Strengthening parental skills and attachment: proposal for a psychoeducational program for parents in Ciudad Juárez

The family is the first context where the human being learns to socialize and where educational models are installed. The mother and father are generally the main figures responsible for these learnings and are in charge of discipline and parenting strategies derived from parenting skills. There are risk factors that compromise these parental competencies in adults, such as the absence of significant attachment links, conflictive relationships in the environment, parental stress, and difficulty in understanding children´s needs, resulting in inappropriate parenting styles and harmful practices that trigger mistreatment and violence in the family environment. The bond of attachment is another factor that favors parental competencies, since it is oriented to attention, basic care and how to respond to the infant´s needs. In such a way that the proposed psychoeducational program to strengthen parental competences and attachment aims to be a support for parents with difficulties in their parental competencies, providing adequate resources in their parental role and that strengthens the bond of attachment. The proposed methodology is a qualitative approach with a pre-test – post-test desing with a single group and the selection of participants through non-probability convenience sampling.

Psychological demands of health professionals in the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic

Recent literature emphasizes how the specific stressors of the COVID-19 outbreak affect the general population and frontline professionals, including those conducting support or backup activities in health units, which can lead to vicarious traumatization. Vicarious traumatization has been used to describe negative emotional reactions in mental health professionals who assist or treat victims of traumatic events. Thus, the aim of this article is to report the actions used in the face of the psychological demands of professionals in a hospital, who were not on the frontline of COVID-19. We collected their sociodemographic information and checked the psychological impact using the depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS-21), which was followed by a psychoeducational program (topics related to COVID-19 control and prevention), and individual psychological care for the most severe cases. A total of 118 professionals participated in this study; they were between 20 and 67 years old. Mild to moderate anxiety was observed in 36.5% of the medical teams, 83.3% of the administrative staff, and 65.7% of general service workers, while stress symptoms were observed in 80.2%, 83.3%, and 59.9%, respectively. Depressive symptoms (35.3%) were more frequent in general service workers. The medical teams reported the benefits of primary psychological care, while the other professionals demanded more institutional support services related to the prevention and use of personal protective equipment. This study highlights relevant psychological demands that have repercussions on the daily lives of professionals. The psychoeducational program was considered positive regarding clarification actions. However, it was not perceived as effective in reducing fear, which may result from vicarious traumatization and requires other intervention modalities.

Efficacy of Interventional Programs in Reducing Acculturative Stress and Enhancing Adjustment of International Students to the New Host Educational Environment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This review aimed to systematically outline and meta-analyze the efficacy of psychoeducational, cultural orientation, socio-cultural, and peer-pairing programs in reducing acculturative stress and enhancing adjustment among international students worldwide. The consulted databases were PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, EBSCO, and ProQuest. Eligibility criteria allowed the inclusion of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental trials without applying language, country, publication type or time restrictions. The quality of the eligible studies was appraised by the RoB2 tool of Cochrane for RCTs and JBI critical appraisal tools for quasi-experimental trials. Data items were collected based on PICO acronym by two investigators and reviewed for accuracy by a third one. The evidence was narratively synthesized and validated by proceeding with a random model meta-analysis using Cochrane RevMan software(Version 5.4). The quality of the pooled evidence from meta-analysis was assessed using the tool of GRADE. Out of 29,975 retrieved records, 14 studies (six RCTs and eight quasi-experimental trials) were included. The psychoeducational program significantly reduced acculturative stress and enhanced adjustment. In contrast, cultural orientation and peer-pairing programs significantly enhanced adjustment, but could not reduce acculturative stress. In meta-analysis, acculturative stress was significantly reduced in the psychoeducational intervention versus controls [overall pooled size effect = −3.89 (95% CI: −5.42, −2.53) at p < 0.001]. Similarly, adjustment was significantly enhanced in the psychoeducation and socio-cultural interventions versus control [overall pooled size effect = 3.10 (95% CI: 2.35, 3.85) at p < 0.001]. In conclusion, the psychoeducational program demonstrated superior efficacy in reducing acculturative stress and enhancing adjustment compared to the other interventional programs. However, socio-cultural programs have still been effective in enhancing adjustment. This systematic review is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42018104211).

Programa psicoeducativo para personas adultas mayores: una propuesta desde el enfoque humanista que promueve bienestar psicológico

Aging is the final result of the sum of chronological, functional, and social age. Psychological well-being is the effort to perfect one's potential. Objective: to propose a psychoeducational program with a humanistic approach that promotes psychological well-being in institutionalized older adults. Method: it is proposed to work with a non-probability sampling and an intentional selection. Participants, men and women 65 years of age and over. Approach: qualitative and the design is pre-experimental. The type of study is descriptive of transversal temporality. Instruments: Sociodemographic data sheets, Mini Mental Examination Test, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) and Riff's Scale of Psychological Well-being, Semi-structured individual interview guide and Evolution notes. The results: It is proposed to work in 2 weekly frequencies for 10 sessions divided into 3 stages: diagnosis, intervention, evaluation and closure. Conclusions: It is necessary to offer a program that includes the psychological sphere and promotes the dimensions of autonomy, self-acceptance and relationships with others. Recommendations: Multidisciplinary care and insist on public policies aimed at older adults.

Preliminary Results of the Effects of a Psychoeducational Program on Stress and Quality of Life Among French Parents of an Autistic Child

The objective was to evaluate the impact of a psychoeducational program on the stress and quality of life of parents with an autistic child. In total, 20 parents attended a shortened version (SV group) of the program and 15 others a complete version (CV group). An assessment of perceived stress, parenting stress, and quality of life was performed before (T0), after (T1), and 6 months after the program (T2). Parental satisfaction was measured at T1. Parents in the CV group appeared to be significantly less stressed, and there was a significant improvement in certain areas of their quality of life (relationship with the child, psychological well-being, and personal fulfillment). No significant effects were observed in the SV group. Both groups highly appreciated the program. These results confirm the need to offer support to parents after receiving a diagnosis of autism for their child.

Challenges for Adolescents With Congenital Heart Defects/Chronic Rheumatic Heart Disease and What They Need: Perspectives From Patients, Parents and Health Care Providers at the Institut Jantung Negara (National Heart Institute), Malaysia

ObjectivesThis study aimed to describe the experiences and challenges faced by adolescents with moderate and severe congenital heart defects (CHD) or Chronic Rheumatic Heart Disease (CRHD) and to determine their needs in order to develop an Adolescent Transition Psychoeducational Program.MethodsThe study involved seven adolescents with moderate to severe CHD/CRHD, six parents, and four health care providers in Institute Jantung Negara (National Heart Institute). Participants were invited for a semi-structured interview. Qualitative data were analyzed through the Atlas.ti 7 program using triangulation methods.Results/conclusionsWe identified five themes concerning the experience and challenges of adolescents relating to: (1) emotional/psychological issues; (2) the progress of the illness; (3) relationship issues; (4) future preparation; and, (5) school and community. These themes were identified together with eleven subcategories. The staff expressed support for the development of the Adolescent Transition Psychoeducational Program and adolescents with CHD/CRHD and their parents were willing to participate in the program if their schedule allowed. Their suggestions to improve the program were classified into six categories, with two main themes, (1) the self-management of illness in life and the future; and, (2) social support. In conclusion, the findings from the situation analysis act as a basis for a conceptual framework that will contribute to the development of an Adolescent Transition Psychoeducational Program that aims to empower adolescents with CHD/CRHD, enabling them to manage challenges during the transition phase between childhood and adulthood.

The Effectiveness of a Psychoeducational Program in Increasing Mental Health Knowledge in Collegiate Athletes: A Critically Appraised Topic

Focused Clinical Question: Does the implementation of a psychoeducational program increase mental health knowledge among collegiate student-athletes? Clinical Bottom Line: There is consistent, limited-quality patient-oriented evidence to suggest that implementation of a psychoeducational program is effective in increasing mental health knowledge in collegiate student-athletes based on the guidelines of the strength of recommendation taxonomy.

Psychoeducational Program for the Family Member Caregivers of People with Dementia to Reduce Perceived Burden and Increase Patient’s Quality of Life: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Dementia is one of the world’s greatest public health issues. Most people with dementia receive home care, and family members are vulnerable to feeling burdened and depressed that reinforces the need for caregiver-driven services to mitigate these negative effects. Objective: The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effect of the psychoeducational program on burden and quality of life of family caregivers for people with dementia. Methods: This randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted on 60 family caregivers. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either the 8-session psychoeducational program (study group) or routine care only (control group). The demographic data of the caregivers and their patients, the burden of caregivers using Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), and the quality of life of the patients using Quality of Life in Alzheimer Disease (QoL-AD) questionnaire were measured before and after the psychoeducational program and compared between the study group and the control group. Results: The results revealed that 80% of the family caregivers were female and 42% were daughters. The mean ± SD of the baseline burden was 61 ± 13.7 and 60.9 ± 10 in the study and the control group, respectively. ZBI burden score in the study group demonstrated a significant drop after the psychoeducational program compared to the control group. Logistic regression analysis showed that caregivers who received the psychoeducational program have OR (95% CI) of 14 (3.1-67.8) compared to those who did not receive the psychoeducational program. Conclusions: Psychoeducational program is effective in reducing the family caregivers’ perceived burden. These findings need to be considered in developing comprehensive dementia care programs to well increase the strategies that help caregivers to deal with their patients.

The Effect of a Pilot Group Psycho-education Program on the Death Attitude and Life Perception in the Case of an Adult with Intellectual Disabilities

Often people with intellectual disabilities are protected from exposure to death, dying and end-of-life issues, but this protection leaves the person unprepared for the grieving of unavoidable losses, and unaware of the changes implied by the old age of their caregivers. Considering the person with an intellectual disability as an immature being, lacking the ability to feel complex emotions, contributes to the tendency that both professionals and families have to avoid speaking with them about the difficult topic of death. Our goal is to design and implement a psychoeducational program that approaches the topic of death as a natural stage in life, for adults with intellectual disabilities. The effects that psychoeducation about death had on both death attitude and the perception of life are discussed based on a case presentation of one of the group members.