Measures Of Psychosocial Well-being Research Articles

Exploration of the Links Between Psychosocial Well-being and Face Recognition Skills in a French-Speaking Sample.

Face recognition abilities vary tremendously in the general population. People at the lower end of the spectrum, those with developmental prosopagnosia, report stress, anxiety or social interaction issues due to their poor face recognition abilities. It is thus important to develop adequate diagnostic tools convenient to use for clinicians and to examine relationships between face recognition skills and negative affects. In the present study, we provide a validated French translation of the 20-item prosopagnosia index (PI20), a self-report measure used to detect people with developmental facial identity recognition deficits (Shah et al., 2015; Tsantani et al., 2021). We also examined links between face recognition skills measured with the PI20 and a standard face recognition test (Cambridge face memory test-CFMT; Duchaine & Nakayama, 2006) and measures of social anxiety (social interaction anxiety scale, social phobia scale) and negative affects (state trait anxiety scale, Beck depression inventory). We did not find any significant correlation between the CFMT and measures of psychosocial well-being and only found a weak positive association between the PI20 and social interaction anxiety. Although this association is weak and warrants further research, raising awareness about developmental face recognition issues may help improve the well-being of people with facial identity recognition deficits and provide new investigation or intervention avenues for clinicians who treat patients with social interaction anxiety.

"It's like your days are empty and yet there's life all around": A mixed methods, multi-site study exploring boredom during and following homelessness.

To identify experiences of boredom and associations with psychosocial well-being during and following homelessness. Using a convergent, mixed-methods explanatory design, we conducted quantitative interviews with 164 participants) (n = 102 unhoused; n = 62 housed following homelessness) using a 92-item protocol involving demographic components and seven standardized measures of psychosocial well-being. A sub-sample (n = 32) was approached to participate in qualitative interviews. Data were analyzed by group (unhoused; housed). Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics designed to generate insights into boredom, meaningful activity engagement, and their associations with psychosocial well-being during and following homelessness. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Quantitative and qualitative findings were integrated at the stage of discussion. Quantitative analyses revealed small to moderate correlations between boredom and increased hopelessness (rs = .376, p < .01), increased drug use (rs = .194, p < .05), and lowered mental well-being (rs = -.366, p < .01). There were no statistically significant differences between unhoused and housed participants on any standardized measures. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that housing status was not a significant predictor of boredom or meaningful activity engagement (p>.05). Qualitative interviews revealed profound boredom during and following homelessness imposing negative influences on mental well-being and driving substance use. Boredom and meaningful activity are important outcomes that require focused attention in services designed to support individuals during and following homelessness. Attention to this construct in future research, practice, and policy has the potential to support the well-being of individuals who experience homelessness, and to contribute to efforts aimed at homelessness prevention.

A Screening Instrument for Trauma-Related Behavior Among Young Primary School Students: Development and Validation of the RaPTOSS

This article reports on the development and psychometric evaluation of a new teacher observation instrument to systematically assess young primary school students’ well-being and detect potential indicators of psychological trauma, the RaPTOSS: Risk and Protective factors Trauma Observation School Situations. The RaPTOSS is developed specifically for preschool and early primary school teachers, because of the limited abilities their young students have to verbally reflect and report on their well-being and stressful experiences. We examined the factor structure, internal consistency, convergent validity and criterion validity of the RaPTOSS in a sample of 406 4- to 8-year-old regular education students. Exploratory factor analyses yielded a four-factor structure for the risk items with the following factors: Withdrawn, Dysphoria, Destructive and Inattentive. The protective factor items revealed a four-factor structure closely aligning the theoretical factor structure: Safety and Relations, Self-Image, Everyday Life and Self-Regulation. All factors exhibited good to excellent internal consistency. Correlations between the RaPTOSS and existing measures of psychosocial well-being without a specific focus on trauma-related behavior demonstrated good convergent validity. Criterion validity was supported, as indicated by moderate to large positive correlations between teacher worries about a student and RaPTOSS risk factors, and moderate to large negative correlations between teacher worries and RAPTOSS protective factors. We conclude that the RaPTOSS is a promising measure for trauma-informed teaching and research, although future research is needed to establish its psychometric qualities in specific samples such as children diagnosed with PTSD and refugee children.

The development and psychometric evaluation of two new scales of self-compassion for preadolescents

There are currently no parent-reported scales adapted or validated to measure self-compassion in preadolescent children despite growing interest in the application of this construct in both illness and wellness fields. Two-new measures of self-compassion—modelled from Neff’s Self-Compassion Scale—were designed and pilot tested to provide preliminary evidence of validity with preadolescents aged between 9 and 12 years (n = 193) and their parents (n = 108). Participants completed the Self-Compassion Scale-Preadolescent (SCS-P) or the Self-Compassion Scale-Preadolescent-Parent Report (SCS-P-PR), along with measures of resilience and psychosocial wellbeing. Factor analyses indicted that both the SCS-P and SCS-P-PR measured two statistically and theoretically distinct constructs: compassionate self-responding and uncompassionate self-responding. Both types of self-responding were related to most of the measures of psychosocial wellbeing and resilience in the expected directions. Importantly, the SCS-P-PR is the first parent-reported measure of self-compassion to be introduced in the literature; moderate correlations with the SCS-P suggest that self-compassionate attitudes and behaviours in children are visible to their parents. Should further validation research replicate these promising preliminary findings, the SCS-P and the SCS-P-PR have potential to make valuable contributions to the assessments available to researchers investigating self-compassion in preadolescent children. This research adds to the growing body of literature that cautions against the common practice of viewing self-compassion as one overarching construct. It is recommended that future research take a qualitative approach to enable deeper exploration of both the positive and negative elements of self-compassionate responding in cohorts of children.

Effects of a Combination Economic Empowerment and Family Strengthening Intervention on Psychosocial Well-being Among Ugandan Adolescent Girls and Young Women: Analysis of a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial (Suubi4Her)

PurposeEconomic empowerment and family strengthening interventions have shown promise for improving psychosocial well-being in a range of populations. This study investigates the effect of a combination economic and family strengthening intervention on psychosocial well-being among Ugandan adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). MethodsWe harnessed data from a three-arm cluster randomized controlled trial among AGYW aged 14–17 years in 47 Ugandan secondary schools. Schools were randomized to either a youth development account intervention (YDA) [N = 16 schools], YDA plus a multiple family group intervention (YDA + MFG) [N = 15 schools], or bolstered standard of care (BSOC) [N = 16 schools]. We estimated the effect of each intervention (BSOC = referent) on three measures of psychosocial well-being: hopelessness (Beck's Hopelessness Scale), self-concept (Tennessee Self-Concept Scale), and self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale) at 12 months following enrollment using multi-level linear mixed models for each outcome. ResultsA total of 1,260 AGYW (mean age, 15.4) were enrolled—471 assigned to YDA (37%), 381 to YDA + MFG (30%), and 408 to usual care (32%). Over the 12-month follow-up, participants assigned to the YDA + MFG group had significantly greater reductions in hopelessness and improvements in self-esteem outcomes compared to BSOC participants. Those enrolled in the YDA arm alone also had significantly greater reductions in hopelessness compared to BSOC participants. DiscussionCombination interventions, combining economic empowerment (represented here by YDA), and family-strengthening (represented by MFG) can improve the psychosocial well-being of AGYW. The long-term effects of these interventions should be further tested for potential scale-up in an effort to address the persistent mental health treatment gap in resource-constrained settings.

Refugee caregivers: Associations between psychosocial wellbeing and parenting in Uganda.

Caregivers in humanitarian settings experience compounding stressors that may challenge their ability to provide quality parenting to children in their care. In recognition of this precarity, our analysis examines the linkage between psychosocial wellbeing and parenting behaviours among caregivers in Kiryandongo Settlement, Uganda. Using baseline data from an evaluation of a psychosocial intervention designed to support caregiver wellbeing and engage caregivers to support children in their communities, multi-variable ordinary least square regressions were used to estimate how various measures of psychosocial wellbeing (i.e. psychological distress, social support, and functioning) and parenting attitudes (related to violence against children) are associated with parental warmth and rejection. Profound livelihood challenges were found, as nearly half of the sample (48.20%) indicated cash from INGOs as their income source and/or reported never attending school (46.71%). Increased social support (coef. 0.11; 95% CIs: 0.08-0.15) and positive attitudes (coef. 0.21; 95% CIs: 0.14-0.29) were significantly associated with more desirable parental warmth/affection. Similarly, positive attitudes (coef. 0.16; 95% CIs 0.11-0.20), reduced distress (coef. 0.11; 95% CIs: 0.08-0.14) and increased functioning (coef. 0.03; 95% CIs: 0.01-0.04) were significantly associated with more desirable scores of parental undifferentiated rejection. While further research is needed to examine underlining mechanisms and causal pathways, our findings both link individual wellbeing characteristics with parenting behaviours and suggest further exploration into whether and how broader elements of the ecosystem may influence parenting outcomes.

Relationships between psychosocial well-being and leisure time physical activity among 160.000 young Finnish men: a cross-sectional study during 2015–2021

Evidence on the relationship between psychosocial well-being and physical activity (PA) is insufficient, especially in young adults between 18 and 29 years. Identifying protective factors for psychosocial well-being as well as factors that may promote PA behaviour in this specific age group is crucial.The aim of the present study was to explore the association between self-reported leisure time physical activity (LTPA) and a number of measures of psychosocial well-being in a large sample of Finnish young men. The sample used for this study is based on registers of the Finnish Defence Forces and consist of questionnaire-based data collected from 159,776 young healthy men (18–29 years, mean age 19 years) who started their military service during the period from 2015 to 2021. Sum scores were calculated for self-esteem and prosocial behaviour. Physical activity, number of friends and the relationship with the parents were each measured with a single question. Unadjusted and adjusted (education, financial situation of the family, family structure) logistic regression models were calculated.A multinominal logistic regression analysis showed that a higher level of LTPA was associated with a higher level of both prosocial behaviour (OR 6.12, 95% CI 5.88–6.36) and self-esteem (OR 4.41 95% CI 4.28–4.54). Further, LTPA had a positive relationship with good social relations, both with peers and parents. The odds ratio for participation in any LTPA weekly was higher (OR 2.74; CI 2.27–3.20) among those who had a close and trustworthy relationship with their parents compared to those men with more challenging relationships with their parents (OR 1.77; CI 1.46–2.14). An inactive lifestyle (PA less than once a week) seemed to be most common among men with no friends. About one third (31%) of men with no friends reported to engage in LTPA less than once a week, while only 10% of men with very many good friends reported to engage in similarly inactive LTPA behaviour.LTPA seems to be positively associated with self-esteem, prosocial behaviour and good social relations among young adult men. Actions aimed at promoting LTPA may have a positive impact on psychosocial well-being among young men, or vice versa. The relationship between PA and psychosocial well-being is complex and interrelated.

A cross-sectional study of factors associated with psychosocial wellbeing among older Tai Chi practitioners

We examined whether longer term Tai Chi practice was associated with better subjective psychosocial wellbeing in healthy, older Tai Chi practitioners. This study used a cross-sectional design with volunteer response sampling to recruit participants through senior community Tai Chi centres, who met inclusion criteria including: (i) currently practicing Tai Chi; (ii) aged 65 years and above; (iii) in good general health; (iv) proficient in English; (v) living independently. Healthy, older Tai Chi practitioners (N = 76, mean age = 72.33, SD = 5.80) completed self-rated measures of psychosocial wellbeing including health-related quality of life (HRQoL), balance confidence, self-efficacy, subjective memory complaints, and loneliness. Preliminary comparison with normative older populations demonstrated that this sample of Tai Chi practitioners had better mean scores on mental health t(75)=7.99, p=<0.001, physical health t(75)=13.95 p=<0.001, self-efficacy t(74)=10.16 p=<0.001, balance confidence t(74) =39.29 p=<0.001, and subjective memory complaints t(74)=-9.80 p<0.001. Weak, negative associations were observed between longer Tai Chi practice, mental health F(5, 70)=2.914 p=.019 and emotional role F(5, 70)=2.834 p=.022. Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated no evidence of a positive relationship between longer Tai Chi practice and HRQoL, balance confidence, self-efficacy, subjective memory complaints, or loneliness. Healthy older practitioners demonstrated significantly better psychosocial wellbeing compared to non-practitioner older adults. This signals that Tai Chi may protect older adults from psychosocial stressors and foster psychosocial wellbeing.

Mixed-methods evaluation of Daily Moves, a community-based physical activity program for older adults

BackgroundAlthough the health benefits of physical activity are well documented, most older adults are not sufficiently active. There is a need to explore approaches to physical activity promotion amongst older adults that meet the personal preferences and needs of participants, and that can be implemented on a large scale in community-based settings. The current study evaluates Daily Moves, a community-based physical activity program for older adults living in Adelaide, Australia. MethodsThe Daily Moves program, which ran almost entirely during the COVID-19 pandemic, provided participants with personalized plans and information about suitable physical activity promoting activities available in their local area. This study used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach to evaluate associations between participation in the Daily Moves program and physical activity engagement, physical function and psychosocial wellbeing, and to explore the experiences of Daily Moves participants through qualitative interviews, with a particular focus on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on program participation and enjoyment.ResultsThe research evaluation included 69 older adults (mean age at baseline = 73.9 ± 5.6 years; 19 male). Following Daily Moves, participants reported an increase in self-report physical activity levels (mean increase = 1.8 days, p < 0.001), improvements on several measures of physical function (left grip strength (mean increase = 1.8 kg, p < 0.001); right grip strength (mean increase = 1.3 kg, p = 0.03); Timed Up and Go (mean decrease = 1.3 s, p < 0.001)), and no significant changes in measures of psychosocial wellbeing. Qualitative interviews revealed that participants valued the supportive and flexible nature of Daily Moves, and that they felt connected with staff and other participants despite the onset of the pandemic.ConclusionsThis evaluation demonstrates that physical activity programs embedded within the community can provide flexible and tailored recommendations to participants, and that this approach can promote positive change in important indicators of health in older adults.

Gender Socialization as a Predictor of Psychosocial Well-Being in Young Women with Breast Cancer.

This study aimed to explore the relationship between gender socialization and psychosocial well-being among young women diagnosed with and treated for breast cancer. A total of 113 women between the ages of 18-49 completed a one-time questionnaire package. Four key measures of gender socialization were included: Gender Role Socialization Scale (GRSS), Objectified Body Consciousness Scale (OBCS), Mental Freedom Scale (MFS), and Silencing the Self Scale (SSS). Two measures of psychosocial well-being were included: Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B) and Experience of Embodiment Scale (EES). Correlational and regression analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between gender socialization variables and well-being. In multiple regression models, GRSS and MFS added significant increments to the prediction of variance of the FACT-B (R2 = 23.0%). In contrast, the OBCS and MFS added significant increments to the prediction of variance of the EES (R2 = 47.0%). Findings suggested that women with greater endorsements to proscribed gender socialization were associated with poor well-being scores. Women who endorsed a critical stance, resisting traditional gender-role expectations, objectification pressures, and other social discourses, were associated with greater well-being scores. Future studies are needed to examine the impact of gender socialization on the well-being of young people with breast cancer.

Evaluating the feasibility of a group psychosocial intervention for migrant and host community women in Ecuador and Panamá: protocol for a multi-site feasibility cluster trial

BackgroundCommunity- and strengths-based psychosocial interventions are central to mental health and psychosocial support guidelines, but rigorous evidence regarding the effectiveness of these interventions is limited. The complexity and variability that is inherent to many community-based psychosocial interventions requires innovative strategies in order to facilitate the comparability and synthesis across research studies without compromising the fit and appropriateness of interventions to specific study populations and context. Entre Nosotras is a community-based psychosocial intervention developed for migrant and host community women that is designed to be flexible enough to enable integration of external intervention components and adaptable to diverse study contexts and populations. This protocol describes a study that aims to evaluate the appropriateness, acceptability, and feasibility of integrating a standardized stress management intervention into Entre Nosotras.MethodsThis study will evaluate the appropriateness, acceptability, feasibility, and safety of intervention and research procedures for a cluster randomized comparative effectiveness trial conducted in Ecuador and Panamá with migrant and host community women. In this feasibility trial, we will allocate communities nested within the three study sites to the integrated Entre Nosotras + stress management intervention versus Entre Nosotras alone through stratified randomization. Migrant and host community women residing in these study communities who report low to moderate levels of distress will be allocated to the intervention condition that their community is assigned (n = 220 total). We will collect quantitative measures of psychosocial wellbeing, psychological distress, coping, social support, and functioning from study participants. We will collect quantitative measures of fidelity and facilitator competencies through observation and facilitator self-assessment. Data on appropriateness, acceptability, feasibility, and safety will be gathered from participants and facilitators through quantitative assessments at 0, 5, and 10 weeks post-enrollment and qualitative interviews conducted with all facilitators and a subset of 70 study participants during the post-intervention follow-up period.DiscussionResults from this feasibility trial will determine whether a multi-site cluster randomized comparative effectiveness trial of an adaptable community-based psychosocial intervention for migrant and host community women is relevant, acceptable, and feasible.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05130944. Registered November 23, 2021—retrospectively registered.

Social Interactivity in Live Video Experiences Reduces Loneliness.

BackgroundLoneliness, especially when chronic, can substantially reduce one's quality of life. However, positive social experiences might help to break cycles of loneliness by promoting more prosocial cognitions and behaviors. Internet-mediated live video communication platforms (eg Zoom and Twitch) may offer an engaging and accessible medium to deliver such social experiences to people at scale. Despite these platforms' widespread use, there is a lack of research into how their socially interactive elements affect users' feelings of loneliness and connection.ObjectiveWe aimed to experimentally evaluate whether socially interactivity in live video experience improves loneliness-related outcomes.Materials and MethodsWe recruited participants from an online survey recruitment platform and assigned half to participate in a socially interactive live video experience with 6–12 strangers and the other half to a non-interactive control experience that was designed to be identical in every way but not socially interactive. Participants completed several baseline self-report measures of psychosocial wellbeing, participated in the hour-long video experience (an entertaining astronomy lesson), and then completed some baseline measures again. Four weeks later, we followed up with participants to evaluate their change in trait loneliness since baseline. We Pre-registered our hypotheses and analysis plan and provide our data, analysis code, and study materials online.ResultsTwo hundred and forty-nine participants completed the initial study and met inclusion criteria, 199 of whom also completed the 4-week follow-up. Consistent with our predictions, we found that directly after the more socially interactive experience, participants' feelings of connectedness increased more (p < 0.001), positive affect increased more (p = 0.002), feelings of loneliness decreased more (p < 0.001), social threat decreased more (p = 0.006), and negative affect decreased more (p = 0.003) than they did after the less interactive experience. However, change in trait loneliness between baseline and 4 weeks later did not differ between conditions (p = 0.953).ConclusionsIncluding socially interactive components in live video experiences can improve loneliness-related psychosocial outcomes for a short time. Future work should explore leveraging these benefits toward longer-term prosociality. Future work can also identify if the effects we observed generalize across different populations and kinds of online experiences.

Identity-Conscious Strategies to Engage At-Promise Students in a Learning Community: Shared Courses in a Comprehensive College Transition Program

Background/Context: Low-income, racially minoritized, and first-generation college students (at-promise students) attending predominantly White, middle class institutions often face inequitable access to enriching educational opportunities, discrimination, and marginalization, creating barriers to their success. Institutions are increasingly designing comprehensive college transition programs (CCTPs) such as the Thompson Scholars Learning Community (TSLC) program to better support this population. Little research has examined how particular elements of CCTPs might foster students’ engagement and outcomes, and TSLC is one of a few existing CCTPs that includes a learning community component where students enroll in shared academic courses. Setting: TSLC operates on three campuses of the University of Nebraska system with different institutional contexts, including mission, size, student population, and geographic location. Study Participants: This study uses quantitative data from 791 first-year students in TSLC who began college in 2015 and 2016 and qualitative data from students and institutional agents who are directly involved with shared academic courses, including instructors and TSLC staff. Purpose: Using a framework of inclusive learning communities defined by Fink and Hummel (2015) , this study explores how and why shared courses may promote engagement and the development of several psychosocial and academic outcomes, including sense of belonging and grade point average (GPA), among at-promise students in their first year of college. Research Design: We use a multilevel mixed methods design, employing quantitative data to examine students’ engagement as well as the link between students’ engagement and several measures of psychosocial wellbeing and academic achievement and qualitative data from students and institutional agents to identify the structures and practices that likely contribute to students’ engagement and outcomes. Findings: We find no significant differences in students’ patterns of engagement in shared courses based on several characteristics related to their social identities, family backgrounds, and prior academic achievement. Engagement is positively linked to students’ sense of belonging and mattering to the institution, academic and social self-efficacy, and first-year GPA. Qualitative data provide insight into the mechanisms that foster these outcomes, including helping students develop connections in academic spaces, having a faculty coordinator who supports shared course instructors and students, and instructors’ use of active and relevant learning experiences. Conclusions: The loose-cohort shared courses model implemented in TSLC supports the success of at-promise students and provides evidence of scalability and adaptability across different institutional contexts, offering a model of inclusive learning community structures and practices that can inform efforts at other institutions.

Changes in Training, Lifestyle, Psychological and Demographic Factors, and Associations With Running-Related Injuries During COVID-19.

The primary purpose of this study was to examine how the type and magnitude of changes in running behavior, as a consequence of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, influence running-related injuries. Secondarily, we aimed to examine how lifestyle and psychosocial well-being measures may influence running behavior change. An online survey was advertised to individuals over the age of 18 that currently run or have previously participated in running for exercise. The survey questions examined injury history and new injuries sustained during COVID-19 restrictions, as well as changes related to training behavior changes, training environment changes, social behaviors, and psychosocial well-being. Changes reflected differences in running behaviors prior to COVID-19 restrictions (1 month prior to COVID-19 restrictions being imposed) and during COVID-19 restrictions (May 5 to June 10, 2020). A total of 1,035 runners were included in the analysis. Current injuries sustained during COVID-19 occurred in 9.5% of the runners. Injured runners made a greater number of total changes (p = 0.031) as well as training-related (p = 0.042) and environment-related (p = 0.017) changes compared with uninjured runners. A significant relationship was found between injury and those that reported less time to exercise to changes in work environment (p = 0017). This study highlights the multi-dimensional nature of running-related injuries and the need to consider the interaction of multiple changes in running behavior, rather than isolating single factors. Greater understanding of the underlying causes of running-related injuries can help reduce the risk of future injury.

Feasibility, Acceptability, and Psychosocial Outcomes of a Mindfulness-Based Interactive e-Book for Young People with Cancer.

Purpose: Receiving a cancer diagnosis for young people is likely to adversely impact the individual's quality of life. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are an emerging strategy used to improve psychosocial well-being. However, challenges have been reported in relation to adherence and accessibility of face-to-face mindfulness programs among young people. This study examined the feasibility and acceptability of a mindfulness-based interactive e-Book to improve psychosocial well-being of young people with cancer. Methods: Concurrent mixed methods approach with a pre-intervention-post-intervention survey and semistructured interviews evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of a MBI delivered over a 6-week period, and its effect on psychosocial well-being of young people with cancer 15 to 24 years of age. Results: Of the 31 young people, both survivors and on active treatment, enrolled in the study, 20 (64.5%) completed the post-intervention survey. Textual data and interviews (n = 3) revealed that young people enjoyed the intervention and found it useful and easy to navigate, but wanted more attention paid to cancer-specific stressors, as well as opportunities for face-to-face or online interactions. Psychosocial well-being measures demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in depressive symptoms (2.35 to 1.25, p = 0.03) and psychological distress (23.63 to 19.79, p = 0.03), along with nonsignificant increases in mindfulness (20.05 to 22.9, p = 0.08) and quality of life (62.0 to 69.1, p = 0.13). Conclusion: Young people found the self-help MBI, delivered in an interactive e-Book platform, useful and acceptable. There were psychosocial benefits, although recruitment and retention were study challenges and can be improved in future research.

Child labor and psychosocial wellbeing: Findings from India.

Mental health is a neglected health issue in developing countries. We test if mental health issues are particularly likely to occur among some of the most vulnerable children in developing countries: those that work. Despite falling in recent decades, child labor still engages 168 million children across the world. While the negative impacts of child labor on physical health are well documented, the effect of child labor on a child's psychosocial wellbeing has been neglected. We investigate this issue with a new dataset of 947 children aged 12-18 years from 750 households in 20 villages across five districts of Tamil Nadu, India. Our purpose-built survey allows for a holistic approach to the analysis of child wellbeing by accounting for levels of happiness, hope, emotional wellbeing, self-efficacy, fear and stress. We use a variety of econometric approaches, some of which utilize household-level fixed effects and account for differences between working and nonworking siblings. We document a robust, large and negative association between child labor and most measures of psychosocial wellbeing. The results are robust to a battery of exercises, including tests for selection on unobservables, randomization inference, instrumental variable techniques, and falsification exercises.

Examining the relationship between physical and sexual violence and psychosocial health in young people living with HIV in rural South Africa.

IntroductionExperiences of violence during youth contravene young people’s rights and increase the risk of depression and poor human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care outcomes among youth living with HIV (YLWH). Intervention targets for mitigating the negative psychosocial effects of violence are needed, particularly in areas like rural South Africa where violence remains pervasive and mental healthcare is limited. This study aims to quantify the associations between physical and sexual violence and depressive symptoms in YLWH in rural South Africa and explore the modification of these associations by key measures of psychosocial well‐being.MethodsWe conducted a cross‐sectional survey among 362 YLWH ages 12 to 24 in rural South Africa to ascertain participants’ history of physical and sexual violence, current depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiological Studies‐Depression Scale) and levels of social support (Medical Outcomes Social Support Scale), resilience (Conner‐Davidson Resilience Scale) and self‐esteem (Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale). Log‐binomial regression was used to estimate the association between history of physical or sexual violence and clinically meaningful depressive symptoms (scores ≥16). Effect measure modification by high versus low resilience, social support and self‐esteem was assessed using likelihood ratio tests (α = 0.20).ResultsA total of 334 individuals with a median age of 21 (interquartile range: 16 to 23) were included in this analysis. Most participants were female (71.3%), single (81.4%) and attending school (53.0%). Ninety‐four participants (28.1%) reported a history of physical or sexual violence and 92 individuals (27.5%) had clinically meaningful depressive symptoms. Meaningful depressive symptoms were significantly higher among participants with a history of physical or sexual violence as compared to those with no history of violence (adjusted prevalence ratio: 2.01; 95% CI: 1.43, 2.83). However, this association was significantly modified by social support (p = 0.04) and self‐esteem (p = 0.02).ConclusionsIn this setting, the prevalence of meaningful depressive symptoms was significantly higher among YLWH with a history of physical or sexual violence as compared to those without a history of violence. However, higher levels of self‐esteem or social support appeared to mitigate this association. Programmes to improve self‐esteem and social support for youth have the potential to minimize depressive symptoms in YLWH who have experienced physical or sexual violence.

The value of a post-polio syndrome self-management programme.

BackgroundPost-polio syndrome is characterised by symptoms of fatigue, pain and new-onset neuromuscular weakness, and emerges decades after the initial poliovirus infection. We sought to evaluate the only post-polio syndrome specific self-management programme in the United Kingdom.MethodsThis was a retrospective study of patients who had completed a residential self-management programme led by a multi-disciplinary clinical team. Following a confirmed diagnosis of post-polio syndrome by rehabilitation and neurology specialists, patients were offered to participate in the programme. Although group-based, patients also received individually tailored support on physical exercise and fatigue management. Physical effects, physical function, psychosocial well-being measures were assessed at baseline and 6 months follow-up. Knowledge was tested at baseline and immediately following the programme. Statistical comparisons were made using paired t-test and Wilcoxon signed rank test according to the data distribution.ResultsOver a period of 17 years, 214 participants (median age 61.3 years old, 63% female) attended 31 programmes. At 6 months the following post-polio syndrome specific symptoms improved significantly: fatigue, as measured by the Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue scale [37.6 (7.1) vs. 34.2 (9.3), P=0.005]; and pain [15.0 (6.1) vs. 13.1 (6.7), P=0.001], atrophy [10.0 (8.0–12.0) vs. 9.0 (7.0–11.0), P=0.002] and bulbar symptoms [3.0 (1.0–5.0) vs. 2.0 (0–4.0), P=0.003] as measured by the Index of Post-polio Sequelae scale. Knowledge related to post-polio syndrome also significantly increased [14.0 (11.0–16.0) vs. 17.0 (16.0–19.0), P=0.001]. Participants were able to walk at a faster speed over 10 meters [0.77 (0.59–1.00) vs. 0.83 (0.67–1.10) m/s, P=0.003] and walked longer distances during the 2-minute walk test [76.9 (31.7) vs. 82.0 (38.4) m, P=0.029]. Depression and anxiety scores did not change over time [PHQ-9, 2.0 (0.3–10.8) vs. 2.0 (0.3–6.8), P=0.450; GAD-7, 2.0 (0–7.0) vs. 1.0 (0–3.0), P=0.460] nor was there change in self-reported quality of life {60 [50–70] vs. 60 [55–70], P=0.200}.ConclusionsThis study suggests that a post-polio syndrome self-management programme led to improvement in symptoms, knowledge and walking speed, but not quality of life. Anxiety and depression scores remained low.

Immigration Status and College Students’ Psychosocial Well-Being

Differences in psychosocial well-being were examined between college students with abject immigration status (i.e., undocumented, other temporary documentation), students with permanent status (i.e., U.S. citizenship, permanent residency), and students with visas using a set of one-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs). The data were collected from 76 institutions participating in the Healthy Minds Study during the 2018–2019 academic year. Measures of psychosocial well-being included positive mental health, anxiety, depression, discrimination, campus inclusion, and ethnic identity. Results revealed that on all measures, except ethnic identity, students with abject immigration status experienced worse well-being than other students, and these differences were statistically significant. Findings have implications for strengthening campus supports for immigrant students in response to their psychosocial well-being needs.

Physically active children with epilepsy have good objective sleep duration and efficiency despite subjective reports of fatigue and sleep problems

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to longitudinally characterize in children with epilepsy the objective and subjective sleep quality and the relationship between increased physical activity and sleep as well as measures of psychosocial well-being. MethodsBaseline physical activity and sleep were established in children with epilepsy over four weeks, prior to a 12-week exercise intervention (weekly meeting with exercise counselor). Participants continuously wore a wrist pedometer (Fitbit Flex®) to capture daily number of steps, sleep efficiency, and total sleep time. The Early Childhood Epilepsy Severity Scale (E-Chess) assessed baseline epilepsy severity. Subjective sleep quality (Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire, CSHQ), quality of life (KIDSCREEN-27; Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, PedsQL™, 4.0 Core), fatigue (PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale), depression (Children's Depression Inventory-Short), and anxiety (Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children) were assessed pre- and post-interventions. ResultsOur cohort of 22 children with epilepsy aged 8–14 years was similarly active to peers (11,271 ± 3189 mean steps per day) and displayed normal sleeping patterns (mean sleep efficiency: 87.4% ± 3.08 and mean total sleep time: 521 ± 30.4). Epilepsy severity assessed by E-Chess was low to moderate (median baseline E-Chess score of 6, interquartile range: 5–7). Study outcomes did not change with the intervention. Older children and those with lower baseline activity were more likely to increase their activity during the intervention. Changes in physical activity were not associated with changes in sleep outcomes when accounting for age, sex, and baseline E-Chess score. Subjective sleep quality marginally improved with the intervention (CSHQ total score: 44.5 ± 5.8 at baseline and 41.6 ± 7.2 at the end of study, p = 0.05). Quality of life, fatigue, depression, and anxiety did not change with the intervention (p = 0.55, 0.60, 0.12, and 0.69, respectively). SignificanceChildren with epilepsy who are as active as peers without epilepsy have good objective measures of sleep despite self-reported fatigue and parent-reported sleep problems. The physical activity of initially less active and older children with epilepsy may benefit from an exercise counseling intervention.