Family violence in Chile : a qualitative study of interdisciplinary teams\u27 perspectives.

Family violence, particularly the battering and abuse by men of women and children, has taken on different meanings over time in various cultures. This study looked at how therapeutic teams in Chile, working to intervene in cycles of violence, understand and define family violence in the 1990\u27s. Using a qualitative and collaborative methodology, this research analyzed family violence discourses by looking at practitioners\u27 personal, professional, and political ideas about physical and sexual abuse within the home. First, the literature about family violence in Chile was reviewed, as well as the political and legal issues that affect clinicians working in this area. Then, four interdisciplinary teams were interviewed with a reflecting team format. Three major themes emerged in the interviews with the teams. One theme was how family violence is defined including individualistic, societal, gender-sensitive, and systemic explanations, and the problems confronted in this task. Family violence was primarily defined as a political problem that is experienced as a private matter mostly by women and children. A second theme was the recursive relation that exists among the teams\u27 interventions to care for their clients and the teams\u27 evolving definitions of their clients. A third theme was the process by which the personal lives of the practitioners are affected by stories of family violence and trauma. Clients\u27 experiences often reminded practitioners of their own vulnerability and potential for vicarious traumatization. The conclusion integrates these findings and outlines implications for research, training, and policy including: the potential of the reflecting team technique as a research tool, the need to include clients in further collaborative research and for gender based participatory research, the development of a curriculum to train practitioners that includes the exploration of personal experiences of family violence and how to confront vicarious traumatization, and the further development of a sound legal framework to confront family violence

The role of social support in adolescents: are you helping me or stressing me out?

Interpersonal relationships are indispensable in helping adolescents cope with stressors, acting as social support sources that protect them from psychological distress. Learning from their experiences may elucidate what strategies could be employed to support adolescents during this vulnerable life stage. Focus groups (N = 80) with adolescents in the Basque Country, Spain, were conducted to capture adolescents\u27 narratives on stress and social support. Findings revealed the dual role of interpersonal relationships – as stressors and as sources of social support. Adolescents draw on sources of support that are familiar, mature, friendly, and, most importantly, worth of trust. Their most valued type of support is emotional, although there should be a match between the needs and the help offered. Implications for intervention programmes are discussed

Psychosocial aspects of celiac disease in Spain: A life free of gluten

Objetivo: La celiaquía como enfermedad crónica tiene una alta prevalencia en nuestra sociedad. El artículo analiza los aspectos psicosociales de la enfermedad celíaca en los diferentes entornos, valorando el impacto de la implantación de una dieta estricta libre de gluten. Métodos: Estudio cualitativo entre los meses de Enero del 2013 a Abril del 2013 en el cual, a través de la teoría fundamentada y el análisis de contenido, se ha profundizado en el análisis de las entrevistas semiestructuradas a personas con enfermedad celíaca en España. Se realizaron llamamientos a traves de las redes sociales y grupos de celíacos hasta llegar a la saturación teórica, que determinó el tamaño final de la muestra de 24 personas. Resultados: Educación Sanitaria, Aislamiento social, soledad y desconocimiento social emergieron como categorías centrales en la experiencia de adopción de la dieta libre de gluten a partir del diagnóstico de celiaquía. Conclusión: Los profesionales deben promover y apoyar estrategias de apoyo social basadas en una comprensión íntegra de las experiencias de desarraigo y marginación que los pacientes celíacos experimentan en sus relaciones sociales a través de la comida. Se requiere un aumento de la educación sanitaria para entender e integrar el impacto psicosocial del diagnóstico de celiaquía y la dieta libre de gluten.Objective: Celiac disease is a chronic disease which has a high prevalence in our society. The aim of this paper is to explore the process of adapting the celiac in different social environments, assessing the impact of the implementation of a strict gluten-free diet. Methods: A qualitative study was carried out in the months of January 2013 to April 2013 through which the grounded theory and content analysis have deepened the analysis of semi-structured interviews with people with celiac disease in Spain. Appeals via social networks and celiac groups were conducted in order to reach theoretical saturation, which determined the final sample size of 24 people. Results: Social isolation, loneliness and social ignorance are some of the categories that have emerged when we talk about celiac disease and the gluten-free diet. Conclusion: Professionals should promote and support social support strategies based on an integrated understanding of the experiences of displacement and marginalization that celiac patients experience in their social relationships through food. There should be increased health education to understand and integrate the psychosocial impact of the diagnosis of celiac disease and the gluten-free diet

COVID-19 and Latinos in Massachusetts

This report focuses on the Latino population of Massachusetts and uses 2014–2018 American Community Survey (ACS) demographic data to explore both Latinos’ vulnerability to COVID-19 infection and the key predictive factors. We explore what is known about the social determinants of health previously identified as critical to understanding the spread and differential infection rates of COVID-19 across populations—for example, opportunities for infection due to employment and housing conditions—and how these apply to the Latino population in Massachusetts. We also briefly explore those factors that lead to COVID-19 severe illness and possibly death from the disease, including the age of the population, the existence of underlying health conditions, and access to health care. We conclude with some recommendations for public policies and further research needed to address the health inequities laid bare by the COVID-19 crisis

Metagenomic sequencing of clinical samples reveals a single widespread clone of Lawsonia intracellularis responsible for porcine proliferative enteropathy.

Lawsonia intracellularis is a Gram-negative obligate intracellular bacterium that is the aetiological agent of proliferative enteropathy (PE), a common intestinal disease of major economic importance in pigs and other animal species. To date, progress in understanding the biology of L. intracellularis for improved disease control has been hampered by the inability to culture the organism in vitro. In particular, our understanding of the genomic diversity and population structure of clinical L. intercellularis is very limited. Here, we utilized a metagenomic shotgun approach to directly sequence and assemble 21 L. intracellularis genomes from faecal and ileum samples of infected pigs and horses across three continents. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a genetically monomorphic clonal lineage responsible for infections in pigs, with distinct subtypes associated with infections in horses. The genome was highly conserved, with 94 % of genes shared by all isolates and a very small accessory genome made up of only 84 genes across all sequenced strains. In part, the accessory genome was represented by regions with a high density of SNPs, indicative of recombination events importing novel gene alleles. In summary, our analysis provides the first view of the population structure for L. intracellularis, revealing a single major lineage associated with disease of pigs. The limited diversity and broad geographical distribution suggest the recent emergence and clonal expansion of an important livestock pathogen

Design and process of the EMA Cohort Study: the value of antenatal education in childbirth and breastfeeding

© 2008 Paz-Pascual et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

El arte de la ciencia: Gonzalo Bacigalupe, psicólogo y salubrista. [The art of science: Gonzalo Bacigalupe, Psychologist and public health researchers.]

Carolina Gutstein and Gonzalo Bacigalupe. A paleontologist who studies prehistoric cetaceans and who is passionate about sustainability, and a psychologist who loves to paint and educate communities against the risks of natural phenomena, are the protagonists of the third chapter of Eureka Effect, Masters of Science

Emerging Technologies and Family Communication- The Case of International Students

Families with members living in different countries have embraced emerging technologies but little is known of the impact of mediated communication among these families. Economic globalization and the emergence of accessible information communication technologies have been parallel to the unprecedented number of higher education students who now travel abroad to study. Understanding the students’ experience may expand our knowledge on how the adoption of emerging technology is shaping transnational family relationships. In this study, international students were interviewed to share their perspectives of how mediated family communication may impact their wellbeing. Students from 14 countries and attending a university in Spain participated in 12 in-depth interviews and one focus group (n = 10). Overall, the results suggest emerging technologies enable the maintenance of close relationships, foster a sense of connectedness, and help students to better adapt to a new environment. Students’ choices of technology are influenced by accessibility factors and cost. The type of relationship students have with their families seem to become more pronounced with interactions mediated by emerging technology. Since members of the younger generation may be more technologically literate than their predecessors, a shift in the role of who controls the use of and supplies advice about technology is manifest, with young adults advising parents about technology choices. Therefore, the control of the communication—i.e., frequency and length—is transferred from parents to students. According to students, mediated family exchanges strengthen their physical, emotional, and social wellbeing. However, the continuous availability of the technology among family members may also be stressful