High Levels Of Psychological Problems Research Articles

The relationship between emotional intelligence, resilience, and psychological distress among nurses in Jordan

BackgroundNurses have significant levels of depression, anxiety, and stress as a result of their exposure to various stressors at work. Emotional intelligence and resilience are relatively new notions essential for nurses to naturalize high levels of psychological problems. The study aimed to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and resilience and their impact on depression, anxiety, and stress among nurses. MethodsA cross-sectional descriptive design was used and recruited 152 nurses from three private hospitals in Jordan. Variables were measured using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, Brief Resilience Scale, and Brief Emotional Intelligence Scale. ResultsThe participants' average age was 27.6 years, and they were mostly female (66.4 %). Resilience earned an average of 3.1, while emotional intelligence averaged 31.7. Depression, anxiety, and stress were all significantly higher among nurses. Also, negative relationships were found between emotional intelligence, resilience, and psychological problems (p < .001). Emotional intelligence is positively associated with resilience (r = 0.83, p < .001). In addition, emotional intelligence and resilience were both significant predictors of depression, anxiety, and stress. ConclusionEmotional intelligence is critical to nurses' well-being. Higher emotional intelligence is associated with higher resilience and lower levels of depression, anxiety, and stress among nurses. Interventions and education programs emphasizing emotional intelligence and resilience are essential to improving their mental health. Healthcare organizations and governments should promote these attributes to enhance nurses' psychological wellness in challenging healthcare settings.

Assessing reliability and validity of the Chinese version of Crown–Crisp experience index and its application in coal miners

In China, coal miners are the primary workforce in coal mining, and among all patients with occupational diseases, 90% suffer from pneumoconiosis. Therefore, the psychological problems resulting from the dual pressures of occupational stress and the high risk of occupational diseases among coal miners are significant factors that affect the development of physical and mental health and even production safety. The Crown–Crisp Experience Index (CCEI) is a multidimensional questionnaire that assesses the psychological state of patients. This study aims to test reliability and validity of Chinese version of the CCEI questionnaire using factor analysis, and apply it to coal miners. We recruited a total of 900 participants from different occupational stages in coal mining, including active miners, Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis (CWP) patients, and retired miners, to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the CCEI questionnaire. A questionnaire survey was conducted on three groups of 1000 individuals each, including active coal miners, retired coal miners, and pneumoconiosis patients, to determine the detection rate of psychological problems in each group. An analysis was performed for each group to explore the primary factors influencing anxiety. The exploratory factor analysis yielded six principal components that accounted for a total of 79.389% of variances. The confirmatory factor analysis showed that the Chi-square freedom ratio (χ2/df) was 1.843, the root mean square error approximation was less than 0.044, and the comparative fit index was 0.938 and Tucker–Lewis index (TLI) was 0.934. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.948, and the scale-level content validity index (S-CVI) was 0.88. Effective questionnaires were obtained from 98.5%, 96.9%, to 91.0% of pneumoconiosis patients, active miners, and retired miners, respectively, with the incidence rates of psychological problems being 21%, 35.8%, and 13.6%, respectively. Compared with retired miners, active miners showed higher levels of psychological problems in the dimensions of depressive symptoms, free-floating anxiety and somatic symptoms, whereas pneumoconiosis patients had higher levels of psychological problems in the dimensions of phobic anxiety and somatic symptoms. This study demonstrates that the Chinese version of the CCEI is highly reliable and valid and can be used as a screening tool to measure patients' anxiety and fear levels in coal minders. Miners face distinct psychological challenges at different stages and require targeted screening and interventions.

Psychological symptoms among adolescents: Latent class analysis of parental attitudes, psychological needs, self‐regulation, and alexithymia

AbstractPsychological problems are prevalent among adolescents, and previous studies have robustly demonstrated that individual and family factors play a role in the formation and maintenance of these problems. On the other hand, not all adolescents show the same characteristics in terms of these factors and can be categorized into different groups. Identifying this heterogeneity is also important in intervention for psychological problems. Thus, this study aimed to identify patterns of parental attitudes, basic psychological needs, self‐regulation, and alexithymia, using latent class analysis (LCA), and investigated how different patterns of these individual and family factors are associated with psychological problems. Participants included a sample of 331 volunteer Turkish adolescents (140 male [42.3%], 191 female [57.7%]). LCA indicated a two‐class solution fit the current data well and 65% of the participants were classified into the first latent class which was labeled as “positive individual and family context” (PIFC). The PIFC were found to have higher levels of parental sensitivity and autonomy support, need satisfaction and self‐regulation, but lower levels of mother's psychological and behavioral control and father's behavioral control, need frustration, and alexithymia. The second latent class, labeled as “negative individual and family context” (NIFC), included 35% of the adolescents. Adolescents in NIFC had low levels of parental sensitivity, autonomy support, satisfaction of basic psychological needs, and self‐regulation, but high levels of mother's psychological and behavioral control, father's behavioral control, frustration of basic psychological needs, and alexithymia. Moreover, after controlling gender and age, adolescents classified in the NIFC displayed significantly higher levels of psychological problems than those classified in the PIFC. These findings support the idea that individual and familial factors interact to affect adolescents' mental health and suggest that clinicians and helping professionals would benefit from including these factors in intervention processes.

Becoming an inner ally: the compassionate minds approach to self-compassion - an online programme.

A rapidly growing body of evidence indicates the enormous psychological burden of working in health care on nurses and other health professionals that is resulting in high levels of psychological problems. These will have profound effects on individuals and long-term ramifications for healthcare systems. Effective interventions that can counter the adverse psychological effects of caring during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond are urgently required. With this in mind, the authors have created an online self-compassion programme to advance the health and wellbeing of the nursing workforce through developing proactive evidence-based preventive teaching and learning strategies to promote compassion satisfaction and prevent compassion fatigue by improving self-compassion. The online programme is underpinned by compassionate minds theories and research.

Psychological factors and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease development in women: A narrative review

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality, with rising evidence of differences between women and men, worldwide. Data from the literature indicate the presence of gender-specific differences both in biological responses and in lifestyle behaviors to psychological stress. There is evidence suggesting that women experience higher levels of psychological problems, such as anxiety and depression. The connection between psychological factors and CVD can be explained by behavioral and biological risk factors, as well as underlying mechanisms, such as the sympathetic nervous system overactivity and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function impairment. Moreover, some psychosocial factors may place women at particular risk of CVDs. Given these hypotheses, the present review summarizes the existing knowledge about psychological factors and CVD connection in women, highlighting the sex differences.

Mobile phone paradox: A two-path model connecting mobile phone use and feeling of loneliness for Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong

Due to separation from their families and friends in their home countries and constrained living conditions in the host countries, migrant workers usually are found to experience loneliness. Compared with male migrant workers, female migrant workers are more vulnerable and likely to experience higher levels of psychological problems. The ubiquity of mobile phones enables migrant workers to access resources and social support to help to alleviate loneliness. However, research also suggests that mobile phone use may lead to a higher level of loneliness because problematic or excessive use displaces meaningful social interactions. This study investigates this mobile phone paradox among Filipino domestic workers (FDWs) in Hong Kong. Specifically, it explores the relationships between mobile phone use and two types of loneliness, namely social and emotional loneliness. Further, informed by the augmentation hypothesis and the displacement hypothesis, this research advances a two-path model to illustrate how mobile phone use connects with loneliness through social support and problematic mobile phone use. Findings from a survey of 492 FDWs reveal disjunctive effects. There is no direct correlation between mobile phone use and the two types of loneliness. Both problematic mobile phone use and social support are found to mediate the negative association between mobile phone use and social loneliness, while only problematic mobile phone use mediates the positive association between mobile phone use and emotional loneliness. Implications of the research on migrant workers’ mobile phone use and practical implications for social work and government efforts in helping FDWs dealing with loneliness are discussed.

Resilience and Poly-Victimization among Two Cohorts of Norwegian Youth.

Previous research shows that there is a significant and positive relationship between being a victim of violence and experiencing high levels of psychological problems among young people. Conversely, resilience is negatively associated with psychological problems among young people in general, and this negative association is particularly strong among victims of violence. Our study examines resilience among young people (aged ≥ 18 years) who reported being victims of multiple forms of violence during childhood and adolescence using data from two national youth surveys administered in Norway in 2007 (N = 7033) and 2015 (N = 4531), respectively. We first compared the score of resilience, as measured by the Resilience Scale for Adolescents (READ), and the prevalence of poly-victimization, as identified by the number of young people in our study who were exposed to three of the four forms of violence (i.e., non-physical violence, witnessing violence against parents, physical violence, and sexual abuse). Second, we tested our hypothesis using our data and found that resilience—individuals’ capacity to handle adversity, as well as their use of social and cultural resources when facing adversity—moderates the association between poly-victimization and the onset of psychological problems.

Pain patients’ experiences of validation and invalidation from physicians before and after multimodal pain rehabilitation: Associations with pain, negative affectivity, and treatment outcome

Background and aimsValidating and invalidating responses play an important role in communication with pain patients, for example regarding emotion regulation and adherence to treatment. However, it is unclear how patients’ perceptions of validation and invalidation relate to patient characteristics and treatment outcome. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of subgroups based on pain patients’ perceptions of validation and invalidation from their physicians. The stability of these perceptions and differences between subgroups regarding pain, pain interference, negative affectivity and treatment outcome were also explored. MethodsA total of 108 pain patients answered questionnaires regarding perceived validation and invalidation, pain severity, pain interference, and negative affectivity before and after pain rehabilitation treatment. Two cluster analyses using perceived validation and invalidation were performed, one on pre-scores and one on post-scores. The stability of patient perceptions from pre- to post-treatment was investigated, and clusters were compared on pain severity, pain interference, and negative affectivity. Finally, the connection between perceived validation and invalidation and treatment outcome was explored. ResultsThree clusters emerged both before and after treatment: (1) low validation and heightened invalidation, (2) moderate validation and invalidation, and (3) high validation and low invalidation. Perceptions of validation and invalidation were generally stable over time, although there were individuals whose perceptions changed. When compared to the other two clusters, the low validation/heightened invalidation cluster displayed significantly higher levels of pain interference and negative affectivity post-treatment but not pre-treatment. The whole sample significantly improved on pain interference and depression, but treatment outcome was independent of cluster. Unexpectedly, differences between clusters on pain interference and negative affectivity were only found post-treatment. This appeared to be due to the pre- and post-heightened invalidation clusters not containing the same individuals. Therefore, additional analyses were conducted to investigate the individuals who changed clusters. Results showed that patients scoring high on negative affectivity ended up in the heightened invalidation cluster post-treatment. ConclusionsTaken together, most patients felt understood when communicating with their rehabilitation physician. However, a smaller group of patients experienced the opposite: low levels of validation and heightened levels of invalidation. This group stood out as more problematic, reporting greater pain interference and negative affectivity when compared to the other groups after treatment. Patient perceptions were typically stable over time, but some individuals changed cluster, and these movements seemed to be related to negative affectivity and pain interference. These results do not support a connection between perceived validation and invalidation from physicians (meeting the patients pre- and post-treatment) and treatment outcome. Overall, our results suggest that there is a connection between negative affectivity and pain interference in the patients, and perceived validation and invalidation from the physicians. ImplicationsIn clinical practice, it is important to pay attention to comorbid psychological problems and level of pain interference, since these factors may negatively influence effective communication. A focus on decreasing invalidating responses and/or increasing validating responses might be particularly important for patients with high levels of psychological problems and pain interference.

The effect of a career choice guidance on self-reported psychological problems.

Late adolescents with career choice problems often have psychological problems as well. The starting point of this study was the question of career choice counselors whether potential clients with career choice problems and psychological problems could be accepted in career choice intervention, or whether it was better to advise them to seek help for their psychological problems. We investigated whether a successful career choice intervention reduced psychological problems, and whether this program was equally effective in participants with low and with high levels of psychological problems. Participants were 45 Dutch students (age 17–24) with career choice problems. They had above average levels of self-reported psychological problems before the start of the intervention. These problems decreased significantly following the intervention. With regard to vocational commitment development, the intervention was equally effective for participants with low or average and with (very) high levels of psychological problems before the start of the intervention.

Psychological Problems of Patients with Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators in Baghdad City.

Background: Patients with an Implantable Cardiovertor Defibrillation (ICD) describe psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, and stress. To achieve the full benefits of the device, patient must maintain their psychological status within good levels.Objectives: The major objectives of this study were to determine the main psychological problems in adult patients with an ICD and to find out the relationship between Psychological problems in patients with ICD and some demographic characteristics of patients with ICD.Patients and Methods: A Descriptive analytical study was carried out from January 25, 2011 to March 20, 2012 in order to determine Psychological problems of patients with ICD. The sample was selected by A purposive (non-probability) sampling of (100) patients raising ICD during routine checking or programming the device in outpatient at Ibn Abitar Hospital. Data was collected through the use of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) after doing some modifications and the process of the self- administrative report for each patient as a mean of data collection. The questionnaire was constructed by the researcher to achieve the objectives of the study, which consisted of two parts; the first part is concerned with the demographic characteristics of the patients; the second part consists of three domain describe the psychological problems and contain42- item measure of depression, anxiety and stress.Results: Results of the study indicate that (80%) of the sample are male at age group (40-49) years old, (53.3%) were married, (62 %) are at Bachelor Degree, (39. %) experience with ICD since 6-12 months, (42 %) employee, (7o%) take about (1-5) discharge per last 6 months. Psychological problems (depression, anxiety, and stress) among ICD patients at high levels, and the highest one was stress at MS (3.00) and SD (0.48), and there were significant relationships between depression and gender, educational level, and since ICD implantation at p-value (0.030, 0.011, and 0.037). There were significant relationships between anxiety and age, marital status, educational level, since ICD implantation at p-value (0.008, 0.025,0 .000, 0.007). There were significant relationships between Stress and age, gender, occupations, since ICD implantation at p-value (0.001, 0.000,0 .002, 0.053).Conclusions: An Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator patients experience high levels of psychological problems, patients worry about the devices malfunctioning, a afraid from the ICD shocks, They should be granted psychological support from health professionals who are familiar with the specific problems of ICD recipients. As well as psychological interventions is important role of nurse for those patients with ICD.

Childhood Psychological Problems in School Settings in Rural Southern Africa

BackgroundMany children can be exposed to multiple adversities in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) placing them at potential risk of psychological problems. However, there is a paucity of research using large representative cohorts examining the psychological adjustment of children in school settings in these countries. Children’s psychological adjustment has been shown to affect educational progress which is critical for their future. This study, based in a rural, socio-economically disadvantaged area of South Africa, aimed to examine the prevalence of children’s psychological problems as well as possible risk and protective factors.MethodsRates of psychological problems in 10–12 year olds were examined using teacher- and child-report questionnaires. Data on children from 10 rural primary schools, selected by stratified random sampling, were linked to individual and household data from the Agincourt health and socio-demographic surveillance system collected from households over 15 years.ResultsA total of 1,025 children were assessed. Teachers identified high levels of behavioural and emotional problems (41%). Children reported lower, but substantial rates of anxiety/depression (14%), and significant post-traumatic stress symptoms (24%); almost a quarter felt unsafe in school. Risk factors included being a second-generation former refugee and being from a large household. Protective factors highlight the importance of maternal factors, such as being more educated and in a stable partnership.ConclusionThe high levels of psychological problems identified by teachers are a serious public health concern, as they are likely to impact negatively on children’s education, particularly given the large class sizes and limited resources in rural LMIC settings. Despite the high levels of risk, a proportion of children were managing well and research to understand resilience could inform interventions.

Workplace Violence Against Nursing Students and Nurses: An Italian Experience

Nurses and nursing students are exposed to workplace violence. To compare the characteristics and effects of violence in nursing students and nurses in order to assess the phenomenon and take preventive action. A retrospective survey was conducted in three Italian university schools of nursing. At the end of a lecture, 346 of 349 students agreed to fill out a questionnaire that included domains on violence, mental health, job stress, and organizational justice. This group was compared with 275 nurses from a general hospital (94.2% participation rate). The prevalence of subjects reporting at least one upsetting episode of physical or verbal violence during their lifetime activity in clinical settings was 43% in nurses and 34% in nursing students. Nurses reported more physical assaults (odds ratio [OR] 2.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.35-6.18), threats (OR 2.84, 95% CI 1.39-5.79), and sexual harassment (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.15-5.54) during the previous 12 months than students. Nurses were mostly assaulted or harassed by patients or their relatives and friends ("external" violence), whereas students often reported verbal and also physical violence on the part of colleagues, staff, and others, including teachers, doctors, and supervisors ("internal" violence). Verbal violence was associated with high levels of psychological problems, as measured by the 12-item version of the General Health Questionnaire, in both students and nurses. Verbal violence was also associated with high job strain, low social support, and low organizational justice, but only among nursing students. Preventive action is urgently needed to control patient-to-worker and worker-to-worker violence in clinical settings. Not only nurses, but also nursing students, would benefit from multilevel programs of violence prevention.

Maternal vitamin B-12 and folate status during pregnancy and excessive infant crying

BackgroundThe etiology of excessive infant crying is largely unknown. We hypothesize that excessive infant crying may have an early nutritional origin during fetal development. AimsThis study is the first to explore whether (1) maternal vitamin B-12 and folate status during pregnancy are associated with excessive infant crying, and (2) whether and how maternal psychological well-being during pregnancy affects these associations. Study designWomen were approached around the 12th pregnancy week to complete a questionnaire (n=8266) and to donate a blood sample (n=4389); vitamin B-12 and folate concentrations were determined in serum. Infant crying behavior was measured through a postpartum questionnaire (±3months; n=5218). SubjectsPregnant women living in Amsterdam and their newborn child. Outcome measuresExcessive infant crying, defined as crying ≥3h/day on average in the past week. ResultsMultiple logistic regression analysis was performed for 2921 (vitamin B-12) and 2622 (folate) women.Vitamin B-12 concentration (categorized into quintiles) was associated with excessive infant crying after adjustment for maternal age, parity, ethnicity, education, maternal smoking and psychological problems (OR[95%CI]: Q1=3.31[1.48–7.41]; Q2=2.50[1.08–5.77]; Q3=2.59[1.12–6.00]; Q4=2.77[1.20–6.40]; Q5 = reference). Stratified analysis suggested a stronger association among women with high levels of psychological problems during pregnancy. Folate concentration was not associated with excessive infant crying. ConclusionsFirst evidence is provided for an early nutritional origin in excessive infant crying. A low maternal vitamin B-12 status during pregnancy could, in theory, affect infant crying behavior through two potential mechanisms: the methionine–homocysteine metabolism and/or the maturation of the sleep–wake rhythm.

Measuring outcomes in a child psychiatry inpatient unit

The aim of this article is to examine clinical outcomes in a child psychiatry inpatient unit using dedicated measures. Clinicians completed contextual (Paddington Complexity Scale - PCS) and clinical change (Health of the Nation Outcome Scales for Children and Adolescents - HoNOSCA) questionnaires on admission and discharge for consecutive admissions to the unit between 1999 and 2007 (n=167). Mean changes in HoNOSCA scores were analysed, and the predictors of HoNOSCA mean change were assessed using regression analysis. The results showed that the mean length of stay at the unit was 5.6 months (SD 3.1). PCS ratings identified high total, clinical, and environmental complexity scores. HoNOSCA ratings indicated high levels of psychological problems on admission and significant improvement at discharge (mean change 7.7 (SD 6.7)). Greater positive change was associated with higher initial HoNOSCA scores, diagnoses other than conduct disorder and schizophrenia, and a facilitative parental attitude. The authors conclude that the systematic use of standardised outcome measures in child psychiatric inpatient units is useful to document clinical features, complexity and clinical change.

Nonlinear Relationship Between Length of Residence and Depression in a Community-Based Sample of Vietnamese Americans

Length of residence has been viewed as an indicator of acculturation among immigrants and refugees in their host society. This study aims to test an inverted U relationship between length of residence and depression in a community-based sample of Vietnamese Americans. Data were collected from a community-based survey of adult Vietnamese Americans living in an East Coast metropolitan area consisting of 349 respondents aged 18 and older. However, due to missing data, the actual sample in our regression analysis using listwise deletion method is 311. Among the participants, 52.1% are female (n = 182), and 47.9% are male (n = 167). The age of the respondents ranges from 18 to 73 years with the average age being 38.76 (SD = 13.76). The average number of years that the participants lived within the United States was 7.01 years (SD = 5.22). Findings from a polynomial regression analysis support the hypothesis that depression levels tend to be high during the first decade of initial resettlement. However, after approximately 12.5 years, depression levels decrease. As revealed by the data and community experts, immigrants/ refugees tend to suffer from higher levels of psychological problems during their first decade of resettlement. It takes more than a decade for a non-English-speaking immigrant or refugee to adjust psychologically into his/her host society.

Use of a routine mental health measure in an adolescent secure unit

We examined the use of a staff-completed measure, the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales for Children and Adolescents (HoNOSCA), to record mental health problems in adolescents in local authority secure accommodation. It proved possible to train staff and implement completion of the HoNOSCA on 64 consecutive admissions. Interrater reliability was high. The HoNOSCA identified high levels of psychological problems on admission (mean 18.5, s.d.=5.5). Follow-up HoNOSCA ratings proved sensitive to change; however, correlation between HoNOSCA and adolescent-completed questionnaires was poor. We concluded that HoNOSCA can be helpful in documenting mental health problems among young people admitted to secure local authority units.

Node-link mapping and psychological problems. Perceptions of a residential drug abuse treatment program for probationers.

The current study examined program perceptions of 367 probationers admitted to a 4-month residential drug abuse treatment facility that focuses on group counseling. Prior research has shown that many individuals within the criminal justice system have both psychological and drug abuse problems, and that they often have limited success in drug abuse treatment programs. The current study examined whether the benefits of node-link mapping, a visual representation counseling technique that is especially beneficial in group counseling environments, would extend to individuals with psychological problems. Probationers were randomly assigned to mapping-enhanced or standard counseling. Those residents who had higher levels of psychological problems (based on a global indicator of psychological problems), and who received mapping-enhanced counseling, had more favorable perceptions of their counselors and fellow community members over time than their counterparts who received standard counseling.