scholarly journals The employment impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Americans with MS: Preliminary analysis

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Malachy Bishop ◽  
Stuart P. Rumrill
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Job Loss ◽  
The United States ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Present Sample ◽  
Financial Status ◽  
Employment Effects ◽  
Rehabilitation Professionals ◽  
Employment Impact ◽  
National Multiple Sclerosis Society

BACKGROUND: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been associated with unprecedented social and economic impacts in the United States, including significant cuts to the labor force, beginning in the Spring of 2020. OBJECTIVE: In this study we examined the employment effects of the pandemic on Americans with multiple sclerosis (MS), a population that has historically experienced low rates of employment relative to the general population. METHODS: Based on a survey of a convenience sample of 69 members of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, we examined employment, health, and economic experiences between May and August, 2020. RESULTS: The results suggest potentially significant job loss. Specifically, in the present sample approximately 20% of participants who were previously employed reported losing employment as a result of the pandemic, and approximately 40% reported other work changes. At elevated risk for job loss were those with lower levels of education, African American workers, and workers reporting Hispanic, Latinx, or Spanish origin. Almost two-thirds of the participants reported that the pandemic had affected their financial status and over half (53.6%) reported that the pandemic had affected their ability to access their MS healthcare. CONCLUSION: We discuss the implications and potentially lasting effects of the current, complex employment situation faced by Americans living with MS, and the broader considerations for vocational rehabilitation professionals.

Relationship Between Domestic Violence and Multiple Sclerosis

2008 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-32
Author(s):  
Margie O'Leary ◽  
Sherie Lammers ◽  
Anne Mageras ◽  
Marilyn Boyd ◽  
Rose Constantino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Crisis Intervention ◽  
The United States ◽  
Safety Planning ◽  
Critical Part ◽  
Legal Professionals ◽  
Innovative Program ◽  
National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Domestic violence (DV) is the leading cause of injury to women in the United States. The problem also affects men but at a lower rate. An innovative program to address DV and abuse of people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) has been developed by the Allegheny District Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). The program, known as REACH, was designed to improve the ability to screen for DV and abuse and to provide subsequent crisis intervention, empowerment options, counseling, and safety planning. A critical part of REACH has been the instruction provided to health care and legal professionals, NMSS staff, caseworkers, and people diagnosed with MS. The REACH program has been enormously successful in increasing awareness and detection of DV and abuse within the chapter service area, and this expertise has been widely communicated throughout the organization.

Leisure Activities and the Subjective Well-Being of Older Adults in Croatia

GeroPsych ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ljiljana Kaliterna Lipovčan ◽  
Tihana Brkljačić ◽  
Zvjezdana Prizmić Larsen ◽  
Andreja Brajša-Žganec ◽  
Renata Franc
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Leisure Activity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Perceived Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Financial Status

Abstract. Research shows that engagement in leisure activities promotes well-being among older adults. The objective of the current study was to examine the relationship between subjective well-being (flourishing) and leisure activities (total number of different activities in the previous year) in a sample of older adults in Croatia, thereby considering the variables of sex, marital status, financial status, and self-perceived health. The differences in the examined variables between the groups of older adults who reported to be engaged in new activities with those who did not were also examined. The sample of N = 169 older adults aged 60 years and above was drawn from a convenience sample of adult internet users in Croatia. Participants reported their self-perceived health and the number of leisure activities they engaged in over the previous year as well as completing the Flourishing Scale. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that older adults who were engaged in more various leisure activities, who perceived better financial status, and who were married reported higher levels of flourishing. A comparison of the two groups of older adults with and without engagement in leisure activities showed that those engaged in at least one leisure activity were more likely to be women, reported higher levels of flourishing, and perceived their own financial status as better. This study indicated that engaging in leisure activities in later life might provide beneficial effects for the well-being of older adults.

scholarly journals Use of Korean dramas to facilitate precision mental health understanding and discussion for Asian Americans

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Van My Ta Park ◽  
Cate Jongkyung Park ◽  
Charles Kim ◽  
Nhi Cristina Y Nguyen ◽  
Anh T Tran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Asian Americans ◽  
Health Knowledge ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
Educational Tool ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Language Groups ◽  
Precision Health

Summary Precision mental health holds great potential for revolutionizing care and reducing the burden of mental illness. All races and ethnicities such as Asian Americans, the fastest growing racial group in the United States (U.S.), need to be engaged in precision mental health research. Owing to its global popularity, Korean drama (‘K-drama’) television shows may be an effective educational tool to increase precision mental health knowledge, attitudes and behaviors among Asian Americans. This qualitative study examined the participants’ perspectives about and acceptance of using K-dramas to educate and engage Asian Americans about precision mental health. Twelve workshops were conducted in English, Vietnamese and Korean with a convenience sample in the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. (n = 122). Discussions were coded for themes. Findings revealed that all language groups reported positive reactions to using K-dramas to learn about precision health, genetics and mental health. Overall, participants shared that they learned about topics that are not generally talked about (e.g. precision health; genetic testing; mental health), from other people’s perspectives, and the importance of mental health. Participants expressed how much they enjoyed the workshop, how they felt relieved due to the workshop, thought the workshop was interesting, and had an opportunity for self-reflection/healing. This pilot test demonstrated that K-dramas has promise to be used as a health educational tool in a workshop format focused on mental health among a diverse group of Asian Americans. Given the widespread access to K-dramas, they present a scalable opportunity for increasing awareness about specific health topics.

scholarly journals Validation of Sexological Worldview

SAGE Open ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 215824401243907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin A. Sitron ◽  
Donald A. Dyson
Keyword(s):  
Attitude Change ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Perspective Transformation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Developmental Characteristics ◽  
Definition Of

The authors originally posited that a new construct must be developed to measure the success of affective training for sexologists, particularly the Sexuality Attitudes Reassessment (SAR) modality. Couching their critique in studies that have been conducted to measure the SAR’s effectiveness as a method used to evoke perspective transformation and more sensitive and humanistic service provision, the authors argued that the development of a professional’s sexological worldview would be a more accurate construct than attitude change to measure when considering the outcomes of SAR training. This study in the United States used a two-phase qualitative approach to validate the proposed sexological worldview construct. In the first phase, they surveyed a panel of 16 sexologists regarding their original proposed definition of sexological worldview and refined it. In the second phase, they completed 30 one-on-one interviews with a convenience sample of sexologists and sexology students. Using an inductive content analysis of the interview transcripts, seven themes emerged in support of the proposed definition of sexological worldview, including its components and its developmental characteristics. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications for the use of the construct for the training of sexologists.

Revisiting The Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite: proceedings from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) Task Force on Clinical Disability Measures

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 1074-1080 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Ontaneda ◽  
N LaRocca ◽  
T Coetzee ◽  
RA Rudick
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Outcome Measure ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Critical Path ◽  
Washington Dc ◽  
Functional Composite ◽  
Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite ◽  
Score Method ◽  
National Multiple Sclerosis Society ◽  
Disability Outcome

This article describes proceedings from a meeting of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) Task Force on Clinical Disability Measures (the TF). The TF was appointed by the NMSS Research Programs Advisory Committee with the goal of pooling and analyzing existing datasets to explore the utility of novel disability outcome measures based on the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC) approach. The TF seeks to determine the suitability of the MSFC approach as a primary clinical outcome measure for registration trials in MS. The TF met in Washington, DC, Dec. 14 and 15, 2011, and provided unanimous support for a collaborative approach involving representatives from academic medicine, the pharmaceutical industry, regulatory agencies, the NMSS and the Critical Path Institute. There was also unanimous agreement that analysis of existing datasets would be useful in making progress toward the objective. The TF placed high value on determining the clinical meaning of individual component measures for the MSFC, and in establishing optimal analysis methods for MSFC so that scores would be more interpretable than the originally recommended z-score method. The background for a collaborative project aimed at developing an improved disability outcome measure is described in this paper.

A comprehensive assessment of the cost of multiple sclerosis in the United States

1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 419-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Whetten-Goldstein ◽  
Frank A Sloan ◽  
Larry B Goldstein ◽  
Elizabeth D Kulas
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Informal Care ◽  
Annual Cost ◽  
Lifetime Cost ◽  
The United States ◽  
Personal Health ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
The Cost

Comprehensive data on the costs of multiple sclerosis is sparse. We conducted a survey of 606 persons with MS who were members of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to obtain data on their cost of personal health services, other services, equipment, and earnings. Compensation of such cost in the form of health insurance, income support, and other subsidies was measured. Survey data and data from several secondary sources was used to measure costs incurred by comparable persons without MS. Based on the 1994 data, the annual cost of MS was estimated at over $34 000 per person, translating into a conservative estimate of national annual cost of $6.8 billion, and a total lifetime cost per case of $2.2 million. Major components of cost were earnings loss and informal care. Virtually all persons with MS had health insurance, mostly Medicare/Medicaid. Health insurance covered 51 per cent of costs for services, excluding informal care. On average, compensation for earnings loss was 27 per cent. MS is very costly to the individual, health care system, and society. Much of the cost (57 per cent) is in the form of burdens other than personal health care, including earnings loss, equipment and alternations, and formal and informal care. These costs often are not calculated.

Professional values, job satisfaction, career development, and intent to stay

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 675-685 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Yarbrough ◽  
Pam Martin ◽  
Danita Alfred ◽  
Charleen McNeill
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Career Development ◽  
Intent To Stay ◽  
The United States ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Professional Values ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Hospital System ◽  
The Future

Background: Hospitals are experiencing an estimated 16.5% turnover rate of registered nurses costing from $44,380 - $63,400 per nurse—an estimated $4.21 to $6.02 million financial loss annually for hospitals in the United States of America. Attrition of all nurses is costly. Most past research has focused on the new graduate nurse with little focus on the mid-career nurse. Attrition of mid-career nurses is a loss for the profession now and into the future. Research objective: The purpose of the study was to explore relationships of professional values orientation, career development, job satisfaction, and intent to stay in recently hired mid-career and early-career nurses in a large hospital system. Research design: A descriptive correlational study of personal and professional factors on job satisfaction and retention was conducted. Participants and research context: A convenience sample of nurses from a mid-sized hospital in a metropolitan area in the Southwestern United States was recruited via in-house email. Sixty-seven nurses met the eligibility criteria and completed survey documents. Ethical considerations: Institutional Review Board approval was obtained from both the university and hospital system. Findings: Findings indicated a strong correlation between professional values and career development and that both job satisfaction and career development correlated positively with retention. Discussion: Newly hired mid-career nurses scored higher on job satisfaction and planned to remain in their jobs. This is important because their expertise and leadership are necessary to sustain the profession into the future. Conclusion: Nurse managers should be aware that when nurses perceive value conflicts, retention might be adversely affected. The practice environment stimulates nurses to consider whether to remain on the job or look for other opportunities.

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