Psychology & Health最新文献

Objective: There is a lack of research on how illness representations as represented in the Common Sense Self-Regulation Model (CS-SRM) emerge and develop. We aimed to describe the evolution of COVID-19 illness representations over time, and to explore associations with sociodemographic characteristics and protective behaviours.

Methods and measures: This study (June 2020 release from lockdown to February 2021 after vaccine roll-out) used 17 independently recruited cross-sectional cohorts. Telephone interviews with randomly selected Scottish adults (N_total = 8455) assessed illness representations and adherence to protective behaviours (physical distancing, wearing face covering, hand washing).

Results: Multivariable regression showed that beliefs in consequences and longer duration initially increased but later reduced. Overall females (Beta's = -.067-.226), older people (Beta's = .002-.014) and people from deprived areas (Beta's = -.200-.072) represented COVID-19 as more threatening and time did not change most of these associations. People who felt more threatened [F(9, 4587) = 55.746, p < .001, R² = .099] or believed COVID-19 was caused by lacking protective behaviours [F(8, 4804) = 59.738, p < .001, R² = .090] were more likely to adhere to protective behaviours. Believing not keeping distance as a cause was associated with adherence; this association strengthened over time.

Conclusion: Illness representations changed over time, mirroring increasing knowledge and improved medical management, but also reflecting population anxiety and sense of control. Sociodemographic differences may relate to social roles and vulnerability. Illness representations predicted protective behaviours.

Long COVID (LC) affects physical health and cognition, limiting participation in social and leisure activities. As a novel disabling condition following a COVID-19 infection, informal caregivers of those with LC have taken on expanded roles, including educating themselves on this diagnosis. Gathering insights from people living with LC (PWLC) and their caregivers is crucial for understanding its impact on well-being and identifying targeted rehabilitation practices across the LC care pathway. Utilizing a qualitative descriptive approach, we conducted interviews with 67 participants (52 people with LC and 15 caregivers). Results: Composite narratives were created to introduce three key themes: (1) The demands of managing physical and cognitive symptoms of LC limit the ability of PWLC and caregivers to engage in social and leisure activities; (2) The loss of meaningful social and leisure activities deepens a diminished sense of identity for PWLC and caregivers; and (3) The absence of shared social and leisure engagement intensifies feelings of disconnection and loneliness for PWLC and caregivers. The findings support a need for more social- and leisure-targeted interventions for LC rehabilitation to help to optimize efforts for coping with the psychosocial impacts of living with, or caring for someone with, LC.

Objective: Mobile phone dependency, sleep duration, and body mass index (BMI) are interconnected facets of an adolescent's lifestyle. Existing research has largely yet explored only two of these variables in tandem at between-person levels. This study addresses this gap by examining the temporal dynamics among them over six timepoints, at both between- and within-adolescent levels.

Methods: Annual data (N = 4,729, 48.8% female) from two nationally representative South Korean birth cohorts were utilized, covering Grade 5 through Grade 10 and Grade 8 through post-high school.

Results: Both a cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) and a random-intercept CLPM indicated that phone dependency had inconsistent effects on sleep duration, while having minimal effects on BMI. While longer sleep duration is linked to a lower BMI, a lower BMI is associated with increased phone dependency at inter-adolescent levels. Longer sleep durations lead to greater phone dependency, both at inter- and intra-adolescent levels during educational transitions, suggesting the need for increased support during these critical periods.

Conclusion: The temporal relations among mobile phone dependency, BMI, and sleep duration are intricately intertwined, emphasizing the importance of considering developmental periods and gender differences among adolescents.

Objective: African American (AA) women in the U.S. South experience significant HIV incidence, and efforts to support antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake and maintenance among this group have been insufficient. This study aimed to explore perceptions, attitudes, and implementation preferences surrounding PrEP use for AA women in the U.S. South.

Methods and measures: The study team conducted qualitative interviews with AA cisgender women clients (n = 21) and their providers (n = 20) in Federally Qualified Health Centers and HIV clinics in Alabama. The research team employed directed qualitative content analysis to analyze interview data.

Results: Five themes emerged: a) inconsistent access to PrEP and PrEP knowledge, b) need for improving low PrEP awareness, c) managing hesitancy to prescribe or use PrEP, d) perceived HIV vulnerability and inherent stigma, and e) normalizing PrEP as part of routine sexual healthcare to increase uptake and maintenance. Interviews revealed an openness towards PrEP as an HIV prevention strategy for AA, cisgender women in Alabama.

Conclusion: Improving PrEP uptake and maintenance among AA women in the U.S. South must go beyond increasing awareness to improving PrEP access and trust through visibility of AA women's PrEP use and incorporating PrEP education and services into routine sexual healthcare.

Background: Although psychological factors predict the development of persistent pain after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), psychological interventions to prevent persistent pain are under-explored. This pilot trial evaluated the acceptability and feasibility of a cognitive-behavioural intervention targeting risk factors for post-surgical pain among patients scheduled for TKA (UTN: U1111-1243-1067/ACTRN12621001095853).

Methods: Patients with elevated expectations of post-surgical pain and anxiety were recruited from TKA waiting lists. Treatment was remotely delivered by a psychologist over 3 sessions, supported by online and written resources. Eligibility, recruitment and completion rates, and perceptions of treatment were collected. Pain, disability, pain- and treatment-expectations, self-efficacy and catastrophizing were measured pre- and post- intervention.

Results: Of 241 people pre-screened, 144 were invited to complete screening, 51 declined, 58 did not meet inclusion criteria, 35 enrolled, and 30 completed the trial. Satisfaction ratings were high, and participants found the content understandable, useful and relevant. Pre to post treatment scores for pain intensity and pain catastrophizing improved with small effect sizes.

Conclusions: A psychological intervention is acceptable to patients awaiting TKA and may lead to small improvements in pain-relevant outcomes. An RCT aimed at reducing persistent post-surgical pain by combining cognitive behavioural therapy with physical therapy and medical optimisation is planned.

Objective: The way older adults navigate their healthcare is critical to supporting positive health outcomes. However, navigating healthcare with multimorbidity is typically disjointed due to complexities in treatment, management, and service provision. This study sought to examine how older patients navigate healthcare whilst living with multimorbidity.

Methods and measures: Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with five older adults, aged 65 or older, living with multimorbidity in residential care in England. An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis was undertaken.

Results: Overall, participants experienced navigating healthcare whilst living with multimorbidity as challenging. Group Experiential Themes included 'Health knowledge and understanding', 'Relationships and expectations' and 'Navigating health care with a single lens'. Collectively these themes represented narratives involving how having limited understanding of health conditions, experiencing challenges in communication with health professionals, and receiving segmented care in a health care system driven by a single condition focus interfered with navigation.

Conclusion: These findings highlight experiences of older adults living with multimorbidity navigating healthcare and illustrate several ways older adults living with multimorbidity may be supported to navigate services with less challenges. The research also promotes the need for future research in this area.

Objective: International research highlights the detrimental impact of endometriosis on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), yet few studies have examined positive resources such as self-compassion and resilience as correlates. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the relationship between self-compassion and HRQoL in individuals with endometriosis in Aotearoa New Zealand. Resilience and perceived symptom severity were examined as potential mediators.

Methods and measures: Six hundred and three individuals with endometriosis completed an online questionnaire measuring demographic and endometriosis-related information, endometriosis symptoms (number and severity), HRQoL, self-compassion and resilience.

Results: In line with international research, the current sample reported significant impairment in all aspects of HRQoL. As expected, those with higher levels of self-compassion reported less impairment in HRQoL, and this relationship was partially mediated by perceived symptom severity (all aspects of HRQoL). Resilience mediated the relationship between self-compassion and two aspects of HRQoL (emotional wellbeing and control/powerlessness).

Conclusion: These findings confirm that HRQoL is significantly impaired in individuals with endometriosis in Aotearoa New Zealand and point to the potential role of self-compassion and resilience as protective factors in encouraging positive coping styles to manage symptoms and maintain high HRQoL. Interventions targeting self-compassion may be a promising tool to improve wellbeing in individuals with endometriosis.

Objective: Physical activity (PA) is critical for weight loss maintenance (WLM) success. Clarifying mechanisms behind PA engagement may suggest new WLM intervention targets. This study examined an application of temporal self-regulation theory (TST) to enhance our understanding of PA during WLM.

Methods and measures: Participants (n = 214) who achieved a ≥ 5% weight loss during a 4-month weight loss intervention were recruited into an 18-month WLM trial. TST constructs (i.e. PA beliefs, intention, behavioral prepotency, self-regulatory capacity) were measured via self-report measures. PA was subsequently assessed over a 7-day period with waist-worn Actigraph GT9X. Robust linear regression models and generalized linear mixed models tested the association between PA beliefs and intention, and the associations between intention, behavioral prepotency, self-regulatory capacity and device-measured PA at baseline and 18-months.

Results: Short-term positive beliefs were associated with intention at baseline and 18-months, whereas short-term negative beliefs were associated with intention at 18-months only. Intention was associated with moderate/vigorous PA (MVPA) minutes and bouted MVPA at baseline and 18-months. The intention by self-regulatory capacity interaction was significant at baseline.

Conclusion: Findings lend some support for the use of TST for understanding PA and suggest that short-term beliefs about PA may represent a meaningful target for intervention.

Objective: To investigate the effect of two brief self-affirmation interventions, immediately prior to reading standard information about bowel cancer screening, on state anxiety, message acceptance and behavioural intention to screen for bowel cancer.

Methods: 242 adults aged 49 were randomised to one of two self-affirmation interventions (health or values) or one of two control conditions, before reading an NHS England bowel cancer screening leaflet. Participant friend and family history of bowel cancer, state anxiety, message acceptance, behavioural intention to screen, trait self-esteem and spontaneous self-affirmation were measured. Data were analysed using between-participants analysis of variance, planned contrasts and moderated regression.

Results: No main effects of experimental condition on levels of state anxiety, message acceptance and behavioural intention were found. However, planned contrasts showed participants who self-affirmed about their health or values (conditions-collapsed) were significantly less anxious and reported significantly higher behavioural intentions compared to participants in the controls (conditions-collapsed). Irrespective of condition, higher levels of spontaneous self-affirmation and trait self-esteem were correlated with lower anxiety, higher intentions, and message acceptance.

Conclusion: There was some evidence of the effect of health-based self-affirmation on lowering anxiety; however, further research is needed to explore the effectiveness of different self-affirmation interventions in larger samples.

We examined the relationship between social distancing and daily fluctuating variables like mood, loneliness, substance use, and current illness symptoms in a U.S. nationally representative sample of N = 772 young adults who had reported alcohol use in 12th grade. Participants completed up to 14 daily assessments in Spring 2021. We measured social distancing related to the COVID-19 pandemic and daily mood, loneliness, substance use, and illness symptoms. Around a third of the sample reported social distancing on all days, and a third reported no social distancing. Young adults tended to adhere to a consistent level of social distancing. Those who socially distanced the most also reported less alcohol consumption and higher loneliness. When social distancing increased within person, cold/flu symptoms were higher, and positive mood and alcohol consumption were lower. Future public health efforts may benefit from findings that social distancing was quite stable within person, and not influenced by daily level of loneliness. We did find evidence that young adults slightly increased social distancing on days when cold/flu symptoms were higher, suggesting some adherence to public health guidelines.