scholarly journals The Psychosocial Burden of Families with Childhood Blood Cancer

Author(s):  
Florencia Borrescio-Higa ◽  
Nieves Valdés

Cancer is the second leading cause of death for children, and leukemias are the most common pediatric cancer diagnoses in Chile. Childhood cancer is a traumatic experience and is associated with distress, pain, and other negative experiences for patients and their families. Thus, psychosocial costs represent a large part of the overall burden of cancer. This study examines psychosocial experiences in a sample of 90 families of children with blood-related cancer in Chile. We provide a global overview of the family experience, focusing on patients, caregivers, and siblings. We find that most families report a negative impact upon diagnosis; disruptions in family dynamics; a range of negative feelings of the patient, such as depression, discouragement, and irritability; and difficulty with social lives. Additionally, they report negative effects in the relationship between the siblings of the patient and their parents, and within their caregivers’ spouse/partner relationship, as well as a worsening of the economic condition of the primary caregiver. Furthermore, over half of the families in the sample had to move due to diagnosis and/or treatment. Promoting interventions that can help patients, siblings, and parents cope with distress and promote resilience and well-being are important.

1989 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 440-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
DEBRA UMBERSON ◽  
WALTER R. GOVE

There are theoretical foundations in sociology for two seemingly incompatible positions: (1) children should have a strong negative impact on the psychological well-being of parents and (2) children should have a strong positive impact on the psychological well-being of parents. Most empirical analyses yield only a modest relationship between parenthood and psychological well-being. Usually, but not always, it is negative. In this study we consider the relationship between parental status and several dimensions of psychological well-being. Our analysis is based on data from a large national survey. It suggests that children have positive and negative effects on the psychological well-being of parents. The balance of positive and negative effects associated with parenthood depends on residential status of the child, age of youngest child, marital status of the parent, and the particular dimension of psychological well-being examined. When compared with nonparents, parents with children in the home have low levels of affective well-being and satisfaction, and high levels of life-meaning; parents with adult children living away from home have high levels of affective well-being, satisfaction, and life-meaning. The widowed appear to benefit most from parenthood and the divorced appear to experience the greatest costs.


Author(s):  
Charles S. Carver ◽  
Michael F. Scheier ◽  
Daniel Fulford

Optimism is expecting good things to occur in one's life. Such positive expectations are associated with higher subjective well-being, even under conditions of stress or adversity. In contrast, pessimists respond to adversity with more intense negative feelings. There are also differences in the manner in which optimists and pessimists try to cope with adversity. Optimists tend to put the best face on the adversity, but they acknowledge its existence and its importance, and they try to do as much as possible to resolve whatever problems can be resolved. Pessimists are more likely to distance themselves from the problem and put off doing anything about it as long as possible. They are also more likely to give up trying, if things remain difficult. Some kinds of problem solution is proactive, engaged in before the problem arises. Optimists also tend to engage in such proactive efforts, including taking actions to minimize various kinds of health risks. Perhaps, as a consequence of these preventive steps, optimists also tend to have better health than pessimists. They seem to heal faster from wounds, and there is some evidence that when they are seriously ill they experience slower disease progression. It has been suggested that optimists sometimes are no better off than pessimists, and sometimes are worse off: that their confidence can get them into situations where it is difficult to cope effectively. Evidence of such negative effects of optimism does exist, but it is relatively sparse.


Author(s):  
Germina-Alina Cosma ◽  
Alina Chiracu ◽  
Amalia Raluca Stepan ◽  
Marian Alexandru Cosma ◽  
Marian Costin Nanu ◽  
...  

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.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 16-16
Author(s):  
Sungsim Lee

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.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2909
Author(s):  
Esther Pagán-Castaño ◽  
Javier Sánchez-García ◽  
Fernando J. Garrigos-Simon ◽  
María Guijarro-García

Teaching is one of the professions with the highest levels of stress and disquiet at work, having a negative impact on teachers’ well-being and performance. Thus, well-being is one of the priorities in human resource management (HRM) in schools. In this regard, this paper studies the relationship between HRM, well-being and performance, observing the incidence of leadership and innovation in these relationships. The objective is to measure the extent to which it is necessary to encourage sustainable environments that promote the well-being of teachers and, by extension, students. The study used the methodology of structural equations and a sample of 315 secondary school teachers. The work validates the influence of leadership by example and information management on HRM and performance. In addition, we confirm the significant effect of human resource management on educational performance. The relationship is observed both directly and through the mediating effect on the improvement of well-being. On the other hand, the positive influence of innovation on performance, both in schools and in the classrooms, is reaffirmed. These results suggest the need to zero in on the human resources policies in schools linked to the improvement of teacher well-being and educational performance. They also highlight the role of school and classroom innovation as a key element in maintaining educational quality.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacinth Jia Xin Tan ◽  
Michael W. Kraus ◽  
Emily Impett ◽  
Dacher Keltner

Close relationships can be a source of positive subjective well-being for lower-class individuals, but stresses of lower-class environments tend to negatively impact those relationships. The present research demonstrates that a partner’s commitment in close relationships buffers against the negative impact of lower-class environments on relationships, mitigating social class differences in subjective well-being. In two samples of close relationship dyads, we found that when partners reported low commitment to the relationship, relatively lower-class individuals experienced poorer well-being than their upper-class counterparts, assessed as life satisfaction among romantic couples (Study 1) and negative affect linked to depression among ethnically diverse close friendships (Study 2). Conversely, when partners reported high commitment to the relationship, deficits in the well-being of lower-class relative to upper-class individuals were attenuated. Implications of these findings for upending the class divide in subjective well-being are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inmaculada Díaz ◽  
Manuel Jiménez-Martín ◽  
María Rodríguez ◽  
Cristina Escudero ◽  
María Aparicio ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Biosecurity is known as the implementation of measures to reduce the risk of introduction (external biosecurity) and spread (internal biosecurity) of disease agents. One of the most common diseases in the porcine industry is the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), which has a huge negative impact on the well-being of the animals and consequently, on their productivity. Nonetheless, most of the biosecurity evaluation tools are based on scored systems. A new digital biosecurity system was designed to help control PRRS virus (PRRSv) infection status throughout an objective tool for the evaluation of internal biosecurity based on a system of control of the flow of internal movement of personnel in commercial farms. Movements, routes and health data were combined to classify the staff movements into three categories including “Risky” (From PCR(+) to PCR(-) barns), “Unsafe” (between PCR(+) barns) and “Safe” (From PCR(-)). Therefore, the main aims of the present work were to evaluate the efficacy of this new tool, its relationship with PRRSv incidence as well as to demonstrate the importance of biosecurity education to help farm workers to adopt safer daily practices. Results The observed results showed an overall smaller number of monthly movements (p < 0.05) and a significant increase in the Safe movements percentage (p < 0.05), concomitant with a decrease in the Risky movements percentage (p < 0.05) after the training session. In regards the relationship between staff movements and PRRSv presence, neither the percentage nor the total amount of both Safe and Unsafe movements were significantly different between the PCR(+) and PCR(-) groups of PRRSv status (p > 0.05). Nonetheless, both the total number and the percentage of Risky movements were significantly lower in the PCR(-) group (p < 0.05) compared with PCR(+) group. These results show a clear relationship between the total amount of Risky movements and the probability of a PRRSv outbreak in the farms. Conclusions Our results support the notion that staff movement patterns within the different farm areas are a major factor in its internal biosecurity. The new tool described in the current work showed a significant relationship between staff movements and the probability of PRRSv outbreak and demonstrate the importance of biosecurity training to help farm workers adopt safer daily practices.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7586
Author(s):  
Andrea Parra-Saldívar ◽  
Sebastián Abades ◽  
Juan L. Celis-Diez ◽  
Stefan Gelcich

Urbanization has impacted biodiversity and ecosystems at a global scale. At the same time, it has been recognized as a driver of the physical and emotional gap between humans and nature. The lack of direct contact with nature can have a negative impact on several aspects of human well-being and change knowledge and attitudes of people towards the environment. However, this phenomenon is still poorly understood in megacities outside developed countries. Here, we explore the relationship between ecological knowledge and self-reported well-being in an important urban park in Santiago, Chile. We conducted semi-structured surveys of park users to explore their beliefs, preferences, ecological knowledge of plants and birds, and self-reported well-being. Citizens associated urban parks mainly with “nature,” and particularly with the presence of trees and plants. Trees were recognized as the most relevant elements of urban parks; in turn, birds were ranked as the less relevant. Regarding formal ecological knowledge, respondents correctly identified an average of 2.01 plants and 2.44 birds out of a total of 10 for each taxon, and exotic species were more likely to be recognized. Park users also reported high scores for self-reported well-being. Interestingly, variance of self-reported well-being scores tended to increase at low levels of ecological knowledge of trees, but no significant relationship was detected with knowledge of birds, nor native species. Ecological knowledge of trees was positively related to self-reported well-being. Results suggest that parks can positively contribute to bring people closer to nature in middle-income countries. Improving ecological knowledge can be critical to restore the relationship between humans and nature in megacities.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S212-S212
Author(s):  
Aurora M Sherman

Abstract The impact of personality on the relationship between social relations and well-being has been understudied. We assessed optimism, social support, and social strain in association with self-esteem, depressive symptoms and life satisfaction for a sample of 247 women (Mean age = 57.56, range 45-89 years) from three race groups (42% Native American, 34% African American, 24% European American). PROCESS models revealed significant interactions between optimism and support suggesting that high support buffers the risk of low optimism for all three dependent variables, and two interactions of optimism with social strain, showing that low optimism exacerbated the negative impact of high strain for CES-D and self-esteem scores. The full models accounted for 30-50% of the variance explained in each outcome. We discuss important resources for resilience shown by the women in the sample.


2020 ◽  
pp. 0143831X2097547
Author(s):  
Mojca Svetek

Flexicurity is an integral part of the EU Employment Strategy. Flexicurity promises that it is possible to simultaneously provide organisations with greater flexibility and offer workers the necessary level of security. This is achieved by replacing job security, which stems from a permanent employment contract, with employment and income security. The aim of this article is to present an individual-level investigation of the relationships between various elements of flexicurity, examining how they affect psychological well-being and job satisfaction. A heterogeneous sample of 432 adults employed under various types of employment arrangements participated in the study. The results showed that the type of employment arrangement was the main predictor of perceived job insecurity. Moreover, perceived job insecurity mediated the relationship between employment arrangement and psychological outcomes. Finally, employment and income security failed to mitigate the negative effect of job insecurity. The promise of flexicurity is therefore called into question.


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