Physical health and social network characteristics as determinants of mental health across cultures

This study examines cross-cultural differences in the etiology of depression and anxiety, two common indicators of mental health problems. Using an ethnically diverse sample of 162 college students, we found that chronic physical symptoms and social network characteristics, particularly network quality, were predictive of both depression and anxiety, yet their effects were mediated by ethnicity. Multiple regression analyses showed that social network quality, compared to physical health, was a much stronger predictor of mental health in Caucasian students, whereas among students of Asian/Pacific descent, physical health was a much stronger predictor of mental health than the social network characteristics. The observed differences were particularly strong for anxiety, which was not significantly associated with physical health in Caucasian students or social network size and quality in the Asian/Pacific group. Theoretical and clinical implications of the results are discussed.     

社会网络视角下的同伴关系与心理健康

近年来, 从社会网络视角考察同伴关系与心理健康的相互作用正成为发展心理学和健康心理学研究的热点。研究者多借助整体网和纵向数据, 通过两种作用机制, 即选择过程(selection process) (强调心理和行为变量对社会网络和同伴关系的影响, 如关系的形成、维持和解除)和影响过程(influence process) (强调社会网络和同伴关系对心理和行为变量的影响), 来分析同伴关系与心理健康协同演进的动态过程。实证研究关注的领域集中在青少年健康风险行为(如吸烟、喝酒、药物滥用)和情绪问题(如抑郁、焦虑、孤独感)。未来研究应该注重拓展社会网络的类型和样本、加强理论建构、增加对积极心理和消极关系的研究, 并有望在互联网领域及社会网络的生物学基础等方面取得进展。     

Addressing social determinants of mental health in therapy: A thematic synthesis

Background

The importance of addressing social determinants of mental health in therapy is well-documented. However, there appears to be limited research on what this actually involves in practice and how best to prepare therapists to work with individuals experiencing adverse social determinants.

Aims

The aim of this review was to draw implications for practice and training from reviewing research on addressing social determinants of mental health in therapy.

Methodology

A qualitative systematic review of the research on addressing social determinants of mental health in therapy was conducted, extracting papers from eight databases: Cochrane Library, ASSIA, CINAHL Plus, PsycInfo, Psychoanalytic Electronic Publishing, Science Direct, Scopus and Web of Science. Out of 127 papers found, five met the eligibility criteria and were quality-assessed and analysed thematically.

Findings

The thematic synthesis generated three main themes: “the therapeutic relationship,” “adapting to client context” and “community as a resource,” with eight subthemes.

Conclusion

This thematic synthesis highlights the importance of the therapeutic relationship and adapting mental health support to client frame of reference and context to address social determinants of mental health in therapy. It emphasises community as a helpful resource for informing training and therapeutic interventions, as well as a significant resource for people experiencing adverse social determinants.     

Perceived social image and life satisfaction across cultures

We studied the relationship between perceived social image and life satisfaction in four different cultural groups. One-hundred nine Indian (63 females, 46 males), 67 Pakistani/Bangladeshi (36 females, 31 males), 76 White British (43 females, 33 males), and 94 European Americans (43 females, 48 males) completed measures on the cultural importance of social image, positive and negative emotions, academic achievement, and perceived social image. Indian and Pakistani/Bangladeshi participants valued social image more than White British and European-American participants. Consistent with this value difference, a positive perceived social image predicted life satisfaction among Indian and Pakistani/Bangladeshi participants only. For these participants, perceived social image predicted life satisfaction above and beyond the effects of emotions and academic achievement. Academic achievement only predicted life satisfaction among White British and European Americans. Emotions were significant predictors of life satisfaction for all participants.     

Communicating across cultures: A social skills perspective

This paper considers some of the difficulties that people experience when communicating with people from another culture. The concept of culture shock is discussed in some detail. The best predictors of the successful business sojourn are then described. Five methods of training in interpersonal skills are discussed followed by typical examples of cultural differences in social behaviour.     

Generalization of mental health across life sectors

Abstract.— Questionnaire data on mental health in three life areas (work, family, and leisure) were analysed by ANOVA together with estimation of the magnitudes of different effects. The Ss were 60 employed women with varied marital status. About 55% of mental health variation was explained by the generalization model and 4% by the person by life area interaction. It was suggested that analysis of variance components is useful in comparing corresponding effects in different groups of subjects. Some limitations of cross-sectional research strategy were discussed, stressing the need for other strategies in research on the relation between mental health in different life areas.     

Infants' social withdrawal and parents' mental health

This study examined the association of infants' sustained social withdrawal with parents' self-reported current depressive symptoms and perceived mental health. Two hundred and sixty infants aged 4, 8 and 18 months were examined with the Baby Alarm Distress Scale (ADBB). Parents' depressive symptoms and perceived mental health during the preceding year were elicited through questionnaires. Mother's current depressive symptoms and father's perceived moderate or poor mental health during the preceding year both independently increased the infant's risk of withdrawal. When both parents had mental health problems, the infant was more likely to be withdrawn. Infant's social withdrawal should alert clinicians to examine parental mental health. Also, if the parent has mental health problems, the infant's social behavior and possible withdrawal should be examined. Families where both parents experience poor mental health should be identified, and treated, while the infants of these families in particular seem to be at risk for social withdrawal.     

Critical thinking as cooperation and its relation to mental health and social welfare

The purpose of this theoretical investigation was to examine critical thinking as a realization of human cooperation, affecting both mental health and social welfare. Although critical thinking contains a critical stance toward any asserted standpoint, such a critical stance appears, paradoxically, to have developed from cooperation and the shared goals of human beings. Moreover, although critical thinking has been seen in academic literature to be anchored on culturally developed rules and principles of rational dialogue as well as on effective learning methods, investigators have not interconnected critical thinking and human cooperation comprehensively enough. To solve the dilemma, we will use available scientific knowledge to examine how cooperation and socially shared goals are realized in critical thinking, especially in a critical stance. The view of critical thinking as cooperation places it ontogenetically and phylogenetically into a wider theoretical framework which also provides a novel perspective on mental health and social welfare. The deterioration of rational thinking in the context of mental disorders may be explained by failures of cooperation, which can contain epistemic distrust and an inability to mentalize the viewpoints of others. These features may clarify some causes why some contemporary dialogues and critical contributions are divisive in worldwide, especially in social media.     

Physical and mental health trajectories of cancer patients and caregivers across the year post-diagnosis: a dyadic investigation

Objective: Evidence suggests interdependence between cancer patients’ and their caregivers’ physical and mental health. However, the extent to which caregivers’ health relates to their patients’ recovery, or patients’ health affects their caregivers’ outcomes, is largely unknown. This dyadic investigation reports the relations between cancer patients’ and their caregivers’ physical and mental health trajectories during the year following diagnosis.

Design: Ninety-two colorectal cancer patient–caregiver dyads completed questionnaires at 2, 6 and 12 months post-diagnosis.

Outcome measures: Self-reported physical and mental health using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form Health Survey-12.

Results: Patients reported improved physical health over the year following their diagnosis, whereas caregivers reported declining physical health. Patients with lower mental health at diagnosis had stagnated physical health recovery. Caregivers’ physical health declined most noticeably among those reporting low mental health at diagnosis and whose patients reported low physical health at diagnosis.

Conclusion: Findings suggest targeting health interventions to cancer patients and caregivers reporting poor mental health at diagnosis may mitigate their long-term physical morbidity. Limited evidence of dyadic interdependence between patients’ and caregivers’ physical and mental health trajectories suggests future studies are warranted to identify psychosocial and medical characteristics moderating the relations between patients’ and caregivers’ health.     

Race,social relationships,and mental health

Researchers often assume that the extent, quality, and effectiveness of personal relationships explain why African Americans have relatively good mental health despite experiencing high levels of stress. This study tests this assumption using data from the 1990–1992 National Comorbidity Survey. Few racial differences emerge in patterns of social relationships, and the nature and quality of social relationships do not explain African Americans’ resiliency on mental health. Several aspects of social relationships benefit African Americans’ mental health more than Whites’, but these moderating effects are insubstantial. Hence, the data do not support the assumption. If social relationships help explain the lack of racial differences in mental health, their nature and effects must be more adequately conceptualized.     

Quality of social support in mental and physical health

The current study investigates the relationship between social support and mental and physical health. Results indicate that poor functional support (or quality of support) is related to physical health problems while structural support (or social network size) is not. Moreover, although both poor functional and structural support are related to depression and anxiety, functional support is more strongly related to these outcome variables, the strongest relationship being associated with depression. Depression and hostility are also related to social isolation, although the relationship is again stronger for depression. The results suggest that the quality of social relationships is more important than quantity for optimal mental and physical health. The clinical relevance of these findings is that the quality of social support in the lives of individuals is central to recovery and should be addressed in medical and mental health treatment planning whenever it is an etiological or maintaining factor. The author dedicates this paper to her beloved father, Charles VanderVoort and her colleagues Dr. Uwe Stuecher and Dr. Gay Barfield whom she describes as “natural altruists, the rarest and most loving type of people in the world.”     

Stigma, social context, and mental health: lesbian and gay couples across the transition to adoptive parenthood

This is the first study to examine change in depression and anxiety across the first year of adoptive parenthood in same-sex couples (90 couples: 52 lesbian, 38 gay male). Given that sexual minorities uniquely contend with sexual orientation-related stigma, this study examined how both internalized and enacted forms of stigma affect the mental health of lesbians and gay men during the transition to parenthood. In addition, the role of contextual support was examined. Higher perceived workplace support, family support, and relationship quality were related to lower depressive and anxious symptoms at the time of the adoption, and higher perceived friend support was related to lower anxiety symptoms. Lower internalized homophobia and higher perceived neighborhood gay-friendliness were related to lower depressive symptoms. Finally, individuals with high internalized homophobia who lived in states with unfavorable legal climates regarding gay adoption experienced the steepest increases in depressive and anxious symptoms. Findings have important implications for counselors working with sexual minorities, especially those experiencing the transition to parenthood.     

Emotional intelligence as predictor of mental, social, and physical health in university students

This study examined the association between emotional intelligence (EI), anxiety, depression, and mental, social, and physical health in university students. The sample was made up of 184 university students (38 men and 146 women). El was evaluated by the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (Salovey, Mayer, Goldman, Turvey, and Palfai, 1995), which evaluates the three dimensions (Attention, Clarity, and Mood Repair). Anxiety was evaluated with the Trait Anxiety Questionnaire (Spielberger, Gorsuch, Lushene, Vagg, and Jacobs, 1983) and depression with the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck, Rush, Shaw, and Emery, 1979). Mental, social, and physical health were evaluated with the SF-12 Health Survey (Ware, Kosinski, and Keller, 1996). Results showed that high Emotional Attention was positively and significantly related to high anxiety, depression, and to low levels of Role Emotional, Social Functioning, and Mental Health. However, high levels of emotional Clarity and Mood Repair were related to low levels of anxiety and depression, high Role Physical, Social Functioning, Mental Health, Vitality, and General Health. This study confirmed the predictive value of Attention, Clarity and Mood Repair regarding the levels of anxiety, depression, and areas related to mental, social, and physical health in university students.     

Seeking professional help: Etiology beliefs about mental illness across cultures

In the present study, the authors examined the contributions of cultural beliefs about the etiology of mental illness to the seeking of help from mental health professionals among college students in 4 cultural groups, European Americans, Chinese Americans, Hong Kong Chinese, and Mainland Chinese. Group differences were found in help-seeking history and likelihood, with European and Chinese Americans being more likely to seek help than Hong Kong and Mainland Chinese. Multiple-group path analysis showed that lay beliefs about causes of mental illness and prior help-seeking history significantly predicted help-seeking likelihood, which was related positively to environmental/hereditary causes but negatively to social-personal causes. Our findings demonstrate the importance of understanding help-seeking patterns within specific cultural contexts and the effects of Western influences on shaping help-seeking propensities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).     

健康公平--概念、影响因素与政策

长期以来健康不平等和不公平一直是卫生改革与发展所关注的重点,并已经成为了国际卫生政策的主要方向.在国家之间健康不平等和不公平也存在不同的理解.发达国家主要集中在产生疾病和导致死亡率差异的社会经济阶层的形成机制,将健康不平等作为疾病病原学的一个函数,关键措施是加强初级卫生保健;在中低收入国家,人们却趋向于通过提供基本的医疗保健服务来解决这一问题.