Humanistic Studies and Social Researches

Abstract Background: The importance of sleep quality for neurobiological and psychological health is increasingly recognized in multidisciplinary research. Current findings indicate that sleep quality serves as a key mediator connecting advanced cognitive operations with emotional control, highlighting the need for a unified overview of these interrelated processes.
Objective: This review seeks to combine current research to clarify the two-way connections between sleep quality, fundamental cognitive areas (attention, memory, executive function), and emotion regulation abilities, and to describe the common neural foundations that support these interactions.
Methods: A narrative study was performed. Literature from 2000–2025 was gathered from PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science using search terms such as "sleep quality," "cognitive function," "emotion regulation," "prefrontal cortex," "amygdala," "sleep deprivation," and "neuroimaging." Selected studies included meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, longitudinal studies, and notable neuroimaging research.
Results: Strong evidence indicates that inadequate sleep quality—including short duration, fragmentation, and disrupted sleep stages—significantly harms attention, memory formation, and all aspects of executive function. At the same time, it increases negative emotional responses, reduces positive emotions, and weakens the ability to control emotions consciously. Neurobiological research points to dysregulation in the prefrontal-amygdala circuit and impaired hippocampal activity as central explanations. These influences are bidirectional, creating harmful cycles that can contribute to mental health disorders.
Conclusion: Sleep quality is a fundamental component of mental and brain health, inseparably connecting cognitive and emotional functioning. Sleep-focused interventions, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), offer broad treatment potential for improving thinking skills and emotional well-being. Future studies should use long-term designs and examine factors related to individual differences.

Abstract Background: The global teaching profession faces a sustainability crisis characterized by escalating attrition rates linked to deteriorating mental health and professional burnout. School leadership has emerged as a critical, modifiable organizational factor influencing these teacher outcomes, with significant implications for educational quality and equity.
Objective: This review evaluated empirical research from 2000-2025 to investigate relationships between distinct educational leadership styles and teachers' mental health and burnout levels, identify mediating mechanisms, and highlight implications for educational practice and policy.
Methods: A comprehensive narrative systematic review was conducted using electronic databases (ERIC, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science). Search terms combined leadership constructs ("educational leadership," "transformational leadership"), well-being indicators ("teacher burnout," "mental health"), and contextual factors ("school climate," "organizational support"). Inclusion criteria encompassed empirical studies examining leadership as an independent variable and teacher well-being as dependent variables in K-12 settings.
Results: Transformational and distributed leadership styles demonstrate consistent protective effects against teacher burnout while promoting psychological well-being. Laissez-faire leadership emerges as the most robust predictor of adverse mental health outcomes. Transactional leadership shows context-dependent effects, while abusive leadership produces unequivocally negative consequences. Key mediating pathways include perceived organizational support, self-efficacy, and school climate quality.
Conclusion: Educational leadership style constitutes a fundamental determinant of teacher psychological functioning and professional sustainability. Prioritizing leadership development focused on supportive, empowering practices represents an essential strategy for creating healthier schools and retaining high-quality teaching professionals.

Abstract Background: Although oncology traditionally emphasizes survival rates, the patient's journey is deeply influenced by their subjective experience and psychological state. Continuity of Care (CoC)—the consistent, coordinated, and unified management of care over time—is increasingly recognized as a vital element that extends beyond its possible effects on mortality.
Objective: This review consolidates current research to explore how CoC affects patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) and mental health results in individuals with cancer.
Methods: A systematic search of databases (including PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL) was performed for studies published from 2000 to 2024. Search terms comprised "continuity of care," "cancer," "oncology," "patient experience," "quality of life," "anxiety," "depression," "care coordination," and "therapeutic alliance."
results: Substantial evidence shows that greater CoC is reliably linked to better patient experiences, including enhanced communication, trust, and security. Additionally, CoC serves as an important protective factor against psychological illness, lowering anxiety, depression, and sensations of abandonment, especially during care transitions and survivorship.
Conclusion: CoC is a core, adjustable component of quality cancer care that directly improves patients' care experiences and protects their mental health. Emphasizing CoC through intentional models and policies is crucial for realizing genuinely patient-focused oncology.

Abstract Background: Transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals experience significant mental health disparities, including elevated rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality, largely attributable to minority stress. Gender transition can ameliorate gender dysphoria but also introduces psychosocial challenges. Social support is theorized as a critical moderator of mental health outcomes during this process.
Objective: To systematically review and evaluate contemporary evidence on the impact of multifaceted social support on the mental health of TGD individuals throughout gender transition.
Methods: A narrative synthesis of empirical literature (2010-2025) was conducted. Databases searched included PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus. Keywords included "gender dysphoria," "social support," "transitioning," "mental health," and "transgender." Included studies focused on TGD populations, assessed social support as a variable, and measured mental health or well-being outcomes.
Results: Consistent evidence from 40 reviewed studies indicates that affirming social support from family, peers, partners, healthcare providers, and community structures is strongly associated with superior mental health outcomes. This includes significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and suicidality, alongside improved quality of life, self-esteem, and treatment adherence. Familial acceptance, in particular, is a potent protective factor for youth. Conversely, support rejection, especially familial rejection, is linked to exponentially worse outcomes, including homelessness and survival sex work.
Conclusion: Social support is a fundamental determinant of mental health resilience in TGD populations. It directly buffers minority stress and facilitates successful transitioning. Clinical practice must routinely assess and foster support networks, while policy must aim to create structurally affirming environments. Future research should employ longitudinal designs and focus on under-represented subgroups.

Abstract Objective:to explore how different forms of digital use, including social media scrolling, generalized internet immersion, and habitual smartphone engagement, intersect with dietary choices, movement patterns, sleep routines, and broader mental health outcomes among varied demographic groups.

Methods:

The review synthesizes findings from peer-reviewed studies that focus on social media or internet addiction alongside research on physical activity, eating behaviors, and sleep quality, that shows how these behaviors converge.

Results:

A growing body of evidence points to excessive digital involvement as a notable contributor to disordered eating behaviors, nighttime eating episodes, orthorexic traits, and a heightened intake of sugar-sweetened or ultra-processed foods that shows the subtle ways digital patterns seep into daily habits. Physical activity frequently declines when social media addiction intensifies, although structured interventions and fitness-focused applications appear capable of buffering some negative outcomes. Sleep quality tends to erode under heavy screen exposure, social media fatigue, and gaming addiction, and this decline becomes more pronounced when poor impulse regulation or late-evening device use is present. Adolescents show striking vulnerability given their developmental stage and social pressures, though adults also encounter addiction-like symptoms including compulsive engagement and nomophobia. Cultural norms and socioeconomic conditions further shape how these factors interact.

Conclusion:

Digital engagement carries substantial influence over lifestyle behaviors and psychological well-being, which indicates urgent need for interventions that promote digital literacy, regular movement, balanced nutrition, and supportive sleep habits. These strategies must remain culturally adaptable in order to prevent harmful patterns of digital dependence and sustain holistic health across age groups.

Abstract Background: The COVID-19 pandemic forced nursing education and practice into an unprecedented crisis that is constantly shifting most teaching online overnight and intensifying already high levels of stress among nurses.

Objective: This review examines how nursing students and professional nurses around the world experienced and managed heightened psychological pressure during the pandemic, highlighting both adaptive and maladaptive ways of coping.

Methods: A narrative synthesis of international studies conducted between 2020 and 2025 explored common stressors, preferred coping approaches, and factors that supported or hindered resilience in diverse settings.

Results: Academic workload, fear of infection, isolation from peers and family, financial strain, and limited hands-on training emerged as universal sources of distress. Many turned to helpful strategies such as planning ahead, seeking emotional support from colleagues, reframing difficult situations positively, and using humor or structured reflection techniques. These approaches consistently reduced anxiety, lowered burnout, and helped people stay in school or remain at work. In contrast, avoidance, denial, or emotional detachment often worsened mental health and increased dropout intentions. Strong social networks, institutional mental health programs, resilience training, and clear communication tools proved especially protective.

Conclusion: The pandemic exposed serious gaps in mental health support for nursing students and nurses, yet it also revealed remarkable adaptability worldwide. Moving forward, nursing programs and healthcare organizations should routinely teach evidence-based stress management, build peer-support systems, and provide accessible counseling. Embedding these practices into everyday training will better equip the next generation of nurses to handle future crises while protecting their own well-being.