Search Results (331)

Climate change is increasingly recognized as a defining global health crisis, yet its impacts on brain health, encompassing neurological function, mental health, cognitive abilities, and psychosocial behavior, and the resulting implications for planetary health more broadly remain under-recognized, fragmented, and insufficiently translated into action. Emerging evidence links climate-related stressors, including extreme heat, air pollution, environmental toxins, food insecurity, and vector-borne diseases, to neurological and mental health outcomes across the lifespan. At the same time, brain health and planetary health are interconnected, as brain health plays a critical role in shaping how individuals and societies respond to planetary crises through cognition, behavior, and decision-making. Addressing these interconnected challenges requires new models of collaboration that move beyond disciplinary research silos toward integrated, solution-oriented, and community-engaged approaches. In this Perspective, we argue that advancing brain and planetary health demands global, transdisciplinary networks capable of bridging science, policy, and lived experience. We present the International Neuro Climate Working Group (NCWG) as a case study of such a model, an action-oriented, globally distributed network that integrates research, policy translation, advocacy, and community engagement, with a strong focus on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Through transdisciplinary research initiatives such as the Brain-CLIMA project in Latin America, emerging work in South Asia, and global resilience frameworks, NCWG provides an example of how multi-factor, mechanism-informed, and policy-integrated approaches may generate actionable insights and equitable solutions. We propose that scaling similar collaborative models may provide a promising approach to addressing the complex, multidimensional challenges at the intersection of climate change, planetary health, and brain health. Full article

Urban environments concentrate spatially distributed stressors, including heat, noise, pollution, and biodiversity loss, that are increasingly recognized as determinants of population mental health. However, current approaches rarely integrate environmental structure, lived exposure, and climate-related emotional responses within a unified spatial framework applicable to public health. This article introduces Eco-Affective Health Mapping (EAHM) as a conceptual, spatially explicit framework, grounded in the recently formalized Eco-Affective Health theoretical model, for understanding how environmental conditions may shape climate-related emotional responses, including eco-anxiety, solastalgia, and ecological grief, across urban socio-ecological systems. Drawing on evidence from spatial epidemiology, landscape ecology, environmental mental health, and digital phenotyping, I argue that affective responses to environmental stressors are not randomly distributed but are hypothesized to exhibit spatial clustering in relation to environmental exposures, landscape configuration, and mobility-based interactions. I propose the Eco-Affective Health Mapping (EAHM) framework, which integrates four spatial layers: environmental exposures, landscape configuration, person–place interaction, and affective indicators, together with a companion composite metric, the Eco-Affective Load Index (EALI), for which I provide a formal multi-domain specification and a purely illustrative, non-empirical worked example. EAHM is presented here as a theoretical and methodological proposal rather than as a validated instrument: no primary environmental, mobility, or affective data were collected or analyzed for this article, and the framework’s constituent relationships require prospective empirical testing, for which I outline a companion measurement strategy grounded in the Eco-Affective Health Assessment Protocol (EAHAP). By conceptualizing climate-related emotional responses as candidate measurable public health signals, EAHM is intended to support a future shift toward prevention-oriented, population-level mental health strategies aligned with planetary health and sustainable development agendas. Full article

Introduction: Suicide rates among individuals working in agriculture remain disproportionately high in the United States. Although farming-related stressors and coping strategies are documented, gaps remain in understanding how farmers sustain themselves psychologically amid chronic stress and why elevated suicide risk persists despite apparent resilience. Purpose: This study sought to explore the major stressors of farming, coping strategies used by farmers, and their barriers to help-seeking, with the goal of informing suicide prevention and mental health interventions. Methods: Fourteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with Kentucky farmers recently receiving a suicide prevention intervention. Participants were purposively sampled and interviewed via telephone or Zoom. Interviews were transcribed, modified verbatim, and then analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Farmers described chronic stressors, including financial volatility, time scarcity, uncontrollable weather, loneliness, and feeling misunderstood or undervalued by the general public. Despite these stressors, many participants initially denied being stressed. Their coping strategies centered on meaning-making rather than stress elimination, including faith, gratitude, nature-based reflection, occupational pride, and community ties. However, prominent barriers to help-seeking included stigma, self-reliance, and privacy concerns. Conclusions: The findings suggest that farmer resilience is primarily enacted through their resourcefulness, including enduring stressors and reframing their thoughts, which enabled their continued functioning despite chronic stress. However, their resourcefulness often obscures their distress and delays help-seeking. These findings may help explain why elevated suicide risk persists among farmers even with strong coping narratives. Interventions that leverage existing strengths while addressing stigma, trust, and structural stressors are needed to better support farmer mental health and suicide prevention. Full article

Biomedical scientists/researchers are critical to advancing human health, but their experiences of occupational stress, burnout, and subsequent consequences are surmised but understudied. The current narrative review aimed to search and summarize existing literature and scientific discourse specific to biomedical scientist burnout to better understand the prevalence and unique drivers of stress in this population and highlight critical areas that require further research and intervention efforts. The authors searched six primary databases from August 2024 to December 2025 using defined search terms to identify peer-reviewed articles and scientific discourse related to occupational burnout of academic medicine biomedical faculty researchers, postdoctoral researchers, or lab personnel. Prevalence and primary drivers of burnout, stress mediators, and mitigation/intervention recommendations were extracted from the included works. A total of 16 empirical articles and 4 non-empirical works were included. Over 30% of biomedical scientists exhibit high occupational burnout, nearly 45% report high distress, and just over 34% experience high emotional exhaustion. Seven primary drivers of biomedical scientist distress were identified including intense workloads/expectations, funding pressures, and lack of perceived organizational support/recognition. Biomedical scientist burnout prevalence appears comparable to clinical faculty but is driven, in part, by distinct stressors. The attributable organization and societal cost of biomedical scientist burnout remain unquantified. The current review establishes a significant need for further research and tailored efforts to address the distinct needs of biomedical scientists across academic medical centers. Full article

The present review examines markers of intrinsic antioxidant capacity in fish muscle, how these markers change after death, and the point to which their post mortem evolution is related to flesh quality and shelf life in farmed fish. Aquaculture parameters such as temperature, salinity and fish feeds can affect intrinsic antioxidant systems throughout the fish life cycle, but, in addition to the effect of aquaculture variables, the redox starting point of muscle at death can be affected by pre-slaughter stressors such as transportation, crowding, fasting, and handling. Based on the results of the studies reviewed in this work, it can be postulated that the rate of post mortem lipid and protein oxidation of fish fillets is not determined only by processes occurring after death or during storage, but may also be influenced by the antioxidant status of axial skeletal muscle. This postulation offers an important mechanistic link between (i) pre-slaughter conditions (such as aquaculture production systems, environmental factors, feeding regime, handling stress) and (ii) harvesting methods, with these two determining the oxidative stability of fish fillets via shaping the antioxidant capacity of muscle tissue. This approach highlights the value of linking nutritional, husbandry, harvesting and processing practices in order to improve fish welfare, flesh quality and shelf life. Full article

Personal growth is a central aspect of development and well-being during young adulthood, yet sexually diverse and gender-diverse (SGD; a more inclusive term for LGBTQ+) young adults navigate this process within unique contexts shaped by identity, stress, and varying levels of social support. Despite growing visibility and social recognition of SGD identities in the United States, SGD individuals continue to face prejudice and discrimination, which negatively affects their physical and psychological health. Research indicates that stigmatized and marginalized populations with greater psychosocial resources are better able to cope with identity-related stressors. Yet, scholarship on coping with stigma and discrimination remains largely disconnected from research on social support, personal growth, and thriving within close relationships. The present observational study of SGD young adults (N = 400) examines how identity-affirming support from close others contributes to positive well-being outcomes, specifically personal growth, self-concept clarity, and thriving. Whereas much prior work focuses on how support buffers stress, we examine its role across stressors and opportunities for growth, experienced broadly and in relation to SGD identity. Our findings underscore the critical role that close relationships play in fostering social safety and personal growth for SGD young adults navigating identity development. Full article

The pandemic resulted in a proliferation of job-related and family stressors for many working mothers. The purpose of the current study is to explore working mothers’ career aspirations and priorities in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The current sample consisted of 168 working mothers in the United States who responded to open-ended questions developed to understand how they perceived that the COVID-19 pandemic affected their career progression, career aspirations, and priorities. Thematic analysis of these open-ended questions revealed a change in career aspirations for many working mothers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, thematic analysis also indicated that some working mothers shifted their priorities away from their career trajectory and towards family, health, and stability. Three subthemes emerged from working mothers’ descriptions of placing greater priority on family following the pandemic: shifting priorities away from work concerns to family needs, increased focus on time spent with family, and recognition that family should not be taken for granted. The findings of the present study attempt to gain a more nuanced understanding of the pandemic’s effect on working mothers’ attitudes towards their career trajectories, priorities, and families in a post-pandemic worker landscape. Full article

Challenging work conditions and a predominantly male workforce have intensified concerns about worker well-being in the U.S. construction industry. Although these issues are increasingly acknowledged, empirical evidence on how management perceives and addresses employees’ psychological needs remains limited. This study seeks to fill that gap by examining managerial awareness and responsiveness to workplace mental health challenges, as well as the implementation of targeted well-being interventions across construction organizations. A mixed-methods approach was employed, integrating quantitative data from a nationwide survey of construction professionals with qualitative insights from open-ended responses. Results indicate that workers experience moderate levels of psychological strain, with notable differences across demographic and occupational groups. Women, non-white professionals, and site supervisors reported higher stress and lower overall well-being, emphasizing the need for more inclusive and tailored interventions. While both senior leaders and frontline supervisors demonstrated moderate awareness of these challenges, supervisors were perceived as less consistent in taking action to address them. Among existing workplace practices, transparent compensation structures and opportunities for skill diversification were identified as the most established supports for well-being. In contrast, mentoring programs, employee recognition, and open feedback mechanisms emerged as promising yet underutilized strategies. Overall, the study contributes by shifting attention from documenting construction-related mental health stressors to understanding how leadership recognition is translated into organizational response. Therefore, the findings provide practical guidance for construction leaders seeking to strengthen workers’ well-being and build a more resilient work environment. Full article

Background/Objectives: Retention of healthcare professionals in the workforce, their employment, and the improvement of working conditions largely depend on identifying the factors that influence their departure and their health. The study was conducted during the period from January to June 2021. This study aimed to examine the association between specific work-related stressors and work ability. The initial hypothesis was that general and specific occupational stressors negatively associate with work ability among healthcare professionals in emergency medical intervention teams. Methods: The study was designed as a cross-sectional comparative study. It was conducted among nurses and physicians in pre-hospital emergency medical services, employed full-time in intervention teams, while the control group consisted of employees from dispatch and call-receiving units. The study was conducted on the 840 participants, representing 43.3% of all healthcare professionals employed in pre-hospital emergency medical services in the Republic of Croatia. In addition to questions on participants’ personal characteristics, the following instruments were used: 1. a validated Questionnaire on Workplace Stressors among hospital healthcare professionals; and 2. the international standardized Work Ability Index (WAI) questionnaire for assessing work ability. Participants completed the questionnaires in paper form. Results: On average, the participants demonstrated lower levels of stress compared to reference values, both for overall stress and for individual stress factors, while their work ability, assessed using the Work Ability Index (WAI), ranged from very good to excellent. The control group showed higher levels of stress across all factors and lower work ability. However, the control group was older on average, generally had lower levels of education, and consisted more often of women—personal characteristics that may influence the examined variables. Lower stress levels and better work ability were associated with job satisfaction, ambition, and the fact that participants were working in their desired profession. Frequent sick leave (absenteeism) was highly correlating with both higher stress levels and poorer work ability. Conclusions: Greater job satisfaction and higher motivation have a positive impact on stress levels and employees’ work ability. The study results can serve as a starting point for institutional management in designing feasible decisions aimed at improving satisfaction, health, the work environment, and the work ability of emergency medical service personnel, as well as making these institutions more attractive for recruitment and retention of employees both in their positions and within the profession. Full article

Work-related stress is an important concern in veterinary medicine because it may affect veterinarians’ work, personal life, and well-being. This study described self-reported work-related stressors and their perceived effects on professional and personal life among veterinarians from selected European countries. Between July 2021 and February 2022, an online questionnaire was completed by 724 veterinarians from Hungary, Finland, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, and Norway. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling via online channels and professional veterinary networks. The questionnaire assessed 16 stressors, including fatigue, emotional exhaustion, burnout-related symptoms, fear of making mistakes, client expectations, and negative online comments. Mean Likert-scale scores were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Pearson’s χ² tests. Fatigue and emotional exhaustion were among the most burdensome internal stressors, with the highest mean score in the Hungarian sample (mean: 4.15 ± 1.05) and the lowest in the Finnish sample (mean: 3.68 ± 1.06; ANOVA: p < 0.0001). Euthanasia-related stress was rated lower in Finland (mean: 1.68 ± 0.83) and Sweden (mean: 1.88 ± 0.95) than in Germany (mean: 2.41 ± 1.17) and Hungary (mean: 2.64 ± 1.27; ANOVA: p < 0.0001). In Hungary, younger and female veterinarians reported greater sensitivity to several stressors. The findings are descriptive and exploratory rather than representative cross-country comparisons. Full article

Journalism in Albania unfolds in a fragile media environment where political pressure, economic insecurity and intimidation are part of everyday professional life. This study examines how Albanian journalists experience job-related stress and how they cope with it. Using a qualitative design, the study draws on 14 semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis to identify the main stressors and response strategies described by participants. Findings show that occupational stress is not episodic, but normalized within journalistic practice. Journalists reported three major stressors: political interference, financial precarity, and direct threats linked to reporting on crime and corruption. To manage these pressures, they relied on both problem-focused strategies, such as careful verification, legal consultation, and strategic reporting practices, and emotion-focused strategies, including peer support, emotional compartmentalization, and maintaining boundaries between work and family life. Full article

Healthcare organizations face emerging challenges that threaten the safety of professionals and patients, as well as the performance and long-term sustainability of healthcare systems. Health problems such as work-related musculoskeletal disorders are highly prevalent among nurses, not only due to the physical demands but also because of significant psychosocial stressors and mental health challenges inherent in healthcare environments. This study investigates the influence of psychosocial risks at work (PSRs) on the occurrence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) in nurses. A cross-sectional study was conducted, using a snowball recruitment method, from October 2025 to March 2026, among 266 nurses. Data were collected using the Psychosocial Risk Factors scale (INSAT_ERPS) and The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 Items (DASS-21), to examine relationships among PSRs, mental health and WRMSDs using descriptive and inferential statistics. Key psychosocial determinants of WRMSDs include high psychological strain—manifesting as anxiety—compounded by psychosocial stressors such as work intensity, employment relations, and emotional demands. The results highlight the importance of addressing PSR and mental health, to reduce the incidence of WRMSDs among nurses. Interventions focused on improving working conditions and promoting mental health may be effective in preventing WRMSDs. Full article

Background and Objectives: Macroeconomic instability, particularly income loss, inflation and unemployment, is increasingly recognized as a psychosocial stressor that may influence both symptom burden and healthcare-seeking behavior. This single-center study investigated the association of income, inflation and unemployment with private-sector hospital visits for primary headache disorders and assessed whether economic stressors were associated with different patterns across demographic groups. Materials and Methods: We conducted a single-center, retrospective, ecological quarterly time-series analysis of hospital visits for primary headache disorders between 2016 and 2024 in a private tertiary care hospital in Turkey. After exclusions, 18,522 eligible hospital-visit records were included and categorized by sex and age (<18, 18–64, and ≥65 years). National data on real gross domestic product (GDP), consumer price index (CPI), unemployment and a COVID-19 period indicator were used. Counts were modeled with log-linked Poisson or negative binomial generalized linear models selected through overdispersion diagnostics, with seasonal controls and HAC-robust inference. Results: In most groups, higher GDP was associated with more primary headache visits, whereas higher inflation was consistently associated with fewer visits. The association with unemployment was heterogeneous: visits decreased significantly among the working-age population but increased among older adults. Contemporaneous models outperformed one-quarter lagged alternatives, suggesting that private-sector healthcare seeking may change within the same quarter as macroeconomic shocks. Conclusions: In this private hospital setting, macroeconomic deterioration was associated with reduced primary headache visits, particularly among working-age patients. These findings suggest that financial constraints may suppress private-sector healthcare utilization despite possible increases in stress-related symptoms, and that private hospital data may underestimate headache-related healthcare need during economic crises. Full article

This study investigates the emergence of psychosocial risks during the COVID-19 pandemic in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. It aims to enhance mental health outcomes for project professionals by identifying pandemic-related stressors, evaluating the role of organisational interventions, and developing a practical framework for psychosocial risk management. Guided by Job Demands–Resources (JDR) theory, the research involved a literature review, expert consultations, and a structured survey targeting AEC project managers. The findings reveal that COVID-19-related psychosocial risks such as work overload, isolation, job insecurity, and blurred work–life boundaries were negatively associated with mental health. Organisational interventions were positively associated with improved mental health. However, the moderating effect of organisational intervention on the relationship between psychosocial risks and mental health was not statistically significant. This study proposes a framework to guide AEC organisations in integrating proactive mental health strategies into everyday project practices. While the data are sector-specific and collected during a crisis period, the implications extend to broader project-based settings. This research offers practical insights for AEC firms, policymakers, and industry stakeholders on supporting workforce well-being through targeted interventions. It also contributes conceptually by linking pandemic-induced stressors to established theoretical models of occupational stress, highlighting the need for sector-specific strategies in promoting psychological safety in high-demand work environments. Full article

Healthcare professionals, including those working in assisted reproduction, are characterized by high levels of stress and burnout, with embryologists showing the highest levels. The aim of this study was to identify both the stressors that contribute to burnout and the potential prevention strategies they considered useful. For this, a qualitative study based on a semi-structured interview was conducted in a panel of 12 senior embryologists from eight countries in four continents. The interviews were recorded and thematic analysis was performed using MAXQDA^® 26 software From a deductive approach, stressors were those inherent to the embryologist profession such as excessive demands; physical and organizational stressors, such as high workload and ergonomic issues; and patient-related stressors, such as difficult communication and interactions. On the other hand, preventive/mitigating factors were classified, according to their nature, as physical (natural light), relational (conflict management), organizational (organizational planning) and psychological (stress management). From an inductive approach, lack of professional recognition arose as an additional theme, where embryologists complained about the unfair situation when comparing themselves with other team members, as healthcare professionals, or even in the wider social context. The results of this work should be considered in interventions that seek to improve the well-being of these professionals by reducing their burnout. Full article