Spiritual Dimension in Oral Health

Spirituality is a living and vital component of mankind in which people are looking for ultimate meaning, purpose, and mastery while engaging in connections with themselves, their family members, others, their communities, society, nature, and the divine or spiritual. Health, illness, beliefs, knowledge, and medical practices are all influenced by culture, and dentistry is no exception. Everyone, whether rural or urban, has its own health and illness beliefs and practices. The only way to provide culturally sensitive health care is to be aware of, listen to, and be attentive to each patient, as well as to inquire about personal needs and wishes when appropriate. Spiritual well- being is regarded as the fourth dimension of health. It helps people realize their greatest potential, find meaning and purpose in life, and find fulfillment from within. The individual's lifestyle may have a significant impact on his or her oral health behaviour. Caries and plaque-induced periodontal illnesses are linked to personal hygiene, food intake frequency, motivation to preserve oral health, and in certain circumstances, religious commitment Dental myths are widespread and unquestioned misleading ideas that often arise as a result of a lack of education, spiritual beliefs, and traditional factors based on non-scientific information. Despite global advances in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, some people continue to hold on to their traditional values, practices, beliefs, and myths. If these myths are exposed in a timely manner, it may be possible to reduce the costs and time required for dental treatment, thereby converting an operative treatment into conservative dental management and improve patient satisfaction.

Integrating Cultural Beliefs About Illness in Counseling With Refugees: A Phenomenological Study

Researchers have suggested that people with refugee status have heightened rates of western-defined psychiatric symptoms. Following this evidence, treatments have been adapted with the intent to foster culturally competent service provision for members of refugee communities. Absent in this research is attention to how clinicians address diverse beliefs about illness constructed within the cultures of refugee individuals. As such, even adapted treatments may not readily integrate beliefs about illness espoused in these communities into counseling. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to explore the meaning mental health care providers ascribe to integrating refugee individuals’ cultural beliefs about illness and treatment into counseling. Interviews ( N = 8) were analyzed accordant with descriptive phenomenology. Four themes were identified: (a) Presenting Concerns, Stigma, and Expectations, (b) Centering Diverse Explanations of Distress, (c) Shifting the Work to Connect, and (d) Language as Barrier and Opportunity. The themes represent the meaning that participants ascribed to focusing on what their clients from refugee communities bring to treatment and the value of centering their explanations of distress. Further, they expressed the clinical value of changing how they work and the difficulty as well as benefit of language in treatment. The value of integrating diverse illness beliefs into counseling from a multiculturally oriented perspective is discussed.

Does Weight-Cycling Influence Illness Beliefs in Obesity? A Gender-Sensitive Approach

Obesity is classified as a chronic disease. Women and men seem to face different obstacles in their attempts to overcome one of the most challenging tasks in the treatment of this disease, namely, weight reduction maintenance. The Common-Sense-Model (CSM) is mainly used to improve the understanding of self-regulation and health behaviour in chronic diseases but has yet to be explored for obesity. This paper applies the CSM to obesity, focussing on the construct of illness representations, which is the basis of health behaviour according to the CSM. A sample of n = 356 women and n = 77 men with obesity was investigated to assess the extent that illness representations in obesity are shaped by experiences of weight-cycling and the extent that gender influences their quality. Our results show that the representations of timeline and consequences as well as the emotional representation are particularly influenced by weight-cycling, especially in men. On average, women showed more maladaptive illness representations than men. These findings not only contribute to a better applicability of the CSM in obesity, but also emphasize the importance of gender in obesity research and interventions.

Models of and Beliefs About Disability

The four activities in this chapter focus on how disability is conceptualized. Students’ illness beliefs are explored in one activity, and they compare their beliefs with those of a peer. A second activity involves finding examples of the three models of disability (moral, medical, and social) in various media venues. Having found examples in daily life students then interview a peer about their beliefs and models of disability, and then reverse roles. The understanding of models in others’ belief systems are a necessary step before exploring one’s own model of disability, which students typically find more difficult. Lastly, students explore what it might be like to be newly diagnosed with a disability, as this is an experience they will encounter with clients.

Enhancing family nursing practice in schools: School nurses’ perspectives on illness beliefs and family nursing practice skills when caring for children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or asthma – A cross-sectional study

An increasing number of children attend schools with chronic illnesses/disorders that require managing and comprehensive healthcare from school nurses during the day. Collaboration between school nurses, the school-aged child with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or asthma, and their families is needed when coordinating/managing chronic health problems in the school setting. However, involving families in the assessment and care planning processes can be challenging. The aim of this study was to survey the illness beliefs of school nurses and their perceptions of their family nursing practice skills when offering healthcare services to children with ADHD or asthma in schools. A cross-sectional study was used for a sample of 82 school nurses. The manuscript was prepared following STROBE guidelines. Results indicated that the school nurses perceived themselves to be more confident and to have better knowledge and skill in family nursing practice when offering healthcare services to families of children with ADHD in comparison to asthma.

Are Rurality, Area Deprivation, Access to Outside Space, and Green Space Associated with Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Cross Sectional Study (CHARIS-E)

The study investigated if rurality, area deprivation, access to outside space (Study 1), and frequency of visiting and duration in green space (Study 2) are associated with mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and examined if individual demographics (age, gender, COVID-19 shielding status) and illness beliefs have a direct association with mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. A serial, weekly, nationally representative, cross-sectional, observational study of randomly selected adults was conducted in Scotland during June and July 2020. If available, validated instruments were used to measure psychological distress, individual demographics, illness beliefs, and the following characteristics: Rurality, area deprivation, access to residential outside space, frequency of visiting, and duration in green space. Simple linear regressions followed by examination of moderation effect were conducted. There were 2969 participants in Study 1, of which 1765 (59.6%) were female, 349 (11.9%) were in the shielding category, and the median age was 54 years. There were 502 participants in Study 2, of which 295 (58.60%) were female, 58 (11.6%) were in shielding category, and the median age was 53 years. Direct effects showed that psychological distress was worse if participants reported the following: Urban, in a deprived area, no access to or sharing residential outside space, fewer visits to green space (environment), younger, female, in the shielding category (demographics), worse illness (COVID-19) representations, and greater threat perception (illness beliefs). Moderation analyses showed that environmental factors amplified the direct effects of the individual factors on psychological distress. This study offers pointers for public health and for environmental planning, design, and management, including housing design and public open space provision and regulation.

Is rurality, area deprivation, access to outside space and green space associated with mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic? A cross sectional study from the Covid-19 Health and Adherence Research in Scotland (CHARIS) project

ObjectivesTo determine if rurality, area deprivation, access to outside space (Study 1) and frequency of visiting and duration in green space (Study 2) are associated with mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic.DesignSerial, weekly, nationally representative, cross-sectional, observational study of randomly selected adults in Scotland during June and July 2020.MethodsIf available, validated instruments were used to measure psychological distress, individual demographics and illness beliefs and the following environments: rurality, area deprivation, access to residential outside space, frequency of visiting, and duration in green space. Simple linear regressions followed by examination of moderation effect.Results2969 participants in Study 1, of which, 1765 (59.6%) female, 349 (11.9%) in the shielding category, median age 54 years. 502 participants in Study 2, of which, 295 (58.60%) female, 58 (11.6%) in shielding category, median age 53 years. Direct effects show that psychological distress was worse if: younger, female, in shielding category (demographics), worse illness (Covid-19) representations and greater threat perception (illness beliefs), if urban, in a deprived area, no access to or sharing residential outside space, and fewer visits to green space (environment). Moderation analyses show that environment amplify the direct effects of the individual factors on psychological distress.ConclusionsEnvironment is important for mental health during pandemics and this study offers pointers for public health and for environmental planning, design and management, including housing design and public open space provision and regulation.