Optimal Sense-Making and Resilience in Times of Pandemic: Integrating Rationality and Meaning in Psychotherapy

Effects of the Combination of Noise Reduction Earplugs with White Noise and Rational Emotional Therapy on Emotional States of Inpatients with Colorectal Cancer

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to explore the effects of the combination of noise reduction earplugs with white noise and rational emotional therapy on the emotional states of inpatients with colorectal cancer (CRC).

METHODS

The study selected 152 CRC patients who received inpatient treatment in our hospital from January 2020 to January 2022 as the research objects. According to different nursing intervention modes, these patients were divided into the observation group (OG, n = 73, conventional nursing + noise reduction earplugs with white noise + rational emotional therapy) and the control group (CG, n = 79, conventional nursing) to compare the emotional status, sleep quality, and other indicators between the two groups.

RESULTS

After 2 and 6 weeks of intervention, the severity of illness and global impression in the OG were notably lower than those in the CG. The OG had remarkably higher efficacy indexes than the CG (p < 0.05). The OG had overtly lower Montgomery-Asberg Depression Scale (MADRS) scores and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) scores than the CG (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The combination of noise reduction earplugs with white noise and rational emotional therapy can improve the emotion and sleep states of patients, with certain positive effects, which can be used as a potential nursing plan for CRC patients.

A latent profile analysis of resilience and the associations with flourishing in emergency nurses exposed to workplace violence in China

Workplace violence (WPV) exposure has been particularly prevalent in emergency nurses, coupled with negative mental health outcomes. Few explored resilience after WPV exposure using the perspective of positive mental health. We aimed to identify latent profiles of resilience and examine associations with flourishing in emergency nurses with WPV exposure. A total of 1241 Chinese emergency nurses were surveyed on the frequency of WPV exposure, resilience, and flourishing. Eight hundred and twenty five participants (90.1% female, 86.6% aged 20-39) reported WPV exposure at least once in the past 3 months. Latent profile analysis identified profiles of resilience as low resilience (15.0%), moderate decision respond and interpersonal link with low rational thought and flexible adaption (18.0%), moderate resilience (31.0%), high decision respond, interpersonal link, and rational thought with moderate flexible adaption (16.0%), and high resilience (20.0%). Higher flourishing was observed in profiles of moderate resilience, high decision respond, interpersonal link, and rational thought with moderate flexible adaption, and high resilience. We differentiated profiles of resilience and the associations with flourishing in emergency nurses with WPV exposure, which informed targeted interventions for promoting positive mental health.

The effects of virtual logotherapy on health-promoting lifestyle among single-parent adolescent girls during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: a randomized clinical trial

Single-parent adolescents are vulnerable individuals and it is necessary to improve their health, particularly during epidemics. This study aimed to investigate the effects of virtual logotherapy (VL) on health-promoting lifestyle (HPL) among single-parent adolescent girls during the COVID-19 pandemic. This single-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted on 88 single-parent adolescent girls recruited from the support organization for vulnerable individuals in Tehran, Iran. They were randomly allocated to a control and an intervention group through block randomization. Participants in the intervention group received VL in three-five person groups in 90 min biweekly sessions. The Adolescent Health Promotion Short-Form was used to assess HPL. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software (v. 26.0) and through the independent-sample t, Chi-square, Fisher's exact, and Mann-Whitney U tests. There was no significant difference between the intervention and the control groups respecting the pretest mean score of HPL (73.58±16.74 vs. 72.80±9.30; P=0.085). However, the posttest mean score of HPL in the intervention group (82 with an interquartile range of 78-90) was significantly more than the control group (71.50 with an interquartile range of 63.25-84.50) (P=0.001). Moreover, after adjusting the effects of the significant between-group differences respecting pretest mean scores, the pretest-posttest differences of the mean scores of HPL and all its dimensions in the intervention group were significantly more than the control group (P<0.05). VL is effective in significantly improving HPL among single-parent adolescent girls. Healthcare authorities are recommended to use VL for health promotion among single-parent adolescents.Trial registrationThis research was registered (17/05/2020) in the www.thaiclinicaltrials.org with registration number: TCTR20200517001.

Adaptive responding to prolonged stress exposure: A binational study on the impact of flexibility on latent profiles of cognitive, emotional and behavioural responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

The high level of uncertainty brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the general population's well-being and capacity for adaptive responding. Studies indicate that flexibility, defined as the ability to choose and employ a variety of emotional, cognitive and behavioural strategies in accordance with changing contextual demands, may significantly contribute to adaptive responding to long-term stressors such as COVID-19. In the current study, we aimed to investigate which facets of flexibility predict different latent profiles of adaptive responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel and Germany. A total of 2330 Israelis and 743 Germans completed online questionnaires measuring cognitive and coping regulatory flexibility and cognitive, emotional and behavioural responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyses revealed three distinct response profiles in each country (high, medium and low). These profiles differed in both anxiety and depression symptoms with the non-adaptive response group experiencing clinically relevant symptoms both in Israel and Germany. Additionally, cognitive flexibility and coping flexibility emerged as significant predictors of response profiles in both countries. Training cognitive and coping flexibility may thus help individuals respond more adaptively to psychosocial stressors such as COVID-19. Such training could be selectively administered to less flexible subpopulations as well as adapted to the specific population characteristics.

Challenges of Researchers in Conducting International Study during the Eruption of COVID-19: Student and Mentor Perspectives

Conducting an international research study may bear various challenges; however, during the global COVID-19 crisis, such a study undertakes unpredictable trajectories. This paper explores the challenges experienced by researchers studying Syrian refugees' physical and mental health and aid workers serving under humanitarian organizations in Lebanon. It includes information about the changes in the study's goals and design with the emergence and spread of SARS-CoV-2, as necessitated by the circumstances COVID-19 imposed. It focuses on the unique perspectives of the research team of two students and their mentor who faced multiple challenges while involved in the study, and their narratives and subjective experiences that led to new opportunities for growth in the project. The research team specifically engaged in humanistic and existential psychology in order to conduct research in a manner conducive to personal and professional development, productivity and growth. To conclude, the researchers propose recommendations to the academic community on mitigating some of the challenges faced when conducting international research, and suggestions to the humanitarian sector serving vulnerable populations in conflict zones during COVID-19.