Dispositional resilience predicts psychological adaptation of seafarers during and after maritime operations

BACKGROUND

Seafarers, whether on cargo, fishery, or naval ships, may be exposed to unique and unusual psychological demands related to the often isolated, confined, and extreme environments associated with ocean-going vessels. This necessitates optimal psychological adaptation to maintain individual well-being during the mission and afterwards. This study set out to explore whether psychometric measures could predict psychological adaptation of seafarers, specifically navy sailors, during and after maritime operations. It used emotional regulation as marker of adaptation, and examined the role of psychometric measures of dispositional resilience and emotional regulation to predict psychological adaptation at subsequent time-points.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 168 sailors completed the Brief Sailor Resiliency Scale, Dispositional Resilience Scale 15, and Mental Toughness Questionnaire 18 prior to departing for sea, as well as the Brunel Mood Scale at 5 time points over a 12-month operational cycle.

RESULTS

Higher resilience scores were consistently associated with more adaptive emotional regulation. Multiple linear regressions indicated that the Brief Sailor Resiliency Scale predicted emotional regulation over the shorter term, while the Mental Toughness Questionnaire 18 predicted emotional regulation over the longer term. Further, mid-mission emotional regulation also predicted emotional regulation at the end of deployments.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings support several practical applications. Firstly, formal organizational initiatives to promote resilience could be useful to enhance adaptation during and after missions. Secondly, measuring seafarers' dispositional resilience could allow the streaming of vulnerable individuals towards appropriate mental health support services. Thirdly, past indicators of adaptation could be useful to enhance decision- making regarding subsequent utilisation. This may be applicable to seafarers in both naval services and commercial shipping, and to personnel in remote weather stations or other isolated and inaccessible research facilities.

Effects of Dispositional Resilience and Self-Efficacy on Practice in Advanced Care Planning of Terminally Ill Patients among Taiwanese Nurses: A Study Using Path Modeling

This study aimed to expand on previous research elucidating the effects of dispositional resilience and self-efficacy on practice in advanced care planning (ACP) of terminally ill patients among Taiwanese nurses using path modeling. This cross-sectional study was conducted using cluster sampling. Data were collected using demographics, nurses’ knowledge, attitude, and practice of ACP (KAP-ACP) inventory, Dispositional Resilience Scale, and General Self-Efficacy Scale. A total of 266 nurses from a tertiary medical center in northern Taiwan participated in this study in 2019. The results showed that gender and ward were significant K-ACP predictors among nurses. The ACP knowledge, ward, and experience of caring for terminally ill friends or relatives were significant A-ACP predictors, whereas ACP attitudes, dispositional resilience, self-efficacy, ward, and the frequency of caring for terminally ill patients were the key predictors of P-ACP. The path modeling showed that dispositional resilience; self-efficacy; medical, surgical, hematology and oncology wards; previous experience in caring for terminally ill friends or relatives; participating in the do-not-resuscitate signature; and the frequency of caring for terminally ill patients directly influenced ACP practices. We recommend that nurses enhance their dispositional resilience and self-efficacy, which may encourage them to appreciate the value of ACP practice of terminally ill patients and improve the quality of care.

Dispositional resilience in treatment-seeking patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and its association with treatment outcome

There is a lack of research on the relation between obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and resilience. Dispositional resilience, as described and defined in literature on hardiness, consists of three facets, namely beliefs about having control in everyday living, having a sense of purpose or commitment, and a positive attitude toward challenges. This study explores associations between dispositional resilience (measured with the Dispositional Resilience Scale (DRS-15-R)), symptom severity, and treatment outcome in a sample of 89 patients treated with concentrated exposure therapy (cET), and compares the findings with scores from two reference groups (students and soldiers). The patient group had significantly lower resilience scores than the two reference groups. Weak correlations were observed between dispositional resilience and OCD symptoms. Differences in dispositional resilience were weakly related to remission status at follow-up (odds ratio of 1.11). Furthermore, resilience improved from pre- to post-treatment (Cohen's d of 0.65). Our results imply that patients' initial resilience score does not hinder nor facilitate treatment effects to a great extent in this format of ERP treatment.