Psychosocial Experiences Research Articles

Lived Experiences of Newly Diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Children and Adolescents in Uganda.

The first-year post-diagnosis is the most challenging and stressful period in the lifetime of a young child and adolescent living with diabetes, given the adjustments that are meant to be adopted. Therefore, psychosocial factors affecting newly diagnosed children and adolescents need to be well understood and children supported to improve treatment adherence. However, evidence concerning psychosocial experiences among young patients with diabetes is scant in Uganda. This study explores the perceptions and experiences of newly diagnosed children and adolescents in Uganda. A qualitative exploratory design was employed. We recruited participants aged 6 to <18 years diagnosed within twelve months from three study sites: Mulago National Referral Hospital, Wakiso HCIV, and St Francis Nsambya Hospital. Twenty in-depth interviews were conducted, and textual data were analysed thematically using a framework approach. We identified five themes: battling with symptoms, emotions at diagnosis, challenges in coping with diabetes management, changes I have made, and positive outcomes registered. The analysis found that young people living with diabetes experience a new world of adjustments, including insulin therapy, routine blood glucose monitoring, and dietary changes that are often difficult to deal with, especially in the first year after diagnosis. Continuous psychosocial support to newly diagnosed young children and adolescents with T1DM is vital. Addressing psychosocial challenges may improve adherence to treatment regimens. Our findings have demonstrated the mixed experiences of newly diagnosed young children and adolescents living with diabetes, from anxiety and stigmatization to independence.

What Do Service Providers’ Understand About Cross-Cultural Differences In The ‘Stranger Danger’ Myth?

The paucity of research on cross-cultural diversity in the psychosocial experience of child sexual abuse can affirm biases toward universality. However, belief of the myth that most perpetrators are strangers may be higher in ethnic minority communities because of collectivist norms that view extended family as primary providers of child safety, maintained by prohibitive social norms discussing any sexual matters to protect female and family honour. A program addressing these issues was delivered across Australia and evaluated over six months using a mixed-methods design. The results show that the program fulfilled its intention, with service providers more deeply engaging with this possible cross-cultural difference. They also show the program: safely allows white practitioners to acknowledge their awareness of this possible difference; eases judgment of this difference among ethnic minority practitioners in light of the multiple oppressions migrant communities negotiate; and raises attunement among all practitioners to ‘quiet’ child-safe parenting that may be occurring to help ensure risk-of-harm assessments are more accurate. Overall, there appears a need for persistent national awareness-raising campaigns against the myth of ‘stranger danger’ because this myth serves a protective function in all cultures (to greater or lesser extents) about perceptions of where children are/are not safe.

Midwives' Psychosocial Experiences in Pregnancy and Childbirth Services During The Covid-19 Pandemic

The safety aspect of health workers including midwives as the frontline in handling patients during the COVID-19 pandemic is at risk of being very vulnerable to being exposed to COVID-19 which threatens their lives and safety. Physical and mental fatigue in health workers during a pandemic increases the risk of burnout which can reduce the quality of service to patients. The purpose of this study was to review evidence related to the psychosocial experience of midwives in pregnancy and childbirth services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The method used was a scoping review beginning with the identification of scoping review questions using the PEO framework; identifying relevant articles to be determined based on inclusion and exclusion criteria; searching for articles using databases, namely Proquest, PubMed, Science Direct, and Wiley Online Library; selecting articles whose search flow is described through the PRISMA Flowchart; performing data charting and critical appraisal; compiling and reporting results. The results obtained based on 8 articles that had been critically appraised showed that 6 articles used qualitative studies, 1 article used mixed-method quantitative study, and 1 article used quantitative descriptive study. A total of 3 themes emerged, namely about the psychological impact, challenges and needs of midwives in pregnancy and childbirth services during the COVID-19 pandemic which affected the experience felt by midwives in pregnancy and childbirth services with psychological impacts such as fear and burnout. In addition, there were challenges faced by midwives and things that were needed by midwives in pregnancy and childbirth services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Abstrak: Aspek keselamatan tenaga kesehatan termasuk bidan sebagai garda terdepan dalam menangani pasien selama pandemic COVID-19 berisiko sangat rentan untuk terpapar COVID-19 yang mengancam jiwa dan keselamatannya. Kelelahan fisik dan mental pada tenaga kesehatan di masa pandemic meningkatkan resiko terjadinya burnout yang dapat mengurangi kualitas dalam pelayanan pada pasien . Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mereview evidence terkait dengan pengalaman psikososial bidan dalam pelayanan kehamilan dan persalinan di masa pandemic COVID-19. Metode yang digunakan ialah scoping review diawali dengan identifikasi pertanyaan scoping review menggunakan framework PEO; mengidentifikasi artikel yang relevan dengan ditentukan berdasarkan kriteria inklusi dan eksklusi; melakukan pencarian artikel menggunakan database yakni Proquest, PubMed, Science Direct, dan Wiley Online Library; melakukan seleksi artikel yang alur pencariannya digambarkan melalui PRISMA Flowchart; melakukan data charting dan critical appraisal; menyusun dan melaporkan hasil. Hasil yang diperoleh berdasarkan 8 artikel yang telah dilakukan critical appraisal , sebanyak 6 artikel menggunakan studi kualitatif, 1 artikel menggunakan kuantitatif mixed-method, dan 1 artikel menggunakan studi deskriptif kuantitatif. Sebanyak 3 tema yang muncul yakni tentang dampak psikologis, tantangan dan kebutuhan bidan dalam pelayanan kehamilan dan persalinan dimasa pandemic COVID-19 yang mempengaruhi pengalaman yang dirasakan oleh bidan dalam pelayanan kehamilan dan persalinan dengan adanya dampak psikologis seperti ketakutan dan burnout. Selain itu terdapat tantangan yang dihadapi oleh bidan dan hal-hal yang menjadi kebutuhan bidan dalam pelayanan kehamilan dan persalinan di masa pandemic COVID-19.

DOES WAITING TO HAVE A BABY CHANGE PARENTING EXPERIENCE? ELUCIDATING EXPERIENCES OF PATIENTS WHO USED FERTILITY TREATMENT IN THEIR 20s, 30s, AND 40s

The number of U.S. women ages 45 to 49 becoming first-time parents increased 300% from 1980 to 2014 (CDC National Center of Health Statistics, 2015). Little data exists to elucidate the medical and psychosocial experiences of these parents or their children. The purpose of this study was to characterize the psychosocial experiences of fertility patients who became parents in their 20s (P20s), 30s (P30s), and 40s (P40s), as well as the perspectives of their children.

How Do Psychosocial Barriers Shape Public Transport Use? A Mixed-Method Study among Older Adults in Pakistan

Transport can significantly contribute to independent and healthy ageing, but in Pakistan—as in various other countries across the globe—many older adults are dependent on others. Age-sensitive transport environments are crucial for generating positive experiences among older adults. Notably, psychosocial experiences significantly impact public transport use. Thus, a thorough understanding of these psychological influences on public transport accessibility can encourage walkability and independent mobility. In the present research, we combine different data into a mixed-method study to investigate the psychosocial barriers to public transport use by older adults for daily travel in Lahore, Pakistan. The data include a questionnaire survey (319 older adults), semi-structured interviews (11 older adults), structured interviews with four experts and an analysis of relevant national-, provincial-, and district-level strategies and transport plans. The findings show how poorly perceived social norms, negative emotional responses, and perceived difficulty are significant barriers to using public transport services among older adults. Moreover, the existing transport plans and documents do not favour and cater to such psychosocial issues. Several strategic interventions that could promote walkability and public transport use are suggested. It includes activating social norms, raising awareness and information, providing social support, improving walking infrastructure and public transport services, pricing mechanisms, and offering specialised services. These initiatives, however, necessitate coordination among government authorities at the national, provincial, and district levels.

Psychosocial Needs of Gynecological Cancer Survivors: Mixed Methods Study.

BackgroundInternet and social media platforms offer insights into the lived experiences of survivors of cancer and their caregivers; however, the volume of narrative data available is often cumbersome for thorough analysis. Survivors of gynecological cancer have unique needs, such as those related to a genetic predisposition to future cancers, impact of cancer on sexual health, the advanced stage at which many are diagnosed, and the influx of new therapeutic approaches.ObjectiveThis study aimed to present a unique methodology to leverage large amounts of data from internet-based platforms for mixed methods analysis. We analyzed discussion board posts made by survivors of gynecological cancer on the American Cancer Society website with a particular interest in evaluating the psychosocial aspects of survivorship.MethodsAll posts from the ovarian, uterine, and gynecological cancers (other than ovarian and uterine) discussion boards on the American Cancer Society Cancer Survivors Network were included. Posts were web scraped using Python and organized by psychosocial themes described in the Quality of Cancer Survivorship Care Framework. Keywords related to each theme were generated and verified. Keywords identified posts related to the predetermined psychosocial themes. Quantitative analysis was completed using Python and R Foundation for Statistical Computing packages. Qualitative analysis was completed on a subset of posts as a proof of concept. Themes discovered through latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA), an unsupervised topic modeling technique, were assessed and compared with the predetermined themes of interest.ResultsA total of 125,498 posts made by 6436 survivors of gynecological cancer and caregivers between July 2000 and February 2020 were evaluated. Of the 125,489 posts, 23,458 (18.69%) were related to the psychosocial experience of cancer and were included in the mixed methods psychosocial analysis. Quantitative analysis (23,458 posts) revealed that survivors across all gynecological cancer discussion boards most frequently discussed the role of friends and family in care, as well as fatigue, the effect of cancer on interpersonal relationships, and health insurance status. Words related to psychosocial aspects of survivorship most often used in posts included “family,” “hope,” and “help.” Qualitative analysis (20 of the 23,458 posts) similarly demonstrated that survivors frequently discussed coping strategies, distress and worry, the role of family and caregivers in their cancer care, and the toll of managing financial and insurance concerns. Using LDA, we discovered 8 themes, none of which were directly related to psychosocial aspects of survivorship. Of the 56 keywords identified by LDA, 2 (4%), “sleep” and “work,” were included in the keyword list that we independently devised.ConclusionsWeb-based discussion platforms offer a great opportunity to learn about patient experiences of survivorship. Our novel methodology expedites the quantitative and qualitative analyses of such robust data, which may be used for additional patient populations.

A comparative study of university students’ responses in the first and second COVID-19 pandemic waves

The COVID-19 pandemic also affected the university setting, where the study process was conducted remotely for the first time. In our research, we were interested in how students of the Faculty of Education of the University of Ljubljana reacted to the changed emergency situation, both emotionally and cognitively. A total of 291 students participated in the study during the first pandemic wave and 382 students during the second pandemic wave. The aim of the study was to examine their views on emergency remote teaching, their psychosocial experience of the overall situation, self-regulation strategies used in distance learning and positivity. Although the overall psychosocial experience and positivity were comparable in the first and second waves of the pandemic, the emergency remote education in the second wave suited the students better. In the second wave, students reported fewer problems with the organisation of time and space, planning study work, in-depth study work, product quality and efficiency, but more problems with concentration and communication with classmates. Most self-regulation strategies were used to a similar extent. Differences emerged in two self-regulation strategies: in the second wave, students used time management to a lesser extent, but used help-seeking strategies more frequently than students in the first wave. The research findings contribute to a better understanding of the different experiences of students at different periods of the pandemic and provide professionals with an opportunity to focus on the critical elements when looking for ways to support students during emergency remote teaching in the pandemic.

Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and associated factors in breast cancer patients during the first COVID-19 lockdown in France.

IntroductionWe aimed to study post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in breast cancer (BC) patients during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.Materials and methodsWe included BC patients receiving medical treatment during the first COVID-19 lockdown in France. PTSD symptoms were evaluated using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) questionnaire. Quality of life [Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G)], cognitive complaints [Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Cognitive Function (FACT-Cog)], insomnia [Insomnia Severity Index (ISI)], and psychosocial experiences during lockdown were also evaluated. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify clinical factors (from medical records) and psychosocial factors (from questionnaires) associated with PTSD symptoms.ResultsAmong the 253 included BC patients (mean age: 58), 46% had metastatic cancer and 52% were treated by chemotherapy alone. COVID-19-induced adjustments in medical oncology practices were experienced by 27% of patients (mainly teleconsultations). No case of COVID-19 was reported; 23% of BC patients had PTSD symptoms. Compared to other patients, patients with PTSD symptoms had more fears relative to COVID-19 infection (83 vs. 60%, p = 0.009), had more feeling of isolation (69 vs. 41%, p = 0.003), and had more prescription or increased use of psychotropic drugs (49 vs. 20%, p = 0.001). In the multivariable model adjusted for clinical factors, fears relative to COVID-19 and increased use of psychotropic drugs were independently associated with PTSD symptoms (OR [95% CI] = 3.01 [1.20–8.44] and 3.45 [1.48–8.17], respectively). Besides, patients with PTSD symptoms had poor quality of life (QoL), and more cognitive complaints and insomnia.ConclusionPost-traumatic stress disorder symptoms were observed in 23% of BC patients during the first COVID-19 lockdown in France. Psychological supports are needed for patients treated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The psychosocial experiences of girls with visual impairment about the ideal spouse and marriage

Mate choice is one of the biggest psychological, social, and emotional changes in the life of every human being. This issue is associated with challenges and problems for people especially blind and visual impairment (VI) people. Although marriage leads to many changes and transformations in the life of blind and VI people, it is essential for meeting psychological, social, emotional, and sexual needs. Accordingly, this study aimed to analyze the psychosocial experiences of VI girls about the ideal husband and marriage. This qualitative study was conducted with a descriptive phenomenological approach. The data were collected through targeted interviews with 20 single girls with VI who were members of the White Cane Society of Tehran in 2021. The collected data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step method. Four main themes were extracted from the participants’ experiences, including “experience of love and freedom,” “criteria for selecting an ideal spouse,” “fear and worry about the marriage,” and “stigma and strict public judgments.” Following the findings of the study, it can be argued that paying attention to the experience of girls with VI can shed light on their criteria for mate choice and marriage and clarify their needs and demands. This perspective helps mental health professionals and rehabilitation counseling experts to meet their needs through social welfare planning and family awareness programs.

The affective, behavioural, and cognitive reactions to a diagnosis of Primary Progressive Aphasia: A qualitative descriptive study.

Receiving a diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorder is life changing. Primary progressive aphasia is one such disease. Understanding how receiving this diagnosis impacts on individuals may help plan support services. However, limited qualitative research from the perspectives of people with Primary Progressive Aphasia are available for suitable care planning. Current literature primarily focuses on experiences of family members. The present study aims to fill this gap by examining the affective, behavioural, and cognitive experiences of people with Primary Progressive Aphasia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six participants with PPA. A qualitative descriptive approach was used to describe responses from participants on: (i) what they experienced prior to receiving their diagnosis; (ii) their experience of receiving the diagnosis; and (iii) how they were living with their PPA. Verbatim transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis to identify main themes. Analysis revealed a superordinate theme of Multifaceted Grief with subthemes described in sequence of research questions posed, representing the three phases of Pre-Diagnosis, Time of Diagnosis, and Post-Diagnosis. Themes collectively revealed participants' ongoing experience of loss in dealing with the evolving challenges of Primary Progressive Aphasia. Experiences of loss emerged with descriptions of feelings, thoughts, and limitations in relation to changes imposed by the illness, impacting daily activities and life roles central to participants' pre-diagnosis sense of self. Participants' affective, behavioural and cognitive reactions to their Primary Progressive Aphasia diagnosis marks the onset of Multifaceted Grief borne of loss of communication and cognition. Participants expressed a need for information regarding a possible Primary Progressive Aphasia trajectory and support to enable a successful transition as their disease progressed. Collaborative engagement between speech pathologists and people with Primary Progressive Aphasia incorporates addressing all levels of the International Classification of Functioning and Health by considering neurological, psychological, and psychosocial experiences of the person with the diagnosis.

The gap between expectations and reality: A qualitative study of psychosocial challenges of young childhood cancer survivors from the PACCS study.

In this sub-study from the 'PACCS' study, we explored the psychosocial experiences of children and adolescents in everyday life post-cancer treatment and the possible factors that can moderate these experiences. This is a qualitative explorative study using semi-structured interviews with 43 childhood cancer survivors between the ages of nine and 18 from Norway and Denmark. We conducted a secondary thematic analysis using Malterud's systematic text condensation. Two main themes were identified: 'The post-treatment gap between expectations and reality' comprised two subthemes: (1) lack of mastery and feeling different and (2) lack of understanding and acceptance. The second main theme, 'Managing the gap', comprised three subthemes: (1) information and knowledge, (2) adjustments and adaptions and (3) social support and openness. The findings reveal that the psychosocial challenges resulted from the remaining ability gap(s). Measures such as tailored information, school adjustments and social support were potential dynamic factors affecting the gap(s) positively or negatively. Psychosocial challenges post-treatment are experiences of lack of acceptance and understanding from others. To safeguard a positive transition back to everyday life, health care providers should support the survivors' psychosocial care, including getting back to school and re-entering social interactions.

Prevention of adaptive-defensive reactions in the student relationship process

In this article, some characteristics of the types of psychological blockages in communication/ relationship with students are elucidated. Against the background of the analysis of the educational, psychosocial experiences on the relational dimension of the students from the general education institutions, a series of preventive measures were adjusted at the level of the psychological factors that condition the appearance of the nominated phenomenon.

Utilization of an Electronic Patient-Reported Outcome Platform to Evaluate the Psychosocial and Quality-of-Life Experience Among a Community Sample of Ovarian Cancer Survivors.

Novel distress screening approaches using electronic patient-reported outcome (ePRO) measurements are critical for the provision of comprehensive quality community cancer care. Using an ePRO platform, the prevalence of psychosocial factors (distress, post-traumatic growth, resilience, and financial stress) affecting quality of life in ovarian cancer survivors (OCSs) was examined. A cross-sectional OCS sample from the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition-Illinois Chapter completed web-based clinical, sociodemographic, and psychosocial assessment using well-validated measures: Hospital Anxiety/Depression Scale-anxiety/depression, Post-traumatic Growth Inventory, Brief Resilience Scale, comprehensive score for financial toxicity, and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Ovarian (FACT-O/health-related quality of life [HRQOL]). Correlational analyses between variables were conducted. Fifty-eight percent (174 of 300) of OCS completed virtual assessment: median age 59 (range 32-83) years, 94.2% White, 60.3% married/in domestic partnership, 59.6% stage III-IV, 48.8% employed full-time/part-time, 55.2% had college/postgraduate education, 71.9% completed primary treatment, and median disease duration 6 (range < 1-34) years. On average, OCS endorsed normal levels of anxiety (mean ± standard deviation = 6.9 ± 3.8), depression (4.1 ± 3.6), mild total distress (10.9 ± 8.9), high post-traumatic growth (72.6 ± 21.5), normal resilience (3.7 ± 0.72), good FACT-O-HRQOL (112.6 ± 22.8), and mild financial stress (26 ± 10). Poor FACT-O emotional well-being was associated with greater participant distress (P < .001). Partial correlational analyses revealed negative correlations between FACT-O-HRQOL and anxiety (r = -0.65, P < .001), depression (r = -0.76, P < .001), and total distress (r = -0.92, P < .001). Yet, high FACT-O-HRQOL was positively correlated with post-traumatic coping (r = 0.27; P = .006) and resilience (r = 0.63; P < .001). ePRO assessment is feasible for identification of unique psychosocial factors, for example, financial toxicity and resilience, affecting HRQOL for OCS. Future investigation should explore large-scale, longitudinal ePRO assessment of the OCS psychosocial experience using innovative measures and community-based advocacy populations.

Sociodemographics and Psychosocial Experiences of Distance Learners in Nigeria: A Comparison of Single-mode and Dual-mode Universities

The study explored the psychosocial experience of distance learners at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife. Psychosocial experience refers to the aggregate outcome of events and feelings that define or affect a person’s knowledge and perception of their prevailing social environment. The study adopted mixed-methods phenomenology research design. We deployed multiphase mixed-method sampling involving a quota sampling technique to select 182 respondents, and a purposive sampling technique to select eight interviewees selected from the initial respondents—four students from each of NOUN and OAU. Two researcher-designed instruments—a questionnaire and an in-depth interview guide—were deployed for data collection. The collected data were analysed with frequency counts, percentage analysis, and phenomenological analysis. Analysis of their sociodemographic characteristics showed that the profile of the students at the dual-mode university (OAU) reflects characteristics of conventional distance learners more than does the profile of the students at the single-mode university (NOUN). Distance learners at NOUN and OAU had both similar and different psychosocial experience. Their experience was largely positive—only 14% and 12.3% of NOUN and OAU students (respectively) had considered dropping out. Factors affecting learners’ experience in both institutions included personal motivation, the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of distance learning, insufficiency of facilitator-led tutorials (at NOUN), and difficulties due to work and family responsibilities (at OAU). The study concluded that Nigerian distance learners possess the requisite psychosocial capacity to negotiate meaning and acquire knowledge in single-mode or dual-mode institutions.

A Qualitative Study: What Are the Psychosocial Experiences of the Turkish Doctors During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

The present qualitative and exploratory study aimed to determine the ideas, feelings, behaviors, and changes in the working and family lives of actively working Turkish doctors during the Covid-19 pandemic. The researchers tried to understand the social and work-related problems of the doctors. Therefore, this study may be considered as a starting point for future studies. The participants (61 doctors) filled out a questionnaire that consisted of demographic information and 17 open-ended questions. 49.3 % of them were actively working in specialized pandemics hospitals. In the present qualitative research, non-numerical data were collected to understand the psychosocial experiences of the doctors, and their most crucial quotations were categorized and reported, - as it is essential to report the quotations and the narratives in the descriptive analyses of the qualitative research. The researchers’ aim was to gather in-depth insights into their experiences and then generate new ideas for future quantitative research. The researchers used two of the nonprobability sampling types, i.e., snowball sampling and convenience sampling because of the difficulty of the accessibility to the doctors as participants. The doctors associated the COVID-19 pandemic with some concepts such as “anxiety” and “stress”. All the doctors argued that there would be a lot of psychological problems at the end of the pandemic. Some of the doctors believed that there would be no change after the end of the pandemic, because they thought everything would be forgotten. Some others believed that peoplewould learn from their experiences, and they had a quasi-hopeful future perspective for humanity. They predicted an increase in individualism and social isolation and a number of online platforms. The reasons for these and other findings were discussed and explained.

Connecting Past and Future Educational Practice: A Post-COVID-19 Present

The challenges of supporting learners at a distance are enduring. But the nature of these challenges is changing, and this change has been particularly notable since the beginning of the pandemic and the rapid worldwide move to distance and online learning. A brief look is taken at the evolving nature of the distance-student experience under the theme of “Time is the new distance”. This is complemented with four papers in this issue, each of which is concerned with an aspect of meeting the challenges of supporting distance learners. Hartline et al. draw attention to the importance of the teacher’s presence in decreasing student anxiety. Forbes explores the effectiveness of asynchronous communication as an effective learner support. Cameron et al. share a national perspective from a wider international study, concluding that clear communication by institutions and other authorities can reduce uncertainty for students and is necessary to mitigate the negative effects of future disruptions to study. And finally, Adebisi and Olatunji round off the set of articles with findings that the key psychosocial experience of students revolves around the flexibility and cost of distance learning, work–life pressures, and the availability of faculty.

미혼모 가정 아동의 심리 발달에 대한 고찰과 치료적 제언

Objectives The purpose of this study is to examine the psychological development of children of single mothers through psychodynamic theory and to provide therapeutic suggestions. Methods For this purpose, first, the psychosocial experiences of single mothers were analyzed. Second, the psychological development of children of single mothers was analyzed based on Freud's psychoanalytic theory, Object Relations theory, and Attachment theory. Third, PCIT (Parent-Child Interaction Therapy) was proposed as an alternative intervention to promote the healthy psychological development of children of single mothers. Results Single mothers have physical, psychological, and social vulnerabilities for raising their children alone in the absence of a partner. From the perspective of psychodynamic theory, the psychosocial situation of single mothers acts as a limiting point for their children's psychological development. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the uniqueness of psychological development of children of single mothers, and psychosocial interventions supplementing for their vulnerabilities are required. Conclusions Finally, the implications were introduced, and follow-up studies were suggested based on these findings.

Being a parent of a child with cancer: What psychosocial and family repercussions

Cancer is a serious disease that affects deeply and painfully not only the child who has cancer but also their parents. Through this study, we describe the different aspects of the impact of pediatric cancer on parents: the psychological, social, and family impact to offer optimal care to these parents. Results: mothers represent 82.5% of the participants in our survey. More than sixty percent were of urban origin. The average time from diagnosis to parents’ assessment was 7.3 months. This announcement was made by doctors in 87.5% of cases. Conscious denial of cancer when it was announced was reported in 75% of parents. The social impact of pediatric cancer on parents was significant. The child’s illness was experienced as a very significant psychological distress; all of the parents said they had given up on important projects after their children’s illness. The psycho-emotional impact was represented by feelings of guilt in 37.5% and incapacity for illness in 30%. Forty-two percent felt tensions on the marital level with significant repercussions on the couple with a type of destabilization in 60% of cases. The parent’s relationship with the rest of the family, especially siblings, was marked by neglect and anxiety in 35% and 26% respectively. Conclusion: The discovery of pediatric cancer induces various feelings that will inevitably have an impact on the parents of the affected child. Understanding the different aspects of this impact on the parents’ psycho-social, emotional and family experiences will make it possible to offer optimal care.

Psychosocial impacts of COVID-19 on older adults and caregivers in Enugu-North Senatorial District, Enugu State of Nigeria

The global spreads of the COVID-19 pandemic made people live under lockdown or quarantine, which was a disturbing psychosocial experience. Because of the international and nationwide lockdowns the pandemic brought, the psychosocial well-being of the people, especially the vulnerable groups (older adults), was negatively impacted. This negative psychosocial impact has been neglected with more attention being paid to safety and prevention, thereby leaving the empirical data on how the pandemic has affected caregivers sparse. This study was, therefore, carried out to ascertain the psychosocial impact of COVID-19, using a cross-sectional survey design. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to select 250 respondents (150 older adults aged 60 years/above, and 100 caregivers aged 18years/above) in Enugu-North Senatorial District, Enugu State. A questionnaire instrument was used to collect data on socio-demography, anxiety, depression, loneliness, health condition, and caregiving activities. The data were analyzed using Chi-square statistics. This was used to assess the association between categorical variables, setting P values of significance at &lt;0.05. The finding revealed that the majority of the older adults and caregivers presented with severe.

Help is on its Way: Exploring the Mental Health and Wellbeing Outcomes of a Massed Community Choir Program

ABSTRACT Background This paper explores the mental health and wellbeing outcomes of a massed community choir program in Australia. Methods This study employed a mixed methods approach. Data were collected via a survey of choir participants (N = 305), four qualitative interviews and focus groups with facilitators and participants (N = 22), and two workshops with organising staff (N = 5). Questions were derived from a co-designed program logic, and data were triangulated and analysed thematically. Results Participants reported feeling a sense of connectedness (psychological), but also experiencing connection (social) with their fellow singers. Psychological outcomes included the sensations of affect, arousal, and affirmation. Social outcomes included experiencing belonging, inclusion, and sharing. These positive psycho-social experiences promoted positive mental health and wellbeing outcomes in the large group of participating singers. Conclusions This paper addresses gaps in our understanding about the mental health and wellbeing outcomes fostered by community choirs at scale.