•A longitudinal study on trajectory of children's internalizing symptoms.•Chinese children develop internalizing symptoms into adolescence.•Parent–child relationship slower children from ...internalizing symptoms over time.•Sex is associated with internalizing symptoms over time.
Parenting and parental–child relationship may lead children to develop behavior disorders that can affect many aspects of their later life. This study aimed to examine the impact of parent–child relationship and sex on the development of internalizing symptoms in children.
Childhood and Adolescent Behaviors in Long-term Evolution (CABLE) is a longitudinal healthy-lifestyle research for which 18 elementary schools were randomly selected respectively in Taipei and Hsinchu in Taiwan. Data on sex, parent–child relations, and internalizing symptoms from four waves of follow-up were analyzed: 2003 (9 year olds), 2006 (12 year olds), 2009 (15 year olds) and 2012 (18 year olds). A latent growth model was used to examine the impact of parental–child relationship and sex on the trajectory of children's internalizing symptoms.
Results show that internalizing symptoms is more severe (β = 0.21, p < 0.01) and their growth rate faster (β = 0.15, p < 0.01) in girls than in boys. Results from latent growth model show that parent–child relationship is negatively related to the internalizing symptoms intercept (β = −0.59, p < 0.01) and is positively related to the internalizing symptoms slope (β = 0.18, p < 0.01). Limitations: Self-reported measures were used. Parent–child relationship was only provided at 2003.
The findings suggest that girls are more susceptible to internalizing symptoms in puberty, and better parent–child relationship can have a protective influence although the protective impact reduced through time. Health professionals should be sensitive to sex, family functioning and provide positive parenting programs for children at risk for internalizing symptoms.
It is hypothesized that anxiety and behavioral responses are intense at the beginning of an epidemic. The objective of this study was to investigate anxiety symptoms and use of preventive measures ...against COVID-19. The study also compared the association between preventive measures and anxiety symptoms during the week immediately preceding the study and those symptoms and measures at the beginning of the outbreak.
A cross-sectional population survey using an online questionnaire commenced on 14 February 2020. The study participants were residents of Taiwan ages 20 to 70 years. The 6-item state version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-6) was used to assess anxiety symptoms. The questions about preventive measures asked participants about their personal protection, cough etiquette, contact precautions, voluntary quarantine, and prompt reporting. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the factors influencing an increase in the preventive measures scores.
Of a total of 3555 completed responses, a total of 52.1% (95% confidence interval CI 50.4-53.7) of the respondents reported moderate to severe levels of anxiety symptoms in the past week, whereas 48.8% (95%CI 47.2-50.5) reported moderate to severe anxiety symptoms at the beginning of the outbreak. With a higher score indicating greater anxiety, the median scores for anxiety symptoms in the past week and at the beginning of the outbreak were 46.7 (IQR interquartile range 36.7-53.3) and 43.3 (IQR 36.7-53.3), respectively. The median scores for the preventive measures taken in the past week and at the beginning of the outbreak were 26.0 (IQR 21.0-30.0) and 24.0 (IQR 19.0-28.0), respectively, out of a maximum score of 36. In the multivariable analysis, an increased anxiety symptom score from the beginning of the outbreak to the past week (adjusted OR = 7.38, 95%CI 6.28-8.66) was a strongly significant determinant of an increased preventive measures score in the past week compared with the score at the beginning of the outbreak.
Anxiety and preventive measures scores were high and increased with the epidemic rate. Higher anxiety was associated with an increased use of preventive measures against COVID-19.
This study investigated the cognition, information behaviors and preventive behaviors of Taiwanese citizens in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey was administered and 610 valid ...responses were collected. The relationships between demographic variables and optimistic bias, social trust, information credibility, personal protective measures, avoidance of human contact, and immune system strengthening were examined. Results showed that optimistic bias existed, but there was no significant correlation between optimistic bias and personal protective measures. Laypersons had high trust in the government, but also optimistic bias. Gender was the most important predictor; with occupation and region of residence also interacting with different preventive behaviors. People in Taiwan may be overly optimistic in facing the epidemic; relevant information should be properly disclosed to help reduce this bias. Social trust in the government seems to be an important successful factor in the fight against COVID-19 in Taiwan.
Aim
A growing awareness of the rapidly increasing aged population in the world has led to growing attention to mental health in late life. Happiness has been emphasized as an important indicator of ...physical health and is predicted by a sense of coherence. However, the mechanism of influence of family relations on sense of coherence, happiness and perceived health is unknown. The present study aimed to analyze a conceptual model of the relationships among family relations, sense of coherence, happiness and perceived health in retired persons.
Methods
A total of 142 retired participants were recruited from social service centers in Taipei, Taiwan. A structured questionnaire measuring the relationships among family relations, sense of coherence, happiness and perceived health was filled in by each respondent. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.
Results
The results showed that family relations is positively correlated with happiness, sense of coherence and perceived health. The results also showed that good family relations and a sense of coherence predict greater happiness. The results from structure equation modeling showed that the relationship between family relations and perceived health is completely mediated by happiness and a sense of coherence, but only the indirect effect of happiness is significant. The results also showed that family relations is partially mediated by the sense of coherence to happiness.
Conclusions
In caring for retired older people, medical professionals need to increase their family relations and sense of coherence simultaneously, and then promote happiness in their interventions. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 154–160.
Objectives
To examine the mechanisms of coping strategies on nurses’ psychological well‐being, practice environments and safety attitudes.
Methods
A cross‐sectional study design was used. Structural ...equation modeling was performed to analyze the results. Five hundred clinical nurses were randomly selected from a large group of 1,500 from a medical center with 1,350 beds in Taipei, Taiwan, from July to October 2015. Self‐report questionnaires were administered to measure coping strategies (Brief COPE), psychological well‐being (Ryff's Psychological Well‐being Scale), nurses’ practice environments (Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index), and safety attitudes (Safety Attitudes Questionnaire).
Results
Of the 500 participants who gave written consent, 474 (94.8%) filled out the questionnaire. Results showed that using more approach‐oriented coping strategies and fewer avoidant coping strategies was associated with greater psychological well‐being. Psychological well‐being was directly associated with quality of nurses’ practice environments and safety attitudes. The impact of psychological well‐being on safety attitudes was mediated significantly by the quality of the practice environment. The use of approach‐oriented coping strategies was significantly predictive of positive psychological well‐being, a good practice environment, and good safety attitudes.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance
This study found a distinct pathway for the relationships between clinical nurses’ psychological well‐being, practice environment, and safety attitudes. Psychological well‐being in clinical nurses was higher for those with more approach‐oriented coping strategies. Psychological well‐being directly impacted safety attitudes, which mediated nurses’ practice environments. The practical implications of the results suggest that interventions designed to promote positive psychological well‐being may help improve nurses’ practice environments, which, in turn, may result in better safety attitudes and nursing care outcomes.
Ketamine has been used for medical purposes, most typically as an anesthetic, and recent studies support its use in the treatment of depression. However, ketamine tends to be abused by adolescents ...and young adults. In the current study, we examined the effects of early ketamine exposure on brain structure and function. We employed MRI to assess the effects of ketamine abuse on cerebral gray matter volume (GMV) and functional connectivity (FC) in 34 users and 19 non-users, employing covariates. Ketamine users were categorized as adolescent-onset and adult-onset based on when they were first exposed to ketamine. Imaging data were processed by published routines in SPM and AFNI. The results revealed lower GMV in the left precuneus in ketamine users, with a larger decrease in the adolescent-onset group. The results from a seed-based correlation analysis show that both ketamine groups had higher functional connectivity between left precuneus (seed) and right precuneus than the control group. Compared to controls, ketamine users showed decreased GMV in the right insula, left inferior parietal lobule, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex/superior frontal gyrus, and left medial orbitofrontal cortex. These preliminary results characterize the effects of ketamine misuse on brain structure and function and highlight the influence of earlier exposure to ketamine on the development of the brain. The precuneus, a structure of central importance to cerebral functional organization, may be particularly vulnerable to the influences of early ketamine exposure. How these structural and functional brain changes may relate to the cognitive and affective deficits remains to be determined with a large cohort of participants.
During pandemics like SARS-CoV-2, healthcare providers' well-being and morale are in particular at stake. Burnout may substantially hinder the well-being and morale of healthcare providers, ...challenging our efforts at disease containment. This study investigated the relationship between perceived COVID-19 stigma and burnout symptoms among physicians and nurses. We further aimed to identify potential factors that may moderate this relationship, including profession, clinical contact with COVID-19 patients, and prior experience with 2003 SARS-CoV-1.
We used a web-based, structured survey from March 12th to 29th, 2020 to collect cross-sectional, self-reported data. Participants were provided with a link to the survey which took them on average 5-8 minutes. Survey consisted of demographic characteristics, clinical experiences, perceived COVID-19 related stigma, and burnout symptoms. Linear regression with bootstrapping techniques was adopted to test the relations between stigma and burnout, as well as other potential moderators, while adjusting for demographic and clinical factors.
Of the 1421 consented respondents, 357 identified as physicians while 1064 identified as nurses. Participants reported some levels of stigma, and noticeable burnout symptoms. Burnout symptoms were positively correlated with COVID-19 stigma, profession, and currently care for confirmed/suspected COVID-19 patients. The interaction between stigma and profession (Stigma × Nurses) but no other interaction terms reached the significance level, suggesting that the slope for nurses was flatter than the slope for physicians.
The study results suggest that COVID-19 stigma may contribute to burnout among physicians and nurses, and this relation may not vary across clinical roles and experiences but profession.
Aim
Regular walking exercise (RWE) is associated with increased cardiovascular fitness and might elevate subjective psychological well‐being. Positive education links positive psychology concepts ...with self‐efficacy through the curriculum, which helps foster well‐being. This study examines if regular walking exercise with positive education has better effects on cardiovascular fitness and happiness than RWE alone in retired older adults.
Methods
Three arms of experimental design were used: pedometer walking exercise training (PWET); positive education and pedometer walking exercise training (PEPWET); and pedometer walking exercise (PWE). Trained walking exercise was provided to the PWET and PEPWET groups by a walking exercise coach three times per week, for 45 min per session for 12 weeks. Positive education was designed and led by a licensed PhD psychologist every other week. Of 150 participants, 60, 60 and 30 were randomly assigned to PWET, PEPWET and PWE, respectively. Demographic information, Chinese Happiness Inventory, RWE, and 6‐min walking distance were assessed before and after the intervention.
Results
The percentage of participants who practiced RWE after 12 weeks was significantly higher in the PEPWET group (96.7%), followed by the PWET (75%) and PWE groups (40%). Cardiovascular fitness in the PWET and PEPWET groups was significantly better than in the PWE group. Chinese Happiness Inventory scores in the PWET and PEPWET groups were significantly higher than in the PWE group, and the PEPWET group also showed significantly higher Chinese Happiness Inventory scores than the PWET group.
Conclusions
In addition to RWE, the study findings show that positive education can be beneficial to promote older adults’ RWE, cardiovascular fitness and happiness. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 879–884.
•Resilience and relationships were negatively related to depressive symptoms.•Resilience partially mediated link between relationships and depressive symptoms.•Relationships partially mediated the ...association between sex and resilience.
The aim of this study was to explore the associations among interpersonal relationships, resilience and depressive symptoms, and to examine if resilience is a mediator between interpersonal relationships and depressive symptoms in senior high school students.
Of 463 randomly selected participants from among 3,900 high school students, 450 (97.19%) consented to and completed a structured 4-part questionnaire consisting of demographic items, Inventory of Adolescent Resilience, Taiwan Relationship Inventory for Children and Adolescents, and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale for Children. The associations between interpersonal relations and resilience and their associations with depressive symptoms were analyzed using MPlus 8.0 software for structural equation modeling.
Results from structural equation modeling indicate that resilience and interpersonal relationships were negatively associated with students’ depressive symptoms, and resilience partially mediated the associations between interpersonal relationships and depressive symptoms after controlling for demographics.
Findings support that resilience and better interpersonal relationships are protective factors against depressive symptoms in adolescents. The positive association between the two protectors implies that interpersonal relationships might increase resilience and then alleviate depression amongst adolescents.
The importance of mental health before the COVID-19 pandemic was neglected for the past decades, which is the physiological stress that this pandemic imposed on health care providers, especially on ...physicians and nurses. ...few studies focused on the effect of previous experience with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) or middle east respiratory syndrome (MERS) on mental health in physicians and nurses. Variables Total (n = 1421) Without experience (n = 1187) With experience (n = 234) p Age (years) 36.64 ± 8.13 35.25 ± 7.73 43.70 ± 6.21 <0.001 Male 262(18.44) 213(17.94) 49(20.94) 0.280 Education <0.001 College 1237(87.05) 1062(89.47) 175(74.79) Graduate and above 178(12.53) 121(10.19) 57(24.36) Occupation group 0.147 Physicians 357(25.12) 307(25.86) 50(21.37) Nurse 1064(74.88) 880(74.14) 184(78.63) Division 0.028 Internal medicine 437(30.75) 362(30.50) 75(32.05) Surgery 193(13.58) 158(13.31) 35(14.96) Obstetrics and gynecology 63(4.43) 57(4.80) 6(2.56) Pediatrics 79(5.56) 69(5.81) 10(4.27) Emergency medicine 248(17.45) 191(16.09) 57(24.36) Anesthesiology 33(2.32) 27(2.27) 6(2.56) Family medicine 32(2.25) 27(2.27) 5(2.14) Others 303(21.32) 264(22.24) 39(16.67) Contact confirmed cases 557(39.20) 450(37.91) 107(45.73) 0.025 Burnout 586(41.24) 481(40.52) 105(44.87) 0.217 STAI index 0.302 No or low anxiety 136(9.57) 114(9.60) 22(9.40) Moderate anxiety 170(11.96) 135(11.37) 35(14.96) High anxiety 1115(78.47) 938(79.02) 177(75.64) Depressive disorder 666(46.87) 553(46.59) 113(48.29) 0.633 Table 1 Comparison of baseline characteristic and variables by experiencing SARS or not
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