Search Results (92)

Background/Objectives: Although eating disorders (EDs) affect a large portion of the population and have a significant impact on health and productivity, they are understudied in the workplace. We assessed the frequency of EDs and studied the relationship between EDs and occupational and individual factors. Methods: All workers undergoing health surveillance were invited to fill in the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, short form (EDE-QS) and, before their routine medical examination that included metabolic tests, measure their level of health literacy, stress, quality of sleep, anxiety, depression, and happiness. Out of a total of 2085 workers, 1912 (91.7%) participated. Results: Suspected EDs affected 4.9% (CI95% 3.9; 5.9) of workers, with no notable difference in gender (5.3% CI95% 4.1; 6.7 in female workers vs. 4.2%, CI95% 2.9; 5.9 in male). Cases were significantly associated with trauma and emotional factors (anxiety, depression, unhappiness), but also with work-related stress and poor sleep quality, and negatively associated with health literacy. Using a hierarchical logistic regression model, suspected cases of EDs were significantly predicted in Model II by life trauma (OR 2.21 CI95% 1.40; 3.48, p < 0.001) and health literacy (OR 0.94 CI95% 0.90; 0.98, p < 0.001), in Model III also by work-related stress (OR 2.57 CI95% 1.68; 3.94, p < 0.001), and in Model IV by depression (OR 1.19 CI95% 1.02; 1.38, p < 0.05) and happiness (OR 0.88 CI95% 0.78; 0.99, p < 0.05). An association was also found between EDs and overweight, obesity, increased abdominal circumference, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hyperglycemia, arterial hypertension, atherogenic index of plasma, and metabolic syndrome. Conclusions: The workplace is an ideal setting for the prevention of EDs and their consequences. Occupational health intervention should promote health literacy, improve sleep quality, and reduce work-related stress. Full article

In this paper, we reflect on difficulties connected with transitioning from one spiritual tradition to another. We consider Western New Animism, sometimes proposed as a remedy to the exploitative and anthropocentric values typical of Western Modernity. New Animism hopes to provide a framework for resilient, pro-environmental attitudes and practices. Referring to Wittgenstein’s reflections on religion, magic and culture, as well as the work of Peter Winch, we argue that the possibility of embracing another form of spirituality depends on one’s ability to see a ‘depth’ in it. However, a conversion always has an element of the unpredictable, as we never know in advance what awaits us on the other side. This creates problems for purely pragmatically oriented suggestions to adopt an animist worldview. Full article

Agile approaches have gradually and widely gained adoption in the software industry, emphasizing the importance of individuals within software communities over processes or tools. In this context, ensuring the well-being of professionals is essential, positively impacting their quality of life and promoting their happiness. While some solutions exist to study happiness and unhappiness in agile work communities, there is still limited evidence regarding their causes, impact, consequences, and overall understanding. As a result, this article presents a state-of-the-art analysis aimed at understanding the causes and consequences of happiness and unhappiness and how these aspects influence or contribute to the rise of social debt. A systematic literature search identified 1713 studies, of which 27 were selected as primary. These articles allowed for answering the five formulated research questions. The analysis identified 189 causes, of which 65 are related to happiness, organized into 48 social, 16 procedural, and 1 technical, while 125 are linked to unhappiness, classified as 47 social, 65 procedural, and 12 technical. Additionally, 96 consequences were identified, of which 35 correspond to happiness, distributed as 27 social, 5 procedural, and 3 technical, while 61 are associated with unhappiness, categorized as 36 social, 19 procedural, and 6 technical. Additionally, 10 challenges and proposals for future research were identified. This study classifies existing and future approaches to improving happiness and well-being in agile teams. It provides a comprehensive perspective on how these factors affect the work environment and their role in mitigating social debt within software development. Full article

Background: This study investigates the medium-term psychosocial impacts of the 2021 floods in Belgium, which caused fatalities and considerable infrastructural damage. Given similar events’ significant impacts on psychosocial well-being, this study seeks to answer three questions: whether there are medium-term (two years and further) effects on residents’ psychosocial well-being, whether demographic variables influence these effects, and how flood exposure impacts psychosocial well-being. Methods: We collected data in affected municipalities through an online survey, assessing demographic variables (e.g., age, gender, education, SES), flood exposure (e.g., being physically hurt, being faced with financial difficulties), and psychosocial well-being, employing two validated instruments for quantitative evaluation: the RAND-36 and the Traumatic Exposure Severity Scale (TESS). Results: The sample included 114 participants, with 54% reporting a deterioration in their psychosocial well-being after the floods. Additionally, over 50% mentioned the psychosocial impact of the floods. SES was the only significant demographic variable impacting psychosocial well-being, with lower SES linked to higher deterioration. Financial difficulties generated by the floods were the only considerable exposure factor. Furthermore, 22% discussed being unhappy with the organized response measures. Due to the sample size, confounding effects could not be checked. Conclusions: This study found a medium-term effect of the 2021 floods on psychosocial well-being, highlighting the need for policy adaptations focused on post-disaster psychosocial support. With lower SES and financial difficulties as risk factors, one needs to design policies tailored to these vulnerable groups. With climate change expected to increase flood events, context-specific policies are essential to boost resilience. Full article

Background/Objectives: Cataract surgery has evolved into a refractive procedure aimed at optimizing both vision quality and quantity. Modern patients, particularly “baby boomers”, expect superior outcomes, increasing demand for premium intraocular lenses (IOLs). However, ocular surface dysfunction (OSD), especially dry eye disease (DED), compromises postoperative satisfaction, with up to 35% of patients dissatisfied despite achieving 20/20 visual acuity. This study aimed to characterize postsurgical ocular surface system failure (OSSF) and explore strategies to improve perioperative management. Methods: An open observational study was conducted at the Ophthalmology Complex Operative Unit, University Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy, enrolling 20 patients with stage N2–3 and C1–2 lens opacities. Patients with diabetes, prior surgeries, or ocular inflammatory diseases were excluded. Preoperative and postoperative assessments included OSDI, SANDE scores, Schirmer test, TBUT, and fluorescein staining. Follow-ups occurred at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months postoperatively. Statistical analysis used two-way ANOVA (p < 0.05). Results: Despite achieving a BCVA of 20/20, 44% of patients reported OSSF symptoms. Postoperative evaluations revealed significant worsening in OSDI and SANDE scores (p < 0.001), Schirmer test (preoperative mean 19.92 ± 10.06; p < 0.001), and TBUT (preoperative mean 5.88 ± 2.64 s; p < 0.001). Meibomian gland dysfunction and conjunctival hyperemia also worsened. Conclusions: Postsurgical OSSF results from neurogenic inflammation, tear film instability, and meibomian gland dysfunction, exacerbated by surgical trauma. Preoperative and postoperative management, including artificial tears, lid hygiene, and preservative-free regimens, are essential to improve outcomes and patient satisfaction. Comprehensive strategies can mitigate symptoms and enhance the benefits of cataract surgery. Full article

This review aimed to identify and synthesise the evidence for the positive aspects of parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To date, ASD parental research has predominantly focused on the negative aspects; parents and carers are left uninformed of how to strengthen their positive mental wellbeing. Three electronic databases—PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science —were searched for literature reporting positive aspects of parenting a child with ASD, published between January 2013 and December 2023. The PRISMA 2020 checklist was used for reporting. Two hundred and fifty-four articles were retrieved from the databases. After title/abstract screening (n = 213) and full-text reviews (n = 32), six papers were included (n = 6). Sixteen positive aspects of parenting a child with ASD were identified and grouped into three themes: joyful moments, journey to resilience, and social connection. These three themes are eudaimonic wellbeing constructs and often under-represented in ASD parental studies. Focusing on joyful moments, building resilience through the parenting journey, and finding support and connection with others in similar situations can support the mental wellbeing of parents and carers of children with ASD. Future research is needed to further evaluate the positive aspects of parenting a child with ASD. Full article

Background/Objectives: Overall priorities of the international pediatric-onset spinal cord injury (SCI) population are unknown. The purpose was to describe and compare Life and Health (L&H) domain overall priorities of European youth with SCI and their parents and caregivers (P&C). Methods: A survey with a cross-sectional design, prepared by the PEPSCI Collaboration, was conducted in six European countries. In total, 202 participants, including youth with SCI (n = 101) and their P&C (n = 101), were included. Overall priorities were calculated based on unhappiness, importance, and research. Results: The sample included youth aged 8–12 years (30.7%) and 13–25 years (69.3%; 38.6% 13–17-year-olds and 30.7% youth aged 18–25 years), in addition to their P&C. The top three L&H priorities highlighted by P&C of the youth aged 8–12 years were “bladder” function (78%), “leg/foot movement” (77%), or “bowel” function (74%), compared with “leg/foot movement” (79%), “sit-to-stand” (76%), or “walking/ability to move” (75%) reported by P&C of the youth aged 13–25 years. The youth aged 13–25 years considered “leg/foot movement” (68%), “bowel” (66%), or “bladder” function (65%) as priorities. The top 10 priorities highlighted by the youth aged 13–25 years compared to the top 10 priorities rated by P&C were issues related to “personal needs”. Nevertheless, “pressure injuries”, “pain”, “bowel function”, or “mobility in the community” were highlighted as top preferences of priorities for the youth aged 13–25 years compared to their P&C. Conclusions: Adolescents/young adults highlighted health domain priorities compared with their P&C, who equally considered L&H domains. Life domains, which were previously unaddressed, were highlighted by P&C, including “adulthood expectations” and “parenthood expectations”. This survey will promote the involvement of stakeholders for comprehensive rehabilitation management for this population. Full article

Italy has long experienced a significant developmental gap between its northern and southern regions, with the latter being less developed. The 2007–2008 financial crisis accentuated this gap, leading to distinct patterns of interregional migration. This paper aims to investigate the effects of past migration flows and income inequality on interregional mobility in Italy, using a gravity model with bidirectional dyads and three different measures of inequality as dependent variables: Gini Index, Relative Poverty, and Income Ratio. Previous research has shown that living in highly unequal regions is associated with increased mistrust and anxiety about social status, contributing to unhappiness among residents. Using bilateral gross migration flows for the period 2007–2018, the study aims to control for the potential endogeneity between interregional mobility and inequality. The results indicate a positive relationship between high levels of inequality and interregional out-mobility, underscoring the need for policies aimed at reducing both horizontal and vertical inequality within and among Italian regions. Full article

The term “Medically Unexplained Symptoms” (MUS) describes chronic symptoms for which medical investigations fail to reveal a specific pathology or biomarker. Even as MUS are among the most prevalent chronic health problems in the global north, patients who experience them reside in a nebulous space. Such nebulousness is heightened for women patients. Moreover, women report MUS at higher rates than men. In this review essay, we analyze the medicalization and feminization processes vis-à-vis MUS by focusing on two particular syndromes: Fibromyalgia (FMS) and Long COVID (LC). FMS and LC present clear parallels that allow us to trace an unhappy marriage of women and MUS. We demonstrate how the medical constructions of these two syndromes as knowledge categories are representations of medical uncertainty vis-a-vis women patients. We then scrutinize the resulting gendered consequences of these categories for the illness experience. We conclude our review by calling for a cultural reorientation in our thinking about MUS that centers a recognition that the origins and manifestations of a great deal of human suffering reside outside of medicine’s ways of knowing. In so doing, we connect to foundational claims in medical anthropology and sociology; namely, that illness is more than disease, and health cannot be achieved primarily via biomedical means. Full article

Background and Objectives: Orthodontic appliances may cause discomfort for patients. This could influence the person’s psychological well-being. The aim of this study was to examine the psychological health of patients wearing orthodontic appliances. It is important to analyze the well-being of patients during orthodontic treatment because it is started in a young age and it may affect one’s psychological health. Therefore, for doctors and patients, it is important to understand and take every aspect of the treatment into consideration when deciding when to start the treatment and what appliance to choose. Materials and Methods: A total of 339 patients filled out an anonymous questionnaire. They were divided into four groups according to their age and type of appliance. The main reasons to seek treatment were crooked teeth and a bad bite. There was a statistically significant difference between women and men as women sought treatment because of crooked teeth; meanwhile, men indicated bad bite as their main reason for seeking treatment. Results: A total of 48.7% of subjects noted that they were feeling good during treatment; however, 4% of all patients noted that they were feeling bad. A total of 45% of subjects stated that they felt unhappy at least sometimes. A total of 43% of subjects felt stress. Conclusions: Even though patients indicated various negative aspects on their well-being during treatment, for the majority of the subjects, the end results significantly increased their psychological well-being. Full article

Background: Studies in recent years have shown a significant increase in problematic internet use. Prolonged internet usage negatively impacts various aspects of adolescents’ lifestyles. Methods: The survey was conducted in three Lithuanian cities—Vilnius, Klaipėda, and Molėtai—between October and December of 2023. The survey involved students between the ages of 12 and 16. The participants completed a questionnaire that included questions about wellness and happiness, the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Our study aimed to investigate problematic internet use among Lithuanian adolescents and its relationships with wellness, happiness, and mental health. Results: This study included 1412 adolescents, with a mean age of 14.41 ± 1.20, with the sample composed of 52.3% boys. Boys indicated that they felt healthier and happier than girls (69.4% vs. 47.4%; 51.4% vs. 29.6%), p < 0.001. A total of 20.8% of students had IAT scores that reflect a normal level of internet usage. For IAT, the average score of girls was statistically significantly higher than that of boys (41.87 ± 12.24 vs. 39.96 ± 12.37), p < 0.001. The IAT score was higher in the group of students who felt less happy and healthy, had more frequent headaches or abdominal pain, and had problems with sleep, p < 0.001. A statistically significant, positive weak correlation was found between students’ IAT scores and SDQ internalizing and SDQ externalizing scores (r = 0.366; r = 0.385, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Prolonged internet use is arising as a serious problem among adolescents. Negative feelings, unhappiness, and poor emotion regulation have an association with internet addiction. Also, the female gender may be more associated with possible internet addiction. The results of this study can serve as initial steps toward developing preventive interventions. Full article

Control methods are applied worldwide to reduce predation on livestock by European red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Lethal methods can inflict suffering; however, moral debate about their use is lacking. Non-lethal methods can also inflict suffering and can unintentionally lead to death, and yet both the welfare consequences and ethical perspectives regarding their use are rarely discussed. The aim of this study was to investigate the animal welfare consequences, the level of humaneness, the ethical considerations and the moral implications of the global use of fox control methods according to Tom Regan’s animal rights view and Peter Singer’s utilitarian view. According to Regan, foxes ought not to be controlled by either lethal or potentially harmful non-lethal methods because this violates the right of foxes not to be harmed or killed. According to Singer, if an action maximises happiness or the satisfaction of preferences over unhappiness or suffering, then the action is justified. Therefore, if and only if the use of fox control methods can prevent suffering and death in livestock in a manner that outweighs comparable suffering and death in foxes is one morally obligated to use them. It is clear that lethal fox control methods and some non-lethal methods are inhumane. Full article

Background: Approximately 7.6% of children are diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and sleep impairments affect 25–85%. There is a noticeable lack of research on girls and sex differences. The aim of this study was to examine sex differences in children with uncomplicated ADHD and sleep problems. Methods: Cross-sectional baseline data were retrieved from a randomized controlled trial with weighted blankets (55 boys and 41 girls, 6–14 years) on a cohort recently diagnosed with uncomplicated ADHD and sleep problems. Differences between boys and girls in ADHD symptoms, objectively and subjectively measured sleep, anxiety, and functioning were examined via parent- or self-reported validated instruments. Results: Girls reported significantly lower (worse) satisfaction with well-being, life overall, and school, but not for family. Parents reported more sleep anxiety and night-time wakings among boys, but no sex differences in other measures and also not in self-reported measures or objective sleep measures. Children who reported worry, sadness, or unhappiness had more sleep problems. Conclusions: Boys with ADHD and sleep problems may need support with sleep-related anxiety and night-time wakings, while girls may require support with overall functioning. Additionally, children who express feelings of worry, sadness, or unhappiness alongside their ADHD symptoms should have attention given to their sleep. Full article

This essay reads a short narrative, “Savoir” by Hélène Cixous, to describe susceptibility as a problem organized around two lines of impingement: between subject and world and between consciousness and the wayward impulses of interior life. The young girl in Cixous’s text suffers a moment of disorientation and distress one misty morning and, against presumptions of inviolability and ideals of subjective consistency, this unhappy event comes to resonate with her disappointed trust in the generosity of the world, her anxious sense of betrayal with respect to those who ought to protect her and her insecurity about her own role in this complex of associations. The frame of susceptibility thus opens up a space for Cixous’s reader and this essay to think the subject in her inconsistency and self-strangeness. Full article

This study assessed the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and residual symptom burden among virologically suppressed people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PLWH) using a single-tablet regimen in Taiwan. This cross-sectional study administered a self-reported online survey between July and October 2021 to anonymised virologically suppressed PLWH aged ≥20 years. Demographic, HIV-related variables, EuroQol-5-dimensions (EQ-5D), visual analogue scale (VAS), and HIV Symptom Index were analysed. Bivariate analyses were performed to compare HRQoL differences between PLWH and non-PLWH. Among 120 PLWH, 80.9% had HIV diagnosis for <15 years, median antiretroviral therapy (ART) duration of 7.0 years (Q1–Q3:4.0–11.0), and 62.5% had ≥1 comorbidity. The most common comorbidities were depression (26.7%) and hyperlipidaemia (15.8%). About one-fifth of PLWH received constant family support (25.8%) and peer support (21.7%). Married individuals or individuals with higher incomes had significantly better family support status. There was no significant difference across the five dimensions between PLWH and non-PLWH. PLWH perceived being bothered by fatigue/lack of energy (63.3%), sleep difficulties (63.3%), feeling sad/low/unhappy (51.7%), and appearance changes (51.7%). PLWH could achieve similar HRQoL as non-PLWH with stable treatment, highlighting an opportunity to focus on person-centred holistic care beyond HIV, especially on the psychological aspect, for the best possible HRQoL for PLWH. Full article