Resilience, perceived social support and professional quality of life among medical social workers during COVID-19 pandemic in Mainland China: A cross-sectional survey.

As COVID-19 rapidly overwhelmed the world in 2020, medical social workers have fought against the disease on the front lines as a member of medical teams, but little is known about the impact of the pandemic on their mental health. This study investigated the resilience, perceived social support and professional quality of life of medical social workers in Mainland China under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. An online questionnaire survey was applied to 319 respondents and the results showed that informal support was positively related with compassion satisfaction (r = 0.67, p < .01) and negatively correlated with job burnout (r = -0.51, p < .01) while formal support was positively associated with compassion satisfaction (r = 0.61, p < .01) and negatively associated with job burnout (r = -0.44. p < .01). Resilience was positively correlated with compassion satisfaction (r = 0.56, p < .01) and negatively correlated with job burnout (r = -0.49, p < .01). Nevertheless, neither perceived social support nor resilience was associated with secondary traumatic stress. The regression results further highlighted the role of informal social support on job burnout. Measures should be taken to enhance the professional quality of life for medical social workers during a public health crisis .

Solution-focused brief therapy for adolescent and young adult cancer patients in China: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: This pilot clinical trial investigated solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) for psychological distress among adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients with cancer in China. METHODS: Fifty Chinese AYA patients diagnosed with cancer were randomized into the treatment group (SFBT) and control group (active control). Psychological distress was measured by the brief symptom inventory and hope was measured by the Herth-Hope-Index. Treatment effects were analyzed using analysis-of-covariance and between-group small-sample-size corrected Hedges' g. RESULTS: The results indicated that SFBT resulted in a significant reduction in the psychological distress and improvement in hope of AYA patients with cancer. Analyses of the 4-week posttreatment score suggest the short-term sustainability of SFBT for psychological distress among AYAs diagnosed with cancer. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: This study has demonstrated that SFBT's impact is statistically significant and clinically meaningful. The inclusion of positive emotions, i.e., hope, as part of the investigation also highlighted the significance of promoting positive emotions among AYA patients with cancer.

The effectiveness of four empirically supported psychotherapies for primary care depression and anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Depressive and anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and detrimental in primary care settings. However, there are gaps in the literature concerning effectiveness and generalizability of empirically supported interventions and treatment of both depression and anxiety in primary care settings. The aim of this review is to systematically assess and meta-analyze the effectiveness of brief empirically-supported psychotherapies for treating depression and/or anxiety in primary care. METHODS: Seven electronic databases, five professional websites and manual search of reference lists were searched through April 2017 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of four psychotherapies treating primary care depression and anxiety: cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT), problem-solving therapy (PST), motivational interviewing (MI), and solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT). RESULTS: From an initial pool of 1140 articles, 179 articles were eligible for full-text review and 65 articles were included for final analysis. Sixty-five articles containing 198 effect sizes reported an overall treatment effect size of d = 0.462, p < 0.001. Single-predictor meta-regression indicated that marital status, treatment modality (individual versus group), and treatment composition were significant moderators. Multiple-predictor meta-regression discovered treatment setting (inside versus outside primary care) significantly moderated treatment effect, b = -0.863, p = 0.039 after controlling for other intervention characteristics. CONCLUSION: Treatment effects were found for CBT and PST, both for depressive and anxiety disorders. Interventions delivered outside primary care settings were more effective than those within, individual treatment had greater treatment effects compared to group treatment, and both technology-assisted and in-person treatments were found to be effective.

Psychosocial Effects of Parent-Child Book Reading Interventions: A Meta-analysis.

CONTEXT: Parent-child book reading (PCBR) is effective at improving young children's language, literacy, brain, and cognitive development. The psychosocial effects of PCBR interventions are unclear. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review and synthesize the effects of PCBR interventions on psychosocial functioning of children and parents. DATA SOURCES: We searched ERIC, PsycINFO, Medline, Embase, PubMed, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, Family and Society Studies Worldwide, and Social Work Abstracts. We hand searched references of previous literature reviews. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized controlled trials. DATA EXTRACTION: By using a standardized coding scheme, data were extracted regarding sample, intervention, and study characteristics. RESULTS: We included 19 interventions (3264 families). PCBR interventions improved the psychosocial functioning of children and parents compared with controls (standardized mean difference: 0.185; 95% confidence interval: 0.077 to 0.293). The assumption of homogeneity was rejected (Q = 40.010; P < .01). Two moderator variables contributed to between-group variance: method of data collection (observation less than interview; Qb = 7.497; P < .01) and rater (reported by others less than self-reported; Qb = 21.368; P < .01). There was no significant difference between effects of PCBR interventions on psychosocial outcomes of parents or children (Qb = 0.376; P = .540). LIMITATIONS: The ratio of moderating variables to the included studies limited interpretation of the findings. CONCLUSIONS: PCBR interventions are positively and significantly beneficial to the psychosocial functioning of both children and parents.

The effectiveness of solution-focused brief therapy for psychological distress among Chinese parents of children with a cancer diagnosis: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: Given the critical role of parental care for pediatric cancer patients, this pilot study evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of a hospital-based solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) intervention for reducing psychological distress among parents of pediatric cancer patients in China. Differences between treatment and active control (AC) groups were assessed on dimensions of psychological distress. Parents' level of hope was also assessed. METHODS: Participants (N = 44) were randomly assigned to SFBT or AC. Parents received four sessions of SFBT twice a week delivered by graduate-level hospital social workers. Pre- and post-intervention assessments measured change in distress (depression, anxiety, and somatization symptoms) of parents as well as their level of hope. RESULTS: Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) indicated the SFBT group had better outcomes than the AC group on overall distress of somatic, anxiety, depression symptoms and level of hope. Within- and between-group treatment effects reported significantly greater effect of the SFBT group than of the AC group. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the inherent limits of a pilot feasibility study, results suggest that SFBT is a feasible, culturally compatible, and promising intervention for alleviating distress among Chinese parents of children with cancer. Additional comprehensive trials are needed to draw more definitive conclusions. RELEVANCE: SFBT may be beneficial for improving the critical support systems of parents of pediatric cancer patients. Thus, SFBT may have the potential to enhance children's well-being during cancer treatment and recovery.

Assessing the Needs of Parents of Children Diagnosed With Cancer in China: A Psychometric Study Developing a Needs Assessment Tool.

The psychosocial well-being of parents remains integral to the treatment and recovery of children diagnosed with cancer. However, limited research addresses the unique needs of this population. To better understand the supportive care needs of parents of children with cancer, this study tested the reliability and stability of the factorial structure of a revised version of the Cancer Patient Needs Questionnaire (rCPNQ) with Chinese parents of children who have cancer. Analysis of the generalizability of the rCPNQ with this population was determined through principle components analysis with varimax rotation. Reliability coefficient and split sample analyses were performed to determine reliability and stability of the resulting factors. The principal components analysis resulted in a 6-dimension, 8-factor, 29-item survey. Each of the factors had Cronbach's α ≥ .74, indicating satisfactory internal consistency and reliability of the survey with the Chinese population. Similar loadings on splitting of the samples reflects the stability of the factors. Study results provided a preliminary understanding of the needs of Chinese parents of children with cancer and demonstrated that the rCPNQ offers a reliable measure for nurses and other health care providers to partner with Chinese parents throughout their children's treatment and survivorship to determine areas for support.

Efficacy of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy for Distress among Parents of Children with Congenital Heart Disease in China.

Chinese parents of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) experience significant psychological distress due to the child's illness and hospitalization. Unfortunately, there are few psychosocial interventions for parental distress in China. This pilot study aimed to examine the efficacy of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) in a Chinese hospital for parental distress using a randomized controlled trial design. The participants included 40 Chinese parents of a currently hospitalized child diagnosed with CHD who were assessed to have psychological distress. Parents were randomized into either the intervention (n = 25) or the hospital medical social work treatment as usual (TAU) (n = 28) group. The Chinese Brief Symptom Inventory-18 and Chinese version of Herth Hope Index were administered before and after the interventions. Results of the intent-to-treat analysis indicated a significant decrease in parental distress and increase in parents' levels of hope in the intervention group compared with the TAU group. This study supported SFBT administered in a hospital setting as a promising intervention for reducing distress among Chinese parents with children diagnosed with CHD.