Opportunities For Self-care Research Articles

The mental health of staff at violence against women organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from a mixed-methods study of service providers in Canada’s largest city

ObjectivesStaff at violence against women (VAW) organizations provide essential services for survivors of violence. The increase in VAW during the COVID-19 pandemic placed additional pressures on VAW staff. We investigated the impacts of the pandemic on the mental health of VAW staff in the Greater Toronto Area to inform recommendations for policy and practice.MethodsWe conducted a community-based, mixed-methods study on the processes, experiences, and outcomes of adapting VAW programming during the pandemic using a sequential explanatory approach. Throughout 2021, we conducted a survey of direct support and leadership staff who worked on VAW services (“VAW staff”) followed by semi-structured interviews with VAW staff purposively sampled from the survey. We descriptively analyzed quantitative survey data on the mental health of 127 VAW staff. We then applied thematic analysis to qualitative data from 18 interviews with VAW staff. We used the qualitative data to support interpretation and enrich the quantitative findings regarding staff mental health.ResultsIn the survey, 81% of leadership and 61% of direct support staff indicated that their work was more distressing during the pandemic. Participants reported moderate symptoms of vicarious trauma and mild symptoms of anxiety and depression. We generated three themes from the qualitative data to help explain these findings: (1) challenges related to changing work environments; (2) distress over not meeting client needs; and (3) difficulties in adapting self-care strategies in response to pandemic stressors.ConclusionVAW organizations require increased resources and flexible funding to hire and retain more staff to respond to higher and more complex caseloads during public health emergencies. With more structural supports in place, VAW organizations could create more time and space to develop their trauma-informed organizational practices: for example, establishing a culture of connection and learning among staff virtually and in-person and facilitating a range of self-care opportunities.

Discussing mental health benefits for teachers participating in outdoor education in Canada: a conceptual analysis and future research directions

ABSTRACT Outdoor education (OE) offers significant learning opportunities for students, yet teacher benefits remain underexplored. Teacher stress is causing compassion fatigue, burnout, and attrition, negatively impacting student outcomes. OE settings naturally provide educational, mental wellness, and self-care opportunities for teachers. Our research team, through a Communities of Practice focus group, identified several benefits for teachers engaging in OE. These benefits include enhanced emotional balance, sense of purpose, mental toughness, and physical endurance. Additionally, teacher competency can improve through increased knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors. OE can serve as a vital part of a teacher’s self-care routine, being accessible and offering personal and professional benefits. We recommend further research on teacher experiences in OE to understand the benefits and barriers.

Patient Perspectives on AI-Driven Predictions of Schizophrenia Relapses: Understanding Concerns and Opportunities for Self-Care and Treatment.

Early detection and intervention for relapse is important in the treatment of schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Researchers have developed AI models to predict relapse from patient-contributed data like social media. However, these models face challenges, including misalignment with practice and ethical issues related to transparency, accountability, and potential harm. Furthermore, how patients who have recovered from schizophrenia view these AI models has been underexplored. To address this gap, we first conducted semi-structured interviews with 28 patients and reflexive thematic analysis, which revealed a disconnect between AI predictions and patient experience, and the importance of the social aspect of relapse detection. In response, we developed a prototype that used patients' Facebook data to predict relapse. Feedback from seven patients highlighted the potential for AI to foster collaboration between patients and their support systems, and to encourage self-reflection. Our work provides insights into human-AI interaction and suggests ways to empower people with schizophrenia.

Self-care integration into a prelicense nursing curriculum

BackgroundBoth nursing students and nurses face stressors. Part of a strong nursing professional identity includes the ability to perform self-care activities. However, self-care has not been a formalized component of nursing education. MethodsThis mixed-methods scholarship of teaching and learning project used a pre-post design with survey and narrative responses to determine relationships between purposeful integration of self-care spaces and mini lessons and students’ perceived self-care barriers, motivators, and participation. ResultsResults indicated positive changes on many aspects of the survey, particularly in stress control, relaxation, and work-life balance; however, there was a decline in reported sleep. The most popular mini lessons were exercise, sleep hygiene, meditation, and meal preparation. Time emerged as a major barrier to participation in self-care activities, along with low motivation and self-imposed expectations. ConclusionsIncorporating a variety of self-care opportunities into the first semester of a nursing program may be a beneficial way to support students. Self-care activities could also be scaffolded throughout the program to reinforce learning and contribute to professional identity formation.

Student Self-Care and Mental Health Well-Being through Creative Art and Art Journaling: Facilitating Self-Care Opportunities through Creative Art for Students in the Helping Professions

Student Self-Care and Mental Health Well-Being through Creative Art and Art Journaling: Facilitating Self-Care Opportunities through Creative Art for Students in the Helping Professions

Burnout risks in Bangladeshi Physicians: A multicenter, cross-sectional study

Physician burnout is a global concern that can lead to exhaustion, ineffectiveness, and poor health outcomes. Burnout has been linked to a variety of societal and professional variables worldwide. This cross-sectional, multi-centered study was conducted by face-to-face interviews between April 2019 and December 2021 at sixty-two (62) tertiary level hospitals to identify potential risk factors for burnout among Bangladeshi physicians, which is essential for preventing adverse impact on their well-being, improving overall quality of life, and facilitating measures to manage stress and maintain a healthy work-life balance. A simple random sampling technique in conjunction with a structured questionnaire was used to collect a total of 1434 responses, assuming 20 % of the sample as non-responsive. Univariate, bivariate, and multinomial logistic regression statistical analyses were performed to determine the risk factors and associate the level of severity. The distribution of burnout status differs significantly at distinct covariate levels, such as working place, working hour, prevalence of potential interpersonal conflicts (subsequent increase of adjusted odds ratios i.e.; 6.52, 8.82, 11.41, and 37.07 is observed for physicians having interpersonal conflicts with both co-workers & family members), job dissatisfaction, annoyed feeling while dealing with patients (adjusted odds ratios are 529.68, 518.26,983.87 and 849.57 respectively) and some other significant factors of the physicians. This study also reveals that the female physicians, physicians with age 40–49, physicians with additional liabilities, physicians with job dissatisfaction, less salary compared to the workload, less flexibility and security at the job sector as well as obese physicians are at high risk of burnout. These results are statistically significant with a p value ≤ 0.05. To reduce burnout of Bangladeshi physicians, it is necessary to address the risk factors, create supportive workplaces, maintain a healthy work-life balance, provide opportunities for self-care, and promote mental health.

Managing Children at the Bahay PAG-ASA: Experiences of the Personnel Handling Varied In-House Personalities

The Philippine laws exempt children from criminal liability and subjects them to an intervention program where the facility personnel must guide and care for them as parents. However, the juvenile delinquents housed in these facilities may vary in character and attitudes, and most of them are in the stage of adolescence which can have a salient impact on the relationship between the house parents and the children. This study explores the experiences of house parents who work with Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL) and Children at Risk (CAR) in Bahay Pag-asa, a youth rehabilitation center in the Philippines. Using an interview guide and recording devices, the researchers gathered data from 8 personnel from the only Pag-asa Youth Home in Ozamiz City. This study applied the qualitative research method using a phenomenological methodology to interpret data from research participants to obtain meaningful themes. The findings reveal five themes: Varied Emotions, Building Positive Relationships with the Children, CICL being more Challenging to Handle Compared to CAR, Children Escaping, and Communicating in a Calm and Understanding Manner. Despite the challenges, the participants are still committed to their work and desire to make a positive impact on the lives of the children they serve. The study concludes that building strong relationships with children based on trust, respect, communication, and empathy is critical to the children’s development and progress as well as to their relationship between the house parents. Furthermore, special approaches may be necessary in handling these children given their trauma and mental health issues. In other words, insufficient resources make it challenging to provide adequate care and assistance. The researchers recommend that house parents at Bahay Pag-asa receive basic trainings on handling juvenile delinquents, strategies for managing challenging behaviors, and techniques for promoting positive behavior. They also suggest providing stress-relieving activities for the house parents, such as counseling sessions, mindfulness practices, and self-care opportunities, to prevent burnout and promote their ability to care for the children in a safe and nurturing environment.

Predictors of burnout, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction experienced by community health workers offering maternal and infant services in New York State.

Although burnout has been increasingly well studied among medical (nurses, physicians, residents) and mental health providers (psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers), there continues to be a lack of attention on the well-being of community-based providers, such as Community Health Workers (CHWs), within the United States. Using cross-sectional data from 75 CHWs employed in 14 agencies funded through the Maternal and Infant Community Health Collaboratives Initiative (MICHC) in New York, our study examined predictors (anxiety, physical health, adverse childhood experiences, job satisfaction, role certainty, demographic and work characteristics) of burnout, compassion fatigue (CF) and compassion satisfaction (CS). Descriptive statistics were used to characterize our sample and linear regression was employed to investigate the correlates of burnout, CF and CS. Results indicated that CHWs with higher levels of anxiety and lower job satisfaction were more likely to have higher burnout scores. CHWs with higher levels of anxiety, lower job satisfaction and fewer days of poorer health were more likely to report higher CF. Those who worked more than 35 h per week were less likely to report higher CS. The study provides recommendations for organizational-level interventions to address risk factors of burnout and CF and promote CS among CHWs, such as bolstering supervision, encouraging greater communication, offering recognition/appreciation of CHWs and creating opportunities for self-care. Findings should be considered when designing organizational-level preventive measures that mitigate burnout and CF and promote CS.

“Unprecedented Times:” Experiences of Social Work and Public Health Professionals during Times of Public Crises

ABSTRACT Social workers and public health professionals in the U.S. were profoundly impacted by COVID-19, systemic racism, and the 2020 U.S. presidential election. This study examined their external job support, burnout, and job satisfaction in the context of these circumstances. The findings suggest respondents, who had graduate degrees in social work or public health, overemphasized their job satisfaction and underemphasized their burnout. While social work and public health professionals felt satisfied with their labor, not acknowledging burnout limits the amount of support they may access to effectively continue the work. Interestingly, participants who had more administrative functions reported higher job satisfaction scores and lower burnout scores. Traditionally, those in administrative positions have more control over their schedule and work responsibilities. Findings suggest that more training, opportunities for self-care, and discussions about safety and systemic racism are needed in the workplace for social workers and public health professionals.

“Always a Preemie”: Maternal Experiences Parenting a Very Preterm Infant into Toddlerhood

This study sought to qualitatively describe themes in maternal narratives around parenting a former very or extremely preterm infant from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) into toddlerhood. Mothers (N = 14) of preterm infants ≤28 weeks gestation, now aged 2 to 4 years, completed a semi-structured interview; transcripts were qualitatively analyzed. Five themes of mothers’ experiences were identified: (a) anxiety and trauma related to birth and NICU stay; (b) the importance of clear communication with medical providers; (c) mothers’ need for and difficulty accessing self-care opportunities or services; (d) challenges of transitioning home; and (e) mothers, continued view of their toddlers as vulnerable and “always a preemie.” Most (11/14) mothers reported depressive symptoms in the clinically significant range. Results of this study highlight the potential hardships and lasting maternal mental health effects of raising a former very or extremely preterm infant, and the need for supports in the NICU, at discharge and longitudinally.

“Love is a microbe too” : Microbiome dialectics

Whereas the Human Genome Project was an anthropocentric research endeavour, microbiome research entails a much more interactive and symbiotic view of human existence, seeing human beings as holobionts, a term coined by Lynn Margulis to emphasise the interconnectedness and multiplicity of organisms. In this paper, building on previous authors, a dialectical perspective on microbiome research will be adopted, striving to supersede the ontological divide between self and other, humans and microbes, and to incorporate the microbiome as a crucial dimension of human existence, not only corporally, but also in terms of mood and cognition. On the practical level, microbiome insights promise to offer opportunities for self-care and self-management, allowing us to consciously interact with our microbiome to foster wellness and health. How to distinguish realistic scenarios from hype? Here again, an interactive (dialectical) approach is adopted, arguing that practices of the self should result from mutual learning between laboratory research and life-world experience.

The educational backgrounds of DIY musicians

In this qualitative, exploratory study we examined the music education backgrounds and current creative practices of thirteen self-described do-it-yourself (DIY) musicians from around the United States. A growing community of scholars within and outside of education have noted the relative inclusionary nature of DIY communities as compared to mainstream society. Several themes have emerged in DIY music participation literature, including social influences and isolation, and music making for self care and self expression. DIY music-making can offer a potentially liberating space for those marginalized by traditional schooling, providing students with social, educational and musical opportunities they could not find or participate in at school. Through an analysis of interviews and participation-observations of creative practices such as band rehearsals and improvisation sessions, we found that similar themes emerged in our own data. Implications for music education include the importance of more individualized instruction and opportunities for self care and self expression.

Using Collaborative, Mixed-Methods Research to Determine Professional Self-care’s Relation to Burnout Among Police Officers at a Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Site

Burnout, an occupational syndrome characterized by feelings of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and diminished personal accomplishment, is highly prevalent among police officers, perhaps as a result of regular and repeated exposure to job-related stressful events. Burnout might be especially problematic for officers working with sexual assault victims, as this sensitive work requires officers to be exposed to trauma while conducting trauma-informed, victim-centered investigations. The current study used interagency, multidisciplinary collaboration and a mixed-method design to examine professional self-care as a mechanism to combat burnout among police officers (n = 331) at a Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) site in the southeastern region of the United States. Professional self-care better predicted each component of burnout than did exposure to job-related trauma, being injured on-duty, number of critical incident types experienced, and years on the force. Specifically, engagement in professional development activities best predicted reduced emotional exhaustion and depersonalization of victims. Officers’ qualitative responses supported quantitative survey data, with 48% requesting an increase in professional self-care opportunities (e.g., more trainings, professional support) offered by their organization. Although the nature of policing often precludes a route to reducing officers’ exposure to job-related stressful events, findings suggest that law enforcement organizations can positively impact officer burnout by enhancing professional self-care and broadly providing critical professional development experiences.

Unequal tensions: the effects of the coronavirus pandemic in light of subjective health and social inequality dimensions in Germany

ABSTRACT An online survey was conducted in Germany during the lockdown period to assess its psycho-social consequences. A convenience sample N = 2009 (comparable representation of former GDR and West Germany, 71% females) took part in the survey. The results show a negative impact of the corona pandemic on subjective well-being, health and life satisfaction. We also found a lower sense of security and an increase in anxiety. Additional strains follow a social gradient: Most apparent are negative effects on people with low educational background whose general life satisfaction particularly decreased and gender-specific differences in coping with everyday life challenges, this involves in particular mothers, who have to organise childcare and home schooling more often than fathers. Again, while parents generally felt constrained by social consequences of the pandemic, mothers were particularly affected, feeling more often exhausted, nervous and insecure than fathers. However, the crisis had some positives, too: the experience of stress and exhaustion was reduced; the crisis also revealed resources, such as adaptability in dealing with the changed time situation and new opportunities for self-care. The results illustrate that in this time of crisis, the family can be both a place of resilience and retreat as well as a stress factor.

Experiences of Mental Health Clinicians and Staff in Rapidly Converting to Full-Time Telemental Health and Work from Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: The mitigation strategies for the COVID-19 pandemic pushed much of the mental health workforce to rapidly convert to full-time telemental health (TMH). For many people, this occurred in the context of working from makeshift home offices with novel distractions. We describe the results of an online survey of mental health clinicians and staff regarding their experiences in rapidly converting to full-time TMH and work from home (WFH) during COVID-19. Methods: Fourteen clinicians and 11 administrative staff from two outpatient mental health clinics in a large academic medical center completed the survey in May 2020. Results: More than 85% of participants rated the experience of providing or supporting full-time TMH care as "somewhat better" or "much better than expected." Clinicians and administrative staff reported perceptions that most clients were satisfied with TMH services. Identified TMH challenges included difficulty providing clinical forms and difficulties with technology. Identified benefits of WFH included lack of commute, time with loved ones, opportunities for self-care, and increased flexibility. Maintaining team cohesion and communication while working remotely, and setting boundaries between work and nonwork hours were identified as challenges. Nearly all respondents indicated a preference to continue some TMH from home in the future. Conclusions: Findings suggest that rapidly adopting TMH and WFH during a pandemic were well accepted. Should the progression of the pandemic require agile movement in and out of TMH and WFH, overcommunication and extra attention to supporting employee connection and morale are especially important.

Exploring Supports and Barriers to Physical Activity in Catholic Priests.

Although physical activity has been examined in many different populations, little is known about the physical activity of religious leaders. Religious leaders have considerable demands on their time and energy resulting in fewer opportunities for self-care, including participating in regular physical activity. The purpose of our study was to better understand the role of physical activity in Roman Catholic priests and in particular, the supports and barriers they face. We conducted one-on-one semi-structured interviews with eight priests regarding their perceived motivators and impediments to physical activity. Following a socioecological framework, we noted two common themes from the priests' interviews regarding their lived experiences. Our first theme included intra-individual characteristics such as personal factors including personality, knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding physical activity. Our second theme contained extra-individual factors such as environmental influences including community involvement, accessible resources, and weather determinants. Both themes reflected supports and barriers to the priests' physical activity. Overall, our results indicated that although Roman Catholic priests experience unique barriers to physical activity related to their social identity, similar to other men of the same age, they are also affected by common factors that support or prohibit engagement in physical activity. The priests shared that health benefits and being physically active with others were their main supports, while busy work schedules, lack of knowledge, and poor health were barriers to their physical activity participation. These results suggest physical activity programming should be considered as part of seminary education, in particular, as a method of proactively taking care of physical and mental health so priests can manage the persistent and consistent demands made upon them. Further, once working as priests, physical activity programs should involve individualized approaches that include personal interests, and available resources while recognizing personal, social, and environmental barriers.

What Do Mothers Experiencing Poverty Need to Support Their Young Children? Parent, School, and Policy Perspectives

Parents experiencing poverty are rarely consulted about their needs when it comes to supporting the development, well-being, and education of their young children. Furthermore, they are often overlooked as experts on their own needs by actors in positions of power and excluded from spaces and processes that aim to create resources, programs, and policies to support families of young children. Using an ecological systems framework (Bronfenbrenner in: The ecology of human development: experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1979), we conducted a qualitative interview study of mothers’ needs in a school community in Central Texas as perceived by multiple community members, including mothers themselves, teachers, school administrators, district leaders, and policymakers (n = 14). The findings show that the three mothers felt they needed more money, time, opportunities for self-care, and validation to support their young children in the ways they would like to. Actors in positions of power (teachers, school administrators, district leaders, and policymakers) however, primarily discussed mothers’ needs for education, training, and models of parenting. To a lesser extent, actors in positions of power also discussed needs that partially reflected those expressed by mothers, including a need for higher wages and more money, childcare to free up time, and emotional support or social capital to provide validation of mothers’ parenting. We discuss the importance of understanding mothers’ needs as they are expressed by mothers themselves, the danger of framing support for parents experiencing poverty using a banking model of education (Freire in: Pedagogy of the oppressed: 30th anniversary edition. Continuum, New York, 2000), and areas of alignment from which we can build towards dialogic understanding and collaboration.

Exploring self-care abilities among women in prisons of West Bengal, India

PurposeSelf-care is defined as the ability to take care of one’s body and health with or without the help of healthcare personnel. The purpose of this paper is to explore the opportunities for self-care among imprisoned women within the constraints of a confined life, which, in turn, affect their health.Design/methodology/approachPrimary data have been collected through semi-structured interviews with 90 women in three prisons in the Indian state of West Bengal.FindingsFindings reveal that a majority of the women cited the inability to self-care was due to factors such as constricted architecture, specific penal policies that thwarted relational contexts in prisons and also the loss of control over their consumptive choices. However, it was found that coping mechanisms also existed among some women who actively constituted penal spaces for self-care. Many long-term imprisoned women tried to actively engage themselves in daily activities such as the “labour” allotted to them.Practical implicationsThe paper concludes that abilities to self-care have a deep impact on the health of women, which if not facilitated will lead to a health depleting experience. At a time when Indian prisons are focussing on rehabilitation, the recommendations for providing opportunities for self-care in prisons can minimize the “pains” of imprisonment and pave the way for rehabilitation.Originality/valueThe research is based on data collected during original fieldwork conducted in three prisons in West Bengal, India. It provides valuable insights on how penal environments affect self-care opportunities of imprisoned women.

Сучасний стан інклюзивної освіти в країнах європейського союзу

У статті розглядається проблема інклюзивної освіти в сучасному освітньому просторі. Головною метою інклюзивного навчання є усунення будь-якої дискримінації в освітньому процесі, забезпечення доступності освіти для всіх, то досягнення цієї мети може бути організовано по-різному, що й спостерігається в освітніх системах різних країн. Висвітлено завдання, що потребують впливу з боку системи державного управління освітою щодо організації навчання дітей з особливими потребами.

Self-Employment for People with Psychiatric Disabilities: Advantages and Strategies

Self-employment is an alternative to wage employment and an opportunity to increase labor force participation by people with psychiatric disabilities. Self-employment refers to individuals who work for themselves, either as an unincorporated sole proprietor or through ownership of a business. Advantages of self-employment for people with psychiatric disabilities, who may have disrupted educational and employment histories, include opportunities for self-care, additional earning, and career choice. Self-employment fits within a recovery paradigm because of the value placed on individual preferences, and the role of resilience and perseverance in business ownership. Self-employment creates many new US jobs, but remains only a small percentage of employment closures for people with psychiatric disabilities, despite vocational rehabilitation and Social Security disability policies that encourage it. This commentary elucidates the positive aspects of self-employment in the context of employment challenges experienced by individuals with psychiatric disabilities and provides recommendations based on larger trends in entrepreneurship.