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Social Isolation (social + isolation)
Selected AbstractsEarly Social Isolation in Male Long-Evans Rats Alters Both Appetitive and Consummatory Behaviors Expressed During Operant Ethanol Self-AdministrationALCOHOLISM, Issue 2 2009Brian A. McCool Background:, Postweaning social isolation in rats produces profound and long-lasting cognitive and behavioral deficits in adult animals. Importantly, this housing manipulation alters sensitivity to a number of drugs of abuse including ethanol. However, most studies with ethanol have utilized continuous or limited home-cage access to examine interactions between juvenile social experience and drinking. More recently, social isolation was shown to increased ethanol responding in a "dipper" model of self-administration (Deehan et al., 2007). In the current study, we utilize a "sipper" operant self-administration model to distinguish the effects of isolation rearing on ethanol seeking- and drinking-related behaviors. Methods:, Postweaning juvenile male Long-Evans rats were placed into 2 housing groups for 6 weeks: one group consisted of individually housed animals; the second group was housed 4 animals per cage. Following the isolation period, anxiety-like behavior was assessed to confirm the efficacy of the isolation procedure. In some animals, ethanol drinking in the home cage was assessed using a continuous access, 2-bottle choice paradigm. All animals were then individually housed and trained to lever-press for a sipper tube containing either an ethanol solution or a sucrose solution. Results:, Postweaning social isolation increased the expression of anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze but not the light-dark box. Ethanol consumption was also increased during continuous home-cage access with the 2-bottle choice paradigm. During operant self-administration, isolation housing increased the response rate and increased ethanol consumption but did not alter responding for or consumption of sucrose. The housing manipulation did not change the total number of lever responses during extinction sessions. Paired-pulse inhibition deficits that are characteristic of juvenile isolation remained intact after prolonged experience with sucrose self-administration. Discussion:, The effects of postweaning social isolation on ethanol drinking in the home cage are also manifest during operant self-administration. Importantly, these alterations in adult operant self-administration are ethanol-specific. [source] A pilot examination of social context and everyday physical activity among adults receiving Community Mental Health ServicesACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 3 2009B. P. McCormick Objective:, Community mental health center (CMHC) clients include a variety of people with moderate to severe mental illnesses who also report a number of physical health problems. Physical activity (PA) has been identified as one intervention to improve health among this population; however, little is known about the role of social context in PA. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of social context in everyday PA among CMHC clients. Method:, Data were collected from CMHC clients in two cultures using accelerometery and experience sampling methods. Data were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. Results:, Independence in housing nor culture was significantly associated with levels of PA. Being alone was significantly negatively related to PA level. Conclusion:, Social isolation appears to be negatively related to PA at the level of everyday life. Physical activity interventions with this population should consider including social components as a part of PA. [source] The effects of social environment on adult neurogenesis in the female prairie voleDEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY, Issue 2 2002Christie D. Fowler Abstract In the mammalian brain, adult neurogenesis has been found to occur primarily in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and dentate gyrus of the hippocampus (DG) and to be influenced by both exogenous and endogenous factors. In the present study, we examined the effects of male exposure or social isolation on neurogenesis in adult female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). Newly proliferated cells labeled by a cell proliferation marker, 5-bromo-2,-deoxyuridine (BrdU), were found in the SVZ and DG, as well as in other brain areas, such as the amygdala, hypothalamus, neocortex, and caudate/putamen. Two days of male exposure significantly increased the number of BrdU-labeled cells in the amygdala and hypothalamus in comparison to social isolation. Three weeks later, group differences in BrdU labeling generally persisted in the amygdala, whereas in the hypothalamus, the male-exposed animals had more BrdU-labeled cells than did the female-exposed animals. In the SVZ, 2 days of social isolation increased the number of BrdU-labeled cells compared to female exposure, but this difference was no longer present 3 weeks later. We have also found that the vast majority of the BrdU-labeled cells contained a neuronal marker, indicating neuronal phenotypes. Finally, group differences in the number of cells undergoing apoptosis were subtle and did not seem to account for the observed differences in BrdU labeling. Together, our data indicate that social environment affects neuron proliferation in a stimulus- and site-specific manner in adult female prairie voles. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Neurobiol 51: 115,128, 2002 [source] Alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone attenuates behavioral effects of corticotropin-releasing factor in isolated guinea pig pupsDEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2009Patricia A. Schiml-Webb Abstract During a 3-hr period of social isolation in a novel environment, guinea pig pups exhibit an initial active phase of behavioral responsiveness, characterized primarily by vocalizing, which is then followed by a stage of passive responsiveness in which pups display a distinctive crouch, eye-closing, and extensive piloerection. Prior treatment of pups with alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (,-MSH) reduces each of the passive behaviors. The onset of passive responding during separation can be accelerated with peripheral injection of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF). To examine whether CRF produces its effects through a mechanism similar to that of prolonged separation, we examined the effect of administering ,-MSH to pups injected with CRF. As expected, CRF markedly enhanced passive responding during a 60-min period of separation. ,-MSH delivered by either intracerebroventricular infusion or intraperitoneal injection significantly reduced each of the passive behavioral responses without significantly affecting active behavior. These findings, together with previous results indicating that it is the anti-inflammatory property of ,-MSH that is responsible for its behavioral effects during prolonged separation, suggest that peripheral CRF speeds the induction of passive responding through a mechanism involving enhanced proinflammatory activity. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 51: 399,407, 2009. [source] Effects of different opportunities for social interaction on the play fighting behavior in male and female golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus)DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2005Mauro Luís Vieira Abstract After social isolation, animals play significantly more than nonisolated animals. However, it is not always possible to affirm that the effect of the social isolation is due to the lack of play. Experimentally, selective privation has been used, such as allowing the animals to play during periods of the day. In the present study, two experiments were carried out to verify the possible differences in the play fighting behavior of golden hamsters that were allowed to have different daily periods of social interaction (10 min, 1 hr, or 2 hr). Through the statistical analysis, it was shown that males play more than females and that periods of up to 2 hr daily for interaction are insufficient to avoid the short-term effects of isolation. It is concluded that a period of daily social interaction greater than 2 hr is needed to offset the effects of social isolation in golden hamsters. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 47: 345,353, 2005. [source] Transnational Ties, Poverty, and Identity: Latin American Immigrant Women in Public Housing,FAMILY RELATIONS, Issue 4 2008Silvia Domínguez Abstract: This study used ethnographic data to examine the nature and functions of transnational relationships of low-income Latin American women who had immigrated to the United States and were living in areas of extreme poverty. Findings indicated that these Latin American mothers utilized transnational ties to help maintain the cultural identities of themselves and their children, to alleviate social isolation, and to provide a safer summer housing alternative for their children. Transnational ties may have had some negative consequences, including financial and social burdens associated with maintaining long-distance familial relationships. However, despite some negative aspects, we conclude that transnational ties are often an instrumental resource for immigrant mothers living in poverty and are vital to immigrant social mobility. [source] Which parameters differ in very old patients with chronic atrial fibrillation treated by anticoagulant or aspirin?FUNDAMENTAL & CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 5 2008Antithrombotic treatment of atrial fibrillation in the elderly Abstract The objective was to determine the main parameters taken into account for the decision of antithrombotic treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) by vitamin K antagonist or aspirin. This was a prospective clinical study of four clinical services of geriatric medicine. Two hundred and nine inpatients, 84.7 ± 7 years (women 60.8%), with chronic AF were included. The patients were distributed into two groups (anticoagulant or aspirin) according to medical decision. All the decision criteria for treatment were recorded: cardiopathy, conditions of life, clinical examination (nutrition and autonomy, mini-mental state examination (MMSE), walking evaluation, comorbidity), subjective evaluation of risk of falls and glomerular filtration rate. The thromboembolic risk and the bleeding risk, evaluated subjectively for each patient, were compared with two scores of thrombo-embolic risk and bleeding risk. The evolution of the patients was recorded after 3 months. Student's t -test and chi-squared tests were used for statistical analysis. One hundred and two patients (48.8%) received anticoagulant and 107 patients received aspirin. Patients in the aspirin group were significantly older (86.5 ± 6.5 vs. 82.9 ± 7.1 years), with more frequent social isolation, higher systolic blood pressure, and had more important subjective bleeding risk and risk of falls. Patients in the anticoagulant group had significantly more valvulopathies and a more important subjective thromboembolic risk. Thrombo-phlebitis antecedents, dementia, denutrition and walking alterations were only slightly more frequent in patients in the aspirin group. Physicians underestimated thromboembolic risk (one-third of patients) and they overestimated bleeding risk (half of the patients). After 3 months, the two groups did not significantly differ for death, bleeding or ischaemic events. In common practice, the decision of antithrombotic treatment for AF should take into account not only cardiovascular but also geriatric criteria. [source] Individual vulnerability to escalated aggressive behavior by a low dose of alcohol: decreased serotonin receptor mRNA in the prefrontal cortex of male miceGENES, BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR, Issue 1 2010S. Chiavegatto Low to moderate doses of alcohol consumption induce heightened aggressive behavior in some, but not all individuals. Individual vulnerability for this nonadaptive behavior may be determined by an interaction of genetic and environmental factors with the sensitivity of alcohol's effects on brain and behavior. We used a previously established protocol for alcohol oral self-administration and characterized alcohol-heightened aggressive (AHA) mice as compared with alcohol non-heightened (ANA) counterparts. A week later, we quantified mRNA steady state levels of several candidate genes in the serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] system in different brain areas. We report a regionally selective and significant reduction of all 5-HT receptor subtype transcripts, except for 5-HT3, in the prefrontal cortex of AHA mice. Comparable gene expression profile was previously observed in aggressive mice induced by social isolation or by an anabolic androgenic steroid. Additional change in the 5-HT1B receptor transcripts was seen in the amygdala and hypothalamus of AHA mice. In both these areas, 5-HT1B mRNA was elevated when compared with ANA mice. In the hypothalamus, AHA mice also showed increased transcripts for 5-HT2A receptor. In the midbrain, 5-HT synthetic enzyme, 5-HT transporter and 5-HT receptors mRNA levels were similar between groups. Our results emphasize a role for postsynaptic over presynaptic 5-HT receptors in mice which showed escalated aggression after the consumption of a moderate dose of alcohol. This gene expression profile of 5-HT neurotransmission components in the brain of mice may suggest a vulnerability trait for alcohol-heightened aggression. [source] The Space of Local Control in the Devolution of us Public Housing PolicyGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 4 2000Janet L. Smith Sweeping changes in national policy aim to radically transform public housing in the United States. The goal is to reduce social isolation and increase opportunities for low income tenants by demolishing ,worst case' housing, most of which is modern, high-rise buildings with high vacancy and crime rates, and replacing it with ,mixed-income' developments and tenant based assistance to disperse current public housing families. Transformation relies on the national government devolving more decision-making power to local government and public housing authorities. The assumption here is that decentralizing the responsibility for public housing will yield more effective results and be more efficient. This paper explores the problematic nature of decentralization as it has been conceptualized in policy discourse, focusing on the underlying assumptions about the benefits of increasing local control in the implementation of national policy. As this paper describes, this conceived space of local control does not take into account the spatial features that have historically shaped where and how low income families live in the US, including racism and classism and a general aversion by the market to produce affordable rental units and mixed-income developments. As a result, this conceived space of local control places the burden on low income residents to make transformation a success. To make this case, Wittgenstein's (1958) post-structural view of language is combined with Lefebvre's view of space to provide a framework in which to examine US housing policy discourse as a ,space producing' activity. The Chicago Housing Authority's Plan for Transformation is used to illustrate how local efforts to transform public housing reproduce a functional space for local control that is incapable of generating many of the proposed benefits of decentralization for public housing tenants. [source] Psychosocial factors involved in delayed consultation by patients with head and neck cancerHEAD & NECK: JOURNAL FOR THE SCIENCES & SPECIALTIES OF THE HEAD AND NECK, Issue 4 2005Olivier Rozniatowski DESS Abstract Background. In the north of France, a delay in primary consultation has been noted among patients with head and neck cancer. This group is often correlated with lower socioeconomic status and a lack of medical information. Therefore, the choice to seek consultation is often influenced by symptoms such as pain and change in the size of tumors in the neck. We studied this delay in seeking consultation, focusing on psychosocial variables such as professional and social background, the involvement of a spouse/partner, and the presence of anxiety and depression. Methods. Two rating scales were administered to 50 patients with large tumors (T3/T4) and 50 patients with small tumors (T1/T2), and the results were compared. These rating scales were as follows: (1) a 17-item questionnaire assessing sociodemographic data, presenting symptoms, factors generating the consultation, and reasons for delay; and (2) the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results. Both groups were predominantly male and working-class. Significant differences were observed in time since symptom onset and in conscious delay in seeking medical attention. The group with large tumors was characterized by lower involvement of a spouse/partner, conscious delay before first consultation, greater social isolation, fewer medical visits, and lower HADS anxiety scores. The group with small tumors sought consultation sooner and was characterized by greater involvement of a spouse/partner, correlated with significant anxiety. Depression was not a factor influencing delay within either group. Conclusions. The interpersonal relationship with a spouse/partner seemed to be essential in the dynamics surrounding consultation. Anxiety, rather than socioeconomics status, was a discriminating factor in the delay in seeking consultation. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck27: XXX,XXX, 2005 [source] Amitriptyline Treatment in Chronic Drug-Induced Headache: A Double-Blind Comparative Pilot StudyHEADACHE, Issue 2 2001S. Descombes MD Objective.,To assess the effects of amitriptyline and sudden analgesic withdrawal on headache frequency and quality of life in patients suffering from chronic daily headache related to analgesics abuse. Methods.,Seventeen nondepressed patients with chronic drug-induced headache were included in a 9-week, parallel-group, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. After abrupt analgesic withdrawal, amitriptyline or an active placebo (trihexyphenidyl) was started. The primary efficacy variable was headache frequency recorded on a headache diary in the last 4 weeks of each treatment. The secondary efficacy variable was quality of life (Nottingham Health Profile). Results.,Headache frequency decreased by 45% in the amitriptyline group and by 28% in the trihexyphenidyl group. Amitriptyline enhanced all the dimensions of quality of life and significantly improved emotional reaction and social isolation. Conclusion.,This pilot study suggests a beneficial effect of amitriptyline on headache frequency and quality of life for patients with chronic drug-induced headache. [source] The Golden Freeway: a preliminary evaluation of a pilot study advancing information technology as a social intervention for boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and their familiesHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 1 2004Jennifer Soutter BSc PhD Abstract Established information technology was used in an attempt to reduce social isolation by providing each family who had a child with Duchenne muscular dystrophy with a personal computer, and e-mail and Internet connectivity. Seventy-four of the 88 families in the north of England (i.e. Cumbria, Durham, Northumberland, Teesside, and Tyne and Wear) with a boy with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who was diagnosed before January 2000 had the equipment installed. Evaluations of equipment usage and parental perceptions of the project were carried out at 3 and 12 months post-installation. Results from quantitative and qualitative interviews with parents indicated that benefits accrued to the families and to the boys themselves: family relationships can be extended, and the boys can acquire a degree of independence which, according to parents' views, can boost self-confidence and self-esteem. As hoped, social isolation was felt to have been reduced, and an occupation, interest and enjoyment provided. The greatest use of the computer was for schoolwork with siblings sharing in this. Cost proved to be a problem for a number of families. For the project team, there were unexpected aspects: creating an e-community was more difficult than anticipated, more training was required and not all families would ever use the equipment to its fullest. However, families did emphasise the value of the project as a way of opening the world for their sons. [source] Influence of social network characteristics on cognition and functional status with agingINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 9 2008Ariel Frank Green Abstract Objective To determine whether more frequent engagement in larger social networks, and more emotional support protect against cognitive and functional decline with aging. Methods We examined the influence of social networks on cognition and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) over a median interval of 10.9 years. Data were from the Baltimore follow-up of the Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) study, a community-based sample of adults in eastern Baltimore. Eight hundred and seventy-four participants completed cognitive testing at both the third and fourth study waves (1993,1996 and 2003,2004) on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and a delayed word recall task. Functional status at both waves was self-reported on the Lawton-Brody IADL scale. Social network characteristics, assessed at the third study wave, included network size, frequency of contact, and emotional support. Results In cross-sectional analyses at wave 3, larger networks were associated with higher MMSE and better delayed recall scores. This association persisted after adjustment for covariates. More emotional support was associated with better functional status, before and after adjustment. By contrast, social networks were not longitudinally associated with cognitive change, with two counter-intuitive exceptions: more frequent contact and more emotional support were associated with worse delayed recall and IADL scores after adjustment. Conclusions There was no evidence of a longitudinal association between social networks and cognition or IADLs, although a clear cross-sectional association exists. Together, these findings suggest the emergence of social isolation in individuals declining in cognition and functioning, rather than a protective effect of social networks. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Agreement between dementia patient report and proxy reports using the Nottingham Health ProfileINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 11 2004F. Boyer Abstract Objective The aim of the study was to examine the agreement between patient reports and their proxy reports (family and care provider proxies) on Health Status in a sample of patients with dementia. Method Ninety-nine patients with mild to moderate dementia and proxies completed the 38-item Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) questionnaire. Results Completion rates for the different NHP dimensions ranged from 78 to 90% for the dementia subjects. Inter-rater agreement between different proxies and subject was from moderate to good for physical assessment (ICCs from 0.54 to 0.78 for physical mobility scales). Patient/family proxy concordance was moderate to good for five out of six dimensions (physical mobility, social isolation, pain, energy, sleep) and poor for emotional reaction. Family proxies systematically reported lower functioning than did patients in the four subscales assessing: physical mobility (p,<,0.0001), energy (p,<,0.005), social isolation (p,<,0.01) and sleep (p,<,0.03). Care provider proxies only estimated physical mobility as lower (p,<,0.0001). Conclusion Age and physical status of the patient significantly affected agreement in patient-care provider proxy ratings. Thus, caution is appropriate when resorting to proxies to estimate the Health Status of a dementia patient. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Acute-care nurses' attitudes towards older patients: A literature reviewINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING PRACTICE, Issue 2 2000Mary Courtney PhD With increases in life expectancy and increasing numbers of older patients utilising the acute setting, attitudes of registered nurses caring for older people may affect the quality of care provided. This paper reviews recent research on positive and negative attitudes of acute-care nurses towards older people. Many negative attitudes reflect ageist stereotypes and knowledge deficits that significantly influence registered nurses' practice and older patients' quality of care. In the acute setting, older patients experience reduced independence, limited decision-making opportunities, increased probability of developing complications, little consideration of their ageing-related needs, limited health education and social isolation. Available instruments to measure attitudes towards and knowledge about older people, although reliable and valid, are outdated, country-specific and do not include either a patient focus or a caring perspective. This paper argues for the development and utilisation of a research instrument that includes both a patient focus and a caring dimension. [source] Predictors of Worsening of Patients' Quality of Life Six Months After Coronary Artery Bypass SurgeryJOURNAL OF CARDIAC SURGERY, Issue 6 2008Vladan Peric M.D. Methods: We studied 208 consecutive patients, who underwent elective CABG. The Nottingham Health Profile Questionnaire part 1 was used as the model for quality of life determination. The questionnaire contains 38 subjective statements divided into six sections: physical mobility, social isolation, emotional reaction, energy, pain, and sleep. We distributed the questionnaire to all patients before CABG and six months after CABG. One hundred ninety-two patients filled in the postoperative questionnaire. Results: The comparison between mean preoperative and postoperative scores showed an improvement in all sections of quality of life (p < 0.001). New York Heart Association functional class was significantly improved after CABG (2.23 ± 0.65 vs. 1.58 ± 0.59, p<0.001). Independent predictors of patients worsened by CABG were as follows: female gender in the pain section (p = 0.002; OR = 4.27; CI 1.74,10.47), diabetes mellitus in the physical mobility section (p = 0.003; OR = 8.09; CI 2.04,32.09), low ejection fraction in the physical mobility (p = 0.047; OR = 0.73; CI 0.56,0.95) and emotional reaction (p = 0.03; OR = 0.86; CI 0.60,0.93) sections, and postoperative complications in the social isolation (p = 0.002; OR = 4.63; CI 1.79,11.99), sleep (p = 0.03; OR = 2.71; CI 1.12,6.51), and pain (p = 0.005; OR = 3.39; CI 1.45,7.97) sections. Conclusion: The predictive factors for quality of life worsening six months after CABG are female gender, diabetes mellitus, low ejection fraction, and the presence of postoperative complications. [source] Social capital, age and religiosity in people who are lonelyJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 3 2006William Lauder PhD Aims and objectives., The aims of the study were to (i) investigate age and loneliness, (ii) investigate the association between religiosity and loneliness, and (iii) and explore the relationship between social capital and loneliness. Background., Loneliness is the subjective experience of social isolation and is a risk factor for a wide range of health problems including heart disease and depression. Poor self-rated health, domestic violence and poor economic conditions are associated with greater loneliness. Design., The study was a cross-sectional survey of a random sample of adults aged 18 years and over. Methods., A random sample of 1289 subjects was interviewed by computer-assisted telephone interviewing. This interview included the Loneliness Scale and items from the Social Capital Module of the General Household Survey. Findings., Loneliness is more common in men and people without strong religious beliefs. An income-loneliness gradient is evident. Little support was found for the association between social capital and loneliness. Conclusion., The prevalence of loneliness is relatively stable in this population. Loneliness is linked to income and unemployment and as such pathways between socio-economic factors, loneliness and health need to guide interventions and future research. Relevance to clinical practice., Loneliness is linked to a range of social and economic factors. Current Health Visiting practice recognizes the importance of tackling the effects of poverty and social deprivation and places community building at the core of much Health Visiting practice. This broad community level approach can usefully transfer into all community nursing and health promotion activity. [source] Quality of life in adult enteral tube feeding patientsJOURNAL OF HUMAN NUTRITION & DIETETICS, Issue 6 2007A. M. Brotherton Abstract Background, Enteral tube feeding may impact significantly on patients' quality of life (QoL). The aim of this paper is to review studies that have measured QoL in adult patients receiving enteral tube feeding to determine the factors that are associated with feeding that impact on the patients' QoL. Methods, An electronic search of CINAHL, MEDLINE and EMBASE was undertaken to identify articles that had measured QoL in adults receiving enteral tube feeding. Results, Ten studies were included in the review. Quality of life in patients receiving enteral tube feeding generally appeared poor compared with control groups. Factors that were found to impact on patients' quality of life included symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and fatigue. Issues around body image, inability to go out and discomfort while carrying out activities of daily living also impacted on QoL. Conclusions, Although the presence of underlying disease and the use of different QoL measures made comparison of the results difficult, issues requiring further consideration in clinical practice include effective symptom management, assessment of psychological and emotional issues and support for patients to enable them to cope with the resulting social isolation. [source] Early Social Isolation in Male Long-Evans Rats Alters Both Appetitive and Consummatory Behaviors Expressed During Operant Ethanol Self-AdministrationALCOHOLISM, Issue 2 2009Brian A. McCool Background:, Postweaning social isolation in rats produces profound and long-lasting cognitive and behavioral deficits in adult animals. Importantly, this housing manipulation alters sensitivity to a number of drugs of abuse including ethanol. However, most studies with ethanol have utilized continuous or limited home-cage access to examine interactions between juvenile social experience and drinking. More recently, social isolation was shown to increased ethanol responding in a "dipper" model of self-administration (Deehan et al., 2007). In the current study, we utilize a "sipper" operant self-administration model to distinguish the effects of isolation rearing on ethanol seeking- and drinking-related behaviors. Methods:, Postweaning juvenile male Long-Evans rats were placed into 2 housing groups for 6 weeks: one group consisted of individually housed animals; the second group was housed 4 animals per cage. Following the isolation period, anxiety-like behavior was assessed to confirm the efficacy of the isolation procedure. In some animals, ethanol drinking in the home cage was assessed using a continuous access, 2-bottle choice paradigm. All animals were then individually housed and trained to lever-press for a sipper tube containing either an ethanol solution or a sucrose solution. Results:, Postweaning social isolation increased the expression of anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze but not the light-dark box. Ethanol consumption was also increased during continuous home-cage access with the 2-bottle choice paradigm. During operant self-administration, isolation housing increased the response rate and increased ethanol consumption but did not alter responding for or consumption of sucrose. The housing manipulation did not change the total number of lever responses during extinction sessions. Paired-pulse inhibition deficits that are characteristic of juvenile isolation remained intact after prolonged experience with sucrose self-administration. Discussion:, The effects of postweaning social isolation on ethanol drinking in the home cage are also manifest during operant self-administration. Importantly, these alterations in adult operant self-administration are ethanol-specific. [source] Pathways from Traumatic Child Victimization to Delinquency: Implications for Juvenile and Permanency Court Proceedings and DecisionsJUVENILE AND FAMILY COURT JOURNAL, Issue 1 2006JULIAN D. FORD ABSTRACT Research studies and observations by mental health and judicial professionals suggest that childhood traumatic victimization may contribute to the development of juvenile delinquency. Based on this evidence, we describe a chronological pathway that runs from: (a) early childhood victimization, to (b) escalating dysregulation of emotion and social information processing ("survival coping," which takes the form of depression, anxiety, social isolation, peer rejection, and conflicted relationships), to (c) severe and persistent problems with oppositional-defiance and overt or covert aggression compounded by post-traumatic reactivity and hypervigilance ("victim coping"). A case vignette is provided, and implications for judicial review and decisions are discussed. [source] Recent trends in diagnosis and treatment of faecal incontinenceALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 8 2004A. K. Tuteja Summary The inability to control bowel discharge is not only common but extremely distressing. It has a negative impact on a patient's lifestyle, leads to a loss of self-esteem, social isolation and a diminished quality of life. Faecal incontinence is often due to multiple pathogenic mechanisms and rarely due to a single factor. Normal continence to stool is maintained by the structural and functional integrity of the anorectal unit. Consequently, disruption of the normal anatomy or physiology of the anorectal unit leads to faecal incontinence. Currently, several diagnostic tests are available that can provide an insight regarding the pathophysiology of faecal incontinence and thereby guide management. The treatment of faecal incontinence includes medical, surgical or behavioural approaches. Today, by using logical approach to management, it is possible to improve symptoms and bowel function in many of these patients. [source] Leg clubs: A new approach to patient-centred leg ulcer managementNURSING & HEALTH SCIENCES, Issue 3 2000DNCERT, DipHE, Ellie Lindsay BSC(HONS) Abstract Loneliness is a significant health-care issue for many elderly patients in the community. The correlation between social isolation, poor compliance to treatment, and low healing rates for patients suffering from leg ulcers is well documented. Pain, odour, bandages etc. contribute to low self-esteem, depression and social stigma. Home visits by community nurses cannot provide the social and psychological support required by these patients. Responding to the holistic needs of this client group, the author set up Debenham Leg Club in 1995 to provide leg ulcer management in an informal, non-medical setting, where the emphasis is on social interaction, participation, empathy and peer support. This social model was conceived as a unique partnership between the district nurses and the local community, in which patients are empowered, through a sense of ownership, to become stakeholders in their own treatment. The value of the ,club' concept is evident in the happy, welcoming, uninhibited atmosphere that characterizes the clinic. Non-compliance to treatment has been virtually eliminated and evidence of greater healing rates has been illustrated through many patients whose long-standing ulcers have healed or greatly improved as a direct result of this change in approach. Patients' willingness to attend for systematic ,well leg' checks and ongoing health education has dramatically reduced the incidence of recurrence. [source] Protective effect of BR-16A, a polyherbal preparation against social isolation stress: possible GABAergic mechanismPHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, Issue 7 2006Anil Kumar Abstract The antistress effects of BR-16A, a polyherbal preparation and its interaction with GABAergic modulators against social isolation-induced stress were investigated in the present study. Isolation stress was induced by keeping the mice (Laca strain) individually in each cage for 3 weeks and various drug treatments were given for a period of 5 days before the start of the experiments. The various behavioural parameters examined included pentobarbitone-induced sleep (sleep latency and duration), analgesia (tail-ßick test) and locomotor activity, respectively. BR-16A (100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg) treatment for 5 days significantly reversed the social isolation stress-induced prolongation of onset and decrease in pentobarbitone-induced sleep, increased total motor activity and stress-induced antinociception. When diazepam (0.5 mg/kg), a benzodiazepine agonist, was co-administered with BR-16A (100 mg/kg), it significantly potentiated the reversal of pentobarbitone-induced shortening of sleep time effects; increased locomotor activity and stress induced antinociceptive effects. However, the sleep latency was not decreased significantly. Further, ßumazenil (2 mg/kg), a benzodiazepine receptor antagonist and FG 7142 (10 mg/kg), an inverse agonist, when co-administered with BR-16A (100 mg/kg), showed no significant reversal on pentobarbitone-induced hypnosis, locomotor activity and social isolation-induced antinociception compared with their effects per se. The present study demonstrated the antistress effects of BR-16A preparation against social isolation-induced stress. The present study also suggests that the GABAergic system may be involved in its antistress effect. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Beyond the 50-Minute Hour: Increasing Control, Choice, and Connections in the Lives of Low-Income WomenAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 1 2010Lisa A. Goodman Although poverty is associated with a range of mental health difficulties among women in this country, mainstream mental health interventions are not sufficient to meet the complex needs of poor women. This article argues that stress, powerlessness, and social isolation should become primary targets of our interventions, as they are key mediators of the relationship between poverty and emotional distress, particularly for women. Indeed, if ways are not found to address these conditions directly, by increasing women's control, choice, and connections, the capacity to improve the emotional well-being of impoverished women will remain limited at best. This is the first of 5 articles that comprise a special section of the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, called "Beyond the 50-Minute Hour: Increasing Control, Choice, and Connections in the Lives of Low-Income Women." Together, these articles explore the nature and impact of a range of innovative mental health interventions that are grounded in a deep understanding of the experience of poverty. This introduction: (a) describes briefly how mainstream approaches fail to address the poverty-related mental health needs of low-income women; (b) illuminates the role of stress, powerlessness, and social isolation in women's lives; (c) highlights the ways in which the articles included in this special section address each of these by either adapting traditional mental health practices to attend to poverty's role in participants' lives or adapting community-based, social-justice-oriented interventions to attend to participants' mental health; and (d) discusses the research and evaluation implications of expanding mental health practices to meet the needs of low-income communities. [source] Social Support and Mental Health Among College StudentsAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 4 2009Jennifer Hefner MPH This study is the first, to our knowledge, to evaluate the relationship between mental health and social support in a large, random sample of college students. A Web-based survey was administered at a large, public university, with 1, 378 students completing the measures in this analysis (response rate = 57%). The results support our hypothesis that students with characteristics differing from most other students, such as minority race or ethnicity, international status, and low socioeconomic status, are at greater risk of social isolation. In addition, the authors found that students with lower quality social support, as measured by the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, were more likely to experience mental health problems, including a sixfold risk of depressive symptoms relative to students with high quality social support. These results may help administrators and health providers to identify more effectively the population of students at high risk for mental illness and develop effective interventions to address this significant and growing public health issue. [source] Meeting a Binational Research Challenge: Substance Abuse Among Transnational Mexican Farmworkers in the United StatesTHE JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 2007Victor Garcia PhD ABSTRACT:,To help in understanding the manner in which community, individual, and other factors in the United States and Mexico contribute to drug use among transnational migrants, this paper introduces a binational social ecology model of substance abuse in this population. We draw on our 2 NIH-funded ethnographic studies,1 on problem drinking and the other on drug abuse,among transnational Mexican workers in the mushroom industry of southeastern Pennsylvania. Our model demonstrates that major reasons for substance abuse among transnational migrants include nontraditional living arrangements in labor camps and overcrowded apartments, the absence of kin and community deterrents to drug use, social isolation, the presence of drug use and binge drinking subcultures, the availability of drugs, family history of drugs, previous drug use or witnessing of drug use in Mexico, and drug use norms and drug availability in Mexico. It suggests the need for US and Mexican researchers to collaborate in binational teams and address factors on both sides of the border. Our binational social ecology model, together with our research recommendations, will assist alcohol and drug researchers to discover how community and individual factors in both the United States and abroad fit and interact beyond mere association and provide a more comprehensive research approach to substance abuse research among transnational migrants. [source] Social behavior in laboratory rats: Applications for psycho-neuroethology studiesANIMAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 4 2006Yutaka YAMAMURO ABSTRACT The social behavior in laboratory animals occurs in conspecific groups. In the past two decades, the physiological basis of the social behavior in laboratory rats has been gradually elucidated through various neural approaches. In addition, the relevance of social related behavior for psycho-neuroethology studies has been extensively proposed. An analysis of social recognition behavior of new conspecifics is a useful approach for the study of memory without aversive alternatives such as fear, pain and anxiety. Furthermore, it is considered that artificial or experimental social isolation can induce altered emotional states in laboratory rats. This article reviews the past findings regarding social behavior and aspects of its expression, and discusses further possibilities for animal models of human neuro-psychiatric disorders. [source] Coping in Children and Adolescents with Obesity: The Costs and Benefits of Realistic versus Unrealistic Weight EvaluationsAPPLIED PSYCHOLOGY: HEALTH AND WELL-BEING, Issue 2 2010Stefanie Meier The study analysed differences in coping strategies between obese and non-obese children and adolescents (age: 8,14 years) in response to a social stressor. Physicians' diagnoses of obesity and self-reports on height and weight as well as gender and age were considered. A sample of 757 participants responded to an established German coping questionnaire. In addition to general coping strategies, two more potentially weight-related coping strategies were assessed. Adolescent obese girls who reported height and weight realistically showed particularly little social support-seeking behavior. Media use in general increased with age, but was especially high for adolescent obese boys who evaluated themselves as obese. Finally, girls in general and obese children and adolescents who evaluated themselves as overweight or obese showed higher stress-related eating. With regard to coping it seems to be a disadvantage for obese children and adolescents to see themselves as obese. In contrast, obese children and adolescents who have unrealistically positive self-evaluations of their weight report coping strategies similar to those reported by normal weight children and adolescents. It is assumed that positive self-evaluations of body weight prevent especially obese adolescents from inactivity and social isolation. Findings are relevant for the design of interventions to treat obesity. [source] Adult day groups: addressing older people's needs for activity and companionshipAUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL ON AGEING, Issue 3 2005Tamara Tse Objective: Adult day groups (ADGs) are used by older adults living at home in the community in Australia. Their aim is to prevent social isolation and to maintain independence through supporting social networks and providing a program of activities that enhance the physical, intellectual and social well-being of the participants and carers. The purpose of this study was to examine the experience of and reasons why older people attend ADGs. Methods: An ethnographic study of four ADGs in Victoria, Australia was conducted over a 4-month period. The study included observation of the four ADGs and interviews with eight clients, comprising five women and three men. Findings: Four major themes were derived from data analysis. The first was related to the importance of companionship with staff and clients of the ADGs. The second revealed how participants valued keeping occupied in activities not achievable at home, while the third identified how home was experienced as a place where time passed slowly and there were insufficient things to do. Lastly, participants identified dissatisfactions with ADGs. Conclusion: Community based programs that foster companionship and meaningful and purposeful occupations in older age are desirable. Improvements to ADGs to better meet the occupational and activity needs of older people living at home are suggested. [source] ,Mingling together': promoting the social inclusion of disabled children and young people during the school holidaysCHILD & FAMILY SOCIAL WORK, Issue 1 2009Abigail Knight ABSTRACT The promotion of social inclusion of disabled children and their families is currently high on the UK political agenda. Research shows that disabled children and their families are highly disadvantaged, both economically and socially. This paper reports some of the findings of a qualitative study, entitled On Holiday!, which involved analysing the views of 297 people across six local authority research sites in England including 86 disabled children and young people. The study showed that many disabled children and their families experienced high levels of social isolation and exclusion during out-of-school periods and during the school holidays in particular. The paper recounts some of the experiences of disabled young people and their families and ways in which local authorities can promote their social inclusion. We argue that disabled young people and their families can only be truly socially included and empowered when all levels of the local authority (managers, officers and elected members) recognize the rights and entitlements of disabled children and have the political will and commitment to implement them. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||