scholarly journals Exploring the Complexities of Postpartum Sexual Health

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deirdre O’Malley ◽  
Agnes Higgins ◽  
Valerie Smith
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Health ◽  
Sexual Intercourse ◽  
Sexual Desire ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Perineal Trauma ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Prevalence Studies ◽  
Mode Of Birth

Abstract Purpose of Review This paper explores the complexities of postpartum sexual health. It answers the question on what should be considered normal sexual health after birth and what should be considered abnormal. Recent Findings Many women experience physical sexual health issues in the months after birth, such as dyspareunia, lack of vaginal lubrication and a loss of sexual desire. For some women, these issues can persist 12 and 18 months after birth. Mode of birth is not associated with long-term dyspareunia 6 and 12 months after birth. There is conflict seen in the literature with regard to the association between perineal trauma and short-and long-term sexual health. Breastfeeding and the existence of pre-existing sexual health issues are strongly predictive of sexual health issues at 6 and 12 months after birth. Women have described a discordance in their sexual desire to that of their partner, for some this caused distress but for couples who communicated their feelings of sexual desire, concern over baby’s well-being and adapting to parenthood distress was not experienced. Resuming sexual intercourse after birth was not spontaneous, women considered their mode of birth, the presence of perineal trauma and their physical and emotional recovery from birth. One fifth of women had not resumed sexual intercourse 12 weeks after birth. Summary A discussion is presented on the challenges associated with viewing postpartum sexual health from a physical perspective only, and why prevalence studies alone do not capture the nuances of postpartum sexual health. Future research needs to take account of the psychosocial and relational dimensions of postpartum sexual health as well as physical dimensions.

scholarly journals Mental Health in Women Living With HIV: The Unique and Unmet Needs

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 232595822098566
Author(s):  
Elizabeth M. Waldron ◽  
Inger Burnett-Zeigler ◽  
Victoria Wee ◽  
Yiukee Warren Ng ◽  
Linda J. Koenig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Treatment ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Women Living With Hiv ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Hiv Management ◽  
Living With Hiv

Women living with HIV (WLWH) experience depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms at higher rates than their male counterparts and more often than HIV-unaffected women. These mental health issues affect not only the well-being and quality of life of WLWH, but have implications for HIV management and transmission prevention. Despite these ramifications, WLWH are under-treated for mental health concerns and they are underrepresented in the mental health treatment literature. In this review, we illustrate the unique mental health issues faced by WLWH such as a high prevalence of physical and sexual abuse histories, caregiving stress, and elevated internalized stigma as well as myriad barriers to care. We examine the feasibility and outcomes of mental health interventions that have been tested in WLWH including cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based interventions, and supportive counseling. Future research is required to address individual and systemic barriers to mental health care for WLWH.

scholarly journals Identifying and overcoming barriers to healthier lives

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riz Firestone ◽  
Tevita Funaki ◽  
Sally Dalhousie ◽  
Akarere Henry ◽  
Mereaumate Vano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Healthier Living ◽  
Sociocultural Experiences ◽  
Diet And Lifestyle ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Improve Health

Understanding the key determinants of health from a community perspective is essential to address and improve the health and wellbeing of its members.  This qualitative study aimed to explore and better understand New Zealand-based Pasifika communities’ sociocultural experiences and knowledge of health and wellbeing. Fifty-seven participants were involved in six separate focus groups. Community coordinators co-facilitated and transcribed the discussions and conducted thematic analysis. The findings suggested two overarching themes: (1) ‘Pasifika experiences on poor health and well-being’: were based on sub-themes: (i) ‘recognisable issues’ (e.g., poor diet and lifestyle behaviours); (ii) ‘systemic issues’ that support the perpetual health issues (e.g., lack of knowledge and education) and; (iii) ‘profound issues’ that are often unspoken of and create long-term barriers (e.g., cultural lifestyle and responsibilities).  (2) ‘Hopes and dreams’ to improve health and well-being requires: (i) a family-centric approach to health; (ii) tackling systemic barriers; and (iii) addressing community social justice issues.  This study provides deepened insights on Pasifika communities’ understanding healthier living in the context of their cultural environment and family responsibilities. If we are to develop effective, sustainable programmes that prioritises health and well-being based on the needs of Pasifika communities, the findings from this study highlight their needs as step forward in overcoming barriers to healthier lives.

Exploring Emotional Intelligence at Work

2017 ◽  
pp. 346-363
Author(s):  
Irem Metin Orta ◽  
Selin Metin Camgoz
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Organizational Citizenship ◽  
Organizational Citizenship Behavior ◽  
Work Performance ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Citizenship Behavior ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Organizational Settings ◽  
Work Related

Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to perceive, understand, regulate, and use emotions. Organizational settings are now considered important arenas for the manifestation of human emotions. In order to establish long-term success, today's organizations continually emphasize the search for emotionally intelligent employees. This chapter provides a detailed overview of the current literature on emotional intelligence with respect to work-related attitudes, behaviors, and outcomes. In particular, it provides empirical evidence for the associations of emotional intelligence with job satisfaction, work performance, organizational commitment, organizational citizenship behavior, effective leadership, and well-being. This chapter also provides practical implications and suggestions for future research by addressing plausible moderators and mediators, which are related to emotional intelligence.

scholarly journals Resilience and disaster research

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 529-547
Author(s):  
Helena Bakić
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
Mental Health Disorder ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
The Individual

Disasters pose a significant threat to the long-term well-being of individuals, communities and societies. Therefore, studying resilience, defined as the process of maintaining and recovering psychological well-being after adversity, is crucial for disaster preparedness and mitigation. The aims of this paper are to summarize the historical context of resilience research, present the key concepts, discuss current measurement approaches and propose future research directions. Key determinants of resilience - risk, positive adaptation and resources - are discussed with the focus on studies of adults affected by disasters. This narrative review demonstrates that research up to date has focused mostly on finding the individual characteristics that predict the absence of psychopathology or mental health disorder symptoms, while other types of resources or dynamic relations between key aspects of resilience have been neglected. Future studies should aim to include multiple measurement points, high- and low-risk groups, long-term follow-up and broader perspectives on both psychological well-being and potential resources.

An iterative process for developing digital gamified sexual health education for adolescent students in low-tech settings

2019 ◽  
Vol 120 (11/12) ◽  
pp. 723-742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hussein Haruna ◽  
Zamzami Zainuddin ◽  
Robin R. Mellecker ◽  
Samuel K.W. Chu ◽  
Xiao Hu
Keyword(s):  
Health Education ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Sexual Health Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Adolescent Students ◽  
Adolescent Reproductive Health ◽  
Gamified Learning

Purpose Digital technology has great potential for educating today’s digitally oriented adolescents on health. In particular, digital health gamified learning can make the promotion of the sexual well-being of adolescents more effective. Although venereal diseases such as HIV/AIDS have become a greater problem in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries than in any country outside of Africa, little is publicly known about the development of gamified learning for use in counter-measures. This paper aims to address that deficit by presenting the process of developing one such game. The paper highlights how the “My Future Begins Today” game for sexual health education was developed, evaluated and refined in the real-world of low-tech settings and made improvements based on the response of users. Design/methodology/approach Design-based research (DBR) was used to guide the design, develop, test and refine the digital game in iterative cycles. The evaluation of the effectiveness of iterations of the game was done using adolescent sexual health literacy tests and the validated Motivation, Attitude, Knowledge and Engagement framework, the authors developed based on existing approaches. That framework combines the elements of motivation, attitude, knowledge and engagement, effectiveness was evaluated based on the game’s ability to motivate students, improve their attitudes, increase their acquisition of knowledge and engage them in learning self-rating surveys and interviews. The whole process of game design, testing, evaluation and refinement were underpinned by the activity theory, DBR and participatory design (PD) research. Findings Participants in the gamified learning platforms demonstrated higher average scores on their post-tests than their counterparts subjected to the traditional teaching classroom. Also, gamified learning groups commented positively on the effectiveness of their instructional approach than their counterparts in the traditional learning group. The stakeholders’ involvement in developing gamified learning provided a good understanding of the importance of the game to the adolescent students and how it was going to be used to address the problem identified. The application of PD contributed to the effectiveness of the game. It involved various actors from various fields who were relevant to the game. Also, engaging targeted users from the beginning resulted in the creation of a better correspondence with the preferences of end-users. Practical implications This study has contributed to a better understanding of sex education and knowledge in the area of adolescent reproductive health issues, using developed innovative game mechanics features and its applicability in low-tech settings. Originality/value The study will be a recommendation for future researchers in applying this gamified learning concept and its suitability in their teaching practice, particularly regarding sexual health education and adolescent reproductive health issues in low-tech settings of SSA.

scholarly journals Psychedelics and potential benefits in “healthy normals”: A review of the literature

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 280-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Gandy
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Functioning ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Life Meaning ◽  
Potential Development ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
High Doses ◽  
And Behavior

We are in the midst of a psychedelic research renaissance. With research examining the efficacy of psychedelics as a treatment for a range of mental health indications still in its early stages, there is an increasing body of research to show that careful use of psychedelics can yield a variety of benefits in “healthy normals” and so lead to “the betterment of well people.” Psychedelics have been found to modulate neuroplasticity, and usage in a supportive setting can result in enduring increases in traits such as well-being, life satisfaction, life meaning, mindfulness, and a variety of measures associated with prosocial behaviors and healthy psychological functioning. The effect of psychedelic experience on measures of personality trait openness and is potential implications is examined, and the potential role of awe as a mediator of the benefits of the psychedelic experience is discussed. Special attention is given to the capacity of psychedelics to increase measures of nature relatedness in an enduring sense, which is being correlated with a broad range of measures of psychological well-being as well as a key predictor of pro-environmental awareness and behavior. The effects of particular classical psychedelic compounds on healthy people are discussed, with special attention given to the mystical-type experiences occasioned by high doses of psychedelics, which appear to be an important mediator of long-term benefits and psychotherapeutic gains. Research looking at the potential benefits of psychedelic microdosing is discussed. Potential future research avenues are explored, focusing on the potential development of psychedelics as agents of ecotherapy.

Unemployment, Underemployment, Occupational Stress and Psychological Well-Being

2002 ◽  
Vol 27 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 137-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony H. Winefield
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Stress ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Research Interest ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
The Past ◽  
Considerable Research ◽  
Future Research Directions

Research on unemployment, underemployment and organisational stress have become major social issues over the past 20 years and have attracted considerable research interest on the part of organisational psychologists both in Australia and overseas. Globalisation has led to restructuring and downsizing in many industrialised societies and a shift, for many workers, from the prospect of secure, long-term employment, to unemployment or inadequate or insecure employment. This paper reviews the research on these topics, discusses their theoretical implications and suggests future research directions.

scholarly journals Effects of cumulative trauma load on long-term trajectories of life satisfaction and health in a population-based study

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Livia Sacchi ◽  
Mariia Merzhvynska ◽  
Mareike Augsburger
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Latent Variable ◽  
Traumatic Events ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Functional Adaptation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cumulative Trauma ◽  
Latent Variable Modelling ◽  
Latent Trajectories

Abstract Background Lifetime traumatic events are known to have a detrimental long-term impact on both mental and physical health. Yet, heterogeneity in the stress response regarding well-being in adults is not well understood. This study investigates effects of cumulative trauma on latent trajectories of two indices of well-being, subjective health and life satisfaction in a large representative sample by means of latent variable modelling techniques. Methods Data from the pairfam study wave 2–9, a longitudinal representative survey was used (N = 10,825). Individuals reported on lifetime trauma type exposure on wave 7 and indicated levels of life satisfaction and health at each wave. Different types of latent Variable Mixture Models were applied in an iterative fashion. Conditional models investigated effects of cumulative trauma load. Results The best fitting model indicated three latent trajectories for life, and four for health, respectively. Trauma load significantly predicted class membership: Higher exposure was associated with non-stable trajectories for both indices but followed complex patterns of both improving and decreasing life satisfaction and health. Trauma load also explained variability within classes. Conclusions The current study expands on evidence to the long-term development of health and life satisfaction in response to traumatic events from a latent variable modelling perspective. Besides detrimental effect, it also points to functional adaptation after initial decline and increased well-being associated with trauma exposure. Thus, response to traumatic stress is marked by great heterogeneity. Future research should focus on variables beyond exposure to trauma that can further identify individuals prone to trajectories of declining well-being.

Schools

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
India D. Rose ◽  
Daniela B. Friedman
Keyword(s):  
Health Education ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
School Nurses ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Sexual Health Education ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Integral Role ◽  
And Gender

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth are at disproportionate risk for HIV. Schools play an integral role in educating young people about sexual health in addition to providing sexual health services. This qualitative study examined SGM youths’ perception of school sexual health education and services. A total of 42 self-identified African American SGM males participated in focus groups or in an in-depth interview. Qualitative findings revealed that schools are missing the opportunity to educate SGM youth about sexual health. Youth participants noted several barriers to accessing sexual health education and services at schools including limited, targeted health information and school nurses not being knowledgeable of health issues that impact SGM youth. Participants noted that school sexual health services are not adequately marketed to students and sometimes do not include testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Suggestions for future research and implications for school nurses and sexual health services are discussed.

scholarly journals Differences in subjective age by filial caregiving status among US adults in mid and later life

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 808-808
Author(s):  
Hyojin Choi ◽  
Kristin Litzelman
Keyword(s):  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Chronological Age ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Subjective Age ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Subjective Aging

Abstract Subjective age is an important indicator of age identity and is associated with both psychological and physical well-being. Previous studies have revealed that older adults who feel younger than their chronological age show better health status, better life satisfaction, and less risk of mortality. Considerable evidence shows that stress contributes to feeling older than one’s chronological age. Given the fact that taking a caregiving role involves stress, it is expected that caregiving might accelerate subjective aging. This study examined the association between the stressor of caregiving and subjective age in mid and later life. Data were drawn from the Health and Retirement Study in 2014 and 2016. Participants aged 50 years and over (n=1,087) were identified according to adult-child caregiver status at across the two waves: those who provided care consecutively (long-term caregivers), those who became caregivers in 2016 (new caregivers), those who were no longer providing care in 2016 (recent caregivers), or those who did not report providing care in both 2014 and 2016 (non-caregivers). Linear regression analysis showed that new caregivers reported feeling older than their chronological age compared to non-caregivers. However, long-term or recent caregivers did not show significant differences in subjective age compared to non-caregivers. The finding is consistent with the stress process theory and adaptation hypothesis. Although the onset of caregiving stress may accelerate subjective aging, this deleterious effect may decrease over time due to family caregivers’ adaptability. Future research will examine the role of support, resilience and mastery in this pathway.

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