Premature termination in couple therapy as a part of therapeutic process. Cross case analysis

Aim of the study: The paper presents the qualitative study of premature termination in couple therapy. The aim of the research was to answer why couples drop-out from couple therapy at the early stage of treatment. Subject: To understand the complexity of this event the researchers decided to examine the phenomenon of early drop-out from three different perspectives, that is: from therapists and both spouses point of view. Methods: The therapists and couples that ended the therapy prematurely were interviewed. Among examined drop-out cases, there were selected three which fulfilled the criteria for early drop–out. Data were analyzed according to the method of cross-case analysis. Results. As a result common categories were singled out which were characteristic for those three cases of drop-out. Discussion: The distinguished categories of ‘the split of the working alliance’ and ‘the split of the therapeutic bond’ show that the conflict which the couple brought to the therapy was reflected in their experience of the therapy and the therapist. Conclusions: Premature termination in couple therapy is a part of therapeutic process

Drop-out in the systemic therapy from the family's perspective

Aim of the study: The problem of premature ending of therapy is a common phenomenon and is taken under consideration as closely related to effectiveness of therapy. The crucial aim of presented study was to investigate how members of a family interpret this phenomenon. Subject and methods: The research was based on interviews with drop-out clients who had participated in systematic couple therapy. The qualitative data was analyzed using the four stages methodology of grounded theory. The program used to code the data was Weft QDA. Results: The result pointed out, that drop-out from therapy is a procesual phenomenon and is connected with: a context of application, a kind of relationship between partners, an assessment of therapy. It was confirmed in the research group that the level of satisfaction from effects of therapy was related to premature termination. Discussion: The research indicated how consequences of drop-out can affect the family system. Conclusions: The high frequency of positive emotions and opinions occurring in drop-out context shows that drop-out phenomenon should not be considered only as a therapeutic failure

The grieving process after child loss from the perspective of the continuing bonds theory : a systematic case study

The authors present the grief of a mother after the loss of her child. This case study is an illustration of the research problem of the mourning process from the perspective of the continuing bonds theory and the ability to mentalize. According to the theory, the bond with the deceased is initially manifested by a strong need for physical closeness, stress associated with separation and a psychological protest that evolves over time into despair. In the situation of a proper mourning process, the people who experience the loss move on to the reorganization phase, consisting in the establishment of a psychological bond. Therefore, the aim of the research analysis was to determine which topics related to the description of death and experiencing grief refer to physical, specific ways of coping (characteristic of the first stages of mourning), and which refer to mental states indicating the reorganization of the experience of loss. This case study is part of a larger project investigating parents after their child’s death.Autorki opisują przeżycia matki związane z żałobą po stracie dziecka. Opis przypadku jest ilustracją problemu badawczego, jakim jest proces żałoby z perspektywy teorii kontynuowania więzi oraz zdolności do mentalizacji. Zgodnie z teorią kontynuowania więzi, więź ze zmarłym jest początkowo manifestowana silną potrzebą fizycznej bliskości, stresem związanym z separacją oraz psychologicznym protestem przekształcającym się z czasem w rozpacz. W sytuacji prawidłowego przebiegu procesu żałoby osoby przeżywające utratę przechodzą do fazy reorganizacji polegającej na ustanowieniu więzi psychologicznej. Dlatego celem analizy badawczej było ustalenie, które poruszane tematy związane z opisem śmierci i przeżywaniem żałoby odnoszą się do fizycznych, konkretnych sposobów radzenia sobie (charakterystycznych dla pierwszych etapów żałoby), a które do stanów mentalnych wskazujących na reorganizację doświadczenia straty. Prezentowany opis przypadku jest częścią szerszego projektu badań rodziców po śmierci dziecka

The Effect of Calcination Temperature on Structure and Photocatalytic Properties of WO 3

Series of WO3/TiO2 nanocomposites were obtained by hydrothermal method followed by calcination in the temperature range from 400°C to 900°C. The characteristics of photocatalysts by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) showed that increasing the calcination temperature from 400 to 900°C resulted in change of photocatalytic activity under UV-Vis light. Moreover, the amount of WO3 crystalline phase and amorphous phase in WO3/TiO2 aggregates, as revealed by XRD analysis, was dependent on the calcination temperature. The WO3/TiO2 samples with 8 mol% load of WO3 in respect to TiO2 calcinated at 500 and 800°C possess the highest photocatalytic activity in reaction of phenol degradation, which is about 1.2 and 1.5 times that with calcination at 400°C. The increase in calcination temperature above 400°C resulted in increase of WO3 crystallinity and reduction of the amount of amorphous phase in the nanocomposite structure. Moreover, the annealing of nanocomposites above 700°C decreases the value of optical band gap energies of obtained WO3/TiO2 nanomaterials

Yeast Beta-Glucan Supplementation with Multivitamins Attenuates Cognitive Impairments in Individuals with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Beta-glucan; Myalgic encephalomyelitis; Vitamin B6Betaglucano; Encefalomielitis miálgica; Vitamina B6Betaglucà; Encefalomielitis miàlgica; Vitamina B6This research aimed to examine the potential alleviative effects of beta-glucan administration on fatigue, unrefreshing sleep, anxiety/depression symptoms and health-related quality of life in ME/CFS. A 36-week unicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in 65 ME/CFS patients, who were randomly allocated to one of two arms to receive four capsules each one of 250 mg beta-glucan, 3.75 µg vitamin D3, 1.05 mg vitamin B6, and 7.5 mg zinc (n = 35), or matching placebo including only microcrystalline cellulose as an excipient (n = 30) once daily. The findings showed that the beta-glucan supplementation significantly improved cognitive fatigue (assessed with FIS-40 scores) after the 36-week treatment compared to the baseline (p = 0.0338). Taken together, this study presents the novel finding that yeast-derived beta-glucan may alleviate cognitive fatigue symptoms in ME/CFS. Thus, it offers valuable scientific insights into the potential use of yeast beta-glucan as a nutritional supplement and/or functional food to prevent or reduce cognitive dysfunction in patients with ME/CFS. Further interventions are warranted to validate these findings and also to delve deeper into the possible immunometabolic pathomechanisms of beta-glucans in ME/CFS.J.C.-M. received financial support and honoraria from Vitae Health Innovation S.L. (Montmeló, Barcelona, Spain). This study was supported by Vitae Health Innovation S.L. (Montmeló, Spain) which supplied both treatments (funding number: 2020-0445)

Family context of decisions on the deceased relative's organ donation : research review

Autorzy artykułu przedstawiają psychologiczne i kulturowe czynniki wpływające na rodzinę osoby zmarłej, w sytuacji rozmowy o pobraniu organów od ich krewnego. Ukazują również perspektywę personelu medycznego jako ważny element kontekstu tej rozmowy. Odnoszą się także do uregulowań prawnych i sytuacji rodzin dawców w PolsceThe authors present a critical review of perspectives on organ donation postmortem. The review contains cultural and family determinants of organ donation decisions and health-care personnel life saving issues, i.e. those who contacts with donor families directly as well. The important part of this article is also the feeling of loss of the patient during the operation and the medical staff opinions on transplantation. The way of talking with families about donation after death of their relatives and the personnel’s attitudes present during contact are very significant factors in the decision process. Research on the meaning of mourning seems to be fundamental in understanding how difficult it is to make a decision too