Poor Coping Skills Research Articles

Risk and protective factors of deliberate self-harm among individuals with substance use disorder: A qualitative study in Pakistan.

This study aimed "To identify the factors which increase the vulnerability of self-harm behavior among individuals with substance use and factors which buffer that risk". The present qualitative study was hosted by National Institute of Psychology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. It took seven months, from October 2021 to April 2022 to conduct the study. Face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted in rehabilitation centers of two different cities. The sample of the study included (N = 26) participants, 21 individuals with substance use disorder (with/without deliberate self-harm), and five experts (experienced in dealing with the target population). All the interviews were recorded and transcribed for reflexive thematic analysis. A brief survey was also used to get information about demographics and self-harm behaviors. The analysis helped to develop nine themes (six risk factors & three protective factors), including separate subthemes for each. The themes were named as a spectrum of adverse experiences, maladaptive personality traits, poor methods of dealing with stressors, chaotic emotions and thoughts about self, internalizing and externalizing problems, and self-harm-related specific factors. Additionally, themes generated for the protective factors were supportive social ties, adaptive coping strategies, and promoting personal resources. Specific familial, social, and personal factors increase the likelihood of self-harm by causing negative self-evaluation, poor coping skills and psychological distress. This vulnerability ends with self-harm, when combined with conducive environmental situations for the risky behavior. However, the risk can be decreased by providing social and emotional support and encouraging positive mental attitudes.

A latent profile analysis on adolescents' Non-Suicidal Self-Injury related to intrapersonal and interpersonal factors

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents continues to be a significant public health concern worldwide. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis found that the global prevalence of NSSI in adolescents aged 12–18 years was 17.2%, with higher rates reported among females (19.7%) than males (14.8%). This behavior has been linked to several negative outcomes, such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation. The present study aimed to classify adolescents based on intrapersonal and interpersonal factors associated with NSSI proposed in Nock’s (2009) integrated model of NSSI, to identify distinct clusters targeting specific risk factors. This encompassed negative cognition, emotional vulnerability, poor coping skill, peer-victimization, family adaptability, and perceived stress. A total of 881 adolescents aged 11–16 years in South Korea completed self-reported questionnaires on automatic thoughts, depression, emotional regulation, peer victimization, family adaptability and perceived stress. Latent profile analysis (LPA) revealed three distinct classes: “the severe group”, “the moderate group”, “the mild group”. Class 3 (“severe group”: N = 127) exhibited greater severity related to NSSI, including negative cognition, emotional vulnerability, poor coping skills, peer victimization, and perceived stress, with weaker levels of factors that can prevent NSSI compared to class 1 (“mild group”: N = 416) and class 2 (“moderated group”: N = 338). The present study emphasizes the importance of considering both intrapersonal (e.g., negative automatic thoughts & emotional dysregulation) and interpersonal factors (i.e., peer victimization) when understanding NSSI - among adolescents. These findings can be utilized to develop interventions aimed at reducing the prevalence and severity of NSSI among adolescents.

Depression and anxiety among K-12 teachers in the United States: A systematic review.

Teachers experience high levels of stress and burnout; however, it is less clear whether teachers also experience high levels of depression and anxiety. The purpose of this systematic review was to describe the literature examining depression and anxiety among K-12 teachers in the United States, with a focus on (a) identifying factors that may be associated with and (b) describing interventions aimed at improving depression and/or anxiety among teachers. A literature search was conducted in January 2022 using APA PsycInfo, ERIC, CINAHL, Web of Science, and PubMed. Studies were eligible if they (a) measured U.S. K-12 teachers as an outcome; (b) measured teacher depression or anxiety; (c) were available in English; and (d) were published between 2000 and 2021. Two coders extracted key study information and assessed the risk of bias using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for observational studies and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force checklist for clinical trials. This review included 19 studies (10 cross-sectional, four longitudinal, and five interventions). Studies indicated that teachers may experience greater levels of depression and anxiety than the general population. High perceived stress, poor coping skills, more student problem behaviors, and poor school climate were associated with greater depression and anxiety among teachers. Interventions achieved small to large reductions in depression and anxiety. This review suggests that several factors are related to depression and anxiety among teachers and is limited by the few studies that met the inclusion criteria. Interventions that use multilevel approaches to improve teacher mental health may be needed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The effects of inpatient suicide on nurses at Weskoppies Hospital: A qualitative study.

Inpatient suicide is a serious adverse event in psychiatric wards. Suicide can cause severe trauma to both patients and health professionals, who may develop maladaptation with poor coping skills. Healthcare practitioners are the second victims and historically, this concept has been overlooked. The psychological effects and lack of support have not been sufficiently explored. The emotional well-being and clinical practice of nurses who experienced inpatient suicide at Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital was explored. Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital, South Africa. In this qualitative case study, 12 nurses who had lost a patient to inpatient suicide some time during their employment were purposefully selected. Data were collected through individual in-depth interviews, which were audio recorded and transcribed. The data were thematically analysed. Nurses were negatively affected by inpatient suicide resulting in a range of emotional and psychological effects, including fear, anger, sadness, flashbacks, guilt, and difficulty in coping. Clinical practice factors included being doubtful and extra vigilant. Although nurses received psychological support from the institution, they recommended in-service training with periodic reviews to prevent and manage inpatient suicide. Inpatient suicide is a serious adverse event, and mental health practitioners become second victims. These events do not only impact the psychological well-being of nurses but also influence the clinical practice. Mental health practitioners should receive adequate training and support in preventing and handling inpatient suicide. This study provided insights into nurse's perspectives on the effects of inpatient suicide and how they can be supported.

Diabetes Distress, Depression and Coping Strategies in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

People with diabetes often experience two mental health conditions which are diabetes distress and depression. Both the conditions affect them negatively and increase their risk of diabetes complications and poor disease management. Objectives: To find out the prevalence of diabetes distress and depression in our sample and examine the relationship among diabetes distress, depression and coping strategies among adults with Type 2 diabetes. Methods: Cross-sectional research design was used in this study. The sample consisted of 125 patients of Type 2 diabetes with age range between 40 to 55 years (M=49.94, SD=4.21). Non probability purposive sampling technique was used to select the sample. Diabetes distress scale, depression scale and coping scale were used to assess the study variables. Results: 34% patients had moderate distress worthy of attention. Being woman, younger age, having poor coping skills and depression were significantly associated with diabetes distress. Conclusions: High rates of diabetes distress in the study highlights the significance of identifying distress and other mental health issues in individuals having diabetes to provide psychological management and collaborative care to them.

Combined EEG-tDCS approach in resting state to reduce comorbid anxiety and depressive symptoms in affective disorders: A sham-controlled pilot study

Continuous challenges have been imposed on mental health science by Anxiety and Depression disorders as the most prevalent and debilitating psychiatric conditions worldwide. Pharmacologic and cognitive behavioral therapies, either alone or in combination, have been considered as the first-line therapies, however, resistant symptomatology is prevalent in comorbid conditions with symptoms remaining after interventions. The demand for new therapeutic solutions has given space to the development of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques (NIBS), and the transmagnetic direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been reported as a safe and well-tolerated technique for the treatment of several mental health conditions, including Anxiety and Depression disorders. Relying on quantitative electroencephalography(qEEG)- tDCS approach, the current study aims to inspect the effect of tDCS intervention on patients who suffer from anxiety-depression comorbidity, in particular, the impact of tDCS intervention on qEEG spectral power activity and resting-state connectivity organization during eyes closed and eyes open protocols. QEEG data were acquired from eight patients suffering from moderate to severe anxiety-depression comorbid symptoms along with poor coping skills to manage stress and negative affect. Twelve control subjects allocated in the control group exhibiting low to moderate symptoms in both anxiety and depression conditions went also through the qEEG data acquisition. In addition, a sham-controlled study was conducted, and the patient group went through resting-state qEEG-tDCS neuromodulation once a week for ten weeks. Various-stage qEEG recordings were performed to inspect the efficacy of tDCS treatment during the modulation of brain regions involved in the regulation of affective responses. Our results demonstrated that after tDCS neuromodulation, the patients' groups exhibited decreased absolute power abnormalities over the left anterior cingulate cortex and reduced abnormal activity in the alpha band over posterior regions; improved functional connectivity indexes; decreased anxiety and depressive scores while positive affect score was improved. Besides the promising improvements, our study did not find a significant tDCS effect on perceived stress and negative affect scores. Consistently, significant differences in absolute spectral power over the left anterior cingulate cortex were detected among the patient group, as compared to the controls, as expected. Therefore, our study offers preliminary data to understand the neuroplasticity changes that potentially result from the manipulation of cortical excitability during affective regulation protocols followed by the consequent decrease of comorbid anxiety and depressive symptomatology. The pilot study was followed by prospective registration with ChiCTR2200062142.

Assessment of stress and physical activity in male medical students

Background: Transition to university, academic performance pressure, lack of sleep, personal relationships, and poor coping skills are the common sources of stress for undergraduate students. The health of students can be negatively impacted by high-energy, high-salt diets, irregular diets, and insufficient physical activity (PA), which can result in overweight and obesity. Aims and Objectives: To find out the relationship between PA and stress among medical students. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 60 male undergraduate students in the age group 18–21 years of 1st professional MBBS. After taking a detailed history body mass index (kg/m2) was calculated. Then subjects were asked to fill out the perceived stress scale and global PA questionnaire to assess their stress and PA status. Results: In the present study there is a statistically significant relationship between the stress score and the PA. This shows that those students who were leading a more active daily or weekly schedule were exhibiting lower scores on the stress scale tool employed. Conclusion: The study revealed a highly significant (P < 0.001) correlation between the stress level and PA status of the students.

Anxiety, Sleep Quality and Coping Strategies Adopted among the Frontline COVID Warriors during Second Wave of COVID Pandemic: Evidence from a Retrospective Study in Central India

The second wave of COVID 19 struck in March-April 2021, and it proved to be more severe than the first, with significantly higher cases and mortality rates worldwide. This study aimed to assess anxiety, sleep quality, and coping strategies among Health Care Workers (HCWs) engaged in the care of COVID-19 patients during the second wave of the pandemic at tertiary care hospitals in Central India. It was a retrospective crosssectional web-based survey conducted among HCWs at a tertiary care hospital in central India during the second wave of COVID-19, utilising a convenience sampling method via Google Forms. The survey assessed anxiety, depression, sleep quality, and coping strategies using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), along with a self-structured 4-point Likert scale. Data was collected from August to September 2021, with 114 HCWs. Ethical approval was obtained, and data were analysed using SPSS version 24, employing descriptive and inferential statistics, including Chi-square tests for associations, with significance set at p < 0.05. Approximately 38.6 percent of HCWs experienced borderline abnormal anxiety, while 31.6 percent reported borderline abnormal depression. Most (57%) exhibited poor coping skills, and all participants reported poor sleep quality. Significant associations were found between anxiety and marital status (χ²=11.994, p=0.017) as well as living conditions (χ²=12.101, p=0.002). To conclude, enhancing coping mechanisms and sleep quality is crucial for reducing anxiety and depression among HCWs. Providing them with more time to connect with friends and family may also improve their overall well-being and resilience.

Young Adults at the National Epicenter of the COVID-19 Outbreak: Understanding the Impact and Future Challenges of Social Distancing on Mental Health Outcomes.

To understand the role and future implications of social distancing on mental health and substance use in young adults between the ages of 18 and 35 living in high-disease-prevalent areas of New York. Participants completed a self-administered online survey through Qualtrics. 43.9% of the sample met criteria for moderate or severe anxiety, and 53.1% of the sample met criteria for moderate to severe depression. 76.1% of the sample experienced both anxiety and depressive symptoms. Despite this, the rates of lifetime mental health diagnoses, treatment, and access to mental health services were low. Rates of depression and anxiety differed across socio-demographic variables (gender, income, sexuality, education, and insurance status). Experiencing severe symptoms of the COVID-19 virus, poor coping skills, loneliness, increased alcohol use, and sleep disturbances were linked to higher rates of depression, anxiety, or both. As the first epicenter of COVID-19 in the United States, New York represents an important location for prevention researchers to learn about how COVID-19 affected a diverse population of young adults. It is essential that researchers and practitioners proactively develop early and appropriate interventions to address the ongoing mental health crisis and also plan for future crises.

PSYCHOSOCIAL INTERVENTION FOR REDUCING RELAPSE AND IMPROVING TREATMENT ADHERENCE IN BIPOLAR AFFECTIVE DISORDER WITH POOR SOCIO-OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING AND HIGH EXPRESSED EMOTION IN THE FAMILY: A CASE REPORT

Introduction: Bipolar affective disorder (BPAD) is a chronic psychiatric disorder with an admixture of frequent and recurrent episodes of mania, hypomania, depression, or mixed episodes. More than 1% of the world's population and at least 0.3% of the Indian population are affected by BPAD. We have chosen a case of BPAD with multiple episodes to study the impact of psychosocial intervention in the management of the illness of the affected person and family. The index client, a male, Presentation of the case: 32 years of age, visited the Institute of Psychiatry (IOP) with caregivers and was referred to the psychiatric social work department of the IOP on April 24, 2019, with symptoms of mania and psychosis. He had 7-years history of psychiatric illness, including multiple episodes of mania and depression, as well as frequent irregular medication; burden and conict, insufcient social support, poor communication and interaction patterns, poor coping and problem-solving skills in the family. Therapists imparted Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT) and family-focused therapy to the client and family members. It was found that there Discussion: was a signicant difference between pre- and postpsychosocial interventions in the life and wellbeing of a person with BPAD and his family. Post intervention, client's level of social and occupational functioning was increased, high expressed emotion had been notably decreased, adaptive patterns had been improved, and cohesion in the family had been strengthened. The client and his family members learned to prevent development of future episodes. Conclusion: Psychiatric social work interventions have been a key area in the management of BPAD involving the family, which helps in maintaining a prolonged euthymic period and better treatment compliance.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder After Natural Disasters: A Review

Natural disasters, which are considered as one of the most important problems of recent times, affecting all humanity, have become a public health problem. Disasters have effects on both individuals and society in different dimensions, including health, economic, social, and psychological, and can have serious negative consequences. The number of individuals affected by natural disasters is increasing every year. While it is clear that natural disasters threaten human life and bodily health, little attention has been paid to their effects on mental health. Natural disasters threaten our psychological well-being in many ways, cause both short-term and long-term psychological distress and create a significant psychological burden. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a syndrome that occurs as a result of a serious threat or physical injury, a near-death experience, war-related trauma, sexual assault, interpersonal conflicts, child abuse, or a medical illness. When the literature is examined comprehensively, it has been determined that the incidence of PTSD after natural disasters is quite high. Causes of post-disaster PTSD include the nature of the trauma, its severity, loss of relatives and/or property, poor coping skills, displacement, and direct exposure to disaster. Studies have shown that both non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatments are effective on PTSD.

An analysis of motivating factors in 1,725 worldwide cases of mass murder between 1900-2019

ABSTRACT Mass murder, particularly mass shootings, constitutes a major, growing public health concern. Specific motivations for these acts are not well understood, often overattributed to severe mental illness. Identifying diverse factors motivating mass murders may facilitate prevention. We examined 1,725 global mass murders from 1900–2019, publicly described in English in print or online. We empirically categorized each into one of ten categories reflecting reported primary motivating factors, which were analyzed across mass murderers generally, as well as between U.S- and non-U.S.-based mass-shooters. Psychosis or disorganization related to mental illness were infrequently motivational factors (166; 9.6%), and were significantly more associated with mass murder committed using methods other than firearms. The vast majority (998, 57.86%) of incidents were impulsive and emotionally-driven, following adverse life circumstances. Most mass murderers prompted by emotional upset were found to be driven by despair or extreme sadness over life events (161, 16.13% within the category); romantic rejection or loss, or severe jealousy (204, 20.44% within the category); some specific non-romantic grudge (212, 21.24% within the category); or explosive, overwhelming rage following a dispute (266, 26.65% within the category). Results suggest that policies seeking to prevent mass murder should focus on criminal history, as well as subacute emotional disturbances not associated with severe mental illness in individuals with poor coping skills who have recently experienced negative life events.

An Approach to Opioid Use Disorder Management

This article addresses the challenges involved with transitioning a pain practice away from chronic opioid management. The best approach is to avoid long term opioid therapy (LTOT) when possible and taper off opioids where appropriate. The management of patients with opioid use is complex with psychiatric comorbidities and poor coping skills often impeding opioid cessation. A multidisciplinary approach with frequent involvement is the most effective approach for dose reduction and discontinuation.

Stress, Coping and Considerations of Leaving the Profession-A Cross-Sectional Online Survey of Teachers and School Principals after Two Years of the Pandemic.

Teaching is amongst the six professions with the highest stress levels and lowest job satisfaction, leading to a high turnover rate and teacher shortages. During the pandemic, teachers and school principals were confronted with new regulations and teaching methods. This study aims to examine post-pandemic stress levels, as well as resilience factors to proactively cope with stress and thoughts of leaving the profession among teachers and school principals. We used a cross-sectional online survey. The validated instruments Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and Proactive Coping Subscale (PCI) were used. We included 471 teachers and 113 school principals in the analysis. Overall, respondents had a moderate stress level. During the pandemic, every fourth teacher (27.2%) and every third principal (32.7%) had serious thoughts of leaving the profession. More perceived helplessness (OR = 1.2, p < 0.001), less self-efficacy (OR = 0.8, p = 0.002), and poorer coping skills (OR = 0.96, p = 0.044) were associated with a higher likelihood of thoughts of leaving the profession for teachers, whereas for school principals, only higher perceived helplessness (OR = 1.2, p = 0.008) contributed significantly. To prevent further teacher attrition, teachers and school principals need support to decrease stress and increase their ability to cope.

Are 20% of Patients Actually Dissatisfied Following Total Knee Arthroplasty? A Systematic Review of the Literature

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is among the most performed orthopaedic surgeries in the United States with at least 1,000,000 cases performed per year. Dissatisfaction following TKA has often been reported as 20% or more, with a multitude of causes including sociodemographic, preoperative, and postoperative factors. The purpose of this study was to re-examine the rate and causes of dissatisfaction following TKA. A systematic review of the literature was performed searching databases from 2010 to 2022. Only primary TKA cases were included and all cases of unicompartmental arthroplasty and revisions were excluded. After abstracts were reviewed, 35 articles were selected for a full-length review, which was ultimately reduced to 21 articles for final inclusion. The average rate of patient dissatisfaction was 10%. Excluding complications, the average rate of dissatisfaction was 7.3%. The most common sociodemographic factors for dissatisfaction were age < 65 years, lower income, and non-White patients. Preoperative factors included lower Kellgren-Lawrence scores, depression/anxiety, and pain catastrophizing. Postoperatively, most dissatisfaction was due to complications, unmet expectations, persistent pain, and stiffness. Based on our review, the average rate of patient dissatisfaction following TKA is 10%. Improved counseling for known risk factors may have reduced dissatisfaction rates by increasing preoperative patient optimization. Many studies in recent years have demonstrated the issue of poor patient coping skills, such as pain catastrophizing and anxiety/depression as a common cause of dissatisfaction. Ultimately, dissatisfaction following TKA still continues to affect a high portion of patients but less than historical reports of 20%.

Association of Coping Strategies and Medication Adherence: A Systematic Review.

Background: Medication adherence is difficult for most patients who take at least one medication. Poor drug adherence is a developing problem since it contributes to negative outcomes, prescription waste, increased healthcare expenses, and disease progression. Coping strategies are an important tool for managing a patient's condition because a patient's coping method influences how he or she perceives the situation and deals with the stress that comes with it, which can eventually affect adherence. Coping strategies are classified into five categories: problem-focused, emotion-focused, seeking understanding, support seeking, and problem avoidance. Objective: The goal of this study is to examine and illustrate the association of coping strategies on medication adherence. Method: A systematic review of PubMed/MEDLINE database was conducted in order to screen and select articles. A total of 15 studies were included where they were classified by endpoints. Endpoints that were considered are medication adherence, problem-solving/active coping strategy, emotion-focused coping strategy, seeking understanding coping strategy, support seeking coping strategy and problem avoidance coping strategy. The association of each coping strategy on medication adherence was then evaluated from each article assigned to every category of coping strategies to determine if it had a favorable, negative, or no impact on medication adherence. Results: Most studies which measured problem-solving/active coping strategy (78%) had a positive association on medication adherence, followed by studies which measured emotion-focused coping strategy (69%). Majority of the studies that evaluated for problem avoidance coping strategy (50%) showed a negative association on medication adherence and a small proportion of studies (30%) showed a positive association. Four(4) of the 5 coping strategies (problem-solving/active, emotion-focused, seeking understanding and support seeking) were found to have a greater number of studies showing positive association to medication adherence as opposed to problem avoidance. Conclusion: The findings may suggest that problem-solving and emotion-focused coping strategies can be useful to help people with chronic conditions improve their medication adherence. More study is needed to establish a link between coping strategies and medication adherence in patients, which will allow pharmacists and other healthcare professionals to deliver better interventions to patients and assess for medication nonadherence due to poor coping skills.

Comparing the COVID-19-related PTSD symptoms between psychiatric patients and healthy subjects: an observational retrospective study from Northern Italy

ABSTRACT COVID-19 pandemic had a great impact on mental health, both in the general population and psychiatric patients. Little is known about the difference between these two populations in perceiving the pandemic as a traumatic event. The aim of the study was to compare psychiatric patients and healthy controls (HC) in terms of change over time of post-traumatic (PTSD) symptoms. Demographic and clinical variables were collected. Impact of Event Scale Revised (IES-R) scores were registered at T1 as lockdown period (March–April 2020) and T2 as restarting (May–June 2020). Descriptive analyses and linear regression models were performed. A total of 166 outpatients and 57 HC were recruited. Time (F = 15.76; p < 0.001) and diagnosis (F = 4.94; p < 0.001) had a significant effect on the change of IES-R scores, which resulted T1 > T2 (p < 0.001), except for subjects affected by Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Overall, IES-R scores were < in patients than in HC (p = 0.02), particularly in the schizophrenia (SKZ) subgroup (p < 0.001). IES-R scores of subjects with personality disorders (PDs) resulted to be > HC, although not statistically significant. The lockdown period was perceived as more traumatic than the reopening phase by both groups, with the exception of OCD patients, probably because of the clinical worsening associated with the urge of control against risks of contamination. Overall, HC reported more PTSD symptoms than psychiatric patients did, particularly SKZ ones. PD patients, in contrast, may be more vulnerable to PTSD symptoms probably as a result of poor coping skills. Together with OCD patients, subjects with PDs may need closer monitoring during the different phases of the pandemic. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04694482

State-trait anxiety, death anxiety, depression levels of intensive care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and related factors

Aim: During the COVID-19 pandemic, intensive care workers’ workload and stress response with high transmission risk increased. As a result of poor coping skills with increasing stress, psychiatric problems such as anxiety and depression may occur. In our study, we aimed to evaluate the anxiety, depression, and death anxiety parameters and related demographic data of intensive care workers struggling in the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods: The data were collected by applying scales including socio-demographic information, state-trait anxiety scale (STAI), Beck depression scale, and death anxiety scale to intensive care workers of the pandemic hospital in Erzurum province with an online questionnaire. Results: A total of 70 participants answered the scale questions with the online questionnaire. Participants’ state and trait anxiety scores were above 42, and the frequency of intensive care workers with high anxiety levels was 78.5% and 45.7%, respectively. 54.2% of the participants had moderate and above death anxiety, and 57.1% had a Beck depression inventory score above 10. State-trait anxiety and death anxiety were significantly higher in females than males. Conclusions: In conclusion, the findings of our study revealed that intensive care workers working in the diagnosis, treatment, and care of severe-fatal diseases showed symptoms of anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic period, being young and female were risk factors for state-trait anxiety, death anxiety, and depression. Keywords: COVID-19, intensive care workers, anxiety, depression

Is a Good Boss Always a Plus? LMX, Family–Work Conflict, and Remote Working Satisfaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study investigated the relationships between leader–member exchange (LMX) and workers’ perceptions of family–work conflict (FWC) and between LMX and satisfaction with remote working (SRW). It also assessed the moderating effect of employees’ ability to cope (AC) with the work in the interaction between LMX and FWC. Using a cross-sectional design, this study tested a moderated mediation model using Model 7 of Macro “PROCESS” for SPSS. The study sample consisted of 455 employees engaged in remote working activities during the COVID-19 health emergency. Surprisingly, the results showed that LMX was positively associated with FWC, while the latter was negatively associated with SWR. There were neither direct nor indirect effects of LMX on SRW, but the moderation of the AC with work on the relationship between LMX and FWC was significant and negative. In particular, the results showed that, in workers who reported lower values of AC, the increase in the quality of LMX also corresponded to an increase in FWC. Conversely, in employees with very high AC, as LMX increased, FWC decreased. Good relationships with the boss in a new and challenging situation such as remote working during COVID-19 threatens employees’ well-being when accompanied by poor coping skills. This study sheds light on these mechanisms and opens new questions in the literature about family–work conflict and remote working.

The use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to reduce impulsivity and aggression in adults with mild intellectual developmental disabilities: the tDCS-RIADD randomised controlled trial protocol

BackgroundChallenging behaviours, in particular aggressive behaviours, are prevalent among people with intellectual developmental disabilities. Predictors of challenging behaviours are numerous, including past history of aggression, poor coping skills and impulsivity. Factors like motor or rapid-response impulsivity (RRI) have neurobiological underpinnings that may be amenable to change via neuromodulation using non-invasive brain stimulation techniques like transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).MethodsThis study aims to determine the efficacy of anodal tDCS in reducing RRI and incidents of aggression in people with intellectual developmental disabilities (IDD) in residential or hospital settings. Using a single blind, randomised, sham-controlled trial design, adults with IDD, with a history of impulsivity leading to aggression, will be randomised to receive either repetitive anodal or sham tDCS applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Outcome measures assessing impulsivity and aggression will be collected for up to 1 month following the last tDCS session.DiscussionThe results of this study may pave the way for developing targeted interventions for impulsivity and aggressive behaviours in people with IDD.