Anita's Beauty Blog

A new study led by a Northern Illinois University sociologist shows that while family members often provide critical support, they also can sometimes be the source of stigmatizing attitudes that impede the recovery of mentally ill relatives. "Negative attitudes of family members have the potential to affect the ways that mentally ill persons view themselves, adversely influencing the likelihood of recovery from the illness," said lead researcher Fred Markowitz, an NIU professor of sociology. Markowitz and his colleagues, Beth Angell from Rutgers, and Jan Greenberg from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, published their findings in the June issue of Social Psychology Quarterly, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Sociological Association. Over an 18-month period, the researchers studied 129 mothers of adult children with schizophrenia. "In short, what mom thinks matters," Markowitz said. "It's a chain of effects that unfolds. "We found t...

Women Found To Be As Resilient To Combat Stress As Men In First Of Its Kind Study Conducted By BUSM In what is believed to be the first published study on the topic, researchers affiliated with the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) believe female military service-members from Operation Enduring Freedom OEF)/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) may be as resilient to combat-related stress as men. These findings currently appear on-line in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology. Though the literature suggests that women may be more vulnerable to the effects of trauma exposure, most available studies on combat trauma have relied on samples in which women's combat exposure is limited and analyses that do not directly address gender differences in associations between combat exposure and post-deployment mental health. However, as a consequence of women's changing role in the war zone, as well as the evolving nature of modern warfare, female service-members have experienced unprec...

Growing up all of my life in Northern Virginia, I could proudly say that I live in an area with many great natural parks. Mason Neck is by far the most natural and peaceful of them all. Not only has Mason Neck State Park been a place I grew up visiting, it is a place that is home to bald eagles, heron, other migrating and non-migrating species of birds, including tundra swans and assorted species of duck. My personal favorite memory of Mason Neck has always been the beautiful trails. It is undeniable that no matter what season it is, Mason Neck always looks distinctly charming and unique. There is a paved hiking trail that boasts breathtaking views of Belmont Bay. The trail is about 300 yards long and includes an observation platform overlooking the bay! It is absolutely breathtaking and this natural wonder has always made me feel a sense of peace and calm. It is true that in the past Mason Neck has had to endure a series of events which threatened the sanctity of Mason N...

So, what does autism mean to you? Technically speaking, autism is a spectrum of Pervasive Developmental Disorders that affects the brain. However, this spectrum disorder is so wide and our definitions are so limited that instead of understanding it in depth, most people choose to be ignorant about it. That is, unless they are forced with the harsh reality of it because they are a parent of a child with autism. The truth is, that harsh reality is becoming more and more impossible to evade because of autism’s escalating numbers. In just the last ten years the rate of new cases of autism has gone up from 1 in 500 five years ago to 1 in 166 and now experts think the numbers are more like 1 in 99! But for a disorder that is so prevalent and so detrimental to the way in which children learn and develop, not much is being done to reduce these rates. The cause is still unknown, and although there are several leads, there is not enough money being allotted to study this disorder. Studies ...

Recently I received a letter from a PhD student in Turkey who I have never met. He wanted to know a little bit about my views about the Middle East, Turkey, and Obama's visit to turkey. I did not know a lot about the situation, but I am glad that he wrote me because I ended up finding out more than I would have on my own. I wrote back to him telling him that I'd be glad to tell him a little bit about what I think, though I'm not sure how well I followed the recent relations between Turkey and the U.S. and I'm not entirely sure if my hopes and beliefs are that significant. Unfortunately, I also let him know that I have not visited Tukey myself and all I know is what has been in the press, and I know Turkey is beautiful as I've heard stories from people who have visited there. I made sure to let him know that I do believe that President Obama's visit to Turkey was beneficial to relations between Turkey and the U.S. I know that Turkey has one of the lowest rates...

Almost a year ago I read quite an interesting article about Generation Q or “The Quiet American”. I was struck by the sheer reality of the situation that Thomas Friedman, an opinion columnist for The New York Times describes. According to Friedman, a generation of Quiet Americans known as Generation Q which makes up the population of college campuses around the country both impresses and baffles him. Friedman says he is “impressed because they are so much more optimistic and idealistic than they should be, but I baffled because they are so much less radical and politically engaged than they need to be”. While I believe this is true, I think our generation has reason to be so quiet. Our generation has only been able to (until recently) quietly pursue our idealism, but we need to do more than that in years to come. Our generation has been handed down problems ranging from the huge budget deficit to the Social Security deficit and ecological deficit. Friedman says he is baffled at ...