scholarly journals A longitudinal population-based study of carers of people with psychosis

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. W. C. Poon ◽  
C. Harvey ◽  
A. Mackinnon ◽  
L. Joubert
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Health Service Delivery ◽  
Mental Health Service Delivery ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Over Time

Aims.Few studies have examined the experiences of carers of people with psychosis using a representative sample. Aiming to obtain generalisable results concerning carers in the context of increased emphasis on involving carers in Australian mental health service delivery and policy frameworks, this study recruited carers within the second Australian national survey of psychotic disorders (Survey of High Impact Psychosis, SHIP). Given that most SHIP participants had long-term illness and extended relationships with carers, the health and wellbeing of carers as a group were expected to be relatively stable. However, since it is unknown whether carers’ health and wellbeing would change, our main aim was to explore change and stability in carers’ health and wellbeing and the relationship between any changes experienced by individual carers and corresponding SHIP participants’ functioning over time.Methods.Ninety-eight caregivers of SHIP participants were recruited at baseline and completed validated instruments assessing their health and wellbeing. Seventy-eight carers were re-interviewed at 1-year follow-up. Clinical factors were extracted from the SHIP database. Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test and t-test were used to analyse changes in variables over time. Cross-lagged analyses were conducted to identify possible causative relationships in changes in SHIP participant and carer variables.Results.A substantial percentage of carers experienced social isolation (28.6%), psychological distress (37.7%) and poorer quality of life than population norms. There were no statistically significant changes between baseline and follow-up scores for almost all carers’ health and wellbeing variables, other than a poorer perception of their quality of life in relation to their physical health after 1 year. Cross-lagged analyses suggested that poorer functioning of people with psychosis influenced carers’ social isolation, grief and psychological distress.Conclusions.Findings show that carers’ perception of their health and wellbeing did not improve within current mental health service delivery frameworks over time. Carer's persistently poor health and wellbeing suggests a pressing need to enhance services that improve carers’ health and wellbeing especially their physical health and the functioning of people with psychosis whom they support.

The long-term impact of preoperative psychological distress on functional outcomes, quality of life, and patient satisfaction after total knee arthroplasty

2020 ◽  
Vol 102-B (7) ◽  
pp. 845-851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham S. Goh ◽  
Ming Han Lincoln Liow ◽  
You Wei Adriel Tay ◽  
Jerry Yongqiang Chen ◽  
Sheng Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Functional Outcomes ◽  
Knee Score ◽  
Sf 36 ◽  
Total Knee

Aims While patients with psychological distress have poorer short-term outcomes after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), their longer-term function is unknown. We aimed to 1) assess the influence of preoperative mental health status on long-term functional outcomes, quality of life, and patient satisfaction; and 2) analyze the change in mental health after TKA, in a cohort of patients with no history of mental health disorder, with a minimum of ten years’ follow-up. Methods Prospectively collected data of 122 patients undergoing primary unilateral TKA in 2006 were reviewed. Patients were assessed pre- and postoperatively at two and ten years using the Knee Society Knee Score (KSKS) and Function Score (KSFS); Oxford Knee Score (OKS); and the Mental (MCS) and Physical Component Summary (PCS) which were derived from the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey questionnaire (SF-36). Patients were stratified into those with psychological distress (MCS < 50, n = 51) and those without (MCS ≥ 50, n = 71). Multiple regression was used to control for age, sex, BMI, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), and baseline scores. The rate of expectation fulfilment and satisfaction was compared between patients with low and high MCS. Results There was no difference in the mean KSKS, KSFS, OKS, and SF-36 PCS at two years or ten years after TKA. Equal proportions of patients in each group attained the minimal clinically important difference for each score. Psychologically distressed patients had a comparable rate of satisfaction (91.8% (47/51) vs 97.1% (69/71); p = 0.193) and fulfilment of expectations (89.8% vs 97.1%; p = 0.094). The proportion of distressed patients declined from 41.8% preoperatively to 29.8% at final follow-up (p = 0.021), and their mean SF-36 MCS improved by 10.4 points (p < 0.001). Conclusion Patients with poor mental health undergoing TKA may experience long-term improvements in function and quality of life that are comparable to those experienced by their non-distressed counterparts. These patients also achieved a similar rate of satisfaction and expectation fulfilment. Undergoing TKA was associated with improvements in mental health in distressed patients, although this effect may be due to residual confounding. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2020;102-B(7):845–851.

Evaluation of the acceptability and clinical utility of an Arabic-language mindfulness CD in an Australian community setting

2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 552-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilse Blignault ◽  
Hend Saab ◽  
Lisa Woodland ◽  
Elizabeth Comino
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Clinical Utility ◽  
Health Service Delivery ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Culturally Appropriate ◽  
Mental Health Service Delivery ◽  
Mindfulness Skills ◽  
Arabic Speaking

The cultural, linguistic, and religious diversity of Australia's population presents challenges for mental health service delivery. Arabic-speaking communities in Australia underutilise mental health services despite high levels of trauma and psychological distress. Clinicians who work with this population lack linguistically and culturally appropriate clinical resources. The aim of this study was to explore the acceptability and clinical utility of a Mindfulness Skills CD translated into formal Arabic. The 70 participants were Arabic-speaking adults, mostly Lebanese-born Muslim women, who enrolled in a 5-week mindfulness program using the CD and agreed to follow-up at 12 weeks. Both recruitment and data collection were undertaken by a female project officer who is a widely respected member of the Arabic community in south-east Sydney. Compliance with the program protocol was high and all but 4 participants continued to use the CD beyond the 5 weeks. Overall, participants reported that mindfulness techniques fitted well with their way of life and were compatible with their cultural and religious practices. Most found mindfulness complementary to their regular reflective prayer. Using the Mindfulness Skills CD was associated with statistically significant reductions in psychological distress as measured by the Kessler Scale (K10) and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS21) postprogram (K10; DASS21 Depression and Stress subscales) and at follow-up (all measures). The evaluation showed that the Arabic Mindfulness Skills CD is an effective and culturally appropriate mental health resource for this population group. This low-cost, easily distributed resource is suitable for use in individual self-management and as an adjunct to primary and specialist mental health care.

Sarcoma patients’ quality of life from diagnosis to yearly follow-up: experience from an Italian tertiary care center

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (27) ◽  
pp. 3125-3134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriella Maggi ◽  
Irene Terrenato ◽  
Luca Giacomelli ◽  
Carmine Zoccali ◽  
Maria Franca Condoleo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Care Center ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Psychosocial Care ◽  
Perception Of Quality ◽  
Life Pattern ◽  
Over Time

Aim: To investigate sarcoma patients’ perception of quality of life and psychosocial distress across the different disease’s stages. Patients & methods: Total 329 sarcoma patients were monitored from diagnosis up to a maximum of six consecutive follow-up visits. Results: Functional status worsened over time with the lowest value after surgery and a full recovery not earlier than the second follow-up visit. Married and single patients exhibited similar quality of life pattern. High levels of psychological distress were observed from diagnosis to active treatment periods with a progressive improvement during follow-up. Psychological distress pattern over time varied by marital status and age. Conclusion: Our study suggests the importance of integrating psychosocial care to medical therapy across the entire sarcoma journey.

scholarly journals Predictors of clinically important improvements in occupational and quality of life outcomes among mental health service users after completion and follow-up of a lifestyle intervention: multiple regression modelling based on longitudinal data

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Hultqvist ◽  
Kristine Lund ◽  
Elisabeth Argentzell ◽  
Mona Eklund
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Occupational Engagement ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Important Improvement

Abstract Background Balancing Everyday Life (BEL) is a new activity-based lifestyle intervention for mental health service users. An earlier study found BEL to be effective in increasing occupational engagement, occupational balance, activity level, and quality of life scores when compared with a care-as-usual group. However, it is unclear whether care context and socio-demographic, clinical and self-related factors at baseline also influence the results. Thus, the aim of the current study was to explore whether such factors could predict clinically important improvements in occupational and quality of life aspects. Methods Participants were interviewed and filled out self-report questionnaires before starting the 16-week intervention (n = 133), upon completion (n = 100), and 6 months following (n = 89). Bi-variate and multi-variate statistical analyses were performed. Results Several baseline factors were associated with clinically important improvements, but few predictors were found in the multivariate analyses. Having children was found to be a predictor of improvement in occupational engagement at BEL completion, but reduced the chance of belonging to the group with clinically important improvement in activity level at follow-up. Regarding occupational balance, having a close friend predicted belonging to the group with clinically important improvement in the leisure domain. At BEL completion, other predictors for improvements were female gender for the self-care domain, and self-esteem for the home chores domain. At follow-up, psychosocial functioning and lower education level predicted general balance. None of the factors explored in this study were found to be predictors for improvements in quality of life. Conclusions Few of the studied care context, socio-demographic, clinical and self-related factors were found to predict clinically important improvements in occupational engagement, activity level, occupational balance, or QOL. This study, together with previous studies showing positive results, suggests that BEL can be an appropriate intervention in both community and clinical settings, and can support improvement in occupational aspects and QOL for participants with diverse socio-demographic, clinical, and self-related characteristics. Trial registration This study is part of a larger research project that is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov. Reg. No. NCT02619318.

Symptoms and their implications on quality of life and psychological distress in sarcoma patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 817-823
Author(s):  
Gabriella Maggi ◽  
Irene Terrenato ◽  
Luca Giacomelli ◽  
Viviana Bifano ◽  
Alessandra Gravili ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Life Questionnaire ◽  
European Organization ◽  
Quality Of Life Questionnaire ◽  
Financial Difficulties ◽  
Few Data ◽  
Over Time

The aim of this study was to investigate symptoms, their variation over time and their relationship with quality of life (QoL)/psychological distress in sarcoma patients, as few data regarding QoL and psychological distress in this set of patients are currently available. A total of 188 sarcoma patients from an Italian referral center were involved. Symptoms and financial difficulties were evaluated with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire from the first treatment and over the follow-up period, up to 6 years. The authors found that patients with sarcoma experience several symptoms, especially fatigue and pain, which may dramatically worsen QoL and psychological distress. In conclusion, patients with sarcoma often experience fatigue, pain and financial difficulties, which negatively impacts QoL and psychological distress. To ameliorate overall QoL, proper control of symptoms is necessary.

scholarly journals Prevalence and 11-year incidence of common eye diseases and their relation to health-related quality of life, mental health, and visual impairment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petri K. M. Purola ◽  
Janika E. Nättinen ◽  
Matti U. I. Ojamo ◽  
Seppo V. P. Koskinen ◽  
Harri A. Rissanen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Eye Diseases ◽  
Health Related Quality ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related

Abstract Purpose To study the prevalence and incidence of the most common eye diseases and their relation to health-related quality of life (HRQoL), depression, psychological distress, and visual impairment in the aging population of Finland. Methods Our study was based on two nationwide health surveys conducted in 2000 and 2011. Eye disease status data were obtained from 7379 and 5710 individuals aged 30 + years, of whom 4620 partook in both time points. Both surveys included identical indicators of HRQoL (EuroQol-5 Dimension [EQ-5D], 15D), depression (Beck Depression Inventory [BDI]), psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire-12 [GHQ-12]), visual acuity, and self-reported eye diseases. We assessed the impact of known eye diseases on these factors, adjusted for age, gender, and co-morbidities. Results Prevalence of self-reported eye diseases was 3.1/2.7% for glaucoma, 8.1/11.4% for cataract, and 3.4/3.8% for retinal degeneration in 2000 and 2011, and the average incidence between 2000 and 2011 was 22, 109, and 35 /year/10,000 individuals, respectively. These eye diseases were associated with a significant decrease in EQ-5D and 15D index scores in both time points. BDI and GHQ-12 scores were also worsened, with some variation between different eye diseases. Impaired vision was, however, the strongest determinant of declined HRQoL. During the 11-year follow-up the effect of eye diseases on HRQoL and mental health diminished. Conclusion Declined HRQoL associated with eye diseases is more related to impaired vision than the awareness of the disease itself, and this declining effect diminished during the follow-up. Therefore, information directed to the public on the risks and prevention of blindness can and should be strengthened to prevent the deleterious effects of visual impairment.

scholarly journals THU0460 PHYSICAL FITNESS AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN WOMEN WITH FIBROMYALGIA: LONGITUDINAL ANALYSES FROM THE AL-ÁNDALUS PROJECT

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 466.1-467
Author(s):  
B. Gavilán Carrera ◽  
I. C. Alvarez-Gallardo ◽  
M. Borges Cosic ◽  
A. Soriano Maldonado ◽  
M. Delgado-Fernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Physical Function ◽  
Physical Component Summary ◽  
General Health ◽  
Bodily Pain ◽  
Physical Role ◽  
Over Time

Background:Optimizing the highly deteriorated quality of life (QoL) of patients with fibromyalgia is one of the main goals in the management of the disease1. Physical fitness has been identified as a powerful marker of health that is positively related to QoL in this population2, although previous evidence is mainly based on cross-sectional data.Objectives:This study aimed to examine the longitudinal associations (2- and 5-year follow-up) between physical fitness and QoL in women with fibromyalgia.Methods:In this prospective cohort study, women diagnosed with fibromyalgia (age: 51.3±7.6 years) with completed data were included at baseline (n=441), at 2-year follow-up (n=220) and at 5-year follow-up (n=227). The Senior Fitness Tests battery was used to assess physical fitness components and a standardized global fitness index was calculated. The eight dimensions plus the two physical and mental component summaries of the Short-Form health survey-36 questionnaire were used to assess QoL. To examine whether changes in fitness predicted QoL at follow-up, multiple linear regression models were built. The bidirectionallity of the associations (whether changes in QoL predicted fitness at follow-up) was also tested. Outcome values at baseline and age, fat percentage, analgesic consumption, educational level, and occupational status at follow-up were entered as potential confounders in all analyses.Results:Changes in fitness were associated with physical function (β=0.160), physical role (β=0.275), bodily pain (β=0.271), general health (β=0.144), and physical component summary (β=0.276) at 2-year follow-up (all,P<0.05) and with changes in physical role (β=0.215) and physical component summary (β=0.135) at 5-year follow-up (all,P<0.05). Changes in physical function (β=0.165), physical role (β=0.230), bodily pain (β=0.230), general health (β=0.130) and physical summary component (β=0.251) were associated with fitness at 2-year follow-up (all,P<0.05). Changes in all dimensions of QoL (β rating from 0.113 to 0.198), as well as the physical (β=0.174) and mental (β=0.164) summary components were associated with fitness at 5-year follow-up (all,P<0.05).Conclusion:Increasing levels of physical fitness over time predicts future QoL in women with fibromyalgia, especially for physical domains at 2-year follow-up. In addition, increasing QoL across all domains over time predicts future global fitness at 2- and, specially, 5-year follow-up. Future research is warranted to determine the clinical relevance of the bidirectional association between physical fitness and QoL in fibromyalgia.References:[1]Macfarlane GJ, et al. Ann Rheum Dis, 2018; 76(2), 318-328.[2]Álvarez-Gallardo IC, et al. 2019;99:1481–1494.Acknowledgments:This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (I+D+i DEP2010-15639; I+D+I DEP2013-40908-R; BES-2014-067612) and the Spanish Ministry of Education (FPU14/FPU 15/00002)Disclosure of Interests: :None declared

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