October 19, 2013

Marriage and Your Health

When suffering a serious illness, does having a spouse make any difference in your chances for survival? You may be surprised by the answer. Then, there is a national push to reduce childhood bullying. But are anti-bullying laws making a difference?

Episode Segments:

InfoTrak: Marriage and Cancer Survival Rates Ayal A. Aizer, MD, MHS, Chief Resident of the Harvard Radiation Oncology Program, Massachusetts General Hospital talked about his study that found that cancer patients who are married are more likely to survive the disease than non-married cancer patients. He discussed the possible reasons behind this trend. He believes that the social support of a spouse is very important in health outcomes. He said patients who are married are also 50% more likely to receive recommended treatments for curable forms of cancer.
InfoTrak: Bully Nation Susan Eva Porter, PhD, school administrator and counselor, author of Bully Nation: Why America's Approach to Childhood Aggression is Bad for Everyone believes that today’s children are no more aggressive or violent than previous generations, but our nation’s sensitivity to bullying has increased dramatically. She said recent legislation targeting bullying has been largely ineffective, and does not help youngsters in the long run. She said labeling a child as a bully or victim also does more harm than good. She also said it’s difficult to understand the size of the problem because national bullying statistics are very inconsistent.
InfoTrak: Healing the Trauma of Domestic Violence Edward S. Kubany, PhD, clinical psychologist, and author of Healing the Trauma of Domestic Violence discussed how victims of abuse can begin to recover and take back their lives. He explained where abuse typically begins in a relationship and how women can identify potential abusive men before becoming involved with them. He said most abused women also experience post-traumatic stress disorder.

Guest(s) Appearing on this Episode

Susan Eva Porter Susan Eva Porter received her A.B. from Brown University, master’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania (M.S.Ed.) and Smith College School for Social Work (MSW), and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. She is licensed as a Clinical Social Worker in the State of California. Sue has worked in schools as a health educator, school counselor, school trustee, and consultant for over two decades. Her primary focus is on establishing and supporting healthy school environments, working with adults to effect positive change within school systems, and supporting students and their parents. She has also has written extensively about adolescence, including about stress in schools, the boundaries between teachers and students, and most recently about bullying. She is the author of two books, Relating to Adolescents: Educators in a Teenage World (Rowman & Littlefield, 2008) and Bully Nation: Why America’s Approach to Childhood Aggression Is Bad For Everyone (Paragon House, 2013). Susan's Website

Edward S. Kubany Edward S. Kubany, Ph.D., ABPP, received a doctorate in Clinical Psychology and a Masters degree in Business Administration from the University of Hawaii. Dr. Kubany is a research psychologist at the National Center for PTSD, Pacific Islands Division, (Department of Veterans Affairs). He also has a small private practice at the Behavior Therapy Clinic, in Honolulu, where he works exclusively with trauma survivors-primarily women with victimization histories of intimate partner violence and/or sexual abuse, and surviving family members of victims of sudden death. He is Affiliate Graduate Faculty in the Psychology Department at the University of Hawaii. Dr. Kubany is a Diplomate in Behavioral Psychology, American Board of Professional Psychology, with a subspecialty in the area of cognitive-behavioral assessment and therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He is also a Diplomate of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress and is Board Certified in Domestic Violence and Bereavement Trauma. Dr. Kubany's research interests focus on assessment, treatment, and theoretical aspects of posttraumatic stress. He has authored more than 35 journal articles and book chapters. He has made more than 30 presentations at national and international conferences since 1990. Dr. Kubany is perhaps best known for his research on the assessment and treatment of trauma-related guilt, conducted primarily with combat veterans and physically and sexually abused women. He is first author of 12 articles on guilt, all published since 1994. He was on the Editorial Board of Psychological Assessment, a journal of the American Psychological Association, from 1996 to 1998. He was Chairman of the Research & Development Committee at the Honolulu VA from 1997 to 2000. More About Dr. Kubany