On the personal facets of quality of life in chronic neurological disorders.

Quality of life (QOL) is an important clinical endpoint, but it remarkably varies in patients with similar neurological conditions. This study explored the role of spirituality (i.e., the complex of personal transcendence, connectedness, purpose, and values) in determining QOL in chronic neurological disorders.~Seventy-two patients with epilepsy, brain tumours or ischemic or immune-mediate brain damage compiled inventories for QOL (WHOQOL 100), spirituality (Spiritual, Religious and Personal Beliefs, WHOSRPB), depression (Beck Depression Inventory, BDI), anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, STAI), and cognitive self-efficacy (Multiple Ability Self-Report Questionnaire, MASQ) and underwent neuropsychological testing. With respect to 45 healthy controls, the patients reported worse QOL, with no difference between the four patient subgroups. Factor analyses of the WHOSRPB, STAI, and BDI scores and of the MASQ and neuropsychological test scores yielded four (Personal Meaning, Inner Energy, Awe and Openness, Mood) and three factors (Control Functions, Cognition, Memory), respectively. Mood, Cognition, Inner Energy, schooling, and subjective health status correlated with the WHOQOL scores, but at regression analysis only Mood and Inner Energy predicted QOL. This suggests that spirituality, as a personal dimension distinct from mood, contributes to determine QOL. A multidimensional assessment of QOL, including personal facets, may explain differences between patients with chronic neurological disorders

Femicides and Victim's age-Associated Factors in Peru

Background. Femicides are an increasing social problem worldwide. In this study, we aim to describe the trend of femicides in the prepandemic decade and characterize the femicide victims and their perpetrators. Methods. We assessed the trend of femicides in Peru during 2010–2019 and performed a cross-sectional study to analyze the femicides reported in 2019 using open data. Results. We analyzed 166 femicides reported in 24/25 regions of Peru in 2019 and calculated a yearly incidence of 1.01 femicides per 100,000 women. This incidence level represents an increase of 38% compared to the mean annual incidence from 2010 to 2018 (0.74 femicides per 100,000 women). Most femicides occurred in urban areas (64%), through strangling/asphyxiation (25.9%), stabbing (23%), and shooting (16%). Most victims were mothers (61%) 30 years old or over (51%). Most perpetrators have had a partner history with their victims (69%), 30 years old or over (62%), employed (57%), and consumed enablers (51%). Our regression analysis observed that the victim's age was associated with the perpetrator's age and partner history. Conclusions. Femicides are endemic in Peru, and the main characteristics of the victims and their perpetrators offer opportunities for tackling this social problem in Peru and similar low- to middle-income countries. © The Author(s) 2023

The nationalisation of religion: Youth and Soka Gakkai in Singapore

The nationalisation of religion is introduced in this article as the condition in which the secular interests and values of the state are articulated and enacted by religious organisations or individuals participating in public life. It has two attributes: (1) performances are shrouded in a nationalistic character that renders the religious significantly invisible and as a result; (2) the prevailing political order proceeds unquestioned. To make its case, the article draws from the experiences of the youth of Soka who perform in public events such as the National Day Parade and Chingay in Singapore. These performances are some of the ways in which Soka presents itself as a cultural organisation working for peace and progress in Singapore. For them, it is about sending a message that individual and collective struggles can be overcome and that in spite of their differences, people can come together