A Look at the First Quarantined Community in the USA: Response of Religious Communal Organizations and Implications for Public Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The current study examined anxiety and distress among members of the first community to be quarantined in the USA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to being historically significant, the current sample was unusual in that those quarantined were all members of a Modern Orthodox Jewish community and were connected via religious institutions at which exposure may have occurred. We sought to explore the community and religious factors unique to this sample, as they relate to the psychological and public health impact of quarantine. Community organizations were trusted more than any other source of COVID-19-related information, including federal, state and other government agencies, including the CDC, WHO and media news sources. This was supported qualitatively with open-ended responses in which participants described the range of supports organized by community organizations. These included tangible needs (i.e., food delivery), social support, virtual religious services, and dissemination of COVID-19-related information. The overall levels of distress and anxiety were elevated and directly associated with what was reported to be largely inadequate and inconsistent health-related information received from local departments of health. In addition, the majority of participants felt that perception of or concern about future stigma related to a COVID-19 diagnosis or association of COVID-19 with the Jewish community was high and also significantly predicted distress and anxiety. The current study demonstrates the ways in which religious institutions can play a vital role in promoting the well-being of their constituents. During this unprecedented pandemic, public health authorities have an opportunity to form partnerships with religious institutions in the common interests of promoting health, relaying accurate information and supporting the psychosocial needs of community members, as well as protecting communities against stigma and discrimination.

Disordered Eating Pathology and Body Image Among Adolescent Girls in Israel: The Role of Sense of Coherence.

Disordered eating pathology (DEP) represents a range of behaviors and attitudes, from negative body image to full blown eating disorders, appearing mainly in adolescent females. DEP is related to a plethora of biological and psychological factors, including various coping strategies. Sense of coherence (SOC) is a coping mechanism defined as an external and internal ability to adapt to stress and has been found to be associated with better mental health outcomes. However, SOC has not been examined in relation to DEP. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the relationship between SOC, DEP and body image disturbances among adolescent girls. The sample consisted of 248 Israeli girls (12-18), who completed self-reported questionnaires. SOC was negatively associated with DEP and body dissatisfaction. The overall rate of those in the high risk group for EDs was found to be higher than previously seen among samples from a similar population (22.5% vs. 19.5%), and was found to have a significantly lower levels of SOC and more negative body image than those at lower risk. Greater SOC was found to be associated with lower levels of DEP. It is suggested that strengthening SOC be incorporated into eating disorder prevention and treatment. Results emphasize the importance of SOC to well-being and mental health.

Both Intrinsic and Extrinsic Religious Orientation are Positively Associated with Attitudes Toward Cleanliness: Exploring Multiple Routes from Godliness to Cleanliness.

In the present study, we explore how intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientations are associated with cleanliness attitudes. We find that reported importance of religion is associated with increased cleanliness concerns and interest in cleanliness. Attitudes toward cleanliness were also associated with both intrinsic religious orientation and extrinsic religious orientation. Together, religiosity and religious orientation account for 14.7% of cleanliness attitudes and remained significant in the presence of personality, socioeconomic status, age, education, obsessive-compulsive attitudes toward cleanliness, and other covariates. These results show that religiosity is associated with cleanliness via multiple routes. We suggest that intrinsic religious orientation leads to increased interest in cleanliness due to the link between physical and spiritual purity. Extrinsic religious orientation may be linked with cleanliness because of the secondary benefits, including health and the facilitation in communal cohesiveness, that cleanliness rituals offer. The implications of these findings for the relationship between religion and health are discussed.

Extrinsic Religious Orientation and Disordered Eating Pathology Among Modern Orthodox Israeli Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Adherence to the Superwoman Ideal and Body Dissatisfaction.

The role of religious and spiritual factors has been recognized with regard to risk factors for disordered eating pathology (DEP). Specifically, religious orientation, or underlying religious motivation, has been associated with DEP among a variety of religious groups. Extrinsic religious orientation has consistently been found to be associated with increased levels of DEP among Christians and Jews in the USA. However, this paradigm has not been investigated cross-culturally. The current study is the first to examine the association of extrinsic religious orientation and DEP among Modern Orthodox Israeli adolescents. Furthermore, the mediating mechanisms of adherence to the Superwoman Ideal and body dissatisfaction are explored to further elucidate the mechanisms generating the association between religious orientation and DEP. A sample of 120 Modern Orthodox Israeli adolescent females participated in an anonymous survey which asked about DEP, body dissatisfaction, adherence to the Superwoman Ideal and religious orientation. Mediation models revealed a significant association between extrinsic religious orientation and DEP. Furthermore, adherence to the Superwoman Ideal and body dissatisfaction serially mediated the association between religious orientation and DEP. Findings suggest that a pathway through which extrinsic orientation influences DEP is through greater adherence to the Superwoman Ideal which leads to higher levels of body dissatisfaction, which is known to be a proximal risk factor for DEP. This finding is discussed in light of specific cultural pressures within the Modern Orthodox population and related clinical implications.

Negative Religious Coping Predicts Disordered Eating Pathology Among Orthodox Jewish Adolescent Girls.

Recent research suggests the importance of exploring religious and spiritual factors in relation to the continuum of disordered eating. This continuum ranges from mild disordered eating behaviors and attitudes to moderate levels of disordered eating pathology (DEP) through full-blown clinical levels of eating disorders (EDs). The current study is the first to explore the role that religious coping (both positive and negative) plays in the development DEP, which is considered a risk factor for the development of EDs. In addition, the study aims to describe levels of DEP among a non-clinical sample of 102 Orthodox Jewish adolescent females. Participants completed a questionnaire measuring religious coping strategies, DEP and self-esteem. Results indicated that greater use of negative religious coping was associated with higher levels of DEP. Mediation analyses suggested that greater negative religious coping is related to lower levels of self-esteem, which accounts for higher levels of DEP. Furthermore, findings revealed relatively lower overall levels of DEP among this sample, compared to similar populations in Israel and the USA. These results suggest that a strong religious and spiritual identity may serve as a protective factor against DEP.

The relationship between body image, age, and distress in women facing breast cancer surgery.

OBJECTIVES: Research suggests that the strength of the relationship between body image and emotional distress decreases with age. Past research has focused on expected aging-related body changes, and has not yet examined unexpected body changes (e.g., breast cancer surgery). The present post-hoc study assessed relationships between age, body image, and emotional distress in women facing breast cancer surgery. METHODS: Older (≥ 65 years, n = 40) and younger (<65 years, n = 40) women were matched on race/ethnicity, marital status, and surgery type. Within one week prior to surgery, participants completed measures of demographics, aspects of body image, and emotional distress (general and surgery-specific). RESULTS: Results indicated that: (1) body image did not differ by age (p > 0.999); (2) older women reported less pre-surgical emotional distress than younger women (p's < 0.01); and, (3) age moderated the relationship between body image and emotional distress (p's < 0.06). SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: The results suggest that younger women, particularly those with poor body image, are at an increased risk for pre-surgical emotional distress. These women may benefit from pre-surgical interventions designed to improve body image or to reduce pre-surgical emotional distress.

Healing stories: narrative characteristics in cancer survivorship narratives and psychological health among hematopoietic stem cell transplant survivors.

OBJECTIVES: Survivors of hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) have experienced a life threatening and potentially traumatic illness and treatment that make them vulnerable to long lasting negative psychological outcomes, including anxiety and depression. Nevertheless, studies show that overcoming cancer and its treatment can present an opportunity for personal growth and psychological health (reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression and high levels of emotional well-being) through resilience. However, research has not yet clarified what differentiates HSCT survivors who experience psychological growth from those who do not. By analyzing recovery narratives, we examined whether HSCT survivors' interpretation of their experiences helps explain differences in their post-treatment psychological health. METHODS: Guided by narrative psychology theory, we analyzed the narratives of 23 HSCT survivors writing about their experience of cancer treatment. Psychological health was measured by: (1) emotional well-being subscale part of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Bone Marrow Transplant (FACT-BMT), (2) depression, and (3) anxiety subscales of the Brief Symptom Inventory. RESULTS: Findings revealed a positive relation between psychological health and a greater number of redemption episodes (going from an emotionally negative life event to an emotionally positive one) as well as fewer negative emotional expressions. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESULTS: Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed, showing how narratives can inform interventions to assist cancer survivors with their psychological recovery.

Did people really drink bleach to prevent COVID-19? A guide for protecting survey data against problematic respondents.

Survey respondents who are non-attentive, respond randomly, or misrepresent who they are can impact the outcomes of surveys. Prior findings reported by the CDC have suggested that people engaged in highly dangerous cleaning practices during the COVID-19 pandemic, including ingesting household cleaners such as bleach. In our attempts to replicate the CDC's results, we found that 100% of reported ingestion of household cleaners are made by problematic respondents. Once inattentive, acquiescent, and careless respondents are removed from the sample, we find no evidence that people ingested cleaning products to prevent a COVID-19 infection. These findings have important implications for public health and medical survey research, as well as for best practices for avoiding problematic respondents in all survey research conducted online.

Psychological Distress Among the First Quarantined Community in the United States: Initial Observations From the Early Days of the COVID-19 Crisis.

This study assesses distress and anxiety symptoms associated with quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure among the first quarantined community in the United States and identifies potential areas of intervention. All participants were directly or peripherally related to "patient 1,"-the first confirmed community-acquired case of COVID-19 in the New York Area. As such, this is a historically significant sample whose experiences highlight a transitional moment from a pre-pandemic to a pandemic period in the United States. In March 2020, an anonymous survey was distributed to 1,250 members of a NYC area community that was under community-wide quarantine orders due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Distress was measured using the Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) and symptoms of anxiety were measured using the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). A variety of psychosocial predictors relevant to the current crisis were explored. Three hundred and three individuals responded within forty-eight hours of survey distribution. Mean levels of distress in the sample were heightened and sustained, with 69% reporting moderate to severe distress on the SUDS and 53% of the sample reported mild, moderate, or severe anxiety symptoms on the BAI. The greatest percentage of variance of distress and anxiety symptoms was accounted for by modifiable factors amenable to behavioral and psychological interventions.

When do nurses refer patients to professional chaplains?

Nursing has historically realized the importance of spirituality in patient care, and more than other healthcare staff, they also have recognized the integral role of chaplains in meeting the spiritual needs of patients. The present study examines specific patient and family issues for which nurses make referrals to chaplains. A previously piloted questionnaire asking how often nurses and allied staff refer patients to chaplains was distributed to 133 staff members at a New York area hospital, the majority of whom were registered nurses (RNs). ANOVA revealed significant differences with respect to the kinds of issues that nurses are likely to refer to chaplains, with referrals being most likely for family issues and least likely for treatment-related issues. A significant interaction between staff type (nurses vs allied staff) and issues was also found. The results are discussed in relation to the nurses' desire to meet patients' spiritual needs and how this can be achieved.

Racial Disparities in Cleanliness Attitudes Mediate Purchasing Attitudes Toward Cleaning Products: a Serial Mediation Model.

The present study has three objectives (1) to examine whether there are differences in cleanliness concerns between African Americans and European Americans toward kitchen items that are known to be vectors of disease, (2) to examine whether disparities in cleanliness attitudes have an impact on purchasing attitudes toward kitchen cleaning products, and (3) to explore the mechanisms that may account for these differences utilizing a serial mediation model. Five hundred participants, 50% African American and 50% European American were shown a picture of a sponge cleaning product and filled out multiple survey instruments relating to cleanliness attitudes. We found greater concern with cleanliness of kitchen items (d = .46) and a greater willingness to purchase cleaning products among African Americans compared to European Americans (17 vs 10%). A serial mediation analysis revealed that general cleanliness concerns account for the increased willingness to spend money on cleaning products among African Americans. These results suggest that African Americans are more sensitive to issues of cleanliness compared to European Americans and, in particular, are more sensitive to cleanliness of kitchen items such as sponges, which can be vectors of food-borne pathogens. Potential reasons for the observed racial disparities in cleanliness attitudes and the implications of these results for public health are discussed.

Psychosocial perspectives and the issue of prevention in childhood obesity.

A dramatic increase in childhood overweight/obesity has been recognized globally over the past 50 years. This observed increase may reflect genetic, as well as psychological, environmental, and socio-cultural influences. In the first part of this review, we present an updated summary of the psychosocial factors associated with this change and discuss possible ways in which they operate. Among these factors, lower socio economic status (in both industrialized and non-industrialized countries), being female, belonging to a minority group, and being exposed to adverse life events may all be associated with a greater risk of childhood overweight/obesity. These influences may be mediated via a variety of mechanisms, in particular above-average food intake of low nutritional quality and reduction in physical activity. Other important psychosocial mediators include the influence of the family and peer environment, and exposure to the media. In the second part of the review, we discuss the potential of psychosocial prevention programs to intervene in the processes involved in the rise of childhood overweight/obesity. Two points are emphasized. First, prevention programs should be multidisciplinary, combining the knowledge of experts from different professions, and taking into consideration the important role of the family environment and relevant influential social organizations, particularly school. Second, effective change is unlikely to occur without large-scale programs carried out on a public policy level.