Social Isolation Research Articles

Loneliness, Social Isolation, and Suicidal Ideation and Attempt Among Adolescents Living with HIV: A Cross-Sectional Study in Masaka, Uganda

Loneliness, Social Isolation, and Suicidal Ideation and Attempt Among Adolescents Living with HIV: A Cross-Sectional Study in Masaka, Uganda

A Self-Administered Eating Behavior Scale for Patients With Heart Failure Living at Home: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Scale Development Study.

The prevalence of heart failure (HF) is increasing worldwide, with the associated mortality rates rising consistently. Preventing HF progression requires adherence to restricted sodium intake alongside sufficient and balanced nutritional consumption. For patients at home, preparing nutritionally balanced meals is essential, either self-assisted or with the aid of close individuals. Patients with HF frequently experience decreased exercise tolerance, depression, anxiety, and social isolation, which interfere with eating behaviors, leading to inadequate dietary habits. However, measures focusing on the determinants of eating behavior among patients with HF are currently lacking. This study aims to develop a self-administered scale to assess the eating behaviors of patients with HF living at home (Self-Administered Eating Behaviors Scale for Heart Failure [SEBS-HF]). This study encompasses 3 phases. Phase 1 involves identifying factors influencing eating behaviors in patients with HF. First, a literature review will be conducted using PubMed and CINAHL databases. The specified literature will be analyzed qualitatively and inductively. Additionally, verbatim transcripts obtained from semistructured interviews of patients with HF and medical experts will be qualitatively analyzed. Based on the Phase 1 results, a preliminary scale will be constructed. In Phase 2, cognitive interviews will be conducted with patients with HF and experts; the preliminary scale will be used to qualitatively evaluate its content validity. After validation, the scale will be used in Phase 3 to conduct a cross-sectional study involving patients with HF. In Phase 3, data will be collected from clinical records and self-administered questionnaires or scales. After conducting a preliminary survey, the main survey will be conducted. The reliability and validity of the scale will be assessed using statistical methods. The first phase of this study commenced in September 2023, and by May 2, 2024, a total of 7 patients with HF and 6 expert professionals were enrolled as study participants. The draft creation of the scale will be completed in 2024, and the content validity evaluation of the draft scale is expected to be finished by early 2025. The third phase will begin its investigation in mid-2025 and is expected to be completed by late 2025, after which the SEBS-HF will be published. The development and use of this scale will enable a more comprehensive evaluation of the factors influencing eating behaviors in patients with HF. Thus, medical and welfare professionals should provide appropriate support tailored to the specific needs of patients with HF. DERR1-10.2196/60719.

Research and program grants will support health equity

The philanthropic arm of health insurance company Humana Inc. has announced a series of grants devoted to advancing health equity, with several of the funded initiatives focused on mental health. The Humana Foundation on Oct. 16 announced investments totaling $15.2 million for research and programmatic initiatives emphasizing emotional health and community connection. Among the funded research projects, investigators at Indiana University's Bloomington campus will use grant support to examine connection between school staff and marginalized students for suicide prevention, while researchers at the University of South Florida will test a nutrition education intervention for low‐income older adults with behavioral health conditions. Program grantees include Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana, which plans to establish a youth mental health center in Kentucky, and Spring Branch Community Health Center in Texas, which intends to open a mental health center at a high school with a large proportion of students struggling with mental health issues. Older adults and school‐age children have been priority populations in the foundation's overall giving mission. “This commitment from the Humana Foundation offers a major investment in creating practical tools that will have wide application in reconnecting older adults to social and community networks,” said Tom Kamber, executive director of grant recipient agency Older Adults Technology Services, which will use its grant to educate communities on the difficulties many seniors have in combating social isolation.

Transcriptomic analysis of rat prefrontal cortex following chronic stress induced by social isolation – Relevance to psychiatric and neurodevelopmental illness, and implications for treatment

Social isolation is an established risk factor for psychiatric illness, and became increasingly topical with the spread of SARS-CoV-2. We used RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) to enable unbiased assessment of transcriptomic changes within the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of isolation-reared rats. To provide insight into the relevance of this manipulation for studying human illness, we compared differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and enriched biological functions against datasets involving post-mortem frontal cortical tissue from patients with psychiatric and neurodevelopmental illnesses. Sixteen male Sprague-Dawley rats were reared in groups of four or individually from weaning on postnatal day (PND) 22–24 until PFC tissue collection for RNA-Seq (PND64-66). We identified a total of 183 DEGs in isolates, of which 128 mirrored those in PFC tissue from patients with stress-related mental illnesses and/or neurodevelopmental conditions featuring social deficits. Seventy-one encode proteins classed as druggable by the gene-drug interaction database. Interestingly there are antagonists or inhibitors for the products of three of these up-regulated DEGs (Hrh3, Snca and Sod1) and agonists or activators for products of six of these down-regulated DEGs (Chrm4, Klf2, Lrrk2, Nr4a1, Nr4a3 and Prkca). Some have already undergone pre-clinical and clinical evaluation, and studies with the remainder may be warranted. Changes to Hrh3, Sod1, Chrm4, Lrrk2, Nr4a1 and Prkca were replicated in an independent cohort of sixteen male Sprague-Dawley rats via quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Our findings support the continued use of post-weaning isolation rearing to investigate the neurobiology of stress-related disorders and evaluate therapeutic targets.

Worse Psychological Profiles Are Associated With Higher Levels of Stress and Symptom Burden in Patients With Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

To identify subgroups of patients with distinct psychological profiles at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and evaluate for differences. Online survey of patients with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients completed measures of demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as cancer- and COVID-19-related stress, global stress, social isolation, loneliness, financial toxicity, and common symptoms. Latent profile analysis was used to identify distinct psychological profiles. Among 1,145 patients, three subgroups were identified (i.e., no anxiety or depression and normative level of resilience; high depression, high anxiety, and low resilience; and very high depression, very high anxiety, and very low resilience). Patients with the two worst psychological profiles were younger, more likely to be female, more recently diagnosed with cancer, and more likely to have breast cancer. Findings may assist clinicians to identify patients at increased risk for significant psychological morbidity and provide more timely, targeted, and cost-effective interventions.

Navigating integration challenges: Insights from migrant dairy farm workers in New Zealand

As the global demand for milk products continues to increase and dairy sectors become more concentrated, a pressing question arises: who will milk the cows and where will they come from? Mirroring global trends, the New Zealand dairy industry has experienced significant structural changes, with a shift from family-run dairy farms to larger commercially orientated operations. At the same time, domestic socio-economic and demographic changes have resulted in rural to urban migration. These factors have contributed to a shortage of skilled labour in some regions. To meet its labour demands, the New Zealand dairy sector has relied increasingly heavily on temporary migrant workers, who face significant challenges integrating into their new communities. This study uses data from in-depth interviews with 25 migrant dairy farm workers in Canterbury, New Zealand, and a modified conceptual framework for integration developed by Ager and Strang to enhance our understanding of how skilled migrants in the dairy sector adapt to unfamiliar host communities. Through thematic analysis we identify the factors that either facilitate or hinder the successful integration of this important but vulnerable group. Key themes include motivations for moving to New Zealand, pathways to obtaining their positions, and the primary challenges that they experience in attempting to integrate. Challenges include physical and social isolation, discrimination, and a lack of access to key services. As the agricultural sector continues to grow, it is essential to provide migrant farm workers with adequate support to ensure their successful social, cultural, and economic integration.

Managing COVID-19 outbreaks in prisons - a brief review of literature and key lessons learnt.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, prisons faced a unique challenge of preventing and managing outbreaks with minimal adverse impact. This study aims to describe the epidemiology of COVID-19 in prisons, identify lessons learnt and make recommendations. The authors used the PubMed advanced search function using MeSH terms; (coronavirus, sars) AND (prisons) AND (disease outbreaks). The authors included original research reporting COVID-19 outbreaks in prisons. All other types and non-English publications were excluded. The authors used a structured data abstraction template to extract data systematically, and a second author independently abstracted data from 10% of the papers for quality assurance. The search yielded 96 hits. The authors included 15 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. These studies were from four countries. Seven studies reported individual outbreaks. The mean and median number of inmates and staff were 1,765, 1,126 and 575, 510. The mean and median number of cases among inmates and staff were 584, 464, and 72, 77. The number of reported deaths varied from 0 to 11. The authors present the prison-specific hazards grouped under human factors, healthcare factors and environmental factors. The authors also summarise interventions deployed as either primary prevention interventions, such as vaccinations, or secondary prevention interventions, including screening and contact tracing. This narrative review summarises the prison-specific hazards, which include movement of people in and out of the person, moving in new prisoners from other prisons, mixing of prisoners when transporting to courts, limited medical and isolation resources, crowded dormitories, shared lavatories, small communal facilities, poor ventilation and overcrowding. The interventions included limiting non-medical transfers into and out of the persons, assigning staff members to specific areas, encouraging face coverings among prisoners and staff and social isolation measures within the constraints of the prison setting. The interventions were adopted by prison authorities to contain and manage the outbreaks. Public Health and prison authorities need to be aware of the risk of further outbreaks of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases in these settings and implement key measures identified in this review to minimise adverse outcomes.

The Association Between Social Isolation and Medication Adherence Among Chinese Older Adults With Chronic Diseases: Serial Mediation of Social Support and Loneliness.

Medication adherence is essential for chronic disease management among older adults. Previous studies have shown significant links among social isolation, social support, loneliness, and medication adherence, yet most were based on cross-sectional designs. We conducted a longitudinal cohort study among Chinese older adults with chronic diseases to explore the mediating effects of social support and loneliness in the association between social isolation and medication adherence. This study followed a cohort of 797 older adults with chronic diseases in China from 2022 to 2023. The serial mediation model was examined via bootstrapping techniques to evaluate the mediating effect of social support and loneliness in the association between social isolation and medication adherence. From baseline to follow-up, there were significant decreases in social support (from 26.6 ± 6.2 to 23.5 ± 6.7) and medication adherence (from 6.7 ± 1.2 to 6.0 ± 1.5) and significant increases in social isolation (from 1.8 ± 1.3 to 2.5 ± 1.4) and loneliness (13.2 ± 4.1 to 23.5 ± 6.7), all with p < .001. A serial mediation model was confirmed, where social support and loneliness serially and partially mediated the association between social isolation and medication adherence (total effect c = -0.216, 95% CI = -0.296 to -0.136; direct effect c' = -0.094, 95% CI = -0.171 to -0.017; total indirect effect ab = -0.122, 95% CI = -0.179 to -0.070). Our findings yield critical insights into the relationship between social isolation and medication adherence through various mediating mechanisms. These findings hold significant implications for devising psychosocial interventions to enhance medication adherence among older adults with chronic diseases, underscoring the pivotal role of bolstering social support and alleviating loneliness.

The Voices of Older African Immigrants on How They Cope with Social Isolation and Loneliness in the United States

ABSTRACT Objectives Up to 40% of older adults in the US, including older African immigrants, report experiencing social isolation and loneliness. Despite this prevalence, there is limited understanding of how they cope with these challenges. This study aims to contribute to a broader understanding of the coping mechanisms employed by older African immigrants in the face of loneliness and social isolation. Methods Using a qualitative approach, this study recruited and conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 participants aged 63–79. Results Four themes emerged from the data through a thematic analysis approach which includes a) Positive self-talk and adaptation: “I have to cope with it,” b) Technology/social media: “if I cannot interact physically outside, I go through social media/watch TV,” c) Intergenerational engagement beyond caregiving: “They [grandchildren] are my immediate constituency,” and d) Digging deep through faith: “Interactions have been mostly within the church.” Conclusions Older African immigrants may find strategies to cope with social isolation and loneliness, but additional support may be needed to strengthen their coping skills and enhance their social network with people outside of their families. Clinical Implications Intervention should focus on regular assessment and strengthening of their social network outside the family unit.

Determinants affecting the medical students adoption of mobile learning: extended UTAUT

BackgroundThis research investigates the fundamental factors which may stymie or simplify the adoption of m-learning by medical college educators in Sudan. We made use of the Extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use Technology (UTAUT) with COVID-19 fear (CF) and social isolation (SIS) as exogenous components.ObjectiveThis research aims to find out factors impacting medical students’ behavioural intention to use mobile learning.MethodsData was gathered from 499 undergraduate learners from different universities in Sudan. Partial Least Square (PLS) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to examine the data.The resultsShowed that expected performance, effort expectancy (EE), social influence (SI), facilitation condition (FC), COVID-19 fear, and social isolation (SIS) are predictors of behavioural intentions (BI). In addition, our findings show that COVID-19 fear and social isolation increase student adoption of mobile learning during the COVID-19 epidemics in developing countries.ConclusionsThe study unveiled that the suggested framework, derived from UTAUT, effectively discerns the factors impacting students’ intentions in mobile learning during pandemics. Sudanese medical students’ can strategize and execute effective classroom environments based on these findings.

The influence of frailty: How the associations between modifiable risk factors and dementia vary

BackgroundThe Lancet Commission has highlighted 12 modifiable risk factors for dementia. However, the effects of addressing these risk factors among the heterogeneous older adult population is not fully understood. We compared the association between risk factors and dementia by frailty, conceptualized as an explanation for the underlying health heterogeneity in old age. MethodsData were from the UK Biobank, a cohort study with over 500,000 participants aged 37–73 between 2006 and 2010. Frailty was measured by five criteria: slowness, weakness, exhaustion, inactivity, and shrinking. Participants meeting 0, 1–2, and 3–5 criteria were considered non-frail, prefrail, and frail, respectively. We included 13 modifiable risk factors. We used logistic regression to determine the associations of risk factors with 10-year dementia among non-frail, pre-frail, and frail individuals, respectively. Additionally, we adopted a g-computation method to estimate the individual and combined population intervention effects (PIE) of the risk factors for dementia. ResultsOf 381,419 participants, 58.4 %, 38.2 %, and 3.4 % were classified as non-frail, pre-frail, and frail, respectively. Except for smoking, depression, and excessive alcohol use, the other 10 risk factors had a stronger association with dementia among frailer individuals. We observed the highest PIEs among frail individuals when considering hypothetical interventions targeting low education, physical inactivity, central obesity, social isolation, hearing impairment, hypertension, diabetes, high nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposure, high exposure of particulate matter with a diameter less than or equal to 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5), and traumatic brain injury individually. For the hypothetical interventions targeting all 13 risk factors together, we found a graded increase in the PIE across frailty status. ConclusionThe associations between modifiable risk factors and dementia were stronger among the frail. We advocate for incorporating frailty assessments to pinpoint those most likely to benefit from targeted risk factor interventions.

Creating an Exhibition Space to Attract Students in the University Library of Ukraine in Times of Crisis

Crisis times caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the martial law in Ukraine have actualized the creation of various exhibitions in academic libraries to reach and attract users. In particular, to overcome social isolation, anxiety, and emotional and mental exhaustion. This study discusses the authors’ practical experience of building a partnership between the academic library and the Graphic Design Department of the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts (Ukraine). The cooperation aims to create a physical and online exhibition space to reach and attract students to the library. The study provides examples of the joint creation of a library thematic exhibition space with students and teachers for interaction and moral support, formation of common values, self-realization, and motivation, as well as examples of using the exhibition space to hold exhibitions of students’ artwork as part of the library’s engagement program in times of crisis. The examples confirm that the university library, in times of crisis during martial law, positions its exhibition space as a place that unites the university community, inspires, promotes cultural development, supports successful initiatives, and presents the achievements of university students and teachers. The results of this article complement previous research on library exhibitions as a means of reaching, engaging, highlighting collections, and educating students. It also informs practitioners about the Ukrainian experience of creating an exhibition space to attract students to the academic library in times of crisis. This article may be helpful to library practitioners looking for ideas and experience organizing exhibitions in academic libraries.

Process Groups for Supporting Resident Wellbeing: Factors Influencing Resident Wellness amid the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Burnout is a well-recognized problem among resident physicians. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the dynamics of the patient/resident relationship and introduced new stressors for medical trainees, such as new restrictions in the hospital, increased patient death, and uncertainty around safety. There is limited research on the implementation of group therapy for residents to address issues of wellbeing and burnout during the pandemic. Method: In response to perceived burnout amongst internal medicine residents, a university-based internal medicine residency program in the Northeast United States implemented process groups, a form of group therapy, in the curriculum. These sessions were held hourly once every five weeks for each cohort of twelve residents during the academic year. We sought to measure resident burnout and identify themes that impacted wellbeing to facilitate the intervention of process groups during the pandemic. In 2021 and 2022, internal medicine residents were invited to complete the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and answer two open-ended questions about the factors that most negatively and positively influenced their wellness. Results: Of the 134 participants, 82% had high emotional exhaustion or depersonalization. The most prevalent themes hindering wellness were negative personal interactions at work, most notably rude behavior by patients, unsupportive attendings, residency program expectations, and work intensity. Findings unique to the pandemic include social isolation from family, distress from poor outcomes, and fear of contracting or spreading the virus. The most prevalent themes for supporting wellness were personal life, camaraderie, professional satisfaction, and program structured support. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that programs can tailor structured support to improve wellness, despite the presence of significant stressors.

Social isolation and likelihood of becoming centenarians: evidence from the Chinese longitudinal healthy longevity survey

BackgroundSocial isolation, defined as an individual’s lack of social connections, is particularly prevalent among older adults. However, its association with health outcomes among the oldest-old population (aged 80 and above) was understudied.AimsTo examine the association between social isolation and the likelihood of becoming a centenarian among the oldest-old people in China, aiming to provide novel insights into promoting healthy aging and longevity.MethodsUsing data from The Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, conducted in 22 provinces in mainland China since 1998, we performed a community-based, prospective nested case-control study. The primary outcome was survival to the age of 100 by 2018 (the end of follow-up). Information on social isolation and other covariates was collected via a questionnaire at baseline. The degree of social isolation was categorized as low, moderate, and high. Included (n = 5,716) were 1,584 identified centenarians and 4,132 controls (deceased before reaching 100 years), matched by age, sex, and year of entry. A conditional logistic regression model was used to evaluate the association between social isolation and the likelihood of becoming a centenarian, adjusting for demographic factors, lifestyle factors, chronic disease, potential disability, optimistic attitude, and perceived loneliness.ResultsIndividuals with the highest social isolation score had lower odds of becoming centenarians (adjusted OR:0.82; 95% CI: 0.68, 0.98), relative to those with the least social isolation (P-value < 0.05), and this association persisted in sensitivity analyses. The association was more pronounced among ever smokers, compared to never smokers (P-value = 0.001). We did not observe significant interactions between social isolation and other covariates (P-value > 0.05 for all).ConclusionsThis study highlights the inverse association between social isolation and the likelihood of becoming a centenarian, emphasizing the need for public health initiatives to combat isolation in the older population.

"What Does 'Age-Friendly' Mean to You?" The Role of Microaggressions in a Retirement and Assisted Living Community.

In conversations about expanding age-friendly ecosystems, the concept of "age-friendliness" has not been explored in relation to residential settings. This multiple case study compared four residents' perspectives on the age-friendliness of a retirement and assisted living community, combining individual semi-structured interviews with observational data and organizational document analyses in a contextualist thematic examination. Three themes depict (A) existing experiences of the setting as "age-friendly" and the tension of the built design vs. identity; (B) resident-to-resident microaggressions, delineated into four sub-themes including identity-related, intergenerational, condition-related microaggressions and their influence on social isolation; and (C) desired experiences of the setting as "age-friendly" reflecting the social design. In cases of visibly perceptible diversity (white cane, darker skin tone), residents fared worse in experiencing microaggressions stemming from ableism, racism, and age differences. Conversely, in cases of visibly imperceptible diversity, residents had more positive or entirely positive experiences. Although the setting met many environmental and healthcare needs, it lacked design factors prioritizing meaningful social relationships between residents, impacting social isolation. Resident-to-resident social relationships are key in the experience of a retirement and assisted living community as age-friendly. Resident-to-resident microaggressions undermine perceptions of the community as age-friendly, and influence social isolation. We reflect on the organizational role in mitigating against negative social relationships and social isolation to maximize dignity.

Navigating the New Normal: Psychological Capital's Mediating Role in the Work-From-Home Paradigm

Working from home (WFH) has become the expected trend as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic. The impact of family conflict, social isolation, distracting environment, job autonomy, and self-leadership on employees' productivity, work engagement, and stress levels have been examined in this study with a mediating role of Psychological capital. There has been little study on the impact of Psychological capital as a mediator and its influence on remote work productivity, work engagement, and stress. The data was collected from employees of IT sector organizations. Through online and print surveys, a sample of 429 respondents was gathered using the convenience sampling method. The dependent variables were workers’ productivity, work engagement, and Stress, the mediating variable was Psychological Capital and the independent variables were family-work conflict, social isolation, distracting environment, job autonomy, and self-leadership under the framework of the Job Demand and Resource model. The PLS-SEM tool was used to investigate the association between research variables. The SPSS tool was used to run the descriptive statistics of respondents. Through this study, it was able to conclude that Job Demand and Job Resources significantly impact productivity, work engagement, and stress through psychological capital. Job Demand negatively impacts productivity, and work engagement and positively impacts stress while Job Resource positively impacts productivity, and work engagement and negatively impact stress.

Development, validity and reliability of the “Multiple sclerosis stigma scale”

BackgroundStigma in multiple sclerosis (MS) refers to the negative attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that patients may encounter as a result of their diagnosis. Patients who hold stigmatizing beliefs are more prone to experiencing anxiety and depression, social isolation, and poor treatment adherence. To mitigate the adverse effects of stigma, it is crucial to assess stigmatizing beliefs; however, there is currently no specific stigma scale available for MS. ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to develop and validate “Multiple Sclerosis Stigma Scale (MSSS)”. MethodsThis methodological study was conducted in three phases. In the first phase, the concept of stigma in MS was defined. In the second phase, an item pool was generated based on the findings from the first phase. In the third phase, psychometric properties of the scale were evaluated, including face and content validity, construct validity, convergent validity and reliability. ResultsAfter evaluating the validity (face, content, and construct validity) and reliability, the initial item pool of 276 items was reduced to 12 items. Factor analysis revealed two factors: discrimination and disclosure. The developed questionnaire had excellent reliability, with an internal consistency coefficient of 0.88 and a stability coefficient of 0.87. ConclusionThe 12-item MSSS is valid and reliable for assessing the level of stigma in Turkish people with MS.

Defining and Validating Criteria to Identify Populations Who May Benefit From Home-Based Primary Care.

Home-based primary care (HBPC) is an important care delivery model for high-need older adults. Currently, target patient populations vary across HBPC programs, hindering expansion and large-scale evaluation. Develop and validate criteria that identify appropriate HBPC target populations. A modified Delphi process was used to achieve expert consensus on criteria for identifying HBPC target populations. All criteria were defined and validated using linked data from Medicare claims and the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) (cohort n=21,727). Construct validation involved assessing demographics and health outcomes/expenditures for selected criteria. Delphi panelists (n=29) represented diverse professional perspectives. Criteria were validated on community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries (age above 70) enrolled in NHATS. Criteria were selected via Delphi questionnaires. For construct validation, sociodemographic characteristics of Medicare beneficiaries were self-reported in NHATS, and annual health care expenditures and mortality were obtained via linked Medicare claims. Panelists proposed an algorithm of criteria for HBPC target populations that included indicators for serious illness, functional impairment, and social isolation. The algorithm's Delphi-selected criteria applied to 16.8% of Medicare beneficiaries. These HBPC target populations had higher annual health care costs [Med (IQR): $10,851 (3316, 31,556) vs. $2830 (913, 9574)] and higher 12-month mortality [15% (95% CI: 14, 17) vs. 5% (95% CI: 4, 5)] compared with the total validation cohort. We developed and validated an algorithm to define target populations for HBPC, which suggests a need for increased HBPC availability. By enabling objective identification of unmet demands for HBPC access or resources, this algorithm can foster robust evaluation and equitable expansion of HBPC.

Older Gay Men's Sexual Experiences as Boys with Men: An Empirical and Narrative Analysis.

A dominant view among researchers is that boys' sexual interactions with adult men are traumatizing. In contrast, many gay men recall childhood sexual experiences with adult males as positive. The current study tested for both of these outcomes by examining recalled boyhood sexual experiences of older gay men. Interviews were conducted in the 1970-1980s, and thus, before the public view became popular that child-adult sexual interactions must be traumatizing. Quantitative analyses suggested that gay men with boyhood sexual experiences with adult males (n = 7, mostly aged 11-16 at first experience with men aged 20s to 50s) were as well adjusted as those without these experiences (n = 10), and these experiences were usually viewed positively (71%). Narrative analyses indicated that adjustment problems in adulthood were not related to these early sexual experiences but to other factors such as parental abusiveness, societal intolerance, internalized homophobia, or social isolation.

Isolated during adolescence: long-term impact on social behavior, pain sensitivity, and the oxytocin system in male and female rats

BackgroundAdolescent social isolation (ASI) has profound long-term effects on behavioral and neural development. Despite this, the specific long-term impact of ASI during different adolescent stages and across sexes remain underexplored.MethodsOur study addresses this gap by examining the effects of early- and late- adolescent social isolation on both male and female rats. Rats were either isolated (or group-housed) starting from PD 21 (early) or PD 42 (late) for three weeks and then rehoused into groups. In adulthood (PD 90), rats underwent a battery of tests: elevated plus-maze, open field, novel object recognition, social interaction and social recognition memory and hotplate tests. Finally, we analyzed oxytocin receptor binding in several regions in the brains of a second cohort of rats.ResultsBoth, male and female rats from the late adolescent social isolation (LASI) groups spent significantly less time interacting in the social interaction test. Additionally, we observed a general decrease in social recognition memory regardless of sex. Both male ASI groups demonstrated heightened thermal pain sensitivity, while the opposite was observed in early adolescent social isolation (EASI) female rats. In the brain, we observed changes in oxytocin receptor (OTR) binding in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) and paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) and central amygdala (CeA) with the largest changes in EASI and LASI female rats.ConclusionOur model demonstrates long-lasting alterations on behavior and oxytocin receptor binding levels following ASI providing insights into the long-term effects of ASI in a time- and sex-specific manner.