Brain–Machine Interfaces as Commodities: Exchanging Mind for Matter

Brain–machine interfaces (BMIs), which enable a two-way flow of signals, information, and directions between human neurons and computerized machines, offer spectacular opportunities for therapeutic and consumer applications, but they also present unique dangers to the safety, privacy, psychological health, and spiritual well-being of their users. The sale of these devices as commodities for profit exacerbates such issues and may subject the user to an unequal exchange with corporations. Catholic healthcare professionals and bioethicists should be especially concerned about the implications for the essential dignity of the persons using the new BMIs. Summary: The commercial sale of brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) generates and exacerbates problems for end-users' safety, psychological health, and spiritual well-being.

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The Psychological Impact of Coronavirus Pandemic Restrictions in Italy. The Mediating Role of the Fear of COVID-19 in the Relationship between Positive and Negative Affect with Positive and Negative Outcomes

European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education ◽

10.3390/ejihpe11030050 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 697-710

Author(s):

Andrea Zammitti ◽

Chiara Imbrogliera ◽

Angela Russo ◽

Rita Zarbo ◽

Paola Magnano

Keyword(s):

Negative Affect ◽

Psychological Health ◽

Well Being ◽

Future Research ◽

Positive And Negative Affect ◽

Ptsd Symptoms ◽

Negative Outcomes ◽

Event Scale ◽

Spiritual Well Being ◽

The Relationship

Italy was quickly hit hard by the coronavirus. ‘Lockdown’ has significantly impacted the psychological health, personal wellbeing and quality of life of the people. The study aims to explore the relationship between positive and negative affect, as well as positive (spiritual well-being and flourishing) and negative outcomes (psychological distress caused by a traumatic life event in terms of perception of PTSD symptoms) on Italian adults during the lockdown period. Data was collected between April and May 2020. The participants were 281 Italian adults aged between 18 and 73 years. The survey was composed of the following measures: Flourishing Scale, Jarel Spiritual Well-Being scale, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, Impact of Event Scale—Revised, Fear of COVID-19. The mediational analysis shows that fear of COVID-19 fully mediates the relationship between negative affect and spiritual well-being and flourishing; fear of COVID-19 partially mediates the relationship between negative affect and PTSD symptoms; the positive affect shows only direct effects on positive outcomes. Therefore, fear of COVID-19 does not play any mediation role. Implications for psychological interventions and future research will be discussed.

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Spiritual Well-Being and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.626944 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Ilaria Coppola ◽

Nadia Rania ◽

Rosa Parisi ◽

Francesca Lagomarsino

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Family Relationships ◽

Psychological Health ◽

Protective Factor ◽

Well Being ◽

Great Difficulty ◽

Coping Resources ◽

Stress Factors ◽

Difficult Situation ◽

Spiritual Well Being

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, people and families experienced a new and sudden situation that forced them to stay in their homes for a long period (February 25- May 26). In this context, many people found themselves in great difficulty, not only because of the fear of contagion or the economic problems deriving from the closure of production activities but also because the virus profoundly changed the way of life in society. The “Social distancing” concept became central in all personal relationships, including close family relationships. In this situation, our paper seeks to understand the role of spirituality and religiosity in reacting to this difficult situation and in particular on the physical and psychological health of the people involved. The data we present here are part of a multidisciplinary research with a quantitative theoretical framework. As the data was collected during the first Italian lockdown, a total of 1,250 adults from all over Italy participated in the on-line questionnaire. Among the main results it emerged that the participants perceived lower levels of spiritual well-being and mental health than the pre-pandemic situation with a significant gender difference; in fact, women perceived lower mental health than men. At the same time, it is evident that spirituality and religious practices are a protective factor connected not only with psychological and mental but also physical health. Finally, it appears evident that the family is a protective factor with respect to mental health, even in a period so full of stress factors, those who did not live alone and especially those who had to take care of small children reported higher perceived mental health and a greater ability to activate coping resources.

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Combining end-user recruitment methods for usability testing of eTriage Service

Finnish Journal of eHealth and eWelfare ◽

10.23996/fjhw.82596 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Marja Helmi Ylilehto ◽

Eini Saarivesi ◽

Jarmo Reponen ◽

Pia Liljamo

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Digital Health ◽

Participation Rate ◽

Usability Testing ◽

Well Being ◽

Active Role ◽

End Users ◽

Site Testing ◽

Recruitment Methods ◽

Online Recruiting

The Finnish national eHealth and eSocial strategy emphasizes citizens’ active role in promoting their own well-being by improving information management and implementing self-management and online services. In the Emergency Hub, part of the Finnish online health portal (Health Village), an eTriage Service is being developed by ICT experts and healthcare professionals. To make the eTriage Service available to the public, the user interface must comply with relevant quality and safety regulations. The aim of this paper is to describe the recruitment methods used for eTriage Service usability testing and the feasibility of those methods. The results of the actual usability testing are not discussed in this article. Two different recruiting methods were combined: online recruiting with remote testing and organized on-site testing occasions. A total of 219 volunteer end-users were recruited and 115 (52.5%) of them performed the usability testing. A better participation rate was achieved with organized on-site testing occasions, but the method consumed significantly more time and effort on the part of developers. A sufficient number and variety of end-users were recruited by combining different recruiting methods. Online recruiting with remote usability testing helps reduce the costs and effort of developers but may require a longer period of time to achieve a sufficient number of testers. A complex or highly novel, self-performing test process without any support might affect negatively the number of testers available by the online recruitment. It also seems that usability testing for digital health services can be more attractive to healthcare professionals than to persons with no healthcare education background.

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Qigong Exercise in Frailty, Psychological Health, and Spiritual Well-Being of Middle-Aged and Older Blacks

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.575 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 178-178

Author(s):

Pei-Shiun Chang ◽

Yvonne Lu ◽

Susan Ofner ◽

Chi Nguyen

Keyword(s):

African Americans ◽

Psychological Health ◽

Exercise Intervention ◽

Well Being ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Spiritual Well Being ◽

Potential Benefits ◽

To Receive

Abstract Interventions are needed to address the frailty and psychological health in middle-aged and older African Americans. Qigong, a traditional medicine exercise, consists of gentle body movements, breathing exercise, and meditation. The benefits of Qigong exercise have been widely reported in Asian adults but there have been no known studies testing Qigong exercise in the African American population. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the potential benefits of an 8-week Qigong exercise in physical and functional ability, balance, frailty, depression and anxiety, and spiritual well-being in community-dwelling middle-aged African Americans using a single group design. Fifteen African Americans aged 45 to 85 years were recruited to receive Qigong exercise over 16 bi-weekly, one-hour sessions. The Layers Module that unfolds the complex multidimensional benefits of Qigong exercise on physical, mental, and spiritual dimensions was used to guide the outcome measures. Data were collected at baseline and 14 days post intervention. Results showed positive trends in repeat chair stands, physical function, and spiritual well-being (p<0.05) with effect sizes ranging from 0.45 to 0.87. Despite no significance, over 52% of the participants showed improved depression scores, fast gait speed, and standing balance than baseline. Nearly 42% demonstrated some levels of frailty improvement than the baseline. No adverse events related to Qigong exercise intervention was reported. Qigong exercise is a potentially promising intervention which needs further testing in a randomized clinical trial.

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Wounded healers: a call for spiritual care towards healthcare professionals in time of COVID-19 pandemic

Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/pubmed/fdaa232 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Philip Joseph D Sarmiento

Keyword(s):

Spiritual Care ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Well Being ◽

Medical Community ◽

Care Programme ◽

Health Crisis ◽

Spiritual Well Being ◽

To Come ◽

Wounded Healers

Abstract In recent correspondences and articles published, the role of religious and spiritual interventions has been discussed for the attention of the medical community in the time of COVID-19 pandemic and part of these interventions is to provide spiritual care. Attention has been given to provide spiritual care among COVID-19 patients. However, there is also a dire need to offer spiritual care towards healthcare professionals because they, too, are ‘wounded healers’. This paper discusses the urgent call for the medical and spiritual communities to come up with comprehensive spiritual care programme for healthcare professionals so that they may attain spiritual well-being as they serve in the frontlines, risking their lives and providing spiritual care to patients especially in this trying times of the pandemic as a public health crisis.

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Effects of Qigong Exercise on Physical and Psychological Health among African Americans

Western Journal of Nursing Research ◽

10.1177/0193945920959067 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 019394592095906

Author(s):

Pei-Shiun Chang ◽

Yvonne Lu ◽

Chi Mai Nguyen ◽

Youngnok Suh ◽

Mary Luciani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

African Americans ◽

Psychological Health ◽

Well Being ◽

College Level ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

Physical Ability ◽

Spiritual Well Being ◽

Potential Benefits ◽

Physical And Psychological Health ◽

And Function

Interventions are needed to address physical and psychological health in middle-aged and older African Americans (AAs). The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility and potential benefits of an eight-week Qigong exercise on physical ability and function, balance, frailty, depression and anxiety, and spiritual well-being in AAs using a single-group design. Fifteen AAs with a mean age of 64 years received Qigong exercise over 16 semi-weekly, one-hour sessions. The majority were female (93.3%) and college-level educated (53.3%). Repeat chair stands, physical function, and spiritual well-being improved significantly ( p < .05) with effect sizes ranging from .45 to .87. Over 52% of participants showed improved depression scores, fast gait speed, and standing balance. Nearly 42% demonstrated some frailty improvement over baseline. No adverse events were reported. Qigong exercise potentially improves the physical ability and function, and spiritual well-being of AAs and needs further testing in a randomized clinical trial.

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The Old Adults’ Emotional Wellness and Spiritual Well-being with an Emphasis on Physical Activity during COVID-19 Pandemic

Iranian Journal Of Health Sciences ◽

10.18502/jhs.v9i4.8216 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Houriyhe Dehghanpouri ◽

Safiye Ebrahimi ◽

Hossein Donyapour ◽

Mansoureh Mokaberian

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Psychological Health ◽

Well Being ◽

The Elderly ◽

Psychological Research ◽

Statistical Population ◽

Old Adults ◽

The People ◽

Emotional Wellness ◽

Spiritual Well Being

Background and Purpose: COVID-19 pandemic is a challenge for improving health during lockdown. Unfortunately, the concern which is expressed as for the welfare and the health of the elderly contradicts the actions undertaken for their health and welfare. The psychological research conducted during COVID-19 pandemic rarely include the people over 60 years old. Hence, the purpose of the current study was to compare emotional wellness and psychological health of active and inactive old adults in Shahrood city with an emphasis on physical activity during COVID-19 pandemic. The subject of the present research is an interdisciplinary one. Materials and Methods: The current study was a practical descriptive survey. The statistical population of the research were all the elderly aged over 60 years in Shahrood in 2020 (based on the latest census equal to 17173 people). The sample size was estimated based on Cochran formula following convenience sampling method. The data collection tool was a questionnaire, and the data were analyzed using SPSS and Excel Software. Results: The findings indicated that the level of emotional wellness and spiritual well-being of active old adults was more than that of inactive old adults, and inactive old adults had higher levels of unpleasant feelings than active old adults. Conclusion: Based on the findings, it is essential that the elderly keep doing the recommended amount of exercise and physical activity. Although this could be challenging for them both to have access to sport clubs and parks and to follow health protocols, there are extensive creative activities which could be replaced in order to stay in health and active at home.

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