University students constitute a population that is highly vulnerable to developing mental health problems, such as distress. The role of different variables associated with the development of states ...of stress has been studied in order to identify potential risk and protective factors. This study explored whether mindfulness, self-compassion, and experiential avoidance, while controlling for specific sociodemographic and academic variables, were potential significant protective or risk factors explaining perceived stress in a sample of 589 Spanish university students (81.2% female, age range 18-48 years). A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed using an exploratory cross-sectional design. Higher experiential avoidance, lower self-compassion, lower mindfulness, not perceiving family support, higher total study hours per week, having a partner (vs. being single), being female (vs. being male), and being older were significantly associated with higher levels of perceived stress. In conclusion, perceived stress in our sample was positively associated with experiential avoidance, which could be regarded as a potential psychological risk variable. In contrast, perceived stress was negatively correlated with self-compassion and mindfulness, which, in turn, could be seen as protective factors. Accordingly, it is concluded that programmes aimed at reducing stress and at improving well-being among university students should include experiential avoidance, self-compassion, and mindfulness as therapeutic targets.
The exceptionality of the Coronavirus-related quarantines motivated the design of a longitudinal study aimed at exploring how the confinement can affect psychological well-being. 205 participants ...(81% female) took part in the study. Personality, time perspective, and morningness were assessed at the beginning of the quarantine, along with levels of depression, anxiety, and satisfaction with life as mood and well-being indicators. A post measure was taken 2 weeks after the first data collection. Two weeks later, a supplementary follow-up measure was performed again. A significant increase in depression and anxiety was found between pre and post measures that remained stable at follow up, whereas life satisfaction was not affected. Past-negative temporal orientation and neuroticism were the highest risk factors for a decline in psychological well-being. Results are discussed in terms of how individual differences should be considered in assessing citizens’ response to public health policies regarding isolation measures.
We assessed the cross-cultural role of Time Perspective (TP) tendencies Past Positive (PP), Past Negative (PN), Present Hedonistic (PH), Present Fatalistic (PF), and Future (F), the Deviation from a ...Balanced Time Perspective (DBTP) profile, the Deviation from a Negative Time Perspective (DNTP) profile, and mindfulness on life satisfaction (LS). The sample consisted of psychology undergraduate students (N = 867, M
AGE
= 20.19,
SD
= 3.417) in four countries: USA, Spain, Poland and Japan. We used a 17-item short version of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI), the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) in all countries. For ensuring measurement invariance, we conducted pairwise CFAs for the ZTPI-17, MAAS and SWLS. Regression analyses showed that PN predicted decreased LS in Poland and Japan. PP predicted increased LS in Spain. F predicted increased LS in Poland. DNTP predicted decreased LS in Poland. Mindfulness predicted decreased LS in Japan and increased LS in USA, Spain and Poland. Moreover, mediation analyses revealed that the DBTP partially mediated the relationship between mindfulness and LS in Spain and USA. The DNTP partially mediated the relationship between mindfulness and LS in Spain, Poland and Japan (opposite direction). The findings suggest that the association of TP, mindfulness and LS differs across the investigated countries as a function of culture.
Clinical research has shown the mental health benefits of dance practice. This has become a significant subject of inquiry in psychotherapeutic settings for the elderly and adolescents. However, the ...relationship between dance practice and correlates of psychological well-being, such as mindfulness and life satisfaction (LS)-two relevant indicators of mental health, has been explored relatively little in young women. The present study contrasted mindfulness and LS in young women (n = 81) who practiced dance regularly in three modern dance schools in the Province of Barcelona with a control group of non-practitioners (n = 120) studying at a university in Barcelona. The data were collected during the first semester of 2015, and the total sample had an average age of 20.88 ± 3.36 years. Analyses of covariance showed higher levels of both mindfulness and LS in the dance practitioners, while a multiple regression analysis showed that, after controlling for age, dance was the factor most strongly associated with LS, explaining 28% of the variance in LS. These results are discussed in terms of the embodiment theory, and conclusions suggest that dance may be an effective gender-focused practice to enhance well-being and promote mental health in young women.
The identification of general population groups particularly vulnerable to the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on mental health and the development of healthcare policies are priority challenges ...in the current and future pandemics. This study aimed to identify the personal and social determinants of the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on mental health in a large sample of the Colombian population. In this cross-sectional study, an anonymous online survey was answered by 18,061 participants from the general population residing in Colombia during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak (from 20 May to 20 June 2020). The risk of depression, anxiety, and somatization disorders were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-2), and Somatic Symptom Questionnaire (SSQ-5), respectively. Overall, 35% of participants showed risk of depression, 29% of anxiety, and 31% of somatization. According to the analysis of social determinants of health, the most affected groups were people with low incomes, students, and young adults (18–29 years). Specifically, low-income young females were the most at-risk population group. These findings show how the lockdown measures affected the general population’s mental health in Colombia and highlight some social risk factors in health.
Long-term follow-up studies in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) consistently show persistent impairment in psychosocial adjustment, although symptoms tend to decrease over time. ...Consequently, it might be better to deemphasize symptom-oriented interventions and instead promote interventions that incorporate patient perspectives on recovery. In this study we aimed to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a novel intervention (dialectical behavioral therapy combined with positive psychology and contextual-based skills) in the clinical treatment of long-lasting BPD difficulties.
This was a qualitative study. We developed an initial 8-week group intervention for long-lasting BPD. Upon completion of the 8-week program, the participants were asked to participate in a group discussion to provide feedback. Based on that feedback, the intervention protocol was modified and then offered to a second group of patients, who also provided feedback. The protocol was revised again and administered to a third group. A total of 32 patients participated in the group interventions; of these, 20 provided feedback in the qualitative study. The main outcome measure was acceptability.
The following overarching themes emerged from the group interviews: helpful, unhelpful and neutral practices; internal/external barriers; facilitators; and effects. Participants reported difficulties in imagining an optimal future and self-compassion. By contrast, positive skills were associated with an increase in positive emotions. The main internal barrier was facing difficult emotions. The main external barriers were language-related issues. The group format was perceived as a facilitator to success. Dropout rates, which were assessed as an additional measure of acceptability, decreased substantially in each successive group, from 60 to 40% and finally 20%.
The intervention was feasible to implement in the clinical setting and participants rated the final set of skills highly. Most of the skills were considered useful. Participant feedback was invaluable to improve the intervention, as evidenced by the large increase in the retention rate from 40 to 80%. Randomized clinical trials are needed to test the efficacy of this intervention in promoting well-being in participants with long-lasting BPD.
Surgical re-explorations represent 3–5% of all cardiac surgery. Concerns regarding mortality and major morbidity of re-explorations in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting exist. We sought to ...investigate whether they may have different outcomes compared with those performed in the operating room (OR). Single center retrospective review of patients who underwent mediastinal re-exploration in the ICU or in the OR after cardiac surgery. Mediastinal re-explorations were also classified as: “planned” and “unplanned”. Primary outcome was 30-day mortality, secondary outcomes include deep sternal wound infection (DSWI), sepsis, ICU and hospital length of stay, prolonged intubation (>72 h), tracheostomy, pneumonia, acute kidney injury requiring dialysis and stroke. Between 2010 and 2019, 195 of 7263 patients (2.7%) underwent mediastinal re-exploration after cardiac surgery. More patients in the ICU group experienced two or more re-explorations (30.3% vs. 2.3%, p < 0.001), a higher incidence of postoperative pneumonia (22% vs. 7%, p = 0.004), prolonged intubation (46.8% vs. 19.8%, p < 0.001) and longer hospital stay (30.3 ± 34.2 vs. 20.8 ± 18.3 days, p = 0.014). There were no differences in mortality between ICU and OR (16.5% vs. 13.9%, p = 0.24) nor in sepsis (14.7% vs. 7%, p = 0.91) and DSWI rates (1.8% vs. 1.2%, p = 0.14). Re-explorations in the ICU were not associated with increased mortality, sepsis and mediastinitis rate.
Alcohol consumption is a prevalent risky behaviour in adolescence. A way of prevention is to obtain information about the cognitive components involved, such as Temporal Perspective (TP), which ...refers to the tendency to be oriented towards the past, the present or the future. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between TP, risk perception and alcohol consumption (Study 1) and to determine whether an intervention programme based on emphasizing a Future orientation can reduce alcohol consumption and increase risk perception (Study 2). Seventy-five adolescents participated in the study. Results showed that a bias toward the Present can enhance the probability of incurring in risk behaviours, while a Future orientation might act as a protective factor. Half of the adolescents took part in the intervention programme, and their risk perception increased, suggesting that TP can be a tool to minimize the probability of incurring in risk behaviours.
COVID-19 pandemic has altered women's mental health as a consequence of the global threat and the lockdown measures adopted by public health policies. It has been suggested that women are at a higher ...risk for mood alterations, but most of the studies are cross-sectional or have only considered the first days of the confinement in their longitudinal designs. The present study was aimed at evaluating temporal changes in anxiety and depression in a general sample of 155 non-infected adult Spanish women after a complete quarantine. It also explored the predictive role of personality, the establishment of new routines and physical activity during lockdown in a pre-post design assessing temporal and clinical mood changes after 5 weeks of lockdown. Logistic regression analyses showed that higher neuroticism and depressive levels at baseline, lower routines engagement, and lower physical activity during lockdown predicted depression caseness, whereas anxiety caseness was best predicted by higher neuroticism, more days of lockdown and greater anxiety symptoms at baseline. It is concluded that lockdown duration, increased neuroticism and baseline levels of anxiety and depression are risk factors for women's mental health, while routines and physical activity emerge as protective factors for managing psychological wellbeing during the pandemic lockdowns.
The practice of Shinrin-Yoku or Forest Bathing is an outdoor therapeutic modality with mounting evidence suggesting positive effects on individuals' psychological wellbeing and overall health. ...However, its benefits have mainly been studied in Asian biomes and more research is needed to evaluate if its benefits are also generalizable to other regions such as European-Mediterranean forests. To preliminarily explore this issue, 16 healthy adults (87.5% women, mean age 47.5) were assessed before and after a 3-hour session of Forest Bathing with meditation exercises in a Mediterranean forest near Barcelona (Spain). Changes in state anxiety, negative affect, positive affect and state mindfulness were assessed. Results show significant increases in positive affect, vigour, friendship and mindfulness, and decreases in negative affect, anxiety, anger, fatigue, tension, and depressive mood. Effect sizes observed for all the outcomes were significant and large, ranging from d = 1.02 to d = 2.61. This study encourages more applied research of the forest therapy model and the practice of Shinrin-Yoku in Mediterranean forests to increase the general population's psychological wellbeing and to deal with the growing prevalence of the psychological side-effects generated by the COVID-19 in European countries such as Spain.
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