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Special Issue "Mental Health Promotion and Illness Prevention in Vulnerable Populations"

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A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Assessments".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2023 | Viewed by 12138

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Carlos Laranjeira

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Guest Editor

School of Health Sciences, Polytechnic of Leiria, Portugal;Center for Innovative Care and Health Technology (ciTechcare), Polytechnic of Leiria, Leiria, Portugal
Interests: mental health; quality of life; coping; hope; chronic illness; dementia; cancer; digital storytelling; roleplaying; teaching; vulnerable groups
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Dr. Ana Querido

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School of Health Sciences of Polytechnic of Leiria, Campus 2, Morro do Lena, Alto do Vieiro, Apartado 4137, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal
Interests: mental health; palliative care; caregivers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Healthy psycho-emotional aspects are a basic and necessary condition for the harmonious development of the individual. It is considered useful to learn to value emotions in the development of the individual's adaptability to different life situations and to discover intervention programs that promote social well-being, to promote proactive individual and group attitudes, and the mental health of individuals.

Poor mental health and mental and behavioural disorders are present at all ages, for both genders, and in different cultures and population groups. The perspective of building conditions that facilitate socio-emotional well-being or psychological well-being, in different contexts, translates a positive dimension of mental health—the core of positive psychology, which since the 1990s, has undergone a boom in research on happiness, optimism, positive emotions, and healthier personality traits, and that corresponds to a model that seeks personal excellence, a concept that includes dimensions, such as: autonomy, purpose of life, mastery of the environment, personal growth, self-acceptance, and positive relationships with others. Such a holistic picture also informs professionals from health, educational, and social sectors to recognize the importance and benefit of their actions for the improvement of mental health in a population, and to act as enablers, mediators, and advocates for mental health across sectors.

Given that international and national agendas determine as priorities the prevention and early intervention to mitigate the impact of mental health problems, is pharaonic to screen and identify groups at risk of mental and behavioural disorders, and promote mental health and socio-emotional well-being of individuals throughout life (e.g., children, adolescents, adults, elderly people, and other vulnerable groups).

This Special Issue of Healthcare, entitled “Mental Health Promotion and Illness Prevention in Vulnerable Populations”, welcomes original contributions of relevance to this area of research across any setting, cultural background, and academic disciplines with the hope of identifying work that will address groups at risk for mental disorders. Multidisciplinary research projects are especially encouraged. Authors are invited to submit research papers (quantitative, qualitative, case-studies, or mixed-methods studies), concept analysis papers, quality improvement papers, and review papers. We would also encourage submissions from countries or regions in which the knowledge dissemination in this field has been sparse (e.g., Southern, Central, and Eastern Europe, West and Central Africa, South and Central America, etc.). The listed keywords suggest some of the many other possibilities.

Dr. Carlos Laranjeira
Dr. Ana Querido
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

intersectionality issues
wellbeing
mental health
trauma, grief and loss
behaviours and risks
social determinants
communities
health behaviour and health seeking
quality of life
resilience
empowerment
social justice
self-efficacy
lived experience
holistic approaches
health knowledge, attitudes, practice
health literacy
human and civil rights
health improvement
hope
social inclusion and sense of community
social participation
community participation
mediators and moderators of mental health and wellbeing
education of health and social care professionals
stigma and ostracism
workplace

Published Papers (12 papers)

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Research

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Open AccessArticle

Dynamically Changing Mental Stress Parameters of First-Year Medical Students over the Three-Year Course of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

Morris Gellisch

Martin Bablok

Gabriela Morosan-Puopolo

Thorsten Schäfer

and

Beate Brand-Saberi

Healthcare 2023, 11(11), 1558; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11111558 - 26 May 2023

Viewed by 303

Abstract

Numerous research results have already pointed towards the negative influence of increased mental stress on educational processes and motivational criteria. It has also been shown that the global public health crisis induced by COVID-19 was related to anxiety symptoms and elevated levels of distress. To holistically elucidate the dynamics of the pandemic-related mental stress of first-year medical students, the associated parameters of three different cohorts were measured at the beginning of the pandemic-related restrictions on university life in Germany (20/21), at the peak of the COVID-19-related restrictions (21/22) and during the easing of the restrictions in the winter term 22/23. In a repeated cross-sectional study design, the constructs of worries, tension, demands and joy were collected from first-year medical students (n = 578) using the Perceived Stress Questionnaire. The results demonstrate significantly increased values of the constructs worries (p < 0.001), tension (p < 0.001) and demands (p < 0.001) at the peak of the pandemic related restrictions compared to the previous and following year as well as significantly decreasing values of general joy of life during the observed period of 3 years (all p-values < 0.001). A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to verify the questionnaire’s factor structure regarding the addressed target group during the pandemic (CFI: 0.908, RMSEA: 0.071, SRMR: 0.052). These data, collected over a period of three years, provide information regarding dynamically manifesting mental stress during the COVID-19 pandemic, and refer to new areas of responsibility for the faculties to adequately counteract future crisis situations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health Promotion and Illness Prevention in Vulnerable Populations)

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Open AccessArticle

Sex Differences in Mental Status and Coping Strategies among Adult Mexican Population: A Cross-Sectional Study

Aniel Jessica Leticia Brambila-Tapia

Fabiola Macías-Espinoza

Joel Omar González-Cantero

Reyna Jazmín Martínez-Arriaga

Yesica Arlae Reyes-Domínguez

and

María Luisa Ramírez-García

Healthcare 2023, 11(4), 514; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11040514 - 09 Feb 2023

Viewed by 735

Abstract

We performed a cross-sectional study in order to determine the association between stress coping strategies and stress, depression, and anxiety, in which the Mexican population was invited to answer these variables by an electronic questionnaire. A total of 1283 people were included, of which 64.8% were women. Women presented higher levels of stress, depression, and anxiety than men; likewise, women showed a higher frequency of some maladaptive coping strategies (behavioral disengagement and denial) and lower levels of some adaptive ones (active coping and planning); additionally, maladaptive coping strategies were positively correlated with stress and depression in both sexes: self-blame, behavioral disengagement, denial, substance use, and self-distraction. Likewise, there were negative correlations between stress and depression and the adaptive strategies: planning, active coping, acceptance, and positive reframing. For women, religion presented negative correlations with stress, depression, and anxiety, and humor showed low positive correlations with stress, anxiety, and depression. In conclusion, most adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies are common in both sexes with the exception of religion, which seems to be adaptive in women and neutral in men, and humor, which seems to be adaptive in men and maladaptive in women. In addition, emotional and instrumental support seem to be neutral in both sexes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health Promotion and Illness Prevention in Vulnerable Populations)

Open AccessArticle

Validating the German Short Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale in Individuals with Depression

and

Jolene Van der Kaap-Deeder

Healthcare 2023, 11(3), 412; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11030412 - 31 Jan 2023

Viewed by 796

Abstract

Satisfaction and frustration of the needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, as assessed with the 24-item Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale (BPNSFS), have been found to be crucial indicators of individuals’ psychological health. To increase the usability of this scale within a clinical and health services research context, we aimed to validate a German short version (12 items) of this scale in individuals with depression including the examination of the relations from need frustration and need satisfaction to ill-being and quality of life (QOL). This cross-sectional study involved 344 adults diagnosed with depression (M_age (SD) = 47.5 years (11.1); 71.8% females). Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the short version of the BPNSFS was not only reliable, but also fitted a six-factor structure (i.e., satisfaction/frustration X type of need). Subsequent structural equation modeling showed that need frustration related positively to indicators of ill-being and negatively to QOL. Surprisingly, need satisfaction did not predict differences in ill-being or QOL. The short form of the BPNSFS represents a practical instrument to measure need satisfaction and frustration in people with depression. Further, the results support recent evidence on the importance of especially need frustration in the prediction of psychopathology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health Promotion and Illness Prevention in Vulnerable Populations)

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Open AccessArticle

Childhood Adversities and Psychological Health of Adult Children of Parents with Mental Illness in Japan

and

Healthcare 2023, 11(2), 214; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11020214 - 10 Jan 2023

Viewed by 999

Abstract

In this study, we seek to clarify whether the present-day experience of psychological distress among adults whose parents suffered from mental illness is related to their childhood experiences of abuse and neglect and their provision of emotional care for their parents during their school-age years. To this end, a web-based cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 120 participants over the age of 20 who attended a self-help group responded (50% response rate); of these, 94 had a parent diagnosed with a mental illness, and these participants were included for data analysis purposes. Of the 94 respondents, 65 (69.2%) were highly distressed, as measured by a Kessler (K) 6 measure of ≥5. A logistic regression analysis revealed that the experience of providing emotional care for parents during school-age childhood was significantly related to high levels of distress in adulthood (OR = 3.48; 95% CI 1.21–9.96). For children of parents with mental illnesses, the effects of providing emotional care for parents during childhood may include long-term psychological distress. For this reason, mentally ill parents raising children need visiting community nurses or other professionals to provide emotional care on behalf of their children. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health Promotion and Illness Prevention in Vulnerable Populations)

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Emotional Labor on the Physical and Mental Health of Health Professionals: Emotional Exhaustion Has a Mediating Effect

and

Healthcare 2023, 11(1), 104; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11010104 - 29 Dec 2022

Viewed by 1340

Abstract

(1) Background: Workers who perform emotional labor for an extended period are prone to emotional exhaustion; in particular, when the work exceeds the range of one’s emotional resources, it will produce job burnout. This study investigated the effects of emotional labor and emotional exhaustion on the physical and mental health of health professionals. (2) Methods: This study was cross-sectional and the sampling criteria were health professionals from August 2020 to July 2021, including rehabilitators, nutritionists, clinical psychologists, radiologists, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, medical examiners and audiologists. A questionnaire was used to collect data on participants’ emotional labor, emotional exhaustion, physical health and mental health. A total of 120 valid questionnaires were obtained. (3) Results: Significant positive correlations were found between emotional labor and emotional exhaustion, physical and mental health and anxiety. A hierarchical regression analysis found that the effect of emotional labor on physical and mental health increased the predictive power to 59.7% through emotional exhaustion, and emotional exhaustion had a mediating effect on the relationship between emotional labor and physical and mental health. (4) Conclusions: This study provides a reference for managers of medical institutions to care for employees’ work stress and physical and mental health, which will help institutions build a friendly and healthy workplace. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health Promotion and Illness Prevention in Vulnerable Populations)

Open AccessArticle

Integrating Mindfulness into the Subject of Physical Education—An Opportunity for the Development of Students’ Mental Health

Roberto Delgado-Montoro

Alberto Ferriz-Valero

Olalla García-Taibo

and

Salvador Baena-Morales

Healthcare 2022, 10(12), 2551; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10122551 - 16 Dec 2022

Viewed by 991

Abstract

Stress, uncertainty, and the abuse of technologies are components that have a negative impact on the physical, social, and psychological health of young people. One of the aims of the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is to empower individuals to reflect on their actions, and mindfulness arises as one tool with an important potential to contribute on this matter. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the effects of mindfulness practices on the ability of students to focus their attention on external, internal or kinesthetic factors, awareness in acting, and acceptance. Consequently, a quasi-experimental study was developed to compare groups between the pre and post condition. The study participants were a total of 127 students (52 women) from 4th year of secondary school and 1st year of a achelor’s degree (16.5 ± 1.5 years). The sample was assigned by academic convenience, with 54 students in the experimental group and 73 in the control group. The intervention was carried out for 4 weeks. During this period, the experimental group participated in mindfulness activities such as guided meditations at the end of the PE session or challenges that stimulated the student in daily actions. The control group continued with the planned programming in physical education class. These groups were subjected to the following test: (1) Mindfulness for School Scale (MSS) and (2) Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). To analyze the results, the normality of the sample was evaluated through the Mann–Whitney U test, resulting as non-parametric. The search for possible differences between the groups was carried out by using the Wilcoxon test. The statistics showed that the experimental group presented significant improvements (p ≤ 0.05) in most of the measured parameters: external attention, kinesthetics attention, and mean of the CAMM. These results seem to show that the use of mindfulness could be an appropriate tool to be implemented in the school context in order to directly contribute to the mental health of high school students, and thus to an education for the sustainable development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health Promotion and Illness Prevention in Vulnerable Populations)

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Open AccessArticle

Development of Thai Sensory Patterns Assessment Tool for Children Aged 3–12 Years: Caregiver-Version

and

Healthcare 2022, 10(10), 1968; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10101968 - 08 Oct 2022

Viewed by 981

Abstract

Most existing tools for measuring sensory patterns of children have been developed in Western countries. These tools are complex and may not be culturally appropriate for other contexts that require specific knowledge in the clinical perspective. The aim of this study was to develop a simplified tool called the Thai Sensory Patterns Assessment (TSPA) tool for children. It is designed for children ages 3–12 years old to be completed by their caregiver. The process of creating the tool consisted of drafting a questionnaire and interpreting the result. Partial psychometrics were completed during item development, content validity of items was assessed by five expert ratings. Construct validity and internal consistency were assessed using data from 414 caregivers and intra-rater reliability was assessed with 40 caregivers. The two parts of the TSPA tool for children results, sensory preference, and sensory arousal, were designed to be presented as a sensory pattern in a radar chart/plot. The data analysis showed that both parts of the TSPA tool for children had acceptable psychometric properties with the retained 65 items. Only proprioceptive sensory arousal had a low Cronbach’s α coefficient, suggesting more information sharing between caregivers and professionals is needed. This research is an initial study and must be continuously developed. Future development of this tool in technology platforms is recommended to support use within healthcare services. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health Promotion and Illness Prevention in Vulnerable Populations)

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Open AccessArticle

Vulnerability through the Eyes of People Attended by a Portuguese Community-Based Association: A Thematic Analysis

and

Healthcare 2022, 10(10), 1819; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10101819 - 21 Sep 2022

Viewed by 762

Abstract

Vulnerability is associated with the individual’s social and biological conditions, but also the conditions of their enveloping environment and society, leading to terms such as vulnerable populations or risk groups. This study aimed to give a voice to people with experiences of vulnerability and explore their perspectives, using a descriptive qualitative design. Purportedly vulnerable adults were recruited and interviewed with semi-structured questions on vulnerability. Data were organized, using WebQDA software, and submitted to thematic content analysis, as proposed by Clark and Braun, which generated a thematic tree. The study included six men and six women with a mean age of 43.8 [SD = 14.17] years old. Thematic analysis generated three themes: (1) Conceptions about vulnerability, (2) Barriers imposed by vulnerability, and (3) Strategies for dealing with vulnerability. The results highlight that vulnerability is a highly dynamic process of openness to circumstances that influence individual outcomes. However, there is a lack of conceptual clarity. Although being vulnerable is perceived as something negative, we need to transform the social mindset, because vulnerability also has the potential to change priorities in life for the better. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health Promotion and Illness Prevention in Vulnerable Populations)

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Open AccessArticle

Psychological Well-Being Increment as Post-Traumatic Growth in Women with Breast Cancer: A Controlled Comparison Design Using Propensity Score Matching

and

Healthcare 2022, 10(8), 1388; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10081388 - 25 Jul 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 819

Abstract

The aim of this study was to confirm post-traumatic growth with respect to the psychological well-being of women with breast cancer compared to women without disease. Propensity score was used to match the two groups according to age, religious beliefs, education level, monthly income, and marital status. A psychological well-being scale with six factors was used, including positive relations with others (PR), autonomy (AU), environmental mastery (EM), personal growth (PG), purpose in life (PL), and self-acceptance (SA). A total 178 women with vs. 178 women without breast cancer were compared by matching with propensity scores, using factorial invariance tests to reduce measurement errors. The results showed that women with breast cancer had significantly higher psychological well-being for all the six factors (Δχ² = 37.37, p < 0.001) and higher variability in terms of PR, AU, and PL than women without breast cancer (Δχ² = 45.94, p < 0.001). Furthermore, women with breast cancer exhibited a significantly higher association between PG and PL and a significantly lower association between PG and EM than women without breast cancer (Δχ² = 44.49, p < 0.001). This implies that psychological well-being could assess broader and more subtle post-traumatic growth in women with breast cancer and that growth was more associated with internal life value than with external environmental control. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health Promotion and Illness Prevention in Vulnerable Populations)

Open AccessArticle

The Malay Literacy of Suicide Scale: A Rasch Model Validation and Its Correlation with Mental Health Literacy among Malaysian Parents, Caregivers and Teachers

Picholas Kian Ann Phoa

Raishan Shafini Bakar

and

Firdaus Abdul Gani

Healthcare 2022, 10(7), 1304; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10071304 - 14 Jul 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1382

Abstract

The 27-item Literacy of Suicide Scale (LOSS) is a test designed to measure the respondent’s suicide knowledge. The purpose of this study is to examine the psychometric properties of the Malay-translated version of the LOSS (M-LOSS) and its association to sociodemographic factors and mental health literacy. The 27-item LOSS was forward–backward translated into Malay, and the content and face validities were assessed. The version was distributed to 750 respondents across West Malaysia. Rasch model analysis was then conducted to assess the scale’s psychometric properties. The validated M-LOSS and the Malay version of the Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS-M) were then distributed to 867 respondents to evaluate their level of suicide literacy, mental health literacy, and their correlation. Upon Rasch analysis, 26 items were retained. The scale was found to be unidimensional, with generally satisfying separation and reliability indexes. Sex, socio-economic status, and experience in mental health were found to significantly impact the mean score for mental health literacy. This study also found a significant mean difference for suicide literacy across school types. Furthermore, while this study observed a weak but significant negative correlation between age and suicide literacy, no correlation was found between mental health and suicide literacy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health Promotion and Illness Prevention in Vulnerable Populations)

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Review

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Open AccessReview

Anticipatory Burden in Adult-Child Caregivers: A Concept Analysis

Hangying She

and

Yuncheng Man

Healthcare 2022, 10(2), 356; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10020356 - 11 Feb 2022

Viewed by 1073

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the concept of anticipatory burden in adult-child caregivers. A systematic literature review was performed using four databases, Pubmed, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Medline, with the keywords of “anticipatory burden” and “anticipated burden”. Simplified Wilson’s classic concept analysis modified by Walker and Avant was employed to identify the attributes, antecedents and consequences of anticipatory burden in the adult-child caregivers. Eighteen articles were analyzed. Attributes of anticipatory burden in adult-child caregivers were found to be: (1) subjective burden, (2) anticipation, (3) overestimation, (4) inability, and (5) family relationship. Antecedents were identified as: (1) potential care recipients, (2) caregiving willingness, and (3) a lack of resources. Consequences included: (1) prediction of caregiving willingness, (2) impacts on caregivers’ health, (3) intervention promotion, and (4) behavioral changes. As the adult-child caregiver is one of the main types of family caregivers for the fast-growing aging population, it is important to understand the attributes, antecedents, and consequences of their anticipatory burden. Based on the results of this study, resources such as intervention, policy, and counseling services are recommended to help adult-child caregivers lower their anticipatory burden and get better prepared for providing family care. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health Promotion and Illness Prevention in Vulnerable Populations)

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Other

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Open AccessSystematic Review

Hope Aspects of the Women’s Experience after Confirmation of a High-Risk Pregnancy Condition: A Systematic Scoping Review

Mónica Antunes

Clara Roquette Viana

and

Zaida Charepe

Healthcare 2022, 10(12), 2477; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10122477 - 08 Dec 2022

Viewed by 943

Abstract

Background: Pregnancy is a period of transformation, hope, expectation, and worry for women and their families. A high-risk pregnancy refers to a pregnancy in which the mother and/or fetus are at greater-than-normal risk of complications, and it evokes a range of emotional and psychological experiences that largely depend on the care and support provided by health professionals. The purpose of this review is to summarize the existing literature on the lived experience of hope in women facing a high-risk pregnancy related to their own health and/or medical conditions related to the fetus. Methods: This review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute’s methodology. No limits on a date were applied to the search. Identified titles and abstracts were screened to select original reports and were cross-checked for any overlap of cases. We included studies that emphasized the experience of hope of pregnant women dealing with a pregnancy complication. Main Results: According to the results of the present scoping review, we found two main dimensions: women experiencing a high-risk pregnancy themselves and prenatal diagnosis. In both cases, the women were in a dilemma between hope and hopelessness. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that women facing high-risk pregnancies struggle with multiple fears and concerns about their own health and the fetus’s health. Further research is needed to identify best practices for the care provided to the vulnerable populations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health Promotion and Illness Prevention in Vulnerable Populations)

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