Psychological health and resilience: the impact of significant earthquake events on tertiary level professional students. A cross-sectional study

The mediating role of self-efficacy, social support, and hope in the relation between mental health and resilience among 2023 Türkiye earthquake survivors

This research aims to investigate the mediating role of self-efficacy, social support, and hope in the relationship between depression, anxiety, stress, and resilience in 2023 Türkiye earthquake survivors (N = 491). The findings from a multi-mediation analysis showed the indirect effect of depression, anxiety, and stress on resilience through self-efficacy, social support, and hope. Thus, self-efficacy, social support, and hope may be protective factors for resilience in earthquake survivors. Strategies to improve self-efficacy and hope in earthquake survivors and social support may be necessary in reducing the stress factors caused by earthquakes.

Gratitude practice helps undergraduates who experienced an earthquake in China find meaning in life

This study was conducted following a magnitude 6.8 earthquake that occurred in early September 2022, coinciding with the commencement of a positive psychology course for the affected students. A sample of 479 Chinese undergraduates was recruited for an intervention focused on weekly gratitude practice. Data were collected through an online questionnaire package at 3 time points: the first week of the course (Time 1), the fifth week (Time 2), and the ninth week (Time 3), assessing gratitude, learning engagement, and the meaning of life. Findings revealed that gratitude significantly predicted meaning in life through learning engagement over time. This highlights the significant mediating role of learning engagement in the context of earthquakes and provides insights for positive interventions aimed at facilitating personal growth among emerging adults in higher educational settings, particularly those who have experienced traumatic events such as earthquakes.

How are you coping with the COVID-19 pandemic? Survey of undergraduate dental students' well-being during an unexpected global event

BACKGROUND

COVID-19 pandemic has led to major life changes including suspension of dental education programmes worldwide. The impact of this unexpected disruption in clinical teaching needs to be assessed.

AIM

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 restriction measures on the undergraduate dental students' perception regarding their physical, mental and social well-being as well as financial stress and anxiety for their future careers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An electronic questionnaire (Qualtrics, Provo, Utah, USA) with main themes (general well-being, academic stressors, financial implications and dental career concerns) related to the COVID-19 lockdown was sent to the undergraduate dental students at the University Of Otago, New Zealand. Participants were asked to rank their answers according to a 5-level Likert scale (strongly disagreed-strongly agreed). Other questions included demographic, fee-paying status and living situation.

RESULTS

There were 301 out of 376 students who responded to the survey. Generally, the students perceived that the COVID-19 restrictions affected their behavioural and social well-being (3.20 ± 0.75) and less impact on their physical (2.75 ± 0.82) and psychological (2.79 ± 0.62) well-being. Students were significantly worried about their academic work and future careers (3.41 ± 1.20), but less concerned with their financial situation (2.74 ± 1.14).

CONCLUSIONS

The study provides valuable information on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on undergraduate dental students, and areas that the University should consider when providing support to the affected students. It is important that the University is proactive and prepared to deal with future pandemics effectively and efficiently.

Mental Health Disturbance after a Major Earthquake in Northern Peru: A Preliminary, Cross-Sectional Study

Little has been studied in Peru on the mental health repercussions after a major earthquake. We aimed to explore the factors associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms in people who experienced a 6.1 magnitude earthquake in Piura, Peru, on 30 July 2021. A preliminary cross-sectional study was conducted in the general population between August–September 2021. An online questionnaire was provided using PHQ-9, GAD-7, and other relevant measures. Generalized linear models were applied. Of the 177 participants, the median age was 22 years, the majority were female (56%), and many experienced depressive (52%) or anxiety symptoms (52%). Presence of depressive symptoms was associated with a personal history of mental disorder, moderate housing damage, social/material support from politicians, moderate food insecurity, and insomnia. Presence of anxiety symptoms was associated with physical injury caused by the earthquake, mild food insecurity, and insomnia. The development of depressive and anxiety symptoms following the 2021 earthquake experienced in Piura depended on multiple individual and socioeconomic factors. Additional studies should reinforce the factors identified here given the methodological limitations, such as the study design, sampling method, and sample size. This would lead to effective intervention measures to mitigate the impact of earthquakes on mental health.

Global emotional and spiritual well-being and resilience of Advanced Practice Nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

Aim

To evaluate the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the emotional and spiritual well‐being and resilience of a global sample of Advanced Practice Nurses.

Design

A web‐based cross‐sectional mixed methods study. Survey data were collected from Advanced Practice Nurses globally over a 2‐month period ending on 31 August 2020.

Methods

The Warwick‐Edinburgh Mental Well‐being Scale, FACIT‐12 Spiritual Well‐being Scale and Connor‐Davidson Resilience Scale 10 were used to quantify emotional and spiritual well‐being and resilience of Advanced Practice Nurses' globally. The survey was distributed internationally using snowball sampling via a secure platform (Qualtrics). Results were analysed using various bivariate tests for associations and group differences.

Results

Nine hundred and twenty‐eight Advanced Practice Nurses from 53 countries participated in the study. Study participants reported meaningfully lower scores in resilience and emotional well‐being compared with non‐pandemic scores. Participants from countries with well‐developed Advanced Practice Nurses roles reported lower resilience and well‐being scores compared with those from countries where Advanced Practice Nurses roles are still being developed. Each scale revealed significant positive associations with the other scales.

Conclusions

Emotional and spiritual well‐being and resilience of Advance Practice Nurses has been significantly impacted during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Regardless of their work location, work hours, credential or demographics, the APNs in our study reported lower levels of resilience and mental well‐being compared with typical scores on the instruments.

Students, Stress, and the Pandemic: An Occupational Health Perspective for Nursing Education

BACKGROUND

Nursing students have high risk factors for stress, and the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic underscored weaknesses in mitigating nursing student stress and supporting well-being. Occupational health uses proven frameworks and perspectives for understanding and mitigating health risks, and promoting worker wellness. Nurse educators can draw from this knowledge to implement system-level changes in support of a safe and healthy learning environment.

METHOD

This article describes the use of an occupational health strategy to create healthier educational environments.

RESULTS

Applying occupational health concepts to nursing education supports honest appraisal of mental health dangers to students, offers keys to managing student health risks, and provides effective approaches for communicating risks with mitigation tactics.

CONCLUSION

An occupational health and safety perspective creates a lens through which nursing stress resulting from the pandemic can be viewed and managed creatively using a holistic approach to mitigate harm from stress in the nursing educational setting. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(12):674-679.].

The immediate impact of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak on subjective sleep status

Background

An outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been ongoing in China since January 2020. The threat of infection affects the work and life of most of the population and may also damage sleep. This study aims to examine the subjective sleep status and mental health of the population during the peak of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Method

The data were collected through an online questionnaire with a sample of 5461 individuals in China from February 5, 2020, to February 23, 2020. Participants were divided into four groups based on their degree of threat from COVID-19: Group 1 was most closely associated with COVID-19, including inpatients diagnosed with COVID-19, first-line hospital workers and first-line management staff; Group 2 included outpatients diagnosed with COVID-19 and patients who developed a fever and visited the hospital; Group 3 included people related to Group 1 or 2, such as their colleagues, relatives, friends and rescuers; and Group 4 was the farthest removed from contact with COVID-19, covering the general public affected by COVID-19 prevention strategies. The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) and Acute Stress Disorder Scale (ASDS) were used.

Results

Threat degree of COVID-19 (groups) had significant correlations with insomnia, depression, anxiety, and stress (p < 0.05, p < 0.01). Age, gender, and area (Hubei province or other provinces) had significant correlations with insomnia (p < 0.01). A total of 1380 (24.46%) participants were suspected of having major depression based on the PHQ-9. Additionally, 1042 (18.47%) participants were suspected of having generalized anxiety disorder based on the GAD-7. A total of 892 (15.8%) of the participants had Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) according to the ASDS. The prevalence of clinical insomnia during the outbreak was 20.05% (1131) according to the ISI. The factors of satisfaction with the current sleep pattern and how perceptible the symptoms of the current sleep pattern are to other people (p < 0.05) and the middle (difficulty staying asleep) and terminal (waking up too early) (p < 0.01) factors of the ISI were significantly different across groups. A total of 1129 (20.01%) participants spent more than one hour awake in bed.

Conclusion

The results indicated that insomnia is more severe in people who are female, young, living in the epicenter and experiencing a high degree of threat from COVID-19. As prevention and treatment efforts continue with regard to COVID-19, the general public has developed poor sleep hygiene habits, which deserve attention.

Posttraumatic Stress and Depression in the Aftermath of Environmental Disasters: A Review of Quantitative Studies Published in 2018

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

As interest in the mental health consequences of environmental disasters increases, this review aimed to summarize peer-reviewed studies published in 2018 on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms after such events.

RECENT FINDINGS

Notable trends in the past year of research included studies focusing on vulnerable populations (e.g., persons with preexisting physical health conditions), assessing the cumulative impact of exposure to multiple disasters, exploring pathway leading to PTSD and depression symptoms, and evaluating the effectiveness of post-disaster interventions. Over 100 articles were identified, focused on 40 disasters that occurred between 1982 and 2017. Prevalence estimates ranged from 0 to 70.51% for PTSD and 1.9 to 59.5% for depression. Consistent predictors of adverse outcomes included female gender, socioeconomic disadvantage, high disaster exposure, and low psychosocial resources. Further research that expands upon recent advances in the literature is critical given the large proportion of the world's population exposed to disasters and the increasing incidence of such events.

Is there any association between dietary patterns, food security status and psychiatric disorders among Iranian earthquake victims?

BACKGROUND

Diet changes through disasters may affect psychological health as well as general health. The present study aimed to find food security status-that is defined by having enough food for an active, healthy life-dietary patterns and their relationship with probable psychiatric disorders in earthquake survivors.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study conducted on 350 women who survived in East Azarbaijan earthquake (At 4:53 am on 11 August 2012). Food frequency questionnaire, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale and food security questionnaire of the US Department of Agriculture were used to assess dietary patterns, psychological and food security status, respectively. P values were considered significant at <0.05.

RESULTS

Four major dietary patterns were defined based on factor analysis. These four dietary patterns explained of 37.09% variation of food intakes. Ten per cent of the population was food secure. There was no significant association between tertiles of major dietary patterns and risk of all psychological disorders (p values>0.05).

CONCLUSION

There was no statistically significant association between major dietary patterns and psychiatric disorders. Further well-designed studies need to find any significant association.

Role of Student Nurse in the Prehospital Medical Teams Responding to the Scene of A Terrorist Attack in France

BACKGROUND

The terrorist attacks in Paris and in Saint-Denis in November 2015 were unprecedented events involving various human and material resources. These events question the role of nurse students in prehospital teams.

PURPOSE

To investigate nursing students' preference about whether they wished to participate in the prehospital care during a terrorist attack.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted with student nurses, from two nursing schools in the Greater Paris area. They completed an anonymous survey assessing the desire to be called to help the mobile intensive care units (MICU) or another ward; whether their presence should be mandatory, and the feelings associated with their experience. The responses were collected with a visual analogue scale and could range from 1 (yes, very much) to 10 (no, not at all). A Chi-square test was performed for qualitative variables and a Mann-Whitney test for quantitative variables.

FINDINGS

Among 225 students, 205 (91%) responded, 133 (65%) were women. When on duty, 169 (82%) would have preferred to accompany the MICU team, compared with 31 (15%) who would have preferred not to go. Overall, 146 students (71%) considered that this presence should be optional. Only gender was significantly associated with the choice to accompany the MICU team (W = 87% vs. M = 13%; p = .002). Students expressed a moderate feeling of frustration and fear.

DISCUSSION

Students would prefer to assist the MICU team responding to the scene of a terrorist attack but feel this choice should be optional. A discussion in nursing schools and universities should be considered for the implementation of a "systematic" procedure to ensure the student's willingness to participate in such interventions.