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Social disabilities such as visual impairment hinder full participation in daily activities and society. This study uses a qualitative analysis of YouTube make-up tutorials to examine the practices and motivations of blind and partially sighted (BPS) vloggers. Although make-up has been used over centuries specifically to support personal and social goals, its usage has grown in strength with the advent of social media influencers. Thematic analysis reveals that for BPS vloggers, make-up application involves iterative learning through product familiarization, routines and practice. The experience brings them enjoyment, fun and increased confidence. Their motivation to engage with make-up and share vlogs appears at least partially driven by the desire to support others with similar disabilities and to challenge public misconceptions about disability. Amidst rising aesthetic standards and omnipresent social media, the BPS make-up vloggers' presence signifies their agency as influencers, whilst also pointing to the equally powerful shadow of social disability still present today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This article explores the effects of immigrant generational status on the likelihood of misreporting turnout. I contend that varied levels of immigrant status affect individuals' misreporting turnout in different ways due to social desirability and assimilation level concerns. Methods: Using data from 2016 and 2020 Cooperative Election Study data sets, which include questions on respondents' immigrant status and voting behavior variables, this study analyzes the effect of varied levels of immigrant status on misreporting turnout. Results: The analysis shows that there is a decreased likelihood of misreporting turnout as individuals move farther away from their immigrant generation in both the 2016 and 2020 elections. In other words, first‐generation immigrants are most likely to misreport turnout. Second‐ and third‐generation immigrants are less likely to misreport turnout than the first generations but are still significantly more likely to misreport their turnout than those who are not immigrants or who do not have immigrant parents or grandparents. Conclusion: The findings generally support the expectation. The levels of immigrant status affect individuals' misreporting turnout in different ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study explores the selected poems by Plath – “Tulips”, “Edge”, and “The Jailor”, through Disability framework. It aims at introducing Plath and her work as contrary to pre-established notions of her as a madwoman suffering from psychic disability and her work under its direct influence. The study investigates how certain bodies of literature and their authors are stigmatized as pathological based on few tragic events. Social model of disability refuses to believe that the individuals themselves are disabled and mentally ill and elucidates the ways society and social factors disable them (Michael Oliver, 1990). The present study contributes to the idea that Plath and her work have been unjustly pathologized in the name of the so-called “depression” which otherwise could have been mere negative emotions or outcome of a number of tragic encounters. The present study highlights social and domestic factors of Plath’s life e.g. her marital life, barriers she faced in her career, being medicalized multiple times, that might have amplified in her the distress, anxiety, and distrustfulness towards life. These emotions elevated, although not abnormal and uncommon, however, are considered by most scholars as causes of her mental disability. The present study seeks to repudiate Plath’s image as a madwoman by studying the selected poems and focusing on traces of the events she left in these poems that hint at the tough time life gave her. The present work offers Plath and her work a fresh perspective and new insights, thus is significant in itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social disability is a process or event that significantly disrupts, paralyzes, or prevents the formation and/or sustaining of interpersonal social relations required for meeting human needs. When prolonged, the 'disabling' of essential human interrelationships can have a destructive impact. This is especially true in communities where people are highly interdependent and where individuals living with disabilities rely upon social relationships to prevent isolation and decline in overall wellbeing. Meanwhile, disaster response systems have developed to first rescue or protect individuals' 'bare life' and immediate, bodily needs. We argue that these systems, intended to mitigate disaster, can exacerbate social disability as a kind of collateral damage. We explore this problem as it unfolded amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in two research sites: one located in rural, northern Scotland and another located in rural, Midwestern United States. The Scottish research focuses on experiences, causes and risks of social disability for adults living with disabilities within a small rural community, while the U.S. research focuses on emergence of and resistance to social disability among residents of a continuing care retirement community for 55+ aged adults. We conclude with implications and recommendations for disaster intervention and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present, exploratory study examined retrospective and current peer victimization in a multi-university sample of 58 college students with disabilities, 18 (31%) of whom identified as sexual minorities. Fifty-seven participants reported peer victimization during childhood, and approximately half reported experiencing peer victimization in the past 2 months. Students who identified as sexual minorities reported more retrospective victimization but current victimization did not differ between the two groups. Current and retrospective peer victimization were significantly correlated with present psychological distress. Professionals who work with students with disabilities should be aware of the high prevalence of peer victimization and its psychological correlates in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a need to develop and refine psychosocial interventions to improve functioning in First Episode Psychosis (FEP). Social cognition and neurocognition are closely linked to functioning in psychosis; examinations of cognition pre- and post- psychosocial intervention may provide insights into the mechanisms of these interventions, and identify which individuals are most likely to benefit.Method: Cognition was assessed within a multi-site trial of Social Recovery Therapy (SRT) for individuals with FEP experiencing poor functioning (<30 h weekly structured activity). Fifty-nine participants were randomly allocated to the therapy group (SRT + Early intervention), and 64 were allocated to treatment as usual group (TAU - early intervention care). Social cognition and neurocognition were assessed at baseline and 9 months; assessors were blind to group allocation. It was hypothesized that social cognition would improve following therapy, and those with better social cognition prior to therapy would benefit the most from SRT.Results: There was no significant impact of SRT on individual neurocognitive or social cognitive variables, however, joint models addressing patterns of missingness demonstrate improvement across a number of cognitive outcomes following SRT. Further, regression analyses showed those who had better social cognition at baseline were most likely to benefit from the therapy (ß = 0.350; 95% CI = 0.830 to 8.891; p = .019).Conclusion: It is not clear if SRT impacts on social cognitive or neurocognitive function, however, SRT may be beneficial in those with better social cognition at baseline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Where Cartesian philosophy distinguishes the perceiving and perceptual mind from the body, phenomenology constitutes the experiential/experiencing body as the subject, giving rise to the affective potential of art. An immersive world of digital connections, smart cities and the Internet of Everything dramatises the centrality of relationship, the intertwining of Self and Other, in the lived environments of human experience. This article addresses the contextual, disciplinary and practical challenges encountered in developing an ambitious interactive public art project embedding SMART technology on the coastal fringes of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales (UK). It examines the processes and problems involved in delivering a stimulating aesthetic experience in and on a complex site, for a complex audience profile. It traces, in particular, the dependence of a multi-disciplinary project team on the theoretical and practical effects of affect in their ongoing effort to produce engaging, provocative, socially inclusive interactive public art, in and through human-centred design techniques.

Aim of the study The concept of quality of life in oral health involves psychological and social aspects for elderly patients – in this respect, there were created tools to quantify these elements, the representative is the complex questionnaires OHIP-14Sp. Material and methods The OHIP-14 questionnaire was applied to our study-group of 214 elderly patients, (121 women and 93 men), aged 57 to 74 years, from urban and rural areas. Recorded data were statistically processed using SPSS-18.0 software and interpreted, by correlating the psychological and social aspects and its impact on quality of life. Results The results obtained from the domains of the questionnaire revealed a moderate impaired quality of life, without statistically significant differences between Psychological and Social Disabilities (p=0,415/p=0,536). Conclusions This model demonstrates the importance of psychological factors and social aspects of quality of life in elderly patients, and the need for psycho-social approach in a broader spectrum within specialized medical treatments.

This study aims to analyze policy advocacy on public services for persons with disabilities in the city of Balikpapan as a form of protection to social disabilities. The author analyzes the public services of persons with disabilities using 3 (three) components, including the Agenda Setting, Problem Definition, and Policy Design that should have been chosen by the Balikpapan City Government in resolving the Diffability Problem. The type of research used is descriptive research with a qualitative approach. The results showed that policy advocacy on public services for persons with disabilities in the city of Balikpapan was seen from 3 (three) activities, namely the Agenda Setting activities carried out in the Formulation of Policy Advocates assessed by the Balikpapan City Government were not good (not optimal). Policy Definition of People with Disabilities in Balikpapan City in the framework of Social Protection Against Diffability is considered to have carried out forecasting needs, but is still not optimal. The Balikpapan City Government has taken several alternative policies, namely to gradually develop facilities and infrastructure for the convenience of difabelitas in Balikpapan City. Policy Design Activities Problems with Disability that should have been taken by the Balikpapan City Government, include a "decision analysis" in which the Balikpapan City Government has carried out the preparation of academic studies in order to properly prepare regional regulations on the protection of social difabelitas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusion policies focusing on Roma groups started in Sweden during the 1950s, when the Swedish government recognized the formal citizen status of the so called “Swedish Gypsies”, a group consisting of approximately 740 people. As the Roma were perceived as people living outside the boundaries of normal society, the challenge facing the Swedish authorities was how to outline and organize the new policies. In our analyses we focus on the taken-for-granted premises of these policies. We discuss the “entry process” of these Roma into Swedish society. People-processing organizations classified Roma as “socially disabled” in different administrative contexts. In the early 1960s adult male Roma were classified as socially disabled on the labor market. Later during the same decade, experts and professionals increasingly focused attention on the Roma family as a problematic institution. In this context, Roma adults were classified as disabled in relation to the normative representations of parental capacities during that time, while Roma children of school age were defined as children with difficulties and put in special groups for children with problems. The related interventions were justified by a discourse on social inclusion, but in reality produced a web of measures, practices and yet further interventions, which in the long run have contributed to perpetuate the social marginality of Roma groups.

Aim/background: The principal aim of this study was to, for the first time, examine the relationship between insomnia and perceived disability among workers with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI)/concussion.Patients/methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Clinic of the largest rehabilitation teaching hospital in Canada. Data from questionnaires, insurer records and clinical investigations were analysed. The Insomnia Severity Index measured the primary independent variable, and the Sheehan Disability Scale measured disability outcomes, classified as 'mild/moderate' or 'marked/extreme'. Two-sided t-tests and Chi-squared tests were used for bivariate associations. A binomial logistic regression model was fit using previously identified variables.Results: The sample comprised 92 workers (45.1 ± 9.9 years old, 61% male) with mTBI/concussion at median time 196 days after injury. When compared with workers reporting lower disability, workers with higher disability were found with more severe insomnia, depression, anxiety and pain. In the multivariable analysis, the odds of reporting higher global disability increased with increasing insomnia and pain [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.16 (95% CI 1.03-1.31) and 1.117 (95% CI 1.01-1.24), respectively]. Insomnia was the only significant covariate in a fully adjusted work disability model. None of the variables studied were statistically significant in the social and family life disability models.Conclusions: Greater attention should be given to the diagnosis and management of insomnia in persons with mTBI/concussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a heterogeneous disorder, schizophrenia is known to be associated with neuroinflammation. A recent study showed that several cytokines are higher in the plasma and cerebrospinal fluid of schizophrenia patients. Lansoprazole, a proton pump inhibitor used for treating erosive esophagitis, has been reported to reduce INF-γ-induced neurotoxicity and decrease inflammatory cytokines including IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. These findings persuaded us to examine whether lansoprazole ameliorates schizophrenia-like symptoms. The schizophrenia mouse model was induced by the acute administration of MK-801, an NMDA receptor antagonist. Sensorimotor gating, Barnes maze, and social novelty preference tests were conducted to evaluate schizophrenia-like behaviors. We found that lansoprazole (0.3, 1, or 3 mg/kg) ameliorated sensorimotor gating deficits, spatial learning, and social deficits caused by MK-801 treatment (0.2 mg/kg). The catalepsy test, balance beam test, and rotarod test were performed to reveal the adverse effects of lansoprazole on motor coordination. The behavioral results indicated that lansoprazole did not result in any motor function deficits. Moreover, lansoprazole decreased inflammatory cytokines including IL-6 and TNF-α only in the cortex, but not in the hippocampus. Collectively, these results suggest that lansoprazole could be a potential candidate for treating schizophrenia patients who suffer from sensorimotor gating deficits or social disability without any motor-related adverse effects. • Lansoprazole ameliorated schizophrenia-like behaviors in MK-801-treated mice. • Lansoprazole decreased inflammatory cytokines including IL-6 and TNF-α, in the cortex of MK-801-treated mice. • The use of lansoprazole would be a potent and less adverse treatment option for schizophrenia patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing interest in measuring social disability as a core element of autism spectrum disorders in medication trials. We conducted a secondary analysis on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist Social Withdrawal subscale using data from two federally-funded, multi-site, randomized trials with risperidone. Study 1 included 52 subjects assigned to placebo and 49 subjects to risperidone under double-blind conditions. Study 2 included 49 subjects assigned to risperidone only and 75 subjects assigned to risperidone plus parent training. After 8 weeks of treatment, all active treatments were superior to placebo (effect sizes ranging from 0.42 to 0.65). The findings suggest that the Social Withdrawal subscale may be a useful measure of social disability in acute treatment trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objectives: We wondered whether pregnant women with social handicap benefited from readmissions which could have been prevented, and if there was a selection of patients? Patients and method: This is a retrospective study of 127 pregnant women with social handicap having given natural childbirth in a public health establishment. The research was based on analysis of data from DRG''s (PMSI), legislation and other documents. Results: Between mid March 2007 and mid June 2009, 27 of the 127 pregnant women with social handicap have benefited from 35 readmissions. There were 171.5±255.1 days between readmissions. There was no second readmission on the same day for the same patient. According to the criteria of the Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol (AEPf), none of the readmissions were considered avoidable. No parturient was readmitted for non-medical reasons. Readmitted patients presented low to severe social handicaps and had 79.6 % more coded diagnosis compared to their first hospitalization. This service plays its public service role to fight against social exclusion. Discussion and conclusion: This pilot study provides encouraging results but also underlines the limits of our approach. We nevertheless wished to explore whether this low resource intensive initiative could make interesting indicators emerge, which seems to be the case. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

0.5 to 1% of our fellow countrymen are afflicted by mental illnesses (psychosis) like schizophrenia which is the third most disabling condition, higher than paraplegia and blindness. Another 0.4% approximately suffer from Bipolar Disorder, while 11.2% aged above 65 years suffer from depression. Suicide it is said, is the most common cause of death in people aged 15-34 years. Quantitative data shows that in India for a population over a billion with 20-30 million in need of mental health services there are about 3500 psychiatrists, 1000 clinical psychologists and psychiatric social workers respectively and 900 psychiatric nurses only. Psycho-social services through government setups is totally absent with main stress on the biomedical model with focus on diagnostic labels which add to the stigma despite the fact research indicates the significance of social determinants in the treatment of mental illnesses. This training manual on life and social skills education to patients and families who are under partial or full remission will focus on the importance of independent living of such client. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundThis paper examined the hypothesis that males with first-episode psychosis (FEP) experience lower pre-morbid adjustment, greater social disability and more self-perceived needs at illness onset than females (by controlling for duration of untreated psychosis, diagnosis, age and symptoms at onset). Results disconfirming this hypothesis were thought to suggest the potentially mediating role of social context in determining the impact of symptoms and disability on the everyday lives of male patients in the early phase of psychosis.MethodA large epidemiologically representative cohort of FEP patients (n=517) was assessed within the Psychosis Incident Cohort Outcome Study (PICOS) framework – a multi-site research project examining incident cases of psychosis in Italy's Veneto region.ResultsDespite poorer pre-morbid functioning and higher social disability at illness onset, males reported fewer unmet needs in the functioning domain than females did. An analysis of help provided by informal caregivers showed that males received more help from their families than females did. This finding led us to disconfirm the second part of the hypothesis and suggest that the impact of poorer social performance and unmet needs on everyday life observed in male patients might be hampered by higher tolerance and more support within the family context.ConclusionsThese findings shed new light on rarely investigated sociocultural and contextual factors that may account for the observed discrepancy between social disability and needs for care in FEP patients. They also point to a need for further research on gender differences, with the ultimate aim of delivering gender-sensitive effective mental health care. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Background : Interest in social functioning of people suffering from mental illnesses has been increasing over the last few years. Only few studies have investigated differences in social functioning in affective, schizoaffective and schizophrenic patients in the long-term and in a comparative approach. Method : The present study is part of a 15year follow-up study on patients suffering from severe mental illness. The here reported findings refer to the data of a sample of 177 patients with life-time diagnoses belonging to the schizophrenic, schizoaffective or affective spectrum according to the ICD-10 criteria. Psychopathological, socio-demographic and other illness-related variables were assessed at the index hospitalisation and at the 15year follow-up evaluation by using the assessment system published by the Association for Methodology and Documentation in Psychiatry (AMDP-system). Information about patients'' social disability was assessed by using a modified and further developed version of the WHO disability assessment scale, the (Mannheim) Disability Assessment Schedule (DAS-M scale). Prevalence rates of social disability and differences in the severity of social disability between different groups of mental illnesses were evaluated. And the association between social disability, diagnoses and psychopathology was analysed. Results : Compared to affective and schizoaffective patients, schizophrenic patients showed significantly higher levels of social disability in almost all domains. Severe to very severe levels of disability were found in 64% of schizophrenic patients and only in 19% of schizoaffective patients and 5% of affective patients. However, on a descriptive level all three diagnostic groups presented with similar maxima and minima in their profiles of social disability. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the apathy syndrome had the highest impact on the presence of severe social disability with all other psychopathological syndromes, gender, age and diagnosis having no statistically significant influence. Conclusion : Findings indicate that patients'' disabilities in different diagnostic groups seem to be of a similar quality and nature despite differences in their severity. The impact of psychopathology on disability seems to be more important than the one of diagnosis per se. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Research into the aetiology of social phobia can contribute to the prevention and treatment of socially anxious people. Based on the theory of social skills deficits, we reviewed several studies that examined the adequacy of social behaviour through behavioural experiments with the purpose of evaluating the existence of lack of social skills in socially anxious people compared with the general population. In addition to electronic searches for papers published since 1970, using Medline, Scielo and Lilacs, references from articles were identified. In general, the results indicate that socially anxious people perform poorly in spontaneous social interactions than control participants, are classified by observers as less assertive, friendly and shy but present only discrete differences in structured situations. Social skills deficit seems to be more easily identified when children and adolescents are observed, since they probably still have not developed coping strategies. Differences between social phobics appear to be found on the more global measures of performance rather than specific skills measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness, can be a congenital disorder or the result of a traumatic brain injury or developmental problems. This disorder interferes with a person's ability to recall faces and thus recognize individuals, even ones with whom he or she is intimate or familiar. Strangers cannot be distinguished from friends, which creates safety issues for the prosopagnosics. Furthermore, social interactions can be painful and ostracism is common as persons previously met cannot be recognized at subsequent meetings. This article presents a case study of a 13-year-old male and his mother who have congenital prosopagnosia. Information obtained from the student and his mother followed four themes: academic/career, safety, interpersonal relationships, and coping strategies. Examples of these themes and related interventions for school nurses are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aims of this study were: i) to determine changes in symptoms and social disability, and ii) to explore predictors of clinical and social outcome in patients receiving community-based mental health care. Method: A total of 354 patients treated in the South-Verona Community Mental Health Service were followed up over 6 years (with assessments made at baseline, 2 and 6 years) by using a set of standardized measures exploring psychopathology (Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale) and social disability (Disability Assessment Schedule). Generalized linear latent and mixed models were used to explore longitudinal predictors of clinical and social outcome. Results: Psychotic patients displayed clinical and social outcome characterized by complex patterns of exacerbation and remission over time; however, a clear trend towards a deteriorating course was not found, thus challenging the notion that psychotics are fatally prone to a destiny of chronicity. Non-psychotics reported a significant reduction in the core symptom of depression and in the observable physical and motor manifestations of tension and agitation, and a parallel increase in complaints about their physical health. Clinical and social dimensions of outcome are influenced by specific and different set of predictors. Conclusion: The results of this study confirm the need to implement naturalistic outcome studies conducted in the 'real world' services to inform decisions and strategies to be adopted in routine clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between adaptive functioning ( ability) and autism symptomatology ( disability) remains unclear, especially for higher functioning individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study investigates ability and disability using the Vineland and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule ( ADOS), respectively, in two clinical samples of children with ASD. Participants included 187 males with VIQ > 70. Vineland scores were substantially below VIQ, highlighting the magnitude of adaptive impairments despite cognitive potential. A weak relationship was found between ability and disability. Negative relationships were found between age and Vineland scores and no relationships were found between age and ADOS scores. Positive relationships were found between IQ and Vineland Communication. Results stress the need for longitudinal studies on ability and disability in ASD and emphasize the importance of adaptive skills intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: To assess the social disability of people with different psychiatric disorders. Methods: Cross-site survey in five psychiatric hospitals (Dresden, Wrocław, London, Michalovce and Prague). Working-aged patients diagnosed (ICD-10) with schizophrenia and related disorders (F2), affective disorders (F3), anxiety disorders (F4), eating disorders (F5) and personality disorders (F6), were assessed at admission (n =969) and 3months after discharge (n =753) using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and the Groningen Social Disability Schedule. The main outcome measure was Interviewer-rated social disability. Results: During acute episodes patients with personality, eating and schizophrenic disorders functioned less effectively than those with affective or anxiety disorders. After controlling for age and severity of psychopathology, there was no significant effect of the diagnosis (during remission), sex, education and history of disorder on disability. Site, employment and partnership were significant factors for the level of social disability in both measure points. Conclusion: Severity of psychopathological symptoms, not the diagnosis of a mental disorder, was the most significant factor in determining the level of social functioning, particularly during the remission period. Site, employment and partnership appeared as significant factors influencing the level of social disability. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study examined the role of work-related, psychosocial and psychological factors in predicting functional and social disability in working employees. In a cross-sectional design, 890 working employees (reporting at least 1 day of back pain during the past year) completed self-report measures of back pain, disability, pain-related fear, negative and positive affectivity, job satisfaction, job stress and physical work load. Regression analyses revealed that pain intensity was a strong predictor of functional (β =.69, p <.001) and social disability (β =.67, p <.001). Fear of (re)injury due to movement (β =.25, p <.001; β =.28, p <.001) had additional predictive value in both models. Further, (singular) mediation tests indicated that fear for (re)injury partially mediated the relation between pain intensity and disability, and between negative affectivity and disability. Finally, path analyses revealed both fear and pain intensity as mediators between negative affectivity and disability. Overall, our findings point at the relevance of the cognitive-behavioral model of avoidance in occupational settings. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: To investigate influencing factors for lay perception of mental illness severity and their effects on the stigma of mental illness. Method: Selective review including attitude surveys assessing social distance towards different diagnostic labels, and attitudes towards treatment professions, treatment strategies, and psychopharmacotherapy. Results: Lays differentiate in their attitudes towards people with mental illness according to the given diagnostic label, the involved treatment professions or institutions, the applied treatment methods, and the perceived psychosocial disability. Conclusion: Beside perceived treatment intensity and diagnostic label, the perception of social disability of mentally ill people accounts for a differentiated stigma. The question arises how antistigma-programmes can include the topic of social disability into their messages without risking to strengthen the stigma of mental illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper was to examine and present attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as a social disability. The overall outcomes from the literature indicate how children with ADHD and social disability display similar behavior patterns (e.g., conduct disorders, attention problems, and difficulties in family functioning). Other difficulties found with ADHD children were low self-esteem, bad reputations among peers, conflicts in friendships, problems in social skills, and difficulty in overcoming self-centeredness in social skills. Early identification of social disability, however, may result in provision of preventative services, such as suggested parent and mentor methods, and maximization of the chances for positive experiences in school, extracurricular activities, and the neighborhood. These services are recommended, and success depends on effort and consistent implementation of procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the educational/occupational outcome and social situation of patients treated for schizophrenia in adolescence (age at admission 11.5–17.9 years; mean 16.0 years). Out of 96 consecutively admitted patients between 1976 and 1987, 85 (89%) could be traced and 65 (68%) were reassessed more than 10 years after the first episode. At followup, 54 of the 65 (83%) had had at least one further inpatient-treated episode and 48 (74%) were receiving psychiatric treatment. Thirty-seven (57%) of the subjects were at least moderately impaired with respect to vocational functions (i.e., did not achieve their premorbid educational/occupational goals). Serious social disability was found in 42 (66%) of the 64 subjects for whom social disability data were available. Regarding means of maintenance, 49 (75%) were financially dependent, supported by parents or public assistance. Impairments were comparable for males and females. History of treatment (longer duration of inpatient stay; more than two inpatient episodes) was found to be predictive of lower vocational functioning at followup. Severity of positive symptoms and more than two inpatient episodes in the early course of illness predicted social disabilities in young adulthood. Findings support the view that, because of early onset, the long-term perspective for many adolescent-onset schizophrenia patients is that of poor social adjustment, severe functional impairment, and high socioeconomic dependence and suggest that consequences are more severe than in adult-onset schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of social support variables, personality, clinical variables (New York Heart Associations classification), and social disability upon depression. The sample consisted of 119 clinically stable patients (34 females, 85 males) with symptomatic heart failure, recruited from an outpatient hospital practice. The patients underwent a brief physical examination and completed a set of questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were used to characterise the patients' informal functional network. The analysis revealed that the intimate social network support (spouses) and primary social network support (close family) were rated as most supportive. Results from the path analysis showed that social disability was explained by the two personality factors, neuroticism and extraversion, and by the severity of disease (NYHA). No significant effects of the social support variables upon social disability were detected. Moreover, path-analyses showed that poor intimate network support, social disability and neuroticism were significantly positively associated with depression. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

After an introduction on design and definition of constructs, followed by an overview on case-finding, description of cohort and epidemiological considerations, this paper presents results on (social) disability (course of disability, prediction of disability), reported symptoms (course of symptomatology, prediction of symptomatology), observed (psychological) impairments (course of impairments, prediction of impairments, and value of impairment scores as predictors) and the utilization of medical services (scale of predominant utilization levels, longitudinal pattern of care, proportions of time in and out of hospital, prediction of length of hospitalization and cumulative time in rehabilitation institutions) in an epidemiological cohort of first onset schizophrenics prospectively over 5 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Psychiatric University Hospital Zürich ('Burghölzli') is taking part in the 'WHO Collaborative Study on the Assessment and Reduction of Psychiatric Disability'. This multicenter project aims to assess the development of social disability for schizophrenic psychoses of relatively recent onset. This paper provides a brief review of underlying concepts, the prospective procedure, and the screening criteria applying to all centers. The research team at 'Burghölzli' has greatly extended the general design. Apart from the 'obligatory' assessment of 69 first admitted schizophrenics (initial assessment on first hospitalization or outpatient treatment and follow-ups after 1, 2, and 5 years) we have also interviewed a control sample of 60 healthy persons (including a 2-year follow-up) and an 'extreme' sample of 46 chronic schizophrenic outpatients legally entitled to disability pension. Moreover, we have used several supplementary assessment instruments. This paper is to discuss the purpose of our extended research design. All cohorts are described with respect to screening criteria, sampling procedure, and some basic characteristics; furthermore, a review is given of the additional assessment instruments. It is intended to provide basic information for subsequent papers dealing with results from the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Patient Rejection Scale (RPS), which was developed to assess rejecting attitudes and feelings of relatives toward mental patients, was administered to a German sample of 44 family members or significant others living with first-admitted schizophrenics. Both at admission ( t) and 6 months later ( t), the PRS was significantly correlated with the number of rehospitalizations during the first 3 years after admission. In comparison, the association between PRS scores and different measures of psychopathology during the 2-year follow-up period was weak. Thus, rejecting attitudes of patients' relatives seem to imply a higher risk of relapse without substantial mediation by symptoms. We suspect that relatives with rejecting attitudes towards a patient might tend to apply for readmission more easily than more accepting relatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Six weeks add-on yoga therapy improved social cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia. • Positive & negative symptoms and social disability symptoms also improved with add-on yoga therapy. • Mirror Neuron System activity did not differ between groups, though improved in both over time. Negative symptoms and cognitive deficits are difficult-to-treat symptoms of schizophrenia. In this single blind randomized controlled study, we compared change in social cognitive performance in persons with Schizophrenia (PWS) (as per DSM-5), after 6 weeks of yoga intervention with a waitlist control group. We also examined changes in putative Mirror Neuron System (MNS) activity measured by Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) in a subset of sample (n = 30). 51 PWS stabilized on antipsychotic medication for at least 6 weeks, were assigned to add-on yoga therapy (YT) (n = 26) or waitlist (WL) (n = 25). Subjects in the YT group received add-on yoga therapy (20 sessions in 6 weeks). Both the groups continued their standard treatment and were assessed at baseline and after 6 weeks for social cognition, clinical symptoms and social disability. RM-ANOVA showed significant interaction between time and group for social cognition composite score (SCCS) (F = 42.09 [1,44], P < 0.001); negative symptoms (SANS) (F = 74.91 [1,45], P < 0.001); positive symptoms (SAPS) (F = 16.05 [1,45], P < 0.001) and social disability (GSDS) (F = 29.91 [1,46], P < 0.001). MNS activity had increased after 6 weeks in both groups but not of statistical significance. This study demonstrates that 6 weeks of add-on yoga therapy could improve social cognition in PWS compared to waitlist control subjects. However, the change in social cognition was not associated with a change in the putative MNS-activity. It necessiatates further studies to investigate the mechanistic processes of yoga and replicate these observations in a larger sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]