Search Results (7)

Background/Objectives: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects both motor and non-motor functioning, leading to increasing dependency and long-term psychosocial consequences. As the disease progresses, partners often assume caregiving roles, resulting in shifts in responsibilities, communication patterns, and emotional dynamics within marital relationships. The aim of this study was therefore to explore the impact of Parkinson’s disease on marital relationships. Methods: A qualitative interview study with a retrospective design was conducted. Six couples were recruited through a movement disorders clinic and a lay organization in Sweden. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted separately with each partner. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using conventional content analysis with an inductive design. Results: Four main themes emerged: managing the disease together in partnership, nurturing the relationship, facing marital hardship, and planning an uncertain future. Couples who adopted a positive and pragmatic outlook, shared responsibilities, and maintained open communication seemed to be better able to manage the disease. Engaging in joint activities and reciprocal communication strengthened emotional closeness. In contrast, changes in roles, emotional distress, loss of intimacy, and communication avoidance challenged relationships. Thinking about the future evoked feelings of ambivalence, as couples balanced uncertainty with a need for security. Conclusions: Parkinson’s disease affects marital relationships, reshaping roles, emotional bonds, and future perspectives. The ability of nurses to address both partners’ needs and promote communication and shared coping strategies is essential to strengthening couples’ well-being. Full article

Suicide is a major public health problem worldwide, and its reported reasons and methods show marked variation by gender and age. Although suicide rates are generally higher among men, suicides among women demonstrate distinct sociodemographic and age-related patterns that remain insufficiently explored. In Türkiye, national suicide statistics are available; however, nationwide, age-stratified analyses focusing exclusively on women are limited. This study aimed to investigate long-term trends, age-related differences in reported reasons and methods of suicide among women in Türkiye, and to provide insights relevant to age- and gender-sensitive prevention strategies. This retrospective, nationwide descriptive study analysed female suicide data obtained from the Turkish Statistical Institute between 2009 and 2023. A total of 12,868 female suicide cases were included (mean age 36.5 ± 19.3 years). Data were evaluated according to year, age group, marital status, educational level, suicide cause, and suicide method. Causes and methods were classified based on official administrative categories. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and associations between age groups and suicide causes and methods were assessed using Pearson’s chi-square test. During the 15-year study period, 12,868 women died by suicide in Türkiye. The annual suicide rate ranged from 1.81 to 2.46 per 100,000 population, with the lowest rate observed in 2017 and the highest in 2022. Among all age groups, the most frequent cause of suicide was illness, especially in women aged 45 and older. The proportion of suicides due to illness was 13.9% in the 15–24 age group, 24.6% in 25–34, 41.0% in 45–54, and 42.3% in 55–64 (p < 0.001). Emotional and relationship-related causes were more prevalent among younger women, particularly in the 15–24 age group (4.8%), but declined significantly with age (p < 0.001). Economic hardship was the least cited cause overall, especially among women under 35 (p < 0.001). Regarding methods of suicide, hanging was the most common method in all age groups and increased with age—35.8% in 15–24, 55.1% in 45–54, and 63.5% in 75+ age group (p < 0.001). The use of chemical substances peaked in the 15–24 age group (12.4%) and declined in older women (5.8% in 75+). Firearm use showed a significant inverse relationship with age, from 24.6% in those under 15 to 0.8% in women aged 75 and over (p < 0.001). These age-related differences in both the causes and methods of suicide were statistically significant (p < 0.001). Female suicide in Türkiye exhibits pronounced age-dependent differences in both causes and methods. Illness-related suicides and hanging predominate in older age groups, while younger women show a more diverse pattern of reported reasons and methods. The high prevalence of nonspecific classifications highlights limitations in current suicide reporting systems. These findings underscore the need for improved suicide classification, enhanced surveillance, and age- and gender-sensitive prevention strategies tailored to women across the lifespan. Full article

Communities susceptible to disasters frequently endure severe socio-economic and psychological repercussions. Therefore, it is essential to thoroughly understand the various vulnerabilities encountered by different groups. Residents of New Orleans, Louisiana, faced significant hardships after Hurricane Katrina hit on 29 August 2005. A multitude of individuals lost their residences, while others, regrettably, lost family members. The Displaced New Orleans Residents Survey (DNORS) offered significant insights into individuals and households living in New Orleans immediately prior to Hurricane Katrina’s impact in August 2005. The survey interview was conducted from mid-2009 until mid-2010. This study utilizes DNORS public data files to evaluate socio-demographic characteristics pertinent to the analysis, including age, gender, race/ethnicity, marital status, household income, education level, employment status in 2005, and insurance coverage, alongside psychological measures such as mental health symptoms, posttraumatic stress, depression, and perceived stress. The research employs various regression techniques to identify the at-risk categories affected psychologically and physically by the hurricane. These findings may aid policymakers in developing targeted post-disaster recovery strategies, thereby promoting more resilient and sustainable communities. Full article

Parents and typically developing (TD) youth siblings of individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) often experience greater caregiving burden, stress, and hardships in family functioning. They are at increased risk of family conflict and youth adjustment problems when TD siblings are adolescents since they need to balance caregiving responsibilities and various changes that naturally occur during adolescence. However, there is a lack of intervention research on parents and TD adolescent siblings that focuses on family conflict and family-wide participation. This study analyzed whether participating in a brief family intervention could improve families’ knowledge of marital and family-wide conflict and TD adolescents’ adjustment problems. We found that mothers and fathers significantly improved their knowledge of marital conflict and that TD adolescents significantly improved their knowledge of family-wide conflict. We also found that fathers reported significant reductions in internalizing and externalizing problems in TD adolescents. The findings support the impact of even brief evidence-based interventions targeting family-level improvements for families with both TD adolescent siblings and individuals with IDD. The findings also accentuate the significance of involving both mothers and fathers in family intervention research, suggesting that different caregivers may experience both shared and unique benefits from participating. Full article

Frequent and unresolved conflict is a significant relationship risk factor for divorce, but it has also been shown that religion strengthens marriages, specifically in ways that give direction and motivation for couples in resolving marital conflict or other marital hardships. Thus, a study of how successful religious couples resolve conflict is pertinent in helping us better understand how to strengthen marriages and families. Our qualitative study of 113 highly religious women of diverse faiths and races found that women’s perceived relationship or connection with God reportedly impacted conflict resolution and coping with marital hardship. Results suggest greater reconciliation and unity with the women’s husbands through couple and relational processes, but more often through personal and psychological processes. We found that religious involvement led women to resources that strengthened their marriage. Resources discussed include (a) prayer, (b) scripture study, and (c) involvement in a faith community. This paper is the second in a two-part series. Full article

Frequent conflict is a significant relationship risk factor for divorce, but it has also been shown that religion strengthens marriages, specifically in ways that give direction and motivation for couples in resolving marital conflict or other marital hardships. Thus, a study of how successful religious couples resolve conflict is pertinent in helping us better understand how to strengthen marriages and families. Our qualitative study of 113 highly religious women of diverse faiths and races found that women’s perceived relationship or connection with God reportedly impacted conflict resolution and coping with marital hardship. Results suggest greater reconciliation and unity with the women’s husbands through couple and relational processes, but more often through personal and psychological processes. The main themes that emerged are: (a) God is at the center of the marriage, and (b) God changed our character (internal manifestations) enabling us to be better prepared to navigate conflict and endure hardships in marriage. Part two of this paper will examine how external manifestations of a relationship with God (i.e., prayer, scripture study, and involvement in a faith community) further help women of faith cope with marital conflict and hardship. Full article

What accounts for the endurance of forced marriage (kahwin paksa) narratives in Malaysian public culture? How does one explain the ways popular fascination with forced marriage relate to assumptions about heteronormative institutions and practices? In a society where most who enter into marriages do so based on individual choice, the enduring popularity of forced marriage as a melodramatic trope in fictional love stories suggests an ambivalence about modernity and egalitarianism. This ambivalence is further excavated by illuminating the intertextual engagement by readers, publishers and booksellers of Malay romantic fiction with a mediated discourse on intimacy and cultural practices. This article finds that forced marriage in the intimate publics of Malay romance is delivered as a kind of melodramatic mode, a storytelling strategy to solve practical problems of experience. Intertextual narratives of pain and struggle cast light on ‘redha’ (submission to God’s will) and ‘sabar’ (patience), emotional virtues that are mobilised during personal hardship and the challenge of maintaining successful marital relations. I argue that ‘redha’ and ‘sabar’ serve as important linchpins for the reproduction of heteronormative institutions and wifely obedience (taat). This article also demonstrates the ways texts are interwoven in the narratives about gender roles, intimacy, and marital success (or lack thereof) and how they relate to the modes of romantic melodrama. Full article