326 research outputs found
The Relationship between Dog Ownership, Psychopathological Symptoms and Health-Benefitting Factors in Occupations at Risk for Traumatization
Individuals working in high-risk occupations (e.g., emergency staff) are exposed to high
levels of occupational stress including traumatic events. Correspondingly, several studies report
high rates of mental health problems among these occupations. Pet ownership has been associated
with better mental health. However, to date a study on the association between pet ownership and
indicators of mental health in these occupations is missing. The present cross-sectional survey (N = 580)
investigated pet ownership, attachment to pets, health-benefitting factors (i.e., sense of coherence,
trait-resilience, locus of control) and psychopathological symptoms (i.e., general mental health
problems, posttraumatic stress, burnout) in medical staff, police officers, and firefighters. Dog owners
and non-dog owners showed comparable levels of psychopathological distress and health-benefitting
factors. Compared to cat owners, dog owners demonstrated stronger emotional attachment to their
pet. Moreover, a stronger attachment was also linked to higher levels of psychopathological symptoms
and lower levels of health-benefitting factors. However, the relationship between attachment to
pets and health-benefitting factors could be explained by their overlap with psychopathological
symptom levels. Overall, our findings are not in line with the notion that pet ownership generally has
a health-benefitting effect. Future studies need to investigate circumstances that modulate positive
effects of pet ownership
The relationship between attachment to pets and mental health : the shared link via attachment to humans
Background: Several studies have investigated the relationship between emotional attachment to pets and mental
health with the majority of studies fnding a negative relationship between emotional attachment to pets and mental
health. Interestingly, attachment to pets difers from attachment to humans with studies showing that humans with
an insecure attachment style form a particularly strong emotional attachment to their companion animals. Human
attachment style is also related to mental health with secure attachment being associated with superior mental
health. Building on those fndings, the current study aimed at exploring the role of attachment to humans in the
relationship between emotional attachment to pets and mental health.
Methods: In this cross-sectional online survey (N=610) we assessed the strength of emotional attachment to pets
and attachment to humans. We further collected pet specifc data as well as mental health burden in a sample of
German dog owners (Mage=33.12; 92.79% women). We used a mediation model estimating the indirect link between
emotional attachment to pets and mental health burden via human attachment and the direct link between emoâ
tional attachment to pets and mental health burden simultaneously.
Results: We found that attachment to humans fully mediated the positive association between emotional attachâ
ment to pets and mental health burden. A stronger emotional attachment to oneâs dog was associated with lower
comfort with depending on or trusting in others, whereby lower comfort with depending on or trusting in others was
related to higher mental health burden. Moreover, a stronger attachment to oneâs dog was also related to a greater
fear of being rejected and unloved (Anxiety), which was, in turn, associated with a higher mental health burden.
Conclusion: Our fndings suggest that the positive link between emotional attachment to pets and mental health
burden is fully accounted for by its shared variance with insecure attachment to humans in a sample mostly comprisâ
ing self-identifed women. Future studies need to examine whether strong emotional bonds with pets may evolve as
a compensatory strategy to bufer difcult childhood bonding experiences
Correlates of mental health in occupations at risk for traumatization : a cross-sectional study
Background
Hospitals, police stations, and fire departments are highly demanding workplaces. Staff members are regularly exposed to various stressors including traumatic events. Correspondingly, several studies report high rates of mental health issues among these occupations. Nevertheless, despite these challenging circumstances, some staff members manage to sustain their mental health. The current study is the first to investigate three health-promoting factors simultaneously among three different, highly demanding occupations.
Methods
The present cross-sectional survey investigated health-promoting factors (sense of coherence â SOC, trait-resilience, locus of control â LOC) and mental health outcomes (general psychopathological symptom burden, posttraumatic stress, burnout) in medical staff (n =â223), police officers (n =â257), and firefighters (n =â100).
Results
Among all occupations, SOC, trait-resilience, and an internal LOC were negatively associated with general psychopathological symptoms, posttraumatic stress, and burnout symptoms. By contrast, all these outcome measures were positively correlated with an external LOC. Multiple regression models including all health-promoting factors explained 56% of the variance in general psychopathological symptoms and 27% in posttraumatic stress symptoms. Among all occupations, SOC was the strongest predictor of both general psychopathological symptom burden and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Multigroup path analyses revealed minor differences across occupations, mainly driven by a stronger influence of LOC in police officers.
Conclusion
Across all occupations, SOC was identified as the most important health-promoting factor. Future longitudinal studies should further examine the causal link between health-promoting factors and mental distress in different workplaces. Such studies will also allow for further development and evaluation of resilience promoting programs
Pre-rehabilitation sense of coherence as a predictor of symptom change after rehabilitation
Sense of coherence (SOC) constitutes the key component of salutogenesis theory. It reflects individuals' confidence that their environment is comprehensible and manageable and that their lives are meaningful. Research demonstrates a strong cross-sectional relationship between SOC and mental health. However, little is known about SOC's temporal stability and its potential to predict changes in psychopathological symptom severity in different settings. The goal of the current study was to address this gap. The sample of the two-wave longitudinal study consists of 294 patients receiving inpatient psychotherapeutic (and psychopharmacological) treatment for various psychological disorders at a German psychosomatic rehabilitation clinic. SOC (Antonovsky, Social Science & Medicine, 1993, 36, 725-733) and outcome measures (i.e., general mental health problems, depression and anxiety symptoms) were assessed within twoâdays of arrival and at the end of rehabilitation (week 5/6). SOC was significantly enhanced after treatment whereas psychopathological symptoms were significantly reduced. Regression analyses revealed that pre-treatment SOC was a significant negative predictor of post-treatment symptom severity for all outcome measures even after controlling for pre-treatment symptoms. The current findings provide first evidence that SOC is a significant unique predictor of symptom change. Future studies need to further investigate longitudinal associations between SOC and mental health outcomes in different settings
What determines the density structure of molecular clouds? A case study of Orion B with <i>Herschel</i>
A key parameter to the description of all star formation processes is the density structure of the gas. In this Letter, we make use of probability distribution functions (PDFs) of Herschel column density maps of Orion B, Aquila, and Polaris, obtained with the Herschel Gould Belt survey (HGBS). We aim to understand which physical processes influence the PDF shape, and with which signatures. The PDFs of Orion B (Aquila) show a lognormal distribution for low column densities until AV ~ 3 (6), and a power-law tail for high column densities, consistent with a Ïα r-2 profile for the equivalent spherical density distribution. The PDF of Orion B is broadened by external compression due to the nearby OB stellar aggregates. The PDF of a quiescent subregion of the non-star-forming Polaris cloud is nearly lognormal, indicating that supersonic turbulence governs the density distribution. But we also observe a deviation from the lognormal shape at AV > 1 for a subregion in Polaris that includes a prominent filament. We conclude that (1) the point where the PDF deviates from the lognormal form does not trace a universal AV -threshold for star formation, (2) statistical density fluctuations, intermittency, and magnetic fields can cause excess from the lognormal PDF at an early cloud formation stage, (3) core formation and/or global collapse of filaments and a non-isothermal gas distribution lead to a power-law tail, and (4) external compression broadens the column density PDF, consistent with numerical simulations
World citation and collaboration networks: uncovering the role of geography in science
Modern information and communication technologies, especially the Internet,
have diminished the role of spatial distances and territorial boundaries on the
access and transmissibility of information. This has enabled scientists for
closer collaboration and internationalization. Nevertheless, geography remains
an important factor affecting the dynamics of science. Here we present a
systematic analysis of citation and collaboration networks between cities and
countries, by assigning papers to the geographic locations of their authors'
affiliations. The citation flows as well as the collaboration strengths between
cities decrease with the distance between them and follow gravity laws. In
addition, the total research impact of a country grows linearly with the amount
of national funding for research & development. However, the average impact
reveals a peculiar threshold effect: the scientific output of a country may
reach an impact larger than the world average only if the country invests more
than about 100,000 USD per researcher annually.Comment: Published version. 9 pages, 5 figures + Appendix, The world citation
and collaboration networks at both city and country level are available at
http://becs.aalto.fi/~rajkp/datasets.htm
Far-infrared observations of a massive cluster forming in the Monoceros R2 filament hub
We present far-infrared observations of Monoceros R2 (a giant molecular cloud at approximately 830 pc distance, containing several sites of active star formation), as observed at 70 ÎŒm, 160 ÎŒm, 250 ÎŒm, 350 ÎŒm, and 500 ÎŒm by the Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) and Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE) instruments on the Herschel Space Observatory as part of the Herschel imaging survey of OB young stellar objects (HOBYS) Key programme. The Herschel data are complemented by SCUBA-2 data in the submillimetre range, and WISE and Spitzer data in the mid-infrared. In addition, C18O data from the IRAM 30-m Telescope are presented, and used for kinematic information. Sources were extracted from the maps with getsources, and from the fluxes measured, spectral energy distributions were constructed, allowing measurements of source mass and dust temperature. Of 177 Herschel sources robustly detected in the region (a detection with high signal-to-noise and low axis ratio at multiple wavelengths), including protostars and starless cores, 29 are found in a filamentary hub at the centre of the region (a little over 1% of the observed area). These objects are on average smaller, more massive, and more luminous than those in the surrounding regions (which together suggest that they are at a later stage of evolution), a result that cannot be explained entirely by selection effects. These results suggest a picture in which the hub may have begun star formation at a point significantly earlier than the outer regions, possibly forming as a result of feedback from earlier star formation. Furthermore, the hub may be sustaining its star formation by accreting material from the surrounding filaments
<i>Herschel</i> observations of B1-bS and B1-bN: two first hydrostatic core candidates in the Perseus star-forming cloud
We report far-infrared Herschel observations obtained between 70 ÎŒm and 500 ÎŒm of two star-forming dusty condensations, [HKM99] B1-bS and [HKM99] B1-bN, in the B1 region of the Perseus star-forming cloud. In the western part of the Perseus cloud, B1-bS is the only source detected in all six PACS and SPIRE photometric bands, but it is not visible in the Spitzer map at 24 ÎŒm. B1-bN is clearly detected between 100 ÎŒm and 250 ÎŒm. We have fitted the spectral energy distributions of these sources to derive their physical properties, and find that a simple greybody model fails to reproduce the observed spectral energy distributions. At least a two-component model is required, consisting of a central source surrounded by a dusty envelope. The properties derived from the fit, however, suggest that the central source is not a Class 0 object. We then conclude that while B1-bS and B1-bN appear to be more evolved than a pre-stellar core, the best-fit models suggest that their central objects are younger than a Class 0 source. Hence, they may be good candidates to be examples of the first hydrostatic core phase. The projected distance between B1-bS and B1-bN is a few Jeans lengths. If their physical separation is close to this value, this pair would allow studying the mutual interactions between two forming stars at a very early stage of their evolution
The Herschel view of the on-going star formation in the Vela-C molecular cloud
As part of the Herschel guaranteed time key program 'HOBYS', we present the
photometric survey of the star forming region Vela-C, one of the nearest sites
of low-to-high-mass star formation in the Galactic plane. Vela-C has been
observed with PACS and SPIRE in parallel mode between 70 um and 500 um over an
area of about 3 square degrees. A photometric catalogue has been extracted from
the detections in each band, using a threshold of 5 sigma over the local
background. Out of this catalogue we have selected a robust sub-sample of 268
sources, of which 75% are cloud clumps and 25% are cores. Their Spectral Energy
Distributions (SEDs) have been fitted with a modified black body function. We
classify 48 sources as protostellar and 218 as starless. For two further
sources, we do not provide a secure classification, but suggest they are Class
0 protostars.
From SED fitting we have derived key physical parameters. Protostellar
sources are in general warmer and more compact than starless sources. Both
these evidences can be ascribed to the presence of an internal source(s) of
moderate heating, which also causes a temperature gradient and hence a more
peaked intensity distribution. Moreover, the reduced dimensions of protostellar
sources may indicate that they will not fragment further. A virial analysis of
the starless sources gives an upper limit of 90% for the sources
gravitationally bound and therefore prestellar. We fit a power law N(logM) prop
M^-1.1 to the linear portion of the mass distribution of prestellar sources.
This is in between that typical of CO clumps and those of cores in nearby
star-forming regions. We interpret this as a result of the inhomogeneity of our
sample, which is composed of comparable fractions of clumps and cores.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, accepted by A&
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