Distress and Prevention Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among College Students: the Moderating Role of Resilience.

BACKGROUND: Pandemics can generate considerable distress, which can affect prevention behaviors. Resilience may buffer the negative effects of distress on engagement in relevant prevention behaviors, which may also hold true for COVID-19 prevention behaviors. The objective of the current study was to evaluate whether resilience moderated the relationship between distress and COVID-19 prevention behaviors early in the pandemic. METHODS: Data were collected via surveys in which all students at a large midwestern university were emailed invitations beginning March 18, 2020. Surveys were completed by 5,530 individuals. In addition to demographic questions and items about COVID-19 prevention behaviors, distress was assessed using the K6 Distress Scale and resilience using the Brief Resilience Scale. Data were analyzed using moderator regression analysis. RESULTS: Resilience moderates the effects from distress to prevention behaviors, such that the relationship was stronger for individuals with higher resilience than for individuals with lower resilience. When resilience was one standard deviation below the mean, at the mean value of resilience, and when resilience was one standard deviation above the mean, there was a significant positive relationship between distress and COVID-19 prevention behaviors. However, the relationship was strongest for those with high resilience, and lowest for those with low resilience. CONCLUSIONS: In the current sample, resilience appeared to influence the strength of the relationship between distress and COVID-19 prevention behaviors. Having higher resilience may promote positive adaptation to distress, leading individuals to engage in a greater number of disease-related prevention behaviors. Future research should examine this relationship longitudinally and in relation to differing constructs of resilience.

Navigating the Litigation Experience.

Healthcare is a highly regulated industry whose practitioners are responsible for adhering to laws, regulations, policies, and standards of care. When poor outcomes occur, a malpractice case can arise, thus beginning the litigation process. Because nurses are leaders in the delivery of care, they may become involved in legal claims. The purpose of this article is to provide information, as a foundation for nurses who are unfamiliar with navigating the litigation process in a legal claim, and to help nurses build confidence in the process. An overview of the litigation process, nursing licensure, and essential legal terms is provided. A case scenario is introduced that addresses the role of a nurse in an orthopaedic medical malpractice case.

The protective roles of coping self-efficacy and social support for posttraumatic stress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the roles of social support and coping self-efficacy (CSE) in attenuating posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic among a nonclinical university student sample. METHOD: Participants (n = 610; 59% female) completed questionaries assessing psychological distress (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale) at baseline and 6-month follow-up, and social support (Interpersonal Support Evaluation List-12), CSE Scale, and PTS symptoms (Impact of Event Scale-Revised) at 6 months. A path analysis was conducted using SPSS Amos to examine the direct and indirect pathways from psychological distress to PTS symptoms that are accounted for by social support and CSE, controlling for gender. RESULTS: All direct effects in the path analysis were significant except for the relationship between social support and PTS symptoms. Notably, CSE was directly related to PTS symptoms (CSE: ß = -.30, p < .001). There was a significant indirect effect of early psychological distress on PTS symptoms 6 months into the pandemic through social support and CSE (ß = .14, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with higher levels of social support are more likely to have greater confidence in their coping capabilities, which helps to explain PTS symptom severity after controlling for initial levels of psychological distress and gender. These findings suggest that following a potentially traumatic event, CSE may be one factor to screen for to better identify individuals who are at higher risk for significant psychological difficulties and may benefit from interventions that bolster protective factors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychological distress of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives To assess levels of psychological distress among a group of US undergraduate college students during the initial phases of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. Methods: All undergraduates at Kent State University were surveyed in three randomly selected cohorts on March 18, March 25, and April 1, yielding 3924 valid responses for the weighted dataset (73.8% female, 88.9% White). Distress was assessed using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6). Data were weighted using known population counts. Results: K6 scores averaged 8.19 ± 5.9, with 44.3% in the moderately elevated range and 23.8% above the cutoff for severe psychological distress.Conclusions: A high proportion of undergraduate university students reported elevated psychological distress as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded. K6 scores appeared higher than averages from comparison samples. Targeted surveillance can inform public health in mitigating threats to mental health conferred by pandemics. Colleges and universities should anticipate sharply elevated psychological distress during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The use of faculty policy teams for advancing policy advocacy and colleagueship.

Policy changes that impact nursing occur at multiple levels. The scope and pace of policy changes make it impossible for one faculty member to fill the role of policy advocate. Faculty are frequently reticent to participate, yet, policy work can be very rewarding for faculty. When engaged in policy advocacy, nursing faculty can be a valuable resource to the university, to legislators, and to other stakeholders. This article discusses the team approach to policy advocacy activity and outlines key steps in the policy process. Strategies for overcoming barriers when merging academic and advocacy responsibilities are identified. An example of a college of nursing faculty policy team that utilized nursing presence and their combined intellectual, social, and political capital is provided. In this example, the policy team influences policy discussions on issues impacting both the university community and citizens throughout the state. The strategies provided and the policy process steps discussed are applicable to policy changes at the local, state, and federal levels. Nursing faculty are positioned to engage students, alumni, practice leaders, and community stakeholders in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary efforts that influence policy initiatives.