scholarly journals Mental Health and Behavior of College Students in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Mobile Smartphone and Ecological Momentary Assessment Study - Part II

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dante ◽  
Alex DaSilva ◽  
Courtney Rogers ◽  
Elin L. Hedlund ◽  
Eilis I. Murphy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Sedentary Time ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Health Changes ◽  
And Behaviors ◽  
Ecological Momentary ◽  
Mobile Smartphone

Background:Since late 2019, the lives of people across the globe have been disrupted by COVID-19. Millions of people have become infected; billions have been continually asked or required by local and national governments to change their behavioral patterns. Previous research on the COVID-19 pandemic suggests that it is associated with large-scale behavioral and mental health changes, but few studies have been able to track these changes with frequent, near real-time sampling or compare these changes to previous years of data for the same individuals.Objectives:By combining mobile phone sensing and self-reported mental health data in a cohort of college-aged students enrolled in a longitudinal study, we seek to understand the behavioral and mental health impacts associated with the pandemic, measured by search term interest in "coronavirus" and "covid fatigue" across the United States.Methods:Behaviors such as the number of locations visited, distance traveled, duration of phone usage, number of phone unlocks, sleep duration, and sedentary time were measured using the StudentLife mobile smartphone sensing app. Depression and anxiety were assessed using weekly self-reported Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMAs), including the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4). Participants were 217 undergraduate students. Differences in behaviors and self-reported mental health collected during the Spring 2020 term, as compared to previous terms in the same cohort, were modeled using mixed linear models.Results:Linear mixed models observed differences in phone usage, sleep, sedentary time and the number of locations visited associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. In further models, these behaviors were strongly associated with increased interest in covid fatigue. When mental health metrics (e.g., depression and anxiety) were added to the previous measures (week of term, number of locations visited, phone usage, sedentary time), both anxiety and depression (_P_<.001) were significantly associated with interest in covid fatigue. Notably, these behavioral and mental health changes are consistent with those observed around the initial implementation of COVID-19 lockdowns in the spring of 2020 [@Huckins2020]. Conclusions:In the initial lockdown phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, people spent more time on their phones, were more sedentary, visited fewer locations, and exhibited increased symptoms of anxiety and depression. As the pandemic persisted through the spring, people continued to exhibit very similar changes in both mental health and behaviors. Though unsurprising, understanding these large-scale shifts in mental health and behaviors is critical in disrupting the negative consequences to mental health during the ongoing pandemic.

scholarly journals Mental Health and Behavior of College Students in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Mobile Smartphone and Ecological Momentary Assessment Study - Part II (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dante Mack ◽  
Alex DaSilva ◽  
Courtney Rogers ◽  
Elin Hedlund ◽  
Eilis Murphy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Sedentary Time ◽  
The United States ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Health Changes ◽  
And Behaviors ◽  
Ecological Momentary ◽  
Mobile Smartphone

BACKGROUND Since late 2019, the lives of people across the globe have been disrupted by COVID-19. Millions of people have become infected; billions have been continually asked or required by local and national governments to change their behavioral patterns. Previous research on the COVID-19 pandemic suggests that it is associated with large-scale behavioral and mental health changes, but few studies have been able to track these changes with frequent, near real-time sampling or compare these changes to previous years of data for the same individuals. OBJECTIVE By combining mobile phone sensing and self-reported mental health data in a cohort of college-aged students enrolled in a longitudinal study, we seek to understand the behavioral and mental health impacts associated with the pandemic, measured by search term interest in "coronavirus" and "covid fatigue" across the United States. METHODS Behaviors such as the number of locations visited, distance traveled, duration of phone usage, number of phone unlocks, sleep duration, and sedentary time were measured using the StudentLife mobile smartphone sensing app. Depression and anxiety were assessed using weekly self-reported Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMAs), including the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4). Participants were 217 undergraduate students. Differences in behaviors and self-reported mental health collected during the Spring 2020 term, as compared to previous terms in the same cohort, were modeled using mixed linear models. RESULTS Linear mixed models observed differences in phone usage, sleep, sedentary time and the number of locations visited associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. In further models, these behaviors were strongly associated with increased interest in covid fatigue. When mental health metrics (e.g., depression and anxiety) were added to the previous measures (week of term, number of locations visited, phone usage, sedentary time), both anxiety and depression (_P_<.001) were significantly associated with interest in covid fatigue. Notably, these behavioral and mental health changes are consistent with those observed around the initial implementation of COVID-19 lockdowns in the spring of 2020 [@Huckins2020]. CONCLUSIONS In the initial lockdown phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, people spent more time on their phones, were more sedentary, visited fewer locations, and exhibited increased symptoms of anxiety and depression. As the pandemic persisted through the spring, people continued to exhibit very similar changes in both mental health and behaviors. Though unsurprising, understanding these large-scale shifts in mental health and behaviors is critical in disrupting the negative consequences to mental health during the ongoing pandemic. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR2-https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/8yt4x

scholarly journals Mental Health and Behavior During the Early Phases of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Mobile Smartphone and Ecological Momentary Assessment Study in College Students

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy F Huckins ◽  
alex dasilva ◽  
weichen wang ◽  
Elin L. Hedlund ◽  
Courtney Rogers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
College Students ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Health Changes ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Ecological Momentary ◽  
Mobile Smartphone ◽  
The Impact

BackgroundWorldwide, the vast majority of people have been impacted by COVID-19. While millions of individuals have become infected, billions of individuals have been asked or required by local and national governments to change their behavioral patterns. Previous research on epidemics or traumatic events suggest this can lead to profound behavioral and mental health changes, but rarely are researchers able to track these changes with frequent, near real-time sampling or compare these to previous years of data on the same individuals.ObjectivesWe seek to answer two overarching questions by combining mobile phone sensing and self-reported mental health data among college students participating in a longitudinal study for the past two years. First, have behaviors and mental health changed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as compared to previous time periods within the same participants? Second, did behavior and mental health changes track the relative news coverage of COVID-19 in the US media?MethodsBehaviors were measured using the StudentLife mobile smartphone sensing app. Depression and anxiety were assessed using weekly self-reported Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMAs). Differences in behaviors and self-reported mental health collected during the Winter 2020 term (the term in which the coronavirus pandemic started), as compared to prevous terms in the same cohort, were modeled using mixed linear models.ResultsDuring the initial COVID-19 impacted academic term (Winter 2020), individuals were more sedentary and reported increased anxiety and depression symptoms (P&lt;.001), relative to the previous academic terms and subsequent academic breaks. Interactions between the Winter 2020 term and week of academic term (linear and quadratic) were significant. In a mixed linear model, phone usage, number of locations visited, and week of the term, were strongly associated with increased coronavirus-related news. When mental health metrics (e.g., depression and anxiety) were added to the previous measures (week of term, number of locations visited, and phone usage), both anxiety (P&lt;.001) and depression (P&lt;.05) were significantly associated with coronavirus-related news.ConclusionsCompared with prior academic terms, individuals in Winter 2020 were more sedentary, anxious, and depressed. A wide variety of behaviors, including increased phone usage, decreased physical activity, and fewer locations visited, are associated with fluctuations in COVID-19 news reporting. While this large-scale shift in mental health and behavior is unsurprising, its characterization is particularly important to help guide the development of methods that could reduce the impact of future catastrophic events on the mental health of the population.

scholarly journals Mental Health and Behavior During the Early Phases of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Mobile Smartphone and Ecological Momentary Assessment Study in College Students (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy F Huckins ◽  
Alex W DaSilva ◽  
Weichen Wang ◽  
Elin Hedlund ◽  
Courtney Rogers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
College Students ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Health Changes ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Ecological Momentary ◽  
Mobile Smartphone ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Worldwide, the vast majority of people have been impacted by COVID-19. While millions of individuals have become infected, billions of individuals have been asked or required by local and national governments to change their behavioral patterns. Previous research on epidemics or traumatic events suggest this can lead to profound behavioral and mental health changes, but rarely are researchers able to track these changes with frequent, near real-time sampling or compare these to previous years of data on the same individuals. OBJECTIVE We seek to answer two overarching questions by combining mobile phone sensing and self-reported mental health data among college students participating in a longitudinal study for the past two years. First, have behaviors and mental health changed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as compared to previous time periods within the same participants? Second, did behavior and mental health changes track the relative news coverage of COVID-19 in the US media? METHODS Behaviors such as the number of locations visited, distance traveled, duration of phone usage, number of phone unlocks, sleep duration and sedentary time were measured using the StudentLife mobile smartphone sensing app. Depression and anxiety were assessed using weekly self-reported Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMAs) of the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4). Participants were 217 undergraduate students, with 178 students having data during the Winter 2020 term. Differences in behaviors and self-reported mental health collected during the Winter 2020 term (the term in which the coronavirus pandemic started), as compared to previous terms in the same cohort, were modeled using mixed linear models. RESULTS During the initial COVID-19 impacted academic term (Winter 2020), individuals were more sedentary and reported increased anxiety and depression symptoms (P<.001), relative to the previous academic terms and subsequent academic breaks. Interactions between the Winter 2020 term and week of academic term (linear and quadratic) were significant. In a mixed linear model, phone usage, number of locations visited, and week of the term, were strongly associated with increased coronavirus-related news. When mental health metrics (e.g., depression and anxiety) were added to the previous measures (week of term, number of locations visited, and phone usage), both anxiety (P<.001) and depression (P=.029) were significantly associated with coronavirus-related news. CONCLUSIONS Compared with prior academic terms, individuals in Winter 2020 were more sedentary, anxious, and depressed. A wide variety of behaviors, including increased phone usage, decreased physical activity, and fewer locations visited, are associated with fluctuations in COVID-19 news reporting. While this large-scale shift in mental health and behavior is unsurprising, its characterization is particularly important to help guide the development of methods that could reduce the impact of future catastrophic events on the mental health of the population. CLINICALTRIAL

scholarly journals Causal Factors of Anxiety and Depression in College Students: Longitudinal Ecological Momentary Assessment and Causal Analysis Using Peter and Clark Momentary Conditional Independence (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy F Huckins ◽  
Alex W DaSilva ◽  
Elin L Hedlund ◽  
Eilis I Murphy ◽  
Courtney Rogers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
College Students ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
First Year ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
First Year College ◽  
First Year College Students ◽  
Ecological Momentary ◽  
Mental Health Factors

BACKGROUND Across college campuses, the prevalence of clinically relevant depression or anxiety is affecting more than 27% of the college population at some point between entry to college and graduation. Stress and self-esteem have both been hypothesized to contribute to depression and anxiety levels. Although contemporaneous relationships between these variables have been well-defined, the causal relationship between these mental health factors is not well understood, as frequent sampling can be invasive, and many of the current causal techniques are not well suited to investigate correlated variables. OBJECTIVE This study aims to characterize the causal and contemporaneous networks between these critical mental health factors in a cohort of first-year college students and then determine if observed results replicate in a second, distinct cohort. METHODS Ecological momentary assessments of depression, anxiety, stress, and self-esteem were obtained weekly from two cohorts of first-year college students for 40 weeks (1 academic year). We used the Peter and Clark Momentary Conditional Independence algorithm to identify the contemporaneous (t) and causal (t-1) network structures between these mental health metrics. RESULTS All reported results are significant at <i>P</i>&lt;.001 unless otherwise stated. Depression was causally influenced by self-esteem (<i>t</i>-1 <i>r</i><sub>p</sub>, cohort 1 [C1]=–0.082, cohort 2 [C2]=–0.095) and itself (<i>t</i>-1 <i>r</i><sub>p</sub>, C1=0.388, C2=0.382) in both cohorts. Anxiety was causally influenced by stress (<i>t</i>-1 <i>r</i><sub>p</sub>, C1=0.095, C2=0.104), self-esteem (<i>t</i>-1 <i>r</i><sub>p</sub>, C1=–0.067, C2=–0.064, <i>P</i>=.002), and itself (<i>t</i>-1 <i>r</i><sub>p</sub>, of C1=0.293, C2=0.339) in both cohorts. A causal link between anxiety and depression was observed in the first cohort (<i>t</i>-1 <i>r</i><sub>p</sub>, C1=0.109) and only observed in the second cohort with a more liberal threshold (<i>t</i>-1 <i>r</i><sub>p</sub>, C2=0.044, <i>P</i>=.03). Self-esteem was only causally influenced by itself (<i>t</i>-1 <i>r</i><sub>p</sub>, C1=0.389, C2=0.393). Stress was only causally influenced by itself (<i>t</i>-1 <i>r</i><sub>p</sub>, C1=0.248, C2=0.273). Anxiety had positive contemporaneous links to depression (<i>t </i> <i>r</i><sub>p</sub>, C1=0.462, C2=0.444) and stress (<i>t </i> <i>r</i><sub>p</sub>, C1=0.354, C2=0.358). Self-esteem had negative contemporaneous links to each of the other three mental health metrics, with the strongest negative relationship being stress (<i>t </i> <i>r</i><sub>p</sub>, C1=–0.334, C2=–0.340), followed by depression (<i>t </i> <i>r</i><sub>p</sub>, C1=–0.302, C2=–0.274) and anxiety (<i>t </i> <i> r</i><sub>p</sub>, C1=–0.256, C2=–0.208). Depression had positive contemporaneous links to anxiety (previously mentioned) and stress (<i>t </i> <i> r</i><sub>p</sub>, C1=0.250, C2=0.231). CONCLUSIONS This paper is an initial attempt to describe the contemporaneous and causal relationships among these four mental health metrics in college students. We replicated previous research identifying concurrent relationships between these variables and extended them by identifying causal links among these metrics. These results provide support for the vulnerability model of depression and anxiety. Understanding how causal factors impact the evolution of these mental states over time may provide key information for targeted treatment or, perhaps more importantly, preventative interventions for individuals at risk for depression and anxiety.

scholarly journals Causal Factors of Anxiety and Depression in College Students: Longitudinal Ecological Momentary Assessment and Causal Analysis Using Peter and Clark Momentary Conditional Independence

10.2196/16684 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. e16684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy F Huckins ◽  
Alex W DaSilva ◽  
Elin L Hedlund ◽  
Eilis I Murphy ◽  
Courtney Rogers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
College Students ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
First Year ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
First Year College ◽  
First Year College Students ◽  
Ecological Momentary ◽  
Mental Health Factors

Background Across college campuses, the prevalence of clinically relevant depression or anxiety is affecting more than 27% of the college population at some point between entry to college and graduation. Stress and self-esteem have both been hypothesized to contribute to depression and anxiety levels. Although contemporaneous relationships between these variables have been well-defined, the causal relationship between these mental health factors is not well understood, as frequent sampling can be invasive, and many of the current causal techniques are not well suited to investigate correlated variables. Objective This study aims to characterize the causal and contemporaneous networks between these critical mental health factors in a cohort of first-year college students and then determine if observed results replicate in a second, distinct cohort. Methods Ecological momentary assessments of depression, anxiety, stress, and self-esteem were obtained weekly from two cohorts of first-year college students for 40 weeks (1 academic year). We used the Peter and Clark Momentary Conditional Independence algorithm to identify the contemporaneous (t) and causal (t-1) network structures between these mental health metrics. Results All reported results are significant at P<.001 unless otherwise stated. Depression was causally influenced by self-esteem (t-1 rp, cohort 1 [C1]=–0.082, cohort 2 [C2]=–0.095) and itself (t-1 rp, C1=0.388, C2=0.382) in both cohorts. Anxiety was causally influenced by stress (t-1 rp, C1=0.095, C2=0.104), self-esteem (t-1 rp, C1=–0.067, C2=–0.064, P=.002), and itself (t-1 rp, of C1=0.293, C2=0.339) in both cohorts. A causal link between anxiety and depression was observed in the first cohort (t-1 rp, C1=0.109) and only observed in the second cohort with a more liberal threshold (t-1 rp, C2=0.044, P=.03). Self-esteem was only causally influenced by itself (t-1 rp, C1=0.389, C2=0.393). Stress was only causally influenced by itself (t-1 rp, C1=0.248, C2=0.273). Anxiety had positive contemporaneous links to depression (t rp, C1=0.462, C2=0.444) and stress (t rp, C1=0.354, C2=0.358). Self-esteem had negative contemporaneous links to each of the other three mental health metrics, with the strongest negative relationship being stress (t rp, C1=–0.334, C2=–0.340), followed by depression (t rp, C1=–0.302, C2=–0.274) and anxiety (t rp, C1=–0.256, C2=–0.208). Depression had positive contemporaneous links to anxiety (previously mentioned) and stress (t rp, C1=0.250, C2=0.231). Conclusions This paper is an initial attempt to describe the contemporaneous and causal relationships among these four mental health metrics in college students. We replicated previous research identifying concurrent relationships between these variables and extended them by identifying causal links among these metrics. These results provide support for the vulnerability model of depression and anxiety. Understanding how causal factors impact the evolution of these mental states over time may provide key information for targeted treatment or, perhaps more importantly, preventative interventions for individuals at risk for depression and anxiety.

Childhood Material Hardship and Adolescent Mental Health

2021 ◽  
pp. 0044118X2110018
Author(s):  
Chrisse Edmunds ◽  
Melissa Alcaraz
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Adolescent Depression ◽  
Adolescent Mental Health ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Fragile Families ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Material Hardship ◽  
Critical Age ◽  
The Relationship

Adolescent mental health has implications for current and future wellbeing. While a link exists between poverty and mental health, little is known about how experiencing material hardship, such as insecurity of food, housing, utilities, and medical care, throughout early childhood affects adolescent mental health. We examine the relationship between material hardship in childhood and adolescent mental health. We use Poisson regression to examine the effect of material hardship experienced at different stages of childhood on adolescent depression and anxiety outcomes at age 15. We use longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study ( N = 3,222). We find that recently experiencing material hardship during childhood is positively and significantly associated with anxiety and depression symptoms at age 15, even when controlling for material hardship at age 15. Additionally, we find that insecurity during mid-childhood and the stress of lacking basic needs during a critical age may influence mental health in adolescence.

scholarly journals Ansiedad, depresión y malestar emocional en los profesionales sanitarios de las Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 743
Author(s):  
Sandra Gómez-Martínez ◽  
Rafael Ballester-Arnal ◽  
Beatriz Gil-Juliá ◽  
Ricardo Abizanda-Campos
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Subjective Perception ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Daily Contact ◽  
Emotional Effects

<p class="textoteoradef">Health Workers (HW) who work in the Intensive Care Units (ICU), are not exempt from emotional effects of coping with suffering and death situations daily. Many studies in HW have focused on the <em>burnout</em> syndrome and have presented anxiety and depression as consequences of this syndrome. The aim of this work is to assess the anxiety and depression problems, as well as the subjective perception of mood of the ICU health workers. Participants were 117 ICU health workers of a Hospital in the Valencian Community (Spain). The descriptive analyses show that between 14.6-20% and a 4-7% of participants have symptoms of anxiety and depression, respectively. Differential analyses, show gender differences in several measures of anxiety, as well as on depression scores. Age and experience are related to depression and anxiety. Furthermore, we performed regression analyses to know the importance of the different variables in the presence of symptoms of anxiety and depression. The results show that working in daily contact with suffering and death, in a Unit in which the demands are many, could have implications for the mental health of professionals.</p>

scholarly journals Intergenerational transmission of adverse childhood experiences via maternal depression and anxiety and moderation by child sex

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Letourneau ◽  
D. Dewey ◽  
B. J. Kaplan ◽  
H. Ntanda ◽  
J. Novick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Maternal Depression ◽  
Adverse Childhood Experiences ◽  
Externalizing Problems ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Adverse Childhood ◽  
Children’S Behaviour

AbstractAdverse childhood experiences (ACEs) of parents are associated with a variety of negative health outcomes in offspring. Little is known about the mechanisms by which ACEs are transmitted to the next generation. Given that maternal depression and anxiety are related to ACEs and negatively affect children’s behaviour, these exposures may be pathways between maternal ACEs and child psychopathology. Child sex may modify these associations. Our objectives were to determine: (1) the association between ACEs and children’s behaviour, (2) whether maternal symptoms of prenatal and postnatal depression and anxiety mediate the relationship between maternal ACEs and children’s behaviour, and (3) whether these relationships are moderated by child sex. Pearson correlations and latent path analyses were undertaken using data from 907 children and their mothers enrolled the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition study. Overall, maternal ACEs were associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression during the perinatal period, and externalizing problems in children. Furthermore, we observed indirect associations between maternal ACEs and children’s internalizing and externalizing problems via maternal anxiety and depression. Sex differences were observed, with boys demonstrating greater vulnerability to the indirect effects of maternal ACEs via both anxiety and depression. Findings suggest that maternal mental health may be a mechanism by which maternal early life adversity is transmitted to children, especially boys. Further research is needed to determine if targeted interventions with women who have both high ACEs and mental health problems can prevent or ameliorate the effects of ACEs on children’s behavioural psychopathology.

scholarly journals 42 Training Forgiveness – A Novel Approach to Reducing Physician Burnout

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 198-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lidia Firulescu ◽  
Ross W. May ◽  
Frank D. Fincham ◽  
Emelina A. Arocha ◽  
Marcos A. Sanchez-Gonzalez
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
P Value ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Physician Burnout ◽  
Study Objective ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Mental And Physical Health

AbstractStudy ObjectivePsychological risk factors that lead to impaired work performance, negatively impacting mental and physical health, have emerged as a concern across clinical settings. Although depression and anxiety are linked to poor physician mental health, physician burnout characterized by work related stress due to chronic exhaustion from clinical work, cynicism toward meaning of the medical profession, and feelings of inadequacy toward work related accomplishments, may be an even stronger indicator of well-being. Literature suggests that work satisfaction among physicians is rapidly deteriorating owing to high rates of burn out and poor mental health. Although the relationship between work burnout (WB) and negative affectivity has been well documented, the association with positive affect, such as trait forgiveness (TF) has been overlooked. On that note, research shows that lifetime stress severity and lower levels of forgiveness predict worse mental and physical health. Since TF has been linked strongly with healthy workplace relationships, positive occupational outcomes and general well-being, its association with WB remains to be investigated. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to explore the link between TF and WB among physicians. We hypothesized that TF would be associated with reduced levels of burnout.MethodA total of 62 (F=23) medical residents at a Teaching Hospital consented for the study. Residents were administered surveys on WB (Maslach BurnoutInventory), workplace bullying, personal bullying (PB), interpersonal rejection sensitivity (IRS), perceived stress scale (PSS), TF, anxiety, and depression, all of which were anonymously submitted via electronically. Hierarchical multiple regression (HMR) models were used to determine the associations between WB, work environment social factors and TF. A p-value of <0.05 was considered significant.ResultsThe mean age 33.1±SD 4.2 years. HMR analysis using WB as main outcome contained 6 predictors: Model 1 contained depression and anxiety, Model 2 added PB, Model 3 added IRS and PSS, Model 4 added TF. Anxiety and TF were the only significant predictors (p= >0.05) accounting for 10.4% and 17.5% of the variance in WB scores, respectively.ConclusionsThe novel finding of the present study is that TF was associated with low levels of burnout. Additionally, WB was found to be linked to anxiety and depression which is in line with previous research. These data suggest that TF could be a potential resolution to the deleterious influence of burnout. Further exploration is needed in order to understand the psychology of forgiveness as a potential adjuvant and/or therapeutic intervention for physicians’ burnout. These results suggest that strategies including forgiveness training aimed at decreasing WB while increasing job satisfaction among physicians warrant further exploration.Funding Acknowledgements: no funding

scholarly journals Implementation of depression and anxiety screening in patients undergoing radiotherapy

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. e000034 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam L Holtzman ◽  
Deidre B Pereira ◽  
Anamaria R Yeung
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Screening Tool ◽  
Institutional Review Board ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Standard Protocol ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Clinical Workflow ◽  
Institutional Review ◽  
Anxiety Screening

Anxiety and depression are disabling, underdiagnosed issues that affect the management of oncology patients. Until recently, there has been no standard protocol for screening and treating these ailments at our cancer centre. The purpose of this institutional review board-approved study was to analyse the implementation of a screening tool in our clinical workflow with the aim of screening over 90% of patients and increasing referrals to mental health services by 50%.

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