Individual Psychological Well-being Research Articles

The psychological health and well-being of emergency medicine consultants in the UK

ObjectiveTo explore the experience of psychological distress and well-being in emergency medicine (EM) consultants.MethodsA qualitative, interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study based on 1:1 semistructured interviews with EM consultants working full...

Customer-perpetrated work-related violence: prevalence and trends in Britain.

Incidents of work-related violence (WRV) have increased over the years. These can be damaging to both individual psychological well-being and organizational performance. To examine the prevalence and causes of customer-perpetrated WRV in Britain over a 12 year period. Demographic, work and perpetrator's personality characteristics were examined as predictors of WRV. Data from the Crime Survey of England and Wales (CSEW) across 2001-13 were filtered specifically to explore responses from victims of customer-perpetrated crime within the working population. On average, 22% of all violent crimes committed by customers occurred in the workplace. Further analysis showed that differences in gender, age as well as managerial/supervisory duties, working hours, employment status, organizational size and occupation were significantly related to incidents of WRV. Perpetrators' personality characteristics were also perceived as predictors of WRV. This paper provides an alternative approach for reporting customer-perpetrated WRV. Violence at work is considered a widespread problem within the organizational studies literature, which can lead to a variety of stress-related symptoms in affected workers. Based on the current study's findings, a theoretical model is proposed to help combat customer-perpetrated WRV, and as a basis for future research.

Participation in rural community groups and links with psychological well-being and resilience: a cross-sectional community-based study.

BackgroundFostering the development of community groups can be an important part of boosting community participation and improving health and well-being outcomes in rural communities. In this article, we examine whether psychological well-being and resilience are linked to participating in particular kinds of rural community groups.MethodsWe conducted a household survey involving 176 participants aged 18 to 94 years from a medium-sized rural Australian town. We gathered data on psychological well-being (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale), resilience (Brief Resilience Scale), and the types of community groups that people participated in as well as a range of characteristics of those groups, such as size, frequency of group meetings, perceived openness to new members, and whether groups had leaders, defined roles for members, hierarchies, and rules.ResultsUnivariable regression analyses revealed significant links between particular group characteristics and individual psychological well-being and resilience, suggesting that the characteristics of the group that an individual participates in are strongly tied to that person’s well-being outcomes. Multivariable analyses revealed two significant independent factors. First, psychological well-being was greatest among those who participated in groups without a hierarchy, that is, equal-status relationships between members. Second, resilience was greater among those who reported having a sense of influence within a group.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that policymakers wishing to promote participation in rural community groups for health and well-being benefits may do well to encourage the development of particular characteristics within those groups, in particular equal-status relationships and a sense of influence for all group members.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40359-016-0121-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Social networking’s peril: Cognitive absorption, social networking usage, and depression

Social networking has become commonplace in today’s always-connected world. Due to this ubiquity, researchers have sought to explore the positive and negative effects that can result from usage of social networking. This research has shown many effects on an individual's psychological well-being, with one of the most concerning being mixed results of how usage relates to depression. In this study, we further examine the relationship between usage and depression for social networking users. In addition, we posit that aspects of cognitive absorption, namely temporal dissonance, focused immersion, and heightened enjoyment, have a direct effect on the amount of usage. A survey of 251 social networking users reveals that temporal dissociation and heightened enjoyment are associated with increased usage, and usage was found to be associated with greater levels of depression. Further, prior research has shown a significant difference between genders in Internet usage and social networking. Therefore, we report our findings as an overall analysis and as a gender-based between-groups analysis. This analysis shows that more variance is explained for females than males in most relationships. Implications for research and society are discussed along with future research directions.

Vicarious social defeat stress: Bridging the gap between physical and emotional stress

BackgroundAnimal models capable of differentiating the neurobiological intricacies between physical and emotional stress are scarce. Current models rely primarily on physical stressors (e.g., chronic unpredictable or mild stress, social defeat, learned helplessness), and neglect the impact of psychological stress alone. This is surprising given extensive evidence that a traumatic event needs not be directly experienced to produce enduring perturbations on an individual's health and psychological well-being. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a highly debilitating neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by intense fear of trauma-related stimuli, often occurs in individuals that have only witnessed a traumatic event. New methodBy modifying the chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) paradigm to include a witness component (witnessing the social defeat of another mouse), we demonstrate a novel behavioral paradigm capable of inducing a robust behavioral syndrome reminiscent of PTSD in emotionally stressed adult mice. ResultsWe describe the vicarious social defeat stress (VSDS) model that is capable of inducing a host of behavioral deficits that include social avoidance and other depressive- and anxiety-like phenotypes in adult male mice. VSDS exposure induces weight loss and spike in serum corticosterone (CORT) levels. A month after stress, these mice retain the social avoidant phenotype and have an increased CORT response when exposed to subsequent stress. Comparison with existing method(s)The VSDS is a novel paradigm capable of inducing emotional stress by isolating physical stress/confrontation in mice. ConclusionsThe VSDS model can be used to study the short- and long-term neurobiological consequences of exposure to emotional stress in mice.

Socioeconomic variation in height: analysis of National Child Measurement Programme data for England

ObjectiveShort stature is associated with increased risk of ill health and mortality and can negatively impact on an individual's economic opportunity and psychological well-being. The aim of this study was...

A LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF MOTHER-INFANT PSYCHOANALYTIC TREATMENT: OUTCOMES ON THE CHILDREN

A randomized controlled trial (RCT) compared two groups of mother-infant dyads in a Stockholm sample. One had received mother-infant psychoanalytic treatment (MIP group) and the other Child Health Center care (CHCC group). Effects were found on mother-reported depression and expert-rated mother-infant relationship qualities and maternal sensitivity. When the children were 4½ years old, they were followed up with assessments of attachment representations, socioemotional development, and global functioning. They also were divided into two types according to individual characteristics and psychological well-being: the "OK" and the "Troubled" children. Of 80 dyads in the mother-infant RCT, data were gathered from 66 cases approximately 3½ years after treatment. The children in the MIP group had better results on global functioning. There were more OK children in the MIP group and more Troubled children in the CHCC group. No other between-group differences were found. A relatively brief mother-infant psychotherapy seemed to help the children function better and be less troubled 3½ years after therapy.

Does Singing Facilitate Social Bonding?

Psychobiological effects of amateur choral singing were studied in a naturalistic controlled within-subjects trial. A mixed group of novice and experienced singers (N = 21) filled out brief ad hoc questionnaires of psychological wellbeing and gave samples of saliva for measuring levels of salivary oxytocin, cortisol, and dehydroepiandrosteron (DHEA) at the beginning of 2 rehearsal sessions and 30 minutes later. The singing condition included warm-up vocal exercises and repertoire pieces. In the chatting condition, dyads of participants talked to each other about recent positive life experiences. Within-subjects, repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) on self-reported and physiological measures revealed significant Time X Condition interactions for psychological wellbeing and oxytocin. Comparisons of mean scores showed patterns of changes favouring singing over chatting. There were no significant interactions for cortisol, DHEA as well as for the cortisol-DHEA-ratio. These results suggest that singing enhances individual psychological wellbeing as well as induces a socio-biological bonding response.

Exploring the Relationships Between Health Status, Illness Perceptions, Coping Strategies and Psychological Morbidity in a Chronic Kidney Disease Cohort

BackgroundUsing the common sense model of illness adjustment, this study aimed to explore the impact of chronic kidney disease (CKD) on individual illness perceptions, coping styles and psychological well-being. MethodsEighty individuals (50 men and 30 women) with an average age of 62.66 years (standard deviation, 11.98) were included in the study. All participants were under the care of the Renal Unit of a metropolitan tertiary referral hospital. Twenty-nine patients (36%) had CKD stage 3b-4, and 51 (64%) had CKD stage 5 (or end stage kidney disease [ESKD]). Disease severity was evaluated using the health perceptions questionnaire, coping styles assessed with the Carver brief COPE scale, illness perceptions explored with the brief illness perceptions questionnaire and anxiety and depression measured using the hospital anxiety and depression scale. ResultsThe hospital anxiety and depression scale assessment revealed 13 patients (16.3%) with moderate or severe anxiety and 6 (7.5%) with moderate depression. Consistent with the common sense model, disease activity had a significant direct influence on illness perceptions, while, in turn, illness perceptions had a significant direct influence on depression and anxiety. Adaptive and maladaptive coping were found to mediate the relationship between illness perceptions, and anxiety and depression. ConclusionsThe results provide evidence that it is the perception of an illness rather than the actual symptoms themselves that best account for adaption to CKD. These findings suggest that intervention strategies aimed at increasing psychological well-being need to focus on changing illness perceptions rather than improving symptoms of CKD or coping mechanisms.

Psychological Well-Being and Brokerage in Friendship Networks of Young Swedes

All ethnic groups have norms and values according to which one is expected to behave. Immigrants in particular have personal networks that simultaneously consist of co-ethnics and friends of a different ethnic background. As a consequence, they may be accustomed to the behavior, norms, and values of their own ethnic group, and also be expected to behave according to those of another ethnic group. This may either lead to ego-gratification and the strengthening and enrichment of their personality, or to feelings of stress and non-acceptance if they cannot behave fully in accordance with the expectations of their friends. This study addresses the association between interethnic open triads in networks (i.e., brokerage) and individual psychological well-being. That is, we examine whether having intra-ethnic and interethnic relationships with friends who are not also friends with each other, is either positively or negatively associated with psychological well-being. Using (network) data from a large sample (N = 2,942; age = 19) of native Swedes and first- and second-generation immigrants from former Yugoslavia and Iran (all born in 1990 and currently living in Sweden), we show that interethnic brokerage is negatively associated with psychological well-being, which implies that the different norms, values and corresponding behaviors that prevail in different ethnic groups to which the ethnic broker is connected may result in internal and external conflicts, to feelings that one is not fully accepted by any of these groups, and ultimately to a lower level of psychological well-being.

Well-being, school climate, and the social identity process: a latent growth model study of bullying perpetration and peer victimization.

The present study concerns longitudinal research on bullying perpetration and peer victimization. A focus is on school factors of school climate (academic support, group support) and school identification (connectedness or belonging), which are conceptualized as related but distinct constructs. Analysis of change on these factors as well as individual well-being across time contributes to understanding bullying behavior. Latent growth modeling was employed to examine the predictors of anxiety, depression, 2 school climate factors and school identification in understanding change in physical and verbal bullying behavior. The sample included 492 Australian school students (means age 15 years, 53.5% male) in Grades 7 to 10 who completed measures over 3 years. Academic support and group support were the strongest predictors of change in bullying and victimization. Positive change in school identification also predicted a decrease in bullying behavior over time. An increase in depression or anxiety across time predicted an increase in rates of both bullying and victimization over time. Future research should continue to examine the complex relationship between individual-psychological and social-psychological variables in impacting on incidence of school-based bullying. On a practical note, school-based intervention programs may benefit from an approach that aims to target the school climate, social identity with the school, and promote individual psychological well-being.

The mediating role of illness perceptions in psychological outcomes in overactive bladder

Overactive bladder (OAB) is condition, characterized by urinary urgency, frequency and incontinence, which has the potential to disrupt everyday life considerably. Although there is evidence that antimuscarinic treatment is effective at treating physical symptoms, there is currently no systematic exploration of psychological factors associated with OAB after treatment. This study aimed to examine the quality of life, relationships, sexual functioning, psychological wellbeing and illness perceptions of individuals with OAB after they have received treatment. And to determine whether an individual's psychological wellbeing is directly related to the severity of their symptoms, or whether their illness perceptions mediate this relationship. This study used a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based quantitative design with a secondary care outpatient sample who were diagnosed with OAB and had been either previously or currently prescribed drug treatment. Patients reported moderately severe OAB symptoms, with approximately a third reporting moderate/severe anxiety and 12% reporting severe depression. There was no direct relationship between symptom severity and psychological wellbeing (β = −0·03, t(31) = −0·96, p = 0·34; β = −0·02, t(31) = −0·41, p = 0·68) – this relationship was mediated by the patient's sense of personal control over their OAB (β = 0·03 (SE = 0·02), 95% CI [0·004, 0·09]; β = 0·02 (SE = 0·02), 95% CI [0·0008, 0·08]). Including interventions to improve personal control alongside drug treatment may improve treatment adherence and outcomes.

A pilot randomised controlled trial of Problem-Solving Treatment for Visual Impairment (POSITIVE): protocol paper.

For visually impaired individuals, motivation to be mobile and the individual's emotional states are predetermining factors of functioning. In addition, loss of confidence at the time of diagnosis could inhibit the ability to make progress. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether Problem-Solving Treatment, a brief, structured psychological intervention, leads to better psychological well-being in people who have been recently diagnosed as blind or partially sighted. A pilot randomised controlled trial: the trial aims to recruit 120 individuals who have either: (1) been diagnosed with severe, irreversible sight loss, or (2) registered as blind or partially sighted within the last 3months. Individuals will be randomly allocated to either the intervention or control group with randomisation stratified by severity of vision loss. Those in the intervention arm will receive Problem-Solving Treatment, an established intervention that addresses individual's confidence, motivation and psychological well-being by undertaking specific tasks to help individuals work through their problems, and recognising steps to problem resolution. Both groups will continue to receive routine care, such as mobility training. The primary outcome is psychological well-being measured at 3, 6, and 9months after recruitment and assignment to intervention or control group. Secondary outcomes include symptoms of distress, mobility and quality of life.

A study to determine the dimensions of job satisfaction, job turnover tendency, individual personalities and psychological well-being in Tehran City Hall

Article history: Received December 2, 2013 Accepted 8 May 2014 Available online May 12 2014 Among various indices of job attitudes, job satisfaction has gained especial attention by researchers and employers. Its measurement dates back to older times and the investigation of the influential factors on it are newer. Furthermore, because of its influences on organizations and people, job satisfaction has gained an increasing importance. Among various influential factors on job satisfaction and job turn over, the effect of individual personalities and psychological Well-Being is undeniable. In this article, we identify and categorize the significant factors in the four elements of job turnover, job satisfaction, individual traits and psychological Well-Being. We investigate nine factors of job satisfaction with 36 questions, two factors of the field of job turnover with seven questions, individual personalities with forty four questions and psychological Well-Being with eighteen questions and categorize them after doing a factor analysis. In this categorization, the dimensions of job satisfaction are reduced to seven dimensions. Job turnover is provided into two new dimensions. Individual personalities are categorized in eight main dimensions and the dimensions of psychological Well-Being are reduced to four dimensions. The data of this research has been gathered from 199 employees of Tehran city hall. © 2014 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Struggle of Giving Up Personal Goals

A critical phase in goal striving occurs when setbacks accumulate and goal disengagement becomes an issue. This critical phase is conceptualized as an action crisis and assumed to be characterized by an intrapsychic conflict in which the individual becomes torn between further goal pursuit and goal disengagement. Our theorizing converges with Klinger's conceptualization of goal disengagement as a process, rather than a discrete event. Two longitudinal field studies tested and found support for the hypothesis that an action crisis not only compromises an individual's psychological and physiological well-being, but also dampens the cognitive evaluation of the respective goal. In Study 3, marathon runners experiencing an action crisis in their goal of running marathons showed a stronger cortisol secretion and a lower performance in the race 2 weeks later. Results are interpreted in terms of action-phase-specific mindsets with a focus on self-regulatory processes in goal disengagement.

Prevention and management of incontinence-associated dermatitis

Maintaining skin integrity in people with incontinence is challenging. Incontinence is common in older people and those compromised by medical or surgical comorbidities. Urinary and faecal incontinence can result in skin breakdown, which is characterised by erosion of the epidermis, creating a moist, macerated appearance to the skin. Incontinence and associated skin breakdown can have a considerable effect on an individual's physical and psychological wellbeing. This article discusses the aetiology of incontinence-associated dermatitis and considers the best options for the prevention, management and treatment of this condition.

Effects of beliefs in yuan on coping and psychological well-being among Hong Kong Chinese

The relationship between the belief in yuan and coping mechanisms, as well as an individual's psychological well-being, was explored in this study. Self-report questionnaires were administered to a total of 155 local Hong Kong men and women. Hierarchical regression analyses and factorial analysis of variance were run. No gender differences were found in adaptive or maladaptive coping and psychological well-being amongst the participants. Findings indicated that the belief in yuan contributed to the prediction of psychological well-being after controlling for coping. Significant gender differences have also been found in the level of the belief in yuan. Men and women were found to hold different attitudes towards yuan, which impacted their psychological well-being differently when the effect of coping had been partial out. There was a significant interaction effect between gender and the belief in yuan. Men were found to be firmer believers in yuan and such belief had a positive effect on their psychological well-being while the opposite was found for women. It was suggested that such a relationship is due to men's tendency to employ rationalization as a defence and that yuan provided men with a greater sense of security. On the contrary, the stronger women believed in yuan, the less self-perceived healthy they were, thereby indicating that yuan could be a form of coping strategy employed differently by contemporary men and women. It was hence concluded that although yuan appeared to be a traditional concept, it still continues to play a crucial role in influencing one's psychological well-being.

Self-Care Management Practices for the Home Health Nurse

Ergonomics provides a broad framework for home healthcare nurses to improve their individual physical, psychological, cognitive, and spiritual well-being through application of models for self-care planning. As the individual becomes stronger, more resilient and work hardy, the benefits to the individual, along with the work organization and ultimately the clients, grow exponentially. This article seeks to explore the relevant ergonomic domains and assist home healthcare nurses to develop self-care planning practices that lead to healthy lifestyles and improved quality of life.

Promoting Athletic Training Through a General Education Course in Psychosocial Aspects of Sports Injuries

Context: A general education course taught by athletic training education faculty has the potential to expose the entire student body to the athletic training profession in a unique way while also meeting requirements of the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education. Objective: To introduce a detailed case study of a general education course taught by athletic training education faculty. Background: The general education curriculum is designed to enable students to appreciate and understand numerous disciplines. As a helping profession, athletic trainers are skilled at addressing a myriad of issues as they relate to an active individual's physical, psychological, and social well-being. Athletic training educators are ideal individuals to develop and teach courses demonstrating the interrelationships among psychology, sociology, and athletic training. Description: Detailed course topics and relevant supporting literature for the course are presented. Examples of techniques used in the course are provided to aid athletic training educators in the development of their own course. The challenges and rewards of offering a general education course are also outlined. Advantages: This course can expose the general student population to athletic training by fostering, introducing, and increasing collaboration among faculty, nontraditional teaching methods, and department/program productivity. Conclusion: A general education course developed and taught by athletic training education programs has both institutional and curricular value. Athletic training educators have knowledge and expertise with respect to musculoskeletal injury care and a unique understanding of a physically active individual's mindset following injury. These distinctive traits can help the entire student body understand and apply concepts of this course to their everyday lives.

A survey on relative frequency of metabolic syndrome and testosterone deficiency in men with erectile dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common male sexual dysfunction and affects the individual's physical and psychological well-being. It has been classified as organic and psychogenic. Men with low testosterone levels have an increased risk of ED. On the other hand, direct detrimental effect of metabolic syndrome on the endothelium, smooth muscle and nerves of the vascular system of the penis is what causes ED to develop in men with metabolic syndrome. Therefore, it is supposed that a large number of men with erectile dysfunction are patients who have ED, metabolic syndrome and testosterone deficiency as a triad. The aim of this study is determining relative frequencies of metabolic syndrome and testosterone deficiency in a group of men with ED. Men suffering from ED who were referred to a certain private urology clinic between 22.11.2009 and 22.9.2010 were evaluated for metabolic syndrome criteria; their morning free testosterone levels were measured, and then the related questionnaires were filled out. Of 241 men with ED, the relative frequency of metabolic syndrome was 41.5%, of testosterone deficiency was 36.5% and of metabolic syndrome in combination with testosterone deficiency was 19.5%. The relative frequencies of metabolic syndrome and testosterone deficiency in men with ED seem to be significant, and it is the time that we should evaluate ED not as a disease but as a presentation of multiple underlying pathologies which needs medical attention to general health.