Midwives’ Approach to Genetic Diseases and Genetic Counseling in Denizli, Turkey

The purpose of this study was to evaluate Denizli midwives’ self-reported knowledge of genetic diseases and genetic counseling. Data was collected on forms that obtained information about midwives approaches to basic genetics, genetic disorders, and genetic counseling (response rate = 70.1%). The highest response rate of midwives describing themselves as “knowledgeable” about basic genetic information was for mitosis and meiosis with 4.8%, about genetic disorders was for phenylketonuria with 61.1%, and about genetic counseling was for recommending ultrasonography during pregnancy with 98.1%. The source for basic genetics information for 56.4% of participants was in their school level classes. None of the midwives felt that they had sufficient knowledge about genetic counseling or screening and 76.4% would like to attend an educational course. Even though the midwives have recognized their knowledge deficit they occasionally give genetic counseling. As a result of this study a genetics course is planned for midwives so they can actively participate in the prevention and early diagnosis of genetic diseases.     

The long arm of the state? Transnationalism,Islam, and nation-building: the case of Turkey and Morocco

From the moment the first Turkish and Moroccan workers migrated to Europe in the early 1960s, the Turkish and Moroccan states have been concerned with how to bind emigrated citizens to their country of origin. In this article, we focus on Islam as a multi-dimensional binding mechanism. Religion is a broad register that links emotion, affect, and senses of belonging and binds individuals to political and cultural projects of collective actors and states. As we will demonstrate, it is a field in which both states and migrants have developed a variety of activities and initiatives, but it is difficult to single out what pertains to the state and what not. We argue that although state involvement in these two cases differs markedly, there are some intriguing parallels when we concentrate on religion. In both cases, religious affiliation is a very complex source of binding and of fission. State-monitored transnational networks have been tools of binding, but the same networks have engendered processes of disengagement from the state.     

Turkish Migrants�� Organizations in Germany and Their Role in the Flow of Remittances to Turkey

Various studies, including ?stergaard-Nielsen (New York & London: Routledge, 2003), Pries and Sezgin (Wiesbaden: VS Verlag f??r Sozialwissenschaften, 2010), Thr?nhardt and Wei? (Freiburg: Lambertus, 2005), and Yurdakul (Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars, 2009) have examined the aims, activities, functions, and structures of migrant organizations in Germany. Among others, Daume et al. 2007, Kausch (Nr. 28: 21?C25 (http://www.service-eine-welt.de/images/text_material-1049.img). Accessed 23 October 2009, 2007), and Schmelz (Eschborn: GTZ, 2007) illustrated that some migrant organizations aim at supporting the development of their countries of origin. These organizations invest in infrastructure and agriculture, facilitate funding for development projects, provide post-disaster humanitarian aid, and offer social and financial assistance to their counterparts and to certain religious and/or political movements. A research gap, however, persists concerning the role of Turkish migrants?? organizations (TMOs) in the flow of remittances to Turkey. Particularly, it is not clear how organizational characteristics of TMOs influence their potential in attracting and transferring remittances. Combining approaches from organizational sociology and migration research, this paper intends to generate empirically founded knowledge about TMOs in Germany, while highlighting their need to legitimate themselves in multiple organizational fields. This paper illustrates that the potential of TMOs in attracting and transferring remittances depend on multiple factors such as the demographic characteristics of the Turkish migrants, Turkish and German governmental policies, and the organizational characteristics of TMOs. It also shows that the role of TMOs in the flow of remittances is limited as: (1) Turkish migrants?? social and economic resources are restricted, (2) TMOs?? competency in mobilizing migrants, fundraising, project development, and management has not been fully developed, and (3) Turkish and German governments do not actively cooperate with TMOs in transferring remittances.     

The Application of Western Comparative Religious and Linguistic Approaches to the Qur'¯n in Turkey

In this study, in order to describe fully the impact of Western scholarship, we first explore the Western-oriented study of religion in Turkey. Secondly, by making special reference to the treatment of the foreign vocabulary of the Qur'¯n by Turkish intellectuals, we investigate the extent of Western influence in the first half of the twentieth century. Thirdly, considering an institutional attempt to understand Western academia, we discuss Zeki Velidi Togan and the Institute of Islamic Studies (established in 1953). Fourthly, we examine the relationship between Western-oriented studies of religion and the classical study of Islam in Turkey, explaining the polemical nature of these studies in Turkish academic circles. The Turkish treatment of the Bible and the Turkish evaluation of the Western treatment of the Qur'¯n will provide case studies. The last part of the work discusses recent developments in Turkish scholarship dealing with the application of modern critical and linguistic methods to the Qur'¯n.     

Relative Contributions of Childcare, Spousal Support, and Organizational Support in Reducing Work–Family Conflict for Men and Women: The Case of Turkey

The overarching purpose of the study was to investigate the role of three types of social support (i.e., spousal, childcare, and organizational support) in relation to work–family conflict (WFC) in dual-earner families with children ages 0–6 years. The relationship of WFC to psychological well-being and well-being in the domain of family was explored. Finally, the relationship of spousal support to psychological well-being and marital satisfaction was examined. A total of 434 participants (237 mothers, 197 fathers) in dual-earner families in Turkey with at least one preschool child participated in the study. The relative impact of childcare, spousal support, and organizational support on WFC and outcome variables was tested simultaneously for both men and women through structural equation modeling. Spousal support was related to WFC for women, whereas both spousal and organizational support were related to WFC for men. WFC had a negative relationship with psychological well-being, marital satisfaction, and parental role performance for both men and women. Implications of the results in relation to changing gender roles in a cultural context that is characterized by high collectivism and low gender egalitarianism are discussed. The paper received a Caroline Dexter Best Paper Award Nomination, Academy of Management Annual Meeting, New Orleans, August 2004.     

Self-regulatory cognitions,social comparison,and perceived peers’ behaviors as predictors of nutrition and physical activity: a comparison among adolescents in Hungary,Poland, Turkey,and USA

This study investigated whether the effects of self-regulatory cognitions and social influence variables on healthy behaviors – nutrition and physical activity – vary across countries. Adolescents (N?=?2387) from Hungary, Poland, Turkey, and the USA participated in the study. Measures included self-efficacy, future orientation, social comparison orientation (SCO), perceived behaviors of peers, as well as age and gender. These variables were included in the path model as predictors of healthy behaviors. The role of a country as a moderator was also examined. Results showed that self-efficacy, SCO, and perceived behaviors of peers predicted both health-promoting behaviors in all four countries. Some differences were found regarding the role of future orientation and gender.     

Cancer Incidence Among Syrian Refugees in Turkey, 2012–2015

According to the Turkish government reports, 2,764,500 registered Syrian refugees are living in Turkey either in refugee camps or freely. In this work, we investigated the cancer incidence among Syrian refugees settled in Turkey between the years of 2012–2015. We carried out a retrospective study of 38,243 refugees with cancer by obtaining data from Ministry of Health, Institution of Public Hospitals in Turkey from 2012 to 2015. The data includes age, type of cancer, years, and region. A statistical analysis was performed on the data collected using the SPSS 20.0 software and the results were formulated. Data were analyzed also by age and years. The mean age of the Syrian refugees was 42.63?±?20.74. When we analyzed the data, the most common types were breast (28.21%), lymphoid leukemia (8.11%), colon (6.57%), Hodgkin’s lymphoma (4.87%), brain (3.51%), myeloid leukemia (3.23%), and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (2.80%) among all refugees respectively. Our data showed that cancer types among Syrian refugees are generally similar with the Turkish and world cancer records.     

Beyond a Paycheck: The Influence of Workforce Participation on Women’s Cancer Screening in Turkey

The present study investigates the influence of workforce participation on women’s cancer screening behaviors in Turkey. In cultures with predominantly Muslim populations like Turkey, emphasis is typically placed on a woman’s traditional role as a child bearer. Although the impact of workforce participation on women’s welfare has been studied in various contexts, the relationship between workforce participation and health protective behavior has received scant attention. Using quantitative data from a survey of women aged 40 and above from 33 urban cities in Turkey (N?=?483), we examine the influence of workforce participation on breast and cervical cancer screening behaviors. Homemakers were less likely than working/retired women to be up-to-date on screenings. Women with lower income and education screened less; however, workforce participation seemed to have a positive effect on screening among these women. Additionally, working/retired women and homemakers differed from each other in terms of their perceptions regarding their risk of developing cancer (perceived susceptibility). In addition, both perceived susceptibility and women's perceptions regarding their ability to get cancer screening (self-efficacy) were significant predictors of intention to engage in screening in future. In Turkey, homemakers are in a vulnerable position due to lower rates of cancer screening. Furthermore, targeting homemakers for interventions may be easier than trying to identify other low screening groups of women such as those with lower education or income. Interventions raising perceptions of susceptibility to cancer, possibly by targeting neighborhoods during working hours, could be useful in increasing screening rates at risk women.     

Disability and employment – overview and highlights

Due to the expected decline in the working-age population, especially in European countries, people with disabilities are now more often recognized as a valuable resource in the workforce and research into disability and employment is more important than ever. This paper outlines the state of affairs of research on disability and employment. We thereby focus on one particular group of people with disabilities, that is to say people with mental disabilities. We define disability according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) of the World Health Organization, by that recognizing that disability results from the interaction of person and environment. Key issues, including the complexity of defining disability, the legal situation in Europe and North America concerning disability at work, and barriers and enablers to employment, are discussed. For each of the topics we show important findings in the existing literature and indicate where more in-depth research is needed. We finalize with a concrete research agenda on disability and employment and provide recommendations for practice.     

Do changes in threat salience predict the moral content of sermons? The case of Friday Khutbas in Turkey

We analyzed the content of “Friday Khutbas” delivered in Turkish mosques between January 2001 and December 2018 to test the prediction of moral foundations theory (MFT) literature that threat salience would lead to an increased endorsement of binding moral foundations. As societal-level indicators of threat, we examined (a) historical data on the proportion of terrorism-related news published in a Turkish newspaper, (b) the geopolitical risk score of Turkey as measured by Geopolitical Risk Index, and (c) Google Trends data on the search frequency of words “terror”, “terrorism”, or “terrorist”. To measure the endorsement of moral foundations, we built a Turkish Moral Foundations Dictionary and counted the relative frequency of morality-related words in the khutbas delivered in Istanbul, Turkey. Time series analyses showed that risk salience in a certain month was positively related to endorsement of the loyalty/betrayal foundation in that month’s Friday Khutbas. There were mixed results for the other moral foundations.     

Coparenting in the Context of Mother–Father–Infant versus Mother–Grandmother–Infant Triangular Interactions in Turkey

In this report, coparenting behaviors during triangular interactions among families raising a 3-month-old infant in Turkey are examined. Given the significant role played by extended family members in Turkish culture, coparenting dynamics were examined as mothers and babies played together with grandmothers, as well as together with fathers. Forty-five families took part, and 42 father–mother–baby and 33 grandmother–mother–baby triangular interactions of approximately 10?min in length were filmed during the Lausanne Trilogue Play. From videotapes of the interactions, individual and mutual coparenting behaviors were evaluated using the Coparenting and Family Rating System: 3 Month Adaptation (CFRS3M). Results indicated that while mothers’ own parenting behavior when in the LTP role of Active Parent (AP) was comparable whether with fathers or grandmothers, their behavior when in the LTP role of third party parent (TPP) was comparatively more engaged while with fathers than while with grandmothers. Fathers were comparatively less engaged when occupying the TPP role than were mothers in the TPP role, while grandmothers showed more flirting and distracting behavior in the TPP role than did either fathers or mothers. These findings are significant in documenting meaningful distinctions in Turkish grandmothers’ as well as in Turkish fathers’ and mothers’ coparenting propensities when engaging in triangular interactions with babies during the LTP.     

Demands and capacities or demands and performance?

The Demands and Capacities Model of stuttering purportedly provides a framework for obtaining information concerning a child's capacities for fluency and the demands placed on the child by the environment and for integrating that information in devising individual therapy plans. The current paper analyzes the model, with specific attention to the status of the “capacities” component. It is suggested that the model is more accurately characterized as a Demands and Performance rather than a Demands and Capacity Model because capacities are not actually addressed.     

Lexis and Culture: Bound and Determined?

Although never validated by either quantitative or qualitative research, the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis continues to be a dominant position from which to consider the relationship between language and culture. This paper challenges the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, and attempts to show that lexis and culture are not as inextricably bound to each other as is commonly supposed. After considering numerous examples from Spanish, English and Japanese, the model of cultural prototypes is offered as an alternative to the present psycholinguistic paradigm.     

Love and Identity： Unconditional Concern and Particularity

Love for a person involves an idea of the other＇s particularity, or ＂irreplaceability＂： an idea that is linked with a fine grained attention to, and affection for, very specific features of the other. This attention is largely a consequence of--or manifestation of--my love, rather than its ground. What I see in the other is partly conditioned by an ＂unconditional＂ concern for her as an individual. A consideration of the importance of the face and of personal names in my interactions with another may bring into focus crucial aspects of the particularity and unconditionality that are characteristic of love.     

Forgive and Forget? Antecedents and Consequences of Intergroup Forgiveness in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The present study examines the effects of contact and common-ingroup identification on intergroup forgiveness and outgroup behavioral tendencies. A sample of Bosnian Muslims (N  =  180) were asked to report their readiness to forgive the misdeeds committed by Bosnian Serbs during the 1992–95 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A path analysis of the presumed antecedents and consequences of forgiveness revealed that frequent and good quality contact with members from the perpetrator group predicted forgiveness (positively) and desire for social distance (negatively). Moreover, the positive relationship between contact and forgiveness was mediated by empathy and trust towards the outgroup and by perceived outgroup heterogeneity. Common-ingroup identification was also found to be positively associated with forgiveness and negatively with social distance towards the outgroup. Finally, intergroup forgiveness also predicted social distance from the outgroup. The theoretical and applied implications of these findings are discussed.