Psycho-Social Factors Associated with Intimacy Needs in Divorced and Widowed Older Chinese Women

The experiences of Chinese colorectal cancer survivors in marital intimacy after ostomy creation: A qualitative study

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks as the third most prevalent cancer globally. The disease and its treatment significantly impact marital intimacy, particularly among individuals who have undergone ostomy creation. Therefore, it is necessary to explore their experiences.

Objective

This study aimed to explore the experiences of colorectal cancer survivors in marital intimacy after ostomy creation and clarify the domain and sub-domain of marital intimacy in CRC survivors with ostomy.

Method

This study used a qualitative descriptive design, and participants were selected by purposive sampling from two hospitals in Henan province, China. Sixteen patients participated in this research, and the data were collected through an in-depth interview from June 27 to September 27, 2023. Colaizzi's method was used to analyze the data.

Results

Five themes emerged from data analysis, including physical intimacy, psychological intimacy, social intimacy, spiritual intimacy, and operational intimacy.

Conclusion

By profiling the experiences of CRC survivors in marital intimacy after ostomy creation, the domain and sub-domain of marital intimacy were clarified in this cohort and revealed that ostomy had a severe effect on marital intimacy among colorectal cancer survivors. The results from this study could be used by nurses, midwives, and other healthcare professionals to design specific interventions covering all aspects of marital intimacy. Also, the findings will guide the development of a particular instrument for marital intimacy in CRC survivors with ostomy.

The mediating effect of perceived stress on the relationship between big five personality traits and suboptimal health status in Chinese population: a nationwide survey in the framework of predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine

Background

The effects of psychological factors on suboptimal health status (SHS) have been widely described; however, mechanisms behind the complex relationships among the Big Five personality traits and SHS are unclear. Identifying people with specific traits who are susceptible to SHS will help improve life quality and reduce the chronic disease burden under the framework of predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine (PPPM / 3PM). This study investigated the relationships among personality traits and SHS. It also explored whether perceived stress plays a mediating role in SHS development.

Method

A nationwide cross-sectional survey based on multistage random sampling was conducted in 148 cities in China between June 20 and August 31, 2022. Personality traits, perceived stress, and SHS were evaluated using the Big Five Inventory-10 (BFI-10), the 4-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-4), and the Short-Form Suboptimal Health Status Questionnaire (SHSQ-SF), respectively. Pearson's correlation analysis was employed to examine the associations between personality traits, perceived stress, and SHS. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to discern the mediating role of perceived stress in the relationships among personality traits and SHS.

Result

A total of 22,897 participants were enrolled in this study, among whom the prevalence of SHS was 52.9%. SHS was negatively correlated with three trait dimensions (i.e., extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) but positively correlated with neuroticism. Meanwhile, stress was negatively correlated with extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness, whereas it was positively correlated with neuroticism. The SEM results showed that, when adjusting for covariates (i.e., gender, age, BMI, educational level, current residence, marital status, and occupational status), higher agreeableness (β =  - 0.049, P < 0.001) and conscientiousness (β =  - 0.103, P < 0.001) led to lower SHS prevalence, higher neuroticism (β = 0.130, P < 0.001), and openness (β = 0.026, P < 0.001) caused SHS to be more prevalent. Perceived stress played a partial mediating role in the relationships among personality traits and SHS, respectively, contributing 41.3%, 35.9%, and 32.5% to the total effects of agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism on SHS. Additionally, the mediating impact of stress was significant even though extraversion had no direct effect on SHS.

Conclusion

This study revealed a high prevalence of SHS in Chinese residents. Personality traits significantly influenced SHS rates, which perceived stress tended to mediate. From a PPPM perspective, early screening and targeted intervention for people with neuroticism (as well as stress alleviation) might contribute to health enhancement and chronic disease prevention.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13167-023-00349-x.

The psychological mechanism underlying neuroticism on divorce proneness: The chain mediating roles of negative partner support and couple burnout and the moderating role of economic level

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have found that neuroticism is a significant predictor of divorce proneness. However, how neuroticism affects divorce proneness remains unclear. Based on the vulnerability-stress-adaptation (VSA) model of marriage, this study aimed to explore the psychological mechanism by which neuroticism affects divorce proneness.

METHODS

A total of 752 Chinese heterosexual married individuals were surveyed by the Neurotic Subscale of the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, the Negative Subscale of the Dyadic Coping Inventory, the Couple Burnout Measure, the Divorce Proneness Scale, and the Personal Monthly Income Survey.

RESULTS

(1) Negative partner support and couple burnout played chain mediating roles in the relationship between neuroticism and divorce proneness, which constructed a chain mediating model. (2) Economic level played a moderating role in the relationship between couple burnout and divorce proneness, which was the latter part of the chain mediating model.

CONCLUSIONS

Divorce proneness can be decreased by perfecting personality traits, reducing negative partner support and couple burnout, and improving the economic level.