Course and Prediction of Caregiver Burden: Results of a 2-year Follow-up Study

Objective:The aim of the study was to identify the best predictors of the course of burden during a 2-year follow-up period. The study is part of the Munich 5-year follow-up study in relatives of first admitted patients with schizophrenia or depression.Method:A cohort of 60 key relatives was assessed based on a transactional stress model concerning objective and subjective burden, well-being, self-rated symptoms and global satisfaction with life. The stressors were defined as patients' illness variables, and the potential predictors included different dispositions and resources of the relatives. Effects were analyzed by regression models. In a first step, the main predictors of burden were identified at each assessment. In a second step, the resulting predictors were included in a Generalized Linear Modeling procedure.Results:Caregivers' burden improved significantly, but well-being and self-rated symptoms remained elevated. In the final regression model, expressed emotion, neuroticism, generalized negative stress response and life stressors resulted as the best predictors of burden. The effects were rather time invariant than time dependent.Conclusion:In order to effectively work on long-standing unfavourable patterns of stress response, family interventions should be long-term and targeted to vulnerable caregivers who could be identified by virtue of their personality traits.

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PUTRA-Adol study: protocol for an observational follow-up study to assess the tracking of dietary patterns linked to cardiometabolic risk factors and its prospective relationship with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, carotid intima-medial thickness and mental well-being during adolescence in Malaysia

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044747 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. e044747

Author(s):

Geeta Appannah ◽

Nor Aishah Emi ◽

Mugambikai Magendiran ◽

Zalilah Mohd Shariff ◽

Azriyanti Anuar Zaini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Cardiometabolic Risk ◽

Well Being ◽

Cardiometabolic Risk Factors ◽

Dietary Intakes ◽

Alcoholic Fatty Liver ◽

Follow Up Study ◽

Carotid Intima Medial Thickness ◽

Mental Well Being

IntroductionGrowing evidence suggesting that dietary intakes of adolescents are generally of poor quality but not adequately assessed in relation to the early manifestation of non-communicable diseases. This study aimed; (1) to examine tracking of an empirical dietary pattern (DP) linked to cardiometabolic risk factors and, (2) to assess prospective relationships between a DP characterised by high intakes of dietary energy density (DED) and added sugar, and cardiometabolic risk factors, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), carotid intima-medial thickness (CIMT) and mental well-being during adolescence.Methods and analysisThe PUTRA-Adol is a prospective follow-up study that builds up from 933 Malaysian adolescents who were initially recruited from three southern states in Peninsular Malaysia in 2016 (aged 13 years then). Two sessions are planned; the first session will involve the collection of socio-economy, physical activity, dietary intakes, mental well-being, body image, risk taking behaviour, sun exposure, family functioning and menstrual (in women) information. The second session of data collection will be focused on direct assessments such as venesection for blood biochemistry, anthropometry and ultrasonography imaging of liver and bilateral carotid arteries. Z-scores for an empirical DP will be identified at 16 years using reduced rank regression. Multilevel modelling will be conducted to assess the tracking of DP and prospective analysis between the DP, cardiometabolic health, NAFLD, CIMT and mental well-being.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval for the conduct of this follow-up study was obtained from the Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Ethics Committee for Research Involving Human Subjects (JKEUPM) (Reference number: JKEUPM-2019–267). The findings from this study will be disseminated in conferences and peer-reviewed journals.DiscussionThe findings gathered from this study will provide evidence on prospective relationships between DPs, cardiometabolic risk factors, NAFLD, early atherosclerosis and mental well-being and that it may be mediated particularly DED and added sugar during adolescence.

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Problem drinking and psychological well-being: A five year follow-up study for adolescence to young adulthood

Scandinavian Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1111/1467-9450.00117 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 40 (3) ◽

pp. 197-207 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Tuuli Pitkäned

Keyword(s):

Young Adulthood ◽

Problem Drinking ◽

Well Being ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Follow Up Study

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Psychological Well-Being as an Additional Outcome Parameter in the Treatment of Patients with Gambling Disorder: Results from a Clinical Multicenter Follow-Up Study

Journal of Happiness Studies ◽

10.1007/s10902-016-9766-5 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 1045-1059

Author(s):

Kai W. Müller ◽

Lisa Naab ◽

Klaus Wölfling ◽

Manfred E. Beutel ◽

Ulrike Dickenhorst ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gambling Disorder ◽

Well Being ◽

Outcome Parameter ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Follow Up Study

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Imaginal Retraining Reduces Craving for Tobacco in 1-Year Controlled Follow-Up Study

European Addiction Research ◽

10.1159/000518678 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Josefine Gehlenborg ◽

Anja S. Göritz ◽

Steffen Moritz ◽

Thies Lüdtke ◽

Simone Kühn

Keyword(s):

Training Group ◽

Well Being ◽

Initial Study ◽

Smoking Behaviour ◽

Significant Group ◽

Follow Up Study ◽

Term Efficacy ◽

Group Data

Introduction: Imaginal retraining is a self-help technique that adapts the principles of approach bias modification to the imagination. Imaginal retraining has been shown to reduce craving and addictive behaviours in 3 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on problematic alcohol consumption, overweight, and tobacco use. To date, there have been no studies evaluating the long-term efficacy of the intervention. The aim of the present study was to generate first hypotheses on the long-term efficacy of imaginal retraining in smokers in a controlled 1-year follow-up study. Materials and Methods: We recontacted the 345 participants who had taken part in an RCT on imaginal retraining for smokers 1 year later. The survey was carried out online and assessed craving for tobacco (primary outcome), smoking behaviour, well-being, and subjective appraisal. Individuals who applied the technique at least once during the previous year were categorized as the training group, whereas participants who never performed the training were categorized as the no-training group. Data were analysed using linear mixed models (LMMs). The study was preregistered as DRKS00021044. Results: The completion rate was 45.5%. Less than 40% used the intervention at least once in the previous 12 months. LMM analyses showed a significant reduction in craving for tobacco for the training compared to the no-training group after 1 year. No significant group differences emerged in smoking behaviour, depressive symptoms, or quality of life. Subjective appraisal of the intervention was favorable, similar to the initial study. Conclusion: The present study provides preliminary support for the long-term efficacy of imaginal retraining on craving for tobacco but not on smoking behaviour, highlighting the importance of multimodal treatment concepts in smoking cessation that target a variety of maintaining factors. Future studies need to investigate the long-term efficacy of the intervention in prospective RCTs that test alternative ways of conveying the technique to improve adherence.

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The Influence of Social Media on International Students' Global Life Satisfaction and Academic Performance

Student Engagement and Participation ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-2584-4.ch063 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 1255-1275

Author(s):

Neete Saha ◽

Aryn C. Karpinski

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Academic Performance ◽

International Students ◽

Satisfaction With Life ◽

Media Use ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Positive Influence ◽

Social Media Use ◽

Global Satisfaction

Numerous studies have investigated the impact of socialization agents (social media) on domestic university students' academic performance and psychological well-being, while the influence of these agents on the increasing population of international students at universities in the United States (US) remains understudied. The current study examined international students' (N = 331) global satisfaction with life as a mediator in the relationship between general social media use (and Skype™ use) and academic performance. The results indicated that both mediation models were supported. Social media and Skype™ use were positively predictive of satisfaction with life, and there was a positive relationship between satisfaction with life and academic performance. These findings have implications for university staff and administrators who need to be aware of the positive influence social media use has on international students' perceptions of their experiences, which in turn can positively impact their academic performance.

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