The Effect of Family Characteristics on the Functioning of a Child with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder in Bedouin Society in Israel.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by difficulties in communication and social-emotional interaction. It is associated with an increase of parental stress and poor family functioning, both of which are harmful for a child's functioning and adaptive behavior. An important source of support to parents are grandparents, especially in traditional populations. One such population is the Bedouin population. The present study tested the association between emotional support from mother and mother-in-law to the adaptive behavior of children with ASD, and whether this relation is serially mediated by family functioning and satisfaction in life as reported by Bedouin mothers of children with ASD. 100 mothers of children with ASD fulfilled a questionnaire about emotional support from their mothers and mother-in-law, family functioning, satisfaction in life and child's adaptive behavior. We found that indeed, family functioning and satisfaction in life serially mediated the relations between emotional support from mother and mother-in-law and child adaptive behavior. These findings indicate that intergenerational solidarity between women can improve not only the functioning of the nuclear family and wife's satisfaction with life, but also, indirectly, the adaptive behavior of a child with ASD. It highlights the importance of women solidarity, especially in traditional society, where women are kept marginal.

Subjective Age and Loneliness in Older Adults: The Moderating Role of Attachment Patterns.

Loneliness in older adults has been associated with a myriad of undesirable physical and psychological consequences, as well as with negative age and aging perceptions. However, little is known regarding the effect of individual differences in the ability to seek, maintain, and benefit from close relationships in this context. Accordingly, we examined the associations between subjective age (i.e., how old/young one feels vis-à-vis his/her chronological age; SA), attachment patterns, and loneliness. Data were collected from 840 older adults in Israel (Mage = 74.75, SD = 5.50, range = 67-94), who provided information pertaining to SA, attachment anxiety/avoidance, and loneliness. Loneliness was associated with an older SA, as well as with high levels of attachment anxiety/avoidance. Moreover, the association between SA and loneliness was nullified for individuals with low levels of attachment anxiety/avoidance. The discussion highlights the importance of both age perceptions and attachment patterns for understanding the underlying mechanisms of late-life loneliness.

The mediating role of loneliness in the association between exposure to terror and psychological distress in older adults.

Terror attacks are known to bear detrimental effects on psychological distress in children, adolescents and young adults, but less is known about their influence on older adults. There is also evidence for increased loneliness following stressful events, but less is known about the mediating role of loneliness on the relation between terror attacks and psychological distress. The present study investigated the relation between exposure to terror attacks and psychological distress in older adults, as well as the potential mediating role of loneliness. Data were collected from 686 older adults (Mage= 73.49, SD= 6.02, range=65-94), who provided information regarding exposure to terror, loneliness, and psychological distress. Exposure to terror was positively associated with loneliness, which was, in turn, positively associated with psychological distress. Moreover, the link between terror exposure and psychological distress was mediated by loneliness. Our findings demonstrate the relation between exposure to terror and psychological distress in old age and suggest that loneliness contributes to this association.

Education Makes the Difference: Work Preferences of Young Adults with Physical Disability.

This study focused on the work preferences of young adults with physical disabilities (YAPD) in Israel and the variables that affect those preferences. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) was employed to explain work preferences. We examined direct and indirect links between education and socioeconomic status (SES) in a comprehensive model that tested the mediating role of the TPB and self-assessed health. A cross-sectional study was conducted throughout 2017. Participants included 348 YAPD aged 18-30 not yet integrated into the workforce. Exploratory factor analysis of work preferences yielded three dependent variables: 'intention to work', 'interest, security, and advancement at work', and 'willingness to work in the free market'. Data analysis included correlations and path analysis by structural equation modeling. Education was positively associated with all work preferences, while SES was positively associated with 'interest, security, and advancement at work'. Subjective norms mediated the relation between education and 'intention to work' and 'interest, security, and advancement at work'. Self-efficacy mediated the relation between SES and 'interest, security, and advancement at work'. Finally, self-assessed health mediated between SES and self-efficacy. Education is a crucial human capital in predicting work preferences of YAPD. The TPB components are important factors in predicting work preferences.

Can Physical, Psychological, and Social Vulnerabilities Predict Ageism?

Ageism can be expressed as the discrimination, social exclusion, and even abuse of older adults. The literature suggests that certain vulnerabilities could be risk factors affecting people's ageism. Based on the Social Identity Theory, the present study aimed to examine the association of physical/psychological and social vulnerabilities with ageism. The sample consisted of 200 Israelis from the general population who completed self-report questionnaires. Hierarchical regression indicated that low well-being, high post-traumatic distress, and limited social support were associated with ageism. Furthermore, the association of post-traumatic distress with ageism increased with age. The findings expand the knowledge of vulnerabilities as risk factors for ageism, perhaps reflecting its unconscious nature, and can assist in designing interventions for people interacting with older adults.

A Double Dissociation Between Inattentive and Impulsive Traits, on Tasks of Visual Processing and Emotion Regulation.

OBJECTIVE: To dissociate between inattentive and impulsive traits common in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using a non-dichotomous measurment of these traits. METHOD: 120 university students who completed the Conner's adult ADHD rating scales (CAARS) were also tested on the Microgenesis task which requires visual attention and on the Cyber Cruiser task which requires emotion regulation. RESULTS: Results show that a measure of inattention was specifically related to a measure of effortful visual processing condition. In addition, a measure of impulsivity was specifically related to the tendency to fail in refueling one's car on time, although this relation was opposite to the predicted direction. Furthermore, by using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, the CAARS' factor structure was confirmed to be relevant to an Israeli population. CONCLUSION: The current experiment supports the idea that visual attention may play a part in inattentive symptoms, and that emotion regulation may play a part in impulsivity symptoms.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can diminish fibromyalgia syndrome--prospective clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) is a persistent and debilitating disorder estimated to impair the quality of life of 2-4% of the population, with 9:1 female-to-male incidence ratio. FMS is an important representative example of central nervous system sensitization and is associated with abnormal brain activity. Key symptoms include chronic widespread pain, allodynia and diffuse tenderness, along with fatigue and sleep disturbance. The syndrome is still elusive and refractory. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) on symptoms and brain activity in FMS. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A prospective, active control, crossover clinical trial. Patients were randomly assigned to treated and crossover groups: The treated group patients were evaluated at baseline and after HBOT. Patients in the crossover-control group were evaluated three times: baseline, after a control period of no treatment, and after HBOT. Evaluations consisted of physical examination, including tender point count and pain threshold, extensive evaluation of quality of life, and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging for evaluation of brain activity. The HBOT protocol comprised 40 sessions, 5 days/week, 90 minutes, 100% oxygen at 2ATA. Sixty female patients were included, aged 21-67 years and diagnosed with FMS at least 2 years earlier. HBOT in both groups led to significant amelioration of all FMS symptoms, with significant improvement in life quality. Analysis of SPECT imaging revealed rectification of the abnormal brain activity: decrease of the hyperactivity mainly in the posterior region and elevation of the reduced activity mainly in frontal areas. No improvement in any of the parameters was observed following the control period. CONCLUSIONS: The study provides evidence that HBOT can improve the symptoms and life quality of FMS patients. Moreover, it shows that HBOT can induce neuroplasticity and significantly rectify abnormal brain activity in pain related areas of FMS patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01827683.

Awareness of diagnostic and clinical features of fibromyalgia among orthopedic surgeons.

Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) is a chronic pain syndrome characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue. The current study was designed to evaluate the awareness and skills of orthopedic surgeons (OS) regarding FMS diagnosis and treatment. For the examination of awareness and familiarity of OS in Israel to Fibromyalgia, a questionnaire-based survey was conducted. Two hundred and nineteen OS, residents and specialists, were asked anonymously about awareness, knowledge, and treatment of FM. Multivariable statistical analysis was performed. 91 % (199) of responders reported that they recognized the disease. Notwithstanding, the mean knowledge score was 7.6 out of 17. In addition, OS who were trained in the south of Israel were found to have a better degree of knowledge about FM (9.7 vs. 7.4; p < 0.03). The awareness and knowledge among OS regarding FM needs to be improved. OS who were trained in the south of Israel were found to have better degree of knowledge regarding FM.

Analysis of memory deficits following chemotherapy in breast cancer survivors: evidence from the doors and people test.

Studies of cognitive effects of chemotherapy among breast cancer patients show that not all women who are exposed to chemotherapy develop cognitive dysfunction and that the observed declines in cognitive functioning may be quite subtle. The use of measures that are sensitive to subtle cognitive decline are recommended yet rarely used among clinical populations. The purpose of this study is to specify the types of memory changes observed among breast cancer survivors treated with chemotherapy and tamoxifen, by using an analytic test of memory, the Doors and People test, which uses age-adjusted norms. The participants were 40 women who were survivors of breast cancer, 20 of whom had completed chemotherapy treatment and 20 women who were treated only with tamoxifen. There were no significant differences between the two groups in overall scores and in all four subtests: visual memory, verbal memory, recall, and recognition measured by age-adjusted scores. Forty percent of patients in both of the groups were classified as having mild impairment in episodic memory. No between-group differences were found in the frequency of subjective, cognitive complaints. Subjective complaints were reported by 69% of patients but were unrelated to objective performance. Memory deficits were observed in breast cancer patients who receive either chemotherapy or tamoxifen alone compared to age-adjusted norms. The Doors and People Test is a sensitive measure of memory deficits that is feasible for use with clinical populations of breast cancer patients in order to monitor changes in cognitive function.

A quantitative measure of JS's memory.

JS is a highly able, well-educated 37 year old man with Asperger syndrome. A recent qualitative paper (Boucher, 2007) described his self-report of verbal and visual memory difficulties. The present paper used the WMS-III to compare the memory profile of JS to that of the adults with HFA in the Williams et al. (2005) WMS-III paper. Results show that JS's self-report of his memory difficulties can by and large be supported, that JS's memory performance is at the lower end of the group examined in the Williams et al. (2005) paper, and that, unlike the group profile in Williams et al. (2005), JS shows reduced performance on both verbal and visual measures of memory. A qualitative analysis of JS's performance raises the possibility that JS is using language to retain details he can generalize over, as a compensatory strategy for some reductions in episodic memory.