Hygiene Behavior in Face of the Corona Pandemic: Compliance Rates and Associations With Fear, SARS-COV-2 risk, Mental Health and Disability

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, hygiene behaviors such as keeping distance, avoid-ing masses, wearing face masks and adhering to hand hygiene recommendations became impera-tive. The current study aims to determine factors interrelating with hygiene behaviors. Methods: 4,049 individuals (1,305 male, 2,709 female, aged 18-80 years) were recruited from rehabilitation clinics or freely on the internet and surveyed via online questionnaire between May 2020 and August 2021. Socio-demographics, hygiene behaviors, emotions (fear), life-satisfaction, risk factors and disability as well as communication were assessed. Results: Prevalence for hygiene behaviors was: keeping the distance 84.9%, avoiding mass gatherings 84.6%, wearing face masks 96.5% and hand hygiene 80.7%. Hygiene behaviors were significantly related to fear with linear and quad-ratic associations. Conclusion: Individuals with disabilities, risk factors and psychological symp-toms are more compliant. Especially hand hygiene should be targeted to achieve higher compli-ance rates. A medium level of fear is more functional than too elevated fear. Behavioral interven-tions and targeted communication aiming at improving different behaviors in orchestration can help individuals to remain healthy and maintain a high life-satisfaction. Thereby, communication in the healthcare setting is imperative and all involved individuals should become more aware of this to ensure high hygiene standards and patient safety.

Sexual jokes at school and students’ life satisfaction: findings from the 2017/18 Swedish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study

Objective In a previous study we demonstrated that the occurrence of sexual jokes in the class was associated with higher levels of psychological health complaints. Building on and extending these findings, the aim of the current study was to examine if exposure to sexual jokes at the student and at the class level was inversely associated with students’ life satisfaction. Data were derived from the 2017/18 Swedish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, with students aged 11, 13 and 15 years (n = 3710 distributed across 209 classes). Exposure to sexual jokes at the student level was captured by one item. Exposure to sexual jokes at the class level was calculated by aggregating this measure. The Cantril ladder was used to operationalise life satisfaction. Two-level logistic regression analyses were performed. Results Students who were exposed to sexual jokes at school were less likely to report high life satisfaction (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.27–0.53). An inverse association was found between the class proportion of students who were exposed to sexual jokes and students’ likelihood of reporting high life satisfaction, whilst adjusting for exposure to sexual jokes at the student level (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.97–0.9994). The findings highlight the importance of promoting a school climate without sexual harassment.

The Relationship Between Perceived Parental Attitude and Life Satisfaction Among University Students

Introduction. The effect of parental attitudes and behaviors in raising their children on the individual’s life has been the subject of numerous studies for many years. There is a strong correlation between parental attitudes and the child’s ability to be satisfied with life. The objective of the research was to determine the relationships between perceived parental attitudes (overprotection, rejection, emotional warmth) and life satisfaction among university students. We investigated whether parental attitudes play a role in predicting life satisfaction among university students, and what role they play. Materials and Methods. The study was conducted from June 2020 to September 2020. Data were collected using Google Forms. Each person consented to anonymously participate in the study and was informed about the objectives of the study being a descriptive one. The population of the study consisted of nursing students enrolled in the Faculty of Health Sciences. For this purpose, 220 students at the age of 20 to 30 years participated in the study. The assessment battery consisted of Student Demographic Form, the Short-Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran (Own Memories of Upbringing), and the Life Satisfaction Scale. Results. There was a significant negative correlation between maternal rejection and life satisfaction among the students. Male students were more likely to perceive their fathers as being disapproving than female students did. These findings were discussed in line with the studies in the related literature. Conclusions. High life satisfaction is a variable that protects young people from risk factors. Therefore, a focus should be placed on increasing life satisfaction among students. Parental attitude is an effective factor for life satisfaction among students. For this reason, it can be said that it would be beneficial to inform families about appropriate parental attitudes to increase their children’s life satisfaction.

Psychosocial Working Conditions in School and Life Satisfaction among Adolescents in Sweden: A Cross-Sectional Study

Poor psychosocial working conditions in school have consistently been shown to be associated with adverse health among adolescents. However, the relationships between school demands, teacher support, and classmate support and positive aspects of health have not been explored to the same extent. The aim of this study was to examine differences in psychosocial working conditions in school and in life satisfaction by gender and by grade, and to investigate the association between psychosocial working conditions in school and life satisfaction among boys and girls, and among students in different grades. Data from the Swedish Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) study of 2017/18 were used, consisting of 3614 students in Grades 5, 7, and 9 (~11, 13, and 15 years). Psychosocial working conditions in school were captured by indices of perceived school demands, teacher support, and classmate support. Life satisfaction was measured by the 11-step Cantril’s ladder (using cutoffs at >5 and >8, respectively). Whereas girls reported higher school demands than boys, higher levels of teacher and classmate support were reported by boys. Students in lower grades reported lower school demands but higher levels of teacher and classmate support compared with students in higher grades. Boys and students in lower grades were more likely to report high life satisfaction compared with girls and students in higher grades. Results from binary logistic regression analyzes showed that school demands were inversely associated with life satisfaction, and that higher levels of teacher support and classmate support were associated with high life satisfaction. These results were found for both boys and girls, and for students in all grades. The findings indicate that schools have the potential to promote positive health among students.

High levels of anxiety and psychological well-being in college students: A dual factor model of mental health approach

Anxiety disorders are prevalent among college students and contribute to problems in social and academic functioning. The primary focus in the anxiety literature has been on symptoms and deficits in functioning rather than psychological well-being. The present study investigated the extent to which high levels of anxiety co-occurred with self-reported psychological well-being using a dual-factor model of mental health approach. Participants (n = 100) were categorized into two groups (high anxiety crossed with low and high life satisfaction), and groups were compared on several psychological well-being indicators. Supporting a dual-factor approach, students reporting high levels of anxiety and life satisfaction reported higher levels of hope, grit, gratitude, self-focused positive rumination, and savoring of positive emotions than students reporting high levels of anxiety and low levels of life satisfaction. Groups did not differ in emotion-focused positive rumination or in dampening of positive emotion. These results highlight well-being heterogeneity within individuals reporting high levels of anxiety, with implications for treatment and prevention efforts.

Social Participation and Healthy Aging among the Elderly Japanese: the Ohsaki Cohort 2006 Study

Background Our study examined the association between social participation and healthy aging using a community-based cohort study among Japanese elderly. Methods This prospective study was conducted in Ohsaki City, Japan, and included 7,226 subjects aged ≥65 years at the baseline survey in 2006. We obtained information on frequency of participation in three types of community activities (i.e. neighborhood activities, hobbies, and volunteer activities) at baseline. Exposure was measured by the number of types of community activities participated in and subjects were categorized into four groups (i.e. none, one type, two types, and three types). The primary outcome was healthy aging as assessed by a questionnaire survey conducted in 2017, and was defined as meeting the following four criteria: free of disability, free of depression, high health-related quality of life, and high life satisfaction. We used multiple logistic regression models to calculate the corresponding odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs). Results During 11 years of follow-up, 574 (7.9%) subjects attained healthy aging. Compared with subjects not participating in any activity, the multivariable-adjusted ORs (95%CIs) were 1.90 (1.40, 2.59) for those participating in one type, 2.49 (1.84, 3.38) for two types, and 3.06 (2.30, 4.07) for three types (P for trend <.0001). Furthermore, for each type of community activity, a higher frequency of participation was related to higher probability of healthy aging. Conclusions Our study suggests that social participation is associated with the promotion of healthy aging, and that the benefits were observed across different types of community activities.

Examining the Associations between Indigenous Rangers, Culture and Wellbeing in Australia, 2018–2020

The centrality of culture to Indigenous peoples’ health and wellbeing is becoming increasingly acknowledged in government policy. In Australia, the Indigenous Ranger program is a leading example of employment that supports increased cultural participation. In 2017, we demonstrated higher life satisfaction and family wellbeing among Indigenous Rangers compared to non-Rangers in Central Australia. Using an expanded national dataset, this present study aimed to: examine if associations between Ranger status and wellbeing continued to be observed in Central Australia; assess if these associations were observed among non-Central Australian Rangers; and, quantify the effect of mediating variables (Rangers status, cultural factors) on wellbeing outcomes. We analyzed Mayi Kuwayu baseline data (n = 9691 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) and compared participants who identified as past or currently employed Rangers compared to non-Rangers across two geographic locations (Central Australia, non-Central Australia). Ranger participation was significantly associated with very high life satisfaction and family wellbeing in Central Australia (high life satisfaction PR 1.31, 95%CI 1.09–1.57, and family wellbeing (PR 1.17, 95%CI 1.01–1.36) and non-Central Australia (high life satisfaction PR 1.29, 95%CI 1.06–1.57), family wellbeing (PR 1.37, 95%CI 1.14–1.65). These findings concord with those observed in the 2017 proof-of-concept study. Additionally, we found that Ranger status partially mediated the relationships between existing cultural practices (first language as your Indigenous language and living on your country) and the two wellbeing outcomes. Current cultural practices, spending time on country and speaking your Aboriginal language, also partially mediated the associations between Ranger status and high life satisfaction, and between Ranger status and high family wellbeing. This analysis supports evidence that both Ranger employment and cultural participation are contributors to wellbeing. Ranger work is not only good for land, but it is good for people. As such, determining policies that mutually acknowledge and enhance culture, health and wellbeing will likely have additional benefits for the broader Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population.

A Typology of Poles’ Attitudes toward COVID-19 during the First Wave of the Pandemic

(1) Objective: To explore Poles’ attitudes during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 as a contribution toward the creation of effective health policies. (2) Method: Computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI) was used to survey a sample of 1001 Poles selected using quota sampling. (3) Results: Using cluster analysis, three types of attitudes were distinguished, people being classified as “involved” (48.1%), “cautious” (27.4%), or “indifferent” (24.6%). The result of greatest interest was the absence of any attitude indicating an extremely dismissive posture toward COVID-19. Three logistic regression analyses, comparing people displaying each attitude with those comparing the other two attitudes combined, showed that an involved attitude was likely to be associated with being female, being in a poorer financial situation, but having relatively high life satisfaction. A cautious attitude was more likely to appear in places with fewer residents and among people in a favorable financial situation, and that an indifferent attitude was more likely to be associated with being male and having lower life satisfaction. (4) Conclusions: The attitudes identified may help to explain why, during the spring of 2020, the virus was spreading slightly more slowly, and on a narrower scale, in Poland than in other countries.

Russian working youth: Strategies to achieve wellbeing

The article presents the results of the analysis of strategies to achieve wellbeing among Russian working youth. The analysis is based on the survey of 1121 respondents between 20 and 30 years old, living in Moscow and major cities of eight federal districts of Russia. The article describes the following five strategies. (1) “Familism” is a predominantly female strategy directed at attaining a work-life balance. It is characterized by high life satisfaction, low work and career satisfaction, as well as by low labor mobility. (2) “Rational consumerism” includes the economical use of family resources and savings activities. It reflects the predominance of materialistic values, an orientation towards a moderate and quiet life, and the absence of professional ambitions. (3) “Networking and entrepreneurship” is a pronounced achievementoriented strategy directed at the accumulation of social capital and entrepreneurial activity. The strategy is characterized by moral nihilism and by orientations towards personal responsibility and self-efficiency. (4) “Investing in professional development” is a work-centric strategy focused on increasing professional knowledge and the acquisition of new professional skills, together with increasing work efforts. This is a predominantly male strategy, more typical for respondents from Russian regions compared to Moscow. (5) “Civic activism” is a less frequently mentioned strategy directed at protecting one’s rights and participation in public and political life. It is common mainly for those living in Moscow. The analysis reveals that these five strategies are shaped by different combinations of the respondents’ individual characteristics, values and orientations, industry of employment, residency, and organizational practices. It was determined that some strategies are developed by the mechanism of accumulating advantages while others are predominantly compensatory in their nature.