Evaluation of the Level of Psychological Distress in Construction Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Southern Spain.

The COVID-19 pandemic posed a major challenge for construction companies, which were confronted with the need to prevent the enormous negative socio-psychological impact of the pandemic on their employees. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of psychological distress among construction workers in an advanced phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Andalusia, southern Spain. For this, a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using online questionnaires with data on sociodemographic variables and employment situation, COVID-19 pandemic-related data, and Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). A total of 860 questionnaires from all provinces of Andalusia, Spain, were collected between March and May 2022. Descriptive statistical analyses and non-parametric Mann-Whitney U and Chi-squared tests were performed, followed by logistic regression analysis. The incidence of psychological distress was higher among women, individuals under 43 years of age, those with a family income below EUR 1200, participants whose working conditions had been affected by the pandemic, those who had not received adequate means or specific training to protect themselves from infection, those who had experienced symptoms, those who had suffered side effects after vaccination, and those who had been hospitalised. The logistic regression analysis predicted the occurrence of psychological distress in this study by the effect of the pandemic on mental/emotional well-being, the working conditions affected during the pandemic, health-related variables, and the age of the worker. The correctly classified percentage was 75.1%. Assessing psychological distress in construction sectors may allow for the identification of vulnerable groups or even help to reduce the number of errors in daily practice and potential risks of occupational injury or illness.

Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review.

Background: COVID-19 has caused a series of economic, social, personal, and occupational consequences that may affect the mental health of healthcare workers (HCWs), with the consequent risk of developing suicidal ideation and behaviors. Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify the main risk factors that may predispose HCWs to suicidal ideation and suicide attempts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A systematic review of studies published between January 2020 and August 2022 was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines in the following electronic databases: Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. Methodological quality was assessed using the critical appraisal tools for non-randomized studies of the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). The followed protocol is listed in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) with code CRD42022340732. Results: A total of 34 studies were included in this review. There are a number of underlying factors such as higher rates of depression, anxiety, pre-pandemic lifetime mental disorders or previous lifetime suicide attempt, living alone, having problems with alcohol and/or other drugs, etc. that favor the emergence of suicidal tendencies and ideation in times of COVID-19. Similarly, the pandemic may have precipitated a series of factors such as economic concerns, assessing one's working conditions as poor, having family members or friends infected, changes in services or functions, and feeling discriminated against or stigmatized by society. Other factors such as age, sex, or type of healthcare worker show differences between studies. Conclusion: Organizations should ensure the adoption of strategies and programmes for early detection of suicides as well as increased attention to the mental health of professions with a high workload. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO, identifier CRD42022340732.

Stigma towards Mental Disorders among Nursing Students and Professionals: A Bibliometric Analysis.

Stigma is one of the main barriers to prevention, treatment and recovery from mental illness. However, bibliometric studies in this area are still scarce. Therefore, our aim was to quantify and analyze the scientific literature on the stigma of nursing students and professionals towards mental disorders. To this purpose, bibliometric indicators of scientific production, impact and collaboration were used. Among our results, it stands out that only 14.3% of the total number of studies analyzed measure the efficacy of the interventions carried out to reduce stigma. Furthermore, with exceptions such as Happell B and Byrne L, collaborations between authors and institutions are limited. "Service user involvement" appeared as a prominent keyword in 2018, coinciding with the increase in publications on the effectiveness of interventions. Interventions based on the involvement of people with psychiatric diagnoses in the design of nursing curricula seem to become a promising line of research. More studies measuring the efficacy of such interventions are needed. Knowledge of the lines of research that are being developed and of the researchers and institutions involved can contribute to creating synergy between the different researchers and to continue adding projects to the existing ones, thus contributing to the generation of more robust results that show the most indicated interventions to reduce the still present stigma and improve care for people with psychiatric diagnoses.

Relationship between chemotherapy-induced adverse reactions and health-related quality of life in patients with breast cancer.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Chemotherapy does not only affect cancer cells; it also affects, to a greater or lesser degree, all other cells in the body. This toxicity should be assessed according to its severity, frequency, and duration, taking into account objective and subjective dimensions in its assessment. This assessment is a highly relevant aspect when providing care to chemotherapy patients, mainly due to the impact of the treatment on the patient's quality of life, as well as the vital risk it may imply under certain circumstances. For all this, the objective of this study was to assess the relationship between chemotherapy-associated adverse reactions and health-related quality of life in breast cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: With this purpose, a descriptive cross-sectional study was developed on 110 breast cancer patients who were treated with docetaxel, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide. RESULTS: It is worth highlighting the negative effect of nausea, dysgeusia, peripheral neuropathy, loss of appetite, myalgia, and peripheral edema on the quality of life. Likewise, it is worth mentioning peripheral neuropathy as the toxicity that affects a greater number of quality-of-life indicators. CONCLUSIONS: To sum up, it would be necessary to make health professionals aware of the importance of chemotherapy-associated adverse reactions.

Alternatives to the Use of Mechanical Restraints in the Management of Agitation or Aggressions of Psychiatric Patients: A Scoping Review.

Coercive measures are a highly controversial issue in mental health. Although scientific evidence on their impact is limited, they are frequently used. Furthermore, they lead to a high number of ethical, legal, and clinical repercussions on both patients, and professionals and institutions. This review aims to assess the impact of the main alternative measures to prevent or limit the use of coercive measures with restraints in the management of agitated psychiatric patients. The research was conducted following the guidelines recommended by PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) in Medline, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycInfo, LILACS, and Health Database of records between 2015 and 2020. After a critical reading, 21 valid articles were included. Both simple interventions and complex restraint programs were evaluated. Training in de-escalation techniques, risk assessment, and implementation of the "six core strategies" or "Safewards" program were the most assessed and effective interventions to reduce aggressive behaviors and the use of coercive measures. According to the revised literature, it is possible to reduce the use of restraints and coercive measures and not increase the number of incidents and violent behaviors among the patients through a non-invasive and non-pharmacological approach. However, further research and further randomized clinical trials are needed to compare the different alternatives and provide higher quality evidence.

Transcultural Adaptation and Piloting of the "Regarding Blood-Sampling Practices at Primary Health Care Centres" Questionnaire.

Preanalytical errors account for up to 70% of the total potentially detectable errors in the laboratory. The main problems detected are related with procedures associated with Primary Care nursing practices that are directly involved in the preanalytical phase. The objective of this study is to carry out a transcultural adaptation and piloting of the "Regarding Blood-Sampling Practices at Primary Health Care Centres" questionnaire as regards blood sampling in Primary Care. For this, a cross-sectional descriptive study has been developed within the Primary Care area of the Andalusian Public Health System. The venous blood sampling questionnaire was translated into and adapted to Spanish by qualified professionals and expert translators. The questionnaires were then delivered to all staff nurses from the health districts involved. The total sample consisted of 224 primary care nursing professionals. The factors that showed statistically significant relationships were identification and sample collection, management with information search, storage and labelling of samples, and reporting of errors. A lack of global relationship between factors makes it impossible to find a global quality factor in the sampling process. The process of translation, adaptation, and piloting of the questionnaire from its original version to the Spanish one has proven to be understandable by professionals in its entirety and to offer data similar to the original version.

Revisión sistemática sobre la reducción de efectos emocionales negativos en trabajadores del área de emergencias y catástrofes mediante técnicas de catarsis / Systematic Review of the Reduction of Negative Emotional Effects in Emergency and Disaster Response Workers Through Catharsis Techniques

OBJETIVO: Analizar las técnicas de catarsis empleadas en los trabajadores que atienden situaciones de emergencias y catástrofes. MÉTODOS: Revisión sistemática realizada en 7 bases de datos bibliográficas Medline-Pubmed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Scopus, PsycINFO y otras fuentes secundarias, para artículos publicados entre 2008 y 2017, con los términos «catarsis», «emergencias», «debriefing» y «estrés post-traumático». RESULTADOS: Los criterios de inclusión fueron cumplidos por 5 artículos. Los estudios muestran que es común entre el personal sanitario la exposición al sufrimiento y a las experiencias traumáticas, suponiendo repercusiones negativas manifestadas a nivel físico, psicológico y cognitivo tras situaciones de emergencias y catástrofes. Para algunos autores, el debriefing ofrece un lugar para descargar las emociones y reducir el impacto del estrés en la vida de los trabajadores de emergencia actuando como una red de apoyo para que dichos trabajadores puedan reconstruir sus experiencias y verbalizar sus pensamientos y sentimientos, así como reducir el impacto en sus vidas. Para otros en cambio, esta técnica no es eficaz para todos los profesionales y su uso puede conllevar consecuencias negativas. CONCLUSIONES: El debriefing es una intervención breve que promueve la catarsis. Sin embargo, existe una gran controversia sobre su eficacia y la manera de aplicar esta intervención. Este estudio pone de manifiesto la heterogeneidad existente en la aplicación de técnicas de catarsis en los trabajadores que atienden situaciones de emergencia y catástrofes

AIM: To analyze catharsis techniques used with professionals assisting victims of emergencies and disasters. METHODS: Systematic review carried out in seven bibliographic databases: MEDLINE-Pubmed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Scopus, PsycINFO, and other secondary sources, for articles published between 2008 and 2017, with the terms "catarsis", "emergencies", "debriefing" y "post-traumatic stress". Publication and selection biases were taken into account. RESULTS: Five reviews met the study inclusion criteria. Distress and traumatic experiences following an emergency or disaster are very common among health professionals, with adverse repercussions at the physical, psychological and cognitive levels. Some authors find that debriefing offers an opportunity for emotional release and toreduce the impact of stress on the lives of emergency responders, acting as a support network where they can reconstruct their experiences, express their thoughts and feelings, and reduce the impact on their lives. For other authors, however, this technique is not always effective for all professionals and may lead to negative consequences. CONCLUSIONS: Debriefing is a common intervention that promotes catharsis. However, there is considerable controversy over its implementation and effectiveness. This study identified a diversity of catharsis techniques applied to staff responding to emergencies and disasters

[Systematic Review of the Reduction of Negative Emotional Effects in Emergency and Disaster Response Workers Through Catharsis Techniques]. / Revisión sistemática sobre la reducción de efectos emocionales negativos en trabajadores del área de emergencias y catástrofes mediante técnicas de catarsis.

AIM: To analyze catharsis techniques used with professionals assisting victims of emergencies and disasters. METHODS: Systematic review carried out in seven bibliographic databases: MEDLINE-Pubmed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Scopus, PsycINFO, and other secondary sources, for articles published between 2008 and 2017, with the terms "catharsis", "emergencies", "debriefing" y "post-traumatic stress". Publication and selection biases were taken into account. RESULTS: Five reviews met the study inclusion criteria. Distress and traumatic experiences following an emergency or disaster are very common among health professionals, with adverse repercussions at the physical, psychological and cognitive levels. Some authors find that debriefing offers an opportunity for emotional release and toreduce the impact of stress on the lives of emergency responders, acting as a support network where they can reconstruct their experiences, express their thoughts and feelings, and reduce the impact on their lives. For other authors, however, this technique is not always effective for all professionals and may lead to negative consequences. CONCLUSIONS: Debriefing is a common intervention that promotes catharsis. However, there is considerable controversy over its implementation and effectiveness. This study identified a diversity of catharsis techniques applied to staff responding to emergencies and disasters.

OBJETIVO: Analizar las técnicas de catarsis empleadas en los trabajadores que atienden situaciones de emergencias y catástrofes. MÉTODOS: Revisión sistemática realizada en 7 bases de datos bibliográficas Medline-Pubmed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Scopus, PsycINFO y otras fuentes secundarias, para artículos publicados entre 2008 y 2017, con los términos «catarsis¼, «emergencias¼, «debriefing¼ y «estrés post-traumático¼. RESULTADOS: Los criterios de inclusión fueron cumplidos por 5 artículos. Los estudios muestran que es común entre el personal sanitario la exposición al sufrimiento y a las experiencias traumáticas, suponiendo repercusiones negativas manifestadas a nivel físico, psicológico y cognitivo tras situaciones de emergencias y catástrofes. Para algunos autores, el debriefing ofrece un lugar para descargar las emociones y reducir el impacto del estrés en la vida de los trabajadores de emergencia actuando como una red de apoyo para que dichos trabajadores puedan reconstruir sus experiencias y verbalizar sus pensamientos y sentimientos, así como reducir el impacto en sus vidas. Para otros en cambio, esta técnica no es eficaz para todos los profesionales y su uso puede conllevar consecuencias negativas. CONCLUSIONES: El debriefing es una intervención breve que promueve la catarsis. Sin embargo, existe una gran controversia sobre su eficacia y la manera de aplicar esta intervención. Este estudio pone de manifiesto la heterogeneidad existente en la aplicación de técnicas de catarsis en los trabajadores que atienden situaciones de emergencia y catástrofes.

Influence of the Sense of Coherence, the Doctor-Patient Relationship, Optimism and Non-Haematological Adverse Reactions on Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumour in women around the world. The objective of this study was to quantify the number of non-haematological adverse reactions associated with chemotherapy, as well as to assess the effect of the sense of coherence, optimism-pessimism and the quality of the doctor-patient relationship on the quality of life of breast cancer patients. To this end, a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted involving 110 breast cancer patients who were treated with docetaxel, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide during the period 2012-2014. The difference in the quality of life in patients who have five or fewer toxicities compared to those with more than six is highlighted. This difference is not as important when comparing patients with 6 to 10 toxicities and those with more than 10. The multivariate model used in this study corroborates the direct implication of the sense of coherence on the quality of life and adds the number of adverse reactions as a new construct. This has virtually the same impact on the quality of life of these patients, but in reverse. In conclusion, to improve the quality of life of breast cancer patients it would be necessary to have an impact on the number of adverse reactions involved in chemotherapeutic treatment, as well as on psychological interventions, with the sense of coherence as a possible starting point.