Optimism and Hope After Multiple Disasters: Relationships to Health-Related Quality of Life

Reclaiming hope: Subjective nearness to death as a moderator between posttraumatic stress symptoms and hope among older adults

Perceiving one's remaining time until death, can serve as a source of resilience when faced with adversity in the second half of life. The current work is based on a prospective study and examines whether subjective nearness-to-death (SNtD) moderates the association between posttraumatic-stress symptoms (PTSS) and hope among adults in the second half of life. The first wave was conducted after the end of a military conflict in the south of Israel, and included 170 participants (M = 66.61, SD = 9.16; age range 51-91), 115 of whom also participated in Wave 2. Participants filled out self-reported questionnaires regarding background information, PTSS, SNtD and hope. A moderation effect was found, revealing that high levels of PTSS predicted lower levels of hope among those who felt close to their death, but not among those who felt far from their death. We suggest that one's evaluation of little time remaining to live, especially in old age, may be a significant factor exacerbating the negative consequences of PTSS on hope. The importance of the results to the research field is discussed.

Neuropsychological Consequences of Massive Trauma: Implications and Clinical Interventions

Traumatic events, especially massive trauma resulting from catastrophic incidents, wars, or severe abuse can elicit significant neuropsychological alterations, with profound implications for cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning. This mini-review delineates the primary neural changes post-trauma and underscores the importance of timely neuropsychological and clinical interventions. Specific brain regions, including the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, undergo physiological changes that can lead to memory impairments, attention deficits, and emotional disturbances. PTSD, a commonly diagnosed condition post-trauma, exemplifies the intricate relationship between trauma and memory processing. Furthermore, the concept of neuroplasticity, the brain's inherent ability to adapt and rewire, offers hope for recovery. Current clinical interventions, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness practices, and biofeedback, leverage this neuroplastic potential to foster healing. The review underscores the vital importance of early intervention to mitigate long-term neuropsychological impacts, emphasizing the role of timely and targeted clinical interventions. The synthesis of this knowledge is crucial for clinicians, allowing for informed therapeutic approaches that holistically address both the physiological and psychological dimensions of trauma.

Hope, optimism, and self-efficacy predicting mental health and illness in a community sample exposed to Hurricane Harvey

In 2017, Hurricane Harvey flooded more than 300,000 buildings causing an estimated $125 billion in damages and resulting in 68 deaths (National Hurricane Center). This actual or threatened loss of life and physical harm led many to report negative effects on mental well-being and greater mental illness. However, many individuals have been able to experience similar adverse events without a significant negative impact on their mental health and well-being. Positive thinking factors such as hope, optimism, and self-efficacy have been proposed as protective factors in the face of difficult life events. Hope, optimism, and self-efficacy are related but distinct constructs that have often been studied separately, but whose unique impact on well-being and mental illness is less clear, especially in the context of a natural hazard. The current study uses structural equation modeling to measure the unique contribution of hope, optimism, and hurricane-coping self-efficacy on mental well-being and mental illness in a community sample of 300 subjects who experienced Hurricane Harvey, recruited from Mechanical Turk.

Relationships between mastery, forgiveness, optimism, and resilience, and PTSD and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating emotional consequences. The present study aimed to examine the relationships between personal resources and emotional distress while accounting for COVID-19-related variables. Seven hundred and seventy-seven (N = 777) participants completed demographic, mastery, forgiveness, optimism, resilience, PTSD, and anxiety questionnaires. A stepped hierarchical multiple regression revealed that mastery, forgiveness, cultural group, age, acquaintance with a person who died of COVID-19, and having been infected with COVID-19 contributed significantly to the explained variance in PTSD symptoms. Mastery, forgiveness, optimism, age, and acquaintance with a person who died of COVID-19 contributed significantly to the explained variance in anxiety. However, resilience was not found to significantly contribute to the explained variance in PTSD symptoms or anxiety. This study demonstrates the importance of being aware of both PTSD symptoms and anxiety associated with COVID-19. Thus, it is suggested that therapy programs should pay special attention to mastery and forgiveness as coping resources. In addition, among medical and mental-health personnel awareness should be given to individuals who have been in close acquaintance with those who died of COVID-19, those with COVID-19 risk factors, and those who have been infected. Special attention should also be paid to minority groups as they might tend to experience more emotional distress and trauma symptoms.

Early Adverse Childhood Experiences and Positive Functioning during Adolescence

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been shown to have consequences for adolescent development, yet little is known about the association between ACEs and positive functioning. Positive functioning evaluates engagement, perseverance, optimism, connectedness, and happiness, which are intimately related to pro-social behavior. As skills associated with sociability in adolescence often carry on into adulthood, understanding the developmental origins in inequalities in pro-social behavior, as measured by positive functioning, is key to ensuring equitable life chances across the life course. Subsequently, the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS; n = 3444) was used to examine how early exposure to cumulative ACEs, plus the timing and duration of those ACEs may be associated with positive functioning development in adolescence. The sample consisted of urban-born youth (49% female) with the mean age of 15. Racial/ethnic breakdown of the sample is 18% non-Hispanic White, 49% non-Hispanic Black, 25% Hispanic, and 8% "Other". Overall, estimates suggest that roughly 88% of these youth experienced at least one ACE by age five. The findings indicate that cumulation, timing, and duration of early ACEs are related to overall adolescent positive functioning and four out of the five domains (perseverance, optimism, connectedness, and happiness), even after controlling for more recent ACEs. This study highlights the critical impact of very early ACEs on youth positive functioning, which may confer further physical, mental, and social disadvantages into adulthood. Positive functioning can serve as a protective factor against some of the negative consequences of adversity, and ensuring that all families receive proper supports may limit the lifelong effects of adversity, and most importantly, prevent ACEs from occurring in the first place.

Factors Associated With Hope and Quality of Life in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease

BACKGROUND

Psychological resources such as hope have been suggested to affect quality of life (QoL) positively in patients with heart disease. However, little information regarding the relationship between these two constructs is available.

PURPOSE

This work was aimed at examining the factors associated with hope and QoL in patients with coronary artery disease.

METHODS

In this descriptive work, perceived QoL and hope were assessed in 500 patients with heart disease. The information was collected using the McGill QoL Questionnaire, demographic variables, and the Herth Hope Index. The Pearson correlation test and general linear model were used to examine correlations through SPSS Version 22.

RESULTS

A considerable correlation was discovered between QoL and hope (r = .337, p < .001). Multivariate analyses with regression revealed that religious beliefs and social support both had significant and positive effects on the total perceived hope of patients and that patient age had a considerable negative impact on QoL (p < .05). None of these factors had a significant impact on hope (p < .05). In addition, the total QoL had a significant and positive effect on patient feelings and thoughts, whereas the physical problems component of QoL had a significant and negative effect on hope (p < .05). Participants with higher levels of education reported more hope.

CONCLUSIONS

QoL relates significantly to self-perceived hope in patients. Understanding QoL and hopefulness in patients with coronary artery disease has implications for nurses and other healthcare professionals.

The Disaster Adaptation and Resilience Scale: development and validation of an individual-level protection measure

Given the increasing threat of disasters in the United States and elsewhere around the world, well-tested assessment tools that operationalise specific protective factors associated with adaptation and resilience to such events are needed. Consequently, the authors proposed, developed, and validated the Disaster Adaptation and Resilience Scale (DARS) to measure five domains found to support adaptive responses in individuals exposed to disasters: physical resources; social resources; problem-solving; distress regulation; and optimism. The development and validation processes of DARS occurred across two studies: the first comprised construct development, item generation, and expert review, whereas the second involved a full validation evaluation of the psychometric properties of the scale in a sample of adults exposed to a disaster in the US (N=625). The results revealed that DARS had psychometric properties that support its use among adults experiencing a disaster. A discussion is presented on how the scale can be employed in both research and practice.

Resource loss and mental health during COVID-19: Psychosocial protective factors among U.S. older adults and those with chronic disease

Across the globe, COVID‐19 has disproportionately affected the physical and mental health of several vulnerable groups. In a series of two cross‐sectional studies conducted April to July 2020, we examined its acute mental health effects on two vulnerable U.S. community samples—home‐bound older adults who were at or below the poverty line (Study 1, N = 293, M_age = 76.94, SD = 8.64; 75.1% female, 67.9% Black) and adults with chronic disease (Study 2, N = 322, M_age = 62.20, SD = 12.22; 46.3% female, 28.3% racial/ethnic minorities). Based on the conservation of resources theory, we hypothesised that pandemic‐related resource loss would be associated with greater mental distress, but perceived social support and positive psychological characteristics (trait resilience and optimism) would buffer against this adverse effect. Across both samples of vulnerable adults, pandemic‐related resource loss was related to mental distress. Perceived social support was related to lower mental distress but did not consistently buffer the effect of resource loss on mental health. However, in Study 2, both trait resilience and optimism buffered this relationship. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the conservation of resources theory.

Dark Times and Second Chances: Perceived Growth From Adversity

Using a lifespan perspective, we investigated a neglected aspect of research on religion, namely, whether perceptions of growth from adversity might strengthen religious worldviews, thus accounting for feelings about one's own death in old age. A directed content analysis of in-depth interviews from 16 adults aged 65+ focused on life events, religious worldviews, and death. Findings suggested that participants' religious worldview beliefs were associated with positive reinterpretation of lifespan adversities such that stressors functioned as opportunities for spiritual growth. Participants' views of and beliefs about death were without fear, indicating the potential influence of highly individualized and deeply spiritual religious worldview beliefs on the abatement of death fear.

Staring at the Sun during Wildfire Season: Knowledge, Uncertainty, and Front-Line Resistance in Disaster Preparation

As climate change increases the frequency and severity of disasters, and population and social changes raise the public's vulnerability to disaster events, societies face additional risk of multiple disaster events or other hazards occurring simultaneously. Such hazards involve significant uncertainty, which must be translated into concrete plans able to be implemented by disaster workers. Little research has explored how disaster managers incorporate different forms of knowledge and uncertainty into preparations for simultaneous hazards or disaster events, or how front-line disaster workers respond to and implement these plans. In this paper I draw on ethnographic research working as a wildland firefighter, interviews with firefighters and fire managers, and state and agency planning documents to examine preparations for two events occurring in Central Oregon in August 2017: (1) the height of wildfire season and (2) hundreds of thousands of anticipated visitors for a total solar eclipse. I find that different qualities of risk, hazard, and uncertainty across these two events were central to the development and implementation of disaster plans. Agency leaders devised worst-case scenario plans for the eclipse based on uncertain predictions regarding hazards from the eclipse and the occurrence of severe wildfires, aiming to eliminate the potential for unknown hazards. These plans were generally met with skepticism by front-line disaster workers. Despite the uncertainties that dominated eclipse-planning rhetoric, firefighters largely identified risks from the eclipse that were risks they dealt with in their daily work as firefighters. I conclude by discussing implications of these findings for conceptual understandings of disaster planning as well as contemporary concerns about skepticism and conspiracy theories directed at government planning and response to disaster events.

Mechanisms of resiliency against depression following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Prior studies of oil spills have reported adverse impacts on mental health, but have not examined some potentially important moderators. In this cross-sectional analysis of n=38,361 responses to the 2010-2011 Gulf States Population Survey, we assessed the association of direct oil contact with depression severity following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and modification by self-mastery, emotional support, and cleanup participation using Tobit regression models accounting for the complex survey design. Oil contact was associated with increased depression severity. Among respondents with oil contact, depression was more severe for those reporting lower self-mastery. However, respondents with oil contact had lower depression severity if they participated in cleanup efforts, compared to exposed individuals who did not participate. This potential protective effect was larger for respondents with lower self-mastery. Our results are consistent with the notion that participation in recovery efforts may reduce depressive symptoms following oil spills among impacted individuals.