Measuring body satisfaction in women with eating disorders and healthy women: appearance-related and functional components in the Body Cathexis Scale (Dutch version).

PURPOSE: Differentiating the concept of body satisfaction, especially the functional component, is important in clinical and research context. The aim of the present study is to contribute to further refinement of the concept by evaluating the psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the Body Cathexis Scale (BCS). Differences in body satisfaction between clinical and non-clinical respondents are also explored. METHOD: Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to investigate whether functional body satisfaction can be distinguished as a separate factor, using data from 238 adult female patients from a clinical sample and 1060 women from two non-clinical samples in the Netherlands. Univariate tests were used to identify differences between non-clinical and clinical samples. RESULTS: EFA identified functionality as one of three factors, which was confirmed by CFA. CFA showed the best fit for a three-factor model, where functionality, non-weight, and weight were identified as separate factors in both populations. Internal consistency was good and correlations between factors were low. Women in the non-clinical sample scored significantly higher on the BCS than women with eating disorders on all three subscales, with high effect sizes. CONCLUSIONS: The three factors of the BCS may be used as subscales, enabling researchers and practitioners to use one scale to measure different aspects of body satisfaction, including body functionality. Use of the BCS may help to achieve a more complete understanding of how people evaluate body satisfaction and contribute to further research on the effectiveness of interventions focussing on body functionality. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Cross-sectional descriptive study, Level V.

Intergenerational attachment orientations: Gender differences and environmental contribution.

After more than four decades of research and almost 100 attachment studies, the mechanisms of intergenerational transmission of attachment still remain unclear. To better understand the mechanisms moderating the associations of attachment orientations from one generation to the next, this empirical study examined the roles of 1) shared and non-shared environmental factors that characterize critical events in adulthood such as career choice, income and child care; 2) gender differences in attachment between parents (Generation 1, G1) and their adult offspring (Generation 2, G2) and their possible interactions. A sample of 321 families with G2 adults aged 18 and over and two G1 parents up to the age of 81 took part in this study. Both generations completed the Experiences in Close Relationships attachment measure as well as a comprehensive detailed measure of current core characteristics in adulthood (e.g. employment status, income, whether they had children) and demographic variables (gender, age). The findings suggest that the associations between the attachment orientations of G1 and the attachment orientations of G2 were moderated by G2's income, their G1 paternal income and employment status, whether G2 had children (G3) of their own, and their family status after controlling for the age of G2, and the age of both paternal and maternal G1. When the associations for both paternal and maternal G1attachment orientation with both their male and female G2 was analyzed separately, this accounted for 35% of the variance of males' G2 attachment orientation. The discussion focuses on the contribution of these findings to attachment theory and draws clinical conclusions.

Infantile anorexia, co-excitation and co-mastery in the parent/baby cathexis: The contribution of Sigmund and Anna Freud.

Recent epidemiological studies show that 2% of babies in ordinary paediatric clinics suffer from infantile anorexia. In the first part of this paper we present a case study from our hospital clinical activity. Our framework combines clinical psychoanalytic sessions and perinatal videos. In the second part, we will focus on the concepts of instinct and excitation proposed by Sigmund Freud and the concept of mastery proposed by Anna Freud. In the third part, we will examine these concepts in the light of the case study. The fourth part is devoted to clinical recommendations from our hospital psychoanalytic practice. In conclusion, unlike other clinical settings, the psychoanalytic setting allows for the elaboration of the parental hatred included in the libidinal cathexis. Our psychoanalytic setting (sessions/videos) makes it possible to decontaminate parental intrapsychic elements overloaded with excitement, saturated with hate elements, and rendered sterile by the instinct for mastery. An initial part of the treatment process involves working through the intersubjective elements observed in the video.

Columellar Scar Perception in Open Rhinoplasty. Interplay of Scar Awareness, Body Cathexis and Patient Satisfaction.

INTRODUCTION: Open and closed approaches for rhinoplasty have individual advantages and disadvantages; however, the resultant columellar scar of the open approach is directly considered as a disadvantage. This study focuses on the columellar scar awareness and its implications on overall satisfaction of the patients after open rhinoplasty. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 91 patients who have undergone open rhinoplasty were included in this study. A written questionnaire algorithm consisting of 4 sequential questions was applied. Except for the first question [Do you have any scar(s) caused by any trauma, operation or any other reason on your face?], every question was answered on a scale from 1 to 5. The respondents were given the 25-question "Modified Body Cathexis Scale (MBCS)"and their scars graded using the "Columellar Scar Assessment Scale" (CSAS). The data were statistically interpreted. RESULTS: Of the 91 open rhinoplasty patients, 12 of them responded with a "yes" to the first question reporting their columellar scars. There was no significant difference with regards to patient satisfaction regarding these patients (p > 0.05). However, those who reported the scar yielded a significantly lower MBCS scores. 9 patients declared that they exerted effort to conceal their scars. Those who concealed their scars and those who did not yielded a significant difference in patient satisfaction. The CSAS scores of those who reported the columellar scar were significantly higher than those who did not. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that MBSC can be a valuable tool for determining the impact of outcomes from the patient's standpoint, and awareness of the columellar scar is not related to patient satisfaction but with bodily perception. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

The partner's insecure attachment, depression and psychological well-being as predictors of diurnal cortisol patterns for breast cancer survivors and their spouses.

The purpose of this study was to explore whether stress from individual's and partner's depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, insecure attachment and meaning in life were predictors of diurnal cortisol patterns in breast cancer survivors and their spouses. Thirty-four couple dyads participated in this eight-month follow-up study. The breast cancer survivors and their spouses completed the Medical Outcomes Study Sleep scale, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the State Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised scale and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and they collected salivary cortisol at home at the time of awakening, 30 and 45 min after waking and at 1200 h, 1700 h and 2100 h. Diurnal cortisol slopes of survivors and spouses are positively correlated. But the factors associated with diurnal cortisol patterns are different between survivors and spouses. For survivors, neither survivor individuals' nor spouses' psychosocial factors were the predictors of survivors' diurnal cortisol patterns. For spouses, the survivors' higher anxious attachment style was the main predictor of spouses' flatter diurnal cortisol patterns. In conclusion, for spouses, psychophysiological stress responses are mainly influenced by breast cancer survivors' insecure attachment. Future couple supportive care interventions can address survivors' attachment styles in close relationships in order to improve neuroendocrine functions for both breast cancer survivors and their spouses.

Social disconnection in African American women with breast cancer.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To identify antecedents and consequences of social disconnection in African American women diagnosed with breast cancer as described in the extant literature. DATA SOURCES: Literature review using broad exploration of a personal database and informal exploration of databases such as MEDLINE®, as well as clinical experience. DATA SYNTHESIS: A formal definition, antecedents, and consequences of social disconnection were drawn from a review of the literature. CONCLUSIONS: Antecedents included personal responses to a breast cancer diagnosis and cultural influences. Consequences included decreased well-being, partner abandonment, and decreased health. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Areas for future research include using measurement tools for assessment, as well as creating categories for the trajectory of social disconnection and determining its severity and nature. Nurses should be alert to the possibility of social disconnection in patients with cancer. Nurses can assist the patient in talking to his or her family and friends about the cancer diagnosis and treatment.

The role of gender identity in adolescents' antisocial behavior.

BACKGROUND: Analysis of the relevance of the variables sex and gender to explain delinquency is a topic of growing interest in Criminology. This study tests a model of juvenile delinquency that integrates gender identity, the association with deviant peers, and a lack of attachment to conventional contexts. METHOD: We used a sample of 970 adolescents of both sexes, representative of the urban population, between 12 and 18 years, attending public schools in Galicia (Spain). RESULTS: The results of path analysis confirm that: a) weak attachment to conventional contexts, and belonging to a deviant groups are precedents for deviation of adolescents of both sexes; b) these contexts also contribute to the development of gender identity; and c) gender identity affects the likelihood of deviation: femininity tends to reduce this behavior, and masculinity (in particular, negatively valued masculinity) contributes to increase it. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the adequacy of including gender identity in the explanatory models of delinquency. They also suggest the need to reconsider the role of conventional settings in the socialization of masculinity and, therefore, in the genesis of adolescent delinquency of both sexes.

Comparison of self-reported attachment in young adults from Spain and the United States.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have provided mixed evidence in support of the structure of Bartholomew's attachment framework. The current study examined the comparability of the correlations among the attachment prototypes as well as the underlying factor structure of the Relationship Questionnaire in independent samples of Spanish and American young adults. METHOD: Participants were 547 students from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and 1425 from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro who completed the Relationship Questionnaire. RESULTS: Secure attachment was negatively correlated with fearful attachment, as was preoccupied attachment with dismissing attachment. The secure-fearful association in the American sample represented a medium effect size, whereas the remaining correlations represented small effect sizes. Except for the secure-fearful association, the correlations among prototypes were comparable in magnitude across samples. A principal components analysis yielded two factors that explained similar amounts of variance in the two samples. The pattern of loadings was relatively comparable in both samples; however, it was not entirely consistent with the theoretical model. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provided only partial support to the structure of the theoretical framework invoked. We discuss an alternative interpretation of the two factors, as well as further measurement considerations and directions for future research.

Effects of body mass index on adolescents' social comparisons and body cathexis in Istanbul.

This descriptive-comparative study was carried out to examine the relationship between the distribution of body mass index (BMI) values and scores on the Social Comparison Scale (SCS) and the Body Cathexis Scale (BCS). The study was carried out among 373 randomly selected students who were currently studying at a government private high school (N = 208) or a public high school (N = 165) located in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey. The students' BMI percentile ranges were compared with scores on the BCS and SCS. Data from the study were evaluated statistically by percentages, means, t-tests, tests of analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the Kruskall-Wallis test. The mean age (in years) of the participating adolescents was 16.1 +/- 0.8. In all, 61% of the participating students were male (N = 227), 45% were attending 10th grade (N = 169), and 56% (N = 208) were attending a government private high school. The great majority (92.5%) of the adolescents had a BMI between the 5th and 95th percentiles (5th to < 85th is normal; 85th to < 95th is overweight or at risk for obesity). The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.93 for the BCS and 0.83 for the SCS. Judging from this study, social comparison and satisfaction with one's body are not related to BMI among Turkish adolescents. Also according to this study, female Turkish adolescents are more satisfied with their body image than are their male counterparts.

TACT glossary: toys.

Toys denote objects used in playing. From the first examples of toys made of materials available in the environment and manufactured by parents or by children themselves only for recreational purpose, toys have evolved into more sophisticated devices which integrate mechanics, electronics and informatics (mechatronic toys) used in several different application fields. There are two main kinds of mechatronic toys: sensorized toys are passive toys equipped with a set of sensors used to record user/toy interactions; robotic toys are artefacts or computers, usually self-propelled with the help of motors, which collect information from the surrounding environment by sensors, and decode this information into behaviors consistent with them. This entry explores the use of the word "toys" from a technological point of view focussing on mechatronic toys and their applications.

[Neural mechanisms of attachment behaviors and pregnancy]. / Neurobiología del "vínculo de apego" y embarazo.

Functional neuroimage techniques show how certain brain areas are activated, while others become silent, when a mother sees her child or hears his/her voice. This is the neural correlate of the emotion, which the presence of her child generates, under diverse circumstances, in the mother. Brain is organised to mediate the complex maternal behaviour. For that, gene expression is orchestrated by different hormonal and neurochemicals factors of pregnancy. Maternal behaviors might be reasonably well characterized in terms of cognitive-emotional interactions and brain amygdala function is their cognitive-emotional connector hub.

Psychosis as a disorder of reduced cathectic capacity: Freud's analysis of the Schreber case revisited.

Approximately 100 years ago, a prominent German public figure name Daniel Schreber wrote memoirs of his experiences in asylums. His case was diagnosed Dementia Praecox at times and Paranoia at others by his treaters. Freud analyzed Schreber's memoirs from the perspective of his "libido" theory of developmentally organized mental "cathexes" or ideational/emotional investments in self and others. Revisiting Freud's analysis of the Schreber case suggests that it may represent the first theoretical articulation that the pathophysiologic core of psychosis is one of deficit, i.e., of diminished (organic) cathectic capacity for normal mental and affective investments in life.

Imagem corporal e motricidade: relações entre Catexe Corporal e a atividade física sistemática / Body image and movement: relations between body cathexis and physical activity

Este estudo tem por objetivo enfocar a Imagem Corporal e movimento através das relações encontradas na literatura técnica, entre a Catexe Corporal, atividades físicas e esportes.

The pourpose this work is to focus the body image and movement throug the relations found in technical literature between body cathexis, physical activities and spots.

The Italian version of the Body Cathexis Scale.

AIMS: Various questionnaire measures have been developed to study body attitude and affect. The Body Cathexis Scale (BCS) was the first psychometric instrument devised to measure body dissatisfaction. In this study we report the validation of the Italian version of the BCS. Reliability and validity studies were conducted on 86 female subjects with eating disorders and 404 general population subjects. RESULTS: Factor analysis yielded three factors called "Bust", "Weight-related Body Shape and Functions" and "Physical Functionality". Internal consistency was 0.90 (Cronbach's alpha). Test-retest reliability was 0.81. Criterion and concurrent validity are considered and norms as percentiles are reported for age classes.

A mother's feelings for her infant are strengthened by excellent breastfeeding counseling and continuity of care.

OBJECTIVE: Continuous support during the childbirth process ultimately may strengthen the mother's self-esteem and her capacity to interact with and nurture her infant and also may improve paternal involvement in general. In the present study, we investigated whether mothers, who were attended by midwives and nurses who had had a process-oriented training program in breastfeeding counseling, perceived stronger maternal feelings for their infant than mothers who had received only routine care. METHODS: In a previous study, an intervention that included a process-oriented program on breastfeeding counseling for health professionals and continuity in family classes through childbirth was conducted. The 10 largest municipalities were classified in pairs that were similar in size and had similar figures of breastfeeding duration. The municipalities were randomized pairwise to either an intervention or a control group. The present study is a follow-up study on women's feelings for their infants in relation to the kind of care that they had had and was undertaken between April 2000 and January 2003. The sampling frame was based on women who were cared for at either the intervention clinic or control clinics. The mothers at the control clinics had received standard routine care and had attended family classes through the point of birth. Data collection for control group A started before effects of the intervention could be studied. Data for control group B were collected simultaneously with data collection for the intervention group (n = 540). The mothers responded to 3 questionnaires at 3 days and at 3 and 9 months postpartum. Background data of the mothers were collected. The perception of support that was provided by the health professionals and the perception of mother-infant relationship and feelings for the infant were rated on Likert scales. RESULTS: At 3 days postpartum, both the intervention group and control group B versus the control group A thought that their understanding of the infant was better, they perceived more strongly that the infant as their own, and they enjoyed more breastfeeding and resting with the infant. Although there was no significant difference between the intervention group and control group B at 3 days and 3 months observation, mothers in the intervention group talked more to their infant, perceived their infant to be more beautiful than other infants, and perceived more strongly that the infant was their own than did the mothers in control group B at 9 months observation. In addition, the mothers in the intervention group felt significantly more confident with the infant and felt the infant to be closer than did the mothers in control group B. CONCLUSION: A process-oriented breastfeeding training program for antenatal midwives and postnatal nurses that included an intervention that guaranteed continuity of care strengthened the maternal relationship with the infant and the feelings for the infant.

The indissociable unity of psyche and soma: a view from the Paris Psychosomatic School.

Depending on whether or not psyche/soma is seen as singular or dual, one may construct different systems explaining man and the world, life and death. In the author's view, the discoveries of psychoanalysis offer a perfectly cogent and unique solution to the famous mind/body problem. In transferring the duality psyche/soma on to the duality of drives, psychoanalysis places the origin of the thought process in the body. In Beyond the pleasure principle, Freud discusses the drastic effect of a painful somatic illness on the distribution and modalities of the libido. He provides a starting point for the Paris Psychosomatic School's psychoanalytical approach to patients afflicted with somatic illnesses. To illustrate the technical implications of this theory the author relates two clinical cases.

[The actualization of nursing care for the child living with AIDS: being, knowing and shared doing]. / O acontecer do cuidado de enfermagem ao ser-criança que convive com AIDS: ser, saber e fazer compartilhado.

This article is the result of considerations resulting from the dissertation Meeting of care, lived and dialogued, of the nursing team with the child-being who lives with AIDS, which aimed at understanding the meaning of such care under the look of the Humanistic Nursing Theory of Paterson and Zderad. It is a phenomenological-existential and qualitative study with hermeneutic analysis proposed by Motta and Crossetti in the light of Ricouer. The expressiveness of caring was unveiled as: act of life; authentic; the lived and dialogued meeting; need for taking care of oneself as an opening for the meeting; maternity handling; the need of approaching the hospital world to the child's world and compassion attitude.