Important Things In Life Research Articles

A parents perspective

“My Little Fighters” as I affectionately call them came into the World on the December 2, 2009 and they were joined from chest to pelvis sharing everything except the heart. It was an emotional pregnancy, a traumatic birth, followed by a 14 hour surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital to separate my wonderful boys in April 2010. Hassan and Hussein are now 5 years old and typical little boys except they have a “superman leg”!! Let me share with you our amazing journey that reminds us all of the important things in life: which are family, hope, and unconditional love. On the July 2, 2009 our lives changed forever. We went for our 12 week ultrasound scan on my third pregnancy. I was accompanied by my husband and two little girls aged 2 and 5 years. We were all excited looking forward to seeing baby number three for the first time. The week before my first scan I confided in my close friend that I felt something was wrong with the baby as I just felt different to my previous pregnancies. My friend told me to stop worrying and that all would be fine, but I have always had good gut feelings on things and this worry just would not go away. I prayed all would be fine and the day of the first scan arrived. We all sat in the hospital waiting room waiting to be called in, and as my name was called my elder daughter needed to go to the bathroom so my husband said they would follow me in. I lay down on the bed with my younger daughter in her pushchair curiously watching everything. The sonographer squirted cold gel onto my tummy and with a worrying look I asked if she could wait till my husband came back as I was a bit scared. She asked why and I explained I was worried something was wrong. So she said she would get started and within 30 seconds of her scanning me I knew from her face something was terribly wrong. She told me to wait till my husband came back but I pleaded with her to tell me what was wrong with my baby. She softly told me “I am seeing two babies, but something I have never seen before ... your babies are joined.” I cried out and begged for it to be a mistake. My husband and daughter came into the room and sawme heartbroken. I told “itʼs twins and they are joined together.” We both held our little girls and cried. We then went home and it was as if my whole world had fallen apart. I did not drink, I did not smoke, and I took my folic acid so why is this happening to me I asked over and over again. I rang my family GP and explained that I was carrying conjoined twins and if he knew anything about this as the internet was full of negative reports on the subject and I needed to find hope. By pure coincidence and faith, as I see it, he told me that a friend with whom he played rugby and went to the same college

Helping you look after the important things in life

Helping you look after the important things in life

Social Perceptions of Religiosity: Dogmatism Tarnishes the Religious Halo

Researchers have provided much evidence in support of a religious halo effect—the tendency for people to evaluate a religious target more favorably than a nonreligious counterpart. This experimental study (N = 361 U.S. adults) extended previous work beyond the dichotomy of religious versus nonreligious by varying a fictional target's degree of belief. Only religious participants exhibited a nonspecific pro-religious bias consistent with the religious halo effect, favoring religious over not religious and very over somewhat religious targets. However, indicators of dogmatic thinking (e.g., I am so sure I am right about the important things in life, there is no evidence that could convince me otherwise) degraded target evaluations by religious and nonreligious participants alike. Results suggest that religiosity's positive associations depend upon an assumption of strong but flexible belief and underscore the importance of studying social perceptions of religious fundamentalists.

Faith Within Atheism

Faith Within Atheism

“When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is.”

“When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is.”

The Ethics of Distance

[Extract] Worldviews The pianist in Wittgenstein put it well: the most important things in life lie beyond words. So let us begin by throwing away the ladder of language that we are used to standing on. Wittgenstein's other life - as an architect, engineer, and musician - conditioned him to do what philosophers often do not bother to do: which is to take seriously what is not put into words, or what lies beneath words. Wittgenstein struggled for a way of understanding the silent shape of things. Things that cannot be put into words, he remarked, manifest themselves. Wittgenstein called this process mystical. Indeed, there is a long tradition of thinking mystically about those things that we cannot put into words. There is also another, equally strong,. tradition of thinking about such things. This is to render them in geometric, musical, and architectural forms. There is no obligation on us to choose between these ways of thinking. Indeed, at certain times, these traditions have cut across each other.

The Role of Justice in Islam

Justice is most important thing in life of human being especially Muslims and it is one thing that can solve the problem of society. So, this paper critically examines the roles, Implementation and conception of justice in Islam, as there various conception of justice in the history. For instance, David Hume, Aristotle, Jermy Bentham, Karl Marx and Salmond etc. It also analyses the position and important of justice in practice of religion. Similarly the procedural of justice in Western and Islamic perspective critically explain in a manner way. Moreover, the comparison between western and Islamic justice also discussed.

PEMBELAJARAN KOOPERATIF TIPE STAD (STUDENT TEAMS ACHIEVEMENT DIVISIONS) UNTUK MENINGKATKAN KETERAMPILAN KERJASAMA SISWA DI SEKOLAH

Cooperation skills are needed in society today and in the future. Cooperation skill are also crucial to the success of social relations, especially in the society. Therefore, it is very important for students to learn these skills because these skills are not possessed child since birth, but the skills to be tought and given opportunities to practice. Cooperation skills is an important thing in life and superior democratic culture in addition to the attitude of responsibility, concern for others, open-mindedness, and creativity. In an effort to improve the skills students will require cooperation on the selection and application of learning strategies that enable students to learn directly in practicing these skills. Strategies that allow students to practice skills learned directly or in cooperation is a group of cooperative learning strategies, where the students sat with other students in a heterogeneous group with a common goal.

Factors in narratives to questions in the short-term life review interviews of terminally ill cancer patients and utility of the questions

Although the Short-Term Life Review elevated the spiritual well-being of terminally ill cancer patients in our previous study, we have not examined what patients reviewed for each question item of it. We examined factors in narratives to questions in the Short-Term Life Review interviews of terminally ill cancer patients and utility of the questions. Thirty-four terminally ill cancer patients received the Short-Term Life Review interview in which there were two sessions. In the first session patients reviewed their lives, and an interviewer made a simple album of the patient based on patients' narrative. After 1 week, there was a second session. Qualitative analysis was conducted on patients' answers to each question using computational word mining, and factors were identified. Twenty patients' narratives were analyzed. "Human relationships" was identified under "important things in life." "Pleasant memories" were associated with "impressive memories." "Illness" and "marriage and divorce" were related to "turning points in the life." "Raising children and education" and "company or work" were identified as "roles in life." "Achievements at work" were identified with "pride." "Message to my children" was identified with "what I want to say to my family." "To live sincerely" and "consideration for others" were identified as "advice for the next generation." Patients reviewed few for topics such as "pride," "what I want to say to my family," "advice for the next generation," and "summing up my life." Factors such as human relationships, raising children, and education as a role and source of pride, and concerns about children's future, were associated with elevating spiritual well-being. Question to which that patients easily answered were selected.

Obituary

We write to share with our professional community the loss of a member whose broad impact is hard to measure. Charles S. Kleinman came from Queens, New York, attended college, medical school and pediatric residency in New York, and then completed fellowship both at Cornell under Maryallen Engle and at the Cardiovascular Research Institute under Abe Rudolph. He then came to Yale as a junior faculty member, where his initial collaboration with John Hobbins led to the first of many important papers and the birth of fetal cardiology. Leaving Yale for Orlando in 1999, he returned home to New York in 2002, working at Columbia for the remainder of his career. Charlie was always willing to teach, whether it was colleagues, students or patients and their families. He always had time to spend with a fellow or a family needing counseling about their baby. He was also devoted to his own family, and enjoyed life to the fullest with them beyond his own long hours at work. Somehow, despite major illnesses dating back over 30 years, he never lost his sense of humor or his appetite for life; even when his own appetite for food was gone, he was still the best dinner companion you could ever want. Charlie's expertise, his ability to motivate, to innovate, to share, to recognize the important things in life and to only see things in a positive light were virtues by which he will be remembered. As an unselfish teacher, he leaves his legacy in his writings and in his students. Through them, and there are far too many to mention, his teachings, wit and compassion will outlive those of us reading this obituary. He was the ultimate teacher's teacher. Charlie taught all of us about being a teacher and physician, and about being a patient. The respect he showed for his family was exceptional even at the lowest points in his physical health. He showed respect to all his caregivers and well-wishers. He was outwardly optimistic at all times despite multiple illnesses over three decades. Many of us were brought to tears listening to his NPR (National Public Radio) interview about his heart transplant, and how hard it was to speak to the family of his heart donor (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId = 123065247). He taught us so much about compassion, modesty and respect. Fifteen years ago, on turning 50, Charlie joked that he was having a surprise party, the surprise being that he lived to be 50. Even after that, though, he still got to dance at his sons' weddings and enjoy time with his grandchildren, which meant more to him than any award. Charlie died on 11 October 2011, leaving his wife of over 40 years, Jessica, two sons, Ari and Josh, their wives, Sarah and Allison, a grandson, Matthew, and a granddaughter, Sydney. Charlie, we will miss you. Josh Copel and Larry Platt

Comparing Quality-of-life, Roles, And BMI In Two Clinical Populations Participating In Supervised Exercise

We have previously demonstrated that exercising patients with type 2 diabetes have higher quality-of-life (QOL) and lower BMI versus non-exercising patients. The clinical literature also indicates that exercise enhances health and well-being of cancer patients. Exercise has been shown to decrease cancer-related fatigue, nausea, and pain. Patients who exercise generally experience higher health-related QOL. PURPOSE: To examine differences in QOL, roles, and demographics in two clinical populations (i.e. cancer, type 2 diabetes) engaged in supervised exercise. METHODS: We recruited exercising cancer patients from a clinical facility in Morgantown, West Virginia. To evaluate QOL and roles, we used the following assessments: (1) Satisfaction with Life Scale (SLS) and; (2) Role Checklist (RC). An independent t-test was used to determine demographic and response differences between supervised exercising cancer patients in this study and supervised exercising type 2 diabetes patients from our previous study. The Pearson product moment correlation was used to examine relationships between demographic and survey data from both clinical populations. RESULTS: There were no demographic differences between cancer patients (n=9; mean age = 62y ± 8) and type 2 diabetes patients (n=12; mean age = 59y ± 12). Cancer patients were more satisfied with life (p=0.04), had obtained more important things in life (p=0.03), and were more likely to not change anything about their lives (p=0.02) versus patients with diabetes. Cancer patients, who reported less fatigue, were able to complete more of their daily activities (r= -0.78, p=0.01), got more of what they wanted out of life (r= -0.69, p=0.04), and participated in more hobbies (r= -0.71, p=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: This study determined that QOL was higher in the cancer exercise group versus the diabetes exercise group. This may have been due to the likelihood that the cancer patients had more time to commit to an exercise regimen, and had more personal support, which may have contributed to higher exercise compliance levels. Future research should: (1) evaluate the extent to which clinical populations differ in terms of exercise compliance, and; (2) identify which common motivational factors may improve exercise and activity compliance across a spectrum of clinical populations.

Gender Differences in Clinical Confidence: A Nationwide Survey of Resident Physicians in Japan

The number of women physicians is increasing in Japan. The authors investigated gender differences in self-perceptions of clinical confidence. This cross-sectional study was conducted in March 2007 by using a stratified random sample of 1,124 second-year resident physicians. Residents' confidence levels were assessed, using four-point Likert scales (e.g., 1 for "not at all" to 4 for "very much"), in four competency sets: physical exams, procedural skills, interpretations of clinical tests, and physician-patient relationships and social service application. Gender effect was investigated for clinical confidence levels by general linear models adjusting for age, types of hospitals, number of clinical experiences, satisfaction with residency conditions, future career, and perspectives on life and work. The overall mean confidence scores in the four sets ranged between 2.9 and 3.1. Compared with men, women were younger (P = .001), more likely to be oriented more to life than to work (P < .001), less interested in doctor of medical science degrees (P = .001), and less likely to be satisfied with residency conditions (P = .020). A significantly greater proportion of women chose "family" (70% versus 54% for men) as "the most important thing in life." Compared with men, women were less confident in the majority of competency areas even after adjusting for the number of clinical experiences. This nationwide resident survey demonstrated gender differences in clinical confidence levels. Future studies require careful monitoring of self-confidence and its impact on physicians' professional development.

Value differences between generations in China: a study in Shanghai

The 1990 World Values Survey demonstrated that industrialization promotes a shift from traditional to secular-rational values. Drawing data from a sample survey of 2,350 respondents in Shanghai, this study examines the impact of social change on people's values in China. Specifically, we are interested in (1) are there significant differences in values between different generations in China? (2) Do younger generations tend to have more modern values? (3) What are the main factors that affect the differences? The results show that the younger generations in China have already shifted from traditional values to modern values in a recent social transformation process. In addition, the younger generations tend to be more secular. They are more likely to regard self-development as the most important thing in life rather than making contributions to the country and society. Further, the younger generations are more individualistic than the old generations. They are more likely to live according to their own lifestyles regardless of what others think. Thus, they are less likely to follow the traditional collective ideology. Overall, the study shows significant generational gaps in value orientations in China.

Relationship between experienced compassion outcomes, burnout and health-related behaviour among psychologists

The profession of psychologist is based on compassion which may have positive and negative outcomes for a professional. The energy of compassion can be transformed either into fatigue or into satisfaction, depending on the psychologist’s skills to increase affect, resources, and self-care as well as to maintain a balance between personal and professional life. Compassion satisfaction is about the pleasure a psychologist derives from being able to do work well and feeling a pleasure to help others. Compassion fatigue is a direct result of exposure to client’s suffering and complicated by a lack of support in the workplace. Burnout is not directly related to compassion but associated with feelings of hopelessness and difficulties in dealing with conflicts between professional standards and personal feelings and values. Self-care is a potential mechanism to increase the positive and reduce negative outcomes of work on psychologists’ well-being.The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction and burnout as well as correlations of these constructs with health-related behaviour among psychologists. 103 psychologists took part in the study. The Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL, Stamm, 1999–2000), Self Care and Lifestyle Balance Inventory (McKay, 2004) were used.The results have indicated that compassion fatigue positively correlates with burnout (r = 0.725, p &lt; 0.001). In contrast, compassion satisfaction negatively correlates with burnout (r = –0.209, p = 0.035). Also, it has been found that self-care is related with a higher level of compassion satisfaction (r = 0.356, p &lt; 0.001) and with a lower level of compassion fatigue (r = –0.195, p = 0.048). Significant positive correlations have been found among a greater level of compassion satisfaction and sleeping quality, listening to the signals of one’s own body, preservation of good working and communication skills and healthy limits when struggling for onerself, short brakes at work, time spent with trusted people, self-believe and believing in one’s own abilities and satisfaction with important things in life. Compassion fatigue negatively correlates with the ability to leave the working strain behind, hearing the signals of one’s own body, preservation of healthy limits when struggling for oneself and not allowing others to exhaust you and setting real goals of life and systematically reaching them. Positive correlation has been recognized between compassion satisfaction and workload (r = 0.211, p = 0.033). A greater level of compassion satisfaction is also associated with the participants of the study considering themselves believers and church visiting. Additionally positive correlation has been found between psychologists’ burnout and a greater length of time working in education section. Self-care negatively correlates with a greater number of employments.

WHY WINNING MATTERS

Winning isn't everything. It's the only thing. Vince Lombardi (quoting Red Sanders)The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered, but to have fought well.The Olympic CreedThese two statements reflect two very different approaches to sport. The Lombardi quote reflects the view that we should take a win-at-all-costs approach. By contrast, the Olympic Creed includes the idea that there is something more important in sport than victory. Perhaps the Olympic Creed is correct, and Lombardi mistaken. Perhaps the value of winning is found primarily in its potential to foster both athletic and moral excellence, while the overvaluing of victory for its own sake suffers from several deficiencies as an approach to sport (and to life).

In search of health

Editor-in-Chief, Cases Journal, London, UK Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre for Global eHealth Innovation; Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation; Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto; and University Health Network, Toronto, Canada M5G 2C4 Professor, Centre for Global eHealth Innovation; Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation; Dalla Lana School of Public Health; Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto; and University Health Network, Toronto, Canada M5G 2C4

‘I do not need to… I do not want to… I do not give it priority…’– why women choose not to attend cervical cancer screening

To describe and interpret why women with no cervical smear taken during the previous 5 years choose not to attend a cervical cancer screening (CCS) programme. CCS programme is a service for early detection of cervical cancer. Today, some women choose not to attend the programme. Data were collected by tape-recorded interviews and analysed by qualitative inductive content analysis. Purposive sample of 14 women in southeast Sweden, who had chosen not to attend CCS during the previous 5 years. The following themes were revealed: I do not need to..., I do not want to... and I do not give it priority.... The women had a positive attitude to CCS but as long as they felt healthy, they chose not to attend. A negative body image, low self-esteem, feelings of discomfort when confronted with the gynaecological examination and fear of the results also influenced their non-attendance. The women prioritized more important things in life and reported various degrees of lack of trust in health-care. Women's choice not to attend CCS were complex and influenced by present and earlier intra- and inter-personal circumstances. They had a positive attitude to CCS, but other things in life were more important. Health-care professionals have to facilitate a co-operative discussion with the women in order to contribute to a mutual understanding for the perspectives of the women and the professionals.

Unemployment and smoking: does psychosocial stress matter?

Aim: Research indicates that cigarette smoking is strongly associated with unemployment. However, little is known regarding the underlying mechanisms explaining this relationship. The aim of this study is to examine...

Hank Wangford (aka Sam Hutt)

“Hank Wangford? He made me fall in love with Country music 20 years ago.” “Hank Wangford? He used to be my gynaecologist—he's a really great guy.” Given the reactions of the first two people I told of my plan to interview this physician-musician, I had high expectations for meeting him. And he didn't disappoint. As we walked to C&R Modern Oriental Cuisine we'd barely got past niceties about London's weather before he pitched into a critique of Tammy Wynette's classic ballad Stand By Your Man. “It's Tammy talking to poor white women with four or five kids, living in a trailer, with no way to leave their man. It's her saying ‘I know where you are and where you're from’. She is giving them and their lives a little dignity.” Dignity is a theme that crops up a lot during our lunch. When I mention this, he shrugs, “Well, it's everything isn't it? I mean, it's the most important thing in life.” The serious streak in Sam Hutt might surprise those who know him only through his hard-living, American-accented, Country-singing alter-ego, Hank Wangford. Writer and performer (with The Lost Cowboys) of such classic tunes as Never Wear Mascara When You Love a Married Man, Wangford was born out of a meeting with Gram Parsons in 1970. How did Hutt, then a newly qualified doctor, meet ex-Byrds wild-child Parsons? “Oh, because I'd treated Keith Richards' baby”, he says, as if this explained everything. Hutt's preclinical years were spent at Cambridge, where he loved the teaching but hated the elitism. On qualifying, he became a “doctor to the stars”—The Who, Pink Floyd, and The Rolling Stones were on his list, but he became uncomfortable with the starry life. A year as a locum in the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada, brought him down to earth and cemented his love of Country. “I realised that it was great music—powerful, edgy, nasty, not bland, sweet, or frilly.” On returning to the UK, he did a course in family planning at the Margaret Pyke Centre in London. 33 years later, he is still there, practising sexual health care. “In sexual health care we get much longer with patients than do general practitioners, because of the non-hierarchical way we work using nurse practitioners, which is fantastic. And the clinical situation is very special. I can sit with someone and she'll tell me things she hasn't told anyone else. I feel honoured and humble”, he says, grimacing at his own seriousness. Still touring and recording albums at age 65 years, I ask if he contemplates retiring. “Dr Hutt has to retire at 70, but as for Hank, well, I saw Willie Nelson playing the other day, and he's 72. When you're on stage and you hit it right, it is wonderful. It keeps you young.” Going on the evidence in front of me, I'd say he's right.

Beliefs about health and diabetes in men of different ethnic origin

This paper reports the findings of a study exploring the health and illness beliefs of men with diabetes, who were from different cultural backgrounds and living in Sweden. No studies have been reported that have focused on the beliefs about health and illness in men with diabetes mellitus of different ethnic origin. Beliefs may affect self-care and care-seeking behaviour. An explorative study design and purposive sampling procedure was used. Focus-group interviews were held with 35 men with diabetes and aged between 39 and 78 years. Fourteen participants were born in Arabic countries, 10 in former Yugoslavia and 11 in Sweden. Important factors for health were the ability to be occupied/employed and economically independent and, especially among Arabs and former Yugoslavians, sexual functioning. Swedes focused on heredity, lifestyle and management of diabetes, while non-Swedes claimed the influence of supernatural factors and emotional stress related to the role of being an immigrant and migratory experiences as factors related to development of diabetes and having a negative influence on health. Swedes and Arabs described health as "freedom from disease" in contrast to many former Yugoslavians who described health as "wealth and the most important thing in life". Knowledge about diabetes was limited among the men studied, but Arabs showed an active information-seeking behaviour compared with Swedes and former Yugoslavians. Non-Swedish respondents, particularly Arabs, had sought help from health care professionals to a greater extent than Swedes, who were more likely to use self-care measures. Being occupied/employed and having knowledge about the body and management of diabetes are important for positive health development. There are dissimilarities in beliefs about health and diabetes that influence self-care behaviour and health care seeking. Men's cultural backgrounds and spiritual beliefs need to be considered in diabetes care.