The High Educational Background of Persons with Physical Disabilities and Its Effects on the Vocation and Quality of Life

Background: Prognostic disclosure to patients with advanced cancer facilitates treatment decisions and goals of care discussions. However, the perspectives of patients, families and physicians differ in this regard across different cultures. Non-disclosure of cancer diagnosis or prognosis is commonly observed in family-centric cultures such as India. Aim: To assess the prevalence of and factors associated with cancer patients’ awareness of advanced disease status; and its with quality of life and psychological distress. Methods: Patients for this cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey were recruited from oncology and palliative medicine clinics at a tertiary cancer hospital in India from January 2017 to June 2018. Patients aged ≥ 21 years, aware of cancer diagnosis and receiving oncology treatment for Stage IV solid cancer were included in the study after obtaining written informed consent. Results: Two hundred patients were enrolled, of which 146 (73%) were not aware of the stage of their malignancy and 9 (4.5%) believed that their disease was at stage I, II or III. Those who were aware of their advanced cancer stage had more years of education (9.9 years vs 8.1 years, p = .05) and had poorer spiritual wellbeing in the faith domain (adjusted difference −1.6, 95% confidence interval −3.1 to −0.1, p = .03) compared to those who were unaware. Conclusion: It is recommended that future studies may explore prognostic understanding in Indian patients according to their socio-cultural, spiritual and educational background.

Download Full-text

Effects of an ergonomic program on the quality of life and work performance of university staff with physical disabilities: A clinical trial with three-month follow-up

Disability and Health Journal ◽

10.1016/j.dhjo.2018.07.002 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 58-64

Author(s):

Maria Ángela Ramalho-Pires de Almeida ◽

Gracia Maria Ábalos-Medina ◽

Carmen Villaverde-Gutiérrez ◽

Neide Maria Gomes-de Lucena ◽

Alecsandra Ferreira-Tomaz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Clinical Trial ◽

Work Performance ◽

Physical Disabilities ◽

University Staff ◽

Ergonomic Program

Download Full-text

Age categories differences in subjective quality of life of women with physical disabilities

Slovenian Journal of Public Health ◽

10.2478/sjph-2021-0018 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 60 (2) ◽

pp. 124-130

Author(s):

Dagmar Nemček ◽

Patrícia Shtin Baňárová ◽

Petra Kurková

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Physical Health ◽

Social Relations ◽

Psychological Health ◽

Physical Disabilities ◽

Subjective Quality ◽

Subjective Quality Of Life ◽

The Social ◽

Women With Physical Disabilities

Abstract Objective The objective of the study was to analyse and compare the subjective quality of life (S-QoL) of women with physical disabilities (PDs) through satisfaction with the quality of life domains and the overall quality of life assessment. Methods The sample comprised of women with PDs (n=137), divided into 4 age categories: 19-29 yrs. (n=53); 30-44 yrs. (n=25); 45-59 yrs. (n=24) and over 60 yrs. (n=35). The Subjective Quality of Life Analyses questionnaire and the WHO User Manual were used as a primary research method. The Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test was used to assess the differences between QoLDs, Kruskal Wallis test to assess differences in S-QoL among four independent groups and Mann Whitney U-test between two age categories. Results The highest satisfaction in all age categories of women was found in the social relations domain, and in the 19-29 yr-old women equally in the social relations and physical health domains. The highest dissatisfaction was reported with the psychological health and environment domains. The key finding is that the main differences are between the youngest category (aged 19-29 yrs) and the three older categories with regard to physical health, environment and overall QoL. Conclusions It is necessary to continue this line of research with a greater focus on exploring the ways in which the psychological health domain can be improved as an integral part of S-QoL, and to also focus on the QoL indicators that make up the environment domain and search for ways to enhance these.

Download Full-text

Quality of life of blind people’s carers

Pomeranian Journal of Life Sciences ◽

10.21164/pomjlifesci.467 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 66 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Łukasz Lewandowski ◽

Iwona Smotryś ◽

Angelika Puls ◽

Anita Radziejewska ◽

Magda Płocharczyk ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Short Form ◽

Married Couples ◽

Educational Background ◽

Mental Condition ◽

Professional Activity ◽

Self Assessment ◽

The Disabled ◽

Sight Loss

Introduction: Quality of life is a multidimensional concept and a subjective value that depends on many factors. Disability caused by sight loss induces changes for both patients and their carers. The function of a blind person’s carer is usually performed by family members, whose limited knowledge limits their ability to help effectively and satisfactorily. This, in turn, may lead to their reduced sense of the quality of life.The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life of blind people’s carers.Materials and methods: The study was conducted September–October 2016 and involved 130 blind peoples’ carers using a diagnostic poll. Short Form Survey SF-36 and a specially designed questionnaire were used. The majority of participants were women (69.23%), married couples (63.1%), with high school education (40.77%).Results: Wellbeing self-assessment indicated that 36.15% of carers considered their mental condition to have worsened, while 43.08% remained at the same level when compared to 1 year earlier. Analysis of quality of life showed that carers very highly rated their physical functioning 59.46 ±26.35; social functioning 57.4 ±26.12; vitality 55.48 ±23.27; and emotional functioning 54.81 ±29.24.Conclusions: Quality of life tends to gradually deteriorate as the carers grow older. The carer’s educational background and the professional activity of the disabled person influence the assessment of the carer’s quality of life.

Download Full-text