Sense of community and life satisfaction in Chinese older adults: Moderating roles of personal and partner resilience

From an ecological perspective, this study aimed to examine the relationship between a sense of community and life satisfaction as moderated by personal resilience and partner resilience among Chinese older adults. Using a cross‐sectional design, a total of 258 Chinese couples (age range 60–97 years) completed measures related to sense of community, resilience, and life satisfaction. The results showed that (a) sense of community was positively associated with life satisfaction after controlling for personal resilience, partner resilience, and other covariates, and (b) a three‐way interaction between sense of community, personal resilience, and partner resilience emerged to predict life satisfaction. Specifically, the effect of sense of community on life satisfaction under the condition of low personal resilience–low partner resilience was weaker than it was under other conditions. Tailored interventions to enhance community resources, individual resilience, and couples’ strengths are recommended to promote the life satisfaction of Chinese older adults.     

高校贫困生生活事件、复原力与心理健康的关系

目的了解高校贫困生生活事件、复原力与心理健康的关系。方法使用GHQ-20、A SLEC、大学生复原力量表对664名大学生进行问卷调查。结果①高校贫困生心理健康与非贫困生存在显著差异(t=4.063,P0.05);②贫困生复原力高低分组分别在心理健康和忧郁、焦虑维度上存在显著差异(t=8.351,8.162,P0.01;t=4.468,P0.05);③贫困生生活事件高低分组在忧郁维度上存在非常显著差异(t=13.328,P0.001);④复原力对心理健康的预测作用十分显著(β=-0.416,P0.001),生活事件对心理健康的预测作用十分显著(β=0.307,P0.001),生活事件对复原力的预测作用十分显著(β=-0.232,P0.001)。结论可建立生活事件、复原力与心理健康的路径模型图。     

The population prevalence of Down's syndrome in England and Wales in 2011

There is uncertainty over the population prevalence of people with Down''s syndrome in England and Wales. This study aimed to estimate the population prevalence of Down''s syndrome in England and Wales in 2011. A meta-analysis of published survival rates of people with Down''s syndrome from 1938 to 2010 was conducted and the results were applied to the estimated numbers of babies born with Down''s syndrome since 1938 in England and Wales. An estimated 37 090 people had Down''s syndrome in England and Wales in 2011, a population prevalence of 0.66 per 1000 people; 650 under 1, 2673 aged 1–5, 7115 aged 5–18, 12819 aged 19–40, 10 626 aged 41–55 and 3207 aged 56 and older. The average life expectancy for babies with Down''s syndrome born in 2011 was 51 years and the median life expectancy was 58 years. This study provides clarity on the number of people with Down''s syndrome in England and Wales. Owing to sudden increases in the survival of babies with Down''s syndrome in the 1950s there are a large proportion of people with Down''s syndrome who are in their 40s. These people have an increased risk of developing dementia in the future and services should be aware of their potential needs.     

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.     

Monitoring early developed low bone mineral density in HIV-infected patients by intact parathyroid hormone and circulating fibroblast growth factor 23

Background/purposeHIV-infected patients have a high prevalence of low bone mineral density (BMD), but BMD changes remain unclear. This cross-sectional retrospective observational study aimed to characterize the prevalence and associated factors of low BMD in HIV patients.MethodsBetween 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2016, all patients aged 20 years or greater who sought for HIV care were included. BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Multivariable analyses of the association with HIV disease status, treatment and anthropometric parameters were performed. Circulating fibroblast growth factor 23 and intact parathyroid hormone were measured.ResultsA total of 137 patients was included; their median age was 39 years old; 97.8% were treated with combination antiretroviral therapy (cART); Body mass index (BMI) was 21.97 kg/m². Sixty-one patients (44.5%) showed low BMD (osteopenia and osteoporosis) based on the WHO criteria. The median BMD was ?0.80 g/cm² (IQR, ?1.5 to ?0.2). The prevalence rate of low BMD was 37% in those who were aged 20–29 years, 45.2% in those who were aged 30–39 years, 45.2% in those who were aged 40–49 years, 45.8% in those who were aged 50–59 years, and 53.8% in those who were aged ≧60 years. More than half of patients (50.4%, 69/137) were younger than 40 years. Compared with normal BMD group, the low BMD group has a higher proportion of secondary hyperparathyroidism (18.0% vs 5.3%, p: 0.026) and a lower median C-terminal FGF23 level (48.92 vs 62.61 pg/ml, p: 0.008). Univariate and multivariate analyses of the factors associated with low BMD. We found that only serum intact-parathyroid hormone (iPTH) > 69 pg/ml (OR, 3.86; 95% CI, 1.14–13.09) was statistically significant associated with low BMD in multivariate analysis.ConclusionsThis cohort-based survey showed a high prevalence of low BMD among HIV-infected adults which included young-age patient in an university hospital. Secondary hyperparathyroidism was significantly associated with low BMD. There was no association between FGF23 and low BMD.     

Humiliation, loss and other types of life events and difficulties: a comparison of depressed subjects, healthy controls and their siblings

BACKGROUND: It has been proposed that adverse life events involving loss or humiliation are particularly potent in provoking depressive episodes. We have also previously suggested that experiencing high rates of non-severe events may play a role in the development of resilience to the impact of severe threatening events when these occur. METHOD: The Life Events and Difficulties Schedule (LEDS) (Brown & Harris, 1978) was used to record the life events experienced by 108 depressed probands and their nearest aged siblings as well as 105 healthy control subjects and their nearest aged siblings. All subjects were interviewed using the Schedule for the Clinical Assessment of Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) (Wing et al. 1990). RESULTS: Depressed probands were significantly more likely to have experienced a severe threatening event, loss event, or a humiliation event compared to the other subjects. These events also made up a greater proportion of the total number of events, in the depressed probands. Humiliation events were more frequent in depressed men than depressed women. There were no differences between the four groups for experiencing a non-severe event, although depressed probands also experienced more difficulties than the other three groups. Fifty-six healthy subjects who had not become depressed despite having experienced at least one severe and threatening event, had significantly more non-severe events, than the 116 subjects who were depressed at the time of interview. CONCLUSIONS: The findings support the hypothesis that loss and humiliation events are particularly depressogenic. Experiencing a high rate of non-severe events may be associated with resilience to becoming depressed in the face of a threatening event.     

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.     

Self-compassion weakens the association between hot flushes and night sweats and daily life functioning and depression

Objectives

Some women find hot flushes and night sweats (HFNS) to interfere more in daily life and mood than others. Psychological resources may help to explain these individual differences. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of self-compassion, defined as healthy way of relating toward the self when dealing with difficult experiences, as a potential moderator of the relationship between HFNS and daily life activities, which in turn influences symptoms of depression.

Study design

This was a cross-sectional study using questionnaire data from 206 women aged 40–60 who were currently experiencing hot flushes and/or night sweats. Path analysis was used to model relationships among menopausal factors (HFNS frequency and daily interference ratings), self-compassion and mood.

Main outcome measure

Hot flush interference in daily activities and depressive symptoms.

Results

On average, women experienced 4.02 HFNS per day, and HFNS frequency was moderately correlated with interference ratings (r = 0.38). In the path analytic model, self-compassion made significant direct contribution to hot flush interference ratings (β = −0.37) and symptoms of depression (β = −0.42), and higher self-compassion was associated with lower interference and depressive symptoms. Self-compassion also moderated the relationship between HFNS frequency and hot flush interference. Higher self-compassion was associated with weaker effects of HFNS frequency on daily interference.

Conclusions

Self-compassion may weaken the association between HFNS and daily life functioning, which in turn, could lead to less HFNS-related mood problems. These findings imply that self-compassion may be a resilience factor to help women manage hot flushes and night sweats.     

深圳市农村老年人生活满意度与心理状况调查

生活满意度是指个人生理、心理和社会的良好状态及幸福感、满足感 ,是测量老年人生活质量的一个重要指标[1] 。本文对深圳市宝安区 10 5 5名农村老年人进行调查 ,旨在探讨老年人生活满意度和心理卫生状况的现状及生活满意度的主要影响因素 ,为社区老年保健工作提供指导依据。1　对象和方法1.1　调查对象以单纯随机抽样法在深圳市宝安区随机抽取 2个镇 ,然后以整群抽样法在 2个镇内各随机抽取 5个村 ,在被抽取的 10个村内共有 10 89名年龄≥ 6 0岁、有常住户口的老年人 ,其中 13名老年人因有严重的听力及精神障碍而被排除。以此 10个村内所有…     

Understanding the influence of resilience for people with a lived experience of mental illness: A self‐determination theory perspective

Behaviors associated with resilience can be seen as tantamount to coping with stress and vulnerability. This is important for people who live with mental illness. This study aimed to determine whether key basic psychological needs influence resilience among people with a lived experience of mental illness. A total of 159 consumers with a lived experience of mental illness completed self‐report surveys measuring resilience and the basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) espoused in self‐determination theory. A 2‐step analysis was conducted, including Pearson product correlations and stepwise multiple regression. Higher levels of relatedness significantly predicted resilience. Competence and autonomy did not have a significant influence on resilience. Reconnecting or establishing social relationships within ones community is important for people living with mental illness. The link between resilience and relatedness ought to be considered in treatment plans.     

Resilience and related factors during female Ecuadorian mid-life

Background

Studies reporting on resilience (capacity to overcome life adversity) and the menopausal transition are scarce.

Objective

To assess resilience and related factors in mid-aged Ecuadorian women.

Method

This was a cross sectional study in which 904 women aged 40–59 completed the 14-item Wagnild and Young Resilience Scale (WYRS) and a general socio-demographic questionnaire containing personal and partner data. Lower total WYRS scores indicate less resilience. Internal consistency of the tool was also assessed.

Results

Median age of all surveyed women was 49 years. A 51.1% were postmenopausal, 43.8% lived high altitude, 43.5% were abdominally obese, 12.6% used hormone therapy and 80.8% had a partner. Internal consistency was high for the WYRS tool (Cronbach's alpha: 0.94). Multiple linear regression analysis determined that lower total WYRS scores (less resilience) correlated with high altitude residency, more severe hot flushes, sedentarism, higher abdominal circumferences and having a partner with erectile dysfunction. Contrary to this, higher WYRS scores correlated with higher parity and sexual activity.

Conclusion

As assessed with the WYRS tool, lower resilience of this mid-aged Ecuadorian female sample was related to various female and partner lifestyle and health issues, not necessarily related per se to the ageing process. More research using the tool is warranted.     

北京城乡老年人轻度认知障碍患病率调查

目的：调查北京地区老年人群轻度认知功能障碍（MCI）的患病率,分析患病的相关因素。方法：采用逐户访问方式,抽样调查了北京城乡社区60岁及以上老年人1865例,调查分为2个阶段,第1阶段筛查,由经过培训的调查员完成调查问卷及记忆量表、生活活动能力量表（ADL）及认知量表（MMSE）等测验。第2阶段临床诊断,由神经科专科医师对有主诉或家属诉其有明显记忆障碍者,及或有MMSE分数低于界值者进行病史收集、临床体格检查和神经心理测验,并由两名医师最后做出诊断。结果：1865例60岁及以上老年人中有MCI者217人,占11.6%,标化患病率为8.9%。患有MCI的老人中,22.6%为血管性因素所致（MCI-V）。MCI患病率在农村地区、低教育水平及体力劳动为主的老年人群中增加,随年龄增长,患病率增高。结论：与痴呆的患病特征相同,高龄、低教育水平、居住在农村的老年人是MCI的高发人群。     

Promoting resilience in street connected young people in Guatemala: The role of psychological and educational protective factors

Street connected young people (SCYP) are at risk of encountering negative life experiences, such as abuse, neglect, violence and exploitation. Nonetheless, some demonstrate remarkable resilience. This study therefore aimed to explore protective factors that promote resilience in SCYP in Guatemala City. Using ethnographic interviews and image elicitation eight young people and four adult educational outreach project coordinators participated within this study. Three key protective factors emerged that help develop resilience; Empowerment, as educational projects support SCYP and provide opportunities; Belongingness, encapsulated creating positive relationships, a sense of affinity and positive family environments; and Motivation which highlighted the importance of the young peoples’ willpower, engagement with learning and help-seeking behaviour. Educational projects working with SCYP can help to develop resilience by empowering them for change, providing a sense of belonging, while also acknowledging their individual motivation for change.     

Adolescent pregnancy and associated factors in South African youth

Background

Adolescent pregnancy, occurring in girls aged 10–19 years, remains a serious health and social problem worldwide, and has been associated with numerous risk factors evident in the young people''s family, peer, school, and neighbourhood contexts.

Objective

To assess the prevalence of adolescent pregnancy and associated factors in the South African context, as part of a population-based household survey that formed part of an evaluation of the impact of loveLife, South Africa''s national HIV prevention campaign for young people.

Methods

A cross-sectional population-based household survey was conducted using a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling approach. The total sample included 3123 participants, aged 18–24, 54.6% men and 45.4% women, from four of nine provinces in South Africa (Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga).

Results

Among female youth 19.2% said that they had an adolescent pregnancy, while 5.8% of male youth indicated that they had impregnated a girl when they were an adolescent (12–19 years), 16.2% of the women indicated that they ever had an unwanted pregnancy and 6.7% had ever terminated a pregnancy. In multivariable analysis among women it was found that being employed or unemployed, greater poverty, having higher sexually permissive attitudes and scoring higher on the contraceptive or the condom use index was associated with adolescent pregnancy, and among men wanting the pregnancy and having a sense of the future were associated with adolescent pregnancy.

Conclusion

Adolescent pregnancy was found to be high in this sample of South African youth. Multiple factors contributing to adolescent pregnancy have been identified which can be used in targeting young people on the prevention of adolescent pregnancy.     

Asthma in relation to personality traits, life satisfaction, and stress: a prospective study among 11,000 adults

BACKGROUND: While patients' personality has been thought to affect allergic diseases, the association of asthma and psychological factors is still debated. Stress is believed to predispose to asthma, but no clear evidence of causality has been found. We have studied the role of psychological factors in prevalent as well as in incident asthma cases among the adult population. METHODS: A total of 11540 adults initially aged 18-45 years responded to three questionnaires in 1975, 1981, and 1990, respectively. The association of psychological factors (including extroversion and neuroticism scales, subjective stress, and life satisfaction) and prevalent asthma was studied, as well as the predisposing effect of these factors on the risk of adult onset asthma. Logistic regression was used for risk calculations. RESULTS: Low life satisfaction was associated with asthma prevalence (age- and sex-adjusted OR=2.27: 1.04-4.93 for prevalent asthma among those with low life satisfaction compared to those with high life satisfaction), as was neuroticism (age and sex-adjusted OR=1.78:1.12-2.84 for those with a high neuroticism score compared to those with a low score). A high extroversion score was significantly associated with the risk of adult onset asthma among women (age-adjusted OR=2.72: 1.44-5.12 for new asthma among those with high score compared to those with a low extroversion score). CONCLUSION: No specific personality type is associated with adult onset asthma, but there is a significant sex difference in the effect of psychological factors in asthma risk. A high extroversion score is a strong predictor of incident asthma among women. Prevalent asthma decreases life satisfaction and is associated with a high neuroticism score.     

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。     

Positive predictors of quality of life for postpartum mothers with a history of childhood maltreatment

The postpartum period brings a host of biopsychosocial, familial, and economic changes, which may be challenging for new mothers, especially those with trauma histories. Trauma-exposed women are at heightened risk for psychiatric symptomatology and reduced quality of life. The current study sought to evaluate whether a set of hypothesized promotive factors assessed during the first 18 months postpartum (positive parenting, family cohesion, and maternal resilience) are associated with life satisfaction in this population, after controlling for income and postpartum psychiatric symptoms. Analyses were based on data collected for 266 mother-infant dyads from a longitudinal cohort study, Maternal Anxiety during the Childbearing Years (MACY), of women oversampled for childhood maltreatment history. Hierarchical linear regression was used to evaluate the study hypotheses. Consistent with prior work, greater postpartum psychiatric symptoms and less income predicted poor perceptions of life quality. In hierarchical regressions controlling for income and psychiatric symptoms, positive parenting and family cohesion predicted unique variance in mothers’ positive perceptions of life quality, and resilience was predictive beyond all other factors. Factors from multiple levels of analysis (maternal, dyadic, and familial) may serve as promotive factors predicting positive perceptions of life quality among women with childhood trauma histories, even those struggling with high levels of psychiatric or economic distress.     

Resilience in developmental psychopathology: contributions of the Project Competence Longitudinal Study

Contributions of the Project Competence Longitudinal Study (PCLS) to resilience science and developmental psychopathology are highlighted in this article. Initiated by Norman Garmezy, the PCLS contributed models, measures, and methods, as well as working definitions of concepts like competence, developmental tasks, protective factors, and resilience. Findings from the study corroborated the feasibility of studying adaptation in a normative group of school children, identifying patterns of resilience, competence without major adversity, and maladaptive paths through life. Competence was multidimensional, showing continuity and change over time. Cascading effects across domains indicated that competence and problems spread over time. Thus, adult achievements in developmental tasks were rooted in childhood and adolescence. Young people who showed resilience had much in common with similarly successful peers who experienced less adversity over time, including high-quality relationships with parents and other adults, and good cognitive, as well as social-emotional, skills. Maladaptive youth in the study often faced high adversity with little adaptive capacity (internal or external) and tended to generate stressful experiences. Resilience often emerged in childhood and endured, but there also were late bloomers whose lives turned around in the transition to adulthood. The role of collaboration and mentorship in the PCLS is also discussed.     

What predicts psychological resilience after disaster? The role of demographics, resources, and life stress

A growing body of evidence suggests that most adults exposed to potentially traumatic events are resilient. However, research on the factors that may promote or deter adult resilience has been limited. This study examined patterns of association between resilience and various sociocontextual factors. The authors used data from a random-digit-dial phone survey (N = 2,752) conducted in the New York City area after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack. Resilience was defined as having 1 or 0 posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and as being associated with low levels of depression and substance use. Multivariate analyses indicated that the prevalence of resilience was uniquely predicted by participant gender, age, race/ethnicity, education, level of trauma exposure, income change, social support, frequency of chronic disease, and recent and past life stressors. Implications for future research and intervention are discussed.     

The role of resilience on psychological adjustment and physical health in patients with diabetes

Objective. This study used a longitudinal design to investigate the buffering role of resilience on worsening HbA_1c and self‐care behaviours in the face of rising diabetes‐related distress. Method. A total of 111 patients with diabetes completed surveys and had their glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA_1c) assessed at baseline and at 1‐year follow‐up. Resilience was defined by a factor score of self‐esteem, self‐efficacy, self‐mastery and optimism. Diabetes‐related distress and self‐care behaviours were also assessed. Results. Baseline resilience, diabetes‐related distress and their interaction predicted physical health (HbA_1c) at 1 year. Patients with low, moderate and high resilience were identified. Those with low or moderate resilience levels showed a strong association between rising distress and worsening HbA_1c across time (r = .57, .56, respectively). However, those with high resilience scores did not show the same associations (r = .08). Low resilience was also associated with fewer self‐care behaviours when faced with increasing distress (r = ?.55). These correlation coefficients remained significant after controlling for starting‐points. Conclusion. In patients with diabetes, resilience resources predicted future HbA_1c and buffered worsening HbA_1c and self‐care behaviours in the face of rising distress levels.