Articles

(1) <b>Background</b>: Psychological flexibility, the ability to adapt to changing demands while staying true to personal values, is linked to better health behaviors. However, its relationship with cardiovascular health behaviors, particularly in Filipino populations, remains underexplored. (2) <b>Aim</b>: This study aimed to examine the relationship between psychological flexibility and cardiovascular health behaviors among outpatients in Rizal, Philippines, focusing on BMI, smoking, physical activity, and dietary habits. (3) <b>Methods</b>: A cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational design was used with 100 outpatient participants from selected hospitals. Psychological flexibility was measured using the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), and cardiovascular health behaviors were assessed using a modified version of the American Heart Association’s Life Simple 7 tool. Descriptive statistics and Pearson’s correlation were applied. (4) <b>Results</b>: The findings showed that respondents had neutral levels of psychological flexibility. While most exhibited intermediate BMI and physical activity, dietary habits varied. A significant positive correlation was found between psychological flexibility and whole grain consumption. However, no significant associations were found with BMI, smoking, or physical activity. (5) <b>Conclusions</b>: Psychological flexibility appears to influence specific health behaviors, such as dietary choices, but does not strongly correlate with other cardiovascular health behaviors. Further research is needed to explore its broader role in cardiovascular disease prevention.

<b>Background:</b> Nursing students are exposed to significant stress due to academic and clinical demands, which can adversely affect their mental health, academic performance, and future clinical competence. Despite the global acknowledgment of this issue, limited research has been conducted to explore the prevalence and determinants of stress among nursing students in Bangladesh. <b>Methods:</b> This cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2023 to February 2024 among 372 nursing students enrolled in selected nursing colleges in Bangladesh. A purposive sampling technique was used, and data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire assessed socio-demographic characteristics, academic challenges, and psychological symptoms, with mental health stress measured using a Likert scale. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were used to analyze the data, with a 95% confidence interval applied to all analyses. <b>Results:</b> The findings revealed that 31.7% of nursing students experienced severe stress, 23.9% reported moderate stress, and 16.7% had mild stress. Age, academic semester, and course load difficulties were significantly associated with stress levels (p < 0.05). Psychological symptoms such as anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and loss of interest in activities were also significantly linked to higher stress levels. Notably, students in their first semester and those reporting harder course loads were more likely to experience stress. However, gender was not significantly associated with stress levels. <b>Conclusions: </b>This study underscores the high prevalence of stress among nursing students in Bangladesh, driven by academic and clinical challenges and psychological symptoms. The findings highlight the need for targeted interventions, such as stress management training, enhanced mental health support, and policies to alleviate academic pressures. Future research should explore longitudinal trends in stress and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to support a resilient nursing workforce.

<b>Background:</b> The COVID-19 pandemic posed significant psychological challenges to frontline healthcare workers (HCWs), including anxiety, stress, and emotional strain. <b>Aim</b>: This study investigates the psychological impact on HCWs during the pandemic and explores coping strategies employed to manage distress. <b>Methods</b>: An integrative review was conducted using 24 studies published between January and December 2020. These studies were analyzed to identify common psychological outcomes and coping mechanisms among HCWs. <b>Results</b>: Healthcare workers experienced significant psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic, including anxiety, stress, insomnia, and depression. Anxiety was the most commonly reported issue, particularly among women, younger healthcare workers, and frontline staff. Stress levels were heightened by high workloads, exposure to COVID-19 patients, and inadequate protective measures. Coping strategies and self-care behaviors, such as seeking social support and utilizing institutional resources, varied in effectiveness across populations. <b>Conclusion</b>: The findings highlight the urgent need for targeted mental health support and resilience programs for HCWs, ensuring they are better equipped to face future health crises.

This study examined the psychological impact of poverty on the mental health and wellbeing of children in Adentan Municipality, Ghana. The study adopted a phenomenological qualitative approach. A sample of 15 children from poor homes were selected using purposive and snowball sampling for the study. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview guide and analysed using thematic analysis. The study found that the main experiences of the children raised in poor homes were that they had unmet basic needs and limited income. Also, it was found that the psychological impact of poverty on children included stigma and inferiority, distress and hopelessness. From the results, it was concluded that poverty can have a psychological impact on the mental health and wellbeing of children. it was recommended that Social Welfare liaise with community leaders to identify children from poor homes and provide support for these children in terms of their basic needs like food and clothing.

<b>Background</b>: Telomere length is a critical biomarker of cellular aging and overall health. While childhood socioeconomic status (SES) indicators such as education and poverty can have long-lasting effects on biological aging, research has shown contradictory results regarding the impact of adulthood SES on future telomere length, particularly in racially and ethnically diverse individuals. This study investigates the effects of baseline adulthood SES indicators such as education and poverty on telomere length nine years later in women, using data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS). <b>Methods: </b>We analyzed data from the FFCWS, a longitudinal cohort study. The sample included baseline adulthood SES and follow-up telomere length measure of women (n = 2,421) with varying socioeconomic conditions. Telomere length was measured from saliva samples nine years after the baseline measure of adulthood SES. Education, poverty, and marital status at baseline were assessed. Multivariate linear regression models were used to examine the association between adulthood SES indicators at baseline and future telomere length, controlling for potential confounders. <b>Results:</b><b> </b>From the total 2,421 women, 675 were Latino White, 1,158 were non-Latino Black, and 588 were non-Latino White. Our findings indicate that for non-Latino White women poverty at certain level, and childbirth weight, and for non-Latino Black maternal age were predictors of telomere lengths nine years later. <b>Conclusion:</b><b> </b>Poverty at a specific level, maternal age and childbirth weight serve as predictors of telomere lengths nine years later in some women. These findings underscore the importance of socioeconomic factors and early-life influences in understanding telomere dynamics and aging processes among women from varied racial and ethnic backgrounds.

<b>Background:</b> Tobacco use among adolescents is a significant public health concern, with early initiation leading to long-term health risks. Understanding the factors that contribute to the initiation of tobacco use is crucial for developing effective prevention strategies. This study investigates the roles of substance use harm knowledge and tobacco susceptibility in mediating the relationship between social gradients (race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status) and tobacco use initiation among adolescents. <b>Methods:</b> Data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, comprising a racially, ethnically, and economically diverse sample of tobacco-naive adolescents aged 9 to 16, were analyzed. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test whether substance use harm knowledge and tobacco susceptibility mediate the effects of socioeconomic status (SES) on the initiation of tobacco use. <b>Results:</b> Findings indicated that both substance use harm knowledge and tobacco susceptibility partially mediate the relationship between SES and tobacco use initiation. Adolescents from lower SES backgrounds exhibited lower levels of harm knowledge and higher levels of tobacco susceptibility, which increased their likelihood of initiating tobacco use. <b>Conclusion:</b> This study highlights the complex interplay between social determinants and individual cognitive and psychological factors in influencing tobacco use initiation among adolescents. Public health interventions that enhance harm knowledge and reduce susceptibility to tobacco use are crucial for preventing initiation, particularly among racially, ethnically, and economically diverse adolescents. These efforts can help reduce health disparities and promote health equity.

This article focuses on primary liver cancer and tries to present a possible CBT-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy group intervention of 6 sessions and a follow up based on a scientific review. We present an international national data analyze of the problem and characterize it in terms of symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. From the psychological point of view our goal is to show and reflect on the connection between theory and practice in research mental health and the quality of life of people suffering from liver cancer. CBT interventions programme have shown efficacy and effectiveness on improving quality of life of patients. The expected outcomes of CBT intervention are mainly a better adaptation to cancer and a better perception on quality of live.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer in women. Several studies have shown the benefits of physical activity (PA) before and after treatment on the physical and psychological components of patients. Almost all of the studies mentioned are carried out on non-African patients over the age of 40. And no experimental studies have been carried out in young patients undergoing treatment for breast cancer. This is how we asked ourselves the question of whether a physical exercise program carried out on young Beninese women under the age of 30 undergoing treatment for breast cancer at the Saint Nicolas clinic in Porto-Novo could it have the same effects on their physical and psychological components? Our objective through this research is to study the potential effect of a physical activity program on the physical and psychological state in women under 30 years old (27±5.8 years) undergoing treatment for a breast cancer at the Saint Nicolas clinic in Porto-Novo. An experimental study was then carried out with 13 patients (very low rate of women in this section suffering from breast cancer) undergoing treatment throughout 2022 at the Saint Nicolas clinic in Porto-Novo. The experimental group followed a physical activity program consisting of aerobic and muscular exercises; over a period of 8 weeks. According to the data collected and the feedback from the patients, the physical activity program seems to have been beneficial for most of them. There is an improvement in the quality of life and the physical condition of the patients. In addition, the management of physical fatigue and psychological fatigue also seem to improve. There was also a marked improvement in the ability to concentrate and self-esteem. The physical activity program has improved the physical and psychological state of Beninese women with breast cancer

The article considers the problems of theoretical substantiation of negative informational and psychological impact evaluation principles, and conducting of relevant researches in this field. At the same time, due to imperfections of theory and practice of negative informational and psychological impact evaluation, previous researches were conducted mainly by “mirroring” the ways of information counteraction, both for our own measures of information and psychological influence, and for the adversary. The rationale for the methodological approaches used in the organization of information and psychological influence is due to inability to access the adversary's target audiences freely and gather the necessary information, as well as the inadequacy of assessing the degree of change in their behaviour. Characteristics mentioned in article classify target audiences according to defined indicators of remote information control of social and individual behaviour of possible objects of influence. Using the formulated conditions and relying on the psychological and psychophysiological characteristics of individuals, a database of target audience behaviour vulnerabilities is forming, that reflects the dependence of indicators of social behaviour perception changes on the intensity of external negative informational and psychological influences. The algorithm of target audience’s information perception is developed based on the model of planned behaviour, in which the subject’s overestimation of small values of probabilities are compared in dynamic with decrease of big ones. The proposed algorithm of evaluation of information-psychological impact allows to receive initial data based on which the model of target audience behaviour will be designed in any environmental conditions.

This is a comprehensive, multi-year study designed to explore proactive security technologies implemented in cloud-driven retail technology architectures. Deploying cloud technologies in the retail environment creates a need for more comprehensive and proactive security technologies that protect both the psychological estate and fiscal estate. This work contributes to cloud-driven retail research by investigating anticipatory security technologies across numerous case studies. These case studies offer best practice models for elevating proactive cybersecurity in retail environments. The academic and professional communities currently lack security information and practices that apply to the retail environment. It is anticipated that the final results of this project will have value in shaping the next set of research in cybersecurity in retail environments. Many retail organizations are restricted to reactive security operations. Advanced security technologies operate on piloted activations that require the intervention of security analysts. In actuality, basic security products and security operations are now piloted by automation and machine learning. In one case study, a retail CTO shares a forensics example using a proactive security technology aimed at both psychological estate and fiscal estate. In another case study, direct discussions provide a retail university lecturer with insight into the use of driven intelligence for inventory management. The use of card technology for a model is used as an example that can be implemented as security technology which can be offered as a service to retail organizations.