To Di World: Jamaican soccer, poiesis and post-colonial transformation.

This article presents a case study of an innovative culturally based therapeutic approach using collective poiesis to improve the functioning of a youth sports team in Jamaica. In recent decades, Jamaica has endured high levels of violence and corruption, and has been ranked among the top four countries in the world in terms of murder rate per capita. We conjecture that a high prevalence of personality disorder linked to the legacy of slavery and colonialism often impedes Jamaicans from achieving success in diverse fields, including sports. Psychological interventions in the preparation of football teams are a novelty, and have been used mainly to enhance global team performance or individual player skill. The use of psychological interventions to address personality disorder psychopathology on the soccer pitch has not been reported. Psychohistoriographic cultural therapy (PCT) integrates psychological perspectives with a dialectic method of historical analysis and uses collective poiesis as a vehicle to translate insights through an embodied cognitive restructuring process. Two workshops were carried out with a high school football team using PCT techniques. The process of dialectic reasoning engaged their collective ideas and insights to establish a psychic centrality that was expressed in poetic form to illustrate the pathologies of the group in an emotionally safe and psychologically acceptable narrative. This poetic narrative of the group's psychic centrality counters the personality disorder psychopathology caused by the lingering intergenerational wounds of slavery, colonial oppression and collective trauma.

Skin Bleaching Among African and Afro-Caribbean Women in New York City: Primary Findings from a P30 Pilot Study.

INTRODUCTION: The application of skin bleaching products to inhibit melanogenesis is a common practice within the African diaspora. Despite the adverse health effects of skin bleaching, rigorous studies investigating skin bleaching behavior among these populations in the United States are limited. In our P30 pilot study, we explored predictors of skin bleaching practice intensity among African and Afro-Caribbean women. METHODS: In collaboration with our Community Engagement Core, we conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate the relationship between demographic and psychosocial predictors and skin-bleaching-related practice patterns among African and Afro-Caribbean women in New York City. RESULTS: Among the 76 participants recruited, the median age at the initiation of skin bleaching was 19.5 (16-25) years, yielding a median duration of 13.5 (6-23) years. Although pregnant women were not actively recruited for the study, 13.2% (n = 10) of the participants used skin bleaching products while pregnant or possibly breastfeeding. Nativeness and education were associated with various components of skin bleaching practice intensity, including duration of skin bleaching, daily use of products, and bleaching of the entire body. Participants' perceived skin-color-related quality of life was not associated with skin bleaching practice intensity. CONCLUSION: Skin bleaching is a habitual practice that likely requires culturally sensitive interventions to promote behavioral change. The existence of prenatal and postnatal exposure to mercury, hydroquinone, and other potentially harmful chemicals in skin bleaching products highlights an urgent need to explore the adverse effects of skin bleaching practices on birth outcomes and the growth and neurodevelopment of young babies.

Body image disturbance and skin bleaching.

This study looks at body image disturbance among Jamaicans who bleach their skin. The hypothesis states that there is a positive relationship between skin bleaching and body image disturbance. The study used a convenience sample of 160 participants with a skin bleaching group (n = 80) and a non-bleaching comparison group (n = 80). The instrument included demographic questions, the body image disturbance questionnaire (BIDQ), and questions about skin bleaching. The results of a t-test revealed that the skin bleaching group (M = 1.5255, SD = 0.42169) was not significantly different from the non-bleaching group (M = 1.4938, SD = 0.74217) in terms of body image disturbance, t(158) = 0.333, p = .740. The participants who bleached did not suffer from body image disturbance. Self-reports revealed that they bleached to acquire beauty, attract a partner, elude the police, and market skin bleaching products. The practice was fashionable and popular and it made some participants feel good, while others were fans of a popular musical artiste who bleached his skin. The majority of participants bleached because of the perceived personal, social, and entrepreneurial benefits of the practice and not because they suffered emotional distress, anxiety, and functional impairment because of their skin colour. However, there was some level of BID among the minority of participants who argued that they bleached because they wanted to be pretty so they were emotionally distressed about there body image and experienced functional impairment.

Sexual behavior and attitude towards HIV testing among non-HIV testers in a developing nation: A public health concern.

BACKGROUND: HIV/AIDS is a problem in developing countries including Jamaica. There are several studies dealing with HIV/AIDS in Jamaica but given the increasing rate of the infection, ongoing studies are necessary. AIMS: This study examines the sexual behavior and attitude of non-HIV testers in Jamaica in order to provide research evidence that will direct public health policies and interventions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study extracts a sample of 1,192 participants who indicated not having done a HIV test from 1,800 respondents from a 2004 HIV/AIDS/STD National KABP Survey. A detailed questionnaire was developed and used to collect data from people ages 15-49 years old. RESULTS: Some 20.3 % of the variances, which is self reported positive HIV test results, are a function of relationship status, using protection against HIV, having sex with a commercial sex worker, having STIs, the age at which the participant first had sex and age at last birthday. These findings hold across gender, occupational status and education. The majority (87.9%) of the participants said they had little or no chance of getting HIV, and 59.7% did not want to know their HIV status. However, 46.6% did not wear a condom the first time they had sex with current partner, 32% do not wear a condom with their current partner and 16.3% reported having had STIs. CONCLUSION: The existing HIV prevention programs need to be expanded and fortified to target young Jamaicans, particularly those who do not engage in safe sexual practices.

Cognitive functionality of older men in St. Catherine, Jamaica.

BACKGROUND: The scientific literature is replete with factors that influence the cognitive functionality of older men but no such study has been done in Jamaica. AIMS: In this study we report our findings on the cognitive functionality of three cohorts of older men in a rural area. This is the first data published on the cognitive functionality of older men from Jamaica. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The investigation was carried out with the administration of a 132-item questionnaire. The measure includes items on demographics, retirement and health status, the seeking and avoidance of medical care, health treatment, medication use, childhood illness, happiness and the mini-mental status examination. The measure was given to 2,000 men 55 years and older who were randomly selected from St. Catherine. RESULTS: THE MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF THE MODEL REVEALED THREE SIGNIFICANT DETERMINANTS OF COGNITIVE FUNCTIONALITY: Age (OR = 0.346, 95% CI = 0.206, 0.582), social support (OR = 0.683, 95% CI = 0.443, 1.053) and having children (OR = 2.42, 95% CI = 1.130, 5.183). There is a negative relationship between age and cognitive functionality and a positive relationship between having children and cognitive functionality. CONCLUSIONS: Our main conclusions are that the two significant determinants of cognitive functionality of older men (age and having children) in Jamaica are unique given the many determinants of cognitive functioning cited in the scientific literature. The plethora of factors points to the need for further research to understand the range of factors that influence the cognitive functionality of older Jamaicans.

Perception, attitude and practices of women towards pelvic examination and Pap smear in Jamaica.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that women's ability to access contraceptive methods depend on their socio-economic, educational, professional status, and the health and well-being of their families and themselves. Therefore, the embarking of the Governments of the Caribbean on important initiatives relating to gynecological matters is very important and timely. AIMS: This study aims to examine the perception, attitude and practice of Jamaican women towards the matter of pelvic examination. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The current study used an extracted sample of 7,168 women in their reproductive years (15-49 yrs) from a study which was undertaken by the National Family Planning Board in 2002 on Reproductive Health. Data was analyzed using SPSS for Windows, Version 16.0 (SPSS Inc.; Chicago, Ill. USA). Logistic regression was used to analyze factors/variables pertaining to Pelvic examination. RESULTS: The findings revealed that older women are more likely to have done a Pelvic examination compared to younger women (χ(2) = 675.29, P < 0.001). Age, number of pregnancies that resulted in miscarriages, number of pregnancies that resulted in induced abortion, age of first sexual intercourse, number of years of schooling, area of residence and socio-economic class are statistically significant factors of Pelvic examinations in Jamaica. Therefore, the model had significant predictive power where (χ(2) = 1022.79, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The multidimensional nature of the variables, which emerged in the current study, indicate that a multisectoral approach should be used to address low pelvic and Pap smear examination among Jamaican women.

The image of health status and quality of life in a Caribbean society.

BACKGROUND: Health is defined as the presence or absence of illness. This conceptualization of health status is dominant in health treatment and in fashioning the health care system. However, very little research has been done on how Jamaicans view health status and quality of life (QoL). AIMS: This article seeks to understand how Jamaicans conceptualize health status and QoL because definitional content has implications for their health. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The current study utilized two national cross-sectional probability surveys from the Centre for Leadership and Governance (CLG) which looked at QoL among other variables and the Jamaican Survey of Living Conditions (JSLC) which measured living standards including health status. The sample in both surveys was 8,120 participants. RESULTS: The majority of the respondents in the CLG (54%) and the JSLC (82.2%) surveys reported good health status. There was a strong statistical relationship between area of residence and health status (P < 0.0001) unlike the relationship between area of residence and quality of life (P < 0.137). The respondents dichotomized health status and QoL and a significant relationship was found between both variables (P < 0.0001). The respondents' dichotomization of health status and QoL is explained by the significant relationship between health status and self reported illness (P < 0.0001) where respondents view health status as the absence or presence of illness, excluding QoL. CONCLUSION: Health status means the presence or absence of illness and excludes QoL which is not in keeping with previous findings. This distinction is culturally determined.