The Use of Senior Volunteers in the Care of Discharged Geriatric Patients

This article reports on a project that utilized senior volunteers in the role of health advocates for geriatric patients discharged from a hospital. The project was evaluated to determine if healthy and active seniors could make a contribution to the health and social welfare of such discharged elderly persons. The study was conducted in Montreal, Canada and funded by a federal grant from Health Canada. The research collaborators came from a 414-bed secondary care university-affiliated community hospital, a community social service agency with a mandate to respond to the needs of its frail elderly constituents, and a university-based research centr

Kebijakan Tentang Partisipasi Perempuan dalam Konsesi Hutan

Berdasarkan penelitian Women Research Institute di Kabupaten Siak dan Pelalawan, Provinsi Riau, partisipasi perempuan belum banyak diperhitungkan dalam proses pengambilan keputusan tentang konsesi hutan. Walaupun pada Kenyataannya perempuan memiliki peran yang besar dalam pengelolaan hutan. Pemerintah juga belum memberikan perhatian khusus terhadap keterlibatan perempuan sebagaimana tercermin dalam kebijakan tentang konsesi hutan yang tidak memberikan ruang bagi partisipasi perempuan. Diantara 20 peraturan tentang konsesi hutan yang memandatkan partisipasi publik, hanya satu peratur-an yang secara khusus mewajibkan adanya partisipasi perempuan yaitu Undang-Undang Nomor 7 Tahun 2012 tentang Penanganan Konflik Sosial. Berdasarkan undang-undang tersebut, konflik sosial yang seringkali muncul akibat konsesi hutan perlu ditangani dengan berlandaskan asas kesetaraan gender. Artinya, baik laki-laki maupun perempuan harus diberikan kesempatan dan hak yang sama untuk ber-partisipasi. Asas kesetaraan gender dalam penanganan konflik sosial tercermin dengan adanya pelibatan masyarakat baik laki-laki maupun perempuan dalam upaya-upaya penyelesaian konflik. Selain melibatkan masyarakat secara umum, Undang-Undang Nomor 7 Tahun 2012 juga mengatur pembentukan Satuan Tugas Penyelesaian Konflik Sosial sebagai salah satu upaya mengatasi masalah konflik sosial. Lebih lanjut, peraturan ini mewajibkan adanya pelibatan perempuan dalam Satuan Tugas Penyelesaian Konflik Sosial sekurangnya-kurangnya 30% dari jumlah anggota. Perempuan diharapkan terlibat dalam mengatasi permasalahan sosial yang terjadi di lingkungannya, khususnya dalam penanganan konflik sosial

Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Measurement Invariance of the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire-Body Image in a Clinical Eating Disorder Sample

Individuals with eating disorders (EDs) may be particularly susceptible to body image related cognitive fusion(i.e., excessive entanglement with one’s body image related thoughts such that they unduly influence on behavior). The Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire-Body Image (CFQ-BI) is the only existing measure of this construct, yet its psychometric properties have not been examined within a clinically diagnosed ED sample. The current study used confirmatory factor analysis and explored measurement invariance, construct validity, and incremental validity of the CFQ-BI when used with adolescent (n = 75) and adult (n= 100) females admitting to residential ED treatment. A modified version of the single-factor structure of the CFQ-BI best fit the data and configural, metric, and scalar in variance were supported across age groups (i.e., adolescents or adults) and ED behavioral presentations (i.e., restrictive behaviors or binge/purge behaviors). Adults’ and individuals with binge/purge behavioral presentations reported significantly more body image related fusion compared to adolescents and adults, respectively. Body image related psychological flexibility and ED severity were both significantly correlated CFQ-BI scores in expected directions.These findings suggest the CFQ-BI is a valid measure for assessing body image related fusion among adolescent and adult females with varying ED behavioral presentations. Implications and future research directions are discussed

Examining a Mediation Model of Body Image-Related Cognitive Fusion, Intuitive Eating, and Eating Disorder Symptom Severity in a Clinical Sample

Purpose: This study sought to explore the associations between Intuitive Eating (IE), eating disorder (ED) symptom severity, and body image-related cognitive fusion within a clinical sample. IE was also examined as a possible mediator in the relationship between body image-related fusion and ED symptoms. Methods: This study includes cross-sectional analyses with data from 100 adult females and 75 adolescent females seeking residential treatment for an ED. Self-reported demographic information, ED symptoms, IE behaviors, and body image-related cognitive fusion were collected from participants within the first week of treatment following admission to the same residential ED treatment facility. Results: ED symptom severity was significantly negatively associated with three of the four domains of IE; unconditional permission to eat, reliance on hunger and satiety cues, and body-food choice congruence. A significant mediational effect of IE on the relationship between body image-related fusion and ED symptoms through IE behaviors was observed (β=11.3, SE=.003, pp=.003) and reliance on hunger and satiety cues (β=.10, p=.005) domains of IE when the domains were subsequently analyzed individually. Conclusion: Unconditional permission to eat and reliance on hunger and satiety cues appear to be particularly influential domains of IE in the relationship between body image-related fusion and ED symptom severity. It is possible that changes in these IE domains may be mechanisms through which body image-related fusion influences ED symptoms. Future longitudinal research is needed to better understand the relationship between body image-related cognitive fusion and IE and the potential for targeting these constructs specifically in the context of ED treatment

Immunologic Response to Antiretroviral Therapy in Hepatitis C Virus-Coinfected Adults in a Population-Based HIV/AIDS Treatment Program

BackgroundWe sought to characterize the impact that hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has on CD4 cells during the first 48 weeks of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in previously ART-naive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients MethodsThe HIV/AIDS Drug Treatment Programme at the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS distributes all ART in this Canadian province. Eligible individuals were those whose first-ever ART included 2 nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and either a protease inhibitor or a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor and who had a documented positive result for HCV antibody testing. Outcomes were binary events (time to an increase of ⩾75 CD4 cells/mm3 or an increase of ⩾10% in the percentage of CD4 cells in the total T cell population [CD4 cell fraction]) and continuous repeated measures. Statistical analyses used parametric and nonparametric methods, including multivariate mixed-effects linear regression analysis and Cox proportional hazards analysis ResultsOf 1186 eligible patients, 606 (51%) were positive and 580 (49%) were negative for HCV antibodies. HCV antibody-positive patients were slower to have an absolute (P<.001) and a fraction (P=.02) CD4 cell event. In adjusted Cox proportional hazards analysis (controlling for age, sex, baseline absolute CD4 cell count, baseline pVL, type of ART initiated, AIDS diagnosis at baseline, adherence to ART regimen, and number of CD4 cell measurements), HCV antibody-positive patients were less likely to have an absolute CD4 cell event (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR], 0.84 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.72-0.98]) and somewhat less likely to have a CD4 cell fraction event (AHR, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.70-1.14]) than HCV antibody-negative patients. In multivariate mixed-effects linear regression analysis, HCV antibody-negative patients had increases of an average of 75 cells in the absolute CD4 cell count and 4.4% in the CD4 cell fraction, compared with 20 cells and 1.1% in HCV antibody-positive patients, during the first 48 weeks of ART, after adjustment for time-updated pVL, number of CD4 cell measurements, and other factors ConclusionHCV antibody-positive HIV-infected patients may have an altered immunologic response to AR

Values Engagement as a Predictor of Eating Disorder Severity in Female Adolescents with Eating Disorders

Values are freely chosen life directions and/or qualities of being that can motivate behavior change. There is nascent support for the utility of values work as a part of the therapeutic process across treatments, particularly in third wave therapy approaches (e.g., acceptance and commitment therapy). However, therapeutic values work is underresearched in clinical samples of youth. The aim of the present study is to examine the role of the two distinct values processes (engagement and obstruction), body image inflexibility, alongside other common comorbid symptoms of eating disorders (anxiety, depression) in a sample of female adolescents with eating disorders attending a residential eating disorder treatment program. Participants (N= 75) were patients at a residential eating disorder treatment facility and completed a battery of measures at time of admission. Correlational analyses and multiple regression were performed. Results found correlations between eating disorder severity, values engagement, values obstruction, body image flexibility, anxiety, and depression in the expected directions. Regression results found body image inflexibility, progression towards values, and anxiety as significant predictors of eating disorder severity (adjusted R2 = .54). This study points to the importance of emphasizing values engagement in youth with eating disorders, highlighting a potential treatment target for future research