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Nurses are at high risk of burnout and subsequent mental health concerns due to problems with overstaffing, immense workload volume, and personal health risks associated with the job. Effective mental health treatments are available but potential barriers to receiving care may prevent nurses from benefiting. The Emotional Health and Well-Being Clinic (EHWC) at Houston Methodist is an outpatient mental health clinic offering therapy and medication management services for employees and employee dependents of our institution. The EHWC is uniquely positioned to observe how nurses utilize mental health services and to address barriers to effective care for this vital group of healthcare professionals. This paper provides descriptive data on the utilization of mental health services by nurses in the EHWC and a discussion of possible challenges faced by this group when seeking care. Based on these data, we propose potential solutions to ensure that nurses can achieve maximum benefit from outpatient mental health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, social assistive robots have gained significant acceptance in healthcare settings, particularly for tasks such as patient care and monitoring. This paper offers a comprehensive overview of the expressive humanoid robot, Qhali, with a focus on its industrial design, essential components, and validation in a controlled environment. The industrial design phase encompasses research, ideation, design, manufacturing, and implementation. Subsequently, the mechatronic system is detailed, covering sensing, actuation, control, energy, and software interface. Qhali's capabilities include autonomous execution of routines for mental health promotion and psychological testing. The software platform enables therapist-directed interventions, allowing the robot to convey emotional gestures through joint and head movements and simulate various facial expressions for more engaging interactions. Finally, with the robot fully operational, an initial behavioral experiment was conducted to validate Qhali's capability to deliver telepsychological interventions. The findings from this preliminary study indicate that participants reported enhancements in their emotional well-being, along with positive outcomes in their perception of the psychological intervention conducted with the humanoid robot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Suicidal behavior is a serious public health problem and a major cause of death among adolescents. Three categories of major risk factors have been identified: psychological factors, stressful life events, and personality traits. Severe and objective stressful life events (SLEs), such as childhood mistreatment or abuse, have been clearly associated with higher rates of suicide risk. However, the relationship between suicide risk and adolescents' perceptions of the SLE impact is not as clear. This paper studies the relationship between SLE impact perception and suicide risk and the possible mediating role of perceived family functioning in this relationship. The need for longer-term or more intense psychological or psychiatric treatment in relation to SLE impact perception is also addressed. Method: One hundred forty-seven adolescents aged 11–17 were consecutively recruited from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Outpatient Services Department of a general hospital in Madrid, Spain. Self-informed questionnaires were used to assess suicide risk, SLEs, and family functioning. In addition, the clinical records of the participants were consulted to collect information about their treatment histories, including the number of appointments and the duration of follow-up. Results: SLE impact perception correlates significantly with suicide risk, the number of clinical appointments, the duration of treatment, and the perceived level of family functioning. The mediation model of the family functioning perception variable in the relationship between SLE impact perception and suicide risk is significant. The linear regression model of SLE impact perception and family functioning perception on suicide risk is also significant, accounting for 25.7% of the variance. Conclusions: Beyond the clear and proven effect of serious and objective SLEs, the perceived impact of SLEs reported by adolescents is related to an increased risk of suicide and more intense psychological and/or psychiatric follow-up. This relationship is mediated by the perceived level of family functioning. Adolescents' perceptions of their life experiences and perceived family support may be key determinants of suicide risk prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to identify the physical and psychological difficulties of children with atopic dermatitis and their caregivers, and to investigate the effects of participation in a novel therapeutic gardening program based on psychological intervention on their physical and mental health. The program, consisting of 15 sessions, was conducted for approximately 4 months in urban gardens in Seoul and involved 30 children with atopic dermatitis and their caregivers. Additionally, a control group of 30 non-participating caregivers was recruited for comparative analysis. The psychological and emotional changes in caregivers were assessed using six self-report scales (depression, anxiety, stress, vitality, life satisfaction, parenting efficacy) before and after participation in the program. Additionally, the depression index (CDI) and atopic dermatitis index (SCORAD, TEWL) were measured for the children with atopic dermatitis. The research results indicate that the therapeutic gardening program utilizing psychological intervention had a positive impact on the physiological and psychological health of participants. These results are significant as they demonstrate the clinical application of the professionally developed therapeutic gardening program through active intervention and operation. This study suggests that this program can serve as an effective intervention in improving the mental health of both children with atopic dermatitis and their caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has shown that barriers and facilitators in psychotherapy exhibit similarities. The authors of this study are of the view that to effectively address the difficulties encountered in psychotherapy for children and adolescents, it is crucial to consider the points of view of professionals who have firsthand encounters with children. The purpose of this study was to effectively explore barriers and facilitators in the treatment of children exposed to trauma and violence. Exploratory and descriptive methods, as components of a qualitative research design, were employed to investigate and articulate the barriers and facilitators involved in managing childhood trauma. An advertisement was used to recruit participants. It was developed and distributed to psychologists and social workers recommended by the Thohoyandou Victim Empowerment Programme. Seventeen professionals were individually interviewed using semi-structured interview schedules. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The findings of the study indicated a lack of commitment from parents in honouring appointments, financial challenges, a fear of perpetrators associated with the poor reporting of incidences, professional boundaries, and referral route challenges. Familiar facilitators in the management of childhood trauma included continuous training and workshops for all people working with childhood trauma and violence, the employment of more victim advocates, and awareness campaigns. Additionally, the referral pathway for traumatised children presents logistical, psychological, and educational hurdles, underscoring the complex nature of meeting the needs of these vulnerable populations within the healthcare system. In conclusion, even while the currently available research supports the barriers and facilitators for this population, more investigation is required to examine how these factors affect treatment outcomes, particularly in community-based settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perceived value of the integration of spirituality and religion (SR) in mental health care is growing. This study aimed to adapt an SR intervention developed in the USA (SPIRIT) for use in the Netherlands and to explore its applicability. Employing a participatory practice-based action research design, professionals, clients, and an advisory board collaborated in iterative cycles of translation, adaptation, discussion, and testing. The ongoing interfaith dialog during the adaptation process broadened the perspectives incorporated into the existing handouts. We added the term "meaning" (M) alongside SR to accommodate patients who do not identify with religion or spirituality. Additionally, several handouts were added to the original protocol: autonomy, responsibility, and liberty; loneliness and belonging; inspiring persons in the past and present; and grief and loss. Moreover, the existing handout on sacred verses was expanded to encompass versions from various outlooks on life: philosophical/humanistic, Judeo-Christian, Buddhist, Islamic, and Hindu. Finally, layout modifications and diverse exercise formats were introduced. A qualitative examination revealed that the adapted SPIRIT protocol was well received by professionals and patients, and quantitative studies on its applicability and usefulness are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While psychotherapy incorporating equine interaction (PIE) has proven to be a viable therapeutic intervention, it is not a common mental health service found on college campuses. Nevertheless, with the rise of mental health challenges on campuses after the COVID-19 pandemic, a need for effective therapeutic solutions is warranted. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of a collegiate recovery community (CRC) PIE program for substance abuse disorder (SUD) compared to that of traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and to determine whether physiological synchronization occurs between the human and horse during the therapy process. College-aged adults were recruited during the COVID-19 pandemic for two types of short-term SUD therapeutic interventions, CRC-PIE and CBT. Both groups completed a self-reporting survey assessing emotional safety. Vital signs measurements for human and horse participants within the CRC-PIE were collected prior to and after the first and last therapeutic sessions. Results concluded that although emotional safety did not improve significantly for PIE participants by the last therapy session (p = 0.85), emotional safety scores were significantly different between therapy types, with lower post-therapy scores for PIE (p = 0.04). As for physiological measures for PIE participants, respiratory rates (Human: p = 0.01; Horse: p = 0.01) and pain rating scores (Human: p = 0.03; Horse: p = 0.01) significantly decreased post-therapy and a strong positive correlation (R = 0.73, R2 = 0.53) associated with vital signs was observed between humans and horses. This human–horse physiological synchronization during the therapeutic intervention suggests that the horse may be a viable tool within campus CRC programs for the development of therapeutic alliances within the therapy process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]