scholarly journals New Model for Couple Therapy for Patients with Chronic Pain and their Caregivers: An Attempt to Improve Quality of Life and Reduce Pain

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-58
Author(s):  
Shima Rouhi ◽  
Payman Dadkhah ◽  
Manijeh Firoozi ◽  
Masoud Hashemi

Background: Several psychological interventions have been implemented to manage chronic pain. In this study, in addition to the patients, his/her spouses have participated in the program. Besides, this innovative therapy integrates several practical approaches into one comprehensive protocol. Objective: This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of couple therapy (patient/caregiver-oriented) on improving the quality of life and reducing pain among patients with chronic pain. Methods: The present study is a quasi-experimental and clinical trial with a control group with pretest and posttest. The authors conducted this study at LABAFINEJAD Hospital in Tehran on 30 patients with chronic pain and their spouses by having a short form of a questionnaire for quality of life and chronic pain score questionnaire to measure the effectiveness of the treatment. Results: The results indicated that this treatment increased two aspects of quality of life remarkably, social function and strength for continuing the performance; that help boosts interpersonal relationships as well. Regarding the results, although the couple-based treatment could improve all aspects of pain, the two primary subscales, physical health and mental health, both enhanced. Besides, the treatment reduced the intensity of pain. Conclusion: Couple-based intervention through increasing social support, improving the quality of sex, decentralizing of pain, and paying attention to the neglected needs of caregivers and patients with chronic pain can improve quality of life and reduce pain in patients.

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Manijeh Firoozi ◽  
Shima Rouhi

Background: To manage chronic pain, in addition to medical interventions, several psychological treatments have been designed. In couple therapy based on mindfulness, in addition to the patients, their spouses, who care for the patients, were involved. The purpose of this research was to study the effectiveness of couple therapy based on mindfulness to improve life satisfaction and pain self-efficacy in patients with chronic pain. Methods: The present study is a quasi-experimental and clinical trial with a control group with pre-test and post-test. The research was performed at LABAFI NEJAD Hospital in Tehran on 30 patients with chronic pain and their spouses. To measure the efficacy of treatment, a short form of self-reported Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ) and the questionnaire of life satisfaction (SWLS) were utilized. Results: The results showed that the level of pain self-efficacy after the intervention in the experimental group increased, while in the control group, this value remained unchanged. Also, the intervention has improved the satisfaction of life among patients in the experimental group. Conclusion: Couple therapy based on mindfulness, an eclectic intervention, can increase social support, improve the quality of sex, and decentralize pain. Additionally, paying attention to neglected caregivers, and patients with chronic pain can rise pain self-efficacy, and life satisfaction. Finally, suggestions for future research are offered.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. e032889
Author(s):  
Solveigh Paola Lingens ◽  
Georgia Schilling ◽  
Julia Harms ◽  
Holger Schulz ◽  
Christiane Bleich

IntroductionIn recent years, medical treatment for cancer has improved, thereby increasing the life expectancy of patients with cancer. Hence, the focus in healthcare shifted towards analysing treatments that offer to decrease distress and improve the quality of life of patients with cancer. The psychological burden of patients with cancer originates from all kinds of psychosocial challenges related to diagnosis and treatment. Cancer counselling centres (CCounCs) try to address these concerns. However, the current literature lacks research on the effectiveness of CCounCs. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of CCounCs with regard to distress and other relevant psychosocial variables (quality of life, anxietyand so on).Methods and analysisThis prospective observational study with a non-randomised control group has three measurement points: before the first counselling session (baseline, t0) and at 2 weeks and 3 months after baseline (t1, t2). Patients and their relatives who seek counselling between December 2018 and November 2020 and have sufficient German language skills will be included. The control group will be recruited at clinics and oncological outpatient centres in Hamburg. Propensity scoring will be applied to adjust for differences between the control and intervention groups at baseline. Sociodemographic data, medical data and counselling concerns are measured at baseline. Distress (distress thermometer), quality of life (Short Form-8 Health Survey, European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30), anxiety (Generalized AnxietyDisorder-7), depression (Patient HealthQuestionnaire-9) and further psychosocial variables are assessed at all time points. With a total of 787 participants, differences between the intervention and control groups of a small effect size (f=0.10) can be detected with a power of 80%.Ethics and disseminationThe study was registered prior to data collection with the German Registration of Clinical Trials in September 2018. Ethical approval was received by the local psychological ethical committee of the Center for Psychosocial Medicine at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf in August 2018. The results will be published in peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration numberDRKS00015516; Pre-results.


2013 ◽  
Vol 71 (6) ◽  
pp. 392-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliana B. Taniguchi ◽  
Valeria M.C. Elui ◽  
Flavia L. Osorio ◽  
Jaime E.C. Hallak ◽  
Jose A.S. Crippa ◽  
...  

We assessed the functional impairment in Charcot-Marie-Tooth resulting from 17p11.2-p12 duplication (CMT1A) patients using the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), which is a quality of life questionnaire. Twenty-five patients of both genders aged ≥10 years with a positive molecular diagnosis of CMT1A were selected. Age- and gender-matched Control Group (without family history of neuropathy), and the sociodemographic and professional conditions similar to the patients' group were selected to compare the SF-36 results between them. The results showed that the majority quality of life impairments in CMT1A patients occurred in the social and emotional domains. Functional capacity also tended to be significantly affected; other indicators of physical impairment were preserved. In conclusion, social and emotional aspects are mostly neglected in the assistance provided to CMT1A Brazilian patients, and they should be better understood in order to offer global health assistance with adequate quality of life as a result.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Iaremenko ◽  
E. Isaeva ◽  
T. Kolegova ◽  
E. Sitkina ◽  
Yu. Vasilieva

Satisfaction with quality of life and self-attitude in patients operated by «traditional» (conventional surgical methods) and endoscopically assisted methods are considered in the article. Differences in the quality of life in patients, self-attitude to ones appearance are described. 65 patients were surgically operated and examined. Control group – patients operated by «traditional» techniques (35 patients), the average age of patients was 38 ± 11,1 years. The comparison group – patients operated using endoscopically assisted methods (30 patients), the average age of patients was 44 ± 17,7 years. Psychodiagnostic methods: 1. N. E. Vodopyanova`s scale of life quality; 2. The Short Form-36; 3. S.R. Panteleev`s Assessment of self-relationship. Complaints of paresthesia and pain experienced by patients who underwent a “traditional” operation were revealed as a result of the examination. Operated on with an endoscopically assisted method patients did not present any complaints. Differences between the assessment of the life quality and self-relationship in examined groups were found. Operated on with an endoscopically assisted method patients evaluated life quality, satisfaction with their appearance and physical condition higher than patients operated on with a “traditional” method.


2019 ◽  
pp. 116-125

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of emotionally-focused couple therapy (EFCT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in the quality of interpersonal relationships among couples with marital conflicts. Materials and Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design and delayed follow-up. The study population consisted of 39 couples with marital conflicts referring to Behzisti counseling centers in Tayebad, Iran, within the second half of 2018 and first half of 2019. The participants, including 13 couples receiving EFCT, 13 couples receiving ACT, and 13 couples as the control group, were selected using convenience sampling. For the experimental groups, nine EFCT sessions and eight ACT sessions were held, and the control group was not subjected to any intervention. The research tools were Sanaeichr('39')s Marital Conflicts Questionnaire and Pierce’s Quality of Interpersonal Relationships Questionnaire that the couples of the three groups completed in three stages, namely pretest, posttest, and follow-up. Repeated measures analysis of variance, Bonferroni test, and SPSS statistical software (version 23) were used to analyze the data. Results: Repeated measures analysis of variance showed that ACT was more effective in the quality of interpersonal relationships among couples with marital conflicts than EFCT (P<0.001). Conclusion: The obtained results of the present study revealed that ACT was more effective than EFCT in the improvement of the quality of interpersonal relationships among couples with marital conflicts.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Pyri ◽  
Parvin Abedi ◽  
Elham Maraghi ◽  
Maryam Gholamzadeh Jashreh

Abstract Background: Premature menopause may impair the quality of life and expose women to disorders such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and depression. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness on the quality of life of women with premature menopause. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study in which 62 women were recruited and randomly allocated in two groups of mindfulness and control. The mindfulness group received eight sessions of training. A demographic questionnaire, Menopause-Specific Quality of Life (MENQOL) and a checklist (for assessing frequency and intensity of hot flashes) were used to collect data. The quality of life, frequency, and intensity of hot flashes measured at baseline, after eight weeks and in three months follow-up. The Independent t-test, the chi-square test, and the repeated measure test were used for analyzing data. Results: The score of quality of life was significantly improved after the intervention and in three months follow-up in the mindfulness group compared to the control group (p<0.001). The scores of vasomotor, psychological, physical, and sexual domains also improved significantly in the mindfulness group compared to the control group. The severity and the frequency of hot flashes were significantly reduced in the mindfulness group in comparison to the control group. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that eight weeks of mindfulness training could significantly improve the quality of life and also could reduce the frequency and intensity of hot flashes in women with premature menopause. Using mindfulness for women with premature menopause is recommended.


2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 794-799
Author(s):  
Gabriela A. Caixeta ◽  
Emma E. C. Castro ◽  
Agnaldo L. Silva-Filho ◽  
Fernando M. Reis ◽  
José R. Cunha-Melo ◽  
...  

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to compare the quality of life (QOL) and mental health (MH) of women surviving at least 2 years after treatment for invasive carcinoma of the cervix by radical hysterectomy (RH), chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, or by surgery followed by adjuvant therapy (RH + chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy). The QOL/MH of a control group of women with no history of malignancy was also assessed for comparison with the treated groups.MethodsThe levels of QOL and MH were assessed in 114 Brazilian women (57 patients with an average of 4 years since treatment completion and 57 control subjects). The 36-item Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form Health Survey, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, the Life Events Inventory, and a general survey for the assessment of sociodemographic data were applied to each participant of the study.ResultsNo differences were noted among the 3 treatment groups or between these and the control group concerning the levels of QOL (either physical or MH aspects), anxiety, general health, or life events. However, lower levels of anxiety were detected in cancer survivors when compared with the control group (P = 0.035).ConclusionsAfter at least 2 years, the QOL and the MH of Brazilian women treated for invasive carcinoma of the cervix were similar to those of women without malignancy and were not affected by the modality of treatment.


Medicina ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (11) ◽  
pp. 596
Author(s):  
Greta Veličkaitė ◽  
Neringa Jucevičiūtė ◽  
Renata Balnytė ◽  
Ovidijus Laucius ◽  
Antanas Vaitkus

Background and objectives: Even though pain in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients is common and possibly associated with reduced quality of life, its exact prevalence and characteristics remain vaguely understood. We aimed to estimate the true extent of pain and its associations with quality of life in Lithuanian MS patients and to compare this data with that of a control group. Materials and Methods: Data were collected prospectively at the Department of Neurology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas Clinics. A face-to-face structured interview and a questionnaire were used to collect demographic and clinical data of the MS (n = 120) and control (n = 120) groups. The Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) was used to quantify disability in the MS group. Scores ≥4/10 in the Douleur Neuropathique 4 questionnaire were classified as neuropathic pain. Patients were evaluated using the anxiety and depression subsets of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-A and HADS-D), the physical and mental component subsets of the Short Form-12 questionnaire (PSC-12 and MSC-12). Results: The MS and control groups did not differ in pain prevalence (76.7% vs. 65.9%, p = 0.064) or intensity. Lhermitte sign, lower limb, and face pain were more common in the MS group, whereas subjects in the control group were more often affected by lower back, neck, and joint pain. Neuropathic pain and pain lasting longer than 2 years were more common among pain-affected MS patients than among controls. MS patients with pain had higher EDSS, HADS-D, and HADS-A and lower PSC-12 scores than those without pain; however, no difference was found regarding the duration of MS or age. Males with MS and pain had higher MSC-12 and HADS-D scores in comparison to the same subset of females. Conclusions: Pain affects approximately three out of four patients with MS in Lithuania and is negatively associated with the mental and physical aspects of quality of life.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei She ◽  
Yuan Ma ◽  
Yi Li ◽  
Lei Li ◽  
Weixian Xu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The optimal level of heart rate (HR) control in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) is unknown. To assess the effect of rate control on cardiopulmonary exercise capacity and quality of life (QoL) in permanent AF. Methods One hundred forty-three patients with permanent AF were enrolled in this study. All patients received rate control medications and were followed up for 1 year. After 1-year therapy, the exercise capacity and QoL were evaluated by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and 36-item Short-Form Health Survey, respectively. Data were compared by dividing the patients according to the following criteria: (1) whether the resting HR was ≤80 or > 80 bpm; (2) whether the exercise HR during moderate exercises on CPET was ≤110 or > 110 bpm; and (3) whether the resting HR was ≤80 bpm and exercise HR was ≤110 bpm. Results No significant differences in peak oxygen uptake, peak metabolic equivalent, and anaerobic threshold were found between the strict control and lenient control groups. Both physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) were significantly higher for the strict rate control group than for the lenient control group. The single-factor correlation analysis revealed a negative correlation between resting HR and both PCS and MCS. The multivariable linear regression analysis indicated that both exercise HR and duration of AF linearly correlated with PCS and MCS. Conclusions Therefore, in patients with permanent AF, exercise capacity may not be affected by the stringency of rate control, and strict rate control may be associated with better QoL.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ekaterini Rapti ◽  
Dimitrios Damigos ◽  
Paraskevi Apostolara ◽  
Vasiliki Roka ◽  
Chara Tzavara ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Chronic pain constitutes one of the most common reasons for seeking health care services and may even lead to disability. Chronic pain has been associated with depression and deterioration of the quality of life. The aim of our study is to outline the burden of chronic pain in the context of a primary health care (PHC) setting in Greece and to investigate its association with depression and quality of life. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2016 to November 2016. The subjects of the study comprised 200 individuals who visited the regional medical center of Ag. Theodoroi, Greece. The collected data were from a representative sample of 200 adults and included demographic data, social and medical history, presence and characteristics of chronic pain and questions from three questionnaires for the assessment of pain (BPI- short form), the investigation of depression (PHQ-9) and the evaluation of the quality of life (EuroQ-5D) validated in Greek language. Multiple regression analysis was used in order to find associated factors with quality of life, depression and chronic pain. Results A percentage of 56.8% of the participants, the majority of whom (62%) were women, reported chronic pain. Among individuals with pain, lower back area was the most common location. Based on the given questionnaire, depression was detected in 22. 5% of the participants who claimed chronic pain. Regression analyses revealed that women and respondents with chronic mental disorders like depression and anxiety had significantly higher scores on the pain scale and suffered pain which had a greater impact on their daily activities. According to regression analysis decreased quality of life was expressed by women, as well as participants with a chronic mental disorder. A significant reverse correlation emerged between the quality of life, depression and pain scales. Conclusion Chronic pain, as it has been studied within this PHC setting, is a common health care problem. Individuals who had experienced chronic pain and depression had a lower health-related quality of life.


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