Psychologists for Human Rights

Recently an increased interest among psychologists in the topic of human rights can be observed. We aim to raise awareness about the contribution psychologists can have in protection of human rights with the goal of supporting psychological well-being of individuals as well as of communities. So in this article we review the roots of human rights-based psychology in social psychology and applied fields of psychology, examine how psychological associations tackle human rights and present some examples of intersection of psychology and human rights in practice. The role psychologists have can be pursued at the individual level, in everyday implementation of psychological knowledge and skills, and more globally. Professional bodies of psychologists can have a stronger voice in society while advocating for human rights from the psychological perspective while also supporting their members in the promotion of human rights. In recent years more initiatives can be seen among psychological associations in their recognition of their role in upholding human rights. We describe the results of a survey that explored to what extent psychological associations addressed human rights in their work. The sample comprised 31 psychological associations from 29 countries worldwide. Most of them replied that they had undertaken activities related to human rights and mentioned human rights in their Codes of Ethics. Five of them have established a human rights section/committee/group. About half of the associations stated that they had some mechanisms for reporting about human rights violations within organisation, although fewer have developed procedures that relate to human rights reporting organisations in their countries. Further, human rights education for psychologists is tackled in the paper as the crucial step in linking the theory and practice. Finally, two areas of work are discussed, in which psychologists can address human rights: trauma and the climate and environmental crisis

Prevention and psychotherapy : downstream and upstream models and methods

© 2019 Matos MGD, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. © Under License of Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 LicenseModels of psychological interventions can be divided into two broad categories: those whose focus is the individual, often framed as psychotherapy, and those that are framed as community where the focus is an entire population. These approaches have largely developed independently and have their own theoretical models and techniques, and see themselves as distinct. The aim of this paper is to challenge this separation and to encourage psychologists who have an individual focus, in hospital or private practice, and psychologists who intervene with a community focus, to share ideas and to develop a common language so that there is continuity across both models. This will allow them to complement each other and foster synergy, improving results in both areas. A historical visit will be made highlighting the evolution of the paradigm of preventive models and their evolution, and will focus on perspectives’ interaction between individual and group psychotherapy and prevention models, in what the increase of populations’ well-being is concerned.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Human rights and psychology in the Republic of Ireland: Aspirations for everyday practice and introducing the Kyrie Farm model

The Republic of Ireland is introducing major human rights-based reform to its mental health laws. This paper outlines the new legal landscape in which psychologists must operate against the backdrop of present-day effects of Ireland’s dark legacy of institutionalisation. A rights-based approach aims to positively transform mental health service delivery and we advocate for person-centred treatments as the ‘new normal’. We summarise the recent advocacy work undertaken by the Psychological Society of Ireland’s Special Interest Group in Human Rights & Psychology. Finally, we present an innovative best practice case promoting future rights-based delivery via the Socio-Ecological Model of Health – Kyrie Farm

A Phase Space Approach to Gravitational Enropy

We examine the definition S = ln Omega as a candidate "gravitational entropy" function. We calculate its behavior for gravitationl and density perturbations in closed, open and flat cosmologies and find that in all cases it increases monotonically. Using the formalism to calculate the gravitational entropy produced during inflation gives the canonical answer. We compare the behavior of S with the behavior of the square of the Weyl tensor. Applying the formalism to black holes has proven more problematical.Comment: Talk delivered at South African Relativistic Cosmology Symposium, Feb 1999. Some new results over Rothman and Anninos 97. To appear in GRG, 17 page

We are concerned about the future and we are here to support the change: let’s talk and work together!

© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Scarcely explored, intergenerational dialogue may support the re-encounter between generations. Background: Focused on intergenerational sharing and on the identification of differences between generations, the project #GenerationsWithAVoice aims to identify generational inequalities, with the aim of promoting awareness of intergenerational challenges, boosting public debate and interest in public policies. Methods: Twenty focus groups were developed, and an evaluation instrument was applied. Results: (i) Young people believe that they have more knowledge, but less propensity for action, leaving this task to the following generations; (ii) the family and housing emerge as the issues with the greatest number of problems identified, but also as important resources; (iii) government and politics, community and society, and the economy are of less interest and knowledge on the part of this generation; (iv) school seems to be the ideal scenario for the implementation of strategies that lead to change. Conclusions: We highlight the role of this work in the deconstruction of beliefs regarding previous generations, the development of knowledge, and the promotion of cohesion and social support.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Screening in the community to reduce fractures in older women (SCOOP): a randomised controlled trial

Background Despite effective assessment methods and medications targeting osteoporosis and related fractures, screening for fracture risk is not currently advocated in the UK. We tested whether a community-based screening intervention could reduce fractures in older women. Methods We did a two-arm randomised controlled trial in women aged 70–85 years to compare a screening programme using the Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) with usual management. Women were recruited from 100 general practitioner (GP) practices in seven regions of the UK: Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Norwich, Sheffield, Southampton, and York. We excluded women who were currently on prescription anti-osteoporotic drugs and any individuals deemed to be unsuitable to enter a research study (eg, known dementia, terminally ill, or recently bereaved). The primary outcome was the proportion of individuals who had one or more osteoporosis-related fractures over a 5-year period. In the screening group, treatment was recommended in women identified to be at high risk of hip fracture, according to the FRAX 10-year hip fracture probability. Prespecified secondary outcomes were the proportions of participants who had at least one hip fracture, any clinical fracture, or mortality; and the effect of screening on anxiety and health-related quality of life. This trial is registered with the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial registry, number ISRCTN 55814835. Findings 12 483 eligible women were identified and participated in the trial, and 6233 women randomly assigned to the screening group between April 15, 2008, and July 2, 2009. Treatment was recommended in 898 (14%) of 6233 women. Use of osteoporosis medication was higher at the end of year 1 in the screening group compared with controls (15% vs 4%), with uptake particularly high (78% at 6 months) in the screening high-risk subgroup. Screening did not reduce the primary outcome of incidence of all osteoporosis-related fractures (hazard ratio [HR] 0·94, 95% CI 0·85–1·03, p=0·178), nor the overall incidence of all clinical fractures (0·94, 0·86–1·03, p=0·183), but screening reduced the incidence of hip fractures (0·72, 0·59–0·89, p=0·002). There was no evidence of differences in mortality, anxiety levels, or quality of life. Interpretation Systematic, community-based screening programme of fracture risk in older women in the UK is feasible, and could be effective in reducing hip fractures. Funding Arthritis Research UK and Medical Research Council

23. The impact of Normalization and Social Role Valorization in the United Kingdom

1 INTRODUCTION This chapter discusses the contributions from Kristjana Kristiansen (chapter 18), Michael Kendrick (chapter 21), and Jacques Pelletier (chapter 25) from the viewpoint of a clinical psychologist from the United Kingdom. Before approaching the main topics that they raise, I would like to set the U.K. scene and give some personal background that I bring to this critique. I have worked in human services for the past 15 years and for most of that time, Normalization ..

Use and misuse of psychological science, knowledge and research

This ground-breaking book is designed to raise awareness of human rights implications in psychology, and provide knowledge and tools enabling psychologists to put a human rights perspective into practice. Psychologists have always been deeply engaged in alleviating the harmful consequences human rights violations have on individuals. However, despite the fundamental role that human rights play for professional psychology and psychologists, human rights education is underdeveloped in psychologists’ academic and vocational training. This book, the first of its kind, looks to change this, by: raising awareness among professional psychologists, university teachers and psychology students about their role as human rights promoters and protectors providing knowledge and tools enabling them to put a human rights perspective into practice providing texts and methods for teaching human rights. Featuring chapters from leading scholars in the field, spanning 18 countries and six continents, the book identifies how psychologists can ensure they are practising in a responsible way, as well as contributing to wider society with a clear knowledge of human rights issues in relation to culture, gender, organisations and more. Including hands-on recommendations, case studies and discussion points, this is essential reading for professional psychologists as part of continuing professional development and those in training and taking psychology courses. Chapter 7 Use and misuse of psychological science, knowledge and research By Tony Wainwright and Giovanna Leone The authors say that this chapter can be read as a kind of warning about how easy it can be to lose your moral compass, particularly in times of great social and political conflict or turmoil and it raises some uncomfortable questions about the way psychology can be dangerous if misused. The chapter provides a brief overview of the history of psychology’s role in human rights violations and how some of this can come from the best of intentions. The early pioneers of eugenics informed their work with ideas from psychological research on individual differences and thought they were doing good. This effort at public health and social engineering has, over the years taken a terrible toll. This and other aspects of our history as a profession, need to be integrated into our thinking so we can ensure as far as possible these mistakes are not repeated. Sadly, there are examples that the chapter outlines of such violations taking place in many different fields of psychological endeavour. This is balance by examples of good practice

European Platform Wish to Die

The role of Psychologist in requests to hasten death