Well-being Challenges Research Articles

COVID-19 patients require multi-disciplinary rehabilitation approaches to address persisting symptom profiles and restore pre-COVID quality of life

Background Long-COVID diagnosis is prominent, and our attention must support those experiencing debilitating and long-standing symptoms. To establish patient pathways, we must consider the societal and economic impacts of sustained COVID-19. Accordingly, we sought to determine the pertinent areas impacting quality of life (QoL) following a COVID-19 infection. Research methods Three hundred and eighty-one participants completed a web-based survey (83% female, 17% male) consisting of 70 questions across 7 sections (demographics, COVID-19 symptoms; QoL; sleep quality; breathlessness; physical activity and mental health). Mean age, height, body mass and body mass index (BMI) were 42 ± 12 years, 167.6 ± 10.4 cm, 81.2 ± 22.2 kg, and 29.1 ± 8.4 kg.m2, respectively. Results Participant health was reduced because of COVID-19 symptoms (“Good health” to “Poor health” [P<0.001]). Survey respondents who work reported ongoing issues with performing moderate (83%) and vigorous (79%) work-related activities. Conclusions COVID-19 patients report reduced capacity to participate in activities associated with daily life, including employment activities. Bespoke COVID-19 support pathways must consider multi-disciplinary approaches that address the holistic needs of patients to restore pre-pandemic quality of life and address experienced health and wellbeing challenges.

A career development program: Building resilience in veterinary undergraduates

Retaining workers in high stress occupations and preparing undergraduates to enter these occupations continues to intensify along with mental health and wellbeing challenges. The veterinary profession is particularly vulnerable to poor psychological health which contributes negatively to the retention of veterinarians in the profession. Employing the positive psychology theoretical model rationale, and the andragogy philosophies and approaches, a veterinary career development (VCD) program was scaffolded across a five year Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc) degree. Thematic analysis of participants’ feedback with a focus on what they think, feel and do provided valuable insights into participants’ developing skill-strength and tacit knowledge, and their resilience-building. The authors believe this is the first report on the creation and outcomes of a veterinary career development program that fosters the building of resilience through the attainment of tacit knowledge and practical skills required for successful employment and wellbeing.

Collaborative Initiative to Improve DIII Student-Athlete Well-Being

The professional literature contains little focused specifically on NCAA DIII. NCAA Goals data provide an overview of common characteristics and challenges of DIII student-athletes. However, the large number and variety of DIII member institutions merit DIII athletic programs assessing the needs and well-being challenges of its particular student-athletes and to create and tailor programs and interventions to support student-athlete well-being. A needs assessment of student-athlete well-being issues was carried out at an institution with a large DIII program. Part one, reported here, used focus groups of student-athletes, coaches, athletic trainers, and athletics administrators. Results suggested well-being challenges at this institution were largely associated with poor diet, stress, lack of adequate sleep, and alcohol use. Fear of missing out, lack of and poor coping skills, poor interpersonal communication, lack of self-advocacy skills, and lack of other “adulting” skills made it difficult to manage and balance their lives. Lack of balance along with lack of resilience emerged as main contributors to the behaviors and environments creating well-being challenges for the SAs. Part two should further document and validate factors impacting student-athlete well-being through a survey of all student-athletes. This needs assessment can serve as a model for others.

Introduction to the Special Issue: NCAA Division III College Athlete Development and Experience

There is abundant literature on a plethora of topics associated with intercollegiate athletics. Yet, when one begins to dig deeply into the previous literature, it becomes apparent that most of the attention of this work has focused on Division I (DI) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA]. To that end, while the NCAA Division III (DIII) level contains a greater number of institutions and more athletes than either of the other divisions of play, this group has largely been ignored throughout the previous literature (NCAA, 2021a; Williams, et al, 2020). This lack of previous literature, combined with the fact that each NCAA division has its own unique characteristics, underscore the need for additional research throughout intercollegiate sport levels of play. We sought to identify and showcase work being done to understand the well-being challenges and initiatives to enhance the Division III athlete’s experience.

Using A Work System Framework to Investigate Pharmacists' Roles in Cystic Fibrosis Management.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease that requires complex, lifelong treatment regimens to maintain health and reduce disease progression. The aims of this study were 1) to gain the perspectives of multiple health professions to understand medication and well-being challenges of people living with CF; and 2) to apply the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) model to further identify opportunities for pharmacists to support people with CF. Health care professionals were recruited from a Cystic Fibrosis Center in the Midwest, to participate in audio-recorded semistructured interviews. Topics examined during the interviews included medication education for patients as well as experiences with outpatient, specialty, and community pharmacists. The themes assessed during the pharmacist interviews included support for people living with CF, preferences in conducting medication education, and pharmacist-specific counseling. Interview transcripts were thematically analyzed into categories to determine major themes. Prevalent codes were categorized into 5 major themes guided by the SEIPS model. Interrater reliability was strong (kappa = 0.94). Five major themes were identified: 1) patient tasks; 2) external environment; 3) organizational conditions; 4) patient medication education; and 5) pharmacists' roles and tasks. Professionals identified the importance of the pharmacist on the multidisciplinary CF care team to enhance patient-centered care for people living with CF. This study highlights health care professionals' views on the unique skillset that pharmacists add to the care team, including a reduction in medication errors, improved adherence, and overall enhanced patient care.

ASSOCIATION OF POST TEST KNOWLEDGE SCORE WITH SELECTED SOCIO DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES IN MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION AND EARLY IDENTIFICATION OF MENTAL ILLNESS IN ADOLESCENCE AMONG TEACHERS IN SELECTED SCHOOLS OF GUJARAT

Mental health is an integral and essential component of health. School teachers should have an effective role in promoting mental health of their students. The objective is to investigate teachers` attitude towards their role in pupils’ mental health promotion and identify barriers they may encounter. According to World Health Organization, psychiatric issues are the single most common causes of disability in young people. Early identification precise conclusion and viable treatment of emotional well-being and substance use conditions can reduce tremendous languishing over youngsters and their families managing social wellbeing challenges. Providing early care can assist youthful to more quickly recoup and takes advantage from their education, to develop positive relationships, to gain access to employment, and ultimately to lead more meaningful and productive lives.

Can Acting Out Online Improve Adolescents' Well-Being During Contact Restrictions? A First Insight Into the Dysfunctional Role of Cyberbullying and the Need to Belong in Well-Being During COVID-19 Pandemic-Related Contact Restrictions.

Connecting with peers online to overcome social isolation has become particularly important during the pandemic-related school closures across many countries. In the context of contact restrictions, feelings of isolation and loneliness are more prevalent and the regulation of these negative emotions to maintain a positive well-being challenges adolescents. This is especially the case for those individuals who might have a high need to belong and difficulties in emotional competences. The difficult social situation during contact restrictions, more time for online communication and maladaptive emotion regulation might lead to aggressive communication patterns in the form of cyberbullying perpetration. In an online study with N = 205 adolescents aged 14–19 (M = 15.83, SD = 1.44; 57% girls), we assessed the frequency of online and offline contacts, need to belong, emotion regulation problems, feelings of loneliness, and cyberbullying perpetration as predictors of adolescents’ well-being. In particular, we explored whether cyberbullying perpetration might function as a maladaptive strategy to deal with feelings of loneliness and therefore predicts well-being. This effect was expected to be stronger for those with a higher need to belong and with higher emotion regulation problems. Results of a hierarchical regression analysis revealed that well-being was significantly predicted by less emotion regulation difficulties, less feeling isolated and more cyberbullying perpetration. We also tested whether the need to belong or emotion regulation problems moderated the association between cyberbullying and well-being. While the results for emotion regulation problems were not significant, the moderation effect for the need to belong was significant: For students with a high need to belong, well-being was more strongly related to cyberbullying perpetration than for students with a medium need to belong. For students with a low need to belong, cyberbullying was not significantly associated with well-being. That cyberbullying perpetration predicted well-being positively is rather surprising in the light of previous research showing negative psychosocial outcomes also for cyberbullying perpetrators. The moderation analysis provides a hint at underlying processes: In times of distance learning and contact restrictions, cyberbullying may be a way of coming into contact with others and to regulate loneliness maladaptively.

What can we do when the smoke rolls in? An exploratory qualitative analysis of the impacts of rural wildfire smoke on mental health and wellbeing, and opportunities for adaptation

BackgroundExtreme, prolonged wildfire smoke (WFS) events are becoming increasingly frequent phenomena across the Western United States. Rural communities, dependent on contributions of nature to people’s quality of life, are particularly hard hit. While prior research has explored the physical health impacts of WFS exposure, little work has been done to assess WFS impacts on mental health and wellbeing, or potential adaptation solutions.MethodsUsing qualitative methods, we explore the mental health and wellbeing impacts experienced by community members in a rural Washington State community that has been particularly hard hit by WFS in recent years, as well as individual, family, and community adaptation solutions. We conducted focus groups with residents and key informant interviews with local health and social service providers.ResultsParticipants identified a variety of negative mental health and wellbeing impacts of WFS events, including heightened anxiety, depression, isolation, and a lack of motivation, as well as physical health impacts (e.g., respiratory issues and lack of exercise). Both positive and negative economic and social impacts, as well as temporary or permanent relocation impacts, were also described. The impacts were not equitably distributed; differential experiences based on income level, outdoor occupations, age (child or elderly), preexisting health conditions, housing status, and social isolation were described as making some residents more vulnerable to WFS-induced physical and mental health and wellbeing challenges than others. Proposed solutions included stress reduction (e.g., meditation and relaxation lessons), increased distribution of air filters, development of community clean air spaces, enhancing community response capacity, hosting social gatherings, increasing education, expanding and coordination risk communications, and identifying opportunities for volunteering. Findings were incorporated into a pamphlet for community distribution. We present a template version herein for adaptation and use in other communities.ConclusionsWildfire smoke events present significant mental health and wellbeing impacts for rural communities. Community-led solutions that promote stress reduction, physical protection, and community cohesion have the opportunity to bolster resilience amid this growing public health crisis.

A study to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on Lifestyle of Medical students.

Background:Stressful situations are often linked with poor health and lifestyle behaviors (e.g., unhealthy diet, limited physical activity, poor sleep quality etc.). Subsequent to the nationwide lockdown in Pakistan due to COVID-19 pandemic, medical students experienced substantial lifestyle changes along with academic stresses. The goal of this study was to measure the impact that the COVID-19 lockdown had on lifestyle like sleep, physical activity and nutrition, substance abuse, dealing with finances, spirituality and family life, with respect to a sample of Pakistani medical students.Methods:This cross- sectional online study involving 1100 medical students (68.7% females) from five medical colleges in Pakistan, used self-administered questionnaire to evaluate the impact of pandemic related restrictions on lifestyle of medical students in Pakistan from August- September 2020. Parameters such as physical activity, sleep, nutrition, smoking and substance abuse, family life, finances, internet use and spirituality were studied.Results:Fifty-nine percent of medical students reported a significant effect of lockdown on their physical activity. Only 5.8% people clearly followed or adhered to a routine during the pandemic. About 54.6% students have found that physical activity and exercise significantly reduced their anxiety. More than half of respondents reported increase in screen time, weight gain and poor sleep with 3.1% of students stating an increased use of sleeping pills to fall asleep Another 18.3% students had an increased worry regarding COVID19 based on the information they received on internet. No significant increase in substance uses and alcohol use or family conflicts among students post pandemic was noted.Conclusion:Our findings underscore that COVID-19 pandemic has led to undesired changes in health and lifestyle habits of medical students, which may, to some extent, be responsible for higher negative impact. Hence it is important for medical colleges to start awareness campaigns to tackle challenges for medical students physical and emotional well-being.

Early childhood educators’ psychological distress and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic

There is growing awareness of the impacts of COVID-19 on children, families, and more recently, early childhood educators. This study aimed to add to this research and explore Australian early childhood educators’ psychological distress and wellbeing in relation to COVID-19. Accordingly, 205 educators (117 early childhood educators, 86 leaders and 2 others) completed the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, measuring levels of post-traumatic distress, and an open-ended question on wellbeing, both in relation to COVID-19. Educators’ responses to the open-ended question were matched to those who scored high, medium, and low on the Impact of Events Scale-Revised. Results demonstrated 66.8% of educators scored in the low range for post-traumatic distress, 11.7% scored in the moderate range, and 21.5% scored in the high range for post-traumatic distress on the Impact of Events Scale-Revised. Participants scoring in the low range on the Impact of Events Scale-Revised provided fewer comments regarding the emotional impacts of COVID-19. There were no differences between the groups in terms of fear of COVID-19 infection, challenges related to increased workload during the pandemic, and frustration with the Australian government response to COVID-19. Educators and early childhood leaders reported comparable wellbeing challenges during the pandemic. This research has implications for the types of support provided to educators during future pandemics.

Kepuasan Hidup Pekerja Perempuan: Sebuah Tinjauan Konseptual

This paper aims to conduct a conceptual study of factor s that drive life satisfaction in the work domain for female workers. They experience several problems related to human resource policies related to their personal and work life . The dual role as breadth winner and housewife often take place . Life satisfaction is interesting to be discussed due to the well-being challenges for female workers . The framework is built by “ Top-Down ” and “ Bottom - Up ” theory . The author conducted an electronic-based data search from 58 articles during the 2019-2021 period. Several factors affect job satisfaction, such as need fulfilment , self-development and work pressure . The discussion section will explain the factors driving workers' life satisfaction to life, especially for female workers.

COVID-19, A Complex Emotional Well-Being Challenge: A Path to Recovery in Nepal

Mental health and emotional well-being remain an urgent civil societies’ global burden. There is an increasing prevalence of mental health and emotional well-being problems in our societies and nations. There are severe implications from these connected with the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). The COVID-19 has produced the gravest disruption to our nations’ health, education, employability, economy, social structure, and mobility.The pandemic has placed humanity in a global emergency with long-term implications. The population’s emotional well-being, including stress related disorders has been severe and likely to be prolonged. The burden of COVID-19 is escalating despite governmental and non-governmental resources, voluntary, religious organisations, and philanthropic efforts. Nations must address the psycho-social conditions of their population as a public health imperative by identifying the peoples’ emotional well-being needs and prioritise strategies to enable their capacity for ‘doing good’ and ‘feeling of goodness’. The Emotional Well-being Institute (EWBI) advocates the significance of ‘feeling goodness’, and that innovative approaches and research initiatives are urgently needed to understand emotional well-being attributes and their impact on overall mental health. Emotional well-being is a broad concept, one that includes several aspects of our everyday lives. There needs to be a multi-dimensional and a whole-of-society approach when addressing the emotional well-being of highly vulnerable societies and nations, such as Nepal.

Interview With Launette Woolforde, EdD, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, NPD-BC, FAAN

Interview With Launette Woolforde, EdD, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, NPD-BC, FAAN

Sources of Resilience in Frontline Health Professionals during COVID-19.

Background: While the challenges for psychological well-being for Australian healthcare workers have been documented, there has been a dearth of qualitative research on the sources of resilience that sustained workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study identified sources of resilience that clinicians used to cope with frontline challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 frontline health professionals, across five Australian hospitals, between October 2020 and April 2021. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, and the results were analysed using thematic analysis based on a phenomenological approach. Results: Three sources of resilience were identified by respondents: personal, relational, and organisational. A positive mindset, sense of purpose, and self-care behaviours emerged as key sources of personal resilience. Teamwork, altruism, and social support from family and friends contributed to relational resilience. Leadership, effective communication, and effective implementation of COVID-19 policies were associated with resilience at the organisational level. Frontline healthcare workers also voiced the need for the implementation of further strategies to support personal resilience whilst nurturing resilience within clinical teams and across entire healthcare organisations. Conclusions: Trust in healthcare systems, organisation leaders, colleagues, and personal support teams was an overarching theme supporting resilience.

The impact of COVID-19 lockdown on the well-being of mental healthcare providers working in a specialist clinic for personality disorder

ABSTRACT Objective To investigate the well-being of mental healthcare providers working in a specialist clinic for personality disorder during the first wave of COVID-19 social restrictions. Method Clinical (n = 31) and nonclinical (n = 11) staff in a public outpatient specialist personality disorder clinic were invited to participate. Data were collected via an online survey which incorporated the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) together with a range of open-ended questions exploring mental health, physical health, sleep quality, management of relationships, alcohol consumption, eating patterns, and use of media. Inductive content analysis was used to review the responses to the open-ended questions. Data from CAS was reported descriptively. Results In total, 39 surveys were completed (92.8% response rate). According to the CAS, two participants (5.1%) experienced coronaphobia during the initial pandemic restrictions. Participants reported a diversity of experiences affecting their health status during this time. While loss of social interactions with family and friends was reported as the most challenging aspect of lockdown, participants reported that conducting their work using telehealth and the absence of the work commute provided opportunities for more time with family and for self-reflection. Conclusions The self-reported physical and mental health of participants demonstrated resilience. This suggests that the capacity to conduct therapeutic work via telehealth, and having the option of working from home helped to mitigate many of the adverse aspects of social restrictions due to the global pandemic. This study was conducted during the first wave of social restrictions; subsequent studies will reveal longer-term effects of this policy. Key Points What is already known about this topic: Australian adults reported a slight increase in psychological distress in the general community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) is a validated and reliable mental health questionnaire assessing COVID-19 related fear and anxiety (coronaphobia). CAS measures sleep disturbance, appetite loss, dizziness, tonic immobility, and abdominal distress. Living under lockdown conditions is an unnatural experience. Experience of mental health workers who provide care for people with personality disorder is not yet studied during this condition. What this paper adds: Only two participants (5.1%) experienced coronaphobia during the initial pandemic restrictions. While challenges were endorsed, the self-reported physical and mental health of participants demonstrated resilience. A range of well-being challenges were reported in this study that informs health policy makers for future interventions.

Higher-order trajectories of pain and depressive symptoms link midlife financial stress to women’s well-being in later life

Objectives: Consistent with biopsychosocial models, shared pathophysiological conditions underlying both physical pain and depressive symptoms can result in the clustering of pain and depressive symptoms. However, previous studies have not investigated a higher-order construct capturing both pain and depressive symptoms over time. Furthermore, research has not identified trajectory antecedents (e.g. perceived family financial stress) and their consequences for later-life health and well-being. The present study sought to address these gaps in the research.Method: Using prospective data over 23 years from 244 long-term married women, the present study estimated latent growth curves in a structural equation model (more specifically a parallel trajectory model was estimated).Results: Family financial strain in midlife was, on average, associated with a higher initial level (β = .37, p < .001) and rate of change (β = .20, p = .045) of pain-depressive symptoms trajectories, which, in turn, contributed to health and well-being challenges, including the level and rate of change in physical limitations (β = .50, p < .001 and 0.43, p < .001, respectively), memory impairment (β = .47 and .47, p < .001, respectively), and loneliness (β = .63, p = < .001 and .28, p = .022, respectively) in later years. The adverse influence of family financial strain on pain-depressive symptoms trajectories weakened under high levels of marital closeness (β = −.10, p = .032). Conclusion: These findings emphasize the necessity of policies and interventions that focus on reducing adults’ stressful life circumstances and further developing protective factors that can aid in the redirection of adverse pain-depressive symptoms trajectories. Supplemental data for this article are available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2021.1993129.

Nobody cares about us: COVID-19 and voices of refugees from Aotearoa New Zealand

ABSTRACT Aotearoa New Zealand’s pandemic communication approach amidst the COVID-19 (C19) has been applauded around the world. The New Zealand government’s border controls and other measures in response to C19 impacted refugees at the margins and prevented people from accessing support services and healthcare. The sanctioned power to ‘care’ thus became a performative form of power for silencing through the dismissing of voices of refugees as being irrelevant. Experiences of refugees at the margins are constructed amid the erasure of community voices in dominant approaches to health. What was missing from the dominant discourses was the voice of the refugees, who had gone through painful experiences of displacement and resettlement. How did the refugee communities at the margins of Aotearoa New Zealand navigate through the prevailing structural impediments to health during the pandemic? In this study, we use a culture- centred analysis to centre the structural context of disenfranchisement during the COVID-19 lockdown. Drawing on in-depth interviews with refugee participants, we attend to how health is negotiated in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown response at the margins. Infectious diseases such asC19 lay bare the structural determinants that create health and well-being challenges among refugee communities in New Zealand. The narratives point out that the one-size-fits-all approach of the government left behind refugees at the margins during the C19 in the public health efforts.

Active Lives South Australia health economic analysis: an evidence base for the potential of health promotion strategies supporting physical activity guidelines to reduce public health costs while improving wellbeing

AimThe COVID-19 pandemic has threatened individual and population wellbeing and strategies to jointly address these challenges within budget constraints are required. The aim of our research is to analyse evidence from the Active Lives South Australia study to consider the potential of physical activity (PA) health promotion strategies to be health-system cost saving while addressing wellbeing challenges.MethodsThe Active Lives South Australia study compares adult populations who meet and do not meet physical activity (PA) guidelines (150+ minutes of weekly physical activity) with respect to their subjective wellbeing and health care utilisation.Subject and resultsAdults who met PA guidelines had better wellbeing across all aspects with and without adjustment for age, sex and income covariates. Analysis showed significant associations between meeting guidelines and lower probabilities of visiting and utilisation of GPs, specialist doctors, other health professionals, hospital inpatient admissions, outpatient clinic and emergency department visits, and an overall A$1760 lower cost per person annually. Controlling for age, sex and income, health expenditure for adults who met PA guidelines was significantly lower by A$1393 per person annually. That translated to A$804 million potential annual SA health system cost saving by shifting all adults to meeting PA guidelines.ConclusionThere is significant potential for effective health promotion strategies to be net cost saving while addressing wellbeing challenges of COVID-19 recovery where they can shift target populations from not meeting to meeting PA guidelines.

Understanding the Experiences of Remote Workers: Opportunities for Ambient Workspaces at Home

As the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many to work remotely from home, collaborating solely through digital technologies, a growing population of remote home workers are faced with profound wellbeing challenges. Passive sensing devices and ambient feedback have great potential to support the wellbeing of the remote workers, but there is a lack of background and understanding of the domestic workplace in terms of physical and affective dimensions and challenges to wellbeing. There are profound research gaps on wellbeing in the domestic workplace, with the current push for remote home and hybrid working making this topic timely. To address these gaps and shape a starting point for an “ambient workspaces” agenda, we conducted an exploratory study to map physical and affective aspects of working from home. The study involved both qualitative and quantitative measures of occupant experience, including sensor wristbands, and a custom web application for self-reporting mood and aspects of the environment. It included 13 participants for a period of 4 weeks, during a period of exclusive home working. Based on quantitative and qualitative analysis, our study addresses wellbeing challenges of the domestic workplace, establishes correlations between mood and physical aspects, and discusses the impact of feedback mechanisms in the domestic workplace on the behavior of remote workers. Insights from these observations are then used to inform a future design agenda for ambient technologies that supports the wellbeing of remote workers; addressing the design opportunities for ambient interventions in domestic workspaces. This work offers three contributions: 1) qualitatively and quantitatively informed understandings of the experiences of home-workers; 2) a future design agenda for “ambient home workspaces”; and 3) we propose three design concepts for ambient feedback and human–AI interactions in the built environment, to illustrate the utility of the design agenda.

Optimised environments for horse health and wellbeing: the use of alternative grazing

Despite the role of the horse having changed from working and sporting toward leisure, types of management have remained similar for the past century, with horses still being kept in small stables and paddocks which were predominantly designed for rest and recuperation after hard work. Many of the UK's major equine welfare challenges, such as stress and obesity, can now be traced towards management that does not fit well with horses' ethological needs. Some UK horse owners are now using creative strategies to manage their horses' welfare in a domestic setting, by structuring their turnout areas in ways that are designed around the horses' three key needs of ‘forage, friends and freedom’. Owners suggest that these management systems can be particularly useful for managing some of the most common equine health and wellbeing challenges, including equine metabolic syndrome, laminitis, stress or behavioural issues and arthritis. A better understanding of these systems could therefore be particularly useful to veterinary professionals who commonly need to assist owners in managing those conditions. This article describes the most frequently used alternative grazing systems, and the common advantages and pitfalls of each.