Psychological interventions to promote self-forgiveness: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Being able to forgive one's own wrongdoings improves the health and well-being of a person. People find it difficult to forgive themselves due to different reasons. It is essential to enhance the ability to accept one's deeds and thereby enhance self-forgiveness. The current systematic review's objective is to comprehend the application and efficiency of numerous interventions that improve self-forgiveness. METHODS: The search was done on electronic databases such as PubMed, ERIC, Web of Science, PsycNet, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. The initial search yielded 399 articles. After the duplicate removal, 19 articles met the eligibility criteria. Two studies were identified through related references. Thus, 21 articles were finalized for review. The study adhered to the PRISMA recommendations for systematic reviews. RESULTS: The 21 finalized articles varied in method, participants, research design, duration, measurement tools used, and observed outcomes. Thirteen of the 21 finalized articles followed interventions specifically designed to promote self-forgiveness. Interventions are seen to be applied at both individual and group levels. CONCLUSION: The review categorizes the interventions into self-directed and group. The self-directed interventions, notably those based on Enright's process model, demonstrate its efficiency in nurturing self-forgiveness. Self-forgiveness interventions are also found to be effective in promoting other positive psychological and clinical variables. Further implications and future research avenues are outlined.

Correlates of post-traumatic growth among persons bereaved from cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Recent research identified that cancer bereavement can lead to post-traumatic growth (PTG). Although PTG and its correlates are well explored in cancer patients and survivors, persons bereaved from cancer have received scant attention. Therefore, the present review attempts to identify the correlates of PTG among persons bereaved from cancer. METHODS: A systematic search in PubMed, Web of Science, APA PsycNet, Science Direct, Scopus, and Wiley was conducted to identify quantitative studies published in English, resulting in 12 eligible reports being included in the final analysis. JBI critical checklists were employed to appraise the risk of bias. RESULTS: The review identified 17 correlates, which were classified into four categories: demographic factors (age, gender, religious status, level of education), loss-related factors (time since death, quality of death, prolonged grief symptoms), interpersonal factors (relationship to the deceased, social support, attachment style, bereavement behaviours) and intrapersonal factors (resilience, coping, rumination, benevolence, meaningfulness, self-worth). Random effects meta-analyses on six correlates revealed correlation coefficients of age = -0.02 (95% CI: -0.35-0.31), gender = 0.27 (95% CI: 0.08-0.45), time since death = 0.09 (95% CI: -0.02-0.20), quality of death = 0.29 (95% CI: -0.01-0.54), prolonged grief symptoms = 0.22 (95% CI: 0.08-0.35) and relationship to the deceased = 0.13 (95% CI: -0.03-0.29). Fixed effects meta-analysis was performed for social support (r = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.04-0.21). However, PTG was found to be significantly associated with gender, prolonged grief symptoms, and social support. CONCLUSIONS: Very few studies examined PTG among persons bereaved from cancer, highlighting the need for increased attention, understanding, and conceptualisation of PTG in the population.

Prevalence and determinants of hand hygiene behavior among Indian population: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Despite a global call to action, many deaths occur yearly in developing nations from contagious diseases due to poor sanitation and hygiene. Although hand hygiene (HH) behavior was critical in preventing the COVID-19 pandemic, the sustainability of such practices is still questionable. Therefore, the current systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the prevalence and determinants of HH behavior among the Indian population (PROSPERO registration ID: CRD42022344961). Systematic searches on electronic databases, including ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, JSTOR, PubMed, and Google Scholar, targeted qualitative and quantitative studies that report HH behaviors in India. Pooled effect sizes were calculated with the inverse-variance method using random-effects models, acknowledging the study heterogeneity. Out of 1053 studies, 15 studies that met eligibility criteria were included in the qualitative synthesis. Among them, five studies were included in the meta-analyses. The overall prevalence of HH before food was 55% (95% CI = 31-78), and after the toilet was 84% (95% CI = 65-96). Subgroup analysis showed that before-food HH prevalence pre- and post-COVID-19 was 61% and 36%, respectively, whereas after-toilet HH prevalence was 91% and 74%, respectively. Meta-regression revealed statistically non-significant results for COVID-19 status. While it could not adequately explain the heterogeneity of the 'before-food prevalence' studies (Adj. R2 = - 34.80%), it did account for more than 19% in 'after-toilet prevalence' (Adj. R2 = 19.72%). This systematic review highlights various demographic, psychosocial, and environmental determinants of HH behavior. The results offer the potential for a deeper comprehension of the key factors influencing HH in India and could find implications for developing viable interventions. This aids in planning efficient promotional campaigns to enhance personal hygiene and control infectious diseases in the nation.

Mindfulness-based interventions for body image dissatisfaction among clinical population: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are well-validated interventions to enhance the favourable body image of individuals. Despite their wide application, the efficacy of MBIs in reducing body image dissatisfaction (BID) among various clinical populations remains unclear. This study aims to expand the literature on MBIs for BID and identify effective types of MBIs for reducing BID in diverse clinical populations for future research and practice. METHODS: A systematic search for studies published in English on the effectiveness of MBIs for BID among the clinical population was done on APA PsycNet, PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases in August 2023. Of the 1962 articles initially identified, 17 were found eligible and evaluated based on the JBI checklist. RESULTS: Random effects meta-analyses on six MBIs revealed their effectiveness in reducing BID among the clinical population (SMD = -.59 and 95% CI = -1.03 to -.15, p = .009), with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) (SMD = -1.29, 95% CI = -2.06 to -.52, p = .001) and My Changed Body (MyCB) (SMD = -.24, 95% CI = -.46 to -.01, p = .04) reporting significant effect sizes. Among the patients with breast cancer, MyCB (SMD = -.24, 95% CI = -.46 to -.01, p = .04) showed a significant effect size. CONCLUSIONS: MBIs appear to be promising interventions in reducing BID among the clinical population. However, findings should be considered cautiously due to the possible publication bias, high heterogeneity and fewer available studies.

Factors influencing tobacco use behaviour initiation - From the perspective of the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation- Behaviour (COM-B) Model.

Introduction: Non-communicable diseases such as ischemic heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases are the leading causes of death worldwide, and are associated with tobacco use. The ultimate goal of health professionals and researchers working to combat smoking's extremely harmful health effects is to prevent smoking initiation. Nearly 5500 new smokers are added each day, for a total of almost 2 million new smokers each year. The COM-B model's primary goal is to determine what needs to be done for a behaviour change to occur. Behaviour modification requires an understanding of the factors that drive behaviour. Aim: The current qualitative study intends to explore the factors affecting tobacco use initiation (TUI) using the COM-B model, given the relevance of investigating the factors affecting TUI and the model. Methods: The present qualitative study has used a directed content analysis approach. Seventeen participants who reported having started any kind of tobacco in the last six months were recruited in the study using a purposive sampling method to understand the factors affecting TUI. The data was collected through interviews, and all of the participants were from the Hyderabad-Karnataka region of Karnataka, India (a state which has been reported as having the highest prevalence of cigarette smoking in India). Results: Directed content analysis revealed six categories: psychological capabilities affecting TUI (lack of knowledge about adverse health effects of tobacco, behavioural control, and poor academic performance), physical capabilities affecting TUI (lack of better physical resilience), physical opportunities favouring TUI (tobacco advertisements, easy access of tobacco products, and favourite star smoke on screen), social opportunities favouring TUI (peer influence, tobacco use by parents, tradition of hospitality, tobacco use as a normal behaviour, and toxic masculinity), automatic motivation causal factors of TUI (affect regulation, risk taking behaviours and tobacco use for pleasure) and reflective motivation causal factors of TUI (perceived benefits of tobacco, risk perception, perceived stress, and compensatory health beliefs). Conclusion: Identifying the factors that influence TUI may help to limit or prevent people from smoking their first cigarette. Given the importance of preventing TUI, the findings of this study indicated the factors that influence TUI, which can be valuable in improving behaviour change processes.

A Qualitative Comparative Analysis to explore the predictors of individuals' willingness towards vaccination.

The emergence of COVID-19 traumatized individuals from all walks of life and while the demand for vaccines increased exponentially, the authorities seem to encounter greater challenges on their road to create herd immunity. Governments initiated numerous campaigns to influence individuals to opt for vaccination and India being a diverse country makes it difficult to understand the motivating factors for getting COVID-19 vaccination. The study aimed to explore the predictors of individuals' willingness to get vaccinated using Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). After screening using the vaccine hesitancy scale, a semi-structured interview was conducted among 30 respondents from India. Crisp Set QCA was utilized to analyse the data which lead to nine conditions. A solution combination of seven conditions showed a consistency of 1 and coverage of 0.6. They included knowledge about vaccines, perceived severity of the COVID-19 virus, family and peer influence, media and health department's influence, a sense of social responsibility, trust in the authorities and vaccine efficacy. This study contributes to the relevance of QCA's use in psychological research, especially to identify predictors of willingness to immunize. The findings of this study would help in designing appropriate interventions to enhance willingness to get vaccinated.

Applications, benefits and challenges of telehealth in India during COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: India, the seventh-largest country in the world and the second-most populated faces enormous challenges when it comes to healthcare. The country's healthcare system was close to collapse due to the detrimental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Telehealth, which enables treating patients remotely, played a critical role during these challenging times. This systematic review investigates in detail the role of telehealth during COVID-19 and its application beyond the pandemic. METHODS: Database searches on PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct and Web of Science were carried out for studies published on telehealth, and articles were included if they focused on any audio or video telehealth consultation during the pandemic in India. Findings were synthesised into three main themes: applications, benefits and challenges of telehealth services. Methodological quality was assessed using JBI critical appraisal tools. RESULTS: The initial search on databases yielded 1143 articles. Of those, 19 met the eligibility criteria. Findings highlight the effective utilisation of telehealth across multiple medical specialities. Although insufficient technological infrastructure and other barriers due to the virtual consultation challenge the successful implementation of telehealth in India, it has the potential to bridge the rural-urban healthcare divide with cost-effective and easily accessible services. CONCLUSION: High patient/provider satisfaction underscores the need to integrate telehealth into routine healthcare practices in the country. However, the review urges the government and healthcare practitioners to address the telehealth challenges with prime importance to ensure quality healthcare throughout the nation even after the pandemic.

What Contributes to COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy? A Systematic Review of the Psychological Factors Associated with COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy.

Vaccine hesitancy plays a crucial role in worldwide pandemic-control efforts. The multifaceted nature of vaccine hesitancy entails many psychological factors that are widely discussed in the literature, although few studies specifically compile these factors. Thus, this systematic review aims to synthesize the psychological factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy. As per the PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) guidelines, a systematic search was conducted on electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, PsycNET, and Web of Science, and a manual search was conducted on Google Scholar. Out of the 2289 articles obtained, 79 studies that met the inclusion criteria were deemed eligible for the review. The findings highlight appraisals of the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine safety and side effects, vaccine confidence/trust, trust in government and healthcare professionals, scepticism around vaccine production, conspiracy beliefs, emotions, and information and knowledge about the vaccine as the major psychological factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy. Concerningly, misinformation on COVID-19 vaccination spread through social media platforms, increasing vaccine hesitancy. Recommendations for government authorities, healthcare professionals, and implications for future research are also outlined.

Prevalence of mental health problems among rural adolescents in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Adolescent mental health problems have been recognised as a major issue in low-income countries including India. Through a meta-analytic approach, the present review delineate the overall prevalence of each of the most discussed mental health problems among rural adolescents in India, comprising depression, anxiety disorders, generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, separation anxiety, social anxiety disorder, suicidality, hyperactivity, emotional problems, conduct problems and peer problems. The review also presents the potential determinants of such mental health problems. Using PRISMA guidelines, a total of thirty-five studies were finalized from databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, JSTOR, Web of Science, Google Scholar and ProQuest. From the findings, it is observed that male and female adolescents does not differ significantly in the prevalence of most mental health problems. However, social anxiety was found to be more prevalent among females when compared to males. In meta-regression, factors like tools used (screening tools vs diagnostic interviews), sample size, setting (school-based vs community-based), sampling technique and year of publication were found to influence the prevalence rates of certain mental health problems, reported in the studies. Major determinants influencing the prevalence of mental health problems in rural adolescents were age, socio-economic status, academic and family environment. Individual factors such as social media usage, physical activity, and substance use also contribute to mental health problems. As India accounts for one-fifth of the world's adolescent population, the findings of this review can have global implications.

Effect of Carnatic raga-Bilahari based music therapy on anxiety, sleep disturbances and somatic symptoms among caregivers of cancer patients.

Carnatic raga-Bilahari based intervention is a music therapy technique that enhances relaxation and positivity by reducing anxiety. With extensive empirical evidence pointing out the detrimental challenges faced by the caregivers of cancer patients, the present study intends to find out the effectiveness of a Carnatic raga based music therapy on reducing anxiety, sleep disturbances, somatic symptoms and distress level among this population A single group pre-post research design was was used to conduct the study. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) was used as a screening tool to select participants, and 30 participants were chosen using the purposive sampling. These individuals received instruction in listening to Carnatic music (raga-Bilahari), 5 days a week. The vocal and instrumental recordings were given on alternative days with each session lasting 15-30 min over a month of standard care. From the findings it is observed that there is significant decrease in the anxiety (p < 0.001), sleep disturbances (p < 0.001), somatic symptoms (p < 0.001) and distress level (p < 0.001) after the intervention.The study result thus indicates that Carnatic raga-Bilahari-based music intervention is effective among caregivers of cancer patients to reduce anxiety, sleep disturbances, somatic symptoms presentation, and their distress level.

Using the integrative model of behavioural prediction to understand COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy behaviour.

The officials realized that the vaccination drive alone would not be  sufficient, but the individual's response towards getting vaccinated needs to be assessed and addressed, especially in India, where the diverse culture could widely affect the population's vaccination behaviour. The study aimed to identify the predictors of vaccine hesitancy behaviour using the health belief model and theory of planned behaviour and understand mediating and moderating influence of knowledge and social support on the relationship between the predictors and vaccine hesitancy behaviours among the Indian population. Data was collected from 1006 samples. Regression analysis was performed to assess the variances exerted on vaccine hesitancy behaviours. Also, SEM AMOS was employed to examine the mediation and moderation effects of knowledge about vaccines and social support. The findings indicated that around 11% of the respondents were hesitant to get vaccinated. The combined models of HBM and TPB provide high predictive power. The analysis also revealed that knowledge about vaccine significantly mediates partially between a few constructs of HBM and TPB concerning hesitancy. This study provides the theoretical framework and suggests that the health belief model and the theory of planned behaviour model could explain the psychological influences of vaccine hesitancy in India.

Prevalence of violent communication within Indian organisations- A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Considering the normalisation of moderate aggression within organisations and the concern of violent occurrences being under-reported in India, violence reflected through coercive language appears to be more frequent than explicit acts of organisational violence. Aim: To bring-forth consolidated evidence on the prevalence of violent communication within Indian organisations. Method: 1433 articles obtained from four major databases (PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Science and Google scholar), complemented by 4 records identified through manual searching, were screened according to the PRISMA guidelines. Thirty-four finalised cross-sectional studies (published since 2000) reporting significant findings on the prevalence of violent communication within Indian organisations, underwent a systematic review (by narrative synthesis) and meta-analysis (using the random-effects model in STATA version 17). Results: The pooled prevalence of any type of violent communication was 41%. The prevalence of violent communication was higher among males than females (44% vs 28%). Verbal violence was more prevalent than non-verbal violence (36% vs 20%). Subgroup analysis proved prevalence estimate to remain consistent irrespective of the organisational sector, type of organisation, sample size and publication year. However, meta-regression analysis confirmed the sampling method and type of violent communication as potential variables influencing the prevalence rates reported across the studies. All the identified factors influencing the occurrence of violent communication and the corresponding detrimental consequences faced by victims within each organisational sector, endeavour scope for the development of more context-specific prevention strategies. Conclusion: As evident from the results, the prevalence of any type of violent communication within Indian organisations is quite high. The present review informs Indian entrepreneurs about the necessity for advocating practices to protect their human resources from the experience of violent communication. Practical implications have been presented for healthcare and educational organisations.

Mindfulness-based positive psychology interventions: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: There are hundreds of mindfulness-based interventions in the form of structured and unstructured therapies, trainings, and meditation programs, mostly utilized in a clinical rather than a well-being perspective. The number of empirical studies on positive potentials of mindfulness is comparatively less, and their known status in academia is ambiguous. Hence, the current paper aimed to review the studies where mindfulness-based interventions had integrated positive psychology variables, in order to produce positive functioning. METHODS: Data were obtained from the databases of PubMed, Scopus, and PsycNet and manual search in Google Scholar. From the 3831 articles, irrelevant or inaccessible studies were eliminated, reducing the number of final articles chosen for review to 21. Interventions that contribute to enhancement of eudaimonia, hedonia, and other positive variables are discussed. RESULTS: Findings include the potential positive qualities of MBIs in producing specific positive outcomes within limited circumstances, and ascendancy of hedonia and other positive variables over eudaimonic enhancement. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, exigency of modifications in the existing MBIs to bring about exclusively positive outcomes was identified, and observed the necessity of novel interventions for eudaimonic enhancement and elevation of hedonia in a comprehensive manner.

Exploring the problems faced by patients living with advanced cancer in Bengaluru, India.

PURPOSE: Cancer is a key influence on psychosocial and emotional distress among patients. Problems that advanced cancer patients in the western world face have been widely explored, but these findings may not be applicable in the non-western world due to the cultural differences. Exploring the problems of advanced cancer patients will help professionals plan appropriate therapeutic interventions to take care of the patients' physical, emotional, social and practical needs. Hence, this study aims to explore the psychosocial and emotional problems of advanced cancer patients in India. METHODS: Data were collected from 10 advanced cancer patients from Bengaluru, using purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Themes were generated using thematic analysis. RESULTS: The prevalent themes were financial instability, hopelessness, family anguish, self-blame, helplessness, anger, stress, and suicidal thoughts. CONCLUSION: This research has highlighted that advanced cancer patients have several issues, indicating the importance of using a holistic approach while handling this vulnerable population by focusing more on the patient rather than the disease.

Behavioural Risk Factors, Hypertension Knowledge, and Hypertension in Rural India.

Hypertension is an important health problem in India. The emergence of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases are strongly related to various risk factors. Knowledge about hypertension and related risk factors is often stressed on their utility in prevention and management of the disease. Still, there is a poor understanding about associated behavioural risk factors of hypertension and importance of knowledge in adopting health-promoting behaviours and controlling hypertension among rural areas of India. This study aimed at assessing the association of behavioural risk factors with hypertension knowledge and hypertension among rural population. The present study focused on a south-western state of India from which a taluk with one of the lowest socioeconomic ratings was selected. A total of 263 participants were selected by using a multistage random sampling technique. Data were collected by in-person interview using behavioural risk factors questionnaire, hypertension knowledge questionnaire, and physical measurement. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, chi square, Pearson correlation and binary logistic regression. Findings revealed that there is no significant relationship between risk factors index and knowledge of hypertension. It was also observed that factors such as smoking (OR = 0.29; CI: 090-0.961), fruit and vegetable consumption (OR = 1.32; CI: 1.01-1.74), body mass index (OR = 1.85; CI: 1.21-2.84), and age group (OR = 1.55; CI: 1.14-2.11) were significantly associated with the odds of hypertension. The factors such as smokeless tobacco use, alcohol consumption, physical activity, gender, education, and occupation were not associated with the odds of hypertension. Future research should focus on bringing down the associated risk factors to prevent and control hypertension.