Major Life Events Research Articles

Pathways of association between husbands’ migration and mental health of their wives who stay behind

BackgroundLabor migration practices among married men have brought changes in gender roles and expectations, creating both opportunities and barriers for their wives who stay behind. When husbands migrate, their wives can experience major life events within private and public spheres. Literature on mental health suggests that important life events can induce or prevent the emergence of common mental disorders. Therefore, we aim to identify the psychosocial factors that link husbands’ migration to their wives' mental health. MethodsWe conducted in-depth interviews with eighteen women whose husbands left home for work and three key-informant interviews with a local health worker, non-government organization worker and a psychosocial counselor. We held two focus group discussions with psychosocial counselors and researchers working in the field of mental health and migration in Nepal. We analyzed data using thematic analysis based on the grounded theory approach. ResultsWe identified five salient psychosocial factors that illustrate how the migration of men may impact the mental health of their wives: 1) communication; 2) children as coping and stress-inducing agents; 3) family support and challenges; 4) migration history in the family; and 5) social acceptance of labor migration. ConclusionWe identified several psychosocial factors that explain the relationship between husbands' labor migration with their wives' mental health. These factors interact through a complex pathway that can either ease or add burden to wives’ mental health.

Childbirth, trauma and family relationships

ABSTRACT Background: Childbirth is a major life event with expected positive outcomes, yet for some women postnatal psychopathological symptoms may harm women’s interpersonal relationships. We hypothesized that higher levels of postnatal depression, post-traumatic stress (PTSD) symptoms, and fear of childbirth would be associated with mother-baby bond disorders and relationship dissatisfaction in couples. Method: A cross-sectional self-report online questionnaire was used to survey partnered women who had delivered in the year prior to the study. We used a convenience sample of 228 women recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. Childbirth experience, PTSD symptoms, attachment style, depression, mother-baby bond disorders, and couple relationship dissatisfaction were measured. Results: Women with higher PTSD and postnatal depression scores reported higher levels of mother-baby bond disorders—a relationship fully mediated by postnatal depression symptoms. Women who perceived childbirth as fearful or anxiety provoking had higher levels of PTSD and postnatal depression symptoms. Fearful and anxious birth perception was positively associated with mother-baby bond disorders—an association partly mediated by PTSD symptoms. Insecure attachment style was not found to be significantly associated with fearful or anxious perceptions of childbirth. Limitations: Women who have postnatal PTSD/depression are less inclined to participate in a study of this nature. Also, online surveys prevented the use of clinical diagnoses of PTSD and depression. Discussion and conclusions: Our results suggest that PTSD and postnatal depression affect women’s mental health and family bonding. Women should be assessed for negative traumatic birth experiences, PTSD, and depression, to allow targeted observation for psychopathologies and therapeutic interventions.

Pandemic-Related Life Events and Physical Inactivity During COVID-19 Among Israeli Adults: The Smoking and Lifestyles in Israel Study.

Public health measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic have led to disruptions in daily life, such as job loss and changes in activity. The present study examines the relationship between pandemic-related life events and disuse (prolonged sitting coupled with inactivity) among adults. A cross-sectional study of 4084 adults in Israel (September 2020). The primary independent variables were pandemic-related life events, such as job loss. The primary dependent variable was disuse as measured by the Rapid Assessment Disuse Index (RADI). The RADI was examined continuously and dichotomously as a low RADI score (<26: yes/no). Linear regression indicated that experiencing a major life event during the pandemic was associated with lower RADI scores (-1.04; 95% confidence interval, -1.48 to -0.61). Similarly, logistic regression revealed that those experiencing a major life event had 1.18 (95% confidence interval, 1.03 to 1.34) times greater odds for low RADI scores in comparison to those not experiencing an event. Experiencing pandemic-related major life events was linked to less sitting time and increased activity levels among Israeli adults. Future research should examine underlying mechanisms explaining this relationship to facilitate the design and implementation of targeted interventions.

Assessing Knowledge, Perception and Coping Mechanisms of Students towards Depression: Input for Establishing Intervention Program for Depressed Students in Selected Schools in Partido

Assessing Knowledge, Perception and Coping Mechanisms of Students towards Depression: Input for Establishing Intervention Program for Depressed Students in Selected Schools in Partido

There’s More in the Data! Using Month-Specific Information to Estimate Changes Before and After Major Life Events

There’s More in the Data! Using Month-Specific Information to Estimate Changes Before and After Major Life Events

Review of: &lt;em&gt;Carpenter Under Construction: The Story of Don Plank&lt;/em&gt;—Diane Freed

Carpenter Under Construction is the story of Don Plank’s life, written by his youngest daughter. It briefly touches on his early life and moves through major life events. About half of the book covers the busy later years in life when he and his second wife moved from mission to mission in various support roles. Don was a good carpenter, but Freed puts more emphasis on what God built Don to be rather than on what Don himself built during his long life. [First paragraph.]

Smoking after a heart attack - a case report

A Middle aged man suffered acute myocardial infarction while at work and angiography confirmed triple vessel disease requiring stenting followed by lifelong medication. Important to note that upon follow up his lifestyle had not significantly changed, and he continued to smoke cigarettes. Soon after he developed severe low back pain which made him bed bound for a few weeks and further medications were added however all this could not deter him from smoking. This paper aims to discuss why some patients continue to smoke after such major life events. Keywords: smoking, heart attack

Музыка Рахманинова в концерте-открытии Международного музыкального фестиваля, посвященного 150-летию Е. Ф. Гнесиной

The article is devoted to a major event in the cultural life of Russia — the opening of the International music festival dedicated to the 150th anniversary of E. F. Gnesina's birth, held in Moscow on June 2, 2023 at the Zaryadye Concert Hall. One of the largest cultural and historical events of the year is highlighted, the semantic core of which is the dialogue and the friendship of S. V. Rachmaninoff and E. F. Gnesina.

The impact of multiple stressful life events on posttraumatic growth in adolescence.

Posttraumatic growth (PTG) has been primarily recognized as a result of experiencing a single life crisis. The current study investigated how PTG may be attributed to experiences of a multitude of highly stressful life events, and how PTG is correlated with PTSD symptoms, the severity of the event, and the total number of childhood traumas experienced. Adolescents (N = 139) participated in a survey that assessed six major life events of childhood trauma and rated the severity of each event, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and PTG. The majority of adolescents attributed their PTG experiences to one event, despite experiencing multiple traumas. However, experiencing more events was associated with greater PTSS and some forms of PTG such as changed priorities, increased self-reliance, and establishing a new path in life. Results from regression analyses also showed that trauma severity and PTSS were linearly correlated with PTG, and thus, a curvilinear relationship was not identified. Cumulative traumatic events may lead to increases in a sense of personal growth, while also increasing distress, in nonclinical adolescents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Mitigating Ceiling Effects in a Longitudinal Study of Doctoral Engineering Student Stress and Persistence

Aim/Purpose: The research reported here aims to demonstrate a method by which novel applications of qualitative data in quantitative research can resolve ceiling effect tensions for educational and psychological research. Background: Self-report surveys and scales are essential to graduate education and social science research. Ceiling effects reflect the clustering of responses at the highest response categories resulting in non-linearity, a lack of variability which inhibits and distorts statistical analyses. Ceiling effects in stress reported by students can negatively impact the accuracy and utility of the resulting data. Methodology: A longitudinal sample example from graduate engineering students’ stress, open-ended critical events, and their early departure from doctoral study considerations demonstrate the utility and improved accuracy of adjusted stress measures to include open-ended critical event responses. Descriptive statistics are used to describe the ceiling effects in stress data and adjusted stress data. The longitudinal stress ratings were used to predict departure considerations in multilevel modeling ANCOVA analyses and demonstrate improved model predictiveness. Contribution: Combining qualitative data from open-ended responses with quantitative survey responses provides an opportunity to reduce ceiling effects and improve model performance in predicting graduate student persistence. Here, we present a method for adjusting stress scale responses by incorporating coded critical events based on the Taxonomy of Life Events, the application of this method in the analysis of stress responses in a longitudinal data set, and potential applications. Findings: The resulting process more effectively represents the doctoral student experience within statistical analyses. Stress and major life events significantly impact engineering doctoral students’ departure considerations. Recommendations for Practitioners: Graduate educators should be aware of students’ life events and assist students in managing graduate school expectations while maintaining progress toward their degree. Recommendation for Researchers: Integrating coded open-ended qualitative data into statistical models can increase the accuracy and representation of the lived student experience. The new approach improves the accuracy and presentation of students’ lived experiences by incorporating qualitative data into longitudinal analyses. The improvement assists researchers in correcting data with ceiling effects for use in longitudinal analyses. Impact on Society: The method described here provides a framework to systematically include open-ended qualitative data in which ceiling effects are present. Future Research: Future research should validate the coding process in similar samples and in samples of doctoral students in different fields and master’s students.

A Literature Review of Depression in Pregnant Women during COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: During pregnancy, the risk of depression manifestation increased due to the major life event that happen on them. Major psychological and social change could happen due to the pregnancy, and it is associated with depression. Social isolation during pandemic causing people to get a stress as they were unable to work or engage with others. Feeling of loneliness, financial worries, fear of getting infected, and grief are some of the stressors that could lead to depression. Therefore, this literature review aimed to describe the prevalence of depression among the pregnant women during COVID- 19 pandemic. Method: The Literature Review approach was utilized in this article to analyze the depression prevalence among pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. PubMed and Google Scholar were the databases used in the source search. The search terms were depression, pregnancy, and COVID-19. Results: The total number of pregnant women that were assessed from all articles is 75410. The prevalence of depression in pregnant women during COVID-19 pandemic were vary on each country. It was ranging from less than 30% to nearly 60%. Studies revealed that the depression rate was increased compare to the pre-pandemic era. Conclusion: The occurrence of COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the depression level of pregnant women. Various factors could influence the rate of depression in this population. Depression in pregnant women could lead to many negative outcomes. Therefore, it is important to provide psychological support to these women in order to prevent unwanted events that could happen.

LIFE EVENTS AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE EVENTS: THE STUDY OF WOMEN'S HEALTH ACROSS THE NATION

Abstract Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of death for women, and major life events across midlife may contribute to CVD risk. The present study aimed to test whether greater exposure to major life events across nearly two decades of longitudinal follow-up would be associated with higher risk of clinical cardiovascular disease events. 3,222 middle-aged women from the multi-ethnic Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation reported and provided up to 15 years of major life events, non-fatal incident CVD events, traditional biobehavioral and sociodemographic factors, and death certificates. Cox proportional hazards models were used to test the association between average annual life events and incident fatal and nonfatal CVD events. Each additional major life event was associated with a 1.16-fold (95% CI: 1.08-1.23) increase in CVD events. CVD risk will be discussed considering evidence of racial/ethnic disparities in exposure to major life events.

NAVIGATING LIFE UNCOUPLED: CHANGES IN SINGLEHOOD SATISFACTION IN RESPONSE TO MAJOR LIFE EVENTS

Abstract Experiencing challenging events without a partner who can be supportive can be hard and change perceptions of the singlehood experience. We conducted growth curve analyses predicting intercepts and slopes of singlehood satisfaction from ten major life events (MLEs). Single people (N = 5,191; Mage= 46.98, 60.1% women) were followed longitudinally over 10 years (2008-2017) and provided information on MLEs and singlehood satisfaction. People were fairly satisfied with singlehood (Mintercept=6.52/10), and satisfaction increased over time (Mquadratic slope=.01). Some difficult events (e.g., becoming ill and losing parents) were associated with declines in singlehood satisfaction. However, responses to MLEs were overall complex—unemployment was related to lower levels of satisfaction but unrelated to changes in satisfaction. Seemingly positive events (e.g., buying a house, getting a job) were also related to lower levels of satisfaction. Results for each MLE will be discussed in line with additional qualitative data on single people’s perceptions of change.

RECENT ADVERSITY AND LIFE SATISFACTION AMONG CHINESE OLDER ADULTS: ROLE OF GENDER AND NEIGHBORHOOD COHESION

Abstract A growing body of literature suggests that recent adversity impedes psychological wellbeing. Little is known about whether living in a cohesive neighborhood could buffer the negative consequences of adverse experience and whether such associations vary by gender. This study aims to examine the association of recent adverse events and perceived life satisfaction among Chinese older adults, and to explore the potential moderating role of gender and neighborhood cohesion. Data were from a cross-sectional study conducted with community-dwelling older adults aged 60 years and above in Anhui Province, China in 2014 (N=1,960). Recent adversity was measured by six events in the past two years (health decline, economic difficulty, loss of intimate people, loss of an important item, major life event, conflict with family or close friends/neighbors). Multilevel ordered logit regression with interaction term of adversity and neighborhood cohesion was performed. Models were further conducted on stratified samples to compare gender differences. Individuals experiencing any recent adverse event are 84% less likely (p=.008) to report a higher level of life satisfaction. Living in neighborhoods with better cohesion increased the likelihood of reporting better life satisfaction by 6% (p=.031). Modeling on the stratified samples showed that the above-mentioned significant relationships hold for male sample only. Recent adversity may negatively affect life satisfaction among Chinese older adults. Living in neighborhood with higher levels of cohesion could help buffer such negative influences, particularly for older men. Findings highlight the critical role of neighborhoods in combating the negative psychological consequences of adversity among Chinese older adults.

DIVERSE CONTEXTS, UNIQUE EXPERIENCES: IMPACT OF SOCIAL ISOLATION ON PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS AND COGNITION

Abstract The aging population is not a monolithic group. Older adults’ experiences of and behaviors within their social networks are as varied as their diverse backgrounds and lifestyles. Although the threat of social isolation is particularly salient among older adults, the psychosocial and cognitive impact can differ along demographic and socioeconomic lines. The objective of this symposium is to highlight how different older adults are effected by their social network characteristics and structure, and how they mobilize their psychosocial resources to protect against loneliness, depression, and threats to cognition. First, Hong &amp; Mejia examine how older men and women compare in their use of information and communication technology (ICT) as each influenced the experience of loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Francis &amp; Brauer also look at ICT use as they assess demographic and socioeconomic differences in social isolation, perceived mattering, and Facebook use among single older adults who are childless and live alone. Oh &amp; Chopik explore uncoupled older adults along demographic lines in a 10-year longitudinal study of single people, their perceptions of change, satisfaction with singlehood, and major life events. Further exploring the theme of well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cooper, Ajrouch, &amp; Antonucci assess cognition, depressive symptoms, and their association with race among a sample of Whites, Blacks, and Arab Americans. Finally, Lee &amp; Colleagues round out this symposium by sharing results of their study in which they examine the coping styles of non-Hispanic Whites and non-Hispanic Blacks and the impact on cognition.

DIVERSITY MATTERS: INTERSECTIONAL INEQUITIES IN HEALTH AND WELL-BEING THROUGH AGING

Abstract Different positions within social hierarchies receive unequal access to resources, leading to health disparities in later life (Agenor, 2020). Research addressing inequities must increasingly account for the many social categorizations (e.g., race, gender, socioeconomic status) that affect individuals‘ lived experiences. This symposium examines the role of intersecting social contexts on health and well-being across the life course. Surachman and colleagues use the U.S.-based National Growth and Health Study to examine the intersectionality between early life socioeconomic context and race on women’s metabolic syndrome severity. Their findings have implications for societal factors leading to accelerated aging across young adulthood and early midlife. Koffer and colleagues use the U.S.-based Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation to demonstrate differential midlife exposure to types and number of major life events across race/ethnicity and education. They subsequently find that major life events increase risk of cardiovascular disease events, indicating the importance of studying the life experiences of diverse women across midlife. Drewelies and colleagues use the Germany-based Berlin Aging Study II to look at the associations among multidomain identity and social background factors on physical, cognitive, and psychological aging. Implications from their work demonstrate the interplay of diversity on health and well-being in older adulthood. Conjointly, findings indicate that intersectional identities play an important role in shaping key outcomes of human functioning across adulthood and aging. Dr. Deborah Carr will critically discuss the three contributions from a life course perspective and provide considerations for future research and policy promoting equity for diverse older adults.

DEVELOPING A MOBILE PHONE APPLICATION TO DETECT SOCIAL ISOLATION OVER MULTIPLE TIME POINTS

Abstract Social isolation is an important predictor of mortality and morbidity in older persons. The increase in social isolation is often a result of major life events such as retirement, leading to the loss of social connections. The effects of the pandemic have exacerbated the loss of social connectedness. Measures to ensure social distancing have made technologies like voice and video calling, text messaging, and other phone mediated communication important resources for connecting people. Measuring social isolation often requires periodic administration of a paper survey instrument, like the Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS). The approach was taken by Lubben for predicting a person’s social isolation level typically involves looking at their general frequency of interactions with family and friends along with the specific frequencies of private, tentative discussions happening during those interactions. This paper explores the process used to develop a tool to measure social isolation continuously and automatically by using an older person’s frequency and tone of telephonic conversations. We categorized a person’s family and friends into three sub-categories based on the self-reported level of closeness shared with them. We then analyzed the person’s conversation (content and tones). Lastly, we trained the deep learning model (Watson) using these captured tone values to determine the social isolation index of the individual. Our preliminary results indicate that we are able to correctly predict their degree of social isolation as judged by Lubben’s scale using their phone conversations. This technology may be promising for the assessment and intervention of social isolation.

Are changes in the perception of major life events associated with changes in subjective well-being?

How people perceive major life events changes over time. We examined the longitudinal interplay between perceived event characteristics and subjective well-being (SWB) using two short-term longitudinal studies (NStudy1 = 619; NStudy2 = 691). In both studies, perceived event characteristics and SWB were assessed at two measurement occasions 3 months apart. Perceiving events as increasingly externally controlled and as increasingly social status threatening over time was consistently associated with a decrease in life satisfaction. Furthermore, perceiving events as increasingly challenging over time was associated with a decrease in positive affect and an increase in negative affect. Our results indicate that the development of SWB and perceived event characteristics is intertwined.

When life happens: A multidimensional approach to studying the effects of major life events on relationship change

Network theories and life course theories have made significant contributions to the study of relationship change over time. However, much prior work takes a unidimensional approach and conceptualizes "change" in terms of the loss of a tie or the loss of a specific function of a tie. Our paper problematizes "loss" in two ways. First, we conceptualize tie status in terms of active, inactive, and fully dissolved as reported by respondents. Second, we propose a multidimensional approach to studying the relationship change as the result of experiencing major life events. Our main innovation is synthesizing network theories and life course theories to produce a framework for studying relationship change that incorporates types of ties, experiencing major life events, and their interacting effects on specific aspects of the relationship. Based on analyzing a sample of 687 ties collected from 98 respondents, we argue that life events do not have sweeping influence across different types of ties or different aspects of ties. Instead, relationship change in response to life events can occur in changes in the active status of the tie, the interactive aspect of the tie, and the affective aspect of the tie, and which aspects change is dependent on the type of relationship.

Medication Non-Compliance in Patients with Schizophrenia Due To Familial, Environmental and Socio-Cultural Factors

Introduction: In schizophrenia, non-compliance with treatment leads to the disease burden in the community. It is considered as a challenge worldwide due to the need for long-term treatment and additional associated factors in Schizophrenia. Aim: The goal of the study is to identify patients with treatment non-compliance in schizophrenia and determine the related factors from environmental, socio-cultural and familial perspectives. Place and Duration: The study was carried out at the department of Behavioral Sciences, PGMI /AMC / LGH Lahore, Pakistan, from November 2021 to April 2022. Methods: The study included 100 patients with non-compliance to treatment in schizophrenia who visited the relevant psychiatric departments. For the research a descriptive cross-sectional design was chosen with non-random, purposive sample selection technique being utilised. Prior to the study, ethical approval from the authorities and informed consent from patients were obtained. Educated patients completed questionnaires whereas uneducated patients asked their relatives to provide such information on questionnaires. Results: Out of 100 participants, 56 were males and 44 were females, with a ratio of 1.4:1. The participants mean age was 32.25 ± 11.1. About 23% of them were uneducated, and above sixty percent (61%) had a family income &lt; 20,000 PKR rupees per month. A substantial percentage of family-members (15%) were unaware of their role and that of their family members, and the majority (77%) stated that people made a negative contribution. Factors contributing to treatment non-compliance included belief as a major life event (6%), perception about the disease being incurable (25%), lack of nearby treatment access (76%), migration (8%), forgetting an appointment with medical professional (18%), discontinuation of medication on the advice of a faith healer (16%), discontinuation of medication due to social stigma (14%), no follow-up being arranged (22%), and refusal to continue treatment (13%). Conclusions: The study aimed to identify the possible reasons for medication non-compliance in patients of schizophrenia from environmental, socio-cultural and familial perspectives. Many factors have been recognised that contribute indirectly or directly to the treatment non-compliance. Keywords: Non-Compliance, Compliance and Schizophrenia.