The progressive place paradox: Status-based health inequalities are magnified in more economically progressive Swiss localities.

Low socioeconomic status (measured both objectively and subjectively) is systematically associated with worse health. Amid renewed interest in contextual influences on health inequalities, we ask whether variation in the prevailing ideological climate moderates the size of the health gap between low and high status individuals. Based on the minority stress hypothesis, we expect that living in an economically progressive place within Switzerland - places where more residents endorse the need for change to the economic status quo - will reduce the magnitude of the health gap. Multilevel modelling of MOSAiCH 2015-2020 data shows the opposite: low status individuals in progressive places report markedly lower subjective health and life satisfaction than similarly low status individuals in conservative places, such that status-based health inequalities are maximised in progressive places. We interpret this apparent progressive place paradox in terms of collective inefficacy and system frustration, which we argue is the corollary of system justification.

Beyond Geography: Social Quality Environments and Health.

The concept of social quality has garnered increasing attention as a composite indicator of the well-being of societies as well as individuals embedded within them. Prior research suggests four domains of social quality: socio-economic security, social cohesion, social inclusion, and social empowerment, based on the assumption that these domains influence health and well-being. In this paper, we investigate whether and to what extent social quality environments defined with reference to the cross-cutting social quality domains reliably predict various types of health, using data collected in a municipality in Switzerland as part of a participatory action research project. We found that social inclusion had the highest predictive power for mental health and functional health, while economic security had the highest predictive power for physical capacity and overall self-rated health. Results indicate interaction among various domains of social quality for a subset of health measures. Findings suggest that environments defined as combinations of social quality domains effectively distinguish between population segments with varying levels of health. Social quality represents a promising avenue for policy and intervention development, particularly from the social determinants of health perspective, as it jointly captures the multiple domains of social well-being relevant to population health. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11205-023-03073-1.

Hemodynamics of anterior circulation intracranial aneurysms with daughter blebs: investigating the multidirectionality of blood flow fields.

Recent advances in diagnostic neuroradiological imaging, allowed the detection of unruptured intracranial aneurysms (IAs). The shape - irregular or multilobular - of the aneurysmal dome, is considered as a possible rupture risk factor, independently of the size, the location and patient medical background. Disturbed blood flow fields in particular is thought to play a key role in IAs progression. However, there is an absence of widely-used hemodynamic indices to quantify the extent of a multi-directional disturbed flow. We simulated blood flow in twelve patient-specific anterior circulation unruptured intracranial aneurysms with daughter blebs utilizing the spectral/hp element framework Nektar++. We simulated three cardiac cycles using a volumetric flow rate waveform while we considered blood as a Newtonian fluid. To investigate the multidirectionality of the blood flow fields, besides the time-averaged wall shear stress (TAWSS), we calculated the oscillatory shear index (OSI), the relative residence time (RRT) and the time-averaged cross flow index (TACFI). Our CFD simulations suggest that in the majority of our vascular models there is a formation of complex intrasaccular flow patterns, resulting to low and highly oscillating WSS, especially in the area of the daughter blebs. The existence of disturbed multi-directional blood flow fields is also evident by the distributions of the RRT and the TACFI. These findings further support the theory that IAs with daughter blebs are linked to a potentially increased rupture risk.

A dual-path psychosocial model of social determinants of health in the community: Results from the Cause Commune program.

We tested a dual-path psychosocial framework of social vulnerability that considers the impact of socioeconomic resources and cognitive social capital on health, and whether they were mediated by an enabling psychosocial path (collective efficacy) and a disabling path (loneliness). A total of 1401 people (53.6% female, Mage = 48.7, SD = 18.1) from a community in Switzerland participated in the study. Structural equation models showed that psychosocial factors were related to both social determinants and health outcomes and partially mediated their interrelation. Our model showed an adequate fit to the data (χ2 = 1,377.56, df = 341, p = 0.000, comparative fit index = 0.93, root mean square error of approximation = 0.05, standardized root mean-squared residual = 0.05). The findings highlight the role of psychosocial-relational factors in the processes of social vulnerability and would be of interest to researchers working on social vulnerability in the community.

Simulation of intracranial hemodynamics by an efficient and accurate immersed boundary scheme.

We use computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to simulate blood flow in intracranial aneurysms (IAs). Despite ongoing improvements in the accuracy and efficiency of body-fitted CFD solvers, generation of a high quality mesh appears as the bottleneck of the flow simulation and strongly affects the accuracy of the numerical solution. To overcome this drawback, we use an immersed boundary method. The proposed approach solves the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations on a rectangular (box) domain discretized using uniform Cartesian grid using the finite element method. The immersed object is represented by a set of points (Lagrangian points) located on the surface of the object. Grid local refinement is applied using an automated algorithm. We verify and validate the proposed method by comparing our numerical findings with published experimental results and analytical solutions. We demonstrate the applicability of the proposed scheme on patient-specific blood flow simulations in IAs.

Exploring the link between stigma and social representations among people with and without schizophrenia in the French context.

We explored the representations that individuals associate with schizophrenia in the French context, as well as the relationships between their own representations and the representations they attribute to other French people. Data were collected from individuals in the general population (N = 98) and those with schizophrenia (N = 59). Using a verbal association technique, participants produced words spontaneously based on the inductor word "schizophrenia". The instruction invited them to respond on their own behalf, but also "as the French would in general". Prototypical and similarity analyses were carried out. Results indicated that the representations of participants from the general population were associated with a vocabulary relative to schizophrenia as an illness and with stigmatizing stereotypes, such as madness, dangerousness and split personality when they expressed themselves on their own behalf, as well as psychopathy and confinement when they imagined how French people express themselves regarding schizophrenia. Participants with schizophrenia who had a clear view of the general population's stereotypes mostly referred to negative experiences and emotions such as loneliness, suffering and fear. These findings underline the value of considering the representations associated with schizophrenia in designing awareness campaigns, but also in clinical care for people with schizophrenia.

Social Dominance Orientation and Discrimination against People with Schizophrenia: Evidence of Medicalization and Dangerousness Beliefs as Legitimizing Myths.

Medicalizing beliefs about schizophrenia (biogenetic causes and psychiatric labels) are connected to the belief that people with schizophrenia are dangerous and to discriminating intentions towards them. In this research, we draw on the Social Dominance theory and we examine these beliefs as legitimizing myths that are connected to the individuals' social dominance orientation (SDO) and that legitimize discrimination. In total, 238 Humanities students participated in the current research (Mage = 20.4; SD = 3.03; 107 male and 131 female). A vignette presenting a person with schizophrenia symptoms that offered no labels or explanations about the depicted person's condition was presented to research participants. A structural equation modeling analysis was carried out, in order to confirm our hypotheses in accordance with social dominance theory. Participants' social dominance orientation (SDO) was associated with higher endorsement of medicalizing (ß = .16, p < .01) and dangerousness beliefs (ß = .22, p < .001). In turn, medicalizing beliefs were connected to dangerousness (ß = .21, p < .001) and higher discriminating intentions, both for desired social distance (ß = .15, p < .05) and for deprivation of sociopolitical rights (ß = .14, p < .05). Dangerousness was highly associated with both these measures (ß = .28, p < .001 and ß = 43, p < .001 respectively) while SDO was not significantly associated with discriminating intentions. Our model showed good fit to the data. This study confirms the role of SDO in schizophrenia stigma and the fact that ideological and power factors underpin the stigma of schizophrenia.

Social dominance orientation and discrimination against people with schizophrenia: evidence of medicalization and dangerousness beliefs as legitimizing myths

Medicalizing beliefs about schizophrenia (biogenetic causes and psychiatric labels) are connected to the belief that people with schizophrenia are dangerous and to discriminating intentions towards them. In this research, we draw on the Social Dominance theory and we examine these beliefs as legitimizing myths that are connected to the individuals' social dominance orientation (SDO) and that legitimize discrimination. In total, 238 Humanities students participated in the current research (Mage = 20.4; SD = 3.03; 107 male and 131 female). A vignette presenting a person with schizophrenia symptoms that offered no labels or explanations about the depicted person's condition was presented to research participants. A structural equation modeling analysis was carried out, in order to confirm our hypotheses in accordance with social dominance theory. Participants' social dominance orientation (SDO) was associated with higher endorsement of medicalizing (β = .16, p < .01) and dangerousness beliefs (β = .22, p < .001). In turn, medicalizing beliefs were connected to dangerousness (β = .21, p < .001) and higher discriminating intentions, both for desired social distance (β = .15, p < .05) and for deprivation of sociopolitical rights (β = .14, p < .05). Dangerousness was highly associated with both these measures (β = .28, p < .001 and β = 43, p < .001 respectively) while SDO was not significantly associated with discriminating intentions. Our model showed good fit to the data. This study confirms the role of SDO in schizophrenia stigma and the fact that ideological and power factors underpin the stigma of schizophrenia

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Analyzing the presentation and the stigma of schizophrenia in French newspapers.

PURPOSE: It has been suggested that the stigmatizing presentation of people with schizophrenia by newspapers is an example of structural stigma. In this study, we explore how French newspapers contribute to the stigma of people with schizophrenia. METHODS: All the articles of eight major newspapers (four national and four regional) that include the term schizophr* and that were published in 2015 were therefore analyzed using a coding scheme that we developed inductively. RESULTS: This analysis showed that among the identified themes, 40.4% of the articles used the term schizophrenia metaphorically and 28.3% referred to dangerousness. The first concerned mostly national newspapers, while the second were mostly published by regional newspapers. A more selective analysis was also carried out on these major themes in order to investigate how the "us" against "them" distinction is created and how negative stereotypes are associated with this distinction. In the case of the metaphorical use of the term, schizophrenia was presented as a "split personality" disorder and the label used in order to devalue the political opposition. Schizophrenia was presented either as a deterministic cause of dangerousness or as a potential cause of crime. In either case, the question of control was clearly present in these articles. CONCLUSIONS: These results are discussed in terms of the "us" against "them" distinction as a double process of stigmatization of people with schizophrenia and of reinforcement of one's own identity and security.