthodox parents in the arts therapies of their children is complex due to the influence of the socio-cultural context, which involves dealing with stigma and tensions in their relationship with the education system. This context also shapes their perceptions of therapy, which can be characterized as purpose-oriented. The findings also highlight the parents' challenges in coping with the intercultural therapeutic relationship, and emphasizes the parents' preference for a therapist from a similar religious/cultural background and for cultural supervision of therapy. However, the results also suggest that there are benefits inherent to intercultural therapy in general and arts therapies in particular, including a sense of security, openness and acceptance of the parents and children.

Paediatric use of emergency medical services in India: A retrospective cohort study of one million children

Background

Millions of children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) experience illness or trauma amenable to emergency medical interventions, but local resources are not sufficient to treat them. Emergency medical services (EMS), including ambulance transport, bridge the gap between local services and higher-level hospital care, and data collected by EMS could be used to elucidate patterns of paediatric health care need and use. Here we conducted a retrospective observational study of patterns of paediatric use of EMS services by children who used EMS in India, a leader in maternal and child EMS development, to inform public health needs and system interventions to improve EMS effectiveness.

Methods

We analysed three years (2013-2015) of data from patients <18 years of age from a large prehospital EMS system in India, including 1 101 970 prehospital care records across 11 states and a union territory.

Results

Overall, 38.3% of calls were for girls (n = 422 370), 40.5% were for adolescents (n = 445 753), 65.9% were from rural areas (n = 726 154), and most families were from a socially disadvantaged caste or lower economic status (n = 834 973, 75.8%). The most common chief complaints were fever (n = 247 594, 22.5%), trauma (n = 231 533, 21.0%), and respiratory difficulty (n = 161 120, 14.6%). However, transport patterns, including patient sex and age and type of destination hospital, varied by state, as did data collection.

Conclusions

EMS in India widely transports children with symptoms of the leading causes of child mortality and provides access to higher levels of care for geographically and socioeconomically vulnerable populations, including care for critically ill neonates, mental health and burn care for girls, and trauma care for adolescents. EMS in India is an important mechanism for overcoming transport and cost as barriers to access, and for reducing the urban-rural gap found across causes of child mortality. Further standardisation of data collection will provide the foundation for assessing disparities and identifying targets for quality improvement of paediatric care.

Psychoanalytic Interventions with Abusive Parents: An Opportunity for Children's Mental Health

Research has extensively shown that most people who experience maltreatment in their childhood develop mental disorders, psychosocial adjustment problems, and, in many cases, become maltreating adults themselves. Preventing child maltreatment and treating abused children and abusive parents are, therefore, pressing public health issues. As established by the UK Children Act in 1989, child development is enhanced by remaining in the family whenever the child's safety is assured. Thus, developing prevention and intervention programs for the purpose of repairing, whenever possible, the child-parent relationship should be a social priority. This narrative review focuses on the psychoanalytic studies related to intrapsychic dynamics and therapeutic intervention for physically abusive parents. The role of the transgenerational transmission of abuse and parents' narcissistic fragility is crucial. Psychoanalytic interventions focus on helping the parent work through their past painful experiences and narcissistic vulnerability. Parent-child psychotherapy and mentalization-based treatment have been found to be prevalent, while there is scarce literature regarding intensive individual psychoanalytic treatment. Within the framework of attachment theory, brief interventions were developed; however, they did not prove effective for those parents who suffered experiences of maltreatment or severe neglect in childhood and for whom long-term parent-child psychotherapy resulted, which proved to be the most effective.

Myopia and Depression among Middle School Students in China-Is There a Mediating Role for Wearing Eyeglasses?

Compared with non-myopic students, myopic students face more barriers to learning (e.g., inability to see the blackboard clearly) and socializing (e.g., being victims of teasing, social exclusion and violence), which may lead to increased stress, anxiety and frustration. The high prevalence of myopia and depression among school-age children naturally raises a question of great policy relevance: are myopic students more vulnerable to mental health problems such as depression? This paper sheds some light on this question by analyzing data from the China Education Panel Survey, a large-scale survey of China's middle school students. Our analysis first quantifies the association between myopia and sample students' depression status (measured by the widely adopted CES-D scale) adjusted for potential confounding factors. We then explore whether the myopia-depression relationship is mediated by wearing eyeglasses, a cost-effective means of vision correction. Based on data on 19,299 middle school students, our analysis reveals that myopic students scored 0.12 standard deviations higher on the CES-D scale than their non-myopic counterparts. The adverse effect of myopia is more severe for relatively disadvantaged students: older students (who are more likely to suffer from both myopia and depression), lower-performing students and students from poorer families. Further medication analysis shows that wearing eyeglasses suppresses the myopia-depression relationship but cannot completely offset the adverse effect of myopia.