Abstract Background With accelerated urbanization and accumulating academic pressure, university students are experiencing a significant increase in psychological stress, often accompanied by symptoms such as mood disorders, decreased attention span, and sleep disturbances. The concept of natural healing, originating from environmental psychology, emphasizes regulating the nervous system's response through close contact with nature to achieve psychological repair and emotional recovery. Existing research indicates that outdoor natural environments can lower cortisol levels and activate positive emotion processing pathways, providing new insights for mental health education. However, traditional psychological counseling is often limited to indoor settings, with relatively singular intervention methods. To break through existing models, this study introduces natural healing scenarios, constructing an integrated practice program of "outdoor experience + psychological education," aiming to improve university students' psychological adjustment abilities and evaluate its intervention effects. Methods The study included 100 university students with a psychological stress index score ≥ 50, who were randomly assigned to either a natural healing group (n = 50) or a conventional psychological education group (n = 50). The natural healing group received an 8-week intervention, twice a week for 90 minutes each time, including gardening activities, meditative walks, and landscape observation training; the conventional group received only classroom-based mental health education. The intervention was supervised throughout by qualified psychological counselors. The Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) were used to assess psychological changes before and after the intervention, and the physiological regulatory effect was tested using Heart Rate Variability (HRV). Paired-samples t-tests and between-group differences were used. Results After the intervention, the SCL-90 total score in the natural healing group decreased from an average of 158.2 ± 12.4 to 123.7 ± 11.8, an improvement rate of approximately 21.8%, significantly better than the 13.2% in the control group (p<.01). The PSS score decreased from 31.4 ± 4.1 to 22.5 ± 3.9, a reduction of approximately 28.3%, compared to only 26.8 ± 4.0 in the control group (p<.05). The HRV index increased from an average of 38.7 ± 5.3 ms to 52.4 ± 5.0 ms, an improvement of approximately 35.4% in physiological regulation ability, compared to less than 15% in the control group. Active emotional engagement in gardening activities was significantly correlated with SCL-90 improvement (r = -0.46, p<.05). Discussion The results showed that natural healing combined with psychoeducation can effectively alleviate psychological stress among college students, improve emotional recovery efficiency and self-regulation ability, and is particularly suitable for intervention of mild to moderate emotional problems. Sensory experiences stimulated by the natural environment can enhance activity engagement and promote the formation of positive behaviors, which has potential long-term value for psychological rehabilitation. Future recommendations suggest expanding to virtual natural immersive environments and campus green space planning, exploring the targeted effects of natural elements on different psychological state subtypes, and evaluating the sustained efficacy and relapse prevention effect by extending the follow-up period, providing theoretical and practical support for the innovation of college mental health intervention models.
Abstract Background Healing tourism, as a positive psychological intervention strategy, can improve individual mental health through emotion regulation, cognitive reshaping, and social interaction. However, existing research largely focuses on the direct impact of tourism experiences on subjective well-being, with insufficient attention paid to the internal mechanisms of mental health in young people, particularly the mediating role of perceived social support. Therefore, this study explores the impact of healing tourism consumption on the mental health of young people and systematically verifies the mediating effect of perceived social support in this relationship, aiming to provide empirical evidence for youth mental health intervention and tourism management policies. Methods This study employed a combination of cross-sectional questionnaires and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis. A total of 420 young participants aged 18-30 years were recruited, including university students and young professionals. Participants were categorized into high-spending, medium-spending, and low-spending groups based on the frequency and type of their healing tourism spending over the past 12 months. Mental health was assessed using the Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5), and perceived social support was measured using the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS). Control variables included gender, age, income level, and place of residence. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 27 and AMOS 26 to examine the significance of direct, indirect, and mediating effects. Results Descriptive statistics showed that the mental health level of the high-consumption group (MHI-5: 74.3 ± 8.5) was significantly higher than that of the medium-consumption group and the low-consumption group, with a significant difference between groups (p<.001). Perceived social support also showed an increasing trend: the PSSS of the high-consumption group was 68.5 ± 7.4, the PSSS of the medium-consumption group was 61.9 ± 7.8, and the PSSS of the low-consumption group was 55.2 ± 8.1 (p<.001). SEM analysis further showed that the standardized coefficient of the direct effect of therapeutic tourism consumption on youth mental health was 0.42 (p<.01), and the mediating effect of perceived social support was 0.18 (p<.01), accounting for 30.0% of the total effect. Therefore, perceived social support plays a partial mediating role in the process of therapeutic tourism consumption improving mental health; that is, tourism consumption indirectly promotes youth mental health by enhancing perceived social support. Furthermore, between-group effect analysis showed that perceived social support accounted for 34% of the mediating effect on improved emotional stability, indicating that social interaction and emotional support are important mechanisms by which therapeutic tourism improves mental health. Discussion Healing tourism consumption can significantly improve the mental health of young people, with perceived social support playing a partial mediating role in this process. Tourism activities indirectly improve mental health by enhancing social interaction and emotional support, significantly impacting emotional stability and psychological vitality. This finding provides empirical evidence for the theoretical value of healing tourism in youth mental health intervention and offers some reference for policymakers and tourism managers in designing psychologically beneficial tourism projects. Future research could combine longitudinal designs and physiological and psychological indicators to further verify the long-term effects and mechanisms of healing tourism.
Mental health professionals (MHPs) working with sexually abused children (SAC) in the Philippines navigate a complex landscape of emotional exhaustion and professional transformation. This study employed a qualitative narrative inquiry approach to explore the lived experiences, systemic challenges, and transformative growth of 11 licensed psychologists. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic and narrative approaches. The findings reveal that MHPs experience significant “emotional residue” and vicarious trauma, often carrying the weight of survivors’ narratives into their personal lives. However, a critical professional shift was identified from rigid, textbook-based interventions toward child-paced, collaborative, and creative healing (e.g., utilizing play therapy and digital tools). Participants identified severe systemic barriers, including a “slow and retraumatizing” legal system, resource scarcity in local government units, and sociocultural obstacles such as hiya (shame) and family denial. Despite these challenges, the work is perceived as a “mission,” where witnessing child resilience and achieving legal justice serve as pivotal rewards. Grounded in Vicarious Resilience Theory, the study concludes that practitioner well-being is a professional necessity rather than an individual responsibility. Recommendations include the institutionalization of clinical supervision, culturally adaptive trauma training, and policy reforms to streamline judicial processes and provide trauma-informed support for both survivors and the professionals who care for them.
Due to societal developments, adolescents are exposed to stressors from external environments, family dynamics, and other sources, resulting in frequent mental health issues that have garnered widespread societal attention. Current research on Five-Senses Healing Landscape Design for adolescent mental health remains limited. This study aims to optimize Five-Senses Healing Landscape Design tailored to adolescents’ psychological needs, guided by the value orientation of prioritizing mental wellness and promoting well-rounded development. It endeavors to develop a holistic strategy that integrates therapeutic landscapes with mental health-enhancing elements, thereby creating a healing landscape that embodies multisensory experiences and natural ecology. The research seeks to provide supplementary psychological support for adolescent mental health, foster their holistic physical and mental development, and contribute to advancing the national Healthy China Initiative.
Bridget Brinckman, Elena Alfaro, William Wooten
et al.
In this review, we summarize current evidence for compassion-based approaches for PTSD and the potential for their application to the adolescent PTSD population. Exposure to traumatic events is common in adolescence and PTSD remains a public health crisis. Accessibility, willingness, and engagement are significant barriers to established treatments for PTSD, with attrition rates as high as 50 %. Compassion-based therapies provide potential solutions to treatment obstacles by providing a non-threatening, transdiagnostic option unburdened by aspects of current trauma treatment which may be associated with treatment resistance (e.g., exposure, trauma narrative, induction of fear). Compassion-based approaches are intuitive for trauma treatment, as compassion activates the self-soothing system, thereby disarming the fear system and promoting affect regulation. Compassion-based treatments demonstrate reductions across a substantial range of PTSD symptoms in adults, however, in adolescents extant literature is sparse, with cross-sectional studies suggesting self-compassion is inversely associated with trauma-related psychopathology. Understanding the impact of compassion-based approaches on adolescent PTSD is warranted as the adolescent developmental period may be a particularly opportune time for this approach. Evaluation of the impact of compassion-based treatment on adolescent PTSD in clinical populations via randomized-controlled studies and comparison of its relative efficacy to current evidence-based practices is warranted.
Healing the Whole Family (HTWF) is a graphic novel about Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) intergenerational and mental health. HTWF is a project sponsored by Yale Compassionate Home, Action Together (CHATogether), a research group focused on AAPI mental health. HTWF describes one girl’s struggle with her mental health and her family who, in the beginning, do not acknowledge mental health or illness. The story follows her struggles to understand her family’s dynamics and how intergenerational trauma within her family plays a large role. HTWF aims to: 1) portray a relatable story for AAPI families about mental health and illness; 2) educate AAPI families on topics such as intergenerational trauma, attachment theory, the circle of security, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs); 3) encourage future conversations about mental health within AAPI families. The audience for HTWF is purposefully multigenerational and includes AAPI teenagers, young adults, and caregivers.This paper will first introduce HTWF and provide a summary of the graphic novel. Following sections will include a discussion about the intersection of Graphic Medicine and mental health and illness, analysis of visual metaphors (with corresponding excerpts shown from the graphic novel), and clinical implications of arts-based interventions in child and adolescent mental health.
Elyse R. Shenberger, Carter J. Funkhouser, Randy Boley
et al.
Introduction: Prolonged attentional bias to threat (AB) is associated with posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). However, it is unclear whether this relationship extends to early threat detection (elicited by masked stimuli) and/or varies if AB is measured during an aversive context. Methods: Two trauma-exposed samples of either intervention-seekers (N = 50) or community members (N = 98) completed a masked dot-probe task to measure early AB to angry faces in safe vs. aversive contexts (i.e., during threat of aversive noises). Results: Linear mixed effects models showed that an aversive context increased the orienting responses in both samples; however, PTSS did not moderate these effects in either sample. Limitations: Sample size and heterogeneity of trauma-type may have impacted effect of PTSS on AB. Conclusion: These results highlight the importance of assessing AB in varying contexts and examining generalizability across populations. Given prior research, the results also suggest that increased AB in PTSS may only be present for later attentional processes rather than early threat detection, at least with behavioral methods.
Jully Greyce Freitas de Paula, Lucia Hisako Takase Gonçalves, Laura Maria Vidal Nogueira
et al.
RESUMO Objetivo Verificar a correlação entre a independência funcional e o risco de quedas em um grupo de idosos institucionalizados. Método Estudo transversal, observacional, quantitativo, realizado em três Instituições de Longa Permanência para Idosos no Município de Belém, de ambos os gêneros, avaliados por meio do Índice de Katz e Índice de Tinetti. Para análise utilizou-se o teste de Qui-quadrado de Pearson, adotando-se um nível de significância de p-valor < 0.05. E a correlação dos dados foi realizada pelo teste de correlação de Pearson, com significância de 5% (p<0,05). Resultados Participaram 48 idosos. A maioria foi classificada como funcionalmente independente (89,6%) e com baixo risco de quedas (58,3%). Houve correlação moderada entre a independência funcional e baixo riscos de quedas. Conclusão Quanto mais independentes são os idosos, menor é o risco de quedas. Portanto, é necessário fazer um planejamento de cuidados individualizados, considerando suas peculiaridades e limitações, de modo que o idoso possa preservar por mais tempo sua independência funcional.
Dhahabu Ibrahim Shair, Kazi Shahin Akhter, Anika Shama
Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a significant risk and everyday reality for Rohingya women and girls displaced in Cox’s Bazar district, Bangladesh. Women and girls face challenges in securing their safety, accessing information and services and negotiating decision-making. Restrictions on movement, cultural and social norms, low literacy and numeracy and reduced community and legal protections increase women and girls’ exposure to GBV. The current camp situation in combination with their experiences in Myanmar contribute to increased vulnerability to GBV. The aim of this paper is to highlight the role of psychosocial support in coping with incidents of GBV among the Rohingya refugees by exploring two particular cases. DanChurchAid (DCA) have found that useful approaches in this context have included the use of basic techniques for relaxation to help promote calmness in moments of anxiety and panic, plus reinforcement of positive coping strategies such as prayers, spending time with trusted people and engaging in productive activities (e.g., life skills training). This engagement has enabled Rohingya survivors of GBV to build relationships with other women, feel more relaxed and confident and able to respond effectively to issues affecting their lives.
भारतीय संस्कृति एवं ज्ञान के मूल आधार यज्ञ व गायत्री हैं। वेद हमारे ज्ञान का स्रोत रहे हैं, वेद के विषय पर दृष्टिपात करें तो ज्ञात होगा कि वेद का मुख्य केन्द्रबिन्दु यज्ञ ही रहा है। प्राचीनकाल से ही यज्ञ की महिमा का गुणगान विभिन्न वैदिक वाड.मय ने किया है। वेदों के मंत्रों से यज्ञ के स्वरूप व महिमा गूंजित होती है। यज्ञ द्वारा अनेक लाभ प्राप्त किये जाते रहे हैं, भौतिक स्तर, आध्यात्मिक स्तर अथवा राष्ट्रीय स्तर की समस्याएँ हो, स्वास्थ्य संबंधी किसी भी रोग से ग्रसित हो, सभी में यज्ञ का प्रत्यक्ष लाभ हो सकता है। यज्ञ केवल कर्मकाण्ड तक ही नहीं अपितु जीवन दर्शन तक विस्तृत है, यज्ञ से हमें श्रेष्ठ कर्मो की प्रेरणा भी मिलती है। इन सभी तथ्यों का वर्णन वेदों में किया गया है किन्तु वर्तमान में हम इन वैदिक ज्ञान से पूर्णरूप से भिज्ञ नहीं है अतः आवश्यकता है कि हम वैदिक ज्ञान में निहित यज्ञ के स्वरूप से भलिभाँति परिचित हों। यह शोध पत्र इन्हें उद्देश्यों को ध्यान में रखकर प्रस्तुत किया गया।
This essay examines the scenes in Shakespeare’s romances in which music has a healing and revitalizing power, but it also contains its own subversion. In Pericles, in the palace at Pentapolis, Pericles asks for a musical instrument, which he plays while he sings to himself. The wise doctor Cerimon revives Thaisa’s apparently dead body with the help of music in Pericles. In the final reunion scene with his daughter, Marina, the music of her voice has healing power for her father. In The Winter’s Tale, Hermione’s apparently lifeless statue is brought to life while music is playing. Finally, The Tempest is one of Shakespeare’s most musical plays, with songs and music and a masque reviving the action. Shakespeare used songs to establish the character or the mental state of the singer. Music and allusions to music in these plays’ scripts can be interpreted as forms of indirect and covert propaganda, attuned to the politics of the time, but also as individual musical parts, in which music has healing power over the mind. They are like the music of the soul, suggesting interiority. Music is used, therefore, to achieve theatrical effect.
Inmaculada Lancharro Tavero, Eugenia Gil García, Juana Macías Seda
et al.
ABSTRACT Objective: To investigate the meanings given by women caregivers to their care practices and to analyze the relationship between such practices and their work history. Method: This was a phenomenological qualitative cohort study conducted in Seville, Spain, with family caregivers. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and submitted to content analysis, using Atlas-ti GmbH software version 5.0®. The following categories emerged: caregiving history and work history, and the meaning of care in their lives. Results: Twenty caregivers participated in the study. Women caregivers told stories of wide-ranging care, including several individuals in their family at different moments. They performed different forms of care, encompassing physical and social dimensions. Their discourse expressed the contradiction between their caregiving role and entering and/or maintaining their place in the labor market. Conclusion: The women expressed a concept of comprehensive care that includes responsibility, availability, and companionship, as well as emotional states, which greatly impact health. They tailored their participation in the labor market according to their family’s care needs. Thus, the gender perspective must be incorporated by health care providers who work with the health of caregivers.
A szerencsejáték-forgalom erőteljes növekedése, a kaszinók születése és az egyre gyakrabban szóba kerülő szerencsejáték-szenvedély kapcsán számos érv és ellenérv hangzik el az iparág korlátozása, a veszélyeztetett társadalmi csoportok óvása, illetve az illegális játékszervezés „kifehérítése” kapcsán. Ez a dolgozat kísérletet tesz röviden összegezni azokat a pozitív hatásokat, melyek leginkább számszerűsíthetőek, hogy végre a szerencsejáték pozitív társadalmi hatásai is szem elé kerülhessenek. A kérdés összetettsége okán elkerülhetetlen, hogy bizonyos pozitív externális hatások kimaradjanak vagy csak említés szintjén jelenjenek meg, hiszen némelyik tényezőnél csak becslési módszerrel vagy más régió ez irányú adataihoz történő viszonyításával vonhatunk le következtetéseket. Megvizsgáljuk, hogy mely tételek vehetőek számba az állami költségvetés szintjén. Hipotézisünk szerint a szerencsejáték pozitív hozadékai kompenzálják annak negatív hatásait. Ennek bizonyítására saját és mások korábbi kutatási eredményei másodelemzésével vállalkozunk.
Vannak olyan gazdasági és gazdaságpszichológiai pozitív externáliák és közvetlen előnyök, melyek a szerencsejátéknak köszönhetőek. Ezek számbavétele és számszerűsítése célunk, kutatva az erre vonatkozó tudományos értekezéseket. Első megközelítésben a szabadidő értelmes eltöltésében (öröm, szórakozás, stresszoldás, rekreáció), a közösségépítő erőben, az állami adóbevételekben és a foglalkoztatásban megnyilvánuló előnyök a legkézenfekvőbbek, de ezen túl a sportfinanszírozás, mecenatúra és a turisztikában megjelenő pozitív hozadékok is kimutathatóak.
The purpose of this study was to develop and investigate the effects of equine assisted therapy on social and undesirable behaviors of youths with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Six youths with autistic spectrum disorder aged 14-25 years were recruited by purposive sampling. They attended the 8 session program, twice a week. Each session took 80-90 minutes. The program included 4 activities: orientation/introduction, food preparation and feeding, grooming, and leading a horse. Subjects’ social and undesirable behaviors were assessed before and after the program using the following: 1) Recording forms for social behaviors and undesirable behaviors (Sung-U et.al, 2009) 2) The Scale of Independent Behavior-Revised (SIB-R) (Bruininks, 1996) using subtests for social interaction and communication skills, and a subtest for undesirable behaviors: frequency and severity of these behaviors. The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test was used for data analysis, to compare units of measurement before and after the program. The results showed scores of SIB-R in subtests of language comprehension and language expression. The total scores were significantly increased (p<0.05). However, the subtest of social interaction was not significantly increased (P>0.05). Furthermore, the frequency scores of undesirable behaviors were not significantly decreased (P>0.05), but the severity score of these behaviors was significantly decreased (p<0.05). The social behavior score from the record forms was not significantly increased (P>0.05), but scores of undesirable behaviors were significantly decreased (p<0.05). The study concluded that a program of equine assisted therapy can encourage social behaviors and reduce undesirable behaviors in youth with autistic spectrum disorder.
Sandra Elisa Sell, Evanguelia Kotzias Atherino dos Santos, Manuela Beatriz Velho
et al.
OBJECTIVE Identifying the contribution of developed research on what motivates women to induce an abortion and the meaning attributed to these experiences in their lives. METHOD An integrative review conducted in MEDLINE/PubMed, LILACS, BDENF, CINAHL and SciELO databases, covering the periods from 2001 to 2011. RESULTS We selected and analyzed 11 studies with selection criteria being reasons given by women for inducing abortion and/or the meaning attributed to this experience in their lives, including social, religious, ethical and moral aspects related to this practice, as well as the suffering experienced from the experience. The illegality of abortion is identified as a risk factor for unsafe abortions, reaffirming this issue as a public health and social justice problem. CONCLUSION Results evidence aspects that can contribute to improving health quality and ratify the importance of research to support nursing practices.
Thaís Helena Piai-Morais, Fabiana de Souza Orlandi, Rosely Moralez de Figueiredo
OBJECTIVE Evaluate and correlate individual, work-related and organizational factors that influence adherence to standard precautions among nursing professionals of psychiatric hospitals in São Paulo. METHOD An exploratory cross-sectional study conducted with 35 nursing professionals, using the assessment tool for adherence to standard precautions through the Likert scale, ranging from 1 to 5. RESULTS Knowledge of the precautions received a high score (4.69); adherence received (3.86) and obstacles (3.78), while intermediaries and the scales of organizational factors received low scores (2.61). There was a strong correlation between the magnitude adherence scale and the personal protective equipment availability (r = 0.643; p = 0.000). The training scale for prevention of HIV exposure (p = 0.007) was statistically different between the nurses and nursing assistants. CONCLUSION The organizational factors negatively contributed to adherence to standard precautions, indicating that psychiatric institutions lack safe working conditions, ongoing training and management actions to control infections.
Franciele do Nascimento Santos, Mirian Watanabe, Carolina Ferreira Vasco
et al.
Objective Evaluating the effect of preconditioning with simvastatin in acute kidney injury induced by sepsis. Method Male adult Wistar rats were divided into the following groups: SHAM (control); SHAM+Statin (0.5 mg/kg simvastatin, orally); Sepsis (cecal puncture ligation – CPL); Sepsis+Statin. Physiological parameters, peritoneal fluid culture, renal function, oxidative metabolites, severity of acute kidney injury and animal survival were evaluated. Results The treatment with simvastatin in induced sepsis showed elevation of creatinine clearance with attenuation of generation of oxidative metabolites, lower severity of acute kidney injury and reduced mortality. Conclusion This investigation confirmed the renoprotection with antioxidant principle of the simvastatin in acute kidney injury induced by sepsis in an experimental model.