Search Results (34)

This study aims to investigate the development of empathy as a thinking skill among preservice teachers at the University of Kazakhstan. Empathy is one of the domains of critical thinking, and this article aims to reveal the domains of empathy of future teachers. The research used some questions developed by empathic abilities diagnostics The questions were tailored to the pedagogy students and their experiences, and only those related to expressing empathy skills, i.e., assessing the ability to empathize with and understand the thoughts and feelings of another person, were selected. In this article, the authors stress the importance of empathy skills and their expression for developing creative thinking skills in future teachers. The results of a study involving 114 prospective schoolteachers (80 women and 34 men) from one university in Kazakhstan are presented. The study explored preservice teachers’ perceptions of the development of empathy skills, which included areas such as the conditions and dispositions for empathy, the ability to empathize with others, and the identification of empathy expression. To summarize the empirical data, it can be said that preservice teachers are able to recognize the body language of individuals and understand others without words, react emotionally to disasters in the immediate environment, and are sometimes out of control in their vocabulary in the immediate environment (they may unintentionally offend others). Full article

(1) Background: The pathways perspective considers how different biological, psychological, and social experiences affect women compared to men and how these experiences can lead to initial justice-involvement and recidivism. The relational model provides context for understanding women’s pathways to the criminal justice system. Interpersonal relationships have strong effects on women’s likelihood to offend. The relationship between risk factors like childhood victimization, adult relationship dysfunction, self-esteem, and self-efficacy are less clear. (2) Methods: Using a sample of justice-involved women, the current study uses a path analysis to investigate the impact of childhood physical abuse on adult relationship dysfunction and if this relationship is mediated by self-esteem and/or self-efficacy. (3) Results: Childhood physical abuse was found to have a significant negative effect on self-esteem and self-efficacy as well as a significant positive effect on adult relationship dysfunction. Indirect relationships were not significant. (4) Conclusions: The current study verifies previous pathways analysis but does not support self-esteem and self-efficacy as mediators of adult relationship dysfunction. Full article

The tenets and philosophies of the Igbo traditional religion (ATR) form the bedrock of the Igbo traditional and sociocultural belief system whose principles and practices directly and indirectly influence the perceptions and way of life of the Igbo society. These traditional and sociocultural beliefs are practiced in a way that promotes patriarchy, reducing the women to second-class citizens, and often making room for gender-based violence (GBV) against the women. This study is designed to establish the prevalence, forms, effects, and causes of GBV using results from empirical data. A total of 369 women, selected from 12 villages in Enugu State, South Eastern Nigeria, via single-stage adaptive cluster sampling, were involved in the study. The data were analyzed using means, frequencies, and percentages. This study identified a high presence of all forms of physical, sexual, emotional, and economic violence, as well as violence through harmful traditional religious and widowhood practices. More than 70.0% of physical, sexual, emotional, and economic acts of GBV were perpetrated mainly by intimate partners (husbands and/or boyfriends). There was little evidence of intimate partner violence (IPV) in all the forms of harmful traditional and widowhood practices. Rather, traditional and widowhood acts of violence against women are mainly perpetrated by the female peer group (Umuada), family members, and their husbands’ kinsmen (umunna). This study recommends effective outlets for victims to speak out and an action-oriented legal system to bring offenders to justice. Full article

Offenders convicted of trafficking human beings for sexual exploitation involve a high percentage of women compared to other similar offenses. Previous studies have searched for explanations for the dynamics of the illegal sex market and the coercion experienced by victims during the process of exploitation and exit. This article analyses the content of 58 judicial decisions involving a sample of 148 women convicted in Spain of trafficking in human beings between 2017 and 2024. Two main dimensions are explored: the criminal organizations performing the sexual exploitation phase in Spain and the characteristics, positions, and roles of women traffickers within the criminal organizations. Half of the sample occupies leadership roles, while the other half consists of supporters, especially in larger trafficking networks. Regarding the positions and roles of women offenders, supporters and partners in crime are at higher risk of being coerced due to the nature of their roles or partnerships. Full article

Background: Inborn errors of glutathione metabolism may cause high anion gap metabolic acidosis due to pyroglutamic acid accumulation. Since 1988, cases of this acidosis have been reported in individuals without these defects. Methods: Given the poorly characterized predisposing factors, presentation, management, and prognosis of acquired pyroglutamic acidosis, we conducted a systematic review using the National Library of Medicine, Excerpta Medica, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases. Results: A total of 131 cases were found. Most patients were females (79%), adults (92%) aged 51 years or older (66%) with pre-existing conditions (74%) such as undernutrition, alcohol-use disorder, or kidney disease, and had an ongoing infection (69%). The clinical features included diminished consciousness (60%), Kussmaul breathing (56%), and nausea or vomiting (27%). At least 92% of patients were on paracetamol therapy for >10 days at an appropriate dose, 32% on a β-lactamase-resistant penicillin, and 2.3% on vigabatrin. Besides severe anion gap acidosis, patients also presented with hypokalemia (24%) and kidney function deterioration (41%). Management involved discontinuing the offending drug (100%), bicarbonate (63%), acetylcysteine (42%), and acute kidney replacement therapy (18%). The fatality rate was 18%, which was higher without acetylcysteine (24%) compared to with it (11%). Conclusions: Acquired pyroglutamic acidosis is a rare, potentially fatal metabolic derangement, which usually occurs after paracetamol use, frequently combined with a β-lactamase-resistant penicillin or vigabatrin. This condition predominantly affects adults, especially women with factors like undernutrition, alcohol-use disorder, or kidney disease, often during infection. Increased awareness of this rare condition is necessary. Full article

The relationship between antisocial personality traits and the expression of somatic symptoms has been the subject of several theoretical and empirical investigations. The present study sought to advance the understanding of the relationship between these variables by testing two moderation models. It was hypothesized that the relationship between antisocial traits and somatization would be moderated by alcohol use, such that the presence of alcohol dependence would strengthen the relationship between antisocial traits and somatization. It was also hypothesized that gender would play a moderating role in the relationship between ASPD and somatization, such that the relationship would be stronger among women than among men. These models were tested in a sample of 787 criminal offenders. Gender did not emerge as a significant moderator in the relationship between antisocial traits and somatization. Although substance use did significantly moderate the relationship between antisocial traits and somatization, the direction of the effect ran counter to expectations: among participants reporting a history of alcohol dependency, the relationship between antisocial features and somatization was diminished. The implications of these findings are discussed. Full article

Background: Aversive conditioning weakens the gratifying value of a comfort meal. The aim was to determine the effect of a cognitive intervention to reverse aversive conditioning and restore hedonic postprandial response. Methods: This was a randomized, sham-controlled, single-blind, parallel study that was conducted on 12 healthy women (n = 6 in each group). The reward value of a comfort meal was measured on different days: at initial exposure, after aversive conditioning (administration of the same meal with a masked fat overload on the previous day) and after a cognitive intervention (disclosing the aversive conditioning paradigm in the test group vs. no explanation in the control group). The primary outcome, digestive wellbeing, was determined using graded scales at regular intervals before and after ingestion. Results: At initial exposure, the comfort meal produced a rewarding experience that was impaired using aversive conditioning; upon re-exposure to the original meal, the cognitive intervention increased meal wanting and liking; improved digestive wellbeing and mood; tended to reduce postprandial satiety, bloating/fullness; and abolished discomfort/pain, thereby restoring the hedonic value of the comfort meal. By contrast, sham intervention had no effects, and the postprandial sensations remained like the responses to the offending meal. Conclusion: In this proof-of-concept study, we demonstrate that in healthy women, a mild, short-term acquired aversion to a comfort meal can be reversed using a cognitive intervention. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT05897411. Full article

This study identifies common perceptions between Thomas Hobbes’ approach to religion with that of Critias the sophist. Despite the distance that separates the social environments within which each of these authors lived and wrote, in their political philosophy we can spot a shared set of concerns, whose importance transcend the historical and political contexts in which the authors lived and wrote: in the state of nature, where no organized commonwealth (or civil society) exists, capable of repressing the innate greed of men and women, savagery and conflict reign supreme; life is threatened by violence and extreme aggression. It is only the state of society that guarantees stability and good life. For both thinkers, belief in immaterial spirits protects the state of society; belief in God promotes obedience to civil law and guarantees human co-existence. In Critias’ mind, religion is a necessary means to avert aggression, even when the State’s executive powers are unable to punish offenders, using all necessary tools to prevent hostility and conflict. While civil law is the hallmark of peace and stability, belief in a transcendent entity that influences collective and individual modes of living, is an important addition to the pursuit of social peace. A few centuries later, Hobbes (influenced by the misery of the English Civil War) developed viewpoints that also highlight the role of religion in defending social peace. Nonetheless, in Hobbes’ mind religion could safeguard stability only (A) when ecclesiastical authorities submit to the judgment of an omnipotent Sovereign and (B) when the coercive mechanisms of the State supress religious pluralism, prohibiting different interpretations of the Bible, which Hobbes himself considered one of the main causes of conflict. Full article

Existing research suggests that victimization risk is higher among urban residents. Violence against women is a notable exception in this trend. While the literature does indicate that rural women are at equal risk for violent victimization, it does not differentiate between types of non-urban spaces (exurbs, suburbs, small towns, dispersed rural). We use a five-category measure of rural-urban location articulated land use to disentangle victim–offender relationship distribution using a female victim sample from the 1996–2005 United States National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). In the most rural areas (dispersed rural locations), women are most likely to be victimized by friends or acquaintances. The proportion of women victimized by strangers in dispersed rural locations is very low. As urbanicity increases, so does the proportion of women victimized by strangers. The findings indicate that victim–offender relationships may be dictated by proximity. In dispersed rural locations, there are comparatively fewer people unknown to the victim than in central city locations. Consequently, proximity dictates that offenders in dispersed rural locations are unlikely to be strangers. The articulated land use measure ensures that the differences between types of rural and suburban locations are identified. Future research should consider the impact of proximity on rural victimization and increased specificity in rural measurements. Full article

Women prisoners are a population at a high risk of experiencing stress, anxiety, and other mental health problems. This is because stressors in prisons, such as strict prison rules, intimidation, and conflicts with other inmates and staff, cause a high prevalence of mental health problems in women prisoners. Mental health services, such as correctional-based interventions, are an important part of overcoming these problems. Therefore, this study aimed to identify correctional-based interventions for women prisoners with mental health problems, specifically to determine the types of correctional-based interventions, the types of mental health problems experienced by women prisoners, and the effectiveness of the interventions. The method used was a scoping review based on Arksey and O’Malley’s framework. Articles were searched using Scopus, CINAHL, PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar with the keywords “Mental Health Care” OR “Mental Health Services” AND “Correctional Program” AND “Interventions” AND “Mental Disorder” OR “Mental Health Problems” AND Women” OR “Female” AND “Inmates” OR “Offenders” OR “Prisoners” OR “Convicts”. The inclusion criteria used were the year of publication (2000–2023), full-text articles in English, and the study sample was women prisoners with mental health problems. After selection, a total of 10 articles were found to meet the review inclusion criteria. The results showed that the correctional-based interventions given to women prisoners with mental health problems included Yoga, which combines mind and body; Seeking Safety, which was a manual CBT model; Transactional Analysis (TA) training program to enhance communication, relationships, and personal well-being; Transcendental Meditation (TM), a simple technique to reduce mental stress; Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) teaches the ability to accept painful or unwanted emotions; and Trauma Effect Regulation to reduce post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). All correctional-based interventions had significant results and can be used by health practitioners in prisons to address mental health problems experienced by women prisoners. Full article

This retrospective cohort study assessed treatment changes and prognoses after incident drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP). We used the National Health Insurance Service’s National Sample Cohort database in South Korea. We selected patients diagnosed with incident DIP and given prescriptions to take offending drugs (antipsychotics, gastrointestinal (GI) motility drugs, or flunarizine) for a period of time that overlapped with the time of DIP diagnosis during 2004–2013. The proportion of patients experiencing each type of treatment change and prognosis was assessed for 2 years after DIP diagnosis. We identified 272 patients with incident DIP (51.9% of patients were aged ≥ 60 years and 62.5% of them were women). Switching (38.4%) and reinitiation (28.8%) were the most common modifications in GI motility drug users, whereas dose adjustment (39.8%) and switching (23.0%) were common in antipsychotic users. The proportion of persistent users was higher among antipsychotic users (7.1%) than that among GI motility drug users (2.1%). Regarding prognosis, 26.9% of patients experienced DIP recurrence or persistence, the rate being the highest in persistent users and the lowest in patients who discontinued the drug. Among patients with incident DIP diagnoses, the patterns of treatment change and prognosis differed across the types of offending drugs. Over 25% of patients experienced DIP recurrence or persistence, highlighting the need for an effective strategy to prevent DIP. Full article

Considering the traditional concept of sex in China’s official discourse and lack of social support system for sex education in China, burgeoning Internet knowledge community serves as an important forum for unprepared Chinese young parents to discuss and improve sex education. In this study, we conducted a structural topic modeling analysis of sex education discussions on Zhihu, the biggest online knowledge community in China. We found attention towards sex education are biased in China, where basic sexual terminologies are mentioned, but other important topics such as reproductive health, emotional attachment, and gender identity are insufficient or even absent, failing to fulfill the goal of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE). This study paid special attention to gender differences in discussants, expected educators, and expected receivers of sex education. Findings show that boys are not considered as important sex education objects as girls, although many of them suffered from sexual assault and sexual diseases. They are always mentioned as roles that offend women rather than promoting or protecting themselves through sexual knowledge. Most discussants and expected educators of sex education are women, reflecting men’s lack of attention to sex education issues as both individuals and fathers. Full article

In feminist criminology, there is a growing body of research exploring pathways to prison, but few studies have specifically sought to map women’s journeys into the criminal justice system for crimes of physical violence and sex offending. Gender comparative research is sparse, and, to date, we know little about women and men imprisoned in Thailand for these types of crimes. Subsequently, in this paper, we report findings from a gender comparative feminist pathways study conducted in Thailand, with a specific focus on violence and sex offending; namely, homicide, sexual assault, human trafficking, and sex work-related offences. We utilise a qualitative analysis of life-history interviews to centre and value these women’s and men’s voices, establish their backstories, and thematically map their imprisonment trajectories. Three pathways to prison emerged: (1) lifestyles of contravention, (2) harmed and harming, and (3) destructive masculinity. Utilising the participants’ descriptions, we highlight similarities and variance by gender within and between these pathways. Full article

We designed a cross-sectional study in Spain, from 2014 to 2017. Our objective was to assess sex-related differences in the amount of driving exposure of car drivers, overall and stratified by the main environment-related driving conditions. We compared the sex distribution across three populations: (1) total number of person-years aged > 18 years; (2) total number of person-years aged > 18 years holding a valid car-driving license; and (3) total number of non-responsible car drivers involved in crashes with another offending driver, stratified by different environmental variables. The quasi-induced exposure approach was applied: the non-responsible drivers were considered as representative of the entire population of drivers on the road at the place and time at which the crash occurred. We calculated the female-to-male odds ratio (OR) by comparing population 2 versus 1, and population 3 versus 2. Finally, we performed separate regression models in population 3 for each environment-related variable as the dependent variable and driver’s age and sex as the independent variables. The female-to-male OR for the first comparison was 1.12, but values below 1 were found for extreme age groups. In the second comparison, an OR of 0.50 (0.49–0.51) was found, with progressively lower OR values as age increased. In population 3, women were found to drive less than men in environments known to be high risk (i.e., open roads, night-time, poor light conditions, and weekends). A significant gender gap exists in the amount and type of driving exposure. Although women obtain a driving license more frequently than men, they drive much less and tend to avoid high-risk environments. These results emphasize the need to incorporate a gender perspective in the development and implementation of road safety interventions. Full article

Sexual violence is a public health problem that affects not just the victim, but the offender and the surrounding communities. Research shows that public perceptions regarding the perpetrators of such offenses are of critical importance since citizens’ insights are a major force in the creation and implementation of sex offender policies. This study aimed to analyze, from a gender perspective, public perceptions about sex offenders in an Italian population sample (N = 768; 62.0% women, M = 32.8 years old). To do so, the Perceptions of Sex Offenders Scale (PSO) (α = 0.82) was used. The explanatory variables included in the study were the General Punitiveness Scale (GPS), the short versions of the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI), and the Ambivalence toward Men Inventory (AMI), as well as awareness about subtle forms of violence. Results showed that women reported higher levels of sex offenders’ risk perception. At the same time, it was found that men outscored women on the endorsement of stereotypes toward such perpetrators. Finally, findings revealed similarities and differences between women and men regarding correlates of perceptions about sex offenders. Implications for research and public policy in this area are discussed. Full article