scholarly journals Recognizing the role of victim supports in building and maintaining healthy and safe communities

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Sarah Johnston-Way ◽  
Sue O’Sullivan

The effects of crime can persist for years and can have life-long implications for some victims. The physical and emotional impact, alongside practical problems, point to the need for the rehabilitation of victims and their families in order to avoid or mitigate some of the long-term negative impacts of crime and, in so doing, contribute significantly to community well-being. The meaningful integration of assistance and supports for victims of crime into community safety strategies can contribute not only to increased public safety, but also to a host of other positive outcomes such as considerable cost savings, improvements in public health, and increased confidence in the criminal justice system. Currently, available research and metrics highlighting these linkages remain scarce, pointing to an important opportunity to strengthen the availability of data and research related to the experience of victimization and the impacts and outcomes of interventions with victims of crime. This paper explores the contribution of providing victim supports for building and maintaining healthy and safe communities, and will identify possible research directions to strengthen understanding in this area.

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (40) ◽  
pp. 5128-5133
Author(s):  
Kate Levenberg ◽  
Wade Edris ◽  
Martha Levine ◽  
Daniel R. George

Epidemiologic studies suggest that the lifetime prevalence of bipolar spectrum disorders ranges from 2.8 to 6.5 percent of the population. To decrease morbidity and mortality associated with disease progression, pharmacologic intervention is indicated for the majority of these patients. While a number of effective treatment regimens exist, many conventional medications have significant side effect profiles that adversely impact patients’ short and long-term well-being. It is thus important to continue advancing and improving therapeutic options available to patients. This paper reviews the limitations of current treatments and examines the chemical compound Linalool, an alcohol found in many plant species, that may serve as an effective mood stabilizer. While relatively little is known about Linalool and bipolar disorder, the compound has been shown to have antiepileptic, anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic, anti-depressive, and neurotrophic effects, with mechanisms that are comparable to current bipolar disorder treatment options.


2020 ◽  
pp. 002087282097061
Author(s):  
Qin Gao ◽  
Xiaofang Liu

Racial discrimination against people of Chinese and other Asian ethnicities has risen sharply in number and severity globally amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This rise has been especially rapid and severe in the United States, fueled by xenophobic political rhetoric and racist language on social media. It has endangered the lives of many Asian Americans and is likely to have long-term negative impacts on the economic, social, physical, and psychological well-being of Asian Americans. This essay reviews the prevalence and consequences of anti-Asian racial discrimination during COVID-19 and calls for actions in practice, policy, and research to stand against it.


Author(s):  
L. M. E. van Erp ◽  
H. Maurice-Stam ◽  
L. C. M. Kremer ◽  
W. J. E. Tissing ◽  
H. J. H. van der Pal ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose This study aimed to increase our understanding of the psychosocial well-being of young adult childhood cancer survivors (YACCS) as well as the positive and negative impacts of cancer. Methods YACCS (aged 18–30, diagnosed ≤ 18, time since diagnosis ≥ 5 years) cross-sectionally filled out the “Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Young Adults” (PedsQL-YA), “Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale” (HADS), and “Checklist Individual Strengths” (CIS-20R) to measure fatigue and survivor-specific “Impact of Cancer - Childhood Survivors” (IOC-CS), which measures the long-term impact of childhood cancer in several domains. Descriptive statistics (IOC-CS), logistic regression (HADS, CIS-20R), and ANOVA (PedsQL-YA, HADS, CIS-20R) were performed. Associations between positive and negative impacts of childhood cancer and psychosocial outcomes were examined with linear regression analyses. Results YACCS (N = 151, 61.6% female, mean age 24.1 ± 3.6, mean time since diagnosis 13.6 ± 3.8) reported lower HRQOL (− .4 ≤ d ≤ − .5, p ≤ .001) and more anxiety (d = .4, p ≤ .001), depression (d = .4, p ≤ .01), and fatigue (.3 ≤ d ≤ .5, p ≤ .001) than young adults from the general Dutch population. They were at an increased risk of experiencing (sub)clinical anxiety (OR = 1.8, p = .017). YACCS reported more impact on scales representing a positive rather than negative impact of CC. Various domains of impact of childhood cancer were related to psychosocial outcomes, especially “Life Challenges” (HRQOL β = − .18, anxiety β = .36, depression β = .29) and “Body & Health” (HRQOL β = .27, anxiety β = − .25, depression β = − .26, fatigue β = − .47). Conclusion YACCS are vulnerable to psychosocial difficulties, but they also experience positive long-term impacts of childhood cancer. Positive and negative impacts of childhood cancer were associated with psychosocial outcomes in YACCS. Screening of psychosocial outcomes and offering targeted interventions are necessary to optimize psychosocial long-term follow-up care for YACCS.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manhal Ali ◽  
Reza Salehnejad

AbstractDelayed discharges of patients from hospitals, also known as “bed–blocking” is a long standing policy concern. Such delays can increase hospital treatment costs and may also lead to poorer patient health and experience. Prior research indicates that external factors, such as, greater availability and better affordability of long term care associated with lower delays. Using theories from Economics, this study examines the role of within–hospital factors, namely, staff well–being in alleviating hospital delayed days. We use a new panel database of delays in all English hospital trusts from 2011/12 to 2014/15. Employing longitudinal count data models, the paper finds that staff well–being is associated with lower hospital delayed discharges controlling for long–term factors and management quality. The findings are robust to alternative methods and measures of delayed discharges.


2022 ◽  
pp. 1351010X2110688
Author(s):  
Alaa Algargoosh ◽  
Babak Soleimani ◽  
Sile O’Modhrain ◽  
Mojtaba Navvab

People’s interactions with the environment shape their experiences. Thus, understanding these interactions is critical to enhancing human well-being. Aural attributes play a significant role in shaping the perception of space in addition to visual attributes. It is well known that sounds evoke an emotional response, but less is known about how the acoustic characteristics of environments reinforce such an emotional impact. By adopting virtual reality as a platform for recreating 3D sounds and 360° visuals of built environments of worship spaces as case studies, this study aims to investigate the influence of the acoustic environment considering audiovisual congruency on enhancing the human experience through self-report and physiological response analysis. It also examines the role of cultural background in terms of familiarity with the acoustic environment. The convergent mixed-methods approach, merging both quantitative and qualitative analysis, provides a deep understanding of the role of the acoustic environment in enhancing the auditory experience. The results show that the acoustic environment and audiovisual congruency amplify the intensity of the emotional impact, and the amplification of the impact can vary depending on the acoustic environment of the building. They also reveal that familiarity with sound and acoustic characteristics can increase this impact.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 280-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Gandy

We are in the midst of a psychedelic research renaissance. With research examining the efficacy of psychedelics as a treatment for a range of mental health indications still in its early stages, there is an increasing body of research to show that careful use of psychedelics can yield a variety of benefits in “healthy normals” and so lead to “the betterment of well people.” Psychedelics have been found to modulate neuroplasticity, and usage in a supportive setting can result in enduring increases in traits such as well-being, life satisfaction, life meaning, mindfulness, and a variety of measures associated with prosocial behaviors and healthy psychological functioning. The effect of psychedelic experience on measures of personality trait openness and is potential implications is examined, and the potential role of awe as a mediator of the benefits of the psychedelic experience is discussed. Special attention is given to the capacity of psychedelics to increase measures of nature relatedness in an enduring sense, which is being correlated with a broad range of measures of psychological well-being as well as a key predictor of pro-environmental awareness and behavior. The effects of particular classical psychedelic compounds on healthy people are discussed, with special attention given to the mystical-type experiences occasioned by high doses of psychedelics, which appear to be an important mediator of long-term benefits and psychotherapeutic gains. Research looking at the potential benefits of psychedelic microdosing is discussed. Potential future research avenues are explored, focusing on the potential development of psychedelics as agents of ecotherapy.


2020 ◽  
pp. bmjspcare-2020-002632
Author(s):  
Philippa Tollow ◽  
Jane Ogden ◽  
Candida S McCabe ◽  
Diana Harcourt

ObjectivesExisting research has established the importance of appearance concerns for individuals with cancer and identified appearance as an important factor in dying with dignity. No research, however, has explored in depth the role of appearance in the experiences of individuals who have incurable cancer. This research aims to explore patients’ experiences and perspectives in relation to the role of appearance issues in adults with incurable cancer.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 adults with incurable cancer (20 women, 4 men; mean age 54.5, SD 11.32).ResultsThematic analysis generated three themes: ‘Identity: Embodying Cancer’, ‘Communication: Wearing your illness’ and ‘Support: Holistic Care’. Appearance was felt to be an important element of identity, which was often dominated by cancer, leading to feelings of separation from the participant’s previous self. Appearance changes also influenced the way in which individuals communicated with their external world, forcing discussion of their diagnosis, and increasing focus on their cancer, with participants having to manage the emotional impact of this on loved ones, as well as the impact on their legacy. Finally, participants highlighted the positive impact of appearance-related support in their well-being and identified peer connections and refocusing on the self as key elements of such support.ConclusionsAppearance changes play an important role in the experiences of individuals with incurable cancer with regards to both identity and communication and challenged participants’ ability to maintain normalcy. Further psychosocial support relating to appearance concerns was considered necessary to promote dignity and provide truly holistic patient care.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (24) ◽  
pp. 6933
Author(s):  
Esther Villajos ◽  
Núria Tordera ◽  
José M. Peiró

Traditional Human Resource Management (HRM) focusing on maintaining the status quo is no longer in the spotlight. Sustainable HRM has become the new approach, emphasizing the need to attend to organizational results directed toward reaching different goals and integrating the needs of diverse stakeholders. Moreover, in response to the challenges that organizations face in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environments, Human Resource (HR) practices can contribute to the development of idiosyncratic deals (negotiation of individual HR practices) that might facilitate employees’ creativity and eudaimonic well-being in the long term and, thus, the sustainability of these organizations. Thus, the aim of this study is to test the mediating role of idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) in the unfolding relationship between HR practices, eudaimonic well-being and creative performance. Using a longitudinal database (three waves), the hypotheses are tested using structural equations modeling. The results support the idea that HR practices function as an antecedent for i-deals. More specifically, i-deals fully mediate the relationship between HR practices and eudaimonic well-being. In turn, i-deals and eudaimonic well-being fully mediate the relationship between HR practices and creative performance, which suggests that, through i-deals, HR practices become more beneficial for both employees and employers. In conclusion, these results are important for sustainable HR development, because HR practices enhance i-deals, which increase well-being, enhancing performance in the long term.


2002 ◽  
Vol 27 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 137-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony H. Winefield

Research on unemployment, underemployment and organisational stress have become major social issues over the past 20 years and have attracted considerable research interest on the part of organisational psychologists both in Australia and overseas. Globalisation has led to restructuring and downsizing in many industrialised societies and a shift, for many workers, from the prospect of secure, long-term employment, to unemployment or inadequate or insecure employment. This paper reviews the research on these topics, discusses their theoretical implications and suggests future research directions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 149 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johan Graafland

AbstractAn increasing volume of literature has shown that economic freedom is related to life satisfaction. However, life satisfaction may not fully describe well-being because of its subjective nature. This study contributes to previous literature by extending analysis of the relationship between economic freedom and life satisfaction to other dimensions of well-being as measured by the better life index of the OECD that includes both objective and subjective measures. A second innovation of this paper is that, in explaining the differences in well-being between countries, we conjecture that the relationship between free market institutions as measured by economic freedom and well-being is moderated by the cultural dimension of long-term orientation. This hypothesis is supported for six out of 11 dimensions of well-being: income, community, health, life satisfaction, safety, and work—life balance. Our study shows that looking at interdependencies between culture and formal institutions can increase the explanatory power of internationally comparative research into well-being.


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