scholarly journals A longitudinal evaluation of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with pre-existing anxiety disorders

Author(s):  
K Hennigan ◽  
M McGovern ◽  
R Plunkett ◽  
S Costello ◽  
C McDonald ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives: To examine if the Covid-19 pandemic is associated with a differential effect over time in relation to its’ psychological and social impact on patients with established anxiety disorders. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 individuals attending the Galway-Roscommon Mental Health Services with an ICD-10 diagnosis of an anxiety disorder at two-time points (six-months apart) to determine the impact of the Covid-19 restrictions on anxiety and depressive symptoms, social and occupational functioning and quality of life. Results: No statistical difference in symptomatology was noted between the two time points in relation to anxiety symptoms as measured utilising psychometric rating scales (BAI, HARS) or utilising a Likert Scale. The greatest impact of COVID-19 at both time points related to social functioning and quality of life. Significant variability was noted for individual participants. Qualitative analysis noted social isolation, concern for the participants’ future and increased difficulty managing anxiety with ongoing restrictions. Conclusions: No significant overall change in symptomatology or functioning over time was noted for individuals with pre-existing anxiety disorders. Variability was however demonstrated between individuals, with some individuals describing ongoing anxiety, social isolation and concern for their future. Identifying those with ongoing symptoms or distress and providing multidisciplinary support to this cohort is suggested.

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 66-67
Author(s):  
Xiangjing Kong ◽  
Juan Li ◽  
Zhijian Liu ◽  
Jing Wang ◽  
Bei Wu

Abstract This study examined the impactof social isolation on cognitive function and Quality of Life (QoL) among acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients in China. We conducted in-person interviews among 206 AIS patients during the acute stage and at 3-month after onset in three cities between May 2020 and February 2021. The data was collected during and post-COVID-19 period in China. We conducted bivariate and multipleregression analyses.Results show that over time, average level of social isolation decreased, and cognitive function and QoL increased.After controllingfor covariates, social isolation was negatively associated with cognitive function (β=-0.438, p<0.01) and QoL (β=-2.521, p<0.01). These findings suggest that addressing the issue of social isolation could potentially impact patients’ cognitive function and QoL.Future studies are needed to further examine the linkages between long-term social isolation and changes in cognitive function and QoL among AIS patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Åsa Kettis ◽  
Hanna Fagerlind ◽  
Jan-Erik Frödin ◽  
Bengt Glimelius ◽  
Lena Ring

Abstract Background Effective patient-physician communication can improve patient understanding, agreement on treatment and adherence. This may, in turn, impact on clinical outcomes and patient quality of life (QoL). One way to improve communication is by using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). Heretofore, studies of the impact of using PROMs in clinical practice have mostly evaluated the use of standardized PROMs. However, there is reason to believe that individualized instruments may be more appropriate for this purpose. The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of the standardized QoL-instrument, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life C-30 (EORTC-QOL-C30) and the individualized QoL instrument, the Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life-Direct Weighting (SEIQoL-DW), in clinical practice. Methods In a prospective, open-label, controlled intervention study at two hospital out-patient clinics, 390 patients with gastrointestinal cancer were randomly assigned either to complete the EORTC-QOL-C30 or the SEIQoL-DW immediately before the consultation, with their responses being shared with their physician. This was repeated in 3–5 consultations over a period of 4–6 months. The primary outcome measure was patients’ health-related QoL, as measured by FACIT-G. Patients’ satisfaction with the consultation and survival were secondary outcomes. Results There was no significant difference between the groups with regard to study outcomes. Neither intervention instrument resulted in any significant changes in health-related QoL, or in any of the secondary outcomes, over time. This may reflect either a genuine lack of effect or sub-optimization of the intervention. Since there was no comparison to standard care an effect in terms of lack of deterioration over time cannot be excluded. Conclusions Future studies should focus on the implementation process, including the training of physicians to use the instruments and their motivation for doing so. The effects of situational use of standardized or individualized instruments should also be explored. The effectiveness of the different approaches may depend on contextual factors including physician and patient preferences.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Daniela Viramontes-Hörner ◽  
Zoe Pittman ◽  
Nicholas M Selby ◽  
Maarten W Taal

Abstract Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is severely impaired in persons receiving dialysis. Malnutrition has been associated with some measures of poor HRQoL in cross-sectional analyses in dialysis populations, but no studies have assessed the impact of malnutrition and dietary intake on change in multiple measures of HRQoL over time. We investigated the most important determinants of poor HRQoL and the predictors of change in HRQoL over time using several measures of HRQoL. We enrolled 119 haemodialysis and 31 peritoneal dialysis patients in this prospective study. Nutritional assessments (Subjective Global Assessment [SGA], anthropometry and 24-hour dietary recalls) and HRQoL questionnaires (Short Form-36 [SF-36] mental [MCS] and physical component scores [PCS] and European QoL-5 Dimensions [EQ5D] health state [HSS] and visual analogue scores [VAS]) were performed at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Mean age was 64(14) years. Malnutrition was present in 37% of the population. At baseline, malnutrition assessed by SGA was the only factor independently (and negatively) associated with all four measures of HRQoL. No single factor was independently associated with decrease in all measures of HRQoL over 1 year. However, prevalence/development of malnutrition over one year was an independent predictor of 1-year decrease in EQ5D HSS and 1-year decrease in fat intake independently predicted the 1-year decline in SF-36 MCS and PCS, and EQ5D VAS. These findings strengthen the importance of monitoring for malnutrition and providing nutritional advice to all persons on dialysis. Future studies are needed to evaluate the impact of nutritional interventions on HRQoL and other long-term outcomes.


Author(s):  
Phillip D. Stevenson ◽  
Christopher A. Mattson ◽  
Kenneth M. Bryden ◽  
Nordica A. MacCarty

More than ever before, engineers are creating products for developing countries. One of the purposes of these products is to improve the consumer’s quality of life. Currently, there is no established method of measuring the social impact of these types of products. As a result, engineers have used their own metrics to assess their product’s impact, if at all. Some of the common metrics used include products sold and revenue, which measure the financial success of a product without recognizing the social successes or failures it might have. In this paper we introduce a potential metric, the Product Impact Metric (PIM), which quantifies the impact a product has on impoverished individuals — especially those living in developing countries. It measures social impact broadly in five dimensions: health, education, standard of living, employment quality, and security. The PIM is inspired by the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) created by the United Nations Development Programme. The MPI measures how the depth of poverty within a nation changes year after year, and the PIM measures how an individual’s quality of life changes after being affected by an engineered product. The Product Impact Metric can be used to predict social impacts (using personas that represent real individuals) or measure social impacts (using specific data from products introduced into the market).


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Á Szabó ◽  
Eva Neely ◽  
C Stephens

© The Author(s) 2019. Community grandparenting may promote the well-being of older adults. We examined the impact of non-kin and grandparental childcare on quality of life and loneliness using longitudinal data from 2653 older New Zealanders collected over 2 years. Providing both non-kin and grandparental childcare predicted greater self-realisation for women only and was associated with reduced levels of control and autonomy for men. Non-kin childcare was also associated with reduced social loneliness over time independent of gender. Findings suggest that non-kin grandparenting has psychosocial benefits for older adults. Surrogate grandparenting offers promising avenues for those without grandchildren to experience the benefits of grandparenting.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Sarwar Mir

Background: It is well-known that acne vulgaris is a common malady of adolescence and is easily recognized Objective: To evaluate the level of impact among acne patients on their quality of life. Methods: A total of 200 patients studied. Acne severity was graded using Global Acne Grading System (GAGS) after the clinical diagnosis. All the patients went through self-administered questionnaire of Cardiff Acne Disability Index (CADI) to fill out, to assess the reflection of patients’ experiences and perceptions. Result: Out of 200 patients, 114(57.0%) were females and 86(43.0%) were males. The maximum number of patients was in the age group of 16-20 years (142/200, 71%). Out of total 86 males, 50 (58.3%) had moderate to severe acne, whereas 62(54.38%) females had such a severe acne. 50.87% (58/114) of females had high CADI scores in comparison to only 27.9(24/86) of males. The impact on quality of life was more in the age-group of 21-30 years even though in this age group clinical severity of acne was mild to moderate only. Conclusion: Study found that individuals with acne had profound emotional, as well as, social impact on their quality of life.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. e30510212535
Author(s):  
Gabriel Kiaro Leite Nunes ◽  
Karinne Alice Santos de Araújo ◽  
Thais Ranielle Souza de Oliveira ◽  
Marcelina da Conceição Botelho Teixeira ◽  
Ieler Ferreira Ribeiro ◽  
...  

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about major changes in the lifestyle of the world population. Due to the lack of vaccines or a definitive treatment for disease, governments around the world have adopted social isolation and quarantine as methods to control the spread of the virus. Objective: Thus, the objective of this study was to discuss how social isolation and quarantine periods affected people's mental health and quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An integrative literature review was carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic between March and September 2020, establishing the following guiding question: How did social isolation and quarantine affect the mental health and quality of life of the population in the COVID-19 pandemic? Results: The final sample consisted of nineteen (19) articles, two (2) addressed depression during the pandemic period, three (3) presented the pandemic and the relationship with sociodemographic aspects, five (5) analyzed mental health in the pandemic, four (4) reported the impact of COVID-19 on the population's style and quality of life and the last five (5) demonstrated the quality of human relationships and emotional aspects in the face of the pandemic. Conclusion: It was demonstrated that isolation and the quarantine period had a negative impact on the population's quality of life and long-term mental health.


2021 ◽  
pp. 238008442110419
Author(s):  
M. Hijryana ◽  
M. MacDougall ◽  
N. Ariani ◽  
L.S. Kusdhany ◽  
A.W.G. Walls

Introduction: The impact of periodontal disease on oral health–related quality of life (OHRQoL) has often been investigated from a quantitative research perspective, which is based on clinical findings and an OHRQoL questionnaire. Very few studies have examined the issue from the view of qualitative research. To our knowledge, there have been no previous qualitative studies focusing the effect of periodontal disease on OHRQoL in Indonesian older people. Objectives: To explore and understand the impact of periodontal disease on the OHRQoL of older people as a subjective reflection in relation to periodontal disease experiences. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted in a sample of 31 older people with generalized chronic periodontitis. Thematic analysis was used to identify the key issues in participants’ accounts. The analysis was undertaken by 2 independent coders to ensure reliability. To achieve thematic saturation, successive interviews were undertaken until 5 sequential interviews did not bring new themes. Results: Participants reported the negative effects likely related to periodontal disease. The impacts of periodontal disease were described by these older people as affecting more than pain, physical discomfort, and physical function restrictions. Periodontal disease also affected their psychological and social aspects of daily living. In addition, this study identified themes related to individual and environmental factors that may modify and personalize periodontal disease experiences. Furthermore, this study identified a misleading belief that problems related to periodontal disease were a normal part of aging, which might influence individuals’ expectations toward oral health. Relatedly, participants frequently reported that the progression of tooth mobility to tooth loss was an inevitable part of the aging process. Conclusions: Periodontal disease negatively affected participants’ OHRQoL. It is fundamental to understand older people’s perceptions toward their periodontal disease as well as individual and environmental factors that may have an influence on their periodontal disease experiences. Knowledge Transfer Statement: This study is a reflection of Indonesian older people’s subjective periodontal disease experiences. Therefore, the present study can be used to understand older people’s perceptions, attitudes, behaviors, and experiences toward periodontal disease and how this disease may affect their quality of life. This study also highlights a widespread and misleading belief that oral problems related to periodontal disease are an inevitable part of aging in this study population.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 205031211983601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina Samantha Gambling ◽  
Andrew Long

Objectives: Symptomatic developmental dysplasia of the hip can present in the young, active adult patient and can lead to severe pain and disability at a young age. The overall aim of the study was to deepen the understanding of the impact of developmental dysplasia of the hip on young adults’ quality of life and psycho-social well-being, focusing on how differential access to early diagnosis impacted the trajectory of the disease and treatment options. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews and gathered online stories from 97 participants. A narrative and thematic analysis was used to integrate the dataset producing a multi-dimensional view. Results: A narrative plot showing how events unfolded over time was identified for each participant. Two common plots were identified: Plot 1 focused around those participants who received a prompt diagnosis and were treated within 12 months of diagnosis (n = 22) and Plot 2 focused around those who experienced a late/delayed diagnosis (mean = 8 years; range = 12–364 months) (n = 75) and thus delayed treatment. Participants in Plot 2 became more debilitated over time and experienced chronic hip pain for a prolonged period before an accurate diagnosis and/or intervention was made. It was clear from the narratives when pain persists over time, participants’ quality of life and psycho-social well-being were affected. Conclusions: Developmental dysplasia of the hip is an under-recognised condition; more research is needed to develop a clear clinical picture that can be used to alert frontline health professionals to the potential for developmental dysplasia of the hip so that they can promptly diagnose patients and refer them to specialist centres. Patients can also experience a profound impact on their quality of life and psycho-social well-being. Patients actively seek information from support groups about all aspects of their condition. Further research is required to determine the long-term impact of developmental dysplasia of the hip to develop evidence-based information for clinicians and patients.


2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 721-730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gyöngyvér Dallos ◽  
Mónika Miklósi ◽  
Ágnes Keresztény ◽  
Szabina Velő ◽  
Dóra Szentiványi ◽  
...  

Objective: Our aim was to evaluate the Quality of Life (QoL) of treatment naïve children with ADHD. Method: Data from 178 parent–child dyads were analyzed using multiple regression to assess the relationships between QoL, and characteristics of ADHD and comorbid psychopathology. Results: Lower self-reported QoL was associated with female gender, higher age, more symptoms of anxiety and trauma-related disorders in dimensional approach, and with the comorbid diagnoses of trauma-related disorders and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)/conduct disorder (CD) in categorical approach. Lower parent-reported QoL was related to older age and increasing number of symptoms of mood and anxiety disorders on one hand, and any diagnosis of mood and anxiety disorders and ODD/CD on the other. Conclusion: Our results draw the attention to the importance of taking into account age, gender, and both self- and parent reports when measuring QoL of children with ADHD and both dimensional and categorical approaches should be used.


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