Advances in Quality-of-Life Theory and Research is relevant to quality-of-life researchers working in the areas of Social Medicine, Sustainable Development, Social Indicators Research and Health Psychology/Behavioral Medicine.
This volume contains 14 chapters that represent a culmination of programmatic research in the science of quality of life (QOL). Each chapter offers interesting findings in different areas of QOL research and, together, the chapters reflect the very basic premise that QOL research is a broad interdisciplinary topic explored in a multidisciplinary manner. The research methods and conceptual models used by the different authors are exemplary and can induce QOL researchers to conduct future research in QOL in other cultures, geographic areas, and different socio-economic and demographic groups as well as in different QOL domains.

For decades, health professionals have asserted the importance of public participation in interventions for health. Medicine has pursued patient participation in clinical decision-making. In the public health realm, target groups have been asked to assist in the design and implementation of initiatives for health. In practice, however, patients and populations expect health professionals to give advice and - in some cases - to make decisions on their behalf. This implies limits to the ideal of participation. In this innovative work, the author contrasts public and professional understandings of health and the best ways to achieve health. The result is a model of lay participation in the structuring of medical and public health activity. The book is unique due to its policy-applicable, quantitative studies and its theoretical analysis of works by Rene Dubos and Aaron Antonovsky. It will be of value to professionals in health promotion, health education, medical anthropology, and social epidemiology.

Our series Cancer Prevention - Cancer Control continues to address the causes and prevention of cancer. In this volume, Hill, Elwood, and English bring together a rich resource summarizing the state of science underpinning the primary prevention of skin cancer. While skin cancer causes an increasing burden, particularly in populations of European origin, our understanding of the role of sun exposure together with the genetic components of skin cancer continues to grow. Given the emphasis on evidence-based medicine and public health prevention efforts, it is noteworthy that, although we can all access the same evidence base, countries around the world have had remarkably different responses to the application of this knowledge to prevent skin cancer. The outstanding contribution of the Australian public health community to the scientific understanding of skin cancer etiology and the translation of this knowledge into national prevention efforts uniquely positions the editors to compile this volume focused on the primary prevention of skin cancer. In so doing they draw on an international team of authors to present a "state of the science" summary of skin cancer prevention and to identify those areas where uncertainty remains. To achieve successful prevention of cancer we must translate our scientific knowledge base into effective prevention programs. This book offers the reader keen insights into the depth of our understanding of etiologic pathways for skin cancer. This etiologic science base is complemented by rigorous prevention science placing emphasis on the social context for effective and sustained prevention efforts.

Although women were understudied in the early years of the epidemic, research and practice devoted to understanding and ameliorating the effects of the AIDS epidemic have begun in recent years. Women and AIDS is the first comprehensive exploration of the medical and psychosocial concerns and issues surrounding women living with HIV/AIDS. Contributors address the biomedical aspects of the disease, stress and coping factors, reproductive and childcare issues, access to care, needs of special populations such as drug-using women and adolescents, and policy recommendations. Researchers and students in psychology, public health, medicine, nursing, sociology, women's studies, and social work will appreciate this reference.

Highlighting the interplay between basic research and intervention, this volume focuses on common stressful life experiences that present significant challenges to children's healthy development. Fifteen stressors are discussed with regard to both short-and long-term effects. The authors identify factors that explain variability in children's adjustment to these stressors and evaluate preventive interventions designed to facilitate coping. Notable chapters include a discussion of the many uncontrollable stressors to which inner-city youth are exposed and a thorough treatment of children's adaptation to divorce. Each chapter follows a common outline, allowing comparison among stressors.

Suicide kills and maims victims; traumatizes loved ones; preoccupies clinicians; and costs health care and emergency agencies fortunes. It should therefore demand a wealth of theoretical, scientific, and fiduciary attention. But in many ways it has Why? Although the answer to this question is multi-faceted, this volume not. supposes that one answer to the question is a lack of elaborated and penetrating theoretical approaches. The authors of this volume were challenged to apply their considerable theoretical wherewithal to this state of affairs. They have risen to this challenge admirably, in that several ambitious ideas are presented and developed. Ifever a phenomenon should inspire humility, it is suicide, and the volume's authors realize this. Although several far-reaching views are proposed, they are pitched as first approximations, with the primary goal of stimulating still more conceptual and empirical work. A pressing issue in suicide science is the topic of clinical interventions, and clinical approaches more generally. Here too, this volume contributes, covering such topics as therapeutics and prevention, comorbidity, special populations, and clinicalrisk factors.

This book is an extension of my 1992 book entitled The Social Context of Chronic Pain Sufferers. Many ideas nominally explored there are elaborated in this volume, which is an attempt to fill a major gap in the chronic pain literature. Although there has been a virtual flood of new works on the medical and psychological aspects of chronic pain, such enthusiasm is somewhat muted in relation to the social environment of the patient. Although there is universal recognitionamongpain expertsthat biological, psychological, and socialfactors influence the experience ofpain, the social component (forreasons that are - clear) has failed to attract much attention. Theneed forabook focusedonsocialrelationsisobvious.Thepatientisnot merelyacarrierof symptoms.Thereis alargesocialrealityinthe background of each patient; that reality can have multidimensional consequences, from the way pain is perceivedto seriousfinancialhardshipand other sourcesof stress, c- plicating treatment, management, and, ultimately, the prognosis. Clinicians rec- nize the value of incorporating the social dimension in the overall evaluation and treatment of the patient. This book attempts to accomplish that task. In order to achieve that objective, this volume addresses many important e- ments inthepatient'ssocial environment-the mostsignificantbeingthefamily. Beyond the family, for a vast majority of patients, work represents a major source of economic security and self-esteem. Job loss, common in this population and a major cause of much personal and family distress, needs critical examination.

The amount of research on the prevalence and nature of various forms of anxiety disorders, problematic health behaviors, and physical illness has significantly accumulated, yet there has been no systematic integration of the research in science and practice.

Anxiety in Health Behaviors and Physical Illness is a single resource that offers theoretical perspectives and reviews of research on the link between health behaviors and physical illness to anxiety. The authors explore the idea of reciprocal relations between anxiety and health factors throughout the developmental course. Special attention is devoted to the mechanisms by which certain health factors (e.g. physical exercise) may play a role in the onset or maintenance of particular anxiety disorders.

Jennifer Pilotti's latest book explores the science at the intersection of movement and mental health. It encourages readers to consider in greater detail the way exercise impacts the nervous system, and how it influences the ability to sense, feel and perceive the internal and external world. Based on the author's extensive experience in both researching and teaching movement therapies, the book is designed to be accessible to practitioners and professionals across a range of disciplines. From Yoga and Tai Chi to dance teaching and personal training, the coaching guidance provided can also help therapists of all kinds think about the use of language, potential roadblocks and exercise interventions and programming in new ways. By examining key topics including aerobic exercise, resistance training and restorative movement, this book is a valuable resource for all kinds of practitioners looking for inventive ways to help their clients achieve physical and emotional balance.

As gambling become ever more ubiquitous, more people are risking their finances, family lives, and health in their desire to be the winner that takes it all. This book brings together an international panel of experts to present a wide variety of perspectives on problem gambling, and test popular addiction and disease models in the field. Early chapters examine the psychology of gambling, before moving on to the pastime 's associated irrational ideas. The seven chapters in the second half are devoted to evidence-based interventions from a variety of clinical orientations. Case examples, Q&A sections, and a glossary add extra readability to the coverage.

Human beings, regardless of age, sex, or state of health, are designed by evolution to form meaningful interpersonal relationships through verbal and nonverbal communication. The theme that empathic human connections are beneficial to the body and mind underlies all 12 chapters of this book, in which empathy is viewed from a multidisciplinary perspective that includes evolutionary biology; neuropsychology; clinical, social, developmental, and educational psychology; and health care delivery and education.

Despite improvements in service delivery, patient violence remains a major problem at mental health facilities. Focusing equally on causes, management, and prevention, this groundbreaking book thoroughly examines this crucial topic. The book reviews the latest theories of violence, proven prevention strategies, and examples of positive organizational change. The material is illustrated with graphs and clinical case examples, and coverage spans the range from patient rights to zero-tolerance.

Cultural competence in Health Care provides a balance between a theoretical foundation and clinical application. Because of the focus on basic principles, this book will be useful not only in the United States, but throughout the world as Cultural Competence is intending to fill the cultural competence gap for students and practitioners of medicine and related health sciences, by providing knowledge and describing the skills needed for culturally relevant medical care of patients of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Mark Schuckit s Drug and Alcohol Abuse has been a clinical mainstay for over a quarter century. Now the author s trusted expertise is available in a new Sixth Edition, thoroughly revised for content, updated references, and streamlined for increased usefulness.

Schuckit combines his experience as practitioner, researcher, and teacher to give professionals and students across the health and mental health disciplines a working knowledge of drug-related pathology, beginning with pharmacology, drug mechanisms, and genetic factors. And the Sixth Edition is as accessible as its predecessors, striking the right comfort level for the classroom or the emergency room.

-Clinical/emergency orientation suited to both chronic misuse and acute situations

-Coverage reflects current trends in alcohol, drug, and multidrug use, abuse, and dependence

-Concise chapters for quick reference

-Updated bibliography approximately 80% of citations are post-2000

-Diagnostic information reflects upcoming changes to the DSM

-Latest strategies in treatment (psychological and pharmacological) and rehabilitation

All material is organized for ease of use, whether the reader needs fast answers in a crisis, seeks new ideas for helping long-term patients or clients, or is just becoming familiar with the different drug classifications. This new edition offers expanded knowledge of a wide-ranging problem and a growing and clinically important population, and authoritative suggestions for effective care."

This timely and important work looks at the collaborative health care model for the delivery of mental health care in a primary care setting. This has become the ideal model for the treatment of comorbid medical and psychiatric or psychological disorders. There is also an increased awareness that pharmacological intervention, the most frequently delivered intervention for psychological disorders, is often of limited effectiveness without concurrent specific psychological intervention. The book includes more than two dozen case studies, co-written by clinical psychologists and primary care physicians. It is essential reading for any psychology practitioner in a clinical setting, as well as for health care administrators.

Most health professionals would agree that time and funds are in short supply, even under optimal conditions. Patients, too, would admit similar shortfalls, even with optimal motivation. This book offers self-administered and easily administered interventions designed to promote positive health behaviors while requiring little or no outside funding. Editor Luciano L Abate continues his long tradition of prolific innovations by identifying major changes in today 's health care systems and explaining how targeted, prescriptive promotion/prevention strategies can enhance traditional primary, secondary, and tertiary interventions in key behavioral and relational areas.

Phantom pain is an intriguing mystery that has captured the imagination of health care providers and the public alike. How is it possible to feel pain in a limb or some other body part that has been surgically removed? Phantom pain develops among people who have lost a limb or a breast or have had internal organs removed. It also occurs in people with totally transected spinal cords. Unfortunately, phantom pain is a medical night mare. Many of the people reporting phantom pain make dispropor tionately heavy use of the medical system because their severe pains are usually not treated successfully. The effect on quality of life can be devas tating. Phantom pain has been reported at least since 1545 (Weir Mitchell as related by Nathanson, 1988) and/ or experienced by such diverse people as Admiral Lord Nelson and Ambroise Pare (Melzack & Wall, 1982; Davis, 1993). The folklore surrounding phantom pain is fascinating and mirrors the concepts about how our bodies work that are in vogue at any particu lar time. Most of the stories relate to phantom limbs and date from the mid-1800s. The typical story goes like this: A man who had his leg ampu tated complained about terrible crawling, twitching feelings in his leg. His friends found out where the leg was buried, dug it up, and found maggots eating it. They burned it, and the pain stopped. Another man complained of a swollen feeling with frequent stinging or biting pains."

Medical Education and Sociology of Medical Habitus: "It's not about the Stethoscope " is a new and outstanding contribution to understanding the working life of junior doctors. Here Dr Haida Luke uses a medical sociological framework to help us understand how young doctors fresh out of medical school enter the medical culture as junior doctors and begin the rapid professional education and intense enculturation processes. What sets Medical Education and Sociology of Medical Habitus: "It's not about the Stethoscope " apart from other works in this area is that it opens out the field of research in sociology and inserts junior medical doctor culture right into medical sociology and professional medical education.
Central to this analysis are Dr Haida Luke's innovative use of Pierre Bourdieu's sociological framework and the concept of habitus. This volume challenges many of the myths of the medical cultural experiences and socialising forces that are an integral part of early medical training. Researchers in medical and educational social sciences whose research and teaching relate to issues of professional education, management, or research in health and medical sociology will find this work useful. Clinicians involved in medical education will also relate to the junior doctors' voices and will find the application of sociology to a medical clinical environment constructive.

Despite considerable progress in clinical and basic neurosciences, the cure of psychiatric disorders is still remote, little is known about their prevention, and the etiology and molecular mechanisms of mental disorders are still obscure. Diagnoses are still guided by patients' stories. The mission of animal models is to bridge the gap between the story and the synapse.' Contemporary Issues in Modeling of Psychopathology attempts to do this by examining such questions as What good might come from such a model? Are we wasting our time? How far can we carry results from model animals, such as rats and mice, without causing a highly distorted view of the field and its goals?' This book serves as the opening volume for a new series, Neurobiological Foundation of Aberrant Behaviors.

presented in the Introduction (Chapter 1). The focus of Chapter 1 is twofold: (1) to present the research foundations for the psychophysiological correlates of prenatal psychosocial adaptation and the seven prenatal personality dimensions with progress in labor and birth outcomes, and particularly (2) to present the theory underlying the seven dimensions of prenatal psychosocial adaptation, which are further analyzed in the following seven chapters. Chapters 2-8 present a content analysis of the interview responses to the seven significant prenatal personality dimensions that are predictive of pregnancy adap- tion, progress in labor, birth outcomes, and postpartum maternal psychosocial adaptation, and they include: (1) Acceptance of Pregnancy, (2) Identification with a Motherhood Role, (3) Relationship with Mother, (4) Relationship with Husband, (5) Preparation for Labor, (6) (Prenatal) Fear of Pain, Helplessness, and Loss of Control in Labor, and (7) (Prenatal) Fear of Loss of Self-Esteem in Labor. There is no other comparable comprehensive, in-depth, prenatal personality research or empirical and content analysis of pregnancy-specific dimensions of maternal psychosocial adaptation to pregnancy.

Depression and Globalisation is an important academic text on the political aspects of depression, specifically the relationship between globalisation and depression. In this text Dr. Walker reestablishes the link between mental health research and treatment, along with the political and economical influences outside the world of academic and clinical mental health. Overall, this book will accomplish the task of how closely and inextricably linked these diverse fields are and the way they operate together to produce not only a cultural representation of mental illness but influence the extent and type of mental distress in the 21st century.

Over the past two decades attention to family issues in relation to chronic pain has been on the rise. There has been a proliferation of research and clinical literature in the field since the first major review on this topic was conducted in 1982. However, no comprehensive review book has been published. Generally speaking, the role of the family in chronic pain literature has been reported from four perspectives: (1) family factors in the etiology of chronic pain; (2) role of spouse in the perpetuation of pain behaviors; (3) impact of chronic pain on family functioning and on the health of spouse and children; and (4) family therapy for these families.

The main thrust of this book will be the issues of impact on the family and therapy. The broader literature of family issues in medical disorders will be incorporated into the body of the book to allow the reader to become familiar with some of the common problems shared by medically ill and chronic pain families and many problems that appear to be specifically associated with chronic pain. The book will offer clinical guidelines in conducting family assessment and couple and family therapy for these patients. This book will not be simply an update, but will adopt a fresh approach to this complex clinical area. The book will have 10 chapters. Each chapter will report the current state of knowledge through a comprehensive review of the most recent literature, and discuss relevant clinical issues through extensive use of case illustrations. The chapters will be designed to bring the reader up to date on the literature as well as provide clinical guidelines for practice.

An increasing number of studies have been conducted on the role of expression and regulation of emotion in health. Emotion Regulation addresses the question of these studies from diverse angles while encompassing conceptual, developmental, and clinical issues. Central concepts discussed in this volume that are related to health include: coping styles and aggression, alexithymia, emotional intelligence, emotional expression and depression, emotional expression and anxiety disorders, in addition to the emotional competence in children. The book is unique in describing up-to-date theories and empirical research in the area of emotional expression and health.

One of the few books on the topic, this updated edition offers alternatives to disease models of addiction by exploring personal pathways to recovery. Focusing on alcohol and drug problems, it provides a literature review of 40 years of studies on self-change with particular emphasis on the current decade and methodological issues (starting with how much or how little treatment constitutes "treatment"). The 24 experts keep the coverage consistently readable, and dozens of brief narratives from individuals who have successfully recovered from an addictive behavior without formal help lend valuable personal perspectives.

This informative and useful volume provides a substantial contribution to the understanding of adolescent risk behavior. The book combines theoretical analysis and the findings of a broad-based research project, with accessible presentation throughout.