“This Brings you to Life” The Impact of Friendship on Health and Well-being in Old Age: the Case of La Verneda Learning Community

Friendship has been studied along centuries, since ancient times to present-day, as the basis of the social cornerstone, present at all stages of the lifespan and belonging to the world of truthful sentiments. Benefits of friendship on health have been demonstrated. Less is known about the role of friendship on seniors. The aim of this case study has been to show how the end friendship developed in an adults’ school operating for more than 40 years in Barcelona is having a positive impact on the well-being and health of their participants. Through the communicative discussion group, we have deepened in the trajectories of some of the school participants. The results show how participation in the school and the dialogic gatherings have contributed to the emergence of a non-instrumental friendship feeling and to consider an impact on the perceived general wellness and health and an improvement of their life quality. It is discussed how this research provides more elements to the existing literature. More research on how other communitarian environments have similar effects on this population, or on the impact of these dialogical spaces in the development of end friendships in other stages of the life cycle would be of interest

“This Brings you to Life” The Impact of Friendship on Health and Well-being in Old Age: the Case of La Verneda Learning Community

Friendship has been studied along centuries, since ancient times to present-day, as the basis of the social cornerstone, present at all stages of the lifespan and belonging to the world of truthful sentiments. Benefits of friendship on health have been demonstrated. Less is known about the role of friendship on seniors. The aim of this case study has been to show how the end friendship developed in an adults’ school operating for more than 40 years in Barcelona is having a positive impact on the well-being and health of their participants. Through the communicative discussion group, we have deepened in the trajectories of some of the school participants. The results show how participation in the school and the dialogic gatherings have contributed to the emergence of a non-instrumental friendship feeling and to consider an impact on the perceived general wellness and health and an improvement of their life quality. It is discussed how this research provides more elements to the existing literature. More research on how other communitarian environments have similar effects on this population, or on the impact of these dialogical spaces in the development of end friendships in other stages of the life cycle would be of interest

"You Enjoy Talking about It More than Doing It": Fake Narratives in Disdainful Relationships

Research has found that the coercive dominant discourse (CDD) can have a negative impact on girls' sexual pleasure. In this vein, a previous study found that girls who described relationships under the CDD as exciting also recognized a lack of sexual pleasure in these. One of the elements underlying this apparent contradiction was an identified mismatch between what the participants had experienced in such relationships, characterized for being disdainful, and what they had told their friends. Nonetheless, more research is needed in order to better understand how girls' narratives about their sexual-affective relationships differ from the ways in which they experienced them. The current study aims at identifying and analysing the presence of fake narratives in the interactions girls have with their peers regarding sexual-affective relationships. To this end, 10 communicative interviews were conducted with girls between 18 and 21 years of age. Results show that while participants recognize feeling a lack of pleasure in those disdainful relationships, they portrayed these as exciting when telling their peers about them, suppressing the negative feelings around them. These findings corroborate the presence of fake narratives in relation to disdainful relationships and bring new insights into the aspects these fabricated stories are built around

The Scientific Self-Literacy of Ordinary People: Scientific Dialogic Gatherings

In the last decade, researchers have responded to a social demand for science to become more responsible and have a greater effect on society by looking for innovative ways to link science and lay people. The movement to democratize expert knowledge is growing. This movement is creating tools that are used for improving the scientific literacy of citizens. This article presents dialogues between researchers and lay people of low socioeconomic status and low educational level on the social impact of a Scientific Dialogic Gathering (SDG) as a tool for promoting scientific self-literacy that is being developed at an urban adult school in Spain. Based on a communicative and qualitative approach, an SDG encourages people of low socioeconomic status and low educational level to learn about the latest scientific breakthroughs on issues that interest them, such as health-related topics. Participants in a SDG, together with researchers and educators, discuss scientific articles in an egalitarian dialog. One of the main results of this experience is that SDGs are helping lay people to make better decisions in the face of the challenges of today's society

Child well-being in times of confinement: the impact of dialogic literary gatherings transferred to homes

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unexpected situation that has forced people to find educational alternatives to support learning and ensure child well-being. The need for practices that 'open doors' at home as a way to promote a quality education and to foster an environment of supportive relationships and a sense of community, has led to the in-depth analysis of successful educational actions, particularly the Dialogic Literary Gatherings (DLGs). The aim of this article is to show how the transference of DLGs to the home environment has had an impact on child subjective well-being in times of confinement, promoting a safe and supportive environment for learning, interacting, coexisting and on emotional development at different educational stages, especially for the most vulnerable children. Data collection consisted of a focus group of 10 teachers, 6 semi-structured interviews addressed to families and 6 life stories of students, from 4 primary education centers, 1 high school, and 1 Special Education School. Communicative methodology structured the two-level data analysis, for studying both the elements provided by online DLGs that favor and achieve child well-being, and the elements that may hinder those achievements. The results confirm that DLGs have had a notorious impact on children's and their families' well-being. Considering the findings in the development of educational public policies and the possibility of extending 'open doors actions' as an option for future learning environments beyond the confinement situation is contemplated. Future research on how these spaces can have an impact on child well-being in upcoming contexts of the new normal in the education domain will be of interest

Propelling Children’s Empathy and Friendship

Schools play a crucial role in creating supportive and safe environments, and positive feelings are key in fostering such environments. Schools as Learning Communities, based on the dialogic participation of the whole community, are improving social cohesion. However, the underlying processes leading to such transformations remain underexplored. This article suggests that successful educational actions (SEAs) implemented in a school as a learning community, analyzed in this case study, promote positive feelings such as friendship and empathy, contributing to a safe and supportive environment. The purpose of this study was to analyze how SEAs generate friendship and empathy and their impact in the environment in a school as a learning community in Spain. To that end, the methods used were interviews with 18 students and 10 teachers, and reviews of two documentary films featuring the school. Results suggest that SEAs generate friendship and empathy among many children by promoting mutual support and sharing narratives in such dialogic settings. In addition, developing friendship and empathy contributes to reducing violent behaviors and promoting more inclusive attitudes among many students. This study concludes by providing insights on how SEAs can contribute to safe and supportive environments through fostering friendship and empathy.</jats:p

Child Well-Being in Times of Confinement: The Impact of Dialogic Literary Gatherings Transferred to Homes

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unexpected situation that has forced people to find educational alternatives to support learning and ensure child well-being. The need for practices that 'open doors' at home as a way to promote a quality education and to foster an environment of supportive relationships and a sense of community, has led to the in-depth analysis of successful educational actions, particularly the Dialogic Literary Gatherings (DLGs). The aim of this article is to show how the transference of DLGs to the home environment has had an impact on child subjective well-being in times of confinement, promoting a safe and supportive environment for learning, interacting, coexisting and on emotional development at different educational stages, especially for the most vulnerable children. Data collection consisted of a focus group of 10 teachers, 6 semi-structured interviews addressed to families and 6 life stories of students, from 4 primary education centers, 1 high school, and 1 Special Education School. Communicative methodology structured the two-level data analysis, for studying both the elements provided by online DLGs that favor and achieve child well-being, and the elements that may hinder those achievements. The results confirm that DLGs have had a notorious impact on children's and their families' well-being. Considering the findings in the development of educational public policies and the possibility of extending 'open doors actions' as an option for future learning environments beyond the confinement situation is contemplated. Future research on how these spaces can have an impact on child well-being in upcoming contexts of the new normal in the education domain will be of interest

'Life Starts for Me Again.' The Social Impact of Psychology on Programs for Homeless People: Solidarity Networks for the Effectiveness of Interventions

The role of psychology in the improvement of people's lives is consistent, according to the scientific literature review. More and more studies within psychology, and other social sciences, are pointing out the importance of the quality of social interactions on physical and mental health and upon perceived wellbeing. When talking about homelessness, psychology has served these individuals mostly by informing intervention programs related to preventing and responding to substance abuse, healthcare, sexual risks, or mental illnesses, and these are key problems that psychology has also studied and found to be connected to homelessness. Such strategies, which were traditionally mostly centered on tackling the weaknesses that homeless people face, are now increasingly considering the role of the social support services. The aim of this study was, on the one hand, to identify evidence on the importance of solidarity as a key factor in the process of overcoming homelessness, and associated substance abuse situations, and the barriers and conditions to achieve it. On another hand, the aim was also to approach the impact of that solidarity on their general wellbeing from the perspective of homeless subjects themselves. To achieve this aim, 20 life stories of people aged 35 to 70 years old were conducted in the metropolitan area of Barcelona. The people interviewed had been homeless in a recent period of their lives and were currently dependent on different services. The communicative methodology allowed deepening into the life stories of these individuals via egalitarian dialogue between the researchers and the participants. The results of the qualitative analysis showed that a strong solidarity network was crucial in the process of overcoming the participants' homelessness situation and to tackle related circumstances (alcoholism and drug abuse among others), and this has had an impact in their general wellbeing and in the development of more solidarity attitudes. These findings are discussed in light of psychological knowledge and other social sciences literature on the importance of quality social environments to support positive developmental trajectories and considering the potential social impact of the intervention programs that take into account the factor of solidarity during their implementation process

Minimally invasive treatment of calcified double J catheter

Introduction: The calcification of the double J catheter can be found in 13% of those placed and increases proportionally to the time it remains in contact with urine. The researchers agree that the calcified double J catheter is a complex complication to resolve. A bibliographic review was carried out, from 2011 to 2021. The resources of the SciELO, EBSCO, Elsevier and PubMed databases were used in relation to the descriptors lithiasis, catheters, minimally invasive surgical procedures and intraoperative and postoperative complications. Objective: To describe the role of minimally invasive surgery for the treatment of calcified double J catheter. Development: The risk factors related to calcified double J are clinical-therapeutic and sociodemographic, such as urinary tract infection, history of lithiasis, pregnancy, chronic kidney disease, metabolic or congenital anomalies. Those made of polyurethane have higher rates of calcification. Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy can be used in up to 70.7% of patients. Multimodal methods such as ureteroscopy prior to transurethral cystolithotripsy have been applied between 6-17.9%, percutaneous nephrolithotomy and ureteroscopy prior cystolithotripsy or not in 7.7%-20%. The most frequent complications are reported during the postoperative period (20%): fever, pain, vomiting, hematuria, pyelonephritis, sepsis, urinoma, spontaneous migration of the newly placed catheter, and acute kidney injury, among others. Conclusions: Minimally invasive surgery is currently the cornerstone of treatment for patients with calcified double-J catheters

La inteligencia artificial en la educación y sus implicaciones: un mapeo sistemático de la literatura

La inteligencia artificial (IA) ha demostrado ser una herramienta prometedora en el campo de la educación, con implicaciones significativas en la forma en que se enseña y se aprende, la inclusión de la IA en educación ha permitido que esta de un impulso en el tema de la recomendación de contenidos educativos haciendo que el aprendizaje sea personalizado y eficiente. Se busca que la inteligencia artificial sea un apoyo significativo al docente, actualmente existen aplicaciones educativas que usan algoritmos de aprendizaje automático para mejorar el aprendizaje. Sin embargo, se busca ir más allá, lograr que los estudiantes puedan recibir una retroalimentación automática y eficiente en la educación en línea. Se utilizaron diferentes fuentes de información, como artículos científicos y revistas especializadas, para recopilar y analizar los datos relevantes. Los resultados revelan que la implementación de la IA en la educación ha demostrado ser beneficiosa en varios aspectos, como la evaluación automatizada, la personalización del aprendizaje y la mejora de la eficiencia educativa. La IA tiene el potencial de transformar la educación, pero es necesario abordar los desafíos y garantizar una implementación ética y efectiva