Feeling Blue - Get Green

Human bodies and minds evolved together—simultaneously and interdependently. Therefore, if nature provides for our physical health and well-being, it follows that nature also provides for our mental health and well-being. Psychologists have begun to recognize the impact that exposure to nature has on many aspects of our mental health and well-being; and a substantial body of supporting research and empirical data has accumulated. Nature’s beneficial effects on individuals’ mental health have been shown to extend beyond a mere restoration to baseline after negative periods of stress, anxiety, or depression. Nature’s beneficial effects extend to positively increasing true mental health and well-being, to elevating individuals beyond a neutral “just getting by” level and into an additive state of thriving and flourishing. This paper discusses highlights from the ever-increasing body of research findings and empirical data evidencing the positive and additive effects that nature has on our mental health and well-being. Included in this discussion are findings from a recent series of studies conducted at Grant MacEwan University that this author was involved in. The research summarized in this paper demonstrates that our relationship with nature is vital to our mental health and well-being

The relationship between stereotyped movements and self-injurious behavior in children with developmental or sensory disabilities

Stereotyped movements (SM), including stereotyped self-injurious behaviour (SIB), are common among children with developmental and sensory disorders, but it is not known if SIB is a more severe form of SM or whether SIB and SM differ in kind. We developed the Stereotyped and Self-Injurious Movement Interview (SSIMI) to assess injurious and non-injurious SM. The SSIMI was administered to children with autism (n=56), intellectual disability (n=29), vision impairment (n=50), hearing impairment (n=51), and typical children (n=30). Results indicate that the reliability of measurement increases when SIB and other SM items are included in a single scale, that SIB is rarely evident in the absence of other SM (but not vice versa), that between group differences in the prevalence of SIB are paralleled by differences in the prevalence of other SM, and that correlations between SIB and other SM are moderately strong in autism, vision impaired, and intellectual disability groups but not in typical and hearing impaired groups. We conclude that the SSIMI is a useful measure of SIB and other SM. Among children with autism, vision impairment, or intellectual disability, SIB appear to represent a more severe form of SM. Both SIB and other SM may result from impairments in intellectual and sensory processing

Functional performance, depression, anxiety and stress in people with spinal cord injuries in Thailand: A Transition from hospital to home

The numbers of people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) in Thailand are on the increase. Thai traditional rehabilitation focuses its treatment in acute care with little attention to the lives of clients after their discharge from institutions. In addition to functional disability, emotional states of depression, anxiety, and stress are often involved in SCI. The purpose of this study is to identify and compare the outcomes of functional performance, depression, anxiety and stress of people with SCI, both at discharge and at post-discharge from hospital. It also identifies factors influencing these issues, for this group. The study participants were 121 people with SCI, recruited from ten major hospitals in Thailand. Data was collected at 48 hours pre-discharge and again at three months post-discharge, using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS). The results demonstrated that functional performance at discharge was significantly higher, than at three months post-discharge. Depression and anxiety at discharge were significantly lower than depression and anxiety at three months post-discharge. However, stress had not significantly changed from discharge to post-discharge. Factors influencing functional performance were marital status, number of architectural barriers, fulfilment of occupational therapy (OT) needs, and the number of service needs remaining unmet. Factors influencing depression, anxiety and stress were marital and economic status, education level, fulfilment of OT needs, and numbers of service needs remaining unmet. Rehabilitation professionals can eliminate these problems by bridging the gap of transition from hospital to home, for people with SCI

Targeting Health Disparity in Breast Cancer: Insights into Women's Knowledge of their Cancer Profile in Malaysia

Malaysian women in this cohort study demonstrated very low levels of knowledge of their cancer profile. Clinical implications for countering treatment-decision difficulties include the need for a shift in the way information and services are delivered to allow women to take a more active role in their own care. Multi-modal efforts including basic information dissemination to increase women's knowledge can contribute to narrowing of the gap in health disparity

The case for using the repeatability coefficient when calculating test-retest reliability

The use of standardised tools is an essential component of evidence-based practice. Reliance on standardised tools places demands on clinicians to understand their properties, strengths, and weaknesses, in order to interpret results and make clinical decisions. This paper makes a case for clinicians to consider measurement error (ME) indices Coefficient of Repeatability (CR) or the Smallest Real Difference (SRD) over relative reliability coefficients like the Pearson’s (r) and the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC), while selecting tools to measure change and inferring change as true. The authors present statistical methods that are part of the current approach to evaluate test–retest reliability of assessment tools and outcome measurements. Selected examples from a previous test–retest study are used to elucidate the added advantages of knowledge of the ME of an assessment tool in clinical decision making. The CR is computed in the same units as the assessment tool and sets the boundary of the minimal detectable true change that can be measured by the tool

Flourishing in nature: A review of the benefits of connecting with nature and its application as a wellbeing intervention

From the increasing number of people living in urban areas to the continued degradation of the natural environment, many of us appear to be physically and psychologically disconnected from nature. We consider the theoretical explanations and present evidence for why this state of affairs might result in suboptimal levels of hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing by reviewing the large body of research on the mental health benefits of connecting with nature. The advantages of contact with nature as a potential wellbeing intervention are discussed, and examples of how this research is being applied to reconnect individuals to nature and improve wellbeing are given. We conclude by considering the limitations of, and proposing future directions for, research in this area. Overall, evidence suggests that connecting with nature is one path to flourishing in life

Blood type gene locus has no influence on ACE association with Alzheimer's disease

The ABO blood group locus was recently found to contribute independently as well as via interactions with ACE gene variation to plasma levels of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE). Variation in ACE has also previously been implicated as conferring susceptibility for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but has also been proposed to confer risk via interactions with other as yet unknown genes. More recently, larger studies have not supported ACE as a risk factor for AD, while the role of ACE pathway in AD has come under increased levels of scrutiny with respect to various aspects of AD pathology and possible therapies. We explored the potential combined involvement of ABO and ACE variation in the genetic susceptibility of 2067 AD cases compared to 1376 non-demented elderly. Including the effects of ABO haplotype did not provide any evidence for the genetic association of ACE with AD

Moments, not minutes: The nature-wellbeing relationship

A wealth of literature has evidenced the important role that the greater-than-human natural environment plays in our mental health and wellbeing (reviews by Bratman et al., 2019; Capaldi et al., 2014, 2015; Pritchard et al., 2019). Spending time in nature, engaging with nature directly and indirectly, and a strong sense of nature connectedness (a psychological/emotional connection with nature) have each been shown to positively impact wellbeing. Few studies, however, have examined the importance that various nature-related factors have on our wellbeing when examined in concert with each other, with none including factors of nature connection and engagement. In the current study, using a national United Kingdom sample of 2,096 adults, we provide new insights into this gap in the literature. Our primary focus was on examining, when considered simultaneously, the patterns and relative predictive importance to hedonic wellbeing (i.e., happiness), eudaimonic wellbeing (i.e., worthwhile life), illbeing (i.e., depression and anxiety), and general physical health of five nature-related factors: (1) nature connectedness, (2) time in nature, (3) engagement with nature through simple everyday activities, (4) indirect engagement with nature, and (5) knowledge and study of nature. A consistent pattern of results emerged across multiple analytical approaches (i.e., correlations, linear regression, dominance analyses, commonality analysis), wherein time in nature was not the main (or significant) predictive nature-related factor for wellbeing. Rather, nature connectedness and engaging with nature through simple activities (e.g., smelling flowers) consistently emerged as being the significant and prominent factors in predicting and explaining variance in mental health and wellbeing. Implications for practical application and policy/programme planning are discussed.N/

Nature connectedness: Associations with well-being and mindfulness

a b s t r a c t Wilson's (1984) biophilia hypothesis predicts that people's psychological health is associated with their relationship to nature. Two studies examined associations among nature connectedness, well-being, and mindfulness in samples of undergraduate students while socially desirable responding was controlled. Significant associations emerged among measures of nature connectedness and indices of wellbeing (in Study 1 and Study 2) and mindfulness (in Study 2). Results are discussed in relation to possible mediators and moderators of the association between nature connectedness and mental health

Towards a greater global understanding of wellbeing: A proposal for a more inclusive measure

The science of wellbeing has come a long way from the early days of measuring wellbeing via a nation’s GDP, and wellbeing measures and concepts continue to proliferate to capture its various elements. Yet, much of this activity has reflected concepts from Western cultures, despite the emphasis placed on wellbeing in all corners of the globe. To meet the challenges and opportunities arising from cross-disciplinary research worldwide, the Well-Being for Planet Earth Foundation and the Gallup World Poll have joined forces to add more culturally relevant constructs and questions to existing Gallup modules. In this white paper, we review the discussion from the international well-being summit in Kyoto, Japan (August 2019), where nine such additions were proposed and highlight why a more global view of wellbeing is needed. Overall, the new items reflect a richer view of wellbeing than life satisfaction alone and include hedonic and eudaimonic facets of wellbeing, social wellbeing, the role of culture, community, nature, and governance. These additions allow for the measurement of a broader conceptualization of wellbeing, more refined and nuanced cross-cultural comparisons, and facilitate a better examination of the causes of variation in global wellbeing. The new Gallup World Poll additions will be trialled in 2020, with additional inclusions from this summit to be made in 2021