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Psychological consequences in victims of maritime piracy: the Italian experience.
No full textBACKGROUND AND AIM:
Maritime piracy is a worrying phenomenon. Its recurrence in the last few years iscausing several problems to the safety of maritime routes. In spite of the number of seafarers kidnappedand maintained in captivity, psychological/mental disorders developed in victims of these criminal actshave not been investigated. This study has assessed psychological consequences of kidnapping in a groupof Italian seafarers held in captivity from 7 to 10 months.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
Four Italian seafarers were examined at the 5th month after release. An initial, semi-structured interview was followed by 2 structured clinical evaluations for assessing the possible presence of psychopathological disorders. Instruments used were the Cognitive Behavioural Assessment (CBA 2.0) and the Clinician-Administered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Scale (CAPS-DX).
RESULTS:
All victims showed high scores of state anxiety (56.00 ± 3.36) and social adjustment disorder (12.75 ± 2.21) to CBA 2.0. Moreover, 3 of them revealed traits of anxiety (58.75 ± 8.50) and emotionalinstability (8.25 ± 2.50). Two of them had somatic disorders (63.25 ± 15.94), depression (17.25 ± 4.78) and phobic problems (91.00 ± 7.02). In 3 of 4 victims examined, a PTSD diagnosis was made. Symptomsof recall resulted in higher CAPS-DX (13.00 ± 4.05) scores.
CONCLUSIONS:
Traumatic experiences such as being kept in captivity by pirates could entail relevant psychopathological disorders in victims and their families. Quality care interventions, aimed to develop paradigms for resilience training, represent a priority. An international partnerships and collaboration between institutions, clinicians and seafarer organisations can be useful to evaluate psychological conditions of these workers
Psychological distress in families of victims of maritime piracy - the Italian experience
No full textBACKGROUND:
This work has investigated the psychological status of family members of kidnapped seafarers, 5 months after their release.
AIM:
The goal of this study was to assess if relatives of victims of maritime piracy showed signs of psychological distress, to diagnose eventual pathologies and to measure their severity.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
Twelve family members (8 females and 4 males) of 4 kidnapped seafarers were examined. They were first interviewed by a semi-structured approach and then examined using the self-report questionnaire State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y), and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS).
RESULTS:
Five months after the relatives had been released, 42% of the family members of kidnapped seafarers obtained pathological scores in the STAI-Y questionnaire, and 33% showed depression according to the HDRS.
CONCLUSIONS:
Family members of kidnapped seafarers show significant psychopathological symptoms 5 months after relatives have been released. Symptoms may be severe enough to interfere with daily life in about one half of them. Kidnapping is a changing life experience and both victims and relatives require attention and support
Late and early onset dementia: what is the role of vascular factors? A retrospective study.
Full text linkNeuropathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) demonstrates that the common occurrence of vascular lesions and vascular factors is suggested to contribute significantly to the clinical progression of the disease. This study has assessed the presence of vascular brain lesions and risk factors in subjects with diagnosis of AD and their influence on the disease course both in Late Onset Dementia (LOD) and in Early Onset Dementia (EOD).
METHODS:
MRI scans of 374 LOD and of 67 EOD patients were evaluated for the presence of vascular associated lesions and rated according to the age-related white matter changes (ARWMC) scale as "pure degenerative", "mixed" and "vascular" cases of dementia. Vascular risk factors burden (hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, myocardial infarction) and disease progression were also assessed.
RESULTS:
44% of LOD cases and 46% of EOD were classified as "mixed dementia cases". The vascular risk factors burden showed an increase from the pure degenerative to the pure vascular forms. Disease progression, calculated in two years using the Mini Mental State Evaluation (MMSE), Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) scores, did not reveal differences among the three different classes of dementias.
CONCLUSIONS:
Vascular lesions are found in the majority of LOD cases and in about one half of EOD. This observation is consistent with the hypothesis of a synergistic effect of the degenerative and vascular factors on the development of cognitive dysfunction. The linear increase of the vascular burden supports the idea of a continuum spectrum between the pure degenerative and the pure vascular forms of adult-onset dementia disorder
Sea piracy sequelae: assessment according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5
Full text linkAbstrac t
Background: Our previous studies have investigated the psychological consequences of kidnapping in
a group of Italian seafarers assaulted by sea pirates and held in captivity and in their family members by the
criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-4. These studies have shown
that both the victims and the family members showed significant psychological disturbances, corresponding
to a chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), in the victims, and a pattern of anxiety and depression
in their family members. After publication of these studies, an updated edition of the DSM became
available, namely, the DSM-5. The DSM-5 redefines some diagnostic criteria, including those related to
the PTSD. This work was focused on the re-evaluation of the results of our previous studies in the light of
the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria.
Materials and methods: Sixteen Italians including 4 kidnapped seafarers and 12 family members were
examined by a semi-structured interview followed by Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-DX) and
the Cognitive Behaviour al Assessment (CBA 2.0) for victims and by State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) X-1
and X-2 of CBA 2.0 and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) for family members. Data already
obtained were reviewed and re-analysed according to the DSM-5 criteria and the Clinician-Administered
PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5).
Results: The use of the CAPS-5 did not modify the diagnosis for the victims’ group: 3 of 4 had a PTSD
diagnosis performed through the CAPS-5. Seven of 12 family members had PTSD diagnosis performed
through the CAPS-5, with negative cognitions and mood symptoms being those obtaining the highest score.
Conclusions: Using DSM-5 criteria, the diagnosis of PTSD in the direct victims of piracy was confirmed.
The same diagnosis could apply to a group of their family members. Besides anxiety and fear, in fact, we
found in 7 out 12 subjects the presence of symptoms included by the DSM-5 in the PTSD spectrum. These
symptoms were: avoidance, negative alterations in mood and cognition, blame of self or others. The use of
updated diagnostic criteria may enable more correct assessment of the consequences of piracy acts. This
may be also useful for establishing proper compensations for the damage suffered by seafarers, depending
on the degree of disability resulting from the criminal acts they suffered
Psychological online assessment/counseling on victims of maritime piracy and their families
No full textBackground. Several symptom screening instruments have frequently been administering online, but the majority of psychological assessment procedures have originally been designed and developed for in-person administration. This research aims to detect the level of agreement between telepsychological assessment and face-to-face interview with a group of kidnapped seafarers and their families. Moreover the online counseling was provided for people needed it.\ud
Methods. Sixteen subjects (4 victims and 12 family members) were examined at 5 month after the release. Besides face-to-face assessment through the Clinician-Administered Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Scale (CAPS-DX), further web-based instruments were the Cognitive Behavioural Assessment (CBA 2.0) for the kidnapped victims and the self-report questionnaire State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y), and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) for family members. Comparing face-to-face and video-conferencing assessment by psychologists, an agreement on any psychological symptom was calculated.\ud
Results. For 3 of 4 victims PTSD was diagnosed. The raw agreement of CBA 2.0 symptoms was 80%, furthermore control indices fall within a normal range. All victims showed high scores of state anxiety (56.00 ± 3.36) and social adjustment disorder (12.75 ± 2.21). Moreover, 3 of them revealed trait anxiety (58.75 ± 8.50) and emotional instability (8.25 ± 2.50). Two of them had somatic disorders (63.25 ± 15.94), depression (17.25 ± 4.78) and phobic problems (91.00 ± 7.02). The raw agreements for STAI-Y and HDRS symptoms reached 85%. 42% of the family members obtained pathological scores in the STAI-Y questionnaire and 33% showed depression according to the HDRS.\ud
The victims participating to online counseling showed a reduction of PTSD symptoms (p<.0001) and some psychopathological problems (p<.0001). While the relatives showed a reduction of state anxiety (p<.0001) and depression (p<.0001).\ud
Conclusions. The CBA 2.0 in video-conferencing, as well as the STAI-Y and HDRS, demonstrated high agreement with the face-to-face assessment. Our preliminary evidences about online assessment push toward reliable clinical diagnoses for psychological disorders in e-Health setting. Moreover our results suggested that the online counseling is a necessary psychological intervention for people showing post-traumatic disorders
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
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