People more likely to help others they think are 'like them'

Technorati Tags: Personality or Social Psychology and intercultural or Medical and empathy or in-group and Mental Health or social sciences and Psychology or biology,

People more likely to help others they think are 'like them'

Study results reported in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

Feelings of empathy lead to actions of helping – but only between members of the same group – according to a recent study in the July issue of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, an official publication of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, published by SAGE Publications.

The research, led by Stefan Stürmer of the University of Kiel, is presented in the article "Empathy-Motivated Helping: The Moderating Role of Group Membership." The article discusses two different studies, one using a real-world, intercultural scenario and the other using a mixture of people with no obvious differences besides gender. Researchers concluded that, while all the people felt empathy for someone in distress, they only tended to assist if the needy person was viewed as a member of their own "in-group."

The first study, using a real-world intercultural scenario, split German and Muslim male participants into culturally-defined groups. When everyone learned that another participant was having difficulty finding housing, they all felt empathy for the other regardless of what group they were in. However, when asked about their intentions to help the participant, empathy had a stronger impact when the other was categorized as a member of their in-group.

To further substantiate the findings from the first study, the second study created "minimal" in-groups and out-groups using a mixture of male and female participants without obvious cultural differences. As in the first study, when participants learned that another participant needed financial help due to the loss of money and a credit card, they all felt empathy, but actual assistance was provided only when the distressed person was a member of their in-group. ###

Research grants for these studies were provided by the National Institute of Mental Health and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Go to: pspb.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/ to access the article in the July issue of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin at no charge for a limited time. To contact the researchers, email Stefan Stürmer at: stuermer@psychologie.uni-kiel.de.

About Personality and Social Psychology BulletinFor over 30 years, the official monthly journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP), Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (PSPB) has provided an international forum for the rapid dissemination of original empirical papers in all areas of personality and social psychology. SPSP counts more than 4,500 researchers, educators, and students in its membership worldwide. To contact the Executive Officer of SPSP, please phone David Dunning at (607) 255-6391, or email at spsp@cornell.edu. online pspb.sagepub.com and spsp.org

About SAGESAGE Publications is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets. Since 1965, SAGE has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students spanning a wide range of subject areas including business, humanities, social sciences, and science, technology and medicine. SAGE Publications, a privately owned corporation, has principal offices in Thousand Oaks, California, London, United Kingdom, and New Delhi, India. sagepublications.com

Contact: Judy Erickson media.inquiries@sagepub.com online SAGE Publications

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Jefferson Team Designs Program that Helps Elderly Live Longer

Technorati Tags: Elderly or Thomas Jefferson University and physical therapy or Medical and occupational therapy or American Geriatric Society and heart disease or stroke and arthritis or biology and diabetes or depression and isolation

Jefferson Team Designs Program that Helps Elderly Perform Daily Living Tasks and Live Longer

A Thomas Jefferson University team has found that a personalized program of occupational and physical therapy – plus modifications in the home – can go a long way to help elderly individuals continue to live independently and also live longer.

Laura Gitlin, Ph.D., director of the Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and her team reported previously that a brief six-visit program consisting of physical therapy, occupational therapy, home modification and some instruction in problem-solving helped elderly individuals in performing daily activities. After six months, those of the 319 men and women ages 70 and older enrolled in the study who received the intervention had fewer difficulties with daily living tasks, especially personal care activities such as bathing and going to the toilet, than those who did not receive the help. Intervention participants were less afraid of falling, had more confidence in their abilities to manage everyday activities and used more effective coping strategies.

In a 14-month followup study, Dr. Gitlin, who is professor of occupational therapy at the College of Health Professions of Thomas Jefferson University, and her co-workers report in the current issue of the Journal of the American Geriatric Society that the efforts had an even larger benefit. They found that 1 percent of those receiving the intervention had died, compared to 10 percent in the control group. During the same 14-month period, of 31 participants who had been previously hospitalized and who received the intervention, none died. In contrast, in the control group, 21 percent who had been hospitalized died.

“These results appear to confirm that we are helping people address functional difficulties that in turn offsets further decline,” Dr. Gitlin says. “As people age, they often confront difficulties in carrying out everyday activities due to age-related changes and chronic diseases which can have significant functional consequences. Chronic conditions such as heart disease, stroke, arthritis and diabetes often result in older people having problems with daily tasks such as bathing, dressing and preparing meals.

“It may become harder to get out of a chair or get dressed,” says Dr. Gitlin. “When you begin to have functional difficulties, it is very much associated with fear of falling. This is a serious syndrome among the elderly, resulting in other negative consequences, including activity limitations, depression and isolation. People often begin to restrict activities, which has a spiral down effect. We were interested in affecting how people thought and solved their daily functional problems, helping build their confidence by introducing effective coping strategies, making homes safer and improving performance.”

The six-month intervention consisted of five “contacts” by an occupational therapist (four 90-minute visits and one phone call) and one physical therapy visit for 90 minutes.

For example, if a person was having difficulty preparing meals, Dr. Gitlin’s team developed strategies to improve this. “We focused on performance and how individuals thought about an activity,” she explains, “and helped people problem solve.”

“We can teach older people strategies that appear to have a survivorship benefit,” Dr. Gitlin says. “These findings are very important and suggest that occupational therapy and physical therapy should be integrated in the care of older people who have functional difficulties and chronic conditions.”

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Phone: 215-955-6300 Published: 7-6-2006

Media Only Contact: Steven Benowitz

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