Semantic control processes guide conceptual retrieval so that we are able to focus on non-dominant associations and features when these are required for the task or context, yet the neural basis of semantic control is not fully understood. Neuroimaging studies have emphasised the role of left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) in controlled retrieval, while neuropsychological investigations of semantic control deficits have almost exclusively focussed on patients with left-sided damage (e.g., patients with semantic aphasia, SA). Nevertheless, activation in fMRI during demanding semantic tasks typically extends to right IFG. To investigate the role of the right hemisphere (RH) in semantic control, we compared nine RH stroke patients with 21 left-hemisphere SA patients, 11 mild SA cases and 12 healthy, aged-matched controls on semantic and executive tasks, plus experimental tasks that manipulated semantic control in paradigms particularly sensitive to RH damage. RH patients had executive deficits to parallel SA patients but they performed well on standard semantic tests. Nevertheless, multimodal semantic control deficits were found in experimental tasks involving facial emotions and the ‘summation’ of meaning across multiple items. On these tasks, RH patients showed effects similar to those in SA cases – multimodal deficits that were sensitive to distractor strength and cues and miscues, plus increasingly poor performance in cyclical matching tasks which repeatedly probed the same set of concepts. Thus, despite striking differences in single-item comprehension, evidence presented here suggests semantic control is bilateral, and disruption of this component of semantic cognition can be seen following damage to either hemisphere.
The National Health Service (NHS) is known to be a challenging place to work, with financial and performance targets placing increasing pressure on the organisation. This study aimed to investigate whether these pressures and threats might be detrimental to the quality of care and the compassion that the NHS strives to deliver. Quantitative data were collected via self-report questionnaires from healthcare professionals across 3 NHS trusts in England in order to measure Self-compassion; Compassion for Others; Perceived Organisational Threat; and Perceived Organisational Compassion. Qualitative data were also collected to explore the threats considered most pertinent to healthcare professionals at present. The key findings suggest that an increase in Perceived Organisational Threat may reduce an individual's ability to give compassion to others; however, Self-compassion and Perceived Organisational Compassion were better predictors of Compassion for Others. This highlights the need to consider compassion at a systemic level, providing interventions and training not only to cultivate self-compassion in healthcare professionals, but also to encourage compassion across the NHS more generally. In promoting self-compassion and increasing the level of compassion that employees feel they receive at work, healthcare professionals may be better able to maintain or improve their level of compassion for service users and colleagues.
Background: Peer support groups can be a way to obtain support, problem solve, and widen social networks. However, there has been no systematic literature review examining the evidence for the use of peer support groups after an acquired brain injury (ABI).Objective: This review sought to systematically evaluate the evidence for (1) the psychosocial effectiveness, and (2) the experience of peer support groups in adults who had experienced ABI's. Methods: The systematic literature search was conducted across the following four databases: PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, MEDLINE, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) in October 2019. The mixed methods appraisal tool was used to examine the quality of the research.Results: 13 papers were included in this review. Limited evidence was found for the psychosocial effectiveness of peer support groups in ABI, although the experience of partaking in a peer support group was largely found to be positive. The benefits and helping factors of taking part in a peer support group can be summarised as: being connected, interacting with others, and providing and receiving support. Conclusions:The findings of this review suggest that peer support groups could be a promising intervention to support individuals and promote adjustment following an ABI.
Primary objectiveThe purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of perceived personal responsibility for an acquired ABI (ABI) on shame, and whether self-compassion moderates this relationship. We hypothesised that people who perceived themselves to be responsible for their injury would have high levels of shame and poorer recovery outcomes. Research designA mixed-methods design was employed using both standardised measures and a series of open questions. 1Methods and procedures 66 participants with ABI were included in the analysis. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics, correlations, multiple regression and thematic analysis. Main outcomes and resultsSignificant relationships were found between self-compassion, shame, anxiety and depression, but perceived responsibility for ABI was not correlated with any examined variables. Due to issues with the measurement of responsibility, it was not possible to complete all proposed forms of analysis. The thematic analysis revealed the ways participants' injuries affected their perceived level of functioning, its consequences for sense of self, shame and self-compassion. ConclusionsThis study concluded that people with ABI might experience shame with respect to the injury's impact on functioning. Study limitations and implications for providing therapeutic interventions such as Compassion Focused Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy are discussed.
Objectives: To explore the relationship between shame and self-discrepancies and the extent that these factors predict adjustment after an acquired brain injury (ABI).Method: 62 participants with an ABI completed the following self-report qualitative questionnaires: the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Quality of Life after Brain Injury Scale, the Internalised Shame Scale, and the Head Injury Semantic Differential Scale -III. Data was analysed using correlations, repeated ANOVAS and multiple regression models.Results: A significant self-discrepancy was found between the present self and the pre-injury self, with the present self being rated more negatively. This self-discrepancy was found to be positively correlated to shame, and these two variables were found to predict adjustment (emotional distress and quality of life).Conclusions: Shame and self-discrepancies both appear to play a crucial role in adjustment following an ABI. However, the relationship between shame and self-discrepancies needs more consideration to understand how these variables may interact to predict adjustment.
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