Sociodemographics and Quality of Life in Dutch-Speaking Adolescents and Adults With and Without a Cleft Lip and/or Palate

2021 ◽  
pp. 105566562110245
Author(s):  
Cassandra Alighieri ◽  
Evelien D’haeseleer ◽  
Kim Bettens ◽  
Katrien Bonte ◽  
Hubert Vermeersch ◽  
...  

Objective: To investigate the impact of living with a cleft lip and/or cleft palate (CL/P) on sociodemographic variables, quality of life, aesthetics, life satisfaction, and social distress in Dutch-speaking adolescents and adults. Design: Cross-sectional study. Participants: Thirty Dutch-speaking participants with a CL/P with a mean age of 26.93 years (SD = 11.69) and an age- and gender-matched control group of 30 participants (19 men and 11 women) without a CL/P with a mean age of 26.87 years (SD = 11.73). Main Outcome Measures: Self-reported outcomes of sociodemographics, quality of life, aesthetics, life satisfaction, social distress, and impact of cleft on well-being and functioning. Results: No significant differences in educational level, employment, monthly net income, marital status, and having children were found between participants with and without a CL/P. In addition, quality of life, overall aesthetics, life satisfaction, and social distress did not differ between the 2 groups. Among participants with CL/P, there were no gender differences in the influence of their CL/P on daily functioning, well-being, social contacts, family life, applying for a job, work, education, or leisure time. Conclusion: The findings revealed no differences between participants with and without a CL/P with regard to sociodemographics, quality of life, aesthetics, life satisfaction, or social distress. There were no gender differences in the influence of cleft on well-being and functioning. Longitudinal research can help determine possible fluctuations in the impact of living with a CL/P across the life span.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cassandra Alighieri ◽  
Evelien D'haeseleer ◽  
Kim Bettens ◽  
Katrien Bonte ◽  
Hubert Vermeersch ◽  
...  

Abstract Background. To date, there seems to be no consensus on the long-term quality of life outcomes in patients living with a cleft of the lip and/or palate (CL/P) with regard to well-being and functioning. Some studies report a substantial influence of having a cleft while other studies report no influence of living with a cleft. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of living with a CL/P on esthetics, employment and functioning in Dutch-speaking adolescents and adults with a CL/P. Methods. 30 Patients with a CL/P (19 men and 11 women) were included in the study. The mean age of the participants was 26.93 years (SD = 11.688 years, range = 15 – 66 years). An age and gender matched control group was included consisting of 30 participants (19 men and 11 women) without a CL/P with a mean age of 26.87 years (SD = 11.729 years, range = 16-67 years). Esthetics, employment and functioning were assessed using different standardized self-report questionnaires. Results. No statistically significant difference in educational level, employment, monthly net income, marital status and having children was found between participants with and without a CL/P. In addition, the quality of life scores did not differ between the two groups. Within the group of individuals with a CL/P, the findings revealed that the proportion of participants who reported an influence of the CL/P on daily functioning, general well-being, social contacts, family life, applying for a job, work, education and leisure time differed by age. Older individuals experienced more influence of their CL/P compared to younger individuals. With regard to esthetics, the findings revealed that participants without a CL/P were less satisfied with the appearance of their jaws compared to participants with a CL/P. Conclusion. In general, the findings of our study revealed no significant differences between adolescents and adults with and without a CL/P with regard to employment and functioning. Considering age within the group of participants with a CL/P, however, the results demonstrated that older individuals were more likely to experience a negative impact of their cleft on well-being and functioning. These findings suggest that older individuals with a CL/P might benefit from additional socio-emotional support, for example peer contacts and support groups or psychological guidance. Longitudinal research on this topic is highly needed to determine possible fluctuations in the impact of living with a CL/P.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S603-S603
Author(s):  
J. Cabral ◽  
C. Barreto Carvalho ◽  
P. Castilho Freitas ◽  
C. Pato

IntroductionIntervention with informal caregivers (IC) of psychiatric patients is internationally recognized as relevant and a priority. However, the existing responses in this area are still insufficient, especially regarding caregivers of individuals with mood disorders (MD). Mindfulness and compassion focused therapy have proven to be an effective approach in stress reduction and in improving emotional and social well-being of caregivers of patients with other conditions. However, no studies testing these new approaches in IC of patients with MD have been carried out. The objective of this work is to present a research project that aims to develop, implement and empirically test the effectiveness of an innovative group program to help informal caregivers of individuals with mood disorders to cope with the negative impact of the disease and reduce caregiver burdens.MethodsThe design of this experimental study to test the program's efficacy is a non-randomised controlled trial (nrct) with 12 months follow-up, with a mixed assessment methodology (quantitative and qualitative analysis). A sample of 60 informal caregivers of individuals with chronic MD will be constituted (n = 30 Control group; n= 30 Experimental group).ResultsWe expect the program to promote significant changes in participants in terms of several emotional variables (eg: burden, stress, resilience, compassion and quality of life).ConclusionsFurther efforts to continue studying the impact of interventions in caregivers should be carried out, as a way to improve the quality of life of caregivers and their ability to provide informal care to MD patients.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen P. O'Hora ◽  
Raquel A. Osorno ◽  
Dena Sadeghi-Bahmani ◽  
Mateo Lopez ◽  
Allison Morehouse ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 Pandemic led to drastic increases in the prevalence and severity of insomnia symptoms. These increases in insomnia complaints have been paralleled by significant decreases in well-being, including increased symptoms of depression, anxiety, and suicidality and decreased quality of life. However, the efficacy and impact of early treatment of insomnia symptoms on future sleep and well-being remains unknown. OBJECTIVE Here, we present the framework and protocol for a novel study that aims to investigate whether a brief telehealth insomnia intervention targeting new insomnia that developed during the pandemic prevents deterioration of well-being, including symptoms of insomnia, depression, anxiety, suicidality, and quality of life. METHODS The protocol details a two-arm randomized controlled trial to investigate the efficacy of a brief, telehealth-delivered, early treatment of insomnia and evaluate its potential to prevent a deterioration of well-being. Participants with clinically significant insomnia symptoms that began during the pandemic are randomized to either a treatment group or a 28-week waitlist control group. Treatment consists of 4 telehealth sessions of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) delivered over 5 weeks. All participants will complete assessments of insomnia symptom severity, well-being, and daily habits checklist at baseline (week 0), and at weeks 1-6, 12, 28, and 56. RESULTS The trial began enrollment June 3, 2020 and closed enrollment June 17, 2021. As of October 2021, 49 participants have been randomized to either immediate treatment or a 28-week waitlist. 23 participants are still active in the protocol. CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, this protocol would be represent the first study to test an early sleep intervention for improving insomnia that emerged during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The findings of this study could provide information about the utility of CBT-I for symptoms that emerge in the context of other stressors before they develop a chronic course and deepen understanding of the relationship between sleep and well-being. CLINICALTRIAL NCT04409743


2004 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Nicole Culos-Reed ◽  
Linda Carlson ◽  
Lisa Daroux ◽  
Susi Hately-Aldous

Physical activity provides a number of physical and psychological benefits to cancer survivors, including lessening the impact of detrimental cancer-related symptoms and treatment side effects (e.g., fatigue, nausea)and improving overall well-being and quality of life. The purpose of the present pilot study was to examine the physical and psychological benefits afforded by a seven-week Yoga program for cancer survivors within the framework of the theory of planned behavior. The Yoga program participants (M age=51.18 [10.33]; 92%female) included primarily breast cancer survivors, on average 55.95 (54.39) months post-diagnosis. Significant differences between the intervention group (n=20)and the control group (n=18) at post-intervention were seen in both psychosocial (i.e., global quality of life,stress, emotional function, emotional irritability, mood disturbance, tension, depression, anger, confusion) and physical (i.e., resting heart rate, cardiovascular endurance, cardiopulmonary arousal) variables (all p's<.05). There were also significant improvements(all p's<.05) in the program participants from pre- to post-intervention on a number of physical and psychosocial variables. These initial findings suggest that Yoga has significant potential and should be further explored as a beneficial physical activity option for cancer survivors. Future research might attempt to include a broader range of participants (e.g., other types of cancer diagnoses, more male subjects) in a randomized,controlled trial.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1761
Author(s):  
Anna Rutkowska ◽  
Sebastian Rutkowski ◽  
Adam Wrzeciono ◽  
Oliver Czech ◽  
Jan Szczegielniak ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of exercise training on the quality of life (QoL) of patients diagnosed with stage IIIB and stage IV non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared to a passive control group (CG). The exercise-trained group (ETG) consisted of 18 patients, and the CG consisted of 8 patients. The training program in the ETG consisted of two 2-week running cycles interspersed with consecutive rounds of chemotherapy with cytostatic drugs. A comparison of the changes in the Short Form (36) Health Survey (SF-36), St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung (FACT-L) was the primary outcome. Analysis of the results of the SGRQ and the SF-36 questionnaire did not reveal any statistically significant differences in the assessment of QoL between the examined groups. The analysis of FACT-L questionnaires showed statistically significant changes, indicating deterioration of QoL in domains describing physical well-being in the CG. Therefore, the analysis of the results of the QoL assessment did not show any significant improvements in the group of patients undergoing comprehensive exercise training, although deterioration of QoL was noted in the CG.


2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-31
Author(s):  
Josipa Erdeši ◽  
Željka Mendek Ocelić ◽  
Gorka Vuletić

The aim of this paper is to test the impact of the implementation of gratitude development program on the quality of life and happiness of sixth, seventh and eighth grade elementary school students. The total of 79 students of one elementary school from a rural part of Eastern Croatia participated in the research, divided into experimental (N = 39) and control (N = 40) groups. The gratitude development program was conducted once a day for a period of four weeks. The Personal Well-Being Index for School Children and the Subjective Happiness Scale were administered before and after the program. The results were processed by a two-way analysis of variance with repeated measurements on the first factor. There was a significant increase in the level of overall quality of life and specific quality of life domains in the experimental group in comparison to the control group. There were no significant changes in happiness level in the experimental group after the program. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the relationship of gratitude, the quality of life and the experience of happiness. Also, the results indicate the importance of using psychological interventions that can improve the quality of life of students in the educational context. The paper extensively discusses the usefulness of this research and its implications for future research.


2001 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 379-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agneta Marcusson ◽  
Ingemar Akerlind ◽  
Gunnar Paulin

Objective: This study evaluated the quality of life in adult Swedish subjects with repaired complete cleft lip and palate (CLP). Design/Patients: Sixty-eight adults with repaired CLP were compared with a group of 66 adults without cleft matched by gender and age. Outcome Measures: The outcome measures included a self-report questionnaire concerning quality of life in general, well-being, and health-related quality of life. Results: The CLP group rated their quality of life significantly lower than did the control group in the areas of life meaning (p < .05), family life (p < .0001), and private economy (p < .01). There were no significant differences between the groups concerning well-being. In the CLP group, the health-related quality of life was significantly lower concerning global life (p < .0001), disturbance to life (p < .01), well-being (p < .0001), social contacts (p < .0001), and family life (p < .05) but significantly higher concerning ability to make the most of leisure time (p < .001) and to be active (p < .001). Conclusions: The CLP group perceived a marked impact of the handicap on their lives concerning global aspects, well-being, and social life. More practical and tangible aspects of their daily living, however, were not affected, and only some minor aspects of their quality of life in general were poor in comparison with the control group, which indicates a fairly good life adjustment in spite of the handicap.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnhild Myhr ◽  
Linn Renée Naper ◽  
Indira Samarawickrema ◽  
Renate K. Vesterbekkmo

Background: The lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic has been called a crisis in mental health, and adolescents may have been among the most affected. Comparing the first period of societal lockdown in spring 2020 to periods going back to 2014 using a rich cross-sectional dataset based on repeated surveys, we explore the potential changes in self-reported mental well-being across sociodemographic groups among Norway's adolescents.Methods: Norway closed schools and implemented strict restrictions in March 2020; an electronic questionnaire survey was distributed to lower secondary school students in Trøndelag county (N = 2,443) in May 2020. Results were compared with similar surveys conducted annually in the same county dating back to 2014. Logistic regression models were applied to investigate potential changes in depressive symptoms, loneliness, and quality of life and life satisfaction, and to detect possible differences in the impact of lockdown between the genders and socioeconomic groups.Results: The prevalence of boys and girls reporting high quality of life (43–34%; 23–16%) and life satisfaction (91–80%; 82–69%) decreased significantly compared to the pre-pandemic. For girls only, lockdown was associated with higher odds for reporting high depressive symptoms. As expected, the least privileged socioeconomic groups showed the greatest psychological distress. However, our trend analyses provided no evidence that the socioeconomic inequalities in psychological distress (according to prevalence of high depressive symptoms or loneliness) changed substantial in any direction during the first wave of the pandemic [between the pre-pandemic and inter-pandemic periods].Conclusion: Adolescents are vulnerable, and interventions should provide them with mental health support during crises such as societal lockdown. In particular, the social and health policy, public health, and further research should target these least privileged groups.


2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (8) ◽  
pp. 1065-1071 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fleur M. Nolte ◽  
Annemieke Bos ◽  
Charlotte Prahl

Objectives: The aims of the present study were to examine the impact of a cleft lip and/or palate on the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in children, to examine differences between the OHRQoL scores reported by children and their parents, and to examine differences between the scores over 4 years for a subgroup of children. Design: Prospective blinded questionnaires. Setting: All patients were recruited from a university clinic at Academisch Centrum Tandheelkunde Amsterdam. Participants: The sample consisted of 170 children (age between 8 and 18 years) and their parents. Interventions: All participants completed the validated Dutch version of the Child Oral Health Impact Profile (COHIP) questionnaire. Main Outcome Measures: The OHRQoL of children with a cleft lip and/or cleft palate (CL/P) was measured. Results: Parents scored significantly higher than children on the subscale “Oral Symptoms.” On the subscale “Functional Well-Being,” parents scored significantly lower than children. Females scored significantly higher with regard to the subscales “Functional Well-Being” and “School” in comparison to males. Children with a bilateral CL/P scored significantly lower on the subscale “Functional Well-Being” and “School” than other subgroups. Children reported a decrease in “Oral Symptoms” and “Emotional Well-Being” over time. Conclusions: Children and their parents both reported high OHRQoL overall with some areas of difference. Females reported a better OHRQoL on “Functional Well-Being” and “School.” Children with the more complex bilateral CL/P had a significantly lower OHRQoL score on “Functional Well-Being,” “School,” and overall COHIP.


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