scholarly journals Examining the Associations between Psychological Flexibility, Mindfulness, Psychosomatic Functioning, and Anxiety during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Path Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (23) ◽  
pp. 8764
Author(s):  
Benita Wielgus ◽  
Witold Urban ◽  
Aleksandra Patriak ◽  
Łukasz Cichocki
Keyword(s):  
Path Analysis ◽  
State Anxiety ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Psychological Flexibility ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Social distancing plays a leading role in controlling the spread of coronavirus. However, prolonged lockdown can lead to negative consequences in terms of mental health. The goal of the research is to examine the relationship between anxiety and general psychosomatic functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic; the impact of psychological flexibility and mindfulness is also considered. Variables were measured with self-report questionnaires and symptom checklists. The sample included 170 people (M = 27.79, SD = 8.16). Pearson’s correlation, stepwise regression, and path analysis were conducted. The results showed a significant positive relationship between state anxiety and somatic and psychological responses to the pandemic. Path analysis revealed that mindfulness had a direct negative impact on and decreased the level of state anxiety (b = −0.22, p = 0.002), whereas psychological flexibility influenced the variable indirectly (b = 0.23, p = 0.002) by enhancing psychosomatic functioning (b = −0.64, p < 0.001). Psychological flexibility and mindfulness may mediate the development of mental disorders and facilitate achieving overall wellbeing. The study points to the usefulness of mindfulness practice as a form of self-help with anxiety symptoms; this is crucial during the pandemic because contact with clients is restricted.

scholarly journals Bystanders intervene to impede grooming in Western chimpanzees and sooty mangabeys

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (11) ◽  
pp. 171296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Mielke ◽  
Liran Samuni ◽  
Anna Preis ◽  
Jan F. Gogarten ◽  
Catherine Crockford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Dominance Rank ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Sooty Mangabeys ◽  
Lower Ranking ◽  
Cercocebus Atys ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Grooming interactions benefit groomers, but may have negative consequences for bystanders. Grooming limits bystanders' grooming access and ensuing alliances could threaten the bystander's hierarchy rank or their previous investment in the groomers. To gain a competitive advantage, bystanders could intervene into a grooming bout to increase their own grooming access or to prevent the negative impact of others' grooming. We tested the impact of dominance rank and social relationships on grooming intervention likelihood and outcome in two sympatric primate species, Western chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes verus ) and sooty mangabeys ( Cercocebus atys atys ). In both species, rather than increasing their own access to preferred partners, bystanders intervened mainly when an alliance between groomers could have a negative impact on them: when the lower-ranking groomer was close to the bystander in rank, when either groomer was an affiliation partner whose services they could lose, or the groomers were not yet strongly affiliated with each other. Thus, bystanders in both species appear to monitor grooming interactions and intervene based on their own dominance rank and social relationships, as well as triadic awareness of the relationship between groomers. While the motivation to intervene did not differ between species, mangabeys appeared to be more constrained by dominance rank than chimpanzees.

scholarly journals The healthy management: the moderator role of transformational leadership on health workers

2022 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-138
Author(s):  
Ester Grau-Alberola ◽  
Hugo Figueiredo-Ferraz ◽  
Jorge Jesús López-Vílchez ◽  
Pedro R. Gil-Monte
Keyword(s):  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Psychosomatic Disorders ◽  
Psychosocial Risks ◽  
Liderazgo Transformacional ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Psychosocial risks arising from work, like workload, have a negative impact on the quality of work life, especially in terms of the deterioration in working conditions and negative consequences for employees’ health. The style of leadership exercised is key in coping with perceived psychosocial risks. The purpose of this study was to analyse the influence of transformational leadership and workload on psychosomatic disorders, and the moderating role of transformational leadership in the relationship between workload and psychosomatic disorders. The sample consisted of 408 Spanish employees working with people with intellectual disabilities. Workload and Psychosomatic disorders were measured by the UNIPSICO subscales, Transformational leadership was measured by a subscale adapted from the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Bass & Avolio, 1989). Carrying out moderation analysis in PROCESS 3.4 results showed that both Workload and Transformational leadership had a significant influence on Psychosomatic disorders. In addition, Transformational leadership moderated the relationship between Workload and Psychosomatic disorders. Transformational leadership buffers the impact of workload on employees’ health and therefore in the need to carry out training programs for managers in organizations in order to exercise a healthy management. Los riesgos psicosociales derivados del trabajo, como la sobrecarga laboral, tienen un impacto negativo en la calidad de vida laboral, especialmente en el deterioro de las condiciones laborales y en la salud de los empleados. El estilo de liderazgo ejercido es clave en el afrontamiento de los riesgos psicosociales percibidos. El propósito de este estudio fue analizar la influencia del liderazgo transformacional y la sobrecarga laboral sobre los problemas psicosomáticos, y el papel moderador del liderazgo transformacional en la relación entre sobrecarga laboral y problemas psicosomáticos. La muestra consistió en 408 empleados españoles que trabajan con personas con discapacidad intelectual. Sobrecarga laboral y Problemas psicosomáticos se midieron con las subescalas UNIPSICO y Liderazgo transformacional se midió con una subescala adaptada del Cuestionario Multifactorial de Liderazgo (Bass & Avolio, 1989). El análisis de moderación mediante PROCESS 3.4 mostró que tanto Sobrecarga laboral como Liderazgo transformacional tuvieron una influencia significativa sobre Problemas psicosomáticos. Además, Liderazgo transformacional moderó la relación entre Sobrecarga laboral y Problemas psicosomáticos. El liderazgo transformacional amortigua el impacto de la sobrecarga laboral en la salud de los empleados y, por lo tanto, se destaca la necesidad de implementar programas de capacitación para directivos en las organizaciones con el fin de ejercer una gestión saludable.

scholarly journals COVID-19 uncertainty and sleep: the roles of perceived stress and intolerance of uncertainty during the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Wu ◽  
Tingzhong Yang ◽  
Daniel L. Hall ◽  
Guihua Jiao ◽  
Lixin Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Path Analysis ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Mediation Analysis ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Intolerance Of Uncertainty ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic brings unprecedented uncertainty and stress. This study aimed to characterize general sleep status among Chinese residents during the early stage of the outbreak and to explore the network relationship among COVID-19 uncertainty, intolerance of uncertainty, perceived stress, and sleep status. Methods A cross-sectional correlational survey was conducted online. A total of 2534 Chinese residents were surveyed from 30 provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions of China and regions abroad during the period from February 7 to 14, 2020, the third week of lockdown. Final valid data from 2215 participants were analyzed. Self-report measures assessed uncertainty about COVID-19, intolerance of uncertainty, perceived stress, and general sleep status. Serial mediation analysis using the bootstrapping method and path analysis were applied to test the mediation role of intolerance of uncertainty and perceived stress in the relationship between uncertainty about COVID-19 and sleep status. Results The total score of sleep status was 4.82 (SD = 2.72). Age, place of residence, ethnicity, marital status, infection, and quarantine status were all significantly associated with general sleep status. Approximately half of participants (47.1%) reported going to bed after 12:00 am, 23.0% took 30 min or longer to fall asleep, and 30.3% slept a total of 7 h or less. Higher uncertainty about COVID-19 was significantly positively correlated with higher intolerance of uncertainty (r = 0.506, p < 0.001). The mediation analysis found a mediating role of perceived stress in the relationship between COVID-19 uncertainty and general sleep status (β = 0.015, 95%C.I. = 0.009–0.021). However, IU was not a significant mediator of the relationship between COVID-19 uncertainty and sleep (β = 0.009, 95%C.I. = − 0.002–0.020). Moreover, results from the path analysis further showed uncertainty about COVID-19 had a weak direct effect on poor sleep (β = 0.043, p < 0.05); however, there was a robust indirect effect on poor sleep through intolerance of uncertainty and perceived stress. Conclusions These findings suggest that intolerance of uncertainty and perceived stress are critical factors in the relationship between COVID-19 uncertainty and sleep outcomes. Results are discussed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and practical policy implications are also provided.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Pandemic and Quality of Life among Romanian Athletes

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 4065
Author(s):  
Germina-Alina Cosma ◽  
Alina Chiracu ◽  
Amalia Raluca Stepan ◽  
Marian Alexandru Cosma ◽  
Marian Costin Nanu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Quality Of Life Scale ◽  
Life Scale ◽  
Personality Item ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

The aim of this study was to analyze athletes’ quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involved 249 athletes between 15 and 35 of age, M = 21.22, SD = 5.12. The sample was composed of eight Olympic Games medalists, three European medalists, 67 international medalists, and 63 national medalists. The instruments used were: (1) COVID-19 Anxiety Scale, (2) Athlete Quality of Life Scale, (3) Impact of Pandemic on Athletes Questionnaire, and (4) International Personality Item Pool (IPIP Anxiety, Depression, and Vulnerability Scales). The results indicate significant differences in COVID-19 anxiety depending on the sport practiced, F (9239) = 3.81, p < 0.01, showing that there were significant differences between sports. The negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic mediates the relationship between trait anxiety and the athletes’ quality of life. The percentage of mediation was 33.9%, and the indirect effect was −0.11, CI 95% (−0.18, −0.03), Z = −2.82, p < 0.01. Trait anxiety has an increasing effect on the intensity of the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, 0.23, CI 95% (.10, 0.35), Z = 3.56, p < 0.01, and the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has a decreasing effect on quality of life, −0.47, CI 95% (−0.67, −0.27), Z = −4.62, p < 0.01. Gender and age did not moderate the relationship between the negative impact of COVID-19 and athletes’ quality of life. The results of the study highlighted the impact that social isolation and quarantine have on athletes’ affective well-being.

scholarly journals Supporting Caregivers of Older Adults Through Education in Mindful Gratitude Practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 16-16
Author(s):  
Sungsim Lee
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Practice Research ◽  
Relevant Research ◽  
Won Buddhism ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract This presentation describes a supportive mindfulness practice for caregivers of older adults based on the principles of Won Buddhism (an integrative, a modernized Buddhism). As the aging population grows, there is a significant increase in recognition of the negative impact of caregiver stress on older adults’ quality of life. The ability for caregivers to deal compassionately with stress is essential, as caring for older adults can awaken feelings about one’s own vulnerability and mortality. The ‘Mindful Gratitude Practice’ offers a way to cope with stress, cultivate self-care, and improve the care of others. Relevant research will be summarized, which shows mindfulness and gratitude practice respectively benefit positive influence in both physical and emotional well-being. Mindful Gratitude Practice as a spiritual approach that fosters caregivers' emotional stability, reduces their stress and improves the relationship between older adults and their caregivers. In this presentation, three processes of Mindful Gratitude Practice will be described: 1. Understanding a mindfulness practice by establishing intention, attention, and attitude, 2. Learning the principles of a gratitude practice and implementation, and 3. Incorporating mindfulness into a gratitude practice. Research results have demonstrated that through this learning process, caregivers have acquired the concept of interconnectedness, experience grateful moments, and a deep feeling of appreciation in their caregiving relationships. The presenter will guide participants in a short experience of Mindfulness Gratitude Practice. Further readings and resources will be provided for those who are interested.

scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 on Surgical Training: the Past, the Present and the Future

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Yiasemidou
Keyword(s):  
Infection Control ◽  
Surgical Training ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Elective Surgery ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Surgical Services ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic and infection control measures had an unavoidable impact on surgical services. During the first wave of the pandemic, elective surgery, endoscopy, and ‘face-to-face’ clinics were discontinued after recommendations from professional bodies. In addition, training courses, examinations, conferences, and training rotations were postponed or cancelled. Inadvertently, infection control and prevention measures, both within and outside hospitals, have caused a significant negative impact on training. At the same time, they have given space to new technologies, like telemedicine and platforms for webinars, to blossom. While the recovery phase is well underway in some parts of the world, most surgical services are not operating at full capacity. Unfortunately, some countries are still battling a second or third wave of the pandemic with severely negative consequences on surgical services. Several studies have looked into the impact of COVID-19 on surgical training. Here, an objective overview of studies from different parts of the world is presented. Also, evidence-based solutions are suggested for future surgical training interventions.

scholarly journals Sex differences in self-report anxiety and sleep quality during COVID-19 stay-at-home orders

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy A. Bigalke ◽  
Ian M. Greenlund ◽  
Jason R. Carter
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
State Anxiety ◽  
Severity Index ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Perceived Impact ◽  
The Impact ◽  
At Home

Abstract Background COVID-19 and home isolation has impacted quality of life, but the perceived impact on anxiety and sleep remains equivocal. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of COVID-19 and stay-at-home orders on self-report anxiety and sleep quality, with a focus on sex differences. We hypothesized that the COVID-19 pandemic would be associated with increased anxiety and decreased sleep quality, with stronger associations in women. Methods One hundred three participants (61 female, 38 ± 1 years) reported perceived changes in anxiety and sleep quality due to stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic and were administered the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Chi-square and T test analyses were utilized to assess sex differences in reported anxiety and sleep. Analysis of covariance was used to compare the associations between reported impact of COVID-19 and anxiety/sleep parameters. Results Women (80.3%) reported higher prevalence of increased general anxiety due to COVID-19 when compared to men (50%; p = 0.001) and elevated STAI state anxiety compared to men (43 ± 1 vs. 38 ± 1 a.u., p = 0.007). Despite these differences in anxiety, the perceived impact of COVID-19 on PSQI was not different between sexes. However, when stratified by perceived changes in anxiety due to COVID-19, participants with higher anxiety responses to COVID-19 had higher ISI compared to those with no perceived changes in anxiety (9 ± 1 vs. 5 ± 1 a.u., p = 0.003). Additionally, participants who reported reduced sleep quality due to COVID-19 reported higher state anxiety (45 ± 1 a.u.) compared to those that perceived no change (36 ± 2 a.u., p = 0.002) or increased (36 ± 2 a.u., p < 0.001) sleep quality. Conclusion COVID-19 and state-ordered home isolation was associated with higher anxiety and reduced sleep quality, with a stronger association in women with respect to anxiety.

Financial and social efficiency analysis of Islamic microfinance institutions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marwa Fersi ◽  
Mouna Bougelbène
Keyword(s):  
Capital Structure ◽  
Credit Risk ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Microfinance Institutions ◽  
Social Efficiency ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Islamic Microfinance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe purpose of this paper was to investigate the impact of credit risk-taking on financial and social efficiency and examine the relationship between credit risk, capital structure and efficiency in the context of Islamic microfinance institutions (MFIs) compared to their conventional counterparts.Design/methodology/approachThe stochastic frontier approach was used to estimate the financial and social efficiency scores, in a first step. In a second step, the impact of risk-taking on efficiency was evaluated. The authors also took into account the moderating role of capital structure in this effect using the fixed and random effects generalized least squares (GLS) with a first-order autoregressive disturbance. The used dataset covers 326 conventional MFIs and 57 Islamic MFIs in six different regions of the world over the period of 2005–2015.FindingsThe overall average efficiency scores are less than 50%, where CMFIs could have produced their outputs using 48% of their actual inputs. IMFIs record the lowest financial (cost) efficiency that is equal to 28% on average. The estimation results also reveal a negative impact of nonperforming loan on financial and social efficiency. Finally, the moderating effect of leverage funding on the relationship between credit risk-taking and financial efficiency was confirmed in CMFIs. However, leverage seems to moderate the effect of risk-taking behavior on social efficiency for IMFIs.Originality/valueThis paper makes an initial attempt to evaluate the effect of risk-taking decision and its implication on efficiency and MFIs' sustainability. Besides, it takes into consideration the role played by the mode of governance through the ownership structure. In addition, this research study sheds light on the importance of the financial support for the development and sustainability of these institutions, which in return, contributes to a sustainable economic development.

Assessing Barriers to Medication Adherence in Pediatric and Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Patients on Anticoagulation

Blood ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 136 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 9-10
Author(s):  
Kevin E Todd ◽  
Meghan E Mcgrady ◽  
Anne Blackmore ◽  
Carrie Hennessey ◽  
Lori Luchtman-Jones
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Linear Regression ◽  
Medication Administration ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Adolescent And Young Adult ◽  
The Past ◽  
Children And Young Adults ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Lower Adherence

Background: Medication nonadherence rates as high as 50-75% have been widely reported in children and adolescents with chronic medical conditions. Anticoagulation nonadherence is associated with increased morbidity and mortality from hemorrhagic and thrombotic complications, reported mostly in older adult populations. As direct oral anticoagulant use increases, it is critical that pediatric clinicians understand the prevalence, adverse sequelae, and predictors of nonadherence for various anticoagulants prescribed for children and young adults to facilitate self-management in this population. To begin to address these critical knowledge gaps, this study explored the frequency of reported barriers to anticoagulation adherence and the relationship between reported barriers and adherence among a cohort of children and young adults who were prescribed anticoagulants through a pediatric thrombosis clinic. Methods: Data for this abstract were collected as part of a quality improvement (QI) initiative in the pediatric thrombosis clinic from May 2019 to November 2019. This QI initiative included the administration of a self-report measure which asked families to rate the presence/absence of 19 barriers to adherence and respond to two items assessing adherence ("How many anticoagulation doses did you/your child miss in the past 7 days?"; "Did you/your child miss any anticoagulation doses in the past month?"). Patients aged &gt; 10 years (yr.) and/or their caregivers (for patients 0-17 yr.) visiting the clinic for anticoagulation follow-up completed the measure. With IRB approval, results from 161 anonymous measures from 130 families (n = 37 caregivers; n = 62 patients; n = 31 patient/caregiver dyads) were analyzed. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the most frequent barriers, rates of adherence, and concordance of barriers within patient/caregiver dyads. Linear regression was used to explore relationships between barriers and adherence after controlling for medication administration type (injections versus oral). To ensure only one measure per family was included in this analysis, the regression was run on the subset of measures completed by caregivers of children &lt; 18 yr. and patients ≥ 18 yr. (n = 105 [37 caregivers + 62 patients + 31 caregivers from patient/caregivers dyad = 130 families; 130 - 25 families with missing adherence data = 105 families]). Results: Of 161 reporters, 120 reported at least 1 barrier. The most common barriers were medication side effects (n = 44), alterations in lifestyle secondary to medication (n = 44) and forgetting to take the medications (n = 37). The distributions of barriers by reporter and medication type are illustrated in Figure 1. Of 31 dyads, 26 reported 1 or more barriers. Only 6 caregiver/child dyads reported the same set of barriers. The remaining 77% (n = 20) of caregivers endorsed different barriers than their children. On average, patients and caregivers reported 1.85 barriers (SD = 1.95, range 0 - 10) and that they/their child took 96% of prescribed doses (SD= 9%, range = 71 - 100%). The linear regression was significant (F(2, 102) = 4.19, p = 0.02, R2 = 0.08). After controlling for medication type (p = 0.06), a greater number of barriers was significantly associated with lower adherence (t = -2.63, p = 0.01). Every one unit increase in total barriers (1 additional barrier reported) was associated with a decrease of .26% in adherence. Discussion: Although self-reported adherence was high, 75% of patients and caregivers reported 1 or more barriers to adherence. A greater number of barriers is associated with lower adherence, regardless of medication route, suggesting that addressing reported barriers might improve adherence. The spectrum of reported barriers was diverse, differing even within patient and caregiver dyads. Therefore, it is important to evaluate both patients and caregivers to fully assess the burden of barriers. Future studies are needed to evaluate the impact of addressing barriers and the relationship between anticoagulation adherence, barriers, and health outcomes. Figure 1 Disclosures Luchtman-Jones: Corgenix: Other: Provided discounted kits for study; Accriva Diagnostics: Other: Provided kits for study.

scholarly journals Taxing impact of terrorism on global economic openness of developed and developing countries

2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 311-335
Author(s):  
Abubakr Saeed ◽  
Yuhua Ding ◽  
Shawkat Hammoudeh ◽  
Ishtiaq Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Terrorist Attacks ◽  
Economic Openness ◽  
Significant Negative Impact ◽  
Military Expenditures ◽  
The Developed Countries ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

This study examines the relationship between terrorism and economic openness that takes into account both the number and intensity of terrorist incidents and the impact of government military expenditures on trade-GDP and foreign direct investment-GDP ratios for both developed and developing countries. It uses the dynamic GMM method to account for endogeneity in the variables. Deaths caused by terrorism have a significant negative impact on FDI flows, and the number of terrorist attacks is also found to be significant in hampering the countries’ ability to trade with other nations. The study also demonstrates that the developing countries exhibit almost similar results to our main analysis. The developed countries exhibit a negative impact of terrorism, but the regression results are not significant.

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