Reviewing the use of resilience concepts in forest sciences

Purpose of the review Resilience is a key concept to deal with an uncertain future in forestry. In recent years, it has received increasing attention from both research and practice. However, a common understanding of what resilience means in a forestry context, and how to operationalise it is lacking. Here, we conducted a systematic review of the recent forest science literature on resilience in the forestry context, synthesising how resilience is defined and assessed. Recent findings Based on a detailed review of 255 studies, we analysed how the concepts of engineering resilience, ecological resilience, and social-ecological resilience are used in forest sciences. A clear majority of the studies applied the concept of engineering resilience, quantifying resilience as the recovery time after a disturbance. The two most used indicators for engineering resilience were basal area increment and vegetation cover, whereas ecological resilience studies frequently focus on vegetation cover and tree density. In contrast, important social-ecological resilience indicators used in the literature are socio-economic diversity and stock of natural resources. In the context of global change, we expected an increase in studies adopting the more holistic social-ecological resilience concept, but this was not the observed trend. Summary Our analysis points to the nestedness of these three resilience concepts, suggesting that they are complementary rather than contradictory. It also means that the variety of resilience approaches does not need to be an obstacle for operationalisation of the concept. We provide guidance for choosing the most suitable resilience concept and indicators based on the management, disturbance and application context

Predictors of psychological health in spouses of persons affected by stroke

Aim.To identify predictors of psychological health and examine if these predictors change over time in spouses of stroke patients during the first year after stroke. A second aim was to identify gender differences in psychological health among the spouses. Background. The impact of burden in long-term caregivers may result in psychological consequences for the spouse. The rehabilitation process for the patient can be negatively affected by a stressed caregiver and result in long-term hospitalization. To identify spouses at risk for physical and psychological distress is, therefore, essential to support those in need. Design. Longitudinal, comparative study. Methods. One hundred spouses of stroke patients were assessed at baseline, as well as after six and 12 months, regarding psychological health, well-being, own illness, need of assistance from general practitioner and/or district nurse, social network and knowledge about stroke. Stepwise multiple regression analyses were conducted for baseline, six- and 12-month assessments, respectively, with psychological health as the dependent variable. Results. General well-being and presence of illness in spouse were the most prominent predictors of psychological health, throughout the first year. Conclusions. Enhancing psychological health and preventing medical problems in the caregiver are essential considerations to enable patients with stroke-related disabilities to continue to live at home. Relevance to clinical practice. Evaluating the situation for spouses of stroke patients is an important component when planning for the future care of the patient.</p

Does psychological characteristic influence physicians' communication styles? Impact of physicians' locus of control on interviews with a cancer patient and a relative

SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe