SP0095 Coping as Integral to Understanding and Assessing Health and Well-Being in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Pragmatist, Fighter or Minimiser? Possible Trajectories of Newly Diagnosed Patients

Background:Over 2,000 people are diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Ireland each year; three in four are of working age. In total, RA affects some 45,000 people in the country; 70 per cent of whom are women.For someone newly diagnosed with RA, coming to terms with the news can seem overwhelming.Such a dramatic shift in life circumstances can impact one’s physical and mental well-being. While there is no shortage of information available about the condition, it can be overwhelming trying to filter this, assess what is trustworthy and reliable.Objectives:•To provide information and hope to people newly diagnosed with RA, and to give a voice to those living with the condition;•To increase awareness and understanding of RA – encourage engagement with HCPs, contributing to early diagnosis and better outcomes;•To increase awareness of work of Arthritis Ireland as a patient organisation.Methods:Arthritis Ireland approached best-selling author and RA patient, Sinead Moriarty, to front an RA awareness campaign, called My RA Story.The purpose of the campaign was to increase awareness and understanding of rheumatoid arthritis, of what it is like to live with this chronic condition with its invisible pain and life-changing impact. In so doing, Arthritis Ireland wanted to give a platform to people to tell their own story, so that they could be heard. We then wanted to publish these experiences in book form.In April 2019, we launched a video on social media featuring Sinead Moriarty speaking about her experience of living with RA. The video generated lots of engagement across social media and also helped garner national and regional media coverage in print and broadcast.The call for RA stories received a fantastic response from the public and the reading panel had a tough job in selecting the contributions which would feature in the published volume. Once the successful contributions were chosen, Arthritis Ireland proceeded to design a book, which could be sold in the book trade and online.Results:In September 2019, Arthritis Ireland published My RA Story: Personal accounts of living with rheumatoid arthritis. Launched in the National Library of Ireland by Sinead Moriarty, the 46 contributions touched upon themes of pain, fatigue, emotional impact, disability, surgery, education, career, family, goal-setting, self-management, connecting with others, hope, etc.The contributors came from people who were living with RA for over 40 years, as well as from those who were more recently diagnosed.The book is a hugely valuable contribution to health literature. Arthritis Ireland now plans to make the book available for sale internationally, through Amazon and other retail channels, as well as promoting it more extensively in rheumatology clinics.In October, one of the contributors was interviewed on national television about her RA story, as part of a feature on World Arthritis Day.Conclusion:This campaign gave people living with RA a platform to write about and share about their condition. Fronted by an RA champion with significant name recognition and an enormous audience in her own right, best-selling author, Sinéad Moriarty, the book, My RA Story. Crucially, the book is a valuable resource for people who are newly diagnosed with the disease and uncertain of what the future holds.Acknowledgments:This project was supported by an educational grant from MSD.Disclosure of Interests:Brian Lynch Grant/research support from: Arthritis Ireland received a grant from MSD to develop this patient education programme. Brian Lynch has not benefited personally in any way.

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Differential predictors of well-being versus mental health among parents of pre-schoolers with autism

Autism ◽

10.1177/1362361320984315 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 136236132098431

Author(s):

Cherie C Green ◽

Jodie Smith ◽

Catherine A Bent ◽

Lacey Chetcuti ◽

Rhylee Sulek ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Young Child ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Well Being ◽

Newly Diagnosed ◽

Autistic Children ◽

Parental Mental Health ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Mental Health Difficulties ◽

Health And Well Being

Extensive research has shown elevated mental health difficulties among parents of children with autism compared to other parents. Although several studies have explored factors related to mental health among parents of children with autism, the factors that influence and promote well-being remain poorly characterised. Parents of young, newly diagnosed autistic children may also be particularly vulnerable to stressors that impact mental health and well-being. We examined child-, parent-, and family/socioeconomic factors associated with concurrent mental health and well-being among 136 parents of young children with autism, aged 13–48 months. Parental mental health was predicted by both trait negative emotionality and reported child autism symptoms, while well-being was predicted by parent factors alone, including trait extraversion and mindfulness. Broader child characteristics and family/socioeconomic contextual factors made no significant contribution in regression models. While the mental health and well-being of parents with young autistic children are associated with one another, unique predictors seem to exist. That well-being was uniquely predicted by a modifiable parent characteristic – mindfulness – suggests the potential for early supports to bring direct benefits for parents, in the context of raising a young child with autism. Lay abstract Raising a child with autism has been linked to mental health difficulties. Poor parental mental health is likely influenced by various factors – including child-, parent-, and family/socioeconomic characteristics. However, little is known about what influences and promotes well-being (as opposed to mental health) among parents of young, newly diagnosed autistic children who may be particularly vulnerable. We examined child-, parent-, and family/socioeconomic factors associated with each of mental health and well-being in a sample of 136 parents of pre-school-aged children. Parental mental health was linked to both child- (i.e. autism symptom severity) and parent-related factors (i.e. personality traits reflecting a tendency to experience negative emotions). By contrast, in additional to mental health difficulties, which were linked to well-being, only other parent-related characteristics (and not child characteristics) were related to well-being. These included personality traits reflecting a tendency to be more extraverted/sociable, and also mindfulness. Other child-related and family/socioeconomic context factors (including household income, parental education level) were not linked to parental mental health or well-being in this sample. These results support the idea that poorer mental health and well-being are not simply the opposite of one another. That is, while these two factors were related, they were linked to different personal characteristics. Perhaps most importantly, the link between well-being and mindfulness – a personal characteristic that parents can improve – suggests mindfulness-based interventions may be helpful in directly supporting parental well-being in the context of raising a young child with autism.

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Medical Entomology: With Special Reference to the Health and Well Being of Man and Animals

Gastroenterology ◽

10.1016/s0016-5085(51)80149-5 ◽

1951 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 641

Keyword(s):

Special Reference ◽

Well Being ◽

Medical Entomology ◽

Health And Well Being

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Diet Quality, a Term Subject to Change over Time

International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research ◽

10.1024/0300-9831/a000104 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 82 (3) ◽

pp. 144-147 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Ibrahim Elmadfa ◽

Alexa L. Meyer

Keyword(s):

Diet Quality ◽

Functional Foods ◽

Disease Risk ◽

Well Being ◽

Industrialized Countries ◽

Quality Factors ◽

Long Time ◽

Quality Diet ◽

Important Quality ◽

Health And Well Being

A high-quality diet is one of the foundations of health and well-being. For a long time in human history, diet was chiefly a source of energy and macronutrients meant to still hunger and give the strength for work and activities that were in general much harder than nowadays. Only few persons could afford to emphasize enjoyment. In the assessment of quality, organoleptic properties were major criteria to detect spoilage and oxidative deterioration of food. Today, food hygiene is a quality aspect that is often taken for granted by consumers, despite its lack being at the origin of most food-borne diseases. The discovery of micronutrients entailed fundamental changes of the concept of diet quality. However, non-essential food components with additional health functions were still barely known or not considered important until recently. With the high burden of obesity and its associated diseases on the rise, affluent, industrialized countries have developed an increased interest in these substances, which has led to the development of functional foods to optimize special body functions, reduce disease risk, or even contribute to therapeutic approaches. Indeed, nowadays, high contents of energy, fat, and sugar are factors associated with a lower quality of food, and products with reduced amounts of these components are valued by many consumers. At the same time, enjoyment and convenience are important quality factors, presenting food manufacturers with the dilemma of reconciling low fat content and applicability with good taste and appealing appearance. Functional foods offer an approach to address this challenge. Deeper insights into nutrient-gene interactions may enable personalized nutrition adapted to the special needs of individuals. However, so far, a varied healthy diet remains the best basis for health and well-being.

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