The Viability of Structural Family Therapy in the Twenty-first Century: An Analysis of Key Indicators

This paper examines the degree to which structural family therapy has adapted effectively to client families and professional demands of the twenty-first century. A review of the current professional literature was conducted to assess the structural model’s continued clinical relevance, how the model has changed in adapting to contemporary social and professional contexts, and whether or not the integrity of the model’s core proposition has been eroded or confounded as a result of adaptive changes.     

Queer Muslims: between orthodoxy,secularism and the struggle for acceptance

ABSTRACT

The aim of this paper is to concentrate on responses by Muslim scholars to both the Orlando incident and the United States Supreme Court Judgment on same-sex marriage. I first provide some comments on the Orlando incident in relation to the issue of Muslims, violence and homophobia. More importantly and central to my argument, I consider what the import of these responses are for Muslims – especially Muslims who identify as LGBTIQ or at least experience same-sex sexual attraction or participate in same-sex sexual conduct – and also what do such responses suggest about the prospect of same-sex sexuality being seriously considered, understood and accepted within the contemporary Islamic tradition and the possible consequences thereof. I make the case that the Islamic tradition, by way of its self-identified and proclaimed scholarly interpreters and representatives, urgently need to engage with the issue of same-sex sexuality in a more robust, dynamic and imaginative manner or risk a deepening epistemological crisis.     

Egocentric versus Allocentric Spatial Ability in Dentistry and Haptic Virtual Reality Training

The current study investigates the role of egocentric and allocentric spatial abilities in the field of dentistry. Whereas allocentric ability requires spatial transformation from a stationary point of reference, egocentric spatial ability is tied to the sensory‐motor system, and it requires changing one's imagined perspective in space. Experiment 1 investigates the role of different spatial abilities in a tooth preparation exercise. Experiment 2 investigates the interaction of allocentric and egocentric spatial abilities with the effectiveness of haptic virtual reality training. The results show that only egocentric spatial ability was a significant predictor of success in tooth preparation. In addition, an egocentric spatial ability test was the reliable predictor of success in more complex (indirect vision) tasks during haptic virtual reality training. Our results indicate the need for the development of finer measures of the specific spatial skills that might be needed for different dental specializations. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of COMT genotype on behavioral symptomatology in the 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome.

The 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (DiGeorge/velocardiofacial syndrome) is associated with elevated rates of psychosis, and is also characterized by severe attentional difficulties and executive dysfunction. Behavioral manifestations of this syndrome could result from haploinsufficiency of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene, located within the 22q11 region. The goal of the present study was to examine COMT genotype in relation to behavioral symptomatology in this syndrome. Val158/108Met was genotyped in 38 patients (16 Met/-, 22 Val/-) with confirmed 22q11.2 deletions who had received the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) as part of a comprehensive evaluation. Results indicated that the Val genotype was associated with significantly greater internalizing and externalizing behavioral symptomatology in children with 22q11.2 deletions. Val allele status was associated with a greater-than-four-fold increase in risk for clinically significant behavior problems in children with this syndrome. These data are consistent with previous findings of increased psychopathology associated with the Val genotype in normal individuals and suggest that a functional genetic polymorphism in the 22q11 region may influence behavior in individuals with COMT haploinsufficiency.     

Social Change and Change in Intentions of Iranian Youth Regarding Education,Marriage, and Careers

Effects of large-scale socio-political movements and policy changes on individual attitudes and behaviours have been the focus of attention of social scientists and policy-makers in different countries. For example, concerns have been expressed regarding the effects of the so-called “fundamentalist” Islamic movements on attitudes and behaviours in relation to marriage, family structure, and the roles/rights of women. The Islamic Revolution of 1978 in Iran is usually assumed to have affected such beliefs and behaviours. To test the accuracy of such an assumption, three data sets collected in the same geographical location in 1982, 1984, and 1986 were compared within sex and SES groups. The intentions and aspirations of high school seniors regarding education, marriage, and careers were closer to conservative/traditional expectations in the 1982 sample than in the 1984 and 1986 samples. It is concluded that, even if there was an increase in traditionalism shortly after the Revolution, traditional tendencies have not returned to extreme levels within the few years surveyed, at least among the urban educated youth under study. Alarm regarding a ‘return to fundamentalism” in relation to marriage, family, and women's roles/rights might be less warranted than is commonly assumed.     

Relationship of Muslim Religiosity and Death Anxiety with the Mediating Effect of Optimism and Depression Among Cancer Patients in Pakistan

Journal of Religion and Health - Optimism and the practice of any religion are known to reduce depression and anxiety in cancer patients. In the present study, the specific role of Muslim...     

Social Consciousness in Canadian Islamic Schools?

This note presents the results of interviews carried with lead teachers in four of Toronto's full-time oldest and largest Islamic schools. The study found a distinct development of pedagogical aspirations among these four schools. Teachers all reported encouraging and teaching about social consciousness as a fundamental aspect of faith practice. The note also traces how in the wake of 9/11 these schools have engaged in an explicit attempt to create a space for the teaching of social justice through fundraising, dialogue, and community activism. However, the note concludes by an analysis showing that the predominant conception of social justice in this establishment remains outward looking rather than inwardly critical.     

A Bayesian psychophysical model for angular variables

Bayesian theories of perception provide a link between observed response distributions and theoretical constructs from Bayesian decision theory. Using Bayesian psychophysics we derive response distributions for two cases, one based on a normal distribution and one on a von Mises distribution for angular variables. Interestingly, where the theoretical response distribution is always unimodal in the case of normal distributions, it can become bimodal in the angular setting in the case when prior and likelihood are about equally strong.     

Spiritual Experiences of War Veterans Who Suffer from Combat-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Qualitative Study

Recognition of the spiritual experiences of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder may be helpful in their rehabilitation. Accordingly, the present study has been carried out to determine the spiritual experiences of Iranian Muslim warriors who suffer from the previously mentioned disorder. In this qualitative study, 22 patients were selected using an objective-based sampling method and underwent an individual, semi-structured thorough interview. The data were analyzed using content analysis. The spiritual experiences of the participants were divided into two main categories as follows: (1) religious attitude consisting of three sub-categories known as “religious beliefs,” “religious sentiments,” and “religious behaviors” and (2) a national sensibility that includes the two sub-categories of “patriotism” and “proud” of being injured for my homeland. The analysis of the participants’ spiritual experiences showed that their specific religious orientation and feelings of nationalism assisted with their improved ability to cope with the consequences of their disorder. Therefore, it is recommended that caregivers use patients’ spiritual values to help them cope more efficiently.