"Journal of Health Psychology: An Interdisciplinary, International Journal"

Dieterich, Rachel; Chang, Judy; Danford, Cynthia; Scott, Paul W; Wend, Caroline; Demirci, Jill

doi: 10.1177/1359105320988325pmid: 33445978

Weight stigmatization is related to emotional and psychological distress including low self-esteem, body image dissatisfaction, depression, and anxiety; all linked with suboptimal breastfeeding outcomes. This qualitative descriptive study explored postpartum individuals’ recalled experiences of weight stigma during interactions with perinatal healthcare professionals and its perceived influence on their breastfeeding experiences. Semi-structured phone interviews were conducted with (n= 18) participants. Three themes emerged: (1) “Size Doesn’t Matter: They Looked Beyond the Scale,” (2) “My Self-Confidence and Desire to Breastfeed is More Important than Weight,” and (3) “I Was on My Own”—Limited Social Support not Weight Stigma Influenced Breastfeeding.

Siwik, Chelsea J; Phillips, Kala; Zimmaro, Lauren; Salmon, Paul; Sephton, Sandra E

doi: 10.1177/1359105320988331pmid: 33478252

The link between smoking and lung cancer predisposes patients to feeling shame and guilt, which increases risk for depression. To test the hypothesis shame would have a stronger association with depressive symptoms than guilt, a hierarchical regression was conducted. Three regressions were run to examine the associations of self-compassion with shame, guilt, and depressive symptoms. The best model to explain depressive symptoms included shame, but not guilt. Greater self-compassion was associated with less shame and fewer depressive symptoms, but not guilt. Results point to interventions targeting shame via enhancing self-compassion among patients with lung cancer and histories of smoking.

Luo, Y. H.; Li, W. H. C.; Cheung, A. T.; Ho, L. L. K.; Xia, W.; He, X. L.; Zhang, J. P.; Chung, J. O. K.

doi: 10.1177/1359105321990806pmid: 33522296

A child suffering from cancer can be considerably stressful for parents, exerting a negative impact on their psychological well-being and quality of life. This study explored the relationships between resilience and quality of life in parents of children with cancer. We recruited 146 parents of children with cancer in two tertiary hospitals in mainland China. The results revealed that greater parental resilience was associated with better quality of life. It is essential to develop interventions that can enhance resilience for parents of children with cancer, thereby improving their quality of life.ClinicalTrials.gov ID:NCT03631485

Yu, Yongju; Yu, Yongjuan; Hu, Jiangxia

doi: 10.1177/1359105321990819pmid: 33541149

This study examined perceived impact of COVID-19 (PIC) on mental health outcomes (anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic growth) and roles of resilience and meaning in life. In October 2020, 430 Chinese high school graduates completed self-report measures. Results showed that 4.4% and 5.8% participants had anxiety and depression symptoms (⩾10), respectively, while 13.3% developed posttraumatic growth (⩾37.5). Resilience and meaning in life mediated the relationships between PIC and mental health outcomes. These findings underline psychological distress and growth coexisted in COVID-19, while resilience and meaning in life served as important protective factors of mental health.

Hill, Kirsty; Bennett, Paul; Hunter, Rachael

doi: 10.1177/1359105321995949pmid: 33586499

People with visual impairment (VI) may encounter psychosocial challenges including difficulties with socialisation/interpreting visual social cues. Social media (SM) may provide alternative means of socialisation but little is known about the experience of SM from their perspective. Semi-structured interviews with 10 individuals with VI who regularly use SM were analysed according to interpretative phenomenological analysis. Analysis yielded two overarching themes: social media and identity, and social connectedness. Participants described benefits of shared experience, feelings of enhanced control and challenges of SM which emphasise exclusion/inequality. Findings highlight a need for further research to understand/improve the online experience for people with VI.

O’Loghlen, Elyse; Galligan, Roslyn

doi: 10.1177/1359105321995940pmid: 33588637

The present cross-sectional study tested the affect regulation model of disordered eating for women in the postpartum period, whereby disordered eating is used to cope with psychological distress. Two hundred and two women who had given birth in the last two years completed an online survey of self-report measures of study variables. Path analyses supported the primary hypothesis: negative affect mediated relationships between body dissatisfaction, dysfunctional maternal beliefs, negative components of self-compassion and disordered eating behaviours, particularly binge eating. Results suggest that negative affect plays a central role in postpartum disordered eating. Interventions to address maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, specifically targeting body image distress and self-critical maternal thoughts may improve eating behaviours for this population.

Zambelli, Zoë; Fidalgo, António R; Halstead, Elizabeth J; Dimitriou, Dagmara

doi: 10.1177/1359105321995962pmid: 33601977

Changes to wellbeing in a community-based sample of 638 adults with non-malignant chronic pain were assessed during a period of mandated lockdown measures in the UK to control the COVID-19 outbreak. Participants completed an online survey pre-lockdown and were followed up during lockdown. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that decreased ability to self-manage pain, restricted access to healthcare and increased dependence on others were associated with negative wellbeing outcomes related to sleep, anxiety and depression. Essential but non-urgent services are required during periods of lockdown to maintain independence and self-management in order to preserve wellbeing in this population.

Kapoor, Hansika; Tagat, Anirudh

doi: 10.1177/1359105321999090pmid: 33673761

This study examined the relationship between worry and health behaviours using an online survey of 69,033 respondents from 32 countries. We hypothesized that past health behaviours predicted worry experienced, which in turn predicted future health behaviours, and included a metric of cultural distance from the US. Past behaviours such as maintaining physical distance predicted higher worry, whereas worry reduced the likelihood of going outside. Being culturally dissimilar to the US was associated with lower worry. However, cultural distance was not associated with future health behaviours. We analyse worry as an approach-avoidance motivator of health behaviours from a cross-cultural perspective, to facilitate effective health communication strategies.

Javier, Rosas-Santiago Francisco; Roberto, Lagunes-Córdoba

doi: 10.1177/1359105320985578pmid: 33412947

Given the lack of an effective treatment for COVID-19, it is essential to explore the psychological variables involved in the development and maintenance of preventive behaviors during the current epidemic. In this study, we analyze the predictive value of perceived stress (measured with the Perceived Stress Scale) and coping styles (measured with the Extreme Risks Coping Scale) for adhering to infection prevention behavior in a sample of 1132 Mexican adults aged between 18 and 84. A logistic regression analysis showed that Active Coping and Cognition-Focused Coping, in addition to age and being a student, proved to be predictors of adhering to SARS COV2 preventive behaviors (R2 = 0.282). The findings from this study can be used to design strategies to promote potentially effective epidemic mitigation behaviors.

Khamis, Vivian

doi: 10.1177/1359105320988321pmid: 33487027

This study examined the contributions of parents’ characteristics, normative stressors, coping strategies, and social support to psychological distress and neuroticism among 1000 Syrian refugees. The conditions of being older, mothers, partnered parents, and resettlement in Lebanon increased the risk of mental health problems. Mental health problems decreased with fathers’ employment, large families, and time spent in the host country. Types of daily stressors had differential effects on psychological distress and neuroticism. While emotion-focused coping increased psychological distress and neuroticism, the use of problem-focused coping, and informational support reduced neuroticism. The clinical and policy implications of these conclusions were discussed.