Unpleasant Feelings Research Articles

Prevalence of anhedonia, anxiety, and their impact on food consumption among postgraduate Qassim University students.

A prevalent symptom of many mental health issues, such as depression, is anhedonia, which is the inability to feel joy or pleasure. Tension-induced sensations, anxious thoughts, and bodily alterations are the hallmarks of anxiety. One known environmental factor that affects mental health is diet. In this implication, eating appetizing meals has been proposed to reduce unpleasant feelings like worry. This study aimed to indicate whether eating habits among postgraduate students are related to symptoms of anhedonia and/or anxiety. In a cross-sectional study, responses were collected from a total of 393 postgraduate students. Each student self-answered the General Anxiety Disorder-7, Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale for Anhedonia, and the Food Consumption Questionnaire and reported the body weight. The prevalence of anhedonia was 28%, moderate anxiety and severe anxiety were 15.7 and 10.9%, respectively. In this research, results showed that sugary foods, fast food, and fried foods were positively associated with anxiety and anhedonia. However, fruits and vegetables were negatively associated with anxiety and anhedonia. Linear regression showed that fruit and drinking water consumption was significant with the number of meals/day. There was no significance between the number of meals per day and anhedonia; however, there was statistical significance with the total GAD-7 scale score regarding the number of meals/per day. Anhedonia and anxiety are associated with food consumption, especially foods rich in sugars, fast and fried, which help to increase positive feelings. Future studies should focus on understanding the relationship between food consumption and following a healthy diet and improving and reducing symptoms of anxiety and anhedonia in those who suffer from a stressful or task-filled lifestyle, such as students, especially postgraduate students. In addition, it focuses on the importance of awareness of the symptoms of anhedonia, which is classified as a depressive disease, and how to control anxiety to maintain better mental health.

The Relationship Between Knowledge And Attitudes Of Mothers About Premenopause In Silau Paribuan Village Silau Kahean District

Premenopause is something that is very worried and feared by every mother. Changes that occur during the premenopause period will lead to decreased estrogen hormone production accompanied by psychological and physical complaints, which are characterized by irregular menstrual cycles with prolonged menstrual bleeding and large bleeding sizes accompanied by pain. This study aims to determine the relationship between knowledge and attitudes of mothers about pre menopause. This type of research is analytic with a cross sectional design in this study a population of 60 premenopausal women. The sample of this study was 38 people with purvosive sampling technique. The results showed that there was a relationship between knowledge and attitudes of mothers about premenopause (p = 0.00). Mother's knowledge in dealing with premenopause is lacking and mother's attitude in dealing with premenopause is positive. Mother's knowledge is lacking because the mother has never received information about premenopause and has never received health education about premenopause. A positive mother's attitude is caused because the mother is able to divert unpleasant feelings into positive things by doing various activities, and assumes that what is experienced during premenopause is a natural thing that will be experienced by every mother. It is hoped that health workers will provide health education about premenopause, and premenopausal mothers are expected to be proactive in seeking information related to premenopause.

Dry eye disease – how our lifestyle choices can affect the disease?

Introduction: In today’s world, we know how important it is to keep healthy habits because many diseases begin with daily lifestyle choices. Dry eye disease is a disease of the ocular surface and there are many risk factors, that lead to developing this disorder. As the possible factors we can underline deficiency of vitamin D or Omega-3 fatty acids, lack of physical exercise, long screen time, or smoking tobacco. Aim of the study: This review seeks to highlight the issue of dry eye disease linked to everyday routines by examining clinical trial outcomes. Furthermore, it offers an analysis of potential strategies to prevent ocular alterations by critically evaluating the existing data. State of knowledge: The listed lifestyle choices cause a higher risk of developing dry eye disease and affect ocular health on many levels, leading to unpleasant feelings and affecting people’s lives. However, with some lifestyle changes, the risk of developing this disease can be decreased, and negative symptoms can be minimized. It is important to remember vitamin D, and Omega-3 supplementation, daily physical activity, minimalization of the time spent in front of the visual display terminals, and quitting smoking. Conclusions: Many daily habits are connected to developing dry eye disease, and it is very important to remember about the small daily changes, which can decrease the risk of the disease.

MUSIC THERAPY ON ANXIETY IN THIRD TRIMESTER PREGNANT WOMEN

Introduction – Anxiety in pregnancy poses a bad risk to the fetus. Pregnancy anxiety puts the fetus at risk for problems like delayed fetal growth. These risks can affect the quality of maternal and infant health. The use of music as therapy can be used to help overcome anxiety, especially in pregnant women. This paper will try to find out the effectiveness of listening to music as therapy against anxiety in third-trimester pregnant women. Methods – Literature obtained from Google Scholar, Elsevier, and Pubmed databases with a period of 2018 to 2023. Results – Findings from kinds of literature on the use of music therapy in managing anxiety during pregnancy are very effective in lowering anxiety levels. Discuss – Music is a non-pharmaceutical intervention that can be used as therapy. The therapeutic influence that music has on the body and mind helps balance out unpleasant feelings. Conclusion – Using music as therapy during the third trimester has beneficial effects in reducing anxiety. Therefore, the use of music therapy is expected to be used as a nonpharmacological method to reduce anxiety in pregnancy. Keywords: music, anxiety, pregnancy

PENGUJIAN AKTIVITAS DAYA ANALGETIK EKSTRAK n-HEKSANA, ETIL ASETAT DAN ETANOL DAUN KANGKUNG PAGAR (Ipomoea carnea Jacq)

Pain is unpleasant symptom and feeling in of the organs, caused by tissue damage such as inflammatory conditions, infection, or related to muscle spasms. Previous research, is known that leaves Ipomoea carnea can inhibit prostaglandins which are pain mediators. This research aims to determine the activity of analgesic leaves Ipomoea carnea. The leaves Ipomoea carnea macerated with 96% ethanol and partitioned with n-hexane and ethyl acetate. The three extracts tested on male white mice (Mus musculus) with a weight of 25-30 g. The research method used is the writhing test. The test animals were divided into 11 groups. Group 1 (Na CMC 0.5% positive control), Group 2 (Paracetamol as a comparison), Group 3-5 (Ipomoea carnea ethanol extract doses of 50 mg, 100 mg and 200 mg/Kg BW), Groups 6-8 (ethyl acetate extract of Ipomoea carnea leaves doses of 50 mg, 100 mg and 200 mg/kb BW) and groups 9-11 (n-hexane extract of Ipomoea carnea leaves dose 50 mg, 100 mg and 200 mg/kb BW). The pain inducer 0.5% acetic acid intraperitoneally. Observations were carried out for 1 hour every 5 minutes and the percentage of analgesic power was calculated. Ethanol extract provides effect than ethyl acetate and n-hexane extracts, dose of 50 mg/Kg BW 62.4%; 100 mg/Kg BW 70.42% and 200 mg/Kg BW 69.15%. The significant value of the Mann-Whitney test is 0.008 from the test sample against the positive control so it can be concluded that there is analgesic activity from the ethanol extract of Ipomoea carnea leaves.

MENTAL HEALTH IMPACTS BY ELEVATED DIGITAL SCREEN TIME DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Introduction – The length of time invested in and the various activities carried out utilizing digital devices are referred to as screen time. The COVID-19 pandemic's restrictions on social interactions exacerbated the overuse of digital gadgets for everyday tasks like socializing, education, shopping, working, meeting, and entertainment. Increased screen usage has been thought to have harmful impacts on psychiatric health in studies. Methods – Several journal articles were used as references, with the inclusion criteria of literature that discuss the mental health impacts of elevated digital screen time during the pandemic of COVID-19 and its recommended measures to minimize its adverse mental health outcomes and the promotion of healthy digital habits. Results – During the pandemic of COVID-19, the unprecedented digital life led to higher numbers of anxiety, sadness, confusion, and unpleasant feelings including irritation and violence. it is crucial to know how screen use time evolved during the COVID-19 period of crisis so that the design of health promotion and intervention may be planned and informed. This study aims to discuss the mental health impacts of elevated digital screen time on the pandemic of COVID-19 and strategies to minimize its adverse mental health outcomes, and the promotion of healthy digital habits. Discuss – Boosting collaborative research involving worldwide nations to tackle COVID-19-related public health concerns can improve global evidence and future policies. Increased screen usage has been displayed to have harmful impacts on psychiatric health in studies. Excessive digital use has been linked to attention deficit disorders, social and emotional cognitive impairment, social withdrawal, phantom vibration syndrome, and major psychiatric diseases such as depression, anxiety, and gaming addiction. Conclusion – It is critical to promote good digital practices and good applications of digital media to avoid the negative effects of increased screen time. To prevent hazardous screen usage and other behaviors that may influence the mental health and welfare of COVID-19-affected people, it is critical to harness the evidence available and adopt multimodal strategies. Keywords: mental health, screen time, COVID-19.

Focus on the blind spots of clinician-patient interactions: A critical narrative review of collusion in medical setting.

Collusions, interpersonal phenomena with an impact on patients, significant others, clinicians, and care, are mainly described in the psychotherapeutic literature but also occur in the medical setting. Comprehended as an unconscious bond between two or more persons from a psychotherapeutic perspective, definitions and collusive situations described in the medical setting vary. The question arises whether medical collusions, compared to collusions occurring in the psychiatric setting emerge in different clinical situations or are not identified as transference-countertransference experiences, since there is less sensitivity for the unconscious dimensions of care. We systematically reviewed the medical literature on collusions. Even though a read threat, avoidance of unpleasant feelings (mainly anxiety), runs through the described collusions, the unconscious dimensions and associated defensive maneuvers are rarely evoked. Given the expressed desire to act on collusions in medicine, involving third-party psychiatric liaison clinicians, who supervise clinicians, and hereby help to disentangle collusions, could be beneficial.

Unveiling Chinese EFL students’ academic burnout and its prediction by anxiety, boredom, and hopelessness: a latent growth curve modeling

ABSTRACT Due to the undesirable influences of academic burnout on students’ overall well-being, multitudes of studies have examined this psychological distress and its potential antecedents. Nevertheless, earlier studies have predominantly employed a linear, monolithic research method to probe students’ academic burnout. Moreover, the majority of existing studies have exclusively concentrated on the external predictors of this phenomenon. To address these gaps, adopting the ‘latent growth curve modeling (LGCM)’ as a dynamic research approach, the current inquiry examined Chinese EFL students’ academic burnout and its potential variations over a course of a semester. With this approach, this inquiry assessed the role of boredom, hopelessness, and anxiety as internal predictors of students’ academic burnout. For this purpose, 621 EFL students were randomly chosen from two Chinese universities and four self-scoring questionnaires were given to participants at the onset, middle, and conclusion of the semester. The outcomes of the LGCM disclosed that the rate of students’ academic burnout reduced throughout the semester. The findings further revealed that students’ unpleasant feelings, boredom, hopelessness, and anxiety, positively predicted their academic burnout. Overall, the results of this longitudinal research would be invaluable for language teachers seeking to reduce academic burnout among their learners.

Both pleasant and unpleasant emotional feelings follow Weber's law but it depends how you ask.

It remains unclear how we become aware of our emotions. The perceptual theory argues that emotions are a form of perception and reach awareness just like simple sensations. The theory was recently supported by Berkovich and Meiran (2023) showing, using evidence accumulation modeling of pleasantness reports, that pleasant emotional feelings follow one of the most basic psychophysical laws, Weber's Law, as nearly all sensations do. Contrary to predictions, this was true for pleasantness and not for unpleasantness. In this work, of which data were collected at the end of 2022, we employed the same experimental approach and successfully replicated the results but only when pleasantness was probed directly (emotions described as either "positive feeling" or "positive vs. negative feeling"). We unexpectedly found that the results flipped when we probed unpleasantness directly (i.e., "negative feeling") where we found that unpleasantness followed Weber's Law while pleasantness did not. Thus, Weber's Law holds for both pleasant and unpleasant feelings when probed directly, thereby providing an even stronger support for the perceptual theory. This in turn suggests that Weber's Law contributes to phenomena such as the unsuccessful pursuit of happiness and why psychotherapy is especially effective in leading to felt improvement when focusing on enhancing positive emotions and not on reducing negative emotions. The findings are limited by the fact that the participants were nondepressed undergraduate students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Comparison Between Pregabalin and Sertraline in the Treatment of Uremic Pruritus in Patients With Maintenance Hemodialysis.

Introduction Pruritus, a medical symptom also known as itch, is characterized by an unpleasant feeling coupled with the urge to scratch. Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) often have symptoms of pruritus due to uremia, which has adversely affected their quality of life. The treatment protocol for CKD pruritus is still being debated due to its unclear etiopathogenesis. Pregabalin, an anticonvulsant medication, and sertraline, an antidepressant medication, have been used to treat uremic pruritus (UP) patients on maintenance hemodialysis. Objectives There are no adequate investigations comparing the efficacy of pregabalin and sertraline, particularly in under-resourced countries such as Pakistan. Method The research was a randomized trial for a period of four weeks at the nephrology department of the Mayo Hospital, Lahore. A total of 62 patients were randomly assigned to take either pregabalin (aged 48.06±13.44) or sertraline (aged 47.45±10.97) tablet once a day, a total of 31 patients to each group. The pregabalin group was specified 25 mg for the first week, 50 mg for the second week, and 75 mg for the third and fourth week. Similarly, sertraline was prescribed 25 mg for the first week and 50 mg for the remaining three weeks. However, if the patient shows improvement on the lowest dosage, therapy with the same minimum dose was proposed to be continued. Lastly, the itching score was assessed on the 5D pruritus scale. The Visit 1 (no drug) score was evaluated against post-therapy scores at two-week intervals as Visit 2 (week 2) and Visit 3 (week 4). Statistical analysis was done using the Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS, version 26;IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Armonk, NY) with a significance level set at p<0.05 and 95% confidence level. Conclusion This research concluded that both pregabalin and sertraline significantly improved itching intensity in each treatment group; however, there was no significant difference between the two drugs in reducing UP based on the 5D itching scores. In each domain of the 5D pruritus scale, a significant difference was found in post-follow-up pregabalin and sertraline therapy.

The Challenges of Iranian Female Nurses Caring for Male Patients: A Qualitative Study.

Caring is a multidimensional concept with many factors that can affect its quality such as caring for the opposite sex. This study aims to explore the experiences of Iranian female nurses caring for male patients. A descriptive qualitative study was conducted via conventional content analysis and purposeful sampling. Seventeen female nurses including staff and head nurses participated. Unstructured, face-to-face, in-depth interviews were conducted from June to December 2019 in Iran. The interviews were recorded by an MP4 player. When no new codes were extracted from the interview the data saturation was achieved. All interviews were immediately transcribed verbatim and were analyzed via Graneheim and Lundman's conventional content analysis guidelines. Four themes emerged from the data: 1) women nurses' concerns about caring for men, 2) women nurses' unpleasant feelings while caring for men, 3) Ignoring women nurses' dignity, and 4) efforts to avoid unpleasant situations. Female nurses in Iran are faced with multidimensional challenges when providing care to men. Not only can these challenges decrease the quality of nursing care for male patients, but also make the hospital a stressful environment for female nurses and may lead to them leaving the work.

A Study to Assess the Effectiveness of Emotional Freedom Techniques on Anxiety Among Wives of Alcoholics

ABSTRACT Background: Anxiety is an unpleasant feeling that is typically associated with uneasiness, fear, or worry. It is a normal human emotion that everyone experiences at times many people feel anxious or nervous, when faced with a problem at work, before making an important decision. Anxiety in extreme form, may cause distress which interferes with a person’s ability to lead a normal life. Aims: This Study aims is to assess the effectiveness of Emotional Freedom Techniques on Anxiety Among Wives of Alcoholics Method: A quasi-experimental nonequivalent research design with a nonprobability sampling technique was used to conduct a study among 30 wives of alcoholic patients. A generalized anxiety disorder scale (7-point scale) was used to assess the level of anxiety among alcoholic wives. Confidentiality was maintained throughout the research. The data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Result: The result shows that in the pretest, 70 (70%) had no anxiety, 12 (12%) had mild anxiety, and 18 (18%) had moderate anxiety whereas in the post-test, 85 (85%) had no anxiety, 13 (13%) had mild anxiety, and 2 (2%) had moderate anxiety among wives of alcoholics. Conclusion: This study revealed that among wives of alcoholics, a significant proportion had anxiety about the alcoholic spouse by Emotional freedom techniques.

Parental barriers to implementing family-centred care in a neonatal intensive care unit in Islamic Republic of Iran.

Studies have shown short-term and long-term positive effects of family-centred care interventions on neonatal and maternal health, and developmental outcomes in neonatal intensive care units. However, some challenges and barriers limit implementation of family-centred care. To investigate parental barriers to implementing family-centred care in a neonatal intensive care unit in Islamic Republic of Iran. A conventional content analysis was conducted at a neonatal intensive care unit in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran from 2020 to 2021. Twenty semi-structured interviews and 9 field notes were conducted. The interview data were analysed using the Graneheim and Lundman method and the demographic data were analysed using SPSS version 21. Two themes emerged from the data analysis. The first theme was "inefficiency of playing the parental role", with 2 main categories of "face unpleasant feelings" and "inappropriate presence and participation". The second theme was "ineffective involvement of parents in the care", with 3 main categories of "lack of effective communication with personnel", "interference of parents in the treatment process", and "given insufficient information by parents". Parental barriers to the provision of family-centred care featured prominently in the study. Therefore, to improve neonatal and family health, there is a need for involvement, coordination and effective communication between the medical teams and parents to create a supportive and friendly environment in neonatal intensive care units.

Bumpy ride ahead: Anticipated effort as emotional evidence?

Conscious reportable (un)pleasantness feelings were shown to be successfully described by a process in which evidence favoring pleasant and unpleasant feelings accumulates until one response wins the race. This approach is challenged by (a) insufficient specification of “evidence,” and (b) incomplete verification that participants report their truly experienced (un)pleasant feelings and not what they expect to feel. In each trial in this preregistered experiment, the (un)pleasant feeling reports regarding emotion evoking pictures was embedded in a period when participants expected a low-effort task (feature visual search) or a high-effort task (feature-conjunction search). Fitting the Linear Ballistic Accumulator model to the feeling report data shows that anticipated effort was associated with a higher rate of unpleasant evidence accumulation, but only when the emotion evoking pictures were normatively unpleasant and not when they were normatively pleasant. These results suggest that anticipated effort may be one source of “evidence,” but only given a certain interpretation of the findings, and that genuinely felt emotions contribute to the emotion reports, assuming that participants intended to react to the pictures, as instructed, and not to the anticipated effort.

How healthcare team build Resilience to Stress

Introduction: This study explores how the interaction theory of stress and coping, the expansion and construction theory of positive emotions, and the conservation of resources theory can help healthcare teams resist stress. Community resilience has been overlooked in health research on individual resilience. This study examines the resilience of teams to overcome knowledge gaps. Methodology: A snowballing method was used to select 10 members of the oral and maxillofacial surgery team for the study. Zoom was used to conduct 10 semi-structured interviews with three study participants. What causes team stress? How is stress tolerance defined? What strategies does the team use to build resilience? Interviews were coded using thematic analysis. Results: Research has found that patient care, long working hours, conflicting work commitments and a lack of control contribute to employee stress. Transactional theories of stress and coping suggest that a problem- and meaning-centered approach can help people cope with a variety of stressors. Teams also leverage social capital, constructive criticism, and positive emotions. It turns out that people have different definitions of resilience. Resilience is defined as a quality, characteristic, or strategy for coping with stress. Conclusion: The paper concludes with recommendations for implementation. Research shows that unpleasant emotions are expressed in difficult, low-stress work situations. It supports the non-suppression of unpleasant feelings, their resolution, and solutions. Management needs to step in and teach team members to express uncomfortable feelings in a constructive way.

Suicidal ideation in people with multiple sclerosis and its association with coping self-efficacy

BackgroundChronic neurological disease such as multiple sclerosis (MS), is a significant risk factor for psychological distress, which can result in suicidal behaviour. Suicidal ideation (SI) is considered a harbinger of suicide-related mortality. However, so far, little is known about the role of protective factors against SI in MS. ObjectiveThis study aims to assess the association between coping self-efficacy and SI when controlled for sociodemographic variables, clinical variables, sleep-related problems, and depression. MethodsThe study sample consisted of 162 people with MS, was predominantly female (75.9 %), the mean age was 40.9 ± 11.4 years, the mean disease duration was 11.7 ± 7.1 years, and the mean functional disability score was 3.55 ± 1.1. We used the Coping Self-Efficacy scale (CSE), the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI). Multiple linear regressions were utilized to statistically analyse the data. ResultsAll assessed coping self-efficacy dimensions were significantly associated with SI in MS when controlled for sociodemographic variables, clinical variables, sleep-related problems, and depression. Furthermore, all assessed coping self-efficacy dimensions were able to alleviate the negative association between income, depression and SI. ConclusionPeople with MS may significantly benefit from psychological support aimed at promoting coping self-efficacy and utilization of various coping strategies. Problem-focused coping, coping focused on getting support, and coping focused on stopping unpleasant thoughts and feelings seem to have comparable associations with SI, and thus interventions aimed at empowering any of these dimensions may be beneficial in diminishing the severity of SI.

Impact of Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex on Mental Health.

Objective: Postpartum mental health, significantly influences breastfeeding. Dysphoric milk ejection reflex (D-MER) is defined as negative emotional reaction to milk ejection, such as unpleasant feelings, anger-irritability or a strange feeling in the stomach. This study investigates the impacts of D-MER on mothers experiencing negative emotions during breastfeeding. Method: This cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted between July 1 and September 30, 2023 among surveyed mothers with babies of ages 0-2 experiencing discomfort while breastfeeding. Mothers reached out through Instagram and Facebook and completed a semi-structured 45-question survey using a Google form. Results: Out of 141 mothers, 27.7% (n: 39) had D-MER findings. Common emotions included tension (48%), exhaustion (43%), intolerance (41%), hypersensitivity (35%), and restlessness (33%). Symptoms reported to begin within the first month of breastfeeding in 59% of D-MER cases. Nausea was reported in 30% of mothers. The most common conditions that increased the severity of D-MER symptoms were insomnia, stress and breast fullness. Sleeping or resting, being alone, doing something else, drinking cold water, listening to music and talking to mothers who had similar experiences helped the mothers relax. In cases with D-MER findings, about 17.9% considered stopping breastfeeding, with 7.7% stopping. The postpartum depression score was ≥13 in 59% of D-MER cases. Conclusion: D-MER, which can cause early cessation of breastfeeding, may also be associated with the mother's mental health problems. Raising awareness about D-MER and equipping health professionals on this subject are important in the continuity of breastfeeding.

Effectiveness of psychotherapeutic nursing intervention on infertility stress, uncertainty, anxiety and implantation rate among women undergoing in-vitro fertilization treatment: A single centre pilot randomized controlled trial.

Background: Within the realm of mental distress experienced by women who are unable to conceive, tension, uncertainty, and anxiety are prevalent concerns. The multitude of unpredictable elements that occur during IVF treatment process can cause anxiety and stress. This unpleasant feeling has an impact on the psycho-neurological pathways of women who are unable to conceive. As a consequence, fertilisation and implantation are inhibited, leading to adverse effects on pregnancy. The individual's experience will vary depending on the extent of social support, the coping mechanisms employed, the quality of the marital connection, and the level of stress caused by infertility. Material and method: The study was carried out on 20 women undergoing IVF treatment. Participants were selected by simple random sampling technique. (COMPI) Fertility Problem Stress Scale, Uncertainty Scale for Infertile Women and Short Version of the Spielberger State—trait Anxiety Inventory were used to assess the level of stress, uncertainty and anxiety. Results: The findings of the current study indicate that 80% of women undergoing IVF in the experimental group experienced a moderate degree of stress prior to the intervention. However, this percentage decreased to 60% after receiving intervention. In case of uncertainty maximum of women had mild level of uncertainty and it remain unchanged in experimental group after intervention However, there was a significant decrease in anxiety levels (both STAIS and STAIT) in the experimental group following the intervention. Participants that received psychotherapeutic nursing intervention showed a higher rate of implantation. Conclusion: Psychotherapeutic nursing intervention can decrease the anxiety among women undergoing in vitro fertilisation treatment and also enhance the implantation rate.

A qualitative study on experiences of stigma among postoperative oral cancer patients.

This study aimed to explore the characteristics of stigma in postoperative oral cancer patients to provide a reference for the formulation of targeted intervention measures. A qualitative study was conducted on 25 postoperative oral cancer patients in a tertiary A hospital in Hunan, China, from March to July 2021. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews focused on experiences of stigma were performed. The interview data was analyzed using the NVivo V.12 software based on the reflexive intuitive thematic analysis method. The paper complies with the COREQ. The stigma experience of postoperative oral cancer patients can be divided into 3 themes: (1) triggers (impaired appearance and oral function and psycho-social pressure); (2) forms (overall isolation, unpleasant feeling of inferiority, and unpleasant social discrimination); (3) coping strategies (positive psychological adjustment, seeking social support and coming out of the unpleasant shadows). Postoperative oral cancer patients clearly articulated that stigma was present in their lives and they experienced multiple forms of stigma. Further work is needed to increase education and awareness about oral cancer to guide them to take positive coping and reduce stigma.

The role of loneliness and general health in predicting life satisfaction

Students are one of society’s most important groups, and their health and well-being are among every nation’s priorities. Satisfaction with life, as one of the effective components of well-being, is related to mental and physical health; throughout time, the feeling of satisfaction with one’s life faces some ups and downs. This descriptive study investigated the relationship between loneliness, general health, and student satisfaction and was carried out using correlational designs on the statistical population of Sistan and Baluchistan University students in 2023. Furthermore, 106 people were selected among male and female students by the convenience sampling method, and they were asked to complete satisfaction questionnaires: Huebner’s life, Goldberg’s general health scale, and Russell’s loneliness questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 22 software through Pearson’s correlation coefficient and step-by-step regression model. The findings indicated a significant relationship between life satisfaction, general health, and loneliness (p&lt;0/001). Also, the step-by-step regression analysis showed that loneliness can predict life satisfaction (p&lt;0/001). It seems that the developments and conditions of the student period and the distance of most students from their families pose serious challenges, including the unpleasant feeling of loneliness, which overshadows life satisfaction and, consequently, the psychological well-being of this young group, ultimately reducing their efficiency. Their social and educational skills are adequate; therefore, self-care behaviors, creating and developing stable social interactions in academic environments, and seeking help for mental and emotional health problems are emphasized. Considering the limitations of the current research and its cross-sectional nature, longitudinal studies in this field are recommended.