Avoiding Colonizer Positions in the Therapy Room: Some Ideas About the Challenges of Dealing with the Dialectic of Misery and Resources in Families

Some authors have argued that certain acts of family therapists—despite their best intentions—may represent a form of colonizing the family. When acting as a colonizer, a therapist is understood as becoming overly responsible for the family and focusing too strongly on change. In so doing, the therapist disrespects the family's pace, and neglects their own resources for change. This paper aims to highlight the need for therapists to be hypersensitive both to the resources of families entering therapy as well as to the impact of prevailing ideologies on their own positioning in the session. The kind of sensitivity advocated here is dialectical in the sense that every family is understood as having potentials promoting dynamism, happiness, and well-being as well as potentials contributing to stagnation, unhappiness, and misery. In this article, using illustrations from clinical practice, we present some ideas for resisting the tendency by the therapist to assume a colonizing position as a professional solver of problems for families. Our main aim here is to redirect the therapist toward connecting with the family's suffering, as well as with the resource repertoire it has developed for navigating and negotiating its way through life.     

Parental Separation and Children's Behavioral/Emotional Problems: The Impact of Parental Representations and Family Conflict

In this longitudinal study, we examine whether the effect of parental separation on kindergarten children's behavioral/emotional problems varies according to the level of family conflict, and children's parental representations. One hundred and eighty seven children were assessed at ages 5 and 6. Family conflict was assessed using parents' ratings. Children's parental representations were assessed using a story-stem task. A multiinformant approach (parent, teacher, child) was employed to assess children's behavioral/emotional problems. Bivariate results showed that separation, family conflict, and negative parental representations were associated with children's behavioral/emotional problems. However, in multivariate analyses, when controlling for gender and symptoms at age 5, we found that children of separated parents who showed negative parental representations had a significantly greater increase in conduct problems between 5 and 6 than all other children. In terms of emotional symptoms and hyperactivity, symptoms at 5 and (for hyperactivity only) gender were the only predictors for symptoms 1 year later. Our results suggest that kindergarten children's representations of parent-child relationships moderate the impact of parental separation on the development of conduct problems, and underline play and narration as a possible route to access the thoughts and feelings of young children faced with parental separation.     

儿童2岁时的不顺从对4～11岁间社会适应的预测

采用实验室观察、母亲报告和教师报告,对138名随机抽取的北京市2岁儿童进行追踪,考察2岁时的不顺从行为对4岁、7岁和11岁时社会适应的影响。结果表明:(1)2岁时的消极不顺从行为可正向预测7岁时母亲报告的外显问题行为、教师报告的攻击性-学习问题和11岁时母亲报告的学习问题。(2)2岁时的拒绝/协商行为可正向预测4岁时母亲报告的多动。(3)2岁时的反抗行为可正向预测11岁时教师报告的内隐问题行为。     

论河陇佛教的地位、影响、特色及其意义

河陇地区的佛教在中国佛教的传播与发展过程中,曾经发挥过重大作用,在全国佛教中有特殊而重要的地位;它对当地政治、经济、文化产生过重大影响,且有鲜明的地域特色;对于它的研究,有许多重要意义。     

冠脉介入术支架内血栓的危险因素和预防策略

支架内血栓形成是经皮冠状动脉介入治疗罕见但极为严重的并发症,常导致患者心肌梗死和死亡。其危险因素包括抗血小板治疗、支架因素、介入操作因素、患者及病变因素等。预防的关键在于积极防治上述危险因素,主要包括延长抗血小板治疗疗程、选择合适的支架类型和操作技术、开发新型支架和抗血小板药物,同时注意冠心病二级预防。     

消化性溃疡的外科治疗

消化性溃疡(PUD)是世界范围内的一个重要公共健康问题,近年来认识到幽门螺杆菌和非甾体抗炎药的致病作用。在临床使用H2组胺受体拮抗剂和质子泵抑制剂后,手术治疗已常用。但PUD的并发症仍较高,约在10%～20%。故外科治疗仍保留使用。外科治疗PUD的指征有出血、穿孔、胃出口梗阻、难治性PUD和恶变危险等。外科治疗PUD的目的是使溃疡愈合、治疗并发症、治疗各种病因和减少术后后遗症。外科治疗PUD的主要术式有迷走神经切除术、近胃迷走神经切除术、胃引流术、胃窦部切除术后胃部分切除术等。     

应重视中草药对华法令药效影响

华法令是治疗房颤及心脏外科术后的常用药,但是其治疗窗窄,剂量个体差异大,易并发各种出血事件,使用时需严格控制国际标准化比率(INR)。中草药在我国应用广泛,研究发现多类中草药会通过多种途径影响华法令代谢,导致血栓形成、脑血管意外等并发症发生。临床须判明各种中草药对华法令功能的影响,保证药物使用安全。华法令是治疗房颤及心脏外科术后的常用药,但是其治疗窗窄,剂量个体差异大,易并发各种出血事件,使用时需严格控制国际标准化比率(INR)。中草药在我国应用广泛,研究发现多类中草药会通过多种途径影响华法令代谢,导致血栓形成、脑血管意外等并发症发生。临床须判明各种中草药对华法令功能的影响,保证药物使用安全。     

甲状腺结节的评估

甲状腺结节(TN)是很常见的疾患,在成人中触诊可查出5%,但超声检查则可高达50%,TN的评估重要性在于对恶性结节需及时外科手术治疗,对大多数的良性结节则采取更为保守的治疗方法。近年对TN的诊断方法有许多进展,其中超声检查是第一线方法,超声检查TN如有以下特征时要考虑恶性的可能:(1)边缘不整;(2)形状不规则;(3)实体回声结构;(4)低回声;(5)晕轮消失;(6)微钙化;(7)结节内血流。而细针穿刺抽吸细胞学活检在诊断TN时是最准确和直接的方法。其他有实验室检查(TSH、Tg测定),CT、MRI和PET-CT等。在TN的原发疾病中,良性多结节腺肿最为多见,占60%左右;甲状腺癌的发生率为5%～15%,这需看其年龄、性别、放射线病史、家族史等因素而定。慢性淋巴细胞性甲状腺炎、甲状腺囊肿、Graves病和高功能结节等则比较少见。     

对心血管病临床强化治疗的质疑

强化治疗是最近几年反复提到的话题。很多临床试验研究各种强化治疗对心血管疾病预后的影响,但结果显示强化治疗并未能带来更多的益处,甚至有害。因此我们必须理性地看待这些所谓的强化治疗。更应该倾向于个体化治疗、综合治疗,包括控制各种危险因素,改善生活的方式。把治疗的眼光放到疾病发生的早期,早治疗,以求更多获益。     

医学实验设计的几点思考

通过分析医学实验设计中常见的问题,思考其原因,提出了解决这些问题的初浅体会:针对研究主题,全面考量研究环节;重视知识积累,合理预知"未知"的结果;对他人和自己的研究行不间断反思;在研究活动持有客观的态度。