56 research outputs found

    The importance of emotional intelligence and cognitive style in institutionalized older adults’ quality of life.

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    Despite previous evidence showing a positive relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and quality of life (QoL), associating older adults’ emotional processing with several health indicators, few studies have explored both the IE and the mechanisms through which they affect QoL. This cross-sectional study analyzes themediator role of optimistic and pessimistic cognitive styles in the relationship between perceived EI (PEI) and QoL in 115 institutionalized older adults from Southern Spain. Regression analyses showed, after controlling for cognitive style, that PEI predicted a significant percentage of variance in: Health (β = .25, p < .01), Functional abilities (β = .20, p < .05), Activity and leisure (β =.17, p<.05) and Life satisfaction (β =.21, p<.05). Additionally, multiplemediation analysis revealed that cognitive style partially mediated the relationship between PEI and Health, Activity and leisure and Life satisfaction. Thus, PEI could promote personal but not external or environmental QoL aspects, highlighting the importance of developing emotional skills for healthy aging.pre-print511 K

    Objective and subjective measures of physical functioning in women with fibromyalgia: what type of measure is associated most clearly with subjective well-being?

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    To find modifiable factors that are related to subjective well-being would be valuable for improving interventions in fibromyalgia. Physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and physical fitness may represent potential areas to optimize treatment regimens. In fibromyalgia, there is a discordance between clinical observations and patient-reported outcomes (objective and subjective assessments). Therefore, the present study aims at analyzing the associations of objective and subjective evaluations of physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and physical fitness with subjective well-being and determine if and how objective and subjective associations differ In the most conservative multivariate analysis, we found independent associations of the objective measures of physical activity with positive affect and life satisfaction and sedentary behaviour with positive affect. No such relationship was seen with subjective measures of the same behaviours. Moreover, we observed that objective and subjective physical fitness evaluations were independent of each other related to subjective well-being. Independent associations of the objectivemeasures (but not the subjective assessments) of physical activity with positive affect and life satisfaction, and of sedentary behaviour with positive affect were observed. However, objective measures and subjective appraisals of physical fitness appear to be independently related to well-being,which should be consideredwhen developing physical exercise interventions for fibromyalgiaThis work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness [I+D+i DEP2010-15639, I+D+I DEP2013- 40908, and BES-2014–067612]; the Spanish Ministry of Education [FPU15/00002]. This study has been partially funded by the University of Granada, Plan Propio de Investigación 2016, Excellence actions: Units of Excellence; Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES), and by the Junta de Andalucía, Consejería de Conocimiento, Investigación y Universidades and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), ref. SOMM17/6107/ UGR. This research was supported (in part) by the Intramural Research program of the NIH, National Institute of Nursing Research

    Physical and psychological paths toward less severe fibromyalgia: A structural equation model

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    The authors gratefully acknowledge all the participants for their collaboration and enthusiasm. We thank the assistant researchers involved in this study and all the members of the Physical Activity for HEaLth Promotion (PA-HELP; CTS-1018) research group.Supplementary data associated with this article can be found, in the online version, at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rehab.2019.06.017.Objectives: Previous research suggested isolated associations of physical and psychological factors with fibromyalgia severity. Integration of physical and psychological, experienced and observed, modifiable factors associated with fibromyalgia severity in a single model will reveal therapeutic paths toward less severity of disease. We aimed to examine an encompassing model of determinants of fibromyalgia severity. Methods: This observational, population-based cross-sectional study included 569 people with fibromyalgia. An integrative model of fibromyalgia severity was tested by using structural equation modelling. This model included 8 factors: resilience, catastrophizing, active lifestyle, declarative memory, subjective fitness, objective fitness, psychological distress, and physical fatigue. Results: Two core paths were associated with reduced fibromyalgia severity: 1) a psychological path connecting high resilience and low catastrophizing with low distress and 2) a physical path, connecting a more active lifestyle (directly and via high objective and subjective physical fitness) with low fatigue. Additional interconnecting paths especially suggested a connection from the psychological to physical path. Our model explained 83% of the fibromyalgia severity. Conclusions: The present model integrated the complexity of mutually influencing factors of fibromyalgia severity, which may help to better understand the disease. It emphasised the importance of: 1) physical factors and psychological factors and their interconnections, 2) patients’ experiences and clinical measurements, and 3) positive and negative signs such as physical fitness and distress. Future longitudinal and experimental research should aim at testing the causal direction of the associations in the model as well as the clinical implications suggested by the model. For instance, to reduce fatigue, exercise should enhance not only objective fitness but also fitness-related perceptions. Reducing distress and fatigue seems crucial for lowering fibromyalgia severity.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness [I+D+i DEP2010-15639, I+D+I DEP2013-40908, I+D+I PSI2015-65241-R, and BES-2014-067612] and the Spanish Ministry of Education [FPU15/00002]. This study was funded in part by the University of Granada, Plan Propio de Investigación 2016, Excellence actions: Units of Excellence; Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES), and the Junta de Andalucía, Consejería de Conocimiento, Investigación y Universidades and European Regional Development Fund (ref. SOMM17/6107/UGR) and University of Jaén, Plan de Apoyo a la Investigación 2017-2019 [EI_SEJ07_2017]. The funders did not have any role in the study design, data collection and analyses, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

    Psychological distress in health sciences college students and its relationship with academic engagement

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    Objective: To determine the prevalence of psychological distress and its relationship with academic engagement (absorption, dedication and vigor), sex and degree among students from four public universities. Method: A non-experimental,comparative correlational, quantitative investigation without intervention. Study population: 1840 nursing and physical therapy students. The data collection tool used was a questionnaire. Results: A 32.2% prevalence of psychological distress was found in the subjects; a correlation between vigor and psychological distress was found for all of the subjects and also for women. High absorption and dedication scores and low psychological distress scores predicted higher vigor scores. Conclusion: The risk of psychological distress is high, especially for women. Women seem to have a higher level of psychological distress than men. Vigor, energy and mental resilience positively influence psychological distress and can be a vehicle for better results during the learning and studying process

    Objective and subjective measures of physical functioning in women with fibromyalgia: what type of measure is associated most clearly with subjective well-being?

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    Purpose: To find modifiable factors that are related to subjective well-being would be valuable for improving interventions in fibromyalgia. Physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and physical fitness may represent potential areas to optimize treatment regimens. In fibromyalgia, there is a discordance between clinical observations and patient-reported outcomes (objective and subjective assessments). Therefore, the present study aims at analyzing the associations of objective and subjective evaluations of physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and physical fitness with subjective well-being and determine if and how objective and subjective associations differ. Methods: In this population-based cross-sectional study participated 375 women with fibromyalgia from the al-Ándalus project (Spain). Physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and physical fitness were objectively (accelerometers and performance testing) and subjectively (questionnaires) measured. Participants self-reported their levels of positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction. Results: In the most conservative multivariate analysis, we found independent associations of the objective measures of physical activity with positive affect and life satisfaction and sedentary behaviour with positive affect. No such relationship was seen with subjective measures of the same behaviours. Moreover, we observed that objective and subjective physical fitness evaluations were independent of each other related to subjective well-being. Conclusions: Independent associations of the objective measures (but not the subjective assessments) of physical activity with positive affect and life satisfaction, and of sedentary behaviour with positive affect were observed. However, objective measures and subjective appraisals of physical fitness appear to be independently related to well-being, which should be considered when developing physical exercise interventions for fibromyalgia.Implications for rehabilitation The analysis of concurrent associations of objective and subjective evaluations of physical functioning with subjective well-being offers indications for modifiable targets in rehabilitation that can improve well-being in fibromyalgia. Exercise-based rehabilitation may help women with fibromyalgia to improve subjective well-being, particularly positive affect. Rehabilitation should focus on both the objective physical performance of women with fibromyalgia and on their perceptions of what they can do physically. When rehabilitation aims at enhancing positive affect or life satisfaction by changing the lifestyle of women with fibromyalgia, physical activity and sedentary behaviour should be objectively monitored

    Juggling to find balance: hearing the voices of undergraduate student nurses.

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    BACKGROUND: Accounts of stress are common among students on nursing programmes. Prolonged high levels of stress can contribute to poor learning, the development of detrimental health behaviours, attrition and burnout. AIMS: To examine the health and wellbeing implications of undertaking a BSc nursing degree in the UK for first-year students. METHODS: Qualitative narrative analysis of 100 written student reflections on the influences on their health and wellbeing was undertaken. FINDINGS: Nursing students must juggle multiple competing demands on their physical capabilities, personal resources, income and time. Students are constantly seeking to achieve balance and personal equilibrium through the use of a variety of coping strategies. CONCLUSION: This work calls upon the profession, the nursing regulator, nursing programmes within higher education institutions and health Trusts to review the framework and content of undergraduate BSc nurse education. Programme requirements should enhance the health and wellbeing of students while simultaneously delivering education and practice opportunities necessary to meet professional requirements

    What's wrong with John? A randomised controlled trial of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training with nursing students

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    BACKGROUND: The prevalence of mental health problems have been found to be higher among university students compared to their non-student peers. Nursing students in particular face a range of additional stressors which may impact their undergraduate performance and their careers. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) aims to increase mental health literacy and to reduce stigma and may positively impact on the student population. This paper describes a MHFA randomised controlled trial targeting nursing students at a large Australian university. This study aimed to measure the impact of the MHFA course on mental health literacy, mental health first aid intentions, confidence in helping someone with a mental health problem and stigmatising attitudes including social distance. METHODS: Participants were first year nursing students (n = 181) randomly allocated to the intervention (n = 92) or control (n = 89) group. Intervention group participants received the standardised MHFA course for nursing students. Online self-report questionnaires were completed at three time intervals: baseline (one week prior to the intervention: T1) (n = 140), post intervention (T2) (n = 120), and two months post intervention (T3) (n = 109). Measures included demographics, mental health knowledge, recognition of depression, confidence in helping, mental health first aid intentions and stigmatising attitudes including social distance. Repeated measures ANOVA was computed to measure if the impact of time (T1, T2, T3) and group (intervention and control) on the outcome variables. RESULTS: There was a significant improvement among intervention compared to control group participants across the three time periods for knowledge scores (p &lt; 0.001), confidence in helping (p &lt; 0.001), mental health first aid intentions (p &lt; 0.001), total personal stigma (p &lt; 0.05), personal dangerous/unpredictable stigma (p &lt; 0.05) and social distance (p &lt; 0.05) scores. CONCLUSION: MHFA is useful training to embed in university courses and has the potential to enhance mental health literacy and reduce stigmatising attitudes and social distance. While this course has particular salience for nursing and other health science students, there are broader benefits to the general university population that should be considered and opportunities accordingly explored for all students to complete the course. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12614000861651 . Retrospectively registered 11 August 2014

    Validation of the children’s hope scale amongst a sample of adolescents in the Western Cape Region of South Africa

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    A growing body of research has provided evidence for the cognitive-motivational construct of hope as a psychological strength, particularly for adolescents confronted with ensuing adverse conditions. Given the dearth of research on hope in South Africa, the aim of the current study was to validate Snyder’s Children’s Hope Scale within this context. A cross sectional survey design was used to collect data from a sample of 1022 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 16 (449 males and 573 females) attending high schools within the Western Cape geographical region of South Africa. The sample was selected using a two-stage stratified random sampling protocol, with socio-economic status (low, medium and high) as the defining variable. Data were collected using Snyder’s (1997) Children’s Hope Scale which was adapted to the South African context and translated into Afrikaans. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to analyse the data. The results indicate good fit indices for the overall model with two error co-variances (x2 =35.692; df=7; p=0.00; CFI=0.984; RMSEA=0.063; SRMR=0.023). Multi-group analysis with constrained factor loadings and intercepts show good fit across socio-economic status groups which indicate that these groups can be compared by correlations, regressions and means. The overall findings suggest that the Children’s Hope Scale is an appropriate measure for use in the South African context

    Virtualización del Título Propio en Olivicultura y Elaiotecnia. Elaboración de Materiales

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    Es conocido que España es primer país productor de aceite de oliva del mundo, con un 40 % de la producción mundial y el 50 % de la producción de la Unión Europea, siendo la provincia de Jaén, con el 38,4 % de la producción española, la mayor zona productora del mundo en aceite de oliva. Sin embargo, se trata de un sector en el que la escasa profesionalización es, tal vez, su mayor debilidad.La Universidad de Jaén, consciente del importante papel que ha de jugar como Institución dinamizadora del desarrollo de su entorno, en el que el sector del olivar y del aceite de oliva tiene una enorme importancia, considera que es urgente formar titulados universitarios de grado superior que posean conocimientos integrales y solventes en olivicultura y elaiotecnia de modo que incorporados a las empresas del sector del olivar y el aceite de oliva o creando las suyas propias, lo modernicen y desarrollen, contribuyendo a dotarlo de cultura empresarial y al desarrollo socioeconómico y, por ende, al bienestar de los ciudadanos de la provincia

    Land- and water-based exercise intervention in women with fibromyalgia: the al-andalus physical activity randomised controlled trial

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    Background The al-Andalus physical activity intervention study is a randomised control trial to investigate the effectiveness of a land- and water-based exercise intervention for reducing the overall impact of fibromyalgia (primary outcome), and for improving tenderness and pain-related measures, body composition, functional capacity, physical activity and sedentary behaviour, fatigue, sleep quality, health-related quality of life, and cognitive function (secondary outcomes) in women with fibromyalgia. Methods/Design One hundred eighty women with fibromyalgia (age range: 35-65 years) will be recruited from local associations of fibromyalgia patients in Andalucía (Southern Spain). Patients will be randomly assigned to a usual care (control) group (n = 60), a water-based exercise intervention group (n = 60) or a land-based exercise intervention group (n = 60). Participants in the usual care group will receive general physical activity guidelines and participants allocated in the intervention groups will attend three non-consecutive training sessions (60 min each) per week during 24 weeks. Both exercise interventions will consist of aerobic, muscular strength and flexibility exercises. We will also study the effect of a detraining period (i.e., 12 weeks with no exercise intervention) on the studied variables. Discussion Our study attempts to reduce the impact of fibromyalgia and improve patients' health status by implementing two types of exercise interventions. Results from this study will help to assess the efficacy of exercise interventions for the treatment of fibromyalgia. If the interventions would be effective, this study will provide low-cost and feasible alternatives for health professionals in the management of fibromyalgia. Results from the al-Andalus physical activity intervention will help to better understand the potential of regular physical activity for improving the well-being of women with fibromyalgia.This study was supported by the Consejeria de Turismo, Comercio y Deporte (CTCD-201000019242-TRA), the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (I + D + I DEP2010-15639, grants: BES-2009-013442, BES-2011-047133, RYC-2010-05957, RYC-2011-09011), the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation (20090635), the Spanish Ministry of Education (AP-2009-3173), Granada Research of Excelence Initiative on Biohealth (GREIB), Campus BioTic, University of Granada, Spain and European University of Madrid. Escuela de Estudios Universitarios Real Madrid. 2010/04RM
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