scholarly journals Psychological changes arising from an Antarctic stay: systematic overview

2013 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 415-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilene Zimmer ◽  
João Carlos Centurion Rodrigues Cabral ◽  
Fernanda Czarneski Borges ◽  
Karen Gonçalves Côco ◽  
Bianca da Rocha Hameister

Long-term stays in extreme environments, such as Polar Regions, may cause significant changes in the health and well-being of individuals. A systematic overview aimed to map studies about the psychological effects on Antarctic expeditioners. The reviewed data were categorized and divided into two thematic axes: Negative Effects, resulting from harmful psychophysiological variations caused by exposure to the polar stressors, which may present seasonal symptom patterns, altering cognitive performance, mood and interpersonal relationships; and Positive Effects, such as salutogenic results arising from successful adaption to environmental adversities. Due to the great deal of evidence, it is suggested that protection factors should be promoted through preventive approaches, such as psychological training and support in order to reduce symptoms and generate satisfactory adaptation to Antarctica.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anika Lehmann ◽  
Weishuang Zheng ◽  
Masahiro Ryo ◽  
Katharina Soutschek ◽  
Rebecca Rongstock ◽  
...  

AbstractSoil health and sustainability is essential for ecosystem functioning and human well-being. Soil structure, the complex arrangement of soil into aggregates and pore spaces, is a key feature of soils under the influence of soil life. Soil biota, and among them filamentous saprobic fungi, have well-documented effects on soil aggregation. However, it is unclear what fungal properties, or traits, contribute to the overall positive effect on soil aggregation. So far, we lack a systematic investigation of a broad suite of fungal species for their trait expression and the relation of these traits to their soil aggregation capability.Here, we apply a trait-based approach to a set of 15 traits measured under standardized conditions on 31 fungal strains including Ascomycota, Basidiomycota and Mucoromycota, all isolated from the same soil.We found a spectrum of soil aggregate formation capability ranging from neutral to positive and large differences in trait expression among strains. We identified biomass density (positive effects), leucine aminopeptidase activity (negative effects) and phylogeny as important modulators of fungal aggregate formation capability. Our results point to a typical suite of traits characterizing fungi that are good soil aggregators; this could inform screening for fungi to be used in biotechnological applications, and illustrates the power of employing a trait-based approach to unravel biological mechanisms of soil aggregation, which could now be extended to other organism groups.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Berger ◽  
Florian Bitsch ◽  
Irina Falkenberg

Humor is a ubiquitous human characteristic that is socially motivated at its core and has a broad range of significant positive effects on emotional well-being and interpersonal relationships. Simultaneously, however, impairments in humor abilities have often been described in close association with the occurrence and course of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, social anxiety, or depression. In the past decade, research in the neuroimaging and psychiatric domain has substantially progressed to (i) characterize impaired humor as an element of psychopathology, and (ii) shed light on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the role of humor in neuropsychiatric diseases. However, (iii) targeted interventions using concepts of positive psychology have revealed first evidence that a systematic training and/or a potential reactivation of humor-related skills can improve rehabilitative outcome in neuropsychiatric patient groups. Here, we sought to integrate evidence from neuroscience, as well as from psychopathology and treatment research to shed more light on the role of humor in psychiatry. Based on these considerations, we provide directions for future research and application in mental health services, focusing on the question of how our scientific understanding of humor can provide the basis for psychological interventions that foster positive attitudes and well-being.


2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 303-311
Author(s):  
Susan Reif ◽  
Haley Cooper ◽  
Elena Wilson ◽  
Gina Brown ◽  
Nicole Beckwith ◽  
...  

HIV-related stigma is pervasive in the U.S. South and has potential negative effects on health outcomes and emotional well-being, and may act as a barrier to HIV-related advocacy among people living with HIV (PLWH). This article reports on the preliminary outcomes associated with participation in an HIV advocacy training for PLWH, LEAD, that included education and skills building for reducing HIV-related stigma. Fifty-seven PLWH at four sites in the U.S. South participated in the retreat-style training and completed a survey measuring stigma and comfort engaging in advocacy prior to and after the worshop. Participation was associated with statistically significant reduction in internalized HIV stigma and increase in comfort with participation in advocacy; however, participants reported a need for ongoing training and support to further increase comfort with advocacy participation. Although more research is needed on the LEAD Workshop, it shows promise as an option for reducing HIV-related stigma among PLWH.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Kronenwett ◽  
Thomas Rigotti

PurposeDrawing from both the transactional theory of stress and the conservation of resources theory, this paper sets out to investigate the role of demand-specific challenge and hindrance appraisal of emotional demands, as well as time pressure and perceived goal progress within the challenge–hindrance framework.Design/methodology/approachFor this research, 91 employees provided daily diary data for one working week. Focusing on within-persons effects, multilevel moderated mediation models using multilevel path analyses were applied.FindingsBoth emotional demands and time pressure exert positive effects on work engagement when people expect resource gain (challenge appraisal), independent of actual resource gain (achievement). Furthermore, results show that goal progress buffers negative effects of perceived blocked resource gain (hindrance appraisal) on both emotional and motivational well-being.Originality/valueThis research proposes an extension and refinement of the challenge–hindrance stressor framework to explain health-impairing and motivational processes of emotional demands and time pressure, combining reasoning from both appraisal and resource theory perspectives. The study identifies demand-specific challenge and hindrance appraisals as mediators linking demands to emotional and motivational well-being, emphasizing the influence of goal progress as a resource on these relations.


1985 ◽  
Vol 33 (12) ◽  
pp. 604-609
Author(s):  
Roberta Messner ◽  
Sylvia Gardner ◽  
Susan Lewis

Crohn's disease is a chronic, inflammatory bowel disease which may occur in single or multiple areas of the entire GI tract from the mouth to the anus. This multifaceted disorder is manifested by various unpredictable health disturbances, affecting its victims' physical and psychosocial well-being. Individuals with Crohn's disease present a multitude of nursing challenges as they often lack the positive effects of proper nutrition, physical activity, emotional expression, interpersonal relationships, and family life. Nurses are the primary care providers who can comprehensively address the varied and complex health care needs of individuals with Crohn's disease. The core theme is the belief that it is essential for these individuals to maintain a sense of control in the midst of an altered lifestyle. Occupational health nurses can assist employees with Crohn's disease to develop a variety of physical and psychosocial strategies to cope with the unpleasant, even repugnant, aspects of a disease for which there is no known cure. The promotion of optimal health, based on the nursing process, is the objective toward which the unique efforts of nursing are directed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Moh Gusnaldi Putra ◽  
M Manugeren

This study constitutes an Analysis of The Effect of Foot Binding Custom from Lisa See’s novel Snow Flower and The Secret Fan published in 2006. The Positive and Negative effects are the topics to discuss. This analysis uses the data  taken from the novel applying descriptive qualitative research. One of the significant theories of the custom used in this study is that a person who claims that the essence of a culture having a custom in it is not its artifacts, tools, or other tangible cultural elements but how the members of the group interpret, use, and perceive them. It is the values, symbols, interpretations, and perspectives that distinguish one from another in modernized societies; it is not material objects and other tangible aspects of human societies. People within a culture usually interpret the meaning of symbols, artifacts, and behaviors in the same or in similar ways. The findings show that Foot Binding Custom gives women positive effects such as high statue in the society, and symbol of beauty. Besides the positive effects, there are also negative effects such as infection, and even death. The conclusions of the study are Foot binding, as the time goes by, is not persevered anymore as it gives more negative effects than the positive ones. However, health is the most important part of human life. Health is the pivot upon which a man's whole personality and its well-being depend. An ailing and aching body saps the enthusiasm for pursuit. Unwholesome feelings and sensations retard the pace of functional activity, economic development and spiritual uplift.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 4189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sung-Kwon Hong ◽  
Sang-Woo Lee ◽  
Hyun-Kil Jo ◽  
Miyeon Yoo

Exposure to green spaces can reduce the negative effects of stress. This study examines how frequency of visits and time spent in urban green spaces (UGS) affect urban dwellers’ subjective well-being. We also investigated the numbers of respondents visiting UGS, their primary motivation, and constraints on their ability to visit. Using quota sampling, an online survey was conducted of 400 residents of Daejeon City, South Korea. ANOVA results indicated no significant interactions between visit frequency and time spent in UGS. Respondents who had visited UGS within the past two weeks expressed higher positive and lower negative emotions than did non-visitors, regardless of visit frequency, and regular visitors showed higher general life satisfaction levels. These positive effects were confirmed by estimated structural equation models. However, the time spent in UGS did not affect emotions or life satisfaction in general. Heavy users mostly visited UGS to walk, and light/non-users cited the lack of urban green spaces near their home as the major constraint on visiting UGS. The estimated structural equation models clearly show positive effects from motivation and negative effects of constraints and access time to UGS on visit frequency. To improve urban dwellers’ subjective well-being, UGS should prioritize good walking environments and accessibility.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Crisci ◽  
Irene C. Mammarella ◽  
Ughetta M. M. Moscardino ◽  
Maja Roch ◽  
Lisa B. Thorell

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, both children and their parents experienced consequences related to distance learning (DL). However, positive and negative effects have varied greatly among families, and the specific factors explaining these differences in experiences are still underexplored. In this study, we examined children's executive functions (EF) and parents' psychological well-being in relation to negative and positive effects of DL on both children and their parents.Method: Participants were 637 Italian parents (92% mothers) with a child (48% male) aged between 6 and 19 years involved in DL due to school closures during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected using an online survey. We performed three fixed-order hierarchical multiple regression analyses with child age and sex, children's EF deficits, and parents' psychological well-being as independent variables, and DL-related negative effects (on the child and on the parent) and DL-related positive effects as dependent variables.Results: The results of the regression analyses showed that for negative effects of DL, younger age and greater EF deficits explained most part of the variance. Specifically, regarding negative effects on children, the most important factor was EF deficits, whereas regarding negative effects on parents, child age was the most important factor. For positive effects of DL, all variables explained only a small part of the variance. Child age was the most important factor, but EF deficits and parents' psychological well-being also had a significant impact.Conclusions: The effects of DL during school closures vary widely across families. Our findings indicate that intervention efforts need to consider background variables, child factors, as well as parent factors when supporting families with homeschooling in times of pandemic.


Author(s):  
Tatiana Bokhan ◽  
Eduard Galazhinsky ◽  
Dmitry Leontiev ◽  
Elena Rasskazova ◽  
Olga Terekhina ◽  
...  

While negative psychological effects of COVID-19 pandemic are actively studied, little is known about the eventual positive reactions to the pandemic including the capacity to see positive opportunities in this situation and about personality resources that may help to cope and to maintain well-being despite lifestyle restrictions. The aim of our study was to reveal positive personality resources that contribute to buffering the negative effects and its consequences on individual lives. 474 adults 18-81 years old from Siberia (Russia) participated in May 2020 in a survey about the impact of the pandemic and self-isolation and also filled out psychometric measures of well-being and psychological resources (PANAS, PWI, Value of Life Scale, MHC, MSTAT-I, LOT, GSE, Hardiness Survey, SOC, Personal Life Position inventory). One in three respondents reported worsening emotional condition through the previous two weeks and poor adherence to governmental self-isolation recommendations, and 43.6% reported increased financial difficulties. Taking into account not only the negative but also positive subjective effect of the pandemic enabled the improved accuracy in prediction of both well-being and adherence to the governmental measures. The less a person mentioned the positive side of the pandemic, the more strongly their adherence to the governmental measures depended on perceived negative effects (worries and threats). Tolerance for ambiguity, the challenge component of hardiness, harmony with life predicted perceived positive effects after adjusting for negative effects. Psychological resources could play a buffering role as regards the vulnerability to negative psychological effects of the pandemic and help to find positive opportunities.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patti M. Valkenburg ◽  
Ine Beyens ◽  
J. Loes Pouwels ◽  
Irene Ingeborg van Driel ◽  
Loes Keijsers

A recurring hypothesis in the literature is that “passive” social media use (browsing) leads to negative effects on well-being. This preregistered study investigated a rival hypothesis, which states that the effects of browsing on well-being depend on person-specific susceptibilities to envy, inspiration, and enjoyment. We conducted a three-week experience sampling study among 353 adolescents (13-15 years, 126 assessments per adolescent). Using a novel, N=1 method of analysis, we found sizeable heterogeneity in the associations of browsing with envy, inspiration, and enjoyment (e.g., for envy ranging from β = -.44 to β = +.71). The passivity hypothesis was confirmed for 20% of adolescents and rejected for 80%. More adolescents with browsing-induced envy experienced negative effects on well-being (25%) than adolescents with no browsing-induced envy (13%). Conversely, more adolescents with browsing-induced enjoyment experienced positive effects on well-being (47%) than adolescents with no browsing-induced enjoyment (9%).


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