Lack Of Friends Research Articles

Depressive symptoms in institutionalized older adults.

OBJECTIVETo estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms among institutionalized elderly individuals and to analyze factors associated with this condition.METHODSThis was a cross-sectional study involving 462 individuals aged 60 or older, residents in long stay institutions in four Brazilian municipalities. The dependent variable was assessed using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale. Poisson’s regression was used to evaluate associations with co-variables. We investigated which variables were most relevant in terms of presence of depressive symptoms within the studied context through factor analysis.RESULTSPrevalence of depressive symptoms was 48.7%. The variables associated with depressive symptoms were: regular/bad/very bad self-rated health; comorbidities; hospitalizations; and lack of friends in the institution. Five components accounted for 49.2% of total variance of the sample: functioning, social support, sensory deficiency, institutionalization and health conditions. In the factor analysis, functionality and social support were the components which explained a large part of observed variance.CONCLUSIONSA high prevalence of depressive symptoms, with significant variation in distribution, was observed. Such results emphasize the importance of health conditions and functioning for institutionalized older individuals developing depression. They also point to the importance of providing opportunities for interaction among institutionalized individuals.

The Lack of Friends amongst Adolescents and Well-Being

The Lack of Friends amongst Adolescents and Well-Being

The Secret Adoptee's Cookbook

The Secret Adoptee's Cookbook

Perceived physical activity barriers related to body weight status and sociodemographic factors among Malaysian men in Klang Valley

BackgroundPhysical inactivity has been acknowledged as a public health issue and has received increasing attention in recent years. This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the barriers to physical activity among Malaysian men. These barriers were analyzed with regards to sociodemographic factors, physical activity level, BMI and waist circumference.MethodsSubjects in this study included 308 Malay men and 422 Chinese men aged 20 years and older. Subjects completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and a questionnaire on barriers to physical activity, categorized into personal and psychological, physical and social environment barriers. Weight, height and waist circumference were also measured and BMI was calculated.ResultsDescriptive analyses showed that 79.3% of subjects were married, 52.1% had secondary educational level, 68.8% were still working, and 39.7% had household income between RM1500 to RM3500. The perception that other recreational activities with family and friends were more fun was the most frequently reported barrier, followed by weather, lack of discipline, lack of free time, lack of money, and lack of friends. Marriage status, educational level, household income, BMI, and physical activity status were shown to be associated with perceived barriers.ConclusionsTo increase participation in physical activity, policy makers should consider significant personal, social and environmental barriers when developing appropriate intervention programmes. Health-promoting strategies that increase awareness, knowledge, skills and motivation related to physical activity are required.

Loneliness Among Older People: Results from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care - Blekinge

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence and predictors of loneliness in older people (aged 78+) over a six- year period. Method: The sample (n=828) was drawn from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care and the respondents were followed up at three and six years. Data were collected by means of structural interviews with supplementary questionnaires. Results: Half of the respondents reported that they felt lonely sometimes or more often. Women, widows/-ers living alone were more prone to report loneliness. Both independent associated factors and predictors were identified showing that loneliness is associated with and predicted by both physical and psychosocial outcomes. Discussion: Loneliness is common among older people and seems to be a steady state affected mainly by psychological and psychosocial factors such as personality, satisfaction with life, risk of depression, lack of friends and loss of spouse. Psychosocial interventions targeting emotional loneliness and social isolation are suggested.

Friends and symptom dimensions in patients with psychosis: a pooled analysis.

BackgroundHaving friends is associated with more favourable clinical outcomes and a higher quality of life in mental disorders. Patients with schizophrenia have fewer friends than other mentally ill patients. No large scale studies have evaluated so far what symptom dimensions of schizophrenia are associated with the lack of friendships.MethodsData from four multi-centre studies on outpatients with schizophrenia and related disorders (ICD F20-29) were included in a pooled analysis (N = 1396). We established whether patients had close friends and contact with friends by using the equivalent items on friendships of the Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life or of the Lancashire Quality of Life Profile. Symptoms were measured by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale or by the identical items included in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale.ResultsSeven hundred and sixty-nine patients (55.1%) had seen a friend in the previous week and 917 (65.7%) had someone they regarded as a close friend. Low levels of negative symptoms and hostility were significantly associated with having a close friend and contact with a friend. Overall, almost twice as many patients with absent or mild negative symptoms had met a friend in the last week, compared with those with moderate negative symptoms.ConclusionsHigher levels of negative symptoms and hostility are specifically associated with the lack of friendships in patients with psychotic disorders. These findings suggest the importance of developing effective treatments for negative symptoms and hostility in order to improve the probability of patients with schizophrenia to have friends.

Same‐ and Other‐Sex Victimization: Are the Risk Factors Similar?

Risk factors for same- and other-sex victimization were examined in a longitudinal data set involving 9- to 14-year-old students. The findings regarding same-sex victimization supported the view that bullies select personally and interpersonally vulnerable targets in order to maximize their gains in status while minimizing loss of affection within their same-sex peer group. Although low self-esteem was a joint predictor of same- and other-sex victimization, rejection and lack of friends among other-sex peers failed to predict victimization by other-sex bullies, and being perceived as popular among other-sex peers increased the risk. Although the findings suggests that interpersonal risk factors for other-sex victimization differ from those found for same-sex victimization, they do not provide strong support for heterosexual interest being the basis for other-sex target selection, as suggested by some previous literature. As about half of the study participants were involved in the KiVa antibullying program, we had the possibility to examine whether the program effects were similar for same- and other-sex victimization. It turned out that in middle schools the program decreased only same-sex victimization, whereas in elementary school the decrease was observed regardless of the sex composition of bully-victim dyads.

The impact of nursing students’ chemistry learning performance assessment in Taiwan: competitive versus non-competitive student team achievement division approaches

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of competitive Student Team Achievement Division (STAD), non-competitive STAD, and traditional learning on chemistry learning and learning perceptions. Sample, design and methods: By adopting the STAD approach, this study examined 144 nursing students at a five-year junior college in northern Taiwan during the first semester (totaling 18 weeks) of the 2008 academic year. Results: The findings reveal that both a heterogeneous group with external pressure (involving competitive STAD) and a friendship group with affective pressure (involving traditional learning) enhance group cohesion and assist students’ meaningful learning; the heterogeneous group without extra pressure (involving non-competitive STAD), by contrast, fails because of apathy and lassitude. Moreover, learning effectiveness will obviously predominate until the learning strategy continues for a long period or at least one semester. Conclusions: This study revealed that the learning performance level of the competitive STAD group is significantly different from that of the non-competitive STAD group; and the learning performance level of the traditional group is significantly different from that of the non-competitive STAD group. Both the competitive STAD group and traditional group of medium ability students are significantly different from the non-competitive STAD group. Low-ability students from the competitive STAD group are significantly different from those of the non-competitive STAD, though no significant differences were found in learning perception. However, both a lack of friendship and a lack of ability in using algorithms may affect students’ chemistry learning. Furthermore, gender imbalance, educational culture, and group emotions are factors that may influence student learning performance. Further study should focus on the use of grouping, improve responsibility in group discussion, and investigate group interaction patterns to determine the factors that influence learning performance of students working in groups.

Mental and behavioral symptoms of person's with Asperger's syndrome: Relationships with social isolation and handicaps

People with Asperger's syndrome (AS) experience mental comorbidities, and behavioral symptoms that can deepen social isolation and handicaps. We compared the frequency of mental and behavioral symptoms, motor abnormality, and life history between adults with AS and those with no mental disorders but with disturbance of social functions and communication skills (ND) from our outpatient clinic. Participants with AS (n=99) as compared with ND subjects (n=63) showed significant higher rate of depressive mood, anxiety, unstable emotion, mood swings, oversensitivity to normal situation obsessive compulsive symptoms, persecutory idea, loss of energy, insomnia carelessness, restlessness, confusion in new environments, episodic agitation, inflexible adherence, egocentric behavior, self harm, circumscribed interest, poor lifestyle habits, non-athleticism, clumsiness, bulling at school, school non-attendance, social withdrawal, and lack of friendships. In AS, emotional instability and confusion in new environments might lead to social isolation. The findings demonstrated that individuals with AS experience greater social isolation and distress, as well as a wider range of mental and behavioral symptoms and disturbances of motor skills as compared to healthy subjects with disturbances of social functions and communication skills. These factors are interrelated and may be used as supplementary methods for differential diagnosis of AS from other conditions.

P-1132 - Determinants of formation of aggressive behavior in men

Revealing of personal factors, personal biography factors which influence formation of aggressive behavior. With questionnaires and analysis of personal biography we have revealed factors influencing formation of aggression. We have examined 158 men at the age of 32–58 years. 62% of men were in the second marriage. 73% of men had one or more children. 38% were in not registered marriage. Only 43% had stable high paid work, the rest had problems both with earnings and presence of job. Factors influencing formation of aggressive behavior: ‐ Jealousy, which is pathological in nature, more unfounded ‐ Control over the behavior of his wife or other relatives ‐ A quick marriage. ‐ Emotional immaturity ‐ Brutality towards animals ‐ The destruction of objects, this pattern of behavior persists in his own family. ‐ Hypersensitivity, use of violence in the family, unrealistic expectations, the presence of brain injury, problems with law enforcement authorities in their teens, frequent changes of jobs, bad relationships with other family members, beatings in the past, lack of friends, a constant circle of friends, high level of conflict, a categorical decision challenging task. Thus, the presented markers of personal characteristics surveyed indicate a propensity for violence. If a man finds several above features (three or four), then the likelihood of violence is high enough, the richer the set of these characteristics, the greater the likelihood of violence.

Friendship in people with schizophrenia: a survey

To explore the quantitative and qualitative aspects of friendship in people with schizophrenia. To examine emotional and behavioural commitment, experiences of stigma, and the impact of illness factors that may affect the making and keeping of friends. The difference in the perception between the researcher and participants of the presence of problems in friendships was also investigated. The size and quality of the social networks of 137 people with established schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, aged 18-65 in one geographical area of southeast England was ascertained using a semi-structured interview. Qualitative aspects of friendship were measured using objective, pre-determined, investigator-rated criteria. The mean number of friends reported by respondents was 1.57. Men were less likely to report friendships than women (29 vs. 53%, χ (2)=13.51, df 1, p<0.001). Of the 79 people who had a friend, 75 named someone amongst fellow service users. The quality of these friendships was generally good. Emotional commitment to friendship and mistrust were more important than current clinical state in determining whether or not the participant has friends. Most of those without friends did not see the lack of friendship as a problem. The researcher was up to three times more likely to report a problem than the participant. The friendship network size was found to be small but the quality of friendship mostly positive and highly valued. The majority of friendships were with other service users made during attendances at day hospitals and drop-in centres thus underscoring the importance of this service provision. Psychosocial intervention programmes need to take into account psychological factors that impact upon friendship.

Early alcohol use and problem drinking among students in Zambia and Uganda.

Excessive alcohol use is a serious public health concern worldwide, but less attention has been given to the prevalence, risk and protective factors, and consequences of early alcohol use in low-income, developing countries. The purpose of this study was to determine the associations between early alcohol use, before age 13, and problem drinking among adolescents in Uganda and Zambia. Data from students in Zambia (n=2257; 2004) and Uganda (n=3215; 2003) were obtained from the cross-sectional Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS). The self-administered questionnaires were completed by students primarily 13 to 16 years of age. Multiple statistical models were computed using logistic regression analyses to test the associations between early alcohol initiation and problem drinking, while controlling for possible confounding factors (e.g., current alcohol use, bullying victimization, sadness, lack of friends, missing school, lack of parental monitoring, and drug use). Results show that early alcohol initiation was associated with problem drinking in both Zambia (AOR=1.28; 95% CI:1.02–1.61) and Uganda (AOR=1.48; 95% CI: 1.11–1.98) among youth after controlling for demographic characteristics, risky behaviors, and other possible confounders.The study shows that there is a significant association between alcohol initiation before 13 years of age and problem drinking among youth in these two countries. These findings underscore the need for interventions and strict alcohol controls as an important policy strategy for reducing alcohol use and its dire consequences among vulnerable youth.

Some suggestions for the DSM-5 schizotypal personality disorder construct

This study relates to the schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) proposal of the upcoming fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) by investigating the construct validity of SPD as defined by DSM-IV in a large sample of patients from the Norwegian Network of Personality-Focused Treatment Programs (N = 2619), assessed by structured diagnostic interviews and the Longitudinal, Expert All Data standard. We investigated factor structure and psychometric properties of the SPD criteria, as well as co-occurrence patterns between SPD and other PDs. Thirty-six patients were diagnosed with SPD and 513 patients (21%) endorsed at least 2 schizotypal criteria. We found that 2 factors were specific for SPD, a cognitive-perceptual factor (ideas of reference, magical thinking, and unusual perceptual experiences) and an oddness factor (odd thinking and speech, constricted affect, and odd appearance or behavior). The criteria belonging to these factors had appropriate psychometric properties. The criteria of the cognitive-perceptual factor were more strongly associated with borderline personality disorder (PD) than with the other PDs. We did not find support for a consistent factor that reflected interpersonal problems. The criteria that used to be part of this factor (suspiciousness, lack of friends or confidants, and excessive social anxiety) performed poorly as specific SPD criteria. SPD was more strongly associated with antisocial PD and paranoid PD than with the other PDs. We suggest that ideas of reference should be included explicitly under the schizotypal facet of cognitive dysregulation in DSM-5, with less emphasis on the social phobic aspects of this feature. Furthermore, there should be more emphasis on the cognitive aspects of suspiciousness in SPD, and it should be considered to split up the affectivity criterion into constricted affect and inappropriate affect, with the latter type of affect being the expression of problems with intersubjective regulation. Finally, it is suggested that interpersonal dysfunction is secondary to the 2 primary SPD factors. Therefore, the SPD narrative should start by describing eccentricity and cognitive-perceptual aberrations rather than interpersonal difficulties.

Intercultural Friendship: Linking Communication Variables and Friendship Success

International students often complain about the lack of friendships with host nationals. This study explores the relationship between communication variables, number of friendships, and friendship satisfaction. International students at a large urban university in the United States completed a survey on willingness to communicate, communicative adaptability, English language proficiency, loneliness, and friendship with the Americans. Results show that international students rated their American friendships lower than their home- or other-culture friendships. Friendship numbers and satisfaction were significantly related to communicative adaptability, language proficiency, and loneliness. There was no significant correlation between friendship success and willingness to communicate or length of stay.

Gender Differences in Substance Use, Problems, Social Situation and Treatment Experiences among Clients Entering Addiction Treatment in Stockholm

AIM While gender differences in substance use/problems have been found to be smaller in more gender-equal countries such as Sweden, gender-specific norms still prevail, and women's (mis)use continues to be more condemned than men's. This article analyses and discusses similarities and differences between the sexes in alcohol and drug treatment in terms of men's and women's treatment experiences, consumption/problems, social situation, and life-domain problems. METHOD 1865 respondents were interviewed (structured interview) at the beginning of a new treatment episode in 2000–2002 in Stockholm County (sample representative of those starting a new treatment episode for alcohol or drug problems in Stockholm County). Responses are cross-tabulated by sex and multivariate logistic regression is used to predict whether men or women have more severe problems in various life domains of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI composite scores). Results Bivariate analyses showed that women and men differ significantly in their treatment experiences. Women are more likely to have contact with mental health services, whereas men tend to deal more with the criminal justice system. The sexes do not differ in alcohol and drug problem severity, but women are more likely to have problems with pharmaceuticals. In contrast to the hypothesis, it turned out that men, not women, are more marginalised as concerns housing, income, family situation, lack of friends. Women report more problems related to family, social life and mental/physical health, while men report higher criminality and financial problems. Conclusions There are no gender differences among the clients in the treatment system when it comes to substance problem severity but differences occur concerning the clients’ social situation and different life-domain problems. As men are more socially exposed a focus on women may obscure problems among men.

Self‐directed and interpersonal male violence in adolescence and young adulthood: a 30‐year follow up of a Stockholm cohort

In line with Wilkinson's theory on inequality and health, this study simultaneously analyses self-directed and interpersonal violence among men in a Stockholm birth cohort born in 1953 with respect to their early life experiences of stress, their lack of social connectedness and their relative deprivation. Multinomial logistic regressions with cluster-robust variance estimates were used. Self-directed violence was found to be related to self-rated loneliness and non-membership of voluntary associations but not to a lack of friendship in school at the age of 12-13, while the opposite was shown to be true for interpersonal violence. Growing up in a family that received means-tested social assistance at least once during the period 1953-1965 was taken as an objective indicator of relative deprivation and proved to be correlated with both self-directed and interpersonal violence. Disadvantaged social comparison at the age of 12-13, taken as a subjective indicator of relative deprivation, was only statistically related to a subsequent risk of interpersonal violence. It is suggested that different types of social connectedness and relative deprivation, respectively, explain these different patterns of violence. Furthermore, the study speculates on the possibility of frequent social comparison itself being a factor to consider when trying understanding violence in general.

Facilitating Friendships for People with Learning Disabilities

People with learning disabilities who move out of institutions often remain grouped together, stranded in communities of their own; ordinary social networks can be largely inaccessible to them. In this study of consumer satisfaction with services, people were invited to assess their own lives in terms of their day time occupation, accommodation, leisure, social contacts and the use of services. The main areas of dissatisfaction concerned leisure pursuits and social relationships. A lack of friends and difficulties about going out, often due to a lack of transport, were problems for many people. It seems that service providers do not always take account of social relationships or give them a high enough priority. It was concluded that social skills as well as work skills should be given more attention. In promoting the improvement of people's social lives it is important to consult individuals about what they want. Strategies are suggested for service providers interested in improving social networks.

A Survey of Perceptions of the Virginia Tech Tragedy

The recent shootings at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) shocked the nation and brought violence on college campuses to the forefront of the nation's attention. We surveyed college students and faculty/staff three weeks after the incident about their perceptions of the Virginia Tech shooting, subsequent media exposure, and school violence in general. We found that students agreed with faculty/staff that mental illness and a lack of friendship were likely causal factors in the shootings. Students believed that social support, friendship, good mental health, and parenting were important factors in preventing subsequent incidents. We also found that media exposure and time spent discussing the incident with family and friends were associated with increased psychiatric symptoms. Gender differences were observed in the domains of fearing for personal safety, perceptions of increased parental concern, the role of violent media, and the need for gun control.

Multiple Factors at Root of Antisocial Behavior

Multiple Factors at Root of Antisocial Behavior

Walking Habits in Elderly Widows

Walking habits were studied in 3 groups of elderly widows. The average walking time per week was calculated from interviews or questionnaires. There was in a small studied group a tendency for walking time to be lower at 3 and 12 months after loss than at 4 or 5 years. An increased odds ratio was demonstrated in larger groups of widows for walking less than 120 minutes per week in those who "did not feel healthy," or who had "musculoskeletal health problems," or "cardiovascular health problems." Widows from a population-based study also showed increased odds ratio for not walking as long with "lack of friends" and "not being active in associations." This was not found in married women from the population study. Our results indicate that newly bereaved women may reduce their physical activity, and that the change in exercise habits may be associated with reduced perception of being healthy and a decreased social network.