Covering all the BAS’s: A closer look at the links between BIS,BAS, and socio-emotional functioning in childhood

The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between the BIS, BAS, and socio-emotional functioning in childhood. Participants were 368 children (181 boys) ranging in age from 9 to 13 years (M_age = 10.16, SD = .95). Children provided self-report assessments of BIS/BAS sensitivity, indices of internalizing problems (e.g., depression, social anxiety, loneliness), and perceptions of their peer relations. Parents also rated child internalizing and externalizing problems. Results from confirmatory factor-analysis suggested that the three-factor solution for the BAS (typically reported in adult samples) provided a better fit of the data than a one-factor (typically employed in previous studies with children). Moreover, BAS subscales were associated differentially with different indices of socio-emotional functioning. Support for the joint subsystems hypothesis was also found, with specific BAS subscales serving as moderators of the relations between the BIS and socio-emotional functioning.     

Social Participation During Transition to Adult Life Among Young Adults With High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders: Experiences From an Exploratory Multiple Case Study

This study aimed to explore the social participation of young adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (HFASD) during their transition to adult life. A multiple case study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 10 participants (n = 10) composed of three adults with HFASD, their caregivers, and two representatives of community organizations. Four themes emerged: (1) access to services, (2) orientation to integrated life goals, (3) engagement in meaningful activities, and (4) gap in services before reaching independent living. Properly preparing and orienting the families could help them have a more satisfying social participation.     

Working class homosexuality and HIV/AIDS prevention some recent research from Sydney,Australia

Abstract

Surveys on gay and bisexual men in Sydney and non-metropolitan New South Wales (NSW) indicate uneven patterns of HIV/AIDS knowledge and sexual behaviour change. As a follow-up action-research study, the Class, Homosexuality and AIDS Prevention (CHAP) project pursued audio-recorded, semistructured interviews with men in western Sydney and Nullangardie, a provincial city in NSW, to investigate the relationship between homosexuality and class.

One-to-one interviews with working-class, homosexually active men revealed particular patterns of homosexual initiation and sexual relationships, and a distinct culture being slowly affected by notions of being “gay” and “gay community”. This impact of modern gay life on western Sydney was different from that in the provincial city. More prominent were the effects of class—unemployment, poor education, poverty, and cultural marginalisation—on the experience and elaboration of homosexuality. Group interviews confirmed an experience of “difference” from prominent gay communities, especially Sydney's “Oxford Street” gay quarter. Working-class men offered a critique of gay community-initiated HIV/AIDS prevention strategies, pointing toward different education initiatives involving local social networks.

Case studies are presented to argue the importance of the relation between sexuality and class, and its consequences for HIV/AIDS education.     

Executive Functioning in Children and Adolescents with Major Depressive Disorder

The present investigation examined neurocognitive functioning, focusing on executive functioning (EF), in 39 children and adolescents with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and 24 healthy control subjects all ages 8 to 17 years. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition along with several measures of executive functioning including the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task, Trail Making Test, Controlled Oral Word Association Test, and the Stroop Color Word Test were administered. The neurocognitive profiles for the group of depressed children and adolescents were grossly intact as most scores on intellectual and EF measures fell within the average range and did not differ from the comparison group. Mental processing speed was decreased in the MDD versus normal control group and 27% of the depressed group performed below average on the Trail Making Test. This investigation provided a good base from which to compare future literature on EF in outpatients with early-onset MDD.     

Chapter 6: Biblical Foundations for a Practical Theology of Aging

SUMMARY

This article reviews Biblical sources pertaining to the elderly, particularly the frail elderly. Founded on these sources, implications for elderly with Alzheimer's Disease and other forms of dementia are addressed through a personal perspective informed by writings of Christian mystics.     

Challenges of Urban Mental Health Disaster Planning

Summary

Establishing disaster preparedness is an urgent matter, particularly with regard to mental health. This article examines the challenges of mental health disaster planning in the context of an urban setting, which may differ from those pertaining to rural areas. The need to better integrate public health disaster planning and mental health disaster planning is critical. This document particularly focuses on the challenges involved in leading, coordinating, and convening an urban mental health disaster response. With time, dedication, resources, and creation of effective policy, successful mental health response capability will evolve and endure.     

沿海城市回族穆斯林社区的分化与整合——秦皇岛市清真街社区的考察

学术界对回族社区的研究,主要集中在西北、西南的城市和农村聚居区,对东部沿海城乡散杂居地区的关注相对较少。本文以秦皇岛市清真街回族社区为个案,结合田野调查资料,分析其分化及整合的原因和动力,认为沿海城市回族社区经历了地缘聚居性解体、建构"精神社区"的过程,在社会变迁中寻找到新的定位。     

Cognitive functioning as a contraindication to organ transplant surgery: Dilemmas encountered in medical decision making

A case is presented to illustrate some of the difficulties encountered when providing psychological consultation to evaluate the readiness of patients for pediatric heart-lung transplantation. The outcome of complex medical decision making can often hinge on information provided by the psychological consultant who is attempting to simultaneously serve the needs of the patient as well as the transplant team. Ethical dilemmas frequently arise when medical decision making is driven by limited health care resources and cost constraints. The utility of cognitive functioning as a variable in pediatric transplant decision making is discussed. Recommendations are made for further work in this area on both conceptual and empirical grounds to guide the integration of psychological information into transplant decision making as health care delivery continues to evolve in the future.     

Measuring neighborhood context for young children in an urban area

Awareness of worsening conditions in urban areas has led to a growing interest in how neighborhood context affects children. Although the ecological perspective within child development has acknowledged the relevance of community factors, methods of measuring the neighborhood context for children have been quite limited. An approach to measuring neighborhood environments was tested using the average perceptions of caregivers of young children sampled from high- and low-risk block groups. Individual- and aggregate-level reliabilities and discriminant validity were acceptable for dimensions of neighborhood quality and change, participation in block organizations, disorder and incivilities, service usage and quality, and retaliation against adults. However, for measures of neighborhood interaction and the tendency of adults to intervene with children, there was virtually no agreement among respondents within block groups, resulting in poor aggregate reliability. A model of variability may be a more promising way of characterizing neighborhoods along these dimensions. This research was supported primarily by a grant from The Foundation for Child Development, as well as support from the Cleveland Foundation.