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Fulltext Intergroup Contact Effects via Ingroup Distancing among Majority and Minority Groups: Moderation by Social Dominance Orientation

Kauff M, Schmid K, Lolliot S, Al Ramiah A, Hewstone M

PLoS One, 2016;11(1):e0146895.
PMID: 26751203 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146895

Five studies tested whether intergroup contact reduces negative outgroup attitudes through a process of ingroup distancing. Based on the deprovincialization hypothesis and Social Dominance Theory, we hypothesized that the indirect effect of cross-group friendship on outgroup attitudes via reduced ingroup identification is moderated by individuals' Social Dominance Orientation (SDO), and occurs only for members of high status majority groups. We tested these predictions in three different intergroup contexts, involving conflictual relations between social groups in Germany (Study 1; N = 150; longitudinal Study 2: N = 753), Northern Ireland (Study 3: N = 160; Study 4: N = 1,948), and England (Study 5; N = 594). Cross-group friendship was associated with reduced ingroup identification and the link between reduced ingroup identification and improved outgroup attitudes was moderated by SDO (the indirect effect of cross-group friendship on outgroup attitudes via reduced ingroup only occurred for individuals scoring high, but not low, in SDO). Although there was a consistent moderating effect of SDO in high-status majority groups (Studies 1-5), but not low-status minority groups (Studies 3, 4, and 5), the interaction by SDO was not reliably stronger in high- than low-status groups. Findings are discussed in terms of better understanding deprovincialization effects of contact.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations
Fulltext Quality of life in people with cognitive impairment: nursing homes versus home care

Nikmat AW, Al-Mashoor SH, Hashim NA

Int Psychogeriatr, 2015 May;27(5):815-24.
PMID: 25497589 DOI: 10.1017/S1041610214002609

BACKGROUND: The evaluation of quality of life (QoL) among older adults has become increasingly important, and living arrangements play a pivotal role in determining the QoL of people with cognitive impairment (PWCI). Although informal care (home-based) is favored, transition to formal care (residential care) often becomes necessary, especially in the later stages of cognitive impairment. The primary objective was to compare the QoL of PWCI in the community and nursing homes. Additionally, factors differentiate the QoL of PWCI in these two settings were identified.
METHODS: This is a quasi-experimental study design involving 219 older adults with cognitive impairment, aged 60-89 years old from both nursing home and home care. Participants completed the EUROPE Health Interview Survey-QoL (WHO-8), the Short Mini-Mental State Examination (SMMSE), the Barthel Index (BI), the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), and the Friendship Scale (FS).
RESULTS: There were significant differences in QoL, depression, social connectedness (p < 0.01) and cognitive functions (p = 0.01) between home care recipients and nursing home participants. No significant differences were observed with regards to health condition, co morbidities and physical functions between study cohorts.
CONCLUSIONS: Older adults with cognitive impairment living at home experienced higher QoL, had better cognitive function, were less depressed and reported higher social connectedness compared to those living in institutional care. Therefore, support should be provided in enabling home care and empowering caregivers to provide better care for PWCI.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations
Development, validity and reliability of the short multidimensional positive mental health instrument

Vaingankar JA, Subramaniam M, Abdin E, Picco L, Chua BY, Eng GK, et al.

Qual Life Res, 2014 Jun;23(5):1459-77.
PMID: 24307210 DOI: 10.1007/s11136-013-0589-0

PURPOSE: The 47-item positive mental health (PMH) instrument measures the level of PMH in multiethnic adult Asian populations. This study aimed to (1) develop a short PMH instrument and (2) establish its validity and reliability among the adult Singapore population.
METHODS: Two separate studies were conducted among adult community-dwelling Singapore residents of Chinese, Malay or Indian ethnicity where participants completed self-administered questionnaires. In the first study, secondary data analysis was conducted using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to shorten the PMH instrument. In the second study, the newly developed short PMH instrument and other scales were administered to 201 residents to establish its factor structure, validity and reliability.
RESULTS: A 20-item short PMH instrument fulfilling a higher-order six-factor structure was developed following secondary analysis. The mean age of the participants in the second study was 41 years and about 53% were women. One item with poor factor loading was further removed to generate a 19-item version of the PMH instrument. CFA demonstrated a first-order six-factor model of the short PMH instrument. The PMH-19 instrument and its subscales fulfilled criterion validity hypotheses. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the PMH-19 instrument were high (Cronbach's α coefficient = 0.87; intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.93, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: The 19-item PMH instrument is multidimensional, valid and reliable, and most importantly, with its reduced administration time, the short PMH instrument can be used to measure and evaluate PMH in Asian communities.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations
From the ideal to the real world: a phenomenological inquiry into student sojourners' reentry adaptation

Hsiao F

J Music Ther, 2011;48(4):420-39.
PMID: 22506298

This phenomenological study examines the thematic structure of reentry transition for international music therapy graduates who have returned home after studying in the United States. Emphasis is placed upon career development. Standardized open-ended interviews were used to obtain rich and in-depth descriptions of the participants' experiences. Ten music therapists from six countries participated in the study. The themes that emerged from the data include moving from the ideal to the real world, shifting from the role of student to professional, confronting reality and working through challenges, and achieving personal growth and self-transformation. The dynamics of cross-cultural comparison, confronting the home culture, and redefining music therapy and professional identities within the local cultural context are illustrated via quotations from the participants. Implications and recommendations for music therapy education and career preparation for international graduates are discussed.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations
The relationship of hostility, negative affect and ethnicity to cardiovascular responses: an ambulatory study in Singapore

Enkelmann HC, Bishop GD, Tong EM, Diong SM, Why YP, Khader M, et al.

Int J Psychophysiol, 2005 May;56(2):185-97.
PMID: 15804452

This study tested the hypotheses that ambulatory heart rate and blood pressure would be higher for individuals high but not low in hostility when they experienced negative affect or social stress and that this interaction would be stronger for Indians compared with other Singapore ethnic groups. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was done on 108 male Singapore patrol officers as they went about their daily duties. After each BP measurement participants completed a computerized questionnaire including items on emotional experience. Individuals high in hostility showed higher systolic blood pressure when reporting negative affect whereas this was not true for those low in hostility. Ethnic differences were obtained such that Indians showed an increase in mean arterial pressure when angered whereas MAP was negatively related to anger for Malays and unrelated for Chinese. Also a three-way interaction between ethnicity, hostility, and social stress indicated that hostility and social stress interacted in their effects on DBP for Indian participants but not for Chinese or Malays. Finally, a three-way interaction was obtained between ethnicity, hostility and negative affect for heart rate in which heart rate increased with increasing levels of negative affect for Chinese high in hostility and Malays low in hostility but decreased with increasing negative affect for all other participants. These data are consistent with higher CHD rates among individuals high in hostility and also provide additional evidence on ethnic differences in cardiovascular reactivity in Singapore.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations
Fulltext Prevalence, associated factors and predictors of anxiety: a community survey in Selangor, Malaysia

Kader Maideen SF, Mohd Sidik S, Rampal L, Mukhtar F

BMC Psychiatry, 2015;15:262.
PMID: 26497745 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-015-0648-x

Anxiety is the most common mental health disorders in the general population. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of anxiety, its associated factors and the predictors of anxiety among adults in the community of Selangor, Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations
A Qualitative Study of HIV "Test-and-Treat" Experience Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in Malaysia

Lim SH, Alias H, Kien JKW, Akbar M, Kamarulzaman A, Wong LP

AIDS Educ Prev, 2019 06;31(3):193-205.
PMID: 31145000 DOI: 10.1521/aeap.2019.31.3.193

This study aimed to examine the barriers and facilitators to HIV testing and treatment among Malaysian MSM. Between June 2014 and December 2015, in-depth interviews were conducted in 20 HIV-positive MSM recruited from a teaching hospital and NGO in Kuala Lumpur. Thematic analysis was used to identify, analyze, and report themes. Most participants investigated their HIV status after long period of sickness. Others sought testing upon partner's diagnosis and some were diagnosed via blood donation. Barriers to testing include personal (perceived good health, fear of positive result, denial); social and structural factors (stigmatization by health providers and family, lack of information about free HIV testing and long wait time). Barriers to treatment comprise personal factors (perceived HIV as incurable and treatment as complicated), social factors (HIV and homosexual stigma), and cost. Promoting benefits of regular testing and early treatment is needed to improve HIV care continuum among MSM in Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations
Effectiveness of Methadone Maintenance Therapy and Improvement in Quality of Life Following a Decade of Implementation

Teoh Bing Fei J, Yee A, Habil MH, Danaee M

J Subst Abuse Treat, 2016 10;69:50-6.
PMID: 27568510 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsat.2016.07.006

Methadone maintenance therapy has been found to be an effective harm reduction treatment for opioid use disorder. However evidence of its benefits over a longer duration of treatment is limited as most studies focus on its short term benefits. As methadone maintenance therapy reaches a decade since its implementation in Malaysia, this study sought to examine the effectiveness of methadone treatment, change in quality of life among patients since entry to methadone treatment, as well as factors predicting the magnitude of change in quality of life. This study found that methadone maintenance therapy was effective in reducing heroin use, injecting practices and crime, and in improving in social functioning and physical symptoms, but not in reducing sex-related HIV risk-taking behavior. Though patients had a significantly better quality of life at follow-up than at entry to methadone maintenance therapy, the improvement in quality of life was not significantly greater as the duration of treatment increased. Age above 50 years old, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive status and physical symptoms predicted a poorer improvement in quality of life between baseline and follow-up. On the other hand, patients with hepatitis B showed a greater improvement in quality of life in the social relationships domain compared to patients without hepatitis B. In conclusion, methadone maintenance therapy is an effective treatment for opioid use disorder and improves quality of life but its benefits in further improving quality of life beyond a decade of treatment need further evaluation.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations
Development and evaluation of 'neck pain and functional limitation scale': a validation study in the Asian context

Leonard JH, Choo CP, Manaf MR, Md Isa Z, Mohd Nordin NA, Das S

Indian J Med Sci, 2009 Oct;63(10):445-54.
PMID: 19901483

BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of literature on validated outcome measurement tools for evaluation of neck pain and related disability in the Asian context.
AIM: The main aim of the present study was to design a new tool called neck pain functional limitation scale (NPFLS) for measuring disability related to neck pain and observe its reliability, concurrent validity and criterion validity.
SETTING AND DESIGN: This study was performed at the institutional hospital.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 157 subjects (neck pain group) and 25 control subjects (control group) without neck pain were recruited for this study. NPFLS was framed as a new tool for this study, which consisted of 5 domains - pain intensity, activities of daily living, social activities, functional activities and psychological factors. Neck Bournemouth questionnaire (NBQ) was used as a gold standard to measure the concurrent validity and criterion validity of the NPFLS.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Criterion validity and concurrent validity between the neck Bournemouth questionnaire (NBQ) and NPFLS scores were tested statistically using Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman correlation test. The reliability was tested by examining the internal consistency to calculate the Cronbach's alpha value for each item in NPFLS.
RESULTS: No significant difference between NPFLS and NBQ was observed using Mann-Whitney U Test, with P value greater than 0.05 (P= 0.557). Besides that, NPFLS had a high concurrent validity (r= 0.916) and good internal consistency with high Cronbach's alpha value of (r= 0.948), which demonstrated strong correlation between the items of NPFLS and NBQ.
CONCLUSION: NPFLS demonstrated good reliability, high concurrent validity and criterion validity in this study. NPFLS can be used to assess neck pain and disability among patients with neck pain.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations