Workplace culture, social interactions, and supports for transition-age young adults

The role of the workplace and its culture in supporting social inclusion and workplace support for employees with disabilities is discussed and results of a qualitative study of the workplace experiences of 8 young adults with developmental disabilities presented. Data were collected using participant observation and semi-structured interviews. Four characteristics of supportive workplaces were identified: (a) multiple context relationships, (b) specific social opportunities, (c) a personal and team-building management style, and (d) interdependent job designs. The more supportive workplaces had all of these characteristics, suggesting that collectively they represent key features of a supportive workplace culture. Implications for job development and job creation are identified.     

Savoring,resilience, and psychological well-being in older adults

Objectives: Guided by Fredrickson's broaden and build theory of positive emotions and Zautra's dynamic model of affect, the current study examines the relation between savoring positive experiences (i.e., the ability to notice and regulate positive feelings) and psychological well-being for older adults with higher and lower levels of resilience.

Method: A sample of 164 (74% female) older adults living in a large metropolitan area participated in this study. Participants were recruited from a continuing care retirement community and community centers in the surrounding area. Participants completed a survey measuring savoring, resilience, happiness, depression, and satisfaction with life.

Results: In older adults, greater ability to savor positive experiences and higher resilience both predicted greater happiness, lower depression, and greater satisfaction with life (i.e., greater psychological well-being). Savoring is associated with positive outcomes for people with higher and lower levels of resilience. However, the relationship between savoring and psychological well-being is stronger for people with lower resilience.

Conclusion: These findings have implications for the development of positive psychological interventions to enhance resilience and well-being in older adults. From a practical standpoint, adaptable interventions to enhance savoring and boost positive emotions in older adults may improve well-being and resilience to life's stressors.     

Childlessness and psychological well-being in Chinese older adults

BACKGROUND: Childless older adults will increase rapidly in the coming future due to delayed marriage, infertility, and high divorce rate. We examined whether childlessness is significantly related to loneliness and depression and whether the effect of childlessness persisted even when other factors including gender, marital status, age, education, self-rated health status and financial strain were controlled for. METHOD: This article analyzes cross-sectional data collected from a representative community sample of 2003 Chinese elderly people aged 60 or above in Hong Kong. Respondents were interviewed in face-to-face format and data including socio-demographic variables, health indicators, loneliness and depression were obtained. RESULT: Logistic regression analyses revealed that childlessness was significantly related to loneliness and depression even after marital status, gender, age, education, self-reported health status, and financial strain were controlled for. CONCLUSION: The impact of childlessness on psychological well-being among elderly Chinese is more robust than that found in older Americans. Moreover, consistent with the findings of previous studies, we found that the effect of childlessness on psychological well-being has to be investigated in the context of marital status. Therefore, aged care service practitioners must take this risk factor into consideration in their preventive intervention and treatment for psychological well-being.     

Group singing and young people's psychological well-being

This mixed-method study investigated the impact of a community group singing project on the psychological well-being of school children in the London area. Self-rated measures of psychological well-being and identity as a singer were administered to 60 children aged 7–11 at three time points. A teacher-rated measure of psychological difficulties was also administered. Finally, a sample of children sharing their experience of the project in focus groups and music teacher interviews were carried out. Quantitative data did not confirm the hypothesis that choir members' psychological well-being would increase following participation in the singing project; however, qualitative data provided evidence for a range of beneficial outcomes for participating children. Although group singing appears to be a positive experience for children who participate, findings suggest that the impact may be subtle for children with high levels of psychological well-being.     

Social functioning and psychological well-being of 347 young adults with epilepsy only--population-based, controlled study from Finland

Summary:  Purpose: To explore social functioning and psychological well-being in a population-based cohort of epilepsy patients compared to matched controls.
Methods: A random sample of patients with epilepsy (N = 347) and a healthy control group (N = 430) matched for age, gender and domicile were identified through National Registry of Social Insurance Institution in Finland. The data were collected by postal questionnaire assessing various factors related to social and psychological well-being and were analyzed by using linear regression analysis to compare the study and control groups.
Results: The age at onset of epilepsy was significantly associated with the level of further education and the level of seizure control with the employment status. The patients with epilepsy and lower level of basic education had also significantly lower level of further education, employment, and fewer social relations. Some differences in psychological well-being were also seen in those with matriculation examination when compared to matched controls.
Conclusions: In young adults with well-controlled epilepsy and successful basic education, social functioning is comparable with healthy peers. The importance of all social and educational support during the time of basic education may be crucial to favorable intellectual, functional, and social development later in life. Both professional and informal support is needed in adjunct to conventional treament of epilepsy, which is emphasized.     

Self-reported symptoms of psychological well-being in young adults who underwent resective epilepsy surgery in childhood

Purpose: This study investigated the relationship of childhood resective surgery for lesional epilepsy and recent seizure history on self‐reported symptoms of mood and psychological distress in young adults (aged 18–30). Methods: Ninety‐eight individuals with epilepsy of childhood onset were divided into three groups: a seizure‐free surgical group (n = 39), a surgical group still experiencing seizures (n = 31), and a nonsurgical epilepsy comparison group (n = 28). Participants completed two standardized questionnaires about current mood state and psychological and psychiatric symptoms: the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and the Symptom Checklist‐90 Revised (SCL‐90R). Key Findings: Forty‐eight percent of all participants reported a history of psychological problems. The percentage of the seizure‐free surgical group who met the SCL‐90R criteria for current clinically significant distress was statistically less than in the other groups. Those who were seizure free also reported significantly fewer total symptoms on the SCL‐90R. The current number of antiepileptic medications was related to scores on a number of the scales. Significance: These results provide modest support for the contention that seizure freedom after pediatric epilepsy surgery is associated with reduced risk for psychological distress during early adulthood.     

Explaining social class differences in psychological health among young adults: a longitudinal perspective

Summary The relationship between psychological health and occupational class was investigated in the large British sample of 23-year-old subjects from the 1958 birth cohort study. Odds of poor psychological health [indicated by (1) the Malaise Inventory and (2) seeking help for a psychological problem between ages 16 and 23] were significantly greater in classes IV and V than in classes I and II: odds ratios were (1) 3.90 and 5.84, (2) 2.32 and 2.33 for men and women, respectively. Explanations for these differences were examined using longitudinal data representing inheritance at birth, socio-economic background, educational achievement, earlier health and behaviour. The analyses suggested that each of these contributes to class differences in psychological health. Behaviour at age 16 (identified from the Rutter Behaviour Scale) was particularly notable for both psychological measures, as were educational achievement (for Malaise) and unemployment (for psychological morbidity needing specialist help). Mechanisms by which such factors might operate are discussed. Having accounted for earlier circumstances, class differences were no longer significant, except for Malaise in women. In this case an odds ratio of more than twofold remained after adjusting for earlier circumstances.     

Gender, coping, and psychological well-being in spouses of older adults with chronic dementia

Relationships among gender, types of coping strategies, and psychological well-being were examined in 61 spousal caregivers of older adults with chronic dementia. Gender emerged as a significant correlate of well-being (with women reporting higher levels of distress), although not of related coping strategies. Implications for research into interactions among biological, psychological, and social factors contributing to women's psychological distress are discussed.     

Neuroimaging in children, adolescents and young adults with psychological trauma

Childhood psychological trauma is a strong predictor of psychopathology. Preclinical research points to the influence of this type of trauma on brain development. However, the effects of psychological trauma on the developing human brain are less known and a challenging question is whether the effects can be reversed or even prevented. The aim of this review is to give an overview of neuroimaging studies in traumatized juveniles and young adults up till 2012. Neuroimaging studies in children and adolescents with traumatic experiences were found to be scarce. Most studies were performed by a small number of research groups in the United States and examined structural abnormalities. The reduction in hippocampal volume reported in adults with PTSD could not be confirmed in juveniles. The most consistent finding in children and adolescents, who experienced psychological trauma are structural abnormalities of the corpus callosum. We could not identify any studies investigating treatment effects. Neuroimaging studies in traumatized children and adolescents clearly lag behind studies in traumatized adults as well as studies on ADHD and autism.     

Birth factors and common mental health problems in young adults

Background Birth-related factors have been associated with adult chronic disease. Whilst the potential association between these factors and depression in adulthood was been described rather less is known about the role of these exposures in the development of anxiety. Method Cross-sectional population-based survey recruited adults aged 18–25 years. Participants were classified on the basis of responses to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Birth-related exposures were determined by hospital medical record review. A proportional odds model was used to assess associations between birth factors and anxiety and depression. Results No significant associations were found between birth factors and anxiety. Significant associations were found between depression with low birth weight (odds ratio 2.88, 95% confidence interval 1.26–6.59) and neonatal admission to ITU (3.12, 1.25, 7.78). Conclusion Low birth weight and neonatal intensive care unit admission are significantly associated with depression in adults. Other birth related variables were not significantly associated with either depression or anxiety.     

Frailty,psychological well-being,and social isolation in older adults with cognitive impairment during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: data from the GeroCovid initiative

Background

The containment measures linked to the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the phyco-physical well-being of the population, especially older adults with neurocognitive disorders (NCDs). This study aims to evaluate whether the frailty of NCD patients was associated with different changes in multiple health domains, in particular in relation to loneliness and social isolation, pre- and post-lockdown.

Materials and Methods

Patients were recruited from 10 Italian Centers for Cognitive Disorders and Dementia. Data were collected in the pre-pandemic period (T0), during the pandemic lockdown (T1), and 6–9 months post-lockdown (T2). The UCLA Loneliness Scale-3, Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Instrumental ADL (IADL), Mini-Mental State Examination, and Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) were administered. Caregivers' burden was also tested. Patients were categorized as non-frail, pre-frail, and frail according to the Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illness, and Loss of Weight scale.

Results

The sample included 165 subjects (61.9% women, mean age 79.5 ± 4.9 years). In the whole sample, the ADL, IADL, and NPI scores significantly declined between T0 and T2. There were no significative variations in functional and cognitive domains between the frail groups. During lockdown we recorded higher Depression Anxiety Stress Scales and Perceived Stress Scale scores in frail people. In multivariable logistic regression, frailty was associated with an increase in social isolation, and a loss of IADL.

Conclusions

We observed a global deterioration in functional and neuro-psychiatric domains irrespective of the degree of frailty. Frailty was associated with the worsening of social isolation during lockdown. Frail patients and their caregivers seemed to experience more anxiety and stress disorders during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.     

Birth order, sex and schizophrenia

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the hypothesis of association between the children's ordinal position in the sibship and the prevalence of schizophrenia. In order to examine the proposal above mentioned 404 schizophrenic patients (201 males and 203 females) from five psychiatric hospitals in the Greater S?o Paulo were observed. The statistical method here employed, which permitted the analysis of the effects of birth order on the prevalence of schizophrenia, was that of Greenwood-Yule. It was found that there is an association between birth order and schizophrenia, and that this relation may be described in terms of an excess of schizophrenia among first-borns, both male and female.     

Mothers of young adults with intellectual disability: multiple roles, ethnicity and well-being

Background Two opposing perspectives – role strain and role enhancement – were considered as predictive of women’s psychological and physical health. The authors examined the relation between multiple role occupancy (parenting, employment, marriage) and well‐being (depression and health) among mothers of young adults with intellectual disability (ID). Methods Participants were 226 mothers aged 35–70 years old caring for a young adult aged 16–26 years old with moderate to severe/profound ID. Mothers were of either Latino ethnicity (n = 117) or Anglo (n = 109). Mothers’ ethnicity and degree of acculturation and young adults’ adaptive behaviour and behaviour problems were examined as potential moderators. Results Mothers who were employed, married, or both reported better well‐being than mothers who were both unemployed and unmarried, especially when their offspring had relatively higher adaptive functioning. This relationship between role occupancy and well‐being was fully mediated by socio‐economic status (SES) factors. Results did not suggest a role enhancement effect, but instead indicated a role shortage effect; unemployed, unmarried mothers experienced markedly poor well‐being, while all other mothers experienced comparable well‐being. Well‐being scores were higher for Anglo than for Latino mothers; this relationship was entirely accounted for by SES. In Latina mothers, the relation between role occupancy and well‐being was moderated by degree of acculturation. Conclusions Findings suggest that multiple roles benefit mothers of young adults with ID primarily through their impact on socio‐economic resources. For more acculturated Latina mothers, occupying more roles predicted better well‐being even after controlling for SES. Latina mothers who were unemployed and unmarried had lower SES, and this group emerged as at particular risk. The latter group may benefit most from respite assistance and other interventions aimed at addressing their physical and mental health.     

Coping mediates the relationships between reminiscence and psychological well-being among older adults

Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have demonstrated an association between various functions of reminiscence and well-being in later adulthood. This study investigates to what extent the links between reminiscence (self-positive and self-negative functions) and psychological well-being (depressive symptoms, anxiety level and life satisfaction) are mediated by assimilative and accommodative coping. This mediational model was tested using structural equation modelling. The results support the hypothesis that coping completely mediates the links between reminiscence and psychological well-being. Specifically, self-positive reminiscences are related to improved psychological well-being via assimilative and accommodative coping, while, in contrast, self-negative reminiscences are associated to reduced psychological well-being through their negative relationships with both coping modes. These findings suggest that reminiscence contributes to psychological well-being in part because it promotes assimilative and accommodative coping, which are protective mechanisms through which the self-system constructs continuity and meaning over the life course.     

The social brain: Neurobiological basis of affiliative behaviours and psychological well-being

The social brain hypothesis proposes that the demands of the social environment provided the evolutionary pressure that led to the expansion of the primate brain. Consistent with this notion, that functioning in the social world is crucial to our survival, while close supportive relationships are known to enhance well-being, a range of social stressors such as abuse, discrimination and dysfunctional relationships can increase the risk of psychiatric disorders. The centrality of the social world to our everyday lives is further exemplified by the fact that abnormality in social behaviour is a salient feature of a range of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. This paper aims to provide a selective overview of current knowledge of the neurobiological basis of our ability to form and maintain close personal relationships, and of the benefits these relationships confer on our health. Focusing on neurochemical and neuroendocrine interactions within affective and motivational neural circuits, it highlights the specific importance of cutaneous somatosensation in affiliative behaviours and psychological well-being and reviews evidence, in support of the hypothesis, that a class of cutaneous unmyelinated, low threshold mechanosensitive nerves, named c-tactile afferents, have a direct and specific role in processing affiliative tactile stimuli.     

Prosocial skills in young children with autism,and their mothers’ psychological well-being: Longitudinal relationships

The study aimed to explore the longitudinal association between prosocial skills in young children with an ASD and maternal psychological well-being. Participants were 132 children with autism drawn from the British Millennium Cohort Study (aged 9 months, 3 and 5 years). Three-wave cross-lagged structural equation models tested whether children's prosocial skills were reciprocally related to maternal psychological distress and life satisfaction. Findings indicated that relationships were not bidirectional, as both maternal outcomes were not associated with children's prosocial skills two years later. However, prosocial skills at 3 years were associated with improved maternal well-being (less distress and more life satisfaction) when children were 5-years-old. The study adds to the limited evidence base on bidirectional relationships between prosocial skills in ASD and proximal environmental variables. Findings highlight the importance of testing for reciprocal relationships rather than assuming unidirectional effects. In addition, they indicate that other-directed behaviors in children with autism have the potential to boost maternal well-being.     

Development of psychological distress among young adults.

Persons with high scores on psychiatric screening scales appear frequently in general medical settings, psychiatric outpatient clinics, and other agencies providing assistance, but there is considerable controversy concerning the appropriate interpretation of high scores on such scales obtained in community epidemiological studies. Data are presented from a 16-year follow-up study of children, first studied in 1961, examining developmental aspects of achieving high scores on such scales. Data come from the children themselves, their mothers, teachers, and school records. The findings are consistent with the hypothesis that such generalized distress reports are in part a learned pattern of illness behavior involving a focus on internal feeling states, careful monitoring of body sensations, and a high level of self-awareness.     

Intimacy, power, and psychological well-being in medical students

Numerous reports suggest that medical school has adverse psychological effects on medical students, although not all students are affected equally. The authors examined the effects of two social motives, the need for power and the need for intimacy, on measures of well-being and distress obtained throughout the undergraduate years. Medical students high in both power and intimacy motivation were more depressed, neurotic, fatalistic, and self-doubting than were their classmates. These effects began at the end of year 1, peaked in year 2, and disappeared by the end of clerkships. High intimacy-low power students had the highest levels of well-being. These effects were equally true in men and women and both support and render more precise prior role conflict explanations.     

The relationship of optimism, pain and social support to well-being in older adults with osteoarthritis

Improving the psychological well-being of individuals with osteoarthritis (OA) is an important concern because the condition is highly prevalent and has no known cure. Few studies have assessed the joint contribution of social, personality, and physical factors in relation to well-being for OA patients. In a cross-sectional sample of older adults with OA (n = 73, 73% female), we assessed the role of support perceptions, optimism and pain in depressive symptoms and life satisfaction. Greater optimism and support were significantly related to both greater life satisfaction and lower depressive symptoms. Further, optimism partially mediated the relationship of pain to life satisfaction, while support partially mediated the role of pain in depressive symptoms. The interplay of these variables in relation to well-being is discussed in the context of chronic illness and older adulthood.