Impact of Retinitis Pigmentosa on Quality of Life, Mental Health, and Employment Among Young Adults

BACKGROUND Mental health and alcohol use problems are among the most common causes of disease burden in young Australians and lead to significant lifetime burden. Yet comorbidity remains significantly underdetected and undertreated in health settings. Digital mental health tools designed to identify at-risk individuals, encourage help-seeking or deliver treatment for comorbidity, have the potential to address this existing service gap. However, despite a strong body of evidence that digital mental health programs provide an effective treatment option for a range of mental health and alcohol use problems in young adults, research shows that uptake rates can be low. It is, thus, important to understand the factors that influence treatment satisfaction and quality of life outcomes for young adults who access eMental health interventions for comorbidity. OBJECTIVE This study sought to understand the factors that influence treatment satisfaction and quality of life outcomes for young adults who access eMental health interventions for comorbid alcohol and mood disorders. The aim was to determine the importance of personality (i.e., Big Five personality traits and intervention attitudes) and affective factors (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress levels) in predicting intervention trial engagement at sign-up, satisfaction with the online tool, and quality of life at the conclusion of the iTreAD trial (internet Treatment for Alcohol and Depression). METHODS Australian adults (N = 411) aged between 18 and 30 years who screened positive for depression and alcohol use problems signed up to the iTreAD project between August 2014 and October 2015. During registration, participants provided information about their personality, current affective state, treatment expectations and basic demographic information. Subsequent follow-up surveys were used to gauge ongoing trial engagement. The last follow-up questionnaire, completed at 64 weeks, assessed participants’ satisfaction with the online treatment and quality of life experiences. RESULTS Multiple linear regression analyses were employed to detect the relative influence of predictor variables on trial engagement, treatment satisfaction, and quality of life outcomes. Analyses revealed that the overall predictive effects of personality and affective factors were 20% or lower. Conscientiousness, neuroticism, and state-based anxiety constituted unique predictors of engagement with the iTreAD study, and state-based depression uniquely predicted variance in quality of life reports at the time of study completion. None of the selected predictors explained variances in treatment satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that traditional predictors of engagement observed in face-to-face research may not be easily transferable to digital health interventions, particularly those aimed at comorbid mental health concerns and alcohol misuse among young adults. More research is needed to identify what determines engagement in this cohort in order to optimally design and execute digital intervention studies with multiple treatment aims. CLINICALTRIAL ACTRN12614000310662 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR2-10.1186/s12889-015-2365-2

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Ecological Momentary Mood, Resilience, and Mental Health Status as Predictors of Quality of Life Among Young Adults Under Stress: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.672397 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Rachel-Tzofia Sinvani ◽

Haya Fogel-Grinvald ◽

Anat Afek ◽

Rina Ben-Avraham ◽

Alex Davidov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Young Adults ◽

Health Status ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Mental Health Status ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Psychological Resilience ◽

Ecological Momentary

Multiple internal factors, such as psychological resilience and mental health status, have been shown to contribute to overall quality of life (QoL). However, very few studies to date have examined how these factors contribute to QoL of youth and young adults in a stressful situation. Here, we studied the contribution of these factors, as well as of ecological momentary mood assessment, to QoL of young army recruits during their Basic Training Combat (BCT). To this end, we collected data from 156 male and female soldiers in a mixed-gender unit in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Using a mobile app installed on participants' phones, participants provided self-reports regarding their mental health status and psychological resilience at baseline, and QoL 2 weeks later. Momentary mood reporting was further collected during the 2-week interval period using a daily self-report mood scale (IMS-12). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the interrelationships among the study variables based on a hypothesized model. We found that a model with all factors (gender, resilience, mental health status and momentary mood) provided a good fit for the data based on its fit indices [χ2(38) = 47.506, p = 0.139, CFI = 0.979, NFI = 0.910, RMSEA = 0.040, TLI = 0.964]. However, the only direct contributors to QoL were gender and momentary mood, accounting together for 61.5% of the variance of QoL. Psychological resilience and mental health status contributed to QoL only indirectly, through their associations with momentary mood. Collectively, these results highlight the importance of ecological momentary assessment of mental-health related factors such as mood to the prediction of QoL in young adults under stress. These findings may have broader implications for monitoring and improvement of well-being in young healthy populations as well as in clinical ones.

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Effects of Cataract Surgery on Vision-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa and the Predictive Factors of Quality of Life Improvement

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2021/3846867 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Gen Miura ◽

Takayuki Baba ◽

Tomoaki Tatsumi ◽

Hirotaka Yokouchi ◽

Shuichi Yamamoto

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Retinitis Pigmentosa ◽

Cataract Surgery ◽

Before And After ◽

Related Quality ◽

Visual Function Questionnaire ◽

Life Improvement ◽

The Impact

Purpose. To determine the effects of cataract surgery and preoperative factors on the vision-related quality of life (QOL) in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Materials and Methods. This was a prospective, interventional study of 54 patients diagnosed with RP. The 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25) was used to determine the QOL before and after the cataract surgery. The correlations between the scores of the questionnaire and the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), macular structure, and degree of improvement of the NEI VFQ-25 scores were also determined. Results. Statistically significant improvements were observed in the BCVA and all of the NEI VFQ-25 subscale scores except for color vision. The improvement of general vision was the largest. The postoperative BCVA of the better-seeing eye was more strongly and significantly correlated with the postoperative NEI VFQ-25 scores than that of the worse-seeing eye. All of the postoperative NEI VFQ-25 scores were significantly correlated with the length of the ellipsoid zone (EZ) of the photoreceptors. No significant correlation was found between the preoperative general vision, near vision, mental health scores, and EZ length. All of the preoperative NEI VFQ-25 scores except the social function and mental health scores were negatively and significantly correlated with the degree of improvement of the NEI VFQ-25 score. The EZ length was significantly correlated with the degree of improvement of the NEI VFQ-25 scores of the general vision, distance vision, mental health, dependency, and composite 9 scores. Conclusions. Cataract surgery can significantly improve the NEI VFQ-25 scores in RP patients. The EZ length can be used to predict the postoperative VFQ scores. We conclude that the NEI VFQ-25 is a useful method to evaluate the impact of cataract surgery on the BCVA in patients with RP.

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Understanding the associations of prenatal androgen exposure on sleep physiology, circadian proteins, anthropometric parameters, hormonal factors, quality of life and sex among healthy young adults – BOAT international, multicentre study protocol (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.29199 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Wojciech Kuczyński ◽

Tetsuro Hoshino ◽

Aleksandra Kudrycka ◽

Aleksandra Małolepsza ◽

Urszula Karwowska ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Young Adults ◽

Phase I ◽

Finger Length ◽

Androgen Exposure ◽

Sleep Physiology ◽

Prenatal Androgen Exposure ◽

Prenatal Androgen

UNSTRUCTURED Background The ratio of second finger length to fourth finger length (2D:4D) is considered to be a negative correlate of prenatal androgen exposure and a positive correlate of prenatal oestrogen. Therefore males, on average, have a lower value of 2D:4D ratio as compared to females. Coincidentally, various brain regions are sensitive to prenatal androgen exposure, and their function in adulthood may be influenced by these prenatal actions of sex hormones. An example of such a brain region is the preoptic area which is involved in sleep and sexual functions. The objective of this study is to assess the relationship between prenatal androgen exposure (indicated by the 2D:4D ratio) and various physiological (sex hormone levels, sleep-wake parameters), psychological (mental health), as well as sexual parameters in young healthy adults. Methods The study consists of two phases: 1. In Phase I, we will conduct a survey-based study and anthropometric assessments (including 2D:4D ratio, body mass index) in healthy young adults. Using validated questionnaires, we will collect self-report data on sleep quality, sexual function, sleep chronotype, anxiety and depressive symptoms. 2. In Phase II, a sub-sample of Phase I will have polysomnography, physiological and genetic assessments. The sample recruited to this phase will comprise 100 healthy adults in each institution involved. Sleep architecture data will be obtained using a portable polysomnography. Venous blood will be drawn before and after polysomnograpy night and urine sample will be obtained in the morning. The level of testosterone, estradiol, progesterone, luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, prolactin, melatonin and circadian regulatory proteins (CLOCK, TIM, PER) and a few miRNAs expression level, will be measured. The rest and activity cycle will be monitored using an actigraphy for a 7 days period. Discussion The impact of the study may help to better understand the role of plausible prenatal androgen exposure on sleep physiology, mental health and sexual quality of life in young adults.

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Risk Factors for the Development of Low Quality of Life in Adults with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Galician Medical Journal ◽

10.21802/gmj.2018.2.12 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Marta Dzhus

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Risk Factors ◽

Young Adults ◽

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis ◽

Physical Health ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Health Score ◽

Physical Health Score

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is known to persist into adulthood which is associated with the development of a large number of long-term consequences, including low quality of life. The objective of the research was to evaluate quality of life in young adults with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and to analyze the risk factors for the development of its low level using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey. Materials and methods. There were examined 135 adult patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis without severe comorbidity at the age of 18 to 40 years and 25 apparently healthy young adults of the same age and gender. Quality of life was evaluated using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey. Results. In patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, the physical health score (44.8±9.9) was lower (p=0.001) as compared to healthy individuals (55.7±6.9). Patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis had lower indicators of physical functioning (p=0.001), role functioning (p=0.001) and bodily pain (p=0.001) than healthy individuals. However, in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, the indicators of the mental health score and associated vitality, social functioning, role limitations due to emotional problems and mental health did not differ from those in the control group. Prolonged morning stiffness (p<0.05) and polyarticular variant of joint damage (p<0.05) were the risk factors for the development of low physical health score in young adults with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. According to the articular juvenile arthritis damage index (p<0.001), the presence of long-term articular damage was associated with high physical health score. There were found no risk factors for the development of low mental health score. Conclusions. Young adults with juvenile idiopathic arthritis at the age of 18 to 40 years had worse quality of life than healthy individuals of the same age and gender. They had worse physical well-being scores including physical functioning, role functioning and bodily pain. The risk factors for the development of low physical health score in young adults with juvenile idiopathic arthritis were the presence of prolonged morning stiffness as a manifestation of disease activity and polyarticular variant of joint damage, while the presence of prosthetic joints improved their physical health score.

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