Range Of Psychological Issues Research Articles

Interventions to address impostor phenomenon: a scoping review protocol.

This scoping review will identify and map the literature on interventions to address impostor phenomenon. Impostor phenomenon, also known as impostor syndrome, describes intense feelings of fraudulence and chronic self-doubt. The phenomenon has been associated with a range of psychological issues and has been linked to negative career outcomes. While research on the prevalence of impostor phenomenon and its associated comorbidities has been reported for over 40 years, there is a paucity of studies that describe interventions to address this phenomenon. The review will consider any English-language study that describes or evaluates interventions to mitigate impostor phenomenon. Quantitative and qualitative studies will be sourced from published literature, gray literature, and the references of retrieved articles. Studies will not be limited by participant or setting. Authors of primary studies will be contacted to identify additional sources or for clarifications, where required. Conference abstracts, editorials, and opinion papers will be excluded. Databases to be searched will include APA PsycNet, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science. All databases will be searched from inception till the present. Retrieved citations will be independently reviewed by the reviewers, and relevant studies will be extracted using a data extraction form developed for this review. The results will be presented in tabular format and accompanied by a narrative summary. The review will be conducted in accordance with the JBI guidelines for scoping reviews. Open Science Framework osf.io/w7xg6.

Effect of mHealth interventions on psychological issues experienced by women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

A range of psychological issues often accompany breast cancer chemotherapy. Due to their ubiquity, mobile phones have been used to deliver supportive interventions addressing these issues. However, we currently lack sufficient evidence to guide the design of such interventions. To analyse and synthesise available evidence on the effectiveness of mobile-phone-based (mHealth) interventions in alleviating the psychological issues experienced by women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer. A systematic literature search was conducted from 14 relevant databases. Revman 5.4 was used to pool the quantitative results from comparable studies for statistical meta-analysis. For clinically heterogeneous studies where statistical pooling of results was not possible, a narrative summary was used to present the findings. The review included nine RCTs which covered 1457 patients. The meta-analysis results indicated a significant improvement in the quality of life (standardised mean difference [SMD]=0.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.07, 0.58], p=.01, I2 =17%). No significant effects were found for anxiety (SMD=-0.01, 95% CI [-0.26, 0.25], p=.96, I2 = 53%) and depression (SMD=0.02, 95% CI [-0.17, 0.20], p=.87, I2 =0%). Individual studies suggest reduced symptom prevalence (p=.033, d=0.27), symptom distress (p=.004, d =0.34), symptom interference (p=.02, d =0.51), supportive care needs (p < .05, d =2.43); improved self-efficacy (p=.03, d =0.53), self-esteem (p < .001, d=0.87) and emotional functioning (p=.008, d =0.30). The methodological quality ranged from low to moderate. mHealth interventions might help address certain psychological issues experienced by this population, although the evidence is still being gathered and not yet conclusive. More rigorous trials are warranted to confirm the suitable duration while addressing the methodological flaws found in previous studies. CRD42021224307.

Enhancing self-compassion in individuals with visible skin conditions: randomised pilot of the ‘My Changed Body’ self-compassion writing intervention

ABSTRACTBackground: Abnormalities in the appearance of skin are commonly associated with compromised self-body perceptions, arising from physical manifestations of the skin condition that deviate from the individual's idealised body image. These body image concerns are associated with a range of psychological issues including anxiety, depression, fear of negative evaluation, and suicidal ideation. Unfortunately, stigma and embarrassment associated with these body image concerns mean that these issues are rarely discussed in clinical medical consultations. There is thus a need for highly accessible and acceptable interventions to address skin-related body image concerns. We have previously demonstrated that a web-based self-compassion focused therapeutic writing approach, the ‘My Changed Body’ intervention, is efficacious in addressing body image concerns of women in the breast cancer context. The aim of this experimental pilot study was to investigate the feasibility of applying the My Changed Body intervention to address visible skin-related body image concerns.Methods: Participants (N = 50) with a range of visible skin conditions provided online informed consent, then completed measures of demographic and medical history, body image disturbance, self-compassion and positive and negative affect. They were then randomly allocated either to an active control expressive writing condition (n = 25) or to the My Changed Body writing condition (n = 25). Participants were blind to their condition allocation. Immediately after completing their allocated writing exercise, participants completed self-compassion and affect measures.Results: Controlling for pre-writing body image disturbance, repeated measures ANCOVAs with fixed effects revealed that self-compassion and negative affect significantly improved after the My Changed Body writing exercise, compared to the control condition. There was no between groups difference at follow-up in positive affect.Conclusions: This study suggests that the My Changed Body writing intervention may provide benefit to individuals with visible skin conditions. A randomised controlled trial is needed to further confirm these results.

Spoonful of Mediation Helps the Medicine Go Down

Although mediation is often preferable to litigation when resolving medical negligence claims, the process may not be a pleasant one for both sides to the dispute. This is mainly due to the intensity of the emotions involved and a number of unseen factors at play. This article highlights a range of psychological issues which the mediator would need to understand and consider when mediating conflicts, including in the healthcare context. The process can, if sensitively and adroitly handled, transform this into a positive experience for the disputants. This could, in turn, lead to productive outcomes.

Pragmatic, Randomized Controlled Trials of the Girls on the Go! Program to Improve Self-Esteem in Girls.

To test the effectiveness of an intervention delivered by health professionals outside the school environment to girls identified with issues such as poor body image, low self-esteem, low self-confidence, nonparticipation in sports, or being overweight or underweight. The study's design was a stepped-wedge randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of an intervention on self-esteem, impairment induced by eating disorders, self-efficacy, body satisfaction, and dieting behaviors. The study took place at the community health center located in a culturally diverse area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Participants were 122 primary and secondary school girls between 10 and 16 years of age. Girls on the Go! is a 10-week program designed to improve self-esteem, body image, and confidence, using an empowerment model that involved interactive and experiential learning approaches. Weekly themes included body image and self-esteem, safety and assertiveness, a healthy mind, physical activity, healthy eating, trust and confidence, and connections. Measurements were made using Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, clinical interview assessment, health self-efficacy (included mental health and physical health self-efficacy scales), body esteem scale, and the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire for Children. A linear mixed model was used. The intervention led to a significant increase (p < .05) in self-esteem and self-efficacy (mental and physical health self-efficacy subscales), for both primary and secondary school-aged participants and reduced dieting behaviors (secondary school participants). These gains were retained after 6 months of follow-up. This group-based, low-dose intervention, which, although targeting girls with a range of psychological issues and including both overweight and underweight participants, is a successful means of improving self-esteem among girls from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Meeting the psychological needs of community-living stroke patients and carers: a study of third sector provision

Purpose: To elucidate how community stroke staff in a major third sector organisation experienced their role and understood and responded to clients’ psychological needs. Method: In stage 1, three focus groups of 28 staff in total were recorded, transcribed and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Themes were authenticated by new staff groups. In stage 2, these themes informed the construction of a questionnaire delivered through the organisation’s intranet by “Survey Monkey”. Results: Five themes emerged from the focus groups: background and context; perceptions of clients’ psychological issues; approaches to meeting psychological needs; the experience of working with psychological needs and sources of support; aspirations for future development. Four themes were used in constructing the questionnaire. Responses from 144 staff with diverse qualifications and experience were received; over half encountered 16 (of 35) psychological issues at least once per week. Stroke survivors’ needs predominated over carers’ needs. Skills used to address psychological problems were identified, also training and support needs and future aspirations. Support needs included information, training and access to specialist consultants. Conclusions: Psychological issues were central in the work of third sector community stroke staff; psychological skills were routinely used. Attention to means of supporting and developing these skills is required.Implications for RehabilitationService leaders and commissioners should be aware that third sector community stroke staff frequently deal with a diverse range of psychological issues and perceive psychological care as central.Service leaders should consider providing training in assessment and management of mood and cognition, risk assessment and management and basic counselling.Staff should be provided with access to specialist consultation and better information about psychological aspects of referrals.There is uncertainty about key methods for supporting the delivery of psychological care (supervision, mentoring and peer support) which requires consideration.

Psychological aspects of family planning.

The psychological aspects important in family planning counseling are discussed with a particular emphasis on attitudes toward sexuality. Family planning involves very complex motivational attitudes and requires careful handling by family planning personnel. Family planning ideally enables every couple to determine exactly when they want a child and thus avoid unwanted pregnancies. Starting a family involves a wide range of psychological issues including religious economic and sexual considerations. Despite the changing role of women in modern society childbearing is still an important socially-recognized female function. Counseling must stress the tie of sexuality and pregnancy particularly when dealing with unmarrieds and te emotionally handicapped. Compounding the problem has been the slow acceptance of family planning by society the law religion and the medical profession. Professionals have had trouble dealing with family planning because of their own problems with sexuality. Often the family planning patient whether she is a single teenager or a married mother needs help in facing her sexuality and the need to avoid pregnancy. Contraceptive methods such as the diaphragm foam condom or the rhythm method often complicate psychosexual problems. The oral contraceptive pill and to some extent the intrauterine device have had a major impact on family planning by helping to disassociate contraception from sexuality. Since the success of family planning lies in healthy conscious and unconscious attitudes towards sexuality marriage and parenthood the family planning counselor must be prepared to help the patient in these critical areas.