Taking Care of Each Other: How Can We Increase Compliance with Personal Protective Measures During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Chile?

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, personal protective measures (e.g., social distancing, handwashing, and mask wearing) have been adopted as a cornerstone to limit the spread of the disease. Yet, the effectiveness of these measures depends on people's levels of adherence. In this article, we apply social-psychological research to the study of compliance with personal protective measures during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile. We consider three possible models underlying adherence: (1) sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors, (2) instrumental factors, and (3) normative factors. We draw on data from a longitudinal nonrepresentative panel study (Study 1, n = 32,304) and a cross-sectional representative survey (Study 2, n = 1,078) to explore the impact of these different factors on personal protective measures compliance. Findings show the strongest support for the role of instrumental and normative factors, in that people who comply with protective measures report to a greater extent that relatives and friends comply too and tend to perceive high risk of COVID-19. We finish by proposing policy recommendations to promote effective strategies to contain the spread of the virus.     

How can We Reduce the Distress Associated with Health Screening? From Psychological Theory to Clinical Practice

Health screening involves the early identification of risk factors for disease or early‐stage disease. There is clear evidence of a health benefit following many screening programs. However, these programs may also contribute to significant psychological distress in a significant minority of vulnerable individuals. This paper considers the impact of screening in relation to breast cancer, focusing on assessment of genetic risk for breast cancer and mammography. It then reviews how these programs presently try to minimize any distress among participants before examining how health and clinical psychological theory can contribute to the development of new interventions, focusing on the use of cognitive challenge and teaching appropriate emotion‐focused coping strategies such as mindfulness and distraction. Future research developments are then addressed.     

“We Need a Song of Hope”: Responding to the COVID-19 Informational and Psychospiritual Needs of Residents of a Gated Community in the Philippines

Journal of Religion and Health - The brutal disruptions caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic require dynamic ways of responding, not only to the informational needs of communities,...     

What Factors Influence the Decision to Share Suicidal Thoughts? A Multilevel Social Network Analysis of Disclosure Among Individuals with Serious Mental Illness

Nondisclosure of suicidal thoughts limits suicide risk management. Consistent with disclosure models for other stigmatized statuses, understanding suicidal disclosure requires accounting for features of the discloser (individual factors) and the discloser–recipient relationship (relational factors). In a sample of 30 adults with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder (Level 2) who nominated 436 social network members (Level 1), we examined disclosure patterns and identified individual and relational correlates of disclosure intent. Most individuals disclosed in the past (77%; n = 23) and all intended on disclosing (100%; n = 30). Disclosure was highly selective, with 14% (n = 62) of network members identified as prior confidants and 23% (n = 99) identified as intended confidants. Multilevel modeling indicated that relational factors were more central to disclosure than individual factors. Network members who were prior confidants and who provided social support were attractive targets for intended disclosure. Our findings suggest that “targeted” gatekeeper training may be a promising strategy and reveal relational characteristics to identify “high‐probability confidants.”     

Does Religion Influence the Motivations of Future Healthcare Professionals to Volunteer During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Poland? An Exploratory Study

Journal of Religion and Health - This study was designed to determine the relation between religion and the motivations of future healthcare professionals to volunteer during the COVID-19 outbreak...     

How Might We Address the Factors that Contribute to the Scarcity of Philosophers Who Are Women and/or of Color?

Professional philosophy in the US remains relatively homogenous. I use four anecdotes to amplify some of the practices that may contribute to the dearth of underrepresented philosophers. Each anecdote highlights a different problem—lack of proper mentoring, stereotype threat, difficulties navigating sexism, and a sense of exclusion. Although I discuss each of these issues separately, it is certainly the case that these (and other issues) can and often do occur concurrently. I offer preliminary thoughts on how these problems could be addressed while keeping in mind that philosophy in the US is a microcosm of the larger US society.     

Commentary: Response to Reviews of “Cultural Psychotherapy: Working with Culture in the Clinical Encounter”

Pastoral Psychology -     

How Do Chemistry Faculty and Graduate Students Engage in Decision Making on Issues Related to Ethical and Responsible Conduct of Research Including Authorship?

Science and Engineering Ethics - This article explores the impact of an Increase in the average Number of Authors per Publication (INAP) on known ethical issues of authorship. For this purpose, the...     

Does COVID-19 impact the frequency of threatening events in dreams? An exploration of pandemic dreaming in light of contemporary dream theories

Ninety-one dreams collected during the Covid-19 pandemic (the epidemic-situation sample) were compared with ninety-one dreams collected before the start of the epidemic (the non-epidemic-situation sample). The dreams were classified according to their content, using methods based on previous studies. The frequency of themes was compared to predictions that would be anticipated by three contemporary theories of dreaming: 1) threat simulation theory (TST); 2) incorporation continuity hypothesis (ICH); and 3) social simulation theory (SST). The epidemic-situation sample dreamed more of threatening events than the non-epidemic-situation sample (supporting the TST) and more of non-aggression threatening events, possibly due to the hyperassociation during sleep. However, the epidemic-situation sample did not show a greater prevalence of illness events in dreams (not supporting the ICH). Additionally, there was no significant difference in social neutral and positive events in dreams between the two samples as would have been predicted by the SST.     

Does the justice of the one interact with the justice of the many? Reactions to procedural justice in teams

This article reported the results of 2 studies that examined reactions to procedural justice in teams. Both studies predicted that individual members' reactions would be driven not just by their own procedural justice levels but also by the justice experienced by other team members. Study 1 examined intact student teams, whereas Study 2 occurred in a laboratory setting. The results showed that individual members' own justice interacted with others' justice, such that higher levels of role performance occurred when justice was consistent within the team. These effects were strongest in highly interdependent teams and weakest for members who were benevolent with respect to equity sensitivity.     

How to mend love? Wrestling with the legacy of the holocaust in recent Israeli fiction

The children of Holocaust survivors struggle with the legacy of parental trauma, which occurred before they were born. In three recent Israeli novels the nature of this struggle departs from the normative Zionist attitude to the Holocaust, which has affirmed the triumph of the national rebirth. Rather than subscribing to the Zionist orientation, which looks at the catastrophe from the standpoint of the “new” Jew, the protagonists in the novels – children who replace the dead – turn to the unknown and unknowable past in an attempt to mend the parental love that was irreparably damaged in the destruction. Their attempts to reenter the world of parental terror reveal their predicament: they feel obligated to tell the story of suffering, which they find impossible to tell. My discussion shows how in these novels the moral obligation toward the parental story takes the form of a struggle to both reaffirm and reassess moral values in the face of the Holocaust dehumanizing destruction. David Grossman's See Under: Love explores the viability of the ideals of the Enlightenment; Michal Govrin's The Name confronts the idea of the Divine; Ruth Almog's The Inner Lake explores the possibilities of artistic creativity in face of terror. Paradoxically, the struggle to penetrate the parental experience signals a hope of repair. The daring to face the terrifying echoes and phantoms in an attempt to reconstruct the destroyed parental world becomes the act of mending because it reaffirms the relevance of humanistic values.     

What Policy Should Be Adopted to Curtail the Negative Global Health Impacts Associated with the Consumption of Farmed Animal Products?

The negative global health impacts (GHIs) associated with the consumption of farmed animal products are wide-ranging and morally significant. This paper considers four options that policy-makers might adopt to curtail the negative GHIs associated with the consumption of farmed animal products. These options are: 1. to introduce a ban on the consumption of farmed animal products; 2. to increase the costs of farmed animal products; 3. to educate people about the negative GHIs associated with the consumption of farmed animal products; and 4. to introduce a qualified ban on the consumption of farmed animal products. I argue that the fourth option is the most effective and, provided that policy-makers think that the negative GHIs associated with the consumption of farmed animal products are sufficiently great and that a total ban would be unfair, it is the political strategy that must be preferred over the available alternatives.     

The association of families’ socioeconomic and demographic characteristics with parents’ perceived barriers to returning to youth sport following the COVID-19 pandemic

Developmentally appropriate sport contexts have the potential to positively influence young people’s physiological, psychological, and social outcomes. However, little is known about how families returned to sport in the wake of COVID-19-related restrictions or how socioeconomic and demographic factors influenced parents’ perceptions of barriers to returning. A nationally representative sample (N = 6183) of American youth sport parents completed a questionnaire in which they provided demographic information and answered questions related to the barriers they perceived in returning to sport, such as the risk of their child getting sick. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationships among a range of socioeconomic and demographic factors and these barriers to returning. Results suggest that parents from racially minoritized and urban neighborhoods held higher levels of concern over health-related and practical barriers to returning to sport. Findings highlight the importance of designing available, equitable, and appropriate youth sport contexts.     

Delivering Intensive PTSD Treatment Virtually: The Development of a 2-Week Intensive Cognitive Processing Therapy–Based Program in Response to COVID-19

Of the many vulnerable groups affected by the spread of COVID-19, veterans have been especially impacted by the pandemic. Beginning in March 2020, nationwide shelter-in-place orders rapidly led to widespread job loss and economic upheaval; disruption and breakdown of multiple support systems; and increases in family stress, all of which may exacerbate underlying PTSD symptoms. Although telehealth has proven an effective means of delivering evidence-based psychotherapies for PTSD, little is known about the delivery of these treatments in an intensive, daily format over telehealth. There is growing need for intensive treatment options to reduce treatment-interfering barriers such as high dropout rates. In order to address this gap in the literature, this paper details several design considerations as well as patient selection procedures for a 2-week virtual intensive treatment program (vITP) for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), consisting of daily individual Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and other adjunctive interventions. We also describe two cases of veterans who successfully completed the vITP including their clinical outcomes, therapist reflections on the process, feedback regarding the program, as well as challenges patients encountered with the telehealth platform. Intensive evidence-based psychotherapy for PTSD delivered through a virtual format seems to show promise, but more systemic research is needed.     

Is Exposure to Suicide Beyond Kin Associated with Risk for Suicidal Behavior? A Systematic Review of the Evidence

Suicide bereavement and postvention literature often espouses risk for subsequent suicidal behavior among those previously exposed to a suicide death. Most often risk is discussed in relation to kin; however, many more individuals are exposed to suicide, and the impact of this exposure is important to understand in relation to targeting postvention. This review examined the research literature (1990–2014) to determine the evidence base for risk among those exposed to suicide. The findings demonstrate that risk of suicidal behaviors among those exposed to the suicide is significantly higher than those unexposed. These results are discussed within the context of current research in the field of postvention, and suggestions for future research are suggested.     

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in the Rehabilitation of a Girl With Chronic Idiopathic Pain: Are We Breaking New Ground?

Wicksell and colleagues (2005) addressed the important and currently understudied realm of chronic idiopathic musculoskeletal pain treatment in children. They presented a brief overview of empirically supported treatments for children with chronic pain, detailed their case and intervention strategy, and offered conclusions regarding the potential efficacy and effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for childhood chronic idiopathic musculoskeletal pain. Our commentary is divided into several sections. We begin by providing an overview and critique for each of the case conceptualization and the intervention strategy presented. This is followed by a brief discussion of whether or not Wicksell et al.'s ACT approach is fundamentally distinct from more traditional cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) techniques. We also consider potential mechanisms of action and suggest future research directions needed to establish empirically supported treatments for chronic idiopathic pain in children.     

Is Trait Rumination Associated with the Ability to Generate Effective Problem Solving Strategies? Utilizing Two Versions of the Means-Ends Problem-Solving Test

This study examined the relationship between trait rumination and the effectiveness of problem solving strategies as assessed by the Means-Ends Problem-Solving Test (MEPS) in a nonclinical population. The present study extended previous studies in terms of using two instructions in the MEPS: the second-person, actual strategy instructions, which has been utilized in previous studies on rumination, and the third-person, ideal-strategy instructions, which is considered more suitable for assessing the effectiveness of problem solving strategies. We also replicated the association between rumination and each dimension of the Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised Short Version (SPSI-R:S). Japanese undergraduate students (N = 223) completed the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition, Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS), MEPS, and SPSI-R:S. One half of the sample completed the MEPS with the second-person, actual strategy instructions. The other participants completed the MEPS with the third-person, ideal-strategy instructions. The results showed that neither total RRS score, nor its subscale scores were significantly correlated with MEPS scores under either of the two instructions. These findings taken together with previous findings indicate that in nonclinical populations, trait rumination is not related to the effectiveness of problem solving strategies, but that state rumination while responding to the MEPS deteriorates the quality of strategies. The correlations between RRS and SPSI-R:S scores indicated that trait rumination in general, and its brooding subcomponent in particular are parts of cognitive and behavioral responses that attempt to avoid negative environmental and negative private events. Results also showed that reflection is a part of active problem solving.     

Who has to act? A qualitative exploration of emerging adults' critical consciousness during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic and violence against people of Color during 2020 brought troubling racial inequities to the forefront of American discourse. In line with the Critical Consciousness (CC) and Social Justice Youth Development (SJYD) frameworks, emerging adults may have developed their capacity for critical reflection, motivation, and action against systemic inequities. We drew from interviews with 27 emerging adults (ages 18–23) across the US, and used thematic analysis to explore differences in their reflections, motivations to act, and actions based on their racial/ethnic identification. We found nuanced variability in their critical reflections based on self, social, or global awareness and experiences of marginalization. White and Asian emerging adults used vague language or expressed feeling their reflections were insufficient. Black and Latinx emerging adults emphasized the importance of education and raising awareness. Although all emerging adults took action based on a sense of duty, few engaged in critical action; decisions to take in-person action varied based on whether they viewed racism or COVID-19 as a greater threat. Findings demonstrate that emerging adults' experiences of racialization may have related to their CC development. We share implications for community psychologists conducting antiracist research addressing White fragility and dismantling racial hierarchy.