The Experience of Insomnia in Patients With Schizophrenic Disorder: A Qualitative Study

BackgroundInsomnia is a health problem that particularly affects people with schizophrenia. Its repercussions go beyond the disorder itself and affect many areas of life. The aim of the present study is to explore the clinical symptoms and consequences of insomnia in patients diagnosed with schizophrenic disorder and the perceptions of these patients regarding the care they receive.MethodsThe study takes a qualitative approach and uses semi-structured interviews to conduct a descriptive and interpretive analysis of 3 clinically different clusters of patients. These 3 clusters have been defined by using two-step cluster analysis based on the results of the ISI (Insomnia Severity Index) and EQ-5D scales (EuroQol-5D) and the presence of certain diagnostic symptoms in a sample of 170 patients. The final sample was 31 subjects. The analysis was based on a hermeneutic analysis of the patients' narratives regarding their experiences of insomnia.ResultsThe patients' narratives show differences in the intensity and experience of insomnia depending on the severity, as well as its impact on their quality of life. Insomnia has a huge emotional impact. Participants describe ruminations and obsessive thoughts as a key factor hindering falling asleep. Some of the everyday actions they perform encourage the chronicity of insomnia. The desired health response must include interventions that are effective, such as cognitive-behavioural therapy, and powerful, such as pharmacological solutions. Psychoeducation and advice on sleep hygiene are highly valued tools as preventive strategies.ConclusionsTo know the experience of users gives us a more comprehensive understanding of insomnia complexities and brings some new intervention strategies in patients with mental disorders. It is important that health professionals intervene preventively to stop the disorder from becoming chronic.

Perceptions about Teaching in Times of COVID-19 Pandemic: Experience of Secondary Education in Chile

<p style="text-align: justify;">The following article is a qualitative study that analyses the perception of parents and high school students regarding teaching in times of Coronavirus disease COVID-19, with the idea of recognizing the facilitators and barriers for the teaching-learning process in the pandemic. The above, in the understanding that due to the sudden appearance of SARS-CoV-2, educational systems around the world had to adapt to virtual teaching, as a result of the confinement to which the population has been subjected during the year 2020 and a good part of the year 2021. The research is based on the interpretative-comprehensive paradigm, with a qualitative methodology, which considered the realization of four focus groups with students and four focus groups with secondary school parents, from two public high schools located in the province of Talca, Maule region, Chile. The findings of the study are related to the adverse effects of the pandemic on student learning, as a result of connectivity difficulties, and the emotional impact on the quality of life of young people and their families. On the other hand, learning at home is related to limited pedagogical strategies and evaluative aspects that do not allow verifying the real learning of the students.</p>

Emotional Campaigning in Politics: Being Moved and Anger in Political Ads Motivate to Support Candidate and Party

Political advertising to recruit the support of voters is an inherent part of politics. Today, ads are distributed via television and online, including social media. This type of advertisement attempts to recruit support by presenting convincing arguments and evoking various emotions about the candidate, opponents, and policy proposals. We discuss recent arguments and evidence that a specific social emotion, namely the concept kama muta, plays a role in political advertisements. In vernacular language, kama muta is typically labeled as being moved or touched. We compare kama muta and anger theoretically and discuss how they can influence voters’ willingness to support a candidate. We then, for the first time, compare kama muta and anger empirically in the same study. Specifically, we showed American participants short political ads during the 2018 United States midterm election campaigns. All participants saw both kama muta- and anger-evoking ads from both Democratic or Republican candidates. In total, everybody watched eight ads. We assessed participants’ degree of being moved and angered by the videos and their motivation for three types of political support: ideational, financial, and personal. The emotional impact of an ad depended on its perceived source: Participants felt especially angry after watching the anger-evoking ads and especially moved by moving ads if they identified with the political party that had produced the video. Both emotions mediated were associated with increased intentions to provide support. Importantly, if one of the two emotions was evoked, its effect on political support was enhanced if participants identified with the party that had produced the ad. We discuss limitations of the method and implications of the results for future research and practice.

Elevated Perinatal Depression during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Study among Jewish and Arab Women in Israel

This study assessed prevalence of perinatal depression symptoms (PNDS) during the COVID-19 pandemic among Arab and Jewish women in Israel and identified COVID-19-related risk factors for PNDS, while comparing Arab and Jewish women. Sample included 730 perinatal women (604 Jewish and 126 Arab) aged 19–45 years, who filled out an online self-report questionnaire. The questionnaire assessed several areas: perinatal experiences and exposure to COVID-19, social support, and financial and emotional impact. PNDS was measured by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Prevalence of PNDS (EPDS ≥ 10) in the entire study population was 40.0%. Prevalence among Arab women was significantly higher compared to Jewish women (58% vs. 36%, PV < 0.001). Higher PNDS were significantly associated with anxiety symptoms (GAD ≥ 10) (PV < 0.001), stress related to COVID-19 (PV < 0.001), adverse change in delivery of healthcare services (PV = 0.025), and unemployment (PV = 0.002). PNDS has elevated more than twofold during COVID-19 in Israel. Such high rates of PNDS may potentially negatively impact women, and fetal and child health development. This situation requires special attention from public health services and policy makers to provide support and mitigation strategies for pregnant and postpartum women in times of health crises.

The response of law enforcement agencies and police officers' experiences under the Covid-19 state of alarm in Catalonia, Spain

PurposeLaw enforcement agencies and police officers' efforts were crucial to oversee the public health measures and legal regulations introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study had two objectives: to examine the strategies implemented by law enforcement agencies in Catalonia (Spain) to monitor the pandemic and to explore the adverse working conditions of police officers and their personal difficulties during the state of alarm.Design/methodology/approachA total of 96 experienced police officers completed a closed-ended, anonymous online survey. In addition, complementary information was collected about the management of law enforcement agencies through open interviews. A descriptive analysis was carried out and the association between variables was explored.FindingsIn general terms, law enforcement agencies managed the uncertainty of the situation, with a focus on official information and communication channels between officers. However, many difficulties were reported by the police officers, such us inconsistency between rules, lack of preventive material or changes in work schedules. Besides, the officers' main concern, beyond the emotional impact suffered during this period, was the possibility of being infected or infecting others.Practical implicationsThe congruence between the job requirements and resources, as well as the increase of communication channels during situations of high risk are important variables to assure good job development and personal satisfaction of police officers.Originality/valueTo the knowledge of the authors, at the time of writing this paper, this is the first study in Spain to explore the management of law enforcement agencies and police officers' personal experiences during the Covid-19.

The impact of the acoustic environment on human emotion and experience: A case study of worship spaces

People’s interactions with the environment shape their experiences. Thus, understanding these interactions is critical to enhancing human well-being. Aural attributes play a significant role in shaping the perception of space in addition to visual attributes. It is well known that sounds evoke an emotional response, but less is known about how the acoustic characteristics of environments reinforce such an emotional impact. By adopting virtual reality as a platform for recreating 3D sounds and 360° visuals of built environments of worship spaces as case studies, this study aims to investigate the influence of the acoustic environment considering audiovisual congruency on enhancing the human experience through self-report and physiological response analysis. It also examines the role of cultural background in terms of familiarity with the acoustic environment. The convergent mixed-methods approach, merging both quantitative and qualitative analysis, provides a deep understanding of the role of the acoustic environment in enhancing the auditory experience. The results show that the acoustic environment and audiovisual congruency amplify the intensity of the emotional impact, and the amplification of the impact can vary depending on the acoustic environment of the building. They also reveal that familiarity with sound and acoustic characteristics can increase this impact.

The Role of Certain Figures of Emphasis in the Televised Debate between Macron and Le Pen on may 3, 2017». Le rôle de certaines figures d’insistance utilisées dans le débat télévisé entre Macron et Le Pen le 3 mai 2017

Political Discourse Analysis is an important linguistic study approach used by politicians to gain people support. The present paper sheds light on the figures of speech of emphasis in the televised debate between the two presidential elections candidates, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen and the distinctive effect they add to the political discourse to win general public support as well as the presidential elections. The present paper provides a rudimentary definition and an analysis of the terms “discourse” and “political discourse” and traces the significant role played by politically directed televised Media and internet to support political parties through broadcasting political events. Through conducting an analytical study, the paper considers the discourse analysis concept that aims at deconstructing the speech modules to attain the required speech purpose. Part of the present study theoretical approach, the paper terms and clarifies all types of Figures of speech used by politicians to create a publically stronger luminous witty and emotional impact. As for the paper practical approach, it sheds light on the stressing effect of four types figure of emphasis in French and the impact created on the political discourse. Thus, it can be remarked that both candidates particularly Macron has made use of the figures of speech in his political discourse, specifically after winning the presidential elections. Pun or paronomasia, repetition and accumulation in comparison with redundancy are impressively used in Macron’s political discourse to win public support. Résumé L’analyse du discours politique a un écho large dans les études linguistiques. Les politiciens essayaient d’utiliser le langage pour attirer l’attention de leur public à leurs décisions. Dans cette recherche, nous parlons du rôle des figures d’insistance entre les deux candidats aux élections présidentielles, Emmanuel Macron et Marine Le Pen. Notre mission est de découvrir l’impact de ces figures dont les candidats ont profité afin de gagner les élections. Ces figures donnent au texte une expression particulière dans le but de convaincre les gens. De plus, nous définissons en générale le terme «discours» en expliquant l’analyse du discours politique, puis nous montrons l’effet des médias sur la politique en transmettant les événements selon l’intérêt du politicien qui les soutient. Ensuite, nous abordons le concept d'analyse du discours et son objectif de déconstruire les éléments essentiels du discours en menant une étude analytique. Sa tâche principale est de séparer les facteurs qui forment la parole afin d'atteindre le but du discours. En ce qui concerne le cadre théorique, nous étudions quatre types de figures d’insistance et leur effet de renforcer le texte qui se base en premier lieu sur le style et la capacité d’utiliser les méthodes rhétoriques. Enfin, nous trouvons que les deux candidats profitent des figures d’insistance et surtout Macron après avoir remporté les élections. Nous constatons que l’anaphore, la répétition et l’accumulation sont plus utilisés que la redondance.

An Intensive Care Unit Team Reflects on End-of-Life Experiences With Patients and Families in Chile

Background Deaths in the intensive care unit (ICU) represent an experience of suffering for patients, their families, and professionals. End-of-life (EOL) care has been added to the responsibilities of the ICU team, but the evidence supporting EOL care is scarce, and there are many barriers to implementing the clinical recommendations that do exist. Objectives To explore the experiences and perspectives of the various members of an ICU care team in Chile regarding the EOL care of their patients. Methods A qualitative study was performed in the ICU of a high-complexity academic urban hospital. The study used purposive sampling with focus groups as a data collection method. A narrative analysis based on grounded theory was done. Results Four discipline-specific focus groups were conducted; participants included 8 nurses, 6 nursing assistants, 8 junior physicians, and 6 senior physicians. The main themes that emerged in the analysis were emotional impact and barriers to carrying out EOL care. The main barriers identified were cultural difficulties related to decision-making, lack of interprofessional clinical practice, and lack of effective communication. Communication difficulties within the team were described along with lack of self-efficacy for family-centered communication. Conclusion These qualitative findings expose gaps in care that must be filled to achieve high-quality EOL care in the ICU. Significant emotional impact, barriers related to EOL decision-making, limited interprofessional clinical practice, and communication difficulties were the main findings cross-referenced.

ASSESSMENT LEVEL OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND PSYCHO-EMOTIONAL HEALTH STATUS OF THE BOGOMOLETS NATIONAL MEDICAL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS UNDER CONDITIONS OF DISTANCE LEARNING ORGANIZATION

deterioration of epidemiological situation in the country and educational institutions due to the spread of coronavirus infection prompted the government to change the educational process and move it to distance learning. Psychological support and assistance of future doctors are critical, as, in our country, there is a growing shortage of medical staff, namely doctors, during the COVID-19 pandemic. One way to solve the above problems is to study students of higher medical institutes (SHMI) views on the transition to distance learning, which is essential to identify weaknesses and issues in the higher medical institutions of our country and to purposefully take measures to improve the pedagogical process based on identified needs. The aim of our research includes assessment of the level of physical activity and psycho-emotional health of the higher medical education seekers' of the healthcare field specialty 222 medicine using distance education under quarantine conditions (additional psycho-emotional impact) and establish ways for improving it with a combination of distance education and different psycho-emotional impact. A survey was conducted among 155 Bogomolets National Medical University SHMI of the 1st and 2nd year of study. Developed by us questionnaire have included questions about the assessment of the educational process organization (at the classroom and at "distance"), SHMI routine (work and leisure), namely amount of their spending time for sports and on the gadget use. Significant attention had been given to SHMI assessment of their health, psycho-emotional state, and level of adaptation during the study. During processing results of the motor activity study of surveyed SHMI had been revealed an insufficient level of motor activity. Thus, only 14% of SHMI do morning gymnastics, 29% of respondents go in for sports three times a week. We also found that a significant proportion of respondents have not enough duration of night sleep, which negatively affects the study's success and potentially worsens their health. Analysis of the surveyed SHMI work and rest schedule shows that most SHMI sleep at night on weekdays for 6 to 7 hours (72%). 25% of respondents have a sleep duration of up to 5 hours and only 3% of respondents have slept more than 9 hours. However, chronic insomnia can gradually lead not only to diseases but also to disorders such as, decreasing concentration memory impairment, reduce performance and work efficiency. Significant mental and psycho-emotional overload during distance education requires establishing of physiological day regime. Assessment of the functional state of SHMI allows timely attention and identifies certain risk groups among SHMI. Currently, distance education is developing rapidly due to quarantine restrictions, the rapid development of the Internet, and the constant improvement of communication methods. Therefore, it is essential to improve the effective organization of distance education in terms of providing SHMI with the required level of knowledge and paying due attention to problem issues.

Diabetes Distress During COVID-19: Three Brief ‘Snapshot’ Surveys of Adults With Diabetes Calling the Australian National Diabetes Services Scheme Helpline

The aim of this study was to take ‘snapshots’ of how people with diabetes are feeling emotionally during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Three ‘snapshot’ surveys were conducted during May 2020, August 2020 and April 2021, each over a two-week period. Adults (≥18 years) with diabetes calling the Australian Government’s National Diabetes Services Scheme Helpline (NDSS) were invited to participate. Those who accepted were asked three questions sourced/adapted from the Problem Areas in Diabetes scale. Responses were recorded on a 5-point scale (0=’not a problem’, 4=’serious problem’). Of interest were scores ≥2, indicating this was at least a ‘moderate problem’. The survey was administered by NDSS Helpline staff via telephone. Basic demographic and clinical data were collected. In total, 1,278 surveys were completed over the three ‘snapshots’ (1st N=449; 2nd N=414; 3rd N=415). Participants were aged (median[IQR]) 62[47,72] years, 56% were women, and 57% had type 2 diabetes. At the 3rd ‘snapshot’, 21% had received a COVID-19 vaccine. Our findings show that feeling at least moderately ‘burned out’ by the constant effort needed to manage diabetes is salient, and consistently experienced by adults with diabetes calling the NDSS Helpline at three timepoints during the coronavirus pandemic. Those who participated in the 3rd ‘snapshot’ survey were less likely to report that feeling ‘alone with their diabetes’ or ‘worrying about their diabetes because of the COVID-19 pandemic’ were moderate or serious problems for them. Except for younger adults, findings indicate that the easing of restrictions may mitigate some of the effects of the pandemic on diabetes-specific emotional problems, including feeling ‘burned out’, ‘alone’ with diabetes, and/or worried about diabetes due to COVID-19. Prospective data are needed to improve our understanding of the emotional impact of COVID-19 on people with diabetes and to inform when and how to target support for those who need it most.