With a little help from my (Canadian) friends: Health differences between minimal and maximal religiosity/spirituality are partially mediated by social support

The role of Contact-Tracing Mobile Apps in pandemic prevention: A multidisciplinary perspective on health beliefs, social, and technological factors

During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, governments implemented mobile applications for contact tracing as a rapid and effective solution to mitigate the spread of the virus. However, these seemingly straightforward solutions did not achieve their intended objectives. In line with previous research, this paper aims to investigate the factors that influence the acceptance and usage of contact-tracing mobile apps (CTMAs) in the context of disease control. The research model in this paper integrates the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology and the Health Belief Model (HBM). The present study involved a diverse sample of 770 French participants of all genders, ages, occupations, and regions. Critical elements from the Health Belief Model, technological factors related to the app, and social factors, including the centrality of religiosity, were assessed using well-established measurement scales. The research's findings demonstrate that several factors, such as perceived benefits and perceived severity, social influence, health motivation, and centrality of religiosity, significantly impact the intention to use a CTMA. These findings suggest that CTMAs hold promise as valuable tools for managing future epidemics. However, addressing challenges, revising implementation strategies, and potentially collaborating with specialized industry partners under regulatory frameworks are crucial. This practical insight can guide policymakers and public health officials in their decision-making.

Muslim and Christian Women's Perceptions of the Influence of Spirituality and Religious Beliefs on Motherhood and Child-Rearing: A Phenomenological Study

(1) Background: Spirituality is a factor that plays a role in decisions related to health and illness. When a woman becomes a mother, she undergoes physical, psychological, and social changes for which healthcare professionals must provide the necessary care. However, women may feel misunderstood and stigmatized when they carry out their religious practices and express their spirituality related to motherhood. The aim of this study was to describe the experiences of women with Muslim and Christian religious ideologies on the influence of spirituality and religious beliefs in motherhood and child-rearing. (2) Methods: A descriptive phenomenological qualitative study with two groups of women of Islamic and Christian ideology, respectively. Three focus groups and in-depth interviews were conducted, recorded, transcribed, and analyzed with ATLAS.ti 7.0. An inductive analysis was carried out according to the Moustakas model. (3) Results: Three themes were identified: religious and cultural aspects that determine child-rearing, the influence of spirituality and family on the mother's role, and the support received from healthcare personnel. (4) Conclusions: Spirituality and religious beliefs are manifested during motherhood and child-rearing in the form of infant feeding, the need for their protection, or the need for support from mothers. Healthcare personnel must be able to offer culturally competent and spiritually respectful care. Patients should not be judged based on their spirituality.

Relationships Between Perceived Importance of Chaplain Presence and Health Professionals' Emotional Well-Being in the United States

Hospital-based chaplains receive specialized training to provide spiritual support to patients and healthcare staff during difficult health transitions. However, the impact of perceived chaplain importance on healthcare staff's emotional and professional well-being is unclear. Healthcare staff (n = 1471) caring for patients in an acute care setting within a large health system answered demographic and emotional health questions in Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap). Findings suggest that as perceived levels of chaplain importance increase, burnout may decrease and compassion satisfaction may improve. Chaplain presence in the hospital setting may support healthcare staff emotional and professional well-being following occupational stressors including COVID-19-related surges.

Religion/Spirituality, Mental Health, and the Lifespan: Findings from a Representative Sample of Canadian Adults

Theories of adult development and aging suggest that older adults turn towards religion and spirituality (R/S) to increase meaning and purpose in life, and to assist in coping with adverse experience. We sought to examine the relationship between R/S and positive mental health and mental illness (i.e., psychological distress) in adulthood, and to determine the potential moderating role of age. Data from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey - Mental Health (CCHS-MH), a national population health study, were used. A multivariable linear regression model revealed a significant R/S by age interaction for positive mental health (p = 0.001). Although R/S was associated with positive mental health among all participants, there was a stronger relationship between R/S and positive mental health for older adults. No statistically significant relationship between R/S and psychological distress was observed. Findings highlight the importance of R/S to positive mental health across the adult lifespan. The differential relationships among R/S, positive mental health, and mental illness underscore the utility of using the dual-continua of mental health and mental illness in order to understand their respective determinants.

Throw BABE Out With the Bathwater? Canadian Atheists are No Less Healthy than the Religious

The belief-as-benefit effect (BABE) is a broad term for the positive association between religion/spirituality (R/S) and health outcomes. Functionally, religious variables and religious identities predict greater wellness, which implies that atheists should report worse health relative to religious groups. Using Cycle 29 of the cross-sectional General Social Survey from Statistics Canada (N > 15,900), I explored health differences in stress, life satisfaction, subjective physical wellbeing, and subjective mental wellbeing across R/S identities (atheists, agnostics, Nones, Catholics, Protestants, Eastern Religions). Results indicated that (1). religious attendance, prayer, and religiosity were generally unrelated to all health outcomes for all R/S identities, (2). averagely religious atheists reported health parity with averagely religious members of all other R/S identities, and (3). when comparing a maximally nonreligious atheist group against several maximally religiously affiliated groups, atheists largely showed health parity. If both low R/S and high R/S are associated with comparable wellness, researchers should actively question whether R/S is genuinely salutary.

Why doesn't God say "enough"? Experiences of living with bipolar disorder in rural Ethiopia

RATIONALE

Little is known about the specific experience people living with bipolar disorder in rural, low resource settings, where conditions that disrupt normal social interactions are often highly stigmatized and evidence-based treatments are rare.

OBJECTIVE

To explore illness experience, coping strategies, help-seeking practices, and consequences of illness among people with bipolar disorder (PBD) and their family members in rural Ethiopia as an initial step for developing psychosocial intervention grounded by the experiences of PBD.

METHOD

A qualitative methods using in-depth interviews were carried out with 27 individuals (15 PBD and 12 caregivers). The participants were identified on the basis of previous community-based research among people with severe mental illness. Interviews were carried out in Amharic, audio-recorded, transcribed, and translated into English. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Our approach was informed by phenomenological theory.

RESULT

Three major themes emerged: expressions and experiences of illness, managing self and living with otherness, and the costs of affliction. PBD and caregivers were concerned by different forewarnings of illness. Stigma and social exclusion were entwined in a vicious cycle that shaped both illness experience and the economic health and social life of the household. Nonetheless, PBD and caregivers learned from their experiences, developed coping strategies, and sought relief from trusted relationships, spirituality, and medication.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that psychosocial intervention could be used to strengthen existing resources, in order to improve the lives of PBD and their family members. However, pervasive stigma may be a barrier to group and peer support approaches.