scholarly journals Mental Health Consequences of Adversity in Australia: National Bushfires Associated With Increased Depressive Symptoms, While COVID-19 Pandemic Associated With Increased Symptoms of Anxiety

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hussain-Abdulah Arjmand ◽  
Elizabeth Seabrook ◽  
David Bakker ◽  
Nikki Rickard
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Extended Period ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Emotional Valence ◽  
Cumulative Impact ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression ◽  
And Control ◽  
Health And Well Being

High quality monitoring of mental health and well-being over an extended period is essential to understand how communities respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and how to best tailor interventions. Multiple community threats may also have cumulative impact on mental health, so examination across several contexts is important. The objective of this study is to report on changes in mental health and well-being in response to the Australian bushfires and COVID-19 pandemic. This study utilized an Experience-Sampling-Method (ESM), using the smartphone-based mood monitoring application, MoodPrism. Participants were prompted once a day to complete a brief survey inquiring about symptoms of depression and anxiety, and several well-being indices, including arousal, emotional valence, self-esteem, motivation, social connectedness, meaning and purpose, and control. Participants were N = 755 Australians (aged 13 years and above) who downloaded and used MoodPrism, between 2018 and 2020. Results showed that anxiety symptoms significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, but not during the bushfires. This may be explained by concurrent feelings of social connectedness maintained during the bushfires but not during the pandemic. In contrast, depressive symptoms increased significantly during the bushfires, which maintained during the pandemic. Most indices of well-being decreased significantly during the bushfires, and further again during the pandemic. Study findings highlight the unique responses to the bushfire and COVID-19 crises, revealing specific areas of resilience and vulnerability. Such information can help inform the development of public health interventions or individual clinical treatment, to improve treatment approaches and preparedness for potential future community disasters.

A positive psychology study and intervention on the well-being of French PhD students in biology

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Marais ◽  
Rebecca Shankland ◽  
Pascale Haag ◽  
Robin Fiault ◽  
Bridget Juniper
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
Reference Sample ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Attrition Rates ◽  
Human Costs ◽  
The Uk ◽  
And Control ◽  
Health And Well Being

In France, little data are available on mental health and well-being in academia, and nothing has been published about PhD students. From studies abroad, we know that doing a PhD is a difficult experience resulting in high attrition rates with significant financial and human costs. Here we focused on PhD students in biology at university Lyon 1. A first study aimed at measuring the mental health and well-being of PhD students using several generalist and PhD-specific tools. Our results on 136 participants showed that a large fraction of the PhD students experience abnormal levels of stress, depression and anxiety, and their mean well-being score is significantly lower than that of a British reference sample. French PhD student well-being is specifically affected by career uncertainty, perceived lack of progress in the PhD and perceived lack of competence, which points towards possible cultural differences of experiencing a PhD in France and the UK. In a second study, we carried out a positive psychology intervention. Comparing the scores of the test and control groups showed a clear effect of the intervention on reducing anxiety. We discuss our results and the possible future steps to improve French PhD students’ well-being.

Short and Long Haul Pilots Rosters, Stress, Sleep Problems, Fatigue, Mental Health, and Well-Being

2021 ◽  
Vol 92 (10) ◽  
pp. 786-797
Author(s):  
Marion Venus ◽  
Martin grosse Holtforth
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Time Pressure ◽  
Sleep Problems ◽  
Common Mental Disorders ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression ◽  
Fatigue Severity ◽  
Health And Well Being

OBJECTIVE: This research was conducted to compare short haul (SH) and long haul (LH) pilots regarding sleep restrictions and fatigue risks on flight duty, stress, sleep problems, fatigue severity, well-being, and mental health. METHOD: There were 406 international SH and LH pilots who completed the cross-sectional online survey. Pilots sleep restrictions and fatigue-risk profiles (e.g., time pressure, late arrivals, minimum rest), sleep problems, fatigue severity, well-being, and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and common mental disorders (CMD) were measured and compared for SH and LH pilots. RESULTS: Although SH and LH pilots were scheduled for only 51.465.4% of the legally allowed duty and flight hours, 44.8% of SH pilots reported severe fatigue (FSS 4 to 4.9), and an additional 31.7% high fatigue (FSS 5), compared with 34.7% and 37.3% LH pilots. Considerable sleep problems in 8 nights/mo were reported by 24.6% SH vs. 23.5% LH pilots. Positive depression screenings were reported by 18.1% SH and 19.3% LH pilots. Positive anxiety screenings were reported by 9.6% SH and 5% LH pilots. Of all investigated pilots, 20% reported significant symptoms of depression or anxiety, and 7.23% had positive depression and anxiety screenings. LH pilots reported significantly better well-being than SH pilots. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that even far less duty and flight hours than legally allowed according to flight time limitations lead to high levels of fatigue, sleep problems, and significant mental health issues among pilots. SH pilots were even more affected than LH pilots. Pilots fatigue should be considered an immediate threat to aviation safety and pilots fitness to fly by promoting fatigue and burnout. Venus M, grosse Holtforth M. Short and long haul pilots rosters, stress, sleep problems, fatigue, mental health, and well-being. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2021; 92(10):786797.

scholarly journals The Futures We Want: How Goal-Directed Imagination Relates to Mental Health

2021 ◽  
pp. 216770262098609
Author(s):  
Beau Gamble ◽  
Lynette J. Tippett ◽  
David Moreau ◽  
Donna Rose Addis
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Goal Setting ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Emotional Valence ◽  
Personal Goals ◽  
Adaptive Ability

Imagination is an adaptive ability that can be directed toward the pursuit of personal goals. Although there is a wealth of research on goals and on imagination, few studies lie at the intersection—little is known about individual differences in goal-directed imagination. In 153 adults, we examined how 28 aspects of goal setting, pursuit, and goal-directed imagination relate to mental health. Higher well-being and lower depressive symptoms were strongly linked (a) to having goals that were more attainable, under control, and expected to bring more joy and (b) to goal-directed imagination that was clearer, more detailed, more positive, and less negative. Importantly, the emotional valence of goal-directed imagination strongly predicted well-being at a 2-month follow-up even after controlling for mental health at baseline. These findings underscore the relevance of goal-directed imagination to well-being and depressive symptoms and highlight potential targets for goal- and imagery-based interventions to improve mental health.

scholarly journals A placebo-controlled study of the effects of ayahuasca, set and setting on mental health of participants in ayahuasca group retreats

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. V. Uthaug ◽  
N. L. Mason ◽  
S. W. Toennes ◽  
J. T. Reckweg ◽  
E. B. de Sousa Fernandes Perna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Treatment Time ◽  
Placebo Response ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Emotional Empathy ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression ◽  
Time Interaction ◽  
Expectation Bias ◽  
Health And Well Being

AbstractAyahuasca is a plant concoction containing N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and certain β-carboline alkaloids from South America. Previous research in naturalistic settings has suggested that ingestion of ayahuasca can improve mental health and well-being; however, these studies were not placebo controlled and did not control for the possibility of expectation bias. This naturalistic observational study was designed to assess whether mental health changes were produced by ayahuasca or by set and setting. Assessments were made pre- and post-ayahuasca sessions in 30 experienced participants of ayahuasca retreats hosted in the Netherlands, Spain, and Germany. Participants consumed ayahuasca (N = 14) or placebo (N = 16). Analysis revealed a main effect of time on symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Compared to baseline, symptoms reduced in both groups after the ceremony, independent of treatment. There was a main treatment × time interaction on implicit emotional empathy, indicating that ayahuasca increased emotional empathy to negative stimuli. The current findings suggest that improvements in mental health of participants of ayahuasca ceremonies can be driven by non-pharmacological factors that constitute a placebo response but also by pharmacological factors that are related to the use of ayahuasca. These findings stress the importance of placebo-controlled designs in psychedelic research and the need to further explore the contribution of non-pharmacological factors to the psychedelic experience.

scholarly journals The Big Three Health Behaviors and Mental Health and Well-Being Among Young Adults: A Cross-Sectional Investigation of Sleep, Exercise, and Diet

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shay-Ruby Wickham ◽  
Natasha A. Amarasekara ◽  
Adam Bartonicek ◽  
Tamlin S. Conner
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health And Well Being

BackgroundSleep, physical activity, and diet have been associated with mental health and well-being individually in young adults. However, which of these “big three” health behaviors most strongly predicts mental health and well-being, and their higher-order relationships in predictive models, is less known. This study investigated the differential and higher-order associations between sleep, physical activity, and dietary factors as predictors of mental health and well-being in young adults.MethodIn a cross-sectional survey design, 1,111 young adults (28.4% men) ages 18–25 from New Zealand and the United States answered an online survey measuring typical sleep quantity and quality; physical activity; and consumption of raw and processed fruit and vegetables, fast food, sweets, and soda, along with extensive covariates (including demographics, socioeconomic status, body mass index, alcohol use, smoking, and health conditions) and the outcome measures of depressive symptoms [measured by the Center for Epidemiological Depression Scale (CES-D)] and well-being (measured by the Flourishing Scale).ResultsControlling for covariates, sleep quality was the strongest predictor of depressive symptoms and well-being, followed by sleep quantity and physical activity. Only one dietary factor—raw fruit and vegetable consumption—predicted greater well-being but not depressive symptoms when controlling for covariates. There were some higher-order interactions among health behaviors in predicting the outcomes, but these did not survive cross-validation.ConclusionSleep quality is an important predictor of mental health and well-being in young adults, whereas physical activity and diet are secondary but still significant factors. Although strictly correlational, these patterns suggest that future interventions could prioritize sleep quality to maximize mental health and well-being in young adults.

scholarly journals The Futures We Want: How Goal-Directed Imagination Relates to Mental Health

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beau Gamble ◽  
Lynette J. Tippett ◽  
David Moreau ◽  
Donna Rose Addis
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Goal Setting ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Emotional Valence ◽  
Personal Goals ◽  
Adaptive Ability

Imagination is an adaptive ability that can be directed towards the pursuit of personal goals. While there is a wealth of research on goals, and on imagination, few studies lie at the intersection—little is known about individual differences in goal directed imagination. In 153 adults, we examined how 28 aspects of goal setting, pursuit, and goal-directed imagination relate to mental health. Higher well-being and lower depressive symptoms were strongly linked to having goals that were more attainable, under control, and expected to bring more joy; and to goal-directed imagination that was clearer, more detailed, more positive, and less negative. Importantly, the emotional valence of goal-directed imagination strongly predicted well-being at a two-month follow-up, even after controlling for mental health at baseline. These findings underscore the relevance of goal-directed imagination to well-being and depressive symptoms, and highlight potential targets for goal- and imagery-based interventions to improve mental health.

Mental health of the children who are active users of digital media (literature review)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
GA Goncharova
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

The article provides a literary review of studies on the impact of digitalization on indicators of mental health and well-being (emotional well-being, behaviour, communication, learning) of children and adolescents. The vast majority of researchers note the prevalence of different disorders in children and adolescents, including inattention, hyperactivity, anxiety, depressive symptoms, obsessive disorders etc.

scholarly journals Online Counseling to Improve Mental Health among Midwives

Proyeksi ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 185
Author(s):  
Tiara Diah Sosialita
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Online Counseling ◽  
Control Group Design ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
And Control ◽  
Health And Well Being

As one of vital agent in health services, midwives play a central role in promoting well-being of their patients, especially for women and the babies. Unfortunately, the fact that they have poor condition of mental health and well-being can affect their services to patients and also potentially cause their mental health status can be worsen if not handled properly. Based on literature review and prior research in this field, the extension of potential uses of internet has expanded at an astounding rate, that are related to or effected by developing technologies and online counseling has grown as a mental health services in the past 15 or so years.The aim of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of online counseling to improve mental health used pretest-posttest control group design. Subjects answered the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and analyzed by t-test SPSS 20. Data analysis showed that there was significant difference between experimental and control group scores. Resulth proved that online counseling was effective to improve mental health. This finding also provide clearly articulated of online counseling that beginning to coalesce and numerous helpful resources to improving mental health of society. �����

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Teaching Lazarus Multifaceted Approach on Mental Health of the Elderly

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Mahoory, Parisa ◽  
Aghdasi, Ali Naghi ◽  
Seyyedvalilou, Mirmahmood
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Elderly Women ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Multifaceted Approach ◽  
And Control ◽  
Mental Health Questionnaire ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Tabriz City

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of teaching Lazarus multifaceted approach on mental health and well-being of elderly people in Tabriz city. The method of this research is applied. For this purpose, among all elderly women covered by health care institutions or in nursing homes of the elderly, 24 women The elderly of Tabriz city in 2012 and in two experimental and control groups (12 people) were selected by random sampling method. The experimental group was trained for 2 months in 10 sessions of 90 minutes in the Lazarus multifaceted training sessions and the control group did not receive any intervention. Oxford Happiness Questionnaire and Mental Health Questionnaire (GHQ) in both groups were performed and the results were reported in SPSS20 software using one-variable covariance test. Findings showed that teaching Lazarus' multifaceted approach on the happiness of elderly women in Tabriz has a significant level of P = 0.012, as well as teaching Lazarus multifaceted approach on mental health of elderly women in Tabriz at a significant level of P Has an impact. Therefore, we conclude that teaching Lazarus' multifaceted approach will increase the health and improve the mental health of the elderly.

scholarly journals Testing Predictive Factors of Depressive Symptoms among Grandparents under the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 804-804
Author(s):  
Yuqin Jiao ◽  
Christine Fruhauf
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Protective Role ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Related Stress ◽  
Mental Well Being ◽  
Health And Well Being

Abstract An estimated 69.5 million Americans are reported to be grandparents. Among them, about 10% are raising grandchildren and the number of grandparents who are raising grandchildren (GRG) is increasing. Previous research on GRG suggests that the unexpected caregiving duties may lead to negative physical and mental health including more depressive symptoms when compared to non-caregiving grandparents (NGRG). Additionally, grandparent-grandchild relationships determined by emotional availability (EA) of the grandparent may be impacted. These factors might further be complicated, especially as it relates to the health and well-being of GRG, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the overarching goal of this presentation is to use the biopsychosocial model to present a conceptual framework to test the mental well-being of GRG during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this presentation, we will 1) summarize appropriate literature on GRG; 2) share a COVID-19 health and well-being assessment survey designated for GRG in order to assess their health before and since the COVID pandemic; and 3) propose a conceptual model to investigate and test the protective role of physical activity and GRG’s EA in the grandparent-grandchild relationship for the mental health of GRG. In our model, we argue that GRG experience more COVID-19 pandemic-related stress and more depressive symptoms when compared to NGRG. This proposed conceptual model offers one way to test the predictors of depressive symptoms on GRG. Future testing has the potential to shed new light on the development of appropriate intervention programs tailored to maintain the mental health of GRG.

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