Health Psychology Research

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the focus on mental health, particularly on the coping strategies of healthcare workers who have faced unparalleled stress due to their pivotal role in addressing health disparities and determinants of health. Constantly operating in high-risk environments and managing the surge of critically ill patients, these professionals' psychological resilience has been sternly tested, necessitating robust assessment tools. AIM: This study aims to refine the extensive 54-item Toulouse Coping Scale into a more pragmatic and less time-consuming instrument while preserving its statistical integrity, to support the mental well-being of healthcare workers...

This study aims to investigate if social support and self-efficacy play a significant role in substance use relapse. To this end, 197 substance users responded to the modified measures of social support and self-efficacy questionnaire. The participants reported moderate levels of social support and self-efficacy. In addition, the results indicated that there are gender differences in social support level in favour of males and there were differences in social support level in the duration of substance use between less than one year and one year- less than two years also between one year- less than two years and ten years and more in favour of one year- less than two years...

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to identify motivators influencing individuals' commitment to maintaining positive health trajectories across different demographics. The primary objective is to leverage this knowledge to enhance patient-physician relationships and improve the quality of care. METHODS: A web-based survey collected data from 204 randomly selected participants aged 16 and older. The survey assessed participants' self-rated health, health-related habits, and motivators for a healthy lifestyle...

Cancer is a debilitating disease for which patients often need caretakers to help them live their lives and complete basic activities. This study aims to characterize the burden of the caretaker. A 14-question survey was sent out to randomly selected United States cancer caretakers to analyze the social, emotional, and physical burden of their caretaking. The results show that a majority of caretakers are direct family to the patient (69.5%). The patients' cancers are often in early stages with about 54.5% having stage 1 cancer and 22...

BACKGROUND: In a previous study, mothers' stress was demonstrated to affect the stress of their infants. However, stress is a multi-layered concept, and there is a lack of studies on the type of stress that influences infant stress. OBJECTIVE: This study examined how various types of mothers' stress influence their infants' stress by measuring stress that emanates from COVID-19, child rearing, and stress levels based on speech and cortisol in saliva. METHODS: This study was conducted in two phases, and the stress of 21 mother-infant dyad were evaluated using questionnaires, participants' saliva, and voice recording...

Tobacco consumption is one of the major public health concerns worldwide. Moreover, alternative tobacco and nicotine products (ATNPs) are growing in popularity, especially among young adults in the past decade. The study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated sociodemographic factors of tobacco consumption among university students. A cross-sectional study was carried out among 338 university students of a private Malaysian university from March to April 2021. Data was collected using a self-administered online questionnaire with items including sociodemographic information, user status of tobacco consumption and types of tobacco product used...

BACKGROUND: Domestic violence is a widespread problem affecting individuals, families, and communities worldwide. Peritraumatic distress is associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems among victims, but research on men's experiences is limited. OBJECTIVE: We analyzed data from 48 physical domestic violence victims (16 males and 32 females) to compare their levels of peritraumatic distress and negative emotions, and to examine the types of aggressors they faced...

BACKGROUND: Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) as a real-time data collection method can provide insight into the daily experiences of family caregivers. PURPOSE: This systematic review aimed to synthesize studies involving EMA completed by family caregivers of adults with chronic conditions. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted within six databases for articles published from the inception of the database through September 2023. We extracted the characteristics of the included studies and data on EMA-specific methods to determine the quality of the included studies...

BACKGROUND: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) carries significant global burden, with approximately 27% of women who have ever had a partner experiencing IPV. Additionally, substance use (alcohol and drugs) is often associated with aggressive attitudes and serves as a risk factor for IPV. OBJECTIVE: Determine the association between substance use and the recurrence of IPV in the Peruvian population in 2022. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using public data from the Ministry of Women, employing regression based on generalized linear models to calculate crude and adjusted Odds Ratios...

The number of police officers suffering from mental illnesses is becoming a significant public health concern. Police officers are more likely to experience mental health problems than the general population. The use of effective mental health promotion programs can assist in reducing police officers' psychological problems. In this paper author reviews existing literature on mental disorders and mental health promotion among police officers. This review emphasizes the importance of mental health promotion and programs in improving police officers' well-being and decreasing mental disorders...

BACKGROUND: Cancer patients may suffer from psychological disorders related to their health condition. Various medical, surgical, and interventional procedures, alongside the distinct tumor localization, have been linked to an elevated predisposition towards psychological disorders, including but not limited to depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and cognitive impairments. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the literature on neurocognitive rehabilitation of patients before and after brain cancer...

BACKGROUND: The mental health of healthcare workers, particularly family medicine residents, is an area of growing concern, more so in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. High levels of burnout and depression among these professionals can affect their well-being and patients' quality of care. OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to determine the prevalence of depression and burnout among family medicine residents in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 213 family medicine residents, using a self-administered survey...

BACKGROUND: Poor psychological functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic has been reported in several studies of healthcare workers from around the world. Factors that might predict this have yet to be established. OBJECTIVES: First, to ascertain which factors were associated with poor psychological functioning in a cohort of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, to characterize key sociodemographic aspects of this cohort. Third, to determine the degree to which any predictors of poor psychological functioning were associated with each other...

INTRODUCTION: Access to healthcare is defined by being able to receive regular checkups, specialist appointments, immunizations, procedures, and surgeries within a reasonable timeframe and without restrictive barriers. METHODS: The Web of Science database was used to collect 4,745 articles published relating to the keywords "rural", "access", and "healthcare". These articles then underwent bibliometric cataloging by country, journal, and keyword using VOSviewer 1...

OBJECTIVE: Doctor-patient communication is an essential clinical practice necessary to improve overall patient experience and their adherence to treatment. This form of communication involves first, listening without interruptions and then, conveying information in a clear and concise manner. METHODS: A bibliometric analysis was conducted on publications extracted from the Web of Science database related to doctor-patient communication from 2012 to 2022 using the VOSviewer 1...

This scoping review explores the current research on PTSD interventions for Natural Disaster survivors. It includes fourteen randomized control trials (RCTs). The included interventions were, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, herbal supplements, CBT, yoga, narrative exposure therapy, acupuncture stimulation, web-based interventions, and a multimodal art and meditation program. CBT is considered the standard of care for general PTSD treatment and was also found to be effective for the treatment of natural disaster-related PTSD symptoms...

The growing influence of technology in the realm of mental health presents promising prospects for patients with psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia. The objective of this study is to investigate the perceptions of individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorder regarding the utilization of technology and social media. The qualitative methodology used consists of an individual structured interview and the data were subjected to thematic analysis. The results show that the participants use digital tools for various activities such as work, searching for information, entertainment, and socialising...

INTRODUCTION: Fibromyalgia is a complex disorder characterized by distributed and persistent pain often associated with fatigue and depression. The underlying causal agents of this dysfunction are not clear. Ketamine has been used to treat chronic pain in a variety of pain syndromes, including fibromyalgia, but the dosing protocols used are neither standardized nor consistent across cases. The current case presents an opportunity to contribute to a progression towards a consensus on ketamine dosing for fibromyalgia...

BACKGROUND: Swearing deserves attention in the physical therapy setting due to its potential positive effects on pain, physical performance, and therapeutic alliance. The purpose of this case report is to describe the strategic use of swearing in the clinical setting. CASE PRESENTATION: A 44-year-old female completed an episode of physical therapy after undergoing patellofemoral arthroplasty. Swearing was formally included into the plan of care, and the patient swore out loud during the most challenging and painful interventions...

AIM: The present research sought at investigating the association between visual perception skills and written mathematical communication skills among a sample of students with learning disabilities in mathematics in Jordan. METHOD: This was a cross-sectional correlational study that included a sample of 90 primary-stage students who were diagnosed as having learning disabilities in mathematics. To collect data, the researchers developed two data collection tools; the visual perception skills test (50 items) and the written mathematical communication skills test (6 items)...