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The purpose of this study was to identify coping strategies, resources, and strengths that predict well-being in a community-based sample of youth with varying levels of adversity.
Grounded in the resilience portfolio model, we used a mixed methods approach with data from a cross-sectional sample of 231 youth ages 8–17.
Data were collected using a survey, participant-generated timeline activity, and brief interview. Measures included assessments of coping and appraisal, resilience resources and assets, and subjective well-being and depression.
Active and passive coping strategies predicted subjective well-being and depression. Controlling for demographics and coping, meaning making strengths and supportive relationships were significant predictors of subjective well-being and lower depression, and decreased the impact of adversity on these outcomes.
The results of this study provide support for the resilience portfolio model in a community-based sample of youth, with relationships as predicted for subjective well-being and symptoms of depression. For both outcomes, family relationships held the strongest associations with positive well-being and lower symptoms of depression. Supportive relationships with peers, meaning making strengths, interpersonal strengths, less passive coping, and fewer adverse life events were also associated with better outcomes.
These findings underscore the need to assess youth resources and strengths and to design interventions that target these protective factors for all youth, regardless of exposure to adversity.
A theory-informed understanding of resources and strengths that predict youth well-being is essential to inform strengths-based interventions for pediatric research and practice. The resilience portfolio model is a useful framework for understanding predictors of youth well-being.
To explore trans men's access and use of healthcare services in Chile, based on the experiences of the trans men themselves, as well as of healthcare professionals.
A qualitative study with an ethnographic approach was carried out with 30 participants: 14 trans men and 16 healthcare professionals. Semi-structured one-on-one interviews with open-ended questions were used to collect the data. A thematic analysis was carried out with the NVivo Software.
Three main themes were identified: (1) failures in the recognition of trans identity, (2) challenges with patient-centered care, and (3) use of other (“non-trans”) health services.
The results suggest that not all transition processes are the same, individuals seek different ways; therefore, it is necessary to consider different body types and identities when planning programs and care for men in transition. Moreover, the accompaniment provided during the gender transition process should contemplate emotional and mental support.
The study outlines the need for all healthcare professionals to have training and knowledge about the transgender population, regardless of whether they are part of the teams supporting gender transition processes. The role of nurses and the contributions that can be made from nursing discipline in this research field are fundamental.
Existing literature suggests that transgender women (TW) may be at high risk for adverse mental health due to stress attributed to combined experiences of stigma and complex social and structural vulnerabilities. Little research has examined how these co-occurring experiences relate to mental health. We aimed to test a theoretically driven conceptual model of relationships between stigma, social and structural vulnerabilities, and mental health to inform future intervention tailoring.
Partial least square path modeling followed by response-based unit segmentation was used to identify homogenous clusters in a diverse community sample of United States (US)-based TW (N = 1418; 46.2% White non-Hispanic). This approach examined associations between latent constructs of stigma (polyvictimization and discrimination), social and structural vulnerabilities (housing and food insecurity, unemployment, sex work, social support, and substance use), and mental health (post-traumatic stress and psychological distress).
The final conceptual model defined the structural relationship between the variables of interest within stigma, vulnerability, and mental health. Six clusters were identified within this structural framework which suggests that racism, ethnicism, and geography may be related to mental health inequities among TW.
Our findings around the impact of racism, ethnicism, and geography reflect the existing literature, which unfortunately shows us that little change has occurred in the last decade for TW of color in the Southern US; however, the strength of our evidence (related to sampling structure and sample size) and type of analyses (accounting for co-occurring predictors of health, i.e., stigma and complex vulnerabilities, reflecting that of real-world patients) is a novel and necessary addition to the literature. Findings suggest that health interventions designed to offset the negative effects of stigma must include anti-racist approaches with components to reduce or eliminate barriers to resources that contribute to social and structural vulnerabilities among TW. Herein we provide detailed recommendations to guide primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention efforts.
This study demonstrated the importance of considering stigma and complex social and structural vulnerabilities during clinical care and design of mental health interventions for transgender women who are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder and psychological distress. Specifically, interventions should take an anti-racist approach and would benefit from incorporating social support-building activities.
This study aimed (1) to describe how trends in pediatric palliative care (PPC) utilization changed from 2002 to 2017, and (2) to examine factors predicting PPC utilization among decedent children in Taiwan.
This retrospective, correlational study retrieved 2002–2017 data from three national claims databases in Taiwan.
Children aged 1 through 18 years who died between January 2002 and December 2017 were included. Pediatric palliative care utilization was defined as PPC enrollment and PPC duration, with enrollment described by frequency (n) and percentage (%) and duration described by mean and standard deviation (SD). Logistic regression was used to examine the associations of various demographic characteristics with PPC enrollment; generalized linear regression was used to examine associations of the demographic characteristics with PPC duration.
Across the 16-year study period, PPC enrollment increased sharply (15.49 times), while PPC duration decreased smoothly (by 29.41%). Cause of death was a continuous predictor of both PPC enrollment and PPC duration. The children less likely to be enrolled in PPC services were those aged 1 to 6 years, boys, living in poverty, living in rural areas, and diagnosed with life-threatening noncancer diseases.
This study used nationwide databases to investigate PPC enrollment and PPC duration among a large sample of deceased children from 2002 to 2017. The findings not only delineate trends and predictors of PPC enrollment and PPC duration but also highlight great progress in PPC as well as the areas still understudied and underserved. This information could help the pediatric healthcare system achieve the core value of family-centered care for children with life-threatening diseases and their families.
Pediatric palliative care should be widely and continuously implemented in routine pediatric clinical practice to enhance quality of life for children and their families at the end of life.
La iniciativa pulpos para neonatos comienza en 2012 en Dinamarca y en 2017 en España surge la Noupops ONG "hilo para la vida", a partir de la cual el Instituto Roosevelt en Colombia la implementa desde 2018. Esta investigación cualitativa se basó en la sistematización de experiencias, encontrando que, en las tejedoras, es una posibilidad para sanar y sanarse a través del tejido y se relaciona con el conocimiento ancestral de cómo hacerlo y la maestría que se conjuga al realizar el pulpo. Las lideresas del proyecto, refieren la importancia del voluntariado y donaciones, el papel terapéutico en el binomio madre hijo y su potencial en la humanización de los servicios de salud. El binomio madre hijo en las voces de las madres, capitaliza la experiencia de estar presente con el bebé, lo que implica disminuir la sensación de zozobra y abandono. El personal de salud resalta la dificultad de la iniciativa dentro de un esquema medicalizado al asumirse como un objeto de riesgo, lo cual se controla con esterilización. Valoran el poder en el vínculo del binomio madre hijo, sin embargo, manifiestan que carecen de pruebas objetivas que les permitan “avalar” su beneficio.
Background
Despite the effect of maternal breast cancer on many children, there is no valid or reliable quantitative measure of the concern that children attribute to their mothers' disease, which constrains both science and clinical practice.
Objectives
This study aimed to develop and psychometrically evaluate the initial measures of child-reported, illness-related concerns associated with maternal cancer.
Methods
The study was conducted in three phases: scoping review, item extraction from a battery of items obtained from school-aged children about general issues related to their mothers' breast cancer, and testing of the three proposed structural models of these extracted items using confirmatory factor analysis. The scoping review yielded five categories of illness-related concerns: altered family routines, uncertainty, concerns about illness contagion, maternal death, and maternal well-being. To reflect these five categories, 18 items were extracted from a 93-item questionnaire completed by 202 school-aged children regarding their mothers' breast cancer. Next, three structural models were hypothesized to assess the construct validity of illness-related concerns: five-, three-, and one-factor models. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test and compare the models.
Results
The five-factor model best fit the data, and each factor showed adequate internal consistency reliability. These findings align with the a priori five-factor model informed by the scoping review.
Conclusion
The results provide initial evidence of the construct validity of the 18-item Children's Illness-Related Concerns Scale, which can be used to assess children's concerns and inform future intervention studies. To investigate the self-reported levels of social support from friends and family and from nurses as mediators of the relationship between self-rated physical and psychological condition in hospitalised patients.
Cross-sectional study of adult inpatients at a large tertiary-care hospital in the northeast United States.
Multiple mediation analysis of survey data.
In surveys received from 324 inpatients, one fourth of the variation in patients' self-rated psychological condition was explained by self-rated physical condition. Social support from family and friends mediated a significant proportion (11.0%) of the relationship between self-rated physical and psychological condition, however social support from nurses did not.
Social support from family and friends can positively influence the psychological health of inpatients, but nurses are not an adequate replacement for the social support provided by family and friends.
Although nurses cannot replace the social support provided by family and friends, the assessment of social isolation and care planning of interventions to support patients is a fundamental nursing role. Technology to connect patients with friends and family should be used to mitigate isolation for hospitalised patients unable to receive in-person visits from loved ones.
The influence of social support from family and friends and nurses was addressed. The study found social support from family and friends, but not nurses, to influence the relationship between physical and psychological ratings. This finding has implications for the role of nurses in the hospital setting.
Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines were followed.
Microbial biofilms are a major hindrance in the wound healing process, prolonging the inflammatory response phase, thus making them a target in treatment. The aim of this study is to assess the antibacterial properties of commercially available wound dressings, of various material composition and antibacterial agents, towards multiple in vitro microbial and biofilm models. A variety of in vitro microbial and biofilm models were utilised to evaluate the ability of wound dressing materials to sequester microbes, prevent dissemination and manage bioburden. Sequestering and dissemination models were used to evaluate the ability of wound dressing materials to prevent the biofilm-forming bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, from migrating through dressing materials over a 24–72 h challenge period. Additionally, Centre for Disease Control (CDC) Bioreactor and Drip Flow models were used to evaluate antibacterial killing efficacy towards established P. aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus biofilms using more challenging, wound-like models. Controlled-release iodine foam and silver-impregnated carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) wound dressing materials demonstrated potent biofilm management properties in comparison to a methylene blue and gentian violet-containing foam dressing. Both the iodine-containing foam and silver-impregnated CMC materials effectively prevented viable P. aeruginosa dissemination for up to 72 h. In addition, the controlled-release iodine foam and silver-impregnated CMC materials reduced P. aeruginosa bioburden in the Drip Flow model. The controlled-release iodine foam demonstrated superiority in the CDC Bioreactor model, as both the silver- and iodine-containing materials reduced S. aureus to the limit of detection, but P. aeruginosa growth was only completely reduced by controlled-release iodine foam dressing materials. The data generated within the in vitro biofilm models supports the clinical data available in the public domain for the implementation of iodine foam dressings for effective biofilm management and control in wound care.
Nurses have long received recommendations to employ self-care behaviors to ensure their ability to remain in the profession; however, nurses are rarely asked what self-care behaviors are beneficial. This literature review aimed to map studies on nurses' self-care strategies to provide an understanding of how these strategies are addressed in the literature and to identify gaps in need of additional exploration.
Searches were conducted in accordance with published mapping review methodologies across MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and identified influential nursing journals. Included studies were from the United States, peer-reviewed, and described self-care strategies related to nurses or the nursing profession.
Thirty-five articles were identified for inclusion and were evaluated based on agreed-upon criteria to define how the concept of self-care was studied and applied to nurses. Three main categories were identified in this review: self-care and stress; self-care and burnout; and self-care and leadership, workplace factors, and physical activity.
This mapping review revealed an abundance of literature related to self-care recommendations for nurses; however, there remains a dearth of studies investigating how nurses utilize self-care behaviors independently to improve their own professional well-being. Recommendations for next steps in research in this area are included.
Commentary on: Shields GE, Rowlandson A, Dalal G, Nickerson S, Cranmer H, Capobianco L, Doherty P. Cost-effectiveness of home-based cardiac rehabilitation: a systematic review. Heart. 2023 Feb 27:heartjnl-2021-320459. doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2021-320459. Epub ahead of print.
Home-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a cost-effective alternative/supplementary model to increase CR accessibility, improve health benefits and reduce health service use. More robust clinical trials are needed as the heterogeneity in design, particularly the intervention dosage, staffing models, telehealth features, hybrid approach and individual costs, challenges the evidence base. The psychological care component is missing in the current cost-effectiveness analysis of home-based CR.
Despite evidence that exercise-based cardiovascular rehabilitation (CR) is an effective intervention, patient uptake and adherence are uncertain. Recent research suggests that home-based CR interventions are as effective and safe as those supervised in a centre.
Commentary on: Ćwirynkało K, Parchomiuk M. Support as described by fathers with intellectual disabilities. J Appl Res Intellect Disabil. 2023 Mar;36(2):320-332. doi: 10.1111/jar.13061. Epub 2022 Dec 9
Fathers with intellectual disabilities require informal and formal supports to successfully navigate parenthood. The voices of fathers with intellectual disabilities should be prominent in future disability research.
Men with intellectual disabilities become good fathers with appropriate supports in place. Some fathers with intellectual disabilities were underestimated by partners, relatives and professionals, with their abilities to parent continually questioned. While formal and informal supports were viewed as helpful and necessary, there were differences between the support required and those provided. To develop their parenting skills and competence, fathers with intellectual disabilities require additional support.
This study explored the lived experiences of social support of 20 Polish fathers with intellectual...
Commentary on: Böhmer MN, Oppewal A, Valstar MJ, Bindels PJE, van Someren EJW, Maes-Festen DAM. Light up: an intervention study of the effect of environmental dynamic lighting on sleep-wake rhythm, mood and behaviour in older adults with intellectual disabilities. J Intellect Disabil Res. 2022 Oct;66(10):756–781. doi: 10.1111/jir.12969. Epub 2022 Aug 25.
Increasing light exposure in care facilities improves mood and behaviour in older adults with intellectual disability (ID). Light exposure protocols should be implemented and investigated to determine the optimal intervention parameters.
Sleep problems are frequently experienced by older adults with ID living in residential care facilities
Commentary on: Yanbei R, Dongdong M, Yun L, Ning W, Fengping Q. Does perceived organization support moderate the relationships between work frustration and burnout among intensive care unit nurses? A cross-sectional survey. BMC Nurs. 2023 Jan 23;22(1):22. doi: 10.1186/s12912-023-01180-5.
Providing intensive care unit (ICU) nurses with organisational supports by showcasing that the organisation cares about their well-being, gives importance to their opinions, is proud of their achievements will decrease their work frustration. Future research and auditing of programmes and events to monitor organisational support to ICU nurses in reduction of work frustration and burn-out. Such monitoring systems could translate into better patient outcome.
The psychological strain of caring for very ill patients causes significant mental stress for all ICU healthcare professionals. When stress is prolonged, it might eventually cause burn-out and deterioration of patient...
Commentary on: Ulupınar F, Erden Y. Intention to leave among nurses during the COVID-19 outbreak: A rapid systematic review and Meta-Analysis. J Clin Nurs. 2022 Nov 27. doi: 10.1111/jocn.16588. Epub ahead of print.
During COVID-19, nurses experienced stress, anxiety and fear. Psychological support will help retain staff. Further longitudinal studies on the long-term psychological impacts of the pandemic are needed.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nurses was unprecedented with high volumes of critically ill patients. This strain on direct care nurses included an increased workload, long hours, separation from family, potential exposure and patient death.
Commentary on: MacHale R, Ffrench C, McGuire B. The experiences and views of adults with intellectual disabilities accessing digital mental health interventions: A qualitative systematic review and thematic synthesis. J Appl Res Intellect Disabil. 2023 May;36(3):448-457. doi: 10.1111/jar.13082. Epub 2023 Feb 13.
Digital mental health interventions may be useful to complement in-person mental health services, with sufficient supports for meaningful use. User-centred design research with adults with intellectual disabilities and supporters is needed at all phases of digital mental health intervention development and evaluation.
Providers report that digital interventions are effectively being delivered to adults with intellectual disabilities; there is less research about how digital health interventions are received and experienced by people with intellectual disabilities.
Commentary on: Williamson SP, Moffitt RL, Broadbent J, Neumann DL, Hamblin PS. Coping, wellbeing, and psychopathology during high-risk pregnancy: A systematic review. Midwifery. 2023 Jan;116:103556. doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2022.103556. Epub 2022 Nov 14.
Awareness of negative impacts of high-risk pregnancies on mental health will help to identify women in need of support. Strategies can be created to improve coping and well-being for high-risk pregnant women.
Pregnancy is a period of major physiological changes. Psychological adjustments occur, more so with a high-risk diagnosis in pregnancy. In their systematic review, the authors outlined the state of the science of pregnant women’s psychopathology, coping and well-being when high-risk conditions including hypertension, diabetes and kidney disease develop during pregnancy. Pregnant women with these conditions can experience ineffective coping, poor well-being, anxiety and depression among other negative symptoms. Provider’s awareness, culturally appropriate education and support can reduce...
Commentary on: Ulvund I, Dadi GB, Sundal H. Nurses benefit from international clinical placement as nurse students: a qualitative study. Nurse Educ Today 2023; 121:105663. doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2022.105663. Epub 2022 Nov 25.
International clinical placements benefit nurses’ personal and professional development and these skills may be applied in their future careers. More research is needed to assess the long-term outcomes of international clinical placements among nurses in the workforce.
Globalisation and diversity require that nurses develop the skills and knowledge to become culturally safe and competent both locally and globally and in all clinical contexts.
by Rita L. Grunberg, Fletcher W. Halliday, Robert W. Heckman, Brooklynn N. Joyner, Kayleigh R. O’Keeffe, Charles E. Mitchell
Disease may drive variation in host community structure by modifying the interplay of deterministic and stochastic processes that shape communities. For instance, deterministic processes like ecological selection can benefit species less impacted by disease. When communities have higher levels of disease and disease consistently selects for certain host species, this can reduce variation in host community composition. On the other hand, when host communities are less impacted by disease and selection is weaker, stochastic processes (e.g., drift, dispersal) may play a bigger role in host community structure, which can increase variation among communities. While effects of disease on host community structure have been quantified in field experiments, few have addressed the role of disease in modulating variation in structure among host communities. To address this, we conducted a field experiment spanning three years, using a tractable system: foliar fungal pathogens in an old-field grassland community dominated by the grass Lolium arundinaceum, tall fescue. We reduced foliar fungal disease burden in replicate host communities (experimental plots in intact vegetation) in three fungicide regimens that varied in the seasonal duration of fungicide treatment and included a fungicide-free control. We measured host diversity, biomass, and variation in community structure among replicate communities. Disease reduction generally decreased plant richness and increased aboveground biomass relative to communities experiencing ambient levels of disease. These changes in richness and aboveground biomass were consistent across years despite changes in structure of the plant communities over the experiment’s three years. Importantly, disease reduction amplified host community variation, suggesting that disease diminished the degree to which host communities were structured by stochastic processes. These results of experimental disease reduction both highlight the potential importance of stochastic processes in plant communities and reveal the potential for disease to regulate variation in host community structure.Background
Although a multitude of studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) for treatment of respiratory insufficiency, there have been few investigations of patients’ experiences while receiving this common treatment. Identification of the presence, intensity, and distress of symptoms during NIV will inform the development and testing of interventions to best manage them and improve patients’ intensive care unit (ICU) experiences.
Objective
The objectives of this study were (a) to identify the presence, intensity, and distress of symptoms in patients receiving NIV in the ICU using a modified version of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (MESAS) and (b) to describe the most common and distressing symptoms experienced by patients.
Methods
A cross-sectional descriptive design was used with a convenience sample of 114 participants enrolled from three ICUs at one Midwestern medical center. Participants were approached if they were English-speaking, were 18 years old or older, and had an active order for NIV; exclusions included use of personal NIV equipment, severe cognitive impairment, or problems communicating. Demographic and clinical data were obtained from the electronic health record. Presence, intensity, and distress of patient-reported symptoms were obtained once using a modified, 11-item version of the MESAS.
Results
The mean age of participants was 68 years old, and 54.4% were male. The primary type of NIV was bi-level positive airway pressure; a nasal/oral mask was most frequently used. The symptoms experienced by most of the participants were thirst, anxiety, tiredness, and restlessness; these symptoms were rated as moderate or severe in both intensity and distress by most participants experiencing the symptoms.
Discussion
Patients in the ICU experience both intense and distressful symptoms that can be severe while undergoing treatment with NIV. Future research is warranted to determine these symptoms’ interrelatedness and develop interventions to effectively manage patient-reported symptoms. 
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