Quality Improvement Evaluation of a Veterans' Palliative Care Telehealth Music Therapy Program

Music therapy is an important psychosocial aspect of hospice and palliative care programs to address pain, grief, and anxiety. The COVID-19 pandemic introduced new challenges to psychosocial therapies in palliative care, including the inability of families to be at the bedside of seriously ill patients, and the need to provide services remotely through video technology. Due to this sudden shift in service delivery, music therapists adapted without research evidence or evaluation of service quality. This evidence-based quality improvement (QI) evaluation examined the program effectiveness of music therapy telehealth services at one Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) for patients in palliative care, their family members, and VAMC staff during this time of societal grief, anxiety, and isolation. Evaluation metrics included patient (n = 39), staff (n = 27), and family member (n = 3) responses to QI surveys, and analysis of journal entries from key stakeholders (i.e., music therapist, nurse case manager, palliative care physician). We conducted a content analysis of QI surveys and completed the first and second cycle coding of journal entries. Results from the QI survey indicated that music therapy telehealth provided affective and interpersonal benefits, and increased compliance with other therapies. Reflections from key stakeholders included clinical recommendations for service implementation and descriptions of the influence of the telehealth modality on the therapeutic relationship. Findings suggested that music therapy telehealth services can provide psychosocial support for veterans, families, and staff in palliative care. QI research may be utilized to provide helpful ongoing feedback regarding clinical effectiveness.

Association of mental health status between self-poisoning suicide patients and their family members: a matched-pair analysis.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to examine the relationship of mental health status between self-poisoning suicide patients and their family members, and it also sought to identify potential patient's risk and parental factors for the prediction of suicide attempt, anxiety, and depression. METHODS: In this study, 151 poisoned patients were prospectively included, and they were matched 1:1 with 151 family members. We gathered information on patient's and their matched family member's demographics, lifestyle choices, mental health status, level of intimacy, and history of psychiatry disease. The relationship of patient's and their family member's mental health state was investigated using a correlation matrix. Multivariable analyses (multiple logistic regression) were conducted among patients and their matched family members, to identify potential risk factors for self-poisoning suicide, anxiety, and depression. RESULTS: Of the total patients, 67.55% (102/151) attempted self-poisoning suicide. Poisoned patients had more severe anxiety and depression symptoms than their matched family members, and this difference was even more pronounced among patients with self-poisoning suicide. Generalized anxiety disorder-7 (GAD-7) score for family members was significantly and favorably correlated with patient's GAD-7 score after eliminating non-suicide patients and their matched family members. The patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) score showed a similar pattern, and the family member's PHQ-9 score was strongly and favorably associated with patient's PHQ-9 and Beck hopelessness scale-20 (BHS-20) score. Multivariable analysis showed that married marital status (P = 0.038), quitting smoking (P = 0.003), sedentary time of 1 to 6 h (P = 0.013), and participation in a sports more than five times per week (P = 0.046) were all significantly associated with a lower risk of suicide by self-poisoning, while a more serious anxiety state (P = 0.001) was significantly associated with a higher risk of self-poisoning suicide. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that, specifically among self-poisoning suicide patients, married marital status (P = 0.011) and no history of psychiatry disease (P < 0.001) were protective factors for anxiety, while divorced or widowed marital status (P = 0.004), a sedentary time of 1 to 3 h (P = 0.022), and a higher monthly income (P = 0.027) were significant contributors to anxiety. The propensity of additional family-matched characteristics to predict patient's suicidality, anxiety, and depression was also examined. CONCLUSIONS: Self-poisoning suicide patients have severe mental health issues. Patients who self-poison have a close connection to their family member's mental health, particularly their levels of anxiety and depression. According to the findings, being married and adopting healthy lifestyle habits, such as quitting smoking and drinking, increasing their physical activity levels, and managing their idle time, are able to help patients with mental health concerns and even suicidal thoughts.

Internet-based interventions for family carers of people with dementia

There is an urgent global need for accessible, usable, effective and scalable skills training and support programs for carers of people with dementia, particularly in LMICs. WHO's iSupport is filling this gap by providing such a program, accessible for translation and cultural adaptation worldwide. First steps have been undertaken to support the systematic and culturally fair translation and adaptation of the program in several countries. However, while web-based or online programs for dementia carers such as iSupport seem to be promising, the scaling of these programs remains challenging and is a common issue for digital health solutions. In fact, the findings of a first efficacy study from India highlight the need to understand carers' individual situation better and tailor support programs even more to their specific needs. Going forward, iSupport could be improved by adding a mobile phone application to offer more flexibility to users, including an interactive or moderated chat function or more audio-visual materials to the online program to increase its appeal. To assist carers who wish to use more traditional ways of learning, WHO has released the iSupport hardcopy manual, which presents the entire iSupport content in book format. Further robust cultural adaptations and high-quality research investigating the effectiveness of iSupport across different settings and for different groups of carers are required. Finally, in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, digital support services such as iSupport are more important than ever and present a real opportunity to build back better, which will help to reach the global target set by WHO that 75% of countries will provide support and training programs for carers and families of people with dementia by 2025. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

COVID-19: Boredom in the family

This research is focused on the subject of boredom in the families during the stay-at-home process forced by coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The literature on boredom was reviewed, and then the qualitative research was designed with the open-ended questions appropriate for the subject and purpose. The research was conducted between April 20 and 29, 2020, in Istanbul, Turkey, with the participation of 264 families. The most significant findings of the research showed that family members accustomed to active life experienced boredom more during the stay-at-home process, they utilized information technologies very often to overcome boredom, the importance of time spent at home increased, involuntary behaviors such as overeating and snacking became common, the livelihood difficulties and fear of unemployment increased boredom, nevertheless, no conflict occurred between the family members, and the process taught to be patient and strong. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

A Guide to Mental Health in Family Under the COVID-19 Epidemic

This book tells us from a professional perspective how to deal with stress response in the family, effectively address family problems in the epidemic, and handle the infectious emotions. This book is a profound explanation of the new stress, conflicts, and problems arising at home amid the epidemic. It provides people with a psychological self-help scale to effectively distinguish the normal and abnormal states of psychological response. Besides, it also provides professional psychological assistance and suggestions for special groups, including children, the elderly, the quarantined, and the bereaved, in order to help all families actively respond to the epidemic with the power of psychology. © Beijing Normal University Press 2022.

The experience of family members who have had a loved one in physical restraint in a critical care setting during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study using a phenomenological design

Limited accounts of family members' experiences with loved ones who have been physically restrained in ICU settings (Ones, 2020;Singer et al., 2020) have left a gap in providing respectful, responsive patient care. One study estimated that physical restraint was being used at the rate of 50 per 1,000 patient days. Currently, it is estimated that approximately 27,000 people are placed in physical restraints each day in U.S. hospitals. ICUs are responsible for 56% of all restraint days, despite accounting for only 16% of all patient days (Mion, 2008). According to Abdeljawad and Mrayyan (2016), patients may experience trauma with the use of these devices. In order to better comprehend the effects following physical restraint use, this dissertation explored the perceptions of family members with loved ones who have been physically restrained, with a focus on their application in critical care settings during the COVID-19 pandemic.While no scientific evidence of physical restraint efficacy is available, there is much evidence of its risk. Another study reported that in hospitals in the United States, the prevalence of using physical restraints is approximately with 53% of all patients. Further, the prevalence of using restraints on patients in critical care units is 75%. With the increased use of physical restraint, the mortality and morbidity rates are expected to increase, due to serious consequences of physical restraint that can result in confusion, deconditioning, pressure injuries, strangulation, death, and adverse psychological effects (Rakhmatullina et al., 2013). In the extant literature, limited studies have explored family members' experiences of loved ones being physically restrained (Ones, 2020). The findings from this study included the following themes: Theme 1: Having to Deal with Complications and Difficulties Encountered Preceding, During, and Post Hospitalization;Theme 2: Experiences That Are Identified as Negative;Theme 3: Understanding of Hospital Staff Intentions;Theme 4: The Need for Physical Restraint Intervention (PRI) May Be Justifiable but Stirs up Negative Emotions;and Theme 5: Feelings of Ambivalence Associated with PRI. The study provides an understanding of family members' perception of these experiences. These insights may help health care clinicians improve the experience of patient care, safety, and quality. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The status and use of prosthetic devices by persons with lower limb amputation in Rwanda.

Background: Amputation is one of the leading causes of disabilities because of reduced mobility. Without assistive devices specifically prostheses, the quality of life of persons with lower limb amputation (PLLA) further deteriorates. Therefore, prostheses are fundamental to improving their quality of life. Objectives: This study aimed to establish the number of PLLA with or without prosthesis and to determine their socio-economic profile in Rwanda. Method: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in all sectors of Rwanda. As a result of coronavirus disease 2019 movement restrictions, data collection was carried out through telephone calls with participants to complete the questionnaires. Descriptive, inferential statistics and chi-square test were performed to analyse data using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) 21.0. Results: Of the 3026 participants identified countrywide, 68.8% were males and 60.3% of them did not have any prosthesis (p = 0.003). The majority (62.4%) of those who had prosthetic devices needed repair of their prostheses while 14.8% of participants reported that their prosthetic devices were completely broken and/or damaged (p = 0.604). Among the participants, 63.7% had no source of income and 66.7% had dependents (p ≤ 0.001). Conclusion: The majority of the PLLA in Rwanda did not have prosthetic devices and even those with prostheses did not fully function and thus required repair. Therefore, it adversely affects their livelihood. Contribution: The government should collaborate with stakeholders working with persons with disabilities and implement mechanisms and/or strategies to make prosthetic devices accessible and affordable.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students with relatives with addiction problems: A longitudinal qualitative study.

Addiction problems impact not only the persons with these problems but also family members. This study aims to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on stress, strain on health, study experiences, coping strategies, and access to support of students with relatives with addiction problems. Thirty students, aged 18-30 years, from a University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands participated in a three-year qualitative longitudinal interview study. One round of individual semi-structured interviews was conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic, and three during the COVID-19 pandemic. Directed Content Analysis was applied, using the Stress-Strain-Information-Coping-Support-model. Four major themes were identified: (1) Increase in stress and strain; (2) Decrease in stress and strain; (3) Coping strategies, and (4) Access to social, professional, and educational support. Before the pandemic, most participants had health problems, especially mental health problems, including problems with their own substance use. Some had study delay. Analysis revealed that during the pandemic, most participants experienced an increase in these problems. This appeared to be related to their living situation: An increase in violence and relapse of relatives increased stress, especially for those living with their relatives. The coping strategies 'standing up' or 'putting up', and a decrease in support-social, professional, and educational-also contributed to stress. A few participants experienced less health problems and study problems. This was related to diminishing addiction problems of relatives, less social pressure, available help, and the coping strategy 'withdrawing'. Withdrawing was much easier for participants who did not live with their relatives with addiction problems. It is recommended to keep schools and universities open during pandemics, offering a safe haven for students at risk in the home situation.

Coping Strategies Adopted During Covid-19: A Study among Married Couples in Tamil Nadu

Sudden outbreak created many psychological problems, social panic and it also worsen the mental health conditions. The survey was conducted in Tamil Nadu during the pandemic period to examine the COVID-19 related coping mechanisms and associated factors in the study locations. The lockdown restrictions had impacted among the significant proportion of the study population's mental health status and among them a major proportion of were cope up by 'engaged with family members'.Copyright © 2023, Institute of Medico-legal Publication. All rights reserved.

Where is leisure when death is present?

For many, the COVID-19 pandemic is the overwhelming, ever-present reality of dying-of loved ones, close family members, dear friends, colleagues, or patients. Fear, avoidance of or lack of time for essential conversations, physical separation during final moments, and lack of rituals for these contingencies leave individuals alone with loss, mourning, and grieving. How is leisure relevant during such realities? Historically, leisure has been present across diverse cultural dying and death practices: art, music, dance, theater, play, contemplation, rituals, and somatic practices. These connect individuals with life forces even as some are absent in the flesh. In truth, we are all experiencing dying-death-mourning-beginning again during the COVID-19 pandemic. Josef Pieper's (2017, 2016, 2011, 1999, 1988) philosophy hints of leisure as context for the meaning, purpose, and comfort in such trying times: contemplating one's place in a changing world/universe and celebrating or affirming that relationship in community. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Correction: A qualitative evaluation of team and family perceptions of family-based treatment delivered by videoconferencing (FBT-V) for adolescent Anorexia Nervosa during the COVID-19 pandemic

Reports an error in "A qualitative evaluation of team and family perceptions of family-based treatment delivered by videoconferencing (FBT-V) for adolescent anorexia nervosa during the COVID-19 pandemic" by Jennifer Couturier, Danielle Pellegrini, Laura Grennan, Maria Nicula, Catherine Miller, Paul Agar, Cheryl Webb, Kristen Anderson, Melanie Barwick, Gina Dimitropoulous, Sheri Findlay, Melissa Kimber, Gail McVey, Rob Paularinne, Aylee Nelson, Karen DeGagne, Kerry Bourret, Shelley Restall, Jodi Rosner, Kim Hewitt-McVicker, Jessica Pereira, Martha McLeod, Caitlin Shipley, Sherri Miller, Ahmed Boachie, Marla Engelberg, Samantha Martin, Jennifer Holmes-Haronitis and James Lock (Journal of Eating Disorders, 2022[Jul][26], Vol 10[111]). In the original article, there was an error in co-author Gina Dimitropoulos's name: the name was incorrectly presented as "Gina Dimitropoulous". The correct name is included in the author list of this Correction and has been updated in the original article. (The following of the original article appeared in record 2022-86500-001). Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, outpatient eating disorder care, including Family-Based Treatment (FBT), rapidly transitioned from in-person to virtual delivery in many programs. This paper reports on the experiences of teams and families with FBT delivered by videoconferencing (FBT-V) who were part of a larger implementation study. Methods: Four pediatric eating disorder programs in Ontario, Canada, including their therapists (n = 8), medical practitioners (n = 4), administrators (n = 6), and families (n = 5), participated in our study. We provided FBT-V training and delivered clinical consultation. Therapists recorded and submitted their first four FBT-V sessions. Focus groups were conducted with teams and families at each site after the first four FBT-V sessions. Focus group transcripts were transcribed verbatim and key concepts were identified through line-by-line reading and categorizing of the text. All transcripts were double-coded. Focus group data were analyzed using directed and summative qualitative content analysis. Results: Analysis of focus group data from teams and families revealed four overarching categories-pros of FBT-V, cons of FBT-V, FBT-V process, and suggestions for enhancing and improving FBT-V. Pros included being able to treat more patients and developing a better understanding of family dynamics by being virtually invited into the family's home (identified by teams), as well as convenience and comfort (identified by families). Both teams and families recognized technical difficulties as a potential con of FBT-V, yet teams also commented on distractions in family homes as a con, while families expressed difficulties in developing therapeutic rapport. Regarding FBT-V process, teams and families discussed the importance and challenge of patient weighing at home. In terms of suggestions for improvement, teams proposed assessing a family's suitability or motivation for FBT-V to ensure it would be appropriate, while families strongly suggested implementing hybrid models of FBT in the future which would include some in-person and some virtual sessions. Conclusion: Team and family perceptions of FBT-V were generally positive, indicating acceptability and feasibility of this treatment. Suggestions for improved FBT-V practices were made by both groups, and require future investigation, such as examining hybrid models of FBT that involve in-person and virtual elements. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

"I returned to being an immigrant": Onward Latin American Migrants and Brexit

We explore the experiences of Onward Latin American Migrants (OLAs) in London - individuals born in Latin America who live in London and hold EU passports - with the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), a programme developed by the British Government to register EU nationals as part of the Brexit process. Drawing from qualitative fieldwork, we show that prior experience of being subject to immigration control in Southern Europe, including periods of irregularity, made OLAs anxious about maintaining lawful residence, favouring their uptake of the EUSS in an effort to re-secure their status and keep their rights. However, many of OLAs' non-EU family members could not apply successfully to the scheme given difficulties in meeting the eligibility criteria - a pattern exacerbated by the COVID pandemic. For many OLAs, the EUSS ultimately signified a loss of rights and secured status which took them long to achieve and a return to a position of uncertainty. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Crisis leadership: Experiences of K-12 principals in South Texas school districts during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic which began in March of 2020 was the start of a crisis no one ever anticipated experiencing in our lifetime. Education was impacted on many levels and the effects continue today. K-12 schools experienced a new way of teaching and learning when forced to utilize modes of online learning to continue with school as communities faced COVID-19 fears and waves of sickness until a vaccine was made available. Although COVID-19 has now began to dissipate, schools continue to face instructional gaps with students having lost instruction for a little over a year on top of the already existing instructional gaps. Lives have been affected with staff, students, and families having experienced COVID-19 or lost a friend or family member to it. Educational leaders had not experienced leading through a crisis such as a pandemic. This qualitative study is expected to make a crucial contribution to the existing body of literature of crisis leadership and traditional leadership approaches. Six principals in South Texas school districts were interviewed to gain a better understanding of their experiences and leadership approaches and skills they utilized as they navigated through uncharted territories. Major themes across the participant data included: (1) crisis informs leadership, (2) crisis reshapes leadership approaches, (3) crisis hones leadership skills, (4) crisis required addressing social emotional realm, and (5) crisis reshapes instruction. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Facing death: Familial responses to illness and death

Death is one of the rare certainties of life. While rituals surrounding death may vary by geography, culture, and time, suffering the loss of a loved one is a universal experience. However, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has increased global awareness of and proximity to serious illness and death. Since the outbreak of the virus in 2019, hundreds of millions of individuals have been infected and the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been directly implicated in millions of deaths worldwide. Societal changes, related to social distancing requirements and city-wide lockdowns attempting to slow the spread of disease, have made it more difficult for individuals to find support in their grieving process. As a result, those coping with the death of a loved one have often found themselves caring for family members and managing the bereavement process in isolation. Facing daily death tolls and constant efforts to avoid infection has kept death in the forefront of our collective awareness. As a multidisciplinary endeavor, the current volume of Contemporary Perspectives in Family Research includes contributions from a variety of methodologies and contexts to provide a timely exploration of familial responses to illness and death. A rapid increase of global connectedness in recent times has allowed individuals worldwide to connect and share information on an unprecedented scale. As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on, death continues to be a daily concern that transcends geographic and cultural boundaries. Facing Death: Familial Responses to Illness and Death provides an avenue to analyze, understand, and process death from a variety of perspectives, and we are deeply appreciative of each author who has contributed their time and expertise to this volume. We also want to extend sincere thanks to the members of the editorial board, the external reviewers, and the Emerald Publishing staff for their contributions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The Impact of Visitor Restrictions During COVID-19 Pandemic on Bereaved Family Members of Patients in Palliative Care Units.

COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the families of patients in Palliative Care Units because of the visitor restrictions which were introduced to reduce the risk of infection. This study investigates how the bereaved families of the patients who died in end-of-life care during the pandemic evaluate the visitor restrictions and how the lack of direct communication with the patient affected them. We conducted a quantitative survey using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. Participants were the bereaved families of patients who died in a Palliative Care Unit from April 2020 to March 2021. Their perspectives on the negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic on visitations, visitor restrictions, the quality of medical care in the month before the death of the patient, and online visitations were recorded in the survey. The results show that most participants experienced a negative impact on visitations. However, most respondents felt that the restrictions were unavoidable. According to visitor permissions in patients' last days, bereaved families were satisfied with the medical care provided for the patient and the amount of time spent with the patient in his/her last days. The importance of direct meetings during the last days of the patients' life for their family members was presented. We suggest further research to find measures which enable visitation in palliative care units, as caregiving from family and friends and maintaining COVID safety regulations are equally significant in end-of-life care.

Crisis leadership: Experiences of K-12 principals in South Texas school districts during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic which began in March of 2020 was the start of a crisis no one ever anticipated experiencing in our lifetime. Education was impacted on many levels and the effects continue today. K-12 schools experienced a new way of teaching and learning when forced to utilize modes of online learning to continue with school as communities faced COVID-19 fears and waves of sickness until a vaccine was made available. Although COVID-19 has now began to dissipate, schools continue to face instructional gaps with students having lost instruction for a little over a year on top of the already existing instructional gaps. Lives have been affected with staff, students, and families having experienced COVID-19 or lost a friend or family member to it. Educational leaders had not experienced leading through a crisis such as a pandemic. This qualitative study is expected to make a crucial contribution to the existing body of literature of crisis leadership and traditional leadership approaches. Six principals in South Texas school districts were interviewed to gain a better understanding of their experiences and leadership approaches and skills they utilized as they navigated through uncharted territories. Major themes across the participant data included: (1) crisis informs leadership, (2) crisis reshapes leadership approaches, (3) crisis hones leadership skills, (4) crisis required addressing social emotional realm, and (5) crisis reshapes instruction. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

"Family Burnout" of psychiatric patients: its role during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: Family members caregivers (FMCs) of patients with severe psychiatric disorders (SMPD) are subjected to a complex system of fatigue and stress. FMCs can be subjected to a care burden defined as "Family Burnout". Caring of family members of patients affected by psychiatric disorder suffered an additional burden during the pandemic period. Objective(s): To investigate the stress, burnout and compassion fatigue in FMCs during the pandemic vs non-pandemic period. Method(s): In our observational study we recruited family members (FMCs) of SMPDs (DSM-5). The severity was assessed with BPRS > 31;from March 2021 to July 2021 (T1), in 66 FMCs (38 females, 28 men) that completed following questionnaires: CBI (Caregiver Burden Inventory), ProQOL (compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue (burnout and secondary trauma) subscales]. These data (T1) were compared with the scores obtained in the same family members in 2019 (T0) in a pre-pandemic period. Result(s): ProQOL data /T1) have a higher total score than those observed in a previous study (T0). They show a lower main score in Compassion Satisfaction (CS) subscale [T1 vs T0;34.27 vs 38.89 (p < .00.5). CS subscale T0 vs T1= 34.84% vs 12.12%). High levels of burnout were found in 28.79% (T1) vs 13.64% (T0) of FMCs group. Similar results showed in the Secondary Trauma subscale and CBI with higher scores in T1 vs T0. Conclusion(s): The comparative mean results (2019 vs 2021) showed that in the same group of FMCs, the mean values obtained with same scales were higher during the lockdown. During health crisis, FMCs of psychiatric patients are subjected to high levels of stress.

What should General Adult Psychiatrists know about Reproductive Counselling of Women with Severe Mental Illness?

A notable part of psychiatry is prevention. Our job, as psychiatrists, is not only to treat mental disorders, but also to prevent them. Treating mothers in postnatal period reducing the negative consequence of depression for child development, for example. General adult psychiatrists face the challenge of having patients, who receive psychiatric health care, while also planning to have a child. Many professionals may find themselves in a situation, when they feel clueless on what to advise regarding pharmacotherapy and realistic expectations on having a child. The presentation will focus on some crucial topics. What should counselling include when planning pregnancy, highlighting differences among first and second or further children. Potentials risks and harms on the fetus / newborn baby will be introduced with emphasis on pharmacological/ chemical agents, infectious effects and social, relational and family stressors. What the guidelines are for Covid-19 vaccination and pregnancy. Relative and absolute contraindications of planned pregnancy will be discussed. The crucial question of artificial/ therapeutic abortion;are there any psychiatric conditions, when a psychiatrist can/should suggest it? The advantage and knowledge of perinatal mental health guideline papers, bio-ethical aspects will be discussed, along with the consequences of untreated mental illness. Advantage of breastfeeding and an up-to-date view on what should be psychiatrists' aim will be introduced. Why is it inevitable to cooperate with GPs, obstetric- and gynecology colleagues and further medical professionals? The essential aspect and advantages of involving fathers and extended family members in this approach also will be explained.

Promoting positive emotions and instilling concern for the needs of others during the COVID-19 pandemic

The purpose of this research is to study the efficacy of the home-based Hero program in promoting positive emotions and prosocial behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample included 237 12- to 15-year-old adolescents from Argentina. The level of positive emotions and prosocial behavior toward strangers, friends and family in the adolescent intervention group increased through the three evaluation periods. The Hero program was focused on recognizing one's own emotions and provided an opportunity to reflect on different positive aspects of life, thus allowing a change in perspective related to immediate negative events. Moreover, the program provided an opportunity to change adolescents' perspective from personal worries to concerns about others, including friends, family members, and even strangers in need. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The relationship between social connections and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic

(Spanish) Durante los anos 2020 y 2021, en Puerto Rico y a nivel mundial, el distanciamiento social fue utilizado como medida de precaucion de salud publica para prevenir la propagacion del COVID-19. La literatura sugiere que el distanciamiento social podria causar aislamiento social y provocar estres psicologico. Este estudio busco identificar factores protectores contra el estres psicologico mediante la evaluacion de las variables conexiones sociales, experiencias positivas y edad. La muestra consistio en 227 participantes de entre 22 y 77 anos residentes de Puerto Rico durante la pandemia. Se encontro que cuando los niveles de conexiones sociales reportados son mas altos, los niveles de estres psicologico son mas bajos. Especificamente, se encontro que las conexiones sociales con la familia pueden ayudar a contrarrestar el estres psicologico. Esto es consistente con el valor cultural del "familismo" que explica como en familias latinas los vinculos familiares promueven su bienestar emocional y la salud mental. No encontramos una relacion significativa entre experiencias positivas y estres psicologico, ni entre edad y conexiones sociales. Recomendamos programas de atencion y apoyo familiar que ayuden a las familias a manejar el estres psicologico provocado por situaciones de crisis como pandemias, entre otros (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)