Ordinary Magic: Resilience Processes in Development

The COVID-19 pandemic and its related containment measures-mainly physical distancing and isolation-are having detrimental consequences on the mental health of the general population worldwide. In particular, frustration, loneliness, and worries about the future are common reactions and represent well-known risk factors for several mental disorders, including anxiety, affective, and post-traumatic stress disorders. The vast majority of available studies have been conducted in China, where the pandemic started. Italy has been severely hit by the pandemic, and the socio-cultural context is completely different from Eastern countries. Therefore, there is the need for methodologically rigorous studies aiming to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 and quarantine measures on the mental health of the Italian population. In fact, our results will help us to develop appropriate interventions for managing the psychosocial consequences of pandemic. The "COVID-IT-mental health trial" is a no-profit, not-funded, national, multicentric, cross-sectional population-based trial which has the following aims: a) to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and its containment measures on mental health of the Italian population; b) to identify the main areas to be targeted by supportive long-term interventions for the different categories of people exposed to the pandemic. Data will be collected through a web-platform using validated assessment tools. Participants will be subdivided into four groups: a) Group 1-COVID-19 quarantine group. This group includes the general population which are quarantined but not isolated, i.e., those not directly exposed to contagion nor in contact with COVID-19+ individuals; b) Group 2-COVID-19+ group, which includes isolated people directly/indirectly exposed to the virus; c) Group 3-COVID-19 healthcare staff group, which includes first- and second-line healthcare professionals; d) Group 4-COVID-19 mental health, which includes users of mental health services and all those who had already been diagnosed with a mental disorder. Mental health services worldwide are not prepared yet to manage the short- and long-term consequences of the pandemic. It is necessary to have a clear picture of the impact that this new stressor will have on mental health and well-being in order to develop and disseminate appropriate interventions for the general population and for the other at-risk groups.

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The impact of quarantine and physical distancing following covid-19 on mental health: Study protocol of a multicentric italian population trial

Background In the recent pandemic, nurses have faced workload and being exposed to burnout. Resilience helps address work-related psychological problems such as stressful events and burnout. According to the roles of nurses in the healthcare system, we investigated the relationship between resiliency and burnout in nurses. Material and Methods In this descriptive analytical cross-sectional study, 364 nurses participated from April to June 2021. Census sampling was used to recruit participants. Maslach burnout inventory (MBI), Connor-Davidson Resiliency Scale (CDRISC), and a demographic check-list were utilized to collect data. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 22. Shapiro-Wilk, Kruskal–Wallis test, Mann–Whitney U-test, correlation analysis, and generalized linear model were applied accordingly. Results Overall, the findings showed that nurses had severe symptoms of burnout and a moderate level of resilience. The two domains of burnout, emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment had a significantly negative correlation with resilience (r = −0.442, p < 0.001 and r = −0.351, p = 0.03, respectively). Linear regression showed that demographic characteristics (Hospital type, ward type, gender, and overtime) were the major predictors of the 3 sub-categories of burnout. A significant negative correlation was observed between burnout and resilience highlighting the role of resilience in reducing burnout (P < 0.05). Conclusion In order to help nurses to tackle and endure burnout in pandemic times, there is a need to implement national and local policies to help them accordingly.

Nurses Burnout, Resilience, and Its Association With Socio-Demographic Factors During COVID-19 Pandemic

Gender roles, sex and the expression of driving anger.

Background: This study compared adaptive resilience among patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and healthy controls, and examined the relationship of resilience to cognitive function. Methods: A sample of 81 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, 34 with bipolar disorder, and 52 healthy controls completed the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) and cognitive tests of verbal comprehension, executive functioning, and working memory. Paired comparison of diagnostic groups on CD-RISC and cognitive tests was conducted. Linear regression was used to identify the independent association of clinical diagnoses and neurocognition with resilience deficits. Results: Both patient groups showed significantly lower CD-RISC scores and poorer cognitive function than healthy controls and the schizophrenia group scored lower than bipolar group on these measures as well. CD-RISC scores were positively correlated with all three cognitive measures in the entire sample but not within the diagnostic subgroups. Multiple regression analysis showed differences in CD-RISC between diagnostic groups were not mediated by differences in these three measures of neurocognition. Discussion: Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are associated with impairments in both resilience and cognitive function but the impairment in resilience appears to be independent of deficits in cognitive function measured here and may reflect unmeasured dimensions of cognitive function, other impairments or environmental factors.

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Resilience and Cognitive Function in Patients With Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder, and Healthy Controls.

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The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) amongst Young Spanish Adults

The main aim of this research was to investigate the relationship between resilience and the expression of driving anger. In addition, the adequacy of a Spanish version of a short form of the Driving Anger Expression inventory (DAX) was assessed, along with the relationships the DAX subscales had with gender, age, licence tenure, fines and crashes. The sample consisted of 2409 Spanish undergraduate students (mean age = 21.60; S.D. = 2.86; 60% women). A Spanish adaption of the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) was used to measure resilience and the 15-item short form of the Driving Anger Expression inventory (DAX) was used to measure the expression of driving anger. The research found that resilience was directly associated with the adaptive/constructive expression of driving anger even after controlling for age, gender, licence tenure, fines and crash involvement. Nevertheless, as there is no previous research on this topic and the effect sizes were only moderate, further research is needed to clarify the role of resilience in the expression of driving anger. Furthermore, confirmatory factor analysis supports the adequacy of the short form of the DAX amongst Spanish drivers. In line with previous research, women tended to report more adaptive/constructive expression than men, while those who had crashed or been fined were more prone to report aggressive forms of driving anger expression.

Alícia Baltasar

Papers

The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) amongst Young Spanish Adults

Resilience and the expression of driving anger