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The worldwide outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and the likelihood of future pandemics has raised the attention to the effects of pandemics on the psychological well-being of individuals. Given their indispensable role in such situations, healthcare workers are at greater risk of mental health issues. This paper aimed to review the mediators of psychological well-being among healthcare workers responding to global pandemics. After registration on PROSPERO, a systematic review was performed in four databases. Following study selection (PRISMA guidelines), inclusion criteria and analysis methods were assessed. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the EPHPP criteria. Out of 1467 references, 39 studies were included in this review. In most studies, worse well-being outcomes, such as stress, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and burnout were related to demographic characteristics, direct contact with infected patients, and poor perceived support. In turn, self-efficacy, coping ability, altruism, and support from employers and organisations were found to be protective factors. Despite some limitations in the quality of the available evidence, this review highlights the prevalence of poor mental health outcomes in healthcare workers responding to global pandemics. Future interventions should target the identified mediators to promote psychological well-being among this population, particularly social and organisational support, which may improve workers’ mental health and reduce burnout and turnover.

The role of lifestyle on mental health in the ambulance worker population is unclear. The aim of this paper is to explore the role and impact of lifestyle on the mental health of ambulance workers within the United Kingdom (UK). Participants (N = 160) were recruited from 4 NHS ambulance trusts in England. Data were collected on lifestyle factors (sleep, physical activity and alcohol use) and mental health outcomes (trauma, anxiety, depression and stress); these were assessed by use of various questionnaires including validated measures. Sleep was shown to be the single biggest unique and significant predictor to all mental health outcomes. Suggestions for future research and intervention are considered.

Previous research on pandemics and emergencies has shown that such events often widen health inequalities in society and have a greater impact on socially disadvantaged groups No review has so far looked at the impact of inequality factors on mental health outcomes during the novel coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) The aim of the current review was therefore to assess the impact of inequality factors on mental health outcomes during COVID-19 After registration on PROSPERO, a systematic review was conducted for papers published up to July 31, 2020, using the databases Google Scholar, PsycINFO, PubMed (MEDLINE), and Web of Science The following inequality factors were considered: education, income, employment, occupation, material and social deprivation, age, immigrant status, sexual orientation, functional health, cultural/racial background, sex, gender, and place of residence Out of 1,931 references, 117 studies (300,061 participants) were included Female sex, being of a younger age, financial insecurity, lack of access to clear messaging/information about the pandemic, proximity to large infection sites, having existing physical and/or psychological health conditions, and being subjected to abuse/stigma because of one's identity as a member of an ethnic or sexual marginalized group predicted mental health inequalities More research is required on how inequality affects mental health in less studied vulnerable populations, such as ethnic, sexual, and gender marginalized participants, as well as how inequality factors interact to affect mental health in the long term Recommendations for researchers, mental health practitioners, and public health authorities for mitigating adverse mental health outcomes in vulnerable populations are outlined (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) Abstract (French) Des recherches anterieures sur les pandemies et les urgences ont montre que de tels evenements augmentent souvent les inegalites en matiere de sante dans la societe et ont une incidence plus grave sur les groupes socialement defavorises A ce jour, aucune etude n'a examine l'incidence des facteurs d'inegalite sur les resultats en matiere de sante mentale lors de l'epidemie du nouveau coronavirus (COVID-19) L'objectif de la presente etude etait donc d'evaluer l'incidence des facteurs d'inegalite sur les resultats en matiere de sante mentale pendant la COVID-19 Apres inscription sur PROSPERO, un examen systematique a ete effectue pour les articles publies jusqu'au 31 juillet 2020, en utilisant les bases de donnees Google Scholar, PsycINFO, PubMed (MEDLINE) et Web of Science Les facteurs d'inegalite suivants ont ete pris en consideration : education, revenu, emploi, profession, privation materielle et sociale, age, statut d'immigrant, orientation sexuelle, sante fonctionnelle, origine culturelle/raciale, sexe, genre et lieu de residence Sur 1 931 references, 117 etudes (300 061 participants) ont ete incluses Le sexe feminin, le jeune age, l'insecurite financiere, le manque d'acces a des messages/renseignements clairs sur la pandemie, la proximite d'importants sites d'infection, les conditions de sante physique et/ou psychologique existantes et le fait d'etre victime d'abus/stigmatisation en raison de son identite en tant que membre d'un groupe ethnique ou sexuel marginalise ont permis de predire les inegalites en matiere de sante mentale Des recherches supplementaires sont necessaires sur la maniere dont les inegalites affectent la sante mentale dans les populations vulnerables moins etudiees, telles que les participants marginalises sur le plan ethnique, sexuel et sexospecifique, ainsi que sur la maniere dont les facteurs d'inegalite interagissent pour affecter la sante mentale a long terme Des recommandations sont formulees a l'intention des chercheurs, des praticiens de la sante mentale et des autorites de sante publique pour attenuer les effets nefastes sur la sante mentale des populations vulnerables (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement Public Significance Statement-The findings of this review suggest that several inequality factors, such as female sex, younger age, financial insecurity, having existing chronic health conditions, and being in an ethnic or sexual marginalized group predict worse mental health outcomes during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic There is an urgent need for mental health services to support vulnerable populations at this time, to reduce mental health inequalities and improve long-term psychological functioning (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

Introduction: Awareness is increasing that health behaviours, which are a part of a person's lifestyle, have significant effects on emotional and physical wellbeing. Ambulance workers are at a higher risk of poorer psychological health outcomes than the general population. This begs the question whether lifestyle could play a role in emotional and physical health outcomes, which is an understudied area in this population. This paper reviews health behaviours in paramedics and assesses the impact they may have on their emotional and physical wellbeing. Methodology: PRISMA guidelines were adhered to and seven online bibliographic databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychArticles, PsychINFO, Web of Science, PubMed and Google Scholar) and reference lists of eligible articles were searched. Papers were systematically extracted and selected by title, then by abstract using inclusion and exclusion criteria. Findings: The papers included in this review (n=6) cover a range lifestyle factors (physical activity, smoking, alcohol use and sleep) that potentially affect wellbeing outcomes (weight/body mass index and post-traumatic stress symptoms) of ambulance workers across the Western world. They have various limitations. Conclusion: Ambulance workers engage in negative health behaviours that have some bearing on their emotional and physical wellbeing. Further research could explore the role of health behaviours and lifestyle in ambulance workers using validated measures. The findings could support the development of an evidence-based, occupation-specific intervention.

Aims: To discover the reasons behind invited families’ lack of engagement with a family-based childhood obesity programme in a deprived area. Methods: Interviews were conducted with 10 families who were invited to join the programme, but declined to engage. There were two distinct subgroups of participants: those who had no interest in attending the programme and those who showed initial interest yet did not continue attending. The two subgroups were analyzed separately using inductive thematic analysis, and then compared. Results: Analysis identified eight themes overall. For both groups, when the service was perceived to be not needed (‘I didn’t see how that would help’), the families disengaged with it. For both groups, this perception was partly related to the perceived appearance of their children: either that they were not obese (‘I didn’t think my son was overweight’) or that they were growing into their size. There was also a similarity in both groups that they perceived that they were already following healthy lifestyles. In addition, several of the themes arising from the families who had no initial interest were related to the impact of the letter that parents received detailing the result of their child being weighed and measured at school. This angered parents (‘I was disgusted’), and there was a feeling that the approach was too generic. Conclusion: This study identified a number of potential reasons behind why families may decline to engage with a childhood obesity programme in a deprived area. Across all families, if the programme was perceived as not needed, they would disengage. For those who did not engage at all, the initial communication of the child’s body mass index (BMI) is crucial. Recommendations include taking a more personal and tailored approach for the initial communication and shifting the focus of the programmes onto healthier lifestyles.

Pain is a universal, multidimensional experience with sensory, emotional, cognitive, and social components, which is fundamental to our environmental learning when functioning typically. Understanding pain processing in psychiatric conditions could provide unique insight into the underlying pathophysiology or psychiatric disease, especially given the psychobiological overlap with pain processing pathways. Studying pain in psychiatric conditions is likely to provide important insights, yet, there is a limited understanding beyond the work in depression and anxiety. This is a missed opportunity to describe psychiatric conditions in terms of neurobiological alterations. To examine the research into the pain experiences of these groups and the extent to which a-typicality is present, a systematic review was conducted. An electronic search strategy was developed and conducted in several databases. The current systematic review included 46 studies covering five Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5) disorders: autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), schizophrenia, personality disorder, and eating disorders, confirming tentative evidence of altered pain and touch processing. Specifically, hyposensitivity is reported in schizophrenia, personality disorder and eating disorder, hypersensitivity in ADHD, and mixed results for autism. Review of the research highlights a degree of methodological inconsistency in the utilization of comprehensive protocols, the lack of which fails to allow us to understand whether a-typicality is systemic or modality specific.

To investigate parenting and children’s emotional and lifestyle responses to the COVID-19 epidemic, we conducted an online survey of random, representative sample of residents with children aged 3–17 years in mid-March, 2020 in China. 1655 parents were surveyed with 80.1% response rate. During the epidemic, half (49%) of children had stress symptoms and 10% had emotional problems; children had higher screen time, less exercise and worse sleep than before. Socially disadvantaged children were more vulnerable to the epidemic. Children whose parents communicated about the epidemic more frequently, who had irritable parents and experienced worse parent-child closeness had higher probabilities of emotional problems, stress symptoms and worse lifestyles. Improve parenting skills and communication quality is necessary during the epidemic.

Modafinil is a prescription-only substance in the UK for the treatment of disorders such as narcolepsy. Soldiers have also used this substance as an alternative to amphetamines in situations where they face long periods of sleep deprivation. More recently, the substance has become increasingly popular for enhancing cognitive performance, for example students taking exams. Modafinil is widely available on the Internet and is reported to carry a wide range of health risks and side effects if not taken with medical supervision. Given the tension between health risk and enhanced cognitive performance, how people talk about modafinil use becomes an important question. Drawing on discourse analysis, we focus in particular on how respondents work up accounts of their modafinil use as credible, authentic, and legitimate: a community of practice. Our analysis has clear implications for engaging (mis)use in health promotion interventions.

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread with increased fatalities around the world and has become an international public health crisis. Public health authorities in many countries have introduced contact tracing apps to track and trace infected persons as part of measures to contain the spread of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, there are major concerns about its efficacy and privacy with affects mass acceptance amongst a population. This review encompasses the current challenges facing this technology in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in neo-liberal societies. We explore and discuss the plausibility for abuse of user privacy rights as such apps collect private user data and can be repurposed by governments for surveillance on their citizens. Other challenges identified and discussed include ethical issues, security vulnerabilities, user behavior and participation, and technical constraints. Finally, in the analysis of this review, recommendations to address these challenges and considerations in the use of less invasive digital contact tracing technologies for future pandemics are presented. For policy makers in neo-liberal societies, this study provides an in-depth review of issues that must be addressed, highlights recommendations to improve the efficacy of such apps, and could facilitate mass acceptance amongst users.

The purpose of this article is to define and detail the steps in conducting systematic reviews for trainees and supervisors. We also offer suggestions garnered from our experiences reading, conducting, publishing, and reviewing such manuscripts. Steps include developing specific questions and inclusion/exclusion criteria, undertaking a multi-strategy literature search, implementing replicable data extraction methods, assessing study quality, and employing transparent procedures for synthesising and presenting results. Suggestions include developing a proposal and having it critiqued, allowing sufficient time to conduct a review, keeping meticulous records, and adhering to established procedures.

Middle-age is distinctive in both the quantity of stressors experienced and their nature, so is an important area of study. This study used semi-structured e-mail interviews to investigate how a group of nine Caucasian, middle-class, heterosexual men aged between 45 and 55 years made sense of ageing and middle-age. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis approach was employed. Analysis of the accounts indicated four superordinate themes: (1) feelings of being trapped in between post-industrial and contemporaneous gender ideals, (2) mind over body, and the disregard of the metrosexual body ideology, (3) fatherhood, being busy, and lost opportunities, (4) holistic and inward self-awareness. Future studies are needed to enable an understanding of middle-aged men's experiences of distress associated with ageing, and to investigate whether this is associated with the progress of long-term physical and mental conditions at midlife.

Many individuals affected by tension-type headache (TTH) choose the self-care route without seeking medical advice from their primary care doctor. As a result, community pharmacies play an important role in identifying patients with TTH, providing education and counselling on potential lifestyle trigger factors and recommending appropriate analgesics.

This article provides population norms for the Short Form Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-4) and investigates the relationship between PSS-4 scores and sociodemographic variables. The PSS-4 was administered to an English sample ( n = 1568) and was found to have acceptable psychometric properties. Sociodemographic variables explained 19.5% of variance in PSS-4 scores, and mean PSS-4 scores were significantly different from the mean scores reported in Cohen and Williamson’s original study. Greater levels of perceived health status, greater levels of social support, being male and being older were predictive of lower PSS-4 scores. Norm values for interpreting PSS-4 scores are presented.

The indoor tanning industry poses a long-term public health risk. Despite the adverse health effects, indoor tanning seems to be gaining considerable popularity. The study examined indoor tanning intentions and behaviour within UK young adults using an extended theory of planned behaviour model, which included variables on “appearance reasons to tan,” “perceived susceptibility to damaging appearance,” “perceived susceptibility to health consequences,” and “tanning knowledge.” The model was successful in predicting indoor tanning intentions and behaviour (explained 17% and 71%, resp.). An interesting outcome was the magnitude of the variable “appearance reasons to tan.” A current tanned appearance therefore seemed to outweigh any adverse future appearance or health consequences caused by indoor tanning. Appearance-focused interventions to reduce such behaviour may now prove to be efficacious within a UK sample.

To examine the effects of self-care training workshops for primary healthcare workers on frequently attending patients.Interventions to promote self-care in frequent users of primary care services have had mixed results. This paper reports an evaluation of a self-care initiative that aimed to develop a practice-based strategy to support self-care.A 12-month longitudinal-matched comparison study was carried out in seven intervention and four comparison practices. The intervention was a multidisciplinary training package delivered to Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and practice staff in three workshops, over a three- to six-month period. Twenty-one managers, health professionals and other staff from participating practices and PCTs and 1454 patients were involved in the study. 'Frequently attending' patients were defined as having visited the practice more than eight times in the previous year, and were identified from practice registers and recruited by letter. Three sets of data were obtained: psychometric scores and other data from structured questionnaires; routinely collected data on use of healthcare services; and self-care beliefs and behaviour from qualitative interviews. Findings Study recruitment rate was 20% and retention rate 75%. Of those recruited 66% were female and the majority (94.8%) were White. There was poor uptake of the training programme within the participating practices, with few changes agreed or implemented. Few healthcare professionals consented to take part in the evaluation. No significant changes were seen in patients' use of health services, psychometric scores or self-care beliefs or behaviour.The initiative did not show any effects during its pilot phase. Uptake and implementation were adversely affected by competing pressures for time and resources in primary care, coupled with a lack of engagement from primary health care professionals.

To determine the effects of a community-based training programme in self-care on the lay population.Self Care is recognised as being a cornerstone of the populations health, but to date there have been few large-scale studies of its effectiveness on the general public. This paper reports on an evaluation of a self-care skills training course delivered in small group sessions within workplace and parent and toddler group settings to a lay population.A quasi-experimental longitudinal study of 12-month duration was conducted in three intervention primary care trusts (PCTs) and two similar comparison PCTs in England. The sample comprised 1568 self-selecting participants: 868 received the intervention and 700 did not.No changes were seen in usage of General Practitioner services, the primary outcome, however, statistical analysis suggested that being in the intervention group may be associated with increased use of out-of-hours and secondary care services. At six months' follow-up small but statistically significant positive effects of being in the intervention group were seen on self-esteem, well-being and anxiety scores. At 12 months' follow-up small but statistically significant positive effects of being in the intervention group were also seen on recovery locus of control, health literacy and self-esteem scores, and on knowledge of adult cough. The clinical significance of these very small changes is unclear. The training programme had a small but positive effect, which was still evident at 12 months, on individuals' knowledge and confidence levels with regard to managing their own health, but did not lead to reductions in health service use.

Background. Hearing impairment (HI) is one of the most common chronic conditions affecting older people. HI can have a huge impact on a wide variety of life factors including physical, mental and social health and can lead to a reduction in quality of life. With the current ageing population, the numbers living with hearing impairment in old age is likely to increase. Currently, the diagnosis of hearing impairment in older people can be slow with individuals living with hearing impairment for around 10 years before being diagnosed. Aims and objectives. This study aims to explore, and develop a greater understanding of the experience of living with age-related hearing impairment from the perspectives of older people themselves to highlight possible recommendations for the improvement of hearing aid (HA) services and rehabilitation. Methods. The research utilises a descriptive qualitative method in the form of descriptive thematic analysis. Findings are reported from semi-structured interviews with nine participants with self-reported HI, aged 61–93. Results. Themes include; the loss itself, communication, using HAs, isolation, and coping strategies. Conclusions and implications for practice. The results highlight the need for early diagnosis of HI and the development of nurse-led rehabilitation strategies and support services that address the felt stigma and potentially isolating experiences of older people with HI.

Purpose. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is associated with adverse health effects. Although the immediate appearance values of tanning seem to outweigh the long-term health consequences, interventions emphasising the negative effects of UV exposure on appearance may be effective in modifying such behaviour. Method. A systematic review assessing the efficacy of appearance-focused interventions in modifying UV exposure and/or protection. Relevant publications were identified from a comprehensive search strategy of 16 electronic bibliographic databases from inception to March 2009, hand searches of six subject relevant journals and references lists of identified articles. Results. Data were extracted from 12 studies that were found to be eligible. Significant effects were found for UV protection behaviour in favour of the interventions. Though the interventions only had moderate success in modifying UV exposure behaviour, plausible explanations were provided. There was no clear pattern to suggest that q...

With a substantial number of individuals diagnosed with Hand—Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) and the preponderance of research focused on the medical and paramedical issues, the psychological and mental health sequelae of HAVS are largely neglected within the published literature. A series of focus groups and interviews were conducted involving nine people who had been diagnosed with HAVS. Transcripts of these interviews were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Four key themes were identified within the discourse of individuals affected by HAVS: machismo; coping; psychological impacts; and the development of support services for HAVS. Clinical implications are briefly discussed.

Research on feedback for undergraduate students has usually focused on either the tutor or the student perspective. Some tutors perceive that students do not read or learn from feedback, whilst students sometimes claim that feedback can be difficult to understand and unconstructive. We investigated tutor and student perspectives through online questionnaires. Fifty-seven staff and 213 psychology undergraduates responded. The questionnaires were used to determine the extent to which students learn from feedback, and the extent to which tutors employ feedback as a teaching tool. Our preliminary findings suggest that both groups agree that written feedback is not ideal, and that the two-way dialogue intended is not always effective. There may be a lack of understanding of communication on both sides. Staff feel that their feedback is clear, but students sometimes disagree, and students do not value feedback on grammar and referencing, whereas staff believe that this is useful. Further research is now being conducted to develop understanding of staff and student perspectives on feedback, and to use the findings to inform improved accessibility of feedback for students, and efficiency of feedback provision for tutors.

Goodley & Lawthom discussed the role of a community psychology approach in conducting emancipatory disability research. While their aims are entirely laudable, they portrayed mainstream psychology as ‘pathologising, voyeuristic, individualising, [and] impairment‐obsessed’. This paper presents a reply to Goodley and Lawthom’s somewhat outdated arguments for the dismissal of mainstream psychology and argues that the focus on a single ‘best’ method of researching disability does not serve the best interests of disabled people within society. It is argued that to create a ‘new’ psychology distinct from the ‘mainstream’ is unnecessary, undesirable and counter‐productive. Mainstream psychology has much to offer disabled people and to dismiss it is to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Scientists don’t know everything. I admit this. It’s very true. They don’t claim to. However, they do know a lot of things, and often they know more about how things work than a non-scientist, almo...

This paper provides a commentary on several challenges faced by researchers when conducting randomised controlled trials (RCTs) utilising complementary therapies with cancer patients. Several factors, such as research design and recruitment to the intervention are discussed. Examples are drawn from an RCT conducted by the lead author regarding the use of yoga to improve the quality of life of gynaecological cancer patients undergoing treatment for their cancer. This paper gives methodological insights into some of the difficulties experienced when conducting research with cancer patients, and provides a number of recommendations based on the available evidence and practical application of these methods.

The present research aimed to determine if partners' involvement in the rehabilitative care of people who have undergone an amputation predicted their wellbeing using a quantitative, cross-sectional design. Partners of people with an amputation were contacted through amputation-related advocacy groups and asked to complete an online questionnaire. Full data were collected from 66 participants who completed demographic information and measures of perceived social support, involvement in partner's rehabilitative care, depression and posttraumatic growth. Predictors into the two regression models were chosen based on their zero-order correlations with the outcome variables. Only time since amputation and degree of prosthesis use were correlated with posttraumatic growth. Time since amputation, time in relationship and partner's involvement in rehabilitative care were negatively correlated with depression. Both models (posttraumatic growth and depression) were significant. Involvement in partner's care was an independent significant predictor for depression. More involvement in partners' rehabilitative care was a significant predictor of less depression for partners of people with an amputation. The present research provides tentative evidence in support of the planned inclusion of partners by amputation rehabilitation services. Future research is needed to determine how robust this finding is.

Summary Background and Methods: Psychological distress and fear avoidance beliefs have been suggested to be important elements in the aetiology of low back pain disability. One hundred and sixty patients referred with a diagnosis of low back or low back and leg pain were assessed for levels of psychological distress and fear avoidance beliefs to establish if these factors could predict the outcome of physiotherapy. Seventy-one patients were reassessed on the same dimensions following physiotherapy. Outcome of physiotherapy was measured by the Roland and Morris Disability Questionnaire. Results: 71% of patients classified as distressed had a poor treatment outcome compared with only 20% of those patients classified as ‘at risk' of becoming distressed. No patients classified as normal had a poor treatment outcome. The best predictors of the outcome of treatment were depression and disability levels, these together predicting 49% of the variance. The level of fear avoidance was of little predictive value. Conclusions: Physiotherapy proved effective in managing patients presenting with low back disability when this disability had its basis in physical pathology and not psychological distress. It is suggested that the employment of a measure of psychological distress as part of physiotherapy assessment may help in choosing the best treatment for patients presenting with low back pain.

I have literally just awoken from a three-hour nap, in the middle of a Saturday afternoon. I cannot remember the last time I did this, but it is extremely rare for me. I normally wake in the mornin...

Most of the readers of this piece will be highly familiar with the World Health Organization's definition of ‘health’, which has never been amended since 1948: ‘health is a state of complete physic...

In my first President's letter I spoke of interdisciplinary working and how those of us from different professions can and do work together for the common good of a healthy and happier world. It is...