Negotiating Reintegration and Meanings of Space: Formerly Abducted Youth in Uganda

The war in Northern Uganda has ended, and youth who were abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army continue to return to communities. Research conducted in the summer of 2010 in two locations in Uganda, Gulu and Masindi, shows that the process of reintegration is an ongoing process in which formerly abducted youth (FAY) negotiate social relations for reintegration in a very interactive way. FAY consciously decide to stay quiet about their past to avoid compromising social reintegration. The experience‐oriented approach has allowed for an in‐depth exploration and understanding of the reintegration process from the perspective of FAY. In Northern Ugandan cosmology, meaning given to FAY personal spaces dominates. With FAY facing social exclusion by community members and the need to overcome boundaries to reintegration, coping mechanisms are adopted to facilitate reintegration and to carve out personal space within the Northern Ugandan cosmology. In the exploration of the process of negotiating reintegration, a conceptual model is adopted and adjusted to represent personal space within Northern Ugandan cosmology. The main findings suggest that FAY negotiate social relations for reintegration in a very interactive way and that they consciously decide to stay quiet about their past so as to not compromise social reintegration. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

PTSD,comorbid depression,and the cortisol waking response in victims of intimate partner violence: preliminary evidence

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) are two highly comorbid and debilitating disorders experienced by more than half of intimate partner violence victims (IPV). Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) abnormalities are common in both disorders, though the direction of abnormalities often differs. The present study examined the relationship between comorbid PTSD and MDD, and the (salivary) cortisol waking response in 104 recently abused IPV victims. Waking cortisol levels, area under the waking curve with respect to ground (AUCg), and AUC with respect to increase (AUCi) were examined to determine the relation of HPA dynamics to comorbidity for basal versus more dynamic measures. Prior to accounting for comorbidity, women with PTSD or MDD showed significantly greater AUCi than women without the respective disorder. Accounting for comorbidity, PTSD only did not differ from other groups, while MDD only and PTSD + MDD showed greater AUCi than women with neither disorder. Results were nonsignificant for waking cortisol levels or AUCg. Results suggest that MDD drives elevated waking cortisol response, but not basal cortisol activity in recently abused IPV victims. Results demonstrate the importance of examining comorbid diagnoses and HPA activity from a dynamic perspective. Therapeutic implications are discussed.     

Besoin de cognition,besoin d’évaluer,besoin de clôture : proposition d’échelles en langue française et approche socio-normative des besoins dits fondamentaux

Introduction and objectivesAfter leading a validation of questionnaires about three fundamental needs in French language (need for cognition, closing and evaluation), we tested in two studies that fundamental needs could be subjected to social constraints and could be considered differently than exclusively like stable personality characteristics and motivational drivers of action.MethodUsing the paradigm of judges (study 1) and the paradigm of identification (study 2), the results argue for a normative approach, at least as regards the need for cognition and assess.ResultsThe results of the first study show that individuals consider more favorably targets with strong need rather than low need and especially in social contexts with high social utility (that is to say, the professional context in comparison with the friendly context). The results of the second study show that when the questionnaires about needs “as would a person having been previously well or poorly assessed” participants get higher scores high on the need for cognition questionnaire in the first case than in the second. The results regarding the need for closure are more mixed.ConclusionThe results are discussed in a socio-normative perspective.     

Towards international comparative research on the professionalisation of Religious Education

This article calls for international comparative research on the professionalisation of Religious Education (RE). To this end, it provides a rationale for focusing upon the concept of professionalisation and a theoretical justification for international comparative research, particularly identifying its significance in terms of the development of RE in England and Germany. The article outlines a methodology for exploring the concepts of professional knowledge, professional self-organisation and politics and professional development. The proposed methodology involves a systematic analysis of primary documentary sources including: (1) academic and professional journal articles and textbooks; (2) the archives of relevant institutions and organisations; and (3) external evidence, such as inspection and research reports. An analytical case study of two leading journals in each national context, Religion in Education in England and Der Evangelische Erzieher in Germany, in the immediate post-war era is appended to illustrate the benefits of implementing such a methodology across national boundaries.     

The impact of sport and physical activity on the well-being of combat veterans: A systematic review

ObjectivesThis review examined the potential impact of sport and physical activity upon the subjective and psychological well-being of combat veterans in the aftermath of physical or psychological combat trauma.DesignA systematic review was conducted. The question guiding this review was ‘what is the impact of sport and physical activity on the well-being of combat veterans?’MethodsKey databases were searched for articles relating to the use of sport and/or physical activity in supporting combat veterans. 11 studies were identified as relevant for inclusion. Data from these studies were extracted by means of a directed content analysis, the results of which were reported in a narrative synthesis.ResultsSport and physical activity enhances subjective well-being in veterans through active coping and doing things again, PTSD symptom reduction, positive affective experience, activity in nature/ecotherapy, and quality of life. Impact on psychological well-being includes determination and inner strength, focus on ability and broadening of horizons, identity and self-concept, activity in nature/ecotherapy, sense of achievement/accomplishment, and social well-being. Participating in sport and/or physical activity can also enhance motivation for living.ConclusionsThe review advances knowledge by producing a synthesis of evidence that highlights the value of sport and physical activity for supporting the well-being and rehabilitation of disabled combat veterans and combat veterans diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It also develops knowledge by identifying the type of sports and physical activities used to promote well-being, offering the first definition of combat veterans in the sport literature, taking a critical approach, and highlighting the under researched role of nature-based physical activity.     

Towards a new approach to detect sleepiness: Validation of the objective sleepiness scale under simulated driving conditions

The Objective Sleepiness Scale (OSS) was developed to detect and quantify sleepiness on the basis of two direct and reliable sleepiness indicators: EEG and EOG. The present study aims to test whether the OSS can be used to detect sleepiness episodes that impair performance on driving and vigilance tasks accurately and with a good time synchronization. Forty-three healthy volunteers performed monotonous driving sessions on a simulator and the psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) in a normal sleep condition and after partial sleep deprivation. OSS reliability and time synchronization for sleepiness detection were tested on driving (standard deviation of vehicle lateral position and off-road duration) and PVT (reaction time and lapses). Inter-rater reliability of the scale was evaluated by two blinded scorers. Results show that the OSS score indicates higher sleepiness in sleep deprivation conditions (p < 0.001) and with time-on-task. Differences of performance between OSS score calculated with multiple pairwise comparisons, indicate OSS score increase when driving performance (SDLP and off-road duration) decreases (p < 0.001 for comparisons between OSS stages 0 vs 2, 0 vs 3, 1 vs 2 and p < 0.05 for 1 vs 3). Reaction time during PVT is also related to the OSS score (p < 0.05 for OSS values from 0 to 2, 0 to 3, 1 to 2 and 1 to 3). There is no proportional relation between OSS score and performance impairment, but a threshold effect between levels 1 and 2 of the scale is observed. Positive outcomes are also obtained for time synchronization of the OSS assessed on driving performance (p < 0.001 for both SDLP and off-road duration). Finally, inter-rater agreement is found to be considerable. The results allow us to consider using the Objective Sleepiness Scale as a tool for research on sleepiness.     

工作记忆负荷对反馈加工过程的影响:来自脑电研究的证据

个体对行为后反馈结果的加工在学习和环境适应方面有重要意义,工作记忆负荷(working memory load,WM load)如何影响反馈加工过程尚不清楚。采用双任务范式,设置基线、低WM load、高WM load三种条件,结合ERP技术对这一问题进行探究。发现RewP (reward positivity,奖赏正波)对效价敏感,而不受WM load条件影响;Theta震荡的正、负反馈差异波在高WMload条件下比在低WM load条件下小。结果支持等级强化学习-前扣带回理论(HRL-ACC, hierarchical reinforcement learning theory of anterior cingulate cortex)对于RewP和theta震荡的观点:RewP反映了反馈效价评估功能, theta震荡反映了认知控制功能,并且WM load选择性影响了ACC的认知控制功能而不是反馈效价评估功能。