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Change in reciprocity as a predictor of depressive symptoms: a prospective cohort study of Finnish women and men
- Authors:
- VAANANEN Ari, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Social Science and Medicine, 67(11), December 2008, pp.1907-1916.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
The purpose of the study was to examine gender differences in the association between changes in the balance of give and take in close relationships and depressive symptoms. Data from a 5-year prospective cohort study in Finland (HeSSup Study) (N = 18,445) were analyzed. After adjustment for demographic characteristics, recent negative life events, baseline depressive symptoms, hostility, and the supportiveness of social network, a shift of balance toward support receiving was a significant risk factor for future depressive symptoms among women. In contrast, men whose balance of give and take had moved toward support giving had a higher risk of future depressive symptoms than other men. When the analyses were replicated in a sub-cohort of initially non-depressed participants who lived in reciprocal relationships and had no recent life events, the results became even more pronounced among women, although not among men. It is concluded that, for women, a shift in their close relationships toward support receiving may lead to increased risk of depressive symptoms, whereas for men a shift toward giving may have a parallel though less evident impact.
Relation of female gender and low socioeconomic status to internalizing symptoms among adolescents: a case of double jeopardy?
- Authors:
- MENDELSON Tamar, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Social Science and Medicine, 66(6), March 2008, pp.1284-1296.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Characteristics associated with disadvantaged social position, such as low socioeconomic status (SES) and female gender, may play a significant role in the development of internalizing symptoms among adolescents. Indeed, theories of “double jeopardy” suggest that these disadvantaged status characteristics interact to produce particularly harmful mental health outcomes. We tested the hypothesis that lower SES places adolescent females at greater risk for internalizing symptoms than males. We used data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods collected from a 15-year-old adolescent cohort (n = 640) at baseline and at two-year follow-up. Female gender predicted internalizing symptoms cross-sectionally and prospectively, whereas household income and caretaker education generally were not associated with internalizing symptoms. Findings overall did not indicate interactive effects between gender and SES indicators. However, subgroups of females at the lowest levels of caretaker education and household income displayed increased risk for specific outcomes, including higher internalizing symptom levels at follow-up and maintenance of severe symptom levels from baseline to follow-up.
Women with and without intellectual disability and psychiatric disorders: an examination of the literature
- Authors:
- TAGGART L., MCMILLAN R., LAWSON A.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 12(3), September 2008, pp.191-211.
- Publisher:
- Sage
- Place of publication:
- London
This article examines the literature on women with and without intellectual disability and psychiatric disorders, using a gender social model of health. Relevant empirical studies, international literature reviews and policies between 1980 and 2007 were identified from electronic databases, journals and secondary sources. Three areas were examined: psychiatric disorders, their contextual background, and their clinical presentation. There are minimal levels of research into women with intellectual disability and psychiatric disorders. However, this article hypothesizes that women with intellectual disability have higher rates of psychiatric disorders than women without. This may result from greater vulnerability related both to internal factors (`intra': cognitive deficits, poorer communication skills, limited social skills) and to the external world (`inter': lack of opportunities, stigma, poor social support networks). The article argues that such women require gender-sensitive mental health services. However, more empirical evidence is required to support this claim and to inform development and delivery of services.
The use of MCMI-III in completing parenting capacity assessments
- Author:
- BLOOD Lowell
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice, 8(1), 2008, pp.24-38.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia
MCMI-III scores from 325 individuals completing court-ordered parenting capacity assessments in the US were examined. The mean MCMI-III profile in this group was a sub-clinical elevation on Scales Y, 4, 5, & 7. Some differences between male and female participants were found, with females tending to exhibit higher scores. Present results are consistent with previous findings suggesting a positive self-presentation bias on psychological tests completed with this population. Results are also similar to MCMI-III results described in individuals involved in custody and access litigation, with somewhat greater pathology found in the parenting capacity group. Recommendations with respect to interpreting MCMI-III profiles of individuals undergoing parenting capacity assessments are made.
Existential and religious issues when admitted to hospital in a secular society: patterns of change
- Author:
- LA COUR Peter
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health Religion and Culture, 11(8), December 2008, pp.769-782.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Situated in a secular culture, this study examined the relationship between four dimensions of health and a number of existential, religious, and spiritual/religious practice variables in questionnaires sampled from 480 Danish hospital patients. Illness dimensions were: self-rated health, severity of illness, illness duration, and recent changes in illness. The results indicated the youngest age group (<36 years) to be the most active on all existence/religious/practice variables. Small overall correlations were found between the illness dimensions and existential/religious/practice variables, but results had underlying complex patterns. The dimension of severity of illness showed the most consistent results in the expected direction: the worse the illness, the more existential/religious/practice activity, but very different patterns were found for men and women. Men generally had low levels of existential/religious/practice issues, when illness was not severe, but levels heightened when illness turned worse. The opposite was the case for women who had overall higher levels, when illness was not severe, but unexpectedly lost interest and activity when the illness grew worse, especially regarding the religious faith variables. When illness turned to the better, women (re)gained religious faith. The illness duration of 1-3 months showed to be the most sensitive period for the existential/religious/practice variables involved. The patients' experience of change in existential/religious/practice issues and the actual measured change pattern did not always follow each other. The findings might contribute to clinical reflection and planning in health care settings in secular societies like in Scandinavia.
Why should I care about gender?
- Author:
- O'HARA Jean
- Journal article citation:
- Advances in Mental Health and Learning Disabilities, 2(2), June 2008, pp.9-18.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
This article looks at the published literature on gender as it affects individual vulnerability and risk, and planning, organisation and delivery of health care, with specific focus on the mental health and learning disabilities, and discusses them in the context of recent government policy and guidance. It calls for urgent gender-specific research to understand the key issues facing men and women with learning disabilities, and a rights-based approach to access to education, health care and a competent and informed workforce.
Violence against women by their intimate partner and common mental disorders
- Authors:
- LUDERMIR Ana Bernarda, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Social Science and Medicine, 66(4), February 2008, pp.1008-1018.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
The World Health Organization considers gender violence a cause of anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts among women. This study investigated the association between violence committed against women by their intimate partners, defined by psychologically, physically and sexually abusive acts, and common mental disorders, assessed by using the Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20). A population-based household survey was carried out among women aged 15–49 years in two sites: São Paulo, the largest Brazilian city, and Zona da Mata of Pernambuco, a region with both urban and rural areas in the Northeast of the country. A large proportion of women reported violence (50.7%). The most frequent forms were psychological violence alone (18.8%) or accompanied by physical violence (16.0%). The prevalence of mental disorders was 49.0% among women who reported any type of violence and 19.6% among those who did not report violence (p < 0.0001). After adjustment for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, the nature of the relationship, stressful life events and social support, all the forms of violence studied, with the exception of sexual violence alone or accompanied by either physical or psychological violence (p = 0.09), were significantly associated with mental disorders: physical violence alone, psychological violence alone, sexual violence alone or accompanied by either physical or psychological violence, both psychological and physical violence and all three forms of violence. This is the first population-based study on the association between intimate partner violence and mental health in Brazil. It contributes to the existing body of research and confirms that violence, frequently experienced by women in the country, is associated with mental disorders. Policies and strategies aimed at reducing gender-based violence are necessary for preventing and reducing anxiety and depression among women.
“You’re nothing but a junkie”: multiple experiences of stigma in an aging methadone maintenance population
- Authors:
- CONNER Kyaien O., ROSEN Daniel
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 8(2), 2008, pp.244-264.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
This qualitative study examined the existence and experiences of stigma in a sample of older adult methadone maintenance clients. Twenty four subjects aged 50 years or more attending a clinic in a large Midwestern US city participated in semi-structured interviews. Twenty three subjects reported experiencing stigma. Of these, 12 cited experiencing two stigmas simultaneously, 6 experienced three stigmas, and 5 reported four or more stigmas. The two respondents who reported experiencing the most stigmas were both African American men. Generally men reported more stigmas than women. Eight distinct stigma categories emerged the most commonly cited being drug addiction (n=19), aging (n=13), taking psychotropic medications (n=11), and depression (n=10). Respondents who reported more stigmas were more likely to identify stigma as a barrier to substance abuse and mental health treatment. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed. The authors comment that it is important for clinicians, as well as researchers, to recognise the burden of multiple stigmas, the impact stigmas can have on attitudes toward help seeking, and the way in which they further impact the mental health status of clients.
Church ladies, good girls, and locas: stigma and the intersection of gender, ethnicity, mental illness, and sexuality in relation to HIV risk
- Authors:
- COLLINS Pamela Y., VON UNGER Hella, ARMBRISTER Adria
- Journal article citation:
- Social Science and Medicine, 67(3), August 2008, pp.389-397.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Inner city women with severe mental illness may carry multiple stigmatised statuses. In some contexts these include having a mental illness, being a member of an ethnic minority group, being an immigrant, being poor and being a woman who does not live up to gendered expectations. These potentially stigmatising identities influence both the way women's sexuality is viewed and their risk for HIV infection. This qualitative study applies the concept of intersectionality to facilitate understanding of how these multiple identities intersect to influence women's sexuality and HIV risk. The authors report the first-hand accounts of 24 Latina women living with severe mental illness in New York City. In examining the interlocking domains of these women's sexual lives, they found that the women seek identities that define them in opposition to the stigmatising label of “loca” (Spanish for crazy) and bestow respect and dignity. These identities have unfolded through the additional themes of “good girls” and “church ladies”. Therefore, in spite of their association with the “loca”, the women also identify with faith and religion (“church ladies”) and uphold more traditional gender norms (“good girls”) that are often undermined by the realities of life with a severe mental illness and the stigma attached to it. However, the participants fall short of their gender ideals and engage in sexual relationships that they experience as disempowering and unsatisfying. The effects of their multiple identities as poor Latina women living with severe mental illness in an urban ethnic minority community are not always additive, but the interlocking effects can facilitate increased HIV risks. Interventions should acknowledge women's multiple layers of vulnerability, both individual and structural, and stress women's empowerment in and beyond the sexual realm.
Risk, mental disorder and social work practice: a gendered landscape
- Authors:
- WARNER Joanne, GABE Jonathan
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 38(1), January 2008, pp.117-134.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Whilst the importance of gender for social work practice, risk and mental health has been recognized theoretically for some time, few attempts have been made to explore this area empirically. This paper presents findings from a mixed-methods study of social work practice in relation to mental health service users perceived to be ‘high-risk’ in a social services department in the south-east of England. Findings suggest, first, that the concept ‘high-risk’ was gendered because the primary focus in social work practice was on the risks posed by male service users to others. Second, female social workers in the present study were found to have more female service users from their caseloads who had been defined as ‘high-risk’ compared with their male counterparts. The paper goes on to explore this apparent congruence between female social workers and female service users and highlights how the management of risk could be considered gendered because it reflects a worker’s (perceived) capacity in cultural terms to ‘decode’ the nature of the risks that their clients face as gendered subjects. The paper demonstrates how the intersections between risk, mental disorder and social work practice can therefore be understood as a gendered landscape. It concludes by highlighting the implications of these findings for social work practice and research.