Search Results (1,164)

This study aimed to examine the differences in self-compassion (SC) subcomponents between anorexia nervosa (AN) subtypes, the restricting type (ANR) and binge-eating/purging type (ANBP), with a focus on perceived isolation and self-judgment. This retrospective exploratory study included 40 patients with AN at a Japanese tertiary hospital. The participants completed the Self-Compassion Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire. Between-group comparisons were conducted using t-tests, and logistic regression was used to examine associations with the AN subtype. Compared with the ANR group, the ANBP group was older at the time of assessment, had a longer illness duration, and showed significantly more depressive symptoms, more severe eating pathologies, and lower SC scores. Specifically, patients with ANBP had significantly higher scores on the negative SCS subscales of self-judgment and isolation, indicating greater self-criticism and perceived isolation. In logistic regression analyses adjusting for the EDE-Q mean score, higher isolation scores were significantly associated with the ANBP subtype (odds ratio = 3.28, 95% confidence interval: 1.37–9.63, p = 0.01). In this exploratory sample, perceived isolation was more prominent in ANBP and may reflect affective and interpersonal difficulties related to this subtype. These findings should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating and warrant replication in larger (ideally multi-site and longitudinal) samples. If replicated, targeting these self-compassion dimensions may inform the development of subtype-sensitive interventions. Full article

Background/Objectives: Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have shown promising effects across diverse areas of psychiatry, yet their specific role in bereavement remains insufficiently synthesized. Bereavement is a universal but heterogeneous process, with a minority of individuals at risk of developing prolonged grief disorder (PGD). Understanding the potential benefits of MBIs in this context is crucial for informing clinical practice. Methods: Following the methodological framework of systematized narrative reviews, a comprehensive literature search was conducted across major databases. Eligible studies included empirical investigations of MBIs applied to bereavement, without restrictions on type of loss, population, or intervention format. Data were narratively synthesized and summarized in tables; no meta-analysis was performed. Results: Seventeen studies met inclusion criteria. The strongest evidence was found for Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), which demonstrated improvements in grief-related distress, depressive symptoms, and psychological well-being. Across interventions, MBIs were associated with reductions in rumination and experiential avoidance, increased self-compassion, and enhanced emotion regulation. However, most studies were limited by small sample sizes, heterogeneous outcome measures, and a lack of long-term follow-up. Conclusions: MBIs show promise as adjunctive interventions in bereavement care, targeting mechanisms central to grief adaptation, including acceptance, decentering, and self-compassion. Nevertheless, the evidence remains preliminary and methodologically constrained. Future high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to establish efficacy, clarify mechanisms of action, and define the role of MBIs alongside established grief therapies. Full article

Parents of children with special educational needs (SEN) experience elevated stress, anxiety, and depression, a challenge compounded by insufficient emotional support services. This study developed and evaluated a culturally adapted online counselling programme for Hong Kong Chinese parents of adolescents with SEN, integrating Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) and Mindfulness Training. The 8-week programme aimed to reduce parental distress and improve family dynamics by emphasising strengths, fostering self-compassion, and enhancing empathetic interactions. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining standardised self-report measures such as the Parental Stress Scale (PSS), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), with qualitative interviews and behavioural observations. Quantitative analysis of pre–post data via paired samples t-tests indicated significant within-group reductions in anxiety across all groups and in depression for the active control group. However, between-group comparisons of post-test scores did not show clear superiority of the experimental intervention. Qualitative findings highlighted perceived benefits, including increased emotional regulation, a shift towards a strengths-based perspective, and enhanced self-compassion, with the programme’s cultural adaptation deemed crucial for engagement. The study addresses a significant service gap and provides preliminary evidence for the acceptability and potential mechanisms of an integrative online model, while highlighting the need for further research with larger samples. Full article

Background: Self-compassion is negatively associated with stress-related psychopathological symptoms in the grieving process, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study examined the mediating role of perceived stigma and anger in the relationship between self-compassion and symptoms of prolonged grief disorder (PGD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among bereaved individuals. Methods: A total of 289 Chinese bereaved adults (70.2% women; Mage = 42.27 years) completed an online survey assessing demographics, loss-related information, self-compassion, perceived stigma, self-directed and other-directed anger, and PGD and PTSD symptoms. Correlation and mediation analyses were conducted. Results: Self-compassion was negatively associated with both PGD and PTSD symptoms. Perceived stigma and anger indirectly linked these associations, yet pathways differed regarding anger. Self-compassion was negatively associated with PGD symptoms via self-directed anger, and also indirectly via perceived stigma and self-directed anger. In contrast, self-compassion was negatively associated with PTSD symptoms via other-directed anger, and also indirectly via perceived stigma and other-directed anger. Conclusions: Self-directed and other-directed anger play distinct roles linking self-compassion to psychopathological symptoms among bereaved individuals. Cultivating self-compassion may support bereavement adjustment by reducing perceived stigma and anger, and interventions should target specific types of anger based on symptom profiles. Full article

Background/Objectives: Hospital outbreaks of Pseudomonas aeruginosa are difficult to control due to the pathogen’s extensive repertoire, including its ability to form biofilms, adapt and persist in diverse environments, and develop multidrug resistance, all of which contribute to prolonged outbreaks. This study integrates the phenotypic, proteomic, and genomic characterization of a nosocomial outbreak comprising 38 clinical isolates and one environmental isolate recovered from the intensive care unit (ICU) of Hospital IESS Quito Sur. Methods: Clinical data were collected, antimicrobial susceptibility was assessed by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), carbapenemase genes were detected by multiple PCR and immunochromatographic assays, and the biofilm formation index (BFI) was determined. In addition, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) was used for species identification and clustering based on spectral similarity. Twelve representative isolates underwent whole genome sequencing (WGS) to characterize the resistome and virulome and to compare phylogenetic relationships with proteomic clustering defined by MALDI Biotyper Compass Explorer software. Results: All isolates were identified as P. aeruginosa, and phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility classified most isolates as multidrug resistant, including 32 CRPA strains. The bla_VIM gene was detected in 22 isolates, while BFI analysis showed that all isolates formed moderate to strong biofilms. Genomic analysis revealed that most isolates belonged to ST111 and ST253, and both conserved and heterogeneous resistome and virulome profiles, with a broad distribution of determinants related to biofilm formation, stress tolerance, and persistence. Comparison between MALDI-TOF MS and WGS showed predominant concordance in clustering, mainly within subclusters but disagreement at the cluster level. Conclusions: The detection of carbapenemases, biofilm-forming ability, and virulence determinants associated with prolonged persistence highlights the need for integrated molecular tools, such as MALDI-TOF MS with MALDI Biotyper Compass Explorer software, to support epidemiological surveillance and to inform strategies aimed at mitigating prolonged hospital outbreaks caused by P. aeruginosa. Full article

Introduction: In recent decades, demographic aging has led to an inversion of the population pyramid, with a marked increase in the proportion of older adults. This shift has been accompanied by a higher prevalence of chronic and life-limiting diseases, while there have also been significant technical and scientific advances. However, these developments have not been matched by a proportional expansion of healthcare human resources, including in palliative care (PC). Consequently, healthcare systems face increasing pressure, particularly in the provision of end-of-life care. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a promising tool to support and improve healthcare delivery. Objective: This study aims to review the literature on the impact of AI on palliative care, with particular emphasis on its clinical applications and ethical implications in end-of-life care. Methods: A narrative review was conducted using a structured search of PUBMED, CINAHL and Web of Science databases, covering publications from the last ten years (2015–2025). Search terms included combinations of “artificial intelligence”, “machine learning”, “palliative care”, “end-of-life care”, and “ethics”. Articles were included if they addressed clinical applications, implementation challenges or ethical aspects of AI in PC. Reference lists of selected articles were screened to identify additional relevant studies. The findings were analyzed and synthesized thematically into key domains of application and ethical concern. Results: The literature suggests that AI is currently a promising tool in PC, particularly in prognostication, symptom assessment, clinical decision support, and communication. These applications may represent a paradigm shift compared to conventional approaches. However, it is important not to forget that patients in PC need much more than algorithmic decision trees. Thus, current evidence is largely exploratory, with limited real-world validation. Empathetic emotional support, physical comfort and compassion are things that artificial intelligence cannot provide. AI does not replace humans in interpersonal relationships and dignity; it only complements them. Conclusions: AI-based technologies hold significant potential to address contemporary challenges in PC, including inequitable access, workforce strain, and the need for more efficient service delivery. Nevertheless, their implementation raises substantial ethical concerns related to autonomy, transparency, data governance, and the preservation of human dignity. AI should therefore be understood as a complementary tool that supports—but does not replace—the human dimension of PC. Full article

Victimhood in media discourse refers to how individuals or groups subjected to harm are represented and made visible to the public. These representations shape whether audiences respond with empathy or emotional distance, in particular as it pertains to mass violence events such as wars. News texts can humanize suffering by providing personal detail, evocative language, and contextual depth; or they can neutralize it through detached, fact-focused reporting. The extent to which people are perceived as “worthy victims” depends not only on the words and images chosen but also on the surrounding narrative—whether the event is framed as intentional harm or an unfortunate incident, whether victims are named and individualized or rendered as anonymous masses. In this way, media reporting does not merely record suffering but actively constructs hierarchies of victimhood, influencing who appears deserving of compassion and whose suffering remains invisible or muted. Full article

Background: Children with emotional disturbance (ED) frequently display highly unpredictable behaviors compared to other children. The magnitude and unpredictability of childhood ED make finding effective management strategies difficult for parents. Prior research has examined parents’ stress and the children’s behaviors in schools, but we know very little about how parents manage at home. Methods: This qualitative study used Naturalistic Inquiry to explore how parents respond to the challenges which arise at home due to childhood ED. Eight mothers raising 10 children with ED were recruited nationally. Data were gathered through semi-structured, individual interviews. Results: Consequences-based parenting strategies were unsuccessful, but mothers achieved greater success with pre-planned, intentional responses and adapting the child’s environment. Mothers learned their child’s world view was very different than their own. This realization caused mothers’ perspective toward their child to change. Mothers saw their child as struggling with a problem, instead of simply being defiant. The perception shift allowed mothers to approach situations with greater compassion and inner peace. Conclusions: The findings provide suggestions for pediatric healthcare providers who work with such parents seeking assistance and advice. Full article

In recent years, for higher education—especially in the United States—spirituality has emerged as a prominent topic on campus, both in curricular and co-curricular formats. Historically, religion has played a large role in the foundations and even missions of many universities, but in the modern era, especially for public universities, personal spirituality has become the frequent way in which topics such as meaning, values, compassion, and mindfulness are addressed. Meaning is an especially prominent theme—not only “the meaning of life” but also “meaning in life” and the individual student’s experience of “the search for meaning.” This essay explores not only previous research and theoretical proposals on the links between spirituality and meaning, but it also proposes ways in which spirituality and well-being can be relevant topics for curriculum offerings in modern universities. The essay provides one illustrative example of a way to create learning structures to support students’ exploration of practices from personal spirituality (e.g., mindfulness practices, values clarification, reflective journaling, and dream study) and how such practices can promote an enhanced sense of meaning in one’s life. The essay concludes with thoughts regarding ways in which interested faculty might collaborate to share best practices on the modern university campus to support students’ spiritual growth and their search for meaning in life. Full article

As large language models (LLMs) are increasingly used as digital respondents and generative agents in computational social science, prior work has primarily focused on the fidelity of their expressed opinions, often overlooking a fundamental question: the behavioral stability of outputs across repeated runs of the same model when the persona specification and task conditions remain unchanged. This paper proposes a behavioral stability evaluation framework for role-playing tasks, using the Political Compass questionnaire as the testbed. The questionnaire maps responses onto a two-dimensional coordinate system defined by an economic axis and a social axis, enabling political orientations to be directly quantified and compared in a continuous space. To ground the simulation in realistic user behaviors, we construct personas from publicly available social media texts and stratify them based on Political Signal Clarity. Across three LLMs, we compare repeated questionnaire completions under different decoding temperatures and prompting strategies. We characterize it along two complementary dimensions: dispersion of the resulting two-dimensional coordinates across runs, measured by an Overall Stability Score (OSS), and dispersion of per-item choices across runs, quantified by response entropy. We further use linear mixed-effects models to account for persona-level heterogeneity and to estimate the effects of key factors on stability. Our results show that coordinate drift and item-level dispersion do not always move in tandem. Increasing temperature typically amplifies variability, although models differ in their sensitivity. Contrary to its success in reasoning tasks, Chain-of-Thought (CoT) prompting failed to enhance stability in this value-laden context. Instead, it frequently amplified coordinate drift by introducing stochasticity into intermediate reasoning steps. Results show that LLMs exhibit greater behavioral stability when role-playing personas with clearer political signals. These findings suggest that stability should be treated as a pre-study benchmark before deploying LLM-based role-playing simulations, and that key generation settings and stability statistics should be reported alongside substantive conclusions. Full article

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a global mental health concern, with recent research focussing on the psychological mechanisms that contribute to its development and maintenance. Alexithymia, characterised by difficulty identifying and expressing emotions, has been identified as a potential risk factor for PTSD. This study was a preliminary investigation of a model of the relationship between alexithymia and PTSD symptoms, focussing on the potential mediating roles of self-compassion and difficulties in emotional regulation. Participants (N = 332), who were university students and members of the community, completed self-report measures of the key variables. As expected, alexithymia was strongly associated with higher levels of PTSD symptoms. Three mediation pathways were also significant. In one, alexithymia was associated with greater regulation difficulties for negative emotions, which was associated with higher levels of PTSD symptoms. In the second, higher alexithymia was associated with greater difficulties regulating positive emotions, which was associated with higher levels of PTSD symptoms. The final pathway involved a serial mediation in which higher alexithymia was associated with lower self-compassion, and lower self-compassion was associated with greater difficulties in regulating negative emotions, which were associated with higher PTSD symptoms. Contrary to expectation, self-compassion had no direct relationship with PTSD symptoms and did not relate to difficulties in regulating positive emotions. The general pattern of results was evident for the PTSD subtypes of negative alterations in cognitions and mood and alterations in arousal and reactivity. However, mediation by difficulties in regulating positive emotions was nonsignificant for the symptoms of re-experiencing and avoidance. The theoretical and clinical implications of the findings are discussed. Full article

Gary Snyder’s vision of the ‘great earth sangha’ articulates a philosophy of ecological awakening in which spiritual, ethical, and affective relationships connect all forms of life into a cohesive and sacred web of interbeing. The concept of the ‘great earth sangha’ embodies a profound sense of ‘oneness,’ in which the dichotomy between the self and the other dissolves, leading to a realisation of the Earth as a sentient, experiential, and pulsating entity. Inspired by the holistic perspectives of Buddhism and the resonances of Indigenous cosmologies, Snyder’s idea of the ‘great earth sangha’ represents a heightened consciousness and an “emotional intelligence” that fosters compassion, love, care and empathy for all beings in the world. For Snyder, the great earth sangha is a practice—a way of living in mindful ecological engagement. It is embedded with the principles of sila (morality), which foregrounds visions of harmonious coexistence and ecological kinship. This article argues that Snyder’s idea of the ‘great earth sangha’ offers a counter-anthropocentric perspective that subverts entrenched human-centred hierarchies by situating human identity within a communal web of existence. The article discusses how Snyder redefines the notion of ‘community’ as an inclusive, interdependent network that transcends human boundaries and embraces all planetary beings. Finally, the article explores how Snyder’s holistic vision propounds a restorative path that centres on ideas of ethics, affect, justice, responsibility and stewardship. Full article

Given the critical role of national authorities in the asylum process, sociolinguistic research on inequalities in narrative assessment has prioritised the high-stakes hearings within the official process. It is, however, also crucial to analyse how non-state actors play a central role in asylum bureaucracies. Accordingly, this article focuses on “helping encounters” with social workers, guardians and lawyers on the “backstage side” of the asylum procedure. Drawing on linguistic-ethnographic fieldwork data in the form of participant observation, interviews and audio-recordings, the article reveals striking parallels between the interactional conditions of different social work settings in which service providers familiarise applicants with narrative expectations. Bureaucratic ideologies permeate these environments where mutual trust is indispensable, and applicant/practitioner relationships risk being compromised as a result. This culminates in “compassion fatigue”, a tension between service providers’ frustrations with procedural constraints and their sincere desire for the applicant to succeed. Social workers, limited by the legal boundaries of the system they operate in, can be seen mimicking officials’ interrogation-like style to reanimate the asylum authorities’ judicial reasoning. In this way, they (unintentionally) reproduce the frontstage “culture of disbelief” in the “trusting” backstage. Full article

Professionalism is central to veterinary practice, shaping not only the quality of care provided to animals but also the wellbeing of practitioners, the satisfaction of clients, and the sustainability of the profession. Prior research has catalogued various attributes of professionalism that are important for career success, but few studies have integrated these multiple perspectives into a cohesive framework. This study synthesizes insights from three key veterinary stakeholder groups—students, clinical practitioners, and clients—using a multi-methods approach including surveys, focus groups, critical incident interviews, and client complaint analyses. Across the datasets, ranking of Likert-scale responses and thematic analysis revealed four recurring themes that were identified as essential for career success: ‘Effective communication’; ‘Accountability, integrity, trustworthiness, and honesty’; ‘Personal wellbeing’; and ‘Quality of service’. These themes were organized into a unifying theoretical model of veterinary professionalism, conceptualized as a ‘navigational compass’, comprising three domains of care: patient-centered care, relationship-centered care, and self-care. By conceptualizing professionalism in terms of a compass, the model illustrates how veterinarians can draw on key professionalism attributes, coupled with consideration of the three domains of veterinary care, to navigate the challenges of practice and sustain long-term career success. The compass provides a reflective framework to guide veterinarians and educators, to support the integration of professionalism into curricula and to guide careers toward excellence in care and lasting personal fulfilment. Full article

Background/Objectives: University faculty in health sciences are an underexplored population despite facing significant emotional, occupational, and organizational demands due to their dual role as educators and health professionals. These demands may increase vulnerability to perceived stress, burnout, and reduced professional quality of life. Although previous research has primarily focused on stress and burnout, evidence integrating occupational balance and personal resources, such as sense of coherence, from an occupational health perspective remains limited. This study aimed to examine perceived stress, professional quality of life, occupational balance, and satisfaction with meaningful occupations among health sciences faculty in Spain, and to analyze their associations with individual, occupational, and organizational factors within an occupation-centered and salutogenic framework. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study following STROBE guidelines was conducted with 253 health sciences faculty members from Spanish universities. Data were collected through an anonymous online questionnaire including validated instruments (PSS-10, OBQ-E, ProQoL, SOC-13) and items on occupational satisfaction and perceived institutional support. Descriptive statistics, t tests, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation analyses were performed. Results: Participants reported moderate levels of perceived stress and occupational balance, high overall professional quality of life satisfaction, and moderate levels of compassion fatigue. Higher perceived stress scores were observed among women and younger faculty members. Occupational balance, burnout, and satisfaction measures showed significant differences according to age and years of teaching experience. Perceived institutional support differed across organizational domains, academic positions, and types of institution. Conclusions: Health sciences faculty in Spain experience notable psychosocial demands affecting stress, occupational balance, and professional quality of life. Occupational balance and sense of coherence emerged as relevant constructs associated with lower perceived stress and burnout and higher professional satisfaction. By integrating these occupation-centered and salutogenic resources, the study extends existing research beyond traditional stress–burnout models and contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of professional well-being among health sciences faculty. Full article