The Andrea Yates effect: priming of mental illness stereotypes through exemplification of postpartum disorders

Postpartum depression is a common disorder that can occur after a woman has given birth. Unfortunately, many who suffer from postpartum depression do not seek treatment -- one reason may be because of the stigma perpetuated by media accounts of women with postpartum psychosis who commit infanticide. Although such incidents are incredibly rare -- only 1 in 1,000 new mothers develops postpartum psychosis, and of these, only 4% commit infanticide -- women make the news when they kill their infants. This study sought to determine whether an exemplar of extreme maternal mental illness (i.e., Andrea Yates, the Texas woman who drowned her five children in 2001) is more likely to trigger, or prime, harsher judgments of a target character who suffered from postpartum depression than would a non-extreme exemplar. This study used a priming technique whereby participants -- 40 pregnant women, 20 for each condition -- were exposed to online slideshow stories, one about Andrea Yates and one about a woman who suffered from the milder postpartum depression. Later, their memory was triggered via a subliminal priming technique consisting of flashes of images from either slideshow. The participants then watched a video clip of the target character and were asked to evaluate her. This study sought not only to isolate a media effect, but also to determine how this effect may be influencing behavioral intentions such as postponing speaking with their doctors about depression in order to avoid medication. The findings of this study suggest that the non-extreme prime triggered harsher judgments of the target character once that character's sanity was called into question, whereas the extreme prime prompted participants to correct their judgments of the target character and to evaluate her more positively when her sanity was in question. The non-extreme prime triggered higher perceptions of the risk of developing postpartum disorders than the extreme prime. However, in spite of harsher judgments and higher perceptions of risk, those in the non-extreme condition were more likely than those in extreme condition to engage their health care providers if they thought they were depressed

The kinetics of the renaturation of deoxyribonucleic acid, denatured in the presence of copper (II) ions

155 leaves : ill.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Dept. of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry, 197

Diffusion of Innovations in Digital Journalism: Technology, Roles, and Gender in Modern Newsrooms

This study examined journalists’ use of technology, their gender identity, and how they rate themselves as adopters of innovations. Through the lens of diffusion of innovations, this study conducted telephone interviews with 68 U.S.-based digital journalists and applied an explanatory mixed-method research design in order to examine journalists’ adoption of digital journalism technologies. Men and women did not significantly differ in their uses of most technologies and shared equivalence in terms of adoption ratings; however, men did use DSLR and video cameras more than women, while women used nonlinear video editing software significantly more than men. In addition, while men felt significantly less supported by their employers to learn new innovations, this did not lessen their self-evaluation as adopters of innovations. Men also showed significantly more personal agency in choosing stories to cover

Real-World Preliminary Experience With Responsive Neurostimulation in Pediatric Epilepsy: A Multicenter Retrospective Observational Study

BACKGROUND: Despite the well-documented utility of responsive neurostimulation (RNS, NeuroPace) in adult epilepsy patients, literature on the use of RNS in children is limited. OBJECTIVE: To determine the real-world efficacy and safety of RNS in pediatric epilepsy patients. METHODS: Patients with childhood-onset drug-resistant epilepsy treated with RNS were retrospectively identified at 5 pediatric centers. Reduction of disabling seizures and complications were evaluated for children (\u3c18 \u3eyr) and young adults (\u3e18 yr) and compared with prior literature pertaining to adult patients. RESULTS: Of 35 patients identified, 17 were \u3c18 yr at the time of RNS implantation, including a 3-yr-old patient. Four patients (11%) had concurrent resection. Three complications, requiring additional surgical interventions, were noted in young adults (2 infections [6%] and 1 lead fracture [3%]). No complications were noted in children. Among the 32 patients with continued therapy, 2 (6%) achieved seizure freedom, 4 (13%) achieved ≥90% seizure reduction, 13 (41%) had ≥50% reduction, 8 (25%) had \u3c50% reduction, and 5 (16%) experienced no improvement. The average follow-up duration was 1.7 yr (median 1.8 yr, range 0.3-4.8 yr). There was no statistically significant difference for seizure reduction and complications between children and young adults in our cohort or between our cohort and the adult literature. CONCLUSION: These preliminary data suggest that RNS is well tolerated and an effective off-label surgical treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy in carefully selected pediatric patients as young as 3 yr of age. Data regarding long-term efficacy and safety in children will be critical to optimize patient selection