Divorce interventions have been found to be effective in reducing negative outcomes for newly divorced people, including depression and hostility. Typically, divorce interventions cover a variety of ...issues that may influence people’s level of depression and hostility. However, it is unclear whether the interventions differentially affect the outcomes. That is, it may be that intervention participation leads to a reduction in depression, which is associated with a prospective reduction in hostility—or vice versa. The current study used a sample of 1,856 recently divorced Danes, who completed questionnaires at baseline, 3-, 6-, and 12-month post-divorce. Structural equation modeling revealed that while depression and hostility were concurrently associated, there were no prospective associations, except for baseline depression predicting 3-month hostility. Moreover, the associations did not differ by gender. The results suggest that the intervention content may have influenced both depression and hostility. These findings may be useful in guiding future divorce intervention developments.
Background School absenteeism because of infections is one of the most important problems facing both public and private primary schools. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of infections ...on school absenteeism and their reduction with a handwashing program using hand sanitizer. Methods The study was an 8-month-long, randomized, controlled open study (N = 1,609 children, aged 4-12 years old) at 5 state schools in Almeria (Spain). The experimental group (EG) washed their hands with soap and water, complemented with the use of hand sanitizer, and the control group (CG) followed the usual handwashing procedure. The total number of episodes and days missed as well as those because of upper respiratory infections and gastrointestinal infections were compared in both groups with a Z-test. Results The students were absent 12,386 days in 7,945 episodes. The incidence of total absent episodes and percent of missed days, including those because of upper respiratory infections and gastrointestinal infections, were significantly lower in the EG than the CG ( P < .001), and this was maintained through the flu pandemic period. Conclusion School absenteeism because of infections in schools is reduced when a hand hygiene program utilizing sanitizing gels is properly carried out, especially during the flu season.
Cooperation after divorce Ciprica, Ana
Intervención psicosocial/Intervención psicosocial,
2020, Letnik:
29, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Divorce has long been considered one of the most pervading stressful life events and has consistently been associa- ted with high stress levels and subsequent poorer mental- and physical health. This ...study evaluates the effectiveness of the Cooperation after Divorce (CAD) online intervention on perceived stress immediately following divorce. The studys design was a one-year longitudinal randomized controlled trial including an intervention group (n = 1,031) and a no-treatment control group (n = 825) with four assessments of perceived stress levels (at baseline and 3, 6 and 12-mon- ths post-divorce). The CAD intervention consists of a 17-module online platform designed to support divorcees and their children post-divorce. Data analyses consisted of linear mixed effect modeling and means comparisons. The study found that the intervention significantly accelerated the reduction of perceived stress among recently divorced adults when compared with controls. Further, after one year, stress levels in the intervention group were reduced to normed national stress levels while the mean stress level in the control group remained substantially higher. The results suggest that on- line interventions may offer long-term public health benefits in reducing stress among newly divorced individuals and speak to potential implications related to the services provided for people undergoing divorce.
Public health efforts to reduce divorce-induced health adversities are gaining momentum and positive interventional outcomes of the online Cooperation After Divorce (CAD) digital platform for ...divorcees have been documented by previous research. However, it is unknown whether socioeconomic characteristics previously associated with prolonged divorce recovery are also associated with post-divorce intervention efficacy, and if so, in what way. Multilevel modeling was employed using a sample of 1,856 recently divorced Danes, who participated in an RCT study of the CAD digital platform, to investigate whether educational and income level (1) predict post-divorce health, (2) moderate the time-induced trajectories of post-divorce health, and (3) moderate the intervention-induced trajectories on post-divorce health over the first 12-months following legal divorce. The findings indicated that lower education and lower income predicted worse post-divorce health over one year post-divorce. Furthermore, it was indicated that education moderated postdivorce anxiety so that lower-educated participants experienced a larger reduction in symptoms of anxiety over time. However, except for depression, no moderating effect of income and education on the intervention effect of CAD was found. Our results suggest a beneficial effect of the CAD digital platform across socioeconomic characteristics in the postdivorce period, bolstering claims of the scalability of post-divorce interventions. Moreover, the findings suggest that, theoretically, the intervention may work to compensate for the lack of educational resources in reducing the health gap in post-divorce recovery.
High levels of hostility often occur during and postdivorce and may significantly affect the quality of life, parent–child relationships, and social functioning of divorcees. Moreover, hostility may ...predict aggressive and violent behavior. This study sought to (a) compare average general hostility levels of a large sample of Danish divorcees to the norms of the general adult Danish population, (b) compare general hostility levels between male and female divorcees, and (c) investigate the explanatory value of various sociodemographic and divorce‐related factors on postdivorce general hostility and whether these factors differ across gender. Cross‐sectional baseline data (N = 1,856) from a larger randomized controlled trial study was used in this study. Normative data from a general sample of Danish adults (N = 2,040) was used for comparisons of hostility levels between our study sample and the Danish background population. This study found that male and female divorcees did not report significantly different hostility levels. However, participants reported significantly higher hostility levels postdivorce than the comparative Danish norm sample. Significant predictors of postdivorce hostility were lower age, lower educational level, infidelity as a reason for divorce, higher degree of postdivorce conflict, worse communication with the former spouse, the former spouse as the initiator of the divorce, and new partner status with neither divorcees having a new partner, or only the former spouse having a new partner. The predictive strength of the factors did not differ across gender. The findings may be especially relevant for interventions targeting problematic outcomes postdivorce (e.g., preventing aggressive behavior).
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND
We assessed the effectiveness of a handwashing program using hand sanitizer to prevent school absenteeism due to upper respiratory infections (URIs).
METHODS
This was a ...randomized, controlled, and open study on a sample of 1341 children 4‐12 years old, attending 5 state schools in Almería (Spain), with an 8‐month follow‐up. The experimental group (EG) washed their hands with soap and water, together with using hand sanitizer, and the control group followed their usual handwashing procedures. Absenteeism rates due to URIs were compared between the 2 groups through a multivariate Poisson regression analysis. The percent of days missed in both groups were compared with a z test.
RESULTS
Overall, 1271 cases of school absenteeism due to URIs were registered. Schoolchildren from the EG had a 38% lower risk of absenteeism due to URIs, incidence rate ratio: 0.62, 95% confidence interval: 0.55‐0.70, and a decrease in absenteeism of 0.45 episodes/child/academic year, p < .001. Pupils missed 2734 school days due to URIs and the percentage of days absent was significantly lower in the EG, p < .001.
CONCLUSIONS
Use of hand sanitizer plus handwashing with soap accompanied by educational support is an effective measure to reduce absenteeism due to URIs
The Divorce Conflict Scale Hald, Gert Martin; Strizzi, Jenna M.; Ciprić, Ana ...
Journal of divorce & remarriage,
02/2020, Letnik:
61, Številka:
2
Journal Article
There is a lack of validated short screening instruments specifically addressing conflict and cooperation post-relationship/marital dissolution. Accordingly, this study aims to validate the newly ...developed Divorce Conflict Scale and evaluate divorce conflict levels in relation to sociodemographic and divorce-related variables. Two samples of recently divorced parents were recruited through the Danish State Administration (sample one n = 1144, sample two n = 420). The instrument fulfilled the recommended criteria in exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Women reported high conflict levels and more factors contributed to higherer conflict than men did. The short 6-item Divorce Conflict Scale is a highly applicable measure in research, clinical, and public policy settings.
Abstract
Background
There is limited evidence to date about changes to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) during the initial wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To address this gap, our ...team organized a multicountry, cross-sectional online survey as part of a global consortium.
Methods
Consortium research teams conducted online surveys in 30 countries. Sampling methods included convenience, online panels, and population-representative. Primary outcomes included sexual behaviors, partner violence, and SRH service use, and we compared 3 months prior to and during policy measures to mitigate COVID-19. We conducted meta-analyses for primary outcomes and graded the certainty of the evidence.
Results
Among 4546 respondents with casual partners, condom use stayed the same for 3374 (74.4%), and 640 (14.1%) reported a decline. Fewer respondents reported physical or sexual partner violence during COVID-19 measures (1063 of 15 144, 7.0%) compared to before COVID-19 measures (1469 of 15 887, 9.3%). COVID-19 measures impeded access to condoms (933 of 10 790, 8.7%), contraceptives (610 of 8175, 7.5%), and human immunodeficiency virus/sexually transmitted infection (HIV/STI) testing (750 of 1965, 30.7%). Pooled estimates from meta-analysis indicate that during COVID-19 measures, 32.3% (95% confidence interval CI, 23.9%–42.1%) of people needing HIV/STI testing had hindered access, 4.4% (95% CI, 3.4%–5.4%) experienced partner violence, and 5.8% (95% CI, 5.4%–8.2%) decreased casual partner condom use (moderate certainty of evidence for each outcome). Meta-analysis findings were robust in sensitivity analyses that examined country income level, sample size, and sampling strategy.
Conclusions
Open science methods are feasible to organize research studies as part of emergency responses. The initial COVID-19 wave impacted SRH behaviors and access to services across diverse global settings.
The I-SHARE-1 study in 30 countries assessed sexual and reproductive health outcomes among adults. During COVID-19 measures, 32.3% of people needing HIV/STI testing had hindered access, 4.4% experienced partner violence, and 5.8% decreased casual partner condom use.
PDF
