Examining the Relationship Between Ambivalence Over Emotional Expressiveness and Suicidal Ideation in Veterans: The Mediating Role of PTSD Symptoms

Background: Awareness of youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services (YFSRHS) is an important starting point for enabling young people to identify and seek appropriate sexual and reproductive health information and care. However, awareness of these services may vary across settings, including higher education institutions. Objective: To determine the level of awareness of YFSRHS among undergraduate students at Saint Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT), Malimbe Campus. Methods: A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate students at SAUT Malimbe Campus. Data were collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire. Of 109 questionnaires distributed, 108 completed questionnaires were included in the analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize students’ awareness and reported sources of information. Results: Of the 108 respondents, 96 (88.9%) reported having heard of YFSRHS, while 12 (11.1%) had not. Social media was the most frequently reported source of information (44.0%), followed by friends or peers (41.0%) and health facilities (36.0%). University programmes and posters or advertisements were reported less frequently. Conclusion: Most respondents had heard of YFSRHS, with social media and peer networks serving as prominent information channels. Strengthening accurate information through these channels, alongside university-based communication, may help address the awareness gap among students who remain unreached.

Emotional contagion refers to the process through which people's emotions may be influenced by the emotional states and expressions of others. This study examined self-reported responses to stress in other people and explored their association with perceived stress. A quantitative, cross-sectional online questionnaire was completed between October 25 and 27, 2026. Of 33 submissions, 32 participants consented and were included in the emotional-response analysis; 31 had sufficient responses for the preliminary perceived-stress analysis. The questionnaire included 15 researcher-developed statements about responses to others' stress and 10 perceived-stress questions resembling the Perceived Stress Scale?10 (PSS-10). Descriptive results showed that 90.6% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that they could sense stress in people around them, while 75.0% reported that stress in family, workplace, or educational settings affected their emotional well-being. An exploratory Spearman correlation indicated a positive association between the emotional-response composite and perceived-stress scores (rs = .526, p = .002, n = 31). This association must be interpreted cautiously because the emotional-response questionnaire was not validated and the exact perceived-stress instrument requires confirmation. Findings provide preliminary descriptive insight but do not establish causation.

Nurses delivered much of the direct care to COVID-19 patients and were repeatedly exposed to death, infection risk, and shortages of equipment, yet little is known about how Pakistani nurses experienced and managed posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). This qualitative study explored PTSS, experiences of trauma, perceived psychological impact, and coping strategies among nurses who cared for COVID-19 patients during peak pandemic waves. Eight registered nurses working in COVID wards and intensive care units of public hospitals in Islamabad and Rawalpindi were recruited through purposive sampling and took part in individual semi-structured interviews conducted in Urdu and basic English. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis. Four themes were generated: (a) symptoms related to trauma (altered sleep, changes in temperament, emotional reactivity, diminished interest in social life, flashbacks); (b) threats and stress due to COVID-19 (increased workload, direct threat to self and others, sense of isolation, lack of knowledge and equipment); (c) psychological impact of trauma (increased mental health concerns, burnout and compassion fatigue, elevated death anxiety, lack of optimism about the future); and (d) strategies to cope (sharing workload with the team, emotional support from colleagues). Seven of eight nurses described flashbacks, and accounts spanned several DSM-5 symptom clusters, although no diagnostic assessment was used. Peer teamwork and emotional support were the only coping resources reported, and no participant had received formal counselling. Peer solidarity seems to have been an informal resource of resilience where organizational support was absent and institutional psychological services should be built around it.

Effective leadership is important to the functioning and development of private higher education institutions. This study analyzed leadership experiences and perceptions at Africa Renewal University (AfRU), focusing on the qualities and practices perceived to contribute to effective leadership. A mixed-method case study design was used, combining structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with students, teaching staff, non-teaching staff, management and senior leaders. The study obtained responses from 133 participants out of a target population of 200, representing a 66.5% response rate. Transformational leadership was the most frequently identified leadership style across all respondent groups, reported by 86.96% of students, 77.5% of teaching staff, 66.67% of non-teaching staff, and 70% of management and senior leaders. Among the leadership qualities examined, integrity and ethics received the highest number of responses, followed by effective communication, problem-solving and decision-making. Empathy and emotional intelligence and visionary thinking were also identified, although their emphasis varied across respondent groups. The findings indicate that perceived leadership effectiveness at AfRU was associated with a combination of ethical conduct, effective communication and practical leadership capabilities within a predominantly transformational leadership context. The study highlights the importance of developing leaders who can combine ethical character with effective communication, decision-making and problem-solving in private higher education.