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Journal of the Canadian Academy of... Jul 2024There is an urgent need for culturally and contextually relevant mental health support for First Nations, Inuit and Métis youth.
BACKGROUND
There is an urgent need for culturally and contextually relevant mental health support for First Nations, Inuit and Métis youth.
OBJECTIVE
Our aim was to identify mental health and wellness services that are currently available to Indigenous youth across Canada.
METHODOLOGY
As a first step, we conducted a web-based environmental scan of services tailored to Indigenous youth. Specific factors were examined for each program, including organization type and mission, types of services, and who provides services.
RESULTS
One hundred and seventeen programs were found, with 54% being non-profits and 34% being on-reserve. Four core features were identified. The first was a strengths-based focus, rather than a pathology/deficit-focus, in programs' vision and mission statements, reflected in words like wellness and resilience. The second (87% of included programs) was the integration of mental health services with a range of other services and supports (e.g., health, employment, housing). The third was the provision of land-based programming (in 34% of programs) such as camps or hunting. Such programs were framed as promoting wellness and healing and strengthening identity. The fourth was the role of community members without formal mental health professional training (in 42% of programs), for example, as youth workers or knowledge keepers. This stems not only from the dearth of specialists in many Indigenous settings, but also a valuing of Indigenous knowledge.
CONCLUSION
These core features in mental health services for Indigenous youth may be promising avenues for communities seeking to strengthen the services they offer to First Nations, Inuit and Métis youth.
PubMed: 38952787
DOI: No ID Found -
Journal of the Canadian Academy of... Jul 2024Acute agitation in pediatrics is commonly encountered in hospital settings, can contribute to significant physical and psychological distress, and management is highly...
OBJECTIVE
Acute agitation in pediatrics is commonly encountered in hospital settings, can contribute to significant physical and psychological distress, and management is highly varied in practice. As such, the development of a standardized pharmacologic guideline is paramount. We aimed to develop a novel clinical pathway (CP) for management of acute agitation for all hospitalized pediatric patients in Canada.
METHODS
Healthcare professionals in Canada with expertise in treating and managing pediatric agitation formed a working group and developed a CP through conducting a literature review, engaging key partners, and obtaining interdisciplinary consensus (iterative real-time discussions with content experts). Once developed, the preliminary CP was presented to additional internal and external partners via multiple grand rounds and a webinar; feedback from participants guided final CP revisions.
RESULTS
The working group created a pediatric inpatient CP to guide pharmacologic management of agitation and serve as an easy-to-use clinical and educational resource with three complementary sections including: 1) a treatment algorithm, 2) a quick reference medication chart, and 3) two supporting documents, which provide a general overview of non-pharmacologic strategies prior to CP implementation and an illustrative scenario to accompany the medication chart to ensure effective utilization.
CONCLUSIONS
This is the first CP to standardize pharmacological treatment and management of acute agitation in children in inpatient settings in Canada. Although further research is warranted to assess implementation and support process improvement, the CP can be adapted by individual institutions to assist in prompt pharmacological management of pediatric agitation to potentially improve outcomes for patients, families, and healthcare professionals.
PubMed: 38952785
DOI: No ID Found -
International Journal of Yoga Therapy Apr 2024Stressful situations lead to change in or damage to the central nervous system, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and autonomic function. Techniques for reducing... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Stressful situations lead to change in or damage to the central nervous system, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and autonomic function. Techniques for reducing stress such as yoga and mindfulness meditation have been reported to improve emotional regulation and mindfulness skill, as well as stress response. Mindfulness skill relies on intense focus to quiet the mind and bring concentration to the present moment. The present study was a randomized control trial to investigate the effects of an 8-week training program (three 45-minute sessions/week, one session with an instructor and two sessions as home practice) in mindfulness meditation or in yoga on stress and related variables in healthy people. Forty-four healthy participants were randomly allocated to one of three groups: a mindfulness group (n = 16), a yoga group (n = 13), and a control group (n = 15). The yoga training significantly modified heart rate variability, contributing to decreased relative power of the low-frequency band; the relative power of the high-frequency band increased after training. The mindfulness meditation training significantly improved mindfulness skill and concentration performance. In the present study, yoga was associated with increased heart rate variability and mindfulness meditation was associated with an increase in mindfulness skill and concentration performance.
Topics: Humans; Yoga; Mindfulness; Male; Stress, Psychological; Female; Meditation; Adult; Heart Rate; Young Adult
PubMed: 38952154
DOI: 10.17761/2024-D-22-00021 -
Current Pain and Headache Reports Jun 2024Mindfulness therapy is a widely used treatment for many diseases and has been shown to improve pain-related functions. There is growing support for the use of... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Mindfulness therapy is a widely used treatment for many diseases and has been shown to improve pain-related functions. There is growing support for the use of psychotherapy in the treatment of chronic pain. While studies have shown a positive effect of mindfulness therapy, it is important to consider psychosocial factors as there are still a small number of studies that question its effectiveness.
RECENT FINDINGS
Based on current studies, mindfulness therapy involves cognitive factors related to chronic pain, both in terms of cognitive production and its impact on cognitive control. Psychological and neurobasic studies were reviewed to provide a deeper understanding of these components, which include thought inhibition, attention deficit, pain catastrophizing, and self-efficacy. Mindfulness therapy has the potential to normalize psychology and nerves, and increase internal and external connectivity to work networks related to stress perception, cognition, and emotion. However, further research is needed to fully understand its effects. By exploring the relationship between mindfulness therapy and chronic pain. This review provides a new avenue for future research in psychotherapy for patients with chronic pain.
PubMed: 38951466
DOI: 10.1007/s11916-024-01284-w -
Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health... Jul 2024Images on the homepages of private practice dermatology websites often do not reflect the racial diversity of the metropolitan area in which each practice is located. A...
Images on the homepages of private practice dermatology websites often do not reflect the racial diversity of the metropolitan area in which each practice is located. A Google Maps scraper (Apify) was used to identify websites for private practices in 27 United States metropolitan areas selected from the 2020 U.S. Census list of 100 largest areas where non-white individuals makeup more than 50% of the population. Homepages from the top ten websites listed by the search engine were analyzed for images, use of non-English language, and mention of "Skin of Color" or "Ethnic Skin." One hundred seventeen websites were included. Two mentioned "Skin of Color" or "Ethnic Skin"; seven mentioned a non-English language. A significantly lower percentage of non-white-presenting patients (p < 0.001) and providers (p < 0.001) were pictured on the selected dermatology websites than reported in the Census. These findings suggest that the images on the homepages of private practice dermatology websites were not reflective of the racial diversity of the metropolitan area in which each practice is located. Private practice dermatologists should be mindful of how their services are represented online, as it may dissuade potential minoritized patients from seeking dermatologic care.
PubMed: 38951370
DOI: 10.1007/s40615-024-02061-6 -
Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy 2024In this study, we re-examined data from a previous randomized controlled trial investigating 'technology supported mindfulness' (TSM)-an 8-week treatment intervention... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
In this study, we re-examined data from a previous randomized controlled trial investigating 'technology supported mindfulness' (TSM)-an 8-week treatment intervention for individuals experiencing OCD. The current analysis involves an examination of the longitudinal relationships between rumination, worry and OCD symptom changes during mindfulness treatment, in comparison to a waitlist control.
METHODS
Participants experiencing OCD (n = 71) were randomly assigned to 8 weeks of (1) TSM or (2) waitlist control. We tested the extent to which rumination (using the Ruminative Response Scale) and worry (using the Penn State Worry Questionnaire) are associated with OCD symptom changes during the acute phase of treatment, concurrently (i.e., within the same longitudinal model).
RESULTS
Generalized linear model (GLM) results indicated a significant time (week 1 vs. week 8) by condition interaction involving decreased rumination in the TSM condition: F(1, 61) = 13.37, p = 0.001, partial η = 0.18 and observed power = 0.94. A second GLM demonstrated decreased worry in the TSM condition: F(1, 69) = 37.34, p = 0.001, partial η = 0.35 and observed power = 0.83. Longitudinal 'latent difference' structural equation analyses demonstrated a cross-lagged association between worry (but not rumination) and OCD symptom changes.
CONCLUSIONS
Individuals in the TSM condition experienced greater reductions in rumination and worry during 8 weeks of TSM treatment compared to the waitlist control, and reduced worry predicted subsequent OCD symptom reduction.
Topics: Humans; Female; Male; Mindfulness; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; Rumination, Cognitive; Adult; Treatment Outcome; Anxiety; Middle Aged; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 38948943
DOI: 10.1002/cpp.3018 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2024Belief in psi, which includes psychic phenomena such as extra-sensory perception and post-mortem survival, is widespread yet controversial. According to one of the...
INTRODUCTION
Belief in psi, which includes psychic phenomena such as extra-sensory perception and post-mortem survival, is widespread yet controversial. According to one of the leading and perhaps most tested hypotheses, high belief in psi can be explained by differences in various aspects of cognition, including cognitive styles. Most of this research has been conducted with lay individuals. Here, we tested the hypothesis that academic researchers who investigate psi may exhibit different cognitive styles than lay individuals interested in psi, and are more similar to skeptics.
METHODS
We measured two cognitive styles-actively open-minded thinking (AOT) and the need for closure (NFC)-and assessed differences among four heterogeneous groups regarding belief in psi and involvement in related research. Specifically, our study included academic psi researchers ( = 44), lay individuals who believe in psi ( = 32), academics who are skeptics of psi ( = 35), and lay individuals who are skeptics ( = 33).
RESULTS
We found group differences in AOT ( = 0.003) but not in NFC scores ( = 0.67). tests showed no significant difference in AOT scores between academics who conduct psi research (4.5 ± 0.3) and academic skeptics (4.5 ± 0.3; = 0.91) or lay skeptics (4.5 ± 0.4; = 0.80). The lay psi group had significantly lower AOT scores (4.2 ± 0.4) than the other three groups (s: 0.005-0.04), indicating a decreased willingness to consider a range of evidence when forming an opinion, including evidence that challenges their beliefs. AOT was negatively associated with psi belief in the two skeptic groups combined ( = -0.29, = 0.01), but not in the psi groups ( = -0.03, = 0.78).
DISCUSSION
Our research shows that academics who work with psi differ from lay psi individuals, but not from skeptics, in actively open-minded thinking. In other words, despite their high belief in psi phenomena, psi researchers demonstrate a commitment to sound reasoning about evidence that is no different from that of skeptics.
PubMed: 38947901
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1398121 -
Biomedical Engineering Letters Jul 2024Meditation is renowned for its positive effects on cognitive abilities and stress reduction. It has been reported that the amplitude of electroencephalographic (EEG)...
PURPOSE
Meditation is renowned for its positive effects on cognitive abilities and stress reduction. It has been reported that the amplitude of electroencephalographic (EEG) infra-slow activity (ISA, < 0.1 Hz) is reduced as the stress level decreases. Consequently, we aimed to determine if EEG ISA amplitude decreases as a result of meditation practice across various traditions.
METHODS
To this end, we analyzed an open dataset comprising EEG data acquired during meditation sessions from experienced practitioners in the Vipassana tradition-which integrates elements of focused attention and open monitoring, akin to mindfulness meditation-and in the Himalayan Yoga and Isha Shoonya traditions, which emphasize focused attention and open monitoring, respectively.
RESULTS
A general trend was observed where EEG ISA amplitude tended to decrease in experienced meditators from these traditions compared to novices, particularly significant in the 0.03-0.08 Hz band for Vipassana meditators. Therefore, our analysis focused on this ISA frequency band. Specifically, a notable decrease in EEG ISA amplitude was observed in Vipassana meditators, predominantly in the left-frontal region. This reduction in EEG ISA amplitude was also accompanied by a decrease in phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) between the ISA phase and alpha band (8-12 Hz) amplitude, which implied decreased neural excitability fluctuations.
CONCLUSION
Our findings suggest that not only does EEG ISA amplitude decrease in experienced meditators from traditions that incorporate both focused attention and open monitoring, but this decrease may also signify a diminished influence of neural excitability fluctuations attributed to ISA.
PubMed: 38946818
DOI: 10.1007/s13534-024-00377-0 -
International Journal of Occupational... Jun 2024. The COVID-19 pandemic, remote work and new technologies have heightened workplace pressures. Effective response and essential organizational changes require business...
. The COVID-19 pandemic, remote work and new technologies have heightened workplace pressures. Effective response and essential organizational changes require business leaders to be more adaptable, with managers' presence playing a pivotal role in successful implementation. The study assesses a brief mindfulness-based emotional regulation for managers (MBERM) intervention, to reduce workplace stress and enhance managerial well-being. . An 8-week non-randomized controlled trial was conducted with a waiting list control group and an intervention group. Pre-post differences were measured by Student's test or Wilcoxon test, and effect size calculated using the Hedge's formula. The sample included 23 managers (17 men and six women) with average age 50 years. The study assessed anxiety and depressive symptoms, psychological flexibility, perceived self-efficacy, general work-related well-being, perceived stress and mindfulness. . Statistically significant changes were observed in the intervention group in depression, anxiety, work-related acceptance and action, general self-efficacy, exhaustion, alienation, stress and non-reactivity. The control group showed no statistically significant changes in any of the variables. . The MBERM intervention could improve the emotional and work-related well-being of managers and reduce stress levels and burnout. Further study of this intervention is needed to promote adherence and ensure a long-term improvement.
PubMed: 38946201
DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2024.2358676 -
Psychology & Health Jun 2024Early career professionals (ECPs) are a critical target for physical activity (PA) promotion. Affect contributes to an established PA intention-behaviour gap and is...
UNLABELLED
Early career professionals (ECPs) are a critical target for physical activity (PA) promotion. Affect contributes to an established PA intention-behaviour gap and is pertinent among ECPs.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a web-based intervention and explore the effects on secondary outcomes (moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), emotion regulation, multi-process action control constructs).
METHODS
Adults aged 25-44 who were employed at least part-time in a desk-based job and not meeting PA guidelines (<150 min MVPA) were recruited and randomized into a 6-week online intervention integrating acceptance and commitment principles and affect regulation strategies, or a control group.
RESULTS
Forty adults were recruited and randomized to the web-based intervention ( = 21) and waitlist control ( = 19). The recruitment rate was 29%, retention was 75%, engagement was 68%, and satisfaction was high in both quantitative and qualitative assessment. Participants allocated to the intervention improved MVPA (η=0.30), emotion regulation (η =0.49), behavioural regulation (η=0.53), affective attitude (η=0.23), identity (η=0.24), and constructs of mindfulness (η=0.44), and valued living (η=0.20).
CONCLUSIONS
Primary outcomes concerning feasibility were adequate and secondary outcomes improved, suggesting a full-scale randomized controlled trial is feasible with minor modifications. A large-scale study is warranted to establish intervention effectiveness.
PubMed: 38946146
DOI: 10.1080/08870446.2024.2372658