Effects of (un)employment on young couples' health and life satisfaction

Quality of life of a healthy polish population due to sociodemographic factors during the COVID-19 pandemic - a cross-sectional study

Introduction

The quality of life should be studied in every person, both among the sick and healthy. Sociodemographic factors affect the level of the perceived quality of life (QoL), and especially in the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the enforcement of certain behaviours in society, such as social distancing, as well as introduced panic and fear for one's own health and life. The main aim of the study was to assess the quality of life in the group of people without the disease, to assess the impact of sociodemographic factors on QoL during the pandemic.

Material and method

3,511 healthy people were included in the study. The inclusion criteria of the study were: age of respondents over 18 years, no continuously administered medicaments, no diagnosed chronic diseases and no treatment in specialist clinics as well as lack of positive COVID-19 test in 4 weeks before the examination. The SF-36 questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life. The student's t-test and intergroup comparisons were used in 7 age groups. Factors such as age, gender, place of residence, education, civil status, employment status, smoking, and physical activity were assessed.

Results

The lowest average QoL level in the studied population was recorded in the Mental Component Summary (MCS) dimension (X = 47.9;Cl:47.6-48.3). A high correlation between age and the SF-36 spheres was noted in the following spheres: physical functioning (PF), role physical (RP), Physical Component Summary (PCS), and ILQ (p < 0.001). The highest chance of a better QoL in the PCS dimension among men was recorded in the 30-39 age group (OR = 3.65;Cl:1.13-11.79). In the group of people over 50 years of age living in the village, there was a greater chance of a better QoL in the PCS dimension in each age group. Practicing physical activity was significantly more often conditioned by a higher chance of developing a better QoL (p < 0.05). In the group of people ≥80 years of age, there was a greater than 4 times higher chance of developing a better quality of life in terms of MCS among physically active people (OR = 4.38;Cl:1.62-11.83).

Conclusion

With age, QoL decreases among people with disabilities. Men are more likely to assess their health better. A better QoL among women occurs at age 80 and later. A higher level of education often determined a significantly higher level of QoL felt. The practising of recreational physical activity and the lack of smoking habit determined a higher level of QoL more often. Smoking provided a greater chance of a better QoL in ILQ in the group of people ≥80 years.

Examining Intra- and Inter-Personal Health Effects of Optimism and Pessimism: The Role of Subjective Well-Being in Romantic Couples

Recent meta-analytic research suggests that the absence of pessimism could be a stronger predictor of physical health than the presence of optimism (Scheier et al., 2021a). The present study examined the role of subjective well-being in the effects of optimism and pessimism on physical health in romantic couples. It was hypothesized that pessimism would be more strongly associated with both well-being and health than optimism, intra- and inter-personally. Subjective well-being was also expected to explain variance in the associations between optimism, pessimism, and health. A baseline sample of 153 opposite-sex couples completed various measures of subjective well-being (e.g., life satisfaction, positive and negative affect, and depressive symptoms) and physical health (e.g., subjective health, sleep efficiency, physical symptoms, cold symptoms, and chronic illness). Results of actor-partner interdependence models showed that the absence of pessimism, but not the presence of optimism, was associated with better physical health at baseline and over time. Pessimism was also a stronger predictor than optimism of baseline levels in some indicators of subjective well-being. These effects were obtained intra- and inter-personally. Finally, subjective well-being explained variance in some of the effects of pessimism on levels of physical health. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.

Changes in Work Status, Couple Adjustment, and Recovery Capital: Secondary Analysis of Data From a Congruence Couple Therapy Randomized Controlled Trial

Purpose

Employment and family/social relationships are 2 of the highest priorities among those in substance use recovery. This study examined the relationship of work status with couple adjustment and other recovery capital treatment outcomes among symptomatic alcohol, substance use, and gambling participants (N = 38) using data collected in a randomized trial comparing a systemic Congruence Couple Therapy (CCT) and individual-based Treatment-as-Usual (TAU).

Method

Change scores and associations between work status and couple adjustment together with 8 other recovery outcome variables at post-treatment (5 months from baseline) and follow-up (8 months from baseline) in TAU (n = 17) and CCT (n = 21) were analyzed.

Results

Number of those working increased with both CCT and TAU but without reaching significance in either CCT (Cochran's Q = 5.429, P = .066) or TAU (Cochran's Q = 2.800, P = .247). Relative to those not working in the combined sample, those working showed significantly improved scores in post-treatment and follow-up in addictive symptoms, couple adjustment, psychiatric symptoms, depression, and life stress. Separating the CCT and TAU groups, similar trend was found in the CCT group but was inconsistent in the TAU group.

Conclusion

Significantly greater improvement in addictive symptoms and recovery capital of couple adjustment, mental health, and life stress was found in the working vs not-working group. Compared to individual-based TAU, exploratory findings indicate that the systemic treatment of CCT showed a clearer and more consistent difference in improved working days, addictive symptoms and recovery capital. Replication with larger samples is needed to generalize these results.

Employment Stress and Couple Adjustment among Clients With Disorders of Gambling and Alcohol Use: Themes of Transfers in Congruence Couple Therapy

Background

Individuals with problematic gambling, alcohol and substance use commonly report lower employment rates and more employment-related problems such as job loss, work conflicts and poor performance.

Method

A thematic qualitative analysis was conducted to extract employment-related themes from 21 sets of addiction counselors' case notes of couple therapy sessions (average 10 sessions per case) from a randomized controlled trial of Congruence Couple Therapy (CCT). Case notes were examined for the types of employment issues to answer the research question: What are the interconnections of employment, couple adjustment and addictive behaviors as revealed in the CCT counselors' case notes?

Results

Five key areas of employment-related stress were identified: (1) unemployment, (2) financial concerns, (3) history of crime, (4) overworking and workaholism, and (5) workplace conflict. These themes interacted negatively with couple adjustment and addictive behaviors. Using CCT as an intervention, clients gained skills in 4 areas transferred to employment: (1) awareness of self, other and family of origin, (2) congruent communication, (3) work-family balance, and (4) enlisting spousal support. These themes intersected with enhanced work functioning and reduced stress, alcohol use and gambling.

Conclusion

Employment problems negatively impacted addictive behaviors, couple adjustment and well-being of partners and clients. Skills and awareness gained in CCT promoted changes in addicted clients' employment functioning and coping with employment stress. The domains of work and couple adjustment are mutually influential in increasing or reducing stress with implications for addiction recovery. CCT as a viable intervention for enhancing employment function should be further studied.

Quality of Life and Health among People Living in an Industrial Area of Poland

Background: The quality of life and health status of the population significantly depends on socio-economic factors, including working and employment conditions. Methods: This epidemiological cross-sectional study was carried out among young inhabitants aged 25–44 years living in the Silesian voivodeship in Poland. The quality of life was evaluated using the short version of the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. Results: A total of 905 respondents were examined. It was shown that the poor quality of life in all assessed domains was associated with a low job satisfaction level, low physical activity, and higher self-assessed health status. Furthermore, the worse self-assessed health status in the study group was mainly related to such factors as earlier diagnosed chronic disease, lower job satisfaction, and low physical activity. Additionally, diagnosed chronic disease among occupationally active respondents was correlated with health deterioration due to excessive stress, living in the vicinity of heavy road traffic, and was declared by women more frequently. Conclusions: The results of the presented study confirmed that the quality of life and health status in young inhabitants of the Silesian voivodeship significantly depends on the work characteristics, employment conditions and lifestyle factors.

Dyadic Coping Across the Lifespan: A Comparison Between Younger and Middle-Aged Couples With Breast Cancer

The association between dyadic coping and adjustment to cancer has been well-established. However, a significant gap in the literature is the understanding of how the life stage of couples may influence their dyadic coping and the accompanying quality of life. Although younger couples have been identified at higher risk for poor coping because of less collaborative behaviors and higher vulnerability to stress, only a limited number of studies have addressed younger women's coping with breast cancer in the context of close relationships. The present study addressed the differential impact of the illness on the quality of life and dyadic coping behaviors of younger and middle-aged dyads and the influence of relational mutuality on couples' coping in the two groups. A sample of 86 couples participated in a cross-sectional study; 35 younger couples were compared to 51 middle-aged dyads. Patients and partners completed measures of quality of life, dyadic coping, and mutuality. Independent-samples t-tests were used to examine differences in the two groups, while the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) identified actor and partner effects of relational mutuality on dyadic coping. Younger women and their partners reported statistically significant worse quality of life and dyadic coping scores than the middle-age group. For younger couples, positive and negative coping styles were the result of both actor and partner effects of mutuality. The study highlighted the more negative impact of breast cancer on the quality of life of younger patients and partners. It also revealed a stronger influence of each partner's relational mutuality compared to the middle-age group in predicting both adaptive and maladaptive coping behavior. Future studies should continue to examine the developmental trajectory of dyadic coping across the lifespan in order to develop psychosocial interventions to promote younger dyads' coping efforts.