Social Functioning Research Articles

Improved Items for Estimating SF-36 Profile and Summary Component Scores: Construction and Validation of an 8-item QOL General (QGEN) Survey.

Comprehensive health-related quality of life (QOL) assessment under severe respondent burden constraints requires improved single-item scales for frequently surveyed domains. This article documents how new single-item-per-domain (SIPD) QOL General (QGEN-8) measures were constructed for domains common to SF-36 and results from the first psychometric tests comparing scores for the new measure in relation to those for the SF-36 profile and summary components. Online NORC surveys of adults, ages 19-93 (mean=52y) representing the US population in 2020 (N=1648) included QGEN-8 and SF-36 items measuring physical (PF), social (SF), role physical (RP) and role emotional (RE) functioning and feelings of bodily pain (BP), vitality (VT), and mental health (MH). QGEN-8 items were constructed with response categories increasing score ranges for functioning (PF, SF, RP, RE) and directly measuring first-order factors for feelings (BP, VT, and MH). Analyses compared ceiling effects, convergent-discriminant correlations, classic and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) testing for higher-order physical and mental components, and validity in discriminating across groups differing in comorbid condition severity. QGEN-8 reduced response times by 75% and lowered ceiling effect percentages (-2.2% to -27.8%, median=-14%) in comparison with SF-36. Their common measurement model was supported by: (1) substantial convergent correlations (r=0.576-0.778, median r=0.721) between methods for all domains; (2) lower discriminant correlations between different domains; (3) patterns of factor loadings equivalent to previous studies and adequate CFA model fit; (4) high correlations between methods for physical (r=0.813) and mental (r=0.761) component scores; and (5) equivalent average declines across groups reporting worse comorbid conditions. Overall, results support the use of QGEN-8 to reduce respondent burden and ceiling effects while maintaining convergent and discriminant validity sufficient to estimate group-level SF-36 physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) summary scores. To facilitate its use, QGEN-8 has been made available in multiple languages from the non-profit Mapi Research Trust at https://eprovide.mapi-trust.org.

Exploring the High-quality Development Path of Academic Libraries in the Perspective of Digital Literacy

In the new era, academic libraries are shouldering new missions and responsibilities for the progress of science and technology. Exploring the issues related to the high-quality development of academic libraries will play a crucial role in fully implementing the strategic planning to develop future academic libraries and to enhance their value and influence. In the digital intelligence era, digital literacy education has become a new growth point of the library’s social education function. This paper explains the connotation of digital literacy and the components of high-quality development of libraries. On basis of the problems and solution strategies of college libraries existing in the construction of talent teams and resources, the path of high-quality development of college libraries is rationally designed in the current paper. It is believed that digital literacy would empower the high-quality development of college libraries and significantly promote the construction of smart libraries.

Quality of life, pain, depression, fatigue and sleep in patients with remission or mild fibromyalgia: a comparison with remission or low disease activity rheumatoid arthritis and healthy controls

BackgroundFibromyalgia is a chronic condition marked by widespread pain and various accompanying symptoms. Compared to healthy individuals and other rheumatic disease patients, it leads to more severe symptoms and a lower quality of life. Whether fibromyalgia patients in a mild activity or remission stage still experience core symptoms remains unclear.ObjectiveTo compare the severity of clinical symptoms and quality of life (QOL) in patients with remission or mild fibromyalgia (RFM) and remission or low disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RRA) patients and healthy controls (HCs) to investigate whether fibromyalgia in a stable stage can be disease-free.MethodsThis cross-sectional study evaluated a total of 266 RFM and 252 RRA patients and 50 HCs using Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR), Widespread Pain Index (WPI), Pain Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Numerical Rating Scale, Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Short Form-36 Health Status Questionnaire (SF-36).ResultsThe FIQR total score and pain VAS, MFI, and PSQI scores were higher in RFM and RRA patients compared to HCs (P < 0.001). RFM patients had higher BDI and WPI scores than RRA patients (P < 0.001). The majority of RFM patients (97.4%) had more than two pain sites, with moderate-to-severe pain (78.2%), sleep disorders (85.0%), and depression (53.4%), all of which were significantly higher than those in RRA patients (P < 0.001). RFM patients also had lower scores in SF-36 physical and mental component summaries and subscores for role physical, pain index, general health perception, vitality, and mental health index, but a higher social functioning score than RRA patients (P < 0.001).ConclusionDespite being in a mild activity or remission stage, RFM patients experience more severe symptoms and poorer QOL than RRA patients. Therefore, individualized evaluation and intensive management are required.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02449395, registered on May 20, 2015.

‘It sort of goes hand in hand the academic and the social’: teachers’ experiences working with the inclusion of immigrant students in mainstream lower secondary school classes in Norway

ABSTRACT Schools today are multicultural organisations that are expected to promote equitable education for all students, and where teachers play a significant role in promoting inclusion. Students from immigrant backgrounds must negotiate new cultures and languages in addition to striving for inclusion. Teachers’ experiences may contribute valuable new knowledge regarding inclusion in education, especially during adolescence, which is a vulnerable time. This study investigated Norwegian lower secondary school teachers’ (N = 7) experiences of inclusion when working with immigrant students who had been transferred from introductory classes into mainstream classrooms. Results of the qualitative content analysis indicated that teachers use strategies such as facilitation of academic participation to create social attractiveness to promote academic and social inclusion. Further research is required to determine how immigrant students’ social and emotional functioning might best be supported in addition to language acquisition, and teachers require enhanced approaches to actively promoting inclusion in lower secondary school.

Health-related quality of life at diagnosis and follow-up in Faroese and Danish patients with inflammatory bowel disease – a Faroese IBD cohort study

Background and aims Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have lower health-related quality of life (HRQoL) than the general population. The highest incidence and prevalence rates of IBD in the world are found in the Faroe Islands, however, the HRQoL of Faroese patients is unknown. This study aimed to determine their HRQoL at diagnosis and two years of follow-up in comparison with Danish patients. Methods All patients (15 years or older) were invited to answer the Short Form 12 questionnaire (SF-12) and Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (SIBDQ) at diagnosis and follow-up. Faroese patients were included from 2010 to 2022, and Danish patients in 2010. Results 160 Faroese patients and 160 Danish patients completed questionnaires twice. For Faroese patients with IBD, the physical and mental component summary scores (SF-12) significantly improved from 46.6 and 44.0 to 49.4 and 47.7, respectively. Total SIBDQ scores also improved from 46.6 to 53.9. However, Faroese patients had significantly lower scores at diagnosis of social functioning, mental health, and mental component summary (SF-12) as well as lower emotional scores (SIBDQ) compared with Danish patients. Conclusions Faroese patients with IBD improved their HRQoL from diagnosis to follow-up, although greater improvements were observed for Danish patients. Increased awareness of the HRQoL of this patient group is warranted as Faroese patients had lower mental and emotional scores than Danish patients at diagnosis.

Theory of mind in trichotillomania: A cross-sectional comparison with healthy controls

Background Theory of mind (ToM) is the ability to make correct inferences from one’s own or another person’s mental states, such as thoughts, beliefs, desires, and intentions. Although there are a limited number of studies in the literature examining the social cognitive functions of patients with trichotillomania (TTM), no studies have evaluated ToM. This study aimed to compare the ToM skills of patients with TTM and healthy controls. Method The study included 40 patients who were diagnosed as having TTM according to DSM-5 criteria and 40 healthy controls matched for age, education, and sex. A Sociodemographic and Clinical Data Form, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Massachusetts General Hospital Hairpulling Scale (MGH-HPS), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET), and the Dokuz-Eylül Theory of Mind Scale (DEToMS) were administered to the participants. Results Patients with TTM performed statistically significantly worse than healthy controls in terms of ToM, metaphor concept, empathic understanding, and faux pas scores. No statistically significant difference was found between the groups in terms of first-degree false belief, second-degree false belief, and irony concept scores. Depression, anxiety, and alexithymia scores of patients with TTM were statistically significantly higher than the control group. No significant correlation was found between ToM tests and anxiety, depression, alexithymia, disease severity, and disease duration in the TTM group. Conclusion Our findings show that there is an impairment in ToM skills in patients with TTM and that this impairment is independent of clinical features. Studies with larger samples are needed on this subject.

Prevalence and associated factors of healthy aging among community-dwelling older adults in Lishui city, China: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundIdentifying the level of healthy aging and exploring its associated factors are prerequisites in the planning of effective measures among the elderly population. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of healthy aging and determine its associated factors among community-dwelling older adults from mountain areas in Lishui, China.MethodsA multicenter cross-sectional survey was conducted. Participants were recruited by a multi-stage stratified cluster-sampling procedure from a mountainous region in Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, China. A validated questionnaire of Healthy Aging Instruments (HAI), Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction (BPNS), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Ascertain Dementia 8 questionnaire (AD8), Family Adaption Scale (FAS), Community-Based Health Promotion Activity Questionnaires (HPAQ), Social Function Questionnaire for Chinese Older Adults (SFQCOA), Adult Health Self-Management Skills (ability) Rating Scale (AHSMSRS) was incorporated. The questionnaire also captured sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle behaviors, and Self-Perceived Healthy Ageing (SPHA). Multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis was performed.ResultsThe mean score of the Healthy Aging index was 136.5 (18.22). The majority of the participants have a high level of healthy aging (65.5%). Regression analysis showed 12 predictors of healthy aging: self-perceived economic independence, lifestyle-related behaviors, subjective physical health, psychological health, better competence of BPNS, frequency of community-based HPA participation, lower HPA-perceived barriers, social support, social engagement, and Health Self-Management (HSM) ability with two dimensions HSM-Consciousness and HSM-Behavior, as well as SPHA (P < 0.05).ConclusionsThis study contributed to the existing gap in both subjective and objective understanding of healthy aging, especially in terms of its relationship with sociodemographic factors, lifestyle-related behaviors, individual health conditions, environmental coverage, as well as family, community and social support. Both individual-environment interaction factors as better HSM ability as well as SPHA might help predict older adults’ healthy aging in mountainous areas in China. Developing an accurate, reliable health promotion program that provides insights may improve healthy aging changes in mountainous regions for community healthcare staff, especially nurses.

Effects of Art Therapy on Quality of Life and Social Functioning in Individuals With Schizophrenia.

To investigate the effect of art therapy on quality of life and social functioning of individuals with schizophrenia receiving community mental health services. A quasi-experimental study design was used to assess the effects of art therapy on quality of life and social functioning. The study included 14 participants with schizophrenia, seven assigned to the intervention group and seven to the control group. The intervention group participated in weekly art therapy sessions encompassing various artistic modalities over 16 weeks. Pre- and post-test measurements of quality of life and social functioning scales were administered to both groups. A significant increase was noted in total scores of quality of life and social functioning scales for the intervention group between pre- and post-test. No significant differences were observed within the control group. The current study suggests that art therapy promotes quality of life and social functioning of individuals with schizophrenia. Art therapy may be suggested as a psychiatric rehabilitation approach; however, more evidence-based studies are needed for this intervention to be integrated into routine clinical treatment. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, xx(x), xx-xx.].

Assessment of Quality of Life and Psychological Well-Being in Italian Adult Subjects with Prader–Willi Syndrome Using the Health Survey Short Form and the Psychological General Well-Being Index Questionnaires

Background/Objectives: Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare, genetically determined neurodevelopmental disorder. Individuals with PWS face numerous challenges that significantly impact their psychological well-being and quality of life, ultimately limiting their personal and social functioning. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of life and psychological well-being in a sample of Italian adult patients with PWS compared to an age-matched control group of normal-weight Italian individuals. Methods: Thirty patients with PWS (11 men and 19 women; mean age ± SD: 36.4 ± 10.31 years; mean Body Mass Index (BMI: 35.7 ± 8.92 kg/m2) and thirty Italian adult individuals from the general population (5 men and 25 women; mean age ± SD: 32.1 ± 6.86 years; mean Body Mass Index (BMI: 21.8 ± 2.90 kg/m2) were studied. Quality of life and well-being were assessed using the Italian versions of the 36-item Health Survey Short Form and the Psychological General Well-Being Index. Results: Normal-weight subjects scored significantly higher than PWS patients on the physical health (p &lt; 0.001) and social functioning (p = 0.047) subscales of the SF-36. Conversely, PWS patients scored higher on the vitality subscale (p &lt; 0.001). Similarly, the vitality subscale of the PGWBI was significantly higher in PWS patients than in controls (p = 0.010), whereas the Self-Control subscale of the PGWBI was higher in controls compared to PWS patients, albeit not statistically significant (p = 0.057). Discussion: Patients with PWS exhibited impairments in various aspects of quality of life and psychological well-being, including physical, behavioral, and social domains. However, the higher vitality scores observed in PWS patients suggest a preserved dimension of their psychological well-being. Conclusions: These findings enhance the understanding of the psychological condition of patients with PWS and provide valuable insights for improving multidisciplinary psychological treatment approaches for these individuals.

Validity and Reliability of the M.D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory in Turkish Patients with Neurological Disease.

Dysphagia is a prevalent symptom of various neurological diseases and is associated with decreased quality of life. The M.D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) is globally utilized tool to assess the impact of dysphagia on quality of life. However, a Turkish version of the scale is not yet available. This study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and evaluate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the MDADI. One hundred twenty-four patients who were diagnosed with definite neurological disease completed the study. The cross-cultural adaptation and translation process of the MDADI adhered to the World Health Organization's guidelines using the forward-backward translation method. The feasibility and the floor and ceiling effects were evaluated. Cronbach's alpha was used to assess internal consistency. The Bland and Altman method and Interclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) were used to evaluate test-retest reliability. Absolute reliability was determined using the standard error of the measurement (SEM) and minimal detectable change (MDC). Construct validity was assessed using Pearson's correlation coefficient between the MDADI and the Turkish Swallowing Quality of Life (T-SWAL-QOL) questionnaire. Our study had a feasibility rate of 100%. No floor or ceiling effects were determined for any subscale or composite scores of the T-MDADI. The T-MDADI demonstrated excellent reliability, with Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranging from 0.89 to 0.96 and ICC values from 0.81 to 0.95, confirming strong internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Measurement precision was supported by a SEM of 3.96 and an MDC of 10.97 for the composite score. In terms of validity, significant correlations were observed between T-MDADI subdomains and T-SWAL-QOL subdomains (r = 0.61-0.80 for food selection, mental health, and social functioning; r = 0.41-0.60 for eating duration and communication; p < 0.01), demonstrating good to very good convergent validity. The T-MDADI demonstrates validity and reliability as a questionnaire for assessing dysphagia-related quality of life in Turkish patients with neurological diseases.

The translational landscape of HIV-1 infected cells reveals key gene regulatory principles.

Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) uses a number of strategies to modulate viral and host gene expression during its life cycle. To characterize the transcriptional and translational landscape of HIV-1 infected cells, we used a combination of ribosome profiling, disome sequencing and RNA sequencing. We show that HIV-1 messenger RNAs are efficiently translated at all stages of infection, despite evidence for a substantial decrease in the translational efficiency of host genes that are implicated in host cell translation. Our data identify upstream open reading frames in the HIV-1 5'-untranslated region as well as internal open reading frames in the Vif and Pol coding domains. We also observed ribosomal collisions in Gag-Pol upstream of the ribosome frameshift site that we attributed to an RNA structural fold using RNA structural probing and functional analysis. Antisense oligonucleotides designed to alter the base of this structure decreased frameshift efficiency. Overall, our data highlight the complexity of HIV-1 gene regulation and provide a key resource for decoding of host-pathogen interactions upon HIV-1 infection. Furthermore, we provide evidence for a RNA structural fold including the frameshift site that could serve as a target for antiviral therapy.

Loneliness in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Effects of Social Environments

Loneliness is a common subjective condition that is associated with distress and negative outcomes for psychosocial functioning and well-being, and it is grounded in destructive or inadequate social functioning. Social interactions are considered one of the key factors determining loneliness, and similarly to social interactions, loneliness can occur in different domains. While a solid body of research is focused on loneliness as a general condition, there are few studies that investigate loneliness from a multidimensional perspective, particularly combining general and domain-specific loneliness. In the present study, we conceptualized loneliness as a complex phenomenon. We focused on the associations between different types of loneliness and the characteristics of social environments. The participants were 140 adults aged 45–73 (58.9% females). The methods involved the Multidimensional Inventory of Loneliness Experience, the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale (SELSA-S), the “Sociotropy—Self-Sufficiency” Questionnaire, and the assessment of demographic characteristics (age and sex). To test our hypothesis, we applied regression path modeling. The results showed that general loneliness predicted both family and non-family loneliness. We also found that general loneliness increased experiences of social uncertainty, while non-family loneliness decreased positive relations with others. No age effects were found. An effect of sex was found for social uncertainty and positive relations with others.

‘Teachers as critical anti-intellectuals: Edward Said and educational criticism’

ABSTRACT Bringing Edward Said’s intellectual work into education comes with a certain irony. As early as his magnum opus, Orientalism, Said already questioned the social function of intellectuals as experts, arguing that the project of orientalism could not have transpired without the ‘expert’ eyes of intellectuals who distorted the Orient through knowledge production. In education, against the technocratic functioning of teachers, the New Left has consistently framed teachers’ social function as critical intellectuals, often through Gramsci’s concept of the organic intellectual, most elegantly captured by Giroux’s 1988 book, Teachers as Intellectuals. This article maintains the importance of teachers as critics but pivots from this tradition by complicating it with Said’s notion of intellectuals as novices or amateurs, in effect, functioning as ‘anti-intellectuals’. Transforming the definition of the intellectual as amateur inaugurates a subspecialization in education, namely educational criticism, by troubling, if not abandoning, a long-held belief that teachers should function as experts, whether from the left or right. This is less about disabusing teachers from having expertise, which they clearly have, and more about how they function within education and their relationship with knowledge production.

Development of the Lee Symptom Scale-Skin Sclerosis for chronic GVHD-associated sclerosis.

Sclerosis is a highly morbid manifestation of chronic GVHD (cGVHD), associated with distressing symptoms and significant long-term disability. A patient-reported outcome measure (PRO) for cGVHD-associated sclerosis is essential to advance therapeutic trials. We aimed to develop a PRO for adults with cGVHD-associated sclerosis and evaluate and refine its content validity. Adults age ≥18 years with cGVHD-associated sclerosis participated in semi-structured interviews to identify salient symptoms and functions. Sclerosis-relevant symptoms and functions from existing PROs were also used to prompt discussion of topics not spontaneously mentioned. Symptoms and functions (subcodes) of importance were clustered and mapped to overarching domains (codes) using inductive analysis, and candidate items were developed. Cognitive interviews were employed to evaluate content validity of the items, response options, recall period, and respondent instructions.Thirty-five open-ended interviews, conducted to saturation, revealed the breadth of the patient experience with cGVHD-associated sclerosis including 5 overarching domains: (1) skin changes, (2) symptoms, (3) emotional and social functioning, (4) mobility restrictions, and (4) activity limitations. A pool of 54 items was tested and iteratively refined through cognitive debriefing interviews (n=25). Phrasing changes were made to improve relevance and comprehension. One item was removed and two items were added to address respondent feedback, resulting in 55 items. Results support the relevance, comprehensibility, and comprehensiveness of the provisional Lee Symptom Scale-Skin Sclerosis. Concept elicitation and cognitive interviewing have informed the development of the Lee Symptom Scale-Skin Sclerosis. Psychometric testing and determination of minimal clinically important difference are underway in an external cohort to validate the PRO.

Emotion recognition deficits in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: a comprehensive meta-analysis of accuracy and response time

BackgroundAutism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by persistent challenges in social communication and restricted, repetitive behaviors. Emotion recognition deficits are a core feature of ASD, impairing social functioning and quality of life. This meta-analysis evaluates emotion recognition accuracy and response time in individuals with autism spectrum disorder compared to neurotypical individuals and those with other neurodevelopmental disorders.MethodsThis systematic review with a meta-analysis was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive literature search across PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science identified 13 studies published between 2006 and 2024. Data on emotion recognition accuracy and response times were synthesized using standardized mean differences in random-effects models. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 statistic, and sensitivity analyses were performed to ensure robustness.ResultsIndividuals with ASD exhibited significantly lower overall emotion recognition accuracy compared to TD individuals (SMD = −1.29, 95% CI: −2.20 to −0.39, p &amp;lt; 0.01) and NDDs (SMD = −0.89, 95% CI: −1.23 to −0.55, p = 0.02). Response times were significantly prolonged in ASD compared to TD individuals (SMD = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.36–0.63, p &amp;lt; 0.01) but not when compared to NDDs. Emotion-specific analyses did not consistently reveal significant differences across emotions (fear, anger, happiness, sadness, disgust, surprise), with substantial heterogeneity observed across studies (I2 &amp;gt; 50%).ConclusionsThis systematic review with a meta-analysis highlights significant impairments in emotion recognition accuracy and processing speed among individuals with autism spectrum disorder, particularly compared to neurotypical individuals. These findings underscore the importance of developing targeted interventions to address these deficits, which are foundational to improving social cognition and quality of life in autism spectrum disorder. Future research should prioritize standardized methodologies and explore cultural and contextual factors influencing emotion recognition abilities.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=627339, PROSPERO (CRD42024627339).

От «ангела в доме» до героини воспитательного романа: образ Флоренс в романе Ч. Диккенса «Домби и сын»

The aim of the study is to substantiate the ambiguity of the central female character in Charles Dickens’ novel “Dombey and Son” (1846-1848), Florence Dombey, who significantly deviates from the typical image of a Victorian woman as an “angel in the house”. Florence, along with other Dickens characters such as Agnes Copperfield (“David Copperfield”, 1850), Esther Summerson (“Bleak House”, 1853) and Amy Dorrit (“Little Dorrit”, 1855-1857), is usually seen as the embodiment of the Victorian ideal of a woman who subordinates her life to the service of the family, a dominant role in which belongs to a man. From the point of view of gender literary research, especially in feminist interpretations, the embodiment of Florence as a stereotypical female role model in a Victorian patriarchal society makes her a flat and disappointing figure, a trivial character acting as a typical victim of the patriarchal system, and her desire for paternal love is interpreted as masochistic, since female masochism serves as a rather convenient fiction for patriarchal domination. Throughout the novel, Florence follows the path of becoming a standard Victorian woman with her inherent social functions: daughters, sisters, wives and mothers. Despite this, the character, behavior, and actions of the heroine are described by Dickens in a contradictory manner, which prompted us to hypothesize that Florence’s image is atypical for the Victorian novel and Victorian society. The scientific novelty of the study is determined by the hypothesis put forward in the article and the justification of Florence’s ambivalent features, which do not fit into the image of an “angel in the house”. This article reveals the inconsistency of Florence’s image with the canon of “angel in the house” in the context of character development through the following prisms: 1) the father and daughter relationship – Florence as a threat; 2) Florence and Walter – the story of Dick Whittington, the story of class elevation through marriage; 3) Florence, Edith and Alice – the creation of two types of romantic heroines with intertwining destinies: virtuous “noble” and marginalized “fallen”. The results of the study confirm that Florence to some extent corresponds to the characteristic of an “angel in the house” within the framework of the Victorian patriarchal society, given her identity as a “daughter, wife and mother”, and her ambivalence is a response to the symbolic condensation of patriarchal substance in the image of the father, which gives socio-cultural value exclusively to relationships along the family line “father and son”. From the point of view of considering Florence as the main character in the upbringing novel, the article analyzes the atypical nature of Florence for the “angel in the house” paradigm in three senses: 1) in her relationship with Dombey, her father, in which she openly challenges him; 2) in her relationship with Walter, in which she assumes a leading role; 3) in the relationship between Florence, Edith and Alice, based on the symbolism of “hair”, drawn in order to prove that Florence actually stands at a crossroads, at the boundary separating the “angel in the house” from the “fallen women”. The mentioned trials, which put Florence in a borderline position, guarantee her becoming a well-educated person at the end of the novel.

Changes in life satisfaction over six years in the general population: A longitudinal study with the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS).

Satisfaction with life is a key concept for most individuals. The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) for measuring general life satisfaction has been widely analyzed in terms of cross-sectional associations. However, the knowledge about long-term changes in life satisfaction and the associations between such changes and changes in other variables of physical and mental health is limited. A community-based representative sample of the general population has been examined twice with a time interval of six years (n = 4,999), using the SWLS and several other scales. Over the six years, the mean SWLS score of the total sample remained nearly unchanged (M = 27.0, SD = 5.2, both at t1 and at t2). The test-retest correlation was rtt = 0.66 for the total sample, and there were only marginal differences in temporal stability between male and female respondents. Changes in the SWLS over the six years were correlated with changes in optimism (r = 0.23), mental health (r = 0.26), social functioning (r = 0.22), perceived social support (r = 0.21), anxiety (r = -0.30), and physical complaints (r = -0.18). These change score correlations were lower than the corresponding coefficients under the cross-sectional perspective. Measurement invariance across sex, age, and time was established. The SWLS proved to be an appropriate tool for assessing changes in life satisfaction, and correlations between change scores of life satisfaction and health-related variables complement the knowledge about these associations from a cross-sectional perspective.

Effect of social support on memory ageing of middle-aged and older cancer survivors: a marginal structural modelling approach

BackgroundWhile social support is associated with better cognitive health among cancer-free individuals, this relationship is understudied among cancer survivors. We investigated whether overall social support before and after a cancer...

Metacognitive Training for Subjects with Bipolar Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Introduction: Impairments in social cognition in bipolar disorder (BD) have been extensively described in the last decade but few treatment strategies have been studied to address this issue. This study presents findings from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) investigating the efficacy of metacognitive training for bipolar disorder (MCT-BD) compared to Treatment as Usual (TAU) among individuals with BD in remission. The aim was to determine whether MCT-BD could improve social cognition and overall functioning in this population. Methods: Participants (N = 56) were recruited via social media and an internal database at the University of São Paulo Medical School. Inclusion criteria included a confirmed BD diagnosis, current state of remission, and the presence of social functioning impairments. Exclusion criteria included any impairments that could hinder neuropsychological testing. Patients were randomly assigned to either MCT-BD or TAU, with assessments conducted at baseline and follow-up. The MCT-BD program consisted of nine sessions. Results: The overall attendance rate across all MCT-BD intervention sessions was 96.6%. The MCT-BD program demonstrated added value in improving social cognition, specifically in emotion recognition reaction time. However, no significant changes were found in theory of mind, psychosocial functioning, or quality of life. Conclusion: This RCT provides preliminary evidence for the efficacy of MCT-BD in improving emotion recognition latency, emphasizing the importance of targeted interventions in social cognition outcomes for individuals with BD. The study’s strengths include high completion rates and comprehensive cognitive assessments. Future studies should explore long-term effects and personalized treatment approaches aiming to improve social-cognitive deficits in this population.

Characterizing the Profile of Anhedonia in Individuals With Schizotypal Traits, Subthreshold Depression and Autistic Traits.

Anhedonia is believed to be transdiagnostic symptom exist in various disorders including schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and autism spectrum disorder. However, very few studies attempted to profile subclinical samples with schizophrenia, depressive, and autistic symptoms using measures of anhedonia scales. This study adopted a cluster analytical approach to examine the anhedonia profile in 46 individuals with schizotypal trait (ST), 43 subthreshold depression (SD), 27 autistic trait (AT), and 41 healthy controls. They completed a set of checklists capturing different dimensions of anhedonia including the anticipatory and consummatory interpersonal pleasure scale, the temporal experience of pleasure scale, the motivation and pleasure scale and the belief about pleasure scale. Cluster analysis was conducted on these measures among the merged sample of ST, SD, and AT. To validate the clusters, we administered measures on nonsocial reward processing, self-reported empathy, and social functioning. A three-cluster solution was found to be the best fit. Cluster 1 (n = 48) showed high pleasure experience, motivation, and belief about pleasure and spread evenly across three groups. Cluster 2 (n = 31) was characterized by low levels of anticipatory and consummatory pleasure specifically for the social domain, largely comprised of individuals with ST. Cluster 3 (n = 37) showed low levels of consummatory pleasure, motivation, and belief about pleasure, largely comprised of individuals with SD. The resultant clusters differed in social process and functioning. The current findings suggested distinct anhedonia subtypes within different subclinical populations. These findings may have implications for early detection and prevention for anhedonia.