A small but growing body of research confirms that people in the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other identities) community are among those underrepresented in STEM (science, ...technology engineering, and math). This is concerning because diversity and inclusion improves science for all. In response, Canadian institutions have developed initiatives aimed to address issues in which LGBTQ+ students disproportionately leave STEM fields. LGBTQ+ postdoctoral scholars (postdocs) are of particular interest because they have developed clear professional and LGBTQ+ identities, they are significant contributors to their fields, and they work at the intersection of STEM students and faculty. Studies have highlighted poor job satisfaction and career opportunities for this group. This qualitative study explored the values, beliefs, and experiences of 14 Canadian LGBQ+ postdocs in STEM through semi-structured interviews about coming out, experiences of LGBQ+ mentorship/representation, and their beliefs on staying within science and academia. Interview data was analyzed thematically from a post-structural perspective. Main themes emerged: (1) coming out, (2) representation, and (3) mentorship. This exploratory qualitative study offers insight into how the experiences of this understudied group are helpful in disentangling discourses surrounding coming out, representation, and mentorship for LGBQ+ researchers in STEM.
Objectives
Our objective was to assess the effects of mental health interventions for children, adolescents, and adults not quarantined or undergoing treatment due to COVID-19 infection.
Methods
We ...searched 9 databases (2 Chinese-language) from December 31, 2019, to March 22, 2021. We included randomised controlled trials of interventions to address COVID-19 mental health challenges among people not hospitalised or quarantined due to COVID-19 infection. We synthesized results descriptively due to substantial heterogeneity of populations and interventions and risk of bias concerns.
Results
We identified 9 eligible trials, including 3 well-conducted, well-reported trials that tested interventions designed specifically for COVID-19 mental health challenges, plus 6 other trials with high risk of bias and reporting concerns, all of which tested standard interventions (e.g., individual or group therapy, expressive writing, mindfulness recordings) minimally adapted or not specifically adapted for COVID-19. Among the 3 well-conducted and reported trials, 1 (N = 670) found that a self-guided, internet-based cognitive-behavioural intervention targeting dysfunctional COVID-19 worry significantly reduced COVID-19 anxiety (standardized mean difference SMD 0.74, 95% confidence interval CI, 0.58 to 0.90) and depression symptoms (SMD 0.38, 95% CI, 0.22 to 0.55) in Swedish general population participants. A lay-delivered telephone intervention for homebound older adults in the United States (N = 240) and a peer-moderated education and support intervention for people with a rare autoimmune condition from 12 countries (N = 172) significantly improved anxiety (SMD 0.35, 95% CI, 0.09 to 0.60; SMD 0.31, 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.58) and depressive symptoms (SMD 0.31, 95% CI, 0.05 to 0.56; SMD 0.31, 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.55) 6-week post-intervention, but these were not significant immediately post-intervention. No trials in children or adolescents were identified.
Conclusions
Interventions that adapt evidence-based strategies for feasible delivery may be effective to address mental health in COVID-19. More well-conducted trials, including for children and adolescents, are needed.
Abstract
Women and gender-diverse individuals have faced disproportionate socioeconomic burden during COVID-19. There have been reports of greater negative mental health changes compared to men based ...on cross-sectional research that has not accounted for pre-COVID-19 differences. We compared mental health changes from pre-COVID-19 to during COVID-19 by sex or gender. MEDLINE (Ovid), PsycINFO (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCO), EMBASE (Ovid), Web of Science Core Collection: Citation Indexes, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, medRxiv (preprints), and Open Science Framework Preprints (preprint server aggregator) were searched to August 30, 2021. Eligible studies included mental health symptom change data by sex or gender. 12 studies (10 unique cohorts) were included, all of which reported dichotomized sex or gender data. 9 cohorts reported results from March to June 2020, and 2 of these also reported on September or November to December 2020. One cohort included data pre-November 2020 data but did not provide dates. Continuous symptom change differences were not statistically significant for depression (standardized mean difference SMD = 0.12, 95% CI -0.09–0.33; 4 studies, 4,475 participants; I
2
= 69.0%) and stress (SMD = − 0.10, 95% CI -0.21–0.01; 4 studies, 1,533 participants; I
2
= 0.0%), but anxiety (SMD = 0.15, 95% CI 0.07–0.22; 4 studies, 4,344 participants; I
2
= 3.0%) and general mental health (SMD = 0.15, 95% CI 0.12–0.18; 3 studies, 15,692 participants; I
2
= 0.0%) worsened more among females/women than males/men. There were no significant differences in changes in proportions above cut-offs: anxiety (difference = − 0.05, 95% CI − 0.20–0.11; 1 study, 217 participants), depression (difference = 0.12, 95% CI -0.03–0.28; 1 study, 217 participants), general mental health (difference = − 0.03, 95% CI − 0.09–0.04; 3 studies, 18,985 participants; I
2
= 94.0%), stress (difference = 0.04, 95% CI − 0.10–0.17; 1 study, 217 participants). Mental health outcomes did not differ or were worse by small amounts among women than men during early COVID-19.
Transparency in clinical trials is an issue under considerable scrutiny at present, and rightfully so, given that people's lives are both used as a resource in such research and affected by its ...results. Hence, the results of clinical trials conducted should be made available in both journal articles and in open access trial registries (like ClinicalTrials.gov). The latter not only make research results more accessible to the general public but are also considered essential resources in systematic reviews to avoid publication bias. Yet, up to 89% of clinical trials conducted at McGill University are not reported in clinical trial registries, and up to 37% of the trials are not published. However, since most McGill University researchers use public funding to conduct trials on human subjects, they have an obligation to make their research freely accessible. Spreading awareness regarding this issue among key stakeholders is a possible way to reduce this problem and increase the transparency of clinical research at McGill University.
AbstractObjectiveTo synthesise results of mental health outcomes in cohorts before and during the covid-19 pandemic.DesignSystematic review.Data sourcesMedline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Embase, Web of ...Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, medRxiv, and Open Science Framework Preprints.Eligibility criteria for selecting studiesStudies comparing general mental health, anxiety symptoms, or depression symptoms assessed from 1 January 2020 or later with outcomes collected from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2019 in any population, and comprising ≥90% of the same participants before and during the covid-19 pandemic or using statistical methods to account for missing data. Restricted maximum likelihood random effects meta-analyses (worse covid-19 outcomes representing positive change) were performed. Risk of bias was assessed using an adapted Joanna Briggs Institute Checklist for Prevalence Studies.ResultsAs of 11 April 2022, 94 411 unique titles and abstracts including 137 unique studies from 134 cohorts were reviewed. Most of the studies were from high income (n=105, 77%) or upper middle income (n=28, 20%) countries. Among general population studies, no changes were found for general mental health (standardised mean difference (SMD)change 0.11, 95% confidence interval −0.00 to 0.22) or anxiety symptoms (0.05, −0.04 to 0.13), but depression symptoms worsened minimally (0.12, 0.01 to 0.24). Among women or female participants, general mental health (0.22, 0.08 to 0.35), anxiety symptoms (0.20, 0.12 to 0.29), and depression symptoms (0.22, 0.05 to 0.40) worsened by minimal to small amounts. In 27 other analyses across outcome domains among subgroups other than women or female participants, five analyses suggested that symptoms worsened by minimal or small amounts, and two suggested minimal or small improvements. No other subgroup experienced changes across all outcome domains. In three studies with data from March to April 2020 and late 2020, symptoms were unchanged from pre-covid-19 levels at both assessments or increased initially then returned to pre-covid-19 levels. Substantial heterogeneity and risk of bias were present across analyses.ConclusionsHigh risk of bias in many studies and substantial heterogeneity suggest caution in interpreting results. Nonetheless, most symptom change estimates for general mental health, anxiety symptoms, and depression symptoms were close to zero and not statistically significant, and significant changes were of minimal to small magnitudes. Small negative changes occurred for women or female participants in all domains. The authors will update the results of this systematic review as more evidence accrues, with study results posted online (https://www.depressd.ca/covid-19-mental-health).Review registrationPROSPERO CRD42020179703.
Body image is a complex issue that affects individuals from all genders and sexual orientations. Within the queer community pup play is a BDSM-related activity where participants take on the role of ...a pup/dog, complete with barking, crawling, and other canine behaviors. In this research, we explored how identifying as a pup shapes the body image of gay, bisexual, queer, and trans (GBQT) men using a Deleuzian approach. The process of cellphilming included attendance of three online workshops and the creation of a short cellphilm about their body image. Seventeen participants across five groups completed the workshops and submitted a cellphilm. Data was analyzed through discourse analysis, and while our analysis includes workshop quotes and film excerpts, the true depth of the films, capturing elements like lighting and sound, goes beyond the transcribed words. Three overarching discursive considerations are reported: (i) reinforcing body standards for GBTQ men, (ii) capacity for changing feelings about bodies, and (iii) becoming a pup. Participants suggested that although the pup community is more accepting of diverse bodies, hegemonic body standards for GBTQ men still apply. However, participants also described how identifying as a pup and connecting with others in the pup community was a way to navigate body image tensions.
Transparency in clinical trials is an issue under considerable scrutiny at present, and rightfully so, given that people's lives are both used as a resource in such research and affected by its ...results. Hence, the results of clinical trials conducted should be made available in both journal articles and in open access trial registries (like ClinicalTrials.gov). The latter not only make research results more accessible to the general public but are also considered essential resources in systematic reviews to avoid publication bias. Yet, up to 89% of clinical trials conducted at McGill University are not reported in clinical trial registries, and up to 37% of the trials are not published. However, since most McGill University researchers use public funding to conduct trials on human subjects, they have an obligation to make their research freely accessible. Spreading awareness regarding this issue among key stakeholders is a possible way to reduce this problem and increase the transparency of clinical research at McGill University.
The paper tries to answer to the question of how to promote a preventive approach to labour exploitation and, consequently, the necessary steps to facilitate a multi-dimensional regulatory system. We ...begin by offering a literature review on the topic of the regulation of agricultural work, from a multidimensional perspective, outlining global regulatory challenges and specific contextual responses. Next, we provide a brief insight into recruitment mechanisms within the farm industry and its effects on farm workers. We look at the role of the public services and private intermediaries, while also briefly highlighting main structural and critical aspects of Italian’s job placement services. In this scenario, technological solutions have been promoted to facilitate the matching of job supply and demand. The key issue concerns the following: are these services and measures able to encourage the interaction between employer and employee and respond to the recent demand for a skilled, trained and regular workforce? Although the scope of this question is too wide to address in a single essay, evidence from our research suggests that they are necessary but non-sufficient. We will then analyze and critically evaluate several regulatory instruments, from aspects of collective regulation and representation of workers to institutional instruments put in place to enhance self-regulatory practices (the so-called Rete del Lavoro Agricolo di Qualità and Regional approaches to incentivize labour law compliance and responsible business operations) and the experience of voluntary approaches in the absence of institutional support. In conclusion, we draw from the analysis and the critical reflection to suggest possible regulatory solutions and intervention and to develop guidelines for policy makers and labour scholars. In particular, we support the idea of a necessary integrated and multidimensional regulatory approach, to combine labour law regulation and repressive measures with a system of shared governance and increased businesses participation, alongside with the need to create local regulatory forums and enhance social dialogue.
We evaluated the effects of mental health interventions among people hospitalized with COVID-19.
We conducted a systematic review and searched 9 databases (2 Chinese-language) from December 31, 2019 ...to June 28, 2021. Eligible randomized controlled trials assessed interventions among hospitalized COVID-19 patients that targeted mental health symptoms. Due to the poor quality of trials, we sought to verify accuracy of trial reports including results.
We identified 47 randomized controlled trials from China (N = 42), Iran (N = 4) and Turkey (N = 1) of which 21 tested the efficacy of psychological interventions, 5 physical and breathing exercises, and 21 a combination of interventions. Trial information could only be verified for 3 trials of psychological interventions (cognitive behavioral, guided imagery, multicomponent online), and these were the only trials with low risk of bias on at least 4 of 7 domains. Results could not be pooled or interpreted with confidence due to the degree of poor reporting and trial quality, the frequency of what were deemed implausibly large effects, and heterogeneity.
Trials of interventions to address mental health in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, collectively, are not of sufficient quality to inform practice. Health care providers should refer to existing expert recommendations and standard hospital-based practices.
Registration: PROSPERO (CRD42020179703); registered on April 17, 2020.
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