Bridging Uncharted Waters in Georgia: Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta Outreach to Latino/a Families

Receiving the news that your newborn child has Down syndrome is difficult for most parents; difficulties which are compounded by language and cultural barriers for immigrant Latino/a families. The metro Atlanta area has shown a large increase in this population in the last 10 years, and increasing numbers of Latino/a parents with children with Down syndrome are coming in contact with the health care system. Experiences and observations regarding the formation of a Latino/a support group for parents of children with Down syndrome in Atlanta are described. In addition, efforts to integrate these Latino/a parents into a parent education conference sponsored by the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta are also recounted. Finally, reflections upon the lessons learned and individual and organizational changes that occurred as a result of the process are discussed.     

Multinational data show that conspiracy beliefs are associated with the perception (and reality) of poor national economic performance

While a great deal is known about the individual difference factors associated with conspiracy beliefs, much less is known about the country-level factors that shape people's willingness to believe conspiracy theories. In the current article we discuss the possibility that willingness to believe conspiracy theories might be shaped by the perception (and reality) of poor economic performance at the national level. To test this notion, we surveyed 6723 participants from 36 countries. In line with predictions, propensity to believe conspiracy theories was negatively associated with perceptions of current and future national economic vitality. Furthermore, countries with higher GDP per capita tended to have lower belief in conspiracy theories. The data suggest that conspiracy beliefs are not just caused by intrapsychic factors but are also shaped by difficult economic circumstances for which distrust might have a rational basis.     

A Balancing Act: Integrating Evidence‐Based Knowledge and Cultural Relevance in a Program of Prevention Parenting Research with Latino/a Immigrants

Family therapists have a unique opportunity to contribute toward the reduction of widespread mental health disparities impacting diverse populations by developing applied lines of research focused on cultural adaptation. For example, although evidence‐based prevention parent training (PT) interventions have been found to be efficacious with various Euro‐American populations, there is a pressing need to understand which specific components of PT interventions are perceived by ethnic minority parents as having the highest impact on their parenting practices. Equally important is to examine the perceived cultural relevance of adapted PT interventions. This qualitative investigation had the primary objective of comparing and contrasting the perceived relevance of two culturally adapted versions of the efficacious parenting intervention known as Parent Management Training, the Oregon Model (PMTO). According to feasibility indicators provided by 112 Latino/a immigrant parents, as well as findings from a qualitative thematic analysis, the core parenting components across both adapted interventions were identified by the majority of research participants as relevant to their parenting practices. Participants exposed to the culturally enhanced intervention, which included culture‐specific sessions, also reported high satisfaction with components exclusively focused on cultural issues that directly impact their parenting practices (e.g., immigration challenges, biculturalism). This investigation illustrates the relevant contributions that family therapy scholars can offer toward addressing mental health disparities, particularly as it refers to developing community‐based prevention interventions that achieve a balance between evidence‐based knowledge and cultural relevance.     

Partners’ representations of diabetes as mediators between patients’ representations and adherence to self-care behaviors,in type 2 diabetes

The purpose of this study was to analyze partners’ representations of diabetes as mediators between patients’ illness representations and adherence to all self-care behaviors, in recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients. The sample included 340 patients and their respective partners. The instruments used were: Revised Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (RSDSCA); Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS); and the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief-IPQ). A mediational effect of partners’ representation of diabetes consequences was found between the same patients’ representations and exercise, foot care, and self-monitoring of blood glucose. Partners’ representations of personal and treatment control, were mediators between the same partners’ representations and self-monitoring of blood glucose. No partners’ representations mediated patients’ representation and adherence to medication or diet . This study emphasized partners’ representations on patient’s adherence to exercise, foot care and monitoring of blood glucose, in recent diagnosed T2DM patients. Interventions to promote adherence in T2DM should promote convergence between patients and partners’ diabetes representations. This study provides some evidence for the need to treat T2DM within the dyad to improve adherence, starting after the diagnosis.     

Occupational Stress and Catholic Priests: A Scoping Review of the Literature

Journal of Religion and Health - This study offers an exploratory review of the experience of stress and burnout syndrome among Catholic priests. Following Arksey and O’Malley's (Int J...     

Promoting Positive Attitudes Toward People With Down Syndrome: The Benefit of School Inclusion Programs1

The effects of school inclusion programs on male and female nondisabled students' stereotypes and attitudes toward people with Down syndrome were studied. Nondisabled students (11–15 years of age) from schools with and without inclusion programs reported positive and negative attitudes toward people with Down syndrome. As hypothesized, girls and students attending schools with inclusion programs showed more favorable attitudes toward people with Down syndrome than did boys and students attending schools without inclusion programs, respectively. Interaction effects of school system and sex of participant suggest that boys' attitudes, in particular, benefit from inclusive schooling. The study provides evidence for the effectiveness of inclusion programs in ameliorating prejudice and intergroup anxiety; and in promoting positive attitudes, affect, and trust.     

Brazilian version of the Protocole Montréal d'Evaluation de la Communication (Protocole MEC): normative and reliability data

The lack of standardized instruments to evaluate communication disorders related to the right hemisphere was verified. A new evaluation tool was developed: Protocole Montréal d'Evaluation de la Communication--Protocole MEC, adapted to Brazilian Portuguese--Bateria Montreal de Avalia??o da Comunica??o--Bateria MAC (Montreal Evaluation of Communication Battery). The purpose was to present stratified normative data by age and educational level, and to verify the reliability parameters of the MEC Battery. 300 individuals, between the ages of 19 and 75 years, and levels of formal education between 2 and 35 years, participated in this study. They were divided equally into six normative groups, according to three age categories (young adults, intermediary age, and seniors) and two educational levels (low and high). Two procedures were used to check reliability: Cronbach alpha and reliability between evaluators, Results were established at the 10th percentile, and an alert point per task for each normative group. Cronbach's alpha was, in general, between .70 and .90 and the average rate of agreement between evaluators varied from .62 to .94. Standards of age and education were established. The reliability of this instrument was verified. The psychometric legitimization of the MEC Battery will contribute to the diagnostic process for communicative disorders.     

Arousal, Mood, and the Mozart Effect

The "Mozart effect" refers to claims that people perform better on tests of spatial abilities after listening to music composed by Mozart. We examined whether the Mozart effect is a consequence of between-condition differences in arousal and mood. Participants completed a test of spatial abilities after listening to music or sitting in silence. The music was a Mozart sonata (a pleasant and energetic piece) for some participants and an Albinoni adagio (a slow, sad piece) for others. We also measured enjoyment, arousal, and mood. Performance on the spatial task was better following the music than the silence condition, but only for participants who heard Mozart. The two music selections also induced differential responding on the enjoyment, arousal, and mood measures. Moreover, when such differences were held constant by statistical means, the Mozart effect disappeared. These findings provide compelling evidence that the Mozart effect is an artifact of arousal and mood.     

Influence of Additional Ankle Weights on Kinematic Variables of Late Preterm Infants Aged 3–4 Months

The authors analyzed and compared the effect of additional weight on the spatiotemporal parameters of the kicking movement of late preterm and full-term infants. The experiment was divided into 4 conditions: training, baseline, weight, and postweight. In the W condition, a weight of one third the lower limb mass was added to the infant's ankle. During the baseline and postweight conditions, the ankle weight was removed. Late preterm infants do not differ from full-term infants in relation to spatiotemporal variables at 3 and 4 months. However, during the weight condition, the straightness index and the hip-ankle and knee-ankle correlations decreased in the preterm infants at both ages. In contrast, the straightness index increased in the postweight condition compared to the baseline values at both ages.