Search Results (23)

The allopolyploid complexes in Crocus series Verni represent taxonomic challenges due to their variable or mostly overlapping morphology with one parental species. Moreover, their diploid ancestors remain unidentified, even with genome-wide SNP data. One such case, collected from the southeasternmost point of the series’ geographical distribution, is herein characterised and described as a new species, C. bachofenii. This study integrates phylogenomics and cytogenetics to infer the parental origin of C. bachofenii and establish its diagnostic morphological characteristics. Genome skimming of C. bachofenii and 10 other C. ser. Verni species enabled the development of novel satellite repeats as cytogenetic markers and the assembly of their complete chloroplast genomes that were employed for phylogenetic analysis alongside GBS data. The allopolyploid origin of C. bachofenii (2n = 16) was confirmed with C. vernus as the maternal parent. The probably extinct paternal parent was affiliated with a clade comprising C. heuffelianus, C. tommasinianus, C. kosaninii, and C. bertiscensis. Morphologically, C. bachofenii is distinguished by larger flowers, perigone segment coloration, and a stigma–anther ratio from its close relatives. In conclusion, its phylogenetic affiliation, distinctive cytological status, and unique morphological features justified the description of this taxon as a new species. Full article

Background: Asian American (AA) young adults, including AA college students, may experience more suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) compared to other racial and ethnic groups of the same age. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first systematic review of the risk and protective factors for STBs with a focus on AA young adults. Methods: Informed by the social-ecological perspective and the cultural model and theory of suicide, this study systematically reviews the risk and protective factors for STBs among AA young adults. Based on 22 research articles published between 1998 and 2023, we analyzed and discussed the effects of 37 risk and 15 protective factors at the individual, relationship, community, societal, and cultural levels. Results: Most risk factors are at the individual level (e.g., depressive symptoms and hopelessness), followed by factors at the cultural level (e.g., acculturation and acculturative stress), the relationship level (e.g., family problems and romantic relationship problems), the community level (e.g., verbal threats on campus), and the societal level (e.g., public stigma about mental health). Also, most protective factors are at the individual level (e.g., self-reliance and fear of suicide), followed by the relationship level (e.g., social support and family responsibilities), the community level (e.g., religious affiliations), and the cultural level (desire not to burden others). Conclusions: This systematic review emphasizes the need for future research to explore cultural factors, subgroup differences, and longitudinal designs, while advocating for culturally specific prevention and intervention strategies to improve mental health outcomes for AAYAs. Full article

Background: Access to cancer screening services is crucial for early detection and improved survival rates, yet older adults in Saudi Arabia face significant barriers. Recent data from the Saudi Health Ministry indicate that cancer incidence in this demographic is rising, underscoring the urgent need for enhanced screening efforts. This study explores the factors influencing cancer screening behaviors among older adults in Riyadh, using a mixed-methods approach to identify and address these barriers effectively. Methods: The study integrated quantitative data from 100 participants aged 60 and above who attended King Saud University-affiliated healthcare centers, and qualitative insights from 20 semi-structured interviews. The Barriers to Cancer Screening Scale (BCSS) quantitatively assessed barriers, while the thematic analysis of interview data helped identify key themes. Results: Findings revealed significant barriers, categorized into three primary themes: accessibility challenges, psychological barriers, and social influences. These include logistical difficulties related to transportation and service availability, fears and anxieties regarding cancer diagnoses, and a lack of family support and cultural stigma, all of which impact participants’ willingness to engage in screening. Conclusion: The study underscores the multifaceted barriers faced by older adults in accessing cancer screening in Saudi Arabia. Tailored interventions that address logistical, psychological, and social factors are essential to enhance screening uptake and ensure equitable access to preventive services. These findings contribute to the ongoing discussions on public health strategies and underscore the necessity for community and healthcare provider engagement to improve cancer screening rates in this population. Full article

Background. Caregiver affiliate stigma concerning neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs) profoundly affects caregivers’ well-being, though its full impact remains to be fully elucidated. Objectives. This scoping review aims to consolidate the current knowledge on caregiver affiliate stigma related to NDDs, explore its connection to caregiver psychosocial well-being, and pinpoint the gaps in the existing research. Methods. Adhering to the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, a comprehensive search of five databases was conducted for peer-reviewed, English language studies focusing on caregiver-affiliated stigma in relation to NDDs. Results. The initial search yielded 9033 articles, with 19 meeting the inclusion criteria after rigorous screening. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory was employed to analyze various stigma conceptualizations, including public, courtesy, affiliate, and family stigma. Analysis revealed a correlation between elevated levels of affiliate stigma and increased caregiver burden, deteriorated mental health outcomes, and diminished quality of life. The internalization of stigma was found to vary across demographic groups, influenced by factors such as education level and social support. The review also highlighted the mediating role of coping strategies and the protective function of social support against stigma internalization. Conclusions, These findings underscore the necessity for targeted, culturally sensitive interventions that address caregiver affiliate stigma across multiple ecological levels. This review contributes to a more nuanced understanding of caregiver affiliate stigma in relation to NDDs, laying the groundwork for future research and intervention development aimed at enhancing caregiver well-being in diverse cultural contexts. Full article

Adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have higher risks of contracting COVID-19 and worse outcomes compared with adolescents without ADHD. The most effective method of preventing infection is vaccination. This follow-up study explored the prospective and cross-sectional factors influencing caregiver willingness to vaccinate children with ADHD against COVID-19. Baseline data on caregiver demographics, affiliate stigma, parenting stress, emotional difficulties, beliefs regarding the causes of ADHD, and ADHD symptoms were collected prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan. At follow-up, the study assessed caregiver willingness to vaccinate children with ADHD, the challenges caregivers faced in parenting during the pandemic, and ADHD symptoms. The results revealed that caregiver age at baseline was positively associated with a willingness to vaccinate children against COVID-19 at follow-up. By contrast, the belief that ADHD resulted from failures in parental discipline at baseline was negatively associated with caregiver willingness to vaccinate. Parenting challenges were also negatively associated with caregiver willingness to vaccinate. Therefore, the age of caregivers, beliefs about the causes of ADHD, and parenting challenges during the pandemic should be considered when developing interventions to enhance caregiver willingness to vaccinate children with ADHD. Full article

Caring for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (CADHD) is stressful for caregivers. Identifying factors related to parenting stress in caregivers of CADHD can facilitate the development of intervention programs. This study aimed to examine the associations between affiliate stigma and various domains of parenting stress among caregivers of CADHD. This study also analyzed the moderating effects of demographic characteristics and the symptoms of childhood ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) on the associations between affiliate stigma and parenting stress. In total, 213 caregivers of CADHD participated in this study. Parenting stress was assessed using the Parenting Stress Index, Fourth Edition Short Form (PSI-4-SF). Affiliate stigma was assessed using the Affiliate Stigma Scale. ADHD and ODD symptoms were assessed using the Parent Form of the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham Scale, Version IV. The results indicated that higher affiliate stigma was significantly associated with greater parenting stress in all three domains of the PSI-4-SF. ODD symptoms increased the magnitude of parenting stress in two domains of parenting stress among caregivers with affiliate stigma. Intervention programs for relieving parenting stress among caregivers of CADHD should take affiliate stigma and child ODD symptoms into consideration. Full article

This study examined the association between the degree of religiosity, combined with cultural beliefs, social stigmas, and attitudes towards mental-health treatment in two groups, who, despite having similar cultural and religious affiliation, have experienced different socio-political contexts: Palestinian Muslim college students living in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and Israel. The study was guided by Tanhan and Young’s (2021) conceptual framework. Methods: A snowball recruitment strategy was applied, using a cross-sectional survey. A total sample size was 214 students, 105 from the OPT and 109 from Israel. Results indicate that students from the OPT (n = 105) did not differ from those living in Israel (n = 109) on religiosity using the Islamic Belief scale, or Attitudes Towards Mental Health treatment (F(1, 189) = 1.07, p = 0.30). However, students from the OPT had higher confidence in mental-health professionals (M = 15.33) than their counterparts (M = 14.59), and women had higher confidence (M = 16.03) than men (M = 13.90). The reliance on traditions for Muslim students over Western mental-health approaches is a critical factor in predicting the attitudes towards students’ mental problems and their chosen treatment. Sociopolitical context played a significant role in shaping attitudes toward mental-health providers. Full article

Little is known about factors contributing to perceived stigma in parents of children and adolescents with behavioral and emotional problems in outpatient mental healthcare. We aimed to identify the most relevant factors related to perceived parental stigma using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression including a broad range of factors across six domains: (1) child characteristics, (2) characteristics of the primary parent, (3) parenting and family characteristics, (4) treatment-related characteristics, (5) sociodemographic characteristics, and (6) social–environmental characteristics. We adapted the Parents’ Perceived Stigma of Service Seeking scale to measure perceived public stigma and affiliate stigma in 312 parents (87.8% mothers) during the first treatment year after referral to an outpatient child and adolescent clinic. We found that the six domains, including 45 individual factors, explained 34.0% of perceived public stigma and 19.7% of affiliate stigma. Child and social–environmental characteristics (social relations) explained the most deviance in public stigma, followed by parental factors. The strongest factors were more severe problems of the child (especially callous–unemotional traits and internalizing problems), mental healthcare use of the parent, and lower perceived parenting competence. The only relevant factor for affiliate stigma was lower perceived parenting competence. Our study points to the multifactorial nature of perceived stigma and supports that parents’ perceived public stigma is susceptible to social influences, while affiliate stigma relates to parents’ self-evaluation. Increasing parents’ perceived parenting competence may help mitigate perceived stigma. Future studies should explore how stigma relates to treatment outcomes. Full article

Cannabis consumption has become the center of much debate globally. The positive public perception of the medicinal benefits of cannabis and the rise of recreational usage of cannabis necessitate dramatic changes in cannabis reform policy. As a consequence, there is an increase in cannabis legalization around the globe, although it is still facing many rejections. It is crucial to understand the factors affecting public acceptance of cannabis use to support the contextualization and success of cannabis legalization. This review aims to address consumer cultural, social and psychological factors regarding the legal use of cannabis. Based on this review, cultures influence the endorsement or rejection of cannabis use depending on political views, religious sentiments and affiliated subcultures (adult, youth and adolescent subcultures). Regarding the social factors, socioeconomic status, measured by income, education level and occupation, is a key determinant of cannabis use. The beliefs opposing cannabis legalization are due to the negative stigma surrounding cannabis use. Nevertheless, growing awareness about the pharmaceutical and therapeutic effects of cannabis has led to an increase in positive attitudes towards cannabis legalization. Thus, dissemination of cannabis use benefits reaffirmed by scientific evidence could be a strategic way to alleviate the public’s negative feedback on cannabis legalization. Full article

This study examined maternal mental health in mothers of children with neurodevelopmental and genetic disorders in Pakistan; maternal education and affiliate stigma were also tested. It was hypothesised that mothers of children with neurodevelopmental and genetic disorders would experience high levels of depression, anxiety and affiliate stigma, and that these variables would be mediated by the level of maternal education. Seventy-five mothers of children with neurodevelopmental and genetic disorders were recruited from “Special Needs” schools in Lahore and Islamabad. The results showed that the majority of mothers were clinically depressed and a large majority of mothers were clinically anxious. The distribution of mothers with clinical anxiety was significantly different among mothers with different levels of education (p < 0.05). Furthermore, mothers with higher levels of education had less affiliate stigma. This result suggests that maternal education may be a protective factor of mental health in mothers of children with neurodevelopmental and genetic disorders. Limitations, implications and future research are discussed. Full article

The stigmatizing attitude towards people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) can be a major barrier to effective patient care. As future physicians, medical students represent a core group that should be targeted with focused knowledge and adequate training to provide patient care without prejudice. The aim of the current study was to examine HIV/AIDS knowledge, and the stigmatizing attitude towards PLWHA, among medical students in Jordan. The current study was based on a self-administered online questionnaire, which was distributed during March–May 2021, involving students at the six medical schools in Jordan, with items assessing demographics, HIV/AIDS knowledge, and HIV/AIDS stigmatizing attitude, which was evaluated using the validated HIV-stigma scale. The total number of respondents was 1362, with predominance of females (n = 780, 57.3%). Lack of HIV/AIDS knowledge among the study participants was notable for the following items: HIV transmission through breastfeeding (40.8% correct responses), HIV is not transmitted through saliva (42.6% correct responses), and vertical transmission of HIV can be prevented (48.8% correct responses). Approximately two-thirds of the respondents displayed a positive attitude towards PLWHA. For six out of the 14 HIV/AIDS knowledge items, lack of knowledge was significantly correlated with a more negative attitude towards PLWHA. Multinomial regression analysis showed that a significantly more negative attitude towards PLWHA was found among the pre-clinical students compared to the clinical students (odds ratio (OR): 0.65, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.43–0.97, p = 0.036); and that affiliation to medical schools that were founded before 2000 was associated with a more positive attitude towards PLWHA compared to affiliation to recently founded medical schools in the country (OR: 1.85, 95% CI: 1.42–2.42, p < 0.001). About one-third of medical students who participated in the study displayed a negative attitude towards PLWHA. Defects in HIV/AIDS knowledge were detected for aspects involving HIV transmission and prevention, and such defects were correlated with a more negative attitude towards PLWHA. It is recommended to revise the current medical training curricula, and to tailor improvements in the overall HIV/AIDS knowledge, which can be reflected in a more positive attitude towards PLWHA, particularly for the recently established medical schools in the country. Full article

Affiliate stigma may increase the risks of negative parenting and psychological and depressive problems in caregivers of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Evaluating affiliate stigma and determining how to reduce it are crucial to promoting mental health in caregivers and their children with ADHD. The aim of this study was to examine the associations of stress-coping orientations and parental child-rearing styles with the risk of high affiliate stigma in caregivers of children with ADHD in Taiwan. Affiliate stigma, stress-coping orientations, and parental child-rearing styles were assessed. The results of univariate logistic regression analysis indicated that caregivers’ gender, depressive symptoms, four orientations of stress coping, and two parenting styles, and children’s high severities of internalizing, externalizing, and ADHD symptoms were significantly associated with high affiliate stigma. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that after controlling for caregivers’ gender, depressive symptoms, and children’s severity of internalizing, externalizing, and ADHD symptoms, caregivers with high orientation of seeking social support were less likely to have high affiliate stigma than those with low orientation of seeking social support; the caregivers with high care and affection parenting were less likely to have high affiliate stigma than those with low care and affection parenting, whereas the caregivers with high overprotection parenting were more likely to have high affiliate stigma than those with low overprotection parenting. Intervention programs targeting caregiver affiliate stigma must consider various coping orientations and parental child-rearing styles in their approach. Full article

The aim of this follow-up study was to examine the predictive values of caregivers’ affiliate stigma at baseline for depression in caregivers and internalizing and externalizing symptoms in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) 1 year later. The Study on Affiliate Stigma in Caregivers of Children with ADHD surveyed the levels of affiliate stigma and depression in 400 caregivers and the behavioral problems of their children with ADHD. The levels of the caregivers’ depression and children’s behavioral problems were assessed 1 year later. The associations of caregivers’ affiliate stigma at baseline with depression in caregivers and internalizing and externalizing symptoms in children with ADHD at follow-up were examined using stepwise multiple regression. The results indicated that before caregivers’ depression and children’s behavioral problems at baseline were controlled, caregivers’ affiliate stigma at baseline positively predicted caregivers’ depression and all children’s behavioral problems. After caregivers’ depression and children’s behavioral problems at baseline were controlled, caregivers’ affiliate stigma at baseline still positively predicted children’s affective and somatic problems. Parenting training and cognitive behavioral therapy should be provided to caregivers with intense affiliate stigma to prevent emotional problems and difficulties in managing their children’s behavioral problems. Full article

The place of clinical, medical, or health professional interventions in addressing violent radicalization is a topic of ongoing debate. Although violent radicalization is primarily a social phenomenon with significant psychological dimensions, the high prevalence of mental health “issues” and past psychiatric diagnosis in lone actors suggests that it may be useful to distinguish socialized actors who have strong ties to structured extremist organizations from relatively socially isolated actors who claim, and even boast about, virtual affiliation to extremist groups. For the latter, the potential efficacy of mental health interventions should be considered. However, because of the risk of profiling, stigmatization of minorities, pathologizing social dissent, and resistance, clinical intervention may cause harm and should be carefully evaluated. Until the effectiveness of clinical interventions in reducing radical violence is improved through evaluative research, exchanges about existing clinical models can be useful to support practitioners in the field and provide initial insights about good and potentially harmful practices. The Quebec model of clinical services to mitigate violent radicalization (secondary and tertiary prevention) is structured around three pillars: multiple access points to facilitate outreach and decrease stigma; specialized teams to assess and formulate treatment plans based on existing best evidence in forensic, social, and cultural psychiatry; and collaborative involvement with primary care services, such as community mental health, education, and youth protection institutions, which are in charge of social integration and long-term management. Beyond the initial assessment, the program offers psychotherapy and/or psychiatric interventions services, including mentorship to foster clients’ social integration and life-skill development. Artistic programs offering a semi-structured, nonjudgmental environment, thus fostering self-expression and creativity, are very well received by youth. A multimedia pilot program involving young artists has been shown to provide them with alternative means of expressing their dissent. Three years on from its inception, the preliminary evaluation of the Quebec clinical model by its partners and clinicians suggests that it could be considered a promising approach to address the specific challenges of individuals who present as potential lone actors at high risk of violent radicalization. The model does not, however, appear to reach many members of extremist groups who do not present individual vulnerabilities. While initial signs are positive, a rigorous evaluation is warranted to establish the short, medium, and long-term efficacy of the model, and to eventually identify the key elements which may be transferable to other clinical settings. In 2020, a five-year evaluative research project began to examine these questions. It is important to consider that any intervention can be harmful if due attention is not paid to structural discrimination and violence stemming from associated marginalization and exclusion. Clinical care can in no way replace social justice, equity, and human rights—all key pillars in primary prevention against violent radicalization. In the meantime, however, providing empathy and care in the face of despair and rage may prove most beneficial in decreasing the risk of violent acts. Full article

The aim of this study was to examine, through the roles of peers with regards to diabetes, the relationship between the support perceived by adolescents with diabetes and their peer-group affiliation. This is a descriptive, phenomenological and retrospective study based on a qualitative methodology. In-depth interviews with 15 people aged 18–35 with type 1 diabetes mellitus diagnosed in their childhood or adolescence were carried out. Data was analyzed through the interpretation of general discourses. Peers have considerable influence on adolescents and provide them social support from different roles. The protective role basically offers emotional support and sends reminders of different aspects of the treatment, while the indifferent role does not meddle in any aspect related to the diabetes. Both roles can foster social integration of adolescents with diabetes into the peer group. The offender role creates social conflicts through discrimination and stigma of adolescents with diabetes. These roles appear during the process of socialization of adolescents with diabetes, where commensality and situations of self-monitoring or administering insulin, key aspect of diabetes treatment, are crucial. Peer groups, depending on the role adopted, may offer support or bring a specific conflict regarding diabetes to their adolescent peer. The combination of roles that friends and peer group play with regards to diabetes will determine the degree of socialization and integration of adolescents with diabetes. Full article