Communications through contemporary tools of information and communication technology: Health among separated family members (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Currently, the number of single-living workers who are separated from spouses and families has been increasing due to the development of information and communication technology (ICT) and the achievement of mobility. At the same time, concerns have emerged about the mental and physical health status of solitary members living apart from family members. The development of media for interpersonal communication through ICT tools and the Internet system has been remarkable and has enabled two-way communication across distances and borders. Thus, easy access to this simultaneous form of communication has been expected to contribute to and mitigate the psychosocial status of isolated individuals. OBJECTIVE This study aims to elucidate the health benefits of ICT by providing a psychosocial health assessment and determining the characteristics of ICT tools and the frequency of communication. METHODS This study is cross-sectional in nature. The study subjects are adults living separately from family members or those who have such family members living separately due to work and other reasons. The participants were requested to fill up a web response-system questionnaire about the status of their ICT use and health status and their evaluation of life and society. They were divided into two groups according to their communication tools and frequency of use and statistically compared in terms of living alone, health, and psychosocial status. RESULTS In total, 15 of 73 participants were categorized in the highly skilled in ICT tools (HSI) group, which uses two types of ICT tools, namely, live, such as video chat and voice call, and text, such as short message service and e-mail, to communicate frequently. A simple comparison between the HSI and reference groups exhibited significant differences in neighborhood social cohesion, perceived social position, and life satisfaction but not in health, lifestyle, and dyadic trust in families with members living separately. Multivariate regression analysis was adjusted for confounding factors, such as level of education, age, gender, and job status. The results indicate that poor subjective health tended to show an odds ratio of less than 1 (OR = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.03–1.02). Moreover, the HCT group demonstrated significant positive relationships with neighborhood social cohesion (β = 2.40, 95% CI: 0.56–4.24), perceived social position (β = 1.17, 95% CI: 0.11–2.23), and life satisfaction (β = 1.46, 95% CI: 0.58–2.34) using the same multivariate regression model. CONCLUSIONS The findings study suggested that people who frequently communicate with separated family members by taking advantage of various ICT tools can maintain a positive mental state and better social relations among those living alone and away from their families.

Impact of Working from Home on Cardiovascular Health: An Emerging Issue with the COVID-19 Pandemic

Mandatory working from home is one of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for a large number of workers. Transition to working from home may significantly impact lifestyle, psychosocial status, and the overall health of workers. This review summarizes available data about the effects of lockdown measures, particularly working from home, on cardiovascular risk factors including sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy diet pattern, psychological distress, smoking, alcohol misuse, and cardiometabolic parameters. Finally, we suggest countermeasures that can attenuate the negative health impact of working from home. Indeed, timely and tailored interventions implemented by companies in cooperation with the health care system could allow workers to benefit more from some of the advantages associated with working from home.

Gender differences in psychosocial status of adolescents during COVID-19: a six-country cross-sectional survey in Asia Pacific

Background School closures and family economic instability caused by the COVID-19 lockdown measures have threatened the mental health and academic progress of adolescents. Through secondary data analysis of World Vision Asia Pacific Region’s COVID-19 response-assessments in May–June 2020, this study examined whether adolescents’ study, physical, and leisure activities, psychosocial status, and sources of COVID-19 information differed by gender. Methods The assessments used cross-sectional surveys of adolescents in poor communities served by World Vision (n = 5552 males and n = 6680 females) aged 10–18 years old in six countries. The study households of adolescents were selected either by random sampling or non-probability convenience sampling and assessed using telephone or in-person interviews. Multivariate logistic regression analyses examined the relationship between gender and psychosocial status; daily activities (e.g., play, study); and sources of information about COVID-19. Results Participation in remote education was low (range: 0.5–20.7% across countries), with gender difference found only in Vietnam. Compared to males, female adolescents were less likely to play physically with a range of AOR: 0.36–0.55 (n = 5 countries) or play video games with a range of AOR: 0.55–0.72 (n = 2 countries). Female adolescents were more likely to feel isolated or stressed (India, AOR = 1.13, 95%CI:1.00, 1.26); feel unsafe (the Philippines, AOR = 2.22, 95%CI:1.14, 4.33; Vietnam, AOR = 1.31, 95%CI:1.03, 1.47); be concerned about education (India, AOR = 1.24, 95%CI:1.09, 1.41; Myanmar, AOR = 1.59, 95%CI:1.05, 2.40); or be concerned about household income (India, AOR = 1.13, 95%CI:1.00, 1.28; Vietnam, AOR = 1.31, 95%CI:1.09, 1.58). Female adolescents were also less likely to obtain COVID-19 related information through internet/social media (Bangladesh, AOR = 0.51, 95%CI:0.41, 0.64; India, AOR = 0.84, 95%CI:0.73, 0.96; and Myanmar, AOR = 0.65, 95%CI:0.43, 0.97) and mobile call or short message (India, AOR = 0.88, 95%CI:0.80, 0.98) but more likely to get the information from friends (Vietnam, AOR = 1.18, 95%CI:1.02, 1.36) and family (Bangladesh, AOR = 1.44, 95% CI:1.21, 1.70; India, AOR = 1.29, 95% CI:1.15, 1.45). Conclusions An understanding of gender differences in the impacts of COVID-19 on adolescents' schooling, physical, and mental health can inform adolescent protection interventions. Psychosocial support during response and recovery phases needs to pay special attention to gender differences, since female adolescents’ psychosocial status is at higher risk when facing the challenges of this pandemic.

Analysis of Real-World Implementation of the Biopsychosocial Approach to Healthcare: Evidence From a Combination of Qualitative and Quantitative Methods

Aims: The modern medical model has been transformed into a biopsychosocial model. The integration of the biopsychosocial approach in healthcare can help improve the effectiveness of diagnosis and treatment. This study explored the actual application of the biopsychosocial approach in healthcare and provides a basis for targeted interventions to promote the biopsychosocial approach in healthcare.Methods: Study 1 involved one-on-one interviews with 30 medical staff and focus group interviews with 16 recent patients. Study 2 was a cross-sectional survey of 13,105 medical staff in Hangzhou, China that analyzed the status quo implementation of the biopsychosocial approach in healthcare.Results: Study 1 found that medical staff did not welcome patients to report information unrelated to their disease, hoping patients did not express their emotions. In the treatment process, patients believed that medical staff refused to attend to or did not encourage reporting of any information other than the disease, and that patients should have reasonable expectations for medical staff. Study 2 found that medical staff had a 37.5% probability of actively paying attention to the patient's psychosocial status. Female medical staff (38.5%) were actively concerned about the patient's psychosocial status significantly more than male medical staff (34.2%) (P < 0.01). The medical staff in the psychiatric department (58.4%) paid more active attention to the patient's psychosocial status than staff in the non-psychiatric departments (37.2%). Gender, department, hospital level, and professional title were the factors associated with the medical staff's attention to the patient's psychosocial status (P < 0.05). The influence of age on the probability of medical staff actively paying attention to the psychosocial status of patients increased with the number of years of employment. Participants that were 31–40 years old, had an intermediate professional title, and 11–15 years of employment were the least likely to actively pay attention to patients' psychosocial status.Conclusion: Although the biopsychosocial approach has been popularized for many years, it has not been widely used in medical care. Medical staff pay more attention to patients' physical symptoms and less attention to patients' psychosocial status. It is recommended that training will be provided to medical personnel on implementing a biopsychosocial approach with particular attention to the sociodemographic characteristics of medical personnel. Additionally, we propose helping patients set reasonable expectations, and formulating guidelines for implementing the biopsychosocial approach.

Penile rehabilitation in patients after radical prostatectomy

Introduction. Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common cancers in men. Radical prostatectomy (RP) is one of the main treatment modalities for localized PCa. Erectile dysfunction (ED), being a consequence of surgical treatment, can have detrimental effects on both physical health and psychosocial status and significantly impair the quality of life of patients and their partners. The risk of ED in the postoperative period in patients undergoing RP, according to the modern literature, is about 60–70%. Materials and methods. The paper describes in detail the pathogenesis of ED after RP. The main components of penile rehabilitation (PR) and their mechanism of action are described, literature data confirming their effectiveness is presented. Results. Currently, after nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy, the following penile rehabilitation methods are used - the use of inhibitors of PDE-5 type, shock wave therapy, vacuum erection therapy (VED), intracavernous injections, penile prosthetics and a combination of these methods. Combined rehabilitation programs promote EF recovery after RP with better results compared to monotherapy. Conclusion. We see a perspective in the development of combined approach strategies for the rehabilitation of erectile funktion (EF) after RP. Further improvement of the surgical technique of nerve-sparing RP, as well as a deeper understanding of the implementation of the postoperative process is crucial to develop an algorithm for the EF restoration program.

Internal Picture of the Disease as a Success Factor of Postoperative Neurorehabilitation in Patients with Pituitary Adenoma

In order to study the perception of patients operated on for pituitary adenoma, their disease, the types of response to the disease, as well as the influence of the type of internal picture of the disease ((VKB) on the success of the treatment and rehabilitation process, 52 patients (24 men, 28 women) aged from 32 to 46 years old (mean age – 37,7 ± 1,2 years), operated on for pituitary adenoma Analysis of medical records, interviews, assessment of the patient's condition using a number of rating scales and psychodiagnostic techniques to determine the type of attitude to the disease revealed in patients a high level of nosogenic stress reactions and a significant predominance of a maladaptive attitude towards an intrapsychic disease (92,3%). The presence of the dominant maladaptive type of VKB in patients significantly reduces the socio-psychological adaptation in the postoperative period. Under these conditions, in the process of forming a strategy of postoperative neurorehabilitation for the successful restoration of the psychosocial status of patients with pituitary adenomas, it is necessary to take into account the nature of maladaptive personality reactions.