Braj Bhushan

Posttraumatic stress and growth among Tibetan refugees: the mediating role of cognitive‐emotional regulation strategies

This study examined posttraumatic stress (PTS) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) among 226 Tibetan refugees across two generations. Additional objectives were to (i) examine the sex and generation differences on the scores of trauma, PTS, and PTG, (ii) explore the relationship between traumatic experiences, PTS and PTG, and (iii) investigate the mediating effect of cognitive-emotional regulation strategies between the traumatic experiences and PTS as well as PTG. Females scored higher on trauma, PTS, and PTG. The trauma, PTS, and PTG scores of the two generations were significantly different. Acceptance and putting into perspective partially mediated the relationship between traumatic experience and PTS. Positive refocusing, refocus on planning, putting into perspective, and catastrophisizing partially mediated the relationship between traumatic experiences and PTG.

Emotional Distress and Posttraumatic Stress in Children Surviving The 2004 Tsunami

The Akkaraipettai village of the Nagapatinam district of Tamilnadu, India, was one of the areas most affected by the tsunami that hit the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004. This study was conducted to assess the psychological effect of the tsunami on adolescents. The impact of the trauma was both measured and examined from a cultural perspective. The Impact of Event Scale, (IES), the Childrens Revised Impact of Event Scale, (CRIES), and the Pediatric Emotional Distress Scale (PEDS) were administered to 130 subjects (69 boys and 61 girls). Results showed that the children measured high on posttraumatic stress and all three factors of the PEDS. Further, a sex difference was recorded, with females exhibiting more likelihood of trauma than males. Loss of family members significantly determined all of the factors of the IES and CRIES except intrusion.

Laterality and accident proneness: A study of locomotive drivers

This study attempted to find the association between four measures of laterality (handedness, footedness, eyedness, and earedness) and accident proneness in locomotive drivers. The Sidedness Bias Schedule was administered to a sample of 80 locomotive drivers to ascertain their preferential bias. Their accident records were also available. Positive correlations were mostly found between the measures of hand, foot, ear, and eye dominance. Analyses suggested that there was a higher accident rate among left-handers and left-footers, with multiple regression unable to determine whether handedness or footedness was related more strongly to accident proneness. However, it was clear that accident rate was primarily associated with direction of lateralisation, and not with degree of lateralisation. Drivers with left-handedness were more likely to be involved in accidents, and it is possible that that may be related to the design of the locomotive cabs.

Cultural factors promoting coping among Tibetan refugees: a qualitative investigation

This study is an attempt to understand the role of cultural resources in promoting coping among Tibetan refugees. Tibetan refugee communities have adapted well and managed to preserve their cultural identity in exile and have been cited as models of successful coping with refugee life. Tibet is renowned for its rich culture and traditions. The unique feature of this culture is the devotion towards Buddhism which has exerted a strong influence in almost every aspect of their life and culture. This study is a qualitative investigation of 12 Tibetan refugees coming from diverse background (students, businessmen, activists, and ex-prisoners). Interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to analyse the narratives of case studies in order to explore various cultural factors promoting healthy coping. Major themes related to the cultural resources promoting healthy coping included – protective hand of Dalai Lama and other Lamas, Buddhist philosophy and practices, community bonding and support, and historical exemplars of strength and resiliency.

A Study of Posttraumatic Stress and Growth in Tsunami Relief Volunteers

Twenty female relief volunteers who had participated in the post-tsunami relief operations in the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, India, under the aegis of nongovernmental organizations and charitable trusts were assessed for posttraumatic stress, posttraumatic growth, and dissociative experiences. They also responded to a set of questions in order to determine the direction (upward-downward) of their counterfactual thoughts. The observed data were subjected to a multivariate analysis of variance and multiple discriminant analysis to identify the key underlying dimensions. The main effects of amnesia, depersonalization, percentage of dissociation, and family type were highly significant. Discriminant coefficients suggested the importance of relating to others and proactive coping. They also suggested the importance of intrusion, avoidance, and appreciation of life.

Emotional Distress and Posttraumatic Stress in Children: The Impact of Direct Versus Indirect Exposure

This study examined whether familiarity with the physical environment and verbal/pictorial exposure to a tsunami also inducted posttraumatic stress symptoms in adolescents. The Impact of Event Scale (IES) and Pediatric Emotional Distress Scale (PEDS) were administered to 231 subjects (130 directly exposed and 101 indirectly exposed). The directly exposed group scored high on the IES and PEDS. A significant sex difference was observed on all three dimensions of the IES, and fearful and traumatic event-related dimensions of PEDS, with females at a higher risk compared to males. In the indirectly exposed group, no sex difference was observed for the IES (avoidance and total impact score) or the fearful, acting out, or traumatic experience related dimensions of the PEDS. Significant sex differences were observed in this group on the IES intrusion and PEDS withdrawal scores, with males higher on intrusion and females higher on withdrawal.

Study of Facial Micro-expressions in Psychology

The study of micro-expressions has undergone a big change as a result of contemporary development in the areas of human–computer interaction (HCI) and affective computing. This chapter will highlight the need for the study of micro-expressions. It would focus on two major approaches to evolve parameters for the automatic detection of human facial expressions—the facial action coding system (FACS) and facial animation parameters (FAPs). Besides summarizing the major developments in the area of psychology and other areas, it would also explore the ways in which neuropsychological studies can contribute to this domain of knowledge.

Bereavement, Cognitive-Emotional Processing, and Coping With the Loss: A Study of Indian and Japanese Students

Campus suicides have increased manifold across academic institutions, often leaving unresolved bereavement issues in these institutions, primarily because students are supposed to carry on with their daily activities with little or no time and attention paid to this necessary process. In this study, the role of cognitive-emotional processes in coping, especially when one is grieving a death, was investigated through a comparison between 40 bereaved Japanese and Indian female college students. The participants were assessed for resilience, cognitive-emotional regulation, posttraumatic cognition, and coping strategies in the aftermath of the suicide death of someone close. Positive reappraisal mediated the relationship between resilience and proactive coping, whereas negative cognitions about the self mediated the relationship between resilience and proactive as well as reflective coping. The participants from the two cultures differed significantly on resilience, with Indians scoring higher than Japanese young adults. The findings are analyzed in light of the coping with distressful life events model and could have possible implications for social workers and/or mental health professionals in terms of acceptability of interventions.

Handedness, Hinduism and sculpture: Searching for evidence of lateralisation

The majority of people throughout the world show extreme preference for the right hand. We studied lateral bias depicted in ancient Indian sculptures dating between the 7th and 9th centuries ad. A total of 288 sculptures were selected from various excavation sites/museums and the frequencies were computed on 13 different criteria in order to see the preferential bias for hand depicted in sculptures of male and female figures. The findings are discussed in the light of Hindu mythology and rituals.

Side Bias in Facial Expression

Although the bias is more clearly evident in paired organs (such as hand, foot, eye, and ear), it is also distinguishable in similarly arranged areas of non-paired organs like the face. Ordinarily, people are less aware of the differential involvement of the two sides of the face. This behaviour (referred generally as facedness) is conceived in terms of the relative intensity of expression and the extent of movement on the left and right sides of the face (Borod & Koff, 1990). Functionally, facedness is different from other indices of side bias (handedness, footedness, eyedness and earedness). Whereas the latter indices provide important cues to understand subjective preference or proficiency in unimanual activities of sensory or motor origin, the former index provides interpersonal cues important to understand social interaction. By definition, facial asymmetry refers to the fact that the left and right sides of human face during rest or movement are not identical. The