Dimensions Of Social Relations Research Articles

Relationship between quality of life and occupation stress among teachers in medical university

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the occupation stress and quality of life among teachers in medical university,and analyze the correlation between the occupational stress and the quality of them.Methods Totally 249 teachers in medical university of Anhui province were investigated with the instruments of the occupational stress scale and the Chinese version of World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief(WHOQOL-BREF).Results The findings showed that:The coefficient of correlation was-0.374 between occupational stress and quality of life in teachers in medical university(r =-0.374,P ＜0.001).Conclusion The score of social relations dimension,the environment dimension and utilization of support have statistical significance with different sex and age of teachers in medical university.There was negative correlation between the occupational stress and the quality of life in teachers in medical university. Key words: Teachers; Quality of life; Occupational stress; Correlation

Getting Down to Basics: A Situated Model of Conflict in Social Relations

The field of conflict resolution is fractured. Despite many decades of fine research, we still lack a basic unifying framework that integrates the many theories of conflict dynamics. Thus, the findings from research on conflict are often piecemeal, decontextualized, contradictory, or focused on negative outcomes, which contributes to a persistent research‐practice gap. In this article, we describe a situated model for the study of conflict that combines separate strands of scholarship into a coherent framework for conceptualizing conflict in dyadic social relations. The model considers conflict interactions in the context of social relations and employs prior research on the fundamental dimensions of social relations to create a basic framework for investigating conflict dynamics. The resulting model is heuristic and generative. We discuss the theoretical context and main propositions of this model as well as its implications for conflict resolution practitioners.

Autonomy and the Spaciousness of the Social in Denmark: The Conflict Between Ungdomshuset and Faderhuset

This article is concerned with the idea of societal 'spaciousness' and its relationship to individual and collective autonomy. These issues are analyzed in the context of the eviction of a self-managed social center of left-radical activists in Copenhagen and the protests and public debate that followed. The authors find that societal spaciousness in Denmark is metaphorically associated with a house or a limited physical space. People should limit themselves in public space, as in a house, to 'make room' for all. Because youngsters are not conceived of as fully fledged political subjects who are able to conduct themselves appropriately in public space, they become a group of special concern. The authors argue that space should be conceived as a dimension of social relations, and that sociality relies on a temporal assemblage of people, things, and imaginaries with space.

The Kopitiam in Singapore: An Evolving Story about Migration and Cultural Diversity

This paper tells the story of migration and diversity in Singapore through a particular feature of Singapore - the kopitiam (coffeeshop). Found mostly in the HDB (Housing and Development Board) public housing estates in which 85% of Singapore’s population live and in historical ethnic enclaves, the kopitiam may be viewed as a quintessential feature of Singapore everyday life and public culture, and is one among several institutions and spaces within which are embedded dynamic aspects and processes of migration and social-cultural diversity, set within the larger context of a rapidly changing and globalizing Singapore throughout its history. In origin a small-scale set-up serving workers and residents cheap drinks, nibbles and sometimes meals, the kopitiam has constantly evolved and experienced much change over several broad periods: the colonial period of mass immigration in the 19th and early 20th centuries, massive resettlement of local communities into HDB public housing estates and urban renewal in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, and rapid urbanization and globalization since the 1990s. This paper examines the kopitiam’s evolution in the following aspects of its cultural and social distinctiveness and diversity: 1) foods, 2) peoples - owners, stallholders and workers and customers, 3) social-cultural activities and politics, and 4) local and international economic competition and connections.In doing so, it explicates the historical, social and cultural evolution of the kopitiam as a site of Singaporean multiculturalism that is derived from the continuous inputs and interactions of generations of immigrants, entrepreneurs and customers over time.At the same time, it also shows some dimensions, expressions and meanings of multiculturalism and cultural change at the local level and in the local-global nexus. Several theoretical parameters broadly frame this paper’s context and its anthropological focus on culture and cultural dimensions of social relations: a longue duree perspective on migration; local-global nexus, migration’s significance to the cultural and social life of a local community; and the social and cultural dimensions of multiculturalism constructed historically through migration, settlement and acculturation. Research employed historical and anthropological approaches, with data drawn from historical, archival and media documents and from primary fieldwork based on conversational interviews and observations.

The Nonconscious Nature of Power: Cues and Consequences

Power – asymmetric control over valued resources – is a fundamental dimension of social relations. Classical conceptualizations of power emphasize its conscious nature. In this review, we reveal how power often operates nonconsciously and identify the different methods and paradigms used to activate or create a psychological sense of power outside of conscious awareness. First, we establish that cues of power are often attended to nonconsciously, which explains why people can be so accurate at determining their own and others’ level of power yet so inaccurate at identifying the specific cues diagnostic of possessing power. Second, we discuss how people are often unaware of how the possession of power fundamentally alters basic psychological and behavioral tendencies and describe the range of methodologies – roles, cues, episodic recall, conceptual priming – used to identify the nonconscious effects of power. Power produces two broad types of effects: It increases abstraction in thought and approach in behavior, both of which make individuals more focused on their own goals and internal states. Like other psychological constructs and processes, even ones that are inherently social and relational, power’s cues and consequences do not have to be conscious for its profound influence on basic psychological and interpersonal processes to emerge. We discuss the implications of the nonconscious nature of power for limiting the corrupting, dark side often revealed among the powerful.

Nursing and family caregiving: social support and nonsupport

Part 1 Social support and family caregiving Chapter 1 Introduction to Family Caregiving and Social Support Chapter 2 Nonsupportive interactions Part 2 Mobilizing support for Family Caregivers: Issues, Examples and Assessment Chapter 3 The influence of expectations for support Chapter 4 Social support and relationship dimensions: Reciprocity and obligation Chapter 5 Barriers in mobilizing support.

How Social Movements Do Culture

While much social science literature has analyzed the cultural bases of social movement, activity, and the content of cultural production by social movements, relatively little has been written about the concrete social relations within which social movements do culture. This paper addresses the issue of what social movements are doing when they produce culture. Four dimensions of social relations within which culture is enacted are identified: the division of labor, the relations of power, tuning in, and embeddedness. A contrast between the how the People's Songsters Movement of the 1930s and 1940s and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s used American folk music illustrates how variation in these dimensions affects the effects that cultural production had on social movement outcomes.

The WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire: French adult population norms for the physical health, psychological health and social relationship dimensions

Background. Medical and scientific committees need validated instruments to assess quality of life, but the lack of general population norms limits their full use in research and clinical practice. This study aimed to determine norms for the French general population for the physical and psychological health and social relationship dimensions of the abbreviated version of WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire in a large representative community sample. Methods. A sample of 16,450 randomly selected subjects 18–75 years old, in two steps: households and individuals, was drawn from the National Health Barometer 2005, a periodic study by the French National Institute for Preventive and Health Education. Quality of life and other characteristics were collected using a computer-assisted telephone interview by use of a booklet. Results. Internal consistency was good. Normative data for the French population are analyzed by age, sex and self-reported chronic disease. Conclusions. Our data provide normative scores for the general French population for three of four dimensions of the WHOQOL-BREF that can be useful to researchers using this measure of health-related quality-of-life assessment and to clinical practitioners.

‘Belonging’. ‘Patients' experiences of social relationships during pulmonary rehabilitation

Aim. To unpack and interpret descriptions of experiences of social relationships during pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) for people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Method. Inspired by interpretive phenomenology, individual qualitative interviews were conducted twice with 18 persons from COPD rehabilitation units in two general hospitals. Qualitative content analysis was performed.Results. Analysis of the interviews revealed the overarching theme of belonging. The participants emphasised social integration in rehabilitation groups as well as support from peers and health-care personnel as important dimensions of social relationships with regard to PR. Active participation in and engagement with the groups provided opportunities for patients to share their knowledge, encouraged mutual trust, and support and increased self-confidence, and motivation for self-care and further social participation. Integration in the groups and perceived support during PR made coping and adaptation easier and had a positive effect on quality of life.Conclusions. Patients' perspectives on PR were strongly influenced by certain facets of social relationships, such as social integration and social support. Patients', peers' and health-care professionals' strategies to promote social support and social integration should be further explored in the future, both in different contexts and for longer periods of time.

Health-related quality of life of patients with epilepsy in Turkey

The aim of this study was to measure the health related quality of life (HRQOL) of epilepsy patients and to compare it with that of a healthy control group. The evaluation included the effects of the type of seizure, duration of seizure and medical treatment on the quality of life of the patients. The group studied consisted of 221 participants (121 epilepsy patients and 100 healthy control individuals) who completed a sociodemographic data form and who were administered the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-100) scale. The epilepsy patients had statistically lower physical health, psychological well-being, level of independence and global HRQOL than participants in the control group ( p < 0.05). The analysis of variance showed that the partial epilepsy subgroup had significantly lower averages for all the quality-of-life subfields except for the social relationship dimension. On regression analysis, being married, having a generalized type of seizure and being treated with fewer medications were all related to higher scores on the HRQOL. Epilepsy is a disease that has neurological, psychiatric and psychosocial dimensions that should be evaluated using a multidisciplinary approach.

Microcredito e salute mentale

- Micro-credit, a Bengali invention of Professor Muhammad Yunus, is an innovative practice of credit, based on very small loans, given to people traditionally ignored by the banking system. These loans allow people to open small businesses or to support their current activities. Micro-credit is a tool that develops the potentials of marginal people and encourages autonomy. It represents a parallel welfare policy that holds back human passivity, supports self-recovery, and reprocesses the social dimension of relationship, the internal/external dialectic between individual and group. Micro-credit involves the "poorest of the poor", the people traditionally excluded from the banking system, because considered "not includable", or simply "not trustworthy" enough. This paper describes micro-credit practices, adopted by the mental health service of Carpi (a small town in northern Italy). The basic aim of this service is to counter the idea that people with psychiatric disorders, as the poor, are not worthy of trust, nor of receiving financial loans. Micro-credit enhances autonomy, initiative and shared responsibility. It is a basic tool of active citizenship. It represents an alternative model of welfare and of coconstructed care: a collaborative model built with different stakeholders. It is an important tool to keep in check public costs by promoting self-esteem and quality of life, by bringing people to become more autonomous and less dependent on services.Parole Chiave: microcredito, fiducia, gruppo, gruppoanalisi, riabilitazione, beni relazionali, salute mentale.Key Words: micro-credit, trust, group, group analysis, rehabilitation, relational goods, mental health.

Social relationships and HRQL: A cross-sectional survey among older Italian adults

BackgroundThe aim of this study is to investigate the association between social relationships and Health Related Quality of Life (HRQL) among the elderly in Italy.MethodsA sample of 33,744 Italian residents, representing the non-institutionalised population aged 60 years and over was extracted from the national ISTAT cross-sectional survey during 1999–2000. HRQL was measured with the SF-12, from which the Physical Component Score (PCS) and Mental Component Score (MCS) were obtained. Data were subjected to descriptive analysis and multiple logistic regression models with adjustment for the main confounders.ResultsOur analysis shows a gradient in PCS and MCS among the terziles in seeing/meeting "friends" and "family" and, for PCS, a North-South gradient among the Italian regions. Females, the elderly who reported a lower household income, those who spent less time in recreational and religious activities, who lived too far from their relatives and had few relationships with friends and relatives, were significantly less likely to have an MCS above the median value. For PCS, an increase in HRQL was likely to be associated with a higher educational level, while lower PCS scores were associated with: age 75+, inadequate household income, unmarried status, infrequency of seeing/meeting friends, too high a mean distance from own home to relatives' homes, lack of leisure time spent in recreational activities, living in the Centre-South of Italy, chronic diseases, reduced autonomy, and use of drugs during the previous two days. Significant interactions between suffering from one chronic disease and the use of drugs were also found for both MCS and PCS.ConclusionSome dimensions of social relationships were significantly associated with HRQL. These findings are crucial for devising welfare strategies at both the regional and the European level, i.e. in countries such as Italy where the primacy of family support of the elderly has declined in recent years.

Impaired Anger Control as an Underappreciated Side Effect of Treatments for Chronic HCV Infection in HIV-HCV Coinfected Patients

To study the specific impact of treatments for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection on anger expression and control in adult patients coinfected with HIV and HCV receiving antiretroviral therapy. In 2005, a cross-sectional survey, collecting both clinical and sociobehavioral data, was conducted in 2 French clinical centers among adult patients coinfected with HIV and HCV. Participants were asked to answer anonymously a self-administered questionnaire aimed at obtaining sociodemographic, clinical and behavioral characteristics including self-reported treatments' side effects, quality of life (WHOQOL-HIV BREF), and irritability and anger (STAXI-2). Clinical characteristics were obtained from medical records. Among the 139 patients who were receiving antiretroviral therapy at the time of survey and who had complete self-reported data, 24 were being treated for their HCV infection, using either pegylated interferon and ribavirin or pegylated interferon alone. Control of anger was significantly lower among treated patients than among untreated ones (STAXI-2 anger control-out dimension median scores of 18.5 vs. 23 respectively, P=0.02). Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics did not differ significantly between these 2 groups. Control of angry feelings was significantly correlated with psychologic and social relationship dimensions of quality of life. Treatment of HCV-HIV coinfected patients may require closer monitoring for anger control issues and adjustment of treatment as appropriate.

Os sintomas depressivos e as relações sociais na terceira idade

O artigo testa a hipótese, originada da teoria da Equidade e da teoria da Integração Social, sobre o efeito das trocas sociais nos sintomas depressivos dos idosos. A base de dados amostral original é formada por 871 idosos pesquisados no Rio Grande do Sul em 1995, dentre os quais, 551 foram re-entervistados em 1999. Análises multivariadas transversais e longitudinais estimaram efeito de duas dimensões das relações sociais (as trocas com familiares e a integração social) nos sintomas depressivos. Os resultados indicam que o desbalanço nas trocas aumenta os sintomas depressivos, e a integração social contribui para um decréscimo dos mesmos.

Tracking Changes in Social Relations Throughout Late Life

This research aimed to chart age-related changes in 11 dimensions of social relations during later life. We also examined interpersonal differences in intra-individual changes. We used hierarchical linear modeling with data from a nationwide survey of 1,103 elders who were interviewed up to four times over a 10-year period. Age-related changes in social relations varied across the different dimensions, and significant interpersonal differences existed in these trajectories. Emotional support was relatively stable with advancing age, whereas other types of received support (i.e., tangible and informational) increased with age and levels of provided support declined. Furthermore, the findings revealed declines in contact with friends, support satisfaction, and anticipated support. These changes were not uniform throughout the sample, as indicated by significant random effects with respect to the intercepts and slopes in virtually each model. Gender and socioeconomic status accounted for some of this variation. These findings highlight the dynamic nature of social relationships in late life. In addition, the findings both provide evidence of older adults managing their social ties to meet the challenges of aging and suggest the importance of the interplay between giving and receiving support.

Concepts of culture in the sociology of punishment

The author analyses the different ways in which the concept of ‘culture’ is currently deployed in the sociology of punishment. Using a distinction first developed by W.H. Sewell Jr, he distinguishes two usages of the concept—culture as an analytical dimension of social relations (‘the cultural’) and culture as a collective entity (‘a culture’). The theoretical issues and problems entailed in these two usages are discussed and several pragmatic solutions proposed. The author argues that analytical accounts of ‘the cultural’ should be regarded as artificial (though necessary) abstractions. Descriptive ethnography, discourse analysis and textual explication ought to be viewed as components of historical or sociological explanation, not as substitutes for explanatory analysis. The author argues for the integration of cultural analysis into the explanatory project of a multi-dimensional sociology of punishment.

Health professionals and death: emotions and management ways

This article will treat two dimensions of social relations: death at t he hospital , and the way in which health professionals manage their emotions regarding death and suff ering. The hospital has been chosen as a privileged location for this research for it is a central and almost naturalized place concerning services directed to health, disease and death. Account ing that this institution has become, in contemporary western society, the place of social de legation of care for the sick, especially those who are about to die, two public hospital units wher e taken as subject of ethnographic research: an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and a Pa lliative Care hospital (PC), which attends patients with cancer “out of therapeutic possibilit ies”. The two units present different forms of caring for the patients, in which the space and value given t o the expression of feelings are also different. The analysis is centered on the way that the staff’ s emotions are managed, as well as on discussions regarding the contact with suffering, death and feelings wic h involves the social actors.

Analysing social identity in casual Zambian/English conversation: a systemic functional linguistic approach

The study uses systemic functional linguistics' conversational analysis (cf Eggins & Slade, 1997) to investigate role structure as well as to analyse encoded statuses and dimensions of social identity in Zambian/English casual conversation. The focus is on how multilingual Zambians use the repertoire of languages at their disposal to reflect and construct dimensions of social identity, interpersonal relationships and culture. Through an analysis of sentence-level grammatical patterns, and of speakers' mood choices in particular, the study shows how interactants construct identities ('self' and 'other') and social roles, as well as role relationships. The study also shows how the social roles male-female appear to require distinctive grammatical behaviours, with implications for power relationships between interactants. Ultimately, the study tries to show how interactants' code choices, that is, strategic switching between English and the various Zambian languages, and between Zambian languages themselves, signal specific roles, statuses and relationships.

Instrumental routes to emotional geographies

Emotional experiences and relationships have traditionally been marginalized in human geography despite their impact on all aspects of social life. We argue, however, that understanding emotions is crucial for appreciating how the world of human (inter)actions works. To develop this argument we address two key questions. First, we ask how it is possible for social scientists to access the intimate emotional content of human affairs. One answer to this lies in settings where the emotional dimensions of social relations are deliberately and routinely enhanced. The example we take is that of musical performance. Second, we consider what might be done with these emotional ways of knowing once they have been acquired. What relevance does emotional knowing and being have? To address this, we turn to the relatively neglected concept of social well‐being, and we outline some ways in which ‘musicking’ might be used to promote it. These include music as therapy; music as a way of enhancing quality of life; and music as a medium of empowerment.

A Short Scale for Measuring Loneliness in Large Surveys

Most studies of social relationships in later life focus on the amount of social contact, not on individuals' perceptions of social isolation. However, loneliness is likely to be an important aspect of aging. A major limiting factor in studying loneliness has been the lack of a measure suitable for large-scale social surveys. This article describes a short loneliness scale developed specifically for use on a telephone survey. The scale has three items and a simplified set of response categories but appears to measure overall loneliness quite well. The authors also document the relationship between loneliness and several commonly used measures of objective social isolation. As expected, they find that objective and subjective isolation are related. However, the relationship is relatively modest, indicating that the quantitative and qualitative aspects of social relationships are distinct. This result suggests the importance of studying both dimensions of social relationships in the aging process.