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In this paper we wish to explore the relationships between social networks and stigma. The objective is to construct an argument that accounts for the role of social networks in labeling certain behavior and persons as stigmatic. That is, we will propose that the origin of stigma (in at least some cases) stems from certain social network properties, positions in those networks and the potential impact that disordered individual behavior may have for the network. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we explore the value of using a sociological model of illness causation for addressing recent discussions within the discipline of bioethics related to inequality and to infectious disease. In the bioethics discipline numerous authors have recently argued that there is a need for bioethics to better address the problem of infectious disease but, we argue, the biomedical model of disease causation that bioethics generally uses does not permit bioethics to incorporate the role that social structures of inequality play in disease causation. Hence, bioethics will be unable to fully address the scope of issues related to infectious disease and its relationships to international, national and community differences in access to valued resources. A sociological model of disease causation is needed, first, to recognize the extent to which infectious disease is an issue of justice (and thus requiring inquiry by bioethics) and, second, to formulate bioethics principles appropriate to the contexts in which infectious diseases thrive. Because social structures are central to disease causation, they must be more explicitly addressed in bioethical principles. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although little is known about the effects of international migration on mental health, even less is known about internal migration despite the fact that more persons move within their own countries. Within developing countries this migration has important social and economic consequences. We use a large representative sample of adults residing in Kathmandu, Nepal to investigate the utility of the stress process model for understanding these effects. Because our sample contains both migrants and non-migrants, we are able to compare the importance of common and unique sources of stress and access to social support as they affect urban dwellers, in general. Results show that migrants and non-migrants differ only slightly in socio-demographic makeup. Migrants face more chronic sources of stress and have more social support problems. However, eventful stress is the only direct predictor of distress for both migrants and non-migrants. Lower access to social support indirectly affects migrant distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bioethical principles and policy that govern most medical research are based on a biomedical model of illness that does not account for structured inequalities in health. Such inequalities are especially evident within poor countries and, we argue, make current bioethical standards for medical research in poor countries inadequate. Attempts to develop a more appropriate set of bioethical guidelines have retained the assumptions of the biomedical model without recognizing this limitation. The sociological explanation for illness as an outcome of structured inequalities seems more appropriate and leads to some novel suggestions for the development of bioethical policy guidelines. The proposals could apply within developed societies with notable health inequalities, as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to show that a large number of the clients seeking help at public mental health agencies are parents of children under eighteen who have problems associated with child custody and care. Data for this study comes from adult clients with children under eighteen at one of the largest mental health service providing agencies in Butler County, Ohio (N=145). Preliminary findings suggest that over 48 percent- of the severely ill mental clients have children under eighteen and seem to be young women who have gone through several marriages/divorces, endured a history of physical and sexual abuse, have had parents and other family members with mental disorders and substance abuse problems, and do not have custody of their children. Further, it seems that for most clients getting custody of their children and pain due to this loss are major issues. We call for early intervention that focuses on keeping clients and their children together by providing coordinated and comprehensive need based services for both. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive research has examined the nature of stress and its relationship with social and health outcomes in industrialized nations. On the other hand, considerably less study has focused on the role of stress in the well-being of individuals living in developing nations, and almost no research has directly compared this relationship across developed and developing nations. In this study, we compare the relationship between stress from the death of a parent and two indicators of well-being, substance use and mental health, in the United States and Nepal. Additionally, differences between urban and rural contexts are emphasized. US data come from the third wave of the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health (Add Health), a nationally representative survey of adolescents and young adults. Data from Nepal come from two sources, the Kathmandu Mental Health Survey and the Jiri Health Survey, which respectively represent urban and rural settings in this developing nation. Data from the US are consistent with most research in developed nations. Females have higher rates of depression whereas males have higher rates of substance use with stressors more strongly tied to these gendered outcomes. In Nepal, the relationship of gender and education on both being depressed and substance use is similar to that in the US. However, significant socioeconomic effects on substance use beyond education are noted in the US, whereas age plays a unique role across all outcomes in Nepal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]