Indian Journal of Health and Wellbeing

Pages: 1505-1507
Nidhi Aggarwal (Central Institute of Psychiatry, Ranchi)
C. R. J. Khess (Director Professor of Psychiatry, Central Institute of Psychiatry, Ranchi)
Masroor Jahan (Additional Professor of Clinical Psychology, Ranchi Institute of Neuro-Psychiatry and Allied Sciences, Ranchi)

Theory of mind (TOM) refers to the capacity to infer one's own and other persons' mental states. Several studies provide convincing evidence of a specific deficit in the theory of mind (ToM) in patients with schizophrenia. The present study attempts to access role of chronicity on Theory of mind in schizophrenia patients. Total 25 patients with ICD-10 DCR diagnosis of schizophrenia were selected as sample for the study from the inpatient department. Theory of Mind Task was used for exploring TOM in Schizophrenia patients. To study the variables independent samples test and chi-square (2) test were used. There was no significant correlation found between duration of illness and Theory of mind in schizophrenia patients. Duration of illness does not influence the theory of mind deficit in schizophrenia patients. This study adds to the growing literature on ToM by suggesting that theory of mind deficit might represent a trait rather than a state marker in schizophrenia.

Pages: 1511-1513
Nirupama Bhuyan (The Cousellor, D.A.V Public School, Cuttack, Odisha)

Autism is a brain disorder also known as social communicative disorder that typically affects a person's ability to communicate, form relationships with others, and respond appropriately to the environment. Some people with autism are relatively high-functioning, with speech and intelligence intact. Others are mentally retarded, mute, or have serious language delays. For some, autism makes them seem closed off and shut down; others seem locked into repetitive behaviours and rigid patterns of thinking. Among other causal factors like vaccines, genetics, immunological disorders, environmental toxins, nature of delivery and maternal infections etc. etc., maternal aging is playing an important role in the development of autism. Older mothers are more likely to have a child who develops an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) than are younger mothers. The study was designed to find out the possible causal relationship between maternal aging and the development of autism. 200 subjects were taken for this study. The age range of the participants varied from 3 to 12 or 13 years. The samples were diagnosed through Autism Checklist (AC) and Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). Later the total participants were segmented into three groups according to their mothers' age levels such as 20 to 30 years, 30 to 35 and 35 to 40 years. All the mothers were compared with each other with respect to their prevailing ages at the time of conception, and any other complications such as illnesses, accidents or miscarriages if they had overcome during their gestation period. It was found from the result that 9 percent of autistic children were having mothers coming below the age of 30 years. The increase in autistic cases moved to 27 percent and 64 percent at 30-35 and 35-40 years of maternal age respectively. However, the risk of having a child with autism was not influenced by the fathers' age. The relationship with fathers' age was not clear. It was also noticed that fathers of 40 or above the age of 40 years only had an increased risk of having a child with autism when the mothers were under the age of 30 years. However, it was concluded that advanced maternal age is linked to a significantly elevated risk of having a child with autism, regardless of the father's age. Maternal age is just one risk factor that is interacting with other genetic and environmental factors that lead to a child developing autism.

Pages: 1517-1519
Prarthna Swani (Department of Psychology, S.R. Government College for Women, Amritsar)

A comprehensive review of research relating emotions to health is presented. The consequences of negative and positive emotions on health are highlighted. It is opined that positive emotions produce optimal functioning not just within the present but over the long term as well. Negative emotions, on the other hand, can produce and intensify a variety of health threats and diseases, whose onset and course is influenced by the immune system. Some proven techniques for shedding negative emotions and increasing positive emotions are discussed. The bottom line message is that we should work to cultivate positive emotions in ourselves and in those around us as a means to achieving improved psychological and physical health over time.

Pages: 1523-1524
Azara Parveen and Champa Mathpal (Department of Psychology, M.B.P.G College, Haldwani )

The term of deprivation has been used in various ways. The word deprivation is derived from, the verb to deprived which to deprive which mean to dispossess or strip and it implies a felt loss the word. Deprivation literally refers to dispossession or loss of privileges opportunities, maternal goods and the like. It is also used as social disadvantage, cultural alienation and a condition in which particular external and internal factors merge to narrow a person's behavioral alternatives for achieving self fulfillment. It is the state of insufficient satisfaction of basic needs and deficiencies in individual and family setting. This research is a comparative study on deprivation among male female adolescents. For this study 150 adolescent 75 male and 75 female were taken. Deprivation scale by Dr (Smt.) Chandra Prabha Jain was used to collect data. The result revealed that girls are more deprived than boys.

Pages: 1529-1532
शैफाली अग्रवाल (जी.डी.एच.जी. कालेज, मुरादाबाद, यु.पी.)

व्यक्ति के अन्दर पायी जाने वाली प्रवृत्तियों को दो भागो (जन्मजात तथा अर्जित) में विभाजित किया जाता है। अनेक मनोवैज्ञानिकों ने यह सिद्ध किया है कि व्यक्ति में लगभग सभी व्यवहारों का निर्देशन एवं संचालन इन जन्मजात प्रवृत्तियों के द्वारा किया जाता है। इन्हीं जन्मजात प्रवृत्तियों में से एक बहुत ही महत्वपूर्ण प्रवृत्ति ‘‘जिज्ञासा’’ है, जिसके कारण हम अपने बारे में चारों ओर की परिस्थितियों के बारे में, वातावरण के बारे में अधिक से अधिक जानकारी प्राप्त करना चाहते है। इसलिए व्यक्ति अनेक प्रकार के व्यवहार करते है। व्यक्ति अपने उन व्यवहारों को ग्रहण कर लेता है जिनके द्वारा उसे अपनी समस्या सुलझाने में सफलता मिलती है और भविश्य में ऐसी समस्या दोबारा उत्पन्न होने पर उस व्यवहार को दोहराता है। व्यक्ति के यही व्यवहार उसके व्यक्तित्व की नई-नई विशेशताओं को विकसित करता है तथा व्यक्तित्व के गुणों का विकास होता है। प्रस्तुत अध्ययन के लिए ‘‘स्नातक स्तर के छात्र-छात्राओं के व्यक्तित्व गुणों का तुलनात्मक अध्ययन’’ का चुनाव किया गया है, जिसमें डा0 एस0डी0 कपूर के 16 पी0एफ0 के माध्यम 200 स्नातक स्तर के छात्र-छात्राओं पर अध्ययन करके, क्रिटिकल रेशियों के परिणामों के आधार पर यह ज्ञात किया कि छात्र तथा छात्राओं के व्यक्तित्व के 16 कारकों तथा समस्त व्यक्तित्व गुणों में से केवल 7 कारकों में सार्थक अन्तर पाया गया है। इन 7 कारकों में छात्रों के पक्ष में 4 कारक (बी.सी.एफ. तथा एच) पाये गये तथा छात्राओं के पक्ष में 3 कारक (ओ.क्यू.1 तथा क्यू 4) पाये गये ।

Pages: 27-32
Somdeb Mitra (Department of Psychology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal, India)

Positive psychology aims to scientifically study human happiness and enhance well-being. The present study explores the roles of cognitive emotion regulation, ego functions and meaning in life in the development of general well-being among individuals. Sample consisted of 110 adult individuals (54 females, and 56 males aged 25-50 years). They were individually administered PGI general well-being scale (Verma & Verma, 1989), cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire (Garrefski et al., 2001), ego functions assessment Scale (Bellack et al., 1989) and the meaning in life questionnaire (Steger et al., 2006). Data were analyzed using ‘t’ test, Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient and stepwise multiple regression analysis. Results revealed that general well-being was positively correlated with positive cognitive emotion regulation, presence of meaning in life, and the 11 of the 12 ego functions. It was also found that defensive functioning, positive cognitive emotion regulation and presence of meaning in life contributed significantly to the development of general well-being.