Validation of the Recovery Experience Questionnaire in a Lithuanian Healthcare Personnel.

Healthcare workers (HCWs) often experience high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression due to high workloads and responsibilities in their professional activities. Therefore, recovery from work-related stress is highly important in HCWs. The Recovery Experience Questionnaire (REQ) is a 16-item self-reported measure covering four stress recovery domains: psychological detachment from work, relaxation, mastery, and control. The current study aimed to test the REQ's psychometric properties in a sample of Lithuanian HCWs. In total, 471 HCWs from various healthcare institutions participated in this study. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test the structure of the REQ. We also used the Brief Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4) and the World Health Organization Psychological Well-Being Index (WHO-5) to assess the mental health of the study participants. The CFA analysis supported the correlated four-factor structure of the REQ. Furthermore, we found significant correlations between the levels of REQ and anxiety, depression, and well-being. We conclude that the REQ is a valid measure that could be a useful tool in research on HCWs' mental health. It could also be used in healthcare settings for the evaluation of well-being among healthcare staff.

The efficacy of the internet-based stress recovery intervention FOREST for nurses amid the COVID-19 pandemic: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic demanded exceptional physical and mental effort from healthcare workers worldwide. Since healthcare workers often refrain from seeking professional psychological support, internet-delivered interventions could serve as a viable alternative option. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the effects of a therapist-guided six-week CBT-based internet-delivered stress recovery intervention among medical nurses using a randomized controlled trial design. We also aimed to assess program usability. METHODS: 168 nurses working in a healthcare setting (Mage = 42.12, SDage = 11.38; 97 % female) were included in the study. The intervention group included 77 participants, and the waiting list control group had 91 participants. Self-report data were collected online at three timepoints: pre-test, post-test, and three-month follow-up. The primary outcome was stress recovery. Secondary outcomes included measures of perceived stress, anxiety and depression symptoms, psychological well-being, posttraumatic stress and complex posttraumatic stress symptoms, and moral injury. RESULTS: We found that the stress recovery intervention FOREST improved stress recovery, including psychological detachment (d = 0.83 [0.52; 1.15]), relaxation (d = 0.93 [0.61, 1.25]), mastery (d = 0.64 [0.33; 0.95]), and control (d = 0.46 [0.15; 0.76]). The effects on psychological detachment, relaxation, and mastery remained stable at the three month follow-up. The intervention was also effective in reducing its users' stress (d = -0.49 [-0.80; -0.18]), anxiety symptoms (d = -0.31 [-0.62; -0.01]), depression symptoms (d = -0.49 [-0.80; -0.18]) and increasing psychological well-being (d = 0.53 [0.23; 0.84]) with the effects on perceived stress, depression symptoms, and well-being remaining stable at the three-month follow-up. High user satisfaction and good usability of the intervention were also reported. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated that an internet-based intervention for healthcare staff could increase stress recovery skills, promote psychological well-being, and reduce stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms, with most of the effects being stable over three months. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT04817995 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04817995). Registration date: March 30, 2021. Date of first recruitment: April 1, 2021.

The Restorative Effects of Virtual Reality Forests on Elderly Individuals During the COVID-19 Lockdown

This study focuses on the restorative effects of immersive virtual reality (VR) forest experiences on elderly people during the COVID-19 lockdown. A field experiment with 63 elderly participants was conducted in an elderly care institution in China. The results showed that a five-minute VR forest experience with three minutes of subsequent reliving can bring immediate psychological improvements (i.e., increased positive affect, decreased negative affect, and enhanced stress recovery) to elderly individuals. The negative affect decrease and stress recovery enhancement were more obvious among introverted individuals. Furthermore, participating in three VR forest experiences over three consecutive days can bring continuous psychological improvements. Moreover, short VR forest experiences were unable to significantly decrease the blood pressure of participants. The effects of three VR experiences over three days on blood pressure improvement were also nonsignificant. Additionally, VR forest experiences can increase elderly participants' intentions to undertake real forest therapy.

Recovery from Salinity and Drought Stress in the Perennial Sarcocornia fruticosa vs. the Annual Salicornia europaea and S. veneta.

Current agricultural problems, such as the decline of freshwater and fertile land, foster saline agriculture development. Salicornia and Sarcocornia species, with a long history of human consumption, are ideal models for developing halophyte crops. A greenhouse experiment was set up to compare the response of the perennial Sarcocornia fruticosa and the two annual Salicornia europaea and S. veneta to 30 days of salt stress (watering with 700 mM NaCl) and water deficit (complete withholding of irrigation) separate treatments, followed by 15 days of recovery. The three species showed high tolerance to salt stress, based on the accumulation of ions (Na+, Cl-, Ca2+) in the shoots and the synthesis of organic osmolytes. These defence mechanisms were partly constitutive, as active ion transport to the shoots and high levels of glycine betaine were also observed in non-stressed plants. The three halophytes were sensitive to water stress, albeit S. fruticosa to a lesser extent. In fact, S. fruticosa showed a lower reduction in shoot fresh weight than S. europaea or S. veneta, no degradation of photosynthetic pigments, a significant increase in glycine betaine contents, and full recovery after the water stress treatment. The observed differences could be due to a better adaptation of S. fruticosa to a drier natural habitat, as compared to the two Salicornia species. However, a more gradual stress-induced senescence in the perennial S. fruticosa may contribute to greater drought tolerance in this species.

Internet-based stress recovery intervention FOREST for healthcare staff amid COVID-19 pandemic: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The demand for care during the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the mental health of healthcare workers (HCWs), thus increasing the need for psychosocial support services. Internet-based interventions have previously been found to reduce occupational stress. The study aims to test the effects of an Internet-based stress recovery intervention-FOREST-among HCWs. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) parallel group design with three measurement points will be conducted to assess the efficacy of an Internet-based stress recovery intervention FOREST for nurses. The FOREST intervention is a 6-week Internet-based CBT and mindfulness-based program which comprises of six modules: (1) Introduction, (2) Detachment (relaxation and sleep), (3) Distancing, (4) Mastery (challenge), (5) Control, and (6) Keeping the change alive. We will compare the intervention against a waiting list group at pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. Stress recovery, PTSD, complex PTSD, moral injury, the level of stress, depression, anxiety, and psychological well-being will be measured. DISCUSSION: The study will contribute to the development of mental healthcare programs for the HCWs. Based on the outcomes of the study, the FOREST intervention can be further developed or offered to healthcare staff as a tool to cope with occupational stress. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04817995 . Registered on 30 March 2021.