Translating Psychosocial Safety Climate (PSC) into real-world practice: Two PSC intervention case studies.

OBJECTIVES: Translating research into practice is often a goal for evidence-based organisational researchers to help improve workplace conditions and worker wellbeing. Improving worker wellbeing can be achieved by using empirical evidence to inform organisational interventions. However, despite the well-established intervention literature, practitioners appear not to appreciate fully how research findings can inform real-world practice. Using our understanding about workplace safety and health issues, we proposed that employers themselves could undertake interventions that focus on building Psychosocial Safety Climate (PSC), an essential organisational climate that protects and promotes the psychological wellbeing of workers. METHODS: Here we present two case studies to illustrate strategies that improve psychosocial safety and to increase our understanding about how interventions help improve PSC over time. Case Study 1 was conducted in an Australia public organisation and Case Study 2 was in an international private organisation. We collected survey data using the PSC-12 scale, to assess the level of PSC of the organisation before and after the intervention, and details of the intervention and other initiatives for promoting employees' psychological health. RESULTS: Our evaluation supported the proposition that interventions that combine organisational and individual level (and the interface between the two) approaches with a focus on the core elements of PSC (such as commitment, priority, communication, and participation) improve an organisation's PSC over time. CONCLUSION: Not only does the research elucidate important practical implications for organisations trialing new psychosocial safety initiatives, but our study makes an important contribution to theory in work stress intervention on best practice and principles to build a psychologically healthy work context.

A hopeful future: a qualitative investigation of positive psychological functioning in young mothers.

AIMS/BACKGROUND: Young mothers have reported facing specific challenges such as stigmatisation and social isolation, which may be exaggerated by the increasing maternal age in industrialised countries. Despite these challenges, some young mothers have been shown to exhibit resilience and confidence during the transition to parenthood. Using strength-based psychological concepts, this study aimed to identify the facilitators of and barriers to the development of positive psychological states in young Australian mothers. DESIGN/METHODS: Using semi-structured interview questions, 11 women who had given birth between 15 and 22 were asked to share their experiences of pregnancy, birth, and motherhood. Their responses were analysed using the Framework method; initially coding the data to a priori themes such as resilience and social support, and then to higher order themes. RESULTS: Five higher order themes were developed from participant responses: 1. Everything is about to change, 2. Disrespected and disempowered, 3. Resilience, 4. It takes a village, and 5. A hopeful future. Across these themes, participants described the mixed emotional experiences of pregnancy and birth, experiences of stigma from various sources, efforts to maintain mental wellbeing, reliance on support networks, and aspirations for themselves and their children. CONCLUSION: Findings from the current study highlight several key strategies for managing the challenges of early motherhood and promoting positive psychological states. Recommendations include fostering self-efficacy, supporting identity development, and establishing strong support networks across social and healthcare contexts. Recognizing and celebrating the strengths of young mothers is essential for effectively supporting them through the complex experience of motherhood.

Positive psychological functioning, resilience and styles of coping as buffers against suicidal behaviours. A case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Studies in the literature mainly focus on understanding the risk factors for suicide, giving little relevance to protective variables. This study aimed at exploring the specific contribution of protective variables (resilience, coping and psychological well-being) in hospitalized suicide attempt (SA) makers. METHODS: We recruited 50 inpatients who made a SA before admission and 50 inpatients with no history of SA matched for DSM-5 diagnosis, gender and age. Protective variables were evaluated with: Brief COPE questionnaire, Dispositional Resilience Scale (DRS-15), Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWB-18). Psychopathological features and symptom severity were assessed with: Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF), Rapid Dimensional Assessment Scale (SVARAD), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Clinical Global Impressions (CGI), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS17). RESULTS: The DRS-15 total score was significantly lower in SA makers. SA makers displayed significantly lower scores on the Engagement and Cognitive Restructuring subscales of the Brief COPE. On the PWB-18, the Self-Acceptance subscale score was lower in SA makers. LIMITATIONS: The small sample size suggests the need for caution in interpreting the results. Matching was carried out by excluding diagnoses of personality disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Patients hospitalized following a SA are more often diagnosed with personality disorders, have deficit areas concerning resilience and coping, and lower psychological well-being compared to patients without a SA. When approaching a patient who has committed a SA, it may be useful to evaluate protective variables as well as risk factors, and encourage the development of adaptive coping mechanisms and positive self-evaluation through more dynamic therapeutic paths.

Maintaining psychological well-being when living at risk of Huntington's disease: An interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Living at risk of a genetically inherited disease can be a challenging experience causing psychological distress as well as the possibility of the genetic disease leading to physical health problems. Huntington's disease (HD) is a genetic, neurodegenerative condition. It causes motor dysfunction, cognitive decline and, during the progression of the disease, different psychological difficulties are common. A total of 12 participants living at risk of HD were interviewed and interpretative phenomenological analysis methodology was used to understand their experiences of maintaining psychological well-being. This resulted in three themes: (1) "you're constantly in limbo": living in two worlds; (2) "I have to live, just bloody live": managing the possibility of a time-limited lifespan; and (3) "I try and try my hardest to look past the disease": the exhausting quest to keep living well. The findings indicated a need for improved knowledge within professional settings, such as for family doctors, counselors, and other health professionals, specific strategies that genetic counselors can use to support this group, and provision of accessible support and implementation of systemic interventions that would offer support for psychological coping strategies and communication around well-being to the individual and their family unit. Future research could contribute to the formation of such knowledge and the provision of HD-aligned services to help support the psychological well-being of people living at risk of HD.

A systematic review of the factors associated with the psychological wellbeing of people with Parkinson's in the COVID-19 pandemic.

PURPOSE: The lockdown and social distancing measures introduced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the ability of people with Parkinson's to engage in normal health management practices. This led to documented reductions in psychological wellbeing. The aim of the present review was to identify factors associated with the psychological wellbeing of people with Parkinson's during the acute stage of the pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five academic databases (PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and Web of Science) were searched and 23 articles were identified using pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The findings are stratified by risk factor and analysed using a narrative synthesis. RESULTS: Worsening of motor symptoms, poor motor-related daily living experiences and motor symptoms during "off time" (when symptom suppressing medication has worn off) as well as less physical activity emerged as the most consistent risk factors of worsened or poorer psychological wellbeing. A deviation from pre-pandemic risk factors was identified, with age and gender not identified as consistent risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: The implications of this review are not limited to preparing for future pandemics but can also be applied to more common concerns with comparable contextual characteristics such as yearly flu outbreaks, social isolation, and economic uncertainty.

Why do acute healthcare staff behave unprofessionally towards each other and how can these behaviours be reduced? A realist review.

Background: Unprofessional behaviour in healthcare systems can negatively impact staff well-being, patient safety and organisational costs. Unprofessional behaviour encompasses a range of behaviours, including incivility, microaggressions, harassment and bullying. Despite efforts to combat unprofessional behaviour in healthcare settings, it remains prevalent. Interventions to reduce unprofessional behaviour in health care have been conducted - but how and why they may work is unclear. Given the complexity of the issue, a realist review methodology is an ideal approach to examining unprofessional behaviour in healthcare systems. Aim: To improve context-specific understanding of how, why and in what circumstances unprofessional behaviours between staff in acute healthcare settings occur and evidence of strategies implemented to mitigate, manage and prevent them. Methods: Realist synthesis methodology consistent with realist and meta-narrative evidence syntheses: evolving standards reporting guidelines. Data sources: Literature sources for building initial theories were identified from the original proposal and from informal searches of various websites. For theory refinement, we conducted systematic and purposive searches for peer-reviewed literature on databases such as EMBASE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and MEDLINE databases as well as for grey literature. Searches were conducted iteratively from November 2021 to December 2022. Results: Initial theory-building drew on 38 sources. Searches resulted in 2878 titles and abstracts. In total, 148 sources were included in the review. Terminology and definitions used for unprofessional behaviours were inconsistent. This may present issues for policy and practice when trying to identify and address unprofessional behaviour. Contributors of unprofessional behaviour can be categorised into four areas: (1) workplace disempowerment, (2) organisational uncertainty, confusion and stress, (3) (lack of) social cohesion and (4) enablement of harmful cultures that tolerate unprofessional behaviours. Those at most risk of experiencing unprofessional behaviour are staff from a minoritised background. We identified 42 interventions in the literature to address unprofessional behaviour. These spanned five types: (1) single session (i.e. one-off), (2) multiple sessions, (3) single or multiple sessions combined with other actions (e.g. training session plus a code of conduct), (4) professional accountability and reporting interventions and (5) structured culture-change interventions. We identified 42 reports of interventions, with none conducted in the United Kingdom. Of these, 29 interventions were evaluated, with the majority (n = 23) reporting some measure of effectiveness. Interventions drew on 13 types of behaviour-change strategy designed to, for example: change social norms, improve awareness of unprofessional behaviour, or redesign the workplace. Interventions were impacted by 12 key dynamics, including focusing on individuals, lack of trust in management and non-existent logic models. Conclusions: Workplace disempowerment and organisational barriers are primary contributors to unprofessional behaviour. However, interventions predominantly focus on individual education or training without addressing systemic, organisational issues. Effectiveness of interventions to improve staff well-being or patient safety is uncertain. We provide 12 key dynamics and 15 implementation principles to guide organisations. Future work: Interventions need to: (1) be tested in a United Kingdom context, (2) draw on behavioural science principles and (3) target systemic, organisational issues. Limitations: This review focuses on interpersonal staff-to-staff unprofessional behaviour, in acute healthcare settings only and does not include non-intervention literature outside the United Kingdom or outside of health care. Study registration: This study was prospectively registered on PROSPERO CRD42021255490. The record is available from: www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021255490. Funding: This award was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme (NIHR award ref: NIHR131606) and is published in full in Health and Social Care Delivery Research; Vol. 12, No. 25. See the NIHR Funding and Awards website for further award information.

For this study, we asked: how, why and in what situations can unprofessional behaviour between healthcare staff working in acute care (usually hospitals) be reduced, managed and prevented? We wanted to research how people understand unprofessional behaviour, explore the circumstances leading to unprofessional behaviour and understand how existing approaches to addressing unprofessional behaviour worked (or did not work) across staff groups and acute healthcare organisations. We used a literature review method called a 'realist review', which differs from other review methods. A realist review focuses on understanding not only if interventions work but how and why they work, and for whom. This allowed us to analyse a wider range of relevant international literature ­ not only academic papers. We found 148 sources, which were relevant either because they described unprofessional behaviour or because they provided information on how to address unprofessional behaviour. Definitions of unprofessional behaviour varied, making it difficult to settle on one description. For example, unprofessional behaviour may involve incivility, bullying, harassment and/or microaggressions. We examined what might contribute to unprofessional behaviour and identified factors including uncertainty in the working environment. We found no United Kingdom-based interventions and only one from the United States of America that sought to reduce unprofessional behaviour towards minority groups. Strategies often tried to encourage staff to speak up, provide ways to report unprofessional behaviour or set social standards of behaviour. We also identified factors that may make it challenging for organisations to successfully select, implement and evaluate an intervention to address unprofessional behaviour. We recommend a system-wide approach to addressing unprofessional behaviour, including assessing the context and then implementing multiple approaches over a long time (rather than just once), because they are likely to have greater impact on changing culture. We are producing an implementation guide to support this process. Interventions need to enhance staff ability to feel safe at work, work effectively and support those more likely to experience unprofessional behaviour.

Understanding the impact of the pandemic on university students: Changes in sleep, eating patterns, and psychological well-being.

BACKGROUND: Covid-19 is one of the world's major pandemics. It has affected millions of people in various ways. OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the influence of pandemic-induced shifts in eating and sleeping behaviors on the psychological well-being of university students. METHODS: The study adopted a cross-sectional research design. A total of 604 students participated in the study. The Personal Form, the Psychological Well-Being Index, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were used to collect data. The research was conducted between October 2021 and December 2022. RESULTS: The participants reported a mean psychological well-being score of 40.76±9.38, alongside a Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score of 7.46±3.30. Analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between the mean psychological well-being scores and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores (p <  0.01). Throughout the pandemic, the participants experienced a decline in physical activity, an increase in their body weight, and a change in their eating habits. While psychological well-being remained relatively high, sleep quality was notably poor. Notably, improvements in psychological well-being corresponded with enhancements in sleep quality, suggesting a reciprocal relationship between the two variables. CONCLUSIONS: The pandemic negatively impacted the physical activity and body weight of young adults. This study highlights the importance of promoting physical activity among university students during pandemics and similar crises to reduce adverse effects on body weight. It also highlights the importance of educating students about the importance of healthy sleep and how to maintain good sleep hygiene.

The significance of feeling needed and useful to family and friends for psychological well-being during adolescence.

INTRODUCTION: Social relationships offer the opportunity to provide support and resources to others. Feeling needed and useful to others has been understudied during adolescence, despite being shown to predict health and well-being during adulthood. The current study examined this underappreciated way in which family and peer relationships may shape psychological well-being during adolescence. METHOD: A cross-sectional sample of high school students across the United States completed an on-line questionnaire during school hours in the fall of 2020. The sample consisted of 1301 adolescents averaging 15.94 (SD = 1.24) years in age in the ninth through twelfth grades, with 48.4% identifying as female, 47.3% as male, and 3.2% reporting either other gender identities or preferring not to answer (1%). Participants identified as Hispanic or Latino (40.2%), European American (19.8%), African American (14.7%), Multiethnic (9.2%), Asian American (7%), Other Ethnicities (7.8%), and 1.3% did not report their ethnicity. RESULTS: Feeling needed and useful was predicted by both helping and receiving support from others, strongly predicted better psychological well-being, and mediated associations of helping and receiving support with well-being. Males reported feeling more needed by their family as compared to females, and both reported higher levels of being useful to their family than those with other gender identifications. CONCLUSIONS: Like adults, adolescents have a need to contribute and feel needed in their social worlds. Studies of close relationships should incorporate the ways in which youth provide resources and support to others in their lives as well as the sense of feeling needed and useful derived from those activities.

Emotional competences as predictors of psychological wellbeing and quality of life of supplementary grandparents caregivers.

Introduction: Grandparents are increasingly becoming key figures in the supplementary care of grandchildren. Based on the Resilience Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation, the present study aims to analyze the emotional competences that canpl predict higher levels of psychological wellbeing and quality of life in supplementary grandparents caregivers. Methods: A sample of 270 supplementary grandparents caregivers living in Spain participated. Most participants were women (71.1%), and the mean age was 67.83 years (SD = 6.26). Most participants were occasional caregivers, that is, they care for less than 10 h per week (76.3%). We conducted hierarchical multiple regression analysis, one for psychological wellbeing and the other for quality of life. Results: The regression model for psychological wellbeing identified that age, management of caregiving stress, self-confidence in the caregiving role, management of work-life balance difficulties and emotional self-regulation explained 32.8% of its variance. The regression model for quality of life showed that age, type of grandparent caregiver, management of caregiving stress, management of work-life balance difficulties and emotional self-regulation explained 31.2% of its variance. Conclusion: This study focuses on supplementary grandparents caregivers, whereas literature has tended to look at primary grandparents caregivers. The results highlight the role of emotional competences as predictors of supplementary grandparents caregivers' psychological wellbeing and quality of life, overcoming the usual tendency in the literature to focus on the negative consequences of grandparents caregiving for grandchildren, and emphasizing the competences that grandparents have to cope with this care in a satisfactory way, which, moreover, can be trained.

Psychological well-being modulates neural synchrony during naturalistic fMRI.

Psychological well-being (PWB) is a combination of feeling good and functioning efficiently, and has a significant relationship with physical and mental health. Previous research has shown that PWB is associated with improvements in selective attention, mindfulness, semantic self-images, and adaptive decision making, however, it is unclear how these differences manifest in the brain. Naturalistic stimuli better encapsulate everyday experiences and can elicit more "true-to-life" neural responses. The current study seeks to identify how differing levels of PWB modulate neural synchrony in response to an audiovisual film. With consideration of the inherent variability of the literature, we aim to ascertain the validity of the previously associated with PWB. We identified that higher levels of PWB were associated with heightened stimulus driven neural synchrony in the bilateral superior parietal lobule, right planum temporale, and left superior temporal gyrus, and that lower levels of PWB were associated with heightened neural synchrony in the bilateral lateral occipital cortex and precuneus. Taken together, this research suggests that there is an association between differing levels of PWB and differential neural synchrony during movie-watching. PWB may therefore have an effect on complex, multimodal processing.

Mediating Role of Resilience and its Impact on Psychological Well-Being, and Mental Distress among Mental health Nurses.

Introduction: Mental health nurses (MHNs) are categorized as demanding specialists with high levels of stress, and their career is recognized as a high-risk career. Objective: The study aims to assess the relationships between psychological well-being (PWB), mental distress, and resilience among MHNs. Also, it aims to identify the significant predictors of the psychologic well-being of MHNs. Methods: The study utilized a cross-sectional survey design with a random sample of 250 MHNs who were requested to complete DASS 21, Ryff's scale of PWB and Connor Davidson's resilience scale. Results: The results revealed that two-thirds of nurses reported either a severe or extreme level of stress (n = 166, 66%), and more than half experienced a severe to extreme level of anxiety (n = 140, 56%). Approximately 25% of MHNs reported a severe to extreme level of depression (n = 62, 25%). The results also indicated that there is a statistically significant negative relationship between PWB subscales and DASS 21. The results indicate that the depression subscale is significantly varied based on the demographic characteristics of nurses. Similarly, this is the case for the anxiety and stress subscales. Conclusion: The study showed that MHNs' resilience intervenes with perceived mental distress. Enhancing MHNs resilience would improve PWB and mental health. The study results conclude that MHNs with a high level of resilience reported lower mental distress and a better working environment. Thus, MHNs should be introduced to crisis intervention in order to improve resilience levels.

Evaluation of Mental Health and Well-Being Among Kansas Pharmacists Post-COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background COVID-19 has profoundly affected pharmacists, causing burnout from heavier workloads, personal stressors, and disrupted healthcare delivery. Research on pharmacists' mental health during the pandemic, especially in rural areas like Kansas, remains limited. Objectives This study aimed to understand perceptions, experiences, and impacts on the mental, emotional, and psychological well-being of active Kansas pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic, including evaluating workplace modifications on mental health. Methods Kansas licensed pharmacists were recruited via email distributions through five Kansas pharmacy organizations and informal referrals among colleagues. After consenting, respondents completed a 15-minute, 28-question survey via Qualtrics. The survey included 11 questions concerning demographics and employment characteristics, along with 17 questions designed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on mental health, structured according to existing literature. Participation was uncompensated, and incomplete surveys were omitted from the analysis. Results One hundred and seven respondents (83.59% completion) represented 3.25% of Kansas's 3,290 pharmacists. They were aged 26-66 (M=38.7), the majority female (72.57%) and white (84.84%), with 14.24 years average practice duration (SD=10.94). Data covered 12 rural and 11 urban counties, with 50.91% staff pharmacists and 22.73% pharmacy managers. Many worked over 40 hours weekly in 13 settings. Findings showed increased workload (24.68%), medication shortages (24.03%), and burnout (24.32%) affecting job considerations. Workplace changes impacted personal mental health, with the main stressors being work-related factors (19.21%), social distancing (18.95%), and health concerns (12.63%). Conclusion This study underscores the pandemic's profound toll on Kansas pharmacists' mental, emotional, and physical health, leading to burnout, job dissatisfaction, and decreased effectiveness. It emphasizes the urgency of organizational interventions.

The Mediating Effect of Social Participation Restriction on the Association Between Role Overload and Mental Health Among Caregivers of Older Adults with Dementia.

Caregivers of older adults with dementia (dementia caregivers) often experience high role overload (i.e., feeling overwhelmed by caregiving demands that exceed available resources), which can take a toll on their mental health. Moreover, dementia caregiving can restrict caregivers' participation in valued social activities. This study aims to examine the mediating effect of social participation restriction on the relationship between role overload and mental health among dementia caregivers. A total of 894 dementia caregivers (mean age = 61.77) were selected from the National Study of Caregiving. The sample was predominantly women (64%) and White (78%). Path analysis shows that social participation restriction partially mediated the associations between (1) role overload and psychological distress (indirect effect ß = .08, p < .001) and (2) role overload and psychological wellbeing (indirect effect ß = -.05, p < .05). Interventions targeting coping strategies and healthcare-recreation programs are needed to improve social participation among dementia caregivers.

The moderating effect of perceived hope in the relationship between anxiety and posttraumatic growth during the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Introduction: This study examines the relationships between perceived hope, posttraumatic growth, well-being, anxiety, and perceived threat of the Russian-Ukrainian War (RUW) in the Czech adult population. Drawing on the evidence of posttraumatic growth (PTG) amidst crisis, we hypothesized that perceived hope moderates the effects of perceived threat of war and anxiety on PTG. Methods: Data were obtained from 1,000 Czech respondents via an online questionnaire ten months post-invasion. The form included measures of posttraumatic growth, perceived hope, well-being, anxiety and depression, and perceived threat of war. Results: Our findings reveal that perceived hope acted as a moderator enhancing the positive effects of perceived threat and anxiety on PTG. However, perceived hope did not significantly moderate the direct effects of perceived threats and anxiety on well-being. Discussion: This study highlights the significant role of hope amidst adversity and underscores its potential as a target for interventions aiming to foster PTG in populations who navigate traumatic experiences. Furthermore, it advocates for continued exploration of the factors interacting to enhance well-being and facilitate PTG in affected communities.

Developing an Automated Virtual Reality Therapy for Improving Positive Self-Beliefs and Psychological Well-Being (Phoenix VR Self-Confidence Therapy): Tutorial.

Unlabelled: Virtual reality (VR) is an immersive technology in which delivery of psychological therapy techniques can be automated. Techniques can be implemented similarly to real-world delivery or in ways that are not possible in the real world to enhance efficacy. The potential is for greater access for patients to effective therapy. Despite an increase in the use of VR for mental health, there are few descriptions of how to build and design automated VR therapies. We describe the development of Phoenix VR Self-Confidence Therapy, designed to increase positive self-beliefs in young patients diagnosed with psychosis in order to improve psychological well-being. A double-diamond, user-centered design process conducted over the course of 18 months was used, involving stakeholders from multiple areas: individuals with lived experience of psychosis, clinical psychologists, treatment designers, and VR software developers. Thirteen meetings were held with young patients diagnosed with psychosis to increase the understanding and improve the assessment of positive self-beliefs, help design the scenarios for implementing therapeutic techniques, and conduct user testing. The resulting Phoenix therapy is a class I United Kingdom Conformity Assessed (UKCA)-certified medical device designed to be used on the standalone Meta Quest 2 (Meta Platforms) headset. Phoenix aims to build up 3 types of positive self-beliefs that are connected to psychological well-being. In a community farm area, tasks are designed to increase a sense of mastery and achievement ("I can make a difference"); in a TV studio, users complete an activity with graded levels of difficulty to promote success in the face of a challenge ("I can do this"); and in a forest by a lake, activities are designed to encourage feelings of pleasure and enjoyment ("I can enjoy things"). Phoenix is delivered over the course of approximately 6 weekly sessions supported by a mental health provider. Patients can take the headsets home to use in between sessions. Usability testing with individuals with lived experience of psychosis, as well as patients in the National Health Service (aged 16-26 years), demonstrated that Phoenix is engaging, easy to use, and has high levels of satisfaction.

Body fat and muscularity dissatisfaction are not prospectively associated with psychological wellbeing among sexual minority men: A case for separating within- and between-person variation in examinations of body image phenomena and their outcomes.

Extensive cross-sectional research reports that body fat and muscularity dissatisfaction contribute to negative psychological outcomes among sexual minority men; however, longitudinal models are necessary for accurately quantifying the strength and direction of these relationships. We investigated the bidirectional longitudinal relationships of body fat and muscularity dissatisfaction with psychological quality of life among 2953 sexual minority men using random intercept cross-lagged panel models. Consistent with existing literature, we found that higher average muscularity and body fat dissatisfaction were associated with higher average psychological quality of life impairment between-persons. Unexpectedly, these constructs were not significantly associated within-persons/longitudinally. These findings conflict existing literature's conclusions that muscularity and body fat dissatisfaction consistently contribute to poorer psychological wellbeing in this population. A significant between-person relationship in the absence of within-person relationships suggests that intermediary constructs (e.g., body ideal internalization) may account for the between-person effects of muscularity and body fat dissatisfaction on psychological wellbeing. Future research can accurately estimate these effects and identify reliable intervention targets by ensuring that within- and between-person relationships are examined separately, rather than being conflated.

Are Art-Based Interventions Effective in Improving Psychological Well-Being Among Informal Caregivers of Cancer Patients? A Systematic Review.

Objectives: To systematically synthesize the current evidence on the effects of art-based interventions on improving anxiety, depression, stress, sleep, and well-being of cancer caregivers. Design: A systematic review. Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases from their inception up to April 2024. Studies exploring the effects of art-based interventions on the psychological symptoms of cancer caregivers were included. We did not restrict the publication to the particular study designs, including randomized controlled trials, quasiexperimental studies, and qualitative studies. Results: Fifteen studies of 607 participants were identified in this systematic review. Overall, the existing studies provided preliminary evidence to suggest that art-based interventions may benefit cancer caregivers in improving anxiety, depression, stress, caregiver burden, and quality of life. However, the relatively low quality of the current evidence limits the efficacy of these findings. Conclusions: According to the existing evidence, the therapeutic benefits of using art-based interventions for improving the psychological well-being of cancer caregivers are uncertain. More high-quality and well-designed studies are still required to confirm the psychological effectiveness of art-based interventions for cancer caregivers in the future.

The psychosocial beliefs, experiences and expectations of children living with obesity.

BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity has been shown to impair psychological health. However, psychological factors are often overlooked in both research evaluations and treatment interventions, and children's perspectives on managing obesity are underexplored. Neglecting psychosocial factors might undermine interventions. This research explored the psychological beliefs, expectations and experiences of children living with obesity (range 7-13) and attending a weight management programme (WMP). METHODS: Thirty-four participants (19 females, 15 males, average age 9.5 years) completed a semistructured interview. Recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Four overarching themes were developed: (1) defining health and self-recognition; (2) external influence; feedback, stigma and comparison; (3) recognising emotions and (4) future expectations: obesity is a reality. These themes interact to influence the children's psychosocial status. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights a range of psychosocial and emotional difficulties that children living with obesity experience and suggests that these remain regardless of their attendance at a WMP. Interventions for children living with obesity should address psychosocial factors, including stress management, peer victimisation and handling feedback from others. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: As proposed by the two young people acting as patient and public involvement and engagement representatives, the utilisation of scrapbooks as a preinterview tool was particularly helpful in aiding discussion during the interviews. This innovative approach could be considered a valuable methodological technique for investigating sensitive topics with children in future research.

Impact of Death Anxiety on Psychological Well-Being and Successful Aging of Older Adults With Chronic Illness.

Comorbidities due to aging and the COVID-19 pandemic together are expected to cause death anxiety among older adults. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of death anxiety and its impact on psychological well-being and successful aging of older adults with chronic illness. A cross-sectional correlational survey was conducted on 79 older adults with chronic illness, drawn with a stratified random sampling method. Self-report measures were used to assess death anxiety, psychological well-being, and successful aging. A high prevalence of death anxiety was reported among older adults. Psychological well-being and successful aging in these older adults were significantly and negatively associated with death anxiety. Further, death anxiety showed substantial predictive valence for psychological well-being and successful aging of older adults with chronic illness. Findings strongly advocate and call for timely intervention programs for chronically ill older adults to reduce their death anxiety for enhanced psychological well-being and promote successful aging.