The interplay of attachment styles and marital infidelity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: Marital infidelity is a highly distressing experience for those involved. Understanding the psychological factors related to infidelity can help develop targeted interventions. The primary aim of this study was to assess the association between attachment styles and marital infidelity. Methods: Seventeen studies were included, sourced from electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycInfo, with no time limitations, up to April 2023. The search employed terms like "attachment AND marital infidelity." Study quality was evaluated using the Risk of Bias Assessment Tool from RevMan version 5.3. Results: The meta-analysis involved a total of 13,666 participants, ranging from 208 to 4047 individuals. Findings showed that higher levels of anxiety and avoidance in attachment were significantly associated with increased marital infidelity (r = 0.18, 95 % CI = 0.14-0.22, p < 0.0001). Conversely, weaker attachment insecurity was linked to reduced rates of marital infidelity. Additionally, both dismissive and fearful attachment styles correlated with marital infidelity, with respective weighted effect sizes of r = 0.07, p < 0.001 (95 % CI = 0.04-0.10) and r = 0.19, p < 0.001 (95 % CI = 0.10-0.29). No association was found between preoccupied attachment and infidelity. Conclusion: Individuals with insecure attachment styles, specifically those with high levels of anxiety or avoidance, are more likely to engage in marital infidelity. Attachment styles should be a focus in couples therapy, especially for treatment related to infidelity. Assessing and addressing these underlying attachment issues can better guide therapists in their work with couples facing infidelity.

Midwifery students' experiences: Violations of dignity during childbirth.

BACKGROUND: The principle of human dignity is woven into the ethical principles of the midwifery profession, noted as both an obligation and a human right. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of midwifery students regarding threats to women's dignity during childbirth. RESEARCH DESIGN: This is a qualitative study with explorative design. Participants and Research Context: The research was carried out in 2022 at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, involving 32 midwifery students in individual interviews that lasted between 30 and 90 minutes. These participants aged 21 to 28 years, with an average age of 23.5 years, provided their perspectives on the matter. RESULTS: Four key themes described the threats to women's dignity during childbirth: 1) professional incompetence, 2) abuse of power imbalance, 3) caring only for physical and not mental health, and 4) structural issues within the healthcare system. Professional incompetence was characterized by outdated practices and lack of adherence to evidence-based medicine. Abuse of power imbalance was demonstrated in instances where the authoritative position of healthcare providers was misused, thereby disrupting the respectful care that women are entitled to receive. The disproportionate emphasis on physical health over mental health was evidenced by the disregard for mothers' psychological well-being during childbirth. Lastly, systemic structural issues emerged as significant impediments, revealing the need for system-wide changes. Ethical considerations: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Research Deputy at Kermanshah University. Participation was voluntary and the confidentiality were maintained. CONCLUSION: The findings underscore the role that unprofessional behavior, ethical lapses in medical practices, and systemic challenges play in undermining maternal dignity during childbirth. These threats necessitate urgent attention and must be adequately addressed in policy development and program implementation to safeguard the dignity of mothers during childbirth.

The importance of context-a qualitative study exploring healthcare practitioners' experiences of working with patients at home after a stroke.

BACKGROUND: Stroke significantly impacts individuals, leading to the need for long-lasting rehabilitation and adaptation to environmental demands. Rehabilitation after stroke is increasingly performed in patients' homes, and it is argued that rehabilitation in this context is more person-centred and positively impacts client outcomes. However, the role of environmental factors in this process is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to explore how multidisciplinary healthcare practitioners working with rehabilitation in the home after stroke consider possibilities and challenges in the environment and how environmental factors are documented in patients' records. METHODS: Eight multidisciplinary healthcare practitioners working with home-based rehabilitation after stroke participated in two semistructured focus group sessions. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the transcripts of recorded focus group discussions. Data were also collected from patient history records (N = 14) to identify interventions to increase patients' opportunities to participate in activities inside and outside the home. These records were analysed using life-space mobility as a conceptual framework. RESULTS: The analysis generated four overarching themes concerning possibilities and challenges in the environment: (1) the image of rehabilitation conflicts with place, (2) the person in the home reveals individual needs and capabilities, (3) environmental characteristics influence the rehabilitation practice, and (4) the person is integrated within a social context. The patient record analysis showed that most patients were discharged from hospital to home within four days. Assessments at the hospital mainly focused on basic activities of daily living, such as the patient's self-care and walking ability. Also at home, the assessments and actions primarily focused on basic activities with little focus on participation in meaningful activities performed in different life situations outside the home. CONCLUSIONS: Our research suggests that one way to improve practice is to include the environment in the rehabilitation and consider the person´s life space. Interventions should focus on supporting out-of-home mobility and activities as part of person-centred stroke rehabilitation. This must be supported by clear documentation in the patient records to strengthen clinical practice as well as the communication between stakeholders.

Changes in sexual activities, function, and satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic era: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Little is known about the impact of the coronavirus on sexual behavior, function, and satisfaction. Aim: The aim of the present study was to systematically review people's sexual function and behaviors and their changes in sexual activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Comprehensive searches in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were conducted with keywords in accordance with MeSH terms: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, coronavirus, sexual health, sexual function, sexual dysfunctions, sexuality, sexual orientation, sexual activities, and premarital sex. Two reviewers independently assessed full-text articles according to predefined criteria: original design, English studies, and investigating either the general population or sexual minorities. Results: Risk of bias in the studies was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, and data were pooled via random effects meta-analyses. We utilized the standardized mean difference to evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on sexual activity, functioning, and satisfaction. We included 19 studies in the analysis and 11 studies in the meta-analysis, with a sample size of 12 350. To investigate sexual activity changes, a sample size of 8838 was entered into the subgroup analysis, which showed a significant decrease in both genders (5821 women, P < .033; 3017 men, P < .008). A subgroup meta-analysis showed that the sexual function of men and women during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly declined (3974 women, P < .001; 1427 men, P < .001). Sexual desire and arousal decreased in both genders, though mainly in women. In investigating sexual satisfaction changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, a meta-analysis with a sample size of 2711 showed a significant decrease (P < .001). The most indicative changes in sexual behaviors during the pandemic were the increase in masturbating and usage of sex toys. Greater COVID-19 knowledge was associated with lower masturbation, oral sex, and vaginal sex. The more protective behaviors were associated with less hugging, kissing, cuddling, genital touching, watching porn with a partner, and vaginal sex. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic led to increased challenges and changes for individuals' sexual behaviors. Efforts for preventive strategies should therefore be concentrated between pandemics, while ensuring that there is information available to the population during a pandemic for help in times of psychological distress or crisis.

Paradoxes of person-centred care: A discussion paper.

Aim: Previous research has mainly focused on the advantages of PCC and less on its disadvantages. Hence, there is a need to further explore the recent research regarding PCC from both sides. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to elucidate the advantages and disadvantages of PCC. Design: Discussion paper. Methods: We searched relevant literature published January 2000-March 2018 in PubMed, Medline, CHINAL, Scopus and Web of Science. Results: The results showed that PCC can contribute to improved health and well-being, improved mutual interaction in relationships, improved cost-effectiveness and improved work environment, while the disadvantages can involve increased personal and financial costs, exclusion of certain groups, increased personal and financial costs, exclusion of staff's personhood and unfairness due to empathy. An analysis of the existing literature on PCC showed paradoxes, which call for further investigation.

Balancing different expectations in ethically difficult situations while providing community home health care services: a focused ethnographic approach.

BACKGROUND: The general opinion in society is that everyone has the right to live in their own home as long as possible. Provision of community home health care services is therefore increasingly common. Healthcare personnel encounter ethically difficult situations when providing care, but few studies describe such situations in the context of community home health care services. METHOD: This study has a qualitative descriptive design, using focused ethnography. Data from 21 days of fieldwork (in total 123 h) consisting of non-participant observations (n = 122), memos and informal interviews with registered nurses (n = 8), and nurse assistants (n = 4). The transcribed texts were analyzed with interpretive content analysis. RESULTS: The inductive analyses revealed two categories: 1) difficulties in balancing different requirements, expectations and needs, and 2) use of coping strategies. The results demonstrate that there are different values and expectations that influence each other in a complex manner. The personnel dealt with these situations by generating strategies of coaxing the patients and finding a space to deliberate and share difficult emotions with their colleagues. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals that complex ethically difficult situations emerged in the context of community home health care services, and healthcare personnel were forced to find a balance regarding the different demands, expectations, values and needs that influence the care provided.

Are self-reported gastrointestinal symptoms among older adults associated with increased intestinal permeability and psychological distress?

BACKGROUND: Despite the substantial number of older adults suffering from gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms little is known regarding the character of these complaints and whether they are associated with an altered intestinal barrier function and psychological distress. Our aim was to explore the relationship between self-reported gut health, intestinal permeability and psychological distress among older adults. METHODS: Three study populations were included: 1) older adults with GI symptoms (n = 24), 2) a group of older adults representing the general elderly population in Sweden (n = 22) and 3) senior orienteering athletes as a potential model of healthy ageing (n = 27). Questionnaire data on gut-health, psychological distress and level of physical activity were collected. Intestinal permeability was measured by quantifying zonulin in plasma. The level of systemic and local inflammation was monitored by measuring C-reactive protein (CRP), hydrogen peroxide in plasma and calprotectin in stool samples. The relationship between biomarkers and questionnaire data in the different study populations was illustrated using a Principal Component Analysis (PCA). RESULTS: Older adults with GI symptoms displayed significantly higher levels of both zonulin and psychological distress than both general older adults and senior orienteering athletes. The PCA analysis revealed a separation between senior orienteering athletes and older adults with GI symptoms and showed an association between GI symptoms, psychological distress and zonulin. CONCLUSIONS: Older adults with GI symptoms express increased plasma levels of zonulin, which might reflect an augmented intestinal permeability. In addition, this group suffer from higher psychological distress compared to general older adults and senior orienteering athletes. This relationship was further confirmed by a PCA plot, which illustrated an association between GI symptoms, psychological distress and intestinal permeability.

Clinical Ethics Support for Healthcare Personnel: An Integrative Literature Review.

This study describes which clinical ethics approaches are available to support healthcare personnel in clinical practice in terms of their construction, functions and goals. Healthcare personnel frequently face ethically difficult situations in the course of their work and these issues cover a wide range of areas from prenatal care to end-of-life care. Although various forms of clinical ethics support have been developed, to our knowledge there is a lack of review studies describing which ethics support approaches are available, how they are constructed and their goals in supporting healthcare personnel in clinical practice. This study engages in an integrative literature review. We searched for peer-reviewed academic articles written in English between 2000 and 2016 using specific Mesh terms and manual keywords in CINAHL, MEDLINE and Psych INFO databases. In total, 54 articles worldwide described clinical ethics support approaches that include clinical ethics consultation, clinical ethics committees, moral case deliberation, ethics rounds, ethics discussion groups, and ethics reflection groups. Clinical ethics consultation and clinical ethics committees have various roles and functions in different countries. They can provide healthcare personnel with advice and recommendations regarding the best course of action. Moral case deliberation, ethics rounds, ethics discussion groups and ethics reflection groups support the idea that group reflection increases insight into ethical issues. Clinical ethics support in the form of a "bottom-up" perspective might give healthcare personnel opportunities to think and reflect more than a "top-down" perspective. A "bottom-up" approach leaves the healthcare personnel with the moral responsibility for their choice of action in clinical practice, while a "top-down" approach risks removing such moral responsibility.

What healthcare teams find ethically difficult.

BACKGROUND: Ethically difficult situations are frequently encountered by healthcare professionals. Moral case deliberation is one form of clinical ethics support, which has the goal to support staff to manage ethical difficulties. However, little is known which difficult situations healthcare teams need to discuss. AIM: To explore which kinds of ethically difficult situations interprofessional healthcare teams raise during moral case deliberation. RESEARCH DESIGN: A series of 70 moral case deliberation sessions were audio-recorded in 10 Swedish workplaces. A descriptive, qualitative approach was applied, using thematic content analysis. Ethical considerations: An advisory statement specifying no objections to the study was provided from an Ethical Review Board, and consent to be recorded was assumed by virtue of participation in the moral case deliberation. FINDINGS: Three themes emerged: powerlessness over managing difficult interactions with patients and next-of-kin, unease over unsafe and unequal care, and uncertainty over who should have power over care decisions. The powerlessness comprised feelings of insufficiency, difficulties to respond or manage patient's/next-of-kin's emotional needs or emotional outbursts and discouragement over motivating patients not taking responsibility for themselves. They could be uncertain over the patient's autonomy, who should have power over life and death, disclosing the truth or how much power next-of-kin should have. DISCUSSION: The findings suggest that the nature of the ethically difficult situations brought to moral case deliberations contained more relational-oriented ethics than principle-based ethics, were permeated by emotions and the uncertainties were pervaded by power aspects between stakeholders. CONCLUSION: MCD can be useful in understanding the connection between ethical issues and emotions from a team perspective.