Relational ties of love – A psychosocial proposal for ethics of compassionate care in health and public services

Market-based freedom of choice and user autonomy occupies a prominent position on the policy-maker agendas in many countries, increasingly more so than equity of access or equality of opportunity. The essay discusses how the introduction of market logic and consumerism in public health care services relies on, and taps into, unconscious dynamics and fantasies of invincibility while ignoring precariousness of life and our infinite potential to experience vulnerability. This creates toxicity in organisations and corrupts the moral institutional fabric. Drawing on psychosocial approaches inspired by various strands of psychoanalysis, and the theory of affective attachments to social norms offered by Judith Butler, I propose an ethics of relationality and compassionate care for the unknown ‘other’, as a way of counteracting these developments.     

情绪教养视角:父母元情绪理念与儿童心理社会适应

父母对自身和子女情绪反应所持的认知态度或理念,决定了其在儿童情绪社会化过程中的情绪反应、教养行为。在对近30年国内外研究梳理的基础上,从情绪教养视角分析了父母元情绪理念的内涵演变,其在儿童社会化过程中的影响机制、年龄效应、调节因素及元情绪训练干预等。关于父母元情绪理念的研究,未来还需在国内加大本土化研究,发展多样化测量方法,拓展研究内容的基础上完善理论研究,进而探索教育培养的实践干预,改善父母情绪社会化理念以促进儿童健康社会化。     

An investigation into the psychosocial functioning of creative children: The impact of ADHD symptomatology

This study examined the relationship among creativity, ADHD symptomatology, temperament, and psychosocial functioning by comparing four groups of children aged 10–12 years: (1) 29 ADHD children without creativity, (2) 16 highly creative children displaying ADHD symptomatology, (3) 18 highly creative children without ADHD symptomatology, and (4) 30 normal controls. Children completed the TTCT, Child Depression Inventory, Revised Child Manifest Anxiety Scale, and Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale. Parents completed the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory, Family Environment Scale, and the parent version of the Kastan Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire. Parents completed the Conner's Rating Scales and Child Behavior Checklist, and teachers completed the Child Behaviour Checklist. Results showed that the presence of ADHD symptomatology in creative children was related to their temperamental characteristics, and parent reports of children's levels of anxiety and depression. However, family environment and mother's attributions did not appear to be related to the presence of ADHD symptomatology in creative children. These findings have implications for the development and management of creative children.     

Psychosocial work factors, physical work load and associated musculoskeletal symptoms among home care workers

This study was based on a questionnaire and included a group of home care workers (HCW) (n = 305) and a reference group of municipal employees (n = 694). The relationship between the work environment and musculoskeletal symptoms was analysed. The HCW were less satisfied with their control over their work and stimulus from their work and had a higher physical work load and prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms, compared with the reference group. The Rate Ratio (RR) of neck and shoulder symptoms among HCW was 83 and 54 %, respectively, higher among those reporting a "high" psychological work load compared with those reporting a "low" load. The highest RR for a single risk indicator was 2.5, and this concerned low-back symptoms among HCW who often worked with twisted postures. A combination of "poor" psychosocial work environment and "high" physical work load produced the highest RR for work-related neck (RR = 2.57) and shoulder (RR = 2.13) symptoms.     

Psychological Dysfunction in Southeast Asian Refugees as Mediated by Sense of Coherence

Investigated Antonovky's (1979, 1987) construct of sense of coherence (i.e., an individual's belief that the world was comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful) as the internal psychological mechanism mediating the effects of external stressors (generalized resistance deficits) and resources on psychological dysfunction (measured by depression, anxiety, and psychosocial dysfunction) in 2,234 Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Hmong, and Chinese-Vietnamese refugees. Generalized resistance and deficits significantly predicted sense of coherence as well as psychological dysfunction. The amount of variance accounted for increased significantly when the mediating effect of sense of coherence was tested using a path analysis. Sense of coherence significantly reduced the predictive power of generalized resistance and deficits in the psychological dysfunction models. Results support the hypothesized mediating role of sense of coherence. Thus, interventions aiming to enhance Southeast Asian refugees' functioning may gain in effectiveness by targeting and promoting their sense of coherence.