Art psychotherapy with adult offenders who have intellectual and developmental disabilities

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of art psychotherapy with adult offenders who have intellectual and developmental disabilities within an inpatient setting. The research looked at significant events taking place within the treatment that supported therapeutic outcomes. The aims of the research were to investigate a range of explanations for measurable therapeutic change that could be plausibly related to the processes observed in therapy. Design: Four single-case studies were conducted with pre-treatment, treatment, and post treatment assessment using multiple measures of change and observations of process. Participants: Four male participants with mild intellectual and developmental disabilities from an NHS medium-low secure forensic hospital in the UK. Intervention: Each participant completed up to 20 individual art psychotherapy sessions within six months. The treatment sought to engage each participant in making personally generated art work which was then discussed with the therapist. Main outcome measures: Core Conflictual Relationship Theme (CCRT); Daily Self-Rating Scale for specific symptoms; Personal Problem Scale; Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS); Brief Symptom Inventory 18 (BSI-18); Glasgow Anxiety Scale for adults with Intellectual Disabilities (GAS-ID); Glasgow Depression Scale for people with a Learning Disability (GDS-LD); Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). Results: The main outcomes show a post-treatment reduction in aggressive styles of interacting with others for two participants in a medium secure unit. Daily Self-Rating Scale measures show an improved post-therapy trend for three participants, with all participants reporting improvement on the Personal Problem Scale and positive changes in CCRT interpersonal schemas. Behavioural and relational outcomes were observed to promote pro-social responses towards others three months following the end of treatment. Art psychotherapy was found to have positive therapeutic benefits for each of the four participants

Foetal testosterone and autistic traits in 18 to 24-month-old children.

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum conditions have been characterised as an extreme presentation of certain male-typical psychological traits. In addition, several studies have established a link between prenatal exposure to testosterone and cognitive sex differences in later life, and one study found that foetal testosterone (FT) is positively correlated to autistic traits in 6 to 10 year-old children. In this study, we tested whether FT is positively correlated with autistic traits in toddlers aged 18-24 months. METHODS: Levels of FT were analysed in amniotic fluid and compared with autistic traits, measured using the Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (Q-CHAT) in 129 typically developing toddlers aged between 18 and 24 months (mean +/- SD 19.25 +/- 1.52 months). RESULTS: Sex differences were observed in Q-CHAT scores, with boys scoring significantly higher (indicating more autistic traits) than girls. In addition, we confirmed a significant positive relationship between FT levels and autistic traits. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings in children between 18 and 24 months of age are consistent with observations in older children showing a positive association between elevated FT levels and autistic traits. Given that sex steroid-related gene variations are associated with autistic traits in adults, this new finding suggests that the brain basis of autistic traits may reflect individual differences in prenatal androgens and androgen-related genes. The consistency of findings in early childhood, later childhood and adulthood suggests that this is a robust association.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Effects of cigarette smoking on SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2 expression in the respiratory epithelium(dagger)

Due to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, the world is currently facing high morbidity and mortality rates as well as severe disruption to normal societal and social structures. SARS-CoV-2 uses the ACE2 receptor for cellular entry. In a recent publication of The Journal of Pathology, Liu and coworkers highlight the effects of cigarette smoking on ACE2 expression in the respiratory epithelium. The authors studied the effects of acute cigarette smoke exposure in a murine model and confirmed their findings in human lung tissues and gene expression datasets. Their findings demonstrate that cigarette smoking increases ACE2 expression specifically at the apical surface of the airway epithelium. Smoking cessation resulted in lower ACE2 expression, with implications for attenuating the risk of transmission of the virus. The role of ACE2 expression in the development of COVID-19 symptoms is still under investigation, with conflicting results from experimental models on the role of ACE2 expression in SARS-CoV-2-induced lung injury. In this commentary, we highlight the implications and limitations of the study of Liu et al as well as future therapeutic strategies directed towards ACE2. (c) 2020 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland

Life course outcomes and developmental pathways for children and young people with harmful sexual behaviour

Most outcome studies for children and young people who have displayed harmful sexual behaviour have focused on sexual recidivism as their primary outcome measure. Relatively little is known about broader life outcomes for children displaying such behaviours, nor about the processes involved with longer-term developmental success or failure. This paper examines long-term life course outcomes for 69 adults in the UK who presented with abusive sexual behaviour as children. Between 10 and 20 years after their childhood sexual behaviour problems, few in the sample had sexually reoffended, but general life course outcomes were much less positive. A range of individual, relational and social/environmental factors appeared to be associated with successful and unsuccessful outcomes. Successful outcomes were associated with stable partner relationships, wider supportive relationships, and educational opportunity and achievement. The findings highlight the importance of broad-based, developmental interventions in assisting those with childhood sexual behaviour problems to live successfully

Exploring potential for occupational therapy practice models within areas of social deprivation: a qualitative inquiry within a community-centred food cooperative

Background A health inequalities gap exists between wealthy and deprived areas. Community-level occupation-focused interventions may support citizens and address inequities within their environments. Since the global financial crash of 2008 and fiscal policy changes within the United Kingdom, there has been a rise in food insecurity. Community volunteer initiatives have responded by providing for their residents. The aim of this study was to explore how occupational therapists may be agents for social change through exploring perspectives of members and volunteers from a community food cooperative in an area of social deprivation. Methods Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with cooperative members and volunteers within a food cooperative established to address food insecurity in a local community. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results We found three main themes: It’s Not a Foodbank, Shared Hardship and a cross-cutting theme of Community. The results suggest occupation-focused responses can support the development of community and collective occupations thereby contributing solutions to shared problems. Conclusion A community-centred, rights-based approach has supported local community need where socio-economic disadvantage and health inequalities were identified. Scope exists for occupational therapists to work genuinely with (not for) communities to address occupational injustice through collective occupation

Art Psychotherapy for adults who have experienced complex trauma: An international survey

Adults who have complex trauma can experience mental ill health that invariably results in significant restrictive impacts upon their lives. The purpose of this international survey was to identify what Art Psychotherapy practitioners consider to be the important aspects of treatment supporting recovery and healing for this client group. International Art Psychotherapists treatingadults with complex trauma were invited to answer four categories of questions: participant information, environment, practical/clinical components, and additional information. Whilst there is a good evidence base for the uses and effectiveness of Art Psychotherapy in general, there has been little causal analysis of which mechanisms and contexts of Art Psychotherapycan prove effective. The survey data identified that expert practitioners consider positive therapeutic impact to be associated with specific art medium, the therapeutic environment, and clinically informed approaches