Associations among stress, gender, sources of social support, and health in emerging adults

Risky Alcohol Use and Romantic Relationships Among College Students: A Longitudinal Study

BACKGROUND

Risky alcohol use is frequent among college students and can be associated with functional outcomes. Bidirectional associations have been shown between alcohol use and the stability of romantic relationships, though little is known about the longitudinal association between risky alcohol use and romantic relationships in college and about college students' perceived stress regarding one's love life. Objectives: The present study aims to explore these relationships both cross-sectionally and at one-year follow-up.

METHOD

Data were drawn, from the French portion of the World Mental Health International College Student Survey initiative (WMH-ICS). First-year college students who completed an online survey (n = 1,624) and a second survey at one-year follow-up (n = 727) were included. Current romantic relationship status and stress regarding one's love life, past-year risky alcohol use, lifetime presence of DSM-5 mental health disorders and sociodemographic correlates were assessed.

RESULTS

Risky alcohol use was cross-sectionally associated with dating in multivariate models adjusting for lifetime mental disorders (aOR = 1.70, 95%CI = 1.31-2.20), and in particular with unsteady relationships (aOR = 2.87, 95%CI = 2.01-4.10), but was no longer associated with both one year later. Risky alcohol use was, however, not associated with severe perceived stress regarding one's love life in multivariate models adjusting for lifetime mental disorders in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, while it was associated in bivariate models for both analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings extend our understanding of the association between excessive drinking and romantic relationship patterns among college students underlying the importance of comorbid disorders.

Social support, self-efficacy, self-esteem, and well-being during COVID-19 lockdown: A two-wave study of Danish students

Societal lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed everyday life across the globe, including requirements of social distancing that might limit the social support people derive from social interaction. Social support has proven to be a vital resource for well-being (i.e., perceived stress and satisfaction with life) and coping during societal challenges. The present study examined how social support is associated with perceived stress and life satisfaction through self-efficacy and self-esteem among Danish students (N = 204). These psychological constructs were examined both during and after lockdown, assessing the possible aversive psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results did not yield any significant changes in either the mean scores of the constructs or the indirect effects model across the two time points. Moreover, the results indicate that social support derived from a significant person, family, and friends - but not student peers - is negatively linked with perceived stress and positively associated with life satisfaction through both self-efficacy and self-esteem. Although societal lockdown did not yield significant psychological impact, the results highlight the importance of social support among students, both during and after lockdown.

The relationship between resilience and mental health of undergraduate students: A scoping review

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this scoping review was to examine what is known about the relationship between the resilience and mental health of undergraduate students enrolled in university or college programs, globally.

METHODS

Five electronic databases were searched, yielding a total of 1,498 articles that were screened independently by two researchers. Thirteen articles were eligible for inclusion.

RESULTS

The mental health of undergraduate students in the studies reviewed ranged from low to moderate. Undergraduate students also reported high, moderate, and low levels of resilience. Further, resilience was positively correlated with mental well-being.

CONCLUSION

Findings revealed that the mental health of undergraduate students was poor. Given the established relationship between students' mental health and resilience, evidence-based approaches aimed at strengthening students' resilience, such as providing opportunities for social support, are warranted in order to improve students' mental health. Additional research to rigorously assess this relationship in representative student populations is needed.

The association between social support provision, psychological capital, subjective well-being and sense of indebtedness among undergraduates with low socioeconomic status

BACKGROUND

Social support consists of receipt and provision in the interpersonal exchange process. Many studies have explored and verified the effect of received social support. This study focuses on whether and when social support provision can benefit the providers' positive psychological capital and subjective well-being.

METHODS

A sample of 732 Chinese undergraduates with low socioeconomic status completed questionnaires on social support provision, psychological capital, life satisfaction, positive affect, negative affect, and sense of indebtedness.

RESULTS

The correlation and regression analyses showed that impoverished college students' social support provision was positively associated with life satisfaction, positive affect, and psychological capital and negatively associated with negative affect. The interaction between the sense of indebtedness and social support provision was negatively associated with life satisfaction, positive affect, and psychological capital, not significantly associated with negative affect.

CONCLUSION

The results demonstrated that giving social support can be as beneficial as receiving social support, and the sense of indebtedness can limit the benefits. Individuals with a lower sense of indebtedness are more likely to benefit from social support provision. The findings have implications for marginalized groups' subjective well-being and positive psychological capital and show the necessity of guiding individuals to provide social support while maintaining their autonomy.

Associations between Social Support Dimensions and Resilience Factors and Pathways of Influence in Depression and Anxiety Rates in Young Adults

Emerging adulthood is an important developmental period, associated to mental health risk. Resilience research points to both social and personal protective factors against development of psychopathology, but there is paucity with their comprehensive study in young adults. This study provides and initial integrative approach to model multiple dimensions of perceived social support (i.e., from family, friends, significant others) and personal factor of trait resilience (i.e., coping and persistence during stress, tolerance to negative affect, positive appraisals, trust) and their hypothesized contributions to reducing depression and anxiety rates. The study was conducted with a sample of 500 Spanish emerging adults (18 to 29 years old). Regression analyses and multiple mediation models were performed to test our hypotheses. Results showed that social support from family was the dimension with the highest strength relating individual differences in resilience. Furthermore, analyses supported a differential mediating role of specific resilience factors (coping and persistence during stress, tolerance to negative affect, positive appraisals, trust) in partially accounting for the association between higher social support from family and lower depression and anxiety levels in young adults. These results may inform new programs of mental health during emerging adulthood via the promotion of different sources of social support and their related resilience pathways contributing to low emotional symptomatology at this stage of development.

Cyberaggression victimization on anxiety and depression in college students: the role of emotion regulation, social media, social support, and biological sex

Objective: To test a conceptual model by which emotion dysregulation mediates the association between cyberaggression victimization (CAV) and symptoms of depression and anxiety among college students. Participants: Undergraduate students (N = 459) aged 18 to 29 years. Methods: Participants responded to an online questionnaire assessing CAV and distress associated with these experiences. Participants reported on emotion dysregulation, social media use integration, social support, and depression and anxiety symptoms. Results: As expected, emotion dysregulation mediated the relationship between CAV and depressive and anxiety symptoms. Contrary to expectations, biological sex and social media integration did not moderate the relationship between CAV and emotion dysregulation. Social support reduced the negative effects of emotion dysregulation on depressive and anxiety symptoms. Conclusion: These findings point to the need for colleges to invest in prevention and intervention efforts to reduce exposure to CAV and the impact of those experiences on the health and well-being of students.

Adverse childhood experiences and deviant behaviors among Chinese rural emerging adults: the role of social support

BACKGROUND

ACEs hurt subsequent physical and mental health outcomes. However, still little has been known about the rate of ACEs among rural Chinese emerging adults and the different buffering effects of the three types of social support on different kinds of ACEs. This study described the rate of ACEs among Chinese rural emerging adults, examined the relationship between ACEs and deviant behaviors, and tested the moderating effect of three different sources of perceived social support on this relationship. We hope these results will be helpful in further interventions.

METHODS

We used the second wave of a longitudinal survey that included ACEs variables in 2018. A total of 1031 emerging adults aged 18 to 25 participated in the current study.

RESULTS

we found that (1) the rate of abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction was 10.0, 30.0, and 24.9%, respectively among Chinese rural emerging adults; (2) abuse and household dysfunction experience were significantly and positively associated with deviant behaviors; (3) friend support moderated the relationship between three types of ACEs and deviant behaviors. Other support moderated the relationship between abuse/household dysfunction and deviant behaviors.

CONCLUSIONS

ACEs could increase the risk of deviant behaviors. Perceived friend support could reduce the negative effect of three types of ACEs. Other support could reduce the negative impact of abuse and household dysfunction. These results suggest that reducing ACEs to make children's family environments safer and enhancing social support for emerging adults from rural areas are beneficial, which could prevent or reduce their deviant behaviors.

Life Satisfaction in Young Adults-The Moderating Role of Parental Support

The transition to adulthood in Western societies, termed emerging adulthood (EA), holds new challenges for family relationships across and within generations. Drawing on Self Determination Theory and Bowens' Family systems theory, this study examines the combined contribution of personal resources and relationships with parents and friends to satisfaction with life among young Israeli adults. It also examines the possible change in parental support that occurs with increasing age. A convenience sample (n = 572) of young Jewish Israeli adults (18-29 years) completed structured questionnaires. Using regression analysis, we modelled the associations between personal and support variables to life satisfaction as well as the interactions between age and parental support. The findings reveal that young women reported receiving more parental support than young men. Commitment to values and beliefs and greater support from friends make a positive contribution to life satisfaction. High parental support impairs life satisfaction as age increases. The study extends Bowens' theory to understand the developmental stage of young adulthood and emphasize on the practical level that therapists need to familiarize themselves with the protective variables at this stage of life and the changing role of parental support.

Using a multi-module web-app to prevent substance use among students at a Hispanic Serving Institution: development and evaluation design

BACKGROUND

Despite effective strategies to prevent substance use and substance use disorders among college students, challenges remain. As young adults' preference for and comfortability with web-based technology continues to increase, leveraging innovative approaches to rapidly evolving mHealth technology is critical for the success of lowering the risk for substance use and related consequences in college populations, and especially those at Hispanic Serving Institutions. Therefore, the present study describes the rationale, development, and design of iSTART, a novel web-app to prevent substance use among students.

METHODS

The web-app was developed following the intervention mapping protocol, and in collaboration with numerous stakeholders, including a community-based partner specializing in substance abuse prevention and treatment. A 30-day multi-module web-app intervention was developed based on key theoretical constructs, behavior change strategies, and practical module components: attitudes (knowledge), perceived susceptibility (risk perceptions), subjective norms (normative re-education), and self-efficacy (refusal skills). This intervention will be evaluated via a time series design using a sample of 600 students randomly assigned to either the intervention, comparison, or control condition at a public institution in southern California.

DISCUSSION

The iSTART web-app is an innovative and sustainable program ideal for college campuses with diverse student populations. If this prevention web-app is successful, it will significantly contribute to the evidence of effective substance use interventions in the college setting, and identify the benefits of mHealth programs to prevent future substance use.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT05362357 retrospectively registered on May 4, 2022 on clinicaltrials.gov .

Widowhood and Health Status Among Chinese Older Adults: The Mediation Effects of Different Types of Support

Although many studies have suggested that widowhood is related to worse health conditions among older adults, few have examined the mediation effects of social support between widowhood and health. Employing mediation analysis to a sample of data from the 2014 wave of China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS), this study examined the mediation effects of social support, including emotional support, instrumental support, and companionship, in the widowhood-health association among older adults. The results indicated that the negative effect of widowhood on older adults' health was in part attributable to decreased emotional support and companionship. Specifically, emotional support exerted a significant role in the widowhood-mental health association, and companionship exerted a significant role in widowhood-physical health and widowhood-mental health associations. In the subsample analysis, the mediation effects were only significant among female older adults, and among rural older adults. Our findings highlight the importance of emotional support and companionship in maintaining health among widowed older adults and strategies should pay more attention to female and rural widowed older adults.

Subjective health and associative social factors in emerging adults with different levels of participation limitations—A cross-sectional study

Background

Participation was shown to be associative with subjective health (SH) in many different populations, including emerging adults.

Objectives

This study aimed to investigate SH and associative variables in emerging adults with different levels of participation limitations.

Methods

Healthy university students who were between 18–25 years of age were included. SH was assessed with the visual analog scale. The participants were grouped based on P-Scale. Multiple linear regressions were conducted to determine the associative variables of SH for each P-Scale group.

Results

A total of 572 participants were included. General health-related quality of life was associated with SH in all P-Scale groups. Other prominent findings of this study showed perception of health, income, and lifestyle were among the most significant associative variables of SH.

Conclusion

Variables associated with emerging adults’ SH change with their participation restrictions. Therefore, different approaches are needed to improve the subjectively perceived health status of emerging adults.

Why Do Users of Online Mental Health Communities Get Likes and Reposts: A Combination of Text Mining and Empirical Analysis

An online community is one of the important ways for people with mental disorders to receive assistance and obtain support. This study aims to help users with mental disorders to obtain more support and communication through online communities, and to provide community managers with the possible influence mechanisms based on the information adoption model. We obtained a total of 49,047 posts of an online mental health communities in China, over a 40-day period. Then we used a combination of text mining and empirical analysis. Topic and sentiment analysis were used to derive the key variables—the topic of posts that the users care about most, and the emotion scores contained in posts. We then constructed a theoretical model based on the information adoption model. As core independent variables of information quality, on online mental health communities, the topic of social experience in posts (0.368 ***), the topic of emotional expression (0.353 ***), and the sentiment contained in the text (0.002 *) all had significant positive relationships with the number of likes and reposts. This study found that the users of online mental health communities are more attentive to the topics of social experience and emotional expressions, while they also care about the non-linguistic information. This study highlights the importance of helping community users to post on community-related topics, and gives administrators possible ways to help users gain the communication and support they need.

Relationship between mindfulness and general health among couples in Mainland China: A crossover perspective

RATIONALE

Previous research has indicated that mindfulness can be beneficial both intrapersonally and interpersonally. Although mindfulness has been shown to improve an individual's health, much less is known about whether these health benefits extend to the individual's spouse.

OBJECTIVE

The present study aims to establish a crossover model to expound ''how'' and ''why'' mindfulness might be associated with both the individual's and the spouse's general health.

METHODS

In total, 319 married couples in Mainland China participated in a two-wave survey study with a 3-month interval. The hypotheses were tested by Structural Equation Modeling.

RESULTS

As expected, mindfulness was positively correlated with personal general health through decreases in perceived social undermining. However, mindfulness had an asymmetrical crossover effect on spouses' general health. Whereas wives' mindfulness had significant benefits for husbands' general health, husbands' mindfulness was not a significant protective factor of wives' general health. The benefits of wives' mindfulness on husbands' general health were mediated by the direct crossover of lower perceived social undermining from wives to husbands.

CONCLUSIONS

This study is the first to investigate the relationship between mindfulness and general health at the couple level. Our findings help clarify the benefits of mindfulness on couples' health management from a systemic perspective and provide further support for the crossover theory.

Factors Influencing the Quality of Life of Empty Nesters: Empirical Evidence from Southwest China

Quality of life is a widely accepted concept based on the notion that people’s lives have been subject to rapid development and industrialization. This study aims to explore the impact of different factors on the quality of life of empty nesters in Southwest China. The main factors explored are resilience and social supports (SS), highlighted here from different perspectives. Moreover, the correlations between other variables and quality of life are shown here. This study experimented with a hierarchical multiple regression model from survey data with 3583 valid responses. It argued that both resilience and social supports, including family members and friends, are significantly correlated with the Chinese empty nesters’ quality of life. Family support and friend support play a significant mediating role in the association between resilience and quality of life. However, neither government nor nongovernmental support significantly influences the quality of life. Therefore, the hypothetical recommendations of this study have been partially confirmed. The findings of this study provide a more comprehensive understanding of the overall mental and physical health of Chinese empty nesters.

Dimensions of Masculine Norms, Depression, and Mental Health Service Utilization: Results From a Prospective Cohort Study Among Emerging Adult Men in the United States

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of multidimensional masculine norms (“status,” “toughness,” “anti-femininity”) on depression and mental health service utilization among emerging adult men in the Northeast United States. This study examines substance use and hostility as secondary outcomes and depression status as an effect moderator on the relationship between masculine norms and mental health service utilization. This study used data from a prospective cohort study that followed 18- to 25-year-old heterosexual men over 6 months. At baseline and 6 months, approximately 29% and 25% of the sample met the criteria for depression. The results of multivariate linear and logistic regression models found that greater endorsement of masculine status was associated with less depressive symptoms at baseline and 6 months, masculine toughness was associated with more substance use at baseline, and masculine anti-femininity was associated with greater hostility at baseline and 6 months. The multivariate Poisson model found that greater endorsement of status was associated with greater mental health service utilization in the prior year, especially for men not meeting the criteria for depression. In contrast, greater endorsement of anti-femininity and toughness norms was associated with less mental health service utilization; for men endorsing toughness norms, this effect was greater for those who were depressed. This study sheds light on the harmful and protective effects of masculine norms on depression, related mental health outcomes, and mental health service utilization, with implications for gender-tailored approaches to engage and retain young men in mental health services.

Less Social Support for Patients With COVID-19: Comparison With the Experience of Nurses

Context: Since December 2019, more than 80,000 patients have been diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China. Social support status of COVID-19 patients, especially the impact of social support on their psychological status and quality of life, needs to be addressed with increasing concern. Objectives: In this study, we used social support rating scale (SSRS) to investigate the social support in COVID-19 patients and nurses. Methods: The present study included 186 COVID-19 patients at a Wuhan mobile cabin hospital and 234 nurses at a Wuhan COVID-19 control center. Responses to a mobile phone app-based questionnaire about social support, anxiety, depression, and quality of life were recorded and evaluated. Results: COVID-19 patients scored significantly lower than nurses did on the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS). Among these patients, 33.9% had anxiety symptoms, while 23.7% had depression symptoms. Overall SSRS, subjective social support scores and objective support scores of patients with anxiety were lower than those of patients without anxiety. This result was also found in depression. In addition, all dimensions of social support were positively correlated with quality of life. Interestingly, in all dimensions of social support, subjective support was found to be an independent predictive factor for anxiety, depression, and quality of life, whereas objective support was a predictive factor for quality of life, but not for anxiety and depression via regression analysis. Conclusion: Medical staffs should pay attention to the subjective feelings of patients and make COVID-19 patients feel respected, supported, and understood from the perspective of subjective support, which may greatly benefit patients, alleviate their anxiety and depression, and improve their quality of life.

Sex matters: stress perception and the relevance of resilience and perceived social support in emerging adults

The emerging adulthood represents a vulnerable and critical turning point for the beginning of mental illnesses and is therefore of particular interest for the study of risk and resilience. The present survey investigated the impact of sex on the associations between resilience and the perception of social support and stress in students. The Resilience Scale was used to assess resilience. Stress perception and social support perception were measured using the Perceived Stress Scale and the Social Support Questionnaire FSozU k-22, respectively. Between the ages of 18 and 30, 503 subjects (59.6% female) were included into the study. We detected a significant effect of sex with markedly lower resilience and a more pronounced perception of stress and social support among females. Significant correlations between resilience, stress perception, and social support perception were found in both sexes with women showing a stronger interrelationship between stress perception and both resilience and social support perception. Mediation analysis revealed that the relationship between the perception of social support and stress was fully mediated by resilience among men and partly mediated by resilience among women. Of note, the mediation of resilience on the interrelationship between the perception of social support and stress was much stronger in women than in men. These findings suggest that sex-specific, customized interventions focusing on the strengthening of resilience and the claiming of social support are needed to promote mental health in emerging adults.

Relationship Between Gender, Stress, and Quality of Social Support

BACKGROUND

Research suggests that gender differences exist in both stress and how social support is utilized and that the relationship between stress and social support may not be linear.

METHODS

An internet survey of n = 1080 participants was conducted evaluating quality and quantity of social support, gender, age, and perceived stress and coping.

RESULTS

Reported quality of social support, gender, and age significantly predicted perceived stress and that there was a curvilinear interaction between the quality of social support and gender which significantly predicted perceived stress.

CONCLUSION

The current findings supported Taylor's Tend and Befriend theory that females have higher reported stress levels, a larger support network, and report more quality in their social support.Practitioner points:  • Males and females may manifest stress differently in their relationships. • When working with males and females in practice it may be important to understand the depth and breadth of their social networks and how they utilize those networks. • Females indicate higher levels of stress and greater social support quality. • It is important to understand that one's social network can be an important source of support (a coping mechanism) but that it can also serve as a stressor in some cases.

State-of-the-Science Review of Non-Chemical Stressors Found in a Child's Social Environment

Background: Children are exposed to chemical and non-chemical stressors from their built, natural, and social environments. Research is needed to advance our scientific understanding of non-chemical stressors, evaluate how they alter the biological response to a chemical stressor, and determine how they impact children’s health and well-being. To do this, we conducted a state-of-the-science review of non-chemical stressors found in a child’s social environment. Methods: Studies eligible for inclusion in this review were identified through a search of the peer-reviewed literature using PubMed and PsycINFO. Combinations of words associated with non-chemical stressors and children were used to form search strings. Filters were used to limit the search to studies published in peer-reviewed journals from 2000–2016 and written in English. Publications found using the search strings and filters went through two rounds of screening. Results: A total of 146 studies met the inclusion criteria. From these studies, 245 non-chemical stressors were evaluated. The non-chemical stressors were then organized into 13 general topic areas: acculturation, adverse childhood experiences, economic, education, family dynamics, food, greenspace, neighborhood, social, stress, urbanicity, violence, and other. Additional information on health outcomes, studies evaluating both chemical and non-chemical stressors, and animal studies are provided. This review provides evidence that non-chemical stressors found in a child’s social environment do influence their health and well-being in both beneficial (e.g., salutatory effects of greenspace and social support) and adverse (e.g., poor relationships between health and selected non-chemical stressors such as economics, educational attainment, exposure to violence, stress) ways. Conclusions: This literature review identified a paucity of studies addressing the combined effects of chemical and non-chemical stressors and children’s health and well-being. This literature review was further complicated by inconsistencies in terminology, methodologies, and the value of non-chemical stressor research in different scientific disciplines. Despite these limitations, this review showed the importance of considering non-chemical stressors from a child’s social environment when addressing children’s environmental health considerations.

The Brief COPE: Factor Structure and Associations With Self- and Other-Directed Aggression Among Emerging Adults

The Brief COPE has seen frequent use across populations despite lack of confirmatory factor-analytic examination. We further examine Brief COPE validity with respect to self- and other-directed aggression because emerging adulthood represents a distinct developmental time period in which stress, poor coping, and aggression intersect. Drawing on archival data (n = 576) from a larger investigation of college student health, this cross-sectional survey study tested (1) four competing Brief COPE factor structures, (2) Brief COPE factor associations with aggression, and (3) stress by coping interactions predicting aggression outcomes. Prominent findings included (1) poor-to-marginal confirmatory factor-analytic support for a four-factor structure; (2) positive bivariate associations of avoidant coping with elevated stress, depression, suicide, self-injury, and aggression; (3) positive bivariate associations between adaptive coping strategies with stress and aggression; and (4) an interaction where avoidant coping has a stronger association with other-directed aggression for those low in stress. The interaction findings were significant for males only and applied specifically to hostility. Findings are contextualized within future Brief COPE research as well as emerging adulthood theory.

Stress Associated Alterations in Dietary Behaviours of Undergraduate Students of Qassim University, Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND:

Psychological stress associated eating habits among public health have now become a global concern.

AIM:

This study was undertaken to investigate the levels of psychological stress among undergraduate students of Qassim University and to explore the stress associated alterations in their eating habits.

METHODS:

This is a cross-sectional survey conducted on 614 undergraduate students of Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was used, which included questions on socio-demography and eating habits. Level of stress was measured by a standardised questionnaire highlights the levels of non-chronic stimulation through difficulty relaxing, nervous arousal and being easily upset/agitated, irritable / over-reactive and impatient.

RESULTS:

Our results show that 28.2% of total participants suffered from some extent of stress. Among stressed participants, 17.3%, 49.1%, 24.8% and 8.7% of participants suffered from mild, moderate, severe and extremely severe stress, respectively. Stressed participants were more preferred to eat junk foods such as fast foods, snacks and beverages as compared with unstressed participants (p < 0.05) and the junk food preference was increased with the increase of stress levels. Moreover, non-stressed participants preferred more healthy foods such as vegetarian food, fresh fruits as compared with stressed participants (p < 0.05). Taste and easy to access were the main reasons for the preference of junk foods by the stressed participants.

CONCLUSIONS:

This is the first comprehensive study from Saudi Arabia to show stress associated dietary alterations in undergraduates of Qassim University. Data concluded that most of the young adults followed a healthy eating pattern, but a significant number from them were affected by stress. Therefore, specific intervention programs are strongly recommended for the reduction of stress and to improve their quality of life.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Intensive Care Unit Nurses in China

This cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence and risk factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among intensive care nurses in the Hunan Province of China. Nurses working in mixed intensive care units of 20 tertiary hospitals in this province participated in an online survey regarding work-related musculoskeletal injuries. The seven-part questionnaire included basic demographics; job and workplace characteristics; risk perception; physical, psychosocial, and workplace organizational factors; and musculoskeletal symptoms. The response rate was 70.7% (702 of 993 nurses). Approximately 97% of the respondents reported experiencing at least one work-related musculoskeletal disorder within the previous year. Low back pain was the most commonly reported musculoskeletal disorder (80.1%), followed by neck (78.6%) and shoulder pain (70.4%). The multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that work-related musculoskeletal disorders were significantly associated with female gender (odds ratio [OR] = 0.115), unmarried status (OR = 0.136), a greater perception of risk (OR = 2.352), and lack of a safe work environment (OR = 1.056). These findings underscore the need for nurses and managers to reinforce risk awareness, improve physical and psychosocial working conditions, and promote a safer work environment.

National nursing science priorities: Creating a shared vision

BACKGROUND

Nursing science is essential to advance population health through contributions at all phases of scientific inquiry. Multiple scientific initiatives important to nursing science overlap in aims and population focus.

PURPOSE

This article focused on providing the American Academy of Nursing and nurse scientists in the Unites States with a blueprint of nursing science priorities to inform a shared vision for future collaborations, areas of scientific inquiry, and resource allocation.

METHODS

The Science Committee convened four times and using Delphi methods identified priorities with empirical evidence and expert opinion for prioritization, state of the science, expert interest, and potential target stakeholders.

DISCUSSION

Nursing science priorities for 2017 were categorized into four themes including: (a) precision science, (b) big data and data analytics, (c) determinants of health, and (d) global health.

CONCLUSION

Nurse scientists can generate new knowledge in priority areas that advances the health of the world's populations.