The Group Therapist as Social Network Enhancer: A New Area of Inquiry

FORUM ◽

10.3280/foru2012-005006 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 39-54

Author(s):

Carlos E. Sluzki

Keyword(s):

Social Network ◽

Protective Factor ◽

Clinical Intervention ◽

Clinical Work ◽

Survival Group ◽

Satisfactory Life ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

Long Term Impact

Incontrovertible research evidence has proven that a robust personal social network acts as a protective factor against disease, associating positively with overall wellbeing, recovery from disease, and a longer and healthier life. In turn, clinical intervention programs that include social network enhancement aimed at patients already suffering from a variety of severe disorders have shown to improve the quality of their life, included but not limited to pain management, with little impact, however, in survival. Group therapy enhances patients' abilities to enrich their social milieu. As a natural experiment on preventive interventions, group therapies offer an unusual window to evaluate their long-term impact on patients' sociality before possible severe somatic pathology is expressed, that is, their potential positive long-term impact of patients' health and survival. Group therapists should adopt a rather simple standardized rou tine evaluation of patients' personal social support and health at intake and discharge as well as systematic follow-up of former patients to explore the short and long-term impact of their clinical work with regard to patients' sociality, overall health and a longer, satisfactory life.

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Targeted Intervention to Improve the Quality of Head and Neck Radiation Therapy Treatment Planning in the Netherlands: Short and Long-Term Impact

International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics ◽

10.1016/j.ijrobp.2019.07.005 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 105 (3) ◽

pp. 514-524 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Wilko F.A.R. Verbakel ◽

Patricia A.H. Doornaert ◽

Cornelis P.J. Raaijmakers ◽

Luc J. Bos ◽

Marion Essers ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Radiation Therapy ◽

The Netherlands ◽

Targeted Intervention ◽

Radiation Therapy Treatment Planning ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

Long Term Impact ◽

Head And Neck Radiation ◽

Therapy Treatment

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The Association between Hope and Quality of Life among Adolescents with Chronic Diseases: A Systematic Review

Child Health Nursing Research ◽

10.4094/chnr.2020.26.3.323 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 323-328

Author(s):

Ai Mardhiyah ◽

Koshy Philip ◽

Henny Suzana Mediani ◽

Iyus Yosep

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Chronic Diseases ◽

English Language ◽

Protective Factor ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Future Studies ◽

Long Term Impact ◽

The Relationship

Purpose: Hope has been identified as a protective factor that contributes to achieving a better quality to life, especially in patients with chronic disease. The purpose of this review was to synthesize current knowledge about the relationship between hope and quality of life among adolescents living with chronic illnesses.Methods: We searched major English-language databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, and CINAHL) for studies from January 1, 2002 to July 12, 2019. Studies were included if they provided data on hope and its relationship with quality of life among adolescents with chronic diseases.Results: In total, five articles were selected from the 336 studies that were retrieved. All five studies reported a positive correlation between hope and quality of life, such that people with a higher level of hope had a better quality of life. Hope was found to have direct and indirect effects on quality of life in adolescents with chronic diseases.Conclusion: Healthcare professionals should make more efforts to enhance hope in adolescents with chronic diseases in order to improve their quality of life. Future studies exploring how hope develops in adolescents with chronic diseases and the long-term impact of hope on quality of life are necessary.

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COVID-19 Lockdown: Key Factors in Citizens’ Stress

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.666891 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Susana Rodríguez ◽

Antonio Valle ◽

Isabel Piñeiro ◽

Rocío González-Suárez ◽

Fátima M. Díaz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Well Being ◽

Sociodemographic Factors ◽

Key Factors ◽

Work Situation ◽

Suburban Areas ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

Long Term Impact

Background: Confinement due to COVID-19 can have a short‐ and long-term impact on mental health (increased levels of stress and anxiety and emotional upheaval) and on people’s quality of life. Knowing what factors are behind the stress can benefit the development of strategies and resources for future situations of a similar nature. The purpose of this study is to examine the incidence of a series of sociodemographic factors, confinement conditions, and work situation on the stress reported by confined citizens.Method: The sample is made up of 2008 citizens (19.9% men), the Perceived Stress Scale of 14 items (PSS-14) was used to assess the stress level of the population, as well as a sociodemographic questionnaire and different questions aimed at obtain information about the characteristics of the confinement and the employment situation. Data were collected using exponential snowball-type non-probability sampling.Results: The results suggest that sociodemographic factors such as age, gender, and income level could be good predictors of confinement stress. Post-confinement work expectancy along with pre-confinement working conditions can be key to protecting the well-being of confined populations.Limitations: This is a transversal study that forces us to be cautious with causal interpretations. The questionnaire was administered online, which means it excluded a good proportion of the population.Conclusion: The perception of stress being higher in women than men, with the lowest stress in older people and those with higher reported incomes. Stress levels increase as populations spend more weeks in confinement and the pre-confinement work situation seems key to protecting the well-being of the population. A lower stress is observed among stable couples without children confined in residential or suburban areas. Low income or economic instability is associated with a higher rate of stress and anxiety. The results can contribute to prioritizing actions and aid by contributing to the formation of teams and the design of tools for work in the current pandemic situation.

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QUALITY OF LIFE PROBLEMS OF GYNECOLOGICAL CANCER PATIENTS

Problems in oncology ◽

10.37469/0507-3758-2017-63-3-368-374 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 63 (3) ◽

pp. 368-374

Author(s):

Olga Churuksaeva ◽

Larisa Kolomiets

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Gynecological Cancer ◽

Social Aspects ◽

Cancer Data ◽

Life Problems ◽

Anticancer Treatment ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

The Relationship

Due to improvements in short- and long-term clinical outcomes a study of quality of life is one of the most promising trends in oncology today. This review analyzes the published literature on problems dealing with quality of life of patients with gynecological cancer. Data on quality of life with respect to the extent of anticancer treatment as well as psychological and social aspects are presented. The relationship between quality of life and survival has been estimated.

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Long-term Impact of Adenotonsillectomy on the Quality of Life of Children with Sleep-disordered breathing

International Archives of Otorhinolaryngology ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1709195 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Juliana Alves Sousa Caixeta ◽

Jessica Caixeta Silva Sampaio ◽

Vanessa Vaz Costa ◽

Isadora Milhomem Bruno da Silveira ◽

Carolina Ribeiro Fernandes de Oliveira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Obstructive Sleep Apnea ◽

Sleep Apnea ◽

Sleep Disordered Breathing ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Obstructive Sleep ◽

Long Term Impact ◽

Disordered Breathing

Abstract Introduction Adenotonsillectomy is the first-line treatment for obstructive sleep apnea secondary to adenotonsillar hypertrophy in children. The physical benefits of this surgery are well known as well as its impact on the quality of life (QoL), mainly according to short-term evaluations. However, the long-term effects of this surgery are still unclear. Objective To evaluate the long-term impact of adenotonsillectomy on the QoL of children with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). Method This was a prospective non-controlled study. Children between 3 and 13 years of age with symptoms of SDB for whom adenotonsillectomy had been indicated were included. Children with comorbities were excluded. Quality of life was evaluated using the obstructive sleep apnea questionnaire (OSA-18), which was completed prior to, 10 days, 6 months, 12 months and, at least, 18 months after the procedure. For statistical analysis, p-values lower than 0.05 were defined as statistically significant. Results A total of 31 patients were enrolled in the study. The average age was 5.2 years, and 16 patients were male. The OSA-18 scores improved after the procedure in all domains, and this result was maintained until the last evaluation, done 22 ± 3 months after the procedure. Improvement in each domain was not superior to achieved in other domains. No correlation was found between tonsil or adenoid size and OSA-18 scores. Conclusion This is the largest prospective study that evaluated the long-term effects of the surgery on the QoL of children with SDB using the OSA-18. Our results show adenotonsillectomy has a positive impact in children's QoL.

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Affective Temperaments and Illness Severity in Patients with Bipolar Disorder

Medicina ◽

10.3390/medicina57010054 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 57 (1) ◽

pp. 54

Author(s):

Mario Luciano ◽

Luca Steardo ◽

Gaia Sampogna ◽

Vito Caivano ◽

Carmen Ciampi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Bipolar Disorder ◽

Protective Factor ◽

Psychiatric Symptoms ◽

Control Group ◽

Term Outcome ◽

Long Term Outcome ◽

Affective Temperaments

Background and objectives: Bipolar disorder (BD) is one of the most burdensome psychiatric illnesses, being associated with a negative long-term outcome and the highest suicide rate. Although affective temperaments can impact on BD long-term outcome, their role remains poorly investigated. The aims of the present study are to describe the clinical characteristics of patients with BD more frequently associated with the different affective temperaments and to assess the relation between affective temperaments and severity of clinical picture in a sample of patients with BD. Materials and Methods: A total of 199 patients have been recruited in the outpatients units of two university sites. Patients’ psychiatric symptoms, affective temperaments, and quality of life were investigated through validated assessment instruments. Results: Predominant cyclothymic and irritable temperaments are associated to higher number of relapses, poorer quality of life, higher rates of aggressive behaviors, and suicide attempts. Conversely, the predominant hyperthymic disposition was a protective factor for several outcome measures, including relapse rate, severity of anxiety, depressive and manic symptoms, suicidality, and earlier age at onset. One limitationo of the present study is that the recruitment took place in two university sites; therefore, our findings cannot be fully generalized to the whole community of BD patients. Other limitations are the lack of a control group and the cross-sectional design of the study. Conclusions: The early identification of affective temperaments can help clinicians to identify those BD patients who are more likely to show a poor long-term outcome. An early screening of affective temperaments can be useful to develop targeted integrated pharmacological and psychosocial interventions.

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