Many studies have highlighted the psychological impact and resulting vulnerability inherent in being second-generation immigrant (SGI) children. Some studies have also demonstrated that the symptoms of SGI adolescents can be the manifestations of traumas that have been unconsciously transmitted from one generation to another. The purpose of the research presented in this article is to investigate the different therapeutic processes and tools used by therapists during transcultural therapy to support conscious intergenerational and transgenerational transmission in their care of SGI adolescents and their participating family members. The monitoring of three patients, SGI adolescents, of different ages and origins, provided data that were analyzed using a clinical and transcultural qualitative method. The analysis of 10 sessions of transcultural psychotherapy with each SGI adolescent patient reveals, first of all, that this therapeutic device is illustrative in the care of SGI children suffering from the symptoms of inter- and transcultural transmissions of trauma. It also highlights various therapeutic levers and approaches to transcultural counseling that can enable families to consciously unveil their family and cultural histories. This research project also proposes a methodology where the inter- and transgenerational transmissions can be adapted to favor the healthy development of SGI adolescents’ identity and that can also be applied in other group or individual therapeutic devices.
The study proposes the analysis of the relationship between body image, self-esteem and body shame (dependent variables) in HIV patients according to their age, gender, level of education, HIV status and year of their HIV screening. We also wanted to see how independent variables (gender and age) affect self-esteem, body image and body shame.
Participants included 158 HIV patients (men and women) who completed a battery of self-report measures: the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (1965), the Bruchon-Schweitzer Body Image Scale (BIS) (1990), and the body shame subscale from the Shame Experience Scale (ESS) by Andrews et al. (2002).
The first hypothesis, which tests the link between self-esteem, body image and body shame and the sociodemographic variables (age, gender, level of education, HIV status and year of screening), showed a significant relationship among Gabonese HIV patients. The second hypothesis, which evaluates the influence of age and gender on all our dependent variables (self-esteem, body image and body shame), indicated that women are no more likely to express more body dissatisfaction and shame about their bodies and their level of self-esteem is no lower than that of men. Finally, an intergroup comparison demonstrated that self-esteem is lower among youth in certain age groups.
There are significant links between self-esteem, body image and body shame with a lower level of self-esteem in young HIV patients. For clinicians involved in the management of HIV patients, knowledge of the level of self-esteem, body dissatisfaction and body shame would allow for the development of appropriate care and therapeutic intervention goals (therapeutic group, self-efficacy group).
Exiles have often experienced multiple traumas, and when they arrive in France, they generally find themselves in precarious social situations, often with a certain level of nomadism and significant isolation. Unfortunately, the existing mental health care services available for exiles are currently inadequate, and more resources and innovative approaches to providing care would help alleviate the pressure of demand. The presentation of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in this population is often somatic, with frequent initial misdiagnoses. Through the study of three clinical vignettes, we are able to substantiate that a trained general practitioner, as the primary care physician, can readily establish a bond of trust that has often been broken, restore a sense of security, and provide support, which is at the core of trauma care for these patients who are often dehumanized and isolated, far from their supportive cultural environment. The general practitioner can screen, refer, and manage these psycho-traumas according to their competence, serving as a resource person and using a complementary approach while taking into account all the symptoms presented by the patients. Addressing PTSD in a transcultural context requires essential decentralization and comprehensive patient care to establish a therapeutic alliance necessary for quality care. This approach is increasingly being used in general medical practice. Additionally, the continuity of care over time helps prevent breaks in treatment, which can be traumatic for these patients. The treatment provided by the general practitioner will help to improve access to mental healthcare for refugees and to develop structures specialized in treating psychotrauma in migrant populations, while at the same time being innovative in patient care.
Incest among siblings is a topic that is not often discussed despite its frequency. The objective of this study is to explore the subjective experience of the disclosure of brother/sister incest by the adolescent victim and their parents in the context of child psychiatric care.
This is a qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with three adolescent victims who were under child psychiatric care and who had revealed the brother/sister incest to their caregivers for the first time, as well as with two mothers of adolescent victims. The analysis of the data was conducted using the interpretative phenomenological analysis method.
The results include eleven themes grouped into three meta-themes: (1) pre-disclosure: a state of unease that leads to the initiation of care; (2) the experience of disclosure to a health professional; (3) post-disclosure and its consequences. The different themes highlight the specificities of the experience of the disclosure of incest during the teenage years and the consequences for the parent–child relationship and also for the victim's relationship to the family depending on the adolescent's perspective, parental support, and the medical and legal support.
The vulnerability of the adolescent population in a context of disclosure of intrafamilial sexual abuse between brothers and sisters makes it essential that we conceive of care in a specific way and take into account family and transcultural approaches. This study allows us to identify research perspectives in the field of child psychiatry as well as to formulate concrete clinical proposals, in particular a multidisciplinary support protocol on three different levels: individual, parental and familial.
The legal implications of abortion worldwide do not confer the same rights or conditions on women. Although abortion has been practiced for centuries in all societies, it remains highly unequal in legislative terms throughout the world. This article traces the historical, socio-cultural and political contexts in which decisions to criminalize and decriminalize abortion have been made, particularly in Argentina. Representations of the status of the fetus and of women's social condition that have been developed by each society, provide additional insight into the issues surrounding this universal and transcultural practice. The female body, and its procreative function, correspond to the interests of state policies. The fight by Argentinian women to legalize abortion is an example of rebellion against the weight of patriarchal traditions.