Community resilience and the impact of stress: Adult response to Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon

Against the background of the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, we investigated the relationship between perceived community resilience and the effect of stress and life satisfaction. The research sample included 741 adults, aged 18–85. The participants were divided into four groups, three of which live close to the Israel–Lebanon border and were directly exposed to the threat created by war and terror. The fourth group was considered as a control group and included subjects from the central region of Israel, who were not directly exposed to the war with Lebanon and to the possible outcomes of withdrawal. Questionnaires were distributed to the participants immediately after the withdrawal from Lebanon and were completed by them between 1 and 3 weeks after the withdrawal. The items were designed to measure perceived community resilience, the effects of stress, and life satisfaction, and demographic background. The results show that the level of threat has a significant impact on community resilience, namely, that living in situations with a high level of threat over a long period of time results in a lower level of community resilience. In addition, community resilience serves as a partial mediator between the level of threat and the effect of stress and life satisfaction. The results highlight the importance of perceived community resilience as an individual resource for coping with the threat created by war and terror, thereby connecting between micro‐ and macro‐levels in events related to political violence. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 32: 439–451, 2004.     

Psychological capital and life satisfaction of refugees in Canada: Evidence from a community‐based educational support program

Drawing on a 2‐year community‐based participatory research project, and grounded in the theories of positive psychology, this article examines the effects of targeted educational support on refugee participants’ psychological capital (PsyCap)–hope, self‐efficacy, resilience, and optimism–as well as life satisfaction. Two groups of participants attended a 14‐week trauma‐informed, educational support program in 2 consecutive sessions. The program was designed in collaboration with George Brown College, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Wellesley Institute, and the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture. The study aimed to understand the link between psychological capital and life satisfaction among refugees. Findings show that the participants’ psychological capital–particularly PsyCap‐resilience and PsyCap‐optimism–improved consistently, which in turn was reflected in the participants’ improved life satisfaction. The result also indicated a relationship between the four main characteristics of psychological capital and life satisfaction. We conclude that these indications of a potential positive association between refugees’ psychological capital and life satisfaction should be further examined.     

Psychological community integration among people with psychiatric disabilities and nondisabled community members

This study examined individual and neighborhood predictors of the psychological community integration of people with psychiatric disabilities and nondisabled community members. One hundred twenty‐three adults (60 psychiatrically disabled, 63 general community residents), completed measures of sense of community, life satisfaction, psychiatric symptoms, and perceptions of neighborhood. Mental health consumers living in independent scatter‐site apartments did not differ from other community members in either sense of community or life satisfaction. Among mental health consumers, neither symptoms nor demographic variables predicted sense of community, whereas objective neighborhood characteristics did. Conversely, among community members, age and symptoms predicted sense of community while objective neighborhood characteristics did not; perceived neighborhood characteristics predicted sense of community in both samples. Findings suggest that consumers living in independent housing may achieve levels of psychological community integration comparable to other community members, and that neighborhood factors impact degree of community integration in this population. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Psychosocial adjustment during pregnancy for older couples conceiving through assisted reproductive technology

BACKGROUND: The trend to older maternal age at first birth is well established in Western countries and biological risk factors, particularly declining fertility, are well documented. Less is known, however, about the psychosocial well-being of older first time parents. This study explores differences in psychosocial adjustment during pregnancy in older (maternal age >or= 38 years) and younger (maternal age < 35 years) couples after assisted reproductive technology (ART) conception. METHODS: Questionnaire data were collected from a consecutive cohort of pregnant nulliparous women and their partners recruited over a 12-month period from ART clinics in Sydney, Australia. RESULTS: There were more similarities than differences when comparing older and younger couples. Older couples took longer to conceive and were more likely to use donor eggs. Older pregnant women scored higher on a measure of psychological hardiness/resilience and reported a lower identification with motherhood compared with younger pregnant women. Older men differed only in reporting a less satisfying social orientation during pregnancy (lower satisfaction with sex life, relationship with partner and social life). CONCLUSIONS: Findings do not indicate problematic adjustment during pregnancy in older couples, but differences found need further investigation using larger samples and prospective designs.     

老年人心理弹性与生活质量关系的meta分析

目的:了解老年人心理弹性与生活质量关系研究的现况,通过meta分析探讨基于Pearson相关系数的心理弹性与生活质量的相关性。方法:在中国知网全文数据库、维普期刊资源整合平台以及PubMed数据库进行关于老年人心理弹性与生活质量的文献检索,检索时限至2019年12月。由两名研究者独立按照纳入排除标准筛选文献、提取信息并评价质量后,使用RevMan5.3软件对采用r值作为结局指标的文献进行meta分析、相关性分析和亚组分析。结果:共纳入10篇文献,文献质量为中等水平。Meta分析显示,老年人心理弹性与生活质量呈正相关(r=0.51,P<0.01)。我国老年人心理弹性与生活质量的相关系数高于国外(0.54 vs.0.53);我国北方地区老年人心理弹性和生活质量相关系数高于南方地区(0.81 vs.0.40);来自社区的老年人心理弹性与生活质量相关系数高于医院(0.67 vs.0.31)。结论:老年人心理弹性与生活质量呈中等正相关,相关性存在地区差异和样本来源差异。     

HOPE AND LIFE SATISFACTION AMONG UNDERPRIVILEGED CHILDREN IN HONG KONG: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF PERCEIVED COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Poverty is a long‐standing problem in developing and developed countries alike. It not only affects people's health and well‐being but may also create the social burden if not addressed appropriately. The present study of 150 children (aged 7–12 years) examines how the disadvantaged children's personal attribute interacts with the environment in developing their well‐being. Structural equation modeling provides evidence to our understanding of children who grow up in poverty. Not only are both hopeful thinking and perceived community support predictive of the children's satisfaction with life, but the perceived community support also plays a critical mediating role in the influence of hope on life satisfaction. This finding matches resilience literature, that to overcome great odds and to achieve well‐being, factors both within the individual and external sources of support, are also important in interactional ways. It also highlights the critical role of availability of community resources and support.     

Characteristics Associated with High Resilience among Aged People Exposed to the Jeju 4·3 Incident

The purpose of this study was to identify characteristics related to high resilience among older people exposed to the Jeju 4·3 incident. A total of 1,121 aged adults were assigned to low, medium, and high resilience groups, and factors associated with low and high resilience were investigated. High resilience was significantly associated with a low prevalence of depression and high levels of life satisfaction and psychosocial support, as well as with younger age, being a man, higher education level, and current employment. The results deepen our understanding of resilience in the aged people who experienced the early life trauma.     

Mentoring relationships of eldercare staff in Australia: Influence on service motives,sense of community,and caregiver experiences

Employees (76 women, 15 men; mean age = 44.61 years old; SD = 10.84) of a nonprofit eldercare program completed measures of public service motives, community self‐efficacy, sense of community with coworkers, and caregiver satisfaction and stress. Participants also identified whether they had a mentor in their life, someone with more experience who provided support and guidance to them. Employees with mentors (n = 47) compared to those without a mentor (n = 44) indicated (controlling for social desirability) (1) significantly stronger motives to help others as boosting self‐esteem, understanding of social problems, and reflection of one's values; (2) significantly stronger beliefs in a common mission and a desire to be supportive of peers; and (3) less caregiver stress in helping older adults. Limitations and implications are discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 33: 245–252, 2005.     

SUPPORT,SENSE OF COMMUNITY,AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STATUS IN THE SURVIVORS OF THE YAAN EARTHQUAKE

This research examined associations among social support, governmental support, sense of community, and psychological status, including depression and life satisfaction, in Yaan earthquake survivors, based on a cross‐sectional survey conducted in June 2014. The survey applied a nonprobability sampling method and a total of 495 survivors aged 18 years and older completed the questionnaire. Regression analyses revealed that social support and sense of community were associated with depression. Sense of community mediated the relationships between depression and both social and governmental support. Governmental support and sense of community were associated with life satisfaction. Sense of community mediated the relationships between life satisfaction and both social and governmental support. The findings suggest that social support, governmental support, and sense of community would enhance the psychological well‐being of disaster survivors.     

Mediating effects of social support on firefighters' sense of community and perceptions of care

This study examined the relationship between psychological sense of community, social‐support networks, and care‐giver stress and satisfaction among firefighters. No significant gender differences were obtained, but zero‐order correlates demonstrated significant relationships among all four variables. In examining the mediating effects of social‐support satisfaction, partial mediation for psychological sense of community on care‐giver satisfaction was determined, as well as full mediation for psychological sense of community on care‐giver stress. Therefore, firefighters who are satisfied with the support they receive may experience less stress with their care giving than those who experience low levels of support satisfaction. Future studies should assess these relationships more extensively in other areas of civic responsibility among public‐service employees to delineate effective support avenues. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 32: 121–126, 2004.     

Sense of community and depressive symptoms among older earthquake survivors following the 2008 earthquake in Chengdu China

This study examined the impact of an earthquake as well as the role of sense of community as a protective factor against depressive symptoms among older Chinese adults who survived an 8.0 magnitude earthquake in 2008. A household survey of a random sample was conducted 3 months after the earthquake and 298 older earthquake survivors participated in it. The results showed that earthquake‐associated distress had a direct effect on depression controlling for coping, informal support, and sense of community. The results also showed that the effect of earthquake‐associated distress is contingent upon the level of sense of community. The findings highlighted the role of individuals' sense of community as a protective factor against traumatic experiences and suggested that attempts to build trust and form a sense of belonging to the new community among older earthquake survivors would help them reduce distress and facilitate a smooth recovery. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Life satisfaction and inflammation in couples: an actor–partner analysis

Life satisfaction has been linked to lower cardiovascular disease mortality. However, much less is known about the biological mechanisms linking life satisfaction to physical health. In addition, the dyadic context of life satisfaction has not been considered despite increasing evidence that partners influence each other in health-relevant ways. These questions were addressed with 94 married couples who completed measures of life satisfaction and had their blood drawn for determination of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP). Actor–partner models showed that higher actor levels of life satisfaction predicted lower levels of IL-6 and CRP (p’s < .05), whereas partner levels of life satisfaction did not predict any measure of inflammation. The actor results were not mediated by marital satisfaction or health behaviors. Finally, no actor × partner interactions were significant and these links were not moderated by marital satisfaction. These data highlight inflammation as a potentially important biological mechanism linking actor reports of life satisfaction to lower cardiovascular mortality.     

Couples coping with multiple sclerosis: a dyadic perspective on the roles of mindfulness and acceptance

This study investigated the roles of mindfulness and acceptance on adjustment in couples coping with multiple sclerosis (MS) by examining the effects of an individual’s mindfulness and acceptance on their own adjustment (actor effects) and the effects of their partner’s mindfulness and acceptance on their adjustment (partner effects) using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model. The study was a cross-sectional standard dyadic design that collected data from couples coping with MS. Sixty-nine couples completed measures of mindfulness, acceptance and adjustment (depression, anxiety, life satisfaction, positive affect and relationship satisfaction). As hypothesised there were actor effects of mindfulness and acceptance on better adjustment, however, the beneficial actor effects of mindfulness were only evident on depression and anxiety. The actor effects of both mindfulness and acceptance on relationship satisfaction were moderated by MS status. Regarding partner effects, there was support for the beneficial impact of acceptance on partner relationship satisfaction. In addition, the partner effect of acceptance moderated the actor effect of acceptance on depression, such that the actor effect on lower depression was weaker when the partner reported high acceptance. Findings support the roles of mindfulness and acceptance in shaping individual and dyadic adjustment in couples coping with chronic illness.     

Influence of social participation on life satisfaction and depression among Chinese elderly: Social support as a mediator

This study explored the influences of social participation and the mediating effects of social support on the mental health of Chinese elderly based on data from the 2012 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS). The participants comprised 696 older adults in CLASS, including 340 (48.9%) male and 354 (50.9%) female. The mean age of the sample was 68 (standard deviation = 7.08). The results of structural equation modeling showed that social participation was significantly associated with the life satisfaction and depression of the elderly. A high level of social participation was associated with more social support and consequently predicted few depressive symptoms among older adults. However, social support was not significantly associated with life satisfaction of the elderly. Our findings provided cross‐cultural evidence for theories, and had significant implications for social work practice and social policy.     

Burnout and Resilience among Emergency Physicians at Korean University Hospitals during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

PurposeThis study aimed to investigate burnout and resilience among emergency physicians (EPs) at university teaching hospitals during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.Materials and MethodsIn April to May 2021, a survey was administered to 331 and 309 emergency medicine specialists and residents, respectively, from 31 university teaching hospitals in Korea. Data on the respondents’ age, sex, designation, working area, experience with treating COVID-19 patients, and personal experience with COVID-19 were collected. Based on the participants’ characteristics, quality of life (compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress), resilience, emotional content, and self-image were analyzed.ResultsA total of 247 responses were analyzed. Compared to specialists, compassion satisfaction and resilience in residents were not good, burnout was severe, and emotional content and self-image were less positive. Experiences with treating COVID-19 patients did not cause any difference in quality of life, resilience, emotional content, and self-image among participant subgroups. Personal COVID-19 experiences were associated with poor compassion satisfaction, resilience, less positive emotional content and self-image, and severe burnout. Compassion satisfaction, secondary traumatic stress, and resilience can definitively affect burnout.ConclusionThe quality of life and resilience of EPs in university teaching hospitals in Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic have been low. Supportive measures to improve resilience can prevent burnout among emergency staff, particularly residents and EPs, with personal experiences related to COVID-19.     

Who’s asking the important questions? Sexual topics discussed among young pregnant couples

The aim was to examine gender differences in sexual risk communication among young couples and factors influencing communication. Sample consisted of 296 young pregnant couples. We assessed individual, interpersonal, and community factors on sexual risk communication. The Actor–Partner Independence Model was used to assess actor and partner effects on sexual risk communication. For actor effects, being female, older, not being Hispanic, and higher condom use self-efficacy was associated with sexual risk communication. The significant partner effect was avoidant romantic attachment. Gender interactions were significant for high risk behaviors and family functioning. High risk behaviors and family functioning were associated with sexual risk communication for females but not for males. The study emphasizes the need to promote sexual risk communication among young high risk couples, particularly for males. Family support could serve as a catalyst for sexual risk communication and other sexual protective behaviors among young couples.     

Life stressors,mastery, and perceived partner engagement in HIV‐Risk behavior

The relationships among level of personal mastery, economic stress, number of sexual partners, pregnancy status, and perceived partner engagement in HIV‐risk behaviors (i.e., intravenous drug use, imprisonment, and sex with other partners) were studied in a sample of 1069 single, inner‐city women. African American and European Americans were equally represented. We predicted that greater economic stress, a lower sense of personal mastery, and more sexual partners would be associated with greater perceptions of partner engagement in HIV‐risk behavior. We also predicted that personal mastery would serve as a moderating variable in the presence of life stressors (e.g., being pregnant, having multiple sexual partners). The findings supported the hypotheses. Women with more economic stress, multiple sexual partners, and lower personal mastery reported higher perceived partner engagement in HIV‐risk behavior than women with lower economic stress, one sexual partner, and higher personal mastery. Personal mastery had a greater impact for women with multiple sexual partners and for those who were pregnant. These findings were qualified by women's ethnicity. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Quality of life,satisfaction with life,and functional mobility of young adults with arthrogryposis after leaving pediatric care

The aim of this study was to describe satisfaction and quality of life (QOL) of young adults with arthrogryposis after leaving pediatric care. Twenty‐three adults with arthrogryposis multiplex congenital (AMC) followed at a single pediatric orthopedic hospital (average age 23.6 years; range 18–36 years; 9 males, 14 females) completed questionnaires related to demographics, mobility, and activities of daily living. The Patient Reported Outcomes Measure Information System and Satisfaction with Life Scale were utilized to evaluate QOL and life satisfaction. Eighty‐three percent reported general health as good/excellent, 30% lived independently, 69% were ambulatory in the community, and 57% were employed. QOL scores for physical function were lower, but other QOL scores were consistent with the general U.S. population. Average pain intensity was mild at 2.6 out of 10, with pain frequently reported in the legs and feet. Fifty‐six percent were satisfied to extremely satisfied with life. Five individuals who were dissatisfied with life also reported lower physical function, higher anxiety, depression and fatigue, and pain in multiple joints. Although most young adults with AMC presented with mild pain and limitations in physical function; overall, they reported good QOL. Findings from the current study will help clinicians anticipate the needs of individuals with AMC as they transition from pediatric to adult care.     

Can prevention of marital distress improve well‐being? A 1 year longitudinal study

This study investigates the effectiveness of a marital distress prevention program for couples with low marital satisfaction with regard to a possible improvement of physical and psychological well‐being. Fifty‐nine couples, composing the intervention group, participated in a prevention program lasting 18 hours and focusing on the enhancement of coping resources (Couples Coping Enhancement Training). These couples were matched with 59 couples receiving no intervention (comparison group). The results reveal that the prevention program is able to improve psychological well‐being among both genders and life satisfaction among women. It seems that these effects are stable over 1 year. On the other hand, no significant effects could be observed on physical well‐being. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Neighborhoods and neighbors: Do they contribute to personal well‐being?

The present study examined the relationship between characteristics of neighborhoods (with set physical boundaries and relatively homogeneous populations) and personal well‐being as mediated by sense of community and neighboring behavior. A randomly selected representative sample of 345 residents living in non‐apartment dwellings in Winnipeg, Canada, completed a mail survey that included created measures of neighboring and sense of community and the General Health Questionnaire. Results demonstrated that sense of community mediates the relationship between neighborhood stability (as defined by the marital status and mobility) and residents' well‐being. The frequency of engaging in neighboring behavior was not directly predictive of residents' sense of personal well‐being, but was predictive of increased sense of community. Consistent with previous research, findings highlight the importance of building a sense of community among residents in a neighborhood. Implications of findings for neighborhood planning are discussed. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 32: 9–25, 2004.