bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Emotional Responses & Burn out Amongst Health and Social Care Workers During Earthquake Relief Work in Pakistan
Authors: Faruqui R. , Gul M. 
Published: March 2009

Background:South Asian earthquake of 8th October 2005 caused massive destruction of healthcare infrastructure in Pakistan. National and international health workers met the increased demand of health care provision. Initial consultation and discussion with professionals working in disaster-affected areas indicated a high level of physical exhaustion and emotional burn out amongst relief workers.Method:A qualitative consultation study based on semi-structured interviews was conducted during 2005- 2006. The objectives of the study were to identify peoples’ motivation and emotional reactions whilst providing services in disaster-affected areas. 30 professionals were consulted in total. All subjects had participated in health provision efforts in disaster-affected areas. Interviews were conducted in Karachi, Islamabad and Rawalpindi. A written record of interviews was kept to allow analysis.Analysis:The purposive sampling and ongoing thematic analysis of interview data enabled identification and further exploration of qualitative themes.Results:The emergent qualitative themes are presented in three sections:1.Sources of Motivation: Shared Experience, Doing Good, Fear and Gratitude, Positive Emotional Experiences.2.Sources of Distress: Feelings of Guilt and Impotence, Anger and Distrust, Physical Hardship, Poor Law and Order Situation, Conflict with Local Communities, Interpersonal and Inter-agency Conflict.3.Coping with Emotions: Work Strategies, Escape Activities, Religious Activities, Emotional Avoidance.Conclusion:Emotional experiences and motivating factors may play an important role in preventing or causing early ‘burn out’ in relief workers. This study highlights the importance of examining these factors in organization and conduct of disaster relief work.
Request for Asylum and Calls for the Recognition of a Psychiatric Illness Status - what are the Intrications?
Authors: Hristova-Ivanova P. 
Published: March 2009

Applicants for asylum travel though a migrant’s journey, which is rewarding, but also psychologically difficult due to the trauma suffered in the country of origin, often as a result of political conflicts, war and diverse ethnic rifts, the separation from the native roots and the adaptation to a new socio-cultural context.The migrant's insecurity of not quickly finding his bearings and stability in the host country could lead to transitional depressive symptoms, anxiety ruminations, nightmares and feelings of threat or rejection, which may be sometimes close to the experience of persecution.These people have already been monitored by their general practitioner for several years.During their journey, some are oriented towards psychiatric care. Usually their symptoms relate only to adaptation problems. Specific psychological support is offered when necessary.However, it is ethically troublesome when these subjects appear at the psychiatric consultation with the request for the application of the various certificates for the recognition of a psychiatric disorder in order to support their request for asylum.Such requests must be addressed impartially when they relate only to an adaptation problem where the migrant is susceptible, through termination, to resume the course of a citizen of the host country without necessarily attaining the status of a psychiatric patient.The early psychiatrisation of migrants may discredit somewhat, through stigmatisation, their status as free subjects and not patients.We illustrate our ideas with some clinical observations.
Antecedents of Spiritual Distress Experienced by Iranian Muslim Patients: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Karimollahi M. , Abedi H.A. 
Published: March 2009

Introduction:The World Health Organization (WHO) (1998) has proclaimed that the definition of health includes four Domains of well-being: physical, mental, social and spiritual. It is therefore suggested that nurses should prepare themselves to assist individuals and families, not only to cope with spiritual distress of illness and suffering but also to explore the meaning in these experiences. The purpose of this investigation is to explore the antecedents of spiritual distress experienced by Iranian Muslim patients in the context of Islam.Methods:Qualitative descriptive research was conducted using unstructured interviews with twenty-one patients and three relatives. The data analyzed using content analysis method.Results:Three main categories were found: failure in communication, non-holistic care and inability to worship.Conclusion:The results showed that the patient's spiritual well-being could be enhanced by communication, listening and giving information. Finally, it is clear that staff members have a great deal of responsibility for the patient's well-being, facilitating the relatives’ involvement based on their wishes and limiting the stress and difficulties experienced by the family.
Correlation Between Shift Work and Psychological Problems Among Hospitals Personnel of Ardabil University of Medical Science
Authors: Molavi P. , Karimollahi M. , Mohammadnia H. 
Published: March 2009

Background:Shift work can be propounded as a risk factor of psychological problems creation. This study has been executed to determine relation between shift work and psychological problems among hospital’s personnel of Ardabil University of Medical science.Materials and methods:This study is a retrospective case-control one and has been executed on 388 person of personnel of hospitals of Ardabil University of Medical Science (223 as case group and 65 as control group), that has been selected randomly. Requisite information was collected with three questionnaires. Including General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), personal questionnaire and standardized sleep state evaluation questionnaire and were analyzed by SPSS statistical software. Chi-square and analysis of variance tests were used to test investigation’s hypothesis.Results:Meaningful relation were found between these problems such as somatoform signs (p< 0.005) anxiety (p< 0.019) social action disorder (p< 0.001) and depression (p< 0.019) and shift work. At the same time result of comparison of sleep state in the case and control group showed that in all items s1sep1 taking nap throughout day, there is meaningful difference between two case and control group and this difference show that more sleep problems is found in case group as compared with control group.Conclusions:It is advised to reform irregular circulation of shift Work in hospitals and with due attention to work conditions of any hospital, a sought after shift work system be executed.
The Stressors of Nurses Working in Emergency Units
Authors: Molavi P. , Karimollahi M. 
Published: March 2009

Background:The comparison of stresses between nurses and dentists depicts that nurses more than other professions are prone to stress and the rate of suicide in female nurses 5-6 times and in male nurses 2-3 times more than general population. Researches also shows that neurotic disorders like drug abuse and depression is more common in nurses. This study aimed to determine stressors of nurses working in emergency units.Materials and method:All of nurses working in emergency units of hospitals of Ardabil medical sciences university (n=49) chosen for sample. The means of data collecting was questionnaire. Descriptive statistics used for data analysis.Findings:This study showed that the shortage an unavailability of necessary equipment (67.34%), patient's suffering (57%), patient's family interference with nursing care (53.06), shortage of nurses, unavailability of physicians in emergency situations, (51.12%) and working without adequate rest (42.17%)were the most important stressors of nurses working in emergency units.Conclusion:In the sum we can say that the most important stressors are the shortage and unavailability of necessary equipments. This is a management related factor so nursing managers can help to promote the nursing care quality using environmental changes.
Quality of Life Among the Navies at Six Months After the Tsunami in Phang-NGA Naval Base, Phang-NGA Province, Thailand
Authors: Kongsakon R. 
Published: March 2009

Objective:This study aimed to identify the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among the navies or their spouses at 6 months after the tsunami disaster, to compare HRQOL with the 2006 Thailand normative data for Short Form - 36 (Bangkok)4.Method:A structured questionnaire modified from the 36-item Medical Outcome Study Short-Form Health Survey (MOS SF - 36), including demographic data, characteristics and amount of loss, social support, health information, and type of Tsunami exposure were recorded.Result:A total of 434 subjects participated in this study. Male was 77%. Married was 67%. Mean age was 33.56 ± 9.26 years old. The QOL scores among members of the Navy or their spouses were lower than the 2006 Thailand normative data (Bangkok) in almost all subscales except physical functioning, bodily pain, and social functioning. The major consequence of the Tsunami was mental health problems. A majority of the survivors who seriously experienced mental problems were female, low education, decreased income, loss of one's family members/loved ones, or property. Bodily pain was the only indicator subscale of QOL which was significant statistically associated with Tsunami exposure.Conclusion:The QOL measurement provided essential information that helped healthcare providers to identify survivors’ needs and outcomes. In addition, the changes in QOL over time after Tsunami disaster might be an effective guideline for health resources allocation. To improve their quality of life, these people required appropriate social support as well as physical and mental health care.
Stress Vulnerability and Mental Health in Eastern Europe Immigrants in Portugal
Authors: Monteiro A.P. 
Published: March 2009

Introduction:There are seldom mental health studies in Portugal about immigrant populations, particularly in groups belonging to non-Portuguese speaking minorities. The recent phenomenon of emergence of new migratory flows coming from Eastern Europe countries, which traditionally had no cultural or linguistic contact with the host country and the implications of this migratory process in the mental health status of this population, is the centre of this investigation.Objectives:This study aims to perform a socio-demographic characterization, identify the main health problems and health surveillance patterns of the immigrant population from Eastern Europe countries in Portugal. It also aims to assess the stress vulnerability and ths mental health status of this population.Methods:The study was conducted in immigrant local centres from January 31st 2005 to March 31st 2006 and focused on 566 Eastern Europe immigrants residing in several regions of Portugal, 296 males and 270 females. We used the 23 QVS (Vaz Serra, 2000); GHQ-28 (Goldberg & Hillier, 1979); SSQ6 (Saranson, Saranson & Pierce, 1987) and a Socio-demographic questionnaire.Results:From the 566 individuals in sample one; we conclude that this population is predominantly male, in active young age, with high academic qualifications.Regarding mental health status, 10,4% of the inquired immigrants presented psychiatric pathology assessed by the cutting point of GHQ-28 and 54.9% presented stress vulnerability determined by the cutting point of 23QVS. We verified a statistically relevant correlation between stress vulnerability and the levels of mental health of the surveyed population.
Burnout or Professional Exhaustion Syndrome Among Primary Care Tunisian Doctors
Authors: Oumaya M. , Ghanmi L. , Baccar Y. , Khédira B. , Salah K. Ben , Bouzid R. 
Published: March 2009

The Burnout or the professional exhaustion syndrome is common among doctors, especially primary care practitioners. The rates range from 25 to 76% according to specialties.Aims:Main objective was to assess the prevalence of burnout in Tunisian primary care practitioners working in public sector in the region of the Cap Bon. Secondary objectives were to determine the risk factors and the consequences associated with this syndrome.Methods:transversal study using four scales: Anonymous auto questionnaire elaborated by the medical team, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Beck Depression inventory (BDI) and the state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI). The MBI explores the three dimensions of Burnout: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment. In our study, the Burnout was defined by the presence of two or three pathological dimensions.Results:113 questionnaires were exploitable (85.6% of the sample). The results of the MBI showed that one third of doctors suffer from Burnout and 7.1% have severe attaints. 35% of the doctors had high score of emotional exhaustion, 21% had high depersonalization and 40% had a low score of personal accomplishment. The Burnout was significantly associated with depression (p < 0.001), suicidality (p=0.023) and anxious temperament (p< 0.001). On the other hand, a continued medical education protected significantly against the Burnout (p=0.003). Professional exhaustion was significantly related to the wish of reconversion (p=0.023) and to relational difficulties with patients and colleagues. The solutions proposed were the increase of the number of doctors and a better education of medical students in general medicine.
Social Conflict after Disaster
Authors: Portnova A. 
Published: March 2009

Objective:Studying the social conflict among inhabitants of small settlements owing to extreme situations.Methods:Social-psychological investigation for revealing interpersonal and intergroup (victims and nonvictims) conflicts among in townsfolk of Sydybyl (Yakutia) and Beslan (North Ossetia) after disaster with death of children.Results:It was shown that the basic psychological need of persons who loss their relatives during a disaster is a search of guilty of tragedy. In consequence of this, occurs the stratification of society with apportionment of such groups as “victims” and “guilty”. The “victims” additionally mark out the group of “light victims” and accuse them of insufficient efforts to rescue of children of “victims”. It was suggested that the persistent search of guilty represents a form of psychological defense against the unbearable feeling of their own guilt towards died children. The universal (non-conditioned by ethnic or cultural factors) character of described phenomena was emphasized. It was marked that the social conflict (named by author as indigenous) deteriorates the social and economic consequences of disaster.Conclusions:The indigenous conflict tends to persistence and passes the certain phases, final of which is characterized by a high level of neurotic diseases in the opulation and migration of an efficient part of the population.
Psychosocial Distress as a Risk Factor for Asthma Mortality
Authors: Razvodovsky Y. 
Published: March 2009

Background:Asthma is a mayor public health issue; its prevalence has increased in recent decades world wide. However, focus on biological risk factors has not fully explained this trend. A mounting body of research evidence suggests that psychosocial distress is likely to be a factor contributing to the development of asthma.Purpose:To estimate the effect of psychosocial distress on asthma mortality rate at the aggregate level.Method:Trends in age-adjusted, sex-specific suicide (as an integral indicator for psychosocial distress) and asthma mortality rate in Russia from 1956 to 2005 were analyzed employing an ARIMA analysis in order to asses bivariate relationship between the two time series.Results:Time series analysis indicates the presence of statistically significant association between the two time series for male. The association between the two time series for female also positive, however, statistically not significant.Conclusion:The findings of the present study add to the growing number of studies linking psychosocial distress to asthma expression and mortality. This paper presents new epidemiological evidence that supports psychosomatic concept of asthma.
Elderly People’s Seath Anxiety and Dying Anxiety in Israe: A Comparison Between Before and After the Second Lebanon War
Authors: Pon P. 
Published: March 2009

Background:Due to our fear of extinction or annihilation, there is a great deal of preoccupation with the subject of death, through which we attempt to learn to feel more at ease with the concept, and allowing us to cope with our fear of death.Method:The study assumptions seek to emphasize the correlations between:A.Demographic characteristics and anxiety of death and dying;B.Inner - personality characteristics and death and dying anxiety variable; andC.Intrapersonal characteristics and death and dying anxiety.The connections between all of those variables were examined before and after the second Lebanon war. The study sample comprised 217 participants as the "before" group and, 151 participants as the "after" group. The study's data was collected via face-to-face interviews. All of the "after" group participant were at the "before" group.Results:Findings indicate that the war increased the death and dying anxieties especially among those elderly women and those who live within nursing homes. In general elderly people with a high level of self-evaluation and sense of mastery will experience lower levels of death and dying anxieties.Conclusion:In spite of age, experience and knowledge, war has a powerful influence on elderly people. The phenomena in which innocent citizens became more and more involved in politics violence must be in front of policy makers.
Steroid and Thyreoid Hormones and Neurotic, Stress-related and Somatoform Disorders
Authors: Ryadovaya L. , Gutkevich E. , Ivanova S. 
Published: March 2009

Objective:Study concentrations of steroid and thyreoid hormones in patients with neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders.Methods:35 patients with dissociative (conversion) disorders (ISD-10, F44), 29 patients with adjustment disorders (ISD-10, F43.2) and mentally healthy persons (27 persons) were investigated. Immunofermantal analysis for definition of concentration of steroid and thyreoid hormones were carried out.Results:We have observed statistically significant increased level of cortizol (p< 0,05) in patients with adjustment disorders (635,04±48,69 nmol/l) in comparison with control and patients with dissociative (conversion) disorders (444,97±24,53 nmol/l and 443,13±23,00 nmol/l accordingly). The statistically significant the lowered maintenance of dehydroepiandrosteronum is characteristic for patients with adjustment disorders in comparison with control and patients of another group (3,9±0,26; 6,35±0,62 and 6,69±0,50 mkmol/l accordingly, p< 0,05). For patients with dissociative (conversion) disorders is characteristic the statistically significant increased level of triiodthyronin (1,71±0,12 nmol/l), in patients with adjustment disorders and mentally healthy persons this metric composed 1,26±0,02 nmol/l and 1,34±0,04 nmol/l accordingly. The level of thyroxin for the persons with dissociative (conversion) disorders differ from values of control and patients with adjustment disorders (23,68±2,07 pkmol/l; 17,64±1,43 pkmol/l and 14,69±0,53 pkmol/l accordingly, p< 0,05).Conclusion:For patients with adjustment disorders is characteristic the statistically significant increased level of cortizol and the lowered maintenance of dehydroepiandrosteronum. Dissociative (conversion) disorders are formed in conditions of the raised maintenance thyreoid hormones and the physiological maintenance of steroid hormones.The investigation supported by project of RHSF №06-06-00691а, №07-06-95673и/М and №08-06-00284а.
Genetics of the Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) Axis - a Systemic Stress Modulator in Relation to Suicidal Behaviour
Authors: Wasserman D. , Sokolowski M. , Wasserman J. 
Published: March 2009

Suicide, a phenomenon characterised by heterogeneous and complex causes affects about one million people each year.Twin studies, adoption studies and family studies indicate the role of genetic factors in suicidal behaviours. Psychobiological hypotheses regarding suicidal behaviours involve neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, and their correlation to psychological functions as well as the dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Whereas the genes of e.g. the 5HT system and of the key NA-biosynthesis enzyme, tyrosine hydroxylase, have been studied extensively in this context the genes in the HPA axis have only begun to be investigated.Our novel results on the genetic variation in the CRHR1 gene in connection to depression and stress among suicidal individuals and in the TBX 19 gene, which is regulated by CRH, suggest that genetic variation in the CRH-mediated regulation of the HPA axis is a factor of importance in suicidality, especially in males with depression.
Personality and Lifestyles in Voluntary Firemen
Authors: Albuquerque C.M. Sousa , Ribeiro J.L. Pais , Mota C.P. Baptista 
Published: March 2009

Background:The main objective of this study was to verify if the Lifestyles are related with the type of Personality of the firefighters. Another objective was to verify if stress is related with the Lifestyles adopted.Methods:This was a transversal study applied to 146 Firefighters of Leiria, with ages between the 17 and 60 years (44 female and 102 the male). We used the NEO-Pi-R to analyze Personality and the Lifestyles Appraisal Questionnaire.Results:We found a significant statistical correlation between the Lifestyle Part I (risk factors) and the Neuroticism, that suggests that these citizens tend to have a bigger risk to developing illnesses. They present higher values of concern, nervousness, hypochondriacs and they have more disability answers of coping. They tend to be emotionally unsafe, revealing, sometimes, feelings of incompetence. They also show sadness, fear, embarrassment, anger and guilt. We also found significant statistical between the lifestyle Part I (risk factors) and the Lifestyle Part II (Stress). Indicates that a higher risk of developing illness is related to higher levels of stress. It was verified that the citizens present high factors of risk for their health and that this factor helps to increase the loss of control of the perception of stress.
Examination and Follow-up War Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Prolonged Posttraumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSS) by Telepsychiatry Service
Authors: Stojakovic M. , Stojakovic B. 
Published: March 2009

Background and aims:This study was examination by Telepsychiatry and E-consalting of war related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).Methods:The subjects were 114 male psychiatric patients by Telepsychiatry and e-consulting with war-related PTSD by videoconferencing via broadband ADSL and WADSL by 768 kbps. Posttraumatic stress syndrome-PTSS scale and 20-item Zung self rating scale was used to assess state measures of symptom severity.Results:The symptoms of prolonged PTSS (posttraumatic stress syndrome) with duration between six moths and two years had been founded at 84(73,68%) and 30(26,32%) of patients had no PTSS. Symptoms of depression had been found at 72(63,15%) patients. The enduring personality exchange after catastrophic expiriense (F62.0), had been found at 15(13,15%) patients (P< 0.01); symptoms of depression had been found at 54(47,36%) patients after two years.Conclusions:Telepsychiatry service and e-consalting it is able to serve not only PTSD but also wide range of other patient population. Continued examination and follow-up evolution of PTSD symptoms by Telepsychiatry service may be important in predicting the eventual development of depressive symptoms and precipitation of F62.0 enduring personality exchange after catastrophic expiriense in the war related PTSD.