The importance of adaptive coping, peer support, psychological input, team resilience, and supportive management among fire and rescue service workers in maintaining wellbeing throughout the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey

Background: The efficacy of specific interventions also of mind-body medicine is also dependent on the patients' ability to engage in these interventions and to perceive and change health-affecting attitudes and behaviors. The aim was to validate a 13-item instrument to measure (1) the patients' perception of specific attitudes and behaviors that are assumed to have a negative influence on the health situation, (2) their intention to change them, and (3) the implementation of the intended changes in their life affairs. Patients and Methods: Anonymous cross-sectional survey among 512 patients with chronic pain conditions (mean age 42.6 ± 11.4 years; 58% women) using standardized instruments. Results: After the elimination of 4 items, an explorative factor analysis of the 9 remaining items indicated 2 factors that would explain 57% of the variance: Perceptions/Intentions (5 items; Cronbach's alpha = 0.75) and Ability/ Implementation (4 items; alpha = 0.77). Factor 2 correlated moderately to strongly with internal adaptive coping strategies (AKU) and situational awareness (CPSC), and weakly with mental health (SF-36), life satisfaction (BMLSS), and low depressive symptoms (BDI) and escape from illness (Escape). Factor 1 correlated weakly with age and adaptive coping strategies (AKU). Conclusions: The final 9-item Perception, Intention and Ability to Change (PIAC) scale was approved as a short, practicable and promising instrument, which should be further evaluated in the context of training and intervention programs, particularly with respect to its predictive relevance.

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Proactive telephone-based peer support for breastfeeding: a cross-sectional survey of women’s experiences of receiving support in the RUBY randomised controlled trial

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040412 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. e040412

Author(s):

Fiona E McLardie-Hore ◽

Helen L McLachlan ◽

Touran Shafiei ◽

Della A Forster

Keyword(s):

Randomised Controlled Trial ◽

Peer Support ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Text Messages ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Women’S Experiences ◽

Women's Experiences ◽

Randomised Controlled ◽

Perceived Helpfulness

ObjectiveThe Ringing Up about Breastfeeding earlY (RUBY) randomised controlled trial (RCT) of proactive telephone-based peer support for breastfeeding found that infants of women allocated to the intervention were more likely to be receiving breast milk at 6 months of age than those receiving usual care. This study explores women’s experiences of receiving the RUBY peer support intervention.DesignCross-sectional survey.SettingWomen were recruited from the postnatal units of three tertiary hospitals in Melbourne, Australia.ParticipantsWomen allocated to receive telephone peer support in the RUBY RCT who completed a telephone interview at 6 months postpartum (501/574 (87%) in trial intervention arm) were invited to complete a postal survey on their experience of receiving support.OutcomesExperiences of support from the allocated peer, perceived helpfulness, topics discussed, overall satisfaction with the support and frequency and duration of contact were explored.ResultsSurveys were sent between August 2013 and March 2016, and 72% (360/501) responded of whom 341 recalled receiving peer support. Women reported high levels of perceived helpfulness (79%) and overall satisfaction with the peer support (93%). Discussions included breastfeeding topics (milk supply, attachment), baby care, baby behaviour, and reassurance and emotional support. Women valued the practical and realistic support from another mother, as well as the proactive nature, continuity and accessibility of the support. The empathy, reassurance and encouragement provided helped the mothers to ‘cope’, to continue breast feeding and to feel empowered.ConclusionMost respondents were positive about their experience of receiving proactive telephone peer support for breastfeeding, further supporting the roll-out of this model as a strategy for increasing breastfeeding maintenance to 6 months. Recommendations include flexibility in the scheduling of calls according to individual need, and the use of text messages in conjunction with proactive calls, to enhance and facilitate communication between the peer and the mother.Trial registration numberACTRN12612001024831.

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Preferences for models of peer support in the digital era: A cross-sectional survey of people with cancer

Psycho-Oncology ◽

10.1002/pon.4781 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 27 (9) ◽

pp. 2148-2154 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Allison Boyes ◽

Heidi Turon ◽

Alix Hall ◽

Rochelle Watson ◽

Anthony Proietto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Peer Support ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Digital Era

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The moderating effect of coworkers’ training participation on the influence of peer support in the transfer process

European Journal of Training and Development ◽

10.1108/ejtd-07-2021-0102 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Janos Salamon ◽

Brian D. Blume ◽

Gábor Orosz ◽

Tamás Nagy

Keyword(s):

Peer Support ◽

Training Programs ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Training Transfer ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Content Type ◽

Motivation To Transfer ◽

The Impact ◽

And Training

Purpose The impact of the number of coworkers participating in training on transfer outcomes has largely been overlooked. This paper aims to examine whether the number of coworkers participating in training interacts with peer support (PS) to influence training motivation and transfer. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using a cross-sectional survey from a sample of 688 employees working in 14 midsize and large companies. All participants were recent trainees in various open skill (e.g. leadership) training programs. Moderated mediation was used to test the hypotheses. Findings Motivation to transfer (MTT) mediated the relationship between PS and perceived training transfer. When more coworkers participated in the training, PS had a stronger influence on trainee MTT. Practical implications Organizations should consider training coworker cohorts at the same time to influence MTT and training transfer. Generally, whole-team training programs could be used to boost training transfer outcomes, although it could potentially have a negative impact on transfer if PS is low. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this was the first study to demonstrate that the number of coworkers participating in training can moderate the effect of PS on MTT and training transfer.

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WeChat-based mHealth intention and preferences among people living with schizophrenia

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.10550 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. e10550

Author(s):

Shuiyuan Xiao ◽

Tongxin Li ◽

Wei Zhou ◽

Minxue Shen ◽

Yu Yu

Keyword(s):

Peer Support ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Rapid Expansion ◽

Professional Support ◽

World Health ◽

General Question ◽

Program Participation ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Stage Of Development

Background The past few decades have seen a rapid expansion of mHealth programs among people with serious mental illness, yet mHealth for schizophrenia is in a much earlier stage of development. This study examined the intention of WeChat-based mHealth programs among people living with schizophrenia (PLS) and evaluated correlates of the intention. Methods A total of 400 PLS aged 18–77 completed a cross-sectional survey by face-to-face interviews. The survey included a general question asking about participants’ willingness to attend WeChat-based mHealth programs, followed by preferences of three specific WeChat-based programs: psychoeducation, peer support, and professional support. PLS symptoms, functioning and disability were measured using the 18-item Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS-18), the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), and the 12-item World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0), respectively. A multivariate logistic regression was used to determine correlates of program participation intention. Results Over forty percent (43%, n = 172) of participants were willing to participate in WeChat-based mHealth programs, among whom preferences for each specific program were shown in descending order: psychoeducation (68.60%), professional support (60.47%), and peer support (52.33%). A multivariate analysis revealed that younger age (OR: 0.13–0.20, 95% CI [0.05–0.43]), higher education (OR: 3.48–6.84, 95% CI [1.69–18.21]), and lower disability (OR: 0.97, 95% CI [0.94–0.99]) were all independently associated with WeChat-based mHealth program participation intention. Conclusion The findings provide guidance for further development of WeChat-based mHealth programs among PLS in China, and targeted at those who are younger, well-educated and with lower disability.

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Social Worker Well-being: A Large Mixed-Methods Study

The British Journal of Social Work ◽

10.1093/bjsw/bcaa078 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

J M Ravalier ◽

P McFadden ◽

C Boichat ◽

O Clabburn ◽

J Moriarty

Keyword(s):

Mixed Methods ◽

Social Workers ◽

Peer Support ◽

Working Conditions ◽

Turnover Intentions ◽

Well Being ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Managerial Support

Abstract Social workers play a vital role in maintaining and improving the lives of the service users that they work with. Despite this, the role is replete with high levels of stress-related sickness absence, turnover intentions and low levels of jobs satisfaction in addition to poor working conditions. This study sought to further investigate working conditions in the UK social workers, as well as the reasons for these working conditions via a mixed-methods survey and interview study. A total of 3,421 responses were gained from the cross-sectional survey which looked at working conditions, perceived stress, job satisfaction and turnover intentions (both migration and attrition), with the semi-structured interview schedule (n = 15) based on survey findings and analysed via thematic analysis continuing through to saturation. Similar to 2018, results demonstrated poor working conditions, irrespective of job role, and regression analysis suggested each of demands, control, managerial support, role and change influenced stress. Qualitative results found that workload, lack of managerial support and service user/family abuse were distinct demands associated with the role, whereas buffering positive resources were the social work role, peer support and positive managerial support. Implications for managerial practice, and harnessing the positive experience of peer support, are discussed.

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Motivation for COVID-19 Vaccination in Priority Occupational Groups: A Cross-Sectional Survey

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph182111726 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (21) ◽

pp. 11726

Author(s):

Ladislav Štěpánek ◽

Magdaléna Janošíková ◽

Marie Nakládalová ◽

Kateřina Ivanová ◽

Jakub Macík ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Services ◽

Social Service ◽

University Hospital ◽

Security Force ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Occupational Groups ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Service Workers ◽

Social Service Workers

Due to the limited availability of COVID-19 vaccines, occupational groups with priority access were identified prior to vaccination. The study aimed to analyze motives for vaccination in these occupational groups. Methods: Members of occupational groups, who were vaccinated at the vaccination center of University Hospital Olomouc before 30 April 2021, were asked to fill in an online questionnaire. Results: A total of 3224 completed questionnaires were obtained from 1332 healthcare workers, 1257 school employees, 363 social service workers, 210 security force members, and 62 critical infrastructure workers. The most frequent motive for vaccination was the effort to protect family members (76.2%), the effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in one’s profession (72.3%), followed by concerns about COVID-19 itself (49.1%) and exemptions from anti-epidemic measures (36.8%). Only for social services, the motive focused on one’s profession was mentioned more often (75.2%) than the motive focused on the family (71.1%). At the level of detailed profession-oriented motives, a collegial effort of security force members to protect co-workers and not to endanger the workplace was dominant. Conclusions: The effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the professional environment is a strong motive for vaccination, and strongest among social service workers.

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Cross-Sectional Survey of Viral Testing on Nasopharyngeal Aspirates by Laboratories in the UK –

The Physician ◽

10.38192/1.6.1.c14 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. c14

Author(s):

Varathagini Balakumar ◽

Paul Turner ◽

Siba Paul

Keyword(s):

Hospital Admissions ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Common Cause ◽

Viral Testing ◽

The Uk ◽

Supportive Management ◽

Acute Viral Bronchiolitis

Acute viral bronchiolitis is the most common cause of hospital admissions among infants in the UK. The diagnosis is primarily clinical with most infants requiring supportive management. RSV is the main cause and routine confirmation has, until recently, been undertaken via nasopharyngeal swabs or aspirates (NPA).

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Pathways between depression, substance use and multiple sex partners among Northern and Indigenous young women in the Northwest Territories, Canada: results from a cross-sectional survey

Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽

10.1136/sextrans-2017-053265 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 94 (8) ◽

pp. 604-606 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Carmen H Logie ◽

Candice Lys ◽

Moses Okumu ◽

Cristina Leone

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Substance Use ◽

Sexual Health ◽

Peer Support ◽

Young Women ◽

Sex Partners ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Multiple Sex Partners ◽

History Of

ObjectivesSexual and mental health disparities exist in the Northwest Territories (NWT) compared with other Canadian regions. STI rates are 10-fold higher, and youth suicide rates double the Canadian average. Scant research has examined associations between mental and sexual health among youth in the NWT. The study objective was to explore pathways from depression to multiple sex partners (MSP) among young women in the NWT, Canada.MethodsWe implemented a cross-sectional survey in 2015–2016 with a venue-based recruitment sample of young women aged 13–17 attending secondary schools in 17 NWT communities. We conducted path analysis to test a conceptual model examining associations between depression and a history of MSP, examining substance use and peer support as mediators.ResultsParticipants (n=199; mean age: 13.8, SD: 1.27) mostly identified were Indigenous (n=154; 77.4%) and one-fifth (n=39; 20.5%) were sexually diverse/non-heterosexual. Almost two-thirds (n=119; 63.3%) reported depression symptoms. One-quarter (n=53; 26.6%) were currently dating, and 16.1% (n=32) reported a lifetime history of >1 sex partner (classified as having MSP). There was no direct effect between depression and MSP (β=0.189, p=0.087, 95% CI 0.046 to 0.260). Depression had a direct effect on substance use (β=0.023, p<0.050, 95% CI 0.118 to 0.500), and an indirect effect on MSP through substance use (β=0.498, SE=0.10, p<0.001, 95% CI 0.141 to 0.280). Depression was associated with lower peer support (β=−0.168, p<0.010, 95% CI −0.126 to 0.280); peer support was not associated with MSP (β=−0.158, p=0.130, 95% CI −0.126 to 0.001).ConclusionThis research is among the first to identify mental health factors associated with STI vulnerability among young women in the NWT. Findings demonstrate the importance of addressing depression and substance use in sexual health interventions in Northern contexts.

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Testing the Strain Theory of Suicide – The Moderating Role of Social Support

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000604 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (2) ◽

pp. 82-88 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Bob Lew ◽

Ksenia Chistopolskaya ◽

Yanzheng Liu ◽

Mansor Abu Talib ◽

Olga Mitina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Suicidal Behavior ◽

Online Survey ◽

Perceived Social Support ◽

Strain Theory ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Psychological Strains ◽

Moderating Role

Abstract. Background: According to the strain theory of suicide, strains, resulting from conﬂicting and competing pressures in an individual's life, are hypothesized to precede suicide. But social support is an important factor that can mitigate strains and lessen their input in suicidal behavior. Aims: This study was designed to assess the moderating role of social support in the relation between strain and suicidality. Methods: A sample of 1,051 employees were recruited in Beijing, the capital of China, through an online survey. Moderation analysis was performed using SPSS PROCESS Macro. Social support was measured with the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and strains were assessed with the Psychological Strains Scale. Results: Psychological strains are a good predictor of suicidality, and social support, a basic need for each human being, moderates and decreases the effects of psychological strains on suicidality. Limitations: The cross-sectional survey limited the extent to which conclusions about causal relationships can be drawn. Furthermore, the results may not be generalized to the whole of China because of its diversity. Conclusion: Social support has a tendency to mitigate the effects of psychological strains on suicidality.

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