The Societal Influences and Quality of Life Among Healthcare Team Members During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The coronavirus infection disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is likely to put healthcare professionals across the world in an unprecedented situation.Methods: A total of 683 healthcare workers were recruited in this study. Short form-12 items (SF-12), Societal Influences Survey Questionnaire (SISQ), and Disaster-Related Psychological Screening Test (DRPST) were used to survey participants. Multiple linear regression and structural equation model (SEM) were used to explore the possible factors to the societal influences and quality of life.Results: After multiple linear regression analysis, female, older, more education years, married, regular intake, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) frequency had positive association with SISQ. To physical component summary (PCS) of SF-12, chronic illness, sleep score, PTSD frequency, and social distance had negative association, and exercise habits had positive association. A mental component summary (MCS) value of SF-12, age, participate in social activities, and social information had positive association, and PTSD frequency, sleep score, social anxiety, and depression had negative association. Under SEM analysis, PTSD had positive influence on SISQ. Sleep score and MCS value had negative influences on SISQ. PTSD severity, older age, sleep score, smoking, and nursing staff had negative influences on PCS value. Young age, PTSD frequency, sleep score, and depression had negative influences on MCS value.Conclusion: Healthcare team members with severe PTSD symptoms suffered more societal influences. Relative to PTSD severity, PTSD frequency was more important to the quality of life. Members of older age who frequently participate in clubs, volunteers, or charity activities had better mental life quality.

Simulacrum that is called Rape - What one sees when one rapes

In 1983, French sociologist Jean Baudrillard proposed the concept of simulation and simulacra to explain the relationship between symbols, reality, and society. 40 years down the line, and his proposed philosophy continues to serve as a foundation in understanding various aspects of human thought, behavior, and societal influences. In this short paper, I extend this idea to cover the crime of rape. The short paper can be considered as a novel discourse in understanding how rape doesn't appear to be a crime committed rather a simulacrum of a hidden act that is unforeseen by the perpetrator and how over time the criminal law has failed to identify this hidden act and have continued to build criminal punishments on the believed act of simulacrum.

The societal influences and quality of life among healthcare team members under COVID-19 pandemic

Background: The corona virus infection disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is likely to put healthcare professionals across the world in an unprecedented situation. Methods: 683 healthcare workers were recruited in this study. Short form-12 items (SF-12), Societal Influences Survey Questionnaire (SISQ), and Disaster-Related Psychological Screening Test (DRPST) were used to survey participants. Multiple linear regression and structural equation model (SEM) were used to explore the possible factors to the societal influences and quality of life. Results: Female, older, more education years, married, regular intake and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) frequency had positive effects to SISQ. To physical component summary (PCS) of SF-12, chronic illness, sleep score, PTSD frequency and social distance had negative effects and exercise habits had positive effect. To mental component summary (MCS) value of SF-12, age, participate in clubs, volunteer or charity activities and social information had positive effects and PTSD frequency, sleep score, social anxiety and depression had negative effects. Under SEM analysis, PTSD had positive effect to SISQ. Sleep score and MCS value had negative effects to SISQ. PTSD severity, older age, Sleep score, smoking and Nursing staff had negative effects to PCS value. Young age, PTSD frequency, sleep score and depression had negative effects to MCS value. Conclusion: Healthcare team members with severer PTSD symptoms suffered more societal influences. Relative to PTSD severity, PTSD frequency was more important to the quality of life. Members of older age, who frequently participate in clubs, volunteers or charity activities had better mental life quality.

‘Weighty woes’: Impact of fat talk and social influences on body dissatisfaction among Indian women during the pandemic

Background: Psychosocial offshoots of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have extended to body dissatisfaction, especially among women. Factors such as increased social media exposure, weight gain memes, and peer conversations about appearance during lockdown might be the potential contributing factors, which need further exploration. The study examined the contribution of ‘fat talk’ and societal influences in determining body dissatisfaction among Indian women. The likely content of the ‘fat talk’ during the lockdown was also analyzed. Methods: The study followed a cross-sectional online based design. Participants comprised of 265 women, aged 15 to 50 years. The Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ-8c), Sociocultural Attitudes toward Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ-3), and Negative Body Talk Scale were used to measure body satisfaction, societal influences, and fat talk respectively. Further, participants were asked to respond to a friend’s comment about her supposed weight gain in the pandemic (fat talk). Results: Fat talk, social influence, weight, and age were significantly correlated with body dissatisfaction. Multiple Regression models indicated that fat talk, social influence, weight, and age accounted for 53.33% of the variance in body satisfaction. Thematic analysis of responses to fat-talk conversations revealed two dominant themes: focus on exercise and diet, as well as acknowledging weight gain and normalizing it in the context of the pandemic. Conclusion: Fat talk amongst peers, societal influence and body-image stereotypes were the most potent contributors in determining body dissatisfaction among Indian women during the pandemic, which can contribute to significant dysfunction. These factors need addressal in the socio-cultural context through health campaigns, interpersonal strategies, and more positive and constructive forms of weight and body image-related communication.

The History and Ethics of the Therapeutic Relationship

This chapter reviews past and present debates about the therapeutic relationship in order to draw out the ethical implications of relational practices in psychotherapy. The therapeutic relationship has been understood differently across psychotherapeutic approaches, with each tradition responding to the attendant ethical challenges in distinctive ways. Aside from practitioners’ theoretical and practical commitments, the therapeutic relationship has also been, and continues to be, shaped by broader societal influences. The chapter discusses the shifting ethical implications of relational practices, then, as situated in their theoretical and historical contexts. The historical variability of concerns raised by the therapeutic relationship requires continued ethical analysis in order to confront the diversity and complexity of contemporary clinical practice.

Development and Implementation of Societal Influences Survey Questionnaire (SISQ) for Peoples during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Validity and Reliability Analysis

The emergence of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had rapidly spread since FEB/MAR 2020. Policy to prevent transmission of COVDI-19 resulted in multi-dimensional impact on social interaction. We aimed to develop a beneficial survey tool with favorable quality and availability, the Societal Influences Survey Questionnaire (SISQ), to evaluate social influences on people during this pandemic. The SISQ was developed with 15 items and 4-point Likert scales consisting of five factors. These include social distance, social anxiety, social desirability, social information, and social adaptation. Construct validity and reliability were performed to verify the SISQ. A total of 1912 Taiwanese were recruited. The results demonstrated that the SISQ has acceptable reliability, with Cronbach’s alphas ranging between 0.57 and 0.76. The SISQ accounted for 58.86% and satisfied the requirement of Kaiser–Mayer–Olkinvalues (0.78) and significant Bartlett’s Test of sphericity. Moreover, the confirmatory factor analysis fit indices also indicated the adequacy of the model. As for multiple comparison, females scored higher than males in factor of social distance. Unemployed participants and those without partners scored higher in several domains of factors. The survey method and survey instrument prove reliable and valuable, also providing different categories of assessment results regarding social influences and their impacts. Further studies are warranted to extend the applicability of SISQ.