Personal relationship

About: Personal relationship is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2183 publications have been published within this topic receiving 35899 citations.

Continuous support for women during childbirth.

Abstract: Historically women have been attended and supported by other women during labour and birth However in many countries, as more women are giving birth in hospital rather than at home, continuous support during labour has become the exception rather than the norm This may contribute to the dehumanisation of women's childbirth experiences Modern obstetric care frequently subjects women to institutional routines, which may have adverse effects on the progress of labour Supportive care during labour may involve emotional support, comfort measures, information and advocacy These may enhance physiologic labour processes as well as women's feelings of control and competence, and thus reduce the need for obstetric intervention The review of studies included 23 trials (22 providing data), from 16 countries, involving more than 15,000 women in a wide range of settings and circumstances The continuous support was provided either by hospital staff (such as nurses or midwives), women who were not hospital employees and had no personal relationship to the labouring woman (such as doulas or women who were provided with a modest amount of guidance), or by companions of the woman's choice from her social network (such as her husband, partner, mother, or friend) Women who received continuous labour support were more likely to give birth 'spontaneously', ie give birth with neither caesarean nor vacuum nor forceps In addition, women were less likely to use pain medications, were more likely to be satisfied, and had slightly shorter labours Their babies were less likely to have low five-minute Apgar scores No adverse effects were identified We conclude that all women should have continuous support during labour Continuous support from a person who is present solely to provide support, is not a member of the woman's social network, is experienced in providing labour support, and has at least a modest amount of training, appears to be most beneficial In comparison with having no companion during labour, support from a chosen family member or friend appears to increase women's satisfaction with their childbearing experience

Observational study of effect of patient centredness and positive approach on outcomes of general practice consultations

Abstract: Objective: To measure patients9 perceptions of patient centredness and the relation of these perceptions to outcomes. Design: Observational study using questionnaires. Setting: Three general practices. Participants: 865 consecutive patients attending the practices. Main outcome measures: Patients9 enablement, satisfaction, and burden of symptoms. Results: Factor analysis identified five components. These were communication and partnership (a sympathetic doctor interested in patients9 worries and expectations and who discusses and agrees the problem and treatment, Cronbach9s α=0.96); personal relationship (a doctor who knows the patient and their emotional needs, α=0.89); health promotion (α=0.87); positive approach (being definite about the problem and when it would settle, α=0.84); and interest in effect on patient9s life (α=0.89). Satisfaction was related to communication and partnership (adjusted β=19.1; 95% confidence interval 17.7 to 20.7) and a positive approach (4.28; 2.96 to 5.60). Enablement was greater with interest in the effect on life (0.55; 0.25 to 0.86), health promotion (0.57; 0.30 to 0.85), and a positive approach (0.82; 0.52 to 1.11). A positive approach was also associated with reduced symptom burden at one month (β=−0.25; −0.41 to −0.10). Referrals were fewer if patients felt they had a personal relationship with their doctor (odds ratio 0.70; 0.54 to 0.90). Conclusions: Components of patients9 perceptions can be measured reliably and predict different outcomes. If doctors don9t provide a positive, patient centred approach patients will be less satisfied, less enabled, and may have greater symptom burden and higher rates of referral. What is already known on this topic Preliminary evidence suggests that patients9 perceptions of patient centredness predict outcomes better than analysing what the doctor says in a consultation What this study adds There are five distinct components of patients9 perceptions that can be measured reliably: communication and partnership, personal relationship, health promotion, positive approach to diagnosis and prognosis, and interest in the effect on life Each component predicts different consultation outcomes If doctors don9t provide a positive, patient centred approach patients will be less satisfied, less enabled, and may have greater symptom burden and use more health service resources

System, method and apparatus for connecting users in an online computer system based on their relationships within social networks

Abstract: A method and apparatus for calculating, displaying and acting upon relationships in a social network is described. A computer system collects descriptive data about various individuals and allows those individuals to indicate other individuals with whom they have a personal relationship. The descriptive data and the relationship data are integrated and processed to reveal the series of social relationships connecting any two individuals within a social network. The pathways connecting any two individuals can be displayed. Further, the social network itself can be displayed to any number of degrees of separation. A user of the system can determine the optimal relationship path (i.e., contact pathway) to reach desired individuals. A communications tool allows individuals in the system to be introduced (or introduce themselves) and initiate direct communication.

Attachment Theory and Religion: Childhood Attachments, Religious Beliefs, and Conversion*

Abstract: In this paper we argue that attachment theory, as developed by John Bowlby and refined and extended by a host of other psychological researchers, offers a potentially powerful theoretical framework for the psychology of religion. A wide range of research findings concerning such topics as images of God, conversion, and prayer can be conceptually integrated within this framework. An exploratory investigation was conducted of the relationship between individual differences in respondents' childhood attachments to their parents and their adult religious beliefs and involvement. A sample of 213 respondents to a newspaper survey on love completed a follow-up mail survey concerning their religious beliefs and family backgrounds. Multiple regression analyses revealed that certain aspects of adult religiosity, particularly beliefs about God and having a personal relationship with God, can be predicted from the interaction of childhood attachment classification and parental religiousness. Respondents who classified their childhood relationships with their mothers as avoidant (one of two insecure patterns of attachment) were more religious as adults, according to several measures, than were those classifying their childhood relationships as secure or anxious/ambivalent; however, this pattern held only when the parents were reported as having been relatively nonreligious. Respondents in the avoidant category also reported significantly higher rates of sudden religious conversions during both adolescence and adulthood, irrespective of parental religiosity. These results suggest that God and religion may function in a compensatory role for people with a history of avoidant attachment; that is, God may serve as a substitute attachment figure.