Long‐term immigrant adaptation: Eight‐year follow‐up study among immigrants from Russia and Estonia living in Finland

This study was a longitudinal investigation of the three different dimensions of long‐term immigrant adaptation (i.e., psychological, sociocultural, and socioeconomic adaptation) and the relationships between them in an 8‐year follow‐up with panel data. The 282 respondents were immigrants in Finland, born between 1961 and 1976, coming from the former Soviet Union. The results suggest that the adaptation of these immigrants has developed favourably. In 8 years, the respondents had improved their Finnish language skills and their position in the labour market. No differences were observed in their levels of psychological well‐being between the two assessments. Of the three adaptation dimensions assessed, sociocultural adaptation, measured as proficiency in understanding, speaking, reading, and writing Finnish, turned out to be the most significant predictor of the two other long‐term outcomes of immigrant adaptation (i.e., socioeconomic and psychological). In particular, the better the initial command of the Finnish language, the better were their socioeconomic and psychological adaptation outcomes after 8 years of residence. These results demonstrate the importance of parallel and longitudinal assessments of the different outcomes of immigrant adaptation in order to address which particular dimensions of adaptation are most critical in the beginning of acculturation in terms of determining positive development and long‐term immigrant adaptation.     

Individual Resiliency Factors from a Genetic Perspective: Results from a Twin Study

This article is part of the Twin Mother's Study, a study that examines influences on maternal adjustment. A number of studies have investigated the importance of genetic factors for mental health, but few of these examine how genes and the environment influence resiliency/salutogenic factors. This article investigates the relative importance of genetic and environmental influences on resiliency/salutogenic factors. This study includes 326 twin pairs (150 monozygotic and 176 dizygotic) who are mothers, who are living with their spouse, and who are part of the Swedish twin register. Using self‐report structured questionnaires, we assessed salutogenic factors, depression, and quality of life; however, we analyzed the questionnaires completed by the mothers. Statistical analyses were conducted using structural equation modeling. We conclude that nonshared environmental components were of principal importance in individual resiliency/salutogenic factors in a genetically informative design, but we also noted that genetic influences were important. The shared environment had mainly no effect.     

MUSLIM PERSPECTIVES ON STEM CELL RESEARCH AND CLONING

In Islam, the acquisition of knowledge is a form of worship. But human achievement must be exercised in conformity with God's will. Warnings against feelings of superiority often are coupled with the command to remain within the confines of God's laws and limits. Because of the fear of arrogance and disregard of the balance created by God, any new knowledge or discovery must be applied with careful consideration to maintaining balance in the creation. Knowledge must be applied to ascertain equity and justice for all of humanity. Research in Islam must be linked to the broad ethical base set forth in the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Whether embryonic stem cell research or cloning is ethically acceptable in Islam depends on the benefits derived from such applications. What is most important for the scholars is to adhere to the concepts of compassion, mercy, and benefit to everyone.     

浅析护理缺陷管理

通过对四年来护士发生护理缺陷的种类及主要责任护士的年龄、工作年限,发生的原因及结果进行分析,探索杜绝护理缺陷和医疗纠纷的途径,来不断深入和完善预防措施。对我院2004年～2007年发生的18例护理缺陷进行总结、分析原因,制定整改意见,监督整改结果,以完善防范手段。护士是高风险职业,护理缺陷的发生在各个年龄段,各个工作年限都会因工作的粗心大意而发生,发生的种类也是各不相同的,因此,护理缺陷的发生与护理人员的责任心、工作经验和应变能力息息相关,即使工作经验丰富的护士也会因为一时的细节疏忽而导致护理缺陷的发生。加强缺陷管理和护士安全教育,强化法制观念采取奖惩并用手段,对降低护理缺陷发生有很大作用。     

医疗保险支付方式的研究进展

医疗保险支付方式是医疗保险体制改革的重点与难点,直接关系着医疗保险各方的经济利益,影响医疗保险制度的平稳运行,也是医疗保险费用控制的关键。就国内外医疗保险支付方式的研究现状及进展进行综述,并进一步提出医疗保险支付方式的发展趋势。     

严谨性的结构及其应用研究述评

严谨性(Conscientiousness)是指个体在按照社会规范的要求控制冲动的倾向、以任务和目标为导向、先思后行、延迟满足以及遵守规范和纪律等方面上的个体差异。由于其在应用心理学领域(如, 组织管理心理学)的重要作用而被广泛而深入的研究, 主要内容涉及严谨性对工作绩效和其他工作相关行为的的预测、对健康行为和寿命的预测、对学业表现的预测等方面。文章全面回顾了近年来严谨性的结构及其在管理、教育和健康领域的相关研究, 并指出将来的研究应进一步深入探索严谨性的次级结构、测量工具的编制、严谨性与绩效间关系的假设、严谨性与寿命和健康行为之间的关系等问题。     

Changing interests: A longitudinal study of intrinsic motivation for personally salient activities

The present longitudinal study extends the findings of earlier cross-sectional studies (Waterman, Schwartz, Green, Miller, & Philip, 2003) on the subjective experience of intrinsic motivation. University students generated lists of personally salient (identity-related) activities at the beginning of an academic semester and were asked to evaluate these activities at three points during the semester. Drawing on theories of intrinsic motivation, three subjective indices of intrinsic motivation (interest, flow experiences, and feelings of personal expressiveness) and three theoretically derived predictor variables (self-determination, the balance of challenges and skills, and self-realization values) were used in the present study. Cross-sectional relationships between the predictors and subjective experience indices at each timepoint replicated those observed in previous research. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to demonstrate that, as hypothesized, increases or decreases in the predictor variables between timepoints were associated with corresponding increases or decreases in the subjective experience indices. Implications for the study of intrinsic motivation are discussed.     

Impulsivity as a predictor of newly-diagnosed peptic ulcer disease: A prospective cohort study

We examined the role of impulsivity in the development of peptic ulcer disease (PUD). The subjects were initially healthy 4636 hospital employees aged 19–62 who responded to a questionnaire on personality, health habits, mental health, and PUD in 1998 and 2000. We used multivariate logistic analyses to determine the relationship between impulsivity and newly-diagnosed PUD among those employees who did not have PUD at baseline. Impulsivity was assessed with the Karolinska Scale of Personality. High level of impulsivity was associated with increased 2-year incidence of doctor-diagnosed PUD after adjustment of age, gender, education and shift work (odds ratio = 2.42, 95% confidence interval = 1.21–4.82). Additional adjustment for the effects of smoking, alcohol consumption, BMI, physical activity, minor psychiatric morbidity and diagnosed depression and other psychiatric disease had little effect on this relationship. The present study suggests that impulsivity may be a risk factor for the development of PUD.     

Family Therapy Study Group: The Mumbai Experience

Family therapy training in India is not provided in a systematic manner. Only one institution, the National Institute of Mental Health and NeuroSciences at Bangalore, offers this training, in the form of a three-month program. Consequently, a workshop on basic skills in Family Therapy was conducted in February 2003, at Mumbai, by a trained family therapist from Bangalore. The workshop resulted in founding the Family Therapy Study Group (Mumbai), a non-registered body, in March 2003 so that learning could continue to occur. The group meets once a month for two hours and has had 18 such meetings at this writing. This paper describes the objectives, activities, significant achievements, and future plans of the study group.