Tracy Trothen - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Tracy Trothen

Qualitative health research, Feb 29, 2024

International Journal of Stress Management

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the academic work environment. Studies have do... more The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the academic work environment. Studies have documented cross-sectional associations between COVID-related stress and mental health symptoms in university faculty and staff. However, longitudinal studies that can establish temporal associations are needed. Further, it is important to determine if relations to mental health symptoms are driven by worries about COVID-19 (i.e., perceptions of stress) or actual impacts of COVID-19 across domains of health, job, and relationships. The present study included 100 faculty and 265 staff at a medium-sized Canadian University who completed an adapted version of the electronic U-Flourish well-being survey at two time points (October, 2020 and March, 2021). Cross-lagged panel modeling provided evidence that levels of COVID-19 worries and COVID-19 impacts at baseline significantly positively predicted follow-up levels of anxiety over and above baseline levels. Further, baseline levels of anxiety were positively associated with follow-up levels of COVID-19 worries, but not with follow-up COVID-19 impacts. In contrast, none of the cross-lagged associations with depressive symptoms were significant. We suggest from these results that post-COVID-19 mental health recovery can be promoted by academic leadership in two main ways. First, reducing the impact of COVID-19 on anxiety could be achieved through strategies that enhance individuals' sense of control and predictability in their environment, including clear, consistent, and consolidated communication. Second, reducing worry about COVID-19 for faculty and staff with preexisting mental health symptoms might be achieved by broadening access to mental health support.

Bragging is generally offensive on fi eld or off, but here I am not that concerned about reaction... more Bragging is generally offensive on fi eld or off, but here I am not that concerned about reaction. In the interest of manners, though, I will ask to be pardoned for that offense in order to render praise where praise is due, in this case to Theology, Ethics and Transcendence in Sports, to the editors and to the contributors. In August of 2008 I am glad to say that I served as a reader for this text and was much impressed by what I saw even it its embryonic form. Here is a bit of what I wrote at the time. This kind of book is desperately needed in the modern world. Sport is not the cause of our social and cultural problems, but I would be hard put to suggest another area of our lives that better refl ects the symptoms owing to their connection with what Thorstein Veblen in Theory of the Leisure Class (1899) calls the "occupations" of predatory cultures, government, religion, warfare and sports.. .. Here is a sincere and honest endeavor to shed light on the crucial issues of modern sport, especially from a theological and ethical perspective. Very effectively the book engages the issues of winning, prayer, the relation between science and technology, sin and evil, ethical and spiritual concerns, sectarianism and resulting antagonism, to name only a few of the themes. A familiar credo in sports and politics and even traditional religion is "winning is the only thing," but the spirit in this book echoes the admonition in Proverbs 4:7, "With all thy getting get wisdom and with wisdom get understanding." Sport is about "standing"; genuine scholarship, on the other hand, is about "understanding." "Winning is the only thing" is warped, but that may not be the most distorted axiom, which might well be the following, generally regarded in a spirit of humor which is necessary for us to retain: "Sport is not a religion-it is more important than that," attributed to Paul "Bear" Bryant and others. Not surprisingly, Theology, Ethics and Transcendence in Sports is even more impressive in fi nal form than previously. The text moves on several fronts, the physical, intellectual, spiritual and ethical but not necessarily the doctrinal although that may be part of the Foreword xi wonderful essay on Augustine's notion of evil as the absence of good, also famously the response of Emerson, himself an advocate of sport. Theology, Ethics and Transcendence in Sports raises pressing questions, old and new, as does Sport and Spirituality: An Introduction (2007), several of the same editors and scholars involved in both projects. Ideally, what is needed is a paradigm shift in the study or sport, a multidisciplinary approach on a topic regarded by some as "the little brother of war" (at least Lacrosse), more important than religion, even a key to victory in politics, and as Simon Kuper in an article on July 25, 2009, the most popular topic in the world, number one in standing: If we would know ourselves, as counsel on the ancient Temple at Delphi advises, the study of sports in all its connections to the rest of art and life would seem to be an ideal quest for understanding of self and the world.

University of British Columbia Press eBooks, Jan 31, 2015

Routledge eBooks, Jun 29, 2020

This is an interdisciplinary study that applies Christian feminist theology and health sciences' ... more This is an interdisciplinary study that applies Christian feminist theology and health sciences' insights to the results of a study concerning adolescent girls and body image. The desire of adolescent girls to be thin is inherently connected to their desire for wholeness, acceptance and unconditional love, and the promise of Christianity reaches a wholeness of this depth. And yet, the reality of the church's relationship to the female body often results in destructive patterns of low body image and emotional health. Thus, using quantitative methods, we employed a large and representative sample of Canadian adolescent girls to: (1) investigate how often they report healthy and unhealthy images of their bodies; (2) relate perceptions of body image to self-reported adiposity (body mass index or BMI) status; (3) relate perceptions of body image to diets and other measures used to control body weight; and (4) to determine whether the above perceptions and relationships are modified by participation in church or religious groups. We present an initial overview of our findings that suggest that church involvement does not protect adolescent girls from modern challenges with body image. We then go on to consider the possible relationship between these findings and contemporary theologies. Practical implications for the practice of spiritual care are also identified. keywords adolescent girls, body image, church, health, feminist theology

BMC Primary Care, Feb 9, 2023

Background Primary care is often the first point of contact when community-dwelling older adults ... more Background Primary care is often the first point of contact when community-dwelling older adults experience subjective cognitive decline (SCD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Living with SCD or MCI can be life-altering, resulting in low mood and increased anxiety, further exacerbating cognitive decline. However, there is scant literature on interventions that interprofessional primary care providers can provide to support those living with SCD or MCI. Practicing mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in an interprofessional primary care setting may support emotional health and well-being for those with cognitive decline, but it has not been studied in an interprofessional primary care context. Objectives This study's primary aim was to determine the feasibility of, and perceived benefits to and satisfaction with, a 9-Week MBSR program delivered in a team-based primary care setting. The secondary aim was to examine the acceptability of using technology (computer tablet and App Insight Timer ®) for program delivery and home practice. Methods A convergent mixed-methods, single-blind pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) study design was used. A quantitative strand was used to evaluate the feasibility of the MBSR program. The qualitative strand used a focus group with older adult participants with SCD or MCI. Individual semi-structured interviews with occupational therapists who are qualified-MBSR teachers were conducted to explore the acceptability of using computer tablets for program delivery and home practice. Results 27 participants were randomized (14 MBSR; 13 Control) with retention rates of 64.3% (9/14 completed ≥6 sessions), true adherence rates of 50% (7/14 met ≥19.5 hrs of home practice), 21.4% attrition rates, and 100% postintervention follow-up. No participants who used computer tablets at the beginning of the intervention switched to low technology. Older adult participants found the use of computer tablets in the MBSR course acceptable and appreciated the portability of the tablets.

Health Promotion International, 2021

Summary Spirituality is an ancient concept with many contemporary applications to the field of he... more Summary Spirituality is an ancient concept with many contemporary applications to the field of health promotion. While recognized in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as a basic human right, definitional misunderstandings about what spirituality is, and is not, and the mechanisms by which it affects the health of young people, remain. In this cross-national analysis involving >75 000 adolescents from 12 countries, we examined the relative importance of each of four spiritual health domains (connections to self, others, nature and the transcendent) in the lives of young people, and how these connections relate to a standard indicator of positive mental health status. Descriptive and applied regression analyses confirmed two major findings: (i) boys and girls in all 12 countries ranked the importance of each of the four domains in the same order, with ‘connections to self’ identified as most important; and (ii) both direct and indirect pathways are evident that connect t...

Journal of Alzheimer's disease reports, Jul 24, 2023

Background: Community-dwelling older adults with early cognitive deficits experience less efficie... more Background: Community-dwelling older adults with early cognitive deficits experience less efficiency in performing everyday life tasks, resulting in decreased satisfaction and other adverse psychological outcomes. Mindfulness training has been linked to cognitive and psychological improvements and, most recently, has been identified as a potential intervention supporting performance of everyday life activities. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate whether mindfulness practice can improve perceived performance and satisfaction with everyday life activity and secondary psychological outcomes. Methods: This study is a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) in an interprofessional primary care team practice in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The participants were 27 older adults aged 60 years of age or older living with early cognitive deficits. Participants were randomized into an 8-Week mindfulness training program (n = 14) group or a Wait-List Control (WLC; n = 13) group compared at baseline, post-intervention and 4-weeks follow-up. MANOVAs with post-hoc independent t-tests were used to compare between groups at different time points. Results: There was a significant improvement in anxiety for the intervention group compared to the WLC group at postintervention; Time-2 (mean difference = 3.90; CI = 0.04-7.75; p = 0.04) with large effect size (d = 0.80). Conclusion: mindfulness training significantly improved anxiety scores for patients with early cognitive deficits postintervention. Further work is required to test the sustainability of reduced anxiety over time, but this study demonstrated that MBSR is a promising primary care intervention for those living with early cognitive deficits. This study warrants the pursuit of a future study in exploring how long the reduced anxiety effects would be sustained.

Springer eBooks, 2017

The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this p... more The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.

Journal of Medical Ethics, Dec 6, 2019

Conscientious objection has become a divisive topic in recent bioethics publications. Discussion ... more Conscientious objection has become a divisive topic in recent bioethics publications. Discussion has tended to frame the issue in terms of the rights of the healthcare professional versus the rights of the patient. However, a rights-based approach neglects the relational nature of conscience, and the impact that violating one’s conscience has on the care one provides. Using medical assistance in dying as a case study, we suggest that what has been lacking in the discussion of conscientious objection thus far is a recognition and prioritising of the relational nature of ethical decision-making in healthcare and the negative consequences of moral distress that occur when healthcare professionals find themselves in situations in which they feel they cannot provide what they consider to be excellent care. We propose that policies that respect the relational conscience could benefit our healthcare institutions by minimising the negative impact of moral distress, improving communication among team members and fostering a culture of ethical awareness. Constructive responses to moral distress including relational cultivation of moral resilience are urged.

Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement

The former South West Local Health Integration Network (SW LHIN) of Ontario, which is in a predom... more The former South West Local Health Integration Network (SW LHIN) of Ontario, which is in a predominantly rural region, regularly reports the lowest rates of caregiver distress in the province. Caregivers from rural communities regularly face challenges related to the access, applicability, and availability of supports and services, This qualitative case study describes perspectives of caregiving from the region, and explores how role construction and expectations of caregivers might both mitigate distress and influence service support use. Thematic analysis identified five themes: anticipated care, gendered caring, service support assumptions, confidence in community, and the “line in the sand”: care decisions for evolving needs. Using the lens of caregiver identity theory, the findings suggest that these caregivers conceptualize identity as an extension of their primary role, to include caregiving obligations and responsibilities. We also noted a steadfast confidence in community a...

Routledge eBooks, Mar 10, 2022

Mercer University Press, 2015

Qualitative health research, Feb 29, 2024

International Journal of Stress Management

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the academic work environment. Studies have do... more The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the academic work environment. Studies have documented cross-sectional associations between COVID-related stress and mental health symptoms in university faculty and staff. However, longitudinal studies that can establish temporal associations are needed. Further, it is important to determine if relations to mental health symptoms are driven by worries about COVID-19 (i.e., perceptions of stress) or actual impacts of COVID-19 across domains of health, job, and relationships. The present study included 100 faculty and 265 staff at a medium-sized Canadian University who completed an adapted version of the electronic U-Flourish well-being survey at two time points (October, 2020 and March, 2021). Cross-lagged panel modeling provided evidence that levels of COVID-19 worries and COVID-19 impacts at baseline significantly positively predicted follow-up levels of anxiety over and above baseline levels. Further, baseline levels of anxiety were positively associated with follow-up levels of COVID-19 worries, but not with follow-up COVID-19 impacts. In contrast, none of the cross-lagged associations with depressive symptoms were significant. We suggest from these results that post-COVID-19 mental health recovery can be promoted by academic leadership in two main ways. First, reducing the impact of COVID-19 on anxiety could be achieved through strategies that enhance individuals' sense of control and predictability in their environment, including clear, consistent, and consolidated communication. Second, reducing worry about COVID-19 for faculty and staff with preexisting mental health symptoms might be achieved by broadening access to mental health support.

Bragging is generally offensive on fi eld or off, but here I am not that concerned about reaction... more Bragging is generally offensive on fi eld or off, but here I am not that concerned about reaction. In the interest of manners, though, I will ask to be pardoned for that offense in order to render praise where praise is due, in this case to Theology, Ethics and Transcendence in Sports, to the editors and to the contributors. In August of 2008 I am glad to say that I served as a reader for this text and was much impressed by what I saw even it its embryonic form. Here is a bit of what I wrote at the time. This kind of book is desperately needed in the modern world. Sport is not the cause of our social and cultural problems, but I would be hard put to suggest another area of our lives that better refl ects the symptoms owing to their connection with what Thorstein Veblen in Theory of the Leisure Class (1899) calls the "occupations" of predatory cultures, government, religion, warfare and sports.. .. Here is a sincere and honest endeavor to shed light on the crucial issues of modern sport, especially from a theological and ethical perspective. Very effectively the book engages the issues of winning, prayer, the relation between science and technology, sin and evil, ethical and spiritual concerns, sectarianism and resulting antagonism, to name only a few of the themes. A familiar credo in sports and politics and even traditional religion is "winning is the only thing," but the spirit in this book echoes the admonition in Proverbs 4:7, "With all thy getting get wisdom and with wisdom get understanding." Sport is about "standing"; genuine scholarship, on the other hand, is about "understanding." "Winning is the only thing" is warped, but that may not be the most distorted axiom, which might well be the following, generally regarded in a spirit of humor which is necessary for us to retain: "Sport is not a religion-it is more important than that," attributed to Paul "Bear" Bryant and others. Not surprisingly, Theology, Ethics and Transcendence in Sports is even more impressive in fi nal form than previously. The text moves on several fronts, the physical, intellectual, spiritual and ethical but not necessarily the doctrinal although that may be part of the Foreword xi wonderful essay on Augustine's notion of evil as the absence of good, also famously the response of Emerson, himself an advocate of sport. Theology, Ethics and Transcendence in Sports raises pressing questions, old and new, as does Sport and Spirituality: An Introduction (2007), several of the same editors and scholars involved in both projects. Ideally, what is needed is a paradigm shift in the study or sport, a multidisciplinary approach on a topic regarded by some as "the little brother of war" (at least Lacrosse), more important than religion, even a key to victory in politics, and as Simon Kuper in an article on July 25, 2009, the most popular topic in the world, number one in standing: If we would know ourselves, as counsel on the ancient Temple at Delphi advises, the study of sports in all its connections to the rest of art and life would seem to be an ideal quest for understanding of self and the world.

University of British Columbia Press eBooks, Jan 31, 2015

Routledge eBooks, Jun 29, 2020

This is an interdisciplinary study that applies Christian feminist theology and health sciences' ... more This is an interdisciplinary study that applies Christian feminist theology and health sciences' insights to the results of a study concerning adolescent girls and body image. The desire of adolescent girls to be thin is inherently connected to their desire for wholeness, acceptance and unconditional love, and the promise of Christianity reaches a wholeness of this depth. And yet, the reality of the church's relationship to the female body often results in destructive patterns of low body image and emotional health. Thus, using quantitative methods, we employed a large and representative sample of Canadian adolescent girls to: (1) investigate how often they report healthy and unhealthy images of their bodies; (2) relate perceptions of body image to self-reported adiposity (body mass index or BMI) status; (3) relate perceptions of body image to diets and other measures used to control body weight; and (4) to determine whether the above perceptions and relationships are modified by participation in church or religious groups. We present an initial overview of our findings that suggest that church involvement does not protect adolescent girls from modern challenges with body image. We then go on to consider the possible relationship between these findings and contemporary theologies. Practical implications for the practice of spiritual care are also identified. keywords adolescent girls, body image, church, health, feminist theology

BMC Primary Care, Feb 9, 2023

Background Primary care is often the first point of contact when community-dwelling older adults ... more Background Primary care is often the first point of contact when community-dwelling older adults experience subjective cognitive decline (SCD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Living with SCD or MCI can be life-altering, resulting in low mood and increased anxiety, further exacerbating cognitive decline. However, there is scant literature on interventions that interprofessional primary care providers can provide to support those living with SCD or MCI. Practicing mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in an interprofessional primary care setting may support emotional health and well-being for those with cognitive decline, but it has not been studied in an interprofessional primary care context. Objectives This study's primary aim was to determine the feasibility of, and perceived benefits to and satisfaction with, a 9-Week MBSR program delivered in a team-based primary care setting. The secondary aim was to examine the acceptability of using technology (computer tablet and App Insight Timer ®) for program delivery and home practice. Methods A convergent mixed-methods, single-blind pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) study design was used. A quantitative strand was used to evaluate the feasibility of the MBSR program. The qualitative strand used a focus group with older adult participants with SCD or MCI. Individual semi-structured interviews with occupational therapists who are qualified-MBSR teachers were conducted to explore the acceptability of using computer tablets for program delivery and home practice. Results 27 participants were randomized (14 MBSR; 13 Control) with retention rates of 64.3% (9/14 completed ≥6 sessions), true adherence rates of 50% (7/14 met ≥19.5 hrs of home practice), 21.4% attrition rates, and 100% postintervention follow-up. No participants who used computer tablets at the beginning of the intervention switched to low technology. Older adult participants found the use of computer tablets in the MBSR course acceptable and appreciated the portability of the tablets.

Health Promotion International, 2021

Summary Spirituality is an ancient concept with many contemporary applications to the field of he... more Summary Spirituality is an ancient concept with many contemporary applications to the field of health promotion. While recognized in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as a basic human right, definitional misunderstandings about what spirituality is, and is not, and the mechanisms by which it affects the health of young people, remain. In this cross-national analysis involving >75 000 adolescents from 12 countries, we examined the relative importance of each of four spiritual health domains (connections to self, others, nature and the transcendent) in the lives of young people, and how these connections relate to a standard indicator of positive mental health status. Descriptive and applied regression analyses confirmed two major findings: (i) boys and girls in all 12 countries ranked the importance of each of the four domains in the same order, with ‘connections to self’ identified as most important; and (ii) both direct and indirect pathways are evident that connect t...

Journal of Alzheimer's disease reports, Jul 24, 2023

Background: Community-dwelling older adults with early cognitive deficits experience less efficie... more Background: Community-dwelling older adults with early cognitive deficits experience less efficiency in performing everyday life tasks, resulting in decreased satisfaction and other adverse psychological outcomes. Mindfulness training has been linked to cognitive and psychological improvements and, most recently, has been identified as a potential intervention supporting performance of everyday life activities. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate whether mindfulness practice can improve perceived performance and satisfaction with everyday life activity and secondary psychological outcomes. Methods: This study is a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) in an interprofessional primary care team practice in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The participants were 27 older adults aged 60 years of age or older living with early cognitive deficits. Participants were randomized into an 8-Week mindfulness training program (n = 14) group or a Wait-List Control (WLC; n = 13) group compared at baseline, post-intervention and 4-weeks follow-up. MANOVAs with post-hoc independent t-tests were used to compare between groups at different time points. Results: There was a significant improvement in anxiety for the intervention group compared to the WLC group at postintervention; Time-2 (mean difference = 3.90; CI = 0.04-7.75; p = 0.04) with large effect size (d = 0.80). Conclusion: mindfulness training significantly improved anxiety scores for patients with early cognitive deficits postintervention. Further work is required to test the sustainability of reduced anxiety over time, but this study demonstrated that MBSR is a promising primary care intervention for those living with early cognitive deficits. This study warrants the pursuit of a future study in exploring how long the reduced anxiety effects would be sustained.

Springer eBooks, 2017

The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this p... more The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.

Journal of Medical Ethics, Dec 6, 2019

Conscientious objection has become a divisive topic in recent bioethics publications. Discussion ... more Conscientious objection has become a divisive topic in recent bioethics publications. Discussion has tended to frame the issue in terms of the rights of the healthcare professional versus the rights of the patient. However, a rights-based approach neglects the relational nature of conscience, and the impact that violating one’s conscience has on the care one provides. Using medical assistance in dying as a case study, we suggest that what has been lacking in the discussion of conscientious objection thus far is a recognition and prioritising of the relational nature of ethical decision-making in healthcare and the negative consequences of moral distress that occur when healthcare professionals find themselves in situations in which they feel they cannot provide what they consider to be excellent care. We propose that policies that respect the relational conscience could benefit our healthcare institutions by minimising the negative impact of moral distress, improving communication among team members and fostering a culture of ethical awareness. Constructive responses to moral distress including relational cultivation of moral resilience are urged.

Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement

The former South West Local Health Integration Network (SW LHIN) of Ontario, which is in a predom... more The former South West Local Health Integration Network (SW LHIN) of Ontario, which is in a predominantly rural region, regularly reports the lowest rates of caregiver distress in the province. Caregivers from rural communities regularly face challenges related to the access, applicability, and availability of supports and services, This qualitative case study describes perspectives of caregiving from the region, and explores how role construction and expectations of caregivers might both mitigate distress and influence service support use. Thematic analysis identified five themes: anticipated care, gendered caring, service support assumptions, confidence in community, and the “line in the sand”: care decisions for evolving needs. Using the lens of caregiver identity theory, the findings suggest that these caregivers conceptualize identity as an extension of their primary role, to include caregiving obligations and responsibilities. We also noted a steadfast confidence in community a...

Routledge eBooks, Mar 10, 2022

Mercer University Press, 2015

The purpose of this event was to assist participants in thinking theologically and ethically abou... more The purpose of this event was to assist participants in thinking theologically and ethically about how gene-editing technology (esp. CRISPR) is challenging our understanding of what it means to be human, and how humans act as stewards of God’s creation. In the past 10 years, CRISPR technology has made a reality of human gene editing as well as creating novel genetically modified plants and animals. Applications include human health, human enhancement, food source enhancement, pest elimination, and the creation of innovative biological weapons. Using both an ethical and theological lens, our panel will guide our conversation on the potential risks and benefits of this new technology.