The effect of social isolation on rat behavior and expression of genes related to neuroinflammation depends on sex.

This study was designed as a descriptive and correlational study to assess the burden experienced by caregivers of palliative care patients with pressure injuries, to identify the factors influencing this burden and to examine the role of perceived social support. Data were collected from 138 informal caregivers of palliative care patients with pressure injuries in a state hospital. The Burden Interview and the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics, correlation analyses and hierarchical regression were conducted to identify factors associated with caregiver burden. Caregivers reported a high level of burden. Lower income status, difficulty experienced during caregiving and negative effects on family and social life were associated with greater burden. Higher perceived social support was associated with lower burden, indicating that social support plays a protective role for caregivers of patients with pressure injuries. Caregivers of palliative care patients with pressure injuries experience substantial burden influenced by socioeconomic and caregiving-related factors. Increased perceived social support contributes to reducing this burden and should be considered an essential component of caregiver-focused interventions.

Social and colonial spiders as model systems for host-symbiont interactions at different levels of organization.

Understanding the contexts and dynamics of poppers use among gender and sexually diverse people (GSDP) in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Digital connectivity and social wellbeing in a polycrisis setting: longitudinal, nationwide, population-weighted evidence from Myanmar, 2021 to 2024.

Seeing beyond the COVID-19 pandemic as an extraordinary spectacle situated in the past, we draw on qualitative research with young people to trace experiences of Long Covid as 'looping effects' of entangling physical and social impacts which intersect with, and extend, those of pandemic. Navigating the capacity to do ordinary things becomes highly contingent, and exhausting work, in the face of Long Covid. The physical impacts of illness, including fatigue, are materialised in altering biographical and social relationships, and managing the 'social life' of Long Covid is a key concern. The lifetimes of Long Covid and pandemic also feed into one another. Configurations of the COVID-19 pandemic as a thing of the past, and social responses felt discounting of the Long Covid experience, enact ongoing illness as 'out of sync', and contribute as elements of exhausted agency and extended precarity. The social impacts of the pandemic looping with Long Covid become iterations without clear end; events ongoing in the living present. Understanding how Long Covid extends the 'ongoing after' of pandemic highlights the need for lasting social support for affected young people.

This study aimed to examine the serial mediating roles of perceived social support and life satisfaction in the relationship between religiosity and online gambling addiction within the framework of Conservation of Resources (COR) theory. A total of 771 individuals (34.4% female, 65.6% male) aged between 18 and 69 years (M = 31.98, SD = 10.42) participated in the study. Data were collected using the Religiosity Scale, the Internet Gambling Addiction Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Correlation analyses indicated that online gambling addiction was negatively associated with religiosity, perceived social support, and life satisfaction, whereas positive relationships were found among religiosity, social support, and life satisfaction. Serial mediation analysis was conducted using PROCESS Macro Model 6. The results revealed that religiosity showed a significant negative total association with online gambling addiction; however, this direct association became non-significant when mediators were included in the model. Perceived social support and life satisfaction both significantly mediated this relationship, and the serial mediation pathway was also found to be significant. The findings suggest that higher religiosity is associated with lower levels of online gambling addiction through greater perceived social support and life satisfaction. Consistent with COR theory, the results indicate that the accumulation of social and psychological resources may be associated with lower vulnerability to behavioral addictions. The study contributes to the literature by offering a resource-based and process-oriented explanation of the relationship between religiosity and online gambling addiction and provides implications for prevention and intervention programs.

Is a random human peer better than a highly supportive chatbot in reducing loneliness over time?

Alcohol is embedded in social life; however, alcohol control policies remain insufficiently enforced in Korea. Comprehensive evidence linking alcohol intake to disease and mortality is limited. This study estimated associations between alcohol consumption in Korea and risks of morbidity and mortality for 39 diseases and conditions. Retrospective cohort study using National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) data linked with death records from Statistics Korea. Population-based customized NHIS data, a mandatory single-payer system covering the entire Korean population, between 2006 and 2022. 6 214 569 participants (57.36% males) aged ≥20 years who underwent two general health examinations during 2006-2009 and were disease-free at baseline. Alcohol consumption was categorized by drinking status and daily pure alcohol intake (seven levels in 10 g/day increments), averaged across two measurements (2006-2007, 2008-2009). The reference group comprised current abstainers at both examinations. Outcomes included incident cases, all-cause and cause-specific deaths for 39 diseases, followed through 2022. Covariates included age, income, body mass index, smoking, physical activity and comorbidities. Hazard ratios and lifetime risks were estimated. At baseline, 79.3% of men and 39.0% of women were current drinkers. For cancer (450 738 cases), alcohol consumption was statistically significantly associated with increased risks of seven cancers in men and four in women. On average, lifetime incidence rate of alcohol-related cancers was 9.96% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 9.83-10.09] among current drinkers and 7.88% (95% CI = 7.73-8.03) among current abstainers in men (2.1% difference). Among women, corresponding rates were 10.28% (95% CI = 10.07-10.50) vs. 9.89% (95% CI = 9.78-9.99) (0.4% difference). For diseases of the circulatory system (2 998 902 cases of ten subtypes), alcohol consumption was associated with increased risks of eight subtypes in men and two in women. In contrast, J- or U-shaped association was observed for ischemic heart diseases, heart failure (men) and cardiac arrhythmias (women), which was no longer evident in analyses using light drinking as the reference. Additionally, statistically significant positive association was exhibited in 14 other conditions among men and six among women. For mortality, alcohol consumption was associated with a lifetime incidence rate of death from any cause of 41.70% (95% CI = 41.40-42.01), compared with 39.06% (95% CI = 38.69-39.43) among current abstainers in men, a 2.6% difference. It was also associated with mortality from 15 diseases in men and nine in women. Alcohol consumption in Korea appears to be associated with numerous diseases and conditions, highlighting the need for strengthened national alcohol control policies. Protective effects of alcohol on cardiac health should be interpreted with caution.

Lived experiences of women with interstitial cystitis.

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a common and serious complication of diabetes. This study aimed to identify the difficulties experienced by people with type 2 diabetes who previously had DFUs, and those who had undergone amputation. A qualitative research design utilizing content analysis was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 people with type 2 diabetes who had previously experienced DFUs between 2023 and 2024. The interviews were recorded and subsequently transcribed. The data analysis revealed 5 themes: diabetic foot ulcers development process (ingrown nail, cracks, callus removal, foot blisters, etc.), practices in foot care (washing feet, nail clipping, etc.), amputation experience (loss of sensation, not noticing the wound, etc.), fear of amputation (death wish, fear of foot amputation, etc.), effect of diabetic foot ulcer on social life (quitting job, etc.). The study identified that the most significant factor contributing to the development of DFUs was inadequate foot care practices and a lack of information.

In many animals, being the dominant owner of a territory is a pre-requisite for reproductive success. Acquisition of territory by inheritance, where at least a portion of the new (breeding) territory is acquired from the natal territory, characterizes many social animals and offers multiple benefits over dispersing away from natal ground. Territory dynamics change rapidly and are difficult to objectively quantify. Additionally, little is known regarding the non-dispersive sex's potential to inherit. We spatially analysed decades of territory maps to identify all nontrivial instances of natal territory inheritance in first-time breeding Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) and compared initial reproductive success of those that gained breeding status through any form of inheritance versus by other means. Among inheritors, we studied how first-time territory acquisition strategies differed between the sexes. Between 1982 and 2024, 139 out of 1014 first-time breeders gained significant natal territory through inheriting the entire natal territory upon the death of both parents, pairing with an adjacent, widowed neighbour and incorporating some natal ground, or pairing with a novice disperser and budding off of their natal territory (or some combination of two). Among all breeders that inherited substantial portions of natal territory, males did so about twice as often as females (97 vs. 42 instances, respectively). Birds that inherited natal territory did not have higher initial reproductive success than those that did not inherit. Comparing reproduction among birds who inherited, males and females did not differ either. Proportions of territory gained from the natal territory differed markedly between the sexes. Males gained a significantly higher percentage of their natal territory than females, and inherited territory made up a greater portion of their new territories. Males and females took different routes to inheritance: females showed higher plasticity in their acquisition strategy and more frequently paired with neighbouring, experienced widows on large territories, while males more commonly established new, relatively small territories with dispersing, novice females. Our study demonstrates the value in objectively quantifying field-gathered spatial data, as it revealed a previously unidentified trend of opportunistic female dispersals with beneficial fitness consequences.

Perceived social support from family and friends, self-esteem, and their associations with school adjustment and life satisfaction in Peruvian adolescents: A structural equation modeling approach.

Association between psychosomatic factors and dental care utilization: A cross-sectional study.

The aim of this study is to develop a theoretical model explaining the mechanisms through which public libraries facilitate the social participation of elderly readers within the paradigm of active aging. To achieve this aim, the following objectives were set: to analyze the theoretical foundations of active aging and social participation; to integrate the concepts of cultural capital, genius loci (spirit of place), and participatory culture into a unified analytical framework; to construct the “Capital - Field - Creation” (CFC) model; and to identify the cultural mechanisms through which the individual resources of older adults are transformed into social value. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the development of the progressive CFC model, which conceptualizes the library not only as a service institution but also as a cultural field that enables cultural mediation and expands participants’ agency. In contrast to predominantly practice-oriented studies of library services, the proposed approach shifts the analysis toward cultural mechanismsand symbolic practices. The findings reveal three sequential stages of elderly users’ social engagement: activation of cultural capital, formation of identity through the spirit of place, and the development of participatory culture based on collaborative cultural creation. The study demonstrates that public libraries can function as cultural mediators, encouraging the transition of older adults from passive service consumers to active creators of cultural content and participants in social life.

Advances in voice recognition and artificial intelligence (AI) could soon yield digital conversation companions-software that combines conversational AI with health monitoring and promotion. We describe how this technology, once developed and deployed, could transform the way older adults age and receive care. By obviating the need to read or type, the software could be used by individuals with reduced dexterity, vision, or literacy. Repeated conversations could facilitate the consistent longitudinal tracking of mental acuity and sentiment. Over time, the conversations could be tailored to strengthen cognitive reserve, physical resilience, and social lives. By continuously recording and relaying changes in cognitive function, digital conversation companions could offer older adults unprecedented visibility into their own aging trajectories. Drawing on three well-known conceptualizations of aging, we explore how older adults might respond to this new dimension, a process we term "reflected aging". Digital conversation companions could support caregivers by monitoring care recipients' mental health, explaining treatment options, and automating documentation. They also might engender an atmosphere of constant surveillance and discount caregiver expertise and judgment. As digital conversation companions could lead to anthropomorphism, delusion, or social withdrawal in users of any age, these risks should be monitored closely in vulnerable older adults.

Previous research has found that violence towards family caregivers caring for schizophrenia patients is common due to patient-family caregiver interactions. This study aimed to investigate family caregivers' experiences of patient-initiated violence in schizophrenia and the perceived reasons for such violence. The study was conducted using the phenomenological method, one of the qualitative research methods. The data was collected through individual in-depth interviews. The data collection ended with 12 participants. The data was analyzed using inductive qualitative content analysis to create themes and categories within the research. The confirmability, transferability, credibility and consistency of the study were checked. The findings revealed that family caregivers' experiences of patient-initiated violence were organized into four main themes: (1) limited illness insight and misattributions, (2) clinical symptoms and treatment non-adherence, (3) psychosocial vulnerability of the patient, and (4) family dynamics and interpersonal conflict. Caregivers often reported difficulty in identifying the causes of violence and, in some cases, attributed it to metaphysical beliefs such as the influence of jinn. Clinical factors, particularly non-adherence to treatment, hallucinations, and delusions, were perceived as major contributors to violent behavior. In addition, psychosocial vulnerabilities, including feelings of being misunderstood, loneliness, and imbalance in social life, were identified as triggers of aggression. Family-related factors, such as forcing treatment and interpersonal conflicts, were also reported to precipitate violent incidents. Overall, the findings indicate that caregivers interpret violence through a combination of clinical, cultural, and relational frameworks. This study provides comprehensive multidimensional insights into the causes, consequences and prevention of patient-related violence experienced by psychiatric nurses. The descriptions of nurses' experiences of violence illustrate the severity of violence and its negative impact on nursing care. Patient-related violence can be minimized if psychiatric nurses receive psychological support to cope with the emotions caused by the violence, focus on and address the facility's deficiencies and are trained in therapeutic interventions.

Prosocial behaviors, helpful actions directed toward the well-being of others, are an essential component of social behavior. Adolescence is a particularly sensitive period for the development of social behaviors, yet how social experience during this window shapes prosocial behavior remains poorly understood. Here, we used behavioral assays to examine how social isolation at different ages affects emotional discrimination and affiliative helping behavior in mice of both sexes. We found that adult mice raised in social isolation since weaning failed to allogroom distressed conspecifics and were unable to distinguish stressed from unstressed mice in an emotional discrimination assay. Remarkably, two weeks of post-weaning social isolation was already sufficient to impair both emotional discrimination and prosocial allogrooming, and these deficits persisted despite two months of resocialization. In contrast, two weeks of adult social isolation spared emotional discrimination but impaired allogrooming toward stressed conspecifics. These findings reveal a dissociation between emotional discrimination and prosocial helping behavior. Overall, this work identifies adolescence as a sensitive period for the development of emotional state recognition and provides a behavioral framework for investigating how early social experience sculpts neural circuits underlying empathy and stress-buffering.Significance Statement Prosocial behaviors are essential for social cohesion and emotional well-being in social animals, but what shapes their development remains poorly understood. We show that social isolation during adolescence impairs the mouse's ability to recognize the emotional state of stressed conspecifics, which cannot be rescued by subsequent resocialization. In contrast, social isolation in adulthood impairs prosocial actions without disrupting emotional discrimination. These findings identify adolescence as a critical period for the development of socio-affective behavior, and reveal a dissociation between emotional discrimination and prosocial helping behavior. Our study provides a behavioral framework for investigating how early social experience sculpts neural circuits underlying empathy and stress-buffering and establishes a foundation for mechanistic studies of adolescent vulnerability to social and affective disorders.

Blurred lines or clear boundaries? Synchrony and social dominance shape domain-specific self-other processing.

The early forebears of the Asantes of Ghana have used artistic creation as a medium for recording their rich cultural values, worldviews, and history. The Akuaba doll is one of the historic sculptural figures that offer great insight into the rich historical cultural heritage of the Asantes. This sculptural figure provides comprehensive enlightenment on the worldviews of the Asantes regarding fertility and procreation, as well as their values and judgments on aesthetics. Each aspect of the sculptural creation shows the great ingenuity and philosophy of the Asante people, as well as their sharp taste in speaking eloquently in artistic language. The functionality of the doll in the religious and social life of the Asantes speaks volumes about the history of the arts and culture of the Asante people. This essay takes the art historical writing approach from the perspective of iconography and contextual analysis in explaining the Akuaba doll from its historical context and worldview, material culture, production processes, formal qualities, functions and their relation to the overall rich history and culture of the Asante people.