Social Determinants and Consequences of Pain: Toward Multilevel, Intersectional, and Life Course Perspectives.

Despite wide endorsement of a biopsychosocial framework for pain, social aspects of pain remain rarely addressed in the context of pain prevention and management. In this review, we aim to 1) examine the broad scope of social determinants and consequences of pain and their interactions across multiple levels of organization, and 2) provide a framework synthesizing existing concepts and potential areas for future work on social aspects of pain, drawing upon socioecological, intersectional, and life course approaches. Integrating interdisciplinary theory and evidence, we outline pathways through which multilevel social factors and pain may affect each other over time. We also provide a brief summary of intrapersonal aspects of pain, which are thought to operate at the interface between individuals and the social context. Progressing from micro- to macrolevel factors, we illustrate how social determinants of pain can directly or indirectly contribute to pain experiences, expression, risk, prognosis, and impact across populations. We consider 1) at the interpersonal level, the roles of social comparison, social relatedness, social support, social exclusion, empathy, and interpersonal conflict; 2) at the group or community level, the roles of intimacy groups, task groups, social categories, and loose associations; and 3) at the societal level, the roles of political, economic, and cultural systems, as well as their policies and practices. We present examples of multilevel consequences of pain across these levels and discuss opportunities to reduce the burden and inequities of pain by expanding multilevel social approaches in pain research and practice. PERSPECTIVE: Despite wide endorsement of a biopsychosocial framework for pain, social aspects of pain are often unclearly defined, hindering their use in pain prevention, management, and research. We summarize the scope of social aspects of pain and provide a framework synthesizing existing concepts and potential areas for future work.

Hierarchically embedded scales of movement shape the social networks of vampire bats.

Social structure can emerge from hierarchically embedded scales of movement, where movement at one scale is constrained within a larger scale (e.g. among branches, trees, forests). In most studies of animal social networks, some scales of movement are not observed, and the relative importance of the observed scales of movement is unclear. Here, we asked: how does individual variation in movement, at multiple nested spatial scales, influence each individual's social connectedness? Using existing data from common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus), we created an agent-based model of how three nested scales of movement-among roosts, clusters and grooming partners-each influence a bat's grooming network centrality. In each of 10 simulations, virtual bats lacking social and spatial preferences moved at each scale at empirically derived rates that were either fixed or individually variable and either independent or correlated across scales. We found that numbers of partners groomed per bat were driven more by within-roost movements than by roost switching, highlighting that co-roosting networks do not fully capture bat social structure. Simulations revealed how individual variation in movement at nested spatial scales can cause false discovery and misidentification of preferred social relationships. Our model provides several insights into how nonsocial factors shape social networks.

Spatiotemporal dynamics of the social structure of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins ( Sousa chinensis) in Xiamen waters from 2007 to 2019.

As highly social animals, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins ( Sousa chinensis) exhibit community differentiation. Nevertheless, our understanding of the external and internal factors influencing these dynamics, as well as their spatiotemporal variations, is still limited. In the present study, variations in the social structure of an endangered Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin population in Xiamen Bay, China, were monitored over two distinct periods (2007-2010 and 2017-2019) to analyze the effects of habitat utilization and the composition of individuals within the population. In both periods, the population demonstrated a strikingly similar pattern of social differentiation, characterized by the division of individuals into two main clusters and one small cluster. Spatially, the two primary clusters occupied the eastern and western waters, respectively, although the core distribution area of the eastern cluster shifted further eastward between the two periods. Despite this distribution shift, the temporal stability of the social structure and inter-associations within the eastern cluster remained unaffected. A subset of 16 individuals observed in both periods, comprising 51.6% and 43.2% of the population in each respective period, emerged as a foundational element of the social structure and may be responsible for sustaining social structure stability, especially during the 2007-2010 period. These observations suggest that the composition of dominant individuals, an internal factor, had a more substantial influence on the formation of the social network than changes in habitat use, an external factor. Consequently, the study proposes distinct conservation measures tailored to each of the two main clusters.

Female behavior drives the formation of distinct social structures in C57BL/6J versus wild-derived outbred mice in field enclosures.

BACKGROUND: Social behavior and social organization have major influences on individual health and fitness. Yet, biomedical research focuses on studying a few genotypes under impoverished social conditions. Understanding how lab conditions have modified social organizations of model organisms, such as lab mice, relative to natural populations is a missing link between socioecology and biomedical science. RESULTS: Using a common garden design, we describe the formation of social structure in the well-studied laboratory mouse strain, C57BL/6J, in replicated mixed-sex populations over 10-day trials compared to control trials with wild-derived outbred house mice in outdoor field enclosures. We focus on three key features of mouse social systems: (i) territory establishment in males, (ii) female social relationships, and (iii) the social networks formed by the populations. Male territorial behaviors were similar but muted in C57 compared to wild-derived mice. Female C57 sharply differed from wild-derived females, showing little social bias toward cage mates and exploring substantially more of the enclosures compared to all other groups. Female behavior consistently generated denser social networks in C57 than in wild-derived mice. CONCLUSIONS: C57 and wild-derived mice individually vary in their social and spatial behaviors which scale to shape overall social organization. The repeatable societies formed under field conditions highlights opportunities to experimentally study the interplay between society and individual biology using model organisms.

Neural Correlates of Social Decision-Making.

Objective: Recent studies have utilized innovative techniques to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying social and individual decision-making, aiming to understand how individuals respond to the world. Method : In this review, we summarized current scientific evidence concerning the neural underpinnings of social decision-making and their impact on social behavior. Results: Critical brain regions involved in social cognition and decision-making are integral to the process of social decision-making. Notably, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and temporoparietal junction (TPJ) contribute to the comprehension of others' mental states. Similarly, the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) shows heightened activity when individuals observe faces and movements. On the lateral surface of the brain, the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and inferior parietal sulcus (IPS) play a role in social cognition. Furthermore, the medial surface of the brain, including the amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and anterior insula (AI), also participates in social cognition processes. Regarding decision-making, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have illuminated the involvement of a network of brain regions, encompassing the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), ventral striatum (VS), and nucleus accumbens (NAcc). Conclusion: Dysfunction in specific subregions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) has been linked to various psychiatric conditions. These subregions play pivotal roles in cognitive, emotional, and social processing, and their impairment can contribute to the development and manifestation of psychiatric symptoms. A comprehensive understanding of the unique contributions of these PFC subregions to psychiatric disorders has the potential to inform the development of targeted interventions and treatments for affected individuals.

Social inheritance of avoidances shapes the structure of animal social networks.

Social structure can have significant effects on selection, affecting both individual fitness traits and population-level processes. As such, research into its dynamics and evolution has spiked in the last decade, where theoretical and computational advances in social network analysis have increased our understanding of its ecological and inheritance underpinnings. Yet, the processes that shape the formation of structure within social networks are poorly understood and the role of social avoidances unknown. Social avoidances are an alternate of social affiliation in animal societies, which, although invisible, likely play a role in shaping animal social networks. Assuming social avoidances evolve under similar constraints as affiliative behavior, we extended a previous model of social inheritance of affiliations to investigate the impact of social inheritance of avoidances on social network structure. We modeled avoidances as relationships that individuals can copy from their mothers or from their mother's social environment and varied the degrees to which individuals inherit social affiliates and avoidances to test their combined influence on social network structure. We found that inheriting avoidances via maternal social environments made social networks less dense and more modular, thereby demonstrating how social avoidance can shape the evolution of animal social networks.

Social networks reveal sex- and age-patterned social structure in Butler's gartersnakes (Thamnophis butleri).

Sex- and age-based social structures have been well documented in animals with visible aggregations. However, very little is known about the social structures of snakes. This is most likely because snakes are often considered non-social animals and are particularly difficult to observe in the wild. Here, we show that wild Butler's Gartersnakes have an age and sex assorted social structure similar to more commonly studied social animals. To demonstrate this, we use data from a 12-year capture-mark-recapture study to identify social interactions using social network analyses. We find that the social structures of Butler's Gartersnakes comprise sex- and age-assorted intra-species communities with older females often central and age segregation partially due to patterns of study site use. In addition, we find that females tended to increase in sociability as they aged while the opposite occurred in males. We also present evidence that social interaction may provide fitness benefits, where snakes that were part of a social network were more likely to have improved body condition. We demonstrate that conventional capture data can reveal valuable information on social structures in cryptic species. This is particularly valuable as research has consistently demonstrated that understanding social structure is important for conservation efforts. Additionally, research on the social patterns of animals without obvious social groups provides valuable insight into the evolution of group living.

Primate social organization evolved from a flexible pair-living ancestor.

Explaining the evolution of primate social organization has been fundamental to understand human sociality and social evolution more broadly. It has often been suggested that the ancestor of all primates was solitary and that other forms of social organization evolved later, with transitions being driven by various life history traits and ecological factors. However, recent research showed that many understudied primate species previously assumed to be solitary actually live in pairs, and intraspecific variation in social organization is common. We built a detailed database from primary field studies quantifying the number of social units expressing different social organizations in each population. We used Bayesian phylogenetic models to infer the probability of each social organization, conditional on several socioecological and life history predictors. Here, we show that when intraspecific variation is accounted for, the ancestral social organization of primates was inferred to be variable, with the most common social organization being pair-living but with approximately 10 to 20% of social units of the ancestral population deviating from this pattern by being solitary living. Body size and activity patterns had large effects on transitions between types of social organizations. As in other mammalian clades, pair-living is closely linked to small body size and likely more common in ancestral species. Our results challenge the assumption that ancestral primates were solitary and that pair-living evolved afterward emphasizing the importance of focusing on field data and accounting for intraspecific variation, providing a flexible statistical framework for doing so.

Lack of intergenerational reproductive conflict, rather than lack of inclusive fitness benefits, explains absence of post-reproductive lifespan in long-finned pilot whales.

Life-history theory suggests that individuals should reproduce until death, yet females of a small number of mammals live for a significant period after ceasing reproduction, a phenomenon known as post-reproductive lifespan. It is thought that the evolution of this trait is facilitated by increasing local relatedness throughout a female's lifetime. This allows older females to gain inclusive fitness through helping their offspring (known as a mother effect) and/or grandoffspring (known as a grandmother effect), rather than gaining direct fitness through reproducing. However, older females may only benefit from stopping reproducing when their direct offspring compete with those of their daughters. Here, we investigate whether a lack of post-reproductive lifespan in long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) results from minimal benefits incurred from the presence of older females, or from a lack of costs resulting from mother-daughter co-reproduction. Using microsatellite data, we conducted parentage analysis on individuals from 25 pods and find that younger females were more likely to have offspring if their mother was present in their pod, indicating that mothers may assist inexperienced daughters to reproduce. However, we found no evidence of reproductive conflict between co-reproducing mothers and daughters, indicating that females may be able to reproduce into old age while simultaneously aiding their daughters in reproduction. This highlights the importance of reproductive conflict in the evolution of a post-reproductive lifespan and demonstrates that mother and grandmother effects alone do not result in the evolution of a post-reproductive lifespan.

Gender and substance use among Latinx college students: An application of social structure social learning theory.

Social structure social learning theory (SSSL) is a theoretical framework that has been used to understand gender differences in substance use. However, the Latinx community remains understudied in this body of research. Drawing on a Latinx college student sample, we tested the extent to which four social learning mechanisms specified by SSSL theory (positive definitions, neutralizing definitions, differential association, and differential reinforcement) explained gender differences in three substance use outcomes: alcohol intoxication, marijuana use, and illicit prescription drug use. We found that men reported greater levels of all three substance use outcomes, and that the social learning mechanisms mediated between 24% to 44% of these gender effects. We also found some evidence that the effects of differential association and differential reinforcement were stronger for men than women, suggesting that women may exhibit greater resilience when exposed to peer influence. We discuss the implications for SSSL theory and the study of substance use and gender differences in substance use among Latinx populations.

Scenario- and discussion-based approach for teaching preclinical medical students the socio-philosophical aspects of psychiatry.

BACKGROUND: This study used a scenario- and discussion-based approach to teach preclinical medical students the socio-philosophical aspects of psychiatry and qualitatively evaluated the learning outcomes in a medical humanities course in Taiwan. METHODS: The seminar session focused on three hypothetical psychiatry cases. Students discussed the cases in groups and were guided by facilitators from multiple disciplines and professions. At the end of the semester, students submitted a narrative report comprising their reflections on the cases and discussions. The authors utilized content analysis to categorize students' narratives into three facets, namely, the philosophical, social and individual. RESULTS: In total 163 preclinical medical students participated in the class; 150 of them mentioned the scenario-based lesson in their reports; 33.3% of these reports discussed the case at the philosophical dimension (n = 50), 45.3% at the social dimension (n = 68), and 26.6% at the individual dimension (n = 40). Four major themes emerged: (1) a psychiatric diagnosis has far-reaching consequences for an individual's life, (2) the social structure affects how patients experience psychiatric disorders, (3) students related personal experience or those of friends and family to understand psychiatric disorders, and (4) medical humanities are of particular importance in psychiatric education. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that the scenario-based discussions led by a multidisciplinary team of facilitators can benefit medical students with limited clinical experience to contemplate the socio-philosophical aspects of psychiatry. The authors suggest that this pedagogical model during preclinical education should be encouraged.

Variation in local population size predicts social network structure in wild songbirds.

The structure of animal societies is a key determinant of many ecological and evolutionary processes. Yet, we know relatively little about the factors and mechanisms that underpin detailed social structure. Among other factors, social structure can be influenced by habitat configuration. By shaping animal movement decisions, heterogeneity in habitat features, such as vegetation and the availability of resources, can influence the spatiotemporal distribution of individuals and subsequently key socioecological properties such as the local population size and density. Differences in local population size and density can impact opportunities for social associations and may thus drive substantial variation in local social structure. Here, we investigated spatiotemporal variation in population size at 65 distinct locations in a small songbird, the great tit (Parus major) and its effect on social network structure. We first explored the within-location consistency of population size from weekly samples and whether the observed variation in local population size was predicted by the underlying habitat configuration. Next, we created social networks from the birds' foraging associations at each location for each week and examined if local population size affected social structure. We show that population size is highly repeatable within locations across weeks and years and that some of the observed variation in local population size was predicted by the underlying habitat, with locations closer to the forest edge having on average larger population sizes. Furthermore, we show that local population size affected social structure inferred by four global network metrics. Using simple simulations, we then reveal that much of the observed social structure is shaped by social processes. Across different population sizes, the birds' social structure was largely explained by their preference to forage in flocks. In addition, over and above effects of social foraging, social preferences between birds (i.e. social relationships) shaped certain network features such as the extent of realized social connections. Our findings thus suggest that individual social decisions substantially contribute to shaping certain social network features over and above effects of population size alone.

Genetic Monitoring of Grey Wolves in Latvia Shows Adverse Reproductive and Social Consequences of Hunting.

Nowadays, genetic research methods play an important role in animal population studies. Since 2009, genetic material from Latvian wolf specimens obtained through hunting has been systematically gathered. This study, spanning until 2021, scrutinizes the consequences of regulated wolf hunting on population genetic metrics, kinship dynamics, and social organization. We employed 16 autosomal microsatellites to investigate relationships between full siblings and parent-offspring pairs. Our analysis encompassed expected and observed heterozygosity, inbreeding coefficients, allelic diversity, genetic distance and differentiation, mean pairwise relatedness, and the number of migrants per generation. The Latvian wolf population demonstrated robust genetic diversity with minimal inbreeding, maintaining stable allelic diversity and high heterozygosity over time and it is not fragmented. Our findings reveal the persistence of conventional wolf pack structures and enduring kinship groups. However, the study also underscores the adverse effects of intensified hunting pressure, leading to breeder loss, pack disruption, territorial displacement, and the premature dispersal of juvenile wolves.

Parental breeding decisions and genetic quality predict social structure of independent offspring.

Across the animal kingdom, newly independent juveniles form social associations that influence later fitness, mate choice and gene flow, but little is known about the ontogeny of social environments, particularly in wild populations. Here we test whether associations among young animals form randomly or are influenced by environmental or genetic conditions established by parents. Parents' decisions determine natal birth sites, which could affect who independent young initially encounter; secondly, mate choice determines genetic condition (e.g. inbreeding) of young and the parental care they receive, which can affect sociability. However, genetic and environmental factors are confounded unless related offspring experience different natal environments. Therefore, we used a long-term genetic pedigree, breeding records and social network data from three cohorts of a songbird with high extra-pair paternity (hihi, Notiomystis cincta) to disentangle (1) how nest location and relatedness contribute to association structure once juveniles disperse away from birth sites, and (2) if juvenile and/or parental inbreeding predicts individual sociability. We detected positive spatial autocorrelation: hihi that fledged closer by were more likely to associate even after dispersing, irrespective of genetic relatedness. Juvenile inbreeding did not predict sociability, but those raised by more inbred fathers formed more, stronger, associations, which did not depend on whether that male was the genetic parent or not. These results suggest that the natal environment created by parents, rather than focal genetic condition, establishes the foundation for social associations. Overall, we highlight how social inheritance may play an important role in population dynamics and evolutionary potential in wild animals.

Coup in the coop: Rank changes in chicken dominance hierarchies over maturation.

Chicken dominance hierarchies or pecking orders are established before maturation and maintained by consistent submissive responses of subordinate individuals, leading to stable ranks within unchanged groups. We observed interactions of 418 laying hens (Gallus gallus domesticus) distributed across three small (20) and three large (∼120) groups. The observations were performed before sexual maturation (young period) and additionally after onset of maturation (mature period) to confirm stability of ranks. Dominance ranks were estimated via the Elo rating system across both observation periods. Diagnostics of the ranks revealed unexpected uncertainty and rank instability for the full dataset, although sampling appeared to be adequate. Subsequent evaluations of ranks based on the mature period only, showed more reliable ranks than across both observation periods. Furthermore, winning success during the young period did not directly predict high rank during the mature period. These results indicated rank changes between observation periods. The current study design could not discern whether ranks were stable in all pens before maturation. However, our data rather suggested active rank mobility after hierarchy establishment to be the cause for our findings. Once thought to be stable, chicken hierarchies may provide an excellent system to study causes and implications of active rank mobility.

The interface of gambling and cultural practices: a Tongan male perspective in Aotearoa | New Zealand.

Introduction: For over 30 years, Pacific people have been identified as more at risk of developing problem gambling behaviors than the general population. That observation has not changed despite the increase in treatment service providers, Pacific gambling literature and problem-gambling literature, which are primarily quantitative-based. This article explores the interface of gambling and cultural practices from a Tongan male perspective to consider whether status advancement and rank contribute to the problem-gambling statistics and the qualitative reasons why Tongan peoples engage in gambling activities. Methods: A phenomenological approach using the talanoa research method was employed to carry out this study. A total of 46 Tongan males participated in this study. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was employed to interpret the data. The ethical approval reference number 16/452 for this research was granted by the Auckland University of Technology Ethics Committee (AUTEC). Results: Participants noted the concept of fatongia as a motivating factor for Tongans to engage in gambling activities, which, in turn, elevates family and village status and rank. Discussion: Strategies and recommendations around raising cultural awareness with treatment providers are critical to understanding Tongan gambling in New Zealand.

Examining the research taxonomy of artificial intelligence, deep learning & machine learning in the financial sphere-a bibliometric analysis.

This paper surveys the extant literature on machine learning, artificial intelligence, and deep learning mechanisms within the financial sphere using bibliometric methods. We considered the conceptual and social structure of publications in ML, AI, and DL in finance to better understand the research's status, development, and growth. The study finds an upsurge in publication trends within this research arena, with a bit of concentration around the financial domain. The institutional contributions from USA and China constitute much of the literature on applying ML and AI in finance. Our analysis identifies emerging research themes, with the most futuristic being ESG scoring using ML and AI. However, we find there is a lack of empirical academic research with a critical appraisal of these algorithmic-based advanced automated financial technologies. There are severe pitfalls in the prediction process using ML and AI due to algorithmic biases, mostly in the areas of insurance, credit scoring and mortgages. Thus, this study indicates the next evolution of ML and DL archetypes in the economic sphere and the need for a strategic turnaround in academics regarding these forces of disruption and innovation that are shaping the future of finance.

Motivated Categories: Social Structures Shape the Construction of Social Categories Through Attentional Mechanisms.

PUBLIC ABSTRACT: Social categories like race and gender often give rise to stereotypes and prejudice, and a great deal of research has focused on how motivations influence these biased beliefs. Here, we focus on potential biases in how these categories are even formed in the first place, suggesting that motivations can influence the very categories people use to group others. We propose that motivations to share schemas with other people and to gain resources shape people's attention to dimensions like race, gender, and age in different contexts. Specifically, people will pay attention to dimensions to the degree that the conclusions produced from using those dimensions align with their motivations. Overall, we suggest that simply examining the downstream effects of social categorization like stereotyping and prejudice is not enough, and that research should look earlier in the process at how and when we form the categories on which those stereotypes are based.

Role of social structure in establishment of an invasive large mammal after translocation.

BACKGROUND: Data on the movement behavior of translocated wild pigs is needed to develop appropriate response strategies for containing and eliminating new source populations following translocation events. We conducted experimental trials to compare the home range establishment and space-use metrics, including the number of days and distance traveled before becoming range residents, for wild pigs translocated with their social group and individually. RESULTS: We found wild pigs translocated with their social group made less extensive movements away from the release location and established a stable home range ~5 days faster than those translocated individually. We also examined how habitat quality impacted the home range sizes of translocated wild pigs and found wild pigs maintained larger ranges in areas with higher proportion of low-quality habitat. CONCLUSION: Collectively, our findings suggest translocations of invasive wild pigs have a greater probability of establishing a viable population near the release site when habitat quality is high and when released with members of their social unit compared to individuals moved independent of their social group or to low-quality habitat. However, all wild pigs translocated in our study made extensive movements from their release location, highlighting the potential for single translocation events of either individuals or groups to have far-reaching consequences within a much broader landscape beyond the location where they are released. These results highlight the challenges associated with containing populations in areas where illegal introduction of wild pigs occurs, and the need for rapid response once releases are identified. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Why can't we be friends? Exploring factors associated with cat owners' perceptions of the cat-cat relationship in two-cat households.

Most research examining cat behavior in multi-cat households lacks focus on one group size. This gap in knowledge reduces generalizability of research findings to specific compositions of cats in multi-cat households. Given that many cat-owning households in Canada and the US are comprised of two cats, the following study used a cross-sectional survey to explore cat owners' perceptions of the cat-cat relationship in two-cat households in Canada and the US. A total of 6,529 owners of two cats completed the online questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data and a logistic regression model used to assess various explanatory variables (i.e., household, management, and cat-specific factors) associated with participants perceiving their cats' relationship as negative. The logistic regression model showed that owners of two-cat households are more likely to perceive their cats' relationship as negative if both cats are spayed females, adult or mature, have a large gap in age, not related, one or both have access to the outdoors, or show aggression toward people or other animals in the home. Having multiple litterbox and feeding areas were also associated with a more negative cat-cat relationship. Overall, the complex interplay, directionality, and temporality of these factors requires further investigation for a full understanding of how to improve the cat-cat relationship in two-cat households. More research is needed to provide evidence-based recommendations for managing and supporting a positive cat-cat relationship in the home.