La Consonancia Cultural, la Religion, y los Trastornos Psicologicos en una Comunidad Urbana

Consonância cultural é o grau em que os indivíduos se aproximam dos protótipos codificados nos modelos culturais. Consonância cultural baixa é associada a sofrimento psicológico. A religião pode moderar a associação entre consonância cultural e sofrimento psicológico. O Brasil apresenta uma diversidade religiosa, sendo, portanto, uma sociedade importante para examinar esta hipótese. Este estudo, realizado em Ribeirão Preto, Brasil, utilizou delineamento de métodos mistos. As medidas de consonância cultural foram derivadas de métodos etnográficos e aplicadas em um estudo de levantamento realizado com 271 participantes, selecionados de quatro estratos socias. Consonância cultural baixa mostrou-se associada a sofrimento psicológico alto em análise de regressão múltipla ( B = - 0,430, p < 0,001). Membros de igrejas protestantes pentecostais relataram menor sofrimento psicológico independente dos efeitos da consonância cultural ( B = - 0,409, p < 0,05). A religião não moderou o efeito da consonância. São discutidas as implicações desses resultados para o estudo da relação entre religião e saúde.Consonancia cultural es el grado en que individuos se acercan a prototipos codificados en modelos culturales. Consonancia cultural baja está asociada con alto nivel de trastornos psicológicos. La religión puede moderar la relación entre consonancia cultural y trastornos psicológicos. Brasil, con variación religiosa considerable, es una sociedad importante para examinar esta hipótesis. La investigación fue realizada en Ribeirão Preto, Brasil, utilizando un diseño de métodos mixtos. Medidas de consonancia cultural se obtuvieron utilizando métodos etnográficos y luego se aplican en una encuesta de 271 personas procedentes de cuatro estratos sociales. Consonancia cultural baja se asoció con una mayor angustia psicológica en el análisis de regresión múltiple ( B = -.430, p < .001). Los miembros de las iglesias protestantes pentecostales manifiestan una menor angustia psicológica independientemente del efecto de la consonancia cultural ( B = -.409, p < .05). La religión no moderó el efecto de la consonancia. Las implicaciones de estos resultados para el estudio de la relación entre religión y salud se discuten.Cultural consonance is the degree to which individuals approximate prototypes encoded in cultural models. Low cultural consonance is associated with higher psychological distress. Religion may moderate the association between cultural consonance and psychological distress. Brazil, with substantial variation in religion, is an important society for the examination of this hypothesis. Research was conducted in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, using a mixed-methods design. Measures of cultural consonance were derived using ethnographic methods and then applied in a survey of 271 individuals drawn from four distinct social strata. Low cultural consonance was associated with higher psychological distress in multiple regression analysis ( B = -.430, p < .001). Members of Pentecostal Protestant churches reported lower psychological distress independently of the effect of cultural consonance ( B = -.409, p < .05). There was no buffering effect of religion. Implications of these results for the study of religion and health are discussed

Cultural Consonance, Religion and Psychological Distress in an Urban Community

Cultural consonance is the degree to which individuals approximate prototypes encoded in cultural models. Low cultural consonance is associated with higher psychological distress. Religion may moderate the association between cultural consonance and psychological distress. Brazil, with substantial variation in religion, is an important society for the examination of this hypothesis. Research was conducted in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, using a mixed-methods design. Measures of cultural consonance were derived using ethnographic methods and then applied in a survey of 271 individuals drawn from four distinct social strata. Low cultural consonance was associated with higher psychological distress in multiple regression analysis ( B = -.430, p < .001). Members of Pentecostal Protestant churches reported lower psychological distress independently of the effect of cultural consonance ( B = -.409, p < .05). There was no buffering effect of religion. Implications of these results for the study of religion and health are discussed

Supplemental Material, Appendix - A Formal Method for Detecting and Describing Cultural Complexity: Extending Classical Consensus Analysis

<p>Supplemental Material, Appendix for A Formal Method for Detecting and Describing Cultural Complexity: Extending Classical Consensus Analysis by Michael G. Lacy, Jeffrey G. Snodgrass, Mary C. Meyer, H. J. Francois Dengah, and Noah Benedict in Field Methods</p

Magical Flight and Monstrous Stress: Technologies of Absorption and Mental Wellness in Azeroth

An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11013-011-9204-4Videogame players commonly report reaching deeply ‘immersive’ states of consciousness, in some cases growing to feel like they actually are their characters and really in the game, with such fantastic characters and places potentially only loosely connected to offline selves and realities. In the current investigation, we use interview and survey data to examine the effects of such ‘dissociative’ experiences on players of the popular online videogame, World of Warcraft (WoW). Of particular interest are ways in which WoW players’ emotional identification with in-game second selves can lead either to better mental well-being, through relaxation and satisfying positive stress, or, alternatively, to risky addiction-like experiences. Combining universalizing and context-dependent perspectives, we suggest that WoW and similar games can be thought of as new ‘technologies of absorption’—contemporary practices that can induce dissociative states in which players attribute dimensions of self and experience to in-game characters, with potential psychological benefit or harm. We present our research as an empirically grounded exploration of the mental health benefits and risks associated with dissociation in common everyday contexts. We believe studies such as ours may enrich existing theories of the health dynamics of dissociation, relying as they often do on data drawn either from Western clinical contexts involving pathological disintegrated personality disorders or non-Western ethnographic contexts involving spiritual trance