A study on the influence of community spiritual comfort service on the mental health of older people.

Background: China is experiencing rapid population aging, with the proportion of older adult people aged 60 and above reaching 19. 8% of the total population in 2022. With the growth of age, the physical function of older adults declines and their mental health is getting worse, with the increasing trend of empty nesting and childlessness, older adults lack information and social interaction with others and fall into social isolation, loneliness and some mental health problems, the proportion of older adults with mental health problems gradually rises and the mortality rate increases incrementally, requiring effective ways to intervene in the mental health of older adults and promote healthy aging. Aim of the study: The present study investigated the influence of spiritual comfort older adult services on the mental health of 12,624 older adults aged 60 years or older in 23 provinces in China from 2017 to 2018, with the aim of providing a case for the development of more targeted mental health strategies for older people. Methods: Using the data from the 2018 CLHLS Survey, the influencing factors of the mental health of older people were analyzed using chi-square test and the logit regression model. The mechanism of the health care facilities and the spiritual comfort services on mental health was analyzed using the chain mediation effect. Results: The spiritual comfort services decreased the risk of negative emotion and mental health of older adults, with female (OR = 1.168), rural residents (OR = 1.385), no drinking (OR = 1.255), not exercising (OR = 1.543), not having pension insurance (OR = 1.233), and low annual household income (OR = 1.416) being the characteristics as risk factors. The mediating effect results showed that the health care facilities had a partial mediating effect between the spiritual comfort services and the mental health status of older people, and the mediating effect accounted for 40.16% of the total effect. Conclusions: The use of spiritual comfort services can effectively reduce and alleviate the adverse mental health symptoms of older people, promote guidance and health education for healthy older people and chronically ill patients, and improve the good health perception of older people in order to improve their quality of life and mental health status.

SOCIO-EMOTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF EMERGENCY DISTANCE TEACHING: A MIXED-METHOD INVESTIGATION IN GREECE

Aim/Purpose The study examines the teachers' perceptions towards a set of socio-emotional characteristics of distance education (DE) in primary and secondary schools during the Covid-19 pandemic. The examined characteristics include perceived joy, stress, effort/fatigue, isolation, inclusiveness, and collaboration/interaction. Background The transition to emergency distance education had a large socio-emotional impact on teachers. Recent evidence certifies an increase in mental health issues like stress and load. Studies also recognized online teaching barriers including difficulties in communication and interaction with students. This study focuses on the examination of the socio-emotional characteristics of distance education as perceived by primary and secondary education teachers in Greece. The study also investigates differences between primary and secondary education, teaching disciplines, and the role of individual factors like gender, age, and experience. Methodology The study used a mixed-method research design with closed-ended and open-ended questions on a sample of 845 teachers of primary and secondary education in Greece. The closed-ended questionnaire consisted of 19 items of socioemotional DE characteristics, measured in a 5-point bipolar format. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA)was conducted on 16 items, indicating three components: (a) effort/fatigue, (b) inclusiveness, and (c) collaboration/interactivity. A single-item scale was considered for joy, fatigue, stress, and isolation. The finalized measurement model was evaluated in terms of item loadings, reliability of measures, convergent, and discriminant validity, with the help of the SmartPLS software. Descriptive statistics and percentages were calculated with the help of SPSS software. Because of the non-normal distribution of the data, non-parametric methods of Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis were performed to examine significant differences in teacher groups. The qualitative part of the analysis was conducted on text data received from two open-ended questions, on a sample of 602 cases. The identified qualitative constructs were investigated through content thematic analysis focusing on the identification of the socio-emotional codes and references, excluding non-relevant themes and cases. Contribution The findings of the study contribute towards the deeper understanding of the teachers' psychological or emotional state during the early stage of the Covid-19 emergency DE, as well as on the role of individual and other factors like gender, age, teaching stage, and teaching subject. The results can be leveraged during or after the pandemic, to design pedagogical or psychological practices and strategies to encourage and facilitate the teachers' transition to DE. Findings A measurement model of the teachers' perceived socio-emotional characteristics towards emergency distance education was developed and validated. The model includes the components of: (a) effort/fatigue, (b) inclusiveness, (c) collaboration/interactivity, (d) isolation, (e) joy, and (f) stress. The quantitative results indicated that teachers experienced increased levels of fatigue, and perceived DE as difficult and time-consuming. Teachers of primary education reported significantly lower levels of perceived collaboration/interaction than secondary teachers. Female teachers reported significantly higher scores of both joy and stress, while the youngest age groups expressed the highest scores of joy. The teaching subject also revealed differences in fatigue. Through qualitative analysis, this study also identified several socio-emotional thematic codes revealing the teachers' difficulties in interaction and communication with students as well as a set of emotional attributes like fatigue, joy, and stress. Recommendations for Practitioners Teachers should modify their face-to-face teaching material and adjust it to online teaching principles, avoiding future load and frustration. Different approaches should be implemented in primary and secondary education and indifferent teaching disciplines. Also, teachers should be trained on DE-oriented digital skills, ICT competencies, and socio-emotional skills, e.g., by receiving psychological and socio-emotional support from experts. Strategies to decrease fatigue and stress, especially in synchronous teaching should be traced by schools and educators. Recommendations for Researchers The findings provide theoretical evidence on the teachers' socio-emotional attitude towards DE and their experiences in the first stages of the emergency remote education due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Impact on Society This research highlights the perceived DE characteristics and the barriers to online teaching during Covid-19. Schools, educators, and society should collaborate to provide awareness and opportunities for successful distance education practices. Future Research The survey is based on individual self-reported measures, and this restricts the deeper understanding of the findings. Hence, future research should extend this work by using different methods of data collection like for instance observations, course recordings, interviews, or focus groups.

What makes a great teacher during a pandemic?: JET

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged many assumptions underlying education, including those related to the qualities that are most essential to being an effective teacher. We interviewed 23 state primary and secondary school teachers about what makes a great teacher during a pandemic. Two themes were identified: caring for pupil wellbeing, and dealing with uncertainty. Teachers reported that the need to demonstrate these qualities, while always important, has intensified during COVID-19. These findings indicate that teacher education and professional development programmes may benefit from recognising and assisting teachers to develop these qualities.

Psychological characteristics of parents in a Paediatric Outpatient during the SARS-CoV-2 Epidemic.

With the outbreak and spread of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), there has been a significant increase in the number of children infected, and some severe infection cases and neonatal cases have been reported. The parents or other family members who come to our paediatric clinic inevitably experience panic, tension and anxiety. The generation of these emotions has seriously affected the normal order of outpatient treatment and has led to many children not receiving an accurate diagnosis or proper treatment. This situation is not conducive to the control of the epidemic or the children's physical and mental health. Through summarizing parents' behaviours and emotional characteristics during the epidemic period, we hope to develop relevant coping and nursing strategies to ensure better control of the epidemic and to protect the physical and mental health of children.