Evaluating a brief mindfulness-based self-care intervention on critical care nurses' resilience and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: Critical care nurses faced unprecedented challenges during the pandemic, exacerbating stress, burnout, and moral distress. Despite the significant implications of moral distress, few effective interventions exist. Shifting the focus from mitigating moral distress to strengthening moral resilience may help to address this gap and provides an opportunity to shape future research. Mindfulness practices have been shown to reduce distress and burnout, improve well-being and resilience, and may provide a useful tool in mitigating the negative effects of moral distress. Objectives: To determine the efficacy and feasibility of a brief mindfulness-based self-care program on critical care nurses' resilience and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A single-group pretest-posttest design was utilized. From an adult critical care unit in an academic hospital, a convenience sample of nurses working during the pandemic were enrolled. The four-week intervention was offered through a free online application. Participants were asked to complete five assigned guided practices per week at a location and time convenient to them. Pre-and-postintervention surveys were available through Qualtrics and utilized the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Rushton Moral Resilience Scale, and Nurse Well-Being Index to evaluate outcome measures. Practice frequency was automatically tracked by the application. Demographic data and feasibility measures were included. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon signed rank tests, nonparametric permutation tests, and nonparametric bootstrap analyses;a regression analysis evaluated relationships between variables. Results: Thirty nurses completed pretest data, and twenty-three participated in practices and the postintervention survey. Significant changes in resilience, moral resilience and well-being scores were noted. There was no significant correlation between practice frequency and changes in outcome measures. A positive correlation was found between resilience and moral resilience. Resilience measures were negatively correlated with at-risk well-being scores. Participant responses lent support to the acceptability and feasibility of the intervention. Conclusion: Participation in a brief, online MBSC intervention appeared beneficial in fostering resilience, moral resilience, and well-being in a sample of critical care nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future studies are warranted. Interventions that offer room for personal and collective growth may be an important next step, particularly as we look forward. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Cyclone Harold and the role of traditional knowledge in fostering resilience in Vanuatu

This article examines the role of traditional knowledge, skills, and values in fostering resilience in Vanuatu, the world's most at-risk country from natural hazards. We study responses to severe Tropical Cyclone (TC) Harold, which devastated the nation's northern islands in April 2020 just as a state of emergency had been declared in response to COVID-19. This necessitated severe restrictions on the delivery of relief supplies and a ban on the arrival of overseas humanitarian workers, forcing remote communities to adopt local responses to the emergency and cope with food insecurity through traditional resilience strategies and values that promote resource-sharing and cooperation. We use a mixed methods approach to analyse the content, extent, and transmission of traditional knowledge in Vanuatu and link this to evidence of its usefulness during TC Harold. Quantitative data from field surveys with two groups of respondents are combined with reports on responses to TC Harold both nationally and along the remote western coast of Santo Island. We also review the extent of traditional knowledge in current educational curricula in Vanuatu. Results illustrate how traditional ecological knowledge and social capital played a key role in disaster response and recovery, but such knowledge is mainly held by older people, and its use by younger generations is declining. We conclude that with rising global temperatures predicted to generate more extreme weather events, and external funds for disaster relief likely to decline, there is a need to build greater adaptive capacity at the local level through the revival of centuries-old informal transmission pathways of knowledge and values. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

A mixed method evaluation of a culturally grounded after-school arts intervention on native youth

A critical component of resilience for many Native American communities is their ability to sustain their culture and identity through deep connections with homelands, Native language, ceremonial practices, and tribal communities. Native American youth living off of tribal lands, often in urban regions, are faced with unique pressure to negotiate and adapt their culture and values while navigating nonnative settings. After-school programming centering Native culture has shown promise in strengthening Native youth resilience, yet few empirically based prevention programs exist, especially programming using developmentally appropriately art programming. To address the lack of empirical evidence for the use of culturally grounded after-school art programming for Native American youth living in urban areas, the current study will extend an earlier pilot study (Pepic et al., 2022) by using a mixed-methods design across three time points to evaluate the impact of a virtual culturally oriented art therapy curriculum on youth resilience, perceived stress, connection to culture, and mood while considering coronavirus pandemic related fears and experiences. No statistically significant results were found across time points, although qualitative results indicated individual, cultural, and ecological protective factors for Native resilience. The results of this study provide examples of how culturally centered Native after school programming can provide protective factors for Native American youth living in urban settings, but also highlight stories of resilience for youth navigating challenging pandemic times. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and self-care among child trauma

Child trauma counselors are at elevated risk for burnout, posing a legitimate concern for society as routine exposure to the trauma of others has been linked to clinical error, so finding ways to sustain counselor well-being is vital. The current study used the compassion fatigue-compassion satisfaction theory integrated with positivistic psychology constructs. The quantitative associative-correlational method explored relationships between the Professional Quality of Life-V (burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction) and self-care. In September of 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Qualtrics collected response data from volunteer participants recruited from certified Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral therapists (N = 295). The data was analyzed using a Spearman rank-order correlation. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between self-care and burnout (p < .01;correlation coefficient r = -.60) and between self-care and secondary traumatic stress (p < .01;correlation coefficient r = -0.21) while a significant positive correlation between self-care and compassion satisfaction (p < .01;correlation coefficient r = 0.50) was found. The results suggest that self-care enhances compassion satisfaction, serving as a buffer to burnout and secondary traumatic stress, affording worker resiliency. The study model recognized adjunctive factors related to positive outcomes encompassing personal resiliency, self-efficacy, individual empowerment, and intrinsic motivation for peak performance fueling the restorative, proactive self-care practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Palliative care during the COVID-19 pandemic: Opportunities for growth in the face of loss and isolation

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in widespread infection and death throughout the world, impacting the work and role of palliative social workers. Nineteen palliative care specialists from around the world, including 15 palliative social workers, were interviewed about their experiences during the pandemic and themes, including inequity, grief and bereavement, end-of-life care in the midst of a pandemic, the impact of crises on palliative social work, and public health approaches to palliative care emerged. This chapter presents narratives that highlight the resilience, vulnerability, and innovative approaches of palliative social work colleagues around the world. It shares the narratives of palliative care clinicians from all over the world who could speak about the experiences of providing care in the midst of a pandemic. One of the core principles of social work practice is to understand the person-in-environment. Social work is steeped in a history of advocacy and social justice. The pandemic has shined a light on the grave inequities that exist around the globe, including food instability, human rights violations, inequitable access to quality health and end-of-life care, and inadequate housing. Transformation and growth may emerge from the experiences of loss and trauma. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The COVID-19 pandemic: Psychological wellbeing, resilience and post-traumatic growth in adolescent Jewish day school students

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented an unprecedented global challenge in the disruption, uncertainty, and psychological distress it has unleashed on society, with mounting concern regarding mental health and wellbeing. Children and adolescents represent a particularly vulnerable group, as they were forced to navigate the sudden disruption of school and transition to virtual learning, facing months of quarantine, and increases in financial hardships. Given the strong associations between stress and the onset of adolescent emotional difficulties, research examining adolescents' perceptions of the psychological effects of the pandemic is of critical importance and is a focus of the current study. The present study utilized data from a sample of 277 middle-school adolescents in a Modern Orthodox Jewish day school who had resumed in-person schooling after having been schooled remotely during the first surge of the pandemic. This study aimed to explore the relationship between the perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and adolescent psychological wellbeing and life satisfaction. Additionally, the study examined the roles of hope and spirituality as potential protective factors for psychological wellbeing, life satisfaction, resilience, and post-traumatic growth. Bivariate correlations revealed that those who were more impacted by COVID-19 showed significantly higher levels of post-traumatic growth, but lower life satisfaction and psychological wellbeing. Higher levels of hope and spirituality were associated with enhanced life satisfaction, psychological wellbeing, resilience, and post-traumatic growth. The interaction of psychological impact with both hope and spirituality on resilience was also significant, but post-hoc analyses did not follow predicted patterns. Psychological impact tended to be more negatively related to resilience when students had higher levels of hope and spirituality. The current study presented a unique research opportunity to gain insight into the perceived impact of the pandemic on adolescents in Jewish day schools and examine the role of hope and spirituality in relation to adolescent adjustment. The study's findings suggest a need to monitor adolescent mental health closely in the wake of the pandemic and introduce and integrate appropriate interventions within education to support and strengthen adolescent wellbeing and promote thriving. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Responding to student mental health challenges during and post-COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, educators around the globe seek to understand how to support students whose academic performance is impacted by mental health challenges. This article presents a co-operative inquiry undertaken by colleagues in Canada and Australia, responding to the question;what insights can the existing Carleton University framework of reflective questions offer to educators responding to student mental health challenges in social work education during the COVID-19 pandemic? The risks and complexities of attending to student mental health needs are illustrated by a pandemic-informed case study that extends the framework into this unique context and illustrates the importance of respecting learning requirements, combating discrimination, protecting students' rights, and honouring the professional and legislative mandates of social work within all responses aimed at supporting student mental health resilience during COVID-19. This article acknowledges the limitations of previous practices guiding work with students with mental health needs during any period of crisis or disaster and demonstrates that the Carleton University framework assists in developing improved processes and policy grounded in social work's commitment to social justice and critical reflection. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Online dating, stress, and resilience among millennial women during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study

This study was about online dating experiences and stressors that millennial women have encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as how they have coped and exhibited positive adaptations in this context. The researcher used a phenomenological approach to collect accounts from five women in their late 20s and 30s who have experienced personally significant stress in online dating, yet who have demonstrated relational resilience. The latter was reflected in successfully adapting their attitude and dating strategies, as well as feeling hopeful and positive in the context of online dating during the pandemic. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to identify themes in the data related to four research questions. Themes related to changes in participants' online dating behaviors in response to the pandemic included Prioritizing, Reduced Opportunities, Intentionality in Communication, and Navigating Risk. Themes that emerged regarding the types of stressors experienced in online dating during the pandemic included Scarcity Mindset, Time and Energy Consuming, Uncertainty and Lack of Control, Lack of Trust, and Loneliness. Themes that indicated coping strategies used for managing online dating stress during the pandemic included Finding Elements Within One's Control, Using Dating Apps to Cope, Leaning into Hobbies and Social Support, Perspective-Taking, and Reflect and Recharge. Finally, themes reflecting positive adaptations and resilient qualities the participants drew upon in the face of online dating challenges during the pandemic included Leveraging Strengths, Empowerment and Self-Esteem, Finding the Positives, Personal Growth and Bouncing Forward, and "You Can't Win if You Don't Play." Interpretations and implications of the findings are discussed with attention to recommendations for enhancing relational resilience among millennial women who are online dating in this new pandemic era. Potential limitations of the study and recommendations for future research are considered. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Trauma-informed workshop for healing couples

This dissertation aims to develop a workshop curriculum focused on resiliency and post-trauma growth in couples. Significant shifts have been seen in work with trauma and couples, from a primary focus on solution-focused conflict reduction to a higher priority on post-traumatic growth and resiliency. In a randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavioral conjoint therapy, Wagner et al. (2016) note the importance of future research focusing on post-traumatic growth in treatment due to its positive impacts on relationships. As the world has seen significant levels of stress from the Coronavirus pandemic and, most recently, the war in Ukraine, the need for support for families is high. This project aims to integrate new constructs of couples counseling with trauma-informed approaches. Keywords: workshop, couples, trauma, post-traumatic growth. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The COVID-19 learning loss: Fact or stigma?

Herein, we provide strategies to help build support, enhance well-being, and promote innate student resilience. The learning loss discourse contributes negatively to the stigma children already experience and may further shape educator biases. Fortunately, the ecological lens of the school social worker (SSW) offers a framework to counteract the deficit-based constructions of youth through schoolwide support with a structural emphasis. Further, we align with those emphasizing the need for a paradigm shift in our understanding of student development. For instance, all students have innate capacities to be resilient, yet we continue interacting with them through deficit-based frameworks. This paradigm shift in how we observe, interact, and engage with students is of paramount importance. Framing youth positively rather than as "at risk" can help to nurture innate student capacities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Supporting people with intellectual disability at end of life: Moral distress among staff caregivers during COVID-19

COVID-19 is likely to have compromised the management of end-of-life care. Disruptions include the inability to respect advanced care planning, offer support to the person dying, and the failure to celebrate the person's life within local customs. Where people work to deliver high-quality care, such disruption can lead to carers experiencing moral distress, which can have behavioural and physical consequences if unresolved. This chapter describes the leading theories of the causes, experiences, and prevention of moral distress for carers. We then utilise data from eight end-of-life interviews that supply evidence for carers experiencing moral conflict distress, moral constraint distress, moral uncertainty distress, retrospective moral distress, and moral residue to underpin three case stories about the disruptions to end-of-life care in the intellectual disability community. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Academic resilience: Personal stories and lessons learnt from the COVID-19 experience

In this work for academics, international contributors in education, communication, new media, digital learning, and organization studies describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on academics in higher education, and their institutions. The book highlights the personal and professional experiences of academics across varying career stages. Four chapters are devoted to personal stories of sustained resilience in the face of the obstacles and uncertainty of the pandemic. Others chapters demonstrate collective resilience and collaboration, with examples from around the world. In addition, the book presents a conceptual framework, the Academic Resilience Model. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Academic resilience model: Thriving in times of adversity

Academics around the world continue to demonstrate strength to overcome the initial hurdles of COVID-19. But resilient academics show sustained engagement despite the continuing changes and uncertainties during these ongoing challenging times. In this concluding chapter, we synthesise the key takeaways from each chapter-narratives that may support academics at every career stage to feel energised, motivated and inspired in times of adversity. We share critical insights and strategies that may assist academics forge ahead in a post- pandemic world. In doing so, we advance the Academic Resilience Model that may help academics-and institutions-thrive in times of adversity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Building resiliency in adolescents to support mental health

Children and adolescents are highly vulnerable to negative mental health and wellbeing concerns, especially related to large-scale disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering the increased mental health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the mental health crisis that is presenting in the lives of students, a solution is needed to support the current troubles students are facing and strengthen skills to help reduce future mental health concerns. Schools can help students build resiliency for positive mental health and life functioning during school years and for future success. Building psychological capacity prior to a disaster or significant life stressors is key for increasing future resiliency and maintaining long-term positive mental health. Social-emotional learning programs focused on positive, protective factors have been found to have beneficial effects on learning, confidence, behavior, academic performance, and mental health. These programs can be implemented through universal measures as well as targeted methods in a school setting. Focusing on features such as strengths, student-generated goals, aspects that are working in their lives, an optimistic outlook on life, and positive coping skills have been found to lead to many positive traits such as empowerment, increased self-esteem, improved well-being, lessened negative mental health symptoms, and augmented resiliency. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Walking, wilderness, and exposure: Learning from Thoreau's episode on Katahdin

Walking is a simple way to live more sustainably, if for no other reason than it reduces one's carbon footprint and improves physical health. However, research in psychology and public health indicates walking also promotes positive affect in individuals (Ekkekakis et al., 2000) and a deeper sense of community among neighbors (Wood et al., 2010) and even facilitates healthy conflict resolution between disputants (Webb et al., 2017). The famous writer and environmental thinker Henry David Thoreau had life-changing experiences when hiking on Mt. Katahdin, the highest mountain in Maine. This chapter discusses the contemporary significance of Thoreau's experiences. Thoreau encountered elements of nature that were not as tranquil as those he observed around Walden Pond. Thoreau's example shows the importance of both wilderness experiences and philosophical reflection in promoting psychological resilience and adaptability. The chapter also discusses moral errors related to both COVID-19 and climate change made by people who deny collective responsibility to those who are most vulnerable. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Enacting resilience at multiple levels during the covid-19 pandemic: Exploring communication theory of resilience for u.S. Undocumented college students

During the COVID-19 pandemic, college students faced a number of stressors that threatened their health and well-being. Undocumented college students faced similar stressors and additional ones that were unique to their immigration status. Drawing from communication theory of resilience, we conducted 30 semi-structured interviews with Mexican-origin undocumented college students in California. Our findings extended past research on the communication theory of resilience by identifying triggers that motivated undocumented students to enact resilience at multiple levels. Undocumented students reported (a) individual, interpersonal, institutional, and policy-level constraints that constantly threatened their health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic;(b) how they enacted resilience at those multiple levels;and (c) how their undocumented status was a source of stress but also a source of empowerment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Impostor syndrome magnified: Experiences of an early career academic

During the rapid transition online, university educators had to reconsider how they supported students with disabilities and neurological differences in accessing a high-quality remote learning experience. This chapter explores my personal experiences as an Early Career Academic (ECA) tasked with supporting our faculty during the transition to remote learning. By collating my personal experiences leading up to and throughout this period, I reflect on my own coping strategies required to fulfill this role. I also explore the forms of resilience that I utilised to support my colleagues who had a spectrum of perspectives and knowledge of inclusive digital pedagogies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Experiences of video game play and subreddit communities on self-reported well-being and resilience during COVID-19: A phenomenological study of animal crossing: new horizons

COVID-19, the global pandemic first reported in 2019, has led to many potential negative mental well-being issues, including depression, anxiety, and boredom. Research suggests that informal, targeted psychological interventions, such as those that allow for a sense of control and virtual socialization, may be helpful in boosting mental well-being and general resilience. Of the many interventions that exist, two informal ones are examined in this study: 1) video game play, and 2) online game-related forum discussions. For video game play, one game-Animal Crossing: New Horizons, or ANCH-was examined primarily due to its massive popularity during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. For online, game-related forum discussions, Reddit was chosen due to its global popularity and plethora of available game-related forums, also called subreddits. In this hermeneutic phenomenological study, data were collected from six participants (n=6) who both played the game and participated in game-related subreddits during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. These participants, with ages ranging 18 to 35, completed two background questionnaires and two online, Zoom interviews. Results from these participants indicated that ACNH and its subreddit communities helped these players maintain their mental well-being and build resilience by providing increased opportunities for: 1) socialization, 2) escapism, 3) goal setting, 4) player autonomy, and 5) real-world connections. These results likely have implications for: 1) mental health professionals, 2) video game players and designers, and 3) researchers interested in using video games for supporting mental well-being and resilience. Suggestions for future research are also provided. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Navigating COVID-19: Insights from research on social ostracism

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated social distancing and lockdowns has caused unprecedented changes to social life. We consider the possible implications of these changes for mental health. Drawing from research on social ostracism emphasizing the importance of social connection for mental well-being, there is reason for concern regarding the mental health effects of the crisis. However, there are also reasons for optimism;people can be surprisingly resilient to stressful situations, the impact of ostracism tends to depend on social norms (which are rapidly changing), and mental health depends primarily on having at least one or two close social connections. Given the scale and unprecedented nature of the social disruption that occurred, we see strong reason for concern, but not despair. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)