Using cases of criminal dismemberment in the CDC's National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), we directly compared decapitation-only and dismemberment homicides. We also explored clusters of victim, suspect, and incident variables, including how decapitation-only and dismemberment homicides fit within the clusters. Victims who were only decapitated were more likely to be recovered in a residence and were more likely to be the suspect's child or other relative. Additionally, decapitated-only victims were more likely to be a juvenile. Victims of decapitation-only homicides were more likely to be linked to a suspect who was on scene when first responders arrived or was in acute mental health crisis compared with homicides in which the victims were dismembered. Dismemberment homicides were more likely to involve multiple suspects, movement of the body from the homicide location, or concealment of the body (burial, wrapping/placement of the body into a container). Adult victims under the age of 65 were more likely to be dismembered. The cluster analysis yielded results consistent with the direct comparison and identified a third cluster of incidents involving intimate partner violence between current/former romantic partners. Our findings highlight the utilitarian nature of most criminal dismemberments and counter stereotypes of offenders who target strangers or dismember while experiencing mental illness.
Michelle C. Huffman, Taylor E. Burd, Lindsey Bellomy et al.
Abstract In dialogue with Sigmund Freud, D. W. Winnicott, Stuart Hall and Julia Kristeva, this article examines ASMR as phenomena, representational form and modality of performance. Through a close analysis of the high-school subgenre, it is argued that affect and storytelling are interlaced, re-presenting the ASMRtist as actor and performer, and demonstrating the interdependence of semiotic and symbolic dimensions of content. Themed videos presenting the ‘toxic best friend’ and the ‘girl who is obsessed with you’ (re)inscribe sensuality on feminine bodies, producing a form of ‘killjoy’ queering irreducible to a specific sexual identity. The subgenre creates a reiterative scene in which adolescent experience is traced on the body as sensory, sensual, and intimate.
Introduction Perinatal bereavement can significantly affect a woman’s psychological wellbeing and shape subsequent experiences of pregnancy and motherhood. However, no studies to date have qualitatively explored the impact of different types of perinatal bereavement experiences on bonding with a subsequent baby. Thus, the present study aimed to a) explore the psychological impact a previous perinatal bereavement had on maternal bonding with their subsequent baby (throughout pregnancy and post-birth) and b) identify the psychological and psychosocial support that helped in facilitating this bond. Methods In this qualitative study, women who had experienced a perinatal bereavement and had a subsequent child (up to the age of five) were recruited and interviewed. Data were analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Results Seventeen women took part. Two main themes, with five subthemes, were developed from their interview data. Theme 1, Bracing for loss , represented how participants’ experiences of subsequent pregnancies were accompanied by a persistent worry of another loss occurring. Theme 1 also explored how participants coped with high levels of worry and how it shaped early experiences of mother-infant bonding. Theme 2, Navigating motherhood after perinatal bereavement with a subsequent baby , captured participants’ experiences of reconstructing their family narrative following the birth of a live baby. Bonding with their subsequent baby was considered in conjunction to the lost baby. This theme also focused on social influences that shaped bonding, such as access to support networks and therapy. Discussion This study was the first to explore mother-infant bonding following different types of previous perinatal bereavement. Mother-infant bonding following perinatal bereavement appeared to be a dynamic and non-linear process, shaped by worries of a potential future loss, self-preservation strategies, and mothers’ efforts to integrate their identities as a mother to both their lost and living baby. Continuing bonds with their lost baby appeared to support grief integration and increase emotional capacity for bonding with their subsequent baby. The findings from the current study emphasise the need for trauma-informed and relational approaches within perinatal services that support both maternal wellbeing and the development of the mother-infant bond.
Rebecca Hefferman-Clarke, Lynsey Gregg, Lucy Singer et al.
Sometimes, young children find it difficult to learn Nepali concepts, leading to a situation where their grades start falling, especially in public schools in the Kathmandu valley. This paper tells us about the possible reasons behind students' struggles in subjects like Nepali and provides techniques to enhance their academic performance in that subject. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the causes of the students getting low grades in Nepali subjects in a school and suggests some possible solutions. Action research with frequently focused group discussions with teachers, interviews with parents, and observations were conducted to collect the data. From the analysis of data, the measures of students getting low grades are time limitations for teachers in a period, less involvement of parents in students’ home assignments, and a lack of interest of students in the Nepali subject. This action research concludes that the parents’ assistance in home assignments, provision of guidance to needy students, use of subject-related digital content like audios and videos, and provision of individualized worksheets can improve the academic performance of the students in the Nepali subject.
What elements in our psychological make-up direct our behaviour, and what social influences mould our reactions from day to day? In Individual Development and Social Experience (originally published in 1975, reissuing the revised 1981 edition now with a new preface by the authors), two experienced psychologists explore the diverse influences that shape human behaviour and examine the psychological and social needs of individuals from birth to death. Psychology and sociology often over-compartmentalise or rely on unnecessary jargon. By describing how children, adolescents, middle-aged people, and the elderly respond to everyday situations, the authors present a comprehensive and absorbing analysis of human behaviour and the strains and stresses of modern life. Written in a remarkably readable and lucid manner, this book will appeal to anyone interested in human experience and behaviour. It provides an excellent introduction to social and individual psychology for psychology students as well as teachers, doctors, nurses, police officers, social workers, and all those who need an understanding of psychology in their professional lives.
Abstract In Indonesia’s Religious Courts, the issuance of marriage dispensations is officially intended to protect the well-being of children; however, it raises critical questions regarding whose interests are ultimately prioritized. This study examines how claims of maṣlaḥah (public interest) are articulated in judicial reasoning within marriage dispensation cases. The analysis highlights three recurring dimensions influencing judicial decisions: religious doctrine, moral considerations, and statutory legality. The findings identify a pattern of pseudo-protection, a conceptual category of adjudicative reasoning in which claims of child protection are intertwined with concerns about family honor and social stigma in justifying marriage dispensations. By conceptualizing pseudo-protection, the study contributes to broader academic discussions on how child protection claims in marriage dispensation cases are constructed, legitimized, and applied within religiously informed legal systems.
Hispanic Americans face persistent health disparities rooted in complex sociocultural and bioecodevelopmental dynamics. Identifying early neurodevelopmental trajectories that confer risk or resilience during adolescence is critical for developing targeted health equity interventions. Grounded in the NIMHD Research Framework and bioecodevelopmental theory, data from 12- to 14-year-old Hispanic adolescents in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study were analyzed (n=236). Partial least squares correlation (PLSC) was used to evaluate multivariate associations between sociocultural measures, spanning individual, family, and community levels, and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) networks. Post hoc linear mixed-effects models examined how derived sociocultural-rsFC patterns predicted measures of physical and mental health, linking bioecodevelopmental patterns to adolescent well-being. PLSC revealed dual community- and family-level neural pathways of biological embedding, diverging from traditional nested bioecodevelopmental assumptions. The community pathway linked child opportunity and neighborhood disadvantage to connectivity across Cingulo-Opercular, Default, Dorsal Attention, Visual Networks. This community-rsFC profile was associated with lower respiratory functioning, reflecting an allostatic load marker of environmental stress. The family pathway linked caregiver ethnic identity and heritage acculturation to Default, Ventral Attention, Sensorimotor-Mouth, and Visual Networks connectivity, suggesting that the family system shapes neural systems underlying social attunement and identity formation. Structural community factors and familial culture impose distinct neurobiological demands on the adolescent connectome among Hispanic youth. Findings highlight respiratory health as a biological marker of environmental adversity and underscore the necessity of structural and culturally sustaining interventions to promote health equity among Hispanic youth.
Angela R. Laird, Chloe Hampson, Micaela Lembo et al.
Abstract Background Childhood epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that affects physical health, emotional well-being, social participation, academic functioning, and family life. Although Roy’s Adaptation Model (RAM) offers a comprehensive framework for addressing adaptation to chronic illness, its practical operationalization in pediatric epilepsy nursing has rarely been described in CARE-compliant clinical case reports. This study aimed to illustrate how RAM can be operationalized to support clinical reasoning, nursing assessment, care planning, and outcome evaluation through a CARE-compliant clinical case analysis. Methods A theory-based CARE-compliant clinical case analysis was conducted in 2024 in a pediatric ward in Clinical Application and Evidence Gap, Iran. The case involved an 8-year-old boy with recurrent epilepsy despite ongoing antiepileptic treatment. Data were collected through medical record review, interviews with the child and parents, clinical observation, and physical assessment. Findings were organized according to RAM’s physiological, self-concept, role function, and interdependence modes. Adaptive problems were translated into nursing diagnoses, followed by stimulus analysis and implementation of individualized nursing interventions delivered over six weeks through weekly 45-minute sessions with parental participation, supported by weekly telephone follow-up and seizure diary monitoring. Results Assessment identified maladaptive responses across all four adaptive modes, including recurrent seizures and sleep disturbances, low self-esteem, impaired role performance, and social isolation. During the six-week follow-up, improvements were observed in seizure frequency (approximately four to fewer than two episodes per month), sleep quality, self-confidence, school participation, social engagement, and parental confidence in epilepsy management. Given the single-case design, these observations should be interpreted descriptively rather than as evidence of a causal intervention effect. Conclusions This case demonstrates the feasibility of operationalizing Roy’s Adaptation Model as a structured clinical reasoning framework for pediatric epilepsy nursing care Although findings from a single case are not generalizable, they suggest that theory-guided nursing care may facilitate comprehensive assessment and individualized adaptation-focused care and warrant further evaluation in larger longitudinal studies.
Zohreh Khoshbash, Afsaneh Familmotaghi, Mohana Esmaeili et al.
Abstract Background: Malnutrition is a major public health issue in India. One of the worst-affected states for childhood malnutrition is Assam. This cross-sectional study investigated risk factors associated with stunting, underweight, and wasting in under-five children among the marginalized Adivasi community working in tea plantations of Assam. Materials and Methods: The outcome variables were stunting, underweight, and wasting. Explanatory variables were divided into maternal, child, and household factors. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between outcome and explanatory variables. A total of 778 mothers in their reproductive years with a child aged 0-59 months were included. Results: The percentage of underweight (41.65%) and stunted children (40.61%) were higher than wasting (31.23%). The Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure (CIAF) identified undernutrition in 71.72% of children and 47.04% with multiple failures. 52.06% of children did not receive exclusive breastfeeding and only 25% received a minimum diversified diet. Female children were more predisposed to stunting, underweight and wasting than their male counterparts. Children in households with non-shared sanitation facilities with potable water showed lowered odds of undernutrition and infections. The odds of being stunted and wasted was higher in those children living with 3–5 siblings, whose mothers were illiterate, underweight, still in adolescent stage at their childbirth, with small birth intervals and insufficient knowledge of child feeding practices. Conclusion: We suggest designing context-specific interventions by the government for these socio-economically marginalized children focusing on maternal and household factors so that the prevalence of malnutrition can be reduced and overall well-being can be ensured.
Belief in school meritocracy (BSM)—the belief that students' academic success is primarily determined by their effort and ability—may provide pupils with a sense of control and psychological stability. However, such a sense can be undermined if what students experience does not match their meritocratic expectations, which could contribute to poorer psychological outcomes. The study investigated the association between BSM and generalized anxiety among Chinese high school students and specifically examined if loneliness and depression mediated this association. A cross-sectional correlational study was conducted with 324 students from 2 secondary schools in Chongqing, China, who completed questionnaires on BSM, loneliness, depression and generalized anxiety. Analyzes were: Pearson correlations, linear regression and bootstrap tests of mediation. Students with higher BSM levels reported lower loneliness, depression, and generalized anxiety. BSM was a significant negative predictor of depression and anxiety after adjusting for gender and only-child status. Mediation analysis revealed that the relationship between BSM and generalized anxiety was fully mediated by loneliness and depression. Three significant indirect pathways were identified: BSM via loneliness to anxiety, BSM via depression to anxiety, and a sequential pathway from BSM to loneliness to depression to anxiety. It implies that school meritocratic beliefs may be linked to students' psychological well-being through both social and emotional pathways. Specifically, loneliness and depression may be important mediators between students' beliefs about academic success and their anxiety. Findings demonstrate the significance of social support and disconnecting academic achievement from students' sense of self-worth.
