Search

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) has well-known negative effects on romantic relationship functioning, including the occurrence of intimate partner violence (IPV). A separate literature focused on community couples indicates that relationship functioning is more likely to suffer when partners report greater discrepancies in alcohol consumption. It is important to expand this literature to couples with AUD and to examine the role of impactful AUD domains in dyadic functioning. Furthermore, few studies have examined adaptive, treatment-malleable factors that could potentially offset the negative impact of alcohol discrepancies on relationship functioning. This study examined the association between couples' alcohol problem discrepancies and relationship adjustment, as well as the moderating effect of self-reported adaptive conflict negotiation behaviors. Participants were 100 couples (N = 200 individual participants) with intimate partner violence wherein at least one partner met diagnostic criteria for AUD. Actor-Partner Interdependence Models indicated that greater alcohol problem discrepancy was associated with lower dyadic adjustment. Moderation analyses revealed that the highest level of relationship adjustment was observed among couples with lower alcohol problem discrepancy and greater negotiation behaviors, while relationship adjustment was similar for couples with larger alcohol problem discrepancy, regardless of negotiation behaviors. Although further study is needed to clarify under what specific conditions adaptive negotiation behaviors are most helpful, they appear to be beneficial for some couples in this sample. We found no evidence that negotiation behaviors may be harmful among these high-risk couples., (© 2023 Family Process Institute.)

Separate literatures indicate that both alcohol use disorder (AUD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are robust risk factors for using intimate partner violence (IPV). Despite the strength of these relative literatures, and the common co-occurrence of AUD and PTSD, their combined effects on IPV have rarely been examined. This study begins to address this gap by exploring the moderating effects of provisional PTSD diagnosis on the relation between heavy alcohol consumption and physical IPV using a multilevel modeling approach. Participants were adult romantic couples (N = 100) with current AUD and a history of physical IPV in their relationship. Results from the between-couple comparison indicate that couples who reported more heavy drinking days also experienced more physical IPV when at least one partner had probable PTSD. However, the within-couple comparison indicated that among partners without a provisional PTSD diagnosis, those with fewer heavy drinking days compared to their partner also reported more physical IPV perpetration. These preliminary and exploratory findings require replication and extension but provide new and important information regarding the complex intersection of heavy drinking, PTSD, and IPV among couples with AUD., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

History of childhood maltreatment is common among military veterans, particularly those with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Childhood maltreatment is associated with negative psychosocial outcomes, including use of aggression during adulthood. Prior research has identified maladaptive cognitions as a key mediating variable in the association between early life trauma and aggression. Given the high rates of comorbid PTSD and AUD among veterans and the increased risk of aggression when these conditions co-occur, it is critical to examine malleable intervention targets, such as maladaptive cognitions, for this population. The current secondary analyses examined the mediating role of hostile cognitions on the associations between childhood maltreatment and adulthood aggression in a sample of dually diagnosed veterans. Participants were veterans with co-occurring PTSD and AUD ( N = 73) who were enrolled in a larger randomized controlled laboratory trial. Participants completed self-report measures of childhood maltreatment, hostile cognitions, and aggressive behavior. Three models were tested to examine the mediating effect of hostility on the associations between childhood maltreatment, abuse, and neglect on aggression. Results indicated that hostility fully mediated the effect of maltreatment on aggression and partially mediated the effect of childhood abuse on aggression. The effect of childhood neglect on aggression was nonsignificant. Hostile cognitions may be a critical intervention target for veterans with co-occurring PTSD and AUD and history of childhood maltreatment, particularly for those who have experienced higher levels of childhood abuse.

These recommendations can help you to identify patients at risk of violence, create an environment where they feel comfortable disclosing their experiences, and help them plan for their safety.

Background: While alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a well-established risk factor for intimate partner aggression (IPA), effective treatments for co-occurring AUD and IPA (AUD/IPA) are lacking. Oxytocin is one promising pharmacological candidate for AUD/IPA given its potential to modulate social behavior and attenuate alcohol use. However, emerging data suggests that oxytocin's prosocial effects are inconsistent, and a small number of studies have also found that oxytocin might have the potential to be aggressogenic. No studies have directly examined the impact of oxytocin on alcohol- or IPA-related outcomes in a dyadic context., Methods: The goal of this double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled trial was to examine the effects of a single dose of intranasal oxytocin (40 international units) on cue-induced alcohol craving, subjective aggression, laboratory task-based IPA, and cortisol reactivity in a sample of 100 couples (N = 200 individuals) with AUD and physical IPA in their current relationship., Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the oxytocin and placebo conditions for any of the primary outcomes., Conclusions: Findings suggest that a single dose of intranasal oxytocin was not efficacious in mitigating alcohol craving or aggression in this sample. Although hypotheses were not supported, the findings provide important evidence that oxytocin was not aggressogenic in this high-risk sample. Future research investigating dispositional and contextual moderators of oxytocin response in addition to the therapeutic effects of more intensive oxytocin dosing or administration strategies on alcohol craving and aggression is warranted., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: An extensive body of literature has linked emotion regulation to alcohol and drug use problems, including among populations characterized by intimate partner violence (IPV). Advancing this research, the goal of the current study was to examine cognitive emotion regulation strategies and alcohol and drug use problems within a dyadic framework. Specifically, we examined actor and partner effects of maladaptive and adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies on alcohol and drug use problems., Methods: Eighty-four romantic couples (N = 168 total participants) participating in a randomized controlled trial who reported physical IPV and an alcohol use disorder completed self-reported measures of cognitive emotion regulation as well as alcohol and drug use problems., Results: Regarding actor effects, men's greater use of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies was positively related to their alcohol use problems (p < .001), whereas both women's (p = .02) and men's (p = .047) greater use of adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies was negatively related to their own alcohol use problems. In terms of partner effects, men's greater use of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies (p = .001) and less use of adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies (p = .017) was related to their partners' greater drug use problems., Conclusions: Findings replicate and extend existing work in this area, showing that men's and women's emotion regulation strategies are related to their own alcohol and drug use problems and that men's cognitive emotion regulation strategies are also related to their partners' drug use problems., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This multisite study examined whether aggressive cognitions and facial displays of negative affect and anger experienced during provocation mediated the association between alcohol intoxication and intimate partner aggression (IPA). Participants were 249 heavy drinkers (148 men, 101 women) with a recent history of IPA perpetration. Participants were randomly assigned to an Alcohol or No-Alcohol Control beverage condition and completed a shock-based aggression task involving apparent provocation by their intimate partner. During provocation, a hidden camera recorded participants' facial expressions and verbal articulations, which were later coded using the Facial Action Coding System and the Articulated Thoughts in Simulated Situations paradigm. Results indicated that the positive association between alcohol intoxication and partner-directed physical aggression was mediated by participants' aggressive cognitions, but not by negative affect or anger facial expressions. These findings implicate aggressogenic cognitions as a mediating mechanism underlying the association between the acute effects of alcohol and IPA perpetration.

Objective: Previous research has demonstrated a significant association between trauma and intimate partner aggression (IPA) perpetration. However, the precise mechanisms underlying this relationship have yet to be fully elucidated. In the present study, we examined the impact of several key factors implicated in Ehlers and Clark's (2000) cognitive model of trauma (i.e., trauma cognitions, anger, hostility, and rumination) on IPA perpetration., Method: Participants in this study were 271 male and female heavy drinkers at high risk for IPA from the community who completed measures of dysfunctional posttraumatic cognitions, dispositional rumination, trait anger and hostility, and IPA perpetration. A moderated mediational model was tested to determine how these variables interact to predict IPA perpetration., Results: Results indicated that anger and hostility mediated the effect of negative cognitions about the world on IPA perpetration, with this indirect effect being stronger for individuals with higher levels of rumination., Conclusion: These findings suggest that cognitive and affective processes that may result from trauma exposure are associated with IPA and should be targeted in prevention and intervention programs for individuals at risk for perpetration.

Previous research has demonstrated a significant association between alcohol and aggression. However, the precise mechanisms underlying this relationship have yet to be fully elucidated. In the present study, we examined alcohol's effects on an attentional bias toward aggressogenic cues as the first step in a possible mediation model of alcohol-facilitated intimate partner aggression. More specifically, we tested an interactive effect of problematic alcohol use and acute alcohol intoxication on an attentional bias toward anger words. Participants in this study were 249 male and female heavy drinkers from the community with a history of past-year intimate partner aggression perpetration who participated in an alcohol-administration laboratory study assessing the effect of alcohol intoxication on cognitive biases. Multiple linear regression was used to test the proposed moderation model. Acute alcohol intoxication moderated the effect of problematic alcohol use on an attentional bias toward anger, with this effect being stronger for individuals in the alcohol compared to no-alcohol control condition. These findings suggest that problematic drinkers may be more likely to attend to aggressogenic stimuli while acutely intoxicated, relative to when they are sober. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: The high prevalence of campus sexual assault (CSA) among college students in the United States is a chronic public health crisis. Some risk factors for CSA victimization, such as alcohol consumption and female gender, are firmly established, but the evidence for others is less robust. One factor that has received little attention in the literature on CSA is "hooking up," defined as a physically intimate dyadic encounter that may not entail further contact between partners. The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of hooking up, both as a general risk factor for CSA victimization, and the roles of different types of hookups, varying in degree of relatedness between partners, for different types of victimization., Method: A stratified random sample of female undergraduate students (n = 373) from a single, small campus in the northeastern United States completed measures of demographics, alcohol consumption, hooking up, and sexual victimization in an online survey., Results: Results revealed high-risk levels of drinking, and a low-to-moderate frequency of hooking up. Overall prevalence of CSA reported by this sample was 44%, with 40% reporting nonconsensual sexual contact, and 33% attempted rape or rape. Follow-up questions to reports of sexual assaults indicated that most (78%) took place during hookups, and that the riskiest hookups were those with acquaintances and previous romantic partners., Conclusion: If found to generalize to other campus populations, the role of hooking up in sexual assault should be added to systems-based models of sexual assault (e.g.,Heise, 1998) and to educational prevention programs. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).)

Morphea is a rare fibrosing disorder of the skin and underlying tissues. Circumscribed morphea presents with less than three discrete indurated plaques and breasts are commonly affected in women. We report the case of a 12-year-old female with a right infra-areolar, nontender, brownish patch and asymmetry of the right breast with 2 years of evolution. Skin biopsy showing thickening of the dermal collagen bundles confirmed the clinical diagnosis of morphea. After a 3-year follow-up period without progression of disease, reconstructive surgery is scheduled. Plaque morphea can involve all layers of the skin but associated breast deformity is rare. It can mimic benign and malignant breast disorders justifying the benefit for early tissue biopsy. Breast morphea generally has a good prognosis but hyperpigmentation and breast deformity in young girls have been rarely described. An early diagnosis can possibly lead to a therapeutic intervention with a different outcome, as it can be the source of severe psychological and social issues in a delicate period of development such as adolescence.

Multiple factors influence the acceptance, choice and utilisation of contraceptive. The objective of the study is to identify individual attitude towards the empowerment of women to an independent right to accept, choose and utilise a contraceptive method of their choice without recourse to their male partners. This is a cross sectional study of men and women of different socio-cultural background working or utilising the services of the Federal Medical Centre Gombe, Nigeria. There were 554 respondents. Only 187 (34.4%) respondents thought that all women, irrespective of marital status, should have an independent right to contraceptive acceptance, choice and practice. Significantly more men (85.4%) than women (61.8%) rejected that women should have an independent right to contraceptive acceptance, choice and practice. Majority of both gender favoured male influence in the acceptance and choice of method of contraception. Our study has re-echoed the importance of male involvement in contraception decision-making.

Objectives: The primary aim of this article is to review literature regarding the relationship between substance use and HIV transmission in Peru., Methods: Detailed search of published literature completed in PubMed and Google-Scholar and other local Peruvian publications. Mesh words: "Peru"; "substance-related-disorders"; "HIV"; "sexual-behavior" and their combinations. From 3921 articles, 150 were chosen for more careful review and only 26 were used for the review. No date limit was used in this review., Results: Peruvian HIV epidemic is limited to MSM and its prevalence goes up to 33% in certain MSM-subpopulations. Transmission is mainly through sexual contact. Drug use doubled the risk for casual sex, decreased by half the chances of using condoms, increased the number of partners per year and the risk for STD's. Peruvian HIV-positive populations have higher rates drug use and using drugs have been associated with a higher prevalence of being HIV-positive. This may be also true for other populations such as pregnant women in which there is an association between drug use and HIV., Conclusions: Although the amount of Peruvian research in this area limits the review, there seems to be a relationship between using drugs, having risky-sexual-behaviors and being HIV positive in Peru. HIV-prevention strategies for Peruvians must address the link between sex and substance use.

The first record of Ornithodoros (Alectorobius) coniceps (Canestrini) was reported for Italy in 1877, inside the interstices of the ancient mosaics at S. Marco Basilica in Venice. Afterwards only few discoveries of the species are reported for Italy; the last record is dated back to 1984, in L'Aquila town (Abruzzo Region). The present study shows the data of a survey carried out as a result of a massive infestation by O. coniceps in an ancient villa in Anzio town (Latium region) recently restored. In the past decades the villa has been fallen into disrepair, becoming an occasional shelter for wild animals mainly pigeons, that colonized the whole building for generations. This case appears worthy of note because it is the first record of this species after more than 25 years in Italy. A total of 136 specimens were collected by three methods: manual, mechanical aspirators and Wilson traps. Wilson trapping indicates positive O. coniceps tropism for CO(2).

Background: Most psychiatric programs provide lectures on basic principles of psychopharmacology. Yet, this traditional approach has been criticized due to excessive information and passive transfer of expert knowledge. An alternative teaching method is the use of "academic games.", Aims: To investigate medical students' acquisition of knowledge on psychopharmacology, and their perception of a game playing approach compared to traditional lectures., Methods: Two senior residents designed, implemented, and executed a randomized pretest-posttest study to teach psychopharmacology, using an academic game and a lecture format, to third-year medical students during a 6-week Psychiatry clerkship. Both didactic interventions were delivered concurrently for five consecutive weeks covering five psychopharmacology modules: antidepressants I (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and atypical antidepressants), antidepressants II (monoamine oxidase inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants), mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and anti-anxiety agents/sedatives/hypnotics. The game follows similar rules of the famous TV show, "Jeopardy" using a power point grid and a multiple choice question format., Results: Forty-three medical students participated (29 assigned to the game approach, 14 to the traditional lecture approach). None of the demographic variables (age, gender, years after graduation, Graduate Point Averages, and United States Medical Licensing Examination 1) were significantly associated with the pre/posttest score difference between groups. Both groups improved their knowledge on psychotropic drugs [(game group t = 10.86, p < 0.001); control t = 4.82, p < 0.001)] throughout the 6-week Psychiatry rotation. Students in the game group had a better perception of this educational method as measured by perceived enjoyment, increased knowledge of psychopharmacology, and stimulating interest in the subject compared to those in the lecture group (p < 0.05)., Conclusions: Teaching psychopharmacology in medical students by using academic games can make the learning experience more enjoyable and motivating; however, future studies with higher quality methodology and design are needed to determine the role of educational games in acquiring new psychopharmacological knowledge.

Summary: Tubal factor infertility is the commonest cause of infertility seen in gynaecological clinics in Nigeria. This, to a large extent, is a preventable cause of infertility. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of utero-tubal factors in the causation of infertility. This is a prospective descriptive study of infertile women seen at the gynaecological clinic of the Federal Medical Centre Gombe from June 1999 to May 2002. A total of 229 infertile women were studied. The prevalence of primary and secondary infertility was 37.1% and 62.9%, respectively. Tubal factor was the cause in 67.2% and cervical factors contributed to 19.2%. The women were aged 17-44, with a mean of 28.6 +/- 5 years. There were four (1.7%) teenagers and eight (3.5%) women were aged 40 years or above. The majority, 55% (126), were in their third decade, with those aged 20-34 years constituting 86% (197) of patients. The high prevalence of tubal factor infertility in our environment is unacceptable. Primary prevention of reproductive tract infections and syndromic management of STD will go a long way in reducing the high prevalence of tubal factor infertility.

This prospective comparative study of obstetric fistulae (OF) was aimed at identifying risk factors. A total of 80 obstetric fistulae treated at the gynaecological unit of the FMCG, and 80 inpatients without fistulae recruited randomly as controls formed the basis of this study. Through interview and case record review, information on age, parity and marital status was collected. Other features were educational status, occupation and booking status of the pregnancy that might have led to this condition. The duration of labour, place of birth and mode of delivery, including its outcome were also collected. The data were analysed using the Epi Info. The majority of the patients were Hausa/Fulani 87.5%, Muslims 91.2%, with large vesicovaginal fistulae (average size 5.0 cm) mainly resulting from obstructed labour (93.7%). Major risk factors included early age at first marriage (average 14 years), short stature (average height 146.2 cm) and illiteracy (96.3%). Also low social class and lack of gainful employment were factors. Failure to book for antenatal care (93.7%), and rural place of residence (95%) were also factors associated with acquiring the fistulae. Living far away (>3 km) from a health facility also contributed or predisposed to the development of an obstetric fistula. Social violence and stigma associated with the fistulae included divorce, being ostracised as a social outcast, and lack of assistance from relations in terms of finding and funding treatment. This study supports improved access to basic essential obstetric care, family planning services, and timely referral when and where necessary. Universal education will provide a long-term solution by improving the standard of living and quality of life. Especially important are media- and community-based programmes on the ills of teenage marriage and child pregnancy using cultural and religiously-based values to give sound advice. In a male dominated society, reaching out to men with traditionally palatable messages that will change their attitude and practices to taking responsibility in reproductive health could be a winning strategy.

We report a case of combined intrauterine and tubal pregnancy in a 32 year old para. The patient presented at the Gynaecological emergency unit, with lower abdominal pain, and vaginal bleeding. A pelvic scan confirmed an intrauterine pregnancy. While being managed as a case of threatened abortion, her condition deteriorated and the likelihood of an ectopic pregnancy was entertained. A repeat scan revealed significant peritoneal collection. suggestive of haemoperitoneum, and laparotomy confirmed heterotopic pregnancy. She had a right salpingectomy without complications. The patient had a supervised antenatal care and safe delivery of the intrauterine pregnancy.

The existence of immunopotentiator factors able to induce blastogenesis, chemotaxis and able of inhibiting migration of leukocytes was investigated in alcohol precipitates of different batches of dialyzed leukocyte extracts (DLE). These were prepared either out of fresh leukocytes from a large pool of buffy coats obtained from all blood collected from healthy donors with irrelevant antigen sensitiveness (DLE-NS) or from similar leukocytes which were incubated during 19 h for interferon production (DLE-NS-I). Alternatively, the same factors were investigated on a batch of DLE obtained from a donor exquisitely sensitive to Candida antigen (C-DLE-CS). It was observed that all the three batches contained equal amounts of either specific or nonspecific immunological enhancing factors. The similarity of the intensity of specific factors between the so-called nonspecific batches (DLE-NS and DLE-NS-I) and the specific batch (C-DLE-CS) was interpreted to be the result of the random selection of the donors for the preparation of the nonspecific batches, which consequently contain randomized relevant specificities. It is postulated, therefore, that batches of DLE which represent a large waste of leukocytes used for interferon production can be a useful tool for double-blind DLE therapy purposes.