A Scoping Review of Mental Health Programs for Parents of Children with Complex Medical Conditions

Background: Medical care advancements have increased the survival rates of children with complex medical conditions (CMC). Parents/caregivers of these children experience a range of positive and negative emotional experiences as a result. This population experiences an increased risk of mental health concerns, versus the public; however, there is a dearth of available mental health interventions. Objectives: To summarize extant research on interventions targeting the mental health of parents/caregivers of children with CMC. Eligibility Criteria: Peer-reviewed, assessed parent/caregiver, child was 0-12 years old with a persistent CMC, participants received an intervention for their mental health, written in English, and published January 1, 2000 to May 19, 2020. Sources of Evidence: The PsycINFO, Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science, PubMED, and Social Services Abstracts databases were searched. Charting Methods: Articles were screened following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines for scoping reviews and Arksey and O’Malley’s five-stage method of scoping reviews. Results and Conclusions: Nine studies were included, each assessing parent mental health and/or process and feasibility outcomes. Favorable reductions in depression, anxiety, stress, and an increase in quality of life, psychological flexibility, mindfulness, coping skills, and shared management were found; however, results were mixed. Parental support/education and parent education/child developmental supports appear important in the treatment of stress and quality of life, respectively. Parental stress interventions appear more effective when provided near the child’s CMC diagnosis. Findings highlight the need for further research to improve the mental health of parents of children with CMC.

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Immunological Interfaces: The COVID-19 Pandemic and Depression

Frontiers in Neurology ◽

10.3389/fneur.2021.657004 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Austin Perlmutter

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Depressive Symptomatology ◽

Daily Routines ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Health Care Infrastructure ◽

Inflammatory State ◽

Extra Pulmonary ◽

Detrimental Impact

Since the start of the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, an international effort has sought to better characterize associated extra-pulmonary health sequelae. The acute and or chronic detrimental impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on mental health, especially depression, is increasingly described. Simultaneously the pandemic has influenced depressive symptomatology by modifying economic, social and political structures, in addition to affecting daily routines. In both cases, associated immunological perturbations favoring a pro-inflammatory state could underlie an increased risk for depressive symptomatology. A resultant elevation in global depressive burden could further tax mental health care infrastructure and contribute to a range of worse health outcomes including diminished quality of life. This suggests a critical and time-sensitive need to better understand immune interfaces between depression and COVID-19.

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A Comparison of Health-Related Quality of Life for Individuals with Mental Health Disorders and Common Chronic Medical Conditions

Public Health Reports ◽

10.1177/003335490812300107 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 123 (1) ◽

pp. 45-51 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Erica L. Cook ◽

Jeffrey S. Harman

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Disorders ◽

Chronic Medical Conditions ◽

Medical Conditions ◽

Health Related Quality ◽

Related Quality ◽

Health Related ◽

Health Disorders

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Are People with Aphasia (PWA) Involved in the Creation of Quality of Life and Aphasia Impact-Related Questionnaires? A Scoping Review

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci10100688 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 688

Author(s):

Marina Charalambous ◽

Maria Kambanaros ◽

Jean-Marie Annoni

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Best Practice ◽

Well Being ◽

Eligibility Criteria ◽

Direct Involvement ◽

Scoping Reviews ◽

The Creation ◽

The Impact

Background: Quality of Life (QoL) questionnaires are used to describe the impact of aphasia on stroke survivors’ life. People with aphasia (PWA) are traditionally excluded from research, potentially leading to a mismatch between the factors chosen in the tools and the realistic needs of PWA. The purpose of this review was to determine the direct involvement of PWA in the creation of QoL and aphasia impact-related questionnaires (AIR-Qs). Methods: A scoping review methodology was conducted by an expert librarian and two independent reviewers on health sciences based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Metanalyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) protocol, through a literature search in five databases: Medline Complete, PubMed, PsychINFO, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Search terms included ‘stroke’, ‘people with aphasia’, ‘communication’, ‘well-being’, and ‘quality of life’. Results: Of 952 results, 20 studies met the eligibility criteria. Of these, only four AIR-Qs studies (20%) were found reporting the direct involvement of PWA, while no QoL tools did so. Evidence showed involvement in the creation phase of AIR-Q, mainly in a consultation role. Conclusions: There is an absence of a framework for conducting and reporting the involvement of PWA in qualitative participatory research studies, which limits effectiveness to promote equitable best practice in aphasia rehabilitation.

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Place of Death: Correlations With Quality of Life of Patients With Cancer and Predictors of Bereaved Caregivers' Mental Health

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2009.26.3863 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 28 (29) ◽

pp. 4457-4464 ◽

Cited By ~ 434

Author(s):

Alexi A. Wright ◽

Nancy L. Keating ◽

Tracy A. Balboni ◽

Ursula A. Matulonis ◽

Susan D. Block ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Place Of Death ◽

Prolonged Grief Disorder ◽

Prolonged Grief ◽

Patients With Cancer ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Prospective Longitudinal ◽

At Home

Purpose To determine whether the place of death for patients with cancer is associated with patients' quality of life (QoL) at the end of life (EOL) and psychiatric disorders in bereaved caregivers. Patients and Methods Prospective, longitudinal, multisite study of patients with advanced cancer and their caregivers (n = 342 dyads). Patients were followed from enrollment to death, a median of 4.5 months later. Patients' QoL at the EOL was assessed by caregiver report within 2 weeks of death. Bereaved caregivers' mental health was assessed at baseline and 6 months after loss with the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, and the Prolonged Grief Disorder interview. Results In adjusted analyses, patients with cancer who died in an intensive care unit (ICU) or hospital experienced more physical and emotional distress and worse QoL at the EOL (all P ≤ .03), compared with patients who died at home with hospice. ICU deaths were associated with a heightened risk for posttraumatic stress disorder, compared with home hospice deaths (21.1% [four of 19] v 4.4% [six of 137]; adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 5.00; 95% CI, 1.26 to 19.91; P = .02), after adjustment for caregivers' preexisting psychiatric illnesses. Similarly, hospital deaths were associated with a heightened risk for prolonged grief disorder (21.6% [eight of 37] v 5.2% [four of 77], AOR, 8.83; 95% CI, 1.51 to 51.77; P = .02), compared with home hospice deaths. Conclusion Patients with cancer who die in a hospital or ICU have worse QoL compared with those who die at home, and their bereaved caregivers are at increased risk for developing psychiatric illness. Interventions aimed at decreasing terminal hospitalizations or increasing hospice utilization may enhance patients' QoL at the EOL and minimize bereavement-related distress.

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Acne vulgaris and mental health

Journal of Education, Health and Sport ◽

10.12775/jehs.2021.11.09.026 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 208-214

Author(s):

Mateusz Pawlicki ◽

Anna Łopuszyńska ◽

Magdalena Kozioł ◽

Aleksandra Krasa ◽

Ewa Piekarska ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Acne Vulgaris ◽

Clinical Severity ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

Significant Relation ◽

Life Evaluation ◽

Increased Risk ◽

The World

Introduction: Acne vulgaris is one of the most common diseases in the world, which affects millions of people. Despite its objectively mild clinical severity, it is able to markedly change one’s appearance. Moreover it is said to be one of many factors that are responsible for mental health impairments.Results: Studies showed significant relation between acne and psychological disorders. Both depression and anxiety scores were higher in individuals with acne compared to healthy ones. Some studies reported an increased risk of suicide in this group as well. Research which included quality of life evaluation showed its impairment in larger part of respondents.Conclusions: Acne vulgaris is linked with an increased risk of serious psychiatric disorders. Therefore it is important to think about them when this condition is diagnosed.

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The influence of the current recession on mental health and quality of life in people with chronic medical conditions seeking urgent care in Greek Accident and Emergency Departments

Journal of Psychosomatic Research ◽

10.1016/j.jpsychores.2014.03.050 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 76 (6) ◽

pp. 505

Author(s):

T. Hyphantis

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Emergency Departments ◽

Urgent Care ◽

Chronic Medical Conditions ◽

Medical Conditions ◽

Accident And Emergency

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Applying quality of life in mental health social work practice

Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work ◽

10.11157/anzswj-vol21iss4id261 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

pp. 55-63 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kathy Martindale ◽

Ross Phillips

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Social Work ◽

Social Services ◽

Social Inclusion ◽

Health Sector ◽

Work Practice ◽

Social Work Practice ◽

Health Service Provision

The use of Quality of Life (QOL) indicators has become increasingly common in health and social services. This article proposes a framework to strengthen mental health social work practice by outlining subjective wellbeing, a component of the QOL construct. Following a discussion on the current policy influences on mental health service provision in Aotearoa New Zealand the QOL construct is outlined. The application of a QOL framework to mental health social work practice draws parallels between QOL principles and the current mental health philosophies of recovery, social inclusion and community care. The authors maintain that a focus on applying QOL in mental health social work will see its contribution to the mental health sector enhanced and its role and function more clearly described.

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