Prolonged Separation and Reunification among Chinese Immigrant Children and Families: An Exploratory Study

The present study explored the lived experiences of Chinese immigrant parents in New York City who went through prolonged separation and faced challenges after reunification in the United States. The study assessed their attitudes, perceptions, and reactions to the separation and reunification process to gain better understanding of the ways prolonged separation and reunification impact on child development and family wellbeing. A phenomenological research approach was used to study qualitatively the narrative data from in-depth interviews. The analytical process was based on data immersion, coding, sorting codes into themes, and comparing the themes across interviews. The sample included 18 Chinese immigrant families who had sent their American-born children to China for rearing and reunited with their children within the past 5 years. Data analyses revealed specific themes that included reasons for separation, parenting methods, child’s initial adjustment, behavior, and family relationship, child’s social, emotional, and academic challenges, parental stress and challenges, and recommendations for services. This study contributed to our knowledge of prolonged separation, a common practice among a vulnerable, hard-to-reach immigrant population. It shed light on specific needs of Chinese immigrant families by examining closely the unique circumstances pertaining to prolonged separation, parenting practice, and related family challenges. An understanding of the approaches these families adopt to cope with life challenges may help inform practitioners in formulating service strategies for these families. Specific assessments in child-care, education, and health care settings are essential to prompt immediate follow-up and intervention when needed.     

工程哲学的兴起及当前发展

在哲学大家族中,工程哲学是一个新诞生的哲学分支. 在20世纪末的哲学地图上,科学哲学位于中心区,技术哲学位于边缘区,[1]而工程哲学则仅勉强地在技术哲学的边缘占据了一个不显眼的位置,也就是说,工程哲学在哲学地图上位于边缘的边缘.     

A simple method to dissociate sensory-attentional and motor-intentional biases in unilateral visual neglect

A variant of a line bisection test was devised. Patients with unilateral visual neglect and control subjects were asked to perform the test, which consisted of two subtasks: a verbal and a manual task. The verbal task was newly designed and did not require manual responses from the subjects. The manual task was similar to conventional line bisection tasks. This paper reports and discusses the results obtained from each task and their correlations. This technique is compatible with bedside examinations, does not require a complex apparatus, and provides useful data for the assessment of unilateral visual neglect.     

全球流感大流行与共建和谐社会

科学家预测:新一轮流感大流行不可避免。通过总结历史教训,分析目前可能引起流感大流行的原因,展开预防流感大流行与共建和谐社会关系的讨论。     

在线抑制控制训练对失败的限制性饮食者不健康食物选择的改善

失败的限制性饮食者是进食障碍的高危人群,他们面对食物时的抑制控制能力通常很弱,从而更易发展为肥胖,所以改善失败的限制性饮食者对不健康食物的进食选择十分重要。本文采用在线停止信号任务,通过提高失败的限制性饮食者对不健康食物图片的抑制控制能力,从而减少他们在日常生活中对不健康食物的选择。首先对66名失败的限制性饮食者实施前测,然后随机分为对不健康食物图片进行抑制反应的干预组(n=33)和对非食物图片进行抑制反应的控制组(n=31),两组被试接受每天一次(每次10 min左右)共计7次的训练。完成训练后,所有被试均接受后测。结果发现,干预训练后,与控制组相比,干预组被试对不健康食物的选择频率以及对不健康食物自我报告的吸引力和喜爱程度均显著降低。     

急性应激对威胁刺激注意定向和注意解除的影响:认知神经机制研究

急性应激和注意偏向是焦虑障碍和创伤后应激障碍发生和症状保持的两个重要因素。急性应激导致交感神经系统激活以及儿茶酚胺和糖皮质激素分泌增加,因而影响对威胁刺激的注意偏向。但是急性应激如何影响注意偏向中的注意定向和注意解除尚不清楚。本项目采用点探测任务、威胁线索空间提示任务,结合恐惧条件反射、眼动和事件相关电位技术,研究急性应激对注意定向和注意解除影响的认知神经机制。研究结果可为治疗焦虑和创伤后应激障碍提供支持,为公共卫生管理政策的制定提供建议。     

正念父母心:正念教养理论、机制及干预

父母教养及其对孩子的影响一直是发展心理学的一个重要主题,而正念教养(mindful parenting)则是关注如何帮助父母进行有效教养。正念教养是将一般的正念应用于亲子互动中,指父母对孩子和教养行为的有意的、此时此刻的和不评判的注意和觉知。正念教养对父母自身、孩子和亲子关系都具有积极的作用。研究者发展了两个正念教养的干预项目并通过实证研究检验这两个项目的干预效果。未来的研究可以采用更加严谨的设计并采用不同的评估方法来评估正念教养的干预效果。正念教养的作用机制也是未来研究有待进一步探讨的问题。     

Associations between Race and Eating Disorder Symptom Trajectories in Black and White Girls

Epidemiological research suggests racial differences in the presentation of eating disorder symptoms. However, no studies have examined associations between race and eating disorder symptom trajectories across youth and adolescence, which is necessary to inform culturally sensitive prevention programs. The purpose of the current study was to examine the trajectories of eating disorder symptoms from childhood to young adulthood and to examine whether race was associated with trajectory group membership. Data were drawn from 2,305 Black and White girls who participated in a community-based longitudinal cohort study (Pittsburgh Girls Study) examining the development of psychopathology. The child and adult versions of the Eating Attitudes Test assessed self-reported eating disorder symptoms at six time points between ages 9 and 21 years. Growth mixture modeling was used to examine developmental trajectories of dieting, bulimia/food preoccupation, and total eating disorder symptom scores. Given potential confounds with race and disordered eating, financial strain (i.e., receiving public assistance) and weight were included as covariates. Four to six distinct developmental patterns were found across eating disorder symptoms, including none, increasing, decreasing, or increasing-decreasing trajectories. Black girls had a greater likelihood of being in the decreasing trajectories for dieting, bulimia/food preoccupation, and total eating disorder symptom scores. White girls were more likely to follow increasing trajectories of dieting and total eating disorder symptom scores compared to Black girls. These results highlight the importance of examining the influence of racial background on eating disorder symptoms and the potential need for differences in the timing and focus of prevention interventions in these groups.     

The Mystery of Chinese People’s Happiness

The great improvement in economic wealth and social welfare over the decade doesn’t promote the Chinese people’s happiness. We construct a theoretical framework which covers economic wealth, social welfare, individual functional capability to explore the impact factors and determinants of the Chinese people’s happiness. Based on a national wide questionnaire survey in China, we test and modify the framework by the method of structural equation model. The empirical findings indicate that there are direct and indirect effects on the formation of happiness. For the direct effect, both the increasing of economic wealth and social welfare improves the national happiness, while the individual functional capability reduces it. For the indirect effect, the individual functional capability also reduces happiness by negatively affecting economic wealth and social welfare. The negative effect that played by individual functional capability overwhelms the positive effect played by economic wealth and social welfare. This causes the Chinese people’s happiness goes down while the economic wealth and social welfare are improving. Finally, we conclude that the Chinese people’s happiness is more about individual functional capability rather than social welfare or economic wealth.