Resilience and successful aging: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: This systematic review and meta-analysis investigates the relationship between successful aging (SA) and resilience in older adults, focusing on individuals aged 60 and above, to address a significant gap in understanding how resilience contributes to SA. METHODS: Following the Cochrane review guidelines, we conducted searches in databases such as Web of Science, PsycNet, and PubMed up to December 2021 and used PRISMA as a tool for reporting the results. Our inclusion criteria were studies on psychological resilience and SA in older adults aged 60 and above. Exclusion criteria included studies on physical resilience, medical outcomes of SA, other indicators not used in screened studies (e.g., prevalence, means), populations with suicidal ideation or chronic/palliative illnesses, studies considering resilience as an indicator of SA, and qualitative studies on the association between resilience and SA. RESULTS: A total of 21 studies were included and assessed for risk of bias using funnel plot and trim-and-fill methods. The meta-analysis revealed a medium effect size indicating a positive relationship between resilience and SA. However, high heterogeneity warrants a cautious interpretation of these results. No significant differences were found between older adults in the general population and those in retirement communities, nor were geographical variations (Asia, Europe, America) found to moderate this relationship. DISCUSSION: The findings highlight the intrinsic link between older adults' attitudes towards aging, their subjective evaluations, and their level of psychological resilience. Resilience acts as a protective factor against psychological and physical adversities, underscoring the importance of resilience-enhancing strategies in interventions aimed at promoting SA. The conclusions drawn from this analysis should be approached with caution due to the heterogeneity of the included studies.

The Effectiveness of Psychological Interventions on the Impact of Trauma Exposure in Foster Care: A Meta-Analysis.

Due to prevalent exposure to trauma in the biological family, children in foster care often experience post-traumatic stress symptoms, difficulties in forming secure attachments with the caregivers, and can present a complex range of symptoms and impairments across several areas of development. Therefore, there is an increased necessity for interventions on the effects of trauma exposure in foster care. This is the first meta-analysis to investigate the effectiveness of interventions on the effects of trauma exposure in foster care against control groups. Twelve randomized controlled trials on interventions for children with trauma-related diagnoses or with other mental health problems that are a result of complex trauma were included. A random-effects model was used for pooling the effect sizes, which were calculated for trauma-related outcomes at posttreatment and follow-up. Several potential moderator variables were analyzed. The results showed that participants receiving the intervention on trauma-related problems reported significantly better outcomes than those in the control conditions at posttreatment, after the exclusion of one outlier (g = 0.39; 95% CI [0.18 to 0.62]). The effect size was smaller at follow-up (g = 0.24; 95% CI [0.03 to 0.46]), but significant. Clinical diversity, methodological diversity, as well as other limitations were identified and discussed. Overall, the findings highlight the potential of interventions for trauma-related problems in foster care. These findings bring important contributions to the child welfare system in their efforts to develop and adapt suitable interventions for children with mental health problems due to trauma. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40653-023-00563-9.

What Mediates the Link Between Foster Parents' Sensitivity Towards Child Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Job Satisfaction? The Role of Compassion Fatigue and Foster Parent-Child Relationship.

Purpose: It is very likely that many children who enter the foster care system have experienced at least one traumatic event, and can develop symptoms of PTSS. Consequently, foster parents' level of sensitivity towards child symptoms of PTSS plays a significant role in child development, but the link between sensitivity and several professional characteristics is not well understood. The current study aims to explain the effect foster parents' sensitivity towards child trauma exert on their job satisfaction, via foster parents' compassion fatigue and the quality of their relationship with the children in care. This study is one of the few to investigate foster parents' sensitivity towards child trauma, and the direct and indirect effects on other variables. Methods: Structural equation modeling was used to test a mediating model on this sample (N = 165) after using an online survey to collect the cross-sectional data. Results: The model produced good fit (RMSEA = 0.087; CFI = 0.899). The direct effects between variables are significant. The relationship between foster parents' sensitivity towards trauma and their job satisfaction can be better understood with the contribution of compassion fatigue. Conclusion: Findings confirm the mediation effect of compassion fatigue and reveal more aspects of the sensitivity towards trauma concept. These results could be implemented by considering more accurate measurements for the caregiver's sensitivity towards child trauma. The importance of considering interventions for increasing foster parents' trauma knowledge and skills is highlighted.

The Link between Job Demands, Burnout, and the Self-Undermining of Healthcare Employees during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Underestimated Threat?

Previous studies have shown an association between job demands and burnout in medical staff during the pandemic. However, these studies have ignored the possibility of loss cycle occurrence during the crisis. In order to address this gap, the aim of this study was to test the mediating role of burnout in the positive relationship between job demands and the self-undermining of healthcare employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Self-undermining represents the set of behaviors that generate obstacles and diminish performance (e.g., careless mistakes, generating interpersonal conflicts, poor communication), and it has been suggested that this variable could explain the loss cycle between demands and burnout (the phenomenon in which demands increase burnout, which in turn leads to even greater demands). A total of 523 healthcare workers from two Romanian hospitals (e.g., physicians, nurses, stretcher-bearers) completed a self-report questionnaire during the COVID-19 outbreak that included three job demands, burnout, and self-undermining. Burnout mediated the positive relationship between two demands (work-family conflict; lack of equipment and supplies) and self-undermining. These results may provide a preliminary indication for the existence of loss cycles, supporting the assumptions of the job demands-resources theory. Moreover, the results highlight the risk of loss cycle occurrences for healthcare employees during outbreaks.

The Relationship between the Infertility Specialist and the Patient during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The doctor-patient relationship is fundamental in the treatment of infertility, due to the emotional implications of fertilization procedures. However, insufficient data are available specifically for this relationship. The general objective of the study is to establish the associations between the fundamental concepts that define the doctor-patient relationship: communication, empathy, trust, collaboration, compliance and satisfaction. A cross-sectional study was conducted between May and June 2020 and followed the methods of a quantitative analysis, collecting the data using questionnaires. The research plan was specific to path analysis with the mediation effect, in which the hypotheses were tested. The research group consisted of 151 women diagnosed with infertility, voluntarily recruited through online support communities. Findings demonstrate that affective empathy mediates the relationship between communication and trust in the doctor. In conclusion, this study draws attention to the importance of basic concepts in the relationship of infertility specialists with infertile patients. Thus, it is necessary for health care providers in assisted human reproduction to participate in programs for the continuous training of empathic communication skills, given the sensitivity of this diagnosis.

Predictors of Burnout in Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The purpose of this study was to identify the predictors of burnout in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from March to June in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, from employees of two Romanian hospitals. Five hundred and twenty-three healthcare workers completed a series of questionnaires that measured burnout, job demands, job resources, and personal resources. Among the respondents, 14.5% had a clinical level of exhaustion (the central component of burnout). Three job demands (work-family conflict, lack of preparedness/scope of practice, emotional demands), three job resources (training, professional development, and continuing education; supervision, recognition, and feedback; autonomy and control), and one personal resource (self-efficacy) were significant predictors of burnout, explaining together 37% of the variance in healthcare workers' burnout. Based on our results, psychological interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic for healthcare employees should focus primarily on these demands and resources.