Weight loss in combat sports: physiological, psychological and performance effects

Abstract Background The present article briefly reviews the weight loss processes in combat sports. We aimed to discuss the most relevant aspects of rapid weight loss (RWL) in combat sports. Methods This review was performed in the databases MedLine, Lilacs, PubMed and SciELO, and organized into sub-topics: (1) prevalence, magnitude and procedures, (2) psychological, physiological and performance effects, (3) possible strategies to avoid decreased performance (4) organizational strategies to avoid such practices. Results There was a high prevalence (50%) of RWL, regardless the specific combat discipline. Methods used are harmful to performance and health, such as laxatives, diuretics, use of plastic or rubber suits, and sauna. RWL affects physical and cognitive capacities, and may increase the risk of death. Conclusion Recommendations during different training phases, educational and organizational approaches are presented to deal with or to avoid RWL.

Relazione gestante-feto, modalità del parto e sviluppo fisico del bambino

Extensive literature outlined that the quality of the mother-foetus relationship is considered the main feature with regard to the quality of postnatal mother-infant interaction and also to the child’s psychical development. Nowadays the relationship between the pregnant woman and her foetus is viewed as the central factor of the somatic dialogue between the functioning of the maternal and the foetal organisms. This dialogue is responsible for the physic development of the child, as well as of its psychosomatic structure. Therefore the research area has necessarily had to extend to the analysis of psychological processes concerning: the pregnancy, the couple that is bound by parenthood, the influence of intergenerational dynamics. In fact, the formation of maternal identity, as well as that of the relationship between the woman and the foetus, refers to the pregnant woman’s relationship with her parents, especially with her mother. The same pregnancy, considered as a psychosomatic event, is directly influenced by relational, affective and social factors, particularly by the quality of the interiorized parental relations and the quality of the current relationships (such as that with her partner and with her family of origin). Some studies have begun to investigate the relationship between the pregnant woman and the foetus in term of “prenatal attachment” and its relationship with socio-demographic, psychological e psychopathological aspects (such as pre and post partum depression), but the research area is still largely unexplored. The present longitudinal research aimed to investigate the quality of the pregnant womanfoetus relationship by the prenatal attachment index, the quality of the interiorized relationship with woman’s parents, the level of alexithymic features and maternity social support, in relation with the modulation of the physiology of delivery and of postpartum, as well as of the physical development of the child. A consecutive sample of 62 Italian primipara women without any kind of pathologies, participated in the longitudinal study. In the first phase of this study (third trimester of the pregnancy), it has investigated the psychological processes connected to the affective investment of the pregnant women towards the unborn baby (by Prenatal Attachment Inventory), the mothers’ interiorized relationship with their own parents (by Parental Bonding Instrument), the social and affective support from their partner and their family of origin are able to supply (by Maternity Social Support Scale), and the level of alexithymia (by 20-Toronto Alexithymia Scale). In the second phase of this study, some data concerning the childbirth course carried out from a “deliverygram” (such as labour, induction durations and modalities of delivery) and data relative to the newborns state of well-being (such as Apgar and pH indexes). Finally, in the third phase of the study women have been telephoned a month after the childbirth. The semistructured interview investigated the following areas: the memory concerning the delivery, the return to home, the first interactions between the mother and the newborn, the breastfeeding, the biological rhythms achieved from newborns. From the data analysis a sample with a good level of prenatal attachment and of support social and a good capability to mental functioning emerged. An interesting result is that the most of the women have a great percentage of “affectionless control style” with both parents, but data is not sufficient to interpret this result. Moreover, considering the data relative to the delivery, medical and welfare procedures, that have been necessary, are coherent with the Italian mean, while the percentage of the caesarean section (12.9%) is inferior to the national percentage (30%). The 29% of vaginal partum has got epidural analgesia, which explains the high number (37%) of obstetrician operations (such as Kristeller). The data relative to the newborn (22 male, 40 female) indicates a good state of well-being because Apgar and pH indexes are superior to 7 at first and fifth minutes. Concerning the prenatal phase, correlation analysis showed that: the prenatal attachment scores positively correlated with the expected social support and negatively correlated with the “externally oriented thinking” dimension of alexithymia; the maternity social support negatively correlated with total alexithymia score, particularly with the “externally oriented thinking” dimension, and negatively correlated with maternal control of parental bonding. Concerning the delivery data, there are many correlations (after all obvious) among themselves. The most important are that the labour duration negatively correlated with the newborn’s index state of well-being. Finally, concerning the data from the postpartum phase the women’ assessments relative to the partum negatively correlated with the duration of the delivery and positively correlated with the assessment relative to the return to home and the interaction with the newborn. Moreover the length of permanence in the hospital negatively correlated with women’s assessments relative to the return to home that, in turn, positively correlated with the quality of breastfeeding, the interaction between the mother and the newborn and the biological regulation of the child. Finally, the women’ assessments relative to breastfeeding positively correlated with the mother-child interactions and the biological rhythms of children. From the correlation analysis between the variables of the prenatal phase and the data relative to the delivery, emerged that the prenatal attachment scores positively correlated with the dilatation stage scores and with the newborn’s Apgar index at first minute, the paternal care dimension of parental bonding positively correlated with the lengths of the various periods of childbirth like so the paternal control dimension with placental stage. Moreover, emerged that the expected social support positively correlated with the lengths of the various periods of childbirth and that the global alexithymia scores, particularly “difficulty to describe emotions” dimension, negatively correlated with total childbirth scores. From the correlation analysis between the variables of the prenatal phase and variable of the postpartum phase emerged that the total alexithymia scores positively correlated with the time elapsed from the childbirth to the breastfeeding of the child, the difficulty to describe emotions dimension of the alexithymia negatively correlated with the quality of the breastfeeding, the “externally oriented thinking” dimension of the alexithymia negatively correlated with mother-child interactions, and finally the paternal control dimension of the parental bonding negatively correlated with the time elapsed from the child to the breastfeeding of the child. Finally, from the analysis of the correlation between the data of the partum and the women’s assessments of the postpartum phase, emerged the negative correlation between the woman’s assessment relative to the delivery and the quantitative of obstetrician operations and the lengths of the various periods of childbirth, the positive correlation between the women’s assessment about the length of delivery periods and the real lengths of the same ones, the positive relation between woman’s assessment relative to the delivery and the Apgar index of children. In conclusion, there is a remarkable relation between the quality of the relationship the woman establishes with the foetus that influences the course of the pregnancy and the delivery that, in turn, influences the postpartum outcome, particularly relative to the mother-children relationship. Such data should be confirmed by heterogeneous populations in order to identify vulnerable women and to project focused intervention.

Equine and human mutual welfare: a whole subject? Critical aspects and possible strategies in equine-assisted activities and therapies

General aim of the study is equine welfare, particularly concerning different husbandry methodic and inter-specific relational factors. Specific aim is the evaluation of possible mutual (to humans and to equines) benefits and the analysis of critical factors/strength points, of human-horse relationship within Therapeutic Riding context (TR). The peculiarities of human-horse relationship (compared to the bond with “Pet”) are analyzed, concerning their socio-anthropological, psychological, psycho-dynamic distinctive characteristics. 8 European representative therapeutic riding centers (TRC) were therefore selected (on the basis of their different animals’ husbandry criteria, and of the different rehabilitative methodologies adopted). TRC were investigated through 2 different questionnaires, specifically settled to access objective/subjective animal welfare parameters; the quality of human-horse relationship; technicians’ emotional experienced. 3 Centers were further selected, and behavioral (145 hours of behavioral recording) and physiological parameters (heart rate and heart rate variability) were evaluated, aimed to access equine welfare and horses’ adaptive responses/coping (towards general environment and towards TR job). Moreover a specific “handling-task” was ideated and experimented, aimed to measure the quality of TR technicians-horses relationship. We did therefore evaluate both the individual horses’ responses and the possible differences among Centers. Data collected highlight the lack of univocal standardized methodic, concerning the general animals’ management and the specific methodologies (aimed to improve animal welfare and to empower TR efficacy). Some positive and some critical aspects were detected concerning TR personnel-horse relationship. Another experimental approach did evaluate the efficacy (concerning the mutual benefits’ empowerment) of an “ethologically-fitted” TR intervention, aimed to educate children to and through the relationship with horses. Our data evidenced that the improvement of human horse relationship, through structured educational programs for TR personnel might have important consequences both to human and equine welfare.

Poverty and Mental Health. Tangible and Intangible Aspects of Microcredit

Microcredit, a small lending system, invests on an individual's creativity by stimulating the development of their own potential. This process leads to the attainment of various objectives which in turn allow individuals to develop their skill awareness. Consequently, this process also increases an individual’s self-esteem and self-confidence. These factors play an important role in the aetiology of a number of mental disorders. Namely, those characterized by a series of psychological conditions which impede the full development of a person’s personal, relational and social sphere. Furthermore, since Microcredit is thought to produce tangible goods, such as income, and intangible goods, such as self-esteem and mutual trust, it could also represent an innovative socio-economic tool. We therefore also hypothesize that, Microcredit would be valuable in maximizing abilities/skills in those subjects who are financially excluded and rarely perceived as a ‘resource’ for the Community The longitudinal study set the impact of the Grameen Bank microcredit program on new borrowers women from Noakhali District at the south Bangladesh. The impact evaluation assessment has been structured to detect individual, family and social changes. Manova Analysis allowed distinguishing from women with positive or negative outcomes related to the loan performance. Data revealed consistent differences in terms of economical outcomes and psychological well being amongst the groups of subject analyzed. The data gathered in relation to the changes arisen in the individuals should be looked into through future, continuous and systematic, monitoring.

Predictors of readmission and health related quality of life in patients with chronic heart failure: a comparison of different psychosocial aspects

Psychological distress is common in patients with chronic heart failure. The impact of different psychological variables on prognosis has been shown but the comparative effects of these variables remain unclear. This study examines the impact of depression, anxiety, vital exhaustion, Type D personality, and social support on prognosis in chronic heart failure patients. One hundred eleven patients (mean age 57 ± 14 years) having participated in an exercise based ambulatory cardiac rehabilitation program were enrolled in a prospective cohort study. Psychological baseline data were assessed at program entry. Mortality, readmission, and health-related quality of life were assessed at follow up (mean 2.8 ± 1.1 years). After controlling for disease severity none of the psychological variables were associated with mortality, though severe anxiety predicted readmission [HR = 3.21 (95% CI, 1.04-9.93; P = .042)]. Health-related quality of life was independently explained by vital exhaustion, anxiety and either body mass index (physical dimension) or sex (emotional dimension). As psychological variables have a strong impact on health-related quality of life they should be routinely assessed in chronic heart failure patients` treatment.

Cultural and migration aspects in functional abdominal pain

Compared to Europe's mean immigrant contingent of 7.3 to 8.6 % Switzerland holds the highest contingent of foreign population with 23.5 %. Therefore it is of utmost importance that physicians have a knowledge of the specific characteristics of immigrant patients. The influence of personality factors (experience, behavior) is not independent from the influence of culturally-related environmental factors (regional differences in diet, pollutants, meanings, etc.). In addition, different cultural groups rate their quality of life differently. Psychological reasons for recurrent abdominal pain are stress (life events), effects of self-medication (laxatives, cocaine) and sexual abuse but also rare infectious diseases are more common among immigrants (e.g. tuberculosis, histoplasmosis, etc.). Migration-specific characteristics are mainly to find in the semiotics of the symptoms: not every abdominal pain is real pain in the abdomen. Finally, it is crucial to make the distinction between organic, functional and psychological-related pain. This can, however, usually only be accomplished in the context of the entire situation of a patient and, depending on the situation, with the support of a colleague from the appropriate cultural group or an experienced interpreter. In this review we limit ourselves to the presentation of the working population of the migrants, because these represent the largest group of all migrants. The specific situation of asylum seekers will also be refrained to where appropriate.

Psychological Interventions for Infertile Couples: Does Gender Matter?

Purpose: Gender-specific differences exist between male and female infertility patients' mental health, the meaning of infertility in their lives, and the coping strategies used. This systematic review examines whether gender-specific aspects are addressed in psychological intervention studies for infertility and whether infertile women and men benefit equally from such interventions. Methods: Databases were searched to identify relevant articles published between 1978 and 2007 (384 articles). The review included both controlled and uncontrolled psychological intervention studies examining results for infertile women and men separately. Outcome measures (depressive symptoms, anxiety, and mental distress) and gender-specific baseline characteristics (mental distress at pre-assessment, cause of infertility, and medical treatment) were collected. A total of twelve studies were finally included. Results: In 10 of 12 studies, women exhibited higher levels of mental distress than men. Gender-specific aspects were not addressed in the psychological interventions. Examining the efficacy of psychological interventions revealed that women exhibited stronger positive mental health effects in 2 of the 12 studies. Conclusion: Psychological distress before psychological treatment seems more pronounced in women than in men. Therefore psychological interventions for infertile couples should take gender-specific aspects into account. More research is needed to address the gender-specific aspects regarding psychological interventions for infertility.

Where Is "Home"? Value Conflicts, Identity Crises and the Formation of Cosmopolitan Identity in Myanmar Students Studying in the United States

Fully engaging in a new culture means translating oneself into a different set of cultural values, and many of the values can be foreign to the individual. The individual may face conflicting tensions between the psychological need to be a part of the new society and feelings of guilt or betrayal towards the former society, culture or self. Many international students from Myanmar, most of whom have little international experience, undergo this value and cultural translation during their time in American colleges. It is commonly assumed that something will be lost in the process of translation and that the students become more Westernized or never fit into both Myanmar and US cultures. However, the study of the narratives of the Myanmar students studying in the US reveals a more complex reality. Because individuals have multifaceted identities and many cultures and subcultures are fluctuating and intertwined with one another, the students¿ cross-cultural interactions can also help them acquire new ways of seeing things. Through their struggle to engage in the US college culture, many students display the theory of ¿cosmopolitanism¿ in their transformative identity formation process and thus, define and identify themselves beyond one set of cultural norms.

Nursing Homes as a Setting for Psychological Practice: Public Policy Perspectives.

Recent federal legislation has provided renewed interest in improving the quality of nursing home care. The lack of both funding and personnel are significant barriers that may keep psychology's disciplinary expertise from being fully used in nursing homes. Nursing homes may be forced to undertake mandated activities (e.g., preadmission screening, nurses aides' training, and evaluation) without psychologists' expertise, relying either on medical practitioners with little knowledge of mental health interventions or on minimally qualified, entry-level mental health workers. Advocates for improved nursing home care must see the links among basic disciplinary skills, interdisciplinary collaboration, and improved care for mentally impaired elderly individuals.

Family Anomie and Juvenile Deliquency in Post-Communist Romania

The sensitivity of crime rates to social, economic and political influences has long aroused the interest of sociologists who have attempted to explain what kind of relationships might be associated with variations in crime rates between different social groups at different times. The earliest views were put forward by Emil Durkheim, and while later writers have developed (R.K. Merton, L. Srole, A, K. Cohen, etc.) have developed some aspects of his ideas further, his basic ideas of the divorce of the individual from normative standards and the lack of social integration are still valid. Ms. Voicu-Minea looked at the theoretical background in detail but then limited it to a specific social group, the family, asking first why certain individual within vulnerable families and/or negative social influences commit offences while others do not. In modern times the family has undergone massive structural and functional changes. Its former economic function, which once endowed it with a great capacity for social inclusion, has generally vanished, while its formerly crucial role in children's education has been massively reduced. These changes, which are still not complete, can lead to dysfunction and in certain social contexts such as that in post-communist Romanian society, this risk of dysfunction is still greater as unfavourably social circumstances more easily affect such families. The number of cases of juvenile delinquency in Romania has increased sharply ever since the end of the communist system and in 1996 reached the level of 18,317 cases. The sample examined included 1012 juvenile delinquents aged between 14 and 18, taken from all areas of Bucharest. Over 80% of charges related to theft, with more serious offences being relatively rare. The children underwent a series of psychological tests, accompanied by a questionnaire relating to family situation. The results showed that juvenile delinquency in Romania is overwhelmingly male, with 91.8% of offences being committed by boys. Two thirds of the research group were under the age of 16 and only just over one third attended school, with over half having left school before the legal age. While the majority of subjects had a lower than average level of education, they did not always recognise this, with two thirds seeing their level of education as being as good as or better than average. Nearly half the children (43%) did not live with both natural parents and majority came from families with three or more children. This applied both to their original families and to the families in which they were living at the time of the survey. The overwhelming majority of families were living in or around Bucharest, but under one third originated from there. Almost 25% of parents were under-schooled and around one third were unqualified workers. At least 30% of families lived in inadequate accommodation and family incomes were generally low. Ms. Voicu-Minea does however point out that over half the minors from the sample saw their family income as satisfactory or even more than satisfactory. When factors such as bad relationships between parents, corporal punishment, alcohol consumption and criminal records of family members were taken into account, the picture was bleak, making it understandable why over 36% of subjects had run away from home at least once, and in many cases repeatedly and for longer periods. The overwhelming majority of offences (80.8%) were committed in groups of between 2 and 11 persons, usually "friends" but in about 10% of cases member's of the family. IQ tests put about 75% of the sample at slightly under average, the difference being too slight to account for the behaviour problems of the majority. Personality tests, however, showed a different picture. Over 70% of those tested manifested an acute need of tenderness and a similar number a high level of potential aggressiveness. Almost half of the minors expressed such feelings as intolerance or a desire for revenge, and Ms. Voicu-Minea found a clear weakness of the Self. Around half the sample expressed sentiments of abandonment, renunciation and solitude.

Epidemiological, social, diagnostic and economic evaluation of population screening for genital chlamydial infection

OBJECTIVES: To investigate epidemiological, social, diagnostic and economic aspects of chlamydia screening in non-genitourinary medicine settings. METHODS: Linked studies around a cross-sectional population-based survey of adult men and women invited to collect urine and (for women) vulvovaginal swab specimens at home and mail these to a laboratory for testing for Chlamydia trachomatis. Specimens were used in laboratory evaluations of an amplified enzyme immunoassay (PCE EIA) and two nucleic acid amplification tests [Cobas polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Becton Dickinson strand displacement amplification (SDA)]. Chlamydia-positive cases and two negative controls completed a risk factor questionnaire. Chlamydia-positive cases were invited into a randomised controlled trial of partner notification strategies. Samples of individuals testing negative completed psychological questionnaires before and after screening. In-depth interviews were conducted at all stages of screening. Chlamydia transmission and cost-effectiveness of screening were investigated in a transmission dynamic model. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: General population in the Bristol and Birmingham areas of England. In total, 19,773 women and men aged 16-39 years were randomly selected from 27 general practice lists. RESULTS: Screening invitations reached 73% (14,382/19,773). Uptake (4731 participants), weighted for sampling, was 39.5% (95% CI 37.7, 40.8%) in women and 29.5% (95% CI 28.0, 31.0%) in men aged 16-39 years. Chlamydia prevalence (219 positive results) in 16-24 year olds was 6.2% (95% CI 4.9, 7.8%) in women and 5.3% (95% CI 4.4, 6.3%) in men. The case-control study did not identify any additional factors that would help target screening. Screening did not adversely affect anxiety, depression or self-esteem. Participants welcomed the convenience and privacy of home-sampling. The relative sensitivity of PCR on male urine specimens was 100% (95% CI 89.1, 100%). The combined relative sensitivities of PCR and SDA using female urine and vulvovaginal swabs were 91.8% (86.1, 95.7, 134/146) and 97.3% (93.1, 99.2%, 142/146). A total of 140 people (74% of eligible) participated in the randomised trial. Compared with referral to a genitourinary medicine clinic, partner notification by practice nurses resulted in 12.4% (95% CI -3.7, 28.6%) more patients with at least one partner treated and 22.0% (95% CI 6.1, 37.8%) more patients with all partners treated. The health service and patients costs (2005 prices) of home-based postal chlamydia screening were 21.47 pounds (95% CI 19.91 pounds, 25.99) per screening invitation and 28.56 pounds (95% CI 22.10 pounds, 30.43) per accepted offer. Preliminary modelling found an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (2003 prices) comparing screening men and women annually to no screening in the base case of 27,000 pounds/major outcome averted at 8 years. If estimated screening uptake and pelvic inflammatory disease incidence were increased, the cost-effectiveness ratio fell to 3700 pounds/major outcome averted. CONCLUSIONS: Proactive screening for chlamydia in women and men using home-collected specimens was feasible and acceptable. Chlamydia prevalence rates in men and women in the general population are similar. Nucleic acid amplification tests can be used on first-catch urine specimens and vulvovaginal swabs. The administrative costs of proactive screening were similar to those for opportunistic screening. Using empirical estimates of screening uptake and incidence of complications, screening was not cost-effective.

Persistent versus transient depressive symptoms in relation to platelet hyperactivation: a longitudinal analysis of dementia caregivers

BACKGROUND: Depressive symptoms and caregiving stress may contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD) via chronic platelet activation; however, it remains unclear whether this elevated activation constitutes a trait or state marker. The primary objective was to investigate whether persistent depressive symptoms would relate to elevated platelet activation in response to acute psychological stress over a three-year period. METHODS: Depressive symptoms (Brief Symptom Inventory) were assessed among 99 spousal dementia caregivers (52-88 years). Platelet P-selectin expression was assessed in vivo using flow cytometry at three time-points over the course of an acute stress test: baseline, post-stress, and after 14 min of recovery. Two competing structural analytic models of depressive symptoms and platelet hyperactivity with three yearly assessments were compared. RESULTS: Although depressive symptoms were generally in the subclinical range, their persistent elevation was associated with heightened platelet reactivity and recovery at all three-years while the change in depressive symptoms from the previous year did not predict platelet activity. LIMITATIONS: These results focus on caregivers providing consistent home care, while future studies may extend these results by modeling major caregiving stressors. CONCLUSIONS: Enduring aspects of negative affect, even among those not suffering from clinical depression are related to hemostatic changes, in this case platelet reactivity, which might be one mechanism for previously reported increase in CVD risk among elderly Alzheimer caregivers.

Psychometric properties of the Swiss version of the Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture

The Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture (NHSPSC) was specifically developed for nursing homes to assess a facility’s safety climate and it consists of 12 dimensions. After its pilot testing, however, no fur- ther psychometric analyses were performed on the instrument. For this study of safety climate in Swiss nursing home units, the NHSPSC was linguistically adapted to the Swiss context and to address the unit as well as facility level, with the aim of testing aspects of the validity and reliability of the Swiss version before its use in Swiss nursing home units. Psychometric analyses were performed on data from 367 nurs- ing personnel from nine nursing homes in the German-speaking part of Switzerland (response rate = 66%), and content validity (CVI) examined. The statistical influence of unit membership on respondents’ answers, and on their agreement concerning their units’ safety climate, was tested using intraclass corre- lation coefficients (ICCs) and the rWG(J) interrater agreement index. A multilevel exploratory factor analysis (MEFA) with oblimin rotation was applied to examine the questionnaire’s dimensionality. Cronbach’s alpha and Raykov’s rho were calculated to assess factor reliability. The relationship of safety climate dimensions with clinical outcomes was explored. Expert feedback confirmed the relevance of the instru- ment’s items (CVI = 0.93). Personnel showed strong agreement in their perceptions in three dimensions of the questionnaire. ICCs supported a multilevel analysis. MEFA produced nine factors at the within-level (in comparison to 12 in the original version) and two factors at the between-level with satisfactory fit statis- tics. Raykov’s Rho for the single level factors ranged between 0.67 and 0.86. Some safety climate dimen- sions show moderate, but non-significant correlations with the use of bedrails, physical restraint use, and fall-related injuries. The Swiss version of the NHSPSC needs further refinement and testing before its use can be recommended in Swiss nursing homes: its dimensionality needs further clarification, particularly to distinguish items addressing the unit-level safety climate from those at the facility level.

Evaluation of pet contact as a risk factor for carriage of multidrug-resistant staphylococci in nursing home residents

BACKGROUND Pets, often used as companionship and for psychological support in the therapy of nursing home residents, have been implicated as reservoirs for antibiotic-resistant bacteria. We investigated the importance of pets as reservoirs of multidrug-resistant (MDR) staphylococci in nursing homes. METHODS We assessed the carriage of MDR staphylococci in pets and in 2 groups of residents, those living in nursing homes with pets and those living without pet contacts. We collected demographic, health status, and human-pet contact data by means of questionnaires. We assessed potential bacteria transmission pathways by investigating physical resident-to-pet contact. RESULTS The observed prevalence of MDR staphylococci carriage was 84/229 (37%) in residents living with pets and 99/216 (46%) in those not living with pets (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.4-0.9). Active pet contact was associated with lower carriage of MDR staphylococci (aOR, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.4-0.8). Antibiotic treatment during the previous 3 months was associated with significantly increased risk for MDR carriage in residents (aOR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.8-5.7). CONCLUSIONS We found no evidence that the previously reported benefits of pet contact are compromised by the increased risk of carriage of MDR staphylococci in residents associated with interaction with these animals in nursing homes. Thus, contact with pets, always under good hygiene standards, should be encouraged in these settings.