Abstract Background Schizophrenia is a serious chronic mental disorder. Patients often show positive symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions, as well as negative symptoms such as emotional apathy and social withdrawal. Art therapy, with its advantages such as non-invasiveness and humanistic care, has gradually become an important supplementary means of mental health care. However, most existing research focuses on the application of broad art therapy and lacks customized intervention exploration based on the pathological characteristics of schizophrenia patients. Based on this, the research aims to verify the actual effect of art therapy in improving patients’ mental symptoms through quantitative data analysis. Methods A randomized controlled trial was conducted to select 60 patients with stable schizophrenia from a certain mental health center as the research subjects. They were randomly and equally divided into the intervention group and the control group. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of gender, age, disease duration, and core scale scores before intervention (p>.05), and they were comparable. Among them, the intervention group received 12 weeks of art design intervention on the basis of routine care, color perception and emotional expression training from 1 to 4 weeks, three-dimensional handicraft creation and cognitive reconstruction from 5 to 8 weeks, and therapeutic space interaction and social practice from 9 to 12 weeks, while the control group only received routine rehabilitation care. The research was conducted based on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Social Disability Screening Schedule. The main indicators were SDSS and Serum Cortisol Detection (SCD). Data were collected from the two groups of patients before the intervention (T0) and after the intervention (T1), respectively. Paired t-tests and independent sample t-tests were performed using SPSS 26.0 software. Results The specific experimental results are shown in Table 1. It can be seen from Table 1 that all the indicators of the intervention group are significantly better than those of the control group. Among them, the total PANSS score of the intervention group decreased from 89.65 ± 10.31 in the T0 stage to 62.34 ± 8.10 after art therapy, with a decrease of 30.46%, and it was statistically significant (p<.001). The decrease range of SDSS score (54.02%) was significantly higher than that of the control group (26.12%), while SCD decreased to 385.68 ± 45.20 after the intervention, which was significantly lower than 497.85 ± 56.79 of the control group. Moreover, both SDSS and SCD in the intervention group were statistically significant (p<.001). Discussion Research has confirmed that immersive art design intervention has a significant therapeutic effect on patients with stable schizophrenia. Its therapeutic mechanism involves physiological, psychological and social dimensions, providing a scalable solution for the rehabilitation care of schizophrenia patients.
Seyed Ahmad Mir Mohamad Tabar, Alexandra Brewis, Mahmod Teimouri
et al.
This study examines how water-related emotions explain differences in mental health outcomes associated with household water insecurity, based on randomized sampling of 685 households in 2024 in a severely water-stressed region of Iran. This extends current water insecurity research by empirically testing both negative and positive emotional mediators of mental health outcomes. In response to recent calls for better means to capture water-related emotional valences we first develop and validate a novel adaptation of the PANAS scale. Using structural equation modeling, we then are able to confirm that negative water-related emotions (such as anger and shame) mediate the relationship between household water insecurity and mental health, with stronger negative emotional responses linked to heightened depression/anxiety. However, positive water-related emotions (such as gratitude and hope) also independently predict better mental health. This suggests a novel dual-pathway model. Contrary to expectations, gender does not significantly moderate these relationships, likely due to context-specific gender roles through which men and women share household water management responsibilities. Overall, our findings emphasize the need for more nuanced models that link the lived experience of water insecurity with emotion and mental health, including consideration of the potential role of positive emotions.
Anisha Goswami, Sunita K. Damodar, Anu Anns Pious
et al.
Background: Sex communication within family and relationships is an essential aspect of the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of the individual. Family sex communication orientation is the degree to which families engage in open and supportive discussions about sex. In contrast, dyadic sexual communication is the exchange of sexual preferences, boundaries, and desires between partners in a romantic relationship. Materials and Methods: This article aimed to study the influence of family sex communication orientation and gender on dyadic sexual communication among emerging adults in romantic relationships. A total of 175 participants, comprising 89 females and 86 males aged between 18 and 25, were included in the study. Data was collected using the Family Sex Communication Quotient (FSCQ) and the Dyadic Sexual Communication Scale (DSCS). The hypothesis was tested using Two-way ANOVA. Results: Results showed a significant influence of family sex communication orientation on dyadic sexual communication ( P = .052). However, neither gender ( P = .582) nor the interaction of family sex communication orientation and gender has a significant influence on dyadic sexual communication ( P = .176) among emerging adults. Conclusion: The findings suggest that while family sex communication influences the sexual communication of couples, its impact is consistent across genders. The results indicate the need for further research to deepen the understanding of other factors of sexual communication. It also implies the importance of bringing the concepts of family sex communication into couple and family counseling.
Background: A considerable amount of research has been conducted to determine the detrimental impacts that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have on physical and mental health. Many studies have used ACE questionnaires to measure these events; however, there is some debate regarding the proper theoretical model for ACEs. This study was conducted to evaluate the most commonly used 10-item ACE questionnaire to determine the latent structure of ACEs in the context of psychological wellbeing and internalizing psychopathology. Methods: A representative sample of adults (n = 1839) in the United States completed self-report measures. Exploratory Structural Equation Modelling (ESEM) was utilized to explore the latent structure of ACEs in the presence of negative and positive mental health outcomes and controlling for sex and race/ethnic categories. Results: A one-factor model of the ACEs questionnaire provided reasonable fit to sample data and was deemed the most interpretable solution. The ACEs latent variables were positively correlated with internalizing psychopathology (β = 0.52) and negatively associated with psychological wellbeing (β = −0.44). Females had higher ACE scores and several racial/ethnic group differences were evident. Conclusion: The optimal representation of the latent structure of the ten ACE items is a unidimensional structure. Implications for assessment and research are discussed.
This study explores the dynamics of #AcademicTwitter, investigating user connectivity and mental health attributes amidst pre-COVID-19 societal pressures and the subsequent pandemic onset. Analyzing key actors, we find that institutions and content-driven accounts are more prominent figures in shaping the discourse within this hashtag highlighting a larger role in community engagement. Language analysis reveals stable stress and wellbeing markers but fluctuating motivation markers, notably during pandemic-affected months. Central actors bridge information dissemination with addressing academia’s mental health needs with many using humor and satire to alleviate stress. Our findings suggest that academics used #AcademicTwitter’s online community to communicate, oftentimes with humor, and find mental health support through the pandemic and shortly thereafter.
India with 8.6% of tribal population is finding it difficult to bridge the gap that exists between tribal and non-tribal population in regards to healthcare. Tribal population suffers triple burden of disease; in fact it is quadruple, namely, communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, malnutrition, mental health, and addictions complicated by poor health seeking behavior. With increasing needs, an Expert committee on Tribal health has given recommendations with the goal to bridge the current gap in the health status of tribal people latest by the year 2027. An entirely parallel health system has been proposed with key focus areas, governance, and financing. To summarize and report the present scenario in terms of disease burden, health-seeking behavior, healthcare delivery system, and a roadmap for the future along the importance of primary healthcare in achieving it. Mere establishment of more health facilities cannot overcome the poor health of tribal population and so the role of trained manpower to deliver quality healthcare, in which case the role of traditional healers, local Tribal boys and girls comes in handy. It is high time and states should act swiftly to assess the needs, priorities of their own tribal population and set goals, targets to achieve the same through proven public health strategies.
This paper provides a perspective on the recent concept of recovery-oriented systems of care with respect to its origins in the past and its status in the present, prior to considering directions in which such systems might move in the future. Although influential in practice, this concept has yet to be evaluated empirically and has not been the object of a review. Recovery-oriented systems of care emerged from the efforts of persons with mental health and/or substance use disorders who advocated for services to go beyond the reduction of symptoms and substance use to promote a life in the community. Subsequent efforts were made to delineate the nature and principles of such services and those required of a system of such care. Coincident with the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration dropping reference to behavioral health in its revised definition of recovery, confusions and limitations began to emerge. Recovery appeared to refer more to a process of self-actualization for which an individual is responsible than to a process of healing from the effects of a behavioral health condition and associated stigma. In response, some systems are aiming to address social determinants of behavioral health conditions that transcend the scope of the individual and to develop a citizenship-oriented approach to promote community inclusion.
Wound management is an important issue that places enormous pressure on the physical and mental health of patients, especially in cases of infection, where the increased inflammatory response could lead to severe hypertrophic scars (HSs). In this study, a hydrogel dressing was developed by combining the high strength and toughness, swelling resistance, antibacterial and antioxidant capabilities. The hydrogel matrix was composed of a double network of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and agarose with excellent mechanical properties. Hyperbranched polylysine (HBPL), a highly effective antibacterial cationic polymer, and tannic acid (TA), a strong antioxidant molecule, were added to the hydrogel as functional components. Examination of antibacterial and antioxidant properties of the hydrogel confirmed the full play of the efficacy of HBPL and TA. In the in vivo studies of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection, the hydrogel had shown obvious promotion of wound healing, and more profoundly, significant suppression of scar formation. Due to the common raw materials and simple preparation methods, this hydrogel can be mass produced and used for accelerating wound healing while preventing HSs in infected wounds.
Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials, Biology (General)
Elinor Parrott, Martha Lomeli-Rodriguez, Alfi Rahman
et al.
Disasters leave survivors at heighted risk of negative psychological consequences. Teachers require post-disaster psychosocial support, given their added responsibility for supporting their students' recovery. However, alongside coping with their own mental health, teachers often lack training to support students psychologically. This study addresses this gap by detailing an intervention designed to foster resilient recovery among secondary school teachers in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, to enhance their ability to support both themselves and their students after a devastating earthquake/tsunami.Teachers (n = 37) from three disaster-affected schools participated in a one-day workshop exploring collective strengths and strategies to develop their own and their students’ post-disaster resilience, featuring the Tree of Life activity. Impact was evaluated using a pre-post intervention design. Findings from a three month follow up demonstrated significant improvements across various resilience-related measures, including personal resilience, community resilience, social support, adaptive coping strategies, psychological help seeking, earthquake anxiety, post-traumatic stress, complex post-traumatic stress and fatalism. Open-ended survey responses indicated that most teachers reporting subjective improvements in their own recovery and their capacity to support students psychologically. This study emphasises the importance of creating teacher interventions underpinned by disaster recovery theory, which offer practical skills to foster post-disaster psychosocial recovery. While the intervention exhibits promising initial results, future research would benefit from an evaluation using a randomised control group.
Jayne Morriss, Brandon A. Gaudiano, Suzanne H. So
et al.
Abstract Intolerance of uncertainty (IU; the tendency to find uncertainty aversive) and paranoia (e.g., excessive mistrust of others), are both associated with anxiety and depression symptoms. While previous research has primarily focused on IU and paranoia separately, there is recent evidence to suggest that IU and paranoia are linked and may interact to increase risk for anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia‐spectrum conditions. The aims of the current study were to assess: (1) the extent to which IU (total score and subscales), paranoia, anxiety, and depression are associated and (2) whether the interaction between IU and paranoia is associated with greater anxiety and depression symptoms. To examine these aims, we conducted a survey in an international multisite sample (n = 2510). Questionnaires included: IU (total score and subscales), paranoia (RGPTS persecution subscale), anxiety, and depression. The findings revealed that: (1) IU was positively associated with paranoia (r = 0.43), anxiety (r = 0.48), and depression (r = 0.49), and (2) People with high scores on IU and paranoia showed higher anxiety and depression symptoms. Importantly, these effects remained when controlling for negative beliefs about the self and others and demographic factors. Additionally, the inhibitory IU subscale (uncertainty paralysis) was related to paranoia, anxiety, and depression. However, the prospective IU subscale (desire for predictability) was only related to depression, but not paranoia and anxiety. Overall, these findings reliably demonstrate that IU and paranoia are linked, and that IU and paranoia interactions may synergistically work to affect current levels of anxiety and depression symptoms.
Mental health is fundamental to an individual's general well-being and ability to work effectively. A trial carried out on college/university students in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province showed that the mental health of college students could be improved by art healing. The changes in the scores of SCL-90 before and after the trial can be seen that the experimental group had a significant improvement in total score from pre-intervention to post-intervention. For the specific factor items, the anxiety, hostility and additional items were more significant improvements, however, phobia anxiety, paranoid ideation and psychoticism did not show significant differences between pre-intervention and post-intervention. Overall, close to half of the students showed a significant difference in their mental health compared to the pre-trial, and this treatment effect was more pronounced for students with mental health issues. Female students, on the other hand, demonstrated a more positive healing effect than male students. The students in the experimental group showed a reduction in positive psychological symptoms after the art therapy intervention, but did not yet show “effective” results in terms of grade reduction rates. Therefore, a long-term, larger-scale, and more comprehensively designed follow-up trial is necessary to improve the mental health of college students.
Following the outbreak of COVID-19, reports of discrimination and violence against Asians and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) have increased substantially. The present article offers a timely conceptualization of how public and societal fears related to COVID-19 may contribute to unique mental health disparities and the presence of race-based trauma among AAPIs residing in the United States. The relationships between media, increasing rates of xenophobia and sinophobia, and racial discrimination are provided. Next, the deleterious effects of race-based discrimination on the emotional and physical well-being of people of color and Indigenous groups (POCI) and AAPIs are described. Finally, the article identifies the clinical implications of counseling AAPI clients, encourages a decolonization of current trauma-focused interventions, and presents specific strategies to heal race-based trauma in AAPI client populations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
Wylene Saal, Angelique Thomas, Christina Laurenzi
et al.
Background: While growing evidence has documented risks and resilience to HIV and poor sexual and reproductive health (SRH) among young women, young mothers’ abilities to respond to and overcome challenges have been understudied. Developing appropriate methodologies to measure resilience in the context of HIV, especially among young mothers, is a critical first step to filling this gap. We aimed to improve the relevance, and comprehensibility of an open-access resilience measure for use among young mothers living in HIV-endemic communities in South Africa. This paper summarizes a two-stage study that was carried out in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Methods: First, n = 9 cognitive interviews were conducted to inform the adaptation of the Child and Youth Resilience Measure Revised (CYRM-R) for use among young mothers (n = 7 living with HIV). The adapted measure was applied in remote interviews with 892 adolescent mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic (December 2021–April 2023). We investigated the basic psychometric properties of the adapted measure using STATA16. Results: Cognitive interviews offered unique perspectives on how to modify items in English and isiXhosa, including items that had similar understandings and responses, with new probes and additional key words added to seven items. Participants' understanding of item wording and the translation of items resulted in word changes or substitution to maximise participants’ understanding of eight out of 17 items. The utilization of vignettes proved to be useful in engaging participants to reflect on their experiences. The revised scale had moderate psychometric properties. The EFA confirmed a two-factor structure, and the internal consistency of the CYRM-R was moderate (α = 0.75; ω = 0.75). Conclusion: Cognitive interviews supported the adaptation of a resilience measure for adolescent mothers affected by HIV in South Africa. Initial psychometric properties highlight possible further adaptations needed, potentially due to the unique population of adolescent mothers.
ABSTRACT Objective: To examine the effect of breastfeeding educational intervention given in the antenatal period on LATCH and breastfeeding self-efficacy scores. Method: A total of 80 pregnant who met the research criteria were randomly assigned to intervention (n = 40) or control (n = 40) groups. Pregnant women received to the control group received only standard care while breastfeeding education was accepted to the intervention group along with standard care. Both groups were visited at their home, and the personal data form, the LATCH Breastfeeding Assessment Tool, and Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale–Short Form (BSES-SF) were applied in the postpartum 1st week. End of the study, brochures prepared by the researcher were given to both groups. Result: The mean breastfeeding self-efficacy and LATCH scores were higher in the intervention group compared to the control group. Breastfeeding success was found to increase as the maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy perception increased. Conclusion: Breastfeeding education given in the antenatal period increased maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy perception and breastfeeding success in the postpartum 1st week period. Study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04757324.
भारतीय परंपराओं के प्रचलन में तत्वदर्शी ऋषियो ने यज्ञ को भारतीय धर्म का पिता कहा गया है जिसमें मनुष्य जीवन का भी समग्र दर्शन समाहित है। मानव जीवन में यज्ञ की अनिवार्यता वैदिक वांग्मय का निर्देश है। मनुष्य जीवन के विविध आयाम में यज्ञ लाभ को वैदिक वांग्मय के सन्दर्भ में समझना प्रस्तुत अध्ययन का मूल उद्देश्य है। यज्ञ जीवन ही कल्याण कारक है। यह सृष्टि यज्ञ के सिद्धांतो पर चलती है। मनुष्य जीवन इसे सृष्टि है और सृष्टि की उन्नति ही मनुष्य जीवन की उन्नति है। यज्ञमय जीवन जीने वाले से सत्प्रवृत्तियाँ का संवर्धन होता रहता है और इससे देव शक्तिया संतुष्ट रहती है और उसकी सकल कामनाएं पूर्ण होती है अर्थात वह आप्तकाम होता है। जिससे मनुष्य का सांसारिक जीवन मंगलमय बनता है। यज्ञमय जीवन से मनुष्य जीवन जो त्रिविध ताप आध्यात्मिक, आधिदैविक (व्यक्तित्व एवं प्रतिभा) एवं आधिभौतिक (सांसारिक समृद्धि) से मुक्ति अर्थात लाभ प्रदान करता है, जिससे मनुष्य जीवन सफल और कल्याणकारी बनता है। जब तक घर-घर में यज्ञ की प्रतिष्ठा थी, तब तक भारत भूमि स्वर्ग-सम्पदाओं की स्वामिनी थी। आज यज्ञ एवं यज्ञमय जीवन को त्यागने से ही मनुष्य जीवन की दुर्गति हो रही है।
Thilo Friehs, Winfried Rief, Julia A. Glombiewski
et al.
Background: Placebo effects play an important role in psychopharmacological treatment of depression. Among the most potent mechanisms are positive treatment expectations. However, there is large heterogeneity in how they are induced. We studied the protective effects against sadness of deceptive (DP) and open-label placebos (OLP) combined with one of two new rationale styles. Methods: Healthy participants (N = 147) were randomly assigned to one of five groups. In this ”2x2+1” design, two factors were varied: The rationale style (personal-emotional style vs. scientific-matter-of-fact style) and the type of placebo (DP vs. OLP). The placebo was introduced as a protection from sadness. In addition, there was a no-treatment control group (CG). Participants viewed a sad movie scene after placebo application. The primary outcome was pre-post change in sadness, a major component of depression. Results: Participants in the DP groups showed a significant protective effect against sadness, whereas sadness increased in both the OLP groups and the CG. There were no differences between the rationale styles. Limitations: Short-term induced sadness has limited external validity in a heterogeneous long-term mental disorder like depression. Conclusions: In line with other OLP studies, no OLP effect could be observed in this healthy sample. In contrast, DP significantly reduced sadness. While placebo effects contribute substantially to antidepressant treatment, the potential of OLP in the treatment of depression appears to be limited in non-clinical samples. In addition, our results suggest that different ways to induce treatment expectations are possible.
Background and aims Child maltreatment is a global health priority affecting up to half of all children worldwide, with profound and ongoing impacts on physical, social and emotional wellbeing. The perinatal period (pregnancy to two years postpartum) is critical for parents with a history of childhood maltreatment. Parents may experience ‘triggering’ of trauma responses during perinatal care or caring for their distressed infant. The long-lasting relational effects may impede the capacity of parents to nurture their children and lead to intergenerational cycles of trauma. Conversely, the perinatal period offers a unique life-course opportunity for parental healing and prevention of child maltreatment. This scoping review aims to map perinatal evidence regarding theories, intergenerational pathways, parents’ views, interventions and measurement tools involving parents with a history of maltreatment in their own childhoods. Methods and results We searched Medline, Psychinfo, Cinahl and Embase to 30/11/2016. We screened 6701 articles and included 55 studies (74 articles) involving more than 20,000 parents. Most studies were conducted in the United States (42/55) and involved mothers only (43/55). Theoretical constructs include: attachment, social learning, relational-developmental systems, family-systems and anger theories; ‘hidden trauma’, resilience, post-traumatic growth; and ‘Child Sexual Assault Healing’ and socioecological models. Observational studies illustrate sociodemographic and mental health protective and risk factors that mediate/moderate intergenerational pathways to parental and child wellbeing. Qualitative studies provide rich descriptions of parental experiences and views about healing strategies and support. We found no specific perinatal interventions for parents with childhood maltreatment histories. However, several parenting interventions included elements which address parental history, and these reported positive effects on parent wellbeing. We found twenty-two assessment tools for identifying parental childhood maltreatment history or impact. Conclusions Perinatal evidence is available to inform development of strategies to support parents with a history of child maltreatment. However, there is a paucity of applied evidence and evidence involving fathers and Indigenous parents.
AbstractReports of sexual violence against young women have been increasing. Due to limited support, young women who experience sexual violence have difficulties in healing, resulting in long‐term consequences for individuals and society. We used grounded theory combined with a Photovoice approach to explore young women’s experience of healing from sexual violence. From interviews and Photovoice activities of 29 participants, we identified a social process of healing that included internalizing anger, cutting off connections, reaching a turning point with support, restoring connections, struggling through individual internal processes, and transforming sexual violence into a stepping stone. The process of healing from sexual violence identified in this study shows commonalities as well as cultural and age‐specific aspects from experiences of sexual violence among young women. In addition, this theory presented a new perspective on healing that contrasts with the past belief that disclosure is the key to healing.
Alvin Kuowei Tay, Mohammad Abdul Awal Miah, Sanjida Khan
et al.
Contemporary scalable psychological interventions utilise task-shifting approaches that enable non-specialists such as social workers, nurses and lay persons to deliver structured interventions after a brief training and ongoing supervision by professionals. This field report describes a training-implementation approach we used to train lay counsellors to implement a psychological intervention, Integrative Adapt Therapy (IAT), with Rohingya Refugees in Malaysia. IAT is a theoretically guided programme based on the Adaptation and Development After Persecution and Trauma (ADAPT) model. Unlike existing cognitive behavioural treatment (CBT)-based interventions, IAT helps refugees trace their emotional and behavioural problems to the underlying psychosocial disruptions (reflected in the core ADAPT ‘Pillars’) they experience. We assessed implementation outcomes by conducting a focus group with the twelve lay IAT counsellors who completed a training workshop followed by six-month supervised implementation of the IAT programme with Rohingya refugees. The implementation outcomes focused on the value and benefits of the programme to the counsellors’ clients and broader community, implementation challenges, cultural acceptability, and recommendations for improvement in training. There was a strong agreement amongst the counsellors that both the clients and they themselves benefited from the programme. Furthermore, the general consensus was that the clients reported improvements in their relationships with people (ADAPT Pillar 2: Bonds and Networks), in having a more realistic view about their Roles and Identities (Pillar 4) and in gaining a sense of purpose and meaning in life (Pillar 5: Existential Meaning). In addition, the focus group agreed that the programme fitted well with the culture and values of the Rohingya people. Implementation challenges include ensuring that the intervention team reflects gender balance, that the programme is sustainable and refining strategies to facilitate programme attendance and adherence.