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Regarding the fact that gay men leave less offspring than straight men, it is appropriate to raise a question by which means is male homosexuality maintained in a population and what could eventually be its evolutionary role. The aim of this paper is to summarize theories that try to explain male homosexuality within the framework of evolution. Furthermore, it aims to critically evaluate the results of empirical research that support particular theories or give evidence against them. In the first part, the paper provides a review of knowledge about the genetic and immunological origins of male homosexuality which consequently serves as a theoretical base for the main part of the paper that pursues the five most influential evolutionary theories of male homosexuality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. The Outcome Rating Scale (ORS) is an ultra-brief self-report scale designed to measure change during psychotherapy. The goal of this study was to test (a) the factor structure of the ORS, (b) the measurement invariance between a clinical and a non-clinical sample, between pre-therapy and post-therapy assessment (within the clinical sample), and between online and paper-and-pencil forms of administration (within the non-clinical sample), (c) concurrent validity with other outcome measures, and (d) sensitivity to therapeutic change. Sample and settings. N = 256 patients, N = 210 non-clinical respondents, and N = 89 students participated in the study. Patients responded to the ORS before and after psychotherapy. Statistical analysis. The factor structure and measurement invariance were tested using confirmatory factor analysis. Concurrent validity and test-retest reliability were assessed using correlational analysis. Sensitivity to change was assessed using the Reliable Change Index and pre-post effect size. Results. The unidimensional structure was supported. The best-fitting model was a partially tau-equivalent model with the first and the fourth items' loadings fixed to the same value. While only metric invariance was demonstrated between the clinical and non-clinical samples, the ORS demonstrated scalar invariance between pre- and post-therapy assessment and strict invariance between the paper-and-pencil and online forms of administration. Internal consistency, as well as concurrent validity, were satisfactory. The sensitivity to the therapeutic change was adequate. Furthermore, internal consistency and sensitivity to change were increased if the score was computed as a weighted sum of items. Study limitation. The samples were not representative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The paper introduced the concept of narrative sensitivity. The study aimed to identify the facets of narrative sensitivity (NS) in medical students and assess the changes in NS during undergraduate medical education. Methods. A mixed method study was designed to explore NS. Data was collected from a group of students in their second year (N=50) and then in their fifth year (N=42) of their undergraduate education. The data was analysed using thematic analysis in accordance with consensual qualitative research. A coding system was developed to identify and refine the facets of NS. The theme frequencies were counted for each year separately and Fisher’s exact test was conducted to assess the statistical significance of NS change between both years. Results. Nine themes related to NS were identified in the data. The frequency of themes indicated a trend towards a decline in NS between the second and fifth years of undergraduate education. However, the exploratory nature of this study and the small sample size did not allow any definitive conclusions regarding changes over time. Conclusions. The findings raised doubts about the outcome of undergraduate education based on a narrow biomedical perspective. The study supported the arguments for giving emphasis on training of communication skills including narrative sensitivity during medical education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific literacy is one of the crucial skills necessary for making informed decisions and evaluating evidence. Despite the fact that the overall results of Slovak students in scientific literacy are lower than the average for OECD countries, there is still a lack of interventions focusing explicitly on fostering scientific literacy in the educational system. Therefore, this literature review aims to determine: 1. types of interventions that can be used to foster scientific literacy; 2. the main features of interventions responsible for their effectiveness. Authors conducted a content analysis of 40 empirical scientific papers, focusing on two aspects of scientific literacy: scientific reasoning ability and attitudes toward science. The study indicates that scientific reasoning ability can be effectively improved with the interventions focused on 1. scientific argumentation; 2. understanding nature of science; 3. process of scientific discovery. Interventions focused on improving attitudes toward science share similar characteristics as interventions focused on scientific reasoning and can be classified similarly. Other aspects, such as the level of guidance, teaching strategy, gender, and domain of the intervention can also play an important role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. With growing interest in hallucinogens, majority of psychedelic research focus mostly on the therapeutic potential and benefits. The objective of this paper is to explore how users of psychedelics verbalize their experience and perceived risks of using such substances. Methods. The authors used a questionnaire with open-ended and multiple-choice items. The sample included persons with at least one phenomenological experience with psychedelics (N = 422, age M=27.78; SD=7.84; SE=0.38; 35.1% women). Qualitative data were analyzed using concepts of The Grounded Theory using the Atlas.ti suite. Results. The target group uses terms taken from the English language ("bad trip", "set and setting", "sitter", or the grammatically localized version of the word „psychedelic"), with shared and well-understood semantic meaning within the community. The central domain "inappropriate set and setting" and its inadequate preparation is linked to the negative experience of "bad trip" which can lead to difficult "integration of experience" or even "psychotic disorders". Users of psychedelics report various harm reduction strategies which are consistent with relevant literature. Conclusion. This study illustrates that Slovak users of psychedelics seem to understand and use the established terminology of international discourse related to these substances. At the same time the authors suggest that users seem to use various relevant strategies to lower risks associated with the use of psychedelics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]