The role of positive psychological constructs in diet and eating behavior among people with metabolic syndrome: A qualitative study

Positive Psychological (PP) constructs (e.g., optimism and gratitude) may impact the adherence to healthy behaviors, including diet, though prior studies have shown mixed findings. This qualitative study explored the relationships between PP constructs and dietary behaviors among 21 adults with metabolic syndrome through semi-structured interviews. Directed content analysis led to five themes: eating healthfully leads to PP constructs, PP constructs lead to eating healthfully, eating healthfully prevents negative emotions, healthy behaviors associated with diet, and an upward healthy spiral. Given the close relationship between PP constructs and diet, these may be targeted to improve diet in risk populations through interventions that promote well-being.

It’s difficult to say no: Development of a parenting booklet about physical activity restrictions and recommendations in pediatric hemophilia

Physical activity restrictions can be particularly difficult for children with hemophilia and their parents, as most children want to engage in the same activities as their friends or siblings. This study aimed to assess parents’ need for a booklet on how to manage physical activity restrictions based on the self-determination theory and gather their suggestions for the booklet’s improvement in a focus group. Data were analyzed using thematic analyses to highlight to what extent the needs of parents were met by the booklet, as well as their suggestions for improvement. A discussion on the methodology of the booklet’s creation is also presented.

Hardiness and attitudes toward professional healthcare services: Implications for healthcare service utilization among Black American adults

This study ( N = 780) examines the indirect effects of hardiness—health locus of control (HLOC), health competence (HC), health value (HV)—on past-year healthcare provider visit via attitudes toward seeking and receiving professional healthcare services (ATSRPHS). Across four health domains (dental, general health, mental, vision), ATSRPHS mediated the indirect effect of (1) HV and (2) internal HLoC on past-year healthcare provider visit. ATSRPHS also mediated the indirect effect of external HLoC on past-year visit to healthcare provider visit for general medical, mental, and vision health. ATSRPHS did not mediate any indirect effect of HC on past-year healthcare provider visit. This research contributes to understanding determinants of healthcare service utilization among Black American adults.

The Characteristics of Canadian University Students’ Mental Health, Engagement in Activities and Use of Smartphones: A descriptive pilot study

Background Mental health issues are on the rise which may impede university students’ abilities to perform daily functions and interact with other community members. The objectives of the current study are to explore (1) the characteristics of university students’ mental health and engagement in activities, (2) how students use their smartphones to support their mental health and engagement in activities, (3) student preferences for important features and functions of a smartphone application (app) that promote engagement in activities and (4) student perspectives about what data an app should collect as indicators of change in their mental health and engagement in activities. Methods We designed a pilot study and an online questionnaire with open and closed-ended questions to collect data exploring the association between student mental health and engagement in activities. The questionnaire included four sections: demographics, mental health and activity status and management, general smartphone use, and smartphone use to support mental health and engagement in activities. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results A total of 56 participants were recruited to complete the online survey, with an average completion rate of 77% ( n = 43). The majority of participants were 24 years of age or older ( n = 34, 65.4%), and less than half were between the ages of 18 and 23 ( n = 18, 34.6%). The results of participants’ engagement in self-care, productivity and leisure/play activities are reported. As well, participants’ use of smartphones to support their mental health is described. Conclusions This study provides a greater understanding of what features and functions to include and what data to collect when developing a novel app to support students’ mental health and engagement in activities. Moreover, it clarifies the bidirectional relationship between mental health changes and self-care engagement, productivity/work and leisure/play domains.

Adverse childhood experiences predict reaction to multiple sclerosis diagnosis

Objective At the time of multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis, identifying those at risk for poorer health-related quality of life and emotional well-being can be a critical consideration for treatment planning. This study aimed to test whether adverse childhood experiences predict MS patients’ health-related quality of life and emotional functioning at time of diagnosis and initial course of disease. Methods We recruited patients at the time of new MS diagnosis to complete self-report surveys at baseline and a one-year follow-up. Questionnaires included the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), as well as the MS Knowledge Questionnaire (MSKQ), the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), and Self-Management Screening (SeMaS). Results A total of n = 31 participants recently diagnosed with relapsing remitting MS (median EDSS = 1.0, age M = 33.84 ± 8.4 years) completed the study measures. The ACEs significantly predicted health-related quality of life (SF-36) at baseline (Adjusted R 2 = 0.18, p = 0.011) and follow-up (Adjusted R 2 = 0.12, p = 0.03), baseline scores on the SeMaS Depression scale (Adjusted R 2 = 0.19, p = 0.008), as well as follow-up scores on the SeMaS Anxiety (Adjusted R 2 = 0.19, p = 0.014) and SeMaS Depression (Adjusted R 2 = 0.14, p = 0.036) scales. Importantly, increased ACEs scores were predictive of increased anxiety at the one-year follow-up assessment, compared to baseline. Conclusions Childhood adversity predicts health-related quality of life and emotional well-being at time of MS diagnosis and over the initial course of the disease. Measured using a brief screening inventory (ACEs), routine administration may be useful for identifying patients in need of increased supportive services.

Anxiety and depressive symptoms among COVID-19 patients admitted to three isolation facilities in Bangladesh

The COVID-19 pandemic can impose a profound impact on the mental health of hospitalised patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. However, there have been no studies that explored the psychological distress of the COVID-19 inpatients in Bangladesh. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms and explore the associated factors among inpatients with COVID-19. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 138 COVID-19 patients admitted to three isolation facilities in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from September to October 2020. Participants’ sociodemographic and clinical data were obtained. Mental health symptoms were evaluated with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Descriptive statistics, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were performed to analyse the data. The prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms were 57.2% (95% CI: 48.2–65.2) and 52.2% (95% CI: 43.8–62.7), respectively. Presence of comorbidity (aOR: 5.64, 95% CI: 2.21–14.35) and having ≥3 COVID-19 physical symptoms (aOR: 6.90, 95% CI: 2.71–17.56) were associated with anxiety symptoms. Besides, presence of comorbidity (aOR: 2.73, 95% CI: 1.07–6.99), having ≥3 COVID-19 physical symptoms (aOR: 4.46, 95% CI: 1.78–11.20) and patient with ≤93% oxygen saturation (aOR: 2.33, 95% CI: 1.01–5.36) were associated with depressive symptoms. Considerable numbers of COVID-19 patients in Bangladesh experienced psychological distress during hospitalisation, requiring more attention and timely mental health interventions.

Couples talk about breastfeeding: Interviews with parents about decision-making, challenges, and the role of fathers and professional support

Despite health benefits, sustained breastfeeding rates remain low in the United States, and the role of partners in breastfeeding is not well understood. Using a grounded theory approach, the current qualitative study explored how couples communicate regarding breastfeeding decisions and challenges. Mother-father dyads ( n = 16) completed individual semi-structured interviews 1 year after the birth of their first child. Following iterative qualitative analysis, three phases of breastfeeding communication emerged: Should we try this? ( Mother’s opinion counts) How do we make this work? (adjusting and problem-solving) and How do we settle into a routine? (gaining confidence, resolving issues) Findings underscore the complexity of defining the partner role in breastfeeding.

The role of parent-to-child maltreatment in the pathway of self-reported depressive symptoms in Pakistani adolescents

Background Parent-to-child maltreatment has been demonstrated to drastically affect a child’s mental well-being and plays a significant role in developing depressive symptoms. However, little is established about the effect of frequency of parent-to-child maltreatment on the development of depressive symptoms among Pakistani adolescents. Methods A longitudinal prospective study was conducted, from 2015 to 2017, with 800 adolescents aged 11–17 years old recruited from 32 systematically selected urban and peri-urban areas of Karachi. First, these adolescents were screened for parent-to-child maltreatment in 2015 in a cross-sectional survey. Children with diagnosed psychiatric conditions were excluded from the study. In the second phase, these individuals were followed for 2 years to investigate the symptoms of depressive disorder using a validated tool, “CES-D (Center for Epidemiological Studies) Depression scale.” The Cox proportional algorithm was used to examine the relationship between the frequency of parent-to-child maltreatment and depressive symptoms. Results Approximately 11% of frequently, 9% of occasionally parent-to-child, and 7%of negligibly maltreated adolescents reported depressive symptoms over 2 years. The other significant predictors of depressive symptoms were no formal education of the child (RR: 3.15, 95% CI: 1.35–7.34), presence of stressful home environment (RR: 2.19, 95% CI: 1.22–3.94), and having both uneducated parents (RR: 1.70, 95% CI: 0.90–3.21). The frequently maltreated females were found to have 4 times the higher risk compared to rarely maltreated males. In addition, frequently maltreated males were twice likely to develop depressive symptoms. Conclusion The results suggested that frequent parent-to-child maltreatment occurring during childhood leads to the development of depressive symptoms later in the adolescence period. Thus, there is a dire need for interventions to raise awareness among the society on the issue of parent-to-child mistreatment to minimize later mental health consequences.

Factors influencing self-care behavior of socio-economically disadvantaged diabetic patients: A systematic review

Diabetes mellitus and its complications carry broad financial misfortune to the diabetic patients and their family, to the well-being frameworks, and to the public economies through direct clinical expenses and decreased work efficiency. The present study systematically reviewed the possible factors that are influencing self-care behavior of disadvantaged diabetic patients that contribute heavily to the management of this chronic illness. Structured searches were conducted on PubMed, ScienceDirect, and manual searches on Google Scholar for articles published between the years 2000 and 2020. The review was limited to a particular time frame due to the change in WHO criteria for diagnosis and classification of abnormal glucose tolerance. Initially, 96858 articles were identified, and following the screening and full-text reading, 10 studies that met the inclusion criteria were chosen for systematic review. Seven studies had reported the factors influencing self-care behavior among disadvantaged diabetic population. Three studies had reported the importance of intervention strategies and its impact on self-care behavior among them. Findings show that self-care management of socio-economically disadvantaged people entails dimensions including diabetes knowledge, lack of physical activities, social support, lack of access to services, life disruptions, denial of illness, societal attitudes, responsibilities, and treatment costs. It was additionally discovered that diabetes self-management support mediations are successful in drawing in lower economy patients, tending to contending life needs and hindrances to self-care, and encouraging behavior change. Taken together, future methodologically efficacious studies that establish health promoting behaviors and explorations of the factors influencing self-care behaviors of disadvantaged diabetic patients are needed.

Couples undergoing Assisted Reproductive Techniques: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Model of dyadic adjustment, attachment, and body-image avoidance

The aim is to assess the commonalities and interdependence referred to body-image avoidance among 118 couples newly introduced to first-level assisted reproductive techniques. Results showed non-clinical functioning levels, and partners showed a correlated, yet low, dyadic adjustment. The couple-effect was modeled through an Actor Partner Interdependence Model. For both partners, dyadic adjustment’s actor-effect associates with body-image avoidance. Moreover, psychological symptoms’ actor-effect associate to body-image avoidance, resulting significantly more influential than the partner-effect. Only for males, alexithymia’s actor-effect was significant. To conclude, partners’ functioning is quite specular yet not interdependent, as they do not show a couple-as-a-unit modality of functioning. Clinical implications are discussed.