Factors associated with community volunteering among adults over the age of 50 in Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: Community volunteering is defined as voluntary participation in activities and services to benefit the local community. It has potential benefits to promote social, physical, and mental well-being, and it enhances productive, healthy, and active aging. The tendency to volunteer varies across individuals and communities. There is limited knowledge of contributing factors influencing volunteering among Malaysian adults over the age of 50. AIMS: The present study aims to assess the association of demographic, cultural, and social factors with volunteering among Malaysian adults over the age of 50. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2020 involving 3,034 Malaysians aged 50 years and above across Malaysia, selected using a multi-stratified random sampling technique based on National Census 2020 data. A validated survey questionnaire to determine the demographic factor (age, sex, education level, employment status, health status, physical disability, and location of residence), cultural factor (ethnicity and religion), and social factor (social support, marital status, living arrangement, mode of transportation) that influence voluntary participation was distributed and collected. The association between these factors and volunteer participation was analysed using logistic regression models to identify significant predictors of voluntary participation among Malaysian adults over the age of 50. RESULTS: A regression model indicates that living in rural areas (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.63-2.53), having higher education level (Tertiary level: OR 2.77, 95% CI 1.86-4.13), being employed (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.10-1.56), differences in ethnicity background (Chinese: OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.39-0.86) and ease of transportation (Driving private transport: OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.19-1.32; Public transport: OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.00-1.154) were significantly associated with volunteering with R2 Nagelkerke of 0.147. CONCLUSION: Recognising various factors towards community volunteering should be addressed by policymakers and volunteer organisations to increase volunteer participation from potential adults over the age of 50 in promoting healthy and active ageing.

The experiences and needs of older adults receiving voluntary services in Chinese nursing home organizations: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Older adults living in nursing home organizations are eager to get voluntary help, however, their past experiences with voluntary services are not satisfactory enough. To better carry out voluntary services and improve the effectiveness of services, it is necessary to have a deeper understanding of the experiences and needs of older adults for voluntary services. METHODS: The purposive sampling method was used to select 14 older adults from two nursing home organizations in Hangzhou and conduct semi-structured interviews, Collaizzi's seven-step method was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Older adults in nursing home organizations have both beneficial experiences and unpleasant service experiences in the process of receiving voluntary services; Beneficial experiences include solving problems meeting needs and feeling warmth and care, while unpleasant service experiences include the formality that makes it difficult to benefit truly, lack of organization, regularity, sustainability, and the mismatch between service provision and actual demands. The needs for voluntary services mainly focuses on emotional comfort, Cultural and recreational, and knowledge acquisition. CONCLUSION: Older adults in nursing home organizations have varied voluntary experiences, and their voluntary service needs are diversified. Voluntary service needs of older adults should be accurately assessed, and voluntary service activities should be focused upon.

Miracle friends and miracle money in California: a mixed-methods experiment of social support and guaranteed income for people experiencing homelessness.

BACKGROUND: This paper describes the protocols for a randomized controlled trial using a parallel-group trial design that includes an intervention designed to address social isolation and loneliness among people experiencing homelessness known as Miracle Friends and an intervention that combines Miracles Friends with an economic poverty-reduction intervention known as Miracle Money. Miracle Friends pairs an unhoused person with a volunteer "phone buddy." Miracle Money provides guaranteed basic income of $750 per month for 1 year to Miracle Friends participants. The study will examine whether either intervention reduces social isolation or homelessness compared to a waitlist control group. METHODS: Unhoused individuals who expressed interest in the Miracle Friends program were randomized to either receive the intervention or be placed on a waitlist for Miracle Friends. Among those randomized to receive the Miracle Friends intervention, randomization also determined whether they would be offered Miracle Money. The possibility of receiving basic income was only disclosed to study participants if they were randomly selected and participated in the Miracle Friends program. All study participants, regardless of assignment, were surveyed every 3 months for 15 months. RESULTS: Of 760 unhoused individuals enrolled in the study, 256 were randomized to receive Miracle Friends, 267 were randomized to receive Miracle Money, and 237 were randomized to the waitlist control group. In the two intervention groups, 360 of 523 unhoused individuals were initially matched to a phone buddy. Of the 191 study participants in the Miracle Money group who had been initially matched to a volunteer phone buddy, 103 were deemed to be participating in the program and began receiving monthly income. DISCUSSION: This randomized controlled trial will determine whether innovative interventions involving volunteer phone support and basic income reduce social isolation and improve housing outcomes for people experiencing homelessness. Although we enrolled unhoused individuals who initially expressed interest in the Miracle Friends program, the study team could not reach approximately 30% of individuals referred to the study. This may reflect the general lack of stability in the lives of people who are unhoused or limitations in the appeal of such a program to some portion of the unhoused population. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05408884 (first submitted on May 26, 2022).

Supporting each other: Older adults' experiences empowering food security and social inclusion in rural and food desert communities.

Older adults vulnerable to food insecurity are at risk of poor psychological and physical health. Poor public infrastructure or proximity to food sources can exacerbate risk of food insecurity. Reduced statutory services for social care has heightened the responsibility on third sector organisations and community-led volunteering, essential to supporting healthy ageing in place and reducing the inequalities of ageing. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore how older adults' volunteering with a third sector organisation focused on food access supports food security and builds social capital for socially or economically marginalised older adults within rural and food desert communities. The study aims to bridge the knowledge gap of how volunteering in vulnerable geographies affects food insecurity and community. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven older (55+) volunteer 'meal makers' working with the third sector organisation Food Train and its 'Meal Makers' project. Interview recordings were transcribed and thematically analysed. Ecomap methodology was used to illustrate the lived experiences of older adult volunteers as told through the interviews. Two themes were identified by Thematic Analysis: (1) Networks, connectedness, and exposure to social capital, and (2) Supplementary support. This study finds that older adult volunteers are well placed within community interventions supporting food insecure older adults in rural or food desert communities. Ecomaps demonstrated that high social capital volunteers can mediate food access barriers and highlighted points of local knowledge and social connection. Volunteer engagement provides opportunities for food secure older adults to share local knowledge and build networks of food support and social inclusion for food insecure older adults. Older age volunteering should be advocated as a multi-faceted intervention promoting mutual health and wellbeing in volunteer and beneficiary.

Volunteering intentions during social crises: The role of considering the welfare of others and consequences of own behavior.

In the current paper, we investigate how people with experience with volunteering in their lifetime intend to engage in hypothetical crisis volunteering in the future. We took into account two types of hypothetical social crises: a pandemic and a refugee crisis. We suggest that individual differences in considering the welfare of others (social value orientation) and consideration of future/immediate consequences play a role in the volunteer responses to crises. We also control for the willingness to volunteer in the proximal (a month) and distal (3 years) future, gender, age, and length of volunteer experience. We conducted two survey-based online studies in October 2023. We recruited N = 287 people for Study 1 (Poland) and N = 231 for Study 2 (Italy). Our results suggested that people who declare they want to remain volunteers intend to engage during social crises, but not necessarily in a proactive way. Furthermore, consideration of future consequences can result in proactivity, which was especially visible in the Italian sample. Consideration of immediate consequences can have twofold correlates - one might be the engagement in volunteering in case of a sudden emergency or refraining from the voluntary activity. These results can be used by people leading volunteer activities to predict what to expect from their volunteers and plan the volunteer recruitment and retention processes during crises.

Does volunteering impact refugee women's life satisfaction, empowerment, and wellbeing? Experimental evidence, local knowledge, and causal reasoning.

BACKGROUND: There are gaps in the evidence base addressing whether volunteering programs enhance the wellbeing, empowerment, and life satisfaction of individual volunteers. Program impacts are seldom rigorously evaluated, whilst construct meanings remain largely unspecified, especially in the Middle East. This study tested the impacts of We Love Reading, a program training volunteers to read aloud in their local communities. It also mapped local knowledge representation. METHODS: We conducted a mixed-method program evaluation based on a randomized cluster trial with 105 Syrian refugee women from poor households in Amman, Jordan. At three time points (baseline, 5-month and 12-month-follow-up), we implemented a survey to measure levels of life satisfaction (Cantril), psychological empowerment (PE), and psychological wellbeing (PWB). We used regression models on panel data to estimate individual-level impacts, adjusting for women's characteristics and the moderating effects of their social networks. We also conducted net-mapping sessions to clarify local concepts and their causal connections, generating thematic analyses and fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs) to represent local knowledge and causal influences. RESULTS: Life satisfaction was the only outcome variable showing a significant impact for We Love Reading (Cantril, ß = 3.00, p = 0.002). Thematic analyses and FCMs made explicit the multi-dimensional aspects of lived experiences: emphasis was placed on reaching goals, having "the full right to act," the freedom to take decisions, willingness and determination. Women explained that building their empowerment and agency was a main driver of life satisfaction, and that volunteering boosted the resolve of "not giving up" on life goals. CONCLUSION: This program evaluation integrates scientifically-rigorous and culturally-relevant methodologies to identify impacts, local knowledge systems, and causal pathways of influence. This helps clarify how and why volunteering works in real-life situations across cultural contexts, calling attention to what programs seek to achieve, how they avoid volunteer burden, and why they generate social change.

Adding spontaneity to organizations - what hospice volunteers contribute to everyday life in German inpatient hospice and palliative care units: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Volunteers have always been integral to hospice and palliative care. However, their roles have been left relatively undefined and broad. AIM: This study aims to examine the role of hospice volunteers in German inpatient hospice and palliative care. The question we seek to answer is: What do hospice volunteers contribute to everyday life in inpatient hospice and palliative care units? METHODS: We undertook a multicenter, on-site qualitative interview study, utilizing problem-centered interviews with 16 volunteers from five inpatient hospice units and one hospital palliative care unit. Interviews were analyzed using grounded theory. RESULTS: Analysis of the interviews revealed three typical characteristics of how hospice volunteers' describe their own role: (1) performing small acts of kindness, (2) creating a family-like atmosphere, (3) expecting emotional experiences. A common theme across all categories is the emphasis on spontaneous actions and personal experiences. The process of dying becomes an experience interpreted by volunteers as enriching, as a gift, as a "teacher". CONCLUSION: Granting hospice volunteers freedom to act spontaneously and intuitively benefits hospice and palliative care delivery. Organizations should leave sufficient room for spontaneity in order to involve volunteers effectively. Open and unstandardized roles facilitate dynamic work practices.

A multivariate model for explaining gender differences in commitment to volunteering in the COVID-19 pandemic: The Israeli case.

This study examined gender differences in commitment to volunteering and its explanatory variables among Israeli volunteers in the first wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Commitment to volunteering was assessed based on tendency to continue volunteering over time, expected intensity of volunteering, and tendency to recommend volunteering to others. The sample included 173 men and 331 women. The social-structural and psychological approaches formed the theoretical basis for explaining commitment to volunteering. Data processing was conducted through path analysis. For both genders, routine volunteering explained commitment to volunteering over time. Instrumental motives for volunteering were stronger for men than for women. A positive correlation was found for both genders between the level of anxiety and motive to escape from reality through volunteering. For women, fear of contracting the coronavirus correlated negatively with expected intensity of volunteering. Recommendations are made to volunteer organizations to adopt a gender-sensitive approach when managing volunteers in an emergency.

Exploring the experiences of peer support participation for HIV peer volunteers: A meta-synthesis of qualitative research.

BACKGROUND: Gaining insights and feedback from HIV peer volunteers about their peer support practice is crucial for optimizing and enhancing the effectiveness and sustainability of peer support for people with HIV. There is a dearth of systematic reviews that explore the experiences of HIV peer volunteers about their peer support experience. This study aims to consolidate qualitative research on the experiences of peer support participation for HIV peer volunteers, to provide inspiration and reference for HIV peer support practice. METHODS: A meta-aggregation approach was employed to synthesize qualitative studies. Electronic databases were searched for peer-reviewed and gray literature published in English and Chinese between 1996 and September 2022. Two independent reviewers assessed the methodological quality and extracted data from the included studies. The meta-aggregation approach developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) was utilized to synthesize the findings. RESULTS: A total of 2610 studies were initially identified through the database search, and twenty-two eligible studies were included in the meta-synthesis. Among the included studies, five presented synthesized findings on the following topics: firstly, taking people with HIV as HIV peer volunteers shows specific motivations and advantages when engaging in peer support practice. Secondly, HIV peer volunteers reinforce the connections between people with HIV and medical institutions, ensuring continuity of care and compensating for the limited availability of medical resources. Thirdly, HIV peer volunteers are capable of providing people with HIV with a higher level of support. Additionally, participating in peer support practice can also yield personal benefits for HIV peer volunteers. Finally, HIV peer support programs face both opportunities and challenges. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to take more flexible and effective approaches to address resource allocation and social support for people with HIV. Peer support presents a mutually beneficial option that holds significant implications for public health systems, clinical healthcare providers, people with HIV, and HIV peer volunteers. It is imperative to develop effective models for HIV peer support practice. Collaborative efforts between relevant departments and personnel, alongside HIV peer volunteers, should be undertaken to formulate support strategies. Additionally, efforts should be made to identify and guide people with HIV into the healthcare system, facilitating comprehensive treatment and care continuity. These measures aim to further reduce HIV transmission, improve the quality of life for people with HIV, and advance the "normalization" of HIV.

How Helping You Helps Me: A Longitudinal Analysis of Volunteering and Pathways to Quality of Life Among Older Adults in Singapore.

OBJECTIVES: Volunteering is known to be associated with well-being among older adults. However, less is known about the psychosocial pathways (e.g., personal mastery, social support) through which this occurs, with past studies tending to rely on cross-sectional data, which are susceptible to selection biases. This study, using longitudinal data, investigates how formal and informal volunteering may affect older adults' quality of life through personal mastery, perceived social support, and received social support. METHODS: Data are from 2 waves of a nationally representative study of older adults aged 60 years and older in Singapore, conducted between 2016 and 2019 (N = 2,887). We estimate indirect effects using a 2-wave mediation model, relying on bootstrapped confidence intervals for significance testing. RESULTS: We find indirect effects from volunteering to quality of life through perceived social support and personal mastery, but not through received social support. While any type (formal/informal) and frequency (regular/nonregular) of volunteering promotes quality of life through perceived social support, indirect effects through personal mastery are limited to regular volunteering in formal settings. DISCUSSION: Results provide longitudinal evidence for perceived social support as a key pathway from volunteering to quality of life. Volunteering may be an effective way to improve quality of life by helping older adults feel more supported, even if it may not affect the actual help that they receive. Further, a structured and sustainable environment may be required for volunteering to promote personal mastery (and through it, quality of life) among older volunteers.

A Greater Variety of Social Activities Is Associated With Lower Mortality Risk.

OBJECTIVES: More frequent engagement in social activity is often associated with better physical health outcomes. Yet, less is known about whether engagement in a greater variety of social activities such as a mix of volunteering and attending club meetings (social activity variety) is important for health. The current study assessed whether social activity variety relates to mortality risk after adjusting for social activity frequency, nonsocial activity frequency and variety, and sociodemographic covariates, and how this relationship varies depending on age. METHODS: Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, we included 5,017 adults aged 51 and older who completed questions about social activity participation in 2008 and whose mortality status was recorded up to 2019. We also examined whether age moderated the relationship between social activity variety and mortality risk. RESULTS: Cox proportional hazard model analyses revealed that those with higher activity variety in social activities were more likely to survive over the following 11 years than those with low social activity variety. Moreover, age moderation indicated that the association between social activity variety with mortality risk was stronger among the oldest adults. DISCUSSION: Findings suggest that a greater variety of social activities is linked to mortality risk even after adjusting for social activity frequency, nonsocial activities, and health status across adulthood.

'Government don't know me and if I stop, they won't know': A qualitative study on the lived experiences of volunteer health workers in the Nigerian health system and their implications for the sustainable development goals.

BACKGROUND: Volunteer health workers play an important, but poorly understood role in the Nigerian health system. We report a study of their lived experiences, enabling us to understand their motivations, the nature of their work, and their relationships with formally employed health workers in Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in Nigeria, the role of institutional incentives, and the implications for attaining the health-related sustainable development goals (SDGs) targets. METHODS: The study used ethnographic observation of PHCs in Enugu State, supplemented with in-depth interviews with volunteers, formally employed health workers and health managers. The analysis employed a combination of narrative and reflexive thematic approaches. FINDINGS: The lived experiences of most volunteers unfold in four stages as they move into and out of their volunteering status. The first stage signifies hope, arising from the ease with which they are accepted and integrated into the PHC space. The anger stage emerges when volunteers confront the marked disparity in their treatment compared to formal staff, despite their substantial contributions to healthcare. Then, the bargaining stage sets in, where they strive for recognition and respect by pursuing formal employment and advocating for fair treatment and improved stipends. A positive response, such as improved stipends, can reignite hope among volunteers. If not, most volunteers transition to the acceptance stage - the acknowledgement that their status may never be formalised, prompting many to lose hope and disengage. CONCLUSION: There should be a clear policy on recruitment, compensation, and protection of volunteers in the health systems, to enhance the contribution they can make to the achievement of the health-related SDG targets.

Effects of fear of COVID-19 on older volunteers' willingness to continue their activities: REPRINTS cohort study.

AIM: This study examined the effects of fear of COVID-19 on older volunteers' willingness to continue activities that required face-to-face interactions. METHODS: From September to November 2020, a self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted with 481 older adult volunteers. A total of 423 responses were collected; 343 had no missing items and were included in the analysis. Analysis items included willingness to continue volunteer activities, fear of COVID-19, mental and physical health, and a group of items related to factors influencing the continuation of volunteer activities. RESULTS: The structural analysis of covariance indicated that volunteer orientation, which included items considered to be factors for continuing volunteer activities, had a significant positive influence on the willingness to continue activities. Fear of COVID-19 had a significant negative effect on the latent variable mental and physical health, which consisted of a subjective sense of health, but fear of COVID-19 and physical and mental health had no significant effect on the willingness to continue volunteering. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the willingness of older adults to continue volunteer activities during the COVID-19 pandemic is influenced by their volunteer orientation and is not affected by their fear of COVID-19. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 370-376.

Effects of volunteering over six months on loneliness, social and mental health outcomes among older adults: The HEAL-HOA Dual Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the beneficial effects of volunteering as lay counselor via telephone on own loneliness, social network engagement, perceived social support, stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN, SETTING, INTERVENTION, AND PARTICIPANTS: "Helping Alleviate Loneliness in Hong Kong Older Adults" (HEAL-HOA), a dual randomized controlled trial, was implemented to test effects of telephone-based psychosocial interventions delivered by older-adult volunteers for low-income lonely older adults. To evaluate the effects of volunteering on loneliness, we randomized 375 individuals ages 50-70 into a volunteering condition versus an active control (psychoeducation with social gatherings). Following a 6-week training, participants in the volunteering condition, delivered tele-interventions to older intervention recipients. MEASUREMENT: The primary outcome was loneliness measured with the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Secondary outcomes were loneliness measured with the De Jong Gierveld Scale (DJG), social network engagement, perceived social support, perceived stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Assessments were completed before training (baseline) and immediately after the 6-month volunteering period. RESULTS: Results from linear mixed models show significant positive effects of volunteering (significant interactions of condition × time) on both measures of loneliness (dppc2 = -0.41 ULCA Loneliness score, dppc2 = -0.70 total DJG score), social network engagement, stress and depressive symptoms as compared to control participants. CONCLUSIONS: The HEAL-HOA trial demonstrates beneficial effects of volunteer-delivered tele-interventions on decreasing loneliness on the volunteer interventionists themselves. Communicating these benefits for volunteers may attract more older adults into volunteering. This effective tele-based volunteer program is scalable for wider implementation. SUMMARY: This RCT tested effects of volunteering on loneliness in Hong Kong during the COVID-19-pandemic. Three hundred seventy-five individuals ages 50-70 were randomized into volunteering (delivering tele-interventions against loneliness) versus an active control condition. After 6 months, volunteers compared to controls, showed benefits on loneliness, social network engagement, stress and depressive symptoms. A program engaging lonely older adults in loneliness intervention delivery has beneficial effects on volunteers themselves and could be a scalable solution for our loneliness epidemic.

Yes, I will do it! Factors promoting the intention to volunteer after COVID-19 pandemic in Italy.

This cross-sectional study assessed the extent to which the intention to volunteer after the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with resilience, post-traumatic growth, and community service self-efficacy in a representative Italian sample (N = 295; Mage = 44.77; SD = 14.79; range = 18-83 years; 53.22% men). The model tested through a path analysis revealed a positive association between community service self-efficacy and intention to continue volunteering. Multi-group comparisons revealed that this relationship was maintained in participants who were active volunteers, while in the group of former volunteers, only a positive association between post-traumatic growth and intention to volunteer was found. This study contributed to highlight the importance of community service self-efficacy and post-traumatic growth in the volunteering experience and the intention to continue volunteering in the future.

End-of-life conversations about death and dying from volunteer perspectives: A qualitative study.

OBJECTIVES: Although often unrecognized, volunteers fulfill many essential roles in hospices and other end-of-life care settings. Volunteers complement the actions of professionals in fulfilling many extra care needs, such as delivering newspapers and tidying bedsides. We explored end-of-life conversations about death and dying between hospice volunteers and terminally ill people, with a particular emphasis on any expressed desire to die. Our 2 research questions were as follows: (1) What is the nature of end-of-life conversations between hospice patients and hospice volunteers? and (2) How do hospice volunteers experience conversations about death and dying with patients who are at the end-of-life? METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews using an interpretive phenomenological analysis. We recruited hospice volunteers from 4 hospices in Calgary, Edmonton, and Red Deer; 3 larger cities in the province of Alberta, Canada. RESULTS: We interviewed 12 participants to saturation. Four themes emerged: (1) trusting conversations about death and dying in the context of a safe place; (2) normalcy of conversations about death and dying; (3) building meaningful relationships; and (4) end-of-life conversations as a transformative experience. Our results emphasize the importance of preparing volunteers for conversations about death and dying, including the desire to die. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: The safe environment of the hospice, the commitment to patient confidentiality, and the ability of volunteers to meet the basic and emotional needs of dying people or simply just be present without having formal care duties that need to be completed contribute to volunteers being able to participate in timely and needed conversations about death and dying, including the desire to die. In turn, hospice experiences and end-of-life conversations provide a transformative experience for volunteers.

Helping and Volunteering During COVID-19: Associations With Well-Being and Psychological Distress.

INTRODUCTION: Salutogenic effects of volunteering and helping activities have been well recognized in the pre-COVID-19 era. This study examines associations between helping others as well as additional volunteer activities during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and 6 psychological distress and well-being outcomes one year later. METHODS: Longitudinal data collected between 2019 and 2021 were used. Analyses were based on data from 42,005 middle-aged and older adults from 27 European countries who participated in the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and two SHARE Corona Surveys. Prospective associations were examined using generalized estimating equations. A series of secondary analyses and the sensitivity of the associations to unmeasured confounding provided evidence for the robustness of results. All analyses were conducted in December 2022. RESULTS: Helping others outside one's home in the first wave of COVID-19 was associated with subsequent increased risks of depression and anxiety. It was concurrently associated with an increased probability of an uplifting, hope, and happiness-inducing experience. Engagement in volunteer activities conducted in addition to helping was found to be prospectively associated with higher probability of an uplifting experience, but not with depression and anxiety. These associations were independent of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, personality traits, prior quality of life and health history as well as pre-COVID-19 engagement in altruistic activities. CONCLUSIONS: Helping and volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic likely led to positive experiences. However, a negative impact on psychological distress of the same activities was also noted.

Volunteering as prosocial behaviour by medical students following a flooding disaster and impacts on their mental health: A mixed-methods study.

BACKGROUND: Volunteering is a form of prosocial behaviour that has a been recognised as having positive benefits for medical students. However, there is a lack of research on what influences students to volunteer during and after weather-related disasters. Our study (1) explores factors related to medical students' willingness and readiness to volunteer, and (2) describes mental health impacts of the flood events on students. METHODS: We conducted a mixed-methods study of medical students on rural clinical placements in a regional area of Australia, 2 to 6 weeks after two major flooding events in 2022. Data were collected through survey and focus groups. Summary statistics were generated from the survey data, and Fisher's exact test was used to determine associations between student experience of the flood and self-rated well-being. Qualitative data were deductively analysed using Byrne and colleagues' theory of prosocial behaviour during an emergency. RESULTS: The 36 students who participated in focus groups (including the 34 who completed the survey) (response rates 84% and 79%, respectively) demonstrated high levels of prosocial behaviours and were willing to volunteer. A sense of moral obligation was the primary reason for volunteering, whereas concerns for their physical and psychological safety, and missing key aspects of their training, were the strongest reasons for not continuing to volunteer. Students reported personal stress, anxiety and trauma during this period, with significant associations between self-rated impacts on their well-being and feelings of being terrified, helpless and hopeless during the flooding events and of still being distressed weeks later (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: This study expands on prosocial behaviour theory by applying Byrne and colleagues elaborated model in the context of medical student volunteering during the 2022 major flooding events in Australia. Modifiable barriers to prosocial behaviour are identified along with proposed strategies to address these barriers.

Social Capital and Formal Volunteering Among Family and Unpaid Caregivers of Older Adults.

Using data from 1745 caregivers in the National Study of Caregiving (2017), this study explores the connection between caregiving and formal volunteering by identifying the relationship between social capital and formal volunteering among family and other unpaid caregivers of older adults. In addition, this study examines the representative prevalence of formal volunteering in caregivers. We conducted logistic regression models along with established volunteerism correlates from the prior research literature. Approximately a quarter of caregivers participated in volunteering (25.4%). Being male, having higher educational attainment, being a spouse, living separately from the care recipient, caregiving for multiple care recipients, having a better quality of relationship with the care recipient, having better psychological well-being, receiving more social support, attending religious services, and participating in group activity were positively associated with formal volunteer participation. Findings underscore the role of both human and social capital, including the caregiving context, in formal volunteering among caregivers.

"I Didn't Expect to Be So Caught Up in It": a Qualitative Study of Experiences of Medical Students' Volunteering for Ukrainian Refugees.

OBJECTIVE: Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 triggered a huge wave of migration, with thousands of refugees arriving at Prague's Central Station. With no medical service available, medical students started to volunteer and were running an infirmary available around the clock. The research aimed to explore medical students' professional experiences, emotionally challenging situations, and coping strategies in this demanding setting. METHODS: The authors used a qualitative analysis of semi-structured in-depth interviews with 19 participants recruited through purposive sampling. Interviews took place between April and May 2022. Data were recorded, transcribed, and processed by using thematic qualitative analysis. RESULTS: The research identified five emotionally challenging situations: caring for traumatized refugees, refusal of treatment, disruption of everyday life, independent decision-making, and complexity of voluntary work. Students adopted both adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies for dealing with stress and trauma. Almost half the students reported signs of secondary traumatization and moral distress; however, no one asked for psychological help. CONCLUSIONS: Medical school curricula should cover trauma-informed approaches, healthy coping strategies, and destigmatization of psychological problems.