<p>Little attention has been paid to the psychological determinants by which benefits are accrued via yoga practice in cancer-related clinical settings. Using a longitudinal multilevel modeling approach, associations between affect, mindfulness, and patient-reported mental health outcomes, including mood disturbance, stress symptoms, and health-related quality of life (HRQL), were examined in an existing seven-week yoga program for cancer survivors. Participants (N = 66) were assessed before and after the yoga program and at three- and six-month follow-ups. Decreases in mood disturbance and stress symptoms and improvements in HRQL were observed upon program completion. Improvements in mood disturbance and stress symptoms were maintained at the three- and six-month follow-ups. HRQL exhibited further improvement at the three-month follow-up, which was maintained at the six-month follow-up. Improvements in measures of well-being were predicted by initial positive yoga beliefs and concurrently assessed affective and mindfulness predictor variables. Previous yoga experience, affect, mindfulness, and HRQL were related to yoga practice maintenance over the course of the study.</p>
Many scholars have made the call for teacher educators to provide experiences that can lead preservice teachers to embrace a culturally responsive pedagogy. We investigated the use of brief autobiographies during an internship as a tool (a) for preservice teachers to examine their multidimensional culture; and (b) for teacher educators to assess preservice teachers' developing understandings about cultural responsive pedagogy and then further design curriculum to enhance these understandings. Using qualitative methods, we analyzed the preservice teachers' (N = 24) autobiographies and an interview with the professor of this course. Based on the findings of this study, we suggest teacher educators need to develop experiences and opportunities that will enable preservice teachers to reflect on how culture impacts teaching and learning behaviors. Therefore, preservice teachers will be better prepared to teach all students.
Purpose: Meditative movement (MM) practices are increasingly being studied, including examination of the potential for these modalities to contribute to weight management.Methods: A search was conducted for randomized controlled trials testing one or both of two forms of MM, Tai Chi and Qigong, reporting effects on changes in body composition. Data from these studies were extracted and tabled, and a meta-analysis of studies with inactive control conditions was conducted. Risk of bias was assessed, and seven RCTs had a low risk of bias. Sources of bias include publication bias and selection of English only.Results: Publications meeting inclusion criteria yielded 24 studies (N = 1621 participants). Significant improvements in body composition, primarily body mass index, were noted for 41.7% of studies. A synthesis table describes the distribution of design factors, including type of comparison condition (inactive vs. active) and baseline body composition status (whether or not overweight/obese). A meta-analysis was conducted on 12 studies with inactive controls (using a random effects model) finding a small-to-medium treatment effect (SMD = − 0.388, CI = [− 0.732, − 0.044], t = 2.48, p < 0.03) for TC or QG interventions with a high level of heterogeneity.Conclusions: Tai Chi and Qigong show demonstrable effects on body composition, when compared to inactive control conditions. Systematic evaluation and valid conclusions regarding the impact of Tai Chi and Qigong on body composition outcomes will require more targeted study designs and control of comparison conditions. ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR
Aging involves a gradual increase in disorder of the systems that sustain living. Although stress is a major driver of this process, one stressor, caloric restriction (CR), is the only intervention proven to extend life span in multiple species as well as extend the persistence of those characteristics that are associated with youth. CR has been used since ancient times to enhance many of those characteristics: principally, increased activity levels and heightened levels of mental acuity. Religious ascetics, often living in monastic communities, have provided long-term opportunities to observe the effects of CR, or fasting, in humans. Tibetan medicine has made use of observations, which include that of enhanced immune function, in its dietary prescriptions. In the hopes of reaping these benefits for the general population, scientists focusing their research on the aging process have sought mimetics that will deliver the benefits of CR without requiring the discipline of fasting. The search begins with discovering the processes that make CR work.
During the past 30 years, there has been an increase in the incidence of cancer in adolescents. While recent studies have illustrated remarkable resilience in youth living with cancer, they can also face daunting acute and chronic adjustment struggles, cognitive and school problems, family and peer relational difficulties, depression, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and other anxiety disorders. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), increasingly shown to be effective in a variety of medical and mental health settings, may be particularly beneficial for adolescents with cancer. This paper reviews evidence from clinical trials of MBIs showing a variety of benefits for adult cancer patients, adolescents with anxiety disorders and chronic pain, and clinically healthy teenagers, which collectively point to likely benefits of MBIs for teen cancer patients. The authors also explore ways that the particular psychological problems often faced by teen cancer patients, including anxiety about the future, may be especially well suited to mindfulness approaches such as learning to observe physical sensations, thoughts, and emotions, as well as cultivating compassion towards themselves and others. The paper concludes with an exploration of unanswered and potential research questions regarding the future use of MBIs with adolescents with cancer, and potentially with teenagers with other chronic diseases.
Objective: To provide a descriptive overview of the clinical trials assessing meditation practices for health care.Design: Systematic review of the literature. Comprehensive searches were conducted in 17 electronic bibliographic databases through September 2005. Other sources of potentially relevant studies included hand searches, reference tracking, contacting experts, and gray literature searches. Included studies were clinical trials with 10 or more adult participants using any meditation practice, providing quantitative data on health-related outcomes, and published in English. Two independent reviewers assessed study relevance, extracted the data, and assessed the methodological quality of the studies.Results: Four hundred clinical trials on meditation (72% described as randomized) were included in the review (publication years 1956–2005). Five broad categories of meditation practices were identified: mantra meditation, mindfulness meditation, yoga, t'ai chi, and qigong. The three most studied clinical conditions were hypertension, miscellaneous cardiovascular diseases, and substance abuse. Psychosocial measures were the most frequently reported outcomes. Outcome measures of psychiatric and psychological symptoms dominate the outcomes of interest. Overall, the methodological quality of clinical trials is poor, but has significantly improved over time by 0.014 points every year (95% CI, 0.005, 0.023).Conclusions: Most clinical trials on meditation practices are generally characterized by poor methodological quality with significant threats to validity in every major quality domain assessed. Despite a statistically significant improvement in the methodological quality over time, it is imperative that future trials on meditation be rigorous in design, execution, analysis, and the reporting of results.
Compared to the general population, youth in foster care experience multiple psychosocial difficulties due to exceptionally high rates of maltreatment. Many youth in care receive psychological and/or psychotropic treatment but not all require or are willing to accept that level of intervention. For many, a “mental health” approach feels pathologizing. Nevertheless, these youth have suffered maltreatment and interventions to improve their ability to cope with past trauma and their often uncertain present are clearly needed. Cognitively-Based Compassion Training (CBCT) provides an alternative perspective on suffering and can be framed as a wellness intervention that is appropriate for all humans. The present study examined whether a 6-week CBCT intervention would improve psychosocial functioning among adolescents in foster care. Seventy adolescents were randomized to CBCT (twice weekly) or a wait-list condition. Youth were assessed at baseline and after 6 weeks. Groups did not differ on measures of psychosocial functioning following training; however practice frequency was associated with increased hopefulness and a trend for a decrease in generalized anxiety. Qualitative results indicated that participants found CBCT useful for dealing with daily life stressors. Adolescents in care were willing to engage in CBCT. The majority reported CBCT was very helpful and almost all reported they would recommend CBCT to a friend. Participants reported specific instances of using CBCT strategies to regulate emotion, manage stress, or to respond more compassionately towards others. Standardized self-report measures were not sensitive to qualitative reports of improved functioning, suggesting the need for measures more sensitive to the positive changes noted or longer training periods to demonstrate effects. Practical issues surrounding implementation of such programs in high-risk youth populations are identified. Recommendations are provided for further development.
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Community gardens fulfil many roles, including the reclamation of public space, community building, and the facilitation of social and cultural expression. This paper discusses a nexus between research and education for sustainability that evolved out of an examination of the role of community gardens in fostering community development and neighbourhood improvement in Sydney's Waterloo Public Housing Estate. It argues that they are also an educational resource providing a valuable platform for learning about multiple dimensions of sustainability. The paper is based on interdisciplinary research undertaken by a team from UNSWs Faculty of the Built Environment and the School of Social Work. The findings of this research affirm the importance of community gardens for public housing tenants, and present the gardens and their associated activities as an effective platform for education for sustainability.
Community gardens fulfil many roles, including the reclamation of public space, community building, and the facilitation of social and cultural expression. This paper discusses a nexus between research and education for sustainability that evolved out of an examination of the role of community gardens in fostering community development and neighbourhood improvement in Sydney's Waterloo Public Housing Estate. It argues that they are also an educational resource providing a valuable platform for learning about multiple dimensions of sustainability. The paper is based on interdisciplinary research undertaken by a team from UNSWs Faculty of the Built Environment and the School of Social Work. The findings of this research affirm the importance of community gardens for public housing tenants, and present the gardens and their associated activities as an effective platform for education for sustainability.
The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in the prevalence of somatic diseases among combat veterans and their contemporaries who were not exposed to the traumatic experience at the battlefield, and to determine whether socio-demographic factors, exposure to war-time trauma and/or injury might predict individual somatic diseases. The study included 1,558 subjects living in south Croatia: 501 male combat veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the corresponding control group of 825 men who were not exposed to combat experience. Veterans with PTSD, regardless of the length of time spent in war, suffered more often from cardiovascular, dermatological, musculoskeletal, pulmonary and metabolic diseases than corresponding control subjects who were not exposed to combat experience. The predictors of cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and malignant diseases in veterans were age, length of time spent in combat, having been wounded. A longer period in the combat zone was associated with arrhythmias in veterans with PTSD complicated with other psychiatric comorbidities. PTSD as a result of exposure to war trauma increases the possibility of developing somatic diseases.Resumen
El propósito de este estudio ha sido comparar la frecuencia de trastornos somáticos en veteranos de guerra y personas no expuestas a la experiencia traumática del campo de batalla, así como determinar si la exposición a factores socio-demográficos en tiempo de guerra pueden predisponer a traumas, alteraciones o trastornos somáticos. El estudio incluye 1,558 sujetos del sur de Croacia: 501 varones veteranos de guerra con síndrome de estrés postraumático (TEPT) y un grupo de control de 825 varones no expuestos a la experiencia de combate. Los veteranos con TEPT, independientemente del tiempo pasado en la guerra, desarrollan más a menudo alteraciones gastrointestinales, cardiovasculares, dermatológicas, locomotoras, pulmonares y metabólicas que los sujetos del grupo control. Los indicadores de alteraciones cardiológicas, locomotoras, entre otros, en veteranos han sido la edad, el tiempo pasado en combate y el daño allí sufrido. Un largo período en la zona de combate ha sido asociado con arritmias y otras complicaciones de tipo psiquiátrico. El TEPT, como resultado de la exposición a experiencias traumáticas del campo de batalla, incrementa la posibilidad de desarrollo de trastornos somáticos.
<b>Aim: </b> To compare maternal and neonatal outcomes of Tibetan and Han Chinese women delivering vaginally at high altitude (3650 meters) in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China.<br><b>Method: </b> Comparative analysis of data from a prospective observational study of Tibetan (<i>n</i> = 938) and Han Chinese (<i>n</i> = 146) women delivering at three hospitals between January 2004 and May 2005.<br><b>Results: </b> Han Chinese women had higher rates of pre-eclampsia/gestational hypertension than Tibetan women, (10.3% vs 5.9%, <i>P</i> = 0.04). There was no difference in rates of postpartum hemorrhage between Tibetan and Han women (12.8% vs 17.1%, <i>P</i> = 0.15). Han newborns weighed significantly less than Tibetan newborns (<i>P</i> < 0.01), and were twice as likely to be small for gestational age, (24.5% vs 11.6%, <i>P</i> < 0.01). Tibetan newborns were less likely to have poor neonatal outcomes than Han newborns (<i>P</i> < 0.01).<br><b>Conclusion: </b> In high altitude deliveries in Tibet, adverse outcomes were significantly more common among Han Chinese.
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) includes a variety of therapeutic approaches not typically taught in conventional medical schools or used by the majority of conventionally trained physicians (Gordon JS, Curtin SR, Comprehensive cancer care: integrating alternative, complementary, and conventional therapies. Perseus, Cambridge, MA, 2000). Complementary refers to modalities used to complement—that is, used in addition to conventional medicine—while alternative is usually used to describe treatments intended to replace conventional treatment (Murphy et al., Informed decisions: the complete book of cancer diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. Viking, New York, 1997). Some such practices enjoy a history of research to support claims of efficacy but have not gained popularity among the majority of medical practitioners (e.g., use of acupuncture to reduce chemotherapy-induced nausea) (Dibble et al., Oncol Nurs Forum 27:41-47, 2000; Mayer, Annu Rev Med 51:49-63, 2000; Shen et al., JAMA 284:2755-2761, 2000); others either lack or have unsupportive research to back claims of safety or efficacy. Even so, the determination of which modalities are complementary or alternative may shift over time as research and practice move some into conventional use and disprove others. Some practices less amenable to our current research epistemology may never move out of CAM nomenclature or perceptions (such as multimodality system approaches, energy medicine, or spiritually based practices).<br>Currently, CAM broadly encompasses a range of substances, practices, practitioners, and belief systems that fall outside of the conventional medical model. CAM substances include botanicals (also known as herbs), vitamins, minerals, specific nutrients, enzymes, foods, and homeopathy. CAM practices include a variety of mind-body and meditative movement (e.g., meditation, yoga, Qigong; Larkey et al., 2010) interventions, dietary modifications such as macrobiotic or raw food, and numerous culturally based interventions focusing on various body, mind, or spiritual interventions. CAM practitioners use therapeutics with varying levels of training, with great variation in licensing laws and insurance reimbursement depending on state (United States), province (Canada), or country (Cherkin et al., J Am Board Fam Pract 15:378-390, 2002; Eisenberg et al., Ann Intern Med 137:965-973, 2002). These practitioners include, but are not limited to, naturopathic physicians, chiropractors, acupuncturists, herbalists (both Western and Chinese), massage therapists, Ayurvedic practitioners, Native American healers, Tibetan physicians, Reiki practitioners, Healing Touch practitioners, and spiritual healers. Although conventional in many cultures, belief systems or perceptions of health, healing, and the body that are considered to be CAM by conventional medical practitioners in the United States (USA) include traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Ayurvedic medicine, Tibetan medicine, and Native American medicine. CAM substances, practitioners, practices, and belief systems have undergone varying levels of scientific scrutiny, with the current emphasis in US research focusing on elucidating their biological mechanisms of action.<br>The US National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) categorizes CAM into four domains ( http://nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam ): mind-body medicine, such as meditation, prayer, and music therapy; biologically based agents, such as dietary supplements, herbal products, and functional foods; manipulative and body-based practices, such as chiropractic manipulation and massage; and energy medicine, which includes biofield therapies (i.e., Qigong, Reiki, and Therapeutic Touch) and bioelectromagnetic-based therapies (pulsed fields and magnetic fields). In addition, NCCAM studies whole medical systems, which cut across all domains, including naturopathic medicine, TCM, and Ayurveda.<br>This chapter begins by discussing how CAM therapies currently fit into the field of cancer prevention research and then discusses some of the more promising CAM biological agents being studied for their cancer prevention properties, including foods, spices, and botanicals. The research on these biological modalities most resembles conventional research on mechanisms of action, such as chemoprevention or dietary interventions that effect biochemical changes. Next, this chapter discusses some of the CAM approaches that are less well matched to the medical model of biochemical responses, including healing approaches that utilize the mind-body relationship, traditional systems of healing founded in ancient wisdom and practice, and the more esoteric areas of spirituality and energy medicine.
<p>The article gives an account of the concepts of illness and curing in a central Nepal village. This description of illness and its treatments is based on research carried out in the village of Dhungagaun, which is located nearly 50 miles north-west of Kathmandu in Nuwakot district, Bagmati zone. Dhungagaun is predominantly a Brahman-Chetri village as half of its inhabitants are of high castes, including Jaisi and Thakuri, and few middle ranking Matwali groups like Newar, Gurung, Magar, Tamang as well as a few untouchables castes - Dami and Kami. The article begins with a discussion of local conceptions and the principles behind curing. The use of herbs, mantras, and amulets is covered as well as techniques for the appeasement of supernatural forces. The author's main motive to study traditional treatments of illness is the opening of Dhungagaun to medical development. The article includes 3 leaves of plates. (Rajeev Ranjan Singh 2007-01-09)</p>
The goal of this course is to explore meditative and contemplative
tradition in various cultures and spiritual traditions, and study the ways in which
contemplative practice can contribute to psychotherapy, both indirectly through
the meditative practice of the therapist, and directly through application in the
therapy proper.
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<p>This article draws on research in neuroscience, cognitive science, developmental psychology, and education, as well as scholarship from contemplative traditions concerning the cultivation of positive development, to highlight a set of mental skills and socioemotional dispositions that are central to the aims of education in the 21st century. These include self-regulatory skills associated with emotion and attention, self-representations, and prosocial dispositions such as empathy and compassion. It should be possible to strengthen these positive qualities and dispositions through systematic contemplative practices, which induce plastic changes in brain function and structure, supporting prosocial behavior and academic success in young people. These putative beneficial consequences call for focused programmatic research to better characterize which forms and frequencies of practice are most effective for which types of children and adolescents. Results from such research may help refine training programs to maximize their effectiveness at different ages and to document the changes in neural function and structure that might be induced.</p>
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This article draws on research in neuroscience, cognitive science, developmental psychology, and education, as well as scholarship from contemplative traditions concerning the cultivation of positive development, to highlight a set of mental skills and socioemotional dispositions that are central to the aims of education in the 21st century. These include self-regulatory skills associated with emotion and attention, self-representations, and prosocial dispositions such as empathy and compassion. It should be possible to strengthen these positive qualities and dispositions through systematic contemplative practices, which induce plastic changes in brain function and structure, supporting prosocial behavior and academic success in young people. These putative beneficial consequences call for focused programmatic research to better characterize which forms and frequencies of practice are most effective for which types of children and adolescents. Results from such research may help refine training programs to maximize their effectiveness at different ages and to document the changes in neural function and structure that might be induced.
This article draws on research in neuroscience, cognitive science, developmental psychology, and education, as well as scholarship from contemplative traditions concerning the cultivation of positive development, to highlight a set of mental skills and socioemotional dispositions that are central to the aims of education in the 21st century. These include self-regulatory skills associated with emotion and attention, self-representations, and prosocial dispositions such as empathy and compassion. It should be possible to strengthen these positive qualities and dispositions through systematic contemplative practices, which induce plastic changes in brain function and structure, supporting prosocial behavior and academic success in young people. These putative beneficial consequences call for focused programmatic research to better characterize which forms and frequencies of practice are most effective for which types of children and adolescents. Results from such research may help refine training programs to maximize their effectiveness at different ages and to document the changes in neural function and structure that might be induced.
This article draws on research in neuroscience, cognitive science, developmental psychology, and education, as well as scholarship from contemplative traditions concerning the cultivation of positive development, to highlight a set of mental skills and socioemotional dispositions that are central to the aims of education in the 21st century. These include self-regulatory skills associated with emotion and attention, self-representations, and prosocial dispositions such as empathy and compassion. It should be possible to strengthen these positive qualities and dispositions through systematic contemplative practices, which induce plastic changes in brain function and structure, supporting prosocial behavior and academic success in young people. These putative beneficial consequences call for focused programmatic research to better characterize which forms and frequencies of practice are most effective for which types of children and adolescents. Results from such research may help refine training programs to maximize their effectiveness at different ages and to document the changes in neural function and structure that might be induced.
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This article draws on research in neuroscience, cognitive science, developmental psychology, and education, as well as scholarship from contemplative traditions concerning the cultivation of positive development, to highlight a set of mental skills and socioemotional dispositions that are central to the aims of education in the 21st century. These include self-regulatory skills associated with emotion and attention, self-representations, and prosocial dispositions such as empathy and compassion. It should be possible to strengthen these positive qualities and dispositions through systematic contemplative practices, which induce plastic changes in brain function and structure, supporting prosocial behavior and academic success in young people. These putative beneficial consequences call for focused programmatic research to better characterize which forms and frequencies of practice are most effective for which types of children and adolescents. Results from such research may help refine training programs to maximize their effectiveness at different ages and to document the changes in neural function and structure that might be induced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]; Copyright of Child Development Perspectives is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
The complexities of 21st-century life—personal, social,cultural, and environmental—demand thoughtful responses,responses fostered and enhanced through contemplative experience.Contemplative education includes studies of the history,psychology, and socialcultural context of such experience, as wellas the development of experiential knowledge through one or morepersonal practices.Contemplative education has recently emerged in the academy.Although there has been significant published discussion ofpostsecondary courses and programs that incorporate contemplativeviews and practices, there have been few studies of relevantcurricula and pedagogy. This volume integrates research, theory,and practice through a fusion of perspectives and approaches,giving readers the opportunity to review contemplative educationalconcepts and applications in academic, social, and institutionaldomains.This is the 134th volume of this Jossey-Bass higher educationseries. New Directions for Teaching and Learning offers acomprehensive range of ideas and techniques for improving collegeteaching based on the experience of seasoned instructors and thelatest findings of educational and psychological researchers.
The complexities of 21st-century life—personal, social,cultural, and environmental—demand thoughtful responses,responses fostered and enhanced through contemplative experience.Contemplative education includes studies of the history,psychology, and socialcultural context of such experience, as wellas the development of experiential knowledge through one or morepersonal practices.Contemplative education has recently emerged in the academy.Although there has been significant published discussion ofpostsecondary courses and programs that incorporate contemplativeviews and practices, there have been few studies of relevantcurricula and pedagogy. This volume integrates research, theory,and practice through a fusion of perspectives and approaches,giving readers the opportunity to review contemplative educationalconcepts and applications in academic, social, and institutionaldomains.This is the 134th volume of this Jossey-Bass higher educationseries. New Directions for Teaching and Learning offers acomprehensive range of ideas and techniques for improving collegeteaching based on the experience of seasoned instructors and thelatest findings of educational and psychological researchers.
This book provides higher education faculty and administrators a scholarly resource on the most salient aspects and emerging trends in creative learning in higher education today. International contributors explore ways to foster creativity in any student, regardless of academic discipline or demographic characteristics and demonstrate that creativity is a skill all students can and should learn. Chapters analyzes how different countries and cultures implement creative learning, exploring issues of instruction, assessment, and ultimately how these practices are transforming learning. This important book helps higher education professionals understand and cultivate creative learning across disciplines in any college and university setting.
Adults often feel the pressures of today's fast-paced world and think back longingly to a time when their daily lives were a lot less hectic. One third of the respondents in one study report that they are living with "extreme stress" and almost half feel that the level of stress in their lives has increased over the past five years. Children are not immune to this high pressure epidemic. This article highlights research in Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and demonstrates how teachers help students learn the skills to handle stress, manage emotions, achieve wellness, and develop inner resilience. ["Cultivating the Social, Emotional, and Inner Lives of Children and Teachers" was written with Madhavi Nambiar.]
<p>The article discusses childlessness in a Hindu context. A discussion of childlessness amounts to a discussion of an extreme - a negative end point in the spectrum of life's possibilities. The Brahman-Chetri population in Nepal face this extreme directly. The author argues that childlessness becomes important not as a problem affecting great numbers but as a conceptual model of what people are culturally induced to fear and avoid. The article discusses secondary wives by orthodox marriage and by elopement, which are the main methods for improving the chances of having a child. It also compares the issues of childlessness and social options in comparison with sub-Saharan Africa. (Rajeev Ranjan Singh 2007-01-15)</p>
There is growing momentum across the country to support statewide implementation of social and emotional learning (SEL) in preschool through high school. In this brief we report on how many states have developed learning standards to support SEL. We have observed commonalities in the process states have used, and we share some of the lessons we have learned.
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