Health Psychology Report最新文献

Background: COVID-19 has led and still leads all nations to adopt virus containment plans, considering possible strategies that help to live with the virus. The present study aimed to investigate the practical, psychological and emotional aspects of living with COVID-19.

Participants and procedure: A total of 250 young adults (86% female), who lived in north-western Italy, took part in an online photovoice study, in respect of social distancing. They participated in a group discussion following the method SHOWeD. The researchers analyzed the photographs along with comments and transcripts from the SHOWeD group discussions using the triangulation process of visual and textual data. The collected data were analyzed on the basis of grounded theory, with the support of the NVivo 12 software.

Results: From the analysis of the emotions concerning the psychological health of participants, 4 categories were identified. The results reveal benefits and emotional aspects that have stimulated the increase of individual and community empowerment. COVID-19 has led and still leads all nations to adopt virus containment plans, considering possible strategies that help to live with the virus.

Conclusions: From the analysis of the results it emerged how the online photovoice was a tool that allowed on the one hand the sharing of experiences and emotions related to living with COVID-19 and on the other hand to maintain social ties despite physical distance.

Background: Risk perceptions are central to health behavior, but some types of risk perceptions may be more strongly connected to behavior than others. This research examined different risk perceptions of COVID-19 and their respective associations with behavior intentions and worry.

Participants and procedure: U.S. college students (N = 248) and general adults (N = 300) reported their risk perceptions of COVID-19 - including absolute numerical, verbal, comparative, and feelings of risk - as well as their worry and intentions to do things such as get vaccinated.

Results: Although most risk perceptions related to intentions and worry, feelings of risk were the most strongly and consistently related. The associations showed that the higher people's feelings of risk were, the greater were their intentions and worry.

Conclusions: Assessing feelings of risk of COVID-19 may provide the best insight into people's perceived threat of this virus.

Background: Critical lower limb ischaemia is associated with a 20% annual risk of amputation and death. It is necessary to activate patients' personal resources which comprise mental dispositions needed to effectively cope with the disease. The objective of the study was to evaluate the correlation between the attitude toward the vascular reconstruction and self-efficacy (SE), health locus of control (HLoC) and own life quality (QOL) assessment in patients with critical lower limb ischaemia.

Participants and procedure: The study involved 64 patients with critical lower limb ischaemia (Rutherford 4 and 5), 26 women and 38 men. Four scales were applied during primary admission: the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale; the Satisfaction with Life Scale; the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale; and the visual scale revealing attitude to vascular reconstruction.

Results: The attitude to the vascular reconstruction was positive (M = 8.50). The lowest grades were given by those hospitalised several times during follow-up (M = 8.30); women expressed low grades (M = 7.71). An overall positive correlation was found between the positive attitude to the surgery and self-efficacy (p = .012), internal HLoC (p = .041) and external locus (p = .026). In the patients who died within six months from baseline assessment, no correlations were found. In subjects with no readmission, a correlation was found between positive attitude to surgery and the external personal HLoC (p = .023). In patients with subsequent readmissions, a correlation was found between the originally positive attitude to the surgery and poor self-efficacy (p = .009).

Conclusions: Patients with weak mental dispositions cannot cope with difficult situations and show a tendency to experience strong emotions, concentrating on their deficiencies, resulting in decreased motivation and feeble engagement in treatment. Poor mental disposition influences the final outcome of the vascular reconstruction.

Background: Teaching is a profession associated with high levels of stress and burnout, affecting teachers' performance in the workplace. The main goal of the current study is to investigate stress and burnout conditions of teachers working presently in inclusive schools and the corresponding influence of personal variables.

Participants and procedure: Participants were 7086 regular teachers, or non-specialists, and 442 special education teachers, or specialists (N = 7528).

Results: Non-specialist teachers showed higher levels of burnout than specialist teachers in inclusive schools. Additionally, the results showed that higher levels of burnout are correlated with vulnerability to stress (perfectionism, inhibition, lack of social support, adverse living conditions, dramatization of existence and subjugation), in both groups of teachers. Non-specialists with more professional experience showed a high global score on burnout. In both groups, teachers with a higher level of training (academic degree and specialization) showed lesser vulnerability to stress, especially lower dependence. Concerning the predictors of burnout, vulnerability to stress played an important role as a predictor in both groups, suggesting that more vulnerable teachers are more prone to develop burnout, fatigue and exhaustion.

Conclusions: Stress emerges as an important predictor of burnout. Non-specialist teachers are more exposed to burnout and stress in an inclusive workplace, because they have to deal with new demands, requiring new resources, especially new professional skills. On the other hand, teachers with more academic and professional training show higher resilience to stress and more independence, suggesting the crucial value of training to improve an inclusive school workplace. Training can have an important impact on stress/burnout and consequently on the professional performance and efficacy of teachers in inclusive schools.