Psychological Well-being Of Women Research Articles

Battered and shattered: will they get justice? A study of domestic violence against women in India based on National Family Health Survey, 2005

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the type and severity of domestic violence faced by Indian women. An attempt has also been made to analyze and interpret demographic variations of domestic violence. The authors have highlighted steps taken by several government, community and private organizations on issues of domestic violence. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis of National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-III data (2005) was used for determining the socio-economic factors, which are predictors of domestic violence against spouses and children. Logistic Regression Technique was applied. Findings – Results suggest that increased formal education for women, increase in family wealth, and financial independence may decrease spousal violence. Younger women and those who belong to a nuclear family are more vulnerable to spousal violence. Research limitations/implications – The research paper only limits its focus on women in India in the age group of 15-49. A cross-country comparison and a longitudinal study would have given better idea on the issue. Besides in India, there are serious issues of concerns of violence against children and elders which have not been part of discussion on this paper. Practical implications – The paper not only discusses causes of domestic violence but also on its effects on physical and psychological well-being of women and children. Originality/value – The uniqueness of the study lie in on not only extracting out from NFHS survey-III data, the socio-economic factors which are determinants of domestic violence but also analyzing the politico-religious-cultural factors which play major role on the issue. The authors have also thrown light on consequences of domestic violence.

The impact of supportive counselling on women's psychological wellbeing after miscarriage--a randomised controlled trial.

To assess the effectiveness of supportive counselling after miscarriage. Randomised controlled trial. University hospital. Two hundred and eighty women with miscarriage. Women were randomised to receive supportive counselling from a nurse (at diagnosis and 2 weeks later) or routine care. Psychological wellbeing was measured with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Primary outcome measured the proportion of women suffering psychological distress (GHQ-12 score ≥4) at 3 months after miscarriage. Secondary outcomes were GHQ-12 and BDI scores at 6 weeks, 3 and 6 months. There was no difference in the proportion of women suffering psychological distress at 3 months after miscarriage (17.1% in counselling group versus 24.4% in control group; 95% CI -0.034 to 0.177; P = 0.19). However, for the subgroup of women (n = 152) with high baseline GHQ-12 scores, the median GHQ-12 score in the counselling group was significantly lower than the control group at 6 weeks (median score 3 versus 4.5 in counselling and control groups; P = 0.04) and 3 months (median score 1 versus 2.5 in counselling and control groups; P = 0.03). Similarly, for women with high baseline BDI scores (BDI > 12), the proportion for women continuing to score high was significantly lower in the counselling group 6 weeks after miscarriage (33.3 versus 61.1% in counselling group and control group; P = 0.03). Although the results of current study do not justify routine counselling of all women following miscarriage, a supportive counselling programme for selected women with high levels of psychological distress is promising and merits further investigation.

Promoting psychological well-being in women with phenylketonuria: Pregnancy-related stresses, coping strategies and supports

ObjectiveTo explore the pregnancy-related stresses anticipated and experienced by women with phenylketonuria (PKU) and the coping strategies and supports utilised or anticipated to be beneficial during pregnancy. MethodsThematic analysis of interview data from eight women with PKU in a cross-sectional, qualitative study. Five of the participants had never had a pregnancy but were planning to in the future, two participants had children, and one participant was pregnant. ResultsThe central concern regarding pregnancy was achieving and maintaining the essential low Phe levels, in the context of the devastating effects of high levels. The Transactional Model of Stress and Coping was utilised to understand the coping strategies and supports utilised or anticipated to be beneficial during pregnancy. Similarities and differences between the women who had experienced pregnancy, and those who were planning a pregnancy in the future were evident in key coping strategies, with knowledge seeking, positive reappraisal, and reassurance seeking reported. Support from health professionals and other mothers with PKU was key for all women. Psychological support was identified as a resource perceived to be beneficial to promote psychological well-being during pregnancy but not yet provided. ConclusionPregnancy is associated with significant stresses for women with PKU. Clinical implications of the findings include provision of psychological support.

Psychosocial interventions for supporting women to stop smoking in pregnancy.

Psychosocial interventions for supporting women to stop smoking in pregnancy.

The Effectiveness of Postmodern Feminist Empowering Counseling for Abused Women: A Perspectives of Thai Abused Women

This qualitative research aimed to explore the perspectives of Thai abused women regarding the effectiveness of postmodern feminist empowering counseling (PFEC) for them. The research and data collection was done in nine months. The setting of the study was a tertiary hospital located in the lower Northern area in Thailand. The participants were six abused women. The research instruments consisted of semi-structured interviews. The findings showed that the abused women, who received counseling, achieved changes in three aspects; (a) men and women are equal, (b) being abused is not fate, and (c) feeling powerful. These findings suggested that the PFEC process proposed can be utilized by counselors to increase perceived empowerment in abused women. Positive adjustments to their lives can be explained by their perceived empowerment and developed through the counseling process. Violence against women is danger facing women in every corner of the world. It can happen to women of any age, as a fetus, toddler, girl child, teenager, adult, and elderly. (Kritaya, Kanchanachitra, Im-em, & Lerdsrisuntad, 2005). According to the report of office of women's affairs and family development (2012), the incidence of violence related to children, women, and domestic violence markedly increased in Thailand, with a total of 916 occurrences of violence reported. The violence was perpetrated by men (86.23%) more than by women (11.50%); in about 2.27% of cases, the gender of the perpetrator was not identified. Considerably more women were abused within the family (87.18%) compared to men (10.28%); the gender of the abused was not identified in around 2.54% cases. Physical and psychological violence (in some instances) was carried out repetitively, and sexual violence represented 61.29%, 27.54%, 6.22% and 4.95% of the cases, respectively. The impact of violence on women's physical, psychological, and sexual well-being has not been systematically assessed (Leslie, 2001). However, some empirical studies revealed that the consequences of violence can lead to depression, psychological breakdown, or serious injuries. More importantly, in extreme cases, it can even lead to murder or suicide (Henttonen, Watts, Roberts, Kaducu & Borchert, 2008). A previous study by Smith, Tessaro, and Earp (1995) reported that women who were abused might develop fear and powerless. Consequently, the abused women were hesitate to receive health services due to shame, lack of self-respect, and decreased self-appreciation. Based on previous study, it has been found that the feelings of raped women were powerlessness, loneliness, and inner conflicts about power issue, being controlled, and inner questioning about the meaning of how sex with their partners should be (Finkelhor & Yoll, 1983, as cited in Howard, Riger, Campbell, & Wasco, 2003).

Impact of digital home ovulation test usage on stress, psychological wellbeing and quality of life during evaluation of subfertility: a randomised controlled trial

Timing of intercourse by using ovulation tests (OT) has been suggested to lead to emotional distress. The only controlled study found no impact of OT usage on women's psychological wellbeing when trying to conceive in a non-medical setting. This trial examined use of OTs on self-reported levels of stress, psychological wellbeing and quality of life in new attendees at a fertility clinic.

Intimate partner violence in marginalised settings: Re-theorising agency for global public health

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major global health issue that severely affects women's psychological and physical well-being. Current public health efforts to address violence against women h...

Surveying migrant populations – methodological considerations: An example from Germany

Data available from the recruitment process for a population-based survey on psychological well-being in women of Turkish origin aged 18–75 years was subjected to post-hoc analysis to examine effects of different recruitment approaches and reasons for non-response. A random sample of 80,000 women was drawn from the Berlin population registry and 3884 women of Turkish origin identified by a name-based algorithm. The women were assigned randomly to three waves for further contact. The protocol consisted of an invitation letter, telephone contact and door-to-door visits. Door-to-door visits were only performed in one wave, to assess the effect of an intensified recruitment approach. Response rates were 11.9% (95% CI: 7.2–16.6) in the first wave, 3.9% (95% CI: 1.7–6.2) in the second wave and 1.3% (95% CI: 0.9–1.8) in the third wave. The contact rate was highest in the first wave (n=126; 68.1%), which included door-to-door visits. Participants were more often married, had more children, higher educational leve...

Unsupportive Social Interactions in the Weeks Immediately Following Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Unsupportive social interactions (USIs) experienced by people with cancer negatively affect psychological well-being. Forty-five interviews with 26 women were analyzed using directed content analysis to explore USIs experienced during the stressful pretreatment and early postsurgical periods after early-stage breast cancer diagnosis. Cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses to USIs were also explored. Seventy incidents of USIs were identified within the interviews and grouped into four previously defined and five additional categories. Anxiety, avoiding future interactions, and nondisclosure of thoughts and feelings were typical responses to USIs. These responses hold implications for women's psychological well-being and need for future interventions and research.

Interventions for improving outcomes for pregnant women who have experienced genital cutting.

Female genital cutting (FGC) refers to all procedures that involve the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for cultural or other non-therapeutic reasons. There are no known medical benefits to FGC, and it can be potentially dangerous for the health and psychological well-being of women and girls who are subjected to the practice resulting in short- and long-term complications. Health problems of significance associated with FGC faced by most women are maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity, the need for assisted delivery and psychological distress. Under good clinical guidelines for caring for women who have undergone genital cutting, interventions could provide holistic care that is culturally sensitive and non-judgemental to improve outcomes and overall quality of life of women. This review focuses on key interventions carried out to improve outcome and overall quality of life in pregnant women who have undergone FGC. To evaluate the impact of interventions to improve all outcomes in pregnant women or women planning a pregnancy who have undergone genital cutting. The comparison group consisted of those who have undergone FGC but have not received any intervention. We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (31 December 2012) and organisations engaged in projects regarding FGC. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs), cluster-randomised trials or quasi-RCTs with reported data comparing intervention outcomes among pregnant women or women planning a pregnancy who have undergone genital cutting compared with those who did not receive any intervention. We did not identify any RCTs, cluster-randomised trials or quasi-RCTs. There are no included studies. FGC research has focused mainly on observational studies to describe the social and cultural context of the practice, and we found no intervention trials conducted to improve outcomes for pregnant women presenting with complications of FGC. While RCTs will provide the most reliable evidence on the effectiveness of interventions, there remains the issue of what is considered ethically appropriate and the willingness of women to undergo randomisation on an issue that is enmeshed in cultural traditions and beliefs. Consequently, conducting such a study might be difficult.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Urinary Incontinence Among Jordanian Women: Impact on Their Life

We estimate the prevalence and type of urinary incontinence (UI), possible associated risk factors, and the impact of UI on women's social and psychological well-being. The sample consisted of women attending a family medicine clinic at Jordan University Hospital (JUH) who answered a self-administered questionnaire. More than one-third of the sample reported the presence of UI. Stress type was the most frequently reported risk factor, followed by mixed incontinence, then urge. Age, diabetes, chronic cough, parity, and hysterectomy were positively associated with the presence of UI. Incontinence caused low self-esteem in more than half of the women who experienced it.

Coping Behaviour, Posttraumatic Growth and Psychological Well-Being in Women with Childhood Sexual Abuse

This study investigated the coping behaviours and posttraumatic growth of women with sexual abuse in childhood (CSA) and long-term effects on their psychological well-being in adulthood. Participants were 10 women survivors of CSA (ages ranging from 23–48 years). Data on how women resiled, coped and thrived were collected using individual interviews. Interpretative phenomenological analysis were used for data analysis. The data were thematically analyzed. Themes to emerge from the analysis included the importance of positive coping behaviour, evolving alternative life narratives and the development and utilization of inner strengths.

An Exploratory Study to assess the Expectations of Mothers During Labour from Professional Nurses in a Selected Hospital, Ludhiana

Background: Child birth is supposed to be a positive experience and should leave a good impression on a women's life and psychological state. Women's psychological wellbeing depends on whether their expectations of child birth care met or not so the support they receive during this time is critical. Consumers are demanding a more humanistic approach to obstetric care and a greater share of responsibility for the events surrounding birth. The investigator came across her previous experiences from the intranatal patient care and some concerned non formal interview of mothers in labour room found their high expectations and some sort of un-satisfaction towards care they were getting. Many expectations from nurses regarding the care given and the need was felt to assess their expectations and then compensate the areas where it lacked. Method: An exploratory approach was used to assess the expectations of mothers during first stage of labour. The hospital selected for the study was Christian Medical College & hospital, Ludhiana,Punjab and the department selected was labour room. The sample of the present study consist of 100 mothers who were in first stage of labour. The sampling technique adopted was purposive sampling. A self structured questionnaire was prepared an was divided in to two parts, socio demographic data and 60 items related to check the expectations of mothers during labour from professional nurses. Result: majority 64% of mothers belonged to the age group of 18-27 years and were graduates(40%). 85% were housewives, Hindus and from urban area, got information from friends and relatives. The highest mean percentage expectation score of mothers were fond under the dimension of interpersonal communication style and provision of information(94.83%) and least in physical comfort(79.35%). The overall mean expectation of mother was 89.72%. moters under the age group of 18-27 got a high mean expectation score (108.15) and found that younger the mother, higher the expectation from professional nurses.Level of education was also found an impact on the expectation of mothers.higher the education of mothers ,lower the expectation score. Conclusions: The study was indicated that majority of mothers had high expectations from the professional nurses under the dimension of interpersonal communication style and provision of information(94.83%) and least in physical comfort(79.35%).

A comparison of men and women's experiences of chemotherapy-induced alopecia

PurposeThe effect of alopecia on men and women has not been fully documented in the literature, especially for Turkish cancer patients. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of chemotherapy-related alopecia and how it affects the body image and quality of life of Turkish male and female cancer patients, in order to identify variables that may be important in the perception of this problem. MethodsThis descriptive study was carried out between November 2010 and June 2011 at Istanbul University Institute of Oncology; 201 men and 204 women attended. A face-to-face interview was performed during chemotherapy, and the effects of alopecia on cancer patients were assessed using the Patient Information Form, Body Image Scale, and Nightingale Symptom Assessment Scale. ResultsThe study group consisted of 55.1% female and 44.9% male patients. Most of the patients experienced partial or total alopecia during chemotherapy. There were no differences between men and women with regard to body image in respect of degree of alopecia, but the body image of the male and female patients who had partial or complete alopecia was lower than that in patients who had no alopecia; psychological well-being of women was lower than that in men, because the incidence of alopecia was higher in women. ConclusionsThis study contributes new knowledge on the cultural characteristics of Turkish patients, which may assist other researchers working with different international populations. Alopecia is a difficult side effect for both men and women. Health professionals should assess and educate patients differently from the current standard.

Baker's Yeast Beta-Glucan Supplement Reduces Upper Respiratory Symptoms and Improves Mood State in Stressed Women

Objective: Several studies have shown a baker's yeast beta-1,3/1,6-d-glucan, extracted from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is effective in reducing the incidence of cold and flu symptoms. This study evaluated the effect of a specific beta-glucan supplement (Wellmune) on upper respiratory tract symptoms and psychological well-being in women with moderate levels of psychological stress.Methods: Healthy women (38 ± 12 years old) prescreened for moderate levels of psychological stress, self-administered a placebo (n = 38) or 250 mg of Wellmune (n = 39) daily for 12 weeks. We used the Profile of Mood States (POMS) psychological survey to assess changes in mental/physical energy levels (vigor) and overall well-being (global mood state). A quantitative health perception log was used to track upper respiratory symptoms.Results: Subjects in the Wellmune group reported fewer upper respiratory symptoms compared to placebo (10% vs 29%), better overall well-being (global mood state: 99 ± 19 vs 108 ± 23, p < 0.05), and superior mental/physical energy levels (vigor: 19.9 ± 4.7 vs 15.8 ± 6.3, p < 0.05).Conclusions: These data show that daily dietary supplementation with Wellmune reduces upper respiratory symptoms and improves mood state in stressed subjects, and thus it may be a useful approach for maintaining immune protection against daily stressors.

Intimate partner physical violence among women in Shimelba refugee camp, northern Ethiopia.

BackgroundDomestic violence has unwanted effects on the physical and psychological well-being of women, which have been recognized globally as an important public health problem. Violence perpetrated by intimate partner is one form of domestic violence, a serious human rights abuse and a public health issue, among refugees owing to its substantial consequences for women's physical, mental and reproductive health problems. Because the incidents are under-reported, the true scale of the problem is unknown and unexamined among refugee women in Ethiopia. Thus, this study aim to assess the magnitude of intimate partner physical violence and associated factors among women in Shimelba refugee camp, Northern Ethiopia.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among a sample of 422 refugee women from March to April 2011. A simple random sampling method was used to select the study subjects from seven zones of the refugee camp. Census was done to identify all households with women having an intimate partner. A pre-tested interviewer guided structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were entered, cleaned and analyzed using SPSS software version 16.0. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were done where applicable. A p-value less than 0.05 with 95% CI were set and used as a cut-off point to examine the statistical association between the explanatory and outcome variables.ResultsThe prevalence of physical violence in the last 12 months and lifetime were 107(25.5%) and 131(31.0%) respectively. The commonest forms of physical violence reported included slapping 101(61.6%) and throwing objects 32(19.5%). Significant risk factors associated with experiencing physical violence were being a farmer (AOR = 3.0[95%CI: 1.7, 5.5]), knowing women in neighborhood whose husband to beat them (AOR = 1.87[95%CI: 1.0, 3.5]), being a Muslim (AOR = 2.4 [95%C.I: 1.107, 5.5]), and having a drunkard partner (AOR = 2.1[95%C.I:1.0, 4.5]).ConclusionsIntimate partner physical violence was found to be high and a serious problem among women in Shimelba refugee camp. Multifaceted interventions such as male counseling, increasing awareness on the consequences of intimate partner violence and the effect of substance use like alcohol will help to reduce intimate partner violence.

Temperament, insecure attachment, impulsivity, and sexuality in women in jail

Women constitute only a small proportion of inmates, but several studies have shown that they have higher rates of psychiatric disturbance than incarcerated men and community samples. Mental health treatment is necessary to prevent severe illness and suicide in these women. The convenience sample consisted of 40 female detainees and 40 controls who were administered self-report questionnaires to assess temperament (TEMPS-A), insecure attachment (ECR), impulsivity (BIS-11), and sexual behavior (SESAMO). The incarcerated women had higher levels of affective temperament (except for hyperthymia), avoidance, anxiety, impulsivity, and psychosexual issues than the female community sample. Many interrelated emotional and affective disturbances affect the physical and psychological well-being of women in jail, and it is possible that these problems may lead to suicide. Health professionals need to develop gender-specific therapeutic interventions for women in jail.

The Prevalence of Coping Behaviour, Posttraumatic Growth and Psychological Well-Being in Women who Experienced Childhood Sexual Abuse

This study investigated the prevalence of coping behaviour, posttraumatic growth and psychological well-being in adult South African women (n=60, mean age=32, ethnicity=70% European, 28% African and 2% Asian descent). Specifically, the study considered the prevalence of constructive coping, posttraumatic growth and psychological well-being with a history of childhood sexual abuse. All participants self-reported being sexually abused before the age of 18 years. They completed measures of coping, posttraumatic growth, and psychological well-being, in a cross-sectional survey design. Results showed moderate to high correlations among scales indicating conceptual coherence as indicators of constructive coping, posttraumatic growth and psychological wellness. About 58% of participants manifested constructive coping, 60% manifested posttraumatic growth, and 42% manifested psychological well-being. These women survivors of childhood sexual abuse had higher levels of posttraumatic growth than reported in previous studies.

The Ideology of Beauty and Devaluation of the Womankind: A Reading of Contemporary Indian English Fiction

The present study endeavours to read, taking examples from Indian English Novels how the societal beauty standards create an impediment in the psychological wellbeing of women and literally devalue them.

Bienestar psicológico y variables relacionadas en una muestra de mujeres

Women Psychological well-being and its relationship to other psychological variables has aroused interest in gender research. This study has a one of its objetives to evaluate the efficacy, self-esteem, psychological well-being, incluiding other in theself and partner satisfaction in a sample of 107 women in the province of Almeria, also presents the relationships found between these variables. Our results indicate that women show adequate levels of these variables, we find relation between self-efficacyand psychological well-being and relation between the including other in the self with relationship satisfaction. CITE AS:Ortega Ruiz, C. &amp; Cuadrado Guirado, I. (2011). Bienestar psicológico y variables relacionadas en una muestra de mujeres. Apuntes de Psicología, 29, 491-502.