1,721,039 research outputs found
Relationship Dynamics as Inconsistent Mediators of Traumatic Stress and Condomless Sex Among Jail-detained Women
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2015Incarcerated women, especially women in jail, are at high risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Research is needed to establish the key predictors of risk behavior, so that these can be targeted in interventions. Traumatic stress, substance use and intimate relationship dynamics likely influence infection and transmission risk among incarcerated women; however, these effects are not well understood. The author tested a model, based in Social Action Theory, of the effects of traumatic stress on condomless sex through the mediators of relational anxiety, relationship power, relationship closeness, and substance use. Jail-detained women who reported having a main sex partner in the three months prior to their arrest were interviewed (N = 205). The original model, accounting for 28% of the variance in condomless sex, had acceptable fit and found evidence for the effects of all factors except substance use. A better fitting model that re-specified effects of relationship power leading to substance use and substance use leading to relationship closeness was also supported, with all paths significant. Finally, a simplified model excluding substance use was tested and demonstrated almost identical fit and beta values. Results suggest that traumatic stress among jail-detained women impacts condom use within main partnerships through divergent effects on closeness and power in the relationship. This may obscure the importance of traumatic stress on condomless sex when these pathways are omitted in statistical analyses. The results have compelling implications, but they require replication, especially given the limitations of cross-sectional data and retrospective reporting. Ultimately, interventions aimed at alleviating traumatic stress among women involved in the criminal justice system should consider evaluating relationship dynamics and sexual health practices
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Developing and Pilot Testing a Brief Intervention to Reduce Psychological Distress among Individuals Recently Diagnosed with HIV in China
Full text linkThesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2017-08In China, where there are few mental health resources, the majority of HIV-related efforts have focused on medical treatment and transmission prevention rather than psychosocial support. Yet people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) report high levels of psychological distress, especially upon first receiving their HIV diagnosis. We conducted mixed methods research of a qualitative study with (N = 31) individual interviews and 3 focus groups (n = 6 in each group), and a quantitative survey (N = 200) with HIV affected participants in Shanghai and Beijing, China. Our findings informed the development of the Psychology Toolbox intervention, a brief CBT skills-based intervention comprising an Automatic Thought Record, Behavioral Activation, and Paced Breathing, designed to be integrated into primary care for recently diagnosed PLWHA. Recently diagnosed Chinese PLWHA who are men who have sex with men (MSM) are particularly vulnerable to psychological distress as they face both HIV and sexual orientation stigma. We conduct a pilot Type 1 hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial (Curran et al., 2012) of the Psychology Toolbox intervention with recently diagnosed MSM for mental health outcome data as well as feasibility and acceptability information. Ten recently diagnosed MSM at an HIV treatment center in Shanghai China completed the intervention. Paired-samples t tests demonstrate significant reduction in HIV-related distress, depression, problems with adjustment, as well as improvements in coping and perceived social support. Participants found the intervention highly acceptable. Community advisory board members of nurses, physicians, and community peer leaders along with attrition data suggest that the intervention is feasible. Future research may seek implement the intervention in a larger sample as well as among other recently HIV diagnosed populations
Please Don't Make Me Ask for Help: Implicit Social Support and Mental Health in Chinese Individuals Living with HIV
No full textThesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2013China faces a growing HIV epidemic. Government resources have initiated successful efforts to curb transmission and provide medical care; however, psychosocial needs of HIV-positive individuals remain largely unaddressed. China is a setting with high HIV-stigma and few mental health resources. Research is needed that innovatively addresses this gap between patient mental healthcare and lack of sufficiently trained professionals, in a culturally acceptable manner acknowledging the environment of high societal stigma. The present study involves 120 HIV-positive Chinese-speaking adults receiving care at Beijing Ditan Hospital, who responded to measures of demographics, perceived explicit (which involves active disclosure of a problem and request for assistance) and implicit (no active disclosure) forms of social support, and mental health symptoms of depression, anxiety, quality of life, and overall mental health. Multiple linear regression was conducted controlling for various demographic variables, to predict mental health outcomes with subscales of social support. Based on existing literature on social support use among Asian-American and other Asian populations, we hypothesized and found that after controlling for gender, age, and socio-economic status, implicit social support predicted mental health outcomes while explicit social support did not. Our results suggest a positive impact of implicit social support on the mental health outcomes of this population. The findings encourage recommendations for research on interventions focused on utilizing implicit social support (deliverable by peers, family, or paraprofessionals), which circumvents both issues of high stigma and low professional resources
An mHealth intervention to enhance coping skills and mental health among MSM living with HIV in China: intervention development and feasibility pilot study
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2024Men who have sex with men (MSM) bear a disproportionate burden of HIV and mental health problems in China, hindering HIV-related care engagement and medication adherence. mHealth interventions have shown promising effects in improving mental health outcomes. Working closely with Shanghai CSW&MSM Center (SCMC) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai (SCDC), we aim to address the urgent mental health need and health disparities among MSM living with HIV by developing a culturally appropriate mHealth intervention. Based on needs assessment results, we developed a multi-level, mHealth intervention with a focus on individual skills training and community staff capacity building. The partnership with SCMC has been crucial and mutually beneficial to intervention development. The strengths and priorities of the community stakeholders identified through needs assessment were critical to the selection of coping skills for MSM living with HIV, the design of SCMC staff training to facilitate delivery, and the component of weekly skill groups to enhance peer learning and intervention engagement. In the needs assessment stage (Chapter 1), we interviewed 20 stakeholders, including MSM living with HIV, staff from a community-based organization, and staff from the CDC in Shanghai. The study found that stress from multiple socio-ecological levels, lack of individual coping skills, and scarcity of psychosocial services highlighted the importance of multi-level interventions for MSM living with HIV in China. To develop an mHealth intervention (Chapter 2), the researchers used intervention mapping, the behavioral intervention technology model, and human-centered design and cultural adaptation model. The mHealth intervention, named Turning to Sunshine, consisted of individual skills learning through a mobile app, skills learning group, and on-demand phone coaching. The intervention aimed to improve mental health outcomes for MSM recently diagnosed with HIV by helping them survive emotionally intense moments, change emotional expression to regulate emotions, and reduce emotional vulnerability, as well as build community capacity for mental health support. A feasibility pilot study (Chapter 3) is ongoing and to assess intervention acceptability, feasibility, app usability, and evaluate the preliminary efficacy of the intervention. The feasibility pilot study is a 1:1 randomized control trial (n=31), with a 4-week long intervention and treatment-as-usual control group. Results showed high acceptability and feasibility of the intervention. Compared to the control group, intervention participants demonstrated greater improvements in depression, emotion regulation, HIV mastery, life satisfaction, and coping efficacy. These promising findings suggest that this mHealth approach may be beneficial for improving mental health outcomes among MSM living with HIV in China, warranting further investigation through larger randomized trials
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