Social identity and psychosis: Explaining elevated rates of psychosis in migrant populations

A substantial body of literature suggests that migrants are at greater risk of developing psychotic symptoms, such as paranoia, compared to non‐migrants. To date, researchers have been unable to identify the primary cause of this effect, finding scarce support for biological, diagnostic, and economic explanations. Social determinants have received little empirical attention in this domain, which we assert is a critical gap in the literature. Here, we propose that the social identity approach offers a framework to help explain the elevated rates of psychosis among migrants, and in turn inform policies and interventions to address this important mental health issue. We propose that cultural identities play a central role in mitigating the psychological precursors of psychosis and that disidentification and social disconnection subsequent to migration could initiate or exacerbate psychosis for multiple generations. We draw together research from social and clinical psychology to detail a social identity approach to psychosis in migrant populations, and make recommendations for future research.     

When and Why People Evaluate Negative Reciprocity as More Fair Than Positive Reciprocity

If you are kind to me, I am likely to reciprocate and doing so feels fair. Many theories of social exchange assume that such reciprocity and fairness are well aligned with one another. We argue that this correspondence between reciprocity and fairness is restricted to interpersonal dyads and does not govern more complex multilateral interactions. When multiple people are involved, reciprocity leads to partiality, which may be seen as unfair by outsiders. We report seven studies, conducted with people from the United States, in which participants were asked to evaluate situations involving resource distribution in contexts such as economic games, government, and the workplace. Specifically, we find that equal resource distribution in multilateral interactions is seen as more fair than engaging in reciprocity. We also find that negative reciprocity is seen as more fair than positive reciprocity in these multilateral situations because positive reciprocity is perceived as based in favoritism. We rule out alternative explanations and demonstrate that there are contexts where favoritism is not viewed as unfair. These findings are important for theories of fairness and reciprocity as they demonstrate the central role of perceived partiality in the evaluation of multi‐party resource allocation.     

HIV voluntary counselling and testing among recently initiated and traditionally circumcised men in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

HIV voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) is a cornerstone of the national strategic plan for HIV/AIDS treatment, care and support in South Africa. However, research shows that the utilisation of VCT services is disappointingly low, particular among males. This article focuses on the factors associated with the intention to test for HIV-infection among recently initiated and traditionally circumcised men in the rural areas of Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Individual face-to-face interviews were conducted among 1656 sexually active men. Logistic regression analyses were used to explore the association between intention to test for HIV and psychosocial factors. Overall, 35.1% of the participants reported ever having tested for HIV. Intention to test for HIV was positively associated with perceived probability of getting an STI, positive attitudes towards gender-based violence, received general teachings about being a responsible man and highest grade passed. These findings provide specific information that can be used in the development of a focused cultural sensitive STI/HIV prevention programme aimed to increase VCT uptake among sexually active young men, which can be integrated into initiation and health education practices.     

Continuing Medical Education: A Cross Sectional Study on a Developing Country’s Perspective

To determine the attitude of general practitioners towards continuing medical education (CME) and reasons motivating or hindering them from attending CME procedures, we conducted a cross-sectional survey from November 2013 to April 2014 in Karachi. Three hundred general practitioners who possessed a medical license for practice in Pakistan filled a pre-designed questionnaire consisting of questions pertaining to attitudes towards CME. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS v16.0. 70.3% (n = 211) of the participants were males. Mean age was 47.75 ± 9.47 years. Only 67.33% knew about CME and only 52% had attended a CME session. Reasons for attending CME procedures reported were: need for updating knowledge, skills and competencies (67.30%), opportunity to meet colleagues (18.58%) and presenting scientific papers (8.97%). Mean Likert score was 1.67 (±0.667) for those who thought CME is worthwhile and 1.44 (±0.686) for those who consider their clinical duties as the major hurdle in attending CME procedures. Most common cause for not attending CME was lack of knowledge (32.66%) followed by time constraint (24%). Most physicians were not sufficiently informed about the potential benefits of CME and had never attended a CME session. Most common reason for attending CME procedures reported was need for updating knowledge, skills and competencies while reasons hindering physicians from attending CME were lack of knowledge and time constraint.