Creating mother and baby therapy groups in prison: emotional valuation

Mothers in prison are at high risk of depression and other mental health issues and yet access to therapeutic services is limited. This paper describes the development by the author of two prison therapy groups: one for pregnant women, the other for mothers and their babies. Called the ‘Born Inside’ project, both groups are currently held in Bronzefield Prison, Surrey. The theory and principles behind the project are discussed, as well as the processes and practicalities involved in providing the therapy and specialised support to the women and their vulnerable infants. In addition, principles of forensic psychotherapy in relation to this specific prison population are described, and the situational and emotional challenges faced are illustrated through narratives of group members.     

Stigma and hostility towards pregnant smokers: Does individuating information reduce the effect?

Australia is at the forefront of tobacco control, yet 17% of Australian women smoke during pregnancy. Negative attitudes to smoking are intensified when the smoker is pregnant, consistent with a discourse that encourages surveillance of pregnant women. Such overt anti-smoking attitudes create a context which may make it difficult for pregnant smokers to seek assistance to stop. However, there is little evidence on the extent to which pregnant smokers are stigmatised by community members. We used vignettes to examine the degree of smoking-related stigma expressed by 595 Australian university students who rated a woman, described as a mother who was smoking or not, and pregnant or not. Further, we examined whether provision of individuating information reduced the degree of stigma. Mothers described as smokers were rated more negatively than those not, particularly if they were pregnant: smokers were perceived as unhealthy, and also as bad mothers. Provision of individuating information slightly reduced these effects. These findings support the view that smokers – particularly if pregnant – are subject to negative moral judgement. Our findings contribute to the ethical debate about stigma-inducing tobacco control efforts, and suggest that anti-smoking campaigns that contextualise smoking in pregnancy might reduce stigma and assist cessation.     

Conceptualizing stress to study effects on health: Environmental,perceptual, and emotional components

Abstract

Stress has been operationalized in numerous ways across studies of physical and mental health, raising questions about the appropriate definition of stress and the construct validity of stress measures. The present paper discusses the theoretical and operational strengths of three prominent approaches to stress definition and then attempts to integrate them into a comprehensive and robust multidimensional definition of stress. In a study of socioeconomically disadvantaged pregnant women, structural equation modelling techniques were used to test whether a single latent construct underlies environmental, perceptual, and response-based indicators of stress. Results suggested a two-factor, rather than a single-factor, model of stress. Stress perception and emotion were part of a single underlying latent factor, a phenomenological stress construct, whereas environmental conditions in the form of major life events represented a second and distinct component of stress. Failure to find a single latent stress construct is interpreted as evidence for the importance of individual perception or appraisal as a mediator of response to difficult environmental conditions. The findings suggest that multidimensional models of stress are theoretically justified and that enhancement of stress measurement in this manner may enable researchers to better identify health effects of stress.     

(Teen)Age is More than a Number: Generational Identity within the Context of HIV and AIDS

This study explored some of the complexities through which young adults construct and represent their sexual identities within the context of HIV/AIDS. The sample comprised a total of 136 (female = 77; male = 59) Indian and African learners, who were between the ages 15–19 years, in a co-educational school in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. The main methods of data collection employed were questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that most young people understand their teenage years as transitional, hormonal and necessarily experimental, and particularly with regard to sexual experimentation. The dominance of heterosexual morality and the transitional status of the adolescents appeared to erode young adults' power to act as responsible agents.     

Esther bick (1901 – 1983)

Abstract

Pearl King and Richardo Steiner, Eds. The Freud-Klein Controversies 1941-45. London, Routledge, 1991. λ100 (Hardback).

Alessandra Piontelli. From Fetus to Child. An Observational and Pyschoanalytic Study. New Library of Psychoanalysis 15. 1992. λ14.99 paperback.

Antonino Ferro. La tecnica in psicoanalisi infantile. II bambino e l'analista: dalla relatione al campo emotivo.? Milan: Cortina, 1992, 221 pages

Rolene Szur and Sheila Miller, Editors. Extending Horizons. Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy with Children, Adolescents and Families. Published by Karnac Books, 1991. Paperback λ24.95.     

异位妊娠诊治的临床思考

异位妊娠是妇产科常见急症之一,也是目前早期妊娠妇女死亡的首要原因。其检查方法多种,治疗也趋于多样化。在异位妊娠的诊治中,我们应从整体上认识了解患者,掌握疾病的发展变化,作出最佳的诊治方案,并随时根据病情发展变化,对诊治方案做出相应的合理的改变。     

英国“代孕”合法化二十年历史回顾

在英国,代孕人工生殖是合法的医疗手段。《布雷热报告》等调查报告对英国代孕立法产生了深远影响。为实现生殖自由、子女利益和社会秩序的平衡,英国拟制定一部专门的《代孕法》。     

Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on prenatal stress,anxiety and depression

Low well-being is common among Chinese pregnant women but few effective interventions currently exist to improve prenatal stress and negative emotions. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has been proved to be effective in reducing stress and rarely studies were focused on Chinese pregnant women. The aim of the current paper is to investigate the effects of 8-week MBSR on prenatal stress, anxiety and depression among Chinese pregnant women. A sample of 66 pregnant women randomly allocated into either the MBSR group (n=34) or the control group (n=32). Participants in the MBSR group received a group 8-week, 90-min each time intervention. The results found a significant interaction between time and condition for prenatal stress (F=45.51, p<0.001, η ²=0.427), anxiety (F=19.30, p<0.001, η ²=0.240), while depression showed no time-by-group interaction (F=0.29, p=0.589, η ²=0.005). As for the sub-scale of state anxiety, while there was only no time effect (F=3.68, p=0.060, η ²=0.057). The findings of this study preliminary indicated effects of the MBSR intervention on self-reported prenatal stress and anxiety in comparison to a treatment-as-usual control. Effect on depression was not observed may due to the low level of depression of participants. This study provides preliminary evidence that MBSR is suitable for Chinese pregnant women and be effective in decreasing prenatal stress, anxiety.