scholarly journals Exploring a Complementary Stress Management and Wellbeing Intervention Model for Teachers: Participant Experience

Author(s):  
Stevie-Jae Hepburn ◽  
Annemaree Carroll ◽  
Louise McCuaig

Background: work-related stress can have alarming physiological and psychological health impacts, which may permeate into personal and professional contexts. Teachers need to be supported to develop the skills and strategies to effectively identify how stress manifests and how to use simple, practical techniques to manage and reduce the impact of stress. Complementary interventions (CIs) for educators may provide stress management and assist with supporting wellbeing at the individual level. Methods: the convergent mixed-methods study included participant reflections, self-report measures for perceived stress, mindful attention awareness, and subjective wellbeing and biological measures (salivary cortisol levels). Data analysis: inductive thematic analysis and mixed-methods case study design. Results: the participants shared that they experienced benefits in personal and professional contexts, behavioural changes, increased awareness of the impact of stress, and a decrease in the stress response. The participant reflections provided contextual information surrounding the self-report and biological measures. The inferences generated were reflected in both datasets. The findings supported the proposed model linking the mechanisms present in the techniques from the system of yoga and the dimensions of wellbeing. Conclusions: the findings suggest that a CI for educators may provide strategies for supporting wellbeing and assisting with stress management.

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e019472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ailbhe Spillane ◽  
Karen Matvienko-Sikar ◽  
Celine Larkin ◽  
Paul Corcoran ◽  
Ella Arensman

ObjectivesResearch focussing on the impact of suicide bereavement on family members’ physical and psychological health is scarce. The aim of this study was to examine how family members have been physically and psychologically affected following suicide bereavement. A secondary objective of the study was to describe the needs of family members bereaved by suicide.DesignA mixed-methods study was conducted, using qualitative semistructured interviews and additional quantitative self-report measures of depression, anxiety and stress (DASS-21).SettingConsecutive suicide cases and next-of-kin were identified by examining coroner’s records in Cork City and County, Ireland from October 2014 to May 2016.ParticipantsEighteen family members bereaved by suicide took part in a qualitative interview. They were recruited from the Suicide Support and Information System: A Case-Control Study (SSIS-ACE), where family members bereaved by suicide (n=33) completed structured measures of their well-being.ResultsQualitative findings indicated three superordinate themes in relation to experiences following suicide bereavement: (1) co-occurrence of grief and health reactions; (2) disparity in supports after suicide and (3) reconstructing life after deceased’s suicide. Initial feelings of guilt, blame, shame and anger often manifested in enduring physical, psychological and psychosomatic difficulties. Support needs were diverse and were often related to the availability or absence of informal support by family or friends. Quantitative results indicated that the proportion of respondents above the DASS-21 cut-offs respectively were 24% for depression, 18% for anxiety and 27% for stress.ConclusionsHealthcare professionals’ awareness of the adverse physical and psychosomatic health difficulties experienced by family members bereaved by suicide is essential. Proactively facilitating support for this group could help to reduce the negative health sequelae. The effects of suicide bereavement are wide-ranging, including high levels of stress, depression, anxiety and physical health difficulties.


Author(s):  
Ji Sun Ha ◽  
Jin Ah Kim

Background: As the service industry develops, the proportion of emotional laborers is gradually increasing, and their occupational health problems are gradually becoming serious social problems. Researchers must consider various factors, from the personal to the organizational levels, to prevent health problems from arising in the workplace. Many intervention studies have investigated the health and wellbeing of workers, but mainly at the individual level, even though an organization’s interest and efforts are essential for addressing work-related health problems. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to verify the importance of organizations’ interests to protect emotional laborers from work-related health problems. Methods: We used data obtained through the 4th Korean Working Condition Survey of 2014. The study cohort comprised 5857 survey participants over the age of 18 years. Employers, self-employed persons and professional soldiers were excluded. Logistic regression was employed to identify associations between an emotional expression guide and work-related health problems using SPSS 22.0 statistical software. Results: In the absence of an emotional expression guide, the risk of work-related physical and psychological health problems was increased. Even after adjusting for confounding variables, the risks were statistically maintained, particularly headache (odds ratio (OR) 1.798; 95% confidence interval 95% CI: 1.288–2.508), lower limb muscular pain (OR: 1.627; 95% CI: 1.130–2.342), general fatigue (OR: 1.582; 95% CI: 1.077–2.326) and depressive symptom (OR: 6.149; 95% CI: 1.198–31.563). Conclusion: This study showed that organizations’ interests and efforts to prevent workers from being harmed by the effects of emotional labor are important in the prevention of psychosocial and physical health problems; therefore, a national interest in supporting emotional laborers and in introducing policies to support these workers should be established.


Author(s):  
Sunny J. Dutra ◽  
Marianne Reddan ◽  
John R. Purcell ◽  
Hillary C. Devlin ◽  
Keith M. Welker

This chapter not only draws from previous authoritative measurement overviews in the general field of emotion, but also advances these resources in several key ways. First, it provides a specific focus on positive valence systems, which have not yet received specific methodological attention. Second, the field of positive emotion (PE) has expanded in recent years with new and innovative methods, making an updated review of methodological tools timely. Third, the chapter incorporates discussion of PE disturbance in clinical populations and the methods best suited to capture PE dysfunctions. This chapter also outlines some tools that can allow researchers to capture a broad array of PE quantified by self-report, behavioral coding, and biological correlates as seen through changes in the central and peripheral nervous system (i.e., brain and body). After reviewing PE measurement methods and correlates, this chapter includes several methods for studying PE beyond the individual level (i.e., interpersonal) and traditional laboratory settings (i.e., ambulatory or experience sampling). It provides key examples of their applications to study PE in clinical populations while acknowledging several of their basic advantages and disadvantages.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1161
Author(s):  
Raluca Pais ◽  
Thomas Maurel

The epidemiology and the current burden of chronic liver disease are changing globally, with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) becoming the most frequent cause of liver disease in close relationship with the global epidemics of obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. The clinical phenotypes of NAFLD are very heterogeneous in relationship with multiple pathways involved in the disease progression. In the absence of a specific treatment for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), it is important to understand the natural history of the disease, to identify and to optimize the control of factors that are involved in disease progression. In this paper we propose a critical analysis of factors that are involved in the progression of the liver damage and the occurrence of extra-hepatic complications (cardiovascular diseases, extra hepatic cancer) in patients with NAFLD. We also briefly discuss the impact of the heterogeneity of the clinical phenotype of NAFLD on the clinical practice globally and at the individual level.


2021 ◽  
pp. 003329412110268
Author(s):  
Jaime Ballard ◽  
Adeya Richmond ◽  
Suzanne van den Hoogenhof ◽  
Lynne Borden ◽  
Daniel Francis Perkins

Background Multilevel data can be missing at the individual level or at a nested level, such as family, classroom, or program site. Increased knowledge of higher-level missing data is necessary to develop evaluation design and statistical methods to address it. Methods Participants included 9,514 individuals participating in 47 youth and family programs nationwide who completed multiple self-report measures before and after program participation. Data were marked as missing or not missing at the item, scale, and wave levels for both individuals and program sites. Results Site-level missing data represented a substantial portion of missing data, ranging from 0–46% of missing data at pre-test and 35–71% of missing data at post-test. Youth were the most likely to be missing data, although site-level data did not differ by the age of participants served. In this dataset youth had the most surveys to complete, so their missing data could be due to survey fatigue. Conclusions Much of the missing data for individuals can be explained by the site not administering those questions or scales. These results suggest a need for statistical methods that account for site-level missing data, and for research design methods to reduce the prevalence of site-level missing data or reduce its impact. Researchers can generate buy-in with sites during the community collaboration stage, assessing problematic items for revision or removal and need for ongoing site support, particularly at post-test. We recommend that researchers conducting multilevel data report the amount and mechanism of missing data at each level.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerardo Chowell ◽  
Sushma Dahal ◽  
Raquel Bono ◽  
Kenji Mizumoto

AbstractTo ensure the safe operation of schools, workplaces, nursing homes, and other businesses during COVID-19 pandemic there is an urgent need to develop cost-effective public health strategies. Here we focus on the cruise industry which was hit early by the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 40 cruise ships reporting COVID-19 infections. We apply mathematical modeling to assess the impact of testing strategies together with social distancing protocols on the spread of the novel coronavirus during ocean cruises using an individual-level stochastic model of the transmission dynamics of COVID-19. We model the contact network, the potential importation of cases arising during shore excursions, the temporal course of infectivity at the individual level, the effects of social distancing strategies, different testing scenarios characterized by the test’s sensitivity profile, and testing frequency. Our findings indicate that PCR testing at embarkation and daily testing of all individuals aboard, together with increased social distancing and other public health measures, should allow for rapid detection and isolation of COVID-19 infections and dramatically reducing the probability of onboard COVID-19 community spread. In contrast, relying only on PCR testing at embarkation would not be sufficient to avert outbreaks, even when implementing substantial levels of social distancing measures.


2022 ◽  
pp. 105984052110681
Author(s):  
Ashwini R. Hoskote ◽  
Emily Croce ◽  
Karen E. Johnson

School nurses are crucial to addressing adolescent mental health, yet evidence concerning their evolving role has not been synthesized to understand interventions across levels of practice (i.e., individual, community, systems). We conducted an integrative review of school nurse roles in mental health in the U.S. related to depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress. Only 18 articles were identified, published from 1970 to 2019, and primarily described school nurses practicing interventions at the individual level, yet it was unclear whether they were always evidence-based. Although mental health concerns have increased over the years, the dearth of rigorous studies made it difficult to determine the impact of school nurse interventions on student mental health outcomes and school nurses continue to feel unprepared and under supported in this area. More research is needed to establish best practices and systems to support school nursing practice in addressing mental health at all levels of practice.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 567-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolin Rapp ◽  
Kathrin Ackermann

This paper scrutinizes the impact of intolerance toward diverse ethnic, religious, and cultural groups on an individual’s willingness to actively engage in non-violent protest. Following new insights, we examine the individual as well as the ecological effect of social intolerance on protest behavior. Drawing from insights of social psychology and communication science, we expect that the prevalence of intolerance reinforces the positive effect of individual-level intolerance on protest participation. From a rational choice perspective, however, a negative moderating effect is expected, as the expression of opinions becomes redundant for intolerant individuals in an intolerant society. We base our multilevel analyses on data from theWorld Values Surveyscovering 32 established democracies. Our results reveal that intolerance leads to more non-violent protest participation. This relationship, however, is strongly influenced by the prevalence of intolerance in a country.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Louise L. Flores ◽  
Edric Matthew R. Manahan ◽  
Miguel Paulo B. Lacanilao ◽  
Isabella Ma. Beatriz T. Ladaw ◽  
Mico Martin B. Mallillin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background To address the maldistribution of healthcare providers and the shortage of physicians in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas of the Philippines, the Philippine National Rural Physician Deployment Program, or more commonly known as the Doctors to the Barrios (DTTB) program was established in 1993. However, as of 2011, only 18% of the DTTBs chose to stay in their assigned municipalities after their two-year deployment, termed retention. This study aims to identify the individual, local, work, national, and international factors affecting the retention of DTTBs in their assigned communities after their two-year deployment. Methods A descriptive, mixed-methods, explanatory design was used. For the quantitative part, the modified and updated Stayers Questionnaire was given to all current DTTBs present in a Continuing Medical Education session in the Development Academy of the Philippines. Descriptive statistics were then presented. For the qualitative part, individual, semi-structured key informant interviews were conducted in-person or via phone with current and alumni DTTBs from 2012 to 2019. Proceedings of the interviews were transcribed, translated, and analyzed thematically. Results 102 current DTTBs participated in the quantitative part of our study, while 10 current and former DTTBs participated in the interviews. Demographic factors and location, personal beliefs, well-being, friends and family dynamics, and perceptions about work were the individual factors identified to affect retention. Social working conditions, career development, and infrastructure, medical equipment, and supplies were among the work factors identified to affect retention. Geography, living conditions, local social needs, and technology were among the local factors identified to affect retention. Compensation, the recently signed Universal Healthcare Law, and Safety and Security were identified as national factors that could affect retention. International factors did not seem to discourage DTTBs from staying in their communities. Conclusions A host of individual, work-related, local, national, and international factors influence the DTTB’s decision to be retained in different, complex, interconnected, and dynamic ways. We also identified implementation issues in the DTTB program and suggested interventions to encourage retention.


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