Religious diversity, empathy, and God images : perspectives from the psychology of religion shaping a study among adolescents in the UK

Major religious traditions agree in advocating and promoting love of neighbour as well as love of God. Love of neighbour is reflected in altruistic behaviour and empathy stands as a key motivational factor underpinning altruism. This study employs the empathy scale from the Junior Eysenck Impulsiveness Questionnaire to assess the association between empathy and God images among a sample of 5993 religiously diverse adolescents (13–15 years old) attending state maintained schools in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and London. The key psychological theory being tested by these data concerns the linkage between God images and individual differences in empathy. The data demonstrate that religious identity (e.g. Christian, Muslim) and religious attendance are less important than the God images which young people hold. The image of God as a God of mercy is associated with higher empathy scores, while the image of God as a God of justice is associated with lower empathy scores

Patient experiences of anxiety, depression and acute pain after surgery: a longitudinal perspective

This study sought to explore the impact of the psychological variables anxiety and depression, on pain experience over time following surgery. Eighty-five women having major gynaecological surgery were assessed for anxiety, depression and pain after surgery. To gain further understanding, 37 patients participated in a semi-structured taped telephone interview 4–6 weeks post-operatively. Pre-operative anxiety was found to be predictive of post-operative anxiety on Day 2, with patients who experienced high levels of anxiety before surgery continuing to feel anxious afterwards. By Day 4 both anxiety and depression scores increased as pain increased and one-third of the sample experienced levels of anxiety in psychiatric proportions whilst under one-third experienced similar levels of depression. These findings have significant implications for the provision of acute pain management after surgery. Future research and those managing acute pain services need to consider the multidimensional effect of acute pain and the interface between primary and secondary care

Mental health professionals' use of drawings in the assessment of children.

This study examined the decisions made by mental health professionals when receiving background information and assessment information about a fictitious 8-year-old client. All participants received identical information except for information about a drawing. Group 1 received a drawing with some indicators of emotional problems and possible abuse according to one scoring system (Peterson & Hardin, 1997). Group 2 received a drawing without indicators. Group 3 did not receive a drawing. Analysis focused on decisions regarding symptoms/circumstances the client might be experiencing, possible referrals to be made, and the usefulness of the assessment information received. No significant differences were found regarding ratings made by the participants with the exception of the likelihood of making a referral for a neurological evaluation. Ratings of the likelihood of making a referral for a neurological evaluation were significantly lower for the participants who received a drawing with indicators than for either of the other two groups of participants

The influence of personal characteristics on drop out from therapy

The influence of certain personality characteristics (i.e., hostility, anxiety, satisfaction with life, and self-esteem) on drop out from therapy was examined. Participants of this study consisted of individuals who sought services from the Iowa State University Marriage and Family Therapy Clinic for individual, couples, or family therapy. A total of 501 individuals began therapy in the years between 2000 and 2004; of these, 91 were reported by the respective therapists to be drop outs. Prior to the initial therapy session, all clients signed release forms indicating their assessment materials may be used for future research. Data from the Brief Symptom Inventory, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were examined, and hypotheses were tested using chi-square tests for independence and discriminant analyses. Although the previously mentioned personality characteristics were found to have no association with likelihood to drop out from therapy, several demographic variables were found to have a statistically significant association (i.e., modality of treatment, marital status, occupation, income, and previous therapy experience.) These findings indicate that regardless of a client\u27s disposition at the onset of therapy, he or she is not more likely to drop out of treatment based on these characteristics alone

Family-friendly city : envisioning a "missing middle" density bonus in Austin's single-family neighborhoods

As Austin’s population grows, it is increasingly difficult for low and middle-income families with children to find suitable, affordable housing in Austin’s central neighborhoods. This is partly because Austin’s current zoning is highly restrictive in which lot size minimums and unit maximums keep housing supply low. Families add to Austin’s vibrancy, and it is an Imagine Austin goal to enact policies to retain them. I propose one such policy that should be incorporated into CodeNEXT, the rewrite of Austin’s land development code: a density bonus in areas tentatively zoned “T3,” through which developers could create more units than allowed by right, provided that some are affordable. This bonus would allow for the production of “Missing Middle” housing more dense than a detached single-family home, but less dense than an apartment in a mid or high-rise. This would create a larger supply of both market-rate, middle-income housing and low-income housing that is designated as such. I justify the need for this through two analyses. 1) I found that two of Austin’s most widely used density incentives, the Vertical Mixed Use and Transit Oriented Development bonuses, have produced an overproportion of affordable studio units, and minimal affordable two-bedroom units, which would be appropriate for families. 2) I analyzed residential demolition and building permits in Brentwood and Crestview to understand the change in the built environment under the current, “SF-3” zoning. This showed that demolitions of old homes rose in the mid 2010’s, despite the restrictive zoning. New-builds on nearly half the lots were single-family homes, and the average square feet was 2.2 times larger than the home they replaced. There is, however, great market demand for smaller units that split land cost between one another- allowing them would serve affordable housing needs. Currently, consultants have proposed a similar density bonus for “T4” and “T5” zoned areas. The bonus should be expanded to “T3” areas, which would include Brentwood, Crestview, North Loop, Zilker, and parts of Bouldin Creek. Allowing such a bonus would be a political compromise: in exchange for more units, developers would be required to provide much-needed family-sized, affordable housing.Community and Regional Plannin

Breathitt County - Place Names

Place names for Breathitt County, Kentucky

Index to Oil and Gas Fields of Kentucky

These data have been collected by the Kentucky Geological Survey as part of an ongoing project, and this report is subject to updating and revision as additional data become available. Where information is not available for a certain category, the entry is left blank. Data are listed in order by county and field name. Producing formations generally are listed in approximate stratigraphic sequence from youngest to oldest. The date shown is the year of completion of the discovery well in the field. The Carter coordinate location pertains only to the discovery well of the field and in some cases may be outside the listed county; other wells in the field may lie outside the given Carter coordinates. Kentucky is divided into four regions (Fig. 1) as defined by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (Meyer, 1968). Tables 1, 2, and 3 show producing zones for each of the three regions in Kentucky that produce oil and gas. No production has been recorded for the Mississippi Embayment region in the far western part of the State. Oil production was rumored in McCracken County, but this was never substantiated. For additional information about this listing, contact Brandon Nuttall at the Kentucky Geological Survey