scholarly journals Comparison of mental health and subjective quality of life in sexual minority versus heterosexual autistic adults

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Goldie McQuaid ◽  
Justine Gendy ◽  
Nancy Raitano Lee ◽  
Gregory Wallace
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Sexual Minority ◽  
Subjective Quality ◽  
Subjective Quality Of Life ◽  
Research Knowledge ◽  
Social Stressors ◽  
Autistic Adults ◽  
Minority Identities

Background: Although disparities in mental health and subjective quality of life have been reported for autistic adults, reasons for these disparities are poorly understood. A potential factor in these disparities is exposure to social stressors related to minority status (i.e., minority stress), including stigma and discrimination. Autistic individuals are more likely than non-autistic individuals to possess other minority identities, including sexual minority identities. However, to date, few studies have examined whether sexual minority autistic adults experience diminished mental health relative to heterosexual autistic adults, and no research has examined subjective quality of life for sexual minority compared to heterosexual autistic adults.Methods: Participants were 679 autistic adults aged 18.5 to 83.3 years recruited through Simons Powering Autism Research Knowledge Research Match. Participants completed surveys online, including measures of anxious and depressive symptomatology, perceived stress, and subjective quality of life. Participants reported their sexual orientation and other socio-demographic variables. Results: A large proportion of autistic adults reported a sexual minority identity (43.4%). Sexual minority autistic adults showed poorer mental health and lower subjective quality of life relative to heterosexual autistic adults. Diminished quality of life in the sexual minority group appears to be driven by the strength of the effects for gay and pansexual compared to heterosexual autistic adults. Conclusion: Understanding factors that may be related to poorer mental health and decreased subjective quality of life in autistic adults is critical and has been identified as a research priority among autistic stakeholders. The findings reported here underscore the need to examine mental health and subjective quality of life disparities among autistic individuals within a societal context, taking into consideration the potential of intersecting minority identities and increased social stressors, as these hold the potential to increase risks for poorer outcome.

Cognitive determinants of community functioning and quality of life in homeless adults with mental illness: 6-year follow-up from the At Home/Chez Soi Study Toronto site

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
K. M. Gicas ◽  
C. Mejia-Lancheros ◽  
R. Nisenbaum ◽  
R. Wang ◽  
S. W. Hwang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Functional Outcomes ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
Subjective Quality ◽  
Subjective Quality Of Life ◽  
Homeless Adults ◽  
Community Functioning ◽  
At Home

Abstract Background High rates of physical and mental health comorbidities are associated with functional impairment among persons who are homeless. Cognitive dysfunction is common, but how it contributes to various functional outcomes in this population has not been well investigated. This study examines how cognition covaries with community functioning and subjective quality of life over a 6-year period while accounting for the effects of risk and protective factors. Methods Participants were 349 homeless adults (mean age = 39.8) recruited from the Toronto site of the At Home/Chez Soi study, a large Canadian randomized control trial of Housing First. Participants completed up to four clinical evaluations over 6 years. Factor scores were created to index verbal learning and memory (vLM) and processing speed-cognitive flexibility (PSCF). The primary outcomes were community functioning and subjective quality of life. Risk factors included lifetime homelessness, mental health diagnoses, medical comorbidity, and childhood adversity. Linear mixed-effects models were conducted to examine cognition-functional outcome associations over time, with resilience as a moderator. Results Better vLM (b = 0.787, p = 0.010) and PSCF (b = 1.66, p < 0.001) were associated with better community functioning, but not with quality of life. Resilience conferred a protective effect on subjective quality of life (b = 1.45, p = 0.011) but did not moderate outcomes. Conclusions Our findings suggest a need to consider the unique determinants of community functioning and quality of life among homeless adults. Cognition should be prioritized as a key intervention target within existing service delivery models to optimize long-term functional outcomes.

Listening to patients' needs to improve their subjective quality of life

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (11) ◽  
pp. 1655-1665 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANTONIO LASALVIA ◽  
CHIARA BONETTO ◽  
FRANCESCA MALCHIODI ◽  
GIOVANNI SALVI ◽  
ALBERTO PARABIAGHI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Subjective Quality ◽  
Subjective Quality Of Life ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal

Background. Subjective quality of life has gained a crucial role as a global measure of outcome in mental health care. This study aimed to investigate the impact of meeting needs for care, as assessed by both patients and mental health professionals, to improve the subjective quality of life in a sample of patients receiving community-based psychiatric care.Method. The study was conducted using a 4-year prospective longitudinal design. A cohort of patients from the South-Verona Community-based Mental Health Service (CMHS) was assessed at baseline and follow-up using, among other social and clinical measures, the Camberwell Assessment of Need (both staff and patient versions) and the Lancashire Quality of Life Profile. Predictors of changes of subjective quality of life were explored using block-stratified multiple regression procedures.Results. Improvement in patients' clinical conditions as well as the reduction in patient-rated unmet needs in the social domain predicted an increase in subjective quality of life over 4 years; changes in staff-rated needs did not show any association with changes in subjective quality of life.Conclusions. Meeting self-perceived social needs, beyond symptoms reduction, seems to be of particular importance for ensuring a better quality of life for people with mental disorders. If the main goal of mental health care is to improve the quality of life of users, a policy of actively addressing patient-rated needs should be implemented.

scholarly journals Impacts of Co-Occurring ADHD Symptoms on Critical Markers of Outcome for Autistic Adults

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Yerys ◽  
Goldie McQuaid ◽  
Nancy Raitano Lee ◽  
Gregory Wallace
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Activities Of Daily Living ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Subjective Quality ◽  
Adhd Symptoms ◽  
Subjective Quality Of Life ◽  
Autistic Adults ◽  
Poor Outcomes

Outcomes for autistic adults are generally poor across multiple foundational metrics, including quality of life and activities of daily living. Co occurring psychiatric conditions, including depression and anxiety, contribute to these poor outcomes. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common co-occurring conditions in autistic individuals, yet its association with adult outcomes is largely unknown. 628 autistic adults (18-83 years; 58% female) recruited from the Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research for Knowledge cohort completed questionnaires on demographics, co occurring mental health conditions, activities of daily living and subjective quality of life. After controlling for age, birth-sex, socioeconomic status, autistic traits, and ADHD medications, ADHD symptoms explained an additional 2 to 9% of variance across activities of daily living and all domains of subjective quality of life. This is the first study to demonstrate an association between self-reported ADHD symptoms and lower activities of daily living and subjective quality of life ratings by autistic adults. These findings highlight that additional research and better supports for co-occurring ADHD symptoms may be critical to enhancing independence and quality of life for autistic adults.

A mediational model of quality of life for individuals with severe mental health problems

1998 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 1221-1230 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. ZISSI ◽  
M. M. BARRY ◽  
R. COCHRANE
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Subjective Quality ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Subjective Quality Of Life ◽  
Mediational Model ◽  
Objective Indicators

Background. Despite the increasing importance of quality of life in the mental health field, the theoretical conceptualization of the construct remains poorly developed. A proposed mediational model of quality of life, which links subjective quality of life with self-related constructs, is examined with a group of long-term psychiatric hostel residents. The present study aims to develop a measure of quality of life based on the proposed model, to explore the data and their implications for service development and finally to conduct a preliminary analysis of the model's predictions.Method. A cross-sectional research design was employed. Quality of life interviews, using a modified version of Lehman's Quality of Life Interview, were carried out with 54 psychiatric residents in Greece. The model's predictions were examined by using a series of regression analyses.Results. The results indicate that perceived improvements in lifestyle, greater autonomy and positive self-concept are significantly and directly associated with better quality of life. In contrast, a direct relationship between objective indicators and subjective quality of life was not found.Conclusions. The traditional two-part quality of life model that includes objective indicators of life circumstances and subjective indicators is extended to included the constructs of self-concept and perceived autonomy. The present extended mediational model of quality of life for individuals with long-term mental health problems appears to have important implications for the planning and delivery of mental health programmes.

Existential/spiritual resources and the subjective quality of life experiences among elderly adults

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 123-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Kapała
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Subjective Quality ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Life Questionnaire ◽  
Elderly Adults ◽  
Subjective Quality Of Life ◽  
Spiritual Resources ◽  
Two Phases

AbstractMy paper presents the results of a research study on the relationship between existential/spiritual resources, that is, spiritual sensitivity (a disposition to experience spirituality, manifested in the embracement of the nature of things in the transcendent and final perspective, in moral sensitivity, and the ability to find meaning in paradoxical and limiting situations), spiritual sensitivity components and subjective quality of life (a generalized attitude to one’s own life mode, in the four existential dimensions: psychophysical, psycho-social, subjective, and metaphysical). Study subjects were older adults (60+, n = 522) living in the current, dynamic, uncertain and fluid modern world conditions. The study had two phases – quantitative and qualitative (narrative interviews). To measure the phenomena, the Spiritual Sensitivity Inventory (Straś-Romanowska, Kowal, & Kapała, 2013) and the Quality of Life Questionnaire (Straś-Romanowska, Oleszkowicz, & Frąckowiak, 2004) were used. The results obtained confirmed a strong mutual relationship between spiritual resources and quality of life, also providing an answer to some questions about the nature of spiritual sensitivity, and its integrating, pro-development and pro-health role in the elderly adults’ life in the post-modern era.

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