Health-related Internet habits and health anxiety in university students

Health-related Internet use has grown rapidly, yet little research has considered how health anxious individuals use the Internet for this purpose. Our aim was to examine the relationships between health anxiety and the extent of, reasons for, and consequences of health-related Internet usage in university students (n = 255). Responses on a purpose-made Internet use questionnaire were correlated with health anxiety scores; multiple regression analyses controlling for depression and anxiety were also conducted. Health anxiety positively correlated with (all ps < .01): frequency of health-related searching (r_s = .163), proportion of health-related information sought (r_s = .200), time spent online for health purposes (r_s = .166), and number of searches for both illness (r_s = .453) and wellness (r_s = .208) information. Health anxiety further positively correlated with advantages perceived in health-related Internet use (r_s = .183), heightened tension (r_s = .364) and relief (r_s = .174) post-search, and perceived doctor disadvantages (r_s = .306), yet a greater likelihood to visit a doctor post-search (r_s = .217). Health anxiety also correlated with six measures of possible addiction to using the Internet for health purposes (r_s range = .171 to .366, all ps < .01). Some (including several potentially dysfunctional) aspects of health-related Internet use correlate with health anxiety. Research evaluating the possible role of Internet use in the development and maintenance of health anxiety is warranted.     

“I Am My Own Gender”: Resilience Strategies of Trans Youth

Nineteen trans youth participated in a phenomenological study of their resilience strategies for navigating stressors in their lives. The authors identified 5 supports and 6 threats to participants’ resilience. The 5 themes of resilience were: (a) ability to self‐define and theorize one's gender, (b) proactive agency and access to supportive educational systems, (c) connection to a trans‐affirming community, (d) reframing of mental health challenges, and (e) navigation of relationships with family and friends. The 6 major threats to participants’ resilience were: (a) experiences of adultism, (b) health care access challenges, (c) emotional and social isolation, (d) employment discrimination, (e) limited access to financial resources, and (f) gender policing.     

The Uses of Emotion Maps in Research and Clinical Practice with Families and Couples: Methodological Innovation and Critical Inquiry

We explore how “emotion maps” can be productively used in clinical assessment and clinical practice with families and couples. This graphic participatory method was developed in sociological studies to examine everyday family relationships. Emotion maps enable us to effectively “see” the dynamic experience and emotional repertoires of family life. Through the use of a case example, in this article we illustrate how emotion maps can add to the systemic clinicians’ repertoire of visual methods. For clinicians working with families, couples, and young people, the importance of gaining insight into how lives are lived, at home, cannot be understated. Producing emotion maps can encourage critical personal reflection and expedite change in family practice. Hot spots in the household become visualized, facilitating dialogue on prevailing issues and how these events may be perceived differently by different family members. As emotion maps are not reliant on literacy or language skills they can be equally completed by parents and children alike, enabling children's perspective to be heard. Emotion maps can be used as assessment tools, to demonstrate the process of change within families. Furthermore, emotion maps can be extended to use through technology and hence are well suited particularly to working with young people. We end the article with a wider discussion of the place of emotions and emotion maps within systemic psychotherapy.     

Capital,Psychological Resources and High Achievement: a Biographical Analysis of the Accomplishment of High Achievers

This work examines the role of capital and psychological resources in the achievements of high achievers. It investigates the integrative role of psychological resources and capital in the achievement process. In the study, we chose four Indian high achievers: two first-generation achievers and two non-first-generation achievers - JRD Tata, Dhirubhai Ambani, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar and Srinivasa Ramanujan. The written biographies were analysed. The biographical analysis shows that while capital plays a major role in the success of non-first-generation achievers, psychological resources are more important in first-generation achievers. The results indicate that psychological resources are important in channelizing capital for achievement. It was also found useful for the generation and maintenance of various forms of capital. Though hard work and inborn talent cannot be ignored, the role of capital and psychological resources must not be underestimated in the process of attaining high achievement.     

Development and validation of a test on Anasakti (non-attachment): an Indian model of well-being

Deriving our theoretical model from the Hindu religious text Srimad Bhagvad Gita, gaps in the existing frameworks on the concept of Anasakti (non-attachment) were found. The purpose of the study was to develop and test psychometric properties of a scale based on this Indian concept. We pooled 46 items which included items from existing scales as well as new items. The data were collected from 366 students (236 females and 130 males; mean age?=?23.55 years, SD?=?8.30 years). The final scale consists of 22 items comprising six subscales: Outcome Vulnerability, Faith in God, Empathy, Frustration Tolerance, Effort Orientation and Emotional Equipoise. The scale is psychometrically robust, explaining 50.79 per cent of variance and also acceptable levels of reliability (α?=?.70). We tested for convergent validity by correlating the new scale with the Scale of Positive and Negative Experiences (SPANE), the Mental Health Continuum (MHC) and the Flourishing Scale (FS). The new scale demonstrated acceptable convergent validity showing significant positive correlation with SPANE-P, SPANE-B, FS and MHC (.23?<?r?<?.38, p?<?.01) and a significant negative correlation with SPANE-N (r?=??.29, p?<?.01).     

Rethinking Sikh Nationalism in the Twenty-First Century

This article seeks to draw attention to some of the core issues which beset the study of Sikh nationalism as a coherent phenomenon in an increasingly globalized and socially fragmented world. First, it highlights the importance of revisiting the debate about the community's religious boundaries, arguing that in contrast to the new conventional wisdom informed by poststructuralism, Sikh identity has exhibited a remarkable degree of continuity from the establishment of the Khalsa in comparison with other South Asian religio-political communities. The second key issue highlighted is the role of the Sikh diaspora in the development of Sikh nationalism and statehood. It critically examines the extent to which diaspora may be regarded as an instrument of ‘long-distance’ nationalism. Third, it argues that the existing literature on Sikh nationalism is remarkably community-centric and needs to engage with theories of nationalism. Finally, while acknowledging the cleavages which fragment the Sikh nation, it concludes that Sikh nationalism has been remarkably cohesive.     

Interpretation Bias Training in Depressed Adolescents: Near- and Far-Transfer Effects

Depressed adolescents are characterized by negative interpretation biases. Although investigators have used cognitive bias modification for interpretation (CBM-I) to experimentally manipulate interpretation biases in depressed adults, the near- and far-transfer effects are not well understood in adolescents diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). In this study, we extend previous research by investigating the near- and far-transfer effects of 6 sessions of Positive versus Neutral CBM-I on independent measures of interpretation bias (near-transfer effects) and on attention biases and clinical symptoms (far-transfer effects) in a sample of adolescents with MDD (n = 46). At post-training, adolescents who received Positive CBM-I interpreted ambiguous scenarios more positively than did participants who received Neutral CBM-I, providing evidence of training effectiveness. There was no evidence, however, of near- or far-transfer effects. These findings raise concerns about the malleability of interpretation biases in adolescent depression and suggest that further work is needed to establish the clinical utility of CBM-I for adolescents with MDD.