{"title":"Emotional exhaustion and psychological distress among health care workers after the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake: Prevalence and associated factors.","authors":"Elif Akçay, Esra Çöp, Gülser Senses Dinç, Yasemin Yılmazer, Duygu Bilgili Can, Betül Damla Demirel, Ümran Gül Ayvalık Baydur","doi":"10.1037/ort0000792","DOIUrl":"10.1037/ort0000792","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Concerns about health workers' burnout and psychological well-being have increased as public health crises spread worldwide. This study aims to examine the burnout and psychological distress levels among health care professionals working in our children's hospital 1 month after the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake. A total of 213 health care workers (180 females, 84.5%, mean age 32.67) were included in the study. This cross-sectional study assessed burnout symptoms, psychological distress, and resilience via the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Depression and Anxiety Stress Scale-21, and the Brief Resilience Scale, respectively. A substantial number of participants (<i>n</i> = 117, 54.9%) reported high emotional exhaustion; approximately half of those were nurses (<i>n</i> = 56, 47.9%). The nurses had higher emotional exhaustion, depression, and stress scores as well as lower self-reported resilience scores than other health care assistants. Higher stress scores were associated with an increased likelihood of high emotional exhaustion, while having more work experience was a protective factor regarding the high emotional exhaustion of nurses. Our results showed that a significant proportion of health care workers had a high level of burnout. Frontline nurses as a group were at heightened risk for psychological distress and emotional exhaustion in the early stages of the disaster. Screening burnout and psychological distress in health care professionals is important for preventive strategies after the disaster. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":55531,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Orthopsychiatry","volume":" ","pages":"212-222"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142301775","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Disgust proneness influences the effects of political orientation on xenophobia during the COVID-19 pandemic.","authors":"Bunmi O Olatunji, Alexandra M Adamis","doi":"10.1037/ort0000777","DOIUrl":"10.1037/ort0000777","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Although political conservatism has been associated with xenophobia, the processes that may explain this link during the COVID-19 pandemic are unclear. Xenophobia does increase during infectious disease outbreaks, suggesting an adaptation for those concerned about disease threats. Given that disgust facilitates disease avoidance, the present study examined the extent to which disgust proneness (DP) moderated the association between political conservatism and xenophobia during the pandemic. Community participants (<i>n</i> = 277) reporting their political orientation and levels of DP on May 27, 2020 completed measures of COVID-19 xenophobia and COVID-19 anxiety every 2 weeks for a total of 15 timepoints over 30 weeks. Multilevel models revealed that xenophobia was elevated among those high in DP but decreased throughout the pandemic. Xenophobia was also elevated among conservatives but also decreased during the pandemic. Consistent with predictions, DP moderated the effect of political orientation on xenophobia such that at high (but not low) levels of DP, the link between political orientation and xenophobia was significant, with higher levels of conservativism predicting higher xenophobia even when controlling for COVID-19 anxiety. The implications of the present findings for conceptualizing the various processes that explain how political attitudes may fuel xenophobia during future pandemics are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":55531,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Orthopsychiatry","volume":" ","pages":"176-185"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141635953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Psychological flexibility in the face of potential adversity: Examining wellness among gay and heterosexual men.","authors":"Kfir Ifrah, Geva Shenkman, Dov Shmotkin","doi":"10.1037/ort0000770","DOIUrl":"10.1037/ort0000770","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This work expands the theoretical model on <i>the pursuit of happiness in a hostile world</i>, which concerns individuals' coping processes in the face of life adversity while focusing on <i>psychological flexibility,</i> regarded as an adaptive strategy presenting co-occurrence of converse experiences. Psychological flexibility was operationalized by concurrent, positive, and negative affect as well as by differing modes of coping (negative and positive engagement) related to the concept of a <i>hostile-world scenario</i>. The adaptive role of psychological flexibility was examined among Israeli gay men, a sexual minority that deals with unique hardships. Gay men (<i>N</i> = 474, aged 18-84) were pair-matched with equivalent 474 presumably heterosexual men on core sociodemographic variables. Questionnaires assessed the participants' psychological flexibility and psychological wellness as indicated by self-rated health, life satisfaction, depressive symptoms, and neuroticism. The results showed a positive association between psychological flexibility and psychological wellness. Moreover, this association was stronger among gay compared to heterosexual men. In conclusion, the endurance of contradictory experiences may facilitate the adjustment to complex life challenges of sexual minorities. Therefore, researchers and clinicians working with sexual minorities are encouraged to examine coping strategies that enhance psychological flexibility by addressing the adaptational benefits embedded in the coactivation of positive and negative experiences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":55531,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Orthopsychiatry","volume":" ","pages":"140-152"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141460947","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Caitlin I Laughney, Yong Gun Lee, Emily Allen Paine, Elwin Wu
{"title":"Posttraumatic stress disorder mediating associations between child sexual abuse and substance use among transgender adults in the United States.","authors":"Caitlin I Laughney, Yong Gun Lee, Emily Allen Paine, Elwin Wu","doi":"10.1037/ort0000761","DOIUrl":"10.1037/ort0000761","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Transgender people experience an excess burden of child sexual abuse (CSA), mental health concerns, and substance use compared to cisgender populations. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been found to mediate the association between CSA and substance use behaviors in cisgender populations, but this dynamic has not been previously examined among transgender adults. The aim of this study is to test if PTSD may mediate a relationship between CSA and substance use among transgender adults. Data were analyzed from the U.S. Transgender Population Health Survey (2016-2018), a national probability sample of transgender adults (<i>N</i> = 274). CSA was measured using the Adverse Childhood Experiences subsection for sexual abuse. Past-month PTSD was measured using the Primary Care-PTSD <i>Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition</i> screening tool. Substance use was determined by lifetime binge drinking, polydrug use, and the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test. Baron and Kenny's approach was used to assess PTSD as a mediator between CSA and substance use. Within our sample, nearly half (45%) of the transgender adults experienced CSA. Lifetime binge drinking (40%), polydrug use (20%), and indications of drug-use-related problems (Drug Use Disorders Identification Test x¯ = 4.52) were frequently reported. Transgender adults who have experienced CSA had increased risk of PTSD and substance use, and PTSD was a mediator in all models. Results suggest that adult transgender CSA survivors are at increased risk of drug and alcohol use, and that PTSD may be an important contextual factor for substance use. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":55531,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Orthopsychiatry","volume":" ","pages":"45-51"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12132923/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141200530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An innovative storytelling intervention to reduce school aggression among schoolchildren with reactive and proactive aggression.","authors":"Annis Lai Chu Fung, May Kwan Wong","doi":"10.1037/ort0000789","DOIUrl":"10.1037/ort0000789","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>It is a pioneering study to reduce reactive and proactive aggression in high-risk children aged 6-10 through an innovative intervention through storytelling. The original storytelling group intervention was based on the social information processing model, specifically tailor-made for the distinctive functions and motives of reactive and proactive aggression. Eighty-seven elementary schools in Hong Kong were recruited through open recruitment, and 15 schools were randomly selected. Four thousand eighty-six children (2,292 boys and 1,794 girls) from Grades 1 to 4 completed the screening, and 371 high-risk students (280 boys and 91 girls) with reactive and proactive aggression were recruited based on the inclusion criteria. We conducted a randomized controlled trial with a longitudinal design. Participants were then randomly assigned to the storytelling intervention, placebo, or control group. The group intervention consisted of 10 weekly 1-hr sessions. The participants were assessed at the baseline, after treatment, and 6 months after treatment by self-report and parent report. Longitudinal data were analyzed by linear mixed models. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the storytelling group intervention in reducing aggression. Compared with the placebo and control, the storytelling intervention further reduced self-reported aggressive behaviors but not parent-reported externalizing and internalizing problems. This storytelling intervention could be adopted in schools and other settings to treat high-risk children with aggressive behaviors without stigmatization. It can positively impact schools and society by reducing bullying and delinquency. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":55531,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Orthopsychiatry","volume":" ","pages":"459-471"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142774890","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Conceptualizing and measuring childhood adversity: A comprehensive critique of the adverse childhood experiences measure and offering a new conceptualization of childhood adversity.","authors":"Michael Fitzgerald, Kami L Gallus","doi":"10.1037/ort0000785","DOIUrl":"10.1037/ort0000785","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The landmark adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) study conducted by Kaiser Permanente and the Centers for Disease Control shook the bedrock of the scientific community, highlighting the commonality of ACEs and identifying a dose-response relationship with poor health outcomes. The seminal findings led to a surge in ACEs research and a growing body of empirical literature; however, the ACEs measure has numerous conceptual and measurement issues that are often overlooked in the research. Such problems include a lack of a clear conceptual definition of what constitutes an ACE, item formulation and coverage, item scoring, and lack of contextual information. The current article aims to integrate existing critiques of the ACEs measure, extend critiques in greater detail, and proffer new ideas related to the conceptualization and study of ACEs. In preference to conceptualizing ACEs consistent with existing literature, we make a case that there are four unique and conceptually distinct subcategories of ACEs that should be conceptualized independently as individual adversities that frequently co-occur. We provide recommendations for researchers and discuss the utility of the ACEs measure as a screening tool. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":55531,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Orthopsychiatry","volume":" ","pages":"274-287"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142301774","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Margarida Ferreira, Maria Manuela Calheiros, Carla Sofia Silva, Eunice Magalhães
{"title":"Out of sight is not out of mind: Associations between perceived maternal attachment and self-representations of youth in residential care moderated by sex and age.","authors":"Margarida Ferreira, Maria Manuela Calheiros, Carla Sofia Silva, Eunice Magalhães","doi":"10.1037/ort0000780","DOIUrl":"10.1037/ort0000780","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The present study aimed to explore the associations between perceived maternal attachment and self-representations of youth in residential care (RC), considering the potential moderator role of youth's sex and age and the potential concurrent effect of frequency and type of family visits and length of time in RC. To this end, a sample of 659 youth aged 11-18 (<i>M</i> = 15.65, <i>SD</i> = 1.72) from RC settings filled out self-report questionnaires to evaluate their perceptions of maternal attachment and self-representations. Results indicated that lower perceived maternal attachment was associated with higher levels of global negative self-representations. Moreover, compared to young men, young women with lower levels of perceived maternal attachment perceived themselves as having more negative self-representations. No moderating effects of age were found. This study contributes to the literature in the field of RC with evidence regarding the association of perceived maternal attachment with self-representations and the moderating role of youth's sex, which informs the development of interventions with this vulnerable population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":55531,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Orthopsychiatry","volume":" ","pages":"223-234"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142301776","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sara A Kohlbeck, Terri deRoon-Cassini, Carisa Bergner, Tricia Monroe, Katherine McCoy
{"title":"Investigating the association between housing mobility and self-reported adolescent suicidality and mental health.","authors":"Sara A Kohlbeck, Terri deRoon-Cassini, Carisa Bergner, Tricia Monroe, Katherine McCoy","doi":"10.1037/ort0000781","DOIUrl":"10.1037/ort0000781","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Suicide continues to be a public health crisis among adolescents in the United States. Suicide prevention requires a comprehensive understanding of the factors that lead to death from suicide. Housing stability is an important social determinant of health, and literature has begun to describe how housing instability can affect mental health, as well as suicidal behavior. The aim of the present study was to assess the relationship between lifetime housing mobility among adolescents and suicidal behavior (both ideation and attempt). This study examines disparities in housing mobility and suicidal behavior to determine whether certain population subgroups are disproportionately impacted. We undertook a cross-sectional study using data from Wisconsin's Youth Risk Behavior Survey administered during the Fall of 2019, which assessed Wisconsin middle and high school students. We find that housing mobility, as measured in the lifetime number of residences, was associated with an increased risk of suicidal ideation and behavior. We also demonstrate disparities by race, disability status, and sexual orientation. Findings from this study can be used to not only drive change to support students at the school or school district level but also to drive policy change at the societal level. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":55531,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Orthopsychiatry","volume":" ","pages":"235-246"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142549141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Off the shelf and into the community: Advocacy and public scholarship.","authors":"Apryl A Alexander","doi":"10.1037/ort0000800","DOIUrl":"10.1037/ort0000800","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Psychological science can be used to inform the critical social and global issues affecting communities. Advocacy has been recognized as an essential and ethical responsibility of mental health professionals, as it champions the basic human and civil rights of individuals, families, and communities. Scholar-activism encourages psychology to bridge scholarly knowledge, social justice, and advocacy to foster social change. Public scholarship aims to consider dissemination beyond our scholarly journals and to communities and decision makers who might benefit from psychological science research and practice. There are existing barriers to psychologists' advocacy engagement, primarily centered around the need for social justice and advocacy education and training for psychology students and trainees. As the 2021 Marion Langer Award recipient, the author provides examples of how she integrated advocacy, social justice, and public scholarship into her early career work. Future directions for students, trainees, researchers, and practitioners are provided. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":55531,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Orthopsychiatry","volume":" ","pages":"421-426"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142141791","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dana Lassri, Mona Khoury-Kassabri, Ruth Gottfried, Alex Desatnik
{"title":"Teacher psychopathology, burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction during COVID-19: Resilience and risk factors.","authors":"Dana Lassri, Mona Khoury-Kassabri, Ruth Gottfried, Alex Desatnik","doi":"10.1037/ort0000763","DOIUrl":"10.1037/ort0000763","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Teaching staff have been especially vulnerable to experiencing psychopathology and compassion fatigue during COVID-19, given the significant demands they have experienced. Yet, research on risk and resilience factors is scant. We assessed the psychological status of Israeli teaching staff during COVID-19, focusing on psychopathology (depression, anxiety, somatization), compassion fatigue (burnout, secondary traumatic stress), and compassion satisfaction. We also examined the role of transdiagnostic risk and resilience factors-mentalizing, self-compassion, self-criticism, social support, and specialized trauma training-in predicting psychological status and mitigating the link between COVID-19-related distress and psychological status. An online questionnaire was completed by 350 teaching staff. Analyses included outlining the distributions of psychological status outcomes and running a series of moderation models using hierarchical robust regression. While 48% of the participants exhibited moderated-to-high levels of anxiety and 28.27% had no somatization, only 13% exhibited moderate-to-severe levels of depression; 60% had moderate levels of burnout, 48% had moderate levels of secondary traumatic stress, and 52% had low levels of compassion satisfaction. COVID-19-related distress, self-criticism, prementalizing modes, low socioeconomic status, and being in an intimate relationship emerged as key risk factors positively associated with psychological status, while self-compassion, general mentalizing, interest and curiosity about mental states, and social support were negatively linked with these outcomes. Teacher's mentalizing about students' mental states and social support moderated the link between COVID-19-related distress and psychological status. The findings highlight the importance of risk and resilience factors for assessing and preventing teaching staff's psychopathology and compassion fatigue during COVID-19. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":55531,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Orthopsychiatry","volume":" ","pages":"59-81"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141447677","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}