Psychological Correlates of (Non)Use of Formal Resources by Family Caregivers of People With Dementia

Caring for a relative with dementia is a stressful task characterized by a high number of demands extended in time. Therefore, caregivers frequently report the need for assistance to cope with the situation. However, formal resources use is low among that population. The objective of this study was to explore the correlates of (non)use of formal resources (day care center and home care) by family caregivers of people with dementia. Participants were 225 dementia family caregivers that were individually assessed in a) use of formal resources, b) sociodemographic variables, c) stressors (frequency and reaction to behavioral problems), and d) psychological variables (depression, anxiety, and dysfunctional thoughts about caregiving). A logistic regression was done comparing those who used formal resources with those who did not use them. Caregivers who did not use formal resources were younger (OR = .95; 95% CI [.92 - .98]), devoted more daily hours to caring (OR = 1.07; 95% CI [1.02 - 1.11]), reported higher levels of dysfunctional thoughts about caregiving (OR = 1.07; 95% CI [1.04 – 1.10]) and higher anxiety levels (OR = 1.07; 95% CI [1.00- 1.13]), and their care-recipient had a higher functional autonomy (OR = 1.04; 95% CI [1.02 – 1.05]). Higher levels of anxiety and dysfunctional thoughts in caregivers may be act as barriers to seek for formal support. Targeting these variables may help to increase the use of formal resources by family caregivers of people with dementia.

Experiences of Strokes’ Caregiver in Maluku Province: A Qualitative Study

Introduction:Patients with stroke are dependent on their family to relieve their physical and emotional needs after discharge form the hospital. The family plays an important role in caring for them, which is a stressful task for the caregivers. This study aimed at investigating the experiences of caregivers of patients with stroke.Method: This is qualitative study (descriptive phenomenology), in which the participants included seven caregivers of stroke patients. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was performed based on Colaizzi.Result: The results in the study were summarized in three main categories: anxiety (tension and stress, concern about economic future), care consequences (fatigue, reduced family interactions), and neglected needs (psychological needs educational needs)Conclusion: According to the purpose of the study and its implications, it is concluded that nurses and physicians should pay more attention to the needs and concerns of patients and their caregivers and try to resolve them with regard to the consequences of the disease.

Workplace Mental State Monitoring during VR-Based Training for Offshore Environment

Adults are constantly exposed to stressful conditions at their workplace, and this can lead to decreased job performance followed by detrimental clinical health problems. Advancement of sensor technologies has allowed the electroencephalography (EEG) devices to be portable and used in real-time to monitor mental health. However, real-time monitoring is not often practical in workplace environments with complex operations such as kindergarten, firefighting and offshore facilities. Integrating the EEG with virtual reality (VR) that emulates workplace conditions can be a tool to assess and monitor mental health of adults within their working environment. This paper evaluates the mental states induced when performing a stressful task in a VR-based offshore environment. The theta, alpha and beta frequency bands are analysed to assess changes in mental states due to physical discomfort, stress and concentration. During the VR trials, mental states of discomfort and disorientation are observed with the drop of theta activity, whilst the stress induced from the conditional tasks is reflected in the changes of low-alpha and high-beta activities. The deflection of frontal alpha asymmetry from negative to positive direction reflects the learning effects from emotion-focus to problem-solving strategies adopted to accomplish the VR task. This study highlights the need for an integrated VR-EEG system in workplace settings as a tool to monitor and assess mental health of working adults.

Making Sense of Acute Stress: Psychological Adjustment in Meaning Making

The current study utilized an experimental design to investigate violations of global meanings, perceived stress, positive affect and negative affect in the context of meanings made from a stressful situation. Additionally, meanings made were investigated as a moderator of the relationship between those variables. A sample of 40 participants completed the experiment and the questionnaires. Half of the participants were randomly assigned to either the control group or the experimental group. Participants responded to a variety of measures including, perceived stress, positive and negative affect, positive cognitive emotional regulation strategies (meaning making attempts), meanings made, global meaning measures such as self-esteem and beliefs about control, and other demographic information. Participants in the experimental group underwent a virtual version of the Trier Social Stress Task to induce stress, while participants in the control group read a text. Results indicated that negative affect was increased after the stressful task compared to the end of the experiment and that positive affect after completing the stressful task decreased from positive affect measured when anticipating the task. The current study has important potential implications for completing the Trier Social Stress Task remotely, and for examining the role of acute stress in the meaning making model.

Stressful Life Events Are Related to More Negative Interpretations, but Not Under Acute Stress

Studies have identified deleterious effects of stress on multiple cognitive processes such as memory and attention. Little is known about the impact of stress on interpretation. We investigated how an induced acute stress and more long-term stress related to life events were associated with interpretations of ambiguous stimuli. Fifty participants answered a questionnaire indexing the number of stressful life events. A median split was used to compare those reporting few or more events. Half of participants performed an arithmetic task that induced acute stress; they were compared to a control group performing a less stressful task. We measured the interpretation of ambiguous visual stimuli, which participants had to judge as “negative” or “positive”. We found a significant interaction between the number of stressful life events and the induced acute stress on the proportion of positive interpretations. In the control group, participants reporting more stressful events produced less positive interpretations than those reporting few events. In the induced stress condition, no significant difference was found. Life events tend to influence interpretation in the absence of an acute stressor, which seems to be more influent in the short term.

A stressful task is when to turn off the music: Effect of music on task performance mediated by cognitive effort

Studies on the effect of music on task performance are contradictory about this relationship’s direction and valence. Task characteristics may be accounting for these inconclusive findings. Thus, this study employs effort to mediate music’s effect on task performance (objective and perceived) under a stressful decision-making process. This is a between-group experiment with three conditions: slow-tempo music, fast-tempo music, or no music. We designed a computer web interface, where participants did a stressful task. Results demonstrated that participants made a strong effort under the conditions with music. Hence, turning the music off under stressful activities is favorable in terms of performance. The article contributes to understanding the interaction between music and task performance, expanding the discussion within a stressful task.

Training for difficult conversations and breaking bad news over the phone in the emergency department

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been strict limits on visitors to hospitals. This has led to clinicians having an increasing number of difficult conversations with patients and their relatives over the phone. There is a lack of published literature examining how to do this well, but it is recognised that phone communication does differ from face to face interactions, and requires specific training. What is most important to patients and their families when receiving bad news is privacy, adequate time without interruptions, clarity and honesty when delivering the information, and an empathetic and caring attitude. Much of the work done on breaking bad news has been done in oncology and focusses on face to face interaction; there has been an assumption that this is transferrable to the emergency department, and more recently that this is applicable to conversations over the phone. Multiple educational interventions to improve the delivery of bad news have been developed, with differing frameworks to help clinicians carry out this stressful task. Simulation is widely used to train clinicians to break bad news, and has solid theoretical foundations for its use. The psychological safety of participants must be considered, especially with emotive subjects such as breaking bad news. We believe there is a need for specific training in breaking bad news over the phone, and developed an innovative simulation-based session to address this. The training has been well received, and has also highlighted the need for a space where clinicians feel able to discuss the emotional impact of the difficult conversations they are having.

Emotional Empathy in the Social Regulation of Distress: A Dyadic Approach

Although research suggests distressed individuals benefit from others’ empathy, it is unclear how an individual’s level of empathy influences dyadic responses during emotional situations. In the current study, female participants ( N = 140; 70 dyads) were paired with a stranger. One member of each dyad (the experiencer) was randomly assigned to undergo a stressful task and disclose negative personal experiences to their partner (the listener). Experiencers paired with listeners higher in dispositional emotional empathy had less negative affect during emotional disclosure and lower sympathetic nervous system reactivity during the stressful task and disclosure. Listeners higher in emotional empathy reported more negative affect in response to their partner’s distress. Furthermore, for listeners higher in emotional empathy, those who more accurately rated their partner’s emotions were more physiologically influenced by their partners. Findings shed light on interpersonal functions of empathy and suggest a stranger’s level of emotional empathy regulates distressed partner’s emotions and physiology.